Cheesy Quinoa Mac N Cheese

Quinoa Mac n Cheese
courtesy of http://aroundthetableri.blogspot.com

Serving Size: 8

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
• Veggies of your choice (optional)
• good pinch of salt
• a few grinds of seasoning salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup soy milk or non-fat milk
• 1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese, more for sprinkling
• Optional- Crushed Red Pepper, Panko Bread crumbs for topping
• Toppings (optional)- salsa, hot sauce, sour cream, scallions

I went through a quinoa phase in February and this is one of the recipes I tried. Since most of my experience with mac n cheese is the boxed kind, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. This certainly got mixed reviews. Matthew and Aaron could leave it, but Jared really liked it as did I though as leftovers it took me a few days to be willing to eat it again. I have realized I really don't care for the texture of quinoa except in breads. It has a distinctive flavor too that I am not all too fond of. Since I added garlic to the water the quinoa was cooked in, it absorbed that flavor and really added a nice touch to the overall dish. 

My variation: added 2 oz of cream cheese to enhance the creaminess as suggested by a commenter on the original blog post and bread crumbs for the topping.

Week 11 Weigh in

Weigh in - 174.6

Well, all things considering, not a bad gain. I've adjusted my goals again and only have 1490 calories compared to the 1700 I had before. This is definitely going to take some forethought and effort :P

Back in Action

After not exercising since the 11th and then spending most of the week/end in bed, I finally got back on board yesterday. I felt pretty good and decided with only 2 weeks left of the contest and all the binge-ing I did to feed my emotions, I couldn't delay getting back on the treadmill. I am hoping that I'll be ready to start CardioX again next week. Thurs when I was being productive I tackled some sore spots in our room that will make it easier to exercise in there again.

It was probably a mistake to make all those 'healthy' desserts because they were still full of sugar. It got me back in the habit of eating sweets so now I am needing a fix but trying to abstain. I may have to let a chocolate smoothie satisfy my craving.

Feeling it

Yesterday I felt good. Surprisingly good. I realized I was being lifted up by the prayers being offered on my behalf. Thank you. Today I feel like I have the potential to feel just as good, but going to bed so late is more of a hindrance than anything else. I feel sluggish and tired.

I decided to look at my Loose Screws posts and interestingly, the talk I gave in January was pretty close to the top of the recent posts. I reviewed what I said, and realized the irony of the timing and the topic: exercising faith in the face of obstacles and challenges. At the time I reflected on my recent experiences with the move, but as I face this new challenge, I realize this talk was a gift for now as well. The message is the same - Forget yourself and go to work. Get out and serve others. "I lift thee, and thee lift me and we both ascend together."

There was a big change up in the visiting teaching routes and with the newness, I was excited to serve my new sisters. Last week I called everyone though only one answered the phone. My companion was sick with the flu so I had made chicken soup for her, but soon discovered my new sister was also sick. She happily accepted my offer to bring some soup over. I have not checked on her since though every day this week the thought has nagged at me to call my sisters again. I have been so into myself that I have neglected my stewardship. I waste hours as I constantly check facebook and my email hoping for interaction from others when it is *ME* who needs to do the reaching out.

So, I guess it is time to just do it.

Dessert Mania

I stumbled upon the blog Chocolate Covered Katie recently and today in my productive mode, have set out to try her recipes. I just whipped up some Brownie Batter Dip, One Minute Chocolate Cake (for one though I shared it with Aaron), and the Deep Dish Cookie Pie is in the oven. She incorporates some surprise ingredients to fit her vegan life style so it is fun to find them so tasty!! I look forward to presenting the to the family tonight to see what they think. By the time Jared gets home I may have so many desserts I'll need a girl's night to have a place to share them and purge my house of the sweets!

Week 10 Weigh in

Weigh in - 173.7

I might have a chance at this contest after all! I am curious how far I will get down at the end of this journey.

I got some bad news yesterday and normally stress makes me want to eat, but surprisingly I actually feel a loss of appetite. We had pizza for dinner so I wouldn't have to cook and though the idea of eating the pizza was not appealing, I didn't have any problem getting the pizza down. Once I get started I can keep going. And going. But, I have no inertia for starting so maybe that's a good thing?

I had some blood work done recently and it turns out I am borderline anemic as I was afraid of. The doctor suggested venison as a really good source of iron. Interesting. I am going to start taking some B 50 supplements too. Every once in awhile I get in a kick where I take them, and they do usually help me feel better. I think I could use all the help I can get right now :)

And apparently I can eat peanut butter again because I have been hungry for pb&j sandwiches and they've not made me sick.

Weigh in & update

Weigh in - 175.5

It was an increase but not really surprising considering I have eaten over my calories just about every day and exercised very little though it has been a productive week in my book. My cravings have been out the roof as well and admittedly I have caved quite a bit (thus the over my calorie allotment). My neighbor asked how the exercising was going and said he could tell a difference last week. By the way, I do NOT like to be complimented by any guy but my husband or other family members. I know that makes me an annomali but it really does bother me. Anyway... In our conversation I realized that there may very well be a correlation between my lack of exercise and my craving increase. huh. So, I am on the treadmill plucking off the calories this morning :)

Though I have blown my calories, my vitamin goals have been no where near the level they should - especially my iron I find worrisome. I have come to the conclusion that the best way to meet that goal is with a bowl of good cereal in the morning because it knocks about 3/4 off my requirement. The problem is that it usually requires a lot of my calorie - especially carb - rations. I have been eating a wheat crunch cereal, but yesterday I took advantage of a General Mills cereal sale and bought a box of Total. I am not convinced it is really any healthier, but they have fortified it with everything that I knocked a 100 pts off both my calcium and iron levels and it required fewer calories than the wheat cereal to do it. I am happy to have a bit higher ration today as a result. I need to get back into my smoothies too so I can have my veggie intake as well.

I have more I want to write, but I also want to do something else this morning and it is already after 10 am. At this point I have walked over 35 min, 1.80 miles, and burned 250 calories.

I Choose Faith

I had an experience this week that left me disappointed, worried, and downright depressed about a possibility. Wednesday I opened the Ensign to the First Presidency message and immediately felt the Spirit as I read the title "Peace, Be Still" and knew that those words were meant for me.  Here is the final quote from the article:

"Through tears and trials, through fears and sorrows, through the heartache and loneliness of losing loved ones, there is assurance that life is everlasting. Our Lord and Savior is the living witness that such is so. His words in holy writ are sufficient: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). I testify to this truth."

It was enough. I knew that the Lord has a plan and not to worry. It will be ok. From that moment, I did feel peace and light-hearted again. I felt like smiling and being happy again. I am thankful for that.

Week 8 Weigh in

175 - woohoo! The Wii says I am no longer obese, just overweight. Yay!!

Had a doctor's appt Tues and she said that my calorie levels were right on target and definitely approved of protein shakes, so another yay.

I am actually getting kind of tired (and lazy) about tracking my food - which means my iron, protein and calcium targets have taken a hit. I did not feel like a smoothie yesterday, but I made one anyway. It actually ended up tasting SO yummy I am glad I did it. My favorite milkshake is chocolate with pineapples and bananas so that is the kind of smoothie I made. I threw some strawberries in too and boy was it good!! I finished it off this morning for breakfast. Yum!!

Week 7 Weigh in and other news

My days were off last week so I ended up weighing in on Thurs. Miraculously, I was down to 176.1! This is the first weight loss I've seen in like 4 weeks. I did such a bad job of eating while I was home and there definitely wasn't any exercise so, wow! I did try to get back on the wagon as we returned to routines after the break so perhaps nothing had a chance to stick around. I also am not feeling so bloated these days so that probably helps too.

This morning is a gorgeous one. I love that the sun is starting to rise early again and the song birds greet me through the window. This weekend it was ducks and it is not fun to listen to them quack "mama" over and over again :P It is supposed to get up to the 50s today. Beautiful! This morning the boys and I raced to the bus stop, the two year old neighbor boy and I raced to his car, then I jogged to the mailbox... I was tempted to actually take the dog out for a walk but instead I went to the treadmill and did the 4 mph program. I have had it set on a good incline, but it is too much to run at that steepness, so I ended up lowering it for the second set of 4 mph and slowing down to a walk at 3.5 then bumping it back up for the last 4 mph set. I decided it was better for me to not push myself too much. I stayed on after the program was done and walked another 15 minutes or so while I researched some stuff on the computer.

We were blessed to have been sent Just Dance 1 & 2 so I spent some time with the boys the last several days dancing. Love it!! I found one song that I really enjoy and could do over and over again. I was actually a little sore yesterday morning and I think the dancing is the culprit.

Biscuit Pizza

I had a hankering for pizza today but didn't want to make a big ordeal about it, so I turned to my trusty easy pizza method.

Ingredients

1 can of refrigerated biscuits (I had homestyle on hand)
marinara sauce (or tomato sauce with added pizza seasonings)
cheddar cheese
mozzerella cheese
toppings

Directions:

Place each biscuit next to each other in the middle of a greased cookie sheet. Flatten them out to enlarge the 'crust'. They should be touching. Add a spoonful of sauce to each biscuit, then top with cheese and toppings of your choosing. Cook 10- 12 minutes at 400 degrees.

This makes for a great playgroup snack because the biscuits make a great individual serving. Today's pizza was only 80 calories a serving. Unfortunately I went overboard and ate 6!!

Peanut Butter Choco Crunch Balls

After being on vacation and eating fast food and cookies every day, I came home with a lot of cravings and no desire to return to logging my food. But, considering my body is already showing the consequences of such free eating with no exercise, back on the band wagon I go! I was hungry for something chewy and chocolate yesterday so I did a search through all the food blogs I recently discovered and decided on fitfoodiefinds.com and her array of simple 'healthy' recipes. I would have liked to try her raw brownie chews or her almond joy chews but they require dates and there are none in my cupboard. Instead I ended up making her peanut butter choco crunch balls with a slight variation.



Ingredients:

1 cup corn chex
1/4 c rolled oats
1/4 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. honey
1 TB cocoa powder

I crunched up the corn chex in a bag then mix all the remaining ingredients together. Use a TB or cookie scoop and shape into balls. Makes 10 - 12 balls.

I think the honey is a little overpowering and unfortunately now regular peanut butter is treating me the same as natural peanut butter so though they taste good, I can't handle eating them. Aaron really likes them though and is happy to finish my share! If I were to make them again, I would probably cut the honey back to 2 or 3 TB and the same for the peanut butter. Or add more oats.

Today's Food

 Actually maxed out the iron and leveled out the protein! Amazing. I still have a few calories, but I just don't know how to get the calcium without adding more carbs :/ I could drink a glass of milk but it would look like this:

A big chunk of my iron came from a bowl of shredded wheat. 90 (whatevers) of iron! Wow! I wonder what kind of iron I would get from wheatberries...

My other big nutrient dense meal was an egg omelet: 2 eggs scrambled in milk, topped with spinach, cheese, ham, colored bell peppers and spiced with salt, pepper, and basil (key flavoring). I made it for breakfast and then needed a big chunk of protein and calcium at the end of the day so I made another one. I really need to explore some other options so I can have more variety in my menu.

Food Diary

I tried really hard to meet my nutrient requirements today. It took a lot of extra calories to do it, and though I didn't completely  obtain my goal, I got pretty darn close!! That pesky iron gets me every time :p

Snow Ice Cream

Woke up starving and despite all the effort I put in to figuring out the best nutrient dense breakfast, the first thing I ate today was snow ice cream. I have been anticipating a snow day of this depth since moving here. 4 - 8 inches. LOVE it!! So, I took a bowl and scooped up snow to the top, added 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of milk, a tsp of vanilla and voila!! Vanilla ice cream. There is still plenty of clean snow on the ground, so I may try the other popular recipe floating around:

big bowl of snow (gallon?)
can of sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

The ice cream I made had a good flavor, but it was a little gritty from the sugar granules. I could probably get away with only 3/4 c. of sugar. Topped with cantalope and it was dreamy :)

Now to find something a little more nutritious........

I have changed the nutrients I am tracking to really focus on calcium, protein, iron, and fiber intake. Man those are tough to meet the recommended daily allowance!! I keep going through my recipes trying to find the most bang for my buck and pretty much have decided that without my smoothies full of protein powder and greens, I won't have much luck getting my RDA. To make my life easier, I have put the breakfast/lunch recipes with the highest ratings in these categories here as a quick reference. 

This is a really yummy smoothie but I am all out of mango at this point but I do have cantalope in the fridge so I was curious about the nutrition would be effected with using the cantalope instead of the mango. Interesting that they provide opposite vitamins: mango is calcium & iron while cantalop is protein. If I add a kale leaf to the mix it will up the calcium to 12, protein to 8, iron to 15, and fiber stays at 3.

I think this is the power meal right here! Look at those  numbers! I think it may be worth all those calories:)  

This is a recipe I came across today but haven't made. This is not the end product for nutrition but more like a scenario. I want to cut down on the calories and hadn't decided which sugar would best serve the recipe. My guess is that I can scale back on the coconut or even cut out the sugar since the coconut is already sweetened. Once I've made it I'll have a better idea of what works for flavoring but for now it creates a good picture for the other things I am tracking.

As I look at the various nutritional data for these foods, it is interesting the reaction I get from my mind. Looking at the fact the blueberries have no offering except calories makes me want to choose another fruit. However, I have to remind myself that just because it says 0 across the board for these nutrients, they don't have value. A search on http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/10507/2 tells me that these babies are full of manganese and a good source of fiber - even if MFP doesn't show it. I am reminded that eating a variety of fruits and vegetables is really the best way to go. 

Ricotta Spinach & Tomato Quesadilla

Over at neverhomemaker.com she has a recipe for Lunch "Calzone" For One which is basically a quesadilla with ricotta cheese, greens, and tomatoes. It looked good the other day but I thought I was out of ricotta cheese so didn't make it. Today as I cleaned out the fridge I discovered I did have just a tiny bit left in the bottom of the container at the back of the fridge. Score!

I am a fairly picky tomato eater. As a child I would only eat a fresh tomato in a BLT. At this point in my life I can appreciate a good tasting tomato though I still won't eat the ones that come in a salad unless it is diced and hidden with lettuce and other salad goodies. I tried popping a cherry or grape tomato once just to see if I would like it. Nope. That being said, I was a little hesistant to put fresh tomato inside this 'calzone'. The tomatoes ended up a little cooked and added a great flavor. I ended up really liking this concoction. I used spinach for my greens then added basil, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning as the spices. With it only being 159 calories, I decided to play with the recipe a little bit.

Remember the kale & butternut quesadilla? I have been trying to think of ways to cut down on that 600 calorie beauty and wondered how kale and butternut would taste in this 'calzone'. Turns out is delicious for only 240 calories. YES! So, here is the basic recipe for the final product.

Ingredients

1 flour tortilla
2 TB ricotta cheese
2 kale leaves
1/4 c. diced butternut squash
1/4 c. diced tomatoes
chili powder
pepper
basil
Italian seasoning
garlic powder

Directions

In a saute pan, wilt the kale leaves (Pioneer Woman did it in olive oil. I was using a nonstick pan and didn't even add cooking spray). Remove from heat.

In same pan, saute butternut squash until tender. Add a dash of chili powder for seasoning. Remove from heat when done.

In pan, heat tortilla on both sides til warm, then spread ricotta cheese on the top side. Spread the tomatoes on top of the ricotta cheese. Add pepper, then kale leaves, and finally the squash. Top with the remaining seasonings.

Use a spatula to fold the tortilla in half and create a quesadilla. I like to flip it over on the side that became the top to make sure it is nice and browned and everything is warmed through.

Enjoy!

Week 5 Weigh in

Last Week - 176.8
This Week - 177.5

Definitely headed in the wrong direction. Glad I didn't put any $$ into the pot after all :p I really should start taking measurements today and track that as well because that is where the big changes will show themselves I think. On the flip side, I haven't been doing as much cardio over the last week either as I focused on the exercise videos that are great for strengthening muscles but not so much for calorie usage.

Yesterday I felt like being more productive around the house so I cleaned instead of exercising. I don't know if I had more energy because I didn't spend an hour on the treadmill or because I had a 'to-do' list I was working off of. Perhaps a little bit of both. Today I just want to crawl back in bed and sleep.....

*******

I was just looking through my previous posts and saw the entry from Jan 3rd. It said I would weigh 176.8 in 5 weeks if I continued to maintain that eating habit. What do you know. It was right. Kind of. I have been in that 176 range the last 3 weeks. I've been eating all my calories and here I am. I have had a few over days, but not many in the big picture. At this point the MFP says that I will be around 171-172 in 5 weeks if I continue my eating/exercise habits. So, we will see at the beginning of March what my weight looks like.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal

Aaron's breakfast of preference is oatmeal. This kid should not have any problems with cholesterol. The family we live with every once in awhile would offer to make him oatmeal and add in chocolate chips. Aaron takes after his Gma and LOVES chocolate. The typical bowl of oatmeal I make for Aaron is this:

1/4 - 1/2 c. dry regular or quick oats
double amount of water
craisins
cinnamon
brown sugar to sweeten
milk to cool it down

Well, once he had the chocolate chips, he always wanted them. I usually put enough brown sugar in there that he did not need the extra sugar from the chips. I was playing with cocoa powder in my smoothies at the time and realized that the cocoa powder didn't have any extra sweetener in it, so if he wanted the chocolate flavor, adding the cocoa powder would be a way to do it without adding extra sugar to the mix. He was skeptical at the first introduction, but was soon converted and has requested chocolate oatmeal every day since. Whatever he doesn't finish at breakfast becomes lunch and sometimes a second bowl is requested. I think this is week 3 of this menu.

Gradually I have decreased the sugar amount because I have a hard time believing that chocolate oatmeal for breakfast is a great thing. Matthew made the point that this chocolate oatmeal was like eating a no bake cookie, but as we listed off the ingredients in the cookie, we realized it was missing the peanut butter. Yesterday I decided to make a bowl of chocolate oatmeal for myself but add in peanut butter to see how it would taste. Yep, it's like a no bake cookie for breakfast! YUM!!  With 1/2 c of oatmeal it was a really filling breakfast at only 318 calories without the milk. I really didn't get hungry until the late afternoon where normally I am starving by 11 am. I can easily spend 300 calories on a smoothie and piece of toast and not feel full. This is great for my iron (16) and protein (12) levels too. The only trade-off is the high carbs (and possibly sugars) but I am not worried about that as much as I am about the iron.

So here is my Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal recipe for 318 calories:

1/2 c. rolled oats
1 c. water
2 TB craisins

Cook in microwave for 2 minutes

Add

1 TB brown sugar
1 TB unsweetened cocoa powder
1 TB peanut butter
dash of cinnamon

Mix until well combined. Add milk if desired.

I like the cranberries in it enough that I am thinking that next time I make no bake cookies I might add cranberries to them :)

Homemade No Bake Granola Bars

Someone just posted pics of granola bars they made on Facebook. This is an idea I have toyed with for awhile but never managed to make it to a 'do' stage. Not today. This is the link to the original recipe on Penniesandpancakes.blogpost.com. I think I will probably be spending some more time on her site because this is the kind of thing that is right up my alley!

I made two different versions: Corn chex craisins, & almond granola bar and Spooner crumb craisin granola bar

Here is the ingredient list from the original recipe:

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup honey
2/3 cup packed brown sugar  
1/4 cup peanut butter (crunchy)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
4 cups Quick Oats (not rolled oats)
2 cups crispy rice cereal
3 teaspoons vanilla

My adaptations (I halved the recipe to create the two different versions):

Corn Chex Craisin & Almond Bar

1/4 c. honey
2 T + 1/2 tsp brown sugar
2 T peanut butter (creamy)
2 T unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 C Quick Oats
1 c. corn chex
3 TB craisins
3 TB whole almonds (next time would probably chop them)

Spooner Crumb Craisin Bars


1/4 c. honey
2 T + 1/2 tsp brown sugar
2 T peanut butter (creamy)
2 T unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 C Quick Oats
1 C frosted mini spooner crumbs (you know, all the crushed spooners at the bottom of the bag)
3 TB craisins

Evaluation:

Both were very good, but the spooners were way sweet!! but I liked the consistency of them. I think if I were to use the crumbs again I would probably just put in a TB of brown sugar or leave it out completely. I would like to add other things to them as well, but the calorie content is already pretty high. I cut the corn chex version into 9 bars and they were 183 calories! I made the spooner bars smaller and came out with 16, but it is still 92 calories a bar. 

Sludge Smoothie -Mango, Banana, Blueberry & Spinach Smoothie

Sludge Smoothie. Doesn't that just sound so appetizing? But that is the kind of look a smoothie takes on when you add berries to a green mix. Thankfully I can look past the color though and just enjoy the taste. I picked up a bunch of mangoes last week and discovered a great smoothie combo to use them up.

1/2 c milk
1 TB protein powder
spinach (I used at least 1 cup's worth)
1 mango
1/2 frozen banana
1/2 - 1 c frozen blueberries

Yum.

NY Ballet today

Yesterday I did the Strong Knees video again and today did the New York Ballet. It was fairly easy to follow and has some great potential. I don't know how many calories I burned doing it, but I can see how it would tone my muscles even if I don't burn a lot of calories. Interestingly, many of the exercises in Strong Knees are also ones used in the ballet video.

I subscribed to the GAMES txts for Redbox therefore get a free game rental once a month. Twice now I've gotten a Just Dance game. The first one I did by myself and the boys watched. This time though, I had a 'date' night with Jared and made him dance with me. In just a few songs he was hooked! Then Aaron got home and he was hooked too. It was so fun watching them dance! It is good to know that it would be a game they would enjoy and choose to play. I think it helped that One Direction's song What Makes You Beautiful is on it. The boys (especially Aaron) LOVE that song and are familiar with the video. Aaron played the song over and over. He was getting pretty good at it by the time I had to return it. Generously, a friend from high school has offered to send me her game because she doesn't care for the Wii version. So excited about that!! I could spend hours playing it (and I KNOW it burns a lot of calories ;))

I had lunch today with a new friend. I had a grilled chicken avacado sandwich. It was really good, but I probably shouldn't have eaten the fries because based on the closest option available on MFP, I ate over 1000 calories in that meal. ouch. I should walk on the treadmill and burn some more, but once Aaron is home that isn't an option. I have a small offering of calories left for the day. boo.

Homemade Quinoa Bread

Quinoa Bread courtesy of neverhomemaker.com

I love that you can actually see the quinoa!

I have been trying to get back in the habit of making bread as opposed to buying it. This recipe was one of the ones I found while looking for dinner ideas the other night. I happened to buy a bag of quinoa in the last few weeks, made a recipe with it and decided it would be really hard to use it all up. I think I have found the perfect use of it and may even need to buy more!!! (Though we will see how that holds up after everyone reports back from lunch today).

The recipe is really easy and seems to be pretty forgiving. Here is side by side of what I did vs the recipe:

What you'll need . . . 

• 1 cup raw quinoa (we used red quinoa, but any kind will do) (I used white)
• 2 cups of water
• 1/2 cup raw walnuts, chopped (I used 1/4 c chopped pecans but you could probably leave them out)
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast (used instant yeast)
• 3/4 cup water, wrist temperature
• 1/3 cup agave nectar (again, we used Xagave) (1/2 c. honey + 1/8 tsp baking soda)
• 1/4 cup sunflower oil (or canola)
• 2 tablespoons flax meal (didn't have any so left it out)
• 3 tablespoons grainy mustard (ommitted)
• 2 cups unbleached white bread flour (used regular all purpose flour)
• 1 cup whole wheat bread flour (used white whole wheat flour)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

I think she only made one loaf from her dough, but I divided mine into two which made the final product only 93 calories a slice (19 slices in a loaf). I loved the pop of the quinoa when I tested the dough. I like that the quinoa adds most of the grain for the bread so it doesn't require as much flour either. I probably would have used more nuts if I actually had walnuts instead of pecans, and the flax would have really boosted the nutty texture too. It is really good as a toast!! For some reason all last night it was calling to me as a peanut butter sandwich (probably because I've been reading up on making my own nut butters too) so I finally got one for lunch today. Yep, it works!! I think I prefer it as toast with butter and honey though.

Taste test: jam or honey. Jam won this time.

I did find with the honey substitute it browns really quickly in the oven. She says to cover it with foil to continue the baking without the browning but even then it still got really brown on top. I wasn't sure if it was really done or not when I took it out, and there aren't any dough spots in the middle, but it is a really moist bread (which is probably why I prefer it as toast). 

Banana Bread Minute Muffin

Banana Bread Minute Muffin from fitfoodiefind.com

Ingredients:

quick oats
mashed banana
egg white
choc chips or other add-ins

Mix in mug and bake in microwave for 1 min 30 sec.

She claims it tastes like banana bread, but I think the real thing is better. However, for someone who is gluten free it probably will satisfy the craving. I added mini-chocolate chips. In her picture there is more yellow so I am thinking she used the whole egg and not just the white. With the chocolate it is over 200 calories, but it makes for a nice quick snack.

Pumpkin Smoothie

Pumpkin Smoothie from edibleperspective.com

While scouring for dinner recipes last night I ended up on a few different sites that have me in the kitchen experimenting today. This smoothie is one of them. It is pretty good though Aaron didn't care for it. I think it is actually the protein powder he doesn't like because it has an almost bitter taste to it though I try to mask it. The banana adds a nice sweet flavor.  I did not add any spinach though I probably could have and been fine with the taste. After 2 servings (8 oz each)  and a banana minute muffin, I am feeling rather full though I will probably finish it off.

Weigh in Week 4

Last week - 176.4
Today - 176.8

Well, it isn't heading in the right direction but it is close to maintaining. Water weight. Gotta love it.

I have my videos and am excited about them! Yesterday I did Strong Knees. Oh MAN!!! The exercises are so simple, but boy do they work those muscles. The premise is that you have to strengthen the leg muscles that support the knees so there is a segment for each muscle group. Good stuff.

Relief Society put on a healthy workshop last night and had a zumba class, strength training, healthy snacks, and green smoothie segments. More good stuff. I enjoyed the zumba. It was a little tricky to keep up, but it was fun. I liked being able to try some varieties of smoothies too. I can't wait for the email that has all the recipes!! Strength training.. well, I need to do a lot more of that!

Videos

I've been on Amazon looking at exercise videos and decided to see what videos our library carries. Unfortunately they do not have many of the ones that I do like, but I discovered some I am anxious to try. Two of them are meant to strengthen/rehabilitate the knees and two are ballet videos. One of the videos I really like doing before had a lot of ballet moves in it and I loved that! So, I am anxious for them to come in so I can try them out!

Here they are on Amazon:

Strong Knees
Quickfix Rx: Kneehab for Knee Health with Jill Miller
The Ballet Workout Shaping & Toning
New York City Ballet Workout 1 & 2

Easy Hamburger Soup & Herb Quick Bread update

It has been so cold here the last few days I wanted soup for dinner. For some reason a barley soup was calling me. I remembered I had a recipe on the blog so that is what I went with: Easy Hamburger Soup. Man it is so good! Last time I had made it with turkey because that was what I had but wished I'd had beef. This time I had the beef. Even Aaron said he liked the meat (which is saying quite a lot). He probably would have finished the entire thing if we weren't pressed for time. I didn't have celery but it didn't need it. I added a kale leaf too. I probably should have added more though. So delicious!!

This is a great soup for a bread. I went with my Herb Quick Bread but wanted something cheesy too so I just added a cup of cheese to the dry mix. Since I have been more calorie conscious I used 1 3/4 c whole wheat flour and 1 1/4 c all purpose flour instead of 3 c. all purpose flour. And like last time, I subbed Italian seasoning and basil for the caraway seeds.

Today I had them for lunch - even better the next day. I decided I actually prefer crackers to the bread in my soup, but the bread is really good with cream cheese on it! (Thanks to Aaron for discovering that tidbit!)

Homemade Poptarts

Raspberry Pie Tart Pops aka Homemade Poptarts

The recipe calls for a pie sheet, but I decided to try it with a can of crescent rolls. Next time I will use the pie crust sheet. Notice that each 'square' is cut in half. One side will have the jelly and the other will be the top.

Each tart got 1/2 tsp of jelly. We decided to try two different flavors: strawberry and black raspberry. The top left one has already been folded over.

Seal each tart with a fork.

Time to put it in the oven! 

Baked at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

The recipe tells you how to add frosting, but we decided to just do sprinkles. We added butter first so the sprinkles would have something to stick to.

Time for taste testing!

Not quite a thumbs up or thumbs down. The crescent rolls were not the right flavor for a pop tart. It is almost like it is too savory or thick. But the concept works and is a great one. Calorie wise I think the pie sheet would be better too.

Green Onions

I have known for awhile that you can re-grow green onions from their bulb. I finally decided to do it though after going through a lot of bunches in a row. It makes me so happy to see such greenery :)

A tip for doing this yourself:

You can cut all the way to the white and have a short piece to start with, but make sure that it does not get submersed in the water or it will get water logged and rot. This is a huge deal! You can see my little nub there on the bottom right of the jar. It was regrowing but it ended up in the water at one point and then it rotted.

10 days growth - ready for some trimming!

Butternut Squash and Kale Rice dish

Butternut Squash and Kale Rice Dish

based off of The Pioneer Woman's Butternut Squash and Kale Quesadillas

1 cup diced butternut squash

1 cup kale leaves

1 cup cooked rice (brown or white)

chili powder

cinnamon

nutmeg

salt/pepper

olive oil

I sauted the butternut squash until warm and a little tender and added cinn & chili power and set aside. 

Heat olive oil and do the kale. Set aside

Heat rice and add more cinn & nutmeg. Add the squash and kale back in and mix together until warmed through.

For more details about preparing the squash and kale, see the link above for the quesadillas. She does a great job showing how to do it (including a tutorial about cutting up the butternut squash).

Mom's Egg Nog

 

This year was my first Christmas away from home which meant I had to carry on the food traditions without Mom's help. Thankfully, Matthew and I have hosted Christmas breakfast on occasion so I have had Mom's guidance while making the egg nog before. I wasn't sure how it would turn out with just a basic recipe and my memory. I think it turned out really well - and the thickest egg nog ever!! It was so thick! Sometimes I would add milk to my cup to thin it out and it tasted very similar to the store bought which surprised me.

Here is the basic recipe:

Egg nog recipe:
 
18 eggs
1 qt cream
1 cup sugar
nutmeg
 
 
 Separate eggs, beat yolks very well. Add sugar. Add nutmeg and cream (whip  the cream first). Add beaten egg whites. (egg whites must be beaten very well, like you were making meringue)
 
 Make the sure the beaters are cleaned after beating the yolks.

Some tips - Mom adds sugar at every step so that 1 cup sugar isn't really accurate. I beat the yolks until they were almost white. The egg whites should peak like meringue, and the cream was beat really well too. 

More Birds

I made these birds for my brother's family for Christmas. Each one is certainly unique in the way it comes out. I like them though. My aunt made us a stuffed animal every year for Christmas. I could see me getting into that - though she had a lot fewer nieces and nephews than I do to worry about.

Lost it

I decided to just walk on the treadmill with a real good incline. The power went out suddenly and I have no idea how long I'd been walking at that point or what the calories were looking like. I walked an additional 20 minutes and burned 128. I was keeping close eye on it and at the 15 min mark I had burned 100. From that point on I was in a cool down and walked from 2.5 to 2.0 and burned an additional 28. I guessed at about 260.  I know I had walked at least 30 minutes before. Actually, my calories may have been over 300.... but I have no way of knowing for sure :( wah!! I thought about walking up to the 30 minutes mark to see what it would look like but I am tired now!! This was a good workout!!

Zucchini Oven Fries

Zucchini Oven Fries

Turned out really well (man it is nice to have an oven that works). Love the flavor!

Pumpkin Lasagna

Pumpkin Lasagna

Though I found this a little dry, it did have a great flavor and everyone liked it.

Check in

Last week - 176.8
This week - 176.4

Not a big drop, but I have been a lot more liberal with my food intake - eating all the calories I'm given, whereas before I would leave a good amount. Plus I think there is always a bigger drop in the beginning as your body gets shocked into functioning on a higher level and then tapers off as it gets used to the new routine. And then there's the whole issue of womanhood. So, we'll see what happens next week. This is a drop in the bucket compared to the overall picture.

Yesterday I wanted to do a quick workout but up the anti a bit so I did the 4 mph treadmill program (which means 6 minutes of solid 4 mph) on an incline. I was curious whether the treadmill would take the incline into account and apparently it did because the last time I did the program I burned 144 calories and this time I burned 168. It was harder too. The 6 minutes seemed to take forever because there was no 'set' for me to look forward to or break until the end. I learned a long time ago when I was using the treadmill regularly that every once in awhile it is good to do the slow program to work on endurance as opposed to speed.

Today I am supposed to meet a lady in the ward for breakfast at 9:30- one of the plans that got scrapped while we were sick - so I didn't have a lot of time to workout but I knew I needed something to help counter all the calories that will be consumed this morning. My knees have been bothering me too and I know that it really isn't good to run every day. My body needs a break in between. I didn't have time for CardioX so I opted for Chicken Fat (a kid's exercise video) that is basically calisthenics and runs for about 15 minutes total. I finished, jumped in the shower, checked  my messages and have been delayed 30 minutes. So, I hopped on an inclined treadmill and checking in. Love that I can walk and do computer at the same time :)

Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Shake

Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Shake from skinnytaste.com

Made this for breakfast today. She says to add ice, but I actually preferred it without - especially considering it is cold in the house. I loved the thick texture before it got runny from the ice too. Maybe if I hadn't added as much ice or blended it too much it would have been better.

This is a good source of iron and protein too. Win!

Per serving:

Calories 105
Carbs 22
Fat 1
Protein 4
Iron 4
Fiber 3

Weekend Recap

Despite the school holiday, I got up with Matthew at 6:30 and decided to keep up my routine. It is just barely 8 am and I'm on the treamill. LOVE this!

Friday I decided to take the plunge and do CardioX. Man that is such a good workout!! I felt so energized afterward and productive. I didn't want to sit down. I was certainly feeling it by the end of the day and Saturday my back was really sore - probably from the yoga and a few of the other exercises. I would have done it again today but I didn't feel like emptying the bedroom for the floor space. Instead, I opted for a 'quick' run on the treadmill but a stretch of my abilities: I did the 6 mph 20 min program.

This program is nice in that it bumps you up from 4.0 to 6 mph in .5 mph one minute increments and then after the 6.0 you drop to 3.0. whew. I talked myself through the last 30 seconds but I did it. I am amazed that I was able to manage the 6.0 easily when I was doing my 5K on the treadmill. I really was stronger when running outside even if I ran slower. Oh well. I am ok with doing the treadmill at this point. Balance....

I weighed myself on the Wii this morning and am only down .4 pounds = 176.4. I don't think I will see much of a weight drop on Wed but as long as it is still going down, that is progress. Considering  how many days I have eaten over my calories it is not a surprise but man I have been craving the carbs!!

Maxed out!!

Look at that!!! I zeroed out the fact and maxed out the iron!! Considering we had Papa John's for dinner, I think this is an amazing turnout. Half of those 114 calories over were from a honey tea I had before bed as a pseudo experiment on the benefits of honey and cinnamon. The 'tea' is basically a spoonful of honey in hot water with cinnamon sprinkled in. The other half was finishing off the last little bit of Aaron's pizza and Jared's crusts. It was a very satisfying day food wise. I love all the extra calories I get from doing the 5 mph program. I really want to try to start incorporating CardioX. I need the cross training. I also really like walking while I do my computer time though. Balance.

Back in the Saddle!!

Woohoo!!! The house is empty once again! YAY!! In celebration I just completed the 5 mph program on the treadmill and burned 266 calories (my breakfast essentially). Now I am working on lunch by walking at a slower pace while typing. Love this!

I came to a realization recently that has greatly lifted a burden of guilt. Remember how excited the dog would get when it was time to go for a walk? He would bark and yip and jump. Today he did that at the prospect of going down to the basement with me to use the treadmill. I recently realized that he is just happy that he gets to be in the same room with me. As I spiraled in a funk *depression* over the last few months, I tucked myself into my room and didn't come out, cutting myself off from him and all other civilization. I think the dog is happy to have me back in whatever form he can get. And this knowledge puts my heart at ease.

Gingered Carrots

Gingered Carrots
adapted from Orange Gingered Carrots

Ingredients:

4-6 large carrots sliced into discs
2 TB butter
1/4 tsp ground ginger

Directions:

Steam carrots until tender. Mix in butter and allow to melt. Add ginger, mix, and serve.

Shasta's Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

Slow cooker honey sesame chicken. 

Ingredients: 

4 boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs all fat removed. 
Salt and pepper, 
1 cup honey, 
1/2 cup soy sauce, 
1/2 cup diced white onion ( white for heat yellow for sweet or mild), 
1/4 cup ketchup, 
2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil, 
2 cloves fresh minced garlic or more, 
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes ( just adds flavor doesn't really add heat but is optional), 
4 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 6 tablespoons water, 
sesame seeds for garnish. 

Instructions: 

Season both sides of Chicken with salt and pepper and set aside. In a large bowl combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Cut Chicken into chunks add to bowl and stir. 

Cook on low for 3 hours or high for 1 and a half or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from crock pot but leave the sauce.

Dissolve the 4 teaspoons of cornstarch and 6 tblspn of water and pour them into the crock pot. Stir to combine with remaining sauce. Replace lid and cook sauce on high for 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Sprinkle chicken with sesame seeds and serve over rice or noodles with sauce.

*************************
Now that I've had the final product, let me say that this was REALLY good - especially over brown rice with gingered carrots mixed in. 

That being said, some commentary on the recipe: I have one of those crockpots with a timer, so I set mine on high for 4 hours then took the chicken out. My chicken had been frozen when I put it in, so maybe this made a difference in the end. It took almost the full 4 hours to cook. About 20 minutes before the end I took the chicken out and added the cornstarch. The sauce never thickened. I think if I were to make it again I would just add the cornstarch in the beginning. I was unable to sprinkle the sesame seeds on the chicken either, so I just sprinkled them into the sauce when I put the chicken back in the pot to serve. 

Weigh in Week 2

Starting Weight - 184
Week 1 - 179.7
Today - 176.8

Woohoo! I am not convinced this is a healthy weight loss, but I imagine that such a dramatic change in diet and activity level makes it legit. I hope I can maintain my consistency.

The flu or whatever it is has made its rounds through the family. Jared stayed home Wed - Fri of last week and Aaron got sent home Monday. He was fever free this morning so I am crossing my fingers he'll be back in school tomorrow. We have had all kinds of fun in the kitchen, but I am missing my mornings on the treadmill. I haven't decided if it is my addiction to the computer or the alone time I need. A little of both, I am sure.

I have not been quite as vigilant about my food intake in that I am not measuring everything nor actively seeking the best food. After my meals last week with lots of squash, kale, and spinach I discovered that though a great diet high in iron, it makes my guts happy and want everyone to know it. Stink! I know I can not maintain such extreme vigilance long-term so it is probably good that I work on some balance.

I do love that kale - butternut squash quesadilla though so I have been trying to tweak so it won't cost 600 calories. Yesterday I made put the kale & squash together like I would for the quesadilla but then mixed it with rice, cilantro and cinnamon. Really enjoyed it but wasn't filling :/

I need my treadmill program so I can do some major calorie burning! or Just Dance on the Wii. I had a free redbox game rental last week. Sadly the day after I checked it out I was sick in bed. I kept it one more day so I could have a chance to play. I was on it for almost 2 hours and would have kept going but it needed turned in. I think I would play it if I actually owned it unlike the DDR. Either way, I've got to move it, move it!

Baked Chocolate Donuts

There is a Dunkin Donuts the boys pass every day to and from school. For weeks Aaron has said that his after-school bus driver was going to take them to DD one day. We all know that isn't going to happen and even Aaron knows now too. Today he requested DD once again so I decided to try and make some instead.

Growing up we fried the canned biscuits to make donuts. I don't have any on hand and I really don't feel like having a huge pot of oil sitting around for one whimsical experiment. But as I searched for recipes I discovered baked donuts. I debated between Baked Vanilla Donuts and Triple Chocolate Whole Grain Baked donuts. I gave Aaron the choice and of course he wanted chocolate! (He is related to his gma for sure!) I decided the recipes were similar enough that I used the vanilla recipe but added 3 TB of cocoa powder to the mix and 2 TB of mint & dark chocolate chips. I don't have a donut pan so just spooned them into a muffin pan using an ice cream scoop. It made 8 'donuts' - 4 with mint & chips and 4 just batter. I don't think I will frost them. They smell delicious!

Aaron waiting for donuts to cool

Aaron approved!!