Dash and Dine- Food to Fuel Your Workout

It has been a couple crazy weeks! Again! Isn't that just how life goes! I have been out of work since June and the past couple weeks I have been seriously hitting the pavement- on the job hunt as well as in my workouts!

I found a local group that goes running three times a week and I have joined in to meet some new people as well as add to my long distance bicycle training by running as my cross training exercise. I greatly improved my time from last week this evening-yay! Last week I booked 3 miles in 40 min- 13.3 min mile and this week I did it in 30 min! Hopefully I can keep it up and not be at the back of the pack trying to keep everyone else in my sight! (They're fast!!  :)

Anyhow I have a couple recipes that I have been meaning to share all ready and waiting so here they are! I hope you enjoy them as much as I did and if you are struggling to stay inspired in your workout, try changing things up a bit! Do some different classes or exercises- magazines are great for this! Self, and Health magazine both have excellent exercise inserts that I love to photocopy and take with me to the gym- if not the magazine itself!! I also LOVE pintrest- there are some awesomely inspirational pics! I have yet to figure out how to get my pintrest button for the blog to work... (grr) but it does exist!! So check it out! Please? One of my favorite sayings on there is "Sweat is liquid Awesome!"

Peach Chia Porridge 

3 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 C almond milk
1 tbsp agave
1 pkt stevia (opt)
1/2 tsp non alcoholic vanilla (opt)
1 peach
1/4 C raw almonds
dash of cinnamon

Cut peach into bite size pieces and place in bowl. Top with almonds. In separate bowl place chia, almond milk, agave, stevia, and vanilla. Mix well and allow to sit for 15 minutes stirring occasionally. When chia pudding becomes pudding texture- one may need to add more milk depending on the consistency one prefers- pour half over peaches and almonds and stir to coat, then pour remaining pudding on top. Enjoy!! This breakfast is super filling and full of fiber and protein to get the day started on a good footing! If you don't have a peach feel free to use another fruit in it's place such as a pear or berries!

Peachy Orange Shake

1 banana
1 1/2 C frozen peaches
1 scoop protein powder
4 pkts stevia
2 drops sweet orange essential oil
1/2 tbsp white miso
2 tsp maca powder
1/4-1/2 C almond milk
4-6 ice cubes (as desired)

Place all ingredients in blender in order listed (so the powders don't get stuck at the bottom) and blend until smooth and serve!

Raw Taco Tomato Soup

1 cups diced tomato
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp reduced sodium taco seasoning
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp white miso
1/2 C almond milk
1/2 C water



Dice tomatoes and place all ingredients in blender- tomatoes on bottom! And blend until smooth. This healthy soup will kick that taco craving without too much fuss or messing up your diet!

Lemon Rawnana Ice Cream 2.0

I have made raw lemon ice cream from bananas in the past but this time I used the salted caramel ice cream recipe and added lemon juice and topped it with unsweetened shredded coconut! OMgoodness!! What a great healthy treat!!!

1 1/2 frozen bananas sliced
2 tsp maca powder
2 pkts stevia
1 tbsp white miso 
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut

Place sliced bananas in food processor and add each ingredient except the coconut. Mix until smooth, pushing down as needed. Scoop smooth ice cream into bowl and top with shredded coconut! Umm Umm, Delish!!! Lemon is so yummy!!!

I hope everyone has a great rest of the week/weekend!! If you have other ways for getting inspiration please share in the comments!

Salted Caramel Delights

I have read about lucuma powder for many raw recipes, especially deserts and I finally got my hands on a bag of it by Navitas Naturals and it is great! It is a sweet powder made from Peruvian lucuma fruit. It runs about $12 a bag but Vitacost has it for $10. I don't know about you but I love trying new ingredients to see how they will effect the recipes I already use on a regular basis, sometimes you get a fabulous result as I did with the recipes below!

 "This low-glycemic sweetener contains many nutrients including
beta-carotene, iron, zinc, vitamin B3, calcium and protein. Yellow lucuma powder has a unique, maple-like taste that’s a delight in a variety of recipes."

http://navitasnaturals.com/product/455/Lucuma-Powder.html

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

1 1/2 frozen bananas

2 tsp lucuma powder

2 tsp white miso

1 pkt stevia

dash of almond milk

Place ingredients into food processor or vitamix, in order listed and process until smooth and creamy. Suggested pairings, are chocolate, peaches, strawberries, and almonds. I unfortunately had raspberries with mine and the raspberries overwhelmed the sweet saltiness of the ice cream.

Chocolate Salted Caramel Shake

1 banana

1 scoop protein powder

2 tsp lucuma powder

2 tsp white miso

1.5 tbsp cocoa powder

3 pkts stevia

1/2 C unsweetened almond milk

6 ice cubes

I normally like my shakes to be really thick, akin to Wendy's frosties, but healthy. This recipe came out a little thin so if you desire a thicker shake, add a frozen banana and an additional ice cube or two as needed.

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I did and I hope that you too will invest in something a bit different to expand your tasting pleasure! Have a great week!!

Fat Burning Smoothies

Who doesn't want to burn fat, I know I do! I recently got a big container of white miso- gotta love those Asian markets!!! Miso is fermented paste made from rye, beans, rice, or barley and it is in the savory category of flavors. It comes in several different colors ranging from white to red, each getting stronger in flavor the darker you go in color. I personally prefer white because it is savory but not overpowering as I find the red to be. Miso is a great source of protein, vitamin B12, manganese, zinc, and copper. As a fermented food, it is rich in probiotics to help balance the gut and lose weight. Miso makes great broth for soup (just add water), a great condiment on sandwiches (just a light layer), and in smoothies adds a depth of flavor with a touch of saltiness.

Chocolate Caramel Protein Shake

3 frozen banana halves, sliced
1 scoop protein powder
4 pkts stevia
1 tsp maca powder
2 tsp white miso
2 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 C almond milk
6-7 ice cubes

Blend and add coconut chocolate, blend to make small chuncks, and serve.

Mango Tahini Weight Loss Shake 

1 1/2 C frozen mango
1 banana
1.5 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice or 1/2 a lemon
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/8 tsp tumeric
1 tbsp coconut oil
2-4 stevia packets, depending on taste
1 tbsp tahini
3/4 C green tea
1 scoop protein powder

Place ingredients in blender with fruit at the bottom. Blend until smooth and enjoy!




Miso can also be used in salad dressings. The following recipes are from Amy Phyo's book, 15 Day Fat Blast. 

Cucumber Miso Dressing

Makes 1 C

1 C cucumber, diced, about 1 small
2 tbsp miso
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp evoo
2 tbsp a.c. vinegar

optional ingredients: 1 tbsp nutritional yeast and 1 tbsp dulse flakes

To make dressing, whisk together all dressing ingredients in a a small bowl.

To serve, pour as much dressing as desired onto salad and toss until it is well coated, top with nutritional yeast and dulse flakes, if desired.

Coconut Miso Vinaigrette

2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp miso
1 tbsp a.c. vinegar

To make dressing ,mix ingredients together in a  small bowl using a for or spoon. Dressing will keep in fridge, so warn the dressing to room temperature before  using by placing in a bowl of hot water.

Dill Vinaigrette

makes about 1/4 C

1 tbsp a.c. vinegar
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
1 tsp miso
1/4 tsp lemon zest

To make dressing whisk together vinegar, coconut oil, dill, miso and zest. to serve toss salad with dressing black pepper and nutritional yeast if using. Vinaigrette will keep for a week or longer in airtight container stored in the fridge.

Cool Slim Treats

My husband and I took a movie to the park to watch on his new laptop this afternoon. His battery is AMAZING! Mine had gotten to the point where it will go maybe 5 minutes before it gives a warning and goes to sleep! It was so nice to get out of the house and relax! But after a while boy did it get hot when the sun shifted and we started baking! I have some super convenient and delicious frozen treats that are a healthy and slimming alternative to traditional ones to keep you cool and feeling fabulous!

Berry-licious!

This heavenly sweet treat is created from nature's bounty that has been frozen or in the above picture mostly frozen. In the bowl above are the following fruits: peach on bottom, frozen blueberries, and raspberries on top (who can resist a good raspberry sale!? Not me!!) Drizzle with agave or honey and cream- I prefer almond milk cream as it is lower in calories but whatever your fancy it will still make your frozen fruit into an ice cream dream. -note-- Frozen grapes are amazing. They are a great substitute for any sort of sugar you may put in smoothies in addition to making it all frozen creaminess.

Super Green Mint Chocolate Drizzle Banana Ice Cream

Long name for a super healthy version of mint chocolate chip ice cream. This recipe is very similar to a shake that I make all the time-- soo good!!

1 1/2 frozen bananas, sliced
1 tsp wheatgrass powder
3 pkts stevia
dash of agave
3 drops peppermint oil /extract

Place all ingredients, in order, into a small food processor or vitamix blender and process until smooth. Drizzle with chocolate sauce-- yum!!!

Chocolate sauce
2 heaping teaspoonfuls cocoa powder
1 pkt stevia or squirt of agave
2-3 tbsp coconut oil melted
Mix together. Taa Da!

Thanks for reading and keep cool!

I Can Can Can!!!

The past two weeks have been filled with harvesting yummy veggies, making tasty salsas and canning them until I have nothing left! I have canned 3 and a half cases. Mostly salsa but also some pickles and peach butter! I made three different types of salsa. Two from the book... and the third and peach and tomato salsa from a fellow blogger, Heather of A Handmade Life.

Tomato Peach Salsa

3 1/2 pounds ripe, Roma tomatoes (blanch, peel, and chop)
1 1/2 pounds peaches  (peeled and chopped)
3 large bell type peppers
several hot type peppers (maybe 6 jalapeno type then add more depending on your taste)
1-2 large onions

fresh crushed garlic (1 head is nice but can use less)

1 small can tomato paste

3/4 cup white vinegar

1 tbsp coarse salt

2 tsp paprika (optional)

Put all ingredients in large pot.  Bring to boil uncovered and then turn down heat and simmer for 1 hour.  Keep an eye on it and stir every so often otherwise it can burn on the bottom as it thickens.  Then process in sterilized canning jars.  I use the hot water bath method and process 10 minutes for pint jars.

http://ahandmadelife.blogspot.com/2010/09/tomato-peach-salsa.html

The recipes that I used for the other two salsas came from the book Small Batch Preserving by Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard.

Basic Chucky Tomato Salsa 

pg. 188

4 medium tomatoes

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 sweet green pepper, chopped

1-4 jalapeno peppers, halved, seeded and chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 C tomato sauce

1/2 C red wine vinegar

1/2 C chopped fresh parsley

2 tsp granulated sugar

1/2 tsp pickling salt

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1. Combine tomatoes, onion, green pepper, jalapeno peppers, garlic, tomato sauce, vinegar, parsley, sugar, salt and cumin in a medium stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat and boil gently, uncovered for 25 minutes or until desired consistency, stirring frequently.

2. Remove hot jars from canner and ladle salsa into jars to within 1/2 inch of rim (head space). Process 20 minutes for half-pint and pint jars as directed on page 133 (Longer Time Processing Procedure).

Makes 2 1/2 cups.

I tripled this recipe and ended up making three stock pots worth! My husband LOVES it!

Peach Mint Salsa

pg.197

2 Cups chopped peaches

1/4 C finely chopped red onion

1/4 C finely chopped sweet green pepper

1 tbsp finely chopped jalapeno pepper

2 tbsp liquid honey

1/4 tsp pickling salt

grated rind and juice of one lime

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint

1. Combine peaches, onion, peppers, honey, salt, lime rind and juice in a medium stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat and boil gently, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Stir in mint and cook for 1 minute.

3. Remove hot jars form canner and ladle salsa into jars to within 1/2 inch of rim (head space). Process 10 minutes for half-pint or pint jars as directed on page 133 (Longer Time Processing Procedure).

Makes 2 cups.

I quadrupled this batch and after letting it simmer for a bit, added some sugar as it was really tart.

I also used the recipe for making dill pickles and peach butter. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to can any of their garden produce.

An Indiana August

Hey Everyone! I hope you are having a great Tuesday!! August as we all know- well all of us in the midwest USA- know that it is usually blazing hot! This month has turned out to be surprisingly mild and sunny!! We have only had a couple days reach in the upper 80's! The great thing is that since it isn't topping out at 100 like last year my garden is flourishing!!! I have so many extra veggies that I am selling some of them and I am going to get some ball canning jars soon and make pasta sauce and salsa! Yummy!!





My husband and I went to the Indiana State Fair for the first time last Tuesday. I was really looking forward to seeing the Giant Popcorn Ball that weighed in at 2500 lbs! While large, it wasn't quite as large as I had imagined a 2500 lb popcorn ball would be- but it was still pretty big!

I also want to recommend- for those of you participating in or just reading on your own- a great book that I just finished reading for book club this month. It is called So Cold the River by Michael Koryta. It is REALLY good! It holds one's attention and has a slight creepy aspect to it! Perfect for the early fall late summer season!



I created a desert/meal that is filling, light, sweet and delicious!

Blueberry Lemonade Banana Ice Cream

Ice Cream
1 1/2 frozen bananas sliced (please freeze with out peel!)2 pkts stevia1-2 tbsp agave1 heaping tsp protein powder (optional)handful of frozen blueberries (about 1/4 C)3-4 drops lemon extract or 1 tbsp lemon juicecoconut milk to blend

Chocolate sauce2 heaping teaspoonfuls cocoa powder
1 pkt stevia or squirt of agave
2-3 tbsp coconut oil melted
Mix together. Taa Da!

Place all of the above ingredients (for ice cream) in food processor in order listed and process until smooth.  In separate bowl place a handful of frozen blueberries and drizzle with coconut chocolate sauce. Scoop out ice cream on top of blueberries and drizzle with chocolate sauce and sprinkle with raw flaked coconut (optional). You can also top with raw nuts if you so desire- such as sliced almonds...mmmm sounds good!  Should have topped mine with sliced almonds!!

Make it a Kool Summer

I don't know how everyone else deals with the heat- but nothing beats a dip in a cool swimming pool or a scoop of ice cream. The past few days I have been creating "kool" dishes to help balance out the hot weather that incorporate the amazing summer bounty that my garden (and hopefully yours too!) has produced :D Yay for garden veggies!!!

I currently have a bowl full of tomatoes- mostly cherry- that have ripened so far- and I am going to have about a million more before August is over, so I figured I better come up with some really good tomato based dinners! So here is the amazingly delicious recipe that I came up with to keep it "kool" after a hot day!

Peach Tomato Gazpacho

1 C cherry tomatoes- halved
3/4 of 1 peach- set aside remaining quarter
1/2  of 1 lemon juiced- 1-2 tbsp
1 tbsp white miso
3/4 of a green onion- set aside remainder
3/4 C almond milk
1/4 tsp raw honey
1/8 tsp cardamom

Place all ingredients- except for the bits indicated to be set aside- into a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into bowl. Slice the remaining quarter of peach, fan it and place on the edge of the bowl. Place remaining green onion around fanned peach. Serve and enjoy!




Another super easy dish that is light and cool is a fruit salad topped with chocolate! YUM!!

Fruit Salad Delight

1 Peach chopped
1/2  of 1 banana- sliced
1/2 C blueberries
5-6 strawberries- hulled and quartered
sprinkle with organic shredded coconut
drizzle with chocolate sauce
top with slivered almonds- optional (tastes great! I did this after I had taken the pictures and eaten half!)

Chocolate sauce

1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 pkt stevia
2.5 tbsp coconut oil

Place these three ingredients into a small glass or plastic 1/2 C container. Fill a separate bowl with a little hot water and place small bowl inside it and mix together with a spoon until smooth. It doesn't take a lot of heat to melt coconut oil. You can do it this way or heat the oil to liquid under the hot water faucet.

Both of these dishes are full of simple sugars and nutrients to keep your body working. The miso adds a savory flavor to the soup- don't skip it! Especially because it helps your body to break down fat! The coconut oil in the fruit salad will help keep you full and burning stored fat as well! Who could ask for a better combination! Fat burning chocolate and a super easy garden fresh tomato soup!! I hope you enjoy both! Thanks for reading and have a great summer!