To Die For Tuesday!

Last night for dinner I tried a new recipe called Lasagna Soup. Let me tell you, it is AWESOME. While this isn't exactly the healthiest recipe in the world, it's definitely not terrible for you, and it is definitely better for you than regular lasagna. Consider this a low carb alternative! I'm all about trying to be low carb and low sugar, and this recipe fits the bill relatively well. Here's the recipe:

Lasagna Soup:
1 1/2 lbs Italian sausage
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic minced or pressed
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
3 tblsp tomato paste
1 28 oz can fire roasted tomatoes, undrained
2 bay leaves
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or 2 tblsp dried basil
1/2 lb rotini noodles (or your preferred kind), cooked and drained

Cheese Topping: (this is to die for)
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup parmesan
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
2 cups mozzarella

In a large 4 quart pot, add the italian sausage and cook over medium heat. After approximately 3-4 minutes, add the onion. Cook together, stirring occasionally until cooked (around 5-7 minutes). Drain grease. Stir in garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, and tomato paste. Cook 1-2 minutes stirring constantly. Add the diced tomatoes, bay leaves, chicken broth, and basil. Bring soup to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper to taste.
For cheese mixture, combine ricotta cheese, salt, pepper, and basil. Set aside.
To serve, add a scoop/handful/however much you want to bottom of bowl then scoop soup on top w/ generous dollop of cheese mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella.

Because you are putting your own noodles in, you are reducing the amount of carbs that is in normal lasagna. The 'soup' is also thick, so you don't even really feel like you're eating soup. This is so easy and it makes a lot. I split the recipe in half for my husband and me and we still have plenty of leftovers. It is still just as good the next day, as I found out today when I reheated some for lunch! My husband loved it because it was really flavorful with all the different spices; I only added a small amount of salt and pepper.
So next time you're craving for some carb-filled lasagna, you might try this healthier alternative! Can you say YUM?

To work out or not to work out?

Working out is something I've had a hard time fitting in these days, and I think anyone with a busy schedule can relate to this. During the day I either would have class or my internship, dinner, from 5-9:30 pm on most nights I would work, and homework somewhere in there. And THEN I have to try to go work out? For about 7 months I let these excuses keep me away from the gym. After all, I was tired. I didn't have time so you can't blame me right?

The semester before my wedding I was working out most days and eating fairly healthy and I felt great. Once I stopped working out and not paying attention to what I was eating, I started to feel awful. I felt 10 feet wide! I knew I wasn't, but that's how my body felt. I was feeling terrible. I decided that I needed to get back into shape and make time in my schedule to do so.

I don't know about you, but I am not particularly fond of working out. I don't particularly like the feeling when I'm sweating it out during a run with my muscles screaming to stop. So why work out? Besides the obvious health benefits like reducing the risk of heart disease, weight management, and reducing the risks of certain cancers, I found that the reason I work out is the feeling AFTER I work out. 

I started working out again last week, and I almost died those first few work outs, but now that I'm back in the routine I've found that I really missed it. I feel great, and I don't feel 10 feet wide anymore. I am determined to keep working out at least four days a week.

Working out can get repetitive and boring, and sometimes thirty minutes on the elliptical can feel like an eternity. My solution to this is to ing a book or study materials to read while I'm working out. It makes the time go by so much faster! It also eliminates the excuse of not working out because you need to study, you can just bring your studying with you!

What does making time to work out look like for you? I promise it's worth it!

Why Brown Rice?

Rice is something that a lot of recipes call for, and we personally eat it at least twice a week. One of the health tips I picked up was to replace white rice with brown rice in your meals. When I read this, I stuck my nose up a little because brown rice was that weird stuff that my dad always ate, and it obviously wouldn't taste good. I mean really, how many more health benefits can it have anyway? I figured I would give it a try anyway. Last night I tried cooking with brown rice for the first time and I was pleasantly surprised that it's actually really good. (FYI brown rice does take longer to cook than white rice). This motivated me to actually research why brown rice was so much better than white rice. On first glance, the nutrition doesn't look too different but upon further investigation, this is what I found: (via healthiertalk.com)

1. Brown Rice is Rich in Selenium

Extremely high in selenium, an important trace mineral known to drastically reduce our chances of developing certain forms of cancer, as well as heart disease, inflammatory conditions and rheumatoid arthritis.

2. Brown Rice is Very High in Manganese

One cup of brown rice gives us over 80% of our daily manganese requirements. This mineral helps the human body create the important fatty acids that make healthy forms of cholesterol. It is also beneficial to the health of our nervous and reproductive systems.

3. Brown Rice Holds Naturally Occurring Oils

These heart-healthy oils are naturally found in brown rice and can help the body reduce LDL forms of cholesterol.

4. Brown Rice Promotes Weight Loss

Because of its fiber-richness and ability to keep healthy bowel function, brown rice “keeps things moving” in a way that promotes weight-loss and metabolic function. After one bowl of brown rice, you’ll feel fuller but overall ate a smaller amount of food.

5. Brown Rice is a Whole Grain

Unlike white rice, brown rice has not lost its wholeness. Studies show that six servings of whole grains weekly can lower the creation of arterial plaque build-up and reduce chances of developing heart disease and high cholesterol.

6. Brown Rice is an Antioxidant

Most people associate antioxidants with blueberries and green tea, but many are unaware that brown rice is also a source of antioxidants.

7. Brown Rice Very High in Fiber

Studies have correlated the high use of whole grains like brown rice with lowered levels of colon cancer. This may be related to its high fiber content. Studies show that fiber actually attaches to cancer-causing substances and toxins, helping to eliminate them from the body, and keeping them from attaching to the cells in our colon. Brown rice also contains the necessary components to stabilize digestion, prevent/relieve constipation and promote proper elimination/bowel function.

8. Brown Rice is a Slow-Release Sugar

Unlike stripped rice, brown rice can help keep blood sugar stabilized, as it releases sugars slowly and in a sustained fashion. This makes it a better option for diabetics, as compared to white rice. While studies in Asia have shown a link between the consumption of white rice and risk of type-2 diabetes, new research shows that individuals who eat at least two servings of brown rice weekly can reduce their chances of developing diabetes 2 by up to 11 percent.

I also found out that brown rice is what white rice looks like before it is refined, which removes most of the nutrients. In fact, companies have to synthetically replace the nutrients that are taken out because if they didn't the rice wouldn't meet FDA nutrition standards. 

All this to say, brown rice is the better, healthier choice and it's an easy change to make. I thought brown rice would be a lot more expensive than white rice (and give me a good excuse not to buy it), but it is only about 20 cents a bag more expensive. That's a small price to pay for all the health benefits that white rice doesn't give you!

This is one healthy choice that we will try to continue to make. What about you?

Meal Planning

Problem: When I was researching how to eat more healthy, I realized that a lot of suggestions for eating healthy involve eating lots of fresh fruits and veggies, and many recipes call for fresh ingredients. I love fruits and veggies, but as everyone on a budget knows, fresh ingredients are expensive, and they go bad quickly. 

Solution: The way I solved this problem is meal planning. Meal planning is awesome, and it saves you a lot of money. Before I started planning my meals, I would just go to the store and pick out things I thought I would need that week. I would inevitably forget things and inevitably buy a lot of things I didn't need, resulting in a high grocery bill and waste when we didn't eat everything I would buy. Now I hardly have any waste, and I (almost) always stay within my budget. I personally have a $50 per week grocery budget, and when I go to the grocery store fully loaded with my list of things for the week I always come within a few dollars. Before I started meal planning, I would regularly be around $20 over budget. This does require you to sit down before you go to the store, go through your cabinets and fridge and see what you will need this week (or get in the habit of writing down things as you run out!), but the time is well worth it. It also requires you to prioritize what is most important to you. For instance, I really like apples and clementines, but buying both would have put me way over my budget. So this week I bought clementines, which will last me two weeks, and next week I can buy a few apples. Meal planning also added more variation to what we were eating because I would take the time to go through cookbooks (or let me be honest, look on Pinterest) for new recipes for the week. Then I would add those ingredients to my list. When you aren't buying things you won't need for that week, it's amazing what fresh ingredients you can buy and how much money and food you save!

Another good tip I have seen is to buy in bulk at places like Sam's or Costco. I really like this idea, but our current apartment doesn't have a pantry so we don't have room to store extra food! Something to wish for in the future :)


What I learned from meal planning is that it is possible to buy healthy fresh ingredients when you're on a budget. It just takes a little bit of planning. So that excuse that eating healthy is too expensive went right out the window

Living a Healthy Lifestyle on a Budget and a Busy Schedule

I don't know about you, but my life is crazy busy. Between my grad school internship, my GA position, and being a wife, I don't really have time to work out, and making healthy meals is a stretch. Trying to live a healthy lifestyle while busy (and on a budget!) is difficult. Before I got married I worked out, and lived pretty consistently on a low-carb low-sugar diet. After I got married I came up with many excuses: I don't have time, I'm too tired, healthy food is expensive, I'm a picky eater, healthy food doesn't taste good, I'm always hungry. After living these excuses for about 6 months, I found that I felt absolutely disgusting. I remembered that while I was working out and eating healthy/ier I felt better. That's when I (and my husband) made the choice to put away the excuses and start living a healthy lifestyle.
What I realized is that being healthy doesn't necessarily mean making huge, radical changes. I love food, I love soda, I love sweets. Giving up all these things at once would be miserable for me (and anyone). I would be setting myself up for failure. So I decided to make small, reasonable, healthy choices. My goal is to make more healthy choices every week.
When I mentioned the idea of starting a blog about trying to live a healthy lifestyle on a budget and a busy schedule to my husband, he told me if I started a blog I would actually have to do it. I can't blog about being healthy if I'm not actually living it. But that's why I like the idea of this blog. I want to live it. I want to be healthy, and I am hoping that by sharing my exploits it will not only help me be more successful, but also motivate other people to try to make more healthy choices too!