I’ve been absent from the blog since last week because, honestly, I haven’t been doing a whole lot of cooking. Not from scratch, anyway. I’ve been feeling pretty burnt out lately between commitments at work and at home, so I decided to give Hello Fresh a try. The meal service delivers ingredients for three meals to your door in a refrigerated box. Hello Fresh offers classic, vegetarian and family boxes. The classic and vegetarian meals serve two and come with step-by-step instructions on how to prepare them. As much as I love cooking, it’s nice not to have to think about what to cook sometimes. I figured it was worth trying at least once.

Because I love to cook, my expectations were pretty high. And, I was pleasantly surprised by Hello Fresh. We had the sugar-sweet pork chops, steak with creamed kale and peppercorn sauce and Dukkah chicken in our box. James about every single dish. Here’s what I thought of the service.

Pros

• No shopping list. Because the meals are planned out for you, you don’t have to worry about going to the grocery store for anything other than basics for breakfast and lunch. This makes life so much easier.
• Hearty portions. I ordered the box that serves two people per meal, but the portions were so large that we often had at least a small amount of leftovers.
• Balanced meals. This is such a big plus to me, because it can be hard to get a well-rounded meal on the table during hectic weeks. Each meal features a main dish (meat or fish if you get the classic box), a healthy grain or starch as a side, as well as a large serving of veggies.
• Variety. This is another huge selling point for me. When I’m low on energy, I tend to cook the same few meals over and over again. I love that Hello Fresh got us to try new meals.
• Recipe cards. I kept the recipe cards for every meal we tried because I would happily make them all again. The recipes were easy to follow and all came together within about 30 minutes.
• Little food waste. It seems every week I’m throwing some veggies away, which I feel so much guilt over. It’s just hard to get through everything between just the two of us each week. Hello Fresh eliminated that problem because the box we ordered was designed for two people.

Cons

• Cost. I used a promo code to get $20 off my first box, but a shipment is usually closer to $60. While that’s less than we spend on groceries, it’s also less food than we would normally buy to get through the week. Once we bought food for breakfast and lunch, the cost was similar to what we would spend for groceries on a normal week. It wasn’t more expensive, but we didn’t save any money.
• Small number of servings. When I cook meals for the two of us, we often have enough leftovers to take for lunches all week. You can order the family box to get more servings, which is something I might consider in the future.
• Hard to find ingredients. While it’s great to be exposed to new flavors, I’ve already had problems finding at least one of the spices used in the box we received when I went to recreate a recipe.

Overall I was really pleased with Hello Fresh and definitely plan on ordering another box. It’s not something I will do every week, but I can see us ordering from the service once every other month or so. It’s a great way to get out of a cooking rut, and I think it’s perfect for people who don’t have much experience in the kitchen.

Have you tried any meal delivery services before? What did you think?

The post My Experience With Hello Fresh appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.

This week, I’m determined to turn that around and make myself a priority. Because my work schedule is often unpredictable, I have to plan ahead in order to stick to any sort of routine. I’ve marked all of my workouts on my calendar, right alongside all my work meetings. I also made a giant grocery list yesterday and planned out five meals I’ll make for dinner this week. Because it’s just the two of us, we always have plenty of leftovers to take for lunches.

I got started yesterday  by making a batch of Italian sausage spaghetti sauce and this life-changing Chimichurri Roasted Chicken from Love and Olive Oil. Here’s what else I’m putting on the table this week:

Monday: Tacos (using leftover roasted chicken)
Tuesday: Speedy Shepherd’s Pie
Wednesday: Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja 
Thursday: Mini Turkey Meatloaves
Friday: Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I’m prepping all of the meals the night before by chopping any ingredients and mixing any sauces I can ahead of time. Hopefully it will make life easier and help me feel like myself again. Here’s to a great week ahead!

The post On The Table appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.

Remember when I decided to commit to Whole30? I only lasted four days.

It certainly wasn’t for lack of trying — I was excited and invigorated by the challenge and meal prepped my heart out ahead of time. I was having a blast trying out new meals that were Whole30 compliant.  I felt completely prepared. But, even the best laid plans don’t always work out. Especially when you’re a reporter.

On two of the days I was following Whole30, I found myself driving more than two hours away and back for stories. That’s how I typically spend about half of my work week — on the road and out in the field. Because my lunches have been protein-heavy on Whole30, they usually have to be refrigerated. That meant I left my food behind at the office and found myself on the road with few options to choose from when it came to eating on the go. Compliant jerky and deli meat are hard to come by, especially in rural Indiana towns. I found myself eating nothing but cashews and fruit on those long days. By the time I got back to the office I felt miserable, dizzy and completely zapped of energy.

I went to the Whole30 forum for help, asking for on-the-go meal ideas. I did get some good suggestions — take hard-boiled eggs, canned meats, and jerky. But, that didn’t sound sustainable to me, even for just 30 days. I typically don’t know what my work day will look like for 3 out of 5 days of the week. Somedays I get done with work at 5, somedays it’s at 8. I try to plan as best I can, but it becomes difficult to do when there are few meal options that can make it through the day without being refrigerated. Somedays that means reaching for an almond butter sandwich or a Jimmy John’s lettuce wrap instead of starving myself.

That’s why I’ve decided not to continue Whole30. James is so, so happy after seeing how zombie-like I was during the four days I lasted.

I have, however, learned some very important lessons from my short stint with the program that I’m trying to keep in mind and incorporate with my daily eating habits.

Sugar is in everything.

I’ve always been a label-reader when buying food, but sugar wasn’t always something I paid super close attention to. Now, I do. And, I’m appalled by how many products it’s added to. Why does chicken sausage require cane juice? Some frozen veggies and fruits have added sugar. And, just about any cereal you can think of is packed with at least 8 grams of the addictive stuff. This revelation has completely changed the way I grocery shop.

I eat way too many grains.

I had no idea how large of a percentage of my diet was made up of grains until I gave them up. Turns out I was eating them as part of every meal, everyday. That’s a problem. I’m trying to swap grains out for hearty salads or baked potatoes at meals to reduce my consumption. It hasn’t been too hard — my goal has been no more than two servings of grains per day.

You don’t always need that drink.

Some people say not drinking is the hardest part of Whole30, but I actually found that to be the easiest part of my diet to eliminate. While I love good beer and wine, it’s never something I couldn’t live without. I tend to reach for a drink mainly in social settings. The program was a good reminder that going out for drinks isn’t about the drinks themselves — it’s about the people you’re with.

I have a co-worker who is now on day six of Whole30., so I may ask her to do a guest post if you’re interested in hearing about her experience. Have you tried Whole30? How did it feel?

The post Why Whole 30 Isn’t For Me appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.

Today marks day one of Whole30 for me. If you’re not familiar with the program, it involves eliminating problematic foods from your diet in order to “reset” your body. It’s not supposed to be a diet, but a life-changing experience that changes people’s relationships with food. You spend 30 days eating foods that fit within the parameters of the program. No measuring, no calorie counting. Just eating fresh, whole foods.

It sounds easy, right? Until you realize that sugar is in everything and many of the convenience foods we all reach for aren’t allowed. Then, making such drastic changes can seem overwhelming. But, this line from the Whole30 website really stuck with me:

“Don’t you dare tell us this is hard. Beating cancer is hard. Birthing a baby is hard. Losing a parent is hard. Drinking your coffee black. Is. Not. Hard. You’ve done harder things than this, and you have no excuse not to complete the program as written. It’s only thirty days, and it’s for the most important health cause on earth – the only physical body you will ever have in this lifetime.”

I can be extremely stubborn, so sometimes it takes tough love to get through to me. Those lines helped replace my fear with determination. I can totally do this. Thousands of other people have. They don’t have less busy schedules. They don’t have personal chefs. They don’t have it any easier. You can do just about anything for a period of only 30 days.

So I woke up this morning and choked down as much plain, black coffee as I could stomach (about two sips) and made a conscious decision to embark on what will hopefully be a life-changing month. Why am I doing Whole30? I just haven’t felt like myself lately — extremely tired, unmotivated, sluggish. And, I know a lot of that has to do with the crap I’ve been putting into my body. It’s time to change my relationship with food and start making my health a priority.

Do I hope to lose weight during the program? Sure, but that’s not the ultimate goal. I just want to start feeling healthy again.

Over the next 30 days I’ll share any recipes or strategies that I find helpful. But, I’ll try to limit my Whole30 check-ins to once a week so that’s not all you’re reading about.

To prepare for the program, I did some meal prep on Sunday night to make sure I had meals and snacks ready to go. Here are some of the foods I’ve been eating on day one:

I accidentally overslept and only had time to grab a bowl full of cherries for breakfast this morning. That meant I was starving by about 11 a.m. and broke into my lunch of spaghetti squash with meat sauce (ground beef, crushed tomatoes, fresh basil, fennel seeds, sweet peppers). I forgot how amazing spaghetti squash is. It was delicious!
Snacks have consisted of a whole lot of fruit. Luckily, we had a ton of fruit leftover from a Fourth of July party we hosted over the weekend. Having it already chopped and ready to eat makes such a difference!

Dinner turned out even better than I hoped. This is a dish I would eat even if I wasn’t doing Whole30. I marinated some thinly-sliced chicken breasts in coconut milk, curry powder, chipotle chile powder, fresh basil and salt. Popped the chicken on the grill and then roasted some sweet potatoes and sweet peppers with a little olive oil to serve alongside. The meal was completely satisfying and one I’m sure I’ll be making again sometime soon. James was happy with it, too!

Have you tried Whole30? What are your favorite recipes and tips?

The post Embarking On Whole30 appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.

Tomorrow is Cinco de Drinko Mayo. What better way to celebrate than with some festive food and drinks?

Here’s the thing — I love Mexican food. I would probably eat it for every meal, if I could. But, many of the dishes you’ll find on restaurant menus are covered in fat-laden cheese, deep fried in oil and void of veggies. Top it all off with a sugary, high-calorie margarita and you’ll easily consume more than your recommended daily allowance of calories in one sitting.

So, I’ve rounded up a few of my favorite lightened-up Cinco de Mayo recipes so you can celebrate the holiday without the guilt. After all, it’s swimsuit season.

Cheers!

Appetizers

• Pioneer Woman’s Restaurant Style Salsa
• Cooking Light’s Easy Guacamole
• Skinnytaste Skinny Taco Dip
• Weight Watchers Black Bean Dip

Drinks

• Eating Bird Food’s Skinny Paloma
• Love and Zest Skinny Pina Colada
• Cooking Light’s Sparkling Sangria

Main Dishes

• Slow-Cooker Pork Carnitas
• How Sweet It Is Lightened Up Beef Enchiladas With 10-minute Enchilada Sauce
• Skinnytaste Crockpot Sante Fe Chicken
• Eat Live Run Turkey Taco Casserole
• Joy The Baker Charred Mexican Zucchini
• Creme de la Crumb Santa Monica Street Tacos 

The post Lightened Up Cinco De Mayo Recipe Roundup appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.