What's For Breakfast?

How are those New Year's Resolutions going?  I started back to the gym this week after a very long hiatus in hopes that the N.Y R. people would have thinned out.  I know that's mean, but I don't like to work out in a crowded gym and I was surprised to see it was still crowded.  It's good to know there are still some dedicated people out there, but I have some issues that I need to vent.  Just a couple pet peeves of mine about gym etiquette.  The first one is mostly a problem with the ladies.  When you're at the gym, please get off the machine to have your conversation with your long lost friend.  You are wasting both our time. Some of us want to quickly work out and get out of there. 

source

 Now for all you big muscly men, none of you probably read my blog , but if you do, your mommy isn't at the gym to clean up after you.  Wipe down the machine after you've sweat all over it and re-rack your weights. 

Now I remember why I stopped going to the gym.

I have come to the conclusion that I don't play nice with others when I'm on a mission to workout, so for the good of all parties concerned, I will only go when it's not crowded.

Thank you, I'm done ranting, I feel better now. 

Back to the post.

 If one of your N.Y.R's was to eat a healthier breakfast this post is one you might be interested in.  My husband and I have a green smoothie around 6:00 AM to get the day started. Around 10:00 ish I have a late morning snack and this is one of my favorites.  

 I make it on Sunday evening and eat it for the week. 

It's basically a quiche without the crust. 

I start with a dozen eggs. 

 If you have cholesterol issues you can use an egg substitute like Egg Beaters. 

Beat the eggs.

I add whatever veggies I have available.  Cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, onions, mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, peppers, spinach, tomatoes, etc. all work great.

Today I'm using some left over broccoli.

About a cup, sorry I don't measure much.  It's one of the reasons I'm a terrible baker.

I had a leftover spinach salad, so that got tossed in too.  The salad had onion, tomatoes, and a little goat cheese in it.  Add everything to a greased casserole dish.

Pour in the beaten eggs and add salt and pepper.

You can also add a little of your favorite cheese and some Tabasco sauce for a kick in the taste buds.

Bake at 325- 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the center is thoroughly cooked.  You can test if it's done by sticking the center with a tooth pick to make sure it's firm not gooey. 

Slice off a square and garnish with some fresh avocados and /or salsa. 

I was out of salsa for the picture. This is a great meal if you are too busy to make breakfast in the morning.  Just take a slice with you on your way out the door to work.  Heat it up later and it makes a great breakfast or mid morning snack.  The protein from the eggs and the fiber from the veggies keep me full, energized, and satisfied. 

 Hope all you are going strong on those N.Y.R's. 
If you see me at the gym, run the other way.

Thanks for checking it out.

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My Secrete Weapon

What's For Lunch? My Secret Weapon For the Holidays

I haven't done a "What's For Lunch" post in awhile? 
I wanted to share my secrete weapon with you,
it's the 'F' word. 

No not that 'F' word, the other one, FIBER.  With all the holiday parties and running around its easy to over eat and pack on the pounds.  We all get so busy this time of year it's more tempting then ever to get caught in the DDT (Deadly Drive Thru) or sit and gorge on Holiday cookies and treats.  One way I combat over indulgence is loading up on fiber before I go out the door of my house.  All calories ARE NOT created equal.   Let's face it, I'm going to eat some fudge at a Christmas party and I'm slightly addicted to Pumpkin Lattes (Thank You Kristy) so making sure I eat enough fiber combats the weight gain.

Don't take my word for it read this from Web MD and see how fiber is our friend. 
Here's a handy Fiber Food List from Dr. Chilton's Inflammation Nation if you want more ideas.

Here's my fiberlicious lunch for today.
 I'm on my way out the door to coach volleyball and I like to fuel up before I go.
 A hungry Coach Shannon = cranky Coach Shannon!
 My kids and husband said I'd get voted off Survivor because I'm not "nice" when I'm hungry.

I started with some tasty Rosemary Apricot Chicken Salad from my friend Trader Joe's. 
I don't always have time to make my own chicken salad so Joe took care of it for me.
 (Don't tell my husband I have a crush on T. Joe.)

Some Spinach

Avocado

Start with some avocado on a corn tortilla.  I don't eat gluten, but if you do, you could make this on some whole grain bread.  I'm in a hurry and need to eat on the run so the to tortilla makes eating quick and easy, otherwise I could skip the tortilla all together and just eat this on a bed of spinach.

Next I added a little chicken salad.

I threw in some sugar snap peas for added crunch and more fiber.

A handful of spinach.

Eating while standing up is not advisable, but I need to eat and run today.

Here is another version with fresh tomatoes.

I start my day with my Green Smoothie and I try to add veggies, preferable raw, to all my meals.  I even have my husband drinking these every morning with me, he's addicted. 
My diet has evolved into a more plant based one.



Eating this is way has helped me maintain my weight. 
I'm three pounds off my high school weight and I'm having my 30th year reunion this summer. 
This has not always been the case.

I'm off to go coach and my tummy is happy! 
The fiber keeps me full and it keeps the "crankies" away.

Wishing You A Happy, Healthy New Year!

Thank you for checking it out.

What's For Breakfast?

I've been having a green smoothie for breakfast for about seven months now and I love starting my day with it.

  First off let me say that I am not a nutritionist.  I took nutrition classes in college as part of my major, but I don't have any certification or "professional" nutritional degree.  If you are having health issues go see a professional.  With that being said I have read and studied a lot about healthy eating.  If you are a generally healthy person, most health professionals will tell you increasing your vegetable intake, especially dark green leafy vegetables, is a good thing.  There are some diseases in which people can not tolerate high levels of green vegetables, but I'm talking about generally healthy people. 

Do you ask your doctor before you eat a pizza or a cheese burger? 

Probably not, so if you are in generally good health you probably don't need to ask a professional if it's OK to eat more veggies, just saying. 

This is a simple, quick, delicious way to do just that.

  I read a book called the Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr and I stole some of the smoothie recipe ideas from the book.  It was recommended by my friend Heather Jones over at Mrs. Jones.  She is very talented and witty and I like her style.  Like most nutrition books I read, I use what is applicable for me.  I am not a vegetarian, but my diet has evolved to be mostly plant based.
 

I also really like these two books.

I changed my diet about four to five years ago?  I keep tweaking it as a read more, discover more, and find what works for me.  The way I eat now is not even recognizable compared to how I ate ten years ago.  The change was due to some nagging health issues that doctors couldn't explain?  I developed an auto immune disease while pregnant with my second daughter and have continued to be plagued with other symptoms that doctors could never diagnose.  I had to go on daily medication.  As a result I changed the way I ate.  It helped a lot , but I still had nagging symptoms that would creep up from time to time?  I could never pin point what was causing them?  I started drinking Mona Vie about three years ago, wow what a difference it made.  My joint paint completely disappeared, but I still had digestive problems that would come and go.  I recently was able to lower my dosage of the daily meds. I'm on for my auto immune disease (Do not adjust your medication unless your doctor prescribes the change.)  I attribute it to the dietary changes I've made.  That's a whole other blog that I won't go in to now.  This is just a short little breakfast post.

Simply put, I eat way more of this,

raw, raw, and more raw.

Not this.  This is poison for my body.

  I put the veggies and fruit in a blender in a 2-1 ratio and make this yummy concoction.

Today it's kale, cucumber, sprouts, broccoli stocks, zucchini, frozen berries, green apple, and pear.  Sometimes it's collard greens or spinach instead of kale.  If possible I try to use stuff we grow in our garden or what I can buy organic.  That's why I included the zucchini, we have a ton of it in our veggie garden.

Cut everything up to be about the same size and throw it in the blender.

I add some coconut water.  You can also use purified water.  Coconut water has as much potassium as a banana.  It's way better for electrolyte replacement than sugary sports drinks. I always lecture the athletes I train to not drink sports drinks.  Sports drinks are basically sugar water that high priced athletes have been paid mega money to get people to think they are good to drink.
That's a whole other post.   

 And I add a packet of Stevia.

This is what I drink for breakfast every day. 

 I know it looks similar to pond scum, but trust me, it's GOOD!

After you start drinking these you will think donuts look disgusting.

(OK maybe the donut part is an exaggeration?)

Ahhh, my body is happy, energized, and strong.

 I'm ready to give my best to my family and to the wonderful girls I have been entrusted to coach volleyball.

What's your favorite go to healthy breakfast?

Thanks for checking it out.

Lastly, my friend Meg over at Meg's Handmade Life is having her very first give away from her cute Etsy shop.  Don't be fooled by her profile picture on her blog, she's the adorable model in the hand knit beanies.  Go check it out! 

Veggies Your Kid's Will Eat.

We all want are kids (and husbands) to eat more veggies and less junk?  This is how I make brussels sprouts and cauliflower.  They gobble it up like it was chocolate chip cookies!  OK, I might be exaggerating a tad, but my family loves veggies this way. 

Our meals have evolved into the veggies as a main course and the protein as the side.  This has been a process that my kids probably aren't even aware of?  Sometimes we moms have to be sneaky and stealth like.

Raw or lightly steamed is nutritionally preferable,
but if my kids won't eat them that way what good is it? 

I'm not sure where I got this from?  Sorry I can't credit the source.  I think I saw it on a cooking show, not sure, but we've been cooking veggies this way for years.

I use my pre-cut frozen garlic to speed up the prep. for the veggies on week nights when we have soccer or volleyball practice.

I thinly slice a head of Cauliflower and spread it out on a cookie sheet. 

I toss is with the chopped garlic (the more the better, but we are garlic freaks), and a couple tablespoons of grape seed or olive oil.  We have a family of four.  This always looks like way too much, but the cooking shrinks it.  Sprinkle with some sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and some red pepper flakes if you like it hot.

 

Roast at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Toss after ten minutes to roast evenly.  I have a convection oven, so if you don't you might have to cook these a little longer.

The edges should be lightly crisp and browned.

 The only bad thing about this is I love leftovers and we never have any! 

My family gobbles it up!

This works great for brussels sprouts too.
 I chop them in a food processor, cook them the same way as the cauliflower, and finish them off with some chopped pecans or walnuts.

How do you get your family to eat more veggies?

Thanks for checking it out.

My Favorite Seared Ahi Creation

This has become a family favorite and a hit with dinner guests.
 I have served it as an appetizer or as a light main dinner course. 
Perfect for summer entertaining.
Here it is in my new starfish platter that my friend Kristy gave me. 

I made this recipe up. 

Start with some Sashimi Grade Ahi.

This is from Trader Joe's

2-3 Avocados.

Sesame Seeds

Sesame Oil

 Peel some Edaname. About a cup?

I serve this with two different sauces.   
The first sauce is made with Wasabi Powder or Wasabi Paste (I prefer paste), Colman's Mustard (dried powdered mustard found in the spices section of the grocery store), and Gluten Free Soy Sauce (I don't eat gluten so that's what I use.  Regular soy sauce works just as well for this recipe if it's not an issue for you.)

Make a paste with the wasabi, mustard, and soy.  About a teaspoon of each?  I don't really measure when I cook, these are estimates. 

Once you have mixed the paste, add about 1/3 of cup of soy sauce and mix well. Adjust the heat by adding more wasabi to make it hotter or more soy sauce to cool it down.

Mix well.

The second sauce is a Chipotle Mayonnaise that I also use on my Shrimp Tacos.  In a food processor or blender mix 1 to 2, 3 if you like it HOT (not the whole can, these babies pack some heat!) Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (freeze the rest for later use), a cup of mayo. and approximately a tablespoon of water. 

If it turns out too hot for you, add more mayo. to cool it down.

Time to sear your Ahi.  Searing just locks in the flavor.  Think sushi, the middle is raw. 
Coat the Ahi with sesame oil and dip into the sesame seeds.

(The extra little piece is for my lunch tomorrow)

In a non-stick skillet heat about a tablespoon of sesame oil on high till it's just about to smoke.

Sear the sesame coated fish in the hot sesame oil.  Sear a minute or two on both sides and all the ends.  The middle should be completely raw and the cooking should only reach the outer 1/8"- 1/4" edge of the fish.

With a sharp knife, slice the fish into 1/4"-1/2" slices.  Peel and slice the avocado and alternate the Ahi and the avocado slices.  Drizzle the Chipolte Mayonaise along the top, down the middle.  Sprinkle with the Edaname and serve with the soy dipping sauce and Chipolte Mayo. on the side. 

Here it is served with brown rice and steamed broccoli for dinner.

Enjoy!

Perfect after a hot day at the beach. 

 What's your favorite summer recipe?

Thanks for checking it out.