Wheat Banana Muffins

I know, I know. "Where have you been?" Well. I have been distracted by life, my friends. That plus I haven't been overly thrilled with the new recipes I've been trying out. So I pulled out an oldie but goodie in order to use up the last of the bananas before I go away this weekend. And I tweaked it a bit to make it a tad healthier. Turns out it TASTES better this way, too! WHO KNEW?

So without further adieu I give you my Wheat Banana Muffins!

Serves: 12 (1 muffin each)

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups wheat flour

1 cup granulated sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp iodized salt

3 Tbsp oil

1 1/2 cup vanilla almond milk

1 large egg

dash of pumpkin pie spice (trust me)

2-3 very ripe bananas, mashed

DIRECTIONS:

Grease muffin tin or use paper muffin cups

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix together all dry ingredients.

Add wet ingredients and stir until combined.

Pour batter into muffin tin filling nearly all the way.

Bake 30  minutes.

ENJOY.

NUTRITION:
calories: 199

fat: 4

protein: 4

sugar: 4

sodium: 273

fiber: 4

BOOM. 

You're welcome.

Bubble Pizza

So I've seen a whole bunch of recipes floating around the interwebs that are named "bubble" whatevers. Like Bubble Enchilada Casserole, Bubble Breakfast Casserole, etc. Well... they all looked great and I happened to have a can of lonely biscuits sitting in my fridge so I thought to myself: "Self? What do we have on hand that could be bubbly?" and this is what I came up with. I wasn't going to post it but it came out good and a friend asked about it. So here we are.

Bubble Pizza

Serves: 8 

INGREDIENTS:
1 can buttermilk biscuits (10 per can)
1 small jar pizza sauce
3/4 cup finely shredded parm cheese
1/4 cup part-skim ricotta
17 slices hormel turkey pepperoni

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cut each biscuit into quarters and place in single layer in lightly greased pie plate.
3. Pour sauce evenly over biscuits.
4. Sprinkle shredded cheese evenly over sauce.
5. Drop ricotta cheese where you wish randomly.
6. Cut turkey pepperoni slices into quarters and sprinkle on top. 
7. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until biscuits are cooked through.
8. Let sit 5 minutes and serve.

NUTRITION:
Calories: 158

Fat: 6

Protein: 8

Sugar: 4

Sodium: 703

Fiber: 1

It's Called "Better Decision Making"

Every breakfast for me is full of the usual suspects. Kashi GoLean cereal or Oatmeal or Egg Substitute with some healthy mix-ins. With my morning coffee, of course (DUH). I'm just not super hungry in the mornings so for me to have any more than 200 calories is unheard of.

Now, please keep in mind that a year ago I'd scarf down a wheat bagel with low fat cream cheese thinking that this was healthy.

One thing I've learned on this journey is how to eat healthier... make better decisions in regards to food choices. So I thought it'd be fun to share a little comparison with you.

Both of these photos contain 150 calories. Which would you choose?

Above: 1/2 cup scrambled egg substitute with fresh basil, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup strawberries.

Above: 1 Hashbrown from McDonald's

Let me break it down for you.

Scrambled Egg Plate                              Hashbrown

Calories: 150                                       Calories: 150

Fat: 2                                                      Fat: 9

Protein: 16                                             Protein: 1

Sugar: 5                                                  Sugar: 0

Sodium: 229                                             Sodium: 310

Fiber: 2                                                    Fiber: 2 

So again I ask: which would you choose? Especially considering that hashbrown most definitely not fill you up nor will it make you feel very good after consuming it. 

Remember, this is all about CHOOSING BETTER FOODS. Don't call it a 'diet' because it's not. It's simply better decision making. 

Thai Peanut Sauce

So I found this Peanut Sauce recipe on Pinterest, right? And yes, I am a Pinterest-slut. Anyway... I whipped it up but found it severely lacking in flavor. So I kicked it up a notch and found the results to be near-perfection. Sooo I will now share MY version with you and pin it to my OWN board. Hah!

THAI PEANUT SAUCE

Serves 6-ish

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbsp Peanut Butter (I used Simply Jif)

2 Tbsp toasted Sesame Oil

2 Tbsp Soy Sauce 

1 Tbsp Brown Sugar

1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds

1 tsp thai chili paste

1/2 tsp cayennne pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Whisk all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Toss with noodles of your choice. 

In my photo you'll see that I mixed it with Hodgson Mills Gluten Free Spaghetti with golden milled flax seed. 

NUTRITION:

sauce only

Calories: 75

Fat: 7

Protein: 1

Sugar: 3

Sodium: 73

Fiber: 0

That Damn Wagon

I wouldn't say that I've fallen off the wagon, really. I am still holding on as best as I can but my grip is slipping. 

 In the past few weeks I have gained and lost 3 lbs back and forth. I've watched my weight loss ticker go up and down. I bought new smaller pants only to find that I can't fit into them properly now (they fit when I bought them!)

 I could state all kinds of reasons as to why I've bounced back and forth. I have NOT been doing my usual morning workouts. At all. I had to make TWO volcanos out of cake for my daughter's science project (the first one failed asthetically so we have been steadily consuming it over the past two days). I've had a toothache which has caused an increase of soft foods and soups (high sodium). I've been stressed out with personal matters and also with the events in Boston - which directly affect my job - therefore causing me to seek comfort in food items. I've been logging as usual and though it doesn't seem like I'm doing THAT badly, the scale does not lie. 

 But those seem to be excuses for my dieting failure. And instead of making excuses for myself I am choosing to acknowledge the fact that I screwed up and pull my sorry ass back up onto the wagon again. 

Tomorrow night I am going to spend time with my friend and colleague. The plan is that I will feed us a homemade lasagna and then we will go out for drinks. I am sure to be over calories tomorrow. I'm certain. But I know that as of Monday I am going to be back on track full force, baby. Waking up at 6am, getting my workout on, making sure I consume only healthy and clean-ish foods. I will drink more water and less coffee. 

No more excuses. No more slacking. I've got 3 months to lose 15 lbs. Sh!t just got real, 

Lemon Pasta Salad

So I have been on this Pinterest binge of making things I find and seeing how they turn out. It's been so much fun! Some fails but mostly wins. So for Easter at my Nana's I made this Lemon Pasta Salad that I saw on Pinterest. It came out great! It's a bit high in the calories but I think it's worth it. :)

Lemon Pasta Salad

Serves: 12-ish

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb Pasta (I used Rotini)
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 package baby arugula, chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1-2 lemons, juice and zest
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 freshly grated romano or parm cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook pasta and drain according to package directions.
2. In medium saucepan cook garlic in olive oil being careful not to burn it.
3. Add in cream, broth, lemon juice, zest, salt and pepper. Bring to a low boil then turn heat down and continue to simmer for 15 minutes so sauce will thicken a bit.
4. Toss pasta with sauce. Add veggies and sprinkle with cheese. Toss lightly and pour into serving dish. 

NUTRITION:

Calories: 252

Fat: 10

Protein: 7

Sugar: 3

Sodium: 368

Fiber: 2

Sesame Turkey (Crockpot Recipe)

Sesame Turkey (Crockpot)

Serves: 8

So I've slightly obsessed with finding recipes on Pinterest to try out. This is the most recent one I've tried. I made it tonight and it came out SO good!

INGREDIENTS:
2 packages Shady Brook Turkey Cutlets (the original recipe calls for 3 lbs turkey tenderloins)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce (I only had the regular stuff on hand)
1/4 reduced sodium chicken broth
4 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp water
sliced green onions
toasted sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place turkey in slow cooker and season with pepper and cayenne. 
2. In medium bowl combine soy sauce, chicken broth, ginger, garlic, lemon juice and garlic. Pour over turkey in slow cooker. 
3. Cook on low 5-6 hours or high for 2 1/2 - 3 hours (I cooked on low).
4. Remove turkey from crockpot and place on serving platter, covering it to keep warm.
5. Strain liquid into saucepan and heat over medium. 
6. Mix together cornstarch and water until smooth and add to the sauce on the stovetop. Whisk to combine. Continue to cook and stir until the sauce has thickened to desired consistency. 
7. Pour sauce over turkey on serving platter, sprinkle with sliced green onions and sesame seeds to serve.

NUTRITION:

(per serving)
Calories: 145

Fat: 3

Protein: 26

Sugar: 0

Sodium: 840 (would have been lower if I had the low sodium soy sauce!)

Fiber: 0