Annie's Chocolate Chipper Granola Bars

As a kid, my mom always had granola bars in the house. At the age of 22 I am absolutely sick and tired of granola bars. I feel like they all taste the same. Well that all changed the other day when I tried Annie's brand Chocolate Chipper granola bars. They were absolutely unlike anything I've ever tried before. A little on the pricey side, but that is to be expected with any USDA certified organic product. They're a little hard to find in some grocery stores - I was able to find this product in the grocery section of my local Target. You get what you pay for. Definitely two thumbs up!

Butternut Squash Soup

It's that time of year again, the leaves are falling off the trees and it's getting cold out. On a more un-traditional note, we have already gotten about 10 inches of snow... and it's November 1st! Nonetheless, I'm not trying to rush fall along, as it is one of my favorite seasons! There's absolutely nothing better on a cold night than a warm cup of butternut squash soup... especially when its homemade AND healthy! This is my version of butternut squash soup.

Ingredients:


- 1 Macintosh apple
- 1 White onion
- 1 Butternut squash
- 1 Clove of garlic
-3 Bullion cubes (I used chicken flavor, but if you're a vegetarian, use the vegetable kind)
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground nutmeg
-***Optional (this is not calculated into the nutrition facts): 1/2 cup of sour cream

Directions:

Fill a large cooking pan with the 3 bullion cubes and suggested water amount. Place on high. Chop up the garlic clove into small bits and place into the pot. Take the butternut squash and peel the skin off with a potato peeler. Cut the squash in half and take the seeds out with a spoon. Chop the squash up into small cubes and place into the pot. Peel the apple and chop into small cubes and place into the pot. Chop up the onion (be sure to take off the skin) and place into the pot. Let this come to a boil, stirring occasionally. Let these ingredients cook until the squash is mushy and the onions are transparent (about 15-20 minutes.) Sprinkle the top with only a teeny bit of nutmeg- too much nutmeg would taste gross! Then sprinkle on top the ground cinnamon (use your discretion with how much to add.) Let the mixture cool for about an hour. Once it is room temperature, place in a blender and puree. When it has reached your preferred consistency, it is ready to serve! If you are choosing to add the sour cream, this is when you do it. Be sure to mix it in well.

Nutrition Facts for 1 Serving (This recipe should make 6 servings at 1 cup each)

Calories - 81
Carbs - 20
Fat - 0
Protein - 1
Sodium - 387
Fiber - 3

All Natural Applesauce

So I went apple-picking this week which is a plus if you live in New England. Born and raised in the hometown of Johnny Appleseed, it's kind of a big deal around here. So I went apple picking and filled a whole peck full....

Once I got home, I thought to myself "what the heck am I going to do with 14 apples?" I've been eating 2 apples a day now and I still have a ton left over! I decided to think up a recipe for homemade apple sauce. Nothing is better than eating warm homemade apple sauce on a cold fall day! I began my recipe search online and realized that most of the recipes called for a cup or more of sugar. Not my idea of a healthy snack. So I created my own little take, using only all natural ingredients. If you live in New England, or somewhere where you can pick your own apples, I highly suggest it!

Ingredients:

- 4-5 large apples (I used fresh picked Cortland)
- 2 tablespoons of a natural sweetener (I used ideal - similar to truvia)
- Ground cinnamon -  about a tablespoon or so

Directions:

Peel all of the apples and chop them up into small cubes. Combine in a baking pot and place on medium. Add a little bit of water. Continue to stir until they are mushy (20-30 minutes). Slowly, add in the cinnamon and natural  sweetener. Continue to stir until it bubbles and looks like this...

From there, turn off the stove top. You can serve this as a side as is to any dinner (preferably a country style dinner) if you would prefer. Place the mixture into a mixing bowl. Using a hand held blender, mix together until it is to your preference of consistency. Serve warm, it tastes better that way!

Nutrition Information for 1 serving (one cup) - this recipe should make around 4 servings

Calories - 85
Carbs - 23
Fat - 0
Protein - 0
Sodium - 1
Fiber - 6

Don't forget to subscribe to my blog for more weekly healthy recipes! Up Next - Butternut Squash Soup!

Mexican Meat Bake

So never in my life have I liked meatloaf. Sorry Mom and Dad but whenever I've ever had meatloaf at home it has always been so plain and dry and tasted like it sounded... meatloaf. Even the word I don't like. So i'm recalling it "meat bake." Ehh, not much better but the word bake seems to fit better. I went over a friends house last night and he made meatloaf for dinner. To be honest I was a little skeptical. To my surprise it was actually really good. It had flavor and taste. Not what I was used to. I asked what his secret was and he said Goya Adobo seasoning. He made his with carrots and peas but I mixed mine up a little bit. It is a very versatile meal since you can use ultimately any vegetable.

Ingredients:

- 1.5 pounds of ground meat (you can try this with ground trukey too)
- 10 reduced fat ritz crackers
- 2 teaspoons of goya adobo seasoning
- 1/2 green pepper chopped and par cooked
- 1/2 onion chopped and par cooked
- 2 table spoons of bbq sauce (I used sweet baby Ray's)
Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Chop up the onion and pepper and lightly stir fry to begin the cooking process. Once they are partially cooked, combine in a bowl with the ground beef, BBQ sauce and adobo seasoning. Take the crackers and crush them up finely. Sprinkle on top of mixture. Mix well with your hands. Take your meatloaf casserole dish and spray well with PAM. Combine mixture in dish and place it in the oven. Let it cook for about an hour or until cooked through. Serve!

Nutrition for 1 serving of meat bake (this recipe should make 6 servings)

Calories - 291
Carbs - 25
Fat - 9
Protein - 24
Sodium - 833
Fiber - 1

Don't forget to subscribe to my blog for more weekly healthy recipes! Up next: Suck on what to do with all of your apples from apple picking and don't want to waste your calories? How about some all natural homemade warm apple sauce? Stay tuned!

Hungry Girl Mexican Chicken

I made this with a friend of mine based off of a Hungry Girl recipe. It was absolutely amazing and filled my craving for cheesy mexican food. Not only was it simple, but really cheap to make and didn't take much time out of my busy night - leaving plenty of time for girls night!

Ingredients:

- 4 pieces of chicken (1 per serving, alter this based on how many servings you are making)
- 1 can of fat free re-fried beans
- 4 wedges of laughing cow cheese (I used the queso kind)
- 1/4-1/2 package of taco seasoning
- about 5 natural corn chips
- Fat free shredded cheese for sprinkling on top

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix beans and laughing cow cheese, melt if you need to. In a plastic ziplock bag, place tortilla chips and taco seasoning. Hit the bag with your hand in order to crush the chips into little pieces and mix around with the taco seasoning. Pound out the chicken breasts until they are thin. Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken. Stuff the chicken with the rice and cheese mixture and fold in half. Spray a cookie sheet with pam and place the stuffed chicken on the sheet. Once the oven is ready, place the cookie sheet with the chicken in it. Let the chicken cook for about 15 minutes. When the chicken is almost done, sprinkle the top with the crushed chips and taco seasoning. Sprinkle the fat free cheese on top. Place back in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. I served mine with Spanish near east rice pilaf. For less sodium and calories, try steamed veggies.

Nutrition Information Per Serving (1 stuffed chicken)

Calories - 329
Carbs - 21
Fat - 7
Protein - 45
Sodium - 896
Fiber - 6

For more Healthy Mexican Meals , check out the Mexican link on the left hand panel.

100 Calorie Filling Vita Top Chocolate Muffins!

A little on the pricey side, but so worth it! I went grocery shopping late last night and couldn't resist grabbing a pack of Vita Tops Deep Chocolate muffins. They taste amazing, and are good for you too! They're packed with vitamins - hence the name. I don't even understand how they pack it with  fiber, only add 1.5 grams of fat, and manage to make it still taste so good! I usually eat one of these for breakfast, along with some fruit, which still leaves me under 200 calories for breakfast. Hello big dinner! They also offer tons of flavors, but I've only seen a few in stores. I'm still on the hunt to find more flavors since they all sound amazing!

Nutrition Facts for 1 Deep Chocolate Vita Top Muffin:
Calories - 100
Fat - 1.5
Sodium - 140
Carbs - 26
Fiber - 9
Protein - 4

Archer Farms Sesame Teriyaki Lunch Bowl

So I decided to make a "suggestions" tab for foods that you don't have to make, an easy quick and go type of thing. I've been so overwhelmed with working 50 hours a week and summer classes, that's lets be honest, I don't have the time to cook as much as I did before. So I just tried this Sesame Teriyaki lunch bowl that I bought at Target (Archer Farms) and it was way better than I expected. It only has 250 calories and 2 grams of fat. Score! It only cost around $2 if I remember correctly. It was really tasty and really filling. I wouldn't recommended eating them every day since they're high in sodium (900 mg) but they're good every now and then. They had a ton of other flavors so I'm excited to try them out!