No 2 soups are the same...

When I look in my fridge on Saturday morning I see a lot of almost empty tupperware.  Ground turkey/beef meals never leave leftovers but chicken does.  My mother in law calls it "manners". If there is one left of something and nobody eats it, "manners" get it.

With that in mind, maybe I should start calling this "Manners Soup" because all I do is take the 2 or 3 pieces of leftover chicken and add any remaining containers of rice or pasta into a pot on the stove, cover & simmer on low into a soup.  Sometimes there is enough to have for a whole dinner, sometimes it is only enough for my growing 7 year old's lunch. Adding some frozen vegetables adds flavor & content all the while not wasting any food and cleaning out your fridge.

Basically, I don't see how you can't start doing this.
     It's healthy, easy, cleaning out the fridge and not wasting money or time.  And if you're the type of family that cleans on Saturdays and splits chores, ANYONE can do this.  I "okay" or "nix" anything my future chef wants to add to the pot.  Once he's done with the food, I add the water, bouillon if needed and turn it on so he isn't burned.

Wraps

Quick lunches can often lead to missteps in nutrition.  Bringing your lunch can save you from splurges and binge eating.

Tortilla wraps are an easy way to wrap up some veggies and protein into a healthy, portable lunch.

But.....Did you guess that was coming?  I feel like you were waiting for it.....

Have you ever tried a lettuce wrap?  Those big beautiful leafy green romaine leaves aren't just for salads.  They can make a wonderfully crunchy house for your lunch.  Add some tuna (packed in water), add some deli meat, use that leftover chicken from last night.  Use mustard, hummus, salsa, or hot sauce as a condiment and flavor booster.  You will save so many calories by switching to a lettuce wrap vs the tortilla wraps.

Check out some of the pictures:

Completely wrapped

More of a lettuce boat

Eggs

When I buy eggs, the cashiers often ask if I'm doing some baking.  When you walk up with a crate of eggs people begin to stare.

Between the 3 of us, we go through about 2 1/2 dozen of eggs every 7-10 days.  I hard boil them, we scramble them, we make omelettes but I don't usually bake with them.  I make a deliciously moist cake but if I keep cake in my house the cake will soon find itself a resting spot on my inner thighs.  I don't care how delicious it is, it doesn't look good in a swim suit.

Victoria's Secret
Get your mind off cake and remember you want a screamin' healthy bod!

I harp on breakfast in so many of my posts.  You'd probably laugh to know that breakfast is my least favorite time of day.  I rush around to get ready and I even used to be one that had a cup of coffee for breakfast. I have found (and science agrees) eating breakfast wakes up your metabolism from starvation mode and will help you ultimately lose weight.

I hard boil eggs for quick breakfasts.  I also make mini-quiches with eggs, egg whites, cheese and spinach.  I usually put in too much spinach then I have to choke down the remaining 15 over the next week.  (Have I mentioned I love hot sauce and how thankful I am for it?!)

Scrambling eggs is quick, easy and has a ton of flavor options.  On my prep day, I usually fry up 1/2lb of sausage (turkey or pork) but I make it in to little crumbles.  At the same time I'm baking a 1/2 pack of bacon on a baking rack on top of a baking sheet on 350 for about 30 minutes.  These are the meaty, flavor additives for my morning rushed eggs.  Having these pre-cooked and at my disposal has made mornings run so much more smoothly.

Also, these help tremendously.

My routine: 

1. Break eggs & egg whites into mason jar
2. Add frozen vegetables
3. Add sausage crumbles
4. Add a little cottage cheese (for extra protein)
5. Add lid
6. Shake it like a salt shaker or a polaroid picture, depending on whether you are more Ying Yang Twins or OutKast.
7. Pour in hot pan and scramble.
   (If I opted for bacon instead of sausage I would skip step #3 and add the bacon strips to the pan once my egg mixture reached a less runny consistency.)

I also like to scramble eggs with cottage cheese, throw the bacon in to heat and make a wrap out of it with some added avocado.... like this:

Don't let breakfast be boring or unhealthy.  It is the start to your day!!!  Start strong, delicious & healthy!

Slow Cooking

Crock-Pot^® Countdown Touchscreen Slow Cooker

High five if you own a crockpot!!

You  have the ability to make SO MANY good meals in this baby.  If yours has a timer setting consider me envious, mine was purchased before technology caught on so it just has 3 basic settings but it works perfectly so I can't justify getting a new one.

On to food.... traditionally, I think of a long slow cooked meal as hearty.  The problem is it is usually a  startchy, carb loaded meal with a supremely fatty meat.  One of the easiest meats to put in a crock pot is chicken breasts.  Want to make it one step easier?! They can be frozen chicken breasts!  There aren't many better feelings than walking in the door after a long day to a dinner that is waiting on you! 

Here are some ideas:  

Chicken Taco Soup 1.5 c serving= 165 calories
4-6 frozen chicken breasts

2 15oz cans of Mexican diced or stewed tomatoes

     or my favorite option 2 cans of the tomatoes with a can of Rotel

2 15 oz cans of black beans- don't drain these, pour it all in!
1 c salsa =1/2 a jar of salsa
15 oz can of tomato sauce

If I could find any crockpot liners I'd use those- I haven't found any since we lived in Iowa 3 years ago!
Put the chicken on the bottom, pour in the rest of the ingredients and let cook on low for 8 hours.  If you have the luxury of going home at lunch you can cook it on high for 4 or 5 hours.

You can also add in some frozen "Mexican blend" veggies or some corn for a tasty twist.  This would alter the calorie count listed above.   And for an extra 5 minutes in the morning isn't it worth it to have dinner waiting on you when you get home?!

Italian Chicken: 156 calories
4-6 frozen chicken breasts
1 c. chicken broth
1 can of Cream of Chicken soup 98% fat free
1 packet of italian salad dressing mix

Put the chicken in first, then broth then soup then sprinkle dry dressing mix and let cook 8 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high.

Serve with broccoli, green beans or salad.  You can serve it over a 1/4c of brown rice or whole wheat egg noodles.


When you're looking for recipes, steer clear of recipes containing the word "creamy".  It will most likely add on 100 additional calories per serving when you can easily make something delicious without being creamy.

All time favorite sandwich topper

It took a decade or two for me to even try avocado.  Probably because it is green, a little slimy and looks intimidating to prepare.   After about 600 cooking shows and a how to video on youtube I finally gave this green guy a shot.

The most common kind of avocado is a Hass avocado but there are almost 100 varieties.  Sometimes they're called the Alligator Pear because of the textured shell and shape... I've even heard some people call them guacamole.  (To be clear, you make guacamole with avocado).   

A whole avocado is about 300 calories, so I usually have half one day and save the other half for the next day after sprizting with some liemon juice to avoid browning.  If it browns it won't hurt you, it just doesn't look as pretty.  Avocados are nutrient rich of vitamins C & K, B6 and serves as a good source of the healthy monounsaturated fats.  

As for eating it, my husband & I have grown to love them straight from their shell.  But when it comes to accessorizing our sandwiches, I use this in place of mayo.  It's a little "slimy" as I mentioned earlier which helps keep a turkey, spinach & tomato sandwich from getting dry.  Sometimes I even skip the mustard when I have avocado!

Here is a video on how to cut & peel and avocado:

For a healthy snack you can mash up some avocado with some salsa, salt & optional lime juice for a delish quick guacamole!

The secret to losing weight is...

Sweat and persistence.

There isn't a magic pill, shake or mix that will help you reach your goal weight and maintain it.

Certainly there are products that will assist you in your weight loss goals. Often times it is because you are replacing your typical meal with something with far less calories. These products are wonderful to start off with and watching the pounds melt off is great motivation to keep pushing.

But don't be fooled; nothing takes the place of hard work, dedication and eating the right fuel. Today juicers are becoming more affordable so the nutrition packed mixes are becoming a thing of the past.

In the health club industry we see things come and go but our advice is don't buy in to the gimmicks, which are seldom long term solutions. Long term solutions are healthy heating and a sweaty shirt. Make the days count an feel proud of the progress you make.

100 calories of...

Often we hear about "100 calorie packs" or "under 100 calories" which can be very deceptive.  After I put my kiddo to bed tonight I started thinking about what to pack for his lunch tomorrow; making sure he has protein, dairy, veggies and sometimes a fruit. He is probably the only kid who takes sweet potatoes to school... and he loves them!  I try to pack enough for him to eat without all the fillers and garbage while still giving him fuel to play at recess at 2pm. Smaller portions are something we need to think about more often. Especially smaller quality portions. I went through my cabinets and fridge to find food most people may have in their home to demonstrate 100 calories.

There is an overflowing bowl of baby carrots, 1 neopolitan Oreo, canned chicken (minus a teaspoon) , jello pudding (minus a teaspoon) , my favorite apple cinnamon Greek yogurt (minus a tablespoon) , 9 Cocoa coated almonds and 7 mini Oreos.
(A Nabisco man is a gym member and brings us lots of goodies!)

All of these items with the exception of the spoonful less that is noted are 100 calories worth of snack. Though the mini Oreos and cocoa almonds are pretty close in taste & count, 5g of protein in the almonds is better than >1g in the mini Oreos.

Make smarter protions to aid in your weight loss. Though I could never eat 100 calories worth of carrots, I like the thought that I would be able to eat them until I am undoubtedly full and be under 100 calories while my body uses all the nutrients they provide!

You know that feeling....

...when you switch shampoo or conditioner and your hair has never felt and looked better?

I asked Brandy at Shades 'N Waves her technique to get my hair so soft, yet full of volume.  She took her time and talked me through the routine she was doing, I went home to practice and was seriously disappointed.  If you know me, you know my version of styled hair is a little bit of back combing and, if I'm really feeling fancy, a bobby pin or a BRAID!

The next time Brandy put color in my hair I told her about my failure and then she asked me about my shampoo & conditioner.  Oh.

Apparently she has this theory that what you put on your hair has something to do with how it looks and feels.  Hmm.  Yeah... that makes absolute perfect sense.

Fueling your body is the same.  When you put crap in your body you don't feel (or look) your best.  Yes, it is cheaper.  Yes, this bottle is twice as big as the other and the same price.  Yes, yes and yes.  I'm sure your momma told you quality, not quantity.  That is the exact determination you need to make when grocery shopping.

Quality food.  Quality calories. Quality fuel. 

I'm sure you know to shop around the outer ring of the grocery store.  The high carbs & calories are located inside and on the ends of the aisles.  Take an extra 10 minutes and plan your meals for the week, walk in prepared.  In some of the upcoming posts I'll have a weekly shopping list with meals so you can plan ahead.

Look good, but most importantly feel good with the food you put into your body.  Also think about how much it's worth saving in the long run by making smarter decisions, boosting your immune system and teaching your children to make healthier decisions.

Fuel your body to do more than just stay alive.  Fuel your body to FEEL alive.

Italian cheese & herb veggie skillet

Easy.  Low-calorie.  Quick.  Healthy.  Filling.  Delicious.  Cost efficient.

All of us can appreciate the above adjectives... especially when it comes to making a great dinner!
In late spring I bought a little tub of the Philadelphia Cooking Crème . It sat in the back of my fridge in the land of pickle & jalapeno jars waiting for me to use it.  I don't know why it took me so long to try this ingredient.  Since I made this, I have purchased 3 more flavors to try!


Notice there are FOUR servings in this. Here is where you can alter both flavor & calorie count.  I took a butter knife and scored the crème inside in half to help ensure I only used half the tub to make 5 servings. 

Math: 1 tub= 110 Calories  / 2 = 55 calories per half.  55 calories/5 servings = 11 calories a serving.

Now that I have fully covered this delicious, flavorful addition to the recipe I will talk about the recipe…
I boiled 2.5 cups (measured dry) of whole wheat wide egg noodles.


*Optionally, and for about 100 more calories a serving you can brown some chicken in the skillet...or use some you prepared on Sunday like I told you about in this post.  After it’s browned, I used my phenomenal specialty bamboo cookware tools from Pampered Chef {thank you Momma!} to haphazardly cube and shred the chicken. The flat edge helps you do so much more than stir.  I toss in most, if not all, a bag of vegetable mix that has broccoli in it.

I always have several bags of this “California Style Veggies” frozen mix on hand because it can literally go in ANY dish.

Calorie count here: 30 calories a serving. 

Remember when I talked about how there are good calories and bad calories?  Well, these are good calories so if you have more than a serving it is absolutely ok.  It is the proper fuel for your body!

          

My delicious version seen above has chicken in it which adds an additional 80 calories ( I used 4 4 oz breasts and split the servings up so I have 5 servings.)  Additional calories in chicken also add about 17g of essential protein!

This cooking creme has made a quick weeknight meal into a healthy, delicious dinner like you won't believe!

Shamrock Salad

I cannot believe it has taken me this long to post on a dessert!!! It takes me 30 minutes to think of a dinner recipe but ask me what dessert to take to a cook out and I'll tell you 6 and have the recipe memorized.

This is a lighter dessert and is already on the "thumbs up" end of the dessert scale.  The way my family & in-laws have made it aren't bad but we can improve things slightly and it work out better! (Bigger serving anyone?!)

Some people call this pistachio salad, some shamrock salad and I'm sure your family has a name for it but it looks like this:

Shamrock Salad

It involves several of my favorites: marshmallows, chopped almonds, pineapple, cool whip and pistachio pudding. 

The kind my Grandma used to make has approximately 425-450 calories, 10g fat, 50g carbs, 5g fiber, 20g of sugar and 5g protein for 3/4 of a cup serving. That is with the full fat everything option & walnuts which have a high fat content (granted it is a good source of essential omega fatty acids).

This lower calorie version tastes the same but will save you 200-250 calories per 1 cup serving.

• 1 8oz tub of sugar free cool whip
• 3/4 c crushed pineapples (preferably from the produce section but if you get it in the can make sure it isn't in syrup!)
• 1/2 a packet of sugar-free fat-free pistachio pudding mix
• 2c mini marshmallows
• 1/4c chopped almonds

My calorie count is a range because I love pineapple so I added about a cup of pineapple.  I didn't have any prechopped almonds so I chopped my very first almond and it wasn't hard and it made use of the big bags I buy.  (The options are endless after I discovered how to make almond butter!).  

Have you ever had fresh pineapple? O.M.G.  it is so much better than the canned stuff.  I still eat the canned stuff but when budget allows I get some from the produce.  This is seriously one of the easiest desserts to make that you can eat a big bowl of without feeling that regret.  And kids love it, too! The spoonful above is how I got my 6 year old out of bed this morning since he didn't get to try any last night =)

Now for the nutritional breakdown: 150-175 calories, 5g fat, 33g carbs, 3g fiber, 15g sugar and 2g protein.
Most of the protein in the fattier version came from the almonds- which is also where all those fat & calories came from!