Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Have your cake....AND EAT IT TOO!

STOP DEPRIVING YOURSELF!!

You can eat it!  You can have pasta!  You can have cake!  You can have quesadillas!  You can have pot roast with gravy!!  

HUH??  

Yup - its all in how you PREPARE the food - not the food itself.  People think 'pot roast is bad for you' - because images float in their heads of Mom's pot roast and potatoes swimming in butter and gravy from the fatty drippings (gross!) BUT - there are ALWAYS healthy alternatives!!

Start thinking about your favorite foods - then find ways to make them healthier!  

Remember weight gain/loss is all about numbers.  Make the things you LOVE and make them fit into your day!!  Today I had chocolate chip muffins for breakfast (yup!), cereal and milk for a snack (oh yeah!), dark chocolate cake (mmmmhmmm!), a burrito bowl (DELISH)....should I go on?  And guess what?!  I wont go over my macronutrient limit for the day (i.e.: the number of calories/fats/carbs/protein I need to reach my goals)

But it's all about how I PREPARE my favorite foods to fit into my day!

My chocolate chip muffins?  Made with Lillys Dark Chocolate chips that have zero sugar (made with stevia) and 55 calories for 55 chips!  Protein powder, coconut flour, egg whites, baking soda, sugar free maple syrup and viola!  You have healthy delicious chocolate chip muffins!  

My cereal?  Barbaras Bakery whole grain 'Honest O's' - only 100 calories a cup and 20mg of sodium (want a shocker?  Turn your cereal box around and read the sodium content!) with 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (30 cals a cup!) and 1/2 a scoop or protein - shaken and poured over cereal like milk!

My dark chocolate cake?  Along the same lines as the muffins but with unsweetened dark cocoa powder and heated in the micro in a round bowl sprayed with cooking spray.  Drizzle that bad boy with some almond butter and BAM - healthy cake!



Burrito bowl?  Oh yeah - brown rice, extra lean ground beef, shredded lettuce, salsa and avocado - mmmmm!  And its not FULL of fat and sodium like the restaurant versions but tastes JUST AS GOOD!

Here are some AWESOME healthy swap recipes that you will ENJOY but stay on track!!


Healthy Quesadilla:

1 Rudi's Gluten Free Fiesta Tortilla
2 TBS shredded lowfat cheese
1/2 cup baked, grilled or shredded chicken
2 TBS salsa
** spread salsa on one half of the tortilla and top with chicken - sprinkle cheese over and fold in half and place on a flat top griddle or pan sprayed with cooking spray.  Sear 2 min each side until cheese is melted - enjoy!!

Nutrition Facts:
Cals: 258
Fat: 7g
Carb: 19.4g
Protein: 27.9g

Healthy Pot Roast with Gravy!  (YES Gravy!)

1 Jones Creek Beef Grass Fed Chuck Roast (find at Wal Mart!  Most stores carry grass fed - because the cows aren't fed hormones and grains, the meat is EXTREMELY lean!)
4 red potatoes, quartered
1 medium onion, sliced
1 clove of garlic, diced
1 cup baby carrots, whole
a few springs fresh rosemary
1 Cup low sodium chicken broth (like Pacific Foods Low Sodium Broth)
Crock Pot
Unsweetened Almond Milk or coconut milk
2 TBS cornstarch

Pour broth in bottom of crockpot and place roast on top of the broth.  Cut small slits in the meat and stuff with garlic and stick rosemary sprigs inside the slits.  Place onion, carrots and potatoes around the roast.  Place lid on and cook on low for 4 hours.

For Gravy:
Once roast is cooked, take 1/4 cup of the drippings and place in small pan on medium heat.  In a small bowl, dissolve 2 TBS corn starch in 1/4 cup water.  Slowly whisk into pan.  Once combined, slowly whisk in milk.  Allow to thicken, take off stove and season with a little sea salt and black pepper

Nutriton Facts:
(4oz beef, 1 cup veggies with 1/4 cup gravy)

Cals: 213
Fat: 6.6g
Carb: 21.8g
Protein: 17.2g


Healthy Pasta!
1 package 'Pasta Zero' (made from shiitake mushrooms!  Near tofu in produce section - I found mine at Wal Mart!)
1 cup (about 4oz) extra lean ground turkey
1 cup zucchini, sliced
1/4 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced bell pepper
2 TBS hummus (I LOVE the Engine 2 brand from Whole Foods!)
2 TBS pasta or pizza sauce
2 TBS feta cheese crumbles
fresh or dried oregano

Rinse pasta well.  Pat dry and place in bowl.  Mix with hummus/pizza sauce.  Place pasta mixture in a sprayed oven safe plate or small gratin dish and top with veggies.  Sprinkle feta cheese over.  Top with dried oregano.

Place in 425 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Put on broil last 2 minutes to get cheese/veggies gold and bubbly


Nutriton Facts: (For the ENTIRE meal above!)

Cals: 225
Fat: 6.9g
Carb: 19.5g
Protein: 31.4g




Happy and Healthy Eating!
~ DNutritionista


No comments:

Post a Comment