Foodie Penpals - July Reveal

I think I can honestly say that getting my package from my penpal each month is one of the best things that happens to me. I mean, aside from the fact that getting mail that does NOT request my money is awesome, I'm getting mail full of food. It's like the best of both worlds.

My box this month came from Melissa S. in Florida and she knocked it right out of the park.

Right off the bat I opened my box, saw these bad boys and got super excited! I've experimented a few times making my own kale chips, including Chocolate Covered Kale Chips, but I have never bought them before. Mostly because kale is super cheap and I personally can't justify spending $3-5 on something I know I can make myself for pennies. However, being given them is a totally different story. 

Next out of the box was a can of blue monkey coconut water. I have had coconut water before, but not this brand. I generally don't buy drinks like this for myself because of sugar content but a splurge every once in a while never hurt anyone right?!

Probably the item I got the most excited about was the Mixed Sea Vegetables from Sea Tangle. This is something I've never come across before and I am really looking forward to trying it out! The package includes a recipe for Avocado & Apple Salad w/ Sea Vegetables so I think that's how I'll use them. 

Melissa also included a bag of her homemade trail mix, which is not pictured because I devoured that bad boy as soon as it hit my hands. It was quite the mix too! Including but not limited to macadamia nuts, walnuts, cacao nibs, dried cherries, goji and blueberries. Very, very tasty. Melissa also sells products from a line called Juice PLUS so she included some samples of their product for me to try. 

I think it would be an understatement  to say that I was very pleased with my box this month. Can't wait to see what the next month has in store for me!

If you're interested in participating in the Foodie Penpals Program you can sign up here.

Love,

Lauren 

Skinny Shepherd's Pie

 It's probably time I share with you guys my recipe for Shepherd's Pie, seeing as how I've been eating it all week. I'm not gonna lie, I've had it every day and I still have some left for tomorrow. Not to mention that I have loved eating it! This recipe is really light on the calories and still packs a nutrient punch! You can find my original recipe inspiration here but I personally think that by the time I was finished I changed it so much that I can call this my own. So, without further ado, here is my Skinny Shepherd's Pie:

What you'll need: 

Veggie mixture sans turkey.

• 1 pound ground turkey - I go with ground turkey breast because it's extra lean but the 93/7 ground turkey will work just fine.
• 1 small bag of mixed frozen veggies, - my mixture was corn, peas, carrots and green beans but get what you like. Let these bad boys sit out on the counter while you work so they begin to thaw.
• 3/4 cup mushrooms, diced
• 1 clove garlic, crushed - or if you're me, the equivalent of the jarred stuff.
• 3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce + water to equal 2 cups
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, halved - try to get two about the same size and that can be halved easily
• 1 tsp cinnamon

What you do:

The view from step 5.

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and place the sweet potato halves on the tray. Drizzle 1 Tbsp of the olive oil over the halves and then sprinkle with the cinnamon. Roast for 50 minutes.
2. When your potatoes have about 20 minutes left, begin to heat your remaining olive oil in a large saucepan over med/high heat.
3. Add garlic and fry, stirring constantly for about a minute. Then add in the veggies and mushrooms and stir until veggies have softened.
4. Add the turkey to the pan and allow to cook through. Break it up as you go so you have bite sized pieces.
5. Pour in your water-Worcestershire mixture and tomato paste and bring to a boil. Reduce to med/low heat and allow to simmer and thicken for 15 minutes.
6. While your mixture is simmering, remove the potatoes from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
7. Carefully scoop the flesh out of each half and place in a bowl, discard the skin. 
8. Using your tool of choice, mine was an immersion blender, mash the potatoes until smooth.
9. Pour turkey mixture into a large baking dish or two pie pans and then top with the mashed potatoes.
10. Bake for 15 minutes and then enjoy!

This recipe easily serves 8! 

Enjoy!

Lauren

Time Savers - Weekly Food Prep

To say that I don;t have a lot of free time, would be an understatement. Between working two jobs, hitting the gym a few times a week and spending time with my friends and boyfriend, there isn't time for much else. Which is exactly why I carve out a few hours once a week to prepare food for the entire coming week. 

I know what you're thinking, sounds intimidating. I'll admit, I was nervous the first time I did it too, but you can start out slow and work your way up as you go. Got a snack that you know you're going to eat everyday? Go ahead and portion out a bag/container of it for each day and ta-da! Now all you have to do is grab it and go. So simple! Below I'm going to share with you some of my tricks for cooking once and eating all week!

Chicken Breast!

Chicken, now here is a food I eat daily. It's so easy and versatile and let's not forget, it's good for you! Three nights a week I take a spinach salad with shredded chicken, tomatoes and any random veggie leftovers I have as my dinner. It's simple, filling, healthy and down-right easy to do! Here's my secret: On Sunday morning before my brunch shift (8am-2pm) I throw a package of chicken breasts and 1/2 cup of water into my crock pot and set it on low before heading to work. I come home to a wonderful smelling kitchen and perfectly cooked chicken. The only thing left to do is take two forks and shred the chicken to a consistency I'm happy with! Super simple! Now, this makes more than enough for three salads worth so I have some extra shredded chicken to get creative with! Last week I used it to make Jalapeno-Peach Shredded Chicken Salad! YUM! 

Chicken for today's wrap, two more salads and a tub of extra!

Cook Once, Eat All Week

Another big time-saver for me is making a meal that serves 6-8 and eating part of it each day. Yes, it can get a little boring. But then again, I make a different recipe each week and I try new things. I have yet to get halfway through eating a dish and think "Man, I'm tired of eating this". Even if that were to happen, I could just freeze what I have left and eat it the next week. This week I made a Skinny Shepherd's Pie, which I promise to blog about soon! As you can see, it made quite a bit of food! I'll be happily eating this all week!

 I also like to pick a veggie and make enough of it to eat all week. Living alone, I don't have the luxury of getting to eat different veggies every night, because my leftovers would go bad way to quickly. Wasting food is not cool. I frequently go with broccoli because I can chop up a head, add a little honey, roast it and the entire process takes 20 minutes. Not to mention the fact that once bunch of broccoli easily makes enough to accompany a few meals!

While these are not all of the ways I work ahead to prepare food, these are the few that I did yesterday and today. I'd love to hear what tips and tricks you try!

Thanks for reading!
Lauren

Hummus Crusted Chicken

Stop what you're doing right now, do yourself a favor and go grab your grocery list. Now, scroll down so you can add the ingredients for this recipe to it. Actually, you know what, just jot them down quick and go get them so you can make it for dinner tonight.

Yes. It's that good. And it's so easy. This is one of those one dish meals that makes you wonder why you've ever fussed around with multiple pots and pans when you could just bake up this heavenly meal.

What you'll need:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• salt and pepper
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1 yellow squash, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, chopped (I used half of a red instead because I had it left over)
• 1 cup hummus (I just used an entire 7oz tub)
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 lemons
• 1 tsp paprika

What you'll do:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 450F and grease a baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Toss chopped veggies in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Place veggies in the bottom of the baking dish in an even layer. Then evenly lay out the chicken breasts on top of them. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the chicken and veggies.
4. Spread your hummus over the top in a smooth, even layer. Think kind of like a shepherd's pie. Sprinkle your paprika on top.
5. Bake 25-35 minutes, or until your chicken is cooked all the way through. 

Seriously, it's that easy. I made this on Sunday and have been enjoying it everyday for lunch this week. I'm definitely going to make it again, and experiment with different flavors of hummus. I think I'll also double the zucchini and squash because personally, I could use a bit more!

Original inspiration found here.

Thanks for reading!

Lauren 

Beefsteak, It's What's for Breakfast.

My life has been crazy busy recently. I'm counting the fact that I even got to go home last weekend as a miracle.

That being said, one of the hardest parts of living a healthy lifestyle is traveling. I always feel like my progress has to be put on pause when I'm traveling because I'll either have no access to any means of exercise or I'll be eating food that is delicious, but bad for me. That's why whenever I do go visit someone, I try to cook a meal for them. Not only does it take a little of the guilt away, but it takes a little pressure off of the host as well.

This past weekend I decided that I wanted to make a breakfast that would both satisfy everyone's hunger but also be good pre-workout fuel. Then, out of nowhere I found this idea on Mind Over Munch's Instagram. I was sold immediately.

You don't have to use beefsteak tomatoes, I actually didn't I just thought it made a good title, and you can use whatever cheese you like best. The fact that this recipe is so versatile makes it so great!

What you'll need:

• 4 tomatoes
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese of choice

What you'll do:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Core your tomatoes to your liking. You have to cut enough for the whole egg to fit in, but you can take more if you like.
3. Place cored tomatoes in a baking dish of appropriate size and crack one whole egg into each. 
4. Bake for 15 minutes before topping each tomato with 1/8 cup of the cheese. Continue to bake another 5 minutes.
5. Allow to cool slightly and then enjoy!

I served my Tomato Baskets with turkey bacon, yum!

I already know of one person who, upon seeing my pictures, made this meal. That makes me really excited! I'm so glad that I could inspire someone to try something new, just from a picture!

Enjoy,

Lauren

Practically Paleo Lasagna

Let's get one thing straight right away, shall we? No, I am not "Paleo" and I see no way I ever could be. It just sounds so hard. Don't get me wrong, they eat lots of good stuff and avoid lots of bad stuff, but no.

Now, that being said, I'll never be opposed to trying a recipe just because it's labeled as paleo. Actually, this isn't the first time I've done that. When I went camping about a month ago I made these Blackberry Glazed Porkchops for everyone. It is a very simple but incredibly delicious paleo recipe.

Let us move on to the recipe at hand shall we? You may be asking yourself "Self, how is it possible for a recipe to be 'practically' paleo?". To which I must admit, it's not. A recipe is either paleo or it isn't. I chose to call this recipe "Practically Paleo" because my inspiration was an actual paleo recipe. I, however, do not believe one can have lasagna and not have cheese. Just my personal opinion.

It should be noted that I made this recipe to feed one. This would make a wonderful dish for a larger crowd though and I will include instructions for both.

What you'll need:

1 Eggplant (2-3 if doubling), thinly sliced

8 ounces (16 if doubling) ground turkey breast - cooked

A jar of your preferred tomato sauce - for paleo, go with organic tomato sauce

A package of shredded mozzarella cheese - omit if paleo 

What you do:

1. Set the oven to 450F. Place eggplant slices on baking sheets and roast for 4 minutes on each side. 
2. Using a 9x9 baking dish (or 9x13 if doubling) add a layer of sauce. I did 1/2 cup because that is one serving of sauce.
3. Place a layer of eggplant slices over the sauce.
4. Cover the eggplant layer with a layer of turkey and cheese. I used half the turkey and 1/2 cup of cheese.
5. Repeat the layering process until your are out of turkey. Make a final layer of just sauce and cheese.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Allow to rest 5 minutes before serving. 

Start with the sauce.

Layer in your eggplant.

Now add the meat and cheese.

Repeat until you're happy.

Enjoy!

So, are you going to try it?

Lauren

Southwest Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Lets talk about something I love: Bell Peppers. They are delicious and I could eat them like you would an apple. I don't because it's not socially acceptable and I figure I'm already weird enough, no need to add to that. Not to mention the fact that they're good for you! At only 28 calories for medium (slightly less than 3 inches long) pepper you get 196% of your daily vitamin C and 58 % of your daily vitamin A. Not to shabby if you ask me.

Sadly, the supermarkets play on people's desire for their food to look as good as it tastes and if you want pretty peppers (AKA not green), you have to pay an arm and a leg for them. Every so often Kroger will have them on sale for less than $1 each so when they do I take advantage and make one of my all time favorite recipes: stuffed peppers.

Stuffed peppers are so easy and so versatile. You can make them in whatever flavor combination your heart desires. I've made Italian style where they were cooked in tomato juice, Santa Fe style with turkey, I've even made them in a slow cooker! The possibilities really are endless.

Start by cutting the tops off of your peppers.

For tonight's culinary adventure I actually chose a vegetarian friendly recipe. Not because I'm vegetarian by any means of the word. I chose this recipe because I wanted to get my protein from something other than my standard grilled chicken. With quinoa AND black beans this recipe does just that!

What you'll need:

6 Bell Peppers 

1 cup dry quinoa & 2 cups water

15 oz can corn kernels - low or no sodium if you can find it

15 oz can black beans - low or no sodium if you can find it

4 oz can diced green chiles

2 roma tomatoes, diced

1/2 yellow onion - I omitted this

1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese - I omitted this

1 package fajita seasoning - I opted just to add cumin and crushed red pepper to taste

Seeded and cored peppers with the remains from the tops.

 What you'll do:

1. Set your oven to 350F. Combine the quinoa and water in a sauce pot and bring the water to a boil. Turn the heat to low, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. The quinoa should completely absorb the water and look fluffy. Yes. I said fluffy.
2. Prepare your peppers by cutting off the tops and then seeding the insides. I saved the leftovers from the tops to use on my salads this week but you could easily add them into your filling!                    



Fluffy quinoa!

3.  Dice your tomatoes and rinse and strain the beans and corn.
4. When your quinoa is nice and fluffy transfer it to a big mixing bowl and add in all of the remaining ingredients. 
5. Line your baking dish of choice with tin foil and nestle your peppers in. 
6. Fill each pepper with about a cup of filling. I placed in 1/2 of a cup and then pressed it down with a spoon before adding the second 1/2 cup. Trying to add the whole cup at once would have guaranteed a huge mess. At least, for me it would have.
7. Bake your delicious stuffed peppers for 25-30 minutes. 
8. Once they have cooled for maybe 5 minutes, DIG IN! I bet they would be delicious topped with some sour cream or guacamole, or heck go for both. I plan to top mine with shredded cheese and then re-heat them to melt the cheese a little, which is why I omitted the cheese from the filling recipe. 

Ready for the oven! 

I plan to enjoy these babies for lunch this week so once they came out of the oven I transferred them to  separate containers. If you do this, be sure to let them cool before moving them to the refrigerator. Moving them there directly after baking will cause the container to condensate, resulting in soggy peppers and no one wants to eat a soggy pepper!

For today's post I got my inspiration here and my nutritional information here.



Bon appetit!
Lauren