Lemon basil butter pasta with stuffed clams

Ok so hopefully that title drew you into today's post haha!  That's right, that's what I had for dinner and it was AMAZING!! Now your prob thinking to your self, that has to have like thousands of calories!!!! NOPE!!  One serving has *drum role please* 250 calories!!  Yeah you heard me right 250!  I think this is my lowest calorie dinner I have come up with so far!  Go me! haha!
So before I give you the recipe I shall ramble on about my day, I know you love it haha.  Today I got to sleep in and it felt amazing; I have gotten to do that in a long while!  After I finally got up I went and did my laundry at the laundry matt then got groceries for the week ahead.  At home I dusted, cleaned my fan (it was so full of dust that it needed done) cleaned my kitchen and finished my physics homework.  Wow what a productive day!!  Then I made my amazing dinner and am watching the Oscars!  I wish I had a thing to dress up for like that haha!  Wouldn't that be great?? 
So my major goal for the week: start doing my tae bo dvd that I have!   It will be a good push for my work out routine!  I really want to push my weight loss!  My best friend and I are planning a road trip to vegan then to cali at the end of May so I want to look fabulous for it! 
I weighed in this morning and I'm back down!  Remember that I gained some weight when I first started working out ( prob a result of some muscle build) so now that I got it back down I'm ready to keep dropping!!  I'm doing my second week of the Special K challenge which I have grown to love doing becasue it's so easy to do on the go!!
Ok ok ok, so on to tonight's dinner! 

Lemon butter pasta with stuffed clams

3/4 C Whole wheat pasta
3 T butter
1 T flour
1/2 C milk (low fat 2% or lower)
1 T lemon juice
2 T basil (fresh or tubed)
1/2 t salt
2 stuffed clams

Cook pasta according to directions. 
Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat.  Add flour and whisk together.  Let cook for a couple of minutes on a soft simmer, be sure to stir to keep from burning.  Add milk and whisk until smooth.  Wisk in lemon juice, basil and salt.  Let simmer for 5 minutes.
If you pre bought stuffed clams and need to heat them up:  Add the clams to the milk mixture and cover with lid.  Let simmer in there for 5 minutes while heating up the oven on broil.  Take clams out of sauce and place in a baking pan and broil for 5 minutes.  Your sauce will be fine during this time if you turn it down on low and just let it be. 
After clams and pasta are done, place the drained pasta in the pan with the sauce and toss.  Take out and place on plate, and place clams ontop. Enjoy!

This made enough for two serving and I can't say enough how amazing it is!!  My biggest thing I have to say is that I love tossing the pasta with the sauce then putting it on the plate, instead of pouring the sauce over the pasta.  this keeps you from using too much of it!  And trust me that you will most likely not use all of the sauce for the two servings!!  When eating it I would take out some of the stuffed clam and get some pasta and eat it all together!  The mix of the lemon and basil with the clams is just spectacular!
If you don't like stuffed clams, you can also use: shrimp, scallops, plain clams, or any type of fish.  I guess you could also do this dish with chicken if you really wanted.  Any of these choices are still really healthy and great for you!!
I hope you all enjoy this out there and I look forward to the rest of the week becasue like I've mentioned time and time again, I have an amazing menu planned out, and this is just the start of it!!

Getting ready for a new week

Whew my back hurts tonight from my barn work.  Since it's spring everything is thawing now which means more work for me haha!  It'll only be a few times that it will be real bad until I get everything scooped up that was frozen.  So I spend 2 1/2 hours working today, but it was a good time to work on the tan! haha!!  It felt like spring today, so nice!  If your curious out there 2 1/2 hours of barn work equals about 1300 calories burned!  I would say well worth the trouble haha!!
Yesterday I delivered a car to Glenwood Springs for my dad and it was a lot of driving haha.  Don't worry I was still pretty good.  I brought a protein bar along with me and a special k snack bar.  Also my water bottle.  Now while driving I couldn't help but think of ideas to get a work out in while driving.... There's always the simple ab work out of sucking your gut in so that your pulling your bellybutton to your spine and hold for ten seconds....then repeat haha.  I also did some arm exercises using my water bottle, but don't worry I only did those while the weather was nice during my drive haha because I could only use one hand at a time on the wheel.  Another good leg workout would to life your toes off the ground while keeping your heels on the ground and do several them, then switch and lift your heel off and keep your toes on the ground.  Great leg workout for while in the car haha.
Boy I sure have a great menu planned out for this week, I'm super excited!!!!  Once again I'm doing the special K challenge this week.  Its actually really easy to do and great for on the run!  I haven't weighed in yet for the week, plan on doing it in the morning!
So today I did not each much during the day, but for dinner I had Mexicali, thank you Alex and Ken!!  I calculated it up and that burrito had about 1040 calories! YIKES!! Oh well, I totaled up my calories for the day and I'm at 1,200 calories which is great haha!  I can't go higher than 1500.  Honestly I should be hitting about 1200 each day, but it's so hard for me to do!! I"m lucky that I'm hitting over 1000 and I see that as a good start to healthy eating, one step at a time!!
Well I feel like I"m just rambling so I will sign out for the night.  Be sure to check back for all the great recipes this week!! I'm So excited!!!!

Michele

March 4th

So you may be asking your self why I put today's date as the title.....March 4th is a day that stirs up many emotions...First off it is my mother's birthday so happy birthday to her!! I love her so much!!  I consider my mom one of my best friends and I owe so much to her! I love my whole family, it's with all of their support that I am where I am today....
March 4th is also an emotional day on the other spectrum because 7 years ago today I lost my best friend to a car accident.  That event turned my world upside down.  I was lost for months and didn't know what to do with my self, but with the support of my family and other friends I made it through a stronger person.  Now I look back on the event as sad, but I thank God that I am a better person that I was then and I owe some of it also to Ryan because I got a real chance to look at the way that he lived his life....to the fullest each and everyday, no regrets.  And ever since I have tried to live my life that way and I pass that motto onto all of you out there!! 
Anyways with all of that aside, I was bad today, I got McDonalds for dinner.  I was on the run because I had to drive to Denver after my last class and didn't have time for anything else to eat.  I was going to eat one of my breakfast burritos but it had mold on it, so oh well haha.  Tomorrow I am driving up to Glenwood Springs to deliver a car for my dad.  I brought my special K stuff to eat on the road, so I'm planning on being good during the day!!!
So last night I had an awesome dinner!  I got a bison steak that was amazing.  I also fell in love with mashed cauliflower!  It was soooooo good!!!!!!!  I also made low cal coleslaw to go along with it.  So it was good over all and just so tasty.  I eat way too well to be a college student haha! 
Anyways, I've rambled enough for today, take care everyone and I will post later!!!!

Michele

Shrimp Scampy

So today was my 2nd day on the special K challenge and it went really well!!  I enjoy the special K foods, from their protein shakes to their cereal so that makes all of this easier.  Other than that it was a beautiful day here in Colorado!  It was 50* out and the sun shinned all day long!  I twas awesome!!  tomorrow is suppose to be even warmer at 57*!  WOO haha.  With the warmer weather I went out and did my barn work, but there was more to do because things were starting to thaw out.  So my arms are nice and worn out, and I might be feeling it in my back tomorrow.  Oh well!  It was good exercise haha.
So for dinner tonight I decided to do a shrimp scampy and oh man it was sooooooooooo good!! It was really refreshing!!   And of course it was healthy!  So here's the recipe!

Shrimp Scampy

3 oz cooked shrimp
1 serving whole wheat pasta
1 fl oz rose wine
1 Tbs lemon juice
10 spear tips of asparagus or broccoli crown (about 5 if you do the broccoli)
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 Tbs butter
salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to directions
Sautee garlic and onion in olive oil. After it's cooked for a little add asparagus and cook for only about 5 minutes.
Take out and keep oil in pan. Add shrimp to pan and sear just enough to heat up the shrimp. After done take out of pan. Add wine to the pan and let the alcohol cook off.  Add butter and melt into the wine. After that is done add lemon juice and the garlic, onion, asparagus mixture and add shrimp. Toss with pasta and enjoy!

 

I would have done the asparagus but my local grocery store didn't have very good looking asapragus so I opted to use broccoli instead!

The pasta I used was the same as the one from the other night with my beef stroganoff which is fantastic haha.  Once again this is a lot to eat!!  But it only has 320 calories in it!!  Remember all of the inexpedience are for one serving...  Also with the wine you can use what ever type you have...I had some rose wine so that's what I used haha.  Also with the sauce you don't want to make too much, just enough to coat the rest of the dish, you don't want soup!!!!  Anyways enjoy this dish!  I know I did!!!   I can't wait to enjoy the weather tomorrow, I'm thinking about going bird watching for my ornithology class tomorrow.  It'll be good to get out and walk around!  Anyways that's it for today!  

Michele

Special K Challenge

As I mentioned in my earlier post I'm doing the Special K Challenge these next two weeks.  I figured good time to do it!  2 weeks till spring break and I'm staying home this weekend so I can focus on it!!  Also I'm planning on working out again.  Today I didin't get around to it because I'm studying for my Ornithology Lab Practicle that I have tomorrow morning and I have to do well on it!!  I'll prob get some crunches in before bed but that's about it.  Oh well!  The Special K challenge went alright today except I met with my cousin and aunt for lunch because they were up in town.  So I ate pretty bad for lunch haha.  Oh well right!  I did well the rest of the day! 
I don't really have much to say today except for that I"m excited for the rest of this week food wise because I have some good dinners though up for the week!  So stay tuned for those!! HAHA!  Anyways, hope everyones' weekend was good and have a good week!!!

Michele

Weekend time!

So glad that it's Friday!  Getting ready to go take my physic exam, it's my 4th exam this past week so it's been a busy one!!!  I was really not good this past week with the whole diet, but oh well right?  I went out this morning and did my barn work.  That's my exercise on Monday and Friday haha.  I'm heading down to Littleton this weekend.  Going with my sister tonight to see her high school's musical at Columbine.  They're putting on Guys and Dolls.  I get extra credit for going for my theater class so it works for me! haha! 
Today I've been busy this morning.  I got up and went out and did my barn work, then I groomed my dog and gave him a bath.  He looks so good now!  Then I got my house all straightened up for the weekend.  Ready to rock and roll! 
As far as eating goes today I prob haven't been eating enough.  I had special K this morning, then I've had 1/4 C of my trail mix and an apple.  I need to eat something else but I really don't have anything around to eat.  I need to go to the store when I get back on Monday. 
Well I didn't have much to say today, but I just wanted to check in and let you all know I haven't forgotten about my blog haha!  I'm so excited that I have more people following!  Next week I plan on being really strict and back to my diet and workout!  Thinking about doing the special K challenge just to jumpstart everything.  I researched it today and I would get the right amount of calories with it, so I think I will!!  Anyways have a good weekend everyone!!!!

Healthy Eating!
Michele

Beef Stroganoff (healthy style :-) )

So tonight I actually cooked something haha.  And I found my camera so I have decent pics of it!!  Tonight I used my left over pot roast from the other day to make beef stroganoff.  Such a good comfort food for a cold night!  Before giving the recipe I just have to say that I was better today about eating right, although I really didn't eat enough today.  I got caught up studying.  I have 2 more exams to go this week!  Then the weekend, where I get to study for Ornithology.....Spring Break can't come soon enough!! 
On another note I have a phone interview next Thursday with Disney!!!  I'm hoping to go do their internship program from June-January.  Should be so much fun!!  Just another incentive for me to want to loose weight!!  FLORIDA!! haha!  Ok well I really don't have much else to say today, so here's my recipe!

Healthy Beef Stroganoff

4 oz left over pot roast (or you can cook it through the day, mine also had cooked carrots with it)
1/2 C chicken broth (or if you have beef broth, I just had chicken broth)
1 serving of whole wheat pasta ( mine was about 1 C)
1 T flour
4 T water
salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to box directions.  In pot bring chicken broth to a boil.  When it's boiling add pot roast so the flavors can meld together.  let simmer for about 10 minutes.  In a separate bowl mix water and flour together this is called a rue.  Take and mix the rue and chicken broth together, continue to simmer for about 5 more minutes.  Salt and pepper to taste. 
Mix pasta in with the gravy and beef and enjoy!!

The first pic is the pasta I used, the second is the rue, and the third is the finished dish.  I know it's not so pretty but it sure is good!!! I hope you enjoy it!  Just to let you all know that this makes a lot for one serving, I couldn't finish it all!!!!  Total calorie count is about 420, and I know this is more than my usual dishes but I made up for it during the day by cutting down on calories there, I just planned a head for it!!  ENJOY!


Michele