Momma Told Me: low calorie seasoning

Momma Told Me: Cut calories, not flavor.

The holiday season is no longer imminent, it is in full swing, upon us. This means rosy pinched cheeks from Aunt Petunia, all the sugar you can eat, the inevitable paper cuts (yes, even from gift bags, I'm a klutz), and all the food you can eat- did I mention all the food? This time of year, rolling towards New Years resolutions and the unavoidable guilt of holiday gluttony, so many of us are tempted to skip meals. Whether it's sheer convenience, from lack of time to stop and actually prepare a meal, or in hopes the over-eating and starvation will balance each other out; neither is healthy. In fact, your body is already under considerable stress with holiday commitments, and exposure to a wider range of germs (crowded shopping malls, need I say more?), why deny it the nutrients it so sorely needs? Molly McButter is here to help you get through the holiday guilt with flavor and figure in tact.

If you've never heard of Molly McButter, you're no different than me a week back; but this simple yet versatile seasoning has an impressively loyal legion of users, and a wonderfully handy arsenal of tailored recipes. Molly McButter comes in 2 varieties; All Natural Butter Flavor Sprinkles, and All Natural Cheese Flavor Sprinkles. And, how such a humble all natural product packs so much genuine flavor into a mere sprinkle is entirely vexing to me- but quite true to taste. And Molly's low calorie too, just 5 calories per serving, making it the perfect seasoning staple for fattening holiday spreads or your new favorite recipe. I was tickled to find this product on the shelf near the sprinkle seasonings in my local Walmart, though I was sad to find they only stocked the Butter variety.

When you hear Molly McButter, and see the little brightly colored shaker, it's hard not to think popcorn seasoning- make no mistake, this is a seasoning you can top food with, but it's also a product you can cook with. Much like low calorie butter flavored sprays of today, Molly offers a convenient way to flavor dishes per serving, or to cook. It's extra fine powder consistency offers big flavor impact for little product consumption, keeping calories down- and did we mention it's all natural? This time of year I need low fat recipes that are high in protein and fiber, and simple to prepare, between all the rushing and wrapping. I decided to adapt a recipe off the Molly McButter website to create quick and flavorful, heart friendly, Savory Spinach Stuffed Chicken, with a side of Cheddar Bay Biscuits. (***Savory disclaimer, biscuits were adapted from a box, I can't be Betty Crocker 24/7)

Jay loves spinach, and, while I won't eat it solo, I love integrating it into recipes that are high in protein. Preparing these Savory Spinach Stuffed Chicken breasts took less than 10 minutes, and another 25 in the oven. I flavored the spinach mixture and exterior of the chicken with Molly McButter Butter Flavored Sprinkles, the only other seasoning being fresh cracked pepper for my spinach filling. The result was a wonderfully tender, juicy, breast full of flavor that hardly tasted 'good for you' at all! Molly McButter knows watching what you top with, during the holidays, can be a real chore; so they've put together a fun Facebook application to help illustrate all the ways you can sprinkle their product. They've also sweetened the fun with a special $100 a day sweepstakes for every visitor who enters by playing the Flavor Bomb game now through 12/31/2013. So be sure to head on over today season without the guilt, and get entered to win!

What Daughter Says: Smart seasoning substitutions, with Molly McButter can help cut calories during this food filled season.