Recipe Five - Thai Coconut Curried Chicken with Potatoes

1 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 lb chicken breast (cut in strips)
Step 1: Wipe skillet with toasted sesame oil and heat
Step 2: Add chicken, cook then set to the side

1 large Red bell pepper
1 large Onion
1 Tbs Curry Powder
1 Tbs Soy Sauce
Step 3: Add Onion Bell Pepper, Curry Powder and Soy Sauce to a Skillet. Cook on High heat to soften onion.

1 3/4 Cup Water
2 tsp Coconut Extract
1 Tbs Arrowroot Powder
Step 4: Combine Water, Coconut Extract, and Arrowroot, add to skillet and bring to a simmer

3/4 lb Potatoes (cut in 1 inch cubes)

Step 5: Add potatoes and chicken and simmer until potatoes are tender

6 Cups Spinach Leaves
Step 6: Stir in Spinach to just wilt and serve

Overcoming Excuses

I'll admit it publicly: aside from teaching Core Fusion classes and going on my regularly scheduled Tuesday AM runs, I haven't exercised in weeks.  There are lots of reasons -- AFROTC classes have started and we're severely short manned, we're hosting a church-wide garage sale in our garage this weekend and I've been putting in an enormous amount of time and energy to get ready for it, Justin's grandma passed away and we travelled to her funeral, Ronen is at my favorite kid age I'm loathe to give up any of the few waking hours I get with him (does taking Ronen to Gymboree count as exercise???)...standard excuses.  I know better than to over-extend myself to the point where I'm not taking care of myself.  As I was running on Tuesday AM, I was thinking about ways to get Ronen time while I'm running -- I have a jogging stroller, so it's kind of a no-brainer.  Here's the problem: I don't like running in neighborhoods; I like paths.  So to include Ronen would mean either: (1) hauling him and the stroller to the beach path or (2) running closer to home.  One involves a lot of time, the other involves a lot of street crossings and traffic!  The rest of this week is a little insane with the garage sale, but my goal for next week is to take Ronen on a run -- some day other than Tuesday AM!

Recipe Four - Halibut with Black-Bean Relish

This recipe is not from the Oaks cookbook but it is from another fitness cookbook that I have that I have wanted to try, so here we go!!

Halibut, Black-Bean Relish and Greek Salad
Servings 1
Calories per Serving 385 (for all)

6 oz Halibut Filet (or Steak)
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary (or 1/2 tsp dried)
1 tsp chopped fresh dill (or 1/2 tsp dried)
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley (or 1/2 tsp dried)
Salt and Pepper
Step 1: Season Halibut with herbds and salt and pepper
Step 2: Grill or Broil until cooked (about 5 min on each side)

1/2 Cup Black beans
2 Tbs Minced Onions
2 Tbs Tomato Diced
2 Tbs Lemon Juice
1 Tbs Minced Cilantro
1 tsp Dried Cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste
Step 3: Combine all ingredients for relish

2 Cups Torn Romaine Lettuce
1/2 Cucumber Sliced
2 Tbs Crumbled Feta Cheese
Halved Cherry Tomatoes
2 Tbs Lemon Juice
Step 4: Combine and Serve with a light Dressing

Happy Eating :o)

Recipe Three - Teriyaki Turkey Burger with Mushrooms

I searched as best I could for something with lamb but I'm starting to believe the Oaks considers it a "Red Meat" so there are NO recipes that use it. This is what I found that sounded tasty, and it requires very few ingredients (bonus!). Maybe my lovely sister will post her delicious sweet potato fries recipe for a side dish, counting I have a hard time eating a burger with out FRIES!!!

Teriyaki Turkey Burger
Servings 6
Calories per Serving 150

1 1/4 Lb Fresh (never frozen) Ground Turkey
1 T. Teriyaki Sauce
1/4 Cup Onion - Minced
Step 1: Combine ground turkey, teriyaki sauce and onion
Step 2: Form Burgers
Step 3: Grill burgers to brown on each side. Do NOT overcook!!

1 1/2 Cups Mushrooms
Step 4: Toss mushrooms with a little teriyaki sauce and saute in the juice from the burgers. Just enough to make them tender but not long enough to shrink them.
Step 5: Serve the mushrooms on top of the burger.

I will also be serving this with a simple Green Salad and some Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt for Dessert!

Happy Eating!

Bonus Recipe! "New-Fashioned" Banana Bread

I have some leftover bananas from last week's "peach melba" -- just thought I'd share what I'm planning to do with them. 

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp [freshly grated -- ha!] nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt

1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2)
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 large egg
1 Tbs canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line the bottom of a loaf pan with waxed paper and spray the inside of the pan with oil.

2. Whisk the flours, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl.

3.  In another bowl, beat the brown sugar, mashed banana, applesauce, buttermilk, egg, oil, and vanilla until lightened and frothy (about 2 minutes with an electric mixer on high).

4. Pour the banana mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just combined.  Do not overmix.  Spread in the prepared pan.

5. Bake until cracks appear on the top, the loaf springs back when pressed, and the sides are beginning to pull away from the pan.  Do not overbake.

Enjoy!!

Thanks to the "Healthy Oven Baking Book" by Sarah Phillips for this recipe!

It's all about a consistent routine

Can't say I did much in the way of cooking OR running over the Labor Day weekend, but I did enjoy several evening events and taught EIGHT Core Fusion classes.  (Teaching classes is much easier than taking them, I promise; and warming up something from Trader Joe's doesn't count as "cooking," does it?)  There's something about holidays and breaks and changes in the routine that make it tougher to stay on track.  But this morning was back to the usual schedule: I taught my 6:45 AM class, put on my running shoes, and headed back out to the Santa Monica bike path for 15 minutes out towards Malibu and then slightly less than 15 minutes to get back.  I love how I've built this little run into my weekly schedule!  I haven't built another run in (yet...) but given how good it feels to get out and jog a little, I'm looking for some longer running options.  I know it seems simple, but there's nothing like having a workout "on the recurring calendar" to make it happen!

Recipe Two - Salmon in Court Bouillon

Salmon In Court Bouillon
Servings 6
125 Calories per Serving

1 1/2 Lb Fresh Salmon Steaks
1 T. Parsley - Minced
1 T. Lime Juice
Step 1: Place steaks in a skillet and sprinkle with lime juice and parsley

1 1/2 Cup Water
2 T. White Wine
2 T. White Vinegar
1 Sprig Parsley
1 Clove Stuck in a Small Onion (WHAT!?)
1/2 T. Broth Powder
1 tsp Stone Ground Mustard
1 Bay Leaf
2 Pepper Corns
1/2 Celery Stalk
Step 2: Combine and Simmer for 1/2 hour
Step 3: Cover Salmon Steaks with hot liquid and simmer for 15 min

6 Lemon Wedges
6 Parsley Sprigs
Step 4: Serve on hot plates garnished with lemon and parsley

Cauliflower Puree
Servings 6
50 Calories per Serving

5 Cups Cauliflower, Chopped
Step 1: Steam until tender (approx. 10 min)

1/2 Cup Lowfat Cottage Cheese (1%)
1 T. Nonfat Yogurt
2 T. Parmesan Cheese - Grated
1 tsp Broth Powder
1/8 tsp Dried Dill Weed
Step 2: Combine in food processor and process until smooth
Step 3: Add warm cauliflower and puree

1/8 tsp Paprika
6 Sprigs Parsley or Fresh Dill
Step 4: Serve on a warmed plate topped with paprika and parsley (or dill)

The sample menu also recommends Steamed Spinach and there is no recipe so it must be as simple as it sounds... Steam Spinach.

Let me know if there is a request for a Dessert! :o)

Why does cooking have to take so long??

We had chicken fajita success last night!  I confess to modifying the recipe slightly...no homemade sour cream, chicken bullion cubes instead of broth powder, pre-made fajita spices in place of the chili powder (that was unintentional -- I could have sworn I had chili powder!!), and avacado & low-fat mexican style shredded cheese as additional toppings.  (Shhh...I don't think the Oaks at Ojai would approve of the added cheese and avacado.  But we all know that eating healthy is only worthwhile if it tastes good!!)  We also had non-fat refried beans as our side dish.  Justin thought they were yummy, and I'll get a final verdict when I get the little guy's daily report from school -- he gets the leftovers for lunch. 

Which reminds me of my biggest fear about this whole project, which is the fact that when I go through the effort to prepare a meal from scratch AFTER I get home from work, it basically guarantees that dinner won't be on the table until after we put Ronen to bed.  He gets to enjoy the fruits (veggies?!?) of my labor during his school lunch the next day, but it means that we miss out on family meal time together.  I know this is only tangentially related to cooking and running, but it's a major hurdle that I have to figure out how to overcome in this bigger cooking and running project. Justin and I were commenting last night on Ronen's behavior in his high chair -- he was munching on his dinner while Justin and I were preparing ours -- he was being quite fussy.  I've read that fussiness like that can be an "attention getting mechanism" which makes perfect sense to me.  I can understand why Ronen would be eager for our attention during the short period of time that we have to spend with him after he's spent a full day at day care.  Even with his high chair visible and easily accessible from the kitchen, it's still a bummer that I was taking him to bed as the fajita meat finished simmering.  I aspire to provide healthy, home-cooked meals to share TOGETHER as a family...it's going to be a process to figure out how to make that happen.