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28
Mar
2013
 Lightened up: Macaroni and Cheese Cups



As usual, I was browsing Pinterest for recipe ideas, and I saw this mac ‘n cheese recipe with spinach from Emily Bites.

I am picky about my pasta dishes, and don’t typically eat too much pasta. But, I love baked pastas!

Since this recipe is made in a muffin tin, you get these cute little portion sizes (and yes, you may want to eat more than one!). Another benefit is that you get crispy edges, and this dish cooks more quickly. If you don’t like crispy edges, you may want to bake this in a large casserole dish.

macaroni and cheese muffin

I followed Emily’s recipe exactly, except I added more crushed garlic to mine, and I used half gluten free pasta/half regular elbow white pasta.

You can use whatever pasta you like, but I recommend cooking it so that it is barely done as it will continue cooking in the oven.

We ate ours with some leftover chicken, and a side salad. Yum!! I loved it, and Mr. Cyclist said it was OK (he said you could tell it was healthier). I was happy to eat more of it the next day as leftovers ;-)

25
Feb
2013
 When’s the last time you had a Philly Cheesesteak?



What’s wrong with this picture? Haha.

easy cheese

My answer to this question would be… maybe in middle school? I have no idea. It has been forever. My Mom used to cook us that frozen meat and put it all under the broiler. It was delicious.

Since I am not a fan of beef and cheese, I had a modified cheesesteak for dinner. My Dad was kind enough to cook me chicken.

chicken Philly cheesesteak

Then, I topped with loads of lettuce and some spicy sauce.

healthier Philly cheesesteak

I was so excited about the sweet potato fries, that I had already been eating them off my plate before the picture ;-)

baked homemade sweet potato fries

For all of you who are don’t like to eat much white bread, here is a trick I use:

Pick out the fluffy inside of a bun, so that all you have is a bread sandwich “shell” to hold your toppings.

low carb sub roll

Now, compared to my meal, here is my brother’s cheesy less healthy meal. Ugh.

homemade philly cheesesteak

Does not look appetizing to me. Just looks gross. By the way, I was reading the ingredients of the Easy Cheese, and they seem to be a little better now. Easy Cheese is made with cheese, and canola oil now. And, of course, a list of preservatives and chemicals, but it is not as bad as I remember.

We all got excited about Philly Cheesesteaks, and were rushing to get to watch the Oscar’s that this happened:

dropped eggs

Whoops.

When I came home after the Oscar’s, the cats were loving their new Banana Republic shopping bag!

cat in shopping bag

cat in bag

Until tomorrow bloggies!

Going to start working on getting ready to get in my bikini at the end of March when I go to the beach. So, I will be posting some beach body worthy foods and recipe ideas starting Monday!

Until then…

cat in a shopping bag

17
Feb
2013
 Eats this Week: Oat Creations and Spaghetti Squash



This past week i made homemade granola, so I had a small bowl with bananas and almond milk:

granola with almond milk

Up next, I made this antioxidant-rich oatmeal with mixed berries and walnuts:

berry oatmeal with nuts

I added some cinnamon and 1 packet of stevia to even out the bitterness from the berries.

For a snack, I had my favorite ants on a log snack since I had some peanut butter in the house (I usually only have almond butter around).

ants on a log healthy

The night before Valentine’s Day, Mr. Cyclist whipped up some homemade green curry. Again. Yes, once again!

homemade green curry

Served with black rice, avocado, and basil garnish! YUM. We have decided that we are a little tired of those flavors… for now.

I made the same type of spaghetti squash as I did last week because I enjoyed the flavor combinations so much.

healthy spaghetti squash

If I haven’t posted this recipe yet, I will because so far this is my favorite way to cook it. Sun-dried tomatoes and onions! A perfect combination in the squash. I served it with some low fat ricotta for protein.

What did everyone do on Valentine’s Day? I dressed up in red for work that day:

Valentine's Day outfit

For dinner, we made salad with shrimp and avocado:

shrimp and avocado salad

One of my favorite salads!

For a sweet treat, I brought Mr. Cyclist some mats to make s’mores!

healthy s'mores ingredients

Did you know that most all graham crackers contain trans fat? YES, terrible. So, I got these Mi-del graham crackers that are much healthier. The marshmallows are still full of corn syrup, but what can you do?

s'mores healthier

They are pretty fun to make in a toaster oven. No, I do not have a fireplace.

Yesterday morning, Mr. Cyclist walks in the bathroom as I am just rolling out of bed, and says, “I made huevos rancheros”. Haha.

healthy huevos rancheros

Eggs with tomato, onion, spices, avocado on top, and a brown rice wrap!

By the way, I got a new phone, so I now have Instagram. Hence, the reason for some pictures with silly filters. I don’t care if people don’t like it because it is just a fun thing to do! You can find me on Instagram here.

13
Jan
2013
 Chicken Sausage, Peppers, and Onions



When I was a kid, we always used to have sausage and peppers, but I never made it again as an adult. Mostly, I just thought it wasn’t very healthy. But, you can make it packed with vitamins and minerals! The peppers add loads of vitamin C, and the onions add some antioxidants. Believe it or not! Then, I get a chicken sausage to make it as healthy as possible.

And this is what you get:

healthier sausage and peppers

By the way, I really need to get a new camera. If you noticed, all my pictures are crooked because my camera screen is broken. I can’t see what the heck I am doing!

Anyway…

Healthier Sausage and Peppers

Ingredients:

  • 1 large yellow onion (or 2 medium-small), thinly sliced
  • 3 peppers, sliced
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed/minced
  • 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
  • 1 Tbsp. dried basil
  • 1 lb. chicken sausage links
  • 1 1/2 cups good tomato sauce (I had some leftover that was homemade)
  • Salt and pepper
  • Parsley for garnish

Directions:

  1. In a large skillet, add your olive oil and heat on medium. Next, add your onions, and cook for about 5 minutes on medium.
  2. Add your peppers, and cook another 5 minutes. Add your garlic, and seasonings. Cook on medium/low until your vegetables have softened.
  3. Push the vegetables to the sides of the pan, and add your sausage in the middle. Turn every few minutes to brown the sides.
  4. Add your tomato sauce, and cover for another 5-8 minutes.

To serve, you can serve by itself, or over top brown rice or pasta, or a whole grain bread. We loved the taste of the peppers and onions, and wish we made more! Next time, I might double the amount of peppers and onions, or use a little less sausage.

5
Nov
2012
 Reduced Sugar Pumpkin Banana Bread



The fall leaves were gorgeous this weekend! It got me in the autumn spirit. I decided to make a fall wreath:

When I went to Michael’s to get supplies, I had trouble finding fall decor. There was Christmas stuff everywhere! No more fall decorations even though we still have a whole month left. Oh well, I love my DIY wreath projects!

Next, I made some healthier pumpkin bread, mainly because I wanted the house to smell nice. I didn’t care too much about eating the bread… it was more like another craft for me to do!

Anyway, I reduced the sugar by using some stevia/xylitol blend and it turned out amazing. Doesn’t taste “healthy”. So you could trick kids to eating it for sure. And it uses a whole 1/2 can of pumpkin so you can get some squeeze in some veggies!

Reduced Sugar Pumpkin Banana Bread

Makes 1 loaf. Double for 2 loaves. Inspired by Spark Recipes.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour (helps to keep it light and airy). You could try cutting this in half further (1/2 cup white; 1/2 cup oat or whole wheat)
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar *You could cut out the rest of the white sugar and just use more stevia. Depends on preference.
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. honey
  • 1 Tbsp. molasses
  • 3 Tbsp. stevia/xylitol blend
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup 1% milk (or skim or almond milk)
  • 1/2 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
  • 1 ripe banana, mashed

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. Combine dry ingredients in one bowl. Combine wet ingredients and sugars in another bowl. Combine wet and dry ingredients until combined. Do not over-stir!
  3. Spoon batter into 1 (9 x 5-inch) loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Check with a toothpick.

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This site is no substitute for medical advice. For medical advice please seek your doctor. This site is in no way affiliated with my employer.