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Posts Tagged healthy eating

Saturday Souffle

Aug 12

Posted by Shari B. in Cooking | 6 Comments

Hi friends!

Happy Friday!  It has been a little quiet on the blog this week.  I was out of town Saturday through Tuesday and then had a ton of work to catch up on when I got back.  I’m always amazed at how busy I am for not having a “regular” job.  When “they” say that you work a lot more hours being self-employed, they were right, at least about me.  And then you realize how many of those hours are unpaid! :)   Fortunately, it’s also true that when you LOVE what you do, you aren’t really WORKING!

And I have a tendency to WORK at bizarre hours.  Like last Saturday morning when I had a plane to catch, I still felt the need to make mini souffles at 5:00 AM before I left.  We’d watched an episode of “MasterChef” the night before on the DVR and their challenge was a perfect savory cheese souffle.  Truth be told, I’d never made a souffle before.  And it bothered me.  So I wanted to try one too.

But you guys know I don’t like to make a big fuss in the kitchen so I found a recipe that didn’t require me to separate the eggs, make a roux, beat egg whites and then fold them in.  Bonus!

The recipe can be found over at STEAMY KITCHEN for those of you that want to try it out too.

And OF COURSE I tweaked the ingredients a bit…  Where it calls for sour cream and whole milk, I used organic Greek yogurt and almond milk.  Because that’s what I had in my kitchen at the time.  And I really cut back on the cheese.

(Yes, I’m trying to eat a little dairy again here and there in the form of Greek yogurt and CULTURED cottage cheese to see how things go – but that’s a whole other post… ;) )

And because I don’t have a souffle dish big enough for one large souffle, I made this version into MINI souffles.

Here are the action shots!

 

(It actually only made four and a half mini souffles, I was aiming for 6)

I wondered if I’d have any trouble with the souffle rising, seeing how I live at 6,000′ above sea level.  But VOILA:

They did in fact rise!

My thoughts:

  • I liked this recipe because it’s a lot easier than having to separate all the eggs and whip up the whites to peaks separately and then folding them back in, not to mention making a roux. Less dirty dishes makes me happy!
  • I did not taste the Tabasco at all.  There really wasn’t a whole lot of “flavor” to be found and maybe that was because I cut back on the cheese.  Cory reheated the leftovers the next day and he said he thought they had better flavor the second time.  I’ll experiment with flavors the next time, additional pepper, more spice.  (It would be helpful if I’ve actually had a cheese souffle at a fancy restaurant so that I could compare.) The inside was creamy, which from what I understand is what you are aiming for with a souffle.
  • Truth be told, if I want to serve an egg dish to company, I think I’ll go with good ol’ scrambled eggs (with fresh garlic added right at the end, OMG that’s my favorite) or Mediterranean Egg and Quinoa bake, simply because then I don’t have to worry about it “falling” before it gets to the table.  I’m already pretty bossy – so I can just picture myself at a brunch yelling at everyone to hurry up and sit down so I can get the souffles to the table before they cave!  :)   Probably not the best way to welcome my guests to their food!

Have you ever eaten a restaurant souffle?  Have you made them?  Savory or sweet?  I’d love to hear your experience with them.

– Shari B. =)

 

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Are You a Sugar-holic?

Aug 5

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit, Lose Weight | 8 Comments

Many of you may already know of Kris Carr’s amazing story and her equally amazing blog, Crazy Sexy Life.  (If you don’t know of her, you’ll find her to be inspiring.)  I don’t always get enough spare time to read all of the posts (and she has a lot of really great contributors) but the one I did read today really hit home.

The blog post itself is actually about alcohol and binge drinking, but after I read it through the first time, I went back through and replaced “alcohol” with sugar and “drinking” with eating.  Because truth be told, I go through times where sugar lures me back in to its evil grip and it’s a hard habit to break.  Chemically, sugar works in the same pleasure center of the brain that other addictions do.  I had a spell early this year where I just found myself going overboard way too often with sugary foods.  And now that the Halloween candy is starting to show up in the stores again (I saw some yesterday!) I thought this might be a timely topic.

Binge eating (especially binging on sugar or things that turn to sugar) can do a lot of damage to the body, besides just adding pounds.  Sugar is acid-forming so it throws your pH off balance, it can lead to inflammation, candida overgrowth, lowered immune function diabetes, and much more.  And the more you eat the sweet stuff, the more you WANT the sweet stuff, and the more of it you NEED to get the same “soothing” benefits.

I’m going to quote a couple of the questions asked in the article but I’ll replace them with sugar:

Do you sometimes eat sugar/sweets when you’re alone? What about when you’re angry or sad?

Why, yes.  Yes I do eat them when I’m alone sometimes, truth be told.  And I know that I reach for sugary stuff sometimes when I’m upset, especially when I’ve let my feelings get hurt.

Fortunately I have a much healthier relationship with ALL foods than I did in my past.  I’m not nearly as restrictive or regimented.  But that does allow for that sneaky SUGAR MONSTER to try to wheedle his way back in since I let him stop by for a visit every once in a while.  The trick is learning when to cut that visit short, and get back to eating foods that provide real nourishment rather than rob us of it.

If you find that you have trouble controlling sugar, take a look at the post, replacing those words I mentioned and be honest with yourself.  Do you think you are a sugar-holic?  If so, here are some additional articles you might enjoy reading and the first one on the list has some strategies ideas as well:

Sugar Addiction?  It Might Be Genetic

Dr. Mark Hyman on Food Addiction

Sugar Is Poison

When I am eating well and not wanting to get back on that sugar roller coaster, the “trick” that I find works for me is this:  if I am experiencing a craving for refined junk, I’ll turn to a sweet fruit. Granted we can overdo natural sugars as well, but overeating mangoes or sweet cherries is a heck of a lot less damaging than binging on a bag of mini Twix bars.  At the very least I’m getting some good nutrients and fiber.  And you’ll actually stop much sooner calorically than you would with the refined stuff.

Do you have any favorite strategies for conquering your sugar monster?  Please share in the comments section – we can all learn from each other.

Hope your Friday is FABULOUS so far!

– Shari B. =)

 

 

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If You Live In Swelterville…

Jul 28

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 6 Comments

Hi friends!

So are you in a heat wave where you live?  We are looking at the 13th or 14th day of 90+ temps today.  I don’t mind ONE bit.  Why?  Because I see the temps down in Arizona (thanks iPhone for that cool feature) everyday and I can’t tell you the last time I’ve seen them below 100 for their daily highs.  When I look at their forecast, I see this:  104, 107, 107, 105, 106, 105, 108.

Holy hot pants, Batman!  That’s crazy hot!  So 90+ in Denver – it’s like the north pole up here!

You know what cools the soul on a super hot day?  Green smoothies!  Especially if you put cucumber in it!  (Cucumbers are very cooling and very hydrating.)

Right now as I type this I am drinking the ugliest of green smoothies. Thanks to a couple of frozen cherries AND some greens powder in addition to my 1/2 cucumber, 4 kale leaves (oh darn I just realized I forgot my celery), 1 scoop of Amazing Meal and a banana.  Well,  it’s not a your typical bright green.  :)

Hello UGLY SMOOTHIE!

Thank you banana for being able to hide plenty of green flavor and make this ugly thing taste SO MUCH BETTER than it looks!

I was in dire need of getting back to my usual eating habits.  After our road tripping weekend plus MSP’s birthday and the free stuff I ate at the IKEA grand opening yesterday (that is a whole other post…) I have taken in what feels like a mountain of sugar.  And my tummy has been vocal in letting me know that it wanted the healthy stuff back!

After a morning run at my favorite hilly trail, I made a green juice (much prettier green!)

My mid-morning snack was a slice of toasted Ezekial with miso, almond butter and cinnamon (with a side of coconut water and some B12)

For lunch, I had a leftover hummus plate from Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill that I reworked into a wrap (2 pcs falafel, pickled cabbage, hummus, tomato/cucumber dicers and a bit of tabbouleh)

Dinner is yet TBD.  I have no clue what I’m making for dinner and the day is flying by.  Too much to do, too little time!  I need to continue recipe testing “freezer” recipes, so if you have ideas for me send them my way!  I could use some inspiration!  :)

***

Speaking of MSP’s birthday, as a gift to him, I’m going to return his real name to him on the blog.  I don’t think he’s ever been a fan of the “MSP” moniker (which actually was just my shortened way to say My Sweetie Pie) — maybe it has something to do with being too close to PMS?  I can’t be sure. ;)   Either way, Happy Happy Birthday to my sweetie pie, Cory.   (Well, happy bday yesterday that is, since I’m just writing today!)  In one of my next posts, I’ll fill you in on how we spent most of his birthday at IKEA.  Weird way to spend a birthday, you might think, but we had a blast!  I’ll show you why!

Have a great day blog buds!  If you are sweltering wherever you live I will send cooling thoughts your way!

– Shari B. =)

 

 

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Independence: Free Yourself from Bad Habits

Jul 1

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 9 Comments

Happy Friday FitFeat Friends!  Welcome to the long holiday weekend (in a few hours anyway!).

I’m drinking a refreshingly tart green smoothie this morning. It includes:

  • 1/2 lemon (peeled)
  • 1/3 grapefruit (peeled)
  • handful red grapes
  • 2 kale leaves
  • handful spinach
  • drizzle of hemp oil
  • 1/3 frozen banana
  • 1/2 cucumber
  • 1 celery stalk
  • 1 scoop vanilla “Raw Protein” sprouted grain powder (Garden of Life)

You can definitely taste the grapefruit!

This is following a leg-shaking lower body Tabata workout today.  (I’m officially cleared for exercise again!  Wahoo!)

  • BW Speed Squat Taps
  • Barstool Swings + Squat (place a tall stool in front of you.  Swing one leg up and over it then squat down, repeat other side.)
  • Straight Leg Deadlifts
  • Clam (for glutes)
  • Yoga cycle:  Twisting Chair Prayer left and right, Reverse Warrior left and right, Plank, Eagle Pose left and right, regular Chair Pose
  • Core cycle: supermans, boat pose

As I type it out, it looks easy but it was surprisingly challenging.  I think Tabata timing makes any exercise movement more challenging.

***

Seeing how we are coming up on the 4th of July, I wanted to repost one of my FitFeat favorites (from July 2010).  I still love its message.  Plus, today being July 1, we are now officially in the second half of the year.  Spend some time today revisiting resolutions or goals made back on January 1 – anything you still want to work on?  Or maybe you’ve accomplished them all and you are ready to make some new ones!

Something New to Celebrate This Independence Day

I always love the start of a new month – it’s like a mini-New Year celebration every 30 days or so!  Feels like a fresh start.  Each July to me often feels like an especially clean slate – we’re starting the second half of the year.  I like to remind clients to celebrate an additional kind of independence over this holiday weekend (and throughout the month).

Become independent and free yourself:

  • from toxic foods/additives – eliminate them as much as you can to get things back to balance – this is a great time to just cleanse the system with plant foods.  Drink a green smoothie, eat some fresh berries, have a cool salad for dinner.
  • from addictive sugar cravings – this is a tough one, I know! I struggle with this off and on.  Stop consuming refined sugar for a few days in a row and then it becomes a piece of (sugarless) cake.  The first days are the hardest but if you get past the ‘hump’ you’ll thank yourself for it.  ;)
  • from being bound by restrictive diets – pick some healthy habits and live by those rather than feeling that you have to follow strict rules that will ultimately make you binge or backslide later on.
  • from being a slave to body image – hey we all have something we personally think is a ‘flaw’ but how about this month, let’s pick something about our bodies to LOVE when we look in the mirror.

These are just a few examples to get you thinking!

What not-so-great habit will you break free of this Independence Day and replace with a new healthy one?

»crosslinked«

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Juicehead

Apr 16

Posted by Shari B. in Handy Kitchen Tools, vegan | 8 Comments

High-Dee-Hoe friends!  Any Jersey Shore fans out there?  If so, let me assure you the title of this post is not “juicehead” in the same meaning used on the show, LOL!  ;) (But I must admit my Thursday TV line-up feels a little blah now that Season 3 is over!)

Anyhoooo – I think I may actually have (partially) rejoined the land of the living.  This “cold” or whatever it is has really wreaked a little havoc on things around here.  Primarily my SCHEDULE!!  Oh yeah, and any thoughts of wanting to exercise.

I feel like my poor liver is going to be a toxic wasteland after all this, because I’ve resorted taking Advil, Nyquil, Mucinex, Jack Daniels, Ambien, you name it, if it might make me feel better, I was ready to pop it (and just to be clear, I am not taking these at the same time.  Well, except for the one night that I did have Nyquil and a cup of hot toddy which does have whiskey in it ;D ).

This bug is very stealth.  It likes to trick you into thinking you are getting better because during the daytime you feel physically OK for the most part.  But then evening hits, and BAM, it takes you DOWN in a hurry (and steals your sleep with it)!  Hence trying anything each day to see if I could get a few zzzzzzz’s.

I feel the need to do a little “cleansing” because of all this so I actually caved and got a juicer.

I’ve always been a bit “anti-juice”.  I think this comes from way back in my “Zone Diet days”.  Juice was the devil because you were getting all of the sugar and none of the fiber, which would in turn cause your blood sugar to spike.  This is partly why I prefer “blended” juices (like green smoothies) where the fiber remains for consumption.

Let me state for the record that I still feel this way about most fruit juices.

However, I think I’ve been sold on green juice.  On a recent trip, I had the good fortune of being treated to an organic, fresh, all-green juice.  It was fabulous and I literally felt a sense of ‘energetics’ in my body shortly after drinking it, almost like a caffeine buzz.

So I searched high and low for a place around where I live that makes fresh ORGANIC green juice.  I found two places about 15 miles away, but neither is using organic veggies.  Which just wigs me out when it comes to juice.  I do not want a glass of concentrated pesticides, thankyouverymuch.

The next nearest place was 30 miles – but a 60 mile round trip for juice is just a little silly.

Enter the “20% off” coupon from Bed, Bath and Beyond and I’m now the new owner of a Breville JuiceFountain.

For my first few batches I used celery, cucumber, parsley, ginger, and a little lemon.

Then this morning I got a little more brave.  This combo sounds like it should be gross but it was so good! Don’t let the red fool you though, this juice was mostly from greens.

  • 1/2 raw beet
  • 2 large stalks from heads of broccoli
  • about 1 head of romaine
  • large handful of parsley
  • about 2″ of ginger root
  • 1/4 fuji apple
  • 1 english cucumber
  • juice from half a lemon (which I just squeezed in at the end)

It made about a glass and a half of the one pictured above.  I forced encouraged MSP to take a sip, which he finally did.  Let’s just say he’ll be sticking to carrot apple juice for now.  :)

I’ll never replace my green smoothies, that’s for sure.  But I like having the option to add even a little more “green” to my day, especially while I clean all the ‘junk’ from my system over the next few weeks.

Are you a fan or foe of juicing?  If you juice, do you have a favorite veggie? My great friend Keri (owner of Om of the Rockies yoga) shared with me that she likes to include daikon radish in hers.  I thought that was genius and I can’t wait to give it a try!

Have a SPLENDID Saturday!

– Shari B. =)

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BEET This Crazy Club Sandwich

Apr 8

Posted by Shari B. in Cooking | 6 Comments

Well, it’s official.  I have the ‘crud’ that’s going around.  Still no voice, the uncontrollable coughing kicked in last night, the plugged ears and headache today, and even LESS voice than I had yesterday.  Whereas before I could talk kind of in a whisper, now nothing really comes out except for a few squeaks.

Sadly it doesn’t keep me from still trying to talk.  I just cannot be silent.  You know that vow of silence scene in Eat, Pray, Love?  I would never make it more than 18 seconds.

So today I wanted to make an effort to rest (so far I’ve not been all that successful at it) so that hopefully by the end of the weekend I can beat this thing.

And by resting, of course one means tinkering in the kitchen…

I saw a traditional club sandwich over at The Pioneer Woman’s site today and it sounded so wonderful.  Except for the bacon, the deli meat and the cow dairy cheese – all of which I’d end up having to pick off.  :)   But it did give me a spark of inspiration!

I’d purchased beets yesterday to roast for a salad but decided they had to be in sandwich form instead.  Here’s how my thinking process went.  First I wondered if maybe I should just do it as a wrap since beets are messy and stain everything within a 2 foot radius it seems.  Then I was wondering whether I really wanted to use all those pieces of bread to make a club sandwich (especially since it had to be a serving for ONE and I knew this wasn’t something you could really stick in the fridge for later) so I decided to make it as a ‘half’ sandwich.  Then I wondered what the heck I’d put between the other layers of the club’wich. Well let’s see, what goes with beets?  Goat cheese – which I had.  Hazelnuts or walnuts, which I didn’t have on hand, but hey how about some all natural peanut butter or almond butter?  Oranges and apples go with beets – again, no luck.  But I had apricot fruit spread.  And so on and so forth… Convoluted, I know.  It’s just how my brain works.  (And I haven’t even taken any cold medicine yet!)

And you know what else worked?  This sandwich!

Can you BEET This Triple Decker Crazy Club

In usual FitFeat fashion, this is definitely a “Build a Meal” not a recipe.  The idea of this is to figure out what you have on hand, be bold in pairing things together and you might just love what you created!

I start by putting a bunch of stuff in a pile on the counter.  Even when making a sandwich I make a MESS out of my kitchen.

Then I smeared some all natural peanut butter on half a slice of toasted Ezekial and apricot just fruit spread on the other:

In this layer went slices of beet.  Then I ‘closed the lid’ and on the top of it I smeared a mixture of greek yogurt with a little dijon plus some sea salt and pepper:

I ‘massaged’ some olive oil onto arugula (mainly so it would break down a bit – on such a narrow sandwich, I didn’t want pieces of greens falling out.  This makes them ‘stick’ in the sandwich a little better):

I layered on the arugula, some red onion pieces and some chopped fresh basil:

Next I smeared goat cheese onto the remaining halves of toast:

One half of the goat cheesed toast went face down and the top of it was smeared with a little more of the yogurt mixture, and then topped with some hard boiled egg slices:

Then the top was added along with 2 toothpicks to hold it all together for slicing:

Cut in half to make a tall tower and serve!

Did you follow all that wackiness?  Ezekial toast, peanut butter, beets, apricot spread, arugula, olive oil, basil, salt/pepper, Greek yogurt, dijon mustard, red onion, goat cheese, hard boiled egg. Did I forget anything?? Is that a Crazy Club or what?

It was awesome!  A little sweet/salty from the PB, sweet from the apricot, bitter from the arugula, kick from the onion, and creamy all over.  I think this might be the most unique sandwich I’ve ever made!  It was fun to look at and fun to eat!

What is the most unique thing you’ve thrown together with just whatever you had on hand? Did it taste amazing or did it get tossed?

Blog buds, I hope you have a FABULOUS Friday and an even more WONDERFUL weekend!  Comment lots – I’m stuck here on the couch and need the ‘virtual conversation’!  ;)

– Shari B. =)

(And thank you Ree aka Pioneer Woman for the inspiration to get me into my kitchen for some fun today!)

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A Toast to Miso

Mar 23

Posted by Shari B. in Cooking | 3 Comments

Good morning FitFeat friends!

Welcome to midweek!  :)   We’ll be halfway to the weekend at lunchtime today!

Speaking of lunch, I’m looking forward to mine today.  I picked up a nice piece of sashimi grade tuna that I’m going to crust with sesame seeds and wasabi powder then sear on a super hot pan.  I also bought a blood orange to go with it so I’m trying to decide if I want to juice it and reduce it with a little soy sauce or balsamic to make a syrupy drizzle.  For the side I have some broccoli slaw that I will most likely sautée. Mmmm I hope it turns out photo-worthy for the blog!  :)

So I have a new favorite toast obsession that may fall under the category of “Shari and Her Weird Food”!  I’ll let you be the judge of that.

It’s still my favorite delicious Ezekial toast – but I’ve been topping one of the pieces with MELLOW WHITE MISO! It’s delicious!  (In the pic above, the one on the right has the miso on it, left is almond butter).  Drizzle a little raw organic honey on it and I’m telling you it’s AWESOME!  A little salty from the miso, a little sweet from the honey.  LOVE IT.

I’ve also done the same thing on Ezekial sprouted grain English muffins:

I would say it’s no more than 1 teaspoon smeared on there.  You don’t want to go overboard because miso is a little high in sodium.  But it is a great source of trace minerals, and because it’s a fermented food it provides beneficial bacteria and enzymes (provided you don’t overheat it).

I’ve even mixed a little miso into Tofutti (dairy-free cream cheese spread) and smeared it on my Wasa crackers:

More reading on MISO:

From the last article in the list above, I found this interesting:  “Miso soup consumption is linked with up to a 50% reduced risk of breast cancer according to the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.”

Do you enjoy miso?  How do you like to use it?

– Shari B. =)

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No Longer a Sardine Scaredy-Cat

Mar 18

Posted by Shari B. in Cooking, Pescatarian | 2 Comments

Hi friends!

Happy Friday!  I hope that you all had a FUN St. Patty’s day yesterday!  We celebrated the birthday of my lovely friend Keri, from Om of the Rockies, last night.  And at a Thai restaurant thankfully!  So we were able to miss the crazy crowds.  :)

I didn’t cook any special meal for the holiday this time, like I did for Mardi Gras.  I’ve been cooking a ton of OTHER stuff during the week, so I think by the time yesterday rolled around I wasn’t feeling inspired by anything in particularly related to the holiday.  (Would you believe I didn’t even have a GREEN smoothie on St. Patrick’s Day??  If ANY day calls for a green smoothie, March 17 would certainly be it, right?)

I did welcome back an old friend though – one that hasn’t been in my food rotation for a while.   A PITA PIZZA!!!  My favorite!

mmm this one had roasted veggies (mushrooms, red peppers and zucchini) with some green olives, fresh garlic, olive oil, sundried tomatoes, a few bits of goat cheese and after cooking I topped it with fresh basil.  I’ve had two this week already and I’m thinking I’ll be having a third today for lunch!

I also picked up a copy of Eating Well magazine over the weekend and have been trying out a few of their recipes.

I just happened to have all the ingredients on hand for their Smoky Artichoke-Sardine Salad, which I thought sounded really unique and interesting.  I bought a can of sardines a LONG time ago because of all the wonderful health benefits that sardines provide (excellent source of Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, omega 3 fatty acids and selenium).  Then the poor little guys just sat in my pantry.  I was always scared to open the can!  But I finally got up the nerve and they taste great!

If you’re in the mood for a change of pace in your salads, go check out the recipe at Eating Well.  :)

Are you a sardine lover?  Or you still staring at a can of them like I did, wondering what do with them? Sardine fans, share your favorite ways to eat them so that FitFeat readers who are hesitant to try them can get their vitamin D fix this weekend!

Speaking of Vitamin D – SPRING arrives this weekend!

Have a FABULOUS FRIDAY, blog buds!

– Shari B. =)

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Purple Potato Eater

Jan 31

Posted by Shari B. in Cooking | 7 Comments

Hi FitFeat friends!

I ran across some purple potatoes at the store recently and I couldn’t wait to get them home and eat them!

Aren’t they pretty when they’re sliced?

They even bleed purple juice…!

I melted a little coconut oil to rub on them, then sprinkled them with sea salt and herbes de Provence.  In my opinion they were just asking for the lavender mixed in that spice blend.

I spread them out on a baking sheet and roasted them in a 375 degree oven.

Apparently, they cook really fast compared to white potatoes.  I actually went a little too long at 15 minutes, so keep your eye on these to keep them from getting TOO done.

Crispy and delicious!

And the best part about PURPLE potatoes is that in addition to the great things like fiber and potassium that you’d usually get from a white potato, you ALSO get the added benefit of anthocyanin - the phytonutrient found in darker fruits and veggies (Greek origin “anthos” meaning flower and “kyanos” meaning blue) – which is a potent antioxidant, as well as being anti-inflammatory and a cancer fighter.

If you’re interested, you can click on purple potatoes and anthocyanins for some further reading.

It’s always beneficial to our health to eat a wide array of bright colors (since each color is associated with different phytonutrients) as well as enjoying a varied diet to stave off food boredom.

Have you tried some “new to you” foods lately? If not, I encourage you to visit the produce section and pick two new items that you’ve never tried.  It makes cooking more interesting when you pick something new, then go home and look up ways to prepare it and learn about the health benefits.

– Shari B.  =)

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Gift of Good Weather and Recipe Suggestion

Dec 20

Posted by Shari B. in Cooking, Do Something Daily, Keeping Fit | 10 Comments

Hi blog buds!

Happy Monday!  How many of you have the week off from work or school?  If so, I hope you are enjoying it!  Although I must admit that I have always loved working the holiday weeks (at least in the office settings where I’ve worked) because everyone always seemed to be in a great festive mood.   So if you ARE at work today, spread some cheer!

It’s ANOTHER beautiful day in Denver with warmer-than-usual temps.  I got up this morning and did an Upper Body Tabata workout and then when I saw that it was 48 degrees outside I had to add on a 45 minute power walk.  I absolutely love to walk and feel sunshine on my face.

I am off to the grocery store in a few minutes to pick up some food for the week (I wanted to avoid the SUNDAY rush at the store) so that I can have some cooked food to actually SHARE with you!

In the meantime, here’s a link to a recipe I tried last week that we REALLY enjoyed and it was pretty quick to make as well:  New Mexico Chile-Glazed Chicken (or Tempeh) on Hominy Polenta from Epicurious.com.

The main addition I made was I added TWO chipotle peppers (the kind that are canned in adobo sauce) to the blender when I made the sauce, and it added some serious heat.  If you like less heat you might only want to add one (or even a half) chipotle pepper.

Using yellow hominy to make a “creamy polenta” was genius AND tasty.  And the sauce just got better the next day.

And if you have vegetarians in the house, you can make it with tempeh in lieu of the chicken.  The stars of this show are really the hominy and the sauce so you could sub any protein source you like.

If you try it, let me know what you think!

Here’s how my tempeh version turned out:

(And of course I shot the photo BEFORE I put the beautiful red sauce on… I must have been hungry!)

Do you eat HOMINY?  Do you buy it canned or do you buy it dried and soak it back to life? When I was growing up my mom used to make me fried hominy for lunch sometimes and I just LOVED it.  To this day I still love it and every time I open a can of hominy, I think back to those lunches with her.

Have a MARVELOUS Monday everyone!

– Shari B. =)

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