Up and Coming

Today is my Friday! One day of work and then it's a three day weekend- Woohoo!

I am going to be busy this weekend, though, so Desiree will be stopping by with a guest post and then I may be taking the weekend off from blogging.  We are down to a few weeks left before Will is gone, so I might be taking every weekend off for the time being :(  I need every spare second with him, since our time is precious.  

The good news is: We will be doing tons of  fun stuff and making new recipes in the remaining time, so I will have some awesome fodder to post about!  For example, I created a new meatloaf recipe yesterday, that was phenomenal, made with HALF veggies and is husband approved!

I can't wait to share the recipe!

I like to eat, but I like to get the most out of my food, which is why I would rather add in a bunch of veggies, than just eat a smaller portion. 

Here are some snacks that I've been enjoying lately as well:

This trail mix packs a punch of flavor, and is filling and satisfying!  You do have to be careful and not eat the whole back in one day, though. It's addicting!

via Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1/4 cup
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 50 Calories 140
% Daily Values*
Total Fat 6g		9%
	Saturated Fat 1g	5%
	Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg		0%
Sodium 50mg		2%
Total Carbohydrate 16g		5%
	Dietary Fiber 3g	12%
	Sugars 12g
Protein 4g
Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 4% Iron 2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

I always recommend Goldfish as a snack because their serving size is pretty decent and they satisfy your salty chip desires. Now that they have so many flavors- you just can't go wrong, and this one is my new favorite:

Source: google.com via Janna on Pinterest

Vanilla Cupcake?!? Holy yumminess!!

Again, you do have to keep yourself from eating the whole bag :)

(Try pre-portioning snacks if you find this to be an issue)

After all this I am HUNGRY.  Time to go eat breakfast.  

I hope you all have a lovely day, and remember that each day is precious <3

Garbanzo's: Mediterranean Heaven

Have y'all ever heard of Garbanzo's?  If not, then you probably live outside of Colorado, because this is a franchise that has taken our state by storm.  I hope that by the time we move again there will be Garbanzo's everywhere because it is SO good!

Not only are they delish and fresh, they are awesome for choosing US as winners of their Military family contest!  They awarded us with a 10 guest-party of FREE food and it was AMAZING.  As a matter of fact, they gave us so much that we had more for breakfast and there are STILL leftovers.  They didn't ask me to plug them or anything...I just want everyone to get a chance to try them or maybe find a Mediterranean grill near you.   They are definitely getting more popular and it's such great food.  Full of Quinoa, Garbanzo beans, whole wheat, healthy sauces and fresh herbs and spices they are such an amazing alternative to fast food.  Would you rather have a measly-greasy burger that will leave you hungry in 5 minutes or something healthy that will taste great, fill you up and make you feel great!

I'll also leave you with a hummus recipe.  It makes a great dip or condiment for your sandwich!

Red Bell Pepper Hummus

Ingredients:

• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained
• 1 cup sauteed or roasted red bell peppers
• 1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves (optional)
• 
  
• Instructions:
• rinse and drain 1 can of the chickpeas. Place drained chickpeas in a blender and add red bell peppers, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and cumin. Process with a food processor, blender or hand-blender until smooth. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with parsley. 

Now I'm off to go work on my Christmas Ornament for the Ornament Swap!  Enjoy the last bit of the weekend!

Jazz UP That Chicken Sandwich!

When my family was here I was cookin' up a storm, but on the last night we wanted to be more laid back and grilled out on the barbie.  Chicken sandwiches were the consensus, but I took it a couple steps further- making the most perfectly simple and wonderful  BBQ chicken sandwich!

-Fire up the grill and cut up some red bell pepper and red onion, like so:

Throw the chicken on and either cook the veggies in a nice little BBQ tray or directly on the grill:

You know, just hanging out with my ridiculously good-lookin' husband...how did I get so lucky? And he can BBQ? mmmm...mmm...mmm!

Once the chicken is close to being finished, baste on some BBQ sauce!! We use Sweet Baby Ray's, but you can use whatever...I think Stubb's might be a lower calorie alternative, without losing any flavor...

And it'll start lookin' like this:

If you want to toast your buns- butter them with some Brummel and Brown- butter/yogurt blend and throw 'em on the grill.  We used Potato buns and they were awesome with this by the way!

How amazing does this look??

Let's just say, it tasted even better than it looks ;)

New Obsession....

Strawberry Daiquiri Salad

...As in-I've been eating them EVERYDAY, at least once a DAY...

Duh-Dah-DUH:

Strawberry-Feta-Almond-Salad=YUM!!

I inhale it too fast to possibly take a picture, so I borrowed this one from allrecipes.com. 

(I also finally joined their site, so that I could start saving the recipes there instead of overloading my "favorites" tool bar.)

What you'll need:

Fresh Spinach

Fresh Strawberries, sliced

Sliced Almonds, UNSALTED

Feta Cheese, crumbled

Raspberry Vinaigrette, the more natural the better

Toss it all together (as pictured above), and you will have a phenomenal snack.  Add some fresh grilled chicken and you've got a whole meal ;)  I literally lick the plate clean-sad I know, but it's just so dang GOOD.  Now, I know why some people call it the Strawberry Dacquiri Salad. <3

**BEWARE: YOU WILL BECOME ADDICTED**

You could substitute many other fruits for the same effect or even play around with dried fruits, particularly cranberries/blueberries.  The combinations are truly never-ending!

Annie's is always my go-to for dressings, so I highly suggest this one:

But I recently got this one and it is PHENOMENAL!  It's a little more tart, but exquisite flavor:

Um...yeah...

I've got to go and- GET MY SALAD FIX ON...

BYE!!!