Low Carb Your Life

                                     Turkey Meatloaf Muffins The idea of turkey meatloaf being a muffin seemed absolutely absurd to me before I made them today, but they turned out to be pretty good. They are perfect for an on the go snack, and were so easy to make! Ingredients: 2 lbs ground turkey 3 egg whites 1 cup of quick cooking oats 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp dried thyme 2 tsp dry yellow mustard 2 tsp black pepper 2 tsp chipotle pepper spice 2 tbsp garlic powder (2 cloves, minced) 2 celery stalks, finely chopped (approx 1 cup) 1 small onion, finely chopped (approx 1 cup) Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 2. Spray muffin tin with oil (I used olive oil spray) 3. Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. 4. Roll the mixture into balls & place in  your muffin tin . 5. Bake for approx. 40 minutes Makes 12  muffins

Watching the Biggest Loser the other night and seeing the kids on the program this year brought me back to my childhood. I remember being the fat girl in class, and I was the fat girl in class when there was only one or two! These days it doesn't seem like as big of a deal because there are lots of fat kids in class. When I was younger I hated the way I looked and felt. What was even worse is that I had no idea that I had the power to change it! I thought that I was just born that way....destined to be the fat kid forever! Please, I was using the baby fat excuse til I was 12! Growing up in a large Italian family I loved my pasta, my bread, my cannolis, basically everything that is very delicious, but adds to the pudge! My mimi would always make me a huge ice cream cone whenever I visited with neopolitan ice cream (I always made her skip the vanilla and strawberry and only put in the chocolate).   I didn't really see a huge difference (maybe I just wasn't aware)

CAULIFLOWER CRUST PIZZA So I must admit cauliflower crust seemed gross to me at first. I love bread! So when my friend made this for me I wanted to try for clean eating purposes, but wasn't expecting to like it. To my surprise I was wrong! I did like it....A lot! Obviously you know its not regular pizza dough, but for people who can't eat bread,  trying to lose weight, eat more veggies or just plain old want to be healthier I recommend this recipe! Recipe(for crust): 2 cups steamed cauliflower 1 cup shredded fat free mozzarella cheese 1/4 cup egg white 1/4 cup oats 1. Blend everything together (add whatever spices or herbs you want) 2. Spread onto greased pizza pan 3. Cook in oven @ 450° for 12-16 minutes 4. Add toppings (I did pizza sauce, a sprinkling of mozzarella, spinach, tomatoes, and roasted red peppers) 5. Cook in oven until brown and cheese is bubbly 6. Divide into slices and enjoy! *make sure to cook the crust first*

KALE CHIPS When I first tried kale I had it sauteed and really did NOT like it. I almost wrote it off right then, but then decided to try kale chips. I am now obsessed with Kale chips and probably eat them a little too much! I am addicted! INGREDIENTS: 1 cup of kale 1 teaspoon of olive oil 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (optional) 1 tablespoon cider vinegar (optional) DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat oven to 375. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. 2. Wash and dry your kale. 3. Using an oil sprayer, spray the kale with a light mist of oil. If you don't have an oil sprayer, simple drizzle it on as evenly as possible or rub it on. Some say massaging it in makes for better chips. 4. The above two steps will give you the basic Kale chips. If that's what you want you can throw them in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. Be careful because you can burn these bad boys easily.  5. If you want more flavor you can test out sprinkling on different spices. I like garlic, sal

                    Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Protein Bars                            (makes 15 bars) I found this recipe on The Gracious Pantry  and they were really easy and quick to make. They tasted good, but I would prefer them to be a little more chewy. I might have to tweak something next time I make them! INGREDIENTS: 2 cups oats (roasted in the oven without oil for 10-15 minutes) 1 cup peanut butter (no sugar added) 1/2 cup honey 1/2 cup apple sauce (unsweetened) 2 tablespoons grain sweetened chocolate chips 1 cup whey protein powder (unflavored or vanilla) 1 tablespoon cinnamon 2 tablespoons chia seeds DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F 2. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. (be sure your oats have cooled before adding them otherwise they will melt your chocolate chips) 3. Spread the batter on a cookie sheet or other baking dish 4.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until they are a golden brown color.

                Clean Eating Spaghetti Squash w/                               Turkey Meatballs So I found this recipe once again on The Gracious Pantry (if you haven’t visited their page you should!). I am 100% Italian and I must say…I love my spaghetti! Surprisingly, this was so good and did the trick for me! I feel that sometimes it’s not the actual spaghetti that I love (I said sometimes!) but the whole process of eating it. I love to spin it on my fork and all that jumbo. The spaghetti squash really did the trick in that aspect! Also, if you are a parent who likes to cook with their children this is a really fun and easy meal to make. Although I am 30 years old, I am easily entertained and sometimes act like I am in grade school. That being said, I had so much fun pulling the spaghetti out of the squash and want to make this with my nephew ASAP! There are two ways to cook the squash the first way is what I did because it takes a shorter amount of time to cook.