Garlic Chicken and Spinach Parmesean

Last night I was trying to come up with a quick, healthy, and easy dinner to make and just so happened to stumble across this particular recipe.  At the time, I didn't really think that my husband Jeff really for spinach, but I figured he could just pick around it.  Turns out he ended up eating it.  He then informed me that he likes spinach as long as its cooked, otherwise its too leafy, like lettuce, which he doesn't like.  I know, strange, right?

Anyway......a great thing about this recipe is that I already had the ingredients that it required, therefore I didn't have to go out and spend any money.  I even have enough ingredients left over that I could make it again this weekend, which I think I will.  Mostly because it was absolutely delicious!

Garlic Chicken and Spinach Parmesan

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Ingredients:

1-2 TBSP. butter

5-6 cloves garlic, minced

2 large chicken breasts, chopped into bite size pieces

Sea Salt

Black Pepper

¼ - ½ cup Parmesan cheese

2 cups baby spinach

Directions:

In a large skillet, over a medium heat, saute the garlic for about a minute.  After that, add in the chicken pieces, salt, and a little pepper and cook until the chicken is done and no longer pink.  Once ready, sprinkle in the Parmesan cheese, and stir around until all the chicken pieces are coated.  Lastly add it the spinach.  It may look like a lot, but once you stir it around and the leaves have wilted, you will have just the right amount.

Remove the skillet from the heat, and dish onto a plate.  You may serve as is, or over noodles or rice.  Whatever way you choose to enjoy it, I recommend sprinkling on a little more black pepper and cheese!

Source:

Slightly adapted from Simply Healthy Home

Zero Carb-Chocolate Protein Packed Waffle Sticks

Let me see.......I'm not even sure where to really begin this post.  I can't act like nothing happened, because I know that I disappeared for quite some time, and for that I'm very sorry.  Apparently I had a lot going on in my life in 2014; all of which seemed to take me away from posting my recipes. 

Sadly, I originally disappeared because my loving grandfather passed away.  At the time there was a lot of driving back and fourth between Michigan and North Carolina, and I didn't have my computer with me.  After things began to settle back down, I became extremely busy studying for my new career as a personal trainer.  Then of course there were vacations, family gatherings, weddings, and the holidays. 

Hopefully I'm back now and I'm thrilled to say that there hasn't been a better time for me to be sharing healthy recipes!  As most of you already know, I've always pretty much been a healthy eater, (or at least within the past 6 or 7 years) but right now it's extra important to eat healthy due to the fact that Jeff and I are expecting our first child this July!

Today actually marks the start of week 14 for me, which means I've officially made it into my second trimester!  All without being sick; and for that I owe someone a "thank you"!  Surprisingly, at least based on the looks I get from my doctors and nurses, I've actually felt like myself throughout this pregnancy. I've been a little tired at times, but have still been able to workout almost everyday and I've also been able to continue to run.  In fact I actually ran 4 miles yesterday and did 1.5 miles this afternoon.  A lot of how I have been feeling has to do with what I eat.  If I make some poor decisions, because let's face it, I'm human, and pregnant, I feel like crap and drag a little bit more than usual.  If I eat light and healthy though, I feel great!

With that being said, I'm excited to share today's recipe with you!  Not only is this recipe a healthy and delicious one, but it's also a breakfast food, and I absolutely love breakfast!  These waffles are incredibly quick and easy to make, and they're also high in protein and have zero carbs (except for whatever you put on top).

Zero Carb-Chocolate Protein Packed Waffle Sticks

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Ingredients:

1 Scoop chocolate protein powder (I use Whey Gold – Chocolate Malt)

1 Large Egg

1 Large Egg White

1 tsp. Baking Powder

2 TBSP. Water

¼ tsp. Vanilla

Dash of Cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together using a hand held mixer; or I always use my Nutribullet. 

After you heat up your waffle stick maker or a waffle iron spray it lightly with a non-stick cooking spray.  Next, pour in some of the batter and allow to cook until the waffle maker beeps at you or for 2-3 minutes.  Remove the prepared waffles and garnish with toppings or your choosing.  I always like to put a little sugar free maple syrup and fresh fruit on top of mine.

Coconut-Vanilla Granola

It's officially looking and feeling like springtime outside and I absolutely love it!  What a gorgeous day!  The sun's coming up, the sky's a wonderful shade of blue, leaves are beginning to appear on the trees, and my kitchen smells like the tropical aroma of coconuts.

Side note: I pretty much love the smell of anything relating to coconut.  (Coconut candles, coconut body wash, coconut lotion, etc.) 

However, my love for all things coconut is not why my kitchen smells of coconut today.  The reason it smells so wonderfully delicious, is because I'm currently baking a batch of coconut-vanilla granola.  I absolutely love making granola because it makes such a great topping to pretty much anything you can think of.  I personally put it on top of my Greek yogurt or cottage cheese, but it's also good as is, with just a little almond milk.  Yummy!

Coconut-Vanilla Granola

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Ingredients:

3 ½ cups old fashioned oats

¾ cup almonds

½ cup shredded sweetened coconut (optional)

2 TBSP. light brown sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg

1/4 cup ground flaxseed

4 TBSP. coconut oil, melted

½ cup maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. coconut extract

1 vanilla bean, scraped out

Optional: 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the oats, almonds, coconut, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground flaxseed.

In another bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla and coconut extract, and the vanilla bean scrapping.

Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir around with a wooden spoon until everything is well coated.  Empty the contents of the bowl onto the prepared baking sheet and spread around to form an even layer.  Place the pan into the oven and let bake for 25-30 minutes.  Make sure to stir it around every 10 minutes or so, to allow even baking and to keep the granola from burning.

Once done, remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool.  The granola may be stored in an airtight container for about a week.  Enjoy!

Low-Carb Egg White Muffin

I know I mentioned yesterday that I don't typically eat a large breakfast, but rather enjoy having a little something small, just to get my day started.  With that being said, these little egg white muffins worked out perfectly!

This is definitely a recipe that I've been wanting to try for awhile now, mostly because they seemed like they'd be a great, make ahead, grab and go dish.  So, what finally inspired me to break down and give them a try?  That's easy.  My best friend for the past 29 years, Christina, is visiting us this weekend and I really wanted to make something that was not only healthy, but would also be a breakfast that we could enjoy whenever.

Overall, I'd have to say that it was a success!  These mini muffins are quick, easy, and reheat incredibly well.  I also love the fact that they're only around 60 calories a piece!

Low-Carb Egg White Muffins

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(Makes 12)

Ingredients:

8 whites

1 egg

¼ cup fat-free cottage cheese (or less)

¼ cup chopped baby spinach

4 TBSP. chopped onion

¼ cup (or less) chopped green pepper

¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

4 TBSP. Feta cheese

3-5 TBSP. mini ham cubes

2 turkey sausage patties, chopped into pieces

2-4 TBSP. bacon bits

Dash of: chili powder, black pepper, and garlic powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and generously spray a muffin/cupcake pan with a nonstick cooking spray.  Set aside.

In a medium size bowl, combine the egg, and the egg whites and then whisk together until well combined.  Set aside.

Heat a skillet, with about 2-3 tsp. of olive oil, over a medium to high heat.  Next, add in the green peppers and let sauté until they begin to look a little tender.  This should take about 3-5 minutes.  You don’t want to let them cook fully, because you still have other ingredients to add.  After the peppers have cooked some, add in the chopped up onion.  Once the onion appears soft and translucent, add in the spinach leaves and continue to cook until the leaves begin to wilt.

In the bowl with the egg mixture, add in all the remaining ingredients, including the warm veggies.  Whisk, or stir together, until everything is well blended.  Pour the mixture into the muffin tin, filling each well about 1/2 full.  Once ready, I sprinkled on a little extra mozzarella cheese (that’s optional, but delicious)

Next, place the pan into the oven and let bake for 25-30 minutes.  Once complete, remove the pan from the oven and let cool for around 5 minutes.  After that, pop the muffins out of the pan and enjoy!

Source: Adapted from Eat. Drink. Love.

Rise and Shine Protein Smoothie

Unless I'm on vacation, or it's a special occasion, I've never been much of a breakfast person; which seems weird, at least to me, because I'm one who absolutely LOVES breakfast foods!  I'd have to say that it's definitely my all-time favorite category of food, which I know I've mentioned before!  So why don't I usually eat it then?  I'm just never really that hungry so early in the morning (I get up at 4:20).  

I don't skip that meal entirely, I do eat, it's just typically something small like a few hard boiled eggs, or lately, when I get home from the gym, it's been something like this delicious protein shake!  Not only does this shake contain a great amount of protein, which I like to have a lot of first thing in the morning, but it also contains lots of good vitamins and minerals to help get me started for the day.

Tip *Please feel free to substitute Orange Juice in place of water, I just like to cut down calories wherever possible.* 

Rise and Shine Protein Smoothie

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Ingredients:

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1 cup water (or orange juice)

½ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (I use Almond Breeze)

½ - ¾ banana

½ grapefruit (I ended up just squeezing the juice from the half of the grapefruit, instead of tossing it all in the blender; which ended up giving me more liquid, and no pulp!  It’s up to you.)

(If you want your smoothie a little bit thicker, you could always add in ¼ cup Greek yogurt)

Directions:

Toss all your ingredients into a blender, or in my case, a Nutribullet, and blend until everything is well combined.

Pour into a glass and enjoy!

Protein Packed Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes (Low Carb)

Can you say YUMMY!!!!

So far, living my healthier lifestyle is going well.  It's been just over a week since I gave up sweets and other unhealthy foods, and I'm feeling great!  Just because I took this step though, doesn't necessarily mean I have to sacrifice the flavors I enjoy, and I definitely proved that while I was experimenting with my basic protein packed pancake recipe.

I just so happened to be purging my pantry this weekend, of some food that I no longer wanted in the house, when I stumbled across a few unopened packages of Sugar Free Jello Cheesecake Pudding.  That's when the idea struck me!  Strawberry cheesecake pancakes!  I just so happened to have some fresh strawberries, which I love, in the refrigerator, and was planning to make protein pancakes for lunch anyway, so why not give it a try?

I'm so glad I did too.  These pancakes turned out absolutely delicious!  Not only that, but they are incredibly healthy and filled with protein, which I love!

Protein Packed Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes

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Ingredients:

3 egg whites

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use Whey Gold French Vanilla Crème)

1 tsp. baking powder

1 ½ - 2 TBSP water

1 tsp. sugar free Jello cheesecake pudding mix

1 tsp. old fashion or instant oats

Fresh strawberries

Directions:

In a Nutribullet, magic bullet, or something similar; combine all the ingredients until well blended.

Next, heat a skillet, on the stove, over a medium heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray.  (I always use Organic Olive Oil Pam)  Pour in some of the batter and let cook.  You will know it’s time to flip the pancakes over once they start to puff up and bubble a little.  Repeat this process until all the batter has been used.

Top with some fresh strawberries and some sugar free maple syrup!  Delicious.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving (recipe makes 1 serving):
Calories: 195
Carbs: 8 grams
Protein: 35 grams

Snickerdoodle Protein Shake

A healthy sweet?  Now that's what I call an oxymoron.

I've had it!  This post officially marks a change in my lifestyle.  I've decided that I need to do something different.  I'm like a drug addict; except for the fact that my drug is sugar; which studies have shown can actually be just as addictive as cocaine.  I know that I've blogged about eating healthy, which I do, but if I'm 100% honest, I've caved to my sweets cravings numerous times since the beginning of the year.  This is never a huge deal for me though, because I work out a lot, but I'm finally sick and tired of it.

It's for this reason that I tried giving up sweets (mostly chocolate) for lent, but honestly, that lasted all of 3 or 4 days; which to me is absolutely pathetic!  I personally know that I have more will power than that, but for some reason its been lacking lately and I'm over it.  I've finally come to the realization that I just need to cut out sugar all together.  I can't fool myself any longer and say that I can have only one little bite of something sweet; that's just not true (at least for me).  It'd be like giving a drug addict one little dose of crack and saying that they'll be fine.  It can't be done.  So, to give you an idea about how bad my addiction can sometimes be, let me just say that I can easily eat an entire package of Oreo cookies in one sitting and I'm not even joking.  It's shameful!

In addition to this, the really sad part is that I workout like crazy.  I'm talking 3-4 times a day, for an hour or more.  If I'd just eat clean in addition to exercising, I know I'd show better results.  I seem to go through spurts though.  I've been on and off the bandwagon so many times, (as you can probably tell from previous posts), but this time I'm really going to make it work.

One of the main reasons I'm so dedicated to focusing on nutrition is because back in October, after 9 years of teaching, I finally decided to leave the profession and now I've figured out will be next.  I'm going to become a personal trainer; which I guess is kind of like a teacher, only you don't have to deal with all the politics.  I've been fortunate enough, through my husband's job, to work with personal trainers for the past 3 years and have really been into physical fitness for the past 5-6.  I'm what some might call a fitness fanatic and have lost around a total of 40 pounds; although depending on my food consumption, that number can sometimes change, which is why I'm determined to be healthy in all areas of my life.  

Therefore, I've decided that I need to focus on dedicating my life to practicing what I preach.  I know what sugary and non-healthy foods can do to ones body, especially my own.  It doesn't take long either for all that sugar to change my physical appearance and vice versa.

1 Month Transformation after eating right and exercising

The picture on the left is the beginning of the month, the center photo is the middle of the month, and the right photo is day 30.

You can definitely see the weight loss in the face, arms, legs, hips, and thighs.

I often use this photo as my reminder of what sugar and unhealthy habits do to my body (It was taken last June).  Due to this, I'm currently on day 6 of no sugar or sweets and I'm once again feeling great!  In fact, other than an occasional protein bar (I love Questbars), or a Greek yogurt, I've had no packaged foods.  Day 2 was especially difficult though and here's why: I had little to no energy, ended up crashing in the afternoon, and almost ended up caving, mostly because I knew that something with sugar would give me the temporary rush I needed.  It was difficult, but I'm happy to announce that I stayed strong, making it over the hump and through the withdrawals, and now I plan to continue going.  

Don't ever give up, it's all about determination and willpower!

With that in mind, let's get to today's recipe.  I've been really into making protein shakes lately and not only was this particular one delicious, but it's healthy and is a great energy booster.  Enjoy!  There will definitely be more to come soon!

Snickerdoodle Protein Shake

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Ingredients:

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (I use almond breeze, 40 calories per cup)

¼ cup water

1 tsp. sugar free Vanilla Caramel Coffee Mate Creamer

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

6-8 ice cubes

*Optional – 1 tsp. Just Great Stuff (Organic powdered peanut butter; 45 calories a serving, which is 2 TBSP, compared to the traditional 190 calories a serving for 2 TBSP)

Directions:

Add all the ingredients into a blender and pulse until the ice has been pureed.  Pour into a glass and garnish with a little extra cinnamon.  Enjoy!

Source: Slightly adapted from Maybe I Will