Wow! 101 posts!

My last post was my 100th post! How cool (and appropriate that it was about Disney)!

I apologize for the lack in posts lately. DH's car gave us a LOT of trouble last week and $1250 later, it is almost all better. Sigh.

We've had some good eats lately, I tell you what.

Cajun Jambalaya, Clean Eating Magazine

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb raw shrimp, 26/30 size, peeled and deveined, tail on
• 4 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced into 1 inch pieces
• 1 all natural low sodium turkey sausage (I used two Jennie O's links), sliced
• 1/2 medium white onion, diced
• 1 med green bell pepper, stem and seeds removed and discarded, diced
• 1 rib celery, diced
• 1 1/2 medium vine-ripe tomatoes, cored and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tbsp salt-free Cajun seasoning
• 1 cup all-natural instant brown rice
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• Sea Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• Olive Oil cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400* F
2. In a large mixing bowl, toss together all ingredients except cooking spray, mixing well until combined.
3. Prepare 2 foil pouches. Spray each piece of foil with cooking spray. Divide mixture evenly between both pieces of foil and seal.
4. Place pouches on a baking tray and slide onto middle rack of preheated oven for 25 minutes or until rice and proteins are fully cooked.
5. Carefully open pouch and pour mixture into a large bowl to serve immediately.

Modifications: I don't actually own Cajun seasoning, so I made my own. I also added some red pepper flakes and used rice that was already cooked in my rice maker. My shrimp were not peeled, because unpeeled shrimp are cheaper.

The Verdict: I loved this dish! I thought it was delicious! I think DH enjoyed it too.


Sweet and Sour Chicken, Clean Eating Magazine

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp raw honey
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or more...)
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice (I added)
• 1 1/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 fresh pineapple, cut into 1 inch cubes (I omitted)
• 12 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients. Place the chicken in a large shallow dish. Pour mixture over chicken, tossing gently. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet (or wok) over medium-high heat. Add chicken and marinade and saute for 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Add bell peppers and onion and cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are slightly tender. Add pineapple (if using) and cook for 2 more minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve immediately over rice for a complete meal, if desired.

Verdict: I LOVED THIS DISH. DH was okay with it. He wanted more sweet taste and a little more spice. When I make it again, I will add more spice for sure. I'll also experiment with other veggies, like broccoli, water chestnuts, et cetera.

I made another dish from Clean Eating Magazine this week, but it was a fail. Big time. It ranked in the bottom three meals ever. The worst was moussaka, next is the Tuna Nicoise Stovetop Casserole. I made cabbage wraps. The filling was good, which is why I'm glad I reserved some of that for lunches this week, because it made a good little burrito today; especially when paired with my homemade baked tortilla chips and Tom Leonard's FIRE salsa (I love the spice!).

In other news: I've been running TWICE since the last post!

Last Thursday I did four five minute runs broken up by 2 minute walk breaks. It went pretty well. Today I did a five minute run, two eight minute runs, and another five minute run broken up with 2 minute walk breaks. I did 2.75 miles in 32 minutes, which is pretty decent.I haven't had any knee pain yet, which is really nice, but I have been having pain around my rib cage where the shelf bra and sports bra end. Perhaps they are too tight, but it really hurts after a while. We'll see what happens. I hope everyone's having a lovely day and that you enjoy these recipes!!

Beef and Broccoli Orange Stir-Fry...

...Over Soba Noodles

Serves: 6 Hands-on time: 45 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:
-12 oz soba noodles I used almost 9 oz
-Olive Oil Cooking Spray
-1 lb lean round steak, pounded to 1/4 inch thickness and sliced into strips I used .8 lbs
- 1/2 cup white onion, diced
- 2 cups fresh broccoli florets, separeted into bite-sized pieces I used more... I didn't want to waste the rest of the head
-1/2 red bell pepper, julienne cut
- 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
-Juice of 1 medium orange
-1 tbsp orange zest
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-2 tsp raw organic honey
-2 tsp whole wheat flour

Instructions:
1. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside. I cooked mine while I prepared the veggies et al.
2. Heat large nonstick or cast iron skillet (I used my wok) over high heat for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-high, mist with cooking spray and saute steak for about 5 minutes or until cooked through. Remove steak, leaving juices in the pan.
3. Mist same pan with cooking spray again. Add onion, broccoli, and red pper and saute over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until cooked through. (I added salt and pepper to my veggies)
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, orange juice and zest, garlic and honey.
5. Add steak back to vegetables in pan and pour in soy sauce mixture. Saute steak and vegetables over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes, then whisk in flour to thicken, about 2-3 minutes. Add noodles to pan and cook until warmed, about 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and serve.

Nutrition per 1 cup serving (if made according to recipe):

Calories: 270
Total Fat: 2 g
Sat Fat: 0 g
Carbs: 51 g
Fiber: 4 g
Sugars: 6 g
Protein: 14 g
Sodium: 520 mg
Cholesterol: 10 mg

I had to cook my steak yesterday because of an expiration date, and I marinated my steak in the sauce for about 2.5 hours just for fun.

THIS WAS SO GOOD. I really felt like it could have been served in a Chinese restaurant. I will DEFINITELY make this again and I suggest that you make it too. I LOVED it. I can't wait for leftovers tomorrow!!

DH and I did go for a 3 miler, which was really nice. After dinner, we went down to DQ (we can walk there in about 5 minutes) and got Blizzards (buy one, get one for $.25!). I am not a huge DQ fan, but DH couldn't stop talking about it. I got a Butterfinger Blizzard, because according to the site, it has the fewest calories... 470! Yikes. I ate half of it while we walked home; that's about all I wanted anyway. The rest is sitting in the freezer, probably for DH to eat later. Haha.

We're watching Bones now... the Office is in a bit... I'll work out during the break between The Office and Pwoject Wunway. Gotta burn off that Blizzard! :-) I actually feel pretty good about my eats today. Only 2 cookies today- not four like yesterday! Haha.

Make sure you check out my other blog from today! Have a great night!!!