Jenn made the joke that baring our pantries could read totally differently with the omission of one letter. I’ll admit that sending photos of my pantry to a nutritionist did feel slightly like I was going pantless and showing off my under-britches to the world. But we’re nothing if not honest around here, whether we’re talking about our healthiest habits or the ones we need to tweak, like my sugar habit. Plus, I was all for seeing how I could tweak my dry goods stash to make it a bit healthier.

First, a tour of my Lazy Susan. I have additional cupboard space for baking necessities and spices and counter space for bread, but this is the meat of it. It took four turns of old Susan to get it all pictured. At the top of this turn: Canned soups, bread crumbs and two honey bears. I went through a lot of honey and Greek yogurt at the beginning of my pregnancy. Bottom row: Some No Yolks egg noodles, lasagna noodles and evaporated milk that I bought in a six-pack and only used two of for pumpkin pies at Thanksgiving.

Turn two. At the top of this turn, we’ve got sauerkraut and canned fruits. At bottom: Rice wine vinegar, fish oil, cooking wine, sesame and safflower oils (safflower left over from my hubby’s b-day cake. Remember this one?), and mandarin oranges. I also see hot chocolate hiding in there.

Now coming into turn three, we’ve got peanut butter, lite coconut milk, canned tuna and chicken broth. Down below, granola, bouillon granules and cherry Jell-O.

Rounding the corner into the home stretch, we’ve got a lot going on. Up top: Just about every variety of tomato imaginable, fat-free refried beans, green chilies, corn, black beans, garbanzo beans, baked beans. I also spy applesauce. Down below: More egg noodles (there must have been a sale!), whole-grain pasta, orzo and a massive bag of powdered sugar.

So we sent these pictures to nutritionist Keri Glassman, who is working with Arnold/Orowheat Sandwich Thins for its Smart Eating campaign, to get her opinion on what could be tweaked. Here are her suggestions for me!

• Go for natural peanut butter where the only ingredient is peanuts and there is no added sodium or sugar or trans fats.
• I see you have canned tuna. I recommend chunk light tuna and canned salmon.
• Avoid the Jell-O and packaged fruit, instead try frozen berries or just fresh produce.
• Most granolas are still loaded with calories and sugar, you can make your own healthy topping or snack with nuts, dried fruit (in portion control and with no added sugar or sulfur) seeds like sunflower, pumpkin and flax.
• It’s good you have whole-wheat pasta, make sure all your pasta is whole wheat. You can also add in whole grains like quinoa, amaranth and millet. And of course, Arnold/Oroweat 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins rolls are great to have on hand for a quick sandwich.

So really, that wasn’t as painful as I thought it’d be. It’s funny because these suggestions are things I know I should do more of—whole-wheat pasta and other whole grains. Granola? Well, I can guarantee I won’t be making my own any time soon, so I mostly just try to watch portions there. And the Jell-O cracks me up. I think I picked it up one day on a craving-led whim, and I never think ahead far enough to make it because it takes so long to set up. So there it sits, along with two cans of fruit that have been in there since…forever. You can even see the dust on those peaches. The packaged mandarin oranges (sugar-free, in water!) are mostly for the little one in a pinch if I’m running low on other fruits or she needs a super-quick snack.

What items are in your pantry that you know should be swapped out? Anything collecting dust? —Erin

Yesterday we shared with you five new healthy Super Bowl snacks to try. And today? Well, we’re giving you a mouth-watering recipe—no, really, they’re hot!—for Teriyaki Chicken Wings with Hot Mango Dipping Sauce. A big thanks to Registered Dietitian Sarah Ladden and Stevia in the Raw for the below tasty Super Bowl recipe that’s certainly healthier than your usual chicken wings…

Perfect Super Bowl Recipe: Teriyaki Chicken Wings with Hot Mango Dipping Sauce

Brushing several times with an all-natural sauce gives these baked wings intense flavor and crunchy skin. The chile-spiked fruit dipping sauce makes the perfect partner.

Chicken Wings Ingredients
1/2 c reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/2 c reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 c mirin (Japanese rice wine)
1/3 c Stevia In The Raw Baker’s Bag
2 tbsp defrosted orange juice concentrate
2 garlic cloves, sliced lengthwise
3/4-inch fresh ginger, in 3 slices
16 chicken wings, about 3 1/4 pounds

Directions
1. In small saucepan, combine all the sauce ingredients. Boil sauce over medium-high heat for 10 minutes. Cool sauce to room temperature. If desired, remove garlic and ginger, transfer sauce to tightly covered container, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 425° F. Line baking pan, 15” x 11” or larger, with foil. Coat two (10” x 10”) wire racks with cooking spray and set in the pan, overlapping them.

3. Cut off first joint of chicken wings and discard. Arrange wings in prepared baking pan in one layer, smooth side up. Bake wings for 10 minutes. Brush wings on both sides with sauce and bake, smooth side up, for 5 minutes.

4. Brush with sauce again and bake, underside up, for 5 minutes. Brush wings a third time and bake, smooth side up, for 5 minutes. Brush wings again, and bake, underside up, for 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 400° F. Brush tops of wings with sauce and bake, topside up, for 10 minutes.

5. Arrange wings on serving plate. Discard any remaining sauce. Serve accompanied by Hot Mango Dipping Sauce.

Dipping Sauce Ingredients
1 c diced fresh mango
2 tbsp brown mustard
2 tbsp orange marmalade fruit spread
2 packets Stevia In The Raw
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 /8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 /2 tsp salt
1 /8 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp chopped scallions

Directions
1. In mini-food processor, whirl all sauce ingredients except scallions together until smooth. Transfer sauce to bowl and garnish with scallions. Makes eight (two-tablespoon) servings.

Nutrition information per serving (2 wings plus 2 tablespoons dipping sauce): 127 calories, 2 g fat (<1 g saturated fat), 14 g carbohydrate, 14 g protein, 0 g dietary fiber, 645 mg sodium.

What a tasty way to get some protein without all the calories you usually see in chicken wings. What’s your favorite healthy Super Bowl recipe? Share it in the comments—we’d love to hear what you make that’s FBG-approved! —Jenn

The Super Bowl is just three days away…do you know where your healthy snacks are? In case you don’t—or in case you can’t see one more “healthy snack list” that claims baby carrots and celery sticks are actually fun to snack on (nothing against carrots and celery—they’re just hard to stick to when things like nachos are giving you the googly eyes)—we’ve rounded up five new healthy snacks that are perfect to serve at the big game or take to any Super Bowl party. Salty, sweet, refreshing and even a little (healthy) fatty, they pretty much cover the gamut of taste sensations. Go snacks, go!

5 New Healthy Super Bowl Snacks

1. Wholly Guacamole in Spicy. Everyone loves guacamole, and Wholly Guacamole’s new spicy flavor is just the right mix of heat, spice and avocado. It’s kind of like mixing hot salsa with guac. Naturally free of sodium and cholesterol, this guac is also a good source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, folate and vitamin B6. Yum…

My spud babies were delish!

If loving potatoes is wrong, I don’t want to be right. But the only problem with my potato-loving nature is that I like lots of cheese and butter. (Have I ever mentioned I’m lactose intolerant?) Yeah, dairy and I can’t really be friends, but I’ve been stubborn over the years. Fortunately, I just found a new recipe from an old cookbook I had laying around that allows me to enjoy those lovely spuds without having to cram a bunch of crap on them. (And by crap, I mean so much dairy that it will give me the craps.)

This Stuffed Baked Potatoes recipe is cake to make and yummy to boot. I made the recipe my own with a few substitutions and by adding some salsa, too. There’s just something about salsa on a papa that melts my butter.

Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Serves 6

Ingredients
3 large Russet potatoes
1/2 c fat-free cottage cheese
1/2 c fat-free sour cream
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chiles
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
Paprika to taste
Jar of your favorite salsa, optional

Directions

1. Bake potatoes and allow to cool until easy to handle.

2. Slice in half lengthwise and scoop out centers, leaving 1/2-inch rim and set shells aside. Mash potato centers and combine with cottage cheese and sour cream, blending thoroughly. Stir in green chiles, garlic salt and cilantro. Fill potato skins with mixture, sprinkle with paprika and place in 350° oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until crispy on top.

3. Top with salsa and enjoy!

Do you have any healthier spins on your guilty pleasures? Grumbling tummies want to know! —Tish

Now that my mom has gone gluten-free (and to be honest, I tend to feel better when I avoid gluten, too), I’m much more on the lookout for foods with the GF label on them. And there seem to be more and more of them—thankfully—these days. Recent case in point, Rise Bar, a whole new line of gluten-free and all-natural nutrition bars.

When the company asked if we wanted to try a few of them, I eagerly accepted, thinking we’d get a handful of bars to review (which is usually standard procedure when we review something) and hopefully a new type of protein bar to suggest to my mom for snacks on the go. Well, unlike most protein bars that have just a few flavors, Rise Bar has like 50 flavors. Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but there are a lot, and they all have something special about them. There’s Rise Breakfast, Rise Energy+ and Rise Protein+, all of which are vegetarian, Kosher, gluten-free, and do not contain GMOs, preservatives, peanuts or soy. Many of them are also certified organic, vegan and dairy-free options, but you have to check out each one’s label to be sure. So it pretty much took us almost a month to nosh on all of these. You know, someone has to do it…

Rise Breakfast Bar

The Rise Breakfast Bar was previously called Boomi Bar and is made with hearty chunks of fruits and nuts. It kind of reminds me of a Larabar, just with bigger chunks. The breakfast bars contain no trans fat and are 100 percent all-natural and dairy-free. They’re also available in: Crunchy Cashew Almond, Crunchy Cranberry Apple, Crunchy Honey Walnut, Crunchy Macadamia Pineapple and Crunchy Perfect Pumpkin. Of the bunch, my favorites were Crunchy Macadamia Pineapple, which is like a vacation for your mouth, and Crunchy Perfect Pumpkin, which was just like munching on a bunch of pumpkin seeds (if you like that kind of thing—like I do!).

Yep, that would be my pantry. A somewhat chaotic mix of this, that and everything in between, it’s where I go for cooking inspiration and, well, storage. (Hey, the organization makes sense to me…)

Similar to an earlier Question of the Week where we peeked into each FBG’s fridge, this week we’re showing you what our pantries look like. (Funny how removing one little letter in “pantries” could make this question totally different.) But, wait, there’s a twist! In addition to just showing our kitchen cabinets off, we’ve also shown them to nutritionist Keri Glassman, who is working with Arnold/Orowheat Sandwich Thins for its Smart Eating campaign, to get her opinion on what’s good and what could be made just a bit better.

But before we share what Ms. Glassman thought of my pantry (I’ll admit this was a bit eek-inducing for me!), let’s look at this mess, shelf by shelf. We’ll start bottom left because that section seems the least cluttered. We’ve got almond milk, canned pumpkin, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, pumpkin pancake mix from Trader Joe’s (how did that get in there?!), tuna, salmon, almonds, corn meal, and two flours that were left over from my gluten-free baking adventure—quinoa and coconut.

Next shelf up, things get a little spicy. (Get it? I kill myself.) There are you usual spice standbys like chili powder, marjoram and basil, but fun stuff like Garam Masala and my favorite cajun-spice blend, Slap Ya Mama. Also co-mingling on this shelf are honey, bread crumbs and rice paper wrappers. I have no idea why.

The two top shelves are pretty boring, so I’m leaving out a photo: sugar, flour, vanilla, baking spices—nothing exciting and mostly stuff that stays up there and out of reach for a reason. But the bottom right shelf? Well, there’s a bevy of tasty. Tamarind paste for when I make pad thai, mango butter (love this stuff on sandwiches and even burgers!), jams, that weird yet incredibly convenient low-sodium chicken broth paste, mushroom powder (for the vitamin D, baby), sea salt, dried beans, barley, couscous, pasta and seaweed for my occasional sushi-making endeavors.

And lastly, there’s the middle-right shelf, which is a cornucopia of more exotic spices. There’s some dry rub for that good barbecue that Kansas City is known for, more sea salt (this kind is for sprinkling on, the other kind is for grinding—common sense would put them on the same shelf, but logic doesn’t always apply in my kitchen), and then a bunch of spices I bought in bulk and on the cheap at a local Indian market. You can see a sliver of the Tandoori powder at the bottom left, and then there are bags filled with curry powder, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, ground cumin and ginger powder. Behind all that is a little sushi rice for previously mentioned sushi-making.

So just what did the nutritionist have to say about my pantry? Well, some good suggestions. In Glassman’s own words…

• You have a lot of good things in there! I see quinoa, pumpkin, herbs and spices and it’s great that you have the mango butter, sea salt, salmon, seaweed and barley!
• Great job with the almonds—let’s add in other nuts for variety like pecans and walnuts. You can also add in more ancient grains like amaranth. I see you have chickpeas, so you might like lentils as well.
• Whole-wheat bread crumbs are hard to find, but you can use wheat germ mixed with flax seeds to coat chicken or fish.

Dude, such great advice! (And I didn’t seem to do too bad, eh? Hooray!) I’m definitely planning to round-out my nut buying (wow, there are a lot of jokes to be made there), work lentils into dishes (she’s right—I love ‘em) and try that wheat-germ-flax-seed combo for coating chicken and fish. Yum, yum, yum. A big thanks to Glassman for the expertise!

What do you think a nutritionist would say about your pantry? Any items that stand out as something Glassman might love—or want to swap out? Dish! —Jenn

A year ago, I went vegetarian for a month-long experiment. And during that time, I came perhaps a touch close to going vegan—in that I didn’t feel totally okay with eating eggs and I avoided cheese. But I certainly didn’t try to not eat animal products in everything—heck, sometimes I had a hard enough time ordering a vegetarian option (I do live in the BBQ capital of the world—Kansas City), let alone a vegan one. And after my experiment, I did go back to eating meat regularly. In fact, these days I eat quite a bit of meat and protein, but I’m super picky about where it comes from. Well, I thought I was picky. That was until I popped the Vegucated documentary into my DVD player.

The following is a post sponsored by Egg Beaters. For our sponsored post policy, click here.

Whether it’s a leisurely breakfast on a Saturday morning or brinner on a weeknight, it’s hard not to love pancakes. And this recipe for light, fluffy and sweet Banana Walnut Pancakes is so delicious and easy to make. It takes just 35 minutes to whip up this recipe, and it makes four 3-pancake servings. Made with real bananas, crunchy walnuts and Egg Beaters 100% Egg Whites (our favorite low-cal protein!), it’s healthy, too. Enjoy!

Banana Walnut Pancakes Recipe

Ingredients
1 c Eagle Mills® All-Purpose Unbleached Flour with Ultragrain®
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 c fat-free milk
1 medium ripe banana, mashed (1 med = about 1/2 cup)
1/4 c Egg Beaters® Original or Egg Beaters® 100% Egg Whites
2 tbsp Fleischmann’s® Original-stick, melted
1/4 c chopped walnuts, toasted
PAM® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
Sliced banana, cinnamon and honey, optional

Directions
1. Combine flour, sugar and baking powder in medium bowl; set aside. Mix milk, mashed banana, Egg Beaters and Fleischmann’s in separate bowl until well blended. Add to flour mixture; stir just until blended. (Do not overmix. Batter should still be slightly lumpy.) Let stand 10 minutes. Stir in chopped walnuts.

2. Spray large skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Ladle batter into skillet, using a scant 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. Cook until bubbles form on top; turn and cook 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Repeat with remaining batter.

3. Serve topped with more sliced banana, cinnamon and honey, if desired.

Nutritional Information
4 servings (3 pancakes each) Calories 283; Total Fat 10g (Saturated Fat 2 g); Cholesterol 1 mg; Sodium 475 mg; Carbohydrate 40 g; (Dietary Fiber 3 g, Sugars 14 g); Protein 9 g; Percent Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet: Vitamin A 12%; Vitamin C 4%; Calcium 29%; Iron 9%

Cook’s Tips
Toasting walnuts adds to their taste and texture. To have these on hand, buy a large bag and toast all at once. Spread evenly on baking sheet. Toast about 10 minutes in a 350°F preheated oven or until fragrant and golden brown. Cool; place in a resealable plastic bag. Store in freezer.

They sound and look great, right? You can actually use Egg Beaters 100% Egg Whites for pretty much any recipe that calls for eggs for a protein-power punch that is lower calorie and lower fat than regular eggs. Totally versatile! (And just one of the things we’re talking about on Twitter with the hashtag #EBProteinPower.)

Do you like your pancakes a little fruity like this Banana Walnut Pancakes recipe calls for or do you like yours plain? Tell us in the comments! —Jenn

If I may be frank, diet food has always made my butt twitch. I hate it that when my friends and family think of it, they cringe. I hate that they associate “going on a diet” with deprivation and focus on all of the foods that they think they can’t have. After all, eating well is all about piling in the good stuff—without going hungry or losing your brain over something as simple as a pizza craving. That’s why I was intrigued to try the new Weight Watchers Smart Ones Satisfying Selections. I figured the company that encourages people to eat many zero-point foods (veggies and fruits!) had to bring the good stuff in its frozen meals. At $2.99 (before tax) they were decently priced, so the smarties had two points before I even had the opportunity to test them out.

And it’s not like it’s a tiny bag. The new packages brag about offering “satisfying selections” (hence the name) that offer 30 percent larger portions with heartier pieces of meat, vegetables and good doses of whole grains. I seriously thought I had found possibly the perfect dinner option for those nights when the stove is my enemy and the kitchen my torture chamber. Then I tried them and my bubble burst—a bit.

I tried the Sesame Chicken first and enjoyed it. I gobbled it up with no problem and was actually nice and full. But then I looked at the package. It had a good dose of protein (25+ grams!) and fiber, and a sane calorie count of about 350 per meal (nine points, if you’re counting those), but it also had a shocking amount of sodium. When my boyfriend read the back of the package and screamed out, “Daaaaaaaang!” at the 490 mg, I knew Weight Watchers had come far in the frozen-food market, but not far enough. I could see myself eating something like this occasionally, but not more than once a week. I’m a stickler for sodium.

If sodium were these entrees’ only fault, I think I might still give ‘em a B+, but I tried the Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo and all bets were off. Overall, the meal was bland and the chicken left much to be desired. I kept finding gristle, too. (Have I ever mentioned before that I gave up all meat for a couple of years because gristle texture had grossed me out so badly I went extremely wiggy? True story.) The first time I got a bite of bad chicken, I chalked it up to a fluke, but then I had two more pieces in my bowl. Third times a charm, apparently, because I couldn’t keep eating after that. The meal had 660 mg of sodium though, so I didn’t feel too bad that I couldn’t finish all of it.

Now, there are other varieties in the Smart Ones Satisfying Selections lines that I didn’t try: Chicken with Broccoli and Cheese, Ziti with Meatballs and Cheese, and Chicken Teriyaki Stir-Fry. So maybe those are hit-it-out-of-the-ballpark taste-wise, but for me, I’d prefer to fire up that stove and cook—unless I was really, really tired and hungry.

What are your thoughts on diet foods? Eat ‘em? Avoid ‘em? —Tish

For years I’ve heard a lot about the Vitamix on different blogs and websites. When I first heard about it, I was like “$450? Well, you have to just be crazy to get that. How can it possibly be worth all that?” And then, I started making more smoothies.

At first, a basic blender was fine. A frozen banana and ice were a bit of a challenge, but protein power and strawberries were a breeze. And then I started getting more adventurous. I started adding frozen spinach…then kale…and then I wanted to add EVERYTHING healthy in. But homie wasn’t playin’ that. (Homeybeing my blender.) And homey burnt out, not once, but twice. So it was obvious I needed to invest in a quality blender.

And then I used the financial thinking that gets a lot of us in trouble: Well, what’s the point of getting something mediocre? I might as well buy the best! Screw the rest!

And so I began my campaign to convince my wonderfully frugal husband that yes, I—no, we!—needed a blender that cost roughly as much as a set of tires for the car. I began with casually mentioning this cool “new blender” that was out there and how it could basically crush rocks. Then, I started complaining a bit more loudly about our current blender. (For the record, I already cussed at it a lot.) I make green smoothies for me and my husband just about every morning, so I had ample opportunity to do this. Next, I began bringing up—usually while eating a big salad for dinner—how awesome raw food is for you and how you can eat SO MUCH MORE produce when you’re juicing/blending whole foods. But, you know, not with a little blender like ours. Like one of those other blenders.

Well, eventually, I got him as excited about the whole dang thing as I was. So much so that he ended up doing his own research, and concluded that, yes, the Vitamix was the way to go. (We could get a juicer, but then you have the pulp to do something with, which just seems like a hassle to us.) Before I knew it, we were striking a deal with ourselves to forgo our usual Christmas presents to help justify such a large purchase. And it is a large purchase. I almost had a panic attack when I pulled out my credit card for it.

After anxiously awaiting its arrival on our doorstep for 10 days, our Vitamix has become an essential part of our food preparation. I used it six times in the first 24 hours I had it—three smoothies, a massive round of mango daiquiris, fresh cranberry salad dressing and chocolate-banana-avocado pudding. In the two weeks I’ve had it thus far, we’ve probably used it two to three times a day, and holy goodness gracious it makes a joke of my previous blender.

I can now stuff it with more kale than my grocery store practically carries. Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but I stuff a lot of kale in there.

And I make one hell of a green smoothie.

As I go about perfecting my green and kale smoothie recipes, I’ll be sure to share them here, but in the meantime just know that I’m trying it all—grapefruit, pears, carrots, celery, collard greens, almond butter, berries, ginger, liquor. Not everything tastes great together—but it’s still amazingly blended to a consistency that is so smooth it’s almost unfathomable that it was ever anything but a drink. Let alone a cruciferous vegetable.

I almost can’t believe I’m saying this, but, for me, the Vitamix was worth every single penny. Some people buy flatscreen TVs. Others buy high-fashion shoes and clothes. I apparently buy blenders. Or, more accurately, one blender (seven-year warranty, baby!).

Do you make kale smoothies or green smoothies? Have a Vitamix? Want to get one? Think they’re ridiculously expensive? Sound off in the comments! —Jenn