Lighten Up: Low-Cal Alfredo

please excuse the horrible picture. i was way too excited to eat this to worry about taking a good one! :)

This post goes out to all of the ladies and gents who are working their asses off to improve their health and lose weight. I know it's Spring and we're all working on those bikini/beach bodies and it's wedding season and as a bride to be, I get it. No one wants to look like a cow on their wedding day, myself included.

While working out is a vital component of health and well-being. A lean, sexy body is not just made at the gym. 

80% of the body you have is made in the kitchen.

You can't eat whatever you want (even if you're working out regularly) and expect to lose weight and see results. Bummer, I know.

However, I have good news! 

With a little creativity in the kitchen you can still enjoy delicious and nutritious foods!

The recipe I have for you guys today is a perfect example.

Normal fettuccine alfredo dishes easily contain 1200-1700 calories. 

Which makes me nauseous even thinking about. 

The fettuccine alfredo at Olive Garden has 1200 calories and over 75g of fat - per serving! 

Yikes!

This dish offers the same great flavors of traditional fettuccine alfredo (and it's DELICIOUS!), with a fraction of the calories and fat.

Here's how:

Healthy and Light (Seafood) Squash Alfredo

Serves 2: 2.5 Cups Per Serving

::ingredients::

-Four Cups Cooked Spaghetti Squash (1 Large Squash)

-1/2 Cup Newman’s Own All Natural Alfredo Sauce

-1/2 Cup Plain Non- Fat Greek Yogurt

-1/4 Cup No Salt Added Corn

-1/4 Cup Diced No Salt Added Tomatoes (canned, drained)

-1/2 Cup Uncooked Shrimp (Tails Off)

- A Pinch of Dried Basil (optional)

::instructions::

- Bake spaghetti squash for 60 minutes at 350 degrees. 

- In a non-stick sauce pan, heat shrimp until half cooked. 

- Turn heat to low, add: basil, corn, tomato, Greek yogurt and Alfredo sauce. 

- Stir together until creamy. 

- Mix in cooked spaghetti squash! 

215 Calories, 5.5 g Fat, 24 g Carbs, 5 g Fiber, 18 g Protein, 8 g Sugar 

*recipe adapted from undressedskeleton

*image from pinterest

March Snapshots

I can't believe that we're already in the last week of March. This year is flying by!

While some of you are still stuck in Winter and playing in the snow (for some of you this is a good thing!), we are soaking up the sunshine and warm weather that Spring is supposed to provide. :)

I've been filling our house with fresh flowers and herbs, enjoying all of the delicious seasonal produce, spending a lot of time outside, and incorporating some color back into my wardrobe!

March has been a wonderful month and while the arrival of April means the end of Spring Break, I'm looking forward to what next month has in store for us!

xo

*follow me on instagram: mandystroup

Tasty Tuesday: Creamy Brown Rice & Mushroom Soup

I'm really excited about the recipe I'm sharing with you guys today!

I just made some for lunch and it was deeeelish. 

I have a very special place in my heart for mushrooms and this recipe is a perfect way to highlight their delicious flavor! It's filling yet very healthy and lite. 

It has easily become one of my favorite go-to soups. :)

Creamy Brown Rice & Mushroom Soup

serves 4

::ingredients::

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 1 lb. white or cremini mushrooms, diced (I used both)

- 1 cup celery, chopped

- 1 cup carrots, chopped

- 1 medium shallot, chopped

- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1/3 cup white wine

- 1 tsp dried thyme

- 4 cups vegetable broth 

- 1 cup instant or cooked brown rice (feel free to use wild rice/any other kind of rice you want!)

- 3/4 cup plain greek yogurt (or sour cream)

- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

::instructions::

- Heat oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add mushrooms, celery, carrots, and shallot, cook, stirring often, until softened (5-7 minutes). Stir in flour, salt, and pepper and cook for 2 minutes (stirring constantly). Add white wine and thyme; increase heat to medium-high and cook 2 minutes more.

- Add broth to pot and bring to a boil. If you're using instant rice, add now and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until rice is tender, 5-7 minutes. Once rice is cooked, stir in greek yogurt (or sour cream) and parsley. if you're using cooked rice, once soup has come to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and stir in rice, greek yogurt, and parsley.

- Enjoy!

*you can easily make this recipe vegan friendly but using plain soy yogurt instead of greek yogurt!

Wedding Bells: Flower Power

Hi friends. I'm back. 

I decided to take a week off from blogging/social media while Joel's parents were here so I could just enjoy their visit. :) It was wonderful having them here and we're already looking forward to their next trip out to see us!

Anyway, lets talk wedding. 

Joel and I just recently decided on a date and booked our venue! 

March 21, 2014 at Pauite Golf Course.

We toured a lot of different places but ended up booking the very first place we looked at (of course). :) 

Now that those decisions have been made, it's time to move on to the fun stuff. 

Since Joel and I still have about a year until our big day, we are simply brainstorming at this point. I have an overall image of what I want our wedding to look like, but we haven't started working out the details just yet. 

Flowers are something that I REFUSE to spend a fortune on. 

Luckily, I'm a minimalist anyway, so the idea of something simple and chic for a centerpiece (that I can make myself) seems perfect to me! 

I know that I want to incorporate succulents and I love peonies, daisies, and roses. 

The pictures above are just a few ideas I found on pinterest that I think are lovely. 

I especially love the idea of individual succulents in teacups!

 xo

Happy Hour: Strawberry Mojitos

Hello!

Happy Friday, ladies and gents. 

I hope you're as excited as I am that the weekend is finally here. Party time!

Since it already feels like Summer here in the Vegas Valley, my weekend beverages will include ice cold beer, mojitos, and lots of water (gotta stay hydrated!). 

Mojitos are my favorite warm weather cocktail. I fell in love with them while we were on the beach in California, and every time I have one it takes me back to that place. 

It's heavenly.

I decided to mix it up today and throw in some fresh strawberries. It added a refreshing and flavorful twist to the classic mint recipe I usually make. If you aren't feeling the strawberries, slice up and muddle in some fresh cucumber. So good!

Oh and in order to keep this recipe low-cal, I substituted honey for simple syrup.  

I highly recommend that you do the same!

Low-Cal Strawberry Mojito

::ingredients::

- 1/2 lime, cut into 4-6 wedges

- 1 1/2 tbsp lime juice

- 1/2 cup fresh strawberries (chopped)

- 2 tbsp mint leaves

- 1 tsp (or more if you'd like) honey, warmed

- 2 ounces rum

- 4 ounces club soda

- Fresh mint sprig (optional)

- Lime wedge (optional)

::instructions::

- Fill a martini shaker with 1 cup ice. Add lime wedges, lime juice, strawberries, and mint. Muddle lime, strawberries, and mint with a pestle or a long spoon until mint is well-bruised and fragrant.

- Combine honey, rum, and club soda; stir gently to dissolve honey. Add to muddled mixture; stir until mixture is well-chilled. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with mint and lime if desired. 

*I didn't strain mine, I just dumped everything into a glass. It's good either way!

(serving size: 1 mojito/calories: 160)

Have a great weekend, love bugs!

xo

*recipe adapted from health.com

Throwback Thursday: Hiatt Edition

Hi friends. Happy Thursday! 

This week's Throwback Thursday is dedicated to my future-in-laws. Since Joel's parents are coming to visit us this weekend it only seemed appropriate. :) 

This picture was taken while we were all in Breckenridge a couple years ago. 

I'm pretty sure we can all agree that Joel and I have come a long way with our hairdos since then. ;) Ha! 

It was such a fun trip though, I really hope we can all get together like this again soon!

While Joel and I have a lot to do before they get here on Saturday, we're so excited to see them! 

Have a good night, everyone!