First Timer: Overnight Oats

We have all seen the comments. It is so easy! It is the ONLY think I eat for breakfast! I love it! With reccomendations like that and pictures like this

Source: http://www.eatliverun.com/the-one-the-only-overnight-oatmeal/


 I have no idea what has taken me so long to jump on the bandwagon, so here it goes.

Here are the ingredients I used:

• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt 
• 1-2 tbsp chopped nuts
• cinnamon
• blue berries & black berries

Since I was taking this to work with me to eat post workout (Uh did I mention I am taking a 5:30am group exercise class?) I had to prep.

I have one container for my oats and milk. This container will go in the fridge overnight to set up. In the morning when you are ready to eat you will add the yogurt and toppings to make your overnight oats.

One container for my berries and yogurt and one for nuts and cinnamon.

 

 

I got cute new containers!

 



My review?
It made a lot of food. The consistency is a little odd in my opinion. I didn't hate it, it was just very mushy. I am not sure if the fact that I used almond milk made a difference in that. I also put way too much cinnamon in it. I really liked the bites where I had a berry because it added some sweetness. I used honey flavored Greek yogurt in order to omit the honey/maple syrup that I saw in a lot of the recipes, but I think I will try to add some next time to make it a little sweeter. I am not sold yet, but excited for the possibilities to make this one a lot better!

Menu Monday 10/28

Menu Monday is going to be pretty boring the next 8 weeks. My dinners are basically going to consist of a protein and a veggie. I will try to mix it up, and post recipes when I do think outside the box.

Monday
Grilled Chicken and Broccoli
I have really been digging the broccoli steamers. Green Giant has a Tuscan Style that I really like. It is hard to find broccoli that is not covered in cheese or butter, but this one is pretty good!


For lunch today I am going to have some chicken and Avocado Quinoa for my side. I am excited to let you know if I like it as much as I think I will.
 
Tuesday
Shrimp and Green Beans

Wednesday
Steak and Spinach

Thursday
Spaghetti Squash "Shrimp Scampi"
Will post the recipe if it is good!

Friday
Salmon and Veggies


pretty wild week isn't it?  I do have a recipe to share though!

 Jazzy Sweet Potatoes

One night after some drinking with some friends we stopped by a food truck. We ordered some french fries, and they were served with cinnamon on them. It gave is an awesome idea on how to cook some sweet potatoes.

Ingredients:

• Cinnamon
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• sweet potato
• extra virgin olive oil
• fresh garlic

 Cut up your sweet potato in pretty consistent sized pieces and chop up that fresh garlic.

 Put the oil in the pan and heat it. Once the oil is heated add the garlic until it is browned and then add the sweet potatoes.

 

 Once the sweet potato starts to cook add salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I do not have exact measurements on the spices, I would say to taste. Once the sweet potatoes have some brown on them and are easily pierced with a fork, sprinkle with cinnamon.

I had these with salmon and broccoli, and it was great. I even had some the next day and got a ton of compliments on it's smell.

Five on Friday

 

I am linking up with some amazing blogs to share what I have been up to this week. 

Click the picture above to join in

(one)
As I mentioned in our Menu Monday post, I started a pretty hardcore 8 week diet and work out program. Meal planning, supplements, the whole nine. This week I was given a set of rules and recommended shopping list to go off of. Once the trainer assesses how this program is going, what I am doing right and wrong, etc. he will tailor a meal plan for me. Yesterday was my first day of the menu program. The hardest part for me is going to be eating as much as I should be, simply because I am on the go so much.

The rules are pretty simple, when you get down to it, but sometimes the easiest things are the hardest. Some of the rules are to eat a protein with each meal/snack, only eat carbs when you "earn" them (meal after a workout), and eat vegetables as much as possible. There is also the 10% rule. It is important to take that 10% and eat what you enjoy.  Nobody wants a crabby Lindsey.

(two)

Day one of  my nutrition tweaking and a kiddo brings me this at school. I didn't eat it, but look at this face.

(three)
We have been cooking some awesome stuff lately though.

Garlic Lime Shrimp, Recipe Found here

Veggie Foil Packets: All we did was pick our favorite veggies and sliced them up and tossed them with some evoo and spices. (I chose garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Dan went with a spicy combination..Shocking) We also added some chicken sausage and put them in the oven at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes.

If you do use sweet potato I would recommend a longer cooking time, or slice them thinner. Ours were half undercooked, half perfect.

\

This was my post workout meal on day 1. Salmon, broccoli, and brown rice. I use a recipe that I found on The Pioneer woman for cooking salmon, never fails to work incredibly. 





(four)

Dan takes the all you can eat salad bar ser iously. Pay for the second trip? uh no.

(five)
With today being exactly two months until Christmas I so kindly started a pinterest board of things I would enjoy. You are welcome in advance.

First Timer: Spaghetti Squash

Alright Ladies and Gents,
I finally bit the bullet and did it. I made spaghetti squash.

A little background, I love noodles. In order to help with my weight loss, I have basically cut them out of my diet, because I have no self control with them. I have been seeing these spaghetti squash recipes on pinterest and everyone RAVING about how it is a wonderful pasta substitute..blah blah blah I wasn't buying it.

I did a little research (aka googled how to cook spaghetti squash) and found a couple of techniques that were similar. I went here and here and basically followed instructions. We opted for some turkey meatballs and our favorite jar of pasta sauce, easy enough.

Alright, here we go.

 

I got the squash and cut off both ends in preperation to cut it. I had Dan cut it in half for me, my fingers are too pretty to cut off. Then I took a spoon and scooped out the seeds. 

 

 Just like the recipe said I brushed it with olive oil and added a semi-generous amount of salt and pepper.

 

Put it in the oven at 400 degrees for around 45 minutes. I did re-brush it with olive oil with about ten minutes left because it was looking a little dry.

Hot and fresh out of the oven.

 

 I was honestly suprised how easily it came out and how much it looked like spaghetti. I did not wait till it was cool enough to touch, because I am a rebel, and it worked wonderfully. We added a splash of olive oil and some salt and pepper before adding our sauce and meatballs.

Gordon Ramsay would kill me on presentation, but overall we made a pretty good dish.

Lindsey's Review:
I can't believe I am saying this, but it was awesome. I am already planning other dishes using spaghetti squash. The best thing is that since it is 40 calories per cup (compared to the 200 pasta usually has) you can add those not so awesome toppings (I am looking at you alfredo) and feel less guilty.

Dan's Review:
It wasn't horrible. It didn't taste like spaghetti, more like rice noodles, but it wasn't bad.

Menu Monday 10/21

 

Monday

Dan is making another batch of his Ghost Pepper Chili, and I will be hitting up Chic-Fil-a on my way to work for the night! I have visions of fruit cups dancing in my mind.

Tuesday

I have been waiting for this night for awhile now. Dan and I will be heading to Boulevard Brewery for an Alumni dinner. I have gone for as long as I have been able, this will be Dan's second time, and it is always a blast!

Wednesday

Alright folks. This week I am starting an eight week intensive diet and fitness program through my new gym. Part of this service is nutrition and meal planning. I am meeting with my trainer on Tuesday morning, and am not sure when we are going to be setting up the menu. With that being said I do not know the rest of the week's menu. The awesome thing about this is not only will I be learning some awesome things about nutrition, but I plan on bringing some of that knowledge to Good JuJu! Wish me luck, and I can't wait to tell you all about it!

Weekend Recap x2

We have been crazy busy these past two weeks. We have gotten to see so many people and do so many things, it has been a blast! But, I can honestly say I am looking forward for a little normalcy these next two weekends before things get kicking again! Here is a little bit of what we have been up to the past two weekends!

The Husker game was absolutely freezing. We did have a lot of fun, and it is such a fun and different atmosphere than my college experience. It is always great to take a trip to Lincoln and relax a bit, when we are home I feel like we are always thinking about stuff we could be doing, and it is great to get out of town for a bit.

But, you can't beat a drive home like this.

Dan made his first trip to my wonderful college town. It was homecoming and we had a great time. We walked around campus, went to my sorority house and stopped by one of my favorite restaurants while in town. It was a quick day followed by going to a birthday party that night. It was great to see so many friends, but we were exhausted by ten. We just aren't as young as we used to be.

Our tailgate snack we brought was a fruit pizza and it was a success! We pretty much just used a recipe off pinterest. It was super easy and delicious, definitely something we will make again!

 

Sunday we stopped by the new REI that just opened in our area. Dan was super excited to try some astronaut ice-cream. I did not try any of it, but he claims it was delicious! We also went to the Fresh Market that is located next door to check it out. They let you sample any of their items, which is a little bit of trouble for us. But, the food is really fresh and the store is impeccable. It is a little pricy, but it is a fun once in a while type of place.

This also happened Sunday. I can't wait to show you what we are working on!

Menu Monday 10/14

Menu Monday 10/14 - -Eating Clean(er) Edition

Dan has his half way weigh in for his weight loss challenge, so we are going to step up our game with food this week.

It is so easy to do well during the week, and then so tragic when one day messes up everything. After a six (S-I-X) pound weight "gain" after Saturday's festivities it is time to get my act together as well.

Monday

We have a ton of leftovers from last week. Dan's finally finishing off his chili, we have tortellini soup and meatballs left over as well. All of the meals we tried last week were definitely a success. If we are going to continue to make crock pot meals I am going to have to invest in a larger crock pot, the tortellini soup was awesome, but could have used more spinach, I just couldn't fit any more in there!

Tuesday

Pork Chops and Wilted Spinach

Wednesday 

Sausage and Sweet Potato Foil Packets

Thursday

Cilantro Lime Shrimp with Green Beans 

Friday

Spaghetti Squash with Meat Ragu

Ok guys, I am going to do it. Spaghetti Squash here we go! I figure if it is horrible, the meat sauce will save it, right? I also am going to use turkey sausage instead of ground beef in my meat sauce

Saturday 

Grilling Out

 Both Tuesday and Wednesday we are making our own recipes. As we make them I will take pictures and post the recipes as best I can. A lot of time with our cooking we just "wing it". That is not  always the best thing to do, especially when losing weight, you have to be more precise, we will work on it.

Eating On the Go

With my work schedule I usually eat out every Monday night. It is too hard to try to leave work, go home, make dinner and get to work on time. Over the two past two years I have tried pretty hard to not let those Monday night dinners on the go get me too far off track on my eating. Especially because (let's be real) all diets start on Mondays.

I am no expert and I know that even though a restaurant posts calorie information that it is not always accurate. But, I do what I can and these are some of my favorite "good and good for you" fast food options!

Panera
Panera has an AWESOME nutrition calculator that allows you to add and subtract items that you will be eating (down to the tomatoes, yuck). I know that their nutrition is more accurate than most because I see them behind the counter measuring out the ingredients.

I usually get a pick two meal and eat half for dinner with the side (sometimes apple, sometimes bread) and eat the other for lunch the next day.

Pick Two Greek Salad

160 cal.

 

Pick Two Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

220 cal.

Pick Two Chicken Cobb with Avocado

320 cal.

Mr. Goodcents
I found at Mr. Goodcents (or most sandwich shops) that sacrificing the items I wanted (mayo and cheese) made the sandwich not as satisfying. But, If I kept those things, and loaded up on veggies, I was satisfied and full.
Mr. Goodcents also has a nutrition calculator where you can build a sandwich to your exact specifications. I find these especially helpful while building sandwiches because you can see exactly how many calories or carbs you are adding or loosing. Is swapping out white and wheat worth it to you, what about ham or turkey? By playing around with the nutrition facts, you can really see what small tweaks can make a big difference in the overall quality of your meal.

Noodles and Company
While at first glance you may think Noodles and Company has no healthy options, but that is really not the case! They have done a really good job at making sure they have smaller portions and a lot of customizable options so you can mix and match what you are looking for. They even have an under 500 Calorie "cheat sheet" that is awesome, and all of their calorie information is listed on their menus in person and online.
I do not usually go to Noodles before work simply because there is not one on my way, but we do hit it up for lunch and dinner often.

Pad Thai (half order)

420 cal.

Spicy Chicken Cesar Flat Bread

520 cal.

 

 

Chipotle
Stay with me on this one. Chipotle can very quickly turn into an over 1,000 calorie meal. But, if you take the time (and make some sacrifices) you can get a meal for around 550 calories. The nutrition calculator is your friend. Always start with a burrito bowl and go from there. I get chicken, brown rice, a lot of fajita veggies, green salsa, lettuce and guacamole. Grand Total? 540 calories.

Chic-Fil-A
This is a newer one on my radar, simply because it is so hard not to go there and get the spicy chicken sandwich and waffle fries (nom nom nom). They do an awesome job listing their nutrition information online and on their menu, sometimes it is a slap in the face, and sometimes it is surprising.
I got the Grilled Chicken Cool Wrap for dinner last night and it was good, and really filling.

Grilled Chicken Cool Wrap

330 cal.

 

I also got the fruit cup for the side, and it was AWESOME. I usually stray away from fruit cups because I do not like a lot  of melons that usually full fruit cups, but this one had strawberries, oranges, apples, and grapes! 



Fruit Cup

60 cal.

 

Next time I might get the grilled chicken nuggets, 110 calories for six? Sign me up.



What are your favorite on the go meals?

Menu Monday 10/7

Monday

While I am slaving away at work Dan is going to be making chili. He is using a ghost pepper he received and multiple kinds of other peppers. I will not be trying this.

Tuesday
Crock pot Cheese Tortellini Soup 
After freezing our buns off at the Huskers game this weekend I am excited to start making some soups and more "fall" type foods.

Wednesday
Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Um, I am looking forward to this dish a lot.

Thursday
Leftovers

Friday
 Stir Fry (our own recipe, nothing fancy) and making dips to bring to homecoming. I think we are going to go with my old reliable dips, Loaded Baked Potato and Buffalo Chicken. Check out my Tailgate Food Post for the recipes.

Saturday
Visiting my lovely sorority sisters and college friends for Homecoming festivities! Followed by another good friends birthday party. Busy, but fun day planned!

Sunday
Recovery and prepping for another week. We choose something to make for dinner while we pick up groceries for the week.


Have a great week!

Five On Friday

 

(one)
I think I am officially too old for concerts. I had a great experience at Mumford and Sons. We had a great spot, great weather, and for the most part the people around us were great. Buzz Beachball was another story. The line up was fantastic and the weather was ok, but the people were awful. There was not a single seat in the place and everyone was pushing and shoving to get a closer spot that just did not exist. By the time the band I really wanted to see what on the stage, it was so crowded I could bearly see.

I was also super sore the next day, is this what being old feels like? I don't like it at all!

Oh well, here are some poor phone quality photos from the shows for you to enjoy!

(Mumford and Sons)

(Buzz Beach Ball)

 

 

(two)

We may not have a single room finished in our house, but I did manage to style our mantle this week. Everything you see was reused from my apartment (or given to me), so it was free, and doing this made me feel a ton better. I painted the mirror Sage Grey by Behr. It was one of the paint colors we were going to use in the bedroom, so we had the sample. I sanded it a bit to add some texture. I tossed around painting it a brighter color, but I am really loving the grey (for now).
 

(three)

About two weeks ago Dan and I went to our first estate sale. We happened to go on the last day of the sale when everything is 50% off. This has some pros (uh, everything is half off) and some cons, like everything has been picked through. We did manage to score a desk, and some tools.

On Wednesday we hit up another sale hosted by the same company and while everything was still full priced we did manage to snag a couple of neat items. After going on the first day of a sale, and the last I think I am going to stick with going on the last days. The prices were reasonable, but more than I would pay for some items. They know what is "trendy" and priced those items accordingly. A mason jar for eight dollars? No thank you.

I got these frames that I am going to paint and Dan picked out a book for his dad, all for $4.50.

(four)

 Menu Monday was a little weak this week. The sloppy joes were good, but the cheese sauce it asked us to make was odd. I think next time we are just going to melt a cheese slice on it and call it good. The pork chops were really tender, but the potatoes and carrots could have used more time. I think with some personal tweaks that the recipe could be awesome though, definitely one that we will try again. I am really excited about some of the recipes for next week, so hopefully they will be more successful.

(five)
I am proud to say I kept with my goal for this week and worked out Monday-Friday. I went to a new gym in my area and really hated life enjoyed myself. It felt good to be pushed and sweat, and I honestly feel that part of my funk I have been in lately stems from not working out like I used to. This next week I am going to continue with my five days a week goal, and I am going to eliminate extra snacking.