Meal Prep Monday

My job is great for many, many reasons. I could ramble on about it for hours. Don't worry, I won't. At least not today. :) One of the many reasons I love my job is that every other Monday I don't work! I work 20 hours a week in the office and 20 in the building. I alternate being off on Mondays and Fridays every other week. Fridays off are nice. It feels luxurious. Sleeping in is a must. Pajamas are a must. Laziness and relaxation usually happen. It's like an early kick off to the weekend.

Mondays off... They are a whole other thing. I love Mondays off because I'm so productive! If I haven't done my two week shopping yet, I do it. I get up early. I usually treat myself to Starbucks. 

Oh. Allow me to interrupt myself for an important announcement. Since January I've been on a  journey. A Starbucks journey. For years I've generously partaken of Starbucks beverages and never knew about being a Gold Card holder. Long story short if you don't know... Gold = benefits! Free things, a free drink every 15th, free birthday drink, free milk swaps and syrup additions. To become Gold you must register a giftcard, purchase drinks on the card (you're already spending the money anyway! just put it on the card), and make it to 30. On your 30th drink they mail you your Gold Card. To maintain Gold you just have to purchase 30 drinks a year. I'd like to say that will be hard to do, but let's be honest, it's just not an issue. Today, as I treated myself to Starbucks on a productive Monday off, I made 29! It's getting hot in my neck of the woods and unfortunately my car AC has been broken for a couple of years. I have this anti hot beverage thing that goes from March - September anyway, but when it's hot, heavy on the milk things don't sound appetizing to me. I ALMOST skipped on #29 for today, but then I remembered way back in college that Starbucks had a Green Tea Frappucinno. I decided to be brave and risky and ask if they could still make those. My favorite barista came through! She made me the most lovely Venti Raspberry Green Tea Skinny Frappuccino. A good Starbucks barista is like a good hair stylist. 

So right... Mondays off. I love them! I shop. I organize. I clean. And then I do one of my most favorite things in the entire world. Meal prep. Oh how I love it! It always involves cutting up produce for easy healthy eating access and quicker cooking. 

I know people say not to pre-cut strawberries and I get it. BUT... when I don't cut them? They go to waste and become moldy garbage! When I do? I snack on healthy bit sized berries all week, I grab them for a breakfast addition, I sneak them in lunches, and I top microwave mini cakes with them. They last at least two weeks for me without going bad at all. I also love love love green onions. I could seriously eat them on almost anything. Before I started cutting and chopping my produce when I brought it home, they always went bad and got thrown away. I started chopping them and keeping them in tupperware containers. They lasted longer, but I still always had to throw some away. The ever faithful clever Pinterest introduced me to my new way of handling green onions and I'll never go back. I saw a pin where someone suggested chopping green onions, storing them in a plastic bottle, and freezing them. They shake out super easy for any recipe. I'll seriously never go back to any other way! I use a Wal-mart brand Extra Virgin Olive Oil bottle. Be sure to use a funnel to transfer them from cutting board to bottle or you'll go crazy. I use a funnel and then shove them down with a wooden skewer. I even use the frozen green onions in cold dishes like chicken and tuna salad. They thaw quickly being so small and add the exact same flavor as fresh. 

I also use meal prep days to do any do ahead things that I can for that weeks meals. This often involves making chicken stock and/or shredded chicken. 

Every month or so I make my own chicken stock in the crock pot and freeze some. I use Skinnytaste's recipe and it's yummy and flawless. Every few weeks I also make shredded chicken in the crock pot. It freezes perfectly to use in meals like tacos, enchiladas, casseroles, or on salads. If I'm not making stock, and just making shredded chicken I just throw three frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot with an onion (peeled, cut in half, ends on), a couple of green onions (I used the wilting ends and the least pretty ones from the pack), minced garlic, and a good bit of Tony's. Cover the chicken with water, filling the crock pot almost to the top. Cook on high for 6 hours, let cool and shred. This week I'm using it in the previously mentioned Chicken and Broccoli Noodle Casserole and probably some leftovers for a quick salad topping.

I also like to make breakfast and snack options for the week on meal prep days. If I don't have my faithful fat free sour cream mixed with a dry ranch packet I always make that. I cut cucumbers and fruit for easy dipping and snacking. I make flavored cream cheese for bagels, freeze banana for chocolate covered banana bites, make homemade bread crumbs for recipes, prepare a batch crustless breakfast quiches, boil eggs and more! This week I made Frozen Yogurt Bites.

Have you ever bought a bunch of yogurt to counteract the effects of an antibiotic, get tired of said yogurt and then realzie it's about to go bad? Oh.. Yeah. Maybe that's just me who gets weird post antibiotic mouth sicknesses that normally only happen to babies. Well... maybe you've bought a bunch of yogurt because it was on sale at Kroger for a 10 for 10 deal? That seems more likely and normal. If so, this is a great way to use up yogurt! Or if you are like me and don't really like yogurt but know you should eat it because it's good for you, try this. It's way more enjoyable to eat. I used four different kinds of Yoplait, Cherry Orchid, Orange Creamsicle, Vanilla, and Harvest Peach. I emptied each container in its own sandwich sized ziplock. I just barely cut the tip off one corner and piped little yogurt rounds onto a wax paper lined cookie sheet. I stuck them in the freezer for a few hours until they were frozen enough to peel off and store in a gallon ziplock. I also imagine kids would love these. They are sweet, creamy, frozen refreshing treats. 

Last, but not least. I always try to make some sort of lunch option. I have my faithful deli meat to rely on, but I just cannot eat a turkey sandwich every day. I often mix up a batch of apple and boiled egg tuna salad or grapes and sage chicken salad. Fruit chicken salads are my favorite! Gimme apples, grapes, or cranberries, toss in some celery, sage, and nuts and I'm a happy camper. However, I recently discovered a delicious twist on chicken salad! Avocado. I already don't do much mayo if any in my normal chicken salad. I use greek yogurt, fat free sour cream, or fat free mayo. But this chicken salad requires none of the above! 

It's so yummy and earthy and just perfect. It's great on wheat bread, pretzel chips, tortilla chips, carrot chips, a spoon, a finger... The avocado provides the perfect creaminess. Lime juice keeps it fresh and the avocado from browning as well as adds a little more wetness. I found the idea on pinterest and tweaked it to be my own. I did most of the flavors to taste and I suggest you do the same. I'll guesstimate on my measurements for a base though. 

Avocado Chicken Salad

Ingredients: 

1 13 oz can of chicken breast 

2 ripe avocados

1-2 tbsp lime juice

2-3 tbsp chopped green onions

1/2 tsp dried cilantro

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp cracked black pepper

Directions: 

Open and drain the canned chicken. Separate and break apart the chicken in a medium sized bowl with a fork. Cut avocados in half and separate. Remove seed. Leaving the avocado skin on, cut three slices long ways, not going all the way through the skin. Cut across in the other direction three times, making the avocado look like little squares inside the skin. You should be able to turn the skin inside out and have the pieces fall right into your bowl. If they get stuck, simply use a spoon to scrape all the avocado flesh out. Add remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Serve as a dip, on a sandwich, or on top of salad greens. 

Remember. Cooking doesn't have to be such a chore! The more prep work you do, the easier meals and cooking are for the rest of the week. Don't be afraid to pull up a cutting board and trash bowl to the bar and sit while you do it! Find ways to make cooking, planning, and preparation more enjoyable. 

Meal Planning 101: Week 1

I'm very passionate about meal planning. If you know me or have been reading my blog at all in the last couple of years, you know this. A wonderful mentor of mine, Christie, was the first to introduce me to the idea. She's a mom of three and so organized. Christie and her husband Jason are earth friendly, so organized, and live strictly by their budget, which saves them a lot of money. Jason taught me about budgeting and even created a sample budget for me that I still use! And Christie taught me all about organization and meal planning. They were such a huge influence on my life in so many areas. As a graduate student in my apartment with my three roommates and on a super tight student budget the meal planning began. In the years since, it's definitely become a hobby an obsession. Needless to say, I'm a HUGE advocate of meal planning and I'll tell you why.

Reason #1 - It saves money. Really! It does. If you don't meal plan and just shop when you come up with something, you know you always add extra things to the cart with each trip. Those extra things and extra trips add up. You also buy groceries with more intention. Yes, every kitchen needs staples. BUT when you don't plan you aimlessly buy things you think you need, that you don't actually need! I'll address eating out later, BUT it also saves on your eating out cost. If you plan, you eat out way less and make meals you're proud of that cost a fraction of the price they would at a restaurant.

Reason #2 - It cuts back on waste. It's strategic! If you find one recipe you want to make that requires buttermilk, you find others to include in your plan that need buttermilk, thus you don't waste the rest of that buttermilk. When you don't plan, lots of things end up expiring and going to waste. Better for the environment and again.. YOUR POCKET! Green is in, haven't you heard? (Now if only my state would jump on the green bandwagon and make recycling easier...)

Reason #3 - It's healthier! When you plan your own meals you are much less likely to plan an abundance of unhealthy things. Planning also greatly cuts back on the amount of fast food stops and splurges you make (which again, also saves you money). Not to mention, when you plan and cook your own food, not only do you cut back on fat, but you control the amount of sodium, butter, oil, preservatives and exactly what goes into everything you eat.

Reason #4 - It's exciting. The number one thing I hear from people who cook is that they get tired of cooking the same things. If you think and buy for meals on the fly, you're always gonna gravitate to the same things. In meal planning you get to plan in your own excitement to your meals!

And so, I've always wanted to share meal plans with you guys, but I didn't think there was an interest or market in boring things like that. Then I happened upon this blog! She posts recipes as well, but every Sunday she simply posts her weekly meal plan. I was/am inspired and have decided I'll do the same! 

This was my meal plan from a couple of weeks ago. 

A quick few meal planning tips for you. 

1. Don't be overwhelmed! Start small. Try it for one week at a time first. Currently I do two weeks at a time because that is my pay schedule (every other week). When I got paid once a month I did do it a month at a time. I planned the entire month and shopped only once a month. Yes! It is entirely possible. 

2. Use your resources! Those cook books you have? Break them out! Read them. Set little fun goals. When I was doing monthly planning, I set some guidelines like at least one new recipe a week and at least two recipes from my cookbooks a month. The internet is your cooking companion. Let's call her you sous chef! There are SOOO many food blogs out there (if you want a list, I'll be more than happy to hook you up). Set up Google Reader and subscribe to people who post great recipes so you see them often (I can also tell you how to do that if you need assistance). Pinterest is of course a great resource as well. 

3. Look at sale ads. I know Kroger and Target send weekly sale emails. Wal-mart has a weekly sale paper. Don't be afraid of coupons! If you have a farmer's market, find out when they sale things. Fresh produce is better and often cheaper. If you have a Sam's Club, it's not just for bulk items. I am a single person and every two weeks I visit Sam's! Sam's is wonderful for cheaper produce and meats. When I did monthly planning, I would wait to plan my meals until I knew what meats were on sale.

4. Have fun getting organized! Christie always had a big dry erase white board calendar where she recorded her meal plan. I posted a picture of the method to my madness above. I've tried apps and digital list makers, but there is just something I love about writing out my own list. I have a magnetic list on the fridge where I write random things I think of through out the week or things that I run out of. During the week, I type meal ideas and ingredients into a Google Tasks list. The day before I will be doing my shopping, I plan out 5-6 full meals, make my shopping list, look at my Google Calendar and input when I will eat which meals there, and then write them out on my weekly paper magnetic pad so I see it every day on the refrigerator.

With a family you'd need to cook more than 3 times a week, but I'm just me so I eat leftovers about every other day. I usually plan a fish dish, chicken dish, ground turkey/beef dish, and a vegetarian dish. Depending on which meat I bought more of that week, I either do two chicken dishes or two fish dishes. I buy chicken breasts and tilapia in bags from Sam's so I always have more of those. (And they are healthy!)

And without further adieu... this weeks plan! 

Sunday: 

-Leftover Italian Sausage and Spinach Baked Pasta with Olive Garden Copycat Salad and Dressing (From an Italian themed dinner party. One of my friends made the pasta and it was amazing! I don't even like sausage and I loved it. I'm going to try to get the recipe from her to share with you.)

Monday: 

-Avocado Chicken Salad 

Tuesday: 

-Skinny Chicken and Broccoli Noodle Casserole

Wednesday:
-Leftovers

Thursday:
-BLT Lettuce Wraps with Baked Zucchini Fries with Sweet Onion Dip (I'll be "skinnying the onion dip)

Friday:
-Leftovers

Saturday:
-Fruit Salsa topped Tilapia with Coconut Milk Wild Rice

Last tips! Always include a veggie and stay away from double starches (like potatoes, rice, and pasta). Try to include things of different colors, make your meal pretty like the rainbow.

I will also be making a skinny homemade Red Velvet Cake for one of my RA's birthdays this week.

What are you making this week?

Sunday Brunch

As promised, I'm back! Thanks for not giving up on me. Pneumonia is a beast! All I ate for two week was Chicken and Stars, Easy Mac, and chocolate pudding cups. This weekend was one of the first times I've felt like cooking since the sickness attack. Now, I know I'm really better.

Last night I made an extra green and lean shepherd's pie for St. Patrick's Day! I'm getting better at food pictures I think. Yes, I know I go a little collage crazy, but hey, I'm a kindergartner at heart. And you guys love me anyway right? (If you want the recipe, just ask! I could easily post it.)

This morning I got up and made these amazing, tasty, EASY banana pancake muffins! I have a new favorite healthy food blogger: Emily Bites. She is amazing. She does creative and different Weight Watcher friendly recipes. I got these banana pancake muffins from her! I only made very few changes from her recipe. Also, after reading her post to make these cutie muffins, I've totally had the Jack Johnson Banana Pancakes song stuck in my head ALL day. 

Banana Pancake Muffins

I added more banana that she did and I used sugar free syrup. With the sugar free syrup swap (verses the light that she used) I got it to be lower points according to the Weight Watchers Recipe Builder! Her version was 4 points per serving (4 mini muffins) and mine was 3 points per serving. 

Ingredients: 

1 cup Bisquick Heart Smart Pancake and Baking Mix

2/3 cup skim milk

2/3 cup sugar free breakfast syrup

1 1/2 large ripe bananas, chopped into small pieces

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a mini muffin tin with butter flavored baking spray. Stir Bisquick mix, syrup, and milk together until smooth. Chop the banana into small pieces. Spoon 1 tablespoon of mixture into each muffin tin. Divide mixture evenly into the 24 cups. Add banana pieces onto each cup. Depending on the size, I put about 4-6 pieces in each cup. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. 

  

It makes 24 muffins, 6 servings of 4 muffins each. Each muffin is 1 points or 3 points per serving. They are the perfect sweetness for me, but if you want extra sweetness you could dust with powdered sugar or serve with extra syrup for drizzling or dipping. I had mine with some fresh strawberries and yogurt! A perfect little Sunday brunch. 

Did I mention that I'm loving this whole church on Sunday nights thing? Sunday brunch just feels luxurious and relaxing. Relaxing should take place on the Sabbath day right? I'm going with it. Now I have these sweet cutie muffins as a breakfast option for all week as well! Oh how I love prep work. And preparing healthy breakfast or lunch options to have for the week. I decided to go ahead and make my faithful crustless quiches as well while I was having a happy Sunday baking day. I used my same base recipe (linked above), but changed them up a bit. I made them big guys instead of little guys. I used fiesta 2% cheese instead of Parmesan and American, added an extra sauteed onion to make them super sweet and oniony, and added some chopped tomatoes. According to the Weight Watchers Recipe Builder they are only 2 points each! For a big filling egg muffin that's not bad! Using a big muffin tin makes 12. 

I'll give you one more to grow on! Just because I've been good about taking pictures, tried some pretty yummy things, and it fits with the brunch theme (even though I kinda sorta ate it as a dessert, oops). 

CHOCOLATE Oatmeal

Holy cow this is good. Like I said, I actually ate it for dessert! But it's totally a breakfast food! I got the recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie, another healthy food blogger I love. I pretty much used her recipe exactly except she does vegan and I don't. I'll post my version, but for the original just see the link above.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup rolled oats (I used the whole grain quick cooking kind)
3/4 cup skim milk
1 banana, smashed
1 1/2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
1 tablespoon Splenda
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Combine all ingredients and cook uncovered over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes. Stir occasionally. I sprinkled some chocolate chips (a very small handful, less than 1/4 cup) over top and stirred them in just slightly. It's a lot! Two people could eat this as a dessert or one for a hearty, filling breakfast. It's 10 points for the entire serving, 5 for half. I also topped it with a little fat free Cool Whip for 0 points.

Try these out for your next breakfast or brunch. We should have a big brunch pot luck party. That would be fun.

And then...

And then I acquired walking pneumonia, which turned into real pneumonia. And then I thought I was better and thanks to my nifty $100 antibiotic, I got thrush and couldn't swallow. BUT NOW... thrush is getting better and I have recipes from yesterday and today to post. WITH PICTURES. I did fully intend to do the aforementioned posting, but yeah... Life happens. Stay tuned! And never, never get pneumonia.

Something New

Hello friends and readers who have probably given up on me and my ability to post. Yes, it's been almost another month with no posts! Have I been making fabulous healthy (mostly) meals? Yes! Have I posted them? No! Have I taken pictures of them to post them? Some... Some of them were too tasty for me to take a break long enough to photograph.

I really am trying to be proactive at being a better blogger! I even read an article on food blogging tips that a wonderful friend gave me. I'm gonna start by committing to twice a week. At least one recipe post a week and the other could also include a recipe or some healthy eating/planning tips, possibly a favorite new product or snack, or maybe a DIY project! On the non-recipe post days I'll probably share my two week meal plan (which consists of 5 meals for 2 weeks usually) and if there are any recipes from that list you want, just let me know!

I have learned the value of friends, support, and community in everything, EVEN the eating healthy weight loss journey. I love love love getting ideas from people. I know I'm gifted in the meal planning area and I know I need to stop keeping my ideas to myself! I promise to share more. We need each other! I'm back on Weight Watchers and pushing forward on the journey to be healthier and in the process smaller. I, a lover of food, cannot do this healthy eating thing unless it's creative and yummy. Weekly I discover new amazing, healthy, yummy thing.

So today, to kick off my attempt at being a better blogger I share a simple sweet fix recipe.

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Mini Microwave Minute Cake

This is a super easy, versatile healthy cake fix! Our Weight Watchers coach told us you can mix an angel food cake with any box cake mix in a Ziploc and mix 1/3 a cup with 3 tablespoons of water for a single serving, sweet tooth satisfying, cake that is only 5 points plus! Great info that I of course ran with and made my own. I used an orange cake mix and the angel food, poured in the Ziploc, shook and shook a little more for extra fun and calorie burning and keep it in my pantry for a quick non-guilty indulgence! I keep frozen peaches (the no added sugar kind) on hand and it's strawberry season.... Perfect zero point cake toppings! I thawed 1/2 cup of peaches in the microwave and stirred in some sliced strawberries and Splenda. I let that get all happy and juicy while I mixed and fake baked my cake. I used a combination of unsweetened applesauce and water instead of all water. Even though there are very limited ingredients and it could be a one bowl dish, I wanted to turn mine out and not eat it in the dish, so I mixed mine separately and then poured it into a Pam sprayed ramekin, like this one that I got in a 4 pack set from Wal-mart for super cheap. You may want to put a napkin under your dish because mine overflowed a bit. I topped with a 1/2 tablespoon of fat free sweet condensed milk for an extra point (SO worth it). I poured over the happy juicy strawberries and peaches, then added 2 tablespoons of fat free cool whip (0 points) on the fruit. SO satisfying. 6 points total and a NICE portion! 

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For my version: 

• 1 Duncan Hines Orange Supreme Cake Mix (or cake mix of your choice)
• 1 Betty Crocker Angel Food Cake Mix

Mixed and stored in air tight container. 

• 1/3 of cake mixture
• 1 tbsp of unsweetened apple sauce
• 2 tbsp of water
• 1/2 tbsp far free sweet condensed milk
• 1/2 cup thawed, frozen peaches
• 1/4 cup sliced strawberries 
• 5 Splenda packets
• 2 tbsp fat free Cool Whip

Mix strawberries and peaches with Splenda, let flavors combine and juice. Mix cake, applesauce, and water. Pour into sprayed microwave dish. Microwave for 1 minute. Top with condensed milk, fruit, and cool whip. 

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Tomorrow is grocery shopping day! I love that day. My list is made and my meals for the next two weeks planned. All recipes will be skinnied and weight watcher friendly!

1. Mexican Chicken Casserole & Black Bean & Salsa Green Salad

2. Crockpot Honey Bourbon Chicken, Healthy "Fried" Rice, & Edamame 

3. Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps (with leftover Honey Bourbon Chicken) & Baked Vegetable Egg Rolls

4. Parmesan Tilapia, Roast Potatoes & Lemon Peppered Asparagus

5. Shepherd's Pie & White Cheddar Broccoli 

Like I said, I won't be posting all recipes! I'm being practical. I'm sharing meals plans to assist in your own creative meal plans. HOWEVER, I'm always willing to send a recipe your way. Feel free to comment, Facebook, or email me if you want a specific recipe listed. Thanks for being faithful! Stay focused, healthy eating is way better!

True Love

So...

I'm gonna avoid that awkward moment where we discuss what a bad blogger I've been.

Yes. I know.

I know it's been since September. I also know you missed out on a lot of great recipes and excess rambling. But we're avoiding that, k? Okay, good.

I do think I'll do that thing I did last year, where I posted a list of all the recipes you missed and let you pick any that you'd like me to back track on. But aside from that, we're picking up now and moving along.

Now that we got that out of the way, I'd like to tell you the quite rambly-hyper-babbly-full of unimportant details story called today.

I was unusually hyper most of the day. It could have been because I had my second great hair day in a row. Or because I finally discovered my favorite coffee. Or because I dozed off early only to wake up and not be able to sleep until 3am and was actually confusing sleep deprivation with hyper. Whatever the case, it was an unexpectedly great day.

Today I had to be at work at 9am. I "accidentally" snoozed until 8:20. I needed to make coffee, pack a lunch,  and pack breakfast. I decided I did not have time for hair washing. So I predetermined and accepted it would just be bad hair day. But it wasn't! It's a fabulous hair day.

And then... something life changing and legendary happened.

Begin story interruption to pause for a brief interjection. I have been watching WAY too much How I Met Your Mother because I really wanted to use the word legendary way too many times by 10am this morning. I might have watched the entire first season on Saturday. End story interruption. 

To backtrack a bit, last night my RA visits and tosses something on my table. It was so casual, so not life changing. "Here, I got this for you." A free sample of Starbucks new blonde roast coffee.

Mundane. Free. I'll take anything that's free. Totally not legendary.

Since I woke up late and had no time to grind my normal (as of December) toasted pecan coffee beans, I reached for the already ground sample. While it brewed, I packed my healthy lunch and picked a cute outfit to go with my good hair day. I put on a sparkly owl necklace and my big over-sized sparkly owl ring. It was that kind of day. The kind where it's okay to wear big blingy over-sized sparkly owl rings.

And then... I poured the coffee. The color intrigued me. It was so... inviting. I measured out my creamer and added my sweetener of choice. I grabbed my purse and my work bag (which is just an excuse to have two purse-y things and carry even more unnecessary stuff around) and my lunch bag. Okay so I carry three bags. Don't judge me. Right before I walked out the door I took my first sip.

LIFE CHANGING!

I've never been one of those people who have a favorite coffee. I love Starbucks specialty drinks, which I could give you a list numbered  and bulleted with notes and seasonal details in order of which of those are my favorite. However, those are the cocktails of coffee. Even non-coffee drinkers can find one of those they like. Thus, I always felt like I was a minor league coffee drinker because I didn't have a favorite and couldn't tell the difference in normal brewed drip coffee. I mean don't get me wrong, bad coffee is bad coffee everywhere, but everything else tastes the same to me. Maybe a hint of this or that, but all in all, it's the same.

But today... My life changed. I officially have a favorite coffee. It felt like gold hitting my taste buds. So smooth and velvety. I am in love. Hyper. Rambly. Babbly. Dramatic. But in love. With a cup of coffee.

My good day and life changing, legendary coffee experience was so poetic it made me want to write and blog again. And you know me. I can't post a blog without a recipe. What goes best with life changing coffee? Scones! I'm back on the healthy wagon and putting away all those not so healthy holiday treat recipes until next year. But as you know, healthy is and can be yummy too! Thanks skinnytaste.com for always giving me modified "skinny" treats to satisfy my sweet tooth and scratch that I must bake at least once a week itch. I made her Skinny Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Scones to have for breakfast this week. Only 5 points each and really yummy! I followed the recipe exactly and oh how yummy one of these tasty little scones were with aforementioned legendary coffee.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of Year!

Nope. Not Christmas... AUTUMN! Okay... technically it's not until September 22nd, but almost! It's close enough for me to begin celebrating all things fall!! Living in the Louisiana (the land of few trees and even fewer than change colors) for the past four autumns, I forgot that Mississippi and places in the south can actually have autumn! Some of the trees are starting to change already. Driving down the interstate, a breeze of wind caught the leaves of a cute little yellow tree and they magically fluttered through the air. I actually got tears in my eyes and squealed "fall" in utter bliss with a big smile while driving in my car. So in my world, it is officially time to light the fall candles, put out the fall candy (it's so cute in a mason jar!), bake all the fall things, and hang my homemade fall wreath!

And so this weekend, the official weekend of the end of summer, I fully welcomed autumn with all the love I could deliver! How you might ask? A party with the kitchen, a few cans of pumpkin, and me! I'm so thankful for this season coming now! After a month of all the chaos that is the beginning of a school year in the higher education world, I'm finally back. Life has been so busy, three weeks of training, and the first hectic week of school and students moving in. I haven't been able to workout or eat properly at all! The good news, I didn't gain! The bad news, I didn't loose anything but my motivation. The coming of the season I love was just what I needed to find my motivation. I literally haven't cooked or planned a meal in a month (food provided, eating out, lots of cereal, etc.). This week, that all changed. I planned meals for the next three weeks and had a pumpkin/autumn extravaganza!

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Pumpkin Spiced Cream Cheese

I took this recipe directly from my favorite recipe blog skinnytaste.com. I didn't have agave nectar, so I added 3 extra tablespoons of brown sugar instead of the 2 tablespoons of agave. She mentioned that agave was sweeter. So, I started with 2. It wasn't quite sweet enough, so I added 1 more. It's SOOO good. I've been eating it with apples, but I can't wait to try it on bagel thins as well. The recipe makes a little over a cup. It's made with 1/3 less fat cream cheese and 1 point per tablespoon. I am fairly certain I will keep this in my fridge until spring reappears! 

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Pumpkin Butter

This recipe also came directly from skinnytaste.com . I didn't make any changes at all. She suggests 1-2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice, according to your taste. I LOVE pumpkin pie spice, so I used two. She says you can use apple cider or juice, I used juice. 2-3 cinnamon sticks, I used 3. I used Libby's canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling). Can I just tell you, this is amazing! In the comments on her blog post people asked how long it would last in the fridge, and she says 3 days. It makes A LOT, like 4 cups a lot. I plan on using it past 3 days though. I did some research and most places said you could use apple and pumpkin butters longer, up to 3 weeks. BUT still, there is no way I'd use 4 cups, so I am freezing some in ice cube trays for individual portions to store in a freezer ziplock bag. I do believe I will eat this for breakfast every day this week! It would be fabulous on pancakes, waffles, biscuits... Oh my gosh... MUST MAKE BISCUITS! My mouth is watering thinking about this yummy spread on biscuits. It's only 3 points for a 1/4 cup! This yummy pumpkin butter is also a the key ingredient in....

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Pumpkin Spiced Lattes

Another recipe straight from my favorite! Anyone else anticipate the re-release of Starbucks' pumpkin spiced latte every year? Or the pumpkin spiced coffee creamer that only comes out around the holidays each year. I am ecstatic when this happens every autumn! Gina (Skinny Taste's author) to the rescue again! I followed the recipe exactly, except... It makes 2 serving and I definitely drank all of it! 3 points a serving (or 6 if you drink both like me). You need this! I also looked up how to make espresso in a coffee pot. 1 tablespoon of coffee per 1/4 cup of needed espresso. So I brewed 2 cups of water + 8 tablespoons of coffee. I'll save the rest for another batch tomorrow. 

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And then, with all the yummy sweet pumpkiny things. I had to have an equally yummy fall dinner right? What better way to do that than in the crock pot?! My crock pot, Tyler Duff Crock Pot to be exact, is my favorite cooking tool for autumn and winter. It's just so warm and cozy! Chicken was on sale at Sam's, which isn't a typical crock pot meat, but I worked with what I had and threw some stuff together that came out really yummy!

Fall in a Crock Pot Chicken

For sounding more professional, in the picture I named it Autumn in a Pot. But doesn't fall in a crock pot sound so funny? Funny image for sure. But really, the ingredients kind of did fall in the crock pot! 

Ingredients:

-1 large sweet onion

-3 sweet potatoes, cubed

-3 boneless skinless chicken breast

-1 cup dried cranberries

-3 or 4 small Gala apples, sliced

-1 package chicken gravy mix

-chicken broth
-McCormick Smokehouse Maple Seasoning

-salt

-pepper

I tossed the onions in first, cut in half, quarters, and then once more. Threw the cubed potatoes on top of that. Sprinkled them with salt, pepper, and the McCormick seasoning. Seasoned the chicken breast on both sides with the same seasonings. Sprinkled the gravy mix over all of that. Tossed the apples and cranberries on top, poured over 1 cup of chicken low sodium, fat free chicken broth. I finished it with a little more of the maple seasoning, some nutmeg, and a cinnamon stick. Put the lid on, cook on high for 4 hours, and don't touch. It was really yummy! Very much an autumn meal: cozy, warm, and filling. 

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AND since I'm determined to eat healthy this week, I whipped up some fruity chicken salad to use for lunches. I usually do good with breakfast and dinner but not so good with lunch unless I have leftovers or plan! Breakfast this week will be full of pumpkin goodness! Since canned chicken was also on sale at Sam's, chicken salad sandwiches will make my lunches happy!

I don't use any full fat mayonnaise! I use a tad of fat free mayo and for the rest of the "wet" I use fat free sour cream.  A big can of chicken, dried chives, ground sage, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder to taste. Red seedless grapes and 1 gala apple chopped. Perfect as a sandwich and yummy on crackers too! 

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Stay tuned tomorrow for Brownie Batter Dip, Strawberry Fluff, and Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Homemade Caramel Sauce! Also, if you haven't heard of pinterest.com, you are missing out! It's a virtual pin board! You can "pin" things you find on the web and like or things you make yourself (I've started pinning all my recipes). BUT the best part is browsing other pins. Everything from food, to DIY projects, to clothes, to crafts, EVERYTHING! You should follow me: pinterest.com/kasialindsay!

I hope you can enjoy and celebrate fall too! Or mourn the last official weekend of summer, if you must. (If you are one of *those* people, hehe kidding, I love you even if you don't love the coming season as much as me!) Happy healthy eating!