Awesome Three Bean Chili!

This evening I tried a new class at my gym, The Hollywood Workout.  Doesn’t is just sound awesome!  It was.  And holy crap, it was really tough.  It was an interval class with sculpting.  We used stability balls, body bars, weights and steps.  Every part of my body feels like jello right now!!  I really love this class.  I don’t think I will get bored.  For a while I was taking a Body Pump class and I just lost my desire to go.  It was boring for me to do the same thing every class.  Some people like routine and Body Pump would be the perfect class.  I like spontaneity and I am totally into The Hollywood Workout!

After class I had my favorite meal in the world… Three-Bean Vegetarian Chili!  This meAal is filling, thick and full of vegetable and vitamins!  This dinner goodness for only 270 calories!!!  I also love making this because you can have it all week.  Cook your chili on a Sunday when you have a little more time and you can heat it up quickly all week!

I had my chili with a little RF cheese, a few baked blue chips and 1/4 of an avocado!  Awesome!

Today, my job held a cookout for Employee Appreciation Day!  It was a really nice thing to do and they fed us! =)  They even got veggie burgers for us vegetarians!

I had a Garden Burger in a whole wheat bun with a little ketchup.  I also had some veggies and a few Doritos!  I really didn’t want to have the Doritos, but they looked sooooooooooo good!

I was also confronted with an amazing looking cake… which I turned down!  That was so difficult.  The frosting was thick and blue and calling my name!  I just thought about my skinny jeans, the skinny jeans I would actually never wear even if I looked good in them.

Missing snacks include one giant organic plum and a small bowl of air popped popcorn!

Thai Tempeh Lettuce Wraps

Well, almost…  I ran out of lettuce wraps, so I just had a little sweet baby lettuce on the side.

This meal was absolutely delicious and it only took 15 minutes to make!  I brought all the goodness of Thai food and I know everything that went inside.

This was so easy….

Preheat oven to 350. Cut an 8 oz block of tempeh into 16 pieces.  In a bowl combine  2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, crushed red pepper & 1 clove chopped garlic.  Pour marinade over tempeh in a baking dish and bake for 15 minutes.

While tempeh is baking bring a pot of water to a boil and cook rice noodles for three minutes.

Peel and shred 1 carrot.  Cut 1 cucumber.

Dipping Sauce…

Combine 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons water, crushed red pepper, 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil and 1 tablespoon honey.

Divide ingredients on 4 plates and create your wraps!  Fun and fast…

Quesedillas For The Biggest Loser Premiere

Wahoo!  I am excited for season 12 of The Biggest Loser.  I can’t wait to see what Ana Kornakova does.  Did anybody watch it last night?

I think Ana needs to step it up a notch.  Her contestants didn’t do very well and she kept crying!  She seems really sweet but I think she needs to put her bitch face on to really push her people.

I also liked that new guy.  I don’t even know his name, but he seems like a good trainer and I like his aura so far.

I would still pick Bob to be my trainer!

Our dinner last night during the BL 12 was a quesedilla made from a Smart & Delicious La Tortilla, organic RF cheddar, fresh salsa and avocado.  I had a salad to go along side.

Indian Food Smack Down

Okay, so I was so excited about my super chana masala last night that I decided to give Indian another go this eveing. We decided to order take out from the local Indian joint so we could hang with the puppies.

To my dismay I got home and realized they fogot to pack my bismati rice and my plain naan.

My meal this evening was left over chana masala, left over brown rice, papri chaat, mixed veggie curry and garlic naan. I am carbing up for my 5k tomorrow! =)

Oh, and my indian food was way better than the food I had tonight. =(

Indian Food Experiment

I love Indian food with a bloody passion.  Not much gives me more pleasure than going out on a Friday night with my peeps and dipping naan in my vegetable vindaloo.  It really is an experience.  The flavors and smells are so complex that you have to think about what you are actually tasting.  Hmmmmm….  Happiness….

The downfall to Indian out is the ghee or clarified butter that is in your dish.  The food is delicious, but I do notice a film of grease lining the plastic container after I take it home.  Booo!!!  I came to the conclusion that I can make this and I can do it without all the butter and grease.

I have attempted chana masala several times, but I have never found a recipe that I loved.  There is nothing more disappointing than spending an hour making a meal that smells awesome but has lackluster flavor.

Recently, I found a recipe for chana masala on The Post Punk Kitchen and decided to make it.  Holy toledo, this was yummy!

Her picture is much prettier than mine!  Anyway, this meal was filling and contained yummy veggies and chickpeas.  I paired it with brown rice and half a piece of naan.  There is also quite a bit left over to eat for lunch or to freeze.  I always like that!

*I did make some Rachel style alterations…  I only used 1 tablespoon of oil.  I didn’t use cloves because I didn’t have any.  I added salt to taste and 1 tablespoon of honey.

I hope you guys try this recipe and tell me what you think.  Check out The Post Punk Kitchen.  There are a lot of awesome recipes on there and it is just such a fun site!

What’s your favorite Indian dish?

 

Tofu Kebabs Are A Bust

Last night I decided to try the Turkey Kebabs from the 30 Day Shred Meal Plan.  However, I made them tofu kebabs.  I just have to say 1.5 thumbs down.

This meal was so sad.  They were low in calories, around 180, and high in protein, but they totally lacked dinner time fun!  I had to pair them up with some Trader Joe’s Chili Ginger Chickpeas just to dress up the meal.  The marinade was meh and the sauce was blah.  If you want the recipe send me an email, but I am not even going to bother posting it. =(

Snack time yesterday was 1 navel orange and 1/4 cup almonds.

I love navel oranges!  They are so juicy and they look like they have a belly button. =)
This snack was more exciting than my dinner!

Panara Lunch & Sausage Dinner

I was craving to get out of the office for a little while this afternoon.  I decided to take a little trip to Panera.

Thai Salad sans chicken & wontons

Garden Pesto Salad & an apple side

The Lose 8 menu suggested a You Pick Two of Thai Chicken Salad & Garden Pesto Salad with an apple as a side.  I was feeling really hungry & I don’t eat chicken.  The make up for the lost calories I got a large salad with no chicken and no wontons and a large garden pesto salad with an apple side.  I wish it was Thursday!  I would get the black bean soup. Yum!

This meal contains 380 calories.

To satisfy my banana and nut butter craving I decided to have a Nutty Naner for my afternoon snack.

Nutty Naner

1 medium banana and 1 tablespoon Almond Butter = Happy Rachel.  I prefer Maranatha Nut Butter.

The Best Almond Butter In The World!

Have you ever tried MaraNatha products?  If no, I suggest you do.  It is amazing.  This is one of my top favorite things on the planet.

After a little jog this afternoon I was in the mood for some carbs!  I decided to make the Lose 8 Chicken (Veggie) Sausage & Pasta.

Veggie Sausage & Pasta
Saute 1 clove garlic, 1/2 cup onion, 1 cup chopped kale and 1 veggie sausage in 1 tsp of olive oil.  Add 1 cup whole wheat sausage and top with 2 teaspoons parmesan.

After dinner, I was in the mood for something crunchy.  I chose 55 whole grain gold fish. 150 calories. =)

My lil’ baby was eying my gold fish too!

Maple Apricot Fruit & Nut Energy Balls

I love these!  They are sweet like a treat, but filled with all kinds of yummy nutrients.  They are similar to a Lara Bar, but a ball.

Maple Apricot Fruit & Nut Energy Balls

In a food processor combine 1 cup raw cashews with 1 cup pitted dates, 1/2 cup raw almonds, 1/2 heaping cup dried apricots, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon maple extract, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 tablespoon agave, 1 tablespoon sea salt & a dash of cinnamon.  Blend until it will not blend anymore.  Take a tablespoon or a little cookie scoop & form little balls from the dough.  Once all your balls are made place in container & keep refrigerated for up to a week.

*Tip – Buy your nuts at Trader Joe’s!  They are so cheap.  When you go there just buy 10 bags and you will have them on hand when you need them.

For lunch this afternoon I had the Minestrone Soup off the Lose 8 menu.  Self’s recipe had chicken & spinach in the bowl.  However, I had to ad a Rachel touch!

Tofu Broccoli Minestrone Soup

Behold the Broccoli Minestrone Soup!

Combine 1 can minestrone soup (I used Wolfgang Puck) with 1/4 block of drained & chopped organic tofu.  Add 1 cup broccoli & serve with 1/2 whole wheat english muffin & 1 teaspoon of butter.

This mean was delicious.  I would have given up that teaspoon of butter for the other half of the english muffin though!  I’m a carb girl!

Okay – I definitely had to add some Rachel magic to my afternoon snack.  I attempted to make the honeyed grapefruit yogurt.

Have you every had grapefruit?  My god, that is disgusting.  I tried to get it down, but it wasn’t happening.  Now, I don’t dislike too many foods with a bloody passion.  Dill & grapefruit are the only 2 things on the list.  How do people eat that!!!!  Yuck

Honeyed Grapefruit Yogurt became…

Honeyed Nectarine Spiced Yogurt

Honeyed Nectarine Spiced Yogurt
Cut up 1 nectarine and add to 6 oz. plain, nonfat greek yogurt. Add drop of vanilla extract, dash of cinnamon & 2 teaspoons honey. Eat & smile!

Dinner this evening got better with every bite.  At first I thought it was kind of lackluster, but it definitely grew on me.  I decided to make the nutty quinoa with tofu.

Have you ever had quinoa before?  It is a delicious grain that contains protein & fiber.  The red quinoa even has antioxidants.  It is similar to rice, but is round with a nutty flavor.  It kind of pops in your mouth.  It is also supposed to help with people who have migraines.  Quinoa can be expensive, so look for it at Trader Joes or Ocean State Job Lot.  Also, look for pre-washed quinoa!  You don’t want to worry about rinsing it.

Nutty Quinoa & Tofu
In a pan saute 1/4 cup onion, 1/4 cup red pepper in 1/2 teaspoon olive oil for 5 minutes.  Add 1 cup water, 1/3 cup quinoa, 1 tablespoon all natural peanut butter, 1 teaspoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon garlic.  Bring to a boil, cover & simmer for 10 minutes.  In a separate pan saute 2 cups kale or spinach with 1/4 block tofu in cooking spray. Sprinkle with sea slat.  Add tofu mixture to quinoa mixture.  Plate & drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon sesame seed oil & 1 teaspoon soy sauce.

It looks like my quinoa is haunted! It's just steam. =)

After dinner I was craving something sweet and the moose tracks ice cream was haunting me.  I gave into temptation & had a heaping 1/2 cup of moose tracks ice cream.  It was really heaping!  I have since decided that it is best not to keep ice cream in my house.  The ice cream and the cookies found their final resting place at the bottom of my trash barrel!

 

Stay tuned! Tomorrow I will share with you my favorite treadmill workout that I did after I ate this heaping cup of ice cream!

Off The Wagon

So this weekend I kind of fell off the wagon of the Lose 8 Plan.  Today, I was cooped up and I just wanted to make some nice, fun food.  I tried to stay within the caloric budget of the plan.

This afternoon, I was inspired by the roast beef sandwich on the menu.  Of course, I don’t eat roast beef, so I adapted it to my tastes.  I still had some left over ingredients from the chili and the 7 layer burrito.  I decided to make a Mexican Tofu Sandwich with 10 cherry tomatoes on the side. =)

Mexican Tofu Sandwich

Mexican Tofu Sandwich

Spread 2 tablespoons guacamole on 1 piece of whole wheat bread and 2 tablespoons fresh salsa and the other piece of bread.  Cut up 1/4 block of tofu int 3 slices and press between paper towels to remove all the water.  Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper and place on bread. Add 3 slices of tomato, 3 slices of cucumber and lettuce to sandwich.  Serve with 10 cherry tomatoes.  Around 410 calories.

A few hours after lunch I was really jonesin’ for a blueberry muffin that I made this morning.

Tropical Storm Blueberry Muffins

 

I think I ate this in 2 seconds.  It was really good and it kept me full until dinner.

Annnnnnnnd I was really, really craving nachos for dinner.  I decided to give into my cravings and make a healthier version of nachos.

Bean Chick Nachos

Bean Chick Nachos

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Place 20 baked scooped chips on a tinfoil lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup black beans and 3 cooked Gardein Veggie Chicken Tenders.  Bake until cheese melts and serve with 1/4 cup fresh salsa. They were the perfect junk food for this lazy day.  All this for 490 calories.

After dinner I was really craving something sweet and I got the urge to make something.  I decided to make my fruit & nut energy balls, think lara bars, but less expensive.

Apricot Maple Energy Ball

These are around 100 calories each and they are delicious.  I will post a blog later about how to make these lil’ guys.  I can’t give away all my secrets today!

This puts my daily total to 1589 calories.

I also managed to fit in my strength training workout in between the 4 movies I watched today!  I am such a bum!

What did you guys do at home today?  Is anyone watching True Blood tonight?  I am so excited!

The Butterfly & The Burrito

How’s everybody’s hurricane prep work going?  Is anyone else getting cabin fever?  No signs of a storm over here yet and I am already itching to get out of my house!

For lunch this afternoon I had to use up the rest of my burrito products.  However, I felt the 7 Layer Burrito had exhausted its welcome.  So, I thought outside the box and burrito magically morphed into the Zesty Bean Quesedilla Con Fiesta Salad!  This is a refreshed version of the original Self recipe.  It still has 400 calories, but slightly more exciting!

Zesty Bean Quesedilla Con Fiesta Salad

Zesty Bean Quesedilla Con Fiesta Salad

Spread 1 whole wheat tortilla with 1 tablespoon reduced fat cream cheese, 2 tablespoons vegetarian refried beans, 2 tablespoons black beans and 1/4 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese. Fold in half and cook each side in a frying pan until the cheese is melted. Serve with 1/2 cup lettuce, 1/4 cup tomatoes, 1/4 cucumbers, 2 tablespoons salsa & 2 tablespoons non fat greek yogurt. Yummy!!!

After lunch I met my mother at the mall for a cup of coffee at Panera.  Gotta love your mama!

I managed to drag myself to the gym to complete my final bootcamp workout for this week.  It was a 20 minute climb on the treadmill going at a 3.6 mile pace.  It was tough!  I was going slow, but when the incline was at 12 I was as exhausted as if I was sprinting!

By the time I got home from the gym it was already dinner time.  I decided Saturday is a good night for Mediterranean Pita Pizza and White Bean Salad!  I love this meal!  It is fast, delicious and inexpensive.  I also love that it is pizza!!!  I live right near a Domino’s & a Papa Gino’s Pizza.  They haunt me every single time the delivery trucks drive by.  I’m glad I can satisfy my craving for pizza without undoing my hard work.

Spread 1 6 inch whole wheat pita with 1/3 cup marinara & top with 1/4 cup low fat mozzarella.  Bake in oven at 450 until it reaches desired crispiness!  Top 2 cups lettuce with 1/3 cup white beans, 1/4 cup tomatoes, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar & 1 teaspoon olive oil.

And after diner…

Just because it is on the list!  Maybe I will try something else on the dessert menu tomorrow.  it is just so hard when I have ice cream!!!!

Oh something seems to be missing….  My snack!

I have decided to have my snack last this evening while I watch my Saturday night movie with my puppy.  I am going to airpop 2 tablespoons popcorn and mix with 2 tablespoons pistachios & 1 tablespoon dark chocolate chips!

That puts my daily total at 1599 calories!

What’s your favorite recipe from the Self Challenge so far?