Fruity Kale Salad with Pistachios PB Cherry Granola Apple Sandwiches Pan Fried Sesame Chinese Noodles with Veggies Ricotta Rigatoni with Zucchini, Tomato & Toasted Bread Crumbs Lemon Cashew Cranberry Date Bars Healthy Recipes Ideas to Celebrate Cinco de Mayo Perfecting Pasta Caprese Gourmet Vegetable Sandwiches Peppermint Dark Chocolate Smoothie Strawberry Avocado Sunflower Seed Salad with Strawberry Balsamic Dressing

Newest

Fruity Kale Salad with Pistachios

May 22, 2013No comments

Up until recently, I was not a fan of kale. I was turned off by its bitterness and coarse texture.

But once I began making green juices and getting used to them, I began to not dislike kale so much. It started to not be quite as scary to me, and I wound up ordering a couple of kale salads out at restaurants…and really enjoying them.

kale-salad

Kale is a nutritional powerhouse. It provides you with tons of antioxidants and vitamins and is high in fiber. And while I wouldn’t say that I’m in love with it, I certainly am finding ways to incorporate it into my diet more often.

Enter this colorful salad:

kale-salad-3

One of the things I’m trying to do when I experiment with kale is find ways to make it not quite so bitter, so that I can reap the benefits of the veggie AND actually kind of like eating it too. One way to help reduce its bitterness is to soak it in your salad dressing for awhile.

kale-salad-2

I had a ripe nectarine in my fruit basket and thought it would go perfectly with my chopped kale. I also shelled some pistachios to add some crunch and saltiness, and since I’m obsessed with dried cherries lately, I also threw some of those into the mix. My dressing was a simple homemade one: olive oil, fresh lemon juice, red wine vinegar, sea salt and grated parmesan. This salad is packed with healthy goodness, and the combinations of sweet fruit, leafy kale, salty pistachios and parmesan make for a flavorful dish.

kale-salad-4

Print
Fruity Kale Salad with Pistachios
Author: 
Prep time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 1
 

Ingredients
  • 2 cups kale, chopped
  • ¼ cup dried cherries
  • 15 g/2 TBSP of shelled pistachios
  • 1 small nectarine, chopped
  • 1½ TBSP grated parmesan
  • 1 TBSP olive oil
  • ½ TBSP fresh lemon juice
  • 1 TSP red wine vinegar
  • ⅛ TSP sea salt, plus more for additional sprinkling

Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, sea salt and 1 TBSP grated parmesan.
  2. Toss with the chopped kale, then let it sit for around 30 minutes.
  3. Add pistachios, chopped nectarine and cherries to the kale.
  4. Sprinkle remaining ½ TBSP parmesan over top, plus a bit more of sea salt.

Nutrition Information
Calories: 475, Fat: 23 g, Carbohydrates: 61 g, Fiber: 7 g, Protein: 10 g

 

PrintFriendly and PDFPrint This
Twitt

PB Cherry Granola Apple Sandwiches

May 20, 2013Comments: 4

Hi friends! Today was just another manic Monday filled with the usual activities. I had a long, sweaty workout at the gym this evening, and now my body is feeling pretty tired. I think it’s going to be one of those nights when laying down on the couch and watching some TV will feel great! But first, I want to share a healthy, easy snack/light meal combo that I make often… in fact, I had it for breakfast this morning:

Apple-Sandwich

I’ve seen variations of apple sandwiches around, and while I may have mentioned eating them on here before, I don’t think I’ve ever shared my take on this yumminess. I think this combo is great for people who don’t have time or energy to prep a healthy snack or late-night bite to eat. I also think this is a perfect thing to whip up for kiddos!

It bugs me when people frequently eat unhealthy food and use the excuse that it’s just convenient to eat that way. Yes, in our society there are fast-food joints that can whip up a pile full of food filled with saturated fat and lacking nutritional value at every turn, but making healthy choices can be pretty convenient too. This 5-ingredient combo takes about 2 minutes to prep, and is one of my go-to staples in the kitchen.

First I cut a medium apple into circular slices. I usually cut 6 ”sandwich” slices and then just chop up the remaining ends…

Apple-Sandwich-1

Next I spread a serving of peanut butter on half of the sandwich slices. I’ve been using PB 2 powdered peanut butter since I’m obsessed. I also sprinkle cinnamon raisin granola and dried cherries onto the slices.
Apple-Sandwich-2

Lastly I put the apple slices on top to make little sandwiches, sprinkle everything generously with cinnamon and devour…

Apple-Sandwich-3

Print
PB Cherry Granola Apple Sandwiches
Author: 
Prep time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 1
 

Ingredients
  • 1 medium apple (I prefer Pink Lady or Granny Smith)
  • 2 TBSP dried cherries
  • 1 serving of PB2 powdered peanut butter, or other peanut butter
  • ¼ cup granola (I use Cascadian Farms cinnamon raisin granola)
  • Cinnamon

Instructions
  1. Cut the apple into circular slices.
  2. Spread peanut butter evenly onto half of the slices. Sprinkle the granola and evenly place the dried cherries on top.
  3. Place the apple slices on top to form little sandwiches, then sprinkle generously with cinnamon. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information
Calories: 265, Fat: 3 g, Carbohydrates: 59 g, Fiber: 9 g, Protein: 8 g

Question: What’s your favorite easy healthy snack or meal to throw together?  

PrintFriendly and PDFPrint This
Twitt

My New Workout Playlist

May 19, 2013Comments: 2

IIt’s Sunday night and another weekend has flown by. Here are some snapshots of my last couple of days:

Hiking around a nearby lake 

Uvas-Lake

Racking my homemade wine again 

wine-racking

 My first pro soccer game: the San Jose Earthquakes

SJ-Quakes

My hubby introduced me to an awesome sandwich shop called Ike’s. I tried the Sometimes I’m a Vegetarian sandwich  - grilled mushrooms, marinated artichoke hearts, pesto & provolone – on whole wheat bread and it was seriously delicious.

Ikes-2

Ikes-1

Found a new beach spot with forests that back up to the sand 

State-Park

A pineapple, orange, kale, spirulina & carrot green monster breakfast

green-monster

Plant shopping 

Fire-Flowers

I bought the plant pictured above solely because it completely reminds me of Katniss Everdeen & The Hunger Games. The plant looks on fire just as she’s known as the girl on fire, do you see the resemblance?! I know I’m such a dork!

This weekend I also downloaded some new music to add to the top of my gym playlist. I haven’t changed up my gym music in awhile and felt like I was in need of some new tunes. I definitely rely on music to keep my energy up and keep me motivated during workouts, and I’ll be jamming to this playlist during my sweat sessions this week:
Playlist-5.19

Good night!

PrintFriendly and PDFPrint This
Twitt

If You Can’t Change it, Change How you Think About It.

May 18, 2013Comments: 2

I’m a big believer in the power of attitude and positive thinking. While I’ve talked about how readjusting your outlook can make your life seem so much better when it comes to trivial things, I don’t think I’ve really discussed how I handle it when more important things in my life are bothering me.

I think that in being an optimist, sometimes I have a hard time admitting when something is really Optimist-quoteupsetting me. I always want to stay positive, but then I remember something I heard awhile back that has stuck with me: Positivity is NOT the denying or lack of negative thoughts. It’s the recognition of sometimes having them and being honest with yourself about it, but then being able to discard those thoughts before they fill up so much space in your life that you have no room left to see all of the good.

So when I find myself struggling to push away certain thoughts that are causing me stress, what do I do? In a nutshell, I first acknowledge it. I let myself feel it. I tell myself that it’s okay to have an ”off” day. Earlier in the week I had that kind of day. I gave myself a break, allowing myself to stew a bit in what was bothering me. I skipped the gym (I had worked out too many days in a row anyways!). I drank wine. My hubby and I spent awhile playing with Harley and laughing at her antics instead of doing something productive. I ate guacamole with chips & cheese and crackers for dinner, and I didn’t count the calories.  

I think that every once in awhile, giving yourself permission to be frustrated makes you feel better already. But I also put some work into being honest about just what was bothering me and how to change my outlook moving forward. I write down the things I’m upset about. Identifying what’s going on in my head and putting it down on paper helps me to process my thoughts.  

Next, I look at the worst case scenario. What is my worst fear pertaining to this? It sounds weird, but just recognizing what the worst outcome could be makes it seem not as scary.

Now comes the attitude adjustment.

Changeit

I ask myself how I can prevent whatever is bothering me from doing so in the future. How can I look at this differently moving forward?

I jot down how I think it’s best to proceed. How can I prevent the worst case scenario from happening? What will I do if it happens anyways? Coming up with a sort of game plan in my head helps to further process the situation.

And then… I move on. I set myself up for a better tomorrow. That night I went to sleep repeating the mantra to myself, Tomorrow is a new day. It will be a great day. It may sound silly, but I think it really works for me.

I also make sure to do things that always bring positivity into my day. I fit a yoga session in first thing this morning, which left me feeling refreshed and ready to conquer my day. And you know what? It turned out to be a pretty good day.

So, the next time you are beating yourself up over being upset or having a bad day, decide if it’s worthy of being distressed about. If it isn’t, try following these steps to refocus your attitude, which work for me. If it is important enough to be down about, try doing the steps I’ve talked about. It just might make you feel a hell of a lot better!

Quote of the Day: ”The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.”

 

PrintFriendly and PDFPrint This
Twitt

Pan Fried Sesame Chinese Noodles with Veggies

May 15, 2013Comments: 2

Happy hump day!

My morning flew by, and now I’m taking a break from work to eat some lunch (breakfast for lunch today: protein pancakes with strawberries & honey) and share this dish with you:

Fried-Noodles-3

Sometimes I like a bit of burntness or crunch to my food – not just the usual crunchy pretzels or chips, but I intentionally do things like burn my sweet potato fries a bit. So when I nabbed soft Chinese noodles at the grocery store recently, I had the idea to pan fry them instead of just cooking them as directed.

Fried-Noodles-1

After cooking the noodles, I used just enough sesame oil to fry them until lightly browned, and then combined the pasta with sauteed portobello mushroom, red bell pepper, broccoli, yellow onion, garlic and sesame seeds. It added just the right amount of crunch to these normally very soft, almost mushy noodles.

Fried-Noodles-2

Fried-Noodles-4

Fried-Noodles-5

Print
Pan Fried Sesame Chinese Noodles with Veggies
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 3
 

Ingredients
  • 1-9 oz package Chinese noodles
  • 2 cups broccoli
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1½ portobello mushroom caps
  • ¼ yellow onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1½ TBSP sesame oil
  • ½ cup vegetable broth
  • 1 TBSP roasted sesame seeds
  • ½ TSP sea salt
  • ¼ TSP black pepper

Instructions
  1. Mince garlic and onion and chop broccoli, pepper and mushroom into bite sized pieces.
  2. In a large pan, warm vegetable broth over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook until lightly browned.
  3. Add the rest of the veggies, and cook about 7-10 minutes, or until tender.
  4. Meanwhile, cook noodles al dente according to package directions, then drain.
  5. In another large saute pan, heat the sesame oil over medium-low heat.
  6. Add the noodles and cook until they’re lightly browned, constantly tossing.
  7. Once veggies are cooked add them to the pasta. Add sea salt and pepper and sprinkle sesame seeds on top, then toss to combine. Serve while hot.

Nutrition Information
Calories: 387, Fat: 10 g, Saturated fat: 1 g, Carbohydrates: 60 g, Fiber: 6 g, Protein: 14 g

PrintFriendly and PDFPrint This
Twitt

Hiking the Merry-Go-Round Trail at Mount Madonna County Park

May 13, 2013No comments

Hope that everyone had a great weekend and Mother’s Day!

photo-244

My hubby gave me flowers for being a wonderful canine mother. ;-)

I was thinking a lot about my mom yesterday and how much I appreciate her. Even though we live on opposite coasts, we talk at least once a day and are really close. She was on vacation with my dad in Aruba the past several days, so I kept thinking it was strange not getting to call her and wish her a happy Mother’s Day. I love my mama!

with my parents

with my parents

Yesterday Adam, Harley and I went hiking at a new spot nearby, called Mount Madonna County Park.

Mt Madonna-1

Adam and I were just recently talking about how neither of us have really seen Redwood trees before – because we’re planning a trip up to Redwood forests very soon! – and we were pleasantly surprised when we got to the park map and saw that Redwoods were along the trail we were about to hike. My guess is that these Redwoods are nowhere near as big as some of the ones we’ll see on our getaway soon, but they were really cool!

There’s something about seeing Redwood trees that puts life into perspective for me. I ran into this quote and thought it described the trees perfectly:

”The redwoods, once seen, leave a mark or create a vision that stays with you always. No one has ever successfully painted or photographed a redwood tree. The feeling they produce is not transferable. From them comes silence and awe. It’s not only their unbelievable stature, nor the color which seems to shift and vary under your eyes, no, they are not like any trees we know, they are ambassadors from another time.” – John Steinbeck

Mt Madonna-11

We hiked the Merry-Go-Round Loop. Based on what I’ve seen online, this trail is part of the whole hike around Sprig Lake (which, by the way, is not a lake at all now… though it must have been at some point) is around 9.5 miles. I believe the hike is a bit under 5 miles, though it’s times like these that I wish I still had my FitBit. As I’ve talked about on my blog before, I think the FitBit is a great healthy living tool. Unfortunately I lost it while on a motorcycle ride about a month ago. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve reached for it on my waist to check how many steps I’ve taken for the day, or to see how long a hike like this is!

Mt Madonna-2

Mt Madonna-6

Someone enjoyed climbing on fallen Redwoods like a monkey…

Mt Madonna-3

Mt Madonna-4

It took us a bit under 2 hours to loop around the trail, and it was decently challenging for a Sunday afternoon stroll. There was hardly anyone on the trail, and we let Harley off the leash to sniff around while we walked…

Mt Madonna-7

…which resulted in a very happy, tired puppy afterwards:

photo-260

Mt Madonna-10

I really enjoyed this hike and definitely plan to go back there soon!

PrintFriendly and PDFPrint This
Twitt

Ricotta Rigatoni with Zucchini, Tomato & Toasted Bread Crumbs

May 11, 2013No comments

Boy does it feel like summertime here in the Bay Area!

Today was a toasty 90 degrees… and I’m a little afraid for how hot it might be the actual summer. I’m just not made for hot weather! One of the reasons why I was crazy about San Diego was the usual 75 degree weather – ideal in my opinion – but I’ll stop being a baby and find a way to deal with whatever heat comes my way this upcoming season. ;-)

Earlier today I went to the Coyote Valley Family Farm Feast, an event that showcased locally grown food prepared by top chefs in the area. There were some really tasty food options offered, and I enjoyed two of the plates: a fava bean & radish salad, along with beet + goat cheese crostini. Both were awesome!

Having attended an event with such a wonderful theme of highlighting the connections between healthy land and preserving local farms with thriving communities, I was inspired in the kitchen while making tonight’s dinner.

rigatoni-1

Using fresh basil from my little plant, and onion, zucchini, and tomatoes I just picked up a nearby farmers market, I whipped up a tasty rigatoni dish with ricotta and bread crumbs that my hubby and I enjoyed on our patio with glasses of chilled, buttery chardonnay.

rigatoni-2

rigatoni-3

Print
Ricotta Rigatoni with Zucchini, Tomato & Toasted Bread Crumbs
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 4
 

Ingredients
  • 12 oz rigatoni, or other short shaped pasta
  • 1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
  • ½ cup white cooking wine
  • Zest from ½ small lemon
  • ¼ cup Italian bread crumbs
  • 1 TBSP butter
  • 1 large zucchini
  • 4 Roma tomatoes
  • ¼ yellow onion
  • 2 TBSP grated parmesan cheese
  • 3 TBSP fresh basil
  • ½ TSP salt
  • ¼ TSP pepper

Instructions
  1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
  2. Meanwhile, heat cooking wine in a large skillet over medium heat. Mince the onion, and add it to the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes until lightly browned.
  3. While onion cooks, dice the zucchini and tomato. Add to the cooking wine, and cook until veggies are softened, 5-7 minutes. Add the basil, then remove from heat.
  4. In a small pan, melt the butter. Add breadcrumbs and cook over medium-low heat until toasted, stirring often. Add grated parmesan cheese, mix to combine, then remove from heat.
  5. Once pasta is done cooking, drain and return back to pot.
  6. Add the veggie mixture to the pasta.
  7. Mix ricotta cheese with lemon zest, then add to the pasta. Add salt and pepper. Combine well.
  8. Pour into a serving dish, then sprinkle the bread crumbs on top. Enjoy immediately.

Nutrition Information
Calories: 470, Fat: 7 g, Saturated fat: 2 g, Carbohydrates: 81 g, Fiber: 6 g, Protein: 21 g

 

Off to relax the rest of my Saturday night away!

PrintFriendly and PDFPrint This
Twitt

Lemon Cashew Cranberry Date Bars

May 9, 2013Comments: 2

Yesterday was one of those days when everything just goes well.

First, I got a lot of things checked off my to-do list for work. Then my time at the gym was a tough, sweaty workout. I switched it up and tried the rowing machine for the first time to get more of an arm workout in and really liked it! I’m definitely going to add rowing into my repertoire of cardio exercises, especially when my legs are sore and need a bit of a break. Have I mentioned lately how I love trying out new types of exercise?!

Last night I had a dinner date with a girlfriend of mine that I met living in San Diego, Tiffany. She was in town for work, so we had dinner together. I was excited to have see her and have some girl time — I’ve been missing that since moving to the Bay Area and not having any good girlfriends up here (yet). We decided to meet at an Italian place in the downtown Campbell area called Tigelleria, which wound up being a fabulous pick. I was a bad blogger and took zero pictures, but our dinner was awesome and I definitely plan to get back there for another meal ASAP! Afterwards we split vegan cupcakes for dessert, which were a perfect ending to a great meal.

While the day ended well, it started just as well with an early morning kitchen creation:

Cashew-Bars

These bars are a copycat of a BluePrint bar I recently tried. The bar was tasty and only contained 4 ingredients: cranberrys, lemon zest, cashews and dates. Can’t get much more natural of a bar than that!

cashew-bars-2

I decided to replicate the bar at home using the same ingredients:

Cashew-Bars-1

After pulsing the ingredients in my food processor, I determined that the mixture wouldn’t stick together as is, so I threw everything in a bowl and added some honey to the mix as a sticking agent.

cashew-bars-3

cashew-bars-4

cashew-bars-5

cashew-bars-6cashew-bars-7

Print
Lemon Cashew Cranberry Date Bars
Author: 
Prep time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 6
 

Ingredients
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • ½ cup cashews (salted)
  • ¼ TSP lemon zest
  • ⅔ cup dates, halved
  • 2 TBSP honey

Instructions
  1. Pulse first 4 ingredients in a food processor until well combined.
  2. Transfer to a bowl, then drizzle honey into mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon.
  3. Pour mixture into a 6×9 baking dish lined with parchment paper. Press mixture firmly into the dish using the back of a spoon.
  4. Let the bars harden in the fridge, then cut into 6 bars.

Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 bar, Calories: 181, Fat: 4 g, Carbohydrates: 36 g, Sugar: 28 g, Fiber: 3 g, Protein: 2 g

These 5-ingredient bars are great as an on-the-go bite and as a snack to stave off hunger, plus they’re super easy to throw together!

PrintFriendly and PDFPrint This
Twitt

Today’s Eats: Keepin’ it Simple

May 7, 2013No comments

Some days my eats are awesome meals & snacks that I put an artistic flair into. Other days, the food I eat is not quite as exciting. It may be because I was just too busy to spend time or energy getting creative, or perhaps I just wasn’t in the mood to be. Today is a good example of a pretty boring yet healthy day of eats:

What-I-Ate-Today

My breakfast was a bowl of Kashi Go Lean cereal with sliced banana + almond milk:

kashi-cereal

For lunch I reheated some leftover veggie chili. I crunched up some multigrain crackers with sea salt from Crunchmasters on top. It was a little snack bag I got in my KLUTCHclub box shipment. The verdict? Light, yummy, and the mini bag was the perfect amount for adding some crunchiness to my soup.

Veg-Chili

Late in the afternoon, I took Harley for a hike. After experiencing toasty weather in the mid 90s last week, the lows 70s and cloudy today felt cool. It was nice, plus Harley doesn’t get tired out quickly when it’s cooler out.

 park-1

park-2

park-3

Harley despises posing for pictures. She pretty much looks everywhere except the camera 99% of the time! But how cute is she in this shot?

park-4

I think she is one happy puppy when she’s hiking around outside!

When we got back from our 90 minute hike, I made my beloved chocolate peanut butter protein shake to hold my hunger over for a couple of hours so that I could hold out to have dinner with my hubby (which didn’t wind up happening anyways – by 7:30 I was too hungry to wait any longer!).

Choc-PB-Shake

In the mix:

  • 1/2 banana
  • 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
  • 1 cup unsweetened chocolate almond milk
  • 1 packet of Stevia sweetener
  • 1 TBSP cocoa powder
  • 2 TBSP of PB 2
  • Ice

I’m already getting to the bottom of my PB 2 — I’m officially obsessed with this stuff and have been eating some every day since I bought it!

For dinner, I threw together some whole grain rotini with a touch of butter and grated pecorino romano with string beans.

Dinner

And then a little while ago, I snacked on a mango.

mango

After a couple of kind of easy peazy food days, I usually get in a recipe creation/cooking kind of mood… and that’s exactly how I’m feeling right now. I have a few recipe ideas floating around in my head that I’m going to experiment with in the next few days. Good night!

PrintFriendly and PDFPrint This
Twitt

Just Call Me Robert Mondavi

May 6, 2013Comments: 4

Hi friends! Today’s topic: wine. Why?

Because my hubby and I recently picked up a fun new hobby… winemaking!!  That’s right, besides drinking wine, I’m now making it as well.

I’ve certainly spent some time at wineries, from getting married to one in New Jersey…

Renault Winery, NJ

Renault Winery, NJ

…to visiting an underground winery in Missouri….

Stone-Hill

Stone Hill Winery, MS

…from many day trips to the little California wine region of Temecula….

Thorton-Winery

A tasting day with my best friend Meaghan

…to touring Sicilian wineries with a native restauranteur as our guide…

ITALY-305

…from picking grapes at a tiny awesome winery, to stomping grapes at a festival in Julian, CA…

grape-stomp

with my hubby and friend Jackie

….to making our way up the California coast and visiting Paso Robles, Santa Barbara, Napa, and Sonoma area wineries…

Stags-Leap
 …and now living in the Bay Area within a few miles of some adorable wineries. From the first winery I ever went to, I’ve been a lover of wine culture. More than just finding it all so obviously romantic & beautiful, I think it’s so interesting how tastes in wine change over time, even depending on the day or the mood you’re in, or how a food pairing can make all the difference in the world. I think the whole process of making wine is fascinating, and I want to soak up as much about it as I can. While I’ve learned things about wine along the way, I’m someone who learns best when I actually do. And so a few weeks ago it was decided that Adam and I would venture into the world of winemaking.

After purchasing all of the necessary tools, reading up on the art of making wine at home, and a minor hiccup involving my breaking the very delicate hydrometer necessary to start the fermentation process, followed by texts from Adam forbidding me from touching any more winemaking glassware….

texts

…my first batch of wine has now been nicely fermenting in my kitchen. Words like ”carboy” and ”sulfide stink” are now in my vocabulary, and I’m having fun with the process so far. It faintly smells like a winery in my house these days, and I like it!

primary-fermentation

I may be jumping the gun here, but hopefully within a couple of months, we’ll produce some very drinkable – or dare I say, good – merlot from California’s Stag’s Leap region (knock on wood)! I will certainly be blogging about it as we move forward with our at-home winemaking endeavor.

PrintFriendly and PDFPrint This
Twitt