low calorie

Holy Protein! Fast, Easy and Low Calorie?!

February 12, 2017

How do you get creative with breakfast while making sure it’s high protein and low calorie? Oh, and you’re tired of eggs? Short on time too? Not a problem!

All you need are three ingredients! And a spoon of course 🙂

High Protein Yogurt!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup of light vanilla Greek yogurt (you can use plain for less calories, but its a little more tart)
1 scoop of chocolate whey protein isolate
1 Tbsp of PB2 (or you can use regular peanut butter for extra fat calories)

DIRECTIONS:

Scoop 1/2 cup yogurt into a bowl.
Sprinkle about 1/2 of your whey protein scoop into your yogurt. Mix until smooth. Add next 1/2 and mix until smooth.
Once smooth, mix PB2 in yogurt until smooth.

NUTRITION FACTS:

Total Calories: 187.5
Total Protein: 34.5 g
Total Carbohydrates: 9 g
Total Fat: 0.75 g

Now that is a lean breakfast! It’s very light while you’re eating it, but after about 5 minutes, you feel FULL. That is all 34.5 g of protein sticking to those ribs!

If you’re lifting, this is a great way to get extra protein in for muscle building without having to drink it all the time. Anyone who uses protein supplements will tell you, I AM OVER DRINKING PROTEIN. Also note- the photo includes steel cut oats sprinkled on top for a little crunch and extra carb.

You can also freeze this mixture to make a frozen yogurt!

I hope this recipe has been helpful. Feel free to post questions in the comment section or share using the social media icons below!

All the rage- Halo Top!

August 5, 2016

There are times when I have eaten healthy consistently and the mood for a cheat strikes me. If you are normally a healthy eater, a cheat can carry some guilt. I know it does for me. Recently, I have discovered an option that encourages a little less guilt, but doesn’t sacrifice any taste! Sounds unreal, right?!

I kept hearing this name… Halo Top. I would hear about it at the gym, see it on Instagram, but what is this Halo Top product?

Halo Top is a light ice cream! It allows a cheat to be much less of a blow to your healthy diet. Let’s look into a comparison!

It is quite amazing that it really doesn’t taste bad when you see the lack of sugar and fat. So of course the wheels start spinning… How do I jazz this up and continue to keep the calories low? Add PB2!

PB2 is a great product that gives you a peanut butter taste, but is only 45 calories for 2 Tbsp VS. 210 calories for 2 Tbsp of real peanut butter.

Here is my recipe!

1/2 cup of Vanilla Bean Halo Top

1 Tbsp PB2

1 Tbsp chopped nuts

And this is my finished product!

What is your nutrition make up here with this cheat?

Calories: ~127.5

Protein: ~10 g

Fat: ~6.75 g (2.25 g sat.)

Carbs: ~16 g (5 g sugar)

Not too bad when comparing to real ice cream! And always looking for ways to boost that protein intake. Even in my cheats!

I hope this helps you control your cheat day a little better by keeping calories lower and protein higher in your treat!

If you have any questions or comments, let me know! Feel free to share this post by using the social media icons below! Enjoy!

Fast and Healthy Taco Salad!

April 11, 2016

Just because a meal is low calorie does not mean you can’t have flavor! In this post, I’ll show you how to get a whole lot of bang for your buck! Did I mention how fast you can whip up this meal?

Here is what you’ll need:

Lean Ground Turkey
Taco Seasoning
Lettuce, shredded
Tomatoes, diced
Fiesta Cheese Blend, shredded
Fat Free Organic Plain Greek Yogurt
Salsa

Here is how you make it!

First, we want to cook our turkey meat. Once it is brown, you can add pre-packaged taco seasoning or make your own! All you would need to mix together would be cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and a bit of cayenne pepper. Make sure you include about 3/4 cup of water with your seasonings and let your turkey simmer with your spices.

Next, we put our lettuce, tomato, cheese, and meat in a bowl. Feel free to add more vegetables to your salad like peppers, onions, and olives! Sometimes I will even add a bit of GUACAMOLE (feel free to check out my homemade recipe). I always use plain Greek yogurt as sour cream in all of my recipes. Even my CHILI recipe!

This meal can be thrown together in 30 minutes or less! So try out my taco salad on Taco Tuesday!

Enjoy!

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What’s the Deal With Spaghetti Squash?

September 17, 2015

One question I get often is “what’s the deal with spaghetti squash?” Is it good or bad? And is it REALLY better than pasta??

So here is what I know about spaghetti squash as well as my opinion on the matter!

Spaghetti squash is technically a fruit (we use as a winter vegetable) and is used in place of pasta often due to its stringy consistency. It can be baked, boiled, steamed or my favorite, microwaved (just because its quicker).

So for the first question:

IS IT GOOD OR BAD?

I think it is a great food to choose when finding a pasta replacement. Here is a side by side of the nutrition analysis for spaghetti squash vs. plain cooked pasta.

As you can see above with my analysis from the USDA Food Database, spaghetti squash is a way to get more food for less calories and carbohydrates.

Pasta is very starchy and high calorie. It tends to spike blood glucose levels in diabetics and increase weight in the average American. A serving of pasta is usually around 1/2 cup cooked. It is rare that only a 1/2 cup of pasta is used during an entire meal. Usually when pasta is cooked, it is used as a filler being the largest portion on the plate.

Spaghetti squash however is very low calorie, contains lots of vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber! It should prevent the roller coaster blood sugar spikes especially when prepared with a protein.

So to answer the last question:

IS IT REALLY BETTER THAN PASTA?

My opinion is yes!

It is low calorie, all natural, loaded in nutrients and is so easy to make!

So here is a quick tutorial on how to make your spaghetti squash fast!

First slice it in half and remove the inside pulp/seeds with a spoon.

Then you’ll want to put the halves on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Put them in the microwave for about 10-12 minutes depending on the size of your squash.

Once your time is up, touch your squash with a utensil to see if it is soft. Don’t use your fingers because it should be VERY hot. If it is, you’re ready for the next step!

Begin scraping the insides of the squash with a fork to remove your spaghetti squash. This helps keep the squash stringy. And once you’re done scraping, you are ready to serve!

Spaghetti squash is a great way to still have that “pasta feel” in a healthier way.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and learned something new! Please feel free to share this post using the social media icons below!

Tailgating Vegetarian Tri-Bean Salad!

September 3, 2015

It’s about that time! Time for football! Which usually means… fried chicken wings, pizza, beer, high calorie dips, etc… Just because it’s football season doesn’t mean you have to blow your diet! Or stop eating healthy for that matter. Here is one of my favorite party foods! My vegetarian tri-bean salad!

INGREDIENTS:

4-6 Roma tomatoes
1 green bell pepper, seeded
1 poblano pepper, seeded
1 banana pepper, seeded
1 jalapeno pepper
3/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 cans of tri-bean mix (pintos, black beans, red kidney beans)
1 lime
1/2 cup green onions, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

Chop tomatoes, peppers, cilantro and onions. I left my jalapeno seeds in my jalapeno for an extra little kick.

Also this Vidalia Chop Wizard is one of my favorite kitchen gadgets! It chops so evenly and makes chopping go by so much quicker. I always use this when fresh produce needs to be diced!

I have an amazing contraption that chops for me so all pieces are the same size. Once you’ve done all of your chopping, place your mixture into a bowl and set aside.

Open both cans of beans and strain out the juice and rinse under water.

Once you’ve added your beans to the mix, stir with a spoon and squeeze plenty of lime juice over you salad.

And viola! You’re ready to be the health nut tailgating!

This is a low calorie, high protein, high fiber way to snack at a football party.

If you’d like to share this tailgating tri-bean salad, please use the social media icons below!

Enjoy!!