Chopsticks Optional

When it comes down to the choice of “real” homemade food versus takeout the home cooked nutritious option will win out in my house every single time. Since the hubs expressed a craving for Chinese take out, I decided to cook my own version of Cashew Chicken. We all know I am a huge Rachael Ray lover so this recipe was initially borrowed from her. However, the recipe below is modified to reflect a lower calorie count. This recipe is so easy…

-Start by heating a large skillet to medium high heat, add olive oil, and cubed boneless/skinless chicken breasts (season with grill seasoning and a touch of garlic)

-After the chicken browns for 5-7 minute add your veggies (1 large chopped onion, 1 large bell pepper chopped, 2 carrots grated)

-Once the veggies have softened add in 2-3 tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce

-Give the soy sauce 3-4 minutes to absorb then add a dash of crushed red pepper flakes, a healthy drizzle of honey, ¼ cup of sugar free pancake syrup and the star of the show.. Chipolte Chili Powder.

This can be found with the regular spices right in your grocery store OR take a field trip to a spice store which is what I love to do from time to time. (I heart Penzeys)

One you have everything combined toss in some peas (your choice of type) and some cashews. I don’t do tons of cashews since they bump up the calorie count and there is already plenty of protein coming from the chicken.

Reduce heat and cover for 5-6 minutes. Pair with some brown rice (which I recommend making with chicken stock instead of water) and enjoy….with or without chopsticks!

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Dinner ala Green

I was reading some tips on how to “sneak” veggies into children’s (and in some cases husband’s) food and I started thinking, why don’t we train ourselves to look at vegetables differently? Instead of sneaking them into food, why not celebrate their wholesome goodness by adding them to already popular dishes? I was not really  a vegetable eater before starting this journey so this has truly been an eye opening experience for me. Now I can’t imagine life without baby spinach. But for those of you reading this who are like the “old” me I decided to do a mini challenge this week. I am making each dinner during this workweek feature something green in a leading or supporting role! Tonight I have two recipes to share: Spinach and Brown Rice Casserole (with broccoli, mushrooms, and onions) from Monday night and Veggie-Sketti (a baked spaghetti recipe loaded with peppers,  mushrooms, onions, and tons of broccoli) from tonight.

Spinach and Brown Rice Casserole

1.      In a bowl combine 2 beaten eggs, ½ cup FF sour cream, 1 ¼ cup FF Cottage Cheese (set aside)
2.      Prepare 1 box of brown rice. I choose to toast my rice in onions and olive oil before boiling it in veggie stock for flavor but plain water works fine too!
3.      In a skillet combine 1 lb of ground turkey (or omit for a vegetarian option), grill seasoning, 1 large chopped onion, 1 lb finely diced mushrooms, 1 bag frozen spinach, 1 bag frozen broccoli. (Drain water and fat).

4.      Combine in a large bowl the cooked rice, veggies, and liquids
5.      Place in a large casserole dish and grate cheddar cheese on top.
6.      Bake with foil on for 30 minutes
7.      Remove foil and bake for additional 20 minutes

This is really low calorie and full of good stuff. Its also incredibly filling!

Veggie-Sketti

1.      Prepare 1 pack of whole wheat or whole grain spaghetti noodles, set aside
2.      In a skillet combine 1 lb of ground turkey (or omit), 1 large diced onion, diced mushrooms (if desired), 1 diced bell pepper (any color), and 1 large bag of broccoli. One the veggies warm up drain the excess at and water.
3.      Mix in 1 large jar of organic spaghetti sauce
4.      Combine the noodles and veggie mixture along with 1 beaten egg
5.      Pour into a casserole dish
6.      Add Cheese (2% cheddar) and bake at 400 until the cheddar is melted and the veggies are heated through.

I have to offer credit here to my friend Lori  M who was nice enough to give me this recipe yesterday! Veggie-Sketti might be a new favorite dish at my house!

What is your favorite “Green” dish?

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One (The Sequel)

Remember earlier in the summer when I went to celebrate the birthday of one of my best girlfriend’s baby? Today was part II as another great girlfriend had another sweet baby turning one.  After my weigh in and run this morning the hubs and I rushed around to get ready for the 2 hour drive up to Richmond. I decided this would be one of the last weeks I could get away with a really summery dress so I took full advantage! It seems like only yesterday I was buying this thing.

We packed up the car and headed on our way.

We arrived (fashionably early) to an Elmo Birthday Bash! Tiff and Robert had the house looking completely adorable all decked out in Elmo swag!

There was tons of food (and plenty of healthy options) though I was glad that Saturday is my “flex” day in terms of calories because there were tons of goodies too. I also tried a new cheese which was fabulous. It was a white cheese with cranberries. I’m not certain if it was a Stilton or Wensleydale but it was fab!

After lunch Tiff and Robert “helped” the baby open his mountain of gifts. There were lots of Elmo themed toys but the baby was most interested in a book. 🙂

After the Birthday boy finished inspecting all of his new loot everyone headed into the dining room for cake from Chandlers Bakery in Charlottesville, VA. This cake was amazing. It tasted more like fab wedding cake than Birthday cake.   Even better is that I planned for it so there was zero guilt in having a slice.

The Birthday Baby was not as pleased with the cake as I was. He refused all bites of cake (adamantly refused- heh) and opted for yogurt instead. Maybe he’ll be a healthy living blogger one day! 😉

It was great to share in the family’s special day. Tiff and Robert and have been in my life for so long. I was so thrilled to celebrate their sweet guy’s first Birthday!

After the party the hubs and I spent another two hours in the car chatting and made it back to Lynchburg. We had planned on another date night but nixed it in favor of a night at home.  Ever since our trip to Margaritaville I have been craving a BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger. Obviously the calories are out of control so we decided to recreate this meal with lean beef, center cut bacon, fat free mayo 1/2 tsp, BBQ sauce 1/2 tsp, 2% cheddar, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and onions sauteed in olive oil. We paired it with some organic shoe string potatoes. Fab! To see how the swap works out click HERE. The main difference tonight was the addition of sauteed onions, and larger wheat buns.

Have a Happy And Healthy Weekend!

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Kill Your Cravings (And an Awesome New Grocery Find)

Cravings- everyone gets them. Since starting this weight loss/fitness journey I have learned the harder you try to fight a craving the worse it gets. During the Healthy Living Summit we learned that giving your body exactly what it is asking for can prevent you from eating lots of other items in a (usually failed) attempt to kill said craving. Of course this does not mean you say “hey my body is craving taco bell so I’m going to hit the drive-through” but rather “how can I healthfully curb this craving I am having? My craving this week: Tacos.

Since there is no way I was throwing away tons of claries/points on some greasy mess I made my own healthy organic(ish) tacos using:

• 93% Fat Free Ground Turkey

• Lettuce

• Tomato

• 2% Sharp Cheddar

• Hot Sauce and tons of spices (cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, cumin, black pepper, garlic powder).

And since it was crunchy tacos I was craving I had two of these awesome new shells I found- Ortega Whole Grain Shells. Each serving has 5 grams of fiber and only 150 calories. Yum! This is one of my favorite new finds.

I successfully killed the taco craving for only 9 WW points (with a side of fruit).

(not my photo BTW. I forgot to take a picture *gasp*)

Have a Happy And Healthy Dinner!

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Sara Eats and Moves

The Eats:

Yesterday I had a serious problem. The entire day I just felt like I was starving. I am not talking about eating from boredom or stress but rather the “sick to your stomach because you are so hungry” feeling. Sadly, the result was eating pretty much everything in sight at my house last night. Not good. So, I decided to approach this from a healthy perspective and think about why my body felt it needed so much food. I asked myself the following:

• Did you get enough water/fluids yesterday? (Yes)

• Did you eat frequently throughout the day? (No)

• Did you follow your good health guidelines? (Yes)

• Did you eat a lot of junk the day before? (No)

• Did you eat a balanced breakfast? (No)

The last question gave me my light bulb moment. I had a healthy breakfast yesterday but not a balanced one. I did not have any substantial protein or healthy fat. I pretty much just had whole grains and fruit. During the Healthy Living Summit I learned at one of the sessions that your morning meal sort of sets the tone for how your body will metabolize food the rest of the day. That is why it is good to eat from all food groups in the morning if you can so your body is an efficient fuel machine for the rest of the day.

This morning I started off with a skim milk latte (1 point).

Then I made some yummy smoothies for the hubs and I. (this recipe makes 2) by blending:

• 1.5 cups low fat vanilla yogurt (thank you Stonyfield and HLS for the HUGE free sample)

• 1 large banana

• 1 ½-2 cups frozen strawberries (buy frozen or freeze fresh the night before)

• 2/3 cup pineapple juice.

The smoothie ends up with a “point” tally of 4-5 points and you get in 2-3 servings of fruit and 1.5 servings of dairy.

Along side that I had a whole grain reduce calorie English Muffin (1 point) with an egg (2 points) and lean ham slices (1 point).

I used 9 points for this meal but it started my day off on the right foot, I was less hungry throughout the day, and I had buckets of energy.

The rest of today’s eats included two of my “in a pinch” recipes:

Whole Grain Pasta, Turkey Italian Sausage, Spinach, and Parm for lunch

& Veggie Spaghetti for dinner

Spaghetti in a Veggie Sauce

I also snacked on some fruit (not pictured).

I met all of my good health guidelines, easily stayed within my WW points and, most importantly, felt good about my choices.

The Moves:

Today for my Wine and Dine ½ marathon training I jogged 4 miles. That is not a feat for some but I am still impressed with myself when I make it through. I am continuing my jog/walk intervals and feel much more confident about the upcoming run then I did before the Princess ½ last year.

The rest of this week’s moves are shaping up like this

Wednesday Cross Training ( I think I might try Zumba!)
Thursday: 4 Mile Run
Friday: Rest
Saturday: The Long Run (8 Miles)
Sunday: Gentle Cross Training (Yoga or a Bike Ride at 5 miles or less)

What is your favorite cross training workout?

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Healthy Meals On A Budget

We have probably all done it-spent a little too much on vacation, had some unexpected expenses arise or simply not budget properly. Sometimes we end up with a week left to go in the month and a super small grocery budget. While it is tempting to reach for chicken nuggets, white bread, and other inexpensive items you are better off  stretching your dollar in a different direction and scooping up some healthier finds. Here are a few tips for healthy eating on a budget.

• Buy multiples when things are on sale. You always have a little stockpile of whole grain pasta, tuna, canned or frozen veggies and other items to use in a pinch.

• Two Words: Farmer’s Market. You can get really inexpensive produce here. It’s fresh, yummy, and has a longer shelf life since it hasn’t spent days riding in a truck to make it to your grocers shelf.

• Go meat free. Pasta, beans, and legumes are filling and hearty without the hefty price tag that comes with hormone free meat.

• Brinner. Breakfast foods are a little cheaper and it’s kind of fun to eat breakfast for dinner (Brinner).

• Cook in bulk. Making a huge pot of soup or a big veggie lasagna can provide dinner for a couple of nights and help you to avoid buying items to pack for lunch.

• Brown bag it. Taking a bagged lunch to work leaves those extra dining out dollars for more groceries.

• Get creative. You can combine things you never thought of before like tuna and pasta or beans, corn and salsa.

• Oatmeal. You can get a HUGE container of the slow cooking (3 min in the microwave oats) for under 2.00. This is a week’s worth of breakfasts!

• Check your grocery store daily. There are often managers specials on items that need to be used right away. I got some gorgeous lean pork chops this week for under 3.00!

What is your favorite tip on saving money at the grocery store?

Here is a look at some of my “in a pinch” creations!

Poppy Seed Pancakes with Sugar Free Syrup and Turkey Sausage

Easy Cheesy Mac with Veggies and Green Beans

Spaghetti in a Veggie Sauce

WholeGrain Shells with Italian Turkey Sausage, Onion, Spinach, & Parm

Oatmeal

Organic Peanut Butter on Wheat

Brinner

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