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31
Jan
2012
 Brussels Sprouts Salad



I came across this recipe on Shutter Bean for a shredded Brussels sprouts salad. I just thought it was so unique for a salad. Not the same old salad greens.

Step 1: You need to blanch the sprouts in boiling water for about 2-3 minutes, and then put them into an ice water bath to stop the cooking.
Step 2: I used my food processor with the slicing attachment to make coleslaw-like shreds. Meanwhile, I had some red onions slices soaking in the cold water (that was the only thing I added different to this recipe). This helps to reduce the bitter and sour flavor.
Step 3: Make your dressing: Olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, salt and pepper.
Step 4: Add some toasted walnuts, the onions, dressing, and shaved Parmesan cheese.
It was so tasty–made me feel like I was eating a gourmet side dish! If you don’t like Brussels sprouts, you could still give this a try because since they are shredded, they are much more mild.

30
Jan
2012
 Fish Mayonnaise



That is the name of what Mr. Cyclist calls this dish. My Mom always made us this baked fish with cracker crumbs and some kind of tartar sauce topping as kids. I just happened to think about it the other day and decided to make my own version–a little healthier!

I used this recipe from the Washington Post for inspiration.

Fish with Cracker Crumb Topping
Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. mild white fish filets such as tilapia, flounder, or cod
  • Earth Balance sticks or butter for pan greasing
  • 1 sleeve of crackers similar to Ritz (any buttery/flaky cracker will work); check to make sure they are trans fat free and contain no hydrogenated oils
  • 3 Tbsp. light/olive oil mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp. lemon zest
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced (or about 1 Tbsp.)
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh parlsey, chopped (if you don’t have fresh, use a combination of dried parsley, basil, and dill)
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Grease a 9 x 13 pan with Earth Balance sticks or butter.
  2. In a zip top bag, crush the crackers with your hands. Do not crush too finely–keep a few larger cracker pieces un-crushed.
  3. To prepare the mayonnaise mixture: combine the mayo, spices/herbs, garlic, lemon zest, juice of half a lemon, and salt and pepper. Reserve the juice of the other half lemon to squeeze on top of the fish just before cooking.
  4. Lay the fish out in the pan. Spread the mayo mixture across the tops of the fish generously.
  5. Press the cracker crumbs on top of the fish.
  6. Bake 10-15 minutes until cracker are more golden.

I just love fish that is baked like this. It is so moist. This is not the healthiest recipe for fish, but it is definitely a healthy compromise that seems like you are having a rich dish.

Then later that night I decided to make a wreath like I often see posted to Pinterest.
All you need to DIY is yarn, hot glue gun, Styrofoam wreath, and some flowers and decorative pieces to glue on to your wreath. I also made a few felt flowers to glue on. It does take a while because you have to wrap all the yarn around and around the Styrofoam. But, I just watched some Mad Men season 4 while I did the project :)

27
Jan
2012
 Eats of the Week: Garlic Soup & Sushi



This week was more stressful than I would have wanted. I think I will start going to a yoga class occasionally when I feel it is a more stressful week. My number one goal recently has been to better manage stress and not worry about insignificant things. Stress management is important for overall health, and is something we often forget about.

Anyway, Mr. Cyclist made this amazing garlic soup similar to this recipe. He used about 50 cloves of garlic (or more), 3 onions, milk, 3 cheeses, stock, and thyme. You will smell like garlic for days if you eat this stuff, but it was so creamy and delicious. I ate some with some thick hearty bread.

Garlic can help to lower blood pressure, keep the heart healthy, and decrease inflammation and stress.

Yesterday, I got the chance to swing up to Whole Foods for lunch, and created this concoction:

Chimichurri tofu, a few sauteed veggies, and a light broccoli slaw all combined on top of a bed of spinach and kale. I like to make a combination of foods and put it over top of some kind of salad greens. This is a great trick to make your salad weigh less (and pay less) at Whole Paycheck. The cashier guy was impressed with my $5 or $6 salad, and told me I should hold a seminar on how to eat cheaper at Whole Foods. Little did he know he was talking to a RD. :)

Then I met Valerie to help her navigate Ikea. She had never been, and was so confused on how to actually purchase items. So we took a nice break from our efforts with sushi dinner:
 My food model.
I was a little scared to try this yellow-tail sushi appetizer. But, I was pleasantly surprised by the jalapeno, cucumber, and herbs that helped distract me from thinking about a raw piece of fish.

We also had calamari but ate it all too quickly to take a photo!

Tips for the week:

  • Don’t be afraid to ask if a restaurant offers brown rice in their sushi. You may be happily surprised.
  • Always always keep back-up snacks around. You never know when you will get stuck in traffic and be forced to eat dinner late. My go to is carrots, fruit, or nuts of any kind because it takes a while before they go bad.
  • Don’t let the short winter days keep you from achieving your goals. Just because it’s 7 pm and dark doesn’t mean you can’t exercise or keep improving your day.

25
Jan
2012
 Breakfast Cookies



I decided to try this recipe from Blueberry Girl to try to make healthy cookies with no added sugar. I followed the recipe except I used a little wheat flour and some milk (to moisten the wheat flour) because I didn’t have almond meal. I also used less bananas and substituted some applesauce instead.

In the future, I want to try to just stick with almond meal, or try making my own almond meal in the food processor.

Mine didn’t come out exactly like Blueberry Girl’s recipe, and it made me a little sad. So, next time I will have to follow her recipe exactly and see what I get!
Anyway, I have been eating the “cookies” for breakfast because they are healthy and so easy to grab and go in the morning. And they taste great even though they didn’t come out exactly as I wanted. They are definitely a dense bar/cookie, but tasty! Enjoy!

Love Your Humps Wednesday:

24
Jan
2012
 Clean Skincare



I decided that since I strive to eat a pretty clean and healthy diet, why shouldn’t my skincare be clean and healthy as well?

I strive to eliminate toxins from my life, mainly through diet. But, I can’t forget about the other toxins that I choose to use everyday.

The most important is body lotion because skin is an organ, and body lotion goes everywhere all over your body. Second, deodorant is important because we use it everyday, and sometimes multiple times per day.

Left to Right: Alba natural acne dote scrub, Mario Badescu drying lotion, Alba even advanced night cream, Dickinson witch hazel, Love & Toast persimmon body lotion

My goal is not to go out and buy all natural clean products, but rather, I will just replace them as I run out. And I don’t plan to buy as many natural hair-care products because I just wash them out (maybe just shampoo).
This Jason’s deodorant is actually pretty good for a natural one! It is a little sticky, but smells great, and keeps me perspiration free. But, I do have to reapply it a few times to stay smelling pretty.

Why Use Clean Skincare Products:

  • This is ultimately a test to see if my skin looks or feels any better after a few weeks of use.
  • Parabens: Some experts speculate that it is linked to breast cancer (small amounts have been found in breast tissue).
  • Phthalates: May cause reproductive harm and disrupt the metabolism and endocrine system. Most countries are trying to get rid of phthalates, but we are still continuously exposed to them as they are found in many plastic products.
  • Mineral Oil: I actually learned from a coworker that mineral oil is such a big molecule that our skin can not absorb it correctly. And it has been linked to skin cancer because it promotes sun damage.
  • Sodium Lauryl Sulfate: May irritate the skin.
  • Synthetic Colors: Possibly another caner-causing agent. Labeled as anything “FD&C” or “D&C”.

Below are examples of two common lotion products I threw away:
No need to freak out over chemicals in your beauty products. It takes a long time to create some kind of damage to the body. Just realize that the more natural your skincare, the more healthy you will keep your body. Just like foods!

23
Jan
2012
 Rainy Treadmill Workouts



This rainy weather continues as it has been for the last few days…
Oh, and there is a watch for tornadoes. Great. I did manage to go for a long walk with Mr. Cyclist yesterday when it was cold and drizzling.

But, what else can you do to get workouts in when it is cold and rainy? Get on the dread-mill. Anyway, here are my treadmill workout tips to make it less of a dread:

  • If it is early morning, grab some pre-workout eats. I can’t stomach as much plain water early morning, so I usually reach for something with a bit of flavor to stay hydrated.
  • Have a kindle? Make the font really large and read it on the treadmill. It works! Or, if you have a smart phone, you can download the Kindle app and read on your phone if the screen is large enough.
  • Download TV episodes or movies to watch on your phone or tablet of some sort.
  • Grab a new magazine.
  • Find a friend to workout with.
  • Give yourself a treadmill interval workout that you make up to make it interesting.
    • Ex: 5 minute warm-up, 3 minutes easy, 1 minute sprint, 3 minutes easy, 1:30 sprint, etc.
  • Switch machines every 15-20 minutes–it decreases the boredom.
  • If you are in school, bring study materials to read over. I used to do this, and I pretended that it would sink better into my brain if I was pumping blood and oxygen through my body.
  • Download a new playlist. I usually go to this website to find new upbeat tunes.

Happy Monday! Do you have any other workout tips to beat boredom?

22
Jan
2012
 Meatball Sunday



When my Mom makes pasta sauce, she always makes sausage and meatballs. I have always chose the meatballs–never the sausage.

Anyway, I decided to take on the task of making my own turkey meatballs!

Turkey Meatball Recipes
Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb. ground turkey
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs of your choosing
  • 1 egg
  • 2 Tbsp. ketchup
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1 Tbsp. onion flakes
  • Pinch of dried basil, parsley, red pepper flakes, and Mrs. Dash tomato basil seasoning
  • 3 or 4 cloves of fresh garlic, minced

Directions:

  1. Using a large saute pan, heat the olive oil on medium. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine and mix all the remaining ingredients with your hands.
  2. Form into palm sized meatballs and add to hot pan. Sear for about 3 minutes per side (until all sides are browned) with a lid on the pan to make sure the inside of the meatballs cook.
  3. Near the end of cooking, add some of your sauce that you are going to use to the pan. Scrape the brown bits from the pan as you add your sauce.
  4. Cover and simmer with the sauce for another 3 minutes.

These meatballs turned out really well because they were moist on the inside and had a crisp outer layer.

Here is the sauce I decided to use:
I don’t use that many jar sauces, but when it comes to jar sauce, I love vodka sauce because it can be a pain to make at home. And this one is all natural!
This meal is a pretty easy week-night meal. Just make sure you use a whole grain or whole wheat pasta ;) And serve with a veggie!

Sunday Menu Planning Ideas:

Reads of the Week: Why Weight Maintenance is Hard

20
Jan
2012
 Dark Chocolate Kick this Week…



It all started with the raisinets and this lovely chocolate bar:
Valerie gave me the chocolate to try, and it was so delicious. Probably the best bar of chocolate I have had in a while. The bar is so thick and satisfying for only 200 calories! It is made by Champlain Chocolates, but you can buy it at Whole Foods.

Then, when I was at Trader Joe’s I picked up another dark chocolate bar and some cacao nibs.
 And for those wondering, here are the nutrition facts for the bar:
And the cacao nibs were covered in dark chocolate. I had never had them before, but they tasted great–a little bitter, but I like black coffee, and it was like eating a chocolate-y coffee bean.
 They were tasty, but so tiny!
For those who don’t know, cacao nibs are the actual cocoa–no added sweetener unless they are coated in another chocolate like these ones were.

I guess I like dark chocolate so much because I feel like I can eat a decent size of it and feel satisfied, and get an antioxidant boost (and iron) at the same time. Just remember to buy chocolate that has not been alkalized or “Dutch processed”–that removes some of the antioxidants and makes it less bitter.

Happy Friday!

19
Jan
2012
 Work Coffee



I usually stop by Starbuck’s a few times per week at work (because there is one within walking distance!), but decided I could find a cheaper alternative to my indulgent habit.

I bought little instant packs of coffee–not the best tasting in the world, but only about $1.30 for 6 packs.

I bought aseptically packaged soy milk and chocolate almond milk (think healthier mocha) because it was just about the only aseptically packaged milk-type product I could find. They were each on sale for $1.

So, this brings the total cost to about $0.55 per coffee! Amazing. I figure I can refrigerate and re-use some of the soy milk and almond milk because I won’t need the whole thing every time I have coffee.

Do you have any cheap alternatives for your coffee?

18
Jan
2012
 Guacamole Kale Salad



My friend introduced me to this idea of using guacamole almost as the salad dressing to the kale. I thought it turned out pretty good, but Mr. Cyclist was even more of a fan of it than I was. And it is a great way to get in one the the healthiest veggies on the planet–kale!

Guacamole Kale Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 small bunch of kale (about 7 leaves)
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 1, 7 oz. tray of pre-made guacamole (see picture to the right, or try Wholly Guacamole brand)
  • 1 Chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced finely (or just use a few red pepper flakes)
  • 1/2 of a small red onion, diced
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 1/2 a can of black beans (optional)
  • 2 Cloves of garlic, minced
  • Sprinkle of cumin, salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Pull the kale leaves off the stems, and add to a large salad bowl.
  2. Add the remaining ingredients, and stir to combine.
  3. Allow the kale salad to rest a few minutes to absorb the moisture and to allow the flavors to sink in.

This is a unique recipe that surprisingly works out well.

Quote from that day: “Go down the produce section and look at all the fruits and vegetables that you never buy. People actually buy those. The grocery store wouldn’t stock them if no one bought them.”

Challenge for the week: Go to your grocery store, and pick out a fruit or veggie that you have never eaten and cook it!

Love your Humps Wednesday:

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