Category Archives for Dinner

Sunday Night Sgetty

Tonight for dinner, despite my all day morning sickness, is a big ole bowl of vegan sgetty. It seems like all I can tolerate lately is carbs, and I’m a-okay with that!

Bonus points – my husband will eat this too!

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My go to can of sauce is the Publix Premium Marinara Sauce, a little pricey if you compare it to your basic stuff, but it’s worth it. This sauce is vegan and low in sugar. It’s even completely free of high fructose corn syrup.

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Thanks to this month’s foodiepenpal who sent me some awesome spinach noodles! I combined those with some whole wheat noodles I had on hand. Not only was it pretty, but extra nutritious.

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Bowl number one was a huge success. (In other words, its still in my pregnant belly!) I may have to go for two!

Have I mentioned how much I’m loving not counting calories these days!? Bring on the food!

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What are you having for dinner tonight?

What’s for Dinner: Holy Carbs!

So I don’t really know what I was thinking when I packed my dinner for work, but I guess the baby in my belly was craving some carbohydrates! Note to self: don’t prep food while hungry.

Tonight for dinner: Mexican Black Bean & Brown Rice Sweet Potato plus Guac!

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Oh man is this tasty! And so easy to make you might not believe it only required a microwave.

Make it at home by throwing together a few simple ingredients you may already have in your pantry! You need a cup of instant brown rice, a cup of rinsed canned black beans, and some pre-made salsa – microwave for two minutes or just eat it cold. Then add a microwaved sweet potato and some pre-made guacamole. That’s it! Yummy in my tummy!

What are you having for dinner tonight?

What’s for dinner: Tupperware Tastiness

Tonight for dinner at work I’ve packed a flavorful tub of tastiness. Best part: no cooking necessary, well unless you count the two minute microwave!

This is my Black Bean Burger Pepper & Onion Brown Rice Bowl:

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Here I’ve got a half a bag of frozen peppers and onions, two Morningstar black bean burgers, and a cup of instant brown rice.

Veggies? Check. Whole grains? Check. Lean Protein? Check!

All I’m missing is some guacamole for a healthy fat and some salsa for a little extra flavor. Next time I know exactly what to do to make this meal perfect!

What are you having for dinner tonight?

Name the grain…

Can anyone identify this beautiful grain?

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Believe it or not this gorgeous cold salad was on the salad bar at work. Kudos to Lakeland Regional Medical Center for having more healthy and interesting choices! Maybe one day they’ll even get around to labeling things! One step at a time…

So, I need your help! What the heck is this mystery grain?

What’s for Dinner on Vacation?

Tonight for dinner on vacation, we found ourselves at Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille on the water in Ft. Myers. And the food was superb!

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I ordered the tasty and healthy Shrimp Quinoa Salad:

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My dinner was amazing. My salad of pretty fresh mixed greens was topped with ginormous grilled shrimp, avocado, quinoa, corn, mango salsa and a tangy dressing. I ate less than half and took the rest back to the condo, but it was delish!

This is proof that just because you’re on vacation to the beach, you don’t have to settle for fried fish and chips! You can eat clean anywhere as long as you do your research and plan ahead.

What did you have for dinner tonight?

If only life could be a vacation! I rock a bikini!

Let it be known that you do not have to be at goal weight to rock a bikini! So what if you have stretch marks, a little extra pudge, or no abs? Be you! And if being you is anything like being me, then you wear the heck out of that bikini!

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You better believe, if I wore a bikini at 300 pounds, I’m wearing one on vacation with my husband and father at 170!

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We’ve been swimming, tanning, fishing, and eating, and it’s been glorious! I’m not counting calories, working out, or studying for school. On Monday, though, I’m back on it and starting training for my half marathon. Never lose sight of your goals!

Last night for dinner we went to this place on Sanibel Island called “The Island Cow”, a hole in the wall dive packed full of people with the most ridiculous, amazing four page menu!

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I settled on ordering the Blackened Grouper Tacos with black beans on rice, salsa, and sweet potato fries! It was delish!

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Yep. Not vegan, but its no secret that this Florida girl loves some fresh local seafood, especially grouper! I ordered my tacos without cheese, and the beans were in fact vegan.

Also not vegan, but amazing, was my dad’s 60th birthday cookie cake! Oh my god! I’ve officially blown my 30 day no sugar challenge (Sorry LJay, I just can’t resist a giant cookie!), but have no fear, I’m recommitting on Monday.

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This morning we enjoyed coffee on the terrace overlooking the pool. I’m obsessed with Starbucks, and was super stoked to see the resort was fully prepared to make me a perfect Grande Soy Latte.

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Never underestimate the importance of relaxation and family time. I love this man!

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After a short little storm, which is totally typical for South West Florida, we got to the fun stuff – catching fish!

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And Sean caught a Shark!!!

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Check this dude out! Cute little Bonnet Head:

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I hope everyone can find some time to get outside and enjoy the weekend with friends and family! Happy Friday from Sanibel, Florida!

What’s for Dinner: Sweet & Sour Asian Noodles and Broccoli

Tonight for dinner at work I’m having a great Amy’s Frozen Dinner bulked up with an entire bag of frozen broccoli!

Lazy? Maybe. But oh so yummy!

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I love that Amy’s products take the guess work out of eating their products by clearly labeling them vegan as well as gluten free, non GMO, and organic!

And the calories aren’t too bad either!

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What are you having for dinner tonight?

So good you won’t believe it’s only 300 calories!

Tonight’s dinner was a low-cal bowl of awesomeness that was so good it needs to be shared!

This is my filling and colorful Sweet Potato & Humus Salsa Salad:

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On top of a bed of crunchy lettuce I have a skinless mashed sweet potato, Publix deli medium salsa, Publix deli chili lime hummus, and some sautéed diced peppers and onions.

It was delish! And the best part: it was only about 300 calories!

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I believe in front loading my calories. What that means is I try to eat the majority of my daily food intake at breakfast and lunch. I also snack between breakfast and lunch and between lunch and dinner. This “front loading” helps me feel full throughout the day an avoid cheating. Then I try and keep dinner light and avoid snacking close to bed time.

My theory is that you need more calories when you are most active during the day and fewer calories when you are closer to sleep.

My typical 1850 calorie distribution goes a little something like this:

  • 8am Breakfast 500
  • 10am Snack 250
  • 1pm Lunch 500
  • 4pm Snack 250
  • 7pm Dinner 350

But to be honest, often times my meals and snacks seem to run together and it can feel like I’m constantly eating all day long and I love it! And obviously these are ballpark numbers. If I eat more at breakfast, I eat a little less at lunch or snack. It’s also important to note that on workout days I will move snacks and meals as needed in order to fit good food into the 30 minute post workout window.

What did you have or dinner tonight? How do you distribute your calories throughout the day?

Taco Bus Tofu Tacos

For dinner tonight we made the drive out to The Taco Bus Tampa for date night!

My husband and I met there for our first date two years ago, so it holds a special place in our hearts. Plus, they have an amazing vegetarian menu, vegan tamales, and we all know I’m obsessed with guacamole!

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I finally ordered something new at my favorite Mexican restaurant and it was amazing! This is the Vegan Two Tofu Tacos Meal Deal (yes, seriously a deal, only $8) with vegetarian re-fried beans and Mexican rice:

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I love how the Taco Bus uses fresh veggies, hand made tortilla shells, and a great spicy salsa! The tofu was grilled and seasoned with Mexican spices – honestly the best thing I’ve ever eaten there. And I’ve eaten there a lot!

Check out this awesome taco!

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What is your favorite Mexican food? How do you keep a mexican dinner healthy?

You can read my first post about the Taco Bus here, it includes the vegan menu details, location addresses and hours of operation!