5k talk & a recipe

hello friends! hope everyone is having a good hump day. just wanted to fill you in on a little update. so far this week i've been doing very well with my eating. i've stuck to my daily menus and i'm feeling good! today i'm going to go on a 5k jog to see how long it will take me. saturday heather and i along with some of our friends are doing the susan komen race for a cure 5k in new orleans! i'm really excited and REALLY nervous! i did my first 5k back in april (you can read about it in heather's post) and had only trained for about 2 weeks prior. obviously i knew i wasn't going to run the whole damn thing. but i got out there and did my best, and finished in 46 minutes. (i was shooting for 45 so i was pretty happy!) i pretty much stopped running after that and never continued with the c25k training i was doing. fast forward to julyish... heather mentioned to me that her company was sponsoring the race for a cure and putting together a team. she asked if i wanted to join and i said of course! i would finally start training again! this was something to look forward to and snap me back into running. because i would HAVE to train for it right!?....
welllll i havent. at all! the first week of september i restarted c25k and boy was it HARD! and then guess what happened after that? i didn't run again for about 2 weeks.(!!) i ran mayyybe 2 times then went another week without. so, as you can guess.... i'm in no shape to run a 5k. no one to be mad at but myself! i guess i'll shoot for 50 minutes this time? i'm pretty damn disappointed in myself for not sticking to it back in april. but whats done is done. and i'm not stopping this time! i'm planning on running the middendorf's annual 5k on novemeber 17th and i'd like to improve my time a good bit by then!

ok, i have a very yummy and simple recipe for y'all! i ate this monday and tuesday for lunch. i threw it together a few weeks ago and i'm now hooked!

spicy tuna lettuce wraps:

1 package of chunk light tuna (i like to use the starkist 80 calorie pouch packs)
1/4 cubed avocado
2 tbsp sriracha sauce
chopped purple onion
lime juice (enough to add flavor, don't want it too mushy)
salt to taste
butter lettuce leaves (comes as a head of lettuce in a plastic container)

mix all ingredients. distribute evenly into 3-4 lettuce leaves and enjoy! sooo good and simple simple simple! it's around 170 calories, perfect for a light lunch! let me know if you try it!

in my kitchen: pumpkin dump cake

today we are having a belated boss' day potluck at work so i thought it would be the perfect opportunity to make this cake that i've seen a million times on pinterest. does that not sound delicious!? it was super easy too! here's what you need:


15oz can pumpkin puree
10oz can evaporated milk
1 cup light brown sugar (not pictured)
3 eggs, beaten (not pictured)
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup (2 sticks) butter melted (not pictured)
1 cup coarsely crushed graham crackers or pecans (i used walnuts)

preheat oven to 350. spray a 9x13 baking pan w/ nonstick cooking spray. in large bowl, combine pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, brown sugar, eggs and pumpkin pie spice. pour evenly into pan. sprinkle entire contents of cake mix on top followed by the nuts. pour melted butter evenly on top. bake for 45-50 minutes until lightly browned (that's where i went wrong)



i set my timer for 45 minutes and walked away. i thought for sure i wouldn't need to check on it. well at 40 minutes i took a lil peek. and good thing i did! as you can see, mine came out a lil burnt :( i'll have to remember that it only needed 40 minutes next time i make it!
UPDATE: i just realized i set the oven to 400 instead of 350. no wonderrrr it burnt! haha!!




oh well! it still tastes yummy. that's all that matters to me! i think i'll be making this for thanksgiving. if you make it, let me know how it turned out! just make sure you check on it around the 40 minute mark :) enjoy!
xxoo

in my kitchen: mexican chicken casserole

i love mexican food. like, a lot. i tend to cook it often, its normally super easy and w/ just a few ingredients. so when i came across this recipe by paula deen i knew i had to try it. i know what youre thinking.... paula deen... it must be 1,000 calories per serving. well it really isnt that bad! i dont know what the nutrional value is but it can easily be figured out. ok, on to the recipe!



1 10 3/4 -ounce can cream of chicken soup
1 10 3/4 -ounce can cheddar cheese soup
1 10 3/4 -ounce can cream of mushroom soup
1 10-ounce can tomatoes (i used rotel instead)
1 whole chicken, cooked, boned, and chopped or 4 cups leftover cooked chicken (i baked 2 chicken breasts, seasoned w/ garlic powder, onion powder & mrs. dash extra spicy. it was about 3 1/2 cups once i shredded it)
11 1/2-ounce package flour tortillas (i used my whole pack, 16 total)
2 cup shredded cheddar cheese


preheat oven to 350 degrees. in a large bowl, stir together the three kinds of soup and the tomatoes. stir in the chicken. in a greased 13 x 9- inch pan, layer the tortillas and the chicken mixture, beginning and ending with tortillas. i put 6 on bottom, 4 in the middle and 6 on top. sprinkle the cheese over the casserole and bake for 30 minutes.


(i just had to get my pretty pumpkins in the picture)

tada! youre done. easy peasy right? you can easily bake the chicken the night before and throw it in the oven after a long day at the office. you should definitely try this one out! enjoy :)
xxoo

{lighter} baked ziti

who doesnt love italian food? my mom and her side of the family are 100% italian, so i have definitely had my share growing up. normally it was spaghetti and meatballs (EVERY sunday!) lasagna, fried meats, fried veggies and bread. carbs carbs & more carbs. i've actually never had baked ziti until i made it a few months ago. it is normally made with beef & ricotta cheese. while i looove ricotta cheese, mike hates it. so i found a recipe that uses sour cream instead and it turned out very good. this time around i wanted to lighten it up even more. instead of 1 lb of ground beef i used 1/2 lb ground pork and 1/2 lb ground turkey. it was just as good! the pork is 200 calories less than the turkey and has less than 1/2 of the fat! i had no idea ground pork was so lean. here's what you will need:


2- 26 oz jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce (mine were 24 oz each)
** since i was short 4 oz of sauce, next time i will add a small can of tomato sauce.
1 16 oz box of penne noddles (mine was only 14)
1 1/2 cups of sour cream
1 pkg of shredded mozzarella cheese
6 slices of provolone cheese
1/2 lb of ground turkey
1/2 lb of ground pork
1/3 cup of parmesan cheese
1/2 of a chopped white onion
1 tbsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS-
add olive oil to pan and saute onions until golden brown, set aside. add pork and turkey and cook until done. add in both jars of sauce and onions, simmer for 15 minutes. while sauce is simmering, preheat oven to 350 and cook noddles until done. grease a baking dish and layer: 1/2 noodles, provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining noodles, mozzarella and remaining sauce. bake in oven for 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

sprinkle w/ parmasean cheese. cut into equal servings and enjoy!

now, i cut mine into 8 servings. mike of course eats more than me, so i made 4 of the servings equal for me and the other 4 equal for him. you could get 10 meals out of this easily. just depends on how much you want to eat!

here's the nutritional value:
*8oz ground turkey
540 cals, 40 fat, 0 carb, 0 fiber, 42 protein
*8oz ground pork
340 cals, 18 fat, 0 carb, 0 fiber, 40 protein
*24oz tomato basil garlic prego
400 cals, 12.5 fat, 60 carbs, 15 fat, 15 protein
*24oz italian sausage garlic prego
450 cals, 15fat, 65 carbs, 15 fat, 15 protein
*14 oz penne smart taste
1020 cals, 3 fat, 240 carbs, 30 fat, 36 protein
*1 1/2 cups kraft fat free sour cream
360 cals, 0 fat, 60 carbs, 0 fat, 24 protein
*1 pkg g.f. shredded mozz part skim
640 cals, 48 fat, 4 carbs, 0 fat, 56 protein
*6 slices g.f. sliced provolone
420 cals, 30 fat, 0 carbs, 0 fat, 30 protein
(i forgot to add the olive oil & parm cheese)
that should equal to about 500 calories per serving if its cut into 8 servings.
let me know if you try this recipe! enjoy :)
xxoo

get in my belly!

hi :) thought i would post a weight watchers recipe that me and my honey both love!

CLASSIC SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS
1 tlbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb ground skinless turkey breast
1/2 lb lean ground pork (10% or less fat)
1/2 cup italian seasoned dried bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 large egg
2 egg whites
1/4 cup fat free milk
2 tspoon worcestershire sauce
3/4 tspoon salt
1/4 tspoon freshly ground pepper
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 tlbsp chopped fresh oregano or 2 tspoon dried (i used dried parsley instead)
1 lb spaghetti (i use this angel hair)
1 oz shaved parmesan cheese (i used more grated)

1. preheat oven to 350. spray a 10x15 in pan with nonstick spray, set aside
2. in a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat, heat the oil; add in onions and garlic. cook, stiring occasionally until golden, 7-10 mins.

3. in large bowl, combine the turkey, pork, bread crumbs, parm cheese, egg & egg whites, milk, worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and 1/2 the cooked onions and garlic. shape into 20 balls and place in a single layer without touching each other and place on the pan. bake until lightly browned, about 20 minutes. (i cooked mine for 30-35 mins the 2 times ive cooked this)
4. in a large saucepan, bring the tomatoes and remaining 1/2 cooked onions and garlic to a boil; add the meatballs. reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the meatballs are cooked through, about 18-20 minutes. stir in the oregano.


5. meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to the package directions; drain. toss the spaghetti with meatballs and sauce in a large serving bowl and serve topped with the parm cheese.


serving size: 1 cup spaghetti & sauce w/ 2 meatballs (10 servings)
369 cals; 6g fat; 28g fiber- 7 points

im 1/2 italian so believe me when i say... these meatballs are just as good as beef ones! my gramaw makes her meatballs w/ beef and pork so maybe thats why i like these so much. it serves 10 but mike eats about 2 servings so we get about 3 meals each out of this. you should definitely try this one :) let me know if you do and if you like it!

xxoo