chunky tales

How to make my Monday more marvelous?

Sometimes I just have the case of the Mondays. Some weeks are harder than others! I made it a goal for myself to start thinking more positively about a new week. Making weekly mini goals to myself - pushing extra hard this week at the gym, no extra finger dips in the peanut butter jar, drinking more water.

I decided this week to start switching up my daily eats! I love what I eat, but variety is not only great for the body but also to help wean off cravings.

Enter Food-Prep Sunday - making my Monday’s meals super marvelous :)

Starting with the far left. BLACK BEAN BURGERS. I love veggie burgers - love, love, love them! But I have struggled to find a brand that doesn’t have a million things in it, doesn’t have over 30g of carbs (I like to spread mine out throughout the day!), and packs on the protein!

Well I hit the jackpot with Hungry Runner’s recipe. Just a few tweaks - and these babies turned out so delicious.

What you’ll need:

1 16oz can of black beans
1/2 red pepper
1/2 big tomato
2 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp oat flour
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
pinch of salt and pepper
pinch of cayenne for a kick!

I don’t have a food processor, so I prepared the beans with a fork in a big bowl! Mush all the beans together, forming a thick black bean paste. Then I added in all the other ingredients (except the oat flour) and mixed together. Then I gradually added the oat flour. I formed into 4 patties and put on a baking tray in the oven set to 350. After about 12 minutes, I flipped them over. Let them bake another 7-10 minutes (depending on your oven) and voila!

I just had one for lunch :)

Each burger comes in at 143 calories, 4 g of fat, 24 g of carbs, and 7.5 g of protein! This may even become a mid-afternoon snack with some avocado. Definitely try this out if you like your veggie burgers - and add in what you want! Maybe come corn?

I also prepped some homemade tomato sauce by cooking 1 8 oz can of non salt added tomato sauce with 1 big can of chopped tomatoes (NO SALT ADDED of course!). I simmer the two together with lots of basil and oregano, and about 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast to give it a nice cheesy flavor. Then I canned it up and put in the fridge for the week! Tastes great with some quinoa (also on my prep list this week) and ground turkey. My own clean spaghetti!

And another new and exciting item on my menu for Monday? GARLICKLY KALE.

As you know, I have been really trying to up my veggie in take, and as much as love my kale, I was getting a bit bored finding ways to eat it raw! Well, if anyone has been to Whole Foods for dinner (where Mitch and I love to go!!), I am sure you’ve tried their Garlicky Kale. If you haven’t, shame on you. It’s DELICIOUS. Garlicky - yes. Perfect base to a big salad (no need for more dressing) or a mix in with other ingredients (I love mixing it with their beet salad and chopped carrots!). Well I decided there must be some way to make it myself, right? Whole Foods is great about sharing recipes, so I found a few modified versions in the blog world. Brittany’s looked the best to me and luckily I had all the ingredients!

What you’ll need:

1/2 bunch of raw kale
1 tbsp tahini (sesame paste)
1 tbsp Bragg’s liquid aminos (or soy sauce, tamari etc)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (also a Bragg’s must have!)
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp nutritional yeast (This should be a Bragg’s commercial!)
2 tbsp chopped garlic

Mix all the sauce ingredients together (they recommended using a blender, but I just forcefully mixed it with a spoon. Make sure the tahini isn’t clumpy).

Then massage is into your kale. Yes. Massage. I have read a lot about massaging kale, and how it releases more nutrients. It also helps to soak in the flavor.

MMMM so. identical. I cannot wait to have tonight in a big salad. GO GREENS!

Speaking of greens..of course. I have made it my purpose in life to make my meals more GREEN (and yes - I mean the color). On the menu for my marvelous Monday?

Blueberry banana spinach green smoothie goodness.

1/2 frozen banana, 1/2 cup frozen strawberries, 2 cups spinach, 1 cup kale, 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (since this will be post workout!!), 1 cup unsweetened almond milk.

How are you planning to make your Monday marvelous?

It’s that time again. A loving lately post - all about what I am loving lately.

Greens

Two wonderful bloggers - Kasey and Heather are busy bees spreading the word about PLANT power, greens, and promoting using the sources of plants for our protein! I will be the first to admit, I am obsessed with getting the right amount of protein in my body everyday. But that has led me to forget about the simpler greens that I used to fill my body with. Instead of focusing on their value, I have become slave to making sure I have more CHICKEN and protein powder. Sure, It isn’t a bad thing. But I have come to the realization I need to kick up my greens :)

Exhibit A. Farmers Market pick-me-ups. I love the farmers market. Not only can you try a million types of apples (I picked out some honey crisp yummmm), but you get the most fresh and local produce around!

I picked out some swiss chard, spinach, kale, and some hot peppers for the man friend.

I could not stomach these if I tried. But he surely can.

Back to the greens. Greens - especially the dark leafy greens I bought this weekend - are super nutrient dense. Full of vitamins and minerals, but also healthy carbs and protein. I eat broccoli A LOT (because its cheap-ish and easy to cook - I usually bake in the oven at 400 for about 15-20 minutes!). Did you know broccoli has more protein than a steak? Yes - one steak will have more protein than a few pieces of broccoli, but you get a better bang for you buck calorie, nutrient, vitamin wise. 3 cups of broccoli has 11 g of protein - and 100 calories. Sure, your steak has 11 g as well, but we’re talking a lot more calories and fat. Green wins!

Check out Kasey’s post on greens for some awesome Green Kale Pesto. MUST make this!

Moral of story? Embrace your greens. Instead of iceberg lettuce, get some leafy romaine and spinach. Sautee up some kale with lots of garlic and add to your usual stir fry. Or make some delicious kale chips! The possibilities are endless for PLANT POWER!

Almond Butter

You all know by now I love my nut butters. I used to never buy peanut or almond butter because I thought there was WAYYYY too much fat. On every “diet” or program I have been on, I have always shunned away from fat - why would I want to waste 5 weight watcher points on a tablespoon of almond butter? Since eating clean, I have really learned to embrace healthy fats. From avocado to coconut oil, I have 30% of my daily caloric intake from healthy fats.

Now, my nut butters have also become a nemesis of mine. When I “cheat’ on my diet, I eat nut butter. When I come home a little drunky from a night out, I go straight to my almond butter jar. Good and bad I guess. One of my goals this month is to stop sticking my finger in the peanut butter jar - and instead enjoy in moderation. Like a tablespoon on a fresh, farmers market honey crisp apple.

Match made in heaven.

And for those wondering what kind to buy? Always unsalted people. You don’t need all that added sodium and junk. Look at the ingredients. It should list peanuts or almond as the one and only ingredient. I usually go to Whole Foods or Yes! Organic market and grind my own. But when making a splurge, I always go for this jar of heaven:

Its $9.99 at Yes! Organic Market - which is usually why I stick to peanut butter as it is cheaper. But this is honestly the best tasting thing in the world. DO IT. Eat your fats. Healthy fats help you burn fats. Don’t be scared!

PANCAKES

Of course.

I love pancakes!!!!

Just look at this foodporn.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Protein Pancakes - SHABANG!

What you’ll need:

2 tbsp peanut flour (or PB2)
2 tbsp of gluten free flour of your choice (I used 1 tbsp coconut flour and 1 tbsp almond to give it a fluffy but nutty texture - but use what you have, even oat flour!)
2 tbsp brown rice flour (same idea as above! I just love the texture of the three flours combined!)
1/4 tsp banking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup egg whites

Mix all together and cook up in some coconut oil. I topped with 1/2 a banana and some chocolate protein frosting (1/2 scoop chocolate whey and water).

Ahhh I can just taste it now! So freakin delicious. This was my pre-workout fuel for Saturday morning, so I stayed away from real peanut butter (which absorbs/digests slowly so is not beneficial from some quick energy for a workout!)

….and it was incredible. I don’t remember the last time I had a great piece of pizza. And guess what? I ate the whole thing.

And for 332 calories, I didn’t feel bad about it!

Yes - 332 calories.

How’d I do it? Cauliflower.

Cauliflower is an amazing vegetable. I’ve made so many carb free delights with this veggie! Well Friday’s are often cheating days for me as I come home from work and just want to eat everything in sight! This time, I didn’t let myself, and instead I decided to make something new and exciting. And this took the gold.

I came across this recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Sprint 2 The Table. She adapted it from Gluten Free Happy Tummy’s recipe, and I tweaked it a bit as well.

What you’ll need:

1/3 head of cauliflower
1/4 cup oat flour (to make Gluten Free, use almond flour here)
1/4 cup egg whites
4 oz chicken
1/2 medium zucchini
1 roma tomato
1 mushroom
1/4 red onion
garlic powder
chopped garlic
basil, oregano, cilantro to taste

Start by pre-heating the oven to 400 degrees. Take your 1/3 of a cauliflower, breaking apart the florets. Put in your food processor, shred to make “rice”. Pour into a paper towel and wring the liquid out as best you can!

Place in a bowl and mix with your flour, egg whites, some oregano and some garlic powder.

Pour onto some parchment paper the side of your baking trey, and then place another piece of parchment paper on top. Now place your hands on top and press down, squishing and flattening out your crust as thin as possible. Then place in the oven with the paper still on top/bottom. Leave in for 20 minutes or so. I waiting a bit longer so it would brown a bit more. Make sure the center is hard - that is your priority!

While your cauliflower crust is cooking, saute your garlic and onions, adding in your zucchini and mushrooms. Don’t cook too long, as they will finish cooking in the over. Just start the process a little bit :)

Cook your chicken how you please, I just cooked on a frying pan beforehand!

Take your crust out and add all your sauteed vegetables and chicken. Then, slice up your roma tomato and place that on top of the entire pizza. Sprinkle with garlic, basil, and cilantro.

Place in the oven for another 20 minutes at 350.

Pure. Heaven.

And it fit in my macros for the day. I am telling you guys, this is dynamite!! I am going to experiment with some flavors as well, so stay tuned!

Another great weekend. Sunday was a me day. I slept in, took a class at the gym, and did some Insanity cardio abs. Mitch went on a bike ride with a friend, so I had the place to myself. As much as I love living with the boy, sometimes as with any roomie, its nice to be alone.

I decided to take a walk to this store over in Adams Morgan that I’ve walked/driven by millions of times. And Beige is a neutral home decor store. If anyone knows me well, they know I love to decorate! I spent ages putting together my apartment - and am very proud of it :) .

Now this place was amazing! I spent a good 30 minutes just walking through the entire small store. Most of the items were totally out of my price range. So, I opted to buy a Voluspa candle instead. Makassar Ebony & Peach. So delicious smelling and perfect for summer.

I also picked up some awesome recycled bottle glasses. They are a great color green - the picture doesn’t really capture it - but they look amazing in my place and we needed some new glasses that matched each other, so I bought 4!

I took a trip to Harris Teeter and then did some work at home. Followed by an all important FOOD PREP SUNDAY EVE! I went all out - and have gotten really good at multi tasking and making everything all at once so it doesn’t take all day!

I made brown rice, my Spinach Turkey Burgers, some chicken, my Blueberry Protein Muffins, and a new recipe - Zucchini fritters!!!

Just look at these babies - and they got even crispier when I put them back in the oven!

Clean Zucchini Fritters - compliments of Lil B’s Healthy Habits

What you’ll need:

1 medium zucchini - grated
1.5 slices of Ezekiel bread - made into bread crumbs (I used my hand blender!)
2 egg whites
1/4 cup diced onion
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder

Grate your zucchini - press out ALL excess water. I didn’t have paper towels, but Brittany recommends using up to 5!! Get it all out - I used a strainer and pressed to get the water out, but I knew there was more! It’ll help make them crispier if you do a good job :)

Combine all ingredients and form into 4 patties. Place in the oven at 400 degrees. Brittany says 20 minutes, but mine took a lot longer! Just keep checking after 20 minutes or so to see how crispy they get.

Mitch LOVED these. That says a lot :)

For dinner, I paired these with what has become a Sunday tradition - wild Alaskan salmon. This time, I picked up a new seasoning at Harris Teeter and it was the PERFECT compliment to the fish.

McCormick’s Fiesta Citrus - SALT FREE of course - paired with a squeeze of lime. Seriously divine.

And voila - our dinner. Brown rice, steamed garlic green beans, a clean zucchini fritter, and some delicious chipotle lime salmon.

This definitely makes for the perfect Sunday night!