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

March 4th, 2013 | Posted by Nicole in Eats of the Week - (0 Comments)

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.

, , , , , , ,

Baked Eggplant Sandwiches

February 21st, 2013 | Posted by Nicole in Recipes - (0 Comments)

Yummy in my tummy!

baked eggplant sandwiches

Mr. Cyclist tried to recreate these eggplant sandwiches from Food Wishes. I bought the ingredients, and he cooked them up.

They tasted so sinfully delicious! They did have a thin slice of salami and some cheese inside, but they were baked and not fried. And at least you get to eat a vegetable. OK, enough. I made it seem as healthy as I could. But, I would classify these as neither healthy or unhealthy–maybe neutral.

Below you will find the Food Wishes video on how to make these eggplant bites.

Don’t worry, we didn’t use too much oil or butter. He suggests to eat them room temp, but I loved eating them still warm. And we did cook ours much longer than 20 minutes. However, I love eggplant no matter what, except maybe completely raw. So, I am easy to please when it comes to eggplant.

You could make a variation on these sandwiches, too! Perhaps using mozzarella, basil, and sun-dried tomato! Or, turkey instead of salami. But, we only used a tiny thin slice of salami on eat sandwich. So, it was an easy way to portion control.

Well, I have been super busy this week! How about you? I just need some time to get a good relaxation. Maybe go take a bubble bath!

relaxation

, , , ,

Roasted Spaghetti Squash

February 4th, 2013 | Posted by Nicole in Recipes - (1 Comments)

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?

, , , , , , ,

My First Juicer

January 31st, 2013 | Posted by Nicole in Food Review | Kitchen - (0 Comments)

I was lucky enough to get a NutriPro Juicer from Bella for free! I have never owned a juicer, but was thinking about getting one. I always just figured I wouldn’t use it much.

nutripro masticating juicer

Even though I received a free juicer, all words written are my honest true thoughts.

Anyhow, if you are new to the juicing world, there are two types of juicers out there: centrifugal and masticating (chewing) juicers.

The NutriPro I got is a masticating juicer meaning that it “chews” through the food slowly. This is also known as the “cold press” method which supposedly preserves more enzymes and nutrients. We are not sure exactly how many nutrients are lost in the centrifugal juicers–it may be insignificant.

fresh carrot juice

Overall, I love my juicer, and it is fun to watch it crush foods. Sometimes it gets stuck if you put in a chunk of carrot that is too large. It seems to do about average as far a the yield that it produces. Mr. Cyclist thinks it may be a little low yield.

It is fairly easy to clean and dishwasher safe, and very quiet compared to other juicers I have heard.

fresh green juice

This is my standard juice that I make: 3 leaves of kale, half a small cucumber, 2 stalks celery, 1 small-medium apple, 2 lemon slices. Then, I add some wheat grass in between (if I have some ready and grown).

wheat grass for cats

Lemon (the cat) loves wheat grass, too!

You can read more about the NutriPro at my post on Diet-Blog.

Do you have a juicer?

, , , , , , , ,

Juicer Muffins

January 23rd, 2013 | Posted by Nicole in Recipes - (0 Comments)

Huh? What?

Yes, juicer muffins! The perfect use for leftover juicer pulp:

juicer pulp

Look at all that shredded carrot pulp just waiting to be eaten.

I got a new and FREE juicer from NutriPro (more on that later), and now have all this excess plant material. I don’t want to be wasteful, so I whipped up this concoction:

carrot muffins

These “muffins” definitely seem like “health food” upon closer inspection and taste. But, they passed the Mr Cyclist taste test.

Ingredients (*I am not completely sure on this as I just threw ingredients in a bowl!):

  • 24 oz. (3 cups) carrot pulp leftover from juicing (mine had traces of celery and ginger in it)
  • 1 cup oat flour
  • 1 cup brown rice flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1  Tbsp. cinnamon
  • 1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 Tbsp. sugar
  • 12 packets stevia (about 3 Tbsp.)
  • 1-2 tsp molasses
  • 1-2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup milk (may need to add a little more until moist)
  • 1/2 cup raisins

Mix all together and bake in greased muffin tins at 375 F for about 20-23 minutes (or until the tops become a little more crisp).

juicer muffins

There is A LOT of carrot in these muffins. That is where they get the deep orange color from. Plenty of vitamin A!

, , , , , , , , ,

Leftover Broccoli Stems? Don’t Throw Them Out!

January 22nd, 2013 | Posted by Nicole in Healthy Living | Recipes - (0 Comments)

Many of us only use the florets of the broccoli plant. But, what about the poor little broccoli stems? I used to throw them out, but Mr. Cyclist had a genius idea for cooking them.

chile broccoli stems

He sliced the stems on the julienne setting on the mandolin. Then, sauteed in oil, chili oil, garlic, and sriracha sauce. Topped with black sesame seeds. It was absolutely delicious, but super spicy. I could only eat a few bites at a time.

asian kale salad

We had a cute little salad with it, and some miso soup!

ginger kale salad

Yesterday, I also went to the farmer’s market to load up on fruits, vegetables, and spices. It was a mad house. I finally made it out of there alive, and loaded up my fridge.

fridge with veggies

You can’t really tell from this picture, but there are loads of oranges, clementines, spinach, kale, carrots, celery, cucumber, peppers, herbs, apples, some dried fruit, eggplant, brussels sprouts, and more…

I also picked up these spices for $0.40-$2 each!!

cheap bulk spices

What a steal! This week, I will have plenty of healthy recipe ideas ready to go. It definitely helps to do this shopping ahead of time.

, , , , , , , , ,

Easy Zucchini “Fries”

January 10th, 2013 | Posted by Nicole in Recipes - (0 Comments)

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!

, , , , ,

All Done with Holiday Feasting!

December 27th, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Eats of the Week - (0 Comments)

This particular Christmas, I went to three different dinners over the course of 3 days. Lots of calories were eaten, and there were plentiful white carbohydrates and some unhealthy fats and sugars. Yikes!

It only happens a few times per year, so I don’t worry and neither should you ;-)

Day 1: Southern cooking for lunch (I had roast turkey with gravy, beans/peas, and turnip greens. A quick Starbuck’s stop for some jet fuel black coffee with a dash of cream. For dinner was a creamy seafood soup, half a turkey sandwich, and cranberry cookie pie.
Day 2: Christmas Eve with my family: Fruit, followed by a workout in the morning, then some spicy black beans for a mid-morning snack/early lunch. Snacked on nuts and baked goodies (cookies, biscotti) at my family’s house. I had to hurry up and make an apple pie for the next day. More jet fuel black coffee. Dinner was a delicious lasagna, small salad, and a meatball! More cookies for dessert.
lasagna and meatballDay 3: Woke up and had some black coffee, a banana that I shared with Nala (the dog), and a biscotti. Opened presents, then ate some of the delicious and healthier egg and vegetable casserole that my Dad made.
vegetable egg casseroleCan you see that apple cake in the background? Psycho Holiday Baker made it of course, and it is a traditional apple cake my Italian grandmother used to make. 2 pieces of that were eaten later…

Also had some fresh fruit, and then we were on the way to North Georgia for another feast!

Dinner: Roast turkey, spoonful of mac ‘n cheese, spoonful of dressing, green bean casserole, cranberry salad, steamed vegetables, deviled egg, and wine. Dessert was the apple pie I made, and some more cookies.

Later on we got hungry again and had some snacks: Pimento cheese and wheat thins and some raw veggies with a spinach dip. Probably got so hungry because of our expert Taboo game we had going on. Brain fuel. Final score was 73 to 80.
high taboo score

Day 4: In the morning I had a small cinnamon roll and some All Bran. More jet fuel. For lunch, I shared a small portion of Mr Cyclist’s turkey sandwich, ate a few bites of veggies, and 2 deviled eggs. For a snack, I had some homemade Chex Mix which is super tasty. Sometime later on I had another cookie.

For dinner that night, I made a detoxifying kale dish to get in some veggies for the day. Munched on a few nuts a little later.

kale and artichoke bake

In general, my normal diet is much higher in fruits and vegetables, so I noticed the lack of them in my diet for the past 3-4 days. Less energy overall. And it is mostly just the added sugars that I am not used to in high quantities.

I did my best to eat as well as I could and still enjoy the foods and eat the foods I don’t usually get a chance to eat! That is what it is all about–portion control, eat slowly, enjoy your food, think about the taste of your food, and remember to eat your 5-9 fruits and vegetables on the non-Holiday occasions. :)

baked kale with onion and feta

This kale recipe was made from frozen kale, sauteed onions, spinach, spoonful of cream cheese, garlic, small amount of feta, marinated artichokes, and some spices.

, , , , ,

Sam’s Spinach

December 12th, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Recipes - (0 Comments)

“I ate a pound of spinach”… said no one ever. Until now.

Mr. Cyclists aka Chef Sam cooked a creamed spinach dish. He started with a 2.5 pound bag of fresh spinach from Costco. And yes, at meal time he ate quite a bit of spinach. I don’t really know if it was a whole pound!

Anyway, he based his recipe off of this Food Wishes YouTube site:

Don’t freak out. We did not use all this butter. Sam reduced it to a total of 2 tablespoons (or slightly less) in this recipe. He also used whole milk instead of cream, and added some extra fresh chopped garlic. Everything else was pretty much the same!

And, it turned out delicious!

We ate it with some homemade salmon croquettes.

Look at those chunks of garlic. Mmm.

What we realized is that the spinach to sauce ratio is fairly healthy. You are able to eat a lot of healthy greens, and much less creamy sauce.

Do you have any favorite cooked spinach recipes?

, , , , ,

Mashed Cauliflower instead of Mashed Potatoes

November 26th, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Recipes - (0 Comments)

I have mentioned my mashed cauliflower many times before, but have never posted the recipe for you guys. Well, it seems to be perfected, so here you go!

Everyone seems to love it, even my brother, Danny, who doesn’t like too many vegetables. And, it is a great healthy and light alternative to mashed potatoes. Especially, for those who want to eat more vegetables and a few less carbohydrates.

Mashed Cauliflower

Makes 4 large servings or 6 medium servings.

Ingredients:

  • 3, 12 oz. (36 oz. total) packages of frozen cauliflower (the frozen kind seems to get a little softer for mashing), thawed
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 2-3 tsp. minced garlic (or about 4 fresh cloves, minced)
  • 1 Tbsp. dried parsley (or fresh)
  • 1 tsp. ground rosemary
  • 4 Tbsp. light cream cheese or reduced fat
  • 1 Tbsp. real butter or Earth Balance
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (sometimes I taste it, and end up adding more)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. In a medium saucepan, steam your thawed cauliflower for about 10-15 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, cook your onions and garlic in the olive oil on medium-low until caramelized a golden brown.
  3. Add your herbs and seasonings to the onion mixture.
  4. When the cauliflower seems soft enough to mash, empty the water from the pot, and put the cauliflower back in that pot over the warm stove-top. Add your onion mixture, cream cheese, parmesan, and butter to the warm cauliflower. Mash with a potato masher (works best) or large serving utensil until it becomes smoother. This will take about 3 to 4 minutes.
  5. Taste and see how you like it. At this point, I may add additional herbs or spices, or another pinch of parmesan. You can check your consistency as well. I don’t mind mine chunkier, but others may like it smoother.

You can see that my recipe comes out more yellow in color because I use caramelized onions. You could omit them, and try using some dried onion flakes instead or more onion powder to get a whiter color like a potato. But, I love onions!

I also tried to snazz-up my dining table with some holiday decor.

Picture didn’t come out so great this time, but you get the idea. Used white lights behind the drapes, and used leftover Christmas tree branches in the centerpiece.

, , , , , , , , ,