SimplySenia

I’ve notice that lately I have been cooking a lot of   Slow Cooker meals. But I love my slow cooker. It’s convenient, I can clean my house and run errands and I don’t have to worry about cooking dinner in the evenings. For this recipe it’s 442 calories per sandwich. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

3 lbs beef top round roast, trimmed of fat
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons Italian salad dressing mix or see below for homemade

3 cups low sodium beef broth

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 bay leaf

16 oz jar pepperoncini

2 red bell peppers, cut into thin strips

8 whole Wheat flat breads

8 slices Sargento Provolone Ultra Thin

Homemade Italian Seasoning
 (use 4 teaspoons):

1 1/2 tbsp garlic powder

1 1/2 tbsp onion powder

1 tbsp sugar or stevia

2 tbsp dried parsley

1 tbsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried basil

1 tbsp salt

2 tsp black pepper
DIRECTIONS:

Pat the roast dry with a paper towel. Combine the onion powder, black pepper and salt and rub all over the roast then place into the slow cooker.
Add the Italian salad dressing mix, broth, garlic and bay leaf. Cover and cook on high 5 to 6 hours or low 10 to 12 hours, until very tender and easily shreds with two forks.

When done, remove bay leaf and shred the beef. Add 1 cup of the pepperoncinis and the bell peppers to the slow cooker, cover and cook high 30 minutes or low 1 hour.

To serve, top each roll or bread with 3 oz meat mixture, top with 1 slice cheese, and some of the remaining pepperoncinis. Serve the remaining liquid as a dip for the sandwich, if desired. If desired, place the bread under the broiler 2-3 minutes to melt the cheese.

INGREDIENTS:
2-3 lbs chicken thighs

1 lb shrimp

½ lb sausage, cut into rounds

1 bell pepper, diced

1 onion, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

4 garlic cloves

2 bay leaves

6 ounces tomato paste

15 ounces diced tomatoes

1 tbsp, 1 tsp cajun seasoning

½ tsp pepper

½ tsp cayenne

½ tsp thyme

½ tsp oregano
Directions:

Add all the gumbo ingredients EXCEPT the shrimp to the slow cooker.

Cook HIGH 3-4 or LOW 6–7.

In the last 15-20 minutes of minutes cook time, add gently stir in the shrimp.

Keep warm until ready to serve. Remove bay leave prior to serving.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

3 large ripe bananas (1 1/2 cups mashed)

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

1/4 cup canola, vegetable oil, or melted coconut oil

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided
DIRECTIONS:

Heat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork. Add the melted butter and oil and stir until combined. Stir in the brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth.

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, don’t overmix. Stir in 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips over the top of the bread. Bake for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out mostly clean, you might have some melted chocolate chips on the toothpick and that is fine. You just don’t want a lot of gooey batter.

Remove the pan from the oven and set on a wire cooling rack. Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the bread and carefully remove from the pan. Let the bread cool on the wire cooling rack until slightly warm. Cut into slices and serve.

Note-the bread will keep on the counter, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 4 days. This bread also freezes well. To freeze, cool the bread completely and wrap in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost before slicing.

I used store bought rotisserie chicken for this recipe. It only takes 2-3 hours to cook on high. Optional toppings are cilantro, jalapeños, low fat sour cream and low fat cheese!

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cups low sodium chicken broth

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (14.5 ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes (or regular if you prefer less spicy)

1 (4.5 ounce) can green chiles

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

4 cups cooked and shredded chicken (or rotisserie chicken)

1 (1 ounce) packed Taco Seasoning

1 (11 ounce) can steamed corn, drained and rinsed

For The Tortilla Chips:

2 cups canola oil

2 8″ Old El Paso Burrito Tortillas

1 tablespoon Old El Paso Taco Seasoning

Directions:

Heat oil over medium/high heat in a medium skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. I like mine to be a bit under-sauteed, to keep a bit of their crunch.

Once sauteed, add the onion and garlic to a slow cooker over high heat. Add in all other ingredients except for tortillas and garnishes. Stir to combine.

Heat on high, covered, for 2-3 hours, or on low for 4-5 hours.

Before serving, prepare the tortilla crisps:

In a small saucepan, heat the canola oil over medium/high heat.

Spray each tortilla with olive oil and sprinkle with the taco seasoning. Use a pastry brush to spread out the taco seasoning evenly.

Using a pizza cutter, cut each tortilla into 1/2 inch strips.

Cook the strips in batches, about 2-4 minutes or until browned. Some of the taco seasoning will come off into the oil, and that’s okay.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the strips and allow to drain on a paper towel.

When ready to serve the soup, serve garnished with extra cilantro, low fat sour cream, jalapenos, and tortilla strips. Or any of your favorite toppings!

Enjoy!

Ingredients: 

2 c. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

2 c. baby red potatoes, halved or quartered if large

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 c. balsamic vinegar

1/4 c. low-sodium chicken broth

1/3 c. brown sugar

2 tbsp. grainy Dijon mustard

2 tsp. dried thyme

2 tsp. dried rosemary

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

Freshly chopped parsley, for garnish
Directions:

In a large slow cooker, add Brussels sprouts and potatoes in an even layer and place chicken on top.

In a small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, chicken broth, brown sugar, mustard, dried thyme, rosemary, and oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Pour marinade over chicken and vegetables. Scatter all over with garlic.

Cover and cook on high until chicken is fall-apart tender, 4 1/2 to 5 hours.

Garnish with parsley and serve with the juices.

Most of us have a set weight in mind but are not exactly sure how much we weigh. Once I hopped on the scale,I was shocked at how much it said I weighed. 284lbs. I couldn’t believe it. I knew I had gained but I didn’t know it was going to be that much. That’s even more weight than I thought I needed to lose.

So now what? I knew I had to do something. It just meant it would take even longer to reach my goal but I couldn’t let that discourage me. For me to be successful i couldn’t see it as more than 100 lbs that I had to lose. I had to make small goals and once I met those goals I made knew ones. For example: My mini goal was 5 lbs. but I would only focus on losing one pound at a time and then I would focus on the next pound. 

I went online and researched as much as I could about healthy eating, because that’s where I struggled the most. I started out with just tracking my calories and eating healthier. A good calorie tracker is MyFitnessPal: https://www.myfitnesspal.com/

I started eating more at home and trying new recipes then eating out. Pinterest is my favorite site to find new recipes. I realized then that I actually enjoyed cooking. 

Being more consistent measuring my food instead of guessing how much I was eating. The weight just started falling off with me just tracking my calories. Once I became smaller is when I started incorporating exercise. I worked out at home with Leslie Sansone DVDs everyday. I loved her low impact workouts because it was doable for me and at the time I was not very fit. Now I workout everyday. I love walking out it clears my mind. My favorite app when I go on a long walk is MapMyWalk app.http://www.mapmywalk.com/

Being more active throughout the day helped a lot too. My kids love when I play just dance with them. They like to have races to see who is the fastest and I’m out there running with them. 

Meal prepping is so important in your journey. Knowing what you are going to eat makes it so much easier for you not to mess up. I keep my measured trail mix in a ziplock bag in my purse. If I’m running errands most of the day I try to keep snacks with me at all times. But I’m not perfect sometimes I do end up in the drive threw and when I do I would order a grilled sandwich or a small salad. For example: if I go to Burger King I always order a whopper jr with no cheese and extra pickles and no sides. That comes out to 340 calories. 

Do know that this is a lifestyle journey and in your journey you will mess up. We are not perfect. Start new the next day. This quote from Jillian Michaels keeps me going.

Find what works for you!

Whenever I change my diet, I’m consumed by cravings. How do I make them stop?First, when you decide to satisfy a craving, take time to enjoy the food and don’t feel guilty about it. For foods you can’t stop eating once you get started, try having them only in situations where the portion is controlled. For instance, eat them at a restaurant or buy single-serving items rather than a whole package. Most weight maintainers say that they avoid buying highly tempting foods but that if they do have such foods around, they keep them out of sight and therefore out of mind.

This recipe is kid friendly, and if you have picky eaters it’s a great way to hide some veggies! Only 121 calories for 1/2 cup. You can double the batch if you want leftovers.
Ingredients:

1.25 lbs 93% lean ground beef sirloin

1 tbsp steak seasoning or seasoned salt

1 carrot, minced

1 medium onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup red bell pepper, minced

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 cups tomato sauce

2 tbsp tomato paste
Directions:

Chop all the vegetables really fine, using a chopper or food processor.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the meat to the pan and break it up as it cooks. Season with steak seasoning and cook the meat until it browns, then add onion, garlic, carrots,and red peppers to the skillet.

 Reduce heat to medium and add red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce, cook 5 more minutes. Add tomato sauce and paste to pan, stir to combine. Cover and reduce heat to simmer and cook an additional 5 minutes. Using a measuring cup, pile 1/2 cup of sloppy meat onto buns.

Lets face it, most of us are pretty busy. With everything going on, sometimes its hard to find time to meal prep, or we are just too tired too cook. It happens. There are going to be days where you just want to grab something fast on the way home for your family. But that doesn’t mean we have to over eat or break our diets. We can still eat healthy. Its best to know ahead of time what you are going to for dinner. So you and your family want to eat subway or burger king you know what you will order ahead of time. These tips and information is only for the main meal, not for the sides or drink. I would recommend to either fruit or vegetables for a side and to just drink water. Always choose grilled over breaded.

• Low in calories: For lunch, that means about 500 calories or less.
• Protein, to help you build muscles: Each of these meals has at least 10 grams of protein (ideally more!).
• Low in sodium (or at least not HIGH in sodium): We aimed for less than 1,000 milligrams of sodium per meal (which is high already, yes). Unfortunately some of the options are a bit higher than that — for anyone with high blood pressure, these are definitely not ideal.
• Low in sugar (or at least not HIGH in sugar): Each of these meals has less than 20 grams of sugar.
• No trans fat: Trans fats are related to heart disease, so each of these meals comes with 0 grams trans fat.

Mcdonald’s:

Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich
360 calories
32 g protein
6 g fat (1.5 g saturated, 0 g trans)
930 mg sodium
43 g carbohydrates (3 g fiber, 11 g sugars)

Chicken McNuggets (6 piece) With Honey Mustard Sauce (1 package)
340 calories
13 g protein
22 g fat (3.5 g saturated, 0 g trans)
655 mg sodium
24 g carbohydrates (2 g fiber, 5 g sugars)

Subway:

Six-inch Turkey Breast Sub on 9-Grain Wheat with Swiss Cheese, Banana Peppers, Cucumbers, Green Peppers, Lettuce, Spinach, Tomatoes, Avocado, and Vinegar dressing
390 calories
23 g protein
14 g fat (4 g saturated, 0 g trans)
720 mg sodium
49 g carbohydrates (8 g fiber, 7 g sugar)

Six-inch Veggie Sub on 9-Grain Wheat with Provolone, Cucumbers, Green Peppers, Lettuce, Red Onions, Spinach, Tomatoes, Avocado, and Olive Oil Blend Dressing* (vegetarian)
380 calories
13 g protein
17 g fat (4.5 g saturated, 0 g trans)
410 mg sodium
47 g carbohydrates (8 g fiber, 7 g sugar)

Taco Bell:

Six-inch Turkey Breast Sub on 9-Grain Wheat with Swiss Cheese, Banana Peppers, Cucumbers, Green Peppers, Lettuce, Spinach, Tomatoes, Avocado, and Vinegar dressing (pictured, but without modifications)
390 calories
23 g protein
14 g fat (4 g saturated, 0 g trans)
720 mg sodium
49 g carbohydrates (8 g fiber, 7 g sugar)

Six-inch Veggie Sub on 9-Grain Wheat with Provolone, Cucumbers, Green Peppers, Lettuce, Red Onions, Spinach, Tomatoes, Avocado, and Olive Oil Blend Dressing* (vegetarian)
380 calories
13 g protein
17 g fat (4.5 g saturated, 0 g trans)
410 mg sodium
47 g carbohydrates (8 g fiber, 7 g sugar)

Burger King:

BK VEGGIE Burger* (pictured) (vegetarian)
390 calories
21 g protein
16 g fat (2.5 g saturated, 0 g trans)
900 mg sodium
44 g carbohydrates (5 g fiber, 9 g sugar)

Chicken BLT Garden Fresh Salad with TENDERGRILL and dressing
440 calories
33 g protein
29 g fat (8 g saturated, 0 g trans)
1,080 mg sodium
11 g carbohydrates (3 g fiber, 5 g sugar)

Hardee’s:

1/4-Lb Low Carb Little Thickburger
220 calories
15 g protein
15 g fat (6 g saturated)
590 mg sodium
6 g carbohydrates (3 g fiber, 4 g sugar)

Veg’ It — Modified Thickburger Without Mayo* (vegetarian)
470 calories
11 g protein
24 g fat (6 g saturated)
1,130 mg sodium
56 g carbohydrates (3 g protein, 14 g sugar)

Chik-Fil-A:

Grilled Chicken Cool Wrap
340 calories
36 g protein
13 g fat (5 g saturated, 0 g trans)
900 mg sodium
30 g carbohydrates (15 g fiber, 3 g sugar)

Grilled Chicken Sandwich
320 calories
30 g protein
5 g fat (2 g saturated)
800 mg sodium
40 g carbohydrates (3 g fiber, 7 g sugar)]

Panera Bread:

Roasted Turkey and Avocado BLT on Sourdough (whole sandwich)
510 calories
37 g protein
19 g fat (3.5 g saturated, 0 g trans)
60 g carbohydrates (6 g fiber, 3 g sugar)
960 mg sodium

Power Kale Caesar Salad With Chicken (half salad) With Half-Size Caesar Dressing
340 calories
21 g protein
25 g fat (7.5 g saturated, 0 g trans)
615 mg sodium
7 g carbs (1 g fiber, 1 g sugar)