Simple Vegetarian 'Tuna' Salad

When I first became a vegetarian I had to make the decision of whether or not I would still eat fish.  The only fish I ever enjoyed was Tuna, so I figured I would just cut out ALL meat all together.  Some days I still miss being able to make a quick tuna salad, so I came up with this quick and simple recipe substituting garbanzo beans for the protein source! I am not a low-carb person, but I do tend to cut out most bread and like to eat this salad on top of a bed of lettuce instead! Happy eating!

Simple Vegetarian 'Tuna' Salad

Ingredients:
    1 16oz can garbanzo beans, drained
    1/4 cup diced red onion
    1/4 cup diced celery
    2 tbs light mayonnaise
    1 tbs yellow mustard
    1 tsp lemon pepper
    1/4 tsp minced garlic

Directions:
-Drain garbanzo beans and place in a bowl.  Mash the garbanzo beans with a potato masher until mostly smooth.
-Dice onion and celery and add to bowl.  Mix.
-Add mayonnaise, mustard, lemon pepper and garlic to bowl.  Mix and taste.  Add other spices to your liking.

*Makes 2 servings. Calories per serving: 232 Protein: 12g

Vegetarian "Meatballs"

This is one of my favorite meals.  Nothing says comfort food like spaghetti and meatballs! I found this recipe a few years ago and it is still one of my favorites for vegetarian meatballs.  I tend to make the "meatballs" a little smaller so they can crisp up a little more. I've tried making them bigger and they end up being a little too soggy for my liking. These "meatballs" are delicious served over any kind of pasta and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese! (I originally found this recipe from cookin canucks blog.)

Vegetarian "Meatballs"

(photo from cookin canuks blog, I forgot to take my own when I made it.)

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cans (15 oz. each) Bush’s Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 roasted red bell pepper (2 halves), roughly chopped
• ½ medium yellow onion, grated
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup chopped Italian parsley
• 1 ½ tsp dried oregano
• 1 egg
• ½ cup dried breadcrumbs
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 3 cups marinara sauce (canned or you can make your own!)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Thoroughly coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine beans and roasted red peppers. Pulse until chopped, but not smoothly pureed.
3. Transfer the mixture to a medium-sized bowl and stir in grated onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, egg, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper until well combined.
4. Using a rounded 1 1/2 tablespoon portion of the bean mixture, form “meatballs” by rolling between the palms of your hands. Place the “meatballs” on the prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly.
5. Bake until the meatballs are firm to the touch and have developed a light golden brown coating, 15 to 20 minutes.
6. In a large saucepan, heat you favorite marinara sauce over medium heat until simmering. Add “meatballs” and stir to coat. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes.

Maintenance is a choice!

I have already written how it all started, and how I finally got my life under control. What I haven't talked about is how maintaining my weight has been just as hard for me as losing all the weight in the first place. When I first reached my goal weight I was ecstatic, thinking everything was going to be so easy and perfect now. Boy was I wrong! Within six months of reaching my goal I was up 7lbs. I realized I needed another wake up call.  Just because I reached my goal weight it didn't mean I could stop working hard. Here are a few things I have learned in the last year of attempting to maintain:

Just because you are at your goal does not mean you can stop counting calories. I realized this after I  gained the weight back.  Just because I am finally at a healthy weight it doesn't give me the excuse to binge eat.  Calories in are calories in, and 3500 calories worth of unneeded food still equals one pound of fat.  It is easier to see how many unneeded calories I eat when I am logging my food daily.  It helps me stay focused and on track.

Never stop exercising. Once you stop exercising it is hard to get back on track.  I have found that doing things I love makes exercising more enjoyable.  Lately I have been going on more hikes, walking the dog for longer periods of time and running.  These are all things I love so I never dread doing them. I am thinking about mixing in some weight training but need to find a fun way to do it.

Always set new goals for yourself! This doesn't mean you need to set new weight loss goals.  You can set any kind of goal you want.  I am thinking about setting some exercise goals.  Making sure I run at least 20 miles a week and walk the dog 6 days a week.  I also have a goal of only stepping on the scale once a week, this goal is to keep myself sane.  Weighing myself everyday just makes me crazy.  I know weight fluctuates daily, no need to stress myself out over it.

Always keep moving forward. Just because you are at your goal weight does not mean that all of your problems are solved.  I still have many hard days where I am having self doubt.  I am still self conscious but the only thing I can do is to keep moving forward.  Keep looking at the positives and continue my path to a healthy life.  It will never be easy but it really is worth it.

Maintenance is not just handed to you, it is a choice.  I have to choose to keep working out, I have to choose to eat healthy, I have to choose to stay fit.  I can not go back to my old habits ever.  I have to realize they are just as unhealthy to me now as they were when I was classified as morbidly obese. So now I choose to maintain my weight. I choose to stay fit and healthy.  I will maintain my weight for the rest of my life because I want to live a long and happy life.

Low-Calorie egg salad

This recipe is easy and delicious! With minimal ingredients you can be on your way to an amazing egg salad sandwich in no time at all!

Not Your Average Egg Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 hard boiled eggs, peeled
• 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp chives, chopped
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp reduced fat Hellmann's mayonnaise with olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Separate the yolks from the whites and throw away one egg yolk.  
2. Chop the 2 egg whites and one yolk up and place in a bowl.
3. Add mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, chives, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
4. Stir to combine.

*Yields 1 serving. ~9g protein and 115 calories.  

I usually serve it on one slice of multi-grain bread (80 calories) with lettuce, sprouts and tomato on top!  To amp up the protein I typically also eat this with a side of yogurt or cottage cheese.  Feel free to experiment with adding different spices and let me know how yours turns out!

Happy eating!

Don't starve yourself

IMPORTANT: Temporary diets, yield temporary results. You don't have to starve yourself to lose weight.

If you want to lose weight and keep it off for good you need to change your whole lifestyle. You need to put in your full effort.  There is no quick fix, so stop restricting your calories so much and instead eat a healthy amount through out the day for your bodies needs.  That way your metabolism stays running high all day and can readily convert what you eat and drink into the energy your body needs. 

When you restrict your caloric intake for the day to something really low your body begins to use your muscle for energy.  So instead of losing that pesky fat you want to get rid of, you are losing your muscle.  Less muscle means a slower metabolism and a slower metabolism burns less calories throughout the day.  So now not only is your body getting rid of muscle, but it is burning less calories and you are losing less weight.  Does this sound like a good way to lose weight? NO! We want to keep our metabolism going strong all day and we want to lose fat not muscle!

If you want to lose more weight work on building more muscle. Our metabolic rate is partially due to the amount of muscle we have.  As said earlier less muscle means a slower metabolism, so if you have more muscle you will have a higher metabolism!  This is why younger people and men tend to have higher metabolisms. I know some women are afraid of weight training because they think they are going to look like a body builder but this is not the case (unless you are training to be a body builder, which takes years of dedication). So women, start doing weights it will do you a world of good in helping boost your metabolism!

In the end, eating too few calories can end up being just as bad for your body as eating too many calories is. It is important to remember that the less you consume, the less fat your body burns. So, eat healthy and skip the dieting.  Your body needs energy, let the food you put in it be that energy.

Low Calorie Zucchini and Eggplant Lasagna

I love lasagna but HATE the calories that come along with it.  My fix for this: a noodle-less lasagna recipe that I found in the magazine Clean Eating (one of my favorite magazines!).  It turned out absolutely delicious.  Next time I may add some fresh or canned diced tomatoes to make it even more Lasagna like!   Nothing beats cooking a fresh and healthy meal.

Zucchini and Eggplant Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 1 1lb eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds
• 2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds
• 2 medium yellow squash, cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1.5 cups cottage cheese
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place eggplant, zucchini and squash out in a singe layer on the baking sheet.  Bake for 30 minutes; remove from oven and set aside.
3. In a large non-stick pan heat oil for a minute.  Add onions to the pan and cook for 5 minutes or until translucent.  Add garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the cottage cheese and oregano.
4. Lightly spray a 11 x 7 inch baking dish with cooking spray.  Line the bottom of the dish with zucchini and squash.  Use all of the rounds, overlapping them to cover the whole bottom of the dish. Top with the cottage cheese mixture.  Place eggplant on top of the cottage cheese layer in overlapping rows, then top with mozzarella.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is golden brown and bubbling.

*Makes 4 servings, 23g protein, 250 calories per serving.  Add 80 calories if having a Quorn Chik'n Cutlet with the lasagna.

Happy eating!

Eating out

I absolutely love to eat out. There is just something about going out for a meal and not having to do a darn thing.  Don't get me wrong, as you can see from my blog I love to cook but once in awhile it is nice to have someone else do the cooking.  That way I even get out of doing the dishes!

What we all fail to remember is that it is okay to eat out! Now, am I saying that we should all eat out every day? No.  More than once a week? Probably not the best idea.  However, what I am saying is that as long as you plan it out ahead of time eating out can be less of a bad thing and more of a fun thing.

Now, it's time to get planning so you can go out!

Step 1: Find nutritional values for the place you want to go.  Most restaurants now readily provide nutritional information for there food.  If you cannot find any nutritional information online for where you want to go you can always call them and ask if they have it available at the restaurant.

Step 2: Plan it out! Figure out what you want to eat before you leave the house.  Are you going to have a dessert? If so which one? How is that going to affect what you choose as your main course?

Step 3: Plan out what you are going to eat through out the day before you go out to eat.  This way you are sure to stay around your caloric goal for the day!  If you plan on using a lot of your calories allotted when you are out to eat, try eating a bit lighter earlier in the day.

Step 4: Don't just think you have to get a salad.  A lot of the times you will be surprised to see that the 'healthy' salad you thought you were getting ends up having more calories than the food you were really craving.

Step 5: Enjoy your food, just because you are living a healthy lifestyle it doesn't mean that you can't enjoy your food.  If you want the high calorie eggplant parm that comes with spaghetti and sauce, get it!  Just remember to use portion control.  Ask for a box right away and put half of your meal in it.  That way you aren't tempted to eat more than you allotted your calories for!

Once you have a plan eating out will become less stressful.  It will become fun again and you will be able to enjoy yourself instead of constantly worrying about how this meal is going to affect your day.

Vegetarian Spanish Chik'n and Rice

I found this recipe in an issue of Clean Eating magazine.  I was first intrigued by how good the food in the picture looked and next by the protein and calorie stats the recipe had.  I knew I had to try it asap as I was already drooling thinking about it! Luckily, it turned out to be even MORE delicious than I thought it was going to be and oh so filling.

Vegetarian Spanish Chik'n and Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 Quron Chik'n Cutlets
• 1/4 tsp sea salt and black pepper (per serving)
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 1/3 cups uncooked instant brown rice
• 32 oz canned diced tomatoes with liquid
• 2 tsp chile powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 cup pitted and sliced green olives
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup crumbled queso fresco

Directions:

1. In a large pan heat oil on medium-high.  Season Chik'n on both sides with salt and pepper.  Transfer to pan and saute until lightly brown.  Set Chik'n aside.
2. Add garlic and onion to the pan and saute for 1 minute.  Add bell pepper and saute for 2 more minutes. Add rice and stir until it is lightly toasted and combined with the vegetables.
3. Add tomatoes with liquid, chile powder and cumin to pan.  Stir to combine and break apart and large tomato chunks. (If the rice is not fully covered by the tomato liquid add water until it is.) Bring to a boil then, reduce to a simmer.
4. Place Chik'n on top of the rice mixture.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until rice is tender.
5. Add olives and cilantro to the rice mixture and stir.
6. Portion out serving sizes before adding cheese evenly among all servings.

*Serves 4, serving size 1 cup rice mixture and 1 Chik'n cutlet.  340 calories and 32g protein per serving!

Enjoy.

Some days are better than others.

Don't let one bad decision ruin your whole day, week or month. You can do this I promise you.  Remind yourself of the promise you have made to living a new healthy lifestyle.  This promise isn't just for now but it is for the rest of your life.

We all have bad days but we should never let one bad day stop us from reaching our goal.  For example yesterday at work my boss bought us all a chocolate cake to share.  Now I am typically not a fan of cake, but this one looked delicious with a whipped chocolate frosting and cookie crumbles on top. Yum, it was too appealing to the eye to say no so I had a pretty good sized piece.


After eating it my mind immediately started turning wondering if I should have had it or not.  I pondered about it for a minute or so and then reminded myself that one piece of cake wasn't going to kill my day.  What would kill my day was if I let that one piece of cake spiral into eating unhealthy for the duration of the day. Right then I decided I would eat the rest of my normally planned meals for the day and I would be fine.


One thing I have learned through this whole weight loss journey is that it is okay to let yourself have a treat every now and then.  Does that mean I eat treats every day? No. Do I even have one every other day? Not usually. However, I do allow myself to have them every once in awhile.


If you deprive yourself of the things you love you will only crave them more. Just remember, when you do have a treat try to use portion control.  Instead
of eating multiple servings, just have 1 and really enjoy that serving.  Try not
to use eating the treat as an excuse to throw away the rest of your day. Eating a treat every now and then will not kill your progress, but eating unhealthy all day everyday will.

Vegetarian Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers

I love this recipe for Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers that I found in my Vegetarian times magazine! It is absolutely delicious and as a lover of stuffed peppers this may be the best one I have made yet! I typically serve it with an extra side of veggies and sometimes a bit of salsa.  Perfect for a light lunch or dinner!

Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 ribs celery, finely chopped (½ cup)
• 1 Tbs. ground cumin
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
• 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• ¾ cup quinoa
• 3 large carrots, grated (1 ½ cups)
• 1 ½ cups grated reduced-fat pepper Jack cheese, divided
• 4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs removed

Directions:

1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and celery, and cook 5 minutes, or until soft. Add cumin and garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in spinach and drained tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.

2. Stir in black beans, quinoa, carrots, and 2 cups water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Stir in 1 cup cheese. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour liquid from tomatoes in bottom of baking dish.

4. Fill each bell pepper half with heaping 3/4-cup quinoa mixture, and place in baking dish. Cover with foil, and bake 1 hour. Uncover, and sprinkle each pepper with 1 Tbs. remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes more, or until tops of stuffed peppers are browned. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates, and drizzle each with pan juices before serving. 

*Serves 8, around 279 calories per 1/2 pepper and 14g protein!

Enjoy!

Vegetarian Jambalaya

Jambalaya is delicious, but is typically pretty high in calories. I found this recipe a while ago for a lower calorie version. Every time I make it I fall more and more in love with it. Sometimes the cook time varies, just check your rice to make sure it is tender. :] I typically serve this with a Quorn Naked Chik'n Cutlet to amp up the protein and calories.  

Vegetarian Jambalaya:

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 3 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup uncooked long grain rice
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 6 tablespoons reduced fat sour cream

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Directions

1. In a large nonstick skillet, saute the onion, celery, green pepper, mushrooms and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in the tomatoes, water, rice, soy sauce, parsley, salt, paprika, cayenne, chili powder and pepper.
2. Transfer to a 2-1/2-qt. baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 65-70 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.

*Makes about 6 servings, 1 cup per serving. ~190 calories per serving and 5g protein

Happy eating!

Calorie Counting

You are working out, but the weight still isn't coming off? Have you ever considered that what you are eating is to blame for all of this? Seriously, really consider it.  If you were to account for everything you ate today what would your final calorie total be?  Yes, this means that 'tiny' nibble you had of a chocolate bar counts and the cookie you had when no one was looking also counts.

I am sure the vast majority of us would be surprised at their final caloric intake if we were all to account for everything we ate in one day.  I was when I finally looked at the big picture. There is one great solution to all this calorie drama, start tracking your calories daily!  Doing this is simple, many smart phones have apps for this (I personally love Lose it! on the iPhone) or you can do it the old fashioned way with pen and paper.

For best results remember to follow these two rules:

1. Everything you eat counts.
2. Count everything you eat!

Simple as that.  There is no need for you to go on some crazy diet.  All you really have to do is be accountable for what you eat.  Once you start doing this and keep to your normal workout routine you will be surprised when you start seeing the lbs fall off.

Here is a great site to figure out your daily caloric needs: calorie calculator.  Remember, diets are a temporary fix but eating healthy is a lifestyle change. In order to stay healthy for life, you must be willing to change for good.