Category Archives: eating well
Quick Cajun Stuffed Red Bell Peppers
Another awesome recipe using the amazing Old Bay Seasoning! My kiddos won’t eat the peppers, so I leave some filling out for them and they enjoy it with a little ketchup. I’m not going to lie, I put a little ketchup on mine too.
4 servings at 348 calories/serving
Ingredients
1lb lean ground beef
4 red bell peppers
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 14.5 oz can of stewed diced tomatoes
3 stalks celery, minced1 Tbls Old Bay Seasoning
Directions
Pre-heat grill on med-hi heat.
Slice peppers in half, devein and spray with a very light coat of cooking spray on skin side. Grill 5 minutes on each side.
Cook ground beef on medium heat. Add celery and Old Bay Seasoning as beef just starts to brown. Once beef is browned as desired, add rice and stewed tomatoes. Cook until liquid is evaporated.
Spoon into cooked peppers in even amounts. Serve and enjoy.
TIP: These peppers can also be made the traditional way by preheating oven to 350°, mixing all of the ingredients raw(make sure the rice is cooked,) stuffing the peppers and baking for one hour.
What I Eat for Breakfast
When I started my weight loss journey, I portioned up my daily calories and started the day off with 1/2 of them right away for breakfast! For about 9 months I ate the exact same thing for breakfast. It would consist of 2 eggs scrambled with a tiny splash of milk, two pieces of 45 calorie/slice toast with a tablespoon of butter, and a GIANT cup of coffee with cream and sugar. I later changed it up a couple of times. I had veggie omelets, and have now gotten hooked on open faced egg and cheese sandwiches. Whatever I do, I just make sure to always have eggs and my coffee and stick to about 750 calories for that early morning meal. Eating like this, I definitely don’t ever feel like I am depriving myself of anything and I start the day off nice and full.
Beef, Cheese, and Noodle Bake
This is like Mac N Cheese on steroids! Even better for my little ones, there are hidden veggies with the tomato sauce, carrots, and onions.
8 servings at 282 calories/serving
Ingredients
1 (8 ounce) package small elbow macaroni
Cooking spray
1 cup onion, chopped (or minced if you have picky eaters)
1 cup carrots, shredded
2 tsp bottled minced garlic
1 lb lean ground sirloin
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tsp kosher salt, divided
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup fat-free milk
2 TBLS all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) 2 % reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F
Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting any salt or fat; drain. Lightly coat pasta with cooking spray.
Spray large pot with cooking spray, place over medium-high heat. Add onion and carrot, and saute 4 minutes. Add garlic; saute 1 minute. Add ground beef; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add tomato sauce, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes or until most of liquid evaporates.
Add pasta to beef mixture in pot, stirring to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish with a light coating of cooking spray.
Place milk, flour, nutmeg, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt in a medium saucepan; stir with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly add 1 cup cheese and stir until smooth; poor over pasta and stir.
Top with remaining cheese and bake for 20 minutes. Let noodle bake set for 5 minutes after removing from oven and enjoy!
Three Cheese Veggie Pizza
I loved this pizza with some of my favorite veggies and the super creamy and amazing Fontina cheese! Careful with the serving… You only get one slice. Yikes!
6 servings at 345 calories/serving
Ingredients2 tsp EVOO
1/4 tsp
2 garlic cloves, minced
1(8-ounce) package mushrooms, sliced
1 cup marinara sauce/pizza sauce
1 pre-made pizza crust (such as Boboli)
1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded part-skim Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded Fontina cheese
1/4 cup (1 oz) grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup roasted red bell peppers, sliced
1 TBLS capers, rinsed and drained
4 drained canned artichoke hearts, thinly sliced
Directions
Preheat oven to 500°F
Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-hi heat. Add black pepper, minced garlic, and mushrooms; saute for 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and most of liquid evaporates.
Spread sauce over the pizza crust, leaving a 1/2 inch border, and top with mushroom mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Mozzarella, Fontina, and Parmesan cheese. Top with roasted red bell peppers, 1 TBLS capers, and artichokes. Bake at 500°F for 10 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown. Let pizza stand for 5 minutes before serving.
TIP: To save some money, roast your own red bell peppers on the grill. Buying roasted red bell peppers in a jar, you generally get one pepper or a little less for around $4. I buy them fresh for $1/pepper.
Directions
Preheat grill on medium-hi heat
Cut peppers in half and rub a minimum amount of EVOO on the skins. Cook peppers flesh side down on grill for 5 minutes, flip and grill for 7 minutes. Place the cooked peppers into a plastic bag for 3 minutes. Peel skin off peppers and discard. There ya have it! Homemade roasted red peppers.
Mediterranean Chicken Couscous
This recipe is so simple and quick to put together. All you need is your microwave. This dish makes it really hard to stick to the right sized portion. It is just so good! It’s also a great dish to take for a picnic or potluck with it’s hot or cold serving option.
6 servings at 282 calories/serving
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups low-sodium fat-free chicken broth
1 (5.6 ounce) package toasted pine nut couscous mix
3 cups chopped cooked chicken (about 1 rotisserie chicken)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 (4 ounce) package crumbled feta cheese
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 TBLS fresh
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1/4 tsp course ground black pepper
Garnish: fresh basil leaves
Directions
Heat broth and seasoning packet from couscous in the microwave on HIGH for 3 to 5 minutes or until broth begins to boil. Place couscous in a large bowl, and stir in broth mixture. Cover and let stand 5 minutes.
Fluff couscous with a fork; stir in chicken and next 6 ingredients. Serve warm or cold. Garnish if desired.
How Do I Lose Weight?
I have been asked by hundreds of people how I have lost weight and what they can do to make the same happen for them. I want to help people feel as good as I do, so I just want to share some tips on what has worked for me. Wednesday is the one year anniversary of the day that I decided to change my life and become healthy. I have lost a total of 102 pounds! I am not a dietician, personal trainer, or medically trained in any way. These are just things that work for me, and helped me to achieve and maintain my ideal body weight.
- Set realistic, attainable, healthy goals
- Understand from the beginning that your body will never be perfect
- Realize that no one is forcing you to change your life, it is a gift to yourself
- Calculate your ideal body weight, find out how many calories you should eat to achieve and maintain that weight, adjust your diet accordingly
- Just counting calories is NOT enough; put good in, get good out
- Your body weight is determined 80% by your DIET and only 20% by your workout
- Make note of EVERYTHING you put into your body
- Eat half, yes I said half of your daily calorie allowance for breakfast first thing when you get out of bed
- Split your meals into 5 or more a day to speed up your metabolism
- Make sure you eat what you want for special holidays but limit it to the actual day(your birthday, Christmas, Thanksgiving…)
- Plan all of your meals one or two days at a time
- Try new recipes; the internet is littered with low calorie finds
- When you do eat out, look up calorie information and plan your portion control before you go
- Try to not celebrate or reward yourself with food(each time I lost 25 lbs, I rewarded myself with some new clothes.
- Find a good cardio workout that you enjoy(lets face it, the only thing you may enjoy about it in the beginning will be the music… so find music you like and turn it up!)
- Don’t let yourself be embarrassed or ashamed to work out, you have to start somewhere. If you are embarrassed, do it at home in private
- Always push yourself in your workout to do a little extra vs shorting yourself by quitting a little early
- Don’t have a “workout buddy.” It’s fine to workout with someone, but DO NOT make your workout dependent on ANYONE being there to do it with you
- WALK anywhere you can
In time, your new lifestyle will take over and you won’t have to remember rules, count calories, or keep track of exactly how much of anything is in what. Once you have trained yourself how to eat and cook, what is good for you and what works for your life, it will be easy and your weight will literally MELT off.
Before
Before
After losing 100 pounds!
After losing 100 pounds!
A Clean Kitchen
I love to clean. I LOATHE washing dishes. This must come from working in a restaurant for a short period in my life. It had gotten to the point that I would look at the dishes in my sink and cringe. I would bundle my babies up, toss them in the buggy, and go for a run to avoid the 10 minute job that faced me. I was sharing my disgust for this tedious task with my husband’s grandmother one day and she suggested that I fill the sink with soapy water before I begin to cook and wash as I go. I am giving it a try and so far, so good! There is just something about feeling like I am skipping the step of having to wash the sink and run the water right after I eat that really helps. Thanks Grammy!
BLT Salad
Have I mentioned I love bacon? This is another delish and easy recipe that is low in calories, and yes it has bacon in it!
4 servings at 237 calories/ serving
Ingredients
1 small head iceberg lettuce, chopped
3 medium tomatoes, gutted and chopped
4 oz shredded cheddar cheese
5 slices cooked bacon, chopped
Dressing
2Tbls mayonnaise
1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1 tsp white vinegar
Directions
*Mix mayonnaise, Old Bay, and vinegar in large salad bowl
*Wash and chop lettuce and tomatoes
*Shred cheese and chop bacon
*Add all the ingredients to the dressing, mix well
*Serve and enjoy
*Mix mayonnaise, Old Bay, and vinegar in large salad bowl
*Wash and chop lettuce and tomatoes
*Shred cheese and chop bacon
*Add all the ingredients to the dressing, mix well
*Serve and enjoy
TIPS
Make the dressing first so the spices have time to hydrate. This recipe is plenty for me but although it is delicious, it doesn’t satisfy my husband. He is usually back in the kitchen looking for something to eat within 30 minutes. FYI Target’s brand of bacon is amazing and a great price!
Yes Peas
My little girl’s first food was bland store bought baby peas. She did not like them in the least. After making the decision to make my little one’s food myself, I found many websites with baby food recipes encouraging the use of spices. That thought had never crossed my mind previously. If you are nursing your baby, he or she has already been tasting the spices and flavors of your food.
In an effort to spice things up a bit for little London, I tried my own recipe and she GOBBLED them up! My 3 year old also sat like a baby bird eating these off of a spoon.
Ingredients
1 lb bag of frozen early harvest petite peas
1tsp minced dried onion
1tsp jarred minced garlic with water from jar
Directions
*Defrost bag of peas
*Add all ingredients to food processor blend until smooth
*Add breast milk, formula, or water to dilute to appropriate consistency for your baby
*Portion and freeze extras
TIPS
I used the jarred garlic and the dehydrated onion to 0btain flavor without heat. You can also use fresh if you’d like, just saute them first, omitting any oil or butter.
