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30
Nov
2011
 What to Do with Leftover Canned Pumpkin?



Make pumpkin oatmeal!

This is probably the easiest and healthiest thing you can do with that extra canned pumpkin that is leftover from holiday baking, etc. Usually leftover canned ingredients just linger in my fridge, but I told myself that I am not going to waste more food!

Boring oatmeal picture. But, yes, I had to show you that it actually does turn orange!

Directions:

  • Pour out about 1/2 cup dry oatmeal, and add your water or milk (I prefer milk).
  • Add a dash of cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla.
  • Add about 1/4 cup canned pumpkin, and stir.
  • I added 1 or 2 Tbsp. of raisins to help sweeten it, and 1 packet of stevia.
We tend to pay premium, over-priced amounts for anything with pumpkin in it which I think it ridiculous. So, this is just another way to make delicious and healthy (because of all the extra vitamin A and antioxidants from the pumpkin) food.

28
Nov
2011
 Still Think about Calories from Thanksgiving?



Never fear! Remind yourself it takes 3500 calories extra to gain 1 pound!

And if you still have leftovers, there are plenty of creative ways to use them up here:

It’s the start of a new week. Time for healthy habits :)

24
Nov
2011
 Pre-Turkey Dinner



After I slaved away for a few hours making my apple pie (non-nutritious version, sorry)…
…and my Mom (aka psycho Holiday baker) worked all day making her cute little pumpkin muffins (and stuffing, cranberry bread which got burnt, cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole, and more)…

…my Dad made us salmon dinner after all that hard work :)  He gets a lot of his recipe ides from Publix (a grocery store in the south east for those who don’t know).

Meal Idea: Publix has this section of the store called Apron’s Simple Meals where they display one of their recipe ideas already cooked for you to try. They also have tons of recipes that you can pick up, and then get the ingredients on the list. It makes it super duper easy for those who are new to cooking.

Most recipes are not for the health conscious, but they are not completely unhealthy either. If you know how to make recipe substitutions to create a healthier dish, Apron’s meal ideas could be a great idea to help you cook at home during the week.

For example, instead of white pasta, I convinced my Dad to get whole wheat pasta. Everything else in the recipe got my seal of healthy approval. Haha.

Anyway, have a Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

21
Nov
2011
 Last Minute Thanksgiving Prep



My family is pretty serious about our Thanksgiving dinner. My Mom does most of the cooking, and always makes excellent food. She asked me to make the apple pie as usual, but also wants me to make some kind of vegetable side dish, or an appetizer at least.

I could make the same cheese ball as last year.
It was a big hit!

Or, here is some inspiration from other blogs and websites:

Sides

Appetizers

I will probably go with making a salad, and some other veggie side, and then probably the cheese ball, and make some sweet potato and beet chips!

What are your plans for Thanksgiving dinner?

19
Nov
2011
 Spinach Chicken Strudel



I finally made one of the recipes from the Clean Eating magazine I get.
Well, since it included phyllo dough, my fav, I couldn’t resist!

I modified the recipe slightly, and when it comes to folding the phyllo dough, I just did whatever I wanted so that it folded enough to hold the meat filling inside. I wasn’t looking to create a pretty presentation.

Spinach Chicken Strudel
Ingredients:

  • 1 package whole wheat phyllo dough (if you can find it, if not, you would have to use white flour regular phyllo dough)
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 1 lb. lean ground chicken
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh garlic, minced
  • 1-2 Tbsp. Italian seasonings: oregano, parsley, basil, rosemary
  • 8-10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed with paper towel to get rid of extra moisture
  • 1/2-1 cup fat free ricotta
  • 2/3 cup reduced fat feta cheese, or another cheese you like
  • salt and pepper
Directions:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350, and take out your phyllo dough from the freezer a little before you start cooking to let thaw.
  2. Slice the onion and saute in a large saute pan. When the onion is cooked and starts to turn golden brown, add the chicken, seasonings, and garlic. Cook and break up the chicken until it is cooked through.
  3. Add the spinach, and continue to cook until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Open up your phyllo dough. The sheets will be rectangular. You can cut the rectangle in half , or just use the whole sheet to wrap up the meat mixture. Place a spoonful of ricotta and a spoonful of feta cheese on a few sheets of phyllo dough, and wrap like a buritto, or however you like!
  5. Place on a baking sheet (spray the baking sheet first with cooking spray), and bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown.
    *You can brush a little olive oil on top of the phyllo dough if you like. It helps the folds stay down when you place it on the baking sheet.

This is not the complete healthiest dish, but it is definitely healthier than any strudel type dish you would get at a restaurant! Chew on :)

14
Nov
2011
 Malbec Wine Tasting



I don’t know a lot about the different types of red wines. All I know is that I like certain red wines, in particular, malbec wines. I used to like pinot noir, but now it has become a little sweet for me. Currently, I enjoy malbec wines and merlot on occasion.

Plus, we all know we can get wonderful antioxidants from red wine (as long as you don’t drink too much, then the health benefits start to dwindle).

My Dad, who is a wine connoisseur, invited me to a malbec wine tasting at the Vineyard Wine Market.  I like to think I can pick up some interesting flavors in the wines, but what I realized is that the wines start to taste like whatever you are eating on the side.

The first one was pretty bland compares to the others. The second was one of my favorites for the price. It was good, and almost as good as some of the others that we tasted later. Malbec wine is said to have originated from Cahors, France.
My favorite was the Reserve malbec. It is supposed to be the sexy one of the group. Haha. My Dad said the Kaiken was his favorite, but by that point, I had a hard time telling the difference. It was definitely good, but I preferred the other.

The main flavors that I taste in malbec wines (the flavors that malbecs are said to have) are: violet, black currant, vanilla menthol, truffle. I taste some other flavors sometimes, but those are the main recurring flavors, to me anyway. You could say whatever you want.

Maybe that is why wine tastings are fun–you can come up with wacky flavor profiles for the wine. We like to create our own idea of the flavor, and then compare it to what the tasting list says it should taste like.

I know that I enjoyed this wine tasting, and will be going to more in the future! Gotta get my resveratrol.

G

9
Nov
2011
 Pumpkin Greek Yogurt



I discovered the most amazing healthy snack yesterday:

Low sugar/high fiber cereal (you can add fruit if you like as well), topped with plain fat free Greek yogurt, and then a dollop of pumpkin butter!

OK, this is not a chef extraordinaire dish, but it was tasty. I ate it before I left to ride my bike, and it was a perfect pre-workout snack.

We also bought some pumpkin ice cream.

I don’t usually buy big tubs of ice cream because I am not the best at portion controlling ice cream :) But, since it is seasonal, and you can only get it one time a year–why not?

But, you have to wonder, how much pumpkin is really in these pumpkin treats? In most cases items are just loaded up with sugar.

7
Nov
2011
 Broccoli and Cheese Dip



I was craving some tasty spinach and artichoke dip, but decided to try to make a healthy broccoli and cheese dip since I had more of those ingredients at home anyway.

Let’s get to it!

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 pounds frozen broccoli
  • 1-2 tsp. garlic
  • 1 shallot
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese (reduced fat if you like)
  • 2 Tbsp. parmesan cheese
  • 1-2 Tbsp. feta cheese
  • 2-4 Tbsp. reduced fat cream cheese
  • garlic and onion powder
  • red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper
Directions:
  1. Roast broccoli on a baking sheet in the oven at 425 for about 20 minutes until the broccoli gets crispy. During the final minutes of roasting, add the shallots and garlic and salt and pepper.
  2. Remove from oven, and place broccoli on a cutting board. Chop cooked broccoli into big chunks.
  3. In a 9 x 9 baking dish, add the broccoli, and all of the cheeses. Add the onion powder, garlic powder, and spices. Reserve the parmesan cheese, and a little cheddar cheese for the top of the dish. 
  4. Stir the mixture in the baking dish, and spread evenly. Top with the reserved cheeses. 
  5. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, then broil for 2-3 minutes.

This dip definitely tastes lighter, but it still has a lot of flavor because the broccoli is roasted first. I ate some of it with a fork because there is so much broccoli. There is definitely more broccoli than there is cheese. Mr Cyclist says if this dip were an option in a restaurant, he would order it. So, I guess it passes the taste test!

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