Healthy Fried Rice

One of my favourite dishes to get for take out is Fried Rice but I have found lately that when we order it for dinner it is lacking in flavor!  There aren’t nearly enough vegetables and the rice is usually hard and gross. So I finally decided to make my own!  I could seriously sit down and eat the whole giant bowl I made but will restrict my daily consumption to ¾ of a cup. Le sigh.  You can add more protein to this by adding chicken, another egg and feel free to add more vegetables!  If you do add more veggies you may want to add a bit more soya sauce and use a bit more cooking spray for the vegetables.

 

Healthy Fried Rice!

 

Ingredients

- 2 cups of cooked brown rice, cooled in the fridge

- 2 carrots diced

- 3 green onions diced

- ¼ of an onion diced

- 1 cup of frozen peas

- 2 tsp of garlic

- 1 tbsp of butter and or cooking spray

- 2 eggs scrambled

- 3 tbsp low sodium soya sauce

- 1/2 tsp of sesame oil

- Pepper to taste and salt if you need it!

 

Instructions:

1 - Cook rice according to package, once cooked, cool in fridge while preparing the vegetables ( I spread my rice out on a cooking sheet to cool evenly).

2- Add carrots, onions, garlic and peas to pan that has been sprayed with pam or 1 tbsp of melted butter. Sautee for 5 minutes.

3 – Add egg and green onions, sautée for 3 minutes

4 – Add cooked rice, soya sauce and sesame oil.  Fry the rice with the veggies for 2 minutes and then serve!

 

For those doing the 21 day fix, ¾ of a cup of this would be 3 tsp, 1 orange, 1 yellow, ½ red, and ½ a green.

Nachos!

I've been following the 21 Day Fix program on and off for a few months. If you don't know what it is it's a portion control eating and workout program that will get you amazing results in 21 days!  The 21 Day Fix has completely changed the way I eat and look at food!

Every month I host online health and fitness groups for people who want to do the 21 Day Fix or another workout program at home. My job as your coach is to ensure you follow the program but also to ensure you don't get bored or fall off the wagon!  I love to make unhealthy foods, 21 day fix approved. Just because you are following an eating guide doesn't mean you have to just eat salad and chicken!

Last week I made 21 Day Fix approved nachos!  They were so good and gave me my nacho fix for the week!

Recipe:
- 12 black bean chips
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup salsa

Directions:
- Place black bean chips on baking pan. Top with shredded cheese, bake at 350 for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven, top with salsa and some plain greek yogurt. Serve with your choice of vegetables on the side.

21 Day Fix:
- 1 green (vegetables)
- 1 red (protein)
- 1 blue (cheese)
- 1 yellow (carbs)

Meal Ideas

I get asked a lot about what I eat, especially on the 21 day fix.  I want to share with you some of my favorite meals to eat that are "fixed approved"!

If you are new to the 21 day fix program here are some details (it's really the best program I have ever done!!) When you first get the program you do a calculation to see which calorie bracket you fall into, then based on your calorie range you are told how many servings of fruit, vegetables, protein, carbs, fat, oils to eat. The program then gives you lists of foods that are 21 day fix approved.  You then make your meals based off those lists. It's every day regular food that you can get at any grocery store!

What I love about this program is that you can take foods/meals that you love and make them "fix approved"!  It's so easy and simple!  I can totally understand if you are new to eating this way how it can be overwhelming and you can be unsure of where to begin so I hope this posts will put your hesitations to rest!


Here are some of my favorite healthy meals:

Pizza - I swear I will never ever in my whole life get tired of pizza. I love making it, the crunchiness of the crust, the warmth of the toppings melted with cheese, mmm it's just so good!!  I am kind of a pizza snob and am very particular about my pizza and how I make it or order it.  I always use only a little bit of cheese, lots of home made sauce, lots of veggies, top it with red pepper chili flakes and italian seasoning with fresh basil.  I always get it well done :)

To make it "fix approved" use a whole grain pita, very small amount of cheese, lots of veggies, some pineapple, top it with chicken or turkey pepperoni and bake it in the oven. So good!!

Quesidilla - I love mexican food!  Pico de gallo, salsa, guacamole, corn tortillas, chips, , mmmm it's all just so good and fresh!!!

To make it "fix approved" use a corn tortilla, place grilled chicken or baked fish on top one of the tortillas, add some veggies a bit of cheese and place in a pan to heat up. Serve with some home made guacamole and salsa.

Spaghetti and Meatballs - My parents went to Italy last summer and took a cooking class when they were there. They learned how to make authentic italian sauce and some other delicsious dishes.  My Dad came over a couple weeks ago and taught me how to make the sauce which was amazing!  Blanche some tomatoes, reduce them down in olive oil and add some fresh herbs.  Meatballs are made with extra lean ground beef, some bread crumbs, eggs, fresh herbs and baked in the oven.

To make it "fixed approved" just use whole grain pasta rather than white pasta, super easy!!  ( I have to confess, I really really do not like the taste of whole grain pasta so I do cheat and use regular pasta :P )

This would be 2 red (protein), 1 green (vegetable), 1 yellow (carbs), and 3 tsp's (fat).

Peanut Butter Shakeology - this is so good!!  Super simple and it definitely helps get that sweet tooth craving under control. One scoop of chocolate shakeology, 1-2 tsp of natural peanut butter, add 2 cups of water, some ice and blend until frothy!

This would be 1 red (protein) and 1 tsp (fat).

Steak - this is already "fixed approved" just don’t use any BBQ sauces that are loaded with sugar when eating it. Grill it up on the BBQ, serve with some rice and a salad loaded with veggies!

This would be 2 red (protein), 1 yellow (carb), 2 green (vegetables), 1 orange (salad dressing).

Tuna Salad - tuna is a really good way to get your protein in and it tastes so good!  (don’t eat more than a couple servings a week of fish as it's high in mercury)  Take a can of tuna in water, mix with some salt and pepper, add some cut up celery and red pepper, 1 tsp of fat free mayo and serve on a bed of lettuce.  On the side is a baked low carb tortilla and two small pieces of cheese.  Already "fix approved"!

This would be 2 red (protein), 1 yellow (carb), 1 green (vegetable), 1 blue (cheese) and 1 tsp (fat).

Zucchini Boats - I love the gooeiness of the cheese but the firm crunch of the zucchini!  Take a zucchini and hollow out some of the insides, mix the insides with some onion and mushrooms and sautee in a pan for a couple of minutes.  Place in the middle part of the zucchini that you hollowed out, top with a bit of fat free cheese and some turkey bacon, bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes and voila!  You have a delicious addition to your steak or grilled chicken!

This would be 2 green (vegetable), 1 blue (cheese), 1 red (protein).

Grilled Chicken, sweet potatoes and vegetables - this is one of my favourite meals! So easy and so satisfying!!  The key to perfectly grilled chicken is to pound it flat.  Cut off the excess fat, place a piece of saran wrap over it and smack it with your hand!  Beat it until it's flat and it will take a lot less time to grill.  Sweet potatoes are super easy too!  Cut it into small cubes, toss with olive oil, your favorite seasoning and bake in the oven for 3-40 mins.  Vegetables on the BBQ have an amazing flavor!  Cut peppers, onions, zucchini, toss with olive oil, some salt and pepper and throw in a BBQ safe pan and sautee until cooked.

This would be 1 red (protein), 1 yellow (carbs), 1 green (veggies) and 3 tp's (fat)

Strawberry Shakeology - another great treat for when you have a craving for something sweet!   Add 1-2 cups of water, some fresh chopped basil, 1 tbsp lime juice and 1 cup of ice. Blend until frothy and enjoy!!!

This would be 1 red (protein).

Fish Tacos - Back to the mexican foods, I told you I love it!  Bake some tapilia in the oven, when it's done place in a corn tortilla, top with some red cabbage (or whatever veggies you want) a dollop of plan greek yogurt, topped with some fresh cilantro!  So delicious and satisfying!!

This would be 2 yellow (carbs), 2 red (protein), 1 green (vegetable) and 1 blue (greek yogurt).

Starting a new eating plan doesn't have to be hard!! It's easy to make your favourite unhealthy meals, healthy!!  If you have any questions about my meals or the 21 day fix, don’t hesitate to ask :)

Delicious Hearty Granola Bars

My kids can be picky eaters and it makes me a little crazy. I get it, new foods are scary and little taste buds are not as matured as mine are but come on kids! It drives me crazy when they outright refuse to even try something different! I sometimes will bribe them with a marshmallow if they try a bite of a new veggie or try my new concoction of a smoothie. (Yes I said marshmallow. And if you have never bribed your kids with a marshmallow or another highly unhealthy treat than kudos to you for being Super Mom :) )

My kids love brussel sprouts, mind you they are tossed in butter and crispy bacon but they still eat them! But they wouldn't even try a bite of my granola bars until I bribed them. My Chloe loves all foods and is always my taste tester! I'm pretty sure she will eat anything except eggs, and I don't blame her, I have to be in the right mood to eat eggs.

Last weekend I tried out this recipe I found on ohsheglows.com for 'Feel Good Hearty Granola Bar's. I was nervous, as I always am when trying out a new recipe but they turned out amazing and are the perfect 3pm snack or after school snack to keep kids calm while you make dinner (and drink a glass of wine ;) ). They are loaded with so much deliciousness it's pretty amazing that these little bars are so healthy for you! No sugar, no flour, no eggs! But they do have nuts so keep them at home :)


Recipe (adapted from www.ohsheglows.com)
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Servings: 12-16 bars

Ingredients:
1.5 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 medium/large bananas)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups rolled oats
1/2-3/4 cup dried cherries or raisins (I used 3/4 cup of raisins)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup shelled pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt or fine grain sea salt, or to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a large rectangular baking dish (approx. 8.5" x 12.5") and line with a piece of parchment paper so the bars are easier to lift out. I didn't have any parchment paper left but was able to get the bars out in one piece just by gently flipping pan over.
2. In a large bowl, mash the banana until smooth then stir in the vanilla.
3. Place the rolled oats into a food processor and pulse until the oats are coarsely chopped (but still with lots of texture). Stir oats into the banana mixture.
4. Chop the walnuts and stir these, the raisins and the rest of the ingredients into the banana-oat mixture until thoroughly mixed.
5. Spoon mixture into prepared dish. Press down until compacted and smooth with hands until even
6. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, check at 20 minutes, bake until firm and lightly golden along the edge. Place dish on a cooling rack for 10 minutes then carefully slide a knife to loosen the ends and lift out. Place granola slab on a cooling rack for 10 minutes and once they are cool you can cut the slab into bars.

These bars turned out really well! I love them and will definitely be making them again!

Healthy Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

"Back to school. Back to school, to prove to Dad that I'm not a fool. I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, I hope I don't get in a fight. Ohhhh, back to school. Back to school. Back to school. Well, here goes nothing." Adam Sandler - Billy Madison.....one of my favourite movies ever!!

Last year more times than I care to admit. my kids would come home with most of their lunch and snacks uneaten which would make them super grumpy (think hangry) while I got dinner ready. This year I am making snacks for their lunches that I know they will love, while also making them healthy and sneaking vegetables into them!  Muwhahaha!......yes I sneak vegetables into my kids foods because let's be honest here, not all kids like all vegetables.  So sometimes you have to be a ninja mom with your baking skills ;)

I found this recipe and fell in love!  So many healthy ingredients and zucchini!  My kids loved it and only one of them noticed the zucchini....

Thomas: Mom, what's this green stuff?
Me: Ummmm, do you like them? (totally stalling here because I know if I told him it was zucchini, he would not eat them!)
Thomas: they are so good but what's this green stuff?
Me: Oh it's just magic.
Thomas: Oh ok!  Mom you are the best cooker baker ever!
Me: **heart melts**

Side note: I only have one hand mixer but have 7 beaters and only one of them fit in my hand mixer.  How does one lose just ONE beater?

Recipe (adapted from www.ambitiouskitchen.com)
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20-25 minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 small to medium ripe bananas, mashed

1 teaspoon melted coconut oil

1/4 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 egg whites

1 cup shredded zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini after the water has been squeezed from it)

2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup plain greek yogurt 

1/2 cup mini or regular chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners and generously spray inside of liners with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Squeeze shredded zucchini of excess water with a paper towel! This is an important step, once the water is squeezed out, re-measure to make sure it is 1 cup.
3. In medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon; set aside.
4. In bowl add the mashed banana, oil, honey, vanilla and eggs; mix until smooth.  Add in zucchini, applesauce, and yogurt and beat again until well combined. Slowly mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Remember not to over mix the batter -- it helps them stay moist! Gently fold in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.
5. Evenly divide batter into muffin cups.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from muffin tin and place on rack to cool.  Enjoy!

The Ultimate Comfort Food - Macaroni & Cheese

One of my favourite things to do and try is to make unhealthy meals healthy.  Buuuuuut when it comes to macaroni and cheese that's nearly impossible!  The healthiest thing from this recipe is that it's not from a box, I used all fresh ingredients, it's loaded with calcium and so nice to eat on a cool fall evening (although it's the middle of the summer but it feels like fall!)    

The best part was that my kids ate it!  Despite them complaining from the time we got into the car after daycare (they always ask me what's for dinner as soon as we get buckled in) and they did not like the idea of mac n' cheese.  For the next 1.5 hours there were tears over what we were having for dinner, negotiations about what they could eat instead, statements that they won't eat dinner but when I said "If you don't eat your dinner there will be no dessert or snack later" they begrudgingly at their dinner when it was served.  After the first few bites I heard "Mom, this is good", "Look Mom, I'm eating all my dinner", "Can I have more please?"......Mom wins again ;)

This recipe is super easy to make just make sure to watch the milk and cheese mixture so it doesn't burn :)

Recipe:
Makes 8 servings.

Ingredients:
3 cups (750 mL) elbow macaroni, (about 450 g) 
3 tbsp (45 mL) butter 
3 cloves garlic, minced 
1 tsp (5 mL) chopped fresh thyme 
1/3 cup (75 mL) all-purpose flour 
4 cups (1 L) milk 
1/4 tsp (1 mL) each salt and pepper 
Pinch cayenne pepper 
1-1/2 cups (375 mL) shredded Gruyère cheese
 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) shredded extra-old Cheddar cheese

Topping:
1/2 cup (125 mL) panko bread crumbs 
1 tbsp (15 mL) butter, diced 

Directions: 
- In large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain; set aside.
- Meanwhile, in large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; cook garlic and thyme, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Whisk in flour; cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes. -Pour in milk in slow steady stream, whisking constantly until smooth; cook, whisking often, until thickened, about 7 minutes.
-Whisk in salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. 
Stir in Gruyère and Cheddar cheeses until smooth; stir in pasta. Scrape into lightly greased 12-cup (3 L) casserole dish.
-Topping: In a small pan melt butter. Once butter is melted add the bread cumbs and toss together, sprinkle over macaroni and cheese, top with a bit more shredded cheese.
-Bake in 400 F (200 C) oven until sauce is bubbly and topping is golden, about 25 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.  (The sauce might seem a little runny at first, but it will thicken beautifully when baked with the macaroni.)

Mmmmm Huevos Rancheros

I love Mexican food. I cannot get enough of it. I would eat fresh corn chips and salsa every single day if I could!! I love to cook, it helps me relax and I get a lot of satisfaction from making healthy fresh meals for my family!

This is a super easy meal to make and it's loaded with fresh ingredients. You can make it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I made these ones for dinner last night.

This is the one I made for my husband with eggs:



This is the one I made for myself without eggs:




Recipe:

Makes 4 servings.

Ranchero Sauce:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup chopped white onions
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup chopped tomatoes and their juice
1 cup chicken stock

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons canola oil
4 large corn tortillas
1/2 cup warm refried beans
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups pepper Jack

Directions:
To make the Ranchero Sauce, in a medium pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and bell peppers, and cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the cumin, salt, cayenne, jalapeno, and garlic, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and their juices and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the stock and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cilantro. Adjust the seasoning, to taste, and cover to keep warm.

In a large skillet, heat 1/2 teaspoon of canola oil over medium-high heat. Add 1 tortilla and cook until warmed through and just starting to brown about 30 seconds. Turn and cook on the second side. Remove, cover to keep warm, and repeat with the remaining oil and tortillas.

In 1 medium skillet, melt 1 tsp of butter each, over medium-high heat. Break 2 eggs into the skillet and fry until beginning to set, about 1 minute. Sprinkle the eggs with the cheese and cover to finish cooking, about 1 1/2 minutes.

Place 1 warm tortilla on each of 4 plates and spread each with 2 tablespoons of warm refried beans. Place 1 egg on top of each tortilla and top with the warm Ranchero Sauce. Serve immediately.

Adapted from the foodnetwork.com.

These were so good!! The sauce was delicious!!

Enjoy :)

Flour-less Brownie Cupcakes....mmmmm

I love chocolate. Like really, really love it. It should have it's own food group. I'm kind of a snob when it comes to chocolate and have certain types that I like and dislike.

Dislike:
- those *chocolatey* bunnies you get from the dollar store or walmart at Easter or the Santa's at Christmas - ya those are NOT real chocolate. Those are simulated chocolate flavoring - gross!!
- milk chocolate. Eeek! I can't get over it! Like a jersey milk chocolate bar - I'd rather do 10 burpess than eat a jersey milk! Or the Lindt milk chocolate, bleh! I may make an exception for milk chocolate that has nuts in it. But it has to be the good stuff.

Likes:
- fine chocolate's from around the world. Give me a box of Belgium chocolates and a bottle of wine from France (they are right beside each other....you can't go to one without visiting the other) and I will be your best friend forever. If you go and don't bring me those two items back, well then we need to seriously re-evaluate our friendship. Chocolate and wine are NOT joking matters.
- Godiva Chocolates
- Purdy's chocolates. I haven't actually had these chocolates yet but I did watch a tv show on them and they look friggen amazing!! I'd be willing to be a taste tester for them (call me:) )
- M&M peanuts. Enough said.

While I do indulge on occasion I try not to eat chocolate every single day. These healthier brownies look amazing and will definitely help with my cravings! (I also drink chocolate shakeology which is delicious to help with cravings! This is coming from a chocolate connoisseur so believe me it's good!)

Flour-less Brownie Cupcakes (recipe and pic courtesy of teambeachbody.com)
These dark chocolate cupcakes are delicious, and surprisingly healthy.

Total Time: 22 min.
Prep Time: 20 min.
Cooking Time: 12 min.
Yield:12 servings, 1 cupcake each

Ingredients:
1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed
3 large eggs
½ cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Prepare 12 muffin cups by lining with muffin papers or coating with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
3. Place chickpeas, eggs, maple syrup, cocoa powder, baking soda, coconut oil, and extract in blender or food processor; cover. Blend until smooth.
4. Divide batter among 12 prepared muffin cups.
5. Top each cupcake with about four chocolate chips; push into batter.
6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
7. Cool completely and enjoy!


Nutritional Information (per serving):
Calories: 160
Fat: 7 g
Saturated Fat: 5 g
Cholesterol: 47 mg
Sodium: 179 mg
Carbohydrate: 20 g
Fiber: 1 g
Sugar: 12 g
Protein: 4 g

Banana Bread Muffins

I don't usually make muffins anymore because they aren't the healthiest option for me while I am on my weight loss journey. Although I do LOVE them and could eat multiple muffins, multiple times a day (**sigh** the life of a carb addict)!

I did want to make something for my kids and husband this weekend with the bananas that were sitting on my counter.



I found a basic recipe and adapted it to suit us!! (read: add chocolate chips, pecans and coconut!)


Recipe for Banana Bread Muffins (makes approx 12 muffins):

3 brown bananas (1 cup mashed)
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup of chocolate chips
1/4 cup pecan bits
1/4 unsweetened coconut

The great thing about this recipe is that you can add ALL the ingredients into one bowl and mix them all together! No having separate bowls for dry ingredients and another one for wet ingredients! (I mean really, that's just more bowls to wash and I hate washing dishes!) Just mix all the ingredients together, pour it into muffin tins, bake at 375 for 20 minutes until the tooth pick comes out clean and voila you are a muffin maker extraordinaire!!

I did eat one and thoroughly enjoyed it!! So tasty!!!!

My husband did refer to them as "really good"! So this is a recipe I will use again!

Enjoy :)

Fish Tacos!

I love tacos. I really do love them so much. I could eat them everyday! Fish tacos, chicken tacos, beef tacos are all so tasty and feel so good in my belly!

In April my husband and I went to Mexico and before that I had never eaten fish tacos (I know crazy right?!!) I've eaten other tacos but not fish....so on our first day there while we waited for our room to be ready we went to the cafe on the beach and ordered fish tacos. They were the best thing I had ever eaten. Seriously. I think I ate fish tacos every day while we were there!



We came home and I kind of forget about them but continued to make beef and chicken tacos. Then a couple weeks ago I was at my grocery store and they had samples of fish tacos using tilipia. I almost went to taco heaven as soon as my lips touched that delicious taco! I got the recipe from the guy, purchased all the ingredients and made them that night! They were AMAZING!

Here's the recipe that was adapted from Sobey's.

Ingredients:

8 Original Tortillas (I used corn tortillas)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus leaves for garnish
1/3 cup low-fat sour cream
1/4 cup Cilantro Chili Lemon Grilling Sauce, divided
2 limes, juiced, divided
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
1 pkg Tilapia Fillets, thawed and patted dry
1 cup shredded red cabbage (I just used coleslaw mix)
1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced

Directions:

1 - Preheat oven to 450 °F (230 °C). Set wrapped tortillas on top rack to warm through, 2 to 3 min. Season tilapia with salt and pepper, and brush with grilling sauce. Place fillets on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake until cooked through, 7 to 8 min. Transfer to a platter.

2 - In a small bowl, mix sour cream, cilantro, 1 tbsp (15 mL) grilling sauce and 1 tbsp (15 mL) lime juice.

3 - FLAKE fish gently with a fork, drizzle with remaining lime juice and arrange on a platter with cabbage (the second time I made them I used romaine lettuce, as seen in pic above!), avocados, cilantro cream and tortillas. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

Enjoy!

Toffee-Banana Rum Bread

I am stepping out of my comfort zone this year for baking and am trying a few new recipes!

This weekend I made Toffee-Banana Rum Bread and it was amazing! Not too sweet but moist and delicious!!

Here is the recipe, adapted from the Hershey's website:

Ingredients

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk (may need a bit more depending on if you double the recipe...)

1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons rum or 2 teaspoons rum extract
1 egg
1 cup of mashed ripe banana (about 3 medium)
1 cup chopped nuts
1-1/3 cups(8 oz. pkg.) Skor Bits

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8-1/2x4-1/2x2-1/2-inch baking pans.

2. Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Add milk, oil, rum (two for batter, one for you!), egg and banana; stir with spoon until well blended. Stir in nuts. If you find the batter too dry, slowly add a bit more milk. Spread 1-1/4 cups batter in bottom of each prepared pan. Top each batter with 1/2 cup toffee bits. Gently spread about 1 cup remaining batter in each pan. Sprinkle remaining bits over batter.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. (Bread will have slight sink in center.) Remove from oven to wire rack. With knife, loosen bread from sides of pan. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans. Cool completely.

Make 2 delicious loaves!

Do you suffer from "Hangry"?

Can you relate to this?!!



Hangry - showing or having a strong feeling of annoyance or hostility caused by lack of food.

I can! I get very angry, short tempered and grumpy if I get really hungry! It is not a pretty sight! I feel bad for anyone who is in my way when I am hangry!! Terrible things are said, I have often cried and I can't think straight! It's bad!!

It runs in my family; my mom is that way (we always knew as kids (and as adults) if my Mom is grumpy it's likely because she is hungry!) My sister and brother act the same way!

To help stop myself from getting hangry I usually eat every 2 - 3 hours to avoid the blood sugar crash. I have to make sure I am eating something wholesome and nutritious to fuel my body and not spike my blood sugar (with chocolate, chips, cookies, etc) it gives you temporary relief but you will get hungry a lot sooner than if you eat an apple, celery with peanut butter, have a shake…..And really chips, cookies, etc do nothing for you! They are empty carbs and sugar that usually help a craving but when you are watching what you eat and trying to lose weight those things should not be eaten when you are hangry!

On a daily basis this is usually what I eat and the times I eat!

6:30am - piece of whole grain toast
8:00am - coffee (no cream or sugar!)
9:30am - shakeology
10:30am - banana or apple (or if I am really on the ball I will make myself eggs the night before and eat those at this time, but that rarely happens! Thankfully my shakeology has 16gr of protein so I am getting my morning dose of protein right before my workout!)
11am - workout, ranges from 45 mins to 60 mins of cardio combined with strength training (I am doing a program called TurboFire right now and LOVE it!!)
12noon - salad with celery, cucumber, red/yellow pepper, one can of tuna, with regular salad dressing or olive oil and balsamic vinegar (I don't like the low fat/low cal dressings - have you seen the ingredients on those suckers?!!), 2 ryvita crackers and a few times I week I will have one wedge of laugh cow cheese.
2pm - apple or berries
5:30pm-6pm - Dinner varies as this is the one meal we all eat together during the week.
This week we have had:

Monday: Cheese tortellini with rose sauce, caesar salad, garlic bread. When we have meals like this I will only take about 1/3 of a cup of pasta with sauce, have one small piece of garlic bread and a huge serving of the salad!

Tuesday: Stir fry with peanut sauce - broccoli, onions, peppers and mushrooms with thinly sliced pork served over rice noodles and with peanut sauce. With this meal I only ate about 1/4 cup of noodles and had a big serving of veggies.

Wednesday (tonight) home made mini pizzas on whole grain pitas with goat cheese, spinach, onions and a small salad. My kids don't like their pizza the same way as my husband and I do so I will make theirs with pepperoni and cheese and give them cucumbers, carrots, peppers on the side!
8pm - apple or if I am really hungry I will have another shake but just mix it with water. (on occasion i don't eat healthy! I am human and have cravings and this is usually the time I give in to them, ugh! Like last night I had 2 handfuls of kettle chips...not the worst thing I have eaten at night but definitely not ideal to be eating right before bed!)

I also drink water and decaf teas throughout the day to make sure I am hydrated and it helps keep me full!

If you suffer from being hangry, know you are not alone!! If you eat on a regular basis and eat the right foods, you can avoid being hangry!