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

Wheat Berry and Broccoli Salad

My experimentation with new ingredients continues with the whole grain wheat berries. Nutty, chewy and satisfying.

Wheat Berry and Broccoli Salad
with Sesame Dressing
all the ingredients can be found at HyVee (some in the health market section)
Ingredients for salad:
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 1/2 c wheat berries, soaked for an hour or two
1 c green onion, trimmed and chopped
1 small red pepper, seeded and chopped
sesame seeds (black ones if you can find them in your grocery store)
Ingredients for dressing:
2 T olive or canola oil oil
3 t rice vinegar
1 T light tamari (soy sauce)
1 T sesame oil
juice of one half lemon
1 clove garlic, pressed through garlic press
1 T tahini (sesame seed butter...see image below)

Instructions for dressing:
Place all ingredients in a small Mason jar with lid. Shake well. Viola! You can use this dressing for lettuce salads or to jazz up your steamed brown rice or veggies.

Instructions for salad:
Steam broccoli until tender, do not overcook. Reserve 3 cups of the cooking water you used to boil the broccoli. If you steamed the broccoli instead of boiled then measure out 3 cups of water (or maybe 2 c water and 1 cup veggie broth for flavor) and set aside.
Drain soaking wheat berries. Bring reserved 3 cups broccoli water to a boil in saucepan and add wheat berries. Cook for one hour or until berries are tender (almost feel like they pop in your mouth).

Remove from heat and drain. Let cool. In serving bowl combine broccoli and wheat berries. Add chopped green onions and red pepper. Gently toss with sesame dressing and chill. Top with sesame seeds before serving.



J and I are off to Montrose/Telluride, CO to visit my brother and his wife! Be back next week to share all our food experiences while there.

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

Beans and Brownies....oh my!

No...this isn't breakfast....believe it or not it's a chocolate cake!

Another one of Mom's birthday cake creations.
Since we were having a breakfast brunch for the Jan/Feb birthdays (Bryan, Jeremy, Mike, Marie, and Dorcha)...she made a breakfast themed cake. LOVE IT!

You can't have cake without coffee... coffee cake that is.
She may need her own Cake Boss show on Food Network.

Peyton was so mad when the candle went out

Since we're already talking sweets....here are two ways to make delicious black bean brownies. One is the quick and convenient way and the other is the clean eating way.

Black Bean Brownies (quick and easy)
recipe from Jamie Marrow's kitchen (fellow CrossFitter)

Rinse and drain one can of black beans, puree beans in food processor or blender.

Mix bean into dry brownie mix, add the instructed amount of water on the back on the box. Omit eggs and oil. Spread onto greased baking pan. Bake as directed on box. huh.... YUM about sums it up. J and I topped our with a scoop of DQ soft served ice cream.

what a great way to get some beans in your life or your child's! never will I make packaged brownies without beans again!

Black Bean Fudge Cakes (clean)

from Clean Eating Magazine
Ingredients:

1 oz dark chocolate (705 cocoa or greater)
1 1/2 c soft-cooked blacked beans (or canned, drained and rinsed)
2 eggs
1 egg white
1 T olive oil
1/4 heaped cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp Watkins vanilla
1/4 c unsweetened applesauce
1/2 c honey
1/4 to 1/2 c walnuts (optional)
Instructions:
preheat oven to 350F. Mist baking pan with cooking spray. Melt dark chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat with 1 t water mixed in. Combine chocolate, cooked beans, eggs, oil, cocoa, baking powder, vanilla, applesauce, honey in food processor. process till smooth. Stir in nuts. Pour into baking dish. Bake about 20-30 minutes. Serve with a dollop of vanilla or Greek yogurt on top.
Nutrients: about 230 calories, fat 12g carbs 28g, fiber 4 g, sugar 19g, protein 5g

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

CrossFit Des Moines Party

Good times...Good food!
Thanks Bryan and Jamie for hosting the first Crossfit Des Moines party! Theme: Clean
Everyone did an awesome job at bringing a wonderful, healthy dish to share. I am so excited to post them.
If you would like to send me your recipe I will post for others to enjoy!

Pic 1: Coach Mike, Kelli (wife of Mike and my sister), J, Bryan, Jamie, and Bobby

Pic 2: Andi and Nate

Jamie putting my recipes to use: BBQ Chicken Pizza (under labels: pizza)

Nate with his clever paleo tacos and Katie with her amazing bruschetta

Here’s the bruschetta recipe (makes 12 pieces):

from Katie's kitchen

Ingredients
• 1/2 loaf whole-grain French, ciabatta or other thin loaf bread
• 3 Tbsp / 45 ml extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 cup / 240 ml fresh tomatoes, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, passed through a garlic press
• 1 tsp / 5 ml sea salt
• 1 tsp / 5 ml freshly ground black pepper
• 1 handful fresh arugula leaves, finely chopped
• 1 handful fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp / 30 ml best quality balsamic vinegar
• 2 fresh avocados
• Juice of 1/2 fresh lemon
Preparation
1.Preheat oven to 375º F / 190 ºC. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.Slice bread into thin, 1/2-inch slices on the diagonal. Arrange slices on baking sheet. Don’t overlap. Use another baking sheet if necessary.
3.Use a baking brush to lightly coat each piece of bread with olive oil. Bake for several minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove from oven. Set aside.
4.In a medium-sized oven-safe mixing bowl combine tomato, remaining olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Place in hot oven and bake for 10 minutes or until tomatoes are soft. Remove from heat.
5.Transfer cooked tomatoes to new mixing bowl. Add chopped arugula, basil and balsamic vinegar. Mix gently to combine. Set aside.
6.Peel avocados. Cut in half and remove pits. Dice avocado and toss with lemon juice.
7.Top each piece of bread with tomato mixture. Top with avocado. Serve.
***Katie mentioned she couldn't’t find arugula by itself, so instead found a salad mix that had spinach and arugula together and used that. You could use spinach by itself, too.

love the presentation

maybe the theme of the night should have been avocados! Melanie made these pleasing to the eyes and mouth guacamole cucumbers

Mike made scrumptious guacamole with whole wheat pita chips

did anyone else notice the fruit was Cyclone colors! Wahoo!

so many colors=so many nutrients

Avocado Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:
10 large eggs (although I used 12)
1/4 c fat free mayo or plain yogurt
1 T lime juice
1 tsp wasabi paste (I did not include this...not a big wasabi fan..too hot)
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of fresh ground black pepper
1 plum tomato, seeded and finely chopped
1 scallion, finely chopped
1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
1 firm-ripe Hass avocado, halved, peeled, pitted, and diced
Instructions:
hard boil the eggs (place eggs in saucepan with water covering, bring to boil, boil for 10 minutes, remove from water and place in cold water bath...perfect boiled eggs), peel, and cut in half. Scoop the yolk into a bowl. Mix mayo, lime juice, wasabi, salt, and pepper into bowl with a fork until smooth. Fold in tomato, scallion, chile pepper. Lastly, fold in avocado and spoon into halved egg whites.

Coach Mike's seasoned chicken with Thia peanut dipping sauce
is your mouth watering yet?

oh and who could forget the infamous Kale chips :)

all you need to make these crunchy slices of heaven...kale, olive oil, sea salt, oregano, garlic salt

rinse kale and separate onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. mix oil and spices. pour over chips....cover them well. bake at 275 til crispy...about 30ish minutes. Since I felt like a turtle while eating them, maybe they would be better as a garnish than a chip.

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good

http://www.sarabconsulting.com/