2.5 Step Sometimes Healthy Comfort Food

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Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean a girl can’t enjoy some of her favorite comfort foods. Does my stress level decrease just because it’s summer? No! Therefore, this Sometimes Healthy Girl declares the right to indulge in comfort foods, even during the hot dog days of summer.

But as delicious as comfort foods are, there are two problems with most of these goodies:

  • They are generally extremely UNhealthy
  • They usually take a lot of time to make

If Paula Deen has taught us anything it would be that comfort foods generally imply no less than 5 sticks of butter and at the same time, the recipes are much more intricate than simply plopping said butter into a pan, piling on some cream and cheese and throwing it on a plate.

Never fear, Sometimes Healthy Girl is here. Sorry Paula – love your personality, love your recipes and love you. But eating/preparing your food would not help decrease my stress level.

2.5 Step Healthified Comfort Food Continue Reading →

Posted in: Recipes

Mini Me Invades My Kitchen

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Mini Me, You Complete Me

It’s a rainy Sunday here in NYC, and I’m not complaining. Sometimes I love rainy days because I feel less guilty for succumbing to the Couch Monster and watching reality tv and Food Network, while catching up on blogs. Plus I had some leftovers to chow down on from yesterday’s “mini me” kitchen invasion….

Fun with Muffin Pans!

Ever since I saw Holly’s post about Mini Pancake Muffins, I just couldn’t get them off my mind. Considering how much I love egg muffins, I just knew these adorable little things were right up my alley. So I figured, I might as well just make them both: a little Mini Me Extravaganza in the Sometimes Healthy Kitchen. (Some magazines call Egg Muffins “mini omelets,” so that’s why I figured Mini Me was appropriate for this post. Couldn’t pass up the opportunity to headline a post with Mini Me.)

Continue Reading →

Posted in: Breakfast, Recipes \ Tagged: ,

Girl vs. Spaghetti Squash – Round 2: Nach-yo Typical Spag Squash

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Sunday Grocery Run: Notice the spaghetti squash trying to hide from me!

This past Sunday, I was a very ambitious little Sometimes Healthy girl. I planned out ALL of my meals for the week and set a budget for grocery shopping that would hopefully ensure I stayed on track for the Budget Diet all week. If you think that I stuck to the plan, then you clearly don’t me that well yet. Don’t worry – you’ll figure it our soon enough. Anyway, I’ll recap my meal prep and shopping spree in a later post about lessons learned on the budget diet thus far. But for now, let’s talk spaghetti squash! I bought it along with my other groceries on Sunday and couldn’t wait to get a little creative with my fave yellow vegetable that looks like a volleyball. As you recall, I had always been very intimidated by the spag squash, but a few weeks ago (girl vs. spaghetti squash round 1) I finally gave it a shot. And it was mmm mmm good.

This time around, the squash was HUGE. I had to attack it with the knife, to ensure it had lots of room to breathe while cooking in the microwave. Continue Reading →

Posted in: Quick Dinners, Recipes \ Tagged: , ,

The Budget Diet Kitchen Raid: Snooki Inspired, Sometimes Healthy Approved

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Grocery shopping is my hobby

Usually on Monday, I catch up on all my blog reading and, gathering inspiration from all of you amazing writers/kitchen connoisseurs, I head to the grocery store after my little weight lifting session at the gym. This is generally the second time I’ve gone to the grocery store in 24 hours, and I will probably spend twice as much, if not three times what I intend to spend. It’s not that I have no concept of money, it’s just that I’m “easily inspired.” I’ll see a deal on a product I wouldn’t normally buy, and I’ll buy it anyway, just for the deal and the promise of a brilliant recipe. Thus, I’ve had 3 cans of Tomato Juice sitting in my fridge since the day I moved into this grand apartment.

2 is good, 4 is better butta

Or I’ll spot a deal on something I already have at home, but for some reason I’ll feel I can never have enough. Thus, I usually have 2 bottles of butter spray in my fridge at a all times (hey, 2 for $4 that’s a bargain!).

Alas, all that has changed with my  Budget Diet challenge a mere 6 hours ago. I could not in good conscience stop at the grocery store knowing my pantry and fridge were full of items that would soon cross the expiration date of no return.

Because I was extremely hungry and hadn’t prepared a lunch or snacks (I didn’t decide upon my Budget Diet challenge until after I left my apt this morning), I decided to complete my weights workout at home, so that I could eat something without dropping some extra benjamins. On the plus side, this meant I made it home before sunset. This never happens to me!

Home before sunset - this is my street in NYC

Or wait a second…are the days just getting longer?? Whatever, it looked beautiful outside

The First and Last time Snookers Inspires Dinner Continue Reading →

Posted in: Budget Diet, Quick Dinners, Recipes

Food Prep for the Royal Wedding…Viewing Party

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A SOMETIMES HEALTHY TEA PARTY WOULD NOT BE NEARLY THIS PERFECT! 😉

As I mentioned in my previous post, my office is having a “holiday” for the Royal Wedding tomorrow. While we don’t have the day off (like those in Britain), we’ll be celebrating the epic event in several ways throughout the day culminating in a viewing party of the highlights at 4 PM. We’ll be wearing crazy hats, playing royal wedding trivia, pouring royal drinks and of course eating British grub. And, not surprisingly, I was the logical option to prep these delectable goodies. The problem is, I tend to go overboard when it comes to food…

Since I left work tonight, I’ve been prepping for the big event tomorrow. Yes, I take my duties as the Royal Wedding Viewing Party Food Provider mucho seriously. No scone will go unturned in my quest to provide (sort of) authentic, Sometimes Healthy, yet enjoyable food.

Here’s what I’ve gotten so far (I’m hoping it will all come together tomorrow…) Continue Reading →

Posted in: Recipes, Uncategorized \ Tagged: , , ,

Grill It! With Sometimes Healthy Girl

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Summer Summer Summertime,

Time to sit back and unwind…. (CLICK HERE to play this song)

Forget Bobby Flay - You've Got ME!

This “classic” song has been playing in my head lately…Okay, I suppose it’s not yet summer or even close to it for that matter. BUT, two days of close to 80 degrees temp in NYC, combined with a weekend in Texas, had me feeling that summertime vibe. And then I started thinking about grilling.

Then I remembered that I live in NYC, not Omaha, and I cannot just throw a burger on the grill whenever my heart desires. Oh, and the fact that this Sometimes Healthy Girl couldn’t cook a good burger to save her life (or any other slab of meat for that matter). So what’s a girl to do when she’s lacking a grill AND grill skill. Well, she breaks out the Foreman Grill and goes to town… Continue Reading →

Posted in: Quick Dinners, Recipes \ Tagged: , , , ,

Around the World in 20 Eggs! Breakfast for Dinna

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Do you ever read something in a magazine while you’re working out, remind yourself to remember it and completely forget it the minute you walk out of the gym? When I saw these beauties in this month’s SELF mag, I just HAD to make them….

Straight from the magazine pages. The printed word lives on! 🙂

Then I forgot….

Then these oh so trendy Egg Muffins popped up again on Lisa and Jamie‘s blog…and I knew it was meant to be. So I went out and bought a random mix of ingredients to make my egg sensations…because I have no idea how to focus on a list in grocery stores…

How could anyone possibly make all of these ingredients work together?

Then I had a busy Sunday which left me with no time to devote to cooking, cleaning or even writing (almost). I intended to make the Egg Muffins on Monday but alas, I was too tired, and as you know, resorted back to the Kitchen Sink Salad.

FINALLY, today, inspiration came to me around 5:30 right before I left work. Not only would I make my Egg Muffins, but I’d make a variety of them, each dedicated to different countries! Continue Reading →

Posted in: Breakfast, Quick Dinners, Recipes, Wacky Food Combos \ Tagged: , ,

A Pop-Tart Kind of Day!

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Which one of these little UNhealthy treats did this Sometimes Healthy Girl enjoy today?

A. Strawberry Pop-Tarts

And Im transported back to elementary school...

B. Pretzels and Cream Cheese

Howd that sign get there?

C. Whipped Cream…out of the can?

uh oh...this picture looks suspect...

If you guessed all of the above…you are correct. As a prize, I’ll ship you a month’s supply of pretzels, cream cheese and Reddi Whip (this is clearly a joke but if any of you are interested in this “prize” whatsoever then you should continue to read my blog because clearly we are soulmates). Continue Reading →

Posted in: Breakfast, Eating, Quick Dinners, Recipes \ Tagged: , , ,

Sleeping in With Cinnamon Rolls

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I can do better than that, Mr. Quaker!

Last night, I couldn’t sleep SO I decided to sleep in, skip the morning workout and make a tasty breakfast instead. I have been craving cinnamon rolls ever since I took the train to the National Marathon and walked past the tempting Cinnabon store in Penn Station. The smell alone is enough to make a girl swoon! Perhaps I could have justified purchasing one after I returned from DC. After all, I had just run 26.2 miles! BUT, I think it is a bad idea to reward myself with food all the time: I eat to run. I don’t run to eat (Again, don’t always follow this logic but I try…)

So, today, instead of having UNhealthy cinnamon rolls for breakfast. I satisfied my cravings with Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal. I knew that boxed oatmeal just wouldn’t do the trick. I picked up the recipe from LiveStrong, but made a few substitutions and swirled in a little “healthy” cream cheese icing: Continue Reading →

Posted in: Breakfast, Recipes \ Tagged: , ,

Kitchen Sink Salad- Thanksgiving Style

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Wish I had time to make this...but I'll settle for the Kitchen Sink Salad version 😉

Nope, it’s not a typo, you read it right. Tonight I was craving another Kitchen Sink Salad, but with a Thanksgiving twist. I don’t know what it is about Mondays and giant salads, but this appears to be a consistent pattern for me. I think there are 2 reasons for this: a) I’m usually tired on Mondays and b) I crave something healthy after a weekend of Sometimes Healthy or just plain UNhealthy meals.

True, an Easter Egg Salad might have been more appropriate (still coming), but hey, if you can have Christmas in July, why not Thanksgiving in April? I got my “inspiration” for this salad back when I worked in Chicago and and enjoyed the perks of a giant salad bar in the building next door. I developed all sorts of creations in this salad mecca, and every now and then I recreate them. Continue Reading →

Posted in: Quick Dinners, Recipes, Wacky Food Combos \ Tagged: , , , , ,