Stevia Roasted Almonds

Ingredients:

1 Cup Stevia

1 Cup  Brown Sugar

3 Tbsp Cinnamon

1 Pinch Salt

1 Tbsp Vanilla

3 Cups Almonds

1/4 Cup Water

 Mix together all of the items except the almonds.

 Then add in almonds.

Cook in Slow Cooker on high for 1-2 hours.

Place on parchment paper and spread out while allowing to cool.

Made this into 12 small (1/4 cup) servings: 185 calories, 15.1 g fat, 10 g carbs, 5 g fiber, 3.7 g sugar.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes!

Ingredients: 
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch sea salt

Preheat oven to 375. Microwave butter and semi-sweet chocolate for 30 seconds.

Mix in the rest of the ingredients.

Grease then fill muffin tins with mixture. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

One cupcake: 120 calories, 7.2 g fat, 13.8 g carbs, 1.3 g fiber, 10.8 g sugar... not too bad!

Lunch for the Week: Quinoa Buffalo Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
1 Cup Cooked Quinoa
4 Chicken Breast Cutlets
1 Cup Steamed Broccoli
1 Cup Shredded Carrots
1/2 Cup Blue Cheese Crumbles
4 Green Onions Chopped
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Hot Sauce

I marinated my chicken in some extra buffalo sauce and cooked it on our indoor grill. Then, In a skillet, I combined all of the ingredients together and sauteed for about 5 minutes.

Since this was my lunch for the week, I just topped each serving with a little more green onions and blue cheese.

Makes 4 servings: 357 Calories, fat: 18.7 g, Carbs: 17.9 g, Protein: 31.9 g.

A New Spin on Baked Potatoes

Ok, so, maybe baked potatoes aren't THAT healthy, but they are better for you than their counterpart (my nemesis), french fries. All you have to do is cut a potato almost all the way through...

Drizzle with olive oil (I found this neat garlic olive oil...)

Sprinkle with a little salt, pepper, and garlic powder...

Then bake at 425 for 40 minutes. I like to broil the last 5 minutes for extra crispiness. And that's it!

I topped with a little bit of light butter and plain Greek yogurt (if you haven't tried this substitute for sour cream, it is HIGHLY recommended-- I know it sounds crazy, I was very skeptical at first too, but I promise you won't taste ONE difference!)

1 potato (without butter and Greek yogurt): 150 calories, fat: 4.5 g, fiber: 4g, carbs: 37.7 g.

Super-Simple Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken

Here is a super-simple recipe that would be great for a busy day.

Simple ingredients:
4 Chicken Breast Cutlets
1 Cup BBQ Sauce of your choice
1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce 
2 Tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Honey
1/4 Cup Pineapple Juice (helps keep the chicken nice and juicy)

 Mix all wet ingredients together, mix in chicken, cook on low heat for 4-5 hours! Delish!

1 serving: 214 Calories, 3g fat, 22.5 g carbs, 18.8g sugar.

Zucchini Lasagna

First, I would like to note that we completed a 5k today! I knew I needed to make something that I could pig out on a litttttle, because, well, I was starving the entire day.

Assuming you can get 6 servings out of this, this recipe weighs in at just 206 calories! 

 13 g carbs, 3.6 g fiber, 7.5 g sugar, 22 g protein!

I will tell you, I was actually shocked at how absolutely delicious this turned out. The texture of the zucchini is a lot like regular lasagna noodles, and, well, let's face it... if you can still put cheese on it, we're in good shape! So, I start with ground turkey meat...

I season the meat really well (garlic and basil pretty much does the trick) while I am browning it because I have another confession... this is what I use for my sauce...

(I know, I know, sacrilegious... but I honestly can't make anything from scratch taste better, especially not in 10 minutes... On the plus side, Prego now makes a low sodium option that tastes absolutely delicious, too!)

See? Now we have a wonderful sauce in about ten minutes! The next part is a little more tricky... I did have to specifically go out and buy a mandolin to slice the zucchini lengthwise...

Then, we layer! Sauce, zucchini, sauce, zucchini, cheese... ta da.

Yum! Cover, cook for 20 minutes at 400, the broil uncovered for the last five minutes. Again, this was soooooo good! 

Ingredients:

3 Zucchini

Your favorite pasta sauce

Ground turkey

Italian cheese blend

Spices

Layer, bake at 400 covered for 20 minutes, the broil uncovered for 5 minutes.

Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa Casserole

That broccoli cheesy rice casserole that you've had for years can now be healthy for you! By adding Quinoa (protein!) it can now be a complete meal, too! I made the whole casserole and plan on eating this deliciousness all week for lunch :)

All this for 264 calories, 18 g carbs, 0.8 g sugars, 13.2 g protein ! (Makes 4 servings as a meal, could easily be 8 servings as a side dish)

First you start with a soup cream base. You can save a lot of calories and sodium by making this yourself, and it's super easy. Combine: 1 cup milk, 2 tablespoons corn starch, 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon (I prefer "Better than Bouillon" brand), and a dash of pepper to taste. Whisk all together in a small saucepan, stirring frequently. Bring to a boil for one minute, then set aside.

Then, you'll need to cook your quinoa. Start with 3/4 cups uncooked quinoa and follow the instructions on the container that you have. 

Combine cooked quinoa, the soup base, 2 wedges laughing cow cheese, 2 tablespoons skim milk, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 2 cups cooked broccoli, a dash of pepper and a dash of nutmeg. Pour into casserole dish and sprinkle a little parmesan cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes (I broiled for the last 2 minutes to give it a little crunch on top.

Sooooo good!

Ingredients:

Cream soup base: 1 cup milk, 2 tablespoons corn starch, 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon (I prefer "Better than Bouillon" brand), and a dash of pepper to taste.

3/4 cups uncooked or 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa 

2 wedges laughing cow cheese

2 tablespoons skim milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups cooked broccoli

a dash of pepper 

a dash of nutmeg

top with parmesan cheese

Carrot Raisin Oat Muffins!

Yes, the title is kind of a mouthful, but these muffins are too! They pack a punch with awesome flavor plus a serving of fruits and veggies too!

Preheat your oven to 375. In a large bowl, mix together all of your dry ingredients: 2 cups whole wheat flour, 1 cup rolled oats, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves and 1/4 cup stevia.

These dried spices taste great and have great health benefits!

Then, in a separate bowl, combine all of your wet ingredients...
1 cup skim milk, 1 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1 egg (I use egg whites), 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

Then add your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients, and stir in 2 cups shredded carrots and 1/2 cup raisins.

Mix well and pour everything into muffin cups. If desired, sprinkle a few more oats on the top of the bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour 

1 cup rolled oats 

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 

1/4 cup stevia

 1 cup skim milk

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 egg (I use egg whites)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups shredded carrots

1/2 cup raisins

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.