Dark Chocolate Covered Blueberries

I LOVE sweets, candy really! I had a pretty unhealthy relationship with candy for quite some time. Shakeology has been a life saver for me. One of the MANY reasons I enjoy it daily. I am also an advocate of treating oneself.  I won't ever believe it is necessary to 100% limit a certain food or food group. To me, that in itself is unhealthy because I have personally experienced the affects of completely deleting certain foods from my body. The 21 Day Fix meal plan, that I have been following since February 2014, is all about balance. I eat veggies, fruit, protein, carbs, healthy fats, and oils within the proper portion size, SO going along with this amazingly simple eating philosophy, I believe that treats too can be enjoyed in moderation!!

I typically enjoy pizza with my family every Saturday. Yep, good old pizza, my friends! I still make our family healthier pizza during the month as well, but I enjoy that unhealthier option too. I have been finding my body wanting more sweets lately for my ONE WEEKLY treat meal.  I have been gravitating toward Brookside chocolate covered blueberries and acai. SO easy to down an entire bag...I've done it!!

Looking at the ingredients and seeing the 22 gram of sugar  reminded me that is the exact reason why it is so easy to do! That artificial sugar surely plays trick on your brain eventually leading your belly to feel BLAH! Don't get me wrong! Those things are amazing!! Like seriously good! I just knew I could create the same delicious effect with way less sugar.

I LOVE simple recipes with minimal ingredients and this one meets those requirements.

INGREDIENTS:

*2 cups of blueberries

*1 cup of dark chocolate chips

*1 Tbsp of butter

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Wash the blueberries and dry THOROUGHLY! It is REALLY important that they are completely dry so that it does not affect how the chocolate adheres to them. Place them on a paper towel and cover with another.

2. Prep a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper. I sprayed paper with a little olive oil spray to help with sticking.

3. Place DRY blueberries in a large bowl.

4. Heat the chocolate and butter in a microwave safe bowl. I started at 15-20 second intervals and took it out each time and stirred. The desired effect is that the chocolate is completely melted but still has a thicker consistency. 

5. Pour the chocolate OVER the blueberries and gently mix to cover.

6. Take a spoon and shovel the blueberries out in clusters. It is way easier and FASTER than going one by one and place on the baking sheet. I did clusters of 3.

7. Put in the refrigerator to cool and harden. I made mine in the evening and waited to taste until the next day. :) 

8. Store in a container in your refrigerator.

A nice sweet treat 

FIXERS: fill up a yellow container and enjoy! :)

PS: Unlike the more sugary option I have been having, these bad boys are still around 2 days later! I've only had ONE serving. They satisfy in small quantities!

Happy Eating!

XoXo 

Kynslee

Pizza! Pizza !! Crock Pot Pizza Casserole

Pizza may very well be my favorite food! I would say 9/10 times when I enjoy my treat meal, it is pizza from our favorite local place called Casamel's Pizza. Mmm!!!  When I was searching for new recipes, I immediately stopped when I saw PIZZA written in the title! Now, I am well aware that eating pizza every day won't get me closer to my goals, BUT if I can have some variation of it daily, I'd be down! :)

INGREDIENTS:

*1 lb. of ground chicken (or any other meat "topping" you would like) I will use turkey sausage next time! :)

*1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese

* 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese

*1/2 cupped chopped onion

*1/2 cup of chopped green pepper

*28 oz. can of tomato sauce

*2 tsp. of italian seasoning. I use this recipe to make my own.

*1/2 tsp. of red pepper flakes

* 2 cup of uncooked whole wheat/grain noodles ( I used rotini)

**You could also add mushrooms if you like.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cook your meat of choice until it is browned.

2. While doing that, chop your onion and green pepper, and add them to the crock pot.

My little chefs adding the onions and green peppers.

3. Add all the ingredients, other than the noodles, to the crock pot.

4. Once meat has browned, add that to the crock pot as well and stir. 

5. Cook on LOW for 4 hours. 

6. When ready to eat, cook pasta per directions, and add it to the crock pot. 

7. Stir and serve.

I've talked about how picky my husband is when it comes to food many times in posts!! He enjoyed it and actually took leftovers to work this morning!! Our oldest daughter, Kynsten, at least did 2 bites of it, while Bristyn, our youngest daughter, ate her WHOLE bowl and then some. 

We paired it with a salad, which was a nice complement to the dish.

I actually scooped some out prior to adding the noodles to the rest of the dish for me. I wanted some of my yummy popcorn last night, so I skipped the carbs at dinner. :)

 FIXERS: If you are eating with the noodles, I would portion it out in a green container and count it as 1 red and 2 yellow. I counted my portion as 1 red.

Happy Eating!!

XoXo

Kynslee :)

Healthier Hamburger Helper Recipe

I still remember walking into my husband's house when we were dating and being hit by the aroma of Tuna Helper in the air.  I honestly never found the stuff appetizing, but he has always been a fan.  I came across a recipe that cleans up Hamburger Helper and is loaded with flavor.  My husband's biggest food complaint is lack of flavor, so I was excited when he LOVED this stuff.  He went way over his proper portion. :) 

Ingredients

*1 lb of lean ground beef (93-96%) 

(ground turkey is a better option but I compromise with my hubby)

*2 Tbsp of olive oil

*2 1/2 cups of fat free milk

*1 1/2 cup of HOT water

*2 cups of DRY whole wheat pasta (noodles of your choice-I used rotini)

2 Tbsp of cornstarch

1 Tbsp of chili powder

2 tsp of garlic powder

3/4 tsp of sea salt

3/4 tsp of paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 1/2 cups of shredded Mexican cheese (I used colby jack) 

All ingredients added and ready to bring to a boil

Instructions

1.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add meat and cook until browned. 

2.  Add milk, water, pasta, cornstarch, and spices-stir to combine all ingredients. Bring this mixture to a boil, and then turn down heat to low and simmer.  Cover and allow it to cook for 10-12 minutes.  

3.  Stir in cheese and serve it immediately. 

You can play around with the amount of spices for your preference.  Our oldest daughter is like my husband as a child; very picky.  She would eat cookies all day if I let her.  I got her to eat one noodle. I know as she grows up and her taste buds mature, this will be a go-to meal!

Fix Containers: 2 yellow, 1 red, 1 blue (Use the green container to as your portion size but do not count it as a container used)

Happy, Healthy Eating!!

Taco Salad

My husband is a big fan of Mexican food, so I thought I would try this simple recipe when I came across it during my weekly meal planning session.  I enjoy finding ways to incorporate my daily veggie intake other than my typical dinner salad.  This dish is not only delicious, but EXTREMELY filling!

Ingredients:

*1 lb of Ground beef or turkey (I used 93% lean because my hubby isn't a big fan of ground
*Taco Seasoning (I used the 21 Day Fix Southwest Seasoning-Recipe to be posted below)
*Various veggies (I used onion, tomato, and orange pepper)
*Avocado for guacamole-(recipe will be posted below)

This is such an easy recipe, which I appreciate because I am not the best cook; however, I am trying different recipes each week since I tend to make the same things over and over again.  I like consistency in my meal plan, but I need to be considerate of my family.  

Step 1: Brown you meat.

Step 2: Prepare other veggies.

As the meat was browning, I used my food chopper to prepare the onions and orange peppers.  I also cut up some tomato. 

Step 3: Once meat has been browned, add onions and seasoning.

Smoky Southwest Seasoning Recipe- I make larger amounts of this seasoning and keep it for future recipes.

1 tbsp Chili Powder

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp paprika

1 tsp sea salt

I just used enough seasoning to coat the meat and give it a nice flavor.  You can use as much or as little as you would like.  

Step 4: Make guacamole while meat mixture is continuing to cook/stay warm.

I used 1avocado and added 1/4 teaspoon of each of the ingredients: garlic powder, onion powder, and lime juice.

Step 5- Assemble salad.

You can choose to put the ingredients over lettuce and/or spinach, eat in a bowl, or add to a whole wheat or corn tortilla.  I needed to get my veggies in for the day, so I chose the lettuce route. My husband chose to eat his in a bowl.

For all you 21 Day Fix people out there, I counted it as 3 green (romaine lettuce, spinach, onions, pepper, and tomato), one red of the meat, and one blue of guacamole.  

I recall I couldn't quite eat it all because it is so filling! 

Happy eating!!!

Mini Tortilla Pizzas-Husband and Kid Approved

I will be there first to admit that cooking isn't my favorite activity to do each day; however, as I committed to living a healthier lifestyle in November, I knew it was a necessity.  Eating foods that are full of preservatives and unnatural ingredients won't allow me to feel my best.  Those foods make me feel sluggish and actually confuse my brain into thinking I am still hungry when in fact I am not at all.  So, I have made it a goal recently to try a new recipe each week in order to change it up for myself and my family.  In this world of technology, it is quite easy to find numerous recipes.  I for one enjoy simple. I like making traditional meals like sloppy joe's and chili and use whole, healthy ingredients.  I thank one of my challengers for posting this recipe in my general health and fitness group I run via Facebook.

Mini Tortilla Pizzas

Ingredients

* Whole Wheat Tortillas

* Pizza Sauce

* Shredded Cheese

*  Toppings

*Cupcake tin

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and get out your cupcake tin. 

2.  Take 3 whole wheat tortillas and a can to create the small pizza crust.  When applying a good amount of pressure, the excess tortilla broke off pretty easily. 

I ended up getting 5 mini pizza crusts out of one tortilla. I saved the excess to give to my daughters. 

3.  Place tortillas into cupcake tin- lightly- do not press in- keep it toward the top

4.  Add pizza sauce- I used a tsp. in the 4 veggie pizzas I made for myself but followed the original recipe of 1 Tbsp. to the others with pepperoni. I simply used Ragu because the amount used was so minimal; however, there are organic, cleaner options you can find. 

My oldest daughter helping add sauce to the pizzas.

5.  Add cheese- I used shredded mozzarella.  I filled a blue 21 Day Fix container.  I only used a little more than half for my 4 mini pizzas.  The rest was put on my nightly salad. :)

6. Add toppings- This is where you can get creative.  I didn't want to use pepperoni; although, I think I will try it with turkey pepperoni.  I opted for veggies, and they were amazing.  I used red pepper, onion, and spinach.  I filled a green Fix container with my veggies.
7.  I cooked for 10 minutes. Check to see when cheese melts. 

Toppings being added-4 had my veggies on them

It is important to find meals that my family enjoys, and it becomes easier and easier when people share recipes they have tried.  

Simply take a fork to lift the pizza out of the tin.

Our youngest enjoying her pizza!

Those following The 21 Day Fix Meal Plan ( like me): 

1 yellow for tortilla- 4 pizzas

1 blue for cheese

1 green for veggie toppings

Enjoy this simple, yet healthy and satisfying meal! It went really well with a salad of romaine lettuce and spinach.  Eating healthy is quite enjoyable especially when one sees the affects of those healthy choices.