Category Archives: Recipes.

52 Cards

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Today I reached day 17 of #100daysofworkouts.  I’ve been doing pretty good with this.  Even if I don’t “workout” per se, I count my time doing yard work and running errands all day long as movement-the ultimate goal is to just keep moving.

I was watching The Biggest Loser about a month or so ago and I saw Bob the trainer give his team a last chance workout in which they dealt out a stack of playing cards.  Each suite was an exercise and the number determined how many of each exercise they would do.  This looked like a great way to work up a sweat without having any equipment.  As long as you have a deck of cards, this workout can be done anywhere.

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When we do this at work we try to mix it up to keep from getting bored.  But pretty much it goes something like this: Hearts=Cardio (BURPEES!) Diamonds=Push ups or an arm workout (today we did tricep dips), Spades=Abs (in/out with our feet) Clubs=legs (squats today).  We used to do it so that 2 would equal two push ups, but we realized that was kind of a waste, so now we’ve decided that anything under 5, we add 10 to it.  So instead of two push ups, we do 12.  So much more challenging and effective.  I love this workout because you never know the hand you get dealt.  There was a time when we did 14 burpees, flipped another card and had to do 12 more.  Ass kicker!

For dinner tonight I make baked marinated salmon served with a kale salad.

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I marinaded the salmon in teriyaki sauce, red chili sauce, fresh garlic, fresh ginger, and juice from one orange.  I placed it in a tupperware container, shook it up and let it sit all day until I came home and baked it.  It was, in my opinion, the best salmon I’ve ever made.

For the kale, I mixed a bunch of bite sized pieces with 1/4 cup olive oil, sea salt, pepper, pine nuts, lemon juice from 1 lemon, lemon zest, parmesan cheese and cranberries.  Sooo good!  Normally when I make kale, I sautee it very lightly in a pan with olive oil, garlic and lemon but I prefer it not cooked-it taste a lot better that way.

People at work ask me why I eat kale over spinach and my response is, “Because it’s healthier!”  Here’s a link that goes a little bit more in depth about the benefits of eating kale.

So, I did something pretty crazy last night.  I signed up for my first 1/2 marathon post Madelyn!  I sat there and stared at the screen thinking, “Do I do this? Do I not?”  I’ve ran 3 1/2 marathons before this, so I’m not sure why I was so hesitant about this one.  So I did it anyway and I’ll be following an 8 week training program to a Tee.  I figure, it will help pass time while I’m away on my deployment and my goal is to beat my 1/2 marathon time of 2:25 which I feel is pretty doable.  Training starts in just a few weeks!  Until then, I’m focusing a lot on strength training in hopes of staying injury free.  I will be running the Rock N Sole Summerfest half marathon and I’m so pumped to run across the Hoan Bridge.

Any plans for a summer race or event? Hubs keeps talking about Tough mudder and other obstacle course races.  Tough Mudder is one that I won’t do, but I’m more than happy to donate money to the wounded warrior project without having to be electrocuted :-)

Weigh-In Friday: Week 1-Low Carb Night

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Weekly Weight Loss: -3 lbs
Total weight loss: 3 lbs

This was my first week tracking every single thing that I ate.  I hit my points on most of the days and were left with a little extra on others.  I managed to workout 4 times this week, alternating between Zumba, Turbofire & Bar Method.  I’m looking forward to running more starting next week when I’m back at work but as of right now, my workouts are done when the little one naps.  I’ve been trying to get as much cuddle time as I can with her because I go back to work on Wednesday :-/ I’m hoping there are no tears from either of us.  We are putting her in daycare 3 days week.  I’ll be home with her one day during the week and LC will be home with her another day during the week. After doing lots of research and getting references, I have a very good feeling that she’ll be in good hands and the daycare is about 10 minutes from my job, so I can stop in during my lunch breaks.

Tonight’s dinner was low carb and full of protein and veggies.  I made stuffed peppers with  ground turkey and balsamic asparagus and tomatoes.  A glass of vino would’ve gone well with this meal, but I opted for a crustless pumpkin cheesecake instead (only 4 points!), recipe courtesy of Gina at The Fitnessista.

Turkey Stuffed Peppers-Italian Style

Weight Watchers + Points: 8
Serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
  • 4 green or red bell peppers
  • 1/2 cup onion chopped
  • 1/2 cup celery chopped
  • 1 clove garlic chopped
  • 1.25 lbs ground lean turkey
  • 1 tsp italian seasoning
  • 1/4 tsp of garlic powder (heaping)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes (italian style)
  • 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
  • shredded parmesan cheese for topping
  • salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. preheat oven to 350.
2. in a skillet on the stove, sauté onions, mushrooms, garlic and celery in the olive oil until the veggies have softened.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the ground turkey, egg, veggie mix from the stove, garlic powder, italian seasoning, 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.
4. Stuff mixture into hollowed out peppers.  I cut mine in half length wise because they’re easier to eat and stuff this way. Place in a casserole dish.
5. Mix tomatoes and sauce in a bowl and pour over peppers.
5. Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese and cover with aluminum foil.  Bake for 50 minutes.

I’m off to catch some Zzz’s!  Tonight is Madelyn’s first night in her crib.  I’ve been so lucky to have a baby that sleeps as good as she does.  Up until tonight, she’s been sleeping in a bassinet in our room, but she’s getting too long for it and I’d like her to get used to sleeping her own room before I head back to work.  Here’s to hoping tonight goes well-fingers crossed!

 

 

10 Days of Real Food-Day 1. Apple Crisp

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When I set out to do the 10 days of real food challenge, I totally forgot about the huge bag of apples that I had planned to make apple crisp and other apple-y goodness with.  How on earth was I going to make apple crisp without adding sugar??  I looked at a recipe that my mom had given to me and looked to see how I could revamp it so that it still fell under the “Real Food” guidelines.  Done & done.  I even substituted the butter for coconut oil. Easy peasy and oh so good. Maybe tomorrow I’ll look up a recipe for real vanilla frozen yogurt in the vitamix and make this baby a la mode.

Naturally Sweetened Apple Crisp {print recipe}

Ingredients
  • 9 apples thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 Tbsp chickpea flour
  • 1 1/2 C Oats
  • 1 C chickpea flour
  • 1 C pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 C maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 c chopped nuts (I used walnuts)
  • 1/2 unrefined coconut oil
Directions
Preheat oven to 350.  Layer the apples in a 9×13 baking dish.  Sprinkle the 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1TBSP chickpea flour, and the one cup of maple syrup on top of the apples, then gently toss so that the apples are evenly coated.  In a separate bowl, combine the oats, 1 C chickpea flour, 1/2 C maple syrup, baking powder, baking soda, nuts, cinnamon, and coconut oil. Mix with your hands. Then when you’ve got a crumbly texture, sprinkle on top of apples evenly.  Bake in oven for 45 minutes.  Let cool and enjoy :-)
How did eating go the rest of the day?  I started my morning off with a bowl of Bob’s Redmill gluten-free oats mixed with blueberries, peaches, and unsweetened almond milk.  With the real food challenge you can have dairy, I just try to stay away from it as best as I can because it irritates my stomach.
For lunch, I munched on a pre-made salad from Trader Joe’s.  It was good, but you have to eat these right away (I bought it on Monday) because the lettuce was getting a little wilty. If I wouldn’t have eaten it today, it would’ve been garbage by tomorrow. It was a mixed greens salad with pecans, blue cheese and I topped it with Annie’s raspberry vinaigrette.
For a post workout snack (snuck in some zumba via Xbox today while someone napped), I ate an apple with almond butter and reheated two egg muffins.
Tonight’s dinner was leftovers from last night.  Yesterday, was the perfect weather for chili so I made our favorite: Sweet potato and black bean chili.  It was just as good, if not better than last night’s serving!  I think adding some cheese may have had something to do with it.
I think day 1 of the real foods challenge went rather well.  If you just set aside some time to pre make some things (egg muffins/dinner for two nights instead of one), it’s really not hard to do.  Like I said in the previous post, we generally try to eat as whole/real as possible, but sometimes life (new baby) can get in the way and deter us from that and it becomes more about convenience and less about nutrients.  I’d like to try and make my own bars one of these days because that’s generally my snack of choice to grab & go.

A New kind of Muffin

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Last night I left my husband & baby at home and went dancing with some of my girlfriends.  It was the longest I’ve yet to leave Madelyn but it was just what I needed.  Hubs took care of  the little one so that I could go to Zumba with some of my friends.  The class was killer and the instructor was awesome.  This is the first class I’ve taken in awhile without having my big baby belly and without having to modify too much-I forgot how challenging it could be.  It was also the first time I’ve taken it with friends-SO MUCH MORE FUN!

This morning I woke up and really wanted some eggs.  Madelyn was sound asleep so I used this time to get in the kitchen and get creative.  I was going to make little egg bakes in ramekin dishes but decided to make them in muffin tins instead.  That way, I could heat, grab and go with them throughout the week.  Being a new mom, you don’t have a lot of time to sit and enjoy a nice breakfast-you never know when they’ll wake up- so my mornings have consisted of a lot of gluten-free bagels, Luna protein bars and smoothies.

I was really happy with how this combo turned out.  The main ingredients are chopped kale, mushrooms and gouda.  They were pretty amazing and I’m looking forward to breakfast tomorrow :-)

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  • 6 eggs
  • 1/3 c chopped mushrooms
  • 1/3 c chopped kale
  • 1/4 c milk (I used almond milk)
  • 1/4 c shredded gouda cheese
  • 1 1/2 T flour (I used pamela’s gluten-free all purpose)
  • 1/8 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp basil
  • sea salt & pepper to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 350. Whisk the eggs.  Add all the ingredients and stir in evenly.  Line a muffin tin with 10 liners and using an ice cream scooper, fill the muffin tins evenly.  Bake in oven for about 25 minutes.  Serve and enjoy!

They were so easy and quick to make, that they might be making an appearance at Tuesday morning breakfasts when I go back to work :-)

WIAW-A few Summer Staples

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Is it really August 1st already?? I honestly cannot believe this is the last official month of Summer. When I told people in the beginning of my pregnancy my due date, a common response was something along these lines: “OOOoOO August 25th? It’s going to be a long hot summer!” In actuality, I think the pregnancy made it go by so much faster.  And while yes, it has been unseasonably warm for the Midwest, I’ve somehow managed to survive the heat…you know with most buildings having A/C and all these days :-)

Another thing that has made this unbearable heat somewhat tolerable? Frozen treats!  Throughout my whole pregnancy, ice cream and frozen custard have given me zero problems.  It was pure bliss to be able to indulge in these treats without a stomachache to follow…until the third trimester.  My stomach finally figured itself out again and I am now back to being as dairy-free as possible.  Fortunately for me, there are a few fro-yo places popping up all over Milwaukee and I couldn’t be any happier about this.  On Sunday, LC and I ventured down to Brady St. and stumbled upon Berry Me.  It is a self serve yogurt place that offers non-fat and dairy free yogurt as some of its selections.  I chowed down on a dairy-free pink lemonade mixed in with a non-fat vanilla mix.  It definitely hit the spot.  The fact that this place offers a dairy-free option will keep me going back. And from their Facebook page: “Many lactose intolerant individuals can enjoy our frozen yogurt because it is truly cultured and fermented. Our products are certified Kosher.”

Another summer staple this week (and every week) is FRUIT!  Watermelon has been my fruit of choice this summer.  I think LC and I have consumed 5 whole watermelons this summer.  Or should I just say I? Given the choice between a big bowl of ice cream vs. a big bowl of watermelon and this prego chooses watermelon hands down.  Lucky for me, it also offer lots of benefits to the pregnant woman :-)  Along side a buffalo bleu chicken burger and corn on the cob, watermelon (and pineapple) was the perfect addition to Tuesday night’s summer meal.

Another regular thing in the summer time are smoothies and cold cereal for breakfast.  Oatmeal, unless put into the smoothie, usually gets retired until it starts to get cold outside again.  Today, I tried something a little outside of my comfort zone of fruits & greens: an avocado smoothie.

I blended 1/2 ripe avocado (I would’ve used a whole one but I only had a 1/2 that was ripened), 1 cup almond milk, a scoop of protein powder, 1 TBSP chia seeds, 1 tsp agave nectar, and 5 oz of vanilla greek yogurt.  I thought it turned out pretty good, but could’ve used more avocado.

I’m off to bed to do some reading & catch up on sleep!  Don’t forget to enter my Bar Method DVD giveaway!  You have until tomorrow, August 2nd at 11:59 CST to enter!

Good luck!

WIAW Celebratory Blueberry Muffins

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Good evening! I hope everyone’s week is going well.  I can’t believe tomorrow is Thursday.  Bring on opening night of Jazz in the Park with my favorite two women :-)

Our week has been a little crazy over here.  Monday I had a dr.’s appointment & made muffins, Tuesday was Election Day here in Wisconsin & a sisters night in-we watched The Vow and I was very disappointed, and tonight we had birthing classes.  So back to those muffins…

I wanted to bring my co-worker a treat as a way to say “Thank you for hiring me after keeping in suspense for the last 6 months”.  I know everyone in my office loves baked goods, so I brought in homemade blueberry muffins.  My version of muffins are a little different than other people’s.  Because people love to bring in treats, I thought I’d make mine a little bit healthy.  I was a little nervous to bring them in because I was afraid of how people would react to the taste…turns out they LOVED them!  My boss took one bite and said, “You can bring these in any day!”  No one had no idea that they were gluten-free and vegan.  Confession…I do this with all my treats but never tell anyone :-)

Celebratory Blueberry Muffins w/Streusel Topping

 

by Maria Campbell

Keywords: bake bread gluten-free vegan

 

Ingredients (24 muffins)

  • Muffins:
  • 4 1/2 cups of gluten-free flour
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup coconut oil melted
  • 1 1/3 cup agave nectar (light)
  • 1 1/3 cup rice milk
  • 4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp lemon extract
  • 1 quart fresh blueberries washed
  • Streusel Topping:
  • 3/4 cup evaporated cane juice sugar
  • 3/4 cup gluten-free flour
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup vegan shortening

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 F. Line the muffin tin with liners or spray muffin tin if liners aren’t used.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the oil, agave, rice milk, vanilla and lemon to the dry ingredients and mix until batter is smooth. Using a plastic spatula, fold in blueberries until they are distributed evenly through the batter.

Using a cookie scooper, fill each muffin tin almost to the top. In a small bowl mix evaporated cane juice, flour, water, cinnamon, and shortening until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of muffins.

Bake the muffins on the center rack for about 20-25 minutes. Let the muffins stand for 15 minutes then move them to the wire rack and cool completely.

Enjoy!

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Mexican Shrimp Bisque

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It was 85 degrees today.  Perfect weather for soup right?  When I was meal planning this week, I skimmed through Taste of Home  and found a simple soup recipe that looked really good.  Even though we are experiencing summer-like weather, I decided to give it a go anyway.  The recipe suggested pairing it with a salad and a glass of white wine…now that sounds more like a summer meal :-)

Mexican Style Shrimp Bisque

by Maria C

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients (Serves 3)

  • 1 small white onion chopped
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp of minced garlic
  • 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 Tbsp chilli powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled, deviened
  • 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
  • sliced avocado and chopped cilantro (optional)

Instructions

Sautee chopped onions in a large pot until tender. Add garlic and cook for about another minute. Stir in flour until blended with onion and garlic. Stir in water, cream, broth and seasonings. Bring the ingredients to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Cut up shrimp into bite size pieces and add to the soup. Simmer for about another 5-10 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink. Place sour cream in a small bowl and gradually stir in the soup.

Top with cilantro and avocado if desired.

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Celebrating Mom, with cake!

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Yesterday was the perfect day.  The weather was amazing and I was surrounded by the people I love.  Instead of the traditional Mother’s Day brunch, my family and I opted for a Mother’s Day dinner.  LC threw some pork chops on the grill and I whipped up some risotto, a strawberry spinach salad, and a strawberry cake with strawberry chocolate cream cheese frosting for dessert.  My mother was gifted with a spa day from LC and me and a Coach wristlet from my sister.  As the mother-to-be, I was given a small box of chocolates and gelato :-)

I couldn’t have asked for a better Mother’s Day.  We spent the late afternoon relaxing in the sun, talking and laughing.

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a recipe.  With commuting back and forth to Chicago and moving, the past few months have been pretty uneventful in the kitchen.  But yesterday I was back at it and so happy that KitchenAid and I got to spend some quality time together :-)  This is the cake that I made yesterday for Mother’s Day.  It’s the best dessert that I’ve tasted in awhile and is perfect for summertime, especially as strawberries come into season.

Strawberry Cake with Strawberry/Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting  (Print this)

*preheat oven to 350 and oil up two 9-inch cake pans

Ingredients

  • 1 box of yellow cake mix
  • 3/4 cup strawberries pureed (measure out after they are pureed)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 eggs

Directions

  • mix above ingredients on medium until batter is smooth
  • split batter into the two cake pans and bake for about 35-40 minutes on 350

Strawberry Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup strawberry puree
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder

Directions

Whip the cream cheese, strawberry puree, cocoa powder, until thick and smooth.  Then, combine the whipping cream and sugar.  Mix together until you get a light a fluffy consistency.  Cool cakes completely before frosting.  Frost and enjoy!

Getting back into the Groove of Things

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Happy hump day everyone!  This week is going by so quickly.  We’ve been pretty busy over here so that probably has a lot to do with it.  On Monday, not only did I get a new computer and pre-register at the hospital, but we got a new car as well :-) For the past few years, we’ve been a one car house.  Now with a baby about to be on board, and both of us driving to work, we decided that we needed a second car.  Plus, my dilly-dallying in the morning was making hubs irritated and late for work :-/  We went to the dealership set on getting a newer used car.  Because cars depreciate so quickly, I thought it was a waste of money to invest in a brand-new car.  But when the dealer priced out a new car vs. used car and we saw that our payments would only be about $40 more with a new car, we decided to go with a brand-new car.    So, I’m the proud owner of a 2012 Volkswagen Jetta.
We started something new today at work.  Every hour in our office, my co-workers and I take a break from whatever it is we’re doing and we do some sort of exercises.  Today, it was pushups.  I did about half on my toes and finished the rest on my knees.  Tomorrow’s exercise of the day is wall sits.  I haven’t done those since high school track practice, so that should be interesting.
Since we’ve moved into our new home, I’ve been lucky in that hubs LOVES his new grill and wants to take over in the kitchen (errr, yard?).  With the way I’ve been feeling this week (super tired) be my guest hubs.  But tonight I was feeling pretty good, so I took over in the kitchen and whipped us up a pretty easy and tasty meal.
There’s really no recipe per se.  I cut up 3 chicken breasts into cubes and cooked them in olive oil and seasoned the chicken with pepper and garlic powder.  Then I cut up some mushrooms, and sliced up a red and green pepper and sautéed the veggies.  I added a jar of spaghetti sauce and goat cheese and boiled some penne pasta and voila! A perfect tasty, week night meal!
I’m off to catch up on some blogs and prepare the menu for our Mother’s Day dinner!  Have a great night.

An Oscar-worthy Meal

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Good Morning!  I hope everyone’s weekend was a good one.  We hung out in Wisconsin on Saturday because we had a friend’s 30th birthday party to go to.  I picked hubs up from the train station in the afternoon and we headed to the Third Ward for brunch.  I wanted to take him somewhere he hasn’t been yet, so we headed to Cafe Benelux.  
I love this place, along with all of its sister restaurants.  If you’re ever in the Milwaukee area, make sure to visit one.  The restaurant has a European feel and was named after the Benelux region (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg).  I knew LC would be a fan because of their extensive bier menu.  While he enjoyed a beer with his brunch, I enjoyed a virgin Mary. 
 
I would say it’s just as good as a bloody Mary with the exception of the heartburn afterward, a new to me pregnancy symptom that decided to show up this week.  
Their brunch menu is pretty extensive and I had a hard time trying to decide on what I wanted to eat.  I finally went with a polenta dish.  It was polenta, which if you’ve never had it is the same consistency as grits, wild mushrooms, leeks, greens, and two eggs topped with hollandaise sauce.  It was very good and very filling.  
 We came home last night and I wanted to cook us a nice meal, since it has truly been awhile.  With my current living situation, I don’t get to tinker around in the kitchen as much during the week and I miss it, especially now that I want to eat more than cereal and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  So last night, in celebration of the Oscars, I made us what I believe to be an Oscar worthy meal, with the mashed sweet potatoes being the main winner.   

On the plate we have asparagus baked with olive oil, pepper and Parmesan cheese.  Scallops sauteed in butter, garlic, and lemon.  And last but not least, the best mashed sweet potatoes I’ve ever made.  They were mashed with goat cheese, milk, onion powder, and infused with truffle oil.  

I boiled the sweet potatoes with the skins on until they were soft enough to mash with the hand mixer.  I placed them into a bowl with a little bit of milk and mashed away.  I then added some goat cheese crumbles, just a sprinkling of onion powder, and a drizzle of truffle oil and continued to mash.  I placed them into the oven to keep them warm until it was time to serve them.  When they came out, I sprinkled a little bit of Parmesan on top.  Hubs said they were the best sweet potatoes he’s ever had.  A winning night for me and my sweet potatoes.

After dinner, we watched the Oscars and concluded that we really need to add Hugo along with some others to our Netflix queue.  I thought it was a pretty classy awards show and I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t get teary eyed when Octavia Spencer won her award for The Help.  I blame the pregnancy hormones.

I’m off to get a workout in and then run some errands.  I’ll be back later with a week 14 pregnancy update!