WIAW: Veggie Enchilada Stuffed Shells

Hiya!

Well, it's that time again.

I did not feel like my breakfast or lunch were that interesting for What I Ate Wednesday, but dinner was soooo good!  We'll get to that in a moment.

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Breakfast: Fruit Shake & Egg Muffin

I've been having trouble wanting to eat my fruits lately, so I've been drinking them.  Whatever works, right?
I made a fruit shake containing: 1/2 of a frozen banana, a few frozen mango chunks, fresh strawberries and almond milk.  I also had a fried egg on half of an English muffin, because I can't stop...and I won't stop.

I love eggs!

Lunch: Pizza-dilla, Broccoli & Veggie Straws

I had brought grapes for my snack today, but totally did not want them (see above for weird fruit aversion).  By the time lunch rolled around, I was pretty hungry.  I made us some pizza quesadillas!  Or as I like to call them, pizza-dillas!  In a 100 calorie wrap I put marinara, Italian blend cheese, a few pepperonis, black olives and mushrooms.  Yum!! On the side, some leftover broccoli and veggie straws.

P.M. Snack: Bar

For snack I had this tasty, yet tiny snack bar.  It did the trick.

Dinner: Veggie Enchilada Stuffed Shells

Agghh!!!  Cheesy goodness!
My favorite things to stuff in enchiladas is sweet potatoes, spinach and black beans (sounds weird, tastes fantastic!), so since I had some jumbo pasta shells, I thought I'd make some different enchiladas...

They turned out great!  If you are looking for a satisfying meatless meal, this recipe is for you!

Veggie Enchilada Stuffed Shells

Serves 6 

18-20 jumbo pasta shells

2 small-medium sweet potatoes, cooked until fork tender

1 medium zucchini

1 cup frozen spinach, thawed

1 cup diced mushrooms

1 cup diced onion

1 can green chilies

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can enchilada sauce

1 cup shredded cheese

Boil water and cook shells until al dente. Cook onion and zucchini in a skillet until tender (5 minutes). Add mushrooms and cook for 2 more minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 425 F degrees. 

Add all ingredients (except cheese and enchilada sauce) in a large bowl and mix. Season with salt and pepper and/or taco seasoning to taste. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Pour a little enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan and move it around to coat the bottom. Stuff filling in each shell, until it's gone and lay them in the pan (filling side up). Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. 

Top with sour cream and cilantro, if desired. 

After dinner, I walked Bizzy around the neighborhood..and had some unpictured frozen yogurt.  Use your imagination on that one ;)

Have a great Wednesday and beyond!

Project Lean and Clean, Part 2

Ok, so I might have been putting off getting this post together.  My millions and millions of food pictures can be pretty overwhelming!  But I am currently stuck at work because my car broke down (lucky?  unlucky?), waiting for my parents to pick me up (best parents ever!!!)...and now I finally have time to work on this-yay!

Too much of an explanation?  Maybe.

So, without further ado.  Here's part 2 of Project Lean & Clean!

I hope that this helps people come up with healthy meal plans and ideas.

Here's a little blurb to remind you all what this is about:

I thought it would be fun to do a quick round up of my self-imposed January challenge that I call Project Lean and Clean.  I have been posting these pics every weekday in January on my Instagram to help me with eating healthy, balanced meals full of all the good stuff.

*Keep in mind that I may have had an ice cream cone or occasional glass of wine after some of these food collages took place...I'm human ;)

I will include links to any recipes I used.

January 16

Breakfast:  Aldi Raisin Bran and an apple
Snack: Orange and a rice cake
Lunch: Leftover Grilled salmon and grilled veggie couscous
Dinner: Cauliflower "rice", fajita veggies and chicken (homemade), smashed black beans and fresh corn

January 17

Breakfast: Toast with pumpkin peanut butter (equal parts PB & pumpkin puree with cinnamon and honey) and a tropical smoothie containing frozen mango, pineapple, splenda and almond milk
Snack: Rice cake with pumpkin peanut butter, apple
Lunch: Leftover Cauliflower "rice", fajita veggies and chicken, smashed black beans and fresh corn (and a tortilla)
Dinner: Store bought wheat pizza crust with spinach, artichokes, mushrooms and parmesan cheese; roasted cauliflower and butternut squash

January 20

Breakfast: English muffin with pumpkin peanut butter, banana slices and honey
Snack: Pear and homemade granola bar
Lunch: Salad of spring mix with roasted butternut squash, salsa and a frozen black bean burger
Dinner: Stuffed Pepper Soup

January 21

This entire day's eats can be seen on this What I Ate Wednesday post (how's that for lazy?)

January 22

Breakfast: Aldi Raisin Bran with banana
Snack: Pear, almonds
Lunch: Some salsa verde chicken soup my mom made, grilled cheese and roasted cauliflower..followed by a cookie bite
Dinner:  Spaghetti Squash Primavera

January 23

Breakfast: Whole wheat English muffin with 1 egg, plus 1 egg white
Snack: apple, homemade granola bar
Lunch: This was a canned soup.  I think it was Progresso heart healthy black bean and vegetable.  Pretty  good..
Dinner: Leftover Spaghetti Squash Primavera topped with a piece of chicken that I baked with pesto on it.

 January 24

Breakfast: Whole wheat English muffin with natural peanut butter, banana and honey
Snack: apple, homemade granola bar
Lunch: Salad with leftover pesto chicken and veggies..followed by a Starbucks salted caramel cake pop
Dinner: Spinach Tortellini Soup (except I added zucchini and mushrooms)

January 27

Breakfast: Chocolate Toast Crunch with strawberries
Snack: apple, homemade granola bar
Lunch: salad with deli roast beef, edamame, cottage cheese and tomatoes..followed by half of a funfetti cupcake (that I made for a friend's bday)
Dinner: Taco Soup

January 28

This whole day's eats can be found on this What I Ate Wednesday post!!

January 29

Breakfast: English muffin with pumpkin peanut butter and bananas
Snack: homemade granola bar
Lunch: Leftover pumpkin enchilada casserole
Dinner: Israli Couscous with veggies and roasted pork loin (I used this recipe)

January 30

Breakfast: Overeasy egg on a half of an English muffin

Snack: Chocolate Toast Crunch cereal with almond milk and an apple
Lunch: Leftover pork loin and couscous
Dinner: Baked crusted tilapia, quinoa pasta with (jarred) butternut squash sauce and steamed broccoli

January 31

Breakfast: Over easy egg over half English muffin with tomatoes and provolone (under the egg), strawberries
Snack: Chocolate Toast Crunch cereal with almond milk
Lunch: Panda Express--I had the mushroom chicken and some sort of pepper chicken (basically the only non-fried entrees) and mixed veggies.  I did not finish this plate, just so you know.  Way too much food!
Dinner: Microwaved sweet potato topped with steamed broccoli, slices of turkey sausage and a little cheese.
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Ok, so that about wraps things up!  Thanks for sticking with me! :)  This challenge was very helpful for me to visually see what I eat and a way to mindfully make better choices on normal days (not just WIAW days).

I doubt that I'll do another challenge where I flood people's social media newsfeeds with my daily eats, but there will always be What I Ate Wednesday for a peek into my current food obsessions.

WIAW: Healthy Supreme Pizza Spaghetti Pie {Low Calorie, Low Carb}

What if I told you you could have pizza for under 250 calories?  Plus you can have spaghetti on top of all that?  And get a serving or two of vegetables at the same time? Too good to be true?

I think not.

But...you'll have to wait, because I have other eats to discuss today before that recipe.

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It's What I Ate Wednesday time!!!  Yay :)

Breakfast: Egg & Bacon

Oh, how I love over easy eggs!  I had an over easy egg (that my boyfriend cooked for me--best boyfriend ever award!!!) on half of an English muffin with some precooked bacon and grapefruit slices.  Mixing it up for breakfast!  Loved this change from my usual thang.

Morning Snack: Cheerios

I have been loving cereal as a snack lately.  I just measure out a serving of cereal in a Ziploc and have a little tupperware container filled with 1/2 cup of almond milk.  Perfect to take on the go!  These are the new Dark Chocolate Crunch Cheerios.  I like them alot, but I gotta say, the Chocolate Toast Crunch I had last week was 10 times better (although it was like 20 more calories a serving--no big deal).

Lunch: Sweet Potato and Roasted Veggies

For lunch I had prepared these little containers of goodness the night before.  I roasted brussels sprouts, zucchini, squash and red peppers (in 400F degree oven for about 25 minutes) and "baked" sweet potatoes in the microwave.  This lunch was super flavorful and low calorie!  FTW!

Afternoon Snack: Apple

Surprised to see an apple on WIAW?  No?
Yeah, I had another apple today.  It was pretty tough to stay on track having to cut my apple in this kitchenette, surrounded by junk food:

I mean...really?  There are 3 of us in this office and my bosses know that I don't eat that junk.  Why oh why do we need 3 boxes of chocolates, snack cakes, chips, etc.?  It's infuriating, I tell ya.

So, just figured I'd let you know that I am tempted on a daily basis..but luckily most of my snacks stay at my desk with me and I don't go to the kitchen that much (I took this picture when I was heating up my coffee).

Moving on...

I made a winner of a dinner tonight!

Dinner: Pizza Spaghetti Pie

I had 1/4 of the below recipe with a side of roasted broccoli (roasted in the oven at 350F for 30 minutes).  Such a yummy and veggie-fied dinner!

Healthy Supreme Pizza Spaghetti Pie 

serves 4 

Small to medium spaghetti squash

Medium zucchini, shredded

Turkey breakfast sausage (you could also use ground turkey)

2 Eggs, beaten

1 cup pizza sauce (low sugar, preferably)

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 tsp pizza seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

*note--black olives would be great in this..but I didn't have any

Cut your spaghetti squash in half, scoop out the seeds and pulp (and discard), lay the halves face down on a plate with a little bit of water in it.  Microwave until done.  My spaghetti squash was on small side and it was done in 8 minutes.  (You can also bake the spaghetti squash in the oven, but it takes a million years.)

While the spaghetti squash is cooking, heat a skillet on medium heat and throw the onions and green peppers in.  Cook for about 2 minutes, then add the sausage.  Season with 1 tsp of pizza seasoning and the garlic.  Break it into pieces and cook until browned.

Scoop out the "noodles" of the spaghetti squash and all the other ingredients in a large bowl and mix until combined.  Taste and season more, if needed.

Spread into a greased 8x8 pan and cook at 350F degrees for an hour.

Add a little extra pizza sauce on the top and a sprinkling of parmesan (optional) before serving.

*note--next time I'll probably try and squeeze as much moisture from my veggies prior to cooking, because it released a little water in the pan.  No biggie, but just thought I'd mention it.

I know...an hour is a long time, but it's totally worth it!  

You get the taste of pizza without the carbs from the crust or the fat from the cheese.  Normally I would weep missing these two ingredients, but this was very good and you should try it!!! 

(mine was 233 calories per serving, but of course that varies by whatever brand of sausage or sauce you use)

recipe adapted from PaleOMG

After a delicious dinner, I had a low sugar ice cream sandwich.  I forgot to take a picture of it before I hoovered it, but here is another one in the package...and a cute dog photo bomb!

Have a super fun day!

Oh, before I go, let me try a new thing:

Question of the day: Do you deal with food temptation at work while trying to eat healthy?  Or even at home?  How do you deal?

It's so much easier for me to control it at home, because I do the grocery shopping.

If you feel like answering the question in the comment, that's cool.  If not, that's cool too!

Ok, peace out!

Project Lean and Clean, Part 1

Howdy, friends.

I thought it would be fun to do a quick round up of the first part of my self-imposed January challenge that I call Project Lean and Clean.  I have been posting these pics every weekday in January on my Instagram to help me with eating healthy, balanced meals full of all the good stuff.

*Keep in mind that I may have had an ice cream cone or occasional glass of wine after some of these food collages took place...I'm human ;)

I will include links to any recipes I used.

January 1

Breakfast: Egg Beater scramble with spinach, deli turkey, side of strawberries (unpictured-coffee..goes for all of these)
Snack: Fruit smoothie (frozen banana, frozen berries, almond milk, honey)
Lunch: Salad of mixed greens with peas, reduced fat cottage cheese, hard boiled egg, sunflower seeds, beets, hummus
Dinner: Salmon in parchment with peppers, onions and zucchini, sweet potato & broccoli, cauliflower

January 2

Breakfast: Banana pancakes strawberries, sugar free syrup
Snack: Apple and fiber bar
Lunch: Mini salad replica from the day before, but with leftover salmon and peppers
Dinner: Turkey meatballs on spaghetti squash with homemade sauce and kale on the side (blech--not a fan)--here's a similar turkey meatball recipe (not the same, though)

January 3

Breakfast: Egg Beaters, toast, strawberries
Snack: Pear, pistachios
Lunch: Another loaded salad with leftover turkey meatballs, peas, hummus, beets, cottage cheese, & peppers
Dinner: Spinach Tortellini Soup (except I added zucchini and mushrooms)

January 6

Breakfast: Egg Beater omelet with spinach, half English muffin, strawberries
Snack: Zucchini muffin, apple
Lunch: Smoky White Bean Chicken Chili, Cornbread Waffle
Dinner: Veggie Enchilada Stack

January 7

Breakfast: Raisin Bran (Aldi brand), banana
Snack: Fruit shake (frozen banana half, frozen cherries, spinach, almond milk)
Lunch: Leftover veggie enchilada stack on a salad
Dinner: Roasted Red Pepper Chili, Cornbread Waffle

January 8

Breakfast: Spinach Egg Beater omelet with 1/2 English muffin and strawberries
Snack: Pear
Lunch: Subway buffalo chicken sandwich with all the veggies, carrots, cookie
Dinner: Tilapia cooked in parchment, roasted cauliflower, sweet potato

January 9

Breakfast: Raisin Bran (Aldi brand), banana
Snack: graham cracker with peanut butter and banana, soy chai latte
Lunch: Big salad with leftover cauliflower and tilapia
Dinner: Buffalo chicken tenders with whole wheat (gobetti shaped) pasta covered in my "faux-fredo" sauce, broccoli

January 10

Breakfast: Quaker date and walnut oatmeal made with almond milk, strawberries
Snack: Apple
Lunch: Leftover chili
Dinner: Chicken taco salad..inspired by, but kind of different from THIS recipe

January 13

Breakfast: Spinach Egg Beater omelet with 1/2 English muffin and strawberries
Snack: Orange
Lunch: Salad of romaine lettuce topped with a leftover turkey burger, cottage cheese, grilled onions and tomatoes...and a pumpkin brownie
Dinner: Southwestern Stuffed Sweet Potato

January 14

Breakfast: Pumpkin flourless pancake, strawberries
Snack: Apple, rice cake with peanut butter
Lunch: leftover Southwestern Stuffed Sweet Potato, pumpkin brownie
Dinner: Grilled salmon and grilled veggie couscous

January 15

Breakfast: Smoked salmon and spinach egg white omelet
Snack: Fiber bar, orange
Lunch: Leftover white bean chili, hot chocolate for dessert!
Dinner: Grilled shrimp with whole wheat (gobetti shaped) pasta covered in my "faux-fredo" sauce, spinach
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See, wasn't that fun?!

Ha ha!  Well, I will post the round up of the second half of January pretty soon.  Time is a'flyin'!

Have a great weekend :-)