Monthly Archives: September 2014

Healthy Shrimp and Vegetable Lo Mein

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I am a big pasta lover and one of my favorite meals is lo mein. I woke up Sunday morning craving something salty, specifically lo mein. Unfortunately your standard lo mein meal from a Chinese or Japanese restaurant is often really high in sodium and loaded with fat. I did not want to suffer that post Chinese take out sluggish feeling that I often do. This homemade meal completely satisfied my craving without the negative aftermath! The entire batch is 565 calories and makes enough for three people, or two really hungry people 🙂 Below are the ingredients, recipe, and nutritional information!

Ingredients:
3 oz whole wheat thin spaghetti
22 small-medium shrimp ( I used cooked frozen medium shrimp)
1 cup mushrooms
1 cup broccoli
Diced onion (about 1/5 medium onion)
2 tbs Minced garlic
3 tbs Kikkoman low sodium teriyaki marinade
1 tbs Kikkoman low sodium soy sauce

Directions:
Boil water in pot and place spaghetti in to cook.
Spray pan with cooking spray and add garlic, onion, mushroom and broccoli, cook on medium for 5 minutes.
Add shrimp and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes or until all veggies and shrimp is cooked through. If you are using raw shrimp instead of pre cooked this may be a little longer.
Once spaghetti is cooked, drain and add to pan.
Add teriyaki and soy sauce and mix together and let flavors blend on low for 2-3 minutes.

Nutrition per serving: (3 servings in entire batch)

188 Calories, 1g Fat, 26g Carbohydrates, 17g Protein

 

This all took under 30 minutes to prep and cook!  I am all about quick and easy when it comes to my food so this was the perfect healthy alternative to satisfy my lo mein craving and not to mention it was delicious!

Cinnamon Oatmeal Lava Cake

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OatMeal Lava Cake

Sometimes messing up your recipe is for the better!  I was attempting to make a simple mug cake here but I did not cook it for long enough so I ended up with a cake like crust and a warm oatmeal center.  Instead of continuing to cook the mug cake I just ate it as is and it was quite delicious!  Yes I am sometimes that lazy.  I used 2 egg whites, 1/2 cup oats, 3/4 scoop protein powder, 1 packet stevia, a splash of water, pumpkin spice, and cinnamon.  I mixed everything together in a microwave safe mug and placed in the microwave for about 1 minute.  I topped with 1 tbs of Walden Farms syrup before eating! The cake is just under 300 calories 3g Fat/ 29g Carbohydrates/ 34g Protein.  Makes for a great post-workout meal!

Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers

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Crockpot Stuffed Peppers

Since the nights are starting to get cooler I decided that it was time to dust off the old Crock pot.  Thanks to my wonderful mother for sharing this recipe!  These are not only extremely tasty and filling but also super easy to make!  Below are the ingredients and recipe:

Ingredients:

5 peppers

1.25 pounds extra lean (99%) ground turkey (allow 1/4lb per pepper)

1 1/2c instant brown rice

Diced quarter of an onion

Dash of Salt, pepper, garlic powder

1 can tomato soup

Couple squirts of ketchup(optional)

Recipe:

Mix ground turkey with diced onion, salt, pepper, garlic powder and one third can of tomato soup.

Cut off tops of peppers and clean out insides.

Stuff each pepper with turkey mixture.

Put another third of the can of soup into the bottom of Crock pot with 1/4 cup water.

Place peppers into Crock pot and add remaining soup on top.  I like to squirt ketchup on top also.

Cover and cook til peppers are soft (on low for 7 hours or on high for 4-5 hours).

You can use same recipe and cook in 350 oven covered for an hour-hour and half.

Another side note, if you own a slow cooker but do not own slow cooker liners(pictured above), go purchase them now!  Makes the clean up 10x faster.

Nutrition per pepper include:

227 Calories, 2.4g Fat, 26g Carbohydrates, 24g Protein

…Did I forget to mention this is super low in fat? 😉

Now go dig out your Crock pot and enjoy yourself these delicious peppers!

What Defines a “Healthy” Lifestyle?

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New England Harvest salad with tofu and a side Tropi-kale smoothie!

New England Harvest salad with tofu and a side Tropi-kale smoothie!

This is a question that can be asked to 100 people and you will probably get 100 different responses.  I suspect the definition of “healthy” is unique to each individual.  It took me a while but I have come to the realization that living a healthy lifestyle goes far beyond making smart food choices and consistently working out.  If you are eating healthy, working out, but miserable in the process, then there is probably something missing.  I woke up this morning and put my boots on for the first time since April which signaled that summer is officially over.  I reflected back on my summer and have to admit that I spent way too many nights staying in on the couch and not nearly enough nights out with my friends.  I figured it was a lot easier for me to just stay in than go out and get asked why I am not drinking or be questioned about my food choices.  I avoided restaurants, bars, cookouts, you name it.  All because I felt that I could not be in control of my diet.  Crazy right?  Looking back, I recognize that I did not need to completely avoid these situations.  In fact, if I can’t reach my fitness goals without isolating myself from the people who matter to me the most, and things I enjoy, then am I really living a “healthy” lifestyle?  For me, the key to living a healthy lifestyle is simply balance.  Perhaps “simply” is not the right word as this is something I am still working towards.  The mental aspect is just as important as the physical.  Eating healthy and working out makes me a happy person.  What also makes me a happy person is sharing laughs and making memories with my friends and family.  There are only 24 hours in a day and I want to make sure I am not wasting them washing tupperware containers and watching reruns of the Kardashians.  Now, I love cooking my own food and typically enjoy a home cooked meal over anything but it is nice to finally realize that I can enjoy going out to lunch or dinner every once in a while and still stay on track with my diet goals.  For some reason it took me a really long time to figure this out.  Moral of the story; a healthy body plus a healthy mind equals a happy me!  Now time for me to go plan my next Boloco trip for that New England Harvest salad that I got for lunch the other day with my co-worker.

Zucchini Lasagna, The Guilt-Free Comfort Food of Choice

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Zucchini Lasagna

Lasagna is one of my favorite Italian meals but the calories can certainly add up and leave you feeling like a useless couch potato for hours.  Okay so that might have been a little aggressive but I know that I personally have a hard time with portion control when it comes to lasagna.  I mean, what is really a “slice” anyways?  I was lucky enough to grow up with the fabulous cooking of my mother and never actually cooked my own lasagna before because why mess with mama’s cooking!  With that said, I have been on a serious zucchini kick lately.  Zucchini wheels, zucchini pasta, zucchini oats, you name it.   With plenty of zucchini and lasagna essentials in the fridge, I decided to experiment in the kitchen!  The taste exceeded my expectations and kept my tummy full and happy!  1 serving (1/4 dish) is only 285 calories ( 7g f, 18g c, 40g p).  I would also like to mention that 1/4 of this dish is a VERY generous serving size.  Below are the ingredients and recipe:

Ingredients:

2 medium zucchini

12 oz extra lean ground turkey

1 1/4 cup fat-free mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup skim ricotta cheese

1 can Del Monte diced tomatoes with zesty green chiles

1/2 can tomato paste

 

Recipe:

Cook the turkey on medium in a skillet and set aside.

As turkey is cooking, slice zucchini vertically to create thin zucchini strips as “noodles”.

Once turkey is cooked, add diced tomatoes and tomato paste and continue to cook on medium-low for 3-5 minutes or until consistency of bolognese sauce is created.

Preheat oven at 350F.

Layer baking dish starting with zucchini, then add sauce and cheese.  Repeat this layering until dish is almost full. (I like to add extra mozzarella on the top).

Bake at 350F for 28-30 minutes.  Let sit for at least 20 minutes to let juices settle.

 

Enjoy!

How I Turned Pro- Gym Selfie

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Okay, so I used to be that person who would scroll through my news feed and roll my eyes any time that I saw a gym check in.

First official gym selfie before building season

First official gym selfie before building season

I thought to myself, “congratulations you are at the gym no one cares”.  I would think the same thing when I saw a picture on Instagram of someone sweating after a tough workout.  But really, what is the point of social media if you aren’t sharing with others the things that you enjoy?  How is checking in at the gym any different from checking in at a restaurant or bar?  How is posting a picture of yourself in the gym any different from posting a picture of yourself in the car?  I’ve come to believe that gym selfies, or selfies in general, are not so much attention seeking but rather a representation of confidence and pride.  Now maybe there are a couple of instances that are an exception here, but I would say very few.  For someone like me who is working towards a fitness goal, taking pictures is really helpful in determining progress and if I want to share my experience along the way then why shouldn’t I?  I mean, why do we really follow people on social media anyways if we aren’t interested in what is going on with their life?  I posted my first “”gym selfie” the other week, not because I was fishing for likes, but because I was excited about my journey thus far and like to keep myself accountable.  Looking back now, I think all of my eye rolls were just my way of trying to cover my own lack of self-confidence.  I also realize that not everything needs to be documented on social media and that it is important to live in the moment. If a selfie here and there makes that much of an impact on your day than perhaps you need to reevaluate your priorities.  SELFIE-ON PEOPLE!

Everybody Loves a Good Buffalo Chicken Pizza

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Healthy Buffalo Chicken Pizza

I am a HUGE lover of pizza and buffalo chicken, so naturally buffalo chicken pizza is one of my favorite meals!  With football season right around the corner, I have been thinking about how I will get through my Sunday’s guilt free.  This pizza took less than 10 minutes to prep and less than 10 minutes to cook!  The entire pizza is only 250 calories, 5.5g fat, 18g carbohydrates, and 37g protein!

 

Recipe includes:

1 Flatout Light Italian flatbread

1/4 cup Hunt’s no salt added tomato sauce

1 tbs Walden Farms Ranch Dressing

1/4 cup fat free mozzarella cheese

2 oz grilled chicken (tossed in Frank’s Red Hot)

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1/4 cup diced tomatoes

Dash of oregano

 

Bake in the oven at 415F for 9 minutes (or desired crispiness) and enjoy!