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Expanding your pallet, especially when you're trying to eat healthier can be so rewarding. Finding new foods that you enjoy eating instead of getting sick of the same meals, is a great way to change it up and never get bored. I remember the first time I had broccolini and it was like a mix between broccoli and asparagus. Which might I add are two of my favorite vegetables, but now I mix it up instead of getting sick of the same old chicken and broccoli dinners.
I love creating and finding new recipes, with not only new food items but that also don't add too many negatives to the dish. Negatives meaning adding higher fat, carbs, dairy or anything that doesn't fit into my nutrition that week. The list below are some of my favorite vegetables to add into meals to make them more exciting, yet still keep the calories to a minimum! 1. Celery 2. Mushrooms 3. Cucumbers 4. Asparagus 5. Cabbage 6. Beets 7. Cauliflower 8. Tomatoes 9. Zucchini 10. Kale A perfect example of this list, is when I eat my eggs in the morning. I'm not a huge fan of egg whites on their own, so I enjoy making it into an omelet. My omelet's always have a bunch of different vegetables to give it more taste, nutrition and even more appealing to the eye. On a regular day, I'll have an omelet with tomatoes, kale, mushrooms and onions, to name a few! Another example is making my favorite chicken hibachi dish. I always lean more towards Asian cuisine, as for my seasonings. With 1/2 cup of brown rice, chicken in my seasonings I'll add zucchini, cabbage, mushrooms, celery, asparagus and carrots. Might I add vegetables keep you full longer, are so high in vitamins and nutrients and can be a lot of food for a smaller amount of calories. Aka, winning all around! What's your favorite veggie? Comment below!
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When I write out my recipes, the first thing that come to mind is how quick, easy and simple it is. I clearly live life in the fast lane, and am always looking for the quickest way to eat healthy. After a long day, sometimes the last thing you want to do is roll up your sleeves and cook dinner. But recipes like this, never make you feel like that. This recipe is super simple, so tasty and even keto-friendly. Ingredients: Salmon Broccolini Lemon Pepper Minced garlic Terriyaki marinade Olive oil Directions: On a sheet pan, lay your salmon and sprinkle black pepper and minced garlic. Squeeze 1/2 a lemon over the fish and 2 tsp of teriyaki marinade. Put in the oven at 350 degree for 22-25 minutes depending on how well done you want it. For the broccolini, blanch in cold water with sea salt. After 5 minutes, sauté in frying pan with olive oil, black pepper and minced garlic. That's it! Literally, so quick and easy! What I find the most convenient is how you can throw it into the oven and go do some laundry, or whatever you need to do until it's cooked. The broccolini takes only a couple of minutes, and you can make that while the salmon is cooling down. Enjoy yet another one of my quick recipes! 
If you're a Disney fan, going on a Disney vacation then you know it's an absolute must to get some gear before your trip. Before all of my trips, I love to get some new clothing to sport in the parks, along with accessories. I've found that you can find anything Disney, just about anywhere. But I'm more of a one-stop shop type of gal, where I like to shop for it all online and get it shipped directly to me. In this post, I'll let you in on my little secret of where I love to shop for Disney apparel without breaking the bank.
Amazon Amazon might be taking over the world, but I'm okay with it. Because they have literally everything you could ever want and need. This is my number one stop especially if I'm doing last minute shopping, thanks to Amazon Prime. Things I've gotten so far are Disney t-shirts, because who doesn't love a new Disney shirt? Before any trip, I always like to buy my boyfriend a tank top from his favorite Disney movies, as seen below!
We're also those geeks who get the matching tees for the parks. Before you go hating, I have to say we always get so many compliments! It's cute and great for pictures too!
My second favorite spot to shop is Uniqlo. They have so much Disney apparel, for a really low cost. I've purchased men's boxers, women's underwear, tshirts and sweatshirts from here for an unbelievable price.
Check out the link below for some of their clothing UNIQLO - Disney Collection My third favorite is a few places, which are where you typically shop! Disney never goes out of style, and all brands have done their own version from Gucci to the Dollar Tree. I get great finds at places like Forever21, H&M, Marshall's, and Target. Drop a comment on where you like to shop for Disney apparel! If you've been following my blog for awhile you know two things about me. I love to write, and I love to cook. Which is why I love blogging so much! I've realized over the past few months I've had a lot of questions about my recipes so I've decided to finally do it. I've decided to create a cook book! It'll be available on Amazon to purchase as either an ebook or a physical copy you can order and get delivered straight to your door.
I'm so excited to be able to share all of my favorite meals with so many more people, as well as the nutritional aspect. I love to find new ways to reinvent my favorite foods, that may not be the healthiest. In my book, you'll find different versions of each meal that can fit into any dietary plan. For example, ground chicken tacos will have variations to make them vegan, pescatarian, and keto friendly. What else? There will be pictures and loads of directions to walk you step by step through the cooking process. Keep your eyes peeled for the release of my book! The release date is not yet final, but expect it to be within the next few weeks! XO- Sarahfina Not losing weight? Check out these 10 reasons why you may not be, and may not even be realizing it!
1. Your morning coffee I am an advocate for coffee. Literally, I could be a spokesperson for Starbucks from the amount I spend there. BUT I get the same two things, my black coffee or green tea, that's it. If you're the type to get a caramel latte with extra everything, that could be why you aren't shedding the pounds. Most coffee houses offer alternatives like nut milks, instead of regular and different sweeteners. But even be ware of those, they are still relatively high in sugar, fat or additives. Your best bet is to keep it to a minimum. When I first began drinking coffee I hated the taste of it so I made it as sweet as possible. Over time, I was able to ween myself off of the sugar and milk, and now enjoy it completely black. 2. The salads you're choosing Salad is a great choice if you're watching your weight. But you still have to read between the lines. Most salads that come with breaded chicken cutlet, loads of cheese, croutons, even creamy dressings are a big NO. You're eating a salad to avoid those extra calories and fill up on nutrition, but if you don't pay attention to what you order, you may not get that. Stick with salads filled with lots of vegetables, grilled meats and lighter dressings like balsamic. 3. You're hydrating with the wrong drinks Staying hydrated is so important. But if you're not hydrating with water, you may not be realizing how many extra calories you're consuming. All of those "sports" drinks are delicious and may offer great things in them like amino acids or probiotics, even protein, but there's a lot of other stuff in there too. Read the label first to see if it correlates with what you want. 4. You're not eating enough Losing weight doesn't mean you have to eat less, in fact I typically eat more when I'm more weight conscious. If you find that you've cut back on eating but you're not losing weight this my be the reason. When you don't give your body enough fuel, it can go into starvation mode and hold onto fat to protect your organs. This is something we definitely don't want and can easily be fixed by making sure you're eating numerous times a day. 5. Swapping items that still aren't healthy I love finding "healthier" versions of my favorite foods. Whether it be a recipe or a brand that makes that item healthier, it's great to still be able to have your favorites and not feel as guilty. But be aware of these swaps! Great example is the new cauliflower pizza on the market. The crust is made out of cauliflower instead of dough, except if you read the label you'll see it's only 1/3 cauliflower and the rest is, well to be honest who knows. At that rate, you might as well just eat your favorite pizza! Sometimes swaps doesn't necessarily mean healthier, but swapping out one item like gluten for sugar, as an example. 6. You're not getting enough sleep I struggle with getting a solid 8 hours of sleep, but it makes a huge difference when I put in the effort to get to bed early. Your body needs to rest just as much as it needs to exercise and be fed with the right foods. When you don't get enough sleep you're more likely to be irritable, go for the wrong foods and skip the gym because you're low on energy. 7. You're eating out too much Having someone else cook for you is the best. So is eating out to eat because there are so many options. But even in some of the healthiest choices, there can be hidden calories that you don't realize. Although you may eat grilled chicken with sautéed vegetables at home, chances are when eating that at a restaurant it can be loaded with butter, oil, and salt. Try to limit your meals that you go out for, or take out. 8. Alcohol has calories too We all like to pretend that liquid calories don't count. But oh do they. If you are drinking try to gravitate towards more low calorie drinks like your favorite liquor + seltzer/soda water. If you don't drink liquor try a light beer. But calories are calories. After a few drinks you could have consumed the same amount as an entire meal. 9. You're depriving yourself No one likes being told no. And that includes your mind. When we tell ourselves we are on a diet and can't have our favorites, we want it that much more. It's okay to have a cheat meal, or day and it's okay to splurge. Depriving yourself will only make you want it that much more and could cause binge eating that is worse then just allowing yourself the craving. 10. Change your mindset Maybe you're doing everything correctly but it's just not happening. Have you thought about changing the way you think? It might sound silly, but the way you think makes a big difference. If you are telling yourself constant negative thoughts, don't be surprised if nothing is changing. You have to be your biggest supporter and understand that all good things take time. Have patience and respect for yourself, and trust the process that you are on to make yourself a better person! Really, what's more convenient then take out? Someone else make the food for you, can even bring it to you and all you have to do is pay? Sign me up! But sometimes, take out means high calories, lots of junk and even expensive. Let's save those calories and dollars, for our cheat meal. Here's my version of Chinese take out; chicken and mixed vegetables edition. Ingredients: 1 zuccihini 1 orange bell pepper 1 white onion 1 tbsp of garlic 1 carrot Sliced mushrooms 3 stalks of celery 1 cup of broccoli 4 chicken cutlets (or breasts) 1 bag of brown rice Sesame oil Oyster sauce Low sodium soy sauce Black pepper Garlic powder Directions: Slice up all your vegetables and toss in a skillet. Add chicken, seasoning, and sauces. Once cooked, ready to serve! Disclaimer: I don't measure my sauces that I use. I go purely by taste! I love salt but too much of it can ruin the dish, so I do small dashes of each until it tastes just right to me.
 I'm all about the easy recipe. Whatever I can make that's quick, healthy and I can eat asap is my favorite kinds of foods. I have mastered the art of cooking and eating in under 20 minutes, because who wants to wait for food? Not me! But also you don't want something unhealthy and not nutrient packed. I love fish and it's one of the easiest proteins to make because it cooks so quickly. This recipe is literally, 3 steps. Wash, season and cook. Ahi tuna is so delicious, takes minutes to make and can go nicely with vegetables. I chose to keep it super simple and season it with 2 things black pepper and sesame seeds. You can get as creative as you'd like or keep it as simple as you want. Directions: Wash the tuna, then season with sesame seeds and black pepper. In a frying pan, heat with olive oil. Cook tuna on each side for about 2 minutes then flip. After 5 minutes, it's ready to serve!
Yes, I admit it some days I don't actually want to eat healthy! Some days all I crave are things that will only momentarily satisfy me, that typically results in a bad stomach ache. Tonight, I really wanted one of my favorite dishes my grandma used to make me. Fettuccini Alfredo. After realizing that I could probably never make it as good as she would, I still wanted a version of it to fulfill the craving. In comes my healthy pasta primavera. The most "unhealthy" part of this dish is the Alfredo sauce, but I'm okay with that. It could be way worse and like I said, it's scratching that itch. Ingredients Prego Light homestyle Alfredo sauce Banza chickpea spaghetti 1/2 white onion 1/2 yellow zucchini 1 cup of broccoli 1 cup of chopped kale 1 cup of mushrooms 8 pieces of shrimp Olive oil / Pepper / Garlic Directions Slice up your vegetables, toss them in a frying pan with garlic, olive oil and pepper. Add shrimp when vegetables are almost done. Simultaneously boil water to cook your pasta. Once both pasta and vegetables are done, combine in pan and add Alfredo sauce. Mix together and serve! Notes This meal is so easy to make, prep time/cook time/clean up time, if you are swift like me can be under 30 minutes. I like to clean while I cook so I can enjoy my food and not have to clean after! But regardless, this is such an easy recipe for a quick meal, family dinner or even a meal prep. There are tons of variations you can do like different sauce, if you are avoiding dairy maybe a garlic and oil. You can try different pastas depending on your needs like gluten free, whole wheat, etc. Even change up the vegetables. I used the vegetables I had at home, which made it that much more convenient but really any kind works!
One of my absolute favorites! It reminds me a little bit of summer, but the warmth of winter. Anything stuffed mushrooms, is a must for me. It's low in calories, low in carbs, can be keto friendly, gluten free and dairy free, all depending on preference. Check out my recipe below! Crab stuffed portobello mushrooms  |
