Wholly Guacamole!!

Did you know that just the bag of chips from Chipotle is more than 500 calories?  I may love salsa and guacamole more than the average person and I am just not willing to give up my favorite snack .  So, I'll grab a serving (yes, I count or weigh my servings according to what it says on the bag) of baked tortilla chips and enjoy my favorite salsa along with some guacamole.  

Now, I think I could win a chips and salsa/guacamole eating contest, so when I saw these Wholly Guacamole individual servings of guacamole, I HAD TO GET THEM!

They are only 100 calories each and they are so yummy!  The perfect treat without breaking the calorie bank!

The Pizza burger!

Another favorite way for us to eat our burgers is to use the Tomato and Basil Pizza burger, topped with a little marinara and a sliced mozzarella babybel!  

Again, you can eat this plain, in a lettuce wrap, in a sandwich thin or a tortilla wrap!

So delicious!  Even my "meat and potatoes" husband was shocked at how he wasn't hungry between lunch and dinner when he had this for lunch with a few pop chips and some pineapple.

Mexican meatless burger!

One of our favorite ways to eat the spicy black bean burger is topped with wholly joes guacamole and salsa!  It is so easy to pack for a healthy lunch at work!  So yummy!

I had this as a snack the other day too!  It is a perfect under 200 calorie treat in between your lunch and dinner.  

Morning Star Farms!!

In an effort to change up lunches for my husband and I, we decided to try Morning Star Farms burgers and boy, were they a hit!

They are so versatile!  You can eat them in a lettuce wrap, a tortilla, or on my husband's favorite, a sandwich thin!  There are also a bunch of varieties!

I'll share a couple of our favorite ways to eat them in the next few posts!  You can enjoy them as a snack or for lunch or dinner!

You know that if my meat-loving husband likes them, they must be good!  Check them out!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Protein Shake

I have been making quite a few protein smoothies lately.  Maybe it is the occasional 55 degree day that makes me think it is so balmy outside, i need to have a cold, refreshing shake.  Maybe it is because I want to have something good that will time me over until lunch.  Who knows.  I love them and they are so YUMMY!  My brain thinks I am having an actual shake but my brain knows that this is sooooo good for me.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Protein shake
serves 1

2 Tablespoons of PB2
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup of greek yogurt (I used Fage 0%)
a couple of hands full of frozen strawberries
1 scoop protein powder

Blend and serve!  This one rang in at under 300 calories.  DELISH!

Portion Control

If there was one thing I learned on my weight loss journey it was too look to see how much was an actual serving before putting food in my mouth.  I used to guess what they were, but you really need to measure and weigh, so you know what you are getting yourself into.  I have a food scale and I have several sets of measuring cups and spoons

so I can measure food all day long.

 I remember the shocking day when I was making my son a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  I would always get a spoon and have some peanut butter when I was done making his lunch.  One day, I actually looked and found out that I was eating more than a tablespoon of peanut butter which was more than 100 calories mindlessly!  That is a lot of calories!

If you can't trust yourself or need to grab something easy for a snack, grab some that are already portioned.  I get hungry sometimes in between lunch and dinner and I know I always have preportioned  servings of some kind of nut butter in my pantry.  Just grab one of those and an apple or some celery.  Easy Peasy, right?

Nature Box

Have you heard of this??  I Love it!  Sometimes it is difficult to make healthy choices when you are hungry and it isn't time for a meal.  Nature Box sends you 5 healthy snacks every month.  You can choose which ones you want to try each time!  Then, you can order the ones you like the best!  If you have healthy snacks around you will be less tempted to eat ones that aren't the best for you!  Every little step in a healthy lifestyle counts!

Check it out at naturebox.com

Cheesy Roasted Veggies

Looking for a yummy side dish for dinner tonight?  Try this!

1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups cauliflower
1 garlic and cheese laughing cow cheese wedge

I roasted the veggies on a lightly sprayed cookie sheet (I even lightly misted the veggies) at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes or so.  The time will vary depending on how big your veggies are.  When they were done, I zapped the cheese in the microwave for about 15 seconds in a ramekin.  Then I mixed the cheese in with the veggies in a bowl.  I totally sat down and ate the whole bowl.  It was delish and only 130 calories.

Almond Butter Cookies

Look!  A cookie recipe that has no refined sugar or white flour!  Try these out because they were seriously good.  Even small children liked them.  :)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

1 large egg
1 cup unsweetened almond butter
1/3 c raw honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 c almond flour**
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

**If you do not have almond flour (I got mine at Trader Joe's) you can make it by zapping raw almonds in your food processor until it is a fine meal like consistency.  

Mix the first 4 ingredients together and then add the last 3.  This recipe makes 12 good sized cookies.  The Nutritional below is per cookie.  

Food of the week: EBOOST

Do you drink coffee all day?  Do you look for those energy drinks that have loads of calories or chemicals to help you get through the day?  I found a NATURAL energy drink that has only 10 calories.  It is EBOOST and I LOVE IT!  When I find myself dragging, I get the powder packets and dissolve one in a glass of water and go about my day.  There is pink lemonade and acai pomegranate.  There is also one that is Immunity Boosting.  Both of my kids had colds, so to try to not get a cold myself, I drank the Natural Orange to help boost my immunity.  It worked!!  I also love the fact that I don't crash after a few hours.  I found mine at the Vitamin Shoppe and at Amazon.  I highly recommend these as you can also keep some in your purse to have when you really need it.

Food of the Week: NuttZo

I LOVE peanut butter!  That is no secret.  I have even been known to just pass through the kitchen to get a spoon full of the nutty goodness.  I found Nuttzo at Earth Fare (you can get it at Whole Foods as well).  The Original Blue Label is an Organic Omega-3 seven nut and seed blend.  There's only 2g of sugar  (2T), 50% of your daily value of Omega 3 ALAs (2T), and a complete protein –so eat it right out of the jar (You don't need to tell me twice)!  There is no added sugar or hydrogenated oils and it is also vegan and kosher.  

NuttZo Original for 2Tablespoons

There are 3 different kinds of Nuttzo.  The Original Blue label that has Peanuts, Cashews, Almonds, Hazelnuts, Brazil Nuts, Sunflower Seeds,  Flax Seeds and sea salt.  The peanut free red label kind has Almonds, Cashews, Brazil Nuts, Pumpkin Seeds, Chia seeds,  Flax Seeds, Hazelnuts, and sea salt.  There is also Chocolate Nuttzo!  It has Peanuts, chocolate chips (organic cocoa liquor, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic cocoa powder), Cashews, Almonds, Brazilian Nuts, Sunflower Seeds, Flax Seeds, Hazelnuts, and Sea Salt.


I just want you to know that this stuff is not cheap.  At $12.99 for a 16 oz, I still think it is worth it.  I'm not making sandwiches with it.  I'll eat it with apple slices after a workout or as a snack in some celery. It is really delicious.  Give it a try!

Food of the week: Quest Protein Bars

I know.  I haven't posted much lately.  Our kitchen is being renovated and it is not a big motivator to try new recipes.  We should be back to normal soon.  Hang in there with me.  All I wanted was a new backsplash and it has snowballed into something much bigger.  We are all waiting on the new counter tops now.  :)

In the meantime, I found my PERFECT 3pm snack!  Quest Protein bars!  They are HIGH Protein (20 grams!!), high fiber and gluten free!  They are the perfect snack to get me from lunch to dinner.  Plus, they are yummy!  There is quite a selection of flavors.  The only downside is that I can only get them at my GNC.  They aren't available in grocery stores.  Check out the link and see the flavors and the nutritional info.  You will be surprised all this great stuff can be found in one bar.  I love them!

Breakfast Coffee Protein Shake

I love coffee.  I drink it A LOT.  This morning, I decided to make a protein shake with my morning coffee and it was DELIGHTFUL!

I made some coffee and let it cool while I was getting the kids ready so that it wouldn't melt my ice.  After it was cool, I added to my blender:

1 cup of coffee
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2-1 frozen banana
1 scoop of vanilla or chocolate protein powder
2 handfulls of ice

Blend to your desired consistency and ENJOY!

**TIP:  I almost always have frozen bananas in my freezer.  When I see that my bananas are getting too ripe, I peel and slice them and put them in a baggie to toss in the freezer.  They work well in banana ice cream when I am craving something sweet at night too.  :)

Cinnamon Apple Quinoa Bites

Pinterest strikes again!  I came across these little numbers and at about 35 calories a piece, I couldn't help but make this apple pie tasting goodness!  I adapted the recipe from here.

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 cup quick oats

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 cup chopped apples

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Add all ingredients in a bowl and mix until combined.  Spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.

I plan on breaking a few of these up and putting them in my yogurt.  Oh my!!

Decadent Dessert

You know when you just NEED to have a treat?  Well, that was me last night.  I went all out.

I got 2 Ghirardelli Bittersweet chocolate baking squares and put 2 teaspoons of almond butter in between them.  The darker the chocolate, the less sugar, so be sure you are choosing your chocolate wisely.

It took me 10 minutes to eat it.  I savored it and it hit the spot.  It was so good.  Now, it was 205 calories of heavenly goodness, but it was a much better option than any of the other sugar filled treats that were racing through my brain.

"Baked" apples

As you may know from reading my blog in the fall, I love apples.  I go apple picking with the hubs and our kids every year.  I love apples baked/cooked in everything too.  It is a cold and snowy day here and I just needed a snack that would warm me up and make me think I was eating something that wasn't so good for me.  :)

I cored and sliced an apple and threw it in a Tupperware container that had a vent on the top.  You can use your own favorite container you toss your leftovers in.  If it doesn't have a vent on the lid, just don't close it all the way.  Once the apple was in the container, I sprinkled about 1/4-1/2 tsp of cinnamon over them, 1 packet of stevia and a hand full of raisins.  Then I added 1/4 tsp corn starch and 1 tablespoon of water.  I put the lid on, gave it a shake, vented it, and put it in the microwave and cooked for 2 minutes.

Yummy, pie-like deliciousness!

Fruit Dip

I am a huge fan of dips.  I loooove fondue as well.  Here is a healthy snack that won't break the calorie bank.  I made 2 dips, one peanut butter and one chocolate to dip my fruit in.

Chocolate dip
6 oz container of FAGE yogurt
1/4-1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa (according to taste)
1-2 Tablespoons of honey (according to taste)

Remember that you won't need it to be too sweet because you are dipping fruit in it.

Peanut Butter Dip
6 oz container of FAGE yogurt
1/4-1/2 cup of PB2 (Powdered Peanut Butter)
1-2 Tablespoons of honey

As a note, it can last a few days in the refrigerator, but it thickens.  You may need to add some almond milk or milk to thin it out a little so you can dip in.

Just as another side note.... if you were to pop these in the freezer until frozen and perhaps put it on top of your favorite brownie, right out of the oven, that would be some darn good fro-yo.  Just saying.

Food of the Week: Chobani Bite

Heaven in a cup

I just came back from the grocery store and had to share a very yummy treat I got.  They are called Chobani Bites and they are single sized Greek Yogurt snacks that can curb your afternoon cravings.  This is my new favorite 3pm snack.  The one I had today was Coffee and Dark Chocolate flavored.  Ummmm, YUMMMMMM!  They are only 100 calories each and have 8 grams of protein!  That is the perfect snack to help me get through to dinner.

They come in 4 different flavors, Fig with Orange Zest, Caramel with Pineapple, Coffee with Dark Chocolate Chips, and Raspberry with Dark Chocolate Chips.  I can't wait to try more!

Creamy Roasted Broccoli

I am the only person in my house that eats broccoli.  No matter how I make it, they always turn their noses up at it.  Now I just make it for myself and hope someone shows some interest in it.  I love roasting broccoli.  It gives it a yummy, nutty flavor.

3 cups of fresh broccoli
1/2 cup garlic hummus
2 Tablespoons of parmesan, grated
A few spritzes of olive oil

Roast your broccoli in a 425 degree oven for about 10 minutes or so.  Add the hummus and parmesan and eat.  It really couldn't be easier.  It is a delicious side dish, snack or lunch.

Caprese Roasted Tomatoes

I had this as a side dish to my steak last night and it was DELISH!  I love Caprese salads so it was no surprise to me how yummy these were.

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 large tomato, cut in half
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 hands full of baby spinach
1 hand full of basil leaves
fresh mozzarella, sliced

I poured the balsamic in a dish and placed the tomatoes, cut side down, in the vinegar.  I let them sit for about 20 minutes or so.  I then put the tomatoes cut side up on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

Then I tossed the spinach and basil in a pan and wilted it with a couple of spritzes of olive oil.  When the spinach and basil was almost done, I added the minced garlic until fragrant.  Once the tomatoes were done in the oven, I put half of the spinach/basil mixture on top of each tomato.  Then I added a slice of fresh mozzarella to the top and put it under the broiler until all melty.   So yummy!