Eating Out Tips

When you're eating healthy all week it can be easy to let your guard down on the weekends.  It's very important to have a meal plan in place to avoid temptation.  With that said, you should always have a Cheat Meal scheduled.  Notice I said Cheat Meal not Cheat Day.  Here are some tips to help you get through the weekend.

1.  If you are going to a restaurant check out the menu AHEAD of time.  Most restaurants post their menus online along with the nutritional value.  Decide on what you're going to eat BEFORE you get there, so when you sit down at the restaurant you won't have to open the menu and be tempted.  Skip the bread and tortilla chips, they have no nutritional value and will fill you up before you get your meal.

2.  If you are going to a party eat before you go or drink Shakeology on your way there.  Offer to bring a healthy appetizer or main dish.  Make every party about socializing with others and not about the food.  Keep your conversations away from the food table and offer to clean up so you're not forced to sit around and watch everyone eat. 

3.  No matter where you are make sure you drink lots of water!  You'll feel full quicker and will stay hydrated.

4. Always have a plan.  If you are traveling, going to a sporting event, or are running errands all day, pack a small cooler with healthy snacks.  Make sure to throw in an extra snack so you're not caught in a situation where you've been out longer than expected and have nothing to eat. 

{Taste Test Tuesday} Egg Frittata

It's about time I posted a breakfast recipe!  I eat the same thing for breakfast almost every single day, so I pushed myself outside my comfort zone to try something new.  My eyes locked on an Egg Frittata recipe I found in one of my workout nutritional guides.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3 egg whites
• 3 whole eggs
• 2 tablespoons skim milk
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 cup chopped spinach
• 1 tablespoon basil or oregano
• Pepper to taste

Directions

Whisk eggs with milk.  Add the spinach, basil or oregano, feta, & pepper.  Combine.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Coat an 8" by 8" casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Pour egg mixture into dish and bake for 20 minutes or until eggs are set.  (Top may remain moist)  Let stand for 5 minutes.

I love basil and the feta cheese really boosted the flavor in this, BUT it just didn't hit the spot for me.  It was too bland and needed something else to make it worth eating.  Perhaps some diced ham or turkey sausage?  Maybe even just some tomatoes and mushrooms.  I added Cholula to this thinking it would enhance the taste, but it had the opposite effect.  It competed with the feta cheese and I immediately regretted it.  As it is...I probably wouldn't make it again.  If I made some of the adjustments I listed above, I think it would be much better....maybe I will give it another try after all.  ☆☆

{Shakeology Sunday} Pineapple Paradise

I found frozen pineapple at the store and thought it would be perfect to throw in my Shakeology.  I wanted to try something different and came up with this quick recipe.

Pineapple Paradise

• 1 scoop Greenberry Shakeology
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup fat free milk
• 1/2 cup frozen pineapple

Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Erin Condren Planner

I'm excited to share my new planner!  I was trying to find a nice planner for 2013 and a friend recommended this.  It's quite spendy so I spent a lot of time looking at blogs and reviews to see if it was worth the money.  After determining it was, my OCD kicked in and I spent hours trying to find the perfect style for me.  If I'm going to have this for a year I better like it, right?  Ready to see what took me hours to choose?

"Angels Singing"


For those of you who know me, you know I LOVE me some colors!  I love colors so much that I organize my clothes by color!  Crazy you say?  Perhaps.  Does it make me happy?  Absolutely!

Now I couldn't just get the planner, I also had to get the matching notepads!

What impressed me most about the notepads was the adhesives on the back.  They suggested I stick one on the back of my planner which of course I had to do.

Someone mentioned Sharpie's didn't bleed through the paper so I bought a whole set of them...think colors. I tested them on the paper and although the paper is thicker than normal, I did find that the markers bled through. I decided pencil would be my best option, so I could erase things if needed. Honestly, I was scared to even write in it because it was so damn pretty.

 

It also came with all kinds of fun labels, stickers, and inspirational quotes.

 

I was expecting the planner to be quite large, but it was smaller than a piece of paper. Perfect to take on the go!  If you have a busy life and/or work schedule and want to keep track of everything in style, I highly suggest buying an Erin Condren Life Planner.

{Taste Test Tuesday} Fish Tacos w/ Chipotle Cream

It's been challenging to find new, healthy, and more importantly, tasty recipes.  I know they exist because I've found a few, but it seems like for every good one I do find, I've had to choke down four bad ones.  In my experience, they usually lack flavor and are boring.  I realize food is fuel for my body, but I want my "fuel" to taste good.  I tend to fall back on old favorites, so I've decided to try at least one new recipe a week...and it has to be healthy.  I will share these recipes with you and rate them so you'll know if they are keepers or not. 

Serves 4

Ingredients

For Fish:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lb. white flaky fish (Tilapia or Halibut)

For Chipotle Cream:

• 1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons mayo (I use mayo with olive oil because it has less calories and tastes just as good to me)
• 1 tablespoon chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
• 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 1-1/2 cups shredded green cabbage
• 1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• Diced tomato
• Sliced avocado
• Lime wedges
• Cholula hot sauce, to taste

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper.  Pour the mixture over fish and let it marinate for 20 minutes.

Remove the fish from the marinade and cook over medium-high heat until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.  Set the fish aside on a plate for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl combine the Greek yogurt, mayo, and chipotle peppers.

Heat the tortillas on the pan for 30 seconds on each side.

Flake the fish with a fork.  Top each tortilla with 1 tablespoon of the chipotle cream.  Top with fish, cabbage, corn, tomato, avocado, cilantro, Cholula, and serve with lime wedges.  I also served refried black beans with these.

Adapted from the Food Network website.

Sometimes when I see a long list of ingredients I automatically think "This will be expensive," but these weren't.  I bought a pound of tilapia for $7.13 and as I'm sure you know, produce costs next to nothing.  These were simple to make, easy on the wallet, and packed a lot of flavor.  When I asked my husband how he'd rate them he immediately said "5 stars!"  ☆☆☆☆☆ 

 

Stuffed Bell Peppers

It's been awhile since I made these and as luck would have it, someone asked for a simple, affordable recipe.  You get protein, carbs, and a veggie all in one sitting...that's what I'm talking about!

Serves 4

 

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. ground turkey
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 4 oz. tomato sauce
• 4 oz. tomato soup
• 4 green bell peppers, tops cut & seeded
• 3/4 cup brown rice, cooked
• 1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper 

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium sized skillet over medium heat, cook the turkey, onion, and garlic until the meat is cooked through. 

Add the tomato soup, tomato sauce, and chili powder. Salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir in the brown rice and cool. 

Cook the peppers in boiling, salted water and 1 teaspoon sugar until they are slightly tender. (About 3-5 minutes)  Drain.  Put the peppers in a baking dish.  Salt and pepper the insides. 

Add the Italian cheese to turkey and rice mixture.  Divide the mixture into 4 equal parts and stuff the peppers.  Bake for 15 minutes or until bubbly.

 

 

 

{Shakeology Sunday} Citrus Strawberry

To be completely honest, the first couple Greenberry Shakeology recipes I tried I did not care for.  It has a strong taste and you need bold flavors to compete with it.  I've found that orange, cranberry, and pineapple juice as well as frozen berries stand up to it. 

 

Citrus Strawberry

• 1 scoop Greenberry Shakeology
• 1-1/2 cups Orange Juice
• 1/2 cup Frozen Strawberries

Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth.