*Fun fact time*
You didn't come here for a history lesson, but you're gonna learn today! 

Bento boxes have been around since the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) and were derived from farmers' seed boxes. 
They were popular because they were convenient and portable - which is still very much the case today. 

Below you will see 8 options for low calorie "bento" boxed lunches which require very little effort, which is how I roll. 

I hope you enjoy!


​

Box 1
​

​



Box 2
​

​


Box 3
​

​
​


Box 4
​

​



Box 7
​

​

​

Box 8

Please comment below with your favorite low calorie snack/lunch ideas! 

We all have those days when we didn't make lunch or don't feel like cooking and swinging through a drive thru is inevitable. 

This post is to give you insight into choosing which low calorie option is right for you. 

The foods will be broken down by:
Calorie Count
Total Fat Grams
Protein Grams

These are the fast food restaurants that I see or visit most often. Be sure to list other fast food places you would like to see in this post in the comments below!

Let's get into it. First:

​

Arby's 

1. All of the Arby sliders are 300 calories or less. First, we will start with the least at 180 calories: The turkey slider. This contains 5g of fat and 13g of protein.
2. The ham slider is 200 calories, 7g of fat, and 13g of protein. 
3. Roast beef slider is 210 calories, 9g of fat, and 12g of protein and the jalapeno roast beef slider is the same, only 10 calories more.
4. The chicken slider is 270 calories, 11g of fat, and 13g of protein.
5. Pizza slider is 280 calories, 16g of fat, and 12g of protein. 
6. The last slider is the buffalo chicken slider at 300 calories, 14g of fat, and 12g of protein. 
7. A 5 count of the jalapeno bites is 290 calories, 17g of fat, and 5g of protein
8. Lastly, a snack size portion of fries (not a small size, which is 410 calories) is 250 calories, 13g of fat, and 3g of protein.

​

​

1. Only two items on their breakfast menu came back under 300 calories; a small hash brown which is 252 calories, 16g of fat, and 2g of protein as well as their 3 pack of French toast sticks at 227 calories, 11g of fat, and 3g of protein. 
2. Their hamburger is 242 calories, 10g of fat, and 13g of protein
3. The cheeseburger is 283 calories, 13g of fat, and 15g of protein.
4. A 4 piece chicken nugget order is 224 calories, 11g of fat, and 8g of protein
5. I was not aware of the fact that BK has mozzarella sticks! You can get their 4 piece for 287 calories, 15g of fat, and 11.5g of protein. 
6. Equally unaware: They have jalapeno cheddar bites?? What! A 4 piece is 184 calories, 8.5g of fat, and 4.5g of protein.
7. Their soft serve cone is only 140 calories, 4g of fat and 3g of protein and their hot fudge sundae is 268 calories, 7g of fat, and 6g of protein.

​

​
Chick-fil-A

One of my favorite places, until all the ones near us got rid of their grilled chicken options! 
​

1. A KFC Original drumstick is 130 calories, 8g of fat, and 12g of protein and a wing is the same, minus 2g of protein. 
   
2. The Extra Crispy drumstick and wings are 190 calories, 13g of fat, and 10g of protein. 
   
3. Everything on the Kentucky Grilled menu is under 200 calories; The breast is 210 calories, 7g of fat, and a whopping 38g of protein. The thighs are 150 calories, 9g of fat, and 17g of protein. The drumsticks and wings are 80 calories, 4/3g of fat, and 11/9g of protein. 
   
4. Kid sized popcorn chicken is 290 calories, 19g of fat, and 13g of protein. 
   
5. A Nashville Hot Extra Crispy drumstick is 250 calories, 21g of protein, and 11g of fat. The wings are 290 calories, 25g of fat, and 10g of protein. 
   
6. The sides at KFC are my favorite. That's typically my entire order. Baked beans are 190 calories, 1g of fat, and 11g of protein. 
   
7. A biscuit is 1801 calories, 8g of fat, and 4g of protein.
   
8. Coleslaw is 170 calories, 12g of fat, and 1g of protein. 
   
9. One corn on the cob piece is 70 calories, 0.5g of fat, and 2g of protein.
   
10. Green beans (which are SO good) are 25 calories, 0g of fat, and 1g of protein.
    
11. The mac n cheese (also SO good) is 140 calories, 6g of fat, and 5g of protein.
    
12. Plain mashed potatoes are 110 calories, 3.5g of fat, and 2g of protein. With gravy it’s 20 calories more, 1g of fat higher, and 1 additional gram of protein.
    
13. All of the above are the individual size side portions. You can eat an entire family size portion of green beans for 80 calories, 0g of fat, and 4g of protein. 
    
14. One Chicken Little is 300 calories, 15g of fat, and 14g of protein.
    
15. A KFC Famous Bowl in a snack size is 270 calories, 14g of fat, and 11g of protein.
    
16. ALL of their desserts are under 300 calories! 
    
17. An apple turnover is 230 calories, 10g of fat, and 2g of protein
    
18. One slice of Café Valley chocolate chip cake is 300 calories, 15g of fat, and 4g of protein.
    
19. Café Valley lemon cake slice is 220 calories, 10g of fat, and 2g of protein.
    
20. One chocolate chip cookie is 120 calories, 6g of fat, and 1g of protein.
    
21. A slice of Oreo cookies and crème pie is 270 calories, 13g of fat, and 3g of protein.
    

​
McDonald's

1. The fruit and yogurt parfait has 160 calories, 2g of fat, and 4g of protein 
2. A small Strawberry banana smoothie has 210 calories, 1/2g of fat, and 2g of protein 
3. Egg McMuffin has 300 calories, 12g of fat, and 17g of protein 
4. One hash brown has 150 calories, 9g of fat, and 1g of protein
5. 4 piece chicken nuggets has 190 calories, 12g of fat, and 9g of protein and the 6 piece has 280 calories, 18g of fat, 13g of protein 
6. Their hamburger has 250 calories, 9g of fat, and 12g of protein 
7. Cheeseburger has 300 calories, 13g of fat, and 15g of protein
8. One sausage burrito has 300 calories, 16g of fat, and 12g of protein- but let’s be real. Who on earth only eats ONE of those?? 
9. Fruit and maple oatmeal has 290 calories, 4.5g of fat, and 5g of protein 
10 You can grab a kiddie cone for 45 calories and 1g of fat or get a strawberry sundae for 280 calories and 6g of fat. Peanuts are an extra 45 calories. 
11. The hot apple pie is 250 calories and 13g of fat while that little packet of McDonald’s cookies (which I have not seen in a long time!) are 260 calories and 8g if fat. 

Good news! A small fry is 230 calories, which means it makes this list! It comes with 11g of fat and 3g of protein. 

For their coffee choices, I would suggest pulling up the full nutritional guide or their nifty online nutrition calculator. Their coffee and McCafe options are endless and there are MANY under 300 calories. 

​

1. Popeyes Bonafide Chicken in spicy or mild: a wing is 210 calories, 14g of fat, and 13g of protein. It’s 160 calories for a leg with 9g of fat and 13g of protein. A thigh is 280 calories, 21g of fat, and 14g of protein. Surprisingly, the breasts are higher than the thighs.
   
2. A 5 count of their Handcrafted blacked chicken tenders are 283 calories, 3g of fat, and 43g of protein. 
   
3. A 6 count of their Handcrafted nuggets are 225 calories, 14g of fat, and 11g of protein.
   
4. One biscuit is 207 calories, 13g of fat, and 3g of protein.
   
5. A regular size portion of cajun fries is 268 calories, 14g of fat, and 4g of protein
   
6. 1 corn on the cob “cobbet” is 210 calories, 6g of fat, and 0g of protein
   
7. A regular size portion of mac n cheese is 219 calories, 10g of fat, and 8g of protein.
   
8. Mashed potatoes in regular size with cajun gravy is 110 calories, 4g of fat, and 3g of protein.
   
9. Regular size red beans and rice is 247 calories, 16g of fat, and 8g of protein
   
10. Regular green beans are 55 calories, 2g of fat, and 3g of protein. You can get the large size for 167 calories! 
    
11. Regular size onion rings are 278 calories, 19g of fat, and 3g of protein.
    
12. A regular size of jambalaya is 190 calories, 9g of fat, and 8g of protein.
    

​

The beverage list from Sonic’s nutritional information site is over 4 of the 9 pages long. It contains lemonades, slushies, Ocean Waters, teas, juices, limeades, along with various add-ins. Many options are under 300 calories, but I would suggest pulling up their nutritional info before ordering. I saw drinks on there as high as 600 calories! 
If you order diet, you are probably getting a drink well under 100 calories. 





Starbucks
​
This post is specifically about Starbucks food and will not include coffees or drinks. 
In another blog (click the button below to go there) you can read about the Starbucks drinks orders that are 100 calories or less.

Sadly, no shakes made it onto the list due to calorie content.




Taco Bell

My favorite 1:00am drunk food. 
​

Last, but certainly not least:


Wendy's

Take a Jr. fry and a Jr. chocolate Frosty and mix them together for a heavenly treat... at 460 calories.
YIKES.
But totally worth it.


Thanks for reading!

​-Jamie

If you have never had a fried egg over rice before now, let me start off by saying:
You're welcome. 

Not only is this dish incredibly tasty, but it is CHEAP.

It takes all of 15 minutes to throw this meal together.

Quick - Cheap - Easy - Yummy

Yep, that checks all the boxes for me. 


You will need:

Two individual bags of "boil in a bag" brown rice
Eggs
Scallions
Salt & Pepper

Options add ins:
Soy Sauce
Broccoli
Mushrooms
Sriracha

First, start by boiling your rice. 
I like to use the "Success" boil in a bag rice.
You can use white rice if you prefer.
​

​
One cooked bag feeds one person, at least in my house. 

As the rice is boiling, fry up your eggs however you like. I am an over easy/medium girl. The hubs is an over medium dude. Both of these are awesome with this recipe because as you dive into that fried egg on top, the yolk runs down into the rice. 
YUM. 

Cut your scallions. 
​I keep a scallion stash in my garden all year round. 

Assembly is as simple as this:
-Rice into a bowl
-Add salt & pepper (I also put a few dashes of soy sauce)
-Scallions
-Fried egg

Here is where I also top with Sriracha.

The options for additions on this recipe are endless. Broccoli and stir-fried mushrooms are really great in this bowl along with onions, carrots, you name it! 

I hope you find this recipe egg-cellent! 

Be sure to come back for more corny puns. I literally can't help myself. 


​-Jamie
​

​
The proper food safety guideline is to ensure your chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Also, be sure to avoid cross-contamination of your raw chicken with other foods or drinks that will not be brought up to that same temperature. 

To begin, season your chicken however you choose. My current favorite is this seasoning which does not require any additional seasoning. Not even salt or pepper:

​
Other favorites include Cavender’s Greek Seasoning and Jamaican Jerk seasoning blends. 
If you choose to go with a marinade, be sure to let your chicken swim in those juices for at least 30 minutes to allow it to soak up those flavors. 


Depending upon your chicken breast thickness, it could take anywhere from 20 - 45 minutes to ensure your chicken is cooked all the way through.

​
Below are various oven temperatures and suggested baking times, but whichever option you choose- be sure to use a thermometer to check the internal chicken temperature and test the chicken in the thickest part of the breast. 

350 degrees: 25-30 minutes 
375 degrees: 23-28 minutes 
400 degrees: 22-25 minutes 
425 degrees: 18-22 minutes

My preference is to cook my chicken breasts at 400 degrees for 22-25 minutes.

​

Be sure to save all of those yummy chicken juices to use in another recipe!

​​

Good luck with your chicken! May it come out nice and… moist. :) 

-Jamie 

​

It's time to get frugal up in here. 

This post shows three meals I like to make for my family of 4 using ONE rotisserie chicken. 

Please be sure to use proper chicken handling while you are using and saving your chicken for later use. As a general rule in my home, we try to use cooked chicken that is kept in the refrigerator within 3 days. Maybe 4 days MAX. 

What you will not find:
In this post you will not find exact measurements. In this house, I eyeball everything. 

What you will find:
Three delicious, cheap, family friendly meals 



GROCERY LIST
For these three meals you will need the following:

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded - the star of our show today.
1 box of pasta - the kids prefer rotini. 
1 jar of alfredo
1 box of Stove Top stuffing mix 
1 can of chicken broth 
1 can of cream of chicken 
Frozen broccoli 
Frozen peas
Matchstick or grated carrots 
1 large red onion 
1 can of black beans
1 large tomato 
Tortillas 
Cheddar cheese 
Salt & Pepper 
Optional: Salsa, sour cream, pickled jalapeños, taco seasoning


If you purchase these items at Walmart, you are looking at a cost of around $20-$25 (excluding optional items) to feed a family of 4 three meals. 
That comes out to about $2 per meal per person AND we had leftovers from some meals.
Being cheap is my favorite way to be.
Make sure to get every little piece of chicken off those bones! 

Let's get this party started.

​
​

MEAL NUMBER ONE : CHICKEN AND PEA ALFREDO
The kids usually go nuts over this one.

MEAL NUMBER TWO : CHICKEN STUFFING
This one is soooooooooooooooooooooo good! 

Needed:
Half of the red onion, diced
Carrots
Box of Stovetop stuffing 
Cream of chicken
Chicken broth 
Broccoli
Chicken 
Salt & Pepper

In a large bowl, mix the box of Stove Top stuffing, carrots (I use half the bag), onion, chicken, and broccoli (I use half the bag).
In a separate bowl, mix the chicken broth, cream of chicken, and desired amount of salt and pepper. 
In a large baking dish - sprayed with nonstick spray - spread out the stuffing mixture. 
Pour the broth mixture evenly over the top. 
Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. 
If you like (and we like!), take the pan out at 30 minutes, sprinkle with some cheddar cheese, and pop it back in uncovered for the additional 15 minutes. 

YUM. 

MEAL NUMBER THREE : CHICKEN QUESADILLAS 
Who doesn't love a good quesadilla, am I right?
​
I like my salsa how I like my thighs: Thick & Chunky. 

Needed:
Tortillas
Chicken
Tomato, diced
The other half of the red onion, diced
Black beans, rinsed
Cheddar cheese 

Optional: 
Salsa, sour cream, pickled or fresh jalapeños, hot sauce, really anything you want to dip your yummy quesadilla into. 

On one half of your tortilla, sprinkle cheese and then layer with onion, tomato, chicken, and beans. I like to sprinkle a little taco seasoning on top too for extra flavor. 

Top with more cheese, fold, and bake at 350 degrees until you reach your desired level of crispiness. 
Serve with any desired toppings you like and BOOM. Done. 

​​

*Mic drop* 

There you have it.
Three meals, one chicken, all for under $25. 
AND THEY ARE EASY, KID FRIENDLY MEALS! 

Please leave comments below of what you think and if you have tried this post!

​Thanks for reading. 

Today’s good mood is sponsored by: Coffee!

If you are looking for your Starbucks fix, but want to watch your calorie intake -  I can help you!

This is not one of those posts where the creator has come up with crazy (although awesome) concoctions that require you to be the barista's worst nightmare with 50 million coffee edits. These are current menu items that are simple to order. 

Recently I have been trying to stick to a 1200 calorie diet to drop some residual baby weight (… my “baby” is 2 years old…) to get closer to my goal weight. 
I’ll be going through my day, minding my own business, dieting like a boss, and then that damn green mermaid lady stares me down… and I blackout. After I come to, I realize I’m holding a Venti White Mocha Frappuccino in my hand with no idea how it got there! 
FYI- that drink is 500 calories, which means I get to have ice for dinner.

This post is to help all of the many Starbucks lovers like myself trying to stay on track with their diet while getting to enjoy that Starbucks flavor we love so much. 

Let’s get into it.
​

Hot Coffees:
​
1.
Any black coffee from Starbucks is about 5 calories. 
If you are a black coffee drinker (I am NOT), then you are in luck! 

If you go without dairy or a dairy alternative, but still need a bit of sweetness, you can add pumps of their Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup. Each pump is 0 calories. One Splenda packet is around 5 calories and each sugar packet is usually around 10 calories. 

A “splash” of 2% milk is about 40 calories (cup size depending) and a “splash” of almond milk is about 60 calories. 

This means you can get a Grande Caffe Americano, Blonde Roast, or Pike Place Roast, add as many pumps of the sugar free vanilla syrup as your heart can handle, and get a splash of 2% milk all for less than 50 calories. 

You can also get this iced! 


2.
Where are my espresso lovers at? You can get a shot of espresso for 10 calories. There is also a yummy drink called the Espresso Con Panna which is a double shot of espresso topped with whipped cream which weighs in at a whopping 35 calories.



Cold Coffees: 

Cold brews are extremely popular right now (especially here in Florida) and Starbucks does cold brew right. They even have nitro cold brew which is nitrogen infused cold brew coffee which gives the drink a sweet taste without the sugar. 

3.
A Grande Nitro Cold Brew with 4 pumps of sugar free vanilla syrup is 5 calories! If you would like to add a splash of almond milk, it brings you up to 65 calories. The drink is delicious either way, and that’s coming from a girl who doesn’t usually do coffee without dairy.

12.
The Grande Iced Shaken Espresso as it comes (2% milk and 4 pumps of classic syrup) is exactly 100 calories.


13.
A Tall Iced Honey Almond Milk Flat White is 100 calories of pure yumminess. I LOVE honey.


14.
A good classic drink is the Iced Caffe Latte and in a Tall is 100 calories.



Hot Teas: 

15.
Great news tea lovers! 
All of the hot teas (without add-ins) are ZERO calories! One of my go to moves is to buy a Grande Peach Tranquility Tea and put the whole thing over a very large glass of ice. It’s zero calories and I can spend the entire day sipping on it. You can even leave the tea bags in the white Starbucks cup and add more hot water for more tea later on! 


16.
When I need a pick me up or are starting to feel sick, the Honey Citrus Mint Tea is perfect. Sipping on this sweet, hot tea always makes me feel better and a Grande is only 80 calories. 


​

Iced Teas: 

17.
The Iced (unsweetened) Black and Green Teas are zero calories in any size. If you want to sweeten it, Splenda, Equal, and regular sugar packets are a good low calories options. Honey is a bit higher in calories, but is totally worth it.

*Tip - If you like your iced tea to pack a bit more of a punch, you can ask for light water or even no water to be added to your drink.
(Trenta size shown below)

18.
A Tall Iced Royal English Breakfast Tea Latte is 100 calories and is a great breakfast drink. Black teas usually have about half the caffeine as a regular cup of coffee so for those with caffeine tolerance issues, like myself, this is a good option.
​

19.
A Tall London Fog Tea Latte is 100 calories like the royal English breakfast tea latte. Both are equally good.


20.
The Grande Iced Guava Black Tea is 70 calories.
Mmmmmm… guava… You can also get the same drink but add lemonade for 20 additional calories.


21.
Starbucks has an Arnold Palmer option which is very refreshing. A Venti Iced Black Tea Lemonade only contains 70 calories.


22.
As a lover of peaches and peach flavored anything, the Grande Iced Peach Green Tea is one of my favorites and it’s only 60 calories!


23.
This one is delicious AND pretty. The Iced Passion Tango Tea is ZERO calories all the way up to a size Trenta!

This board has one softer cheese (Havarti, ooo na na), a basic sharp cheddar cheese, as well as two firmer, bolder flavored cheeses - a coffee rubbed cheddar and a pepper jack.
The kids were snacking on this tray too so I added some fun butterfly shaped crackers which they loved! There are a few very nutty crackers on this plate which is a personal favorite for me.
​*Important to note that you may want to keep the kids away from any spicy cheeses! 
Salami and pepperoni were the meat choices I had on hand for this plate and are usually a big hit with kids and adults alike. Green and black olives, blackberries, and grapes finished off the board to give it a nice sweet and salty component. 


*Cracker Tip*
I always find the most unique cracker choices at unusual stores like Marshalls and TJ Maxx. When I am out and see something unique or interesting, I always grab it and save it for another day. Other great options can be found at Publix and Aldi. 


This second board was for a gathering of five adults and two children. 

Everything on this tray was gone by the end of the party, mainly because someone could not walk away. It was me... I was "someone". 

The board contained all of the usual suspects, but also had more interesting elements:
Black pepper salami
Cherry tomatoes
Mini mozzarella balls
Apple slices
Strawberries
Sweet peppers
Firmer mozzarella wrapped in pepperoni (store bought)
It also had regular ol' turkey lunch meat that I rolled up to make it look nicer. 
All finished off with a yummy spinach dip (store bought) and baguette slices. 


I love, love LOVE putting together themed boards for the holidays. Below are two examples of holiday trays I made for Valentine's Day and Halloween. 
​

The Valentine's Day board had heart shaped cranberry white cheddar cheese, salami rolled up like roses, chocolate covered blueberries and cookies, as well as the usual meats, cheeses, and other accoutrement. For various projects with the kids, I have several small cookie cutters on hand. One of those happens to be heart shaped which I used to form the cheddar cheese bites. 

​

The Halloween board was made for an AMAZING party (which I will blog about soon under my "party" category) which was shaped to look like a jack-o-lantern using black and orange elements to make the face. 


Finally we come to the most EPIC charcuterie board I have ever created. I feel like Tom Hanks in Castaway when he finally made fire. 

I dubbed this "The Feasting Board" because it was exactly that, A FEAST.
​

For my best friend’s baby shower, I put together this beast of a feast which fed 40 people easily. Goodie bags were handed out at the end of the party for people to make a “To-Go” bag for themselves as well. 


All of these ingredients were found at Walmart, Publix, and Aldi, but the key is to find unusual statement food items. I shopped at three different stores after pricing out various items at each location. As a general rule, I try to be a cheap ass while making things look fancy.
​

First I lined the table with brown butchers paper so I could lay everything out right on top. It made for a very cool, rustic look. In the photos you will see a long wooden tray that I used to create a second layer adding more height to the table. I propped it up with two cheap baskets I found at Goodwill (which were cleaned before placing them near food). 
​