Gym Membership? Fuel up with BOGO at Punch

The one time a gym membership would have served me well. As someone who refuses to pay the start up and administration fees, I've avoided gym memberships, choosing to walk around Lake Harriet, doing Pilates courses or grabbing Groupons for gym classes with no commitment. It appears my counterparts who thrive on attending the gym benefit from this one (though I'll use the money saved on avoiding said start up and administration fees to buy a pizza or two.)

August 22nd - August 24th if you purchase one pizza and show your gym membership, Punch will give you a second pizza for free.

Of course the usual rules and regulations apply, pizza purchased must be greater or equal value to the one being received for free.

My Food Revolution: Easy Caprese

There are times when nothing sounds better than sitting down in front of the television and popping a snack while mindlessly watching whatever is on at the moment. But snacking doesn't have to be filled with processed foods that are bad for you, so here's another new and incredibly simple snack to try. The same friend who introduced me to the 'Italian Style Salad' made these for the appetizer. So have at it, and don't tell me you didn't try it because it was too difficult to make!

Easy Caprese:

1 toothpick

1 Cherry Tomato
1 Basil leaf
1 Mozzarella ball

*Repeat
**If you're feeling adventuresome drizzle a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a dash of salt and pepper.

My Food Revolution: Grilled Stuffed Zucchini Rolls

I find my inspiration for new recipes from many places, most of which do not come from the internet. Childhood meals, digging through my cabinet for anything that could be thrown together and most recently celebrity inspired. In an issue of US Weekly they showed what 'diets' certain celebrities partake in and two of which I was most intrigued with used food services to cook and send their fresh food so they never had to lift a finger. Certainly makes dieting easier.

As a source of inspiration I turned Sunfare and checked out what they had on their menu. Several items caught my attention, and here is one of them. From Sunfare's 'Signature Diet' menu the Grilled Stuffed Zucchini Rolls.

Grilled Stuffed Zucchini Rolls

Slice Zucchini about 1 cm thick the long way

Grill on both sides until fully cooked

Place a small scoop of herbed Goat Cheese in the middle

Roll up - use toothpicks to hold the ends together if necessary

My Food Revolution: Traditional Caprese

When my parents came back from Italy they could not stop talking about how they loved Caprese and ate it everywhere they went. When they came to visit they made the dish as an appetizer and I too fell in love with its rich flavor. It's easy to make and the ingredients are all great for you. We may not be in Rome, but let's do as the Romans do!

Traditional Caprese:Ripe Tomatoes
Fresh Mozzerella
Fresh Basil diced
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Slice the tomatoes and the cheese. Please the tomato on the bottom topped by the slice of fresh mozzerella. Stick in the oven until warm. Sprinkle fresh diced basil on top and pour Balsmic Vinaigrette over. I recommend eating with a fork and knife.

Rue La La ;)

Many of you have received an email from me inviting you to this site. A coworker invited me and I'm sharing the wealth. Basically, they have these great sales on awesome items for two days only. Super trendy, super expensive stuff goes quickly, so you'll need to have the credit card ready to buy if what you want is on sale for a great discount. Hopefully you take a look and consider joining. :)

Click here to receive an invitation to Rue La La (membership is by invitation only.)

My Food Revolution: Broccoli Chicken Pasta

When I was younger my Dad was told he had to either give up beer or change his entire diet to avoid Type II Diabetes. Being the beer lover that he is, my father kicked up his exercise and made the whole family change their diet. I feel like most people would pick the same thing if given the choice, so I try not to begrudge him for making me eat more whole grains. One of the dishes my Dad loved to make was an easy summer pasta, it was delicious and paired with a cucumber salad it just hit the spot on summer days. So here's my take on their dish, there are two types of chicken I used, and I've linked both.

Broccoli Chicken Pasta
Frozen Broccoli (Green Giant Steamers is probably the best, no need to dirty a pot to cook the broccoli in water.)
1 box of noodles
5 pieces of pan cooked chicken (not chicken breast, chicken thigh is about the right size)
2 pieces of oven baked garlic pepper chicken (not chicken breast, chicken thigh is about the right size)

Parmesan cheese
2 Shallots
3 Garlic Cloves
Garlic salt and Garlic pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

I tried two different chicken recipes as I wanted to see which one I liked best. Turns out I liked the pan cooked chicken for this recipe better than my tried and true oven baked chicken. Cook noodles, bake and pan cook chicken with garlic and shallots, microwave broccoli. Mix all together and drizzle more Extra Virgin Olive Oil on top. Grate some fresh Parmesan on top of finished dish.

*For even better results do what my parents did and get whole grain cracked pepper noodles. They're typically longer and look like Fettucine noodles. That would eliminate the need to make two different types of chicken and allow you to only use the pan cooked.

My Food Revolution: Pan Cooked Garlic Chicken

I saw this recipe on Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution tv show. He was showing the kids of a single Dad how to cook a meal in under 40 minutes. The way they made the chicken looked easy enough and I decided I would try it out just for fun. I made mine a little more salty, because I have an addition to garlic salt, but season as you wish.

Pan Cooked Garlic Chicken
Chicken thighes (I use grass fed, free range)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Garlic Salt
Shallots
Garlic Cloves

Drizzle EVOO, add chicken, chopped shallots and garlic cloves. Cook until done. I add garlic salt at the beginning, just lightly for a little extra taste as I didn't use a sauce in the pasta dish I used this for. While still cooking I also pulled the chicken into smaller pieces. For more taste, add more shallots and garlic cloves.

My Food Revolution: Light, Crisp Salad

Taken from another former roommate's mother who had us over for dinner and supplemented a filling dinner with this light, fresh salad that was devoured. What I love about this salad is it's another great alternative to eating creamy salad dressing (filled with salt, fat and sugar.) Every salad you can get away from the Ranch or Bleu Cheese is good for you.

Light, Crisp Salad:


Hearts of Romaine lettuce
Salt and Pepper to taste
Either 6 drops of lemon juice or a slice of lemon squeezed
Extra Virgin Olive Oil to taste
Add favorite vegetables (Cherub Tomatoes, Baby Corn, Onions, Olives, etc.)

My Food Revolution: Sweet Potato Fries

There are a few things that are as satisfying as a burger and fries. Pair that grass fed, free range beef OR bison burger with a whole grain bun from Great Harvest and you're on the right track. But the fries can make or break the meal, so here's three different ways to make sweet potato fries.

Extra Sweet, Sweet Potato Fries
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Peel the potato(es) and then slice in half.
Cut the halves into smaller rectangles, I try to make them 1 cm on each side (the smaller the crunchier)
Drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil over the fries (I also then take my Misto and spray the potatoes with more Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
Sprinkle 1/4 Cup of Light Brown Sugar over the fries.
Cook for 20 minutes before turning the fries over. Cook until desire crispiness.
Season with salt and pepper before serving.
Sweet Potato Fries
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Peel the potato(es) and then slice in half.
Cut the halves into smaller rectangles, I try to make them 1 cm on each side (the smaller the crunchier)
Drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil over the fries (I also then take my Misto and spray the potatoes with more Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
Season with Cracked Black Pepper (not regular dinner table pepper, you want this to have a kick - you'll use less salt this way) and a teensy bit of salt. More pepper than salt.
Cook for 20 minutes before turning the fries over. Cook until desired crispiness.

Kick You in the Pants Sweet Potato Fries
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Peel the potato(es) and then slice in half.
Cut the halves into smaller rectangles, I try to make them 1 cm on each side (the smaller the crunchier)
Drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil over the fries (I also then take my Misto and spray the potatoes with more Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
Season with Red Chili Flakes, Paprika, Chili Powder, Cracked Black Pepper (not regular dinner table pepper, you want this to have a kick - you'll use less salt this way) and a teensy bit of salt.
Cook for 20 minutes before turning the fries over. Cook until desired crispiness.

My Food Revolution: San Antonio Style Guacamole

While visiting San Antonio for a wedding a few years back we went to every Mexican restaurant there was. Most had awful guacamole, you could find better stuff at Chipotle. But one spot, Bordeau's had great guacamole they made at your table. Here's the recipe in case you're looking for a great little treat. Experts recommend eating one half of an avocado a day due to its healthy nature. But beware of the food we typically add it to (tortilla chips and pre-packaged tortillas.) My sister makes her scrambled eggs with a little milk, salt and pepper and then adds either sliced avocado on top or sometimes a bit of rough guacamole. This would be the perfect guacamole recipe to use!

Bordeau's San Antonio Guacamole
1 Avocado - if ripe you should be able to take the pit out with the knife.
1/4 of a Orange - squeeze in the juice
1/2 of a Lime - squeeze in the juice
1 Tablespoon of chopped red onions (orange 'juice' lessens its sourness)
1 Teaspoon Kosher Sea Salt
2 Tablespoons of stewed tomatos (theirs had been marinated a certain way)

My Food Revolution: Summer Strawberry Salad

There's nothing better than the sun shining down while eating on the back porch with good friends and family. Nothing. BBQs are likely to be in full force by now and if you're looking for a great salad to hopefully cut down on the kids' (and let's be honest, you too) intake of the potatos chips this salad is so delicious you'll be reaching for seconds or thirds.

Summer Strawberry Salad:

Spinach leaves
Sliced Strawberries
Feta Cheese
Semi-crushed Pralines (or sugared walnuts)
Raspberry Vinaigrette
Option 1: Put each ingredient in separate bowl and allow guests to mix together.
Option 2: Two bags of spinach leaves, 3/4 of a container of sliced strawberries, 20 crushed Pralines, half a package of Feta Cheese.

My Food Revolution: Almond and Mandarin Orange Salad

Salad that tastes good enough to pass as dessert? Yes please! This recipe was taken after eating at a former roommate's parents' house. They brought this salad out and you can believe that it was gone before the end of the meal. It's tasty and a nice little treat. The dressing is available at Macy's, in the Cities it's available at the Ridgedale Macy's.

Oriental Salad:


Spinach Leaves & Romaine Lettuce mix
Mandarin Orange slices
Sliced Almonds
Warmed Sesame Dressing from Macy’s

My Food Revolution: Two Month Anniversary

It seems like yesterday I just reached my one month anniversary, and at that time it felt like I had just started. Eight weeks in and I've never felt better. Eating food, not science by-product is one of the main reasons I feel the way I do. I'm happier, healthier and hopefully in the near future thinner. :)

Here's what I learned this month:

The longer you do something, the more respect you get when speaking about it.
Never stop learning, whether it's books or documentaries or articles the more you fuel your education the greater your motivation to change your ways will be.
There are chemical reasons why some people struggle with food, if you don't be thankful and empathetic.
We should enjoy our food, but we shouldn't let it control us.

Next month's goals:
Try more recipes from friends and cookbooks.
Go one week vegetarian. I may have missed 'National Vegetarian Week' last month but who's to say I can't do my own?

As you hopefully noticed there is a new page entitled 'What I'm Eating' and it lists every single recipe I've posted on this site. If you're looking for a recipe to try out, give one of those a try. If you have to share leave a comment - I know others will be grateful for new, easy to make recipes in their repetoire.

My Food Revolution: Homemade Pasta Sauce

This was my first time making my own sauce so I turned to Teresa Guidice's 'Skinny Italian' for help. While I didn't use her actual recipe for the sauce I did use her canning tomatoes information. Even though I'm telling you how I did it here, it's worth the book just for her sauce recipes. I can't wait to try them!

1. First you'll need to buy some good Roma Tomatoes, for 1 lb of meat I'd get at least 10 good sized tomatoes. Wash tomatoes and place in a large pot bring water to a boil. I put tomatoes in before it was boiling.
2. Once the skin cracks on the tomatoes you will need to dump the hot water and run the tomatoes under cold water. I ran this for about five minutes. (While doing this I put my lean, free range and grass fed ground beef in a skillet on the lowest setting.)
3. Once the tomatoes had cooled a bit I grabbed the skin and pulled it off of all the tomatoes. (I would highly recommend doing this as it gets MESSY once you start to get rid of the seeds)
4. After all the tomatoes were skinless I grabbed a knife and cut off the top where the tomato would have connected to the vine. From here you'll see a white/yellow coloring form an I down the middle. I cut parallel to the I and then slightly squeezed the tomato over my sauce pan. I prevented seeds from getting in there an
5. just let the juice squeeze out of the tomato into my sauce pan. Then I finished cutting that part of the tomato off and put it in the pan and scooping the seeds out and throwing them in the plastic bag the tomatoes came in. Turn tomato over and repeat.
6. Once all the tomatoes were in the sauce pan I bought over to the stove and turned on low heat. I added a light sprinkle of garlic salt to the meat and flipped it over.
7. Heading back to the tomatoes I dug back in and broke up the tomatoes with my fingers. After I rinsed my hands off I added two tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, one diced shallot, a nice helping of Red Chili Flakes and a sprinkle of Garlic Salt. I let simmer.
8. Once the beef had finished cooking I drained it and added to the sauce. At this time I turned the sauce up to a medium low and stirred in the meat.
9. I put on a pot to boil water for the noodles. Afterwards I added a few small chunks of mozzarella to the sauce and stirred it in.
10. Once the noodles were finished I spooned the sauce onto a plate and grated some Parmesan on top. I used baked ciabatta bread to sop up the excess sauce after I finished eating.

To say this was the best Italian food I've had in awhile is an understatement. The sauce makes all the difference. :)

Pilates? Yes Please!

Yesterday on Twitter I asked my followers their recommendations for Pilates or Yoga and the responses I received on both were overwhelming. I have already done Yoga in the past and knew how much it helped; I really saw a difference in my body from doing Yoga in terms of feeling more lean and less bulky. So what is the difference between the two and why should I invest time and money into Pilates when I can do my Yoga DVD at home?

The distinction between Yoga and Pilates is not easy to find, for one Yoga is often connected with spiritual history and processes that focus much more on reaching actualization than they do on what their physical aim is. Pilates is more straightforward.

The Pilates method seeks to increase the strength, flexibility and control of the body. Pilates is a body conditioning routine that helps to not only build flexibility, but also strength, endurance, and coordination in the legs, abdominals, arms and back.

Another site lists the benefits of Pilates and Yoga, citing they complement each other and one would benefit greatly from the combination of the two (which I plan to do - Yoga on Saturdays and Pilates on Sundays.) This site states that Pilates helps with the core, elongates muscles, etc. and Yoga's benefits are targeted towards the internal organs and overall health of the participant with the added bonus of stretching, flexibility, toning, balance as well.

I think fully understanding what you're getting yourself in for and why it's so good for you is essential to actually seeing it through. If you're looking for a good Yoga DVD I recommend 'The Biggest Loser Yoga' it's with Bob Harper and it's not as spiritually focused as some which I find to be boring but it definitely works. When I used it a few summers ago (it was free on Comcast under their Sports and Exercise section, I just recently purchased it on Amazon) I was running Lake Calhoun on a regular basis. I noticed immediately how elongated my legs looked and it felt great to stretch out as they recommended. My balance (which is awful) improved markedly and overall I felt great. I tried other Yoga workouts and never noticed the same results, often getting bored and listless during the workout and eventually dropping it from my routine all together.

And for those looking for a good Pilates exercise I suggest checking out local Pilates studios, there are often really good deals for newbies or to attend classes by a teacher in training. This upcoming Sunday I am taking my first ever Pilates class at Align Pilates in Uptown. Their 'Save Your Bucks Sunday' offers mat classes for $5 and reformer classes for $10, with personal one on one instruction for $20. So this Sunday I'll be on the mat, the following Sunday I'll be on the reformer. I'm excited to try something new, and for $30 a month to get a good workout in, I'll take it!

My Food Revolution: Organic Peanut Butter

Thus far my journey into removing as many processed foods has been relatively easy. Vegetables just require an understanding in how to make them before you start craving them. My baked asparagus? Heaven. My sauteed summer squash? Pure bliss. While the majority of my changes have been more than easy to make there was one that was somewhat difficult. Organic Peanut Butter. Why? You'd think this would be easy as you'd think they didn't put much into the PB. Wrong. But the thought of ingesting chemicals makes me gag a bit so while it took a little manipulation I figured out a great solution and thought I'd share with you too. :)

The bread I eat is the Honey Wheat bread from Great Harvest and because the Peanut Butter I have requires refrigeration I have to toast my bread so it spreads a bit easier. I then slather on some honey on to the other piece of lightly toasted bread and hanker down. It's quite simple and the end result is amazing. The Peanut Butter is a bit hard for me to eat without a bit of sugar and I eat honey on my Peanut Butter sandwhiches so it provides that extra bit of sugar I need, the heat from the toast needed to melt the Peanut Butter a bit (as it has a very weird looking texture as it is cold) and a bit of a crunch with the toast.

I get my Peanut Butter from Parker's Farm which is available at Lunds and Byerly's stores across Minnesota.

My Food Revolution: Frozen Foods

It's inevitable, there are going to be times when we need to grab a frozen meal and have it for lunch or dinner. But that doesn't mean it has to be filled with chemicals, we can still make good food decisions when we grab something to eat. Now usually that means forking over more dough, but it's well worth it. It can also mean more caloric intake, but it might not be awful to intake more calories that are healthy than binging on cookies later due to hunger.

Amy's Organic Kitchen is a great brand found at most grocery stores. The products are vegetarian and organic as well as steep in price. However, Amy's is often on sale and that's the best time to stock up. Now sodium wise their dishes are comparable to Lean Cuisine but they do have great low sodium meals that are just as wonderful. Let's compare Amy's Mac & Cheese to Lean Cuisine's Mac & Cheese (which I've had, and it's nothing to write home about.)

Amy's Organic Kitchen Mac & Cheese:

This dish has one ingredient with three parts and then six other ingredients total. That's it. Total sodium? 290 mg. The calories are higher but the dish is actually tasty instead of a waste of calories.

Lean Cuisine Mac & Cheese:
Trying to count the number of ingredients in this dish made my heard hurt. Some ingredients had multiple ingredients which had their own ingredients. This isn't food, this is science. And while science has made great leaps I'd rather have food than science when it comes to lunch.

And that's not all Amy's has, there's snacks and soups, breakfast burritos and salsas. When I went to compare Amy's Cheese Pizza Rolls with Totino's I couldn't even find the nutritional information available on Totino's site. No list of ingredients or caloric inventory, just information on how to cook them.

My Food Revolution: Simple Salad

Who doesn't need an easy, healthy salad in their recipe book that is easy on the budget? Here's a great one for just that.

Simple Salad:

Mixed Baby Greens

Cherub Tomatoes

Salt and Pepper to taste

Homemade Croutons
Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinaigrette to taste

I called this my 'Simple Salad' but it's also known as my 'running low on ingredients' salad or maybe 'running low on cash' salad. Fewer ingredients, easier to make, it's a good alternative if you're a little lazy but still want a good salad to eat. It's a good idea to only have Ranch (or whatever your naughty salad dressing is) once a day. If possible, once every few days. The more often you can use Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinaigrette the better.

My Food Revolution: Terminology is Tricky

One of the reasons participating in a Food Revolution is so difficult is because of the language surrounding food. It seems every way you turn the food industry is trying to trick the consumer into believing they are making healthy choices when they may not be. Maybe you're not into reading labels like I am, I know a lot of people avoid labels for their own reasons and I respect their decision to do that. Then there are the more neurotic types like me who want to know every ingredient that is in their food before they buy it. I'm sure the average person out there is a happy medium of the two, checking some of the food typically called 'junk food' and reaching for the 'healthy food' without even a second glance. But they come up to the egg aisle and they see all these different labels on the carton and thinking they're picking the right thing grab a cage free, all natural egg. It costs more, it makes them feel good, and yet it does nothing to ensure the chicken lives in a way that is beneficial to you or it. This article was sent to me by a friend and it deciphers the jargon written on your egg cartons.

So don't just buy the brown eggs because you think they're better; make sure they're pasture raised if possible and organic. If you can't find pasture raised eggs (as I'm having a difficult time doing) make sure you're getting free range not cage free. Most chickens live in a hut but that doesn't mean the hut is sanitary or safe but it's still sans cage. Make sure you know what things mean, otherwise you might as well just get the regular eggs rather than paying 50% more for something that isn't that much better for you.

My Food Revolution: More of What I'm Eating

Earlier this month I told you what I was eating, and I thought two weeks later might be a good time to share some more recipes I've been using with you. The more I learn about what I'm eating the easier it is to keep eating healthy. I found that many homemade dinners can be easily altered with a healthy substitute that tastes fabulous and isn't processed. Here's a few pointers.

Ditch the Texas Toast:

Ever look at the back of your garlic toast box and look up the ingredients? It's not pretty and what's even worse is how coated in yellow the toast is. It's probably not even butter but whatever it is, it sure is delicious. How are you supposed to cut that out of your diet? Easy enough if you have the right tools.

Garlic Ciabatta Bread

Healthy Snacking:
Every good intention can be undermined by buying pre-made snacks. Forget the calories, count the ingredients. If there are more ingredients than the number of fingers or toes you have it's probably not the best thing for you. The best snacks are ones that are simple and delicious. It's not always so easy to bring fruit with you so grab something else that's great for you! For a great on the go alternative make your own trail mix.

Courtney's Trail Mix

When I told you about LARABAR I didn't tell you they were about $1.50 - $2.00 each. For some people that's just not doable. The other recipe I was given is a little more putzy than this one which I found on Prevention.com so I share it with you now.

Prevention's Granola Bars
When I was little I used to call asparagus ass-per-gas and refused to eat it. Then one day a friend's mom made a quiche with bacon and asparagus in it. I cut a small slice and was determined to eat it to be polite. After the first bite I was hooked, I loved asparagus. While I've had asparagus in the quiche several times since, I've only recently ventured out to eating it in a healthier way.

Asparagus

Change is CONSTANT:
Even after two weeks I continually change what I'm eating. I've replaced Lay's Potato Chips with homemade Popcorn, an apple and string cheese at lunch. For an after dinner treat I eat organic strawberries and blueberries OR I hanker down with Haagen Daz Chocolate Ice Cream and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. Why Haagen Daz? Each ice cream previously mentioned has five to six ingredients without compromising taste. This is old fashioned style ice cream, the kind that even your grandmother's grandmother would recognize as ice cream when reading the ingredients. It's so rich and heavenly you can eat less and feel satisfied. It's a win-win.