When I fall off track (I live in New Orleans & love food!) and I'm ready to feel healthier, I usually turn to calorie counting. This sometimes results in choosing things like a chocolate bar over breakfast. It works, but I often felt hungry or deprived when my calories ran out.

So, this go-round, I'm trying something new! You can look up tons of information about "container dieting" or the "21 Day Fix" with a simple Google search. I'm not here to promote anything, just to share what my meals look like for those interested.

Keep in mind, I am short, so my calorie range is only about 1,200 to 1,400. Taller/bigger folks may get to eat more food! Be sure to do some research before jumping in to any diet plan.

1 Hard Boiled Egg
​Cucumbers & Carrots
1/4 Cup Hummus
1 Cup Fruit (Blueberries + Mango)

Romaine Lettuce
5 Cherry Tomatoes
1 Hard Boiled Egg
2 TBSP of Olive Oil-Lemon Dressing

Protein Shake (1 scoop of powder, 8 OZ of whole milk, & 1/2 frozen banana)

1/2 Grilled Chicken Breast
Cebollitas (Green Onions on the grill with salt, pepper, & lime juice)
Grilled Zucchini Sticks
Green Beans & Onions
Some mushrooms cooked down in Worsheshire sauce
​1 Baked Potato​ with some olive oil, salt, & pepper

After breakfast, I was pretty hungry. I drank lots of water to curb my appetite and ultimately ate my salad a little early. After working out and drinking a protein shake, I felt really satisfied! Then, came dinner- what a feast! I felt pretty full after all those grilled veggies, a potato, and chicken. 

Instead of saving all my "starch" portions for the end of the day, I'm going to consider doing one for breakfast so I'm not as hungry early on :)

I have a confession. I never really enjoyed Chicken Pot Pie [gasp]. Given the choice, I would almost always choose something else for dinner, but my husband LOVES it!

So, on Pi Day this year, I decided to make it for him with a new spin. Not only did he love it and eat nearly half the pie...this cake-like crust really revolutionized the meal for me too! I can't wait to try this with different combos of veggies and maybe even seafood instead of chicken. There are so many ways to make this unique! 

Ingredients:
2-3 chicken thighs, cooked & chopped
Frozen peas & carrots (or any veggies you'd like!)
1 medium to large potato (russet or sweet)
1 can of condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
1.5 cups of chicken broth
2 tablespoons of cornstarch

1.5 cups of all purpose flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
A couple dashes of salt
1 cup of buttermilk
​1 stick of butter (melted)
​
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Rub some butter around your pie pan. Then, place the chopped chicken at the bottom. Cover the chicken with a layer of frozen veggies.
2. Using a fork, poke holes in your potato and microwave it for 3-4 minutes to soften. Chop it up (careful, it's hot!) and put it on top of the veggies.
3. Whisk the condensed cream of mushroom soup, broth, and cornstarch. Pour that mixture over everything already in your pie dish.
4. In a separate bowl, mix up the second section of ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, buttermilk, and butter). 
5. Spoon the batter over the top of the delicious mixture in your pie dish. 
6. Bake for around 45 minutes... until the crust is golden brown!

CAUTION: These are highly addictive, and while they are excellent for get togethers, you may want to keep them all for yourself....

Ingredients:
​1 Pint of Strawberries, diced/mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup of cornstarch
1 Box of Puff Pastry (2 packages inside) 
Vegetable Oil
Powdered Sugar

Directions:
1. Take the puff pastry out of the freezer and wrapping. Let it thaw out for about 30 minutes.
2. In a small saucepan on medium heat, bring the strawberries, sugar, and cornstarch to a boil. Keep stirring and let it thicken to a gel-like texture. This will be the delicious filling :) Let it cool.
​3. Once your puff pastry is thawed, use a rolling pin to roll the dough just slightly thinner. Then, using a cup or cookie cutter, cut circles out of the puff pastry.
4. Plop a little filling in the middle of your circles. Don't put too much or it will ooze everywhere and make a mess (trust me).
5. Fold it over, and use a some water on your fingertips and a fork to pinch those sides together. If strawberry filling is oozing out, you put too much.
6. Lay your pies out in a single layer and FREEZE 'EM for at least 30 minutes! This is a necessary step and will help them hold together in the fryer. 
7. Get some paper towels on a plate ready to put the pies on after you fry them.
8. Heat up about an inch thick layer of oil in a frying pan. Drop the pies in and have a pair of tongs around to flip them around. If they start to "whistle" and blow a lot of bubbles, they're about to pop! Take them out to save them or you'll have a few that are spilling out (see picture above).
9. Dust with powdered sugar and serve while they're warm!

Spinach Artichoke dip is one of my many diet-related weaknesses. Thanks to Chef John Folse's segment on FOX 8, I was inspired to try it out as a pasta dish. I modified his recipe add shrimp and artichoke and to fit what I already had in the house. It still turned out delicious!! I served the scrumptious sauce over spaghetti squash to save calories (as far as I'm concerned, the sauce is where it's at anyway).

​Unfortunately, I didn't write down any measurements, but I included estimates below. This recipe is very forgiving- trust yourself!

​First, you make a roux....

Ingredients:
Butter (about 1/2 stick)
Garlic (heaping tablespoon)
Flour (tablespoon or two)

Whole Milk (2-3 cups)
Parmesan Cheese (as much as you want)
Cream Cheese (half a block)

Spinach (Frozen or Fresh)
Shrimp (Frozen or Fresh)
Artichoke Hearts (1 jar, drained)

Salt & Pepper

Directions:
1. Heat butter in a cast iron pan on high heat until melted and starting to brown. Add garlic and keep stirring so it doesn't burn. Do this for about a minute, then add flour to thicken. 

2. Add the whole milk, Parmesan cheese, and cream cheese. keep stirring until it's all melted and sauce starts to thicken.

3. If using frozen spinach, microwave it and drain before adding. Otherwise, just toss it in. If shrimp are frozen, run under water until thaw, then toss 'em in. Drain artichoke hearts and put those in as well. 

4. Keep stirring until shrimp are cooked. If sauce is too thick at this point, add a little more milk until it is to your liking. Salt & pepper to taste!

My Whole 30 Journey is coming to an end, and I thought, what better way to celebrate the last day of a super tough diet than with a little {compliant} Cajun flair! 

If you've never had real jambalaya, let me be the first to say, DO IT! This is a great substitute, but it's not the real thing. If you've grown up with jambalaya your whole life like me, then I highly suggest you give this a go for a healthy and scrumptious alternative...

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons of Ghee
1 large onion (Vidalia are my favorite)
1 green bell pepper
1/2 large poblano pepper
A heaping tablespoon of minced garlic

1 can of diced tomatoes
1 tiny can of tomato sauce
Tony Chachere's Seasoning (or any Cajun seasoning that suits your fancy)

1 lb unpeeled, raw shrimp
​(or crawfish, or sausage, or any mix of meat/seafood)
1 head of cauliflower

Chopped green onions

Directions:
1. Heat ghee in a pan on medium-high heat, then add chopped onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add peppers for 1-2 more minutes. Add garlic for 1 more minute.
2. Toss all of that into a pot and add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and season with several shakes of Tony's.
3. After about 10 minutes of letting that cook down, add the raw shrimp and stir. 
4. While that's cooking, cut off the cauliflower florets and rinse. Dry thoroughly and add to blender or food processor. I usually do half the head at a time. Pulse (don't blend) 5-10 times until it looks like "rice". 
5. Add the cauliflower rice directly to the pot and stir. Let cook for 2-5 minutes, make sure the shrimp have turned slightly pink.
6. Add chopped green onions to the jambalaya and serve!

After trying Pinterest recipes, google recipes, and cookbook recipes galore...I still could not find a pancake recipe that matched up to my favorite box mixes. Until now. For the record that was Arrowhead Mills brand, Buttermilk or Multigrain.

​So, I'm not crazy...I know that it seems like all these homemade recipes just don't compare to a good box mix....but this one really does! Here's my new go-to for delicious pancakes from scratch :)

Makes about 10 Pancakes

1 1/2 Cups of All Purpose Flour
1 Cup of Whole Wheat Flour
2 Tablespoons of Light Brown Sugar
2 Teaspoons of Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
2 - 2 1/4 Cups of 2% Pasture Raised Milk
Butter (for cooking)
Fresh Fruit & Syrup (for topping)

Mix up all of the dry ingredients, then add in the milk to your consistency preference. Be careful not to over stir because it will make the pancakes tough. 

Pour the batter into a buttered pan over medium heat. When they're done, serve hot with fresh fruit and syrup. Syrup responsibly....I didn't include syrup or fruit toppings in the nutritional information (provided by www.myfitnesspal.com).

Left overs? Freeze 'em!

A few shakes of Cayenne Pepper 
2 Chopped Mangos 
2 Cans of Black Beans
1 Lime, Zest & Juice
Chopped Cilantro 

Heat up the peanut oil and starting cooking down the onions. Add the ginger, and a few seconds later add in the rice. Toast the rice for a couple of minutes, then add the milk, broth, and cayenne. Stir, cover, and let it simmer on low for about 40 minutes. 

Check the rice. If it's done, great! If not, you may need to give it a little more water or a little more time. Once it's ready, rinse and drain the black beans and add them in. Also, add the lime zest, lime juice, and mango. Let that cook down for a couple minutes. Chop up cilantro to taste and eat up! ​

Nutritional info courtesy of www.myfitnesspal.com!

When I returned from a jog this afternoon, I was greeted by zero processed chocolate in the house. You maybe thinking that I'm health conscious... or that I had the foresight to keep junk food out of my house so I wouldn't undo all that exercise by indulging in empty calories. Wrong! I just ate the last piece of Easter candy yesterday and was fresh out of treats.

The solution did end up slightly healthier (fruit makes it healthy, okay??) plus I already had all of the ingredients!