Simple Navy Bean Soup... mmm... so bean-y.

NAVY BEAN SOUP

9 oz. chopped baby carrots

1 cup chopped onion

4 cloves garlic

2 cans rinsed and drained navy beans

8 cups low sodium chicken stock - (can use vegetable stock to make vegetarian!)

1 tbsp. light butter or light margarine

¼ c. all purpose flour

Spray the bottom of a dutch oven pan with olive oil spray. Add in diced onions, garlic and carrots, cook until onions are transparent. Add in flour and butter to create a roux, cook for one minute while stirring. Add in chicken or veggie stock and beans. Let simmer for 20 minutes.

Total calories: 945

Makes 12 – 1 cup servings – 80 calories each.

Optional: Top with chopped center cut bacon, 1 slice = 25 calories.

Grocery items to fill your cravings!

I thought it might be helpful to make a list of items I tend to repeatedly buy and keep on hand for when those cravings strike and celery and carrots just won't do!!

Here they are:

this bacon is perfect because it's only 25 calories per slice!

this is a Kroger brand - you can get the full flavor (pictured here) or the Light kind for only 60 calories!

Edy's brand has come out with some of the best tasting light ice cream I can find, and believe me I have tasted a LOT. Ice cream is a good sweet treat because it has the vitamins from the dairy, plus, a lot of the brands now are no sugar added and 1/2 the fat. Thin Mint ice cream has only 120 calories per serving, throw that half a cup in a cake cone and for 140 calories you get the perfect sweet, creamy, crunchy craving satisfier! And I guarantee you it tastes better than those little Smart Ones desserts that will cost you 170-190 calories and be gone in 3 bites.

for this season - this ice cream has been my favorite flavor- a little higher calorie than i usually eat-but, sooo tasty - with little chewy chunks of ginger snap cookies and only 160 calories per serving!

 this is a must have, 35 calories a slice, packed with fiber, good for grilled cheese, turkey sammies or a pb&j!

 the perfect salty, crunchy cracker - 15 crisps are 120 calories - more bites than regular crackers!

this turkey pepperoni has the best flavor, plus, you can eat 17 slices for only 70 calories!! I like to use it to make little mini pizzas on a flour tortilla with a dab of tomato sauce and a quarter cup of italian shredded cheeses - what's better, is that it is much more tasty than a frozen pizza!

I hope this has given you some insight that you can still eat those things you want to eat, satisfy those cravings, and do it on a smaller calorie budget. If you want recipes or more tips and tricks, leave me a comment!

Exercise.. sometimes.. you just don't wanna!

I've been to the gym the past three days, despite the fact that I haven't been feeling the greatest, and I'm tired, and a little stressed. But, I went, and I felt much better afterwards. It takes a lot of self motivation to get there. Sometimes, you wake up or you've had a long day of work and you're tired, and cranky, or you're starting to get the sniffles and you would rather just go home and curl up on the couch with a pizza and a movie but... try as often as possible to push through those emotions and just go!

Working out makes you feel energized, it gives you endorphins which in turn makes you feel happy and satisfied. Not only is it good for your mind, exercise is good for your heart, body and your immune system. Studies have shown that those who exercise get sick less often. What other reasons do you need??

Oh and it does help that those endorphins give you a "natural high" and you do become addicted to it. Mark my words, you may hate the gym for the first few weeks, but then, all the sudden, you'll crave it like a piece of chocolate cake! So get out there and burn some calories!

Spicy Zucchini Chili - warm up those cold nights!

Spicy Zucchini Chili

1 lb. Laura's Lean Beef - 8% fat (easily made vegetarian - see ** below)

2 medium zucchinis

2 cups frozen onion and pepper mix

2/3 c. frozen sweet corn

2 - 14.5 oz. cans of diced tomatoes - chili ready (already seasoned)

4 c. water

2 cloves garlic

Spices to taste - at least 2 tsp. each of:

chili powder

crushed red pepper

cumin

garlic powder

chipotle chile pepper powder

salt

black pepper

Spray bottom of a Dutch oven pan with olive oil or vegetable oil cooking spray. Mix beef, seasonings and minced garlic in pan, cook for a few minutes, separating the beef into smaller chunks. Add two cups of water and let simmer. You do not have to drain since this is a lean beef, unless you wish to. If you are going to drain, do not cook with water, cook without. The water will help create a beef stock.

Dice zucchini with skin on into 1/2" cubes, add to pan with rest of ingredients. Simmer on medium for 15 - 20 minutes. Add more spices if you wish -  I like it spicy!

Makes 10 - 1 cup servings of 107 calories each.

**Make vegetarian -  for a vegetarian switch, add 1-15.5 oz. can of light red kidney beans (drained and rinsed) instead!)

"Free Days" - way to keep sane, and not feel deprived...

One of the hardest challenges for people trying to lose weight is to give up the foods you love. Maybe it's fried chicken or pizza or a big piece of chocolate cake. Whatever it is, you don't have to give it up. No really, you don't.

Haven't I mentioned in here somewhere, at least once, that I'm a foodie? I love love love it. I love to cook it, I love to watch people on TV cook, I love to eat it, I love to try new foods and restaurants, it's a passion. I just can't get crazy with it and eat everything I want to try in one sitting, or all my favorite foods in one day.

But what I can do is reward myself for my hard work and efforts by allowing myself a "free day" or even just a "free meal". This also helps me feel a little more normal ,like those people that can eat whatever they want and not gain a single pound (I'll trade you little people!).

Typically I like to reward myself on the weekends, this is when I go out, see family, friends, go to dinners, movies, etc. Therefore, it's these times when I don't want to be sitting next to people trying to calculate the amount of calories in a grilled chicken salad at a Irish pub while people around me are enjoying hamburgers, fries and tall pints of brew. So, I work hard, and save up.

I count calories 5-6 days a week. I work out 3-4 days a week for about an hour. Some days I don't really consider it a gym day, but I walk for 15-25 minutes on my breaks at my job, or take my dog for a long walk, and a little extra calories get burned - but I don't really consider this part of my exercise routine - more like a bonus. Everything you do above and beyond laying in bed all day burns calories. I like to consider those little bonus minutes of time when I can eat that bite of french fries.

Here's an example: I was good all week. I stayed true to my 1200 calorie range, worked out 3 days this week (plus my bonus minutes) and last night had a "free night". What this meant was, I knew I was going out to dinner, to a new restaurant and I knew I'd want to try a few things on their menu. So, I counted calories up until that point as normal. Typically I've eaten half of my calorie allotment by 6pm. So, by 6pm yesterday, I had eaten about 600 calories. Then I went to dinner, split part of 2 appetizers with 3 other people - sweet potato fries and calamari. Then I ordered dinner, fish and chicken with steamed green beans and grilled veggies. I ate every little morsal. Now, one of my favorite things, are sweets. So, I went to Homemade Pie and Ice Cream Kitchen and got a piece of Kentucky Chocolate Nut Bourbon Pie and practially licked the container clean.

It was just what I wanted and craved and needed after a long, hard week. Do I feel guilty about it? Eh, not really. I know today I will eat 1200 calories. I know this up coming week I will work out, maybe add 10 minutes on to my gym time. If I feel like I've had an especially high caloric "free day" I will add time to my exercise routine and make my calorie intake a little lower for a few days - never lower than 1100.

I know I will have to make adjustments in order to enjoy the foods I want to eat. But for a foodie like me, it's worth it to not feel deprived and eat the foods I love so deeply.

Cooks Tip: If you don't feel like you have enough self control yet to be able to do this and not fall off the wagon completely, you can simply "healthify" your favorite foods. EatBetterAmerica.com has great recipes of your favorite foods, with less fat and calories. Make one today!

mmm... French Toast.. it is possible! even watching calories...

One of the main things I want people to realize is, it is possible to eat things you want, crave, adore... you just have to look at them differently... and eat smaller portions of those. Whoever said everything in moderation was right, and it's certainly a key to weight loss, a healthy lifestyle and maintaining those things.
Breakfast foods are one of my favorite things, I was brought up in a southern family with biscuits, gravy, sausage, eggs, pancakes, toast, oatmeal, etc. And most of that, was part of one meal! This morning I made french toast, just a healthier way, I still got the taste I craved, but with probably a third of the calories you would normally have.

Yumma-licious French Toast

Here's the breakdown:

2 slices of Healthy Life 35 calorie bread = 70 calories

1/4 cup egg substitute = 30 calories

2 tbsp. skim milk = 12 calories

1-2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 slices of center cut bacon = 50 calories

1 tbsp. lite syrup = 34

Total breakfast =  196 calories

To make this:

Shake your egg substitute well, use 1/4 cup, pour into small plate (big enough to place a slice of bread on top of!), stir in cinnamon, vanilla, and milk. Soak each side of bread. Spray non-stick skillet with cooking spray. Flip after downside looks a golden brown. Cook bacon, drain on paper towels. Top with syrup. Enjoy!!

Fast-er Food... better than Fast Food...

Three staples in my fast food pocket are: Qdoba, Panera Bread and Subway. Sure, you may have to wait an extra few minutes for your food, but it's faster than a sit down place, all have calories posted online, and I assure you the quality of food is higher.

The Biggest Loser has made Subway an icon in the weight loss world, and it should be, because you can have it the way you want, you watch it being made, you know exactly what is in your sandwich, but... sometimes you want something warm and soothing, or warm and spicy!

Subway
Subway has a low-fat low-calorie menu posted right on the glass when you order your sandwich. As long as you pick one of "Jareds subs" and leave the mayo off, you're set! Now Subway also offers breakfast choices, and smart ones at that. Choose egg substitute instead of a regular egg and cut the calories. To see a list of sandwiches you can order view their website.

Panera Bread / St. Louis Bread Company
If you want a sandwich that's a little more... well, fancy and pair it with a cup of delicious soup, go to Panera Bread. Hands down in my opinion it's the best chicken noodle soup you can order out, it's as close to grandma's as you get without stepping into her kitchen. The best part is, a cup of their Chicken Noodle is only 90 calories. The You Pick Two menu offers the appropriate portions but gives you two options, it's perfect! They have a nutritional calculator online and thay have all their calories posted on their menu boards. It's easy to make the right decisions when they are right in front of you. Check out their menu.

Qdoba Mexican Grill
My favorite part about Qdoba is it's Mexican, but it's fresh mexican, not covered in that oily pool of reddish orangish grease from the cheese and meats you get at traditional mexican, yet you still get the flavors you want. Often when I go to Qdoba I order off the Craft Two menu, it's the right portion and the price is even better. My favorite choice is 2 crispy shredded pork tacos, lettuce, sour cream, and pico de gallo, pair that with a bowl of Tortilla soup topped with grilled chicken and you've got a warm, tasty combination for 410 calories. Qdoba's Nutritional Calculator.