Clean Eating - Pasta Sauce

Day 28: Have I mentioned how much I love a good pasta sauce? I found a recipe that is the best. I use it for everything. I make a pasta bake with organic penne pasta, mild turkey sausage, sauce and a small amount of Monterrey jack cheese. I use it for pizza sauce and just good old spaghetti. I have added broccoli or spinach to change it up. It is the easiest recipe ever.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup diced onions
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1/2 (6-ounce) can  tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until softened and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. Season the sauce with the basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.

At this point I let the sauce cool. When the sauce is cool, I put the sauce in freezer containers (about 4) and freeze until I am ready to use.

i hope you enjoy this sauce as much as we do.

Marathon Training - Curious

Day 36: So, Y'all know by now what I like to do to keep my body ready to Run, Bike, Swim. I love yoga, stretching and my chiropractor. I also love switching up my routines so I do not become bored with my workouts. Strength training is a must for me.

Now it is your turn I would love to hear from you.

What do you do to stay in top shape for your best performance! How do you get ready for the big race, or an afternoon walk, run, swim or bike ride? I would love to hear from you!

Clean Eating - Buffalo Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries

Days 24-27 So, day 24 and 25 were pretty much a clean eating no. I was at the mercy of a trip planner. So I sucked it up and did the best that I could. No worries. We all have days that do not go according to planned at it all works out in the end.

I could not wait to wake up Saturday and dive into a bowl of oatmeal and a bowl of scrambled egg whites. I have come so far in the last year and healthy tastes so good!

Sunday I made the best dinner. Buffalo burgers and sweet potato fries. Delish!

I hope you enjoy the recipes!

Sweet Potato fries

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet potatoes (1 pound
• 1egg white
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp Tony Chachere's creole seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Soak sweet potatoes in cold water for 30 minutes, drain, pat dry.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  Place a non-stick baking sheet in the oven.
3. Peel the sweet potatoes.  Cut into 3-inch long and 1/4-inch wide sticks.
4. Whisk egg white until frothy.
5. Toss the potato sticks with the egg whites, oil, sea salt, oregano, paprika and black pepper.
6. Spread the sticks on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
7. Turn the sweet potato fries after 15 minutes and bake approximately 15 minutes more or until a light brown.  Be careful when turning because the sticks will be soft

Tips for Crispy Sweet Potato Fries
Sweet potato fries can be a little tricky in terms of getting them to turn out crispy.  Try these tips for crispy sweet potato fries:

• Be sure your baking pan is not “over crowded” and that the sticks are spread out as much as possible. 
• Lining the baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil (shiny side up) seems to turn out crispier fries.  Using parchment paper or foil also prevents the fries from sticking as well.
• After baking for 30 minutes, if the fries are not as crispy as you’d like, take them out of the oven and loosen with a spatula.  Return to the oven and bake another 5 minutes.

Nutrition Info:
Serves 4
Calories:  130 |  Fat:  7 g | Cholesterol:  0 mg |  Sodium: 590 mg |  Potassium:  144 mg | Carbohydrates:  16 g | Fiber:  2 g | Protein: 1 g

 

Bison Burgers From The Eat Clean Club by Tosca Reno

Ingredients 

1 Tbsp / 15 ml olive or safflower oil
• ¾ cup / 180 ml finely chopped onion
• 2 egg whites
• ¼ cup / 60 ml oat bran or oatmeal ground in a coffee grinder
• ¼ cup / 60 ml cooked, mashed sweet potato
• 1 Tbsp / 15 ml molasses
• 1 tsp / 5 ml crumbled, dried oregano
• ½ tsp / 2.5 ml sea salt
• ½ tsp / 2.5 ml freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lb / 454 g ground bison

(I will add 2 tsp of Tony Chachere's to this mixture next time.)

Preparation

1. Heat oil over medium heat in a skillet. Cook the onion until soft and golden. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together egg whites, oat bran or oatmeal, sweet potato, molasses, oregano, sea salt and pepper.
3. Stir in onions and bison. Mix the ingredients together with clean hands until just combined. Take a handful of the meat and create a flat patty. You can get your family involved here too, so they can make patties that fit them. Just make sure they use clean hands.
4. Grill the patties for 7-10 minutes on each side or until the burgers reach desired doneness.
5. If you would like to store the patties in the freezer to use later, wrap the patties individually in parchment paper. They can be stored for up to one month in the freezer.

I used Ezekial Sesame seed buns buns. We topped our burgers with lettuce. You could also use avocado, tomatoes or pickles.

Nutritional Value per patty (no bun):

Calories: 143 Protein: 22 g Carbs: 6 g Dietary Fiber: 2.5 g Fat: 2 g Sat. Fat: 1 g Sodium: 50 mg
Cholesterol: 80 mg

Marathon Training

Days 32 - 35: Rested Thursday and Friday as I was away from home and did not have access to a work out so, I could not wait to get to the Y for a great swim Saturday morning. I am starting to get back into the swing of things in the pool. Yeah me!

Sunday I had an amazing run with my Sunday running partners. We logged eleven miles. I know I have said it before but, I must say it again. Running with a partner or a group just makes the miles fly by for me. Today I really felt like I could finish the marathon no problem.

Trip to Savannah

Let me first say, I am so thrilled to have been asked to chaperone my daughter's trip to Savannah Georgia for three reasons.

1. I love spending time with my daughter!
2. They are the most amazing group of kids and musicians!
3. I adore Savannah!

The kids were invited to play at the Georgia Music Educators Conference. This is a huge accomplishment as only two high schools and three middle schools in the entire state are invited to go.

Wednesday night Allison and I packed up. I packed a cooler full of fresh fruit and snacks. We were ready to go!

We started off Thursday morning. You do not have to ask this group to help out because they just do.
We are loaded up and we head out.

Our bus driver Ike was awesome. He started us off with a joke, something about foot, foot and foot. I missed it but the kids laughed! The kids were amazing. They watched movies, visited and read books; there were even girls knitting. I spent my time visiting with one of my fellow chaperones Melissa. Our kids have gone to school together since the third grade.


We arrived in Savannah and headed to lunch. Oh no, shear panic. What is for lunch! On a prearranged trip you really have no control... So, what is a clean eating girl to do? Just make the best of it and get back on track when the trip is over. We ate at a restaurant named Ryan's. It was great! A huge salad bar, baked sweet potato and baked chicken. I was good to go.

We headed to the hotel, so the kids could stretch their legs a minute and get their concert dress ready to go. I had my very own room. Wow! We then headed over to the convention center Our driver Ike had another joke ready for us."Hey Kids, I'll be your tour guide today. Let's start off with those green things to our left, those are trees." We let the kids roam around a bit before sitting down to watch Walton High School perform.

Sound check. This was fun. The kids had a great time, they were relaxed and just played for fun.



We headed outside for a snack break, GASP, my healthy clean snacks were on the bus and dinner was at 9:45 pm! Pringles here I come. What do ya do? You go with it. The kids had a fun time giving each other shout outs (compliments) Before heading in to finish getting into their concert dress.

The kids played at 8:30 and it was amazing! Mr. Palmer the director, chose to do something really cool with the program: He brought the Allatoona fiddlers as pre-concert entertainment. He also showcased each section of his orchestra by having them perform upfront with rest of the orchestra behind them. We had two guest conductors from our feeder middle school programs and a guest artist who with the kids brought the house down.

We got the kids back to the hotel and had a fun pizza party for them. Then it was off to bed (well, not really for the kids I am sure). They did however stay in their rooms.

Friday morning we had an 8:00 am wake up call, breakfast at the hotel (I enjoyed this as I visited with the kids) and loaded the buses by 9:45.

We headed back over to the convention center and let the group wander around the expo a bit. Then we headed to the ferry, rode over for some shopping on River Street and a bit of a walking tour of Savannah. Mr. Palmer stopped at the coolest toy store. There were lot's of vintage toys. The kids had a blast. With 56 kids buying things we probably made the shop owners day!

Next we headed over to The Pirate House for lunch, southern buffet style. This was a really fun stop. They had a pirate who walked around a talked to us about the pirates of Savannah.

Time to head for home. I will say once again that this was such a fun filled trip. I enjoyed spending a bit of time with my daughter and visiting with her really cool friends!

Fun Times

Hey everyone, We are home from a really cool trip to Savannah. Cannot wait to share all of our fun with you. I am working on putting pictures and the details together. Look for it to be posted sometime tomorrow!

Clean Eating

Day 23: Tomorrow I am heading to Savannah Georgia with my daughter. Her Orchestra is performing for the music educators conference. This a huge big deal for a high school that has only been open for four years. I am so excited to have been asked to chaperone. Not to mention she is a Senior and every moment I can spend with Allison is a bonus!

So, how in the world am I going to eat clean on this trip? I have not figured this out as one of the restaurant stops is Golden Corral. (so yuck!) I did go to their website. I will somehow make it work.
I have packed a small cooler with snacks. I am good to go there!

I cannot wait to leave in the morning with my amazing daughter. I will miss the guys but, it is time for a girl trip!

Well I will let you know how it all works out and post a little video of her performance.

Wish me luck!

Marathon Training

Day 31: Whoa, I managed to finish five miles outside today. So different from running inside at the Y. I am hoping our weather is taking a turn for the good so I can continue to train outside!

Marathon Training

Day 30: Hooray for Sunshine! I had an awesome run outside in the beautiful sunshine. Who doesn't love wearing a short sleeve shirt in January! I hope this weather stays for a while. Would love to keeping running outside.

Clean eating - My Favorite Snacks

Day 22: Ok so if you know anything about clean eating you know we eat a lot of snacks through out the week. So, what would my favorite snacks be?

My favorite # one snack of all time will always be 1/2 of a granny smith apple and 1 tablespoon natural almond butter. Delish!
Here are a few of my other favorites.

• Carrots and garlic hummus
• Strawberries and raw almonds
• Clean protein bars
• Yogurt with a few raw slivered almonds and raspberries (or any kind of berry)
• Unbuttered air- popped corn sprinkled with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt
• hard boiled egg whites and a banana
• Brown rice cakes spread with nut butter ( I sprinkle a bit of flax seed on mine) and a banana
• 1 orange and a handful of  raw almonds or  raw cashews

So here are a few of my choices for snacks. What clean snacks do you like? Maybe we can come up with a few new ones!

Marathon Training - My Favorite Running App

Day 29: Relax day! Much needed after yesterdays run.

I thought I would be a bit more sore after ten miles but, I am happy to say, No sore muscles for me!
If you are just getting started or would like to get started running here is my favorite app just for that. It is called Get Running.


Get Running was the very first app I started with. I love this app! It is so easy to use. The get running program gets you in your shoes and running a 5k in 9 weeks. The trainer's voice is really pleasant and encouraging. Yes, you can create a music playlist to listen to while running. 

If you choose to run with your phone I would suggest an armband or you can load this program onto an iPod touch. It still requires an armband but is less bulky on your arm.

I purchased this through the iTunes app store; click here for the link.

I have a few more apps up my sleeve. Some were good, some not so much... Stay tuned!

So put on your shoes and try running!

Marathon Training

Day 27 and 28: Saturday was a Tri day. We started with a nice workout in the pool. I am still concentrating on my arm placement and relaxing in the pool. I am way to tense when I swim. I guess I am still afraid of not making it from one end to the other. Thanks to great coaching, I am not about to give up! I really am starting to like being in the water.

Then we headed to the cycle room for 40 minutes of hill climbing. It was hard, but we learned a lot about body mechanics and how to work your way through it. Thanks Muriel!

Sunday is my long run day. I have got to stop running the track at the Y on these days. I know it is not good for my legs. Time to find a running partner. I did however manage to finish ten miles. My longest run to date. Yeah me! There will be lots of stretching tonight.

I hope everyone had an amazing weekend!

Clean Eating - Larabars

                                                

Day 21: So, I have been searching high and low for a clean eating snack bar. I came across a couple of blog posts about Larabars and decided to give one a try. Delicious!

They are all natural. They have about 210 calories, 11 g. fat, 18 g. sugar, and 5 g. protein. A little high in sugar but, it is not an artificial sugar. I tried the gingersnap one today after my run.

The ingredient list is so simple.

• Dates
• Almonds
• Pecans
• Ginger
• Cinamon
• Cloves

That is it! The Larabar I tried tasted just like a gingersnap.

Now we all know it is best to make them ourselves. So, while searching for Larabar info,  I came across a couple of great recipes over at Clean Eating Online.

• Very Cherry: 1/4 c. dates, 1/4 c. dried cherries or cranberries, 1/3 c. whole pecans, almonds, or walnuts, 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
• Cashew Cookie Dough: 1/3 c. dates, 1/2 c. raw cashews
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: 1/3 c. dates, 1/2 c. raw cashews, 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, pinch of cinnamon, 1/2 oz. finely chopped semisweet chocolate
• Blueberry Bliss: 1/4 c. dried blueberries, 1/4 c. dates, 1/3 c. almonds, 1/2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest, 1 drop almond extract.

Note: Make sure to use roughly chopped whole dates, not pre-chopped for these recipes.

 I am definitely going to make a few of these.