So what did I make with all of my leafy greens...?

A big ol' salad of course! With all the goodness of being local and organic from Turtle Farms CSA.

J and I both loved the diversity of flavors from the different kinds of greens...some were peppery while others were sweet. It was nice to change it up from the basic spinach or romaine salad.

In fact, the sloppy Joe meat was local as well from Wallace Farms (yummy grass fed products).

How does Wallace Farms work? View this fun video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWM-l_3swEM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

(their jerky rocks!)

GOOD LUCK TO ALL THOSE RUNNING DAM TO DAM TOMORROW...INCLUDING MY DAD, SISTER-in-LAW and ALL THOSE IN THE CROSSFIT DSM ENDURANCE TEAM. PROUD OF YOU!

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good

http://www.sarabconsulting.com/

Sloppy Joes

As I took in 86 degree weather, palm trees, and sun just two days ago in Riviara Maya I had a brief moment that I was excited to come home and get in the Christmas spirit. Now, I look out my office window to 19 degrees and big puffy snowflakes. hmmm, not so sure this is what I had in mind.

Either way, I am home and back to healthified recipes....
I will be sure to share photos of the babymoon soon, J and I splurged and had a professional photoshoot on the beach with a fabulous photographer who captured beautiful photos of the baby bump in paradise :)

Sloppy Joes
looking for a quick, delicious, and sloppy meal tonight!?

This is as easy as it gets....
1 lb lean ground beef - prefer grassfed, if you double try 1 lb ground turkey breast
half onion
half green bell pepper
ketchup
mustard
garlic powder
Worcheshire sauce
small amount of honey
mustard
ketchup
saute till flavors are mixed
no measurements, just cook to taste :)
Enjoy on a sandwich thin, sprouted grain bun, or whole wheat piece of bread.

Until next time...
look good, feel good, do good
www.sarabconsulting.com

Salsa Burgers

The grilling season is coming to an end...

but before we get all sad and sentimental as we think back on our summer...

roll out that grill and fire it up just one one time for these yummy burgers.
Salsa Burgers

adapted from Clean Eating Magazine

Ingredients:

1 lb lean grass fed beef

1 lb ground turkey breast

2/3 c fresh salsa or pico de gallo, drain

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

for guacamole:

1 small avocado, peeled, pitted, and roughly chopped

1/4 red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 T cilantro, chopped

1 tsp lime juice

1/4 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper

optional: Greek yogurt spread on each bun (kinda like sour cream)

Instructions:

Combine beef, salsa, salt, and pepper. Shape into 1/2 inch thick patties (don;t work them too much as they will get tougher).

Grill away.

In the meantime, prepare guac by smashing avocado and combining the above ingredients. Another simple way to make guac is to just combine the avocado with salsa and a squirt of lime juice.

Enjoy!

Be sure to pick up the September issue of Iowa's Momentum Magazine for Endurance Athletes and check out my article "Essential Nutrients for the Endurance Athlete."

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good

www.sarabconsulting.com

How to "lean up" your next hamburger

source of graph: Department of Agriculture
Click on picture to get a larger view

I thought this pamphlet from the Iowa Beef Industry Council was worth sharing.
Look at the difference blotting and rinsing your meat can make! It reduced the calories by 100 in 80% lean beef.
Of course, I always recommend buying no less than 93% lean, but you can still try these techniques.

Another great way to reduce the calories and saturated fat is to combine 1lb beef with 1lb ground turkey breast and then make your patties.

Until next time...
look good, feel good, do good
http://www.sarabconsulting.com/

A very busy weekend means a very big appetite....Slow Cooker Italian Beef...and purple potatoes?!

This past weekend was filled with fun!
The HyVee Triathlon started off the craziness with Emmerson's tri clinic on Friday.

She got her first experiences of swimming, biking, and running...all in one day.

The temperature topped 91F! Needless to say she was beat by the end of the day.

Unfortunately, her race Saturday morning was canceled do to the weather :(

J, Ron (brother-in-law), and I all set to race Sunday morning...more on this in a later post!

Sunday night was the Solon ladies track banquet. We finally got a chance to show off our State Champ trophy. It was bitter sweet as I said my good-bye's to the ladies and their families. I will miss Solon so much.
I have to give a quick thank you for all the amazing cards the girls wrote me...I told J if I ever have a bad day I am going to pull them out and read the kind words again.

Monday...

my parents were here and J and I put them to work!

But first...J started our hardworking day with a scrumptious breakfast piled high with spinach and red bell pepper

all day we weeded, mulched, planted, buried, scrubbed, swept and dusted.

poison-ivy proofing my body with tube socks and tights....Dad wasn't so lucky

Slow Cooker Italian Beef

another recipe from fellow crossfitter Katie

for dinner I prepared a crock pot recipe in the morning so it was ready when finished working that evening

I picked up some PURPLE potatoes at New Pioneer Coop. They were beautiful along side the white and red potatoes.

more color=more nutrients! ps.... all were organic as potatoes are on the "dirty dozen" list for foods with high amounts of fertilizers and pesticides

I also picked up a grass fed rump roast from Grass Run Farm
Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups beef broth

1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 bay leaf
few good shakes of Penzeys Italian Dressing

1 (5 pound) rump roast

Instructions:
Combine water and beef broth with salt, ground black pepper, oregano, basil, onion powder, parsley, garlic powder, bay leaf, and salad dressing mix in a saucepan. Stir well, and bring to a boil.
Place roast in slow cooker, and pour salad dressing mixture over the meat.
Cover, and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours. Add potatoes and carrots when about 4 hours remain (on low) or 2 hours remain on high)....periodically check roast with meat thermometer as some crock pots cook faster. If it is done before dinner time simply remove meat and place, covered in fridge till an hour before dinner and return to pot to heat up. Before serving, remove bay leaf, and shred meat with a fork.

Let shredded meat soak in juice for about 10-15minutes. Serve and enjoy!

This can be made into a sandwich topped with sauteed mushrooms and onions OR served with a side of potatoes and carrots.

Thanks for sharing Katie!

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good

http://www.sarabconsulting.com/

Meatball Sub with Roasted Veggies

The other day I heard a family member state they had the meatball marinara sub at Subway. Little did they know this is the "worst" sandwich offered at Subway with 580 cals, 23 g fat, 9g saturated fat, 1 g TRANS fat, and 1530g sodium in just 6 inches.

A healthy lifestyle is about having the knowledge....they just didn't know. That's why I do what I do with Sara B Consulting, creating one healthy lifestyle at a time!

Here's a healthier and cleaner alternative to the popular
Meatball Sub
with Roasted Veggies
Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef...I used 1 lb grass fed beef mixed with 1 lb turkey breast to double the recipe
1/4 c rolled oats
1 large egg white
1 T tomato paste
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp oregano, divided
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic or 1tsp jarred garlic
olive oil cooking spray
1/2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch wide strips
1/2 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch wide strips
1/2 yellow onion, cut into 1/4 inch wide strips
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 c fresh tomatoes, seeded, chopped and squeezed to release juices, seed and juices discarded
1 tsp dried basil
whole wheat baguette (widest one you can find....I bought mine in the HyVee bakery)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400F. In large bowl, combine meat, oats egg white, tomato paste, thyme, 1/2tsp oregano, black pepper, and 1 clove garlic.

Form meat mix into 1 inch balls.

In a small bowl stir together tomatoes, basil, remaining 1/2 tsp oregano, and remaining 1 clove garlic. Toss meatballs in tomato mix to cover them. Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray or olive oil and place coated meatballs on sheet.

Pour any remaining tomatoes on top. On another baking sheet toss veggies with olive oil and place both pans in the oven for 15 minutes. When timer goes off remove meatballs and set aside. Stir veggies and bake for another 10 minutes.
Slice baguette into 4 sections, then slice each piece horizontally so it opens like a book.

Tear out a bit of bread from each section to make room for the meatballs. Toast bread in toaster or under the broiled till crisp.

Open bread, place 2-3 meatballs on bottom section, top with veggies. Enjoy! You may choose to add BBQ or ketchup for addition sauce OR shredded mozzarella.
Nutrients: about 452 cals, 10g fat, 3g sat fat, 59g carbs, 8g fiber, 25g protein

a beautiful side salad to accompany my sandwich

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good

www.sarabconsulting.com

Beef/Turkey and Quinoa Meatloaf

I coached my very first track meet last night! The Solon Spartan girls did a great job! Very proud of their their efforts and look forward to the rest of the season!

It's National Nutrition Month! In fact today is national RD day.....wahooo!
In honor of this I will do something out of the ordinary....like post healthy recipes :)
So here's one for you that Jeremy and I really enjoyed...

Beef or Turkey and Quinoa Meatloaf
Ingredients:
1/4 c quinoa
1/2 c water
1 tp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1ish lb of lean ground beef OR ground turkey breast...if you double the recipe use one of each!

http://www.grassrunfarm.com/csa/iowa-city
1 T tomato paste
1 T hot sauce...I used Cholula
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 T brown sugar or honey or agave nectar (optional to use any...but the sugar crystallizes nicely on top leaving a crunchy sweet crust)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp water
Instructions:
Bring quinoa and water to boil in saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, and the water has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350F. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion; cook and stir until onion has softened and turned translucent. Add garlic and cook for another minute; remove from heat to cool.
Stir turkey or beef, quinoa, onions, garlic, tomato paste, hot sauce, 2 t Worcestershire sauce, egg salt, pepper in large bowl until well combined. The mixture will be very moist.

Pour into a greased loaf pan or foil lined. combine sugar, 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, and 1 tsp water in small bowl. Rub paste over the top of the meatloaf.
Bake in oven until no longer pink in center, about 50 minutes. A meat thermometer will say about 160F. Let meatloaf cool for 10 minutes before serving so it can set and holds together nicely.

Nutrition per serving (serves 4)...of course varies slightly with leanness of meat: 327 cals, 15g fat, 19g carbs, 28g protein

crunchy quinoa and sweet crust...mmmm
side of broccoli and sauteed mushrooms

Until next time...
look good, feel good, do good
http://www.sarabconsulting.com/

Surf and Turf

Perhaps it is because I would really like to be on a beach right now surfing the big barrels (yeah that's my knarly surfing lingo).....but J and I were craving a little
Surf and Turf

Tuna steaks seared on the grill with sesame seed seasoning

sirloin steaks grilled to perfection!
Sorry no recipe tonight....sometimes cooking is just a little of this and a little of that :)

Until next time...
look good, feel good, do good
www.sarabconsulting.com

Montrose and Telluride, Colorado

Jeremy and I just returned from a fabulous filled vacay to Montrose, CO to visit my brother Matt and his wife Dorcha.

They definitely know us well and planned are days full of physical activities and delish food.

Day 1: J and I went snow shoeing in Black Canyon National Park.

the nice thing about snow in Colorado is that it has sunshine to go with it

J's my junior ranger

Harley catching some rays

CrossFit Agoge

where Matt and Dorcha get their WOD's in

the first night they prepared a wonderful dinner for us...

fine wine and coffee/spice rub for the elk....yes ELK! Matt's knew passion is elk hunting with his bow.

VERY TASTY and LEAN!

Dorcha prepare Borsch (a beet soup from Poland) SO GOOD! Sad that I don't have a pic :(

we were really spoiled

love the dogs...Harley and Maggie...J can we pleeeaaaseee get one?

Day 2: Cross Country skiing at Grand Mesa...North America's largest mesa

Matt, J, Harley, Maggie, Bell and I

we almost lost the dogs in the snow

look at all that snow! Can you see the stop sign?

after 12 miles of CC skiing, a greasy spoon diner was just what we were looking for

LOOK: you can even get your wedding cakes there...sweeet, a one stop shop!

man did it hit the spot

Matt made pork ribs for a guy's night of poker at his friend's house.

Day 3:Feeding the bees and back country snow shoeing

Matt raises his own bees and gives us jars full of sweet nectar!

Next he wants to raise a grass fed cow and pigs....we'll start calling him Old McDonald

while snow shoeing the back country we came upon an old abandoned mining town

a storm rolled in and things got a little sketchy, so we decided it was time to head home

good thing J built me this snow cave to stay warm :)

Day 4: Skiing in Telluride and a Valentine's Dinner

Matt and Dorcha treated us to a Valentine's dinner at La Marmotte in Telluride

delish!

tuna and lamb...can't remember the fancy menu descriptions

Dessert: Berry Cheesecake and Warm Molten Chocolate Cake with espresso ice cream... YUM

Day 4: more skiing in Telluride

a bright and sunny day brought awesome views

the gang....J, Me, Dorcha and Matt

the town of Telluride

Matt and J enjoying a bloody mary around the fire pit

Telluride=Breathtaking (and I'm not just talking about the altitude)

Matt, Jeremy, and Dorcha hiked Bald Mountain to get to some good powder

then it was dinner at the Stryker's (Matt and Dorcha's pals)

carpaccio with fresh grated parmesean

tuna tartar salsa and spring rolls...did I mention the food was out of this world!?

boiling oil for fondue

the dippers: chicken, beef, seasoned shrimp

more ribs and more amazing cuts of beef

all in all we have much to be thankful for...

wonderful family, new friends, good memories, and full bellies

until next time...

look good, feel good, do good

www.sarabconsulting.com