Don’t Knock It Before You Try It Smoothie

1/2 cup water

1 can pineapple chunks & juice

1/2 avocado, peeled & sliced

1/2 Bartlett Pear, seeded

1 floret broccoli (a handful of trees)

1 cup spinach

1 cup ice cubes

Dump it in the blender & process until desired consistency. Smooth – I can’t taste the greens.

Note: The original recipe called for 1/2 cup pineapple juice & 1-1/2 cups green grapes. I didn’t have green grapes so I just used the whole can of pineapple.

1 serving : Calories 119.4, makes 4 servings. Lots of vegetable yummy goodness.

What I Ate for Lunch Today

2 C Spinach

3 oz. cooked chicken

2 T bacon bits

1 T goat cheese

2 T pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

1/2 Jonagold apple, cut into pieces

Brianna’s (or Publix) poppyseed dressing

 

Heaven in a dish.

Fish Tacos

Every day Martha Stewart sends me a text! She tells me what’s for dinner. I usually ignore her & she never gets offended. One day she sent a recipe for Baja Fish Tacos & it has been on my yummy list since. One day she was late sending a note & Jared said, “She must be having a hard time deciding what’s for dinner!” Cute.

 

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream (or Greek yogurt)

2 tablespoons lime juice

Coarse salt & ground pepper

1/4 small red cabbage, thinly shredded (about 2-1/2 cups)

4 scallions, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1-2 pounds tilapia fillets, cut into 16 equal strips OR lightly breaded fish sticks (green bag @ Costco)

8 uncooked tortillas (at Costco in the fresh section)

 

Mix sour cream, lime juice, salt & pepper. Refrigerate until serving time.

Brown tortillas on both sides in pan on medium-high heat. Oil helps but is not necessary. (There’s PLENTY of fat in these yummy tortillas.) Stack together.

For fish stick variation: Cook according to package directions. There is very little breading. There’s enough fish if you cook three fish sticks per taco.

For tilapia, cook on an indoor grill until just cooked. (5-6 minutes? Fish should flake easily with a fork.)

Assemble tacos with tortillas, cabbage, scallions, fish, & sour cream mixture.

What do I eat?

Each time I eat something, I am supposed to write it down or log it with LoseIt! on my iphone. I am not diligent all the time. But when I consistently write everything down & meet my calorie goals, I lose weight every single week. This is my log for last week. My Wednesday was kinda crazy but I ran 9 miles in the morning so I had an extra 1000 calories to play with a little.

Ham and Cheese Cocktail Sandwiches (OH MY YUMMY!!!)

This cute couple (my nephew Spencer and his wife Zoe) got married in April in the Orlando temple. They are so much fun and perfect for each other! One of the yummy appetizers that was served at their reception were these ham & cheese cocktail sandwiches.

Original:

2 packages cocktail rolls (20 per package – small dinner rolls in foil pan) - rolls are smaller now!
1 pound sliced ham
1 pound sliced Swiss cheese
2 sticks butter
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed


Preheat oven to 350. Line a sheet pan with non-stick foil.Remove rolls from foil container without breaking them apart & slice them in half horizontally. Carefully remove the tops & set aside. Arrange the ham and Swiss on the rolls.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Put the tops back on the sandwiches and place them close together on the sheet pan. Pull the nonstick foil up the sides of the sandwiches. Pour the butter mixture on them.
Bake for 12 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut each set of rolls into 20 sandwiches. Makes 40 rolls.
Hint: You may refrigerate the uncooked sandwiches and cook later but you will need to add an additional 10 minutes to the cooking time.

4th of July 2014 Variation

1 large package Hawaiian rolls
24 slices ham (shaved is easier to cut)
24 ounces cheese (grated)
1/3 cup mayonnaise (Hellman's)
1-1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup butter (1 cube) - why do you think they taste so good?!
1 tablespoon dried onion
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 350. Use a disposable 9x13-pan. Slice rolls in half horizontally (we used a serrated knife). Spread melted buttery mixture on bottom half of rolls. Layer ham and cheese. Top with roll-tops. Spread more melted buttery mixture over the top. Cover with foil & bake about 15-20". Cut. Enjoy.

Jambalaya

Onion, chopped

Mild green peppers, chopped

2 stalks celery, sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 can diced tomatoes with juices

3 cups brown rice

4 cups chicken broth

6 bone-in chicken thighs (browned in skillet, mostly cooked)

2 cups ham (chopped up in fine dice)

2 cups medium shrimp (thrown in from the freezer)

Paprika, salt & pepper to taste

 

Sauté onions, peppers, celery & garlic until softened. Brown chicken thighs in a skillet with a little bit of olive oil. Dump everything except the rice into the Crock Pot. I turned the temperature on hot for the first hour & low for the remainder of the time. Jared proclaimed this “HEAVENLY!” and Ryan said, “It looks like my throw up.” No one was up for leftovers but they are not used to having the same thing – this made a lot of food! I have heard that you can add spicy sausage too but Scott does not go for spice.

A funny story (not for the easily offended)  – These peppers are equated with little boys’ parts in Korea. Scott can explain it better than I can.  I bought them at the farmers market at Whole Foods last week. I giggled as I chopped them up. I am sure that any mild pepper would do – these are the mildest I have ever tasted though! (And peppers don’t like me!)

The Food Nanny & plantoeat

One day between General Conference sessions we were watching more TV & The Food Nanny came on to BYU-TV. This cute, spunky lady comes into peoples’ homes & helps them figure out how to make dinner part of their family’s routine. She gives great recipes, teaches cooking techniques, & empowers people to be successful at having family dinner.

I was SUPER excited when I tried to get to her original web-site & instead found this http://www.byutv.org/foodnanny/plan/ . You can drag & drop themes & recipes into different days of the week, print out the recipes & the shopping list, and then enjoy the yummy feasts. The recipes look tasty (even if my trainer might not approve of every one).

Since my eating has changed, I haven’t quite filled out the menu plan with regular foods. Every day is a new adventure & there’s not much habit or consistency. For a long time, I have tried to decide what’s for dinner by 10:30 a.m. And for as disorganized as I am in many areas of my life, I usually accomplish this little decision. (What else would I think of while working out besides food?!)

PlanToEat is a web-site that you pay for the opportunity to add recipes, make meal plans & shopping lists. I was excited about the concept, even though I have seen a software program by DVO that would do the same idea. Enter recipes & ingredients, get calories & nutrients, & a grocery list. The web-site allows you to upload recipes from Cooking Light & other online recipe databases.

Tired, boring, good night!!!

Orange-Glazed Chicken with Carrots & Bulgur

Martha (yes, THE Martha) and I have a working relationship. Every day she sends a message to my phone & lets me know what’s for dinner. Usually, it is at 3:34 – one day she was late & Jared proclaimed, “She doesn’t know what to make for dinner!” Love it!!! If you have an iphone & want Martha to send you a memo, sign up for Martha’s Everyday Food app. Or just try this recipe – it’s an easy fast favorite.

8 chicken drumsticks (about 3 pounds total) – or thighs, skin off

Coarse salt & ground pepper

1/2 cup orange marmalade

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1 cup bulgur (or brown rice or quinoa or couscous)

1 teaspoon grated lime zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Preheat oven to 475. On large rimmed baking sheet, arrange chicken in a single layer; season with salt and pepper. Roast 10 minutes. Brush with half the marmalade, and rotate sheet. Continue to roast, brushing once more with marmalade, until chicken is browned and cooked through, 10-15 minutes more.

While chicken is roasting, heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add carrots & season with salt & pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes.

Cook bulgur & 1-1/2 cups boiling water in rice cooker. Stir in lime zest & juice.

Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

I want to try this recipe. It needs some help to lighten it up – but definitely full of possibilities!

New Multi-grain Waffle Recipe: *(You will not believe how good these are!)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup each corn meal, whole wheat flour, & oatmeal
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp salt
some sugar (have to check on this as I'm typing from memory)
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
2 T oil
2 eggs
1 t vanilla

Mix the dry ingredients together. Combine buttermilk & milk in 4-cup Pyrex container & microwave for 30-seconds (to room temperature). Add eggs, vanilla, & oil & combine well. Stir into dry ingredients & mix with a whisk until just combined. (Don't over mix & make a smooth batter. Waffle batter is like muffin batter -- too much mixing is bad news.) Drop onto waffle iron & cook until done. AMAZING!!!!! These somehow taste really buttery.
Wowsa! This only made 4 or 5 waffles... and they were all promptly eaten up by the family. Everyone voted them better than Krusteaz! (And we're Krusteaz loyalists.)

Not enough buttermilk? Add a bit of plain yogurt to make 1-1/2 cups.

I substituted semolina flour for the corn meal. (Semolina is made from durum wheat flour.)

Mexican Pizzas (lunch idea)

1/2 pound ground turkey breast

3 tablespoons taco seasoning

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 cup chopped onion

4 six-inch tortillas

Mexican cheese

Olives (optional, my kids hate them!)

January 14, 2008 - Oh yea, one more tidbit of fun: We made Mexican pizzas for lunch. Take 1/2 pound of ground turkey breast & 3 T taco seasoning & saute until cooked. Add a can of stewed tomatoes & 1 cup chopped onion & cook until the liquid is gone. Meanwhile, put a stoneware bar pan in the oven at 450 to preheat with four 6-inch tortillas evenly spaced. (I used fresh tortillas from Bloom.) Place 1/2 cup of the turkey mixture on each tortilla, sprinkle with Mexican cheese & olives (very optional at our house), & brown for ? 15 minutes. The tortillas baked up hard like chips & the turkey mixture tasted perfect. I added a spinach salad & an orange to the side & had a happy tummy for hours.

Note: Since I figured out that I am allergic sensitive to corn products, I bet the taco seasoning would not be the best thing in the world. I found a recipe here that would be a good substitute. (… Yes, I do have all of these spices in my overstuffed cupboard.)

a Food sATurated world

When I was growing up, I was a bean pole. People asked me if I was anorexic all the time. Fast forward thirty years & no one asks me that any more. (ahem) My neck & shoulders hurt all the time – and losing weight will take some strain & stress off of the region. So I have enrolled in boot camp, upped my cardio, and taken on DJ’s diet of death. (Just kidding – but it is Spartan.)

Every day that I drove around town last week, all I saw were fast food places and restaurants. Nothing really called to me, but convenience was trying to draw me back. My diet has consisted of lots & lots of fresh fruits & vegetables, lean protein (chicken & tilapia) , a little brown rice & oatmeal. These are great foods, but salads & vegetables take time to prepare. I know that I will get used to this new way of life, but it is taking a while.

On the days that I go spinning (cycling class), I need to increase my caloric intake. I was HUNGRY!  I am starting to learn what hunger feels like. I have eaten a variety of fruits & vegetables – and wish that my family would join me in my healthier eating because the refrigerator is overflowing with produce. We will certainly save money by not going out to eat as often.

I have increased my trips to the gym – and the number of naps that I take!!! I did four spinning classes last week; one was self-taught & just as hard as the rest. I went to boot camp at 5 a.m. for two days. I am certain that I thought about going to yoga or Pilates a few times but didn’t do it. I even turned the treadmill on at 9:45 on Saturday night because I still owed my body 55” of cardio. I haven’t had a Diet Coke for over a week & I haven’t really missed it. I have downed A LOT of water – I carry around a Gatorade lip lid bottle & nurse it all day long. I am starting to feel like I am healthier & have more energy. I like it.

I really appreciate having someone to be accountable to. It is working – I am losing weight successfully for the first time in a really long time & I am so excited! I love the “this is easy” feeling. I remember having it before & taking it for granted. I want it to stay this time.

Better Burgers #1

 

1 pound lean ground beef

1 cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs (put a few slices in food processor)

1 cup finely chopped carrots or cauliflower (in food processor)

1/4 cup soy sauce

4 cloves garlic, chopped

Salt & pepper to taste

 

Mix ingredients together in the mixer or by hand (if you must!). Put out waxed paper or parchment paper. Form patties – I used my biggest cookie scoop to make a blob & then just flattened & shaped it a little. Cook on the grill (or George Forman) until no longer pink.

Serve with Sweet Potato Fries & Watermelon. We like cheese, onions, tomatoes, & spinach on our buns. And Sweet Baby Rays barbecue sauce.

 

--> Calories are for the burger only.

 

Sweet Potato Fries

Alexia Sweet Potato Fries

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Brown Sugar

Bake at 400 for about 45”.

Tilapia with Berry Salsa & Quinoa

 

Adapted from the Master Your Metabolism Cookbook

 

4 large tilapia fillets

4 cups berries (raspberries, blueberries, etc.)

Candied ginger (… forgot this & wish I hadn’t)

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

Salt & Pepper

1 Tbsp lime juice

1 tsp agave nectar (like a mild honey)

2 cups quinoa (South American grain – high in protein)

4 cups water

 

Toast quinoa in large frying pan. When brown & toasty, add 4 cups water. Bring to a boil & cook for 15” or until little spiral-white thing has sprung.

Make salsa by combining berries, ginger, red onion, salt & pepper, lime juice, and agave nectar. Let rest.

Preheat indoor grill (George Foreman). Cook tilapia for 5-8 minutes, until fish flakes with a fork.