2015 Goals {January update}

I decided that this year I would pop in occasionally, maybe at the end of every month, to update y'all (like you even care...ha!) on how my 2015 goals/resolutions are going. So far I've kept everything. Woohoo!

One of my goals was to read 2 books a month. The first book I read was Gone Girl and it was so good. So messed up, but so good. Once I actually had time to get into this book I couldn't put it down.

I'm currently finishing up It Was Me All Along. This is written by Andie Mitchell who is a popular food blogger. She wrote this memoir about her struggles with food and her weight. It is so inspiring, heartbreaking, and honest. I've loved this book.

Up next will be The Husband's Secret and The Girl on the Train. I've heard great things about both of these and I'm excited to read them. 

In the weight loss category...things are coming along slower than I would like, but I'm still losing weight so I can't complain. I'm down 6 pounds this month. I was hoping to lose 10 in January so that didn't happen but I'm still happy with what I did.

I don't want to post too many food/workout selfies (haha!) but I'll share a little every once in a while. This is a typical lunch for me. 2 ounces of Boar's Head honey maple turkey, 1 Laughing Cow cheese wedge, cucumber, and garlic salt on a sandwich thin or this thing I found in the deli area which is only 80 calories. Plus a bowl of berries. Yummy and filling.

Oh...and my nails have been painted every day. :)

Alright, 1 month down...11 to go!!! If you have any book or meal suggestions, please leave a comment!

Open Face Mushroom and Spinach Sandwiches

When my sister was in town last weekend we saw a commercial with these sandwiches. They looked so yummy and easy to make so we made a quick trip to HEB to get the ingredients.

They were SO yummy and a perfect lunch. You can make the different components in advance (mushrooms, ricotta mixture) and then it is an easy lunch to throw together during the week.

Open Face Mushroom and Spinach Sandwiches


4 whole grain sandwich thins
1 cup part skim ricotta
5 sun dried tomatoes
2 teaspoons + 2 tablespoons of the sun dried tomato oil
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
fresh baby spinach
Parmesan cheese
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Split sandwich thins and toast until lightly golden brown.

Combine sun dried tomatoes, ricotta, and 2 teaspoons of sun dried tomato oil, a pinch of salt and pepper in a food processor and blend until smooth.

Saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of sun dried tomato oil. Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble, spread ricotta and sun dried tomato mixture on sandwich thins, top with a few baby spinach leaves, then mushrooms and sprinkle parmesan on top.

Bake for 5-7 minutes to heat through.

So YUM!!

Black Bean Burgers with Mango Avocado Salsa

These black bean burgers are so wonderful. They come together so quickly so they make a wonderful weeknight meal. Plus, you bake the patties so there is no standing over the stove flipping.



The patties are super creamy and delicious and go perfectly with the mango salsa. These were great reheated the next day for lunch. Make them, you will love them!

Black Bean Burgers with Mango Avocado Salsa

2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, divided
3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup panko
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 medium jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
2 large egg whites
Cooking spray
1 1/4 cups chopped peeled mango
3 tablespoons chopped shallots
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 avocado, peeled and chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
6 whole-wheat hamburger buns, lightly toasted
6 green leaf lettuce leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place black beans in a medium bowl; mash with a fork. Stir in 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro and the next 7 ingredients (through egg whites). Shape bean mixture into 6 (1/2-inch-thick) patties. Arrange patties on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, carefully turning once.

Combine remaining 1/4 cup cilantro, mango, and the next 4 ingredients (through minced garlic) in a medium bowl. Place a patty on bottom half of each hamburger bun; top each with 1 lettuce leaf, 1/3 cup salsa, and top half of bun.

Adapted from Cooking Light

Apple Grilled Cheese

I asked John tonight (as we were eating this sandwich for the 4th time in 2 weeks...so not like us) if he would rather eat this or The Ultimate BLT. He said he would eat one of each.

This is from the Clean Eating magazine and it is AMAZING. The sweet apple slices add so much to the sandwich and are a perfect pair with the cheddar. Then the coarse grain mustard gives the whole thing a kick that makes this the best sandwich. Serve with a yummy bowl of vegetable soup and this is a perfect, quick weeknight meal.

This recipe makes 2 sandwiches but you can easily double it for 4.

Apple Grilled Cheese

adapted from Clean Eating Magazine

4 slices whole grain bread
1 teaspoon olive oil
whole grain dijon mustard
2 ounces low fat cheddar cheese, finely grated
granny smith apple (I used honey crisp) very thinly sliced

Brush one side of each piece of bread with the olive oil. Turn bread over and spread mustard on each side.

Arrange 1/2 of the cheese on one slice then layer of apples and then the remaining cheese. Top with the other slice of bread, oil side up.

Heat griddle or grill pan over medium low heat. Place sandwiches in pan and cook until light golden brown on bottom. Flip and continue to cook until cheese has melted.

Calories 220
Fat 7g
Carbs 27g
Fiber 4g
Sugar 6g
Protein 14g
Sodium 450mg
Cholesterol 5mg

The Ultimate BLT

My husband LOVES LOVES LOVES BLT's. He could eat them everyday for lunch and not get tired of them. What am I saying, I really think he would eat them for every meal and not get tired of them.

So when he mentioned to me that we hadn't had them in a while I knew I was failing as a wife. You gotta give your husband what he wants! I make brown sugar bacon, mash the avocado because I hate it when there are slices of avocado on a sandwich and they slide out. I've tried to amp up a normal BLT and created what I think is the ultimate BLT.

You decide.

The Ultimate BLT

this makes 2 sandwiches

8 slices of center cut bacon

light brown sugar

freshly ground black pepper

2 avocados

1 tablespoon light mayo

2 butter lettuce leaves

4 slices of tomato

4 slices grainy whole wheat bread toasted

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Using a broiler pan or a sheet pan with a cooling rack on top (you want something that can drain the bacon as it cooks) place the bacon on the pan. Sprinkle brown sugar over each slice of bacon. Then sprinkle with the black pepper. This friends is brown sugar bacon and it is out of this world. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until crispy. Watch it closely and check it often to make sure it doesn't burn.

Mash the avocado and then mix with the mayo. You can omit the mayo but it makes it really creamy. Spread on each slice of the toasted bread.

Each sandwich gets 2 slices of tomato and a piece of lettuce. Top with the bacon and then put your sandwich together and eat!