Easy Lunch Recipe

Those of us who bring our lunches to work often have the same lament: what other options do we have that are quick, easy, low cal, and still delicious? Today I have an answer for you.
This recipe is another brain child of my wonderful husband JD. He just threw it together one day, and boy has it stuck with us!
We call it stir fry, but you can call it something else, if you'd like (since there's no stirring or frying involved).

What we use:
1/2c rice- 121 kcal
60g frozen green beans- 22 kcal
160g frozen normandy veggie mix- 52 kcal
52g frozen shrimp- 43 kcal
1 1/2tbsp teriyaki- 30 kcal
(Total entree calories: 268!)

What you do:
dump everything in a plastic container. shake.

If you put it together at night, set it in the fridge to defrost. If you put it together in the morning, just let it set out. Before eating, warm it in the microwave for about 2 minutes, and it's ready!
Today I have paired mine with a small sweet potato and a fiber1 bar.
Total meal calories: 480 (and fiber to boot!)

Do you have a recipe that's quick, low cal, and delicious? Share it in the comments below and I'll give it a try! (Mind that my ingredient options are limited for the next few months).

My (new) favorite thing

After the pumpkin-smoothie-custard disasters, a half a can of pumpkin filling has been sitting patiently in my refrigerator. Pumpkin filling is not anything that I ever had around before, and thinking of ways to use it was never a thing I had/wanted to do before. After getting nervous about it being wasted, I reminded my husband of it's presence, and once again-he saved the day. (I'm telling you guys, he's brilliant).
I've been making oatmeal in the mornings often, and looking for fun ways to flavor it without adding too much extra. JD's suggestion: why don't you try adding it to your oatmeal? So I did. And you know what?
It's taaaaaasty.

 Here's how (so easy):
1/2 c dry oats- 150kcal
3tbsp pumpkin puree- 15kcal
1tsp ground cinnamon- 6kcal
2 packets splenda- 0kcal
1ish c water
 
For oatmeal, I use quick oats, and I always prepare them on stove top...it's just as easy as the microwave (IMHO, easier) for oatmeal.
 In a small pot, bring water to a boil (I use a little over 1c to account for the water that steams off). Turn to medium heat and slowly stir in the oats. Immediately after adding oats, add pumpkin, cinnamon, and Splenda. Stir until smooth and even. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, for approx. 5 minutes. (I stop when it starts getting sticky on the bottom of the pot.)

There you have it! A quick, delicious, nutritious, and filling way to start your day!
(Of course, as much as I love a big breakfast, I usually eat it alongside fried egg whites and plain yogurt mixed with fruit. No need for a snack before lunch here!)

Two, two, two recipes in one (blog)!

I was first introduced to the idea of a sweet spinach smoothie this past summer when a friend of mine entered hers into a smoothie contest. At the time, I had every intention of trying it, but then...I forgot. That is until the other day when another friend posted a link to a different green smoothie on facebook.
I had lost the link to my friend's recipe, and I would have loved to try the second recipe, but living in Korea, I don't have access to many of the ingredients listed, so I found a different recipe and tried it out.

My first try...not love at first sip. The recipe called for milk, spinach, berries, a clementine, a banana, and some water. In honesty, the flavors were good, but it was a bit too much like juice for my taste, and the oranges and spinach created a stringy aspect, as well. I like my smoothies to have a real creamy texture, and was really disappointed in this. My husband is a genius, though, and quickly picked up on the fact that frozen tangerines would cut back on the juiciness. Duh, right? So after his suggestion, I tried again, and this is what I did:

Makes 2 servings:
1 85g tub of plain yogurt- 65 kcal
100ml skim milk- 30 kcal
2c spinach- 14 kcal
(I blended these ingredients at this point, to ensure the spinach blended better than the last time)
62g (~half of a medium) banana- 56 kcal
100g frozen tangerine sections- 52 kcal
110g frozen strawberries- 40 kcal
78g frozen blueberries- 40 kcal
~1/3c water
blend!

total calories: 297 (148.5 each serving!)
and you know what else?
It was taaasty:)
Next time I make this, I'm only going to use 1/4 of a banana, since bananas can be so overpowering- but otherwise, I don't think I would change a thing!


Bonus:
My husband made a DELICIOUS dinner tonight! The idea came from what my dad always called Swiss Steak. My dad's version usually consisted of thinly cut strips of steak pan-fried with sliced tomatoes and topped with pepper. JD (that's the husband) likes to play around with this recipe a little bit, and tonight we decided to swap steak for chicken, flavor with fajita seasonings, and add mushrooms and onions (so it's kind of a lot like fajitas, in the end...). It was so good! Paired with a salad, I call it perfection.

Here's the recipe:

167g button mushrooms- 25 kcal

1can sliced tomatoes- 75 kcal

1medium white onion- 47 kcal

1 package fajita mix- 120 kcal

(that seemed kind of high to us...)

280g chicken (raw)- 320 kcal

mix ingredients in a lightly-sprayed pan (or a wok if you have one) until the chicken is fully cooked
Easy-peasy!

total calories- 588

~makes about 3 servings @ 196 kcal per serving!