WIAW: White Bean Veggie Burgers

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Happy Wednesday, everyone!

It's been a great week!  I'm enjoying this last bit of summer weather while dreaming of new fall boots and all the lovely things to come.

This week I decided to dust off My Fitness Pal app on my phone and count some calories.  I hope you see a difference from last week.

Mostly, I just need to stop eating so many treats, you feel?

Ok, let's go!

Breakfast: Spinach Omelet, Toast & Strawberries

The day started off right with 1/3 cup of egg whites, 1/2 cup of frozen spinach (cooked) with a little reduced fat cheddar on top.  Strawberries, wheat toast and pumpkin spiced coffee on the side.  Yum!
You like my new red table?  I guess you can't make the assumption that it is cute based on this picture, but it is.  Trust me.  When we finally get the kitchen remodel complete, I'll do some before and after pics.

Morning Snack: Nectarine & Almonds

For snack, I very shoddily cut up a nectarine and had a 100 calorie pack of almonds.  I really don't care much for natural almonds, I've decided.  I much rather prefer the salted and roasted kind.

Lunch: Leftover Healthy "Alfredo" Pasta with Chicken

Lunch was leftovers from the previous night.  I portioned out exactly 4 servings of the dinner and quickly put the leftover portions in containers in the fridge.  That way I can't go back for more bites!  I know myself ;)
Ok, so in the mix is whole wheat rotini pasta, frozen spinach, my healthy alfredo sauce and grilled chicken.  Pretty darn tasty, if I do say so myself.

Ok, so I have gotten so used to having sweets after both lunch and dinner (naughty!) that I've decided to replace most sweets with tea.  That way it gives me a little pick me up and completes my meals.

I had 2 mugs of green tea after I got back to the office.

This is how I feel when I drink alot of tea.

If you guys are on Facebook, check out the Bitstrip comics.  You can design your own avatar (doesn't that look exactly like me-LOL-I'm kidding) and there are a bunch of premade comics you can post.  Fun!

Afternoon Snack: PB2 & Graham Crackers

Ok, so I'm totally obsessed with eating peanut butter toast before I go workout.  I do it almost every day.  I did NOT do it Monday...but Tuesday (the day I take pics for WIAW) I was jonesing.
So, I found an alternative that is fewer calories.  Graham cracker squares with powdered peanut butter.
Powdered peanut butter is in no way nearly as delicious as regular PB, but the calories are like 3x or more lower (I'm not good at math).
You used to only be able to buy PB2 online, but I saw it at my Kroger the other day!  You mix the powdered PB with water to make a paste.  I added cinnamon to mine.

A pretty decent snack.
Then I prepped dinner to put in the fridge before heading to my boot camp workout.  It was a killer workout, indeed.

Dinner: White Bean Burger, Roasted Veggies

For dinner, I went totally veggie and roasted some cauliflower and green beans in the oven (for about 25 minutes at 425 degrees) and made some yummy burgers (I ate mine bunless, but you could add a bun if you like).

White Bean Veggie Burgers
makes 6 patties

1 (14-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained + rinsed
1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, drained + rinsed
1/3 cup liquid egg whites
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 ear corn, cooked & cut from the cob
1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed

Add the beans and chickpeas to a food processor with the egg, garlic, panko, basil, olive oil, salt and pepper. Pulse until the mixture is just combined but also a bit coarse. Remove it and place it in a large bowl, then stir and mash in the corn and spinach. Form the mixture into 6 even patties.

Heat a large griddle and spray with non-stick cooking oil. Cook the patties (in batches, if necessary) on both sides until they are golden and warmed through, about 5 to 6 minutes total. Make sure to be gentle when flipping them, and make sure that both sides are brown and crispy.

recipe adapted from How Sweet It Is blog

After dinner, I had plenty of calories left to have a lovely sugar cone with 1/2 cup of frozen yogurt!  Yay!

I did drink some sleepy time tea later in the evening, but did not take a picture.

I'll leave you with a super sweet picture of Bizzy!

Check out my (healthy) buffalo chicken dip over at Endless Simmer today!!!  Perfect for football or any type of gathering!

Have a great rest of the week!

WIAW: Following Recipes is Overrated & Some Links

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Well, hello there!

It's already Wednesday!!  Oh, how I love a short week.  I hope everyone enjoyed their Labor Day.  Mine was quite relaxing.  No labor for this gal ;)

Nothing too exciting today for What I Ate Wednesday, but I did try some new things.  So, let's get to it.

Breakfast: Honey & Ricotta English Muffin with Fruit

I saw this Ricotta Toast at A Beautiful Mess blog and thought it sounded interesting.  I did my own version on a toasted whole wheat English muffin.  I added skim ricotta, sliced strawberries and honey.  Pretty tasty!  Coffee on the side.

 A.M. Snack: Watermelon & Cereal

I originally packed watermelon for my snack, but at the last minute decided I needed to eat some Cinnamon Toast Crunch (which was on sale at the grocery this week!).  I put about 1/2 cup in a Ziploc.  It was very tasty, indeed.

Lunch: Mixed Veggie Salad with Meat & Cheese

After a quick walk with the dogs, I made some salads containing: baby romaine mixed lettuce, broccoli, fresh corn (sliced off the cob), cajun deli turkey, colby cheese and greek yogurt ranch dressing.
Such a perfect end of summer lunch!

My guy brought us some cake to share, too.
Mostly because I heavily suggested it ;)
I made this Texas Sheet Cake for the holiday weekend, but I made it in a 9x13 pan (and baked it about 10 minutes longer) and it was perfection.  Best cake ever.

Not the best picture ever, but trust me.  This is the cake you want to make...for every event.  Forever and ever.  Amen.

P.M. Snack: PB Toast

I did pack an apple to eat for afternoon snack, but I didn't get to it, so I had some whole wheat toast with natural crunchy peanut butter before heading to boot camp class.

Dinner: Ratatouille Pasta 

Remember last week, I was talking about my Food Network magazine?  This was a recipe I wanted to make from it.  So I did....and it was pretty good, though not very photogenic.
My first inclination with any recipe is to simply be inspired by it and not follow it.
I tried my darndest to follow this one, though.
Here's the recipe if you want to check it out: Ratatouille Pasta
I added mushrooms, red onion and subbed wheat lasagna noodles.
Anyways, next time I think I'll use a rotini veggie pasta and roast the veggies instead of grilling them.  Maybe I'll make my own recipe.
Following the recipe is sometimes overrated ;)

For dessert I had some Moose Tracks froyo, this brand.  I did not take a picture.

I'll leave you with some pictures of my sweet fur babies (well, Reggie is not technically my fur baby, but I love him like he is) and some fun links!

Bizzy the dog, Baby the cat, Boscoe, Reggie

A Few Links I must Share:
20 Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipes-I sent this link to my boyfriend, and he is very excited to try all of them!
Crockpot Stuffed Pepper Soup-I cannot wait to try this recipe--yum!
Butterscotch Banana Bread Oatmeal Bites-I tried these over the weekend.  So good!!  I will definitely be making them again.

Have a great rest of the week!!

What I Ate Wednesday: Fruit & Veggie Goals

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Good Morning!!  It's WIAW time!  I'm so glad we are halfway through the week.

Last week, I took a mini vacation, so it's been hard getting back in the swing of things.  Especially healthy things-LOL!  We went camping and rafting on our vacation and did not eat many fruits or veggies..plus due to rain, we didn't get much hiking done either. 

So, now I feel like I am new to this whole eating healthy and exercising thing.  After a few days, though, I'm starting to feel a little back to normal.

My goal for fruits and veggies has always been to get the recommended 5 servings a day.  It is really tough some days, though.  A guideline I like to follow is to eat at least one fruit or veggie at every meal and snack.  Mind you, this does not always happen....but today IT DID!  Hooray!

What's that?

Oh, you want to see pictures from the trip?  I'll give you one.  It's a pretty crazy pic of me! (I'm on the front right.  I am not wearing my glasses and I had just fallen over a bit).

Oh, fun times!  It was my first time white water rafting.  Definitely an experience ;)

Ok, on to the eats!

Breakfast: PB English Muffin

This morning started hectically as I apparently forgot to set the alarm.  I had 20 minutes to get out the door and was starting to lose my cool.  Luckily, my boyfriend made me breakfast and coffee!  Such a wonderful guy!  I ate this whole wheat English muffin with natural peanut butter, banana slices and a honey drizzle.  I also took some coffee on the go.

A.M. Snack: Shake

I had prepared a shake ahead of time and kept it in the fridge.  Such a lovely morning snack & a great way to force myself to eat some fruit!  This one had 1 frozen banana, 1/2 cup frozen cherries, 4 big strawberries, 1 cup almond milk and a scoop of vanilla soy protein powder.

Lunch: Taco Salad

For lunch, we decided it was too hot to walk the dogs, so I put some salads together using some leftovers from Monday night.
I layered the bottom of the bowl with a mixture of zucchini, yellow squash, fresh corn, black beans, lean ground beef and brown rice (that I had made Monday).  On top of that went some chopped romaine lettuce, diced avocado, a drizzle of Greek yogurt ranch dressing and a spoonful of salsa.

Here it is, all mixed up.

 Colorful and healthy!

Lunch dessert:

Fiber One brownie & a giant green tea.

Though we didn't walk the dogs, Reggie & Bizzy played while we ate lunch.  Bizzy passed out on the way home.  She is one tired pup!

P.M. Snack: Peach & Popcorn

For afternoon snack I had grabbed a peach on the way out the door.  My boss buys all these junk food snacks for our little office kitchenette.  He jokingly griped at me that I wasn't eating my quota of snacks.  He is trying to buy healthier snacks, but lord help him he loves a Debbie cake.
Anyways, these 130 calorie packs were back there so I thought I'd pair one with my peach.
It was pretty dang good!
It didn't come with as much popcorn as I usually consume (read: more than I need), but it was a perfect accompaniment to my sweet peach that I sliced.

Then I went to boot camp.  Um, it felt like it was my first time working out...EVER.  Ouch!
I actually had worked out twice since we got back in town, but this was killer.

Mom and I took a walk with Bizzy to stretch our legs afterwards.

Ok, so dinner took me seemingly forever to prepare because my arms were already so sore from push-ups and chest flies.  It physically hurt me to dice this sweet potato...

Dinner: Fish & Veggies

Dinner was some delicious cod that I made by squeezing a bit of lemon juice and hot sauce on the fish to tame the fishiness, along with about 1/2 cup of sour cream (this was for 4 fillets).  Then I lightly breaded the fish in breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan and seared it in some olive oil.  Most of the breading came off, but I just scraped it from the pan and put it on top, because I'm classy like that ;)

I also roasted a giant sweet potato and some Brussels sprouts (for about 25 minutes on 425 degrees).  Yum!

After dinner, I was so excited to read my new magazine (a gift from my guy!):

So many things I want to make!!

I also had a fro yo cone.

Bizzy didn't even bark at me.  She must be growing up!

Have a super fantastic week, all!

Microwave Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas for Two

 

In lieu of the normal What I Ate Wednesday I bring you a killer recipe that is so quick, easy and flavorful, it will blow your mind. 

I know the stores have the Halloween decorations out.  I know everyone is wishing for Fall to just be here already.
I also know that it's still Summer, and I don't want to heat up the house by turning the oven on.
I also have no patience to wait 25 minutes for enchiladas.

So, let's microwave a dish...want to?

This super cheesy dish with just the right amount of kick comes together in like 10 minutes.  No lie.
An it's the perfect portion for two people.  You could always double the recipe if you need to.

 

Microwave Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas for Two Makes 5 small enchiladas 1 large chicken breast 1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained 1/4 cup shredded cheese 1/4 cup reduced fat bleu cheese crumbles 1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream 1/4 cup buffalo sauce, divided Salt & pepper to taste 5 low carb tortillas (small) Topping 1/2-3/4 cup shredded cheese 1/4 cup reduced fat bleu cheese crumbles 3/4 can of red enchilada sauce Drizzle buffalo sauce Chopped green onions (or cilantro) Drizzle half of the buffalo sauce on the chicken and cook on the stove until done. Let the chicken cool slightly and dice into bite size pieces. Mix all filling ingredients in a bowl. Prepare a microwavable casserole dish with nonstick spray. Spoon some enchilada sauce in the bottom of the dish. Scoop 1/3 cup of filling in each tortilla and roll. Place seam side down in casserole dish. Cover with enchilada sauce, the 2 cheeses and a drizzle of buffalo sauce. Cover and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Dice green onions and sprinkle on the top of the enchiladas. Top with additional sour cream and buffalo sauce. Yum!   Anyone tired of me eating buffalo chicken dishes yet?   Me either.   Have a great week, all! 

 

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30 Day Self-Portrait Challenge

I did it!  I successfully completed a photo challenge.

This was part of A Beautiful Mess blog's 30 Day Self Portrait Photo Challenge to promote their new photo idea book, which I just ordered here.

It was so challenging for me to take pictures of myself every day.  I know that sounds kind of crazy coming from a girl who takes approximately 27 pictures a day, but it started to get old towards the end-LOL.

Anyways, just figured I would share this collage of my 30 pictures.  They are not in order, just randomly shuffled in a collage.

Follow me on Instagram to see them in order and some of my other pictures of food, Bizzy the dog, Baby & Boscoe the cats...to name a few of my favorite photography subjects.

Have a lovely Friday and weekend, all!

WIAW: Clean Eats Mexi-Rice Bowl with Chipotle Lime Chicken

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Good Morning!

It's already Wednesday!

Of course, yesterday I was saying, "It's only Tuesday??!!"  Now that we've reached mid week, it's all down hill from here.

Anywho, here's my eats from yesterday if you'd like to take a gander...

Breakfast: Fruit Smoothie & PB Toast

Guys, if I could marry a food, it would totally be peanut butter toast.  So delicious!  I'm such a weird girl ;)

Anyways, had some Skippy crunchy PB on whole wheat toast and a fruit smoothie containing the following: 1 frozen banana, large handful of strawberries, handful of blueberries, 1 tbsp cocoa powder, 1 cup almond milk & one sweetener packet (I use off brand Equal).  A great start to the day!

Morning Snack: Nuts & Orange 

I was ready for my 10:30 snack and had this teensy handful of peanuts two times ;)

After that, I was not quite satisfied and I peeled an orange.

Don't you hate it when your orange peel is like 1/4" thick, making your orange smaller than you thought and kind of dry?  Meh.  

Lunch: Tuna Melt, Carrots, Grapes, Chips

After a quick walk with the dogs, I made some open face tuna melts for lunch with tuna, olive oil reduced fat mayo, dijon mustard, a tomato slice and muenster cheese all on a piece of wheat toast.  On the side were baby carrots, red grapes and a few salt & vinegar chips.
I tried to have a mug of coffee, but the dogs were playing right beside me and totally knocked the whole mug out of my hand.  Meh.

I was pretty satisfied by lunch until about 5 p.m. when my peanut butter toast monster started growling.
I knew on the way home that it was imminent.  I even said on the phone that I was "on the way to my peanut butter toast" instead of "on the way home."  True story.

When I got home, I had my toast and then walked my girl.

Bizzy loooooves walks!
After a 20 minute walk, I headed to my boot camp workout.

Dinner: Clean Eats Mexi-Rice Bowl

This dinner was stellar!  Very flavorful chicken with a little kick, brown rice, black beans and veggies.  So good!  Make it, won't you?

Clean Eats Mexi-Rice Bowl with Chipotle Lime Chicken
makes 4 servings

For the chicken:
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo)
2 limes, zested and juiced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chopped mushrooms

Add the chicken and mushrooms to a large bowl and season it with the salt, pepper and paprika. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, adobo sauce, lime zest and juice and garlic. Pour it over the chicken and mushrooms and toss to coat.
Cook in a skillet on medium heat until done (8-10 minutes?).

For the rice:
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup black beans (drained & rinsed)
1 cup cooked corn (I cooked an ear of corn in the microwave for 3 minutes, then cut the kernels off)
1 cup cooked broccoli (I steamed mine in the microwave)
1 tbsp cilantro
1 tsp salt

Mix all rice ingredients together with a large spoon.

Serve chicken over rice mixture.  Top with avocado, low-fat sour cream & fresh cilantro.  Yum yum!!

chicken recipe adapted from How Sweet It Is blog

Writing this recipe up makes me look forward to leftovers at lunch!

After dinner, I had a small cone of low fat strawberry frozen yogurt.

Uh oh.  Bizzy spotted it.

Yep.

I don't know what her deal is with ice cream.

Sigh.

Have a lovely week!!

By the way, I only have 2 more days in my 30 Day Self Portrait Challenge on Instagram!  I can't believe I actually finished a photo challenge (well, almost).  Yay!  I might post a little recap here once it's over.