My new favorite thing!!! 4-20-11

I just found this at Costco today and I have to say, I think I'm in love! I love hummus for one but the flavor and texture is amazing! They also have original or spicy red pepper. I will try them all for sure. I spread it over celery and it was fabulous. I'm sure it will be great with any veggie or whole wheat cracker or just a spoonful on the go. Love it! Try it...I dare you.

Check out the Nutrients:

Serving: 2 Tbsp
Calories: 70 Total Fat 3.5g Sodium: 7mg Total Carbs: 7g Fiber 2g Sugar 0g Protein: 3g

Broiled Fish & Tomatoes 4-18-11

I found this recipe in a Parents Magazine. It is super clean and I love the flavor! The tomatoes turn out perfect! It's super easy too!

Ingredients:
About 1 1/2 lbs. white fish fillets
4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 lb. cherry tomatoes
2-3 sprigs fresh oregano, thyme, rosemary or basil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (optional)

1. Heat the broiler. Drizzle the fish with 2 Tbsp olive oil and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, toss the cherry tomatoes with remaining olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh herbs and place on rimmed baking sheet. Set aside.

2. Broil the fish for 5 to 8 minutes, depending on thickness, or until firm. When done, the fish will be juicy but opaque, and a thin-bladed knife will pass through it fairly easy. Cover and keep warm.

3. Broil tomatoes until their skins blister and crack, about 3 minutes; check often, shaking the pan frequently to keep them from burning.

Such a simple, delicious dish. Serve with salad or over a bed of brown rice. Love it! Happy cooking!

Oxygen Magazine Does It Again...

In the May issue of Oxygen Magazine I found once again another great recipe!

First of all, they found some great recipe's to use with this "Mango BBQ Sauce" they came up with. I made their BBQ Chicken Pizza with it. I will give you the recipe for the BBQ Sauce, then show you how to make the pizza...


Mango BBQ Sauce

1TBS olive oil
1 onion chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
1 mango, peeled, pitted and chopped
2 15-oz cans diced tomatoes
1Cup Water
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1/2 Cup maple syrup
1/2 Cup organic molasses
1/4 Cup apple cider vinegar
2 TBS lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
2 TBS Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

1) Heat olive oil in a skillet on med/high heat

2) Add onions, garlic and mango. Saute until soft, about 3 min

3) Add all remaining ingredients and stir to combine. bring to a boil on med/high heat. reduce heat, cover and simmer on low for 30min, stirring often

4) Remove from heat and allow to cool a little (I didn't though)

5) Transfer 2 Cups sauce to a blender and puree to liquify ingredients

5) Add pureed sauce to remaining sauce in pan and stir

You can store in containers in the fridge until ready to use!


***Now that you have your sauce, you will be using some of it for your pizza!***

BBQ Chicken Pizza

1 frozen whole wheat pizza crust (I used whole wheat pocket-less pita's as personal pan pizza's)

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1 tsp olive oil

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed

2 Cups Mango BBQ Sauce

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

4 oz mozzarella

1) Bake the crust according to directions (I just heated oven to 350 and baked until pita's were crisp)

2) Saute red onion in olive oil on med heat until browned, about 5 min.

3) Add chicken and sauce. Bring to a boil.

4) Reduce heat to simmer until sauce thickens and clings to chicken and chicken is cooked through. About 10 min

5) Spread chicken/sauce mixture onto pre-baked crust

6) Sprinkle with cilantro and cheese and heat at 400 degrees in oven for 5 min or until cheese has melted. Removed from oven and let cool 5 minutes

Nutrients:
Cal 332, fats 8g, cholesterol 60mg, sodium 570mg, carbs 37g, fiber 2g, sugars 12g, protein 28g, iron 3mg

The Best Muffins EVER! 4-11-10

My mother-in-law is a health nut and I mean that as a compliment. She is always giving me great ideas and recipes she has found and now I can share this fabulous one with you. She lives up North so when she came to visit last time she brought these muffins and I fell in love with them. This recipe makes 12 muffins and if you don't want to eat them all in a couple days (even though you'll want to) then go ahead and freeze them so you won't waste any. I freeze all my baked goods and it doesn't taste any different once it has thawed out, I promise. And again, feel free to modify the recipe to what you have or what you like.

The Best Muffins EVER!

1 1/2 c. wheat flour
3/4 c. oat bran/wheat bran
1 c. brown sugar, honey or agave
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 c carrots shredded
2 apples shredded
1/2 c raisins
1 c. nuts chopped (walnuts, pecans, almonds)
3/4 c. almond milk
3/4 c. ground flax seed
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla

Mix dry ingredients, stir in carrots, apples, raisins and nuts. Combine milk, eggs beaten, flax and vanilla. Grease muffin pan, bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

P.S. I know I've been posting a lot of "baked yummy goods" lately. (I must be in real need of some comfort food..?) I'm going to be posting lots of meal dishes and ideas for snacks so keep in touch and let me know what you think. I love the request that Katie gave for a side veggie dish, so please follow her example if there is something you want to see. Happy cooking!

Don't be afraid to modify a recipe! Protien-Packed Cookies 4-6-11

I found this delicious cookie recipe in an Oxygen Magazine and when I went to try it out I found I did not have all the ingredients. So I thought to myself, I can modified the recipe with the ingredients I do have. I know, I'm so clever. You will find my modifications in parentheses next to the original ingredients. I have to say I was impressed with the final product and so where my friends that came over for a girls night. Martha, Jamie, & Angie...Love you girls! I hope you all enjoy my version or the original version. I challenge you also to modify any recipe you come across and don't have all the ingredients for. It can be a lot of fun and it makes you feel like such a chef. This goes for all aspects in our busy lives! Sometimes we have to modify our workout, our day, our recipes, ourselves to make things work. Just try it & tell me what you think!

Protein-Packed Cookies
(makes 2-3 dozen)

1 cup whole-grain flour (I used: 1 cup whole wheat flour)
1 cup wheat bran (1 cup oatmeal)
1 cup vanilla protein powder (1 cup chocolate protein powder)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup Sucanat; optional (I used it)
1 Tbsp pineapple juice (1 Tbsp fresh orange juice)
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 egg whites
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pure coconut extract; optional (1/2 tsp almond extract)
1 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple or 1 8-oz can unsweetened crushed pineapple (1 cup grated apple)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper at set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix together first 4 ingredients. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl, stir Sucanat (optional) into pineapple juice. Set aside.

4. Add all remaining ingredients to the large bowl and combine gently. Add pineapple juice mixture, stirring gently; do not over mix.

5. Use a spoon and bare hand to form dough into walnut-sized balls. Place balls onto baking sheet, flattening slightly. Bake in oven until lightly browned. Let cool before serving.

Nutrients per serving:Calories: 100 Total Fats: 1g Cholesterol: 15mg Sodium: 50mg Carbs: 15g Dietary Fiber: 2g Sugars: 6g Protein: 8g Iron: 1mg

Katie Leavitt...this one's for you! Veggie Slaw 4-4-11

This is such a yummy summer veggie idea. Perfect for BBQ's, picnic or just a side dish for dinner with the family. It's even better after it has set overnight.

Vegetable Slaw
3 cups shredded cabbage
5 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 cup fresh broccoli florets, cut small
1 cup cauliflower, cut small
1/2 cup chopped red onion

Dressing:
1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup low fat cottage cheese
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
3/4 tsp salt (optional)
1/4 tsp ground pepper

Pour dressing over veggie mixture. Toss to coat evenly and refrigerate.
Enjoy!

Beef Teriyaki 4.3.11

Tried another new recipe tonight. It was so good I couldn't wait another minute it post it! This one is from Oxygen Magazine's April Issue.

Beef Teriyaki

8oz grass-fed beef, sliced
juice of 1 lemon
1tsp olive oil
1Cup water, divided
1onion, chopped
1head broccoli, chopped (about 2C)
1bunch baby bok choy, chopped (about 1.5C)
4C kale, chopped
3TBS low-sodium soy sauce
dried ginger to taste (I did approx 1tsp)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1tsp sesame oil
1tsp lemon juice
2TBS maple syrup

1: Place beef strips in a bowl and toss with lemon juice.

2: In a large skillet set on medium heat, brown meat in oil for 5min. Add 1/2 C water plus onion, broccoli, bo choy and kale. Cover and reduce heat. Let cook for 10 min about.

3: Meanwhile, place remaining ingredients plus remaining 1/2 C water in a blender and blend to combine. Heat in a small pan. Wisk while it boils. Stir sauce onto beef and veggies. Serve.

Nutrition:
267 Calories, 8g fat, 40mg Cholesterol, 613mg Sodium, 29g Carbs, 6g Fiber, 12g Sugar, 25g Protein, 5mg Iron

My First Post of the Season!! 4.3.11

I hope everyone has had a wonderful winter and ready now to start a new season of warmth and sunshine! I know I am! I've seen Cali's stack of delicious recipe's and tried a few as well. You all should be very excited, so check in often for her new posts! I have a few to add as well, but I'm focusing more on the new season of BOOTCAMP. I'm hoping for a successful summer of fun and huge progress for anyone that comes.

I found this recipe in Good Housekeeping recently and just tried it last night. YUMMY!!!!

Greek Chicken Pitas:
1C Greek Yogurt (I used the flavored kind...vanilla honey or strawberry honey are good)
2TBS fresh mint and dill leaves, chopped
3/4tsp ground cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
salt
2TBS fresh lemon juice (I used bottled)
4tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4tsp dried oregano
1lb. chicken-breast tenders
1/2 cucumber
1 large tomato
4 whole wheat pita pockets

1: In small bowl, combine yogurt, mint, dill, 1/4tsp cumin, 1/3 of the garlic and 1/4 tsp salt...set aside.

2: In pie plae, combine 1TBS lemon juice, 3tsp olive oil, oregano, 1/4tsp salt, remaining 1/2tsp cumin and half of remaining garlic. Add chicken, turning to coat. Let stand. Prepare grill pan on medium/high heat, at a little olive oil.

3: Place chicken in pan and cook 10-12min or until no longer pink in center, turning once.

4: Meanwhile, cut cucumber and tomato into chinks; toss, in bowl, with 1/8tsp salt and remaining lemon juice, oil, and garlic.

5: Transfer chicken to serving plates. Heat up pitas in microwave or in grill pan. Fill pitas with yogurt sauce, cucumber mixture and chicken.

Nutrition:
330 calories, 33g protein, 31g carbs, 9g fat, 5g fiber, 63mg cholesterol, 685mg sodium.

We missed you ALL! New recipes! 4-1-11

We're back! We miss you all and we're looking forward to giving you lots of new clean eat recipes this summer! Martha is starting her boot camp again so check her out on Facebook to get the all the details. It's warming up out there and you know what that means....bikinis! So lets get serious and keep those diets squeaky clean! I'm going to post some great snack ideas for you so there are no excuses! Remember to keep those fridges stocked with clean eats so when hunger strikes you'll be prepared. "If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail." I found a hummus recipe and used black beans instead of garbanzo beans and it was amazing! I serve it with either whole wheat chips, crackers, or veggies. Hope you love it!

Hummus

15 oz black beans, drained
1 garlic clove
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Process until smooth.
Refrigerate at least 2 hours

Enjoy every bite!