Weighing In

As promised, I’m posting to give my two cents about a few of the recipes that I’ve tried, so far, on the “Clean Eating Challenge". My first review is the:

Ingredients:

1 cup blueberries, frozen

1/2 cup greek yogurt

1 cup almond milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon honey

Let me just say that this one is my favorite. I’ve never actually made it for breakfast, like the website tells you - I’ve only ever made it for dinner, but who cares. I didn’t think this would be as filling as it is & I found myself trying to finish the entire thing, but don’t worry I always do; I don’t want to waste it – it’s that good. I’ve tweaked the ingredients & have finally found my perfect at-home smoothie recipe:

~I’ve subbed frozen strawberries instead of blueberries. Have you ever looked to see how much a bag of frozen blueberries cost?? Let me tell you that it’s ridiculously overpriced. I was in total shock & refused to buy it. Instead, I’m going to buy the fresh blueberries & freeze them on my own – money saver.

~I subtracted the teaspoon of vanilla after my second smoothie. I didn’t think it was necessary.

~I add a handful of ice cubes to give it a thicker/icy consistency.

~I add a scoop of my chocolate protein powder. You know, just to keep it interesting.

However you decide to make your smoothie, just know that they are delicious & at no time have I ever regretted making one. I actually prefer the one I make at home to the one I used to get at Robeks.

My second review is on the:

 Ingredients:

3 large romaine leaves, washed and dried
3 Turkey Meatballs
1/4 avocado, thinly sliced
1 large beefsteak tomato, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons dijon mustard

This recipe was fairly easy. I used my meatball recipe that I have at home, just subbed ground turkey for hamburger meat. That recipe is:

1 lb. lean ground beef

1/2 cup Italian-style bread crumbs

1/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 small onion, finely chopped (1/4 cup)

1 egg

-Step 1: Heat oven to 400°F. Line 13x9-inch pan with foil; spray with cooking spray.

-Step 2: In large bowl, mix all ingredients. Shape mixture into 20 to 24 (1 1/2-inch) meatballs. Place 1 inch apart in pan.

-Step 3: Bake uncovered 18 to 22 minutes or until no longer pink in center.

As with the last one, I tweaked the ingredients on this recipe as well:

~Instead of collard leaves I used a head of iceberg lettuce & made my own lettuce cups.

~I added red onion slices to my thinly sliced beefsteak tomato.

~I cut out the dijon mustard as I’m not a fan of condiments. With the buttery taste of the avocado, I didn’t think it was needed.

These were a big hit with my co-workers when I brought my leftovers for lunch the next day. Actually assembling something for lunch always gets attention in my office because normally everyone eats something that you pull the top off of & cook/reheat in the microwave. Frozen meals are pretty popular, but I hate eating those so everyone always wants to know what I’m having for lunch. By the way, I’d totally make these again.

My third review is the Carrot Sticks with Hummus for a snack.

I won’t add a section for ingredients because these are already extremely easy, hence the 2 ingredients. My favorite hummus is the roasted red pepper by Sabra. I’ve heard there are other great ones out there, but I just can’t get past that one. I love it. If I’m being honest, that’s the one thing in my lunch that I get excited to eat every day. Yes I know, I’m a weirdo.

I plan on making a few of the other recipes so be sure to check back & see if it’s something that you’d also like to try. For those of you that emailed letting me know that you were going to start the Clean Eating Challenge, send me a status update & let me know how things are going & which recipes are your favorite. =)