Nothing like a good sandwich.

I was on a sandwich kick last week. I used canned grilled artichokes & zucchini from Harris Teeter, grilled portabello mushrooms, light provolone cheese, tuna-in-water with balsamic vinaigrette on Italian bread, toasted from Trader Joe's. The canned veggies are in oil, so I soak them up with paper towels or else the sandwich becomes soggy and greasy.

Ingredients:
-1 serving canned grilled artichokes
-1 serving canned grilled zucchini
-1 serving light provolone cheese
-2 servings Tuscan Pane Bread (Trader Joe's)
-1/2 can tuna-in-water
-1 serving Maple Groves Fat-Free Balsamic Vinaigrette

Total calories: 550

Coco Wheats. A fond childhood breakfast...

I used to have Coco Wheats quite a bit growing up. It's not as healthy as oatmeal, but not as bad as Coco Pebbles. It's a hot cereal with a chocolate flavor and I add blueberries and nuts to it. Be careful if you try this. Follow the instructions carefully. Do not let it overcook or it will become rock hard. You know it's done when it's still a little runny. As it sits, it becomes thicker. Hope you like it!

Turkey breakfast sausage

What a great find! I was buying the Jimmy Dean turkey breakfast sausage, but Tennessee Pride doesn't contain MSG or nitrates. And how cute is the prepackaged serving size. One serving of two patties is only 100 calories.

Thai Bankok with Tofu

Typically on weekends we eat out Friday and order in Saturday. The mixed veggies were delicious in this dish. The sauce was a hot basil sauce. Did I say hot, I meant blazing, so I added some sticky rice to cut the heat. But typically I don't eat the rice, since I don't like to waste my calories on not-so-flavorful rice. And I get tofu. Also ordered a spring roll that night too. Ate half and the rest was dinner the next night.

Ginger chews

Great snack when the tummy is upset. Only around 2o calories, this sweet, spicy chew needs to eaten in two bites because the ginger has a kick!

Treat meal!

Yes, I do eat other things beside Greek yogurt, sweet potatoes and eggs. Here's a typical Friday "treat" meal from Toreros. Chicken taquitos with Spanish rice & refried beans. And don't forget the chips & salsa as an appetizer! And no Mexican meal would be complete without a margarita. Salud!

Tortellini Pepperoncini Salad

This was oh-so-yummy. Check out the recipe here.

Ingredients:
-cheese tortellini
-cherry tomatoes
-pepperoncini
-parmesan cheese
-spinach
-basil
-canned white soybeans
-capers
-olive oil

Ch-ch-ch-chia

Goodness. Well, I tried this for breakfast and "good" wasn't the first thing to come to mind. The taste was ok, kind of like a trail mix. But I had to add some oats to it to make it edible (see second photo). Chia seeds are a great source of Omega-3's. So I'm going to stick to adding them to my Greek yogurt (third photo) instead of how they recommend to prepare them on the bag.

Quinoa, tomato & cucumber salad

If you haven't tried quinoa, you are missing out. Quinoa is a whole-grain that is packed with protein. Cooks in 15-20 minutes too. I made this quick & easy quinoa salad to go along with my turkey sandwich.

Ingredients:
-1 c quinoa (for 5 servings)
-tomatoes
-cucumber
-parsley
-pepper
-lemon juice
-olive oil
-light wheat bread
-Applegate smoked turkey
-spinach
-mustard
-tomato slice

Total calories: 250

Tasty turkey sandwich & greek yogurt lunch

Nothing beats a good sandwich on the weekend. Or anytime. Paired with Greek yogurt, this will keep you full for a while.

Ingredients:
-2 slices Tuscan Italian Bread toasted
-2 slices Applegate smoked turkey
-1 slice Colby cheese
-2 slices tomato
-spinach
-mustard
-1 c Greek yogurt
-frozen blueberries & strawberries

Homemade gazpacho

Gotta love my clients! Homemade gazpacho. Great for a steamy summer day.

Total calories: ~100 per cup

Brinner again

Ok, so if you haven't noticed, I love all things breakfast. I could have breakfast for every meal. I guess sometimes it looks like I do! Here's what I made this time, a Greek egg-white omelet and waffles.

Ingredients:
-4 egg whites
-sauteed spinach & grape tomatoes
-1/2 serving turkey pepperoni
-1 serving light feta
-oregano, parsley, garlic powder
-2 Kashi Strawberry Flax frozen waffles
-thawed frozen berries (use the liquid as topping)
-1 tbsp pecans
-drizzle of 100% maple syrup

Total calories: 427

Beach weekend eats

Wonder what I eat while I'm at the beach? Here's a couple things. I didn't have my camera on me at all times to take pics of the not-so-healthy food. But I confess, I did indulge in cookies & cream ice cream (my hubby & I split a "one" scoop) after my Thai dinner of corn, mushrooms & crab (not as good as I thought it was going to be). I'm Italian, so I had to have eggplant parmesan & white pizza one night. And of course, few real mojitos (alcohol-free version pictured here).

Pictured: Grilled chicken salad, faux mojito, corn/mushroom/crab Thai dish.

Half eaten beach brunch

More weekend eats. Everyone knows I love a big breakfast. When we go to Myrtle our favorite breakfast place is Olympic Flame. Here's my usual: egg white Spanish omelet (w/ a sauce of tomatoes, onions, peppers), bowl of oatmeal w/ a little milk (sweetened w/ stevia), rye toast (unbuttered) and hot tea. And I usually take a bite of pancake from the other side that comes with the omelet. Walter typically eats the rest.

BTW on days I eat bigger meals, I don't eat as often, so it's 3 squares.

Total calories: ~620-650

The incredible edible egg. Indeed

Another quick and easy dinner this week, using eggs & Eden canned brown rice & beans.

Ingredients:
-2 eggs
-1/2 c Moroccan Rice & Beans
-1 serving turkey sausage

Total calories: 370

My plate runneth over...

I went out of town this past weekend, so I needed something quick for dinner. Yes, it's white rice and the sodium is high on the prepackaged stuff, but sometimes I just don't feel like preparing something when laundry is calling from long weekend. And I love Indian, so the yellow lentils, peas & potatoes and basmati rice hit the spot.

Total calories: 470

Mango slicer

Love mangoes, but hate how messy they are? Try this and enjoy without a sticky hand. I got mine at Target.

Berrylicious Greek Yogurt

My fav snack. Creamy greek yogurt with berries & vanilla.

Ingredients:
-1 c Fage 0% Greek yogurt
-Fresh blueberries, strawberries & blackberries
-vanilla extract

Total calories: 150

Again with the almond butter...

I'm off my tuna sandwich kick and on to almond butter & jam. And not just any jam, homemade strawberry jam from a client (thanks Lisa!). She even picked the strawberries herself (with the help of her kids). It's amazing and low in sugar. Makes a great almond butter & jam sandwich. Again, I measure out and put in a container to take it to go. These sandwiches can get messy if I make it the day before.

Ingredients:
-1 tbsp raw almond butter
-1 tbsp homemade strawberry jam
-2 slices light whole-wheat bread

Total calories: 215

I'm feeling like Mexican

I'm telling ya, if you don't have a crockpot, go get one! Here's crockpot chicken with salsa. The crockpot makes the chicken super moist. Just add a little salsa on top of several chicken breasts, cook on high for 1 hour and then low for 6. I also made brown rice & black beans.

Ingredients (for 5 servings):
-5 boneless, skinless chicken breast
-1 jar of salsa (1/2 for crockpot, 1/2 for topping when done)
-1 c brown rice
-1 can of black beans
-cumin, pepper, garlic for rice & beans

Super fast breakfast

Here's a quick, I mean quick breakfast. Kashi Strawberry Flax frozen waffles, topped with a drizzle of honey and 2 tsbp of almond butter. Now if I can just stop eating the almond butter from the jar...

Ingredients:
-2 Kashi Strawberry Flax frozen waffles
-1 tbsp honey
-2 tbsp raw almond butter
(Juice Plus+ and fish oil capsules)

Total calories:
428