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I'm a mom on the run!

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Tag Archives: recipes

Pinning and Planning – May 19

Recently I watched an informative video on YouTube about the importance of eating the right foods.  The video, Slim is Simple, wasn’t trying to sell anything.  It didn’t push a magical pill, meal replacement shake or weight loss plan.  It didn’t push Paleo or any other diet plan.  To paraphrase, Slim Is Simple simply states if you fill your body with the right foods, you will see a decrease it weight loss.

The video is a little long, but worth watching.

SlimIsSimple.org suggests staying away from starchy foods and cereals and eating more protein, fruits, vegetables and good fats.  As Slim Is Simple also states, I am guilty of spending hours running and working out and yet, I am still struggling with the last bit of baby weight and belly fat around my middle.  So, maybe I need to eat less starchy carbs? 

Hello, my name is Denise and I am a carb addict.

Last week, I decided to give up my usual granola for breakfast and my other usual carbs for dinner (rice and pasta) to see if I noticed a difference.  Within a few days, I felt lighter.

Since Hubby is struggling to lose weight, I decided to plan more low carb meals this week to see if he notices a difference too.

S – Butterflied Whole BBQ Chicken with Low Fat Classic Coleslaw

M – Lentil Shepherd’s Pie with Rustic Parsnip Crust

T – Cilantro Baked Tilapia with Mashed Cauliflower

W – Chicken and White Bean Stuffed Peppers

Th – Chicken Curry and Kachumber Salad

F – Pizza

What meals are you pinning and planning? What’s on your dinner menu this week?  Do you tend to carb load or eat low carbs?

And while you’re pinning and planning, plan to join me at the Tampa Bay Margarita Festival next Saturday.  If you’re local, enter to win tickets here.



Cinco de Mayo Menu

PhotobucketI had a bit of blogger failure.  With Cinco de Mayo on the horizon, I forgot to create and plan a Mexican inspired dish to share for Friday Food Fight.

Then, it dawned on me.  I don’t need to share anything new.  I’ll spotlight some of my favorite Mexican dishes I’ve already shared for a Cinco de Mayo menu. Yes! That’s the ticket!

Of course, every good Cinco de Mayo fiesta needs to keep the margaritas flowing.  Iron chef Allan’s Better Than Margaritaville Margaritas will definitely put the ole’ in your day.

Better Than Margaritaville Margaritas

Most Cinco de Mayo menus offer very little vegetarian options.  Serve this tasty Roasted Vegetable Mexican Lasagna and you will please everyone.

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Wholly Diablo Shrimp served Skinnytaste’s Skinnytaste’s Southwest Black Bean, Quinoa and Mango Medley would make a mucho bueno combo.

Wholly Diablo Shrimp

Skinnytaste’s Southwest Black Bean, Quinoa and Mango Medley

If you feel Mexican food needs meat, but want to keep things relatively low fat, how about a ground turkey Mexican Lasagna?  This dish will please a whole crowd of carnivores.

Mexican Lasagna

Chicken-Mushroom {and Spinach} Quesadillas adds some healthy greens to your fiesta.

Chicken-Mushroom {and Spinach} Quesadillas

If your Cinco de Mayo can’t be complete without tacos, then try these Ground Turkey Tacos.

Ground Turkey Tacos

For an undersea Cinco de Mayo inspired taco selection, serve Banging Baked Fish Tacos or Blackened Baja-Style Talapia served in a corn tortilla.

Banging Baked Fish Tacos

Blackened Baja-Style Talapia

If more plato needs more pollo, try Pollo Relleno or Chicken Veracruz served with Spanish Rice.

Pollo Relleno

Chicken Veracruz

Spanish Rics

For dessert, the obvious choice would be Mexican Wedding Cakes for Cinco de Mayo, but you prefer something a bit more festive and decorative, try these Piña Colada Cupcakes.

Mexican Wedding Cakes

Piña Colada Cupcakes

What’s on your Cinco de Mayo Menu?

Thanks for joining our weekly Friday Food Fight! Can’t wait to see what everyone is flinging this week!



*Also submitted at*

Pinning and Planning – April 29 (and giveaway)

What’s that quote about “the best-laid plans”?  That was me last week.  I was so excited about the Yelptucky Derby , attending my first Yelp event and having excuse to get all dressed up to wear a fancy hat.  Then my kids got sick.

Our parents have comprised immune systems so we can’t have them babysit when the kids are sick and run the risk of exposing them to whatever our kids caught.  Instead, I sadly hung up my fancy hat to play nursemaid.  Of course, that also meant the meals I planned had to be postponed as my kids only wanted toast and cuddles from mama.

Thankfully, everyone felt better by Saturday so Allana and I could attend her Girl Scout Troop’s Run 4 Respect and the Keel and Curley Blueberry Festival.  We picked berries and enjoyed some wine.  Stay tuned for photos and blueberry themed recipes!

M – Pasta Shells with Tomatoes and Mozzerella Cheese

T – Sautéed Tilapia with Lemon-Peppercorn Pan Sauce on Couscous with Roasted Asparagus

W – Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

Th – Pulled BBQ Pork Sandwiches and Low Fat Classic Coleslaw

F - Pizza

What’s on your dinner menu plan this week?



And to help with menu planning, portion control and tracking it all, I’m giveaway a FitBit Zip, fitbook, a sleek red digital glass scale and a red and white polka dot reisenthel tote. Enter to below! Giveaway ends 5/6/13 at midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pinning and Planning – April 14

I only have one more week to deal with hubby’s crazy travel schedule which is right in the middle of FCAT week (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test). Grades 3-12 grade will endure a completely ridiculous, stressful exam in order to be promoted.  It’s a horrible exam and everyone feels the pressure statewide: the students, the teachers, the administrators and the parents.  *sigh* Thankfully, I will only be flying solo one evening during testing week.

As for our dinner menu, last week we packed on the protein to prepare my muscles.  This week, I’m serving lots of brain food for good test scores.

S – Pork Chile Verde with Cilantro Rice (Still refining this tasty recipe! Use juice of 3 limes and no zest!)

M – Caprese Paninis and Broccoli Salad

T – Chicken Veracruz with Garlic and Spinach Rice

W – Penne and Asparagus

Th – Black Bean Quesadillas and/or Cuban Quesadillas (Reduced fat Swiss Cheese, Pickles and leftover Pork Chili Verde)

F - Pizza

What’s on your dinner menu this week?



Pinning and Planning – April 7

The first week back into routine after Spring Break seemed to go well.  The candy is mostly all gone, except for the nest of chocolate bunnies camping out in my pantry.

Hubby travels again this week , so there’s more simple, easy cook-ahead meals on the menu this week.  Plus, I have the Iron Girl Half Marathon this Sunday, therefore I’ll be eating a bit more protein this week in preparation for the race.

S – Garden Minestrone Soup

M – Black Bean Quinoa Mango Medley

T – Pork Chile Verde with Cilantro Rice ( Still refining this tasty recipe! Use juice of 3 limes and no zest!)

W – Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry with Brown Rice

Th – Chicken-Mushroom {and Spinach} Quesadillas

F – Leftovers

S- Pasta

Are planning meals packed with protein too this week?  What’s on your dinner menu?



Food Bloggers Against Hunger – Penne and Asparagus {Friday Food Fight}

FBAH LogoOn Monday, I will join over 200 food bloggers to bring attention to the 50 million Americans who go hungry every day.  This call to action was prompted by by The Giving Table and the documentary A Place at the Table, playing in theaters now and also available for download from iTunes and Amazon.

One in six Americans face food insecurity and “it is the highest recorded percentage of food insecure people since the USDA began tracking in 1995”. – Mazon

As part of my Food Blogger Against Hunger call to action, I went on a shopping trip to see what meals I could feed my family if we lived on government subsidies.  In my investigation, I learned that some healthy items are WIC, such as dried beans, tomatoes and brown rice.  I also realized the importance of really shopping around for the best deals on food, couponing and price matching.  Given that, here are some meals that could be prepared for under $4.

Black Beans and Rice

Mojo Marinade – Use frozen chicken breast shared in vlog.  Thaw chicken and pound out to ½inch thickness before marinating.

Lentils and Pasta

Linguini with Roasted Tomatoes and Arugula

Roasted Vegetables

In addition to this call to action, I’m sharing a new recipe for under $4 for this week’s Friday Food Fight.  In my investigative shopping adventure, I spotted deals to make this healthy meal affordable.  This penne and asparagus recipe consists of five main ingredients, including garlic not pictured.

Regular Barilla pasta was a Buy One, Get One Free deal at Publix this week.  Therefore, you could get two boxes of regular semolina pasta for $1.27 instead of box whole wheat for $1.19, if you wanted to stretch your dollar.

The eggs are a WIC item but if not purchased on WIC, you could buy the half dozen for $1.

Those ingredient would produce a similar healthy Penne and Asparagus dish for about $4.

Food Bloggers Against Hunger and Friday Food Fight
Print
Recipe type: Italian, Vegetarian
Cuisine: Pasta
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6
Adapted from Skinnytaste, penne and asparagus smothered in a creamy cheesy pasta sauce.
Ingredients
  • 1 lb thin asparagus
  • 1 lb Barilla Whole Grain Penne
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • Salt and fresh ground pepper
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 cup pasta water
  • ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
  1. Rinse asparagus. Trim ends of asparagus and then cut into 2” pieces. Bring 4 cups salted water to boil. Add asparagus and cook 3 minutes, until tender crisp. Drain asparagus.
  2. Cook penne as directed on box for al dente only a minute less. Reserve one cup of pasta water.
  3. As pasta boils, heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and cook until golden. Add asparagus, salt and pepper and sauté about 1-2 minutes, tossing with oil and garlic.
  4. In a small bowl, combine egg yolk, parmesan cheese, 1 cup reserved pasta water, salt and pepper. Whisk well.
  5. Drain penne and return to pot. Lower heat to a low heat and pour egg-cheese egg mixture over penne. Stir continuously to thicken sauce, about 2 minutes.
  6. Add asparagus and toss through penne. Add crushed red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Serve with additional grated parmesan.

Thank you for joining our Food Bloggers Against Hunger campaign and for linking up for this week’s Friday Food Fight.

PhotobucketFBAH Logo

*Also submitted at*

Pinning and Planning – March 31

Remember last week’s plan for a busy Spring Break week and healthy meals on the go? Well, let’s just say it was a good “plan”.  More than I would have preferred, we did a lot of dining out last week.  So this week, we’ll be back to business as usual with quick and healthy meals.  I just need to finish off the last of the Easter candy first.  And I need to do something with these colored hard boiled eggs.

For the next three weeks, hubby has a crazy traveling schedule.  He flies to NY this week, Arizona next week and California the following week.  Therefore, for my own sanity, dinners need to be simple and kid-approved this month.  Healthy easy meals with little prep work and little clean up would be sublime.

Speaking of sublime, the Tampa Bay Bloggers and I are getting a sneak peek sampling at Datz Dough this week.  Then on Saturday evening, the Tampa Bay Bloggers have been invited to tour Keel and Curley Winery.  What did I say about quick and healthy meals?

Datz tweeted a great quote to me the other day.

DatzTweet_OscarWilde

I’ll drink some Keel and Curley blueberry wine to that!

Here’s our dinner menu plan for the week:

S – Easter Sunday

M – Skinnytaste’s Pasta with Asparagus

T – Avocado Egg Salad Sandwiches and Cream of Tomato Soup (Joy of Cooking Recipe, not the can)

W – Ground Turkey Chili

Th – Datz Dough and draft beer for dinner  ;-)

F – Pizza

S - Keel and Curley Winery and Tour and Tasting

What food will you be enjoying in moderation? Are you starting April as a unhealthy fool or on the right healthy foot?  Link up and share the meals you are pinning and planning this week.



Pinning and Planning – March 24

Spring break has sprung!  The family and I have a week filled with fun, which means healthy meals on the run.  However, timing dinner with the time we arrive home may be difficult or we may be tired to cook dinner after a long day at Busch Gardens.  So, we’ll need to keep the dinners simple.

I don’t know how simple this is to plan, but these plastic eggs filled lunch and snacks on the go look like a fun idea for the kids!  Maybe I can sneak these into Busch Gardens?  They would never suspect lunch inside plastic eggs!

Sunday we’re planning a family get together and cook-out.  Iron chef Allan has mastered the Bobby Flay way to grill a whole chicken, which is a beautiful beast.   By grilling the chicken this way, it cooks evenly and produces a gorgeous, crispy crust.  Basically, you remove the backbone of the whole chicken and then butterfly it.  Here’s a video where Bobby Flay demonstrates his butterfly no-backbone grilled chicken method.

Easter is this Sunday and Iron Chef Allan and I haven’t even planned the meal yet. We love lamb on Easter, so that will probably be the main course.  Then, for side dishes, it will probably be the usual sides such as mashed potatoes, creamed spinach and a large salad.  Traditional foods aren’t the healthiest  but they are comforting and a welcomed break and cheat from healthy eating.

Speaking of cheats, I also need to plan some kind of dessert for the kids.  My oldest daughter loves to help plan and create new dessert ideas.  She had talked about a cupcake Easter basket and then I stumbled upon this Easter basket cupcake with Peeps.  Anything with Peeps is a hit in this house!  There’s also this chick cupcake which is also cute.

Enough about the sweets!  Here’s our dinner menu for the week.  It looks like I thought anything with a tortilla-wrap-sort of meal would keep things simple this week.

S – BBQ Butterfly Grilled Whole Chicken with Mashed Cauliflower and Low Fat Coleslaw

M – Skinnytaste’s Pasta with Asparagus

T – Grilled Jerk Chicken Wraps with Mango Salsa

W – Banging Baked Fish Tacos with (leftover) Low Fat Coleslaw

Th – Chicken-Mushroom {and Spinach} Quesadillas

F – Pizza

S – Grilled Lamb with Creamed Spinach and Mashed Potatoes

Are your kids on Spring Break?  What types of meals do you plan when the kids are home? What ‘s on your Easter menu?



Pinning and Planning – March 10

It’s another crazy busy week for this mom on the run.  I have two nights out this week for blogging related events and a third night I will spend at Chrissy’s sister’s house in Parish for the Sarasota Half Marathon.  That means Iron Chef Allan will have to fend for himself and feed the kids a few nights this week, although I decided to be nice and prepare a baked ziti.  The other nights, I foresee Dad making breakfast for dinner.

Publix has tons of meats on this sale this week with Murphy’s and David’s corned beef brisket being one of them.  As much as Allan loves corned beef, we only eat it once a year.  It’s our little St Patrick’s Day splurge.   After running a half marathon on St. Patrick’s Day, I think I would have earned my St. Patrick’s Day corned beef dinner and green beer a good Irish stout.

Here’s our dinner menu for the week.

S – Mojo Roasted Chicken with Tomato Zucchini Orzo

M – Lentils and Pasta

T – Baked Ziti

W – Pork Chile Verde with Cilantro Rice (Recipe note: Use juice of 3 limes and 1 tsp zest)

Th – Breakfast for dinner

F – Pizza

S – Pasta

S- Corned Beef with Cabbage and Boiled Garlic Butter Red Potatoes

Is corned beef your St. Patrick’s Day splurge too?  What’s on the menu for you this week?  Any new recipes?



Pinning and Planning – March 3

I’m feeling really icky.  I think it’s my allergies, but all I want to eat is soup and stay in bed.  I have a very busy week with my second half marathon of the year this Saturday, so I guess it’s good that my body only wants to rest.  I really hope I feel up to the race this Saturday.

Chicken and tilapia are on sale this week at Publix.     Plus there’s a $5 off $40 Publix coupon in the Sunday paper.  I may buy an extra Sunday paper just to save a few extra dollars of this week’s groceries.

There’s also a $4 off coupon in the Publix health savings flyer, a Target $2 off coupon online and another $10 off manufacturer coupon in the Sunday paper today.  With all the sniffling I’m doing, I’m definitely stocking up on my Zyrtec!

Yep, it’s lot’s of chicken soup and Zyrtec for me this week.

Here’s our dinner menu for the week.

S – Chicken Pot Pie Soup with drop biscuits

M – Honey Lime Zucchini Quesadillas

T – Tilapia with Lemon Peppercorn Sauce with Couscous and Steamed Broccoli

W – Chicken and Chorizo Paella

Th – Chicken Parmesan (I may baked these cutlets.) with Pasta

F – Pizza

Any new recipes on your menu? 

Link up and share the delicious dishes you are pinning and planning to serve this week.



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