I made some yummy low carb salami pinwheels for the party we’re going to tonight. Here’s all you’ll need: Salami, cream cheese, everything bagel seasoning, pickles/banana peppers, arugula.
Tag: low carb
Blue cheese beef meatballs, mushroom gravy and cauliflower mash
This year has started out a little rough for me. While I had talked about Self-love last week on the blog, with intentions of making more time for the things I love AND me in general, I instead continued to battle this wretched cough/cold. This weekend I finally felt better enough to venture out of the house with my daughter, and we got our nails done, ran errands, had lunch with a great friend and did a little shopping. I was a little worn out this afternoon, but was determined to get back to my Sunday supper ritual.
Today’s menu consisted of Blue cheese beef meatballs, mushroom gravy, and cauliflower mash with a side of sautéed asparagus.
Blue Cheese Beef meatballs
One pound of ground beef
1 cup of blue cheese crumbles
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste (about 1-2 tsps. of salt, 1 tsp pepper
1 tsp of dried oregano
Combine and let chill for an hour. Bring to room temperature while the oven is pre-heating to 350 degrees. Bake for about 30 minutes or until fully cooked.
Cauliflower mash
1 head of fresh cauliflower
1/4 cup of low fat cream cheese
2 tsps. of unsalted butter
1-2 tsps. of salt, 1 tsp of white pepper, 1 tsp of garlic powder
Cup up cauliflower and cook in boiling water until soft.
Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process on high for around 2-3 minutes.
Mushroom gravy
1 tsp of unsalted butter
6-8 portabella mushrooms, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 package of Lipton Onion soup mix
4 cups of unsalted/low sodium beef stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tsps. of corn starch and cold water, mixed well (this is called a slurry, you’ll add it to thicken the gravy)
In a sauce pan melt the butter and add the mushrooms and garlic. Cook until lightly browned. Add in the beef stock, and onion soup mix until combined thoroughly. Add in the heavy cream and the corn starch slurry and bring to a boil. Reduce down, and let simmer for 20 minutes. Puree or leave chunky! Your call!
I rounded the dish out with some simple sautéed asparagus with a little salt, pepper, and a pat of butter.
Enjoy!!!
Sunday supper and a Keto recipe
We just finished week one of the Keto diet. My husband is completely on board and it’s helping so much to have his support. Our goal this week was to stay under 25 grams of carbs per day and we stayed on track all week. I’m happy to report he’s down almost 10 lbs, and I’m down 3 lbs!! Woot!!
You know you did a great job when your daughter can’t tell the difference between your cauliflower mash between mashed potatoes. Recipe: one head of cauliflower boiled in salt water until soft. Save a couple of tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Transfer to a food processor and add two tablespoons of cream cheese, two pats of unsalted butter, sea salt, pepper, parsley and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. Add the saved liquid and purée on high until smooth!!
We served with a yummy steak that my hubby cooked in the cast iron skillet. Yum!
Have you tried low carb or Keto with success? How was your weekend?
Cheers!
Michelle
Time to be true-Two things…
Ok, so I started last year at a pretty dark place, but managed to finish on a pretty high note with lofty yet achievable goals. Running, writing, and researching recipes are high on my list this year mixed in with some awesome photography…Right? Um…so yeah…about that…
Then, I cut my thumb on Christmas day, and my running, motivation, and goal making days halted all too quickly. BUT…thankfully only for just about a month. Whew…bullet dodged. I caveat this with saying I DID NOT/DO NOT want a repeat of last winter. Ever. Both the weather, and my mood were beyond frigid.
So here we go…
First:
I started running again last week. My miles are minimal and my pace is slow as can be…but I’m MOVIN’…can I get a yahoo??? Today at work I had a leadership workshop of sorts to attend so my 8 hour day was squashed in to 4 hours of playing catch up. I was tired by the time the final ‘bell’ rang, so upon arriving to my daughter’s school I texted my Maria…”I’ll be on the dreadmill in 30 minutes in case you want to join me.” Of course she did, despite battling a migraine for 5 days, and her virtual hug and push helped get my on the mill. 2.6 miles, complete.
Second:
I hit the restart button after the holidays to try and lose my 5-7 lbs of marathon training/winter weight/I’m lazy and just ate all the food weight…so I’m back on MyFitnessPal for anyone else who uses this app, tracking my food and fitness and REALLY trying to stop eating all. the. chips. I have to giggle when it says I should weigh a certain weight if I continue to eat the way I am because yeah-pre-menopause obviously isn’t calculated in to the equation, and well yeah…I don’t see that number on the scale. BUT…I’ve just restarted in the last week or so, so baby steps, right? With that I have been eating high protein/veggie/fruit type of diet, so here is tonight’s easy peasy dinner recipe!
Baked Pork chop with white wine, onion and caper sauce over baby spinach salad
What you’ll need (pork chops):
4 thick cut boneless pork chops, seasoned with kosher salt, pepper, and a dash of lemon pepper seasoning on all sides-apply liberally and set aside for about 5 minutes while you get everything preheated.
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
Pre-heat a non stick pan and add extra virgin olive oil and 1 pat of unsalted butter. Heat to high heat, and pan sear chops on both sides (5-7 minutes each side-don’t over crowd your pan!) until golden brown and transfer to a baking sheet. *Tip-line your pan with aluminum foil for easy clean up! Place in your pre-heated oven and cook for about 10 minutes or until your chops have reached 155 degrees-let rest for 10 minutes minimum-chops will reach required temp of 160 degrees by this time. *Tip-cover with foil while resting your meat. It helps hold the temperature.
While your chops are baking, make your “sauce.”
Sauce
1 white onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
2 tablespoons of Kalamata olives, chopped
Zest of a lemon
1 cup of white wine
1/4 of cold water mixed with cornstarch to thicken
Kosher salt, pepper, and oregano to taste.
In the same pan you seared your chops, deglaze with the white wine (make sure it’s wine you’d drink!)
Add your onions, garlic, capers, and olives. Reduce down the liquid by half, and add your seasonings and cornstarch water to thicken. Add zest just before serving. I served the spinach and pork with the sauce, who needs dressing/gravy? Not this girl!
So in order to stay on track with food, fitness, and life in general my TRUE goal this year is to BE CONTENT. I have said it before, but I’ll say it again. I am, and I have, ENOUGH.
Who’s with me? How are your eats and exercise lately? How do you battle off season eating/motivation?
❤ Michelle
Cauliflower purée recipe
I’ll keep this quick with my computer still being down but wanted to share this yummy recipe.
What you’ll need:
One head of cauliflower, roughly chopped.
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
2 tablespoons of butter
Drizzle of EVOO
1/2 cup of milk
1/4 cup of low fat sour cream
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
In a deep pot melt the butter and EVOO and add in the cauliflower and garlic. Cook for about 12 minutes on medium high heat until tender, seasoning with salt and pepper.
Once cooked add in your milk and sour cream and purée with a stick mixer or blender.
Voila! Simple, quick, and a great side for any protein!
Enjoy!!
💗 Michelle
Gosh has it really been a week?
Last week I logged 3 runs, and kept my eating on par…well, until the weekend where I chowed down on chicken wings while watching the World Cup soccer game…ooooooops…
I started my week strong with my hubby, running a very humid and hot 5k to get us moving. It was hard, admittedly. There were plenty of swear words and more sweat then we could even quantify, but we kept moving…
Back to work today, and let’s just say at 9 pm I have finally finished my work day. Talk about exhausted…who wants to lift weights for me?
BUT…I’ve missed cooking. With the hubby gone last week our meals here were pretty simple…
Yet the best part of tonight was creating a yummy and healthy dinner and in less than 30 minutes. Now…what to name this dish, LOL.
Braised chicken thighs
Here is what you’ll need:
4 chicken thighs, bone in, patted dry.
1 small white onion diced
1 pepper diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can of diced tomatoes, drained
2 teaspoons of capers, diced
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1 cup of Sauvignon blanc (Fiddlehead cellar is my all time favorite)
Seasonings:
Pinch of Rosemary, sage, thyme, kosher salt, black pepper and roasted red pepper flakes
Here’s what you’ll do:
Season your chicken with salt and pepper and sear on both sides in a pan coated with extra virgin olive oil, until they are golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside. (Do NOT cook through). In the same pan, add your onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, tomato paste, capers, wine, and seasoning and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add back your chicken, coating them in the sauce, and cover. Let simmer for 15 minutes until cooked through.
Instead of serving over traditional pasta, I served over yellow zucchini noodles. What a hit!
How did I make these cool veggie noodles? My new favorite kitchen gadget!
Tonight’s work out? Arms…
Back at it with running tomorrow!
What is your favorite kitchen gadget?
❤ Michelle
Lemon Vinaigrette with a little twist
Here lately I have had people asking for my lemon vinaigrette recipe-which I have found to be so versatile, and my go to dressing for salads, fish, and even chicken/pork/steak.
What you’ll need:
The juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
1 small clove of garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon (to taste) of apple cider vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pinch of Mediterranean oregano and basil
Lightly mix, and whisk in a couple tablespoons of a good extra virgin olive oil
Serve over your favorite salad or protein! Delish!!
Here is a pic of my latest creation that I dressed with this vinaigrette.
I got a new “noodle” gadget tonight, where you can take veggies and make them into noodles! It’s GREAT!
I “noodled” 3/4 of a zucchini, added 1/4 thinly sliced red onions, and some sliced roasted (gluten free) roasted turkey as well as some cherry tomatoes! Looking forward to lunch tomorrow!
Hope you all enjoy!
This week starts back to better eating and exercise…although I’ve done pretty well with my running, I know my eats haven’t been top notch! Here’s to more recipes and better adventures to share with you all!!
❤
Michelle
Shrimp salad with chopped veggies
Do you need a great, quick, and easy ‘go-to’ meal for those nights you don’t feel like slaving over the stove after a long day? This recipe will surely make your palate dance, and your belly full.
What you’ll need:
One bag of large, precooked shrimp. (I prefer tail on, as they seem larger and you get more bang for your buck-simply thaw and remove the tail)
1 red pepper, sliced in strips
1/2 of a red onion, thinly sliced (place slices in a bowl of water for 10 minutes to remove some of the ‘bite’)
1 cup of chopped broccoli
10-12 cherry tomatoes, sliced
1 head of romaine lettuce torn/chopped
Chop/prepare all of your veggies and lettuce, and set aside. Don’t forget to also season lightly with a sprinkle of kosher salt and pepper! I like to serve my shrimp lightly sautéed over my salad, so I season it with kosher salt and pepper, and sear quickly over high heat in a pan drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. Drain on a paper towel, and serve atop your salad.
Serve with your favorite dressing (mine is in the pic-YUM) and enjoy!
Prep time is only 10-15 minutes, so this is a win win on a week night!
Movin' it with Michelle 