Posts tagged food
Yelp Fits The Bill at Fitlife Foods!
31 month ago
by Nanci
in blog, bloggers, breakfast, dinner, Fitlife Foods, food, healthy, lunch, meal planning, points, Weight Watchers, Yelp, Yelp Elite
It has been too long since I’ve been to a Yelp Elite event so I was happy to make it this one. Hubby tagged along with me, he’s my favorite +1 to take along. Fitlife Foods has been on my list of places to try for awhile. There are plenty to choose from in the area – St. Pete, Clearwater, and Tampa, all easy to get to. The Elite event was at the South Tampa location.
If you are not familiar with Fitlife Foods, they provide freshly prepared meals and snacks, all made in house with fresh ingredients. There are different size options (small, medium, large, or one size). They also have customized wellness solutions to fit your goals and time schedule, designed to best suit your needs.
I was very impressed by this location and the kitchen and food prep area. We were spoiled with an assortment of foods to sample and tempt our taste buds. From Sicilian Chicken Meatballs to their Signature Nacho Cheese Queso Dip, a Chili Lime Dip, and an AMAZING Snickerdoodle Cookie…. It was all delicious and extremely fresh.
I was also impressed to learn that they cut their meats and fish IN the cooler. We met “Polar Bear” Mike who works in there all day! They have large walk-in refrigerators and freezers and a very clean kitchen area. All of this means that the meals we purchase will be very fresh and full of flavor. Served in recyclable plastic containers, each meal is labeled with nutritional info and the “Best By” date, no more than 3 days out.
Since I follow Weight Watchers, I was calculating the points of a couple meals using the nutritional info. They made my day when they offered me a list of their meals with “points” calculated! It couldn’t be any easier! From breakfast to burgers, full meals with sides, sauces, and desserts, it is all very well planned out. I look forward to trying the meals we brought home and can’t wait to go back!
As with the other Yelp events I’ve had the pleasure of attending, there was plenty of Yelp Swag and we were once again treated well with Fitlife samples and goodies to bring home. My blogging friends Katrina, Grace, and Caroline were there, but I was a bad blogger and didn’t get any photos of us! I also met new Yelp Elite member, Dianna. it’s always fun to meet new people at this events.
Thank you Fitlife Foods and Yelp for a nice evening and delicious foods!
Have you been to Fitlife Foods or a similar type service? What is your favorite meal? Let me know!
Weekly Meal Planning ~ 04/06/13
21 month ago
In a perfect world, I go grocery shopping once a week, on the weekend. Sometimes we are so busy that doesn’t happen and I end up making multiple trips during the week and I buy too much of what I don’t need and not enough of what we actually do need. Yesterday morning all stars were aligned when I had the ability to go grocery shopping right after my WW meeting. As if that weren’t exciting enough, I took time Friday night to make a list so I was prepared.
I love to meal plan when I can. It makes the week easier when I am crazy busy and it’s one less thing that I have to worry about. I also love to make meals that create lunches the next day. It saves money and some meals are even better left over. Thank goodness hubby likes leftovers!
I don’t go quite as far as deciding what to have on a certain day, but I do plan enough for a full week and then decide the day before what to have the next day. That way if I need to take chicken out of the freezer, I can. Our schedules can vary during the week, depending on work, working out, or plans we may have.
I thought first that I would share what I bought at the store this week. It was a pretty big shopping trip and took me a good hour – another reason I love going on a weekend morning before the store gets busy.
When I meal plan, it’s for dinner. Lunches are prepped from those meals or I’ll have a salad with either chicken or tuna. Snacks on hand are always baby carrots and hummus, grapes, bananas, etc… We also always have frozen veggies in the freezer to have with any meal.
I will say that the meals I make during the week are somewhat determined by what is on sale that week. Like this week, boneless skinless chicken breasts are on sale at Publix. I bought 3 packages. Whatever I don’t need for meals, I freeze for future use. Also, I freeze one chicken breast per bag so I can take out whatever I need for one of us or both of us. The pork roast was also on sale.
So, what do I intend to make this week with all this? I’m pretty excited about it….
I made the pulled pork for dinner last night and there is enough to have again for dinner tonight. I am all about things being easy AND trying to eat healthy. For dessert, we are still hooked on pineapple cake. It’s so light and lasts the whole week. I made another one last night! I keep wanting to try it as cupcakes but I haven’t yet.
A great source of recipes is Skinnytaste. The Italian Sloppy Joe’s recipe is from there, although I did modify it and I cook it on a skillet, not a slow cooker. The panko chicken is a WW recipe. The pulled pork recipe I now use has been tweaked several times (I used to make it with BBQ sauce and now I don’t). Here are my recipes for a few of this week’s meals…
Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork
- Boneless Boston Butt Pork Roast (3-4 pounds)
- Fresh garlic, sliced
- 1 can chicken broth
Cut small holes in top of roast and insert garlic slices. Add can of chicken broth. Cook on low for 7 hours. When it’s done, I shred it with a fork and discard the fat. Put in a casserole dish and add a little of the chicken broth to it so it doesn’t dry out when you reheat it. Top with your favorite BBQ dressing if you like. I love Sticky Fingers Carolina BBQ Sauce.
Italian Sloppy Joe’s (my version)
- 1 package Italian Turkey Sausage
- 1 can crushed tomatoes
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 3/4 cup chopped onion
- 3 minced garlic cloves
- Pepper
Remove sausage from casing and crumble as it cooks, till brown. Add garlic, onions, and pepper (to taste) and cook for a few more minutes. Add green and red peppers and cook a few more minutes. Add can of crushed tomatoes and simmer on medium heat for about 10 minutes. You can serve on rolls, we skip the bread and enjoy it without.
Baked Chicken
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
- Olive Oil (I use an olive oil sprayer and do one full spray per chicken breast which is 1 point in WW world)
- Basil
Drizzle chicken breast with olive oil and sprinkle with basil. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes (for 2 breasts). This chicken comes out very tender and juicy!
Panko Chicken
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
- Plain Panko breading
- 1 Egg
- 2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp. Paprika
- Basil
- Pepper
In large bowl, mix Panko breading, parmesan cheese, basil, and pepper. In another bowl, put egg to dip chicken in. Coat both sides of chicken with breading mix after you dip in egg. Cover a cookie sheet with foil and coat with oil spray. Bake for about 40 minutes (for 2 breasts).
Not every week is a planned out as this one, so I’ll share when I can!
Do you meal plan? What is your number one reason for meal planning?
Fun Fact Friday {Food Edition}
12 months ago
I thought it would be fun to do a Food Edition of Fun Fact Friday. Since I love food so much, it seems like it would be a good topic. Who doesn’t love food?
- It would be impossible to pick one favorite food since there is so much I love. Very high on the list, however, is pizza. More specifically, a pizza with pepperoni and sautéed onions. The greasier the better.
- My favorite healthy meal is broiled tilapia with zucchini, olive oil, and basil. It’s so simple to make, filling, and full of flavors that I love.
- My least least favorite food is American cheese. I know I’ve discussed this before, but it is the most disgusting thing EVER.
- My favorite vegetable is zucchini. Broiled, sautéed, in soup, you name it. Very versatile and so good.
- My least favorite vegetable is probably cauliflower. I want to like it, but I just don’t.
- My favorite snack is currently baby carrots and basil pesto hummus.
- My favorite type of food is Italian. Being Italian helps this, especially one who’s mother cooks the most amazing Italian food ever. My second favorite type of food is Mexican.
- If I had to choose salty or sweet, I would probably choose salty. But if you give me the opportunity to mix salty and sweet, even better!
- My favorite salad includes romaine lettuce, artichoke hearts, tomato, red onion, cucumbers, and banana peppers with oil and vinegar. It goes with everything!
- My favorite fruit is probably mango. I love fresh ones, but they are so messy, so I usually buy frozen mango chunks and have them throughout the week.
- My least favorite meal of the day is breakfast. It seems like the most rushed and the one I have to make myself eat.
- My favorite meal of the day is dinner. It’s meal I have the most time to prepare and the one that I am the most creative with.
- My favorite way to cook a meal is in the slow cooker. I love how the house smells when something cooks all day and it’s so easy.
- I am a dessert girl. I have to have something sweet at night. I like to keep pineapple cake on hand, or Smart Ones frozen desserts, or even fruit such as sliced banana with fat free cool whip. Mmmmmm…..
Share a fun food fact about yourself with me!
Birthday Weekend!
53 months ago
This past Saturday was my birthday and it was such a great day! Not only did I run the inaugural Best Damn Race 5K with hubby, but I got to spend the afternoon celebrating at one of my favorite places, Johns Pass in Madeira Beach.
We had dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and after getting over the shock that they no longer have the Shrimpin’ Dippin’ Broth (WHAT?!?!?), I decided to have the Shrimp New Orleans and it was delicious. The service was not good, however, thank goodness the food made up for it… After dinner, we all had ice cream at Kilwin’s. I had the salted caramel ice cream on a waffle cone. YUM! I let myself enjoy whatever I wanted on Saturday and while it was really good as I was eating it, I didn’t feel so great afterwards – I . Was. Stuffed. But, it was still fun! Here’s the fun in photos….
Thank you to hubby, my mom, Nick, Jenna, Autumn, Jenni, Bea, and Gene for coming out for my birthday. I love spending time with my family!
On Sunday, hubby and I went for a great walk on the Dunedin Causeway. I knew that it was approximately 5 miles all the way over the causeway to the entrance of Honeymoon Island and then back and that’s what we did, and then some. We ended up walking a 10K, 6.22 miles! It was so pretty out, the weather was gorgeous. We even saw dolphins!
After our walk, we went grocery shopping which was probably insane since everyone and their brother was there getting ready for the Super Bowl. We stocked up for the week and then when we got home, I made a delicious post-walk lunch. I made a wrap on a low-carb whole wheat tortilla – Boar’s Head Prosciutto, broccoli slaw, sliced tomatoes, Trader Joe’s White Bean & Basil hummus, and pepper. I had some tortilla chips and sweet onion salsa with it, and an ice cold bottle of Yuengling Light. Great lunch after a great walk!
We skipped the whole Super Bowl thing, and watched other TV including the Puppy Bowl in Animal Planet. Cuteness overload!
Do you have a special place you like to spend your birthday? Any traditions?
Trader Joe’s and Weight Watchers
33 months ago
Ever since I went to Trader Joe’s back in November, I’ve wanted to go back. You can read about my first trip here. It’s a little bit of a drive, down in Sarasota, and it’s hard to get down there with everything we have going on. I also wanted to go on a weekend so that hubby could go. Yesterday was finally the day! We decided to hit the road early and my mom joined us. The drive over the Sunshine Skyway was pretty, but the bridge will always freak me out.
Being back on WW, I decided to plan ahead and try and make a list. Thanks to the interwebs, I found a couple lists of Trader Joe’s popular items and their WW points plus values. This made it much easier, although I totally would have gone through the store with my handy dandy WW iPhone app and calculated points on whatever I wanted. I ended up doing that for a few things not on the list.
My last trip consisted of a lot of carbs (pasta), sweets, and alcohol. This trip was much different. I knew going there I would not be buying certain things, such as the most evil Cookie Butter and even posted as much on Facebook when we were headed there. Accountability rocks. When we got there, I even took a picture of the evilness in all it’s glory on the shelf and posted a picture about how I was NOT buying it. Which by the way, did you know they now have a Chunky Cookie Butter? Holy yummy goodness, I can only imagine. I steered clear of that too. I could totally have it, 2 points for a tablespoon, but I am here to tell you there is no way I could stop at one tablespoon. Best to just not have it. Nanci – 1, Cookie Butter – 0
We were there probably about an hour and a half. I had my lists printed out and my iPhone app out. I checked just about everything I bought, except for anything I knew was 0 points. I made out pretty well and can’t wait to make many yummy meals with everything I bought. Here goes… And yes, I have four Trader Joe’s bags, one of them insulated. A girl has to be prepared.
Here is a list of what I bought and the WW Points Plus values, just for you! (ppv = points plus values)
Reduced Guilt Tortilla Chips – 3 ppv / 14 chips
Reduced Carb Whole Wheat Tortillas – 1 ppv / 1 tortilla
100-Calorie Pack Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies – 3 ppv / bag
99% Fat Free Blueberry Wheat Bran Muffins – 2 ppv / 1 muffin
Butternut Squash Soup – 2 ppv / 1 cup
Fat Free Balsamic Vinaigrette – 1 ppv / 2 tbsp
Cilantro Salad Dressing – 1 ppv / 2 tbsp
Marinated Mushrooms With Garlic – 0 ppv / 1/3 cup
Pineapple Salsa – 0 ppv / 2 tbsp
Mild Fresh Salsa – 0 ppv / 2 tbsp
White Bean & Basil Hummus – 1 ppv / 2 tbsp
Guacamole Hummus – 1 ppv / 2 tbsp
Sliced Prosciutto – 2 ppv / 1/4 package
Peppered Uncured Turkey Bacon – 1 ppv / slice
Roasted Potatoes with Roasted Pepper and Onions – 2 ppv / 3/4 cup
Frozen Steel Cut Oatmeal (Brown Sugar & Maple Syrup) – 4 ppv / packet
Shrimp Fried Rice – 4 ppv / 1 cup
Frozen Organic Brown Rice – 5 ppv / 1 cup
Frozen Stacked Eggplant Parmesan – 6 ppv / 1 cup (1/2 package)
Frozen Eggplant Parmesan (Not Fried) – 7 ppv / whole container
Frozen Asparagus Spears – 0 ppv / 12 spears
Frozen Harvest Hodgepodge – 1 ppv / 3/4 cup
Frozen Fire Roasted Bell Peppers & Onions – 1 ppv / 3/4 cup
Frozen Kale – 0 ppv / 2/3 cup
Frozen Artichoke Hearts – 0 ppv / 3/4 cup
Avocado - 2 ppv / 1/4 avocado
Asian Veggie Stir Fry (produce) – 0 ppv
Broccoli Slaw (produce) – 0 ppv
Shallots – 0 ppv
Another fun trip in the books! I’m sure I’ll make another trip down in a couple months. For now, I’m good with what I bought. On our way back, we stopped by PDQ in St. Pete for lunch. I absolutely love their salads, it really hits the spot.
For dinner last night, I had the Trader Joe’s Eggplant Parmesan (Not Fried) frozen entrée. I baked it in the oven and it was really good! I’ll have to get it again next time I go to Trader Joe’s. The flavor of the sauce was just right. I also made a salad to go with it – baby spinach, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, Trader Joe’s Marinated Mushrooms (YUM!), and homemade Italian dressing. The eggplant entrée was 7 points for the whole tray, I ate about 2/3 of it, and just 1 point for the salad. So 8 points for a filling dinner.
If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, what is your favorite go-to item from there?
