Sweet Craftastrophe: Health Bent

It's no longer about being skinny it's about living a healthy lifestyle through exercising, healthy eating habits and careful planning. Sorry for not posting yesterday but I had a killer math test to study for! Anyways, "skinny" is totally out of season and healthy is the new trend that's here to stay! I've tried just about every fad diet possible from green tea to the Hollywood diet and as some of you know they're just quick fixes. Sure it's great for a few weeks but what about afterwards? Sound familiar? It's no fun being on a diet I mean the word itself is such a drag.

The word itself makes you cringe at the thought of it.

Don't

Imagine

Eating

This

C'mon how inspiring is that? None whatsoever which is why this isn't a diet it's your new journey into a healthy lifestyle. Of course I'll post some salad recipes but I'm not going to focus on that alone because healthy eating can be fun! It doesn't need to consist of restricting yourself from your favorite foods as long as you learn to come up with substitutions and adjustments. Food is meant to be enjoyed! Sure you may love mayo but cutting it out of your daily routine can save you 99 calories! By substituting it for mustard (just 11 calories) think how much happier you'll be when all these little things play into the big picture - losing weight, living healthy and most of all being happy!

Before we start the first step is to write everything down! That's why I found some great printables for you. Thanks to Design Sponge I’ve made them available for you here.

Menu with grocery list

Grocery list

This actually works out perfectly because I am going grocery shopping today too so I will show how much fun planning your meals will be!

Ok so I actually didn't follow one of my own shopping rules and went while I was hungry! It's actually NEVER a good idea! So I ended up buying some random things I probably didn't need which is why you should make sure that you are fueled up before heading out!

Anyways here's a few recipes that I will be trying this week...

GET GOING BREAKFASTS!

1 cup Cheerios, 1/2 c. skim milk, 1 medium banana sliced

1 Vitatop muffin, Greek or lowfat yogurt {210 cals}

LUSCIOUS LUNCHES!

Crab and Avocado Salad


Per serving: Calories 314; Fat 14 g (Saturated 2 g); Cholesterol 73 mg; Sodium 552 mg;Carbohydrate 28 g; Fiber 8 g; Protein 22 g

Lean -o- panini

Calories: 264, Fat: 7g, Sodium: 898mg , Carbs: 31g
Fiber: 7g, Sugars: 6g, Protein: 21g

DASHING DINNERS!

Boca Fresca Burger

Calories 250, Total fat 7g, Sodium 550g, Sugar 5g, Carbs 29g, Protein 20g

Jerzday Ziti


230 Calories, 22g Protein, 45g Carbs, 5g Fat (serves 9)

Ingredients

   * 1 box Fiber Ziti or Penne Rigate
   * 15 Ounce container of Fat Free Ricotta Cheese
   * 2 Large Egg Whites
   * 4 Cups Non Fat Mozzarella Cheese
   * 1 teaspoon garlic powder
   * Salt/Pepper
   * 1 tsp Crushed red Pepper Flakes
   * Low Calorie Marinara Sauce
   * 3 Tbsp Grated Fat Free Parmesan Cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 Degrees
2. Spray baking dish with Olive Oil or Pam
3. Boil Pasta noodles
4. In a mixing bowl mix ricotta, egg whites, and everything else but leave 1 cup of        mozzarella cheese.
5. Spread 1 cup of Marinara sauce on the bottom of the dish
6. Add 1/2 pasta on top of marinara sauce in an even layer
7. Add another cup of marinara sauce over first layer of pasta
8. Add the remaining pasta over the second layer of sauce
9. Add mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese over the second layer of pasta
10. Cover the dis with Foil
11. Bake approximately 20 minutes
12. Remove the foil
13. Bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted

SNACK ATTACK!