BlendTec!!

Dave and I bought a BlendTec last week and I am in love!!  It is a high power blender that can blend things to perfection!  We have green smoothies everyday.  It is a great way for me to feed Madison and Dave fruits and veggies.  I don't use a specific recipe but I love using spinach, strawberries, banana, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, milk, and vanilla yogurt.  I have never eaten so many fruits in one day.  I feel fantastic!

I can't wait to try new recipes.  You can make whole wheat waffles, soups, banana bread, etc.  Not only are  these recipes healthy, but they are super easy and fast.  I love my new blender!

Recipes!

I have made a lot of new recipes in the past two months, but I haven't been able to post them because Dave and I don't currently have the internet.  I always have to go to my mom's house to use their internet.  Well, I am just going to write one blog post dedicated to all these recipes I have tried.

First, I tried a new way of using zucchini.  My mom always has so many zucchini's that I get to reap some benefits.  I found this recipe on pinterest (of course) and it was a big hit!  It includes potatoes, tomatoes, onions, garlic, yellow squash, and zucchini.  It was the perfect summer side dish!  Here is the recipe:

Summer Vegetables

1 Tbspolive oil

1 medium yellow onion

1 tsp minced garlic

1 medium zucchini

1 mediumyellow squash

1 mediumpotato

1 mediumtomato

1 tspdried thyme

to taste salt & pepper

1 cup shredded Italian cheese

STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic. Saute both in a skillet with olive oil until softened (about five minutes).

STEP 2: While the onion and garlic are sauteing, thinly slice the rest of the vegetables.

STEP 3: Spray the inside of an 8x8 square or round baking dish with non-stick spray. Spread the softened onion and garlic in the bottom of the dish. Place the thinly sliced vegetables in the baking dish vertically, in an alternating pattern. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and thyme.

STEP 4: Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, top with cheese and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

The second recipe I made was a cajun chicken pasta.  It was a great healthy pasta dish.  I learned from this recipe that the best way to lighten up your pasta dishes is to add lots of veggies to it. If you like pasta and you like veggies, this recipe is for you!  Below is the list of ingredients, but if you would like step-by-step directions go to this link:

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces uncooked linguine (I used whole wheat penne)
• 1 pound chicken breast strips
• 1-2 tsp Cajun seasoning (or to taste)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup fat free low sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 1 tbsp flour
• 3 tbsp light cream cheese
• fresh cracked pepper
• 2 scallions, chopped
• salt to taste
• Olive Oil cooking spray

The the third recipe I made was these amazingly moist and delicious healthy pumpkin muffins. Dave and Madison eat these for a snack everyday.  These are perfect for a snack on the go or just at home. We LOVE these muffins I found on family.com.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin-pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a muffin tin, or line with paper.

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, oil , eggs and sugar until well blended.

In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. Add to the pumpkin mixture and whisk until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin, filling each about 2/3 full. Sprinkle a few more chips on top of the muffins.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick, inserted in the middle of the muffin comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a rack.

The last recipe I made recently was these baked oatmeal bars.  I thought they were great, but Dave didn't love them.  I plan to try and tweak these so they become a family favorite.  I love the idea of baked oatmeal so I plan to find a recipe that we all love.  Here is the recipe:

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Squares

Ingredients (9 squares)

• 1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 large mashed banana
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Instructions

• Mix together the quick cooking oats, light brown sugar, baking powder, kosher salt and ground cinnamon.
• Add in the vanilla extract, milk and egg. Mix the ingredients together.
• Then add in the mashed banana and peanut butter. Combine all of the ingredients.
• Pour the mixture into a lightly greased 8 by 8 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
• Cut into squares and enjoy!

I found all these recipes on pinterest.  If you don't have a pinterest account, it is a great way to find healthy recipes.  I hope everyone is doing great; I have felt very motivated by this competition.  The more healthy things I am doing the more I have the desire to be even more healthy. Thanks Aunt Sharon for keeping me accountable!  Go Taylor's!

Jumping for Fitness

Flat Stanley has been enjoying his visit immensely! He is literally jumping for joy fitness during his trampoline workout!

The Power of Steel

I must admit I had high expectations when I purchased an industrial-sized package of steel cut oats at Costco. I was going to have a healthy breakfast every morning that was going to energize me and get me through the day. Well . . . I can't even tell you how long the package stayed in the cupboard before I actually got around to opening it. (hint: a loooong time!) But now that I have I'm a FAN!! I LOVE this stuff. It isn't mushy like oatmeal and tastes absolutely delish. Here is how I prepare it:

1 cup of steel cut oats
3 cups water

In the evening, bring to boil on the stove. As soon as it boils, take it off the burner and put a lid on it. Leave it there overnight and when you get up in the morning, just dish some up and put it in the microwave for about a minute, until hot.

Now for the fun part: What to put on top . . . you can sweeten it with sugar, brown sugar, honey, yogurt, maple syrup, agave then add fruit, fresh or dried, nuts, cinnamon . . . anything you can think to make it yummy.

Super simple and absolutely doable . . . and on the road to healthier eating.

Black Bean Burgers

*I did test this out during the Olympics and am now finally getting around to posting it.  Any of you who have tried out their recipe for the Olympic Challenge can still post it and get the points for it.  But you gotta act now!

I am on a quest to find the ultimate black bean/veggie pattie.  I've tried a few lately and I'd say that this is my favorite so far.

I think they key is to not expect a traditional "hamburger" taste.  If you can thusly adjust your burger mentality, veggie and/or bean burgers are a yummy, healthy way to get a protein/vegetable-packed meatless meal.  And the girls really liked them!

Black Bean Burgers

Ingredients:

• 3 medium carrots, grated
• Half a medium onion, finely chopped (I grated mine since I was already grating the carrots)
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup kale
• 1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves
• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 3/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (I used ground unfrosted mini wheats - those with wheat/gluten issues maybe could try crushing rice chex???)
• 1 tsp salt

ONE: Spray a skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the cumin, chili, garlic, and onion powder and continue to cook until the veggies are soft. Remove from heat and set aside in a large bowl.

TWO: Place drained beans, kale, and cilantro in a food processor and pulse several times until beans are mostly mashed but a few chunks still remain.

THREE: Add the beans, mustard, bread crumbs, and salt to the bowl of veggies and stir to combine. Scoop out scant 1/3 cup portions and form into patties.

FOUR: Heat the skillet you cooked the veggies in over medium heat and spray generously with cooking spray. Place the patties in the skillet a few at a time and cook 4 minutes a side until lightly browned and heated through.

TO FREEZE: Before cooking, form the patties and place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Place in the freezer for about 20 minutes to flash freeze the outsides and then place them all together in a freezer bag. Defrost overnight and cook according to the directions above.

After cooking, follow the same directions as above and reheat in the microwave.

NUTRITION INFO:


Per Serving (1 burger) - 124 Calories (7 Calories from Fat), 1g Total Fat, 0mg Cholesterol, 463mg Sodium, 22g Carbohydrates, 6g Dietary Fiber, 4g Sugar, 6g Protein, 75% DV Vitamin A, 13% DV Vitamin C, 5% DV Calcium, 36% DV Iron

Sharon's Note:  Adjust spices to taste.  I, personally, cut the cumin and chili powder in half.  I also used my George Foreman grill which worked nicely.

Training To Be The Next Gabby Douglas

Okay, so Gabby would laugh hysterically at our balance challenge and the fact that I was having a hard time even demonstrating the exercises on the video!  But while none of us will be flipping and twisting on a 4-inch balance beam like our Olympic gold medalist, I think we'll all benefit greatly by adding a little balancing work to help balance us out!



Sorry for the wait!  Click the link below to watch my impressive balance performance (hahaha!).

As a reminder:  The challenge is to do any or all of these exercises 2-3x/week.  Do on each side about 10x each.  Any of them can be made more difficult by closing your eyes.  Highly recommended:  Stand close to a counter or chair for safety!

http://youtu.be/sourb7KCJTg

I hope the other challenges are keeping you busy!  I will send out a survey monkey at the end of the Olympic games to see how everyone did!