Drink Your Dessert

One of the biggest hindrances to eating well is not having enough time to prepare the foods that you should be eating. I keep telling myself, "failing to plan is planning to fail." So on the first day of my eating-well adventure, April 1st (I'm referring to this month as Ass Kicking April!), I planned ahead of time what I would be eating for breakfast and lunch. I was out of town the weekend prior and didn't have time to go to the grocery store.  I am lucky enough to have a fantastic little market in my building at work that makes healthy and delicious fruit & veggie smoothies. That market was going to be my first stop on my first day of Ass Kicking April. I asked for the blender pitcher to be filled with strawberries, mango, pineapple, carrots, baby spinach, and a banana. The smoothie those ingredients made was SO good! I couldn't believe it. I decided right then and there to incorporate this healthy breakfast into my new daily routine. It actually became my favorite part of all the new things I'm trying out.

The next week I promptly took myself to Target, bought myself a blender (my old blender blew out while I was making these margaritas), and meandered over to the freezer section to see if I could find some frozen fruit. I hit the jackpot! They just so happened to be having a sale on their frozen fruit so I stocked up: strawberries, blueberries, mango, and one that kind of caught me by surprise - cherries. At first I didn't think I needed to buy them, but then something popped into my head that got me very excited: a cherry/chocolate smoothie! Oh hell yeah! I threw those babies in my basket and headed for the checkout while writing this recipe in my head.

Cherries and chocolate are a classic combination. The taste that inspired this recipe is a dessert from one of my favorite DC restaurants, Zaytinya. The first time I went there, my friend and I shared this fantastic chocolate mousse topped with macerated dark cherries. I wanted to try to recreate that flavor in my smoothie.

Although I did end up making this smoothie for breakfast, I would definitely consider it more of a dessert smoothie. I have been known to eat cake, brownies, or cupcakes for breakfast when in a pinch, so eating this smoothie as breakfast wasn't too far of a stretch for me haha But for you normal folks out there, I would recommend this be eaten after dinner.

A lot of the ingredients can be switched out for other things, so I would like to add a few notes about the ingredients. Eating smoothies is a great way to get nutrients into your bloodstream, but it's also a great way to pack some protein into your diet. I use nut butter & flax seed to accomplish this. I use raw almond butter in my recipe because I consider it to be one of the healthiest nut butters (along with raw cashew butter). But if you don't have access to that, you could go ahead and use natural peanut butter, although that will change the flavor of your smoothie slightly.  You could leave the nut butter out all together and add a few cubes of silken tofu as a substitute. You could also leave out the flax seed if you don't have that on hand.  I consider that to just be like an added bonus or booster to my smoothies, but it isn't a necessary ingredient.  If you have chia seeds though, that would be a good substitute. I use almond milk here but you could switch that out for regular milk (2%, skim, whatever), or even soy, rice, or coconut milk. Whatever floats your boat

Alright, let's get blendin'!

Indulgent Cherry Chocolate Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup frozen cherries
1/4 cup green tea, cooled
1/4 cup vanilla almond milk
4 teaspoons unsweetened chocolate powder
1/2 teaspoon ground flax seed
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 banana
1 teaspoon almond butter
1 handful organic baby spinach leaves
1 handful ice
Dark chocolate shavings and mint leaves to garnish (optional)

 

Place the frozen cherries, green tea, almond milk, unsweetened cocoa powder, ground flax, and vanilla in the blender.

Turn the blender on "puree" for about 20-30 seconds, depending on how long it takes your blender to completely puree the ingredients into a smooth, drinkable mixture.  Turn the blender off.

 

Next, add the banana & almond butter. Turn the blender on "mix" for about 10 seconds until the banana and almond butter are combined with the liquid.

 

At this time, add your handful of organic baby spinach leaves. Turn the blender on "puree" for about 15 seconds. The spinach should be completely disintegrated into the smoothie at this point.

 

Last, add a handful of ice and set the blender to "puree" until the ice is chopped up and mixed into the smoothie.

Remove the lid from the blender and pour the smoothie into your serving glass.

Shave some dark chocolate on the top, garnish with a sprig of spearmint, stick in a straw, and drink away! Salute!

 

"You really like stuffed peppers."

This is what my boyfriend said to me when he realized I had already done a post on stuffed red peppers. It's true: I do really like stuffed peppers. So I'm sharing another recipe with you. This time, Mexican inspired.

I have enjoyed the challenge I have taken up to find healthy yet fulfilling meals to make for myself and my boyfriend. The added bonus to this challenge is trying to come up with meals that are both meat-eater and vegetarian friendly, since my boyfriend eats meat but I don't. I appreciate that he's supporting me on my quest to eat more healthfully and he has even told me he has been feeling better since we have started this (as am I!). That is great incentive to keep it up!

This stuffed red pepper recipe meets every item on my healthy-eating check list: light, new, protein-rich, flavorful, and satisfying. Doesn't get much better than that!

I have never cooked with quinoa before and it is something that I have been wanting to try for a while now. They have cooked quinoa at the salad bar at Whole Foods and I always put it on my salad, so I am familiar with it. I love the crunch that this supposed "superfood" adds and the fact that it pretty much takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it with. Not to mention it has a plethora of health benefits including being high in protein, fiber, & calcium.  I am trying to stay away from starchy rice and pasta since they don't really add any nutritional value to my diet, so I have decided that quinoa is the perfect substitute. As I discovered while making this meal, quinoa is so super easy to prepare, it would be lazy not to use it.

I made this dish both ways - meaty as well as vegetarian, but you could just do one version and still make two servings by doubling up the ingredients.

On a side note, I have a new little helper in the kitchen, an assistant sous chef (my boyfriend is the original sous chef!), if you will. I caught this photo while I was whipping up this recipe:

She loves to watch me cook! So sweet.

Alright, enough yackin'.  Let's get cookin'!

Mexican-Style Quinoa Stuffed Peppers with Chunky Quac Topper

Servings: 2
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: About 35 minutes

*Note: I made extra quinoa, meat, and beans/corn. It's always good to have leftovers. The meat & beans/corn I'm using for tacos and the quinoa I will add to salads and maybe even breakfast smoothies.

Ingredients:
2 large red bell peppers
1 cup dry quinoa
2 cups water
1 can black beans
1 can sweet corn kernels
2 packets taco seasoning
2 teaspoons EVOO
1/3 sweet onion, diced
1/4 red or orange bell pepper, diced
1 small zucchini, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper (FCBP)
1 pound ground turkey
1 avocado, cubed
5 grape tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon cilantro, minced
2 lime slices

Set your oven to broil.

Slice each of the red bell peppers in half from the stem down and remove any ribs and seeds.

Put the four halves face up on the top rack of the oven.

Let them cook for five minutes. Remove them when they are slightly softened and blackened around the edges.

Turn the oven off of broil and onto bake. Preheat to 350 degrees.

Place a medium sized saucepan on the stove over high heat.  Add the two cups of water and one cup of dry quinoa. 

Follow the directions on the box to cook your quinoa. Mine said to bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer and let cook for 15 minutes until softened.

While the quinoa is cooking, start cooking the black beans and corn. Place the corn and black beans in a medium sized saucepan on the stove over medium-low heat. Add half of one of the packets of taco seasoning to the corn and black beans and stir to mix it in. Let simmer while you prepare the rest of the food and stir frequently.

Next, start sautéing your vegetables.  Place the diced onion and bell peppers in a large skillet over medium heat along with one tablespoon of EVOO, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon FCBP.

Cook for about five minutes until the onions and peppers are softened. Add the zucchini and 1/4 of the taco seasoning packet. Squeeze one of the lime wedges over the mixture and stir to coat the veggies in the seasoning.

Cook for ten minutes.

Divide the veggies into thirds: one third and two thirds together.

Remove 2/3 of the veggies to a plate and set aside. 

Pour one teaspoon of EVOO in with the remaining 1/3 veggies.

Add the pound of ground turkey to the pan, sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon each salt & pepper, and stir to mix the veggies in with the meat.

 

Allow that to cook for about five minutes until the meat is browned. Pour out the grease and pour in 2/3 cups of water.  Sprinkle in the second packet of taco seasoning. Reduce heat to low and let simmer until the sauce has thickened.

Turn the heat off on the meat.

Place two mixing bowls side by side. We are going to make a vegetarian mix in one bowl and a meat mixture in the other box.  In one bowl, place one cup of cooked quinoa. Sprinkle half of the remaining spice packet over it and stir.

To that, add one cup of the beans & corn mixture as well as all of the veggies you set aside.

Stir well to combine.

In the second bowl, place 3/4 cup quinoa and the remaining contents of the spice packet.  To the quinoa, add 3/4 cup of the beans & corn mixture and one cup of the cooked meat & veggie mixture. Stir well to combine.

Use a large serving spoon to stuff the quinoa mixture into the halves of the cooked red peppers. Make sure that two halves are filled with the veggie mixture and two halves are filled with the turkey mixture.

 

Place in the oven and let cook for five minutes. Use this time to make your chunky guacamole topping.

Add the cubed avocado and diced tomatoes to a small bowl, sprinkle with the second lime slice, and mix. Set aside.

After five minutes remove the stuffed peppers from the oven. Place them on your serving dishes.

Add the guacamole to the top of each stuffed pepper and sprinkle with the minced cilantro.

Serve hot and enjoy! Salute!

Tasty Tilapia!

I have mentioned before that I am not a vegetarian in the strict sense of the word. Technically speaking, I am a pescetarian.  I eat fish, mostly in the form of sushi, and shrimp. I'm not a huge fan of seafood overall, but I will taste and try if something looks or smells tasty. Everyone always tells me that if I want to eat fish, I should start with a light, mild fish, such as tilapia or halibut. I decided to take people up on their suggestions and try some tilapia. I am cautious and picky when it comes to seafood and I feel most comfortable when I cook it myself at home. With that in mind, I decided to give tilapia a try in my own kitchen, and I was pretty pleased with the outcome.

The inspiration for trying tilapia came from a pin I saw on Pinterest. The finished product looked really good and non-threatening (an important component of any seafood I eat!), so I figured I could give it a shot. Having never cooked this type of fish myself, I did some reading to figure out cooking times and decided to take it from there with the seasoning.

In my quest to eat more healthily, I knew I wouldn't be dipping this fish in tartar sauce (as I love to do with my fish and chips at my favorite neighborhood Irish pub!), so I decided to come up with my own topping. The seasoning for this fish is Cajun-inspired, so I decided to make a Cajun-inspired salsa to dress the filets. Salsa is healthy, fresh, and livens up anything you add it to, so it was the perfect topping for my first foray into the fish cooking/eating world.

In the vein of keeping this dish healthy, you could cut back on both the olive oil and the salt. I would cut the olive oil servings in half, and leave out the salt. You could always add a pinch of cayenne to the spice mixture to add a little kick and extra flavor so you won't miss the salt.

Alongside the fish, I served garlic chip green beans and roasted balsamic baby carrots. They complimented the fish so well, and were light and healthy at the same time. I highly suggest these side dishes, but a nice green side salad would answer the mail just fine as well. In fact, you could add the filet to a bed of leafy greens and top the whole thing with the salsa to make a nice, healthy salad, no dressing necessary!

OK everyone, let's get cookin'!


Cajun-Inspired Tilapia with a Like-Minded Salsa Topper

Servings: 2
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 Minutes
*Note: I like my fish more 'well-done,' so if you like yours a little more moist, like my boyfriend prefers, cook it for 11-12 minutes.

Ingredients:

Salsa:
1 small vine ripened tomato, diced
1/2 stalk celery, diced
1/4 red bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons diced red onion
Pinch salt

Fish:
2 fresh tilapia filets
4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper (FCBP)
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne - optional

Preheat your oven to 425 Fahrenheit.

We will begin by making the salsa.  Combine all of the diced veggies in a small bowl and add the pinch of salt.

Stir to combine.

Place the salsa in the refrigerator so that the flavors can meld while you prepare and cook the fish.

Next, make the spice rub.  Add all of the spices, salt, and FCBP to a ramekin and use a spoon to mix them together.  Set aside.

Rinse your fresh tilapia filets under cold water. Pat them dry with a paper towel.

Lay them flat on a cutting board or plate and drizzle them with EVOO. 

Use your hands to massage the oil into the filets, making sure the surface is covered with the oil.

To season the fish, sprinkle each of the filets with a quarter of your spice mixture.

Use your hands to spread the spices evenly over the surface of each filet.

Place the filets spice-side-down in a glass or ceramic baking dish.


Repeat the process of drizzling with EVOO, massaging the oil into the filets, and coating the filets with the spice rub. 

Place the baking dish in the oven on the center rack. Let cook 11-15 minutes depending on how well-done you prefer your fish.

Once the cooking time is complete, remove the dish from the oven and set aside so that the fish can cool for about a minute.

Use a spatula to remove the fish from the dish (that rhymes!) and place it on your serving plate.

Grab your fresh salsa from the fridge and spoon it over the top of your fish. 

Serve alongside your chosen side dishes and enjoy your healthy, tasty tilapia!  Salute!

I'M BACK!

So, if you haven't noticed (shame on you!), I have been completely M.I.A. for the past seven months or so.  A lot of exciting things have been going on during that time, but the main reason for my absence is that I acquired a new job.  Said job has caused me to have fewer personal hours in my day, as jobs tend to do.  As well as having acquired a new job, I also adopted a baby.  OK, she's not a baby, she's a puppy, but she's MY baby and she takes up a lot of my free time.  Time that used to be spent cooking and blogging has now been dedicated to working and tending to my young pup.

I know you want to see a picture of the dog, so here she is.  Her name is Milli, incidentally, and she's a yorkipoo.  Currently 15 weeks old.

Isn't she presh?!

Why am I telling you all of this?  Not to make excuses, but to announce that I am going to be back and better than ever!  I am going to start blogging again!  I am really excited to have revamped my look, made things a little brighter, more fun and colorful.  I hope you likie.

Along with my new look, I am going to be experimenting with a new taste.  I have decided to make a whole-hearted attempt to eat more healthfully and I want to take my readers on that journey along with me.  I am planning to share with you some new, more health-conscious recipes. 

What has sparked this sudden interest in health food you ask?  A couple of things.  First, I am looking to make an adjustment in the way I feel.  I've gotten a little carried away in eating whatever I want, no matter how it makes me feel.  I want to have more energy and feel more vibrant, and adjusting my diet is the perfect way to do that.  I have also signed up for the Warrior Dash, which is being held in about 45 days from now.  I ran my first 5K in October and am looking forward to tackling not only another 5K, but various obstacles as well!  (Especially looking forward to crawling through mud at the end!)  I'm not only planning to eat better, but kick up my workout regiment as well.  Including more protein in  my diet is going to be a huge part of that, so you can look forward to protein rich vegetarian meals in the near future.

Check back in a few days for my first recipe in over seven months!  I'm cooking it tonight and using my brand new 50mm F/1.8 lens to take the pictures :-)  Can't wait!

Salute!
Rachel