Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

I don't know about you but I LOVE buffalo chicken. Its on of my favorites! Actually when I was pregnant with my oldest all I wanted to spicy foods. This was my go to when we ate out. I'm pretty sure I ate my weight in buffalo sauce back then!! Anyways, I found this awesome recipe for a healthier buffalo chicken and just had to share :)

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Servings: 26 • Size: 1 meatball Calories: 37 • Fat: 2 g • Carb: 1 g • Fiber: 0 g • Protein: 4 g

Found at www.skinnytaste.com

Ingredients:

oil spray
1 1/4 lb ground chicken
1/4 cup panko crumbs
1 large egg
1/3 cup finely minced celery
1/3 cup finely minced carrot
1 clove crushed garlic
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup Franks Hot sauce
1/4 cup skinny blue cheese dressing (optional) > recipe here
finely chopped celery leaf for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Reheat oven to 400 degrees! 

Combine the chicken, panko, celery, carrots, garlic, egg, salt and pepper into a large bowl and mix well.

Roll the mixture into uniform balls and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. 

 Cook for roughly 15-18 minutes all depending the the size of the meatballs you made. The internal temperate must be 165 to be safe to eat! 

Once out of the oven you can pour the hot sauce on them or do it per serving! 

I serve with skinny blue cheese (recipe link above!) 

Enjoy!! 

Blue Cheese Dressing

Sometimes you just WANT some of the "bad stuff". That is me when it comes to buffalo chicken and blue cheese. So I found this cleaner recipe to use instead. Of course I don't go crazy and eat the entire thing but on occasion its nice to have!

Low Fat Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing


Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 2 tablespoons •
Calories: 46.8 • Fat: 3.0 g • Protein: 2.8 g • Carb: 2.2 g • Fiber: 0.3 g

Ingredients:

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
6 oz fat free Greek yogurt
1 tbsp light mayonnaise
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and freshly ground black pepper


Directions:

In a small bowl, mash blue cheese and yogurt together with a fork. Stir in mayonnaise, lemon juice, vinegar, and garlic powder until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 1 cup.

From www.skinnytaste.com

Homemade Energy Bars

Do you love granola or power bars?! The bulk of prepackaged bars sold at gas stations or convenience stores are loaded with sugar, preservatives, and empty calories. These homemade bars can be made in minutes and contain only good-for-you ingredients like fruit and nuts.

Homemade Energy Bars

Ingredients:
1 cup whole pitted dates (or prunes)
1 cup dried fruit (like apricots, prunes, figs, raisins, cranberries, blueberries, or cherries)
1 cup chopped nuts (or seeds) (like almonds, walnuts, cashews, sesame seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds, or sunflower seeds)
2 scoops Shakeology, any flavor

Preparation:
1. Place dates, fruit, and nuts in a food processor. Pulse for 1 to 2 minutes; scrape sides of bowl.
2. Add Shakeology; process for 2 to 3 minutes, or until mixture becomes tiny crumbs that can come together to form a loose ball.
3. Line an 8 x 8-inch pan with cellophane. Press mixture into pan until flat. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. Cut into 12 bars. Store in refrigerator.

Calories per serving: 124

Tip: For additional flair add one or more of the following: ½ tsp. rum extract, ½ tsp. cinnamon, 1 Tbsp. raw honey, ½ tsp. vanilla extract, 1–2 oz dark chocolate chips, or 2 tsp. grated fresh ginger. Adding any of these items may change the nutritional information.

Vanilla PB Shakeology

This is a recipe I threw together because I didn't have ANYTHING left for fruit to put in my shakeo!! Normally I will throw in a half a banana and create a Snickerdoodle shakeo, which is absolutely delicious, but I didn't have the ingredients. It was right after my workout so I really didn't want to go searching for a recipe so I decided to try it with JUST peanut butter and cinnamon! Ah was it YUMMY! So I just had to share it with you!

Vanilla PB Shakeo

1 scoop Vanilla Shakeology
2 tsp. peanut butter
1 tsp. cinnamon (I wing it and just shake some in!)
4 ice cubes
Water (8-12oz!)

***
As always you can adjust the water and ice according to your liking!

For a thicker shake, add more ice.

For a creamer shake, use 1/4 cup milk (almond, rice, coconut, regular). Then more milk you add the creamer it gets!
***

Dine Out Without Diving Off Your Diet

When you start to eat healthily, dining out, which was once a bliss-filled, belt-notch-loosening pleasure, becomes a culinary terror.

Servings are super sized and smothered in butter. Enormous gallons of soda abound. Fries come with your order whether you want them or not. Very little veggies can be seen for miles. Not bad if you want a SUPER sized meal that probably accounts for two days worth of your caloric intake, but what if you DON'T what that? What do you do?

 No fear, I'm here to help.

 ***Please remember that even with our tips, restaurant dining is almost always going to be less healthy than what you can make at home. Try to limit eating out to once a week and make that meal your cheat. Its nearly impossible to make it as healthy as you could at home.

That said, here are a few pointers:

1. Make smart choices
Almost every menu contains chicken or fish cooked in a healthy way. Look for words like "grilled," "broiled," or "steamed," and avoid "sautéed", "smothered" and "fried."

2. Skip the appetizer
By definition, an appetizer is intended to get your appetite going. But when some appetizers contain more than 1,000 calories, that's not an appetizer—that's a full meal and more! If you do want an appetizer, ask your table if they'd be willing to split one of the healthier options like a salad, bruschetta, ceviche, or anything that's light on sauce and heavy on fruits, veggies, or lean protein.

3. Eat a salad
Greens are also a great option, but not all salads are created equal. Stick with salads that don't contain mayo (in other words, avoid the tuna and chicken salad), and ask for the dressing on the side. This way you can add your tablespoon or two, instead of having your salad drenched in it.

4. Skip the Side dishes
At many restaurants, the "side" is a baked potato, fries, or coleslaw. What does that equal? Unnecessary calories. If you'd like a side, request the salad (dressing on the side), fruit, or steamed veggies, even if you don't see them as an option.

5. No bread
Don't eat the bread. Does it taste good? Sure! But instead of eating something because it's in front of you, swap those empty calories for something you'd actually enjoy.

6. Eat half
Over time, American portion sizes have enlarged to gargantuan sizes. Restaurants often provide you not with one serving of pasta, but with as many as 4 or more. But if you have a hard time not cleaning your plate—after all, the food does taste good—request that the waiter split your order in half before they bring it to the table. That way you can enjoy your dinner as lunch later in the week.

7. No soda
If bread is bad, soda might be worse. That's because it's easy to consume massive amounts of calories fast. And don't even think about going the "diet" route. Those artificial sweeteners aren't healthy, and they can lead you to crave more sugary substances. Talk about a lose-lose! If you want something other than water, ask for unsweetened iced tea. It's calorie free, so you can drink as much as you want!

8. Dessert
Hmmm dessert is awesome but is it worth it? Granted, some restaurants use restraint, and focus more on unique flavors than on quantity, but if you're out with friends at the type of place where the dessert has more calories than your meal, and they insist upon ordering it, suggest the table split it. Then take a single bite and put your spoon down. It's not about denying yourself, but about making smart choices. If you really want dessert, skip the appetizer or reduce the portion of your main course, and again, portions matter. OR skip it and if you're still craving something sweet when you get home, enjoy some yogurt and berries or a piece of fruit.


9. Watch your Alcohol Intake

Alcohol inhibits your judgment and is VERY high in sugar. But if you do have an alcoholic drink with a meal, reduce your other carbohydrate intake. Best choices for alcoholic drinks are a glass of wine and light beer. Choose plain liquors, like vodka, whiskey, or gin, with low-calorie mixers, such as club soda, instead of jaeger or kahlua. Avoid mixed or specialty drinks like piña coladas or mai tais—they’re loaded with calories and sugar.

I hope this will help you make better decisions while eating out. Going out to eat should be fun and about eating good food but that doesn't mean you need to stuff yourself so full that you will sorely regret it in a few hours. Instead make going out to eat about the company that is joining you. Eating slowly and engage in conversations that will keep your mind off the food and on them.