Grocery Shopping: Best Brands Part I

Food labels can be confusing. While most of us know that whole wheat bread or yogurt is good for us, choosing the right brand can make or break our healthy eating efforts. Here's a couple of brands that have the best labels when it comes to sodium, calories, and quality of ingredients:

Bread: To make sure you're making the best choice, make sure the first ingredient on the label reads "100% whole wheat" or "stone ground whole wheat".

Ezekiel Bread
Nature's Own 100% Whole Wheat Bread
Pepperidge Farm Stoneground 100% Whole Wheat Bread

Yogurt: Your best bet is to stick to plain, unsweetened yogurt and adding in your own sweetener such as fruit, stevia, or a light drizzle of honey. When fruit is added to a yogurt it is mostly sugar (around 3-4 teaspoons!).

Siggi's Icelandic Style Skyr
Chobani Plain Greek Yogurt
Fage Total Plain Greek Yogurt (0% or 2%)

If you cannot tolerate eating plain yogurt, try on of the flavored Siggi's yogurts or Simply Chobani (this variation has less added sugar).

Oatmeal: Try adding cinnamon or fruit to sweeten plain oatmeal or try one of the following combos: peanut butter and banana, blueberries and walnuts, or strawberries and unsweetened coconut flakes. For a thicker, creamier oatmeal, try adding a spoonful or two of plain yogurt (see best choices above) or canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling!).

Quaker Oats Old Fashioned Quick 1-Minute or Steel Cut
McCann's Irish Oatmeal

If you NEED a flavored option: Nature's Path Qi'a Superfoods Hot Oatmeal Cinnamon Pumpkin Seed OR Nature's Path Flax Plus

Cold Cereal: You want to find a cereal that is made with whole grains, has less than 10 grams of sugar, and has at least 3 grams of fiber.

Cheerios
Post Bran Flakes
Love Grown Power O's
Nature's Path Flax Plus

Condiments: Depending what you're using, condiments can be really high in sodium and calories. While the sodium may still be high for some of these items, they are better than most!

Annie's Naturals Ketchup
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Sauce or Annie's Organic Original BBQ sauce
Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki sauce
Bolthouse Farms Yogurt Dressings or Vinaigrettes
Annie's Lite Dressing
Bragg's Liquid Aminos (instead of soy sauce)

Roasted Sunflower Protein Cookies

Perfect lunchbox or after-school/after work snack! Full of healthy fats and satiating protein to keep you fuller, longer.

I buy my flours, sugar, flaxseed etc. from Vitacost. For $10 off your first order, use my link!

Roasted Sunflower Protein Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sweet rice flour
1 scoop (33 grams) vanilla whey protein (I used Cellucor)
1/4 cup coconut sugar (or regular)
3 tablespoons nut butter of choice (I used sunflower butter)
1 flax egg (or regular egg)*
3 tablespoons roasted sunflower seed kernels
2 tablespoons water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Mix all ingredients until a dough forms. Divide into 9 cookies shapes. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
3. Bake for 12 minutes. Enjoy!

*Flax egg: Mix together 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons water. Allow to sit 5 minutes before use.

Nutrition Info (1 cookie): 97 calories, 4 g Fat, 9.5 g Carbohydrates, 4.5 g Protein

Coconut Oatmeal Squares

These squares taste even better than they look!!!

I was using up some random ingredients I had in my pantry. If you don't have sweet rice flour, substitute almost any flour other than coconut or almond.

Not only is the macronutrient ratio (protein/carbs/fat) AMAZING, but they are super satisfying and perfect for snacking!!

Coconut Oatmeal Squares

Ingredients:

1 cup quick cooking oatmeal
3/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (33 grams)
1/3 cup granulated stevia
2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
pinch of salt
1/2 cup 0% plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons nut butter of choice
3/4 cup unsweetened cashew milk
1 teaspoon mini chocolate chips (or more!!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Stir together dry ingredients (oatmeal through the flaxeeds) in a large bowl. Add wet ingredients (yogurt through the cashew milk) and stir to combine.

2. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray. Add the mixture to the loaf pan. Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips on top. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

3. Allow to cool, then cut into 12 squares!

Nutrition Information: 114 Calories, 3.5 grams Fat, 14 grams CHO, 6 grams Protein

Shrimp with Spaghetti Squash and Peas

Shrimp with Spaghetti Squash and Peas

Ingredients:

6 ounces raw shrimp, tail off
1 cup cooked spaghetti squash
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Heat a medium pan over medium heat. Season the shrimp with garlic salt. Spray the pan with cooking spray, add the shrimp and cook about two minutes per side (or until pink).

2. Cook the frozen peas in the microwave (about 1 1/2 minutes). Toss the peas,with the spaghetti squash, olive oil and cheese. Serve the shrimp on top.

Caramelized Onion, Feta, and Blue Cheese Chicken Burgers

Summer Time = Burger Time. 

I had some fat blueberries in my fridge and thought they would add an interesting element to the chicken burgers I was planning on making. As usual, I wanted to keep them SIMPLE. 

The blueberries add a pop of sweet flavor and almost act like a condiment for the burger (instead of ketchup). Don't knock it till you try it!!

Caramelized Onion, Feta, and Blueberry Chicken Burger

Ingredients:

1 small onion, thinly sliced 

1/2 packet stevia

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar 

1 lb ground chicken breast

1/3 cup feta cheese

1/2 cup blueberries 

Salt and pepper to taste 

Directions:

1. Spray a nonstick pan with cooking spray and heat over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the stevia and balsamic. Cook until the balsamic starts to reduce (abut 1-2 minutes). Set aside and allow to cool. 

2. In a large bowl, mix the chicken, feta, onions, salt and pepper. Fold in the blueberries. Form into 4-6 patties. Cook on a hot skillet sprayed with cooking spray (about 5-6 minutes per side depending on how thick they are).

Nutrition Information: