What I Ate Wednesday: June 25

Welcome to another edition of What I Ate Wednesday!!!  Yesterday was a yummy day of food!  

I started the day by enjoying a Blueberry Cornmeal muffin before my workout.  After my workout I made myself a nice bowl of oatmeal with egg whites and stirred in some wild blueberries....SO GOOD!!!  I paired my oatmeal with an iced coffee!  Caffeine, check!!

  

  

I took a break mid-morning to have a snack.  As of late, this mid-morning snack has been the same, my Chocolate-Peanut Butter Green Smoothie.  You know what they say, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'.  I seriously think I could have this every day and never get tired of this smoothie.  It's soooo gooood!!!

I tried something different for lunch today.  I made a little pizza from an Ezekiel tortilla.  I had made some "Vitamix tomato sauce' over the weekend (ie throw everything in the Vitamix, then put on the stove to simmer) over the weekend, so I need to use up the extra (I will post my recipe to the sauce in the coming days!).  I topped the pizza with a cut up turkey sausage, some yellow grape tomatoes and 1/2 tbsp of parmesan cheese.  Once it was done from the oven, I topped it with fresh arugula.  Seriously delicious -- so much so, I plan on having the same thing for lunch today!  I also enjoyed a side of cut up veggies (red pepper and cucumber) and an unsweetened iced tea. 

For my afternoon snack, I had some turkey slices, 1 turkey muffin, and some cut up veggies.

Dinner was grill-a-licious 'surf & turf'!!!   I made grilled balsamic broccoli, half a striploin steak, and a few skewers of grilled shrimp.  I added in some yellow grape tomatoes for added colour!  It only took minutes to grill everything to perfection!  The perfect summer dinner! Yum Yum Yum!!!

Hope you enjoyed a wonderful day of good eats as well!!

What I Ate Wednesday: June 18

It's another edition of What I Ate Wednesday!!  

I was super hungry yesterday.  We are doing some killer workouts this week, so I needed to fuel my day accordingly!

I started out with oatmeal with egg whites.  Yes, you read that correctly -- I cook oats on the stove and at the last minute stir in 1/4 c of egg whites.  It gives it a nice, creamy texture.  I pour the oats over some thawed frozen raspberries and stir in 1 tsp of coconut sugar.  This is such a yummy, filling breakfast!

I had two morning snacks yesterday.  My first snack was one of my Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins along with my iced coffee.  I need my coffee -- it keeps me sane :)

My second morning snack was my lean, green Choc-PB smoothie!  I am in love with this smoothie -- it tastes like a chocolate-peanut butter cup -- just too good to be so good for you.  And to think there are about 8 cups of green in this bad-boy!  Oh yah -- love the greens!

Lunch was some leftover turkey sausage, fresh red peppers, mini dill pickles and some left over potato salad with avocado dressing. 

My afternoon snack was my turkey muffins with a side of grape tomatoes and cucumbers.

I was over at my mom's for dinner.  I made crispy chicken thighs (I didn't eat the skin) and a side of grilled broccoli.  What's that you say, grilled broccoli?  Why yes, it is AMAZING!  You have to try it!

Not shown is some mashed potatoes.  I had made them at the request of my niece -- I wasn't going to have any, but I gave in and enjoyed a few bites.  They were yummm!!!

Hope you all enjoyed a great Wednesday!!

Grilled Balsamic Broccoli

Grilled broccoli -- yes, that is right, GRILLED BROCCOLI!  This stuff is so good.  I was really skeptical the first time I was introduced to it, but now it is my favorite way to make broccoli -- and so easy too!

Simply add a bunch of broccoli florets to a bowl.

The secret is good AGED balsamic vinegar -- not the cheap $5 bottle from the grocery store.  You have to use the good stuff!!

Drizzle the broccoli with the balsamic vinegar and sprinkle on some kosher salt.

Use your hands to really work the balsamic into the florets to give them an even coating.

Place the broccoli on the grill on a medium heat.  Turn them every few minutes or so until they have some charring.

Take them off the grill and enjoy! YUM!!!

Herbed Potato Salad with Avocado Dressing

Summer is here!!  Who is ready for some potato salad? Me, me, me!!  

Well, here is an awesome recipe for a potato salad with lots of herbs covered in a garlicy creamy avocado dressing!  It's so good!  Even better the next day!

Cut and boil 2 lbs of red-skinned potatoes.  I used baby potatoes.  Once they are a bit less than fork tender, drain the potatoes and place them back into the pot.  While they are still hot, sprinkle on a good dash of salt (1/2 tsp or so) and 4 tbsp of rice vinegar.  Mix the potatoes around and let them come to room temperature while they absorb the vinegar.

Next you can make the dressing.  I used my min-Cuisinart food processor.  It's great for making small batches of dressing.

To make the dressing, simply add 1/2 of an avocado, 2 tbsp rice vinegar, the juice of 1/2 a lemon, 2 tsp of dijon mustard, 1 clove of garlic and a handful of italian parsley into the bowl of the processor.

Whirl it around for a few seconds until it is nice and creamy and the garlic and parsley are finely chopped.

Pour the dressing onto the potatoes.  They can be slightly warm -- it will help them absorb more flavour.

Chop up a large handful of fresh herbs.  I used a mixture of parsley, tarragon, thyme, and basil.

Mix it all together -- taste for salt and add more, if needed.  Put the potato salad in the fridge for at least 3 hrs before serving to allow the flavours to meld together.

Serve and Enjoy!!

Herbed Potato Salad with Avocado Dressing

2 lbs of red potatoes, cut and boiled
3-4 tbsp rice vinegar
salt
Fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, tarragon, dill, basil)

Dressing:
1/2 avocado
2 tbsp rice vinegar
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 clove of garlic
Handful of parsley

Boil the potatoes until they are almost fork tender.  Drain and place back into the pot.  Add the rice vinegar and salt to the warm potatoes and set aside.

To make the dressing, combine all ingredients in a food processor and whirl until smooth.  Add the dressing to the warm potatoes and stir to combine.

Chop up a handful of your favorite fresh herbs.  I used parsley, basil, thyme and tarragon.  Dill would be a great addition.  Add the herbs to the potatoes and mix to combine.

Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight before serving.  Enjoy!

Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins (no refined sugar)

These are my new favorite muffin.  They are soooooo good!  They have been kid-approved too!!

So last weekend I was watching an old episode of the Pioneer Woman, and she made blueberry cornmeal muffins.  My mouth was drooling!  But hers were filled with refined sugar, white flour and shortening.  I figured there had to be a way to clean them up.  Here is my version -- hope you like them!

This recipe is super easy to make (as long as you have a high-powered blender, like a Vitamix)!  Simply add 1.5 cups of regular oats (not the quick cooking kind), 1 egg, 1 cup of egg whites, 1/2 cup apple sauce, two bananas, 1/2 cup almond milk, 1 tbsp coconut oil 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda and a splash of vanilla into the blender.  Blend on high until the batter is smooth.

Once smooth, pour the batter into a medium bowl and add two scoops of vanilla protein powder and 3/4 cup of cornmeal.  Stir to combine -- I find a whisk works quite well for this step.

Once the cornmeal and protein powder have been combined, add in 1 cup of blueberries.  I use organic wild blueberries.

Lightly spray paper-lined muffin tins with oil.  Pour the batter into the muffin tins (I use a 1/4 c. ice cream scoop) and bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes, or until the muffins are golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

Let them cool and enjoy!!!  

Please note, that when warm, they tend to stick to the papers, since there is almost no fat in these.  I find that if I store them in the fridge, once cool, they will release from the papers.  You can also try baking them in non-stick muffin tins with no papers.....that may work too.

Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins

1.5 cups regular rolled oats
2 bananas
1/2 cup apple sauce, unsweetened
1 cup egg whites
1 egg
1/2 cup almond milk
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
splash of vanilla
3/4 cup cornmeal
2 scoops vanilla whey protein powder
1 cup frozen blueberries

Add the oats, banana, apple sauce, egg/egg whites, almond milk, coconut oil, baking powder, baking soda and vanilla into a high-powered blender and puree until smooth.  Pour the batter into a medium bowl and add the protein powder and cornmeal.  Whisk to combine.  Add in the blueberries and stir gently to incorporate.

Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes, or until they are golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Makes about 20 muffins.

Enjoy!!

Nutritional Information (per muffin -- searchable on MFP)

What I Ate Wednesday: June 11

Here is what I ate today!

Breakfast was my Spinach-broccoli and cheese egg bake, on a slice of Steady Eddie bread with two slices of roast turkey and a side of fresh raspberries.  I paired it with a nice latte made with espresso, coconut milk and coconut sugar.  The secret to the coffee is all in the machine -- I have the Breville Barista Express -- I love it and could not live without it!!

My Morning Snack was a green smoothie!  Made with spinach, kale, almond milk, natural peanut butter, chocolate whey protein and ice.

I also enjoyed one of my banana-raspberry oatmeal muffins as part of my morning snack.

Lunch today was a bed of mixed greens, topped with my quinoa salad, and served with seared wild tuna: and a side of cucumbers.

My afternoon snack was a turkey and avocado sandwich with a side of orange grape tomatoes.

My dinner was my favourite turkey-zucchini meatloaf muffins with a side of red peppers and cucumbers.

So how does it all stack up?  Pretty darn good: 1532 calories with macros of 41% carbs, 40% protein and 19% fat.

Hope you fueled yourself with great food today!!

Spinach-Broccoli-Cheese Egg Bake

I found some pressed dry cottage cheese at the store the other week and thought I would try it in a recipe.  I like that it doesn't have all the additives and emulsifiers that regular cottage cheese has.

I figured an egg bake recipe would be perfect.  Basically you just chop all the veggies and put them in a bowl along with the rest of the ingredients

Mix everything together well, and place in a 12 x 16 inch baking pan -- I actually used my roasting pan.

The bake at 375F for about 30-35 min, until the eggs are set.  Then turn the oven onto broil for about 3-5 minutes to brown the top.  Be sure to keep an eye on the egg bake while it is on broil.

Cut into 12 slices and enjoy!!!

Spinach-Broccoli-Cheese Egg Bake

2 eggs
1 carton egg whites (500 g)
1 pkg dry cottage cheese (500 g)

200 g baby spinach, chopped

200 g broccoli, chopped

1 sweet yellow onion, chopped

1/2 tsp Herbs de Province

1.5 tsp salt

1 tsp dijon

2-3 tbsp chopped parsley

Place all ingredients into a large bowl.  Mix well to combine.  Place into a lightly sprayed baking pan.  Bake at 375F for about 30-35 min, until the eggs are set.  Then turn the oven onto broil for about 3-5 minutes to brown the top.  Be sure to keep an eye on the egg bake while it is on broil.  Let cool, cut into slices and enjoy! Makes 12 slices.

I like to serve a slice ontop of a slice of toasted Steady Eddie bread with a few slices of oven-roasted turkey.  Makes a filling breakfast!

Nutritional Information