dinner.. party of one!

Because I live by myself now, cooking dinner has been tough. Cooking for one person is a definite challenge, especially when you are not a huge fan of leftovers (not to mention a lot of dinner foods to me are not very good on the 2nd day.. except pasta). 

Being a healthy eater, I also love food that is packed high with flavor. Nutritious foods can often times be super bland. So, with the help of Her Campus, I leave you with these 5 recipes-for-one ... high in bold tastes and low in fat and calories.

Spicy-Sweet Buffalo Chicken Breast Sandwich:

A healthy, tangy triumph over any chain’s calorie-laden Buffalo bomb.

Ingredients

• 1 thawed chicken breast
• 1 wheat hamburger bun
• 2 Tbsps. Teriyaki Sauce
• 4 Tbsps. Hot Wing Sauce
• 1 tsp. of garlic powder
• optional: lettuce, tomato, onion, 1 oz. bleu cheese

Directions

1. Place chicken breast on aluminum foil in glass oven safe dish and sprinkle with garlic powder.
2. Mix together the Teriyaki and wing sauce.
3. Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Light French Toast:

Breakfast-for-supper is the perfect midweek pleasure.

Ingredients

• 2 slices whole wheat bread
• 1/4 cup skim or 1% milk
• 1/2 cup Egg Beaters
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. Splenda
• 1 cup strawberries, blueberries, or other fresh fruit
• optional: dusting of powdered sugar, reduced sugar syrup

Directions

1. Mix together all ingredients in a bowl, except bread. Dip each slice of bread on each side into mixture.
2. Coat pan with non-stick spray & turn stove on med/low heat.
3. Place bread in pan for 3-4 minutes on each side.
4. Garnish with fresh fruit.

Spinach Feta Personal Pizza:

This personal pizza is a celebration of cheeses that only taste dangerously decadent.

Ingredients

• 1 La Tortilla Factory wheat tortilla
• 2 Tbsps. pizza sauce
• 10 spinach leaves, fresh
• 1 sliced Roma tomato
• 1 Tbsp. feta cheese
• 2 Tbsps. low fat mozzarella cheese
• optional: 1 slice chopped Canadian bacon, mushrooms, onions, bell peppers

Directions

1. Turn on oven broiler.
2. Spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray and place tortilla on sheet.
3. Toast tortilla lightly on both sides under broiler, approximately 5 minutes.
4. Top tortilla with pizza sauce, spinach leaves, and tomato slices.
5. Sprinkle on feta cheese and mozzarella cheese.
6. Add any optional ingredients and place under broiler until cheese melts.

Spicy BBQ Turkey Burger:

End your week with a restaurant-worthy, big, juicy burger. And no regrets.

Ingredients

• 5 oz. ground turkey
• 1 wheat hamburger bun
• 1/4 medium shallot, minced (about 1 1/2 Tbsp.)
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• Pinch of garlic powder
• Pinch of pepper
• 1 tsp. Hellman’s Light Mayonnaise
• 1/4 tsp. Hot Sauce
• 1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce or your favorite barbeque sauce
• optional: sliced pickles, tomato, onions

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients into ground turkey with your hands and form a patty.
2. Spray skillet/grill pan on stovetop with cooking spray and heat to medium.
3. Cook burgers for 7 1/2 minutes on each side.
4. Assemble burger on bun and add condiments.

Chile Lime Chicken Taco Salad:

Savory lime-marinated chicken sings in a mouthful alongside crisp Romaine, creamy avocado, and crunchy tortilla strips.

Ingredients

• 3 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1 Tbsp. Stubb's Chile Lime seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• Dash of Adobo seasoning
• 1 1/2 cup Romaine lettuce
• 1/2 cup spinach
• 1/3 cup canned black beans (drained, rinsed)
• 3 Tbsps. salsa
• 2 Tbsps. fat free sour cream
• 1/4 avocado (sliced)
• 1 oz. Tostitos light tortilla chips

Directions

1. Drizzle 2 ounces of olive oil equally in a pan.
2. Cut up chicken into chunks and cook over medium heat until slightly browned.
3. Add lime juice and spices and continue cooking chicken until done.
4. Toss romaine and spinach in a big bowl.
5. Add chicken chunks, black beans, salsa, sour cream, and avocado cut into slices.
6. Sprinkle with crushed tortilla chips.

five things friday

Now that I have recovered from my "Sasquatch high" .. 5 things that are currently making me happy this week are:

{Terrible Buttons are back from their Pacific Northwest tour and I cannot wait to see them tonight! Possibly one of the greatest things Spokane has to offer.. great folk music}

{Elk Fest music festival this weekend! Fri-Sun ... Browne's Addition in Spokane}

{Picnik.. I forgot how much fun it was to edit pictures}

{Sasquatch has rekindled my love for Beach House.. this photo captured at Sasquatch this past weekend}

{Greatest news ever... I will see my girl Laynie sooner than I thought.. mid-June.. weee! This photo was proudly taken at our "Vagina Monologue" protest}

DIY Wednesday: Cut-Off Denim Shorts

With skinny jeans becoming the "it" jean and flare/boot-cut jeans going of style, I am left with many pairs of designer denim that I spent loads of money on, only to sit and collect dust in my closet. With warm weather rolling in (anytime now Spokane), I thought to myself, I need to buy shorts! Don't get me wrong, I love having long legs, but finding shorts where my ass isn't falling out of them is tough. My thighs are so damn long. So, with inspiration from many fashion blogs and editorials I decided today's "Do It Yourself" would be denim cut-offs. Yay... a tutorial that helps you save money! I have provided you with 2 tutorials: (1) for shorts to be worn just at your hips and (2) for shorts to be worn high-waisted. 


Now, I have feared ruining jeans over a tutorial like this. Making the cuts too short. Making the cuts uneven. Blah blah blah. BUT, I have developed the courage and thanks to Her Campus - UC Davis I believe I have found a fool-proof way to create this Summer's trend.


1st tutorial: Regular cut-off shorts

1. Find yourself a pair of pants you’re okay with cutting. Realize, scissors have no undo button and any change you make will be permanent, sewing will not fix anything.


2. Decide what length shorts you would like to cut. If you have a pair of shorts whose length you would like to emulate, put them on first and hold one arm flat against the side of your leg, marking where on your arm the shorts end.


3. Next, if you have model shorts, lay them over the jeans and mark on the jeans where the shorts end. If you want to have a cuff on your new shorts, mark about an extra inch down for a thick cuff and half and inch for a smaller one.


4. Use a ruler to draw a straight line across each pant leg based on your previous marking to guide your cutting. Don’t worry too much about being exact, but keep it close, when one short leg is shorter than the other, it tends to ride up extra quickly.


5. Whip out your scissors and cut across the line you have drawn. Cut carefully to avoid jagged "I-obviously-did-this-myself" edges by keeping the bottom blade of the scissors on the table. If you want some fraying, pull at the edges after you cut to free some of the edge fibers. Fraying will also increase with wash and wear. You can fray the fibers with the edges of a steak knife.


6. If you opted for a cuff, fold your allotted extra material up and iron to keep in place. To avoid having to re-cuff before each wear, try sewing a small seam up the inner and outer sides of your cuff to secure in place.


Now, for the 2nd tutorial: high-waisted denim cut-off shorts

Courtsey of Vanessa Hong from The Haute Pursuit

tunesday tuesday! (sasquatch style)

I know you are all probably sick and tired of hearing about my Sasquatch shenanigans, but I can't help how much I loved it! Here are some of the songs that were featured at Sasquatch:

Beach House - Norway

Bass Nectar - Lights

The Glitch Mob - Drive It Like You Stole It

Ratatat - Drugs

MSTRKRFT - Heart Breaker

Gold Panda - You

Sleigh Bells - Infinite Guitars

Local Natives - Wide Eyes