Cheesy Zucchini Bake

I've been all about zucchini these days. I put it on the side of everything, and I'm always looking for new ways to incorporate it into a dish! It's great! Here's one of my newest favorites that I am totally in love with: The Cheesy Zucchini Bake. You're probably thinking I'm off my rocker if I'm going to call this dish a healthy one, but I kid you not, folks: this dish is as healthy as it gets! You'll love it :)

Here's What You'll Need to Get Cooking:
3 Medium Zucchinis
3 Medium Squash
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons of Minced Garlic
1 Tablespoon of Dried Minced Onion
1 Teaspoon of Onion Powder
1 Teaspoon of Garlic Powder
1 Teaspoon of Garlic Salt
2 Teaspoons of Dried Thyme
4 Eggs (Substitute Egg Beaters for a lighter option)
2/3 Cups of Light Sour Cream
1 Cup of Crumbled Feta Cheese
1/2 Cup Fresh Parmesan Cheese
2 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Let's Get Cookin'
1. Preheat the oven to 375. Spray a large casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Slice zucchini and squash into 1/4" slices (if spears are too large, cut them down the middle first).
3. Heat oil in a large, nonstick frying pan.
4. Saute and stir squash, zucchini, garlic, onion, onion powder, garlic powder, garlic salt, and thyme until squash softens slightly. Remove from heat. Be sure not too cook it too long, or the veggies will become mushy when baking in the oven.
5. Beat together eggs (or Egg Beaters), sour cream, cheeses, and lemon juice in a medium sized bowl.
6. Place half of the sauteed squash and zucchini mixture into the bottom of a large casserole dish. Sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste.
7. Spread half of egg mixture over top of sauteed zucchini and squash in casserole dish.
8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 for the remaining ingredients.
9. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbling. Serve hot!
10. Enjoy!

 Find this recipe, and all of my favorite recipes, on my Nutrish & Delish board on Pinterest! Happy Cooking :)

85 Calorie Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

I don't know about you guys, but there is nothing that I love more than cruising Pinterest for a delicious recipe that I can make healthy. Well, last week, I found one that takes the cake (no pun intented). I found a way to make strawberry cheesecake cupcakes that have no butter, eggs, oil, or any of that other celulite enhancing garbage! All you'll need to whip up these tasty treats is 4 things:

1 box of Pillsbury Strawberry Cake Mix
1 tub of Fat Free Cool Whip
1 box of Instant Sugar Free Cheesecake Pudding
12 ounces of Diet Cherry 7-Up

Now, Here's What You Do:
1. Empty contents of cake mix into large mixing bowl. Add 12 ounces of Diet Cherry 7-Up, and mix well with electric mixer.

2. Once everything is mixed, resist all temptation to eat the batter. This is, without a doubt, the toughest part of the entire process. However, licking the spoon is highly encouraged. :)

3. Place cupcake liners in a cupcake pan, and fill approximately 5/8 full of batter.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, and let them cool for at least 30-45 minutes before adding the icing.

5. While you're waiting for those puppies to cool, start whipping up your cheesecake icing!

6. Empty contents of Fat Free Cool Whip and Instant Sugar Free Pudding mix into a medium sized mixing bowl, and stir until everything is well blended. There should be no powder left over from the pudding mix.

7. Once your cupcakes are compeltely cooled, you may add the icing. When making them for Daniel and I to eat at home, I just used a spoon to add the icing. But, when taking them to a BBQ last weekend, I put the icing in zip-lock bag and snipped the bottom corner so that the icing would look a bit prettier.

Gettin' Cutesy
For an added touch of cuteness, I sprinkled on some chocolate sprinkles, and handmade some chocolate designs to place on top of the cupcakes. They looked great! You can skip them, but they only add about 15 extra calories, so I figured, why not?!

As you can see, my soon-to-be Nephew was REALLY enjoying the cupcakes ;)

A Crowd Pleaser!
Here's the best part: nobody knows they are healthy! People were going to town on them, and then confessing to me that they felt guilty about how they are going to have to do double time at the gym to burn them off. When I told them that each cupcake is less than 100 calories, they couldn't believe it! They were so moist and delicious, I even had my future Father-in-Law impressed :)

Find this recipe, and all of my favorite healthy recipes, on my Nutrish & Delish board on Pinterest!

A New Way to Inspire

As if sharing my weight loss journey with you all wasn't rewarding enough, the amazing people at Transformationpics.com, got in touch with me asking if they could share my story with their readers as an inspiration to reach their health goals. Of course, I was honored to do so. Check out the page that they dedicated just to me :)

While you're there be sure to browse through the other inspirational people who have lost an amazing amount of weight! They are truly an inspiration, and I feel so humbled to even share the same title as them. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all for your support, kind words, and encouragement.

Here's What You've Missed....

Hey guys! I know, I know... it's been WAY too long since my last post. But, you wouldn't believe the things that have been going on! Well, for starters, Daniel and I got engaged!!! Yep, that's right! I'm getting married, and I cannot wait! We have set the date for September 21, 2013, so stay tuned for all kinds of budget friendly wedding planning tips, wedding dress workouts, and, of course, healthy recipes!

Daniel proposed to me by tricking me into going to a park, where he was there with his friend's band. Once I got there, he sang me our song, right before he proposed :) Oh, and he had the whole thing captured on video! Best. Day. Ever.

Celebrating the Engagement!

To top it all off, we are also in the process of purchasing our first home! So, needless to say, things have been a bit hectic over the past month or so. But, I am starting to get things under control now, so I am all yours again! It's good to be back :)

The ring! :)

Oven “Fried” Pickles

Summer bar-b-que season is finally here, and I am loving it! Here’s a tasty little number that you can add to the menu of any outdoor picnic or summer celebration. Like all of my recipes, my oven “fried” pickles are lacking in calories and bursting with flavor. You’ll love them!

Ingredients

Makes six servings.

• 1 jar pickle chips
• 2 eggs (cut calories with Egg Beaters!)
• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
• 1 tsp seasoning salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

Step-By-Step Instructions

Preheat oven to highest broiler setting.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together eggs (or egg beaters) and flour. To the mixture, add Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, garlic powder, garlic salt, Cajun seasoning, seasoning salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly.

Place the panko bread crumbs in a shallow dish. Coat each pickle slice with your egg mixture, then smother the pickle chip in the panko bread crumbs.

Coat a baking rack with non-stick cooking spray, and place it on top of a baking sheet. Place coated pickles on top of the rack, and position on the middle rack of your oven. Broil these delicious little pickles for about three minutes on each side.

Serving Suggestions

Want a little something extra? Serve these with ultra-healthy homemade Greek Yogurt ranch dip, and watch as they disappear, and you become everyone’s favorite party host :-)

Enjoy!

Dressing For Your Body Type

After losing losing 100 pounds, I’ve found that my biggest struggle is no longer deciding what to eat… it’s deciding what to wear. Now that I have a brand new body, I am totally clueless. Before losing all of the weight, my daily wardrobe consisted of baggy pants and hoodies; total hottie, I know. After some careful research, I’ve come up with some great tips to help women of every shape and size find their perfect look. Check it out!

Slender/Petite

If you’re a slender or petite woman, this means that you have a very proportioned body, and measure at 5’4” or less.

What to Wear: You should wear smaller shapes that aren’t overwhelming to your delicate frame, and focus on pieces that elevate your look. Try pairing a small, bold print with an all-over color for a look that’s chic and classic.

Stock Your Closet With: V-Necks, ½ sleeve blouses, hip-length tops, fitted shirts, hemlines that hit above the knee, low rise pants, empire waist dresses and long fitted silhouettes like maxi dresses.

 Pear Shaped

If you’re a pear shaped woman, you’ve got a smaller bust, waist, and shoulders, but a more curvaceous booty with hips and thighs to match.

What to Wear: With a pear shape, your main goal is to slim out your curvy bottom half, while playing up your top half. To do this, you should balance your looks perfectly with complementing colors, silhouettes, and shapes.

Stock Your Closet With: Highly detailed or colorful tops, boat-neck tees and blouses, horizontally striped shirts, hip-length tops, A-line skirts, empire waist dresses, and boot-cut bottoms with larger pockets.

Curvy

If you’re a curvy woman, you’ve got a full bust, hips, and curves in all the right places. Typically, curvy women wear a dress size of 14 or larger.

What to Wear: When dressing a curvy frame, you should try to minimize your curves slightly, but never deny that they are there. This slimming look can be achieved with A-line shapes that hug your body closely.

Stock Your Closet With: Open necklines, hip or waist length tops, tailored jackets, draped fabrics, fitted scoop or V-neck tees, boot cut pants, and wrap dresses.

Boy Shaped

If you’re a boy shaped woman, you have narrow hips, a smaller bust, and a curve-free waist, giving you a perfectly straight silhouette. 

 

What to Wear: To create a more feminine figure, choose outfits that add visual details and adornments to your everyday look.

Stock Your Closet With: Ruffled tops, detailed blouses with nipped waist lines, lower necklines, full sleeves, floating fabrics, tailored jackets, skirts and dresses with a little swing, bottoms with detailing at the waist.

Busty

If you’re a busty woman, you know how to turn heads with your more-than-generous bust line.

What to Wear: To downplay your overzealous bust, try pieces that are free of bulk and aren't overly voluminous. Your perfect look is a classic dark colored blouse with a lighter colored bottom.

Stock Your Closet With: Slight V-neck tops, scoop neck blouses, slightly fitted sweaters, flared pants and denim, and A-line tops and dresses that hug the torso. 

Oh-So-Slim Potato Casserole

Just because you're watching your figure doesn't mean you have to give up your favorite comfort foods. If you're longing for a dish that tastes like something mom used to make, you'll love my Oh-So-Slim Potato Casserole. Like all of my recipes, this one is so very, very simple, and so incredibly tasty. So, go ahead, try it for breakfast, as a side dish, or wow everyone you know at your next pot luck!

Here's What You'll Need

• 1 32 oz. Bag of frozen hash browns
• 1/2 can of Low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup Skim milk
• 1 1/2 - 2 Cups Plain Greek Yogurt (depending on your desired texture)
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Garlic Salt
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 tsp Black Pepper
• 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 tsp Seasoning Salt
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 2 Scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup Reduced Fat Shredded Cheddar Cheese 
• 1 1/2 Cups of Corn Flakes
• Spray Butter



Doesn't look "slim" at all, does it? Well, it is!

Baking Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a large bowl, combine everything other than the corn flakes and spray butter, until mixed thoroughly.  Coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray, and spoon potato mixture into the baking pan; be sure to evenly distribute. 

Once everything is added to the pan, top with Corn Flakes and spray a thin coat of spray butter across the top of the dish (this prevents the cereal from burning). Then, all you have to do is place it in the oven for about 35 minutes, or until  bubbly. Allow it to cool for a few minutes before you dig in :-)