Some Healthy Food/Recipes

I don't get to do food shopping often because I can't bring my son Parker into stores yet, but on Friday I had a chance to go. I love food shopping. I wish I had more advance notice that I was able to go, I would've had a better list put together, but I got a lot of healthy food and organic food for my son.

 

flax/chia seed blend, ground chicken, organic quinoa, frozen veggies/steamables, organic bananas, organic green beans, frozen fruit, greek yogurts, organic apples, mushrooms, black bean organic pasta, zucchini & weight watchers string cheese

 

 

Here are some QUICK & healthy meals I made this week:

 



whole wheat penne with an avocado sauce I made which
was avocado, a little parm cheese, olive oil & pepper.

mushroom/spinach omelette with one ww string cheese
inspiration by a readers dinner the other night.







Another recipe was something my mom made in the crock pot. I wasn't feeeling well on Saturday and my parents came over so they brought dinner. It is a 3 point Weight Watcher chicken recipe.

See link for recipe!

This was breakfast this morning. A blueberry, strawberry smoothie. It was a bit sweet for my taste, but it was still good. I am going to try another kind tomorrow!

 

 

The recipe calls for:

1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1 tbs chia/flax seed blend
1/2 cup 1% milk
5.3oz fat-free blueberry greek yogurt

Total: 290 calories

Next time I am not going to use a flavored yogurt and try water, not milk. This should help make it less sweet and not as thick. To cut more calories use fat-free milk instead. I would've but I didn't have it on hand. The non-flavored greek yogurt is also less calories. Banana smoothie is next!

Product of the Week

 

This is so good even my husband liked it and he likes nothing healthy! This is a must try!

Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Pasta

This was the first time I have ever cooked shrimp and it was a huge success. So delicous and low in carbs/calories. A good source of protein and a great vegetable to go along with it. This is such a different recipe than I normally make, but it is one I will for sure be making again. The shrimp was on sale so I splurged a little. It was also my first time using the Veggetti that I received as a Christmas gift from my brother this year. So easy to use!

 

 

The recipe calls for:

frozen, peeled, de-tailed shrimp (20)

2 medium-large zucchini

1/4 cup white wine

4 garlic cloves, minced

crushed red pepper

2 tbs olive oil

parmesan cheese

 

-- Use a veggie pasta maker and turn the whole zucchini into pasta. Pat with a paper towel to get rid of some of the excess water.

-- In a large pan heat the olive oil for about a minute then add the garlic and crushed red pepper. Heat this for about 2 minutes while constantly stirring so the ingredients don't burn.

-- Add the frozen shrimp to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes or until the shrimp is fully pink.

-- Remove the shrimp, add the white wine and cook for about a minute then add the zucchini. Cook a little while then add the shrimp in again. Cook for a minute or so while mixing the ingredients. I drained some of the liquid out of the pan to save some on some calories.

-- Serve with a little sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top and a glass of white wine. (optional)

Turkey Salad

The recipe calls for:

half of an avocado

white turkey meat

olive oil

-- Shred the turkey, splash a dash of olive oil and mash the avocado.  Mix together!

Simple and only 3 ingredients!  I had a side of cut up tomatoes with a little part-skim shredded mozzarella on top.

Post Workout Meal

Leftover quinoa with a scrambled egg as my post workout breakfast/lunch. SO DELICIOUS! 

Say goodbye to the holiday food!

Get motivated!

Be healthier!
Healthy can taste good too!

Bring On 2015, Off Goes the Baby Weight!

I am starting this year off on a great start! Prior to the new year and the typical new year's resolution diet that everyone starts, I lost 5 pounds during the holidays. That is something to be proud of! I have so much motivation to lose this baby weight and have a healthier lifestyle like I used to have in the past. I have some great support and if anyone needs help let me know. I am more than willing to be your motivator and/or help you with recipe ideas. Bring on 2015!

Here are a couple quick and easy dinners I prepared this past week, more recipes to come.

 

This recipe calls for:  whole wheat pasta (portioned out to be 350 calories), 1 can of fire roasted garlic tomatoes, garlic powder, steamed broccoli & parmesean cheese (optional)

-- Cook pasta per directions on the box, steam broccoli, mix the tomatoes, broccoli & garlic powder in a sauce pan & simmer for a little. Add the pasta to the sauce once cooked. Top with parmesean cheese if desired.

 

Side note: Fire roasted tomatoes are to die for! Officially obsessed with them!

 

 

This recipe calls for:  1 pound ground turkey, 1 bag of mixed frozen corn, black beans & peppers, 1 cup of salsa, pepper & minced garlic

-- Cooked the turkey in a non-stick pan, add to the crockpot with all the other ingredients. Cook for about 4 hours on low.

 

Elizabeth Gilbert, a well known writer best known for Eat, Pray, Love posted on Facebook an amazing tradition that I am going to start this year! Check out the link and make your own jar!

 

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=751739328241518&substory_index=0&id=227291194019670

I am going to call my jar, "Jar of Happiness". This will be things that make me smile and laugh.  Little surprises. Special moments. Adventures. Memories I want to remember for a lifetime. Motivational and inspirational findings. Anything that just brings happiness to my days in 2015.

 

 

A goal, not a resolution for me this year is to become more crafty and have more of a natural lifestyle!

Product of the Week

I haven't posted anything since my son was born in June, but now I am back at it!

Let's start it off with a healthy, low calorie product I recommend...

I love chocolate and I love ice cream, but I don't love this baby weight.  This is a treat that satisfies my cravings and it's only 100 calories! :)  They also have ones with nuts on it and also dark chocolate covered frozen stawberries.  Try them out!

Product of the Week

 

These are too good to be true!  They taste so good and are not only a great source of fiber, but not they have a protein bar line.  There are other flavors to choose from but this one is my favorite.

 

Try them out!  You won't be disappointed.

Cucumber Salad

 

The recipe calls for:

4 cucumbers

4 tbs plain fat-free greek yogurt

1 tbs fresh dill, chopped

1 tbs white wine vinegar

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

 

-- Peel, seed and slice the cucumbers as seen in the photo.

-- In a bowl mix all the ingredients, minus the cucumber.  Once the sauce is mixed good, add the cucumbers and toss.

-- When eating as leftovers just be sure to mix it up again.

 

Enjoy this refreshing side dish on a hot day!

Healthy Ice Cream Sandwiches

I've posted this recipe a couple years ago, but what better time to post it again.  Spring is here and the warm weather is coming.  This is a super easy recipe that makes a great snack especially on a hot day.  The kids will love them and they are a lot better for them than the ice cream truck.

The two different kinds in the picture below are:  a low-fat cinnamon graham cracker with some natural chunky peanut butter and fat-free cool whip and the other one is a chocolate graham cracker with just some fat-free cool whip.  Just wrap them separately in saran wrap or foil and put them in the freezer.

You can add anything to them instead of peanut butter like nutella, chopped nuts, sprinkles, even sliced fruit.

I have been really craving ice cream lately so this is a much better alternative than Dairy Queen and Rita's.

Have the same craving?  Satisfy it in a healthy way...

100 Days of Happiness

I have been seeing people post on Facebook things that make them happy lately with the hashtag #100happydays but I never looked into it until one of my friends posted the link to the website explaining what this challenge means.  It is really inspiring!  Sometimes we forget to live in the moment and make every day a good day.  I am definitely not the most postive person in the world, I worry a lot and tend to think of negative things that could possibly happen, but since being pregnant I am really trying to be more postitive.  I want to be the happiest I can be to enjoy this special time in my life and stress as less as possible.

The challenge is a great way to incorporate more positivity in my life and I signed up today and will begin the challenge TODAY.  What better day than today?  I will be posting my 100 happy days on my Twitter account, username SickestJenn.  A link to my account is on the righ side of the website.  It is going to be a great next 100 days for me!  You deserve to make them great too.  Check out the link explaining what the challenge truly is and how it could help you be a happier person.

JOIN THE CHALLENGE!!!

 

To start this off, here is my post for today:

 

"Today is going to be a good day.  #Starbucks has my favorite pumpkin bread again.  I got the last piece.  #100happydays" 

Sodium Free Seasonings

I have been really cautious of the amount of salt I am consuming because I don't want to retain a lot of water weight during this pregnancy.  I found some salt free seasonings and have used them on steak and chicken this past week.  They have 14 different kinds: spicy, lemon pepper, italian, etc. 

Check out the website to see all the different flavor options:
14 Salt-Free Seasonings

When I grilled steak the other day I used the garlic and herb seasoning and yesterday I used the chicken seasoning for my chicken.  I don't taste a difference with the missing salt in the seasoning.  It worked great for both meats and I will definitely be getting some more kinds to try.  The chicken made great leftovers for a salad today...

Baked Potato On The Grill

HAPPY MONDAY!

Did you start grilling yet?  I have!  Here is a smiple recipe for making a baked potato on the grill...

The recipe calls for:
potato
olive oil
spray butter
fat-free greek yogurt

-- Clean the potato and poke a few holes in it.  Cover with a paper towel and microwave for 3 minutes, more if it's a bigger potato.
-- Spread some olive oil on the potato and wrap in foil.  If you want more of a grill taste skip the foil.
-- Grill the potato away from the fire while cooking everything else on the grill.
-- Slice it open, spray a little butter and a dabble of greek yogurt.

Greek yogurt is the perfect substitute for sour cream. It's way more healthy, has zero fat and is a great source of protein. I really don't taste much of a difference surprisingly. I bet you could even fool the kids or your husband by just telling them it's sour cream.



The Start of Clean Eating

Goodbye processed foods, hello fresh healthy food!

I've come to realize I need to start consuming less sodium during this pregnancy.  I am going to mainly do clean eating.  Yesterday I stocked up on fresh fruits and vegetables and I am excited to start putting even better foods into my body and for my little baby boy.  Other great foods to eat are whole grains like quinoa, healthy fats like avocados and salt-free assorted nuts.  All which are now in my pantry/fridge.  I ate a lot of vegetables already but adding fruits and other things I am not used to eating will be great for me and help my body out in the long run.  As a former vegetarian I am not a huge meat eater but I bought some fresh beef, low in sodium and a great protein for the baby.  I need to broaden my tastes for at least the next few months.  I also want to find some great recipes with quinoa.

So far I made a yummy fruit salad I can have for the whole week, bring it to work and have for a healthy snack.

I am starting to try to do some DIY crafts more, need to be more of a crafty mom for baby Parker...

Easter Egg Decoration

Mason Jar turned into a Decorative Q-Tip holder

Simple 3 Ingredient Recipe

Just three ingredients makes Coconut Rice & Beans...

The recipe calls for:
1 can black beans
1 cup jasmine rice
1 can light coconut milk

-- Bring the can of coconut milk and rice to a boil in a medium pot.  Once to a boil, cover the pot and put it on low for 10 minutes.
-- Rinse the black beans.
-- When the rice is down, add the beans and mix.
--  You can season it with some salt and pepper if you want too.

The beans is a great source of protein!  Enjoy!