I love pasta and was so excited to incorporate it into a few meals this week! But for my diets sake I knew I couldn’t have a large serving of pasta each night as a main dish. I decided to make blackened fish with fresh veggies and orzo pasta with fresh garlic and a little bit of olive oil! I didn’t use any recipes but it’s sometimes fun to just get in the kitchen and play with flavors that I’ve learned work well together! It was absolutely delicious and I’m looking forward to keeping it on hand to switch instead of our usual brown rice with some meals.
I’d really like to try risotto as well! Maybe I’ll find another night to do that this week.
A good reminder from challenger DietDiva that preparing a large amount of food, like soup, at the beginning of the week makes for a quick and simple grab for lunch or busy nights for dinner.
When dieting I do my very best to stay away from processed foods! The challenge in that is I find myself cooking almost every meal and realistically there are times it’s just not feasible. So on Monday each week I prepare a large pot of soup or stew that I keep in the fridge and pull out to reheat when we need a quick lunch or dinner on the fly. I also love to make a large salad with tons of fresh veggies so all I have to do is scoop some into a bowl to go along with a meal or as the base of a meal itself!
This soup recipe was shared by a challenger a few weeks ago and I was excited to try it out! Delicious! Can’t wait to get my pasta pot out this week!
“I can still help a friend without sacrificing our own meal,” is a freeing revelation by challenger DietDiva when trying to balance healthy, homemade meals and doubling up the work by preparing meals for others.
Last night dinner at my house was more than a challenge … I had myself in a pickle. Without thinking I offered to deliver dinners for two friends on the same night who just brought babies home from the hospital this week! Not only did I have to prepare a healthy dinner for my family but I needed to triple my batch, prepare all this food while caring for my two young kids and finish early enough to deliver the meals so my friends could bake and enjoy them before it got too late for dinner (although I’m sure those babies are keeping them up pretty late these days)! I was feeling more than overwhelmed when I came to check in here on the blog. I heard another contributor talking about the easy Raviosagne recipe from I Can’t Believe It’s Not Fattening!
After a quick trip to the grocery store I came home and cranked out three delicious trays of the lasagna in about 15 minutes from start to finish! One for each of my friends and their families and one for us! Typically when I plan to cook and deliver a meal for a friend I take the “Easy” route and grab fast food for my family that night so I’m only preparing one meal and not in the kitchen all day! But I found out things can be just as easy and I can still help a friend without sacrificing our own meal and do it all in enough time to cuddle two adorable new babies, take care of my family and make it to church! Can I hear an amen?
The dinner was wonderful and the homes where I needed to deliver the meals were across town near my in-laws home so I took ours over to share with them. There were smiles all around that night and when I went to bed I was feeling so accomplished.
Challenger DietDiva shares with us one of her favorite breakfast recipes. Disguised as dessert, this is fuel-packed meal to get your day going.
I’m so excited to start this week off and join in on the mini challenge using cheese in healthy recipes! I cannot wait to try a few new recipes!
This morning I had a wonderful breakfast that felt more like a dessert! The breakfast banana split from The Biggest Loser cookbook is one of my favorites and brings together a wide variety of food groups in one meal!
Protein from the peanut butter, dairy from the yogurt, a serving of fruit in the banana and some complex carbs in the Grapenuts cereal! Delicious!
Challenger DietDiva makes a wise move to take healthy snacks with her family on a road trip, avoiding the calorie conundrum awaiting at every truck stop.
Something I’ve always struggled with is eating well while traveling. Just like with eating at home the key is to be prepared and enable myself to make the right choices by bringing food along that I’ve prepared at home.
Along with packing plenty of cut up fruit and veggies in the cooler I’m going to make the Chocolate Chocolate Brownie Cups I’ve heard so many rave about. Another great option for travel is Chef Devin’s Trail Corn from The Biggest Loser cookbook. The big challenge here will be getting my family onboard and helping my Dad forgo his road trip staple – a honey-bun and whole milk!
Challenger DietDiva finds a way to satisfy her need for a daily mocha fix by preparing it at home and saving hundreds of calories (not to mention money!).
When I decided it was time to do something about the unhealthy path I was on I reluctantly said goodbye to my favorite frozen Frappachinos from Starbucks! I went the first few months obsessing about them and was frustrated that I couldn’t enjoy one without feeling guilt over wasted calories (around 400 to be exact)!
Then I stumbled upon a recipe for Iced Buffed Mocha in one of Chef Devin’s cookbooks and I don’t miss the overpriced full fat version one bit. I have one of these almost every afternoon and and although the full recipe contains 127 calories I rarely get to enjoy a whole one myself because my 3 year old has caught on that these are really really tasty!
What a great idea from challenger DietDiva for our 100-calorie mini challenge. This filling snack will no doubt quench a craving for far greasier pizza! Not to mention how kid-friendly this is!
When trying to stay within 3 servings of whole grains per day I like to keep my snacks low carb or carb free. Today I took my normal cheese stick and dressed it up a bit with some turkery pepperoni and marinara. Yum!
Challenger DietDiva chose to accept our 100-calorie mini challenge and hit a home run! This sundae looks like the perfect way to indulge a sweet tooth without wracking up the calories, fat and sugar found in a traditional sundae.
I love this week’s mini challenge – those 100 calorie prepackaged snacks always seemed like such a waste. Tonight after dinner I made a quick 100 calorie strawberry banana sundae.
I used:
2 Tbs. Cool Whip FREE for 15 calories +
1/2 a medium banana 50 calories +
3 medium strawberries for 18 calories +
1 Tbsp. Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup for 13 calories =
96 Calories
The whipped topping and chocolate syrup were so yummy I didn’t miss the ice cream and neither did my 3 year old. Next time I might “splurge” with some fresh pineapple, sugar free caramel sauce and a few peanuts to make it a banana split!
Family meals at home don’t have to mean elbows down at the dining room table, as challenger DietDiva shares here. Soak up the new spring weather and take your healthy homemade meal to the backyard!
It’s a gorgeous day here in FL so we enjoyed lunch outside in the backyard while the kids played! I relaxed in the hammock while munching on these delicious and healthy honey bbq “wings”! It was nice to take a meal outside for a little change of pace. We’re going to make a habit of doing this once in a while this summer!
Challenger DietDiva is back with another dish from Chef Devin’s I Can’t Believe It’s Not Fattening. This time, we actually get to watch her prepare this dish… only making us hungrier!
This was such and easy and delicious recipe! Give it a try this week while you’re cooking at home!
