Archives for May 2011

Man cannot live on bread alone

May 24, 2011 by 1 Comment

Oh but I can sure try!  Winking smile

I love bread.  It’s delicious!  And contrary to what some people say, bread is not evil.  Whole grains are crazy good for you, so why not go for whole grain bread?! 

I’m a firm believer in everything in moderation.  People that go to extremes (i.e. cutting out an entire food group) are the people who usually fail at a healthy diet and go back to extreme overeating of the unhealthy junk foods.  So I allow myself to have everything I want in moderation.  Why on earth would I want to live without bread?!  And cupcakes?  And even though I don’t eat dairy I still get to have my fill of yummy cheesy-ness in the form of Daiya cheese and even a delicious nutritional yeast cheese sauce.  (and yes I do get my calcium in!) It’s all about moderation- I still stay within my caloric intake for the day.  I still eat somewhere around 5-9 servings of veggies a day.  I get my nutrients in and savor the things that feel like a treat to me!

So anyway I recently got a bread machine (my reward to myself for my May fitness challenge- a teeny bit early since the challenge isn’t technically over yet, haha).

I read a TON of reviews.  I knew that I wanted one that was under $100.  I also knew that I wanted a horizontal loaf pan so that it actually looked like a loaf of bread instead of a weird tube shape that you get with the vertical loaf pan.

So I ended up with the West Bend 41300 Hi-Rise.  It’s even got two kneading blades!

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I LOOOOOVE this thing!  Though I’ve tried many many times I am completely unable to make home made bread.  I’m not sure why.  I follow directions and recipes to a T.  But my bread NEVER turns out!

Not anymore!  Every loaf I’ve made in this thing has been amazing!

Applesauce bread from the bread machine diva!  SO amazing toasted and spread with a little earth balance!

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Spelt sandwich bread from Mama Pea!  I think this will be my go to for sandwich bread.

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I also made some pizza dough (the machine has a dough setting- how cool is that?!), but I forgot to take a picture.

Right now I’ve got some dough going for some soft pretzels.  Depending on how they turn out, I’ll hopefully be posting the recipe tomorrow!

Anyone out there have a tried and true bread machine recipe that they love and want to share?

 

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Super creamy grilled cheesy

May 23, 2011 by 4 Comments

Ugh, sorry for the lack of posts- my work schedule has been so weird lately.  I’m working full time right now, and if you remember how exhausting my job is, then you know by the time I get home I can barely keep my eyes open and I pretty much go straight to bed.  I’m ready for the summer to be over so I can quit!  I think I’ve decided in the fall I’m going try to do some subbing at some local schools.  It will pay more per day than I make right now, plus I would be done by 4:00.  I think it would work pretty perfectly with my fall schedule since I’ll only be going to school on Tues/Thurs.  I have a teaching certificate and I know a lot of schools give preference to substitutes that have them.  We shall see!

Since my last post was about cheese, I thought I’d do another one!  This is my absolute favorite version of a grilled cheese that I’ve ever made!  The hummus makes it so creamy and delicious!!

What you need…

Bread (whatever kind you like, I used a rustic whole wheat)
Earth Balance
Hummus (whatever brand you like- Sabra is my fav)
2-3 Tablespoons of your fav cheese (I LOVE the Daiya Pepperjack for this!)

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How to make it…

So just like a regular grilled cheese, you spread your butter on the bread. 

On the non buttered side your going to spread a thin layer of hummus. 

Place it in the pan butter side down (a cast iron skillet makes the best grilled cheeses!!!) and sprinkle on your cheese.

Spread another thin layer of hummus on the non-buttered side of the other piece of bread and place on top (butter side up).

Let it get all crisp and golden brown, then flip it over and do the same on the other side.

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Delicious!

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Super Cheesy Awesome Sauce

May 16, 2011 by 2 Comments

Who says you can’t have an awesomely creamy cheesy-tasting sauce without dairy?!  You CAN have the awesome flavor without poisoning your body with saturated fat (ewww!!!!)!

We’re going to take advantage of the amazingly cheesy flavor of nutritional yeast and I’m going to give you a basic recipe that you can adapt several different ways to suit what you want to use it for.  Oh and 2 Tablespoons of this super cheesy awesome sauce is around 58 calories and ZERO fat!

Let’s do this!

Basic Recipe…

Super Cheesy Awesome Sauce
(Print this recipe!)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Nutritional Yeast
1/2 cup flour
2 cups water
a big pinch each of garlic powder and paprika
1 tsp salt

Directions:
Combine dry ingredients in a saucepan.

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Whisk in water over medium heat until thick and bubbly.

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Remove from heat.

 

Variations…

Use as is as a cheesy sauce for your steamed veggies or baked potato.

Add a can of Rotel for an amazing queso- you can even throw it in one of those little crockpots to keep it nice and warm to serve at a shin dig.

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Stir in a spoonful of dijon mustard and 8 oz of cooked whole wheat elbow macaroni for an easy mac and cheese that’s to die for!

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Hope you try this- it’s awesomesauce!!!  (anyone watch Parks and Recreation?  Love that show!)

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Top 10 running songs

May 11, 2011 by 2 Comments

I Red heart running right now! 

And the best part I think is blasting some awesome music and just totally rocking out in my head. (not out loud lest people think I’m completely insane, LOL!)  There’s just something about putting on a fast paced song and moving my feet to the beat that I love!

So I thought it might be super fun to share my top 10 running songs as I just finished a 4 mile run!  Let’s get right to it, shall we?

#10- Tik Tok, Ke$ha
She may not be the best singer in the world, but I love having this song on my running playlist.  It’s always the first song as I start to run because it’s not super fast, but it does get me pumped for my run!

#9- Get Sexy, Sugababes
Love love love this song!  And it’s got a great tempo to follow the first song!

#8- Fat Bottomed Girls, the GLEE version
I know, I know.  But I love this song and I’m not sure why.  The Queen version is great, but the GLEE version is better for running.

#7- Can’t Touch This, MC Hammer
I’m so not kidding, this is a great song to run to!  And it makes me remember my elementary school days fondly and how totally cool we thought we were doing the MC Hammer dances out on the playground in our parachute pants and Reeboks.  C’mon- you wore them too, admit it!!!

#6- The Time Warp (Remix), from The Rocky Horror Picture Show
First of all, if you’ve never seen this- shame on you!  Go rent it.  Now!  Second of all- the remix part is important because it keeps a steady beat the whole time and there is no stopping/starting like there is in the regular version of the song.  It’s got a great beat and it just makes me want to dance!

#5- Paris (Ooh La La)- Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
This is a new fav.  I’m totally obsessed with Grace Potter and the Nocturnals right now, and this is a GREAT running song!

#4- Run (Natural Disaster), Gnarls Barkley
Maybe one of the greatest running songs ever.  It’s got a great tempo, and even speeds up as the song progresses.  And if you’re like me and like to run to the tempo of a song, this song is great for making you run faster!

#3- Girlfriend, Avril Levigne
Hey, hey.  You, you.  I don’t like your girlfriend.  Love this song!

#2- What the Hell, Avril Levigne
What can I say, her songs are great to run to!

#1- Pump It, Black Eyed Peas
This is my absolute favorite pump-me-up and get-me-moving song!!!  It makes me want to pump my fists in the air (like I just don’t care?)

 

Honorable Mention… Gonna Fly Now (Theme from “Rocky”)

This song’s not exactly on the list but should get a mention.  I don’t really care to listen to the whole song when I’m running, but if I’m running a race, as soon as I see that finish line I like to put this song on and imagine how awesome it’s going to feel crossing that finish line!

 

Hope you enjoyed my list- have a great day!

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May fitness challenge

May 6, 2011 by Leave a Comment

April’s fitness challenge was a total bust!  I had bronchitis most of the month, I tried to work out anyway.  That actually made it worse, so I went to the Dr., got some meds, was told no working out till I finished my meds.  So I said yes ma’am and followed orders!

But May is a new month, I’m done with meds, and ready to work out!!

I can’t really make myself a workout schedule like I did last month because I have NO idea what my schedule is going to look like from week to week.  I’ll probably be working full time this summer so who knows what my schedule will look like!

So instead of a structured schedule, I’ll just have to play it by ear week-to-week.  However I can make some general goals for myself!

Goal 1:
Work out 5 days/week.  This month I’d like to focus mainly on running, biking(before it gets too hot!), and yoga!!!

Goal 2:
Be able to comfortably run 5 miles by the end of the month. 

Goal 3:
To be able to do more yoga poses in yoga class without altering them

Rewards:
I’ve been jonesing to buy a bread machine!  I am an awesome baker, but one thing I cannot bake is bread.  I’ve tried and tried, but I’ve finally had to admit that I am just incapable of baking bread.  I used to use my mom’s bread machine all the time when I was a teenager.  I made not only breads, but also pizza dough, and dough for cinnamon rolls in that thing and they always turned out awesome.  So I did some research and read a ton of reviews and this is the one I decided I want!  Yay for fresh bread!

Misc…
I’m giving myself 3 free days this month in case I get sick.  If I need them, great.  If I don’t, even better!  If I don’t use any of them I’m going to throw in an extra little reward- I haven’t decided exactly what yet, but I do need some new makeup…

 

Ta-da!  May fitness challenge starts…. NOW!!

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