Dinner

How to Plan a Week’s Worth of Dinners in Just Five Minutes!

January 22, 2017

If you work full-time just like me, you know that the work week is crazy. There is no time to make a pit-stop at the grocery store and grab food to cook. And by some chance, say you do make that stop… is what you’re getting healthy?

With all of the New Year’s resolutions still going strong, we want something ready and waiting, but also healthy. Just a little bit of planning can give you that!

So I’m going to show you how I plan a week’s worth of dinners in just five minutes.

Here is my upcoming work week menu.

I always start with the meat (or vegetarian protein source). This is usually the part of the meal you don’t want to have three nights in a row. So I lay out Monday through Friday and rotate my meat through the week. I shoot for about 6-8 oz for a portion size for us.

Next are vegetable choices. I believe that at least half of your plate should consist of non-starchy vegetables so I recommend having at least 2 choices per meal. This is what keeps your meal low calorie and high fiber. So you still feel full for barely any calories.

Last is your starch group. This should always be the smallest portion on the plate unless you are doing high intensity exercise and need the fuel. But for most, it’s listed at the bottom as a reminder that it is not the priority. Keep your starches whole grain/100% whole wheat to make the best of that starchy situation.

Now look at that! You’ve got your dinners planned and have made a grocery list!

This can be done for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Menu planning not only helps you stay on track with your diet, but it also provides convenience while budgeting!

I hope this helps your work week become a little less stressful and a little more healthy. If you have any questions, please comment below! And feel free to share this post by using the icons below!

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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Lemon Chicken Quinoa Soup

October 7, 2015

Since it is getting cooler outside, people are starting to cozy up and make soups in their crock-pots. Most soups can be high calorie and make you feel like hibernating after eating them… so here is how we avoid that feeling by boosting the nutrients in our soups!

Most people assume you need noodles, rice, or potatoes to have a soup… but you can actually use quinoa instead! Find out why quinoa is one of my favorite grains HERE!

So here is my recipe for one of our favorite fall soups made in a crock-pot.

INGREDIENTS:

4 organic chicken breasts, whole
2 containers of organic chicken broth
3 stalks of organic celery, chopped
1 organic leek, chopped
5 organic carrots, sliced
1 cup organic red quinoa
1 organic lemon, sliced
1/2 tbsp. organic dill weed
salt/pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Place all chicken and broth into your crock-pot. Add celery, leek, carrots, lemon, and dill to your crock-pot and let cook on high for 5-6 hours or until chicken is done.

After adding all of your ingredients to your crock-pot, place your quinoa in a bowl of water off to the side to soak as shown below. I will also add extra water to the crock-pot depending on how much broth I have. Here I used both containers of broth and about 1 cup of water.

After your chicken has finished cooking, take out all chicken and shred chicken with a fork. The chicken should just fall apart as you scrape it. Once shredded, put it back into your crock-pot.

Strain water from your quinoa and add quinoa to your crock-pot 30 minutes before you plan to eat.

**Note: I always use red quinoa because it does not get mushy.

Please feel free to salt/pepper to taste. And 30 minutes later, voila! You have a healthy and flavorful soup!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this blog post and please feel free to share using the social media icons below!

Have Pasta in a Healthy Way!

September 22, 2015

Pasta is usually a cheap meal that everyone loves! It’s fast and easy, but oh so loaded in calories… So how do you have a pasta dish and keep it healthy??

Here is how the dietitian does it!

All you need is spaghetti squash, lean meat, sauce and lots of yummy veggies!

INGREDIENTS:

3 peppers (yellow, orange, red), chopped
1 pound of lean hot/spicy sausage (turkey/beef/chicken)
Vodka sauce
1 spaghetti squash

DIRECTIONS:

First you want to slice your spaghetti squash in half, clean out the middle and microwave it for 10-12 minutes. Check out how I do it HERE!

Once you get your squash in the microwave, begin browning your meat. As your meat is browning, add all of your chopped vegetables to your skillet.

Once you’ve sautéed your veggies with your meat a bit, you’ll want to add your vodka sauce and let it simmer until your spaghetti squash is done.

When removing your spaghetti squash from the gourd, be very careful! It should be very hot. Grab a fork and begin scraping out the inside.

Once all squash is removed, scoop out your meat/veggie sauce and voila!

You’ve got yourself a fast, easy, and of course yummy meal!

The meat sauce is always the best part because you can add all types of chopped veggies to it! This time I just grabbed some peppers on sale… But you can chop zucchini, any peppers, onions, or even add broccoli!

To find out more about how great spaghetti squash is for you, click HERE!

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!

Ready for Fall- Chili and All!

September 11, 2015

There is no need for chili mixes and a pile of canned goods in order to make chili! I love fresh ingredients within my chili and keeping it fairly pure and simple. This mixture can sit all day in a crock pot, or you can cook it up quickly in a pot on the stove. Tonight, I just used a pot on the stove.

So how does the dietitian make her chili?? Check it out!

INGREDIENTS:

1 small white onion, chopped
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 banana pepper, chopped
1 poblano pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded/chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound organic ground turkey
2 cans of Rotel tomatoes
1 can pintos in chili sauce
1 can tri-bean mixture (pintos, kidney beans, black beans)
1 cup water
1 container plain organic Greek yogurt (for sour cream replacement)

DIRECTIONS:

First begin browning your organic turkey meat in your skillet. While your meat is browning, chop your garlic and add it to your browning turkey. As your turkey continues to brown, begin chopping all of your veggies. Once your turkey has browned, add all veggies to your turkey and cover pot. Mix ingredients around every 5 minutes over about 15 minutes.

Once all ingredients have softened, add your canned ingredients. Be sure to add the liquids within the cans to the pot.

I usually add about 1 cup of water to the pot, cover and let sit for about 15-20 minutes on medium heat.

When your 20 minutes is done, you’re ready to eat! Just grab your Greek yogurt and add a scoop to your chili instead of using sour cream. And voila!

Using this chili is a great way to meal prep. Just make a large pot and store leftovers in containers and freeze! This way you always have lunch to grab if you’re running out the door for work, or dinner on those nights you just don’t feel like cooking. Enjoy!

If you know of anyone that could benefit from this recipe, please share 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!!

Italian Tuna Salad

August 2, 2015

Tuna salad is one of the quickest things to take for lunch during the week, but depending on how you make it, calories can add up fast! Between all the mayonnaise, pecans and crackers, your “healthy lunch” may not be so healthy after all.

So how do you make tuna salad healthy? How can you give it a different taste so it’s not so boring?

Luckily, I have the answer!

First you’ll need to gather these ingredients:

1 can of tuna packed in water
2 Tbsp of plain Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp basil pesto
3 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
6 black olives, chopped
1 cucumber

Directions:

Add your drained can of tuna, Greek yogurt, and basil pesto to your mixing bowl. Once thoroughly mixed, add your chopped sun-dried tomatoes and olives!

Slice your cucumber into small slices to use for dipping. And voila! That’s it!

You have a quick guilt-free lunch!

Enjoy!