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! ❤
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!!
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?
Movin' it with Michelle 