Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Meatballs

I cooked this last night and it turned out great! It's very easy as long as you don't mind to get a little dirty.

1lb Ground Turkey
1 jar of Heart Healthy Pasta Sauce
1 can of Italian Tomatoes
1 string cheese (Mozzarella Skim Milk)
1 package of Meatball seasoning
3 tbsp egg whites
1/2 a box of wheat spaghetti
1 tbsp of EVOO
1tsp

Cut string cheese into 12 pieces. Put Turkey meat, meatball seasoning, egg whites and 1 tsp of evoo in a large mixing bowl and mix together. Section out mixture and roll into a ball. Place a piece of cheese in the center and mold the meat around it. Once complete place in a skillet with 1 tbsp of evoo on low to medium heat. Turn meatballs over as they cook. Bring pasta to a boil and cook as directed on label.  Once meatballs are browned on all sides pour in your jar of sauce and drained Italian tomatoes. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes. Now... it's time to eat!!

This is a very tasty dinner and with half the calories of your regular meatballs and pasta. Hope you enjoy!

Chili

So we've had a little taste of fall and that for me also means getting a cold. As much as I love the weather I sure don't like the weather change and the things it does to my body! Thursday evening after getting off of work I was ready to get takeout and call it a night. I was so tired and didn't want to be in the kitchen. I had a craving for some warm soup or chili and was wishing for a panera to be close by! After pondering on what to do I decided to try a new idea. With all the meds I was on I'm surprised it turned out ok! This is a super easy recipe and takes very minimal cooking skills! You just throw all the ingredients in an let it cook itself. I'm sure you could also put this in a crock pot if you like. I didn't have the time but someone should try it out for me!

White & Spicy Turkey Chili
1 tbsp of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1lb of Turkey Filet's
1 can of white beans
1 can of corn
1 onion
1 bell pepper
1 packet of white chili seasoning
1 cup of water
dash red pepper flakes (optional)

In a pot add your evoo and put on medium heat. Cube the turkey filet's and cook until no longer pink. Add in your chopped onion, green pepper, corn and saute. Once sauteed add your white beans, chili seasoning and water. Mix together and simmer on low for 30-40 minutes. I seasoned with a little salt and pepper and some red pepper flakes.

Hope your family enjoys it as much as we did! Have a great week!!

Also, if you have joined my fitnesspal.com and want to add me as a friend my ID is heddy21.

Typical Week

Here are a couple of things I do for my meals. The calories are estimated on all of these. The biggest thing you need to do is look at the nutritional value on everything you buy... It will be scary for the first couple of weeks. Also, look for low calorie options while grocery shopping, you will be surprised at how many low calorie options are available. Make sure to check www.myfitnesspal.com  before you eat. The whole reason this program works so well is it makes you aware of the calories you are consuming.

Breakfast-
Lower Sugar Instant Oatmeal and a piece of Turkey Bacon (145 calories)
Fiber One Cereal, Skim Milk and a Banana (210 calories)
1 Egg(I like over-easy but you can prepared however you like) Turkey Bacon and 100 calorie English Muffin toasted with I can't believe it's not butter spray ( 205 calories)
100 calorie English Muffin with 1tbsp peanut butter and 1tsp sugar free jelly (205 calories)
2 Whole wheat pancakes with turkey bacon(200 calories)

Lunch-
I eat a lot of frozen dinners for lunch because I work in an office. I usually try and buy Smart Ones, Lean Cuisine or Michelina's light.
If you're on the go try the Southwest grilled chicken salad at McDonalds. Skip on the dressing because the chicken is flavored enough. (330 calories)
Low calorie Sandwich ..Sara Lee 45 calorie bread, turkey or chicken Deli Meat and Low fat cheese. I usually use around 5 pieces of deli meat and one slice of 50 calorie cheese. I use mustard instead of mayo since the calories are so much less. (210 calories)
Grill chicken breast and put it on top of salad greens. Find a low calorie dressing you like..I use ranch sprits which is 5 calories a sprits.


Dinner
Whole wheat chicken spaghetti- Recipe posted below in a earlier blog
Chicken Fajita Taco's- Recipe Posted below
Turkey Burgers- You can find these premade at Wal-Mart (JeannieO) or you can buy ground turkey and season them yourself. Pair up with Kellogg’s 110 calorie chips. They have them in sour cream an onion flavor and salt and black pepper.
Turkey Meatloaf- I buy ground turkey and season like I would normal meatloaf. Pair up with a Birdseye steamed vegetable(Wal-Mart freezer section)
Grilled chicken topped with onions, mushrooms and peppers. Use a dash of cheese to give extra flavor.. I pair up with brown rice and sautéed squash.

Snacks-
Low calorie Granola bars
Fruit
Low fat String Cheese

These are things I do… change them up to fit your lifestyle better. I hope this helps give you an idea of where to start. I'll add more recipes as soon as I get a chance!

Just so you know this works…
My mother has lost 27 pounds
I have lost 27 pounds.
Chris has lost 20 pounds
My dad has lots 10 pounds (Just started the program)
Erin has lots 5 pounds(Just started the program)

So far we have lost a total of 89 pounds! Can’t wait to update the weight loss!!

"Healthier"

As you may notice I use this word "Healthier" a lot on this blog. I thought it would be a good idea to do a disclaimer on this topic... The recipes I make may not be "Healthy" but they are "Healthier". I have found that if you take away some of the things you love the most (pasta, brownies, pizza etc) it's hard to stay on diet like that. I have finally found success in still eating the things I love but changing some of the ingredients to make them a bit better for me. One thing I love about this new "healthier idea" is that I can still enjoy all my favorite dishes! Including going out for dinner. I never knew there were so many options when \ going out to eat. That's where myfitnesspal.com comes in handy. Before I go out to eat I look up the restaurant and see what the lowest calorie items are. I know what I will be eating before I even step foot in the restaurant. And now most restaurants have a healthy meals available. The hardest part is opening your eyes wide enough to see these options. We like to make eating healthy and losing weight harder than it really needs to be. I know that if a nutritionist or fitness guru looked at my food intake and exercise they would probably find many things wrong with what I do. But to me, it's finding something that works for you.. And this is it for me!

Chicken Spaghetti- (Very Simple)
1/2  box of wheat pasta
2 lbs of Chicken
1/2 onion
1 bell pepper (red or green)
Garlic Clove
Jar of Lowest Calorie Sauce
1 can of Italian style tomatoes

Cook pasta according to label. On medium heat cook chicken, take chicken out and cut up in pieces. Cut onion, pepper, garlic clove and place on medium heat with a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil and saute. Once soft- place chicken, pasta sauce,saute mix and 1 can of drained tomatoes in pan. Simmer on low heat. And.... Bon Apetite!

I usually serve with a salad mix. I use the light caesar salad from Wal-Mart. I think it's called Market Fresh Salads.
This is such an easy/fast dinner. It's around 150 calories for 1 cup of pasta and around 100 calories for a cup of the salad. Enjoy!

** Please excuse all the grammar errors... And as you can tell I don't write recipes for a living- So hopefully they are understandable!

Buffalo Chicken Strips

Yesterday was the first Sunday game of NFL!! Of course you have to have some wings to go with your football! But they are so high in calories and fat. I tried a new idea yesterday and it turned out pretty good!

Healthier Buffalo Chicken Strips

2 lbs of Chicken
1 cup of Buffalo Hot Sauce(Lowest Calorie)
Hot sauce(optional)
Ranch Dressing Spritz(5 calories a spritz)
Whole wheat bread crumbs

Heat over to 375. Cut each breast into strips a 4 ounce breast should give you 3-4 strips. Mix buffalo sauce and a 5 squirts of ranch in a mixing bowl. Add hot sauce to increase the spiciness. (Optional)
Chris and I like hot wings so I added a little to my mix. Coat the chicken thoroughly with the sauce mix and coat with whole wheat bread crumbs. Once completed place on a baking sheet in the oven for 25-30 minutes. You can serve with celery sticks and carrots.

This is about 150 calories for 4 strips. Not a bad amount for tasty wings!

Hope you enjoy my take on Healthier wings!

Go PATRIOTS!!!

Passing it on

Chris and I were able to visit with my Florida family two weekends ago in Norman. Dad had got tickets for all of us to go see the OU's season opener. We had such a BLAST! I was very excited to show them the new and improved healthy ME! I walked them through what Chris, my mom and I had been doing...(http://www.myfitnesspal.com/) and they have been using it as well. How exciting! A whole family dedicated to becoming healthier! I know they will love it as much as we have, and I know they will see the same results!!

Here is a new recipe to try

Wheat French Toast

Low-cal wheat bread- I like to use Sara Lee (it's only 45 calories slice)
1/2 cup of egg whites
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 tbsp of sugar free syrup
1 tsp vanilla

Mix the egg whites, cinnamon, vanilla, and syrup together. Place the bread in the mix and coat both sides. Place the bread on a pan on medium heat. Cook on each side for 3-5 minutes. Serve hot with sugar free syrup.

I paired this up with 2 pieces of turkey bacon.

You are looking at a breakfast for under 150 calories!

Hope you enjoy this! I just made a few substitutions to make this a little healthier. It gets tiring eat the same thing for breakfast. This is a great change especially on a cold morning!