336/365 Turkey Sausage Pasta Sauce

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I was craving pasta with meat sauce and came up with this. It serves about 8-10

Ingredients:
1 pkg of spicy, lean turkey sausage (6 links), casings removed
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 32 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 16 oz can of tomato sauce
salt
ground pepper
basil
oregano
1/2 c pasta water (water leftover from cooking your pasta)

1. Heat a large skillet with oil. Cook turkey sausage, breaking it up as you go.
2. While there's still some pink in the sausage, saute the onions and the garlic. Throw in the salt and ground pepper to taste. Cook until soft and transparent.
3. Add in the crushed tomatoes. Add tomato sauce depending on how thick you want your sauce. Season with basil and oregano for sweetness. Simmer for 15-20 minutes so that the flavors can mingle.
4. Add in the pasta water; this will help the sauce cling to the noodles better, yum!
5. Serve over pasta of your choice, sprinkle with cheese, enjoy!

According to livestrong.com, 1 serving of sauce is about 160 calories.

In health,

Lauren

PS: Picture coming soon, blogspot isn't working for some reason.

279/365 You say Tabbouleh, I say Tabarley

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I am a huge fan of tabbouleh. I decided to try this spin on it because I knew that I would like it simply because it's tabbouleh. The mix of parsley, lemon, garlic, cucumbers, EVOO, and tomatoes is refreshing on a warm day. The difference between this recipe and most others is that it uses barley instead of bulgar wheat. Bulgar wheat is usually pretty easy to come by; easier if you've got a Trader Joe's or Whole Foods in your area. If not, barley is a decent substitute.

I got my recipe from a blog called Seasonal Ontario Food. Here is her recipe with my alterations (dish makes about 8 servings, 177cal/serving!):

Salad Ingredients:
1/2 cup raw barley
a pinch of salt
1 cup minced chives
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 cup minced cilantro (couldn't find parsley for some reason)1/2 a cucumber, diced
2 tomatoes, diced

Dressing Ingredients:
the juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
a pinch of cayenne or other hot ground chile

Recipe:
1. Cook the barley with a pinch of salt in 1 1/2 cups water. As ever, I do this in my rice cooker, and I cook extra to have on hand for other dishes and salads.
2. Wash, drain well, and mince the green onions or chives, the garlic scapes or garlic if available and wanted, the parsley and the mint.
3. Cut the cucumbers into small bite-sized pieces, if you are adding cucumbers.
4. When the barley is cool, break it up with wet hands, and mix it with the herbs and cucumbers. Toss it with the dressing.
5. I have left the tomatoes for last, as the salad can be made ahead and kept in the fridge for up to 24 hours - without the tomatoes. At any rate, I think the salad does well to rest for at least half an hour once the dressing has been added. Rinse the tomatoes and cut them in halves or quarters, and add them to the salad at the last moment.

If you're not convinced that tabbouleh is worth a try, check out this guy, he'll let you know what's up:


In health,

Lauren

247/365 Mushroom-Spinach Pasta

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Since I had leftover raw mushrooms and thyme, I decided to try to make a cream sauce for pasta. This recipe was inspired foremost from my mother since she makes this wonderfully herbed mushroom sauce and a recipe from a book called 400 Sauces: Dips, Dressings, Salsas, Jams, Jellies & Pickles; How to Add Something Special to Every Dish for Every Occasion, from Classic Cooking Sauces to Fun Party Dips by: Catherine Atkinson, Christine France, Maggie Mayhew (longest book title ever, sorry!). Is this dish healthy? Not particularly but, it is delicious. The heavy cream and butter aren't so bad as long as you don't drink the sauce after you've eaten the pasta, mushrooms, and spinach.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 box of mushrooms (any kind), chopped to bite size pieces (the little, blue plastic bins at the grocery store)
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
a couple sprigs of parsley chopped or 1/2 tsp parsley flakes
2 cloves garlic
salt and ground black pepper to taste
4 cups of fresh spinach, chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream
favorite pasta (I chose Cavatappi)

Recipe:
1. Heat oil in a pan on medium-low. Add the butter and hear it sizzle.
2. Add the mushrooms, herbs, garlic, and salt; stir it every so often. About 7 min in, while the mushrooms are still cooking, add the fresh spinach on top so that it will wilt; put a cover on the pan; turn the spinach over so that it will cook evenly.
3. Meanwhile, cook your pasta to al dente.
4. When the mushroom is cooked and tender, take off the lid, and turn the heat up so that any excess water will cook off. Watch carefully so it doesn't burn. Once excess water is cooked off, add the cream and bring it to a boil. After it's boiled, put the lid back on and turn off the heat.
5. After your pasta is ready, drain it, pour it into a bowl, then immediately pour the mushroom-spinach sauce over the pasta. Top with cheese if desired.

I was rather impressed with the simplicity and flavor of this dish. I hope you enjoy!

In health,

Lauren

195/365 Think Twice before you Challah at some Bread

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

My friend Allison makes some delicious challah that I can't wait to nosh on when she finishes studying abroad. In fact, I am working on a lovely, little chunk of challah as we speak! Sadly challah, King's Hawaiian Bread and other sweet, tasty carbs like this have hardly any nutritional value.

There are some alternatives that aren't as fluffy or sweet but are quite good. Thomas' Whole Wheat Mini Bagels are one of my favorites. Each bagel is 110 calories with 3g of fiber. Top it off with some nutella and I think you've got a winner. Wouldn't adding nutella cancel it out? Not really because the fiber in the bagel is something you won't find in the other breads and the protein from the hazelnut-chocolate spread will tide you over before dinner.

Happy snacking!

In health,

Lauren

10/365 The Truth about Carbohydrates

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Carbohydrates are often seen as evil for dieting. Actually, they are your friend! They need to make up 60% of your diet every day.

You can't burn fat without carbohydrates. Both are fuel sources for you when you exercise or when you're just hanging out. Fats (9 calories of energy) provide a lot more energy than carbs (4 calories of energy). However, in order to metabolize fats, carbs need to be metabolized first. The by-products from breaking down carbs are used in beta-oxidation, the process of breaking down fats.

The lesson here is that you need to keep eating carbs in order to burn the fat. Now the kinds of carbs you eat is important as well. Cookies, chips, crackers, etc. All these things will not sustain you throughout the day. Eating foods with a low glycemic index, like oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, and Morning Glory Muffins will. These foods are complex and therefore take a lot longer to digest. They will curb your appetite for a longer time and will keep you out of the pantry for a snack.

Recipes for those low glycemic index foods to come   :)

In health,

Lauren