Surviving Tailgating!

It's football time in Tennessee!  Tomorrow is the first game of the season, and you know what comes with that?  TAILGATING!  That word can be a healthy eater's worst nightmare.  So what do you do to stay on track?  

1. Scope Out the Spread — See what all the options are so you can make the best choice and what to choose.  If there are so many things you just can’t resist, just pick one.  Pick your favorite.  Remember to ask yourself if it’s worth it. 

2. Bring a Healthy Dish — Not sure what is going to be available??  Try this alternative for Honey BBQ wings! Bring a dish or two that you can eat, and stick to them!   Going to be tempted by dessert?   Bring some vanilla Greek yogurt, diced strawberries, blueberries, and granola and set up a yogurt bar!

3. Fruit, Veggies, and Protein — There will usually be a fruit and veggie tray.  Fill up your plate with these!  Go for some lean, grilled protein.

4. Drink Water — This isn’t an issue for me because I don’t drink.  Remember, you don’t have to drink to have a good time,  and you’ll be consuming WAY less calories.

5. Eat Beforehand — Don’t come to the tailgate famished!  If you are really hungry, your willpower will go right out the window.  Eat something beforehand so that you are tempted to just pig out.  You can even do a quick workout before you go – that always makes me more health conscious. 

6. Focus on the Game — Make it about the fellowship and the game, not about the food.  Our culture wants to make everything about food.  Switch that mindset and focus on the point of the occasion.

7.  Be the Host — Host the party and you’ll be in control of what is served.  That way, you can ensure that the menu will include plenty of healthy options.

8. Moderation — Be conscious of your portion sizes.  Don’t overdo it!  In the long run, will it be worth it?  It might seem great at the time, but the next day you’ll be kicking yourself.

9. Avoid Slippery Slope Foods — You know you have those red light foods that once you start eating them, you can’t stop.  Don’t even let yourself take the first bite (you’ll thank yourself later).  Avoid the mindless munching!

10. Move Away from the Table — Constantly standing by the food is just going to result in more eating of the food.  Fix your plate and then move away from the food.   

Going to football games with dad is a cherished memory.  Dad was so funny - he hate sitting in traffic, so he left at the end of the third quarter - no matter what!  Dad always got awesome seats, too.  I hold all those times with my dad near to my heart.  

Pesto and Ricotta Stuffed Chicken

If you haven't figured it out by now, I am a big fan of chicken roll-ups!  Just check out Spinach Stuffed Chicken Parmesan and Chicken Cordon Bleu.  This recipe was restaurant quality!  I adapted this recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen.  I made extras so I could have company over and still have leftovers!  Alter the amount to fit your needs.  

Ingredients:

10 thin sliced chicken breasts

2 heaping tbsp basil pesto

2 heaping tbsp ricotta cheese

2 heaping tbsp grated mozzarella

2 eggs, beaten (or 1/2 cup egg beaters)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup almond flour

black pepper to taste

olive oil non-stick cooking spray

1. Preheat your oven to 375F.  Spray a 9x18 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. 

2. Set up your chicken station.  I spread plastic wrap across my counter top and put the chicken on top.  Beat out the chicken with a meat tenderizer - if you get the thinly sliced chicken breasts, they should already be thin.   

3. In a small bowl, mix together the pesto, ricotta cheese, and mozzarella cheese.  Spread a layer of the pesto over each chicken breast.  

4. In one bowl, beat the 2 eggs (or pour in the egg beaters).  In another box, mix together the almond flour and parmesan cheese.  

5. Roll up the chicken from the small side to the wide side.  Dip the chicken in the egg and then roll in the almond flour mix.  Place the chicken roll in the casserole dish.

6. Spray the tops of the chicken rolls with olive oil cooking spray.  Bake for 35-45 minutes.  If you don't have as many rolls, you won't need to bake as long - start checking your chicken at 30 minutes.

I took a trip to the farmer's market and had fresh snap green beans and corn on the cob to serve as sides!  

ENJOY!

Skinny Pumpkin Muffins

Are you are ready for Fall as I am?  Colorful leaves, corn mazes, cider, sweaters, and PUMPKIN!  What's not to love?  Well, I have a fabulous Weight Watcher's recipe to share with you today for Skinny Pumpkin Muffins.  I found this at See Cupcake Run.  Easy, delicious, and skinny!!

Ingredients:
1 box of spice cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
cinnamon (to garnish)
non-stick cooking spray

1.  Preheat the oven to 350F.  Spray muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray.  I wouldn't use liners - they'll stick!!  The recipe says it's supposed to make 24 cupcakes - I made 12 and a few little bundt cakes. 

2.  Mix all the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.  Fill each tin 2/3 full & sprinkle some cinnamon on top if desired.  

3.  Bake for 20-22 minutes. 

These are so cute to make as mini bundt cakes!

These are so moist and delicious!  Make sure to pace yourself - downing the whole batch cancels out the skinny part.  

ENJOY!

Ultimate Fit Workout

This was our workout at Ultimate Fit yesterday at the Y!  Workout 1 wasn't so fun, but I had a blast doing Workout 2. Do you remember using these in elementary school? 

Well, we had a blast using them in our workout!  One partner would sit on the cart and the other partner would have to push the cart across the gym.  Then we would switch and come back.  One each partner had a turn, we'd do the other exercises in between.

There's not often a lot of laugh at Ultimate Fit, but there was yesterday! :-)  Sometimes the best way to exercise is by having fun! 

Orange Chicken

Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE the crockpot?  It is SO easy, and I enjoy easy.  I found this awesome recipe for Crockpot Orange Chicken from TheFrugalGirls.com.  I'm not a big oriental food eater, but this was right of my alley.  I made a little extra because my mom and mother-in-law came over to enjoy this homemade dinner! 

Ingredients:

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup orange marmalade

1 cup barbeque sauce (I used honey BBQ)

2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

1. Cook the chicken in the crockpot on high for 3 hours (or low for 6-7 hours).

2.  After the chicken is cooked, drain the juices.  

3.  Mix together the orange marmalade, BBQ sauce, and soy sauce.  Pour the mixture over the chicken and cook on high for an additional 30-45 minutes (covered).  

I served my chicken with brown rice and some pot stickers.  No, pot stickers aren't healthy - but we have so many in our freezer from our wedding and we rarely have them, so this was the perfect opportunity.  This would also be great with some stir-fry veggies. 

ENJOY!

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Whew!  I have been MIA from the blog world - life has been busy.  I'll tell you more about that later.  I found this awesome recipe from GreenLiteBites.  I am a big fan of chicken roll-up recipes - check out Spinach Stuffed Chicken Parmesan.  I changed the portions on the recipe so I could have enough for my mom & for leftovers.
Ingredients: 10 boneless skinless thin sliced chicken breasts (you can always cut a regular chicken breast in half) 5 wedges of The Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss 4 oz thin slices of deli ham 1 egg (or 1/4 cup egg beaters) 1 cup italian seasoned breakcrumbs Non-stick cooking spray

1. I made a chicken station by spreading out plastic wrap on my counter and placing the sliced chicken breast on top.  Use a meat tenderizer to flatten out the chicken.

 2.  Spread 1/2 wedge of The Laughing Cow cheese on each chicken breast.  It's easier to spread if you let the cheese sit out for a little bit.  

3. Place the ham on top of the chicken. 

4. Whisk the egg (or egg beaters) in one bowl and bread crumbs in another.  Roll up the chicken - smaller side to wider side.  Dip it in the egg and coat it with the breadcrumbs.  You shouldn't have to use toothpicks, the chicken will stay together.  

5.  Place the roll-ups seam side down in a 9x18 pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Spray the tops of the chicken with the non-stick cooking spray and bake on 350 for 35-40 minutes. (I only baked mine for 30 minutes and because there were so many, they didn't get done & I had to cook them longer.)

YUM!  Roni at GreenLiteBites has all the nutritional information! 

Okay - clearly not all the way done (I had to heat it in the microwave a little) but you get the idea.  I was in a rush and forgot to take another picture. 

Serve with some green beans or salad and corn and you're dinner is set! 

ENJOY!