An Apple a Day...

....does indeed keep the doctor away!  Don't forget about your fruits and veggies tomorrow!

Getting Back On Track

Allow me to take a few moments to describe the past few weeks of my life.  Christmas break happened.  I wasn't going to be pulled down by some "healthy lifestyle" junk.  No, not me.  I wanted to spend my Christmas break free and happy....you know, eating the really awesome junk!  And I did that to the fullest.  I ate and ate all of the sugar I could get my hands on for a good two weeks.  Then, it was time to  go back to work.  Work.  Ugh.  I was thinking that things would magically go back to "normal" and I would suddenly be ready to munch on veggies, fruits, nuts, and lean meats.  It didn't happen that way, though.  I had gotten so off-track in those two weeks that my body began to crave the junk again instead of the good stuff.  Sound familiar?

This week, I made one goal.  It wasn't a goal to lose 5 pounds this week or even 1 pound this week.  My goal was to get through one whole day of tracking every bite I ate.  I'm happy to say that I am on my third day of tracking my food and I am starting to feel great again.  I also found a great article on Fitsugar.com about great indoor workouts during the winter months.

Yummy Success

Sweet & Spicy Chicken Stir-Fry

YUM!  This was so tasty and reminded my taste buds of something I would have at a HuHot restaurant.  Below is my recipe.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 large chicken breast (browned and cut into 1/2 inch chunks)

2 cups of assorted peppers

1/2 cup onion cut into chunks

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp low sodium soy sauce

2 tbsp Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce

Rice or noodles (optional)

Directions:

In a medium skillet, brown the chicken breast pieces and set aside.  In another medium skillet, saute peppers and onions in olive oil for about 5 minutes.  Add the soy sauce and stir until peppers and onions are coated.  Add the chicken chunks to the medium skillet and add the sweet chili sauce.  Stir until all ingredients are incorporated and serve hot over warm rice or noodles.

Happy

 

 Yesterday my cooking tragedy made me sad.  Today, it makes me happy because it gave me a chance to create a similar, but new recipe.....sans the fish sauce.  

That's right.....me.....creating a new recipe.  I'm thinking I will incorporate low sodium soy sauce and some sweet chili sauce.  You'd better believe I will be posting a picture of it if it turns out to be yummy!

Stay tuned...

Sad

Alright, I REALLY wanted to make Thai Chicken and Pineapple Stir-Fry for supper sometime this past weekend.  Really.  However, who would have guessed that something as simple sounding as "fish sauce" would be nearly impossible for me to find.  I live in a very small town, but am only about 25 minutes away from a larger town with many options.  So last night I went out of town on my search for fish sauce.  After two hours and five grocery stores, I started to believe that this stuff doesn't exist.

However......I'm not giving up.  One day, I will find this mysterious "fish sauce," I will cook this dinner, and I will post the picture as evidence.  Just wait! ....just.....wait....

Run, Run, Run!

Whoa!  Today I had a HUGE nsv (non-scale victory).  I usually try to jog on the treadmill for about 25-30 minutes about 4 times a week.  I know quite a few people prefer jogging outside, but since I live in the upper midwest, a treadmill works best for me.  Anyway, I love this workout because it gives me a chance to de-stress.  As I was jogging today, I started to feel a bit tired so I looked down to see how long I had been jogging and was shocked to see that I had jogged for 45 minutes!  YAY!  I guess I am getting more in shape than I realized.  Let's keep it rollin'!

Cupcakes!

Today, I made my first attempt at baking cupcakes and frosting from scratch....and decorating the cupcakes!  I've gotta say, I think I'm hooked on this now.  It was so easy and so much fun.  Below is a list of things that helped me in this successful journey:

- Ingredients for cupcakes

- Ingredients for frosting

- A blender, bowls, measuring spoons and cups

- Cupcake pan and liners

- Piping bag and decorating tip

- Cupcake pearls

- A few good decorating tutorials on youtube

- A fork for eating

My Favorite Food Blog...

Skinnytaste.com

This is an amazing site that is loaded with recipes that are light in calories and rich in taste!  The next recipe that I plan to tackle is below.  *I found this on skinnytaste.com

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tbsp Thai Kitchen fish sauce
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp oil, divided
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 2 cups cubed assorted colors bell peppers (1/2-inch cubes)
• 1 red chili pepper, chopped (optional or to taste)
• 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
• 1/2 cup Thai Kitchen Pineapple & Chili dipping sauce
• cilantro leaves (for garnish)

Directions:

Mix chicken and fish sauce in medium bowl. Add cornstarch; toss to evenly coat. Set aside.

Heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add garlic and
ginger; stir fry 30 seconds. Add bell peppers, chili pepper if using and pineapple; stir fry 3 to 5 minutes or until peppers are tender-crisp. Add sauce; cook and stir until heated through. Remove from skillet.

Heat remaining oil in the skillet. Add chicken; stir fry 5 minutes or until cooked through. Return bell pepper mixture to skillet; stir fry until well blended. Garnish with cilantro.

Keeping My Eye on the Prize

Alright.  We all know there are numerous "prizes" when trying to get healthy!  However, my vacation that I will be taking at the end of May is helping to keep me motivated.

I'd much rather see pictures of a sexy, confident me instead of a timid me hiding behind a beach towel.  Bring it on! :)

Mini Taco Salad

*Note that the only "required" ingredient is the shell.  You can add whatever you wish.  However, below is what I used to make mine.

Serves 8

 

Ingredients:

8 small flour tortillas

1 pound ground burger

2 tbsp taco seasoning

1/2 cup diced green pepper

1/4 cup diced onion

2 tbsp water

3 cups shredded lettuce

1/2 cup diced tomato

1 cup shredded cheddar

Salsa to top

Sour cream to top

Directions:

Brown burger in a medium skillet.  Add diced peppers, onions, taco seasoning, and water.  Let simmer for 5 minutes.

Place tortillas in microwave for about 20 seconds or until very soft.  Place each tortilla in a greased spot in a jumbo muffin pan.  A regular-sized muffin pan works as well; however, you may need to trim the tortilla.  

 

Place a small amount of burger into each tortilla in the muffin pan.  Top with a small amount of cheese and place in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Remove shells with burger from oven and top with your favorite toppings!

If You Love Something, SHOUT IT!

Last night, I cooked a beautiful, delicious, and healthy meal for myself and my hubby.  Afterward, we went on a walk through the park.  After that, I got on the treadmill and jogged it out for 30 minutes while watching one of my new favorite tv shows.  Then it hit me......I LOVE jogging!  I LOVE cooking for my husband!  I LOVE taking long, relaxing walks!  These are things that I definitely want to take note of because they are wonderful things.  I want to remember that I have never felt an ounce of regret after exercising or taking the time to cook a healthy meal.  The only things I regret are not taking the time to take care of myself.

Sometimes I think our lives become too mundane; not because they are actually boring, but because we don't take the time to recognize how blessed we truly are.  I know that I have been stuck in that "bored" rut several times before.  However, who says that my life is boring?  I'm the only one living it.  It's up to ME to decide that my life is going to be anything but boring; it will be extraordinary!

If you like doing something, tell others.  If you love doing something, shout it out!

A Weekend Away

This past weekend, I spent the weekend on Lake Pepin with my family for NYE.  We had a great time and the lake was absolutely beautiful.  Throughout the weekend, one key word kept popping into my head "RELAX!"  I need to do more of that in the future.....

For now, below is a pic of my hubby and myself at the docks on the lake.

Cheesy Enchiladas

I have been experimenting with different foods over the past couple of months.  Some recipes are ones which I have created, other recipes I have tweaked to fit my specific nutrition needs, and others, I have left as is.  Below is an enchilada recipe that I came up with.  Each enchilada is about 340 calories so this meal fits into my category of "healthy cheat meal."

Ingredients:

4-6 flour tortillas
1 can enchilada sauce
1 pound ground burger (you may have some left over)
... 1 tbsp Taco seasoning
2 tbsp diced onion
2 tbsp diced green pepper (optional)
1-2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Brown burger in medium skillet. Add onion, peppers, and taco seasoning and simmer for 5 minutes. Place 2-3 ounces of burger mixture in the center of each tortilla and then sprinkle a small amount of cheese inside each tortilla. Roll tortillas and place in a baking dish (seams down). Pour the can of enchilada sauce over the tortillas and cover everything with the rest of the cheese.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Time Flies!

Wow!  Time does fly by.  I thought it had been a few weeks since I had last blogged.....in reality, it has almost been two months.

I am at work currently, so I only have a few minutes, but that's just enough time to give a quick overview of the past couple of months.

Since the middle of November I........

• Celebrated my 26th birthday
• Presented my Christmas K-5 concert
• Expanded my recipe repertoire
• Completely discovered my love for cooking
• Made it to running for 30 minutes without stopping
• Went on a shopping spree and actually enjoyed it
• Celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas with family and friends
• Got a new hair-do
• Lost another 6 pounds
• Booked a cruise!  (It leaves from Ft. Lauderdale, Fl on May 27th)
• Made new goals  

 More to come later tonight.....