Oh ma gosh! How I’ve neglected you, little blog. It’s been a crazy fall/winter, to say the least. The short version is that I took classes in August, started teaching two weeks later, taught for about two months and then started passing out randomly. Since then it’s been a steady stream of boring days at home (not supposed to drive or go out by myself) and doctors’ offices. Still trying to figure out what’s at the root of it, and in the meantime I have been way too indulgent with the snacks and goodies and not very regular with mealtimes or (needless to say) exercise.

The exercise I can’t do too much about right now: I’m not supposed to over-exert myself and can’t currently afford a Wii Fit (had to resign from my job). The food, however, I can start paying more attention to. I have skipped a lot of meals (sitting around all day, my metabolism hasn’t been burning through things the way it normally does, so I haven’t been getting the hungry feeling as often) which is bad on a lot of levels. For one, it throws off the regularity of mealtimes so I wind up eating big meals at 10 or 11 p.m. a lot of the time, and then get in bed soon after. It also sends the signal to my body that I’m starving, so when I do eat I tend to go for things that are high in sugar or fat content in my body’s attempt to store lots of energy whenever possible. I have not been eating my fair share of leafy greens and other veggies (although clementines have been prevalent); french fries do not count!

So here’s my veggie challenge: everyday at 1 p.m. I am going to eat a meal that is mostly (80% or more) veggies. What I need now are some recipes…luckily my fiancee is a vegetarian, so he already knows of some soups and stuff that will be good for this. (I believe we actually have some delicious, homemade veggie soup frozen right now!)

Today’s treat: a simple garden salad, chock full o’ deliciousness!

I started with an ample portion of spring mix, peeled and sliced half a cucumber, sliced 3 radishes, and added 8 grape tomatoes, 1 hard-boiled egg (only 1/2 a yolk used) and 1 slice of bacon crumbled.

For dressing, I used the following recipe from allrecipes.com. The actual website also has a serving converter, so instead of making a serving just for yourself, you can adapt it to suit as many fellow diners as you need!

• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar
• 1/8 clove crushed garlic
• 1/8 teaspoon ground mustard (I substituted ground Cayenne pepper because I didn’t have the mustard)
• 1/8 pinch salt
• ground black pepper to taste

“In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, garlic, and mustard powder. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Stir in minced fresh herbs if desired.”
 The dressing was okay, I should have maybe added more black and red pepper; it wasn’t as spicy as I would have liked. But it was a pretty darn good salad! And definitely a decent meal, although in retrospect it would have been a good move to have a piece of crusty bread to go along with it. Mmm, bread! Sorry I didn’t take any pictures, I devoured it too fast!  :Op  Also, I’m afraid I may have left my camera (a.k.a. hunk of junk)’s charger in my old classroom, so pictures my be MacBook camera-quality for a while.

So, got any good recipes to share for the Veggie Challenge? I really don’t want this to get boring, so please share!! Want to take the Veggie Challenge, too? Let me know – leave a comment! We could trade tips and stave off French fry cravings together!

Happy Fitness Friday…

Hi Friends! It’s Fitness Friday, and this week I have a simple little recipe for two. I like to call it the “Fish & Veggie Hoedown!” All told, this took me about an hour to make, but throughout the recipe I have some time-saving tips to shave off 15-20 minutes. This meal is full of good-for-you stuff; I really enjoyed it and I hope you will, too!

 

What will you need?
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 clove of garlic
4-6 small potatoes (I used Yukon golds)
1/2 tsp. onion salt
Minced herbs (fresh or dried) to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
Non-stick cooking spray (olive oil can be used as substitute)

To start, wash your veggies extra-well, especially if you’re buying them at a large grocery store! This way you’ll avoid dirt and nasties like E. coli, which are not at all appetizing.

Cut peppers in half, carefully remove seeds. Put one half in the refrigerator for future snacking. Slice peppers into thin pieces. (To save time, use frozen pepper slices from the grocer. They’re cheap and great to have on hand!)

Chop garlic using a chopper, food processor, or paring knife. (To save time you could use minced garlic from a jar.)

Cut the potatoes into wedges of your choosing; I cut mine into eighths.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Warm a deep frying pan on the stove at medium-high heat. To test if it’s hot, sprinkle a handful of water into the pan. If the droplets dance and evaporate away, your pan is good to go. 

 

Reduce heat to medium strength and put enough extra virgin olive oil in the pan to cover the bottom. Carefully add garlic and potatoes, as splashing hot oil could burn you!

 

Sautee until the potatoes get brown, then add peppers. Add in onion salt and apply herbs liberally! Cook 2-5 minutes. (If you like your peppers a little mushier, cook them on the longer side; I like mine to still have a little snap.) Remove from heat.

 

Grease a casserole dish (bottom and sides!) with no-fat cooking spray or a little bit of olive oil to make sure the food doesn’t stick to the pan (especially the fish). Spoon the mixture from your pan into the dish.

Using a fork, lay your fish on top of the vegetables. I used thin-sliced filet of sole, but if you use a thicker fish remember to cook it longer (you may even want to pre-cook for a minute or two in the microwave).

Put dish into the oven and let bake for fifteen minutes. Check the fish and potatoes for doneness: fish should flake apart easily (see picture) and potatoes should squish under your fork like french fries or baked potato.

Remove and serve with low-sodium soup or salad of your choice! Serves 2*.

*Portion size is about 1/3 of a dinner plate. That may look small because we are accustomed to huge restaurant portions. Trust me: when you eat soup or a salad with this dish it is quite filling, so I suggest trying one serving and waiting five minutes to see if you really want seconds!

REMEMBER: Always wash your hands and any surfaces that have been in contact with raw fish thoroughly (tabletop, counter, microwave, etc.)! Raw fish can carry bacteria that lead to food poisoning when ingested; cleanliness is the way to avoid a major catastrophe, especially if you live with pets, aged relatives, or small children.

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Have a great weekend!