$60 Shopping Trip

I have been on a weight loss odyssey since September 2011 & I have lost a total of 75 lbs *so far!* In this journey, I have discovered a lot about myself & how much happier & healthier I am now, compared to myself just a year ago. 

I write this, because I am on a mission to inspire others to start living a healthier lifestyle. One of the excuses I got was that whole foods costs so much more then processed foods. Yes, you're right! My rebuttal, however was that in the long run of living off a diet of processed junk, you'll pay for it with medical bills, prescriptions & so forth. Even though they are still in denial, I refuse to give up.

It does take a lot of dedication & motivation to WANTING to lead a healthier lifestyle *and it was hard at first, I am not going to lie* but once you feel how awesome it does feel, you will never pick up another processed anything again!

Well, today I did go grocery shopping & bought tons of goodies & spent $60. A lot of times I don't bother looking for coupons, because the majority of the coupons out there are for the exact foods you don't want to buy. However I did have 4 coupons that I used during this trip (2 Luna bar coupons, 1 Newman's Own coupon & 1 Silk Almond Milk coupon) Between those & in store savings, we saved a total of $24. 

2 gallons of unsweetened tea

3 gallons of spring water

1/2 gallon 100% natural orange juice

1/2 gallon almond milk

2-1 liters of protein fruit drink (all natural)

1 liter 100% coconut water

Bag of Popcorners (baked popcorn type chips)

2 jars of honey roasted peanuts

2 lbs of grapes

1 cantaloupe

1 lb strawberries

1 pint grape tomatoes

4 ears of corn

1 mango

4 avocados

1 jar of Newman's Own Mango Salsa

2 cans of Bush's Baked Beans

3 cans of coconut water

2 boxes of pasta (whole wheat wasn't on sale)

2 Luna bars

1 lb snap peas

1.5 lbs of yellow squash

1 lb f brussel sprouts

I never go into the store with any type of menus in mind & just buy whatever is healthy & on sale. I take this food & supplement it with the foods I already have. Quick overview of some of the basics I already had:

flour, sugar, honey, yeast, butter (Smart Balance) applesauce, brown rice, jasmin rice, 2 boxes of pasta, marinara sauce, Vitatops, frozen veggies, dried lentils, dried garbanzo beans, 5 chicken breasts, 5 cans of tuna, cornmeal

There is more like spices & a couple of apples, but just to give you an idea.

Eating healthy doesn't have to break the bank & it can be fun experimenting with what's on sale & what you have on hand at the time!

xo,
Nancy

Whole Wheat Sweet Potato Biscuits

Yes! You read right!!! Sweet potato biscuits!!! Despite the fact that I am a terrible biscuit shaper, they were super yummy! This recipe makes 12 biscuits & the nutritional information was based off of the recipe calculator at Calorie Count. It was graded as an A recipe and NO BAD POINTS! I think next time I will add a bit more sweet potato to it...just a though lol.

Ingredients

2 cup whole wheat flour

1 tbsp sugar (considering using stevia to avoid calories!)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

5 tbsp natural applesauce

1 cup sweet potatoes

1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 tsp cinnamon *optional*

-Boil sweet potatoes until soft, then mash with a fork (w/o the skin)

-Measure out a cup of the sweet potato mixture & then mix the rest of the ingredients.

-Bake at 350 degrees F for approx 20-25 minutes.

*I made some cinnamon butter to go with them!*

Calories 100

Total fat .3g

Sat fat 0g

Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 109mg

Total carbs 21.7g

Dietary Fiber 1.3g

Sugars 2.8g

Protein 2.5g

Good points

Very low in saturated fat

No cholesterol

High in selenium 

High in thiamin

Very high in Vitamin A

Bad points

VERY ADDICTIVE! lol

Enjoy & bon apetite!

xo,

Nancy

Healthy Pasta Dish

I couldn't believe how yummy this dish came out!!! And it is just sooooo good for you! And you can customize it to whatever veggies you have on hand at the time. The veggies, chicken & pasta were cooked separately & then brought together for this yumminess! The ingredients below serves 2 & nutritional information is based off of one serving.


Ingredients


2 oz pasta (I didn't have whole wheat pasta on me at the time...should make about a cup)
1 chicken breast

1 yellow squash
14 cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup broccoli
2 carrots
1/4 cup sweet onion
*garlic, crushed red peppers & other seasonings to taste*


-Cook the pasta (I don't add salt to the water)
-Bake the chicken (400 degrees F for 20'ish mins...season to taste...I used garlic)
-Saute the veggies (just use a spray of Pam)


You can use olive oil if you like so that the pasta doesn't stick, however you can find Pam type spray that is made with olive oil & it has no nothing & also does the trick.


The nutritional information was gathered using the recipe calculator from Calorie Count & it also got an A!!!


Calories 432
Total Fat 5.9g
Sat Fat 1.3g
Cholesterol 94mg
Sodium 174mg
Total Carbs 61.2g
Dietary Fiber 13.9g
Sugars 28.2g
Protein 40g


Good points


Low in saturated fat

Low in sodium

High in dietary fiber

High in manganese

Very high in niacin

High in phosphorus

High in potassium

High in thiamin

Very high in Vitamin A

High in Vitamin B6

Very high in Vitamin C

Bad points

High in sugar

Isn't that freaking amazing?! Super yummy & super good for you! Enjoy & bon apetite!

xoxo,

Nancy

56 Calorie Brownies!!!

Yes! You read correctly! Super yummy & was graded a C at Calorie Count, which is good enough for me! :~) After the recipe you'll find the nutritional information & good/bad points.


These brownies are chocoately, however they aren't as sweet. Just an FYI. I thought they were delicious & if you're on a weight loss/healthy lifestyle journey, then you'll want to get ween yourself off of the overly sweet sweets. 


BTW, this recipe made 18 squares using the brownie baking kit & the nutritional information is based off of 18 servings. Also, this recipe makes a thin layer, so if you have a larger pan, you may want to double the recipe.


Ingredients


3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 ts salt
1/2 cup apple sauce
1/2 cup baking cocoa (will have to see if they sell dark chocolate in baking cocoa form)
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp egg whites (1 egg can also be used, however this will add cholesterol to your finished product)


Mix ingredients & bake at 350 degrees F for 17-20 minutes. 


I added coconut to a couple to see how they would taste.

Nutritional information:

Calories 56

Total Fat .4g

Trans fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 36mg

Total Carbs 13.5g

Dietary Fiber 1.0g

Sugars 8.1g

Protein 1.3g

Good points

No cholesterol

Low in saturated fat

Bad points

Very high in sugar

Contains alcohol (because of the vanilla)

I love this recipe & it's super simple to make. Enjoy & bon apetite!

xoxo,

Nancy

Mofongo with Chicken

I know you are probably asking yourselves, "What IS that?" Well, I will tell you! If you're Puerto Rican, you should definitely know what this is! lol. Mofongo; a fried plantain dish. Some make it differently, but this is how I make it. I prefer to make it with the chicken breast, then eating it with chicken broth. Here is what you'll need, serves 2.

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast

2 plantains

1 8oz can of tomato sauce (I used low sodium)

1 oz of pork rinds 

seasoning/garlic to taste

Additional items you could add:

olives

onions

peppers

This is a 2 part recipe, however it may seem tedious, it's quite simple. 

-Empty the tomato sauce in a pot & add the same amount of water.

-Cut the chicken breast in small pieces & cook in the sauce.

-Add seasoning, olives, garlic, etc to the pot.

-When just about done, mash up the pork rinds in a pestle & mortar & add to the sauce.

-Once done, take off the heat til it thickens.

While the chicken is cooking;

-Peel the plantains & then slice them.

-Cook them in a frying pan with a little bit of oil over medium heat (should take approx 2 mins on each side)

-Once they are done, lay them out to drain on a napkin & until they cool.

-Mash them up in a pestle & mortar (I sometimes add additional garlic & seasoning).

Once you're done mashing the plantains, divide into 2 bowls.

Then pour the thickened chicken mixture over & enjoy! Below is the nutritional information.

This recipe was analyzed at Calorie Count & was rated a B+. This is one of my favorite dishes to make, however I don't make it often because it does have a lot of carbs, however plantains' carbs are resistant carbs, which are better for you.

Calories 504

Total fat 12.3g

Sat fat 3.6g

Cholesterol 93mg

Sodium 1207mg* Calorie count didn't recognize low sodium tomato sauce, so had to calculate using reg*

Total carbs 65.1g

Dietary Fiber 6.8g

Sugars 31.7

Protein 39.9

Good points

High in niacin, vitamin B6 & vitamin C

Bad points

High in sugar

I know, a rather long blog, but this recipe is super yummy!!! In spanish we call it Mofongo relleno de pollo...which means the mofongo is stuffed with chicken. Bon apetite! 

xoxo

Nancy

Banana Blueberry Oat Mini Muffins

Yes! These muffins did ooze with blueberries!!! It is a pro & con for me; I love seeing the ooze & how juicy they look, however I know I will end up with sticky fingers afterwards! This recipe was graded at an A- & was calculated over at Calorie Count. I used the mini muffin pan & ended up 38 muffins; the nutritional information down below is based off of this & with ingredients I used.

Ingredients


2 cups rolled uncooked oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
3 tbsp egg whites (equals 1 egg)
2 tbsp natural apple sauce 
2 bananas, mashed
1 cup blueberries
1/8 cup honey*
1/8 cup molasses* 


*You can either use these ingredients like this, or you can use 1/4 cup of either one. I had intended to use molasses, but only had 1/8 cup, so I supplemented it with honey. Although molasses is better then honey.*


-Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
-First mash the bananas, then add the rest of the ingredients.
-Bake for 10-12 minutes if using the mini muffin pans (14-17 minutes if you're using regular size muffins)


Nutritional Facts:


Calories 38
Total Fat .4g
Saturated Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 38mg
Total Carbs 8.2g
Dietary Fiber .8g
Sugars 3.9g
Protein .8g


Good Points


Low in saturated fat
No cholesterol
High in manganese
High in phosphorus 


Bad Points


Very high in sugar


Overall, there are plenty of good things going on in this recipe; just don't use that as an excuse to scarf down a handful! 1 or 2 is probably good enough for a snack. Hope you enjoyed!


Bon Apetite!


xoxo,
Nancy 

Homemade Granola Bars

Yes, I know it has been a while since my last update! A million apologies; I had my family visiting for 3 weeks, then it took another 2 weeks to get back into the swing of things. But I am back with a happy vengeance! :~)


I have no idea what is up with the recent blogger update *rolls eyes* but will work around it & share an amazing recipe I found (and tweaked!) just for a healthier kick.


I am not going to write the entire process, just because you can find it all over at Joyful Abode. However, below are the ingredients with my substitutes. I didn't do a whole lot of subs, but I will also be posting the nutritional info!!!


2 cups oats
3/4 cup wheat germ (cereal aisle)
3/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup peanuts, crushed
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
4 tbsp applesauce 
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips


I used the recipe calculator from Calorie Count & I managed to get 18 bars, so the information below is based off of 1 of these bars. This recipe was graded at a C+.


Calories 169
Total fat 7.0g
Sat fat 1.4g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 70mg
Total Carbs 23.8g
Dietary Fiber 2.7g
Sugars 13.2
Fiber 5.4g


Good points


No cholesterol
Low in sodium
Very high in manganese


Bad points


High in sugar
Contains alcohol


Bon apetite & enjoy!


Nancy