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23
Apr
2013
It’s the Beet!



Beets seem to be one of the most disliked foods out there. Every time I go through consults with patients, the most popular dislikes are beets and liver.

I am not a huge fan either. However, I do like beet chips that have been baked in the oven and I like them cut up in small itty bitty pieces on a salad.

beet salad

I was inspired to make this salad recipe after I went out to eat and enjoyed a similar goat cheese and beet salad.

Ingredients: Greens (spinach), sliced red onions that you have marinated in the pickled beet juice, sliced pickled beets, goat cheese, and candied pecans.

For dressing: A tiny drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette or just a little balsamic glaze.

beet salad with goat cheese

Easy! And, it has a nice pretty color for presentation. Even if you are not a fan of beets, I suggest trying them this way!

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21
Mar
2013
Szechuan Peppercorn Salmon



I have been MIA in the blogging world the past week because I have been in full-swing wedding planning mode. Yep, I’m getting hitched. Perfect time to talk about being healthy and fit. Haha.

I won’t bore you with details, but wedding planning does take up a good chunk of time… so I was happy to come home one day to this super tasty salmon. It is my new favorite recipe! It’s a little spicy, but has a unique flavor from the peppercorns (you can buy the peppercorns at a larger grocery store like Whole Paycheck–I got mine from a large farmer’s market).

They are the ones that look a little pink/dark red in color. You can even order them online if you don’t want to pick them up from the store!

Szechuan Peppercorn Salmon

spicy thai salmon

Ingredients:

  • 1 filet of salmon (or about the amount pictured above)
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp. ground pepper
  • 1/4-1/2 tsp szechuan peppercorns, ground
  • 1-1.5 Tbsp. light mayonnaise
  • 3.5-4 Tbsp. roasted red chili paste
  • pinch of salt

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
  2. Meanwhile, mix your marinade.
  3. Place your salmon on a baking sheet or baking dish and coat with marinade. Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until cooked medium-well.

Yum!

baked salmon with peppers

We had some salad and edamame to go with it.

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4
Mar
2013
Eats this Week: Best Salad Ever and The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies



We had a lot of tasty eats this week! Mr. Cyclist and I discovered that if you roast little mini peppers they become even more sweet and delicious.

We ate them with a turkey burger (I left off the bun because I was saving room for chips hah):

turkey burger with roasted peppers

All you need to do is get the big bag of mini peppers from Costco or your local grocery store (if you can find them there) and then roast them on a baking sheet in the oven under the broiler until they brown. We add some olive oil and a few spices.

Next, we added those same peppers to what I am calling the best salad ever (for the moment anyway).

shrimp avocado salad

Lemon shrimp, avocado, Romano cheese, roasted mini peppers, spinach, onion, sun-dried tomatoes and a few olives. So tasty!

For another dinner, we took more avocados and put them on top of a vegetable omelet.

omelet with avocado

Served with a side of spiced black beans for a complete meal.

Last night, Psycho Holiday Baker made a batch of some of the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever had. Even my Dad couldn’t stop eating them! And he doesn’t usually care much about cookies. The recipe was from Savory Sweet Life.

best chocolate chip cookies

For today, we went to one of those make-your-own stir-fry restaurants.

At first, I was horrible at putting together ingredients, but now I am a pro. Haha. Anyway, first I made a vegetable and tilapia curry mix:

tilapia vegetable red curry

And then, a second small vegetable mix with vodka sauce! It was amazing:

vodka sauce stir fry

Look at all of those veggies!

make your own stir fry

I don’t think he really liked getting his picture taken.

Now, it’s time to make some gumbo and relax. I already did my exercise by wandering around on a trail in the woods with Mr. Cyclist! Hah. Typical for a day off.

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1
Mar
2013
Hello Fresh Food



I had a $40 gift card for Hello Fresh (a food delivery company that delivers the ingredients to make 3 fresh meals per week). I decided to try it out for one week. By the way, 3 meals (for 2 people) costs $59 for the week and that is just the vegetarian option. Not a great deal.

They are OCD with packaging:

hello fresh food

It turned out much better than I expected! The only negative is the cost, and that you might not get food that you want. You can vote on the meal choices, but they send you a recipe for whatever they decide. So, if you are picky, this is not for you.

Meal 1: Vegetable Curry with Brown Rice

vegetable red curry

By accident, I used the entire container of curry paste when you were only supposed to use 2 Tbsp! Yikes! The directions were not the best. So, it’s obviously not my fault ;-)

Meal 2: Lentil Squash Soup

lentil squash soup

This tasted so light and fresh, yet hearty. The flavors were excellent, and we agreed that we would try to make this at home again.

Meal 3: Cauliflower Stir Fry

This also turned out better than expected. I wasn’t a fan of the white rice, but it was OK to try something different. The recipe called for a crispy panko buttery topping, but it wasn’t too heavy.

cauliflower stir fry

We had the cauliflower again as leftovers with some salmon for protein the next night:

salmon and cauliflower

If I re-create any of these recipes, I will post my final edited recipe for everyone to try!

Overall, I canceled my subscription because of cost, and I like to be able to decide exactly what I am going to eat that week! But, for others who still want to cook, but want fresh recipes at their fingertips, this might be a good choice.

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25
Feb
2013
When’s the last time you had a Philly Cheesesteak?



What’s wrong with this picture? Haha.

easy cheese

My answer to this question would be… maybe in middle school? I have no idea. It has been forever. My Mom used to cook us that frozen meat and put it all under the broiler. It was delicious.

Since I am not a fan of beef and cheese, I had a modified cheesesteak for dinner. My Dad was kind enough to cook me chicken.

chicken Philly cheesesteak

Then, I topped with loads of lettuce and some spicy sauce.

healthier Philly cheesesteak

I was so excited about the sweet potato fries, that I had already been eating them off my plate before the picture ;-)

baked homemade sweet potato fries

For all of you who are don’t like to eat much white bread, here is a trick I use:

Pick out the fluffy inside of a bun, so that all you have is a bread sandwich “shell” to hold your toppings.

low carb sub roll

Now, compared to my meal, here is my brother’s cheesy less healthy meal. Ugh.

homemade philly cheesesteak

Does not look appetizing to me. Just looks gross. By the way, I was reading the ingredients of the Easy Cheese, and they seem to be a little better now. Easy Cheese is made with cheese, and canola oil now. And, of course, a list of preservatives and chemicals, but it is not as bad as I remember.

We all got excited about Philly Cheesesteaks, and were rushing to get to watch the Oscar’s that this happened:

dropped eggs

Whoops.

When I came home after the Oscar’s, the cats were loving their new Banana Republic shopping bag!

cat in shopping bag

cat in bag

Until tomorrow bloggies!

Going to start working on getting ready to get in my bikini at the end of March when I go to the beach. So, I will be posting some beach body worthy foods and recipe ideas starting Monday!

Until then…

cat in a shopping bag

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4
Feb
2013
Roasted Spaghetti Squash



I absolutely love spaghetti squash. The texture is crunchy and fun, and the taste is buttery even though you don’t add butter! Mr. Cyclist/Triathlete (whatever he is into these days) doesn’t like spaghetti squash that much unless he eats it right away hot off the pan. So, some people might not like the idea of a pasta looking vegetable that taste like squash.

This time around, I decided to try roasting the squash to see if I could get a more roasted, crispier flavor.

roasted spaghetti squash

First, I bake the squash whole in the oven for about 45 minutes at 375 F. Poke some holes in it before you bake it. Turn it halfway through. Watch parts of Roni’s video here–this is similar to what I do.

After you have scooped out the insides, you can layer it on an olive oiled baking sheet as pictured above. I also sliced up a whole onion, a few cloves of garlic, and added some seasonings and sun dried tomatoes for a bit of extra flavor.

Roast it in the oven at 400 F for about 45 minutes longer. I kept checking to see if it got more golden brown, but only slightly.

spaghetti squash

The main difference cooking it this way is that it became a little more crispy and delightful, and a little less mushy compared to the normal preparation.

We also ate some homemade palak paneer made by Mr. Cyclist:

palak paneer

The two dishes don’t really go together, but this is the kind of cooking you do to make sure your produce doesn’t go bad!

For those who don’t know, palak paneer is an Indian dish made of a blended, thick spinach curry “sauce” with paneer (an Indian cheese that reminds me of thick mozzarella). We discovered palak paneer is best eaten with a bread or cracker of some sort. Mr. Cyclist made it from scratch based off of his travels to India last year.

So, do you like spaghetti squash?

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28
Jan
2013
The Mexican Meatball



This is not any type of authentic recipe, but it is fun and delicious! And easy for a weeknight meal.

Mexican Meatballs

I got the recipe from Clean Eating Magazine HERE.

The only thing I did differently was add onion, and red and green peppers for extra vegetables and flavor. I also added garlic and some chipotle pepper for flavor and spice in the skillet. I ground up some coriander, cumin, and chopped chipotle peppers to add inside the meatball.

But, other than that, just follow the Clean Eating recipe, add some extra vegetable or maybe have a side salad. I ate mine with extra sour cream…. mmm.

southwest meatball

And hopefully yours turns out something like this!

Thoughts for the week:

be extraordinary

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27
Jan
2013
How is that Spelt?



I picked up some fresh spelt pasta from the farmer’s market last weekend. It was the first time I had spelt in a pasta before. Mr Cyclist was wondering what spelt is…

Well, I can tell you I turned it into this:

spelt pasta

Spelt is a form of wheat. Many might categorize it in the “ancient grain” category, therefore it has been less processed than the modern wheat plant we find in most everything these days. The outer layer of spelt is also more tough, so it is said to hold in nutrients better.

An interesting fact: Those who do not tolerate wheat products say that they can eat spelt-based foods and feel fine. If you have Celiac’s disease, it is NOT recommended to eat spelt because it DOES contain gluten. However, those with mild food sensitivities do well choosing spelt over traditional wheat.

The end result is a slighter healthier grain than your traditional whole wheat pasta. Plus, this one was fresh made! Yum.

healthy spelt pasta

I cooked some shallots and garlic, then sauteed a lot of fresh spinach. I added some pesto chicken sausage from Trader Joe’s and some sun-dried tomatoes.

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13
Jan
2013
Chicken Sausage, Peppers, and Onions



When I was a kid, we always used to have sausage and peppers, but I never made it again as an adult. Mostly, I just thought it wasn’t very healthy. But, you can make it packed with vitamins and minerals! The peppers add loads of vitamin C, and the onions add some antioxidants. Believe it or not! Then, I get a chicken sausage to make it as healthy as possible.

And this is what you get:

healthier sausage and peppers

By the way, I really need to get a new camera. If you noticed, all my pictures are crooked because my camera screen is broken. I can’t see what the heck I am doing!

Anyway…

Healthier Sausage and Peppers

Ingredients:

  • 1 large yellow onion (or 2 medium-small), thinly sliced
  • 3 peppers, sliced
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed/minced
  • 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
  • 1 Tbsp. dried basil
  • 1 lb. chicken sausage links
  • 1 1/2 cups good tomato sauce (I had some leftover that was homemade)
  • Salt and pepper
  • Parsley for garnish

Directions:

  1. In a large skillet, add your olive oil and heat on medium. Next, add your onions, and cook for about 5 minutes on medium.
  2. Add your peppers, and cook another 5 minutes. Add your garlic, and seasonings. Cook on medium/low until your vegetables have softened.
  3. Push the vegetables to the sides of the pan, and add your sausage in the middle. Turn every few minutes to brown the sides.
  4. Add your tomato sauce, and cover for another 5-8 minutes.

To serve, you can serve by itself, or over top brown rice or pasta, or a whole grain bread. We loved the taste of the peppers and onions, and wish we made more! Next time, I might double the amount of peppers and onions, or use a little less sausage.

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10
Jan
2013
Easy Zucchini “Fries”



OK, these are not really “fries”, but something that resembles a fried zucchini strip.

zucchini fries

They are super easy to make, and a great way to eat your vegetables without a lot of extra ingredients. They had great texture and taste delicious!

Ingredients:

  • 3 zucchini, rinsed, and patted dry
  • About 3 oz. grated/shredded Pecorino Romano cheese (you could also use Parmesan)
  • Olive oil to coat the pan
  • 2 tsp. Garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. Dried onion or shallot flakes
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes
  • Pinch of salt and pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Slice the zucchini like the picture shows below.
  2. Arrange on baking sheet. Sprinkle with seasonings (do not add cheese yet).
  3. Bake for about 15 minutes.
  4. Add the cheese liberally. I shredded my cheese right on top of the zucchini.
  5. Place under broiler until it becomes golden brown–almost crispy.

baked crispy zucchini

Then, enjoy with dinner :)

zucchini fries

Yum!

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