Ask me anythingA Bit About MeBefores and AftersHow I Lost the Weight!Breads!Brilliant BakingCooking EssentialsCreative CookiesPasta Possibilities Pescetarian ProteinsRich RisottosSaucetasticSensational SoupsSinless SnacksSuper SandwichesVictorious VegetablesDorm DecorationsMeal PlansAt Home Exercise PlansNutritional KnowledgeHealthy Living Tips!Breakfast Ideas!Cakes Big & Small!Next pageArchive

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

Shrimp & Sugar Snap Pea Pasta with Roasted Garlic!

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

~

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! :)

~

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!

~

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! :)

~

Recipe here:

piecesinprogress.tumblr.com/breakfast

35 notes | 2 weeks ago

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

17

There’s a lot of misinformation about nutrition and types of diets so I wanted to make this to help explain that you can and SHOULD have carbs as an important part of your healthy balanced diet! There’s plenty more to know about carbs and nutrition but this guide should help get you started towards using carbohydrates to enhance your health and fitness plans! For other nutrition guides & info on calories, protein and more go here! (piecesinprogress.tumblr.com/nutritionalknowledge)

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 ~

8

I love roasted veggies!! This is some roasted cauliflower and a bit of onions with lots of curry powder, garlic and cumin spice. You don’t just have to eat them straight though… HERE’S MY FAVORITE THINGS TO DO WITH FRESHLY ROASTED VEGGIES!! 1.- toss in a salad with spinach and light feta 2.- pile onto a crusty sanwich or in a wrap with a laughing cow cheese wedge 3.- mix with pasta (rozoni smart taste), a bit of parmesan and a teaspoon of olive oil 4.- puree and simmer on the stovetop with broth to make soup! (kress add chunks of whole veggies and/or fat free half and half to make it creamy) 5.- arrange on homemade pizzas To make them: just chop, arrange on a tin foil covered pan, sprinkle with spices (drizzle with a teaspoon if olive oil if youd like but they will turn out fine if you just add moist items like tomato to the mix), and roast on 375 for 20-30 minutes!

13

Fresh veggies are by far my favorite thing to cook! I made this tray to go into a pasta dish ill be making (and posting) tomorrow, it’ll have lots of fresh basil and chunks of fresh mozzarella too! On this tray is eggplants, red onion, cherry tomatoes, lots of garlic, salt, pepper, and a teaspoon of olive oil. Here’s my basic way of roasting any veggie! 1- cut into evenly sized pieces 2- line pan with non stick foil, arrange veggies in flat layers keeping order in mind, the veggies on the bottom will absorb the flavors of everything on top of them so keep items like garlic for last, the bottom will also cook more 3- sprinkle with spices like salt and pepper, you can drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil if you want but you don’t have to, then bake on 375 for about 20-25 minutes and enjoy!

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!

~

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! :)

~

I hope that helps!

2 months ago

11

Fresh Spring Risotto! 227 calories, 44 carbs, 4g fat, 8g protein ~ This risotto is loaded with tons of zucchini and asparagus giving it a fresh authentically veggie flavor. The rice gives the dish a fantastic creaminess for very few calories and fat. To make it even better you could add 1/2 cup white wine to it, fish would also be fantastic with it, especially scallops and shrimp. Risotto has always been my favorite health food dish because it’s so delicious but still nutritious. It took me about 40 minutes to make but is well worth the work and will hold up in the fridge for the rest of the week! ~ Recipe here: piecesinprogress.tumblr.com/richrisotto

12

Extra Hearty Red Lentil Soup! 137 calories, 24 carbs, 1g fat, 10g protein!! ~ This was my first time making lentil and they came out fantastic! As a vegetarian I’m happily suprised by how much extra lean protein is in lentils and definitely will be making them more often! This soup is super thick and hearty and filled with zucchini, carrots, celery and tomato. I used lots of spices like cumin, turmeric, garlic and curry powder to make the soup really flavorful for minimal calories. The longer you cook the dish the softer the lentils will get so if you can decide what texture you’d like! ~ Recipe here: piecesinprogress.tumblr.com/sensationalsoups

13

Basil Feta Scones! 98 calories, 15 carbs, 2g fat, 6th protein! ~ I’m a big cheese person so the combination of fresh basil and cheese in a scone has always been appealing to me. They’re really delicious, especially when warm and since there’s so much flavor already in them they don’t need any topppings. They’re perfect for breakfast, brunch, or anytime you want a savory snack! ~ Recipe here: Piecesinprogress.tumblr.com/breads

17

Strawberry Raspberry Brownies! 105 calories, 26 carbs, 0g fat, 3g protein!!! ~ I started with the already super healthy “No Pudge Fudge” raspberry brownie mix but made it even healthier! I used greek yogurt to add more protein to the recipe, put it in cupcake molds instead of a pan to help with portion control (much easier to just have one cupcake size!), and used my favorite fruit trick. I love adding fruit to baked goods to increase the size of the batter (and thus the yield) for minimal calories. Although no pudge fudge is already really healthy I was able to cut out 15 calories per serving by adding fresh strawberries to the recipe! :) ~ Recipe here: piecesinprogress.tumblr.com/brilliantbaking