Weekly Tip: For the Snackers

You know who you are.  You're the one who strays to the kitchen cabinet when you're bored, looking for something to munch on.  You're the one who can't sit through a movie without something sweet to nibble on.  You're the one who will keep eating even after you're full as long as there's still food in front of you... You're a snacker.  Don't worry, no judgment here - I'm a snacker too, and today I'd like to give you some helpful tips to curb your snack-stealing ways.

• Chew gum - If you're anything like me, you just need to have something to chew on.  Many times I find that I'm halfway through eating something and I realize that I don't even want it anymore, I'm just eating it to have something to munch on.  If that's the case, always having gum nearby can give you something to chew on without giving you extra calories.
• Stay busy - A lot times I find I'm snacking out of boredom, which means I just need to find something else to occupy myself with until I stop thinking about using food as a means to pass time.  If this means going out for a stroll or finally getting some cleaning done, even better!
• Track it - It's very easy to trick yourself into thinking that if you only eat a tiny bit of something then it doesn't count.  Well let me tell you, it does.  If you start tracking everything you eat, even the tiniest little spoonful of something, you'll see that it all definitely adds up in the end, which could stop you from reaching into the pantry for "just a little taste" of something.
• Surround yourself with healthy snacks - If you don't have junk food nearby, you're a lot less likely to eat it.  If you must keep a supply of snacks around at all times, make sure they're healthy ones.  I'm a big fan of trail mix, but those 100-calorie snack packs also work (if you can stick to just one), or fresh veggies and hummus.  If your healthy food is as easily accessible as some of the other less-healthy options, you're more likely to make smarter choices.

Hopefully these little tips will help you as much as they've helped me!  I know I love to always have a little something around to munch on, and that was one of the hardest challenges to conquer throughout my weight loss process.  Implement these tricks and you may find your weight loss goals are more attainable too!

Tuna Macaroni Salad

One of the recipes I made this week was this healthy take on Tuna Macaroni Salad that uses greek yogurt as a subtitute for all the mayo you'd usually use.  It tasted great and I'm happy I found a healthy version of one of my favorite summer foods!

You will need:
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celery
2 cans of chunk light tuna packed in water, drained
3 cups cooked whole grain pasta (I accidentally made 4 cups so it came a little more dry than it probably should, but still tasty!)
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
2 tbs light mayo
1/2 cup fat free plain Greek yogurt
1 tbs red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
-Mix everything together

Literally, that's it!  I'm a huge fan of mac salad with tuna and peas in it, so when I came across this recipe I was pretty pumped.  The greek yogurt really saves you a lot of the fat and makes you feel a lot less guilty about eating this!  I also used whole wheat pasta to make it even better.

Estimated nutrition info from livestrong.com: Yields 6 servings, serving size: 1 cup.  Calories 244; Total Fat 2.5g; Saturated Fat 0.2g; Cholesterol 13.3mg; Sodium 261.8mg; Carbs 43.7g; Dietary Fiber 4.8g; Sugars 5.4g; Protein 17.7g.

Weekly Tip: Translating Restaurant Menus

It's going to happen to you at some point in your weight loss journey, it's inevitable: you're going to eat out at a restaurant.  Situations like going out to eat make it difficult for people to make good food choices because there's so much temptation, but there are ways to interpret the menu and figure out which dishes you should opt for.  Here are some things to keep in mind:

-Good: grilled, broiled, roasted, baked, steamed, steamed, blackened or poached

-Bad: pan-fried, sautéed, battered, breaded, au gratin, cheesy, creamy, buttered, deep-fried, béarnaise, or crispy

-Go for veggies!  You don't necessarily have to order a salad, but when looking over the menu try to pick out the items that include lots of veggies.  Opt for sides like steamed vegetables instead of french fries.

-Keep it simple! Aim for the simpler sounding dishes.  The more complicated a dish sounds, the more ingredients it has in it, which means the more calories it probably has.

-Sammies: order sandwiches with whole wheat, pita, or multi-grain bread. 

-Get saucy! Watch out for cream or cheese sauces, try to choose lighter sauces and clear broths instead.

Of course there are other great tips for eating healthy when eating out as well:

-Look up the menu online before hand and have an idea of which things you can eat before you go.  Try to make a plan and stick with it.
-Ask for a half portion, or ask the server to box up half your entree before serving it to you.
-If you know you're going out to eat for dinner, try to eat lighter or get a good work out in earlier in the day.  Don't skip meals, however, since then you'll show up to the restaurant starving and probably make poor choices.
-Remember: you're the guest at the restaurant, which means they'll give you what you want.  Don't be afraid to customize a dish or ask for substitutions.

Happy dining!

Portobella Mushroom Pizza

I took a turn cooking family dinner for my friends last Sunday and decided to try out this recipe for Portobella Mushroom Pizza.  It's such a fun and healthy twist on normal pizza; you cut out the starch by using mushroom caps instead of dough!  It's also perfect because each mushroom cap is the perfect portion for 1 person.

You will need:
4 large portobella mushrooms (I used 6 since I was cooking for more people, so in that case you can also use a little more tomato and onion etc to make more of the sauce)
4 tomatoes, diced
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 leek, chopped
1 onion, chopped
5 leaves fresh basil, chopped
parmigiano reggiano cheese
fresh parsley
1 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs olive oil
salt

the sauce simmering away

empty mushroom caps just waiting to be filled!

"pizzas" ready for baking

 Directions:
-Preheat the oven to 400F.
-Heat up the olive oil in a pan.
-Add the onion and stir until it’s slightly brown.
-Add the tomatoes, garlic, leek, and a pinch of salt to the onions. Saute the ingredients until the tomatoes are soft.
-Squeeze about 1 table spoon of fresh lemon juice over the ingredients.
-Add about 5 leaves of chopped, fresh basil.
-Spray olive oil on a baking sheet and place the mushrooms on the sheet with the bottom side up.
-Add the mixed ingredients from the sauce pan into each mushroom and top with grated parmegiano cheese.
-Bake for 12 minutes.
-Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley. Ready to serve!

Just out of the oven

close up

so much cheesy, saucy goodness!

This was such an easy and creative recipe.  You could also play around with the toppings a bit and put on whatever you want.  It's full of veggies, super tasty, and each mushroom cap is only 200 calories!  If you're looking for a healthier twist on plain old pizza, you should definitely try this.

Estimated nutrition info from livestrong.com per 1 mushroom cap: Calories 209; Total Fat 12.6g; Saturated Fat 4g; Cholesterol 15mg; Sodium 187.8mg; Carbs 12.9g; Dietary Fiber 3.3g; Sugars 2.9g; Protein 8.9g.

Mom's Three Bean Salad

This past Sunday afternoon as I was standing in my kitchen singing along to Enya, mixing up this three bean salad that my mom always makes and wearing a dress that my mom also owns, it suddenly dawned on me: I have officially turned into my mother!  The whole scene was literally a flashback to any number of such afternoons in my childhood, but instead of my mother dancing around the kitchen with me watching, this time it was me!  This is not at all a bad thing; those of you who are fortunate enough to know my mom already know what an amazing woman she is, and for those of you who don't know her, you can take my word for it.  I'm happy to be a living replica of such a wonderful woman.  So in honor of my mom, and the fact that Mother's Day is right around the corner, I'd like to share one of her recipes with you: her Three Bean Salad.

You will need:
2/3 cup cider vinegar
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cans each, drained: green beans, yellow wax beans, kidney beans (use the low sodium kind!)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery

Directions:
Mix everything together in a bowl.  Literally, that's it!

Since I didn't make anything during Week 12, I made 2 recipes on Sunday to make up for it and this was one of them.  This salad is really light and refreshing, with a touch of sweetness from the sugar.  It's the perfect side dish for a cookout or a picnic. The beans are full of protein and the celery adds a nice crunch.

Estimated nutrition info from livestrong.com: Yeilds 8 servings, serving size: 1 cup.  Calories 240; Total Fat 9.5g; Saturated Fat 1.4g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 87.6mg; Carbs 35.9g; Dietary Fiber 7.6g; Sugars 19.2g; Protein 6.4g.

Quinoa Vegetable Salad with Lemon-Basil Dressing

In keeping with my warm weather recipes, I made this Quinoa Vegetable Salad last week and was so glad I did!  It was packed with yummy vegetables, filling quinoa, and the lemon-basil dressing was a nice, light touch.

You will need:
1 cup uncooked quinoa
15 oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
3 roma tomatoes
1 orange bell pepper
1 1/2 cups corn
4 green onions

For the dressing:
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp basil (or fresh if you have it)

veggie prep!

Directions:
-Rinse quinoa, and cook according to package directions.
-In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, and basil. Set aside.
-Slice green onions, dice roma tomatoes and bell pepper.
-When quinoa is done cooking, let cool. Then place all salad ingredients in a large bowl.
-Pour dressing over top and mix well to combine.
-Can eat immediately or chill before serving.

Everything in one bowl, just the way I like it!

pretty :)

If you're looking for a light but filling summer side dish, look no further.  This quinoa salad is something I will definitely be making all summer long to take to cookouts and picnics.  You could also throw in other veggies as substitutes for anything you don't like, but I think it's perfect the way it is!

Estimated nutrition info from livestrong.com: Yields 6 servings, serving size: 1 cup.  Calories 269; Total Fat 8.1g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 288.3mg; Carbs 40.8g; Dietary Fiber 9.5g; Sugars 1.3g; Protein 9.6g.

Skinny Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes

These cupcakes are such a perfect summer dessert that won't hurt your diet plans.  The original recipe is here.  The day that I made them we were having Chicken Tinga for dinner, a Mexican dish that a friend of ours made for us.  The cupcakes were perfectly refreshing after the somewhat spicy meal and they weren't too heavy to eat on a warm spring day.

You will need:
1 box white cake mix
3 tsp Raspberry Lemonade flavored Crystal Light Drink Mix
1 6 oz. container Yoplait Light Raspberry Lemonade flavored yogurt (my grocery store didn't have this flavor so I just used Light Raspberry)
2 egg whites
1/2 cup water
1 8 oz. container Cool Whip Lite

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-In a medium size bowl or stand up mixer, mix cake mix, egg whites, Crystal Light mix, yogurt, and water until well mixed and lump free.
-Pour mixture into a 9x13 inch pan or two 8 inch round pans (or a cupcake tin like I did!  I made 20 cupcakes but you could make bigger ones and do about 16).
-Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until cake has cooked through. Let cake cool and top cake with Cool Whip Free topping. For optional toppings, use fresh raspberries or lemon slices. 

adorable pink cupcakes before being frosted...

...and after!

Insta-cupcake

Initially I was nervous that a "skinny" cupcake recipe wouldn't come out quite right, but these cupcakes were the perfect texture and consistency, and the flavor was great!  The bite of the lemonade flavor was balanced out perfectly by the sweetness of the cool whip frosting.  Even the cool whip was a great touch instead of real frosting because it wasn't too heavy or too sweet.  This is a great summer dessert recipe that you don't have to feel bad about!

Estimated nutrition info from livestrong.com for 20 cupcakes (serving size: 1 cupcake): Calories 32; Fat 0.9g; Saturated Fat 0.8g; Cholesterol 0.3mg; Sodium 26.8mg; Carbs 4.4g; Dietary Fiber 0g; Sugars 2.5g; Protein 0.7g.  I got this recipe from the same place as the Skinny Chicken Florentine I made in week 9, and once again our nutrition info differed a lot, so I just went with what livestrong.com gave me since that's the site I always use.

Skinny Chicken Florentine

I made this recipe for Skinny Chicken Florentine last Friday night and it was a big hit.  My only complaint was that the recipe says it makes 6  1 1/2 cup servings, but we only got 3 out of it, so you'd have to double everything if you want to feed more people.  Also the nutrition information provided on that site and the nutrition information that livestrong.com generated for me were different, so I just stuck with the info that I had gotten.

You will need:
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 box (approx. 5oz.) frozen spinach, thawed & squeezed to remove as much liquid as possible
1 cup low fat cottage cheese
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 large garlic cloves, minced (or 1 tsp. from my jar-o-garlic)
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs flour
1 tbs lemon juice
1 can no-salt low fat added chicken broth
pinch nutmeg
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
8oz. whole grain pasta

cooking the chicken

ooey-gooey yumminess

Directions:
-Cube 'n cook chicken
-Cook pasta according to package directions
-Mix cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, and spinach together until smooth 
-In a large pot, heat olive oil
-Add flour and whisk for 30 seconds
-Add chicken broth and stir until thickened (about 3 minutes)
-Add lemon juice, garlic, nutmeg, oregano & pepper
-Bring to simmer
-Remove from heat and add blended cottage cheese, spinach, chicken, Parmesan cheese & pasta. Stir to combine
-Place in lightly sprayed casserole dish
-Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes

ready for the oven...

Ta-da!

final product on my plate!

This is a great cold weather recipe that will satisfy your cheese and carb cravings without ruining your diet.  It tasted great, was easy to make, and isn't that bad for you - what's not to like about that?  

Estimated nutrition info from livestrong.com:  Yields: ~5 cups, serving size: 1 cup.  Calories 432; Fat 16.9g; Saturated Fat 6g; Cholesterol 56mg; Sodium 889.6mg; Carbs 38.4g; Dietary Fiber 5.4g; Sugars 3.8g; Protein 31.5g.

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars

I made these Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars last week to change things up from the dinner recipes I had been trying and they came out great.  I ate them for breakfast all week long, they were so satisfying!  Not sweet enough to be dessert but not too dry or bland either.

You will need:

1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt (I used regular salt, just use half the amount)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large mashed banana
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (I used low fat)

dry ingredients

after adding wet ingredients

Directions:

-Mix together the quick cooking oats, light brown sugar, baking powder, kosher salt, and ground cinnamon.
-Add in the vanilla extract, milk and egg. Mix the ingredients together.
-Add in the mashed banana and peanut butter. Combine all of the ingredients.
-Pour the mixture into a lightly greased 8 by 8 inch metal baking pan. Bake at 350 F degrees for 20 minutes.
-Cut into squares and enjoy!

All done!

so light and fluffy!

These are just like making your own granola bars, except way better since you know all the ingredients and what's going into them.  They're perfect in the morning with some fresh fruit and a cup of coffee.  These bars  were so tasty and satisfying, I would definitely make them again!

Estimated nutrition info from livestrong.com:  Yields: 8 bars, Serving size: 1 bar.  Calories 160; Fat 5g; Cholesterol 0.9mg; Sodium 164.8mg; Carbs 24.5g; Dietary Fiber 2.1g; Sugars 10.1g; Protein 5.4g.

Week 8 Update

I'm 2 months into my weight loss challenge and I continue to work hard and see results.  Here's the week 8 recap!

Physical Activity:
-3/23/13: ran on the treadmill for 40 minutes, then did 30 Day Shred level 3
-3/25/13: 30 Day Shred level 3
-3/26/13: BODYATTACK
-3/27/13: ran on the treadmill for 30 minutes, then did 30 Day Shred level 3
-3/29/13: ran on the treadmill for 30 minutes

I finally made it to level 3 of my 30 Day Shred DVD and I was SO not prepared for it!!!  These workouts kick my butt so hard every single time I do it.  You would think that it would get a little easier as you continue, but it doesn't.  It's always difficult, but I stuck with it and I'm almost done so I can be proud of that!

Food:
Despite going to the La Boum brunch at L'Enfant Cafe last weekend (if you've never been or don't live in DC, you can find out what La Boum is here), I still managed to do pretty well with my food intake.  I let myself indulge a little more with alcohol (because when the champagne bottles come out with sparklers attached, how can you NOT order multiples?!), but since I had been really good about that over the previous 2 weeks, I thought that was okay.

Cooking:
I had been making a lot of dinner/main dish recipes lately, so this week I decided to try something different: breakfast bars!  I followed a recipe for Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal bars and they were awesome.  They were very light and fluffy, almost a cake-like consistency, but they were very satisfying.  I had them for breakfast throughout the week and it was almost like having a granola bar, but better!  Recipe to follow later this week.

Weigh-In:
This week I reached another major milestone with my weight.  I stepped on the scale Saturday morning and saw that I had lost

1 POUND!!!

This means that over the last 8 weeks I have lost TEN POUNDS!  I'm 2/3 of the way to my weight loss goal and I still have 7 weeks left to lose the remaining 5 pounds.  I couldn't be happier about this progress and I feel really great that I've made it this far.  Onward and upward!

Week 7 Update

Week 7 was my idea of the perfect week.  I stuck to my guns in terms of food and alcohol all week, kept up with my workouts, ate well, and saw awesome results.  Ideally, every week of this challenge would go that way, but we can't have everything.  Or can we? 

Physical Activity:
-3/16/13: ran on the treadmill for 45 minutes
-3/17/13: 30 Day Shred level 2
-3/18/13: ran on the treadmill for 30 minutes, then did 30 Day Shred level 2
-3/19/13: BODYATTACK
-3/20/13: 30 Day Shred level 2
-3/21/13: swam laps freestyle for 30 minutes, 800 meters total

I'm still sticking to the 30 Day Shred 3 times per week plan, which is working out really well.  Incorporating that DVD for the month of March has meant that I've been working out 6 days per week most weeks, which seems like a lot but since the DVD workouts are only 25 minutes it's completely manageable.  I also reached another running milestone; I can now run 2 miles on the treadmill without stopping!  Since I have more time and energy on Saturday mornings as opposed to week nights after working all day, that's the day when I spend a little more time on the treadmill, usually about 45 minutes.  When I first started I would tend to run for a few minutes, then walk for a few minutes, then run again etc.  Now that I've worked my way up to running longer distances at a time, I can run 2 miles on the treadmill, then walk for a few minutes, and then run another mile before cooling down.  I know my progress is somewhat slow, but it's still progress!

Food:
Week 7 kicked off with St. Patrick's Day last weekend, which I somehow managed to survive in a completely sober fashion.  I stuck to my 3 drink maximum at a St. Patrick's Day party with my friends.  I was able to have fun and enjoy myself while still respecting the guidelines I had set for myself ahead of time, so I was very proud of myself for that.  I also fell in love with a new snack last week: mixing greek yogurt, berries, and granola.  I know this is not a new concept for a lot of people, but I'm just getting on the parfait train now and I'm loving it.  Altogether it's under 300 calories, so it's a great way to satisfy my sweet tooth without putting my calorie count in danger.

Cooking:
Last weekend I cooked St. Patrick's Day dinner for the first time ever!  Growing up in a half Irish household, I was raised on corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes, but this was the first time I've ever made it.  I did it in the crock pot, and it came out amazing!  At a table of 7 people, the corned beef literally disappeared before our eyes.  I had made A LOT of veggies, so there were leftovers of those for me to have throughout the week.  Yum!

Weigh-In:
I'm always a happy girl when I can see positive results in number form on the scale at the end of every week.  I also get nervous the night before about not making my 1 pound per week goal, but week 7 was a very successful week in my eyes.  Thanks to my hard work, I lost not 1, but...

2 POUNDS!!!

This brings my total weight loss to 9 pounds in 7 weeks, and I still have 8 weeks to go to lose the remaining 6 pounds.  I was ecstatic about this progress and can only hope that it continues in the coming weeks.  With dedication and hard work, I'm confident that I can keep seeing results like this.

Chicken Orzo Salad

As usual, this recipe came to me via Pinterest, you can find the original here.  I followed the original recipe and what I got was a refreshing, light salad that's perfect for the coming spring and summer months.  It was incredibly easy, meaning you literally throw everything into one bowl and stir.  Next time the only thing I might change would be to add slightly more dressing, since it did get a little dry when I ate it for leftovers throughout the week, but besides that, perfection!

You will need:
1 1/4 cups uncooked orzo

3 cups chopped cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken and picked the meat off)

1 1/2 cups trimmed arugula

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped red onion

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

6 tbsp goat cheese crumbles

 

Salad prep!

Directions:

-Cook pasta according to package directions; drain well.

-Combine pasta, chicken, and the next 6 ingredients (through oregano) in a large bowl; toss well.

-Combine vinegar, oil, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle vinegar mixture over pasta mixture; toss well to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.

 

Finished product

 I brought this over to my friend's house for a cookout and it was a big hit.  It's such a fresh, warm weather recipe that's perfect as a side or the main dish.  

Here are the ESTIMATED nutrition facts:  Serves 8, serving size: 1 cup.  Calories 347; fat 16g; saturated fat 5.6g; cholesterol 79.9g; sodium 396.9; carbs 30g; dietary fiber 1.8g; sugars 2.8g; protein 21.9g.

Weekly Tip: Cheat.

I know I've mentioned this in previous posts, but I am definitely a big supporter of the CHEAT DAY!  Taking a cheat day, or even just a cheat meal, once a week is a way to keep your body guessing and give you a break from your (hopefully) normally regimented diet.  Since your body can adjust to pretty much anything, the cheat day allows you to surprise your body and change things up a bit.  It's also a nice chance for you to enjoy some of the foods you wouldn't normally eat as part of your weight loss plan.  I'm not saying healthy foods can't be delicious, but it's hard to get excited about veggies and lean proteins all day, every day, for weeks on end.  Since a cheat day lets you indulge in some of your less healthy preferred eats, it keeps things interesting for you and makes you more likely to stick with your long term plan. 

It's important to remember that you can't use the cheat day as an excuse to eat whatever you want, whenever you want.  For example, a friend invites you out to dinner and you decide, "Sure, I'll spring for the burger with everything on top and the chili cheese fries, this can be my cheat meal!"  Then 2 days later someone brings cupcakes in to work and all of the sudden, you're having another cheat meal, and another, and another.  That kind of thinking can snowball and quickly ruin all your hard work.  You need to plan this ahead of time.  Pick one day a week when you know you're going to be a little more lax with your food choices, and keep it the same day every week.  For me, my cheat day is always on the weekend, since it's easier for me to keep a regimented meal plan during the week on a full time work schedule.  Also, you're more likely to be going out with friends to dinner and drinks etc. on the weekends, which is when you want to loosen up and be more lax about your choices.

Cheat days, while enjoyable, can also be very dangerous for people who don't have the right amount of self-control.  If you're the kind of person with the "once you pop, you just can't stop" mentality, then taking a cheat day might not be the best idea for you.  For some people, once they've cheated it's hard to then go back to their healthy meal plan and they just give it up completely.  If a weekly cheat day is too frequent for you, it might be better to time your cheat day with milestones, like for every x amount of pounds you lose, or once you're able to run x miles.  That way your cheat meal isn't quite as frequent, but you still have something to look forward to along the way.

Also really important: even on your cheat day, always remember that ultimately, you have set weight loss goals for yourself and you can ruin them by making poor food choices.  The cheat day should not be a free pass to go crazy and eat things that will completely undo all your fabulous progress.  Keep your portion sizes in check, and try to still include fruits and veggies along with the more unhealthy things you might be enjoying that day.

Most importantly, do what works best for you.  What works for some does not work for everyone.  Know your limits and stay in control of your food, your choices, and your goals.  Enjoy!

Pesto Ranch Crock Pot Chicken

I'm excited to share my first crock pot recipe with everyone!  This recipe that I made during week 5 was so easy and so yummy.  There are only 4 ingredients, which was what initially drew me to the recipe, and using a crock pot just makes everything so much easier in general anyway (original recipe here). 

You will need: 
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (I used 6 breasts and it worked just fine)
6 ounce jar of pesto 
1 package Ranch Dressing Seasoning Mix 
1/2 cup chicken broth (use the low sodium kind if you can find it!)

Raw chicken, chillen

Directions:
-Turn crock pot to high setting.
-Place chicken thighs, pesto, ranch dressing and chicken broth into crock pot.
-Stir gently to combine all seasonings.
-Close with lid and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.

Finished product!

I served the chicken with some rice and it was just so moist and juicy, I got great reviews from my friends/taste testers!

Nutrition info generated from livestrong.com for 6 chicken breasts (the ones I used were about 9 oz each so they were pretty big), per serving: Calories 455, Fat 16.3g, Saturated Fat 2g, Cholesterol 151.7g, Sodium 1257.8g, Carbs 6.8g, Dietary Fiber 0.7g, Sugars 1.4g, Protein 61g.

The sodium content is pretty high thanks to the ranch dressing packet, and if you had a homemade pesto recipe that might also bring down the fat and cholesterol counts.  Important to note also that 9 oz chicken breasts are pretty big so you could really eat a half at a time like I did and that would be plenty.  Let me know if you try out this recipe and what you think!

Shmammy's Turkey Chili

These are by far the funniest recipe directions I've ever received, so even if you don't make this you should still read through and have a nice laugh!  One of my best friends (Shmammy) sent me this Turkey Chili recipe to try out last week, and it was delicious!  I wanted to share it with everyone before the weather gets too warm for a dish like this, so here you go (you're welcome in advance):

I can practically smell it cooking.

You will need:
1 cup chopped onions
3 cloves garlic (or 3 tbs minced garlic)
1 cup mushrooms
2 tsps cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tbs chili powder
1 lb lean ground turkey
1 28 oz. can of dice tomatoes
1 15 oz. can kidney beans
1 15 oz. can pinto beans 
1 cup of water (optional)

Directions:

-Get a big pot!

-Saute 1 cup of chopped onions and 3 cloves of garlic!  (or a few tbs if you have the jarred minced garlic like me!)

-Do that for like 3 min?

-Put the mushroomies in there!  I think the recipe said a cup but I like me some mushrooms so I put in a lot more.

-Let that cook for 5 min!

-Add in 2 tsp of cumin!

-1 tsp of oregano i think? haha

-1 tbs of chili powder!

-Let that get all yummy then add in 1 lb of ground turkey!  Go for the lean!

-Cook that until it's no longer pink and add 1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes!

-Add 1 can of kidney beans and 1 can of pinto (Add what you like! Black beans? Even corn? Woohoo for southwestern!)

-1 cup of water is optional depending on how thick you want it.

-Let that simmer for 30 min!

-Eat with multigrain crackers!  A yummy baguette!  Goldfishies!  Cheese!  Sour cream!  Put it over brown rice!  Yummmmmmmerooni!

These directions had me cracking up laughing!  I served it over brown rice and sprinkled some low fat cheddar cheese on top...DEEE-LICIOUS! 

The finished product

I put the recipe into my food tracking site (www.livestrong.com) and it generated the following nutritional data: Yields approx. 8 1 cup servings.  Per serving: Calories 287; Fat 4g; Cholesterol 32.5mg; Sodium 411mg; Carbs 39g; Dietary Fiber 14.6g; Sugars 4.8g; Protein 24.8g.

If you try this out, let me know how it goes!