It’s no shocker that I’ve been a bit MIA. I just haven’t felt like doing a whole lot to be honest. Sometimes work, life, etc. just overtakes us and we forget to make time for things we love.
So tonight I decided to dust off my apron and make a healthy meal for my family for dinner.
Chicken Sausage over “spaghetti”
Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash, halved and seeded
4 links of chicken sausage, sliced at a diagonal.
1 shallot-finely diced
2 cloves of garlic-minced
6-8 shitake mushrooms, sliced
2 heads of baby bok Choy that have been cleaned and sliced-add these in the last 10 minutes
1/4 cup of frozen peas-add these in the last 10 minutes
Extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, oregano and parmesan cheese to finish.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and place the squash open face down and roast for 20 minutes. Turn it over after 20 minutes and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and oregano and put back in the oven for another 30 minutes.
While the squash is roasting, add extra virgin olive oil (just a drizzle) to a non-stick pan. Heat to medium-high heat and sauté the mushrooms, shallots, garlic and red pepper flakes until golden brown. WAIT to season until you get the golden brown color. Next add your chicken sausage and let brown. Season with kosher salt and black pepper. Cook for about 15 minutes or until golden brown, and in the last 10 minutes add the bok Choy and peas. Taste for seasoning, and add salt and pepper as needed.
After the squash is done roasting, remove from the oven and let cool just slightly. Scoop out with a fork into a pasta dish, and top with the chicken sausage mixture. Finish off with parmesan cheese, and enjoy!
Do you have a favorite low carb meal? Does your family give you the side-eye when you try new and healthy recipes?
Thanks for the amazing support lately, I can’t thank you all enough! ❤
Today was a busy day for us, but we managed to get to the DMV before the line went down the block, most of the housecleaning done, and our shopping at Aldi done for the next couple weeks. They had beautiful acorn squash, so I just had to buy a couple to stuff and roast!
Ingredients/Recipe:
2 acorn squash-halved and seeds removed-Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, season with kosher salt and pepper and roast in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.
Next get the stuffing ready.
In a sauce pot boil water and prepare your quinoa according to the package instructions. Mine called for 2 cups of boiling water, and cook the quinoa for 15 minutes. I cooked it al dente as its going to cook a bit more in the oven.
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small white onion, diced
4 baby portabella mushrooms, diced
1/2 of a green apple, peeled and diced-add LAST, just before removing from the heat
2 links of chicken sausage, cubed
2 pieces of bacon, cubed
While your quinoa is cooking, sauté the above ingredients for 20 minutes. Start first with the bacon and chicken sausage, then add the garlic, onions and mushrooms. Add the apples just for the last 2-3 minutes. Season with kosher salt, pepper, sage, and parsley (about 2 teaspoons each of sage and parsley). Add in the quinoa when cooked and add to the stuffing mixture and remove from the heat.
Remove the roasted squash from the oven, and spoon in your stuffing. Top with grated parmesan cheese, and put back in the oven for another 20 minutes at 375 or until the squash is slightly tender.
Delish!!!
Dinner is served! Enjoy!!!
Do you like squash? What’s your favorite way to prepare it?
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t in a bit of a slump. With the news of my husband’s upcoming deployment, I honestly don’t feel like doing anything other than sleep even though trying to get more than an hour of sleep at a time seems impossible. I don’t want to run, I don’t want to cook, I don’t want to do much of anything…I think my husband sensed my blues setting in, so he took me on a date on Friday. We only do date nights a few times a year, so this was just what I needed.
I actually felt pretty, which doesn’t happen too often anymore!!
We had a great date, first by going out to a nice dinner, and finishing the night off with seeing the movie, “Burnt.” As a wanna-be Chef, this movie was all that and a bag of chips in my book, and it really portrayed what being a “real” Chef entails. I highly recommend it to any food lovers!
Today, staying with the theme of trying to quit feeling sorry for myself, I got up early enough to watch the New York City Marathon. A good friend of mine is running it, and I am always in awe of the enormity of this race. Watching the elites almost inspired me enough to go for a run, but my naggy Achilles and I decided to call it and clean the house instead. Because of course, I haven’t felt like cleaning either. I took out some salmon for dinner, and decided to change things up from my typical recipe of baking it with herbs and butter (recipe can be found HERE) and giving the salmon a little kick.
Spicy Salmon
Ingredients
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
1 fillet of salmon cut into 4 servings patted dry, seasoned with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard lightly spread on each fillet
Lightly sprinkle 1-2 teaspoons (total for all 4 fillets) of cayenne pepper over all 4 fillets, season to taste
Light sprinkle 1-2 teaspoons of brown sugar over all 4 fillets
2 chives, finely chopped for garnish
Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until the salmon flakes with a fork. Garnish with chives, and serve with your favorite side dishes.
I served mine with roasted sweet potatoes, quinoa w/portabella mushrooms, sweet potatoes, garlic and onions.
What’s your go-to activity to get out of a slump? Do you like salmon? Did you watch the New York City marathon today?
In efforts to keep my spirits up I decided to create a yummy and healthy snack with our leftover pumpkin seeds.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil, then spray with non-stick spray. This recipe is for about 2 cups of seeds that have been rinsed and dried for 24 hours.
Place the seeds in a large bowl and add either 2 tsp of unsalted butter or extra virgin olive oil. Mix well. Next add 2 tsp of kosher salt. I added cayenne pepper, paprika and a touch of cumin. Mix well and pour into the sheet pan evenly. Roast for 45 minutes, stirring about half way through to ensure the seeds are toasted evenly.
Enjoy!
Do you roast your leftover seeds? What’s your favorite fall snack?
Thanks so much for all the love and support. Y’all rock!!
What a weekend!!!! After hearing the news that my good friend’s Dad passed away, I felt my work week ending with a very heavy heart on Friday. But I am blessed with some pretty darn amazing coworkers, and welcomed their invite to go for a drink after work. You’d never guess what an hour and a half, and a Bloody Mary will do for the mood. Trust me on this one.
Saturday I was able to meet up for a long run with my super cool ultra runner friends. I love the fact that I can just run, chat and have fun with no worry about time or pace. I set out to do 6-8 miles, but muscle memory kicked in and I felt like I could run forever. We were running at a nice and easy 11:30-12 mm pace, so I ran 10 miles to round it out. MORE winning in regards to my daily mantra, and I left a lot out there on the trails.
They even convinced me to drink the Kool aid, or orange soda in this case. It was SOOOO good after years of NOT drinking soda, and extra refreshing after 10 miles of running.
Cheers!
After paying my respects at my friend’s Dad’s wake today, I decided to dive in to Sunday Supper. The pork roast is one I’ve done many times, simply season with a good BBQ rub, sear on all sides and slow roast at 225 degrees until the internal temp is 152 degrees. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10-12 minutes.
Risotto with mushrooms and peas
8-10 cups of unsalted chicken stock heated on low on the stove top
1 package of risotto
2 large shallots, diced
8 Cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup diced chives-green parts only-set aside
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
1/2 cup Grana Padono cheese
1 cup of frozen peas
Truffle oil-to dress right before serving
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
You will need two pans for this, one with a deeper edge. In a non-stick fry pan sauté the mushrooms until caramelized. While you are doing this, heat the deeper pan to medium high heat, and add in the diced shallots. Sauté for 2-3 minutes and add in your rice. Gently stir, until the rice becomes slightly translucent. Next, slowly start ladling in the chicken stock, two ladles at a time. Stir until absorbed, and repeat the process. Cook for about 30 minutes until the rice is al dente. Season with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to your taste. Lastly, add in the butter, caramelized mushrooms, frozen peas and cheese. Stir well, and dress with chives and Truffle oil before serving.
I try to limit my starch and carbs, but once a week I allow myself a treat. THIS my friends was a huge hit, and had my husband drooling!
Dinner is served!
While the weekend had some dark moments, I will say that I learned a lot about myself this weekend. I learned I need to cherish life even more than I thought I did, and I need to take time for things that make ME happy, too. So I held on a little tighter when hugging my family and friends, and did so many of my favorite things this weekend to celebrate life.
How was your weekend? Run any training runs or races? Did you try any new recipes?
I am finally getting back in a routine of working out, and I can honestly say I missed it. I REALLY miss running outside, but I am doing the best I can with my current situation, making sure I put my kid’s needs first. So tonight after work I had a plan…a good work out AND good eats.
When I got home from work, I changed my clothes and was joined by my youngest. It’s been so much fun having them work out with me from time to time. I ensured my fish (I used Swai fish which is a buttery white fish-SOO GOOD) was thawed and preheated the oven to 350 degrees.
We completed day 3 of the 30 day shred (still on level 1) and felt great. I ran upstairs and prepped the fish. This is about the easiest recipe you can find.
smear the mustard thinly top with lemons and tarragonBaked fish with lemon and capers
2 fillets of swai fish, or any other good white fish
1 tsp. of capers, rinsed well
2 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
Salt, pepper, and tarragon to taste
And the secret? Just a smidge of Dijon mustard, smeared thinly over the fish.
Take your fish and pat dry with a paper towel. Thinly smear the Dijon mustard over the top of the fish, season with salt and pepper, then add your capers and garlic. Top with the lemon slices and add a pinch of tarragon. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Sautéed peas with pancetta
I served with simple sautéed peas with pancetta. Brown 2 Tbsp. of pancetta in a non stick pan that has been sprayed lightly with coconut oil cooking spray. (Regular cooking spray will work as well). Add in 2 cups of peas, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5-7 minutes, ensuring the peas still have a bite to the taste.
Dinner is served!
What’s your favorite fish recipe? Do you like peas? I hated them as a kid, but have grown to love them as a side dish!!
Gosh, is it Monday already? Seems like the week really flew by! Last week was a whirlwind to be honest with you. My husband has been gone about a week and a half, and in that time I’ve gotten SOOOOOO much done. But my busy-ness has kept me from blogging, so I thought I’d write something up quick while I’m on my break at work.
Things I learned last week:
-I really CAN do all the things. I know I’ve said this before, but it truly is freeing to NOT rely on anyone-my husband included. Last week I worked, took care of the kids/house, moved furniture and steam cleaned my carpets, refinished my bathroom wood work, trimmed trees, and cooked. Talk about finishing the week feeling accomplished. I even managed to run twice, and do my daily 21 day fitness challenge. Today is day 9!
Phase 1 of my bathroom update!Me and the Rug Doctor, LOL!Veggies!!!
-If people distance themselves from you when you’ve done all you can to be a positive force in their lives-LET THEM GO. Some people prefer to hang on to negativity because it’s easier. Let them…it only steals YOUR joy to hang on to THEIR drama. #rantover
It’s ok to not always be training for a specific race/distance. Sometimes we need to step back from racing and the stress of training and just BE. I loved sleeping until 9 a.m. this weekend, and don’t feel one ounce of guilt for not being registered for a race. I’m sure I’ll be back at it this fall! For now, my kids and other responsibilities come first.
This week’s recipe is Tomato/zucchini soup!
Last week I tended my neighbor’s garden while they were out of town, and my payment was all the veggies I picked. Score!!! I didn’t want to waste anything, so I shredded and froze some zucchini, as well as made this yummy soup!
Ingredients:
1 large white onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
12-15 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 large zucchini, chopped
Drizzle of EVOO
1 cup of white wine
1 pat of unsalted butter
Basil, oregano, parsley, kosher salt and black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, smoked paprika-about a teaspoon each/to taste. Also, 2 bay leaves-remove after the soup is cooked.
Heat a large soup pot over medium high heat. Drizzle in the EVOO and sauté the onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Next, add in your tomatoes, zucchini and seasonings. Add in your wine, and bring the mixture to a boil. Stir occasionally. Reduce the soup to a low simmer, and let cook for an hour. Add 1 pat of butter, and let melt. Puree with a blender or immersion blender. VOILA! Simple, yet so flavorful! For a ‘thinner’ soup, feel free to add chicken stock or water. I prefer my soup to be a thicker consistency.
I also served this dish with a zucchini salad. I used my noodler, and topped the zucchini with black olives, cucumbers, shallots, and cherry tomatoes! I used a great store bought balsamic dressing to dress the salad and it was DELISH!
I roasted pork belly to use as my protein, and let me tell you what…it was amazing. I seasoned it with salt, pepper, and taco seasoning and seared it on all sides rendering off the fat. I transferred the pork belly on to a baking sheet and roasted at 275 degrees for 2 hours. AMAZING.
Dinner is servedZucchini noodle saladDon’t forget to let the meat rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing!
Have you done any DIY projects? This was my first major one, so I was super proud of myself, hehe! Do you own a ‘noodler’? What’s your favorite soup?
I haven’t felt much like writing lately, or cooking, or running, or, well anything else for that matter. Post marathon blues I am sure were settling in, but I decided to slap the blues in the face today and start my week out right. It’s my day off today, as I had weekend duty Saturday and Sunday and I wanted to spend time with my girls. We don’t get ‘time’ to really have quality time together very often, so we spent the afternoon in the sun enjoying the break Mother Nature decided to give us after a VERY wet summer here in Chicagoland.
Since turning 40 a couple years ago, I’ve struggled a bit with the changes my body is going through with the whole pre-menopause thing…but last week my sister reminded me gently that I need to embrace ME, and remember all the hard things this body has done. I’ve given birth twice, ran 3 full marathons, and have ran countless miles!!!! Somehow, she’s a lot like my Mom…nearly ALWAYS right. 😉
So today, as we sat outside on our deck, I looked over at my daughters and smiled. I excused myself, went upstairs to my bedroom and changed out of my unflattering one piece suit and donned a bikini I bought a couple years back. I came back outside and both my daughter’s faces lit up. “You look amazing, Mommy!!!” I just smiled. Sure, I have an extra few lbs. I’d like to lose, and my saggy tummy/pooch is more prevalent since turning 40…but so what. I decided leading by example was much more important than a few physical flaws, and that teaching my daughters to love themselves trumped my silly insecurities.
My youngest wanted to have a photo shoot, so here’s what she came up with:
HEHE
After our fun afternoon, I decided to start the week out right with some weights. I did 3 sets of bicep curls, triceps extensions, side bends with weights, 50 pushups, and 100 v-ups. I’ll finish my sit-ups tonight!
Quick, yet great work out!
Next, it’s time for dinner! On my days off, I like to make a bit fancier meals for my family not only for their pleasure, but to constantly practice and perfect my skills as a Chef wanna-be.
Pan seared scallops with roasted red pepper puree, turnip “chips” and baby bok choy salad that’s dressed with a lime/soy vinaigrette.
Scallops
1 lb of fresh scallops that have been patted dry with a paper towel, and seasoned with salt and pepper.
In a non-stick pan heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and a pat of unsalted butter to medium high heat. Sear the scallops on both sides, turning after 3-4 minutes. Be careful to NOT burn, yet NOT overcook. Drain the scallops on a paper towel.
Turnip Chips
2 turnips, sliced thinly at an angle
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 shallot, sliced
Kosher salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes
The leaves from 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
Preheat oven to 325 degrees, and mix all ingredients in a bowel. Transfer veggies to a baking sheet that has been lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with cooking spray. Roast for about 40 minutes until the turnips are ‘crisp’ like a chip.
Red pepper puree
Char 2 red peppers on all sides on your burner (this can be done in the oven, too…this process just speeds things up a bit).
Transfer the peppers to a baking sheet, add 6 cloves of garlic, and season with kosher salt, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil. Roast in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Let peppers cool, and peel off the charred skins. Place the peppers and garlic into a food processor and add salt and pepper to taste. Also, add a teaspoon of smoked paprika. Puree on high until blended, and the strain out the mixture into a bowel. Set this aside for plating time.
Lime and soy vinaigrette
Juice of 2 limes
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon of low sodium soy sauce or Tamarin (gluten free soy sauce)
Pinch of kosher salt and pepper
Drizzle in about 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil, and mix well with a whisk. Taste for seasoning, and serve over baby bok choy and shallots that have been thinly sliced and seasoned with salt and pepper.
Enjoy!
Dinner is served!
Are you self-conscience about wearing a bathing suit? What’s your favorite ‘fancier’ meal?
My planned come back to running tonight was postponed due to my left shin and right LEG still being a bit wonky. I have no races scheduled so figure it’s best to not hurt myself for no reason. Because we all know how stubborn runners can be when it comes to training, and we often run through the pain. Totally unnecessary at this point, since the next half marathon I have planned isn’t until late September.
So…I sorta needed today’s run. NEED you say? Yeah…after a bit of family drama last night that left my pillow a bit wet when going to bed, I longed for the trails and had hoped to leave my feelings out on my hood trails tonight. BUT…no such luck. So now what? I COOK of course!!! My next favorite thing, and quite possibly even my VERY favorite…shhhhhh don’t tell my running habit I am cheating on ’em. LOL.
I have truly fallen in love with sweet potatoes so I decided to swing by the store after work and pick up a few for dinner tonight. Unbeknownst to me, my family had already eaten their dinner by the time I came home, and I quietly passed on the sandwich being handed to me (most know I REALLY try to avoid bread) and started my dinner prep. Here’s what you’ll need:
Sweet Potato Hash
2 Tbsp of coconut oil
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 small white onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 fried egg (cooked separately)
2 links of spicy chicken sausage, halved, then sliced in to 1/2 moons (or your favorite kind/brand!)
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
Seasonings: kosher salt, pepper, oregano, basil, hickory salt, crushed red pepper flakes to taste
Diced green onion for garnish
Heat a non-stick frying pan with the coconut oil to medium high heat. Add in your potato, onion, garlic, and sauté for 5-7 minutes until slightly tender. Next, add in your chicken sausage and seasonings and sauté for another 10 minutes. Just before serving add the parmesan cheese. While the hash is sautéing, fry one egg in a non-stick pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray and heated to medium-high heat. Scoop your hash on to a plate, top with the egg and garnish with green onion. YUM! This is enough to serve 2, so I saved the other half for my lunch tomorrow!!! Winning!
Dinner is served in less than 25 minutes!
Sweet Potato ‘Chips’
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Peel, and slice one sweet potato and place in a bowl. Add 2 teaspoons of coconut oil, 1 cup of parmesan cheese, a dash of kosher salt (not too much-the parmesan cheese is already salty!), black pepper, and garlic powder. Mix well, coating all of the ‘chips.’ Line a baking sheet with foil, and spray with cooking spray. Evenly place the chips on the sheet, being careful to not overlap the chips. Bake for 20 minutes, and turn the chips over. Return to the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown. Garnish with parsley, and serve!
These were a huge hit in my house!
What’s your favorite sweet potato dish? What do you do when you find yourself a bit blue?
Well, sad to say last week SUCKED. I came down with a rotten cold, which left my chest heavy and my heart even heavier. I managed to get in Tuesday’s 4 miler, and Yoga on Wednesday but the rest of the work week I was down for the count. So yesterday when I hit the road for my 12 miler, I knew it would more than likely be tough. See, solo long runs when you are feeling strong can be really awesome…but when you are already feeling low, the miles can really hurt when you are alone with your thoughts.
When I don’t run, I am not able to release all the life crap that piles up, which leads to a very unhappy Michelle. As the sunshine beamed down on my face, I could feel the energy draining from me rapidly. WHY did I pick a route that had NO shade when I set out for my run mid morning? DUMB DUMB DUMB. Realizing I would run out of water, and had picked a route with NO fountains and NO shade, I decided to turn around for home early. But 9 miles are better than no miles, right?
This week I work all but Friday, so while seeing everyone post on social media about the ‘holiday’ weekend filled with BBQ’s and vacations I am left feeling slightly bitter. And I don’t like this feeling. So today I am going to get out of the house for a couple hours and go consignment shopping with my neighbor in hopes to regain my smile. Gosh, where the heck did I put it, anyhow?
A Free People dress, for 25 dollars? Yes please!
Weight Loss:
None. Nope. Not a single lb. My nutrition was good minus a few bites of artichoke dip at Friday’s work pot luck, and I’ve cut back on my nightly date with wine but so far, no luck with losing anything. So glad I bought one size bigger capri pants and shorts…sheesh. LOL!
Weekly Goals:
My goals are to get through work and weekend duty with out any casualties, to include myself. I’ll be doing my 20 miler solo, on Friday which is my one day off, and to say I am nervous would be an understatement.
Recipe:
Despite being sick all week, I really wanted to get my recipe posted for this week. I’ve made a healthy and tasty dish!
Baked Trout stuffed with lemon and herbs
4 previously cleaned trout-ask your fish monger to make sure they are fresh
1 lemon, sliced
Fresh herbs-dill, thyme, parsley are great!
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil. Spray with cooking spray. Season your fish both inside and out with the salt and pepper, and stuff with the lemon and herbs. Drizzle with EVOO, and cover with foil. Bake for 25 minutes. I removed the heads and tails to serve, because they wouldn’t fit on the plate, LOL!
Nest time I’ll add even more herbs, but this was so tender it literally fell off the bone!
Sautéed Kale with Sopressata salami
6 pieces of sopressata salami sliced, and chopped
1 bunch of kale that has been rinsed and de-veined
Drizzle of EVOO
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Drizzle the extra virgin olive oil in a pan, and heat to medium heat. Add in your salami, and sauté until golden brown. Drain any grease from the pan. Add in your kale, and toss gently in the salami and remaining oil. Season with kosher salt and pepper and cook for 5-7 minutes.
I prefer cooking my kale, and love how vibrant and green it is!
Sweet Potato hash
One sweet potato, peeled and cubed
Smoked paprika, kosher salt, pepper, dried oregano, fresh thyme and one clove of garlic, smashed but keep in tact so you can remove.
Pat of unsalted butter and a sprinkle of brown sugar (shhh, my secret to get the potatoes to crisp up)-save this step for last.
Heat coconut oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add your potatoes, seasonings, herbs and garlic clove and cook for 20 minutes. Five minutes before serving add the butter and brown sugar, cooking still at medium to high heat.
My family has transitioned from the good ole russet potato to sweet potatoes to my delight.
Dinner is served!
How do you deal with ‘off’ weeks? I’ve found my delving in to my ‘other’ passions it helps keep me centered somewhat still. Have you ever cooked a fish whole? What was the best part of your week?
Have a great week, y’all. Remember, to keep movin’ forward!!
Movin' it with Michelle 