Snap Out Of The Recipe Rut

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When the mood strikes me to cook, get out of my kitchen!  Occasionally I get tired of eating the same food and have the time to try something new.

Sunday was the case. I cooked roasted peppers, quinoa stuffed peppers, brussels sprouts, broccoli, sea scallops, a small piece of salmon, baked drum sticks (for my family), center cut pork loin (for me), and plain oven baked sweet potatoes (for me).  Lol!  Was in the kitchen from 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.  On the brighter side- By 7:00 p.m., my meal prep was completed for the week.  High 5!!

If you’re stuck in a recipe rut, I don’t have the answers, but Pinterest does… at least for me.  On Pinterest, I can find everything, so if you’re stuck, just search a favorite ingredient like avocado, quinoa, yams, rice, or whatever you’re into.

How do I go about selecting a new recipe? I look for:

  • a nutritious recipe or at least one I can change & make healthier
  • a recipe that has at least one or two main ingredients that I favor
  • an attractive dish; something that is pretty to look at
  • prep time – How much time do I have to spend cooking and how much time do I want to spend on cooking the dish
  • unconventional usage of an ingredient

Here are few of my favorites:

Recently I tried this Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

red stuffed pepper

Stuffed pepper before baking

yellow stuffed pepper

After baking. See what I mean about looking pretty?  How could you not want to eat something so colorful and appetizing?!

To make food interesting, sometimes it’s just a matter of preparing the food in a different way or swapping out ingredients to infuse the dish with a new flavor.

I now favor my broccoli roasted with fresh garlic and olive oil. I‘ve fallen in love with it oven cooked, plus it is less likely to overcook in the oven than stove top. This method is no fuss, quick, nutritious, and delish!  Once you go “oven style,” you won’t go back!  ðŸ™‚

This Caribbean Salad is beautiful!  I can’t wait to try this one!!

Image & recipe courtesy of bestrecipes.com

Image & recipe courtesy of bestrecipes.com

Lastly, be open to try new foods.  I’m eating food that I didn’t know existed a few years ago.

One of my favorite easy go to is baked spaghetti squash.  First of all, it’s no fuss cooking. Second, it’s mild in flavor so you can mix it with just about anything.  Third, it’s like eating FREE FOOD!!  Lol!

1 Serving ( 250 ml/ 1 cup) of Spaghetti Squash is 33 calories and only 5 grams of calories from fat!

Protein:  .6g

Fat:         .6g

Carbs:    6.9g

Come on!!  Why wouldn’t you eat this!  Add grilled shrimp, salmon, sea scallops, or whatever else you chose and you’ll have the most delightful meal!

Wait one more!! I don’t eat ice cream and haven’t for many years now.  Recently I tried a new recipe and Lawd!!   I’m in trouble!!

Frozen Bananas
Organic Cacao Powder
Organic Coconut Milk
Nutritional Information
Ice-Cream!

I couldn’t wait for my “Healthy” ice-cream to completely freeze, but it was OUTSTANDING!!  My version of chocolate ice-cream is from, where else but Pinterest.  I ran out of peanut butter, so I added a two teaspoons of the coconut milk.  There’s a lot of fat in the coconut milk. 

  

Delicious!!  ðŸ™‚ 

I hope that I’ve inspired you to try and to seek out new recipes.   If you are on a journey to improve your lifestyle by getting fit and eating smarter replacing your old recipes with cleaner and more nutritious ones is an excellent first step.

Be encouraged and make it a fabulous day! 🙂

Try This Dish For Dinner

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My kitchen was a mess but the food was well worth the time. I’ve said it before, Pinterest is one of my favorite sites to discover new recipes.  Being a visual person, I’m attracted to the pretty images of food.  I scroll through boards looking for pretty dishes.

Today I made two new dishes and they were wonderful! The Mexican Quinoa Burger immediately snagged my attention.  I’m no professional photographer, but to me, the photo was picture perfect. Once I read the ingredients, I pinned the recipe to my Healthy Eating board, but it found it on cookingquinoa.net’s board.

The ingredients..

black beans

The recipe called for cooked black beans.  I used Shoprite organic can beans and rinsed them in cold water.

chilli seasoning

I forgot the “taco” seasoning, so I used “chili” seasoning instead.  I hated using the processed package, but used less than half the package.

onions peppers garlic

Onions, red peppers, and fresh minced garlic

panko box

I’m so glad I learned about these bread crumbs!

pepper jack

Mmm.. the flavor and kick of Pepper Jack Cheese!

salsa

Shoprite has a fresh hot salsa that is the best.  If you don’t have the time to make salsa, this is the next best thing.  It doesn’t have preservatives and spoils quickly.  It’s good on any kind of crackers or bread with cheese.

quinoa

Cooked Quinoa

smoked paprika

Gorgeous right! Lol!  Smoked Paprika! Your mouth should be watering about now.

bowl mixture

Mixing all the ingredients together.

burgers

The recipe made six hearty meatless and delicious burgers exactly like it said.

The other recipe has my mouth-watering just thinking about it.

Avocado Cilantro Lime Rice! I know where I found the recipe, but I don’t know who first came up with it.  I am just thankful that I discovered this dish on Cooking Classy! If you like avocados, limes, and cilantro… this recipe is for YOU! You have to try it; it’s so easy.  All you need is:

brown rice

Day old brown rice, but I had to cook a fresh pot of rice.

Avocado

ripe avocados and fresh lime juice.

cilantro

Fresh Cilantro

I got so excited that I forgot to take pictures of the cumin and minced garlic, but you know what that looks like.  Anyways, the final product is the most delightful and refreshing rice that I have ever eaten.

I also cooked grilled bourbon flavor chicken drumsticks for my family and grilled curry chicken breast for me.

Yeah, the hazard of eating different from your family is cooking two sets of meals (not always, but sometimes).

While cooking and making a complete mess in the kitchen, I danced to the beat of calypso and reggae music. I call it happy music because, the rhythm and lyrics are upbeat and keeps me dancing… making cooking so much more fun.  Before I know it, time has slipped by and I’ve cooked a bunch of food.

So here is what I ate and it was AMAZING!

dinner

Please visit both websites and try the recipes.  Who says eating healthy is boring? “They” haven’t tried it yet, I suggest you give it a shot.

I can’t wait to eat tomorrow’s leftovers.  🙂

Try Something New!

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I like to challenge myself. I like to learn – so I like to try new things and try to keep growing.

-David Schwimmer

I loooooove to try new things; it’s scary and fun!

If you are on a journey to live healthier, whether it is to eat better foods, get into better physical condition, or just to adapt a healthier lifestyle, it begins with having the courage to be open-minded to trying new things and a willingness to view life through a different lens.

I am so excited! Why? Because today I am trying not one, but two new recipes!! Heeey! I’m dancing around the kitchen. Lol!

To eat healthy and clean (as clean as possible), you have your staple food items (avocados, leafy greens, brown rice, quinoa, and more). However, the six meals a day can get boring really quick, so just like fitness, you’ve gotta mix it up!

This is suppose to be a quick post, so I’ve got get back to cooking, but check out the ingredients. I forgot to include the black beans and two other spices in the recipe, but everything else is included in the picture.

These ingredients may not look like much, but oh… wait until you see the results!

ingredients

I’ll chat with you later!  🙂

 

 

The Verdict on Broiled Shrimp

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My mouth is still salivating!   No chicken today!!  Pinterest, my replacement cookbook is the best.  Thanks to All Things G & D, I have a new recipe to add to my list. Tonight I felt the need to toss shrimp atop my organic cumin flavored brown rice and green beans, so I was happy when I stumbled on ATG&D’s quick and easy recipe.

Although I used her basic recipe, to satisfy my thirsty palette for spice,  I always add a little more spice to my dish.  In addition to my freshly minced garlic, I added an abundance of granulated garlic powder, old bay seasoning, freshly ground black pepper, and crushed red peppers.  Oh and instead of Ritz Crackers, I substituted with Kikkoman Panko Japanese Style Bread Crumbs.  The bread crumbs gave the shrimp a little crunch, which I LOVED!

Food Weight

I have learned to weigh all of my food.  The nutritional piece to preparing for a figure competition or meeting any fitness goal is serious.  You can put up all the weights humanly possible in the gym, but if your diet is off… well..   You will not meet your fitness goals.  Look how many shrimp I have to eat to get to at least six (6) ounces!  Lucky  me!

broiled shrimp dinnerOoh la-la!  Oh man!  This was outstanding!! The shrimp cooked for about eight (8) minutes (four minutes each side). The brown rice and green beans were leftovers.

The recipe was quick, I didn’t need a bunch of pots and pans, it and was a nice change from my typical sautéed stove top shrimp.  Do I recommend this recipe?  Heck yeah!!

empty pan

Seriously.  After I cleaned my plate, I told my husband I wanted to lick the pan that the shrimp cooked in!

Yesterday I did legs; my quads ache, so I did good.  Earlier I did abs in the basement.  My fireplace is in full effect and, for the moment, my belly is full.  So now I’m going to sit, chill, and wait for the 10-14 inches of forecasted snow.

Enjoy your evening and thanks so much for stopping by!  🙂