Halloween 2013

my sweet little Madeline is going as Madeline this year! 

It will be her very first time trick-or-treating!

more low-cal meals

I am SO proud of myself. It's been over a week of REALLY good eating! I mean... healthy-whole food type eating. GO HEATHER! But for real. 

Here are some things I've made lately that were really tasty! Try them out! 

Ingredients

• 3 small green zucchinis
• 5 oz tiger prawns, cooked
• ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• water
• for the avocado & basil sauce:
• ½ cup of basil
• ¼ of a ripe avocado
• 1 cloves of garlic, minced
• the juice of ¼ a lemon
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Start by making the zucchini ‘pasta’. Slice off the two ends of each zucchini.
2. Use a mandoline with the “julienne” attachment to make pasta like strips. OR if you do not have a mandoline, cut the zucchini into thin wide strips, lengthwise, then finely slice the strips, lengthwise again. You should have long, thin strips of zucchini that look like linguini.
3. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Blanch the zucchini for 30 seconds, then rinse under cold water. You only want to just soften the zucchini slightly. Set aside.
4. Cook your prawns, or defrost pre cooked prawns. Set aside.
5. For the sauce, place the basil, avocado, garlic, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a food processor/blender. Blend until you have the consistency you like.
6. Once the sauce is done, toss it in the bowl with the zucchini, prawns, and cherry tomatoes.
7. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
8. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled – it’s up to you!
9. Enjoy!

Nutritional Information

Serving size: 1 Calories: 224kcal Fat: 5.9g Carbohydrates: 20.6g Sugar: 5.5g Fiber: 8.5gProtein: 26.3g

Pearl Couscous Salad with Lemon Asparagus and Tomato
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 5 • Size: little over 1 cup • Old Points: 3 • Weight Watcher Points+: 4 pt
Calories: 170 • Fat: 4 g • Carb: 30 g • Fiber: 5 g • Protein: 6.3 g • Sugar: 0.0 g
Sodium: 10 mg (without the salt) • Cholest: 0 mg

Ingredients:

• 6 oz whole wheat pearl couscous
• 3/4 lb thin asparagus spears, tough ends trimmed
• 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, quartered
• 1/4 cup red onion, minced
• 1-1/2 lemons, juiced
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
• Kosher salt, to taste
• fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add asparagus and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove with a large slotted spoon and rinse in a colander in the sink under cold water to stop it from cooking. Add the couscous to the boiling water and cook according to package directions.

No-Bake Energy Bites  -print this recipe HERE-

(makes 18-20 bites)

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)

1/3 cup honey

1 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup ground flaxseed

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

Mix everything above in a medium bowl until thoroughly incorporated.  Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.  Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy!  Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

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Grilled Chicken, Corn, and Avocado Salad

I made this for dinner last night. Again... my husband LOVED it. Really delicious & HEALTHY! 

Grilled Chicken, Corn, and Avocado Salad

lightly adapted from Real Simple

According to the magazine, this makes 4 servings, but I can easily polish off half the recipe by myself!

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
4 cloves garlic, minced, (about 1 heaping Tablespoon)
4 Tablespoons good olive oil, divided
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
12 oz chicken breast (we always use tenders)
3 ears corn, shucked
5 ounces baby spinach or lettuce (not iceberg)
1 avocado, diced
shredded Parmesan cheese for topping

In a small bowl, whisk lemon juice, rosemary, garlic, 3 Tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a little pepper. Pour half of the dressing into a large ziplock bag. Add the chicken, seal, and refrigerate about 30 minutes. Set aside the remaining dressing. Fire up your gas grill and set it to medium. Rub the corn with the remaining Tablespoon of olive oil and grill until golden on all sides. Remove from heat, allow to cool, and cut the kernals off the cobs. Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard marinade), season with another pinch of salt and pepper, and grill until cooked through. If you are using whole chicken breasts or chicken breast halves, this will take considerably longer than if you are using chicken breast tenders. When cooked through, remove chicken from heat, and chop coarsely. Set out 4 plates and divide spinach or lettuce, chicken, corn, avocado, and remaining dressing evenly among the 4 plates. Top each serving with a generous sprinkle of shredded parmesan cheese. 

Low Cal Meals

Spaghetti squash with grilled chicken, sundried tomatoes, broccoli, and peas

Ingredients:

1 medium size spaghetti squash (about 2lb)

1/3 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup frozen peas

1 broccoli crown, chopped

2 chicken breasts, grilled and sliced

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 cup chicken broth

grated parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup)

salt/pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. With a sharp knife, carefully cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Scrape/remove seeds with a spoon. Place squash halves cut side down on a baking sheet; bake for 45 minutes. Let squash cool.

***Side note: if you’re looking for an even easier way to cook the squash, check out my instructions here***

3. Using a fork, scrape the inside of the squash to remove strands.

4. In a large, deep skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic. Saute one minute, then add spaghetti squash and saute an additional 2 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

5. Add 1/4 cup of chicken broth, sundried tomatoes, and broccoli. Saute 5 minutes.

6. Add peas, grilled chicken, and remaining 3/4 cup chicken broth. Shake about 1/4 cup parmesan cheese into mixture (just enough to thicken the chicken broth).

7. Reduce heat to medium-ow. Cover skillet and simmer for about 3 minutes.

8. Serve with fresh shaved parmesan cheese.

and for lunch today, I made this: 

Southwestern Black Bean Salad

Southwestern Black Bean Salad
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 13 • Size: 1/2 cup • Old Points: 1 • Weight Watcher Points+: 2 pt 
Calories: 79.5 • Fat: 3.5 g • Carb: 12 g • Fiber: 3 g • Protein: 3 g • Sugar: 1 g
Sodium: 127 mg (without the salt) • Cholest: 0 mg
Ingredients:

• 15.5 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 9 oz cooked corn, fresh or frozen (thawed if frozen)
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1/3 cup red onion, chopped
• 1 scallion, chopped
• 1 1/2 - 2 limes, juice of
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp fresh minced cilantro (or more to taste)
• salt and fresh pepper
• 1 medium hass avocado, diced 
• 1 diced jalapeno (optional)

Directions: 

In a large bowl, combine beans, corn, tomato, onion, scallion, cilantro, salt and pepper. Squeeze fresh lime juice to taste and stir in olive oil. Marinate in the refrigerator 30 minutes. Add avocado just before serving.

Makes about 6 1/2 cups.