Slender Essentials: Sack Lunch

21 May, 2013 by Claire | 9 Comments

If you follow me on Instagram, then you already know that I’m a serious proponent of packing meals to bring on-the-go, whether it’s to work, school, or anywhere else during a busy day. Thinking about all of the liberties that restaurants and food manufacturers take (i.e. added butter, oil, and preservatives) gives me the serious heebie jeebies. Plus, packing a lunch (or breakfast, or even dinner) will save you some serious $$$.

What I’m saying is that prepping your own on-the-go meals will keep you slender and your wallet fat. Let me show you how I do it.

1. Sterilite Ultra Seal 4.8-Cup Round Divided Bowl, 6-Pack– Finding these containers was arguably one of the greatest things that happened to me in the part of my life that revolves around food (which, as I’m sure you can imagine, is a fairly large part). The divided container let me pack actual meals instead of lame turkey sandwiches. Best part? Literally no leakage. Worst part? They’re really making my freak flag fly by causing me to be this excited about a container…

2. Aladdin 16-Ounce Transform Recycled and Recyclable Tumbler, Lake– I debated whether or not this was even worth posting here and then I remember that coffee is the nectar of the gods. It is responsible for my GPA and basically everything I successfully do in life. So, yeah, here’s the mug I use to tote my coffee to school when I’m remembering that broke college students shouldn’t buy Starbucks eight times a week. No leaking here either.

3. Camelbak Eddy Bottle (1-Liter/32-Ounce,Charcoal)– Thirst and hunger are the identical twins who think it’s funny to switch identities and see if anyone notices. In this case, though, mistaking your thirst for hunger can keep you from being slender. My solution? My trusty Camelbak water bottle. I’ve recently upgraded from the .75 to the 1-liter and I haven’t looked back since.

4. Ziploc Twist ‘N Loc Containers, Small 2 Cup, 3 Containers & 3 Lids (Pack of 2)– These containers were my go-to when I first started prepping meals. They’re dishwasher and microwave safe, have really sturdy and stackable screw-on lids, and even have measurements on the side! I use them to pack yogurt and fruit, overnight oats, stir-frys, and small chopped salads (I use the medium size for larger salads).

Please let me know if you have any questions about the items above or if you have any tried and true prepping products that you think I need to try out. Also, what do y’all think about a weeklong series of on-the-go lunches or breakfasts? Let me know in the comments!

Meatless Monday: Broccoli Cheddar Spaghetti Squash Cups

20 May, 2013 by Claire | Leave a comment

Spaghetti squash annoys me.

I always see them in the grocery, crates piled high with the bulbous, vibrant yellow vegetables. Obviously I’m attracted. It’s like Peacocking 101. Inevitably I buy one, reassuring myself that I’ll figure out a way to use it.

So why is it still sitting on my counter one week after aforementioned shopping trip? Because every time I even halfway think of using it, my mind has already thought of eight excuses not to. They’re too hard to cut; it’ll take too long to bake; it’s huge and I’m one person; it doesn’t even actually taste like spaghetti.

Consider this recipe my response to some of those annoyances. Yeah, you still have to cut and bake it, but with a sharp enough knife and a little forethought, you shouldn’t be in the woods for long. And, since it’s a (cheese-filled) side dish, it doesn’t even matter that spaghetti squash actually tastes nothing like spaghetti.

Nothing like having your cupcake-shaped cheesy veggies and eating them too.

ingredients:
half of a small spaghetti squash
1 C frozen broccoli, thawed and chopped
1/2 oz reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
2 T fat free cream cheese
1 t minced garlic
1 large egg
1 t salt
1/2 t cracked black pepper
3 T Italian breadcrumbs

directions:
1. To cook the spaghetti squash, slice it in half lengthwise and place on a baking dish cut side up. Bake for an hour in a 350° oven, until the flesh is fork tender. Once cooked and cooled, scrape out the inside using a fork. Half of a squash should yield about 2 cups.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cooked and shredded squash, broccoli, cheddar cheese, cream cheese and garlic.
3. In a small bowl, scramble the egg and then pour into the squash mixture.
4. Season the squash with the salt and pepper. Add in about half of the breadcrumbs.
5. Divide the squash mix evenly between six greased muffin tin cups. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining breadcrumbs.
6. Bake in a 350° oven for 20-25 minutes until the breadcrumbs are browned.
7. Let the muffins cool before loosening from the cups using a small knife before removing from the muffin tin.

Chocolate Espresso Oatmeal Bake

16 May, 2013 by Claire | 2 Comments

Frankly, I’m surprised that it’s taken almost a year of blogging for me to come up with this recipe. I mean, I’m constantly looking for ways to incorporate more chocolate into my diet, and if I can disguise it as something healthy by combining it with oatmeal, wouldn’t it be insane not to?

Chocolate Espresso Oatmeal Bake
Calories: 368 | Fat: 8.1 g (Sat Fat: 2.9 g) | Carbohydrate: 53.9 g | Protein: 26.3 g

ingredients:
1/2 C fat free Greek yogurt
1/2 C milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
1/4 C liquid egg whites
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1 packet Splenda
1 t cinnamon
1 t instant coffee or espresso
1/2 T mini chocolate chips
1/2 C dry oats
1/2 small banana, sliced

directions:
1. The night before, whisk together the yogurt, milk, liquid egg whites, cocoa powder, Splenda, cinnamon, and instant coffee in a small mixing bowl until there are no lumps.*
2. Stir in the mini chocolate chips and oats.
3. Pour the oat mixture in a small baking dish coated with PAM. Top with sliced bananas.
4. In the morning, bake the oatmeal for 30 minutes in a 375° oven.

*note: if you want to try making this the morning of, simply spread the oats in the bottom of the baking dish and pour the liquid mixture over it before baking

Q + A, Part 4

15 May, 2013 by Claire | Leave a comment

Today I’m answering another handful of the questions y’all have submitted. Be sure to readpart 1, part 2, and part 3 to see if I answered your question or just to check out the answer to something you probably wanted to know anyway. If you’re still feeling snubbed, please submit any question you’d like!

Will doing 100 ab crunches a day for thirty days give you evident results?
The most definitive answer I can give you to this question is no. Unfortunately, you can’t really target fat loss that way and, more often than not, the moves you make in the kitchen will deliver more results than the moves you make in the gym. Think about it this way: you can consume calories far faster than you can burn them. So, if you’re looking to get bikini-ready abs, I’d suggest a calorie-conscious diet full of whole foods, cardio, and strength training (including those crunches, if you’d like).

You mentioned that you did Weight Watchers when you were younger. What are your thoughts on it now?
I’ve had a couple stints with Weight Watchers and excluding my undergraduate nutrition education, it has probably provided me with the most knowledge about healthy eating. Recording your food as PointsPlus is a great way to exercise portion control and hold yourself accountable for what you put in your mouth.

My only qualm about their new system (assuming this is still how it works) is that fruit is zero points. For most people who don’t particularly enjoy fruit as a snack, this is probably an effective way to get them eating more. And while fruit is a nutrient-dense alternative to many snacks that are nutritionally empty, it still has calories. As someone who loves fruit, I was happy I could consume cups of it between meals to stifle my hunger without dipping into my daily PointsPlus for the day. That extra couple hundred calories or so, however, definitely stifled my weight loss, as well.

I have the BIGGEST sweet tooth ever, which has been a problem since I am trying to lose the 20 pounds I gained freshman year. What can I do to keep me away from the sweets?
I think your best bet will be to indulge in your cravings from time to time, but in a slender way. There are lots of lower calorie alternatives to satiate a sweet tooth, and totally avoiding the things you love is just going to set yourself up for failure. I like to have a 100-150 calorie “safety net” left over at the end of the night for sweets that satisfy my sweet tooth. This includes things like sweet slender nachos, single serving mug brownies, or chocolate Greek froyo.

Baked Parmesan Edamame

14 May, 2013 by Claire | 1 Comment

The end of a semester means the beginning of having more time for things like blogging, watching movies, and slender movie watching snacks like today’s recipe. Feel free to cozy up to a lil bowl of these baked parmesan edamame and rejoice in the fact that something so crunchy and delicious has 11 grams of filling protein and requires that you lick your fingers after eating.

Yum.

Baked Parmesan Edamame
Calories: 121 | Fat: 3.9 g (Sat Fat: 0.9 g) | Carbohydrate: 9.2 g | Protein: 11.3 g

ingredients:
1/2 C frozen shelled edamame (this means out of the pods)
1 T shredded parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
PAM Original nonstick spray

directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 400° and coat a small baking sheet with PAM.
2. Pour your edamame in a colander and run cold water over them until thawed. Pat dry with a paper towel.
3. Spread the edamame in the baking sheet in an even, single layer. Lightly spray with PAM.
4. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese evenly over the edamame and season with salt and pepper.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, shaking the pan every 10 minutes or so until the edamame have crisped up.

recipe from allrecipes.com