Protein Packed Bean Salad

I have been obsessed with this recipe lately and always have a batch of it in my fridge! I found something similar at a specialty grocery store in my area and decided I could make it from home to save some $. I love using this as a side dish to any meat and I have also been eating it over lettuce with some vinegar and grilled chicken mmmmmm! All of the ingredients are super simple and basic and the blend packs a powerful punch of protein, nutrients, and fiber.  Even a small portion will leave you feeling full and satisfied without a dramatic impact on your calorie count!

Protein Packed Bean Salad

Ingredients:
-1/2 cup cooked quinoa
-1 can red kidney beans
-1 can white kidney beans
-1 can chickpeas
-3 stalks of kale
-1 small cucumber
-2 carrots (or 8 baby carrots)
-1 colored bell pepper of choice
-2 tbsp lemon juice
-2 tbsp red wine vinegar
-1 tbsp olive oil
-1 tbsp Mrs. Dash of choice
-S&P

Directions:
1) Drain and rinse all beans in strainer
2) Chop kale, carrots, cucumber, and colored pepper
3) Mix together lemon juice, vinegar, oil, and seasoning
4) Mix all ingredients together in large bowl
6) Enjoy!

Extras
-Store any leftovers in the fridge in a sealed container
-You can add whatever other veggies sound good to you
-You can also mess around with the seasoning and different vinegars

3 Days of Crazy!

This is my life for 3 days!

When it came to resseting my mind and my body I decided to try something a little dramatic with my routine.  I have looked into juice cleanses before and have usually been afraid of the costs, the willpower involved, or the nasty side effects (hellllo master cleanse).  Plus we all know I love my food so I have never really gotten to the point where I really was motivated to give up my food for liquids.  This time was different and I am so happy I decided to give it a go.  Thankfully I have some crazy friends that wanted to join me so we are taking this little adventure together!

The Blue Print Cleanse has been toted has one of the highest quality juice cleanses on the market but the $300 price tag for 3 days after shipping was just not going to happen.  Thankfully the fun little thing called the internet exists and I was able to find a DIY BPC from this amazing blogger.  It also helps that one of my girlfriends invested in a really nice juicer and was excited to use it. 

How it works:  So you drink a total of 6 juices each day for 3 days, that is it no other foods.  Almost every juice is different to balance your fruit and veggie intake.  Since we decided to make all of our juices on our own we used the master grocery list from the blog link above and had a grocery haul that was a little insane!  The cost was only $50 total for groceries for the 3 days so I consider that a total WIN compared to the costs of the other juices.

 

We researched and read that fresh juices usually keep best in mason jars and less thea 24 hours, so we decided to juice every night.  Since neither of us have ever actually juiced before (or peeled a pineapple lol) the first night was a little rough and it took us about 2 hours.  Last night we were champs and were able to get everything done in about 1.  The prep is annoying but since we are saving hundreds of dollars it is totally worth it. 

You are supposed to keep your workouts light through the cleanse so yesterday and today I walked 2 miles as lunch and tonight I hope to get in at least another 2.  I am afraid to do hot yoga even though I know sweating is a good thing on detox but it just seems like a little too much right now!

So far I have been really surprised at how easy it has been.  Of course I miss food but I realized that I miss more the act of eating and making food then anything.  It is just another day of choosing fresh and healthy meals instead of choosing to eat the pizza, pasta, tacos, and all other amazing foods that parade around me every ay at work.  Now I won't be doing it for more than 3 days, but I will for sure be doing it again whenever I feel the need to restart and whenever my friends are up for being crazy with me.  Friday I will do a full recap on how the 3 days went!

Now to meet the juices!  Again if you want the recipes, directions, and much more information head over this blog to check out the woman who did all the hard work for me!

 

 The green juice AKA "The Salad":  So this is your first and third juice of the day and is packed full of veggies.  The recipe calls for romaine lettuce, kale, spinach, celery, cucumbers, apple, and lemon and oh boy is it powerful.  The apple and lemon do kill a lot of the flavor but it does still really taste like a salad lol! 

PAM:  This is your second drink of the day and is pretty simply pineapple, apple, and mint (if you remember to add it of course OOPS).  This is by far my favorite juice but lets be honest it is the only one that doesn't contain veggies and tastes like a tropical mixed drink minus the fun booze. Oh yea and in the first pic this is the slightly pink one because the first day we did the beets in the juicer first and it turned everything pink lol

Spicy Lemon: This is the drink that is exclusively on the master cleanse for anyone that has looked into it and is your fourth drink on the plan. It consists of water, lemons, which you juice whole by the way and blew my mind, agave, and cayenne pepper. To be honest I thought this was be good but it is just far too tart and spicy at once for my taste buds to comprehend.  The perk is though this is the one I drink in the late afternoon and the spicy def does give me a pick me up.

 

BAC: Beet, apple, and carrot is for some reason the combination that I can not seem to enjoy even an ounce of.  This is def my struggle juice (hence the straw) but my friends seem to really enjoy it.  I think the carrot makes it oddly bitter or something but it just isn't my cup of tea.  Oh and beware it stains anything it comes in contact with hot flipping pink!

 



Cashew milk:  This is a blended mixture of cashews, water, vanilla, cinnamon, and agave.  Lots of times this is called the dessert juice but mine wasn't all that sweet.  And even though I love my blender it wasn't quite enough to turn this completely smooth so I did have to chew a little but it was actually a welcome occurence after a day of just liquids.  I did actually go to Whole Foods today and pick up the real Cashew milk for the BPC since our local store carries all of the juices, and I also forgot to soak my cashews overnight so I knew it wouldn't work for me tonight!  Oh well I only gave in on this one so I don't feel too bad about it.

Again tomorrow I will give a full update but hopefully others will not be as afraid to try this crazy little 3 day adventure now!

Thankfully I don't need my shoulder to make smoothies

Sooo apparently taking 2 weeks off is not a really good idea!  With a mix of vacations, allergies, and just general laziness (lets be honest) I really haven't done much physically in the last 2 weeks.  I think I went to yoga a few times and maybe got in a total of 4 miles but nothing note worthy. 

Yesterday I decided that it was time to get back into the swing on things with a run, a little toning, and some Bikram.  The run was horrible... didn't help that it was 80 degrees and I packed my cold weather gear but I still couldn't get it more than a mile without feeling like I was going to die.  I know I just need to get back into it but it was really frustrating.  Thankfully one of my favorite bloggers RunEatRepeat also had a rough day of running and had a whole post on not letting one bad run get you down or unmotivated, she ran 8 miles while being unmotivated but it still applies lol! Toning went well and I did one of my favorite tone it up routines that worked my whole body.

Then it came to yoga, I knew it was going to be tough when I couldn't even concentrate and get into a flow during the opening breathing set.  The thing about Bikram is that it is already a challenge to get your mind around what you are doing so when your mind is else ware it is nearly impossible.  I found myself having to take way more water breaks and rest breaks then usual but I just chocked it up to having an off day.  I made it all the way to pose 20 before it all went downhill.... I was actually feeling good during this pose so I decided to try the full extension for the first time and OMG I was wrong.  Here is a pic for anyone who is curious what I was trying to accomplish:

Well right after I got my back on the ground and my arms back I felt something start to pull in my leg, instead of breathing calmly and properly getting out of the pose as they instruct I panicked! I somehow tried to push myself up with my right arm while flipping onto my side, basically I probably looked like an upside down turtle trying to right itself, and I ended up pulling something major in my back. I knew immediately I had messed something up since I had shooting pain from my lower back up to my right shoulder blade that is still horribly painful today. I am thinking the next few days aren't going to be so pretty!

Tonight my hope is to get in a solid 3 miles since I only have about 2.5 weeks to get my shi* together for the relay! On and a boat load of icy hot for my back!

And now for some happy news on the healthy eating front, I have a brand new smoothie that I am in love with.  I have mentioned before that smoothies are a staple in my diet since I can prep them quickly and bring them with me to work.  I found an inspiration recipe on Eat Yourself Skinny a few weeks ago and I will be honest it took me awhile to actually try putting avocado in my smoothie but now at least for this version I am hooked.  I made sure to add some protein powder and adjusted the recipe for only 1 and my version tastes just like a dreamsicle!

Vanilla Mango Smoothie

 



 

Ingredients

1 cup frozen mango chunks

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (1 scoop of mine is actually half of the recommended serving size)

1/2 cup orange juice

1/3 of a ripe avocado

1-1 1/2 cups water

 

Directions

Blend together, work up the courage to drink a slightly green smoothies containing avocado, and enjoy!

Weekend recap (only a few days late)

So apparently it took me a little bit to get caught up from my long weekend! Thanks to Labor Day and my standard every other Friday off I was able to get in a full 4 days of fun, friends, and sadly homework.

Thursday night J and I headed out to Chicago where she had invited me to be her plus one to a sorority sisters wedding. We didn’t' get in until super late but it was perfect because then we had all day Friday to get brunch, lay out at the beach, and get ready for the wedding. I had never been to the beach in Chicago and I thought that it was sooooo cool that you were literally right in the middle of the city being able to enjoy the lake!

 

It was so much fun being a plus one, I have never been to a wedding where I wasn't either a part of the wedding or with someone that was. Being able to just attend, enjoy the drinks, and not follow a schedule was pretty amazing! It was also fun to meet a bunch of J's sorority sisters and friends from college. We were both AXO's at different schools and I feel like I have known her forever even though it has been such a short about of time.

Saturday morning we headed out for Grand Rapids to spend some time with my HS girls. What should have only been a 3 hour trip turned into a 5 hour mess. We literally did not move more than 30 MPH through the entire state of Indiana! Have to say though I had the best company in the world and when we weren't singing along to stupid songs, or flipping through every Sirius station searching for Britney Spears, we were either talking about everything under the sun or cursing out every stupid driver on the highway. There is a reason she is my bestie!

When we FINALLY made it we spent some time at the pool and then headed downtown GRap to some of my favorite bars. We had way more fun than anticipated and ended up spending most of the night downing girlie drinks and dancing our hearts out!

Sunday was a final drive to home and some recovery. I spent most of the day relaxing with my feet up trying to figure out what I needed to accomplish for my last two weeks of school! Sadly that meant that Monday was completely full of homework but I am happy to say I got my final 2 papers done and only have 2 final exams standing between me and my Master Degree!!!!!!

Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

In an attempt to get back into my healthy eating routine after a few weeks off I really wanted to try something new. I love love love stuffed peppers and have made them in a few different varieties over the years. This week I decided that I would try to make a Mexican stuffed pepper that would be both filling and flavorful to get me back on track. I am pretty proud of the result and it was a great use for the shredded chicken I make at the beginning of each week. You could also sub in any other meats or just take it out completely in order to make this dish veggie friendly. I didn't add any cheese to the stuffing mixture but rather choose to add it on top when I was reheating them throughout the week for my lunches; I also added a dollop of plain Greek yogurt on top for a sour cream taste with a kick of added protein. These will for sure become part of the normal dinner rotation!

 

Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

 

 

Ingredients

3-4 Bell peppers with seeds and tops removed

1 cup black beans drained and rinsed

1 cup cooked quinoa

1/2 cup corn

4 oz shredded chicken breast

1/3 cup favorite salsa

1/2 T cumin

 

Cheese, sour cream, Greek yogurt toppings optional

 

Directions

1) In a medium bowl combine beans, quinoa, corn, chicken, salsa, and cumin.  Mix completely and test for seasoning and spice level

2) Place bell peppers in baking dish and fill evenly with quinoa mixture

3) Bake in 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes until peppers are softened (adding a little water to the bottom of the baking dish will also help the peppers soften while baking)

4) Enjoy!

Crustless Mini Quiche

While on vaca I wanted to make a breakfast that each person could eat when they decided to roll out of bed on their own time.  I make these at home all the time and decided they were the perfect make ahead/ make a bunch/ crowd pleasing breakfast for the vacation.  Also I had an amazing view from the kitchen island so I was totally in the cooking mood!

These treats could go by a bunch of names, I have seen them online as breakfast muffins, cupcake omelets, mini quiches, etc.  I have always just called them mini quiches so that is what they will be here! 

My favorite part about these is that I usually just add in whatever veggies we have leftover from the week and are about to go bad.  Also on week where we don't have sausage and I don't feel like grocery shopping I just use real bacon bits instead.  Feel free to load these up with whatever things you love and have in your fridge.  The recipe I have listed below clocks in at about 75 calories a piece with 6.5 grams of protein!

Crustless Mini Quiche

 

 

Ingredients (For 12)

10 whole eggs

1 colored bell pepper chopped

1/2 yellow onion chopped

2 cups fresh spinach chopped

1 link Jenny-O Spicy Italian Turkey Sausage

 

Directions

1) Remove casing from sausage in cook in saute pan making sure to crumble the meat

2) Spray muffin tin with cooking spray and evenly divide veggies and meat between the cups

3) In large bowl whisk all eggs and 1/8 cup of water, pour evenly into cups

4) Stir the cups with a knife and place into a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes

5) Enjoy

 

I usually package these up 2 per plastic baggie and keep them in the fridge for the week ahead!  Just heat them up in the microwave for about 30 seconds and you have a perfect warm breakfast.





Crushed Red Potatoes

Hello!

For the last month the BF and I have been doing Crossfit from 5:30-6:30 so dinner has been a lot of crockpot meals and things that I can prep in advance.  Last night we decided to make some crockpot pulled pork but I wanted something different for a side.  I bought a ton on mini red potatoes last week so I could make a potato salad and had plenty left over.  I decided to cook the potatoes, coat in seasoning, crush, then bake until a little crispy.  They turned out amazing and they went perfectly with the pork!  You can adjust the seasoning to your taste I just threw together the things we had in the pantry.

Also if you have the time the potatoes can be boiled until they are soft but since we were under a time constraint (AKA grumpy hungry bf) so I microwaved them until soft.

 

Crushed Red Potatoes

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

15-20 mini red potatoes rinsed

1 TBS oil of choice (I used coconut)

1/2 TBS chopped garlic

1 TBS Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb

S & P to taste

 

Recipe

1) Cook potatoes until soft... since I was in a time crunch I wrapped groups of about 5 potatoes in paper towel and microwaved 6 minutes.  Time will vary based on size of potatoes.

2) In large bowl combine oil, garlic, seasoning, and S & P

3) Toss cooked potatoes in oil mixture until fully coated

4) Place on cookie sheet and crush with bottom of sturdy drinking glass

5) Bake in 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until slightly brown on the outside

6) Enjoy!

Cheesy Quinoa Cakes Side Dish

Last week I finally decided to make a dent in the Sam's Club size bag of quinoa I bought awhile back.  I can eat the stuff just plain but the BF feels a little differently then I do so I knew I needed to get creative.  Thankfully pinterest and food bloggers exist so I was able to find a good starting point from SpoonForkBacon.  These cheesy quinoa cakes caught my eye and I thought they would be a great side dish for our kabobs.  I of course made some changes because that is what I do and they really did turn out amazing.  Even the BF approved!  I also thought they looked so pretty and in smaller portions would be great for finger foods at a party.  The quinoa and egg gives they a good boost of protein and fiber, the seasonings and cheese make them taste super bad for you without having all of the guilt. 

Cheesy Quinoa Cakes

 



Ingredients
2 cups quinoa cooked (I cooked mine in chicken broth to add more flavor)
2/3 cup mozzarella cheese
1 egg beaten
3 TBS flour
1 TBS Mrs. Dash of choice (I used garlic and herb)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 TBS oil of choice

Directions
1) In large mixing bowl combine quinoa, cheese, egg, flour, and seasonings.  Once combined let set for at least 5 minutes
2) In large sautee pan heat oil over medium high heat
3) Form quinoa mixture into even patties (I used a 1/3 measuring cup) and place in hot pan, cook about 5 minutes on each side until brown and crisp
4) Remove from pan and enjoy!

Philly Stuffed Peppers

I spent last weekend "back at college" celebrating my baby sisters graduation... everytime I go I realize why I gained so many lbs lol!  Every meal was something oh so bad for me but oh so tasty!  It is crazy once you start to cut out a majority of the bad stuff that you can feel your body act differently when you put it back in. By Sunday night I wasn't feeling so great and I was craving something with some nutrients.  I pinned this recipe awhile back and figured it would be the perfect thing to try.  I loved that this had no refined carbs and was super filling for under 180 calories a pepper half.  Also it took a few ingredients and not too much prep work to make which is perfect in my book.  I got the original recipe here but modified it to make it a bit bigger and a bit healthier!

Philly Stuffed Peppers

 

 

Ingredients

4 green peppers cut in half and seeded

1 tbs coconut oil

1 small sweet onion chopped

1 package button mushrooms sliced

1 clove garlic

1 lb roast beef sliced, and cut into strips

8 pieces of mozzarella cheese

Directions

1) In large skillet heat coconut oil, add onion, mushrooms, garlic, and S&P to taste

2) Sautee until onions are translucent and mushrooms become tender

3) Add roast beef and heat through

4) Place pepper halves in large baking dish, place half a piece of cheese into each half, top with some beef/onion/mushroom mixture, then top with other half of cheese

5) Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes until peppers are soft and cheese is melted (you can include a little bit of water in the bottom of the pan to help the peppers soften up while cooking if you like them softer)

6) Enjoy!

 

If you like these you can also check out my Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers!





Coconut Chicken Tenders

Chicken is my go to protein but it can get old really fast!  I have tried to make baked chicken fingers a few times but adding the coconut set this recipe over the top.  These are also really good for packing in lunches through the week and a new staple in my kitchen!

 

Coconut Chicken Tenders

 

 

Ingredients

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into tender size pieces

1 cup flour

1 egg

1 1/2 cups bread crumbs of choice

1/2 cup shredded coconut (I use sweetened)

1 TBS choice seasoning ( I use Ms Dash products)

 

Directions

 

1) In small bowl beat egg with a little bit of water

2) Pour flour in another small bowl

3) In a medium bowl mix bread crumbs, shredded coconut, and seasoning of choice

4) Take chicken tenders and individually coat with flour, dip into egg mixture, and then coat with coconut mixture

5) Place coated tenders on a baking rack over a cookie sheet (if you don't have a baking rack it is okay just make sure to flip the chicken half way through cooking to make sure they cook even)

6) Cook in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes depending on the thickness of your chicken

7) Enjoy!

 

 

Extra:  If you want a fancy sweet dipping sauce I usually just take a little bit of orange marmalade and mix it with my favorite BBQ sauce and pop it in the microwave for about 15 seconds.  The sweet compliments the coconut amazingly.



Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Breakfast is a must in my life, if I don't eat within an hour of waking up I am guaranteed to be hungry/cranky the whole day. I get to work at 6:30am so breakfast is usually something easy to pack and transport AKA yogurt, fruit, dry cereal, smoothies, hard boiled eggs etc. However on the weekends I love to make a little something more! Friday I decided to make homemade apple cinnamon oatmeal. Now don't get me wrong I love the stuff that comes out of a packet but this is so easy there is almost no excuse not to make it from scratch.

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Ingredients
1/2 apple of choice
1/2 cup dry oats
1 dash cinnamon
1 dash apple pie spice
1 pinch sugar
Milk of choice

Directions
1) Peel and chop 1/2 of an apple into bite size pieces, mix with seasonings and sugar and set aside
2) Make oatmeal according to package directions (I usually use old fashioned oats which still only have a 5 minute cooking time)
3) Place oatmeal into apple mixture and top with milk
4) Enjoy



Quick Healthy Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

We like to keep a lot of veggies and cooked meat in our house for quick and healthy meals.  The other night the BF and I needed a quick and satisfying meal that wouldn't break our calorie count.  I found this pasta sauce in good housekeeping and love that I can add whatever I want.  For this night I made up the sauce, added some cut up broccoli, and poured it over whole wheat linguini with cut up chicken.  Paired with a side salad it is the perfect quick evening meal.

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

 

 

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

1 tsp olive oil

1 small onion minced

1 1/2 tsp all purpose flour

1 cup skim milk

2 tbs grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup chopped broccoli

 

1/2 box whole wheat linguini

Cooked chicken breast

 

Directions

1) Cook pasta according to box directions and set aside

2) In medium sauce pan, heat oil and cook onion until slightly tender (about 3-5 minutes)

3) add in flour and cook for another minute, then stir in milk and bring to boil stirring frequently

4) the sauce should thicken slightly, after bringing to a boil remove from heat and add in parmesan cheese and broccoli

5) Pour over pasta and add chopped chicken

6) Enjoy!

 

Notes

This sauce can really transform into anything you want, adding in different cheeses can make it a totally different flavor and feel free to add in any other veggies or meats!



Spanish Quinoa side dish

I have always been a fan of Spanish rice and decided to make it a bit healthier by making Spanish quinoa instead.  The quinoa packs in more protein and more fiber then rice and since I made it from scratch I didn't have to worry about any of fake boxed ingredients.  Mix this with Mexican chicken packets and a gingerita and have your perfect low fat high protein Mexican meal.

Spanish Quinoa

Ingredients
1/2 small yellow onion chopped
1 tbs olive oil
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cups quinoa uncooked
1/2 tbs cumin
1/2 tbs chili powder

Directions
1) Heat oil in large skillet and add in onion and garlic, saute for 3-5 minutes until onions begin to soften
2) Add tomato sauce, broth, quinoa, cumin, and chili powder then bring to a boil
3) Reduce heat and simmer covered for 15-20 minutes until quinoa is tender
4) Enjoy



Mexican Chicken Packets

Saturday the BF and I finally had a whole day to just relax and enjoy ourselves which never seems to happen.  We ended up eating out  for lunch so I knew that I wanted to make dinner but didn't want to have to prep a ton of stuff or clean a bunch of dishes.  I realized that with the stuff that we had at home I could make one of my favorite summer grill dishes.  Now since it is still chilly in the D we baked them but they still tasted amazing.  You cook the chicken in tin foil packets so there is virtually no clean-up and the method makes the chicken super moist.  We didn't have any boxed spanish rice so I decided to get creative and make spanish quinoa which actually turned out amazing!  You can find the spanish quinoa recipe here and a gingerita recipe here to finish off your Mexican meal!

Mexican Chicken Packets

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

1/2 cup salsa of choice

1/2 can corn

1/2 can black beans

Tin foil

Directions

1) Drain and rinse corn and black beans

2) Place chicken breast in the center of a large square of tin foil (large enough to fold into a tight packet)

3) Place 1/4 of the salsa and 1/4 of the black bean and corn mixture on top of the chicken breast

4) Wrap foil up over the chicken and fold the edges over in order to create a packet

5) Bake at 425 degrees for 20-30 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breast

6) Enjoy

Lightened-up Whole Wheat Lasagna

Italian food is my weakness... well let’s be honest any food is my weakness but Italian holds a soft spot in my heart and tummy.  I love any pasta, whether it be plain, stuffed, rolled, layered, you name it I will eat it. Even though I am trying to eat cleaner and lighter lately I don't want to have to deprive myself of my favorite things.  Since the BF is also a Italian lover so I decided to make a lightened up version of our favorite lasagna! In order to lighten it up I used whole wheat lasagna noodles, Italian turkey sausage, part skim ricotta, and added some spinach to bulk it up.  For 1/12th of the pan you will clock in at about 270 calories, 19 grams of protein, and some calcium, fiber, and iron as well.

Lightened-Up Whole Wheat Lasagna

Adapted from Ronzoni

   Ingredients
3 links hot Italian turkey sausage
1 jar (24oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
1 15oz container part skim ricotta cheese
2 cups (8 oz) shredded mozzarella divided
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1/2 tbs italian seasoning
1/2 package frozen spinach thawed and drained
12 pieces whole wheat lasagna noodles, uncooked

Directions
1) Remove sausage from casing and cook in large skillet until fully cooked, drain any excess fat
2) Add in spaghetti sauce and water and simmer for 5-10 minutes
3) In separate bowl mix together ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, and parmesan cheese with eggs, seasoning, and spinach
4) Place a cup of sauce in the bottom of a 13x9 pan, then place 4 lasagna noodles on top of the sauce, spoon half of the cheese mixture on top of the noodles and spread evenly, then place 2 cups of sauce on top of the cheese, repeat with noodles, cheese, sauce, noodles, then top with remaining sauce and remaining cup of mozzarella cheese
5) Cover with foil and bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes, remove foil then bake for another 10 min
6) Let sit for a few minutes then enjoy!

What's for lunch?

So this week was a little rough for me in terms of lunches!  Work was much busier and I was actually in training offsite for 3 days which made it a little more difficult to pack not knowing if I would have a place to store or heat up my food.  We also had a potluck one day which is always difficult!

I did do a few smart things though that can keep anyone on track.  I knew I would be short on time so I ordered a large salad from one of my favorite places and broke it in to three separate meals, 1 dinner, and 2 lunches.  I made a little more dinner then I normally would so I would have extra leftovers readily available, and when I went out I made sure to immediately box up half my meal so I would not only eat less but have a prepacked lunch.

So here are some of the lunches I have eaten lately!

 < Chicken with grilled veggies and Quinoa, this is the meal I ate out the night before and loved it the day after

> Black Bean Quinoa Burger over lettuce with Mac n Cheese light prepared

 <Potluck Day: Chili with fritos, potato salad, baked beans, salad


> Chicken noodle soup, veggies and honey mustard yogurt dressing

< Greek salad with slice of pizza


> Greek Salad, with some ranch quakes





Yup maybe not the healthiest week of meals but I figure I can try really hard most weeks so that on weeks like this I am able to let it go a little more!

Honey Mustard Pretzel Chicken

Oh pinterest... words cannot describe my love!  I'd have to say that 99% of the time the recipes I try are amazing and this one is no different.  The recipe seemed easy enough but I made a few changes to the original to lighten it up a bit.  This was the perfect cold weather dinner and paired with steamed veggies and some homemade mashed potatoes, and then even more perfect sliced up over a salad the next day.

Honey Mustard Pretzel Chicken

Ingredients
1/2 cup honey mustard
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tbs red wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
1-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 cups hard pretzels

Directions
1) Combine mustards, vinegar, and water in medium bowl,
2) Set aside 1/2 cup sauce for future dipping
3) Place chicken breasts and remaining sauce in Ziploc bag, coat chicken thoroughly
4) Coarsely grind pretzels (a food processor would work best but I also did this with a rolling pin and Ziploc baggie, the pieces just end up a little larger)
5) Remove chicken breasts from baggie and coat in pretzel crumbs
6) Bake on a wire baking rack over a cookie sheet in 350 degree oven for 20-25 depending on the thickness of chicken
7) Enjoy!

What's for lunch?

I think one of the keys to keeping your diet on track is to make your own meals as often as possible.  I love to go out with my friends or the BF for a few dinners throughout the week so I make sure to make my own breakfast and lunch as often as I can.  Work for me starts at 6:30 which means that I have become really good at being able to pack breakfast and lunch the night before so I can quickly grab it in the morning.  Being "too busy" really isn't an excuse, packing my breakfast and lunch usually takes me about 5 minutes each night, the key is having your fridge and cupboards stocked with healthy and tasty foods.

Here is a look as my usual lunches:

< Chicken tortilla soup, light string cheese, carrots

> Canned noodle soup, half chicken breast with BBQ, mixed greens

<Tuna and egg salad over mixed greens on a slimwich, carrots, roasted red pepper hummus

> Quinoa, craisins, spinach, feta cheese with some juice on the side

<Chicken Tortilla soup, with a side salad of

mixed greens, peas, and yogurt dressing

>Grilled chicken, brussel sprouts, and brown rice with soy sauce, with an applesauce cup

Breakfast for me is usually an Oatmeal Smoothie, yogurt, dry cereal, fruit, hard boiled eggs, oatmeal, or anything else that sounds good and is easy to pack.  I try to keep my breakfast and lunches under 300 calories, high in protein, and high in fiber.  I also add about a tablespoon of ground flax seed to one of my meals.  Its an easy way to boost my fiber intake and is easily mixed into applecause, smoothies, or juices!

I had to post this because I thought it was funny.. my lunch for today is Chicken Tortilla soup, hot tea, and a day quil.  I have of course caught one of the many colds going around and thanks to an insane work/school schedule I had to come in so this is what is getting me through the day today!

Chocolate Oatmeal Smoothie

So I have been loving my oatmeal smoothies in the morning and have been sticking to the original recipe I posted awhile back here.  I decided though that I would need to make a few more recipes in order to keep my morning smoothie habit stick.  The other day I ran out of greek yogurt and came up with this new recipe which I love. 

Don't let protein powder scare you.... I usually buy whey protein powder in chocolate (trust me chocolate is the way to go).  There are a lot of options on the market so look for one with few additives and low sugar, some of them are packed with a ton of stuff that you don't really need.  This shake clocks in at about 275 calories and 21 grams of protein. 

Chocolate Oatmeal Smoothie

 

Ingredients
-1/4 cup dry oatmeal
-1/4 cup frozen raspberries (or strawberries)

-1/2 banana

-1/2 scoop chocolate whey protein powder

-1 cup skim milk

-Ice

Directions

1) Blend all ingredients in mixer

2) Enjoy

Healthy Chicken French Onion Pasta

Diet friendly pasta.....Yup I have found what is probably my new favorite pasta dish to make!!!  I adapted this from a recipe that I found on Pinterest a while back and I couldn't believe how easy and tasty it was.  I was even more amazed that when I plugged the recipe into my calorie counter it came in at around 250 calories, 3 grams of fat, 5 grams of fiber, and a whopping 24 grams of protein for a huge serving.  The BF even made the comment that it tasted like something that should be horrible for you, which means that you will feel satisfied without all of the guilt!  This dish is perfectly hearty for the winter months and the french onion flavor makes the whole house smell amazing.

Healthy Chicken French Onion Pasta

Adapted from Stephanie Cooks

Ingredients
-1 Box whole wheat pasta of choice, rotini and penne are both great
-1 Medium shallot diced
-1 TBS minced garlic
-1 TBS olive oil
-2 Cups chicken broth
-1 Packet Lipton's French Onion soup mix
-4 TBS milk (I used 1/2%)
-2 TBS flour
-2 Cups cooked diced/shredded chicken breast
-1 container white mushrooms chopped
-1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1) Cook pasta according to box directions, drain, set aside

2) In medium saucepan cook shallot and garlic in olive oil about 3 minutes until tender

3) Add chicken broth and soup mix, cook on low for 10 minutes

4) Add milk and flour and whisk well, turn heat to high and cook for another 5 minutes or until sauce thickens

5) Combine pasta, sauce, chicken pieces, and mushrooms and pour into 13x9 baking dish

6) Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350 for 10 minutes

7) Enjoy