Food of the week: Pop Chips Tortillas!

To say that I have been stalking when and where to find these would be an understatement.  I am a huge fan of pop chips, but I LOVE TORTILLA CHIPS!  I LOVE chips and salsa!  I texted this photo with the caption, "I FOUND THEM!!!" to my husband and told him to hurry home because a taste test was happening!

I could only find 3 of the 4 flavors.  I did not find the salsa flavored one.  :(

My husband and I both agree to the order of our favorites.  We loved them all, but we REALLY loved the ranch pop chips.  They are so yummy!  Next we liked the nacho flavored pop chips and then the chili limon.  I decided that chili limon were the perfect chip to dip in salsa.  The flavor was subtle, but had a spicy kick to them.   The others could stand alone on their own.

In case you haven't heard about pop chips, this is from their website:

"naturally delicious and healthier. that’s popchips. when they said it couldn’t be done, we raised the snack bar. how do we do it? well, first, let's talk about how we don't do it. we never fry our chips. that just puts a lot of stuff in there that we could all do without. we never bake our chips either. that just takes a lot of flavor out, which, as snackers, we simply can't do without. so we came up with a chip like no snack aisle has seen (or taste bud has tasted). thanks to the magic of popping, we found a way to pop all the flavor in, while keeping fake stuff and at least half the fat of regular flavored chips out."

THIER pledge: no fake colors, no fake flavors, no preservatives, no fluorescent orange finger tips.  TheY do not use hydrogenated oil or msg.

Peanut Butter and Banana Overnight Oatmeal

1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup greek yogurt (I use 0% Fage)
1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoon unsweetened almond milk
1 1/2 Tablespoons Chia seeds
2 Tablespoons PB2 Powdered peanut butter
1/2 banana sliced

I eat overnight oatmeal about 5 days a week.  I love it because I can make it ahead of time, so when it is time to eat breakfast, I can just grab it and go.

I got this recipe idea from my friend, Megan.  I was chatting with her about PB2 and she said she put it in her overnight oats and I thought that was a brilliant idea.  I use PB2 because it only has 45 calories and 85% less fat a serving and regular peanut butter has about 200 calories.

All you need to do is mix the first 5 ingredients.  Once mixed, I add the sliced bananas and put it in my mason jar and toss it in the fridge.  Easy Peasy.

My recipe has 246 calories, .5 grams saturated fat, 8.3 grams of dietary fiber, 10.8 grams sugar, and 16.1 grams of protein.  Wow!  That's a lot of protein.

Peanut butter and banana frozen sandwich

I love ice cream sandwiches and decided to whip  this little number up for a nice under 100 calorie snack.  I used my PB2 I reviewed the other day (or you could use regular peanut butter), a ripe banana and some graham crackers.

2 Tablespoons of PB2
1 Tablespoon of water
1 banana
5 whole graham cracker sheets

I put the PB2 and water in a bowl and stirred until it was peanut butter consistency.  Then I mashed a banana into it.  I put a couple of Tablespoons of the mixture on half of a graham cracker sheet and placed the other half on top of the mixture.  Next, place them on a plate or cookie sheet and freeze.  After a few hours, you can wrap them individually or just toss them all in a freezer bag, like I did.

Fooducate

Fooducate is a free app available on iPhone and Android.  I even got the kids in on trying this one.  The bad news is that I was caught eating an Oreo and was scolded because it only got a B-.

Fooducate grades your groceries.  Each product is automatically graded (A-, B+, C, etc...) by a scientific algorithm based on it's nutrition facts and ingredient list. Fooducate recommends minimally processed, real foods, that are naturally rich in nutrients and antioxidants.

You can scan the barcode on your groceries while you are in the store to see which one is best.  You can learn about the foods' pros and cons and even choose healthier alternatives. 

I do love to go around the store scanning things and this one is definitely helpful in choosing foods that will help you reach your fitness goals.  Try it out!  Let me know what you think!

Food of the week: PB2

Yes, I love peanut butter.  Last week my food of the week was peanut butter and so is this week.  Hi, my name is Kim and I am a peanut butter addict.  I don't even have to put peanut butter on anything...a spoon works just fine.  It is a quick snack when I am running around and don't have any time to prepare anything.

When I saw this product, my mouth dropped.  It has 85% less fat?  HOLY COW!  I'm in love.  This is what the website says.

"PB2 has the same consistency as full fat peanut butter with all of the natural roasted peanut flavor, but with nearly 85% less fat calories. PB2 is made with high quality peanuts that are slow-roasted to our specifications and pressed to remove the oil. All natural with no artificial flavors,sweeteners, or preservatives.

PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter is mixed with water to create a traditional peanut butter mixture. It also works and tastes wonderfully in recipes that call for the use of peanut butter. "

All you have to do is add a tablespoon of water to 2 tablespoons of the powder and mix it until you get the right consistency!  Amazing!  Does it taste exactly like peanut butter?  Not exactly, but it is pretty darn close!  Does it taste the same in recipes?  Heck, yeah!  The website also has plenty of recipes for you to choose from in order to make your favorite peanut butter snack.

There is also a PB2 with premium chocolate!  HELLO!  I will be buying that one next!

Food of the Week: PB Crave

I love ALL things that have chocolate and peanut butter together.  It came as no surprise that I fell in love with PB Crave Choco Choco.  The label says it best, "A delicious double dose of semi-sweet and rich dark chocolate with premium peanut butter and wild honey."  The first thing I did when I brought it home was the spoon test.  How did it taste just on a spoon with nothing else?  Delish.  Then, I thought I needed to try it again....  ;-)

I am excited to add this to my oatmeal, English muffins, and on fruit.

PB Crave comes in 4 flavors.  The other flavors are Coco Bananas (chocolate and banana peanut butter), Razzle Dazzle (dark chocolate, white chocolate and raspberries) and Cookie Nookie (chocolate chips and cookie dough flavor).  I can not speak for the other flavors, but I will let you know once I have tried them as I was certain it was not a good idea to have 4 jars of delicious peanut butter in the house at the same time along with a multitude of spoons.

Two Tablespoons of Choco Choco has 180 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 2 grams of fiber, 5 grams of sugar and 6 grams of protein.

ShopWell

This is a pretty cool free app!  I am sad to say that it is only available for iPhones at the moment, but it is very cool.  If you don't have an iPhone, borrow a friend's and play with the app.  You can also go to the website, but you aren't able to scan the items.

This app is your "Personal Nutrition Expert."  You put your diet needs in the app such as weight management or lowering cholesterol etc. and it tells you which foods are a good match for you.  You can scan food items and it will give that food a score so you know if it matches your goals.  It lists quick facts on each item such as letting you know if it is a good source of protein and calcium, low saturated fat, good source of Iron, added sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, refined grains, and preservatives.  It also suggests alternatives that are better for you.  I have spent the last 30 minutes scanning things in my pantry.  It is so informative!

"ShopWell draws on trusted resources and guidelines set by the FDA, USDA, the Institute of Medicine, and the latest peer reviewed research."

It's Snack Time!!!

Surplus of garden tomatoes? CHECK!  Surplus of Herbs from said garden?  CHECK CHECK!

I always over plant my tomatoes.  Do I need to have 2 cherry tomato plants, 2 Roma tomato plants, 2 Beef steak tomato plants AND 2 yellow tomato plants?  Ummm, probably not, but there really is nothing like fresh tomatoes from your garden.  The yellow tomato plants are even taller than I am this year (I am 5'10'').

I saw a picture of this pizza from here and knew immediately that I HAD to make it.

1 Low carb tortilla (mine is 60 calories)
2 Laughing cow garlic and herb cheese wedges
tomato slices
fresh basil
salt
garlic powder

I turned on the broiler of my oven and tossed the plan tortilla on the rack in the oven so it would crisp up a bit.  Then, when it was feeling crispy, I spread the cheese on the tortilla and placed the tomato slices on top.  I put it on a cookie sheet and broiled it until the edges of the tortilla was browned.  When it was done, I pulled it out of the oven and topped it with some basil, salt and garlic powder.

This was such a yummy snack and was 175 calories.

Food of the Week: Beanitos

I haven't done an item of the week in a while.  I am actually eating these right now with a little salsa as a snack.  I LOVE the Chipotle BBQ ones because they have quite a kick!  These chips are either made from pinto beans or black beans.  They are corn free, gluten free, low glycemic and high in fiber as well.  One serving of these little power houses have 4 grams of protein, 5 grams of dietary fiber and are 140 calories!  That is what I like to see in a snack!  I can also pronounce every ingredient!

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars

These are perfect as a snack or for a quick breakfast!  I came across this recipe on Pinterest.  I found it here.  I adapted it slightly. 

1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup almond milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large mashed banana
1/4 cup Creamy Natural Peanut Butter

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and pour into an 8x8 pan sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  My recipe makes 6 good sized bars.  Each bar is 205 calories, 1.4 grams of fat, 3.2 grams dietary fiber, 13.5 grams sugar, 6.1 grams protein.

Quinoa Cucumber Caprese Salad

I LOVE CAPRESE SALAD!  I know it has to do with the delicious fresh mozzarella, but the combination of that with the basil and tomatoes is a match made in heaven.  Here is my lunch for the week.  I can eat it as a salad or in a wrap, of course.

1 English cucumber, diced
1 Avocado, diced
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup chopped basil leaves
1 cup quinoa uncooked
juice of 1 lemon
3 minced garlic cloves
3 Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
4 oz fresh mozzarella, diced

Cook the Quinoa according to the package directions.  Mix all of the ingredients together and there you have it...Easy Peasy.  This salad is a little higher in calories and fat than my normal salad, but I just love it so much.  It is worth it!

SWORKIT PRO!

Earlier today, I posted about SWORKIT, a free workout app I came across.  Well, Ryan from SWORKIT contacted me about the awesome features that SWORKIT Pro has and even gave me a code to get SWORKIT Pro for FREE so I could try it.  Thank you, Ryan!

SWORKIT Pro is only $.99 and has these awesome additional features:

Audible Announcement of Exercises
Access to Videos During Workouts
Total Progress Training
Pause Between Exercise Options
Call Friends Out on Facebook and Twitter
Bonus Workout: Bootcamp-Inspired by US Army Fitness
Access to Future Feature Upgrades and Bonus Workouts

I LOVE IT!  I had received this free access after I had already worked out for the day, and I actually worked out AGAIN just so I could try it out.  I love that you can see a quick video tutorial on the move if you need them, that there is a pause button so you aren't using time on the clock to figure out what the next move is, and it has an Audio announcement that tells you what the next move is!  I highly recommend this App!!

SWORKIT

Here is a fun, free app that is available on iPhone, Android or on your computer.  It shuffles your exercises for your workouts and keeps things new and exciting for you!


You choose your workout time (up to one hour) and goal (back, core strength, full body, etc.). Sworkit then generates a series of randomized 30-second routines (none of which require equipment) for you to follow, along with handy pictures of what each task actually looks like. At the end of every 30 seconds, a whistle blows and you’re on to the next exercise.  


My only complaint is that it moves immediately from move to move.  By the time I see the next move to do, 3 seconds have passed.  Perhaps I will get quicker with it the more I do it.  I love 
the variety of it all though and time goes very quickly.

Quinoa Pizza Bites

I bought a 4 pound bag of quinoa at Costco.  I am trying hard to find things to make with it instead of putting it in a salad.  This is what I came up with.  Soooooo yummy.  I actually had these for dinner and had to force myself to stop eating them.  They are addicting and very cute!

1 cup quinoa, uncooked
1 cup diced turkey pepperoni
1 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup diced onion
3/4 cup red bell pepper
30 fresh basil leaves chopped
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
3 garlic cloves
3 large eggs
cooking spray
Pizza sauce to dip bites into

Mix all ingredients together except for pizza sauce.  Distribute mixture into mini muffin tin sprayed with cooking spray.  Put into a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until it is looking lightly browned on the tops.

My recipe made 36 bites and each bite was 37 calories a piece.  Each bite had .5 grams of saturated fat, .4 grams dietary fiber, .4 grams sugar, 2.5 grams protein

Scheduling Workouts

I am a planner.  I like to know exactly what is going to happen before the time comes.  I HAD to find out if I was having a boy or a girl before I gave birth to my kiddos.  I needed to plan their rooms, clothes, toys etc.

When I am going on a trip, I write lists.  I list what needs to be packed and I list the things we will be doing with addresses and phone numbers.  Needless to say, I am not a huge fan of spontaneity.   Spontaneity leads me to make poor choices about food and keeps me on the sofa instead of working out.

On Sundays, I have been making my breakfasts and lunches for the week so I don't even have to think about what I feel like having each day.  Lately, I have been doing the same with my workouts.  I plan on what workouts I am going to do each day.  I make sure I have a variety of things to do, so that I am not bored.

All of this helps me stay on track.  I don't stray from my plan.  I don't take the easy workout and I continue to challenge myself and complete harder and harder workouts.

What do you do to help you stay on track?