Breakfast for dinner - check this out!

I love breakfast food, but I had been avoiding it for a long time - Until I discovered almond flour!!  Hot damn - it's amazing!

 

I already posted my recipe for pumpkin protein pancakes here, but I wanted you to see what my whole dinner looks like - and tonight I came up with something new and amazing!

 

So tonight, I had three slices of low sodium turkey bacon (25 calories a slice), 1/2 cup 100% liquid egg whites scrambled with 1 cup baby spinach and 3 medium mushrooms, and four pumpkin protein pancakes.  Oh I started making slightly smaller pancakes and got 9 out of tonight's batch (my previous recipe made 7) so now they are 91 calories and 11g protein each!

 

The topping for these pancakes is made of 1/4 cup canned pumpkin, dash vanilla extract, dash stevia, and 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt.  Mix it all up, and put it on top - and in between your pancakes if you so desire (that's what I did and it was like a cake!)

 

The stats for my dinner:

 

588 Calories

20g Fat

31g Carbs

8g Fiber

72g Protein

801mg Sodium

 

This is 588 calories of healthy good for you great tasting food - and breakfast for dinner?  Who doesn't like that?!  

Savory Zucchini Pie

Found this yummy delicious recipe online for Crust-less Summer Zucchini Pie at skinnytaste.com.  I had to tweak it a little bit, but it turned out so good so I had to post it for you. 

1 large zucchini - shredded

3/4 small onion - chopped

1tbsp garlic powder

1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used Sargento Reduced Fat 4 Cheese Mexican Blend)

1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour (I used King Arthur)

3/4 tsp baking powder (I used Rumford Reduced Sodium Baking Powder)

2/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk (could use almond, soy, or regular fat free milk)

1tsp olive oil/canola oil blend (I used Pompeiian)

2 eggs - whisked together

1/2 tsp salt substitute

black pepper to taste

2tbsp parmesan cheese

fat free cooking spray.

Preheat oven to 400.

Shred Zucchini in food processor.  Then squeeze water from it by wrapping it in cheesecloth or thin dishcloth and squeezing it out.

Spray baking dish (can use pie pan or I used 8x8 baking dish) with non stick cooking spray.

In large bowl, combine zucchini, onion, garlic & shredded cheese

In a separate bowl, combine flour, milk, eggs, baking powder, olive oil, salt & pepper.

Pour flour/egg mixture over zucchini mixture and mix well.

Pour into baking dish. 

Top with parmesan cheese.

Bake 30-35 minutes until set.  Toothpick or knife should come out clean when dipped in the center of the 'pie'.  Let pie set for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 servings

119 Calories

6g Fat

10g Carbs

2g Fiber

7g Protein

184mg Sodium

Eggplant Parm Stacks - with a twist!

I wanted to make something with eggplant tonight because I had three in the fridge I needed to use up.... This is what I came up with.  It is quite tasty - I think even the kids would like it!!  You can tweak it a bit with ingredients you want but it is DELISH the way I made it tonight!

2 small eggplants - unpeeled, cut into medallions - about 1/4 inch thick

1/2 cup no salt added spaghetti sauce (I used Rinaldi Tradition - No Salt Added)

24 slices turkey pepperoni

1/4 green pepper - chopped

3 small-medium sized mushrooms - chopped

1/3 cup shredded cheese - I used Mexican Blend

4tbsp grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 375.

Sautee Eggplant slices -- I also seasoned with a bit of Perfect Pinch Garlic & Herb (salt free seasoning).... Just takes a few minutes on each side.  I added a bit of water to the pan to 'steam' the eggplant.  Spray muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.  Place one slice eggplant in the bottom of each cup in the muffin tin.  Remove remaining eggplant from pan and set aside on a plate.  Sautee mushrooms & green peppers until tender - I also seasoned these with a little of the garlic & herb seasoning - and added a bit of water to 'steam' them.  (This helps them cook a bit quicker, yet stay tender).  Now, layer in each muffin tin on top of the bottom slice of eggplant in this order -- 1 slice pepperoni, a little bit of shredded cheese, another slice of eggplant, some of the cooked veggies, a little bit of spaghetti sauce, another slice of pepperoni, a little bit of shredded cheese, and a little bit of parmesan on top.  Bake for 20 minutes.  When they're done, you can remove from muffin tin with a spoon and they'll stay in little stacks.

Makes 2 servings of 6 stacks each --

268 Calories

11g Fat

25g Carbs

12g Fiber

16g Protein

542mg Sodium



Spicy Broccoli, Spinach & Ground Turkey Stir-Fry!

I think when people make stir-frys they normally don't think about putting in ground turkey -- I know I used to mostly do chicken or steak, but yesterday I made this for lunch and it was delish!!  Check it out - high in protein & fiber, and low in calories!!  This is a complete meal, that packs tons of flavor, and won't leave you hungry!

2cups raw spinach (I used flat leaf)

6oz ground turkey, lean

1/4 cup chickpeas (drained/rinsed)

2tbsp Salsa (I used Great Value Black Bean & Corn Salsa)

3 cups broccoli (I used frozen)

seasonings to taste (I used Mrs Dash Garlic & Herb, McCormick Hot Shot, & Mrs Dash Southwest Seasoning)

Brown turkey - make sure cooked through - season with Mrs Dash Garlic & Herb & hot shot.  Set aside. 

Sautee broccoli over med-high heat, until tender, add in spinach & chickpeas.  Season with Southwest Seasoning.  Sautee until broccoli is wilted.  Add Turkey back into the frying pan - and mix in salsa.  Mix well, and remove from heat. 

Enjoy!!

435 Calories

15g Fat

26g Carbs

11g Fiber

38g Protein

511mg Sodium

Salsafied Black Beans & Lentils!

Anyone who knows me knows I've kind of been eating on the four hour body plan.  Although I don't know that it's helped me lose any more weight than I would've anyways, I do love the way I feel, and I know I'm eating all the right stuff!!  :)  So I whipped this up as part of my breakfast today (paired with a protein shake) and it was delish!!  This dish is packed with protein & fiber, and it's low in calories!

1/4 cup lentils - cooked (I cook lentils a few cups at a time so I can just go in and get some for each meal)

1/5 cup black beans, drained/rinsed

1 mushroom - chopped

2tbsp salsa (I used Great Value Black Bean & Corn)

Heat frying pan over med-high heat.  Add in mushroom.  Sautee for about a minute.  Add in beans & lentils.  Sautee for another minute or two, until heated through and mushroom is tender.  Add in salsa, sautee for another minute (See how quick and easy this is?!)  Remove from heat and enjoy!!  Makes 1 serving.

**Lentils just about double in size when you cook them, so the 1/4 cup cooked is only about 1/8 cup dry**

100 Calories

0g Fat

21g Carbs

9g Fiber

8g Protein

157mg Sodium

*I had this with a protein shake consisting of chocolate protein powder, cocoa powder, black beans, canned pumpkin, liquid egg whites, almond milk and this ended up being the nutrition information for my entire breakfast (I consider this a huge win)!

337 Calories

4g Fat

41g Carbs

13g Fiber

39g Protein

351mg Sodium

Sweet Vidalia Onion Asparagus StirFry with Chicken

So here's another yummy dish I threw together when I couldn't figure out what to have for lunch.  It's a little bit delicious - and a whole lotta healthy!   It's packed with Veggies & Protein -- it's Low in calories, high in fiber, and so tasty!  This makes one portion.   Even those of you counting calories can eat all of this for lunch or dinner!!  It's perfect in just about every way!!  ;)

1 boneless/skinless chicken breast - chopped (Mine weighed 7.5oz)

3 cups asparagus Stir Fry (I used great value - from walmart)

1 mushroom - chopped

1/4 cup black beans - drained/rinsed

1 cup raw spinach

cumin - to taste

jamaican style curry powder - to taste

s&p - to taste (I use salt substitute)

1tbsp Ken's Light Sweet Vidalia Onion Salad Dressing

Heat frying pan on med-high heat.  Spray with non stick cooking spray.  Add chicken - season with cumin & curry powder.  I also like to add a little water to the frying pan when I'm cooking chicken -- It seems to help it cook faster, and keeps it super moist.  When chicken is done, remove from heat, set aside.  Spray frying pan with non stick spray.  Add veggies (thaw a bit prior to cooking), mushroom, and black beans.  Add a bit of cumin & curry powder to taste. Sautee for several minutes, until veggies are tender.  Add in spinach and salad dressing.  Continue cooking until spinach is wilted.  Add in chicken - mix well.  Then remove from heat and finish off with some s&p if desired. 

Here's the stats.

365 Calories

3g Fat

28g Carbs

10g Fiber

60g Protein

267mg Sodium



Cheesy Beefy Mexican Casserole

Yesterday I took some lean beef out of the freezer to cook for dinner but I didn't really have a game plan in mind.  Well I came up with this casserole - and it turned out so delicious!!  It is low in calorie, and it's so good I ate two servings - and didn't feel guilty about it!! ;)  I just made an 8x8 dish of it - and that's what the nutrition information is based on (4 servings) but you could easily make this larger to serve more people.  I topped mine with a little plain non-fat greek yogurt (in place of sour cream).

1/2lb Lean Ground Beef (96/4) ((You could use ground turkey))

1/4 cup frozen yellow corn

1.25 cups zucchini, sliced/quartered

3 medium mushrooms - chopped

1 can diced tomatoes w/green chiles - drained

1/2 cup black beans (I used cooked from dry that I had made but you can also use canned - just be sure to rinse them thoroughly to reduce sodium)

2tbsp enchilada sauce 

1/8 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar

1/4 cup salsa (I used black bean & corn salsa)

2 flour tortillas

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray baking dish with non stick cooking spray. 

Brown ground beef - I seasoned mine with cumin & ground red pepper. 

Set aside in a bowl and add 1/2 can diced tomatoes. 

Saute veggies & remaining 1/2 can tomatoes - I also seasoned them with cumin & ground red pepper -- also add enchilada sauce at this point.  

Layer as follows in the baking dish -- salsa, then 1 tortilla, then add the meat/tomatoes, and  1/2 of the cheese - then add another tortilla, then the veggies, and finish off with remaining cheese. 

Bake for 25 minutes

Makes 4 servings.

205 Calories

6g Fat

26g Carbs

5g Fiber

18g Protein 

606mg Sodium

 

Chicken with 'Shrooms & Peppers

This is a Jillian Michael's recipe I saw somewhere.... Decided to make it tonight, and it turned out delish so I had to post it here.... I did make a couple small changes, reflected in my recipe below... Enjoy!! 

1 Cup Mushrooms - Chopped

1 cup onion - chopped

1 cup tomatoes - chopped

6oz boneless chicken breast 

1tbsp parmesan

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

olive oil

sprinkle basil 

sprinkle Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb

Saute mushrooms, red pepper, & red onion in olive oil (I used my Misto so I didn't use much olive oil) until tender (about 5 minutes).  Add chopped tomatoes, Mrs. Dash, & Basil cook until tomatoes break down into a sauce (about 8 minutes).  Saute chicken in a pan coated with cooking spray (about 10 minutes).  Top chicken with veggie sauce & parmesan.  

Makes 2 servings. 

227 Calories

8g Fat

18g Carbs

5g Fiber

20g Protein