Lean, Mean + Clean Eats: Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs with green salad -- When I am not dieting for a show, I will add some extra goodies to my salad (cheese/nuts/seeds/broken crackers) and throw a bottle of dressing into my bag for a quick lunch

Hi All!

A short + sweet recipe for anyone looking to "spice" up their lunchbox this week!! ;-)

Brooke's Clean Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

1 package ground chicken

½ small white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, pressed (garlic press)
½ tsp extra virgin olive oil
½ bunch fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ - ¼ cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
A few shakes of sea salt + fresh ground black pepper

 Line a baking sheet with tin foil and preheat oven to 350 F. Chop the onion and press the garlic and toss into a frying pan over medium-low heat with olive oil. Soften for 3-5 mins until lightly golden, then add to a mixing bowl along with all other ingredients. Mix together until all ingredients are evenly distributed. I like to use a tablespoon to grab the meat out of the bowl and form into meatballs from there. This way’s nice because it also keeps them all the same size so they bake evenly. ;) The more you know... lol!

Bake for 10 mins, turn the meatballs over, and bake for another 5-7 mins. I always just break one apart to make sure they're cooked all the way through - just keep in mind they will have a little bit of a red/pinkish color to them because of all the hot sauce in the recipe! :-) Let cool + enjoy!

Way to mess up my name, Starbucks lady... ! ha ha ha ;-p

Make-a-Meal
For a quick and light meal, I love serving these meatballs with carrot sticks + celery, some Bolthouse fresh ranch dip and a handful of tamari almonds or throwing them into a big salad!

Depending on my fitness goals (if my meal includes carbs) I’ll add these into a bowl with some quinoa and a bunch of fresh chopped veggies. I like grated carrot, chopped green onions, chopped bell peppers, a few crumbles of feta (the goat’s milk type is my fav!) a few slices of avocado and a few shakes of tamari or soy sauce. Seriously delish! 

Lastly, a classic and comforting twist: spaghetti and meatballs! I'm not a huge fan of pasta, so I use spaghetti squash instead of noodles (a GREAT low carb, less processed substitute) and add my favorite tomato sauce -- Newman's Own and some mushrooms + onions!

Fit Tip <3

I do my grocery shopping between Save-On, Superstore, Sobeys and Costco and between all of these stores, Superstore's ground chicken is priced true to it's weight and normally runs around $5.50 for a pack, whereas Save-On sells the exact same package for $7. I know it's only $1.50 but when you go through as much ground chicken as I do, it adds up! ;) What can I say? My dad used to pack us all into the car on a Saturday to drive across town, to the Brick, when he heard a radio commercial saying they were giving away free coffee mugs and hot dogs.... so it goes without saying.... I know a good deal when I see one! lol!

 My mantra for this week is "When we write down our dreams, they become goals; when we act upon our goals, they become reality." So dream big, work hard, and don't you dare stop until you succeed!

Have a lean, mean + clean day fitfam!!!

xo Brooke

Bikini Bod Snacking: My 6 Current Snacking Obsessions (all around 200 cals!)

Well helloooo there beautiful!

After a week or so of being MIA, dont you worry, don't you worry child -- I'm BACK ;-) Wonder what I was up to? Ohhh just dancing the weekend away under the sunshine and stars at the very best jamboree there is... BMan.. there's just something about hearing your very favorite songs, live, in a big open field with a beer in your hand (yes, even us bikini athletes have to find a way to find balance in life and not forget to enjoy the little things! ;) I will note: this weekend's Bud Light Lime was my FIRST beer of the whole summer!!! Balance, balance, balance. 

Anyways, I've been meaning to put this post together forever now, and am so excited to share some of my absolute fav foods at the mo. These are all super easy, super simple and nice + balanced snack ideas that are great little ideas to have up your sleeve. Short + sweet post for today. Enjoy. 

1 cup 1% cottage cheese topped with ½  cup sliced red grapes

Nutrition: 260 cals | 32g protein | 3g fat | 29g carbs

Why's this snack brilliant? Well... first of all because it  (in a really weird way) kinda reminds me of cheesecake... and well.. come on, we all know that's just awesome! Something about the savory/salty flavor of the cheese, and the sweetness and crunchiness of the grapes.. i just love it! Instead of just eating a full cup of grapes, which are super sweet and pretty high carb, I balance this snack out by adding some protein and 'volume' with the cottage cheese. 

A sliced apple topped with 1 tbsp Maranatha all-natural almond butter + a sprinkle of cinnamon

MMMM... apples + cinnamon = 

Nutrition: 180 cals | 3g protein | 8g fat | 26g carbs

Why's this snack brilliant? Adding cinnamon to this high-carb snack actually helps slows down the whole digestion process. The benefits? Your blood sugar levels jump less than they would have by eating the apple sans cinnamon and you feel full longer :) score!  

2 tomato-basil rice cakes with ½ cup 1% cottage cheese

Nutrition:  200 cals | 18g protein | 5.5g fat | 25g carbs

Why's this snack briliant? This is another one of those "reminds me of" snacks. And it kinda "reminds me of" pizza! Seriously delish... just so very delish. 

2 plain rice cakes topped with 1 tbsp Maranatha all-natural chocolate almond butter + ½ a banana (if you really want a sweet tooth fix, sub the 2 plain cakes for 1 chocolate chip caramel rice cake! ;) hehe)

Nutrition: 215 cals | 5g protein | 9g fat | 32g carbs

Why's this snack briliant? Hollywood has it's power couples, and the world of food has almond butter. Ha ha. Yes, it's really THAT good for you! Not only is it a super-healthy fat, it's also packed with 7g of protein per serving. Protein being a bit more complex than the simple carbs (the rice cakes) takes longer for our body to digest, which is another bonus. Are you noticing a trend here? ha ha! Slow digesting foods are your friend. ;-) 

2 cups watermelon cubes dipped in ½ cup vanilla-flavored greek yogurt 

Nutrition:  215 cals | 12g protein | 2g fat | 38g carbs

Why's this snack briliant? Oh my goodness... my mouth is watering just thinking about this one! Gotta make this explanation quick. Greek yogurt is higher in protein than just regular yogurt, which helps prevent muscle loss, and fills you up. Also, watermelon is a superfood and the vanilla with the melon-y goodness is just unreal... seriously. Schwiiiing! (FYI: nutrition info listed is for Oikos 0%)

A banana sliced down the middle and spread with 1 tbsp Maranatha all-natural almond butter

Nutrition:  145 cals | 3g protein | 8g fat | 18g carbs

Bonus: Pretty much just an upgrade to the classic PB and banana combo... but there's just something so irresistible about the more mild, but creamier flavor of almond butter. Try it try it, try it! You gonna like it. ;) #OBSESSED.

I've got just some regular PB with my banana
here but this picture's from a few months ago.
Although PB and banana is unreal, I
am just absolutely in LOVE with almond butter
right now so I switch the 2 up :) 

Now THAT was a good meal! My little
tomato-basil rice cake thrown into a
dinner... yes. I like it THAT much!

There's definitely plenty of other great, smart options out there that are easily searched up on pinterest, fitness magazine websites like fitnessrxwomen (my fav) and blogs. A healthy, happy lifestyle starts with small changes that become habits, so for the next 7 days, I challenge you all to focus on one small change: commit to yourself to snacking smarter! :-)

Until next time, remember "commitment is staying loyal to what you said you would do, long after the mood you said it in has left you".  

Have a happy, healthy, fit and fabulous week! 

xo Brooke