Every Girl Has Her Secret Weapon!

So if you haven't figured it out by now, I love cooking. However, sometimes I just don't have time to cook. I mean, it's amazing that I cook as much as I do! So when you want to eat relatively healthy, can't cook and don't want to break the bank...what is a girl to do??

Trader Joe's - more specifically, the frozen food section.

I've been shopping at Trader Joe's on and off for a few years now and every time I go, I find myself hoping to find a reason to dislike it. I know, I need mental help. But I honestly can say that I've never found something there that I was not thrilled with, or at the very least, pleased with. More importantly, the food is dirt cheap!

Speaking of cheap - I have a side note to a previous post about almond flour! Apparently Trader Joe's sells a way cheaper package of almond meal, for about $4 as opposed to the $10 bag I mentioned. I learned about that from fellow Trader Joe's enthusiast Marianna, who happens to be my boyfriend's sister.

Anyway, back to the good stuff. Their frozen food section is full of delicious treats, appetizers and entrees that are gourmet enough to be served at a local restaurant. The quality is excellent and the options are abundant. I was inspired to write this post because tonight I didn't want to cook and I was thrilled with my dinner choice. Pizza Al Pollo Asado. It is corn masa with grilled chicken breast, refried beans, jack cheese and tomatillo salsa.

It was absolutely delicious, for 410 calories. The "pizza" is more like a bunch of mexican flavors on top of a semi crispy, but mostly cakey (which was good) corn cake. It was pretty large so I did NOT feel hungry after. I highly recommend this frozen item. I also highly recommend their french onion soup that almost rivals my own. Speaking of which, I think I will make french onion soup my next blog post! Healthy, yummy and delicious!

Until then ya'll!

Stir-Fry Can Be Anyone's Friend

I'm not sure why, but I've never been a fan of stir-fry. It's not even like I have a good reason as to why I've never liked it. I just woke up one day and decided I disliked it for no rational reason. People can be silly like that.

However it occurred to me a few days ago that I need to be more adventurous with the things that I make. This conclusion arose after my boyfriend was begging for me to make stir-fry. I've said "no" to his meal choices one too many times, so...stir-fry it was.

So we grabbed a bunch of veggies and some chicken and went home to cook! Let me tell you, the prep work for this dish took forever because you need to chop so many veggies. It's worth it though, because the dish is healthy!

I diced up some thin chicken pieces and put them in a bowl with some olive oil, garlic and fresh grated ginger to marinate for a bit. 30 minutes is basically the minimum amount of time you should allow for marinating. Then I tossed in some onions and garlic and let them cook for a few minutes. Once they were smelling delicious, I added some sugar snap peas, a diced red pepper, zucchini, and broccoli. I let that cook for about 10 minutes and then threw the chicken in there with some soy sauce. The soy sauce is all about personal taste, especially since it is very salty. Once all that clucking and salty goodness was in the pan, I covered it with a lid. Actually, since my boyfriend didn't have a lid, I covered it with a baking sheet.

However ill-prepared that is, it worked! So...once the chicken was cooked through I took the pan off the heat and served it.

Voila! Delicious and healthy. You can eat this yummy meal with rice or on its own. And I'll tell you this much, I am no longer a stir-fry hater. Although, I may be a veggie cutting hater, but that is a different story all-together.

Who needs bread anyway?

This recipe goes out to all the non low-carb dieters, and simply to those who count calories or who just hate bread (?). I have developed, in my kitchen, a recipe for fake bread. Now, I know what you are thinking...how can you make fake bread? Well, it isn't a replica and by no means is it hearty. BUT, and I mean a big BUT...you won't have to count calories while eating these little rounds, and they aren't half bad for diet food.

I would like to introduce you to egg white buns. Not sold in stores near you, but they can be made in advance for convenience! They are technically meringues without the sugar. Without said sugar, these round things are like little bread wafers. I've put tuna salad on it, a burger, and I'm sure the options are endless! I bet you could also tweak with the seasonings to get certain flavors. Perhaps garlic flavor or something of that sort.

All you have to do is pour some egg whites into a bowl. Add a dash of salt, as well as cream of tarter. You are going to beat these egg whites until they form peaks. Tip - when you beat egg whites, it's always easier to do this when the eggs are at room temp. If the egg whites don't form little peaks after beating with a hand mixer for a few minutes..well, you did something wrong.

Once you have the correct consistency, you can dollop the whites onto a parchment papered baking sheet. Don't forget to spray with Pam. Spread the dollops so they are reminiscent of burger buns and bake in the over for 20ish minutes at 225 degrees.

They should look like the above picture when finished. They aren't like Panera's bread, or like the awesome twist bread that my local Staten Island bakery sells, but it will do.
Just another awesome recipe for you dieters out there. Best yet, it will only cost you about 7 calories and 0 carbs per "bread" piece.

Is that DIET??

Every time I try to fall off the low-carb wagon, I get reinvigorated by silly things. Like for example, last week I was about to throw the towel in. I'm only 2 pounds from my goal, and frankly, I'm getting bored...but then I realized I can eat chicken wings.
I've only ever had boneless wings and I love them, but they are battered. Shame. However, original wings (bone-in wings?) are not battered and therefore have very few carbs.

WELL this is a low carb dieters jackpot. How much easier can dieting get? I can order 15 wings and dip it in ranch dressing and not feel guilty!


I must add however that every time I eat these I need to take a nice big dose of Prilosec...so it might not be something to fancy too much. And on that note, I digress. I decided to find even more delicious things that I love that can somehow work on this diet. What do I love more than anything? Why, french cooking...Julia Child style!


The most decadent and delicious item in this entire cookbook is the Supremes De Volaille A Blanc - A.K.A Breast of Chicken with/in Cream. I can eat this! I can also eat spinach...so let me throw some creamed spinach into this mix.


Well let me tell you, this meal was awesome. I didn't have to make any substitutions (COUGH, splenda isn't the healthiest COUGH), so that was great! I'm going to post these recipes on my true recipe blog Tried and True Recipes because it is a little more in-depth then just giving you a generic run-down. Also, DONT WORRY, the mashed potatoes on this plate were not consumed by me. They were for my loving boyfriend who can't eat a single meal without them. :-)