hostess with the mostess - cheesy spinacy & squash au gratin

my mom is a pre-K teacher and still on her holiday break, so she and my aunt (her sis-in-law) came over to hang out, sleepover, and keep Chiso company with us. which means, i get ta' COOKIN'!  whipping up healthy, tasty food for my family gives me life (add that to the phrases we should stop using in 2014 :roll: ) but it best describes how i feel while i'm doing my thing in my kitchen.  now can i do all this again tomorrow?  you bet! playing hostess is FUN. what we chowed down on today:

lean turkey burgaaaaaas for lunch!  super easy recipe can be found on my instagram post from earlier today (look for this same photo).

i topped the patties with cheddar style rice cheese,

and i found those sprouted grain buns at Sprouts Farmer's Market recently.  i was looking for the Ezekiel ones but these were cheaper and by Alvarado Street Bakery.  heard a lot about them and was not disappointed.

no lettuce or avocado in the house, womp. but i did have condiments, tomatoes, and plenty of pickles. stuff your burgers with your fave toppings and toast your buns (makes a big difference in taste and texture).  everyone enjoyed their burger except for you-know-who.

he touched it like he was going to pick it up and then faked everybody out.  i'll try again tomorrow.

i've been playing around with a squash casserole type recipe for the past few days and finally just went for it today since i was all up in the kitchen anyway. turned out better than i imagined, whoa.   Sonny says it tastes just like Boston Market's squash casserole side and well, i won't argue with him!

cheesy spinach & squash au gratin

the stuff:

• 2 large zucchini, raw, coined & halved (see pic above)
• 2 large yellow squash, raw, coined & halved
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 2 eggs
• Earth Balance Organic Whipped Buttery Spread
• 2 tbsp liquid aminos
• 1 cup frozen, thawed spinach
• 1/2 cup cheddar style rice cheese
• 1/2 cup skim mozzarella (you may use mozzarella almond cheese as well)
• 1/8 cup light parmesan cheese

breadcrumbs:

• 3 slices Sara Lee 45 Calories & Delightful bread, toasted until crispy
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/8 cup light parmesan cheese

do this:

1. spray your casserole dish with no-stick cooking spray and pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. make breadcrumbs by combining listed ingredients in your food processor and pulsing until you achieve a breadcrumb-like consistency.
3. in a large skillet over medium heat, saute the garlic, onion, zucchini, and squash together for 4-5 minutes or until translucent.
4. add spinach, garlic powder, onion powder, liquid aminos, parsley, and cracked black pepper to pan; mix.
5. cover pan and let cook down for 10 more minutes before shutting off the heat and pouring your squash mixture into your prepared casserole dish. set aside.
6. in a separate bowl, whisk eggs.
7. to the egg mixture, add 1/8 cup of parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup of breadcrumb mixture, 1/2 cup of cheese, and the 1/2 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
8. if your squash mixture has completely cooled by now, go ahead and add the egg mixture to it in the casserole dish and mix WELL. if it's still warm, temper the eggs by adding a little bit of squash mixture to the egg mixture (in that order, please!)  at a time to prevent making scrambled eggs.  the cold almond milk should help cool the squash mixture down faster too. once all combined, set aside.
9. add the last 1/2 cup of cheese to  1/4 cup of the breadcrumb mixture and sprinkle it on top of your casserole evenly.
10. bake for 40-45 minutes or until the casserole no longer jiggles when you shake the dish.
11. let it cool then dive in.

i divided my dish into 8 nice size servings and here are the stats for 1 serving: 162 cals, 6g fat, 14g carbs, 15g protein, 4 g sugar.

have a seat, Boston Market :lol:

lastly, for dinner, i heated up some leftover chicken & veggie stir fry and mixed it with some marinara sauce to revive the flavors. very yummy!  i also baked two pans of swai for tonight and for Sonny's lunches tomorrow.  i don't add ANY salt to the swai cause it doesn't need it at all like tilapia.

  i topped these with onion powder, garlic powder, and salt free Southwest seasoning from Mc Cormick (found at Walmart and HEB) and cooked them for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. that's it!  roasted brussels sprouts on the side.

 thinking about all the crazy business ideas in my head and on my heart for 2014 and it overwhelms me.  i'm determined to make 2014 NOTHING like 2013 though. one day at a time.  ok, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

le

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

@ my desk

no more start/stop- catching up NOW.

good monday that is almost over to you!!

this will be crazy random but just stay with me.

i hope you guys are using and being creative the IG food pics- that's definitely some of my motivation for posting.

this was lunch @ my desk last Friday:

100 calorie multi-grain english muffin, grilled chicken breast, avocado, spicy mustard, and a crispy red bell pepper.  since my job is waaaaaaaaay closer to Trader Joe's than my house, i stopped by there to get a few specialty items on my lunch break that day.

more eggplant humus wish it came in a big TUB.

i can pronounce everything. that's the kind of ingredient list i like to see and the kind you should look for as often as possible.  also, natural, no additives or preservatives means eat it sooner than later! won't last but a few days.

also got some sweet sugar snap peas for dipping! in the car.

 i walked into TJ's with intent to restock my fig butter, but as soon as those double entrance doors parted, i walked straight up to a tower of pumpkin butter.  clever is that seasonal marketing. they also had honey apple butter and i couldn't leave without it.  i did leave the mango butter for next time though.

i hit up HEB, Whole Foods, and Sams this weekend to do my real shopping.  i got my sample on of course,

  *high five*, HEB.  but zero points for presentation.  steak pizzaiola, italian chicken sausage soup, and creamy potato casserole was served at one of their live sample stations. oh God, those potatoes though :shock: . i always grab a recipe card to see just what they put in those samples and they never fail to freak me out.  full-fat heavy cream and cream cheese is what made those potatoes so darn good!  but they were sample size sooooo i proceeded to enjoy.

i got outta there with my usual stuff plus a few specialty items.

my kitchen island stays just like this for the most part.  i like to keep my produce out where i can see it cause i'll forget about it in the fridge and it's more likely to spoil.  gonna go ahead and add 'personal grocery shopper' to my resume, seriously!!! i could do this every day.

i've been using the sesame Ezekiel bread for the past few weeks, so i picked up the cinnamon raisin loaf this time.

i have sweet and savory dishes in mind for this puppy.

fat-free feta and goat cheese are still two dairy cheeses i won't be giving up (will expand on that shortly), but i was inspired to try almond cheese from a fellow health and fitness IGer.  i figure i love almond milk, so i'd prolly like the cheese too. uh, yeah! it melts, grates, and tastes just like dairy cheese and nutritional stats are awesome.  i'm impressed and sold.  gonna try some rice cheese too.

i've been a fan of Blue Diamond brand almond milk since Hungry-Girl introduced me to it a few years ago, but decided to try the Silk brand because of the lower calorie count.

it is so much more creamier than i was expecting! i may have been converted indefinitely...

I picked up some of Sonny's fav granola from Whole Foods - pumpkin flax.  it's the best granola (nutrtion-wise) in the bulk aisle line up.  140 cals and 5g of sugar per serving. read your labels- granola is more like a treat/dessert as the sugar content can be super high for some of them.  a few spoonfuls over some cottage cheese or yogurt or a small serving of it is just enough.

 granola + almond milk = one great bed time snack.  if only i could stop eating bowl after bowl.

lunch today @ my desk:

seeing red today for meal 2-  grilled chicken breast, avocado, red bell pepper, tomato, spicy mustard and honey apple butter.  wrapped all up in a La Tortilla Factory white-wheat soft wrap with some strawberries on the side.

i snuck in some sugar snap peas and eggplant humus too.

we had some GORGEOUS weather in Houston today!! Sonny hates the cold and is already griping about having to stop his outside runs.  he still has time to take advantage though cause it will be hot again like tomorrow.

cajun crusted tilapia recipe coming up next.

le