grocery finds

i know variety is important, but my breakfast just ain't right without my oats (either in a bowl with toppings or in my pancakes).  i NEED them. i'm still finding new ways to eat them every single day.

 i made saturday morning's bowl of oats with Silk unsweetened vanilla almond milk, a few drops of vanilla creme stevia, lots of cinnamon, half a banana, some chocolate pb2, and some unsweetened coconut flakes.

and my daily egg omelette of course topped with fresh cilantro and pineapple salsa.

  i did about 30 min of fat burning cardio on the elliptical + an upperbody weight workout and high tailed it outta there. we had a few birthday parties to attend as well as grocery shopping to get done, the usual!

 i'm doing a fitness challenge via IG (Instagram) right now (@fight_for_healthy).  my goal is to add more definition to my body overall, especially in my abs.  also, i plan to eat as clean as possible for the month of october.  but these birthday parties though... :shock:  expecting big changes next month just in time for the Thanksgiving holidays. oh boy.

for meal 2, i cracked open some canned salmon (fresh is too high right now @ HEB)  and put some on a 3-seed La Tortilla Factory soft wrap along with some fresh cilantro, rice cheese, avocado, tomato, smokehouse maple seasoning, spicy mustard, and some fig butter. i  microwaved it til the cheese melted and devoured it. two of them.

in the car on the way to the party, i had meal 3 which was a salmon sandwich on raisin Ezekiel bread with the same toppings.

after running around chasing this boy the whole darn time, let's just say i'm so grateful to be in good shape!  trouble finding workout motivation?  keep your babies (or future babies) in mind.  thank me later.  i see why those child leash thingies were invented!!!

i see to it that Chiso eats nutritious, healthy stuff all day long, so of course he (we) can partake in party food every now and then.  didn't i just say i was in the middle of an october fitness challenge lol? come on,  it's not a party without cake.  i split a piece with my boo and we had a blast partying with family.  and it was the non-dairy whipped topping, not the super, duper sweet sugary kind ;)  just go with it.

 after the par-tay, i guilted Sonny into going grocery shopping with us since the HEB i frequent was nearby.

in addition to my normal goodies, i got some other cool items i'm so excited about trying!!

quark. i learned about quark through a few Aussie IGers.  i had been looking for this stuff for weeks- not all HEB's sell it and few people even know what it is.  it's comparable to greek yogurt as far as taste.  nutritional stats? not so much.  not a lotta protein per serving, but very low cal, fat, carbs, and an awesome 0 grams of sugar.  ever notice just how much sugar your greek yogurt contains?  yep, even the plain varieties.

not too shabby.  non-fat ricotta cheese is another alternative to add to your fresh fruit instead of cottage cheese or yogurt.

next,

one of my guilt-free treats.  i make a two scoop sundae with vanilla maple flavored Artic Zero (150 cals per PINT)  with some soy whip. and sprinkles.  recently, Artic Zero underwent some scrutiny for incorrect nutritional stats and ingredients on their labels.  they ended up adding milk to their ingredient list (for some reason it still doesn't bloat me like real ice cream though) which upset a good amount of their consumers.  seriously... even if the stats were off a bit, come on.  can you eat a freakin entire pint of ANY of the other brands for less than 150 cals, total?  it's not that biga deal my goodness. :roll:  i'm still a fan and will continue to be! i also drizzle some healthy chocolate sauce (will share recipe soon) on top and it's an incredible, low cal, carb, guilt-free, bowl of yumminess.

i can dig it!   a little expensive for the size of the bottle though.

i taste tested it solo, and it tastes exactly like reg. ketchup. no funny after taste or any of that.  but it wasn't enough.

so i baked some Ore-ida fast food fries. it passed.

ok...i had to share this as i've been asked a few times what my cheat snacks are...and this is one.  sweet and salty chex mix.  it's even good in a bowl of almond milk!!!!  we passed by a big shelf of it and as i talked myself into not even looking in that direction, Sonny picked up the biggest bag they had and threw it in our buggy.  and i let him.   

ok focus!!! back to the good stuff that's good for you and to you.  we got plenty of fresh fruits and veggies as they are at the top of my list, every time.  strawberries, blackberries, bananas, grapefruit, apples, roma tomatoes, zucchini, sweet potatoes, red potatoes, and avocados this trip.

ooooh Ezekiel... i love your bread and now i must try your cereal.  with my silk unsweetened vanilla almond milk of course. match made in heaven.

and the award for the cutest bag of popcorn ever goes to Angie's.  it definitely got my attention! sure i'm a stove popcorn popping advocate, but as healthy and fun as this bag looked, i just had to try this kettlecorn.

even vegan.  impressive.

what else can you do with an old nike box? use it to hold all your snacks. ghetto? prolly. effective. ya.  i like to keep things out where i can see them.

try a new item on your next grocery shopping trip!

le

score

well, i didn't get that quick run in, but who cares! i had a blast prepping, cooking, and hanging out with friends and family.  congrats to which ever team won the game, by the way.  as promised, recipes! but first, check out my spread:

final menu: buffalo chicken bites, chicken taquitos, flat bread margherita pizzas, hot/bbq wings, pigs in a blanket, delivery pizza, red velvet cupcakes, white/dark chocolate dipped pretzel sticks, veggie booty, tortilla chips/dip, bbb brownies, chex mix, sloppy janes, carrots/celery sticks with greek yogurt veggie dip. WHEW.  obviously some stuff was ready-made, but here are the treats i whipped up myself:

the big winner - buffalo chicken bites

i bit off way more than i thought before i snapped the pic! does it no justice. that captain crunch was a great move if i do say so myself. loved the combo of sweet/salty/spicy/tangy.  will be making these again soon, party or not.

the stuff:

• 4 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken
• 1 cup chopped green onion
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup hot sauce
• 4 oz cream cheese (room temp for better mix-ability)
• 3-5 cups of capt. crunch  or corn flakes cereal
• 4 beaten eggs
• 2 cups flour

do this:

put the cereal in a baggy and crush it-  having a range of crumb sizes is actually a better texture; doesn't have to be all even. mix the chicken, cream cheese, onion, hot sauce, and cheese all together.  then, roll into golf ball size balls.  make your assembly line: bowl of flour, bowl of egg wash,  then bowls of cereal.  keep one hand wet, and one dry. line them on a baking sheet and cook them for 20-25 min in a 350 deg. oven.  don't let the baking fool you- they were as crispy as ever! no frying needed.

chicken taquitos

the stuff:

• 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 1 packet chicken taco seasoning
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 cup sharp shredded cheese
• extra thin corn tortillas

do this:

mix everything together except the tortillas. i would suggest doing this the night before so the flavors can marry in the fridge first (yep, the poppers too).   i brushed the stack of tortillas with just a little extra virgin olive oil, covered them in damp paper towels, then microwaved them for a few seconds so they would be a bit more pliable and not break when rolling.  scoop about a table-spoon or so onto the tortilla and roll starting from one end.  they will crack in the oven, but that's ok.  it's all goin to the same place. 15 min on 350 or until crispy.

pigs in a blanket

the stuff:

• pilsbury crescent dough
• little smokies (mini beef sausages)

do this:

yeah, we all remember these. but i applied a little tip from Hungry-Girl first- cut the single serving crescent triangle in half.  no need to suffocate the little piggy and eat extra bread, right? don't worry, it's more than enough dough left to wrap around the sausage. unless you are using a regular size hot dog or something.  11-13 min on 350 or until brown.

sloppy janes

i am TOO proud of these.  in the middle of chopping up the shallots, onions, and bell peppers, i actually said out loud, "CRAP i forgot to buy the sloppy joe seasoning mix!!!'  i contemplated running to grab my keys and head back to the store when i had a moment.  make it from scratch, duh.  i had everything i needed and i am SO glad i went the scratch route cause they turned out pretty darn tasty.  i cooked it up saturday night and by sunday afternoon the flavors were amazing.  i buy this soft, pillowy, pull apart bread from HEB- but not every location sells them. as i was grabbing a few packs, a guy next to me excitedly explained how he drives from so far JUST for this bread.  i completely understood! my next choice would be those hawaiian rolls in the orange package, yeah, these.

the stuff:

• 4 logs ground beef or turkey (i used 93/7% lean beef)
• 2 chopped shallots
• 1 chopped bell pepper
• 2 chopped yellow onions
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• salt/pepper/Tony Chacheres to taste
• 36 mini slider buns/rolls

do this:

in a big medium-high heated pot, add the chopped shallots and onions. toss in the meat and let it brown and cook through completely.  then, you can pretty much toss in everything else and let it simmer on low for about 20 minutes. or, until the bell peppers have softened.  the sauce is slightly sweet, so i added some dill pickles in my sandwich for crunch and tang.  looking back though, i would have totally toasted the insides of the buns first. great nonetheless.

red velvet cupcakes

so this is the cake version of the bbb (best boxed brownies).  i searched online a while back for tips on how to keep a cake moist, and this recipe right here has me sold for life.  my homemade red velvet is a force to be reckoned with, but here's the bbc (best boxed cake) version for now. you're welcome.

the stuff:

• 1 box red velvet
• 1 box instant chocolate pudding
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups of milk (2% is cool)
• splash of vanilla
• cream cheese or vanilla frosting

do this:

mix! try to get all the lumps out though. pour into whatever kind of pan you like, just adjust your cooking time accordingly. cupcakes are fun, so i did those. scrumptious.

i hope you had fun eating goodies and watching the game!  after all that, we're gonna switch focus to workouts for the next few posts, lol.

le