Hodge, Podge Dinner
Last night I was starving and convinced there was nothing to eat in the house and husband wasn’t home, so it seemed like the just the right opportunity to go to New Season’s salad/ hot. However, I seem to find that very same opportunity on way too many nights. It is becoming a wee bit of a problem. Instead of caving into my New Season’s longing I put my cooking pants and wrangled up some random ingredients and it turned out dang good, better than New Season’s hot bar good. I wish I could take full credit for random creation, but it is heavily based on a meal my husband makes often. In lieu of our different eating habits, the man and moi cook separate dishes for dinner, so I had not had the true pleasure of experiencing his creation until last night. I made a few tweaks to his masterpiece and here is what my version looked like…. Oh, one more thing this “recipe” does not really need to follow any specific measurements because I literally just through everything together last night. I swear I don’t mean that in a I-am-just-that-good-in-the-kitchen-that-I-can-just-toss-together-whatever-I-have-on-a-hand-and-it-tastes-divine kinda way, it is more like this recipe is incredibly difficult to screw up kinda way. Got it? Good. Now back to the “recipe”
The Goods:
- 2-3c brussel sprouts (halved)
- 2-3c broccoli (chopped)- I used the pre cut one from Trader Joe’s. Super simple.
- 1c broccoli slaw- can omit this one and just use more of the broc or b.sprouts
- 1/2 red onion (chopped)
- 1/2 zucchini (chopped)
- 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 1/2 can of chickpeas
- 1/2 jar of pasta sauce
- dash of hot sauce- to taste (optional)
- 1 can of wild salmon
- 2t cumin
- 1/4t sea salt
- dash of fresh ground black pepper
- 1.5T olive oil
How To:
- Heat oil on low to med heat in large sauce pan or medium size dutch oven
- Add onions and sauté until translucent
- Add garlic, spices, sea salt and hot sauce- stir
- Add all veggies and 2T water, stir and put lid on and steam veggies for 2min on low-medium heat
- Add pasta sauce & chicpeas, stir, put lid on and let simmer for 10-15min
- At the very end stir in canned salmon
- Pat yourself on the back, because you just cleaned out the fridge, ate healthy and did not spend money on takeout. Word.
I put this medley over some coked quinoa and mixed it all together, but it definitely does not need the quinoa, so that step could be omitted.
I also enjoyed with this adult beverage:
1shot of organic, local gin + 2T lime juice + 3/4c sparkling water = a cocktail that made me feel good in the moment and not like garbage in the morning. #nailedit.
And with that, I leave you this….
#random
Happy Friday!!
It’s Wednesday…
Howdy all, it is Wednesday and I do believe it is time for another WIAW.
Thank you, Miss Jen for hosting this weekly food soiree.
I bring you ma Tuesday eats:
Breakfast:
Holy Yum Granola topped with ’nana in unsweetened almond milk and coffee & unsweetened soymilk.
Post Workout Eats:
1 egg & 1 egg white scrambled with a wee bit of hummus & salsa:
Pardon the picture. This meal is not pretty, but it made up for its lack of beauty in taste.
Shortly after, the latest green monster concoction occurred.
In this beast:
- 3/4c apple cider
- 3T lemon juice
- a small hunk of fresh ginger
- 2-3c spinach
- 1/4 frozen banana
- 3-5 ice cubes
- dash of cinnamon
- 1t detox powder (optional)
- 1/3t matcha (optional)
Mid day eats: a perfect foods bar. I ate him at 3:00ish and was not hungry until 7:30ish. I can’t believe how well these gems stick.
Din:
Kale & spinach Salad
and French, Green Lentil Soup
I made this soup on Sunday. I like it, but I am not in love. Some tweaking needs to occur.
Dessert, on the other hand, I did love.
Ummm this stuff is amazing.
I also had a few dark chocolate chips on the side
And that concludes this week’s WIAW. I hope everybody has a superb Wednesday!!
A Divine Beauty Elixir and a New Protein Powder Love
For the past couple of months I have been starting the day with an elixir inspired by a drink in the Tone It Up community. I bring you the divine, beauty elixir.
The goods:
How to:
Combine 2T apple cider vinegar with 2T lemon juice a dash of cayenne & cinnamon and 8-10oz warm water.
What makes this a divine beauty elixir?
Pros:
The lemon juice & warm water stimulates digestion and helps sir liver detoxify a wee bit.
Apple Cider vinegar- stimulates circulation and aids in detoxification. It also helps lower bad (LDL) cholesterol and helps to control blood sugar. Stable blood sugar = great for diabetics & weight loss.
Cayenne- is anti-flamatory, helps to break up mucus (great for cold season), mildly anti-fungal, and helps to stimulate digestion. Is there nothing this gem can’t do?
Cinnamon- helps to lower bad (LDL) cholesterol, mildly anti-fungal and helps to stabilize blood sugar- again great for diabetics & weight loss.
It warms me up and I like the taste of it, but I like sour tasting goods. If sour isn’t your thing you could had a wee bit of raw, organic honey, which also stimulates digestion and is anti-fungal.
Cons:
Keith thinks it “smells like throw-up” (his words not mine) and I think it smells like apple juice, so consider yourself warned that this may not be the kinda drink that you want to drink all day long. Although you might….
True Story:
Honestly, I haven’t noticed any revolutionary changes from consuming this miracle bevi, but I was taking my supplements with warm water and lemon juice anyway, so I decided to kick it up a notch. Who can’t use a little extra blood stabilizing and liver detoxing?
In other news:
I fell in love with Vega’s protein powder:
I have been on the prowl for a protein powder that does not contain any naughty ingredients and doesn’t taste like chalk. Vega is the big winner in my book. Vega (sort of recently) re formulated their powders and I definitely like the new formulation. I made the best smoothie with the above packet. It gave me oodles of energy too.
In this fella:
- 1/2c coconut water
- 1/2c unsweetened almond milk
- 1 packet of Vega’s almondilla powder
- 1/2 frozen banan
- 1T sunflower butter
- 3-5 ice cubes
What I ate Wednesday
It is time for another WIAW! If you want more information in partaking in this eating soiree, click on the picture below.
I remembered to snap my eats yesterday. I also realized that my eats are rather redundant. If you are bored to tears, my apologies.
Supplements & lemon water concoction.
lemon water concoction= fresh squeezed lemon, warm water, dash of cinnamon & cayenne pepper. It gets you feelin’ all warm and fuzzy inside.
Breakfast:
Perfect Foods Bar & Coffee w/ whole milk. I have tried to break myself of these bars, but it is a worthless endeavor. We are meant to be together.
Post Workout Snack:
Peanut Butter Protein Cookie. I made a batch of these on Sunday. I rarely make things twice and I have made these at least 4 times. That is big time. They are so good!
Lunch:
My favorite green smoothie to date.
some of the star components in this fella
Actual recipe =
- 1c coco water
- 1container of vanilla siggi’s yogurt
- 1T vanilla vegilite
- 1/3 of a frozen medium banana
- 2-3c spinach
- 2t maca
- 2t ultra tox
- dash of sea salt & cinnamon
- 4-7 ice cubes
Afternoon Snack:
avocado & egg salad with a few pieces of roasted delicate squash
followed by a sugar free, chocolate mint mocha
In this gem:
Actual recipe=
- 1c unsweetened almond milk
- a few drops of liquid stevia
- 1T raw cacao (unsweetened cocoa works too)
- 1/2t peppermint oil
And with that, I am off. Happy Wednesday!
What I Ate Friday?
I forgot to do a What I ate Wednesday, so I thought I would make up for such a crime my doing a What I Ate Friday, except it really is What I Ate Thursday. Confused? Good.
Pre-Breakfast:
supplements & lemon water
Breakfast:
Still Obsessed. Perfect food Bar & Coffee w/ 1/3c whole milk
Post Workout Smoothie:
8oz coconut water, 1T vanilla flavored Vegilite protein powder, 1/2c 2% Greek yogurt, 3c spinach, 1/4 frozen banana, 2t detox powder, 1T Maca, & dash of matcha
This guy is a new creation. Big fan.
Afternoon snack:
kale chips. I can’t stop buying these, way too expensive, delights.
I nibbled on these while I made this:
hard boiled egg & avocado salad on GF bread. See recipe here.
I might have also had a few dark chocolate covered almonds
later afternoon snack:
I had a handful of this goodness. My hunger caught me off guard. I am a victim. I was at target and I NEEDED this trail mix
Side note: This was the first time I have been in a Target in a while. I am so thankful that I do not live near one. I would be broke. I stopped in there to buy a $20 scale an ended up spending $100 and there were about 10 other things I told myself “no” on. What is with that store?
Moving on…
Dinner was at laughing planet. While waiting for our eats, we munched on way too many chips.
And I had a glass of wine. Yes, that is a rather large pour.
Dinner = The Paleo Bowl.
This bowl is really good, but I think I might be sick of/ grossed out by chicken. bummer
Dessert 1:
Vanilla Siggi’s w/ 1T dark chocolate chips
Dessert no 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9:
Multiple trips to the freezer to get chocolate chips. These guys did not get their photo taken as there simply was no time.
And with that, I am off to try a new workout then off to work. Happy Friday!
2 hits, 2 misses and new workout paraphernalia
I had big kitchen ambitions this weekend. I decided to take stab at some new recipes, some were winners and others not-so-much.
Hit numero 1:
I attempted Oh She Glow’s Naked Apple butter. I made mine a little less “naked.” I added (roughly) 3T fresh pressed apple juice, lemon juice and 2t maple syrup. This stuff is so dang good and so easy.
Hit numero 2:
Another recipe from Oh She Glow’s. I attempted her Apple, Peanut Butter. It is basically the apple butter mixed with peanut butter. Ummmm, this might be the best thing I have made to date. It tastes like peanut butter, but better and with half the calories. The only variation I did was less maple syrup because I added some to my apple butter.
Miss numero 1:
I tried to make homemade almond milk. I followed this recipe.
The recipe seemed simple enough and it probably is. I got through the soaking and blending part with the flying colors, but the straining part was where things got messy. Literally.
That would be almond milk covering the kitchen counter. Honestly, this is not entirely the straining gone a miss. It started out with a little puddle then I went to pick up the the jar and dropped it. I might try making this again with a nut milk bag, or I might not.
Miss numero 2:
I tried Oh She Glow’s Butternut Squash Mac-N-Cheese. I don’t know why I decided to hog wild with Angela’s recipes, but I did. She makes such good stuff and takes such pretty pictures, so I couldn’t help myself.
Her Version:
My Version with a side salad and homemade apple sauce.
In addition to the brown rice pasta, I added peas, chic peas, black beans and kale. I think I added too much stuff and did not make enough sauce. When I first tasted this, I thought it tastes a little blah, so I added (roughly) 1/3c shredded pecorino romano cheese. This was the wrong cheese to use. The flavor was too strong. Cheddar would have been better. Side note: I know adding cheese completely defeats the purpose of this vegan dish. These are details I choose to ignore. I think I will give this guy another shot, but follow the recipe exactly.
In other thrilling news, I been doing a few new workouts. I purchased the tighter in 10 days program. Honestly, I don’t know how I got suckered in, but I am really glad I did. I am not following the diet, but I love her workouts. They are fast, simple, you can do them at home and I am sore the next day. I am also seeing my muscles a wee bit more. I usually get on Lance for 20-30 min then I do either the Smooth and Sculpt, or the Tight and Tone workout. These workouts are great because they are between 25-37 minutes, so they are not a huge time commitment, but you get a good overall body workout. I sound like an infomercial.
I also recently purchased this kettle bell.
I have just been doing a few exercise with it, but I am tickled that I now have more diversity in my redundant routine. Switching up my workout routine really does help with the motivation factor- I highly recommend trying something new if you are guilty of monotonous gym time.
Those are my thoughts on this fine Monday. Happy Monday!
a few things
this post is random, so giddy up.
A few new food loves:
1. Delicata Squash
this love muffin is so easy to prepare and tastes like heaven. I basically followed the instructions on this blog, except I added garlic salt & rosemary. Two delightful additions. I roasted sir delicata to just have it around the house to munch on, but I am thinking I might through a little kale, quinoa and edamame into the mix and use it as my dish to pass at my friend’s little soiree this eve.
2. In lieu of my search on how to roast Mr. Squash, I found the blog Summer Tomato. I am obsessed. There is oodles of good information on this site. I agree with so many of her viewpoints on nutrition and I love that she explains the science behind good eats. This is like the Mark’s Daily Apple blog for people who aren’t only interested in Primal/ Paleo. Where have you been hiding, Summer Tomato?
3. I never got the whole kale chip extravaganza. They Just didn’t do it for me. And then, I found these guys:
The only problem with these fellas is their $7.99 price tag. I got them on sale for $5. However, I have nearly polished them off in two days. That is an expensive habit. Morale of the story: I need to purchase a food dehydrator and make these at home. Better yet, I need to find a way to make the sans dehydrator, but taste exactly the same. hmmmm.
4. I made pumpkin no oat “oatmeal.” yesterday. I had a raging headache after eating them. No idea why, but I am officially sick of no oat “oatmeal.” There I said it.
5. However, I am not sick of my favorite smoothie recipe. I wish I could take credit for this smoothie, but I can’t. This recipe came from Abby, over at eat drink and be aware. Her recipes are unreal. If you have not been to her blog, you must go now. I altered her original recipe a wee bit, to see the original creation, go here.
In this gem:
- 1c unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 medium frozen banana
- 1.5 medjool dates
- 1T ground flaxseed
- 1T chia seeds
- 2t maca powder
- 2t detox powder (optional)
- 1/2t matcha (optional)
- 2T raw cashews
- approx 2c spinach
- a few drops of hazelnut stevia (optional)
- 5-7 ice cubes
This masterpiece tastes just like a milkshake and gives you barrels of energy. You must make. Must.
6. I am also not sick of these guys
My view as I rode Mr. Lance this AM.
7. I am also not sick of (how did I get on this tangent) pumpkin. In fact, I plan on making this recipe (except with GF all purpose flour) this weekend. Big plans.
And with all of this random-ness, I am off. Happy Friday!!
What I Ate Wednesday
A few of the blogs I stop by have been doing this “What I ate Wednesday” thing and every time I come across one, I love them. I have a strange fascination with observing other peep’s eats. Probably why I have a food blog. Anyway, here is my What I Ate Wednesday, except technically it is what I ate on Tuesday.
Breakfast:
Perfect Food Bar. Still Obsessed with these.
Followed by Coffee with Whole Milk
Pre Workout Snack:
1/2 baked sweet potato topped with a wee bit of coco oil & cinnamon and 1 hard boiled egg
I wasn’t completely satisfied, so I decided I needed a few Unreal Unjunked Chocolate Candy Shell Peanuts. These guys are new to me and I am a little obsessed. These are healthified candy- If there is such a thing. To read more about them go here. The story behind them is pretty nifty. Honestly, I love them because I literally can have just a few and be satisfied. This is not my normal behavior.
I tried a new workout. I just found Brittany Tacy’s workout program on Body Building.com and I really like. I did Day 1 yesterday after 10 min on the elliptical and 20 min of a HIIT run on the treadmill. I actually wasn’t able to complete the whole workout because I ran out of time, but I got though the majority of it. My legs are sore today. Win!
Post Workout eats:
2.5 slices of Smoked Turkey:
and a Spinach Smoothie that included 2/3C Greek Yogurt, 1/2c Trader Joe’s unfiltered, Organic apple juice, 3C spinach, 1/4c frozen strawberries, 3 ice cubes, dash of cold water, 1t matcha & 2t Ultra Tox Detox Powder. All I wanted was a cold beverage after my workout, so this little gem was perfect.
About an hour later I returned home to feed the pug before leaving again and decided to feed myself a few more Unreal Chocolate Covered Peanuts.
I met a friend for happy hour at Sweet Hereafter where I got a glass of vino and munched on a few chips and salsa
We finished happy hour around 7:30 and I wasn’t terribly hungry, so I came home finished up some work the took the pug for a walk.
And I had a few dark chocolate covered almonds….
Around 8:30, I decided I was a little hungry and Keith was on his way home with a burro he picked up, so I decided to make a kale smoothie. This was not my finest creation. I think I went a little bonkers with the kale. It tasted like trees.
In this guy: 1 scoop of vanilla plant fusion protein powder, 2T PB2 powdered peanut butter, 1c unsweetened almond milk & 3c kale.
After drinking the forest, I decided I wanted something to chew on.
1 brown rice cake with 1T raw almond butter and 1T dark chic chips. Ummm this guy may become a staple in my life. Why have I never done this before? So good and so low in sugar. Who knew such a thing was possible.
And that concludes yesterday’s eats. Thrilling- I know.
In other thrilling news, I got new running shoes.
These bad boys tickle my fancy because they are the beginning of my journey to barefoot running. Well, not really barefoot, but a minimalist shoe. These guys have a 4mm heel, which is significantly less than traditional running shoes. The minimalist shoes that I am striving to get in is the Altra Zero Drop shoe. However, these things take time. If you go straight from a more traditional running shoe to a more minimalist shoe you risk injury. I have enough feet/ knee issues, so I do not need any more. I gave these guys a test run yesterday and my knees felt better than ever. The whole reason I am aiming to get in a more minimalist shoe is to preserve my knees, so I can run injury free and hopefully be able to run more The idea behind the minimalist shoe is it gets you to strike on the front of your foot, rather than your heel, which is exactly what I need given that I shattered my heels 7 years ago. The other benefit to these shoes is the wide toe box, so your toes have room to spread out and when your toes get to spread out, you run better and it helps to keep bunions at bay. Woot!
One more thing….
I got one thing crossed off my things-that-are-driving-me-nuts list:
The pictures were hung:
Why such a tiny task took me so long to complete we will never know.
And that about does it on the exciting things I have to report.
Happy Wednesday!!
40 minute backyard workout
I had a short window of time to squeeze in a workout yesterday, so a 15 minute drive to the gym wasn’t an option. I ran 3 miles outside the day before and I didn’t want to run again. What’s a girl to do? Make up a workout in your backyard. This workout took me 40 minutes total and it got me good and sweaty.
proof:
That is a face.
on with workout. here’s what you will need:
10 lb weights (or whatever weight you feel fairly challenged by)
a bench
Stairs. These are not necessary, but if you have a set near you, more power to you.
How to:
4 min jog around the block
First set:
5 laps of running sidewalk & stairs(we have a longer sidewalk that leads to the stairs this can be omitted for running in place or jumping rope for 3 minutes )
20 walking lunges w/ 10 lb bicep curls
20 step ups (on a low step) per leg
15 tricep dips
25 jumping jacks
25 standing mountain climbers
25 mummy kicks
20 squats
12 step ups (on bench) per leg
Repeat 3x
Second set:
15 push-ups
15 (per leg) squats with side leg kick
10 burpees
Repeat 3x
5 min of vinyasa yoga to stretch
On another note. My PB2 powdered peanut butter arrived.
I was kind of against this stuff, because they remove the oil and add sugar and the peanuts are not organic. This is not a winning combo. However, the sugar is really low (2g) and the calories are also low (45) for 2T. I can’t really justify the non organic part, but you can’t win ‘em all.
obviously, I am over it because I had it for lunch in my smoothie
1c water + 2scoops metagenics ultra clear protein powder+ 3C spinach+ 5 frozen strawberries+ 2T PB2 = damn good
I had it for dinner on top of my broccoli & hard boiled egg
peanut sauce = 2.5T peanut flour, 2T water, 1T tamari (or soy sauce), 1T brown rice vinegar, 1/2t maple syrup, 1/2t toasted sesame oil
I also had it for breakfast this AM
peanut butter & jelly oats
1/4c oats + 1/2c water+1/2c berries+dash of vanilla & cinnamon+ 1scoop vanilla protein powder+2T PB2+ 2T vanilla hempmilk= damn good
And with that I am off.
Happy Friday!!
bringing back some old friends
This week I welcomed some old friends back with open arms:
Organic pumpkin pie mix to add to my greek yogurt and my favorite protein powder of all time: Metagenic’s Ultra Clear.
This protein powder is dairy free, soy free, and gluten free. More importantly, it tastes good and it gives me oodles of energy. This protein powder is a great option for anybody struggling with digestive issues as it it helps to repair the digestive tract and is extremely low in allergens. If you still aren’t sold, there are numerous anti-oxidants (free-radical killers) in this stellar feller.
Greek yogurt + 1T ground flaxseed + 2T canned pumpkin pie mix + a few drops of hazelnut flavored liquid stevia+ 1small handful of Nature’s Path heritage O’s cereal = pumpkin cheese cake for breakfast
2 scoops Metagenics Ultra Clear + 1/4 frozen banana + 1C coconut water + 4-6 pieces of frozen rhubarb + 3C spinach+ 3-5 ice cubes = insta energy.
Moving onto to my other obsession: peanut sauce. I finally made one.
My version looked a little like this:
- 2.5T natural peanut butter
- 1T tamari (or soy sauce)
- 3T water
- 1T rice vinegar
- 1t sucant
combine all of these delights in a spice grinder or food processor or whisk by hand
serves: 3-4 people
I enjoyed this gem on top a bed of kale, 1/2 sweet potato, grilled tempt & dash of nutritional yeast.
On another note, I am leaving for Vegas today to celebrate my soon to be sister-in-law’s last days as a single lady. I honor of such things, I got my nails did.
I am not sure how I feel about this green color. I am fairly certain I had this same color when I was 16. I am now 32. Something doesn’t add up.
I am tickled with my toe color. I will never be a foot model.
And with that, I am off to walk the pug, run and get my fanny on a plane to Vegas. Woot!
Have a great weekend!!
