Healthy Eats: Apple Cider Dijon Pork Tenderloin

This marinade became a fast favorite in my home. Apple Cider Dijon Pork Tenderloin is a weekly staple in our healthy repertoire. We’ve expanded the marinade for use with chicken and turkey tenderloins as well. It’s delicious on grilled or baked proteins. It’s also incredibly easy to put together in a time pinch. I usually marinade the pork for about an hour before we cook it.

Ingredients:

2 pork tenderloins trimmed and silver skin removed

2 TBSP apple cider vinegar

2 TBSP sugar free syrup

1 TBSP Dijon mustard

3-5 cloves chopped garlic

2 tsp each fresh or dried herbs – pick 2 each time, I’ve tried all the combos and they are all delish (Thyme, Basil, Rosemary, Oregano)

Combine all ingredients in a large sealable bag. Shake and move around until the pork is well coated with the marinade. Let sit at room temperature for 30 min – 1 hour before grilling or baking to desired degree of doneness.

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*The exact portions will vary per person. Contact us for more details on your portions and macronutrient breakdown per meal/per day!

Healthy Eats: Chocolate Granola Pancake

I go to bed excited about the next morning when I know I have a Chocolate Granola Pancake waiting for me! How can something so delicious also be so nutritious? Careful selection of the ingredients and ensuring portions meet your macro meal planning numbers ensures the nutritious efficacy of this TASTY breakfast staple! See original breakfast pancake for base recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup egg whites
  • 1/2 cup Simply Nature Coconut Cacao or Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Granola (found at Aldi) **Note: any other granola may be substituted – aiming for 20 g of carbs per 1/2 cup serving**
  • 1 scoop Super Seed Beyond Fiber

Directions:

Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Meanwhile in a small mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Batter will be lumpy due to the granola. Spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pour in the batter, be careful not to the let the batter sit too long as the fiber powder will cause it to thicken greatly. Cook the Chocolate Granola Pancake until it’s easy to slide a spatula underneath the pancake, usually 4-6 minutes. Flip the pancake and cook another 1-2 minutes.

I like to make a stack of the pancakes on the weekend, wrap each meal in tinfoil, and store in the refrigerator for fast breakfasts on weekday mornings. Pancake as pictured is topped with 1 TBSP natural smooth peanut butter and 2 TBSP sugar free syrup.

Approximate nutrition facts (per pancake with peanut butter topping): 395 calories , 16 g of fat, 33 g of carbs, 33 g of protein

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*The exact portions will vary per person. Contact us for more details on your portions and macronutrient breakdown per meal/per day!

Healthy Eats: Pickled Green Beans & Red Onions

I’ve never been a big fan of pickles (unless they were deep fried ;0), but pickled green beans and red onions have my taste buds singing! I was introduced to pickled green beans by a dear friend of mine who produced the most epic charcuterie board one evening for a get-together. I became obsessed and quickly looked up recipes. After a little trial and error I found an easy, healthy, and quick way to create pickled green beans. Of course, I couldn’t stop there and expanded my recipe to also include red onions. Now, I always have a jar or two in the fridge of both pickled green beans, red onions, cucumbers and asparagus. The recipe works for almost any vegetable. Once pickled, they make amazing toppings on salads, healthy additions to charcuterie boards, or just a quick nibble when you’re between meals and hunger is kicking in.

Ingredients:

  • A few large handfuls of green beans (ends trimmed or snapped off)
  • 1 medium to large red onion sliced thin and layers separated
  • 3 cups of water
  • 2 cups of apple cider vinegar
  • 3 TBSP salt
  • 2 TBSP Swerve, Stevia, Truvia, etc. (zero calorie sugar substitute)
  • garlic cloves
  • peppercorns
  • dried red pepper flakes
  • dried dill (fresh is fine too but I find the dried gives better flavor)

Here’s how I set everything up:

  1. Line up three mason jars. Place a few garlic cloves and peppercorns in all three jars. In two of them add red pepper flakes (1 tsp) and dried dill (1 tsp). I just eyeball the measurements, it doesn’t matter if its not exact. The two that have all the goodies get the raw, trimmed green beans placed in them. The jar with just the peppercorns and garlic will be for the red onion. You can also add an additional tsp of sugar substitute to the red onion jar if you like them a little sweeter.
  2. Over medium high heat, bring the water, vinegar, salt and sugar substitute to a boil. Once this mixture boils, remove from heat and place the sliced and separated red onion in the liquid for about one minute. Use tongs to remove and place directly into the remaining third jar. Let the liquid cool for a few minutes then pour over the vegetables in all three jars. This recipe should yield enough to do 3-4 jars total. Make sure the green beans and red onion are completely covered. If you added more sugar to the onions, shake this jar up so the sugar dissolves.

The pickled veggies will taste great by the next day. If you can wait 2-3 days they’ll be even better. So far they’ve not made it in my fridge longer than 1 week because we eat them so fast, but given the other recipes I had explored I believe they should hold up for a couple of weeks.

Cooking is my passion and healthy cooking is my mission, 70-80% of the week anyway! Check out my plethora of ideas to help inspire your healthy eats.

*The exact portions will vary per person. Contact us for more details on your portions and macronutrient breakdown per meal/per day! There is no need to guess at how you should eat – let us help you eat right for your body type and goals!

Healthy Eats: Buffalo Chicken Salad

Some healthy foods taste healthy. Some healthy foods taste borderline naughty. My Buffalo Chicken Salad is one of the latter. I created it one Sunday late morning while attempting to nurse a hangover without blowing my macro based meal plan. The flavors are bold! If you like buffalo chicken wings, blue cheese, and ranch, you are going to love this Buffalo Chicken Salad. Let’s put it all together.

You will need the following ingredients:

Here’s how to make the magic happen while following your meal plan:

  1. Measure your chicken and chop or shred it. Place on tinfoil and into air fryer. Crisp for 6-10 minutes on 350. Remove and top with hot sauce. Caution: a little goes a long way – if you like heat, load it up!
  2. Prepare your salad in a large bowl. Add greens/lettuce, chopped tomatoes, peppers, chopped pickled green beans, and pickled red onions.
  3. Measure your dressing to keep the macros in line. Remember you’re adding 1 oz of blue cheese crumbles per serving too so you want to make sure your fat allotment stays in check.
  4. After you’ve dressed your salad, add the measured cheese, and top with your crisped chicken portion.

This Buffalo Chicken Salad is so good, perfect for a week night meal when you need that taste of naughty but it’s not quite time yet, perfect for a hangover cure, really just perfect! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

For more recipe ideas that will keep your healthy cooking tasting like so much more than healthy cooking, visit our Healthy Eats index.

*The exact portions will vary per person. Contact us for more details on your portions and macronutrient breakdown per meal/per day! There is no need to guess at how you should eat – let us help you eat right for your body type and goals!

Healthy Eats: Mongolian Beef

So actually I used bison in this Mongolian Beef recipe, but of course beef or elk would be great too. We love the grass-fed quality red meat we get from Northstar Bison. In addition, I used “Zero Pasta”. You can find this scientific gift to pasta lovers in the Vegan cold section of your grocery store – where they also keep the tofu for those of you not familiar with this section of the store! The texture on this pasta is awesome and its a great vessel to soak up some yummy sauces. See also my cold peanut noodle salad recipe featuring this awesome pasta nearly free of carbs and calories!!

Ingredients:

  • 2 packages of “Zero Pasta” found in cold vegan section of your grocery store
  • 1 lb grass-fed beef, bison or elk (I like to slice it really thin when its still frozen)
  • 2 TBSP vegetable stock
  • 2-3 cloves of chopped garlic
  • 2 tsp fresh minced ginger (or ground ginger if you don’t have fresh)
  • 1/3 cup of low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 TBSP calorie free sweetener (like Stevia or Truvia)
  • 1 TBSP sugar free maple syrup
  • 2 TBSP Hoisin Sauce
  • 1/2 – 1 tsp of chili garlic sauce (depends how spicy you want it)
  • 4 green onions diced

So while your bison is still frozen, slice it really thin with a sharp knife. It should almost look like beef shavings. Let it rest on the cutting board, defrosting as you prepare the other ingredients.

In a bowl, combine the ginger through chili garlic sauce with a whisk. Drain your “Zero Pasta” in a colander over the sink.

In a large saucepan, heat the vegetable stock over high heat with the chopped garlic. When they stock starts to boil, add in the bison (or beef) and cook until nearly done. It will take just a minute or two since it’s sliced so thin. Then add in the prepared sauce and finish cooking the bison. Remove from heat. Use tongs to toss the “Zero Pasta” and diced green onions into the beef.

Based on the amount of ingredients the Mongolian Beef (bison) dish should make 2 portions if divided in half. I’m not usually so lackadaisical about measurements but this is one of those recipes where the sauce is so much better when added to the meat and finished on the stove! So your portion will be a bit eye-balled here but the ingredients are healthy and meal plan approved. You’ll be close!

We have so many healthy recipes to choose from. They are all perfected and taste-tested by us! Try our other healthy EATS by clicking here.

*The exact portions will vary per person. Contact us for more details on your portions and macronutrient breakdown per meal/per day! There is no need to guess at how you should eat – let us help you eat right for your body type and goals!

Healthy Eats: Snack Platter

So as I sit and write this, we are smack dab in the middle of Covid-19 stay at home orders. Even if you are reading this 20 years from now, you’ll likely remember this pandemic and the endless all-day snacking that most people couldn’t refrain from. We have some tricks to make your snacking a little more guilt-free and balanced for your macro needs. Give our snack platter a try – complete with protein, carbs, a bit of fat, and tons of nutrients.

We love fresh veggies dipped in ranch dressing or dip. While you can find low fat/low cal dips they aren’t always wholesome. We do our best to avoid too many “chemical” creations throughout the day. Wholesome is always best for us. So we like to make our own dip.

Ranch Greek Yogurt Dip

  • 1 cup plain, nonfat greek yogurt
  • 1/2-1 whole ranch dressing seasoning package (any brand is fine)

Stir the ingredients vigorously to remove any lumps and clumps from the seasoning packet. Greek yogurt is high in protein, moderate in carbs, and is a good base for many things that use mayonnaise like tuna salad or egg salad. Trick of the trade, replace your mayo with Greek yogurt and a little mustard – very satisfying!

Veggies are largely fair game. Of course there are vegetables with more nutrients than others, less carbs than others, but let’s be REAL, no one gets fat from eating carrots. So wash and slice your favorite veggies – radishes, peppers, grape tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers – these are all really yummy with the ranch dip.

I love chips! The crunch, the salty seasoning, the happiness that spreads through me when I eat them – half kidding half serious! So here comes my find of the century – FLEX chips. They come in 3 different flavors and it is hard to believe they are pretty good for you. Made from plant based protein, they are low in carbs and calories and pack a decent amount of protein in them.

This snack platter has a balanced macronutrient breakdown. You can eat a lot of this and not feel bad! You’ll be having a “meal plan approved” snack. I bet you’ll feel so much better about your eating habits by replacing today’s snacks with the healthier version!

We have tons of recipes and healthy EATS to satisfy your palate!

*The exact portions will vary per person. Contact us for more details on your portions and macronutrient breakdown per meal/per day!

Healthy Eats: Grilled Tofu & Vegetables

Well I’ll just come right out and say it, I used to be very anti-tofu. I’m not sure why. I guess in my head I determined I had eaten it and disliked it. I’m not sure I had even tried it, and now that it has become a weekly staple in our house. Typically, I use extra firm tofu and slice it into equal portions. I then season it and either grill it or broil it. The result is grilled tofu with a texture mixed between chicken and feta cheese. It tastes great the next day as a protein topper on a cold salad or warm with a plant-based (or regular) pasta dish. I was surprised how much I actually like tofu and I think if you give it a try you might be too!

Again, I think the variety of tofu matters. For us, the extra firm has the right texture, moisture, and macronutrient breakdown (see picture of label below). It’s easy to slice it into 5 equal (as equal as possible) chunks then season with some yummy spices (we like Penzey’s.com) and pop on the grill or under the broiler. We do the same to our vegetables. Season generously and grill or broil.

Since I’m on the topic of seasoning, we get asked a lot about SALT. “I know I shouldn’t have much salt” is something I hear almost daily. The truth is the body needs sodium and as long as you aren’t adding excessive amounts to your food you are probably well within the recommendations for daily intake. If you have a heart condition or high blood pressure, then regulating your salt intake is a bit more critical. If you do not have these ailments, then adding a bit of salt or seasoning that has salt to your veggies should be fine. Make the healthy food taste good so you’ll want to eat the healthy food! One thing we do avoid is adding salt to regular grocery store meat (chicken, pork, steak, etc.). These meats are preserved with a sodium solution that already has plenty of salt in it. So just add salt-free seasoning to your meats.

So if you’re looking for the recipe here, sorry there really isn’t one. Just slice the tofu (extra firm) into proportion depending on what the label says, then season and grill or broil. It doesn’t take long…give it a few minutes on each side. You can also squeeze a bit of fresh lemon on it while its cooking – yum! Pair it with your favorite vegetables and if you’re macros allow for it, add a bean pasta to it. We’ve tried many, the spaghetti varieties have the best numbers, lower on carbs, higher on protein. Here is a picture of the black bean box and label. They have several flavors and several different brands make this pasta now.

There’s more where this recipe came from! Click here to check out additional health EATS!

*The exact portions will vary per person. If you’re wondering how much tofu you get and whether you can add pasta to it, contact us for more details on your portions and macronutrient breakdown per meal/per day!

Healthy Eats: Plant based sausage, egg & rice bake

Part of shifting our eating to “partially plant-based” is redoing some of our favorite meals to utilize less (or no) animal proteins and more plant based proteins. My husband, Justin, has a few favorites that needed to be adjusted. First things first, BREAKFAST, the very most important meal of the day. In our regular egg and rice bake there is 3 whole eggs and 1 1/4 cups of egg whites. There’s also cheesy goodness too. In general there is a lot of animal proteins and fats. A quick redo and our plant-based sausage, egg & rice bake is not only healthier and more sustainable for the environment but it also TASTES better!

Here’s how to put it together. You’ll need the following ingredients:

  • 1 cup of cooked white or brown rice
  • 2 TBSP rice flour (or regular white flour)
  • 2 whole egg
  • 1/3 cup liquid egg whites
  • 2 plant based sausage links (see pictures – Aldi brand) ** These are the best plant-based sausage links! If you can’t find them, try to find an alternative with similar numbers on the nutrition panel! **
  • 1 tsp hot sauce

Stir together cooked rice, rice flour, and 2 whole eggs. Spread into the bottom of a loaf pan. Cut up your frozen sausage (lightly cooked in the microwave first) and place on top of the rice crust. Whisk together egg whites and hot sauce and evenly pour on top of the crust and sausage. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes depending on your oven. There should be no jiggle left when you shake the pan!

Each egg bake should be 1-2 meals depending on your macronutrient needs. *The exact portions will vary per person. Contact us for more details on your portions and macronutrient breakdown per meal/per day! There is no need to guess at how much or how often you should eat – let us help you eat right for your body type and goals!

All of the Check Total Health “Healthy Eats” are created and tested by us! Try our other recipes here.

Healthy Eats: Chickpea Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

If there are cookies being made there is not a chance I didn’t try the dough. In fact, given the choice, I’d rather have the dough than the cookies any day! It took me a few batches of my Chickpea Peanut Butter Cookie Bars before it dawned on me that the yummy dough could be left raw and divided into equal portions. So now that’s what I do, I make a few batches of the cookie bars for the whole family then a smaller batch of just dough for me and the kids since my husband has no interest in the dough! Guys, the kids go nuts for both the cookies and the dough. It’s a sneaky way to get some healthy proteins from the garbanzo beans and the pea protein instead of hot dogs, chicken fingers, and pepperoni. I know I can’t be the only mom who struggles with getting my kids to eat the healthier things in life!

This dough has the same ingredients as the cookie bars, minus the baking powder, and the same simple process to put it all together. And since there are only pasteurized egg whites and no whole eggs, this is safe to eat uncooked! Here’s how this dough comes together:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cans of Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup of natural peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup of pasteurized egg whites (we buy these in the carton)
  • 2 servings of pea protein powder (we buy Naked brand and use 4 total scoops to get the 2 servings)
  • 3 TBSP mini chocolate chips
  • 2 TBSP cup agave nectar

In a large food processor add the drained and rinsed beans, peanut butter, pea protein powder, agave nectar and baking powder. Pulse until starting to combine then drizzle in the egg whites until a nice thick dough forms. If there are some small chunks of the beans left, that’s fine, they end up tasting like peanuts! The dough will be thick so you may have to scoop some into a bowl before you can lift out the blade and empty the mixing bowl completely. Then use your hands or a strong spoon to fold in the chocolate chips.  Divide the dough into 6 portions of approximately 3.75 oz each. Store in small containers and keep refrigerated.

The macros are the same whether it’s dough or cookie bar! This Chickpea Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough has 300 calories, 20 g of protein, 30 g of carbs, 13 g of fat per serving. Again, you should end up with six servings.

We’ve been making healthy food taste oh so good since 2008. Try our recipes, they will not disappoint even the most discerning palette.

*The exact portions will vary per person. Contact us for more details on your portions and macronutrient breakdown per meal/per day! There is no need to guess at how you should eat – let us help you eat right for your body type and goals!

Healthy Eats: Chickpea Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

Do you love the classic peanut butter/chocolate chip combination? I know I do and I always have. How about cookies? Could you eat your way through a pan of homemade cookies? I can and I always could! So what if we made the cookies a complete meal with good carbs from chickpeas (garbanzo beans) instead of flour, good sweetness from natural peanut butter and agave nectar instead of white sugar, and healthy protein from egg whites and pea protein powder? We knocked this recipe out of the park. These Chickpea Peanut Butter Cookie Bars are sweet, filling and satisfying. Here’s how to whip them up…

Chickpea Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients:

  • 2 cans of Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup of natural peanut butter
  • 1 cup of pasteurized egg whites (we buy these in the carton)
  • 4 servings of pea protein powder (we buy Naked brand and use 8 total scoops to get the 4 servings)
  • 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup agave nectar
  • 2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large food processor add the drained and rinsed beans, peanut butter, pea protein powder, agave nectar and baking powder. Pulse until starting to combine then drizzle in the egg whites until a nice thick dough forms. If there are some small chunks of the beans left, that’s fine, they end up tasting like peanuts! The dough will be very thick so you’ll have to scoop some into a bowl before you can lift out the blade and empty the mixing bowl completely. Then use your hands or a very strong spoon to fold in the chocolate chips. Use your hands to press into a 8×11 pan. Bake at 350 for 20-22 minutes depending on oven. You do not want to over-bake these, they will be dry. If baked just right they should be a little soft like a perfect cookie bar!

Cut the bars into 12 equal portions. I just eyeball it and try to get as close as possible. I have eaten for breakfast, lunch, post workout, snack, etc. They are great anytime of the day and ooohhh so delicious with a cup of coffee. Here’s the numbers we’re working with for your macros: 300 calories, 20 g of protein, 30 g of carbs, 13 g of fat. I hope you enjoy my Chickpea Peanut Butter Cookie Bars as much as I do. If you’re more a fan of dough than cookies, see my recipe edits to just enjoy the dough!

Healthy food can taste great too and we know how to do it! Try our other tasty healthy EATS by clicking here.

*The exact portions will vary per person. Contact us for more details on your portions and macronutrient breakdown per meal/per day! There is no need to guess at how you should eat – let us help you eat right for your body type and goals!