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.
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Tempeh Talk

Happy Thursday everyone! Is it really March? Can you believe it?

I got my morning run in today! Thursdays have been pretty good for me for getting in the morning workout. My motto for this morning’s run:

I kept repeating over and over in my head, “You don’t have to run fast, just run.” It got me through 3 miles!

So, remember a couple of days ago when I briefly  mentioned I had experimented with Tempeh for the first time and flashed you this picture?

Well, it’s time to talk about it! It’s tempeh talk time! Organic tempeh was another one of the purchases I made at Whole Foods a couple of weeks back. The brand I bought is called Lightlife. As mentioned previously, I have never eaten tempeh but have been very curious about it.

So, what is Tempeh?

Tempeh, pronounced “temp-pay,”  is a product of soybeans. The ingredients are: cultured organic soybeans, water, lactic acids (from plant sources), and organic brown rice.

Nutritional Value

What stood out to me the most when viewing the nutrition label was the insane amount of protein. In each serving (a half of a package with this particular brand), it packs 22 grams of protein which is incredible! Also, it is fiber-filled with 12 grams per serving. Here is how the rest of it stacked up. These nutrition facts are straight from Lightlife’s website.

Nutrition: Amount per Serving Percentage Daily Value
Calories 230
Calories from Fat 70
Fat, g 8 12%
Saturated Fat, g 1.5 8%
Trans Fatty Acids, g 0
Cholesterol, mg 0
Sodium, mg 10
Potassium, mg* 380 11%
Carbohydrate, g 16 5%
Fiber, g 12 48%
Sugars, g <1
Protein, g 22 44%
Vitamin A, % 0%
Vitamin C, % 0%
Calcium, % 15%
Iron, % 20%

How do you use it?

Considering this was my first time ever cooking with tempeh, I am by no means an expert with this stuff. I used it in a marinara sauce and it really tasted a lot like having ground turkey in the sauce. All I did to prepare it was brown it in a pan as you would ground turkey or ground beef, making sure to break it up into small pieces. Cook it long enough to see it start to brown slightly. I then added diced onions and sautéed until tender, next sliced mushrooms, garlic powder, some italian seasonings, and lastly a jar of Prego Veggie Smart Marinara Sauce. Stir, cover and simmer until headed through. Voila, awesome vegetarian pasta sauce with LOTS of protein! I added the sauce to some vegetable noodles, and topped it with some grated parmesan cheese. I also added two chopped up green olives on top which I REALLY enjoy! I really like olives though.

There are millions of other ways to use it. Use it in soups, chili, tacos, salads, sloppy joes….I am learning so many new ways to use it by browsing Lightlife’s website and good ol’ Google.

My Review

I really enjoyed this product! I was afraid the tempeh would give a weird flavor to the sauce, but it didn’t at all. It really took on the flavor of the sauce and had a nice texture somewhat similar to a cooked lentil. If you feel like trying something new, I would highly recommend this. I would recommend it over tofu in fact. I like that it is more firm than tofu (even the extra firm tofu). I love trying new things!

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Breakfast on leap day morning started out with an oldie but goodie. PB banana “sandwich”, served with a side of Special K with Strawberries (I went back for more cereal, twice).

For lunch I whipped together a very delicious salad with mixed greens, banana pepper, mushrooms, tomato, avocado, peas, and feta cheese. I topped it with my favorite Honey Mustard. This photo below was actually from dinner the night before because I forgot to take one from lunch. It was very similar though but you will notice a few differences. Whoopsie!

I also had some green grapes, a little bit of kettle corn, and a piece of whole grain bread with peanut butter. I definitely ate too much for lunch. I was FULL.

For dinner I met up with the fam bam and had my mama’s famous chili. It tasted extremely delicious. You know how some times certain foods taste better than other times? Well, it was one of those times where it tasted absolutely AMAZING. Mmmm…so comforting especially since it was kind of messy outside. Tuesday night we got hit with a bunch of rain, which eventually turned into snow, and then turned into rain again. Luckily, the temperatures have mostly remained above freezing so we haven’t been stuck with an ice rink outside. I snapped a couple of pictures from the rain on Tuesday that was starting to freeze a little on the trees. I thought it was pretty.

Oh, the simple pleasures, right?

I am starting to get back on track with workouts, however, I am slacking on the strength training part! There are no excuses, I need to get back into it. I was doing so well for almost a month and starting to notice a difference in my strength. I need to make time. You guys are my witnesses, I said it. Hold me accountable! 😉

Alright, I’m off to work. Have a great day everybody!

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Prada, Gucci, and Larry King

Good morning! Wow, each time I am away from home and come back from being away I remember just how much I love my bed! It hugged me tight last night and didn’t let go until the morning. I was so tired and still kind of am. It usually takes me a couple of nights of sleep to recover from vacation.

Continuing on from yesterday’s post which would bring us to Day #2 in California. Considering we went to bed at 9:30 pm Friday night, we were both wide awake at 6:15 Saturday morning. We took advantage of being up early and got ready to head out for the day. We said our goodbye’s to Dalynn and goodbye to Hollywood and headed out toward Rodeo Drive.

On our way we stopped at a Farmer’s Market area to search for a place to eat breakfast. We ended up going to a little Bakery and Cafe called Du-par’s, which originated in Vegas and has been around for a while. I believe it is still in Vegas, but LA now has one as well. It has an old school feel; the waitresses even wear the old-fashioned bonnet type hats, and they make coffee from a large, old brass- colored coffee maker.

The menu was simple and classic. I settled for two eggs over easy and hash browns. The meal also came with whole wheat toast and  their homemade jam. We tried both strawberry and raspberry and both were delicious. We also drank a couple cups of joe on the side.

After breakfast we continued on our way to Rodeo Drive. We parked our hot mustang at a meter and started walking the ritzy sidewalks. We got there fairly early so it was nice and quiet and peaceful while we were there. We passed Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Cartier, Christian Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Harry Winston, Jimmy Choo, Prada, and more. I bought something at each and every store. 🙂 Ha. I couldn’t hardly even afford to look through the windows of these stores much less step foot in them and buy something. I would have felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman and there is no question about that (especially in my athletic apparel that I was sporting that morning).

As we were walking along the sidewalks, we had our one and only celebrity sighting of the whole trip. I walked past a man and did a double take. I smiled at him, he smiled back. It wasn’t until I passed him that I realized it was Larry King. I got my celebrity spotting that I was hoping for! I was pretty jazzed up about it too. I’m a little bit of a dork like that.

We wrapped up at Rodeo Drive and headed to Newport Beach to meet up with my friend (since middle school), Brandon, who is going to grad school at University of California, Irvine. His parents live in Newport Beach and we stayed at their home for the rest of the trip. They have a gorgeous place and were so accommodating and gracious.

We got to their house around noon and then waited for our other high school friend, Will, to arrive, before we headed to the beach. Brandon drove us over to Crystal Cove in Newport Beach and we walked barefoot in the sand under the warm sun. It was so serene and beautiful and I loved every second of our walk.

Brandon managed to get stung by a bee in the process of the walk which was really funny to me at the time (sorry Brandon). The bee got him in the bottom of the foot but that didn’t stop him. We kept on truckin’!

After the walk we headed back home to get cleaned up and grab some lunch/snacks: homemade guacamole, fresh strawberries, veggie chips, etc.

A few hours later we were heading out towards Laguna Beach to a bar called the Rooftop which overlooks the ocean and has a great view of the sunset. It was very pretty! We stayed there only for a little while before heading out to dinner in Newport Beach at the Bear Flag Fish Company. They are very well-known for their fish tacos and I can understand why!

You step in to the joint and the place is packed. In the front there is a closed glass deli case filled with about 10 different fresh fish filets. You chose your fish and place your order at the front. In about 20 minutes or so they make your fish of choice into a grilled blackened fish taco. I chose the Opah and was extremely happy with my decision. Seriously, check this out.

Fresh grilled opah, cabbage, jalapeno, cilantro, tomato, some really good cream sauce, and a squirt of lime juice over the top. I also ordered a side of black beans because I like black beans. These tacos were incredible! I would recommend this place to everyone! The prices were very reasonable too considering the amount of food you got and the freshness of the fish and ingredients.

Dana ordered a grilled artichoke as an appetizer which was also very good. I snagged a couple bites of that green goodness. I want to make artichokes on the grill at home!

After dinner we decided just to head home and relax on their outdoor patio. We called it an early night again and hit the hay around 10:00 pm! Once again, wild and crazy! One more day to share with you and then you will be all caught up!

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A little off-subject food news to share with you. I cooked with Tempeh for the first time last night! I will be talking more about it later but wanted to give you a sneak peek! Pasta with Tempeh marinara. It was GOOD!

 

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Anyone have any fun celebrity sighting experiences to share?

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