I am in love with a man who loves Pizza Rolls.  Several of our first dates involved heated debates about the pros and cons of Pizza Rolls.  My list of cons always ended up being more substantial than his “They just taste good” list of pros.  Once I even let him prepare a taste testing session for me in an effort to convert me to the Pizza Roll Fan Club.  Fail.  While I have yet to try the imitation recipes floating around out there, I have come up with a semi-decent substitute.

These whole wheat calzones may not pack the same mouth-melting explosion of Pizza Roll volcanic lava filling, they are healthier and tastier!  They are endlessly adaptable, can be filled with whatever you can dream up and if you stick with the creamy spinach riccotta filling you can actually slip some veggies into your football-friendly munchies without anyone even noticing!  Simple to whip up, these calzones can be frozen ahead of time so you are ready to go for a fast weeknight dinner or easy game day snacks.

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Let’s face it, lentils are not sexy.  If all the cool foods like Dulce de Leche and Creme Fraiche got together for a party, Lentils would not be invited.  They are boring looking and even the name lentils sounds like the weird girl in the corner that no one wants to be seen talking to. Lentils are the nerdy, socially awkward, bowling ball-shaped runts of the food world.

To make up for their lack of social prowess, lentils are forced to bring many health benefits to the table in order to get noticed.  They are high in fiber, low in calories (and on the glycemic index!), extremely filling and will soak up the flavors of whatever liquid you decide to cook them in.  Paired with fresh spinach, smoky kielbasa and a mix of fresh mushrooms this lentil soup will quickly become your best friend while helping you stick to your new, healthful resolutions without having to sacrifice flavor!

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I don’t think I can remember a time when some form of spinach artichoke dip didn’t appear on every restaurant menu.  It seems to have become a standard American pre-meal munchie, a quintessential appetizer.  Not that I mind.  Who doesn’t love the thought of eating something healthy (spinach and artichokes) wrapped in mounds of cheese, butter and heavy cream?

This recipe is a healthier version of the restaurant stand-by that you can feel good about serving to friends and family.  Instead of pounds of butter and heavy cream, this recipe uses reduced-fat sour cream and ricotta, plus it ads in some cannellini beans (my current favorite) which ups the fiber content.  Truly a perfect party dish, this guilt-free dip lets you save some calories for where it counts … dessert!

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I subscribe to a ton of food blogs and, as a result, I generally get a handful of recipes personally delivered to my email inbox each day.  The gems get filed away under the bulging To Make List.  Some get a quizzical, “Really? You think that tastes/looks/smells like a good idea?” and are promptly filed in the mysterious Gmail “archive,” never to be heard from again.  Very rarely do I receive a recipe that produces a Run-Don’t-Walk level of urgency.  This salad was of the Run-Don’t-Walk variety.

The recipe showed up on a Monday.  Had it not been for the fact that I am currently studying for a rather large, life-altering exam (ahem, The Bar) that will determine the validity of my last three years of oh-so expensive schooling, the salad would have been made that very evening.  Rest assured that despite my current level of chaos, this salad was still made before the end of the week.  You would think that this story would end with the expected disappointment that usually results when one has such heightened expectations.  But, you would be wrong.

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