Fried Quinoa

I've been craving quinoa this week. After cooking it, I usually add any combination of Himalayan pink sea salt, lemon juice and black or kidney beans. Yesterday I decided to jazz it up a little bit and make fried quinoa, similar to asian fried rice. I made fried brown rice in the past, so I just went off of memory. I don't own a wok, so I took a large skillet with olive oil and turned the heat up high. Once the oil was sizzling I added the cooked quinoa, sesame oil, and gluten-free soy sauce to taste. I cooked it long enough to warm up the quinoa and let the oil and sauce absorb, just a few minutes. I learned from my fried brown rice experience that frying the rice too long makes it hard. At the end I added some fresh baby spinach and leftover cooked chicken andouille sausage. It turned out great. Very flavorful, light yet filling. It was a nice treat since I really like Thai fried rice and this way I get the benefits of quinoa. 

"Healthy" Brownies

I purchased Giada De Laurentiis' cookbook Giada's Feel Good Food. Her brownie recipe which included spinach and blueberries stood out to me. She mentioned her inspiration for this recipe came from a visit to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital which makes total sense as I'm sure the kids would love a batch of brownies plus they have health benefits. My first thought was how great is it to have a chocolaty dessert with nutrition and antioxidants. Although it has more steps than I like, I needed to try these brownies out for myself. 

I found it to be moist and chocolaty. Not overly sweet with a strong dark chocolate flavor.

Recipe

Brownies

6 Tbsp. unsalted butter

¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips

2 large eggs

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup light agave nectar (I used raw honey)

½ cup Blueberry and Spinach Puree (recipe below)

¼ cup brown rice flour

2 Tbsp. flax meal (I omitted since I didn't have ingredient)

1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup rolled oats, ground in a food processor (I used sorghum flour since I didn't have ingredient)

¼ tsp. salt

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional) (I omitted)

Blueberry and Spinach Puree

1 ½ cups raw baby spinach

¾ cup fresh or frozen unsweetened blueberries

½ tsp. lemon juice

2-3 Tbsp. water

Instructions

Brownies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray only the bottom (not the sides) of a 9-inch square baking pan. Make the Blueberry and Spinach Puree first (recipe below). Set aside. Melt the butter and chocolate chips together in a double boiler or metal bowl over simmering water. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool.

Meanwhile, in another bowl, stir together the eggs, vanilla, sugar and Puree. Combine this mixture with the cooled chocolate mixture.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the flours, Flax Meal, cocoa powder, oats and salt. Add to the chocolate mixture and mix (do not over mix, similar to mixing pancake batter). Mix in the chopped walnuts, if using, then pour the entire mixture in to the baking pan. Bake 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the pan before cutting the brownies. Brownies will keep up to a week in the refrigerator, covered tightly.

Blueberry and Spinach Puree

Wash and dry the spinach thoroughly (even if it's triple-washed, bagged spinach). Bring the spinach and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Turn the heat down to low and allow to simmer 10 minutes.

Rinse and drain blueberries. Place blueberries, cooked spinach and lemon juice in the work bowl of a food processor or blender. Process on high until smooth, stopping occasionally if necessary to scrape the bowl. Add the more water if necessary, to make a smooth puree.

A New Veggie

During one of my Whole Foods trips, I noticed white asparagus which I've never seen before. This week my curiosity got the best of me and I decided to try it. I googled it and learned it has the same nutritional benefits of green asparagus including vitamins A and C. It is white since it is not exposed to sunlight during growth which makes it more tender. White asparagus is also considered a delicacy in Europe. I roasted it in the oven at 350 degrees with olive oil, Himalayan sea salt and lemon juice for about 20 minutes. I found the flavor to be very similar to green asparagus. The white asparagus had a slightly more mild flavor and slightly sweet. I wish I also had green asparagus as I would have loved to do to a side by side flavor comparison. I would definitely try this again. I'm also excited to discover a new veggie.

Pancakes

I've been eager to try this quinoa pancake recipe that I saw on the Dr. Oz show:

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/quinoa-blueberry-pancakes.  I used almond milk and omitted the blueberries. 

When I'm in the mood for pancakes I reach for Krusteaz brand waffle mix. It's my favorite and has a great flavor but since it has gluten I need another option. I was in the market for a blender and was able to get a Ninja on sale at Macy's which had great reviews. This quinoa pancake recipe was the first item made in my new blender. My first blender ever, actually.

I loved the concept of making it with quinoa since it is a whole grain and has protein. I blended it on multiple speeds as I was getting familiar with the blender but I also wanted a smooth batter. Once cooked, the pancakes had a soft grain texture similar to polenta but more fine. The pancakes were light and thin, in between a typical pancake texture and a crepe. I thought they were fine for a pancake that you can also get good nutrients from. What impressed me is how they kept me full for many hours, much longer than traditional pancakes, without weighing me down. I will also look for a gluten-free recipe that mimics the fluffy, cakey texture that I prefer. 

Collard Greens

Last week I ordered a side of kale from Busboys and Poets but they had collard greens instead that day. I grew up eating collard greens so that was fine with me and they were delicious. As I was eating them, I began wondering if I could make collard green chips. I hear so much about the benefits of kale and I love it in any form, especially in chip form, but collards are also a dark leafy green that I'm sure are full of benefits. As I researched collards on google, I found collards are high in calcium, vitamins A, K, iron and the list goes on and they can also can be made into chips. I decided to try it. The collard greens were easy to clean and prepare since they have large flat leaves. I cooked them at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. They taste the same as kale chips but have a little bit more of a bite due to the thicker leaves. See the pics below. 

Next Phase

Now that I have the basics on eating vegetables and whole grains in addition to avoiding the foods that I'm sensitive to, I want to start focusing on portion control and exercise.  I've been curious about the new Shaun T workout, T25. It is an intense workout in 25 minutes including cardio and toning. When I workout, I usually do the basic elliptical machine or a Pilates class here or there but I see T25 as a workout that could transform my body. I've completed 3 workouts doing the modified version of the moves. I find it to be fun (after it's over :-) ) but just long enough so I'm not bored or giving up.

I've also started having the nutritional supplement called Shakeology.  Shakeology is created by the company Beachbody which produces the workout videos P90X, Insanity and T25.  It's a natural, gluten-free supplement in powder form that provides vitamins, nutrition, digestive enzymes and probiotics in one shake so I don't have to take a multiple supplements. I will still take an omega 3 and vitamin d separately. Previously I was taking nine supplements so I'm hoping this will be a good way scale that down. So far I've found that it curbs cravings and gives me energy.  I have the vegan chocolate version, it tastes ok but it has an after taste similar to artificial sweeteners. It has stevia in it which I've never had but I assume that's what I'm tasting. I was mixing it with water but decided it tastes better with orange juice.  I have a month supply so I will decide in a few weeks whether or not it's a keeper.

Super Bowl Sunday

I'm not into football at all but I do like to participate in the snacking. I made a cheesy dip inspired by The Pioneer Woman's (from the Food Network) Queso Fundido recipe.  My version includes cooked turkey italian sausage, shredded monterey jack and cheddar cheeses and black beans, adding protein and fiber.  After cooking or rather melting in the oven and broiler, I topped it with tomatoes and kale chips, adding some nutrition to the dip. I paired this with brown rice crackers and guacamole.  It's tasty and of course cheesy with some nutritious ingredients to balance it out.

 

Junk Food

I gave in to a couple of cravings this week. I've been craving ooey gooey melted cheese the past two weeks. I grabbed some mozzarella sticks from the cafeteria and attempted to remove the breading since I do not like super thick breading, I prefer a light coating and I was also trying to avoid the gluten that I'm sure was in it.  I followed that up with an afternoon snack of kettle style potato chips from the vending machine. The next day my stomach was not pleased and I've felt it for days.  I also had a couple of gluten-free cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake friday. The next day I was so sluggish from the sugar, I was unproductive and regretting it.  I should have stopped at one but they are so darn good!  I've spent the weekend trying to cleanup my act although I've consumed lots of cheese as that craving still persists. I do think it's out of my system though, a clean green salad is appealing at this point (after the Super Bowl, of course). The great part of all of this is I can always "clean up my act" and create a fresh start. 

On another note, I was in Whole Foods this weekend and asked for assistance to find guacamole. The staff member found it for me and put a sticker on top of the container making it complimentary. This was a pleasant surprise, since I spend a near fortune in that place every week. Whole Foods, you have been holding out on me but thanks!

Snow Day!

Well it wasn't quite a snow day for me. I traveled to NJ for work last week where there was a significant amount of snowfall. Over the past two weeks of travel, I've managed to maintain eating gluten and refined sugar free. For lunch, I visit the station in the work cafeteria that has dinner options like chicken or beef, rice or potatoes and veggies.  They also had a taco bar where I had a chicken bowl with guacamole, tomatoes and cheese but avoided the flour tortillas and tortilla chips since I feel corn is a big contributor to inflammation for me.  Afternoon snacks are tough, besides a bag of nuts there really aren't good options for me in the vending machine or the office convenient store. I've relied on bringing my own snacks. Thanks to my health coach's suggestions, I bring small packages of almond butter and gluten free snack bars that are sweetened with agave syrup.  Evolution Harvest and Two Moms in the Raw bars are good options.  I also bought brown rice crackers from Wegmans to leave in my desk and have alone or with the almond butter. 

Dinners have been fine since I'm able to go to Wegmans or Whole Foods and choose good options. Even if go to a restaurant I am mindful of my choices.  I was craving a turkey burger one night, so I went to Ruby Tuesday and ordered a turkey buger without the bun and a side of sweet potato fries and green beans.  The big challenge was getting dinner the night of the snow storm.  The weather and traffic was very bad when the office let everyone out early in the afternoon, so I went straight to my hotel and decided to wait a few hours for dinner. Luckily, my hotel offers free dinners a few times a week. Unfortunately, that night was lasagna night.  It's usually a frozen brand that is processed, full of gluten and no nutrition.  My very first thought was ugh, I will definitely have a bloated, gassy stomach after that plus fatigue. I asked the front desk for takeout menus thinking if there was even a slim chance that I could get chinese delivery, I could at least get a chicken dish with steamed rice and broccoli.  As I was getting on the elevator to go back to my room, a woman came by with a grocery bag. I asked how the roads were and she said some ok and others bad but she was successful getting to Wegmans. That was my cue, especially since I called a Thai restaurant across the street and there was no answer.  I decided to tap in to my driving in the snow skills which I learned growing up in Cleveland and get to it!  I made it to Wegmans, picked up sushi and was very happy and at peace with my dinner that night. 

I do realize there will be times when I will have to just eat what is available to me and that is life. There may also be times where I just want to indulge in a sugary gluten filled treat and accept the fallout but I would prefer for it to be on my terms. That night I just did not want to let go of that energetic, good feeling I've been experiencing which made trekking out in to the freezing, snowy weather for another food alternative worth it.

Reflection

A year ago, even a couple of months ago, I was tired and lethargic. I was so haunted by cravings of cookies and cakes that at times I would make a late night run or plan my day around a trip to the cupcake shop.  Eating one cookie or cupcake would leave me craving another shortly after and then another and another.  Since I've removed the refined sugar and added vegetables I have fewer cravings and much more energy.  Removing gluten has improved my digestion and energy level as well. I've gone from cooking 0% of the time to 80% of the time. When it's time for lunch or dinner, I now ask myself what green vegetable will I have since I understand its importance.  These days, I'm actually craving veggies like kale chips, cold pressed green juice and asparagus. I never thought I would ever crave vegetables or be free from uncontrollable sugar cravings.  I am grateful to have the opportunity to learn more about food and have the time at home, without work travel, to cook and explore different food options. What a difference a month can make!  

So now reality is setting in. In week I will return to weekly work travel and I will be challenged to maintain these good habits with a hectic schedule and fewer healthy resources at my fingertips along with trying to transport many vitamin supplements including two that are powdered. As I begin to feel overwhelmed I remind myself that I haved learned valuable lessons and the knowledge prepares me. Even if I don't make perfect choices, I know key tips like eating vegetables will have me feeling good and energetic. I now know that refined sugar makes me tired, moody and gives me brain fog and even though it will give me short-term pleasure it will not support my busy lifestyle on the road.  

I'm not one for New Year's resolutions since I believe in improving myself throughout the year.  I don't need to wait until January 1 to go on a diet or begin working out.  I do, however, look forward to what 2014 will bring as I feel myself opening up to new experiences.