Motivate me Monday: Dish to Pass, Cookies

Well I was asked to make something for 2 celebrations I've been invited to and I'm honored.

The 1st one requested I make cookies.  Now I'm less a baker and more a meal maker, but when I need a good recipe I go right on LoveVeggiesandYoga~  Averie is awesome!  Now I just have to pick one or two of these:

Definitely doing Magic Bars....(ok mine never look this cute- but they are SO yummy!)
Her instructions even come with pictures so it's SO nice- and easy.

These look good too- Mounds Bar Chocolate Coconut Cake Mix Cookies

And these NO BAKE Vanilla Cake Batter Truffles....look delish! 

Rob was asked to be God Father for my brother's baby and I was asked to bring a dish so I'm thinking I'll do Asparagus Risotto- that I've made in the past.  It's so yummy.  I just hope I can prepare it and pack it up well enough that it stays true to it's consistency.



Along with my baking/cooking motivation- I'm also shooting for making my 120 goal for Friday!!  Hoping to fit nicely into my outfit for the party:

Not so sure about this shirt- if it's super hot out it might be too hot.  I'm hot a lot of the time- I think because of my medication and hot flashes so I may have to change up the top.  I do love the shorts!

And if you are like me and dieting - sorry for the food porn- if I make weight I will be having a 1 Magic Bar....ok maybe 2 but if I don't make it NO BAR for ME.  I REALLY want one of those bars...lol.

Eggsellent Weekend

My new favorite Saturday morning breakfast!

Tea

Oatmeal with Blueberries

and a

Hard Boiled Egg

Preparing for the week of trying really hard to get my food stuff in order as in EAT more protein.

There is a lot of planning involved in eating right while working full time and getting to the

gym as much as possible.

I boiled a bunch of eggs for the week.

My gym stuff is going great- but I'm struggling with the food stuff.

Although I am eating MUCH better it needs to be tweaked as my weekly weight loss is getting less and less.

 Brown eggs are so pretty....I would love a pair of shoes/boots in any one of these brown egg colors!

And speaking of eggs I got to try a new recipe

Egg Scramble in a Coffee Mug

YUM

2 Eggs

2 Tbsp Milk

2 Tbsp Cheddar Cheese

Cooking Spray

S&P

12 oz. Mug

spray your mug with cooking spray

crack the eggs add the milk and scramble

put in the microwave for 45 seconds and then keep going until your eggs are done

i had to mic for 30 more seconds 

add your salt, pepper and cheese

there you have it

 breakfast in a coffee mug ready eat

Here's an update on my weight tracking with my friends at the gym

Date.............Age...Height.......Weight......Neck........Chest.........Hips........Lf Arm...Rt Arm....Waist



2/5/12..........42... 4’11”............137.2...... 12.5”...... 39.0”..........41”........ 11.5”..... 11.5”...... 36”

2/10/12.................................... 136.2..... 12.5”........38.5”......... 39.5”..... 11.5”..... 11.5”.......35”

2/17/12.....................................134.6......13".......... 39.25”....... 40.5”...... 12”........ 12”........ 34.5”

2/24/2012.................................134.2.....?.............?.............?...............?............?..........?.......?

3/2/2012...................................134.0......12.0’”.......38.5”.........39.5.........12”.........12”.........33.75”

It's hard to stay motivated at times, but I've posted some pictures to keep me going.

  Also my mom sent me a nice little card which I hung on the frig next to another motivation picture.



Remember:

Veggie Wedgie Wednesday

Well it's been a while.................I have been following along on Raw Rebalance and I really love them over there.  I'm trying add more Raw to my meals, but it's SO hard sometimes!  BUT I am so happy to be on the program because there are so many inspiring people, ideas, and recipes on there.  I have tried a RAW stir fry and that was good and I really like the RAW Cauliflower Popcorn.

I do like the Cauliflower cooked and roasted too.  This recipe is for a Cauliflower Popcorn / Roasted.

Ingredients:


• 1 head cauliflower or 1 head equal amount of pre-cut commercially prepped cauliflower

• 4 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 teaspoon salt, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Trim the head of cauliflower, discarding the core and thick stems; cut florets into pieces about the size of ping-pong balls.

In a large bowl, combine the olive oil and salt, whisk, then add the cauliflower pieces and toss thoroughly.

Line a baking sheet with parchment for easy cleanup (you can skip that, if you don't have any) then spread the cauliflower pieces on the sheet and roast for 1 hour, turning 3 or 4 times, until most of each piece has turned golden brown.

(The browner the cauliflower pieces turn, the more caramelization occurs and the sweeter they'll taste).

Serve immediately and enjoy!



I'm loving Dara Dubinet and her RAW Cauliflower Popcorn:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjHI0wQUuFk&list=PL16150032B5C284E0&index=5

 that I really love and it has Nutritional Yeast in it. 

What's Nutritional YEAST you ask? 

Definition: Yellow in color and with a nutty cheesy flavor, nutritional yeast is an inactive yeast that is a favorite amongst many vegans because of its unique flavor and similarity to cheese when added to foods. Sprinkle some on hot popcorn or garlic bread, or add a generous spoonful to a stir fry or pasta sauce. Nutritional yeast is also the only reliable food source of vitamin B12, so if you're vegan, it's a good idea to add some to your food regularly. Nutritional yeast can be found in the bulk foods or supplement section of your health food store. You can look for either nutritional yeast flakes or powder, but be sure you don't get brewer's yeast by mistake, as its quite similar in appearance.

Pita Pizza

I love this super easy dinner- Pita Pizzas
I usually take a pita drizzle olive oil on it
cut up a tomato
cut up some fresh mozzarella (buffalo) cheese
top the pita with toms and cheese
sprinkle some Italian seasoning or just salt and pepper
put it under the broiler
pick some fresh basil leaves
the pita will brown fairly quickly
get it out of the oven and top with the basil
basil can't go under the broiler- doesn't taste good.

I looked around the web and found this low fat version:

Pita Pizza with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and Mozzarella


YOU'LL NEED:

½ cup jarred roasted red peppers (in water, drained)

2 tsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 whole-grain pita, split into 2 thin rounds

½ cup baby spinach

2 slices part-skim mozzarella

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

Preheat broiler. In a blender or with a hand blender, puree peppers, oil and vinegar until smooth. Spread on pita and top with spinach and cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbling, about 8 minutes. Top with basil.

Our garden is coming to a close- I finally picked all the tomatoes and pulled the plants out.  :(

My parsley, basil and rosemary are growing strong.  I love bringing in my parsley and putting it in some water so that when I need it is super fresh!  YUM.

it's alive

and will give you life

  

Happy Saturday.....

The tomatoes keep coming and you can never have too many tomato recipes!

This recipe is super easy and very good! 

Green Pepper and Tomato Salad

Get your tomatoes cut up
and cut up a nice big green pepper

and then maybe 1/2 of a beautiful red onion

a couple stalks of celery

mix it all together

dress them with these guys

you can use regular sugar....i'm getting off sugar AGAIN so I'm back to Stevia ( which isn't bad at all )

stopping coffee, sugar, dairy and meat for a while is HARD

i am so thankful for my tea

and these guys:

if you haven't tried them they are good
all you do is stream them- i just use a pot of water and put them in a strainer with a lid for a few minutes and they are ready to go   

bust them open add salt and you are all set
at my brother's house they serve them with soy sauce which is yummy too.

Being Good is Hard

Have a Great Blessed Weekend

behave and be good to you 

click the pic.....and make something good for u

Veggie Wedgie Wednesday

Grilled Zucchini

At a family reunion this past weekend someone brought and grill zucchini and it was so good!

Here's a recipe from Allrecipes.com  

Ingredients:

1 large zucchini

1/4 cup of a homemade Oil,Vinegar,Salt and Pepper mix....or favorite Italian Dressing

Directions

1.Slice zucchini into 1/4 inch slices. Toss in a bowl with Italian dressing.

2.Place on a hot grill and grill about 4 to 5 minutes or until nice grill marks appear and the zucchini is slightly limp. Serve and enjoy.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 74

Total Fat: 5.7g
Cholesterol: 0mg Powered by ESHA Nutrient Database

~NOW if you WANNA get FANCY PANTS~

Grilled Zucchini Roll-ups

Ingredients

3 small zucchini (about 1/2 pound each), cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/8 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste 1/16 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste 1 1/2 ounces fresh goat cheese 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 2 ounces bagged baby spinach (2 cups lightly packed) 1/3 cup basil leaves Preparation


1. Preheat grill or grill pan to medium.


2. Discard the outermost slices of zucchini; brush the rest with oil on both sides. Sprinkle the zucchini slices with salt and pepper. Grill until tender, about 4 minutes per side. You can prepare the zucchini a day ahead and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.


3. In a small bowl, combine the goat cheese, parsley, and lemon juice, mashing together with a fork.


4. Put 1/2 teaspoon of the cheese mixture about 1/2 inch from the end of a zucchini slice. Top with a few spinach leaves and a small (or half of a large) basil leaf. Roll up and place seam side down on a platter. Repeat with remaining zucchini slices. You can make these up to a day in advance; store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Ellie Krieger, The Food You Crave, Health

MARCH 2008

Now remember smaller Zuks seem to be better than big ones when working with something ike this roll up.  The bigger the Zuk the more water it will have!  For grilling a bigger one will be O.K., but for the rollups you may want small ones. 

Motivate me Monday: Eat Good & Love

Well I'm hoping to get cooking more and as I browse recipes on the web- there are 2 sites I LOVE   

The Parsley Thief

and

Smitten Kitchen

I've linked to the recipes....some of these really caught my eye.

Sugar Snap Pea Salad

BBQ Chicken

Miso Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Bokchoy 

Just a little bathing suit reminder for motivation................ 

for your man:

Skirt Steak with Bloody Mary Tomato Salad

Sauteed Spinach

Flat Breads with Honey, Thyme and Sea Salt

Summer LOVE

Veggie Wedgie Wednesday

What to do with all the ZUCCHINI popping up?

ZUCCHINI FRIES

 As long as you get your little assembly line set up, breading and baking zucchini isn't so bad at all.

All  you need is Egg Whites, Flour, Bread crumbs, Italian Seasoning and Spray Oil.

This recipe is from Weight Watchers

See it here:

You can make some changes to this recipe for your family- craving more flavor- add Parmesan cheese- dip them in sauce- YUMMY! 

Enjoying my flowers.....it's been a tough summer on these little guys with the heat and not a lot of water.

Weighing in tonight- not too excited as I think I've stayed the same!  I get so disgusted at the gym sometimes and my trainer says, "It's dietary momentum".  I'm hoping so!  Just started back on my normal routine with some added cardio..................my house work is slacking because of my extra trips to the gym.  YIKES