We’ve been getting a ton of beets from our CSA.  It’s hard to keep up.  Until I decided to grill beets, my favorite thing about them was the color. A few weeks ago I charred grilled a few beets when my friend Deb stopped over for a visit while on her road trip.  I mixed them with my favorite Mediterranean toppings.  Last weekend, feeling all bad azz, I lit the grill again.  I have no idea why grilling makes me feel bad azz.

Grilled Beets and Goat Cheese*
Romain Lettuce
Arugula Green Onion (thinly slice)
Apple (coarsely chopped)
Grilled Beets
Goat Cheese (crumbled)
(Last weeks) Honey Basil Balsamic Dressing

To Grill the Beets
Light the Grill
(Or yell for your husband when it’s not working.  Look the other way and roll your eyes when he lights in it .5 seconds after you spend 5 minutes trying.)
Brush the Beets with Olive Oil
(If you are lazy like me you spray them with the aerosol olive oil.)
Sprinkle on Sea Salt

Grill over medium/high heat for about 3-5 minutes each side.
Throw on Arrange Beets on top of the greens and sprinkle with goat cheese.

*Not pictured the handful of chicken I threw on top for extra protein.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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There are a lot of things I love about my husband.  His tender heart.  His humor.  His devotion to me and our kids.  His creativity.  His work ethic.  His sexy blue eyes.  His smile.  I could go on and on but before you gag I’ll say, “Swedish Pancakes”.  Yes, there is one more thing I love about my husband.  His Swedish Pancakes.  (And his willingness to put up with my demanding personality requests.)

We had these Saturday and Sunday for breakfast.  While,they were delicious both days, Saturday’s were a little more calorie dense and carb heavy than I like so Sunday he made some adjustments.  Here is his slightly lighter version and for the record he is a 1/4 Swede.  :-)

Brent’s Creme Filled High Protein Swedish Pancakes

Pancakes
2 cups of milk (we use whole)
4 egg whites
2 whole eggs
1/2 cup of flour (we use wheat)
2 tbs melted butter
1 tsp vanilla

Filling
4 0z of cream cheese
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
2 tbs raw honey

Topping
2 cups of fresh strawberries

1. Mix all the pancake stuff together until smooth.

2.  Melt a little butter in skillet over medium heat.
Pour about a 1/4 cup of batter into the skillet.
We are using less flour than normal so the pancakes will be a little fragile.
Cook thoroughly before flipping to prevent them from tearing.

3. In a blender or food processor combine the filling ingredients and blend until smooth.

4.  Spread the filling inside the cooked pancakes and roll it up.

5. Top with your favorite toppings.  We used fresh strawberries.

Makes approximately 4 servings
435 calories, 40 g carbs, 20 g protein, 22 g fat* per serving

*You could lighten these up  more by using low-fat milk, low-fat cream cheese, and a butter substitute.

Enjoy!

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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Let me tell you a secret.  I don’t loooveeee veggies. At least not in the same way I looooveee pizza.

(I know it’s almost heretical.)

But when my friend sent me this recipe from the Food Network
I actually thought “here is a veggie recipe I can get excited about” or something sort of cheesy like that.

Sunny Anderson’s Crunchy Sweet Brussel Sprout Salad

1 pound brussel sprouts
2 tbs coconut oil*
1/2 tsp nutmeg
handful of dried cranberries
handful of chopped walnuts
sea salt
pepper

(* Original recipe calls for olive oil instead of coconut.  I prefer to use coconut oil for most of my cooking.)

The original recipe said to core and shred the brussel sprouts.
However, I had no idea how to do that and it sounded like it would take forever and a day so I simply cut off the bottoms and sliced them into thin slices.
Then I sautéed them in the coconut oil for a few minutes until they were “bright and slightly” wilted.
Next, I added the nutmeg, sea salt and pepper.
Lastly, I added the walnuts and cranberries.

Aren’t they pretty?

They were also delicious.  Something I rarely say about veggies.

I served them with Trader Joe’s wild salmon and some other sort of dark leafy green from my CSA box.

Thanks Lisa for sending me the link to Sunny Anderson’s recipe.

Tell me the truth do you “looooveee” veggies?

and

How do you “core” brussel sprouts?

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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This year for Lent my husband and I decided not to eat meat.  Through that experience I learned some things about myself and I came up with a few new recipes including my Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers.  That sort of sounds like I stuffed them with the Mediterranean.  That would be one big pepper. (Okay that joke was DUMB.  Don’t feel obligated to laugh.)

Come to think of it, I overuse the word “Mediterranean”.  We got Brent’s Mediterranean Chicken Salad, Simple Mediterranean Chicken, and my Mediterranean Quinoa Salad.)  That’s a lot of Mediterranean.  Not only that but I can’t spell Mediterranean to save my life.  (I’m not a very good speller in general.) EVERY TIME I type it the little red line comes up underneath.  You’d think since I use “Mediterranean” the way Paris Hilton uses “hot” (that’s like sooo three years ago.), I’d be able to spell it correctly.  Nope.  I’m not even close b/c the spell check always says “No Guesses Found”.

Hmmm….I think I’ll call them Pesto Rice Stuffed Peppers instead.

Anyway…

Pesto Rice Stuffed Peppers~ Inspired by the Mediterean

2 bell peppers (I like red)
1/2 cup of pesto (I use my pesto b/c it rocks.)
1 cup cooked brown rice
2 tbs of sundried tomatoes (I use one packed in oil~gasp!)
1/4 onion – minced
6 olives
4 tbs feta cheese (2 in the mixture, one on top of each pepper)
Bit of olive oil

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cut out the stem and remove seeds from the pepper.
Boil (the pepper, not the stem) for 5 minutes.
Sauté the onion in a bit of olive oil
In a bowl combine the rest of the ingredients (including onion) saving 2 tbs of feta.
Pat the boiled pepper dry with paper towels and stuff it with the brown rice mixture.
Put 1 more tbs of feta on each pepper.
Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.

(I can’t decide if this photo looks appetizing or not…just trust me it’s good!)

I served this with a green salad tossed with My Favorite Dressing.

Enjoy!

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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I love Mexican food.  LOVE Mexican food.  Out of all the cheesy spicy goodness to choose from, one of my favorite dishes is Chile Relleno.  A friend gave me a recipe for a chile relleno casserole that uses 2 pounds, TWO POUNDS, of cheese as well as numerous whole eggs, and condensed milk. On occasion, it is worth every bite. However for regular consumption I needed something a little less calorie dense.  Enter my RC (reduced calorie) Chile Relleno Casserole.

(Like the kettlebell in the background?)

RC (Reduced Calorie) Chile Relleno Casserole

8 egg whites
2 whole eggs
1.5 cups cottage cheese
7 oz can diced green chilis
1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese
Another 1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese (optional)
1 tbs butter (melted)
pinch of cumin
sea salt (I use about a tsp)
favorite salsa

Preheat oven to 350. Beat the eggs together.
Stir in the rest of the ingredients and pour into a greased square baking dish.
Bake for about 40 minutes.
Optional: Top with an extra 1/2 cup of cheese 5 minutes b4 casserole is done.
(I usually don’t add the extra cheese and I still love it.)
Top with you favorite salsa

I came across some cool giveaways you should know about too!

The darling, Girl Hero Janetha, is celebrating her blog Meals and Moves one year anniversary.
Check out the loot she is giving away to celebrate.

The adorable Sami at Freckled Foodie is having a giveaway too!!!
Check out the reusable snack/lunch bags by snackTAXIs!!

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

1 cup of quinoa
1 can of artichoke hearts (quartered)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup of Kalamata olives (chopped)
1/4  cup of sundried tomatoes  (chopped)
1 tbs of dried oregano
sea salt to taste
fresh basil

Cook the quinoa in water.  (I use twice the amount of water as quinoa.  Bring to a boil.  Throw in the quinoa.  Reduce heat and cook until all the water is absorbed.) In a separate bowl, mix together the rest of the ingredients.  When the quinoa is done toss with the artichoke mixture.  Use kitchen scissors to cut pretty little slivers of basil.  Be obsessive compulsive and meticulously sprinkle them over the top of the quinoa fussing over each sliver.

I made this salad last minute for my dear friend and Girl Hero Martha‘s birthday celebration Sunday.  It turned out good but how could it not with Kalmata olives, artichokes, and sundried tomatoes!  I feel like I should insert “nom nom nom” right here but I just can’t bring myself to do it.  Somehow imagining that sound makes me a little nauseous and besides I just don’t get it.  I’m like person 2 from this urban dictionary definition.

People are awkwardly sittin around in a room with nothing to say…
Person 1: nom nom nom
Person 2: wtf
Person 3 and 4: hahahaha

What are your turn-to-make-anything-good staples?  The ones that make you go “nom nom nom”.  What the…  ;-)

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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In keeping with our decision to eat vegetarian a night or two a week, I’ve been creating new or revamping old recipes.  Last night, we converted my Mozzarella Chicken to Mozzarella Eggplant.   I can’t believe I’m saying this but I think I actually like the eggplant better.  It was sooooo good.  I nearly cried for joy when I found out my husband had a business lunch today and I didn’t have to share the leftovers.

Mozzarella Eggplant

1 eggplant
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 red onion – sliced
2 tbs balsalmic vinegar
2 tbs water
4 tomatoes – chopped into big chunks
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves – chopped
4 oz part skim mozzarella cheese – Not shredded, the kind you buy whole. Cut into little chunks. A piece about the size of you palm. (Cheese sticks work too.;-))

Brush the eggplant with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt.  Grill on each side for about  3-5 minutes.  (Grilling the eggplant was key.)

Heat the rest of the oil in a saute pan and cook the onions until they start to soften.  Then add the water, vinegar, tomatoes, and basil.  Cook over med/high for a few more minutes until the liquid starts to thicken.  If you want a more sauce add a little more vinegar and water in equal parts. Keep stirring it so it doesn’t burn.  Turn down the heat just before servings and throw in the mozzarella.  If you put the mozzarella in too soon it will start to melt all together.  It’s better when the cheese stays chunky.  Spoon the sauce over the eggplant.

The fact that there was no meat on the table did not stop Meow Cow from practicing his usual tactics. Every evening, Meow Cow saunters in and sits down on the bench at the table right between my Brent and I.  Meow Cow patiently sits looking up at me pretending he actually loves me.  He knows if he stares sweetly at me long enough I’ll let him eat off the table. Yes, I am that rogue-ish. Occasionally, Brent scolds me but most of the time he pretends he doesn’t see because secretly he wants to feed Meow Cow from the table too.  He would never admit this because it greatly goes against the civilized code of conduct but it’s true.  When Meow Cow doesn’t get what he wants he gets extra nice and climbs onto one our laps.

If he fails to score he gives us kisses.

And then when he gets what he wants.

We love Meow Cow anyway.

xoxo
jenn

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As you may know, I joined a  CSA (community supported agriculture) so it’s probably only a matter of time before I start wearing pachouli.   Since I don’t get to choose what goes into our veggie box it’s always interesting to see what each week will bring.  This may sound inconvenient or even scary for some but it works for us. The great thing about being a part of a CSA besides getting the crazy fresh organic produce is that it forces me to try new things and get creative (or go online in search of recipes.)  Lately there has been a bunch of swiss chard something I wouldn’t normally buy because I don’t trust that something called chard could taste remotely good…even with “Swiss“ tacked on the front.  Normally, I stick to things like broccoli, green beans, red peppers, onions, asparagus, lettuce, and spinach so the swiss chard seemed a bit on the exotic side.  After some searching around on google I decided to try this swiss chard recipe.  It was simple, super quick, and even tasty enough for  my picky 9 year old.  Like most things green, swiss chard is really good for you too.

If you are interested in finding a CSA or farmer’s markets in your area check out Local Harvest.

Regarding my New Year’s resolutions, I’d like to say I almost caved and ate a burger today but my plan of self-destruction was thwarted…well…I had a few fries.

One last thing.  Sorry about the random playlist “place holder” post that accidently went out to some of you subscribers.  We switched the domain over to girl-heroes.com and have been having some issues with the subscriber list.  Hopefully all the kinks will be ironed out soon.

xoxo
j

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I’m not crazy about vegetables. But I eat them and try to eat a lot of them because I know they are good for me.  It’s still a struggle and I make a daily effort to get them down.  I’ve found stir fry to be one of the best ways to eat a large serving of veggies and actually enjoy it.  A couple of days ago I threw this together and it turned out good. 

Simple Stir Fry

2.5 pounds of chicken boneless skinless breast (about 8 breasts) cut into small pieces.
3 Tbs Black Bean Garlic Sauce (you can find this in the Asian section of most grocery stores)
2 Tbs Sesame Oil
3 Tbs Honey
1 Tsp Crushed Ginger
3 Tsp Rice Vinegar 

2 Bags of Stir Fry Mixed Veggies* or a mixture of Bok Choy, snow peas, broccoloi or any other veggies you like.    
Slivered Almonds (optional) 

In a bowl, whisk together the black bean garlic sauce, sesame oil, honey, ginger and rice vinegar.  Add the chicken and let marinate for an hour or more if you have time.  In a large pan, saute the chicken until it is not longer pink but still tender. I avoid turning my chicken into rubber by cutting a piece in half to check the color as soon as it looks done.  If it’s still pink I wait another minute and cut another piece.  I do this until all the biggest pieces are cooked through.  Personally, I like to cook the veggies in a separate pan because I have more control over the tenderness of the vegetables without over cooking my chicken.  Divide the vegetables into bowls and top with chicken and a tsp of almonds.  This chicken also works well on top of lettuce with an Asian dressings for a salad the next day.

8 servings (without almonds) are approximately 255 calories, 17 carbs, 36 protein, 5 fat a serving
1 tbs almonds adds another 46 calories, 1 grams carb, 2 grams protein, 4 grams fat 
(I say add the almonds and a 1/2 cup brown rice if you want!)

* I usually only cook one bag of veggies if I’m just cooking for my husband and kids and cook more the next day if I want stir fry again for lunch or whatever.

Have a great day!

xoxo
j