Mid-Week Stretching.

Oh boy! It's half way through the March break and I'm trying to decide if I've made good use of my time. But according to my white board, I've accomplished a good amount of things.

Paleo apple pie...up soon!

I started 90 Days of Fitness on Monday. I have 100 days until EDC 2013 and my goal it to be comfortable in a swim suit and shorts. I originally gave myself 100 days, none stop but Jake pointed out that sometimes there will be forces outside my control in which I cannot go to the gym. Thus, I gave myself a collective 10 days off. 

We're going on day three and I am the most sore person on the planet. I feel like I'm 90 half the time. But I have high hopes! I think this combined with paleo will be really good for me. I've been feeling good, other then the sore muscles.

But all I've seemed to do this week is cook, go to the gym and blog. In all honesty, however, I've been really enjoying myself. Tomorrow I think I'm going to take some of my older items to a local consignment store for either cash or trade. It's time to let go of my old clothes and look for something better.

So far, it's been a pretty enjoyable week!

Check out my recipe page, From My Kitchen, With Love, for some cool paleo recipes (trying ginger lime shrimp tonight, it'll go up tomorrow if it's any good!) and I also have a new book page where I list the 50 books I want to read this year. I'm open to suggestions! 

Addicted To: Yeast.

Guys, I think I'm addicted to yeast. And I'm super upset with how gross that sounds.

1.

Okay, I know it sounds kind weird and especially gross but it is delicious! I'm serious too. 

I first had nutritional yeast my freshman year of college. My roomie at the time was from an extra-hippie area on California and brought this snack up to Oregon with her. She gave me a bowl of home-popped popcorn covered in nutritional yeast.

And from that day on, I was hooked. Now I make it probably every over day. To my delight, Jake's tastes have changed with my persistence and he went from cringing every time I mentioned the Y word to actually requesting it. *Sniff* I'm so proud.

Now if you're still a little weary, you can read about it over here to sooth your soul. But if you're ready to try it out, let me share my fave popcorn recipe with you!

2.

Okay so this crazy simple and you'll get hooked and thank me, I promise. In a saucepan pour enough popcorn kernels to cover the bottom of the pan one kernel deep, so no layering. Then add enough oil (I use olive oil) to gentle coat the kernels. You don't want them swimming. Don't forget to cover with a lid first! Turn the heat to medium/high and wait for a few minutes. Once the corn starts a-poppin feel free to shake the pan a bit so things don't burn. When the popping starts to peter out, remove from the heat and pour your delicious popped corn into a bowl. 

Now you can apply the nutritional yeast to your liking! Personally, this is how I do it:

1. Spray corn with olive oil cooking spray. 

2. Shake a good amount of yeast onto the piping hot kernels, like I put a LOT because I love it so much.

3. Sometimes I add a little seasoning salt or Old Bay seasoning. Occasionally taco seasoning for a kick.

I recommend starting out with a little amount so you can work into it. It's so good, guys, please go try this! And it's relatively healthy! 

Now, since I love it on popcorn, I started wondering what other concoctions I could create! And I found these recipes that I've now added to my Must-Try list!

3.

"Cheesy" Kale Chips. Um. Delicious?! 

4.

Mix in is as a topping! Try it in Cauliflower Mash, another delicious healthy recipe! 

In my research it looks like the yeast is best used in recipes as a salt substitute and a cheese sub. I'll have to play around with it and let you all know how it turns out.

Do you know any cool ways to use it?!

My Health Kick

So, people, I don't know if you know this but...I love ice cream. Like if it was really good for you then I'd probably be the healthiest person on the planet...

But in my recent wave of healthy eating, I have been on the search for an ice cream replacement. And I think I found it!!

Yummy!

Start with some bananas. Now I don't really like bananas but I super love them like this! I used 2 but you can use up to, well, any amount really! The recipe I based my creation off of called for 5-6 bananas.

Take the bananas you want you use and cut them into pieces on a plate then place in the freezer to freeze. Meanwhile, mix together equal parts peanut butter, maple syrup and a dash of vanilla extract (I used almond extract however, still delicious). Then add oats. I put in twice as much as I did peanut butter and syrup (so 1/4 PB = 1/2 oats). Mix together to make a thick mixture. You can ad chocolate chips but I didn't have any.

Once your banana pieces are frozen, put them in a blender and process till creamy. Mix in the peanut butter/oat crumbles with a spoon. I've put my ice cream back in the freezer to get a tad harder but you can eat it then and there if you want!!

Oh, I added a touch of nutmeg too. SO EXCITED for it to be done (I'm still waiting...)

You should try it!

What kinds of variations do you think you could make on this recipe? I was thinking about trying this and using berries and bananas? Hmm...

Chicken Tikka Masala

I was looking for something a bit different to

make for dinner tonight.

I was also looking for something that Jake would enjoy,

(he really enjoys ethnic foods and spicy things).

So I decided to try my hand at Indian!

I've been addicted to reading Eating Well lately, finding new

recipes and ideas for posts. 

I came across this recipe and wanted to give it a shot!

I would say it turned out really well!

Topped with a dollop of plain yogurt...YUMMO!

I tried so hard to finish the plate!

Is there a recipe that is outside your comfort zone

that you've always wanted to try???

Baked Parmesan Tomatoes

So we all know I love food.

I can't hide it anymore.

One of my favorite things to do is find a new recipe

and try it out.

I'm trying my best to be healthy, since I grew up in a house where butter, cream and cheese were used in every meal.

So tonight, I found something simple, delicious and quick!

I originally got the recipe from Eating Well but made some personal changes to it!

Ingredients:

4 Tomatoes

Shredded Parmesan cheese

Salt, pepper and garlic to taste

Olive Oil 

Polenta (either homemade or store bought)

Tomato Sauce (I made some from 1 can of diced tomatoes)

1. If you're making your own tomato sauce like I did, I started by heating the can of tomatoes in a pan over medium heat. I used Del Monte Garlic and Onion diced tomatoes. Then I added salt, pepper, garlic and basil. I let it simmer on the stove while I prepared the tomatoes.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

3. Cut the tomatoes into half horizontally.

4. Place each half on a cookie sheet.

5. Top each half with salt, pepper, garlic, a drizzle of olive oil and Parmesan.

6. Cut the polenta into 1/2 inch slices.

7. Place the polenta on a cookie sheet (I put the tomatoes and polenta on the same sheet) and drizzle with olive oil.

8. Bake the tomatoes and the polenta for at least 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes and soft.

TIP: I noticed that the polenta heated faster then the tomatoes. I would recommend pulling the polenta out once it's soft and lightly frying it in a pan to give it a crispy texture. 

9. Plate the polenta and tomato halves, cover the polenta with tomato sauce and a little extra cheese.

10. ENJOY!

I really enjoyed this meal. It was light and delicious. I think if I could do it over, I would add a piece of garlic bread to mop up the delicious juices from the tomatoes.

Let me know what you think!

Any suggestions??

My Bread and Butter

A few of my favorite things include:

-snuggling under a heated throw blanket

-cocoa that is not too hot yet not too cold

-daisies that grow taller then the summer grass

-when fall leaves first start changing

AND

-bread and butter

Better then just bread and butter, however, is homemade bread (and maybe someday homemade butter)! 

Growing up, my parents despised buying bread, too many chemicals they preached. At the time, I didn't think much of it. Unwrapping a sandwich at the lunch table that wasn't store bought bread was just plain embarrassing! Gosh, mom!

But years later, I've grown to appreciate the delicious smells seeping from my oven as I bake a loaf in my own oven. Since I've moved out from under my parental wings, I've started making the same bread. The following recipe, I'm sure, has an origin outside my knowledge, but this is the recipe my dad e-mailed me a few weeks ago. It is delicious and so easy to make! If you have a few hours and want a warm, wonderful smelling house, try this for yourself!!

Mmm! Flaz seeds, flour, sugar, yeast, etc! All the things you need!

Farmers Bread:

5 cups flour *

1/2 cup flax-seed meal

1/4 cup sesame seeds (optional)

1/4 cup flax seeds(optional)

2 teaspoons salt

2 heaping tablespoons dried yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups warm water

*You can really use whatever flour mixture you'd like. My parents prefer 4 and 3/4 cups unbleached white flour with 1/4 cup Stone-Ground whole wheat flour but they advise to use what combination of flour suits your taste buds.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a mixer bowl (Using a Kitchen-Aid mixer is the ultimate way to use this recipe. The dough hook just makes the job so much easier!). Mix the liquids together and slowly add that to the dry ingredients in the mixer bowl. Let the dough hook do its thang until the mixture turns into a ball of dough. 

You'll want the dough to come clean off the sides of the bowl with nothing left in the bottom either. Too little water? Add some more! Too much water? Add some flour!

Turn out the dough onto a floured board. Knead with the palm of your hand for about 5 minutes. Return to the mixer bowl, cover, and let sit in a warm place until it's doubled in size. 

Once it's doubled in size, turn back out onto a board and knead some more. You want the dough to feel soft and elastic. From here, you have a few options: form the dough into one large loaf, cut into two smaller loaves or cut into rolls. 

My loaf resting in the kitchen...rise, baby, rise!

Once decided, place on an oiled baking sheet and let sit in a warm room until it's doubled in size. 

Bake in a preheated oven at 350-400 for 40-50 minutes (one large loaf), 35 minutes (two smaller loaves) or about 20 minutes (for rolls). The bread should be a nice brown color on top.

Want to mix it up?? Top the bread with corn meal! Add chopped olives and some rosemary to the dough for yummy olive bread!