Pie in a glass will melt away your…stomach :)

01Dec09

There’ve been many variations of this that I’ve had recited to me; pumpkin pie, apple pie, cherry pie, chocolate silk pie, etc. etc. but here’s ”back to the  basics”:

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1 small apple, peeled, diced

1 cup water

10-15 nuts (doesn’t matter; I typically use almonds, and have also used walnuts)

Sprinkle of cinammon

Pie in a glass

Blend with a hand mixer (or your blender), and enjoy your pie in a glass. 

The pumpkin variation also has apples, but adds pumpkin pie spice, and the chocolate silk uses chocolate protein powder, cherry pie is cherries rather than apples, blueberry is blueberries instead of the apples and…well, you get the idea!  I was thinking ginger with apples and pecans for pecan pie would be fabulous too, but I’ve not yet tried it.

Enjoy!  Feel free to let me know if you try something different and have a good result!  This is excellent, quick, and really yummy.

 


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Cyber Monday Crockpot Pork

01Dec09

Crockpot Pork

I looooveeee crockpot meat.  It makes the house smell awesome, and very, very little work needs to be done to have awesome tender dinner pretty much waiting for you when you get home.  Also, with crockpots, you can buy a less expensive cut (usually more tough), and you’re left with meat you can cut with a fork.  Economical is GREAT in my book! 

I started with a 2 lb. pork roast (I found it on sale and it was about 3 bucks, AWESOME!), pulled it from the freezer, and didn’t even thaw it first.  I removed it from the packaging, rinsed it, and patted it dry.  This is important because you want to sear the meat, and you want it to all brown evenly, which is accomplished by the most direct contact to the heat source as possible with the meat.  Once thoroughly patted dry, I coated it evenly and completely with Old Bay Seasoning (if you don’t have old bay, you could try celery salt and s&p, or whatever you have on hand).

Now when I say I coated it with OB, I mean COATED.  I’m going to sear the meat so it locks in the juices, and the seasoning  coating creates a nice, evenly browned, and tasty crust on the meat. 

I took some oil, coated the bottom of a large pot, and cranked the heat (between medium heat and high) so it was very hot.  Another purpose of a sear is to brown the outside, so the meat looks nice and appealing. Once I seared it on all sides, I put it into a crock pot and  added about an inch of chicken broth.  You can use pork, beef, veggie stock-whatever you have.  Water and bouillion would work, diluted apple juice, whatever.   I put it in and set it for 8 hours, and went about my day. You know your Crockpot (and your daily schedule) better than I do, so if another length of time would work better for you, do it that way. 

When I got home, knowing there was about an hour before I was going to eat, I shredded the meat up with a fork, added a couple of cups of zukes and summer squash (I chopped and frozen them from the garden this summer), a can of diced tomatoes (I happened to accidentally buy the kind that were flavored with garlic and onions, and they worked really well in this recipe) and stirred.  I let it cook in the crock for about another hour (or until the veggies were done) and enjoyed!

(Oh- I apologize for the picture; I realize it’s a bit on the fuzzy side, but my camera is momentarily on the fritz, so it was taken with my Blackberry!)

Enjoy!  Awesome, supportive, and delicious.  Happy Cyber Monday!!!!!


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Post-Thankgiving day coma Protein Powder Pancakes

28Nov09

So I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus with the site with a sick child and the holiday, but one thing remains; my duty to bring you supportive recipes!  Most of us see Thanksgiving as a “cheat day,” a day where we eat and then make up for it later, right?  Well, here’s a breakfast that is supportive and delicious, to help you get right back on track with your nutrition. 

While it’s not the most optimal of recipes while trying to lose fat, it is a very good alternative when you’re trying to maintain your weight.  Here is a quick and easy pancake recipe that will minimize your blood sugar rise and insulin spikes.  It allows you to still enjoy pancakes without the guilt of all those calories being stored as fat.

2c. whole wheat flour
1 scoop protein powder (I use Prograde Protein)
3 tsp. baking powder
2 1/2 c. skim milk
3 egg whites
1/4 c. oil
2 tbsp. wheat germ
2 tbsp. cornmeal
4 tbsp. bran

Heat skillet or griddle to 375 degrees. In large bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix until large lumps disappear.  Pour about 1/4 cup batter into hot skillet. Turn pancakes when edges look cooked and bubbles begin break on surface.

 I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving, and were able to spend it with family and friends.  Because really, while all the food is nice, being with your loved ones is what makes the holidays so special.


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Roasted Curried Chickpeas

23Nov09

A problem I had when I started eating supportively was I got bored very quickly with my 2 snacks per day.  Snacks containing protein were pretty cyclical.  Cottage cheese, chobani yogurt with some fruit, an apple and a string cheese, red pepper strips with hummus.  Those were pretty much my 4 staples.  I had no idea what to eat, especially not something quick that I could grab and go.  I love chickpeas, and I had a friend tell me she likes to roast hers, and so I created my own variation.  It included (of course) curry, salt free all-purpose seasoning, and olive oil.  That’s it.  See how I made it here:

P.S. In the video, I say these can be frozen and eaten thawed.  While this is true, they are much better quality when they are eaten warm, or from the fridge.  But to freeze, put them in a single layer and then once frozen, put them into a freezer bag.


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Supportive nutrition in the workplace

21Nov09
If you’re anything like me, you eat many of your 35 weekly meals at work (this is under the mindset of eating 5 times per day, 7 days per week).  Some days I get up early enough to feed myself breakfast before I go to work, but truth be told, those days are few and far between.  Realllllly few and far between.  Ok fine, they’re annual, and it’s on my sons’ first day of school every year, because it’s a tradition for us to eat a big breakfast together. 
 

Food at the workplace

Ideally, for optimal metabolic function, you should eat as soon as you get up to both “break the fast” (see where the word comes from?), as well as to regulate your blood sugar.  My kids eat breakfast at school and daycare, respectively, so I don’t HAVE to cook in the mornings, and, well…really what it comes down to is, I don’t HAVE to get up a whole lot longer than it takes for me to shower and get the kids ready and off to their morning destinations.  
 
Ok, so maybe I don’t leap out of bed and sprint down the stairs, wielding a spatula and frying pan, armed with PAM, ready to make a spinach and turkey bacon omelet.  I do, however, try to eat my breakfast less than an hour after I wake up.  So my “at the office” meals include breakfast (between 8 and 9am), lunch (noon), and mid afternoon snack (3pm).  Dinner (6 or 7ish, depending on the day of the week), late night snack (9 or 10 pm) (Yep, you read that correctly.  I eat at 10pm, and it’s usually a delicious, chocolatey-peanut buttery treat, too*.  Don’t freak about it, it’s just a nasty rumor that you can’t eat after a certain time.  If you’re hungry, eat!  As long as it’s supportive, you’ll be fine) and weekends are at home.  Given that I eat lots of meals at my desk, I have gotten very proficient in what I refer to as “Office Gourmet”.    
 
I’ve found that, to be consistently successful in my nutritional goals, I need meals at the office to be:
1. Quick: So I can get back to my desk and get on with my workload
2. Convenient: So I don’t mess up and decide that the huge jar of pretzels and/or m&m dispenser on one of my co-workers desk are better options.  And hauling things back and forth from home to office would just be annoying
3. Space efficient:  I want my kitchen to be in my kitchen.  Unless we’re having some margarita party that I am unaware of, there’s no need for a blender in my filing cabinet.  And I don’t know about you, but I don’t exactly have a plethora of leftover space in my office
4. Delicious: I do not believe food should be flavorless.  I also don’t believe food should be wolfed down without tasting in a frenzy while reading the news during your 15 minute lunch break.  Food nourishes our bodies, and our bodies keep us alive, so to enjoy this nourishment to it’s fullest you should enjoy how it tastes, right?
 
I realize you may not have access to the following in your workplaces, but I’m just sharing what works for me.  Here are a few tips that I’ve found makes eating supportively at work as stress and hassle free as possible:
 
1. Utilize your office fridge and freezer: 
 
Housed within my office freezer right now I have :
-a bag of frozen blueberries (for snacks like brownie batter or cottage cheese shakes) 
-a ten oz. frozen price chopper cooked squash (10 oz., and roughly four 1/2 c servings),
-a ten oz. frozen chopped broccoli,
-some cooked frozen cod filets (I cooked them on Sunday, chopped them into 2 or 3 oz. chunks and froze them in a single layer in a large freezer bag), 
-some cooked frozen chunks of marinated chicken breast.  
 
On Monday morning, I grab about half of what I cooked over the weekend, and bring it to work, to keep them in the freezer for my weeks’ worth of office meals.  Think about it; if stuff is available for you to pull out of a ziploc, pop into the microwave, pull out and enjoy, you’re gonna do it!  I also am blessed to work directly across the street from a grocery store, so I stop there on my way to work on Monday morning, and buy other things so I don’t grow bored with frozen meat and vegetables, like a container of of lowfat cottage cheese, hummus, red peppers and spinach (my favorites) and sometimes greek yogurt, so I have a variety of things to choose from throughout the week.   I buy eggs and cartons of egg whites, too.  Salt and pepper is a must; I like pepper on everything! I stock up on pre-made salad dressings when they’re on sale.  You can get price chopper brand (they are really quite good) on sale for a buck if you get ‘em at the right time, I always get a few and keep a Balsamic and an Italian in my work fridge, and one of each in my home fridge. 
 
2. Utensils, Cutlery, etc.- 
 
-Leave a measuring cup and spoon in your workbag/desk (or, if you have room and the need for ‘em, a whole set.)  You can buy them at the dollar store, and it takes the guesswork out of portioning.  I don’t have a whole set, personally, I have one cup and it has other measurements on the side for 1/2c., 1/4c., etc.  You could also take your 1 cup cup (spell check doesn’t believe that I meant to say cup twice; the angry red squiggly lines underneath are screaming right now- Repeated word!!!), and pre-measure increments that you use regularly, and use a sharpie to mark off different volumes before you bring it to the office.  You probably don’t need a whole set of measuring spoons, either; most serving sizes are teaspoons and tablespoons, and not 1/3 tsp’s, so be space-concious, and bring what you use most (for me, it’s tablespoons).  Besides-when’s the last time you looked at the side of a container and found a serving size to be 2/3 tsp.?
 
-I keep a paring knife in my desk (and not only to scare off the people who come in with major attitude :) to chop up whatever I need to chop up
 
-A medium-sized extra tupperware container (for when I thaw the previously-mentioned frozen veggies.  That way, I can portion out what I need, and put the remainder in it to stick in the fridge for my next meal)
 
-A 32 oz water bottle stays on my desk and never goes home with me.  In order to drink Ben’s recommended ”1/2 of my body weight in ounces (and even more if we’re exercising)”, I make a goal to drink at least two of them within my 8 hour workday each day
 
-Not a utensil, but I should also note that I keep my multi and omega-3 supplements on my desk.  Not in my drawer where they’re out of sight and out of mind, but right on my desk, in a small basket that also houses flavored water packets when water gets too boring for me. And I don’t bring my vitamins back and forth with me on the weekends.  But I am at the office 5 out of 7 days, and I simply eat a Gummy Multivitamin with my kiddo’s on the weekends.
 
3.  Use your microwave instead of getting burned out on boring green salads every day- Seriously, when it comes down to it, I’m not exactly thrilled with having to use a microwave.  But I do because that’s what I have.   Every day I make something different, and classy, yummy and looks awesome, and every single day my co-workers ask me what I’m having.  I make omelets, turkey bacon, I “saute” veggies and wilt spinach, and because I’m prepped (and also because I’m not afraid to try new combinations) I create a new dish each meal.  I’ll sometimes nuke my pieces of seasoned chicken or fish with whatever veg I have and squirt it with the balsamic or Italian, or spray butter and salt and pepper, or a sprinkle of parm, or mix the veggies (squash and spinach is awesome) and put a tablespoon of balsamic in before cooking…the possibilities are endless.  Sometimes I make a “salad” with spinach, diced chicken, peppers, mushrooms and squirt it with the dressing of choice (I wouldn’t use a cream based, I pretty much stick with Balsamic and Italian, but those are my preferences), then splash a tablespoon or two of water over it, and stick it in the microwave for a minute.  Out comes a perfect “sautéed” chicken and veg meal, has tons of flavor from the dressing, and is beautiful. 
 
Seriously, make the best of your circumstance, and work with what you have.  Be creative.  Find ways to be successful in your personal space.  Your drive to succeed is what’s going to ensure your own personal success!
 
So everyone:  Do you have a workplace tip or “Office Gourmet” recipe that you’d like to share?  The more the merrier!  Post them in “The Office Gourmet-Tips for Supportive Eating in the workplace”

*Brownie batter- a scoop of chocolate protein powder, 1 tbsp natural peanut butter, a handful of blueberries or strawberries, a little water to make it the consistency of brownie batter.  Mix, and enjoy.  Make sure to have a napkin; I’ve heard when you’re licking the bowl it tends to get on your forehead and chin.  I don’t speak from experience, I swear ;-)


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Chinese “Fake-out”

19Nov09

Like most people, I love Chinese food.  Also like most people, I have a really hard time going out (especially to the amazing, expansive buffets) and eating only supportively.  Given the fact that they drench, bread, pork fry, tempura, and duck sauce the heck out of everything, it’s really hard to go out and not cave to temptation.

I love, love, LOVE  beef and broccoli.  It’s sooo good, and really easy to make.  So, I created my own at home.  Instead of take-out, I call this my “fake-out”. 

Here’s my recipe:

First, I took some olive oil and softened one small white onion, a tablespoon or so of chopped garlic, a tablespoon of fresh, shredded ginger (you can use powder, or omit if you just want a savory, beef-brothy kind of “sauce”), and about 1/2 a teaspoon of cumin in it.  Once it was a little soft, I added a little broth (chicken worked for me because it’s what I had on hand, but you can certainly use beef; I just was using up something I had in the fridge), and started browning 12 ounces of 93% lean ground beef in it. 

Now, what I like best about this recipe is the SPEED!  It is SO fast.  Literally, from softening onions to plate time is 15 minutes or less.  Awesome, speedy, and delicious; what’s better than that?!

Once the beef is just shy of all-the-way-cooked-through, I put in a package of frozen broccoli (in this case, I used spears), and covered it until the broccoli was a bright, vibrant green, and the beef was totally browned.  I cut and freeze diced red peppers on the weekend, so I threw those in for some color at the end, again, just till they were bright and colorful, not to overcook them into mush.  Once they were done, I topped with peanuts and sesame seeds, and VOILA!  Chinese food at home for a fraction of the cost, as good tasting,  definitely better for you, and waaaay cheaper than you pay eating out. 

Here’s what it looked like:

 

Beef with broccoli

You can absolutely make this with shrimp, chicken, vegetarian or with tofu, scallops, beef strips instead of ground beef; whatever you have on hand!  Use what you’ve got, eat what you like, and enjoy your Chinese at home without the take-out box!


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HUMMUS – the food that makes the world go ’round (and NOT your stomach)

18Nov09

If I could eat one thing every day for the rest of my life, it would, hands-down, be hummus.  Hummus, in Arabic, means “chickpea,” and considering that’s the main ingredient, well, it makes sense.  Chickpeas are packed with protein and good fats, and they are just sooo darn good. 

One of the main reasons I love this recipe so much is because it’s so easy, and so changeable.  You can pretty much switch it up and add whatever you like, and the end result will be equally delectable.

The most basic recipe contains, simply, 2 cans of chickpeas (leave the juice of half a can, drain the other one completely), a tablespoon or two of olive oil (depends on whether you use lots of lemon juice or not), lemon juice (1/2 a lemon or more, again, depending on your taste), salt to taste (or omit), and garlic (1 to 2 cloves).  Tahini and any additives are simply preference based.  Play with this recipe, please!!  It’s MUCH cheaper to make your own hummus, and hummus is good with anything; I like it with veggies (especially red peppers), but it’s equally good with crackers, pita thats been sliced in strips (good for dipping) and toasted, bread, or *cough* straight from the spoon.

I use a food processor, but have also made it in my blender.  If thats what you have to use, I suggest adding the liquids (1/2 the can of the chickpea can water, lemon juice, and olive oil) first, then the chickpeas, just helps the blender blades go more smoothly.

Here’s how I make it:

Some add-in options to mix in- (I would avoid blending add in’s ’till the very end, and then quickly pulse them in to combine with your hummus base):

  •  lemon (instead of juicing it, throw the entire whole lemon in; you’ll get the pulp and lemon pieces. YUM!)
  • oil-cured black olives (super-salty, if sodium is an issue for you, but unbelievable combo of flavor)
  • roasted red peppers
  • chile or cayenne for some spice
  • spinach leaves
  • more garlic
  • onions
  • chives
  • cumin

 

*Addendum for those who have e-mailed me about the football I was watching on a Saturday-yes, it was football, and yes it was Saturday.  YES IT WAS COLLEGE FOOTBALL, NOT NFL :)

 


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Spare-Tire Blasting Ice Cream Sundaes with the kids

16Nov09

Yep, you read that right.  I had totally supportive Ice Cream Sundaes with my babies this past weekend.  Camron had a glowing parent-teacher conference, and, yeah I’m a parent and yep, I’m going to brag: he is reading at a level 17, VT Standard is 6.  Go Camron!

The Ice cream was actually 2 small containers of chobani plain yogurt, some raspberries, and 2 scoops of Prograde Lean (a chocolate-flavored meal replacement, protein powder would definitely work in this recipe), blended with my immersion blender, and frozen.  The “hot fudge” was 2 scoops of the Prograde Lean (again, protein powder would work) mixed with hot water, and the toppings were simply thawed frozen berries, and peanuts.

The idea of making ice cream was based on a recipe for “Chocolate Mousse” (same ingredients basically, only unfrozen) from my friend Lisa C.  She is probably the most inspirational person I know, the queen of supportive eating, and one of the most determined individuals I’ve ever met.  So this recipe is for her!

Bear in mind I did actually call my children’s doctor about this recipe; I wasn’t sure because of the meal replacement powder it contained, but they said as long as it’s for a treat, and they aren’t eating it as a primary source of nutrition, they’re fine, and it’s fine for them.  I would suggest calling your doctor if you’re concerned about it.

Now I have to tell you, there is a very, very funny scene in this movie, you don’t want to miss it!  Please bear in mind that my daughter is the absolute epitome of “The Terrible Two’s” at the moment, and you’ll see a glimpse of that (and me ignoring it), but right around the 3 minute 40 second mark, you’re in for a real treat, better than the ice cream itself :)

Enjoy!

(If you have trouble viewing, you can always go here )


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My kids are just too dang cute!!!

14Nov09

It’s official.  I’ve single-handedly given birth to the cutest kids on the face of the planet. 

If you have a hard time seeing it, just click here to view it.


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Jenny’s “Vegas Penance” Burger

13Nov09

A friend and co-worker recently vacationed in Vegas.  She’s a Bootcamper like myself, and eats like me.  But, as we tend to do while on vacation, she enjoyed the sights, the sounds, the slots, and, well, the “culinary aspect” as well.  She e-mailed that she was feeling adventuresome with her grocery shopping, having purchased an avocado and some Portobello’s.  I was immediately reminded of a similar combination in a turkey burger I’d had over the summer, and tweaked it a bit with what I had in the house.

Jenny, this one’s for you : )

First, I diced up the portabello’s (I used 5 baby bella’s- probably one whole full-sized bello would do the trick) and put them in a large bowl.  I didn’t have time to do a full on marinade, so I just put enough Worcestershire sauce on to coat like this: 

"Marinated" Mushrooms

"Marinated" Mushrooms

I chopped up 2 cloves of garlic, and then added them to the mushrooms.  I dumped a pound of ground chicken over that with my hands.  I added some all-purpose, salt-free seasoning, and some old bay, too, to taste.  Because I used no binder of any kind, it was a little difficult to work with, in the sense that it stuck to my hands.  I wanted to make it a cheeseburger, but because I knew I was going to be topping it with avocado and turkey bacon, I knew there wasn’t going to be much room left for cheese, so I made two thin chicken burger paddies, and stuck a thin piece of sharp cheddar between the two paddies, like this:

The secret center of a Vegas Penance Burger

The secret center of a Vegas Penance Burger

Then, I topped with another thin patty, to hide to cheesy center. 

Feels like Vegas, only supportive ;-)

I sprayed the inside of a grill pan, sizzled ‘em into patty perfection, topped with some avocado and turkey bacon, and viola!  A delicious, nutritious, SUPPORTIVE burger that’s kind to your waistline, and your taste buds!!!

And THIS:

Chicken Burger with Avocado and Turkey Bacon
Chicken Burger with Avocado and Turkey Bacon

 

Fat blasting Chicken burger with oozy, yummy, cheese
Fat blasting Chicken burger with oozy, yummy, cheese

is what I call “hitting the jackpot!”


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