Collard Greens

This was a great side last night with chicken, but it uses bacon.  If you are a veggie or vegan, leave out the bacon & add some more spices for flavor.  A friend provided fresh collard greens from his garden & we were very grateful.

Recipe:

garlic - 2 cloves
salt & pepper - to taste
olive oil - 1 tablespon
red pepper - 1 tablespoon (less if you don't want it spicy)
onion - 1 medium onion.  I prefer white or yellow.
chicken stock - 3 cups
collard greens - about a pound
bacon - 3 slices


Cut bacon into bite size pieces.  Over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Add bacon.  Cook until bacon is to your liking (I prefer less crispy).  Add one minced onion.  Cook onion down, stir occasionally (don't let it stick or burn).  Add 2 cloves of garlic & cook for about 5 more minutes.  Add the collard greens & cook down until they wilt.  Then add in the spices, cook for a few more minutes.  Add the 3 cups of chicken stock (you can also switch to vegetable stock) & turn to low.  Let this simmer for 45 minutes.  Remove lid & cook for another minute or two to let some of the liquid cook off.  You can serve over rice or with a side of chicken.  Delish!

Avocado Sammie!

Since I'm new to this whole clean eating thing & I'm doing ok, but it's hard at times (ice cream, candy, etc!).  I'm going to post a really yummy sandwich that I really have been digging lately.

I know that a lot of people (my family!) have some differing opinions on what I think is delicious, but when you give up eating processed foods, real/natural foods really start to taste a lot different.

Yesterday morning Jim made me the best sandwich.  & I actually found gluten free bread that doesn't taste like cardboard.  It's Millet/Flax bread & if you toast it, it really is like multigrain bread.

This sandwich is super easy.  Smashed avocado, onion, garlic & a scallion, some kale & toast the bread!  Viola!  I'm hoping I will get another one this afternoon for lunch.  Add whatever veggies you like - or chicken - hey, it's ok to eat lean meats!

Veggie Millet Stir Fry

Here's a different recipe to try.  Personally, I had no idea what millet was until I started clean eating.  & in full disclosure today, I had a bunch of mini candy bars.  Now that's not good!  & think of all the sugar, but hey, everyone slips once in a while, right?   Right!

Last night we had a really great dinner.  & here's the recipe so you can try it too.  It's easy.  Millet, I found out, is the main ingredient in bird seed.  WHAT?!?!?!?  Who eats that?  Well hold on....it's not bad.  It a grain & you cook it like rice.  & it's very inexpensive.  The entire organic bag cost $3.99 & it looks like you can get about 10 servings out of it.  That's good!

You cook it like rice - 1 cup of millet to 2 cups of water.  Boil for about 35-40 minutes & it's finished.  Now here's where the stir fry part comes in.

(If you want to add chicken or shrimp or beef, you should saute that after the onions/garlic mixture below).  I opted just to do the veggie stir fry last night.

I took a tablespoon of avocado oil (mostly because it's a high heat oil - you can heat it til 500 degrees - hmmmmmmmmmm deep fryer calling!) & heated in my pan.  I added the following:  half an onion (use whatever kind you like - I usually use a stinky yellow or white one because I like the flavor).  One to two scallions & one large leek & two cloves of garlic.  I sauteed all of this with a pinch of sea salt & some red pepper.  You can add any veggie you like to the saute.  I added a head of broccoli (diced) and two carrots (also diced).  I let this cook for about 10 minutes til it seemed like all the veggies & flavors smelled right.  Then I tossed in a can of water chestnuts (drained) & sauteed for about 3 more minutes.

At this point I added the millet into the mix & covered.  I mixed up 4 tablespoons of soy sauce (use the gluten free kind if you want) and 4 tablespoons of rice vinegar.  I tossed this into the mix right before I was ready to turn off the heat.  Stir a few times & then serve!

It was really tasty!

Taco Salad - Minus the Chop Meat

Taco Salad

Marinated kale & mixed greens tossed with apple cider vinaigrette. Topped with sunflower taco meat, shredded cabbage, fresh pico de gallo, avocado & cashew sour cream drizzle.

I love this restaurant!  I could eat here every day.  I think tomorrow I am going to try the Country Salad!  Stay tuned five faithful followers!

http://www.seedtosproutnj.com/eats-treats/

Simple Recipes for Clean Eating - Five Bean Salad

Here are a few quick recipes for some tasty clean food ideas:

Five Bean Salad

I use organic beans, but you are welcome to use non organic, I'm not judging anyone by their food choices.  If possible, read the label & avoid beans with added sugar & ingredients you can't pronounce.  You can also use different beans, whatever you like - it's just a recipe, change it up if you want!

1 can of each of the following:

Garbanzo (Chick Peas)
Kidney
Black
Pinto
Pink

1/4 cup of olive oil
1/3 cup of red wine vinegar

1 tbs of sea salt
1 minced clove of garlic or 1 tbs of garlic powder
1 tbs of onion powder
black pepper to taste

1 scallion or small onion.

Open & drain liquids from each can.  Mix five types of beans in a large bowl.  Set aside.

Pour the olive oil & red wine vinegar over the bean mix.  You can mix the oil & vinegar together, but I usually do one at a time.  Mix well into bean mixture.

Mix dry ingredients together (you can adjust the amounts of dry ingredients to your liking) & then sprinkle over bean mixture.  Mix well.

Mince the clove of garlic & dice the scallion/onion & mix into mixture.

You can eat immediately or chill in the refrigerator until you would like to serve.   Enjoy!

Avocado a Day - More about Clean Eating

My latest thing since starting this clean eating diet is eating avocados every day.  Who knew I liked them so much?  I certainly didn't.   I would eat them if I had to, or if someone made guacamole, but I never would purposely sit down to eat an avocado.  Until I started this Clean Eating program.  

Eating avocados has changed my life.  OK, I will give you a second to stop laughing.  But seriously, they have curbed all my sugar cravings.  Eating one with lunch or as lunch as a sandwich, has stopped all sugar cravings.  & this is a girl who used to snack on mini candy bars during the day.  Or Hershey kisses by the handful.

Last night we went out for sushi.  Now sushi is not allowed on the Clean Eating program, but after the initial cleanse that I did, I am sticking to it 85% of the time.  Some times it is just impossible to go out & be able to eat Clean.  Other times, you just want a glass of wine.  & wine is not a Clean item.  So......there are some exceptions & modifications.

Here's a quick & easy salad.  Sliced avocado over greens w/ carrots & some crabmeat.  It was delicious & topped with a ginger dressing.  Stay tuned this week for a few Clean Recipes.  They're super tasty!

Limoncello Raw Cheesecake Bars - Gluten Free!

Yes, you read that right & they are delicious!  I have to find the recipe for this tasty treat.  Tonight, or this weekend some time (realistically) I'm going to try to make gluten free cinnamon raisin bread.  I will keep everyone posted on my progress.  & don't worry, if it's gross, you will all be the first to know!

Limoncello Raw Cheescake Bar

Yes, there are deserts while eating clean!

Made by From Seed to Sprout 

Avon, NJ

Tomorrow we are trying out a new breakfast joint - Local Urban Kitchen in Point Pleasant.  A review of course will follow!

Happy Clean Eating!

 http://localurbankitchen.com/

From Seed to Sprout - Clean Eating

Day 2 of Clean Eating Post

OK so after eating clean for about a month now, I have to share more info & recipes with my five followers.  Today we tried this really great place in Avon-by-the-Sea, NJ.  It's called From Seed to Sprout & I've enclosed the link below.  This may be my new favorite lunch destination.  I want to give them a shout out & hope that they are very successful because there aren't too many great places like this around.  I hope they stay in business for a very long time!

Today for lunch I had the sesame rice bowl.  Could I have made it myself?  Sure, but there's something about going out & being able to grab lunch that's healthy & having someone else make it for me.

Sesame Rice Bowl

Marinated Kale
Warm Brown Rice
Sea Veggies
Homemade Kimchi
Shredded Carrots
Gomasio
Sesame Miso Dressing

I'll post some more tomorrow about my new adventures in Clean Eating.  Don't worry though, I did have some frozen yogurt (with fruit) last night.  It was fat & sugar free.  Enjoy!

http://www.seedtosproutnj.com/

Clean Eating

I recently gave up bread, sugar, caffeine & alcohol.  WAIT, WHAT?!?!?!?!?!  Relax, it was only for 3 weeks, but definitely changed a lot of things that I thought I knew about food.  In that 3 weeks I lost 12 lbs., without even trying & it was easy.

I never thought I could do it, but I tried this program out (offered by my local yoga studio) & as crazy as this sounds, giving up all of the above was very easy.  OK, it was not easy to give up Starbucks or wine, but it was just for 3 weeks.  & I usually give up Starbucks for lent, so I knew I could make it.

The best part?  The food is good!  & easy to prepare.  I even went out & bought a juicer & each morning we have juice before work.  Crazy, yes I know.  This from the girl that just love, love loved anything sweet, sticky or bad for her!

It hasn't always been easy, but it's been interesting.  I did have a minor setback when we left NJ & headed off to the Midwest for Memorial Day (yikes all food is processed!!!) but made it back with mild success.

The reason I posted this on my so called Triathlon blog is that I'm thinking of changing the them of my blog to more healthy living posts, rather than workout posts.  I think it's time!  So hope you enjoy some of my recipes & info going forward.  It is definitely going to be a work in progress!

I'll try & post some of the smoothie & juice pics we have been making lately.  Don't worry, they're still super sweet, but from fruit, not sugar & things that you can't even pronounce!  Here's one of my snacks - cherries, blueberries & a medjool date.  Yep, a date!  You can't believe how sweet this is after going without sugar for the past two months!

Ambergris Caye, Belize

Here are some long overdue pictures from our trip to Belize.  If you have the opportunity to go there, take it!  We had a great time & couldn't have asked for better weather.  Five days was not long enough & we hope to go back soon!  Enjoy!

Cashcrate.com

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Some New Things

I always look at my blog & wonder how I could clean the page up a bit, how I could make it look more professional, sleek & clean looking.  I have changed the layout a few times, but nothing ever seems to work for too long.

I changed the look (again) today & tried to clear up the clutter.  I have also turned the comments back "on."  As my five faithful followers know, I have had a few "issues" with unsolicited commentary from some not so nice people, but I have a feeling that is all in the past & I think it's will be ok to open the page up again.

Recently, I have stumbled upon a really great site called Ramblen.co  it's a great source for people who travel often to find information on where to workout, find healthy alternatives & great places to go while they are traveling.  You should check it out.  It's a new site, so check back often to see all the changes!

As for me, I'll still be here plugging away trying to make my page look pretty!!!  & speaking of traveling, I'll be doing some more of that myself this weekend.  Perhaps you'll see a post from me about that too!  Stay tuned.....

Belize 2014

Happy Valentine's Day!

What do you know, another post in February!  Alert the media.  Ha ha.  OK, so I haven't been keeping up with my blog, but I noticed today that I have had over 20,000 hits.  So someone must read it, right?  Right!  I'd like to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day!  I have always liked Valentine's Day, even when I was single because, hey, you never know, maybe you'd find a Valentine anyway!

So here's my Valentine Conversation Heart.  Because, what's Valentine's Day without some conversation hearts?  They are my faves, well, at least the orange ones are.

Happy Valentine's Day!

First Post of the Year

It's February! What a slacker I have become.  I haven't posted since September!  I'm shocked I have any followers left!  If you're out there, thanks for reading!  Here's a cute little pic just in time for Valentine's Day, I will try to stop back in & write more often in 2014.

Happy Valentine's Day!