Sunday Food Prep 3.3.13

I decided to switch things up a little this week. Usually I make one thing on Sundays and eat it for lunch and dinner throughout the week. But I have to admit, I've been getting a little bored with that lately. It seems I hit Wednesday or Thursday and I'm tired of eating whatever I've made, which typically means making poor choices. So I decided to make one dish for lunch and one for dinners. I suppose we will see how that goes. It did mean increasing my time spent in the kitchen today, but so worth it! This week I decided to try some new recipes- also because I tend to make the same 4-5 recipes and am also getting bored with those! :) 

One of my all time favorite cookbooks. You can get it online, but I got this one at Barnes & Noble a few years ago before I'd ever even seen the show. 

For lunch this week I will be having bbq pork sandwiches. I got the recipe in my Biggest Loser Cookbook. If you don't have this one, it's a must have. It has so many great recipes in there! bbq pork is one of my top favorite foods IN THE WORLD. It's nice to have a healthy version on hand. ;-) 

1 1/2 tsp whole-grain oat flour
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp salt
Pinch of black pepper
1/2 lb pork tenderloin, cut into 3/4" cubes
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 C orange juice, preferably fresh-squeezed
1/3 C white vinegar
1 Tbsp hickory smoke flavoring
1 Tbsp bbq sauce (7 grams carbs or less per 2 Tablespoons), or more to taste
1/2 cup onion strips (optional)
2 whole-grain or whole-wheat hamburger buns

In a medium resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add the pork. Seal the bag and shake to evenly coat the cubes. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

Preheat a medium nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat until it is hot enough for a spritz of water to sizzle on it. Add the oil. Scatter the pork cubes into the pan. Cook, turning as needed, for about 5 minutes, or until pork is browned on all sides. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the orange juice, vinegar and smoke flavoring.When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low so the mixture simmers. Cover the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour, or until the pork is very tender. With a wooden spoon, shred the pork pieces and mix in the barbecue sauce. 

If the onion is desired, 5 minutes before serving, coat a small nonstick skillet with olive oil spray. Set over medium heat. Add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until tender. 

Meanwhile, place the bun halves, cut sides down, in a medium nonstick skillet set over medium heat. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until toasted. Place the bun bottoms on serving plates. Spoon half of the pork mixture onto each bun bottom. Top with onion and additional barbecue sauce if desired. Cover with the bun tops. Serve immediately. 

Makes 2 servings

Per Serving: 316 Calories, 28 g protein, 27 g carbohydrates, 9 g fat (2 g saturated), 74 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 510 mg sodium

*I made a few changes. I used an entire pork tenderloin (a little over a pound) and doubled the garlic powder, salt and pepper) so there was enough for the week. I didn't include the onion strips. Usually when I do sandwiches like this I use sandwich thins to make for lower calories* 

I found a recipe on pinterest for Skinny Chicken Enchiladas. I have an unnatural obsession with all kinds of mexican food- I can never get enough! The problem is that it's all so unhealthy! I was a little skeptical about this recipe, but it absolutely did not disappoint. I am so excited for dinner this week! :) 

SAUCE
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 Tbsp Chipotle Chiles in adobo sauce
1 1/2 C. tomato sauce
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 C. fat free chicken broth
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

CHICKEN
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
1 C. diced onion
2 large garlic clove, minced
1/4 C. cilantro
Kosher Salt
1 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp chiptole chili powder
1/3 C. chicken broth
1/2 C. tomato sauce
8 (7-inch) reduced carb whole wheat flour tortillas
1 C. shredded low fat mexican cheese
Non-stick cooking spray
1/2 C chopped scallions or cilantro for topping

In a medium saucepan, spray oil and saute garlic. Add chipotle chiles, chili powder, cumin, chicken broth, tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Set aside until ready to use. 

Preheat oven to 400. 

Heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onions and garlic on low until soft, about 2 minutes. Add chicken, salt, cilantro, cumin, oregano, chili powder, tomato sauce, chicken broth and cook 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat. 

Spray a 13x9-inch glass baking dish with non-stick spray. Put 1/3 C chicken mixture into each tortilla and roll it.

Place in baking dish seam side down.

Top with sauce. 

Then top with cheese. 

Cover with aluminum foil and bake in oven on middle rack for 20-25 minutes. Top with low-fat sour cream or scallions if you wish. Makes 8 enchiladas. 

*I only used 1 tbsp of the chipotle chiles- mainly because while I do love some mexican food, I tend to be a bit of a wuss and I didn't want it to be too spicy, and it wasn't!* 

Thursday night at work I have a staff meeting and dinner is provided. Yay! Except, OCD Jessica kicks in. It's going to be a waffle bar with fresh fruit toppings which is great, but waffles... not so great for you. I wasn't sure what to do and it was kind of stressing me out. And then I was looking at Cheri's blog the other day (cherierunsthis.com have you gone and looked at it yet? GO NOW! or when you're finished reading this haha) and she had posted about protein waffles and I thought that sounded genius. I could still technically eat the same thing as my co-workers, so not feel like I was missing out, but I could be healthy about it. I get to have my cake (or waffles) and eat it too! :) Her recipe is super simple and quite delicious. Next time I make them, I will know not to put too much batter in the waffle iron though. Yikes, that was an entertaining mess! Here's the recipe. 

1/2 C old fashioned oats
1/2 C lowfat cottage cheese

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Dash of salt (optional)

Add all ingredients to a blender (or a food processor since I apparently lost my blender) and blend. Pour batter in a hot, nonstick sprayed waffle maker for a few minutes. Yield  about 8 waffles. 

You can also use the same recipe to make protein pancakes. SOOO EASY! And quite delicious. :) 

To finish up my meal prep for the week I sliced up some green peppers (one of my favorite foods ever) and put them in snack bags. I cut up some strawberries too and got some yogurt for the week. 

As promised, I spent a good chunk of last night going through magazines. I found a few things to share and they are listed below. What magazines do y'all subscribe to? I get Self, Shape, Nutrition Action, Women's Health, Fitness and Cosmo. We get Cooking Light at work too which I have recently come to love- there are some great recipes in there! 

• I like to regularly treat myself to...... New tunes on my iPod. A night on the sofa, laughing aloud to Happy Endings. I found this interesting. It's obvious that when we reach our goals, we should have a reward. I don't like to encourage people to use food as rewards, especially when the goal is weight loss. But, I have a hard time coming up with other rewards. New tunes on the iPod are fantastic. If you're like me, music is life- it's inspiring and helps me work harder at the gym. Why wouldn't that be a great reward?! And sometimes we all just need a relaxation session. Sounds great to me! :) Self March 2012
• Oatmeal Smoothie: Mix whole oats in a blender with flaxseeds, a banana, almond milk, peanut butter, and a touch of honey. Women's Health Jan/Feb 2013 I have cereal every morning for breakfast. This sounds like a great alternative. I'll have to try it! :) 
• Sauteed Snow Peas
  2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
  2 Tsp Minced Ginger
  4 C. Snow Peas, ends cut off
  1/4 C. Vegetable Stock
  2 Tbsp Minced Parsley
  Pour oil into a large pan over medium heat. When it starts to shimmer, add garlic and ginger and stir for about 3 minutes. Add snow peas and toss a few times to coat, then add stock. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for about 3 more minutes. Toss parsley into pan just before removing vegetables. Use tongs to transfer peas to a plate and serve immediately. Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 110 cal, 8g fat (1 g sat), 55 mg sodium, 6 g carbs, 2g fiber, 2 g protein. Women's health Jan/Feb 2013 I think I'll make these next week. They sound delicious! :) 

While I was grocery shopping today a weird thing happened. I got a random craving for fried okra. it happened when I saw the breaded okra in the freezer aisle. I don't even know that I've ever even had fried okra before. But I bought some so maybe I'll cook it and snack on it later this week. What weird healthy cravings have you had?? What are your favorite healthy recipes?? Did you meal prep today? What did you make? 

Have a great week everyone and remember, move more, eat less! :) 

~Jessica