Meatless Monday: Making Your Own Almond Butter

Really simple to do and extra yummy. Just chop almonds in your blender. Keep pulsing until it's a thick paste. Keep going. Keep going. A little more. Keep going. And before you know it, you have the desired consistency for almond butter. Spread it on apple slices or onto a banana and you have a healthy snack!

Meatless Monday: Week One

COUSCOUS FRITTATA
Serves 4

1/2 cup water
1/3 cup uncooked couscous
1 tablespoon water
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 large egg whites
3 large eggs
cooking spray
2 cups red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 cup onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup manchego or monterey jack cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 350°.

Bring 1/2 cup water to boil in a small saucepan and gradually stir in couscous. Remove from heat, cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Combine 1 tablespoon water, salt, black pepper, egg whites and eggs in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Heat a 10-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, onion, and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes.

Stir in couscous and egg mixture and cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until almost set. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake for 10 minutes or until set.
Source: http://www.meatlessmonday.com/couscous-frittata/.

Can't Wait to Bake These - And Eat Them, Too!

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
7 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, ginger, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Place 3/4 cup granulated sugar, butter, and brown sugar in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well-blended. Add the honey, vanilla, and egg; beat well. Add the flour mixture, beating at low speed until well-blended. Cover dough and freeze for 1 hour or until firm.

Lightly coat hands with cooking spray; shape the dough into 24 (1-inch) balls. Roll the balls in 1/4 cup granulated sugar; place the balls 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes on pans. Remove cookies from pans, and cool on wire racks. (Recipe from Cooking Light)

Both my girls and I love love love gingersnap cookies. The house always smells so wonderful after baking a fresh batch and I can't wait to try them out!

Thanksgiving Party Snack

Sharing this great idea in case you have a Thanksgiving party or dinner to attend and don't know what to bring. So easy to make this - and, best of all, it's healthy!

Baked Parmesan Artichoke - Yum!

1 whole artichoke, rinsed thoroughly
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon unseasoned breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon oregano
1 clove garlic, minced

Directions:

1. Trim artichoke stem and about 3/4 - 1 inch off the tip of the artichoke.

2. Use scissors to snip thorned tips from the end of the leaves.

3. Place artichoke facing up in a steamer basket over 2" boiling water. Steam for 20 minutes.

4. Remove artichoke from steamer, let artichoke cool to room temperature, and preheat oven to 350* F.

5. Place artichoke, facing up, in a shallow dish. Fill dish with chicken broth until there is approximately 1/2 inch of liquid. Place bay leaf in the chicken broth.

6. In a small bowl, combine parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, oregano and garlic; mix to combine. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over the artichoke, making sure to get some in between the leaves.

7. Cover with a foil tent. Bake for 45 minutes.

Monday Munchies

Seriously, how yummy is this? Mini Pop Tarts-Brilliant and Super Easy! Basically, just buy pre-made pie crust, popsicle sticks, and fresh fruit (you dice it up). But if you want the exact recipe and directions, check it out here. The recipe uses cherries, but I think I might be creative and try raspberries and strawberries...or maybe even blackberries, when they're in season.

Better yet - make these seasonal. For Easter, drizzle pastel marshmallow cream over them. For 4th of July, blueberries and strawberries would please. Halloween would be so fun and you could add Halloween-shaped sprinkles to them. So many ideas and fun to be had!

Easy Snack Using Chickpeas

Garbanzo beans. Chickpeas. Whatever you call them, they make a nutritious post-workout snack. And best of all, this recipe is super simple.

Short ingredient list: can of garbanzo beans, sea salt, garlic peppercorn mix (or seasoning of your choice), aluminum foil lined pan.



Rinse beans.



Dry with paper towels.



Spread on cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Shake half way through.



Done! A 1/2 cup serving size has just 120 cal, 2g fat, 20g carbs, 6g protein.

Enjoy!

Quinoa, Only Yummy

Simple way to enjoy the healthy benefits of quinoa.

Boil 1 cup quinoa with 2 cups water (include a tsp olive oil, a little sea salt and a garlic clove). Simmer on low, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes till water absorbed.

Add diced peppers (green, red, habanero or jalapeño are good), corn, black beans, 1tbsp cumin, salt, pepper, chopped cilantro (to your tastes), and juice from one lime.

Great either hot or cold. During the winter, I'll even add diced sweet potatoes to the mix. Mmmmm...enjoy!

Runner's Recipe for Refueling: Shrimp Ceviche

Great way to add protein for muscle repair as well as a light and refreshing way to refuel after a long run (or medium or short run!).

1 pound small shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 small cucumber, quartered and sliced
1/4 cup sliced red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 TBSP minced picked jalepeno chiles
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 BSP olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cracked pepper

Cook the shrimp in a pot of boiling water 3 minutes or until done; rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Combine shrimp with remaining ingredients in a large nonaluminum bowl. Cover and chill for several hours to combine flavors.

Use leftover lime for the Corona! Enjoy!

Today's guilty pleasure: those damn peeps. It's Easter time and they're everywhere, including on my countertop!

How do you fuel on those long runs? Do you have an easy recipe for quick and yummy fuel?

Eating Healthy: Veggie Pizza

I made this pizza the other night and I can't wait to make it again - yum! Very simply, I bought pre-made crust (some off-brand because I was too tight to pay for Boboli). I began with a thin layer of reduced fat, pre-made pesto. Added a layer of artichokes, red onions, and banana peppers. Sprinkled some fresh ground pepper and garlic. Topped the pizza with a little mozzarella (by a little, I mean I dumped half the bag!). Popped it in the oven for 10-12 minutes and presto - magic to the mouth!

I'd love to hear if you have a meatless dish that's your go-to recipe!

Today's guilty pleasure: olive. I was going to add olives to my pizza, but I ate them all before they could make it to the layering!

Quick, Delish Weeknight Dinner

This is one of Megan's favorite meals and takes about 20 minutes to make!

1. Boil one bag of frozen cheese ravioli

2. While ravioli is boiling, sauté diced chicken in garlic and olive oil.

3. Combine ravioli and chicken breasts with 3/4 container of reduced fat Buttoni pesto (or your favorite pesto).

Serve with salad and/or garlic bread. Delish!

Best Potato Soup Recipe Ever!

This recipe first appeared in the October 2002 Cooking Light magazine. Greg and I were dating and I fixed this for him and his roommate. Not only did they both love it, but it became one of Megan's most requested dinners. With rain and fall-like temps, my baked potato soup had to make an appearance. And she loved it :)

Ingredients:
4-6 Idaho baking potatoes (normal size)
2/3 cup all purpose flour
6 cups skim or 2% milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt & pepper as desired
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
3/4 cup chopped onion
4-6 bacon slices

Here's the easy part and takes less than 30 minutes:
1. Wash potatoes, prick with fork, wrap in paper towel and bake in microwave. When soft, scoop out of shell and mash in bowl.
2. Boil milk and flour till it starts getting thick and bubbly.
3. Add mashed up potatoes and cheese. Cook and stir for 8-10 minutes.
4. Add salt, pepper, and sour cream.
5. Top with chopped onion, more shredded cheese and bacon or as desired.

Serve with grilled cheese or just with simple, crusty bread. Great as leftovers, too!

Bon appetit!