Backyard Bootcamp

It is beautiful here today, so I decided to get out of the gym and do my workout in the great outdoors. This workout requires some equipment, but household items can be used - like soup cans for hand weights! Great for any level, go at your own pace!

Repeat for FIVE rounds. 

Approx 200 yd run. 

Up and down one flight of stairs. 

10 push-ups

10 curls

10 supermans

10 back fly

10 sit-ups

20 second plank

10 goblet squats

10 lunges

Then repeat! 

Zucchini Corn Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing

I love cold summer salads. This one is so yummy and can be eaten by itself as a side, with tortilla chips, or even on top of veggie tacos. Got this recipe from alldayidreamaboutfood.com This recipe makes a TON, so I usually half it. 

Salad- 

4 medium zucchini, diced into bite sized pieces

I bag frozen corn

2 avocado

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Dressing-

1/2 C cilantro leaves

1/4 C olive oil

Juice of half a lime

2 T apple cider vinegar

2 cloves garlic

1/4 t chili powder

Sauté zucchini in a little olive oil, salt, and pepper until tender. (You can also grill your zucchini, but I don't have a grill.)

While that is cooking, toss all ingredients together in a larg bowl, folding gently as not to make the avocado mushy. Leave corn frozen as this will help cool down the salad before you put it in the fridge to chill. 

When zucchini is cooked add it to the mixture and gently fold until mixed. 

Chill for 20 min + and enjoy!

Assorted Crostinis

Sometimes making lunch is as easy as making toast. It's still a piece of bread with toppings, but somehow calling it crostini makes you feel fancy. Here are some of my all time favorites!

First choose a whole wheat, whole grain, or yummy seeded bread.  Then top with....

Spicy - top with a mashed avocado, hot sauce, and a sprinkle of black pepper.

Sweet - peanut butter(natural), strawberries, and sunflower seeds. 

Savory - garlic hummus, broccoli sprouts, sliced tomatoes and chia seeds.

The combinations are endless, so have fun with it!

Cherry Tomato, Chickpea, + Orange Pepper Salad

I found this yummy yummy salad in one of my favorite cookbooks - Mouthwatering Vegan, by Miriam Sorrell. I chose to eat it more like a bruschetta on toast with a dollup of hummus, but it would be great alone too, or over some greens! Garlicky, tangy, and crunchy. What more could you want?

Dressing -

Juice of 1 large lemon

1/2 C olive oil

1/2 t sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

Salad - 

One package cherry tomatoes, halved

1 can cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 medium red onion, chopped finely

4 cloves of garlic, chopped finely

1 orange bell pepper, chopped finely

12 basil leaves, chopped finely

Toss it all together! Ta-Da! You'll be the talk of the family picnic!

Cold, Crunchy Noodle Salad I with Basil and Tahini

If you have read any of my posts, you know that the theme is quick, cheap, and easy! So here is one that I halfway made up. I love myself cold and crunchy noodles and this fresh one is perfect for spring! Don't be afraid to leave out veggies you don't like, and add ones that you do!

1/3 box of whole wheat spaghetti

1 C frozen peas 

2 stalks of celery, thinly chopped

1/2 head green cabbage, thinly chopped

Clove of garlic

1 T sesame seeds

Salt + pepper

And this yummy sauce I got from Vegan Yum Yum by Lauren Ulm, that I added a few extras to

1/4 C tahini

2 T soy sauce

3 T water

1 T sugar

1 T rice vinegar

1 t garlic chili sauce

1 t Dijon mustard

1 t mustard seeds

1/4 C chopped basil

Cook pasta. 

In a colander in the sink add frozen peas. 

Dump pasta and water over frozen peas and then run cold water over pasta and peas to stop cooking and chill. 

Sauté celery, cabbage, garlic, and sesame seeds in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. 

Sauté just a couple of minutes until veggies are no longer raw, but are still crunchy. 

In a large bowl combine noodles and peas, cabbage and celery, and sauce that you have mixed together. Toss with some tongs and let chill in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes. You'll want it cold, not room temp. 

I serve this with my favorite Chung's spring rolls

This one really is easy PEAsy. (Had to.)

Lunches to Last All Week

I get asked a lot of questions about meal planning/prepping and how I do it. First and foremost if you plan and prepare to eat healthy, you WILL eat healthy. If you've already got a yummy and filling meal prepared, you are much less likely to want to grab fast food. After all, all you have to do is heat it up!

My meal prepping day is Monday. I spend an hour - sometimes two hours prepping, cooking, and packaging mine and Jason's meals for the week. That's ONE hour out of my whole week. So worth it. Especially if you're like me and get lazier as the week goes. 

So the idea is to cook a few batches of your favorite foods. Here's what I made this week:

One bunch asparagus, one onion- chopped, one carton mushrooms, salt, pepper, and olive oil. 

Rinse, chop and throw in a pan to sauté on medium for a little while. No measuring. SO easy!

While that was cooking I put some brown rice on the stove to cook - several servings. Again, so easy. 

While that is also on the stove I chop a couple heads of broccoli and steam that. 

Since all of that is just cooking away on the stove and all I need to do is stir every once in a while I have a few minutes to make up some salads - precut romaine, spinach, or whatever you like best, and your favorite veggies. Tomato, cucumber, carrots, cabbage, peppers - pick things you like because you're eating it! At this time I also wash and prepare some fruits to snack on during the week like apples/peanut butter and grapes. 

I line up all my Tupperware for the week and once all my food is cooked, I start to divvy it up!

A littl rice in each, some broccoli in a couple, asparagus and mushrooms in the others. Salads in separate containers, divided to last all week. 

So each day I grab my entree, heat it up, and add some hummus - My fav way to eat rice/veggies!

I throw some nuts or seeds and dressing on my salad and I'm ready to eat!

So there you have it. A week of yummy, healthy, and CHEAP meals!!

Easy Peasy Black Bean Burgers - from scratch!

So I'm a sucker for a bargain. Same goes for food. There is NO reason to break the bank to eat well! These burgers are delicious, filling, and cheap to make. Here goes!

Recipe from frugalfarmwife.com

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/3 cup brown rice (cooked as directed until just done)

1/2 an onion, chopped

1 clove garlic

1 T cumin

2 t chili powder or to taste

1/2 t oregano

Salt to taste

Olive oil

Cornstarch

Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent. 

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and squeeze mixture until beans are mashed and it becomes more paste like. 

Dust your hands with cornstarch and make patties out of mixture - mine made about 7.

Pat a little more cornstarch on the outside of the patties - this will help them brown. 

With the unwashed onion pan add a teensy more olive oil and fry the patties about 4 minutes on each side until browned and a little crisp. 

It really is that easy. 

I served on toasted whole wheat buns with spinach, raw onion, sliced tomatoes, pickles, mustard and ketchup. But it's your burger so add what you like. 

I served the burgers with a simple salad of spinach and romaine with tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, and an easy dressing made from olive oil, red wine vinegar, diced garlic, cilantro, salt and pepper. 

The burgers also freeze well! 

Happy eating. 

Xoxo

Monday Madness

Monday is my favorite day to workout. There is nothing better than starting off your week by clearing your head and exercising your body! Starting out the week well will set you up to make healthy choices the rest of the week! So here's the workout I did this morning - a full body burning and toning sequence that will make you sweat!

1 mile warmup

Arms:

20 one arm clean and press (ten each side)

20 curls (ten each side)

20 military press

20 smilies

20 standing row

X2

Legs:

20 back squats (with weight)

20 calf raises (with weight)

20 squat jumps

20 one leg squat to lunge (ten each leg)

X2

Abs:

20 sit ups with weight on declined bench

30 sec plank

30 second hollow hold

20 sit ups

30 sec high plank

X2

5 min walk to cool down

Enjoy! Push yourself to use heavier weights! Take your time and remember to breathe. 

Killer Pyramid - No Equipment!

This is one of my favorite workouts. It's high intensity and covers every major muscle group. This workout is great because it can be modified to any skill level. Beginners can tone it down with crunches and push-ups on your knees, while more advanced athletes can pump it up with hand release push-ups and squat jumps. Feel free to jump around if you don't want to complete a single exercise at a time. Some people like to do ten reps of each exercise, eliminating one every round. It's up to you! Record your time and try it again later to see if you've improved!

The Killer Pyramid

10 minute walk/jog to warm up

20 burpees

30 push-ups

40 around the world lunges

50 sky divers

60 scissor sit-ups

70 body weight squats

80 high knees

90 butt kicks

100 jumping jacks

I recommend five minutes of walking and five minutes of jogging to warm up. You want to warm your muscles slowly to prevent injuries. 

Burpees are those things from gym class that you hated. If it's hard, you're doing it right. 

Around the world lunges - lunge forward with your left leg, then left leg side lunge, then left leg back lunge. Continue "around the world" with right leg back lunge, right leg side lunge, right leg front lunge. 

For Sky Divers. Lie face down on the ground with legs about hip width apart and arms at a 90 degree angle between your head and shoulders. With arms bent, lift arms and legs at the same time and pause for 1 second at the top. Just like those pictures of crazy skydivers. 

Scissor sit ups. Lie on your back with arms over your head and legs straight out. Lift your right arm to meet your left foot and alternate sides. Try to keep your leg straight and your arm high so that you are really crunching your middle!

For body weight squats stand with your feet hip width apart and toes pointed forward. Squat to the height of a chair keeping knees strong from caving inward. 

Enjoy! Or enjoy lying on the floor when it's over. 

Spicy Tomato Chickpea Soup

One freezing cold night I had to drive home in the icy rain and when I got home my husband had this YUMMY soup waiting on the stove. That was the first reason I fell in love with this soup. The second is because it is so good. This is now my go-to when I want a tomato soup and the leftover usually don't last more than 24 hours. This recipe is from one of my all-time favorite vegan cookbooks, Vegan Yum Yum by Lauren Ulm

Serves 4

2-3 T olive oil

1 sweet onion

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 t cumin

1/2 t chili flakes

1/2 t mustard seeds

1/2 t turmeric

1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes

1 t salt

2 T nutritional yeast (optional)

1 C hot water

Black pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large soup pot. 

Add onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes until softened. 

Add garlic, cumin, and chili flakes and stir for another minute. 

Add the mustard seeds, turmeric, and the drained chickpeas. Sauté until the chickpeas begin to turn golden. 

Add the tomatoes and salt and let simmer for 10-15 minutes, until tomatoes are cooked. 

Transfer the soup to a blender. Add nutritional yeast and hot water and blend until smooth. 

Serve with fresh cracked black pepper. 

My husband topped our soup with homemade croutons made from sautéing cubed bread in vegan butter in a pan until golden and crunchy. 

Spicy Butternut Squash Soup

Sometimes I really out do myself. This winter soup will warm you from the inside out. It has a smooth creamy texture with just a little kick. If you enjoy it like my family did, then you'll also be part of the clean plate club. 

1 medium butternut squash

1 can vegetable broth

1/4 C unsweetened almond milk

1/2 C raw pepitas*

1/4 t dried thyme

1/4 t dried rosemary

Pinch of ground cayenne pepper

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste - about 1/2 t of each

* Pepitas are hulled pumpkin seeds. You should be able to find these in the natural foods section of your grocery store. If you buy them roasted, then omit the roasting step in this recipe. If you cannot find them, select a yummy crouton to top soup, or make some yourself!

Preheat oven to 400. 

Slice squash into inch thick slices, removing skin and seeds, and dice into 1" chunks.

Arrange squash on a baking sheet and sprinkle with thyme, rosemary, and drizzle with olive oil. 

Bake 30-45 minutes or until squash is tender, tossing occasionally so all sides roast evenly. 

When squash is tender, add it all into a blender. 

Add the vegetable broth a little at a time and blend until completely smooth. 

Add almond milk, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper and blend just until mixed throroughly. (Remember salt, pepper, and cayenne are to taste! Adjust accordingly, spice heads and wimps.)

Pour soup from blender into a saucepan and heat thoroughly. 

While soup is heating up, turn on oven to low broil. 

Place pepitas on a cookie sheet and broil for 2 minutes or until they start to turn brown. 

Ladle soup into bowls and top with a handful of roasted pepitas. 

I served this delicious soup with fresh rosemary bread from the Kroger bakery, smeared with Earth Balance Buttery Spread, and a delicious fresh salad topped with craisins, roasted pepitas, and a  poppyseed dressing. 

Spaghetti Squash with Tomato Basil "Cream" Sauce

Typically I steer clear of foods in quotation marks, but this cream sauce is only referring to the consistency, not the ingredients. So it is both delicious and vegan! By using spaghetti squash instead of pasta, you are getting another great serving of veggies - Great for those who "don't like veggies," or for anyone wanting to incorporate more veggies into their diet. 

Cooking a Spaghetti Squash

Preheat oven to 375. 

Cut spaghetti squash lengthwise (top to bottom) and scoop out all seeds. 

Coat the inside with a drizzle of olive oil and place both halves face down on a cookie sheet. 

Bake for 1 hour. 

Carefully remove squash from oven. With an oven mitt, pick up one half of the squash and use your other hand to scoop out the insides into a bowl using a fork. You'll see why spaghetti squash gets its name as the meat of the squash comes out in long, thin "noodles."

Repeat with other half. 

Tomato Basil Cream Sauce

2 Large Ripe Tomatoes

1/2 C raw cashews (soak in water for 15 minutes before using)

1/4 C water

1 T tomato paste 

2 T olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Handful of fresh basil, chopped

Salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

As spaghetti squash is baking, core tomato and roughly chop it and add to blender. 

Add cashews(drained) water, and tomato paste to blender. Blend until very smooth - several minutes. 

In a pan, sauté garlic in olive oil. 

Pour sauce into pan with sautéed garlic and bring to a simmer until squash is ready. 

Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Once squash is finished, toss with sauce. 

Garnish with basil and serve. 

Photo from Vegan Yum Yum cookbook by Lauren Ulm. 

Original recipe with whole wheat noodles can be found in Vegan Yum Yum cookbook by Lauren Ulm. 

Snickerdoodles.

Some people like to assume that since I am vegan, I must hate all things delicious. Who could hate things that are delicious?? I think that baking vegan is intimidating to many because you can't rely on "baking staples," like milk, eggs, and butter. Once you learn the alternatives however, you'll be comfortable yet again and enjoying delectable, animal-free treats! I've adapted this recipe from the one found in Vegan Yum Yum by Lauren Ulm. 

Snickerdoodles

1 C sugar

1/2 C Earth Balance Margarine (I use soy-free)

1 t vanilla extract

1 T ground flax seed mixed with 3 T water, stirred and set aside for a few minutes. 

1 1/2 C all purpose flour

1/4 t cream of tartar

1/4 t baking soda

Cinnamon + Sugar, for rolling

Preheat oven to 375.

Cream the sugar, margarine, and vanilla extract together in a bowl with an electric mixer. 

Add ground flax seed and continue mixing. 

Add dry ingredients a little at a time and continue mixing until everything is mixed thoroughly. 

With your hands, roll dough into balls about 1" in diameter. (Dough may be crumbly, but will stick together)

Roll balls into cinnamon sugar until they are covered. 

Place balls onto a cookie sheet and press them flat. (Just so they're not round, they don't need to be pancakes!)

Bake for 10-12 minutes. 

Enjoy immediately, or if you choose, wait until the cookies will not burn you before enjoying. 

Check out veganyumyum.com for more amazing recipes!

All these ingredients can be found in the natural foods section of your grocery store. 

Wild Rice, Cabbage, and Chickpea Pilaf

This is one of my favorite winter recipes! One reason being because I LOVE cabbage more than many things in life. Another reason is because this recipe is so easy and comes together quickly. I adapted this recipe from the one found in Forks Over Knives - the Cookbook. 

Serves 4

1/2 C wild rice (instant)

1 medium onion, diced small

1 medium carrot, julienned

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 C green cabbage, chopped

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Olive oil

Salt + Pepper

Cook rice according to directions. 

In a large skillet, sauté cabbage, onion, carrot, and garlic in a splash of olive oil until cabbage is tender and becoming translucent. 

Add chickpeas and cooked rice. 

Mix well and heat thoroughly. 

Season with salt and pepper, and serve!