Quick and Easy Breakfast: Omelet

Eggs are such an easy food for breakfast because they don't take long to cook.  They are also packed with nutrients and protein.  Unless you have high cholesterol, you're good to eat the yolk, but you could just as easily make this with egg whites if you prefer.  I really like omelets (or omelettes, if you're fancy) because there are so many different combinations you can make.  Serve your omelet with a side of fruit for a complete breakfast!

Omelet

1 serving

Ingredients

1 t olive oil

1/4 red onion, chopped

1 c spinach

1 T feta cheese

2 eggs

2 T water (or milk, optional)

dash salt and pepper

Put 1/2 t olive oil into a non-stick pan and heat over medium heat.  Add onion and cook for a few minutes, then add spinach until wilted (I just throw in a big handful since it wilts down so much).  Remove onions and spinach from the pan.  Put remaining 1/2 t olive oil into pan and swirl it around.  Whisk eggs together in a bowl with some salt and pepper (if desired) and 2 T water or milk (optional).  Add eggs to pan and push back the edges to get any uncooked egg onto the pan.  Add cheese and vegetables, fold over the egg, and cook until warmed.

• There are so many options that you can do with an omelet.  You can use any vegetables you want:  bell pepper, broccoli, mushrooms, tomatoes...whatever you like!  You can also change the cheese to any kind and make some really yummy combinations.

• If you're prepping this ahead of time, go ahead and cook the vegetables, crack and whisk the eggs, along with salt, pepper, and water or milk (if you wish) and that way all you'll have to do in the morning is cook the eggs and warm up the vegetables.

• You could add a side of turkey bacon and a slice of toast if you wanted to add another protein and a carb.

Quick and Easy Dinner: Tacos

I love Mexican food but, as we all know, it's not exactly the best for the waistline.  That's where Autumn's Mexican taco meat comes in.  I wanted to share this recipe with you because it is from her cookbook Fixate, which includes over 100 recipes for delicious, healthy recipes.  If you'd like to know more about the cookbook, check out my review here:  Fixate Cookbook Review!

Mexican Taco Meat

4 servings

Ingredients

1 t olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 lb ground turkey

1 t dried Mexican oregano

1 t chili powder

dash salt

1 1/2 cups Grandma's tomato sauce (recipe in Fixate)

3 T tomato paste

Add olive oil to non-stick pan and heat over medium-high heat.  Add onion and jalapeños and cook for about 4 minutes, until onions begin to get soft.  Add garlic and cook for just about a minute.  Remove mixture from pan and add turkey meat.  Cook until no longer pink, about 8 minutes.  Add spices, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and onion mixture to pan.  Simmer for about 10 minutes to bring flavors together and cook out most of the liquid.

• That's it!  Autumn offers several suggestions for how to serve the taco meat, but I prefer to put 1/4 of the meat mixture on a whole-wheat flour tortilla, top with 1 T salsa and some shredded lettuce.  I also added a vegetable and yes, I served it with a margarita!

• You don't have to use the jalapenos, but since they are seeded and cooked, they do not make the dish that spicy, but rather add flavor.

• Instead of ground turkey (93% lean or higher), you could use ground beef.

• You can use oregano in place of Mexican oregano.  I found it at a specialty grocery store, but I don't notice much difference in the taste with all the other flavors in there.

• I cheat a bit on the homemade sauce (because I am l-to the-a-to the-z-to the y).  Instead I use Prego Light Smart Traditional sauce.

• You can make a margarita very easily using tequila, lime and orange juice, and agave, but I chose to use a pre-made mix and tequila.  You can find it here:  Skinny Margarita Mixes.

 

Quick and Easy Breakfast: Oatmeal with Berries

Good morning!  Today I decided to make oatmeal.  I find that when I'm especially hungry, oatmeal is a good thing to have because it fills me up.  This recipe also has protein powder and blueberries so I get my serving of everything I need to start the day right in one bowl.  I have been making this recipe for years, as it came with the Insanity workout program.  The nutrition guide is full of recipes for every meal (again, back when programs actually included useful recipes)!  Here we go!

Oatmeal with Berries

1 serving

I'll work on the presentation, I promise.

 Ingredients

1/2 c quick cook oats

1 1/2 T walnuts, chopped

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1/2 c blueberries

1/4 c milk (optional)

Bring 1 c of water to a boil and add oats.  Return to boil and lower to medium-high heat.  Cook, stirring frequently, until most of the water is gone.  Pour oatmeal into a bowl and top with protein powder, blueberries, and walnuts.  If desired, add milk.  Enjoy!

If you want to prep ahead of time:

-measure out dry oats and keep in a container to cook in the morning.  You can also pre-cook the oats the night before, but I found that it gets kind of gluey in the microwave when reheating.

-measure blueberries and wash

-measure walnuts and protein powder and store together in airtight container 

Some notes:

*Milk is totally optional here, it's just used to add some liquid to the oats and cook them down.  You can use any kind of milk that you like. 
*Make sure you're buying raw, unsalted nuts.

*Remember, if you're using the portion fix meal plan, measure your oats cooked.

Quick and Easy Lunch: Tarragon Chicken Salad

Here I am, back with another recipe, this time for lunch!  Another very simple, quick, and delicious recipe that can easily be doubled or quadrupled and can be made ahead of time to have all week!

Tarragon Chicken Salad over Spinach

1 serving

Ingredients

4 oz. chicken breast

1/2 Granny Smith apple

2 T light mayo

1/2 t dried tarragon

1/4 t sea salt

1/4 t fresh pepper

2-3 c spinach

 3 whole-wheat Melba toasts (optional)

Cook the chicken breast by either grilling in a pan with non-stick cooking spray or poaching.  Cube apple, cut up chicken, and mix together with mayo, tarragon, salt, and pepper.  Place spinach on a plate and top with chicken salad.  Serve with Melba toasts, if desired.

  

• This recipe originally called for 1/2 t salt and pepper, but it was way too salty for my taste.  Also, I would probably reduce the mayo to 1 T when I make this again because I don't feel like it needed that much.  

• If you need another carb, you can add in the Melba toasts.  I forgot mine today!  :(

• You can use greens or lettuce (just steer clear of iceberg) instead of spinach.

• The tarragon really makes this salad!  If you don't care for tarragon, you could substitute parsley.

 

Quick and Easy Breakfast: Toast with Cottage Cheese

Welcome to today's breakfast recipe.  If you thought the last one was simple, we're getting even easier here!  This recipes requires NO cooking (unless you count making toast as cooking) and is tasty and simple to make when you're on the go!

Nut Butter and Preserves Toast with Cottage Cheese

1 serving

Please excuse the presentation!

Ingredients

1 slice whole-wheat toast

1 t all-natural nut butter (I used peanut)

1 t no sugar added preserves

1/2 c cottage cheese

1 c fruit

Put bread in the toaster and toast to desired crispness.  Top with nut butter and preserves.  Serve with cottage cheese (or you could have Greek yogurt) and fruit on the side.

If you want to prep ahead of time:

-take bread out of freezer and defrost in fridge overnight (if frozen)
-measure out cottage cheese and put in airtight container
-measure out and cut up fruit and put in airtight container
-you could even measure out the nut butter and preserves and put them in the same container so in the morning, all you have to do is toast and spread!

Quick and Easy Dinner: Orzo with Shrimp

Here is a fast, easy dinner that you can whip up in 10 minutes.  This dish requires minimal cooking (the shrimp and orzo) and not much else, just some chopping.  I absolutely love this dish!  The flavor combinations are great and with it being so easy, you can make it any day of the week when you're in a rush!

Orzo with Shrimp

4 servings (could easily be doubled or halved)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 T olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1 lb. shrimp, peeled

1 c whole wheat orzo

juice and zest from 1 lemon

1/8 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1 oz. feta cheese

1 oz. spinach leaves

1/8 c red onion

1/4 c kalamata olives

Start by heating olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium-low heat.  Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.  Add shrimp in a single layer and turn only once, cooking for about 2 minutes on each side.  Meanwhile, boil water in a pot and add orzo.  Bring water back to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes.  While orzo is still hot, add spinach so it begins to wilt.  Mix in salt and pepper. Spoon orzo and spinach onto 4 plates.  Divide shrimp evenly and put on top of orzo.  Top each plate evenly with feta, red onion, and olives.  Squeeze lemon juice over each serving and top with zest.  Enjoy!

• This dish is great served warm or cold.  If you're going to have it cold, cook orzo and shrimp ahead of time and refrigerate until you are ready to add other ingredients. 

•  When you're cooking shrimp, try not to move it around too much and be careful not to overcook.  It will get chewy if you do!   

• To measure the spinach and feta, I use a kitchen scale.  I found a digital one that was very inexpensive and I use it all the time.

• If you can't find whole wheat orzo, you could substitute other whole wheat pasta or use regular orzo (non-whole wheat pasta won't kill you this one time).  I actually ordered mine off Amazon because I couldn't find it locally.  Remember, if you're using the portion fix meal plan, make sure to measure your orzo cooked so you get the right yellow count.

Quick and Easy Breakfast: Waffles with Yogurt and Berries

Good morning!  Breakfast can certainly be a challenging meal for a lot of people.  It's early, you don't feel like eating anything, or you just don't have time.  I used to hate eating breakfast!  I didn't skip it, but I would have to force myself to eat something.  Over time I've conditioned my body to be able to eat early in the morning so I can set the tone for the rest of my day with a delicious, nutritious meal. 

Here is a recipe from the Chalean Extreme nutrition guide.  This book is full of recipes (ya know, back when workout programs came with more than two recipes and "suggestions" for healthy foods) and I wish I had started using it earlier.  The program is challenging, but I really enjoy it and I wish I had gotten into it sooner!  Okay, without further ado...

Waffles with Yogurt and Berries

 Ingredients

2 whole wheat waffles

1/3 cup vanilla yogurt (I used Greek yogurt and added a little vanilla extract)

1 cup berries (I did 1/2 c each of blueberries and strawberries)

1 T walnuts, chopped

1 T maple syrup

 

Toast waffles, top with yogurt, berries, walnuts, and syrup.  Enjoy!

It doesn't get much simpler than that!  Here's what can you do if you want to prep ahead of time:  

-take waffles out of freezer the night before (if frozen) and put in an airtight container to defrost in the fridge overnight

-measure out berries, wash, slice, and push them in a container (I recommend doing this only if you're eating the berries the next morning.  If you're prepping for the whole week, don't wash or slice them until the night before.)

-measure out yogurt and put in container

-measure out walnuts, chop them, and put in container

Simple Snacks

I am super pumped to be writing this blog entry today because it is by request!  I am more than happy to oblige, so if there is anything you want to see a post about, let me know, and I'll get it done!  Today's post is all about simple snacks, a must in our busy lifestyles.  The best thing about most of these snacks is that they can be prepped ahead of time, so if you're on the run or short on time, just grab them and eat.  They are all simple and require few ingredients.  Depending on your meal plan and caloric needs, you should have two small snacks a day in addition to 3 meals.

1. 2 T hummus (homemade or store-bought) with sliced vegetables (carrot sticks, bell pepper)
2. 2 hard boiled eggs (you can take out the yolk and mix it with Dijon mustard or replace it with hummus or you can just eat the whole egg!) and carrot sticks
3. 2T guacamole or 1/4 c salsa with homemade pita chips (cut whole-wheat pita into 1/8ths, spray pan with non-stick cooking spray, lightly salt and bake)
4. 1/2 c yogurt (Greek or plain) with 1/2 c berries and 1 T sliced almonds (keep almonds separate until ready to eat)
5. 1/2 c oatmeal with 1 T chopped walnuts
6. turkey roll-ups:  3 oz. (usually about 3 slices) turkey breast rolled up with 1/4 avocado and 1/2 bell pepper
7. 1 serving of fruit with 12 almonds
8. an apple or banana with 1 T nut butter (almond, peanut, sunflower, cashew)
9. 1 rice cake or slice of whole-wheat bread topped with 2 oz. deli meat (2 slices) and 1 oz. cheese (1 slice)
10. 1 rice cake topped with 1 T peanut butter and 1/2 banana
11. 1/2 c yogurt (Greek or plain), 1/2 c berries, and 2 T granola (homemade [great recipe in Fixate] or store-bought, but make sure to check sugar)
12. 1 c high-fiber/protein, low-sugar cereal (I like Special K Protein or Fiber One Original) with 3/4 c non-fat milk
13. 1/2 c cottage cheese topped with 1/2 c fruit (I like grapes, cantaloupe, or pineapple)
14. homemade protein bars (a simple recipe can be found here:  http://www.beachbody.com/beachbodyblog/nutrition/homemade-energy-bars--you can substitute protein powder if you do not have Shakeology)
15. protein shake:  1/2 c non-fat milk, 1 scoop protein powder (or 1 scoop/packet Shakeology), 1/2 banana, 1 T nut butter, ice, blended
16. homemade trail mix:  1 T each of the following:  pepitas (raw pumpkin seeds), dark chocolate chips, almonds
17. zucchini or sweet potato chips:  slice thinly, sprinkle with salt, and bake 
18. 1/2 c egg whites, scrambled, with 1/4 salsa

When you plan ahead and have snacks like these:
  ,
you'll be less likely to be tempted by snacks like these: 



Enjoy and if you have any other snacks to add, comment below!