Tips For Healthier Sandwiches

Tips For Healthier Sandwiches      


     I totally forgot I was supposed to write these posts! Okay every Friday I will try to put one on! Another thing that has been going through my mind is I would like to do a post everyday for a month on a different breakfast. It would never repeat. {Example: different kinds of oatmeal chocolate covered strawberry, pumpkin pie oatmeal etc..} It would be the same kind of dish like oatmeal only different flavors otherwise I might run out of ideas haha. Ok back to sandwiches. 

~Use 100% whole grain bread {preferably one with no ingredients you can't pronounce. We use Aunt Millie's Hearth 100% whole grain}
~If you can get it nitrite and nitrate free deli meat {I am not able to get this although I really wish I could. We don't have any health food stores in our town.}
~Use all natural peanut butter {I use Smuckers. You can also get organic}
~Use 100% fruit jam {Also Smuckers. All we can get is blackberry. It's made with fruit syrup instead of sugar. It only has 8 grams of sugar compared to about 15 grams in regular jam}
~Don't use mayo {It has a lot of calories, sugar, almost no protein, and loaded with sodium.}
~Mustard is calorie-free but has a lot of sodium use wisely!
~Eat open-faced sandwiches {This cuts calories and carbs if you're watching them}
~If making egg salad for a sandwich try plain Greek yogurt {Greek yogurt has zero fat {if fat-free}, is loaded with protein, only milk sugars.} 
~Add veggies {Always a great way to add vitamins!}


     Well these are my tips. I hope they are fairly accurate!

Chocolate-Stuffed Pumpkin Flaxseed Muffins

     Yeah I know. I basically already posted these, but these are CHOCOLATE-STUFFED! And my other pictures did NOT look appetizing so I remade them. I really don't post stuff that isn't baked... Hopefully that will change! I have a salad that I will be posting soon. I haven't really posted workouts and hopefully that will change! Today I actually did Blogilates. She has a YouTube channel, with tons of workouts! I personally love pilates. They don't really make you sweat {am I wrong for not liking to? Well I do but...} Pilates strengthen muscles like weight lifting but you use your body instead of weights. Anyway back to Blogilates. My friend actually introduced me to it! I can already feel it and it's not even tomorrow!

     These muffins... Like I already said {in previous post} they are amazingly moist! When you put the batter in the pan, don't be worried they'll come out like cardboard {hard}. Obviously, you don't have to make them mini, but you may need to adjust the baking time. Stuffing them with chocolate is a bit time consuming, so don't make them before you have 20 minutes to leave. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips. You can use dark, or milk or even white if you don't care about the healthiness of them. I filled half the mini muffin tins with about 1 tsp. of batter and stuffed 3 chocolate chips in each muffin. You can add more if you wish. In the original recipe, I used 1/4 cup pure cane sugar and 1/4 cup honey. I didn't have any honey, so I used 1/2 cup sugar. The only difference is they weren't as moist, but still delicious! {Yes the crumb on my thumb is driving me nuts I wish I could change it!}

Chocolate-Stuffed Pumpkin Flaxseed Muffins

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 cup pure cane sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ginger

1/8 tsp. ground cloves 

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup flaxseed

1 egg

1 cup plain greek yogurt

3 tbsp. oil {such as sunflower, olive, safflower, etc.}

1/2 cup pumpkin

1/4 cup honey

1/3 cup water

chocolate chips for stuffing muffins

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Combine all wet ingredients. Fold wet mixture into dry mixture. {Make sure to just combine, because it overly combined it can produce a hard muffin.} Spray muffin pan with cooking spray or line with liners. Fill half of each mini muffin hole with about 1 tsp. batter. Stuff with 3 chocolate chips and cover with about 1 tsp. batter. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until done.

Peanut Butter Apple Pie Oatmeal {Clean, Vegan}

     I actually made this a little bit ago, it's just I keep forgetting to post it. When I was editing the pictures today I used some new features, and I have to say I like it! It's much more colorful! This cold has me down. I can't really go outside, let alone ride. I'm ready for summer to be here and school to be over with! I was watching some of my riding videos from last summer/fall and it kinda hurts to watch. I really need to practice this year if I ever want to be a good rider. I think I need to strengthen my abs to hold me up taller in the saddle so I don't have to hold on the cantle. My heels kept coming up, but that also has to do with my stirrups being too long. I may have mentioned I got a new saddle so that should fix that problem. Anywayyyyyy back to the oatmeal!

     I think I didn't cook it long enough because it was still pretty watery and chewy so make sure you cook it long enough! Next I highly recommend you use a tarter apple. I don't like red delicious, because well there is pretty much no flavor! Also you can make your own apple pie spice with different spices. I will give that recipe below. I don't think I put cardamom in it because we don't have any so I used cinnamon.

Peanut Butter Apple Pie Oatmeal

1/2 cup oats {raw}

1 cup water

dash of salt

1 tsp. apple pie spice

1/2 apple

1 tbsp. honey {or other liquid sweetner}

1 tbsp. peanut butter

     Cook oats in microwave or stovetop with water and salt, until completely done. {Oats do thicken slightly when cooled.} Once thickened add spices and honey. Chop apple and add it to oatmeal. Stir until combined. You may need to add more spice or honey to suit your taste. Garnish with additional apple spices and peanut butter.

 

Apple Pie Spice

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp. allspice

1/8 tsp. cardamom

*I forgot where the original recipe came from. I changed it up, so I will call it my own.

Tips For Healthier Choices: Eating Out

     I think I might try to post weekly tips on eating healthier, such as this week's Eating out, and healthier substitutions.

Eating Out

Make a list of healthier food options at different fast food chains to be prepared in case you have to eat out. Example: I like the southwestern chicken salad at McDonald's, and the fresco chicken soft taco and pinto beans at taco bell.

Order water or unsweetened iced tea.

Sometimes you might want to order through the drive thru and drive away/go home so you can't order extras.

Eat slowly and savor each bite.

Drink lots of water with your meal to prevent overeating.

Look at the menus lighter choices.

Salad and fruit are always good choices.

Eat healthier food first, so you are less likely to overindulge in unhealthy options.

Order before everyone else.

Avoid parfaits. They may seem healthy but one from McDonald's has 23 grams of sugar!!

And last but not least, treat yourself every once in a while to that milkshake or burger. 

I won!

      I won! I can't believe I actually won the first giveaway I entered! Thanks so much to the wonderful Lauren at She Moved to Texas! Hopefully I will have more horsey themed posts on soon. Life has been so busy. I haven't been able to ride my horse because of the snow. Hopefully it'll warm up soon and I will. I got a new saddle for him. It was supposed to be a Big Horn Roper but it doesn't actually say that. Maybe someone knows the brand? Maybe I can post a picture soon. The roper is a HUGE upgrade from the no-brand synthetic saddle I was using. I really want to learn how to ride tackless. I got Clinton Anderson's Downunder Horsemanship: Establishing Respect and Control for English and Western Riders. I really want to use some of the exercises in this book! I think this will build a foundation for tackless riding. I have begun to realize how harsh bits or even hackamores can be! Luckily I can ride Lance with just a halter, but he listens so much better if I ride with a bit. 

Giveaway

Hopefully someone sees this! There is a great giveaway over at She Moved To Texas. They are denim breeches. Head on over there and enter!

{Clean} Whole-Wheat Cake Donuts

     

     This week I've had a cold. I've been meaning to post these donuts because they are oh-so-good. Seriously I made nutella donuts yesterday {unhealthy, hey I've been sick...} and liked these better! You really could add anything to them bananas, chocolate chips, dried fruit, etc.. These are perfectly moist and cakey. Call me crazy I'd pretty much rather have a cake donut over a fried one. Just the plain cake donuts. I really love blueberry donuts {are those baked?} A artificially flavored, more-than-likely-not-real blueberries, and a sugary frosting on the top. Ever had a cherry chip donut? Those are amazzzzzinngg!! I wonder if I could recreate those with a cherry chip cake mix... The other perfect thing about these bad boys is no bananas! Yeah you could add them if you want them but it's hard to find healthy recipes these days without bananas.

     We topped these with melted chocolate and peanut butter. It's like Reeses! Until now I never realized how different that word was. Really any word seems weird to me when I think about it. Also I have an idea for Reeses mousse, I'll post it if it turns out right! I usually stick mine in the fridge just because. Since there is coconut oil in them it makes them hard. You can stick them in the microwave for like 20 seconds and they're perfect again! Also if you top them with chocolate it will make it all melty again.   

     I think one time we ran out of vanilla extract {or decided to try something different} and used orange extract they were delicious! It made a perfect chocolate-orange donut. The original recipe came from Chocolate Covered Katie. I changed it up though. 

{Clean} Whole-Wheat Cake Donuts

1 tsp. lemon juice

2/3 cup milk {any kind}

1 tsp. vanilla

3 tbsp. coconut oil

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/3 + 2 tbsp. honey

1/4 tsp. salt

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients. Combine wet ingredients. Mix the two together. Pour into greased donut pan {or muffin tin}. Bake 15 minutes. 

Notes: The coconut oil will harden if your milk is cold. Mix as well as you can then add dry ingredients.