An Iowa City filled weekend...

This past weekend was the big ISU vs Iowa football game. Although, the game might not have been a hit, the weekend was!
Lots of good times and good food with friends and family.
Highlights:

Friday J and I had Aunt Barb and Uncle Tom and Kelli and Mike over for dinner.

The Menu:
Appetizer: Bruschetta (recipe from crossfitter Katie)

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

Entree: Swiss and sauteed mushroom burgers (mushrooms were sauteed in olive oil)
and Uncle Jim's home grown squash

Dessert: Birthday cake for Kelli!

it's suppose to be red frosting and not pink...obviously I do not have a career as a cake decorator

and of course, Aunt Barb's scotcheroos


Saturday morning we woke up ready to cheer on our Cyclones!

I prepared a meat and veggie egg dish and homemade banana bread for breakfast.

then it was off to tailgate

Sunday started with a trip to my favorite Iowa City breakfast spot...

the sign says it all

The banana bread french toast is AMAZING!

J couldn't even wait for me to take a picture before digging in :)

Then it was off to Wilson's Apple Orchard to pick us some Honey Crisp Apples!

over the river and through the woods...

Mike had his technique for crossing the raging river

and J had his

We had to pull out all the apple picking techniques to get the best apples

What a great weekend!

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good

http://www.sarabconsulting.com/

Summertime Orzo Salad

It's a rice, it's a grain....no it's ORZO :) I know....so korny, but seriously what is orzo?
Orzo is actually a rice shaped pasta, that is very fun to eat and makes beautiful salads.
This salad knocked my socks off after fellow crossfitter, Tricia, made it at the last Crossfit Des Moines party.


Summertime Orzo Salad
thanks Tricia!
Ingredients:
1 pound dry orzo pasta
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups fresh spinach, torn
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup dried cranberries
8 fresh basil leaves, torn
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 & 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 carton cherry tomatoes, halved
Instructions:
Cook orzo in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain pasta and spread on a large baking sheet to cool. Transfer cooled orzo to a large serving bowl. Add all remaining ingredients and toss gently to combine. Serve chilled.

Enjoy!

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

In the media...

Along with my article entitled "Essential Nutrients for the Endurance Athlete" in Iowa's Momentum Magazine this month, I also got the opportunity to contributed to any article in Juice this week called "Four tasty, guilt free meals." To read click on link below.

Read article here

Hope you enjoy both!

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

First visit to the Apple Orachard this season & Homemade applesauce

The other week J and I made our first trip of the season to Wilson's Apple Orchard just outside of Iowa City.
One of my favorite things about fall, besides football, is the FOOD, duh. Apples, squash, pumpkin, and everything that is made from these scrumptious ingredients.

Here I am, ready to go!

We had to travel on the unbeaten path to get the best apples

Good think I wore my high waters

J has spotted a good one!


Out varieties this time included: Ginger Gold, Summer Treat, and Burgundy.

With full buckets we were ready to head home.

I just wanted to share a picture of the fun apple I picked up at New Pioneer Coop the other day....it was pink inside!

Homemade Applesauce:
Ingredients:
4 apples that have been peeled, cored, and chopped into pieces
1/4 tsp lemon zest
juice of 1/2 lemon
ground cinnamon to taste (start with a couple teaspoons)
sweetner to taste (start with 1/4 C) - I used evaporated cane juice (you can purchase in HyVee health market), you can also opt to use brown sugar, Stevia, honey, agave nectar, etc.
about 1/2 C water

Instructions:
Place all ingredients in large pot over medium-high heat. Cover and cook ingredients for 10-20 minutes or until apples are soft. Allow to cool and then mash with potato masher or fork.

My pal Abby just made homemade applesauce as well (great minds think alike)...visit her site here.

Enjoy! and GO CYCLONES!

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/

Clean Eatin' Scalloped Potatoes

mmmm...I can still remember when my mom would dish up ooey gooey scalloped potatoes. So creamy and cheesy.
As I flipped through my latest Clean Eating Magazine, I was so excited to see they had a "cleanified" version of the classic recipe.

This version omits the half a stick of butter, heavy milk, and white flour. It still has the yummy cheese, just in a smaller quantity.
You save: 285 calories, 16g fat, 10g saturated fat, and 628mg sodium
Scalloped Potatoes

Ingredients:
olive oil cooking spray
2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/2 tsp sea salt, divided
fresh ground pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3/4 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 t white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
2 C low-fat milk or skim
3 oz low-fat (2%) Monterrey Jack or white cheddar cheese, grated
2 1/2 lb Russet, Red, or Yukon Gold potatoes (I used Red and Yukon Gold), sliced thin as possible...I used my food processor to get the slices right. Leave the skin on for the extra nutrients.
2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
2 T whole wheat bread crumbs (Panko is a Japanese brand you can find at HyVee)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350F.
Heat oil in large skillet or medium-high heat. Add onion, 1/4 tsp sea salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add garlic, thyme (be generous) and flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes or until onions are coated with flour. Add milk and increase heat to medium-high. When liquid begins to simmer, reduce heat to low and cook until mixture has thickened slightly, about 4 minutes. Add three-quarters of Monterrey Jack and remaining 1/2 tsp salt, and stir until melted, about 1 minutes. Remove from heat.

Note: if milks burns slightly on bottom of pan, try not to scrap up as stirring. It should remain stuck to bottom and you wont have to worry about it.

Arrange potatoes in an even layer in greased baking dish. (should be several potatoes thick).
Cover with half of onion and milk mixture. Repeat with remaining potatoes and onion mixture.
Make sure all corners of dish get covered. If a spot looks dry add a tablespoon of milk.
In small bowl, combine remaining Monterrey Jack, Parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Bake potatoes in center of oven for 70-85 minutes or until potatoes are tender when a fork is pierced through. When finished baking, remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese-bread crumb mixture. Preheat broiler to high and return baking dish to oven and broil until cheese is melted, about 2 minutes....careful not to burn! Let cool for 10 minutes and serve!

I may have gone a little heavier on the cheese :) Also, I prepared my dish the day before and refrigerated it covered. The only step I did not do was top it with the bread-cheese mix.
20 minutes before dinner the next night I topped the cooked dish with my cheese-bread mix and warmed it in the 350F oven for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

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