Honeymooning in Italy!

I apologize in advance for my absence. I head to Italy today with Jeremy for our honeymoon! very excited! Looking forward to wine, gelatto, and of course the amazing sights. Can not wait to tell you all about it!

Until next time...
look good, feel good, do good

Tis the season for tailgating! Seasoned pretzels, mini muffins

The big game is this weekend...ISU vs Iowa...go Cylcones!

I love to tailgate for many reasons...great fall weather, exciting football, friends and family, good drinks, oh and the food. I try to bring a few "healthier" options amongst the sweets and salt.

Give these a try at your tailgate for a for sure touchdown :)

Tailgate Pretzels

20 oz pretzels (1 bag)

1 c olive or canola oil

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cayenne

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dry packet

mix sauce together and pour over pretzels

divide into two pans

bake at 200 degrees for 1 1/2 hours, stir ever 20 min (although me being impatience only bake them for about an hour)

Since is is a morning game you may enjoy the mini pumpkin recipe (in the August blog archives under whole wheat pumpkin cranberry muffins)

another great recipe is the deviled avocado eggs (in July Archives)

Go State!

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good

Protein Power Pancakes

Power Pancakes
What you need:

6 egg whites and 2 whole eggs

1.5 cups of old fashioned oatmeal (dry)

3-5 heaping Tbsp of fat-free cottage cheese

1 tsp nutmeg

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp Watkins vanilla

you can use two to three whole eggs instead of the 6 egg whites if you desire

What to do:

Preheat a pancake griddle or frying pan. In a blender mix the first 3 ingredients on the list above. If the mixture is too thick then add a splash of skim milk, if the mixture is too thin then add more oatmeal and/or cottage cheese until the consistency is that of pancake batter. Next, add the nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla. Pour the mixture onto the griddle into normal pancake sized circles and flip once the first side begins to bubble. You can add blueberries and bananas to the pancakes or some all-natural peanut butter. Serve with sugar-free syrup. Serves 2-4 people.

stack of protein pancakes topped with unsweetened applesauce and sugar free syrup...yum

Jeremy got crafty with his pancakes

true love...he made a heart shape in my pancake

I got this recipe from my friend Mike Ormsbee

http://mikeormsbee.com/aboutmike

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good...

to come...tailgate winners

Peanut Butter Oatmeal

One of Jeremy and I's favorite breakfasts is steal cut oats or old fashioned oats.

We both like to dress it up a bit.... here are some options.

Protein packed options:

add scoop of vanilla or chocolate whey protein

make with with milk instead of water

add almonds or walnuts (also healthy fats)

IronMike's Low Cal option:

add maple flavoring

and a touch of Splenda or Stevia

J's favorite:

Tablespoon of Parker's Natural Peanut Butter (today he made it right in the almost-empty -container to get every last bite)

berries

almonds

raisins

this is pretty loaded and higher in calories which J needs while training for the Ironman

My favorite:

1 scoop protein

berries

a bit agave nectar or honey (optional)

Watkins vanilla

walnuts or almonds

made with skim milk

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good

Today's wisdom

"Eat to live, not live to eat."
Benjamin Franklin

wise man.

Spring Rolls and Avocado Crab Salad

So I must have been up for a challenge last night...but it wasn't the 40 mile bike ride Jeremy and I went on before dinner...it was the spring rolls I made for dinner.

...the pictures in Clean Eating Mag made it look so easy....so I thought I would give it a try. Don't believe everything you see...just because Lance makes a 100 miles looks easy...it just might not be.

however...the prize is worth the challenge...they were delicious!

I found all my ingredients at HyVee...I thought I would have to stop by an Asian store..but nope one convenient stop.

Chicken & Shrimp Spring Rolls

Ingredients:

18-20 spring roll wrappers (I made it through about 7) :)

1 head Boston or Bibb lettuce (leaves separated and largest leaves cut in half)

1 leaf Napa Cabbage, chopped thinly

1/2 c cooked shrimp, shells and tails removed, diced (I used crab since I had it for the salad below)

1/4 lb cooked skinless chicken breast, diced finely

1/2 c broccoli, finely chopped or shredded

1/2 c carrots, shredded

1/2 c bean sprouts (loaded with nutrients!!!)

4 green onions, chopped (I left out for Jeremy ;)

1 avocado, sliced

1 egg white

Instructions:

Wet spring roll wrapper with warm water. (can do this in a bowl or under the faucet)
place wrapper on a hard surface. Place lettuce leaf on far right edge of wrapper.

my first attempt...apparently you can't really LOAD them up with stuff..as I typically do with sandwichs and wraps...they will split out their seams :)

Next, place 2 tsp cabbage (about 3 slices),1 tsp shrimp or crab, 1 tsp chicken, 1 tsp broccoli, 1 tsp carrots, 1 tsp bean sprouts, and 1/4 tsp onion into lettuce leaf. Top with 1 slice avocado.

Roll wrapper from right to left, folding the sides towards the middle. Just before wrapper is completely wrapped, brush egg white on the end so the wrapper closes neatly.

Complete steps 1-4 for each wrapper. Serve with light and tangy satay sauce. (recipe below)

Nutrient per roll: calories 90, total fat 1g, sat 0g, fiber 1 g, sugars 0g, protein 3g, sodium 80g, chol 15mg

Light and Tangy Peanut Satay Sauce

Ingredients:

1/4 c fresh squeezed lime (about 1 lime)

1/8 cup creamy natural peanut butter (my fav is Parker's)

2 T fresh cilantro, minced finely (I left this out...or use Parsley)

2 T water

1 T apple cider vinegar (I forgot to but...so left this out as well)

2 clove garlic (of course I left this out for J)

2 tsp tomato paste (I didn't want to open a whole can for just this so I used ketchup)

2 t low sodium soy sauce

2 t agave nectar (honey is a good substitute)

1 t fresh ginger (or dry and ground if you don't have fresh on hand)

2 drop Chile sesame oil (available at Asian stores) I did not get this...I did however have sesame oil so added a touch of this

sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
whisk together till mixed. Serve!

Nutrients per 2 tsp: calories 15, total fat 1g, sat 0g, fiber 0g, protein 0, sugars 1g, chol 0mg

you can see I got better!

Now for the second course!

I got this recipe from a client who pulled it from her South Beach Diet cookbook.
Since I already had lime, crab, and avocado...why not utilize them for another fresh and citrusy dish. Perfect for a hot summer evening (which really isn't what our summer as been like...but still tasted good as I was wrapped in a blanket on the porch :)

Crab and Avocado Salad

Ingredients:

1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro (I used parsley out of my herb garden)

2 T fat free mayo

1 T chopped roasted red pepper (from jar) I did not have so I used stewed roasted tomatoes

1 T fresh lime juice

1/8 t cayenne pepper

1 pound lump crab meat

1 large ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/4 inch cubes (good source of monounsaturated fats)

sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

combine cilantro, mayo, red pepper, lime juice, and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl and whisk together. Mic in crab meat and season with salt and pepper. Gently fold in avocado and serve.

Nutrient per cup: 230 calories, 14 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 22 g protein, 3 g fiber, 670 mg sodium

using the left over Boston leaves made a nice lettuce wrap

or a whole wheat Wasa cracker


I'm glad Jeremy and I have adopted the rule "one cooks, one cleans"...and I make a mess ;)

Let me know if you attempt the spring rolls...they are well worth it!

Until next time...
look good, feel good, do good

Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Mint smoothie

Yum! Need I say more?

So I am still looking for new tasty ways to use my herbs....I have been adding parsley to my eggs and mint leaves to my tea, but this little glass of heaven takes the cake....kinda tastes like one too :)

As usually...I failed to measure but here's what I added to the blender.

chocolate skim milk
skim milk

chocolate whey protein

ripe banana

mint leaves

Parker's natural PB (about a tablespoon)

garnished with a mint leaf

blend up for a satisfying, refreshing, protein packed dessert!

I just wanted to share a couple pictures from around Jeremy and I's yard. The weather has been so beautiful, I have been trying to capture it in pictures.

oh...and who said weeds aren't pretty :) This is our front mound...it's suppose to be hostas...but we are going "all naturaaaal" (that's our excuse anyways)

To come.....an avocado, crab salad recipe I received from a client...sound crablicious!

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good