Two new additions...

In response to my two strikes I have come back strong with two solid recipe winners! I am pleased to say that I have mastered a protein ball recipe. I felt more comfortable making protein balls than protein bars, but honestly...they could easily be shaped into bars ha. I also made a very yummy lasagna recipe that I took from fitness magazine and tweaked a little.

Protein "ball" Recipe (I tweaked the recipe a little)
- 1 cup of almond butter
- 2 cups vanilla protein powder
- 1/2 cup agave nectar
-1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup wheat germ
- 1 cup bran
- 1 cup cranberries

I am sure there are better ways to mix this. But I just threw everything together and stirred! The recipe says it makes about 16 balls, but I formed mine into 24 or so. So mine must not have been as large! Just stick em in the fridge until the firm up and then you are good to go! These are good! They taste like a treat. :)


Chicken Spinach Lasagna
- spray skillet with cooking spray ( I have a misto with canola oil in it)
-1 pound ground white-meat chicken
- red pepper flakes to taste
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- garlic clove, chopped
- tablespoon dried basil
- 1/3 cup egg substitute ( or 2 egg whites)
- 2 15-ounce containers low fat cottage cheese
-1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
- I used 1 1/2 jars of sauce because I didn't precook the noodles
-9 cooked lasagna noodles
-1 bag spinach, steamed and drained

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the ground chicken with the red pepper flakes and salt and black pepper to taste. Add chicken and the garlic to the skillet; cook 5 minutes or until chicken is browned. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Combine the basil, eggs, cottage cheese and Parmesan in a large bowl. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

3. Mist a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce over the bottom of the dish. Arrange 3 noodles over sauce and top with half of the mixture mixture, half of the chicken mixture and half of the spinach; top with 1 cup marinara. Repeat layers, ending with noodles and remaining marinara.

4. Cover and bake 60 minutes ( I added extra time for my noodles to cook). Let lasagna stand 10 minutes.

Two Strikes....

I struck out TWO, count 'em TWO times yesterday. I invented my own protein bar recipe based on a few recipes stuck together. I made some changes, cut some things out, put some things in. They smelled absolutely DIVINE while they were baking! The batter was soooo good! It tasted like a cliff bar! Mmmmm! I went wrong somewhere along the line though and they came out so dry! They absorb the moisture in your mouth and are just a struggle to eat ha! Dangit! I think that I will try my recipe again and this time add more applesauce! Strike two happened not even an hour later! I was making this delicious stir fry (I'll be posting the recipe below) and I burnt the dang brown rice! UGH! I really am blaming this one on the crappy pot I was using! Oh well...not everything I make can turn out alright I guess!

Honey Garlic Stir Fry (got this from The Kitchen Table on Eatcleandiet.com)

About 2 dozen shrimp (50-70 per lb, mine was pre-cooked) Feel free to switch it up to chicken or beef or whatever!
1-2 cups veggies per person ( I used broccoli and sliced peppers and didn't really measure the exact amounts)
Chopped onion
Crushed garlic
3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp agave nectar

Turn the stove on Medium heat. Put a little oil or cooking spray in a skillet. Add garlic and onion and cook until tender and fragrant (stir often). Add in veggies and stir for a few mins, add in shrimp and turn up the eat. Add soy sauce and agave nectar and stir constantly until veggies and shrimp caramelize (should take a few mins). Serve immediately over grain of choice. I used brown rice but I think this would be delish with quinoa or soba noodles! YUM!

Added some pizazz!

I whipped up some recipes today to add some pizazz to my normal cycle of food. In a previous post I made a vow not the eat the same things over and over day in and day out. I admit that I ate the same old snacks today, but I did switch up my meals. For lunch I had a salad but I added some edamame and whipped up a soy dressing! It was good! I will definitely be using it again! The recipe is not precise...

Soy balsamic dressing

low sodium soy sauce ( I used 1 tbsp originally and felt like it was too much, I will cut it in half next time)
balsamic vinegar ( added a dash, probably about 1 tsp)
squirt of honey honey
sprinkle of curry powder

For dinner I filled a pita with chicken (trader joe's frozen grilled chicken strips-warmed in the microwave) and spinach. I also whipped up a spicy yogurt sauce that I was iffy about but that tasted so delish with the chicken...mmmmm. I will be making this again for sure!

Spicy Yogurt Sauce

1/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt
squirt of hot sauce (to your liking)
dash of curry powder
1/2 tsp olive oil (I add olive oil to everything for a little flavor and healthy fat)

Stuck in a little rut folks...

I am in an eat clean rut! I need some new material here people! I am a creature of habit and I truly do eat the same thing everyday sometimes. I need to create some new yummies that I can work into my meal cycle! The other night I made a really yummy fish recipe. It was so easy! I will definitely be making it again! I also made grilled sweet potato slices which are def one on of my fave ways to eat sweet potatoes!

Dijon Baked Fish

4 fillets of fish (I used mahi mahi)
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
2 tsp honey
pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix mustard and honey in a small ball and coat fish. Pepper fillets to taste and place on baking sheet. Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until fish is flakey.

Grilled Sweet Potato

This may not warrant a recipe but I will throw it in there anyway...it is so good!

Slice sweet potato into thin slices (probably about 1/4 in thick). Heat up the George Forman grill (you could use a grill pan as well ) and spray with cooking spray. Places slices on the grill and let them cook for 20 mins or so. You can flip slices over with a fork halfway in between if you are using a grill pan. Remove from grill and drizzle with olive oil, add salt and pepper to taste.

I really wish I didn't get into these ruts in the first place, but once I like something...I usually really like it and continue to eat it or some form of it over and over and over ha. The goal for this week is to switch things up more. I am going to try and not eat the same thing two days in a row...that should at least help a little! :)

Cheat Sheet!

Everyone loves a good cheat sheet! There are so many do's and don'ts out there that it can be hard to keep track of what we are supposed to do in terms of healthy eating. I am a very firm believer that food heals and that what we put in our body really does make a difference. One thing that was frustrating in the hospital was the poor food choices that I was given. I truly felt like if I were to have been given some nutritious REAL food (not previously frozen, preservative packed stuff) I would have felt much better. When I got out of the hospital I was determined to really concentrate on getting the most healthful food for my family. I can never remember which foods should be bought organic and which ones don't really matter too much. I have included a cheat sheet for you guys (and for me to refer back to).

It is not only important to buy organic produce, it is also important to be mindful on where your meat, dairy and grain come as well. I hate to keep bringing up the E. Coli incident but it was a truly life changing experience for me. I am dead set on buying meat that isn't filled with junk and there are types of grains that are important to buy orgincally as well. It is always more beneficial to buy your meat organically (meat and poultry, not so much fish). It ensures that what you are getting is thoroughly regulated and not filled with junk. Dairy is also important to pay attention to. Look for dairy products that are organic and state that they do not contain hormones. As for grain...the only grain that has been shown to contain pesticides is rice. I am not saying that organic food is packed with more nutrients or will instantly make your body look and feel better. I am encouraging organic foods because there are strict regulations on what goes in and on them. It is important to be confident that your food is chock full of hormones or covered in pesticides. I feel that we owe that to ourselves and to our families.

Somethin new for dinner

I wanted to whip up something yummy for dinner last night. I have tons of shrimp, lots of frozen broccoli and a bottle of white wine that I had been meaning to use in a recipe (it had been open to long to drink). I looked a recipe that I had made a few months ago and I tweaked it a little (by adding broccoli and greek yogurt for some creaminess). I used this recipe as a base and then just changed things around to my liking.

Shrimp and pesto pasta

• 1 box whole wheat pasta (I used penne)
  
• 1 bag frozen broccoli
• 1/4 cup prepared pesto
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound raw shrimp, (21-25 per pound), peeled and deveined
• 1 clove garlic crushed
  
• 1 cup dry white wine
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 6 oz greek yogurt (optional)
  

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 3 minutes less than the package directions specify. Stir in pesto and yogurt and cover to keep warm.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and broccoli, stirring until broccoli is no longer frozen. Add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until pink, about 3 minutes. Add wine, increase heat to high and continue cooking until the shrimp are curled and the wine is reduced, about 3 minutes. Add the shrimp to the pasta; toss to coat. Season with pepper and serve immediately.

I have made this recipe without the greek yogurt and it was delicious! Truly yummy! I added the greek yogurt in hopes it would make the sauce a little creamy. Well, it kinda did...but it also kinda curdled because I added it to the sauce pan instead of stirring it in the pasta along with the pesto.

A few recipes for ya!

Yesterday morning I was compelled to make Dusty something yummy for breakfast. I thought of my usual french toast, or pancakes. Nah...I needed something NEW in honor of the NEW YEAR! So I decided that I hadn't made banana bread in a long time. He just bought me new cookware for christmas so I thought I would put my new loaf pan to good use! I found a recipe from Tosca Reno and tweaked it to my liking. It smelled absolutely SINFUL while it was baking and it really tasted great!

Cranberry Bran Banana Bread

2 medium ripe bananas (smashed) 2 egg whites
1/2 c. Agave Nectar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c. applesauce
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 c. bran
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 c. cranberries
oats to sprinkle on top before baking

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare a loaf pan by spraying with cooking spray.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine banana, Agave, vanilla and applesauce. Add egg whites. Beat together well.
4. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda and powder, bran, pumpkin spice, and sea salt. Mix well and add to banana mixture.
5. Fold in cranberries.
6. Pour batter into loaf pan. Sprinkle oats over top.
7. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into middle of bread comes out fairly clean.
   

I have another recipe for ya! This one I have not made yet, but I intend to make it very soon. Especially since it's FREEZING here right now and unforts I seem to have developed a cold. Ugh. I think you remember my search for a potato recipe. Well I found the PERFECT one in a store magazine from Sprouts and I found it online on Deliciousliving.com. I have a bunch of pesto I need to get rid of too AND I have been wanting to use my crockpot! YAY!

Garbonzo Bean and Potato Soup with Pesto

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

2 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

2 pounds small red or white potatoes, cut into ¾-inch cubes

8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or stock

1/2 cup premade pesto

1. Combine all ingredients except pesto in slow cooker. Cook on high for 3–4 hours or low for 5–6 hours. Salt and pepper to taste.

2. Ladle soup into bowls. Swirl approximately 1 tablespoon pesto into each bowl. Serve immediately.

PER SERVING: 284 cal, 34% fat cal, 11g fat, 2g sat fat, 5mg chol, 9g protein, 38g carb, 7g fiber, 340mg sodium

Happy New Years!

Happy New Year to everyone! I barely made it past midnight! I am officially getting old! Dustin and I went to Picazzo's for some organic pizza and wine. It was absolutely perfect! We ended the night back at home with a bottle of wine, some popcorn and a few episodes of Dexter. I don't think we could have planned it any better! We had an interesting conversation at Dinner. We were talking about New Year's resolutions. I am pretty avid about choosing resolutions that A)you can really stick to and are realistic and B) are actually meaningful. I know that for many people they say things like, well I'll loose 50 pounds or go to the gym for an hour 6 days a week or quit smoking or drinking or gambling and swearing..etc. I think all those are great goals, but I think that people need to be specific and to make their goals attainable! I mean the reason most people forget their resolutions before the end of January is because it's daunting when you feel like you are sooooooo far away from reaching those goals!

I have a list of things that I would like to achieve/work on this year...

1) I want to try a new Eat Clean recipe at least once a week. Even if it's just putting a little twist on a tried and true recipe to switch things up and try something new.

2) I want to run a 5k with Dustin this year.

3) I want to find a home church that I feel comfortable in

4) I want to keep reading. I have been reading a lot lately and I want to keep that up because I truly love it.

5) I want to practice yoga/meditation/positive thinking/journaling so I don't let myself get stressed out this year (especially with wedding planning! ).

I think that those five things are a pretty good start! I always feel like it's alright to add things as they come along, but it's so nice when you can actually work on a goal and not feel like an instant failure because it's seems so unattainable.