Breakfast: Raspberry Cheesecake Cream....

Well, after my totally INSANE workout this morning, I had a delicious protein filled breakfast. With a little prep work the night before, I had a quick, rich and creamy breakfast!  In yesterday's post I mentioned I used vanilla protein powder in my smoothie. Even though I used just half a scoop, I could taste all the artificial ingredients.  Luckily, I'm not use to eating more natural foods, so anything with artificial ingredients really wheys (ha, get it...whey protein :-p) me down. I decided to start using non fat ricotta cheese in my smoothies to replace the protein powder. I like this for many reasons.  First of all, the ricotta cheese will take on the flavor of anything you put in it.  Secondly, there are no artificial ingredients...it's pure protein.  Third, the same amount of calories/fat/protein I get from a protein powder, I can get from the ricotta cheese.  In just 1/4c of non fat ricotta cheese, there is 30 calories, 0g fat, 6g of protein.  I used half a cup of ricotta today for only 60 calories and 12 grams of protein!  Lastly, ricotta cheese, when whipped or blended has an unbelievably smooth, creamy texture...think cheesecake peoples!

Now, going back to my prep work from last night.  In my little blender I put half a cup of non fat ricotta cheese, 1 cup of frozen raspberries, 2TB of almond butter.  This morning I was going to add some water to make it a more smoothie like consistency, but changed my mind when I saw the defrosted raspberries let out some juice.  I whipped this all up in my blender and  had an unbelievably, decadent berry breakfast.  This tasted like I was eating raspberry cheese cake!  So smooth and creamy!  I think this will be my new go to breakfast for mornings!  So yum and delish!  Best of all, no weird metallic after taste from protein powders, but all the protein needed!

How was your breakfast?

Snack time...

A delish mango treat from my co worker! So juicy and sweet!

Dinner Last Night: Steak with Blue Cheese Dressing

Good Morning Everyone,

Last night I made it home just in time to do a Tae Bo Cardio workout and then make myself a quick dinner. Now, I've cut out a lot of red meat and chicken in my diet. I use to have at least one serving of red meat or chicken a day, be it for lunch or dinner. Now, I probably have this once a week. Last night, I was really, really craving a steak salad with blue cheese dressing. I went to the grocery store and bought some lean steak, salad, cucumbers, grape tomatoes and crumbled blue cheese. Now, I bought blue cheese crumbles vs. the actual blue cheese dressing because I noticed most of the blue cheese dressings had 15 grams of fat and over 200 calories...for just TWO tablespoons!! I was like, WHAT THE H?!?! Also, there were a ton of ingredients listed for the dressing! Instead, a quarter cup of blue cheese crumbles has 8 grams of fat and 100 calories! Hello....I would just make my own blue cheese dressings with actual blue cheese..like the way it's supposed to be!

So, I went home with my ingredients, cooked my perfect portion lean steak and started to assemble my salad. Then I made my delicious, low fat blue cheese dressing.

The deets:

2 TB. of blue cheese crumbles
2 TB. of non fat Greek Yogurt
2 TB. of white vinegar
2tsp. of reduced fat mayo
1tsp. of garlic powder
1tsp. of onion powder

Mix all the ingredients together for a creamy blue cheese dressing for a little less than 100 calories and you know all the ingredients going in!!!

Breakfast: Cinnamon Yogurt and Almond Cup

Breakfast today was a bowl full of Greek plain Greek yogurt, a ton of my favorite cinnamon, almonds and sliced banana.  A fresh, delicious, stick to your ribs kind of breakfast, to give me the energy I need to get through the day!

mmm...deliciousness in a mug

Question of the day:  What did you have for breakfast?

Morning...

Hey Everyone,

I've conquered the Monday blues and was totally on schedule yesterday! I left work right at 6:30 and was in my PJ's by 8pm, eating my dinner and watching Castle by 10pm. Yes, the downtime was awesome!! This morning I enjoyed my breakfast bowl, however, instead of adding PB to the mixture I added 14 whole almonds.

This was very satisfying in both texture and taste. I can't wait for the weather to get warmer outside, that's when I really crave big smoothie bowls. Alright guys, till lunch...

Lunch Today...

Alright Guys,

We are halfway through the day and I've accomplished a lot! First off, I have been very productive at work. Secondly, I used my lunch hour to get my work out in! Oh yes, 30 minutes of pure cardio on the stair master, at level 12. Yup, that was a sweat fest. I ate lunch at my desk. Today's lunch consisted of a tuna salad on a Pepperidge Farm Deli Flats. Tuna salad was simply made by taking a small can of tuna (the individual 3oz can) and mixing in a TB of light mayo, onion powder and a few sliced up cherry tomatoes. On the side I took a small bag of frozen veggies and nuked them for five minutes. I then drizzled on some balsamic vinegar and red pepper flakes. I also threw in a few cherry tomatoes. Mmm...delish!

Here's how the meal shapes up:

Whole grain: deli flats

Produce: veggies

Lean Protein: tuna

Plant fat: mayo

Sass: balsamic vinegar

Breakfast time...

Well, now that I let everyone know how much I hate Monday's, let's get onto more interesting things, such as what I ate for breakfast this morning!

This morning I had a wonderful Greek yogurt and ricotta bowl, sprinkled with a bunch of Simply Organic Cinnamon. I mixed in one small banana, chopped and two TB of crunchy PB. These days I'm loving the PB by Peanut Butter &Co.

What did you guys have for breakfast?

Question of the day: What's your favorite type of peanut butter and how do you like it?

The Cinch!...AGAIN!

Today is the last day on the Cinch! fast forward. As many of you know, this is the second time I'm doing this. The first time around, I lost a considerable 8 pounds, this time, just 1. Now, after the Cinch! fast forward the first time, I have been losing about a pound a week, as I've kept up with the Cinch! puzzle since. I think I did not lose much weight this time because I'm already following these principles, which is good. The only thing that Imissed out on this week was the variety of food I could have eaten. I LOVE the Cinch! and think it's a great plan, but if you continue to follow the Cinch! principles, I don't think you need to do the fast forward again.

Lunch...

Lunch today was this beautiful protein and flavor packed pasta and veggies! Mmm..totally filling but will post recipe later.

Breakfast time...

Make sure you all start your day off with a healthy and nutritious breakfast! I started mine off with a bowl of my Creamy Oatmeal! Stay tuned for tomorrow's breakfast post as I will be utilizing my Squeezy Fruit!

What did you have for breakfast?

Good morning...

Good morning all, This morning I woke up a bit under the weather :-(. Well, it actually started last night with a stuffy nose, which lead me to be up all night. Hopefully I will feel better through out the day. I really want to be able to get a workout in, especially since I didn't workout yesterday. More to come later... Question of the day: do you workout when you are not feeling well?

Back On Track...

HAPPY ST. PATTY'S DAY!!!

Yesterday I went right back on track from my little setback! I started my day off with a bowl of oatmeal made with 1/4c of oats, raisins, almonds, cinnamon and some coconut milk.

A couple of hours later I got hungry for a sweet treat so I grabbed a wedge of my favorite TJ's chocolate. This kept me satisfied until lunch time.

I usually bring my lunch to work but forgot yesterday. So, I went out and bought some brown rice sushi. I bought one brown rice california roll and one brown rice veggie roll. This was delish and kept me full
for a while.


mmm...sushi...



As much as I was not feeling up for a workout, I made myself go to the gym and get my 30 minutes of cardio in. The reason why I made myself do this is because I know I was only feeling sluggish from the day

before. If I did not go to the gym I would start to fall out of my routine and I do not want to lose this habit.



Dinner last night was a very filling smoothie! Now, I know what you're thinking..."Smoothie that's not enough for dinner", before you go on a tantrum, I made myself a vegetable smoothie. This was practically a

whole salad in a blender: 1 ripe banana, 2c of frozen spinach, 1TB of EVOO, 1c of coconut milk. This smoothie may sound weird but it was delicious and nutritious! I swear...you don't even taste the spinach.  I wish I had taken a picture. It would have been perfect for St. Patty's Day!

So, that was my day in a nutshell. Now I'm onto another!

Question of the day: I'm thinking about buying a Magic Bullet. What do you guys think of this product?

Recipe Alert: Yogurt and Granola Bowl

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope you all are getting a healthy start to the day.  If you haven't had breakfast yet, you should try making my Yogurt and Granola Bowl.  Breakfast this morning was so delicious and satisfying.  Also, a good change from my ricotta toast breakfast, don't get me wrong, I still <3 my ricotta toast :-)  Here are the deets for my wonderfully delish breakfast:

Ingredients:
6oz. of non fat Greek yogurt
Small banana, diced
2TB. of sliced or slivered almonds
1/4c of low fat granola
Cinnamon

Preparation:
Place the yogurt in a bowl. Top with banana, almonds and granola. Sprinkle cinnamon.  Enjoy as is or stir to combine all ingredients.

Servings: 1

Here's how this meal shapes up:

Whole grain:  granola

Plant fat: Almonds

Lean protein: yogurt

Produce:  banana

Sass: cinnamon

Today's Wrap Up....

Hello Everyone, Hope you all had a good day! Today started off extremely cold and ended...extremely cold :-p. I grabbed my coffee on the go and headed to work. Breakfast was my ricotta toast, but this time I used a ripe banana as the fruit. I really liked this combination. The banana provided a nice smooth creamy texture, with a hint of sweetness. This went very well with the ricotta and sliced almonds.


Shortly after, I did have a blood orange as a snack. What does a blood orange taste like? I have to say a twist of berry and tangerine. Very delicious! Lunch was a mexican bowl I made last night. Mmmm...so delish. This was made with brown rice, avocado, black beans and a tomato and onion ceviche. I will post the recipe soon. Dinner was at a wonderful Thai restaurant called Room Service. Delicious Thai food with a chandelier right in the middle of the room. See pic.


Anywho, I incorporated The Cinch! Puzzle and ordered: steamed mussels, brown rice, sauteed greens in garlic and oil. Yup...got my lean protein, whole grains, produce, plant fat and SASS in one cute lil meal.


Couple of things I'm really happy about: I'm really happy because my favorite cinnamon arrived today. I LOVE LOVE Simply Organic's cinnamon. Its like no cinnamon you've ever had and I put this on everything...I even sprinkle in my morning coffee! I bought a pack of three from amazon for $10. Not bad, considering the store I get them from is $4.69. So, yay! I'm also happy that I made it to the gym and got my workout in! Yes...so far on track for the week. Well, that's it guys. That's my day in a nutshell. How are you guys doing?

Recipe Alert: My Version of Curd Rice

Hi Guys,

So, I feel I may be a little out of my league on this recipe, but this was adapted from the South Indian dish, Curd Rice. Now, I looked at many recipes online and found many different ways to make this, and I have to say, mine is a bit different, but hopefully provides the same flavor. So, all you hard core curd rice eating people out there, don't kill me for this adaptation :-)

Of course, I applied the Cinch! puzzle method for this recipe. I have to say, this recipe does not LOOK appetizing, but it tasted fantastic!

Here are the deets:

Ingredients:
1/2c of cooked brown rice
1TB of canola oil
1tsp. of mustard seeds
1tsp. of cumin seeds
1 dry red chili
1tsp. of turmeric
1c. of frozen/fresh spinach
1/2c. of shredded cabbage
1/2c. of non fat greek yogurt

Preparation:
Add the oil in a sauce pan, place on medium heat.  Once hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, chili and turmeric.  Allow this to cook for about a minute.  Stir in the brown rice.  Stir in the spinach and cabbage.  Allow to cook for a couple of minutes.  Stir in the yogurt.  Enjoy this dish hot!

Servings:  1

Here's how I incorporated The Cinch!.

Whole Grain:  brown rice
Lean Protein:  yogurt
Plant Fat:  canola oil
Produce:  spinach, cabbage
Sass: cumin, turmeric, chili

Recipe Alert: Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Hello Everyone,

As promised from yesterday, here is my recipe for my Mediterranean Pasta Salad.  I had this twice for lunch this week and it is delicious!  This dish is so flavorful and hearty you will love it.  Just a side note, 2oz. of uncooked pasta yields to one cup of cooked pasta.  So, make 2oz and you will have two portions.  If you don't know what two ounces of pasta looks like, get a cheap scale.  I bought one from Target for less than six bucks!

Ingredients:
1/2c of cooked whole wheat pasta
1c of mushrooms, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1c of spinach, fresh or frozen
5 cherry tomatoes, halved
3 cloves of garlic, shredded
2tsp. of chili powder
1/4c of crumbled feta cheese
1TB of of EVOO
1TB of balsamic vinegar

Preparation:
Place the mushrooms, celery and spinach, garlic and chili powder in a saute pan. Place on medium heat and saute until spinach has wilted or completely defrosted. If necessary, add a little bit of water.  Once the veggies have sauteed, place them in a bowl.  Add the pasta and toss.  Add, the cherry tomatoes.  Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and EVOO and toss.  Top with the feta cheese.  Enjoy!

Here's the breakdown:
Whole Grain:  Pasta
Lean Protein:  feta cheese
Plant Fat:  EVOO
Produce:  mushrooms, celery and spinach
Sass:  garlic, chili powder

Mmmm... Chipotle lunch!

Lunch today was at Chipotle :-) Here's what was on the menu:
Vegetarian Fajita Bowl with black beans, veggies, corn salsa, salad, tomato salsa and a little bit of guacamole.
When you break it down I got my whole grains from the corn, veggies from all the veggies, healthy fats from the guac and protein from the beans!
A nice filling lunch! What did you guys have?

Delicious Dinner!

Last night's dinner was so delicious, fresh and filling! Not only was this meal quick but it was also very nutritious! The deets are below:

Ingredients:
One whole wheat pita
2 cups of baby spinach
1/4c of reduced fat feta cheese
1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2TB of chopped walnuts
Balsamic Vinegar, to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Preparation:
In a large bowl, combine spinach, tomatoes,walnuts. Toss with black pepper and vinegar. Place the pita in the microwave for 10 seconds, slice in half and stuff.
Enjoy!!

PS:  Sorry, I know the picture is a little dark!

Shape Up in 2011 - Recipe: Greek Yogurt and Fruit

Lately, one of my favorite snacks is Greek yogurt. I love Greek yogurt, but it can be quite expensive. This is why I make my own Greek yogurt and top with my own fruit concoctions!

Step One:

Buy a large container of your favorite yogurt. I love Stoneyfields low fat plain yogurt. Dump the yogurt in a strainer lined with cheesecloth or thick paper towels. Place the strainer in another bowl to catch all the liquid that will come out. Place this in the fridge over night. The next morning, you will notice your yogurt has reduced in size, but is very thick and creamy. The longer you keep your yogurt in the strainer, the thicker it will get.

Step Two:

Puree or mash your favorite fruits to eat with the yogurt. Puree in a blender or mash with a masher for a chunkier consistency. Leave as is, or mix in two teaspoons of honey into fruit. Mmm..think of the possibilities....mashed berries, bananas, kiwi, mango, etc.

Step Three:

Make your own fruit on the bottom yogurt or top yogurt with your fresh fruit. Either way, you can't go wrong. Put the yogurt in a cup or bowl and enjoy with your fruit!

Making your own fruit yogurt is so much better than buying store bought, sugary, preservative filled yogurt! This is so much fresher and so much more tastier! Best part is, you know everything that is in the yogurt and fruit!

image: seriouseats.com

Shape Up in 2011: Breakfasts

Good Morning Everyone,

So, we've all heard the saying before -'breakfast is the most important meal of the day'. This is sooo true. Breakfast literally means to break your fast and it's important to know that the first thing you put in your body after fasting should be nutritious and of course delicious. Studies have shown if you eat a filling, nutritious breakfast, you are less likely to binge through out the day. A filling breakfasts calms the hunger hormone ghrelin and keeps you satiated for a longer period of time.

It's best to make sure your breakfast is loaded with fiber and antioxidants. Here's a few of my favorite breakfasts, which are high in fiber, delicious and very easy to make, even if your on the go!

Oatmeal:

The possibilities are endless here. Keep your base as plain, unsweetened oats. You can even use the instant kind. To keep your oatmeal creamy, use unsweetened almond milk. My favorite oatmeal combo is oats mixed with cinnamon and raisins.

You can mix in any type of fruit or nuts. For example, chopped apple, with chopped almonds and cinnamon is delicious. Like I said, go ahead and buy the plain, instant oatmeal and add the mix ins!

Cereal:

Top cereal off with berries or a banana. Go for cereals that have at least 3 grams of fiber. Add some fruit and you could have a great 5 grams of fiber for breakfast! One of my most favorite combos for cereal is: cereal, peanut butter (1 tsp.) and chopped bananas. These days my cereal of choice is Cheerios (plain). Kashi also makes great tasting, fiber filled cereals.

Yogurt:

OK, so you can't go wrong with non fat Greek yogurt, topped with fresh berries and drizzled with honey! Not only do you get your fiber from the fruit, but you also get a great protein punch from the Greek yogurt! Just make sure you don't use too much honey. You can also mix in dry cereal for a crunchy, textured yogurt!

English Muffins:

If you are going to have an English Muffin in the morning, make sure it is made from 100% Whole Wheat flour or sprouted grains. My favorite English Muffin is by Ezekiel's. I love smearing a teaspoon or two of peanut butter and topping with sliced banana. Such a great fiber and protein filled breakfast.

I hope I was able to give you guys some quick and healthy breakfast options that you'll try. What did you have for breakfast today?

image: thedailygreen.com