Brands I love!

So this blog entry will be a bit different that I normally do. Instead of giving you a recipe I want to share with you guys some of the brands I love! With all the misleading labels, and advertisements, nobody really knows what is healthy and what is not. We see zero calorie, diet, heart healthy, low-fat.....blah blah blah blah blah! If we listened to all those labels then Cherrio's, Special K bars, and Yoplait yogurt would be healthy. As I have said before all those low-fat, sugar free, diet foods are filled with harmful chemicals, and fattening sugars. So how are we suppose to know what brands to trust and which brands are causing us weight gain, kidney failure, diabetes, and constant hunger?! That's were I come in :) I'm sure I will be forgetting items but this is a good list to follow. So here in no particular order are some brands/foods I'm obsessed with and of course that are healthy! 

1. Mary's Gone Crackers-Get rid of those Lay's potato chips! 

2. Justin's Almond butter-Ik you love your Skippy, but throw it out!

3.Fage 0% Greek yogurt-Forget Danon, and Yoplait there not your friends.

4.Synergy Kombucha tea-Skip Starbucks and invest in a Kombucha tea

5.Zevia - Soda should not exist in your vocabulary.

6.Lara Bar-I think the K in Special K stands for Killer.

7.Edens Organic Trail mix-1g of sugars and will still satisfiy your sweet tooth

8.Green & Black Dark Chocolate-Need a chocolate fix?

9. Organic Valley eggs-The kind of eggs you should be eating!

10. Spectrum-oils: The essential fats

11. Madhava- Agave Nectar: Natural Sweetener

12. Simply Organic-spices

13. Ezekiel 5:9-Sprouted grain 

Crazy nuts butter crackers

Everybody's asking for healthy snacks so here is a one of my new favorite healthy snacks! It's a great way to get a dose of protein and fill up! Justin's nut butters on Mary's gone crackers! My favorite nut butters are the  chocolate Hazelnut, and almond flavors.

Justin's Nut Butters

Justin's nut butters come in individual packets which is perfect for on the go or even just to make sure you don't over eat. Nuts are high in fat so its important to eat them in moderation. Also, there are tons of flavors, and their all natural, how could you go wrong with that!

My latest discovery has been Mary's Gone Crackers, crackers. Through my quest to eliminate wheat from my diet I stumbled upon them. They're super crunchy and have a nutty flavor. Also, they're gluten free, wheat free, and organic. They contain flax seed, sesame seed, quinoa, and brown rice. If you get the chance buy a box!

Mary's Gone Crackers-Original

Faux Spaghetti

So If you don't know already I am a huge fan of Bethenny Frankel. She has amazing, healthy, and simple recipes that make your mouth water! My dinner tonight was inspired by her healthy spaghetti dish. There really isn't much too this dish, but its filling and only about 100 Calories...for the whole meal! OH and don't be fooled by the word "spaghetti" because there is a secret ingredient!

SPAGHETTI SQUASH!

Ingredients: 3 servings
1 Spaghetti Squash
3 tbsp Parmesan Cheese
Pesto- I didn't use it but if you like it go ahead
Roasted Pine nuts
Sea salt
Pepper
Tomato

Directions: Cut squash in half (hot dog style) and take the seed portion out. Boil in a large sauce pan til the squash is soft to fork touch. Let cool in fridge until cool enough to handle. Take a fork and scrap out the meat of the squash (it will be stringy like spaghetti!). Mix in salt, pepper, pine nuts with the squash and throw in a side of tomatos. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and Enjoy. Seasoning is open for whatever spices you enjoy most!

Chicken Salad Sandwich

Over the past few weeks I have been taking my diet serious. I always eat healthy foods, but sometimes I overeat and to me that's just as bad as eating unhealthy food. I work in a cafeteria so it's hard to avoid the fried foods, and cheesy pastas. BUT! It's something I work on everyday. With summer around the corner I have been modifying my diet to get in swimsuit shape! By that I mean cutting out wheat/gluten, and increasing the amount of protein per meal. Now I don't believe in a low carb diet! Carbs are IMPORTANT! I eat brown rice, quinoa, oatmeal, brown rice pasta, sprouted grain bread, fruits, carrots, potatos etc. Notice how no where in that sentence does it say whole wheat pasta or 100% whole wheat bread! Those are icky and I hope I can make it a permanent aspect of my diet (not just summer). As a side note increasing protein does mean you need to workout, because otherwise its pointless.  For myself I do pilates, run, eliptical, walk, and even use online sites to get different workouts. Anyway's back to food talk! I have been slacking in the meat department because it takes time to cook, and it's expensive. However, I need the extra protein. Forcing my self to have meat for at least one meal a day has lead me to get creative with my chicken! So here is my summer inspired recipe for a healthy chicken sandwich/salad.

Salad
It took me about 15 min to make this meal, and it was so easy! 

Sandwich
I had a half sandwich and ate the rest like a salad. I def was full!

Ingredients: (2-4 servings depending on how hungry you are)

6 oz Chicken

2 stalks Organic Celery

1/2 Apple Chopped (organic gala)

1 7oz container Fage 0% greek yogurt

6 Almonds

Chopped red onion- idk maybe 2tbsp

Sprouted Grain Bread- I used Ezekiel 4:9 brand

Sea Salt & Pepper

Directions- Cook chicken. I just pan fried mine with a bit of coconut oil and sea salt. Chopped almonds and other ingredients. Combine and stir in yogurt. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place on bread or eat in salad form or in my case both! Enjoy :)

This recipe is open for interpretation: maybe add some grapes instead of apples, white onion instead of red, walnuts instead of almonds, sugar snap peas instead of celery or whatever your little heart desires...

Veggie Bake

So I was experimenting with veggies this week, and really trying to find some good protein meals. I was running low on groceries so I had to be a little creative. I won't go into details, so here is my recipe for my veggie bake creation.

A bit of a hot mess...literally.

Ingredients: 2-4 servings (300 calories total)
Two Large Carrots
1 small Zucchini
Whole Onion- doesn't matter what kind
Chickpeas 1/3 cup
Egg whites-3tbsp
2oz Mozzarella
salt pepper

Fresh out the oven!

Directions: This is kinda complicated to explain but bare with me!
1. Grease pan and peel 4 large layers of onion. It will look like onion bowls. Flatten them. they will break. like a puzzle cover the bottom of the pan. (it wont be perfect).
2.Slice zucchini on a slant so you get large flat pieces. Make a layer over the onion with the zucchini.
3.Do the same with the carrots. And make a layer.
4. In a blender add chickpeas and eggs. pour this combination over top of the layers you just made.
5.Sprinkle half of the cheese on top of that.
6.Use the left over zucchini and carrots and make a layer alternating the two.
7. Add another layer of onion-look at the picture.
8. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
9. Bake at 350 for about 20 and check to see if the veggies are cooked. If not check every five min til your satisfied.
10. REmove, cool and enjoy!
season as you go...

Green Pea Hummus & Chicken

For breakfast today I ate a champagne mango, and an apple turnover Lara Bar. Both of these foods, though healthy, are high in carbs. Knowing the importance of having a balanced diet I knew I needed a solid protein meal for lunch.
 My all time favorite bean is the GARBANZO BEAN!!!! I always have a can in my cabinet...and sometimes two. When I was brainstorming a way to make a protein focused lunch, I ran across my can of garbanzo beans. PERFECT, DESTINY! Now all I needed was to think of a way to incorporate them into my lunch. I thought to just throw them on a salad, but that was too boring. Then I thought I could make a veggie burger, but that would be too time consuming. Then it hit me! Hummus! I scavengered around a bit then finally came up with this awesome meal.

Again it's super simple, but has amazing flavor. And not to mention protein packed! SO here it is Green pea hummus with chicken!

Ingredients:(3 servings)
1 can No salt added Chickpeas
3/4 cup Frozen peas (cooked)
2 cloves of garlic (pressed)
Salt, pepper
1 tsp olive oil (cooking chicken)
9-12 oz Chicken breast

Directions:
-Lightly coat chicken with olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook at 350 for about 30 min or until done.
-In a blender, food proccesor, or Magic bullet blend chickpeas, peas, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper. I kept mine a bit chunky. Anyway, thats all there is to it! Enjoy!