Healthy Inspiration from SparkPeople SparkPeople's Comments
You can't expect to get good results if you keep giving yourself excuses not to exercise or eat healthfully. Stop cheating yourself--make the right choices to get the results you want!
You can't expect to get good results if you keep giving yourself excuses not to exercise or eat healthfully. Stop cheating yourself--make the right choices to get the results you want!
Member comments
8/17/2012 9:17:56 AM
it takes discipline to succeed. Need to reassess my aims and objectives
Original article and pictures take www.sparkpeople.com site
Don’t let the thought of a holiday meal put a damper on your enjoyment or derail you on your weight loss journey! Your holiday meal doesn’t have to be full of calories, fat and sugar! You can eat healthy and still enjoy your meal time!
This is a wonderfully gorgeous soup, and if you want to expand your ingredients if you’re on Cycle 2 or 3, this is the soup for you!
You can’t go wrong with this recipe – there’s something about lemon and rosemary that makes any bird sing!
I’m a lover of mashed potatoes, but mashed potatoes don’t love me when I’m trying to keep the winter weight off! This cauliflower recipe tastes almost like the real thing. If you make this for your family and don’t tell them ahead of time what it is, there’s a good chance they won’t even notice!
Oh, there’s something so awesome about roasted carrots – their natural sweetness comes through like no other! And if you’re lucky enough to get a few crispy edges, the flavor is even more rustic!
Green bean casserole is a staple for any holiday party. However, when you add in the creaminess, you’re also adding in the fat and calories – neither of which help your waistline! This recipe is a great alternative and tastes so fancy!
Awe, ditch the store-bought, high-fructose corn syrup filled sauces and make and enjoy this guilt-free homemade cranberry sauce instead. You won’t believe how super simple this recipe is!
Original article and pictures take 17ddblog.com site
It’s game day and you know what that means, right? Food, football, family and friends! If you’re staying strong during the game and sticking to your 17 Day Diet plan, here are a few ideas for healthy Super Bowl Snacks this football season.
Try these healthy food ideas if you’re on Cycle 1– you’ll find ideas for Cycle 2 and 3 below:
All American Football Veggie Tray
Certain vegetables are a freebie on the 17 Day Diet. Try adding the following veggies to your platter this season:
Carrots
Celery
Cherry Tomatoes
Asparagus Spears cooked lightly in olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper- serve cold
Variety of Bell Peppers- the yellow, orange and red variety have wonderful sweet flavor!
Broccoli and Cauliflower
Sliced Cucumbers- or try mixing with a little olive oil, apple cider vinegar, sweetener, salt & pepper for a tasty salad
Mushrooms- try a South American Marinade: Olive Oil, Vinegar, Chili Powder, Cumin, Oregano, Sweetener, Salt & Pepper- let sit for a few hours, then grill. Serve cold.
Veggie Dip- Use a 1/2 packet of Ranch Dip Packet with a cup of non-fat plain yogurt. Makes a great zingy dip for your veggies.
Deviled Eggs- Use a traditional recipe but swap out mayonnaise with non-fat plain yogurt.
Cycle 2 addition: Make a homemade hummus to go with your veggies
Cycle 3 additions: Cut pita bread into triangles, toast and serve with your favorite homemade hummus or guacamole
Lunch/Early Dinner
Turkey Burger- Protein Style
Season lean ground turkey meat with your favorite seasonings such as salt, pepper, garlic, etc.
In lieu of bun, use iceburg, bibb, or boston lettuce and wrap your burger along with your favorite condiments such as sliced tomato, onion, ketchup and fat-free cheese.
Cycle 2/3: Use lean ground sirloin rather than turkey
Cycle 3: Stuff your burger into a whole wheat pita pocket or make a burger wrap with a 10 inch whole wheat tortilla. If you want to use bread, fold your burger into one slice of your favorite bread from the Cycle 3 list.
Faux Buffalo Chicken
Cut chicken breasts into bite size pieces and marinate in a bath of your favorite buffalo wing hot sauce, reduced-sugar ketchup or BBQ sauce, add salt and pepper and any other spices you enjoy. Bake at 350 for roughly 20 minutes. Baste your chicken half way through baking process with extra sauce (make sure you set aside extra before putting chicken in marinade so not to contaminate cooking chicken). Serve with your ranch dip (see above).
Chicken Stir Fry
Slice chicken breast, carrots, broccoli, bell peppers and onions. Cook chicken with a bit of olive oil in pan, add veggies when chicken is almost cooked through. Add Bragg Liquid Amino to taste and top with your favorite seasonings such as salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, etc. *For added variety, add grilled tofu.
Chicken or Beef Skewers
Cut up chicken (Cycle 1) or Beef Sirloin (Cycle 2/3) into bite sized pieces. Use the following recipe and let meat marinate for at least 2 hours:
Marinade:
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 Cup Tomato Sauce
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp sweetener
Salt, Pepper to taste
Use your favorite veggies from the Cycle Food lists such as onion, mushroom, bell peppers, etc and place them on skewers with meat and grill (you may marinate veggies in same sauce if you desire).
Cycle 2/3 additions: Use potatoes for your skewers (try canned mini potatoes– they work best), or serve with brown rice or couscous.
Other Easy Recipes
Cauliflower Nachos: Think you’ll miss your nachos? Think again! Try this yummy cauliflower nacho recipe instead.
Just because you’re on a diet doesn’t mean you can’t eat great food. Enjoy game day with your friends and family…and remember, it’s not all about food!
Original article and pictures take 17ddblog.com site
Did you know you can make a healthy Veggie Pizza Crust without any flour and it still tastes AMAZING! Make this low-carb green pizza crust with either kale, spinach, broccoli, or zucchini and sneak some extra veggies into your meal. It's a surprisingly delicious dinner recipe!
We're not having a regular ol' pizza party tonight. That's right, my friends, we're going all badass pizza rouge. There are strange and wonderful things happening here, and we're not making any apologies.
Now I know you've all heard of cauliflower pizza crust … am I right? Well, that gave me an idea to create these veggie pizza crusts. What I really wanted to do was make one recipe that was flexible enough that you could swap the veggies for whichever ones you have in your fridge/ love the most.
Mission accomplished, my friends!
What we have here are five different veggie pizza crusts, and they're all amazing:
Spinach pizza crust
Kale pizza crust
Zucchini pizza crust
Broccoli pizza crust
A mashup of all 4 veggie pizza crusts
Want to know the real kicker here? My handsome man, who I was kind of scared wouldn't even touch these (or talk to me for days after trying to feed him these to him. ha!), couldn't stop raving about them/ asking me to make them again.
So don't be scared … veggie pizza crusts are totally where it's at!
If you haven't eaten a veggie pizza crust, I imagine you're thinking, “What the heck does a pizza crust made with vegetables even taste like?” I also imagine your face is a little scrunched up in that way mine does when someone tries to sell me on something ‘healthy' that doesn't sound tasty at all.
Here's the thing … you'll never mistake one of these crusts for a regular pizza crust, and that's totally ok. They are softer than their traditional counterpart, but still hold themselves together well and even have a bit of a bite.
Here's where the amazing part comes in: crispy cheese. Yes, you read that right. You know when you bake a big pile of nachos and some of the cheese melts off the chips and glues itself to the pan and you spend half the night prying off each and every morsel cause it's just so. damn. tasty. Ya, that. That's what these veggie pizza crusts are like.
You see, when you bake them all the cheese melts and some of it gets crispy and it's AWESOME! It's flavor-bomb, crispy cheese amazingness in every bite.
What you need to know about veggie pizza crusts:
♡ We've already covered the crispy cheese deliciousness part (the most important part) so I'll leave that.
♡ The kale and spinach pizza crusts are almost exactly the same. They're so similar that I couldn't tell them apart in a side by side taste test. ← Yes, my ‘job' involves taste testing pizza. I have the best job in the world.
♡ The broccoli pizza crust tastes a little like broccoli – surprise surprise! It's not a bad thing at all, just something to keep in mind when you're planning your toppings.
♡ Vegetables naturally have a lot of water in them. The more moisture you can take out of the veggies before you make them into crusts, the crispier they will be. The broccoli pizza crust is a little soft if made exactly as the recipe is written. If you'd like it crisper, you can cook the broccoli before making it into crusts to remove more of the moisture.
♡ Go easy on the toppings. While you will be able to pick these up and eat them like a regular pizza, you don't want to push your luck by piling the toppings on high. Take the minimalist approach!
If you make this Green Veggie Pizza Crust make sure you snap a pic and tag #theendlessmeal on Instagram so I can like and comment on your photos. I love seeing TEM recipes you create!
Did you know you can make a Veggie Pizza Crust without any flour and it still tastes AMAZING! Make this low-carb green pizza crust with either kale, spinach, broccoli, or zucchini and sneak some extra veggies into your meal. It's a surprisingly delicious dinner recipe!
2 cups broccoli, spinach, kale, or zucchini (see notes)
½ cup grated mozzarella cheese
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 large eggs
1 garlic clove, finely minced
¼ teaspoon each: sea salt and black pepper
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Mix all the ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl. (See notes for how to prepare the veggies.) Divide between the two baking sheets and use your hands to flatten into an 8-inch circle.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove the veggie pizza crusts from the oven and, using the parchment paper, carefully flip the crusts over so the top is now face down directly on the baking sheet. Return the crusts to the oven and let them cook for another 5 minutes.
Top lightly with your pizza toppings and cook for a further 15 minutes.
To prepare the veggies:
Kale and Spinach: place in your food processor and blend until finely chopped. Squeeze out as much liquid as you can using your hands.
Broccoli: add the florets and stems to your food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Optional step: roast in the oven for 10 minutes to dry the broccoli so you get a crisper pizza crust.
Zucchini: grate using the small holes on your grater. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible, first using your hands and then with some paper towels.
BBQ Pulled Turkey Pizza with Fiery Pineapple Salsa
Blue Cheese and Roasted Brussels Sprouts Pizza
Original article and pictures take www.theendlessmeal.com site
I love Greek food, so it’s always fun to incorporate an easy meatball recipe for dinner time. Mediterranean dishes are not only yummy, but super healthy, too! Enjoy!
Greek Turkey Meatballs with Yogurt Tzatziki Sauce
Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground turkey
1/2 onion, minced or grated
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tablespoons lemon zest
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1/2 cup low-fat feta cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Stir all ingredients together in a large bowl. Make sure you don’t mix too much or the meatballs will be tough.
Roll into small 1 oz balls (about 16) and place on a slightly greased baking dish or pan.
Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until turkey is cooked through.
Serve with your favorite veggies and Tzatziki sauce (recipe below).
Greek Tzatziki Sauce
Ingredients:
1 medium cucumber (about 8 oz), peeled, seeded and chopped into chunks*
Place diced cucumber in a mesh strainer or colander and sprinkle with salt, toss to evenly coat then allow to rest 30 minutes at room temperature.
Rinse cucumbers and place over several layers of paper towels. Squeeze some of the liquid from cucumbers (almost as if wringing moisture from a cloth).
Place cucumbers in food processor and pulse to chop fine (if there’s excess liquid drain it off).
Pour cucumbers into a mixing bowl add Greek yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, and dill and season with salt and pepper to taste. Whisk to combine. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container.
*To remove seeds, peel the cucumber, slice in half lengthwise, then used a spoon to scoop the seeds out and dice into chunks.
Yields 4 Servings
Approved all cycles
Photo above courtesy of Judy H. – Judy’s creations always look so yummy!
Photo above courtesy of Sandra J. – I love how Sandra incorporated her Simply17 party favors into this shot of her yummy dinner!
Original article and pictures take 17ddblog.com site
A good Greek salad dressing recipe may not sound life changing. But please trust me on this…it IS life changing. This is our very, very favorite seasoning mix. It makes the most divine and authentic Greek Pizzaria style dressing, but it’s also become our house seasoning blend. I keep both the ranch dressing seasoning mix, and this one in shaker jars on my counter.
Greek-salad-dressing-recipe (2)
We love it atop the Pizza Hut style breadstick recipe on cheese pizzadillas, in my oven fries recipe and on baked potatoes, and, and…plus infinity. It’s the secret ingredient to making an amazing pizza crust in my homemade pizza recipe.
And NOW that I’m Trim & Healthy, this Greek salad dressing recipe is even more awesome, since the spices themselves are fuel pull, and can be used with ANY type of meal. And, I also give a fat free Greek salad dressing recipe below in the printable that you can use with E and FP salads!
Plus, it’s completely healthy with no Mono-glutamic-nazi-parabens.
(Yee-haw!)
The other great thing, is that this salad dressing doesn’t need to be refrigerated, so it’s perfect for picnics, camping, or covered dish meals.
So, what I’m really trying to say is that this is the most awesomely wonderful recipe on the whole planet, and you just have to try it, or your life will be ruined. OK?
Now, this might look like a whole bunch of spices, but it’s way worth your time to put together. For one thing, you probably have almost all of these spices in your cabinet right now. And for another, the recipe below makes almost 2 cups of (un-blended) spice mix.
Theoretically, this should last you a long time.
Having a big jar of Greek Dressing Mix makes it very convenient to mix up a batch of salad dressing when you discover that you’re out as the table is being set. Which is pretty much the only time that I discover that we’re out of something.
So, let’s get cookin’.
Here’s what you’ll need:
powdered onion, powdered (or granulated) garlic, dried basil, black pepper, oregano, sugar and salt.
I like to mix mine up in a standard quart canning jar, so I can powder it in my blender like this.
When you shake it up, it looks like this.
I like to blend it to a fine powder, so that it mixes in quickly and has maximum flavor right away:
Then, I write the recipe for making the mix and for making the dressing on the lid of the jar. Keeps me from having to flip through my recipe notebook…this is because I’m lazy efficient.
I have also started storing some of it in a spice/shaker jar because we like it as a schprinkle too.
Now you’re ready to shake-shake-shake your way to Greek heaven…or make this amazing salad dressing:
Now, quickly…print this, make this, and enjoy!
This spice blend is amazing...we use it to make dressing and also use it like a shake on Greek spice or rub. I love to make my dry dressing mixes in big batches, so I can quickly put a new batch together with one scoop of spices and some oil and vinegar. Another cool thing...this dressing doesn't need to be refrigerated, so it's great to take to picnics etc. This recipe yeilds over a cup of mix.
Mix together in a jar...it makes a little over a cup.
Optional: Dump spices into the blender, and blend to a powdered mix.
This makes the flavors 'meld' faster when you mix it.
One quarter cup each of red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar.
One teaspoon each of Dijon style mustard and lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of your spice mix. Shake shake shake.
just follow the lines on the bottle like so-
fill to vinegar line use half balsamic and half red wine vinegar
fill to water line
add 1 t. of lemon juice
fill to oil line with olive oil. Shake, shake, shake!
If you plan on taking it to a picnic, you can marinate the olives, onions, tomatoes and feta in the dressing overnight, and then add it to the greens at the last minute. Yum!
In a glass jar ¾ cup water and ¼ t. gluccomannan powder...shaking lightly over the surface while blending for no lumps.
Add one quarter cup each of red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar.
Next, add one teaspoon each of Dijon style mustard and lemon juice, and only 2 teaspoons of your spice mix. Leaving out the oil really brings out the spiciness. Shake shake shake. Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference.
gwens nest recipes Original article and pictures take gwens-nest.com site
Need something easy and flavorful to throw on the grill this weekend? This Greek Marinated Chicken is it.
The marinade for this chicken (similar to what I used for this Chicken Shawarma ) takes just a few minutes to stir together and creates an absolute explosion of flavor. It’s incredible. I only marinated my chicken in this magical mix for 30 minutes, but the flavor was still loud and clear. Once marinated, you can grill the chicken outdoors over a gas or charcoal flame, or (if you don’t have a grill) you can bake it in the oven. Either way, you’ll get a super flavorful and moist end product.
I served this Greek Marinated Chicken with my Lemony Cucumber and Couscous Salad, which was the perfect cold summer side, and incorporated both starches and vegetables into the meal. Two birds with one stone!
Greek Marinated Chicken
Step by Step Photos for Greek Marinated Chicken
First prepare the marinade. Combine the yogurt, olive oil, oregano, minced garlic, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper in a bowl. Add the zest from one lemon and the juice from about half of it (1-2 Tbsp). Stir these ingredients until well combined.
Add a handful, or about 1/4 bunch, of roughly chopped parsley. This is your finished marinade (or a REALLY awesome dip!). I used about 3.75 pounds of chicken pieces (drumsticks and thighs). You could easily half this Greek Marinated Chicken recipe, if needed. Add the chicken pieces and the marinade to a large, gallon-sized zip top bag and mix it around to make sure the chicken is well coated. Refrigerate the bag for 30 minutes.
After marinating, you can either grill the chicken or bake it. I don’t have an outdoor grill, so I decided to bake it. Place the chicken pieces in a large casserole dish. I ended up pouring the extra marinade over top, but later realized that this just made it take longer to brown, so I don’t suggest doing so. There is plenty of flavor in the marinade that you won’t need to add the extra.
Bake the chicken in a preheated 375 degree oven for 45-60 minutes, or until it is golden brown. It will smell SO good! Now eat!
