Healthy Loaded Chili

December 17, 2013 by Christine Skari

Here’s a fun fact about me, I’m half Norwegian.

My father is a born-and-bred Norwegian who was raised on yup, you guessed it, a stereotypical potato farm in the rural countryside. That man can eat potatoes like no other. I kid you not when I say he would happily eat potatoes (plain potatoes) for a week straight and be as happy as a clam.

I think in his past life he was, in fact, a potato.

Anyways, I digress.

Back to my fun fact. I was born in Norway, learned Norwegian as my first language, and picked up skiing from my viking of a father. I have so many happy memories of long ski days filled with a hot drink afterwards and warm chili at restaurants at the top of mountains.

Please pin the image below if you’d like to pin the recipe! Thank you!

To me, chili is a quintessential part of any snowy day and I’m almost looking forward to delicious, meaty chili as much as our ski trip to Tahoe right after Christmas. Almost.

Until that time, I decided to satisfy my craving with a healthier (but just as delicious) lightened up version of the classic favorite!

This chili combines the best of both worlds with all the flavor and thick, chunkiness of normal chili, but with a whopping 26 grams of protein and 15 grams of fiber per serving! Hot dog!

Not only is this recipe downright delicious, it’s versatile. Vegetarian? No problem, just chop up some more veg and throw it in to the pot. Don’t like pork? Ground chicken, turkey, or lean ground beef work like magic as well.

Trust me, good things happen in that pot.

Kyle’s first impression after trying a bite was “This is so good” and my dad (the potato lovin’ fool) told me that he now likes chili thanks to this recipe.

Make a batch and have a healthy, easy to reheat lunch for the rest of the week! All the fiber and protein in the dish will keep you feeling full and energized and it’s perfect for a cozy meal by the fire.

Have some sour cream, cornbread, and shredded cheddar cheese on the side and you gave a meal made in heaven!

I’m linking up to What I Ate Wednesday to share this dish! Thanks, Jenn for hosting!

Enjoy!

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What I Ate Wednesday: Healthy Thai Sesame Patties

September 3, 2013 by Christine Skari

Why hey there all you party people!

It’s Wednesday, which means another What I Ate Wednesday post! I’ve got some great eats to show you guys as well as a tasty recipe that’s delicious and packed full of protein and flavor!

But first, my workout!

I had a great workout today thanks to my heart rate monitor. I usually am too lazy to put it on, but my workout is always fantastically sweaty when I do! I’m not sure why, but the built-in monitors on most machines don’t pick up my heart rate and it’s irritating constantly trying to get a proper reading. My heart rate monitor automatically transmits my numbers to the screen of the cardio machines and helps motivate myself to get my heart pumpin’ and not just go through the motions!

My workout consisted of 30 hard minutes on the elliptical, 10 minutes on the bike, and lots of abs! Has anyone tried a Captain’s Chair before? The one at my gym is amped up with a bosu ball back and is so hard. I definitely felt the burn!

Now, to the food!

Breakfast: oats on oats on oats!

Lunch: thai food with Kyle! We split a green papaya salad and beef pad thai.

Also, can someone please tell me why guys always get the best eyes? Boys suck. Boo.

Dinner: I whipped up those tasty thai sesame patties I mentioned before for dinner and ate them with some sautéed green beans! They have a great asian flavor and are delicious dipped in thai sweet chile sauce.

Not only do they taste pretty darn good, they’re good for ya! With 30g of lean protein per serving, they make for a filling and drool-worthy lunch or dinner. Just add some brown rice and veggies and you have yourself a power meal! I can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow!

If you’d be so kind to pin this picture below on pinterest, I’d love you five-ever (that’s more than forever!)

The rest of the evening was spent on a long beach walk with Kyle. We talked about everything, from body dysmorphia in both men and women to the size of blue whales and what we would do if a T-Rex attacked us. We obviously make a very deep and reflecting couple. Oh, and a venti pumpkin spice latte was involved!

Time to hit the hay!

xo Christine

Healthy Skillet Lasagna

August 25, 2013 by Christine Skari

Sometimes, all you need in life is a steamy plate of pasta with gooey, melty cheese bubbling on the top.

I mean, I usually prefer the flavors of asian cuisine, but I do love me a good plate of pasta- one of my favorites being lasagna. There’s something so comforting about throwing everything and the kitchen sink into a pan and letting all of those delicious ingredients meld together in a savory symphony.

There is, however, a secret ingredient in this that TOTALLY blows it away and makes all the difference in lasagna for me!

That being said, I’m usually pretty picky about exactly how I like my lasagna and have yet to taste one better than that of my Grandma’s. I actually find it pretty funny that the original recipe came from a tiny asian woman instead of an Italian cookbook! She uses this cottage cheese instead of ricotta, which makes the lasagna more savory than sweet tasting and, in my personal opinion, much tastier.

Another thing I love about this recipe is that is was so easy to lighten up, yet still stay mouthwatering!

It’s packed full of protein, has less than 400 calories per hefty serving, and you could easily add some chopped vegetables to get in an extra serving of veggies.

Fast, healthy, and delicious! This healthy skillet lasagna is my kind of dinner.

Enjoy!

This recipe contains sponsored content!

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Broccoli and Beef Recipe

August 20, 2013 by Christine Skari

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know that I love asian food. Mexican cuisine? Meh. Italian? It’s okay. But, plop anything that involves the fantastic flavors of Thai/Japanese/Korean/Vietnamese/Chinese cuisine in front of me, and I will demolish the entire plate of food.

One thing I’m not a fan of is the overall nutrition of some of the classic take-out items that are readily available. (I’m looking at you, Panda Express. Give me all of your orange chicken).

That’s why I was ecstatic when I made a healthier version of a classic Chinese favorite to be both delicious and good for you! Give a round of applause for (are you clapping yet?) this broccoli and beef recipe! **nutrition posted below**

I won’t lie, I was running around the house is cooking-ecstasy when I first tasted the fruits of my labor. There was some dancing to Taylor Swift and then I proceeded to eat almost all of it before realizing that I had to take a quality picture to share with you guys. I can’t get over how delicious the sweet and salty combination turned out and how quickly dinner came together.

When I usually try a new recipe, it takes me much longer than usual to cook it up since I’m constantly modifying, tasting, and taking my time to make it as perfect as possible. This recipe for broccoli and beef was ready in 30 minutes flat… on the first try!

The broccoli stays nice and crunchy and the florets soak up all of the mouthwatering pan juices! Just include some brown rice, and you got a tasty and healthy meal!

I’m also linking up ti WIAW so I can share this delicious recipe with the blogging world!

Healthy Garlic Lemon Shrimp Orzo

June 28, 2013 by Christine Skari

Hey lovelies! TGIF! Today started off on an active note with a morning hike in the heat and ended with some fantastic food.

Before hitting the hills, Kyle and I got breakfast at Starbucks. I had a regular Americano with a morning bun and banana. The morning bun was delicious! Sweet, but not overly so. I would definitely recommend it! Kyle had a ham and swiss sandwich that exceeded our expectations as well

Since we’re really smart, we thought of turning on our runkeeper apps to see the elevation changes and distance hiked AFTER being halfway done, but we’re guessing that we covered a little over 4 miles. It was a sweaty, sweaty, sweaty one! We started off with shirts on, but as soon as it was time to trek back up hill, we were ready to rip em off and get our tan on. We live in a really unique area with a chaparral environment. It almost a savannah-like feel to it but the ocean is just a half mile away or so. The trails can take you all around the area, even down to the beach, so Kyle and I are planning on spending a half day or so exploring within the next couple of weeks.

Let me tell you, there’s nothing better after a long hike than a glass of ice cold water! Next time we’ll remember to bring some with us, hopefully.

Now, let’s talk FOOD!

I’ve been eating this garlic lemon shrimp orzo for the past two days and am in love with it’s simple yet delicious flavors. The lemon and garlic work together fantastically and the dish comes together quickly- perfect for busy weeknights!

It’s also man approved by Kyle, who says that he could eat this all day long! I love finding recipes that are simple, healthy, and genuinely tasty!

The simple flavors really shine and the garlic mellows out after being cooked. If you’re a big garlic lover like me and aren’t planning on kissing anyone soon, go ahead and add some garlic salt to the mix as well!

Let me know if you try it out! xoxo Christine