Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Collard Green Wrap and Soup.

This week's diet is a Vegan diet.  I created a meal plan consisting of 6 vegan meals/day for the entire week.  It is day 2, and I'm absolutely loving everything about it.  Am I a Vegan or Vegetarian? No, but I have friends that are, and want to best educate myself and prepare meal plans so that I can best be of help clients in the future that  may prefer this type of diet. 

Collard green wrap and lentil soup! 
The soup:
Vegetable broth, carrots, onion, celery, and lentils
The wrap:
Hummus, carrots, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, and spinach.

Clean, heathy, vegan, and delicious.


Eat Well, Eat Often, Love2LiveFit... in the FitFoodKitchen!

Saturday, January 25, 2020

Meal Prep Sunday





While this may look like it took the entire day to prep, it only took 2 hours.  A few simple tips to help you achieve success when meal prepping.  Cook your rice and potatoes the day before, this will save you time in the kitchen on your actual day of putting all the meals together.  Choose 2-3 proteins you would like for your meals, such as ground turkey, ground chicken, and chicken breast.  While your proteins are cooking (in the oven, bbq, or stovetop), prepare  your vegetables by steaming and roasting, this should take about 1hr. to cook your proteins and greens.
Once all your food has cooled, simply measure or weigh out your starches and place in the containers, weigh your proteins in a separate bowl and add each amount to your containers, once your starch and proteins are in your containers, load them with as many veggies as you'd like.
I always prep meals 2-4.  As breakfast and dinner are made fresh daily, however having extra starches and veggies prepared will help for a quick throw together of a dinner for a busy work week.

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Absolutely Delicious No/Low Carb Breakfast!

The Plate:
1c. egg whites
2oz. nitrite-free turkey breast
1/2c. organic zucchini
2oz. organic mushrooms
4 organic grape tomatoes
1c. organic baby spinach
1/2oz. organic avocado
1 organic whole egg, over-medium
Fresh ground pepper


The Nutrients:
Calories: 292
Fat: 8g
Carbs: 8g
Protein: 40g
Fiber: 3g
*Net Carbs: 5g


                   Love2LiveFit... in the FitFoodKitchen

Dinner on the Go.... Pack it up & Move!

Last night our son had his last football game of the season, and the team was getting together afterwards for pizza and medals.  Well, I knew my husband and I were not going to have pizza for dinner, so in a mad rush after school, I grilled up chicken breast, made homemade cauliflower alfredo, sauteed up veggies, while assisting our son in homework and folding the laundry... Multi-tasking was going on like crazy yesterday afternoon:).  I packed this meal into two Tupperware containers and off to the fields we went!  I have to say cauliflower has quickly become on of my favorite foods to cook with!  This was hands down the tastiest dinner I've made yet, since we set out on our clean eating program April 1 of this year.


The Container:
1c. organic baby spinach
2oz. organic mushrooms
1oz. organic red bell pepper
1/2oz. organic red onion
4 stalks organic broccolette
4.2oz. grilled organic chicken breast
1.5 slices of nitrite-free turkey bacon
1/2c. cauliflower alfredo (recipe below)
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes


The Nutrients:
Calories: 271
Fat: 5g
Carbs: 18g
Protein: 43g
Fiber: 7g



Cauliflower Alfredo:
12oz. cauliflower (about half of a medium cauliflower).  I cut most of the stalk off, and then cut the florets in half.
1c. water
1tsp. olive oil
salt & pepper
Granulated garlic (as much or little as you like)

In a medium sauce pan, add the oil and cauliflower, let cook for a minute, then add the 1c. water, salt, pepper and garlic.  Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat and let simmer for 8 minutes.  Pour entire contents into a bullet mixer or blender and blend... THAT'S IT!:)))  Easy and Delicious!!!



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Chicken, hard boiled egg whites and avocado bowl!


A simple and quick throw together lunch...


The Bowl:
4oz. Grilled chicken breast- its in there, just underneath:)
4 Organic grape tomatoes
1oz. Avocado
3 Organic hard boiled egg whites
1tsp. Organic yellow mustard
Fresh ground pepper


The Nutrients:
Calories: 239
Fat: 11g
Carbs: 4g
Protein: 33g
Fiber: 2g



        Love2LiveFit... in the FitFoodKitchen

A little food prepping goes a long way!

Food prepping, what ever it may be that you prep, will always help when your short on time and need to throw together a quick snack or meal!
I always like to have a bowl of hard-boiled eggs in the fridge and a Tupperware (large or small) of chopped, mixed veggies.  The eggs are great to eat just as they are, throw them into salads, or use them to make egg salad.  I usually just eat the whites and give our dog a yolk here and there:).  The veggies are so nice to have prepped for omelets or as a side dish with dinner.  The Tupperware pictured below has chopped kale, cabbage, zucchini, and bell peppers.  I will usually chop up some mushrooms and onions too, and throw it all together in a skillet to saute with cooking spray, and then top with a protein source such as fish or chicken.  It only takes a couple minutes to prep a few items such as these and worth every second. 




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Sun & Fun... and Staying on Track!


A day in Lake Tahoe with my brother and his beautiful & pregnant girlfriend (yay!) was filled with sun, fun, and good eats!
The cooking gene runs strong in my family... we are full blooded Sicilians, so I guess it comes with the territory!
My brother loves to get his cook on just as much as me, and he is amazing at it.
He grilled up sausages and burgers, and made homemade macaroni salad.
I stayed on track, and came prepared with a brown rice tortilla to wrap my burger in, and it was delicious!!!
I have learned over the years that it is possible and quite simple to engage in social activities with family and friends while maintaining a healthy eating diet!  You just have to think ahead:).
Sand Harbor-Lake Tahoe, NV
                                                               
     




                                                         Love2LiveFit

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

OMGoodness... Super Easy and Healthy Blueberry Waffles

These waffles were made pretty much like the pancakes I posted earlier.  I made these yesterday (Memorial Day) morning and my husband and I were loving every bite!!!
If your short on time, these are definitely quicker to make then the pancakes because one waffles is equal to the 5-6 pancakes.  


The Plate:
3/4c. oats
1/4tsp. cinnamon
1/2c. egg whites
1/4c. water
1/4c. frozen blueberries, thawed
1/2c. strawberries
1/4c. blackberries
1 packet of truvia

In a bullet mixer or blender, blend the oats, egg whites, water, and blueberries.  Pour batter into a pre-heated waffle iron and let cook until the iron signals they are done:)... That's it!
Cover with the berries and sprinkle with truvia.


The Nutrients:
Calories: 329
Fat: 5g
Carbs: 56g
Fiber: 10g
Protein: 19g



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Turkey Burger Patty w/ Beets and Greens!


The Plate:

1 Turkey Burger (Trader Joes)
2oz.  organic mushrooms
1/4c.  organic onions
1c.  organic cabbage
6oz. organic green beans
1/2oz. organic avocado
2tbsp. salsa
1/2c. organic beets


I cooked the burger in a skillet for about 10 minutes.  In a separate pan, saute the onions, mushrooms and cabbage.  Before adding the green beans to the saute pan, blanch them in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, and then rinse with cold water.  The beets are easiest to prepare by boiling them until fork tender:).


The Nutrients:
Calories: 308
Fat: 12g
Carbs: 32g
Fiber: 12g
Protein: 29g

Well Balanced... Clean and Healthy Eating!

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Simple and Delicious Salad for lunch!


The Plate:
3oz. romaine lettuce
1c. spinach
1oz. avocado
1 Persian cucumber
1oz. pepperoncini
4oz. grilled chicken thighs
1.5 hard-boiled egg whites
1/2 slice turkey bacon
10 grape tomatoes
2tbsp. balsamic vinegar


The Nutrients:
Calories: 301
Fat: 11g
Carbs: 16g
Fiber: 5g
Protein: 33g



                    Love2LiveFit... in the FitFoodKitchen

The Most Amazingly Healthy and Easy Pancakes!!!


On a high carb day its fun to change the way we incorporate the carbs into our meals.  This morning's breakfast was blended in the bullet blender and made into clean and healthy berry pancakes w/ a side of turkey bacon!
The Plate:
1/2c. oats
1/2c. egg whites
1/4c. water
1/2c. blueberries (1/4c. blended with the eggs and oats)
1/2c. strawberries
1/2-1 packet of truvia
2 slices of nitrite/nitrate-free turkey bacon


In a bullet blender, blend the egg whites, oats, 1/4c. water, and 1/4c. blueberries.
Spray a skillet with cooking spray and pour batter into small round pancakes.  The batter should make 5-6 pancakes, depending on how big you make them.  Let them cook for a couple minutes on each side.
I layered each cake with a couple slices of strawberries and sprinkle of truvia, then topped them with the blueberries, strawberries and rest of the truvia.

The Nutrients:
Calories: 340
Fat: 6g
Carbs: 45
Fiber: 8g
Protein: 26g


                                       
                    Love2LiveFit... in the FitFoodKitchen

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Love Eggs?



We love deviled eggs at our house!!!
However, I have created a way to eat them with out the fat and calories.  Hard boil your eggs, peel and remove the yolk.  I know... the yolk is what makes them so tasty, but when you want to eat clean and stay on track, these lil' guys will satisfy you 100%!  Fill the empty space where the yolk would be with mustard and sprinkle with smoked paprika and pepper!  

I'm going to make more today, but this time I'm going to add a few diced up pickles into the mustartd... YUM!








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Heavenly Sliders!

These little sliders were just as delicious as beautiful!
One organic ground beef patty sliced in half and placed between two slices of yams, and smothered with sauteed mushrooms, onions, peppers, avocado, and turkey bacon!!!


The Plate:
1/3c. yams, sliced
3oz. organic ground beef patty
1.5oz. avocado
1oz. organic mushrooms
1/8c. organic onions
1oz. organic bell pepper
1/4c. organic pea shoots (Trader Joes)
3/4 slice of nitrite/nitrate-free turkey bacon

The Nutrients:
Calories: 367
Fat: 21g
Carbs: 26g
Fiber: 7g
Protein: 23g



Love2LiveFit... in the FitFoodKitchen

The most delicious way to cook Filet!

Once in a while, my husband and I enjoy having a steak dinner.  I have to share with the world the most delicious way to cook your fillet!  It is so easy and doesn't require a BBQ.  However, you do need a skillet that is oven-friendly.  
How to cook the best fillet you'll ever make:
Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.  Heat a skillet on high heat, and add about a tbsp. of olive or avocado oil.  Season the steak with your preferred steak seasoning (I use Montreal seasoning), and sear each side for about 3-4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat.  Once you have seared each side, place the skillet right into the oven and cook for 4-8 minutes (depending on the thickness and how you like your steak).  We like our steak medium/medium-rare, so we cook it about 4-5 minutes.  Remove and let it be happy in the pan for a couple minutes before plating.
In a separate skillet, I sauteed onions, mushrooms, cabbage, kale, and orange bell peppers.  I only spray the pan with cooking spray and it does a great job!  Mash up 1oz. of avocado per steak and if you have raw horseradish on hand, I highly recommend spreading some on top of the steak, as pictured:).


The Plate:
1/8tbsp. avocado oil
1oz. Organic orange bell pepper
1/2c. Organic Tuscan kale
1/4c. Organic onions
2oz. Organic mushrooms
1c. Organic cabbage
1/2 tbsp. horseradish
1oz. smashed avocado
3oz. Fillet Tenderloin
Montreal season, garlic, salt and pepper


The Nutrients:
Calories: 302
Fat: 13g
Carbs: 22g
Fiber: 8g
Protein: 28g



Love2LiveFit... in the FitFoodKitchen

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Hands Down The Best Omelet!!!

This morning's breakfast was absolutely a delicious way to start the morning off!  I made this for my husband at 6:00a.m., and couldn't wait until I made mine after my cardio sesh!  I think I'm going to have to grill up a few hamburger patties on the weekends so that I can make this burger omelet once a week!

As always, I sauteed the onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers in a pan sprayed with cooking spray.  I typically heat the pan under medium heat so not to burn the mixture.  After they are softened and caramelized I use a separate, smaller pan for the egg white omelet.  I sprayed the pan and put in 1/2oz. red bell peppers, and a half slice of diced turkey bacon, then poured the 3/4c. of egg whites on top.  As soon as the egg whites start to cook, I add the patty cut into halves to the pan with the veggies, and right before I remove it all, I throw in the spinach to just soften it a bit.  The veggies are sprinkled with garlic to add a little flavor, and the patty was seasoned with montreal seasoning when we grilled them on Sunday.

Once I flip the omelet, I add the two patty halves, and smother it with the mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers, then top it with the spinach and fold the omelet in half.

This breakfast was super tasty and took about 10 minutes total to make!

The Plate:
3/4c. Organic Egg whites
3oz. Organic ground beef patty
1/2 Slice Turkey bacon
1/8c. Organic Onions
1oz. Organic Red bell peppers
2oz. Organic Mushrooms
1c. Organic spinach


The Nutrients:
Calories: 310
Fat: 14g
Carbs: 6g
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 36g
*Net Carbs: 4g


                                         Love2LiveFit... in the FitFoodKitchen

The Cleanest and Quickest Blueberry Sorbet w/ Orange Zest!


To accompany my tuna sandwich I whipped up a bowl of blueberry sorbet.  
One cup of organic frozen blueberries and water mixed in a bullet mixer topped with organic orange zest and presto!  A delicious and refreshing 72 calorie treat!


The sandwich is the same as I made the day before, 4oz. of fresh tuna, organic mustard, 1/2c. spinach, 3 slices of roma tomato, 1oz. dill pickle, and two slices of sprouted grain bread.




The Nutrients for the plate:
Calories: 426
Fat:12g
Carbs: 51g
Fiber: 13g
Protein: 37g


Love2LiveFit... in the FitFoodKitchen




Tuesday, May 12, 2015

The Best, Healthy Fried Rice Ever!

Hands down, I made the best fried rice ever last night!  The best part... it is clean and healthy!
No butter or oil, and I used brown rice and turkey bacon.  I paired the Delicious rice with orange chicken and steamed broccolette.


I used a nice blend of vegetables cooked in a skillet sprayed with cooking spray and a couple teaspoons of water.  I seasoned it with granulated garlic and Bragg liquid amino acids (in place of soy sauce) to season the vegetable mixture of: celery, carrots, peas, red bell peppers and onions.  The rice was a 15 minute quick cook brown basmati rice from Trader Joes.


Nitrate/nitrite-free turkey bacon adds a super smokey flavor to the rice.  You can find it at Trader Joes.


Cut up 3 chicken breasts and marinate in the juice of half an orange, a teaspoon of orange zest, and 1/2 packet of truvia.
The big bowl of food was first layered with half a cup of organic spinach, then topped with 1c. of the rice, 5 broccolettes, and 4oz. of chicken sprinkled with zest and crushed red pepper.

I made enough rice for the 3 of us last night and there are 2c. left for my husband and I today.  The nutritional breakdown is for one bowl of food as pictured above.

The Nutrients:
Calories: 403
Fat: 4g
Carbs: 53g
Fiber: 8g
Protein: 40g

To make the rice, first cook your brown rice and set aside.  In a skillet sprayed with cooking spray, add 1/4c. onions, 1/4c. celery, 1/4c. carrots, 2oz. bell pepper (or 1/2c).  Let cook for 5-10 minutes, then add 3/4c. peas and 3 slices of cooked, diced turkey bacon.  Cook for a couple minutes, and season with a couple tablespoons of Bragg Amino Acids, and garlic.  Then add 2.5c. cooked brown rice and 1c. egg whites.  Cook for 5-10 minutes.

To make the chicken, I used organic frozen chicken breasts and let them thaw half way.  They are easier to cut into pieces if not completely defrosted.  Cut them into cubes size pieces and marinate in the juice of half an orange, 1tsp. zest, and 1/2 packet of truvia.  Spray a skillet with cooking spray and pour the entire mixture into the pan.  Turning occasionally, the chicken takes about 5-8 minutes to cook.  I cut a piece in half to make sure it is white in the middle:).

So simple and unbelievably delicious!!!  Why would you could fried rice any other way and add unnecessary calories to your diet that you don't need?


Love2LiveFit... in the FitFoodKitchen

Monday, May 11, 2015

Sandwich Heaven... Fresh tuna and veggies!


My wonderful mother-in-law cans jams and tuna for us once in a while, and oh how we love her treats.  There is nothing like this tuna!  It would be quite difficult to ever go back to the store bought tuna products.  I really need to learn how to can!  Today's lunch was a simple sandwich made from Dee's amazing canned albacore!



The Lunch:
2 slices of sprouted grain bread
3oz. albacore tuna
1oz. kosher dill pickle
1/4  organic roma tomato
1/2c. organic baby spinach
1tsp. organic yellow mustard


The Nutrients:
Calories: 309
Fat: 10g
Carbs: 31g
Fiber: 7g
Protein: 30g
*net carbs: 24g





                                                  Love2LiveFit... in the FitFoodKitchen


Breakfast is Served!

These days our Monday morning's breakfast has been oatmeal and fruit!
It's quick, clean, and delicious.  A nice carb-rich breakfast gives the body great energy to start out the work week.  


The Bowl:
1c. cooked oatmeal (measure just under one cup when its un-cooked, to get 1c. cooked)
1c. organic mixed frozen fruit
Sprinkle of cinnamon

The Nutrients:
Calorie: 325
Fat: 5g
Carbs: 72g
Fiber: 18g
Protein: 12g



                               Love2LiveFit... in the FitFoodKitchen

                           

Nothing better then a whole egg atop an omelet!!!

I cooked up delicious egg white, veggie omelet's on Mother's Day morning and topped them off with a whole egg, over-medium, and 2 slices of sprouted grain toast.  When the yolk oozes out over the omelet it is heavenly!





The Plate:
1/2c. organic egg whites
1c. organic baby spinach
1oz. organic red bell pepper
1oz. organic mushrooms
1/4c. organic zucchini
1 large organic egg
2 slices sprouted grain bread
Fresh ground black pepper


The Nutrients:
Calories: 248
Fat: 7g
Carbs:22g
Fiber: 7g
Protein: 24g
*net carbs: 15g


       
                                   Love2LiveFit... In the FitFoodKitchen