Code Recipes21

While grocery shopping the other day, I had a craving for stuffed mushrooms.  When I used to make them, I would make a mixture of sauteed onions, chopped mushrooms, garlic (in oil or butter) and then added to boursin cheese and bread crumbs.  They were amazing.  However, not too figure-friendly.

For tonight's meal, I opted for a guilt-free version.

Ingredients:
6 large mushrooms for stuffing, cleaned and stems removed
1 medium sweet potato, peeled & chopped
1/2 white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
fresh thyme & rosemary, chopped
organic vegetable broth
extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 450.  Add sweet potatoes, onion, garlic & herbs to roasting pan and spritz with evoo.  Roast until cooked through and slightly browned. During roasting, add mushrooms in separate pan and roast for about 10 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Add all veggies (except mushrooms) to blender or food processor and add veggie broth (use 1/4 cup at a time) and pulse until desired consistency.  Add this mixture to the mushroom caps and put back into oven for about 10 minutes.  That's it!

This is the veggies after being roasted @ 450 for about 20 minutes

This is what the mushrooms looked like after 10 minutes of pre-baking

The finished mushrooms - YUM!

I served the mushrooms with a small salad of sprouts, tomatoes and peppers.

For my dessert on Thanksgiving, I made Shakeology mini-pies.  I cheated a little with the crust, but for 100 calories, I wasn't overly concerned.

I used 4 Keebler mini graham crusts
3/4 scoop Chocolate Shakeology
1/2 pkg (6 oz.) Light Silken Tofu
3 Tbsp natural Peanut Butter
few tbsp Almond Breeze
2 tbsp agave
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
pumpkin pie spice
cinnamon

I blended everything in my Ninja until it was smooth, then I poured it into the pie crusts.  I let it sit in the fridge all day.  They were very good but tasted more like chocolate peanut butter (couldn't really taste the pumpkin at all).  I had one and froze the other three wrapped in parchment as they didn't really firm up in the fridge.

Either way, this was super yummy!  And I liked that it was a healthier option for dessert.  :o)

The Usual Suspects (i.e. ingredients)

Before mixing - looks, uh, interesting!

Voila!  :o)

Just for kicks, here's the pecan pie I made for Josh ~ before baking.

This Thanksgiving was an interesting one for me.  This was the 4th Thanksgiving that we have spent here in Maryland, away from our families, and although I kind of liked having such a relaxed and laid back Thanksgiving those other three years, this year I found myself missing family & friends in Connecticut.  Growing up, Thanksgiving was one of my favorite holidays.  I can remember back to when I was very young - our family crammed into my grandmother's small kitchen on Standish Street in Hartford.  Wow - it was so LOUD in there.  But those were the best meals.  There were stories, laughter, and a feeling of comfort, always.  When our family grew too large for Mama's kitchen, we branched out to Aunt Nancy's house.  Those were some really fun and memorable Thanksgivings.  It seemed every year someone else had a baby and the family just grew and grew and grew.  In the past 15 years (longer, actually) since I have been with Josh, we would visit each of our families - sometimes having dinner at one and visiting the other...or, yes, having dinner at both families' gatherings.  I remember the first year I hosted and had Josh's family over.  It was a sad day because his grandfather had just passed away, but yet we all got together to remember Gramps and to be in the comfort of one another.  I was terrified that year.  I had never cooked a turkey before.  Everything out fantastic though.  I digress...

My point there was that every year, for as long as I could remember - until 2007, we spent every Thanksgiving surrounded my family, making memories while remembering years past.  This year, I missed that.  I missed sharing stories while my girls could run around and play with their cousins and make their own memories.

Even though I felt that pang of sadness and regret, I still spent all day in my kitchen preparing our Thanksgiving dinner.  This year, our meal was a little different than what I would normally make on Thanksgiving.  For starters, this is the first year I did not eat turkey.  Earlier this year I made a commitment (much to some people's surprise) to stop eating meat.  I was not sure if it would be difficult for me to smell the turkey, and see it (fully cooked).  I wasn't sure if I would want to have some after it came out of the oven.  But, as Josh carved it (first time ever for him, by the way), I found that I really didn't want it at all.  I thought about the reasons I made that commitment...and I felt very content with the extra dishes I made for myself.

Here's what I served:
*Turkey (stuffed with oranges & onions for flavor)
*Mashed Potatoes (the real deal - butter, garlic & cheese added)
*Stuffing (my version!)
*Southern Green Bean Casserole (so good, but not at all healthy, even with my lightened up ingredients)
*Mushroom Shepard's Pie (for me!)
*Sweet Potato Biscuits
*Gravy (turkey gravy for Josh and red wine reduction for me)
*Pecan Pie for Josh
*Chocolate, peanut butter, pumpkin Shakeology mini-pies for me


Just a few recipes to share...


Mushroom Shepard's Pie:
I winged it on this one.  Really, I just sauteed (in evoo) sliced white button, baby bella & shitaki mushrooms with sliced onions.  I added fresh chopped sage, thyme & rosemary to that.  I tossed that with a little bit of freshly grated Asiago cheese and added a layer to a small casserole dish.  I added a layer of mashed potatoes, then another layer of the mushrooms followed by a thin top layer of mashed potatoes.  Because the mashed potatoes were already cooked, I only had to heat this casserole through on 400 for a little while.
1 whole banana, cold
1 whole sweet potato, mashed
also, I needed a splash of almond milk to get to the right consistency

Cook sweet potato and remove skin.  Mash and set aside.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment.  Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar & cinnamon together in food processor and pulse a few times to distribute.  Add banana and pulse/run food processor until a dough forms (about 45 seconds).  Put dough into a mixing bowl and add sweet potato.  Use hands to mix gently, then form into 7 biscuits.  Bake 5-10 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean - err on the shorter side, and put back in if need be.





I sauteed the onion, celery & mushrooms in evoo, then added it to a large mixing bowl with the cubed bread and grains mix.  I added the apricots & almonds and poultry seasoning (I didn't measure that).  I also added garlic pepper.  I added enough vegetable broth to get the stuffing to the right consistency and tossed it in the oven.

Having trouble with formatting - thanks for bearing with me!  :o)

Is it possible to be Fit & Healthy without being skinny/thin/lean/tight?  In one word - ABSOLUTELY!

I look at myself and I know I am more fit and healthier than I have been in many years - maybe ever.  I love that about myself.  I am strong, I have endurance, I possess the strength to do things I couldn't do 2 years ago.  But - I am not skinny.  I have curves - and some parts are more curvy than others.  I am okay with that!  It took me a very, VERY long time to be okay with that.  And, I will confess, I still have days where I am not 100% okay with that because I would like to lose some fat and tone up several areas.  I would like feel less jiggle when I am working out.  But, I do my best not to let those thoughts get me down.  I have learned that when I focus on these feelings of dissatisfaction, I tend to feel overwhelmed and frustrated, which then leads to overeating, making poor food decisions, and skipping workouts.  Funny how that happens - you'd think it might make me work harder and make better choices, but, well...that's just the way my brain works.

I've learned that focusing on the positive, leaning on friends for support, pulling motivation and inspiration from wherever I can (pictures, articles, Facebook posts, blogs, quotes, etc) has helped me to remain in the positive and work towards staying away from the negative.

For those of you who are not yet where you want to be physically - or in terms of your nutrition - and if you feel badly about that sometimes, then consider this.  Stop for a moment.  Look back to last year or the year before.  Compare how you are feeling now to how you felt then.  Do you have more energy?  Are you stronger?  Were you able to stop using any medications (cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, aspirin, headache medication, etc)?  Are you making better choices when you go out to eat or when in the grocery store?  Do you read product labels to try and avoid things like High Fructose Corn Syrup or Saturated Fats?

If you said yes to any of those questions above, then tell yourself that you have made great strides since you started making these changes.  Pat yourself on the back.  Send me a message and I will tell you how awesome you are doing.  Give yourself credit for how far you have already come - as opposed to looking off too far in the distance at what you are still trying to attain.

Sometimes we need to remember to celebrate our successes instead of feeling frustrated with what we ultimately want.  This is a journey - it's always a journey - and many times, there's no destination.  There's just a check-in point, with another leg of the race to complete.  Celebrate your successes!!

This post today is as much for me as it is for anyone else who needs a reminder that once we start taking small steps towards a healthier lifestyle, we can look back and KNOW that we are more Fit & Healthy than we were at some point in the past.  We have overcome a hurdle (or several).  Even if there's still a long road ahead of us...we'll keep heading in that direction, because what good will come of us turning back?

• 5 carrots - sliced
• 4 stalks of celery - diced
• tiny white potatoes
• edamame - shelled
• yellow pepper - diced
• 1/2 onion - diced
• fresh thyme
• plus the items listed below...

I love this!  ♥


TH- 

You have heard me talk about Shakeology...I have been using it since March.  I love it - it's THAT good.  I can't see myself canceling my monthly home direct order any time soon.

Below is a link to a video showing where the ingredients come from - how pure they are - and how much research has gone into making this supplement so healthy.  Shakeology is rapidly becoming more widely known & recognized.

If you would like a sample, please email me at coachdebim@beachbodycoach.com.

Shakeology - From the Fields:
http://beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/coachdebim?bctid=632106888001

• ~ The Coach Business Kit/Registration is now FREE as of 10/16/10 – that’s $39.95 savings!
• ~ You will receive 25% discount on your workout programs, supplements and Shakeology (many people sign up as a coach just to receive these discounts, especially on the supplements or Shakeology that they buy each month – in fact, that’s why I originally signed up – for my Shakeology discount – it is cheaper for me to be a coach and buy Shakeology than it is for me as a Beachbody customer...so to anyone who receives Shakeology on Home Direct, you really should consider this opportunity - it will SAVE you money each month!)
• ~ You can easily become a product of the product – get yourself in the best shape of your life both in terms of fitness and nutrition and help others reach their goals as well.  This is what I have done in the past year!
• ~ Bring in supplemental income while you are getting fit!  You receive 25% commission on any programs or supplements that you sell through you coach office, and you can qualify for team bonuses and free customer leads!  Many coaches are creating full time careers with their business.  You can put in as many hours per week as you’d like.
• ~ Receive support, motivation, inspiration and team unity - our team is on FIRE!
• ~ Business will be BOOMING in January when people are all looking for something to get them started on their New Year’s resolutions.  What’s the most popular resolution we see each year?  To lose weight, get in shape, become more healthy.  Can you imagine the opportunity you could have to make money as a coach by offering these incredible workout programs, supplements & Shakeology to your friends, family, and anyone else you meet along the way if you are set up and in place before January?
• ~ You will receive the program & supplement discounts I mentioned above as well as receiving 2 websites (your Beachbody coaching site and your Shakeology site), your Beachbody email account, the coach back office with TONS of learning and business building applications & strategies, access to current and prior conference calls and webinars.  Our team has a weekly conference call in addition to the weekly national call (which is always super motivational)
• ~ You can cancel at ANY time – with no penalty or fees.  You are not locked into any contract.
• ~ You do not need to buy anything to start your business – there’s no “start up kit” or group of products that you have to purchase 
• And the best incentive, yes I mentioned it above…Beachbody is waiving the $39.95 coach registration fee from now through December 31st.  This is the first time they have done this!

• 2 packets of Shakeology (one chocolate, one greenberry)
• 2 P90X Protein bars
• A Decide DVD (which you would show to any prospective coaches that you might sign)
• A Solutions DVD (this highlights transformations and the workout programs - a really great 9 minute DVD)
• A Shakeology DVD
• A printed list of Shakeology recipes that I have compiled (not pictured)
• A Beachbody Product Guide
  

Thursday:
B - Rolled oats w/1T dried cherries, 1T dried blueberries, 2tsp chopped pecans
S - Larabar mini (cashew cookie)
L - chocolate Shakeology w/almond breeze, 1/2 banana cocoa powder & PB2
D - dinner salad w/1T Newman's light Italian dressing; leftover tofu veggie lettuce wraps, broccoli & sugar snap peas
S - 2 slices cinnamon raisin Ezekiel bread with 1T natural PB

Friday:
B - rolled oats w/2T golden raisins, 2tsp chopped pecans
S - Raw Revolution bar - mini (chocolate & cashew)
L - chocolate Shakeology w/almond breeze, 1/2 banana cocoa powder & PB2
D - dinner salad w/1T Newman's light Italian dressing; Shirataki noodle bake w/vegan "cheese"
S - Raw Revolution raisin & chocolate bar

Saturday:
B - rolled oats w/1T dried cherries, 1T dried blueberries, 1T chopped almonds
S - Raw Revolution Tropical Mango bar (SO good!!)
L - chocolate Shakeology w/almond breeze, 1/2 banana cocoa powder & PB2
D - dinner salad w/1T Eating Right yogurt ranch dressing; grilled shrimp, 1 slice marathon bread with 1/2T Smart Balance light w/flax
S - Raw Revolution raisin & chocolate bar


Sunday:
B - Rolled oats w/3T golden raisins & pecans
S - Raw Revolution cashew & agave mini bar
L - chocolate Shakeology w/almond breeze, 1/2 banana & 2tsp cocoa powder
D - 1c butternut squash & silken tofu soup; 1 slice marathon bread with 1/2T Smart Balance light w/flax,  dinner salad w/1T Eating Right yogurt ranch dressing
S - Shakeology pudding

Monday:
B - Rolled oats w/1T dried cherries, 1T dried blueberries, 2tsp chopped pecans
S - Kind bar (Fruit & Nut)
L - chocolate Shakeology with Almond Breeze, 2 tsp cocoa powder & 1T cacao nibs (okay, chocolate overload!)
D - dinner salad, 1c butternut squash & silken tofu soup; 1 slice marathon bread, dinner salad w/1T Newman's light italian dressing
S - Shakeology pudding and Larabar mini (cashew cookie)

• I am making time each day to focus a bit on personal development by reading or listening to some inspirational words
• I am reminding myself that every decision I make - no matter how insignificant it seems - DOES matter.  It might not seem like it matters right now, but in the big picture, it totally does.  Each small positive decision I make - hundreds a day - will help me to reach the goals I am setting for myself down the road.
• I am committing to a 30 day challenge - focusing on clean, vegetarian eating
• I will remain in touch with my accountability partners and will check in often
• I will use my Bodybugg and track everything daily
• I will not let stress/frustration/irritability hold me down - it's time to learn to rise above and keep my head held high...and move forward with positivity
  
  
  

There you have it!  This month, I have Decided.  I will now Commit.  And I WILL Succeed.  :o)

*Please note: There will be 2 winners: one for Shakeology orders and one for workout program orders, as listed above. Winning names will be by random drawing by none other than Miss Alexis Leigh and Miss Ashelyn B on Tuesday, September 7th. Please note - contest prizes will be shipped 31 days from order date, please don't hesitate to ask me why.

Discipline. What does that word mean to you? If you look in a dictionary, you'll see several definitions. My favorite, and the one that holds true to me is: "activity, exercise, or a regimen that develops or improves a skill".

I have become more disciplined since last summer when I first started my fitness journey. When I began P90X in June 2009, I was out of shape, over weight, tired, and I did not have the energy that I needed to be active with my girls. During my 90 days, I learned much about discipline. I made a point to workout almost every day. I pushed play. That alone takes discipline. I still did lose sight of that a bit over the holidays last year when I relaxed and only did portions of the program here and there. I found that I started lacking discipline again during that time.

In early January 2010, I realized I needed to get back on track. I began P90X again, routinely, and worked my way closer to where I was last summer. At the beginning of this summer, I was feeling a little burnt out. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE P90X. Tony Horton is amazing and his program ROCKS. I was just ready to do something a little different. When Beachbody announced their new program - TurboFire - I quickly jumped on the bandwagon of coaches who were eagerly anticipating its release. I bought it literally AS SOON as it hit our online stores, and I expedited delivery. I could not wait to try Chalene's new program!

Just as I suspected, I LOVED IT! Because I was worried about losing some of my muscle definition, I still did some P90X strength workouts in addition to TurboFire. However, I had been pining for ChaLEAN Extreme for quite some time, so my mother - I adore her - purchased ChaLEAN for me after hearing me talk about it constantly. Since then, I have been doing my ChaLEAN and TurboFire hybrid.

My alarm goes off at 4:45 most mornings. It's the perfect time to focus on just ME!! That, my friends, also takes some discipline. I have conditioned my body to get used to the early wake up time (most days) and I make the best of each workout before anyone else is in the house gets up.

Here's a short video regarding discipline, put together by Chalene Johnson. She's an incredible inspiration to me. Enjoy! :o)

Am I a little crazy?  Perhaps!  Silly?  Yes, sometimes.  But will this help me to reach my goals and remain accountable this month?  YOU BET!  And, now that I have shared this with anyone who happens to read my blog, I will look like a complete hypocrite if I don't follow through.  So, there you have it folks.  Yes I am a Beachbody Coach...a pretty GOOD one...but, I need to remain accountable and motivated too.  Keep checking in on me for the next two months...and I will report back at least once a week to share my successes and my struggles.  :o)

Leftovers!  Fiery Mango Mahi Mahi ala fish taco style, marinated bean & corn salad, endive with sliced beets and feta cheese.  Basically I took 2 light, whole wheat tortillas from Trader Joe's (45 cal each), added lettuce, chopped mahi mahi and a light sprinkle of feta cheese.  I also took three endive leaves, sliced one beet and divided it among the three leaves, and sprinkled with feta cheese.  I had about 1/2 cup of the marinated bean & corn salad.  The whole dinner was around 411 calories.  No stinkin' salad plate for me - this was a real deal dinner plate!


Wednesday ~ July 14th
Life is a Bowl of Cherries Salad

This list is for one serving:

* Few handfuls of Organic Baby Spinach
* 1/4 cup dried Montmorency cherries
* 1/2 oz. (or a small handful) chopped pecans
* 1T TJ's cranberry, walnut & gorgonzola dressing 


Toss it all together!  YUM!  This was around 255 calories.



 
Thursday ~ July 15th

Stuffed Mushrooms:
One package baby bella mushrooms
2 cups frozen organic spinach
1T EVOO
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup organic whole wheat bread crumbs
1/3 cup feta cheese


Preheat oven to 400.  Clean mushrooms, remove stems.  Chop stems & set aside.  Thaw spinach and thoroughly squeeze out all water (will look like 1/2 cup after water is removed).  Place in mixing bowl.  Heat oil in skillet and add chopped stems & onion.  Saute for a few minutes.  Drain off any juices, then add to bowl with spinach.  Add  bread crumbs and mix well.  Gently stir in feta.  Stuff caps and place in shallow baking dish.  Cook for about ten minutes or until tops are lightly browned.  Remove from oven before juices start running out into the pan.


Pan toasted Brussels Sprouts:
1 - 12 oz. pkg Brussels Sprouts
2 tsp. EVOO
1/2 cup vegetable broth
grated or shredded parmesan cheese


Heat oil in pan.  Cut sprouts in half and place cut side down in pan.  Add broth.  When it comes to a boil, cover and let cook 5 minutes.  Remove lid & cook until liquid evaporates and sprouts are browned.  Remove from heat and sprinkle with cheese.







Friday ~ July 16th
Strawberry & Apricot Spinach Salad

Salad (this is for one serving):
* Large handful Organic baby spinach
* 2 medium strawberries, sliced
* raspberries
* 1/2 apricot, chopped
* 1/2 handful pecans, chopped
* 1T crumbled feta cheese
* 1T cranberry, walnut, gorgonzola dressing



Quesadillas (this is for my serving - Josh's had more cheese):
* 2 small low carb, whole wheat torillas
* 2T crumbled gorgonzola cheese
* 1/4 pear, thinly sliced
(optional chopped walnuts & pear sauce - I omitted)


Add crumbled cheese (1T each) to one side of each tortilla.  Add sliced pears on top of cheese.  Fold tortilla in half and add to hot grill pan.  Grill on both sides until warm and slightly crispy.  Cut into wedges.  Makes 6 wedges.  (This is a salad plate in the picture).


Calories:  202 in the salad; 220 in quesadillas (422 total calories for dinner!)