Veggie Souffle Yay!

One of the things I consistently struggle with is finding healthy options for lunch during the work week.  I have to get up early and pack a fresh lunch if I want to bring something from home. And if I get something at the cafe it's very easy to get distracted and choose something unhealthy (example: everytime I get lunch at work I can't help but grab a few gummy bears and maybe some chocolate covered peanuts, whoopsie).

So, I'm always trying to find meals that I can quickly grab from the fridge or freezer so I can sleep in just a few minutes later.  Recently I've been loving Garden Lites Vegetable souffles. There are six flavors and none of them have over 150 calories and 5g of fat.  These little bowls of vegetables and egg whites are super yummy and the perfect lunch option to throw in your work back before you leave the house.  I usually have some Ezekiel bread toast with this for the perfect compliment cause you'll need a tad bit more to fill you up.

These delicious souffles are available in Broccoli, Butternut Squash, Roasted Vegetable (my fav), Cauliflower, Spinach and Zucchini. They are gluten free and kosher!

My Favorite:

You can find them at Publix and check Whole Foods too.

xo,
zo

Workday Breakfast II

As "they" say, "breakfast is the most important meal" and I agree with "them."  If you skip breakfast because you think it will help you shed some lbs, you done made the wrong decision. 

By skipping breakfast you are more likely to over eat over the course of the day. Your body isn't sure when you will get your next meal so it stores more fat AND your metabolism doesn't get started until later and you really don't want that, trust me.

That's why eating a healthy and nutritious breakfast is so important.  If you haven't heard of steel cut oats, you're welcome for the info. Steel cut oats are better than instant oats for two main reasons, they have more cholesterol lowering fiber and they take longer to digest so you stay full for longer.  Usually these oats take around 20-30 minutes to make which is pretty far fetched for a workday. But Trader Joe's makes it way easier by introducing already made, frozen steel cut oats. Pop 'em in the microwave and 4 minutes later you have an amazing breakfast. For even more healthy goodness add a pinch of cinnamon, a teaspoon of all natural peanut butter and blueberries!

I own too many coffee mugs.

Nutrition Facts: 150 cal, 2.5g fat, 7g sugar, 5g protein

xo,
zo

Movie Snacks

We all know that going to the movies can cost a pretty penny and that's just the ticket alone.  Add in popcorn and a huge fountain drink and you've already spent over 20 bucks. Not to mention the fact that on average, a large bag of popcorn has 1,100 calories, 60 grams of fat and 1,235 milligrams of sodium. Holy crap that is seriously not good for you.

So to shave off a few dollars and a hell of a lot of calories I've chosen an alternative snack, but you have to be a little rebellious and sneak in a few items (just bring in a big bag and you'll be fine).

Head on over to Trader Joe's and pick up a bag of Skinny Fries (110 calories, 2g fat, 320g sodium per serving) and a bottle of water.  This will only cost you $3.00.  So you've saved around $8 and 990 calories! Wahoo!

xo,
zo

Road Trip Snackin'

Got back Tuesday night from a ridiculously amazing week long road trip through North Carolina and Virginia. Eating healthy on the road is sometimes a challenge which is why you should usually try and plan your stops in advance and bring a ton of healthy snack options.  The healthy snack part I have down pact. Scoping out places to eat that don't start with Chic and end in Fil-a is the hard part.

My Go-To Road Trip Snacks:

• Trader Joes non-salted pistachios
• Banana Coconut gRAWnola (This stuff is legit. It's a combination of banana and coconut along with the gRAWnola core ingredients of pumpkin seeds, apples, dates, almonds and walnuts)
• Aged White Cheddar Pirates Booty (I could - and may have done so a few times - eat this entire bag by myself it's THAT good. It's 100 times healthier than ripping into a bag of chips or candy. It's all natural, baked and gluten free)
• Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew KIND bar. This little bar rocks my world. It's the perfect blend of salty and sweet while providing antioxidants and a few key vitamins.
• Apples 

  gRAWnola - available in 3 flavors: Banana/Coconut, Original and Sweet & Sour

Pirate's Booty: Available in 5 other flavors. Only 130 calories per serving!



Vitamins A, E & D! Check out there website for other KINDS of snacks.

xo,

zo

Freezer Burn

Did a little light grocery shopping a few nights ago for breakfast, lunch and snack options for this week.  I usually shop on Monday because I have a better idea of what I'm doing for the rest of the week so it helps me save money and not waste food if I know I'm going out.  This trip was more about navigating the freezer section (i.e. how to steer clear of the frozen pizzas).

So here is my list of healthy and nutritious staples that I like to have around my freezer (and a few extras). 

• Veggie Patch faux chicken nuggets (4 Nugs - 190 Cal, 8g fat, 3g fiber 10g protein)
• Avocados
• VitaTops Egg, Cheese & Veggie (150 Calories per Sandi!)
• Silk Pure Almond Milk in Dark Chocolate (90 Calories and perfect for a snack)
• Butter lettuce
• Low Sodium Ezekial Break, i love this stuff (1 slice - 80 cal, .5g fat, 4g protein, 0 sodium)
• Morningstar Soysage (80 cal, 3g fat, 10g protein)
• Almond Breeze Unsweetened Milk (40 Calories)
• Green Giant Healthy Heart Steamers (90 cal, 2.5 fat)
• Kashi Spicy Black Bean Enchilada (260 cal, 7g fat, 8g fiber, 8g protein)
• Morningstar Lasagna (270 Cal, 6g fat, 20g protein)
• Organic Pasture Raised Half and Half (for my coffee)
• Egg Whites