Chocolate Egg Whites!

I eat a lot of egg whites and usually I poach them in a microwave poacher because it is so easy, but I often like to cook them like little crepes as well. This morning I wanted to spice up my egg white crepes, so I thought about adding a little chocolate protein powder. That ignited the idea to cocoa powder instead to save a few calories and I already had enough protein in my meal anyway.

I just added a tsp of cocoa powder to 1/3 C egg whites and sprinkled a little bit if Truvia in. I stirred it really well until all the cocoa was mixed in. Then I just placed a third of that in the pan and cook it as you would a regular egg.

They turned out as a great addition to may blueberry oatmeal!

Know Your Own Body

I have been training for a half marathon a few months now. I have been a bodybuilder for the past year, but wanted to train myself in something new so I could gain the experience of what it takes to be a "runner". I use the term "runner" lightly because I know anyone can be a runner, there are just those that enjoy it more than others. I am also working towards becoming a personal trainer, so experiencing different things first hand will help me better train clients.

While bodybuilding I only had to do 20-40 minutes of cardio a day and that included anything to get my heart rate up for that amount of time. So of course I would choose the elliptical, stair master, biking, and once in a while I would get up the motivation to throw in a run. The furthest I had ever run before I starting training was 5 miles and it was a group run during fire season. Let's just say running was NOT my favorite thing to do...

While I have been training I have done research on a lot of running topics, styles, shoes, diets, just about everything. I have read blogs to see what other people prefer, asked my "runner" friends how they do it, anything to make more sense of how I am going to successfully cross that finish line after 13.1 dreadful miles!

As I go through my runs throughout the week I test these advises and weed out the things that work for me personally. I have ultimately come to the realization that you can gain a certain amount of knowledge about the science of training for something, but it comes down to knowing your own body and how it works. You are the one who really knows how your body works and what is best for your success.

I was talking with a buddy of mine who runs many different races. We discussed his style and how he goes about crossing the finish line. He is one who doesn't listen to music, he enjoys the sounds and the sights as he runs. He doesn't stop for water because even just the reach to grab it would mess up his pace, he wears the lightest clothes possible and won't carry anything extra with him. Some may see his style as "crazy", but to him it is HIS style. He has figured out what works for him to be able to keep going!

Another friend of mine talked about how she would walk 30 seconds after every mile and she could still keep a great pace. If you are like me, the initial reaction to that would be the fear of not wanting to run again after I had stopped, or I would actually lose energy by walking. I was able to run with her and test this out on myself, and I surprisingly could start up again after the short walk. I felt like I had a little more life in my knees as well. I am not set on this style yet as I am still figuring out what really is best for me.

Knowing how your own body reacts is not just focused on running style, it is the whole package. What pre-race meal is best for your digestive system? What shoes are best for your feet? What music powers your stride? What thoughts helps you focus during the race? Do you need that halfway energy boost?

It is up to you to really get in sync with your own body and see what works for you. You can't rely on what works for someone else because we are all so different in so many ways. Which makes us unique! :)

My favorite snack

I woke up this morning in the mood for something refreshing. I immediately thought of my favorite snack, which can be used for breakfast now too! haha fruit and yogurt! I LOVE Greek yogurt! I don't believe there has been a flavor yet that I haven't liked. It is also like going from gas station coffee to gourmet coffee. Once you go from regular yogurt to Greek yogurt...you probably won't ever buy another regular once you go Greek!

I love to use small apple or pear pieces for my fruit because I like the crunch and flavor, but any fruit is just as good. Also you will be surprised at the flavors of yogurt you can mix with different fruits and it will still taste fabulous! I used cranberry fig yogurt with my granny smith apple today and it was great! I also sprinkle a bit of cinnamon on top to add a little more flavor as well as a metabolism boost. Cinnamon is a natural metabolism booster just an FYI. ;) I add it to anything I can...smoothies, cereal, oatmeal, sometimes coffee, yogurt, etc.

Greek yogurt is also a great substitute while cooking!

Have fun with it!!

Chicken Tomato Pasta

Last night I wanted to make something fairly easy for dinner since we just got home from a road trip. There was still some tomato soup we needed to use up before it went bad, so I thought of a way I could use it besides the same old grilled cheese and a bowl of soup. I thawed some chicken breasts, placed them on a tin foil covered cookie sheet sprayed with a little cooking spray. I used Mrs. Dash Chicken seasoning to cover the top. While the chicken was cooking, I boiled 2 servings (4 oz) of whole wheat spaghetti noodles.

Baked at 350 for about 15-20 min then broiled the top for about 5-8 min. Let cool while prepping the rest.

I sliced up a serving of kalamata olives  for each person (4 olives each), weighed out a serving of sun dried tomatoes, and strained the noodles.

I weighed the noodles and slit the servings into 2 bowls (6oz each). Warmed up 1 cup of the tomato soup in the microwave for about a minute and then poured half into each bowl. Then sprinkled each bowl with their serving of olives and tomatoes and sliced chicken, then sprinkled with a serving of reduced fat Parmesan cheese.

Then I mixed it all up to cover it with the soup.

It turned out pretty tasty, but there are a couple things I would probably try next time. Bon didn't prefer the chewiness of the sun dried tomatoes, so I may try chopped fresh tomatoes. I would also try mixing a little Greek yogurt or ricotta cheese with the soup before I warmed it just to make it a little thicker. 

Ingredients

for 1 serving

1 serving whole wheat pasta noodles

4 oz chicken breast

1 tbsp Mrs. Dash Chicken seasoning

1 serving kalamata olives

1 serving sun dried tomatoes (if you prefer chewy) fresh tomatoes if not

1/2 C tomato soup

1 serving Parmesan cheese

Tuna Casserole Stuffed Shells

These jumbo shells have been in my cupboard for a while and since I can eat them now I have been thinking of how to use them... I have seen them stuffed with cheese, taco mix, spinach and cheese, etc. I wanted something different, so I came up with the idea of TUNA!

Here is how it went...

First thing to do is take your red onion and put it in cold water for a few minutes to lighten the bite a bit.

Second, preheat oven to 375*

Then boil the shells by the directions on the box.

While the shells are cooking, mix the cream of mushroom, tuna, the cheddar (or 1/2 C any shredded cheese), spinach, and last the onion.

When the noodles are tender let them cool for a couple minutes then stuff about 1 1/2- 2 Tbsp of mix into each shell and place the shells in a glass baking dish sprayed with olive oil cooking spray. 

When all shells are in, sprinkle with the last 1/2 C of shredded cheese and place in oven for 20 min or until cheese is melted, but shells are not overly hard. 

Then serve!

Makes 12 shells

Ingredients

1 5oz can tuna

1/3 C finely chopped red onion

1 C shredded cheese (I used 1/2 C fat free cheddar for the stuffing and 1/2 C Weight Watchers Mexican Blend for the top)

1 10.5oz can of reduced sodium cream of mushroom

1 C chopped spinach

12 jumbo shells

Each stuffed shell:

Calories: 80

Fat: 2g

Carbs: 9g

Protein: 6g

Sun Dried Tomato Basil Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Bon has been under the weather today, so I made grilled cheese and tomato soup. I am a huge fan of the Imagine brand of boxed soups. They are low calorie and really good! I used the creamy tomato tonight and it is much better than the canned stuff.
My grilled cheese was a bit more than a plain grilled cheese. Earlier today I made that sun dried tomato pizza and was a huge fan of the sun dried tomatoes and basil, so I decided to add them to my grilled cheese. It turned out quite well.

I used Sara Lee's 45 calorie bred, fat free cheddar, basil leaves, sun dried tomatoes, and sprayed the outside with olive oil cooking spray.

Sun Dried Tomato Pizza

I was thinking of a light afternoon snack I could have and was craving a flatbread or tortilla type thing. I took a look in the fridge to see what if had to offer and I found a light tomato flatbread and in the same drawer was fat free shredded cheddar cheese. I had the idea of a quesadilla type thing, but then decided to keep scoping out the cupboards and what else was in the fridge I found sun dried tomatoes, which led me to the kalamata olives, we also had some basil leaves left over from a previous recipe. I topped the flatbread with a bit of the cheddar, sprinkled some sun dried tomatoes, pieces of olives, and chopped basil and then sprayed a little cooking spray olive oil on top. Put it the oven on broil for ONLY 60 seconds. Pulled it out of the oven and felt it could still use something else...peeked once again in the fridge and found feta! I then sprinkled a little of that over it and ta'da!

This was super tasty!! I didn't figure the nutrition facts, but in a rough guess it is less than 200 calories. :)

Cheez-It Peanut Butter Sandwiches

It is Sunday, give me a break! ;) Snack and munchy day for sure! Well here is one I just thought of and they turned out cute and tasty! It is a nice sweet and savory snack that adults and kids love!

 I used reduced fat Cheez-It's and only the very tip of the knife (approx 1/4 tsp) of crunchy peanut butter. I would have preferred creamy, but we were out.