BetterBody - In Search Of

I'm in search of a better body.  One that is healthy inside and out.  I know that what I put in my body matters and it affects my body.  I have to make better choices with the foods I put in my mouth. 

Thanks to BetterBody Foods for sending sample product.  All opinions stated are my own based on my personal experience.

Let's be honest for a minute.  I have fallen into the slump.  After my busy day or busy week, I do not want to go into the kitchen.  Who wants to slave over the stove?  Our schedules have been extra full that it has been easier for us to grab a bite to eat while we are out.  And keeping it real, we are foodies.  Summer, vacation, travel, and road trips have brought on a few extra pounds on top of the ones that were already there.  With the passing of my birthday and back to school around the corner, I would like to refocus what we are putting on our plates. 

Small changes can make a difference.  I have decided to try clean eating with the entire family again.  This can be hard at times.  So I decided selecting better ingredients for the meals I make is the way to start.  I am starting small with some of my favorite recipes. 

I like to meal prep on Sundays.  This helps get our week started on the right foot.  I try to make a couple of meals to offer a variety.  Usually when I use the family packs of meat, I have leftover after measuring out our meals.  I have to get creative to use all the leftovers.  One of my favorites to make with leftover chicken is Chicken Salad.  Chicken salads are not hard to make and you can add your favorites like nuts, dill, vinegar, etc...  My family likes to keep it simple.

Chicken Salad

-shredded chicken
-dill pickles
-BetterBody Foods Avocado Mayo
-mustard
-hard boiled eggs

I am not one to write down recipes or measure ingredients.  A sprinkle of this, a dap of that, and a small taste here and there.  BetterBody Foods sent me a bottle of their avocado mayo.  I was excited to try it in one of my recipes.  Playing in the kitchen and getting creative with ingredients are some of my best meals.   Clean eating is a little intimidating to me.  You have to look at the nutritional facts, count calories, and balance your plate.  This is why small changes can help me stay on track, keeping me focused, and ultimately being successful.  This is why choosing good ingredients and replacing the bad ones are important. 

Avocado Mayonnaise by BetterBody Foods offers:

· Cage Free Eggs
· Non-GMO
· Doesn't contain soybean or canola oils
· Dairy-Free
· Gluten-Free
· Paleo & Keto diets approved
Check out their recipes page that offers ideas, clean eating, and does the counting everything for you.  CALORIES, FAT, PROTEIN, CARBS, etc...  These can make a big difference in your progress.

Now I can take a bite out of that.  And so can my family.  By the way, my recipe swap was a success.  The avocado mayo took my chicken salad to the next level.  It was enjoyed by all. 

How Do You Granola - Challenge

Do you granola?  I do.  It is great for breakfast or a snack.

Thanks to Viki's Granola for sending sample product to review.  All opinions stated are my own based on my personal experience.

I like making Granola Parfaits.  They are so easy to make.  You can add your favorite fruit or what you have available or in season.  Granola provides fiber.  Also the oats in the granola are a whole grain.  For parfaits, you don't need that many ingredients or that much time.

Ingredients:

-Greek Yogurt
-granola
-fruit of your choice (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries)

It is so easy, you just build layers.  You can add fruit as part of your layers too.  You can top it with fruit.  It is up to you. 

Viki's Original Granola takes rolled oats, organic honey and adds a touch of almonds and pecans for a flavor-packed ride.  It is available in Original, Apple Cinnamon, Maple Cranberry, Blueberry Almond or Banana Walnut.

With 100% All Natural Ingredients and they are:
• Gluten Free
• Non-GMO Verified
• Cholesterol Free
• Zero Trans Fats
• Sodium free
• Dairy Free
• Kosher Pareve

For more information on Viki's Granola, go to vikisfoods.com.

Easy Chicken Salad Recipe Featuring Keystone Meats

I am always looking for quick and easy recipes.  Simple meals that we all can enjoy.  Dinner time sometimes can feel so rushed.  It does not have to be that way all the time.  We can plan ahead and find quick meals that can be easily prepared during the week for dinner.

Thanks to Keystone Meats for sending samples for review.  All opinions stated are my own based on my personal experience.

I found a dish that we all like.  Something that is easy to make and you can it eat any way you like.

Chicken Salad

Ingredients-

1 can of Keystone Chicken

1 tbsp Mayo (I use Olive Oil Mayo, but you can leave this out)

1 tbsp Mustard

1 cup Shredded Carrots

1/2 cup diced Pickles

Normally I do not use measuring cups or spoons, I play it by ear.  Do you do the same.  I like using the carrots for a crunch.  I have used the pickled carrots before too.  You can choose to use cooked carrots if you have little ones.  Basically, you just mix all the ingredients together.  Anyone of you family members could make this recipe.

The rest is really up to you.  How do you want to serve it?  For dinner, I served it on BFree Gluten-Free sandwich bread with veggies on the side.  And the left overs, I packed up and ate with crackers the next day. 

The Keystone Chicken Salad made enough for 4, plus bonus left overs for me.  You cannot go wrong with this all natural chicken as the ingredients are chicken and sea salt.

For more information, go to keystonemeats.com.

BFree Gluten-Free Breads

Do you suffer from a bloated stomach after eating?  Have you had that checked?  I was having serious problems with my stomach and I really did not know why.  I tried no soda, no eggs, and nothing really helped.  I got allergy tested and it turns out some of the food I was eating was making my stomach swell.  Ever heard of gluten-free?

Thanks to BFree for sending sample product to review.  All opinions stated are my own based on my personal experience.

You really need to listen to your body when it gives you warning signs.  The warning signs can be flagging some serious issues.  Many people now suffer from a lot of allergies, one being food allergy to dairy, egg, wheat, gluten, etc.  This is not a new craze people are doing.  This is how people have to learn to eat in order to stay healthy.

BFree products are not only high fiber and low fat, and completely vegan.  They carry a variety of products:

-Wraps (multi-grain/sweet potato/quinoa and chia seed)

-Pita bread

-Hot Dog buns (plain/seeded)

-rolls (white/brown seeded)

-sandwich bread (white/brown seeded)

-bagel (multi-seeded/plain)

I was pretty skeptical about how this bread was going to taste but I was ready to try it.  We were really impressed by the taste.  We really did some sampling, trying it with different dishes.  I did not tell the family the ingredients of the bread.  No one complained.  Everyone ate their food.  They did not notice any difference.  That is really good because my daughter is allergic to eggs and I have to always be careful with what she eats too.  I don't have to worry about the ingredients because they are Non-GMO.  This bread did not crack or crumble either.  I am also glad that this bread is available at our local H-E-B.

For more information, go to bfreefoods.com.

Skipping the Grocery Store #RealHomeChef

I have no idea how I did things before when I was a single mother, my son played sports, I worked full time, and I even had time to make dinner.  Now I have a partner who helps me out, we both work, our kids attend school, but we barely have time for dinner.  We do not have time for anything else to be added to our schedule.  We sometimes don't even have to time to go to the grocery store.  Can you feel me? 

Thanks to Home Chef for sending a meal kit for review.  All opinions stated are my own based on my personal experience.

Imagine getting off from work, heading home, and remembering you never made it to the grocery store...this is me.  I was so glad this box showed up at my doorsteps to save me. 

Everything you will need to prepare your meal all in a box ready for you.  What you receive:

-Binder-Home Chef - My Cookbook
-recipe card
-meat
-veggies
-spices
-oils

A team of chefs have already figured out the recipes and all the ingredients for me.  The ingredients all came to my house in a recyclable box FREE-OF-CHARGE (minimum order required).

The recipe card has directions that are easy to follow.  There are step by step directions and pictures you can see.  This recipe can be done by a beginner or an everyday cook.  If you know me, I love to learn new recipes and like to experiment but sometimes my ideas don't come out so well.  Home Chef made me feel like I really was a chef in my own kitchen. 

Step #1-Prepare the Ingredients.  My ingredients looked just like the picture, YES

Step #2-Roast the Vegetables.  Most recipes are not as descriptive as these and the pictures helped.

Step #3-Sear the Chicken.  Ok, so I have never seared anything.  What does that even mean? 

I learned how to sear...baby boom.  Do you see my chicken?  No burn marks.

Step #4-Roast the Chicken.  My kitchen was smelling so delicious at this point.

Step #5-Make the Sauce.  Unless it comes already made and all I need to add is water....that is the only sauce I have ever made.  I was really scared and thought I would burn it.  Then I got so excited that it actually came out good, I forgot to take a picture.

Step #6-Plate the Dish.  This I know how to do.

So how did I do?  It looked like the picture but the real test was the taste test from the family.  It smelled great and tasted even better.  This was a win, win for all of us.  I served my family Chicken Chateau with Dijon Demi-Glace and herb-roasted root vegetables.  It was only 371 calories.  It only took 30 minutes to prepare.  This meal was low-calorie, low-carb, gluten-free, dairy-free, shellfish-free, and nut-free.   What I really liked?

The Tips-
All the extra tips, every step of the way.  The kitchen tools has a picture and how to use each one.  The tips for cooking and seasoning your meals teaches you new skills with pictures and measurements.  Every you need to know, like if you were asking the chefs themselves. 

The pictures-
The pictures made every step easier.  I knew exactly how I was doing.

The ordering-
It was really easy to order.  I went to https://www.homechef.com/sign-up/welcome.  I followed the instructions and my box just showed up at the door.  For under $60, you get everything you need to whip up three restaurant meals for two.  That makes each meal about $10 each...We spend way more than that on one meal.  We recently went to a restaurant, not fancy at all, and spend more than $60 on one meal. 

I would definitely be ordering more home kits and make my life easier.

Welch’s Fruit Snacks Fourth of July Challenge

Cooking with my kids is always fun.  My mom never really had time to show me how to cook because she was always working.  Especially on holidays, my stepdad and her were always working.  I get it, someone had to pay the bills and put food on the table.  But I did not get to share the kitchen with my mom for special moments or cook special holiday dishes, I kinda miss out.

Thanks to Welch's for sending me these boxes of fruit snacks and fruit 'n yogurt snacks to be able to participate in the Welch's fruit snack 4th of July challenge.  All opinions stated are my own based on my personal experience.

What is the challenge?  To create a 4th of July dish with Welch's fruit snacks and fruit 'n yogurt snacks.

Challenge accept.  My daughter and I were ready for the challenge.  I was so excited to try this with my daughter who is only four.  She loves to help me in the kitchen.  I like my kids to help in the kitchen and I do try and show them how to make whatever meal I am making.  The preschooler was excited because we were making little pies.

Fruit Explosion 4th of July Mini Pies-No Baking, kid friendly

Ingredients-

1 box-Welch's fruit snacks
1 box-Welch's fruit 'n yogurt snacks
1 container-cool whip
1 can-condensed milk
6 count-graham cracker mini pies

I decided to use the graham cracker mini pies that are ready to use, but you can choose to make your own pie crust.  My daughter likes things that are little.  She says they are kid sized, just for her.  In a bowl, mix the container of cool whip and 1/4 can of condensed milk.  You can leave the condensed milk out if you like.  It thickens the cool whip but does sweeten just little but more.  I used a smaller bowl.  It looks like a small glass but it is the perfect size for the daughter's hands if she needs to hold it when mixing ingredients.  I also open the can of condensed milk and I added the milk. 

Once that is mixed together well, your kid can start adding a layer of cool whip to the pie crusts.  She did two table spoons.  She was pretty much doing it all herself from this step on.

The next layer is 1 single serving bag of the Welch's fruit 'n yogurt snacks. 

Top that with another layer of cool whip mix.  Mom may need to even out the layer afterwards.

Two more should do the trick.  Then you will decorate the top of your pie with the Welch's berries and cherries fruit snacks.  We used 1 single serving bag.  You may want to use more, depending on your child's design. 

Finally, let chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve for your 4th of July party.  This is very easy for kids to do on their own. 

My daughter had a great time.  This is was super easy and she helped prep for our 4th of July get-2-gether.  This time she was not the helper.  I was her assistant.

Gluten Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies with Honey Bunches of Oats Chocolate

We love cereal in our house.  My family can eat it all day long.  I remember before I met my husband I ate cereal as my dinner.  Cereal is a quick easy meal.  Sometimes when the kiddos don't want to eat anything else, they will have a bowl of cereal.

Our day gets started pretty early.  It is not everyday that we can sit down to eat breakfast.  Breakfast is a very important meal not to be missed.  Post has a new cereal in it's Honey Bunches of Oats line.  {This is a sponsored post but all opinions stated are my own based on my personal experience.}  We were very excited to try the New Honey Bunches of Oats Chocolate.  It is Gluten-Free and chocolate.  Did I mention it is chocolate? 

Honey Bunches of Oats is already a favorite in our household.  Something about the good ole honey that got us hooked.  This new flavor is made with real cocoa.  It has the perfect crunch we like. 

I like making breakfast on the go easier for my family.  On Sundays, I meal prep for our week.  Sometimes everyone gets involve.  Breakfast is a meal that is prep.  I have being trying different recipes that we can grab and go, like these Gluten Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies.  Breakfast can be a treat.  Who wouldn't love to eat cookies for Breakfast?  These also make a great snack. 

Gluten Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

(photo and recipe courtesy of Post cereal)

Prep Time: 10 Min

Total Time: 25 Min

Servings: 30 cookies

Ingredients

• 1–3/4 cups Honey Bunches of Oats Chocolate cereal, divided
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Using a food processor, grind the Honey Bunches of Oats Chocolate cereal into a fine powder. (Note: 1–3/4 cup cereal yields 1/2 cup ground cereal.)
2. In a large bowl, combine ground cereal, sugar, peanut butter and egg. Once all the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated, fold in mini chocolate chips.
3. Scoop about 2 Tablespoons of cookie dough and drop onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, placing each cookie about 2 inches apart. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. 

You can make these for your next brunch, or party.  For more recipes, or more information follow the conversation on twitter @HBOatsLatino, on Instagram @HBOatsLatino, or at www.honeybunchesofoats.com.
 

Tasty Tuesday-Simple Chicken Wraps

***Disclosure-Sample product was received.  All opinions stated are my own based on my personal experience.

I have been trying to make lifestyle changes not only to my diet but to my family's as well.  I want to give my kid's good habits.  I am making little changes to some of our favorite dishes we enjoy.  I am looking to add more of the good stuff and less of the bad stuff.

-More protein.
-Less Carbs
-Less Sugar
-Less Calories

 Chicken Wraps are really easy to make and a favorite at our house.  I do not have a lot of time after work to create fancy meals.  Some meals I make are meal prepped and some are spontaneous.  This one is a favorite because the prep work is done for me.  How great is that?

Ingredients-
-Rotisserie Chicken
-Baby Spring Mix
-Tomatoes
-Kontos Greek Lifestyle Flatbread

I buy my rotisserie chicken already cooked from Kroger or Sam's.  3 oz = 160 calories 
I pull the chicken of the bone so it will be easier to serve.  No technique needed.  The left over chicken can be placed in a plastic container for another meal on a different day. 

I buy the Organic Baby Spring Mix from Sam's.  3 oz = 20 calories
From the Taylor Farms website-(may contain some or all of the following baby whole leaf varieties: green leaf, mizuna, green romaine, tango, green oak, green chard, baby spinach, arugula, frisee, tatsoi, mache, red chard, red leaf, lolla rosa, red romaine, red mustard, radicchio, red oak, beet tops).
This mix can provide Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, and Iron.  No need to chop or shred.

I like to buy grape tomatoes because my daughter loves to eat them like candy.  I also buy Roma tomatoes.  I cube the tomatoes.  Usually for 4 of us, I only need 2 tomatoes.  Any extra tomatoes my daughter will eat anyways.  No wasting food here.
 
Then each person can top their own flatbread with as much or little as they want.  You can sprinkle a lime juice, hot sauce, and some shredded cheese as well. 

The dietary traditions of Greece and the Mediterranean have long been proven to promote better health and longevity.  Kontos Greek Lifestyle Flatbread is formulated in this better-for-you tradition.  Ideal for wraps, roll-ups or for our breadbasket.  ‘Hand- stretched for fluffiness™’, contains No Trans Fat, and 100% Vegetarian.

Kontos bakery line ranges from flat bread to pizza crust and best of all orders include free shipping.

Kontos Valentines Pizza Party

***Disclosure-Sample product was received for review.  All opinions stated are my own based on my personal experience.

Happy Valentine's Day!  What do you have planned for your day?  Are you trying to keep a reservation, fighting the crowds, or still looking for something to do?  How about having a relaxing day in?  When I think of romance I think Paris, Italy, gondolas, etc...  It's a piiiizzzzaaa party in my best Italiano voice.  Ok, it sucks but you get the point.  We made pizzas last year for the first time and the kids really liked it.  So I decided to have some fun transform our kitchen into a Pizza Parlor.

Step 1-pizza crust 

Step 2-sauce

Step 3-cheese

We like to mix Mozzarella and Sharp Cheddar.

Step 4-topping of choice

We made heart shaped pizzas.

top-pepperoni

bottom-little smokies and bbq sauce instead of pizza sauce

Step 5-oven

Our pizzas were delicious.  I think it had to do with the yummy crust.  Kontos Pizza Parlor Crust has Olive Oil baked in the crust.  It is 100% vegetarian.  It contains No Trans Fat.  Ready in 5 minutes.  Yes, you heard that right.  Need I say more...

Serving Sizes

This month I have been learning a lot of different things about how to live a healthy life.  I am learning how to use all the things I have learned over the years to help me in this journey.  I have always heard about serving sizes but never paid attention to it.  I would think if it comes individual size that that would be my individual portion but I was wrong.

Check this out:

This is a big mistake that I make all the time.  I grab a juice or drink and never have looked at the serving size or portion.  This orange juice has 2 servings per container.  I would normally chug this down in 1 serving for breakfast. 

Sometimes we eat at different times.  Most days my kids and husband have already eaten dinner by the time I get home.  So I end up cooking something for myself.  One dish I make is over easy eggs with black beans.  The mistake I make is making the entire can of beans.  No, I do not eat it all.  But I do not measure it out by serving size.  This can serves 3.5 servings.  That is great when I am cooking for the family but not when I am cooking for 1.

Do you check the servings?  What serving has shocked you the most?

Tasty Tuesday-My Chicken Salad Recipe

I am committed to living a healthy lifestyle.  Living a healthy lifestyle is all about choices.  Choosing good today will help you live a healthier tomorrow . 

I will be sharing with you things that are helping me continue to live a healthy lifestyle.  One thing I have shared with you previously is that I use several apps, if you missed it, click here to read.  MyFitnessPal is helping me continue to keep track of my food.  I will be the first to admit I hate counting calories.  Since I am starting over this year, I going back to the basics. 

Counting calories can only work if you record everything you eat.  Good or bad.  It keeps you conscious of how many calories are in food.  You can set a daily calorie intake goal for yourself.  It makes you think twice about what you put in your mouth.

Did you know a little itty bitty Hershey's kiss is 22 calories?

My daily calorie goal is 1200 calories.  I am back to eating 5 to 6 meals a day.  Remember smaller meals to keep your body fueled.  I am also tracking my water intake.  We have decided less eating out and more cooking at home.  Today I am sharing my chicken salad recipe.  I have made chicken salad before but never have I counted the actual calories as I am adding ingredients.

 Independentmami's Chicken Salad-297 calories

-1 tbsp. mustard
-1 tbsp. mayo with olive oil
-4 baby dills
-6 oz grilled chicken
-4 egg whites

These are normally the ingredients I use with some tweeks.  I used the mayo with olive oil because it is less calories. 

regular mayo = 90 calories
mayo w/olive oil = 35 calories

I normally use the entire egg when I am making chicken salad for the entire family but when I make it for me, I only use the egg whites.

med egg = 70
med egg whites only = 14

I never weigh my chicken only when I meal prep.  I weighed out 3 oz of chicken and it looked like a little bit of food and since I still had calories available, I went with 6 oz of chicken.  I also want to be full and not want to sneak to the kitchen and do some midnight snacking.

vs

The chicken I had previously made for another dish and had left over.  So I just placed it in a plastic container to use for other meals.  I seasoned it with season all and grilled it on the griddle.  I like to buy the family pack of chicken breast.  Cook it and cut it up to use for several meals. 

Back to the chicken salad.  Boil the eggs.  Take out the yolk, yellow stuff.  Chop the egg whites into small pieces.  Cube the chicken.  Get your pickles and dice them.  You will need a measuring spoon for the mayo and mustard.  Add all ingredients in a bowl or dish to mix together.

This is a personal serving for myself.  I knew how many calories I could eat for dinner and I wanted to stay on track.  You can prepare this for lunch and pack it with you in a plastic container.  I did not think that far in advance this week.  I did not meal prep any meals either.  Dinner decisions can be the hardest.  When you are hungry, everything looks good.  I told my husband that this is why people choose to get fast food.  It took me at least 20 mins to prepare this and remember, my chicken was already cooked and ready to go.  So I recommend you prepare this before you get hungry and not when you are starving, like I was.

Dinner is served.

Do you have a recipe you can share?  Under 400 calories?  Have you ever tried to calorie count?