Asparagus Appetizer and Asics

Last night, we went to a St. Patrick’s Day bonfire at our friend’s place. I wanted to bring a green appetizer to go with the theme, and decided on an appetizer that my friend/co-worker had made for us at our St. Pat’s Day themed meeting at work last Wednesday.

She made asparagus wrapped in ham and cream cheese. I whipped them up for the party last night and I left the party with an empty platter in hand. They were a hit. They are healthy, easy and very tasty.

1. First, bring a pot of water to a boil.

2. Next, rinse the asparagus. Then, snap off the bottoms that are hard and great to eat. Tip: place one hand at the middle of the stalk, the other hand at the bottom and bend until the end snaps off. Discard the end piece and keep the top. Where it snaps off naturally is generally a good indicator of the good versus the bad.

3. Place the asparagus in the boiling water and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from hot water and place immediately into an ice bath to shock the asparagus and stop the cooking process.

4. Combine 1 room temperature 8-ounce block of reduced fat cream cheese, 1 teaspoon mustard, and 1/2 teaspoon of Worcestershire in a bowl. Use a hand mixer to combine until creamy.

5.  Place thinly sliced deli ham on cutting board and cut to appropriate size (about 4×4 inches). Smear cream cheese mixture on ham. Place asparagus on top, and roll. The cream cheese makes the wrap stick together so no tooth picks are necessary to hold it together.

Pretty right?

 We had such a great time last night at our friend’s place. We played yard games, ate some awesome corned-beef hash and sat around the bonfire. It was the perfect way to end St. Patty’s Day.

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This morning started off with a big cup of coffee, coupon cutting with the hubby (out Sunday morning routine), and a bowl of nasty looking  satisfying oat-less oatmeal. In the mix today was egg whites, almond milk, ground flaxseed, chocolate protein powder, cinnamon, and banana. I topped it off with some peanut butter and called it a breakfast.

After breakfast we were off and running to get errands crossed off our list. We first headed to Target and Costco to stock up on groceries, then headed to Marathon Sports which is a store that specializes in running and walking. Dana and I both needed new running shoes and have heard really great things about this place, so we decided to check it out ourselves.

The staff was incredibly helpful and efficient. The store was bonkers today but staff kept everyone happy including both of us who both walked out with new shoes!

I decided to stick with the same Asics I was wearing before, but bought the newest version; Asics Gel-Kayano 18 (my last ones were 17). I was really happy with my last pair so I figure why mess with a good thing. I put them on my feet and they fit like they were made for me; comfortable and supportive. Sold.

I can see why they are voted one of the best running stores in America. I would highly recommend them to anyone. Plus, they were founded in 1985, which was a pretty special year. 🙂

Lunch today was very random. It started with sugar snap peas which I dove into on the car-ride home.

Then a cara-cara orange which OMG was so perfectly sweet and juicy. MMMMmm…I could probably eat 4 of them.

Next, I moved onto a small bowl of Special K Blueberry cereal.

Lastly, a small bowl of  Multi-Grain Peanut Butter Cheerios. Heavenly. Have you tried these yet? You really should.

Amidst our errand running we also stopped at two different Menards. We needed to get tiles for our bathroom in the basement which will begin construction very soon! Considering I made it through not one, but two Menards trips, I figured I deserved a Caramel Light Frappuccino from Starbuck’s. Perfectly sweet and expensive, as always.

I have a healthy dinner planned for dinner tonight. I will get you the details tomorrow! Hope you are having a productive yet relaxing Sunday.

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Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Earlier this month, Dana and I went over to mom and dad’s for dinner and they made us some very delicious lettuce wraps. A friend of mine asked me for the recipe, so I thought I would share it with all ya’ll just in case anyone else wanted it.

Mom’s Turkey Lettuce Wraps Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com

 

Ingredients
  • 16 butter lettuce leaves
  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons Thai Sweet Chili Pepper Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  • 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
  • 1 bunch green onions, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • Peanut sauce (optional): To be perfectly honest, I was the one in charge of making the peanut sauce and I didn’t measure any of the ingredients. In the mix was peanut butter, hot water, lime juice, garlic powder, pepper, and sometimes I will add a splash of hot sauce. Next time I will be sure to measure and write it down! Sorry about that.

Directions

  1. Rinse whole lettuce leaves, pat dry. Set aside.
  2. On stove top, brown the ground turkey. Rinse, drain, pour into separate dish, and set aside.
  3. Return pan to stove top, add onions and cook for 2-3 minutes until they begin to cook down.
  4. Add remaining ingredients to pan including browned ground turkey; mix well.
  5. Place heaping spoonful of mixture into lettuce cup, top with peanut sauce and enjoy.
Mom paired our wraps with brown rice and mandarin oranges and it was the perfect well-rounded meal.
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Slightly Unmotivated

I wish I would have taken a photo of yesterday’s lunch because it was pretty darn good. I combined pulled chicken (I made a big batch on Sunday), green grapes which I halved, a small handful of whole almonds, and leftover pieces of dried cherries and dried mango. I added yellow mustard and gave it all a good stir. The combination of salty and sweet was just perfect.

You know what made it even better? Eating it at lunch break while visiting with my mom! It was such a nice treat. She was off of work yesterday so we met over by my work and we both ate our lunches together and chatted away. I loved it so much!

After work I headed to the gym although I was really not in the mood to go. I got the self talk rolling though and told myself, just go, you never regret a workout, and that is just what I did. Strength training was on the agenda today.

I warmed up with ten minutes on the stairmaster, then hit the weights which were super loaded with men which is fairly intimidating to me. I try to work confidently but can’t help but be slightly self-conscious. Here’s the rundown of my workout.

  • tricep pull-down 3×10
  • tricep dips 3×10
  • tricep dumbbell overhead extensions 3×10
  • chest press 2×10
  • pushups (knees) 3×10
  • ab work
Not too shabby considering I wasn’t the most motivated to workout.
For dinner I pulled together a household favorite, which is veggie-packed (surprise, surprise). Although I made my best effort to eat healthy this past weekend in New York, I still got a little “off” speaking in terms of digestive health. It won’t take long to get back on track, though. Especially with a dinner like this. Drumroll………for veggie hash.
Oh yes. In the colorful parade:
  • broccoli
  • red onion
  • mushrooms
  • green beans
  • pea
  • black beans
  • fresh tomato
  • nutritional yeast
  • shredded cheddar cheese
  • egg
  • garlic olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder (and two pickles for good luck)

You guys, if you have not tried this dish yet, you must. Take whatever vegetables you happen to have on hand and saute in a little olive oil. Add flavor with your favorite seasonings and/or herbs, top with an over-easy egg aka “runny egg,” cheese, nutritional yeast, and add fresh chopped tomato at the end.

The rest of the night was spent wasting my time watching The Bachelor, searching for a green food to bring to my St. Patty’s Day inspired work meeting, doing some laundry, and snacking on some Fiber One 80 honey squares.

Now, I am off to find motivation to tackle a run. Perhaps I should refer to the beginning of this post where I mentioned motivational self-talk from my workout yesterday? I’m just being a baby because it’s just a little more chilly outside this morning than I thought it would be. It is supposed to be in the 60’s today though and 70’s the rest of the week! Woop woop! I WILL be going for a run. How about you? Have you moved something today? Let me see you move somethin’! I really love this guy in these Blue Cross Blue Shield commercials. He makes me giggle everytime and kind of reminds me of my dad for some reason. DO GROOVE!

Have a good one!

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First Shot at Chops

Yesterday morning I whipped up some oat-less oatmeal for breakfast. This was the best batch I have made yet. I think it is because I put all of the ingredients together the night before, and let it work in the fridge over night. This gives the chia seeds a chance to gelatinize which creates a different, thicker texture in the dish. In the morning I cooked it all up on the stove top and noticed it made for a more “voluptuous” looking bowl.

Oat-less Oatmeal (adapted from Tina’s recipe)

Ingredients

  • 1/2 frozen banana, mashed (you can use fresh instead if that is all you have)
  • 1/4 cup egg whites
  • 1/4 cup almond milk
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chia seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • a dash of cinnamon
Directions
Combine all ingredients. Cook on stove-top over low heat. Stir frequently until an oatmeal like consistency appears (about 3 minutes). Top with fresh fruit, nut butter, granola, or whatever your heart desires!
Dinner was a new adventure for me. Dana had requested boneless pork chops for his birthday dinner, and although I have eaten them, I have never made them before, so I knew this would be a learning experience. Tuesday night while I was at the in-law’s for dinner, I asked Sue how she usually prepares pork chops. She gave me a simple recipe involving mushrooms, onions, and red wine. Here’s what happened.
I began by trimming any visible fat off of the meat. I then placed each chop on its own piece of aluminum foil spritzed with cooking spray, sprinkled them with salt and pepper, and topped them with chopped onion, mushrooms, and a splash of red wine. I took Rachael Ray’s advice and used wine to cook with that I would actually want to drink. I wrapped up each chop and placed on a baking pan to bake in a 350° oven for exactly 1 hour.
In the mean time I got working on the side dish:baked rutabaga fries. Here is the large rutabaga.
I washed it, peeled off the skin, poked it with a fork a few times, and microwaved for about 3 minutes. I did this to soften it so that I would be able to cut it into french fry size strips more easily.
I placed the “fries” on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil spritzed with cooking spray, but you could also use olive oil or vegetable oil, and sprinkled them with seasoned salt. They baked at 350° (because that was the temperature the pork was cooking at) for about 37 minutes, flipping once halfway through. I then placed them under the broiler for about 2 minutes, watching them carefully so that they wouldn’t burn. I removed them from the oven when they turned a light golden brown. I like my fries on the crispy side.
It’s not the prettiest plate of food ever, but it was extremely nummy! I’m thinking I aced my first shot at pork chops. I am generally not a huge meat person but I really did enjoy this meal. The rutabaga fries turned out awesome too. I dunked them in some ketchup and was in my glory. Dana gave the meal two thumbs up.
After dinner Dana opened up his birthday gifts, I sang him ‘Happy Birthday,’ we watched our favorite shows, Whitney and Modern Family, and talked about our upcoming trip which is happening VERY soon! I think it was a success of a birthday. We will probably continue celebrating this weekend, just for fun.
I am off to work now ladies and gents. After work I am heading straight to the gym (hold me accountable), and then I am going to finish packing for our trip. Can you handle the anticipation?
Happy Thursday friends. I am out.
Continue Reading First Shot at Chops

Healthy Carrot Soup

My computer is being very SLLLOOOOOWWW today. It definitely tests my patience! I have the day off and started it off right by heading straight to the gym.

I mowed through 30 minutes on the elliptical at an incline range of 7-10. I debated heading to the stair-master but vetoed it and headed to the weights instead. I completed this arm workout which I adapted from Julie.

Exercise Reps Sets
Chest press 10 3
Lat pulldown 10 3
Push ups (knees) 10 3
Overhead press 10 3
Bicep curls 10 3
Tricep extensions 10 3
Shoulder exercises 1 minute 1
Bicep curls 1 minute 1


After the gym I headed out to run a billion errands. I am now contemplating what to eat for lunch as I finish writing this post. Before I go I want to share a go-to soup in our house. It is a carrot pumpkin soup. Here are some ingredients in the mix!

The best part about this recipe is the only chopping involved is the carrot and onion. Not bad at all! I threw all of the ingredients into my beautiful red crock pot. I set it to low, and let it simmer away for about 7 hours while I was out and about at mom and dad’s and running errands.

After 7 hours, I used the immersion blender to puree the soup.

I then added in a few last ingredients, gave it a stir, ladled the soup into bowls, and topped it with fresh cilantro.

I changed the recipe slightly this time by adding curry powder. it was still good and tasty, but I will probably omit it again next time and stick with my original spices. Here is my original recipe.

Carrot Thai Soup

Ingredients

  • 48 oz low-sodium chicken broth (vegetable broth would be fine too)
  • 15 oz can pumpkin puree
  • 5 medium carrots, chopped
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 Tbsp garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp hot sauce
  • 3 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup almond milk
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

  1. Combine all ingredients in crock pot through soy sauce
  2. Set crock pot on low for 7-8 hours
  3. Use immersion blender or standard blender to puree soup
  4. Stir in almond milk
  5. Salt and pepper to taste
  6. Top with fresh cilantro

I will sometimes add croutons or crackers to top the soup if we have them on hand which adds another depth of texture to this otherwise smooth soup. I made a large batch because this soup freezes very well. I poured the remainder of the soup in a Ziploc freezer bag and into the freezer it went. It will be a perfect weeknight dinner in the future. Enjoy this very healthy and easy Thai soup!

I have got to go. This post literally took me three times as long as it usually does. I’m hoping a good restart will do the trick to get back up and running.

Dana and I are heading over to mom and dad’s tonight to celebrate Dana’s birthday with them. Mom is making chicken lettuce wraps with peanut sauce and I am very excited! Should be a nice relaxing Monday evening. I hope yours is as well!

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Whole Wheat Quinoa Bread

Morning!

Did you know that one month ago from today I published my first post on Beautifully Nutty?! I can’t believe it’s been a month already. BN is still a long way from where I want it to be but it has progressed quite a bit in the last month and I am very proud. Thank you for sticking with me being I am a rookie with this. I promise it’s just going to get better and better with more recipes, motivation, and hopefully inspiration to live a healthy life full of delicious food. Thank you to all of you for supporting me as I get this blog up and running.

What better way to celebrate the day than by having peanut butter not once, but twice today. I thought it was a good idea. Breakfast was cinnamon bread (new recipe to come soon) with PB2 and honey.

I couldn’t for the life of me get a good picture of breakfast this morning. Lunch is all packed up and ready for me at noon. It includes an ol’ favorite…peanut butter banana wrap but with a twist! I may or may not have added some turkey bacon to it, which was leftover from dinner last night! Isn’t that what Elvis used to do? Or did I just make that up. It sounds really weird but it seemed like a good idea to me last night when I was packing lunch. I’ll let you know how it tastes. I also packed a huge bunch of veggies and a nice big juicy apple.

Speaking of dinner last night. This one was thought up by Dana. We had all of the ingredients for a B.L.A.T.  Bacon (turkey), lettuce, avocado, and tomato on homemade whole grain bread, toasted, with a  little sprinkle of onion powder over the tomato. Okay, I’ll have that please. If you’re wondering, yes, I did put mayo on my bread. This doesn’t happen very often, you may want to mark it on your calendars. 🙂 It was a delicious sandwich which I enjoyed while watching the Grammy’s. Jennifer Hudson did a knock-out job on her tribute to Whitney Houston btw.

Now let’s get down to some recipe business. As you all know I have been on a bit of a quinoa kick. I thought I would try throwing some into a whole grain bread recipe, set it in the bread machine, and see what happened.

The result was a very hearty, nutty, delicious and healthy bread! Perfect for savory or sweet sandwiches. I have to share the recipe with you.

Whole Wheat Quinoa Bread (Bread Machine)

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups water
  • 2 Tablespoons non-fat greek yogurt, plain
  • 1/2 Tablespoon molasses
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup bread flour
  • 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast

Directions

Add all ingredients into bread-maker. Set it and forget it.

Off to work I go. I hope everyone has a tolerable Monday! Womp wompppp. I love Mondays.

 

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CocoaCraisy Energy Bites

Happy Saturday! Hi-fives all around for Saturday love.

This morning I snacked on half a banana with some Smart Balance Peanut Butter then headed to the gym. I was really feeling good today and knocked off a little over 4-miles on the treadmill. Since I got my new phone I downloaded the Pandora app and wanted to try running with that today. I loved not knowing what song was going to come on next but I didn’t like that I wasn’t always able to click to the next song. Maybe it was just me because I am a little special in the technology department. I don’t know, I guess I’ll have to look into that one.

Here is some good news….I haven’t had any shin pain lately. I don’t know if it was the Zumba class that threw me off, or I wasn’t stretching enough, or if it was a combination of factors, but whatever it was is gone. I feel no pain now! Now I can actually concentrate on building up my stamina and not have to be thinking about how badly my shins hurt while I run.

To touch base on the half marathon training…..I have decided to stick with the plan which has me running Tuesdays, Wednesdays if I feel like it, Thursdays, and Saturdays. As far as increasing my  mileage though, I am going to probably be halting it at 3-5 miles for now until the weather improves. I am driving myself crazy trying to run longer than that on the treadmill and no one wants to see crazy Melanie. Unless I am really feeling it one day on the treadmill and want to increase my mileage, it will have to wait a little bit. I am hoping only a month or so. Come on early Spring! I know the Groundhog saw its shadow but that means nothing to me. 🙂

Anyway, after my run I hit the weights to do some leg work.

  • 3×10 lunges with 20 lb weight (really it’s 3×20 lunges because it was 10 per leg–but who’s counting :wink:)
  • 3×10 leg press (both legs, then right single leg, left single leg)
  • 3×10 calf raises (changing direction of the toes each time to hit different muscles–toes in, toes out, toes forward)
  • 3×10 seated leg curls

I was Mrs. Jello legs after this! Can’t wait to feel it later.

I headed to get the car all prettied up at the car wash and snacked on apple on the way. Now I am home and sipping on some coffee as I contemplate lunch. I am really hungry but feeling pretty lazy right now to actually  make lunch. This afternoon Dana’s parents are stopping over to visit and then we are having a couple of friends over for Sushi later on! What a great day!

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Back this thang up to yesterday lunch. Remember how I said let’s see if I branch out from my usual order at Panera Bread? Well, guess who did NOT branch out? Me. I am ridiculous sometimes. The thing is though, I don’t go there that often so when I do get the chance to go, I like to stick with a favorite. If I went there ALL the time I would for sure branch out. I stuck with the French Onion soup and as always I am happy I did. It was served with a chunk of whole wheat baguette on the side. Nummy! It was great to meet up with mama during her lunch break!

What was even better was that I would be seeing her and dad and Kevin that night! Dana and I headed over to their place for dinner where mom had whipped up some of her famous chicken wings (Scott and Jeff if you’re reading this I know you are jealous). The chicken wings were served alongside baked (or broiled?) zucchini, asparagus, cheesy potatoes, and a side salad with balsamic vinaigrette. What a feast!

Thanks for the great company and the great dinner last night!

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For a while now, I have been meaning to share a recipe with you all for energy bites, or what we call in our household, Mah balls (MAH are my initials and we think we’re really clever and funny when we say it). There are made up of dates and nuts primarily, but other ingredients can be added to give them different flavors like cocoa powder, peanuts, Craisins, etc.

Mah Balls: CocoaCraisy

Not the prettiest things, but they are delicious!

These are perfect little bites of energy. I often will pop one of these in my mouth before a workout or if I need a quick pick me up if I’m heading out the door. I will give you other variations of the recipe in the future, but feel free to venture out yourself!

 

CocoaCraisy Energy Bites
Print
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup almonds, roasted
  • ¾ cup dates
  • ¼ cup Craisins
  • 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa
Instructions
  1. In food processor, add almonds and process until they resemble wet sand texture; pour into small bowl and set aside.
  2. Add dates, Craisins, and cocoa to food processor. Process until mixture begins to form a ball, and pieces are small.
  3. Add almond mixture to date mixture and process until combined; about 1 minute.
  4. Form combine mixture into one inch balls using your hands and store in air-tight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.

I’m off to get ready for company! Hope everyone is having a great Saturday!

P.S. I updated my Education page under the About section in the top menu.

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Tie Up Loose Ends

We made it through Tuesday!

After work today Dana ran some errands including a trip to Mall of America to try to find a backing to my iPhone. Apparently I am kind of picky about my phone accessories because I didn’t find one cover I liked in all of the M.O.A.! The trip was not a total flop though because we decided to get some frozen yogurt at Freeziac  which is self-serve frozen yogurt shop. We don’t have many of these in Minnesota, at least around where I live, so this is a big deal for us and a very special treat.

Yellow cake batter frozen yogurt with cookie dough, brownie, heath bar, chocolate chips, M & Ms (for color of course), a little bit of hot fudge, one pink gummy bear, and a cherry on top to seal the deal. This was heaven in a cup. This will be in my heaven except all the calories will have been removed so I can eat twice as much and not have to buy new pants. Good thing Dana and I were walking around the mall while eating this so we were actually burning calories while eating. Ha ha I know I’m funny. 🙂

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Dinner was one of my favorite salads: The Southwest Salad <——–Check out the recipe!

That is one good-looking salad if you ask me! I covered the fruit and veggie food group, protein food group, dairy food group, and even have some healthy fats in there with the avocado in this meal. I believe I’m just missing my whole grains. I had plenty of those earlier today though. I dare you to check this recipe out and try it at home. It’s a crowd pleaser.

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Remember a little while back when I mentioned I bought a new face moisturizer? Well it’s review time. Product: Aveeno Active Naturals Smart Essentials.

To those who may have missed it, I was looking for a moisturizer to help hydrate my extremely dry face, especially in my t-zone area. I have been using this stuff for a week and a half and I really feel it is making a difference. I am using it every night after I clean my face and in the morning I use just a little bit on my t-zone along with my daily moisturizer (Neutrogena Daily Moisturizer SPF 15). I no longer have dry skin and I feel like my skin looks more radiant. I would recommend it to anyone experiencing dry winter skin.

That was loose end #1 I wanted to tie up. Loose end #2 is my Home-made Tomato Soup Recipe! This was my first time ever making home-made tomato soup, and I was a little skeptical as to how it would turn out. It actually turned out really well. I even added a secret ingredient which helps create a creamy consistency (it’s pumpkin puree) without adding any dairy products. Not a secret anymore is it?

 

Tomato Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 Tablespoon garlic
  • 1-32 ounce container low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup tomato paste
  • 1-28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • Salt and Pepper to Taste
  • cooking spray

Directions

  1. In large soup pot coated with cooking spray, saute onion until translucent; add garlic and continue sauteing for 30 more seconds.
  2. Add broth, pumpkin, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and dried basil; stir.
  3. Bring to a boil; cover and reduce to simmer for 20 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat; stir in basil.
  5. Use immersion blender to puree soup to smooth.
  6. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with crackers, shredded cheese, grilled cheese, fresh basil, tortilla chips or eat plain. I hope you like it as much as I did.

I am realizing that this post was all over the place. I guess that’s just how my mind works!

I am off to continue learning about my new phone while sipping on a mug o’ tea. Good night my friends!

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Game Day Recipe Recap

Morning!

MMMm breakfast was a bowl of greek yogurt with honey, banana, and Peanut Butter Multigrain Cheerios. It has to be a good day because I had a good breakfast right? One can only hope!

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Quick recap from yesterday. Later in the afternoon after going through some bins in the basement, we turned on the puppy bowl for Moose. His kind of Super bowl.  He was really into it, see him watching the “game”?! Love this photo so much.

I spent a whole lot of time in the kitchen yesterday whipping up our Super Bowl snacks and Dana did an awesome job keeping up with the mega dishes!

At game time I plated up some goodies for myself: chicken bites, bean dip, guacamole (recipes below), sugar snap peas, Blue Corn with flaxseed tortilla chips, and home-made zucchini and potato chips. I went back for seconds of some more chips and guac.

I didn’t really tune in to the game until the half time show (way to go Madonna!) but then watched most of the last half.

Anyway, here are my Super Bowl recipes. I tried keeping everything healthy. Enjoy!

Baked Chicken Poppers

Baked Chicken Poppers

Ingredients

  • 1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 3/4 cup Fiber One Original
  • dash of onion powder
  • 1/3 cup egg white
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F; coat baking sheet with cooking spray (I laid aluminum foil down first, then sprayed it for less clean up)

2. Break down Fiber One in food processor until ground; pour cereal onto plate; add a dash of onion powder

3. Pour egg whites into small bowl and line up assembly line (L to R): chicken, egg white, cereal, pan

4. Drop chicken one at a time into egg mixture, then coat in cereal, and place on baking sheet. Repeat until all pieces are coated.

5. Spray chicken with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

6. Bake for 20 minutes.

Serve with warm with honey  mustard, ketchup, barbecue sauce, light ranch, or your favorite dipping sauce. These were really good–I wasn’t sure how they would turn out but they were winners!

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Green Chili Bean Dip

Green Chili Bean Dip

Ingredients

  • 1/2 small white onion, diced
  • 4 oz can diced green chilies
  • 16 oz can reduced sodium pinto beans; rinsed, drained
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 cup salsa
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Saute onion until translucent

2. Add chilies, beans, garlic powder, and cumin; mix to combine

3. Remove from heat; place in food processor

4. Process until smooth; adding salt and pepper to taste

5. Pour into bowl; stir in 1/4 cup salsa

Serve hot or cold with tortilla chips, sugar snap peas, or your favorite veggies

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Guacamole Salsa (with peas)

Guacamole Salsa (with peas)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup peas, food processed to smooth
  • 1 ripe avocado, diced
  • 1 cup corn
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 Roma tomato, diced
  • 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Mix ingredients until combined. Chill before serving. Serve with tortilla chips. SO GOOD!

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I did baked up some home-made potato chips and zucchini chips for the game as well. We used the mandolin to cut thin slices then baked at 425° for I don’t know how long. We actually had to keep adjusting the temperature of the oven because we couldn’t get the chips to cook evenly. They tasted awesome but because of the experimenting with the temperature and not knowing exactly how long they baked, I won’t be able to give you an exact recipe. Sorry bout that! I’ll get ya next time.

In the midst of all of the super bowl snack prep, I also whipped up a batch of tomato soup for a weeknight dinner this week, as well as some energy balls, and pulled chicken for Dana’s lunches this week (and probably my lunches too). I told you I was a busy lady in the kitchen today!

I will share those recipes later this week. I didn’t want to bombard you with 5,000 recipes right off the bat Monday morning. 🙂

What a wonderful weekend. I am so happy I got to spend so much time with my honey. I felt like we had a very productive weekend. I’ll check in with you all later! Happy Monday.

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A Special Monday Treat

Well, hello there World! Yay, Monday’s over right?! You know my relationship with Mondays by now. We just don’t always get along so well. However I had something very fun to look forward to later in the evening. But first, breakfast.

This morning I went back to an old favorite, Blueberry Oatmeal. I decided to switch it up slightly and add a tablespoon of egg white in the baking process to bulk up the protein content a bit. This turned out amazingly berrylicious.

On the stove top I cooked 1/4 cup old fashioned oats, 1/4 cup almond milk, 1/4 cup water, 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed, and 1/4 cup frozen blueberries. I cooked this mixture on medium heat for about 2 minutes and then added 1 tablespoon liquid egg whites. I cooked for about 1 more minute, removed from heat and added stevia for some sweetness, along with brown sugar and 1/2 ripe banana. The result was creamy berry oats.

My lunch

Lunch was delayed slightly and cut short, but I had planned on going home for lunch therefore did not pack anything so still went home. I felt like I had to stuff my face which I HATE doing. I don’t like eating so fast because then I end up with a belly ache but knew I needed to eat enough to hold me over until after work. I started off with an Apple Cinnamon Chobani. Num! Then I had some Special K with Berries cereal, the rest of the  banana I had leftover from this morning, and a bite of peanut butter. Good, but random lunch that was lacking in the vegetable department. But I had plans for later that would make up for that.

The afternoon flew by at work and then I headed to the gym to get a quick workout in. I ran/walked 1 mile on the treadmill, then moved to the elliptical for 5 minutes, then headed to do some weights and abs. I don’t feel like I got the best workout in today. I went to a gym that I don’t usually go to so was unfamiliar with the setup of weights, and it was PACKED and wasn’t able to do everything I wanted in the amount of time I had. Oh, well. At least I did something active!

After the gym I headed out to meet a good friend, Courtney! We met at our dietetic internship in Wisconsin but she lives in the Twin Cities as well! We went through A LOT together in the internship and developed a very special bond.

We met at the Good Earth which is a wonderful restaurant that is all about natural, unprocessed foods. They get their food from local farmers and have developed a menu that I dream about. After about 6 minutes of contemplating, I decided on the vegetarian chili and tropical spinach salad and Courtney ordered the Vegetable Enchiladas.

While we waited for our dishes we grazed on some flat bread, whole grain bread and homemade hummus and gabbed away, catching up  on each others lives. Then our goodness arrived:

Vegetarian Chili: Garbanzo beans and seasonal vegetables, tomatoes and spices, topped with shredded cheddar jack cheese, blue corn chips and one of my most favorite herbs, CILANTRO! This was awesome.

And so was my salad. Tropical Spinach Salad was fresh spinach, mango, jicama, sweet red bell pepper, caramelized pecans, and served with a super tasty tahini poppyseed dressing. I ate every bite. I highly recommend Good Earth if you have one in the area. I have never eaten anything there that I didn’t absolutely love… and it’s organic!

I did snap a shot of Court’s Vegetable Enchiladas as well because I thought they looked very nummy. Thanks Court for trying to “rearrange” the dish to make it look prettier haha! In the mix was corn tortillas stuffed with zucchini, corn, tomatoes, poblano peppers, Monterey Jack cheese, and cilantro topped with their homemade enchilada sauce, brown rice,  lettuce, and black beans.

Two thumbs up Good Earth! Great as always, and even better company to enjoy the experience with. Thank you. Once dinner was over we continued to chit chat and then headed our separate ways. What a nice way to spend a Monday evening. I loved catching up and hope we can do it again soon Courtney!

Once I got home I turned out Bachelorette and that is where I am still! Oh the drama. We DVR’d The Next Great Baker Season Finale tonight and plan on watching that within the next couple days. Go Nadine! I am going to try and keep my head out of the entertainment world so I don’t find out the results before I watch the show but I have a feeling I won’t be able to avoid it.

Sleep well everyone! Good night.

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