Healthy Shopping

Well I normally wouldn't shop this early, but with this bet my hubby and I have going on I needed to get some good healthy snacks in the house.  Also with all the exercise we really needed some snacks that would give high energy.  So I went out and grabbed some snacks along with some items I will need for next month.  Also I will be doing my bulk monthly shopping a week early because I have a 10% off my entire order which will come in real handy :)  So keep an eye out to see all the great stuff that I find tomorrow!

Hen House Market
True North Pecan, Almond, and Peanut Clusters
$3.29

Sara Lee Honey Wheat Bread
$1.99

2 - Nabisco Wheat Thins (Fiber Selects)
$5 or $2.50 each

2 - Post Honey Bunches of Oats
$5 or $2.50 each

1 - Ruffles Natural Potato Chips
$3.99

1 - Tostitos Natural Corn Chips
$3.99

1 - Sunshine Cheez-It (for the kiddos)
$2.07

1 - Quaker Cinnamon Life Cereal
$2.99

6 - Belfonte Non Fat Yogurt
$3.30 or 55 cents each

2 - Sargento Light Cheese Snacks
$9.58 or $4.79 each

1 - Tyson All Natural Chicken Nuggets
$6.99

3 - Honey Suckle White Natural Ground Turkey Breast 1.2lbs each
$9 or $3 each

1 - 3lb Best Choice Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenders
$5.49

1 lb Carrots
99 cents

16 oz Strawberries
$3.99

Organic Blueberries
$2.99

5.53 lbs Bananas
$2.16

3.17 lbs Fuji Apples
$5.77

Total Paid:  $84.40
Total Saved:  $54.09


I am super excited with all the great healthy snacks we bought today.  I am hoping these will last a while, but I know I will need to do weekly produce runs from now on.  Which is fine and if I go over budget that is fine too.  I guess my goals have changed a little and my focus is more on our health than saving money.  Funny how we grow and change through time isn't it?

I also want to say how well we are doing with this new lifestyle.  I am proud to say I have been Diet Pepsi free for a week now (even with a 12-pack in the fridge and one in the cupboard!).  I have also been doing some sort of active activity for 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the evening everyday.  With the new healthy eating (I eat 6 small meals a day jam packed with whole foods), increased activity, and the elimination of Diet Pepsi I have lost 4.6 lbs!  I know it's not much, but it is a great start and I am excited to move forward with this new lifestyle!

Italian Dressing Mix

How many recipes call for Italian Dressing Mix or Italian Dressing?  Lots...at least many that I run into.  I never buy the mixes and rarely have Italian Dressing (we love vinaigrette...especially balsamic vinaigrette...yum!).  This is a simple solution for me and I love knowing exactly what is in the mix.

I have a pretty jar, but it is still drying so I have it in a ziploc container for now :)

Now we have to gather all the ingredients.  Nothing too crazy and I had everything on hand.  That's always plus.

Recipe adapted from Italian Dressing Mix on Allrecipe

Italian Dressing Mix:
1 TBS Garlic Salt
1 TBS Onion Powder
1 TBS White Sugar
2 TBS Dried Oregano
1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Dried Thyme
1 tsp Dried Basil
1 TBS Dried Parsley
1/4 tsp Celery Salt
1/2 TBS Salt

• Just mix everything together and combine it really well
• Store in an airtight container

To make salad dressing whisk 1/4 cup white vinegar, 2 TBS water, 2 TBS dressing mix, and 1/2-2/3 cup olive oil or canola oil.

To substitute for a dry italian seasoning packet use about 1.5 TBS.

Easy peasy :)

Skinny Buffalo Chicken Tacos

Well now that I am in this competition with my hubby I need to start making my meals more "skinny" friendly.  Buffalo Chicken Tacos are really easy to "slim" down.  Just cutting out the breading takes the calorie count down drastically.  These could be skinnier by using whole grain tortillas instead of flour, but this is what I had on hand so that's what we used.

This is another super simple meal and you can basically add whatever your heart desires to the toppings.  Celery and blue cheese would be awesome!  However, I am the only one in the house who would eat those so we topped ours with some guacamole (I had a mix in the cupboard from god knows how long ago), shredded cheese, ranch, and lettuce.

Buffalo Chicken Tacos - Skinny Version
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce
1 tsp garlic salt
1 TBS extra virgin olive oil (I omitted because I have a great nonstick pan so I just used a couple of splashes of fat free chicken broth instead)

• Heat a skillet with oil (or chicken broth) over medium-high heat and then add chicken 
• Season chicken with garlic salt and cook until chicken is done, about 8 minutes 
• Remove skillet from heat and add about 1/2 cup wing sauce (or however much you desire) and then stir well to coat

You then need to gather your toppings here are some suggestions:

• Tortillas, flat bread, or wraps
• Blue cheese or shredded cheese
• Shredded lettuce
• Diced avocado or guacamole
• Diced tomatoes or pico de gallo
• Diced onions
• Ranch dressing, sour cream, or greek yogurt

One more to show all it's goodness...yum!

You get the idea.  Cater it to how you like it.  These are fun, super easy, and take literally no time to make.  Below you will find the nutritional facts for one taco.  The first is only for the chicken and not the toppings!  The second is with the toppings we used and the flour tortilla.

We love these and I love that they are WAAAAAY skinnier than their breaded counterparts without losing flavor.  If you are looking for more of a crunch try dicing up celery or topping with some shredded cabbage.  Both would be good with lots of added benefits :)   

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 98 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 165 Calories from Fat 71

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 7.8g 12%

Saturated Fat 1.9g 9%

Cholesterol 67mg 22%

Sodium 679mg 28%

Total Carbohydrates 0.3g 0%

Protein 21.9g

Vitamin A 1% • Vitamin C 0% Calcium 1% • Iron 5%

Nutrition Grade C+

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• Very low in sugar
• Very high in niacin
• High in selenium
• High in vitamin B6

Bad points

• High in cholesterol
• High in sodium

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 179 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 270 Calories from Fat 109

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 12.1g 19%

Saturated Fat 4.0g 20%

Cholesterol 77mg 26%

Sodium 925mg 39%

Total Carbohydrates 13.8g 5%

Dietary Fiber 2.4g 9%

Sugars 1.4g

Protein 26.4g

Vitamin A 8% • Vitamin C 2% Calcium 10% • Iron 8%

Nutrition Grade B-

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• Low in sugar
• High in niacin
• High in selenium

Bad points

• High in sodium

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