Lifestyle Worthwhile

Protecting Your Body’s Defense

It’s that time of year, flu and cold season! Holidays are coming up which means being around a lot of people and germs. The temperatures are dropping (so sad, I know), which can affect your immune system. If you are pretty active, working out can also affect your immune system. If that isn’t irony, I don’t know what is. Not to mention, if you go to a gym, that’s where germs are lurking and you are most likely to pickup some unwanted guests. Lucky for you, I have some tips and tricks you can try to stay in good health this season!

1. Every morning, I make a super easy drink with just three ingredients that help boost your immune system and it doesn’t taste gross. I mix ~16 oz. of water, one Emergen-C packet, 1-2 scoops of Greens, and one Crystal Light packet for flavor. I typically get the raspberry or orange flavor Emergen-C. These packets are meant to be mixed with 4-6 oz. of water, so with 16 oz. the flavor is very mild. I typically use the raspberry lemonade or fruit punch Crystal Light flavor packets. The greens I use have a very mild banana taste, not artificial banana. Greens help with your gut health, which is intimately connected with your immune system. Green veggies significantly help your gut health and the average person does not get enough veggies in their daily diet. Hence, why supplementing can be so helpful. I really like the Bowmar Nutrition Greens because they do not taste like grass like others do and you get the most bang for your buck- 100 servings for $34.99! Another greens supplement option would be the CreateU Greens, which has a ton of green veggies and I’ve heard it tastes like cereal milk. However, it is only 30 servings for $35, but there are more green veggies and additional ingredients that target gut health improvement. I’ve been drinking this cocktail for the past 4 months now and have seen incredible results and my immune system is going strong.

2. Another item I use to protect myself from getting sick is Zicam’s nose swabs. A pack of 20 costs $10 and I can open one swab and use it for 1-1.5 weeks. I will swab my nose every morning and night, before and after the gym, and any other time I know I will come into contact with germs I typically don’t.

3. DRINK YOUR WATER! Drinking enough water helps your body stay hydrated to fight off viruses. If you’re sick, especially with a cold, you need to stay hydrated more than ever. Cold medicines can dehydrate you since they are trying to dry up the mucus, so chug the water to make sure your body stays hydrated. You could even play a fun game, every time you cough/ sneeze/ blow your nose chug 12 oz. of water! You’d be amazed at how quickly you will recover with adequate hydration.

4. Wash your hands/ use hand sanitizer like your life depends on it. Not to sound like a germophobe, but this will help the spread of germs. Washing your hands is much easier than trying to remember not to touch your face!

I hope these tricks help keep you safe when sickness comes knocking at your door. Just because it’s that time of year shouldn’t mean we stop doing the things we enjoy, we just need to take extra care to give our immune system an extra boost to fight off the germs.

8 Gym Bag Essentials

A lot of people don’t know what to take to the gym and it is very dependent on what you’re doing there. You don’t need much if you’re just getting in your cardio or strictly using equipment/ machines. But I tend not to want to use communal accessories with other people’s sweat. So let me tell you what I keep in my gym bag at all times to just grab and go.

To start, I’m your stereotypical girl who packs way too much for an overnight event because I come up with every possible scenario of what could happen and pack my whole closet. But, I promise I will stick to the essentials for this. I have a large Adidas gym bag (that I got on sale for $10 at Gabe’s, hello!) because I tend to carry a ton of things to be prepared but that isn’t necessary.

Headphones/ earbuds. Maybe this one is obvious, but hear me out. I have wireless Bluetooth earbuds AND over-the-ear headphones in my bag at all times. If one of them dies or didn’t charge sufficiently for some reason, I always have a spare. Trust me, it is the worst possible thing to get to the gym and realize you either forgot your headphones or they died. Or even worse, they die halfway through your workout. I don’t know about you, but I cannot do cardio – and I mean heart pounding, swimming in sweat cardio- without over-the-ear headphones. I can’t stand fumbling with earbuds while trying not to fall off the treadmill, so that’s why I stick to headphones. Here are the wireless Bluetooth earbuds I use. I think they work and sound great, stay in your ear well, and hold a sufficient charge. Here are the over-the-ear headphones I use. They go on sale all the time in stores, you could find them for under $100. But, they are really great quality and noise-cancelling.
Extra pair of socks. Have you ever gotten to the gym and realized you didn’t have a pair of socks? This one is a definite deal breaker and you’re not going to go back home and then back to the gym for a pair of socks. If you do, then you are dedicated and I wish I was more like you. Just put another pair of socks in your bag. You won’t miss them, you have plenty of others at home, and you will be so glad you did!
Combination lock. This is self explanatory. With a huge bag full of gym goodies, you don’t want anyone stealing anything. Maybe you are confident in humanity and that’s cool. But I’m not. Pro tip: put the combination in your phone so you don’t even have to memorize it.
Gym shoes. This one is more optional, but something I find efficient. Most people have a ton of shoes, different styles, colors, and brands. Same here, I’m a sucker for tennis shoes. I used to wear different pairs to match my outfit to the gym, in addition to wearing them throughout the day, and I started noticing they were starting to wear a lot faster. I bought a pair dedicated to the gym and since keeping them in my gym bag, they have held up a lot better. And only wearing my other shoes casually has decreased their wear as well. Another plus is I spend less time deciding on what shoes to wear each day ;). Depending on your workout regimen (cross-fit, power-lifting, running, etc.), there are different type of shoes that are more efficient for each category. But that’s totally up to you.
Ankle straps. I have been to a lot of gyms and they either don’t have ankle straps or they are very gross. I bought a cheap pair from Amazon (duh) and use those whenever and I don’t have to deal with random strangers’ sweat. It’s a win-win. However, I wouldn’t get cheaper ones again, because the quality is pretty cheap also.
Knee sleeves/ wraps. These are not a necessity, but are useful for people lifting heavier weight. They keep your knees “warm” and help to provide stability. I find that I can do heavier weight during squats and leg press because it makes me feel more stable and less worried of injury. My personal favorites are Inzer sleeves, but they also make wraps. Another company is Strong Strong Supply that carries knee wraps.
Bands. I carry a booty band at all times. These are exceptional for quick at-home or on-the-go workouts if you can’t make it to a gym, but still want a good workout. I personally use Bowmar’s Booty Band for $18, but another great brand is SuzieB’s glute bands. Suzie has some REALLY adorable prints (like leopard print and galaxy), colors, and they’re all $20. She also offers a boyfriend band and is coming out with a longer non-glute band. This is totally not sponsored, but these both offer great quality and affordable bands. Side note: long, thin bands can be used to help you with pull-ups, stretch your shoulders, etc. and would be good to keep in your bag, as well.
Care bag. I keep a small care bag in my gym bag for days where I might need to freshen up after a workout. I typically keep a small container of dry shampoo, deodorant, face wash, moisturizer, body spray, and lotion. I don’t know about you, but I do not smell like a field full of daisies after a workout, so if I’m going in public I have to freshen up first.

Well, that’s it. That’s all of my gym bag essentials! I hope I didn’t leave anything out, feel free to let me know if I did. Of course, everyone’s gym bag will look differently based on their workout regimen, but these are pretty useful and affordable items.

Low-Fat Spinach and Bacon Quiche

The inspiration for this one was to make a lower-fat spin off of the original recipe without reducing the amazing taste.

The original recipe isn’t too bad with macros, but it had a larger fat content per serving size (~30g). So, I decided that a low-fat option needed to be born. The major difference is the use of egg whites and adding red bell pepper.

The recipe and nutrition information are at the bottom of the page, but please read through my notes below for the substitutions I made and minor notes about the recipe.

Notes:

Some other substitutions you could make is using fat free/reduced fat cream cheese or almond milk and cornstarch, instead of the heavy cream. Cream cheese is a 1:1 replacement to heavy cream. If Swiss cheese doesn’t suit your fancy, you could swap it out for reduced fat cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheeses. You could add more veggies or replace the pie crust with a cauliflower crust. Really, the options are endless! Keep in mind, any additions could affect cook time.

I hope you enjoy! Leave a comment if you tried it and let me know your thoughts!

Spinach and Bacon Quiche

Servings: 8
Time: 50 mins
Difficulty: Easy
Print

Ingredients

1 refrigerated pie crust
5 egg whites (2 tbsp egg whites = 1 whole egg)
1 whole egg
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 cups chopped fresh baby spinach, packed
1 pound low-sodium turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 red bell pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded reduced fat Swiss cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Spray a 9-inch glass pie pan lightly with oil. Fit the pie crust to the pie pan.
Cook the turkey bacon in the Air Fryer for less grease (400ºF for 5 min., then flip and cook for 5 more min.), if you don’t have an Air Fryer you can cook it in the oven at 400ºF for 10 min. on each side until crispy.
Combine the eggs and heavy cream until combined using a whisk.
Layer the chopped spinach, chopped turkey bacon, bell pepper and cheese in the bottom of the crust.
Pour the egg mixture on top.
Bake for 45-50 min until the egg mixture is set.
Cut into 8 wedges.

The Pill

Be honest – When you open up a new pack of birth control each month, do you read the warning and side effects label? I think I may have glanced at it the first time, but when I read the long list of side effects and dangers I didn’t bat an eye. There were so many and they were all so common. What was the chance that any of them would actually happen to ME? Well, it turns out it is pretty likely.

I first started taking the pill about five years ago. I started with a pretty expensive prescription and soon after I began experiencing symptoms of mild depression and anxiety. I would come straight home from college classes as a freshman and just lay in bed for the second half of the day. I became very dependent on my boyfriend and my anxiety and mild depression stemmed from being apart from him. Very soon after these symptoms started, I switched to a different prescription in hopes to get back to feeling like myself. This new prescription seemed to work well and didn’t cause any crazy symptoms. I was on this new prescription for the next few years.

At the end of 2018, my prescription ran out and I was then living in a different state. Due to frequent travel, I go back home to the same doctor whenever I can. She renewed my prescription, but this time it was a new generic. I had tried this brand before (because it is a common generic with the same active ingredient) and it immediately caused nausea, so I would return it and get a different brand. But, month after month the pharmacy kept filling it, so one day I finally succumbed and just made sure to take it with food. About 3-4 months into taking this new brand, I was experiencing random spurts of nausea and vomiting in the morning with no other symptoms, but would be fine by the evening. About 5-6 months in, I was experiencing insomnia and extreme fatigue and both continued to worsen week by week. I increased my caffeine intake (not usually a coffee drinker), tried every energy pill and gummy on the market, tried sleeping medicine, etc. and nothing was helping. It got to the point where I couldn’t make it to the gym in the evenings and I was half awake throughout the day at work, literally. One day, Dr. Wendy (my mom who is not actually a doctor, but might as well be) researched the brand of birth control I was taking and found that so many other women were experiencing these symptoms and so much more. After being off of the pill for about a month, my skin even cleared up, which I didn’t even notice was a side effect that I was experiencing. I stopped taking it just to see if I would get my energy back and within days I felt better. I cannot believe that one little pill can impact my body this much, but at the same time it is completely believable when you think about its purpose.

It seems that there is a mix of women who experience side effects from hormonal contraception and those who do not. Unfortunately, it really is just dependent on the person and it is impossible to predict until actually using it.

So, my advice is: read the information that comes with your prescription and pay close attention to your body. I thought I was just really tired and let it go for months. Thank goodness Dr. Wendy figured it out before it affected my health any further. This form of birth control is responsible for making your body do the opposite of what is natural. It took all of this for me to second guess this method of birth control and start paying attention to what I was putting in my body.

If you are on the pill, quitting the pill, or just want more information, I highly recommend reading Dr. Jolene Brighten’s Beyond the Pill.

Lates by Kate – Let’s Save the Planet

If you wear makeup and want to decrease your carbon footprint, then keep reading because this product is for you! I am in no way sponsored, but truly enjoy this product and the purpose behind it.

Introducing Lates by Kate Reusable Makeup Removing Cloths, a reusable, machine washable, makeup removing towel. By just adding water, this towel will remove all your makeup without scrubbing for minutes-on-end or any added chemicals. I will say, I typically remove my mascara with coconut oil before using the towel to wipe it away, but this is mostly preference. I can get by with using one towel per week (I don’t wear much makeup) and then just throw it in the wash with the rest of my towels, but I do air dry them.

Ok let’s get to the points that you really care about, how much is it? In one package, you get four 14″ x 8″ towels for $20. For comparison, I did a cost analysis of what I was spending on makeup removing wipes. I was using Neutrogena fragrance-free wipes and I’d get the twin pack for $12.49. These two packages (50 wipes) lasted me almost two months with using the wipes every weekday and occasionally on the weekends. So, for one year I was spending $75, not including tax, whereas these towels are reusable and quite robust. Sephora also offers a reusable towel, but one individual towel is $20. I personally think that there are savings to be had monetarily and environmentally due to these towels!

From an environmental standpoint, here is an excerpt from Bustle about the effect disposable makeup removing wipes can have.

There are 7.6 billion pounds of wipes thrown into the landfill each year, which add up to 1.3 billion wipes tossed each day. That’s 20 million makeup wipes a day being thrown into the trash. This makes wipes the third most wasteful product in the world. Wipes might be an easy way to remove your foundation, but they take a hundred years to break down. It’s not a responsible move when you’re concerned about the environment.
Komar, Marlen. “The Makeup Eraser Is The Equivalent To 3,600 Removing Wipes & It’s SO Eco-Friendly.” Www.bustle.com, 11 Mar. 2019, http://www.bustle.com/p/the-makeup-eraser-is-the-equivalent-to-3600-removing-wipes-its-so-eco-friendly-16848034.

It’s as simple as that folks, an eco-friendly way to remove your makeup without being too inconvenient or expensive. Plus, you’d be supporting a small business owner. It’s truly a win-win!

Is Hello Fresh Worth It?

I tried Hello Fresh for a week because I wanted to switch it up. I was having trouble thinking of creative recipes, while remaining on track with my nutrition. They provide a pretty good discount for your first order, you can find all of the important details in the table below.

Price per meal	Delivery Cost	Promotion	Number of meals	Comment
$6.99-9.99	Free on first box, $6.99 else	$20 off first 4 deliveries ($80 off total) $10 back with Ebates	2-4 meals (2 people) 2-3 meals (4 people)	Had a decent amount of meal preference options (allergies, vegetarian). More “elaborate” meats, such as steak, cost extra per meal.

The Low-Down:

I ordered three meals, which serve two people each, so it covered my dinners for the week. I typically cook very low-maintenance meals throughout the week since I am low on time and only cooking for myself. I signed up for the low-calorie option since it worked best with my current nutrition plan, however I noticed there were other meal options that weren’t labeled “calorie smart” and had similar calorie ratings. I ordered it the week before and the meals were delivered by the time I got home from work the following Monday. I ordered the Southwest Tilapia, Brown Sugar Glazed Pork Chops, and Parmesan Crusted Chicken.

Is this economical? Great question, I wondered this myself. The average individual spends $50-100/ person weekly on groceries. This can breakdown into breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Of course, this also depends on the grocery source, the products, location, etc. But, you get the point. Also, if you tend to eat out a lot more, your weekly costs will be more expensive and comparable to the cost of Hello Fresh. Three meals from Hello Fresh cost around $50 with the initial promotion, which offers six total servings and these meals can be utilized as you please. So, you’d still need to get more items for breakfast, lunch/dinner (depending on how you utilize the meals), and snacks. So, for me personally this does not make economical sense to do every week because I eat a lot of food (again, this is my personal nutrition plan), which means I’d be spending about the same amount on groceries weekly on top of the Hello Fresh costs. However, this isn’t something that will break the bank to do every now and then.

The Review:

Southwest Tilapia: 9/10

I thought this was a really great meal. It came with two tilapia filets, cucumber, lime, jasmine rice, tomato, corn, sour cream, cilantro, and a spice mix. I loved the spice mixture for the tilapia, the simplicity of the jasmine rice, but I didn’t love the cucumber and tomato salad. This is just based on my personal food preferences, not the quality. I LOVED the sour cream mixture over the fish, it was the major takeaway for me from this recipe and so simple to make. This meal took around one hour to complete, which is definitely longer than I would normally take for dinner. I also felt that the portion size for one serving was too much for me, but, again, this is based on my personal nutrition and habits.

Brown Sugar Glazed Pork Chops: 6/10

I am not a pork chop girl. I rarely ever make pork, unless it is ham. Not really sure why, but that’s explicitly why I chose this meal to achieve my goal of “switching it up”. This meal came with two boneless pork chops, couscous, zucchini, lemon, brown sugar, chicken stock concentrate, Dijon mustard, and garlic herb butter. I was a little disappointed in the outcome of this meal. It was a little bland, it was very easy to overcook the pork chops (mostly my fault, whoops), and it was also not very photogenic/ colorful. I will say that the glaze for the pork chops was phenomenal and something I will definitely keep in my arsenal for later. It was also my first time trying couscous and it did not disappoint. This meal also took around an hour to prepare.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken: 8/10

This was definitely a solid meal, but it was pretty ordinary. I regularly eat chicken and pasta, so this wasn’t really a new dish for me to try, but the flavor was noticeable compared to usual breading. I made this for my fiancé and he was pretty impressed with the flavor in the breading, as well. This meal came with two chicken breasts, linguine, lemon, fry seasoning, cream cheese, mayonnaise, grape tomatoes, Dijon mustard, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and Panko breadcrumbs. The recipe called for mixing the noodles in cream cheese for extra flavor and it complimented the rest of the meal very well. This meal was not a calorie-smart choice, but I just wanted a comfort food recipe for the week. This recipe took over one hour to prepare.

Final Thoughts:

Pros:

It is very convenient if you do not like or have time for grocery shopping, you are wanting to brush up on your cooking skills, you travel frequently, or if you’re like me and needed a change. With each meal I learned at least one new thing that I will use in the future when making my own meals.
These meals can be easily reheated the next day.
The packaging that the food is delivered in is almost completely recyclable, including the ice packs.
Speaking of which, with each delivery you get 3+ free ice packs (it doesn’t take much to make me happy).
You can change the delivery day and you can skip orders each week based on your preference, all from the website or app.
You get an email each week notifying you to select your meals, delivery date, or to skip the week completely. This is nice because most places secretly hope you forget and charge your card regardless.
After you’ve ordered so many meals from them (I received this option after my second order), you receive discounts and free meals you can send to others to share the love!
The website and app have a recipe archive where you can search for any recipe, regardless of your previous orders. The recipe will have the ingredients and directions included.
I definitely learned that zesting can be a very beneficial source of flavor.

Cons:

Even though the meals I chose were “calorie smart”, the macros were still high for my personal nutrition plan. So, if you’re tracking your macros, have a strict daily intake, or are trying to cut serious weight, then these will most likely not replace your usual meal prep.
The recipe cards are typically split into six sections and each section can list multiple steps for you to follow, which can be hard to keep track of while trying to manage everything at once.
They don’t include the individual ingredients in the spice packages for re-creation later.
Can take a long time to prepare if you’re typically low on time in the evenings throughout the week.

Overall, I will continue to order from Hello Fresh mostly due to convenience. For example, when I know I will be traveling over the weekend I place my order for the following week since I know I will be unable to grocery shop. This way, I am not frantic whenever I get home trying to get everything I need for the week. However, I skip most weeks and continue to do my own meal planning and prep based on my personal preference. As a special thank you for reading, here’s a discount for $40 off your first delivery.

How to Stay Accountable While Traveling

I have the luxury (sometimes not so much a luxury) of traveling a lot for work. So, when I travel I try to pose as minimal of a burden on my schedule and diet as possible. I’m not talking about vacation, if you’re on vacation, eat and drink all of the things! Vacation is not for tracking, dieting, or guilt; it is for relaxing and living in the moment. It should also be noted that when I travel, I take full advantage of the amazing food that the area has to offer to appease my Foodie nature. SO, how can you enjoy your trip while not falling completely off track? Here are some helpful tips and tricks I do that has helped me immensely!

First and foremost, planning in advance is the ultimate key to success here. The more research and planning you do beforehand, the less chance you will stray from your routine. If you rely solely on motivation, you will most likely not succeed.

Hotel

I research the hotels in the area I’m visiting. I’m personally a die-hard Marriott fan and try to rack up rewards, so I tend to only stay with them. By no means do you need to stay with Marriott, this is just my preference. Depending on the length of my stay, I try to find hotels with kitchens/kitchenettes in them so I can prepare my breakfasts, lunches, sometimes dinners, and snacks. This helps me out so much because it ensures I am eating healthy for at least 1-2 major meals in my day. This provides control over most of the meals in a day and it also allows me to somewhat indulge for dinner at the local attractions.

If there is a decent selection of hotels left after filtering by having a kitchen/kitchenette, I narrow it down based on the gym. We all know that hotel gyms aren’t the greatest, there might be some dumbbells and cardio equipment, but that’s it. So, if you can find one that has more to offer than normal, definitely go with that one. Keep in mind, this aspect isn’t a must-have when selecting the hotel and you’ll see why next.

Gym

Again, depending on how long I am staying in an area depicts this option. As mentioned earlier, hotel gyms just don’t cut it with a weightlifting workout style. My tip here is to research the gyms around your hotel or the address of whatever you’re in the area for. Most gyms offer a free trial period that can run between 3-7 days, which can be really helpful and cost effective. Another option, is getting a membership with a gym that allows you to go to other gym locations (Planet Fitness, LA Fitness, etc). However, the gym your membership is through may not be located in your area, so a trial can still be a viable option.

As far as when to attend the gym, I base this off of my schedule around what I will have going on throughout the day. If you can go in the morning or throughout the day, there will be significantly less people at the gym. I typically try to take my gym clothes with me to change into and head to the gym after my day. This prevents me from going back to my hotel and talking myself out of going to the gym. If I don’t have much time or my motivation is nonexistent, I at least try to walk on the treadmill for 30 min. to just move my body. This typically motivates me to start my workout.

Traveling

In terms of flying or driving for long distances, there are two things that are pertinent.

Drink your water people. I know that no one likes to pee on an airplane or stop every 20 mins. on a road trip, but it really is essential. You are supposed to drink 8 oz. for every 1 hour you are in flight, according to the Aerospace Medical Association. I know it is inconvenient since TSA doesn’t allow liquids through security, but I’ve been to a lot of airports in the U.S. and there are countless water fountains, most specifically for water bottles. If you’re drinking coffee due to an early start, plan to drink even more water to fuel your trip.
Bring all the snacks. Load up on protein/granola bars, veggies (carrots or bell peppers), fruit (berries, bananas, apples), pretzel thins/ low-cal popcorn, hummus, protein powder, the list could go on forever. Airport food is expensive, not the best quality (though it does exist), and you may not have time to sit down for a nice, macro-friendly meal. Snacks will save your life when the free almonds or pretzels just don’t cut it or when you’re hitting hour two or three of driving. Don’t forget to pack some form of chocolate, because no matter what you tell yourself, you will absolutely crave chocolate throughout your day of travel.

Food

After checking in at my hotel, I immediately go to the closest grocery store to pickup my staple items. I always get eggs, almond milk, syrup, protein/granola bars, bananas, and other snack options. One of my favorite breakfast items to get while traveling is Ore-Ida Just Crack an Egg. You just put in an egg, put it in the microwave, and there you have a (surprisingly) flavorful and protein-packed breakfast. Another favorite, is to make protein waffles.

Eating relatively healthy, not binge-eating, and staying on track with macros while traveling is HARD. The struggle is real and I totally relate. As I mentioned earlier, I definitely participate in eating at local restaurants and make sure I get the full experience (i.e. deep dish pizza in Chicago). But, this doesn’t mean I binge or stray too far from my allotted macros per day. Usually, if I know I’m going to eat somewhere and eat something not particularly healthy, I plan my meals and snacks for the day in advance. But, what I don’t do is beat myself up if I don’t stay within my macros or don’t get my full workout in.

A big thing to accept is going home from a trip guilt-free. Maybe you didn’t eat the best or maybe you didn’t workout. Whatever the case, when you get home and can get back into your routine, you will be able to get back to your diet and workout schedule. It is definitely not the end of the world.

You can always make progress, but you don’t always get to explore and enjoy a new area.

In N Out – San Jose, CA
Disney California Adventure – Los Angeles, CA
Santa Barbara, CA
Uno’s Pizzeria – Chicago, IL

Spinach and Bacon Quiche

Sweet Baby Jesus touched my soul through this quiche, I swear to you.

Ok, but on a serious note this quiche is fantastic and not too shabby for macros. Truth be told, I had never had a quiche until this past year. I had gone to a bed and breakfast and the woman made this for breakfast one day and after tasting it, I had died and gone to heaven. She so graciously gave me the recipe she used and I made some healthier substitutions for this creation to come to life.

The recipe and nutrition information are at the bottom of the page, but please read through my notes below for the substitutions I made and minor notes about the recipe.

Notes

I made some minor changes to the ingredient list. I substituted bacon for Butterball’s low-sodium turkey bacon. For the life of me, I couldn’t find shredded Swiss cheese and didn’t want to shred it myself, so I just bought the sliced cheese and chopped it up, it seemed to work fine. I used 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper, but it is totally your preference.

Some other substitutions you could make is egg whites instead of whole eggs, using bacon instead of turkey bacon, using a different cheese or having a variety of cheeses. If Swiss cheese doesn’t suit your fancy, you could swap it out for cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheeses. You could add more veggies, like mushrooms or bell pepper. For a low-fat alternative, you could use a cauliflower crust, low-fat cheese, and a low-fat heavy cream/ cream alternative. Really, the options are endless!

I hope you enjoy! Leave a comment if you tried it and let me know your thoughts!

P.S. There is a low-fat alternative to this recipe to make it even more macro friendly coming soon 😉

Spinach and Bacon Quiche

Servings: 8
Time: 50 mins
Difficulty: Easy
Print

Ingredients

6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Salt and pepper
2 cups chopped fresh baby spinach, packed
1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 1/2 cups Swiss cheese
1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crust

Directions

Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Spray a 9-inch glass pie pan lightly with oil. Fit the pie crust to the pie pan.
Cook the bacon in the Air Fryer for less grease (360ºF for 5 min., then flip and cook for 5 more min.), if you don’t have an Air Fryer you can cook it in the oven at 400ºF for 10-15 min. on each side until crispy.
Combine the eggs, heavy cream, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender.
Layer the chopped spinach, chopped bacon, and cheese in the bottom of the pie crust.
Pour the egg mixture on top.
Bake for 35-45 min until the egg mixture is set.
Cut into 8 wedges.