Back at it! Introducing Skinnee B's!

Hi All!

I have been on a hiatus from blogging while I finished up my coursework at Northwestern this Spring, but now I am back with some exciting news!

This summer I will be starting up my Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Low Calorie Bakery - Skinnee B's!

If you are in the Chicagoland area hopefully you will see my products on grocery store shelves very soon!
If you aren't local to Chicago, have no fear! Skinnee B's plans to ship products nationwide!

The website is still under construction but you can check it out at www.skinneebs.com


I am so excited to be starting my own GF DF and low calorie bakery! I feel this is an underserved market and I hope people will love these bakery treats as much as I do!

More information to come!

150 Calorie Bacon Mushroom Salad

I made this Bacon Mushroom Salad for dinner tonight and it was awesome - only 3 ingredients and under 20 minutes to make! 

The bacon and mushrooms would also be good as a steak or chicken topping, or on their own as a side dish - they are very versatile and there is no added oil because the mushrooms cook with the bacon - you can also add some extra spices like garlic or plain old salt and pepper.

This dish is gluten free, dairy free, and paleo :)

Ingredients: 

1 large slice of bacon - 80 calories

8 oz sliced mushrooms - 50 calories

2 cups mixed greens - 20 calories                       

= 150 calories total

1. Wash and slice up mushrooms, and cut bacon into 1 inch or smaller pieces

2. Add mushrooms and bacon to skillet or wok - cook on high heat

3. Stir occasionally, continue cooking until liquid from mushrooms cooks off and mushrooms are browned and bacon is cooked through

4. Remove from heat and serve over mixed greens - add salt and pepper, or garlic if desired

210 Calorie Garlic Pepper Shrimp and Broccoli

This is a really easy dinner recipe, and I (almost) always have these ingredients on hand so it's a good go-to dinner :)

All you need it broccoli, shrimp and some spices to whip this up 

- and it is gluten free, dairy free, and paleo :)

 Recipe:
4 cups Broccoli - 120 calories
6 oz. Shrimp(about 10) - 90 calories
Garlic Salt & Pepper to taste               
= 210 calories

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees

2. Spread broccoli florets on a foil lined baking sheet, spray lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle pepper and garlic salt on top

3. Bake broccoli for 25 minutes

4. While the broccoli is cooking thaw out the shrimp

5. Add the shrimp to a skillet and heat through - top with pepper and garlic salt

6. Take the broccoli out of the oven, top with shrimp :)

90 Calorie Spicy Shrimp Cocktail

Frozen cooked shrimp is a great healthy snack to have on hand - I like to buy a big resealable bag (40-50 count) and keep it in my freezer so I can thaw and use them as needed in lots of different recipes

This spicy shrimp cocktail makes a great appetizer, snack or light entree - 

and it is gluten free, dairy free, and paleo :)

Recipe:

For the sauce:
1/2 tablespoon Barbecue Sauce - 15 calories
2 tablespoons Sriracha - 30 calories

3 oz. Frozen Cooked Shrimp - 45 calories
                                                                        
= 90 calories

1. Mix together the barbecue sauce and Sriracha
2. Thaw the frozen shrimp by running under cold water
3. Dry off the shrimp - serve with the sauce :)

100 Calorie Carrot Fries

I love sweet potato fries - but these carrot fries are even healthier, and they taste really similar!

These make a great snack or side dish

These are also super easy to make, and they are gluten free, dairy free, and vegan :)

Recipe:

1.5 cups Baby Carrots - 78 calories

1/8 cup Sugar Free Maple Syrup -10 calories

Coconut Oil Spray - 10 calories                                          

= 98 calories total

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

2. Slice the baby carrots in half length-wise, then in half length-wise again - cutting each carrot into 4 long pieces

3. Spread carrots on a foil covered baking sheet, spray lightly with coconut oil

4. Bake for 30 minutes, halfway through the cooking time move the carrots around to help them cook evenly

5. Remove from oven, serve with maple syrup as dipping sauce

95 Calorie Apple Pie Protein Smoothie

Here's another protein smoothie recipe :) This one tasted fantastic in my opinion, I think the apple and cinnamon flavors worked really well with the Vanilla Vega protein powder 

Using half a serving of the Vega Protein powder gives this protein smoothie 7.5 grams of protein and a full serving of vegetables :)

This is also gluten free, dairy free, and vegan!

Recipe:

4 tablespoons Unsweetened Apple Sauce - 25 calories

3/4 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk - 30 calories

1/2 serving Vanilla Protein Powder(1/2 scoop, or half of a single serve packet) - 40 calories

1/2-3/4 teaspoon Cinnamon                                                   

= 95 calories total

1. Freeze Applesauce in an ice cube tray over night
2. Put apple sauce cubes, almond milk, protein powder and cinnamon in the blender
3. Blend until smooth - it may take 1 or 2 minutes for your apple sauce cubes to fully blend if your blender is like mine
4. Serve cold :)

230 Calorie Fried Rice

Chicken fried rice in a restaurant isn't very healthy - and it usually isn't gluten free because of the Soy Sauce - so I thought I would try making my own healthy/gluten free version for dinner :)

I used quinoa instead of rice - you can use rice if you prefer, I just already had quinoa - and I added egg whites and peas - but you can add whatever other veggies/protein you like

This was pretty easy to make, and its only 230 calories! It is also gluten free and dairy free!

Recipe:
2 Egg Whites - 34 calories
1/4 cup uncooked Quinoa - 160 calorires
1/4 cup Peas - 26 calories
1 tablespoon Gluten free Soy Sauce/Tamari - 10 calories
Onion Powder, Garlic Salt, Pepper (to taste)                     
= 230 calories total


1. First cook your quinoa or rice - quinoa takes about 15-20 minutes to make
2. Once the quinoa is cooked, scramble the egg whites
3. As the egg whites are cooking you can cook the peas in the same pan
4. Once the eggs and peas are done add the quinoa to the skillet and stir in the Soy Sauce or Tamari, and add the other seasonings
5. Serve hot :)

Dining Out: Breakfast/Pancake Houses

You can basically find the same few things at any Pancake House/Breakfast restaurant - omelettes, pancakes, french toast, hashbrowns, bacon etc. - But some choices are healthier than others

My usual go-to is a Veggie Omelette - with egg whites only - and I try to order fruit instead of hashbrowns/toast/pancakes - depending on the restaurant and size of the omelette this should have 200-300 calories, and it is a very filling breakfast.

When we went to breakfast yesterday, my boyfriend ordered: An Omelette with Bacon, Pineapple, and Ham(about 450 calories) with hashbrowns(about 200 calories) and a side of pancakes with butter and syrup(about 400 calories) - that's over 1,000 calories total!

100 Calorie Spicy Italian Salad

As you may already know, I love spicy food. One of my favorite ways to spice up my food is to use hot sauce as salad dressing (like I do at Chipotle) - this salad is a variation of that, using a mixture of Light Italian Dressing and Green Tabasco :)

This really tastes like a spicy italian sub sandwich - but it is only 93 calories! You can add some lunchmeat if you want more protein, or serve this as a side dish - 

This salad is Gluten Free, Dairy Free, and Vegan :)

Recipe:

2.5-3 cup Lettuce - 20 calories

1 small (or half of a large) Heirloom Tomato - 35 calories

4-6 Pepperocini peppers - 15 calories

1 tablespoon Light Italian Dressing - 22 calories

2-3 teaspoons Green Tabasco Sauce                                 

= 93 calories total

1. Wash and chop up the lettuce and tomato(salt and pepper the tomato), and cut up the peppers

2. Before adding the tomato and peppers, add the italian dressing and tabasco sauce to the lettuce and toss well

3. Top with tomato and peppers, toss well again, and enjoy :)