Eats of the Week: Quick Bites

March 31st, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Eats of the Week - (0 Comments)

I had a lot of quick snacks and meals this week. Sometimes I don’t have enough time for my lunch break. And I had been running all over town trying to see a doctor to fix my foot problem (cuboid syndrome) so I used that as my lunch break.

Yes, I eat fish sticks. Don’t freak out. I know they are not the best, but it is like my junk food (I buy the least processed I can find) and I love them. Some are missing from the photo because I couldn’t wait to eat them!

Got some Greek kid’s yogurt with little chocolate bits. This is not just for kids! I love it, and the sugars and calories are slightly less than regular chobani.

Another snack idea I did was take one of these chocolate brown rice cakes and spread a little raw almond butter on it–delicious! It’s a healthified version on chocolate peanut butter treats.

For a quick vegetarian lunch, I brought some reduced sodium cottage cheese, and then bought a cold roasted eggplant dish from the cafe near my work:
 This is my new favorite thing. I think I will be getting this once a week it is so good.

Bought some trailmix (from bulk section of Fresh Market) and kombucha one day for lunch. I know that is ridiculous, but the calories in my trailmix was enough to count for lunch and contained plenty of fats, some fiber, sugars, and a small amount of protein.
 Love dried strawberries.

Left for a 3 day vacation to Tybee Island, and had to stop by fast food somewhere on the drive out. So, I chose the lesser of the evils: Chick-fil-a. I ordered the new grilled chicken nuggets off the kid’s menu and a side salad. My way to try to eat clean when eating fast food.
Believe it or not the grilled nuggets are the least processed chicken at Chick-fil-a. They contain a lot of sodium, but other than that aren’t too bad! You can read more about them here on my diet-blog post.

It is now 2 am, so time to get some serious rest and wake up on Tybee Island! Have a good weekend.

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Trans Fat Free Monkey Bread

March 28th, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Love Your Humps | Recipes - (0 Comments)

Monkey bread is one the most sinfully delicious things to have been created. The problem is that it is usually full of trans fat from the biscuit dough that is used. I promised my coworker that I would make her a baked goody for her belated birthday, and she missed out last time I brought baked treats for the office. She told me she wanted something more sinful, so why not?

I used Immaculate Baking Company’s cinnamon bun dough and biscuit dough which contains no trans fat.  

Trans Fat Free Monkey Bread Recipe
Ingredients: 

  • 2 cans cinnamon bun dough (see above)
  • 1 can non-flaky biscuit dough (Immaculate Baking Co.)
  • 1 stick Earth Balance
  • 1 stick butter (you can use 2 sticks Earth Balance, total, instead of butter if you like)
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
  • 3/4 cup white sugar (you could substitute 2-4 Tbsp. stevia substitute and 1/2 cup real sugar–you need real sugar for the caramelization)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed when measuring

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Open all the biscuit dough and cut each biscuit into quarters. See Pioneer Woman recipe for monkey bread to get a better idea of the step-by-step.
  2. Toss all the biscuit dough pieces into a gallon zip top bag with the white sugar and cinnamon. Shake around to coat the pieces.
  3. Heat the butter and brown sugar in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat until the mixture turns brown and the sugar melts more. *You can do this in the microwave if you like
  4. Dump the biscuit dough pieces into a bundt pan (you do not need to grease the pan). Press down gently on dough in the pan.
  5. Pour the butter/brown sugar mixture over top of the dough. Place in the oven.
  6. Cook for about 35-42 minutes until it looks dark brown and the edges look crispy.
  7. Cool 15 minutes, then turn out, and see warm. The bread will stay warm for a few hours if you keep it covered.

This is what it should look like when you take out of the oven, and then (below) when you turn it upside down. Delicious! …not so nutritious, sorry. Everyone loved it though. A definite crowd pleaser.

The goal here was not to make health food. So that is not what this is. It’s just a slightly healthier alternative to the traditional treat. Small tweaks and changes help without having to sacrifice flavor. And, it’s all about moderation and getting comfortable with that moderation. If you have a few bites of this–it won’t hurt you.

Love Your Humps Wednesday:
Also check out this article on body image thoughts around the world!

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Perfect Kale Chips

March 26th, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Healthy Living | Recipes - (2 Comments)

I have tried to make kale chips before, but learned that you can not buy pre-chopped kale. You have to buy an actual head of kale so that you can tear bigger pieces. I have finally perfected the recipe!
Quick Tip: You can buy local kale at most Whole Foods stores for only about $2.50 per bunch. Budget friendly and healthier!

Perfectly Simple Kale Chips
Makes about 3 large servings
Ingredients:

  •  1 large head kale (if it is smaller will make about 2 large servings, and not 3)
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. onion powder

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 275 F.
  2. Tear the leaves from the stem, and see picture above for how big your pieces should be. Try not to make the pieces too small. Place on a baking sheet.
  3. Drizzle the olive oil on top, and add the seasonings. Toss with your hands, and spread out evenly so that most all the pieces are touching the baking sheet.
    *This is about half a head of kale on the baking sheet. You may need to use a larger baking sheet, or do 2 batches.
  4. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, but check at 25 minutes–they may be ready. They will crisp up a little more upon cooling.
    Look how much they shrink down!

Even if you don’t like dark leafy greens, or are afraid to try kale, you should be a fan of these chips. They are so light and crispy that they just melt in your mouth. Some people like to make a dipping sauce out of Greek yogurt or light sour cream for parties.

Nutrition Facts (1/3 of the recipe): 128 calories, 9.7 g fat, 6.7 g monounsaturated fat, 10 g carbohydrate, 3.5 g fiber, 3 g protein, 472% Vitamin A, 118% vitamin C, 12.5% calcium, 12.9% vitamin E, 13.5% copper, 36% manganese.

Who needs vitamin supplements when you have kale chips? Amazing.

On to other fun things of the day…
My sister brought me this lovely Pinterest inspired Easter centerpiece. It is so darn cute. And the flowers on top are real. But, you could use fake flower. I like this because it is a way to use candy that is really inedible as a craft project ;)

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Week of Kale Continues…

March 25th, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Eats of the Week - (3 Comments)

I’ve been eating lots of kale this week ever since I realized I like it as salad greens.

Found these baby kale greens at Whole Paycheck. Little baby kale–so cute! And healthy. I figured I couldn’t go wrong.

And then transformed it into this:
Buried the kale underneath a pile of natural light ranch dressing, olives, avocado, other veggies, and a pinch of feta.

I have realized many people avoid avocados because of the higher fat content and calories. Seriously? Do not worry. The avocado is loaded with plenty of heart health monounsaturated fats, and half an avocado is only 150 calories. This is not bad at all. Don’t forget, the greens are very low calorie. The only other significant calorie source is the dressing. So, when you have avocado, go lighter on the dressing.

Then there were some nutrition failures this weekend:
Sorry for the back focused picture. Terrible, but I had to hurry because we were rushing to go and ice cream was about to drip all over my hand. No time for blogging photos!

Psycho Holiday Baker (my Mom) was craving some ice cream after Costco shopping, and I really did not want any part of that massive ice cream cup. Really, it is so large–Costco style. I cringed at the thought of all that sugar. But, I rarely turn down ice cream, and my Mom was going to feel guilty if I didn’t join here.

Now, time for menu planning Monday:

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Healthier Store Bought Pizza

March 21st, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Food Review - (1 Comments)

It is very hard to find a healthier frozen pizza. But, of course, Trader Joe’s had a pretty good veggie pizza.
It had no cheese, so I added some fat free ricotta for some protein, and some sun dried tomatoes for extra flavor (they got a little burnt, but that makes them tasty).

The whole pizza is 750 calories (minus the ricotta). Half the pizza filled me up pretty well since I added the ricotta, and had a glass of milk with it. The good thing is that there are no nasty preservatives–just wheat flour, lots of veggies (adding a great amount of fiber), and some natural flavorings like vinegar and lemon juice.

I didn’t even miss all the cheesy goodness of a normal pizza. You could easily have this vegan, and not add cheese.

Have been doing some Les Mills style exercise classes this week and last and they are

kicking my butt–which I like. Finally, an exercise class that is truly challenging. But, it doesn’t have to be. It is all about what level you choose to exercise at.

Anyway, I highly recommend the Les Mills classes. So far, “body attack” was the hardest because you are constantly moving your arms and legs everywhere. That was the most I have sweated in a while!

Hope everyone is surviving this week of crazy pollen! Keeping my windows shut yesterday and today so that my home doesn’t turn into a yellow green mess.

Love Your Humps Wednesday:

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Kale Caesar Salad

March 20th, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Recipes - (0 Comments)

I am a big fan of Caesar dressing, but not the 1000 calories that comes with eating most Caesar salads. I had seen some people on Pinterest making kale Caesar salads and got the idea to make my own healthy version.

Looks like I OD’d a little on croutons, haha!

Kale Caesar Salad Recipe Makes about 3-4 large servings or 6 medium servings
Ingredients:

 

  • 2 bunches of kale
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 1/4 of one large red onion, sliced thinly
  • 1/2 cup Bolthouse Farms Caesar yogurt dressing (see pic below)
  • 2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 oz. thinly sliced/chopped Romano or Parmesan cheese
  • 1 Large handful of croutons (make sure they do not contain partially hydrogenated oils!)
  • pepper

 

Directions:

 

  1.  Tear the leaves of the kale away from the stem, and add to a large mixing bowl.
  2. Squeeze lemon juice over the leaves. Add the remaining ingredients and toss!
  3. It is best to let this mixture sit for 15-30 minutes to let the flavors mix and sink in.

Tip: Add some white beans or chickpeas to this to make it a complete meal!

Here is the dressing that I used:
Yogurt dressings are a way to still eat creamy dressings and keep it healthy.
So far I have liked all of the Bolthouse yogurt dressings. This one was OK. I could definitely taste the tang of the yogurt. Some people may not like this. I got past it. But, if you haven’t eaten Greek yogurt before, you might not like this.

But, a small glass of red wine can perfect any recipe!

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Greens on St. Patty’s Day

March 18th, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Eats of the Week | Food Review - (0 Comments)

What did you do on St. Patrick’s Day? I ate greens!

Found these super food greens with red and green swiss chard, tat soi, arugula, and spinach.

What the heck is tat soi? It’s in-between a spinach and mustard green and bok choy. And it looks like this:
Looks like a clover! The leaves are more crisp and it has a mild flavor. I am sure they are packed full of antioxidants :)

Made a salad out the super greens and added tomato, feta, cucumber, avocado, jalapenos, red onion, and a light vinaigrette.

Delicious green day!

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Quick and Filling Vegetarian Eats

March 16th, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Eats of the Week | Food Review | Recipes - (0 Comments)

When Mr. Cyclist is not home, sometimes I make all kinds of creations in the kitchen. The other night I made artichoke hearts, vegetarian meat balls (I know… strange), tomato sauce, and Parmesan cheese.
This is similar to the simple artichoke side dish I have mentioned before. The only difference is that I added the veggie meatballs.
These are not bad. They are not as heavy as real meat meatballs, and are a quick way to add protein to any meal.

The main ingredient is soy, so I try not to eat these too much because I try not to eat too many processed soy products. If I eat soy, I prefer it in its whole form or as tofu.

The artichokes are an excellent source of fiber, so this meal is very filling.

I have also had these chocolate covered frozen bananas this week as a dessert:
The ingredients are very simple–bananas and chocolate! And just over 100 calories per serving. I didn’t know if I would like these, but I have become a big fan because they are a satisfying and filling snack.

And then I got these flowers from Mr. Cyclist today to brighten my day:

Hope everyone else has a great weekend and Happy St. Patrick’s Day. If you need some green food ideas, you can check my old post on it here.

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Happy Registered Dietitian Day!

March 14th, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Love Your Humps | Recipes - (1 Comments)

March 14th is National Registered Dietitian Day! And March is National Nutrition Month.

Time to celebrate health and nutrition with the perfect smoothie recipe!

  • 2 Fruits (I used strawberries and blueberries)
  • 2 Heaping spoonfuls Greek yogurt
  • 1/2-1 cup of milk (your choice of skim, almond milk, etc.)
  • 1 Tbsp. protein powder (I used a brown rice protein)
  • 1 Packet stevia
  • Handful of spinach

Have a happy and healthy day!

Love your Humps Wednesday:

Found this on Pinterest. Thought it was so sweet.

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Eats of the Week: Trader Joe’s Chocolate

March 12th, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Eats of the Week | Food Review - (0 Comments)

Good morning, Monday…
I am obsessed with Ezekiel English muffins. You can find them in the freezer bread section. They are very hearty, have great texture, and are healthy! Ezekiel products are made from sprouted grains which makes them have higher vitamin and mineral contents.
Today, had an egg with tomato basil cream cheese on the English muffin and some strawberries and a banana on the side.

On to my Trader Joe’s finds…
They had these new dark chocolate power-berries:
I picked them up thinking that they were dried fruit covered with dark chocolate. Wrong!
Fruit juices processed into a chewy center, then covered with dark chocolate that is not very high quality. Basically, glorified candy that is a pinch healthier than most candy. Oh well, I tried.

Then, I picked up some dark chocolate covered almonds:
Love these! The chocolate is not processed with alkali, so you do get some nutrition from these. Plus, you get all the health benefits of eating almonds. These are a healthier indulgence :) They taste great too–the chocolate coating is quite thick.

Meal Planning Monday ideas:

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