Apple's & Cheese

This is my new favorite snack...

1/4 to a 1/2 of an apple cubed (I love honey crisp apples! If you haven't tried one your missing out! In Washington I was able to get them all the time for a fairly good price. But here in Utah they just came into season and are a little more expensive, but so worth it) put in the microwave anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute depending on type of apple & how soft you prefer it. Top it with cinnamon and a little agave, then add a 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of cottage cheese. Mix it all together and I think it taste like a slice of apple pie with cheese on top, which is one of my favorite ways to eat apple pie :)

Small Girls need love too

I have had this experience time and time again through out my life, when having a conversation with another women or group of women who may not be quite as small as me. They will be in a conversation often together and will complain of some sort of body issue and I will chime in with an attempt to relate…This is usually followed by a glare and look of disgusted or they will flat out ignore me, or respond with such remarks as… “Yeah right like you have ever had to worry about weight,” “Oh what is your size 2 just not good enough for you?” “I am sure you probably never eat” or  “ I bet you never eat anything you shouldn’t” I have flat out been shunned by groups of girls that are bigger than I am simply because they think I cant relate.

This frustrates the shit out of me! Are we all really so naive that we think we are so different from one another? Like I don’t have parts of my body I struggle with sometimes? Or do you really think it’s that easy for me to not want to indulge in a big fat bowl of rice pudding (My husband makes incredible rice pudding J)  Or that I don’t have mornings that I don’t want to workout?

A while back I had been running around all day. I hadn’t expected to be gone from the house so long and had not prepared any food to take with me (I usually have a lunch bag of  food, so that I am not left with options of Del Taco and McDonald's) By time I got home it was 11pm, which if you know me at all is very late for me J I was so hungry I didn’t even want to think about what I was going to eat…so I went with the easiest most tasty decision in the fridge…a leftover JCW Burger w/ bacon and avocado and fries. To top off my wonderful choice, I ate in my bed and then fell into what I like to call a CARB COMA. It was not the best choice and probably not the best time or place to be eating a burger and fries, but I am only human and I don’t always practice what I preach J it was yummy and just one of those times where you have to break the rules.

The next day while speaking with some ladies I had mentioned that I had done this thinking they would find it funny. Well the response was more one of astonishment than laughter. I received some looks of, REALLY?...YOU? One women said, “Oh my gosh, you are normal!”

WHAT?...REALLY?! Of course I am ”normal” (ok so normal for me in some aspects might be stretch) I love food…burgers, fries, pizza and beer. I hate my stomach most days and sometimes don’t run when I should. There are days I don’t want to workout, days I want to just go through the damn drive thru and just be able to pick up something to eat that’s convenient and forbidden.

PEOPLE STOP BEING SO NAIVE! Quit thinking that the women next to you has no idea how you feel because she’s not your size. In some way I bet you if you sat down with that women you would find she could relate to you in more ways than you think. Yes it’s true I have never been a size 16 and I can’t relate maybe to the number inside your jeans. I may not be able to relate to your same number on the scale. But you better be for damn sure I can relate to all those feelings that come along with it. I have been overweight for my height; I have abused my body with cigarettes like some do with food. I have emotionally eaten my way through divorce or not ate at all.  I have eaten Oreos for breakfast, I am bigger than other girls, I have less muscle, I run slower than some of the girls at my gym, I can’t lift as much as some of them, or come even close to there times.

We are all more alike than we realize. None of us is perfect, we all have a past, we all have our own vices. I don’t care if you are a size 2 or a size 20, if you are black or white, if you’re Catholic, Buddhist.  We all have things that we don’t like about ourselves whether it be body image or a decision we have made we aren’t so proud of. The important thing is that we all keep going, we all continue to try and hopefully  we can help each other learn from our own individual struggles.  It's not our job or place to assume the person next to you has nothing in common with you, nor to judge them by how they look or what you may think you know about their life. Most of us are all here fighting the same battle, to become our best selves. What better way to do so than to have the support and knowledge of those around us.

So play nice! You never know the girl next to you  might just have eaten a burger in bed.

Simple Eggs

Cooking eggs in the morning doesn't take much more time than toasting your morning pop tart or pouring you a bowl of cereal. Not too mention that those choices don't consist of some much needed protein, and vegetables that so many people are missing in there diets. Here is an idea for breakfast that is delicious and will keep you feeling full. It can be varied in so many ways by simply swaping out different herbs, cheeses and vegetables...4 egg whites, a pinch of sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Beat the eggs right before you put them in the pan, this will make them fluffy. Pour them into a non stick pan over medium heat. Add a small handful of sliced grape or cherry tomatoes. Gently pull eggs from the outside of pan to the center, and continue to do so until eggs are fully cooked. Lay on a bed of greens, top with feta and basil. Drizzle a little olive oil and squeeze of lemon. I had some leftover crispy onions and some homemade salsa that I topped my eggs with, but it is just as good without them.

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Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

 

This picture is from Precision Nutrition http://www.precisionnutrition.com/, whom I follow closely and I am in the process of  becoming certified in their nutrition program. I have been making my own version of their recipe for my family for a few years. I have even made it for my husband's birthday dinner per his request. For the most part it has become the only "spaghetti" we know. 

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

Ingredients
Spaghetti squash 4 cups
Olive oil 1 tbsp
Salt ¼ tsp
Pepper 1⁄8 tsp

Olive oil cooking spray
Ground turkey
Onion (small diced) 1 cup
Tomato sauce 2 cups *see note*

Serving Size
Serves 2 large or 4 small.

*note* my first suggestion on tomato sauce would be to make your own. When in tomatoes are in season. I will do this and freeze it but we always eat it up so fast that even the frozen batches don’t last very long. J So the next option would be canned tomatoes, my favorite is the San Marzano. If you cannot find these by the regular canned tomatoes they are sometimes found in the Italian section of your grocery store. If you buy another type of canned tomatoes look at the ingredients to make sure there are no unnecessary additives. Here is one version of homemade sauce.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients

2 pounds fresh, organic, ripe tomatoes (or 2 cups canned San Marzano tomatoes with juice)

2/3 cup chopped carrot

2/3 cup chopped celery

2/3 cup chopped onion

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Red pepper flakes to taste

3 tablespoons fresh basil

1-2 cloves of fresh garlic 

 2 tablespoon Oregano

Salt to taste

Saute vegetables in oil add the garlic towards the end of sauteing. Add tomatoes and seasoning. Add the Basil at the very end. Blend for a smooth texture or leave for a thicker sauce

The seasonings are just a rough draft so to speak…play with them to your likings. You can also omit the celery and carrot, however the carrot does help balance out the acidity of the tomato especially the canned ones. So if you do this you may need to add a dab of butter and a little agave.

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut squash in half and clean out the center and seeds. Place cut side up on a baking sheet and drizzle with oil. Season with salt & pepper and place in the oven. Bake squash for 45 minutes or until tender enough to stick a fork into it with minimal resistance. Remove from oven and allow it to cool a little. While the squash is baking, preheat a non-stick frying pan on medium heat, lightly coat with spray and add the ground turkey. Saute onions the add turkey cook until lightly browned and cooked all the way through. Remove from heat, add in the tomato sauce and set aside. Once squash has cooled a little, scoop the flesh out of the skin with a spoon. Top with the meat sauce.

Garnishing ideas; goat cheese, Parmesan cheese, basil, cashews, Sriracha (of course).

Do What works for YOU

“The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think - rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with thoughts of other men.”
Bill Beattie

I recieved this email from Livestrong yesterday, I found it really interesting and it inspired me to add my two cents :)

I strongly believe that you need to do what’s best for you when it comes to your mind, body and spirit. However that does require you to be mindful and honest with yourself about what is beneficial for your well being. Always being careful that you are not just accepting a way of life because every body's doing it or it's the new latest and greatest workout, fad diet or pill or some girl that writes a blog posted it :).  Always paying careful attention that you’re not choosing a certain way do to being narrow minded of what you want to believe is true.

All the information I post here is to serve the purpose of sharing what I have learned from others and my own life experiences. To have others share and learn from them. To help you and I become more aware of the choices we make when it comes to our mind body and spirit.  I feel way to often we do a disservice to ourselves by going along with the mainstream or not taking time to discover for ourselves what it is true for us. What makes us feel healthy mentally, emotionally physically and spiritually.

Here is the link to some of the most-controversial health figures, many of which I have used there workouts and or diets. And one I am currently using (Greg  Glassman/ CrossFit) The ones I have tried  have all served there purpose and have taught me something whether it be good or bad...

http://www.livestrong.com/slideshow/546327-most-controversial-health-figures/

So much with fitness and nutrition is constantly evolving; we are constantly faced with new scientific information and with innovators who have discovered new ways of a healthier life through trial and error. So get out there get the information and try new things. Use your own methods of trial and error, find out what works for you!

To view the entire article go to:  http://www.livestrong.com/blog/blog/the-truth-about-health-information/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=111011

Cashew, Coconut, and Pumpkin Curry

This recipe is for my friend, I made it for her a week or two ago and she loved it. I also went home with ALL of the leftovers and didn’t leave her any...she mentioned that she was pretty disappointed.

I frequent my friend house at least once or twice a week. It is my place to escape, I can sit on the couch and we can not talk, we can talk each others ear off, she can be in one room and me in another, she could not even be there ;)...she makes me feel like I am just another member of the family, which I quite like :) It is for sure my second home...wait or is it my first home, because I really don't have "my own home?" right now...oh whatever who cares about the technicalities...you get the point, her family always makes me feel so welcome.

I love to take whatever I have been cooking up in my kitchen to her house. I have been doing this for sometime now, not because I think she's not a good cook (she's a great cook) or that they wont feed me and I will starve to death (they always feed me or find ways to quench my thirst :)). I do it because it makes her happy and me happy, I do it because she works really hard long hours and I want to relieve her of having to come home and make dinner, I feel it is the one thing I can give back for her for all her hospitality and she and her husband make great critiques for my cooking. They are always honest whether it is a thumbs up or thumbs down or maybe just a tweak of something. The honesty is greatly appreciated as of course it only help make me a better cook.

So for you my friend here it is Salute! 

And as you know like always I messed with it and made it my own but I didn't write down what I did, so to the best of my memory (which you know is not that great :) here are the changes I made...

1. I used  2 small acorn squash and about a 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree. ( I didn't feel my squash was all the way ripened nor did I feel I had enough  to account for the 1 1/2 qts  the recipe was asking for.

2. I added I think 3 chicken breasts that I had pre cooked and cubed, because seriously who has a meal without protein ;)

3. I didn't use vegetable oil, I used coconut oil kind of a now brainer because it's good for you and goes well with the flavors of the dish

4. For the serrano's I used the ones that I had dried earlier and ground up...probably 4 of them (it was spicy, just the way we like it )

5. I used bay leaves but I would have perfered using the curry leaves

6. I did not have turmeric, which was a crying shame cause it's good stuff so get yourself some :)

7. I used light coconut milk

8. I did not add the cashews I left those for a topper

9. add chopped cilantro on top as well.

10. and obviously we didn't eat it with rice...because you don't like rice :)

For those of you watching your girlish figures this recipe has 546 calories, 48 grams of fat, and 29 carbohydrates. I don't count calories but I do believe that the little tweaks I have made here and there can help to cut down on all the calories, fat and carbs...ex; light coconut milk, no rice or if you must switch to a brown basmati, add just a couple tablespoons of cashews (unsalted) to your serving.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 qts. peeled, 1 1/2-in. chunks pumpkin or other orange-fleshed squash (from a 3-lb. squash)
• About 1 tsp. kosher salt, divided
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 onion, halved and cut into half-moons
• 1 or 2 red or green serrano chiles, minced
• 1 cinnamon stick (2 1/2 in. long)
• 20 fresh curry leaves* or 6 dried bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) coconut milk
• 1 cup salted roasted cashews
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Steamed basmati rice

Preparation

• 1. Sprinkle pumpkin with 1/2 tsp. salt. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Brown half the pumpkin in oil, turning once, 6 to 8 minutes; reduce heat if pumpkin starts getting dark. Transfer to a bowl and repeat with 1 tbsp. oil and remaining pumpkin.
• 2. Heat remaining 1 tbsp. oil meanwhile in another large frying pan over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until deep golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer half to the nonstick frying pan and reserve other half in a bowl.
• 3. Add chiles, cinnamon, and curry leaves to onion in pan. Cook, stirring often, until curry leaves are very fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add turmeric, cumin, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt and cook, stirring, until spices are fragrant, about 1 minute.
• 4. Return pumpkin to nonstick frying pan (with onion) and add coconut milk. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer until pumpkin is tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in cashews and lemon juice, and add more salt to taste. Top curry with reserved onion and serve with rice.
• *Find in Indian markets.

Sunset
OCTOBER 2011

Glazed Apricot Chicken with Grilled Asparagus and Orzo Pasta

 

 

Sorry for the bad photography, definitely something I am going to need to start working on for my recipe photos, along with, writing classes, grammar classes, photography, marketing, blogging for dummies etc... :)

 

The key to this chicken is in the details,it is important to have the right temperature of the grill and that the glazing be done at the right time over the grill.

The asparagus is pretty straight forward.

Orzo pasta is always best when it has had time to sit for awhile. Serve it either warm or cold and don't be afraid to play around with different types of dressings, vegetables and cheeses to add to it. When using any whole wheat pasta try and stay away from red sauces, as they have a tendency not to go as well with the nuttier flavor of the whole wheat.

Note: If you are on a mission to eat better, loose weight, feel better, whatever it may be I would suggest your plate look a little different than the one pictured here. Try and use pasta more as a condiment than a side dish, and replace it by adding more asparagus to the plate.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Glazed Apricot Chicken

Note: before glazing the chicken be sure to reserve 1/4 cup of the glaze for serving.

 

Glaze

If you like a lot of sauce, double the amount and reserve a 1/2 cup for on the side.

• 1/2 cup sugar free apricot preserve (look for one without artificial sweeteners)
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 4 teaspoons whole grain mustard
• 4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper

Chicken

• 4 (6 ounce) boneless skinless chicken breast trimmed
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper 

 

For Glaze: 

Mix all in a blender or food processor until smooth. measure out and reserve 1/4 cup of the glaze for serving.

 

Prepare your Grill:

Turn on all burners to high and cover until hot (about 15 minutes)

For Chicken:

Pat your chicken breasts dry with paper towels, brush with the oil and season with the salt and pepper.

Once grill is hot place the chicken on the frill and cook until well browned on both sides, about 5 to 7 minutes, flipping halfway through. Now turn grill down to medium and continue to cook flipping and brushing chicken with glaze until well glazed and the thickest part of chicken breast is 160-165 degrees, about 5-7 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to a platter, tent loosely with fol and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with reserved glaze. 

Asparagus

 

• 1 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

 

Turn your grill back up to high heat.
Lightly coat the asparagus spears with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Grill over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or to desired tenderness.

Orzo Pasta

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 6 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 pound whole wheat orzo

• 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 7-ounce package feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

 

Whisk vinegar, lemon juice, and honey in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.)

Bring broth to boil in large heavy saucepan. Stir in orzo, reduce heat to medium, cover partially, and boil until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Transfer to large wide bowl, tossing frequently until cool.

Mix tomatoes, feta, basil, and green onions into orzo. Add vinaigrette; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Let orzo sit for at least 30 minutes to absorb flavors. Add pine nuts right before serving.