Bikini Contest Prep: 10 Weeks Out

Just popping in to share a progress picture I snapped today- 10 weeks out from my bikini contest.  I am seeing good progress, but I also am standing tall and "sucking in"! ;)  I hope that in the next few weeks, I won't have to try so hard! 

I'm happy to be back home so that I can stick to my eating and training routine.  Last week I was off my game with the trip to Dallas and then the Gala on Saturday night.  But, being home, I can eat my food and on schedule.  It's a lot of food to eat, but I'm hungry every few hours, so it's perfect right now.   

Also, while I was gone, we didn't get much sleep, staying up with late-night pillow chats that I wouldn't miss, but paid for when I got home.  I'm back on my sleep schedule now (which is CRUCIAL for the workouts I'm doing.  I notice a huge difference in the difficulty level of my workouts when I haven't gotten enough sleep.  Like, I want to quit and go home, but my trainer keeps me going.   I tend to be a night owl, but I find myself being ready for bed by 10:00 p.m. now.

I have to do posing practice for the show too.  I went to one session and it was terrible.  My coach said I was stiff and couldn't twist enough- she said I needed to get massages to loosen up . . .   My next posing practice is Friday, and I hope it goes better!  It feels ridiculous, but I don't want to embarrass myself on stage.

My trainer measured my body fat last Thursday, and it was down to 21% (from 25% when he first measured it).  I also lost 3 pounds.  I'm not sure how accurate the measurement it, and I really want to go to a facility to get it tested with the Bod Pod y'all recommended, but I haven't made time for it yet.  

I found the first picture I posted when I started working out again after the New Year.  It was taken on February 6, 2015.   The second picture is the one I took today, April 29, 2015- so just about 3 months apart.  And I only started with my trainer 5 weeks ago.  I'm wearing the same sports bra in both pictures.  Seeing it this way makes me realize how far I've come.  I'm proud of my efforts!

Okay, off to bed!  Gotta get that sleep!  Thank you for following in this journey with me!

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My Favorite All Natural Peanut Butter

All my life I was a JIF peanut butter girl.  I bought the low-fat kind and ate it by the jarful.  I love peanut butter on almost everything- apples, celery, PB&J, chocolate, even on my pancakes.

A couple years ago, in an effort to eat less processed food, I switched to all natural peanut butter.  I've tried all kinds of brands and even almond butter and keep coming back to my all-time favorite, Laura Scudders, because it tastes so good.  You do have to stir it some, but oil separation is normal in all-natural peanut butter.  I'm currently loving the nutty one, but they also make it in smooth.  I can find it at my local grocery store.

So good on protein pancakes!  I recently tweaked that recipe- I now add a little milk to the batter too- it makes them less dense.  

Are you eating all-natural peanut butter?  What brand do you like?

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Eating Healthy When Traveling

With 10 weeks until my fitness bikini competition, I'm getting a little freaked out.  The meal plan I'm on is really tough, mainly because it's boring to eat the same thing over and over and over.  I have not been perfect, but I'm doing pretty well.  I flew to Dallas for two days on Thursday and in preparation for the trip, I brought food so I could stay on my meal plan.  My flight was only an hour, so I packed my small skillet (perfect size for my protein pancake), Pam coconut oil spray, ground oats (for the pancake), brown rice, and protein powder in my checked luggage.  My local friend Cassie brought me frozen chicken, veggies, and egg whites. 

We lucked out and landed in the penthouse suit of the hotel that was equipped with a stove and microwave, so I was able to prepare some meals.  But, nothing is easy.  The room was so high-tech that we couldn't get the stove working and the engineer had to come 3 times to get it to work.   My protein pancake had to be cooked in a special skillet designed for the stove and pretty much fell apart, but I ate it anyway.  (My pancake is just 1/2 cup of ground oats, 3/4 cup egg whites, 1/4 cup water and cinnamon).  I have been "cheating" and eating it with a trace amount of natural peanut butter spread on top. 

My chicken, rice, and veggies were easy to microwave and I had that several times during the trip.

But, I wasn't perfect.  I ate pita chips and hummus, small part of a chocolate bar, and a glass of champagne at the pool.  

Thursday night at dinner I ordered a buffalo burger with no bun and a side salad without dressing. We  ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant on Friday night, and although I ordered iced tea (when everyone had margaritas) and skipped the chips and queso, I ordered grilled chicken with onions, rice and beans and devoured it.  

Saturday morning before my flight, I didn't have time to eat breakfast before heading to the airport (besides an apple and peanut butter) so  before my plane took off I grabbed a turkey sandwich and just ate the turkey out of it since the bread was soggy.  And I had my Starbuck's iced tall 2-pump mocha on Saturday and Sunday.  Yikes.

At our school Gala on Saturday night, I had two glasses of champagne and on Sunday I had a piece of pizza!

I know that strictly sticking to the meal plan is key, so I'm going to be on it this week.  Tomorrow is a new day!  Last Friday I got my body fat tested again by my trainer and it went down from 25% to 21% in just a couple weeks, which is good progress.  I've found the best way to get through sticking to the meal plan is to just put it on auto-pilot.  Don't think about it, just do it.  The good results I'm seeing keep me motivated to continue.

I'll post a progress pic soon!

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Summer Chicken Salad with Fruit

Growing up, I was never a big fan of your traditional chicken salad. It was mushy and bland and oh so boring with the lack of veggies. I suppose it didn't help that I never liked Mayo either, can't stand it in fact, Gag!  I guess chicken salad never really had a chance with me. It ranked right up there with potato salad and egg salad sandwiches as far as I was concerned. So, I hate to even call this "chicken salad". I mean technically, it is a chicken salad, but with so much more pizazz and flair! It's chicken salad all grown up.  It has tangy, sweet and savory flavors in every bite. I love how you can really taste each separate flavor since the yogurt is so nice and light as apposed to mayo. (man, this wasn't supposed to be a mayo bashing, sorry to all you mayo lovers... get over it ).

However, here is the ugly truth regarding mayo, in calories and fat comparison.

(Low-fat yogurt has 9 calories a tablespoon, versus 99 for regular mayonnaise and 30 for sour cream.)

You can substitute yogurt for mayo in almost anything.

Serve this salad over lettuce instead of in a sandwich! You won't miss the bread. This is full of flavor, filling and healthy!

Even my picky eater LOVED this, curry and all! Here is the official thumbs up of approval!

You will need:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1  cup plain, fat free yogurt
1 TBSP curry powder ( if you just don't like curry... *sigh.... you could use tarragon instead for a different twist)
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup sliced red grapes
1/2 cup diced apples
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Green Leaf (or simialr) lettuce

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Poach the chicken. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add 1/2 tsp salt and the chicken, reduce the heat until the water is barely simmering, and cook until opaque throughout (8-10 min). Remove from heat and let stand until cool enough to handle. Cut into bite size cubes

2) Make the dressing. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, curry powder 1/2 tsp salt, and a pinch of pepper.

3) Assemble the salad. Add the chicken, celery, apples, grapes and walnuts/pecans. Drizzle the dressing over top and toss to coat evenly. Arrange the lettuce on plates and top with the chicken mixture.

Nutritional Info:

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 220.6

Total Fat: 9.4 g

Cholesterol: 45.5 mg

Sodium: 311.3 mg

Total Carbs: 16.1 g

Dietary Fiber: 4.4 g

Protein: 20.1 g

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Fasolia Gigantes with Herbs and Crumbled Feta: Original and Slow Cooker version

This is such a wonderful variation from the normal way we eat beans which is either Cuban style black beans or Mexican/Southwestern style pinto beans. I just can't tell you how wonderful these taste, especially with the freshly made sauce and then baked to perfection. I must thank Don from SortaChef for turning me on to this amazing dish. His site is wonderful and you must check it out right now! Wait!  Read my post first, then go read through his amazing collection of recipes using a wood fire oven.  Also, thanks to Pomi for sending me a variety of their boxed tomatoes to check out. I immediately thought of this dish to make using their fresh, boxed tomatoes straight from Italy.

A note on the safety of canned tomatoes

Most canned tomatoes {I've only found that Trader Joe's brand does not contain BPA or additives in their canned goods} are synonymous with high sodium and chemicals. They contain  preservatives, citric acid, toxic BPA and other additives, we all know canned tomatoes are not a good alternative to fresh tomatoes. A great way to “kick the can” is to bring safe, healthy tomatoes to the table like Pomì!

Pomì is a brand of 100% all natural, BPA-free boxed tomatoes straight from Italy. It is packaged in a SIG Combibloc without preservatives, additives, water or citric acid and the tomatoes are never grown with pesticides or through the use of genetically modified seeds. Pomì is also rich in Lycopene, a powerful antioxidant which can help decrease a person’s risk for certain types of cancers, such as prostate and lung cancer. The Pomi tom's made my sauce taste oh-so fresh and wonderful.

I ended up with a very fresh and rustic tasting dish. I love when you can actually taste the realness of something. Yes, fresh tomatoes are best of course but with produce inflation this is a good alternative.

This last time I made the gigantes, I didn't have any feta :(    I decided Feta is a must with these
but alas, they are not pictured here. Sorry. Mommy brain disclaimer should be stamped on my blog.

I have made Fasolia Gigantes before, once with this original method and twice in the slow cooker. I should say that these are the original and the lazy versions, but maybe that's redundant  ;)
The slow cooker method is still wonderful but maybe not quite as flavorful since skipping the final baked in goodness. If you make them in the slow cooker, still saute the onion, carrot and garlic for 5-7 minutes then add everything to the cooker. Cook on the lowest setting for 8-10 hours.

Traditionally, in Greece these are baked in a big wood fire oven which is on my 'Must Have Immediately' list. A girl can dream can't she?


recipe from SortaChef

SERVES  6-8     COOKING TIME  90-120 minutes

Ingredients:
2 cups Greek giant beans (if you can't find them, use Great Northern beans)
1 large sweet onion, coarsely chopped
2 large carrots, coarsely chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1½ teaspoons Greek oregano
1½ teaspoons thyme
2 ounces of Greek olive oil, divided
1-28 ounce can plum tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1½ teaspoons salt (preferably grey sea salt)
½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons sugar


Crumbled feta and flat leaf parsley or fresh thyme for garnish






MAKING THE FASOLIA GIGANTES


*Soak beans overnight in cold water to cover by an inch or more. Minimum soaking time: 8 hours.
Note: There is no absolute cooking time for these beans, so your teeth will have to tell you when they are cooked through without becoming mushy. Once they have attained the right texture, they will hold that throughout baking in the red sauce.


If you follow directions below and bring pre-soaked gigantes to a soft boil in about 15 minutes, the shortest cooking time from that point will be 50 minutes. After that, you’ll want to bite-test a bean every ten minutes; when the bean’s flesh gives all the way down with no hard bit in the middle, your beans are cooked to perfection.


Cook the gigantes: Drain the soaking water and replace with cold water to cover by at least an inch. Over medium heat, with a lid half cocked over the pan, bring the water slowly to a boil. This should take 15 minutes.
Boil gently with the lid partly covering for 50 minutes, at which point you want to test the beans every 10 minutes for doneness.  Beans are cooked when you can bite through a bean without encountering resistance in the middle. The varying cooking time depends on how old the beans are among other things.


Once beans are tender, pour into colander to drain the water. Put beans into a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, and set aside.


Make the sauce: While the beans are cooking, simmer the onion, carrot and garlic in 1 teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat in a large frying pan or skillet. Sprinkle with some of the oregano and thyme.


After about 5-7 minutes, when the onions are translucent and slightly brown at the edges, add the juice from the tomatoes while scraping browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a spatula. Add tomato paste, whisk to combine. Chop the tomatoes (I do this with kitchen scissors in the can) and add to the veggies. Add the sugar, the salt and pepper and let simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring as necessary to keep from sticking. Add ½ cup water and continue at a bare simmer until ready for the next step.


Preheat oven to 375°


Pour the sauce evenly over the beans.  Drizzle on any remaining olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining herbs. Bake for 30-40 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed into the beans.


Serve warm with a bit of crumbled feta and herbs sprinkled on top and with pita bread and Kalmata olives.

I like to eat this Greek dish while sitting on the patio of my summer home in Greece. {I call it dreaming, not denial}

picture credit

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Only a few days left to enter to win a set of drapes of your choice from CurtainWorks!

Just a reminder to enter below to win a pair of drapes for your home. Just in time for Spring re-decorating! Remember, they are eco-friendly made from 100% recycled materials. Check out my previous post to enter and for details!

Also, if you have an extra minute I would really appreciate your vote at babble.com to be on their list of

Top Mommy Bloggers. Wouldn't it be nice to see some new faces on these lists? ;)  The link is on the right hand side of my blog just under my smiling face. ;)

Thanks everyone!

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Healthy Habit No. 11: Drink Tea

"Decaffeinated tea is better," says Fleming, noting that the caffeinated variety can be dehydrating, and sugary drinks can lead to weight gain.

There is some evidence that tea may help in improving memory, and preventing cavities, cancer, and heart disease. Fleming says, though, that the overall research is still inconclusive.

"There may well be some beneficial effects of tea, particularly the potential antioxidant effect, but we don't have great data on that right now that is that specific."

However, there's no doubt that a cool iced tea can be a refreshing treat during hot days. Try flavoring your tea with juices, fruits, cinnamon sticks, ginger, and other condiments.

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Healthy Habit No. 7: Take Up a Hobby

Look up the word "hobby" in the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, and you will find the definition as "a pursuit outside one's regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation."

Since they are relaxing activities, hobbies are usually enjoyable. Some people find joy in craftwork, bird watching, sports, going to flea markets, walking in the park, or playing cards.

The joy may help people live healthier and recover better from illness. For one thing, taking part in hobbies can burn calories, more so than just sitting in front of the TV.

In a study of people who had undergone surgery, Jenkins found that people who were involved in hobbies before their operation had better recovery six months later, compared with people who did not have hobbies.

The participants with hobbies tended to have more drive and interest in things and other people, says Jenkins. "It was a more active orientation to life."

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Tips to Reverse Diabetes Using Social Medicine

Diabetes is on the rise, but it is also preventable by a healthy lifestyle change. Making small changes in the way people eat, adding in a little more exercise, and losing even a modest amount of weight can improve diabetes. The diabetes community found on Social-medicine.org, supports diabetics and their lifestyle. Social-medicine.org, a health-based social networking site, helps people suffering from a variety of health conditions, like diabetes, to globally connect, help and share information with others in similar situations, by focusing on bridging the gap of patient-to-patient communication, and patient-to-practitioner, with all the social networking features and functionality expected in today’s society. Social-medicine.org focuses on community support, where real people in similar situations come together, to circumvent negative feelings like disconnection and loneliness, and focus on improving self-esteem, understanding, communication, relationships, and peer support.

Diabetics have more control over their health than they think. The most important thing people can do for their health is to lose weight. The biggest risk factor for developing diabetes is being overweight. Your risk is higher if you tend to carry your weight around your abdomen. Experts say that losing just 5% to 10% of your total weight can help diabetics lower blood sugar considerably, as well as lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Changing your lifestyle doesn’t mean living in deprivation. Diabetics can continue to eat and enjoy their favorite foods, and best of all, don’t have to give up sweets or resign to carbohydrate counting. But you’ll probably need to learn some better eating habits. But what does eating right for diabetes mean? A diabetes diet is simply a healthy eating plan that is high in nutrients, low in fat, and moderate in calories.

The glycemic index (GI) shows how quickly a food turns into sugar. High GI foods tend to spike blood sugar levels. These foods include white rice, white pasta, white bread, potatoes, sweets, chips, and many processed foods. They should be limited in your diet. Low GI foods include nuts, seeds, lean meats, seafood, whole grains, beans, brown rice, whole-wheat bread, and whole-wheat pasta. Diabetics should be eating a lot of non-starchy vegetables, beans and fruits such as apples, pears, peaches, and berries. Even tropical fruits like bananas, mangoes, and papayas.

Diabetics should always monitor blood glucose, particularly when alcohol is consumed. Alcohol can interfere with medication and insulin. Beer and wine contain calories and carbs, while cocktails are loaded with sugar. Men and women should drink in moderation, with women one drink per day and men two drinks per day.

If diabetics crave something sweet, they should limit intake of bread, rice or pasta during your main meal. Eating sweets adds extra carbohydrates; it is best to cut back on other carbohydrates where possible. Make your indulgence count by eating slowly and paying attention to the flavors and textures. Think about cutting down on sweets by reducing soda and juice drinks, reducing the amount of sugar in recipes by 1/4, and instead of ice cream, blend up frozen bananas, or a small piece of dark chocolate. Diabetics should also begin to replace your daily dessert with fruit.

There are various fats to consider when having a meal. Some fats are unhealthy, while other fats have high health benefits. The two most damaging fats are saturated fats and trans fats. Saturated fats are found mainly in animal products such as red meat, whole milk dairy products, and eggs. Trans fats are fats that are less likely to spoil. The best fats are unsaturated fats, which come from plant and fish sources. Good sources include olive oil, canola oil, nuts, avocados, salmon, tuna, and flaxseeds, which fight inflammation and support brain and heart health.

When it comes to preventing, controlling, or reversing diabetes, consider exercising. Regular exercise maintains your weight and can improve your insulin sensitivity. One of the easiest moderate-intensity activities is walking for 30 minutes five or more times a week, swimming or riding a bike.

Source http://www.pr.com/press-release/399003

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Stop Smoking - Positive Useful Tips

1. Built up a strong belief in you blended with stronger will power to quit smoking. Consider giving up smoking as one of the very difficult things you have done in your life. It’s all up to you.
2. Develop your plan and take a decision right away for doing things accordingly.
3. Make short note why you want to stop smoking live longer far better, for your family, some money, smell better to find a mate easily etc. you know very well what is bad about smoking and what you will achieve when you stop smoking. Put the same on a paper and read it daily once.
4. Seek an all out stop smoking support from your family and friends for your decision to stop smoking. Tell them in the very near future you may become irritable, even irrational as a cause of quitting smoking habit.
5. Get on with a set date to stop smoking and also decide on what day you intend to say a final good-bye to cigarette. You may hold a small ceremony when you smoke your last cigarette. It’s up to your liking.
6. Speak to your doctor about quitting. A wholehearted support from a physician would work out as proven way to better off your shames to quit.
7. An exercise program on daily basis is going to help you relive of stress, and recover from years of damage from cigarettes, may be you can start walking ones or twice per day. You may also consider about some rigorous activities 3 to 4 times per week. Consult your physician prior to begin any exercise program. (Stop Smoking Exercises)
8. Practice some deep breathing every day 3 to 5 minutes breath in through the nose slowly hold breath for a few seconds, exhale slowly through your mouth.
9. Begin to imagine your way as a non-smoker. Close your eyes imagine yourself turning down offers of cigarettes, offered by someone, throwing all of your packs of cigarette away, winning a gold medal for doing so. A powerful imagination really works.
10. Cut back on cigarettes keep it with a gradual speed. This situation would call for a clear cut plan as to ‘how many cigarettes ‘ you will smoke everyday reducing the number following each day; you buy only one pack at a time, changing brands means you don’t enjoy smoking as much pall on cigarettes to someone else when feel like to smoke you have to ask for each time.

1. Mostly smokers feel if to give up smoking take firm decision once for all, just to stop smoking suddenly, no point trying to go slow and steady. You are the best judge quitting cold turkey or by gradual quitting.
2. Make a genuine attempt to find out another smoker who is also trying to stop smoking help each other disusing some positive thought just because quitting becomes different.
3. You have ‘clean sheet’ now after quitting smoking your area non smoker. You can now think of celebrating the milestone of your journey step by step. After a period of two weeks see a movie, visit a funny restaurant a month after. Covering a time span of three months move out for you after six months. A year after have a party for yourself, invite your family friends to your birthday party, celebrate your new beginning of life.
4. To drink lot of water. Drinking of more would help flushing out nicotine and chemical out of your body.
5. Avoid triggers, learn to plan alternative means and way to deal with the trigger like you feel smoking when in stress, in the end of a meal, arrival at the work, entering a bar etc.

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A Fine Line Between Recovery & Relapse

So the last week I've been on a health kick. Excluding Saturday when I drank an entire bottle of Skinny Girl Margarita but that's neither here nor there. I'm coming to realize a very obvious thing-- When I eat like shit, I feel like shit. This is no huge, ground breaking thing, but it is becoming more and more clear to me. I haven't eaten any processed sugar in two days. Not only do I have a splitting headache, but I have never wanted to dig my spoon into the jar of frosting that's sitting in my pantry more than I do as I type this. This scares me. How can something legal, something that's supposedly not a drug, be THIS addicting?

I have to figure that something that makes me feel that bad, must be bad for my body, right?

I am at a really weird place in recovery right now. I'm realizing the line between 'eating healthy' and 'having an eating disorder' is REALLY thin for me. For example, when I order my salad dressing on the side and no croutons on my salad...is that my 'healthy' side ordering? Or my 'eating disorder' side ordering? I don't know. And in here lies the problem I'm having this week.

I'm realizing also that everyone has a different definition of what "healthy" means and that there is a big difference between eating healthy and having a healthy thought process. Unfortunately for me, these things rarely go hand in hand. If you asked my dietician what it means to be healthy, she would tell you it's freeing yourself to eat whatever you want, whenever you want, and stopping when you're full. Eat intuitively. Feed your body what it wants. Get in touch with your hunger and fullness signals and honor them. I agree one hundred percent and hope to one day be in that place.

If you asked my Mom on the other hand what it means to be healthy, she would tell you it's eating organic. Not eating anything that didn't come from the ground or didn't have a mother. Don't eat any meat that isn't grass fed. Don't eat anything genetically modified. Don't eat anything if  you don't recognize ingredients on the label. Again, I feel myself agreeing with her one hundred percent as well.

So, I feel myself becoming obsessive again, or, maybe a little bit relapse-y. Or maybe just confused and at a weird cross road. But this time it's different. This time, I'm not afraid to eat foods because I'm afraid of the weight gain. This time, I'm afraid to eat foods because of the way that I feel after I eat them. After I eat too much processed sugar, I literally wake up with a sugar induced hangover. When I eat a bag of chips, I am nauseous for at least 2 hours afterwards. And I don't enjoy feeling like that. I've been doing a lot of research and listening to lots of speeches from people who are experts in nutritional sciences. I am learning so much. So many horror stories about genetically modified food, soy, corn, the dairy industry, food allergies, I could just explode. So, if you guys are interested, I'd like to share what I'm learning over the next couple of posts. If not, I will carry on with my regular posts and not bash on anyone, but let me know what you'd like to see from me.

For now, I will try and remember this: A lapse is not a relapse. Life is about balance. And the only way I will appreciate my balance, is to be off-balance for a little bit. x

Ps- Here is an amazing breakfast recipe for all of you who asked for a good one in a hurry! This can be made in a couple minutes the night before, grab it and go! Cant wait to try it!

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How to Make Fried Mushroom with Chili Sauce

How to Make

Fried Mushroom with Chili Sauce

Ingredients :

1. Mushroom                                                           6. Mayonnaise

2. Garlic                                                                    7. Chili Sauce

3. Flour                                                                      8. Frying oil

4. Salt                                                                         9. Lettuce

5. Pepper

Steps :

1.   Wash the mushroom until clean of dirt.

2.   Cut the mushroom and squeeze until the water out.

3.   Peel the garlic and then blend the garlic.

4.   Mix the mushroom with garlic until evenly.

5.   Put the flour in to the container.

6.   Heat the oil.

7.   Mix the mushroom with the flour.

8.   If the oil is ready, put the mushroom in the hot oil.

9.   Fry the mushroom for 3-4 minutes, or until golden-brown.

10. Remove and drain after mature.

11. Move to a container and garnish with lettuce, mayonnaise, and chili sauce.

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Baked Kale Chips

I jumped on the kale bandwagon and made kale chips as one of the sides to our dinner on Saturday night.  Somewhat to my surprise, I REALLY liked them- and so did everyone at my table.  I'll definitely be making them again because they are so quick and simple and full of vitamins K, A, and C as well as magnesium and fiber.

I bought one bunch of kale ($1.39 at my store) which made about 2 servings.  

I rinsed and dried the kale, then cut the stems off and tore the leafy part into 2-3 inch pieces.  Simply toss the kale with a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil (next time I'll spray the olive oil) and salt and spread in an even layer on a baking sheet.

I cooked it at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, tossing a couple times.  For even drier, crispier chips, cook at 300 for about 30 minutes.

The kale cooks way down and ended up like this.

It is delicious!  I'm hooked and wish I would've tried it sooner.  We were literally fighting over the kale chips. They taste kinda like roasted brussel sprouts, but the thin crunchy kale is even better.

Have you tried kale chips? If not, have I convinced you to?

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Tuna and White Bean Cakes with Shaved Spring Asparagus and a Light, Lemon Tarragon Sauce {gluten free}

Question.  How do you make crab cakes when you're craving them like nobodies business but you   a.) don't have any crab and  b.) are on a budget? 

Answer.  You doll up some tuna with fresh herbs, lemon and shaved asparagus, dip it by the forkful with no shame into a tangy lemon, tarragon yogurt sauce and wash it down with a glass of Pinot Grigio.


Delima averted.





Then, just to gloat, you tell yourself that you are being super health conscience because you ate a practically perfect meal by utilizing the antioxidants in the wine and gave your body a good dose of healthy Omega 3's which are hard to come by these days, thereby forgetting all about the fact that you aren't  in fact  having crab cakes.  Pssshhhh, who needs em?

These tuna cakes are easy enough for a Monday night dinner -- or in my case a Tuesday night dinner. Tuesday's, without fail, are the crazy busiest Orthopedic days in surgery for some reason. Coincidentally (or not) it's also when people tend to call in sick, have some sort of emergency or just decide to spend the day soaking up the Spring sunshine (I would choose option 3 but I'm too chicken to make it happen).


This particular Tuesday provided to be all of the above plus an added curve ball. Seeing as we were short staffed (more than usual) I didn't get to work with the Ortho Doc who I usually assist during Makoplasty surgeries. Instead, I ended up doing total hips and knees with a Dr. I hardly ever work with meaning I couldn't rely on my "Auto Pilot" and had to use my memory/mommy brain instead....  at least until my coffee kicked in.... around noon. Not good.


My point,  I am mentally and physically and in all other ways exhausted on most every Tuesday. These tuna cakes are just a tad bit more complicate that spaghetti and meatballs or in our house, spaghetti and Italian sausage. You get the point. They are super easy to throw together.


A few chopped veggies and herbs thrown in a bowl with an egg and a can of tuna and you have yourself a  not so  fancy meal.

How can you not add asparagus to every meal during the Spring? Wait, am I the only one who worships this gorgeous veggie? No wonder since it's cousins are onion and garlic! 

I pulse a bit more than half of the white beans in my food processor and reserve some to add texture. 

Instead of using bread crumbs which you already know are high in gluten and cause bloating, stomach fat and various other ailments, I used finely chopped veggies and green onion and  nutritional yeast to bind the ingredients together. As you can see, they formed patties quite nicely.

If I had to pick one one of my top 3 favorite kitchen tools, my stone baking pan would and will be on the list forever! It browns veggie patties quickly and evenly using NO added oil and cleans by scraping with a spatula and hot water. Good bye fryer! 

{If you are at all interested in purchasing a stone baking sheet or any of my other favorite kitchen gadgets or ingredients, please consider buying through Simply Healthy Family's 'Store' and help support this blog. It's very much appreciated!} 

Using a simple veggie peeler, shave thin strips of asparagus and pile on top of your cooked tuna cakes. There is no need to cook or even blanch the asparagus, it tastes amazing when shaved into such thin strips and pairs perfectly with these tuna cakes. In fact, I found myself nibbling on my pile of curled asparagus while admiring the beautiful purple and green of my favorite vegetable.

Oh, you'll want to cut off the very tips of the asparagus, the spear, and save it for tomorrows salad or stir fry. The tips don't shave well but are conveniently most peoples favorite part.

This light and tangy dressing is the key to these tuna cakes.  I must admit that however healthy and flavorful they are, tuna cakes as well as any other fish cake are a bit dry without some sort of sauce to jazz it up. It makes a mundane meal extraordinary.

Crab cakes usually come with some version of aioli paired with them not only to compliment the flavors, but to add moisture. My tuna cakes are no exception. Instead of aioli, which base is mayo (if you know me, I can't stand mayo) I made a thick and creamy yogurt lemon-tarragon sauce to spoon on top of my cakes.  Not sure which I ate more of, the tuna cakes or the sauce.

TIME    30 MINUTES        SERVES    4-6

INGREDIENTS

2, 6 oz cans of Chunk Light Tuna, drained

1 cup cooked (or 1 can, drained and rinsed) cannellini beans

1 lemon, juiced 

2 eggs

1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely diced

2 tablespoons green onion, finely diced

1/4 cup carrot, grated finely (optional, adds sweetness)

2 tablespoons green onion, finely diced

 4 asparagus spears (tips removed and saved for future use) 

2 tablespoons Nutritional Yeast

1 tablespoon dried Tarragon

salt and pepper to taste

 1 cup Greek yogurt 

1 lemon (from above) zested

1 tablespoon dried Tarragon

pinch of sea salt

Preheat oven to 400F

In a food processor, pulse 3/4 of the beans until smooth. Spoon beans into a large bowl and add remaining whole beans. Add tuna, eggs, lemon, bell pepper, onion, nutritional yeast, tarragon, salt and pepper. Mix until thoroughly combined. 

Using hands, shape mixture into small patties and place onto stone baking sheet or parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake at 400F for 10 minutes. Flip patties over and cook another5-7 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare lemon tarragon sauce by mixing all ingredients in a small bowl. 

Shave asparagus as instructed above. 

Remove tuna patties from oven and place on plate.  Dollop with lemon, tarragon sauce and top with shaved asparagus.

Serve with a side of mixed Spring field greens and chilled Pinot Grigio.

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Healthy Almond-Coconut Chocolate Thumbprint cookies ~ gluten free

Some days things just don't pan out the way I planned them to. Actually, that seems to be the norm rather than the exception lately. And by lately I mean since I had my first child 18 years ago. Holy crap! I have an 18 year old?!!  Anyway, this weekend I had to work on Saturday and was supposed to be off at 3p.m. and then planned on doing a little shopping at my favorite adds and ends Home store for kitchen props, plates, bowls, napkins etc. then go to Sprouts and then go home make a yummy dinner and possibly get some decent shots to put on the blog. 

At 2:35 p.m. however we get a call that we need to do an emergency tracheotomy on a patient. How rude. What's more, the Dr. didn't have an assistant so I got to double as a first assist and it was a difficult case, couldn't get the trach tube in because the patient had a mushy trachea. So now I'm tired and a bit cranky and it's 4:45p.m. So much for my nice afternoon. So much for making dinner. Pei Wei saves the day!

Fast forward to Sunday...... I was excited to try and recreate one of my favorite childhood breakfasts, cottage cheese pancakes. If you've never had them, don't wrinkle your nose till you've tried them. They are so good! The cottage cheese actually adds a bit of sweet creaminess to the pancakes, almost like a cream cheese crepe. I wanted to try to make them healthier by omitting the flour and tried using almond meal instead. Epic fail! The first batch crashed and burned, literally. The second batch was oily and burned.

Back to the drawing boards. 

Enter these cookies. Every problem or catastrophe can be solve with a good cookie and these are even fairly healthy! Bonus!

PREP TIME    15 MINUTES     BAKE    15 MINUTES     YIELDS   18-20 SMALL COOKIES

Ingredients: 

2 cups almond meal (almond flour w the skins un-removed) 

1 tablespoon flax meal (ground flax seed) 

1/4 cup coconut oil 

1/4 cup local honey  

1 teaspoon real vanilla extract 

1/2 teaspoon almond extract 

1/4 teaspoon sea salt 

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes 

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate (chips or bar)

Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

In a medium bowl mix together the coconut oil, honey, vanilla and almond extract. 

Gradually stir in the almond flour, flax meal and sea salt, and mix well until a uniform dough is formed. 

Scoop the dough by tablespoons and use your hands to roll into smooth balls. Roll the balls in the coconut flakes to coat. Place the balls onto the lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart, and use your thumb to press into the center of each cookie, creating a well for the chocolate. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes till lightly browned. Remove from oven, let cool. 

Meanwhile, in a small ceramic or microwave safe bowl add chocolate chips or chopped up bar. Microwave on medium power for 90 seconds. Stir. Microwave another 90 seconds or until melted.

Spoon chocolate into the center of the cookies and let cool. 

These cookies are also wonderful with a bit of fruit preserves in the middle, my favorite is apricot!

I am submitting this post to Tasty Tuesday's

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Lox, Dill and Caper Petite Bites

For Mother's Day I can think of nothing sweeter than waking up to home made cards and love notes from my four children and then maybe enjoying a relaxing brunch with my mother. Most days breakfast means oatmeal, eggs or cereal straight out of the box for the kids and maybe a banana and coffee for me. Although I try to be better, there are just so many easier options available when trying to get everyone out of the house by 8:00 a.m.  intact and with both shoes on the correct feet. So when it comes to Mother's Day, even though I want to show my own mom how much I love her by enjoying a gourmet brunch that we both love so dearly,  I have to relinquish to the fact that I'm just to tired to make anything fancy and just to poor to afford a resort style affair.


So when I made these darling little appetizers  for a recent party I had, I knew I couldn't wait for an excuse to make them again. I brought these to our family Easter get together and we enjoyed them with a glass of chilled Pinot Grigio out on my sister-in-laws patio looking over one of the many gorgeous Phoenix golf courses and mountains.

When my mom and I both were popping these into our mouths faster than I could arrange them on a plate for my guests, I knew I had a keeper. Smoked salmon is one of my favorite treats and the remaining short list of ingredients in these petite bites pair together so wonderfully you will savour each and every single salivating chew.

Lox, Dill and Capers on Persian Cucumber

with whipped cream cheese.

Now, on a sadder note, my favorite online photo editing program has come to an end. Picnik has been my savour when it came to making the food shots that come out of  my point and shoot look presentable. Doesn't it seem that just when you  really  get comfortable with something it tends to change or vanish all together?  I don't get attached very easily when it comes to inanimate objects but Picnik was this non-techy  girls best friend.  I suppose I will just have to be a big girl and really learn how to use the Photoshop that has been hanging out somewhere in my computer for the last few years.

Lox on Pumpernickel

I hope you all have a wonderful Mother's Day and get to spend time showing those you love how much they mean to you and hopefully enjoying some much needed rest and relaxation!

You Will Need:

1 petite loaf of pumpernickel bread

1- 14 oz. container of whipped cream cheese (you will not need all of this)

6 oz. salmon lox (smoked salmon)

2 Persian or English cucumbers (seedless)

1/4 cup minced red onion

capers

fresh dill

Putting it all together:

Using a vegetable peeler, peel the rind off of the cucumber leaving thin strips for appearance sake. Slice cucumber 1/4 inch thick. Using a small food processor, mince onion. I mixed some of the onion right into my cream cheese.

Using a spoon, spread a bit of cream cheese (whipped works best) onto 1 of the sliced cucumbers and the pumpernickel, reserving 1 of the sliced cucumbers for layering on the bread.

For the cucumber bites, simply top with cream cheese, salmon lox and a bit of fresh dill. 

Look for packages of salmon lox that say 'Pre-Sliced' then you simply have to pull them apart and fold them on top of your  hors devours/.

For the pumpernickel bites, top with cream cheese, cucumber, salmon lox then garnish with a bit of minced onion, capers and a fresh dill sprig.

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