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23

My birthday cake!! This came out so delicious and was so simple to make I actually did it before breakfast! The cake is rich and very lemony because the recipe uses the zest of two whole lemons AND the juice of one. It’s a dense cake and you could very easily bake it as a lemon pound cake instead. I used Stonewall Kitchen Wild Maine Blueberry Spread as my filling because it’s only 10 calories a tablespoon, is a favorite of everyone who tries it and has no added sugar! The cake makes 16 slices because it is two layer but you could make it a 12 serving cake by just adding 47 calories per serving (203 cals each then). I used raspberries around the edge for decoration AND serving markers. They can help you evenly space out slices! ~ Cake recipe: piecesinprogress.tumblr.com/cakes Strawberry-Raspberry Topping: piecesinprogress.tumblr.com/saucetastic

Chocolate Orange Meringue Cookies!

16 calories, 4 carbs, 0g fat,  0g protein!

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This recipe uses the zest of a whole orange to add a delicious citrus tang to the chocolate. Meringues are normally healthy cookies since they’re basically just egg whites, cream of tartar and sugar, but by using cocoa powder you not only get great chocolate flavor but cut down on calories from sugar! You can use this recipe to experiment with all different flavors, coconut or crushed/pureed berries like raspberry would be great too!

*These are about 3 inches in diameter*

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Recipe here:

piecesinprogress.tumblr.com/creativecookies

35 notes | 2 days ago

Shrimp & Sugar Snap Pea Pasta with Roasted Garlic!

269 calories, 44 carbs, 4g fat, 18g protein!

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This is by far one of my favorite dishes because it has the best of everything AND it only took 30 minutes!! There’s lots of freshly roasted garlic along with roasted onions, peppers and cherry tomatoes! They all get tossed with pasta, fresh shrimp and sugar snap peas to make this high protein pasta healthy and packed with flavor. I topped it with an extra tablespoon of parmesan for 20 calories and added a side salad for one of the best, healthiest meals I’ve made! If you don’t eat shrimp try tossing in one of the gardein soy protein products! :)

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Full recipe here:

piecesinprogress.tumblr.com/pastapossibilities

9 notes | 3 days ago

26

Tofu Mac and Cheese! 327 calories, 8g fat, 46 carbs, 20g protein!! ~ This dish is one of my family’s favorites because it’s a great healthy way to get kids to eat more protein. The tofu in the cheese sauce makes it creamy and the use of healthy pasta (Rozoni smart taste), fat free milk, and low fat cheeses make it diet friendly! I served it plain (no veggies), but you could easily prepare some veggies and toss them in with the pasta- Here’s my favorite veggie additions! - 4 cups cauliflower cooked with 2 teaspoons chopped garlic (or even better roast garlic in the oven and throw in a few cloves!) you can get it frozen then thaw it and cook with the garlic for 5-10 minutes - 5 cups (raw) baby spinach (that’s one bag) and 1/2 cup caramelized onion (throw the spinach in raw so it wilts in the sauce!) - marinate thick eggplant slices and portabella mushrooms in white wine and garlic, grill 3 minutes on each side and chop - oven roast about 20 asparagus spears and thick slices of zucchini with cloves of garlic and slices of red onion (400* about 30 minutes), chop asparagus and toss in Full recipe here: piecesinprogress.tumblr.com/pastapossibilities

26

Mango Coconut Cupcakes! 107 calories, 4g fat, 10 carbs, 2g protein ~ These cupcakes were a huge hit before my family even realized they were healthy. They have chunks of fresh mango and coconut flakes (with coconut extract) to create a really tropical bright summary cupcake. I frosted them with 1/2 a teaspoon of Pillsbury sugar free frosting for an extra 17 calories and used marshmallows for the decoration. ~ Recipe here: piecesinprogress.tumblr.com/brilliantbaking

The Perfect Cheesy Veggie Omelet!

213 calories, 16 carbs, 5g fat, 26g protein!

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This omelette is packed with diced red onion, diced red pepper, roasted red peppers, spinach and colby jack cheese. I cooked all the veggies together before adding them to the omelette so the flavors all meld together and come together really well. The whole thing only takes about 5 minutes to make and is a fantastic breakfast. I paired it with two slices of Pepperidge Farm Light Style Oatmeal bread (90 calories) and half a tablespoon Land o Lakes light butter (25 calories) to finish off the meal! :)

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Recipe here:

piecesinprogress.tumblr.com/breakfast

35 notes | 2 weeks ago

30

Homemade Pita Bread!! Per pita: 106 calories, 0g fat, 3g protein! ~ Pitas are one of the easiest breads to make and are fantastic on their own, with roasted veggies, healthy hummus or dips, or for mini pizzas. The dough needs time to rise but once it’s ready it takes less than 5 minutes to bake and they stay good stored properly for about a week( but in my experience have never lasted that long). The best part is you can make all different flavors by using herbs and spices like rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano, cumin, red pepper flakes, GARLIC, minced onion or anything else you like! Here I used oregano and lots of garlic. :) ~ Recipe here: piecesinprogress.tumblr.com/breads

10

Sun Dried Tomato Risotto! 240 calories, 2g fat, 51 carbs, 8th protein! ~ This Risotto is packed with pinks and reds. It has smoked sun dried tomatoes, vine tomatoes and red onion that combine to make a rich sweet flavor that’s delicious with the creamyness of the risotto. I didn’t use wine in the recipe but a half cup of white wine would be an excellent addition! ~ Recipe here: Pieceainprogress.tumble.com/richrisotto

16

Chocolate Chocolate Chunk Muffins! 107 calories, 2g fat, 20 carbs, 5g protein!! ~ These cupcake sized fluffy muffins came out incredibly! They’re soft and filled with melty chunks of chocolate. It’s a really simple recipe too, just throw ingredients together, spoon into muffin cups and bake for about 15 minutes! What helps make them really healthy is using non fat greek yogurt and sugar free hershey’s dark chocolate for the chunks. You could try throwing any sort of berry in this recipe too! ~ recipe here: piecesinprogress.tumblr.com/brilliantbaking

12

Butternut Squash Barley Lentil Soup! Per cup: 93 calories, 20 carbs, 0g fat, 5g protein!! ~ This soup has a fantastic sweet spicyness from the combination of butternut squash and spices. I used cumin, garlic, an Indian spice blend and a hint of red chili flakes. In addition to the squash there’s also chunky carrots, onions and tomatoes which, with the thickness of lentils and barley grain, make the soup rich, filling and delicious. With 6 ingredients it’s a really simple dish to make and can be part of a healthy hearty meal! (I suggest 2-3 cups for a meal size or a sandwich/ wrap/ salad with a single serving of it). ~ Recipe here: Piecesinprogress.tumblr.com/sensationalsoups ~

Fresh Raspberry Lemon Zest Cheesecake!!

115 calories, 19 carbs, 1g fat, 5g protein

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This enormous cake came out perfectly! What really lightens this recipe up so much is the use of meringue! The egg whites keep it fluffy while the cream cheese makes it creamy. The raspberries are mashed and stirred in so you get a real tang from them and the lemon finishes it off. This is DEFINITELY a recipe worth trying and worth the cook time!

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Recipe here:

Piecesinprogress.tumblr.com/brilliantbaking

83 notes | 2 months ago

13

Asparagus Pasta with Lemon Butter Sauce 307 calories, 54 carbs, 6g fat, 9g protein ~ This is one of my favorite sauces but typical recipes call for 2 sticks of butter and heavy cream. I wanted a lighter healthy version that would taste just as tangy, buttery and amazing and it came out incredible! It’s PERFECT for ANY kind of fish, but I decided to pair it with fresh asparagus and zucchini. I topped it with a tablespoon of grated parmesan! ~ This and other healthy pasta recipes here: piecesinprogress.tumblr.com/pastapossibilities

itsztimetogethealthy asked: Hey! Great informative blog you have! :) Have you made any posts about what you buy when you go grocery shopping? How much do you spend on food and nutrition each month roughly? Thanks so much for your info!

Thank you so much!!

Yes I have, on my “Nutritional Knowledge” page there is a post called “Grocery Shopping Basics” with my favorite items and a few tips! I try to post my grocery list from time to time too so watch out for those!

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I spend $60-70 dollars roughly every 10 days on food for a total of $180-210 per month on food. I end up testing a lot more recipes than most people would which makes my groceries costs more. I could probably comfortably live on about $150 a month if I was not at University right now and made fewer dishes in larger portions.

Here’s 3 ways to save money in the grocery store! I’ll be making a bigger post about this later in the week (after midterms)! :)

~ Frozen veggies! Although I always prefer fresh when possible you can absolutely get bags of plain steam able veggies (I always go for store brand). This is especially cost effective with broccoli and cauliflower but also works well with mixed veggies.

~ Store brands! The only name brands I get are Rozoni Smart Taste, Morningstar/ Gardein Soy products (there is no store brand here) and Sargento cheese. Otherwise if you can find the store brand grab it! This is great especially with yogurts, dairy, and pantry basics

~ Have a meal plan! I try to avoid just shopping for ingredients without a plan. By knowing the dishes I’m making I can buy the exact right amount of food so nothing goes to waste! :)

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I hope that helps!

2 months ago

20

Super Easy 8 Minute Shrimp Lo Mein!! 272 calories, 51 carbs, 0g FAT!!!, 14g protein!! ~ I got this from the Noodle bar of my university’s cafe. I love customizable stations because I can control exactly what I want in my dish! Here’s how I made the dish healthier! - extra veggies - half the amount of pasta (1 serving instead of 2) - cook with water instead of oil ~ Here’s how to make it! - 1 serving Lo mein noodles (2 oz dry) - 2 oz shrimp - 1/4 cup each bamboo shoots and water chestnuts - 1/2 cup mushrooms - 1/4 cup green peppers, diced - 2 Tablespoons soy sauce Heat pan over medium heat, cook shrimp with 1/4 cup water for 1 minute, add veggies and soy sauce, cook 2-3 minutes. Add cooked noodles, stir and cook for another 2 minutes, enjoy!