90 Calorie Cookies!

Makes 13 BIG cookies! 88.5 calories, 15.8 g carbs, 2.2 g fiber, 4.3 g sugar, 2.3 g protein.

Ingredients:
2 cups oats
3 bananas (ripe)
1/2 cup skim milk
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup pecans (optional)

Mix together, bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet, enjoy!

Baked Turkey Meatballs

When I started eating healthy I was pretty sure that I would never be able to eat Italian food again. Well, with this recipe, Italian could totally be a once-a-week meal again! They are super-easy to make, absolutely delicious, and they don't weigh you down like some Italian foods can do. I had a XXL package of ground turkey, so this recipe actually has 10 servings (so, there's my lunch for the next week, too), but this could easily be halved to accommodate a family of 4.

 Three of these meatballs clock in at 148 calories, 6.4 g carbs, 1 g sugar and 16.5 g protein (if you have 6 then double those numbers, etc).

So, I started with ground turkey (the leaner the better), in this case it was 2.5 lbs, but again, you could easily half it. I like to sneak spinach into my food because I don't particularly love the taste, but I always feel awesome after I eat it. So I chopped up two cups of raw spinach...

Added that to the ground turkey along with 1 egg (I used egg whites), three tablespoons minced garlic,  a half a cup of parmesan cheese, a half a cup of chopped white onions, and a half a cup of bread crumbs.

(Parmesan is a good cheese to use because it has such a strong flavor that a little bit of it goes a long way.)

Then, my least favorite part, mix it all up with your hands...

Then roll up into golf sized balls and place onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper (no oil needed).

Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, then turn over and broil on high for another 5 minutes to get a nice crispy meatball. (If you are using turkey, make sure it is cooked through to 165 degrees)

And then you just do whatever it is you like to do with meatballs... make a sandwich, make spaghetti, or a little of both. I took them and added them to my favorite sauce in my crock pot and let that simmer for a few hours...

And served with whole wheat pasta... quick, easy, and delicious :)

Ingredients:

2.5 lbs ground turkey meat

2 cups chopped, raw spinach

1/2 cup raw onion

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup bread crumbs
3 tablespoons minced garlic

1 egg (or egg whites)

pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine ingredients, roll into golf ball sized balls, cook at 400 for 15 minutes, then broil on high for 3-5 minutes. Ensure turkey is cooked to 165 degrees. Enjoy!

Mexican Night- Chicken Quesadilla with Roasted Corn

Nutrition Facts (as I have prepared): 351 calories, 29.5 g carbs, 6 g fiber, 6 g sugars, and 32.5 g protein.

My key focus (and possibly struggle) with dinner tonight was to keep the cheese in a supporting role versus a starring role (ugh, but I love cheese so much)! Anyways, that is the key to keeping the calorie count down with this meal, along with some simple substitutions. Another thing I can't stress enough is that this is a perfect opportunity to load on the veggies! I used what I like and what I have at home, but many more veggies (spinach, tomatoes, peppers, whatever!) could easily be added or substituted. 

So, I started by grilling some chicken (I prefer cutlets because of how lean they are)... you can also save calories by using dry spices to season instead of a liquid marinade...

While those were grilling, I started "roasting" the corn. When I say roasting, all this is is putting it into a skillet on medium-high to high heat and browning. No oils, no butters, nothing extra needed and this will help really bring out the natural flavoring of the corn. I used canned corn (no salt added)- drained, but you could take it off of the cob also.

Leave it without stirring for 2-3 minutes so it can get nice and brown and then you can stir...

It takes about 5 minutes total to finish. I wont use the whole can tonight.

Then in the same pan I browned some onions (again, no extra butter, oil, etc)...

Reduce the heat on the burner to medium-low. Empty the skillet, then put a tortilla in...

And start filling....

Veggies, then chicken...

Then cheese... remember, not too much! A little goes a long way (I didn't believe it at first either). I just used a simple Mexican blend...

Since everything's already cooked, it's just a matter of getting the tortilla a little crispy and melting the cheese... about two minutes. Then fold it over. I flipped it once, with tongs, for good measure.

The first one got a little crispier than the second one, lesson learned: medium-low heat. Then, I skipped on what would usually be sour cream, and topped it with delicious 10 calorie salsa (giving it even more veggie goodness).

(Yes, my disposable plates are super classy)

Ta-da! Totally satisfying and delicious!

Ingredients:

Grilled chicken cutlets

Roasted corn

Grilled onions

Whole wheat tortilla

Mexican blend cheese

Salsa (optional)

Blueberry Quinoa Protein Muffins

Hello! Here is my first of hopefully many posts! I decided to create a blog to track all of the new, yummy foods I've been discovering so that I can weed through all of the spam on Pinterest and focus on the important things that they sometimes leave out (nutritional facts being #1)!

These delicious, anytime muffins are just under 110 calories each! 19.5 g of carbs, 3 g sugar, and 14.3 g of protein! They are a great way to start the day and get energized.

This is notably my first experience EVER with Quinoa, not to mention using it in an unconventional way. It worked great and a lot of different fruits could be substituted into this recipe if you don't like blueberries or are wanting a change.

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup cooked quinoa (when I did this, it was one cup uncooked, which obviously expanded when cooked, but I threw the whole thing in)
1/2 cup lightly-packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 egg (I used egg whites)
3/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 heaping cup blueberries (I used frozen)

Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven to 400. Lightly grease a 12-muffin tin and set aside.
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients: whole wheat flour, brown sugar, baking soda, salt and nutmeg, then stir in the cooked quinoa.

3. In a separate bowl combine the egg, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract, then stir in the dry ingredients.

4. Fold the blueberries into the batter, then spoon into the muffin tins (I like to use an ice cream scoop).

5. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Yum!