These are the coolest pieces of bread to hit the market and they are very versatile to use for all sorts of quick recipes. While the ingredients list is a little longer than I’d like, they are only 100 kcals, have 5 g of filling fiber, and taste great. As a Foodbuzz tastemaker I was sent a few packs to review and share my favorite grilling recipe with them! Soooo here goes (more…)
August 29, 2010
August 10, 2010
cumin-crusted salmon salad
I just adore salmon! I think I could eat it every day and then some. There is nothing like a perfectly cooked flaky, fatty fish, crusted with delicious goodness atop a bed of fresh greens, black beans, and oranges. It sure is refreshing for summer! The one and only thing that I don’t adore so much about salmon is the price, boo. Oh yes and the other thing about contaminants, colorings added, and PCBs, major boo. I try my best to get wild when I can, but man, $18/lb + is sure a steep hill that I don’t like to climb that often unless I’m eating out for a special occasion. I’ll admit that I did buy farmed at Whole Foods this time because it was cheaper at $13/lb. They say that it is sustainable with no added hormones. It sure tasted good, you’ll see! (more…)
March 3, 2010
beluga lentils & quinoa stuffed kabocha
I found some pre-cooked black beluga lentils at TJ’s and love their nutritional punch! Chrysta had posted a killer looking lentil and beet salad a little while ago, and ever since then I’ve been thinking I need to make some lentils! 🙂
Lentils are great for a filling, fiber-rich protein source. These ones were great because they were already cooked too! I had a local kabocha squash on hand from the farmer’s market, so I wanted to incorporate them somehow. When I saw that I still had some of TJ’s Harvest blend and some quinoa in the pantry I knew just the thing to do . . . stuff it! oh yeah (more…)
February 10, 2010
January 12, 2010
just a few new finds
I don’t have too much time to blab on today, as I’m trying my darndest to focus on my proposal, but I did want to just stop by and share a few good finds I discovered and some eats I made this weekend.
Can I just say that it is absolutely glorious sleeping in till 7am and eating when the sun is actually up!! Because we went out to dinner a bit late with our friends Friday evening (terrible pictures by the way), I decided to sleep in just a little bit. I love having the sunshine to be able to take food pictures!! Yay! Most of the time I leave when there’s not enough sunlight and get home when the sun is just going down. Dang you time change.
I could even take a nice picture of breakfast! This is just a mixture of Wallaby yogurt mixed with a scoop of LF cottage cheese, topped with frozen blueberries, cereal, banana, and flax. I also had 1/2 a date bran muffin I found in the freezer. Those muffins are definitely our favorite!
Saturday we spent most of the day running errands and grocery shopping. I found some items I can’t wait to try . . .
For lunch I made a munchie plate with crackers, hummus, string cheese, apple, and salmon salad with pistachios and persimmons.
I tried a Fuyu persimmon for the first time this season and I really enjoy them. It tastes like a subtle creamsicle to me? I like to put them in chicken lettuce wraps too.
I also found the Laughing Cow cheese finally and am looking forward to adding it to various recipes like so many of you do!
Persimmon Pistachio Salmon Salad
- one small can wild salmon with bones (for added calcium!)
- 1/3-1/2 cup low fat greek yogurt
- 1 Fuyu persimmon, peeled and chopped
- 1/4 cup cranberries
- 1/4 cup chopped pistachios
- various seasonings (all-purpose, garlic powder, s & p, splash of vinegar)
Mix it all together!
I found this quick cooking barley at Walmart. This will be great to add to soups, oats or make a salad with because normally barley takes quite awhile to cook.
I have to say I am impressed with Walmart’s selection of healthier items and brands at a reasonable price. For some families, it’s just being able to find these and make the choice to buy them over what they usually do, and that can be tough.
That afternoon we went to a bike demo for a local bike shop that we like to go to and it was also a charity event for our local Shade Tree Shelter. Lots of bikes!
We signed a waiver and then tried out a few of them. Most of the people there were mountain bikers, which is a completely different crowd than road bikers. Kind of like the laid back surfer dude type.
First we tried a couple road bikes. Boy, it’s amazing how much better those felt compared to my baseline model. I was really looking forward to trying a tri bike, but they didn’t have any there to sample. We also got to ride around Red Rock on a mountain bike. It was so much different than a road bike but a lot of fun!
Hey, even this dog was enjoying a little road biking! I thought this was too funny. How does that little guy stay on there?
After a C25K run/walk this morning, I made one of my favorite festive bowl of oats this holiday season. I call them festive oats! (gee that’s inventive)
I just love Egg Nog and usually find the low fat version or the soy version around this time of year. I also saw some kind of pumpkin spice nog at Walmart that I’ll have to try. Both low fat nog versions taste equally yummy. I could imagine these would be awesome in your morning coffee too.
Here’s my version this morning:
- 1/2 cup soy nog or low fat egg nog
- 1/2 cup skim milk
- pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, fresh nutmeg
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1 banana (1/2 mashed to add with oats, 1/2 for topping)
- 1 tsp flax mixed in
- splash of vanilla extract
- 2 dates
- Handful of Kashi cinnamon cereal and shredded wheat
- sprinkling of pistachios and pomegranate seeds for the festive touch!
It’s not even Thanksgiving quite yet, but I thought this would be fun 🙂
How do you add a festive touch to your dishes? Any favorite items only available during the holiday season?
If I don’t post again till Thanksgiving I sure hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend no matter what holidays you celebrate! We are going to visit Chris’ dad and step mom who just moved into a new cabin for their retirement. It’s going to be freezing, but I’m looking forward to spending time with family and enjoying a great meal. I am definitely most thankful for my family without a doubt. It just wouldn’t be the same without their never ending love and support. Hope you all enjoy your time too 🙂
December 4, 2009
Fort Collins is awesome
When I left you last we decided to make a drive into Fort Collins to walk around downtown and grab some dinner. I am in love with this city! It was just so neat and quaint, with tons of unique shops. There were tons of bikes all over the city even in the winter! How cool!
I had to get a picture of these bikes. How does one ride this thing?! Or even get on it?
When we first arrived we decided to stop at a cute little coffee shop. I’m not a coffee drinker but I couldn’t resist! I got a decaf fru fru drink and it was divine! There was even a bookstore attached.
Lots of vegan baked goods . . .
Ice Skating!! The little kiddies had garbage cans to help them stay up, but I would have to have one too. I’m terrible at skating 🙂
We grabbed dinner at a chicago pizza place. It was yummy! I had this slice and 1/2 of another.
After dinner we decided to grab some dessert at The Melting Pot. I had never been there and it was quite a treat! Boy, I’d like to have a wine cellar like that!
We ordered the milk chocolate for 4 along with a dessert-type red wine that was a bit too sweet for me on its own but went really well with the chocolate. It was heavenly! I’d love to go back there for a special occasion. It’s too bad they don’t have any in Vegas anymore 🙁 Chris and I shared this platter.
It was such a fun trip! Then we had to head back to reality on Sunday morning. . .
Goodbye Colorado, I will miss you!!!
After all that good eating, here’s a quick pistachio recipe that’s a little lighter on the waistline . . .
Pistachio Couscous Patties
(Adapted from CookingLight)
Serves 6 (two patties)
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 c chopped peeled tomato (used about 3-4 romas)
- 3/4 cup uncooked whole wheat couscous
- 1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
- 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1-2 tsp canned tomato puree
- 3/4 cup shelled dry-roasted pistachios, finely ground
- 1 tsp dried oregano, all-purpose seasoning, garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika, dash of cayenne
- 3/4 tsp salt
- Ziki Sauce for topping
Preparation
Combine first 5 ingredients in a food processor and pulse till ground but not soupy; let stand 15 minutes. Add pistachios and next ingredients (through salt); mix well. Press bulgur mixture into a (1/4-cup) dry measuring cup; unmold onto a cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining bulgur mixture to form 12 patties total. Chill for 15 minutes and serve on a flatbread or pita and top with ziki sauce. I also dusted them with a bit more ground pistachios.
They don’t ‘form’ like patties that well, but are still pretty yummy. In two patties there’s 170 kcals and 6 grams of fiber 🙂
I put them in a flatbread, added some spinach and topped it with some ziki sauce. It was light but very filling!
I also used them in a nice salad.
Even though I still like to enjoy all the delicious holiday treats, it’s important to balance those out with activity & healthier eats of course!
What are some holiday strategies that you use to stay on track?
—> Real Time Update —> well, my computer hard drive files were saved thanks to Chris! I don’t know what I would do without him. I have both my presentations done and done & need to start studying for finals next week. Then I’ll really be done! Woo-hoo! Thanks for all your well wishes . . . motto of the week: This too shall pass 🙂
September 16, 2009
munchies
Yay for Wednesday! I hope all your weeks are going well. Last night I was determined to be efficient with my limited time. I was thinking about stopping at the Whole Foods on the way home, since I was missing a few ingredients for dinner, but I knew that would just be danger. I try to make only one or two grocery-related stops per week, otherwise if I just stop to pick up one thing I tend to walk out with the entire store! I like to peruse the aisles, finding any cool thing to try and discover. Any one else like that? Plus it’s a big waste of time, so I decided to fight the urge to stop and improvise with what I had at home. But, somehow I still managed to go to the store, you’ll see (I mean read).
I decided to make lettuce boats sometime this week and last night was perfect because they are really pretty quick. I also killed two birds with one stone and prepped veggies for the peanut butter noodles I plan on making for Thursday. I think this is really what I need to do from now on. I need to prep on the weekends with the little spare time I have (ha!) so that dinner during the week isn’t so laborious and time consuming. Cooking is supposed to be fun, right? I love cooking because it is like an outlet for me and I enjoy the time and every sensory aspect of it, but it is just not as feasible now. Plus, Chris is also working full-time and taking classes at night so while he’s getting ready for class, I’m left prepping and cleaning up. Even though he is a good helper when he has time 🙂
Another great and quick dinner is Annie’s Mac and Cheese, but I always have to ‘spruce up Annie’ with a little extra ingredients like veggies, tofu, mushrooms, yogurt and cheese. This time I just threw in random leftovers we had in the fridge, easy and yummy!
Here’s the lettuce boats, don’t you love the ancient plates 🙂 Hey, they work, right?
Yum! They turned out really good and refreshing. Here are the lettuce boats 🙂 I also like to pair them with some soba noodles.
Before I left from work around 4pm I had a snack of greek yogurt, cereal and cantaloupe, because this helps me from getting too hungry for dinner. If I get too hungry I tend to raid the kitchen like a crazy person. Usually I just much on baby carrots while I make dinner and that works. I also felt pretty full from dinner, but for some reason I was still craving something after dinner! Oh no, the munchies were attacking! Okay plan B. When this happens I try to go for a walk or go upstairs to work on things to take my mind off of it. I did the above and usually that works, but last night I was really craving some fro yo!
The urge would not leave me (Chris was also not helping) and so I decided to fuel our cravings and went to a nearby Fresh & Easy to get something cold and creamy. I normally don’t shop here exclusively, but boy this store is dangerous and has really good prices. I went in for some frozen yogurt and came out with cereal, fig bars and pb pretzels too, geez! All for only $10, though. I can’t be controlled in any grocery situation 🙂 Every grocery store should come with a warning: CAUTION! you WILL buy more than you really need.
I had a bowl of 1/2 fat vanilla bean and a crumbling of 1/2 leftover banana muffin on top mmmm . . . but then I proceeded to grab a handful of popcorn and pb pretzels to try! And that was it, the munchies were defeated, well sort of.
I am sooo looking forward to the weekend and the GREEK FOOD FESTIVAL!!!!!!!!!!!! We absolutely love this every year and the food is well, phenomenal. We may also be going to a pink martini concert on Sunday night (this group is really awesome), but I really have to study, research, get ready for a project and an exam on Monday eek!
What do you do to battle an attack of the munchies?
August 25, 2009
first day of school
When I was just a wee whooper snapper, I used to get so terribly excited for school. I planned for that first day weeks in advance, went shopping with mom to get some new outfits, supplies, a backpack, and organized my binders for each class with multiple color coded tabs. Yes, I was even planning when I was a kid, probably even in the womb!
I started classes again today, like so many others, and the most planning I’ve done is purchasing my books. I don’t know what it is but I don’t get that excited anymore. I mean the classes I am taking seem really interesting so far (still have one more on Thursday), but it’s just not like when I was a kid. Anyone else?
I went to adv sports nutrition today and it seems like it will be a nice refresher and also very interesting! I just wish the ex phys program had more classes like this with a specific track emphasis of sports nutrition. Ah well. Thursday I have research methods in physical activity. I’m hoping this will be some great information to help me out with my thesis, because as of right now I’m in a rock and a hard place. I need to get my butt in gear and decide what I’d like to do.
Did everyone have a good weekend? I actually felt like I got everything I needed to get done this weekend, which is almost always not the case. I’m always wishing for just one more day to finish the laundry, do this, make that, just relax. I actually got to bed by 9pm, and it was awesome to actually get 8 full hours of sleep. I haven’t had that in a long time. How many hours of sleep do you need to feel chipper?
Why did I go to bed so early? Well, being that my body was screaming at me for not getting enough sleep most nights, combined with a 30 mile bike ride, I was pooped! If you saw my post on Twitter, I had planned to ride 50 miles on Sunday with the green valley cyclists club. I was nervous to begin with for this ride because the most I’ve ridden is about 31 miles. Then, when we arrived to the starting point, I saw about 25 other cyclists many of whom rode professionally in Europe, and I thought . . . you know this probably isn’t a good idea for me right now. And boy was I glad I went on the other group ride! Chris told me it was just crazy. My ride was good, a little too easy, but good. I’m feeling a lot more comfortable on my bike, but I still need to master confidence with speed. I’m always afraid I’m going to totally biff it!
If you ever get the chance to speak to a professional cyclist, be prepared to be dumbfounded, intimidated and feel like a complete loser! (or just human) They are just on a completely different level that I cannot comprehend, aside from most athletes even. We talked to this one cyclist who still rides competitively, but not like he used to since he blew out his shoulder racing 60 mph and also blew out his knee on another crash, both of which the doctor’s said he probably wouldn’t race again. Since his major crash, he took 10 years off, gained weight, then started racing again 3 years ago and is already kicking everyone’s tail. What?! He also said that 50 mile ride was a ‘cool-down’ from his 75 mile ride just the day before. What?! I just don’t get it, someone explain this to me?! crazy. Props to Chris for going on that ride. I’m going to have to have a little more than 5 rides under my belt I guess.
I also talked to him about his diet, supplements, ergogenic aids and what he does to keep in the best shape. He told me that he probably burns upwards of 5,000 kcals/day and there is no way he can replenish all of that realistically. I thought this was interesting. Do you think you could eat 5,000 + kcals/day without eating high calorie junk? I was thinking I should do an interview for the blog!
I sure wish I would have had my little camera, I need to take pictures next time. It looks so neat when there are 25+ people all
riding together. It’s a very empowering feeling too, but then I lose it when I fall back in the slow-poke group hehe
Dinner tonight was sure simple and filled with lots of veggies! We slathered some portabella mushrooms with TJ’s BBQ sauce and grilled them along with some other random veggies we had in the fridge to use.
I topped them with some cheese and placed them on TJ’s flat 
bread (love that bread!). I also made a simple hummus dip with some more of that lemon basil I’m in love with, which was an awesome spread. Simply swirl all the ingredients below in a food processor!
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 2 tsp cumin (we like cumin, so 1 tsp would be sufficient)
- 2 small cloves garlic
- 2 bunches lemon basil (this is the best!)
- salt and pepper
- olive oil to make it smooth
simply. delish.
On the side we grilled some sweet potatoes and fingerling potatoes for fries. I’m not much of a ketchup eater really and we don’t have any in our fridge. The only time I do eat it is when we go out to eat and it’s there staring at me. My ‘ketchup’ was greek yogurt and lemon basil hummus 🙂
Guess what I’m having for lunch tomorrow? I usually always take leftovers from dinner and transform it for lunch the next day. That way it saves me time in the morning. Tomorrow I’m not going to have too much time since I have to get blood work early, yuck! I just hate getting blood work, I always get woozy since I have to fast. Hope your week is going well so far!
Anyone start classes today, or drop off a kiddie to school? Are you looking forward to the school term?
August 19, 2009
lucky gal
Yesterday I had a chicken sausage broccoli pasta dish in mind for dinner that’s always a winner, but when I got home Chris was a busy bee in the kitchen and backyard whipping something up for us. I asked him what he was making and his replay was ‘nothing,’ with a little grin on his face. I thought sweet! I don’t have to make dinner tonight! (although I really love cooking and he wouldn’t let me help)
Rewind for a little bit back in time when Chris and I first started dating in Reno at UNR. . . We always loved taking walks together along the Truckee or around local parks, but the first time we had a picnic on one of our walks along the river Chris made us a little surprise menu. I was so impressed when he whipped out roasted veggie sandwiches with hummus! He also roasted the red peppers himself! For a guy, I thought this was just perfect. This has always been a special meal in my mind and I will always remember it. That was before my ‘take pictures like a made person’ days, so I don’t have a picture of it 🙁
Here is a picture of the Truckee in winter and summer below. So beautiful! I’d love to live in Reno.
Roasted vegetables have such a wonderful flavor, and I would choose this sandwich over a burger any day. I’ve actually been on a vegetarian streak this week so far, and I love it! I would say that I am mostly a flexitarian, eating meat occasionally or at the most once a day or every other day. It just doesn’t appeal to me as much, and I don’t mind if I have meat or not because there are so many interesting and healthy vegetarian recipes out there.
This dish is also very economical and the grilling really brings out the robust flavors of the vegetables. It was like a giant garden in my sandwich! Carrots, zucchini, roasted bell peppers, sweet potatoes, heirloom tomatoes and gooey mozzarella cheese on roasted garlic ciabatta bread from TJ’s. That bread is so good! When you roast garlic it gets really sweet and toasty and you can practically eat it whole like candy! Yum! I’ve also made a roasted garlic vinaigrette for salads and marinades for meats. It’s also great as a sandwich spread. If you haven’t tried heirloom tomatoes, you should! They have such a sweet, intense tomato flavor that really tastes like tomatoes, imagine that? Other great additions are hummus, avocado, portabella mushrooms, any others I’m missing?
On the side he made a nice salad with a roasted tomato vinaigrette, home-made croutons, goat cheese, dried cranberries and roasted red peppers. Roasted tomatoes make a wonderful dressing. They are sweet and slightly acidic which is perfect! Cook them on the grill in a cast-iron skillet until they get slightly charred. He also added some balsamic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Yum!
It was a great dinner and we enjoyed it at a park close to our new house. While it wasn’t the Truckee River, it was so peaceful and I felt like such a lucky gal 🙂
Mid-bite! Lots of colors, yum!!!
Any simple moments in your life that were truly special? How do you best like to enjoy fresh veggies?
June 30, 2009
refreshing twist and some experiments
I cannot wait for my car to get done at the auto shop; it seems like it’s been forever! I returned the rental car on Friday because I didn’t want to keep paying for it, but now I feel bad bumming rides from people. It’s tough not having a car here. I would take public transportation, but that is pretty much non-existent here in Vegas. When we went to Portland, their public transportation system was amazing and we could get pretty much anywhere in the city really quick. It normally only takes me about 20 minutes to get to work, but if I took the bus system here it would take 2 1/2 hours! No thank you!
I made some granola bars this weekend with the recipe from Angela at Oh She Glows. I just love her blog, and she has some great, healthy baking recipes. She also just opened up her own bakery (how cool!) in Canada, and is working on getting her products distributed here in the US. While I can’t reveal the recipe, all I can tell you is that I can’t wait to order some of her goodies! I didn’t have some of the ingredients, so I substituted and added some other things. I also baked them for a bit to help harden ‘em up. Wow, they are sooo good! Really just like granola bars you would get at the store, chewy and yummy. I foresee I’m going to be tweaking my own recipe again 🙂 Thanks Angela!
I also made another batch of Gina’s Granola. I just can’t get enough of this stuff! I tweaked it a little bit too just for fun to experiment. Here’s what I put in this time . . .
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- 2 cups oats
- ¼ cup ground flaxseed
- ½ t. baking soda
- 1 t. vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp cinnamon and 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 3 tbsp peanut butter
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 tbsp brown rice syrup (you can also use honey)
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- ½ cup chopped mixed, roasted nuts
- if you want to add dried fruit, add it after baking
Simply combine the first 6 ingredients, through the spices in a large bowl. Combine the last 5 ingredients (except the nuts) in a microwave safe bowl or small pot, and heat slowly until melted. Combine the dry with the wet; mix well and stir in the nuts. Place on a flat cookie sheet and press down. Bake at 325 for approximately 20-25 minutes (I like mine crunchy!). Let cool and break apart to enjoy on pretty much anything! Yum!
During the summer there is nothing like a refreshing dinner to make you feel satisfied, yet not overly stuffed. Gazpacho is just the thing! It’s surprisingly filling because it is mostly fluid and packed full of nutrients. Not to mention it is so easy to make and only about 100 kcals per serving!
Watermelon Gazpacho
(adapted from CookingLight)
Yield: 6-8 servings
Ingredients
- 6 cups cubed seeded watermelon, save 1 cup for the end
- 1 cup chopped peeled English cucumber
- 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
- 1/3 cup chopped green onions
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh mint
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 small shakes of cayenne (careful, this can be hot!)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3/4 cup cranberry juice
- 1/4 cup sweet Riesling, optional (we had a glass with dinner too!)
- greek yogurt or goat cheese for topping
Preparation
Combine first 10 ingredients. Place half of watermelon mixture in a food processor or blender, and pulse 3 or 4 times or until finely chopped. Or you can use an immersion blender to blend to desired consistency directly in the bowl (such a good tool!). Add the blended soup back to the rest of the soup. Stir in cranberry juice, Riesling and last 1 cup of diced watermelon. Chill well. Top with yogurt or goat cheese when ready to serve.
Oh man, this was really good and refreshing! There was a nice kick from the cayenne and all the contrasting flavors blended very well. It filled me up pretty good surprisingly. I also decided to have some sautéed chicken potstickers on the side with the help of good ol’ TJ’s. I definitely want to make this again because I don’t think our weather is going to be cooling down anytime soon ha! I think it’s already gotten to 106.
I like my soups chunky. I was wishing I had some avocado too, because I think that would work very well 🙂
On top of the potstickers I drizzled some peanut satay sauce. It was about a tsp of peanut butter, tbsp of hoisin, tbsp soy sauce, glug of rice wine vinegar and a tinzy bit of toasted sesame oil, yum!
Is public transportation accessible where you live, and if so, do you use it?
