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/

Where Does Your Food Come From? PLEASE, GET INFORMED!

Where Does Your Food Come From?
Sara B Consulting Principle #3: Clean Eating

Really...do you know? Do you care to know? The wonderful thing is you can choose to know and I encourage you to do so.

So what's the buzz, why do I care. I know some think it's crazy or unaffordable to buy a lb of grass fed beef or a bag of organic apples for an extra dollar or two. My goal is to help you get informed, from there you have the wonderful right to make a choice. There is always two sides to a story and I encourage you to have an opinion, this is the side I believe in and why I think there needs to be a "FOOD REVOLUTION."

Small steps, that's all you have to do. Start with one food item, one meal, grow from there...

Here's some resources for you to learn from:

I can try to share facts and info, but Michael Pollan, Author of Omnivore's Dilemma and Food Rules, will do it much better from this clip from Oprah:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-78LasxRVWg
the end gets cuts off but what they go on to say is "bottom line...you get to choose what's best for you and your family"

Food Inc. Movie trailer (you can rent this on Netflix):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eKYyD14d_0
couple quotes from Food Inc: "You can help....you get to vote 3 times a day." "An average meals travels 1500 miles." "you can change the world with every bite."

Simple ways for you to help:

1. shop at your local farmer's market
2. join a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)....here's one in Des Moines/Ames:
http://www.smallpotatoesfarm.com/CSA_How_To_Join.html
3. start a garden!

Random note: I am proud to say Iowa City was voted one of the healthiest cities....one of the criteria: availability of local produce
http://www2.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/local/article/mens_journal_says_charlottesville_among_healthiest_cities/51365/

To help make my vote count I have recently found two local farmers I can purchase food from:

Grass Run Farm in Dorchester, IA
http://www.grassrunfarm.com/

Friendly Farm in Iowa City, IA:

http://www.newpi.com/Suppliers/LocalSupplierList/FriendlyFarm.aspx
http://www.localfoodsconnection.org/2009/08/13/a-visit-to-friendly-farms-in-iowa-city/

I am very excited about supporting these local farmers.

Do I buy 100% organic/natural/grass fed...NO, but I make a point to commit on a few items at a time. FYI...organic apples were actually cheaper than regular apples at HyVee last week.

Why grass fed:

"Switching a cow from grass to grain is so disturbing to the animal's digestive system that it can kill the animal if not done gradually and if the animal is not continually fed antibiotics. These animals are designed to forage, but we make them eat grain, primarily corn, in order to make them as fat as possible as fast as possible.
Grass-fed beef not only is lower in overall fat and in saturated fat, but it has the added advantage of providing more omega-3 fats. These crucial healthy fats are most plentiful in flaxseeds and fish, and are also found in walnuts, soybeans and in meat from animals that have grazed on omega-3 rich grass. When cattle are taken off grass, though, and shipped to a feedlot to be fattened on grain, they immediately begin losing the omega-3s they have stored in their tissues. As a consequence, the meat from feedlot animals typically contains only 15- 50 percent as much omega-3s as that from grass-fed livestock." Food Revolution by John Robbins

Last night I made:

grass fed hamburgers with sauteed mushrooms

sprinkle a little Lawry's on them or other seasoning and grill away

sauteed mushrooms in olive oil

YUM!

Health Fair at Simpson College
Indianola, IA

I had a great time speaking with all the students and faculty and comparing the sugar of common high caloric drinks

5 lbs of fat....nasty...it certainly drew a crowd

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

Winter Tomato Soup

I told you I was on a soup kick...

J and I were craving grilled cheese and tomato soup the other day.
However, I was so disappointed when I looked at a tomato soup can and saw high fructose corn syrup in the ingredients. I should have known. Not to be defeated, I decided it was time to clean up my tomato soup!

Winter Tomato Soup
My friend Abby A. gave me this recipe...thanks Abby!
Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
1 small onion
2 clove garlic, chopped or 1 tsp jarred chopped garlic
2 T no salt added tomato paste
1 tsp stevia, agave nectar or honey
1 tsp thyme
1 bat leaf
2 cans no salt added diced tomatoes (I used olive oil and garlic seasoned)
1/4 c fat free milk
2 t plain yogurt or plain Greek yogurt
Instructions:
heat olive oil in medium sauce pan. cook onion until tender, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, sugar source, thyme, bay leaf, tomatoes and juices, and 2 c water. Stir together and bring to boil. reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove bay leaf, Using handheld blender, puree soup in saucepan until smooth. (if doing this in blender, let soup cool and blend in batches).

Add milk and yogurt to soup and stir in. let soup warm, salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Make 4 servings but I suggest doubling it as you'll want leftovers!
Nutrition: 76 cals, 1.5g fat, 14g carbs, 3g fiber, 3 g protein.


Another tasty vegetarian, protein packed soup is my Aunt Barb's Quinoa Soup (found under soups)

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

see you at the Simpson Health Fair Thursday from 11-2

Black Eyed Pea Soup

Recently, I have been cooking with more beans. I am trying to replace one meal a week with a vegetarian option....1. because meat can get expensive and 2. it adds more variety to J and I's diet.

Beans are an excellent source or protein, carbohydrates, and fiber (I think we all know that one). "but what about the sodium" you ask?
Well there are two simple solutions to that

1. Cook with dried beans. This is very easy and you can cut the cooking time in half by soaking them overnight.
OR
2. Rinse and drain your beans that come canned. A recent study done by the University of Tennessee showed that draining reduced sodium by 35% and rinsing reduced it by 41%!


Black Eyed Pea Soup

look at these beautiful beans

Ingredients:
3 T extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped fine
5 firm potatoes, well scrubbed and grated
4 stalk of celery with leaves, chopped fine
5 small firm zucchini, trimmed and grated
2 parsnips, peeled and grated
2 thick carrots, peeled and grated
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and passed through garlic press (or finely chopped)
6 C Watkins chicken broth or vegetable stock
1 tsp sea salt
pinch of black pepper
1-2 C black eyed peas, cooked in water until tender (about 45minutes) or rinsed and drained
handful or fresh parsley or dried, chopped

Instructions:
Add olive oil to soup pan or Dutch oven. Heat on medium-high. Add onion and cook until soft. Place grated potatoes into pan and stir. Add other veggies and garlic and stir well. Add stock, sea salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat.

Let simmer for several minutes. Using hand immersion blender, puree soup until quite smooth. Add black-eyed peas and simmer until heated through. Ladle into bowls, garnish with extra beans and parsley. Enjoy!

Nutrition for 2 cups: 238 calories, 8g protein, 41g carbs, 6g fat, 1g sat fat, 7g fiber, 700mg sodium (less if you use dried beans)


Did you know: according to recent studies, grating food helps breakdown plant material, which increases the body's ability to absorb nutrients.

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

come see me at the Simpson Health Fair on Thursday from 11-2

Hello CrossFitters!

I wanted to post pics from two CrossFit boxes I am fond of!

CrossFit Des Moines with Coach Mike Brown
setting up up the box (gym)

equipment arrived....bells, bars, and balls

teamwork...we're all about the team atmosphere at CF!


Dad and I spraying away...I think I may be spraying Dad more than I am the equipment

Mike showing off his hulk-like strength

J spotting Mike in a handstand pushup

breaking the place in with a WOD


I finally figured out how to post videos! Wahoo!

CrossFit Epic over here in Iowa City with Coach Jason Jameson


Mike joined them for the lumberjack WOD, fundraiser for Ft. Hood

showing a good box jump...full extension on the top

wowza!

sorry no scrumptious recipes today, but I am sure you can find one in the archives to fix this weekend! perhaps a warm soup or nutrient packed veggie hash?

Until next time...

look, good, feel good, do good

http://www.sarabconsulting.com/