Tag Archives: eating healthy

Soft Tortilla Bowl

11 Feb

I’m a bit delayed with this one but I finally got around to trying the Soft Tortilla bowls by Old El Paso. I’ve been wanting to try them for a while now but I don’t really make tacos so couldn’t justify randomly buying them.

I figured now was as good a time as any to buy the fixings for tacos soooooo I bought the bowls. I however have yet to buy the meat…so I still haven’t made tacos. *rolls eyes*

What I did do though was re-purpose them for breakfast, cause who doesn’t like a fun breakfast?

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Because it is me I bought the whole grain bowls, hey, it lets me pretend I am making healthier choices. Don’t judge, that’s just mean. 😉

I scrambled an egg and two egg whites, tossed in some dill because, well…because I was making the eggs for me and I like dill in my eggs…that’s about how deep I get when making choices in the kitchen lol

The bowl is supposed to go in the microwave for 10 seconds according to the package, so obviously I did that. No reason not to, right?

Once it was done in the microwave I put some shredded cheese along the bottom, put the scrambled eggs in, topped with the rest of the cheese (I used 20 grams total of cheese, and yes, I weighed it out) then just for fun topped with 1 tablespoon of salsa.

Gotta say, I was quite happy with the results. Tasty. Protein and carb and dairy and I guess even veg since I had salsa on there…all good things! And better than it being all good things, it was all tasty things. Mmm!

Only thing is those bowls are small. They are mini sized so not like I couldn’t tell from the packaging they are small lol That’ll probably be okay when I actually make them as tacos because I’ll eat two but no way I am eating enough scrambled egg to fill two of those bowls, that is just too much egg. I have an egg limit and that would take me past it lol

If I hadn’t put some cheese on the bottom of the bowl I am fairly certain the heat and moisture from the scrambled eggs would have destroyed the structural integrity of the bowl and it would have been quite the messy meal. So whatever you fill yours with, I suggest putting something as a barrier along the bottom, whether it is cheese, or lettuce, or whatever your little taste buds desire. Unless of course you want it to fall apart when you pick it up and have all your fillings spill all over your plate, and your hand, and possibly your shirt…sure hope that isn’t your favourite shirt you are wearing! 😉

I am hoping to make some bbq shredded chicken in the next day or so and try that in the bowls. Or just buy some ground meat and make taco meat, then eat taco bowls like how they are meant to be used. Ya know, like normal people…

I can’t remember how long the package said they are good for once they are opened, I do remember that they need to be put in to a container of some sort (mine are currently in a Disney tupperware – in case you were wondering) and do not need to be refrigerated which if you think about it is a bit um…concerning? I mean yeah ok, they are sorta like bread, and bread doesn’t have to be refrigerated, but these aren’t really bread, and they last longer than bread would, so what is in them that has them lasting so long? I figure I don’t reeeeeally want to know so I am ignoring that little quirk. 😉

I’d classify the tortilla bowls as a good buy. They can be used for a lot of different things, you get 8 in a package, they aren’t freakishly expensive, and they taste good. Well ok, to be fair they themselves don’t have much of a taste, they are more the vessel for your other, tastier foods, but they are perfect little vessels and do a good job, which is all I ask of them.

Oh, and just an fyi, if you are on WW, one bowl is 2 SP, so yay! for a new, point friendly food. 🙂

 

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Random Dessert

28 Jan

I have noooooo idea what to call this but names don’t really matter, taste does, and it turned out surprisingly tasty. Definitely going to make it again!

Looks wise though, um, yeah, so not pretty!

banana-pancake

Take one banana, it needs to have a little brown on the peel so it is easy to mash. Mash the banana, add two eggs, mix. You’ll have a runny mix that may be slightly lumpy, depending on how well you mashed the banana so mash it well!

Pour the mixture in to a frying pan, cook, flip, cook some more.

Top with PB2 that has been mixed back to peanut butter consistency, or use almond butter, or real peanut butter, whatever takes your fancy. Actually, I might not use normal peanut butter because it is made with a decent amount of sugar and the banana makes this sweet enough as is, the PB2 is not as sweet as real peanut butter so it is a nice counter taste to the sweetness of the banana. That’s just my opinion though…

My picture shows the banana pancake (that is my working title for now) covered in PB2, I should have taken a pic of it prior to topping it, sorry ’bout that.

I maaaaaay have accidentally burnt the one side, well, maybe overcooked is a better description of what happened, but it didn’t ruin the taste so bonus! Also, it is such a runny mixture that when I flipped it well, it basically turned into a big ‘ol mess , which is why I say it isn’t a pretty dish. I think if I cook it on a lower heat so it cooks more in the middle before burning on the one side I can flip it and it just might hold its shape…maybe?

The final consistency weirdly enough reminded me vaguely of custard, despite the fact it is in pancake form, I guess because it stayed so gooey, but a good gooey, nothing gross happenin over here, I promise! The PB2 was a great topping because the banana made the pancake sweet and PB2 is sooooo not sweet, together they matched perfectly. 🙂

So yeah, healthy snack / dessert / treat…whatever you want to label it. If you wanted to make it thicker and more filling you could probably add some oats to it, or if you want only the egg and banana in it but not as runny I suppose you could use just one egg. Tweak it whatever way you want, lemme know if you try something and it makes a tasty result! Sharing is caring people! 😉

 

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Costco Toys With My Heart

27 Jan

Oh Costco, you are so mean!

A while ago I wrote how they took away Kodiak Cakes from their stores. Devastation! Horror! Tragedy!

Well happy news, they brought them back so yay! Kodiak Cakes came back in to my life and I was a happy camper.

Costco, being worse than a jilted ex who keeps popping in to your life to mess with your head, has now discontinued another staple of my food world.

Devastation! Horror! Tragedy!

Costco, what are you trying to do to me? 😦

PB2, a food you may or may not have heard of, was most affordable if bought at Costco but sadly they have removed it from their regular stock. *pout*

Guess who blew their food budget out of the water to stock up on 4 containers of the stuff? This girl!

Yes ok, it can be bought at GNC and other health nut stores but in smaller containers for more money. Uh…no thanks! Hence stocking up today, before the last store in my area ran out of the last little bit of their stock.

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In case you have no idea what PB2 is lemme give you the lowdown. It is a peanut butter alternative, a powdered peanut butter. You can either add water to the powder to bring it back to normal peanut butter consistency or add it in powdered form to smoothies, oatmeal, all sorts of things.

Some of the ways I have used it…

(1) 2Tbls PB2 mixed with 1 1/2Tbls water so it is a bit runny, like heated up peanut butter, then I dipped sliced apples in it

(2) mix it with water to normal peanut butter consistency and spread it on my Kodiak Cakes (like pancakes), or on bread

(3) in powdered form put it in oatmeal, omg so good in oatmeal!

(4) in powdered form added it in to a smoothie

(5) made it in to peanut butter consistency and used it in a baking recipe

Basically anywhere you use peanut butter you can use PB2 for fewer calories, fat, etc.

I haven’t used it in anywhere near all the ways others have, a lot of people use it to make a peanut sauce for cooked dishes, which I like the sound of but have no idea how to make a normal peanut sauce let alone a modified version lol

A source told me when she lived in a small town and had no stores nearby to buy it from she ordered it online for about $8 a jar so I guess that will be something to look in to once my stockpile runs out. I reeeeeally hope by then Costco has come to their senses and brought it back though because seriously, taking it away, so mean!

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Kodiak Cakes

7 Jan

Oh Kodiak Cakes, how I will miss you!

Kodiak Cakes, in case you don’t know, are a high protein pancake / waffle mix that make a pretty decent pancake. I don’t have a waffle maker so I can’t say from actual experience how the waffles made with this mix are but I’m sure they are also good.

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An Aunt Jemima pancake they are not! Don’t be tricked in to thinking they will be just like the pancakes you get from iHop or that you ate growing up as a kid, before we all got convinced white flour is devil food and never to be touched *rolls eyes*

Despite not being like a “real” pancake, they are good, and a less guilty indulgence on a lazy morning day when you have time and the inclination to whip up some pancake goodness.

Sadly though, I ate my last Kodiak Cake today and will not be buying more. Not because I don’t want to be buying more, but because Costco has stopped carrying them (meanies!) and the closest place to me to buy them is a Safeway that is an hours drive across the border into the States. sigh.

Every time I am in Costco I ask if they have them back yet, maybe nagging them will change their minds?

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Kodiak Cakes covered in PB2, Mmm!

So there they are, my last two Kodiak Cakes, I savoured every bite, *wistful sigh* Oh, and no, I don’t eat them with syrup, I regret to inform you I stopped eating syrup due to the high sugar content, ugh, who have I become? 😉 Instead I took two tablespoons of PB2 powder, added water, made it pretty close to peanut butter consistency and spread it on the Kodiak Cakes when they were still hot. It actually tastes good despite my being all whiny that I no longer eat syrup lol I use PB2 on a lot of things, quite the useful little food!

If you live somewhere that still has access to Kodiak Cakes I highly recommend giving them a try, and hey, if you end up not liking them send the rest of the mix to me, I’ll eat it! 😉 lol

(fyi, that is a joke! )

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Giant Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream Bar

20 Oct

Oh boy, happy find! When I was in the states yesterday I was looking for an ice cream I was told was a “must buy!” – it is called Arctic Zero and is apparently amazeballs. I didn’t find it but while perusing the ice cream aisle I came across this…

*happy dance*

How can a girl go wrong with a chocolate fudge ice cream bar?

Well lemme tell ya, a girl can’t! 😀

It comes in this giant size and a snack size. The giant size is 4 SP and the snack size is 2 SP. I thought briefly for like, 10 seconds, about which size to get but really, was there ever a doubt I was going to get the giant size? In case you don’t realize, there was never a doubt… 😉

When I opened the box and grabbed one last night I realized it isn’t some crazy giant size, it is only giant in the world of Weight Watchers lol It is a normal sized ice cream bar but is somehow only 4 SP, how that is possible I do not know, nor do I care. All that I care is that it tastes yummy and is a size that doesn’t leave me feeling deprived.

It has a whipped texture and isn’t as dense as other ice cream bars which means it also melts faster so there is definitely no chance to eat it super slow and linger over it but if that is the sacrifice I have to make I will gladly make it.

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All in all I count this as a win – doubly so since it was on sale! 🙂 I haven’t seen these in Canada, the States and England always seem to have waaaay more WW food options than us so these will definitely be a rare and happy treat.

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Try It Tuesday: Smart Ones Ravioli Florentine

12 Jul

I work shift work which means I get to eat at odd times. Depending on the day my dinner could be at 11pm, 7pm, 4pm…or any other random time, shrug. Because of this I have been trying to stock up on quick and easy meals so when I get home at 10pm I don’t have to do a lot of work to get a meal.

Safeway had Smart Ones Ravioli Florentine on sale last week, it is a frozen dinner that is endorsed by Weight Watchers so I figured it couldn’t hurt to give it a try.

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Side note, in the Smart Point program this is 7 points.

 

Well…ok, while it technically didn’t hurt or anything it wasn’t great, heck, I wouldn’t even rate it as good. In fact I am kind of regretting wasting my points on it, sigh.

If you prefer tomato based sauces you might be ok with this one. I prefer cream sauces with my pasta, ya know, the higher in calorie sauce cause hellooooo, so yummy! But yeah, so it isn’t like there was anything specifically wrong with the sauce, I just didn’t like it. One good thing about the sauce was the vegetables that are in it. All the veggies are cut small but not so small they turn to mush once heated up. I really enjoyed the zucchini pieces.

The pasta itself was ok. Good sized pieces of ravioli filled with cheese, can’t go wrong there.

This definitely wouldn’t be big enough to eat on its own as a meal, I was ok because I ate it as sort of a second dinner / later night snack type of thing but if I had taken this to work to have as my real dinner I would of had to supplement it with a salad or something on the side.

I wouldn’t buy it again but only because I am not a tomato sauce type of person and 7 points for this amount of food seems ridiculous to me. I can make a burger and put it on a bagel thin, with cheese, for roughly the same amount of points and get waaaaay more enjoyment out of that meal.

I’ll probably take a look at their other offerings next time I am in the store, see if they have something I might like better cause the ease of heating something up in the microwave can not be overlooked. Gotta love that microwave! 😉

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Try It Tuesday: Chipotle Black Beans

28 Jun

I missed last weeks Try It Tuesday, not because I didn’t have something to write about but because time was not on my side. Lets get back on track shall we? 🙂

Jamie Oliver’s Brazilian-style Chipotle Black Beans- it is a stew with chunks of sweet potato and sweet red peppers. Lemme tell ya, none of the “sweet” veg took away from the spicy which maybe I would have clued in to ahead of time if I had noticed the two little jalapenos on the bottom area of the front of the box. Apparently Jamie has a warning system that I didn’t notice, oops!

This is a side dish, something else I also didn’t notice and according to Jamie is best served with “crispy griddled chicken thighs, brown rice, fresh greens and a spicy tomato salsa or in a fluffy baked potato with grated strong cheddar and a dollop of soured cream”. Despite Jamie’s so thoughtful suggestions I went my own way and ate it as a stand alone stew – I’m such a rebel! 😉 lol

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It heats up the same way all frozen meals do, take the tray out of the box, puncture the plastic top, pop in the oven for a while and boom! Food that took no effort on my part! This one takes 40-45 minutes at 350F. I could have microwaved it but I am already cheating by heating up a frozen meal, putting it in the microwave is just taking this whole lazy “cooking” thing too far.

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Not the prettiest thing when frozen, and I kinda failed at the whole piercing the plastic thing but meh, it all worked out in the end, shrug.

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I don’t know about you but I think that looks goooooood! Maybe it is because I am a sucker for sweet potatos, and stew, and easy cooking…who knows? After it is pulled out of the oven you are supposed to let it sit for a couple minutes and that helps it thicken up a bit. I left it a little longer than the box suggested because I like stews to be quite thick and it worked, it also made it so I didn’t have to blow on the spoon before every bite which was nice cause ya know, burning my mouth is not a thing I enjoy.

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It however lost some of its charming, yummy look once put in to a bowl, sigh. Now it looks like green mush, or slime, or something icky. It tastes way better than it looks, honest!

I tried some of it on its own and it was too spicy for me, sadness. I like spice but there has to be flavour along with the spice, not juuuust spice. So I added some ranch dressing to it, weird yes, but it works, lol, and it helped. If I had cheese in the apartment I would have topped it with that and I bet that would have cut down just enough on the spice while adding flavour and take it up that extra notch.

The entire package fit in to one of my small bowls so if you are eating it on your own it is a good size to be a meal by itself but if you are sharing it you’ll definitely need something else to go with it -perhaps one of Jamie’s suggestions?

 

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Try It Tuesday:Ancient Grains with Millet

7 Jun

I found something new at M&M Meat Shops, well new to me anyways, people who shop there often probably found this ages ago. It is a two serving dish of Ancient Grains with Millet and Vegetable Blend in Tomato Sauce…long enough name? Eesh. lol

It is a microwaveable dish, you just put this frozen squat tube shaped thing that doesn’t really look like food in the microwave and cook it on high for 3 minutes, then you squish it around with a spoon, microwave for 2 more minutes, stir, and let sit for 2 minutes. Easy peasy.

It costs $2.99 and contains millet, steel-cut oats, brown rice, red and white quinoa with carrots, kale and onions in a tomato and roasted garlic sauce.

I bought this before I went low carb so it has been sitting in my freezer for a little while. I wasn’t feeling great today, not sick, just sorta “off” and I couldn’t face my normal food, all that protein, ugh, not today thanks. So I went searching for something that would most likely be gentle on my tummy and came across this.

I forgot to take a pic to show you the unattractive frozen blob it is prior to being popped in the microwave so here it is after the first 3 minutes…

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Aaaaaaand here it is once it is cooked and covered in salsa…

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Now yes, I realize I should have taken a picture before the salsa got put on top so you can see how it actually looks but I was only intending to put a small amount of salsa on so it shouldn’t have been a problem. However, I maaaay have gotten distracted and tilted the salsa jar too far and boom! salsa all over the ancient grains and millet hence ancient grains with millet and vegetable blend in tomato sauce covered in salsa…its like my own version of the dish! lol

It is quite bland, so the salsa made it tasty, you definitely need to put some sort of sauce or topping on this.

Nutrition wise it isn’t horrible but it isn’t great. Depending on what type of meal plan you follow this may or may not work for you. I would have expected it to have a higher fibre content considering all the grains and oats and whatnot that is in it but what do I know? I expected it to have an actual tomato sauce and it didn’t have that…advertising lies! 😉

If you are okay with eating carbs and want to add some grains to your meal plan it would probably be a good side for you, I bet it would be nice paired with some salmon or even a seasoned chicken breast. 🙂 For me though I probably won’t buy it again, too many carbs, not enough protein, and too bland for my taste. Not that I mind adding salsa or other condiments to things but I would prefer not to so I can save my calories for something more interesting…like cake! lol 😉

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Subway’s Prime Rib Swiss Melt

5 Feb

On Tuesday I treated myself to Subway. It was actually more of a compromise to myself. I would have given almost anything for something at McDonald’s lol since I couldn’t pinpoint my McD’s craving down to one specific food item I wouldn’t let myself go there but I knew nothing at home would satisfy me so I stopped at Subway. I really like Subway and I am horrendously boring and order almost the exact same thing every time I go. The 6″ turkey on 9-grain whole wheat with more veggies than can comfortably fit on the bun then I top with the light mayo and either mustard or honey mustard, depending on my mood.

The most exciting option there? No. But I like how it tastes and it is a respectable amount of calories so no guilt. 🙂

For some reason, that Tuesday, I decided to try something different. The new sandwich there is the Prime Rib Swiss Melt and the advertising picture looks like this…

subway prime rib swiss melt

Pretty decent huh?

I thought why not, it looks yum and it is good to switch things up a bit.

In a nut shell, my review of the sandwich can be described in three words…

Don’t. Do. It.

Ugh. Seriously, just…don’t. It isn’t worth the money or the trauma you will be putting your taste buds through.

Here is what mine looked like…

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Ok granted, not the best picture but I really wanted you to be able to see the meat.

I thought, because the advertising picture showed it with a gravy/sauce on it that for some reason the meat would be sitting in an industrial version of a crockpot or slow cooker, ya know, the meat would be sitting in its sauce just waiting to be put on the bread.

Nope.

Not even close.

The lady took a little cardboard container filled with grey meat from the display case (grey meat people!) and plopped that on my sandwich. Right there I should have called it off and gone back to the turkey but nope, I stayed with the prime rib option because…well…because it would have been rude to change at that point, I was committed. sigh.

I got it toasted with the swiss cheese and put some random veggies on it. I was trying to copy the picture but it only showed lettuce and tomato and what kind of heathen only puts two veggies on a sandwich when there are so many more to choose from? I also chose cucumber and banana peppers…I wanted more but was worried I’d somehow mess with the balance of the sandwich since I have nooooo idea what goes with prime rib.

There was no sauce. I didn’t realize it until I got home with the sub but yeah…no sauce. There is sauce in the picture! But none on my sub. I don’t know if I was supposed to specify that I wanted the prime rib sauce or what. I guess since I still had the idea that it was supposed to be simmering in its sauce that it would be saucy when put on the sandwich and when it was grabbed, cold and grey, from the display case, I didn’t clue in I was gonna have to figure out the sauce situation on my own.

You’d think the lady would have offered sauce, or at least condiments, but she didn’t. So while I accept the lack of sauce as my own fault I think she should shoulder a teeny bit of the blame since theoretically she knows better than I what should be on that sandwich.

Sadly, I regret my sandwich choice from that Tuesday. I don’t have a lot of money so when I spend even a small amount of it I want it to be worth it and that sandwich sooooo wasn’t worth my $7. 😦

Ah well, even though I didn’t like it I still stand by the idea of trying things outside your comfort zone. After all, if I hadn’t tried it I wouldn’t know if I liked it or not and I could be missing out on something awesome. It didn’t work out this time but that’s ok, it will other times. 🙂

 

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I Adulted

3 Feb

I was so proud on Saturday night. I worked until 9pm and before I left work I took a look at the menu for the next day. On Sunday I would be working the day shift, so eating lunch at work, and lunch on Sundays tends to be more brunch like – so pancakes or waffles or some such thing. Which is tasty but is soooooo not healthy and definitely not something to indulge in every-freakin-Sunday.

Lo and behold Sunday’s lunch was eggs benedict with Canadian back bacon and some veggies grilled and covered in cheese, sigh.

So here is where the adulting came in…

I got home from work around 9:45pm and promptly started cooking. The cat thought I was nuts lol

I popped a honey garlic glazed chicken breast in the oven and while that did its thing the rice cooked in the rice cooker, the sweet potato got sliced and popped in the microwave so I could steam it and while waiting for things to cook I chopped up a bunch of veggies because when I am not super lazy I like to ingredient prep.

In the end I ended up with a freakishly healthy lunch for Sunday!

It got packed in to one of my Disney’s Frozen tupperware, cause hey, I can’t be tooooo grown-up lol and I took some salsa with me to put on top of the rice. When I was putting my lunch on a plate at work and heating it up the chef said I should take some of the veggies they had made cause they were super delish and who am I to turn up more veggies? So here is what I ended up eating…

lunch

Before you think I am a weirdo for having my chicken cut up I did that to make sure it was heated all the way through. 😛

Now don’t fret that I am acting all grown-up all the time, I assure you, I am not. I think I manage it about once a month if lucky? lol

To prove that, my dinner on Monday was this…

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Yup, that’s right, it was marble cake. Sadly, it was not good…and yet…I ate it…*rolls eyes* I didn’t even get the expected sugar rush that would have gotten me through the next couple hours, nope, I ate it and promptly had a nap…cementing my place as the world’s oldest toddler teehee

 

 

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