Barbecue Chicken Pizza

PIZZA! Man was I excited for this clean recipe. I mean....who doesn't love a warm, saucy, maybe cheesy, bite of pizza. I fixed this up the other night for some football madness.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza
Ingredients:
olive oil cooking spray
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced (notice I did not have these as the were OUT of them at the store!)
1/2 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2lb boneless chicken breast boiled till cooked through and sliced into thin strips
5 oz unsalted tomato paste
2 T cider vinegar
1 T honey or maple syrup
1 tsp onion powder
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp Spanish paprika
ground pepper
2/3 C pre shredded 2% mozzarella cheese
1/2tsp oregano
of course, if you do not desire to make your own clean BBQ sauce then you can omit the tomato paste through oregano ingredients and just use your fav BBQ sauce.
Instructions:
preheat oven to 425F

heat a large skillet over high heat for 1 minute, reduce to medium, mist with olive oil and saute onions till caramelized.

Add mushrooms and finally peppers till all veggies are cooked tender. Remove veggies from pan, mist a little more olive oil and add chicken slices to brown a touch.
Prepare BBQ sauce in small bowl. whisk tomato paste, vinegar, honey, onion powder, garlic, paprika, and black pepper. I did add about a T regular BBQ sauce for just a tad more flavor.
Place premade whole wheat pizza dough :) (convenience rules sometimes) on pan.

Smear with sauce, add chicken and veggies.

Dust the top just lightly with mozzarella.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. ENJOY!
Nutrition per slice (8 slices): 390 calories, 7g fat, 26g protein, 55g carbs
lycopene is all over this recipe in the tomato sauce and red pepper! this fancy antioxidant helps keep you bones strong and skin glowing....who knew pizza could be so good :)

J was very excited about having pizza too! He helped out by taking it out of the oven and eating it. :)

our green fries

Me attempting to skate ski....contrary to popular beliefs....it's not JUST like rollerblading

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

New Year's Resolutions and Super Easy Turkey Lasagna

I'll be honest...I've never really made NY's resolutions, but for some reasons this year I have a whole laundry list of them ;) Now, I am being practical and have chosen a few to focus on in 2010 and will share these with you. I am hoping this will hold me more accountable!

Physical:
Take up yoga! After suffering an injury last year that kept me from running in the Boston Marathon and could have probably been prevented with proper stretching...I thought this would be a wise idea. I am again scheduled to run Boston this April and am determined to make it to the start...and finish lines :)
so somewhere in my marathon, triathlon, and crossfit workouts...I am now doing yoga...phew!

last night was hot house yoga....notice the TWO water bottles

Eating/Cooking:
Cleaner cooking and eating. It's funny because I teach people this in Sara B Consulting but feel I have gotten away from it slightly...finding myself using Splenda brown sugar more often, indulging in diet sodas, and over consuming cereal. Now, I am probably clean with 70% of my diet and would like to get back to 80-90%. I am equipped with my Clean Eating Mag, Tosca Reno's Clean Eating cookbooks, and my garden come spring.
What is clean eating you ask? In a nutshell: 6 small meals per day, exercise daily 5x week, avoid all processed foods, choose unrefined foods whenever possible, and watch out for fat, sodium, calories, and sugar. The part I am working on is the eating less processed and more real foods...closer to nature I say. For example, get back to using honey and agave nectar instead of Splenda brown sugar to sweeten things, sticking to 1 bowl of cereal instead of two (this is super hard for me), and enjoying more single ingredient foods.
oh and trying new clean practises....I bought a nut milk sack the other day aka I am making my own almond milk...stay tuned ;)
keep in mind when you are training for an athletic endeavor you will have gu's, gels, bars that just don't fit into clean eating but are needed for energy during workouts....so be it.

People always ask about "fake" sugars....am I for or against. Every individuals diet is different and I have to see where and how it is consumed before making any judgements. Personally, if I am to use one in cooking/flavoring I opt for Stevia (if brown sugar is not called for)I feel this may be the lesser of evils as it is "natural." Is Splenda harmful....that's still up for debate. Nothing as been proven as far as I know....but I do know this...it gives me some serious GI distress with large consumption.
Because with training and the fact that I do not sweeten too many things, I decided I do not need to worry about the few extra calories from honey or agave nectar to sweeten my sweet potatoes or steel cut oats. Drizzle away!

Spiritual:
One-Year devotional study of women in scripture "Women of the Bible" by Ann Spangler and Jean Syswerda

awwww....I feel better already!

Super Easy Turkey Lasagna

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey BREAST
3 C (1 jar) spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 c water
1 container cottage cheese, 1% or fat free
1 c 2% shredded mozzarella
1/2 c grated Parmesan
2 eggs
any veggies (I used spinach and red peppers)
1/4 c chopped parsley
sea salt
black pepper
any other Italian seasoning you desire
whole wheat lasagna noodle (I sued Rozoni Healthy Harvest)
Instructions:
Heat oven to 350F. In 3 qt saucepan over medium-high heat brown turkey. Add spaghetti sauce and water; simmer about 10 minutes. Meanwhile in medium bowl, stir together cottage cheese, half mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, eggs, spices.
Pour 1 c meat sauce on bottom of 9x13 pan. Arrange uncooked noodles over sauce; cover noodles with sauce. Add half cheese mixture over sauce. Place chopped veggies on top of cheese layer. (of course I added veggies!)

Repeat with noodles, sauce, cheese. Top with layer of noodles and any leftover mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 45minutes. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes. Let set for 10 minutes when done. Enjoy!



more veggies...side of spinach salad

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

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

Baked Tilapia, Mashed Cauliflower, and Sweet Potato Brownies

Last night, I tried not one or two, but three new recipes!

Tilapia

First, I wanted to try some more herbs from my garden so I marinated Tilapia in lemon juice, olive oil, thyme, rosemary, parsley, sea salt, and pepper.

I let this marinate for about 30ish minutes and then baked, covered in aluminum foil for about 25ish minutes at 350 degrees. Very light and fresh. Would be great served with a lemon squeezed over top.

I realize it appears to be laking some color :) I think next time I will serve green beans as well OR mashed carrot sweet potatoes (I will have to post the recipe)...yum!

Mashed Cauliflower

I wanted to find an alternative to the oh-so-comforting mashed potatoes...and I did!

I first cleaned and cut into small pieces one head of cauliflower. I threw this all into a Ziploc steam bag and steamed away in the microwave.

I then transferred the cauliflower in a hand blender (or food processor if you have one) and blended until smooth. I added skim milk, tad bit of Smart Balance butter, and sea salt for flavor. You could do olive oil, buttermilk, chives...and the list goes on.

These were very satisfying and a nice alternative to mashed potatoes.

Sweet Potato & Cinnamon Brownies

Jeremy has been bugging me for brownies all week so I finally decided to try out this recipe I got out of my Clean Eating Magazine.

Ingredients:
Brownies

1 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder

1 T cinnamon, ground

1 t baking powder

1/4 t sea salt

1 c peeled and cooked sweet potato

1/2 c agave nectar

1/4 c olive oil

1 t pure vanilla extract (Watkins is the best)

6 egg whites

Icing

1/2 c low fat plain cream cheese

3 T agave nectar

1 T unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 t cinnamon, ground

1 T water (optional)

Instructions:

preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare brownies: combine first 5 dry ingredients in medium mixing bowl and set aside. In food processor, combine sweet potato, agave nectar, olive oil, and vanilla. Puree till smooth.

Gradually mix wet ingredients into dry, until just combined. Do not over mix.

In separate dry bowl, whisk egg whites until fluffy. Using spatula, gently fold egg whites into batter.

Lightly spray sides of baking pan (9x9x2 in) with spray. Pour batter into pan and place into over. Bake for about 16-18 mins.

While brownies are baking, prepare icing. In small bowl, combine cream cheese ,agave nectar, cocoa powder, and cinnamon. Whisk until smooth. Add water if needed. Cover and refrigerate.

Now the recipe says to let brownie cool in fridge over night and then ice before serving, however...like we were going to wait till morning to try one. So I frosted them after they had cooled and we each enjoyed one..or two :)

They may not be as sweet as your typical brownie, but they have an amazing texture less caloric, added nutrient value (sweet potato) and hit the spot!

nutrients per brownie: calories 140, fat 5g, sat fat 1.5g, carbs 21g, fiber 2g, sugar 12g, protein 4g, sodium 75mg, chol 5mg

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do goog

Delicious Dinner, Dirty Husband

Last nights dinner was scrumptious and pleasing to the eye. While Jeremy slaved away power washing our stone walls, I whipped up a Fig & Cranberry Stuffed Chicken Breast recipe I cut out of Clean Eating Magazine. Let's just say it was fine dining with not so fine looking folks :) Jeremy was head to toe covered in mud when I brought out the colorful plate of stuffed chicken, sweet potatoes, and spinach salad. We dined in lawn chairs in the driveway...yes, we really know how to "do it up." The atmosphere was actually quite nice though...a cool summer evening with the sunsetting in front of us.

Fig & Cranberry Stuffed Chicken

serves 4

2 tsp olive oil, divided

4 medium shallots, minced

1/3 cup unsweetened dried cranberries

1/3 dried figs (although I left these out...didn't know how J would handle them)

4 cups baby spinach, packed

4 T toasted pine nuts

2 tsp fresh sage, chopped

sea salt, to taste

1/4 t ground pepper, divided

4 4oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts

juice 1/2 lemon

preheat oven to 400F

heat 1 t oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. add shallots and saute until softened, stirring frequently for about 2 minutes. Add cranberries and figs and continue to cook for one minute, stirring frequently. Add spinach to pan, stir well and cook until wilted, about 1 min. stir in pine nuts and sage, season with salt and pepper, and pour stuffing into a mixing bowl lined with a paper towel to drain excess liquid. set aside and allow to cool at room temperature.

Lay 1 chicken breast horizontally on a cutting board. starting at the thickest side of the breast, hold a sharp knife parallel to the work surface and slice breast horizontally about 3/4 of the way through, then open up breast like a book.

Place sliced breast opened-faced and flat between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and gently pound to 1/2 inch thickness with flat side of meat mallet or rolling pin. remove plastic wrap and repeat process with remaining 3 breasts. Divide stuffing evenly among 4 breasts, placing stuffing lengthwise along bottom edge of each breast. Carefully roll up the chicken breast tightly (like making a sandwich wrap) May need to secure with toothpicks.

Place stuffed chicken, seam side down, onto parchment lined or greased pan. In small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, remaining olive oil and salt and pepper. Brush over chicken.

place pan in oven and roast for about 12 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked and stuffing is heated throughout.

Enjoy!

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good