A Very Special Simple Sunday

This week's Simple Sunday comes to you in a slightly different format (i.e. no cooking for me!) and was inspired by my very lovely sis-in-law, Lauren!

Lauren is a very hardworking, full-time mother, wife and law student and she also happens to be super sweet! She helped me with that awful Salmon Mousse Disaster, even though she doesn't even like fish!

The other day she commented on Facebook that she was so caught up with her studies that she worked right through dinner and all of the sudden it was 11 o'clock. What's a tired, overworked law student to do for dinner at 11 PM? Eat some Combos!

I laughed pretended to be shocked (trust me, I've heard worse!) and 'fessed up moments I'm less than proud of (Hershey's Kisses and Diet Coke for dinner, anyone??). If I lived in SC , I would whip up some healthy casseroles and tasty sides and toss them in her fridge for those late nights, but now that I live in TX, that's geographically unrealistic. I did want to send her some super simple, quick dinner options to help fuel her way through her studies. Please note I'm not doing this because I'm a dietitian and (people think) we're the Food Police, but because I love Lauren and her family and I think that good nutrition can do nothing but help (with school, health and life in general)!

So here is what I sent in her very special care package, all that is simple and can be prepared in less than five minutes!

I love having breakfast for dinner! I especially like it on the night's when Cody's on call, because I hate having to make a big dinner (and big mess) for just me. So sometimes I'll have some cereal or oatmeal, with some fruit and a boiled egg. I also send some natural peanut butter for a quick PB sandwich. Pair this with some fruit and you've got a filling meal!

Ah, the poor white potato. I feel bad that it seems to have gotten a bad reputation since the whole low carb craze began. Yes, white potatoes have carbs. But they also have fiber and can be super filling (remember Kat's Shrimp Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes from earlier this week?) And as long as you're not eating the largest potato you can find and make smart stuffing choices, it's a quick and healthy dinner option. I found these broccoli and cheese servings in the freezer section. After a quick spin in the microwave, toss these on your spud and you have a Broc & Cheese Potato. Obviously I can't send the broccoli and cheese in the package, but you get the idea!

I like to keep a couple of frozen entrees and these guys in the cabinet for those days when I want something hot, but don't want to cook. These all are between 350 and 450 calories and have 600 mg of sodium or less. And they don't have to be refrigerated or frozen.

Sometimes, I'm lucky and have leftovers and I like to have some simple sides on hand. I like these little fruit cups because the fruit is in juice not syrup. I love these little cups of brown rice! They only take 60 seconds to cook in the microwave (compared to 45 minutes on the stove) and have less that 200 mg of sodium per serving, which is pretty low for an instant rice product. Most of the flavored varieties are much higher.

And a little something sweet for dessert. Kat and I are CRAZY for sugar free puddings! They're full of sweetness, but low on calories. Top it with some fat free whip cream and you have dessert for under 100 calories!

I sent some Crystal Light just because I'm OBSESSED with the fruit punch flavor right now and wanted to share it. Seriously, I think I could drink the whole 2 quarts if I didn't pace myself. every time I drink it, I feel like I'm seven years old again! The only thing missing is cookies and recess! I tossed in this coffee just because I had it. I think I had a coupon for one box free and it's just been sitting in my cabinet for awhile. But it's instant, so it fits in with my simple theme.

I added some snack bars just because I like snacks and bars. These are just a couple I have on hand in my office and purse for those moments I'm starving and lunch is still hours away.

I included a little note to explain why I'm sending her a box of food . . .

And sent it off to South Carolina, with love!

I hope you're enjoying your Sunday!

1 Fish, 2 Fish, Red Fish, Late Fish

So as I admitted earlier this week, I missed posting my Simple Sunday recipe, and promised it later this week. Well here it is...

This recipe actually come from my dad. He used to always go wade fishing in the Gulf and would bring home fresh red fish. As a kid, I didn't really love this recipe. I think it had too much flavor and it was too goopy. As I have grown up a bit, I have learned to absolutely love this recipe!

You start out with simple fish. I will typically leave the skin on one side.

Basically, just salt and pepper the fish (not the skin), spread light mayo(2 tbsp per 3oz fish) across the top, and sprinkle with lemon pepper to taste.

You can either bake or grill these yummy fish!

The Facts for 3oz Fish:

Calories: 201

Fat: 13.9 g

Sodium: 303 mg

Fiber: 0

Creamy LP Fish

Fish

Light Mayo

Lemon Pepper

Salt Substitute

Pepper

Season the fish with salt and pepper, skin side down. Evenly spread mayo over the seasoning. Sprinkle lemon pepper to taste. Bake or grill fish until thoroughly cooked. Enjoy!

Simple Sunday

I love pizza for so many reasons. It's a familiar comfort food. It's warm and tasty and gooey. It's easy, especially if you have it delivered or if you "make" it yourself (i.e. take it out of the freezer and pop it in the oven).Unfortunately, those methods usually also give you over-sized portions and tons of extra fat. I have a recipe that's simple and lower in fat that is great for busy days.

I use whole wheat pitas as the crust and turkey pepperoni, diced garlic, some veggies as my toppings. All you do is pile on your toppings and toss it in the oven and wait for it to bake. It doesn't get any simpler that that!

And when it's done (in a whopping 10 minutes!), you have a delicious filling entree!

Yes, that is fruit cocktail. And that's salad from a bag. This is Simple Sunday, after all!

Much lower in fat, but I will admit, still very high in sodium. You could lower it by making your own marinara or omitting the turkey pepperoni and adding extra veggies or some fresh meat.

What's your favorite go-to meal on busy nights??

Here's the stats:

Nutritional Information

Servings Per Recipe: 1

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 373

Fat: 1.4 g

Sodium: 994 mg

Fiber: 8.5 g

And the recipe:

FNF Pita Pizza

1 whole wheat pita
1/4 c marinara sauce
1/4 c mozzarella cheese
1/2 tbsp diced garlic
~10 spinach leaves
6 turkey pepperoni rounds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place pita on baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Cover with marinara, then the garlic, then cheese. Top with spinach and turkey pepperoni.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until cheese has melted.

Simple Sunday

This month’s theme is SIMPLE. As much as we love eating, we hate complicated recipes that require a zillion ingredients or require us to manage 4 pots at the same time. Because that means having to spend more time at the store or more time cleaning up a bunch of dishes when we could be lounging with our pups. Or eating! So we’re going to share some of our favorite simple recipes.

I have to confess, the simple side I’m going to share isn’t an old favorite of mine, it’s a new one! I’m trying to incorporate more veggies into my diet so I found a recipe for roasted beets and tweaked it by adding some turnips and sweet potatoes. Yes, I know sweet potatoes are a starchy vegetable, but I like them and I wanted to make sure if the recipe was a flop, I’d at least get some tasty roasted sweet potatoes.

I cut up 3 beets, 2 turnips and 1 sweet potato into small chunks. I know it sounds like a lot to cut up, but it seriously took me, maybe, 5 minutes to cut everything, toss it onto a pan and coat it with some oil, salt and pepper. Then I had nothing to do for an hour while they baked. Normally I recommend omitting salt, but I make an exception with roasted veggies.

I baked them for an hour at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The final product was sooo pretty! From this recipe I learned that I love turnips! They tasted like a garlic-y potato. Yum! I also discovered that I don’t like beets. I want to like them, but I just don’t. I scrubbed those babies clean, but they still tasted like dirt to me. I’m still calling this recipe a success, though!

Nutritional Information

Servings Per Recipe: 6

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 126

Fat: 9 g

Sodium: 163 mg

Fiber: 2.5 g

Roasted Roots

3 beets, scrubbed and cut into ~1 inch pieces

2 turnips, cleaned and cut into ~1 inch pieces

1 sweet potato, cleaned and cut into ~1 inch pieces

Olive oil, for coating

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss the cut up veggies with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 1 hour, turning once during cooking.