Meatless Monday Cooking Class

If you remember my sole post from what is now two years I had lost my job and was in search of a new path in life. I do believe I may have found it. I am currently working for a food truck company that is known for being the first food truck in Buffalo and couldn't be happier. But I also want to start looking to the future for myself and I would love the opportunity to be able to teach home cooks not just some new recipes but some simple techniques that will get healthy but delicious meals on the table fast. I am taking the first steps towards that dream by having a small cooking lesson with my cousins, sister and some friends to test out my teaching skills. 

Since we just happen to be doing this on a Monday and we are all trying to eat healthy I decided to make it a meatless meal. I found a recipe for Lentil Meatballs with Lemon Pesto Sauce which I think can be altered to have with marinara sauce as well, as I don't know if my cousins will do the whole Pesto thing. I love it; its a great bright alternative to a heavy marinara particularly with this recipe for it which puts a good amount of lemon in it to make it even brighter! 
So here is the game plan for today I am going to get the lentils cooked prior to everyone getting to the house so that all we have to do is get everything mixed up, roll the balls and get them in the oven. Then once the balls are in the oven get working on the sauces. Wegman's has some of the best jarred sauce around which is what I will reach for if I don't have time to make my own sauce. For regular pasta I prefer a chunkier sauce but I'm not the one eating it if you buy it so get whatever you like best or whats on sale that week.

As a tip- a lot of times I find that chunkier sauces have more flavor then a smooth jarred sauce so I suggest finding a sauce that has the best flavor for you and if it happens to be a chunky sauce and you like smooth sauce you can always throw it in a blender before putting it on the stove to get the consistency that you like best.

Along with the Lentil Balls I am going to make a light pasta using angel hair, kale and sun-dried tomatoes. This is a very simple pasta that will pair well with the Pesto as well as the Marinara Sauce.

Here is a little glimpse into our prep of the Lentil Meatballs. (PS. first time editing video)

Angel Hair with Kale and Sun-dried Tomato

Ingredients:

1/2 pound Angel Hair Pasta
2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil + more to drizzle on at the end
1 large bundle of Tuscan or Black Kale, finely shredded
1 garlic clove, smashed
1/2-2/3 c oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, julienne
Pasta water
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (To Taste)
Salt and Pepper
1/4 c fresh grated parmesan cheese

Method:

Cook Pasta one minute less than package instructions. (It will continue to cook when added to pan sauce)
In a large sauté pan over med-high heat add oil, garlic and tomatoes. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring to avoid garlic from burning. Add pepper flakes, salt and pepper, and kale. Add in a little Pasta water to help wilt kale. Cover, cook until kale is wilted stirring occasionally. Add in Pasta and combine, taste and adjust seasoning if need. If pan appears dry add more pasta water and toss everything together. This will act as the sauce for the pasta. Plate it up drizzle a little Olive Oil on it and grate parmesan cheese right over it. Serve it to all your friends.

For this type of pasta I would serve it more as a side to the Lentil Balls but the balls could also be placed on top with the sauce if you choose.

Not that every meal does but for me I would love it if every meal ended in dessert and that is no different with this meal. I kept things simple with...

Berries and Cream

Ingredients: 

Mixed Berries

Balsamic Glaze

Fresh Cracked Pepper

1/2 pt Heavy Cream

Powdered Sugar (Optional)

Shaved Dark Chocolate

Method:

Up to a few hours before serving, in an impeccably clean mason jar combine very cold Heavy Cream and Powdered sugar if desired, screw on the top and shake. 

Right before serving; in a medium bowl, combine berries, glaze, and pepper. Spoon into serving glasses, top with cream. Using a vegetable peeler shave chocolate over glasses.

Swimsuit Season + Dessert = Delicious

I know its early but Swimsuit Season is right around the corner... Everyone knows I love a good dessert and I have found a few amazing solutions to satisfy that sweet tooth and not spoil all the hard work I put in at the gym. 
The first is some of the easiest options around. FRUIT! Summertime is a great time for melon (watermelon is my favorite for the summer), stone fruits like peaches and cherries, pears, kiwi, and berries (strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries). Now the fruit on its own will always be a great dessert just pile some up in a bowl and or put them all together a fruit salad and have at it. 
Now like I said earlier watermelon is my favorite summer fruit and don't get me wrong I like all those other fruits but watermelon is by far my #1!!  
I'm not a fan of the big wedges of watermelon that you see in commercials or in movies and much prefer some cubes. Here is the easiest way to cut up a watermelon I have found so far. Thanks to Carla Hall and The Chew crew!
So what I will do is cut up the whole watermelon and store in the fridge. My family loves watermelon so much that it usually only takes us a few days to go through it, however there always seems to be a handful of cubes at the bottom of the bowl with all that wonderful watermelon juice. For some reason we never want to eat those ones so instead of letting them get thrown out I have come up with a great option so that doesn't happen. 

Fruit Sorbet

Ingredients:

1/2 to 3/4 c watermelon cubes with 1/2 c juice

2 1/2 c of frozen fruit (combination of 2 or more different fruit)

           I have used combinations of strawberries, cherries, mango, peaches and berries.

Water (Enough just to help bring together)

In a blender add watermelon and frozen fruit. Start blending on high adding water as needed until it comes together. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for 1 hour to bring together then serve. Keep in the freezer for up to a month. 

Hope you enjoy this delicious dessert and keep those swimsuit season figures.

Peach Mango Smoothie

I find that changing up a smoothie helps the same way that changing up what workouts you are doing. It makes life more interesting and helps to make it something new that you want to try. I started with going to the frozen fruit section of my supermarket for inspiration. I found peaches and mango and knew I already had strawberries at home. Then I looked into add some other ingredients to make it more interesting. I decided to add some ginger root to my smoothie. While ginger isn't commonly used for weight loss it does have use in other cultures to help with the common cold. I figure that if it can help fight a cold it may be able to help prevent one too and have been sick several times this past winter. Plus it tastes great in this smoothie!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Tropicana Farmstand Peach Mango Juice

1/4-1/2 cup Milk (use whatever you have around; regular, soy, almond, etc) 

Handful of frozen Peaches

Handful of frozen Mango

1/2 Handful of frozen Strawberries

1/2 inch of peeled and finely grated ginger root (I use a microplane)

Large Handful Spinach

1/2-3/4 scoop unflavored Whey Protein Powder

Layer in Blender and blend on high until smooth. Start with 1/4 of milk and add more if needed to help blend the ingredients.

***Notice that I don't use any ice in my smoothies. If you use frozen fruit in your smoothies you won't need to use ice and on top of that they won't be watered down. And Bonus frozen fruit is less expensive then fresh fruit!! If you have a good farmers market near you go there to get good seasonal fruit and you can always freeze them yourself for an even better deal.




To freeze your own fruit, follow this process:

1. Find the freshest fruit that you can. Don't use fruit that is over or under ripe because once you freeze it, the quality will remain at that state. 
2. Wash, skin and trim the fruit depending on what it is. For berries with leaves, wash and trim the leaves off. Make sure to dry the fruit thoroughly before freezing other wise you will have a lot of ice crystals which you don't want. Anything like melon or stone fruit (peaches, nectarines, etc) cut to the size you want before freezing. 
3. When ready to freeze place on a cookie sheet and place in freezer overnight. When completely frozen, remove from pan in store in ziplock bags. Stores well for 6 months.

Recipe Watch

I found this recipe while being inspired from a new Instagram member. I love researching and finding new and healthy protein packed deliciousness! I know that this may seem to have a lot of fish. If the portion is too much and I think for me it would be you can also just top a piece of salmon with the filling and bake for a little less of the time. 

Stuffed to the Gills | Salmon Stuffed with Spinach, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Feta

Serves 2-3 generously. If feeding a larger group, increase the size of the salmon fillets and double or triple the filling ingredients. Also be prepared to adjust the baking time. Make sure that your fillets are very similar in size and have a relatively even thickness throughout. If the fillets are thick in the centre and thin at the ends, you will end up with cooked ends and an uncooked centre, or a cooked centre and overcooked ends, which would be a real shame. 

2 fresh salmon fillets (skinless), about 1/2 pound each and 1 inch thick

1 TBSP. olive oil

2 heaping cups of fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped

1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil (drained and roughly chopped)

1/3 cup + 2 TBSP. crumbled feta cheese

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 lemon, halved

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a shallow casserole dish or baking sheet with non-stick spray. Lay one of the fillets down in the baking dish. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-heat and saute the spinach until just wilted, about 1 minute. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and the garlic, and stir for another minute. Remove from heat and stir in 1/3 cup of feta cheese.

Spread the mixture evenly on top of the fillet. Squeeze half of the lemon over top of the filling. Lay the second fillet over top of the first, lining it up as evenly as possible. Squeeze the other half of the lemon over top, and then liberally sprinkle with salt, pepper, and the remaining feta cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the salmon is just cooked through. Please note that the baking time will vary greatly depending on the size and thickness of your salmon fillets, so adjust accordingly. I suggest keeping a close eye on it after the first 20 minutes.

This recipe would be perfect for a lunch or dinner. For a simple lunch pair with a greens salad and a small piece but for dinner kick up the flavor a bit some citrus and herb orzo salad and of course some nice steamed broccoli.

Recipe and Pictures courtesy of onceuponarecipeblog.com 

Power Up Pre-Workout Breakfast Sandwich

I never realized how much a good meal can help make sure you are ready for a workout no matter how hard. Day 1 of this challenge I ate some cereal and a banana and I almost passed out twice and after that I have been making sure that I have a good meal and for my case a good breakfast since I have been going to the gym in the morning. Many people think that working out without eating first will help them burn more calories or build more muscles but the truth is not eating first can make working out harder to do and can essentially be unsafe if you do not have food in your system before hand. 

Don't I look Delicious!!!

This is what I like in the morning before a workout something with a little bit of carbs, a lot of protein and some good vitamins from some veggies. Here is my Power Up Breakfast Sandwich.

Ingredients:

• 1 Bagel, Bread, Sandwich Thin, Roll (Whatever you have on hand or whatever you like)
• 2 Organic Cage Free Eggs, whisked
• 1/2 Smithfield Ham Steak or thick sliced deli ham
• 1 Large Handful Spinach
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 tomato slice (For this I get the largest tomatoes I can find so one slice will fit on the bagel or whatever bread product you are using. If you can only find small tomatoes use a couple of slices to cover the bread.)
• Cooking Spay if not using a non-stick pan

Spray pan and heat over medium high heat. Cook eggs like you would an omelet not moving then except only slightly around the edges to allow the raw egg from the top get into the pan to cook. 

When eggs are almost cooked spread spinach and then the cheese and allow to melt slightly before folding in half. Allow the spinach to wilt before removing from the pan. Place ham in the pan to heat through, about 2 minutes on each side. Toast your bread product if desired.

When assembling the sandwich, cut the egg in half first and then assemble in the following order.

• Bread Top
• 1/2 the Egg
• Ham
• 1/2 the Egg
• Tomato
• Bread Bottom

I like my eggs a little more on the well done side of things. (Eww slimmy eggs) But you should cook the eggs to your desired amount of doneness.

Post Workout Smoothie

This is my go-to after workout smoothie this week. I got a little of the inspiration for it from my favorite coffee chain, hence the cup but as a former barista from this coffee chain I had an idea for a smoothie with a little more real fruit and some protein powder to help recover after the workouts that I know in the future will become increasingly hard.  

What you will need: 

Equipment:

Saucepan, blender

Ingredients for Smoothie Base:

1 bag frozen strawberries

⅔ bottle Tropicana Farmstand juice blend peach mango flavor

In a saucepan over medium high heat bring all ingredients to a boil and allow liquid to reduce by ¼. Let cool slightly before blending until smooth. Store in airtight or beverage container until ready to make smoothie. This is the flavor combo I am doing this week but whatever is your favorite fruit will work too. For this I use the frozen over fresh fruit because it all gets blended up so do you really need to spend a ton of money on fresh fruit when it's getting ground up basically, I think not. 

After you work combine the following ingredients in blender and blend on high until smooth. 

1 c frozen strawberries

1 banana minus a bite (I'm usually so hungry after a workout I can't wait for the smoothie)

3/4 c Smoothie Base

1/4- 1/2c Milk (your favorite flavor i.e. Regular, soy, almond) 
1/2 scoop 100% whey protein powder unflavored (This can be kinda hard to find. I got mine at GNC. I don't like the fake taste of flavored protein powders but you can always use a flavored one if you like it.)

1 handful of spinach

Layer the ingredients in this order for best results.