What's in Your Pantry?

You get it by now: Fruits and vegetables are good, potato chips and Oreos are bad. Not exactly rocket science. But are you stocking your fridge and pantry with the right healthy foods as in, the ones that give you optimum nutrition for your buck (and shelf space)? Here are the foods to put on your grocery list—and keep there—for a healthy diet.

Yogurt

Keep your "good" digestive bacteria at a healthy level with yogurts containing live, active cultures. Warning: Some varieties are packed with sugar, so stick with plain or check the labels before tossing it in your grocery cart. Yogurt is one of several super diet foods thanks to the fact that it's both filling and loaded with calcium, potassium and vitamin B.
I LOVE YOGURT!! It is my go to in the mornings

Wild Salmon

Unlike some other types of fish, studies have shown that mercury levels are relatively low in salmon. This is good news, considering the fish offers optimum nutrition and protein for few calories. It also contains omega-3's, which help maintain heart health. Why go wild? Farm-raised salmon can be more prone to disease and may have been exposed to or treated with antibiotics.


Egg Whites

Even with yolks, eggs have just 70 to 80 calories each—but that yellow center is high in cholesterol. Buy fresh eggs and then take out the yolks for a quick boost of protein in your breakfast. Mix them up with fresh vegetables to add flavor.


Leafy Greens

Healthy greens like broccoli, cabbage and kale have optimum nutrition and are loaded with a plant chemical that may help lower your risk of cancer. Low on vitamins? Add some spinach to your salad. Like other dark, leafy greens, it's loaded with iron and vitamin K, the latter of which may prevent osteoporosis, diabetes and arthritis.

Also handy and healthy foods to keep around the house:

• Berries
• Watermelon
• Asparagus     
• Grapes
• Green beans
• Vegetable juice, such as V-8
• Ricotta cheese
• Nonfat yogurt
• Apples
• Low-fat milk
• string cheese for snacking
• IN THE FREEZER
• Frozen veggies, such as corn, peas, etc.
• Frozen fruit, such as berries and peaches
• Fruity, low fat frozen yogurt
• Chicken/ turkey hot dogs or sausage

I clearly get excited about turkey hot dogs 

 IN THE PANTRY

• Whole wheat crackers
• Peanut butter
• Nuts of all kinds
• Pineapple (fresh, frozen or canned with no syrup)
• Bananas
• Dried fruits (such as dates, apricots, etc)
• Honey (just a touch on yogurt goes a long way!)
• Bananas
• Soy chips
• Chick peas (for making hummus)
• Canned chopped tomatoes
• Whole grain bread
• Sun-dried tomatoes

 Now I will be MIA this weekend because I am of course going out of town. But I am especially excited because I will be staying in this quaint little cottage.

 This weekend is the bf's sister bachelorette party weekend. We are all loading up and going to Mills Creek Cottage in Highlands, NC. I have looked at their website and it looks absolutely dreamy. So it's time to get my bags packed and get ready to head up the mountain.

 

I made these cute little Survival kits for all the girls. (really cute and inexpensive)

I included:

Hair ties

Band-Aids

Advil

Nail file

Blow pops

Ring pops (for the bride)

and bubbles (not really sure why I bought the bubbles, I just love bubbles haha)

 

I will make sure I add all the pictures on Monday :)

 I will also make sure to keep up with all my eating choices, I will have to go old school and write them down and then just add them with the pictures on Monday.

 Hope everyone has a great weekend!

 

Day 35:

Breakfast: 2 eggs with a little cheddar cheese

Lunch: the rest of my turkey spaghetti and 2 plain turkey dogs (no bread)

Snack: sunflower seeds (plain not salted) and non fat blueberry (50cal) yogurt

Dinner:

 

43days

中国自助早餐

How to Eat Healthy at a Chinese Buffet

Step One:
Begin with soup. Both egg drop and wonton soup are low in fat and calories and are good choices to help fill you up. Beginning with a broth-based soup is a good way to eat fewer calories at every meal.

This is the Wonton Soup without the wonton (basically just the broth) I am obsessed

 

 

Step 2:

 

 Pick a variety of main dishes. Choose from the dishes that have been cooked without battering and frying. Beef and broccoli, cashew chicken and steamed green beans are all healthy choices. Avoid dishes with sticky or sweet sauces, such as sweet and sour preparations or General Tsao's chicken.

I made sure to fill my plate first with broccoli then I went around and found my favorite non fried dishes and got a spoonful of each. For example: the baked salmon, peppered chicken, bourbon chicken, and beef and jalapenos

 

 

Step 3:

 

Pick brown rice and whole wheat noodles if possible. Fried rice is the worst offender, calorie-wise, so avoid that above all. Keep servings of rice and noodles to a reasonable size and don't go back for seconds. ( I am not eating any type of starch but this is good to remember)

 

Step 4:

 

Avoid fried foods. Deep fried chicken bits, egg rolls, fried noodles and crab Rangoon may be traditional parts of a Chinese buffet, but their fat and calorie counts make them very unhealthy. If you must indulge, choose one, savor it and don't go back for seconds.

 

Step 5:

 

Treat yourself to dessert. Most Chinese buffets have a variety of fruits as part of their dessert menu, so indulge yourself here. Have a large serving of your favorite fruits and add an almond cookie on the side. Don't forget to finish with a fortune cookie--they're only 35 calories for a bit of fun.

 

Now below is foods not to eat. (this was the bf's plate)

Day 34:

Breakfast: 2 eggs with a little cheddar cheese

Snack: 2 tablespoons of peanut butter.

Lunch: turkey spaghetti

Snack: miso soup

Dinner: 2 turkey hot dogs with ketchup (not bun)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

44days

Bathing Suit Ready Spaghetti

 

 First preheat your oven at 400'
 

 

Then put your spaghetti squash in oven and bake for 45 minutes or as long as needed (you need to be able to put a knife through without a struggle)

 

 

Use ground turkey, has much less fat

 

 

Cook your turkey till fully brown ( I add some Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper)

Make sure you drain all oil after fully cooked

 

   I use Hunts pasta sauce because it has the least sugar

 

 

 Then add your sauce to your pot

 

 

 Keep a good eye on it and stir every few minutes so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan :)

 

Then check the squash at this point

After the squash is cooked, you want to get a spoon and scrap out the center with all the seeds and slim. Then you want to scrap out the rest and it will look just like noodles. Then add that to the pot of sauce

Finishing touch, add some fat free cheese to add some cheesy flavor without all the fat 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 33:



Breakfast: 1 egg and turkey sausage

Snack: 2 tablespoons of peanut butter

Lunch: Turkey spaghetti squash

Snack:sunflower seeds

Dinner: Me and the bf went to one of our favorite Chinese buffets for dinner. I know you are probably thinking what the heck can you eat there. Well I did some research and tomorrow I will explain the best things for you eat. I had miso soup, broccoli, crab meat, peppered chicken, beef and jalapenos, bourbon chicken ( a spoonful of each meat)

 

45days

Stuffed Poblanos

 

Last night was a bit of a disaster. I went to cook my newest vegetarian recipe so that I could share with you and also so I would have lunch for a few days. But my blender had a malfunction and broke. ugh. I was able to still make my Stuffed Poblanos but I wasn't able to make the sauce outside of the Poblanos. I will still share the entire recipe, hopefully for someone it works out better for them, then it did me.

 

Ingredients

• 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes in puree
• 1 jalapeno chile (ribs and seeds removed, for less heat), minced
• 2 small onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves (2 whole, 1 minced)
• coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 can (19 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 large poblano chiles, halved lengthwise (stems left intact), ribs and seeds removed

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425. In a blender, combine tomatoes in puree, jalapeno, half the onions, and 2 whole garlic cloves; puree. Season with salt. Pour sauce into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine beans, cornmeal, 1/2 cup cheese, remaining onions, minced garlic, cumin, and 3/4 cup water; season with salt and pepper.
3. Dividing evenly, stuff poblano halves with bean mixture; place on top of sauce in baking dish. Sprinkle poblanos with remaining 1/2 cup cheese; cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil.
4. Bake until poblanos are tender, about 45 minutes. Uncover, and continue to cook until sauce is thickened slightly and cheese is browned, 10 to 15 minutes more. Let cool 10 minutes.

 



 

Day 32:

Breakfast: 2 eggs with fat free cheese

Lunch: the stuffed veggie poblanos chiles weres not very tasty, must have needed the sauce. So instead I made a salad at the salad bar. spinach, boiled egg, feta, mozzarella cheese, broccoli and balsamic vinaigrette

Snack: sunflower seeds
Dinner: turkey spaghetti (used spaghetti squash for noodles)

 

 

 

46days