Since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to do another installment of the Recipes to Inspire series, in case you are going to be cooking for your Valentine.  Here are some of the recipes I’ve seen around the interwebs that have caught my eye.

Red Curry Salmon Chowder

Besides the fact that this just LOOKS delicious, what I am really drawn to in this recipe is all the healthy fats.  Smack in the middle of winter means drier skin and hair, at least where I live.  My hands especially have been really dry, so I’ve been boosting my intake of the good fats to try to alleviate that without always needing lotion.  This recipe is chock full of healthy fats:  coconut oil, coconut milk and salmon.  The ginger and spicy pepper will make it a warming dish as well, perfect for dinner on a cold mid-February evening.

Nothing to tweak on this one – it’s written by one of my instructors and she’s a healthy eating maestro!

Jalapeño Crab Cakes

I adore crab cakes (or really any type of fish cake!).  It’s something I especially enjoy when dining out because I like to compare them from one restaurant to the next (even though I know when I eat them out I’m getting a few days’ worth of fat intake!).  I think the twist of adding jalapeño to them is interesting and original.

Shari Tweaks:  While I do have panko in my pantry, I usually sub my own bread crumbs that I make with the leftover heels from my sprouted grain loaves.  For pan frying, I’ll use coconut oil rather than the canola oil listed in the recipe.  As far as the slaw/salsa part of the recipe, I think I’d look for something a little different than what is shown because if I read this correctly the slaw is undressed?  I think this Southwestern Corn Slaw looks fun and light!

“Poor Man’s” Shrimp Cocktail (but no fish!)

How fun is this one?  It’s from the recent issue of Bon Appetit.  It’s not really shrimp.  It’s cauliflower!  Boiled in Old Bay.  I must try this.  I have some friends coming over for dinner in a few days – this might be a fun and easy appetizer.

Not really any tweaks to make to the recipe because everything is pretty straightforward.

Philly Cheese Steak (in your crock pot!)

So now that I’ve shared a bunch of ‘fishy’ recipes, I figured I better include one that MY Valentine would appreciate and eat, since he doesn’t like fish.   He loves Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches though and the fact that this one is for the crock pot is ideal, because I have a personal chef job that day and the LAST thing I want to do when I get home from cooking all day is cook some more!    This way I can have something at the ready with just a few minutes of prep when I walk in the door.

Shari Tweaks:  Since I’m not much for meat myself, I’ll add a few large sliced portobello mushrooms to the crockpot over to one side to be the ‘steak’ portion for my sandwich.  And I’ll probably pick up a whole wheat demi-baguette to use in place of the roll, and hollow it out a bit for serving.

***

Any big plans for Valentine’s Day?  If you are cooking, what’s on the menu?

***

For fun:  I love the idea from last week’s “Parks and Recreation” episode of getting all your gal pals together on February 13th for “Galentine’s Day“.  If you could use a chuckle, check out this slideshow of Leslie Knope’s “Tips for Creating Your Own Galentine’s Day“

See you next time!

– Shari B. =)

Previous Recipes to Inspire Posts:

Volume 1

Volume 2

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• Blackstrap & Mirin Caramelized Onions
• Autumn Vegetable Ragu with Pumpkin, Fennel and Sage
• Grill Fajitas

If you are a Colorado resident, hope you enjoyed the snow day on Friday.  For those of you not in CO, we had a solid snowstorm, dropping about 2 FEET of snow on most of us along the outskirts of Denver.  (I heard Blackhawk got FOUR feet!)

Views from our windows:

Not sure if this happens to other people, but there is something about a blizzard that makes me LAZY.  I didn’t work out all weekend and I ate a lot of starchy comfort food.

I do blame part of the food on having received this as a birthday gift:

Excitement just doesn’t cut it!  I’ve always wanted a stand mixer.  Now I finally have one!   (Thank you to my sweet husband for adding to my kitchen gadget arsenal!)

So of course I had to make stuff!  Almond cake, two different batches of dark chocolate chunk cookies, a loaf of yeast-free bread.

This mixer might be bad for my waistline! 

But now that the ‘birthday blizzard weekend of gluttony’ is over and it’s MONDAY, that means my year of “Fit & Fine at 39” commences!  2012 in general has been off to a really great start with fitness and food – now I plan to dial it in even a little further.

The first item on the menu today?  A green juice!

And as I write this I am drinking a multi-green kombucha.  The color tone I plan to set for this year is GREEN.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!  And if you have sunshine near you, please send it our way so we can melt off some of this white stuff!

– Shari B. =)

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How did your first month of 2012 go?  Mine will be known as “Jam-packed January”.  I don’t remember the last time I had such a busy month!  When the blog gets quiet, you know things are going bonkers around here!  No complaints though – I’m thankful to be busy with work.   Although recently I’ve been finding that the more cooking I do for clients, the less cooking I do for my household.   It’s kind of a “cobbler’s children go unshod” situation – the chef’s hubby is left unfed!    Thank goodness for Chipotle bowls!

I did have one quick snack recently that I wanted to share with you.  As you may know, one of my favorite spices is Smoked Spanish Hot Paprika.  I love to pair it with sweet potatoes.  Well, I had half of a baked sweet potato left over so I mashed it up with a few sprinkles of paprika and a small spoon of fresh red miso and WOW was it delicious!   A little sweet, a little salty (from the miso), a little spicy & smoky…  I shaved a little raw goat cheddar over the top and finished it with a little sesame seed gomasio.  This would be a great side dish for burgers or even some seared tuna.  Don’t worry about measuring the spice and miso.  Just go by taste!

I’ll be working on the next installment of Recipes to Inspire soon.  I have had a brand new Bon Appetit magazine sitting on my coffee table for 2 weeks and last night was the first time I had a chance to crack it open.  Since I have some time scheduled for recipe testing next week, I’m on the lookout for some fun ideas!

Here’s to a FABULOUS February for us all!  And Happy Groundhog Day EVE! 

– Shari B. =)

Related FitFeat Posts to Check Out:

• Recipes to Inspire: Volume 3
• Save at Starbucks Today
• Recipes to Inspire: Volume 2

I posted this to the FitFeat FB page this morning but the mobile app thinks I was posting as a fan of the page and not as the admin, so it won’t hit your news feeds. Hopefully the WordPress mobile app I’m trying now for the first time works a little better!

I came across this article for treadmill workouts and the tips were almost identical to how I keep myself from getting bored when I have to do indoor cardio, so I thought I’d share it. Another trick I utilize is when I am watching recorded TV programs on the treadmill, I’ll walk on a high incline during the show to keep my heart rate high but then kick it up to running or sprint intervals during the commercial breaks.

Treadmill workouts

Have a great Monday & a FIT week!

– Shari B. =)

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I’ve got my hands full in the kitchen for the next couple of day but wanted to let you know that I finally got around to giving FitFeat its own page on Facebook so if you are on FB and want to like the page for extra fit living tips, food photos (and maybe an occasional giveaway!) feel free to swing on by and give it the ol’ thumbs up.  (And if you made your way here from FB, WELCOME!)

Things have been hopping on this end, per usual.  You’ll notice that if you used to use the www.fitfeat.com address to access this blog, it now routes over to my personal chef page.  So you’ll want to update your bookmark for the blog to http://fitfeat.com/blog.  Rather than continue to run two separate entities (FitFeat for training and Chef Shari for personal cheffing) it is all under one ‘roof’ now with FitFeat, LLC.  Over time, you’ll see some small changes to the blog that reflect the new structure.  But not just yet, because I haven’t figured out how to chop vegetables and type at the same time. 

Hope you are having a fabulous day so far!  See you soon!

– Shari B. =)

P.S. => Who’s making MOCHI waffles tomorrow for breakfast??

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• Mochi, the Adult Version of Sea Monkeys!

Fortunately I did take some time out to relax a bit over the weekend and make a fun Sunday breakfast. Have you ever had MOCHI before?

I knew it existed, I had read recipes for things to make with it (muffins, pizza crusts, waffles), but I’d just never picked any up at the store.  Cory loves waffles and so I decided to see what this mochi was all about.

One thing I love about the original flavor is the ingredient list:  Organic sweet brown rice, filtered water.

That’s it!

I cannot take credit for this fun idea – I learned the technique from Alicia Silverstone in her book The Kind Diet.  She has kindly included the recipe on her website as well for those of you who want to give it a try.   I didn’t make the syrup in the recipe – I just used a little raw honey and sprinkled it with chopped almonds.

This is my kind of cooking.  You cut the mochi into strips, lay it on your waffle iron, and VOILA – it grows into a waffle like those crazy sea monkeys we used to add to water as kids.

They were pretty good!  Definitely chewy and you want to add flavor with some sort of topping because alone they taste like, well… rice.

I even had some strips of tempeh bacon that I’d made the day before.  It was a fun and FAST breakfast for a lazy Sunday morning.

Next time I’ll have to try the Raisin-Cinnamon flavor!

Have you ever made mochi?  How do you like to prepare it? 

– Shari B. =)

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• Review: The Kind Diet
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It’s another cold and snowy morning in Denver today.

Oh summer sunshine, how I miss you so.  Please hurry back!

Since greens remind me of warmer days, I thought I’d share another kitchen tip with you today.  Treat your greens like freshly cut flowers and they will last longer.  I do this with kale, parsley and cilantro regularly.

Grab a heavy glass jar (this is where my leftover almond butter jars come in handy) and fill with enough filtered water that the cut end of the stems sit are just dipped in.

Cover very lightly with a plastic bag to create its own little greenhouse.

Place in your refrigerator.

Change the water every few days as you would with a bouquet of flowers.

Fresh herbs elevate the flavor of just about every dish and they can be pretty pricey!  So making sure they last longer is important to me because I really hate to throw money into my garbage disposal.

Organic kale is no bargain either at $3 a bunch.  If your kale does start to get ‘wilty’ before you get a chance to use it all, make some kale chips with it, juice it or toss some into a green smoothie.

Have a super day and if you have sunshine where you live, please send a little to Colorado! 

– Shari B. =)

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I added a fun new book to my cooking library last night – Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom:  Essential Techniques and Recipes from a Lifetime of Cooking.

Just in flipping through it I learned an interesting tip that I wanted to share with you.  (I’m sure those of you out there who are bakers already know this but since I don’t work much with pastries and doughs, it was news to me.)  Baking powder can go bad around the 6 month mark after being opened.  Fortunately you can test whether it is still usable by putting a teaspoon or so into hot water.  If it fizzes up, it’s still good.  I tried it this morning because coincidentally I will be cooking a recipe for a client next week that includes a baking powder biscuit and what do you know – it FIZZED!  Just like an Alka-Seltzer tablet would.

Not sure how it is that I never knew that…!  But thank you Julia for teaching me. 

Now here’s a tip of my own to share with you:  keep a Sharpie marker in your kitchen and always label things with the date that you opened them (on a piece of masking tape, if the containers aren’t disposable).  I do this in my own kitchen as well as clients’.  Things have a way of getting opened, then getting ‘lost’ in a pantry or the back of the fridge.  Time flies by and it’s hard to remember how old it is.  I write on everything:  veggie broth, bags of dried goods (beans, rices, pastas, flours, etc.), spices, capers, salad dressing, tamari, you name it.  And when you mark your baking powder upon opening, you’ll know when it might be needing to be tested with Julia’s tip above!

Have a fabulous weekend, friends!

– Shari B. =)

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How is 2012 starting off for you?  I still can’t believe it’s January already. It feels like it was just yesterday that Cory and I were at the Haunted Forest for Halloween!

On the workout front, the year is off to a great start and my “no slacker tracker” is all filled in so far!  I’ve kicked up the intensity for the start of this year as I need to build back some of my missing fitness.  I let some of it get away last year (in both strength and cardiovascular endurance ability) so I’m currently splitting out the body parts in a more traditional bodybuilding fashion, rather than a full body Tabata workout as I’d done a lot of last year.  I plan to continue this for the first quarter and assess my progress.  It looks like this for now:

• Chest/Shoulders/Biceps
• Cardio (some intervals, some steady state)
• Legs
• Back/Triceps/Core
• Cardio Legs (hi rep routine w/ lots of lunges, squats and light plyometrics)

I’ll fill in the other days with yoga/hiking/walking/social-cizing, whatever feels fun in the moment.

And maybe some more classes like this:  last week, I had the fun opportunity to workout at a new OrangeTheory Fitness location that will be opening for business next week.   I was invited to attend one of their free mock classes prior to their Grand Opening and I was excited to do something different (and truth be told, have someone tell ME what exercises to do for a change).  It’s a group fitness session that incorporates cardio intervals and circuit training.

It was a really fun workout and the hour flew by.  They provide you with a heart rate monitor and your heart rate is posted on big screen monitors, along with all of your fellow exercisers’ heart rates.  We started out on cardio equipment to warm-up:  half on rowers, half on treadmills.  Then the rowing group moved to the gym where were did giant sets of exercises.  For example, 10 reps each of weighted squats, then dumbbell rows, then chest presses, then lunges, then back extensions and repeat a few times.  We went through three different giant sets along those lines, and it gets your heart pumping.  Next thing you know, 30 minutes has flown by and it’s time to trade with the peeps on the treadmill.  The instructor then led us through a running interval session (or power walking at an incline if you prefer) for the remainder of the class.  Then we cooled down and did a quick round of stretches.  The energy was great and the staff was really friendly and supportive. They also had a lot of fun fitness toys, like BOSU balls and TRX suspension trainers.

If you have one in your area and you are looking to switch things up, give it a try!  I haven’t found any info yet on what the cost is for membership or whether they offer drop-ins.  I’ll update this post when I get that info.

Have you been to an OrangeTheory class?  Or do you have one nearby but haven’t yet tried it?

Have a GREAT day friends!

– Shari B. =)

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I just finished an AWESOME lower body workout and am sipping on a green post-workout smoothie.  We attempted a hike this morning so we got really bundled up and strapped on our Yak Trax. We knew it was windy when we drove to the trailhead, but we literally got out of the car, took three steps, looked at each other and said, “Indoor workout instead??”  Holy hurricane winds, Batman!  You could hardly stand up straight.  So we came home, took the dogs out for Riley’s vet-ordered mini-walk (which really looks more like a drunken sailor wobble for Riley) while we were still bundled up tight and then I did 50 minutes of walking lunges, squats, wall squats, deadlifts, wide/straight leg deadlifts, calf raises, step ups, pulsing lunges, etc.  You get the idea.  I will be feeling it tomorrow!

No sense waiting until tomorrow to work on those 2012 intentions!  I feel a productive day coming on!

I have printed out my January No Slacker Tracker – if you are new to FitFeat, here is a post I wrote on it before.  And here is a link to a free January 2012 printable for you if you want your own.

This will give me a quick visual of when I’m moving my bod (I’ll mark that with one color and plan to also use another color to mark the days I feel I’m being nutritionally supportive of it as well).  All these little head colds are definitely my body’s way of telling me I haven’t been feeding it properly lately.

Really minimizing sugars (outside of fruit) will be on my list.  Good thing these arrived for Christmas and have already been gobbled up:

Huge thanks to my super friend Allison of The Sunday Flog for sending these delicious (and GORGEOUS) cookies.  What a fun treat!  Cory knows that when something is going to arrive in the mail from her, it’ll be delightful so he made trip after trip to the mailbox in anticipation.  (Last year her caramels were amazing and so were the FitFeat cookies!).   My photos don’t do her cookies justice, so go check out her post where she shows all the hard work and love that went into making these.  Allison, we devoured them that night and saved a couple to have with our coffee the next morning – thank you so much for the wonderful gift!

On that note friends, have an amazing celebration to ring in 2012 tonight!  I’m gonna go hit the list of things to get done and then I need to get ready to head out for our evening!

See you *next year*! 

– Shari B. =)

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