The secret to amazing quinoa

I made the best dinner ever on Monday night.  I had seen this recipe on another blog and decided that I wanted to give it a try because it had two ingredients that I don't cook much with - Kale and quinoa!

After arriving home from yoga I was starving but determined to try this recipe because I wanted to see how it would come out.

Sausage and Quinoa One-Pot Supper
4 sausage links cut into cubes (I used Johnsonville New Orleans Andouille Sausage)
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup water
1 cup apple cider
2 cups kale leaves (or spinach leaves)

Directions:
In a large pot over medium-high heat, cook sausage and onion until just browned (5-10 mins).  Add cider, quinoa and water to pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and let simmer for about 25 minutes or until liquid is just absorbed.  Add kale, cover and cook for about 5 mins, to warm kale. Remove from heat and then serve!

OH. MY. GOODNESS.  This was the best dish ever. SO easy. SO good.  And the best part was that Brian loved it.  He was apprehensive at first because I had made quinoa mac and cheese last winter and it was a little different for him.  But after one bite he was hooked and even went back for seconds!

The secret is the apple cider! It made this dish (especially with the andouille sausage) taste so, so good.  I don't think I will ever cook quinoa in just water ever again because this came out just so delicious.  I always thought that quinoa was similar to rice, it tasted good when made with water but was just a little bit more flavorful when made with broth.  Either way you can't tell the difference when cooking rice.  BUT with quinoa, there is SUCH a big difference.  Cooking the quinoa in cider (or broth) just makes this dish out of this world good!

I definitely plan on making this again (and again!)

Judge a muffin by its batter

You know that saying "Don't judge a book by its cover"?

Well....I do that all the time.  And it doesn't just apply to books.

I also judge how my muffins (or cake or cookies) are going to come out based on the batter.  This past weekend was a true test because I was baking a brand new recipe.  I had some leftover shredded zucchini that I needed to use up.  And as I mentioned yesterday, I have been on a bit of a pumpkin kick. The best part about these muffins is that you could omit the zucchini.  I made these and the batter tasted so good - I was so happy it turned out so well and the muffins didn't disappoint.

Pumpkin (Zucchini) Muffins

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1-2 cups shredded zucchini (optional)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F.  Add eggs and sugars into a stand mixer and combine.  Add pumpkin, butter and vanilla and mix together.  Add in dry ingredients and combine with mixer.  Add zucchini and walnuts if desired and give the batter one final mix.  For muffins, grease muffin tins and fill about 2/3 full and bake for 15 minutes.  For bread.loaves (didn't try this yet), bake for 45 minutes or until knife comes out clean.  After taking out of the oven, let cool (5 mins for muffins, 10 mins for loaves) then remove from muffin tins or loaf pans and place on wire rack.

All week I have been enjoying these for breakfast at work.  I heat them up in the microwave and then spread some pumpkin butter on top.  Delicious.  But there is a better way to enjoy any kind of muffin...

The best way to eat a muffin - Grilled Muffins

Cut muffin in half and spread butter on each side.  Turn on stove to medium heat and place buttered muffins into frying pan.  Let cook for about 3-5 minutes until toasted.  Spread on cold pumpkin butter and enjoy.

Hands down the BEST way to eat a muffin! Happy Wednesday!

Overnight Oats with Pumpkin Butter

Mmmmm....Pumpkin!! My favorite fall treat!
 

In an effort to switch over from cold smoothies to a more warm and fall type breakfast I decided to give overnight oats a try.  I have eaten oatmeal in the past, it is usually my go to pre long run meal but it has always been from the instant packets.

I know that overnight oats are popular in the summer as a cold breakfast but I don't think I can eat oatmeal cold.  I can barely eat oatmeal warm with some brown sugar or other toppings.  Since my schedule is busy and doesn't allow for a long breakfast making process in the mornings, the overnight oats seemed like a good choice and I would just warm them up in the microwave.

Monday night I prepared the oats with almond milk and old fashioned oats and then set them in the fridge to marinate overnight!  In the morning I was in a slight rush so I just grabbed the jar and headed into work.  They actually turned out delicious and so I made this again this morning.  The thing that makes the oats so good is the pumpkin butter I made over the weekend.  It is just so delicious mixed in with the milk and oats. Plus when I heat up the jar, everything just mixes together perfectly and tastes oh so good!

 Overnight Oats with Pumpkin Butter
1/2 cup almond milk (or any milk you prefer)
1/2 cup old fashioned oats (or rolled oats)
1 tbsp pumpkin butter
1 tsp vanilla  extract (optional)

Toppings - fruit, cinnamon and more pumpkin butter!

 Combine oats and milk into a mason jar (or dish with a lid).  Stir ingredients, then add in pumpkin butter (Stir again if desired, or let pumpkin butter sit on top for the next morning when you heat it up!)  Place in refrigerator and let sit over night.  In the morning, take out jar and let sit on counter for a while then heat in microwave for about a minute. Add toppings if desired and ENJOY!  (Recipe adapted from Skinny Taste)

Pumpkin Butter
1 can (29 ounces) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup apple cider
2 tsp cinnamon
1-2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (optional - I did not include)

Combine pumpkin, vanilla, sugar, apple cider, and spices together in saucepan, stir well and bring mixture to a boil.  Be careful because this mixture kind of acts like marinara sauce when boiled and will pop all over.  Reduce heat and let simmer for 30 minutes (can go shorter or longer depending on how thick or thin you like). Add more spices to taste.  Let cool, then pour into a container and store in the fridge. (Recipe taken from Skinny Taste)

 If anything YOU have to make this PUMPKIN butter.  Best thing ever.  I have been not only enjoying it in my oatmeal but on toast and muffins and basically anything!  It is just so good and it is especially delicious on a warm muffin or toast.  So good.

Recipe Hoarder

So I am kind of a recipe hoarder.  If you could see my computer and open my internet you would see a TON of open web pages of recipes that I am waiting to try.  Every day I seem to find a great recipe for this or that and I just want to try them.  Once I try each recipe (and it turns out good), then I write it down into my recipe book.

I have been saving zucchini recipes for over a month in order to take advantage of the time when our garden would be over flowing with zucchini. And it seems like the time has finally come!

Post workout (mile repeats = fun) dinner last night, I had zucchini lasagna (using the zucchini as noodles) pre-made in the fridge and all ready to go in the oven.  I used my aunts recipe and it turned out really well.  Yay for leftovers for lunch!  This recipe was really good - very healthy and I felt better after eating it since there weren't any noodles.  But the lasagna was less structured without the noodles which made cutting and serving slightly difficult - but still tasted delicious.

 Zucchini (no noodle) Lasagna
2 tsp olive oil
1 lb italian sausauge, casings removed
5-6 cups marinara sauce
2 1/2 lbs zucchini (~2 zucchini)
1 cup carrots, cut up
1 egg
1 cup part skim ricotta
1/2 cup parmesan
1 cup mozzarella
1/2 cup parsley, chopped (optional)

Directions
Heat oil in a skillet. Add sausage and cook until no longer pink.  Add 4 cups of marinara and let simmer for about 7-8 minutes.

Slice zucchini length wise into long strips.  Option - Roast zucchini in the oven on broil for about 3-5 minutes each side.  ( I have never done this and it still turns out ok)  Slice carrots and set aside.

In a big bowl (or food processor) mix ricotta, parmesan, egg and optional parsley.  Set aside.

Heat oven to 350F and coat a 9x13 in pan with non stick spray.  With remaining marinara sauce, cover bottom of pan then lay zucchini slices down with carrot slices and then add in 1/3 ricotta mixture.  Add meat sauce on top and continue layering with zucchini and ricotta mixture until pan is full (~3 layers). Top with more sauce (meat sauce or extra sauce - whatever is left) and then add mozzarella on top. 

Cover pan with foil and bake in oven for 30-45 minutes (more time if you did not broil the zucchini).  Take off foil and cook 10 more minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden.  Once out of the oven, let lasagna stand for about 5 minutes before cutting - will be a bit messy but delicious!

Just to give you a little idea of how crazy and possibly out of control my "recipes to try" collection has become, here are a few more zucchini recipes.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Stuffed Zucchini with tomato and mozzarella 
Black Bean and zucchini Quesidillas
Zucchini Lasagna (w/ noddles) 
Zucchini Pizza Bites
Zucchini Fritters
Zucchini Pancakes





Sides

Zucchini Tots
Cheesey Zucchini Rice
 Zucchini Casserole
Tomato-Zucchini Bake
Zucchini Chips OR Zucchini Fries







Dessert

Oil Free Chocolate Zucchini Walnut Muffins
Triple Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Zucchini Almond Butter Muffins
Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes

More Options

10 Ways to use zucchini 
35 Zucchini Recipes
Extra - another Zucchini muffins recipe plus more


As you can see this has kind of gotten out of control!  This is just one section of the many, many recipes I have waiting to be tested out, hoping to make the cut into my recipe book! 

what I ate (this) wednesday

I have to say that the Olympics have taken over my life.  I am not running, sleeping, or working, I am watching the Olympics.  It really is sad because it is summer when I should be doing other things besides watching tv but I am addicted.  Especially to Ryan Lotche, well to be more specific Ryan Lotche's abs. 

Anyways, seeing as the Olympics have become such a big part of my life (for two weeks) something else has to be cut back and unfortunately that has been sleep.  I am pretty good about keeping a strict bedtime of 10pm since I usually get up between 5-6am.  But the Olympics have ripped my usual routine to shreds and I have been seeing 11's on the clock before bed lately.  Not exactly the best idea as I am increasing my mileage as I train for the half marathon in September.  But its only for two weeks, right?

Since I posted yesterday about clean eating, today I guess I am showing you the (almost) total opposite.  I am lucky to have a pretty decent cafeteria at work where they make some pretty (semi) healthy and delicious dishes for lunch.  Since I was too busy watching the Olympics last night to pack myself a lunch, I opted to buy today. So here is what I ate today for lunch!



Grilled pesto chicken on flat bread (with roasted red peppers and provolone cheese)

O.M.G. was that a good lunch.  I love pesto.  I don't eat it enough.

I think I could easily make this at home on a weekend and it would be just as good!

Now with a full belly, I just have to make it to the end of the day.  I may need more coffee!

Happy Wednesday!

WIAW: Easy Post Run Dinner

Every Tuesday night I run with my running group.  A few of us usually meet around 5:30pm to do a 2-3 mile warmup, then the whole group gathers at the designated meeting spot to talk about the workout, race results, etc etc.  Then we all go and run the workout in our specific pace groups.

Last night my running buddy and I had a very long workout on the schedule.  We met and warmed up at 5:30pm and did 2.25 miles before meeting with the group.  Shortly after 6pm we got our workout started....

10x800m @ 3:25 w/ 3:25 recovery

We finally finished after a 2.75 mile cool down at 8:10pm.  A very long workout indeed.  That recovery time really made this workout take forever.  But we felt great throughout and ran well.  Once I headed home, I began thinking about what I was going to have for dinner.  The fridge didn't really have much leftovers and I didn't want to spend a lot of time making something new because it would be close to 9pm before I got home and showered.

So I decided on an old favorite that is quick, easy and delicious.  Rice, black beans, cheddar cheese and salsa.  Yum.

I had the rice in the fridge, already made (thankfully!) and so I just had to open a can of black beans and heat them up with some rice. Half way through, I added the cheese and continued to microwave.  Then I added and salsa and devoured it!

This was simple and easy and one of my favorite post run meals.  I ate quite a bit and actually didn't feel too full after ward. Perfect!




Thanks to Jenn at Peas and Crayons for another What I Ate Wednesday!!

WIAW: Mac 'n Cheese Tacos

This week seems to be flying by (so far) and I am so happy it is Wednesday!  Last night I went to my running club and ran a pretty intense workout.  My training plan called for something even more insane but I cut the mileage down since I am racing Sunday!

Training Plan: 2mi E, 4mi T, 5mi E, 3mi T, 2mi E = 16 miles
Actually ran: 2mi E, 3mi T, 2mi E, 3mi T, 2mi E = 12 miles

(Check out this post for info on figuring out paces for runs)

This was the last intense workout before my half marathon on Sunday - it is just a tune up race for the marathon but I am excited to see how it goes.

Post workout last night, I made the best meal ever.  We had leftover Skinny Mac and Cheese from Sunday and Tacos from Monday so I combined them for the best recovery meal.

I used a large piece of romaine lettuce and wrapped it around the hard taco shell so in case the shell broke, the taco insides would not fall out.  It worked perfectly plus I got some good veggies with my dinner.

Mac 'n Cheese Tacos
1 hard taco shell
1/2 cup ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning
1/2 cup leftover mac and cheese
1/2 tomato, diced
1 piece of romaine lettuce

Heat the hard taco shell in the oven for a few minutes.  Remove carefully and then fill with taco meat (I used ground beef but you could use anything).  Layer on leftover mac and cheese then top with tomatoes.  Place romaine lettuce on bottom of the taco to prevent spillage.  Add any extra toppings or condiments as desired. DEVOUR!

This was so good and I have just enough to make one more taco.  It looks like Thursdays post run recovery meal may be very similar!

Thanks to Jenn at Peas and Crayons for What I ate Wednesday!!

WIAW: New Meals

Happy Wednesday!  This morning I am beat - I ran 9 miles Tuesday night with my run club and then woke up this morning and did another 4 miles.  Another fake double and my legs are in need of some rest.

This week for What I Ate Wednesday, I thought I would try to switch it up because I eat the same foods almost every day.  I really did try to "Go Green" and I tried to use some new recipes!


So instead of showing you my usual daily meals with my boring oatmeal and coffee for breakfast, I thought I would show some of my new favorite meals from the past few days!

In order that they appear -

Sunday's Dinner - Crock Pot Chicken Chili with toasted Italian bread and butter.  This recipe was so easy and made a ton of leftovers.  It is packed with protein and really fills you up.  I ate leftovers on Tuesday for lunch and it kept me full until my run at 5:30pm.

Monday's Lunch - Egg White and Avocado Salad with lettuce, peppers, tomato, carrots and little dressing on the side. I made a few changes with this and took the yolk of the eggs and mixed it with mayo and then used lettuce instead of a wrap.  This was a great little lunch to go along with my usual cheddar goldfish and animal crackers.

Tuesday's Post Run Dinner - Small Shells with Pesto. I was not very hungry last night after my run which happens every once in a while.  I had made the pesto a while back and stored it in the fridge and I just happened to have some leftover shells so I heated them up together.  This was delicious and just reaffirms how much I love Pesto!


Thanks to Peas and Crayons for hosting WIAW!

WIAW (after a 20 miler)

Happy Wednesday!  I am dead tired today after my Tuesday night run club workout and then an easy run this morning.  The morning run was beautiful though with the clear sky and the stars shining bright.  Plus I was in shorts because we are still having some awesome weather!

Here is another week of What I ate Wednesday by Peas and Crayons with a special "What I are last Saturday after my 20 mile long run!"  Saturday also happened to be St. Patrick's Day so I made corned beef and cabbage for dinner in the crock pot - it turned out really well!

Pre-Run Breakfast: Instant Oatmeal with raisins and cup of coffee

Mid-Run Snack: Jet Blackberry Gu, water and Strawberry Gu Chomps.

Post-Run Breakfast: Leftover Stuffed Peppers, orange and Pretzel Goldfish

Lunch: Flour Tortilla (heated in microwave) with pesto, mozzarella and salsa

Afternoon Snack: Cadberry egg, animal crackers and chewy granola bar

Dinner: Corned Beef and Cabbage with potatoes and carrots and onions and Italian bread with butter

Dessert: Handful of rollos

I have been using My Fitness Pal to track my food and exercise because I have been wanting to know how much I actually need to eat based off how much I exercise.  Normally without any exercise I would need 1400 calories a day.  From there I add on my exercise and on Saturday after my long run it increased my desired daily calorie intake to 3600 (2200 calories burned from 20 mile long run).

I found it hard to eat 3600 calories in one day because honestly that is a lot of food!  Although it is good to keep track of my calories, I am finding that I don't necessarily follow it 100%.  If I am feeling hungry, then I eat a little bit more but if I am not then I don't.  On Saturday after my 20 miler, I ended the day eating 2700 calories total and I wasn't starving without eating the extra 900 calories.  Sunday though I ended up eating more than my 1700 daily calorie goal (300 extra from exercise) so I think it all evens out in the end.

Anyone else use My Fitness Pal online or on their phone?  Do you keep track of your calories or just go by if you feel hungry or not??

WIAW - Jambalaya

 Happy Wednesday and Happy Leap Day! I really enjoy this extra day in February because it is an extra day to run.  It is another week and another round of What I ate Wednesday hosted by Peas and Crayons.




I have been slacking on taking pictures of my food and I have been not eating as many veggies as I should.  I mostly enjoy sharing my "What I are for Dinner" eats because most of the time I am trying out new recipes!  This past Sunday was no exception.

Breakfast: Chocolate Chip pancakes and three glasses of coffee

Lunch: Leftover Stuffed shells with Italian bread

Snack: Peanut Butter cookie dough and peach rings

Dinner: Sausage and Shrimp Jambalaya - My Brother in law made this recipe over Christmas and gave us some and it was delicious!  This recipe makes a lot of Jambalaya and it does take a while (~1.5 hours) to make.  But once you are done it is so worth it.

Lately I have been feeling really bad about my consumption of cookies.  I just have been lacking serious self control when it comes to eating cookies.  It didn't help that my co-worker brought in butterscotch chip cookies on Monday too.  Must. Stop. Eating. Cookies!

WIAW

Happy Wednesday! Here's another round of What I ate Wednesday with my eats from Monday with lots of veggies (and fruits)!

Breakfast: Raisin oatmeal with Coffee

Morning Snack: Pretzel goldfish

Lunch: Leftover Minestrone soup - This recipe is so easy and delicious! One leftover Pillsbury crescent, pistachios, and 2 gingerbread cookies/1 peanut butter cookie

Afternoon Snack: Orange and Banana

Dinner: Cilantro Lime Tilapia Tacos - This recipe was also amazing and I can't wait to make these again.  Broccoli and leftover Cake mix vanilla cake with chocolate frosting.

Evening Snack: More cookies.

Overall this was a good day but I once again over did it on the cookies after dinner.  But these two new recipes that I tried this week were a great hit and I definitely will be making them again!

WIAW - Veggie Love

Happy Wednesday!! For the month of February, What I ate Wednesdays hosted by Peas and Crayons has a very special theme - VEGGIES!  When I saw this I was pretty excited because I am always looking for new ways to eat more veggies.

Back in November and December when I was doing the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge (HBBC), I tried so hard to eat 7 fruits and vegetables a day but I always seemed to come up short.  I usually eat about 5 servings of fruits or vegetables a day but the extra 1-2 servings has been tough for me in the past.  So I am going to try this month to eat more vegetables than before!



I started last night by adding tomatoes to my homemade mac and cheese bake!  I used one can of diced tomatoes as well as two fresh tomatoes.  Dinner turned out amazing with all the cheesy goodness and tomatoes!  I went back for seconds it was so good and packed leftovers for lunch today!

Tuesday Eats:

Breakfast: One egg, instant cinnamon oatmeal, 1 cup orange juice

Morning Snack: Pretzel goldfish

Lunch: Mixed greens and spinach salad with carrots and tomatoes, turkey burger with swiss cheese and no bun, mixed nuts, 3 oreos, kettle popcorn

Afternoon Snack: Banana

Dinner: Mac and Cheese with tomatoes, 3 mini Reese's peanut butter cup cookies

Total Estimated Calories consumed: 2,054

I think tomatoes are one of my favorite vegetables but there are so many to love. How do you add vegetables (and fruits!) to your every day meals??