Category: meal planning

Meal Prep Monday

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This week had another one of my favorite parts, Monday off! Although, it kind of doesn’t count. Being Easter weekend, everyone here had Monday off. This means I should also get Friday off, don’t you think? 
Well wait… If I have Friday off, I’ll sleep in, and then I will jump right to lunch and skip breakfast. And then… I’ll have to miss out on eating one of these amazing Breakfast Burritos. Okay, I’ll work on Friday. 
This week for Meal Prep Monday Off I made some lovely make ahead Breakfast Burritos. I also cut up a lot of veggies, prepped tomorrow’s crock pot meal, AND made Nutella Fudge Pops. Don’t worry, the recipe is coming tomorrow(ish). 
You should definitely make these burritos. They are only 5 points each on Weight Watchers, so good, so easy, and very filling. (And yes, your calculations are correct. There hasn’t been a morning since I made them, which does mean I had one for a meal snack.)
Breakfast Burritos
My recipe was inspired by Recipe Diaries (another healthy version using turkey sausage, 7-9 points) who was inspired by Pioneer Woman (a not so healthy version that looks amazing if you aren’t counting points).

Makes 8 servings. 5 Points Plus per serving.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups Egg Beaters
  • 3 tbsp of liquid egg whites (or 2 egg whites)
  • 1/4 cup skim milk
  • 20 slices of thinly sliced deli ham (I use Land O’ Frost brand), chopped
  • 4 slices Oscar Mayer Fully Cooked Bacon, chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1 tbsp Brummel & Brown butter
  • 1/4 cup shredded reduced fat cheese (I used fiesta blend)
  • 1 green onion, chopped (optional)
  • 8 Mission Low Carb Tortillas
  • 2 tbsp dried chives
  • Tony Chachere’s Seasoning (or any all purpose seasoning salt)
  • salt & pepper
Directions: 
In a large bowl combine Egg Beaters, egg whites, and milk. Whisk until combined. Add cheese and chives. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir until combined. In a large skillet heat butter over medium heat. Saute onions in butter until they begin to turn translucent. Add chopped ham and bacon. Season to taste with seasoning salt.

When the edged of the ham start to brown, turn the stove down to medium low heat and slowly add in the egg mixture. Cook, stirring frequently, until eggs are cooked and no liquid remains. In the very last few minutes add in the chopped green onion, stirring to combine. Remove from heat and let the egg mixture cool slightly, and then you can begin rolling.

If you’ve rolled burritos before, you know how to do it and can skip this part. If not, I’ll give a few tips. I lay out a piece of wax paper next to the stove so my work surface and burrito stuffing are close. I used a 1/2 cup measuring scoop and added a heaping 1/2 cup of the mixture to each tortilla. 
Add the mixture towards the bottom of the tortilla because it will move a bit when you roll. Fold in the left and right sides. Grab the bottom end of the tortilla and start rolling. Fold it over the mixture and then over again, tucking in the mixture completely. Continue rolling until all of the tortilla is rolled. 
These are easy to freeze and have available any time. I intend to eat one for breakfast every day this week, so I didn’t freeze mine. If you want to freeze them wrap them in tin foil and lay them on a baking sheet in the freezer. After several hours, they can be transferred from the sheet to a ziplock bag (or to roam free in your freezer if you aren’t as OCD about organization as I am). To heat from frozen state, remove from tinfoil and microwave for 2 minutes. 
If you aren’t going to freeze them, plastic wrap will do the trick. I used the tortilla bag to store my plastic wrapped yummy burritos in. To reheat microwave for 45 seconds – 1 minute. Serve with fruit for a 5 point filling breakfast. 
What’s your favorite breakfast food? 

Meal Planning 101: Week 3

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Can I hire a cute boy to make me fresh squeezed orange juice every morning? I’m certain mornings would be much better if I could. 
I didn’t squeeze these oranges for drinkable glass of fresh orange juice sadly. Their destiny was to saturate some angel food cake for a Strawberry Shortcake Trifle that I took to the Easter Celebration # 2. 
I also made an Orange Jello Pretzel Salad. My aunt made it for our family Easter celebration and I loved it so much I had to make it too. I absolutely adore fruity desserts and desserts with a sweet and salty combo. I love this! The crust is salty buttery pretzels, the middle is cream cheese, sugar, and cool whip, and the top is orange jello with crushed pineapple and mandarin oranges. I piped on cute little cool whip dollops. 
It’s a good thing I like it because I have a lot left! Apparently everyone else doesn’t like weird combos as much as me. However, if you do you should try it! I didn’t calculate the points for this because I don’t count on holidays. I did use some low calorie and fat ingredients though. I used reduced fat cream cheese, fat free cool whip, and Splenda sweetened mandarin oranges and crushed pineapple. If I make it again (and not for a potluck), I’d use yogurt butter instead of the real stuff and sugar free jello. I was serving it to mixed company, including one of my dear pregnant friends, and didn’t want to serve anything with artificial sweeteners. 
Now to the real reason for this post! It’s Sunday which means time for me to share my weekly OCD meal plan. The written and planned meal plan has a meal on the agenda for tomorrow, BUT I have so many leftovers I may end up shifting everything over a day. 

I “decorated” with my two favorite Easter candies. 
Monday:
Crock Pot BBQ Ranch Ribs, Skinny Red Potato Salad & Corn on the Cob
Tuesday: 
Leftovers

Wednesday:

Penne with Roasted Asparagus & Balsamic Butter* & Salad
Thursday: 
Leftovers

Friday:

Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs*, Brown Rice* & Roasted Cabbage Wedges
Saturday:

Leftovers

Sunday:

Crock Pot Caesar Chicken on Buns & Caesar Salad
I’ll also be making a batch of Skinny Breakfast Burritos (without the potatoes) to have for easy breakfast for the week and Nutella Fudge Pops (from frozen bananas and Nutella)! 
Notes: 
-I will “skinny” the pasta dish with yogurt butter and whole wheat penne.
-I’m using the meatball recipe as a base, but changing the flavors up a bit by using teriyaki sauce. 
-Ginna at Skinny Taste posted a “perfect” brown rice recipe last week. I’ve never made brown rice I actually liked because of the texture, so let’s keep our fingers crossed for her recipe! 
What are you making for dinner this week? 

Meal Planning 101: Week 2

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It’s that time again! As promised, every Sunday I will post my weekly meal plan. AND technically it’s still Sunday. It’s a mostly simple promise to make and follow through because I do it anyway. Every week (or two weeks to be exact) I sit down and plan out my meals, shop for the needed ingredients, write them out on my cute little listy things, and do my happy meal prep. (For meal planning basics, tips, and tricks see the first Meal Planning 101 Post.)

Yes. I am an UBER dork and have a meal planning list for
dinners AND lunches.  It helps me make healthy choices! I also
write down breakfast options on the kitchen dry erase board.

Monday:
Key West Grilled Chicken Kebabs, Grilled Mushroom Skewers, Grilled Peppers and Red Potatoes

Tuesday:
Leftover Grilled Smorgasbord

Wednesday:
Key West Chicken Salad (Round 2 Recipe*) and Grilled Corn

Thursday:
Turkey BLTA* Panini and Chopped Spring Salad*

Friday:
Grilled Lemon Peppered Tilapia, Grilled Squash, and Tomato Quinoa Salad (a variation of this IF I can find quinoa)

Saturday:
Leftovers

Sunday:
Easter Dinner with the family! We do it entire family style at my Aunt’s. I’ll likely bring coconut macaroons, coconut cupcakes, skinny deviled eggs, and skinny red potato salad.

Notes:
*Round 2 Recipe – The term came from Sandra Lee. She always makes meals and then does a 2nd meal with the leftovers. I try to do this when it’s an option because it’s saves money and time.
*BLTA – Bacon Lettuce Tomato + Avocado.
*Chopped Spring Salad – Salad greens and normal salad ingredients like cucumbers and tomatoes + chopped apples, pears, cranberries and other fruity springy things.

What are you making this week? What are your family’s Easter Dinner traditions? 

Meal Prep Monday

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My job is great for many, many reasons. I could ramble on about it for hours. Don’t worry, I won’t. At least not today. 🙂 One of the many reasons I love my job is that every other Monday I don’t work! I work 20 hours a week in the office and 20 in the building. I alternate being off on Mondays and Fridays every other week. Fridays off are nice. It feels luxurious. Sleeping in is a must. Pajamas are a must. Laziness and relaxation usually happen. It’s like an early kick off to the weekend.

Mondays off… They are a whole other thing. I love Mondays off because I’m so productive! If I haven’t done my two week shopping yet, I do it. I get up early. I usually treat myself to Starbucks. 
Oh. Allow me to interrupt myself for an important announcement. Since January I’ve been on a  journey. A Starbucks journey. For years I’ve generously partaken of Starbucks beverages and never knew about being a Gold Card holder. Long story short if you don’t know… Gold = benefits! Free things, a free drink every 15th, free birthday drink, free milk swaps and syrup additions. To become Gold you must register a giftcard, purchase drinks on the card (you’re already spending the money anyway! just put it on the card), and make it to 30. On your 30th drink they mail you your Gold Card. To maintain Gold you just have to purchase 30 drinks a year. I’d like to say that will be hard to do, but let’s be honest, it’s just not an issue. Today, as I treated myself to Starbucks on a productive Monday off, I made 29! It’s getting hot in my neck of the woods and unfortunately my car AC has been broken for a couple of years. I have this anti hot beverage thing that goes from March – September anyway, but when it’s hot, heavy on the milk things don’t sound appetizing to me. I ALMOST skipped on #29 for today, but then I remembered way back in college that Starbucks had a Green Tea Frappucinno. I decided to be brave and risky and ask if they could still make those. My favorite barista came through! She made me the most lovely Venti Raspberry Green Tea Skinny Frappuccino. A good Starbucks barista is like a good hair stylist. 
So right… Mondays off. I love them! I shop. I organize. I clean. And then I do one of my most favorite things in the entire world. Meal prep. Oh how I love it! It always involves cutting up produce for easy healthy eating access and quicker cooking. 
I know people say not to pre-cut strawberries and I get it. BUT… when I don’t cut them? They go to waste and become moldy garbage! When I do? I snack on healthy bit sized berries all week, I grab them for a breakfast addition, I sneak them in lunches, and I top microwave mini cakes with them. They last at least two weeks for me without going bad at all. I also love love love green onions. I could seriously eat them on almost anything. Before I started cutting and chopping my produce when I brought it home, they always went bad and got thrown away. I started chopping them and keeping them in tupperware containers. They lasted longer, but I still always had to throw some away. The ever faithful clever Pinterest introduced me to my new way of handling green onions and I’ll never go back. I saw a pin where someone suggested chopping green onions, storing them in a plastic bottle, and freezing them. They shake out super easy for any recipe. I’ll seriously never go back to any other way! I use a Wal-mart brand Extra Virgin Olive Oil bottle. Be sure to use a funnel to transfer them from cutting board to bottle or you’ll go crazy. I use a funnel and then shove them down with a wooden skewer. I even use the frozen green onions in cold dishes like chicken and tuna salad. They thaw quickly being so small and add the exact same flavor as fresh. 
I also use meal prep days to do any do ahead things that I can for that weeks meals. This often involves making chicken stock and/or shredded chicken. 
Every month or so I make my own chicken stock in the crock pot and freeze some. I use Skinnytaste’s recipe and it’s yummy and flawless. Every few weeks I also make shredded chicken in the crock pot. It freezes perfectly to use in meals like tacos, enchiladas, casseroles, or on salads. If I’m not making stock, and just making shredded chicken I just throw three frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot with an onion (peeled, cut in half, ends on), a couple of green onions (I used the wilting ends and the least pretty ones from the pack), minced garlic, and a good bit of Tony’s. Cover the chicken with water, filling the crock pot almost to the top. Cook on high for 6 hours, let cool and shred. This week I’m using it in the previously mentioned Chicken and Broccoli Noodle Casserole and probably some leftovers for a quick salad topping.
I also like to make breakfast and snack options for the week on meal prep days. If I don’t have my faithful fat free sour cream mixed with a dry ranch packet I always make that. I cut cucumbers and fruit for easy dipping and snacking. I make flavored cream cheese for bagels, freeze banana for chocolate covered banana bites, make homemade bread crumbs for recipes, prepare a batch crustless breakfast quiches, boil eggs and more! This week I made Frozen Yogurt Bites.
Have you ever bought a bunch of yogurt to counteract the effects of an antibiotic, get tired of said yogurt and then realzie it’s about to go bad? Oh.. Yeah. Maybe that’s just me who gets weird post antibiotic mouth sicknesses that normally only happen to babies. Well… maybe you’ve bought a bunch of yogurt because it was on sale at Kroger for a 10 for 10 deal? That seems more likely and normal. If so, this is a great way to use up yogurt! Or if you are like me and don’t really like yogurt but know you should eat it because it’s good for you, try this. It’s way more enjoyable to eat. I used four different kinds of Yoplait, Cherry Orchid, Orange Creamsicle, Vanilla, and Harvest Peach. I emptied each container in its own sandwich sized ziplock. I just barely cut the tip off one corner and piped little yogurt rounds onto a wax paper lined cookie sheet. I stuck them in the freezer for a few hours until they were frozen enough to peel off and store in a gallon ziplock. I also imagine kids would love these. They are sweet, creamy, frozen refreshing treats. 
Last, but not least. I always try to make some sort of lunch option. I have my faithful deli meat to rely on, but I just cannot eat a turkey sandwich every day. I often mix up a batch of apple and boiled egg tuna salad or grapes and sage chicken salad. Fruit chicken salads are my favorite! Gimme apples, grapes, or cranberries, toss in some celery, sage, and nuts and I’m a happy camper. However, I recently discovered a delicious twist on chicken salad! Avocado. I already don’t do much mayo if any in my normal chicken salad. I use greek yogurt, fat free sour cream, or fat free mayo. But this chicken salad requires none of the above! 
It’s so yummy and earthy and just perfect. It’s great on wheat bread, pretzel chips, tortilla chips, carrot chips, a spoon, a finger… The avocado provides the perfect creaminess. Lime juice keeps it fresh and the avocado from browning as well as adds a little more wetness. I found the idea on pinterest and tweaked it to be my own. I did most of the flavors to taste and I suggest you do the same. I’ll guesstimate on my measurements for a base though. 
Avocado Chicken Salad

Ingredients: 
1 13 oz can of chicken breast 
2 ripe avocados
1-2 tbsp lime juice
2-3 tbsp chopped green onions
1/2 tsp dried cilantro
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cracked black pepper
Directions: 
Open and drain the canned chicken. Separate and break apart the chicken in a medium sized bowl with a fork. Cut avocados in half and separate. Remove seed. Leaving the avocado skin on, cut three slices long ways, not going all the way through the skin. Cut across in the other direction three times, making the avocado look like little squares inside the skin. You should be able to turn the skin inside out and have the pieces fall right into your bowl. If they get stuck, simply use a spoon to scrape all the avocado flesh out. Add remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Serve as a dip, on a sandwich, or on top of salad greens. 
Remember. Cooking doesn’t have to be such a chore! The more prep work you do, the easier meals and cooking are for the rest of the week. Don’t be afraid to pull up a cutting board and trash bowl to the bar and sit while you do it! Find ways to make cooking, planning, and preparation more enjoyable. 

Meal Planning 101: Week 1

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I’m very passionate about meal planning. If you know me or have been reading my blog at all in the last couple of years, you know this. A wonderful mentor of mine, Christie, was the first to introduce me to the idea. She’s a mom of three and so organized. Christie and her husband Jason are earth friendly, so organized, and live strictly by their budget, which saves them a lot of money. Jason taught me about budgeting and even created a sample budget for me that I still use! And Christie taught me all about organization and meal planning. They were such a huge influence on my life in so many areas. As a graduate student in my apartment with my three roommates and on a super tight student budget the meal planning began. In the years since, it’s definitely become a hobby an obsession. Needless to say, I’m a HUGE advocate of meal planning and I’ll tell you why.

Reason #1 – It saves money. Really! It does. If you don’t meal plan and just shop when you come up with something, you know you always add extra things to the cart with each trip. Those extra things and extra trips add up. You also buy groceries with more intention. Yes, every kitchen needs staples. BUT when you don’t plan you aimlessly buy things you think you need, that you don’t actually need! I’ll address eating out later, BUT it also saves on your eating out cost. If you plan, you eat out way less and make meals you’re proud of that cost a fraction of the price they would at a restaurant.

Reason #2 – It cuts back on waste. It’s strategic! If you find one recipe you want to make that requires buttermilk, you find others to include in your plan that need buttermilk, thus you don’t waste the rest of that buttermilk. When you don’t plan, lots of things end up expiring and going to waste. Better for the environment and again.. YOUR POCKET! Green is in, haven’t you heard? (Now if only my state would jump on the green bandwagon and make recycling easier…)

Reason #3 – It’s healthier! When you plan your own meals you are much less likely to plan an abundance of unhealthy things. Planning also greatly cuts back on the amount of fast food stops and splurges you make (which again, also saves you money). Not to mention, when you plan and cook your own food, not only do you cut back on fat, but you control the amount of sodium, butter, oil, preservatives and exactly what goes into everything you eat.

Reason #4 – It’s exciting. The number one thing I hear from people who cook is that they get tired of cooking the same things. If you think and buy for meals on the fly, you’re always gonna gravitate to the same things. In meal planning you get to plan in your own excitement to your meals!

And so, I’ve always wanted to share meal plans with you guys, but I didn’t think there was an interest or market in boring things like that. Then I happened upon this blog! She posts recipes as well, but every Sunday she simply posts her weekly meal plan. I was/am inspired and have decided I’ll do the same! 
This was my meal plan from a couple of weeks ago. 

A quick few meal planning tips for you. 
1. Don’t be overwhelmed! Start small. Try it for one week at a time first. Currently I do two weeks at a time because that is my pay schedule (every other week). When I got paid once a month I did do it a month at a time. I planned the entire month and shopped only once a month. Yes! It is entirely possible. 
2. Use your resources! Those cook books you have? Break them out! Read them. Set little fun goals. When I was doing monthly planning, I set some guidelines like at least one new recipe a week and at least two recipes from my cookbooks a month. The internet is your cooking companion. Let’s call her you sous chef! There are SOOO many food blogs out there (if you want a list, I’ll be more than happy to hook you up). Set up Google Reader and subscribe to people who post great recipes so you see them often (I can also tell you how to do that if you need assistance). Pinterest is of course a great resource as well. 
3. Look at sale ads. I know Kroger and Target send weekly sale emails. Wal-mart has a weekly sale paper. Don’t be afraid of coupons! If you have a farmer’s market, find out when they sale things. Fresh produce is better and often cheaper. If you have a Sam’s Club, it’s not just for bulk items. I am a single person and every two weeks I visit Sam’s! Sam’s is wonderful for cheaper produce and meats. When I did monthly planning, I would wait to plan my meals until I knew what meats were on sale.
4. Have fun getting organized! Christie always had a big dry erase white board calendar where she recorded her meal plan. I posted a picture of the method to my madness above. I’ve tried apps and digital list makers, but there is just something I love about writing out my own list. I have a magnetic list on the fridge where I write random things I think of through out the week or things that I run out of. During the week, I type meal ideas and ingredients into a Google Tasks list. The day before I will be doing my shopping, I plan out 5-6 full meals, make my shopping list, look at my Google Calendar and input when I will eat which meals there, and then write them out on my weekly paper magnetic pad so I see it every day on the refrigerator.
With a family you’d need to cook more than 3 times a week, but I’m just me so I eat leftovers about every other day. I usually plan a fish dish, chicken dish, ground turkey/beef dish, and a vegetarian dish. Depending on which meat I bought more of that week, I either do two chicken dishes or two fish dishes. I buy chicken breasts and tilapia in bags from Sam’s so I always have more of those. (And they are healthy!)
And without further adieu… this weeks plan! 
Sunday: 
-Leftover Italian Sausage and Spinach Baked Pasta with Olive Garden Copycat Salad and Dressing (From an Italian themed dinner party. One of my friends made the pasta and it was amazing! I don’t even like sausage and I loved it. I’m going to try to get the recipe from her to share with you.)
Monday: 
–Avocado Chicken Salad 
Tuesday: 
–Skinny Chicken and Broccoli Noodle Casserole

Wednesday:
-Leftovers

Thursday:
–BLT Lettuce Wraps with Baked Zucchini Fries with Sweet Onion Dip (I’ll be “skinnying the onion dip)

Friday:
-Leftovers

Saturday:
-Fruit Salsa topped Tilapia with Coconut Milk Wild Rice

Last tips! Always include a veggie and stay away from double starches (like potatoes, rice, and pasta). Try to include things of different colors, make your meal pretty like the rainbow.

I will also be making a skinny homemade Red Velvet Cake for one of my RA’s birthdays this week.

What are you making this week?

Sunday Brunch

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As promised, I’m back! Thanks for not giving up on me. Pneumonia is a beast! All I ate for two week was Chicken and Stars, Easy Mac, and chocolate pudding cups. This weekend was one of the first times I’ve felt like cooking since the sickness attack. Now, I know I’m really better.
Last night I made an extra green and lean shepherd’s pie for St. Patrick’s Day! I’m getting better at food pictures I think. Yes, I know I go a little collage crazy, but hey, I’m a kindergartner at heart. And you guys love me anyway right? (If you want the recipe, just ask! I could easily post it.)
This morning I got up and made these amazing, tasty, EASY banana pancake muffins! I have a new favorite healthy food blogger: Emily Bites. She is amazing. She does creative and different Weight Watcher friendly recipes. I got these banana pancake muffins from her! I only made very few changes from her recipe. Also, after reading her post to make these cutie muffins, I’ve totally had the Jack Johnson Banana Pancakes song stuck in my head ALL day. 
Banana Pancake Muffins

I added more banana that she did and I used sugar free syrup. With the sugar free syrup swap (verses the light that she used) I got it to be lower points according to the Weight Watchers Recipe Builder! Her version was 4 points per serving (4 mini muffins) and mine was 3 points per serving. 
Ingredients: 
1 cup Bisquick Heart Smart Pancake and Baking Mix
2/3 cup skim milk
2/3 cup sugar free breakfast syrup
1 1/2 large ripe bananas, chopped into small pieces
Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a mini muffin tin with butter flavored baking spray. Stir Bisquick mix, syrup, and milk together until smooth. Chop the banana into small pieces. Spoon 1 tablespoon of mixture into each muffin tin. Divide mixture evenly into the 24 cups. Add banana pieces onto each cup. Depending on the size, I put about 4-6 pieces in each cup. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. 
  
It makes 24 muffins, 6 servings of 4 muffins each. Each muffin is 1 points or 3 points per serving. They are the perfect sweetness for me, but if you want extra sweetness you could dust with powdered sugar or serve with extra syrup for drizzling or dipping. I had mine with some fresh strawberries and yogurt! A perfect little Sunday brunch. 

Did I mention that I’m loving this whole church on Sunday nights thing? Sunday brunch just feels luxurious and relaxing. Relaxing should take place on the Sabbath day right? I’m going with it. Now I have these sweet cutie muffins as a breakfast option for all week as well! Oh how I love prep work. And preparing healthy breakfast or lunch options to have for the week. I decided to go ahead and make my faithful crustless quiches as well while I was having a happy Sunday baking day. I used my same base recipe (linked above), but changed them up a bit. I made them big guys instead of little guys. I used fiesta 2% cheese instead of Parmesan and American, added an extra sauteed onion to make them super sweet and oniony, and added some chopped tomatoes. According to the Weight Watchers Recipe Builder they are only 2 points each! For a big filling egg muffin that’s not bad! Using a big muffin tin makes 12. 
I’ll give you one more to grow on! Just because I’ve been good about taking pictures, tried some pretty yummy things, and it fits with the brunch theme (even though I kinda sorta ate it as a dessert, oops). 
CHOCOLATE Oatmeal

Holy cow this is good. Like I said, I actually ate it for dessert! But it’s totally a breakfast food! I got the recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie, another healthy food blogger I love. I pretty much used her recipe exactly except she does vegan and I don’t. I’ll post my version, but for the original just see the link above.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup rolled oats (I used the whole grain quick cooking kind)
3/4 cup skim milk
1 banana, smashed
1 1/2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
1 tablespoon Splenda
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Combine all ingredients and cook uncovered over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes. Stir occasionally. I sprinkled some chocolate chips (a very small handful, less than 1/4 cup) over top and stirred them in just slightly. It’s a lot! Two people could eat this as a dessert or one for a hearty, filling breakfast. It’s 10 points for the entire serving, 5 for half. I also topped it with a little fat free Cool Whip for 0 points.

Try these out for your next breakfast or brunch. We should have a big brunch pot luck party. That would be fun.

Something New

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Hello friends and readers who have probably given up on me and my ability to post. Yes, it’s been almost another month with no posts! Have I been making fabulous healthy (mostly) meals? Yes! Have I posted them? No! Have I taken pictures of them to post them? Some… Some of them were too tasty for me to take a break long enough to photograph.

I really am trying to be proactive at being a better blogger! I even read an article on food blogging tips that a wonderful friend gave me. I’m gonna start by committing to twice a week. At least one recipe post a week and the other could also include a recipe or some healthy eating/planning tips, possibly a favorite new product or snack, or maybe a DIY project! On the non-recipe post days I’ll probably share my two week meal plan (which consists of 5 meals for 2 weeks usually) and if there are any recipes from that list you want, just let me know!

I have learned the value of friends, support, and community in everything, EVEN the eating healthy weight loss journey. I love love love getting ideas from people. I know I’m gifted in the meal planning area and I know I need to stop keeping my ideas to myself! I promise to share more. We need each other! I’m back on Weight Watchers and pushing forward on the journey to be healthier and in the process smaller. I, a lover of food, cannot do this healthy eating thing unless it’s creative and yummy. Weekly I discover new amazing, healthy, yummy thing.

So today, to kick off my attempt at being a better blogger I share a simple sweet fix recipe.

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Mini Microwave Minute Cake
This is a super easy, versatile healthy cake fix! Our Weight Watchers coach told us you can mix an angel food cake with any box cake mix in a Ziploc and mix 1/3 a cup with 3 tablespoons of water for a single serving, sweet tooth satisfying, cake that is only 5 points plus! Great info that I of course ran with and made my own. I used an orange cake mix and the angel food, poured in the Ziploc, shook and shook a little more for extra fun and calorie burning and keep it in my pantry for a quick non-guilty indulgence! I keep frozen peaches (the no added sugar kind) on hand and it’s strawberry season…. Perfect zero point cake toppings! I thawed 1/2 cup of peaches in the microwave and stirred in some sliced strawberries and Splenda. I let that get all happy and juicy while I mixed and fake baked my cake. I used a combination of unsweetened applesauce and water instead of all water. Even though there are very limited ingredients and it could be a one bowl dish, I wanted to turn mine out and not eat it in the dish, so I mixed mine separately and then poured it into a Pam sprayed ramekin, like this one that I got in a 4 pack set from Wal-mart for super cheap. You may want to put a napkin under your dish because mine overflowed a bit. I topped with a 1/2 tablespoon of fat free sweet condensed milk for an extra point (SO worth it). I poured over the happy juicy strawberries and peaches, then added 2 tablespoons of fat free cool whip (0 points) on the fruit. SO satisfying. 6 points total and a NICE portion! 
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For my version: 
  • 1 Duncan Hines Orange Supreme Cake Mix (or cake mix of your choice)
  • 1 Betty Crocker Angel Food Cake Mix
Mixed and stored in air tight container. 
  • 1/3 of cake mixture
  • 1 tbsp of unsweetened apple sauce
  • 2 tbsp of water
  • 1/2 tbsp far free sweet condensed milk
  • 1/2 cup thawed, frozen peaches
  • 1/4 cup sliced strawberries 
  • 5 Splenda packets
  • 2 tbsp fat free Cool Whip
Mix strawberries and peaches with Splenda, let flavors combine and juice. Mix cake, applesauce, and water. Pour into sprayed microwave dish. Microwave for 1 minute. Top with condensed milk, fruit, and cool whip. 
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Tomorrow is grocery shopping day! I love that day. My list is made and my meals for the next two weeks planned. All recipes will be skinnied and weight watcher friendly!
1. Mexican Chicken Casserole & Black Bean & Salsa Green Salad
2. Crockpot Honey Bourbon Chicken, Healthy “Fried” Rice, & Edamame 
3. Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps (with leftover Honey Bourbon Chicken) & Baked Vegetable Egg Rolls
4. Parmesan Tilapia, Roast Potatoes & Lemon Peppered Asparagus
5. Shepherd’s Pie & White Cheddar Broccoli 

Like I said, I won’t be posting all recipes! I’m being practical. I’m sharing meals plans to assist in your own creative meal plans. HOWEVER, I’m always willing to send a recipe your way. Feel free to comment, Facebook, or email me if you want a specific recipe listed. Thanks for being faithful! Stay focused, healthy eating is way better!

Make the Most of Summer!

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If you know me, you could blurt out my favorite season without thought! I am absolutely head over heals in love with autumn. If you’ve ever been around me during a hot Mississippi/Louisiana summer, you’ve also probably heard me say how much I hate summer. Though the summers in the places that most people who read this live are flaming hot and ridiculously humid, I’m reluctantly willing to accept that summer has it’s good sides too. This summer I’ve learned to appreciate summer for other reasons! Don’t get me wrong, summer and I are still not bffs, BUT parts of it have grown on me. Any guess?? The food offerings to cook, bake and create with! (Pool time and vacations aren’t so bad either.)

The summer is full of fun food. From the sweetest fresh fruits to the crispest fresh garden vegetables to a succulent red ripe garden tomato and even to those favorite dishes and grilled things we spoon on our plates at the many summer BBQs, parties and holiday celebrations. For those healthy eaters out there (that I’ve now become), we can be lead astray by some of those summer favorites. Salads packed and layered with mayo, desserts decadent with cream, butter and sugar. BUT we don’t have to be trapped. Healthy does not at all have to mean a lack of flavor!

Potato Salad

Who doesn’t love it? Whose Mamaw doesn’t make the BEST one? It’s good! No way around it. Unfortunately, most of our grandmother’s recipes for potato salad are full of fatty mayonnaise. Skinny taste to the rescue again: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/06/baby-red-potato-salad.html! I was on call for 4th of July and couldn’t attend the family BBQ, so my brother drove up and we had our own little cookout. He made ribs and I made the sides and dessert. It took a little convincing for me to talk him into letting me make a potato salad that wasn’t like our Mamaw’s, but he loved it! He said he even liked it better than normal potato salad. That speaks volumes, especially since he’s not even on a diet! I made the recipe exactly like hers. For the very minimal mayo I used Kraft 50 % less fat olive oil mayo. Make sure to let it sit. It tastes so much better if it rests for at least 30 minutes.

Grilled Peaches and Apples

The fruit summer offers is too good to not take advantage of! You’ve seen my previous posts with summer fruits like the strawberry cookies and strawberry trifle. But the dessert I made for our cookout was with peaches and apples! I roughly used skinny taste’s grilled peaches recipe: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/05/grilled-peaches.html.

I used 1 peach and 1 apple, I prefer gala or fuji. Sprayed them with parkay spray butter, sprinkled them lightly with brown sugar. My brother grilled them, the peach was soft, the apple was not, but I like it that way. I mixed 1/2 cup of non fat plain greek yogurt with about 2 tbsp of honey. Then I mixed in 1/4 cup of fat free cool whip and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and mixed it into the mixture. I topped each half with a couple tablespoons of the mixture and drizzled honey on top. I also used my cinnamon sugar grinder to sprinkle cinnamon on top. 

Our very first cookout with no help from parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles was a success!

Make the most of the rest of summer! Grill everything! Watermelon is lovely grilled as are pineapple, peaches, apples, and every vegetable. Eat fruits like they are going out of style! Because they soon won’t be as luscious and cheap. Mix 2 tablespoons of Nutella with 1 splash of milk to thin it out and dip strawberries in it! Best dessert and snack ever! And healthy! Enjoy it while it lasts. Soon our recipes will be filled with pumpkin, aromatic spices and winter squashes. 

Make Ahead Sweet and Savory Breakfast Muffins

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I’ve seen the idea a lot lately, from friends, food blogs, the Food Network, and Weight Watchers meetings and materials of making breakfast early in the week to eat the whole week. I was hesitant to give it a try until recently. Why you ask? Because I am so predictable and OCD organized that I sometimes fight against adding more rituals. So I didn’t want to be boring and eat the same thing for breakfast everyday! (Also, something I mix up my shower routine on purpose just to convince myself I’m not predictable). I was scared I’d tire of eating the same thing and then it would go to waste and that’s a big no no! But, in Weight Watchers our instructor gave us a bran muffin recipe that actually looked edible!




I loved them! I used Kroger brand strawberry yogurt. And that should be 1/4 cup of Parkay Spray margarine. I used the optional oat, splenda and cinnamon topping and they were pretty! I plan on experimenting with these by making pumpkin bran muffins! I’ll update you when I do :). These are just 3 points a piece and not your typical cardboard bran muffins.

So, these opened my mind to the prepare breakfast for the week idea, which lead me to today’s creation! I’m not sure whether to call them Egg Muffins or Crustless Quiche. Looking at recipes I saw both. I encountered the concept from a friend doing South Beach Diet. They are apparently a big South Beach Diet thing. Weight Watchers version were called Crustless Quiches. I think I like that better because it sounds fancy! These could easily be served as a party food too. I based my recipe off of this recipe, but completely made it my own. I didn’t use wonton wrappers and my recipe is 1 points for 2!!

Crustless Mini Quiches

Ingredients with points: 
1 cup egg beaters (4)

3 tbsp bacon bits (3)
3 tbsp reduced fat Parmesan grated topping (3)
1 can (1 1/2 cups) fat free evaporated milk (12)
6 slices deli honey smoked turkey (1)
2 slices fat free american cheese (2)

“Free” Ingredients:
1 small vidila finely chopped
1/4th tsp salt
1/8th tsp pepper
1/8th tsp onion powder
1/8th tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chives
1 tsp parsley
(I actually have no ides on the measurements of the spices and herbs, so just do it to taste and look!)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Saute onions until just almost translucent and set aside to cool. Whisk together egg beaters, milk, spices and herbs. Add bacon bits and Parmesan cheese, whisking together. Finely chop deli turkey and stir in. Stir in cooled onion. Finely chop 2 slices of fat free american cheese and sprinkle in (you could sub any cheese you like or have). If you have mini muffin liners, use them! If not, be sure to spray your pan well. I didn’t have them and they came out fine! Bake for 20-25 minutes until tops are puffed up and golden brown.

Let them cool in the pan for just a few minutes. They will deflate a little. Run a butter knife around the edge of each to remove and place on a cooling rack to cool. It makes 36 mini muffins. Made like this, they are only 1 point for 2!! They keep in the fridge for up to 5 days, reheat well and freeze well!

The Perfect Summer Wake Ups

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I love coffee. Love love love. But I’m weird and I can’t drink hot things when it’s hot outside. I also can’t eat soups. Soups, hot coffee, cider, hot cocoa, chilli, they just belong in cooler weather for me. I’ve shared the cold brew coffee recipe previously. It is a great one and I love it! Perfect for iced coffee. But what’s better than iced coffee?? BLENDED COFFEE! I love frappucinnos, frappes, whatever they are called at their different stores. BUT they are way too expensive and not as low in points as I’d like them! All you need are a few things and you can make these for only 2 points and right in your own home!

Vanilla Caramel Frappe


What you need:
-a blender (I just have a mini one and it works fine)
-1 cup skim milk
-1 cup ice cubes
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-2 tsp Splenda
-2 tsp of Splenda sweetened caramel coffee syrup like these (I am actually going to order all of the flavors this week and experiment! But you can buy the caramel and vanilla at Wal-mart or Kroger right on the coffee isle.)
-1 to 3 tsp of instant coffee (I actually just use the Wal-mart brand! But Folders and other brands have them too at any Wal-mart or Kroger.)

Add all ingredients to the blender and blend! I use 2 tsp of coffee, but I like a strong coffee flavor. If you like it weaker use less, stronger use more. I like sweet coffee too, but if you don’t nix the extra teaspoons of Splenda! (Also, if you don’t have the caramel syrup and need a cold coffee fix NOW add 4 tsp of Splenda. Or maybe for some crazy reason you don’t like caramel, that’s acceptable.. I guess. Hehe.) You could also top this with a little fat free Cool Whip or Reddi Whip if you want to get really fancy! All you have to count as points is the 1 cup of skim milk which is 2 points (unless you use A LOT of Cool Whip or Redi Whip or a non-fat free version of either). I have one of these every morning! I can’t wait to get the other syrups in and try peppermint mocha, white chocolate raspberry, mocha coconut and endless possibilities! And don’t worry, I will share all my magnificent combinations with you :).

Need some ideas of what to eat with your new yummy coffee beverage? Breakfast is an important meal! Don’t skip it. People who eat breakfast are far more successful with weight loss and maintenance than those who don’t. The possibilities are endless! You don’t have to box yourself into only eating cereal or oatmeal for breakfast! Make it fun with iced, blended and spiced up coffee, but don’t forget to add some substance! I heard on Extreme Makeover Weight Loss this week that when you don’t eat breakfast it sends a message to your body to store fat!! Do you want any extra fat stored?! I sure don’t! I’ll share a few things I love.

  • Whole wheat bagel thins for 3 points (like a bagel but not nearly as many points and just as yummy!) with 2 tbsp1/3 less fat (2 points) or fat free (1 point) strawberry cream cheese. You could use any flavor of cream cheese you like or a laughing cow cheese wedge variety for 1 point. 4-5 points total. 
  • Whole wheat light English muffin for 3 points toasted with 4 slices of Oscar Myer precooked bacon for 2 points and a slice of 2% cheese for 1 point. SOO yummy! Microwave the bacon (usually 35 seconds) then build the breakfast sandwich and microwave for just 20 second to melt the cheese. 6 points total. 
  • Add fruit (strawberries, bananas, blueberries, peaches) or nuts to your cereal or oatmeal. Most oatmeals, unless you get one of the outrageously sweetened ones, are low in points. Most cereals, however, are not! So choose wisely. All the Special K varieties are good choices. I also love puffed wheat! It’s like sugar smacks without the sugar but I always add Splenda and fruit. 1 cup is 1 point! As compared to most cereals that are 4-5 points for 3/4th to 1 cup. 
  • Cinnamon toast – Toast 2 slices of Sara Lee 45 calorie bread (I use multigrain, and you could use any bread, but I like the Sara Lee because it’s 3 points for 2 slices vs. the 4 points of most breads). Spray each side with Parkay spray butter for 0 points. Sprinkle with Splenda and cinnamon! 3 points total. 
  • Banana sandwich – This is sooo filling! It will definitely take you all the way to lunch. 2 slices of 45 calorie bread toasted for 3 points. Spread with 1/2 tbsp of peanut butter on each side for 2 points. Slice a banana and build the sandwich! 5 points total. 
  • Weight Watchers shakes – You can buy the Weight Watchers shake packets from any Weight Watchers class. They are 2 points if you use water, 4 if you use skim milk. I keep the chocolate on hand at all times, but they do have other flavors too. I always use milk to get in my 2 dairy servings for the day. I have made mine in the blender with frozen strawberries as ice cubes. YUM! I’ve also made them with 1 cup of ice and 3 tsp of instant coffee granules. 
  • Egg Mugs – Oh my gosh these are amazing and sooo easy! If you have a refrigerator at work you could just always keep a carton of egg beaters there to always be able to make this for breakfast! You can find tons of recipes here, here, here, here, or here. Hungry Girl does these and they are just brilliant! Most are 2-3 points depending on what ingredients you add. It’s scrambled eggs in a cub basically! My favorite ways are with sundried tomato basil laughing cow cheese and either bacon bits or sliced deli turkey meat and green onions. I always add salt, pepper and onion powder to mine too. 
Feel free to post some of your own ideas and favorites. If you don’t get Hungry Girl’s emails you should! She sends Weight Watchers friendly, healthy, easy, practical recipes a few times a week.