What I Ate Wednesday #4

Oh what a weekend! Monday came way to fast. I had kickboxing again on Monday after a long night of a crying little girl. She has an ear infection so she spent the majority of the night crying and in pain. But Monday had to come and the kids have to go to school and I have to work! So why not eat well and make the best of it!

Pre Workout

A Chocolate Protein shake

Post Workout

A coffee, a rice cake with fat free cottage cheese, blueberries and baked eggs from The Eat Clean Diet Cookbook 2. These eggs were so good!

 

 Lunch 

A blood orange and Quinoa with Sausage and Peppers from The Eat Clean diet 2 . The quinoa wasn`t bad, I probably won`t make it again but I`ll finish what I prepared for the week

 

I had a coffee in between lunch and dinner, I love coffee!!

Dinner

A big bowl of beef pho with shallots and hot sauce and a Pepsi

I was so full I didn`t have room for a night snack.

A special thanks to Peas and Crayons for hosting another What I Ate Wednesday, you should check it out to see what everyone else is eating!

Sunday Prep #3

I didn't have much to prepare this week which is just fine with me!  My daughter was sick with a high fever and body aches on Friday so I didn't get much rest and then on Saturday I had a work party to go to, so I'm pretty tired today. I have a lot of foods left over from the past couple of weeks so I only had to prepare one thing for lunch. I made Spinach and Peppers Quinoa from the Eat Clean Diet Cookbook 2 for my lunch. I hope this tastes as great as it smells! I am also going to make the Baked Eggs recipe for my breakfast. That is one that I have to cook the day of. I made smoothies for the kids lunch this weekend as well. My kids have 2 nutrition breaks at school so by the 2nd nutrition break the smoothie is thawed out for them to drink. Here's my meals!

This smoothie was just peach and clementine juice blended with frozen strawberries.

 

Here's the Sausage and Pepper Quinoa!

I boiled some eggs for my snacks this week as well.

Since I don't have much to show for my Sunday prep I thought I would include my dinner plan for the week

Sunday: Pho

Monday: Pho

Tuesday: Crockpot Roast Beef with sauteed mushrooms, roasted sweet potato and spinach salad

Wednesday: Argentine Cowboy Steak with sauteed onion, grilled tomato and chimichurri from The Eat Clean Diet Cookbook 2

Thursday: not sure yet, the kids decide Thursday's supper each week

Friday: Turkey Burgers with Oven Fries

I am going to try to get better pictures of the pho tomorrow to replace the old ones!

Pinterest Obsession!

I am seriously obsessed with Pinterest. I am on that website every chance I get. I just can't get enough. I was off of work for a week and a half in November recovering from surgery. The kids were in school and I was home alone. What did I do? I spent at least half the day on Pinterest. I am not a crafty person, I spent hours dreaming up ways to make my home more organized and crafty. Then I went back to work, and didn't do anything. I love tattoos, if I had lots of money I would have lots of tattoos! There are so many tattoos on that website, every time I'm on there I get the tattoo itch! Another thing Pinterest is great for is recipes. You can find so much on there that I probably would have never found on the internet. I have a board set up for Pinterest recipes I have tried that I loved here they are

No Bake Energy Bites

Eggnog French Toast

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Pork Tenderloin with Pan Sauce

Pineapple Cake

Strawberry Sauce

Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

Cold Green Tea with Citrus

Spaghetti with garlic, olive oil, and chili flakes

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread 

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing

Best Fajita Marinade

Shrimp with Garlic and Parsley

Greek Style Potatoes

Peanut Butter Granola

Banana Oat Pancakes

Houdini Bars

Turkey Brine

Apple and Cream Cheese Dessert

Cranberry Sauce

Apple Cider Turkey Breast

Sausage and Potatoes

Remember to click the Follow Me on Pinterest button on the side of my page!

What I ate Wednesday #3

This month I have been doing kickboxing on Monday mornings. It is so early on the morning for me but I have my workout done and I have so much energy during the day. I really enjoy it. I did all of my food prep on the weekend so it made packing my lunches easier and eating in the morning so much quicker. Here's what I ate   Pre Workout I had a chocolate protein shake, I used milk in it today to add a bit of thickness, right now I'm using BioX Performance Whey Protein   Post Workout Breakfast

 

Congee with Poached Egg

Chicken Stock

2 chicken carcasses

1 piece ginger,4-5 inches long, sliced in half 

10 cups of water

Congee

10 cups chicken stock

2 cups of long grain rice

 

Poached Egg

1 egg

1 tsp vinegar

1.5 cups of water

salt and pepper to taste

In a slow cooker add all the ingredients for the stock. Cook on high for at least 7 hours.

Strain the stock into a pot. Discard the bones and ginger. Add the rice to the pot. I had planned to use brown rice but only had 1 cup so I used 1 cup of brown, 1 cup of jasmine. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once it boils turn the stove down to medium high for about 15 minutes. Stir every couple of minutes. It will be thicker at this point. Turn it down to low for about 3-4 minutes. Stir constantly. It should be the consistency of oatmeal.Take off the heat.

Boil a pot of water and vinegar over medium high heat. Break an egg into a bowl. Very carefully place the egg into the pot. Slowly swirl the water. Poach the egg for 3-5 minutes. Take out with slotted spoon. Place on top on the congee. Season with salt and pepper.

Lunch

 

I had a turkey patty with 1/2 cup brown rice, 1/2 avocado, and 1 tbsp salsa.

Snack

Snack was 4 sliced strawberries and the no bake energy ball that's in my lunch container.

Dinner

 

Roasted Duck Soup

Snack

1 rice cake with 1/2 tbsp peanut butter and cinnamon and 1 apple with peanut butter yogurt fruit dip

Thanks to Peas and Crayons for hosting WIAW again!

Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin with Brown Rice and Sauteed Zucchini

 

This is one of my go to dinners. This is the first time I have made this with pork tenderloin. I've made it with chicken before and its good, but, on pork ribs, amazing. I wanted pork but not all the fat from the ribs. The tenderloin was a great substitute. It was still really yummy. This recipe originally came from my Nan who gave it to my mom and then to me. I changed up the amount of ingredients used a bit to suit my tastes. I'm sure this is something that could be easily made in the slow cooker as well.

Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin

Makes 6 Servings

2 cups of hot water from the tap or boiled, whichever you prefer

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 tbsp cornstarch

1 cup ketchup

1/3 cup vinegar

1 tbsp mustard

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp BBQ sauce, your choice of flavour

2 lbs pork tenderloin

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Mix the first 3 ingredients in a baking dish until dissolved. Then add the rest of the ingredients except for the pork tenderloin. Mix well. Add the pork tenderloin. Cover. Bake for  1.5 hours. When I cook ribs I bake it for 2-3 hours, depending on the thickness of the ribs. Take out the tenderloin, and place it on a cutting board. Thinly slice the tenderloin and place it back in the sauce. Serve the tenderloin with the sauce over top.

Sauteed Zucchini

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

4 zucchini, sliced in half, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 tsp Mrs Dash southwest chipotle seasoning

1 tsp Mrs Dash original blend

1 tsp light soy sauce

Place the first 4 ingredients in a pan over medium high heat for 4 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add in the light soy sauce, mix, cook for another 2 minutes.

Roasted Duck Soup

I love soup. I could eat it everyday. Today's weather calls for a hot bowl of soup. Roasted duck soup is so yummy. The Asian market that I shop at has roasted duck already prepared to buy so that's where I get it. I don't think I would know where to start when roasting a duck.When I make soup I make it in my big stock pot and we eat it for 2 days. This recipe should make 10-12 servings. Use 1 pack of roasted duck and 1 pack of noodles per day if eating it like I do or if you only need 5-6 servings. My kids don't like roasted duck so I bought them some BBQ pork, I put a little bit in mine, I can't resist BBQ Pork. One of my boys does not like won ton noodles, I use ramen noodles for him. If you serve each person a bundle of noodles you will need 2.5 packs of won ton noodles.

Roasted Duck Soup 

3 lbs of pork bones

bones from 1 chicken
1 dried squid, roasted

10 quarts of water

1 onion

1 5-6 inch piece of ginger, sliced in half

 6 tbsp fish sauce

6 tsp light soy sauce

8 tsp sugar

2 tsp 5 spice powder

6 green onion, slice thin

1 cup cilantro chopped

bag of baby bok choy 20-30 per bag, ends cut off and washed,
2 Chinese roasted ducks, store bought, cut into pieces, skin on
2 packages of wonton noodle, 400 grams each
2 limes, cut into 6 pieces each* optional

Sriracha * optional

Hoisin sauce * optional

Place all the bones into a pot that holds at least 12 quarts of water. Put enough water in the pot to cover the bones. Put on high heat. Bring to a boil. Boil for 3- 5 minutes.

 

You don't want all of the scum in the above picture in your soup!

While the bones are boiling, roast your dried squid. Place it in a dry pan over medium heat until fragrant, flip over and do the same to the other side.

When the bones are boiled dump the bones and water into the sink. Rinse the pot out and rinse the scum off the bones. Put the bones back in the pot with 10 quarts of water and the dried squid. Put it back on the stove over high heat.

Skin the onion and cut in half. Turn another burner on high, put the ginger and onion directly on the burner. Let the ginger and onion burn until black, turn over and repeat.

 Rinse them off with water and add to the pot. Put the fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and 5 spice powder into the pot. Bring the water to a boil. Turn down the heat to low, cover and cook for at least 6 hours, I like to cook it overnight. When it's done, boil water in another medium sized pot. Cook noodles according to package. Divide into bowls. Put the cut pieces of roasted duck in the bowl, the broth will warm it up, a handful of green onion, baby bok choy and cilantro in each bowl as well. Pour the broth over top. Garnish with Sriracha, Hoisin sauce, a squeeze of lime.

 

You can strain the broth into a separate pot and discard the bones and squid if you like. I eat the soup for two days, so I like to leave everything in the pot and let it sit in the fridge overnight. I find it has a better taste the next day. When I reheat it the next day I heat it up with the bones. If you freeze the broth for another use, discard the bones and squid.

If you are making smaller portions decrease the amount of everything used except for the amount of ginger and onion you burn. Use one 5-6 inch piece of ginger and 1 whole onion.

Sunday Food Prep #2

Another week has gone  by and that means it is time to cook again for the week. Oh man this week went by so fast. I still have no bake energy balls left and the chocolate protein pancakes left in the freezer, so I'll probably eat those at times this week. This Sunday I made turkey patties, brown rice, congee, and tuna oat patties.First up is the turkey patties

 

Ground Turkey Patties

1 lb extra lean ground turkey

2 eggs

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tbsp garlic powder

1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Place all ingrediants in a bowl. Let it sit to marinate for a few hours. Heat a pan on medium heat. Use cooking spray if your pan is not non stick. Form patties from 1/4 cup of the mixture. The mixture is very wet and sticky, flatten out to about the size of a burger. Cook 4-5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the patty. Makes 7 patties. I am going to eat these for lunch with some brown rice, avacado and salsa. You could add finely chopped veggies to the patties as well.

Congee

 

Congee is rice that is cooked in a large amount of liquid. The consistency is kind of like oatmeal when it's done. I'm going to eat this for breakfest with a poached egg and lots of pepper and maybe some soy sauce. The recipe will be posted in a few days.

Brown Rice

 

Tuna Oat Patties

 

I got this recipe from The Bodybuilding.com Guide To Your Best Body. I have never tried them before, hopefully they are good. I'm going to eat them for lunch, I'm not sure if I'm going to eat them on their own yet or with something else.

Asian Beef Short Ribs

My oldest son has been asking for these for the past 2 weeks. All of the kids love them and so does anybody else who tries them. The beef is so sweet and smoky. We eat these ribs alot in the summer. When we take our small portable charcoal BBQ with us to the beach in the summer, these ribs are usually what we make. Most of the time we eat them with sticky rice. I steam the rice then wrap it in tin foil, it stays warm for hours. Tonight we had jasmine rice, garden salad and miso soup on the side. Enjoy the ribs!

Asian Short Ribs

2-3 lbs thinly sliced beef short ribs

2 shallots, minced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup oyster sauce

2 tbsp sugar

Place the ribs in a large bowl or large freezer bag. Mix the last four ingredients in a separate bowl. Once mixed pour the marinade over the ribs. Toss the ribs in the marinade, you want the marinade to be equally distributed. Marinate overnight. Heat up the BBQ (we use charcoal). Grill ribs for 5-10 minutes per side, depending on the thickness. You want some of the fat to be burnt off.

Grilled Porkchops with Sweet and Salty Marinade

There are two marinades I use when I make pork chops. This is one of them. It is simple but adds a lot of flavour.We always grill with our charcoal BBQ unless we are grilling something simple and don't have a lot of time for pre heating, then we use propane. Grilling on a propane BBQ just cannot compete against a charcoal BBQ in my opinion. There is so much more flavour in the food when you use charcoal. Anyways, I made slow roasted tomatoes, french baguette with garlic and Romano dip, leftover coleslaw and baked garlic rice pilaf with these pork chops. I made the tomatoes exactly as the recipe says. I used brown rice for the rice and it didn't change up the flavour of the rice much. I love this rice, it is so good.

Grilled Pork chops with Sweet and Salty Marinade

2 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp sugar

2 garlic cloves, minced

6-10 porkchops

Combine all the ingredients in a freezer bag. Let pork marinate overnight. Cook however you want. I grilled them.

What I Ate Wednesday #2

Tuesday was another workout day. I managed to run for a total of 30 minutes and walk for 30 minutes, not bad, I was happy with that. I planned out my meals for the week and cooked my food for breakfast, lunch and snacks on Sunday. It has made the week so much easier. I haven't dreaded making my lunches, all I have to do is put the food in the container.

Here's what I had

Breakfast (Pre Workout)
I had 2 hard-boiled eggs with salt and pepper, 1 Cara Cara orange and 1.5 oz of lean cooked ham with some ketchup. Oh I also had a coffee with 1 cream and 1 sugar

 

Snack (Post Workout)

I had a chocolate protein shake

Lunch

Vietnamese Chicken Salad with a 100 g container of PC Creamy Vanilla Yogurt(I didn't take a picture of the yogurt)

 

Snack

One No Bake Energy Ball, I didn't take a picture today, and a coffee with 1 cream, 1 sugar

Supper

2 Sweet and Spicy Salmon Kabobs and Roasted Potatoes. The potatoes were roasted in low sodium chicken broth and Cajun seasoning. I had a diet Schweppes ginger ale. After supper I had a coffee with 1 cream 1 sugar.

 

Snack

1 regular rice cake with natural peanut butter and a small granny smith apple with natural peanut butter, both were sprinkled with cinnamon

 

This might seem like alot of food but all the portions are one serving size. It is important to eat enough calories to fuel your body and to eat often. Eating frequently keeps your metabolism going. I did drink more coffee than usual which probably isn't good. I increased my water intake today, yay me! I love to eat junk food so I try to to eat healthy day by day, one step at a time, one meal at a time.If you want to see more of what others are eating check out Peas and Crayons, What I Ate Wednesday is hosted by them!

Double Chocolate Butterscotch Toffee Coconut Cookies

Whew...what a long name. But that`s what`s in these cookies. And they are good. I love the flavour of butterscotch in cookies, they are one of my favourite cookies. These cookies are by no means healthy. I don`t even want to try to make them healthy. All things in moderation. The kids loved them. One of them even called them the ``best``cookies ever. Until I make another kind of cookie anyways. Enough talk about the cookies, here`s the recipe.

Double Chocolate Butterscotch Toffee Coconut Cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

2 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup white chocolate chips

1/4 cup milk chocolate chips

1/4 cup of butterscotch chips

1/3 cup of toffee chips 

2 tbsp unsweetened medium flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream the butter and sugars together in a large bowl. Mix in the egg and vanilla. In a smaller bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet. Mix just until incorporated. Pour in the chocolate, butterscotch, toffee and coconut. Mix just until blended. Use a tbsp measure to scoop out the dough. Drop dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Make sure to leave an inch in between. Bake for about 10 minutes. Let cool. Keep inside a container. Makes about 30 cookies.

Picky Palate Breakfast

A couple of weeks ago I borrowed the book, The Picky Palate Cookbook, from the library. I always get cookbooks from the library before buying them. Some books I find I don't really care for or there are only a couple of recipes I'm interested in, so I borrow first. If there is a lot of recipes that I like then I'll buy the book. The Picky Palate Cookbook has a lot of recipes that I like. They all seem simple enough to make and there are a lot of recipes that are quick enough for me to make during the week. I even think there are some recipes in there that the kids will like. I definitely have to buy this book. My oldest was gone for a sleepover so I decided to try something a little different from the normal bacon and eggs for breakfast. I made One Bowl Buttermilk Pancakes with Buttermilk Syrup and Bacon and Onion Pan Fried Potatoes. Both dishes were yummy and almost everyone enjoyed them.My daughter didn't touch the potatoes or the buttermilk syrup but loved the pancakes.

 

I didn't get a close up of the potatoes, mine didn't look that great but tasted amazing. I served some mixed berries with the pancakes. The buttermilk syrup tastes like icing. These were so good. I will be trying more recipes from this book when I buy it.

Sunday Food Prep

Man oh man, today was a busy day. I prepared food for the week on top of cooking breakfast and supper. I boiled 18 eggs for the week, my husband and I will both eat these. I usually have them as a snack or with some turkey bacon for breakfast.

 Next up was No Bake Energy Balls, these were so simple to make. I haven't tried them yet but the 2 youngest did and they said they were good, they wanted more.

 

Then I made some Vietnamese Chicken Salad for my lunch, my husband will have some as well. Here is where I found the recipe.

  

I stall have chocolate protein pancakes left from last week that I will eat this week for breakfast as well. I bought whole wheat pitas, spinach, tomato, kalamata olives and feta to make pita pizza's for lunch. I didn't make that ahead of time, I'll make it the night before I need it. 

If I want to eat healthy during the week I have to plan and prepare my meals ahead of time. If I don't it is so easy to pour a bowl of cereal or toast for breakfast and to buy fast food for lunch. I make suppers the day that I am eating them but I try to plan meals that are quick during the week. 

Hard Boiled Eggs

Eggs

Water

1 tsp salt

Put eggs in a saucepan, cover with water. Put 1 tsp salt in the water. Bring to a boil. Cover and turn off the heat. Let the eggs sit for 10-15 minutes. Place in cold water. They will be easier to peel using this method.

No Bake Energy Balls

1 cup (dry) oatmeal (I used quick oats)

2/3 cup unsweetened medium coconut flakes

1/2 cup natural peanut butter or other natural nut butter

1/4 cup ground flax seed

1/4 wheat germ 

1/4 cup chia seeds

1/4 cup chocolate chips

1/3 cup honey

Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed. Use a tbsp to measure out the mix. Roll into balls. Place on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place in freezer for 30 min. After they are done in the freezer, put them in a freezer bag and take out as needed. Makes about 25 balls.

The other recipe that I read said to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before rolling. I did not do this. The mixture was a bit sticky and crumbly but still worked out okay.

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast

4 cups of chicken broth

1 2-3 in knob of  ginger sliced

1 clove garlic sliced

handful of stems from cilantro

1/2 cup of cilantro washed,chopped

3/4 of savoy cabbage sliced thin and washed

1 large carrot peeled, grated

1/2 English cucumber, julienned

1 cup mint, washed,leaves torn

1 100 g package of no name peanut pieces, unsalted

Fish Sauce Dressing

6 tbsp fish sauce

6 tbsp fresh lime juice

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tbsp granulated sugar

2 tbsp white vinegar

2 chili peppers sliced thin, or more depending on taste 

Put chicken breast, chicken broth, ginger, garlic, cilantro stems in a pot. Bring to  boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Put a lid on the pot. Turn off the heat. Let the chicken sit for 15 min. Meanwhile, wash and chop cilantro, cabbage, and mint. Place in a big mixing bowl. Peel and grate the carrot and  julienne the cucumber, put in the bowl as well. Pour the peanuts over top.  Take the chicken out of broth and set it on a chopping board to cool down. Make the dressing. Combine everything in a small bowl. Stir to dissolve sugar. Shred the chicken with your hands and place in the large mixing bowl. Mix the chicken salad together and pour the dressing over. Mix to combine.

I made this for the week to have for lunches. I did not put the dressing on the chicken salad. I will take it with me in a container and mix it when I'm ready to eat it.

Greek-Style Shrimp with Quinoa Tabbouleh

This week I followed the meal plan on Fitness Magazine that's called Eat Healthy for Less: A weeks Worth of Dinner Recipes for under $100. I haven't finished the week yet but there is one recipe that I have really enjoyed, Greek-Style Shrimp with Quinoa Tabbouleh. It was delicious. My kids didn't eat any but that gave me leftovers to take to work today. One thing I have to say about these recipes is that they are quick, there were some that I didn't care for and some that were okay. I used all the same ingredients but added hot sauce to the shrimp marinade and played around with the quantities of ingredients to suit my tastes. Here's the recipe

 

Greek-Style Shrimp with Quinoa Tabbouleh

1 pound large frozen shrimp, cleaned, shelled, and thawed, tails on

4 tablespoons olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp Sriracha hot sauce

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup Kalamata olives, halved

1/2 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

3 ounces reduced-fat feta, crumbled

1 box quinoa, cooked per package directions

Place shrimp, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 crushed garlic clove, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and hot sauce in a large zip-top bag; let sit.In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, olives, bell pepper, parsley, and feta and remaining olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add cooked quinoa and mix well.Heat a pan ( I used cast iron) over medium-high heat. Place shrimp in pan in a single layer and cook for 2 minutes. Flip and cook for 2 minutes more. You can squeeze a little more lemon on top if you like.

What I Ate Wednesday #1

I love the idea of doing "What I ate Wednesday". It took alot of reminding to not forget to photograph my food. I did however have one snack that I already have posted so that was great, one less reminder that I had to give myself. I was supposed to have Turkey Black Bean Chili for lunch but ended up going to a restaurant to eat. All I had to photograph was a cheepy cell phone, is cheepy a word?. I took the picture but can't take it off now.... I tried. Today was a workout day, I walked for 40 min, and ran for 20. Most of the walking was done with an incline. So here's what I ate.

Breakfast
Protein Pancake with 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1/2 Cara Cara orange,3 strips Simply Free Smoked Ham Slices and Coffee

Gluten and Dairy Free Chocolate Protein Pancake

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 cup oat flour

1tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon

2 eggs

3 banana mashed

2 tbsp almond yogurt, vanilla

¼ cup almond milk, unsweetened

1 scoop chocolate protein

Whisk all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Then whisk in all the wet. Mix just until incorporated. Scoop ¼ cup of batter. Spray pan with cooking spray. Fry on medium low until bubbles rise to the top, a couple of minutes. I have noticed that they don’t get as bubbly as a regular pancake batter. Then flip and fry for another couple of minutes. Top them however you choose.

Makes 8

Post Workout Snack

Chocolate Protein shake and Banana

 

Lunch

I went to Red Ginger Restaurant, which is a new Viet/Thai restaurant that opened up. I had a lunch sized chicken and tofu pad thai, small bowl of won ton soup and 1 little spring roll, oh and a pepsi.

Supper

Shrimp with Tabbouleh, 1/2 Pepsi

 

 I got this recipe from Fitness.com, I will post the recipe and link tomorrow.

Snack

Apple with Peanut Butter Yogurt Fruit Dip and a green tea

Turkey Black Bean Chili

 I like that this chili isn't too thick. It is full of flavor, you wouldn't miss the beef. This is a great healthy dinner or lunch. I make this and freeze the leftovers to take to work for lunch.  It's great on its own without added sour cream or cheese but if you want to add it, why not! Enjoy!

2 lbs. extra lean ground turkey 

½ onion chopped

1 tbsp. garlic powder 

1 can of diced green chilies 

1 can of no name black beans, drained and rinsed

1  large can of diced Tomatoes (do not drain)

1 398 ml can Hunts no salt added Tomato sauce
1/2 can of water from Tomato sauce can

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp. chili powder 

2 tbsp. white vinegar 

3 tbsp. regular yellow mustard 

2 tsp. cumin 

1 tsp. salt

In a large pot add onions and meat, sprinkled with garlic powder and cook until no longer pink.Next add the green chilies, beans, tomatoes, brown sugar, tomato sauce, water and spices and stir until combined.Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer for about 20 minutes. Makes 8-10 servings, depending on how big your portions are.

Peanut Butter Yogurt Fruit Dip

I am always looking for good healthy snacks that I can eat in between meals or before bed. Usually if I have spent time lifting weights I will make a really thick smoothie that is almost more like frozen yogurt out of casein protein. But on the days when I haven't lifted weights I have to come up with other ideas. Here's one of them. This dip is really good. I never like peanut butter with apples before, but man am I glad I tried it again but I love it!

Peanut Butter Yogurt Fruit Dip

Serves 2

2 big tbsp of natural peanut butter or any other nut butter

2 big tbsp low fat unsweetened plain yogurt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp honey

Mix everything in a little dish and dip away!

Lemon Dill Chicken with Roasted Potatoes and Cauliflower

I have been struggling with my weight for quite a while. I gained alot of weight from medication that I was taking and was able to lose 25lbs as of this last summer. I was eating healthy and working out at 5-6 times a week. I completed the Live Fit trainer from www.bodybuilding.com and really enjoyed it. It helped me be more confident inn the gym and I definitely saw results. I had to start taking the meds again that cause weight gain. It didn't matter how healthy I ate or how much time I spent at the gym, I was gaining weight. I have gained back 15lbs. I'm off of the medication now and plan to keep it that way. I am back to eating well as much as possible and exercising 5-6 times a week. I feel so much better when I'm doing this, health wise and mentally as well. I do not sleep well when I'm not working out, so I have been enjoying the benefits of a good sleep. I will try to have as many healthy recipes as I can here and some no so healthy as well, I can't eat well 100% of the time. If anybody wants to add me on www.myfitnesspal.com my name is lilkim12161. Here is a chicken recipe that was really good. I found it here and thought it looked really good. I paired it with roasted sweet potatoes and Yukon golds and roasted cauliflower. Enjoy!!

Lemon Dill Chicken 

4 Servings

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

salt and pepper

3 tsp of extra virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves minced

1/2 small onion chopped small

1 cup reduced sodium chicken stock

2 tsp all purpose flour

3 tbsp chopped dill

1/2 lemon juiced

Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sear until well browned on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate and tent with foil. Reduce heat to medium low. Add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to the pan. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Whisk stock, flour, 2 tablespoons dill and lemon juice in a measuring cup and add to pan. Cook, whisking, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan and add any juices left on the plate. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 6 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a warmed platter. Season sauce with salt and pepper and spoon over the chicken. Garnish with the remaining 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill.

Roasted Yukon's and Sweet Potatoes

1 large sweet potato

4 medium Yukon gold potatoes

1.5 tbsp garlic powder

1.5 tbsp onion powder

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400F. Cut potatoes in 1-2 in cubes. Put everything in a large bowl. Mix it well. Place on foil lined baking sheet. Cover with foil and bake about 20 min, mix up the potatoes after 10 min. Take off the foil, Mix up the potatoes so that they don't burn on the bottom again. Bake another 20-25 min, mixing them again halfway through.

Roasted Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Break the cauliflower apart and place in colander. Rinse well. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Put cauliflower in the dish. Season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven at 400F with the potatoes for about 20-30 min, depending on the size of your pieces. Mix halfway so that the cauliflower doesn't burn.