WIAW #26 & Counting

10 Wednesday Oct 2012

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Posted by Jennifer (the student) on September 10, 2012


 

Hello, WIAWers. Happy What I Ate Wednesday!  I am sharing my meals from Saturday and we finally got a break from the heat, so food sounds good again. Thank you to Jenn a Peas and Crayons for hosting the WIAW!

This months theme is “Spooky Snacks and Healthy Halloween Treats”. This day I attended a haunted house and now I am in the mood for Halloween. :-)

This is what I ate:

Breakfast (6:30am)

I started the day with iced coffee from Starbucks and protein bar before my tennis class.

Brunch (11:00pm)

Since returning to tennis a few weeks ago, my husband and I have made stopping by the Gypsy Den a habit. And we have been ordering the same dishes, the bread plate and the spinach and feta scramble to share.

Dinner (6:30pm)

Once a year we go up to Pasadena for hamburgers and a haunted house. Sometimes we go with a group of friends and other times we go alone. This year, we went alone. We at dinner at Pie ‘N Burger, a place I have been going to since I was a child and it has not changed a bit. I had a hamburger with grilled onion and we shared my husbands favorite macaroni salad and a chocolate malt. They have really good pies but we were to full this trip. But the highlight of the night was our annual trip to the Pasadena Old Town Haunt. We had so much fun, it was scary but not too much. 🙂

Thank you for stopping by. I hope your day was full of healthy meals! 

♥ ♥

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My Easy Turkey Wrap

10 Wednesday Oct 2012

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Posted by Jennifer (The RD) on October 10th, 2012

This is a really easy turkey wrap.  Because I am always short on time, I  use the roasted peppers and sandwich spread for several days for sandwiches at lunch…I just change the bread or protein item.  🙂

INGREDIENTS:

  • ½ sheet of  lavash (can by them pre-cut at some places)
  • 1 TB of garlic mayo spread (blend together in a Cuisinart or blender, ½ cup of mayonnaise, 1 finely minced clove of garlic and 1 TB of green goddess herbs or your other salt free herb mix…you can use this for sandwiches all week)
  • 1 cup baby spinach
  • 3 TB roasted red peppers (I roasted mine myself but you could use the ones from the jar)
  • 2 -3 oz. sliced turkey

 

Spread the garlic mayo onto the bread. Layer the spinach, red peppers, and turkey on top of each other.  Wrap like a burrito and enjoy

 ♥ ♥

What's cooking, love? Sumo's Sweet Stuff Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms Tuesday To Do Party Chef In Training

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The Health Benefits of Pecans

08 Monday Oct 2012

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Posted by Jennifer (the student) on October 8, 2012

 

As Halloween and Thanksgiving approach, I starting thinking about desserts filled with pecans. Fall is harvest season for pecans. They are from the hickory family and they are the only tree nuts native to North America.

These nutritious nuts are high in protein, fiber and unsaturated fat. Pecans contain vitamin A, B, E and folic acid and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc.

Benefits:

  • Reduces bad cholesterol levels with plant sterols.
  • Helps to prevent coronary artery disease and strokes.
  • Enhances satiety and increases metabolism, which aids in weight loss.
  • Protects the body from free radical damage with antioxidants.
  • Helps to maintain healthy skin, hair and muscle tone with vitamin A, B and E.

Think of adding pecans to your regular diet, not just holiday desserts. Pecans can easily be added to oatmeal or topping yogurt. Also, pecans add a nice nutty crunch to chicken salad and tuna salad. Get creative and add these healthy nuts to your diet.

♥ ♥

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October 7th – Exercise Log

08 Monday Oct 2012

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Posted by Jennifer (the student) on October 7, 2012

;

10/07/12            Walk/Hike 6 miles √

10/08/12            Yoga 1 hr class, Weight Train 20 min √

10/09/12            Piyo 1 hr class √, Cross Trainer 20 min X

10/10/12            Yoga 1 hr class, Weight Train 20 min √

10/11/12            Yoga 1 hr class √, Cross Trainer 20 min X

10/12/12            Off √

10/13/12            Tennis 1 ½ hr class √

 

♥ ♥

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Tommy Bahama’s “Life is One Long Weekend” (Book Review)

05 Friday Oct 2012

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Posted by Jennifer (the RD) on October 5, 2012

After eating a wonderful salad at the Tommy Bahama restaurant, I had to buy this book.  The recipes are very good, solid recipes that are fairly easy to follow.  There are also lots of really nice, tropical pictures that make you want to travel to someplace tropical too!  🙂  For those of you that are fans of the  restaurant, the recipes are not exactly like the entrees from the restaurant although they are similar.  The best sections of the book, in my opinion, are the unique recipes for tropical drinks and the different sauces…they were really unique.  There are lots of  gems here in this cookbook!

Aside from some obvious typos, I really enjoyed this book.  It makes me want to go somewhere tropical!

 ♥ ♥

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Cheesy Caramelized Onion Egg Bake

04 Thursday Oct 2012

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Posted by Jennifer (the student) on September 4, 2012

 

Ingredient for caramelized onions:

  • ½ large sweet onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 tsp butter
  • 1 TBSP olive oil
  • salt and pepper (to taste)
  • ¼ tsp sugar

Instructions for caramelized onions:

  1. In skillet (cast iron works best), add butter and olive oil over medium heat.
  2. Once butter has melted add the onion.  Salt and pepper to your taste.
  3. Cook 5 to 7 minutes until onions begin to soften.
  4. Stir in sugar and cook until onions are golden about 20 minutes.
  5. Set a side.

Ingredients for egg bake:

  • 5 eggs
  • ¼ cup flour
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 1-cup cottage cheese
  • 1 ½ cup shredded cheese (I like a combination of Swiss and gruyere but I think it would be good with most cheeses)
  • 3 TBSP butter, cubed
  • caramelized onions
  • salt and pepper (to taste)
  • olive oil spray

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Spray a loaf pan with olive oil and set a side.
  3. In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs together.
  4. In mixing bowl, stir in flour, baking powder, cottage cheese, cheese, butter, salt and pepper.
  5. Lastly, add caramelized onions and combined.
  6. Pour into greased loaf pan.
  7. Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees and reduce heat to 350 degrees and cook for an additional 25 to 30 minutes.
  8. Test with toothpick, if it comes out clean it is done and remove from heat.
  9. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
  10. Enjoy!

* I like this dish with avocado and salsa. It is also good the next day for breakfast with some bacon or sausage.

♥ ♥

Sumo's Sweet Stuff Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms Tuesday To Do Party Chef In Training

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WIAW # 25

03 Wednesday Oct 2012

Posted by in General, Healthy Inspirations

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Posted by Jennifer (the student) on October 3, 2012



Hello, everyone. Happy What I Ate Wednesday!  I am sharing my meals from Tuesday and it is a rather boring day food-wise because we have had temperatures in the low 100’s and I have been suffering with a sinus infection so not much taste good to me. Thank you to Jenn a Peas and Crayons for hosting the WIAW!

I love the new theme “Spooky Snacks and Healthy Halloween Treats”. This week, I don’t have any to share but maybe next week after my visit to a haunted house I will feel inspired. 🙂

This is what I ate:

Breakfast (6:30am)

I started the day with coffee and my new favorite smoothie.

Lunch (2:00pm)

My cheesy caramelized onion egg bake with avocado and salsa. For recipe.

Dinner (6:30pm)

My favorite smoothie again, I just did not want to warm the house up anymore by cooking.

 

Banana Peach & Flax Seed Smoothie
INGREDIENTS
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 3 to 4 slices of frozen peach
  • 1 TBSP nut butter (I use sunflower seed butter)
  • 2 TBSP fresh ground flax seeds
  • ¼ cup vanilla whey protein powder
  • ¾ to 1 cup coconut milk (or any milk you like)
  • cinnamon and nutmeg (to your taste)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Combine all ingredients in blender.
2. Blend all ingredients for 1 to minutes until smooth.
3. If smoothie is not thick enough add 3 to 6 large ice cubes.
4. Blend again until combined.
5. Enjoy this tasty treat!

 

Thank you for stopping by. I hope your day was full of healthy meals! 

♥ ♥ 

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September 30th – Exercise Log

01 Monday Oct 2012

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Posted by Jennifer (the student) on September 30, 2012

 

09/30/12            Walk/Hike 6 ml √

10/01/12            Yoga 1 hr class, Weight Training 20 min √

10/02/12            Yoga 1 hr class √, Cross-trainer 20 min X

10/03/12            Yoga 1 hr class, Weight Training 20 min √

10/04/12            Yoga 1 hr class √, Cross-trainer 20 min X

10/05/12            Yoga 1 hr class X

10/06/12            Tennis 1 ½ hr class √

♥ ♥

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What is Jidori Chicken?

01 Monday Oct 2012

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Posted by Jennifer (the RD) on October 1st, 2012

As those of you that live in the Los Angeles area already know, Jidori chicken is becoming extremely popular.  The Jidori chicken is much more common in Japan and is translated as “Chicken of the earth.”  These chickens are extremely fresh, free range, vegetarian fed chickens that have a very pleasant, fresh flavor as opposed to their frozen counterparts.  Above is a picture of the Jidori chicken with a shiso pesto that I had at Yamashiro in Hollywood.  🙂

 ♥ ♥

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The Health Benefits of Pumpkins

28 Friday Sep 2012

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Posted by Jennifer (the student) on September 28, 2012

 

Fall is my favorite season and it always means pumpkin season to me. Pumpkins are in the gourd family and they have less starch and less sugar than other squashes. Pumpkin are chocked full of vitamins and minerals and they are low in calorie, low in fat and high in fiber.

Pumpkins bright orange flesh is a dead give away that they are full of beta-carotene. In addition, they are a good source of vitamin C, K and E and minerals such as potassium, magnesium, iron and zinc.

Benefits:

  • Promotes healthy skin with vitamins A, C and E.
  • Boosts immune system with Vitamin C and Zinc.
  • Promotes strong bones with potassium.
  • Reduces the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease with vitamin C and potassium.
  • Reduces bad cholesterol levels with fiber.
  • Promotes healthy digestion and aids in weight loss.
  • Controls blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
  • Promotes vision health with carotenoids and lutein.

Pumpkins are so versatile; they can be used in both savory and sweet dishes. Both fresh and canned offer so many health benefits, plus they are delicious and easy to prepare. Of course, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread and pumpkin lattes are tasty and traditional for the season. Also try adding pumpkin to healthy dishes like oatmeal, protein smoothies or just roasted. One of my favorite pumpkin dishes is turkey pumpkin chili. Experiment with pumpkin and you might just find a new favorite.

♥ ♥

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