sauté chicken and veggies with roasted organic sweet potatoes

Hi Ladies!

Hope you're all having a great week thus far. Life is pretty busy on this end but no complaints.

Today I want to share one of my quick and easy dinner recipes. It literally takes me less than 45 minutes to prep this entire meal and saving time comes in handy when I have work to do all day.

Yes, I kind of ate almost all the sweet potatoes. Too good. Don't judge me! 

As you may already know, I try to make a conscious effort to eat healthy yet satisfying meals at least 80-90% of the time (the rest is saved for my beloved sweet tooth).

This meal idea includes Mushrooms, onions, chicken, yummy seasoning, organic sweet potatoes and steamed veggies.

 Lets do this.

THE {VERY SIMPLE} INGREDIENTS:

Diced mushrooms, onions, grilled chicken:

Frozen Veggies (ready to be steamed):

PREPARATION:

Grilled Chicken saute with the mushrooms and onions.

Saute the onions with all the seasonings, using 1 tablespoon of coconut oil (if you have garlic and red peppers please add some, it will enhanced the flavor even more- I ran out!). Once the onions are caramelized, add the diced mushrooms and mix it all together. Let the mushrooms cook in low-medium hit until soft and tender. Finally, add the grilled chicken and mix it all together again, letting it heat up.

Place the diced sweet potatoes in the oven at 350F for about 15-25 minutes (until cooked and crispy, flip them after about 15 mins).

Mix the saute chicken and onions with the veggies, get the sweet potatoes out of the oven and voila! You're done. enjoy!

Tell me, what is your favorite quick and healthy recipe idea?

Love,
Mabelle

Delicious Finds #3: Inexpensive (and super delicious) Gluten Free Mac N Cheese

Note: this is not a sponsored post. This is simply a series where I share serendipitous supermarket finds that turn out to be delicious.

Hello my loves,

Happy Thursday! Hope everyone is having a great week so far. Just a quick post to share yet another super market find that has turned out to be truly delicious. I twitted about it the first time I made it and have been a fan ever since.

Last week I was able to find some organic chicken cutlets on sale at my local supermarket and thought to myself--- what better way to pair up some delicious chicken than with mac and cheese plus some veggies on the side to round it all up?! Well, that's exactly what I've been having for dinner the last couple of nights and I've had enough self control to still still have a good amount left over.

I believe the box is good for allegedly 2.5 servings but I've been portioning it to one cup each time I have some (2 times this week) and it looks like I still may have enough for two more servings.

 

The rice pasta comes with its own cheese powder, however, I add about 1/4 cup of part skim mozarella to make it more wholesome. Another tip is that I been using almond milk instead of the regular 2% milk the recipe in the box calls for; making it a whole lot creamier.

 

Almost forgot to mention this 'delicious find' was found at Aldis (can you tell I love that place?!). The box only costs about $1.99 if I remember correctly. I know it probably doesnt compare to mac and cheese made from scratch but is a great alternative for a quick and delicious meal. Also, a lot healthier than other options, in my opinion. Perfect to satisfy that comfort food craving from time to time.

 

Again, I am not getting paid to write about this. I simply enjoy several of their products. After I twitted about the mac and cheese, someone from their social media group did reach out (publicly, via twitter) to offer some coupons. I have yet to take advantage of that but will in the near future. We shall see. If anyone from Aldis is reading this please email me :)

And that's all folks!

 

Would love to hear from you-- what is your favorite mac and cheese recipe? Link it below! would love to give it a try.

Love,

Mabelle

A quick, wholesome, delicious dinner using Trader Joes Sweet Apple Chicken Sausages

Whenever I am in the mood for something quick yet healthy and wholesome; Trader Joes sausages are my go-to. I got home from work trying to figure out what to make for dinner and this was absolutely perfect. All you need:

...well, this a a few more ingredients.

-Garlic & Onions to taste
-Oregano and curry powder (or any other kind of seasonings you may have around)
-Coconut oil (you can substitute w/ olive oil or oil-spray)
-1 chicken sausage per person
-Slices mushrooms
-Broccoli & mixed veggies

Heat up some coconut oil in a pan, in medium heat (I use about 1/2 tablespoon as it its just for me)
Once the oil is warm, add the onions and garlic, raise the heat enough to caramelize them. If you have some oregano and curry powder, add some to taste.

Once that process is completed, turn down heat back to medium and add the chicken sausage and sliced mushrooms. Cover it and lets it "simmer". Keep an eye on it to make sure nothing burns and everything remains "juicy". {Note: the TJs sausages are already cooked, as per the label. You simply want to make sure you heat them up well enough. No one wants to eat frozen meat.)

While you are waiting on the sausage to heat up, place your veggies in a steamer (if you have one) and steam away.

After about 15-20 mins or so, and once you notice the sausage has heated up well and the mushrooms have cooked as well, slice the sausage in multiple pieces and mix together with the onion and garlic thats already in the pan (similar to a "stir fry).

Check on your veggies-- are they nice and steamed?

FINAL STEP--  Mix up the veggies and the sausage 'stir fry' in one single bowl. Add some cheese on top if you have some on your fridge (I used feta).

Heat up a delicious tortilla and eat it on the side. I found this during my recent visit to Trader Joes and I think I discovered a new favorite:

...And thats all ladies and gents. Hope you liked it. For "dessert" i had a couple of tangerines and may have some dark chocolate later. But this dinner always hits the spot.

Whats your favorite quick and healthy dinner to make?

Fortunate Friday! And some of my eats today...

This is going to be quick because I'm going out to meet some friends (waiting for one of my buddies to pick me up) but just wanted to share:

This week I feel fortunate for...

1. Living in an apartment complex that is extremely clean and has excellent maintenance. Lord knows some parts of NYC are infested with certain things I don't even want to name (if you've ever been at a subway station in NY, you may know the deal). So, being able to live in a clean environment is quite the blessing!!! Things like that are never to be taken for granted!

2. Understanding the purpose for certain things in life, when one looks in retrospect. For example, this week it clicked to me that taking a finance course in undergrad was what triggered my interest in what is today one of my passions. Had I never taken that course or had I never majored in business perhaps I wouldn't have discovered that I enjoy investing. I am sure if we look back and think about certain things we went through we can come to realize they were the reason for something you consider significant in your life today.

3. Having my sister in my life and  being able to experience everything that comes with the passage of time and growing up together. It was my sister's 26th birthday yesterday (yes! Her bday is on Valentine's day). My gift to her was a collage of multiple pictures from all the races we've done together. Here is a very bad photo of it but you get the idea:

As part her gift, I am also signing us up for a 5K :)

4. Coming across a book I had bought about a year ago but hadn't started reading until this week. Book came at a perfect time! I will share more about the book sometime at the end of the month. I'm hoping to finish it by then.

5. Reaching 52 weeks of keeping a food diary!---This week I reached my year "anniversary" of keeping a food diary. I've kept food diaries in the past but usually for no longer than 3-4 months. This time I somehow kept it going for an entire year and I've learned A LOT. About my food triggers, which foods make me feel "good" or not so good, which calm me and bring me to a "happy place", etc. etc. My weight had fluctuated a lot in the past but I feel that my food diary has been a key instrument in helping me keep the weight off. It is an amazing tool.
By the way--- I not only write the foods I eat on my diary. I also write how I may be feeling that day or week, what "significant" or notable events may be going on in my life, among other things. Is half food journal/half diary. I want to go back through all the notebooks (I think I went through at least 5 or 6 in the past year) and read through some of my entries. I know I've come a long way!

***
In other news, I feel like I haven't been sharing much of my eats lately (I one of those interesting people that takes pics of all my food but I haven't had the time to share much with you guys. Here are some of today's eats.

Breakfast: Granola mixed w/ Greek yogurt, coffee and strawberries and SEVERAL cups of this--->

 (In an attempt to detox from all the chocolate I ate yesterday)

Lunch: Tried a tuna sub from Subway for the very first time. I am observing Lent (which has begun!) so I am not eating meat for the next 40 days. I loved the tuna and was pleasantly surprised:

Dinner: 1 cup vegetable rice, shrimp and side of steamed veggies + Avocado (yum)

Post dinner I had some chai tea.

Thank you for reading :) Is a long weekend so I am super excited!

Any exciting plans?

What Cabin Fever did and How I reversed it....Somewhat.

Hello my friends!

I came to visit my mom but she is busy helping my dad with his business so, I decided to sit back and do some blogging. I write this after eating this delicious home made meal:

It had been a while since I had my mom's cooking and I was kinda missing it yesterday. So, Im glad I made it here today. Is also always nice to come home and see my family-- Always a plus (in other words: I am not just here for the food lol).

The Cabin Fever Fiasco: So yesterday I spent the E.N.T.I.R.E day at my apartment. I had plans in the morning of going for a run but then I noticed that they hadn't clean the path where I usually do my running. Plus, I saw A LOT of kids and their parents playing in the snow (the greatness of being able to see the entire track from my bedroom window!). I didn't feel like being the random person just running and risking busting my ass behind  in front of all my neighbors so I decided to postpone my run and do some cleaning instead. 

Well, after a nice breakfast, some cleaning and internet browsing I planted myself in front of the TV and did a WHOLE lot of snacking and eating and then some more! Ugh! I know a big trigger for me is the TV but somehow after a long week I guess I was too lazy to do anything else. I also had somewhat of a headache and didn't feel too great so, while my snacking was taking place I watched a gazillion Lifetime movies about peoples lives which I find really interesting (don't judge me lol) and other random shows. By the time the day was over I felt like the biggest bum in the world.

....FAST FORWARD to this morning: I woke up with a mission!! Before I could think twice I put on my running gear and off I went. I completed 3 easy miles non-stop (by "easy" I mean I took my time) and then did a cool down by walking my way back to my apartment. There was still snow in the ground (probably my first time running on snow) but I made it work somehow! That run felt A.M.A.Z.I.NG.

Note: I am not the fastest runner in the world. I go at my own pace. I know a lot of you guys can do an 8 minute mile. Im still working myself up to that. One day I shall surprise you all :)

Back at my place I was in the mood for some hard boiled eggs so, while that was getting done I decided to do my scheduled Jillian workout: Ripped In 30. I am happy to announce I completed day 7 of week 2. I start week 3 this week coming up. I don't know if I should be excited or scared.

Post my workout and breakfast I took a shower, washed my hair. I then snacked on almonds and dark chocolate (not pictured). Eventually I got motivated to do some meal prepping for the week and that's what I did. Here are some photos:

In the zip-locks  Seasoned salmon and tilapia which i can cook up quickly. The containers on the side have whole wheat pasta divided up for 3 days.

Also, prepped some "grab and go" breakfast items:

In the zip locks: Granola with raisins. In the white paper: Almond butter and Jelly on sprouted raisin bread they all make a great and super satisfying breakfast).

Once that was done I came to visit my parents and here I am for a bit. Feels good to be here :).

So, the "somewhat" on the title of this post means that I cant say I've been eating 100% clean today (although I am working on recovering from yesterday's eating fiasco!). But, I've found a nice balance. I ate my moms food in moderation and somehow found the will power not to over do it too much on the dark chocolate earlier today! Life is all about balance. I am usually super good about my food and my workouts during the week. We all slip off once in a while. Is part of life!

Question: Hows your Sunday going? were you affected by the snow storm this weekend?

Made My Own Granola and is GOOD!!

Hey Everyone!

How you're all enjoying a good week! It probably goes without saying I haven't been so active lately with the blog because things have gotten quite busy. Nonetheless, here I am to share something I did this past weekend which I am super excited about: made my own granola!

I probably sound like the biggest nerd right now but after spending sooo much money on granola since I started my healthy-living journey (IE: I love the LoveGrown brand but is $$$) I decided to experiment and do my own.

Where do you go when you want to find out how to do something immediately?! Google! I found a great and simple recipe and to my surprise I had all the needed ingredients on hand! I entered the world "clean" on my search because granola can have quite a high amount of calories and fat so I wanted to make sure I found something I wouldnt have to feel guilty about eating.

Here is the recipe from Clean Eating Magazine.

I didn't have cranberries on hand so I used raisins (which I added after the granola was already made since I've never baked raisins before and wasn't quite sure how that would work.)


Here are some photos of the process--->

In to the Oven:

Out of the Oven:

Cut up in to Real Granola!:

Placed it in my containers from Almond Butter which I keep because I am crazy. One of the jars is almost halfway done:

And now I take it to work and mix it with my Greek Yogurt for breakfast! YUM!
 

Cant wait to experiment with more flavors!!! I also want to get cute containers to put it in :)

Question: Have you ever tried making granola, or anything at all that you had previously spent money on? or, do you rather just buy it?

January Goal Review: How did I do?!

Hey everyone! Happy Saturday! I had quite the eventful day. I went to lunch with a very good friend of mine. We met up at California Kitchen and I had the most amazing Cobb Salad with house ranch dressing on the side (used very sparingly).

After a very nice lunch and an amazing time catching up I decided to do some shopping. My goal was just maybe an hour or two but that turned in to about 5 hours where I visited:

• Walmart
• Target
• Trader Joes
• The Container Store

I had to take advantage because most of the stores are no where near my apartment (I was about 20-25 miles away from home). So, believe me! I had a blast. Specially at Walmart  I think I stocked up on enough house cleaning products and snacks to last me for the rest of the year!

So anyways, without further ado I'd like to get to the point of the post which is my January Goals Review. If you missed the very first post of the year you can check it out here. These were my target goals:

1. Read an entire book of choice. January's Selection: Aleph By Paulo Coelho

I finished the book in about 2 weeks in to the month. Although the book was quite good and included several "inspirational- follow your dreams" quotes, which are almost in every Coelho's book--- I still find that the Alchemist is his best work to date. 

Aleph is written as non-fiction and is actually Coelho's personal account of a trip he made
with his writing team while crossing the Trans-Siberian railway (a very, very long and adventurous train ride from Europe to Russia). I wont tell you much in case you want to read it but he shares multiple adventures where the main character is a stalker fan which he allows to join him on the trip. 

Like I mentioned, the book is filled with amazing quotes. Here are a few of my favorites:

"When faced by any loss, there’s no point in trying to recover what has been, it’s best to take advantage of the large space that opens up before us and fill it with something new." -Aleph, Paulo Coelho

"Don’t be intimidated by other people’s opinions.  Only mediocrity is sure of itself, so take risks and do what you really want to do."

"Anyone who knows God cannot describe Him. Anyone who can describe God does not know Him."

2. Get started on my new Jillian Michaels DVD. Shred IN 30

What can I say?! I love, love, love Jillian! I am currently on week 2, day 4 of Shred In 30. Ive been doing the workouts pretty consistently about every other day (minus this past week because I did not have time due to my school-scheduling chaos). Nonetheless, the workouts continue to be amazing and I definitely find this DVD much more challenging that the 30 day shred. I feel so much stronger and with more definition. Cant wait to see what weeks 3 and 4 are all about. I have a feeling I should be quite scared. But I am sure it'll be worth it!

*The way I am approaching the workouts: Since is 4 weeks worth of different workouts what I am doing is completing each week through the course of 7 days (skipping a day in between) which makes it to about 2 weeks per weekly workout. Hope that makes sense! I dont do it everyday because the workouts involve weights so, I like to give my muscles a rest day in between.

3. Look at the NY Road Runners schedule and map out a few races for the year or next 6 months. My sister got me a membership for Christmas (gotta love her!) so I cant wait to put it to use

Yes! So excited I have my 5 races mapped out for the year (I had made a goal of completing at least 5 races in 2013). I sat down the other day and googled some cool races for the year. I still have to sign up but a couple of the ones I am super excited about are: The Rock N Roll Race and The Color Run. Tomorrow I am running my very first race of the year with my sister. Is a 4-miler. Not too bad but I am excited :)

Ok, so I know I mentioned I would have my February objectives mapped out by today but I am still working on a few details for that particular post. I want to make sure my goals are realistic and attainable considering I am about to go back in to my full-time employee/ Part-time student routine so, there's going to be quite a nice mix of time-management going on. I am hoping to finish up rounding up my feb goals by tomorrow.

Question: Did you have any particular objectives for January? What was the best thing that happened to you in the last 31 days?

Getting Creative in the Kitchen

Hey all! I feel like I’ve had quite the hectic week and it’s only Wednesday. Ask me why I woke up this morning thinking it was Thursday already?! Ugh! Yesterday there was a crazy accident on my train line on my way home from work so I had to find an alternative way to get home. I was left stranded at a random train station. Thankfully, I made the best out of it by going in to a Barnes and Noble while the craziness died down and it made for quite the productive evening (Barnes & Noble is one of my favorite places to be. Nerd alert!). Another plus side is that I even found my local express bus  in the area which eventually took me straight home! Sometimes breaking away from the routine can help us discover new things we’d probably never realize otherwise.

In terms of workouts—Ive been pretty good with doing Jillian “shred in 30” every other day since the beginning of the year. I love her DVDs. I seriously never though I’d be able to find a work out DVD I would love as much as this one (plz don’t judge lol. I still love his videos!!) but I did and I love it!! Ive also been walking several miles per day.

Somehow I’ve been able to maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle without a gym membership! NYC can be an amazing gym in and of itself!

So…back to the title of the post. Lately I have been enjoying loving the kitchen and finding clean, healthy, yet delicious recipes to try or I’ll just make up random stuff (which I what I usually do). I have to share with you the three top dinners I’ve come up with this past week. Every single one of these dishes was soooo good and full of flavor! And guess what! I barely used any oil and zero salt. For flavor; I use about 1 teaspoon of coconut oil and then I add garlic and onions; which I sauté. I also add some of my curry powder which adds flavor to everything (with a gazillion times less sodium than regular salt).

Sunday: Chicken Quesadilla

Monday: Mashed Sweet potato with Grilled Shrimp

Tuesday: Organic black bean soup with carrots and veggies on the side (not pictured)

…don’t you love Trader Joes? The delicious dish above came out of this lil’ number.



Oh! And I figured out a way to make ~65 calorie hot chocolate (Simple Ingredients: One cup vanilla unsweetened almond milk, one packet of “sugar free” hot cocoa, some cinnamon on top--- One word: D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S. The almond milk gives it such a creamy taste! (side note: the Masala Chai  tea experiment is still a work in progress lol. For now, hot cocoa will do).

So, those are my eats so far for the week. Let’s see what new experiment I come up with tonight. I find that ENJOYING the foods we eat place a HUGE impact on weight loss and maintenance. As you may already know, it has to be a lifestyle. Who wants to go through life eating things that taste like cardboard just for the sake of being skinny? Not my style. There is a better way! Food is to be enjoyed. Bon Appetite!

Question: Do you like to cook? Are you a recipe person or a “I’ll figure it out” kinda’ girl?

Central Park run and a Great Weekend!

Hey Everyone! Just wanted to share a recap on my weekend!

So I have to admit this weekend turned out to be a great one. Saturday morning I woke up early enough and motivated to go for a run around my neighboorhood. The weather was perfect for running!! A little foggy but around 50+ degrees. I dont know what is going on or why is so hot in December but I'll take it for now.

On saturday night I went to sleep over at my mom's house. I actually just went to visit her because she was feeling sick but I ended up sleeping over for the night. In the morning my sister woke me up and asked whether I wanted to go for a run with her and her friends at central park. I somehow got super excited and managed to wake up super early on a sunday morning!

So, let me just share that whenever I go to my moms house I often encounter a whole lot of junk food that I dont have at my apartment. So, lets just say I "indulged" a little bit too much saturday night. I was also super stressed about a presentation I had today (which went amazing bythe way!!!) and so I snacked more than normal. Going for a run on sunday morning was PERFECT!!! Also, despite being a New Yorker Ive never ran in Central Park before so this was a first and I loved every minute of it!!! Here are some pics of my sister and I:

 

 

The Scenery was amazing! it was also kind of a rainy morning so it was just perfect:

 

 

 

We ran a little bit over 4 miles:

 



While at my moms house I also got to see her xmass tree. Loved it! I have yet to put up mine. Waiting on my boyfriend whom I havent been able to see because of exams and school stuff going on. I am hoping to put up my tree soon.

When I got home sunday night I proceeded to prepare for my presentation (that took place today) and did some meal preping for the week involving chicken:

 

 

 

I leave you with a nice message I found today and which I believe to be very true:

 

 

 

Tell me, how was your weekend? :)