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Hooray for Winter Running! February 16, 2013

Filed under: Bread,Running — Luv What You Do @ 4:25 pm
Tags: basketball, cold, Corn, Running, Shopping, snow, winter

To begin I must admit that we still have NO food in our house. Not one trip to the grocery store this week! I was lucky that we had a chili Valentine’s Day party at work with leftovers on Friday for lunch. So before I even had water boiling for tea this morning, I was making a grocery list. I have been itching to get outdoors and run all week. Mostly because the weather has been a little warmer than usual, and I have seen the sun shining from inside my office. So despite the 20 degree announcement on my cell phone this morning, I layered up for an outdoor run.

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Trail shoes and all!

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The sun was shining this morning, but failed to show up when I exited the front door. I ran the long way through the neighborhood towards the forest preserve path. It was definitely colder than I would have liked but tolerable.

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The path was quiet and peaceful! I ran a little under 5 miles at a slow and steady pace with a few walking breaks over the icy concrete.

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I had to laugh that the only time I almost fell was when I slipped while walking, not running. The benefit of all of my layers is that I had room to stash my phone to snap a few pictures. Between the cold and my bulky shoes, I felt much slower than my recent speed intervals around the track, but I was happy for the longer run.

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Recently, my runs have been much shorter (30-35 minutes) due to some changes in my work schedule. I was feeling much better about this after reading an article in Women’s Running Magazine last night about speed training. New research is supporting that shorter runs can burn calories and improve your fitness just as well as longer runs when you increase your intensity. One of the treadmill workouts, which surprised me, suggested sprinting for 8 seconds, followed by a 12 second recovery. That is one that I have never heard of, but looking forward to trying.

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I have been doing most of my winter running along the track alternating between 90/90 second intervals, 60/120 second intervals, and tempo runs in preparation for a few middle distance runs I am signed up for this spring. I am hoping to add in a spring half marathon, which will hopefully motivate me out of the house again for longer, cold weekend runs. Post run, I have been refueling with multiple variations of the Green Smoothie.

After this morning’s run, I drove out to Whole Foods to meet my Mom for lunch. We both LOVE collecting our favorites from the hot bar and salad bar and sharing them tapas style with a big bottle of water. She had to spend the rest of her Saturday working, so I got to wander the aisles of Whole Foods tasting samples and scooping up groceries. Then moved on to Costco to do the same thing.

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I walked in the door with my arms full. The BOY was involved with the Indiana v Perdue game…no surprise there. After unloading my groceries, I baked up an amazing smelling cornbread for a get together with friends tomorrow. I typically make more of a sweet cornbread, so this easy recipe from Paula Deen was a nice change of pace.

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I caught the second half of the basketball game while sipping some warm tea that we picked up in Sarasota. I now have the perfect amount of time for a quick afternoon nap before the BOY and I head out for dinner tonight.

What kind of winter running have you been doing?

What is your favorite interval training workout?

Comments (15)

Slow Cooker Turkey and Bean Chili January 20, 2013

Filed under: Clean Eating,Crock Pot,Dessert,Soup,Turkey — Luv What You Do @ 6:11 pm
Tags: basketball, beans, chili, Corn, family, magazine, Peanut Butter, Recipes, Sweet Potato

We haven’t made chili in a few weeks, so it was time to grease up the crockpot and chop up some veggies.

I found a wonderful looking chili recipe in Clean Eating Magazine. I picked up all my ingredients at the store last week, so that I could get right to work Saturday morning.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have white beans (kind of a big deal since it is in the title of the original recipe), but I knew that black beans would be a fair substitution. I was able to find tomato puree (I’ve never used that in chili before), and decided to use sweet potato instead of white potatoes for taste and nutritional value.

I like to slow cook on low heat. I don’t know much about slow cookers of the past but I think that my crockpot is super strong and therefore I can cook something on low (8-10 hours) for only 6 hours and have a thick bowl of chili.

After a few hours, my chili was smelling good but not as thick as I would have expected. I added in the roasted corn. Yes, it appears that microwaving a premade bag of roasted corn could be considered cheating, but when I saw this in the frozen section, I knew it would make ~~life~~ this recipe MUCH easier.

A few more hours back in the crockpot with some additional seasonings, and I had a THICK and smoky chili!

I was even more surprised to see how much thicker my chili was when I poured myself a bowl for lunch today. Although I shouldn’t be too surprised as soups and chilies usually taste even better the second day. I think some of my substitutions changed the flavor of the recipe as written, but I am totally digging this colorful chili. The sweet potatoes add the right amount of sweetness that compliment the smoky corn. Covered in avocado, this was a filling lunch after this morning’s challenging Hot Yoga class.

Meanwhile, the BOY grilled up some burgers for our Dad’s who came over to watch the Indiana v Northwestern basketball game today. It took a little convincing but the BOY braved the cold (it was in the 30’s) to make juicy burgers for the guys’ lunch. He even took the time to make roasted mushrooms and caramelized onions to go with the burgers.

We had a wonderful afternoon relaxing in the living room, devouring our lunches, chatting about sports, and telling stories. This was the first time that just our Dads came over and it was an awesome way to spend the afternoon. The boys were more than happy to save room for dessert, Peanut Butter Bon Bons.

And the Dad’s even took a few to go home. FYI, the BOY has decided that the vanilla coated bonbons taste even better than the chocolate ones in case you are already making your Valentine treat list!

I know it sounds crazy, but I could totally go for another bowl of chili for dinner. Maybe that’s because we are watching the football playoffs and chili just seems appropriate : )

Have you made any new recipes in your crockpot?

Turkey and Bean Chili with Roasted Corn

Adapted from Clean Eating Magazine

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey breast

4 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped

1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed (can sub in min red skin potatoes halved per original recipe)

1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped

2 cups low sodium chicken or veggie broth

1 can black beans, rinsed (original recipe calls for navy beans but any white bean will work)

1 cup tomato puree

3 tbsp chili powder

1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

salt to taste

3 medium cobs of corn or 2 cups frozen and thawed corn kernels

Directions

In a large skillet, heat oil or cooking spray over medium heat. Add turkey and cook, stirring frequently until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and onion, stir and cook for 5 minutes until soft and well cooked.

Transfer turkey mixture to slow cooker sprayed with cooking spray. Add potato, pepper, broth, beans, tomato puree, and all seasonings. Stir and cook on low (6-8 hour setting) or high for closer to 3 hours.

Meanwhile, if using corn cobs, char on grill or over grill pan. When cool, shave kernels from cob. About 1 hour before finished, stir in fresh or microwaved corn and cook until potatoes are soft and chili has thickened.

Store in airtight container in refrigerator or freezer.

Comments (16)

Quick and Easy Empanadas?! May 30, 2012

Filed under: Appetizers — Luv What You Do @ 6:08 am
Tags: BBQ, Cheese, Corn, Mexican, Recipes

When I knew that we were having a Memorial Day fiesta, I got to work on my menu. Because I knew this weekend would be busy with the Soldier Field 10 Miler and Bike the Drive, I wanted some easy and tasty foods that went along with our Mexican theme. However, the BOY had a different idea. On Thursday night, he decided that we needed to have empanadas at our BBQ. Empanadas???

I don’t typically eat them and I have NO IDEA how to make them. When I mentioned this to a coworker on Friday, she found me this recipe for Quick and Easy Empanadas. After an exciting and exhausting morning of biking and shopping, I finally made it back to our house at 2PM. This left me 2 hours to get cleaned up and finish prepping for the BBQ. This would have been fine except that I had these crazy empanadas to make.

The outside breading is easy enough if you use premade refrigerated biscuits.

I initially tried to flatten them out with my hands, but ended up pulling out my rolling pin.

I used the recipe as a guide, but adapted some of the measurements based on what was available in our house and what I had the patience to go searching for. I ended up stirring together the corn, cheese, salsa, onion, and garlic in a big bowl.

I made the first batch of empanadas without meat. Immediately, I was having trouble closing the biscuit!

With time running out, I was slightly frustrated, but I kept moving along until I had 8 empanadas. I baked them for about 15 minutes until the edges were brown and toasty.

Yikes! These do not look like empanadas! Although the warm, gooey inside tasted fantastic!

I stirred in some browned fajita meat for batch #2. I was able to learn a few things from my first attempt to help this second round go more smoothly. I rolled out my dough much thinner and used less filling. This made it easier for me to pinch the sides together sealing in the filling. The dough was still too thick (note to the reader…dough will expand when baking so roll it extremely thin…even thinner than you think you should). But, they looked much better than the first try.

I don’t know that my empanadas were exactly what the BOY had in mind, especially when I saw these beautiful pastries at Whole Foods the next day.

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I have a little ways to go when it comes to the looks of my final product.

When guests arrived, I told them that they would have to just pull some of the extra dough off of the empanadas because there was not enough filling inside. When everyone started raving about the filling, I pulled the leftovers out of the tupperware that I had stashed in the fridge. Everyone loved it as a dip and dug right in. My plan was to use the leftovers with cream cheese as a warm appetizer, but when it was time to clean up, there was barely any left. I guess that is a success!

For dinner the next night, we pulled out a variety of delicious leftovers. I created this salad complete with everything that we had leftover in one bowl. It was incredible. The BOY used the empanada filling as a salsa on his fajitas. Yummy!

I’m sharing this recipe because I think with a little more time and TLC, these empanadas can be great. But if you don’t have time and patience to make them, you can use this filling as a dip or salsa. Or…spread a layer of softened cream cheese (and refried beans if you want) on the bottom of an oven proof dish, top with the filling (recipe below), and biscuits if desired. Then bake until the top is brown and the inside is warm and bubbly.

Quick and Easy Empanadas (or cheese, tomato and corn dip)

From Food.com

1 lb ground beef (optional)

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 (15 ounce) can fresh cut corn, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup chopped onion

8 ounces grated cheddar cheese

1 cup salsa (I recommend a black bean salsa)

2 (16 ounce) cans large refrigerated biscuits

Directions:

Brown the ground beef in a frying pan adding the salt and pepper just before done.

Let the beef cool.

In a large bowl mix the corn, onions, cheese, and salsa, then add the cooled beef mixing carefully so not to break up all the cheese.

Roll the biscuits out flat to about 2-1/2 times their size. (I found it easier to make more of an oval shape).

Place approximately 1/3 cup filling on one side of the center of the circle lengthwise.

Fold the dough over the filling like a turn over and crimp the edges like a pie crust. Be careful not to tear the dough, and to seal the edges completely or your filling will come out! depending on how much filling is used will determine how many biscuits you will use.

Place on slightly greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 till lightly browned (about 15 minutes).

***Note: I would suggest layering cream cheese, filling, and pastry as described above and making it into a dip!

OPTIONS: These turnovers would be easy to fill with sauce and cheese for pizza puffs or fruit, cinnamon and sugar for dessert empanadas.

Comments (9)

2 Miler May 29, 2012

Filed under: Clean Eating,Running,Salad — Luv What You Do @ 9:29 pm
Tags: BBQ, Corn, Mexican, Recipes, shoes

With a weekend as active as this one, it would have been okay to take the day off from exercise today and sleep in. However, these shoes were calling my name.

Not literally calling my name, but these beautiful new runners were just quietly hanging out in their box waiting to get outside and hit the pavement.

The salesman at the running store suggested breaking into this shoes lightly, starting with low miles and alternating them with another pair of shoes. With the 10 Miler on Saturday, I didn’t have time this past week for low miles, so this morning was my first chance.

Plus, it was a gorgeous spring day (the kind that makes you want to call in sick and play outside all day).

So, I worked out an compromise…I would do an Active Recovery! This way I could sleep in before getting up and running a short 2 mile run in my new shoes. I didn’t know exactly what to expect from a light weight shoe as I have been wearing the same Brooks Adrenaline style for 8 years! I definitely felt a difference wearing a lighter shoe (this is 8.3 oz compared with the Adrenaline which is 9.4 oz). Although my legs were tired and not so fast, I could tell that they shoes were fast. They had a strong spring to them, which made them feel like they’d be more efficient on a longer run. The Pure Cadence is the more supportive of the Brooks Pure Project line and therefore a great place to start. I took a little time to stretch out my tight calves after my run and enjoy the beautiful day.

And then headed inside for breakfast. In honor of our Fiesta weekend, I made a simple egg wrap with avocado. Crazy though…we are all out of salsa which I LOVE on my eggs. If I had more time, I thought about making a Mexican style breakfast pizza, but this wrap totally hit the spot!

We still have a few things leftover from this weekend’s BBQ which I took for lunch today. One thing was this salad from Allyson Kramer’s book Great Gluten-Free Vegan Eats.

I thought that Wendi’s Black Eyed Pea Salad (picture on the cover) would be a healthy salad to support our Mexican themed BBQ. Per the book, this salad is potluck friendly and I was able to throw together the salad ingredients on Saturday. I used canned corn and black eyed peas along with a frozen bag of steamed rice for ease, but you could always use fresher ingredients if you wanted. I also omitted the jalapeno. Why…you ask? Because I forgot that I had two in the fridge.

On Saturday, I was able to whisk together my salad dressing, add it to the salad to chill a few hours before serving.

I will tell you that I LOVED this combination of textures and flavors even before adding the dressing. The celery adds the right amount of crunch and the corn creates a little bit of sweetness. With whole grain brown rice, this salad is very filling and can be eaten as a side or a meal of its own. Today, I had it atop leafy greens with a few multigrain tortilla chips sprinkled across the top.

I did feel that there was a little too much dressing for this fresh tasting salad. Now, this could have been because of my lack of detail when measuring out salad ingredients, but the next time I make this, I will go lighter on the dressing.

On another note, I find this cookbook to be jam packed with bright and colorful pictures. The recipes are creative and many of them are practical. They give you measurements in cups and in grams which I always like for easy measuring on my food scale. You don’t have to eat gluten-free or vegan to appreciate the recipes! However, if you are baking gluten-free (like with any gluten-free cookbook), you will need to have some unique and different flours on hand.

This salad recipe is a good find and a compliment to any BBQ!

Wendi’s Zesty Black Eyed Pea Salad

From Great Gluten-Free Vegan Eats by Allyson Kramer

For Salad:

2 1/2 cups cooked black eyed peas (I used one can rinsed and drained)

2 cups cooked brown rice

2 cups thinly sliced celery

1 3/4 cups cooked sweet corn (I used one can rinsed and drained)

1 cup diced red bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped cliantro

1 tbsp minced jalapeno (remove seeds if you want less heat)

1/2 cup chopped scallions

For Dressing:

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tsp cumin

1 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbs sugar or agave nectar

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

To Make the Salad:

Combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and chill until cold, at least 1 hour.

To Make the Dressing:

In separate smaller bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients.

Toss salad with dressing until well combined. Chill in the refrigerator for a few hours to let the flavors meld. Serve cold or at room temperature.

***Note: I would consider using half of the agave and less olive oil for a lighter dressing.

You can prepare the salad up to two days in advance and store in the fridge. Just toss before serving.

Comments (2)

Chili and Sweet Cornbread Muffins February 28, 2012

Filed under: Bread,Crock Pot,Muffins,Soup — Luv What You Do @ 8:03 am
Tags: beans, chili, Corn, Recipes

A year ago, I made cornbread and taco soup for a friend. When she recently mentioned that her boyfriend loved the cornbread, I decided to make him another batch. I like this recipe for Sweet Corn Bread from All Recipes.com. I figured that I couldn’t just give him some cornbread, so I made a simple beef crockpot chili to go with it. The BOY loves chili, but he isn’t great about eating leftovers after 2-3 days, so it was a double bonus. Dinner for the BOY and a side for my cornbread.

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I haven’t found an easy crockpot beef chili recipe that I liked, so I just made up my own, with some input from the BOY of course. The result was a HUGE success!

Into the Crockpot:

1 lb ground beef

1 can dark red beans

1 can black beans

1 can pinto beans in chili sauce

1 steam bag of corn

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Your chili seasonings:

Chili powder

Cumin

Garlic

Red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper

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Giving everything a stir when I remembered…

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Onion!!!

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Can you even make chili without it???

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Cook according to crockpot directions.

Meanwhile, get started on your corn muffins.

So that when your chili is ready…

You’ll have something sweet to eat with it!

With some leftovers and extras to share with your friends.

Cutest ToGo box EVER!

Basic Beef Crockpot Chili

Trust me, if I can figure out beef chili, it is pretty simple

Plus, this recipe has the BOY’s seal of approval on taste!

Ingredients

1 lb 85/15 ground beef

1 onion, diced

1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes

1 bag steamed or 1 can corn

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can pinto beans in chili sauce

1 cup water

Optional: chili or adobo peppers for heat.

Chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, oregano, salt, and pepper

Directions

Cook beef on a heated skillet, sprayed with cooking spray until browned. Drain and place beef in crockpot. Stir in the remaining ingredients, adjusting seasonings to taste. Set per crockpot instructions.

Tastes even better Day 2. Freezes well.

Sweet Corn Bread (or Muffins)

From All Recipes.com

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Combine the egg, sour cream, milk and butter; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
Pour into a greased 8-in. square baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve warm.

NOTE: When making muffins, bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins!

Comments (3)

Easy Taco Soup February 20, 2011

Filed under: Soup — Luv What You Do @ 5:31 pm
Tags: Corn, Mexican, Recipes

Another rainy Sunday…perfect for soup! This recipe is really easy and takes no time at all. I wrote out the whole recipe below, but you can totally make this your own. This time around, I didn’t have any white beans and certainly wasn’t heading out of the house, so I doubled the black beans. I also had a request for a spicier soup, so I added some jalapeno peppers.

I decided to let my chopper do the work on my onion.

Then I sautéed my onion for about 5 minutes until soft and fragrant. I added the other ingredients on top and then the chicken broth (I recommend low sodium).

The BOY helped me pick out some stronger peppers at the store. I decided to cut them and add them to the soup. I only used a few, and the soup was much spicier. I am happy I channeled my inner food network star and remembered to taste the soup as I went.

I don’t like refried beans, so I have never added them to the soup. I also shared this recipe with a friend who added turkey meat and made it more of a chili. Delish! Don’t be afraid to get creative!

Taco Soup

Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped
1 package of taco seasoning
2 cups whole kernel corn (use frozen or canned)
1 container fat free chicken broth

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can white beans, rinsed and drained
1 can fat free refried beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can spicy seasoned tomatoes, like tomatoes with jalapeno

Directions

Sauté onion until soft in a large pot sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Add the other ingredients to pot and simmer 30 – 40 minutes. Freezes well!

Comments (3)

Game Day January 23, 2011

Filed under: Chicken,Crock Pot,Soup — Luv What You Do @ 2:10 pm
Tags: Bears, Corn, crock pot, football

Da’ Bears! I am dressed and ready for the game. I’ve got my jersey on and Chicken Tortilla Soup in the crock pot.

As you might have noticed, I don’t have many original recipes. I went looking for a healthy and low-sodium recipe one day and instead put a few ideas together to create this soup. Luckily, I wrote it down and added it to my recipe book for the next time. So here is my version of a healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup.

Start by gathering ingredients.

Start by chopping 1 onion and 1 green pepper. Saute with garlic until soft and fragrant 5-7 minutes. Stir in chili powder (about 1 tablespoon).

Meanwhile, season 1 pound of chicken breast with salt and pepper. Heat in pan over medium heat until both sides are cooked (about 5 minutes on each side) before placing the chicken in the crock pot sprayed with Pam.

Add ingredients to crock pot…

4 cups low sodium chicken broth

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

Onion and pepper mixture

1 bag of steamed corn

1 can of low sodium diced tomatoes

1 can diced mild green chilis (can substitute spicier chilis per taste)

1 jar of salsa

Taco seasoning

Stir everything together and set per crock pot instructions.

Dinner will be ready in just a few hours. I like to serve my soup with cheese, chips, and avocado. Hopefully, we’ll be celebrating a BEARS victory. Enjoy!

PS. I got so excited about my football game that I totally forgot to add…about an hour before the soup is done, shred the chicken with two forks, return to crock pot, and cook another hour or so! Now you can enjoy!

Comments (2)

Luv What You Do

Balancing a Busy Life with a Healthy Lifestyle

Hooray for Winter Running! February 16, 2013

Slow Cooker Turkey and Bean Chili January 20, 2013

Quick and Easy Empanadas?! May 30, 2012

2 Miler May 29, 2012

Chili and Sweet Cornbread Muffins February 28, 2012

Easy Taco Soup February 20, 2011

Game Day January 23, 2011

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Luv What You Do

Balancing a Busy Life with a Healthy Lifestyle

Hooray for Winter Running! February 16, 2013

Slow Cooker Turkey and Bean Chili January 20, 2013

Quick and Easy Empanadas?! May 30, 2012

2 Miler May 29, 2012

Chili and Sweet Cornbread Muffins February 28, 2012

Easy Taco Soup February 20, 2011

Game Day January 23, 2011

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