350/365 Plantz a-Make Her Dance: Tips for Getting More Vegetables into Your Diet

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

We know fruits and vegetables are great for us but are we eating them as often as we should? According to the USDA, we are supposed to consume 3-5 servings of vegetables a day. I know it can be hard to add them into your diet but here are a few techniques I use that may be helpful to you:

- If you eat salad, put all of your chopped romaine, spinach, Bibb/Boston, etc. lettuce in a container at the beginning of the week.I have been reusing the same giant, plastic container I got months ago when I bought Earthbound Organics's Spring Mix. Every weekend I go to the grocery store, chop up all my lettuce for the week, and store it in that container. It makes it so easy for me to put handfuls of salad into my container to take to work in the morning.

egg white omelette with broccoli, celery, onions, and mushrooms

- I've always loved omelettes but, never thought I'd ever have time to make them. Not so! My dad is a genius when it comes to working smarter and not harder. He stores all his chopped veggies in a container so he can just take a handful to fry (in grape seed oil, of course) when he's ready for breakfast. You can be so creative with these. This week I'm enjoying red bell peppers, onions, shitake mushrooms, and Chinese eggplant. Putting in that extra effort to chop everything ahead of time cuts down breakfast making by half. This meal also gets an A+ if you're paleo, more on that later.

- Though it's better to have fresh vegetables over frozen, I understand it's hard to take time to chop your vegetables every week. An easy way to prepare vegetables is to steam them either in the microwave or on the stove. If you're microwaving, pour your veggies in a bowl and fill the bottom with water. Microwave it for 3-4min. They should be vibrant and tender. If they aren't, microwave them a minute more at a time until they are.

- If you've got a little more time and want to be a little more ambitious, try roasting your vegetables. Set the oven to 350F. Get your vegetables together. I recommend broccoli, bell peppers, cauliflower, and potatoes to start. Chop them all about the same size and put them in a bowl. Pour oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder over the vegetables. Toss until they are evenly coated. Spread the vegetables onto a pan and bake them for about 25-30 minutes. Your veggies should be fragrant and a little brown but, not burnt, toasty on the outside and tender. Who knew vegetables could be so dynamic? Roasted vegetables are amazing. I love them. I could eat them literally every day AND since they shrink down and are so tasty you can scarf a whole mess of them down without even realizing it. Heck, you could easily get all 5 servings from roasted vegetables. Moving on...


Vegetables are not as grab-and-go as granola bars or yogurt cups but they are definitely great for you. If you're not convinced that vegetables are super cool or want more of a challenge, watch this video. Jose Andreas is just the coolest:

In health,
Lauren

341/365 Red Skin Potato Fries

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

My favorite potatoes are sweet and red skin. Today I made red skin potato fries, sorry no picture! I actually bought these last week when I decided to shop locally. Since my no-A/C apartment was cool from a storm a few days ago, I heated up my oven and got to baking my fries.

Ingredients:
- Red skin potatoes cut into equally sized wedges (however many you want to eat/serve)
- Canola oil
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp Oregano
- 1/2 tsp Salt

Recipe:
1. Preheat your oven to 425F
2. Toss potato wedges in a bowl with the oil and spices until evenly coated.
3. Spread onto baking pan.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, flip over the wedges, and bake another 10 minutes.
5. Remove from oven, cool, and enjoy!

This is a super easy recipe and produces fantastic results. Red skin potatoes are naturally creamy and taste amazing against the crisp, salty, and spiced exterior.

In health,

Lauren

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.

280/365 Sinful Spinach and Ham Quiche

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

This is the last recipe I made from my cooking weekend and oh is it sinful. The part that makes it to so bad is that each serving has 14g of fat (you can see full nutrition details here); it's also low in fiber but has 12g protein. Sadly, all the nutrition from the spinach in this doesn't really cancel out the bad stuff. Despite all of this, everything in moderation. I can eat a 243 calorie slice of this mostly guilt free so long as I keep track of my other fat intake for the day. Eating it slowly is difficult but it helps me savor it more and lets my hormones tell my brain that yes, this is a good amount of calories and you're full. I made this recipe up based on a lot of ones that I saw online, I am very pleased.

Ingredients:
1 frozen deep dish pie crust, stab the bottom and sides with a fork
2 tbsp EVOO
1/2 cup onions
1 10 oz. frozen spinach package
2 eggs
4 oz. crumbled Feta
3/4 c. shredded mozzarella
1/2 c. skim milk
1/4 lbs honey baked ham deli meat, sliced into matchsticks

Recipe:
1. Preheat oven at 350F
2. Saute onions and garlic in EVOO
3. Combine spinach, onion, and herbs. Pour into pie crust.
4. Beat eggs in bowl. Add milk and cheese. Pour mixture over veggies.
5. Bake 55 min

Too good, seriously. I can't wait to eat this right now; this picture doesn't do it justice.

In health,

Lauren

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

278/365 Getting in Touch with My Inner Jew...Challah!

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

The food making continues! Actually, most of this was done on Saturday since it was rainy and gross but, that's okay. I want to share more happy delicious things that have been made from my tiny kitchen.

I know I wrote a post once upon a time ago about the dangers of eating yummy bread such as this: highly addictive with little nutritional value in return. However, it is the Easter season and I thought it was time to try a stab at making this bread (and yes, I do realize that bread made with yeast like this one would not be acceptable at Passover). Anyway, here is the finished result. The recipe was from Tracey's Culinary Adventures. The one downfall was that her baking time is too high and I should have kept a better eye on my bread; as you can see, it's a little too brown and not shiny enough. Next time, I will bake this at 350F for 20-25 min rather than 375F for 30 min. Still, the bread was not ruined. It is sweet and delicious just like I hoped it would be. Though it is still nice and tender, if I don't eat it (or give it away) quickly it will become hard. This isn't always a problem though; I could make Stuffed French Toast which will probably thwart my April plan...update on that soon, it's going well! Also, I did see a recipe for whole wheat flour challah; I'll explore that in the future too along with gluten-free food.

Remember: everything in moderation!! Happy Easter!

In health,

Lauren

277/365 Meet Your Toast's New Friend: Pumpkin Apple Butter

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I realize that this is out of season but, I don't care. I had a hankering for apple butter and I was determined to satisfy it. For those of you who have been on EWC at Camp Bethel, this apple butter will disappoint you. If you just like pumpkin and apples like me, this is a happy alternative to jelly.

sorry that it's blurry y'all! still good, chunky but, smooth

 

Even with 1/2 c of brown sugar, one serving (one tablespoon = 15 calories) of this beats out any jelly on the market (typically 60 calories per tablespoon). I got the recipe from Nestle's Very Best Baking website. It was very easy to follow; you just need a lot of time to dedicate to stirring it and making sure it doesn't explode everywhere. Enjoy it with toast, bagels, or cornbread. It seems like it would be worse for you considering how thick and rich it is.

In health,

Lauren

276/365 DIY Junk Food: Milano Cookies

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I have been looking forward to this weekend because it's Holy Week and I enjoy celebrating Easter and because there are so many foods I want to make!

Here is the first: homemade Milano Cookies. I do love these Pepperidge Farm treats, so much that I ignored them at the grocery store and decided that yes in fact this is something I can do myself! Thanks to foodgawker.com, I was able to find lots of different recipes for it. I decided to go with this one. I followed the recipe exactly except that clearly I made sandwiches instead of drizzling the chocolate on top. Each cookie sandwich is 130 calories (Pepperidge Farm actually wins here, 3 cookies = 180 calories); I blame it on the ridiculous amount of butter in the dough. I want to try this again with less butter...we'll see. Still, so delicious! Since I worked hard to make it myself, I'd like to think that I'm much more inclined not to scarf them down; that is the method behind the DIY Junk Food madness.

In health,

Lauren

274/365 Strawberry Chocolate Bread

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Did I mention that I also like to bake when I'm feeling sick? Enter Strawberry Chocolate Bread!

As much as I enjoy the comforts of my over-sized chair, fuzzy fleece blanket, cuppa tea, and book, I also love to bake. It keeps me from being totally lethargic and rewards me with a fantastic treat. I decided to make this bread because strawberries are on sale, I love bread, and I love chocolate. This recipe was originally from allrecipes.com. I adapted it just a little and am pleased with the results; I also cut it in half since I didn't have 2 loaf pans and had to use an 8x8 container instead.

Ingredients:
1.5 c flour (I used whole wheat)
1/3 c wheat bran (optional)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs beaten
1/2 c applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 c sugar
2 c sliced strawberries
1/2 c chocolate chips

Recipe:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare loaf pan by spraying with Pam or the like
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, wheat bran, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a small bowl, combine eggs, applesauce, and vanilla extract.
4. Place sliced strawberries in another small bowl. Pour sugar on top and toss so that strawberries are coated with sugar. Set aside.
5. Create a well in the middle of the flour mixture. Pour the egg mixture into the well and mix gently until a dough forms. Now take your sugared strawberries and chocolate chips and fold them into the dough.
6. Pour dough into prepared pan and bake for 60 min if in loaf pan (my 8x8 took only 35 minutes). Check with a knife every so often if you're unsure; if it comes out clean, it's ready!

According to Livestrong.com, each serving (16 servings in my case) is 155 calories, 2g fiber, 6g sugar, 3g protein.


In health,

Lauren

267/365 Homemade Energy Granola Bar

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Though I totally love Kashi's GoLean Crunchy! granola bars, I've always wanted to make my own bar. FYI: if a granola bar says "energy" in the title, it usually means its high in carbohydrates and/or fat. If it says "power" then it is most likely high in protein. Moving along, here is my first attempt at this allrecipes.com recipe:

note the incredible texture  :)

It is loaded with carbohydrates and good fat from all the oats, seeds, and peanut butter (I also added sweetened coconut flakes). Sadly, I didn't have enough peanut butter when I made this so it kind of falls apart. Still, it is very good! If you want to try this recipe, cut the salt down to 1/4 tsp because 1 tsp is a little too much especially when you've used roasted and salted sunflower seeds and mix in the chocolate chips. Anyway, I recommend this recipe and I will definitely try this again with all the right ingredients; it makes 24 servings. Each bar has about 200 calories according to livestrong.com's "My Recipes" feature.

In health,

Lauren

265/365 Vegetarian Bean Curry

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

As promised, here is the dish that I made that compliments the quinoa from yesterday so well. My motive for making a bean and lentil dish was because of a packaged version from TastyBite. Don't get me wrong, it tastes pretty good, just really salty. I figured that I could make my own with less salt and with more nutrition. I found this recipe from allrecipes.com. I mostly stuck to the recipe but had to make a few adjustments since I had diced tomatoes instead of crushed. I decided to add more liquid since the crushed tomatoes usually gives more liquid by nature and I didn't want this to dry out.

The tweaks are as follows:
- I did not put cayenne pepper because I didn't have any. After trying a little spoonful of the sauce, I was happy I didn't as the curry powder provided its own kick. If you like things a little more spicy, go for it!
- I didn't put kidney beans because I had a little box of mushrooms that I wanted to use. I chopped my mushrooms and used about 1.5 cups chopped baby bella mushrooms
- Like I said, I had to add more liquid. I used 1 cup of vegetable stock made from water and a vegetable stock cube

It is quite good and I was very pleased with myself and my pairing prowess. The spiciness and saltiness of this dish jive nicely with the light quinoa. I'm sure this would be good with brown rice or on crackers. According to thedailyplate.com, this dish is a little over 200 calories with more fiber and more protein.

In health,

Lauren

264/365 Quinwhat?...Quinoa with Vegetables!

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

As you know, I am attempting to be vegetarian for the month of April with the exception of one Cheat/Meat day a week. I have been meaning to explore quinoa, a grain that has all the essential amino acids, that is great for vegetarians because of its complete protein value; I now have a really good reason to do so. Having said that, here is a recipe that I made today that goes fantastically with tomorrow's recipe...(oh the mystery!) I am especially pleased because this quinoa did not come out dry, very moist and flavorful.

The tweaks I made are as follows:
- Used 2 cups of chicken stock (made with bouillon cubes) with the 1 cup of quinoa
- Instead of using the sliced green onion at the end, I chopped a medium onion and cooked that until tender before adding the garlic
- Instead of 1 red bell pepper, I used about a half a package of frozen pepper strips (no slicing, just cut the bag and pour!)
- I did not end up using corn because I poured more pepper strips than anticipated and my skillet was getting full
- At the end, I poured my vegetables into the quinoa pot and squeezed the juice of half a lime over the whole thing

This was pretty easy and really delicious. According to thedailyplate.com, which I just found out allows you to add your own recipes and then automatically calculates its nutrition info, one serving (about 3/4c.) is 197 calories!

In health,

Lauren

257/365 Homemade Vinaigrette

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I've decided to make my own salad dressing. I wanted something light, sweet, and fragrant. With inspiration from 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, I made my own tasty vinaigrette

Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Sherry cooking wine
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sage, minced
- 1 tsp thyme, minced
- 1/8tsp salt
- 1 clove of garlic, minced

Recipe
1. Pour sherry or whatever other acidic liquid you have around, like balsamic vinegar, into a bowl.
2. Add the herbs or something you already have. Follow your nose!
3. Add salt and garlic.
4. Add olive oil
5. Whisk together and pour into a container with a screw top; I chose an 8-oz water bottle.
6. Mix and pour when ready!

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

241/365 DIY Junk Food: Banana Bread

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,


I never like tossing out over-ripened bananas. Generally I will make cookies with them but, this time I decided to make some banana bread. Sadly, I didn't have a loaf pan so I had to bake it in an 8x8 pan, still came out great.





The original recipe was from allrecipes.com. I made a few adjustments to make it a little healthier.
- 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce instead of butter
- 1/2 c. sugar (1 c. would have been over sweet since my bananas were really ripe = really sweet)
- added 1/2 c. ground flax seed
- omitted milk (read: forgot to add in milk)
- used whole wheat flour instead
- since my pan was not the traditional loaf pan, my baking time was decreased by about 10 minutes.

Voila! A super easy, delicious banana bread. I hope you enjoy!

In health,

Lauren

240/365 Lasagna Rolls

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I must confess that I turn into Garfield when I eat lasagna. It is one of my favorite dishes whether it is with a meaty tomato sauce or if it is a creamy vegetable version. Kelby and I decided to put a twist on the usual lasagna recipe by rolling up each lasagna noodle instead of laying them flat in stacks. My argument for this is that you get a better idea on portion; the real reason was because it was an awesome, fun idea that worked out quite deliciously. Still, it's a good way to keep track of calories by making these individual portions instead of trusting yourself to cut a reasonable sized square of lasagna. The recipe was inspired by this one we found on allrecipes.com.  We made two changes 1. For the tomato sauce, we added 1lb ground beef after sauteing the onions and 2. we didn't use zucchini for the vegetable part, just spinach. 

We arranged our rolls like so:
1. Laid out a lasagna noodle
2. Spread cheese mixture evenly on the noodle
3. Put 2 spoonfuls of vegetable mix at the end of one end.
4. Rolled up vegetable mix in the lasagna noodle. Once vegetable mix was rolled over once, put another 2 spoonfuls on the noodle. Rolled up noodle all the way, gently placed in sauce covered pan.
5. Topped rolled up noodles with tomato sauce and cheese.

Kelby and I found that we cooked down the sauce a little too much; we ended up adding Prego to the leftovers to make it saucier. Next time we make it, we'll play around with tomato paste and another can of crushed tomatoes. I'll be sure to update when we make it again.

In health,

Lauren

237/365 DIY Junk Food: Rich Chocolate Pie

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

In honor of Pi day, Kelby and I baked a chocolate pie...and what a pie it was! In fact, I would go so far as to call it Your Royal Pie-ness! It was insanely delicious and rich. The recipe is from allrecipes.com. I accidentally baked it for 30 minutes instead of the recommended 35-40 min but it still tastes fantastically gooey; the contributor said that it was best undercooked anyway. Definitely serve this with whipped cream or a tall glass of milk to wash it down. Enjoy!

In health,

Lauren

236/365 Thank You Barefoot Contessa

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

While I was running the other day, Barefoot Contessa was on. She made this incredible dish that I couldn't wait to make. So, Kelby and I made her fantastic, succulent roast chicken with carrots, and potatoes. I have to share this recipe because it was easy to follow and tasted incredible. Unfortunately, I have no picture of it because we sliced it and devoured it too quickly for me to snap a shot. Anyway, here's the link. Go impress someone with your kitchen prowess. This chicken is not greasy, fatty, or anything. It is simple and delicious. Bon appetit, y'all!

In health,

Lauren

233/365 Happy Snack Tip 5: Turkey Roll Ups

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Carbs from bread, crackers, granola, Goldfish, etc. seem to be a large part of snacks. To cut that out and focus on the protein and fat, here's an easy happy snack recipe for you!

Ingredients:
- slice of deli meat of choice (I prefer turkey breast)
- slice of cheese
- slice of avocado, nice and thick!

Recipe:
- stack deli meat on top of cheese
- arrange avocado on one side of your meat-cheese stack
- roll up, enjoy!

One of these roll ups is about ~150 calories so you can go ahead and have two of them!

In health,

Lauren

225/365 Bread Pudding

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

For my own little Oscar party, I had some Brie cheese and wine served with slices of apple and chunks of a French Baguette, a combination I learned from my dear friend Cole. I couldn't finish the baguette that day (I would be shocked if I or anyone else could single handedly) and was left with a hard loaf two days later. This inspired me to make some bread pudding.

Bread pudding is really easy to make. I didn't have all the ingredients for this recipe, so I made these changes:
- I only had 3 cups worth of old bread
- 1/2 cup sugar instead of 1
- 2 egg whites, 2tbsp butter, and 2 tbsp applesauce because I didn't have 2 eggs
- I didn't have pumpkin spice, vanilla extract, or raisins so I used 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and 1/4 cup craisins
- I also added 1/4 of flaxseed for extra fiber
- I didn't make the custard

Be as creative as you can with this sort of thing. You could add nuts to make it more filling and more nutritious.

In health,

Lauren