Tasty Tuesday: Banana Bread Smoothie!

Dieting sucks. Because food is one of the best things in the world. And when you can't eat what you want, life feels hard.

Something that's helped me is attempting to recreate unhealthy foods in slightly healthier ways. I'm not talking about Bobby Deen-type stuff like "300 calorie mac'n'cheese" (maybe the blandest thing I've eaten in my life) and other low-calorie recipes based on comfort foods. Because to me, that's kinda blasphemy.

I'm talking about...say...a banana bread smoothie. Still has all the good stuff that banana bread has. It's just in the form of a blended drink versus a sugar-packed, dense, heavy bread.

The other day, my mom used the 4-5 brown bananas sitting in our kitchen to whip up one of her best baked goods. Delicious, ooey gooey, coconut pecan banana bread. (Salivating as I type.) I've been snacking on this banana bread ever since it popped out of the oven (which likely explains why my weight is just ridiculous right now, but that's another story.) Anyhow. Today I decided to say NO to banana bread. To curb my craving, I invented my own version. Smoothie style.

I didn't take a picture because it wasn't pretty. It was, however, delish. And it allowed me to stay away from the banana bread today!

Recipe: Banana Bread Smoothie

1 small banana

1/2 cup plain vanilla yogurt (or Greek yogurt, if you're into that)

10 almonds

1/4 cup milk (almond milk would be great)

1 TB sugar free vanilla pudding mix

1/2 cup ice

(opt.) 1/8 cup shredded coconut

Mix it all together in your trusty blender and sip slowly whilst pretending your healthy smoothie is actually a warm, fresh slice of Mom's famous banana bread.

Have a fabulous Tuesday :)

-Ellen

Tasty Tuesday: Chicken hummus pizza!

Do you like chicken? Do you like hummus? Do you like pizza?

Then I have a hunch you'll enjoy this chicken hummus pizza recipe! :)

I thought it was really good. Creamy, garlicky, and cheesy, with a crispy crust. I think you could even make this with little to no cheese and not really be able to tell the difference because of how thick and creamy the hummus is. I would also recommend adding mushrooms, bacon, or other toppings to add some more flavors and textures. This pizza isn't exactly low-cal, but it's definitely healthier than ordering Pizza Hut and it's also fun to make :) Here's the recipe:

In other news, my current weight loss is 9.4 pounds. Boom baby! As I've said, I do not notice at all and I can't tell where on my body this weight is coming from. But the scale doesn't lie! And that number is something to be proud of.

Have a teriffic Tuesday,
Ellen

Hi! This Tuesday I enjoyed some tasty leftovers from Josh+I's trip to Olive Garden yesterday :) Not healthy. At. All. But I was super active. Like extremely active. Like so active I'm typing quickly to get this over with so I can go to sleep at 10:15. Yeah.


SO TIRED.

Sorry for the lame post. I'm sure you're so upset about it.

Kay bye. -Ellen

Tasty Tuesday: Zucchini Lasagna!

 Today I made something I've wanted to try for a long time: Zucchini lasagna!

 This zucchini lasagna represents me because, while highly unphotogenic, it is beautiful on the inside. Ha! Just kidding guys :) This stuff was really good though! Next time I will add more zucchini because I didn't find it super filling/substantial, but the taste was great! I mean, how could you go wrong with delicious ricotta and mozzarella cheese, basil, and tomato sauce? Mmm.

I'm going to link you to the recipe because I don't feel like typing it all out, but I did make a few adjustments. I didn't add ground meat because I hate it, and I made a much smaller serving in a little Pyrex (I think 6" by 4"?) and then ate half. Also instead of making the sauce I just dumped in some Classico tomato & basil. #lazychefprobz

It did take a fairly large chunk of time to prepare and cook, but I think it was worth it.

Here is the recipe!!!

Good luck :)
-Ellen

Tasty Tuesday: Adventures in Juicing

My mom is very into "juicing". She has a juicer and she insisted on me trying some of the green stuff she was concocting, so I though eh, why not. And honestly, it wasn't that bad! I think the ingredients were: kale, cucumber, lemon, and green apple. Luckily the apple flavor came out the most and the juice ended up tasting fairly sweet. If you're going to try juicing, I recommend buying a ton of produce (because it takes a lot of veggies to make a little juice). Also, if you don't have a juicer, I bet a blender would work, too. I don't know. I'm no juice expert. But give it a whirl and comment if you have any fun juice recipes/stories to share :)

Mom peeling the cucumber for juice!

Health Updates: I gained back a pound and I'm majorly POed. How did this happen? Every single day I burned more calories than I ate. What's going on? Water weight?! I have no idea. So today I'm replacing two meals with protein shakes. (Is that bad?) A bit of good news though: even though my appearance isn't really different at all (I mean it's just four--I mean...three...:(--pounds lighter so far) I am down two belt holes! And belt holes don't lie, my friends.

 

 

Belt buckled into the smallest hole. Small victories :)

I'll let you know how my protein shake experiment goes. I'm pretty sure they contain a ton of carbs, which also makes me POed, because, like, I'm obviously drinking it to INCREASE my protein and DECREASE my carbs!! But some people online swear by the Right Size diet (2 protein shakes a day, 1 meal, two 100-calorie snacks). Definitely not something I would wanna do long-term, but I'm very desperate to get the first 5 pounds gone. And I really want to go shopping! (See Goal Setting)

Have a tasty Tuesday :) And wish me luck.

-Ellen

Tasty Tuesday: Healthy Choices at Restaurants

Hi! Gotta make this post quick because I have a 4 page paper to write about The Odyssey...Sigh.

Tonight I just wanted to talk about making healthy choices at restaurants! I have so many favorite restaurants and I love to go out to eat, so I didn't want to completely remove that from my lifestyle. Luckily, most menus contain at least one item that is good for your health! Key words: Grilled, whole wheat, lean portion, leafy greens, etc. If nothing really looks healthy, try to customize. For example, Macaroni Grill has a build-your-own pasta option. Perfect. You can have a bowl of pasta while making sure not to go overboard with crazy sauces and cheese. Or just ask for your food to be prepared with less butter/grease and salad dressing can always be ordered on the side!

Josh and I went to a local grill for a lovely dinner tonight. They have a super huge menu, so I had a ton of options! I went with an 8 oz. grilled chicken breast, asparagus, and a small serving of smashed potatoes. Delish.

I succeeded in my goal to add some more protein to my diet today!

Yeah, I know. Not too impressive. BUT at least it's better than the 15-20% protein I've been getting up until today.

That's about all the time I have!! Gotta get crackin. Love summer school....so....much....

Have a great evening!
-Ellen

Tasty Tuesday: Oatmeal-Banana Pancake

Today I attempted to make a single serving oatmeal-banana pancake for breakfast. Key word: Attempted.

 

Beautiful, right?

I made it according to the directions, but accidentally forgot the baking powder. That being said, I don't really think even baking powder could have saved my little monstrosity of a pancake...

 The egg whites didn't really combine into the batter, as you can see in the photo. Also, one side was fairly dark (almost burnt) and the other side was kinda mushy. BUT all-in-all, it was atleast edible. I finished the whole thing, and it really wasn't that bad! Definitely a healthy and diet-friendly breakfast. Measures in at around 200 calories. Great before a workout.

The banana slices on top really helped. Next time I try this recipe I will make sure to follow the instructions. Also, I will cook it at a lower heat, making sure to check on it more often to prevent burning/under-cooking!

The original recipe can be found here: Click here!

1/4 cup instant oatmeal
1/4 cup egg substitute (or 2 egg whites)
1/2 of a really really ripe banana, mashed
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 packet of sweetener
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon water, milk, or juice

Instructions: Mix everything together and pour into a non-stick skillet. Cook on medium-low heat for about 2-3 minutes on each side. I sliced up the other half of the banana and added the banana slices on top of the pancake!

Good luck and happy eating :)
-Ellen