Week 12.....Family Weekend

Had such a great weekend with the family rafting on the Rifle river. Totally blew my clean eating but sometimes you just have to. Back to the gym this morning (and probably every day this week) just to get back on track.

Black Cherry Banana Smoothie

• 1/2 cup pitted black cherries
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1 Tbls. ground flax seed
• Blend and enjoy!

Getting Rid of Back Fat

http://www.fitsugar.com/Yoga-Poses-Get-Rid-Back-Fat-22913100

Salmon with coconut milk and edamame 

http://www.dinneralovestory.com/salmon-for-people-who-are-sick-of-salmon/

This was a delicious salmon recipe made with coconut milk. I had to substitute some things I didn't have on hand like edamame for the green beans, dried cilantro and dried basil for the fresh ones, fresh ginger for the lemongrass and I didn't have red curry paste so I added red pepper for the heat. I will definitely be making this dish again with the original recipe ingredients!

Happy Journey,

Deb

Week 11....Kicking it in Gear!

Kicking it in Gear with a new Ab workout

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal bars

BEWARE...........These are sinfully delicious!!!

• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/3 cup   honey
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 cup quick oats
• 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks (I used a bar of Ghirardelli dark 72% cocoa)
• 1/2 cup dried cherries chopped
• 1/2 cup of chopped nuts ( I will be adding them to mine next time)

What to do:

1.  Melt  the coconut oil, peanut butter and honey in a pot over medium to low heat, stirring constantly.  Turn off the burner when melted.

2.  Pour in the cup of oats and the ground flax seed.  Stir till combined.

3.  Stir in the coconut and dark chocolate. Stir till chocolate is melted. 

4.  Pour into foil-lined 8 X 8 pan and stick in the fridge.

5. Once cooled cut into squares and store in air tight container in fridge.

The photo looks like they're large bars but I actually cut them in 2" squares and only ate one a day 
( ok, maybe two). It was just enough to curb the "Sweet Beast" !

I've been doing a lot of research lately on coconut oil and it's benefits over other oils and butter. I'm giving it a try and so far it's working out well replacing recipes that call for butter. I'm also going to add a tablespoon to my smoothies in the morning. Here's one link with many uses for it....very interesting: Coconut oil

 Greek Yogurt Conversions 

Cool Clean Lunch

It's been so hot lately all I want is cold food so I whipped up what I had in the fridge and this is what I came up with....

The green bean and tomato salad recipe: ( my tomatoes were orange)

 http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/05/green-bean-and-cherry-tomato-salad/

The cucumber salad recipe:

1 Large cucumber sliced

 1/2 cup cider vinegar
3 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs honey
 1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
 2 dashes of cayenne pepper

Watermelon:
Cut up and serve

I want to be in the first row when I'm that age!

Happy Journey,
Deb
My Website

Week 10.....Hot,Hot,Hot!

Seriously, is there anything more funny than monkeys riding dogs???

More summertime festivals in Michigan! As long as I avoid the popcorn and cotton candy it's all good! This was the Stars and Stripes festival in Mt.Clemens. Great music too!

No More Diet Drinks

I've completely given up diet pop and diet teas. It's so easy and so much more affordable to make a jug of green tea, add some fruit and ice and have a nice clean cold drink anytime. Besides all the health benefits from green tea, I also think it tastes better freshly brewed than bottled.

Confetti Quinoa

So I've been on this quinoa kick for a while now and still love it so much. I had a bunch of veggies on hand so I cooked up some quinoa, added some leftover chicken, a can of low sodium black beans, edamame, corn, red pepper, carrots, onion and tomato. All my veggies added were raw, but you could blanch them also before adding.The sauce is real easy and can be combined with a number of different veggies for a flavorful dinner or side dish.


Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 
• 1/4 teaspoon  salt 
• 1 cup chopped fresh basil ( I didn't have any and it was still delish, cilantro would be yummy too)
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Stevia (or sugar)
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Whisk all together and add to cooked quinoa and veggies.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie

Nothing new here...
Had a craving for something sweet so I whipped up a chocolate/peanut butter smoothie:


1/2 frozen banana
tablespoon natural peanut butter
tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa
unsweetened almond milk
non fat plain Greek yogurt
1 scoop of vanilla protein powder  

Healthy Skillet Pasta

I wanted to call this"Skillet lasagna" but I didn't have any lasagna noodles, so we're calling it
"Almost skillet lasagna"

1/2 box of whole wheat pasta (whatever you have on hand, but if using lasagna noodles break into pieces)
cook as directed on box, drain and set aside.


In a large skillet add 1 teaspoon olive oil, onion and garlic. I used 1/2 a medium red onion and two cloves of chopped garlic.


Saute till tender and add veggies. I used 2 small yellow squash diced, 1 cup diced carrots, 1/2 red pepper diced.
saute till tender.


Add 2 tablespoons of basil pesto (store bought or homemade).
1 can of diced tomatos with green chiles (gives a nice kick)
1 Jar of favorite pasta sauce (or homemade)
1/2 container of low fat ricotta cheese, stir well till combined.


Add mozzarella and Parmesan ( I used about 1/2 cup each)


Stir, serve and enjoy!

Happy Journey,


Deb