300 Calorie Meal: Kale Egg White Omelet

August 8th, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Love Your Humps | Recipes - (0 Comments)

I experimented with cooking kale in an omelet. I was a little afraid if it would work or not. Well, it did! Kale in an omelet is a go. Just reminds me of broccoli in an omelet.

The best thing about this meal is that it is fast, cheap, healthy, and easy. And, you can eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

Kale Egg White Omelet

Makes 1 large omelet
Ingredients:

  • Organic cooking spray
  • 1-2 Tbsp. chopped onion
  • 2 kale leaves (pull the leaves off the stems, and tear into small pieces)
  • 3 Tbsp. salsa (Try to use a thicker salsa. I like to use black bean and corn salsa.)
  • Salt and pepper (just a tiny pinch)
  • About 1/2 cup egg whites (just enough to fill up the kale mixture)
  • 3 thin slices of cheddar cheese (or other cheese)
Directions
  1. Spray a small omelet sized pan with the non-stick spray. Add the onions and kale, and cook for about 5 minutes until the kale is wilted, and darkens.
  2. Add the salsa. *Tip: Try not to add too much salsa liquid to the pan because it can cause the omelet to get too liquidy.
  3. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Turn the heat down, and add the egg whites.
  4. Allow to set for about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the pan to allow extra egg white on top to slide to the sides of the pan.
  5. When it looks like the egg mixture is set, flip as best you can with a spatula. Cook 2 more minutes.
  6. Add the slices of cheese to half the omelet. Wait another minute, then fold the omelet in half to create a pocket for the cheese.

If you are cooking, and this gets a little messy, that is OK. It doesn’t have to perfect. It will still taste great! When you add tomatoes to an egg dish, it doesn’t hold together as well. Plus, it is often harder to cook with egg whites only. So, don’t feel bad if yours doesn’t look super pretty.

This meal totaled out to be about 260 calories. So, you could add a side fruit or side of Ezekiel bread if you’d like to add a few more calories.

Love Your Humps Wednesday

Talking about not being perfect…

Via Pop Revolver and Pinterest

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My 2 Week “Training” Plan

May 16th, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Exercise | Love Your Humps - (0 Comments)

Mr. Cyclist wants to see what I am capable of if I actually trained for something. I never been big into races or competitions. Mainly because I don’t feel that I am that good at a specific sport.

I used to be good at skiing… but, can’t really do that here in the South. I was decent at tennis, could run OK, and danced for a while. But, aside from that I have always just been “fit” and not really athletic at anything in particular.

So, I decided I could follow Mr. Cyclist’s 2 week plan for me, and see if I really do see any improvements. Maybe it will motivate me more to see what I am capable of. Who knows.
If anything, maybe I will be able to keep up more with the more serious cyclists. Hahaha.

Day 1: Rode my bike with Mr. Cyclist and friend for 1 hr 45 min–almost 2 hrs. Always pretty hard trying to keep up with him.

Day 2: Run 50% more than I normally would at average pace. So, instead of a 3 mile loop, I did about 5 miles. Was very tired from yesterday.

Day 3 (today): Will do a strength class for 1 hr at my gym. And maybe some extra strength exercises of my own (extra abs and legs).

Not sure what else. I basically ask Mr. Cyclist what to do everyday, and go do it. The nice thing about it is that I can tell him at the end of the day if I completed it or how it went.

Love Your Humps Wednesday:
Found via Pinterest from Marzipan

Now, a message from my sponsor:

When putting a training plan together its important to include stretches beforehand as injuries can occur. Here is an infographic for advice on managing sport injuries. If you want to find out more about other physiotherapy related services, visit or contact one of your local private hospitals in Liverpool.

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Easiest Falafel Recipe Idea

April 25th, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Love Your Humps | Recipes - (2 Comments)

Have you tried falafel yet? It is ground up chickpeas with spices, and then formed into patties and usually fried. It is a great vegetarian or vegan protein option. They are super tasty. Reminds me of a hush puppy, but health-ified version.

I recommend to check and see if your grocery store carries this Fantastic World Foods brand which is a dehydrated chickpea powder. All you have to do is add water, stir, and form into patties.
Then, coat  baking sheet lightly with olive oil, and bake the patties for about 15-20 minutes until that start to brown. Very easy!

Another option would be to buy plain dehydrated chickpea meal at a health food store like Whole Foods. You can then add your own spices, and add water to form a paste. It is easier to do this than use whole chickpeas/garbanzo beans.

I had some this past week on top of a salad and used a light natural vidalia onion and dill dressing.
Another idea is to stuff the falafel in a whole wheat/whole grain wrap or pita with some veggies.

This is much lighter than restaurant falafel which is likely fried (and soaks up a lot of oil since the beans act as a perfect sponge). And it can be healthier because you can use olive oil, and watch your sodium when at home. One serving of falafel gets you 5 grams of fiber, too!

Love Your Humps Wednesday:
via Pinterest

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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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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: Marinated Grilled Chicken and Spirulina

March 2nd, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Eats of the Week | Love Your Humps - (0 Comments)

When I get a craving for some good meat or chicken for lunch, I head over to this deli near where I work. Obsessed with this chicken…
It is basically just chicken and lettuce (and a few croutons–not many). I usually don’t even use dressing because the chicken is so flavorful. Now, I am sure the chicken was cooked with a copious amount of oil, and it is not organic, of course. But, it is some tasty chicken! It is inspired my next recipe idea is to try to make tasty marinated chicken at home.

I also bought these raw spirulina chips a while ago. I was just curious to see what they tasted like, and wanted to read up more on the health benefits of spirulina.
Spirulina is a blue-green algae packed with chlorophyll that may have a variety of health benefits. You can read more about it here on my post at diet-blog.
I guess the reason I like these chips is because they have a little sweetness, and are packed with nutrition that you can’t get in a normal cracker/cookie/chip product. I also feel I do well portioning these, probably because they are so expensive! ;)

I will leave you with a Love Your Humps musing since I missed you guys on Wednesday!
(via Pinterest)

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Eats of the Week: Nutritional Yeast and Chocolate Cookies

February 22nd, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Eats of the Week | Love Your Humps - (0 Comments)

I bought nutritional yeast in the bulk section of Whole Foods a few weeks ago after reading so much about it on other health blogs. I figure it is a good way for me to get a little extra protein and B vitamins in my diet since I am not a big meat eater.
You can read more about nutritional yeast here at my post on diet-blog.

Main things to know about nutritional yeast:

  • No, it is not an active yeast. It is not going to give you a yeast infection.
  • Do not consume more than 3 Tbsp. Nutritional yeast is high in purine which is hard on some organ systems, and bad for those susceptible to gout.
  • It looks weird, but tastes very mild. Taste like a funky, flaky parmesan cheese with a slightly more nutty flavor. I am still getting used to it.
  • Over 100% of your daily value for thiamine, riboflavin, B6, B12, niacin, and folate. Excellent source of selenium.
  • Not the same as Brewer’s yeast! I recommend nutritional yeast over Brewer’s yeast.

Sprinkle some nutritional yeast on popcorn, preferably while watching Modern Family :)

Or try adding it to cheese toast for more nutrition:
Then, I whipped up some chocolate chocolate chip cookies per Mr. Cyclist’s request. And he said they could not have healthy modifications in the recipe, but I did sneak in some whole wheat flour.
And I used dark chocolate for the chocolate chips. But, yes, real butter was used in this recipe, a small portion of Earth Balance, and a little bit of Greek yogurt in place of a few tablespoons more of butter that was needed. I couldn’t handle putting in 2 sticks of butter into the recipe. I almost died. So, I made a few small tweaks to feel better about it.

I am not sure what I did, but these cookies came out more like tasty muffin tops than cookies. They were a little more cake-like, but still moist and delicious.
Mr. Cyclist couldn’t resist combining ice cream with the cookies for a tasty ice cream sandwich.

Love your Humps Wednesday:
From NowFoundation.org

Except getting my nails done is relaxing and a stress reliever ;) And I think I own 20 lip glosses. I don’t think there is anything wrong with adding a little color to the lips!

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Mac ‘n Cheesy Cauliflower

February 1st, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Love Your Humps | Recipes - (1 Comments)

I was reading Vegetarian Times at a friend’s house, and I got this idea to make cauliflower that tasted similar to mac ‘n cheese.
I added more garlic, onions, and some ground rosemary to mine to make it more grown-up. It was delicious and filling, and I brought it to work for lunch the next day.

I also stopped at Trader Joe’s and found this:
Nutella wannabe. I think they use more canola oil because the saturated fat content is a little lower. But, other than that it is pretty much the same as Nutella.
Delicious! Tastes very similar, but you can taste a slight almond butter flavor, and it just tastes healthier and slightly more gritty.

I have also started to get into couponing this week. I discovered the Krazy Coupon Lady, and have been plotting deals ever since. I figure that if I can save more money, I can spend more of that saved money on things I haven’t been able to do! My goal is to wait for good sales and use coupons on those particular sales only to get the lowest possible price. I am still learning…. But, I did manage to get this deal at Target:
 And here is the dress: Sorry for the crappy picture–it is a wrap dress.
And then, I got 4 cosmetics at CVS using extra bucks and sales for only $8!
Now… if only I can figure out how to get more healthy foods by couponing!

Love Your Humps Wednesday:
Don’t worry about the scale and the number. Put the focus on overall health :)

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Guacamole Kale Salad

January 18th, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Love Your Humps | Recipes - (1 Comments)

My friend introduced me to this idea of using guacamole almost as the salad dressing to the kale. I thought it turned out pretty good, but Mr. Cyclist was even more of a fan of it than I was. And it is a great way to get in one the the healthiest veggies on the planet–kale!

Guacamole Kale Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 small bunch of kale (about 7 leaves)
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 1, 7 oz. tray of pre-made guacamole (see picture to the right, or try Wholly Guacamole brand)
  • 1 Chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced finely (or just use a few red pepper flakes)
  • 1/2 of a small red onion, diced
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 1/2 a can of black beans (optional)
  • 2 Cloves of garlic, minced
  • Sprinkle of cumin, salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Pull the kale leaves off the stems, and add to a large salad bowl.
  2. Add the remaining ingredients, and stir to combine.
  3. Allow the kale salad to rest a few minutes to absorb the moisture and to allow the flavors to sink in.

This is a unique recipe that surprisingly works out well.

Quote from that day: “Go down the produce section and look at all the fruits and vegetables that you never buy. People actually buy those. The grocery store wouldn’t stock them if no one bought them.”

Challenge for the week: Go to your grocery store, and pick out a fruit or veggie that you have never eaten and cook it!

Love your Humps Wednesday:

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Love your Humps Day Wednesday

December 7th, 2011 | Posted by Nicole in Love Your Humps - (0 Comments)

I am starting a new weekly posting (if I stay organized enough) promoting healthy body image.

Why, you ask? There is just too much negativity surrounding body image on the web, so this will be a blog where you can feel good about yourself!

What will I post? Images, quotes, anything that I find on the web that week. Or, if you have a suggestion, e-mail it to me!

This week’s musings:

Britney before and after Photoshop. Photo found here.

That is all for now to start off the week! Let the positivity begin :)

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