WIAW: Healthy Mushroom Orzo Risotto

Good Morning!!!
Guys, I'm pretty bummed about losing Google Reader next week.  There's gotta be people out there as dependent on it as I am.  I use it to read over 100 blogs every day.  I have a couple other dashboards in mind, but meh.  Still sad.

***Update--just read this post from Peanut Butter Fingers & imported all my blogs to Bloglovin'!  Eeee!

Ok, onto happier things--It's that time again.  Time to share my food consumption from yesterday.
Try to contain your enthusiasm.
The above picture is my art for this week.  Almost too pretty to eat.  Ha!  Who are we kidding.  Totally didn't even hesitate when eating it.  It tasted as pretty as it looked!
Let's get to it.

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Breakfast: Waffles & Berries

For breakfast I enjoyed 2 Eggo Nutrigrain low fat waffles topped with a smear of peanut butter (Skippy natural super chunk), sliced strawberries and sugar free syrup.

I also had two mugs of coffee in my cute new mug!

A.M. Snack: Pear & Graham 

For snack I had some (more) peanut butter on a half graham cracker and a lovely pear.  Such a great snack!

Lunch: Big Salad 

It was hot as the dickens outside, so we did not walk the dogs like we usually do.  Instead I chopped up some ingredients for a big ole salad.  It was so satisfying and refreshingly light.
In the mix: chopped romaine lettuce, ham and turkey deli slices, leftover broccoli, reduced fat feta cheese, avocado & a dressing of plain Greek yogurt mixed with ranch dressing seasoning.
How pretty is that bowl?  I love it!  It's not mine-just a borrowed bowl that I love.

P.M. Snack: Orange & Tea

Gosh, you know it's a slow, boring day at the office when I take the time to peel an orange.  This was the best orange I've had in a while.  So juicy and delicious.  I had also gotten a tea on the way back from work from the place that takes all my money from me.  Trenta unsweetened black tea wtih 3 Splendas, FTW!

Headed home to change for boot camp.  I made my first Instagram video of Bizzy doing her tricks (sit, lay down, spin).  She was very confused because when she sees the treat she automatically sits, but I wanted to start with her standing up, so I could tell her to sit.  So, she's a little frantic in the vid.  Also, she's full of puppy energy, which can be an overwhelming thing.

Dinner: Bacon Wrapped Salmon, Mushroom Orzo Risotto & Veggies 

Sometimes when I get home from exercise and I have a crazy puppy demanding my attention, I do not feel like cooking.  Such was the case tonight.
Luckily, I was able to throw something together in about 20 minutes.

First I seasoned my salmon & wrapped it in bacon.  My thought process behind this was that it will keep the salmon moist while adding a smoky, bacon-y (it's a word.) flavor.  It worked!

Before I cooked the salmon, I had to get my risotto going.  Here's how I made it:

Healthy Mushroom Orzo Risotto
serves 3-4 (as a side dish)

1-2 tbsp Olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 1/2 cups orzo
2 cups chicken broth (approximately)
salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
2 tbsp goat cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 cup diced & sauteed baby bella mushrooms (or button mushrooms)

Heat enough olive oil to coat a sauce pan. Add onion and cook until onion becomes translucent (about 5 minutes). 

Pour in the orzo and stir to coat. Toast orzo for 2-3 min. Add 1 cup of chicken broth into the sauce pan. Stir occasionally until liquid is absorbed. Add another half cup of broth and repeat. Repeat one more time.  Taste the orzo throughout this process and when it is no longer crunchy, it's about done.

Add in goat cheese, seasoning & Parmesan.  Fold in mushrooms.

About halfway through the risotto, I started the salmon in an oiled grill pan.  Also, I microwaved some fresh broccoli & cauliflower.

My other risotto recipes: butternut squash risotto & healthy brown rice risotto.

For dessert, I ate a serving of these stupid jerks.  You know a serving is only 9 little cookies!  Ludicrous!  But delicious....

Then Bizzy and I watched Chopped.

Sometimes she finds it boring.

Happy Wednesday, all!

WIAW: Shrimp Poboy & Recipe Testing

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Good Morning, Sunshines!

Hope everyone is having a great week.  Mine's been good.  Wow, I can't believe that Summer will be officially here on Friday!  I have a special skinny cocktail recipe I'll post then, so pop back over and check it out.

Now, on to my eats!

Breakfast: Salmon Omelet & Fruit

Last week, I bought some fresh cod and smoked salmon and they were in the same grocery sack.  I didn't get to use the cod, so I threw it in the freezer...and the salmon went with it.  I didn't know how well smoked salmon would thaw so this was a risky breakfast.  But it worked out!  The salmon was delicious and I couldn't even tell it was frozen.  Victory!
Ok, so for breakfast I had an omelet with a whole egg, an egg white and chopped smoked salmon in the middle.  Paired with a piece of wheat toast and strawberries and you got yourself a superstar of a breakfast! Coffee, repeated twice, on the side as well.

Snack: Oatmeal

I wanted something different for my sensible snack today, so I packed up some oatmeal.  Here's how I packed it.

Perfectly portable!!  

I just measured 1/2 cup of almond milk in a mason jar (you can microwave a mason jar without the top) and grabbed an oatmeal packet and some strawberries on the run.  This is my favorite oatmeal!  It's soooo good!

On my lunch break, we had to take Reggie home and I was sad.

We kept my boyfriend's parents' dog, Reggie, for a little over a week while they were out of town and we really enjoyed hanging with him around the house.  We still go over and walk him a couple times a week, though.  So, all of us look forward to that!

Lunch: Roast Beef Lettuce Wraps

I whipped up a lovely summertime lunch of lettuce wraps (with romaine lettuce, roast beef, sharp cheddar, avocado & tomato), some chopped watermelon and baby carrots for lunch.  Fresh & delicious!

After we left Reggie, Bizzy was sad and needed to be spoiled with a puppacino from Starbucks.

She is a diva dog.

I don't know where she gets it from....

So, yeah.  I had an iced coffee and cake pop and had to pose like a cheeseball with both of them.
It was funny!  I embarrass my boyfriend with my antics.

Snack: Peanuts

Around 4 p.m. I had a handful of peanuts.  I never usually buy peanuts, because I assumed they were not as healthy of a nut as almonds, but according to this infographic they are pretty dang healthy:

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Dinner: Light Shrimp Poboys & Grilled Veggies

After a rigorous boot camp workout, I walked the Bizzy dog and made my favorite Healthier Shrimp Poboys (<--click there for my recipe.  It's worth it)

It was so yummy!
I also grilled some asparagus in my grill pan & microwaved a few red potatoes til cooked, then sprayed them with cooking oil (and added salt and garlic powder) and grilled those in the same pan.

A perfect, light meal!

After dinner, I was stuck.  Bizzy camped out on my lap and literally would not let me move for like an hour.  It's kind of nice being forced to relax.  Thanks, Bizz!

Dessert Testing: Microwave Muffin Thingy

Ok, so I was testing out a recipe for a singe serving microwave dessert and I really wanted to make a healthy cookie.  This ended up more like a muffin, but it was really good and dense...and worth sharing.  So, here ya go.  I'll share the cookie recipe once it's perfected: 

Single Serve Microwave White Chocolate Macadamia Cookie Muffin 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted 1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar 1/8 tsp vanilla Pinch salt 1/2 tsp baking powder Egg white 2 tbsp wheat flour 2 tbsp flour 2 tbsp white choc chips 1 tbsp chopped macadamia nuts Combine all in a small bowl.  Spray a microwave safe ramekin with cooking oil and microwave for 30-40 seconds.

Yum!

Ok, have a lovely Wednesday, everyone.

If you want more single serving desserts, check out my:
Fruity Pebbles Marshmallow Treat for One
Single Serve Chocolate Cherry Cake
Peanut Butter Toast Crunch Cake for One
Chai Latte Chocolate Chip Mug Cake
1 Minute Bailey's Chocolate Cake
4 Cookies

WIAW: Thai Inspired Spaghetti Squash with Peanut Sauce

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Well, hello there, friend!  Thanks for stopping by ;)

This week has been full of crazy excitement...due to only one thing: my boyfriend's parents' dog, Reggie, is staying with us this week.

If we thought Bizzy was crazy before, Reggie intensifies her craziness tenfold!  He is also super full of energy, himself.  I could not even get a picture of my breakfast without dogs in my face.  I'm cool with it, though!  Love those pups!

Breakfast: Shake

Good Morning, Reggie!!  

I woke up late this morning.  No reason, just couldn't pull my lazy butt out of bed, so breakfast was on the go.  Made a quick shake containing: frozen banana, 1 cup of strawberries, vanilla protein powder & almond milk.  Simple & delicious.

Also, had a giant mug of coffee on the run!

Forgive my dirty windows.

 Not much going on at the office today, so I just read blogs.  I came across this awesome menu printable from Back to Her Roots & did some menu planning for next week.

Nerd Alert! 

A.M. Snack: Bar

Honestly, a protein bar is not my idea of a sensible snack.  It's fine when you are on the go, but not when you are at the office and too lazy to cut your apple (referring to myself, here).  Still, a decent calorie count from this Aldi protein bar.  Not the best in texture & taste, though.

Lunch: Grilled Cheeeeeessseee!!

It was 100 degrees today, so no walk with the dogs :(  Of course that gave me extra time to burn cook a grilled cheese! This charred delight included muenster cheese, avocado & tomato on whole wheat bread.  A side of carrots and berries just rounded out the meal.
Here's a closer shot.  Can you spot the avocado & tomato?

Got back to work and squealed with excitement when I saw my package from Old Navy had arrived!!  They had a killer fitness sale (that is possibly still going on...too lazy to check) & I scored all this loot for around $40!

My boss loves sweets and has a stockpile in the kitchen area.  Usually I ignore them, but the siren call of the Nutty Bar was calling my name.  Like, hardcore.
Buuuut, I went and looked at the calories and a Nutty Bar has 330 calories for both bars.  Can we say, "Not worth it!"?
So I Googled the calories on fun sized Twix and had that and a diet coke instead.
Healthy choice--NOPE!  But, a better choice, at least :)

P.M. Snack: Berries & Cheesy Wasa

Even after knowing the calories in the Nutty Bars, a few hours later I was singing, "Oooh, I want you I don't know if I need you.."  A little Savage Garden for your Wednesday ;)
But I resisted again!!  Go me!
I had the rest of the berries from lunch and a Wasa cracker with muenster cheese.  Perfectly satisfying and sensible.

Before I headed to my evening boot camp workout, I played with the dogs and did some colorful dinner prep.  So pretty!

Ok, so chopping these veggies & microwaving my spaghetti squash made cooking dinner fast & easy.
And so freaking delicious.  I kid you not.
I had a Thai noodle dish a few weeks ago with rice noodles and I could just taste the fat.  It was yummy, no doubt, but not great for you.  So I made a healthy copycat of it!  And it was even better!!
Are the exclamation points adequately expressing my excitement?!
Probably not.

Thai Inspired Spaghetti Squash with Peanut Sauce

serves 4

Spaghetti squash (cooked)

Zucchini, carrots

Chicken breast

Coconut oil

Soy sauce

Salt, pepper, garlic powder

Chopped peanuts

Cilantro (optional)

Peanut sauce (below)

Peanut Sauce:

2-3 tbsp creamy peanut butter

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp rice vinegar

red pepper flakes, salt & pepper to taste

Chop your zucchini and carrots as close to matchsticks as you can get (I didn't get that close) and slice your mushrooms.

Poke your spaghetti squash with a knife and microwave for around 7-8 minutes.  Allow it to cool.

Season 3-4 thin chicken breasts with salt, pepper, garlic powder & soy sauce and sear in a pan coated in coconut oil.  Set aside.

In the same skillet, throw in a little more coconut oil and the sliced carrots.  Season with salt and cook for about 5 minutes.  Toss in the zucchini and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.

Chop the chicken in bite sized pieces and throw it and the sliced mushrooms in the pan.

Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl and pour over all the stuff in the pan.

Cut your spaghetti squash in half (lenghtwise) and scrape out the seeds.  Use a spoon to scrape out the innards and add them to the pan.

Mix everything together and season to taste.

Add chopped peanuts and cilantro as garnish.

Yum!!!!

After eating, I, of course, played with these crazy dogs:

Bizzy plays hard & rests hard.

In Case You Missed It:

I'm blogging on Endless Simmer again!!

Creativity is a'flowin'.  Check out my recipes!

Single Serving Fruity Pebbles Marshmallow Treat

Cauliflower Crust Pizza with BBQ Shrimp and Veggies

Have a great week, all!

WIAW: Grilled Philly-ish Chicken

Well, hello and Happy Wednesday!  It's that time again for me to share my food stuff.  I realize I'm severely lacking in creativity lately, but I think it's the weather.
Hot weather makes me want grilled stuff.  So forgive me if my dinners look exactly the same for the next 3-4 months ;)

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Breakfast: Waffles & Fruit

You know how you eat with your eyes and all that jazz?  I think that is particularly true when you have a fruity flower formation on your Nutrigrain low fat waffles.  Eating breakfast was even more joyful than usual ;)  Coffee (with way too much creamer?) X 2 on the side.

 Snack: Cherries

Hello, my name is Renee and I'm addicted to cherries.  It's becoming a problem.  These ranier cherries were 5 bucks this week.  I need to quit spending a chunk of my grocery budget on these little gems of happiness.

Anyways, ate half of this container around 10:30 and forced myself to stop ;)

Right before lunch time I had another snack...

 Another Snack: Protein Bar

I knew lunch was going to be late today, because my guy (and the pups) and I had decided we were going to walk the whole lake (pictured above), which basically takes the whole lunch hour.  I like this new Fiber One bar.  It almost tastes like a Little Debbie Star Crunch, which is like my favorite LD treat!  It's obviously much healthier for you, though.

Lunch: Taco-ish Salad

I got back to the office and assembled my salad.  In the mix, chopped romaine lettuce, shredded cheese, leftover BBQ meat, black beans, corn, salsa, avocado, sour cream and cilantro.
Um, yum.  That's all I gotta say.

Some people pack their salads all together, but I like to assemble it right before eating.  Here's how I pack mine.

Snack: Nectarine

Before heading to my boot camp workout, I noshed on a nectarine.  So tasty!
BTW, I was texting my mom the other day (because I'm cool, alright?) and she said something and I said, "Yay!" or I tried to say it, and my phone changed it to "Tasty!"  Weird, right?

Randomness.

Ok, so boot camp was tough.  Can only move my fingers to type right now because I have obtained what is known in professional circles as the "spaghetti arms."  I'm working through it.

Dinner: Grilled Philly Chicken & Veggies

My boyfriend is off work this week (he works at night) and it was so awesome grilling dinner with him!  He makes a killer grilled chicken.
So, I topped the grilled chicken with sauteed green peppers & onions and a slice of provolone cheese to make it "Philly-ish."  He charred some corn on the grill as well, while I made asparagus in the grill pan (it was too skinny for the grill).  At the last minute, I microwaved some little golden potatoes, then cut them in half and seared them in the pan I had sauteed the peppers/onions in.  Best decision ever.  I realize it looks like alot of potatoes on above pictured plate, but it's probably the size of a small fist, just cut in half.

You know I had some froyo for dessert!

A scoop of my favorite cookies and cream topped with (probably unnecessary?) chocolate sprinkles.

Here's my brand:

Well, have a great week everyone.  Here's a picture of Bizzy the dog with sunglasses on, to bring some sunshine to your day!