Spicy Sweet Potato Stir-Fry

8 Sep

This spicy, flavorful dish is rich in protein and vitamins, contains many “superfoods”, and is a quick and healthy weeknight meal.  While cooking the quinoa and sweet potatoes separately is a little tedious, it doesn’t add too much time to your clean up.  I just get those two parts started while I chop up the rest of my veggies.  If you’re cooking for little ones or don’t love the spice, just omit the jalapeno.  This is a perfect dish for using up any vegetables you have lying around, so feel free to swap out ingredients for stuff you have in the fridge at home.  I used a quinoa/brown rice blend because it’s all I have in my pantry right now, but you can use any grain you prefer.

Spicy Sweet Potato Stir-Fry

  • ½ cup quinoa
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb of boneless, skinless chicken breast or tenderloins
  • 1 sweet potato, cut into ½ inch cubes
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
  • 1 bell pepper, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 1 cup edamame, frozen, shelled
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro or basil
  1.  Boil water and quinoa in a saucepan over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until all of the water has been absorbed.  Fluff with a fork and set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, add the cubed sweet potato to a separate sauce pan and add enough water to cover.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for about 5 minutes, or until just tender.  Drain and rinse with cool water.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the jalapeno and onion, and sauté for about a minute before adding the chicken, bell pepper, edamame, and garlic.  Saute together for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and chicken has cooked through.
  4. Add the sweet potato and quinoa and cook for another 2 minute, stirring occasionally.  Remove the pan from heat and sprinkle in the salt, pepper, and fresh herbs.  Stir gently to combine before serving.

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Whole Wheat Carrot Raisin Muffins

7 Sep

Tropical Storm Lee brought “autumn” weather to Florida.  The high tomorrow is a balmy 82 degrees, I can walk across campus without breaking a sweat, and the thought of turning on my oven doesn’t give me a hot flash.  I can almost imagine drinking a Pumpkin Spice Latte without getting nauseous.  (Really, Starbucks?? Labor Day weekend?)

 

To celebrate, I whipped up a batch of these yummy carrot muffins.

 

They are incredibly addictive, yet still very healthy.  This recipe doesn’t call for any oil or butter, but the applesauce, yogurt, and grated carrot keep the muffins moist and tender.  These are the perfect accompaniment to a cup of morning coffee or tea, and they make a healthy lunchbox or after school snack.

 

Whole Wheat Carrot Raisin Muffins

 

  • 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp. nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp. ground ginger
  • ½ cup honey or brown sugar
  • ½ cup nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 tsp. vanilla (you may want to reduce this if you use vanilla yogurt)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 ½ cups grated carrots
  • ½ cup raisins
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Sift together dry ingredients (whole wheat flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg) into a mixing bowl.
  3. Whisk egg, honey, yogurt, applesauce, and vanilla together in a separate mixing bowl.
  4. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined.  Stir in raisins and walnuts, being careful not to over-mix.
  5. Divide equally among 12 paper-lined muffin cups.  Bake for 15 minutes.

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Workout Tips for Busy Parents

5 Sep

Lately, it’s been pretty challenging to find uninterrupted time to workout.  I’m lucky to an odd half hour here or there to run to the gym or fit in a quick kettlebell workout at home.  There are a few things I’ve learned over the past few months of mommyhood that have definitely helped me to lose the baby weight and continue to achieve higher levels of fitness.

Here are a few tips.

1.  Prioritize.  Do the exercises that use the largest muscle groups first.  Don’t begin your lower body workout with calf raises or quad extensions – start with some squats or deadlifts.  As a busy parent, there isn’t always a guarantee that I’ll get through my entire workout.  So I make sure that I hit the major muscle groups early in my workout.  Do the big, powerful movements first.  Then you can go back and target the smaller muscle groups later in your workout.

2.  Don’t skip out on the warm ups, cool downs, and stretches.  The last thing you want is to find yourself injured when you have a busy week ahead of you.  Taking the extra 10 minutes to warm up and stretch will prevent injuries and shorten recovery time.

3.  Combine upper and lower body movements to create a total body workout.  Squat + shoulder press, lunge + row, lunge + twist, lunge + curl….the possibilities are endless.  As long as you are executing proper form, combining exercises is a great way to decrease workout time, increase intensity, and engage your core.

4.  Keep your sneakers handy.  I read an interview with a new mom and actress who said she just wore her gym clothes all the time so that she could squeeze in a workout whenever she could find the time.  That’s a great idea…until you realize that yoga pants + couch + ice cream is a really comfy combination.  Truth be told, elastic waistbands are pretty much my mortal enemy.  They squeeze everything in and make me feel great, until I’m lying panicked on the floor of my closet trying to suck in my tummy and zip up my skinny jeans.  I prefer to just keep some gym clothes and shoes in the car in case I find time to stop at the gym on the way home from class or between errands.  Having a kettlebell or a few dumbbells in the house can help you squeeze in a workout during naptime, too.  Just be creative and flexible about finding time to workout.

5.  Stay hydrated/fueled for a workout.  You don’t have to go crazy and eat an elaborate pre-workout meal.  But drink plenty of water throughout the day and have some healthy snacks on hand so you don’t have to worry about working out on an empty stomach if you find time to hit the gym.  This also helps you to maintain energy levels post-workout so that you can make it through the rest of the day.

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Buffalo Chicken Burgers

5 Sep

Buffalo Chicken Burgers
(adapted from SELF/Epicurious.com)
  • 1 large carrot, diced
  • 1 pound ground white-meat chicken
  • 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
  • 1 celery stalk, finely diced
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup blue cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp. hot sauce (such as Tabasco Buffalo Style)
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 4 hamburger rolls, split
  • Iceberg lettuce (optional)
  • Carrot and celery sticks (optional)
  • Light blue cheese or ranch dressing (optional)
  • Slices of reduced fat pepper jack or cheddar cheese
1.  In a microwave-safe bowl, combine diced carrots with 2 tablespoons water.  Microwave on high for 3 minutes, until carrots begin to soften.  Drain and let cool.
2.  In a large mixing bowl, combine chicken, egg whites, celery, carrots, bread crumbs, and blue cheese.  Mix well.
3.  Divide chicken mixture into 4 equal parts.  Form patties that are about 3/4″ thick.
4.  Combine cornstarch and hot sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
5.  Heat a frying pan or grill pan over medium high heat and coat with a light mist of olive oil.  Cook patties  for 6 minutes.  Flip and brush with hot sauce mixture.  Cook for 4 more minutes and then top each patty with a slice of cheese, if desired.  Place a lid over the pan for an additional 2 minutes of cooking time to allow the cheese to melt.
6.  Serve burgers immediately on split rolls.  Garnish with lettuce, tomato, and dressing.  Serve with carrot and celery sticks.

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Meal Planning Tuesday: Chickpeas

30 Aug

Garbanzo beans, ceci beans, Indian peas, chana, Bengal gram…there are lots of different names for chickpeas.  For the longest time I didn’t really think they were good for anything beyond making hummus or sprinkling over a salad.  As a vegetable with an extremely high protein content, they are a surprisingly useful little legume.

Chickpeas are a great source of zinc, folate, and protein.  They are also high in dietary fiber and low in fat.  Roast them, smash them, grind them into flour, stew them…the possibilities are endless.

Here are some delicious chickpea recipes.

Crispy Roasted Chickpeas at Steamy Kitchen are a delicious snack.

Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Soup from Dave Lieberman at Food Network

Smashed Chickpea Salad at Smitten Kitchen

Zucchini and Chickpea Pancakes at JustHungry

Ridiculously Easy Curried Chickpeas and Quinoa at FatFree Vegan Kitchen

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What I’ve Been Up To…

28 Aug

The past week has been a little hectic, but we’ve worked out our schedules, and I’ll be posting regularly again.  The hubs and I are both in school full-time again, but my schedule was in limbo while I waited for spaces in my online classes to open up.  Thankfully, I only have to make the trip out to campus twice a week.  It took a few days to work the kinks out of our schedule, but I should have plenty of time for classes, working out, developing recipes, training, and keeping an eye on our adventurous little one.

Speaking of adventures, we made time during the craziness of last week for Audrey’s first trip to the beach.  As the offspring of a former sun-worshipper and a surfer, it was a long overdue but momentous occasion for Audrey.  I know, we live right next to the beach, so we really don’t have much of an excuse.  It’s just so difficult to not feel like we’re endangering Audrey’s health by bringing her out into the blazing sun and 100-degree heat when she’s so pale she makes Casper the Ghost look like George Hamilton.  But as expected, she loved every moment of it.

Due to a major diaper rash incident, she didn’t get to do any swimming.  This worked out fine since she was preoccupied with squishing the sand under her toes and trying to figure out where the waves kept disappearing.  And of course, she spent lots of time just being a little cheeseball for the camera.

And tasting the sand…

Definitely not her favorite flavor, but she’s had worse reactions to foods before.  We are so excited to take her back out to the beach this weekend.

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband and a gorgeous, happy little girl.

 

Fab Five Friday: Kitchen Gadgets Under $20

19 Aug

I’m always looking for ways to make healthy cooking easier without taking shortcuts that sacrifice nutrition or flavor.  I’m also a sucker for cute, brightly colored gadgets.  While I could blissfully spend ridiculous sums of money at Williams-Sonoma or Crate and Barrel on bizarre, single-task-specific kitchen gadgets, here are some fun and useful tools that will save time and money without breaking the bank.

1.   Misto M100S Gourmet Brushed Aluminum Olive Oil Sprayer  $9.70

This sprayer quickly oils baking dishes and pans, and it’s perfect for evenly misting breads, vegetables, and even for breaded dishes that call for a drizzle of oil.

2.  Norpro Grip-EZ Granny Fork $5.66

Julia Child used an offset fork similar to this updated version of a traditional “granny fork.”  It will replace your whisk, spatula, collander, and wooden spoon.  This odd utensil blends, mixes, stirs, and even scoops and strains.  The over-sized, comfy handle makes this one of the most used utensils in my kitchen.

3. Cuisipro Herb Keeper  $17.54

Up until I found this gadget, I was convinced that my black thumb extended beyond the garden and into the refrigerator.  I tried so many different tricks for keeping herbs fresh, but all of them failed.  This contraption uses a slotted, removable tray to expose just the ends of the herbs to fresh water.  This prevents the herbs from drying out without turning them into a moldy mess.  It also works with asparagus and celery.

4.  Fusionbrands Food Pod Silicone Cooking Vessel  $12.52

This adorable, BPA-free pod makes it easy to blanche veggies or boil eggs and potatoes.  Just fill it up, close the top, and attach the little stem to the lid or side of your pot.  When it’s time to remove your items from the water, just grab the stem and let the water drain our before dunking the pod into cold water.  It’s also perfect for making broth – you don’t make a mess or lose any liquid in the straining process.

5.  Chef’n Veggie Chop Hand-Powered Food Chopper  $19.99

This hand-powered chopper makes mincing garlic or chopping onions quick and odorless.  It’s also surprisingly good at dicing tomatoes without making a pulpy mess.

What are some of your favorite kitchen gadgets?

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Chicken Fingers and Roasted Green Bean “Fries”

18 Aug

Looking for a healthy alternative to fried fast foods for your family?  These chicken fingers are marinated in yogurt, rolled in whole wheat panko bread crumbs and baked until golden brown and crispy.  You can roast the green beans in the oven at the same time to make healthy “fries.”  This dinner takes very little prep time and is kid-friendly.

The yogurt marinade is inexpensive and makes the chicken extremely moist and juicy.  It’s best to marinade it overnight if you can, but the acidic yogurt can tenderize the chicken as little time as an hour.  If you’re not a mustard fan, just substitute any seasonings you like.  We loved these with honey mustard dipping sauce, but they’d be great with ranch or sweet and sour sauce as well.

Chicken Fingers and Roasted Green Bean “Fries’

For the chicken:

  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 6 oz. plain, nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 3 tbsp. prepared yellow mustard
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
  • 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 2 c. whole wheat panko bread crumbs
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

For the fries:

  • 1 lb. green beans
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil

Combine the yogurt, yellow mustard, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, and cayenne pepper in a large shallow dish and mix well.  Cut the chicken into strips.  Add the chicken strips to the yogurt marinade mixture, and stir around to make sure all sides of the chicken strips are coated in marinade.  Allow to sit for at least one hour or overnight in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  Prepare the green beans by rinsing and trimming their ends.  Toss in a large mixing bowl with salt, pepper, and olive oil.  Pour onto a foil lined cookie sheet.  Set the oven timer for 30 minutes and begin roasting the green beans.  Meanwhile, pour the panko bread crumbs into a shallow bowl.  Season with salt and pepper (I use about a half teaspoon of each) and stir gently.  Remove chicken strips from marinade one at a time, and press them into the bread crumbs.  Turn over and press all sides into the crumbs to ensure they are coated evenly.  Place onto a second foil lined cookie sheet that is coated lightly with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray.  Repeat with all chicken strips – you may need to cook these in two batches if you can’t fit them onto one cookie sheet with about an inch of space around each strip.  Mist or drizzle a little additional olive oil over the chicken strips and place in the oven with the green beans.  Bake for 24 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking time.

If you time it well (and bread your chicken quickly!), the green beans and chicken fingers should be done cooking around the same time.  Serve with your favorite dipping sauces.

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Workout #2

18 Aug

This workout is designed to be alternated with Workout #1.

For this workout, you will need:

  1. 1.  A way to keep time…stopwatch, cell phone, kitchen timer, wall clock.  Something that beeps and is easy to set works fine.  If you want to get fancy, you can invest in an interval timer.
  2. 2.  A wall.
  3. 3. A bench/chair/sofa.  As long as it doesn’t tip over when you bear weight on one side.

Do the following 10 exercises in the prescribed order.  You will perform each individual exercise for 30 seconds, followed by 60 seconds of rest.  Then move on to the next exercise.  This workout should take just 15 minutes.  If this isn’t challenging enough, or as your strength/endurance improves, increase the amount of work by 15 seconds, keeping the same 60 second rest period.

Continue reading →

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A few updates…

17 Aug

I’ve been a little stressed out lately, and it’s totally showing around here…

I fixed a few things that were a little weird…I re-categorized some of the entries so we’re better organized now.  Sorry about all of the haphazard recipe posts – they should all show up when you select the “recipes” tab.

Some of you have pointed out the lack of workouts.  I’m totally on top of that.  I will be posting a second plyometric workout you can do at home and an awesome kettlebell workout in the next few hours.  Since many of you have asked, I’ll be posting the weekly workouts that I’m doing as well.  My goal is to eventually have some instructional videos up on the website, but that will require a little bit more planning and working some scheduling issues out.

I’ve had a few great questions about recipe development and where I find my recipes.  Most of them are dishes I’ve been cooking for quite awhile now, so I don’t usually follow a written recipe.  At one point in time, most of these were either recipes in a magazine or cookbook that I doctored up and changed over and over again until they were just how my family and I like them.  This has made it difficult in the past to share them with friends.  That’s one of the biggest reasons I started blogging – to share my healthy recipes with friends and family.  If I do find a recipe on another website or in a cookbook or magazine to share with you, I’ll definitely give credit where it’s due.  For now, these are mostly my own creations.

I’m in the process of starting school and setting up my training business, so things will be a little hectic around here for a few weeks!  I promise to keep everyone updated throughout the process.  I’ve decided that I definitely want to work independently, and setting up business accounts and entities, finding an insurance carrier, and working out the logistics of running a home gym have been keeping me so busy.  I totally appreciate all of the feedback and love hearing your stories, so keep the emails coming!

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