Recipe Six - Italian Turkey Loaves with Pasta Pesto

Italian Turkey Loaves
Servings 6
Calories per Serving 100

1 Cup Zuccini
3/4 Cup Carrots
1/2 Cup Celery
1/4 Cup Onion
1/2 Tbs Garlic
Step 1 Wash and Chop Veggies
Step 2 with FOOD PROCESSOR (yay) running drop in the garlic to minc and then add the other veggies to fine chop them

1 1/4 Ground Turkey (yes I chose this recipe cause I needed to use up my ground turkey :o])
3/4 tsp Marjoram
1 1/2 Tbs Browth Powder
1/4 tsp Thyme
3 Egg Whites
Step 3 Add to mixture in the food processor and process to mix
Step 4 Form 6 Individual loaves on a cookie sheet

Italian Sauce
3/4 Cup Tomatoe Sauce
1/4 tsp Oregano
1/4 tsp Basil
Step 5 Grind herbs and mix into the tomatoe sauce
Step 6 Top loaves with sauce and bake at 375 for one hour
Step 7 Serve topped with fresh parsley


Pasta Pesto
Servings 6
Calories per serving 170

12 oz Spinach fettucini or Spaghetti
Step 1 Cook and set aside

1/2 Cup Fresh Spinach
1/2 Cup Fresh Basil leaves chopped
1/2 Tbs Fresh pressed garlic
1 1/2 Tbs Water
Step 2 Place in blender and process to liquify
Step 3 Heat a large skillet then add spinach mixture bring to a simmer
Step 4 Add pasta and toss to heat through

3 Tbs Grated parmesan cheese
Step 5 Serve on ehated plate and top each serving with a GENEROUS sprinkle of cheese :o)

YUMM

It's a Process

First -- no, I did not get Ronen out on a run last week.  Bummer.  And yes, I'm weeks behind on cooking the meals.  (It's one meal a week -- good grief, you'd think I could do it!!)  However, I'm not going to beat myself up about it.  In fact, I will publically celebrate the small victories since my last post.  (1) I did a yoga DVD last Thursday morning.  It wasn't quite the same as getting to class, but hey, it was yoga.  At 6 AM.  Victory.  (2) The Bailey Family has not had leftovers for dinner for quite some time.  I didn't get to making the halibut, but I've roasted veggies, made crock pot soup, experimented with buttermilk in several favorite recipes (thumbs up in the shephard's pie, thumbs down in the pancakes), and sent Ronen with something different for lunch every day.  Victory. (3) I ran the 1.5 miles in my annual fitness test in just under 12 minutes, passing the (fighter pilot) boss in the final 100 yards.  Victory!
The cooking and running routines are part of a larger effort to feel like my life and my schedule are manageable and under control.  It's been satisfying to go to bed every night with the dishwasher loaded, a load of laundry running in the dryer, and a sense that I'll be well rested and ready to tackle the next day.  Getting in a run and having the night's dinner planned out are one small part of the routine -- some days are more on the ball than others -- but I'm giving myself full credit for taking lots of steps in the right direction.  And yes, it's still on the agenda to get Ronen into the BOB for a run!

Bonus Recipe - Alena's Charizo Pasta

Extra Virgin Olive Oli
Red Pepper Flakes
Step 1: Heat Oil with Red Pepper Flakes in skillet

Pasta (usually Penne) - Boil Pasta as other stuff is cooking!

Sweet Onion Sliced
Garlic (2 or so cloves)
Step 2: Add Onions and cook for about 2 minutes
Step 3: Add Garlic and cook for 30 seconds or so

Charizo (uncased and pulled apart)
Step 4: Add charizo

Red and Yellow Bell Pepper
Step 5: Cut peppers into thinish slices and add to the skillet - cook for a few minutes

Tomatoe
Step 6: Chop up the tomatoe and add to the skillet approximatedly 2 minutes before the pasta is cooked

Spinch
Step 7: Add spinich and pasta unitl spinach is wilted

Goat Cheese
Step 8: SERVE!! add goat cheese once in your bowl!!

Yum Yum!!

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!