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!

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 Salad

Thanks to Shoprite and their awesome coupons I got free romaine lettuce this weekend.  I usually always get iceberg lettuce, but who can say no to free food?  Not me!  This salad was easy and delicious.  I used some left over tomato, left over gorgonzala cheese, romaine lettuce and avocado slices.

Top it with your favorite dressing and enjoy!

Tip: I saved the other half of the avocado by keeping the pit in it and sprinkling some lemon juice on it. I sealed it in a plastic container and stored it in the fridge.

Sushi Facts

Sushi used to scare me and I never wanted to try it.  Once I tried it though I have become addicted! I eat sushi at least once a week. It's fun trying different kinds and testing out all the restaurants.

There are many health benefits of sushi. Some are that it is low in fat and high in protein. To me sushi is very filling so you don't need a lot of it for your meal. I usually get two rolls for dinner and one roll for lunch with maybe a small salad.

I always forget about the brown rice option! There is always a dollar or two extra charge, but even if you don't get it with brown rice sushi is still healthier then a million other things you could be eating especially while eating out. Another tip is to always ask for the low sodium soy sauce. It tastes the same as the regular and it's better for you.

This was taken from www.sushiencyclopedia.com and is very interesting:

"It consists of mostly protein, a little less than half the amount of carbohydrates (compared to protein in grams), and beneficial fat to lower your cholesterol. This is a golden ratio of food components when dieting. Bodybuilders use similar ratios of each of these components to drop their body fat. (Yes, they take unsaturated fat pills to melt away fat in difficult areas) Weight gain can result from an imbalance of carbohydrate, protein and unhealthy fat. In many cases, people eat foods that contain too many carbohydrates, and saturated fat compared to protein."

Since I have started to become obsessed with sushi it has helped me with my dieting. It is so tasty yet beneficial to my body so it's a win win! I am eating sushi as we speak...

Healthy Hump Day

I really need to go food shopping and I have been running around a lot lately with little time to prep my daily food intake. Even with the hectic schedule I am managing to do my best with eating! Within the last two months I have lost 10+ pounds. I am happy and proud! I can feel a difference inside and out, seeing a difference is a huge plus too! The motivation I have is priceless and my temptations are so different now than they used to be. I tend to crave healthier foods now.

What I Consumed Today:

Breakfast:  Coffee & a piece of Pumpkin Bread...not the best option, but pumpkin is healthy for you.  Also, Bethenny Frankel is a huge inspiration and lives a healthy lifestyle while also not depriving herself.  Just don't go overboard and it works!

Lunch:  A half of a Veggie Whole Wheat Wrap. Didn't remember to bring something from home so grabbed the healthiest option off the tray at work, food leftover from a meeting.

Exercise:  1 hour of Cardio Mix, including weight lifting and many other exercise tools.

Dinner:  A large Salad with a Morning Star "Chicken" (Tofu) Pattie cut up and mixed in.

Snack:  To Be Determined...but a great snack option is an Apple with some Natural Peanut Butter.

Tomorrow's Goal:  Add more protein to my day and an afternoon snack!  I was super busy at work today which made that hard.

Healthy Food Myth

A lot of people think that eating healthy is so expensive, but really it's not.  You go to a fast food restaurant and it's over $6 for a combo meal and that is just ONE meal.  So fast food being unhealthy isn't the only negative.

In this picture there is a bran/multi-gran muffin, apples, a bag of lettuce/veggies and a sweet potato.  

All this was only $4.85 and it makes up:

1 breakfast

2 snacks

a few lunches or dinner sides (salad)

1 side for dinner

Summer Deliciousness

Grilled Sweet Potatoes

The recipe calls for:

sweet potato

cooking spray

sugar substitute

cinnamon

brown sugar

-- Peel the sweet potato and and slice it into circles or wedges, whichever you prefer.

-- Spray each side of the potato slice with cooking spray then sprinkle them with the sugar substitute and cinnamon.

-- Place the potato slices on a grill pan, top with a little bit of brown sugar and grill.

-- Keep the potatoes on the grill until they look caramelized and they have softened.

Broccoli Slaw Salad

The recipe calls for:

1 bag of broccoli slaw

3 tbs light mayo

6 tbs cider vinegar

raisins

1/2 tbs sugar substitute

salt/pepper

-- Whisk the mayo, vinegar and sugar substitute.  Mix the sauce with the slaw.  Add the raisins then salt and pepper to taste.

Best Part of Warm Weather: Grillin'

Shoprite got their first corn of the season!  They were on the smaller side though.  I should've took a trip to the farm, it would've been local and probably bigger.  Oh well, next time for sure!  The farmers market by me opens on June 23rd so I can also go too.  I can't wait for it to open!  That will be a nice Sunday tradition when I need good produce.

Decided last night was a good day for grilling.  We always grill burgers and that type of stuff, but I wanted to grill some fish this time.  We put a spice of our choice on the flounder, I picked cajun seasoning and grilled them up.  The corn was also cooked on the grill and I made a little salad to top my flounder.The salad just has chopped tomato, garlic and basil and the grilled corn.  I also added a little olive oil, salt and pepper.  I really wanted to add avocado to the salad but unfortunately I couldn't find a ripe one.

Leftovers Inspiration: A Different Kind Of Coleslaw

The recipe calls for:
10 oz coleslaw mix
1/4 cup jalapeño ranch dressing
2 tbsp taco sauce
few dashes of chili powder
few dashes of cumin
few dashes of garlic powder
dash of lime juice
dash of salt & pepper

-- Combine all the items for the dressing and then mix it well with the coleslaw mix.

Super easy and very tasty!








The only unhealthy part of this is the ranch dressing, but it's a great vegetable side dish and fun for summer BBQ's.  You could also use light dressing or 1/3 cup if you don't mind coleslaw with a little less dressing.

Jalapeño ranch dressing is hard to find, but you could use light ranch and then add cut up jalapeños which would be just as good.  I just used what I have so you can do the same and make it your own.

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Salad

The recipe calls for:
1 thick chicken breast
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup carrots, shredded
1 cup cabbage, shredded
1/2 cup buffalo hot sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
salt
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles, plus some for garnish
4 green onions, chopped

-- Cook the chicken however you like.  You can cut it up into cubes and cook it in a pan or you can do what I did.  I boiled the chicken for 30 mins and then shredded it.
-- Bring the water and quinoa to a boil then put it on low, cover the pot and cook for 20 minutes.
-- Whisk together the hot sauce, olive oil and some salt to make a sauce.
-- Cook the broccoli in pan with some olive oil for about 5 minutes.  You want the broccoli to soften a little, but still have some crunch to it.  Add the shredded chicken to the pan with 1/2 of the sauce.  Let the chicken soak up the sauce.
-- In a large bowl, thoroughly mix the quinoa with the chicken, broccoli and sauce mixture.  Add the carrots, cabbage, most of the onion, blue cheese and the rest of the sauce together.
-- Sprinkle the top of the dish with some onion and blue cheese crumbled.

Seriously, UH-MAZING!!!

My Basil Obsession Continues

You can go to an italian restaurant without the guilt!  I am a tomato fan, a mozzarella cheese fan and a huge basil fan.  I eat these thing sometimes at home separately and together, but never thought to order something like this when I am out to eat.  Usually when I am out to eat I don't think about calories and I just like to enjoy myself on a cheat day, but instead of getting a plain garden salad all the time that is high in bad fat because of all the ranch dressing I switched it up.  At the Macaroni Grill I saw a caprese salad on the pantry section of their menu.  It cost more then your normal side salad, but I just had to have it.

It was amazing!  So many good flavors, a lot of healthy vegetables and surprisingly filling.  Caprese salads are definitely something I will keep in mind when I am out at restaurants deciding what to eat.  This salad didn't just have your typical tomato, mozzarella cheese and basil, but it also had onions and a vegetable that I am not sure what it was.  It might've been a turnips or something along those lines, whatever it was it was delicious!

That inspired THIS...

Caprese Salad Pizza

The recipe calls for:
whole wheat pie crust
2/3 cup fresh mozzarella, sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced
2 cups fresh basil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

-- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
-- Blanch the basil leaves for 10 seconds in hot water and then immediately cool in an ice bath.  Squeeze out all the water and put the leave into a blender.
-- Add the oil, salt, pepper and garlic to the blender and blend until smooth.
-- Brush the basil oil on the pie crust, top with the slices of cheese and tomato.
-- Bake for about 10 minutes.

Salmon Salad

This recipe is as easy to make as your basic tuna or chicken salad.  You can have it alone or as a sandwich.  For lunch one day I brought just the salad to work.  I had some leftover Kellogg's Savory Herb Crackers so I added a little of the salad to each cracker.  This helped fill me up more and they went very well together.  You could also probably make this into a sort of spread instead of salad as well by adding more olive oil and mustard.  This would keep the salad on the crackers better.  For those that aren't a fan of capers, a nice substitute could be some chopped up olives, green or black.  I think the flavor of olives would go just as good with this salad recipe.

The recipes calls for:

1 cup flaked salmon
1 tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tbsp capers
fresh dill, chopped

-- Cook the salmon, let it cool and then use a fork to make it flake,
-- Mix all of the above ingredients in a bowl.  Add as much dill as your taste buds prefer.
-- Pair the salad with something you like or eat it by itself and ENJOY!

A Summer/BBQ Classic

Macaroni salad without the extra calories & fat of the actual macaroni.  I know pasta is such a big comfort food of so many & no one really wants to give it up, but this recipe has ALL of the same flavors & ingredients in a lot of macaroni salads you see being sold in stores or made by your friends/family.  It's great for the warmer weather & would be perfect on your plate next to a yummy burger or hot dog.  Get grilling & enjoy this salad at your next BBQ!

The recipe calls for:
3 cups spaghetti squash
1/2 cup light mayo
1/2 tbsp yellow mustard
splash of white vinegar
1/2 cup chopped baby carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup white onion
1 hard boiled egg chopped
1/2 tbsp stevia extract
salt & pepper to taste

-- Boil the egg for about 10 minutes then let it sit in cold water.  Peel & cut it up into small pieces.
-- Cook the spaghetti squash.  See my blog post "What Is Spaghetti Squash?" for instructions.
-- Chop the carrots, onion & celery.
-- Add all the ingredients to a bowl & mix.
-- Put the "macaroni" salad into the fridge until cool.

Trying Out Recipes

Before adding the panko bread
crumbs & coconut.

The crab cakes were soooo good! They have scallions, red pepper, mayo & obviously crab meat. There are some panko bread crumbs & shredded coconut inside the cakes then they are dredged in the mixture also. When serving the two suggestions were with lime wedges & sweet red chili sauce. I didn't use either, but Jeff loved the chili sauce on them. I read that panko bread crumbs don't soak up the grease in the pan like regular bread crumbs do so that will save some calories. Also, they are lower in sodium. We had some of the panko/coconut mixture left even with following the recipe, but I think it could be used to coat chicken, shrimp or any white fish too.

The salad would've been much better with a different dressing. We used a pear balsamic which wasn't a good choice. But hey, nothing wrong with experimenting. The cucumbers & feta cheese were a good combination though. I'd make it again using some other dressing. With a different dressing it would look more appetizing as well.