It’s Almost Hockey Time!

I’m not a huge sports person, I never really have been. Hockey is really the only sport that I can sit through a game and actually enjoy it. I’m a Bruins fan (#srynotsry).

Rockin’ the Bruins gear for the first day of Preseason

That being said, nights that hockey is on tends to be the nights that Jared wants the more unhealthy options. So now I’m in a bit of a predicament. I can either give him what he wants, or I can figure out ways to make his unhealthy favorites, a little bit healthier. 

So let’s look at some of his unhealthy favorites that tend to be requested a lot during hockey season:

Nachos
Pulled Pork
Mozzarella Sticks
and, of course, alcohol.

 

Nachos are a decently simple fix. You can use ground turkey or chicken in place of the ground beef and make sure you load up on the veggies. I really like to saute onions, garlic, and peppers with the meat. Then, while the meat is cooking, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and then put the cheese (low-fat) on top of the chips and pop them in the oven to heat up. When they’re done, take them out, top them with the meat, some lettuce, tomatoes, if you have beans, they are a great addition and anything else you like on them. The more veggies, the better!!

Pulled pork is one of those things that makes it’s way into a lot of meat eaters’ homes during sports seasons. Whether it’s football, hockey, or even baseball, pulled pork is an easy game day treat. An easy solution to this, and a way to make the cook time lower, is to replace the pork with chicken or turkey. For my pulled pork (or chicken) I put it in the crockpot with some diet root beer and let that do the tenderizing. Then, about 6 hours later, take the pork or chicken out and place it in a bowl. Using a fork or tongs, tear the meat and add your favorite BBQ sauce. It’s super simple and easy!

Mozzarella sticks…….. Oh how we love mozzarella sticks. Is there anything better than warm, melted mozzarella covered in a crunchy crust. No. There’s not. But fried food is not your friend. So, healthy alternatives are always good. I’m still working on one that I think Jared will like, but I will share it with y’all anyway. Get wonton wrappers and low fat mozzarella string cheese. Wrap the string cheese in the wonton wrappers and then brush them with olive oil that has been heating on the stove with garlic in it. Then, bake them until they are golden brown. And, of course, heat up some marinara (Newman’s Own is delicious) and dip them in it. YUM! Okay, now I’m hungry.

As for the alcohol… It’s always better to not drink. But, that’s obviously not realistic. Just be careful of what you’re drinking and realize that it’s all empty calories. This site breaks down which liquors have the most amount of calories and rates them, so it’s definitely worth checking out: http://getdrunknotfat.com/ . And, of course, please always drink responsibly!

If you have any game day treats that you want made a little healthier let me know! You can tweet me at @courtneyweitz, email me at courtney.weitz@gmail.com, or send a comment using the contact me button at the top of the page!

 

Easy and Delicious Meatballs

A while back, I made a post about some meatballs that a friend of mine made and promised to post my meatball recipe soon. With all of the school work and finals that were happening I have gathered a decent amount of recipes that I have yet to post; my meatballs being one of them. So, even though I made the promise about a month ago, I’m going to stick to it and post it now. These meatballs can be made in either a crockpot or on the stove, depending on what you have the time to do. When I made them in the crockpot, I put a little more milk in them, and cook them for about 6 hours on low heat.

That being said, here is the recipe for these delicious meatballs that can be served any way you like, this time I chose to do spagetti and meatballs.

Here’s what you’ll need:
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon parsley
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs (unseasoned)
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 lb ground beef or turkey (I use a combination of the two)
2 jars of your favorite sauce

Instructions:

Place the meat, seasonings, milk, egg, cheese, and breadcrumbs into a large bowl.

Mix the ingredients completely

Pour one of your jars of sauce into your pot or crockpot.

Form your meatballs into about a 1 inch size.

Place into a pot with the sauce.

Cover the meatballs with the other jar of sauce.

Cover the put, put on medium heat, and cook for about an hour and a half. (If you’re cooking in a crockpot, turn it on low for about 6 hours)

Get your favorite whole grain pasta and cook according to package instructions.

Serve with a little bit of parmesan cheese on top and enjoy!

Enjoy!

“I Think I’m Feeling Nachos”

The completed nachos

For once, Jared was actually willing to make the decision of what to have for dinner and I could totally get used to it. Nachos are one of my favorite foods, and they pretty quick to make, which is always good, especially with finals week getting closer. My nachos are pretty simple, but they’re also really good. The two most important things for making these nachos is to a) not add any salt, there is enough salt that comes from the chips and adding more makes them both too salty and worse for you and b) do not use the taco seasoning. That stuff, even the low sodium kind, is full of salt, and it’s really easy to make your own mix with things that you probably already have in your pantry. I used half ground beef and half ground turkey because I’m trying to slowly introduce the taste, because ground turkey is beter for you than beef.

That being said, let’s get to the recipe.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground beef (I used 90/10)
1/2 pound ground turkey (I’m slowly trying to get both of us used to ground turkey)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded colby and monterrey jack cheese
Your favorite toppings, i.e. tomatoes, lettuce, low-fat sour cream, etc.
2 or 3 handfulls of your favorite tortilla chips (if you can find whole wheat ones, get those. I couldn’t find them anywhere)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Put extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan, and turn to medium heat. When it is hot, add the ground beef and turkey to the pan.

Add all of your seasons. and mix it the best you can

Shred your cheese

 

While you’re waiting for your meat to brown, lay out your chips on a baking sheet (I always line mine with aluminum foil for easy clean-up)

When your meat is down, lay it on top of the chips. You will not use all of your meat if you’re only cooking for 2-3 people. I use the left overs the next day for lunch (the meat is great with tacos)

Add a layer of cheese and place in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted

While the cheese is melting, cut your lettuce and tomato (and whatever other toppings you like on your nachos)

(Jared doesn’t like tomatoes, so I only put them on half)

Once the cheese is all melted, take them out of the oven and top them with your favorite toppings.

Be careful, the cheese is really hot when it first comes out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I Hope Those Tacos Taste as Good as They Smell”

Yup, you read that right, tacos. I personally love tacos, always have. Not only are tacos delicious but they’re pretty simple to make if you’re like me and are in a rush to get from one place to another. I guess that is just a part of college though. So tonight I made tacos because I had about an hour between when I got home and had to leave again. Jared wasn’t exactly thrilled about my choice in quick meals, his exact word were, “I guess tacos are okay,” but he was pretty happy with them in the end.

Make sure you have these spices

And some yummy cheeses

So to make these tacos you’re going to need the following ingredients:

1 lb ground beef or turkey (I used beef because I had some that I had in my fridge to get rid of)
1 tablespoon of chili powder
1/2 tablespoon of salt
1/2 tablespoon of pepper
1/2 tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tablespoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of garlic power
Taco shells or whole wheat tortillas, depending on whether you like hard or soft tacos
1/4 cup shredded colby and monterey jack cheese blend
1/4 cup shredded mild cheddar
olive oil
1/4 cup of tomato (optional)
1/4 cup of lettuce (optional)
sour cream (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Put a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan and turn it to medium heat. Once this gets hot, add your ground meat.

While your meat is browning, shred your cheese and cut up your vegetables and, once your oven is preheated, heat up your taco shells or tortillas. They should only take about 4 minutes.

Once the meat is completely browned, strain it. Once you have gotten rid of most of the grease on the meat, add your meat back to the pan and add your spices, being sure to mix this thoroughly.

Take your taco shells out of the oven and add about a 1/4 cup of meat on each one and the desired amount of cheese, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, and cheese.

Usually, I would serve this with some rice or beans, but since I’m in a rush I don’t really have time so it’s just tacos tonight.

AND ENJOY 🙂

As always, feel free to comment here, tweet me at @Shoppinhealthy, email me at shoppinghealthy@gmail.com, and check me out on Pinterest!