Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 + 30 minutes Cardio (Treadmill/Elliptical)

I began the day with a vigorous workout and had another juice for breakfast (minus the parsley due to having run out).

1 lb carrots
2 green apples
1 large grappefruit
3 leaves romaine

Eager to catch some rays, I packed my little cooler (BBQ Kale Chips, Sweet Potato Haystack Fries, and two mini Black Bean Quinoa Burgers topped with Red Onion Basil Aioli).  Then I got flax crackers going in the dehydrator and headed out the door. 

Red Onion Basil Aioli
Scaled down recipe from Voracious Eats

1 Tbs Red Onion
1 tsp Nayonnaise
1/2 tsp fresh basil
2 twists fresh ground black pepper

Sweet Potato Haystack Fries:
Two sweet potatoes, washed, spiralized & seasoned with olive and several twists of Trader Joes Everyday Seasoning Blend.  I dehydrated these iin my Good4U 9 tray at 145 for an hour, then at 105 for 15 hours.

BBQ Kale Chips
Using the BBQ Sauce recipe posted here and the method described here these are by far my favorite kale chips!

Unfortunately, mother nature had different weather plans that I anticipated but this turned out to be a good thing in that I found myself at the Christmas Tree Shop (never a bad thing) and scored a little gem but I'm saving that for tomorrows post :-)

In regards to the flax crackers, I am about 14 hours in and they are looking fantastic.  Once they are ready I will post a picture but in the mean time, here is the recipe:

Spicy Summer Salsa Crackers
Adapted from Raw Foods on a Budget

1 1/2 cup flaxseeds, whole
3 cups water

1/2 cup chia seeds
1 cup white corn 
1 large locally grown red tomatoes
1/2 medium red bell pepper
1/2 medium white onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
1/8 cup olive oil
1 tsp cayenne
    Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Soak flaxseeds overnight (or at least 6 hours).  When soak time is complete, pour seeds into a large bowl.   Next, you will make a liquid sauce to add to the flaxseeds. Remove the corn from the ear using a knife. Now, blend the corn, tomatoes, red bell pepper, white onion, garlic, and olive oil until completely liquified.  Then pour the liquid mixture into the large bowl with the flaxseeds. Mix until the liquid mixture is well distributed. Chop up the cilantro and add to the mixture. Now add chia seeds, then the salt, increasing the quanitity to taste.

Pour approximately one third of the mixture onto one Teflex sheet (or parchment paper) and spread it to 1/8-inch thickness.  Repeat the process, until you have used all of the mixture. You will need 1-2 more Telfex sheets. Place all sheets in the dehydrator.

Dehydrate the flax crackers at 105-degrees. When the top of the crackers are dry (about 12 hours), turn over and remove the Teflex sheets. Dehydrate for 36 more hours.

Enjoy!!

And on that note, I am off to do my nightly meditation (I have uploaded it above) and then bed as I am scheduled to be at work at 7am. 

Have a great night everyone!!

xo

Sunday Funday (and the end of July - Crazy!!)

I was up and at 'em early today which made for a productive morning.  I thought I had plans this afternoon but apparently I've been "stood up".  In a word:  Meh!   No point in harping, but it goes without saying that I'm annoyed.  I mean, who does that?!  Don't makes plans with someone if you don't intend to keep them - it's really that simple.  On the flip side, I can't really complain 'cause something a whole lot better came my way:

My early start on the day resulted in some noteable deliciousness (another plus) as well as the completion of household chores.  Adding to the list of positives is that starting tomorrow I have every month off for the month of August.   Yippieeeeeeeeeee!!  I never was a fan of mondays but something tells me that will change even if said change is temporary.

I am hoping to hit the beach tomorrow, which inspired me to get BBQ Kale Chips and Sweet Potato Haystack Fries going in the dehydrator this morning (pictures and details to be posted tomorrow).  I then set to work on the Cherry Chocolate Granola Squares (as the S'Mores one I made got devoured) and the Black Bean Quinoa Burger recipe came out based on everything else I had made in that it just seemed most fitting.  

I began the day with a Celery Rejuvenation Juice (from Raw Foods on a Budget) which consists of celery, apples, ginger, grapefruit, and parsley but found that I didnt have much of an appetite throughout the day.  Fast forward to dinner time:  I had a little left over kale from the bbq chips that I wanted to use up and I recently picked up oat groats during a Wild By Nature trip.  Savory oats arent usually my cup of tea but this totally did it for me :-)

Anywho, hope you all had a fabulous weekend.  Positive vibes for the week ahead!

Enjoy!
xo

2 cups Gluten Free Rolled Oats
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1/2 cup coconut nectar
1/4 cup sucanat
1/8 cup coconut oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground salt
1 1/2 cups dried cherries
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Line a baking dish with foil and spray generously (I used the perfect brownie pan foor this).  Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350F.

Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, ground flax and unsweetened coconut onto a baking pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  In the meantime, combine the coconut nectar, sucanat, coconut oil, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the sucanat has completely dissolved.

Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, then the chips, and stir to combine. Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

1 15oz can black beans, rinsed well, drained & half of the amount mashed
1 Tbs tomato paste
1 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup diced peppers ( I used a mix of red & green)
1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats, ground into flour
1 Tbs ground flaxseed + 3 Tbs water, microwaved for 20 seconds ( = flax egg)
2 tsp liquid smoke
    Hamburger Seasoning, to taste

Combine all ingredients into a large mixing bowl.  Place in fridge for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, preheat oven 300F. Line baking pan with parchment paper.  Form mixture into patties (I got 8 mini burgers) and bake 40 minutes, flipping half way through.    

Savory Oat Groats & Kale
Adapted from Martha Stewart

1/4 cup onion, diced
1 tsp garlic, minced & divided
1 carrot, peeled & diced
1/2 cup oat groats
1 cup low sodium vegetable broth (I used Trader Joes)
1 1/2 cup kale, washed, destemmed, and torn into pieces
   Fresh ground pepper, to taste
   Dash crushed red pepper

Generously spray a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion and half the garlic. Cook, stirring, until onion is translucent.  Add the carrots and the groats; cook 1 minute. Now add vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, 25 minutes.

Generously spray medium skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add remaining garlic; cook until it turns golden, then stir in kale.  Continue cooking and stirring, until wilted. 

Stir kale into the groats. Cover and cook until liquid is completely absorbed and groats are tender but still chewy, about 5 minutes. Season with fresh ground pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste.

Anyone see the newly stuffed jalapeno cheddar burgers from BK and simply must have one?

Yeah ..... Me neither .....

Don't get me wrong - I love a good burger and as I have previously shared in an earlier post, jalapeno's are a weakness of mine.  However, I cringe at the thought of walking into a BK.  Nothing good comes of BK, or any fast food.  Even the days where it tastes amazing you feel anything but amazing afterwards, making it not worth it in my opinion.  The fact that I am lactose intolerant (which means no dairy) doesnt help matters but in terms of not eating fast food (aka: crap) I am better off.  Fortunately better off doesnt necessarily translate into missing out.  That said, I offer you the solution to ending any feelings of conflict you may have surrounding fast food consumption (specifically BK's Jalapeno Burgers) via the following recipe!

-1 1/2 lbs Ground Beef
15 -25 presliced Jalapeno Rings
 2 Tbs Worchestire Sauce1 Tbs
1/2 TbsBlack Pepper
1/4 bread crumbs (i use gluten free, anotha issue)
2/3 cup Daiya Brand Cheddar Cheese Shreds
2 Egg Replacers or 1 Real Egg (whichever you prefer)
Buns (Gluten Free or otherwise), optional

First, dice up those jalapeno rings, set aside.

Put your meat into a large bowl and add worchestire, egg or replacer (as per instructions on egg replacer box), black pepper, Daiya Cheddar, bread crumbs, and your diced jalapeno.  Mix until well combined, then form into parrties (about 5-6). 

To cook: you can broil or grill, depending on what you have access to. I live in a city apt so I personally broil for approximately 8 minutes per side. Once cooked, slap your burger on a bun and top with your favorite condiments...... or not.... but either way enjoy!!  I leave out the bun and instead drizzle mine with bbq sauce.

*Notes*
U may also use ground turkey, in which you would follow the same recipe, except reduce worchestire to 1 Tbs as turkey tends to be more moist and grill/broil longer (approx 10 minutes per side). 

Until next time folks....

Enjoy!

- Darin

The sweltering heat the past few days sparked a hankerin for veggie burgers that just wouldn't quit.  When a rendevenous - and subsequent veggie burger dinner - with Darin in NYC didnt suffice, I felt compelled to make a batch the following night.  Since girl cannot live on Jamacian Jerk Veggie Burgers alone, a few necessary tweaks were made to the recipe and the Fiesta Lime Black Bean Burger was born!!

Truth be told, I was somewhat suprised with how delicious these turnede out on the first try.  Once again I used whatever vegetables I had on hand.  In terms of recipe tweaks, I used black beans in place of the peanut butter, went with an oat/flax mix instead of just using flax, and changed the seasoning via fresh cilantro and the one & only Mrs. Dash.  The recipe makes 6 large burgers.

2/3 cup ground oats (I used Bob's Gluten Free Rolled Oats)
1/2 cup ground flax
1 can black beans, rinsed well and completely drained
3 cloves, minced
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 small orange bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 crown broccoli florettes, chopped
2 - 3 Tbs diced tomatoes & green chiles (I used Rotel brand)
1/2 cup corn kernels
1 egg equivelant (or 1 egg, 2 whites)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
  Mrs Dash Fiesta Lime, to taste
  Cayenne pepper, to taste

Note:  Your chop or how long you pulse your ingredients will largely determine the texture of your burgers so keep this in mind when chopping.  I personally prefer a rough chop cause I like a "meatier" texture.

Wash and chop vegetables (if your not doing so in your processor).  Set aside.   Grind oats and flax and mix together in a small bowl.  Combine garlic, beans, and tomatoes and green chiles in processor and  pulse  until a thick paste is made.  You can process some of your vegetables here all well.  Its up to you.  Scrape bean mixture into a large bowl.   Add veggies, egg equivalent and seasoning.   Stir a few times, then slowly add  flax and oat mixture. Mix until all ingredients are well combine.

Mixture needs to set at least 30 minutes before baking so you can either: divide the mix into 7 - 8 equal portions, which you then shape into patties & place on a plate which you then place in the fridge OR stick the mixing bowl in the fridge for the 30 minutes and shape your patties afterwards (I chose the latter as it results in one less plate to clean).

While mixture is setting, preheat oven 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place patties on baking sheet when ready and bake at 400F for 40 minutes, flipping over half way through.  Enjoy!

Pre-Cooked

I'm gonna skip the banter and head straight to the deliciousness today.   Enjoy!

Jamacian Jerk Veggie Burgers - A Miss Delicious Exclusive!!
These are soooooooooo good and actually fill you up.  I am not a "bun" person and eat them as is, chopped into a green salad, or in lettuce wraps.  Makes 6

1/2 medium red pepper, fnely chopped
1/2 medium yellow pepper, finely chopped
1/2 medium orange pepper, finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely diiced
1 small crown broccoli, "tree" part only, finely chopped
1 small zucchini, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup ground Flax
2 Tbs Chia Seeds
1 Tbs Jamaican Jerk Seasoning Sauce
  Fresh Ground Pepper, to taste
2 egg equivalents (or egg whites)
4 Tbs Natural Smooth Peanut Butter

Wash and cut all vegetables as stated above.  Mix vegetables together in a large bowl.  Add garlic, chia seeds, egg equivalents and peanut butter.  Then slowly add the ground flax.  Mix all ingredients until well coombined (You may need to add splashes of water.  Just do so slowly to prevent mixture from becoming too wet.  Once mixed, shape into patties on a plate and place in the refridgerator to set for 30 minutes (longer is ok too!!)  Preheat oven 400F and bake 30 - 40 minutes, flipping patties half way through.  To grill patties, i find it better to prebake them (20 - 30 minutes, again flipping half way through) and then putting them on the grill for remainer of time until desired cooked-ness is reached

with Mrs Dash Fiesta Lime Seasoned Taters

Black Bean & Vegetable Quinoa Salad
Adapted from the Savvy Vegetarian.   I personally prefer this salad cold.  The vegetables can be tailored to suite your tastes.  Serves 6

1 cup quinoa, cooked according to box directions
1 can blackbeans, drained & rinsed well.
1/2 medium red pepper, finely chopped
1/2 medium yellow pepper, finely chopped
1/2 medium orange pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup green onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 yellow squash, fiinely chopped* optional - I used it cause I had it in the fridge
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Dressing
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice from 1 large lime (about 2 Tbs)
1 tsp salt, fresh ground
1 tsp pepper, fresh ground
     Pinch cayenne or chili powder

Cook quinoa as directed on box (this can be done in advance!).  Allow to completely cool before making salad.

Heavily spray pan with cooking spray and on medium heat, sauté garlic until brown.  Add peppers, sundried tomato, and ginger.  Continue to cook until they begin to get soft.  Mix in the cumin and coriander and cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring continuously.  While this is happening, prepare the dressing by mixing all ingredients together (shake them up in a jar or use a whisk).  When the veggies are cooked and the quinoa is cool, gently coombined everything together in a large bowl.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Then stir in cilantro and green onion.  Serve warm or cover and chill.

Peanut Butter S'Mores Granola Bars
A variation of my S'mores Bites, these are equally delicious!!

2 cups Rolled Oats
2/3 cup flax seed, ground
1 cup graham cracker, crumbs *
1/4 Tbs peanut butter, melted
4 Tbs Coconut Oil
1/4 cup Sucanat
1/3 cup Agave Nectar
2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp freshly ground cinnamon
1 cup semi-sweet baking chips
1 cup mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line a baking dish (9 x 9 inch) with tin foil.   Set aside.   Spread oats onto a baking sheet and toast in over for approximately 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. When toasting is complete, transfer oats to a bowl and add ground flax and graham cracker crumbs.  Stir to combine.

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring peanut butter, coconut oil, sucanat, agave nectar, and vanilla extract to a boil.  Allow to cook for a moment, then remove from heat and pour over the mixture in the large bowl, stir well to ensure all your dry ingredients are well coated.

Transfer half of the mixture to you prepared pan and lightly press down, making sure it evenly covers the bottom.  Allow to cool 10 minutes or so.  Once cool add your chips to this layer, then your marshmallow.  Now cover top of the marshmallows with your remaining oat mixture.  Again lightly press down.  Place pan in oven and bake at 350F for approximately 15 minutes, or until top is lightly toasted.  Remove from oven and allow to completely cool before cutting into bites.  Placing the pan in the fridge/freezer will speed this process up :-)

Note:  Not all graham crackers are created equal in that many contain funky ingredients.  Be sure to read ingredient labels prior to making a selection.  I use Trader Joe's brand, unless I'm making them gluten free.  In that instance I use S'moreables along wiith Bob's Gluten Free Oats.

I'm offically signed up for the 2011 Self Challenge (under the username DEELISHEX).  March 17th is the start date so there is plenty of time to join.  I've done the challenge yearly since my college (undergrad) days and I have no intention of stopping.  In a word:  INSPIRING!!  If you have never done a self challenge I recommend checking it out, especially if your looking to "get in shape" for summer (108 days!!) or if you are looking for a way to jumpstart any health and wellness goals.  I will periodically update on my progress once the challenge is underway.

That said - here was tonight's dinner:

once the taters are in:

Falafel Inspired Edamame Patties
Adapted from a recipe I found on SparkRecipes Blackberry Application; Makes approx 5 patties

1 15oz can of organic chickpeas, drained
1 cup edamame, shelled
3 gloves garlic
2 scallions (aka green onion), chopped
2 tsp cumin

Place ingredients in food processor or blender and combine together.  Form mixture into patties. Bake @ 400F until golden in color. (Approx 20 min)

My fries came out PERFECT but the patties were way blander that I anticipated.  (Something to keep that in mind when seasoning your own.) but have high hopes for my next go them.  Hope you have a great weekend!!