A Great Snack: Green Apple and Peanut Butter Sandwich

So I started working out pretty hard core at the start of the year.  I'm not trying to lose weight but I am working out 5 days a week in the gym with a trainer on certain days and I cut my calories to 1400 a day!  I want to focus on lean muscle and to get some of the fat off!  I'm at 20% body fat - which is not bad at all!  I'm 5'7, 130 lbs but I want to have more of a muscular build and get this flab off my belly so it's super flat!  So - with this new routine comes new and healthier recipes!!  I'm eating every 2-3 hours so I started my search of healthier snacks and betters meals!  I LOVE this one and had to share it!  This is a South Beach recipe and it's SO easy and super healthy!  With my BUSY schedule of a full time job, 2 kiddos under 5, hubby who travels and now 5 days of working out pretty hard core...I need fast, easy and healthy!  So here is my snack recipe.  Enjoy it!  It's holds you over great as a snack!

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of creamy or crunchy trans-fat-free peanut butter
1 large whole-grain crispbread cracker (use 1 piece of Ezekiel bread if you are Gluten free)
1/8 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced

Directions:
Spread peanut butter on cracker and top with apple slices.

Makes 1 serving.

Nutrition:
Per serving: Calories 130, 8 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 5 g protein, 13 g carbs, 3g dietary fiber, 65 mg sodium

Chicken Spaghetti

 

It has been awhile since I posted!!  It's been busy with the holidays and all, but I'm still cooking and trying new recipes!!  One thing that my family does is participate in our church hospitality ministry and we make sack lunches for the homeless once a month.  We meet at a church member's home and have a dinner before we start preparing.  It's a GREAT ministry and I'll tell you - my kids are learning how to love and serve others!  This past Friday, the dinner menu was Chicken Spaghetti.  Now - this one isn't gluten free originally - but you can absolutely make this Gluten free or regular!  So try this below and let me know how much you love it!  My family sure did!  And this one freezes beautifully so you can eat it up later!

Gluten Free Ingredients:

2 cups Cooked Chicken

3 cups Dry Spaghetti (I recommend Quinoa), Broken Into Two Inch Pieces

2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup (Gluten Free)

2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1/4 cup Finely Diced Green Pepper

1/4 cup Finely Diced Onion

1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained

2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot

1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt

1/8 teaspoon (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper

Salt And Pepper, to taste

1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar CheeseFree Ingredients:

If you are NOT Gluten Free - Regular Ingredients Ingredients:

• 2 cups Cooked Chicken
• 3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces
• 2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup
• 2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1/4 cup Finely Diced Green Pepper
• 1/4 cup Finely Diced Onion
• 1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained
• 2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot
• 1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
• 1/8 teaspoon (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Cook 1 cut up 1 whole chicken and pick out the meat to make two cups of cooked chicken. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until nearly done but do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).