Homemade hot pockets!

Made this tonight for the kids.  It was a hit with ALL of them!  So quick and so easy to make AND only 330 calories each!  

3 Tablespoons olive oil 

8 oz  (1 cup) whole milk ricotta cheese 

4 oz  (1 cup) mozzarella cheese shredded

1 oz (1/2 cup) Parmesan cheese shredded

1 garlic clove 

1 tsp minced fresh oregano 

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1 (16 oz) tube refrigerator biscuits - 8

1 large egg

Preheat oven to 450 - place rack in the middle position.  Take a rimmed baking  sheet and brush 1 Tbs of the olive oil on it.  Then put the remaining 2 Tbs in a bowl and add remaining ingredients - except the egg.  Mix well. 

The egg you are going to be using to brush on the hot pockets - so you'll break that into a bowl and slightly beat it.   Take the 8 biscuits and press them out into 6 inch diameter circles. Spread the filling evenly over the bottom half of each dough round, leaving about 1/2 inch border at the edge. Brush dough edge lightly with the egg, then fold the top of the dough over the filling, leaving 1/4 inch lip of the bottom exposed. Fold bottom lip over seam and press firmly to seal. Lay the pockets with the seam facing down on the baking sheet. Brush with the egg and make 2, 1 inch steam vents along the top with a knife.  

Bake 10-12 minutes- rotating the baking sheet, half way through the baking time. 

We added 4 oz of frozen broccoli florets, thawed, patted dry and chopped to the filling. This is included in the 330 calorie calculation.   Serve with heated tomato sauce. 

I know it's not low fat - but 330 calories isn't bad - it satisfied me and that's what I needed!! 

Enjoy!

Yummy Asian Chicken Salad

It's hard enough to find delicious, low calorie and low fat foods for yourself to eat when you are trying to be mindful about what goes in your mouth. But throw kids in the mix and it seems practically impossible to suit their taste buds as well!!  This is a family favorite of ours - Asian Chicken Salad, found on Allrecipes.com (a great resource).  My kids like it SO much, that they request to always have it on hand for after school snacking - no joke.  In fact, my daughter Elly had it for breakfast this morning!  

Below are the ingredients and directions - now I know it says that there is 414 calories per serving - but it's all relative.  It also says it makes 6 servings - when I get more like 8. You can put as much or as little dressing and rice noodles as you'd like on it - and that is where the bulk of the calories come from anyway - 

Enjoy!!

~Carrie

Recipe Details

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Asian Chicken Salad

6 Servings, Prep Time: 15 Minutes, Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Description

A perfect salad for leftover BBQ, boiled, broiled or baked chicken. A very crunchy salad with a tasty sweet Asian-style dressing. The kids love it too! The Chinese rice noodles are of the cellophane type and can be found in the Asian section of most grocery stores. They are often in rectangle form and in clear packaging.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil (optional)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 (8 ounce) package dried rice noodles
• 1 head iceberg lettuce - rinsed, dried, and chopped
• 4 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and shredded
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

Directions

1. Prepare the dressing 30 minutes ahead of time by combining the brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, salad oil, and rice vinegar in a salad dressing carafe.
2. To prepare the Chinese rice noodles, heat a skillet with a few tablespoons of oil and break off a little bit of the noodles and add them to the skillet and fry them. They will puff up in the skillet, so only add a few at a time. As they begin to puff up, remove and drain them on paper towels. Be sure to cook long enough as the under cooked noodles will be like eating needles. Once cooked, add them to the salad mixture.
3. In a large bowl combine the iceberg lettuce, cooked and shredded chicken, green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Let chill about 10 minutes, and just before serving add the cooked rice noodles. Serve in salad bowls and offer the dressing in a pourable container so your family can add as much dressing as they want. You can also pour the dressing over the top of the salad, toss, and serve immediately.

Nutritional Information Servings Per Recipe: 6 Amount Per Serving Calories: 414 Carbohydrates: 39.2g Dietary Fiber: 2.0g Fat: 18.0g Cholesterol: 55.0mg Sodium: 224.6mg Protein: 22.7g

Sent from Allrecipescom Dinner Spinner Pro for the iPhone

Sent from my iPhone

Something to snack on

I tried these granola bars on for size this weekend - they are pretty good. One thing I like is how easy it is to tweak the recipe and add what you want. I made them just like the recipe was laid out - right away I would add some chocolate chips - and also, I probably wouldn't chop up the fruit into such fine pieces - I like the fruit to be a little more chunky. But all in all - a great healthy snack!!

Total Time: 0 hours 35 minutes

Prep:

Cook:

0 hours 15 minutes

0 hours 20 minutes

Yield:

20 bars

Level:

Easy

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1 cup quick cooking rolled oats
• 1/2 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
• 1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup dried apricots
• 1/2 cup raw almonds
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup pitted dried dates
• 1/2 cup powdered nonfat dry milk
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 large eggs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Place all ingredients except the syrup and eggs in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is finely chopped. Add the syrup and eggs and pulse until the mixture is well combined. It will resemble a coarse paste.

Transfer to the baking pan and spread evenly. Bake until just done, about 20 minutes. Cut into 20 squares.

Here's the link if you are interested...

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/energy-bars-recipe/index.html

 ~ Carrie

Confessions of a Personal Trainer

Back when Melaine started this blog and asked me if I'd like to be a part of it, I had no idea what was in store for me and the crazy turns that would take place in my life. Since then - I have met an incredibly humble, selfless, sensitive, loving and kind man, fell head over heals in love and married him. We have moved our family out of state and started a new life in Utah. One of the many blessings that has taken place in all of this, is that for the first time in 20 years, I don't HAVE to work. I get to live my dream of being a "stay at home" mom and wife!! And along with this blessing has come a new perspective, appreciation and recognition of how challenging fat loss or weight maintenance can really be!!! 

 Life used to be pretty simple. I would just wake up each day, go to work and the stress of being a single mom providing for my kids and constantly being "on the go," was enough to keep the unwanted pounds off. In fact - I could eat quite a bit and not gain any weight because of how "busy" I was and all the movement I had going on each day. This is NOT the case anymore!! WHAT THE HECK???!! All of a sudden I REALLY need to watch what I eat - and I'm learning that I pretty much stink at it! Those aren't the habits I developed over the years - ugh! Even armed with all the knowledge, understanding and equipment - I'm struggling to be disciplined with my food and exercise. I am having so much fun baking treats and yummy comfort dinners - and I'm stuck in that world of LOVING it and NOT all at the same time. It's done its damage - Lol - recently, I just mailed a pair of my "skinny jeans" to Melaine. Lol - granted I haven't gained so much weight that I need to buy a new wardrobe, that is the direction I'm heading if I don't get a handle on this NOW!! There are a couple pairs of jeans I simply don't fit and a few more that I fit but are not comfortable to wear - I'm sure some of you know what I'm talking about. 

 So - here we go... need to be more diligent and consistent with the tracking of calories and consistent exercise - need to reach down deep to find the discipline necessary to do this. I wish I could say I'm better than I really am at this - but I'm really not. I've never been the trainer that was all cut with the hard body, spending hours and hours and hours, each day in the gym. I've never been the trainer that thrives on eating only fresh, raw and whole foods (way to difficult to do with kids at home). I've been the trainer that has to share her life with the title and tasks of a mom. I'm a trainer that always strives to keep a balance between work and home. Being a parent - a GOOD mom, was always the 1st priority in my life. I think that is partly what attracted my clients to me - I was realistic about the amount of time that can be dedicated to exercise and knew how to get creative with the schedule and balancing family. Anyway - here it is, my turn, to put my words into TRUE practice - use my own advice for things that were never an issue for me before. This will be fun, right??? Lol - we'll see - 

By the way - for whatever reason, I'm unable to respond to comments - so I may address them in later posts. Will continue to work on figuring that all out. 

 Carrie

~zucchini nachos~

-Zucchini Nachos- Wash then slice 1 large zucchini into "chips" Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until tender in a single layer. Top with shredded cheddar and colby cheese and return to grill until melted. Remove from the grill and top with your choice of toppings, I chose: sliced tomatos, avocado, green onions, and cilantro. I then squeezed half a lime over the whole thing. And there you have it, a perfect summer side dish, or main entree {maybe serve along side beans and rice} without all the guilt. Melaine

Spark!

How many of you enjoy kick-starting your day with a little caffeine? I know I do - when you have to get up early and you have kids and no matter how hard you try, you seem to get to bed too late, a little caffeine in the morning is a great way to jump in. Sometimes it feels like the only way to jump in. 

 

This is my absolute favorite drink and the pink lemonade is my favorite flavor. 

Why I love it....... I love that it's not carbonated. I love that it's chalk full of vitamins and minerals - so it's a healthier alternative to coffee, soda and other energy drinks. I love that I don't get jittery after I drink it - but I feel more focused and can move through my tasks in a more concentrated fashion. I love that it tastes so good - Lol - and I love that because of Spark, I get to see my son more often!! He loves it too - and will randomly stop in all the time for a quick drink and a chat, LOVE that!! 

Spark comes in tons of different flavors - Watermelon,  Mango Strawberry,  Pink Lemonade, Mandarin Orange,  Fruit Punch,  Grape,  Cherry,  Citrus

If you are wanting to try it out - just click on the spark link -  SPARK!! 

Shine on -

Carrie

~paleo friendly mini blueberry muffins~

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a mixer, blend: 3/4 cup egg beaters 3 T. honey 2 T. coconut oil, melted 2 T. coconut milk 1/4 t. salt 1/4 t. vanilla In a separate bowl mix the following: 1/4 t. baking powder 1/2 cup coconut flour Add the dry mix to the liquid mixture, and blend. Add 1/2 cup fresh blueberries. Bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. This is a small recipe. Mine made 8 mini muffins at 103 calories each. Melaine