[My Own] RECIPE! - Pan-Seared Tempeh with Carmelized Onions + Seasoned Quinoa

Mmm, mmm, GOOD!

Sometimes I am too darn lazy to seek out a recipe in one of my many cookbooks, because I have been avoiding grocery shopping, trying to live off of my staples, and only buying fresh produce and almond milk. This was one week that I was really good at that! This meal is my very own, I-thought-it-up-while-reading-a-transcript bona-fide original.

It tastes even better the next day with extra hot sauce!

PAN-SEARED TEMPEH

Ingredients
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 small onion, coarsely chopped (you can use pretty much as much as you want)
1 8-oz package tempeh, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices (at Publix or Whole Foods... like $3 a package, I used a coupon)
Bragg Liquid Aminos, to taste (tastes JUST like soy sauce but is very good for you)
hot sauce of choice, to taste (I LOVE TEXAS PETE!)
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp lime juice

Directions
1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a medium skillet.
2. Add the onion and fry for 3-4 minutes, stirring and reducing the heat as necessary.
3. Shake the Bragg Liquid Aminos all over the onions and coconut oil.
4. Add the tempeh into the skillet, cook for 4-5 minutes, turning the tempeh to cook evenly and stirring the onions to prevent burning
5. Shake the Texas Pete (or your own hot sauce of choice) to taste over the onions and tempeh.
6. Once the onions are beginning to caramelize, reduce the heat to low and sprinkle the cilantro and lime juice over the top. Serve warm with a side of quinoa, prepared as follows...



SIMPLE SEASONED QUINOA

Ingredients:
1 cup organic quinoa (rinsed if not rinsed already)
2 cups water
2 tsp or more of Vegebase   (I use this to make veggie broth, if you don't have it... buy it! And in the meantime, use regular veggie broth)
1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients into a medium, deep-sided skillet with a lid.
2. Bring to a boil over high heat.
3. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and let cook for about 15 minutes until the spiral "tails" of the quinoa are visible and the liquid is mostly absorbed.

SERVE and ENJOY! I think next time I will serve it with a wedge of lime :)

I don't have nutrition facts on this meal, but it is very high in fiber, protein, iron and essential amino acids.

Couponing-- Dollars & Sense

I love coupons. Am I an extreme couponer? Not really. With the way I eat, it's not as possible as I would like it to be. Although I've managed in the past to get $25 worth of stuff at Publix for just $10,  most of the products that have the extreme couponers going crazy and stockpiling are processed snacks and products from companies that I avoid purchasing from for various reasons. Most coupons in the Sunday newspaper are Proctor & Gamble products or other big name brands-- Gillette, Skintimate, Listerine, etc. by way of hygiene products, and Kellogg's, ConAgra, etc. dominate the frozen foods and processed snacks. Not very often do you find coupons for pita chips, hummus, almonds, soymilk, Terra chips, Stevia... stuff I actually buy. Don't get me wrong, when I see these coupons, I clip them right away! But I pass on the vast majority of coupons from the paper. I don't care if it's free. If I can't pronounce half of your product's main ingredient, your company tests on animals, or a serving of your cereal has more sugar than a can of Coke, I'm not buying it.

I do always check the Publix and Winn Dixie ads for Buy One Get Ones on products that I actually use. Toufayan wraps and Arnold Sandwich Thins go on BOGO and I stock up. Smart Balance Light, BOGO with $1/off coupon, I stock up. I especially love BOGO pasta deals with coupons. Especially on Ronzoni Garden Delight or Healthy Harvest. Two boxes for $0.79? Please and thank you! Sometimes, stores will actually help you out with coupons. Walgreens does this. My favorite Publix near my home does this. They were doing a BOGO on 28 oz cans of tomatoes (I needed diced) and the store had literally TAPED $1 off coupons onto the cans. So I got two large cans of diced tomatoes for 87 cents. I felt good that day. I start keeping a record of which products generally go on BOGO and then I just don't buy them until they're on sale. It's just common sense... or cents :)

Sites like http://www.iheartpublix.com/ and http://www.totallytarget.com/ are really helpful when it comes to pairing deals with coupons. I check these sites weekly. I also love the Publix and W/D iPhone apps when I can't get online to check the ads. It's great when there are ingredients you need for a meal that week on sale at a local store.

CVS has been known to purposely put things with coupons on sale. Generally, their prices are higher for stuff, but when something is BOGO and you get a coupon for $1 off two, you can save big. I recently got two 11-oz containers of Emerald Cocoa Roasted almonds BOGO minus $1. It was a great deal for really delicious almonds :)

For items I buy often, like almond milk, I go to sites like The Krazy Coupon Lady to check for coupons before I go. When I saw that Wacky Mac (veggie pasta in crazy shapes... I like the shapes, ok?!?) was on sale for 99 cents at Publix, I checked out this site for a coupon and scored 40 cents off. Also, when it comes to printing coupons, know which ones have a limit and sign up on other computers! I am about to download software to print coupons on my husband's computer just so I can print more almond milk coupons.

As for really extreme couponing, where you can get things literally for free by stacking coupons and taking advantage of loopholes in stores' coupon policies, and even making profits on purchases... I think that's just wrong and manipulative. Of course... if you're just buying processed crap, then it's not really worth much anyway.

I'm in love with Big Lots

Anyone who knows me knows that I love this store. Though most people look at me and snicker, think I'm weird, and tease me about it, I usually get the last laugh. When I return from my weekly trip with a bag full of great ingredients for delicious meals, desserts, or just pantry staples at a fraction of the cost of even the cheapest grocery stores, I know I've "dun good" with my dollar! 

What you've heard is a myth. They don't sell all "expired" stuff. Although they do have their own brands, it's also a closeout store. So, for example, when stores stop carrying certain brands, or a brand changes their logo, stores like Big Lots buy out their stock to resell in their own stores at a discount. You can get all kinds of stuff there for any kind of lifestyle -- from junk food junkie to health aficionado (totally spelled that right the first time ;-)), Big Lots has something for everyone. And with shipments every week, you never know what you're going to find! Here are some of the great finds I've picked up at my local Big Lots... that really fit my lifestyle!

• organic tomato paste ($0.33 per can)
• organic diced tomatoes ($0.80 per can)
• organic veggie broth ($1.50)
• organic chocolate (cherry vanilla... amazing and $1.80 for a bar!)
• Bob's Red Mill 7-grain cereal and bean soup mix
• whole wheat couscous ($2 a box!)
• organic canned beans (pinto, garbanzo, black, $1 a can!)
• Ghirardelli chocolate chips (their semi-sweet chips are vegan)
• Ghirardelli brownie mix (makes a mean pan of black bean brownies!)
• organic granola bars (Nature's Path)
• Kashi cereals
• Clif bars
• light coconut milk 
• potato gnocchi ($2 per pack, vs. $4-$5 at a normal store)
• Tom's toothpaste
• REAL Italian pasta
• organic pasta sauce
• organic canned vegetables (green beans, yellow corn)
• organic teas ($2/64 oz.) Green Tea Pomegranate, Peach White Tea)
• Ocean Spray Fruit + Veggie juice ($2.50... it's $4.29 at Publix!)
• Arnold 100-calorie Sandwich Thins ($1.40 for eight! Freeze them and use them for veggie burgers)
• lots of ethnic foods, including dry beans and Asian stir-fry sauces -- chili garlic is one I like to have on hand and it is a cool $1.50!

I love to check Big Lots for these kinds of items before I go someplace like Whole Foods--it's great when I find the items here because most of the items listed here do NOT have coupons... shopping at Big Lots is like using coupons... without using coupons! Their loyalty club, by the way, sends 20% off entire purchase coupons through your email periodically, and each $20 purchase gets you a step closer to a 20% coupon as well. Ten $20 purchases = 20% coupon to use on anything!

Big Lots has a lot to offer. They even have furniture, lamps, rugs, hardware and it is THE cheapest place to buy BATTERIES (4 AA batteries for $1.50, it really does not get any cheaper and they have tons), Wii games, dishes, kitchenware, decorations, outdoor stuff, pet supplies... you name it, they probably have it or will have it in time. I try to make it in at least once a week.

I am not a big sandwich eater but they do have a steady supply of bread about a week away from expiration at a DEEP discount - $1.40 - $1.80 per loaf, which is even cheaper than buying them BOGO at Publix. I have stocked up for Ben in the past. Just put the loaves in the freezer and store the loaf you're using in the fridge and it will last for weeks. If I see the sandwich thins though, I will snatch those up quick. They've also had Thomas' Bagels and Bagel Thins.

There is also a great variety of condiments at Big Lots -- many types of mustards, ketchups, chili sauce, hot sauces, relish, dressings, spices/rubs, peppers... it's all there! You really never know what you'll find.

Keep in mind that some Big Lots stores get preferential treatment. Specifically, those stores in a wealthier area of town are actually labeled "flagship" stores, which are generally better stocked and organized. The one closest to my place of work is a flagship store. I prefer this store, but I still love venturing into a non-flagship store just to see what I'll find. It's an adventure every time!

Water, Weights & Real Exercise: Take the Burden OFF of your Body

I bounce out of bed Monday mornings at 5am to do kickboxing in my living room. Who is this person? It's me. And I'm approximately 137 pounds of awesome.

I should be feeling good. And I do! But I still get down in the dumps about the numbers sometimes.

When The Biggest Loser winner and runner-up, sisters Olivia and Hannah, weighed in at the finale at like 127, 128 lbs after 8 months of literally living in the gym--for some reason I vowed I could get to the 120's, too.  So I decided to work out harder and eat better to try and get there. Well, I worked out hard, and my energy level skyrocketed in comparison to where it was. I added in a lot more strength training and varied my cardio a lot. My "workout weeks" were averaging between 2-3 hours of exercise weekly, which for me was very inconsistent. Now, thanks to how much better I'm feeling and great technological inventions like The Gymbox , I am now averaging between 4-6 hours of intense workout time weekly! I used to aim for 4 days a week, now I'm at 6, and I even had a string of 8 workouts in a row (don't worry, one of those days was a lot less intense).

I did drop a few pounds, really noticed things getting firmer and tighter, my clothes were fitting better, and I really saw my abs come out! But then, while these things were happening, the number started to go back UP to where it was! I wondered why. I was definitely burning a ton more calories and eating all the right foods. I have heard about people not used to exercising putting on weight at first until their bodies get used to it. A common adage in the fitness world is "muscle weighs more than fat" -- which, when taken literally, doesn't make all that much sense. Five pounds of muscle weigh exactly the same as five pounds of fat. Similarly, a square inch of muscle really does weigh more than a square inch of fat. Muscle is simply more dense.But the two look and "hang" on your body in two drastically different ways. Behold:

Each of the above-pictured replicas represents five pounds. However, it is obvious that one takes up significantly more space than the other. One is also a lot "prettier" than the other.  I know which one I'd like to have in my body!

But I still hadn't figured out why I had gained weight... why does muscle weigh more? I was about to find out.


Water in the Body

I am almost done with my fitness nutrition certification course through ISSA. One of the things I have recently learned about was water content in the body. Did you know that muscle cells contain 75% water, whereas fat cells in adipose tissue contain only 25% water? All of a sudden, the fact that I had been trimming down but supposedly gaining weight made more sense. The stronger my muscles get, the larger the muscle cells become, which means they require more water. Obviously women's muscles, due to hormones, don't get indefinitely large.

Water is also used to repair torn muscles. So when I spend an hour lifting weights, and wake up the next two days practically unable to walk, this could very well be the muscles swollen with water trying to repair themselves. Water metabolizes fat and makes muscle more elastic. So drink up!
Exercise: What counts?

Don't be fooled as many Americans have-- as THIS article in Time magazine reveals, the most frequently reported moderate activities were food and drink preparation (25.7%), followed by lawn, garden, and houseplant care (10.6%). What is exercise, anyway? Most Americans would say that it is anything where you are moving. That could be true. But what does it take to get the health benefits? You have to get your heart rate up. It doesn't matter if you're vacuuming. If vacuuming gets your heartrate up, it's exercise. Do it often. What does NOT count as exercise is this: sweating. Just because you are doing something that makes you sweat (I sweat while cooking, while taking a stroll around the block with Ben, and even while sitting at my computer sometimes!!) only indicates your body temperature--not your heartrate--has increased and your body is trying to cool itself down.

Ok... so how much exercise do I need to fit into my already-busy schedule?

According to the CDC, you need a MINIMUM (stress the MINIMUM) of either ...

1. Two hours and 30 minutes of moderately intense aerobic activity each week (like brisk walking or cycling)
AND
muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days of the week that work all major muscle groups--legs (including the booty!), hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms.

OR

2. One hour, 15 minutes (75 minutes) of vigorous intensity aerobic activity (jogging, running, Spinning, kickboxing, boot camp)
AND
muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days of the week that work all major muscle groups--legs (including the booty!), hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms.

OR

3. An equivalent mix of both options 1. and 2.
AND
muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days of the week that work all major muscle groups--legs (including the booty!), hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms.

So what doesn't count? Anything that doesn't get your heartrate up. Cooking. Shopping. Light gardening. You get the idea. Get that heart pumpin'!! It feels so good.



You can read more CDC guidelines by clicking here. The more time you put in, the more benefits. Getting your heart muscle and the rest of your muscles strong will make you not only look better, but FEEL better and BE actually BETTER. The top two leading causes of death in our country are heart disease and cancer. You know it wasn't always like this. Eating is very, very important to good health, but so is exercise. So if you're a healthy-eater that doesn't do their body good with at least the minimum amounts listed above, change something! We reap what we sow, so... sow what you know!

[RECIPE!] Skillet Lasagna

This weekend Ben decided he wanted to make dinner for me, and I told him he had to work "out of the pantry". We like to stock up about once a month so I don't have to shop as much or as often. This recipe came to mind immediately as one that would definitely meet that criteria.

My sweet hubby making this delicious meal for us on Saturday!

This is one of my all-time favorite crowd-pleasers. It was the first recipe I cooked out of Supermarket Vegan, which is my favorite cookbook ever. It's on page 78-79! My parents came over the second time I made it and everyone got seconds. I plan to feed it to my in-laws very soon, and this weekend, my husband Ben made it for dinner. It is almost foolproof.



A recipe almost exclusively from the pantry! We used a mixture of organic and conventional ingredients.


Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained.
1/3 cup wheat germ
1 1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano and/or rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
10 curly-edged lasagna noodles (whole wheat works the same), broken into bite-sized pieces
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, juices included
1 cup prepared pizza or marinara sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Method:
In a large nonstick skillet with a lid, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add the beans, wheat germ, 1/4 cup of the water, tomato paste, oregano, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Scatter pasta over bean mixture without stirring. Cover and bring to a brisk simmer over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender, about 20 minutes. adding the basil the last few minutes of cooking. Remove skillet from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Serve at once (with homemade bread!)

Per serving:
Calories: 378
Protein: 16g (or more, you can use whole wheat lasagna)
Total Fat: 7g
Saturated Fat: 1g
Cholesterol: 0mg (of course)
Carbohydrates: 67g
Dietary Fiber: 8g (or more)
Sodium: 583mg (or more depending on what kind of tomatoes you use--you could use no-salt-added)

You can also add 4 ounces of chopped spinach when you add the basil!


The leftovers made a great lunch for us the next day! And you know, I was thinking how easy it would be to swap out the pasta used... as long as it is 8 ounces (half a box, usually) of the pasta, you can use whatever! Just make sure the sauce covers the noodles completely so they cook thoroughly. I might try it with penne or bowties sometime. Enjoy!

12 Reasons I Should Eat More Meat...

...and why they're bogus.

Meat. Delicious, not always unhealthy, but entirely unnecessary.

I get on kicks once in a while. Everyone does. Since I'm a big health, food and exercise nut, I usually alternate between the three when I'm on a kick. Lately my kick has been veganism. I'm not a vegan. I'll never be a vegan (knock on wood, I said that about becoming a vegetarian!!), but I love, love, LOVE reading about how plants, these beautiful plants that decorate our earth, can provide humans with all the nutrients and vitamins they could ever need. It fascinates me!

Anyway, I have been reading a ton of articles advocating veganism, and why meateating is unhealthy, but I have been more fascinated by the counterarguments--those that have commented on the articles saying that taking meat out of the diet is unhealthy and unacceptable, and that it could harm you. I advocate researching and reading credible information on both sides of arguments, so I did a Google search on "Why You Shouldn't Eat Meat"... just to brush up on this supposed supporting "research" for these counterarguments. There are some blogs out there that legitimately are making the argument that meat is somehow necessary for good health. Take a look at this blog article I read in particular:

12 Reasons You Should Eat More Meat

The point of this post isn't to negate every single reason listed by this blogger. The point of this post isn't to tell you, like many of the articles I was reading, that meat is unhealthy. My argument has never, ever been that meat-eating is inherently unhealthy. It's not. My argument is that meat-eating is not necessary. Eating the wrong meat (and there is a lot of it out there) is what is unhealthy. Factory farmed meat (I don't care if that is all you can afford, it is garbage), farmed fish, lunch meat, hot dogs, sausage, bacon... is, indeed, unhealthy...both for our bodies and the Earth. And just because a person might eat it in moderation doesn't make it suddenly healthier. That is a cop-out. I choose not to eat it for a variety of reasons, namely because I personally believe that it is healthier for my body, the environment, and more ethical to not consume it... so I don't. So I'm really not out there fighting against meat-eating. I'm fighting against those who say that meat is necessary for health.

For those who believe it IS necessary... I do have to point out that I know very few other vegetarians/near-vegans (like myself) in general... and fewer still that "do it right". One thing that this blogger and many people I know completely leave out in their arguments that "meat is essential" is illustrated in this scenario:

If it's someone I know and they're sitting in front of me telling me flat-out that I NEED meat to be healthy, that my digestive system won't work right if I don't eat it, it makes me want to scream, "LOOK AT ME!!! I am fitter than you, get sick less often than you, have more muscle than you and my digestive system works juuuuuust fine. What do you make of that?" I haven't eaten meat in almost two years and have had several conversations of this sort where people try to push my logic into a corner by using stuff they have heard, without taking into account exactly who they're talking to.

Seriously. What do you make of it? What do you make me (if you know me)? Of all the incredibly healthy vegetarians and, especially, healthy vegans out there?  What about all the celebrities and athletes? There are lots of athletes that don't eat meat. And celebrities? Ellen DeGeneres, Natalie Portman (who is healthy enough to have a baby!), Alicia Silverstone... the list goes on. Are these people unhealthy? No.




P.S. Did you know that 65-70% of Americans are overweight and have no idea what is considered moderate exercise? Many Americans believe that cooking or taking a walk after dinner counts as moderate exercise! A future post will detail what counts as exercise, and how much you really need to have a healthy heart.

[RECIPE!] Homemade Salsa -- Restaurant Style!

Ben and I went on a mini-vacation to Melbourne Beach this weekend and had a blast. Time slowed down as we really focused on enjoying each other and this chance to really unwind. On the way home we talked about our favorite parts of the "vacation" -- we said things like just being together, the breezy beach Saturday morning, our fantastic Indian feast Friday night, seeing a seaturtle lay her eggs late Saturday night... and the salsa at Cantina Dos Amigos for dinner last night... yes, the salsa. It was fantastic. As I tried to pile on as much salsa per broken piece of chip as possible, I resolved right then that I would figure out how to make salsa as good as this...

...we got back at 5:00 p.m. after a tiring, HOT few hours' jaunt at Gatorland, and I did just that... the result was beautiful!

This is a REAL photograph of the deliciousness that resulted from my
mission to develop a salsa as tasty as the one we enjoyed at Cantina Dos Amigos...

Ingredients:
(makes enough to fill two 16-oz. salsa jars!)

1 1/2 cans of plain diced tomatoes, juices included (yes, I said canned!)
3-4 green onions, white parts included (not the roots)
1 small yellow onion, quartered
a few chunks or more of a red onion (I had some leftover in the fridge)
1/3 cup cilantro
4 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
juice of 1 small lime
~ 1 tsp sea salt
about 4 seconds' shaking of Tabasco sauce (optional)

Put all ingredients in a food processor in no particular order and process until desired consistency is reached... some folks like it chunky, some folks like it smooth... I like it a little in between :)