Feb 05 2011

Chobani Heaven

Chobani has some new flavors – 0% Black Cherry, 0% Lemon and 2% Mango – so far I’ve only found the black cherry.  I am a HUGE black cherry fan in general. My favorite mix-in at Cold Stone is black cherry with sweat cream ice cream. I love Cherry Garcia… and I was still purchasing cherry flavored Yoplait because I missed it that much. They also recently came out with Chobani Champions, smaller (100 cal.) 3.5 oz. cups of Honey-Nana and VerryBerry, perfect for a light snack or little ones.

Breakfast this morning consisted of black cherry Chobani, cashew granola, fresh blackberries and ground flax. A perfect start to a gorgeous day. I already got in my 25 Heart Challenge workout – I’ve been updating the page every day – hop on over if you are curious.

Now I need to decide what kind of “Big Game” food to make for a small get together with friends tomorrow. Their old T.V. died and they just got a fancy new 3D one. I remember back in college the excitement in my advertising classes after the Super Bowl. We got to spend the entire 2 hour class viewing and talking about the ads. Good times and great memories for sure. Now I just get to stuff my face with appetizers and laugh with my friends – without the homework.  😉

Questions: Any Super Bowl plans? What’s your favorite appetizer?

You already know my plans – as for a favorite appetizer, spinach dip – hands down. I am a bread and dip girl for sure.

Permanent link to this article: http://foodiddy.com/?p=3594

Feb 02 2011

Trader Joe’s Brussels Sprout Sauté

I picked up something new to me during my last Tj’s shopping trip. Trader Joe’s Balsamic Glazed Brussels Sprouts Sauté.

The Ingredients:
Brussels Sprouts
Cooked – Uncured Bacon
Celery Powder/Celery Juice
Red Onion
Dried Cranberries
Hazelnuts
Balsamic Glaze – Balsamic Vinegar and Sugar

Directions:

Open package, remove balsamic glaze sauce cup and set aside.

Measure out 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and pour into a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Once oil is hot, carefully add all ingredients to skillet (except for the balsamic glaze). Sauté stirring regularly until Brussels sprouts are crisp-tender and slightly wilted (approx. 2-3 min.). Remove skillet from heat, add balsamic glaze sauce and toss well in the pan to coat.

Easy enough…

This dish tasted amazing! I made a similar Brussels sprouts dish in May with my Brussels Sprouts – Don’t be a hater post. The recipe used apples and pine nuts instead of the hazelnuts and dried cranberries – but it also took over an hour to make – compared to 5 minutes.

Servings 2.5 | Calories 170 | Fat 7g | Chol 15mg | Carb 26g | Fiber 4g | Protein 7g | Sodium 280mg

I chose to eat all 2.5 servings since it was my entire lunch. As a side, it wouldn’t be too bad, but as a main dish, it was pretty high in fat, sodium and carbs. I’m guessing leaving out the bacon would help a lot and you could probably just use 1/2 the glaze if you were really watching your sugars.

Other stuff…

I was on my own last night. Dan had a work dinner and I planned on making a leek, spinach and cheese pizza using dough from Trader Joe’s. I also planned on a little craft project. I cleaned the side of the fridge over the weekend and found my Weight Watcher 25, 50 and 75 lbs. lost magnets buried under photos, invites and coupons. Seeing those magnets brought back the same level of excitement I had when I achieved those goals. (If only I could have maintained the entire weight loss, ha!) I will never forgot getting those at my meetings – along with the weekly stickers, the 5 lb. bookmarks, the milestone charms, etc. I am a true sucker for stuff like that. I loved knowing that I’d be getting a sticker at each meeting. It didn’t matter that I was 34 or 35 years old and it doesn’t matter that I’m now 40. I knew the same “reward” concept would get me out of my current exercise/workout slump.

Off to the craft store I went. My 25 Heart Exercise Challenge was about to become more visual.

I already had the small bulletin board in my workout/guest room. I just needed the tags, stickers, pins and metal clasps. I got some great deals – heart stickers were 1/2 off because of Valentine’s Day and the tags and numbers were 40% off due to a sale on scrapbooking supplies. I spent a little over $9 and that was because the pins were so expensive. They were more industrial strength compared to everyday sewing pins.

I placed a number on one side of the tag and a heart on the other side. I then put the metal clasps on the tags and hung each one from a pin. My bulletin board had enough to do 4 rows of 7 – perfect for the month of February. I have a bigger bulletin board in the garage that I will pull out for the rest of the months. It’s the one I used for Christmas cards over the holidays.

I got my tags all lined up like little soldiers.

I then got on the treadmill for a 45 minute workout session – mostly walking, some running and hills. I watched the Biggest Loser, so it was easy to stay motivated. I then got off the treadmill – did some floor mat exercises and stretching and then…

I flipped over my Feb. 1 tag to reveal the heart.

45 minutes of heart healthy exercise. I can’t even explain how exciting this was (craft nerd alert) – I’m more motivated than ever to fill my board with hearts. I need it. I deserve it. I am worth it.

My 25 Heart Challenge is to workout for 25 of the 28 days in February. The workouts have to be over 30 minutes and can be anything I want to do. Exercise DVD’s, walking, running, biking, Wii Fit, etc.

I’m going to update my new 25 Heart Challenge page throughout the month. I copy and pasted this post (minus the Brussels sprouts) onto that page and will update with mileage, times, progress, etc.

It’s the little things.

I’ve tried iPhone apps, Lose it!, iFit, SparkPeople, WW, etc. and haven’t stuck with them. If a simple heart sticker is enough to motivate me to get in daily exercise, I’ll take it!  Each little heart is visual proof that I’m doing good things for my own heart.

Permanent link to this article: http://foodiddy.com/?p=3549

Jan 30 2011

Apples for Jam – Leek and Potato Soup

Jenna over at Eat, Live, Run created a list of her “go to” cookbooks and I knew I wanted one of them. Apples for Jam: A Colorful Cookbook by Tessa Kiros. I found the book at a local bookstore and spent a good 30 minutes flipping through it. Tessa’s photographs are enough to make you salivate – what I loved most was her use of vibrant colors that filled the pages, and the simplicity of her recipes. I immediately put it on my Amazon wish list. My sister in law Christiana surprised me with it… and several others for Christmas.

Author Tessa Kiros has worked in restaurants in Australia, Greece, London, and Mexico. Apples for Jam is full of recipes from her background and travels. I love cookbooks that have a story to them – mixed into the 200 recipes, are stories and memories of her childhood, family, and friends. I also like that the recipes are grouped by color. Whimsical children’s art and photos definitely bring the pages to life.

I sat on the couch and started reading page after page. I stopped on page 259 in the “White” section. Leek and Potato Soup. I have been obsessed with leeks lately and I had all of the ingredients on hand.

The Ingredients
Adapted from Apples for Jam – Serves 6

6 Leeks
3 Tablespoons Butter
2 Cloves of Garlic – Peeled but left whole – I used my frozen Dorot crushed garlic from Trader Joe’s
2 Teaspoons Brandy
4 Medium Potatos – Peeled and cut into chunks – I used Yukon Gold
Salt to Taste
6 Cups Hot Water – I used a combination of vegetable stock (2 cups) and water (4 cups)
Freshly Grated Nutmeg – I used a good 5-6 twists
1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
Grated Parmesan – to serve
Truffle Oil – to serve
Garlic Gold Nuggets – to serve

Directions

I started off with prepping my leeks.

Trim the leeks and cut off the harder/dark green ends.

Slice the leeks finely and put them into a colander for washing.

I saved out a piece of the leek skin, so you could see how much dirt was hiding among the layers. It’s very fine and grit like. Swish them around under the water and make sure you get all of the sandy grit out.

Melt the butter and garlic – if using cloves, the recipe recommended leaving them whole. I personally loved the flavor of the Dorot crushed garlic.

Sauté over medium-low heat until all the water has evaporated from the leeks and they are soft and slightly golden brown.

Add the brandy and cook until it has also evaporated. This took about 10 minutes. I prepped my potatoes while I waited.

I added my potatoes and then seasoned with salt.

I then added the 4 cups of water and the 2 cups of veggie stock to the pot. I turned the heat down to low, covered with a lid for 45 minutes, and ran out to purchase an immersion blender at Target while it simmered.

Just in time… The potatoes and leeks were very soft and my new immersion blender did the trick. I grated in the nutmeg and then pureed the soup until it was totally smooth. If it gets too thick, you can add more water or stock – if it’s too thin, remove the lid and let it cook some more.

The last step is to stir in the heavy whipping cream.

I topped my soup with ground pepper, a tiny amount of truffle oil and a generous tablespoon of shredded Parmesan. I used my new Target placemat for the photo and then decided that I liked the rustic look of my wooden crate better.

I then tasted the soup and decided that some crunch would also be nice – I added some Garlic Gold Nuggets as a topper.

I also decided to use my Grandmother’s china for the second bowl’s photo session. The soup tasted amazing. I absolutely loved everything from the flavor to the texture – it was pure comfort in a bowl.

I am looking forward to reading and cooking my way through all 432 pages of Apples and Jam. Thank you Christiana for my wonderful present,  thank you Jenna for introducing me to such an amazing find, and thank you Tessa Kiros for creating your awesome keepsake cookbook.

Permanent link to this article: http://foodiddy.com/?p=3283