P90X2 Breakfast Muffin Cups

1 cup cooked instant rice

1/4 cup low-fat shredded cheese

3 eggs

Nonstick cooking spray

3 Tbsp. low-fat milk

2 Tbsp. dice green chili or jalapeno

2 Tbsp. finely chopped onion

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 cup browned ground chicken, turkey, or extra-lean ground beef

Preheat over to 400 F. In large bowl, combine 1 cup cooked rice, half of cheese, and 1 egg (beaten).

Lightly coat 6 cup muffin tins with cooking spray.

Press 1/6 of mixture into bottom and sides of each muffin cup.

Bake at 400 for 5-8 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Remove pan from oven and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 2 eggs and milk.

Add chilies, onion, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and remaining half of cheese to bowl and mix thoroughly; add 1/6 of mixture to each muffin cup.

Return to oven and bake 15-20 more minutes, or until set.

Simple Sunflower Seed Granola

Mighty little sunflower seeds have been shown to reduce the risk of developing asthma, high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis, colon cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

INGREDIENTS:

·         3/4 cup sunflower seeds

·         1 1/2 cups oatmeal

·         1/4 cup ground flaxseed

·         1/2 cup dried cranberries

·         1/2 cup slivered almonds

·         1/2 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened

·         3 tbsp natural peanut butter

·         1/2 tsp fine sea salt

·         1/3 cup raw honey

·         1/2 tsp vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.    Preheat oven to 300°F. Combine ingredients in a bowl and mix until evenly blended.

2.    Press mixture in a baking pan and bake for 40 minutes.  I think I used about a 9x13" pan.

Trail Mix Cookies

These cookies are soooooo good - you better make a double batch!

Ingredients:

1 cup Once Again Organic Sunflower Seed Butter

1 cup sweetened coconut flakes

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ cup packed dark brown sugar

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cup dates, chopped

¼ cup sunflower seeds

¼ cup maple syrup

1 large egg

½ tsp vanilla

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1.       Preheat the oven to 350⁰F.

2.       Place all of the ingredients together in the bowl of a stand mixer.

3.       Mix on medium speed until the ingredients are well incorporated.

4.       Drop generous tablespoons of dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.

5.       Bake for 12-14 minutes until cookies are set, but still soft.

6.       Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheet.

7.       Enjoy!

*Vegetarian

*Gluten Free

*Dairy Free

Black Bean Soup

I've made many different black bean soups, but this one from Forks Over Knives is my favorite!

Ingredients:
1½ C chopped onions
1 C chopped carrots
1 C chopped celery
Six 15 oz. cans black beans
1 lb frozen corn
Four 16 oz. cans crushed tomatoes spiced with green chiles
2 banana peppers, chopped
1 jalepeno pepper, chopped
3 bunches of greens (such as kale, collards or chard), chopped or torn w/stems removed - I used kale
½ to 1 C fresh cilantro - I didn't use that much - I might've used ½ that amount & I may have used dried.
Healthy corn chips - I use Food Should Taste Good Multigrain Chips at Costco


1.  Put 1 cup of the onions and the carrots, celery, black beans, corn, tomatoes and peppers into a large soup pot.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
2.  While the soup is cooking, saute the remaining ½ cup onions and the kale in a saucepan with a little vegetable broth or water for about 10 minutes.
3. Puree the cooked greens and fresh cilantro in a food processor.  Add blended greens to the soup and stir well.  Serve with crushed up corn chips mixed in.  (I didn't crush them - I just served them on the side).

Southwest Quinoa Salad

This is from Clean Eating Magazine

This gets better the second day.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted, or 1 tsp ground cumin
• High-heat cooking oil (such as sunflower, safflower, peanut or grape seed oil), as needed to lightly coat grill grate
• 2 cobs fresh corn, husks and silk removed (or 1 1/4 cups frozen corn, thawed)
• 1 cup cooked black beans, drained
• 1 plum tomato, diced
• 1 zucchini or yellow zucchini squash, diced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a small bowl, whisk lemon juice, olive oil, cilantro, salt and pepper; set aside.
2. In a saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil; add quinoa and cumin. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork and let cool for at least 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat an outdoor grill to medium-high and lightly oil grate with cooking oil. Add corn, close lid and grill, turning once, until tender and lightly charred, 10 to 15 minutes. (Alternatively, boil cobs in a large pot of simmering water. Cover and cook until tender, 6 to 10 minutes.) Let corn cool, then cut kernels from cob. 
4. In a large bowl, combine quinoa, corn kernels, beans, tomato, zucchini and onion. Pour lemon-cilantro dressing over top and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate salad for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to meld, or up to 2 days.

Sweet Potato Chips

I didn't think this would turn out, but they did and they are really good and super easy!


I used sweet potatoes, not yams.


Slice potatoes very thin.
Arrange in a single layer on a flat microwave-safe plate.
Microwave on high for approx. 7 minutes.


They suggest dressing them with balsamic vinegar, rice syrup & mustard, but I just sprinkled sea salt on them and they were delish! I tried to put a bunch layered in a glass pyrex, but they didn't get done as well as the single layer.

Sensational Herbed Bread

This recipe is from Forks Over Knives.  I would make it plain without any herbs next time.  It is delicious!

Ingredients:


3 cups whole wheat flour
½ tablespoon sage
½ tablespoon thyme
½ tablespoon basil
½ tablespoon oregano
1½ teaspoons dry yeast
2 teaspoon molasses
1¾ cups lukewarm water




Preparation:


1. Line a 9 × 5-inch bread pan with parchment paper. Set aside. Combine the flour, sage, thyme, basil, and oregano in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the yeast. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the molasses and water. Mix by hand to make a soft, slightly wet dough. Knead until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl clean and feels elastic. 

2. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place the dough in the pan, cover with oiled plastic wrap, and leave in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Bake for about 35 minutes. Test to see if the bread is ready by tapping the top with your knuckles: the bread is done when it sounds hollow. 

VARIATION: Fresh herbs can also be used in this recipe, and for a slightly different taste, rosemary and chives can be substituted for the thyme and basil.

Time Flies

Wow!  I can't believe 2012 is half over and I haven't written since November!  Time flies.  I have been busy with family and friends and food and fitness.  I had a big birthday and I got to go to Hawaii with my family for Spring Break!

I'm still cooking and enjoying food and fitness.  We received our copy of P90X2 in December and began shortly after that.  I've done two rounds and I plan to start a hybrid combination of regular P90X and Plus with X2 Yoga and X2 Recovery mixed in.  The X2 program came with a really great nutrition guide with some great recipes in it.  I will try to share my favorites soon.  

I love X2 - phase one and three are my favorites.  I have; however, lost some of my ripped arms and abs.  It made me more elongated and streamlined, less chisel.  My legs have much more definition now.  My body seems more like a body that practices mostly yoga.  It will be fun to see how my body responds to switching back over to regular P90X - how it will evolve again.

I may have mentioned this before, but I watched a documentary, some time ago now, called Forks Over Knives.  It is on Netflix.  Check it out.  There is also a book of the same name.  I will share some of my favorite recipes from that as well.

I have been off the hormone replacement therapy now for a while.  They were giving me migraines.  On a kind of second thought, one of my doctors suggested I try Cymbalta for my anxiety.  I am now taking that along with my normal Mirtazapine and that combination seems to be what keeps the anxiety away.  It is amazing; however, I have gained about 5-10 lbs just since starting the combination.  I'm not too alarmed just yet, but it is definitely on my radar.  I'm feeling so good though, I hate to mess with it.

Hopefully, more soon.