• Three-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese. [6 servings. 321 calories per serving]
• Stovetop Mac and Cheese. [4 servings. 334 cal per serving]
• Truffled Mac and Cheese. [6 servings. 418 cal per serving]
• Stove-Top Macaroni and Cheese with Roasted Tomatoes. [8 servings. 357 cal per serving]
• Steak House Side Mac and Cheese. [6 servings. 347 cal per serving]
• Chipotle Macaroni and Cheese. [6 servings. 324 cal per serving]

Pumpkin Spice Protein Pancakes.

Ingredients:

1 scoop protein powder

• 1/2 cup pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (or 1/4 tsp pumpkin spice + 1/4 tsp cinnamon)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup + 2tbs water
• 3-5 packets Stevia (or 1/2-1 tbs sweetener of choice)

Method:

Put all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth!

Meanwhile, heat a nonstick griddle (or large nonstick skillet) coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake onto griddle. Turn pancakes over when tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Serve warm!

Servings: 4 (3 pancakes per serving)
Calories: 150 per serving (15g protein/4 g fiber per serving)
Weight Watchers Points Plus Value: 2 per serving

Skinny Starbucks Frappuccino!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 scoop Vanilla or Chocolate protein powder
• 1/2 cup Cottage cheese (*See Note Below)
• 1-4 packets Stevia (or low calorie sweetener of choice)
• 1 Starbucks Via packet (or 1 tsp instant coffee powder)
• 2 tbs Half and half
• 5-10 Ice cubes (depending on desired consistency)
• 1/2-1 cup Water (depending on desired consistency)

Optional: 1/2 tsp xanthax gum (you can get this from most grocery stores in the health food or gluten free section! Just a pinch of it makes your shake so thick and creamy)

Optional: To make a Mocha Frappuccino, just add 1-2 tbs cocoa powder!

Note: Instead of the cottage cheese, you could also use 1 additional scoop of protein powder and add low fat milk or (milk substitute) in place of the 1/2-1 cup water in this shake.)

METHOD:

1. Put all of the ingredients in the blender, and blend until shake is thick and creamy!

Servings: 1
Calories: 220 per shake
Weight Watcher Points Plus Value: 4 per shake
Nutrient Breakdown: 5 grams of fat, 6 grams of carbohydrate, 3 grams of sugar, 40 grams of protein per shake

Oven Baked Spinach Chips. 

Ingredients
• Bucket load of spinach leafs. I am talking about handfuls here!
• A bit of extra virgin olive oil, to coat the leaves. You don’t need a lot - for 400 grams of spinach leaves, I used 1 tablespoon of oil.
• Herbs. I used pepper, curry powder, red pepper powder, garlic powder and thyme.

Directions
1. Preheat oven at 120°C / 250F,
2. Rinse and dry the spinach leafs,
3. Place spinach in a large bowl, pour in some olive oil to coat the leafs,
4. Add herbs, toss it all around,
5. Place some baking paper on a tray, and lay out the spinach nice and evenly,
6. Pop them in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Keep checking on them until they’re crisp!

(Source: balancefully, via curvecreation)

(Source: berryhealthy, via rosamaybefearless)

prettybalanced:

Lunchtime Snack Platter: Bread with Almond Butter, Strawberries and Chopped Vegetables

(via claireruns)

Add a Healthy Twist!

We don’t know about you, but the warmer months can often mean an upsurge in late-night drive-thru visits- especially after an under-catered party. Just ass a splash  of stirred, not shaken alcohol and you have the perfect fat trap. If you feel a take away craving coming on and don’t trust yourself to resist the post-event munchies, create your own guilt-free fast food before you hit the town. You’ll thank yourself the next morning.

Fries:

Use thick cut sweet potatoes, which are rich in vitamin A, to cook up a healthy side of low-GI fries. Sweet potatoes not for you? Before cooking, soak thick cut conventional potatoes in water, this will help keep them crisp and will require less oil to cook. Instead of serving with gravy or tomato sauce, serve with vinegar, which has been shown to reduce the glycemic index of foods containing carbohydrates.

Pizza:

When baking pizza, consider using Lebanese flat bread (or pitta bread) as your base, as it contains less fat than conventional pizza bases. Load up the base with low fat cheese and top with a generous serving of your favourite veggies. Don’t want to settle for a meatless pizza? Choose a lean Italian chicken sausage, which is a low fat substitute for the high fat pork varieties that are often added to pizzas.

Burgers:

Use ready made lean meat hamburger steaks or, for the healthiest alternative, make your own with lean minced beef. Cook at a low heat to keep your low fat hamburger steak juicy and tender and consider using a cooking method that eliminates some of the fat content, such as grilling or broiling.

Womens Health and Fitness

(via bodyless-soul)

Sweet and Salty Roasted Chickpea Recipe (Cheap, Easy, and Addictive)

1 can (14 oz) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon cinnamon or your spice(s) of choice

1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

• Place chickpeas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat.
• Bake at 450 F for 30 minutes. (You didn’t miss anything here.  You don’t oil or season them until after they are done.  In fact, for an extra healthy treat, try them when they get out of the oven before even adding the oil.  They are enjoyable all on their own.)
• Transfer chickpeas to a bowl and mix thoroughly with the rest of the ingredients.
• Enjoy hot, or bring to room temperature and store in an air-tight container.  Like popped corn, the chickpeas are never as good the next day.  However, they are still quite enjoyable 3-4 days after making them.   

healthysexyhappy:

Knock out your fiber needs with cholesterol-lowering oatmeal! Just one serving of oatmeal (1/2 cup dry) has 2 grams of soluble fiber. According to the Mayo Clinic, 10 grams or more of soluble fiber daily decreases your total and LDL (bad) cholesterol. We’ve got tasty ways to get your day started right by enjoying high-fiber oatmeal. For each bowl, start with 1/2 cup of instant or dry oatmeal. Cook according to package directions, then add our delicious themed toppings.

• Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

You’ll definitely love the pumpkin flavor in this sweet bowl of oatmeal.

Ingredients:
* 2 tablespoons fat-free vanilla yogurt
* 1 tablespoon pumpkin butter
* 1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Nutrition: 137 cal., 2 g total fat (1 g sat. fat), 0 mg chol., 44 mg sodium, 27 g carb., 2 g fiber, 4 g pro.

• Cheesy Hash Brown Oatmeal

This recipe is a staff favorite! The oats blend right in with the hash browns for a south-of-the-border taste.

Ingredients:
* 1/4 cup cooked hash brown potatoes
* 2 tablespoons shredded Monterey Jack cheese
* 1 tablespoon salsa

Nutrition: 244 cal., 11 g total fat (4 g sat. fat), 13 mg chol., 310 mg sodium, 29 g carb., 3 g fiber, 8 g pro.

• Tropical Coconut Oatmeal 

Get whisked away to the tropics with a bet-you-never-tried-it combo of flavors in this oatmeal.

Ingredients:
* 1 tablespoon macadamia nuts, chopped
* 2 tablespoons toasted, shredded coconut
* 2 tablespoons dried pineapple

Nutrition: 262 cal., 13 g total fat (6 g sat. fat), 0 mg chol., 54 mg sodium, 34 g carb., 4 g fiber, 5 g pro.

• Hot Cocoa Oatmeal 

Think hot cocoa mix only goes a mug? We’ve re-envisioned it as an oatmeal topper.

Ingredients:
* 1 tablespoon instant hot cocoa mix
* 2 tablespoons mini marshmallows

Nutrition: 221 cal., 3 g total fat (1 g sat. fat), 0 mg chol., 156 mg sodium, 44 g carb., 3 g fiber, 5 g pro.

• Bacon & Salsa Oatmeal

This oatmeal recipe proves that you can still enjoy bacon on a heart-healthy diet if you eat it in moderation.

Ingredients:
* 1 strip chopped, cooked bacon
* 2 tablespoons reduced-fat cheddar cheese
* 2 tablespoons diced tomato
* 1 tablespoon sliced green onion

Nutrition: 172 cal., 8 g total fat (3 g sat. fat), 17 mg chol., 295 mg sodium, 16 g carb., 2 g fiber, 10 g pro.

• Blueberry Nut Oatmeal 

No pancakes here! Transition traditional flapjacktoppers into oatmeal flavor-boosters.
Ingredients:
* 1/4 cup blueberries
* 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
* 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Nutrition: 204 cal., 7 g total fat (1 g sat. fat), 0 mg chol., 7 mg sodium, 34 g carb., 3 g fiber, 4 g pro.

• Apple Crisp Oatmeal 

Crisp apples, granola, and almonds put bite in your oatmeal bowl.

Ingredients:
* 1/2 cup chopped apple
* 2 tablespoons low-fat granola
* 1 tablespoon chopped almonds
* 1/8 teaspoon apple pie spice

Nutrition: 200 cal., 6 g total fat (1 g sat. fat), 0 mg chol., 40 mg sodium, 34 g carb., 5 g fiber, 6 g pro.

• Peanut Butter Cup Oatmeal

A dab of peanut butter and a sprinkle of chocolate chips are all you need to jazz up your oatmeal.

Ingredients:
* 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
* 1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips

Nutrition: 257 cal., 14 g total fat (5 g sat. fat), 0 mg chol., 78 mg sodium, 27 g carb., 3 g fiber, 8 g pro.

• Turtle Sundae Oatmeal 

Pure indulgence, this sweet treat hardly seems like another boring oatmeal breakfast.

Ingredients:
* 1/4 cup fat-free whipped dessert topping
* 2 tablespoons pecans
* 1 tablespoon sugar-free caramel dessert topping

Nutrition: 252 cal., 12 g total fat (1 g sat. fat), 0 mg chol., 45 mg sodium, 34 g carb., 3 g fiber, 4 g pro.

• Trail Mix Oatmeal

Bring trail mix to your breakfast table by tossing the grab-and-go bits on your oatmeal.

Ingredients:
* 2 tablespoons mix dried fruit bits
* 2 tablespoons dry-roasted mixed nuts
* 1 tablespoon flaxseed

Nutrition: 276 cal., 14 g total fat (2 g sat. fat), 0 mg chol., 18 mg sodium, 33 g carb., 6 g fiber, 8 g pro. Can’t get enough oats? Read on for even morerecipes that use this heart-smart whole grain.

(via healthydreams)

(via health-heaven)

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower
2-3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, herbs

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Wash and chop cauliflower into small florets.  Toss florets with olive oil and salt and place on a baking sheet. 

Roast for 30 – 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so, until the desired tenderness is achieved.  Roasting time will vary according to your taste preferences, how large you chopped the cauliflower florets (obviously, smaller ones will cook faster), and what type of pan you are using. Check it at 30 minutes and then test periodically from there. 

(Source: health-heaven, via health-heaven)

Vanilla Spice French Toast with Apple

Ingredients

• 1 egg plus 2 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Dash each of cinnamon and nutmeg
• 2 pieces whole-grain bread
• 1/2 medium apple, sliced

Banana Pecan Waffles

Ingredients

• 2 frozen low-fat whole-grain waffles
• 1/2 banana, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons pecans, chopped

(Source: thehealthygirlsguidetolife)

Chipotle Barbecued Tofu (click for recipe)

(via notstuckinamomenthealthblog)

hungryrunner:

[image via Greatist]

Greatist knows me. Like, really knows me. If you’re like me and like your meals to be delicious but also ready in a relatively short amount of time (basically the ground rules for any meal I ever make), then you’ll want to check out all 52 of these quick and healthy meals. I was going to pick out a few of my favorites to share, but honestly, all of them sound so tasty that I cannot hold some above the others. I plan on trying all of these at some point and I cannot wait!

(via thatskintightdress)