Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Low Carb isn't that bad!

After a week of being on my crazy low carb/high protein diet I have learned a lot. Here are a few of the things I have learned so far:


1. Vodka has no carbs!
2. Turkey Bacon is actually good (and only 35 cals a slice)
3. I can cook ground turkey/chicken and make it taste good enough my husband will eat it.
4. The Kroger Carbmasters yogurt is really yummy.
5. Applebees actually has great low calorie options that will also fit low carb as well
6. Skinny Girl Margarita's only have 1.5 carbs in a serving
7. Almonds are a great snack when on the go.
8. Dijon Mustard is a great substitute for Mayo with tuna fish
9. Arbonne's Engery Fizz Tabs work great and have no carbs
10.One regular egg and one egg white makes a great omelet (of course adding in some turkey bacon or spinach to the mix also)



There are some of the things I have learned over the 1st week of my diet. So far I am down 4lbs and 1 inch in the waste. On to week two, finally get to add in more veggies/fruit, stay tuned for more results and some great healthy recipes!

Until Next Time!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Left Over Turkey Meatball Soup

I think I mentioned a few post ago about trying not to waste so much food. I have this really bad habit of cooking for 6 or more people and there is only two of us eating. I set 2 goals for myslef to quit wasting and save some money: 1. make a new meal out of left overs  & 2. cook smaller portions. So far I have been doing great at both of these goals and throwing away less and less food.

From yesterday's turkey meatball dinner, http://foodloversfindings.blogspot.com/2011/07/bathing-suite-meals.html, I had 4 meatballs left over. I knew this wasn't enough to make another meal out of and didn't really feel like eating it over a salad again. So I decided to make a soup. I didn't really measure out the ingredients but here is what I did.

Left Over Turkey Meatball Soup

Ingredients:

Left over turkey meatballs
Mushrooms
Fresh baby spinach
Olive Oil
Chicken Stock
Half of a Lemon
Worcestershire Sauce

Directions:

In a pan lightly sautee the mushrooms for a few min. Add in the meatballs to reheat. Tear up the baby spinach and sautee a little longer. Pour in chicken stock, lemon juice, and a few splashes of worcestshire sauce and bring to a boil. Once spinach is wilted serve.

I also added a few sprinkles of parmesan cheese and it was delicious!

Hope you enjoy!

Untill next time!

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Bathing Suite Meals

Looking at the calendar I realize in a little over a month we will be going to Lake Powell for Labor Day Weekend. Ever since having Dylan I have been trying to avoid the bathing suite, or at least wearing it in front of large groups of people. So I have decided to eat healhty and exercise to try and look good in that bathing suite come Labor Day! I don't k now exactly how Dusty is going to feel about the meal choices for the next month but I guess he will have to eat them, or figure something else out.

For tonights dinner I decdied to go with turkey meatballs. This way I can eat mine over a salad and Dusty can have his with noodles and sauce, see he can't complain too much I could have made him eat the salad. Anyway here is the recipe I came up with for the turkey meatballs. Hope you enjoy!

Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients:
1lb ground turkey
1 egg
2 tlbs dried italian seasonings
3 garlic cloves
1/2 of a small onion
1 cup parmesan cheese (the kind in the can)

Recipe:

In a large bowl combine the ground turkey, egg, dried seasonings, and parmasean cheese. I like to grate in the onion and garlic that way there are no chunks. Mix togehter with your hands and make sure everything is combined.






Form into balls.



Cook in a pan over mead heat with olive oil. About 5 min each side. You could also bake these at 350 for about 20-25 min or untill cooked through.



So what is your favorite bathing suite meal??? I would love to hear everyones recipes.


Untill Next time!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Orange Lime Jalapeno Chicken

Everytime I go to the grocery store I always check out the meats in the discounted section, you never know what you will find. Lots of times I find meats I have never really cooked before and if its on sale might as well buy it. Last week I found boneless chicken thighs for a great deal, so I bought them even though I have never cooked with them before. So here is what I came up with the boneless chicken thighs, and it was a hit in our house!

Orange Lime Jalapeno Chicken

Ingredients:

1 package boneless skinless chicken thighs
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
1 jalapeno chopped up
2 garlic clovers chopped or grated
1/2 cup orange marmalade
2 limes
1/2 cup of white wine (or chicken stock)

Preheat Oven to 375. Place chicken thighs in oven safe dish and salt and pepper the thighs.



Over med heat add a few tablespoons of olive oil to a sautee pan. Add in chopped jalapenos and garlic, cook down a few min. Add the zest of one lime to the pan and the juice of both limes. Add in wine or chicken stock and organce maramlade. Cook untill maramlade has melted down.


Pour sauce over chicken and bake for 40 min then enjoy!!


I was going to take a picture of the final product, but got a little side tracked playing with Dyaln. By the time I realized I had forgotten to take the picture there was nothing left to take a picture of. So here is a picture of the happy little chunka a monka instead.




Untill next time!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Looking for ways to hide some veggies in your food. Here is a great mac and cheese recipe where I threw in a head of cauliflower and nobody complained!



Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

1/2 package of macaroni noodles
1 head of cauliflower chopped up
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 cups of milk ( you can also sub chicken stock for less calories)
1 bag shredded cheese
1/2 tablespoon honey mustard
Bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese


Directions:

In a big pot bring salted water to a boil. Once boiling add in the macaroni and cauliflower, cook about 6-8 min untill noddles are soft. Drain noodles and cauliflower and set in an oven safe dish.


In a saucepan melt butter and add in flour and cook 2-3 min. Wisk in milk and bring to a boil. Add in cheese and stir untill melted. Add in honey mustard for an extra kick.


Pour the cheese sauce over the macaroni and cauliflower and mix well. Top with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 for about 20-25 min.
Let cool and then enjoy~ This is the perfect side dish for chicken, steak, or pork!


Until next time!!!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Breakfast Foods??

I find myself so often posting about dinner, but I am very curious what everyones favorite breakfast foods are (healthy and non-healthy). I am the kind of person who wakes up starving and needs to eat now!!!! Often I have to step back and think of something healthy or I end up eating a cheese crips with two eggs fried in butter in the middle. Lately I have been doing pretty good with healthy breakfast here are a few of my breakfast tips.

From the post, http://foodloversfindings.blogspot.com/2010/02/pancakes-pancakes-pancakes.html, I have found that adding fresh blueberries to the "pancake" mix is amazing. Also I make an over med egg, with olive oil instead of butter, and place on the top and of the oatmeal pancake so yummy! Another tip for this recipe is to add in a half a scoop of fiber, I really like Arbonnes fiber, you can check that out at http://www.arbonne.com/ or message me for a sample.

When I am in the mood for eggs I have been eating omelets with tons of veggies. My main trick here is to use one regular egg and one egg white, that way you aren't getting all the fat and calories in two eggs. I like to add mushrooms, zuchinni, bell peppers, fresh spinach, or any veggies I have in the fridge.

My last breakfast that I have been eating a lot of lately is the 100 calorie english muffins with Nutella and bananas! So yummy and this is great before a workout!


What is your favorite breakfast?? Love to hear from everyone!!

Untill Next Time!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Left Over Mexican Chicken Casserole

I am always looking for new ways to use left overs. One of my recent goals was to use up leftovers in new dishes, since for some reason we don't like to eat left overs. So far I have been doing pretty good.
After a great bbq with friends and family on Friday we had some left over grilled chicken to us up that I didnt want to waste. I searched through my cabinets and came up with this casserole that turned out really yummy!!

Left Over Mexican Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

1/2 yellow onion diced
1 small green bell pepper chopped
1 jalapeno chopped
2 cooked chicken breasts diced up
2 cups cooked rice (it was one cup uncooked)
1/2 bag frozen corn
1 can of chilli beans (or any beans in your pantry)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 bar of cream cheese
1 packet taco seasoning
1 bag shredded cheese
Olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Over med heat sweat down the onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno in olive oil. Once that is done in a big bowl combine all of the ingredients, except the shredded cheese. Pour the mixture into a baking dish and top with the cheese. Bake for about 30-40 min, or untill cheese is bubbley and enjoy.


I topped mine with a little bit of sour cream! It was a super yummy dish I will be making again.