Green Dog Wine's Turkey Quinoa Stew

First off- thank you all for your awesome feedback on yesterdays post. I'm glad I'm not the only who can't use a round brush :)

Today was a longggg one! I had a 5 hour meeting that started at 11:30 and ran wayyy through lunch. I didn't realize it was going to be so long and didn't eat much of anything before hand! I was a starvin marvin by the time it was over and hogged down a flat out wrap with peanut butter before running to teach Body Step. The lack of food left my brain fogged up and I didn't teach very well. Sigh- you win some, you lose some ;)

Given this, I was soooo excited for dinner. When I saw Allison's recipe for Turkey Quinoa Stew, I knew I had to make it! I made a few changes and was just thrilled with the result. It was really thick and yummy. AWESOME recipe Allison!!

Ingredients:
Olive Oil
1/2 package lean ground turkey (approx 0.5 lbs, or use fake meat crumbles or leave it out and add more beans!)
1/2 onion chopped
1 packet taco seasoning (or any fun spices you have on hand)
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
frozen corn and peas
1 15-oz can chicken or veggie broth
1 15-oz can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or whatever spices you want!)
1 cup quinoa or quinoa mix

Directions:
In a large pot, add olive oil, onion, and turkey. Cook until turkey is no longer pink. Add beans, veggies, and taco seasoning. Make sure you coat all the vegetables really well. Once all the meat and veggies are coated, add remaining ingredients. Bring the whole pot to a boil, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

I used this mix:

Seriously delish and protein packed. YUM!

Hey guys- whats your favorite veggie?

Our Clean Eating Guidelines

NOTE: I am not a dietitian or a nutritionist!!

Hello All!

First off, thank you for all the support on my new undertaking, a month of clean eating, which will officially start on Saturday. So what IS clean eating? According to Clean Eating Magazine, “Consuming food in its most natural state- or as close as possible to it—is the soul of clean eating. It’s not a diet; it’s a lifestyle approach to food and its preparation, leading to health, well-being and a lean look.”

For me, this will be a focus on lean protein, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. The elimination (for the most part) of processed goods and the redirection towards more REAL foods. I would love anyone who is interested to join Josh and I on our challenge. My general food list during this month will include some of the following items (I will be buying organic when possible):

• Fresh Veggies
• Fresh Fruits
• Chicken, ground turkey, lean beef, tilapia, shrimp (if you are vegetarian or vegan, make the appropriate replacements but try to keep it as “real” as possible)
• Oatmeal, potentially another whole grain cereal
• Milk
• Tuna
• Applesauce (unsweetened)
• Peanut butter (only natural peanut butter/nut butter made from just peanuts or peanuts and salt)
• Whole grains- rice, quinoa, bulgur,etc
• Tomato Sauce (no added salt)
• Beans (black, kidney, pinto, chickpeas)
• Olive oil
• Yogurt
• Frozen veggies/fruit
• Nuts
• Eggs
• Spices
• Other ingredients to make homemade bread
• Protein powder(I realize this is not “clean”)
  

So, how will my meals look? Here is my sort of general outline:

Breakfast:
Coffee (with 1% milk, no sugar…I will not be eliminating coffee but will be eliminating sugar/syrups,etc) with one of the following-Oatmeal, Apple/fruit with Peanut butter, Other whole grained cereal

Lunches(mixture of some of the following):
Applesauce, Yogurt, hard boiled eggs, veggies, fruits, cooked chicken breast, tuna (note: I will probably continue to make Josh sandwiches on homemade bread only)

Snacks:
Fruit, homemade bread with nut butter, yogurt, nuts, protein shakes

Dinner:
Lean protein (chicken, beef, tilapia, shrimp, turkey, egg whites) either baked or broiled, vegetable (steamed or roasted), whole grain selection
Other potential dinners include chili and turkey meatloaf

Outside coffee in the morning, the only beverage that will be consumed is water. So there ya have it. Let me know what you think (but be gentle)!! Josh and I eat somewhat clean now, but still do depend on quite a few processed items (store made soups, granola bars, protein bars, store bought breads, etc). I will also be taking more pictures of ALL of my meals vs. just dinner (at least at first), so you can see my clean eating in action (plus it will make me more accountable). I have also started tracking what I eat in FitDay, to make sure I’m getting enough PROTEIN, carbs, fat, etc. I have never been a calorie counter (although I think everyone should do what works for them), but since my tummy issues, tracking my protein intake has become important.

Any questions?

Kelly O turned me onto an awesome quote (not sure if this is the EXACT quote) from Become a better you by Joel Osteen:

“Bad habits are easy to start, but they make your life miserable. Good habits are hard to start, but they make your life wonderful.”

BSI Winner and Recipes

Hello All! I hope you are having a fabulous Monday (or as fabulous as a Monday can be ;). It is time to announce the winner of this weeks BSI!!! The BSI of the week was pears and you guys truly submitted some incredible recipes! First, a history on the BSI:

Week 8: Cranberries- Gina from Fitnessista

Week 7: Lentils- Shannon from Tri to Cook
Week 6: Polenta-Sabrina from Rhodey Girl Tests
Week 5: Butternut Squash-Jenn from eatingbender.wordpress.com
Week 4: Apples-Andrea & Erin of http://www.caretoeat.net/
Week 3: Mushrooms-Rose of onalobsterplacemat.blogspot.com
Week 2: Tomatoes-Heather of hangrypants.com
Week 1: Quinoa-Christie of sportsnutritionliving.wordpress.com

Next, the submissions (recipes follow):

Tiffie from Miss Tiffie Munches –Pear Leek Chicken

Sabrina from Rhodey Girl Tests- Baked Tilapia with a Pear Mango Salsa

Krista from Krista’s Kravings- Pear and Goat Cheese Tartlets

Heather of Hangry Pants-Pear Biscuits

Catherine of Stevia ‘n Spice- Pear Spiced Rice Pudding

Jess of See Jess Run- Pear and Cranberry Salad

Tina of Carrots ‘N’ Cake- Apple Pear Crisp

Becca of Bites of the Day- Apple, Pear, and Cranberry Crisp

Biggest Diabetic Loser’s -Pear Blue Cheese Soup with Blue Cheese Crostini

Holly’s of Cookie Dough Disciple-Pear Muffins

Bhealthy of Body, Mind, Soul- Pear Quesadilla

Meghann of The Inner Workings of a College Graduate-Chicken with Balsamic Pear Sauce

Gina of Fitnessista- Red Pear with Balsamic Reduction, Goat Cheese and Almonds

Chickpea of The Broccoli Hut-Pear Berry Parfait

Magpie of Say Yes to Salad- Pear & Crab Salad

Erika of Run, Roam, Recycle- Cheddar Pear Pie

Jenn of Eating Bender- Banana Blueberry +Strawberry Sorbet=Incom “pear” able

Lyss of Newtritionista- Turkey Bacon, Pear & Feta Cheese Quesadillas and Turkey, Pear & Apple Butter Bagel Melt

It was nearly impossible to pick a winner- everything looked incredible. Josh and I ended up going back and forth between three of the entries but finally settled on..............

Catherine of Stevia ‘n Spice- Pear Spiced Rice Pudding

Catherine's recipe sounds so delicious that I cannot wait to make it! It is an easy to follow recipe but looks beautiful and could be served at a fancy dinner party! Catherine- please email me your address and I will send you your fabulous prize!

.....and now for all of the incredible recipes. Again thank you all for submitting! If I had more money I'd send you all a prize pack ;):

Tiffie’s Pear Leek Chicken

4 Chicken Thighs
2 Pears (I used Honey Butter, but any variety should work) diced
~2 heaping tablespoons of red currant jelly
4 small leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced into rings
About 2-3 Shallots, thinly sliced
White Wine
4 Slices of Pancetta
As many mushrooms, thinly sliced, as you'd like
Toasted walnuts, chopped (to garnish)

1. I salt & peppered my chicken thighs and browned them in the skillet with the shallots.

2. In a small foiled pan I placed the chopped leeks on the bottom along, drizzled some white wine on top, with four evenly spread out sliced of pancetta.

3. In a separate small pot, I added the pears & red currant jelly together to soften and "melt" the pears a bit. Do this until everything thickens and the pears have softened a great deal.

4. I placed the browned crisped chicken (skin side up) on the sliced of pancetta in the pan (along with the shallots) and added the mushrooms around them.

5.I poured the pear/currant mixture on top of each thigh and then put a foil over the pan and popped it into the oven for about 15 minutes in 400 degrees.

6. I took the foil off, added the toasted walnuts on top and popped it back in the oven for another 5 minutes or so.

Sabrina’s Baked Tilapia with a Pear Mango Salsa

The tilapia:

Ingredients:

1 lb tilapia

4 oz white wine

1 whole lemon

salt and paprika to taste

a dash of parsley

Directions:

Set the oven to 400 degrees. Place the washed tilapia in a pyrex and season the fish. Pour the wine over it and squeeze half a lemon over the whole thing. Slice the other half lemon into rounds and place over fish. Bake for 20 minutes.

PEAR mango salsa:

Ingredients:

1 sweet red pear

1 large mango

1/2 red onion

1/2 avocado

salt and pepper to taste

Peel and slice the red pear, avocado and mango into cubes. Dice the red onion. Toss together with a bit of salt and pepper.

To put it together:

When the fish is done plate it and spoon a bit of the PEAR mango salsa over it. Enjoy!

Krista’s Pear & Goat Cheese Tartlets

Filling:-

6-7 bartlett pears

1 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup raisins

2 Tbsp maple syrup (I used ED Smith sugar free)

1/2 tsp each cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves

Chop pears up to a pretty fine dice and put into a dutch oven along with the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Shells:

I used a package of Dr.Oetker pie crust. Empty contents of package into a bowl and add 3-4 TBSP of water, stirring after each addition. Form into 2 balls and flatten slightly of a floured surface. Roll out fairly thin and using a water glass or coffee cup, cut out circles. Place dough circle into pre greased muffing pan.

Method:

Preheat oven to 425 deg

thinly slice plain goat cheese and put the slice on the bottom of the tartlet shell.

Fill with about a 1/4 cup pear "sauce".

bake for 20 minutes or until edges of crust turn golden brown.

remove from oven and allow to cool before digging in!

Heather’s Pear Biscuits
2.5 Cups White Whole Wheat Flour
3 t baking powder
1 cup blue cheese crumbles
1 cup cut pears (2 pears)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup honey
8 T butter
1 cup skim milk

Steps:

Combine flour and baking powder in a bowl. Cut butter into cubes. Cut butter into flour (I use a pastry knife). Add the milk to the flour mix. I use my hands to combine until everything is moistened. Combine blue cheese crumbles, pears, honey and walnuts in a bowl. Mix around so honey is coating everything.Add pear mix into flour mix and combine with hands or spatula. Roll out dough into a ball (on a floured surface) and roll out with rolling pin until about 1 inch thick. Use a glass to make circles. Bake at 325 for about 15 minutes. Drizzle with honey.

Catherine’s Pear Spiced Rice Pudding-

1/2 cup brown rice, cooked
1 small pear (I used a Foselle), diced
1 Tbsp vanilla rice milk (plus more as needed)
2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash nutmeg
pinch salt

Cut a squash of your choosing in half, scoop out the seeds, and place in a roasting pan - cut side down. **I used Carnival squash because it has a nice sweet flavor to compliment the filling, but acorn or butternut could work fine too. Pour about an inch of water into the pan so that it surround the squash. (keeping it moist)

Bake the squash at 425 degrees for about 40-50 minutes or until the skin is tender.
While the squash is baking, mix together the rice, diced pear, rice milk, honey and spices in a small bowl.

Put the pear & rice mixture in the microwave and heat for 1 minute until hot so that the pear and rice is tender. With a fork, mash up about 1/2 the warmed mixture. (if you don't have vanilla rice milk, soy or normal milk will do fine, just add in some vanilla extract)

After roasting the squash for 40 minutes in the oven, flip over the squash and spoon in the pear-rice mixture into the squash cavity and broil for an extra 5 minutes.

**I mixed in some of the squash with the rice pudding to spread out the sweetness and it was so so good! Carnival squash is a little sweeter than acorn squash… or at least mine tasted sweeter.

Jess’s Pear and Cranberry Salad

Salad ingredients:
Mixed greens
Chopped zucchini
White onion
Cranberries
Diced fresh pear

I made a dressing using canola oil, red wine vinegar, and 1 teaspoon oregano

Tina’s Apple Pear Crisp

Ingredients:
2 pears (I used Bartlett)
2 medium apples (almost any kind will work)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 stick of butter (or 7-8 tbsp of your favorite butter alternative)
Cinnamon and nutmeg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350* F. Haphazardly slice apples into small pieces.
(I used Macoun, Macs, and Fuji.) You don't need to worry about how the
apple pieces look. The different size pieces "fit together" nicely
once all of the ingredients bake together. This recipe is great for
less-than-perfect apples– you can just cut off the rotten part and use
the rest of the apple. You can also peel the apples, if you'd like,
but I prefer to leave the skins on for this recipe.

2. Next, sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg all over the apples. Feel free
to add as much or as little as you'd like. I try to cover the entire
top layer of apple slices with both spices.

3. Combine flour and sugar (and a little more cinnamon and nutmeg, if
you want) in a small bowl. Next, using a fork, combine butter with
flour and sugar. (I used Smart Balance instead of butter.) The mixture
will begin to look lumpy. Make sure that the majority of the dry
ingredients have combined with the butter.

4. Cover apple slices with flour-sugar-butter mixture. Spread evenly
over top layer and fill in all around the apple slices.

5. Bake for 30-40 minutes until top becomes slightly "crispy" and
apples are soft. Your house will smell AMAZING at this point!

6. Remove from oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes. Serve alone or
with French vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Becca’s Apple, Pear, and Cranberry Crisp

Filling:
1 pear, diced (I used a comice)
1 small-medium apple diced (I used stayman winesap)
1 handful fresh cranberries
2-3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon ap flour
1 palmful cinnamon (1 tablespoon?)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger

Topping:
1/4 cup oats
1/4 whole wheat flour (you might want to use less)
Brown sugar (maybe about a tablespoon?)
*You could probably halve all this and have enough, I had plenty left over!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together for filling, adjust sugar and spices to taste. I would have liked to use less sugar but knew the cranberries would be tart. Distribute between 3 4 ounce ramekins. Combine topping fillings and sprinkle over filling. Bake in oven until filling is bubbling and topping is beginning to brown, approximately 20 minutes in a convection oven. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Biggest Diabetic Loser’s - Pear Blue Cheese Soup with Blue Cheese Crostini

14.5 ounce chicken broth (can easily be substituted with veggie broth to make vegetarian)
2 medium sized pears, peeled and sliced
2 ounces blue cheese
1.5 ounce pancetta, diced and pan fried (then cooled)
salt and pepper to taste
sprinkle of Paprika

Put broth in pot and add sliced pears. Cook until pears are soft enough to blend with a stick blender - mine took about 10 or 12 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in blue cheese and add salt, pepper and paprika.

Tony got this squash from the store for a dollar - I think its called delicata squash? It makes a nice presentation! Pour soup in squash (or bowl!) and sprinkle fried pancetta and serve with crostini.

For the crostini, I just lightly buttered a piece of french bread, added about .3 ounces of blue cheese and put under the broiler. This would be a simple make ahead recipe, because you would only need to warm it up to serve. EDIT: I forgot to add that this soup is not overly sweet - extremely savory with just a hint of the sweetness from the pears. We were both pleasantly surprised not having any kind of soup like this before!

Holly’s Pear Muffins-
Ingredients
1/2 c. plain nonfat yogurt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
1 1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
2 tablespoons baking soda
1/4 tspn. salt
1 diced pear
Mix together yogurt, oil, and egg, and set aside. Mix all dry ingredients in bowl, and slowly add in the yogurt mixture. Add in diced pear. Spray muffin tins with Pam, and bake 12 -14 minutes at 400 degrees or until golden brown.

Bhealthy’s Pear Quesadilla

Ingredients:
Ham ( canadian bacon)
Blue Cheese Crumbles
Pear
Whole Wheat Tortilla
Baby Spinach
Mushroom
Mustard
Red Onion

Directions:

First I grilled half of the D-Anjou pear a little in my toaster oven, while layering on ingredients ( Whole Wheat Tortilla, Ham, baby spinach, mushroom, mustard, red onion). On the side I used the remainder of the pear to make a little boat filled with spinach, red bell pepper, red onion, and some blue cheese crumbles!

Meghann’s Chicken with Balsamic Pear Sauce

Ingredients:
chicken breast
1 small pear, sliced
1/4 of a small onion, chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
handful of crushed pecans

Cook the chicken breast on the stove top until the chicken is cooked through
Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside
Add the onions to the hot pan until soft then add the sliced pear
In a separate bowl mix together the broth, balsamic vinegar, sugar and whole wheat four until well blended
Pour the sauce mix into the pan and bring to a boil
Once boiling reduce temp and return the chicken to the pan
Cover the pan and let simmer until the sauce thickens to your liking, between 5 and 10 minutes
Once plated top with the crushed pecans

Gina’s Red Pear with Balsamic Reduction, Goat Cheese and Almonds

1. Make the balsamic reduction-- simmer 1 cup of balsamic vinegar, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes until mixture is reduced and sticks to the back of a spoon. Add in a little sugar (I used 1/2 tbs of Sucanat)
2. Slice a pear and dip the top of each slice into the reduction.
3. Top with goat cheese and almonds.
4. FEAST!!!!

ChickPea’s Pear Berry Parfait

Magpie’s Pear & Crab Salad

Ingredients
1 bosc pear, chopped (centimeter-ish cubes are good)
6 ounces of lump crab meat (1 can)
2 big handfuls of fresh basil, chopped - maybe 20 leaves?
1/3 cup finely chopped white onion
1/2 cup shredded cabbage OR chopped celery (or both! I was out of celery, but that was my original idea - I substituted in cabbage and it was still really good)
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup cashews (optional - I was going to add these at the end and I completely forgot - but they would have been perfect) - or walnuts, or almonds, or your nut of choice!

Dressing
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or vinegar of choice)
2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon mustard

Directions
To make the dressing, just mix all the dressing ingredients well.
For the salad, mix everything but the crab. Then gently fold the crab in.
Pour the dressing over the salad and gently mix them together. Serve! Topped with cashews or other nuts would be delicious, especially toasted walnuts or sliced almonds.
I had mine on top of lettuce with some extra pear slices; Bobby had his alone with extra pear slices. We will definitely be making this again.

Erika’s Cheddar Pear Pie-

For the pie:
6 cups pears, peeled and sliced
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon
3 TBSP cornstarch
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 pie crust, unbaked (homemade or store bought)

For the topping:
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I use reduced fat. Just don't use FF - it won't melt right!)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/4 butter (I use earth balance)

Set oven to 400 degrees.

In one bowl, mix the first three toping ingredients, and then cut in butter until it resembles a crumble (like you're making an apple crisp topping or something).

In a separate bowl, toss the pears and lemon juice. Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, and cornstarch in a separate bowl, and then combine with the pears to coat.

Pour the pear mixture into the pie crust, and then top with the "crumble" topping. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. I always have to check mine at 40 - last thing you want is overcooked/burnt pears!

Jenn’s Banana Blueberry +Strawberry Sorbet=Incom “pear” able

Ingredients:
1 cup orange juice
1 medium banana
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1 Island Way Orange Mango Sorbet
1/2 green D’Anjou pear, sliced
I blended the ingredients together and then added the remaining 1/2 pear to the top of each smoothie for garnish

Lyss's Turkey Bacon, Pear & Feta Cheese Quesadillas

Ingredients:

1 Whole Wheat Tortilla (such as La Tortilla Factory's Low Carb High Fiber tortillas)
1/2 yellow pear (or any other pear you have on hand)
2 slices turkey bacon
Feta cheese, crumbled

1. Cook turkey bacon in microwave, between two paper towels, for 1 min. 45 seconds or until desired crispiness.

2. Spray nonstick skillet and 'fry' one side of tortilla.

3. Meanwhile, thinly slice half of the pear.

4. Layer tortilla with pear slices, crumbled turkey bacon and feta cheese.

5. Fold over tortilla, reduce temp to low, cover and cook 2 minutes longer.

Lyss's Turkey, Pear & Apple Butter Bagel Melt

Ingredients:

1 Whole Wheat Bagel (I used a Thomas Whole Wheat bagel, they are big and soft!)
1/2 yellow pear (once again, any pear you have will do)
1 oz. hickory smoked turkey deli meat
1 slice mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons apple butter

1. Preheat toaster oven to 350 degrees.

2. Spread both sides of the bagel with apple butter.

3. Layer one side with pears and cheese, the other with turkey.

4. Place both sides in the toaster oven, and bake for 5 minutes or until cheese starts to bubble.

5. Put the sandwich together, slice in half and enjoy!

Again, thank you thank you for the wonderful recipes! I will def be making some of these during my next blogger week! So whose up to pick the next BSI ingredient you ask....

Meghann of The Inner Workings of a College Graduate! I cannot wait to see what she picks!

V8 Broccoli Soup, Vegi Pasta, Food list

Hello :) How was your Monday? Mine was pretty good, a little frustrating at work because I have a major deliverable due tomorrow! At work today, I tried the V8 Garden Broccoli soup. I really enjoyed it! It doesn't have the spice of the Southwestern corn, but it has a very comforting taste! I added corn in for a little more substance. Yum Yum. After work, I walked to the gym, did 10 minutes on the treadmill, 10 minutes on the elliptical, took body pump, then ran home. I was sooooo hungry when I got home that I couldn't wait to make dinner. I cooked up the squash we picked up at the farmers market and some broccoli. I also made up some whole wheat pasta. I mixed the two together with tomato sauce and a little bit of cheese. It was very yummy (on a side note, I had cooked up some shrimp to add but it tasted a little...fishy so I decided to toss it. I don't take chances with food!

I promised earlier this week that I'd post my weekly food list, so here it is! My list covers 7 days of breakfast/lunch and six nights of dinner. At the end of the list, I have posted the dinners that come out of the ingredients and I also indicate if I already had some of the ingredients on hand (i.e. I didn't need to buy them at the stores):

Grocery List:

Produce:
Bag of Broccoli
3 packs of stir fry vegis
Spinach
Potatoes
Squash
Apples
Bananas
Pears
Frozen Vegis

Packaged/Canned Items:
2 cans low sodium chicken broth
2 bottles pasta sauce
2 cans black beans
Can of Pineapple in Pineapple juice
Tuna-chunk light in H20 (for the husband)
Whole wheat pasta
Honey
Whole wheat goldfish (for Josh’s lunches)
Frozen Blackberries
Whole wheat sun chips (for Josh’s lunches)
Kashi bars
Protein bars (z/cliff/balance)
Oats (old fashioned
Chocolate Chips
Shredded coconut
Bbq sauce


Meat:
Shrimp
Ground Turkey
Chicken Sausage
Lunch Meat (Josh)

Dairy:
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1% organic milk
Chobanis and large tub vanilla yogurt
Low fat ice cream treats
Eggs or Egg beaters

Miscellaneous:
Toothpaste
Solo cups
Nail File
Dryer Sheets
Stockings
Dog Food/treats
Water
Diet soda (for Josh’s lunches)
Gum
2 rolls (for soup)
Loaf of bread

For dinners:
Potato/Broccoli soup with rolls
Chicken (already had)/vegi stir fry with quinoa (already had)
Shrimp, Squash pasta
Black bean soup with cheese quesadillas (had tortillas)
Sausage, pineapple, vegis
Turkey meatballs with spinach salad

Mayo Free Crab Cakes & Asian Turkey Meatballs

I’ve been so bad about posting recipes lately. I’ve just been busy (in the best kind of way)! This week has involved work, teaching at the gym, spending time with the man, taking care of my favorite little lady:

spending time with friends:

trying new (and delicious) foods:

and cooking & baking! I made these crock pot Asian meatballs a while back. They were so good, that I re-made them using turkey (served with quinoa, peas & sesame seeds):

Yesterday, I threw together crab cakes. I despise mayo, and put together a batch without it. I had just finished teaching at the gym, was trying to feed Kaylin, and Josh was walking in the door from work….so this is the only (lame) picture I got. I assure you these are delicious!

 

Mayo-Less Crab Cakes:

Ingredients:

• 8 oz crab meat (canned)
• 1 egg (medium or large not extra large)
• 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon old bay

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except crab. Add in crab and mix with your hands. Form into 5 mini cakes. Place (covered) in fridge for a half hour (or longer).

Either spray a skillet  with non-stick spray, or add a little butter or olive oil. Heat over medium heat and cook each cake for ~3-4 minutes each side (they should brown up). Serve with your favorites sides or put on top of a salad.

So good! Love crab.

I fit in my workout this morning, so I am off to finish up work, pickup my Color Me Rad race packet, and meet Mandi for coffee! What are you up to? 

Green Dog Wine Quinoa "Stew", Beef and Broccoli

Thank you all for sharing with me your favorite day of the work week! It was fun to read everyones reasoning behind their favorite day! I have to agree with those of you who chose Thursday solely due to the excitement of Friday approaching! Quick Review of my last two days:

Wednesday: Body Pump in the morning, work, hour at the pool with Jenny (!), trip to Whole Foods (Jenny's first time), a wonderful dinner of my version of Green Dog Wine's Quinoa "Stew". Josh had it with ground turkey:


Jenny and I had it with no meat, extra beans:

Thursday: Work (such a slow day today-bleh), little housework, taught 45 minute version of Body Step, took 45 minute version of Body Pump, made Beef and Broccoli for Josh and our friend Jeremy:

Jenny and I ate up all the leftover veggies and beans for dinner. We had gone a little crazy at the farmers market/food store this week and had tons of fresh stuff starting to turn bad in the fridge. You may have noticed based on my dinner descriptions, but I have decided to eliminate "land based" meats out of my diet. I am now eating a mostly vegetarian diet with the occasional sea based protein (shrimp, fish, etc). I made this decision for a number of reasons but mostly because I think it will ultimately lead to much better health.

Yayyy for tomorrow being Friday!

Rice & Beans, Goals & Superbowl

Thursday- at last! Few things I want to post about today: 1. New Goals, 2. Quick and Easy Rice and Beans recipe (with added veggies), 3. Weekly workouts, 4. Super Bowl Menu:

Now that its February, some of the goals you set for the New Year may be slipping out of your mind. I think today is a great day to revisit your goals and either celebrate yourself (if you’re achieving them or working towards achieving them), adjust them (if you’ve found them to be unattainable) or reset yourself (if you’ve let them slip away). One of my main nutrition goals is to focus back in on protein. Since becoming a vegetarian, I’ve let my counts get a little slow. I am now setting a goal of 75 grams per day. I am going to achieve this by incorporating some form of protein into all of my meals and leaning back on my Jay Robb Egg White protein a bit. I will be holding myself accountable by posting my daily protein intake here at the end of each week. What are your goals? Are you meeting them or working towards meeting them?

Second up, I made up an easy recipe of beans & rice with vegetables to eat as part of my dinner later tonight

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked brown rice (you could also use quinoa, barley, etc)
• 1 cup drained beans (or you could use a combination of a few different kinds of beans)
• Olive Oil (~1 tablespoon)
• 1/3 cup Chopped onion (or more if desired)
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• Other veggies (frozen corn, frozen peas, bell pepper, Brussels, whatever you have on hand)
• ½ cup salsa (or tomato sauce or marinara)
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon cumin

Directions

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook 4-5 minutes. Add beans, fresh vegetables (if using), tomato sauce and spices. Heat through or until vegetables are at desired tenderness level. In last few minutes of cooking, add frozen peas/corn (if using). Stir in rice, serve.

Not a difficult recipe, but totally delicious. Can't wait to eat it all up later!

Third, how are your workouts coming this week? My classes are going well! I have a heavy teaching schedule this week, as I’m subbing for a few instructors.

• Monday: Taught Body Pump, ran to warm up
• Tuesday: Taught Body Attack
• Wednesday: Off
• Thursday: Teach 45 minute Body Step, 45 minute Body Pump
• Friday: Teach Body Pump, quick run to warm up
• Saturday: Teach Body Step
• Sunday: Teach Body Pump

Lastly, thank you all for sharing your super bowl plans! We’re having a few friends over our house. My plan is serve turkey chili, Rhodey Girl’s Zaatar Bread, Vegetables and Spicy Hummus, Chips & salsa, Fruit and Cool whip (or TruWhip) dip (combine one container of cool/truwhip and 1 fruit yogurt) and a few desserts (black bean brownies and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies).

What are you up to this weekend??

Easy Dinner Ideas & Vegetarian Brinner Bowl Part II

Thank you all for the feedback on your favorite easy & delicious meals.  Some of your brilliant ideas:

• Kelly’s garlic quinoa & basil chicken
• Stir fry (a popular one and I must agree!!)
• Angharad’s spicy turkey chili
• Kylie’s mega veggie dinner salad
• Stephanie’s sweet potato and black bean chili

Last time, I posted about one of my favorite quick & easy vegetarian bowls and here is another:

Ingredients:

• Chopped veggies (tonight I used parsnips, onions and green peppers)
• Eggs (any combination of eggs, egg whites or egg beaters)
• Chili powder
• Shredded cheese (I usually use a part skim Mexican blend)
• Salsa

Directions:

• Spray frying pan with non-stick spray (or alternatively spread with a little butter or oil)
• Add chopped veggies and chili powder and cook until veggies are starting to brown or are almost cooked through
• Add eggs, cook through
• Top with shredded cheese & salsa ( I like to add avocado too but I had none on hand)

Easy breakfast for dinner! I always serve this with a side of fruit and toasted bread, pita or tortilla.

What are your plans for the weekend?  I am teaching Body Step Saturday morning, going to dinner with friends & walking the bridge/going to brunch with Lindsay.  Josh and I also have plans for yard & house work. Enjoy every minute of your weekend!!

5 Years? & Meal Plan

Something crazy has happened…I have been blogging for 5 years (as of Tuesday)! I knew my blog birthday was coming up, but didn’t realize how long it had been. I plan to do some sort of giveaway to celebrate these five fun years. Anything you’d like to see in a giveaway? Have a favorite bar? A gift certificate to Trader Joes or Whole foods? A baked good from my kitchen?

This week has been nuts. Work has been a little non-stop and I have been teaching a good chunk of classes. I also have made some delicious recipes. Here are the eats for this week:

Monday: Leftover coconut cauliflower bisque 

Tuesday: Quinoa salad with black beans, corn, & pineapple (I used pineapple juice instead of lemon juice)

Wednesday: Turkey Chili

Thursday: Breakfast for dinner

Friday: Brussels sprouts pizza (more on this to come)

Saturday: Dinner out

Sunday: Coconut crab rice (except I may make it with shrimp)

Few random pictures from the week. I made peanut butter chocolate chip bars for Josh’s work bake sale fundraiser. I used this recipe and added chocolate chips:

I continued with my New Year’s resolution of giving blood every 8 weeks:

 

I took this guy for a bundle of walks:

 

I horse around with this peanut (she loves to dance around the group fitness room and sing while I get ready for class):

 

What are you eating this week? What would you like to see in a giveaway?

A little of this, a little of that

AH! I am so, so behind on blogging. Work has been a little crazy and we just launched the new Body Step and Body Pump releases. Crazy town! So, this post will be a little of this, and a little of that.

The launches went really well this past weekend. I didn’t take a lot of pictures, but here is one from the Body Step launch. The new release focuses on a mix between athletic and dance/flavor options. I was the “athletic” instructor:

On Sunday, we had a BBQ at my Aunt & Uncle’s house. I brought Maria’s quinoa salad:

and Jenna’s blueberry tart:

I always enjoy parties at my Aunt’s house. Here is a picture of my Mom, me, Kay & my Aunt:

  

I have been cooking up a storm this week. We’ve had some really yummy dinners including turkey burgers, lighter chicken parmesan and pizza:

 

I’ve also been teaching a good bit. I feel like I have the Body Pump release down pretty solid! I’m getting there with step ;).

And…one last beautiful shot from my development while on a walk…LOVE SC!!

Tell me something about your week!