E: Butternut Squash with Black Beans and Walnuts

Happy Friday! What are your weekend plans? Outside the usual stuff, Josh and I are going up to my parents house for some brunch action. Other than that? Pretty open :)

Yesterday, I shared with you the dessert I will be making for Thanksgiving dinner and today, I am sharing the side dish. Since I am a vegetarian, I decided to make a side dish that packed some protein. When I found this recipe for butternut squash with black beans and walnuts, I knew this would be the one.  I did a test run, to make sure it would turn out as I had hoped. I made a few modifications, but nothing major.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Butternut Squash/Pumpkin peeled and cubed ( I cheated and purchased pre-peeled/cubed and just cut them down a bit)
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1.5 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 hot green pepper, diced
• 1.5  cups cooked black beans ( I used canned)
• 1 Teaspoon chili powder
• 2 cups spinach (I added this in for the test run only but don’t plan to use it on Thanksgiving)
• 3 Tablespoons lightly toasted walnuts
• Fresh lemon juice
• Fresh cilantro for garnish (I did not use this in my test run)

Directions:

Heat oil, caraway seeds and hot pepper in a thick bottomed pan or skillet; when the seeds sizzle, add the ginger, butternut squash/pumpkin cubes. Increase the heat to high and cook the squash/pumpkins tossing them frequently till they are light brown on the sides.

Now add the beans, red chili powder and 1/4 cup of water to the pan with the squash/pumpkin and cover and cook till the squash/pumpkin cubes are fork tender but firm.

Uncover and check to see if done. If there are any remaining water, increase the heat and let the water dry off. This is a dry dish. Add spinach and allow it to wilt. If done, add the walnuts; toss to combine well.

Finish it off with some fresh lemon juice and fresh chopped cilantro/coriander.

Finished product (pre-walnuts, I made this dish ahead and wanted to add the walnuts at the last minute):

 

And now, for the winners of the Jessica Seinfeld cookbook giveaway:

Erica from Fashion Meets Food

and

Lauren from Say What You Need to Say

Send me an email at itzyskitchen at gmail dot com with your address and I will get your cookbooks sent out to you! Congrats!!

Don’t forget to join in the December Blogger Baked Goods Exchange!!!

Quick & Easy Vegetarian Bowl

Last nights dinner was a tasty and easy one! I saw Jessie post about her go to Vegan Protein Bowl and it made me crave my own favorite quick & easy vegetarian (or vegan) bowl. I usually make this dish by roasting my vegetables, but I went a slightly different route last night so I could use my new steamer insert that my friend Mandi gave me for my birthday.

 

I chopped up a parsnip and sweet potato…

 

and steamed them up…

 

I mixed the steamed veggies with Bush’s reduced sodium pinto beans…

 

and Success Brown rice. The mixture was topped with salsa. For a little extra yum factor, I usually place shredded cheese on top.

 

Delicious & healthy.

And for workout Wednesday, here is my plan for the week:

• Monday: Ran to warm up, Taught Body Pump
• Tuesday:  Taught Body Attack
• Wednesday:  Ran outside
• Thursday:  Teach 45 minute Step, 45 minute Pump
• Friday: Off
• Saturday:  Teach Body Step
• Sunday:  Walk with Lindsay

What is your favorite healthy meal? Any workout plans for the week?

Happy Birthday to my sister, Kim!!!! (Her birthday was yesterday but I didn’t post!)

A Few of My Favorites & Protein Report

How has your week been so far? I hope its coming along nicely! Mine has been very good but busy! First off, I have seen a few bloggers sharing lists of their favorite products and I decided to hop on the bandwagon. Note: I purchased all of these products on my own with the exception of the Flax. I try to stay away from a lot of processed foods, but do have a few new favorites including, Stevia in the Raw (yummy in coffee):

Unsweetened Almond Breeze - both chocolate and vanilla (I use this in my protein shakes and drink on its own, heated with cinnamon!)

Bumble bars (the nutty pack rocks!):

Pizzey's Premium Golden Flax. I won this through a contest on Emily's Blog. I am loving this flax (I use it in my granola, oatmeal, yogurt, etc!):

Last but not least! Josh had a dinner meeting tonight, so I decided to treat myself to Carrabba's Insalata Fiorucci. According to Carrabba's website, this salad contains "Artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers and grilled eggplant in vinaigrette, topped with a hazelnut goat cheese medallion." I got it without the roasted red peppers and added my own raw green pepper. I'm not a big chain restaurant fan, but I love this salad! I also ran into a reader when picking it up- Hi Carrie!! (hope I spelled your name right).

Totally delicious! So there ya have it! What is on your favorites list lately? Any new favorites?

One more quick item, as I noted in previous posts, I'm working on increasing my protein (at least 75 grams per day). My totals for last week:

• Sunday (7th): 76 g
• Monday: 93 g
• Tuesday: 81 g
• Wednesday: 76 g
• Thursday:86 g
• Friday: 79 g
• Saturday: 83 g
• Sunday: 75 g

Wahoo! How are you doing on your goals? Workouts going well this week? I have a pretty heavy teaching schedule again so the extra protein is defintely helping me kick my way through it :) Have a fabulous night

Healthier Superbowl Spread & Raw Protein Bars

Is today a super sleepy Monday or what? I was shocked that I had a full class this morning when I taught my usual 5:45 AM Body Pump! Did you all enjoy your weekends and the super bowl (if you watched)?

Our weekend was great! We had a work dinner for Josh on Friday, taught step Saturday and ran errands, saw Avatar in 3D Saturday night (movie itself was very cool, but didn't like/agree with half of the movies message), taught Body Pump Sunday and then had a few friends over for the super bowl Sunday night.

I also made a batch of Averie's Raw Protein Bars on Sunday. They are amazing!!!!


I tried to make my Super Bowl Spread a little healthier, but still delicious.



I made up this AMAZING sweet and spicy turkey chili (it has pineapple in it and my friends/family gave it rave reviews (I obviously skipped out due to the meat;)):



I served some optional toppings along side the chili, including jalapenos, light sour cream, and 2% milk shredded cheese.

I also made up some fruit and fruit dip (whipped topping + 1 single serving fruit yogurt). It was the hit of the party:


I also laid out some pita chips, tortilla chips and veggies with salsa and Broccoli Hut's awesome artichoke hummus:

and Rhodey Girl's Zaatar Bread with marinara sauce (also a huge hit):


For dessert, big oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, dark chocolate pieces, and black bean brownies (which were just ok):
Our wonderful friends Bryan and Mandi also brought over some sausage balls that everyone loved.

How is your week looking? Any fun workouts planned? I have another busy teaching schedule this week (since a few of our instructors are out of commission):

• Monday: Ran to warm up and taught Body Pump
• Tuesday: Teach Body Attack
• Wednesday: Quick run to warm up, Teach Body Pump
• Thursday: Teach 45 minute Body Step, 45 minute Body Pump
• Friday: Teach Body Pump
• Saturday: Teach Body Step & Pump

Phew! I will be increasing my protein and eats to make sure I'm energized! Speaking of protein, as I mentioned last week, I am working on increasing my protein intake. My goal is to hit 75 grams per day. Here is how I did last week (these are approximations):

• Monday: 67 grams
• Tuesday: 86 grams
• Wednesday: 70 grams
• Thursday: 86 grams
• Friday: 66 grams
• Saturday: 72 grams
• Sunday:76 grams

I'm getting there!! Hope you have a fabulous week!! I will be posting my Blogger Secret Valentine's day package later this week.

Stuffed Potatoes and Lack of Fat

Hey buds! How are you doing? I am doing well! It was another quick work day- very busy! After work, I ran a few errands, gave the Frankster a bath (I will take pics of his next bath for those of you who requested them!), taught Body Attack (it was FABULOUS) and then got to work on dinner. Here are the days eats:

Breakfast: Apple & PB and coffee (I ALWAYS eat breakfast, but it is never anything huge…I just can’t handle something big in the morning!No pic)

Lunch: Bowl of Veggies (Brussels, Carrots, Celery, Tomatoes)

Oikos (did everyone see Hangry Pants Chobani vs. Oikos video? Hilarious)

Apple (shocking):

Afternoon snacky: another Jay Robb Protein shake. Today it was 1 cup milk, ½ scoop powder, ½ banana (I ate the other half of the banana)

I had my first MAJOR craving for some fake food today. All the way home from Body Attack I was dreaming of unclean foods. I think the craving came from the fact that I didn't have enough fat in my diet today. To compensate, I ate a whole hard boiled egg when I got home (yolk and all). Then I had a piece of homemade wheat bread:

Din Din was stuffed potatoes. I did have to use a can of processed tomato sauce, but it has no added salt and not too many preservatives

I got one more question about my cleaning eating that I figured I would post. Sabrina asked, “How are your hunger levels and energy levels now that you are eating even more clean?”

Honestly, the first day I was a little more hungry than usual, but I think this was because my body was adjusting to my eats. Since then, I have been feeling great! Clean eating allows you to eat more (quantity wise) and the food you’re eating is made up of lots of great stuff like fiber, vitamins, and lean protein! Energy wise- I feel wonderful! I don’t feel as sluggish as I usually do and don’t feel as dependent on my morning coffee.

Fun link- MizFit posted about clean eating today and even gave me a shout out!

Have a wonderful night!!

Vegan Sweet Bread & 2 Protein Powder Reviews

Hello! Hope your day is going well! I just got in from a pretty kick butt 5 mile run. First things first, here is the recipe for the vegan version of the sweet bread:

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour (or half whole wheat half all-purpose)
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup applesauce
1/2 cup earth balance
1 banana or 3 tablespoons Ener-G+4 tablespoons water
1 cup dairy/soy/gluten free semi-sweet chocolate chips or carob

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray a loaf pan with Pam.

2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, applesauce, earth balance and egg replacer in large bowl. Beat on medium speed of mixer until well blended(I used a whisk). Stir in chips.

3. Pour into loaf pan and bake for approximately 1 hour (check it as cooking time varies by oven) or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

4. Let loaf cool completely before cutting (no matter how good it smells ;)).

Ok- today I tried TWO protein powders. I only tried two because I could not even drink one sip of the first one.....

First up, NutriBiotic Vegan Rice Protein- Vanilla


Stats:

• 12 g of protein
• 55 calories (in just the packet), 0.3 g fat
• Completely vegan. Contains no soy, milk, egg, yeast, corn, wheat, sugars, or preservatives
• Ingredients: Enzymatically processed rice protein from whole grain brown rice.

Review: I've tried this powder both in yogurt and today in milk. I could bare the chalkiness in yogurt but in milk...I couldn't even take a full sip. Ick...

Next, Jay Robb Whey Protein- Chocolate

Stats:

• 25 Grams of protein per serving
• No gluten, No msg, No casein, No artificial colors or flavors!
• 110 calories, 0 g fat (packet only)
• Ingredients: All Natural Ingredients Cold-processed cross-flow microfiltered whey protein isolate, natural flavor, cocoa powder (natural process), xanthan gum, lecithin, stevia

Review: Yummy! I mixed it with 1 cup 1% milk and some ice cubes. Like with the egg white protein, the flavor was light but very tasty.

Be back later with my clean eating guidelines! Thank you for the fabulous response on this- btw!!!

Whole Foods Soy Protein, PB2

Hi guys! Stopping by for a quickie. Today I tried Whole Foods Soy Protein Powder:

I'm a little nervous about having too much soy in my diet based on some of things I've read about it. Anyone have any insight on the topic? Regardless, the shake was very delicious- almost malt like. The first sip did taste a little...chalky, but it was a very slight taste and I didn't notice it after the first sip. Stats(based on the package):

• 14 g protein
• 125 calories (for the packet, I added 1 cup 1 % milk which added another 110 calories)
• 1 g fat
• contains soy (duhhhh), "Good manufacturing practices used to segregate ingredients in a facility that also processes milk, egg, fish, shellfish, tree nut and wheat ingredients."
• contains no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.
• Ingredients: soy protein isolate, fructose, dutch cocoa, natural chocolate and vanilla flavors, tri-calcium phosphate, potassium cholride, guar cum, santhan gum, magnesium oxide, vitamin E succinate, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), ferrous fumarate, niacinamide, zinc oxide, copper cluconate, clacium pantothenate, viamin A (palmitate), selenomethionine, potassium iodide, cyanocobalamin (sorry if there are any misspellings)

Ok, so far I prefer the Jay Robb Egg white protein best. The ingredient list was far shorter and I actually liked the taste better. More to come! Feedback is welcomed!


Onto the PB2! I was so excited to try this today! About PB2 (from the Bell Plantation Website):

• PB2 is made with premium quality peanuts that are slow-roasted to our specifications and pressed to remove the fat.
• All natural with no artificial sweeteners or preservatives.
• Same consistency as full-fat peanut butter with all of the roasted peanut flavor, but with more than 85% less fat calories.

To make regular "peanut butter" out of the PB2:

Take 2 tablespoons PB2 powder-

Add 1 tablespoon water-

Mix-

Enjoy! I had mine with an apple and it was SOOOO yummy. I was very nervous to take the first bite but it really tastes like roasted peanuts (probably because it is...haha)!

Nutritional Facts for 1 serving (2 tablespoons):

Calories-53.2
Calories from Fat-16.8

Total Fat-1.87 g

Sodium-77.6 mg

Total Carbohydrate-3.4 g

Protein- 5.65 g

Calcium-1%

Iron-2%

I can't wait to try it in my baking!

Have a fabulous afternoon!!!!

Turkey Stir fry, PB2, Protein

Mondays done-Phew! Mondays are like the first mile of a longgggg run- they feel impossible, but once they're done, you feel great and are ready to rock through the rest of it. After work today, I did a 5 mile run. The weather here in Charleston is around 65 and cloudy, so it was pretty much perfect running weather.

When I got back from running I discovered a very exciting package in my mailbox- PB2! I won this in a contest on Fresh & Pure. Pearl- Thank you so much! I have been wanting to try this stuff since MizFit blogged about it!

I did some group fitness prep work and then cooked up some dinner- turkey stir fry with TONS of veggies and just a little stir fry sauce.

Thank you all for your thoughts on protein powder post. A few people commented that they would rather eat whole/real foods rather than take supplements. I agree- I think real foods are the best way to get your nutrients. For me, I just don't get enough protein through my traditional eats. Recently, as I tried to move to a more vegetarian lifestyle, my protein level dropped even further causing lots of issues with my tummy (at least I believe this is the cause of my tummy issues). Hence my need for a protein powder... A few of your recommended some other brands/types of protein including Sun Warrior, Hemp protein, Whole Foods brand, Whey and Soy protein. I will be trying a few of these over the next week or so.

Did you have a good Monday?

Protein Powder Review: Jay Robb Egg White Protein Powder

Hi! Can you believe it is Sunday night? Craziness. First off, thank you for all the compliments on my dinner last night! Its nice to know that most of you guys stress out about your food when you have people over too ;)

I ended up crashing around 10 pm last night (I'm a party animal, what can I say). As a result, I woke up at 6:50 AM and couldn't go back to sleep! I got up and did some laundry/ironing/dishes and then went for a quick run outside (2.4 miles). After, I went to Body Pump. It felt good to get a good workout in. The rest of my day was spent cleaning up some more of the boxes in the house and giving Frankster a bath. My throat has been starting to bother me (I hope I'm not getting what Josh had last week), so I took some meds and a nap.

After my workout today, I tried another kind of Jay Robb protein, Strawberry Egg White protein. I have been looking for a good protein powder for a while, as I do not think I am getting enough protein most days(0.8 grams of protein per kg of body mass to 1.2 g/kg per day). The following are my thoughts, I am not a dietitian or a nutritionist, so if any readers are- please provide feedback and comments on the nutritional information and I will post them up tomorrow!

A single serving of Jay Robb contains (according to the Jay Robb website):

• 24 Grams Of Protein Per Serving
• Lactose Free
• No Fat
• No Cholesterol
• No MSG
• No Aspartame
• No Acesulfame-K
• No Sucralose
• No Artificial Flavors
• No Artificial Sweeteners
• No Artificial Colors
• From Chickens Not Treated with Hormones

Ingredients: Egg albumin, xylitol, natural flavor, xanthan gum, lecithin, stevia, citric acid, red beet powder.

I mixed mine up with 1 cup of milk and a few ice cubs in my magic bullet. The packet contains 120 calories and the 1% milk I used contains 100 calories per cup. All together, this little mix has 220 calories.

The flavor was subtle, but delicious, and the powder mixed in perfectly with the milk (thank you Mr. Magic Bullet). Over the next week, you will see me testing a few more powders. For more awesome info on protein powders, check out this post on the Broccoli Hut

Do you use protein powder or take any supplements?