Raspberry Coconut Muffins

So, while making cupcakes for a baby shower, I was struggling to stay strong and not have any. So I decided to make some cookies/muffins. I didn't have a recipe, I just started making. And what I got what a heavenly medly in my mouth!

This only made 6 since it was just me.
1/2 c unsweetened coconut
1/2 c oats (gluten free if needed)
1 egg
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4-1/2 c raspberries -- mine were frozen. Any fruit would do.

Blend, fill cupcake tins, and bake at 350 for about 15-20min, until top gets a little crisp.

You could put ground flax or wheat germ easily, too.

About 86 calories and 4g fiber each, as written.

Amazing Fish Tacos

I just started playing around and ended up with a meal that not only my husband and I love, but my 5 year old asked for seconds!!! That's when I know it was a success!

Put corn tortillas in the oven, some flat some hanging, at 275* for about 20 to make tostada and taco shells.
Layer 1: 1 can kidney beans, 1 can tomatoes and chilies, some jalepeno slices all mixed in a food processor and a spoonful on the shell.
Layer 2: talapia (or any white fish) cooked on the stove with olive oil, taco seasoning and Tony's Cajun seasoning, broken up and a layer on top of beans.
Layer 3: I sautéed orange bell pepper, zucchini, and spinach in the oil from the fish. Put some across the taco.
Top with cheese.

Amazing as a taco or a tostada!
It was a hot day and it was light with a side of strawberries!

Broccoli Coleslaw

So I make this differently everytime I make it, so I will tell variations as we go.

The coleslaw shown was more of a salad. I chopped up broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, and grated carrots. I added a handful of sliced almonds, a handful of crumbled bacon, then used 1/2c olive oil mayo and 1/4c white vinegar with 1 Tbsp sugar for the sauce. Yummy.

Usually, I get a back of broccoli coleslaw at the store (has broccoli, cabbage, and carrots) and mix with raisins, almonds, and a similar sauce.

This week, I changed my sauce and used 1/4c mayo, 1/2 avocado, and 1/4c vinegar with the sugar. I was extra creamy and added a great flavor.

Craisins are great in this, too, but raisins are cheaper and always in the house.

I love the crunch, the flavor, and the nutrition. It is a great mid-afternoon snack, side for lunch or dinner, it packs well for picnics, etc. I make a large batch and put it in small tupperwares so I just grab it and a fork when I want something.

If you dont like the mayo: Mix 1/4 c sour cream with 1 whole avocado, then mix the vinegar and sugar and you are set.

Veggie Chili (could be vegetarian)

My recipe uses ground turkey, but you could easily use tofu, or just stick with the veggies and beans. So good! Joel and I were fighting over who got the leftovers for lunches. And for a man who doesnt like leftovers, that says a lot. He took leftover zucchini lasagna today, too.

Brown 1lb ground turkey with onion and garlic (can use powders, not salts, if you dont have any of either). I used 1 Tbsp onion powder and 3/4Tbsp minced garlic. I also added about 1 Tbsp chili powder and 1/2 packet of taco seasoning.

While browning add 1-2 celery stalks chopped, 1 bell pepper (I used yellow) chopped, large handful of kale chopped (about 1-2cups), 1/2-1 zucchini chopped, and any other veggies you love or have on hand.

When meat is brown, add 1 can tomatoes and chilis (rotels) and let bubble. I also added some black pepper and chopped jalepeno. Dont add too much unless you like spicy. I add some (about 1Tbsp of chopped jalepeno) for flavor, but add more jalepeno to my bowl or the chili is too hot for the kids.

After about a minute of simmering, add 1 can rinsed kidney beans and 1 can rinsed black beans (you can easily add more or beans you like, this is what I used).

After 3-5 minutes of a low boil you are all set. We like it with tortilla chips or saltines and topped with jalepeno and grated cheese.

Sorry no photo -- was eaten too fast.

Zucchini Lasagna (gluten free)

I said I would try the recipe for eggplant lasagna, but we arent big fans, so I used zucchini. They were small, so it took 4 zucchini's, but worth it!!! Plus, it was family approved! Both my kids (ages 5 and 18 months) loved it, and my husband says he actually prefers it. Wow!

Make it like a normal lasagna:

So I browned 1 lb ground turkey with onion powder (since I had no onion) and a red bell pepper. I added a jar of chunky mushroom and garlic sauce.

Seperately I mixed 1 cup cottage cheese, 1/2 c parmesean cheese, 1 egg (use 2), 1 cup mozerella cheese, and 1 Tbsp italian seasoning.

Put a little sauce at the bottom of the pan to keep it from sticking. Layer thin slices of zucchini all the way across the casserole dish. Put 1/2 meat mix and 1/2 cheese mix. Another layer zucchini and repeat. Third layer zucchini and any leftover sauce, then top with another cup of mozzerella or jack cheese.

Bake at about 350. To cook the zucchini cover the dish with foil and let bake for 30-40 min, then uncover and bake another 10 min to allow cheese to melt and start to crisp.

Make sure to allow this to cool. It needs the cooling to set the cheese and sauce so its not so messy.

Amazing Egg Salad Sandwich

So, as usual, I was watching Rachel Ray and she made a BLT egg salad sandwich that sounded amazing, so I made my own.

 

I mixed together in my little food processor 1 hard boiled egg, 1 Tbsp mayo (olive oil kind), 1 Tbsp yellow mustard, and 1/2 an avocado. I put half of this on my Sara Lee 45 calorie whole grain bread with a slice of pepper jack, some black pepper, and a handful of spinach.

So stinkin good! About 323 calories as shown (and the filling makes 2 hearty or 3 small sandwiches). You could easily add bacon, tomatoe, zucchini, peppers, onion... whatever you like! This as a BLT would be a great dinner this summer!!! With some homemade baked sweet potato chips!

 

AND this has 9 grams of fiber. 25-30 a day minimum is recommended for us women, so this and a bowl of 1 serving fiber 1 chocolate cereal (amazing by the way, and 9 grams) has you at 18 grams before noon! Wow!!!

Lemons

I LOVE lemons... Lemon water, lemon in smoothies, lemon smells, and lemon pie! And did you know that lemons love you too (though the pie one may be less than beneficial)! As I have looked into lemons, I am amazed at all they do. They are great for cleaning, cooking, drinking, etc. Here are some pictures from the internet that show how they are good for you, and I have listed some ways to use them that can be beneficial and yummy.

~Lemon water -- tastes great, a change from plain water!
~Warm water with lemon juice and hot sauce = liver cleanse you can do once a day (1/4 c water, splash lemon, and 3 drops hot sauce like tabasco)
~Squeeze juice over chicken or fish with some olive oil and seasonings in a pan, through in the slices you used and cover the pan as it cooks. Very tender meat with a zesty flavor.
~Wipe out a wooden salad bowl with a slice of lemon to add flavor to your salad while cleaning the grains of the bowl.
~Squeeze over salad with some olive oil and vinegar and a sprinkle of italian seasoning for an amazing and healthy dressing.
~Squeeze into your plain yogurt when adding fruit for a zesty addition
~Juice lemons and freeze into ice cube trays. Stick one in your water with regular ice! You can get the small water bottle ice cube trays to have on the go, too.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

I was craving a rich meal, and this specifically after seeing it on a commercial. While at the gym I was thinking of it and had an epiphany --- I use cauliflower for pizza crust, why not broccoli for chicken breading. So for lunch I tried it. Amazingness!!!

I had 2 very this chicken breast pieces so I put 2 slices of cheese (I used jalapeño jack) and some deli ham slices. I dipped in egg and pressed onto about 1/2 cup ground broccoli (used a food processor with the raw broccoli). Put in a pan sprayed with olive oil Pam on medium heat. Cooks slow, about 5min on each side. I topped with a guacamole I made this weekend (avocado, jalapeño, and Greek yogurt). It was wonderful!!! It was enough for 2 meals, especially with some side dish.

Veggie Tuna Melt Mac N Cheese

Yes, You read that right! And you are welcome!!!
Watching Rachael Ray today (It's my "mommy show" and it gives me yummy ideas), she made a tuna melt mac n cheese that looked amazing, but the thought of how it would affect my eating habits these past weeks made me cringe. SOOOOO I altered it and did the math. You ready??

The ENTIRE casserole is 1437 calories. Broken in to 5 servings measuring right about 1cup, that comes out to only 287 calories per serving!!! That means you can have a small second helping, a yummy salad, a perfect lunch serving, or a small dinner before a workout! I am so excited!

So here you go:
I boiled to almost done about 2/3 a box of this:

A yummy treat! While it was boiling I mixed together:
1 cup raw broccoli
3 celery stalks
1/2 yellow squash
about 1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 can tuna
(I did the veggies in the food processor to make it easier for my kids)

I put the veggie and tuna mix in a casserole dish, topped with hot, drained noodles, and topped with some mac n cheese sauce:
Heat about 1 Tbsp butter in a pan. Once melted, stir in about 1Tbsp flour to soak up butter, then whisk in 1.5-2 cups milk. When it starts to warm up, you add in about 2 cups mexi mix or full cheddar cheese (or use white cheddar, swiss... whatever you like). I had grated, you can also chunk the cheese if you buy blocks.
Pour over the noodles and veggies and mix well. Rachael topped hers with bread crumbs and butter, but that was too much for me! I try to stay away from many carbs and gluten, so I sprinkled some almond slices on top and a little italian seasoning to give it some crunch and extra flavor.
Then place in 375 degree oven for 10-15 to heat through.

And, YES! It is just as good as it sounds/looks!!!
Enjoy!

Salads

I used to here "salad" and would picture some iceburg lettuce and ranch. But I have come to LOVE salads, and so have my family. There are so many variations and you can build your own to what you like.

I found a cool taco shell form at the Dollar Tree that I was so excited about! Then I saw this, and was even happier! I have mine for larger meals, like dinner, or for my husband, but its too big for lunch or for my kids... This is perfect! You can use smaller tortillas and make a great lunch, snack, or kid friendly shell at the same time.

Taco Salads: These are probably my favorite. With or without a shell! I like it will fritos, too, you just mix it in. I use our ground deer or get ground turkey and brown it with onions and garlic, then add half a packet of taco seasoning. Put with kale and spinach, tomatoes, avocado, corn kernels, black and or kidney beans (I like to put beans in with meat when its almost done to get some of the seasoning), etc. Add what you like. Sprinkle some cheese, sour cream or yogurt, and salsa on top. So yummy!

Chinese Chicken Salad: At a restaurant these run over 1000 calories, but making your own is simple and so much healthier. I sautee or bake chicken breast with a little sesame oil. Add some green onion and peppers. Lay on a bed of greens with snap peas, a sprinkle of those crunchy noodles, and top with a low cal or homemade tangy dressing.

Fajita Salad: This can be with raw or sauteed veggies. I like it with cold leftovers or with a fresh batch. Sautee bell peppers, onions, garlic, and your choice of meat (we love deer steaks -- can you tell I married a hunter?!). Put over a bed of greens with a few broken tortilla chips if you want, add some sour cream and salsa like you would a taco salad. I like it with oil and vinegar, my family likes ranch instead of sour cream.

Green Salad: This doesnt have to be boring! Get creative! Lay out a bed of greens and start topping! Peppers, snap peas, tomato, roasted garlic, avocado, cheese, roasted or fresh broccoli, steamed and chilled asparagus, artichoke hearts, apples chunks, almond slices, peacans, beans, quinoa, corn, peas, etc. There are so many varieties. Learn to make your own dressings too. Vinegarette is easy, but you can also make caesar or paresean dressings easy and healthier.

Quinoa Salad: I love quinoa! Its easy (cooks like rice) and you can use it to replace rice or pasta. I like to add it with some chicken and veggies with some vinegarette for a tastey "pasta salad", or just add a scoop to your ground meat for some added flavor and it will fill you up more.

Smoothy: I add this because I had an AMAZING smoothy this morning that was about 1/2 salad. Haha. I put 1 cup unsweetened almond milk with a large handful each of spinach and kale. Blended til smooth, then added 1/2 apple with skin, 1 banana, 1/2 c frozen mixed berries, and 2 Tbsp flax. It was wonderful, even if it looked strange. You could add broccoli, different fruits, etc. Mine was about 210 calories. Fast, healthy, and I was energized for the day after a bad night sleep. All the benefits of a morning smoothy WITH healthy greens.

PLEASE add your favorite salads, toppings, and or healthy dressings.

Chicken and Black Bean Salad

Oh Man!!! I hit the jack pot!!! I was trying to find something yummy for dinner that Joel could take to work for lunch and eat cold. I found this recipe online and it sounded so yummy, and I had everything on hand, so I thought I would try it. I made some changes and wanted to share those, but check out the original recipe, too!

I wanted leftovers for a couple days, so I made a big batch (just a warning!).
5 chicken breast baked and diced
2 celery stalks chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped (no seeds)
2 broccoli crowns (I use my kitchen sheers to get super small pieces)
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can rotels with lime juice and cilantro

Mix together and top with dressing:
2 avocados put in food processor (no seeds or skin... just saying!)
4-5 slices jalepeno (optional)
about 1/3 cup milk, just to get a yogurty texture

Pour (or plop) mixture over salad and mix until all coated.
Serve immediately, or refridgerate.

The entire bowl is 2717 calories. I estimate about 8 1.5cup servings, so that would make it 339.6 calories a serving. Not too bad! The 1 c serving would be right below 300 calories!

I will be getting out some smaller tupperware and sectioning off about 1 cup servings for lunches, after we enjoy this for dinner tonight.

We are on our 7 day clean eating challenge and this sure fits right in! Yum!!!

Banana Pancakes (Gluten Free)

I love banana pancakes. I know others who make them, but they are fairly new to me, so I decided to share! They are simple, low calorie, and fast. My whole family loves them, which is a plus.

 

Mix:

~ 2 mashed bananas (they freeze well, so I do 2 bananas in the food processor and freeze in a sandwhich baggy for later use! Great for smoothies, too.)

~1/2 c oats (I have gluten free oats, but not necessary) -- optional

~1-2 tsp honey -- opt

~1 Tbsp cinnamon

~1 egg (or 1/4 c egg whites)

Mix together well. I use a 1/4 c measuring cup to scoop onto a greased or non-stick pan.

Makes about 7 with the measuring cup.

All this is 397 calories, or 57 calories a pancake... Changes by what kind of oats, or if you have the oats and honey. You can do just bananas and egg and its a great low cal breakfast. These are good cold, too, so I like to make several and put them in the fridge for later.



 

Then there is the added benefits of bananas!! Bananas are great for after a workout, too, especially if you did weight training. Oats are great for feeling fuller longer. Local honey has so many benefits, and cinnamon is one of those spices you just cant go wrong with! The egg is great protein. All in all, a very great meal or snack.

 



Habits

We all have them! We always have. The key, I am learning, is to figure out which are healthy, which are hurtful, and which are just habits!

My healthy habits: gym daily, early bedtime, brushing teeth, healthy breakfast, saying "I love you", etc.

My just habits: pushing in all chairs, stomping my toes when I think, etc.

My hurtful habits make a longer list... I am going to focus on the food related ones today!
"Is it TIME to eat?" This is something I never really thought of until I had kids. Why do we eat at 8, 12, and 5??? What if I am hungry at 2? We should be eating smaller meals every 3ish hours... when we are hungry! I noticed after 2 weeks of trying to eat something healthy and portioned every 3ish hours, after a breakfast within an hour of waking, I am not as hungry, I have more energy, and I have started losing weight more easily. Listen to your body, and dont stuff yourself because its time.

Dish up with your EYES: I never paid much attention to serving sizes, just to how hungry I was. Even if I tried to put more veggies and stuff on my plate I ended up with way too much. I now dish up everyones plates with a measureing cup. It's convenient and realistic. No matter what I make, I start with 1/3 or 1/2 measuring cup and go from there. Rices and pastas only need one, veggie mixes, healthy soups, chilis, stews can get 2-3. After a healthy serving size and plenty of water, I can go back for a second helping of the lean meats and veggies if I am still hungry.
I also serve food and leave the bigger dishes in the kitchen! If I am waiting for my slow 5 year old eater to finish I dont want to be tempted to sit and pick at something yummy just because its there.

Clean Your Plate: I dont know how many of you grew up with this, but I always felt that my plate needed to be clean, not just the peas. I am slowly learning to slow down my pace to not finish my plate, but to satisfy my bodys needs. If I eat slower and only eat 1/2 of what is on my plate and feel good, I will drink some water and wait a few minutes. If I still feel satisfied, I package it up for a snack later in the day or even the next day. I have also learned that throwing away 2 or 3 bites will not hurt anyone. If its not enough to keep, or the dog cant eat it, etc, it IS OK to toss it! Dont be unhealthy just to satisfy some crazy notions.

Snacks: Why are snacks so unhealthy? Fast snacks are usually prepackaged sugar and/or salt and chemically packed foods that we dont need! Find stuff you like, such as sliced apples, cutie oranges, bell peppers, snap peas, celery with pb and raisins.... The list is long! And package them! They have snack size ziplock that are perfect! You can do 2-5 days at a time depending on the snack and be ready to go. Pack your lunch the night before with lots of snacks and have a breakfast set up (shake or even oatmeal) that wont take you long. I like the smoothy because I can just grab and go if we are running late.

Please add to this, or just enjoy making fun of me. :)

7 Day Clean Eating Challenge

Joel and I have started our 7 day challenge. No processed foods for 7 days. Sounded easy until he realized no chips or sandwich bread for work, and we both realized no regular salad dressing or sauces. I make most stuff from scratch already, but we are being strict for 7 days to see what we are missing out on healthy food, snacks, etc. I will keep you posted on recipes and updates all week!

Recipe: Bunless Burger

I know people do these, but I want to share mine. It is yummy and you can adjust to what you like, even using a veggie burger if thats what you like!

I cooked premade patties in the oven with a sprinkle of Lowry's.
Top with:
~Bean puree: 1 can black beans, 1 can kidney beans, 1 can rotels in a food processor
~Tomatoe slices
~Avocado
~Spinach -- you can also get some iceburg lettuce to use as the "bun"
~Grilled onions and jalepenos
~Cheese

So yummy! Adding some baked potato fries or sweet potato fries would be a treat, but this is all we need.

Dessert

When "dieting" this seems to be the ultimate 4 letter word. But it doesnt have to be. I love sweets! Always have, always will. I have gone without sugar for a month straight, including no fake sugar, like soda. But for the LONG term, that just isnt realistic for anyone, especially those with a natural sweet tooth. So what do we do? We get creative!

Peanut Butter Cookies
You can make peanut butter cookies with just peanut butter, honey, and an egg. It's 1 cup sugar or honey, 1 cup natural peanut butter, and 1 large egg (with sugar its 67 calories per cookie, but this makes 36 so those are small.). You can also just mix peanut butter with a small amount of powdered sugar and it tastes like reeses which you can bake with an egg and have a reeses cookie.

Dipped Strawberries/Fruit
I love fruit, especially strawberries and bananas, dipped in chocolate! For Valentines day, I bought some dark chocolate chips to melt and make some. You can also dip in the following to make is slightly healthier... but if you are sharing, you will probably eat less and a bit slower (and maybe work off some calories anyway ;) !).
~Sour cream or greek yogurt then in brown sugar
~Whipped cream with honey
~Cream cheese whipped with honey or cocoa powder (whipping the cream cheese with a little milk with make it thinner and easier to dip, and less calories per dip. It also helps it go further. You can do this will frosting, too!).

Chocolate Chips
I keep chocolate chips in the freezer so I dont think about them much, but they are there for an emergency. They are out of view!!! But if I have a desire to relax with some chocolate and a movie or good book, I grab about 1 Tbsp up to 1/4 cup of dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips (both are lower sugar) and suck on them (remember they are frozen). They last a while and melt in my mouth for a take over of flavor.

No Bake Chocolate Drops
I make mine with dark cocoa powder and honey. I put in some almond slices or unsweetened coconut sometimes, too. Use 1/2 the amount of butter from the recipe, and cut the sugar number in half when measuring the honey (or agave). Its runnier so it spreads easier. They sometimes turn out a little gooeyer, so I like to put them in cupcake papers to cool, then they store and travel well, too.

Yogurt/Smoothies/Homemade Frozen Yogurt
Cant go wrong!!! Here are several ideas for a yummy treat you can have any time of day! I like plain yogurt. If you prefer vanilla, just watch the label! You can throw in coconut, almonds, ground flax seed, wheat germ, etc to any of these for more of a sweet meal.
~Yogurt with frozen fruit
~Yogurt with honey and cinnamon (favorite! very sweet!)
~Frozen yogurt = any mix of fruit, honey, etc that is mixed up and frozen. Simple! Find what you like and make some small servings of it if you are a big ice cream fan! You can even throw in a few dark chocolate chips if needed.
~My morning smoothy when I am running late is 1/4 c plain yogurt, 1/2 cup juiced veggies (I juice kale, celery, and beets a bunch at a time and store in apple juice containers from my kids), 1/4 c almond milk, 2 bananas (or 1 and 1 orange), and 2 Tbsp ground flax seed. Its filling, yummy, and easy.
~Fruit smoothy is simply frozen, mixed berries, 1/2 c plain yogurt, 1/2 c almond milk or juiced veggies, and flax (or not).
~Use Tofu in smoothies instead of yogurt (about the same amount) and you have a cheap way to up your protein without changing the flavor (about $1.30 for 6 smoothies worth). It also allows you to make a large batch for 2-3 days worth of breakfast and they keep the texture in the fridge.
~You can make overnight yogurt, too, where you mix yogurt and oats, then in the morning the oats are soft and "cooked" and you can top with fruits like blueberries, and add some milk if needed.

"Banana Nice Cream" (from my Whole Foods App)
2 bananas
1 cup unsweetened soy (or almond) milk
2 Tbsp smooth almond or peanut butter
Blend all together in blender or food processor and serve, or freeze in small containers for later! Add some cinnamon or honey for added sweetness.

Baked Apples
A friend made me some baked apples recently that were amazing! Find some crunchy sweet apples, like pink ladies, and core them. Put about 1 tsp of butter in each and sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake. Thats it!!!

Experiment!!!
Most of my stuff I have just seen something that looked yummy and tried to make it healthy, or mixed stuff that sounded good. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt. Do a small amount at first. Write down what you do so if you like it you can repeat it. If you dont bake, try some simple mixes of yogurts and fruits to start. I love to make up recipes, but you have to be brave. And trust your NOSE!!! If you arent sure ingredients will go together, close your eyes and smell the aromas. When baking make sure you have an egg or something to hold together your ingredients!!!

Good luck. And please share any others!!!

Quesadilla Cheeseburger

Rachael Ray made these, but I did some tweaking and they came out to 435 calories each for a large, filling, amazing burger!!!

Cook 1lb ground lean turkey (with some black pepper)
Take off heat, add:
2Tbsp ketchup
1tbsp yellow mustard (or more)
1/2 chopped tomato
Chopped fresh spinach
Onions or pickles if wanted
1-1 1/2 c cheese of choose

Place on half a Burrito size tortilla and heat each side to melt cheese.
Done! So good! Fed 4 with huge amounts, or 6 with using more veggies.

Eating Out

What is the point in eating out if you are going to spend $10 on a salad?? I dont want to eat what I eat at home, that defeats the purpose! So here are some tips that I have been taught that help!

Low Calorie Menu: Most restaurants now have low calorie options. If you look there FIRST and see something yummy, close the menu and plan to order that. If there isnt anything that you want, dont settle, but at least you tried. I know many places put a symbol next to their entrees that have under 600 calories, so if you watch for those, that may help, too.

Side Salad and Water: Even if you are getting a big, juicy burger, you can get a salad instead of fries; and with or without a soda you can get a water. I get a water with lemon right away and drink most of it before opening the menu so I dont feel so hungry when looking at option. Then if you have a salad while you wait, you wont get a high calorie appetizer (which should just be a meal), and you wont eat as much dinner. If you want a soda or lemonade or something with dinner, get it with dinner. You wont get as many refills!

Get a Box: I was taught this a long time ago and never used it until recently... If you want the big burger, pasta, etc, order a box WITH your dinner. Most restaurants serve you enough for 2 (or more) meals, so just cut it in half, or they will even do it for you, and you wont be tempted to just sit and eat. If you finish your half, and your salad and water, and sit talking for 10 min and you are still hungry, then maybe go for it-- or get another water! I love leftovers so this works out great.

Dinner for 2: With Valentines day coming up, they are advertising meals for 2. They wont give you much more food, but it will be "romantic", less $$$ than 2 individual meals, and you wont eat so much. You can do it ANYTIME, and I even share with my son sometimes.

Eat Slowly: Enjoy your food! It's not a race! (This is good advice to anytime!) Savor your bites, put down your fork between bites and enjoy. Converse with those around you instead of shovelling in the food and talking later. It's amazing the flavors you can find in foods when you really slow down and enjoy them!

Dessert elsewhere: We never get dessert at restaurants, mostly for price, but you can get good stuff with lots less calories. For example, an ice cream cone at McDonald's here costs $.49 and is 130 or so calories. Its something you can eat on the way home or get in a cup to have when you get there. Good portion, good cost, and always close by.

DONT skip meals: I know lots of people that skip breakfast and/or lunch to save up your calorie alottment for eating out... That makes you MORE hungry, plus slows your metabolism and can ruin your outting anyway. Breakfast jump starts your metabolism for the day, then your healthy snacks and lunch keep you going on natural energy and allows your body to function properly. Then, when you go out to eat, you will eat a healthy amount, have the energy to be social with the people you are with, and have a great evening. You will eat slower and less if you have had a normal food day -- or even had an extra few veggies BEFORE you leave so that your tummy is ready for a smaller amount of your favorite rich, yummy foods.

Hope this helps someone. I enjoyed a night out with my family! We went to outback and I got one of my 2 favorite meals, with a salad and lemon water, and still enjoyed a few yummy sweet potato fries GUILT FREE, then we stopped for a frozen custard so I got the single scoop child size and ate is slowly to enjoy the flavors. It was only about a 650 calorie night and I ate what I like!!!

Snacks

This is my biggest struggle so suggestions are requested. I have found that eating small every 3 hours is hard, even as a stay home mom. I have 2 kids to schedule, errands to run, and a sweet tooth! I know healthy snacks are great, but if you won't eat them, what's the point? I want something yummy, satisfying, and usually quick.

Leftovers divided into small containers helps! If we have a yummy, healthy dinner or lunch, put into 2-3 small tupperware containers instead of a big one. Then you have portion control AND a ready snack.

Get your favorite fruits and veggies to keep on hand. I like to cut up veggies and keep in baggies for a snack when I'm running out the door. I also love sliced almonds! Sliced because I eat less but it takes longer. They are also great salad toppers and in trail mix.

TRAIL MIX! Make your own with what you like. Get dry, UNsweetened fruits, nuts, unsweetened coconut, if you have a need for sweets get DARK chocolate chips! Healthier, satisfying, and you can't really eat as many. Put it into snack ziplock baggies so you have it to grab.

I love crunchy! Chips are a weakness! So I found a solution for me. Tostadas!!! I get the already toasted corn tortillas with no salt. I top with sautéed veggies, or my favorite: black bean salsa, refrained beans, and some cheese. Not too healthy, so get the good processor (mine is a 1.5 cup I got at Walmart for $10 originally to make baby food and now I use it a ton!!) and mix black or pinto beans with tomato, avocado, jalapeño, veggies -- whatever you want! Make a good paste and store it in the fridge. Put a tablespoon or 2 on your tostada shell and sprinkle cheese if desired. Yummy and you can mix enough for a week at a time. I enjoy it with seltzer water.

I got a recipe for "turkey muffins" too. Sounded weird and I didn't have most of the seasonings, but I used what I had and they are A-mazing! Here is what I used. Feel free to adjust to your likes.
1 lb ground turkey or chicken
1 egg and 1/4 c egg whites
3/4 c oats
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp black pepper
1-2 Tbsp Tony's creole seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 thick slice onion chopped
1 celery stick chopped
Pick well, put into muffin tins, bake at 375* for about 30-35 min. Made 8.

I love string cheese, turkey jerkey, cutie oranges, ants on a log (celery with PB and raisins), roasted broccoli with garlic and tihini sauce (my cousin just introduced me to this. Yum!).

There are some of my ideas. What are yours???

Slow Cooker!

I love soups and casseroles in the winter, but they arent always healthy though can be! I have found a new app -- "Whole Foods Recipes"!! It's a free app with tons of recipes. Best of all, you can choose to put what you have on hand and it will give ideas, or you can put such things as "diabetic" or "gluten-free" and it will bring up those recipes.

On this app I found a slow cooker recipe for split pea soup. It is amazing! These slow cooker soups and meals are usually low carb, high protein and have tons of veggies. So healthy, easy, hot, and you can feed a bunch or freeze some for another time.

Easy meals, especially that allow leftovers for lunches or future dinners, are a wonderful thing!

Motivation

 Today was a great day for me! I ate a yummy mix of berries with ground flax seed and plain yogurt. A favorite breakfast! I did a double day at the gym because I took the weekend off. I did bicepts/back and legs. It felt so good! I love when I push and realize I CAN do it. But not everyday is like today. I get hungry and eat more than I should or stuff I shouldnt. I give in and drink soda or lots of juice. I dont want to go to the gym, and even if I do I dont push. Those days dont happen a lot, but they happen. It is what kept me from beginning. But now I love it, so I am posting some things I have saved to my phone that have helped. Most of these I got from Emilee Pollock. If you arent following her on facebook under "Getting in Shape" you should! She posts something great almost everyday, she has great giveaways, and she is there if you need a little motivation! I went to church with her during high school and her story of getting in shape has definately motivated me!

First: Why arent you seeing results? Its easy to hum away "well this one snack wont hurt", or "I'm in my calorie range"... But here are some blunt things you need to look at. I was doing OK with these, but recently stepped it up a notch with all of them, including following a 12 week body building program. Its a free system that helps you know what to work with day by day workouts and motivation, along with foods to eat and when, and recipes if needed. Let me know if you want more information on that.

Next, dont rush results! I get frustrated when I glance in the mirror after a workout, or a week of workouts, and dont see anything. It takes TIME! Give yourself a day each week to weigh in, and give yourself 2-3 weeks before comparing. Enjoy the difference in the way clothes feel, and notice --- really take the TIME to NOTICE how YOU FEEL! Do you feel good? Confident? Healthy? Energized? Thats where it really starts and what is most important, so take the time to notice!

Here is just some helpful information. A way to make TASTY vitamin water in your home. It's cheap and easy.

And some water rich foods. They are good for you, filling, and low calorie. They are great to keep on hand for those weak moments, or just to snack on during the day!

Omlettes and Fajitas

Seriously, these 2 foods are like staples in my house right now. I could make 20 types of omlettes, all that are low calorie, full of veggies, and so yummy. I do fresh, mushroom and spinach, taco, cheese, leftovers (whatever we had before, like fajitas, heated up and topped with egg whites). I actually prefer egg whites in my omlettes so I buy the boxes of egg whites and keep in the fridge. So good!

Fajitas are the same way! I load them up with onions, mushrooms, peppers, chicken, deer steaks, shrimp, you name it! There are hundreds of combinations. If someone doesnt like something its super easy to accommodate. You can top with some black bean salsa and sour cream or greek yogurt. You dont need a tortilla, or you can have one. I prefer toasted corn tortillas myself. Leftovers can be heated for a yummy snack, omelette, or lunch!

I love these meals that I can make with leftovers for a quick and easy meal or a snack on the run. I also love meals that make everyone happy. I can feed this to my 5 year old and chop up some for my 1 year old no problem! We have all really enjoyed all the veggies lately and are looking forward to warmer weather with farmers markets! I am hoping to be in my own home early enough to plant this year, but if not, next for sure! Summer is going to rock with these!!!

Hope you are all enjoying fresher meals! We are doing a 7 day clean food cleanse soon, so I will definately blog about that!

Please share your meal ideas or alterations! :)

Carb Free Dinner

I have heard time and again to not have carbs after 3, or 2, or 12... But dinner always had pasta or rice or bread. Until now! I have been learning to make more veggie and protein based meals. Including cauliflower crust pizza! Tonight I tried something new and ALL FOUR of us ate our dinner! Everyone loved it! So here goes: (I don't really measure, I make stuff up as I go so I'm guessing low on measurements and you may need more than I say)

2 baked chicken breasts diced
1 baked acorn squash - after baked I scooped out pulp with a spoon in chunks
About 1 cup uncooked broccoli
1/4c chopped onion
4 garlic cloves chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
3 carrots chopped

I tossed the veggies in the olive oil until heated, added 1/2 veggie bouillon cube and a cup of water with about 1 tsp of Italian seasoning. I added the chicken and reduced heat to med-low to steam the broc and carrots some (maybe 1-2 min). I added a few pieces of fresh cilantro and turned off heat. Served as is. So yummy!!!

If you are like me and get hungry before bed with these meals, I drink water all evening and have 1/2 an apple if needed. I'm getting used to it now that I don't need the apple very often.

Let's Get Started

So I am not a health nut, but I have been trying to eat healthy, make it good, and make it fast. I have 2 very active kids that make it hard to be a chef. I am also on a budget, so I used a lot of bulk items and leftovers. I am going to post what I come up with in hopes to inspire myself, and maybe some other busy mom's in my life.
This week I have been on a bell pepper kick. I got a big bag of multicolored peppers cheap at Costco. I sliced up one of each color and put them in a baggy so I'm ready to go. They ran out today so I can pull out some more whole ones and get them ready. I found mushrooms and fresh spinach on sale, which are favorites, so I have lots of those in my cooking too. I always have canned fruits, beans, and veggies on hand for variation and budget. I also love juicing. Kale was cheap today and I mixed it with beets and celery and a few apples and put it all in an empty juice container so it's ready to make smoothies or just drink the next couple days. I also buy stuff in bulk and section and freeze it to help. Some items, like onions, you need to cut before you freeze because they will be mushy when thawed, but still taste good.

To get us started, I had yummy tostadas for lunch. I found a bag of crunchy corn tortillas for a buck. I sautéed mushrooms, garlic, peppers, some leftover ham, yellow squash, black bean and corn salsa, all in olive oil. When almost done a put some spinach in and let in cook down a little. I put it on the tostada and topped with a little cheese. So good!!! And about 100-150 calories each, depending on what you include, and it's chocked full of nutrients. Not wanting crunch? When all is cooked, put over medium heat and add 2 eggs or 1/3 cup egg whites and let cook. Easy to make extras to have on stand by.
In the fridge I have a large water bottle with 2 lemon slices I filled last night before bed so I have cold and flavored water to drink!
I have to figure out how to post pictures from my phone, but those will come soon. Please comment with ideas to share! :)
Karin