Back-to-School: Snaz-up Your Breakfast and Bagged Lunch

One of our pictures from vacation..early morning surfing at milepost 14.5.

Summer is coming to a close, and with it my freedom to grocery shop early in the morning, spend hours cooking over the stove, and more importantly the freedom to decide what lunch will be five minutes before I eat it. Now I have to plan out meals well in advance. I normally prepare breakfast and lunch for the next day the night before so I can sleep as late as possible. I have to admit I really resent having to spend about 35 to 45 minutes each night taking care of this routine, but it definitely saves money and is a much healthier option than grabbing breakfast or lunch on the go.
Here are a few things I do to help save money and time when it comes to my homemade lunches.
1. a bag of fruit like gala or fuji apples, or enough nectarines or oranges to have one piece of fruit as a mid afternoon or mid morning snack each day
2. Trader Joe's pre-packed almonds and/or Omega 3 Trail Mix (10 pre-packaged baggies per pack)
3. a variety of yogurt flavors (I tend to buy light and fit...80 calories, 0% fat), but greek yogurt is awesome too
4. tupperware and plastic baggies in a variety of shapes and sizes
5. baby carrots
6. laughing cow light cheese (creamy swiss) or string cheese (low-fat part skim)
7. napkins
8. a few sets of old silverware
9. a few ice packs (rotate them so that you always have one that is well frozen and will stay cold all day)
10. a snazzy lunch box

The other morning I woke up around 4:30am and couldn't go back to sleep. After forcing myself to stay in bed until 5am I woke up and spent some time calculating the calories for a typical school day breakfast, mid-morning snack. lunch and mid-afternoon snack. Below are the results that I found. I used calories as a basis to see just how many I generally consume on a daily basis, but as always you should read everything on the package: fat, saturated fat, trans fats, sodium, sugars, protein, fiber, etc. Know your foods in and out so that you can make good decisions about what you put in your body. Realize that a lot of companies put labels on products like Natural, Healthy, Low Fat, Sugar Free, etc. Read the fine print because that is just a marketing technique. Don't be fooled, do your research and make good decisions based on your particular needs.

Breakfast Omelet

1 Mushroom, sliced: 8
2 egg whites: 32
4 grape tomatoes, sliced: 7
1 tbsp chopped onions: 4
EVOO 1 tbsp: 120

Total: 171 calories

Breakfast Toast

1 slice Cinnamon & Raison Ezekial Bread: 80

1/2 tbsp Natural Peanut Butter: 47.5

1 tbsp Organic Sugar Free Blackberry Preserves: 35

Toast: 165 calories

Coffee

1 8 oz mug: 5 calories

1/2 tsp agave sweetener: ~10

2 tbsp Almond Milk: ~10

Total: ~25

Breakfast total: ~435 calories

Mid-Morning Snack

10 carrots: 40

1 laughing cow light cheese (swiss): 35

Total: 75 calories

Lunch

Salad:

1 cup spring mix: 7

4 grape tomatoes, sliced: 7

1/4 cup sliced cucumber: 7

2 slices of Boars Head Classic Chicken breast (deli meat), chopped up: 100 calories

1 tbsp feta cheese (basil and tomato): ~20 calories

French Dressing 1 tbsp: 45

Total: 186 calories

Yogurt: 140

Lunch Total: 326

Afternoon Snack

1 nectarine: 60

1 pkg Trader Joe's Omega 3 Trail Mix: 170 calories

Total: 230 calories

There are so many options to change this daily routine around. You can substitute grape tomatoes or cucumber slices for the carrots or you can try a different flavor of light cheese.

At lunch you can ditch the deli meat and add tuna one day a week or a hard boiled egg. It is important to make sure you get some protein at lunch, so don't cut it out all together. You can change the veggies or type of greens in your salad as well as the dressing. Just make sure to use light or fat free dressings. I actually love Kraft's Balsamic Vinaigrette, but I am trying to get rid of the Fat Free French in my fridge.

For the afternoon snack you can switch out the trail mix for a bag of almonds or a kashi granola bar (the Dark Chocolate Cherry one is awesome) and you can use seasonal fruits. In the fall apples are great, during the winter I go with oranges, tangerines or nectarines, in the early spring I take a cup of mixed berries, and all summer I eat a cup of watermelon, cantaloupe or honeydew.

Most importantly be creative so you don't get bored with your routine. If you get bored, you will be tempted to grab something from the vending machine or toss out your bagged lunch and grab lunch out with friends. Save your money and most importantly eat healthy by planning ahead and eating meals you prepare yourself!

Cooking in August

Little Miss Cora came to visit Auntie Megan's kitchen. Even though she can't eat any of my goodies just yet, I'm sure one day she will be so excited to visit Casita Cory for a delicious meal made just for her by her Auntie Megan!

Wheat Allergies...No problem! This past weekend, I had a great time hanging out with my family. Mom, Dad and Jen all came and stayed a few days, and Reba and lil Cora made their way down for a day trip. And of course I had so much fun playing in the kitchen making meals that keep bringing my family back to visit! My younger sister has a wheat allergy, but I was dying to try this Shrimp and Pesto Pasta recipe from the Bride and Groom cookbook she and my older sister gave me as a shower gift. So I went to Trader Joe's and picked up a package of the brown rice spaghetti. This recipe was really easy, delicious and perfectly light for dinner on a hot summer's day!

Shrimp and Pesto Pasta

1 lb brown rice spaghetti

1 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half

1 lb jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined

2 tsp garlic, minced

2 tbsp olive oil

Casita Cory Pesto Sauce

Cook the brown rice noodles in about 1 1/2 qts of water with 1-2 tbsp of olive oil. Once noodles are cooked to al dente, strain and set aside.

In a skillet head the olive oil to medium heat. Add in the shrimp and add salt and pepper. Let them cook on one side for one minute, then flip them. Add in the garlic. Cook until the shrimp are opaque.

Toss in the strained noodles, the sliced tomatoes and the pesto sauce.

Remove from heat and serve.

Serves 4.

The only way to make a baked potato even better is to bake it twice. Below is a recipe that I served up with Giada de Laurentiis' Pork Loin with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette. I will definitely be making these potatoes again. I mashed the potatoes by hand, but you could purée them in a food processor or blender to make your twice baked potatoes really smooth. Depends on the texture you are looking for.

Twice Baked Bacon and Cheddar Potatoes

4 large Russet baking potatoes

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup sour cream

2 tbsp butter

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup fried bacon broken into small bits

2 scallions, diced

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 475 degrees

Rinse the potatoes, pat dry.

Rub them with a little bit of butter and sea salt.

Wrap in aluminum foil and poke with a fork to help them cook through.

Bake for about an hour or until the potatoes are soft when you stick them with a fork.

Once the potatoes are ready to be removed from the oven, set them aside and let them cool for about 8 to 10 minutes.

When they have cooled enough that you can touch them to work with them, cut the potatoes in half and then spoon out the insides of the potatoes and place them in a large mixing bowl. Be careful not to spoon out so much that the skins collapse.

Add about 3/4 of the chopped bacon, and 3/4 of the diced scallions.

Mix in the sour cream, butter, and milk.

Finally add salt and pepper to taste and mix them in with 1/4 cup of the cheese.

Using a large spoon scoop the filling back into the potato skins and place them on a large baking sheet.

Top the potatoes with the remaining bacon and cheese and return to the oven for about another 15 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

Remove and top with the remaining of the chopped scallions and serve!

Lunch Time Grilling!

One day Forrest was home for lunch, so I grilled up some kabobs on the grill. I used yellow and green peppers, red onion, squash and zucchini, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and chicken. I made a quick marinade of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, about 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary and thyme and some ground Italian seasoning. They were delicious!

Midday Seafood Bash!

Another day when Forrest was home, I cooked up Giada de Laurentiis' Mussels, Clams, and Shrimp with Spicy Broth. Here are the pictures of that meal!

The following was my favorite!!!!

Bacon Cheddar Burgers with Grilled Onions!

1 large yellow onion

1 lb ground beef

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 tbsp worcestershire sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

3 slices medium sharp cheddar cheese

lettuce

3 slices of tomato

3 slices of bacon

3 hamburger buns

Preheat a grill pan to medium high heat.

Slice the onions into 1/4 inch slices, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper

Place the onions on the grill pan and cook on each side for about 2 to 3 minutes or until they are tender grill marks appear. Remove and set aside for later.

Preheat a skillet to medium heat and cook the bacon on each side for about 5 minutes or until nice and brown and crispy. Remove from skillet and place on a paper towel to drain off excess grease and cool.

While the onions and bacon are cooking, in a large bowl combine the ground beef, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and worcestshire sauce. Make three 1/3 pound patties.

After you remove the onions, add the three patties to the grill pan and grill on each side for about 4 minutes or until your desired internal temperature (I generally go for medium well).

Pile up your burgers with the cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, patties, bacon and onions.

Slather on some ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise if you like and enjoy!

Serves 3 burgers.

Casita Cory: Menu 8/1 - 8/7

When it comes to having healthy, delicious meals the most important part is planning ahead. Each week I sit down and plan out the meals we will have that week and then I make my grocery list. I also check all of the local weekly ads and map out a few specials that I'd like to take advantage of. Then I set a time limit and head off to gather up my goods trying to get back to the house as soon as possible. (I could hang out in grocery stores forever) Sometimes I have to make a trip back later in the week when I am in need a fresh ingredient that buying ahead might spoil.

This weeks menu:

Monday: Spaghetti w/ Turkey Meatball Sauce and a salad

Tuesday: leftovers

Wednesday: Florentine Chicken Meatball Calzones w/ Creamy Tomato Dipper (Rachael Ray) and a salad

Thursday: Chicken Cabobs on the grill

Friday: leftovers

Saturday: Mussels, Clams and Shrimp in Spicy Broth (Giada De Laurentiis)

Food Lion:

Almond Milk ($1 coupon off 1/2 gallon)

watermelon ($3.98)

Frozen jumbo shrimp (13.99 buy one get one)

Bluberries ( 2 or $5)

Trader Joes:

2 dozen cage free eggs ($2.79 each)

OJ w/ Calcium ($1.99 half gallon)

1 bag red onions

1 bag yellow onions

1 pkg basil

Farm Fresh:

2 lbs boneless/skinless chicken breast ($1.98 / lb)

Ground Chicken (2 for $6.00)

2 Cantaloupes (2 fo $4)

2 8 oz pkg mushrooms (2 for $3.00)

Organic Salad ($3.50)

Sweet Grape Tomatoes ($2.00)

garlic

Fire Roasted tomatoes (2) and Diced (2) (5 for $5 14 oz cans)

1 Red pepper

1 Yellow Pepper

2 green peppers

2 lbs frozen spinach

2 pkg mozzarella cheese (Sargento 2 for $5.00)

Grated Parm cheese

2 pkg pizza dough refrigerated

1 pint heavy whipping cream

deli meat

bread

On Saturday I will pick up the mussels and clams for the seafood dinner and another pkg of basil

Now I'm off...plan is to be back in 1.5 hours