Going in a different Direction

Ok guys, so I'm going to have to go in a new direction with this blog for a little while so stick with me haha.  Since school is so crazy right now with finals right around the corner and I'm getting ready to move to Florida I need to start packing.  So this weekend I"m planning on packing up most of my kitchen...scary I know!!  So I'm going to be eating out now - but I"m going to try to do it as healthy as possible.  I'll blog about that and the different things you can do with eating out.  I'll be mainly doing to go and fast food, so good luck to me haha!  I can actually start with today

So for Dinner tonight I didn't want to cook cause I had a lot of studying to do so I went by McDonalds and looked over the various choices in food and tried to pick out the most healthy thing I could.  So I went with the bacon ranch salad.  When I got home I looked up the calories - the salad with out the dressing is 260 - not bad!  The dressing though is 170 calories for the packet - YIKES!  But I still ate it haha.  so all in all the calories came to 430 calories for my dinner.  Ok so that's not too horrible!

I'm still trying to finish cleaning out my pantry so my plan is to eat out once a day, and then the rest of the day try to finish up what I do have that doesn't need to be cooked.  So we're talking like slimfast shakes for breakfast or cereal, and who knows what else the rest of the day.  I'm going to leave out a couple of bowls and some silver wear and cups.  My biggest thing I wana get packed is my pots and pans.  So yeah, I hope you all enjoy these new posts!

Turkey potato casserole and Breakfast burritos

Hey guys sorry I haven't been on here much, things have just been hectic haha!  I have a new blog now for my Disney College program so please go check it out as well!  http://codisneygirl.blogspot.com  I'm having a lot of fun with that one and it will be even more fun when I make it down to Disney!  As far as this blog goes I'm not sure how much I'll be able to post on it.  I'm hoping to still be able to come up with a few recipes each week, we'll see!  If anything maybe I can talk about the different healthy foods that Disney has to offer as well as my recipes just to keep it going!
This week I haven't really cooked much, just haven't been in the mood to do it because been so busy with school, and my allergies are taking a good toll on me haha.  But don't worry I've been pretty good with my food choices...for the most part.
My two food posts today are both comfort foods with a healthy twist.  The first is a healthier rendition of Tatter-tot Casserole. My mom use to make this while I was growing up and I always enjoyed it!  My best friend absolutely loves it as well.  The traditional one is made with ground beef and tatter-tots, so I sat down and tried to figure out how I could make it some what healthier haha.  I came up with the idea to use ground turkey in place of the beef, and then just some shredded potato in place of the Tatter-tots.  So here you go hope you enjoy!  Calorie count - 333

Turkey Potato Casserole



3 oz ground turkey (93% lean)
1/4 C low fat cream of mushroom soup
1/4 C low fat milk
1/4 potato (shredded)
1/4 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 C corn



Preheat the oven to 375
Brown ground turkey in a pan over medium heat.  Season with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.
In a separate bowl combine milk and cream of mushroom soup - whisk together.
After the turkey is done put down in a casserole dish along with the corn.  Top that with the cream of mushroom and milk mix.  Then top with shredded cheese followed by shredded potato.  Salt the potato.
Bake for 30 minutes, then turn the oven onto broil and broil for 5 minutes to get the potato nice and crispy.
Enjoy!

My next recipe I use to make all the time with another best friend of mine for breakfasts.  The breakfast burrito!!  mmmm just thinking about it now I might have to go eat one haha.  Since I live on my own now it's kinda hard to just make one of these babies.  So I came up with making several and just freezing the others.  This makes it quick and convient for on the go mornings.  All you do is wrap them in a paper towel and heat on high for  a minute in the microwave!  Fantastic!!  Along with my other comfort food I made this one a little healthier haha.  So here we go! Calorie count - 264

Breakfast Burritos

2 oz Chorizo 1/2 potato 1 T butter 3/4 C. all egg white 1/4 C shredded mexican cheese

Cook chorizo over med high heat for about 7-8 minutes. remove and drain off grease on paper towel. Peel and shred potato and cook in same pan as the chorizo. Season with desired amount of salt. Brown for about 10 minutes. Add chorizo back to pan and add egg whites. Cook until egg whites are no longer runny.
Heat up tortillas in microwave for 20 seconds. Starting with one tortila add about 2 T of cheese, then 1/5 of the mixture. (Then I like to top with hot sauce) and roll up. Repeat for rest of tortillas. Enjoy!

I dont have a pic of the breakfast Burritos cause they're just wrapped in plain tortilla, noting spectacular haha.

5 whole wheat tortillas

Turkey Meatball Stew

Well everyone, I know it has been a while since I've done a low cal recipe!  So sorry for that but things have just been kinda crazy!!  I leave for Florida in 37 days!! SO ready for it!!  I just want this semester to end already!  I have really no motivation do to anything school related right now! haha!  Oh well, guess I'll just suffer through haha.
So I go a sample in the mail the other day for Kashi cereal - it was their berry one (like the only one with out almonds haha)  So I decided to try it yesterday for break fast.....yeah didn't like it very much haha.  Not to mention one serving has 190 calories in it, then you top it with the calories in milk...yeah no.  I'll stick to my Special K - with milk it's 190 calories.  That way I can eat some type of fruit with breakfast as well with out over doing it with the calories!!
As far as my weight goes it hasn't budged, but I've lost a few inches.  1 1/2 around my belly - which is my largest part on me,  1/2" in my neck, about an inch in my arm, one inch around my chest, 1/2" around my hips, and 1/2" in my thigh.  So woo!!  That's good news haha!  Good to see some of my effort is doing something haha!
My weak spot is still the whole working out thing :-p  I still am doing the barn work twice a week, prob 3X a week now so I can be out there for shorter times.  My allergies are so bad right now - darn you spring time!  But maybe doing it 3X a week will give my body a better work out?  Who knows haha.  I still do sit ups and all that sometimes; I need to be more consistant with that one haha!  Bathing suit time is right around the corner....I am not excited for that one haha!  Oh well though right?
Ok so I'll get on with last nights dinner!  Turkey Meatball Stew!  So good!!  The recipe that I"m going to give you makes 2 servings of 422 calories each - I know one of my more calories dinner but it was so good!  It's still a good amount of calories though!!  Ok so on with the recipe!

Turkey Meat Ball Stew


6 oz ground lean turkey meat
1 egg
1/2 C bread crumbs
1 T onion powder
1 T garlic powder
1 t salt
1 t peper
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 can beef broth
1 carrot
1 celery stock
1/4 yellow onion
1/2 potato
2 cloves garlic

Ok so we start out with making the meatballs.  In a bowl mix the ground turkey meat, bread crumbs, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and peper.  Best way to mix it is to mix it with your hands.  If it seems too wet still add some more bread crumbs.  Then form the balls into about 1/2 inch diameter balls. Take and put oil in a pan and heat on medium heat.  Add meatballs to the pan.  Make sure to turn meatballs as they cook to get an even golden brown color on all sides.  It takes about 10 minutes for them to fully cook.
While the meatballs are cooking, in a crockpot (slow-cooker)  pour in the beef broth.  Chop the carrot, celery, onion and potato into bite size pieces and add.  Mince up garlic and add to the pot.  Turn the pot onto low (if you have 6-8 hrs to let it cook) or high (3-4 hrs to cook).
When meatballs are done cooking take out and drain on a paper towel.  Let sit for about 1/2 an hr.  Then add to the crock pot!  Let cook and meld together for several hours depending on the temp you set the slow cooker at.
Then just serve up and enjoy!!!

This was such a good meal for a cooler day, or a day that you are going to be busy all day cause you can always make the meat balls the day before then just add to the stew the day that you want it.  So easy and simple!!!



*Just as a heads up, I'm getting ready to start a new blog on top of this one.  It will be about my Disney College program and the adventures that I have during it.  So I'll post the link for it here soon as soon as I get it all set up!

Easter Cake (ok ok I know not low calorie!)

So today is Easter!! Happy Easter to everyone!! Sorry I haven't been blogging much things have just been so inane!! My mom had told me last weekend that she was planning on making a carrot cake for Easter and was wondering if my sister and I wanted to decorate it. I love to decorate cakes! such a stress reviler! So I jumped on the opportunity and immediately came up with a plan to have the cake look like a basket and that I would attempt a rice krispy bunny to put on top to make it look like it was peaking out over. Now last year for my mom's b-day my sister and I did a basket with flowers in it, and I had taught her how to do the basket weave. So she did that part of the cake while I worked on frosting the bunny. The day before is when I made the actual structure of the bunny and then it sat over night. So with doing all of this I decided that I would blog about how to make one! Once again I know that they aren't low calorie but oh well! haha!

Rice Krispy Bunny

6 cups rice krispies
4 cups mini marshmallows
3 T butter
1 tsp vanilla

Take and melt the butter over medium heat and add vanilla.  After melted all the way add the mini marshmallows and melt over medium heat until they are a smooth constancy.

Then turn off heat and add rice krispies and mix all together.  Then take and put in a pan lined with foil and sprayed with non stick spray. 

Now for the molding portion.  I put on two pairs on non-laytex gloves and sprayed the palms of my hand with non-stick spray.  Then I took and molded the head of the bunny, the ears, the torso, and two paws.  I placed skewers in the ears, and paws for assembly later.

This is all the pieces of the Bunny.                                                             This is the Bunny assembled

Then I took a small tip and with white frosting added the eyes, and for the pupils I used a small chocolate chip.  As far as the frosting goes my mom actually already had some made so that worked nicely!  You can use really any kind! As long as it's a good frosting that holds shape.  Then I also added the nose and insides of the ears.  After I did this I took a large star tip and covered the rest of the bunny!

Then skewer it into your cake!!  We colored some coconut with green food coloring to make an Easter grass look that was edible!!  This was just so much fun to make and such a stress reviler that now I think I'm ready to get going again for this week and hope to have some good recipes for all of you!

No I didn't forget about this!

Hey everyone sorry, I haven't forgotten about my blog I promise!! Ive just been extremely busy, and actually haven't been home much! So how's the weight loss going?? I'm some how stuck right now...NO FUN!!! It seems like maybe things calm down some here in the next few weeks, so hopefully I can jump back on the bandwagon! Anyways I"m out for today to run around....see you all later!

Biggest Looser

So tonight was the first night I've actually watched this show...I know I know where have I been?? haha. And it was actually a really good show. It's kinda inspiring I must say haha.
Anyways, I'm back from Spring Break! Over break i wasn't too good....but I didn't gain any weight so that's a plus! Watching this show reminded me that I made a pledge in the pound for pound challenge! I pledged to loose 30 lbs so I must do that!!!!!! I really do need to get on working out! No more excuses! Another thing that is inspiring me to loose weight is that I got accepted into the Disney College Program!!! WOOO!!!! I"ll be going to Florida for 6 months starting the end of May! I"m so excited!! I do want to loose weight for it! Another thing is that I got the victoria's secret catalog the other day and I love their summer clothing!! I know that they come in my size, but I want to loose weight and look absolutely fabulous if I am to get them!
So the weather here is insane!! it was near 70 degrease yesterday and now there's 8" of snow of the ground and still going! Gotta love spring time in Colorado!!! The biggest problem with our spring snows is how heavy it is! But it's also good becasue it means a lot of moisture!
So I have two recipes for you all tonight, but no pictures of either. Both meals were kinda bland looking so I didn't take the pics haha. :-) Trust me though they were both delicious!!!

Ranch chicken nuggets

chicken breast (cut into bite size pieces and skinned)
1 cup corn flakes
1 T ranch powder mix
1 egg (white only)

Heat oven to 425
crush cornflakes and mix with ranch dressing
whip up egg white slightly
Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture and then in cornflak mixture.
Place on cookie sheet that is prepared with foil and a cooling rack.
Place chicken on cooling rack and spray with cooking spray (this makes them crunchy)
Bake for 20 minutes
enjoy

Everyone loves chicken nuggets!! and these were really good! There was about 252 calories in these and I paired them with some mashed potatos that were about 100 calories. So there's a 352 calorie meal not bad! Now I would have done green beans or something like that as well but I"m working on cleaning out my fridge and pantry before I move out in less than 2 months!!

Basil Salmon and Rice

Salmon filet

4 T butter (I use I can't believe it's not butter fat free)
2 T basil (can use fresh as well)
2 T lemon juice
1/4 t onion powder
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t salt
1/4 C rice (uncooked)
1/2 C water

Turn broiler on. Combine water, 1 T butter, 1 T basil and 1 T of lemon juice in a sauce pan. Bring to boil, add rice, cover, and turn on low - cook for 15 minutes
Melt remaining butter, add rest of basil, and lemon juice. Add onion powder, garlic powder, and salt to mixture.
Lay salmon in a small baking dish (just big enough for the salmon) and cover with the butter mixture. Broil for 10 minutes.
Place salmon on top of rice mixture.
enjoy!!

This was really good and refreshing! I just love the combination of lemon and basil! Such a good taste!! This meal is prob close to only 300 calories or less. So really good for you. Not to mention the benefits that salmon has!! It's great!!

Guest Blog!

Hey everyone!! Since it's my spring break and I haven't really been writing I asked someone to write a guest blog for me and it's awesome!!  Chen has a blog on picnic ideas and so he has written an article for you all on low cal picnic ideas. So here it is!! ENJOY!

Low Calorie Picnic Food Ideas
Picnics are great, but if you are on a low calorie diet, it can be torture. All those fried foods, delicious desserts, and mouth-watering meats can wreak havoc on someone’s diet with all the calories they have in them. That can turn a good time into a dismal experience.
It doesn’t have to be that way, fortunately. You can (and should) have a low calorie picnic of your own, complete with foods that lack fat but not flavor. You can even grill out without having your entrees loaded down with calories. This article will give you three low calorie picnic ideas : one appetizer, an entrée, and a dessert.
Low Calorie Picnic Food Ideas: Spinach Artichoke Dip
For this appetizer, we are making spinach artichoke dip with low-fat tortilla chips. To make your dip, you will need:
- ½ cup of light sour cream
- 12 ounces of thawed spinach
- 1/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
- 12 ounces of artichoke hearts
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 10 ounces of softened cream cheese
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Mix together the sour cream with the artichokes and the cream cheese with the sour cream. Add the Parmesan cheese and the garlic powder. Mix this into a creamy sauce and place into a baking dish that you have sprayed lightly with non-stick spray. Then, stir in the spinach (that has been squeezed dry). Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes. I’d stir every 10 minutes.
Low Calorie Picnic Food Ideas: Grilled Salmon
This dish is fairly easy to make. Just take slabs of salmon and fire up the grill to a moderate heat. Remove the skin and place on the grill. Spritz the top side with lemon juice and throw in some cracked black pepper. If you want, you can prepare a mixture of soy and brown sugar to get a salty-sweet combination going, and coat the salmon with the mixture while grilling. Cover both sides and continue to flip until the salmon is nice and grilled (about 6-8 minutes per side will work, or until the fish begins to flake.)
You can apply the soy-sugar glaze to the salmon overnight to marinate it if you would like.
Low Calorie Picnic Food Ideas: Caramelized Pear Delight
For this delightful treat, you will need:
- 2 whole pears
- Strawberry sauce
- 1 tablespoon of softened cream cheese
This dish is pretty easy to prepare. Peel, core, quarter, and slice your pears lengthwise into thin slices. Coat each side lightly with sugar, and place the slices into a sauté pan along with a ¼ cup of unsalted butter over low heat. Flip until both sides are caramelized. Once you have caramelized them, arrange the slices in an attractive pattern on a plate, with a dollop of cream cheese in the middle. Drizzle with strawberry sauce. If you want, you can place quartered strawberries on the plate for an added garnish.
You can substitute other flavors for the strawberry sauce. Raspberry sauce also works very well, as does cherry, apricot, and blueberry.
This entire three-course meal should come in right under 350 calories per person – and still taste delicious!
This article is courtesy of Chen from Picnic Food Ideas