Recipe Makeover - Spinach Dip

Let's all be honest for a second, okay? 

Getting in the daily greens can be TOUGH, especially if you aren't just a lover of greens, and the lovely salad does get real old from time to time, and if I have to saute spinach with my food one. more. time. I'll....you get the idea.

So basically, I am always trying to think of ways to get my greens in and this recipe I found below is a fun new way!

I found the original recipe here & modified it to fit Stimulock Protocol. (pinned here as well)

Spinach Dip: 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of frozen spinach - thawed
• 1 cup 1% cottage cheese
• 1 tablespoons onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoons garlic powder
• sea salt to taste 

Directions:
1. Using a blender, blend the cottage cheese until it is smooth and creamy2. Put the cottage cheese in a large mixing bowl, and add all other ingredients. Stir well.

I ate this today for lunch with my 1 cup of raw squash chips (just squash cut in thin slices). Gives it a nice crunch and all you really taste is the dip. Which, by the way, tastes like ranch dip, so I'm a fan!

***For all of you "EWW, Cottage Cheese! BARF" people - I feel ya, I'm not a fan of the chunky stuff either, BUT this is totally worth it, plus there are no chunks! 

REMEMBER: If you eat this as your lunch, it counts as your protein, and to only eat cottage cheese 2-3 days a week because of its high sodium content.

What did you think? What yummy veggies did you eat with it? 

Recipe Make Over - Pizza Spaghetti Bake

I don't know about y'all, but I crave pasta, like a lot. So the easiest recipes for me to play around with are the ones that have all the pasta goodies w/out the fatty/carby noodles. 

Last nights dinner was

Pizza Spaghetti Bake - I found the original recipe here on Pinterest, but knew I needed to make a few modifications in order to be able to have it be "protocol friendly". 

Serves: 3-4   (1C & 1/2 should give you the correct serving size)

Ingredients

• 1 large spaghetti squash (about 600 grams)
• 1-2 pounds lean ground beef or turkey (I use 2 in order to make SURE I get my 5oz)
• ½ yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup pizza sauce (no sugar added) (or make the protocol recipe in the back of your Stimulock Book) 
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• sea salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 eggs, whisked
• (optional: add anything you like with pizza: veggies,basil, etc.)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Option 1 - Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Place spaghetti squash cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the skin of the squash gives when you press on it. Then reduce oven heat to 350 degrees. 
3. Option 2 -  I always prep the morning of by cutting my spaghetti squash in half width wise, place it "hole down" in a crock pot of about 3 inches of water, put it on Medium heat for 8 hours. It's ready to scrape out into the dish when you get home! 
4. Once squash is done cooking, remove threads and place in baking dish.
5. Place a large pan over medium heat. Add beef/turkey and onion. Cook until pink no longer remains.
6. Add pizza sauce, dried basil and sea salt and pepper to the pan and mix well.
7. Add meat mixture to the baking dish and mix well with spaghetti squash threads.
8. Lastly, add whisked eggs to the baking dish and mix everything together until you can no longer see the eggs.
9. Place in oven and bake for 1 hour or until the top of the mixture forms a slight crust that doesn’t give when you press on it in the middle of the dish.
10. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Once again - This is an AWESOME protocol dish. This one and my "shrimp scampi pasta" are two dishes I would eat anytime, on Stimulock or not...yea, they're that yummy. 

How did you like it?! Yummy right?! 

Bye Y'all!

Recipe Make Over "Shrimp Scampi Pasta"

Yall....SHUT THE FRONT DOOR.

For real, I made this last night and am HIGHLY considering making it again tonight...

Shrimp Scampi Pasta - I modified the recipe here to meet Stimulock Protocol

INGREDIENTS

I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray (to taste)

14 - 18oz of Cooked Shrimp 

Minced Garlic (and/or garlic powder)

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional)

2 medium zucchini, cut into noodles (get God's gift to Stimulock Clients here)

Sea Salt & Pepper to taste

Chopped parsley, for garnish

Directions:

Place a large sauté pan over medium-low heat.

Put everything into pan 

Cook until "Zoodles" are to your liking. 

This is 2 servings!! ( YUM ) 

Like it? Cook it and let me know what you think!!

The Struggle is REAL

The Struggle is REAL yall.

I am doing really well, down 4.2lbs since Monday and feeling great, but these
co-workers of mine keep bringing in these sweets!

I walk in on Monday, head back to the kitchen to refill my water bottle and BAM - chocolate covered Oreos and rice crispy treats...ON STICKS. It would be so easy to just grab 10 and eat them, BUT I didn't. By Tuesday afternoon they were all eaten and I thought I was in the clear.

NOPE.

One of our sweet new interns at work decided to bring in home made brownies. Can't a girl get a break?

Then Wednesday rolls around and one of our new team members brings in, listen to this...fruity pebble rice crispy treats.

I can't make this stuff up yall. IT HAPPENED. Bam, Bam, Bam, I felt like I was in a boxing match with Sugar and I was about to get knocked out.

Through will power, and just sheer ignoring the sweets I made it through.

I walk into the kitchen this morning - a whole new tub of chocolate covered oreos were making their appearance.

I'm going to start bring a gallon of water with me every day so I can avoid the kitchens. (Disclaimer, I don't have to drink a gallon every day, I choose to because I really like water, and it makes my hair grow!)

I personally chose today, after seeing the new sinful cookies, to make a longer trip to the other kitchen to avoid them at all cost.

A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.

Bye Yall - Hope sugar isn't stalking you this week.

Smothered Pork Chops

This recipe is SUPER easy and has a ton of flavor! I'm not the biggest fan of onions, but I ate them up with this. (Don't be jealous of my fine china ;) ) 

Smothered Pork Chops

Ingredients:

Lean thin cut pork chops with the fat cut off the sides

1 onion

I can't believe it's not butter spray

Crushed Garlic 

Garlic Powder

Instructions:

Turn the burner on Medium heat

Cut the onion, separate the sections, and put in the skillet with butter spray and crushed garlic (as much or as little as you want)

Sprinkle garlic powder on each side of the pork chop

Once the onions have caramelized remove them from the skillet and set to the side. 

Place pork chops in the same skillet and cook through

Once all the pork chops are cooked put the onions back in the skillet and place a lid on the top on low heat for about 5 minutes.  

Remove from skillet and serve. 

*Be sure to weigh your pork chops before you put onions on them as to get 5oz (3 of them added up to 5oz for us)

It was so yummy! 

This recipe goes great with corn and a green smoothie! 

ENJOY! 

"Soup-er Soup" - Cilantro Lime Chicken Soup

Hey Y'all - I hope you are having a "SOUP-ER" day!

“Soup Season” is almost over, but I think this is one of those soups that I will cook year round. The amount of flavor in this soup is UNREAL. I have made it about 5 times now, if not more, and each time it is consistently delicious. I found this recipe here on Pinterest and modified it to match up with Stimulock Protocol.

Ingredients

·         2 Tbsp coconut oil

·         1 medium yellow onion

·         2 stalks celery

·         4 cloves garlic

·         4 boneless skinless chicken breast

·         4 cups low sodium chicken broth

·         2 cups of water

·         1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes w/chilies

·         1 tsp oregano

·         ½ Tbsp cumin

·         1 medium lime

·         ½ bunch cilantro

Instructions

   1.  Dice the onion and celery Mince the garlic , or throw in 4 tablespoons of pre-minced garlic. Cook the onion, celery, and garlic in coconut oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until tender.

   2. Add the chicken breast, chicken broth, water, canned tomatoes with chilies, oregano, and cumin to the pot. Bring the whole pot up to a boil over high heat then reduce the heat to low, place a lid on top, and let simmer for one hour.

   3. After simmering for an hour with a lid on, carefully remove the chicken breast from the pot and use two forks to shred the meat. (weigh out your 5oz servings). Squeeze the juice of one lime into the soup. Get as much juice as possible from the lime by using a spoon to scrape the inside of the lime.

   4.  Rinse the cilantro and then roughly chop the leaves, add to the pot, give it a quick stir, and serve.

   5. Put 1 cup of “soup” into your bowl, add your 5oz of chicken and ENJOY!

 
   Tastes great when warmed up as left overs! 

  **Shout out to my new friend Erin Gray! Keep up the GREAT work, and thanks for stopping by!