What I ate – Page 9 – Fervent Foodie

What would Mary buy (WWMB)?

August 30, 2010 10 Comments

In the last few weeks, I’ve had a couple of friends and family members ask me about grocery shopping. Things like what I buy, how I save money, and where I find certain products. I didn’t really think much of it, until my friend Natalie asked me to post a list of products I use to “healthify” my meals. I thought this was a terrific idea! But…. once I started working on the post I realized there really isn’t anything special about my grocery list! But here goes!

I’ve heard the phrase “shop the perimeter” before, and I guess you could say that is what I do. Not because I’m trying to follow some guideline, but because that’s where most of the stuff I genuinely like can be found! My purchases are greatly affected by what’s on sale in any given week. I hate to say I’m a cheap ass… but.. well, I’m a cheap ass! I try to save money on things like food, groceries, utilities, etc. so that I can spend more money on FUN things like travel and going out to eat! I may really want asparagus, but if it’s not on sale chances are I’m not buying it.

When I decided I wanted to start eating healthier, one of the biggest changes for me was understanding portion sizes. For example, I really had no idea what a serving of meat looked like, and I NEVER measured out my morning cereal. Turns out I was typically eating 2 times the normal serving size on my meats and nearly 3 times the serving size of cereal! I invested in a kitchen scale which helps me a TON… and when I say invested I mean I bought one on eBay for $8. I also make sure to measure pretty much everything that goes into my recipes or onto my plate. It can be tedious, but I personally think it’s worth it. If you put 4 ounces of chicken on your plate then load the rest of with delicious roasted veggies, you’ve still got a full plate o’ food. In my book, eating healthy does not involve going hungry—it’s all about making healthy swaps.

My list typically starts off with a ton of fresh produce. I try to buy ingredients that I like and that I know I can incorporate into several different recipes. That way I can cook whatever I’m craving and not be stuck to a rigid plan. That also helps me to save a lot of money on groceries. I try to avoid buying any sort of “special” ingredient, unless it’s something I’m super excited about.

My Favorite Fresh Produce:

Broccoli
Cauliflower
Zucchini
Cucumber
Green Pepper
Apples
Berries
Grapes (if they are on sale, of course 😉 )
Romaine Lettuce (for salads and for lettuce wraps)
Spinach (salads, sandwiches, green monster smoothies)
Tomatoes
Onions
Bean Sprouts

I’d say 75% of my groceries in any given week come from the produce section.

Meat

I typically only buy 1 package of meat a week. If I’m craving something different, I’ll freeze half and pull something different out of the freezer (which I stock pretty well when the meat sale rolls into town 😉 )

Boneless, skinless chicken breast
Lean ground turkey breast– I like the 99% fat-free, but it’s harder to find in my area. (For those of you in Akrowdy, check out Giant Eagle)
Jennie O Spicy Turkey Sausage – All I can say is YUM.
96% Lean ground beef

Dairy

Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk – LOVE this. It’s good on cereal, oatmeal, shakes, etc. Big big fan.
Greek Yogurt – typically Chobani or Dannon (depending on what’s on sale). Greek yogurt has WAY higher protein than regular yogurt, and to me it’s worth the extra $$
Stonyfield Farms Plan Fat-Free Organic Yogurt – I LOVE this stuff. It’s a great substitute for sour cream and mayo and can be used in smoothies too.
EGGS! I love me some eggs! I typically go through an 18pack of eggs each week. I use a lot of egg-whites (yes, I throw away the yolks), but I find it cheaper to buy a carton of eggs than to get eggbeaters. BTW… are eggs considered Dairy??
Babybel light mini cheese rounds –> this stuff melts really well. Great for pizzas, oven baked sandwiches, etc.
Laughing Cow Light cheese

Other Stuff

Oats! I just buy the cheap value-time quick oats. They get the job done just fine 🙂
Cereal – I shoot for something lower in sugar. Favorites include
- Barbara’s Peanut Butter Puffins (to the NE Ohioans – I’ve only been able to find this at certain Giant Eagles and Trader Joe’s)
- Kashi Warm Cinnamon heart to heart
- Honey Bunches of Oats with Cinnamon Bunches
- Special K Cinnamon Pecan
La Tortilla low carb tortillas (again – Giant Eagle, acme doesn’t have em)
Pepperidge Farm 7 Grain Deli Flats
Luna bars (my favorites include White Macadamia, Blueberry Bliss, Iced Oatmeal, lemon zest)
Larabars (my favs = peanut butter & jelly, cherry pie, cashew cookie)
HERBS and SPICES! The more the better. You can add great flavor without adding calories and fat. My go-to spices include: S&P, red pepper flakes, onion powder, garlic powder, garlic salt, dried oregano, dried basil, cinnamon, McCormick’s Montreal Chicken
Assorted frozen veggies – I keep these on hand just in case I run out of fresh veggies
Classico Fire Roasted Tomato & Garlic Pasta sauce — this was the result of me standing in the pasta sauce aisle for a good 20 minutes one day and comparing the labels on different sauces. This sauce is lower in calories, sugar, and carbs than most others you’ll find in a normal grocery store. Not to mention that it is oober tasty.
Smuckers Low-sugar Red Raspberry Preserves
Smuckers Organic Peanut Butter
Smuckers Sugar-Free Syrup
Frank’s Red Hot – this really should be the FIRST item on the list considering I use it EVERY day.
Banana Pepper Rings – just a couple add a big pop of flavor
Ken’s Steakhouse lite dressings (my favorites are the Balsamic and the Northern Italian)
Heinz Organic Ketchup — tastes just like the “real” stuff and no corn syrup

Things I can only find online:

Anytime I order online, I check out Netrition first because they have $4.95 flat-rate shipping. And we all know I’m a sucker for cheap shipping 🙂

I’m a numbers person, so for me seeing the nutritional content of all my meals throughout the day is extremely important and valuable. I use MyFitnessPal to keep track of all this information, and I’m pretty much obsessed with it.

Question: What are some things you typically buy for a healthy meal or to healthify recipes?

Recipes, What I ate

A breakfast fit for vacation

August 28, 2010 10 Comments

It’s no secret: my favorite thing about vacation is the FOOD. I love getting the opportunity to try out new restaurants, explore new cuisine, and share the experience with others!

One thing I particularly love about vacation food is the BREAKFAST. Jarrod and I both love sweet breakfast goodies like pancakes and waffles, but we also both crave more savory and satisfying dishes like eggs and potatoes. The only fix to this problem is to order EVERYTHING on the menu 🙂

Check out one of our breakfasts in Charleston in July—this is typical for us. One order of sweet & one order of savory split in two’s and shared. HEAVEN.

When I woke up this morning I was craving a “vacation breakfast,” so I headed to the kitchen to get my cook on!

First up on the breakfast spread for two was my oven baked breakfast potatoes. Since they take the longest to cook, I got to work on those first. I chopped up one large potato into bite-size chunks, then tossed with a little bit of olive oil, lots of black pepper, garlic salt, and a tad of cayenne pepper.

I gave everything a good toss, then poured onto a cookie sheet I’d sprayed with nonstick spray, and tossed into a 425 degree oven for 40 minutes. Make sure you stir them halfway through.

Next up, the EGGS! I scrounged the fridge to see what veggies I had on hand that I could incorporate into a breakfast burrito. Here’s what I came up with:

First, I heated up a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray. Once hot, I added about 2 tbsp of chopped onion and 1 clove minced garlic. Meanwhile, I whisked together 2 whole eggs, 6 egg whites, and a splash of water in a bowl. Once the onions were translucent, I poured the eggs on top, added S&P & red pepper flakes, and got to scrambling. I also added some Frank’s Red Hot, half of a chopped up roma tomato, and a handful of chiffonade spinach. FANCY PANTS!

When the eggs were finished scrambling, I transferred them to a bowl and covered with foil.

Now it was time to turn to the sweet dish: my yogurt pancakes! I followed my yogurt pancake recipe to a T, except this time I added some chocolate chips on top:

DSCF3082

Man oh man, these pancakes smell so yummy when they are cooking. They have a very eggy consistency, and I LOVE them.

Last step was assembling the two breakfast burritos. I divided the scrambled egg mixture onto two Mama Lupe’s Low carb tortillas, topped each with half of a slice of American cheese (only kind of cheese I had on hand) and some MORE Frank’s red hot. Layers of flavor. 🙂

Then I rollled ‘em up, and plopped on the George Foreman grill for about 5 minutes—until the tortilla was nice and crispy.

I topped the pancakes off with some Smucker’s Sugar Free Syrup and off course I had a dollop of Heinz ketchup on the side with my potatoes.

All together in one place like long lost friends.

Breakfast fit for a vacation? I think so!

Vacation Breakfast for 2 Ingredients List

Potatoes

1 larg potato
Olive Oil
Black pepper, Garlic salt, cayenne pepper
Ketchup for dippin

Breakfast Burritos

2 whole eggs
6 egg whites
1 cup fresh spinach
1 clove minced garlic
2 tbsp chopped white onion
1/2 roma tomato
S&P, Red Pepper Flakes
Frank’s Red Hot
Cheese of choice
2 low-carb tortillas

Yogurt Pancakes

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup Stonyfield Farms Plain Fat-Free Organic Yogurt (Greek yogurt would also be fabulous)
1 egg white
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp + 2tsp Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk (or however much it takes you to get to desired “pancake batter” consistency”)
Chocolate chips, if desired
Sugar-free syrup

What I ate

A sandwich BUILT for Hummus

August 26, 2010 4 Comments

It’s Thursday, and I am one happy lady. Thank you to those of you who commented on yesterday’s tell me something happy post. Each one of your comments resulted in a big smile on my face, and I thank you again and again for sharing your happy thoughts with me!

Breakfast #1

Today I planned on eating the last of the scrambled eggs I cooked up on Sunday, but I was in the mood for something a little different. Something with a little kick. And when I’m in such a mood, I turn to my friend Frank. Frank’s Red Hot that is 🙂

Come to think of it, I can’t leave out my good friends George and Mama Lupe either! Frank, George, and Mama Lupe all contributed to my yummy breakfast wrap.

Leftover scrambled eggs + several shakes of Franks atop a Mama Lupe low carb tortilla:

Then I wrapped it up burrito-style and grilled on the George for about 5 minutes, until the eggs were hot and the tortilla was crispy.

I also heated up the broccoli in the microwave… Unfortunately my microwave doesn’t have a human name… Frank, George, Mama Lupe, and Emerson (I guess Emerson could be a last name).

I swear the George Foreman grill is one of the most amazing kitchen gadgets on earth–or at least the most amazing one in my kitchen!

Stats on B#1: 208 Calories, 15 g carbs, 8g fat, 24g protein, 6g fiber

Breakfast #2

Overnight oaty goodness:

It’s getting cold in the mornings now… I have a feeling pretty soon I’ll be saying farewell to cold oats and heading back to the warmth the traditional hot oats. *Sigh*

Stats on B#2: 233 calories, 44g carbs, 5g fat, 6g protein, 7g fiber

Lunch

Ive blabbed my Trader Joe’s sob story on this blog many a time.. Sooooo far to drive (~1 hr away) to the nearest TJ’s… So sad. Luckily, my mom picked me up some Trader Joe’s Hummus on her last trip to TJ’s! WOOOOOOT!

The hummus was not an afterthought for today’s sandwich, not a mere condiment to go on the bun. No. Today’s sandwich was BUILT specifically for Trader Joe’s Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus.

This sandwich consisted of a Pepperidge Farm 7 grain deli flat & a four ounce grilled chicken breast:

That I topped off with sliced tomato, onion, and the STAR of the show: Trader Joe’s Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus

Then I added some fresh spinach and some sprouts. Excessive veggies? Perhaps.

Check out the height on this sucker:

I also had some leftover roasted cauliflower on the side. Cauliflower might looking boring, but trust me. It was fab.

Layers of FLAVOR.

Stats on Lunch: 364 calories, 35g carbs, 5g fat, 46g protein, 11g fiber

QUESTION: What did YOU have for lunch today? I’m always looking for ways to shake up my lunch routine!

What I ate

No recipes, just deliciousness.

August 25, 2010 2 Comments

After work today, I went for a walk with my sister through the park near her house. I have to admit, walking and talking with someone is a whole heck of lot more fun than running by yourself. Just sayin.

After the walk, I headed to the BF’s to make up some dinner. That’s 2 times in one workweek! GASP! Anyway, I had no recipe in mind–I just wanted something TASTY and simple. And I had a crap ton of veggies to use up in my fridge. When all else fails, make fajitas. That’s my life motto actually 😉

First up, I chopped up a green pepper, red onion, a small zucchini, and some white mushrooms and tossed them with a little extra virgin olive oil, garlic salt, cajun seasoning, and black pepper:

Next I made some pico-de-gallo out of some fresh cilantro, tomatoes, red onion, lime juice, garlic salt, and black pepper. Pico-de-gallo. PICOOOOO-de-GALLO… Have you guys seen that Wendy’s commercial?? Makes me laugh every time.

I let the veggies cook for about 15 minutes on the George, then loaded up 1 Mama Lupe low carb tortilla and a big bed of lettuce with the veggies, PIIICCOOOO-de-GALLO 😉 ) , banana pepper rings, some shredded grilled chicken (which I cooked up Sunday night), some Tostitos salsa (leftover from last night’s Mexican Meatloaf), and some Stonyfield Farms Plain Fat-Free yogurt:

Fantastic.

Side note – Have you checked out the ingredients on Tostito’s salsa? It’s all natural, and I didn’t even realize it! Props to Frito Lay!

BTW – I’ve found that Stonyfield Farms Plain Fat-Free yogurt makes an EXCELLENT substitution for sour cream. This makes me very happy indeed 🙂

Recipes, What I ate

Overnight Oats for Dummies

August 24, 2010 40 Comments

Overnight oats are cold, creamy, and absolutely friggin delicious, especially in the summer time. I get more questions on overnight oats than on any other topic/food/recipe on this blog. I attribute this to the exquisite palates of my readers. Given the confusion, I thought I’d do an “overnight oats for dummies” post.. not implying that any of you are dummies, just that a dummy would be able to follow these extremely thorough instructions.

First up, the oats.

You can use any oats that you like. My preference is for quick oats because they turn out with a fabulous creamy consistency, but I’ve also enjoyed rolled oats and muesli. I usually go with 1/2 a cup of oats, but you can use more or less depending on your liking.

KEY TO SUCCESS #1: These oats are uncooked, straight from the container.

Oaty goodness:

Options for Oats: Quick Oats, Rolled Oats, Muesli, Steel Cut Oats, etc.

Second, the liquid.

I favor Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk.

I tend to use equal parts of liquid to oats (typically 1/2 a cup of each).

KEY TO SUCCESS #2: The more liquid you use, the runnier your oats will be, conversely the less liquid you use the thicker your oats will be. Thank you freshman year physics class.

Options for liquid: regular cow milk (MOO!), yogurt, etc.

Third, sweetener if you so choose.

I like to add a tsp of brown sugar to my oats.

Options for sweetener: a packet of Truvia, Jam or Preserves, Honey, etc.

KEY TO SUCCESS #3: Keep your eye on the prize and don’t get overly excited and accidently spill valuable OO goodness as I did. Don’t worry. I licked it all up 😉

Fourth, overnight mixins.

My standard oats only have 1 overnight mixin: CINNAMON

Just because I’m boring, doesn’t mean you have to be. The options are ENDLESS. Here are some ideas: Nut butter, chia seeds, granola, chocolate chips, protein powder, PB2, yogurt, nuts, raisins, fresh or frozen fruits – think berries, melons, cherries, bananas, etc.

Fifth, quality time with the fridge.

I’ve said it many a time on the blog: overnight oats are like a gift to yourself. You prep this little bundle of joy the night before, and it’s just ready and waiting for you in the morning… Like a sweet little puppy… That you eat.

Moving on…

KEY TO SUCCESS #4: Be a good little girl and don’t eat your oats for a midnight snack.

Sixth, fresh mixins.

The next morning, the oats will be nice and thick and creamy:

I had to crop this photo because just looking at these oats made me drool all over my desk.

You can mix in ANYTHING ya want to these oats! See the list of ideas under the overnight mixins for inspiration. Other ideas include cereal (add this in the AM so it doesn’t get soggy) and cookies (if you have a ramped sweet tooth like me).

My preference is to add some fresh fruit: