Kale, Sausage and White Bean Stew
After a long hiatus, I have decide to revisit this blog. Life kind of got in the way a year ago and I need something right now to keep me going. Lately, I have felt completely sapped of energy. Of course, my first thought is what’s wrong with my diet? I’ve been caught up in a few unhealthy habits recently (hello bachelorette party wine tasting…washed down with a liter of Fireball Whiskey) and with this awful fatigue dragging me down, I feel as though it’s time for a major diet overhaul. First things first, I have got to get pounds of kale into my body, since it is apparently the healthiest food ever in the history of healthy food. This is quite a challenge because my dirty little unhealthy secret is that….I don’t love kale….I feel like I’m going to get in trouble for saying that but there it is. I made kale chips once and enjoyed them but it was kind of time consuming and I haven’t made them again in 3 years. My mom told me I have to hide it in my food- like Jessica Seinfeld does for Jerry and the kids? Kind of…think thicker sauces.
I stumbled upon a yummy looking kale recipe on Pinterest and decided to add some tomatoes to it and replace the bulk turkey sausage with chicken sausage that was already cooked by Al Fresco (I’m no stranger to a short cut). I whipped this up quickly after a lovely, calming yoga class and it was just what I needed. I think I can get on board with all this kale hoopla now…
Kale, White Bean & Sausage Stew
1 bunch of kale, torn to pieces, center stem removed
1 can of white beans (I used Eden Organic Navy Beans)
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 small onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp of olive oil
½ cup of chicken broth
4 cooked chicken sausage links cut into slices
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar (optional, I had every intention of stirring this in just before serving but completely forgot. Could be tasty though!)
In a large pot or your biggest sauté pan, add olive oil and sauté onions and garlic. Once the onions are translucent, add the sausage and heat through. Add beans and tomatoes. Bring pot to a simmer and cover for a few minutes. I had a ton of kale and had to add a few handfuls at a time, stir into the mixture, cover to allow the kale to cook down a bit and then add some more.
I served this with a roasted sweet potato but a little bit of brown rice or even just some crusty bread would be delish.
The Muffin (Wo)man
Here is my latest and greatest muffin recipe. Boyfriend approved.
Berry Muffins
1 cup Oat Bran Cereal
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup of applesauce
1/2 cup of almond milk
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup of raspberries (or berry of your choice)
1 small mashed banana
Dash of vanilla
Preheat oven to 350. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Once combined, add wet ingredients and mashed banana. Fold in berries.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.
You may be sick of me and my grab and go breakfast obsessions BUT I really struggle with this. I’m not hungry before I leave the house and I’m limited at work. Also, muffins are divine and make delicious snacks (as long as they’re not the planet sized muffins that are sold at most eateries). Pair this with a yogurt or some other type of protein to keep yourself full well until lunch time.
Speaking of lunch, I will invariably be eating a Summer Crunchy Wrap from Pret A Manger. I stumbeled upon this one day when I forgot my lunch and I’ve become OBSESSED….to the point where my coworkers are beginning to comment. Oh yeah, it’s getting bad.
Quiche…hold the Lorraine
I have a big problem. I am totally addicted to healthy living magazines. I mean, you may find an US weekly or 2 in my magazine pile as well…and I must say Glamour is one the my faves… OK so really I guess I’m just a magazine junky. I use this to motivate myself to get to the gym however, by only allowing myself to read magazines while working out. It’s a great little trick. SO really it isn’t a problem, until I tell you my dark secret- I don’t subscribe to magazines. I buy them. On the stand. Like a big money wasting idiot.
It’s not an unforgivable thing to do, but when I’m struggling to get my butt to the gym and buying Self, Women’s Health, Shape AND Fitness in one month- there is a big problem. But I can’t help myself. I can’t commit to one and I won’t let myself subscribe to all of them.
What I love about these magazines is that they always contain motivating stories of people who have struggled with weight but overcame obstacles to get healthier. That keeps me on the treadmill for another mile or 2. Plus, they contain great fitness tips. Sometimes even if I wasn’t planning on doing any strength training, I’ll give an interesting move a try. Before you know it, I’m throwing some lunges and squats in there since I’m in the weight training section anyway.
But really, my favorite part of these magazines is the meal plans and the RECIPES. I like to find inspiration in sample diet plans and see how I can pick and choose the things that might work for me. In this month’s Shape, there was a delicious recipe for Quiche Lorraine. It looked simple enough so I decided to give it a whirl. The only problem is I forgot the bacon. I think that means you drop the Lorraine. So it’s just quiche. But it’s my first quiche. And I love it dearly. I had a slice for dinner and plan to pack it for breakfast for work this week. I love multi tasking meals (not that I wouldn’t have Pumpkin Pie for breakfast AND dinner. I would probably do that with all pies).
Quiche with Feta and Spinach
(roughly adapted from Shape’s Quiche Lorraine)
Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Pie Crust
3 Large Eggs
2 Large Egg Whites
12 oz Fat Free Evaporated Milk
1 cup of Spinach
½ Diced Onion
3 oz Feta
Dash of Salt (to taste)
Add any other spices you like!
Preheat oven to 375. Whisk together eggs and egg whites. Add milk, cheese, salt, onions. Tear spinach leaves and add to mixture. Pour egg mixture into frozen pie shell.
Bake for about 45-50 minutes until the pie is puffy. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before slicing. Serves 8 and comes out to about 172 calories per slice.
Bon Appetit!
B.L.A.T’s!
I have to say, I LOVE Thursdays. Ever since Thirsty Thursdays in college, Fridays’ eve has held a soft spot in my heart. You’re over the hard part of the week and the weekend is so close you can smell it (it smells like brunch). Even though my Thursdays are no longer thirsty, they are very much enjoyable, sans half price margaritas.
These days, me and the boy don’t really get a night together until Thursday (after dinners with friends/family, basketball for him, gym for me, working late, etc.), so we try to make it special. We’ll make a point to sit down to a nice dinner. Usually, I’ll try out a healthy meal. This Thursday however, Michael has decided he would like to make our meal. After I excitedly accepted his offer for a kitchen free evening for yours truly, I panicked over what he would make. Michael, bless his carb loving can-eat-anything-and-not-gain-weight soul, specializes in Rice-a-Roni and tortellini. Luckily, my panic was simultaneous with Michael’s realization that I’m not the San Francisco treat’s biggest fan. He said he wanted to make something healthy enough for me (yeah, he can be pretty cute).
Upon thinking about what we have in our fridge and something that we would both enjoy, I remembered we had bacon in our freezer- something we never have. We also happen to have an avocado, tomato and baby spinach. My brilliant idea? B.L.A.T’s!! Some veggies, healthy fats, and sprouted grain bread for me and bacon for Mr. Not Quite As Healthy Pants. Everybody wins!
It’s bit more of assembling than cooking BUT it was delicious. I used to dislike avocados, which I think was my mind playing diet tricks with me. They are high in calories and fat but it’s the good fat that you need and will help satiate you as well as help you absorb nutrients better (and avocado is packed with ‘em). They’re great to keep on hand- you never know when a BLAT night could be your future, and you do NOT want to miss out on that.
I forgot to mention that a very important part of our Thursday evenings (and basically our relationship in general) is sitting down to enjoy some shamelessly terrible reality TV. Tonight’s DVR line up? Real World and Khloe Lamar!! Happy Thursday 
But you love breakfast for supper!
I never grew up saying ‘supper’ but after seeing Juno, whenever I have a typical breakfast meal at the end of the day, I will always think of Pauly Bleeker’s mom.
I love having breakfast for dinner. When I was young, there was nothing better than when my dad would randomly whip up a batch of blueberry pancakes and call it dinner. They always tasted amazing and I think it was partly due to the fact that they didn’t belong there- it was the wrong meal! I mean my dad is no joke in the kitchen, but still, we were breaking the food rules and it tasted gooood.
These days, I love nothing more than having eggs for dinner. It’s a great way to get in a high protein meal at the end of the day and eggs are incredibly versatile. I should also mention that I have the cutest egg pan in all of the land, compliments of mama Clemenza.
The egg actually is pretty incredible. It has to be since a baby chick needs all of those important nutrients- kind of weird to think about but it’s true! Eggs contains things like choline which promotes brain function. While that is not only great for those of us living outside of a uterus, pregnant women should especially focus on getting this nutrient if they want to make smart little babies (you can start forcing your offspring to be geniuses even before the Baby Einstein program!). Then there’s the folate and riboflavins which are B vitamins that help the body convert food into energy. There are also vitamins A and C which help promote healthy skin and prevent damage to the body by those pesky free radicals.
Heavy on the vitamins and light on the calories. Plus, eggs are CHEAP and that makes me smile. It can be confusing, however, to know which egg carton is the best. They are all boasting free range, chemical free, omega 3’s, etc. etc. A lot of times, manufacturers will stamp these buzz words all over cartons in order to trick consumers. Well, I will not stand for such trickery.
Which Eggs Should I Buy?
The best places to buy eggs are from local farmers who raise chickens on wide open pastures with plenty of space. You wouldn’t think NYC would be an ideal place to find such magically delicious eggs, but you would be wrong. Check out LocalHarvest.org, enter your zip, and track down some natural eggs. Chickens kept in battery cages produce a lower quality egg, which is not surprising. If you were sad and concealed in a small box while being fed crap, not allowed to run around and play, you would not produce your best work either. When hens are kept on pastures where they can exhibit natural behaviors, they lay eggs with higher vitamin and omega-3 fatty acid levels compared to commercially fed, caged hens.
Cage-Free:
Now this might bring to mind chickens pecking away on a sprawling green on a sunny day, free to run around and lay eggs as they please. Often times, cage-free is not as ideal as that lovely country scene I just painted for you. It’s still much better than battery cages but often times the hens are kept in enclosed buildings. This at least means that the chickens can spread their wings and nest in boxes, although it does not necessarily mean that antibiotics have not been used.
Free-Range:
Chickens are allowed outside of barns or warehouses but farmers aren’t required to provide any specific amount of time outside and there are no third party restrictions.
Organic:
Hens are fed organic feed (no pesticides, antibiotics or animal products) and are offered access to the outdoors. Although not guaranteeing that the animals ever go outside, they are not enclosed in cages and annual inspections are required.
Natural:
Really doesn’t mean all that much, which is pretty standard these days. This basically means that nothing was done to the finished product (the egg) but it doesn’t tell us anything about the life and treatment of the chicky.
Pastured:
These chickens are housed in portable shelters that are frequently moved to give chickens fresh pastures. Again, no inspection is required but your best bet is to buy eggs from hens at a local farm that raises hens organically.
Certified Humane:
Chickens are not kep in cages but can be kept indoors. The Human Farm Animal Care program sets limits on the number of hens allowed in a certain space but there are no regulations on whether the hen must be fed organically.
You should also know that there is no difference between white eggs and brown eggs. White eggs come from chickens with white feathers and brown eggs come from chickens with brown feathers.
Woo so that’s A LOT of info. But go out and get your hands on some yummy, nutritious eggs. And maybe have ‘em for supper if you’re feeling really crazy.
Cinco de Mayo Pregame
I haven’t really celebrated Cinco de Mayo since college- that I can recall at least (and with my track record with Jose, it’s very likely that my recollection is way off). I loved any excuse during that magical time in my life to binge drink in theme.
Throw on a sombrero and chug margaritas until brain freeze is the least of your worries? Sign me up!
As soon as graduation hit, my underappreciated superpower ability to drink and not get hung-over pretty much dissappeared. All of the sudden, the love/hate relationship between me and Mr. Cuervo got a little more serious on the hate side of things.
This week, some girlfriends and I were trying to get together for dinner and Thursday worked best for everyone. Thursday, May 5th you say?
That’s right folks. Break out those sombrero’s and dust off your party pants, because tequila shots are happening!
Just kidding- it’s a school night! I just don’t bounce back like I used to… But I am hosting dinner so I wanted to be able to offer some yummy Mexican food that might not be quite as bad for you as Mama Mexico (and margaritas will definitely be making an appearance). On the menu we have shrimp tacos and black bean and cheese quesadillas. I speak less Spanish than the average person but my favorite phrase is “con queso”.
Oh baby.
Bring on the queso (Did I say healthier?).
Mikey needed food tonight so I decided to test drive some snacks for tomorrow on him. Shrimp Quesadillas it is!
I tossed some peeled, de-veined shrimp in 1 tsp of chili powder, 1/2 tsp of cumin, 1/2 tsp of sugar and 1/2 tsp of salt.
I let those suckers cook for about 2 minutes per side, then chopped them and put them aside while I grilled some chopped onions and peppers.
Throw your tortilla in a pan and let it get hot on one side (about a minute or 2) and then flip over. I used one tortilla for myself so once I flipped I layered on some cheese, chopped shrimp and grilled veggies and then folded over. If you’re anything like me, you will want to serve this with heaps of guacamole and fresh salsa.
Ole!
girls night out at The Social Table
On Thursday night, a bunch of girlfriends and I decided to go to a cooking class with a company called The Social Table. Typically, classes are announced and people can sign up based on the dishes they’d like to prepare. Being that we were a group of 8, we had our own private class and got to choose our own menu.
The list that was sent to us of menu items was HUGE. We decided to do a secret vote by choosing our top 3 entrees, sides, and dessert and then narrowing it down from there. This proved to be the hardest part of my week. Everything sounded amazing.
In the end, we ended up making cod in parchment paper over julienned veggies, spicy smashed broccoli, goat cheese soufflés (clearly the highlight of the night) and fresh strawberry shortcakes.
I should also mention that these classes are BYOB- and ohh how we brought our own bottles.
The class was amazing and dinner was delectable. The founder of The Social Table and our chef teacher for the night was Rebecca- by the end of the night we were sloppily asking if she could be our friend and I may or may not have invited her to a birthday celebration I’m having in a couple of weeks. Rebecca is really fun and we had such a great time while still learning some valuable stuff in the kitchen.
While teaching us how to prepare a delicious meal, Rebecca also managed to refill our wine glasses constantly. Let’s just say Friday morning was not an easy one…
It’s a little blurry (I mean was a few glasses in before I remembered to photograph this experience!) but here are the goat cheese soufflés .
Sadly, I don’t have a picture of dessert because I inhaled it. I’m going to have to try to re-create that at some point though, because the shortcake was nothing short of amazing.
I definitely recommend The Social Table for a great night out!
Zucchini Linguine
I am a bad Clemenza. While I look more Italian than either of my brothers, I don’t eat like an Italian. Growing up, I hated some Italian classics. I didn’t like pizza (sadly, I outgrew that pretty quickly freshman year of college) or spaghetti and meatballs. Not all that much has changed and although I can really dive into a flavorful pasta dish, I don’t crave it.
Funnily enough, I love mock pasta. By using a vegetable peeler and creating zucchini ribbons, you can sauté or steam your way to a delicious and light meal.
Using zucchini pasta in lieu of regular pasta is such an easy way to lighten up meals and up your veggie in-take. Plus we are finally in zucchini season! While I am so sad to say goodbye to all of those delicious winter squashes, zucchini are great additions to a lot of meals.
A great topping to your mock pasta is a meal straight from Papa Clemenza. My dad is an amazing cook. He usually takes a dish and focuses on it until he has perfected it. His Shrimp Scampi is a great example. The original recipe comes from the Barefoot Contessa but he has tweaked it in certain ways to make it truly amazing. It’s also a fairly simple meal that easily impresses. By serving the shrimp over “zucchini pasta” you can make it just a bit healthier and lighter. Here is the recipe:
Shrimp Scampi over Zucchini Linguine
Ingredients:
2 Zucchini
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
1 pound large shrimp (about 16 shrimp), peeled and deveined
1/2 cup of white wine
3/4 cup plus 1 Tblsp of chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 lemon, zest grated
lemon juice (1lemons)
1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
Salt
Using a vegetable peeler, peel your zucchini into ribbons. Make sure you turn the zucchini ever so slightly after each peel to evenly shred the squash evenly. Put your squash spaghetti aside.
In another large, heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Careful not to burn the garlic. Add the shrimp, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper and sauté until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove the shrimp once cooked.
Add 1/2 cup of white wine to pot and bring to simmer. Add 3/4 cup of chicken broth. sprinkle red pepper flakes and again bring to a simmer. Add lemon juice & zest and then remove from the heat. Pour shrimp into the sauce mixture and toss to combine.
Sauté the zucchini in a tablespoon of broth for about 5 minutes or until soft.
Serve shrimp and sauce over the zucchini linguine and sprinkle with parsley.
Serve & devour!
A Good Friday
Great day off! I’m going to be trying really hard to not overeat on Easter (Clemenza’s do holidays in a BIG way), plus Passover on Monday with Mikey’s family was choc full of deliciousness. I wanted to make sure I got in plenty of exercise today while I had the time. I planned on sleeping in but naturally woke up at 7 (damn you, internal alarm clock!). I went to the gym and decided to run for the first time in weeks, just doing 2 miles of sprinting and jogging intervals and then 30 minutes on the elliptical. I stopped home for a delightful green monster and then headed back out to finally check out the yoga studio two blocks from my apartment (meaning I left the house to exercise twice before my lovely boyfriend even got out of bed…and he did not have the day off).
I have tried to get into yoga in the past. In college, I went regularly for a semester for gym credit and I loved it. Since then, I’ve taken a class here and there but I didn’t have that desire to go back for more. I decided I’d rather spend that time burning calories doing cardio.
I’ve decided to re-visit yoga and had a wonderful basic class for 90 minutes this morning. I didn’t love every minute- especially the chanting in the beginning (I’m not much of a chanter), but I felt much better afterwards. I bought a 10 class card to push myself into going and I’m actually pretty excited about it!
Another thing I’m super excited about, while not nearly as healthy but still vital to my happiness and well-being, are these new cookies I found in Whole Foods, Gilbert’s Goodies:
While shopping yesterday, this girl was giving out samples of a cookie her and a friend make. I don’t have any issues with gluten or food allergies but cookies are my downfall, soI said bring on the samples, lady!
Bring on the samples she did. There were three types: Snickerdoodles, Sugar Cookies & Chocolate Chip. Delicious and they have great stats for a sweet treat- 4 (smallish) cookies pack 150 calories with all natural & minimal ingredients.
I always feel bad taking a sample (or 3…) and listening to the spiel on the product and just walking away. I took a bag of snickerdoodles, kind of intending to put it back later in my travels. Well, surprise surprise, the cookies stayed safely tucked in my basket.
Today I crumbled two of these cookies over some Greek yogurt mixed with vanilla extract. It was a delightful treat and I definitely encourage everyone to try these cookies if you see them!
Have a great weekend!
Salsa Turkey Burgers
I like to experiment with my diet, figuring out how my body reacts to not only different exercises, but different foods as well. Throughout the years, I’ve gone through phases of tracking calories and other nutrients. I noticed that I am constantly lacking in protein. Lately, I’ve been trying to incorporate protein in almost all meals in my day. I try to pair my morning muffin/bar with yogurt, or I’ll throw a peanut butter spoon into my oatmeal. I’ve definitely noticed I stay satisfied for longer eating this way.
Dinner can be harder because I often don’t feel like cooking meat or fish but usually something like yogurt won’t satisfy me (and I don’t really like to do tofu or meat substitutes because of all of the processing). I’ve been adding beans to more meals and trying to up the protein in that way, but yesterday I was really craving a burger for some reason. It could have been that the sun finally broke through this cold, gray weather (I’m trying really hard to come to terms with NY’s lack of spring…it’s not working). I decided to keep it lean with ground turkey (although I’m not against beef and a big ol’ gloppy cheeseburger is actually my idea of heaven).
In life, I try to keep things simple. I’m no chef and I’m still finding my way in the kitchen. Plus, after work I don’t feel like making a fuss for a fancy meal but I don’t want to compromise flavor. These burgers are so simple and delicious and I paired them with some baked sweet potato “chips” that I made by slicing some sweet potatoes thinly and roasting under the broiler- under a watchful eye!
I added a big cup full of fresh salsa from Whole Foods to a pound of ground turkey and shmushed together with my hands. I also tossed in about ¼ cup of chopped onions and a dash of garlic powder for good measure. I formed 4 small-regular sized patties and made one Man Burger for Mikey. For his burger, I made two small patties and put Mexican blend cheese in the middle before cooking. It was quite the huge burger and sadly, he devoured it before I could get a picture of the cheese oozing out.
I opted to eat mine over a bed of baby spinach topped with grilled onions and guacamole on the side. Yumm!
Salsa Turkey Burgers:
1 lb ground turkey
about 1 cup of fresh salsa
1/4 cup diced onions (optional)
dash of garlic powder (optional)
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Heat pan ver medium heat. Form turkey mixture into balls and flatten into patties. Heat for a bout 6 minutes on each side.
