Sunday, February 28, 2010

An "Udderly" Random Post

See the end of this post for the "udders". :)

So this is totally random. I was riding into work earlier this week and Cyndi Lauper's "She Bop" started player on my mp3 player. When it got to the part when she whistles, for some reason I was reminded of some VH1 special that I had watched (either I Love the 80s, or Best Songs of the 80s, or something like that) and it had said that the Bangles' "Walk Like an Egyptian" was the only song with a whistling solo. I'm sure VH1 said that as a joke, but every time I hear "She Bop" I always think, "So there, VH1! The Bangles don't have a monopoly on whistling solos!" (I warned you that this was totally random.)

On that musical note, I saw this cool video the other day on YouTube and wanted to share it with any of you who are Michael Jackson fans. I think this guy was on Oprah recently.




And now the udders...My kids and I set out to build a snow horse yesterday, and well, it ended up looking like a snow cow. LOL


Also, my daughter kept sticking her hand in the snow about every foot. I asked her what she was making, and she said, "Mitten prints." :)


For Christmas she got a little toy baking set with an apron as a gift. One day she couldn't remember what the apron was called so she started calling it her "baking suit". I thought that was pretty cute, and the name stuck. We still call it her baking suit. :)

Have a great day!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Tasty Tuesday - Hamantaschen

As I mentioned in the Comments of my last post, I'm not Catholic. I'm not Jewish either, but a gal I work with is, and today she brought in cookies to celebrate Purim (which begins this weekend). The cookies were traditional Hamantsachen, named after Haman, minister to the Persian King from whom the Jews fled persecution in the fifth century BCE. You can read more about Purim here: Purim History. The gal I work with said that the cookies are made in the shape of Haman's hat.

I found a recipe online and naturally I had to tinker with it. I'm sure these aren't completely traditional, but they got 2 thumbs up from both kids, even from my son, who says he doesn't like prunes. :)

Hamantaschen

dough:
1 and 1/4 cups brown rice flour
1/4 cup almond flour/meal
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking powder

3 Tablespoons very hot water
1 Tablespoon flax, ground
1 egg white
1/4 cup buttery spread, softened (such as Earth Balance)
1 Tablespoon coconut oil, softened
2 Tablespoons pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup powdered Stevia (such as Stevia in the Raw)

filling:
1 cup pitted prunes (about 24)
2 Tablespoons water
2 teaspoons agave nectar

1. Mix the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Mix the hot water and flax. Blend in the buttery spread, coconut oil, pumpkin, egg white, lemon zest, vanilla and Stevia.

3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and blend well. Place in the fridge for about 15 minutes or so.

4. While dough is chilling, preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare filling by placing all ingredients in a food processor until it's a paste.

5. Roll out dough between 2 pieces of parchment or waxed paper until it is about 1/4" thick. You will have to do this in several batches. Return dough to fridge for a bit if it gets too soft.

6. Cut dough into 3" circles with a biscuit cutter or even a drinking glass. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Place a teaspoon or so of filling in the middle of the dough and fold sides to make a triangle. Pinch corners of triangle together.

7. Bake for 12-15 minutes.


I made 28, each with approximately:

72 calories
1.2g protein
2.9g fat
10.7g carbs
1.1g fiber

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

What I'm Giving Up For Lent...

Peanut M&M's.

I said it, I meant it.

'Nuff said.


On a side note, I asked my husband what he was going to give up and without missing a beat he said, "Veggies." :)

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Tasty Tuesday - Black Bean Burgers

These were awesome! My son plowed through his burger and I don't think it ever occurred to him that it wasn't made out of ground beef. This recipe is adapted from Tosca Reno's new Eat Clean Cookbook.

Black Bean Burgers

15oz can black beans
1/2 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 small carrot, grated
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
2 egg whites
1/2 cup wheat bran
2 Tablespoons cashew butter
2 Tablespoons pumpkin puree
2 Tablespoons ground flax
2 Tablespoons sunflower seeds, ground
dash Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Place everything into a food processor and blend until smooth.

3. Spoon mixture onto parchment paper. I made 9 burgers.

4. Bake for about 20 minutes.

Sorry about the small picture. If I make it bigger it looks all fuzzy. I used a sprouted grain bun and topped mine with a little agave-sweetened ketchup, mustard, pickles, tomato, leaf lettuce, and half a wedge of laughing cow light cheese. :)


If you make 9 like I did, just the patty will have approximately:

109 calories
5.8g protein
4.7g fat
13.0g carbs
4.0g fiber

These freeze really well - so put your leftovers in the freezer and enjoy when you need a quick meal.



Friday, February 12, 2010

Cat Scratch Fever

OK, so I won't show any more cuts...after I show these. :)

First, there was the immersion blender of death, then the butternut squash incident, and now there's the musk melon mishap:



All of those cuts were on my left index finger. Anyone care to guess which is my dominant hand?

And not to be outdone, I woke up the other morning with this:


The only thing I can think of is that my cat must have walked on my head while I was sleeping. :)


OK, enough of that!

This morning I did my workout (last workout of Phase 2) and afterward I decided to hop on the elliptical for a bit since I had a little extra time. I started my watch about 5 seconds after I started the elliptical (due to technical difficulties), but by the time I finished 25 minutes later, my watch had caught up! Which leaves me to wonder, is my watch fast, or was the elliptical slow? And if my watch is fast, how fast is it? Are all the times I got on my runs wrong? Am I worrying too much about this? Maybe I just need a new watch. :)

If I don't post again before Sunday, hope you have a...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Tasty Tuesday - Sweet Potato Pancakes

Make these for your sweetie for Valentine's Day. :)

These got 2 thumbs up from the kids. Even my daughter, who can be picky, ate these and asked for more!

Sweet Potato Pancakes

small sweet potato (about 5oz)
3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons brown rice flour
2 Tablespoons sorghum flour
1.5 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 Tablespoon ground flax
3 Tablespoons boiling water
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
1 Tablespoon pancake syrup (I used sugar free)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt


1. Cook the sweet potato and mash. I usually poke a few holes through the skin with a knife and microwave for a few minutes.

2. Bring 3 tablespoons of water to a boil in a small bowl (I use the microwave). Add the flax and stir. To this, add the coconut oil, almond milk, pancake syrup and sweet potato.

3. In a large bowl, blend together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, cinnamon and sea salt. Add the sweet potato mixture and mix until just blended.

4. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, drop batter onto a hot griddle. Cook until the edges look dry and flip. Cook a few minutes more. Sprinkle with a little extra cinnamon, if desired.


This will make about a dozen pancakes, each with approximately:

75 calories
1.5g protein
2.4g fat
12.4g carbs
1.3g fiber


I think these might be gluten free, but I'm not an expert in gluten free, so please don't take my word for it! :)

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Are You Teff Enough?

This week I have been experimenting with teff for breakfast. Teff is an Ethiopian grain that is high in fiber and also has a good amount of protein. The package says that 1/4 cup is a serving, but every recipe I've seen uses at least 1/2 a cup. I decided to go down the middle. :) I made 3/4 cup and then divided it into two servings.

The downside to making it for breakfast is that it needs to cook on the stove for 15-20 minutes. I was hesitant to make it in the microwave at work like I do with oatmeal, so I made it the night before and portioned it into two bowls. Here's what it looks like right out of the pan, with nothing extra added to it:


The thing is, when you let it cool, it becomes a little bit more solid, and so when I got to work the next day, it was like a brown hockey puck. I microwaved it at work, and added a little extra water to break it up and smooth it out. On Monday and Tuesday, I added blueberries, Stevia and cinnamon. Today I added 1/4 cup pumpkin, Stevia and cinnamon. Tomorrow I think I am going to add applesauce, Stevia and cinnamon.

The teff itself seems to have a pretty bland/neutral taste so what you add to it will make all the difference! The texture after reheating looked weird. It looked like wet sand held together by wet lint. LOL But that wasn't the actual texture at all. It was actually pretty good. Here's what it looked like this morning with the pumpkin added:


I tried to get a good picture of the texture, but my camera wouldn't cooperate. I think this might also be good for lunch or dinner as another rice/quinoa substitute. It's pretty filling, so I probably would make 1/4 cup or less if I was eating it with other things for dinner.

If you looking for something new to try, get teff!

I promised myself I wouldn't start singing "Hanging Teff". ;) LOL

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Tasty Tuesday - Kale Chips

I've seen similar recipes online, but I never made these until I saw them in Tosca Reno's new Eat Clean Cookbook. This recipe is adapted from the one in her book. You will NOT believe how great these taste. I almost think that I could blindfold my husband and he would believe that he was eating potato chips. They're that good.

Kale Chips

Per serving, you will need:

1 cup (about 40g) of chopped kale, bigger stems removed
about 1/2 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
sprinkle each of sea salt and garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. Toss all ingredients in a bowl until kale is evenly coated. Place on baking sheet.

4. Bake for about 25 minutes, until crisp. Watch carefully so that it doesn't burn.


Eat and be amazed! Each serving has approximately:

80 calories
1.5g protein
7g fat
4g carbs
1g fiber

Monday, February 1, 2010

The Butternut Squash Incident and Other New Things

So I may have hinted previously that I can be accident prone (immersion blender, anyone?). Last Thursday night I decided to make a new recipe. It was the "Baked Deep-Dish Butternut Squash with Pears" from Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Cookbook. The dish was tasty. My finger was bloody. I managed to cut it...twice. It took a little while to get it to stop bleeding the second time. The recipe called for raw butternut squash cut into cubes. Do you know how hard it is to take the thick skin off of a butternut squash?! Next time I am just going to cut the squash in half and bake it first. It just gets pureed anyway. :) I took a picture of my finger today. I'm afraid it's not very exciting. It's healed up quite a bit.

We've been trying lots of new recipes this week. My husband got me a great cookbook called The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook. Today for lunch I had the Luscious Lentil and Brown Rice Casserole. It rocked. My husband scored a home run with this book. As for the other book he bought me recently, Peter Walsh's Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat ... not so much. LOL To be honest, I probably would have bought that book myself. But from my husband? What's he trying to say? ;) The best advice I've heard in a while came from that book, though. It says that whenever you feel like raiding the fridge, get naked in front of a mirror and do jumping jacks. Heheh.

And finally, Turbulence Training is having a "4 for 1" sale - you get the TT Beginner Total Torso Training program, TT 2K10, TT Transformation, and as a bonus - the new Turbulence Training Adrenaline Circuit Workout (this one looks pretty crazy!). And you get 30 days free in the TT Member's area where you can ask Craig all of your training and nutrition questions. This "4 for 1" offer ends on Wednesday, February 3rd. You can check it out here: Complete TT 2K10 Package


Have a great night!


Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase the product, I will receive a small portion. I don't get paid for reviews, and I only review items that I actually own.