Jessica

Better BBQ Dinner

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I know what you’re thinking, barbeque during a detox? As part of this detox I have not omitted meat. The idea of this makes Chuck cringe, though I have greatly reduced the amount of meat, and eliminated all red meats, as well as processed meats from our usual diets, I have not excluded chicken, or fish. So for this meal I chose to use chicken, and I went with barbeque, because well I saw bobby flay put together a delicious meal using jicama (with smoked barbequed ribs), which I have recently discovered is delicious, and is on sale this week. Using Bobby’s theme I created a clean barbeque recipe, that has all he delicious flavor without the harmful extras, and his jicama slaw recipe, found here. This meal is so good you feel guilty, but it’s really just meat, vegies, and spices; what’s wrong with that?

I just started using smoked paprika and I am LOVING it! It adds a depth of flavor to the sauce that I had never been able to achieve before. Also the underlying spiciness is perfectly balanced by the sweetness in the slaw. Jicama is a pretty interesting vegetable; it looks like a turnip, tastes sweet, and has a texture reminiscent of a hard apple. I can’t wait to see what else I can do with it. Unfortunately Chuck has some weird aversion to parsley, cilantro, and virtually any leafy green that adds flavor to a dish, so he said that the slaw would have been better without it. I however disagree, I just thought it may be good to hear the picky opinion on it.

French Style Vegetable Soup

By Jessica

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Knowing full well that I would not be in the mood to do a whole lot when we finally got home after a bus ride, a flight, and a several hour drive I took the initiative to put together a freezer meal for the following day, this way I could avoid grocery shopping the second we got home. A few nights before we left I chopped up all the vegetables needed for this soup and put it in the freezer. I took it out of the freezer when we got home so it could defrost overnight, and put it in the crockpot the following morning. When I got out of work I cooked up some whole wheat pasta to ladle the soup over and voila! We have the first detox meal of the week.

This recipe I found several years ago from Michelle Scicolone in family circle magazine . I only made a few modifications to the recipe, mainly because zucchini is out of season, and I had some spinach leftover. I swapped the zucchini for green beans and added about .5 cups of spinach. Michelle suggests making these swaps as this soup is one that can be altered depending on what’s in season.

The soup itself didn’t have a ton of flavor, but I assume because the added pesto over the top has a ton. However I think that each component of a dish should be able to stand on its own, so maybe next time I will add a little spice to the soup, hopefully this will add a depth of flavor once the pesto is added. I suppose we will see. A good thing about this soup is that it is still super hearty, though it is vegetarian, I still felt full and satisfied once I had finished. Perhaps at a time when I wasn’t concerned with detoxing I would serve it with buttered toasted French bread as a side. Mmm…

Dinner for One

By Jessica

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I have a lot of friends who are either on their own or work opposite schedules than their significant others, and I often hear that they don’t feel like they can make a real meal for themselves at dinnertime because it’s just them. I say HOGWASH!

Chuck ends up traveling a lot for work so a couple times a month I am on my own for dinner, and I feel no need to skimp on my meals then. In fact I use it as an excuse to whip up my favorite things that he may not like so much; it’s totally my guilty pleasure nights. Here is what I made last night:

What I love about this recipe is that its comprised of things that I typically just have around the house all the time anyway, so its super easy to through together. By swapping ingredients it’s super easy to make more or less healthy. I admit sometimes I use cream, butter and lots of cheese. Other times I use skim milk, and whole wheat pasta. I have also made it with spaghetti, ravioli, chicken, fish or no meat at all. Also if you don’t want to dirty another pan you can simply cook the shrimp in the oil before adding the garlic, the only thing you will be missing is the extra spices.

I took the pic before i added the tomatoes, whoops!

This particular recipe is my favorite combination. I love the warm creamy sauce, in contrast to the underlying spiciness of the shrimp, and the cool crispness of the cherry tomatoes.

Now for DESERT!

I’m not typically a huge desert person, HOWEVER I think every girl has a little something she craves. For me it’s usually cheese or chocolate. Last nightt I was definitely craving the chocolate, the kind of craving that requires a little more than a Cup of cocoa.

Hot Cocoa Mug Cake:

2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 egg white
1 packet hot cocoa mix (roughly 2 tablespoons)
1.5 Table spoons Milk

splash of vanilla extract
1.5 tablespoons oil

Start with the dry ingrediants and mix everything well with a fork in the mug, while slowly adding the wet ingrediants. Once mixed well pop it in the microwave for about 60 seconds.

Stolen from somekitchenstories.com because dark blue mugs dont work for good pictures.

If you want to go the healthier route you can use chocolate protein powder instead. Also be sure not to skip on the milk or oil. You will end up with a texture like an overcooked egg, and it is so unappealing. I believe the picture also has a few peanut butter chips mixed in as well, which is not a bad idea if you ask me!

More single night recipes to come!

Single Brunch

By Jessica

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Food for the body is not enough. There must be food for the soul. ~Dorothy Day

This morning I was feeling like I needed a boost. I didn’t sleep a wink and my morning run went horribly. Not to mention Ii had a very stressful week. I didn’t want to weigh myself down with heavy pancakes or sausages so I thought I’d go a little French; velvety scrambled eggs, and a fresh salad with maple vinaigrette. I don’t think I have made a wiser decision.

This breakfast was perfect! It as light and healthy and really helped to rejuvenate my mood. The leafy greens were bright and fresh, and when the vinaigrette ventured over to my eggs it added a little burst of flavor. The eggs alone were fabulous. They were light and fluffy, thanks to the cream cheese, but also full of flavor. Now I’m going to sit back and enjoy my English Breakfast tea.

Have a wonderful day!

Velvety Scrambled Eggs:

3 eggs

Nonstick spray

Table spoon of Skim Milk

.5 teaspoon Marjoram

.5 teaspoon Thyme

Salt & Pepper to taste

.5 Tablespoon Non Fat Cream Cheese

In a bowl whisk together eggs, milk, marjoram, thyme, and cream cheese. The cheese may not mix well here so be sure to break it up during the next step. Pour mixture into a warm pan coated in spray. Use a spatula to gently stir the eggs continuously on low heat. Once they begin to firm, and look opaque remove from heat and add Salt and pepper.

Maple Vinaigrette

1 teaspoon Apple cider Vinegar

2 teaspoons maple syrup

1/5 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch salt

whisk together all ingredients until well blended.

Goals

By Jessica

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I am now officially signed up for the Warrior Dash on August 12th. I’m up for the task, though I am nowhere near in shape for it. I have always been one to work out, especially with lifting weights, I just love feeling strong, however my cardio has always been somewhat lacking, for the last few years I have mostly only done HIIT (BB.com Link), which is not necessarily good for distance training, as when doing this kind of cardio you only do it for about 15-20 minutes. I ran the Corporate Challenge last year, and it kicked my butt. I know that Warrior Dash is not your typical 5k, but I’m going train like it is, I mean besides where am I going to find a pit of fire, and mud up to my chest to practice in? I actually signed up for it because for the past year I have been having a really hard time getting the motivation to keep my workout routine steady. I blame graduating college, having a real job is hard to adjust to! My roommate from college Carrie signed up to do it with me, it really helps to have someone who is holding you accountable, she’s in a lot better running shape than I so in order to keep up I am going to have to work hard. To add to all of this 6 weeks later on October 6th there is a 10k trail run in Danby, where she lives that we may sign up for. I don’t think I have ever run a 10k, and I know I haven’t done it in a race, so this will be an even bigger challenge for me, but again one that I am willing to take on. My goal is to be able to run 10 miles by the end of summer, preferably under 1hr 45 mins. I know it’s a lofty goal but I think it’s possible, and maybe next year I will run a half marathon! I always thought there’s no point in having goals unless they are there to better your life or challenge you so I might as well reach high.

Another goal of mine is to hike Saddle Back and Basin. I tried these mountains last October, however post Irene there was a huge washout, and a lot of steep rocks. Being so out of shape didn’t help, and then it started to snow at the top. I didn’t make it all the way up, which has never happened to me before, I was hugely disappointed in myself, but the fact that my toe nails are still black and blue shows that I probably made the right decision at the time. This season however I plan to make it to the top of both, if it kills me.

To help me reach this goal I have set a goal to hike at least 50 miles total before attempting it. I think having a little more experience, and being in better shape will help. I have been told that my running goals alone will help but I personally feel that’s a pile of poo. Hiking is a totally different animal, my quads can attest to that. Eventually I would like to complete all the 46 high peaks, as well as the true top 50. For those of you unfamiliar with the Adirondack High Peaks, the original high peaks were thought to be the only peaks above 4000 feet however later surveying revealed that 4 were actually below this level and 1 was left out. Also there are a lot of close by mountains that have really wonderful views, and hikes that get missed simply because they aren’t one of the high peaks. Someday I would like to do them all; I really feel like experiencing these mountains is truly part of being an upstater. In my plan of attack however I have included mountains outside of the Adirondacks, such as Greylock Mountain in Massachusetts. It’s surprisingly close, and the highest peak in the state, so good practice ground, plus it’s got some really pretty views. I did a day trip there last weekend with Alicia and we did a 7 mile round trip to a waterfall, and Stony Ledge . It was a nice way to start the weekend. The sky cleared up just as we made it to the point, and it started to warm up just as we were coming off the mountain. Unfortunately the boots I have been wearing since high school completely fell apart. Thank goodness Alicia decided to carry electrical tape for who knows what reason.

That hike included with a trip up to Big Slide Mountain a few weeks ago puts my total for the year already to 16.5 miles. Also I am now running roughly 3 miles 3 days a week. Considering that its only May I think I really have a good chance at completing all of these goals, if of course I get some new shoes (I realize that I’ve been wearing the same running shoes since high school as well uh oh!), and stick with it. Wish me luck!

Jessica

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