WIAW: {Healthy} Grilled Turkey Meatball Subs

Hey, hey, hey!
It's time for What I Ate Wednesday again!  Yay :)
My eats aren't too exciting today, though.  They are almost a version of last week's post.

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Breakfast: Egg White with Cheese on English Muffin

Seriously with the eggs.  I cannot stop!  This week I bought the egg whites in the carton, because I was feeling bad about wasting yolks.  So I had 1/3 cup of liquid egg whites with some shredded cheese mixed in on a whole grain English muffin with some cilantro on top.  Yum yum!

Once again, I had no time for a morning snack.

Lunch: Fish Taco Salad

I made extra fish taco fixins on Monday night and turned it into a salad today.  In the mix was spring mix lettuce, cauliflower rice, smashed black beans, sauteed zucchini and onions, seasoned pan seared fish (tilapia) topped with sour cream and cilantro.  It was a really good salad!

After lunch, we played with the dogs in the backyard.  I had an iced coffee and some of these candies! I ate half of the 200 calorie bag and then saved the rest for later.

My sweet Bizzy girl loves spring weather!

Afternoon Snack: Grapes

I ate these grapes while driving home.

Dinner: Grilled Turkey Meatball Subs & Roasted Veggies

Sometimes you just need a meatball sub, am I right?

Well, I tried my hand at a healthier version, and it turned out pretty good!

Grilled Turkey Meatball Subs

serves 4

1 12" loaf of bread (I used some sourdough I got on markdown)

premade pesto (optional)

marinara or spaghetti sauce

shredded mozzarella cheese

4 slices provolone cheese

for the meatballs:

1 lb lean ground turkey (I used 93% lean) 

2 slices of 35-45 calorie wheat bread, toasted & ground in a processor (or just use 1/2 cup of premade breadcrumbs)

1/8 cup liquid egg whites 

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup cheese (grated parmesan would be best, but I used mozzarella)

generous sprinkle of the following spices: salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder

Mix all of the meatball ingredients together and form into golf ball sized balls.  Mine made 15 meatballs.

Cook in a grill pan for about 4-5 minutes on each side or until done.  Assemble!

1-Split the bread into four slices, hollow out the middle of the bread and discard extra bread.  

2-Smear on pesto and top with a sprinkle of mozzarella.

3-Place 3-4 meatballs on the bread.

4-Spoon on a little (or alot--whatever you like) marinara sauce

5-Top with a slice of provolone and melt in the oven (or in the microwave-whatever)

This might not be too pretty, but it sure was tasty!
I served mine with roasted brussels and broccoli for a perfectly balanced meal.

For dessert I had a 160 calorie toffee ice cream bar.

Thanks for reading!  Hope your day is filled with sunshine and happiness!

WIAW: Eggplant "Meat"balls and Healthy Shepherd's Pie for Two

Good Morning!  Or afternoon...or night.  Whenever you are reading this ;)
I tell ya, I am loving this Fall weather!  It's my happ-happiest time of the yeaaarrr.  I know that is supposed to be Christmas, but there is something magical about Fall.

So, anyways.  Here's some stuff I've been eating.

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Breakfast: Egg, Bagel, Berries

For breakfast I cooked up some liquid egg whites (sounds appetizing, huh?) and put them on half of an everything bagel.  Sliced strawberries and coffee on the side.

Morning Snack: Yogurt

I enjoyed this yummy yogurt around 10:30 to hold me over until lunch.

Lunch: "Meat"ball Sandwich & Veggies

For lunch I had some leftover eggplant "meat"balls on a wheat ciabatta roll with some leftover roasted veggies.  My recipe is here for the "meat"balls.  The only difference is this time I added one shredded zucchini and a clove of garlic and used egg whites instead of whole eggs.  So tasty!

Since it was rainy, my guy and I decided to skip walking the dogs and head to Starbucks for a coffee date of overpriced lattes!

It was super fun, of course!

I had a tall, soy pumpkin spice latte with half the amount of syrup.  I find that the full amount of syrup is just too sweet for me.  A salted caramel cake pop on the side!  Such a treat :)

I was so full from lunch!  It wasn't until I got home at 5 that I started to hear the siren call of the peanut butter toast.

Late Afternoon Snack: PB Toast

Oh, peanut butter toast.  I just can't quit you.

This is Sarah Lee Delightful 45 calorie wheat toast with Skippy natural chunky peanut butter.

Since I got home a little early, I decided to take my sweet puppy girl, Bizzy, on a walk in the neighborhood.

She had a blast!

If you'll notice in the picture she is not pulling me as much.  She's doing great at her training!

After our walk, I headed out to boot camp and holy sprints, it was difficult!

Dinner: Healthy Shepherds Pie for Two

We had 2 leftover hamburgers from Sunday that I wanted to use in some way, so since we had just watched Cutthroat Kitchen on Food Network and they made shepherd's pie...I was inspired.

So, let me see if I can remember everything I put in this "pie," shall we?

Healthy Shepherd's Pie for Two

2 leftover hamburgers (or like 1/3 lb ground meat, cooked), chopped
1/4 yellow onion, diced
1 cup chopped carrots
1 small zucchini, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
chicken broth
4 mini red potatoes, microwaved until fork tender
salt, pepper, cumin, curry, paprika
Parmesan cheese
olive oil for cooking veggies

Heat some olive oil in a medium skillet (enough to cover the pan to prevent sticking) on medium heat.  Throw in the onions and carrots and cooked until softened (about 6 minutes), add in garlic and zucchini and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
While the veggies are cooking smash your potatoes and add chicken broth and salt (to taste).  You can either mash them by hand or use an immersion blender.  I used the blender to whip them.  I probably added 1/2-3/4 cup chicken broth.  Just add a little at a time while blending until you get the consistency you like.
In the skillet with the veggies, throw in the meat and about 1/3 cup chicken broth.  Add in the spices (to taste) and reduce the sauce by cooking for an additional 5 minutes or so.
Spray 2 oven safe bowls with non-stick spray and add half of the filling to each, topping with half of the potato mixture.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and paprika on the top of the potatoes and cook in 425 degree oven for 25 minutes.

*note-you could totally leave the meat out of this recipe and it would be just as tasty!



These were really yummy!  Next time I will double the recipe and bake it in a larger dish, probably.

After dinner, I measured out a measly serving of vanilla fro yo (1/2 cup).  Meh.  It did the trick.

Have a great rest of the week!
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Be sure to check out my healthy taco roll ups on Endless Simmer!

WIAW: Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meatballs

Just a teaser pic to pull you in.  

Are you on the edge of your seat to see what I ate yesterday??  I think you are.  

It's What I Ate Wednesday time!!!

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Breakfast Part 1: PB Toast Crunch

I ate a half a cup of this delightful cereal with some almond milk before heading to 5 a.m. boot camp.  It was pretty good workout fuel.  Then again, I usually have peanut butter toast before a workout ;)

Breakfast Part 2: Egg Scramble & Bagel

For my protein packed breakfast I made Egg Beaters scrambled with some leftover crockpot Asian marinated pork loin (recipe on Friday!) and some fat free cheddar.  Under all that is a wheat bagel thin.  Coffee on the side.

 A.M. Snack: Pear & Cheese

Fruit and cheese is the best snack ever.  That's all I have to say about that.

Lunch: Soup

I grabbed this can of soup before running out the door this morning.  Good thing it was a perfect soup day.  It was decent for 120 calories (for the entire can), but not the best soup ever.  I had a couple Club crackers on the side.

Then I had a diet hot chocolate and a little Kit Kat.

P.M. Snack: Yogurt

Introducing my new favorite snack!  I have been eating Greek yogurt for some time, but this is seriously the bees' knees.  This is the only flavor I've tried (and I buy at least 4 or 5 at a time), but they have lots of flavors.  The strawberry is the perfect amount of sweetness to offset the tang of the yogurt.

Yes, that's how it looks.

So, before I started dinner, my stomach told me I better eat something...fast.

 P.M. Snack #2: Rice Cake

So, I had a caramel rice cake with natural, crunchy peanut butter.

You didn't think I could go a whole day without actual peanut butter, did you?

This is the face I make when eating rice cakes, apparently.

 Dinner: Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meatballs

Look!  Zucchini innards!!

Aaaggghh!  So gooooood!

I added letters to my words just then to express how much you need to make this meal.  Like now.

Here's how it is done:

Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meatballs
serves 3-4 (with leftover meatballs)

Large spaghetti squash, poked with a knife and microwaved for about 8 minutes, then split in half, scoop out the seeds (and discard) and scrape out the "noodles."

For the meatballs:
1 medium zucchini, shredded
4 mushrooms, shredded
1 lb 93% lean ground turkey
1 1/2-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp egg beaters.

Mix it all together in a bowl.  Form into golf ball sized balls.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Get a skillet or dutch oven going on medium heat and add some olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.  Sear the meatballs on both sides (about 2 minutes each side) in batches and remove.  Discard the oil, add the meatballs back to the pan, top with a jar of spaghetti sauce and simmer on low-med for about 15 minutes or until done.

Here's my plate, y'all.

Dessert: Dark Chocolate Covered Strawberry

I got it in my head yesterday that I NEEDED a chocolate covered strawberry.  

So I made some by dipping strawberries in dark chocolate (that I melted over a double boiler with coconut oil).  I actually, seriously, only ate that middle one there.  I guess I was a little over it after getting chocolate all over my white shirt.  Such a Renee thing to do.

See you guys on Friday with Crockpot Challenge meal numero dos!

It's Greek(ish) To Me

I was going to make chicken last night for dinner. I'm kind of tired of chicken. It is the one meat that we always have on hand. Well, I thought I'd try something different. I wanted some Greek flavors, so I picked up some ground lamb and got to brainstorming. Keep in mind that I made this recipe up based on lots of things I had on hand, and also I kind of taught myself to cook. So don't judge the lack of professional skill.

Greek Inspired Meatball Sandwich
Here's your ingredients

1 lb ground lamb
1/2 lb lean ground turkey (I used 93% lean)
about 1/4 c of breadcrumbs
dash soy sauce (optional)
generous sprinkle of Greek seasoning
1/4-1/2 tsp of prepared garlic
1 egg
salt & pepper (not pictured)

Mix all this stuff together with your hands in a large bowl, roll into golfball sized balls (or use a cookie scoop like me), and place on aluminum foil lined pan. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. This makes about 24 meatballs.
Then assemble your sandwiches with flatbread and toppings of your choice. I used my tzatziki sauce, tomato, greens and reduced fat feta cheese. My husband just put sauce and meatballs on his flatbread.

Oh, here's how I did the tzatziki (I also made this up, so I guess it is not really traditional tzatziki):

Faux-ziki Sauce:
1 cucumber
lemon juice
Greek yogurt (I actually only ended up using one container of yogurt)
Greek seasoning
Salt (not pictured)

Slice cucumber lengthwise down the middle and scoop seeds out with a spoon & discard. Then scoop the innards of the cucumber into a bowl with your spoon. Dump in the yogurt with a squirt of lemon juice and sprinkle your seasonings until it tastes good.
Such a great dinner! I paired my sandwich with some vegetable hash I made while the meatballs were cooking.