Summer in November

What to cook when it's 96 degrees in November?? Yesterday I was driving home from a work trip in LA in my cool air conditioned car brainstorming the great dinner I wanted to make when I got home. It involved sausage, pasta and homemade sauce deliciousness! As I ran my plan by Chris he said "you realize it's about a hundred degrees in our house right now?" ... all thoughts of winter comfort food were out the window. 
So- I did the next easiest thing- www.samthecookingguy.com on my blackberry and a trip to Whole Foods.  It's an unbeatable combination.
I went for the Tuna Mango Tacos-and here is the VERY simple and healthy recipe.

• 1 ripe mango, diced small
• 2 tablespoons red onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 fresh lime, squeezed
• 3/4 pound yellow fin tuna, uncooked and diced medium (I substituted albacore because they didn't have yellow fin tuna)
• 2 tablespoons taco seasoning (I used a spicy fish blackening seasoning we brought back from Charleston)
• corn tortillas
• 1 tablespoon oil 
• (my addition) half of a diced ripe avocado- added to the mango salsa topping.
• (my addition) 2 tbs of salsa added to the mango. 

Mix first 4 Ingredients and set aside
Heat oil to almost high
In medium pan and add tuna
Saute quickly & when almost done stir in seasoning
Put in a warmed tortilla and add mango salsa
That's all - ok, so it wouldn't kill you to add a little extra squeeze of fresh lime
It was so good! And I paired it with two fun sides from Whole Foods (their deli counter is a trap for me!) I got a cucumber greek salad and a grilled veggie cous cous, both of which we ate cold.  Served with a glass of chilled white wine and an episode of Modern Family...  it was heaven after a long hot day. 
Happy Weekend!
XO
Chel
PS- Sam the Cooking Guy is a GREAT local cook who offers the simplest recipes.  Every one I've tried has been delicious (Kate's Mom's Salmon is a favorite) and never excessive ingredient lists. I highly recommend checking them out.

Pizza Time!

Long time no blog! Brooke recently attributed the fact she hadn't been to the gym in a month on my lack of blogging. :) Hmm.... anyway I figured I better get back to the blog before everybody goes off the deep end! 
But in truth- what actually motivated me to blog today was to share a recipe I made last night for a homemade-ish pizza! Notice I'm not claiming this is fully homemade, or healthy- although I'm sure there are some great reduced calorie recipes out there, this was my first gourmet pizza making attempt and my priority was making it taste good!

Not my actual creation- but you get the idea

Quick note- I bought all supplies except the spices at Trader Joe's (shocking I know) Their pre-made pizza dough and sauce were outstanding and would work well with any toppings! 
Asparagus, Pancetta & Sun Dried Tomato Pizza-Let Pizza Dough sit out on a floured surface for 20 min.
While this is happening- do the following:
-Preheat oven to 450.
-Chop 4-5 stalks asparagus into bite size pieces.  (picture it being on top of your pizza- you don't really want big chunks) and then toss it into a pan with a little water and cover until it begins to soften. (at least 5 min) 
-Add 1/2 cup pre-diced pancetta to the pan.  This is SO good and adds so much flavor! Let it cook until slightly crispy, then remove the pan from heat.  
-Chop up 1/4 cup of sun dried tomatoes and set aside. 
-Roll out the pizza dough.  This is where things got tricky. I bought mine pre-made at TJs, BUT was unhappy with the way it stretched out, uneven and misshapen- so I rolled it all in a ball and tried again. BAD idea.  Just go wtih the first "stretch out" even if it's not perfectly shaped.  Chris found me in the kitchen covered in flour attempting to roll pizza dough with a wine bottle. Since at this point the lumpy creation seemed destined for the garbage, he tried his pizza tossing skills... and amazingly we pulled out some sort of stretched crust creation. Maybe not symmetrical- but it sure tasted great!
-Stretch out the pizza dough on a lightly oiled pan and then top with sauce.  I used a TJ's  pizza sauce that they sell in their premade fresh section, conveniently right next to the pizza dough.  I used the entire container and if you like your pizza saucy (sauce is healthier than cheese- just fyi) I'd even buy two containers.
-I topped the sauce with a blend of regular and light shredded mozzarella cheese. About a cup of each. I sometimes have trouble with getting the "light" version to melt properly, but the combo worked well.
-I then topped the pizza with the prepped asparagus, pancetta & sun dried tomatoes. 
-And then my FAVORITE part- which I will add to any pizza from now on- a spice blend! Mix the following:
2 tbs grated or shredded Asiago cheese
2 tbs sesame seed (I only had black sesame seed, which looked a little odd, but you couldn't taste a difference)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
After sprinkling the spice mix over the pizza I nervously put it in the oven and it cooked for about 12 minutes.  
The pizza came out piping hot, melty, spicy, saucy and DELICIOUS.  I ate two giant pieces and had to restrain myself from more.  Chris had a 3rd piece. It was THAT good.  I'm actually thinking I'll make it again for my upcoming Book Club meeting- so get excited if you're coming!
More health focused blogs to come- I promise.  But in the meantime... go make some pizza!
XO
Chel
Ps.  Brooke- go to the gym. (If you want. No pressure. Just now you can't blame me anymore! )

Breakfast: Quick and Easy with Egg Whites!

I think by now most people know you NEED to eat breakfast if you want to lose weight, be healthy, balance your blood sugar, ETC.  It's Key.  Don't believe me? Google it and thousands of official people/studies will confirm my point. With that as a premise- I felt the need to talk about my favorite breakfast food today following a happy hour discussion last night. A girlfriend mentioned how hard it was on her current diet to find breakfast foods. I brought up egg whites and she was pretty hesitant (meaning she called them totally gross :)) but I seriously think they are one of the most diet friendly foods around.  Not only are they low calorie, you can honestly put nearly ANYTHING in them for a warm and nutritious meal. The key is figuring out what to add, which takes a little experimenting.
What seems to challenge even more people than finding what to eat in the morning is finding the time to prepare and eat breakfast.  After making a delicious Basil & Swiss egg white omelet on English muffin in LESS THAN 6 MINUTES this morning, I know it can be done. 

Here are my tips (and recipe) that will speed things up in the a.m. 
Step 1: Pop English muffin in toaster.  Turn heat on pan and spray it with PAM.  Time saving tip- use the right size skillet.  If you are making a one person omelet, this should be a small preferably stainless steel pan. 

Step 2: Get egg whites out of fridge, cheese, and any other ingredients you want to add. Time saving tips- use egg whites that are in a carton, already separated from the yolks and cheese that is pre-shredded or pre-sliced.
Step 3: Pour 1/3 cup egg whites (about the amount of two eggs) into pan.  Grind pepper or other spices onto egg mixture in pan.  Time saving tip- make sure the pan is already heated to speed up cook time.
Step 4: As the egg starts to firm up, add in additional ingredients.  This morning I used fresh basil, simply tore up a few leaves and put them in.  Then add cheese and let it melt. Once the cheese has started melting (cook time about 3.5 min), fold the egg mixture in half and it magically becomes an omelet!
Step 5: Get English muffin out of toaster, place on plate.  Remove omelet from pan and cut in half.  Put one half on each English muffin and you have a delicious, balanced, nutritious breakfast in UNDER 6 min. 
Calories:
1/3 cup egg whites: 50
Slice light cheese (today I used Swiss): 50
Thomas Brand Whole wheat light English muffin: 100
Basil: I'll give it 5- it was just a few leaves for flavor. 
Basil & Swiss Egg White Omelet. Total calories: 205.  Total Time: 6 min. Enjoyment level: So good! Eggs stick with you and don't leave you starving (and prone to sweets/carb cravings) at 10a.m.
Other quick and easy omelet additions that you might already have in your fridge:
Cilantro & salsa, chives, lunch meat turkey, spinach, tomatoes, avocado, bell peppers & onions, Morningstar Farms brand products (the fake sausage patty is my favorite)- really anything goes!
Don't love English muffins? Substitute for a piece of ezekial bread toast (80 cal) or make an egg burrito by making the omelet a scramble and putting it in a low carb tortilla (120 cal).

Here's my challenge- try an egg white omelet this week. I PROMISE you won't regret it and you may just find a new breakfast staple.
XO
Chel
PS.  The people who make Laughing Cow Light Cheeses have heard and answered my prayers! They created a spreadable light BLUE CHEESE version that is SO good and still only 35 calories a wedge! It might actually be a worthy substitute for my cheese cravings...

Camping- Foodie Style :)

Even when camping- I want to dine in style.  Or at least in deliciousness.
When Chris and I started planning our trip to Dinkey Creek a great camping spot in the Sierras, my responsibility was food planning. (Chris was busy purchasing tents, fishing rods, and pretty much anything Amazon had to offer in their "outdoor" section).
Keep in mind, camping = limited cooking options. Camping food typically includes hot dogs on sticks, smores and cereal for breakfast. Not bad- but not very fun either. So I took on this camp eating as a challenge, a` la Top Chef style. 
By no means were our meals "fancy" but they were SO good.  Below are my recipes for my favorite camping Dinner, Side & Dessert, enjoy!
Sausage Potato Hot Pockets
-1 cup chopped potatoes
-1 tbs butter
-1 tbs minced garlic
-1/4 cup chopped onion
-1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
-Handful sliced mushrooms
-Seasonings to taste (I used Bacon salt.  No joke. Talk about best invention ever)
Basically you combine all these ingredients and then double wrap them in Heavy Duty tinfoil and place them on the fire pit.  Cook for about 30-45 min depending on the heat and then open them up for steamy deliciousness that hits the spot on a cold mountain night.
Top them with a slice of cheese (we did pepper jack) and chopped slices of grilled kielbasa sausages and enjoy! Side note- we actually made two versions of this dish which you'll see on the right- both were good but the sausage one was the winner, which is why I shared that recipe.

Corn & Black Bean Salad
This is an ideal camping recipe because I actually prepared it before the trip and packed it in Tupperware in a cooler. The great thing about this salad is the longer it marinates in the dressing, the better it tastes. 

-1 Can black beans
-1 Can Corn
-1/2 Cup finely chopped red onion
-3/4 Cup chopped red bell pepper
-1/2 Cup chopped cilantro
-1/2 Cup Balsamic Dressing
-2tbs Lime juice
-2 tsp Cayenne Pepper (optional- for added kick)
Just mix it all together, making sure that the dressing is stirred in and then refrigerate and marinate.  A great summer BBQ salad.  I've seen other versions that add avocado, which might be fun to try.
Roasted Banana Heaven
My best desert of the trip was totally a random creation, but I think I will probably attempt to replicate it in our fireplace at home one night when I'm craving dessert and our shelves are bare...  1 banana
1/2 tbs butter
2 tbs sugar
2 tsp Cinnamon
Mix the butter, sugar and Cinnamon together.  Mixture should be crumbly. Take the banana and split it down the middle without cutting it in half. Put the sugar mixture in the slit in the banana.  Sprinkle any extra sugar on the top and sides of the banana. Wrap in Heavy Duty tinfoil and put on the fire for about 15 min.
Unwrap for a cinnamony, gooey goodness. It'd be AMAZING on ice cream.  (I mean frozen yogurt. What is happening to me- didn't this used to be a healthy eating blog?!!) Unfortunately I didn't capture any photos- we ate them too fast!  
So- use these recipes and you can impress people while camping.  Chris and I pretty much just impressed ourselves (also fun to do).
Such a great trip! We river rafted, hiked, attempted fishing, played countless card games and just relaxed.  I'd love to come up with a recipe to cook fish over the open flame- but I guess that means we'd have to catch some first... I guess we'll have to go back!
XO
Chel
PS. I made my first ever Indian Curry last night, and it came out REALLY good and was easy to make! I'm working on figuring a way to modify it to make it a little healthier and then I'll share the recipe soon!

A Peek In My Food Journal

I've reached day 5 of eating well, and so far the week has been a success! I've stayed in my calories every day, except yesterday when I went over by 30.  Not going to beat myself up about that, especially because I managed to fit in a much needed glass of wine :).  Chris and I saw Conan live last night, which was hilarious- but a comedy show could be a little rough 100% sober!
I thought I'd share a sample of what a typical day looks like for me, eating around or under 1300 calories. I basically try to live by two major mantras:
-Never feel starving! Once I hit that point, I'll eat anything and everything in my path.  As you'll see in my daily eating, I eat little meals/snacks frequently so I never get to that point.
-Try to eat the good stuff.  I'm not going to be healthy if I eat 4 snickers bars a day and still stay under my calories.  I try to eat fresh, organic, lean, whole foods.  You'd be surprised at how much MORE you can eat if you are eating healthy items, also a good hunger preventer.
Wednesday
7:30am: Steel Cut Trader Joes Oatmeal 150cal
Greens Juice 20 cal (This is SO good for you.  I also buy this at Trader Joes.  It doesn't taste the best but I buy the kind with only veggie juice to keep the calories low)
9am: Coffemade coffee creamer. 30 cal.  (Yes, eventually someday I will give this stuff up... but not today!)
10:30am: Vans brand frozen blueberry waffle. 110 cal.
12:45pm: Quinoa & Chicken mango salad. 240 cal. (Pre-made, from TJ's and that includes dressing!)
3pm: Nonfat Greek Yogurt. 110 cal. And 1/3 cup low fat berry granola. 70 cal. (This keeps me full and satisfies my afternoon sweet tooth)
5pm: Light String Cheese. 60 cal. (Pre-workout to give me a boost so I'm not going to bootcamp starving).
8pm: Flavorful low calorie applesauce pork chop. Check out the recipe HERE. 230 calories. Julia made this for dinner and I'm definitely going to repeat it! Pork is a great lean meat and the apples in it gave such a good sweet/salty flavor combination. Delish!
5 spears asparagus. 25 cal.
Broccoli & Cauliflower. 50 cal.
9pm: A cookie. 35 cal. Yumm :)
Total calories for the day 1,135! I felt great the whole day and had plenty of energy for my workout. Challenge ahead will be being "good" this weekend.  Chris and I have a very fun black tie wedding to go to on Saturday (yay Jen & Kevin!!) and I'm going to allow myself some flexibility on my eating and drinking.  All things in moderation, but will need to stay strong on Sunday because my first weigh in is Monday morning! I'll keep you posted! Have a great weekend!
XO
Chel

The March Issue

One of my favorite days of the month is when my Cooking Light Magazine arrives!  I seriously sit down with it and read the entire thing cover to cover- marking my favorite pages and recipes.  The March issue arrived Sunday, and by Sunday night I was already cooking. It was a cold rainy day and Chris and I were in recovery mode from a big night out in LA the night before- obviously Bacon, Ranch and Chicken Mac N Cheese was in order.  And it totally hit the spot. And since it was a Cooking Light version- it was reduced guilt!

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
1 slice applewood-smoked bacon I used two. Ok fine I used 3 :) Really the more the merrier (unless you are in calorie counting mode)
8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces Cutting up raw chicken is so gross. I was really having trouble with this. However- it tastes good and adds protein to the dish.
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1/3 cup condensed 45% reduced-sodium 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded six-cheese Italian blend (such as Sargento)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder I didn't have onion powder so I doubled the garlic powder.
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh dill I didn't have this and it was fine without.
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded colby-Jack cheese
Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.
2. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings in pan. Finely chop bacon; set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add chicken to drippings in pan; sauté 6 minutes or until done. As I'm cooking the bacon, I hear Chris giggling to himself in the living room and asked him what was funny.  Apparently the smell of the cooking bacon was so amazing he literally he couldn't help himself "You're making bacon!!" he kept saying.  If that's all it takes to keep him happy- I wish I'd figured this out earlier!
3. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; sprinkle flour evenly into pan. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Combine milk and soup, stirring with a whisk; gradually add milk mixture to saucepan, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes or until sauce cools to 155°. Add Italian cheese blend, onion powder, garlic powder, dill, and salt, stirring until cheese melts. This part was fun! The mixture literally turns into a cheese fondu like cheesy goo- yummm Stir in pasta and chicken.
4. Preheat broiler.
5. Spoon mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with reserved bacon and colby-Jack cheese. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese melts. I topped with some fresh ground pepper.
Nutritional Information- Makes 4 servings 2 cups each.
Calories:497 Do I get that that's a lot of calories?  Yes- but for a favorite like Mac and Cheese it's worth it and WAY less than you would find in a restaurant version. Also- the servings are huge! You could just have a cup and it would be about 250 calories.
Fat:17g (sat 9.2g,mono 4.7g,poly 1.4g)
Protein:33.3g
Carbohydrate:51.7g
Fiber:2g

Cooking Light is also great becuase they list all their recipes online. Check out the link: March 2010 Recipe Index. I think I'm also going to try to make the Blue Cheese Stuffed Chicken with Buffalo Sauce, Chicken Curry and Spicy Shrimp and Grits.
Also in this month's Issue was Top 25 cooking mistakes people make. I'm not going to list them all- but I'll share a few that stood out to me (because I tend to make them!)
-Pre-heat the pan before adding oil.  The pan should be hot when you add oil, and then let the oil heat before adding food.
-Taste the food at all steps of the process.  Not take huge bites, but have quick tastes to make sure your recipe is on track.
-Let meat rest. Once you finish cooking meat, always let it sit for a few minutes before cutting it so it doesn't lose all the juices.
-Measure your ingredients- don't eyeball it!
Happy Cooking!
XO
Chel

Soon I leave Soup behind for Margaritas, but till then...

48 hours from now I will be on a plane to Cabo!! I could not be more excited to be in WARM weather (forecast temp is 79 degrees & sunny!) with a swim up pool bar and a shut off Blackberry! Does it get any better??
Food is the last thing from my mind (unusual), I've been eating lunch at my desk the last two days trying to get a ton done before I go. Recommendation- Subway is running their special where all sandwiches are $5 for any footlong, not just select meats- I am living off them.
But I have made two ridiculously good meals in the last two days that I HAD to share!
One was a Cooking Light version of Chili, for Superbowl Sunday. I followed that recipe fairly exactly- so here's the link to the recipe:
Cooking Light Crock Pot Chili
It was really filling and didn't taste like a "light" version at all,  but each serving only has 240 calories or 5 weight watchers points. If you make it- PLEASE use non fat plain Greek Yogurt in substitution of sour cream.  Just try it. I promise it will not disappoint and you will be happy about the heaping scoop you can dump on top and not have to feel guilty about!  We also topped with chopped green onions and cilantro. Delish! PS- the recipe calls for lean beef, not turkey (po mans beef) and is still good for you!

The second, which I made last night was White Bean Soup (which doesn't sound that great- I get it) But it was seriously AMAZING, healthy and really easy to make. Here's the Recipe, which I found on William Sonoma online.

• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped pancetta
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cans (each 15 oz.) cannellini beans, drained Nearly had a grocery store breakdown when I couldn't find these.  However- thanks to the magic power of Google I was able to learn that cannellini beans can be interchangeable with "Great Northern" and "Navy Beans" in recipes.  Who knew?
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme I used a little extra.
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste Mmmm Pepper!

In a 3 1/2-quart Dutch oven over medium heat, warm 2 Tbs. of the olive oil. (I used a big sauce pot but make sure to make it a big one- this makes LOTS of soup). Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until crispy, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the cannellini beans, broth and thyme and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. 
Remove the pan from the heat. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth.  (I used a blender to puree and then poured it back in the pot) Stir in the cheese and season with salt and black pepper. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and serve immediately.
Serve it with a side salad and crusty bread and you have an amazing meal! Chris and I both had seconds and still have tons of leftovers.  One of the things that is so great about this soup is that it has the rich consistency of a cream based soup, but NO cream which makes it MUCH healthier for you.

Also- just a side note, I am slowly learning that it can be fun to cook together. Like with other people in the kitchen.  I have always been a slight.... ok, major kitchen nazi (meaning I like my space, and don't you dare try to taste something before I serve it) but I am slowly coming to the realization that it can actually be nice to share the stirring and mincing duties with someone else. I guess it just takes the right person. :) Baby steps..  Don't get any crazy ideas (Julia...)
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
XO
Chel
PS. One of my favorite people in the world just started a VERY funny blog about her quest to become America's Next Top Hipster (or something along those lines..) Check it out! http://flatboots.blogspot.com/

I Hate Rain.

It is POURING rain outside! And the City of San Diego, and the people who live here are NOT a group prepared for rain- our streets turn into rivers, palm fronds fall on sidewalks, traffic slows to a crawl... and then there's me- my dog refuses to go outside to go to the bathroom, I honestly don't even own an umbrella and to top it off last night our bedroom FLOODED.  Ugh... that was a fun to clean up as you can imagine :)
We did feel a little better after I made some DELICIOUS Tomato Fennel Bisque from one of my favorite restaurants, Beaumont's.  It's not the healthiest (and I wasn't in the mood for modification last night) but was SO warm, comforting and impressive to serve (I'm a big fan of that- if you're going to cook, you might as well get credit for it!). If you are stuck at home because of weather this weekend, I highly recommend making it and paring it with a grilled cheese sandwich for the ultimate rainy day meal. However- this recipe was a little "higher level" than most I usually follow and it took a lot of translation for me to get it right! I've included my notes in blue below.
Beaumont's Tomato & Fennel Bisque

1 each fennel bulb sliced Fennel is also known as Sweet Anis (and smells like liquorish) When it calls for the bulb- like in this recipe, you do not need to use the stalks. Maybe a "duh" thing but I had to Google it :)
1 each large yellow onion sliced
1 T fennel seed When cooking, a lower case "t" stands for teaspoon and an upper case "T" stands for tablespoon.
3 garlic cloves (whole)
½ cup olive oil
2 cans plum tomatoes (whole)
1 can filled with water
1 small carrot sliced
½ cup heavy cream
1 bay leaf
½ cup red wine
3 large basil leaves
Procedure:
In large pot sauté fennel, onion, garlic, carrot, bay leaf, and fennel seed until well caramelized. (Carmelization is when the onions start to brown. Do not be afraid to leave them in there for a while- this is how their sweet flavor develops.  This should take 10-20 minutes over a medium heat stirring frequently). Deglaze with red wine and let reduce by half. (According to Epicurious.com (fancy pants!) deglazing is: After food has been sautéed and the food and excess fat removed from the pan, deglazing is done by heating a small amount of liquid in the pan and stirring to loosen browned bits of food on the bottom.) Add tomatoes, water, and cream, bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for 45 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Remove bay leaf and let soup cool before you puree. Puree in blender with basil leaves until smooth. I then poured it back into the original soup pot & reheated. If soup is too thick, add more water.
SO good! I added fresh ground pepper at the end- perfect finish!

OMG. Just checked on my Vegas flight and it's CANCELLED!! Oh no! I hate this weather!! And the Southwest help line has a freaking BUSY signal... OH no!!  Wish me luck!!!
Chel

Sometimes A Girl Just Needs A Burger...

I had In N Out for lunch today. And it was GOOD.  I was feeling some aftereffects of excessive wine consumption at a dinner party last night and couldn't get the thought of a burger (and fries) out of my head. In a feeble attempt to "be good" I did order it protein style (lettuce wrapped instead of a bun) but it was definitely an indulgence. I wrote it down in my food journal... and now I have a whopping 490 calories to last me the rest of the day- hmmm.... since I totally blew my calorie count yesterday I am trying to keep in check today!

Last night I had a  friends over and made Phenomenal Chicken And Pasta In Creamy Pesto Sauce.  Sounds healthy right? :) I made some modifications to the recipe reduce some calories, including using whole wheat pasta, swapping cream for half & half, cutting back some of the olive oil... it came out pretty good. But then at the end I had to add a ton of extra parmesan cheese for flavor which may have offset all my improvements!  My favorite part was making the pesto sauce- I think I'll make that again. I blended a ton of fresh basil, little olive oil, pine nuts, a tomato & garlic and it was SO good. I wanted to spread it on bread and eat it plain! My favorite dish of the night was a Smoked Salmon Crostini appetizer- which is actually a Cooking Light recipe. Checkout the picture below. It was all good! But I ended my day at 2,400 calories. Yes you read that right. I'm eating burgers and going 1k over my daily calorie allotment... uh oh... Time to get back on track!

Definitely looking forward to a low key weekend with lots of exercise!  Happy Friday!
XO
Chel

I Basically Have a High School Reunion in 8 Days...

Last I checked, I was still 2 YEARS away from my 10 year reunion- which is just about the right amount of time to start getting ready :) BUT- Brooke's bday is the 23rd of December and since we're all heading home for Christmas- a party was obviously in order! Thanks to the magic of Facebook she was able to invite pretty much our entire graduating class plus some to come celebrate with us! Should be interesting...
It's funny becuase a few years ago I probably would have rushed out and bought a new outfit, got my nails done, stopped eating immediately and basically been in panic mode. I don't know if its the wisdom of my years (and the 4 major wrinkles I've recently gained- more on that another time) but I'm really more excited about catching up with old friends and hearing about their lives than panicking over being judged.
It could be becuase I'm pretty content with the way things are right now. Life is good, work is work (but I'm grateful to have a job!) and although I may struggle sometimes because I'm not at my goal weight- I'm still a heck of a lot closer than I was 6 months ago. I think being good with myself makes me a less bitchy, judgy person and more able to appreciate others. Hmm... well there's an underrated reason to get in shape-it just might make you a better person!

On another note- yesterday I did not go to bootcamp (BAD) becuase it was dark, cold, Chris had just gotten home, etc etc many more crappy excuses. But I did stay in my calories and skipped all sugar and wine (GOOD) so at least that's something. Tonight I've got a holiday party so I'm starting the day well- Go Lean Crunch for Breakfast, leftover spaghetti squash for lunch and hopefully I'll be able to fit in a walk with Ry before I head out tonight.

I had the BEST breakfast this weekend and I just keep thinking about it- so I thought I'd share.
Egg White Omelet with Garlic, Spinach & Pepperjack cheese. I actually had this at Naked Cafe- but figured it would be easy to replicate. (The mix of flavors may sound random, but I promise it's good and it gets you a serving of veggies for breakfast!)
6 tbs egg whites
1 clove finely diced garlic
1/2 cup baby spinach
1/4 cup shredded pepperjack cheese
Directions: Spray the pan with non stick cooking spray. Sautee the garlic and spinach for about 2 min over medium heat, until the garlic starts to lightly turn brown. Add in the egg whites and allow to cook for another minute while the egg firms up. Then sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top and fold half of the omlet in half with your spatula. Cook about 1 min on each side until cheese is melted and egg is cooked through.
Enjoy!! One omelet has 170 calories.
XO
Chel
PS. I can't believe Christmas is only 10 Days away!!! Let the countdown begin!

Giving Thanks for Losing Weight

Do you like that title? I'm still working on figuring out how to do it- but when I do I promise to be VERY THANKFUL! I thought I'd share my Thanksgiving Menu. We are having dinner at my sister's house this year & for the FIRST time ever, Kurd & I are in charge of the menu! Scary. So- we sat down with about 6 Cooking Light magazines & came up with the following:
Starter: Roasted Butternut Squash & Apple Bisque (140 calories)
Sides: Sauteed Carrots with Sage (75 calories), Streuseled Sweet Potato Casserole (250 calories), Potato Gratin with Blue Cheese & Sage (186 calories), Spinach Salad with walnuts & cranberries (calories TBD) and a Fresh Cranberry Relish (my mom makes it so it is probably healthy).
Main: Turkey. Duh. Was actually thinking of doing a really good looking slow cook Garlic & Rosemary recipe- but it was for a 12 lb bird and I ended up walking out of Trader Joes with a 27 pound GIANT yesterday... and at a slow cook pace that would probably take about a week! So I found one today for a Rosemary Roasted Turkey that sounds delicious!
Dessert: YUM YUM. Kurd and I are thinking of doing 1 pumpkin recipe & 1 berry. Right now the Spiced Pumpkin Chiffon Pie is winning out (274 calories) and berry is still TBD. I may also do a repeat of the white chocolate key lime pie I made a few weeks ago because it's SO easy and tastes delicious.
If anyone wants recipes for any of the above- let me know and I will post them on the Google Group. Not a member? Sign up in the top left hand corner of the blog to get notifications when I update the blog & fun extras like recipes.
Oh and did I mention that my ENTIRE family is on some sort of weird diet? And I wonder where I got my food issues :) Let's see... Kurd's not eating wheat, my dad is doing some caveman diet- officially called the "Paleolithic Diet" where you eat lots of meat, eggs, fruit, veggies & root vegtables. And my mom is not eating sugar. They make me look normal- which is disturbing.
But I plan to enjoy myself on Thanksgiving- not a free for all, but definitely sampling all the fun dishes.
Jessica my trainer sent out an email yesterday that had some healthy tips to handle the holiday. I thought a lot of it was pretty useful- so I condensed it down and added a little of my own commentary :)
1. Thanksgiving is only one day. Don't let the entire week turn into an excuse for bad eating.
2. Make a concious choice to limit high fat items. Work the substitution angle if you are the one cooking- if not, just try and avoid fried & creamy dishes. You know the BAD ones- just steer clear.
3. Work out especially hard this week. I think we all get that. Doing it is the challenge.
4. Don't go to the Thanksgiving dinner hungy. Eat a wholesome breakfast & lunch and a light snack before dinner to prevent overeating.
5. Drink lots of water! Alcohol & coffee dehydrate you- so drink water in between. It will also help you not confuse thirst with hunger.
6. Thanksgiving dinner is not an all-you-can-eat buffet. She reccomends filling your plate 1/2 with vegetables, 1/4 with lean meat & 1/4 with starch. But WHERE do you put the sweets?? (oh right that's a separate plate :)
7. Save your appetite for side dishes & desserts. The key here is portion size- sample all the foods but use moderation. Jessica reccomends eating dessert within 30 min of finishing dinner so it doesn't spike your blood sugar.
8. The average Thanksgiving Dinner is 2,00-3,000 calories. Just FYI. Keep that in mind and keep yourself in check.
9. Be Thankful. Let's not forget the point of this holiday isn't actually food. Or even the pilgrims and Indians. It's remembering to be thankful for everything we have- food on the table, a roof over our heads and best of all- friends & family to share the holiday with!
Happy Turkey Day!
Chel

Because We're Catching Up- I'm Being Random

And again- almost another week gone by! So this week I'm talking a little bit of everything! Lets start with Halloween, what a fun candy filled holiday... I've always thought I was being "good" by eating the fun size candy bars~ turns out they are not quite so "good"... if you eat 9 (which can add up quickly) you gain a 1/4 pound of fat! Seriously, it's a mathmatical equation. So- I'm going to skip the candy and save my calories this weekend for the number of drinks it will take me to feel comfortable in my costume :) ha. kidding. Kind of.
Boot camp is going well- hard to be as motivated the second time around, I'm less conscious about writing everything down- but it feels great to be working out again. I went for a run yesterday at Lake Murray which was one of my FAVORITE running/walking/thinking spots in college and ran about 4 miles at a decent pace and actually finished feeling ok- like not ready to pass out and die :) It was fun to go to an old place becuase it made me see how far I've come from the days there when 2 miles used to kick my butt.
I have cooked two meals in the crock pot this week, a turkey breast recipe and last night beef short ribs (that one was probably not the healthiest.. but kind of amazing). With the cold fall weather I just think it can't be beat as a way of cooking. With the crock pot I'm even starting to enjoy the process of cooking- finding all the ingredients, reading recipes, putting it all in the pot and letting the magic happen! It's kind of like making potions as a kid. (am I the only wierdo who did that?) However- so far all my experiments have been much better tasting than any of my youth creations :)
Ok and finally to top off this randomness of a post- I will share my recipe for a festive holiday champers drink that was a HUGE hit this past weekend.
1 tbs Sugar
1/2 cup water
1 bottle of champaign (or maybe two in case you want seconds :))
fresh rosemary (available at grocery store)
pomegranet juice
Directions: Heat the sugar and water in a pan until the sugar disolves. Turn off heat and add a few leaves of Rosemary (recipe says 2 tbs) and let it sit for 30 min. Then strain it (to get the rosemary out) and place aside.
In a chilled martini glass pour: 1tbs Rosemary blend, 2 tbs pomegranet juice, and a half cup champaign. Top with a sprig of fresh rosemary.
This delicious drink is not only tasty and beautiful -it's got only 115 calories (I got the recipe in my latest obsession, Cooking Light Magazine).
And on the note of festivites & great drinks- HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATTY! I can't wait to see you next week and celebrate in person!
XO
Chel