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).

Tip of the Day

                                      One thing I'm glad I did:

My birthday, 08/2011, -35 pounds

The moment I began calorie counting, I made the decision that I wouldn't let myself get too carried away. I knew that if I threw myself into this with both guns blazing, I would eventually fizzle out. The main decision I made (that I couldn't be more glad for) is that I didn't restrict myself from anything. I knew that if I told myself I couldn't have such and such, I would want that thing even more. I knew that at every glance of it, my knowing it was off limits would put me one step closer to indulging myself in it. So instead of cutting myself off, I allowed myself to have it when I wanted it; this forced me to learn how to eat around that item (i.e. if I want ice cream, I have a salad for dinner). I have gotten to the point where there are many things I find that I want less, because I know it isn't sustaining. I have gone from making meat my main portion, to vegetables as my main portion.

                          One thing I wish I did:

Today, -70+ lbs

05/2010, -0 lbs

When I started, I was really ashamed of my body, and to be honest, not 100% on how well I would stick to my journey. Most of me didn't believe I would actually achieve as much as I have, so when I thought about taking "before" pictures, I shuddered and blew it off, and the idea of taking measurements wasn't much of a thought. Being where I am now, I kick myself for that. I shuffle through my photos from before, trying to get a good one of me, full body, to see how much I really have changed, but fall short of finding many that work. Before I started my journey, I more or less refused to have my picture taken from the neck down (it's true...if we're friends on facebook, look at my catalog of profile pictures). In fact, I would often refuse a picture in general, being afraid that the photographer would capture anything more than my face. How did I live like that? It seems much sadder in retrospect than it felt at the time.
That being said: Take real before pictures! Take pictures of your progress along the way! Take your measurements! You'll regret it later if you don't. Probably.

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!)

Pumpkin...custard?

So, I got a little cocky tonight. I had found myself down somewhat of a rabbit hole of "healthy snacks". I'm a bit of a smoothie nut, and found this interesting idea for a pumpkin smoothie. I had remembered that my husband and I found a can of pumpkin filling in our local black market store (we live in South Korea, btw. Things like pumpkin filling are a rarity for us), and decided to pounce. This was, of course, back in November when we had Thanksgiving fever. Cut to present day, and it's still sitting in our cabinet...of course.
Anyway, after I read the ingredients I thought: I CAN IMPROVE ON THIS RECIPE! (meaning I thought I could make it lighter and still delish)

this is what I did:
170g Sweet Potato yogurt- 160kcal (I grabbed this without paying much attention...I thought it was peach. Who would have EVER imagined it would actually be Sweet Potato, right? The flavor is subtle, but I just can't bring myself to eat it plain. I thought this was a nice occasion for it.)
2c Pumpkin Filling- 160kcal
100ml skim milk- 30 kcal
15g Honey Graham Crackers- 70 kcal (and it's amazing we even had that)
and what ended up being about:
3 tsp ground cinnamon- 18 kcal
5 packets generic sweetener- 0 kcal
lots of ice- 0kcal

Blennnnnnnnnnd, and- VOILA! We had some mildly decent tasting custard.
It certainly wasn't the best, but for 11okcal/pop (around 200g/serving [4])...I don't know that you could do much better? I think the original recipe probably beats the pants off of what I came up with, though.

What I would do different:
Use vanilla yogurt
Use a *little* more yogurt and a *little* less filling
Use more milk? The above change might do the trick for that, though.
Freeze the filling like the recipe called for (but who has time for that, right?!)
Read the recipe a little closer and sprinkle the graham crackers on top of the finished product instead of blending with the rest of the ingredients...oy, Jamie.


Here's a smoothie I make that doesn't suck:
170g plain yogurt- 120kcal
200ml skim milk- 60kcal
*160g (1c-ish) frozen strawberries- 57kcal
*100g (a little less than 1c?) frozen mango- 64kcal
*70g (1/2c?) frozen pineapple chunks- 50kcal

blennnnnnnnnd, and- VOILA! Probably my favorite smoothie. At 176kcal/serving (about 2 320g servings), it's a great breakfast item or snack!

*The gram figures there might not be exact...I kind of guessed. This is pretty darn close, though.


I know this entry is not a great one for introducing my new blog, but I will do that next (cause this was more fun)...I'm breaking the mold.