Easter Menu Post

 
 Happy Easter!  Yesterday was the community Easter egg hunt and the girls had a blast!  They came away with a ton of candy!  Here are all my Easter recipes for today.  I was hoping to have these up before today so y'all  would have ideas.  But, due to school and kids being so time consuming I couldn't. 


Oven Poached Salmon
2 lb salmon 
2 cups water
any herbs and spices you like

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Grease baking dish
3. Place salmon in baking dish and season
4. Pour water around salmon
5. Poach for 12-15 minutes until done

Peas w/onions and mushrooms
16 oz bag of peas
1 bag pearl onions
16 oz mushrooms
1 medium onion
1 shallot
1 T minced garlic

Directions

1. Diced onions, and shallots
2. Slice mushrooms
3. Sautee mushrooms, onions, garlic and shallots until slightly brown
4. Boil peas and onions according to package directions, drain
5. Mix together peas, pearl onions, and your mushroom mixture

Asparagus
Directions

1. Steam for approximately 15 minutes until done to your liking

Banana Dream Mousse

2 envelopes Dream Whip
2.75 cups skim milk, divided
1 tsp vanilla
2 small packages Fat Free Sugar Free Banana Cream Jello Pudding mix  (you honestly can you whatever flavor jello you'd like.  I've made chocolate,vanilla, and cookies and cream before
2 bananas, sliced

Instructions

1. Beat together Dream Whip, 1 cup milk and vanilla until soft peaks form
2. Add remaining milk and pudding mixes.  Beat on low until combined then beat on high for about 2 minutes (make sure to scrape your bowl occasionally)
3. Pour filling ontop of bananas and refrigerate for 4 hours.

 And here's a link to last year's recipes:  Easter Recipes 2012

Happy One Year Anniversary!

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday Fat Free Queen!  Happy birthday to you!

 
Today makes 1 year since I started the blog!  Have many people seen it?  No.  Do I think it's as good as I planned it to be?  No.  But, I'm very happy that I have kept it up and progressed it since the beginning. I originally planned this blog to be an outlet for my idea.  {Even though I also hoped it would be an overnight success}  But that obviously didn't happen.

Here are my top posts from the past year:

 

DIY Workout Shirt

 

Frozen Pumpkin Dessert 

 

National Donut Day (Cake Mix Donuts) 

I wonder what my top posts from this next year will be.  I just wanted to thank everybody for taking this journey with me and I hope you stick around for the next year, I have some big plans and hopes.

Take 2.....Just as Delicious as the First

Doesn't that look yummy? Like a big piece of french toast.  

A normal slice of bread pudding has around 300 calories and 10 grams of fat depending on the flavorings.What if I told you that the bread pudding I made tonite had Under 100 calories and .7 grams of fat?  That's cutting out 66% of the calories and 90% of the fat!  

It was still creamy, rich and a bit crunchy.  Reminiscent of french toast.  After the success of the savory one on Sunday I decided to give a sweet one a go.  You can top this one with additional berries, syrup, powdered sugar, melted jam/jelly,   chocolate syrup, or even melted peanut butter.  This could also double as a dessert, just top it with some whipped cream.

Mixed Berry Bread Pudding
20 servings (2 personally filled me up)
Calories: 86
Fat: 0.7 grams
Carbs: 15.9 grams
Sugar: 5.7 grams
Protein: 6.23 grams

Ingredients
1 loaf reduced calorie wheat bread
1.5 c egg substitute (6 eggs)
4 c skim milk
2 T sugar 
1 c sliced strawberries
1 c blackberries
.25 c blueberries
1 c raspberries

Directions 

1. Cube bread
2. Whisk together egg substitute, milk and sugar
3. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with pan spray
4. Put half of the bread in the dish
5. Sprinkle half of the berries on top of the bread.  Do another layer of bread then finish off with the berries
6. Pour milk mix ontop and make sure that all the bread is wet
7. Put in the fridge for atleast an hour or overnight (I actually did it last nite)
8. Take out of the fridge 30 minutes before you plan on baking it (this will prevent the dish from shattering in the oven)
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes (60 minutes covered 15 minutes uncovered).  If the top isn't brown enough for you then turn on your broiler and broil until brown (I put my broiler on high and leave the pan on the lower rack)

 I think this is going to be a new revolving recipe in the house.  There are so many variations I want to try to this.  Cocoa powder, different fruits, the possibilities are endless!  

What do you think would be good in a bread pudding?  

Veggies Invade My Breakfast

I took a big risk on this recipe.  This was either going to be a dinner that the girls would love or hate.  Luckily they loved it.  I edited a recipe for bread pudding and made it lighter and healthier. I threw a bunch of leftovers in it.  According to Kaylee it tasted like veggie burgers.  Which I could totally understand.  It kind of does have a burger-y type taste.  Kaylee is one of the main reasons I made this.  She's been bugging me for bread pudding for a while now.  I decided to start off with a savory one.  She loves stuffing and this is basically a stuffing with milk instead of vegetable broth.  This type of recipe is really versatile.  You can throw in whatever you have on hand.  Squash?  SURE!  Mushrooms?  Onions?  Spinach?  Yes, yes and yes. 

Almost Fat Free Strata
Serves 5 (Mine was cut into 15 pieces so that's 3 pieces per person each slice has 75 calories and 0.3 grams of fat )
Calories: 222
Fat: 0.8 gram
Protein: 23.5 grams

10 slices of reduced calorie whole wheat bread, cubed
1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)
6 medium mushroom diced, (2 cups)
10 baby carrots, sliced paper thin
1/2 of a butternut squash
1 1/4 c egg substitute (approx 6 eggs)
1 1/2 c skim milk
1 cup fat free mozzarella
1/4 c fat free feta
1/2 c lima beans
1/4 cup soy crumbles

Directions

1. Sautee mushrooms, onions, and carrots until soft.  At the end add the squash, soy crumbles and lima beans until warm, cool slightly
2. In a separate bowl whisk together egg substitute, milk, and cheeses.
3. Spray a 13 x 9 pan and put the bread half the bread evenly along the bottom
4. Spread vegetable mixture, and ontop of that the rest of the bread
5. Pour egg, milk and cheese over the bread and vegetables.  Press down to make sure that all the bread soaks up some liquid.  Put in the fridge for atleast 2 hours.  
6. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. 

What vegetables would/do you put in your strata?

Raising an Athlete

For the past couple Saturdays I've watched Kaylee transform from my little girl to an athlete.  The moment that her cleats hit the field she is a different child.

I love the fact that my kids want to play sports.  In high school I considered playing field hockey.  I was also on the swim team for a season.  But, because I wanted to be like my sister and do what my sister did in high school, I quit the swim team and tossed the idea of playing field hockey.  Following in my sister's footsteps failed miserably for me though. 

As of right now all 3 of my girls have very different opinions in what they want to excel in athletically.  Sunny wants to be a ballerina, Mantha wants to be the next Gabby Douglas, and Kaylee wants to score the winning kick on the Olympic Soccer team.  

As a parent I'm happy Kaylee's found something that she loves.  As a future health and fitness professional it's an exciting thing.  It gives me a new area of my profession to explore.  What do I feed a future Olympian?  What extra nutrients does she need?  What types of exercises should I do with her to help her condition?

These questions would be a hell of alot easier to answer if she was atleast 4 or 5 years older.  

Let's start with nutrition. I am personally on a fat-free diet.  The rest of my family is not.  They eat the full fat version of things and I allow the to eat meat.     Fat is a nutrient that bodies need.  It is also a very important  part of a person's diet, especially children's.  It is the only way that your body can absorb vitamins A (growth and development, vision, and immune system), D (absorption of calcium and phosphate), E (muscle growth, tissue repair and brain function), and K (blood clotting, bone and cell growth).  There is no need to restrict your child's fat intake below the RDA (recommended daily allowance)  The RDA for a 9 year old is between 41-58 grams a day.

Listed below are some of the nutrients that athletes need and what foods are good sources of them.

Vitamins and Minerals -- Calcium and iron are the two most important.  Calcium helps bone strength and iron helps with blood supply.  Calcium is found, of course, in dairy products, but also in leafy greens and okra.  Iron is found in salmon, eggs, lean proteins, and dried fruits.

Protein -- Protein builds muscles.  Fish, meat, dairy products, soy products, nuts and seeds are high in protein.

Carbohydrates -- Carbs = Fuel.  You need to pick the right carbs though.  Whole grains, brown rice, beans and sweet potatoes are good carbs.

And always make sure that they stay well hydrated.

As I watch Kaylee play I notice the small things she needs to work on.  Speed, dribbling, ball control, minor things.  But how do you condition and train an (almost) 10 year old?  Definitely not like an adult, not even like a teenager.  I've decided I'm going to start out slow.  Take her outside and kick the ball around with her and give her pointers. "Tighten your dribble", "don't be afraid of the ball" {Bonus: I get a workout, too!}  After we've done that for a while I'll start working on her conditioning.  I found a few websites with drills I can use with her.  Take a look at the links:

Region IV Girls ODP Pre-event Fitness Program

Sample Youth Soccer Conditioning Program 

I've talked about how I plan on helping Kaylee reach her Olympic goals.  And Mantha's Olympic dream plan will be coming in a few months.  Does your child have Olympic (or sports related) goals?  How do you help them?

Note:  Please do not tell me that I'm pushing her.  This post was only meant as informational.  I love Kaylee no matter how good (or bad) she is.  As a parent I am just doing what I can to help her reach her goals.  I know that she is still a kid.  I still treat her like one.  If she doesn't want to practice at home, fine.  I am only trying to help her reach her goals, doing something that at this moment she loves.  


{Disclaimer:  I am not a doctor or nutrition professional.  The advice and information I am giving you is based on my own experience and research.}

Muffin Monday {March 18}

Happy Muffin Monday everybody!  Okay, I totally lied, today I'm not making muffins.  I'm giving you a cupcake recipe.  I'm testing a few cupcake recipes on my guinea pigs Ken's coworkers.  This one was so loved a few people asked for my recipe.  So, I decided to give it to you guys. 

I made the frosting green for St. Patrick's Day.  My frosting skills still need a bit of work.  This cupcake is special because honestly it is the best damn fat free cupcake I've made to date.  It will be taken for the Easter party for the community.  These are also better for you because they have vegetables baked right in.  So, give them to the picky eater in your house and they'll never know.

Puree Recipe
1 zucchini, peeled (it is VERY important that you peel the zucchini.  You want your puree white-ish, not green)
4 medium carrots

1) Steam vegetables until soft
2) Drain and puree in a food processor

Vanilla Cupcake
118 calories
0.2 grams of fat
25.6 grams of carbs
13.1 grams of sugar

Ingredients
1 cup vegetable puree (recipe above)
1 cup sugar (you can possibly reduce the sugar.  These cupcakes are very sweet)
2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
3/4 cup + 3 T egg substitute (equal to 4 eggs)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix all ingredients together
3. Spoon mixture into a greased muffin pan (it makes between 16 and 18 cupcakes so you'll need to pans)
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes
5. Cool for 5 minutes then cool cupcakes on a rack.
6. Store in the refrigerator

Meringue Frosting (a.k.a 7 Minute Frosting)
39 calories
0 grams fat
9.4 grams of carbs
9.4 grams of sugar

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup water
5 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Put sugar and water in a medium saucepan.  Clip on your candy thermometer
2. Over medium heat bring mixture to a boil and let it get to 245 degrees (DO NOT STIR DURING THE HEATING!)
3. While the sugar is boiling whip egg whites until they form soft peaks
4. Turn your mixer to low and slowly pour in the sugar syrup
5. Turn your mixer back up and whip egg whites and sugar mixture on high for about 7 minutes, until the bowl of your mixer cools
6. Stir in vanilla (this is also the time where you'd mix in your food coloring)

I really need to play around with the meringue frosting and see how it holds up to flavorings.  I think that this frosting will be a good host for a variety of different flavors.  

Most people have a definite opinion about hiding vegetables in kids' food.  I think that it's perfectly fine.  How do you feel about it?  

St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Yesterday I made green cupcakes, [the recipe is coming for you tomorrow] today I made potatoes, cabbage and corned beef.  

I love oven roasted food.  Partially because my stove looks like this:  

Yep, that's right.  I do all my cooking on one burner.  And it's been like this for a few years.  So, I love doing things in the oven because I can cook 2 or 3 things at once.  Plus, the oven is a "set-it-and-forget-it" way to cook. 

I found the recipe on Pinterest for the cabbage.  It comes from a blog called Green Lite Bites. 

Pardon the sad plate.  I was starving so I snapped a quick picture

Packet Oven Roasted Cabbage

Ingredients
1 head of cabbage
Pan Spray
herbs and spices of your choice

Directions

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees
2. Rinse the cabbage and remove the bad leaves
3. Quarter the cabbage (cut in half and then cut the halves in half, along the core)
4. Lay each quarter on a piece of aluminum foil
5. Wrap and bake for 20-30 minutes (if you like it softer then bake longer.  I actually baked mine for close to an hour)

Roasted Creamer Potatoes

Ingredients
Creamer potatoes (I didn't weigh mine)
Pan Spray 
Herbs and spices

Directions

1. Clean and scrub potatoes
2. Put them in a large pot and cover with water.
3. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to simmer for 10 minutes
4. Preheat oven to 425 while potatoes are boiling
5. Drain and put potatoes on a large baking sheet
6. Spray again with pan spray and then sprinkle on herbs and spices
7. Roast for 20-30 minutes until crispy on the outside and soft in the middle.

 I ate almost a whole head of cabbage I think.  Luckily cabbage is pretty low in calories.  What did you have for dinner?  The traditional corned beef and cabbage or something unique?  

Oh, and by the way, I'll have a cabbage soup coming for you....I made WAY too much cabbage tonite. 

Finally! A New Recipe For Y'all

What do you think when you hear "pizza?"  Do you think lettuce, salsa and cheese?  Probably not.  But after today you might. 

I decided to blend 2 of Kaylee and Mantha's favorite meals, pizza and tacos, to make taco pizza.  {Even though pizza tacos does sound like an interesting idea too.  Maybe a future recipe?}

I found this recipe on Virtually Homemade.  I altered to recipe to be fat free.

Taco Pizza
Adapted from Virtually Homemade
Calories (not including crust) serves 16 (per slice) -- 73
Fat -- 0.2 g


Ingredients
1 recipe pizza dough (my recipe is after this one)
1 small jar salsa
1 package of fat free cheddar
1/2 bag Boca meatless crumbles
1/2 onion diced
2 T taco seasoning
1/2 head of lettuce, shredded
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup fat free sour cream

Directions

1. Heat oven to 425
2. Roll out pizza dough into a rectangle and place it on a greased baking pan (I line mine with aluminum foil so I don't dirty the pan)
3. In a small saucepan combine the meatless crumbles, 1/4 cup +2 T water and the taco seasoning.  Simmer on medium for about 7-10 minutes until the meat is warm and most of the water has been absorbed.
4. Spread the salsa on the dough, top with crumbles, onions, and cheese.  
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes until dough is golden brown and the cheese is melty.
6. When pizza comes out sprinkle on tomatoes and lettuce.  Drizzle the sour cream on top and serve.

Pizza Dough
If cut into 16 pieces 
Calories 77
Fat 0.2 g


Ingredients
2.5 c flour 
1 c warm water
2.25 tsp yeast
1 T honey

Directions

1. Mix water, yeast and honey together and let stand for 10 minutes in a medium mixing bowl
2. Add in flour
3. Mix until dough comes together and forms a ball
4. Put in a dark place {I put mine in an off oven) to rise for 90 minutes
5. Roll out and use

The pizza was a big hit.  I topped my slices with a bit extra sour cream and salsa.  This is the first atypical pizza I've tried and now I'm hooked.  I want to try more unusual pizzas.  Any suggestions of pizza makeovers you'd like to see?

Natural ways to ease sore muscles

Yes I'm sore.  So very, very sore.  I skipped the gym today (even though I was dying to goto TRX).  Today I've already taken a nice, long, hot bath, popped a few Ibuprofen and relaxed all day. 

6 Natural Ways to Ease Sore Muscles

1. Blueberries -- Blueberries contain antioxidants.  They "mop up free radicals."
2. Tart Cherries, Cherry and Pomegranate Juices -- These all act as NSAID (nonsterodial anti-inflammatory drugs) much like ibuprofen or asprin
3. Ginger -- Ginger contains gingerols, an inflammation fighting compound
4. Probiotics -- Lactobacillus Rhamnossus and Lactobacillus Paracasei decrease cell damage
5. Lemon Verbena -- This herb reduces muscle and blood cell damage
6. Omega 3 Fatty Acids -- An Omega 3 supplement will reduce soreness and ease inflammation

 So, I will be eating a blueberry muffin for lunch and some salmon for dinner, all washed down with a glass of pomegranate-cherry juice.  

Happy Thursday everybody!

Resources: 
Eating Well

Fitbie

Today a Spin Class, Tomorrow.....

I'm not moving! 

I know.  I'm crazy.  Yesterday a TRX class, today a Spin class.  What was I THINKING?!?? Ken laughed at me when I told him I was going to take a spin class because I've always said "don't take a class, buy a bike you'll save money and get some much needed fresh air."  Part of the reason I took this class was to see what all the hype is about.  {Man do people LOVE their spin classes}  The other reason is because as a future fitness professional I believe that I should at least try everything.  If I could I would be certified in everything, train in everything and be so gosh darn well rounded that I could teach anybody any style of any fitness craze. 

Thriv uses Real Ryder bikes.  They're really cool.  They simulate a real bike and they tilt to each side which in turn works your abs at the same time as your legs.

  Photo courtesy of:  RealRyder.com

According to the website the some of the benefits of these bikes are:

1. They increase your core strength
2. Challenge balance and coordination
3. Burn 20% more calories and use more muscles
4. Improve your actual bike riding

But, back to the class.  I went in thinking "this is gonna be no big deal.  How hard can riding a bike be??"  HAHA NO!  Dead wrong!  Spin classes are no joke people.  One of the things I pride myself on is the fact that I don't sweat.   This class changed all that.  By 15 minutes in I was sweating.  I carry around a towel at the gym and never use it but, during this class I actually did. 

Crummy after class, dripping in sweat photo

I couldn't keep up the WHOLE time and had to sit down and just pedal occasionally.  In a spin class you're up and down out of your seat constantly, switching hand positions and resistance.  But for the most part I surprised myself and kept up better than I expected.  My only problem is that my water bottle was too big for my holder so instead of just reaching for my bottle when we were told to I had to stop pedaling, and get it.   

I suffered a slight injury during class though.  I found out the hard way that you shouldn't put too much pressure on your arms.  "Your arms are only for balance, not to hold up your weight."   I'm bracing it for a few days to ease the pain.  I should be back in the saddle {pardon the pun} in a few days. 

My conclusion:  This is an awesome workout.  It doesn't beat a real bike ride but, it is fun.  There's energizing music (which by singing along helped me remember to breathe), an enthusiastic teacher (Julie is awesome!), and great cardio.  I will definitely be doing this often.  

Now I'm going to go, soak my muscles and take a well needed shower.  Goodnite!

Back at the Gym

I haven't been to the gym since Thursday!  I haven't really even worked out since then either.  I've been a combination of busy and lazy. I decided to take a TRX class today. [First day back in 5 days and I decided to take a class I've never taken before, I'm super smart!]  If you aren't familiar with TRX it's the suspension training class.  It kinda looks like this:

Photo From: Workout Wonks
 
Luckily today's class was the "beginner" class.  I was one of only 2 people UNDER 50.  This class was brutal.  I thought it would be easy since I'm fairly strong and lift weights on most days.  But, NO!  This was not easy.  My legs were dead 15 minutes into class.  I found maneuvering the straps a bit tedious but, besides that it was a great workout.  I would highly recommend it.  According to my friend who does TRX, it takes about 3 weeks for your body to stop hurting from it.  I guess I better start counting down the days.   

I think tomorrow I'm going to check out a Spin class.  I'm not too certain I'll be able to walk tomorrow though.  Oddly though, I love being sore.  It means I got in a good workout.
 
The more I learn about fitness, the more classes I take, and the more active things I do, I have decided that if money was no option (or if everything was free) I would be certified in EVERYTHING.  TRX certified, Paddlefit, personal training, everything that I've taken so far I love and I want to teach it to the world (or atleast Flagler County.)

If you want to find out more about TRX or find a gym/trainer that teaches it check out the TRX website
TRX Training

Muffin Monday

My banana muffins were running low so I started searching for a new muffin recipe.  Every single one I came across wasn't very different then a cupcake.  Tons of sugar, and not very nutritious. They were basically cupcakes without the frosting!  In my world a muffin should be just a bit sweeter than bread, and not as sweet as a cupcake.

I borrowed the book The Ultimate Muffin Book by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough from my local library and started look through it.  This book has a great variety of recipes.  They are not all the healthiest muffins but, they have some great non-fat and low-fat recipes.  The book also includes some sugar-free and gluten-free ones too.  They also range from sweet muffins to savory muffins.

I finally decided on Orange Muffins.  It was a nice change from the ones I've been making over the past month.  Plus, I remember the awesome orange muffins I used to get at the farmers market.  I had to alter the recipe to make it sugar free.

The muffins turned out nicely.  They were a bit dry but, I'm going to try them again and make normal sized muffins out of them instead of muffin balls.  They also could have used a bit more orange flavor.  Next time I will try upping the zest in the recipe.

Orange Muffins
adapted from The Ultimate Muffin Book

Ingredients
1.25 cups All-Purpouse flour
1 cup Whole whole wheat flour (you can substitute for more All-purpose flour if you'd like)
2 t baking soda
6 oz blood orange fat free Greek yogurt
6 T plain, vanilla, or blood orange fat free yogurt
1 egg white
1 T orange zest
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup skim milk

Directions

• In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the flours and baking soda
• In a separate bowl whisk the yogurts, egg white, orange zest, orange juice and milk
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry

Option 1
119 calories and .3 grams of fat

• Preheat over to 400 degrees
• Green a muffin pan (or use cupcake liners)
• Fill the muffin cups 2/3 full
• Bake for 20 minutes

Option 2
40 calories and .1 gram of fat

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Spray a cake pop pan
• Bake 20 minutes

What's your favorite type of muffin?  Is there a recipe you'd like to see on Muffin Monday?

Pannuts and Puffins and Huevos Rancheros

OH MY!

Pannut -- (noun) Pancake batter baked in a donut maker

Puffin -- (noun) Pancake batter baked in a muffin tin

Huevos Rancheros -- (noun) a super yummy breakfast dish


This month I had originally made a menu made up completely of breakfast foods.  I realized after making it that the hubby wouldn't be too happy with it so, I just added a few extra BFD (breakfast for dinner) meals to the menu on nights he works.  Saturday was one of our added BFD nites.  When I asked the girls if they had any suggestions Mantha instantly piped up with "Donuts!  But not the normal kind, a healthy version."  So I set to work figuring it out.  I remembered seeing a recipe for Bisquick muffins before and then I realized that I could make donuts out of a pancake batter.  

Perfect dinner for a girl who won her first soccer game today right?  Yep that's right, Kaylee's team won their very first game of the season 2-0!  

Don't these look yummy?  And even though they aren't fat free the calories aren't through the roof.  You could make them healthier by substituting the whole eggs for either egg whites or egg substitute.  If you can find fat free pancake batter these can easily be made fat free.  (Krusteaz and a few other companies make a fat free mix)

 Sunny decided she needed to make her presence known in my last photo.  That one is the Dark Chocolate Dream filled Puffin.  Puffins are on the top and the Pannuts are on  the left. 

Puffin and Pannut Recipe

Ingredients
2 cups Bisquick
2 eggs
1 cup skim milk
1 T sugar
juice of 1/2 an orange
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Mix together Bisquick, sugar, and baking powder.
2. Whisk in wet ingrediets (eggs, milk, orange juice and vanilla)
3. For Puffin preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a muffin pan.  Fill each cup 2/3 full and bake for 25 minutes until golden brown.
4. For Pannuts preheat and spray you doughnut maker (I have a Sunbeam donut maker and I love it)  fill each cavity and bake for about 5-7 minutes.  Repeat until batter is gone.

If you want to add mix-ins into your puffins or pannuts then feel free and have fun.  I used craisins, blueberries, strawberries, cinnamon sugar, peanut butter, and Peanut Butter & Co Dark Chocolate Dream.  The possibilities are endless!  

Tonite was another BFD nite.  This time it was Huevos Rancheros.  I combined a few recipes to get a perfect one.

The top photo is my fat free one (I only used half a tortilla in order to save a few calories), and the other two are the girls with a normal sunny side up egg.  Don't they look good?  Kaylee wasn't a big fan of it but Mantha and I loved it.  


Huevos Rancheros

Ingredients
4 fat free tortillas
2 onions, minced
2 tomatoes, minced
Pickled Jalapenos (to taste), chopped fine
1-2 cups egg substitute (equivalent to 4-8 eggs) [you can use either the yellow kind or all whites]
1/2 cup shredded lettuce
1/2 cup shredded fat free cheese
1 can of black beans (I only had kidney so that's what I used)

Directions

1. Spray and heat a medium skillet on high.  Saute onions until slightly soft (about 2 minutes) add in tomatoes and jalapenos and cook for a bit longer.  If you need to add a bit of water to the pan to keep things from sticking.  Set aside when done.
2. In a separate bowl put the beans and mash with a fork.  If they are too gummy you can add a bit of water.
3. Spray a skillet with non-stick spray and heat each side of the tortillas one at a time until brown and bubbly
4. Cook the eggs.  (Standard Huevos Rancheros is done with sunny side up eggs so, if you aren't watching you fat, feel free to use normal eggs)
5. To put them together place a tortilla on the plate, spread beans on the tortillas, add eggs, then top with the salsa.  

The tomatoes and onions can be substituted for jarred salsa.  I actually used both.  

I made extra eggs so the girls could make themselves burritos also.

Excited About Salad

[Forward before I start my ranting: Since I am participating in National Nutrition Month I have to say that I am proud of people for whatever healthy lifestyle changes they decide to make.  This post is aimed at a select few.  If a salad is your first step toward a total healthy life change then I back you 100% but, one salad does not make up for eating artery clogging junk the other 20 meals out of the week]

See these texts?  I get these texts quite often.  A Greek salad can have upwards of 600 calories.  So, half a Greek salad would have the same calories as a normal lunch.  These types of texts do not get the reaction from the that the senders are expecting.

You want to know a secret?  I rarely, [I mean like 2 times a year rarely], eat a salad for lunch.  I'm more likely to eat a sweet potato or a huge bowl of popcorn for lunch. 

People need to change their way of thinking.  A turkey sandwich on whole-grain bread with lettuce, tomato, onions, and mustard is a very healthy meal also.  (As a future R.D. I recognize the fact that properly prepared meat can be part of a healthy diet.)

One salad for lunch does not instantly make you healthy!  I also know that personally, a salad does not fill me up unless it's loaded with vegetables and some sort of protein.  A "healthy y" salad to most people is a small bowl.  A salad that size would fill me up for about about an hour.  

A salad for me is in addition  to my regular meal.  It contains:

1/2 a head of Romaine Lettuce, or 4 big handfuls of spinach
1/2 - 1 whole onion
4-7 mushrooms
2-3 baby carrots (I hate carrots!)
1/4 cup fat free feta/shredded cheese
1 whole cucumber
1/4 cup imitation crab
1/4 cup corn
a few bunches of green onions

Other people's lunch salads:
3-5 iceberg lettuce leaves
1/2 a cucumber
2 mushrooms
2 baby carrots
full fat cheese


If you want me to be proud of you then tell me you chose a salad over a greasy burger, or that you ordered a non-fat, no whip latte at Starbucks, or you skipped your daily Starbuck's completely!  But, PLEASE don't tell me you "had a salad" because I will not give you praise.  

What are your feelings on salads?