Fit Milwaukee » recipes

For Your Holiday Sweet Tooth

Tracey — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 13:07:00 +0000

You can’t really get through the holidays without encountering Christmas cookies. (Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you how many calories are in your favorite.*) If you’re like me though, you don’t want to spend hours and hours in front of the oven concocting treats. One of my favorite things to whip up for my friends this time of year is sugared pecans. I’ve been making them for so long that I’m afraid of what will happen if I don’t bake them. And here’s the thing: they are beyond easy to make- even for someone who is admittedly baking/cooking impaired. Plus, pecans are good for you! (Let’s just forget about all the sugar we are adding for now.) If I’m saving up to indulge in a treat though, these are definitely on my list:

INGREDIENTS:

1 egg white
1 Tbsp water
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 oz pecans – about 2 cups
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:

1 Preheat oven to 300°F.

2 Put sugar, cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground nutmeg in a plastic bag, shake to mix.

3 Put egg, water, and vanilla in a bowl. Beat until slightly foamy, add pecans and coat well. Lift pecans out of bowl with a slotted spoon and put into the bag of sugar and spices. Shake pecans in bag making sure they are well coated.

4 Bake 30 minutes on a baking pan lined with lightly greased aluminum foil. 15 minutes into the baking, stir up the pecans with a fork. Let cool completely before serving. (Hint: Topping some vanilla ice cream with these is heaven.)

*If you absolutely must know an estimated calorie count for these, you can check out this handy calculator from FitDay.

I like to put a handful of these in little gift bags and drop them off for some of my neighbors and friends on Christmas Eve day. What do you like to bake this time of year?

Eat Real Food (Well, Most of the Time)

Tracey — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 13:45:00 +0000

Overall, I consider myself to be a pretty healthy eater. I hardly ever do fast food. I truly enjoy eating vegetables. I even quit diet soda! I do have my vices- Sour Patch Kids, wine, chocolate, coffee- but I don’t think I indulge in any of these often enough to where it negates all the good I do for my body. (Ok, so I drink coffee every day but I gave up Diet Coke. What else do you want from me?) One thing I’ve recently had to come to terms with though is how much packaged, frozen food I was consuming. For a long time I was in denial about how bad for me some of the foods I was eating were because they had words like “light,” “organic” or “fat free” stamped on the front. Even Sour Patch Kids say “A Fat Free Food!” on the bag!

In my case this is what my freezer was starting to look like:

Mmmm. Lean Cuisines. Smart Ones meals. What could be wrong with those?

To be fair, there are a lot worse things I could be eating. Having a 350 calorie Lean Cuisine for lunch instead of a Whopper is going to be the better choice. It got to the point though where I was eating one of these for lunch every day of my life. Sometimes if I was really busy I’d have another for dinner. Hey, they even make breakfast meals now! And a lot of these taste pretty good. However, because they are low calorie and very quick and easy to make, I realized I was eating more and more foods like this while “real” fresh foods were falling to the wayside. Also, look at the sodium content in packaged foods like these. 600-700mg of sodium for a tiny little dish is a lot! I found out that itt’s also much more salt than if I would prepare the same dish with fresh ingredients on my own.

What about convenience? Who has the time to cook themselves three meals a day every day? Not me. With a little bit of planning though I’ve been able to significantly cut down on the number of frozen meals I eat. Although I complain sometimes about making dinner, at my house we’ve started cooking meals at least four times a week. Lately I’ve been trying to prepare extra so I have something for my lunch the next day. Weekends are especially good for making extra batches of food. Large batches of soup keep especially well during the week and are much better than the over-salted canned options. Sometimes just chopping up vegetables in advance for salads or having some cooked chicken ready to go is all the incentive I need to not take the easy way out. If I find myself in a situation where I don’t have fresh food on hand I’ve been opting to hit the salad bar at Outpost or pick up some soup at Alterra instead of stocking up on piles of frozen boxes.

As with Diet Coke, I don’t expect to never eat a Lean Cuisine again during the course in my life. I have found that it’s been more satisfying for me to take the extra steps to prepare different options. It’s also much more filling, which has helped me cut out snacking all afternoon. It’s not easy, I admit it. But it’s something I hope can continue to keep up.

Are you hooked on frozen meals?

It’s That Time Again… Chili Weather

Tracey — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:00:05 +0000

Photo by mellowfood

By now I’ve made no secret about that fact that I’m not much of a cook. But one thing that I absolutely love to whip up is a nice batch of chili! Not only is it the perfect companion to a Sunday afternoon football game, but it’s oh-so-easy to make. (That part I really love.) I’ve posted a chili recipe before that is down right delicious, but let’s face it: When I look at all the ingredients and work that particular recipe requires I just want to sigh and throw up my hands- despite how tasty I know the outcome will be.

So here’s my bare bones chili recipe. It involves minimal prep time (read: open cans!) and it’s still full of yum. Also, one of the great things about chili is that you can add extra ingredients that you may have on hand and not mess it up.

Ingredients:

1 pound extra-lean ground beef or turkey

2- 16 oz cans chili beans

1- 16 oz can white kidney beans

2- 16 oz cans tomato sauce

1- 8 oz can condensed tomato soup

Chili Powder

Cinnamon*

*I go back and forth on the ratio of chili powder and cinnamon. Sometimes i make it spicier, sometimes sweeter.

Optional:

1 16 oz can of corn

2 medium sized potatoes (or) sweet potatoes, cut into cubes

A few chopped carrots

Finely chopped and seeded cayenne pepper (Pro tip: Wash your hands after touching. It burns! I found this out the hard way.)

Top with: onions, shredded cheese and/or sour cream

This recipe makes a LOT. So be prepared to eat chili for a couple of days. But as far as leftovers go, you really can’t beat chili. It tastes just as good the second day (or third, or fourth.) Make sure to eat while wearing a cozy sweater and sipping a beer.

What’s in your chili?

Smoothie Mania!

Anne — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 10:50:08 +0000

Photo by SweetOnVeg

Hearing a lot of buzz about smoothies lately? I’m one of the ones buzzing!

I’ve struggled with breakfast. I know I should eat it, but it takes time to prepare and eat it, and frankly I’m sick of oatmeal and bagels. For a while I tried waffles, but they lacked that certain something that makes a delicious, inviting, nutrient-rich breakfast.

A while ago I was at my bestie Krista’s house for an overnight adventure and the next morning she made me a smoothie. OMG. I nearly fell over! It was so cold and deep berry-pink and wonderful! I had been missing out!

Normally I don’t like to drink my calories, but this is different. I know exactly what I’m putting into my smoothie – fruits and proteins that I might not otherwise get in my diet. The average smoothie, based on my calculations, is about 200-300 calories per glass. Not a bad breakfast!

I’ve modified the recipe a bit over the past few months, but I’ve found something that works for me. You almost can’t screw up a smoothie – but here’s my recipe. Notice there are no numbers with any of these, because I just pour things in until it looks right. Hit the ‘crush ice’ button a few times, then puree that sucker.

Mix and Match these ingredients!

2-5 ice cubes
frozen berries: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries
small chunk of banana
scoop of protein powder
almond milk or yogurt
orange juice
water

“But, but – I don’t want to clean the blender!” you say? Here’s a tip — either rinse it really well with your sink’s spray hose, or put a splash of dish soap in and hit blend for a few seconds. This is an easy way to clean out your blender!

Then, drink it out of a straw. But not just any straw — a McDonald’s straw! I’m not joking – their straws are the widest and you get a nice full sip of smoothie! Watch out for brain freeze.

Speaking of McDonald’s, if you’re looking for something on the go, try their smoothies. A small smoothie – in flavors Wild Berry, Mango Pineapple, or Strawberry Banana – has 210 calories and 0.5 gram of fat. Granted, there’s more sugar than you’d want to intake as a beverage with your meal (44 grams), but as a meal on its own or as a substitute for a strawberry shake, it’s a win.

What’s in your smoothie?

Baby Steps to the Garden

Tracey — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 16:32:26 +0000

I am not a cook. At all. I actually kind of hate cooking, unless it involves me sipping a glass of wine at our kitchen counter while my husband whips up an awesome meal. (Luckily, he’s really good at it.) I do love to eat though. And I’m particularly drawn to fresh, healthy foods so that’s a plus. We’ve been a member of a local CSA for the past two summers so we receive weekly vegetables from the farm through them and it’s been pretty great. Though I’ve loved receiving everything from asparagus to zucchini, I’d love it even more if I could start growing our own veggies at home. So I can watch Jason cook them of course.

In the past I’ve tried planting tomatoes in our garden only to find when I went to pick them that every single one had a tiny bite taken out of it. It was a wee bit discouraging. I decided to try again this year but scale it back- planting a few herbs and peppers in pots- and crossed my fingers.

This is a tiny portion of my harvest:

Yes, those are cherry tomatoes! I did try again and luckily they went untouched by the neighborhood animals. I wish I could say why, but I have no idea why I was luckier this year. I’ve also got basil, rosemary, mint, as well as cayenne and jalapeno peppers. Having these more flavorful herbs and peppers have complimented what I’ve been receiving from the CSA very nicely. It’s just so nice to just pop out to your own backyard and grab a handful of basil to season your dinner rather than shaking dried leaves out of a jar.

I have to say I’m emboldened by my tiny successes. It may not look like much but to a beginner like me I’m pretty pleased. I’ve also found myself inspired by my friends’ gardening successes so much that I’m already planning to carve out a space of my own next year in attempt to cultivate my own patch of earth. Maybe by next September I’ll even have recipes of my own to share?

Have you found success in the garden? What are some of your tips?

Bring a Dish to Pass

Anne — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 11:00:13 +0000

There are a few things I don’t typically do.

Eat well. It’s easier to order Jimmy John’s. Sure, I’ll have a bag of chips. And a cookie.
Bring a dish to pass. I’ve been lamenting for years that when I’m invited to parties and potlucks, my tendency is to bring the chips or soda. I want a go-to dish!
Cook. Basically, I avoid the kitchen.

But I’m trying to change all that.

Making empanadas with my nephew and niece

So when I visited my family in Oregon last month, I asked my sister-in-law Basia to walk me through some easy recipes to show me the ropes. And boy, did she ever!

We made home-made pizzas (including the pizza dough!), pulled pork empanadas, quinoa, meatballs and gravy, mashed potatoes, blueberry-peach pie, apple pie… I could go on but I’m drooling from the memory.

When I returned home to Milwaukee, two things happened that were a catalyst for a pretty cool moment in my burgeoning cooking career

I got an email from my cousin - “You’re invited to a Labor Day picnic! Just bring a dish to pass.”
My boyfriend Tom brought home a big barrel of vegetables from a friend’s garden.

I was struck with inspiration. I’m determined to take something delicious and made by ME to this party! What ingredients do I have? I had just stocked up on ingredients at Outpost based on a shopping list from my trainer, so I had some quinoa on hand. What can I make?

I searched ‘quinoa salad’ on AllRecipes.com and up popped this little gem –> Quinoa Vegetable Salad

And look at that – I have nearly every ingredient on the list!

1 teaspoon canola oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup diced (yellow or purple) onion
2 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups quinoa
3/4 cup diced fresh tomato
3/4 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup diced cucumber
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

My dish to pass - quinoa vegetable salad

So I got to it – chopping the garlic, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots from the garden, making the quinoa as directed but with one secret ingredient – chicken stock (a tip from Basia that made it super tasty). I mixed, I chilled, and I took it to the party.

And people liked it! They really liked it!

I beamed with pride. I conquered a little part of all those things I’m trying to improve. And I have confidence not to be so frightened of the kitchen, or of ‘healthy’ foods. I just needed a little hand-holding to get started.

* * * *

What’s your go-to dish to pass at parties?

Spotlight On: Asparagus

Tracey — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:00:04 +0000

I’ve always been a fan of asparagus. The past few weeks I’ve been receiving a bunch of lovely asparagus spears from the CSA my family joined. Not only does it taste great, but it’s also low in calories and a good source potassium. For people with active, physical lifestyles, getting enough potassium is important because it works together with sodium to balance the fluids and electrolyte levels in your body. At my house we’ve recently experimented at making asparagus soup as well as asparagus risotto. But you don’t need a difficult recipe though in order to enjoy this veggie. Preparing asparagus can be as easy as grilling some spears in a pan with a bit of oil and vinegar. Or maybe try this recipe on for size:

Grilled Balsamic Asparagus

Ingredients:

• 1 lb fresh asparagus
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Snap off tough ends of asparagus and wash well through 2-3 changes of cold water. Combine all ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag, seal and marinate for 30-60 minutes. Preheat grill on high heat. Remove asparagus from bag (discard marinade) and place on preheated oiled grill rack. Grill 5 minutes on each side or until asparagus is done.

What’s your favorite way to enjoy asparagus?

*Photo by Liz West.

Test Run: Pinole!

Tracey — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Along with most runners out there, I read the book “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall. The amazing story of the Tarahumara runners and the motley crew of ultra-marathoners that travelled to race them across the Copper Canyons was a great read. However, one of the first things I thought while I devouring the story was “I need to try this “pinole” thing that they eat to fuel their crazy long distance runs.” Essentially a mix of cornmeal and sweeteners, it should have been easy to make but I procrastinated and eventually forgot about it until a couple of weeks ago when I noticed fellow Daily Miler clutching a bag of the stuff after a race. She claimed it was a lifesaver and gave her a real energy boost so after tasting a bit I asked her to email me the recipe and I whipped up some this past Sunday to take on my twenty-mile marathon training run.

If you are going to be out running, biking, hiking or exerting energy any other kind of way for more than an hour-and a half to two hours, your body is going to become depleted of glycogen. Many runners take along things like gels (gooey, frosting-like concoctions) or energy beans (yes, candy!) to replenish sugar in their bodies and give them more energy to complete high mileage runs. However, if you are allergic to artificial sweeteners- or just plain don’t like them- this can be a conundrum. I basically just wanted to try something new so I decided to give it a whirl:

Pinole Recipe:

1/2 cup of fine ground cornmeal. (I used Bob Red Mill organic.)
1 Tablespoon of sweetener of your choice: sugar, honey, syrup, agave. (I used blue agave for the first time- definitely recommended!)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Chia seeds (optional)
Enough water to make a ball of paste.

Pat down with a spoon about 1/4 inch thick, bake at 350 about 15 min. This whole process takes 20 min start to finish. Bake time depends on how much water you put in and how firm you want your pinole.

I found a great blog post here where you can see photos of what the pinole might look like.

Now, I did not add chia seeds this time but I will with my next batch. (Chia seeds are a kind of “superfood” lots of people seem to be talking about that I’m interested to try as well.) I sampled the pinole right when it came out of the oven and it tasted kind of grainy and sweet. Nothing amazing but not bad either. The small batch I made was actually a bit crumbly instead of super firm (I’m unsure if this was because I made a mistake or not). I divided it into two bags and brought one of them along in my pocket as I set out on my twenty miler.

The next morning when I got to around ten miles I stopped to stretch and nibbled on about half of what was in my bag. One of the convenient things about gels is that you don’t need to stop in order to eat it but rather just suck the goo out of it’s little pouch. (Classy, I know.) With the pinole I found it was easier to stop, open my ziploc bag, and eat it while standing still- especially since the larger pieces had crumbled more while the bag was in my pocket. I suppose in the future I would be able to perfect this without stopping but for this particular day I made the call to have a mid-run pit stop. On the plus side, it went down really easy- unlike the sometimes sickly sweetness of the gels- and didn’t upset my stomach in the least. Gels and energy beans have the tendency to just “sit” in my stomach but the pinole felt light, like I’d hardly eaten anything.

Energy-wise I really did feel like it did refuel me a fair amount. About ten minutes after my stop I started to feel a second wind coming on. I can’t say it was more pronounced than when I’ve tried other methods of mid-run fuel but the fact that it was so much easier to digest was a definite plus. Also, this was my one and only stop, where with gels I’ve been known to take 2 or 3 of them on my longest training runs. I originally meant to eat the rest of my bag at around 16 miles but I was feeling so good that I actually forgot and by the time I started to get really fatigued (18.5 miles) I figured I was almost done and it would be a little too late by then anyway.

So… the verdict? Definitely worth a try, especially if you have an aversion to gels. I’m going to keep working it into my long run routine and will probably take some along on marathon day as well.

Beginning runners: Is this the first time you’ve heard about eating mid-run? I remember being surprised too. Check out this article from Running TImes magazine on all the different ways you can recharge.

Eat Real Food: Community Supported Agriculture

Tracey — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 11:37:00 +0000

Photos by The Bitten Word

All this talk of fresh summer recipes has me looking forward to Saturday mornings at the farmers market and feeble attempts at growing tomatoes in my back yard. (Topsy-turvy anyone?) This year though, my family has decided to try something new and buy a share in a Community Supported Agriculture farm (CSA for short.) CSAs provide weekly delivery of fresh produce during the growing season (around late May until the end of October). This means fresh, organic, sustainably grown vegetables all summer long straight from the farm to my dining room table. Sounds good, right? The CSA we chose to become a member of is called LotFotL, which is an acronym for “Living Off the Fat of the Land.” Their program offers over 80 items, rotating every week so your share will change with whatever is in season at the time- starting with things like asparagus and spinach in the spring and continuing all the way to onions and squash in the fall. Ever eaten a rutabaga? Me either. But if I get a bunch fresh from a farm one week I can tell you I’m definitely going to look up a recipe and try it out.

There’s something to be said not only for eating healthy, but also for knowing exactly where the food you are eating is coming from. So much of what we eat today comes shrink-wrapped in a package with all sorts of ingredients we can’t even pronounce on the back. I look forward to meeting the people who are actually growing the vegetables I will eat this summer and maybe even taking a trip out to the farm itself. (Yep, many CSAs encourage this. LotFotl even has a program where you can work for your share.) We also enrolled in their new Beefshare program so in the fall it looks like I will also be shopping for an extra freezer to house all the ground beef, steaks and roasts we’ll be carting home.

Lotfotl isn’t the only CSA in the Milwaukee area either. The Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition lists 42 certified Organic CSA farms around Wisconsin that you can choose from. In addition to produce and beef, some CSAs will also have things like fruit, preserves, cheese, eggs and poultry available. If you are interested, I suggest browsing through the list and choosing what’s right for you. A major selling point for us on Lotfotl- other than recommendations from friends- was that they have local delivery every week at our neighborhood Anodyne coffee shop in Bay View. Now on Wednesdays this summer I can enjoy a cup of locally roasted coffee while waiting for my veggie delivery to arrive. The only thing I need to do now is hone my cooking skills.

*Photos by TheBittenWord.com.

Black Bean Hummus

Guest Author — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:57:00 +0000

Alison Sherwood here – I blog about learning how to cook and trying new things in the kitchen over at Post-College Kitchen.

The temptations of a good spread at a party can be a huge challenge for dieters and health-conscious eaters. It’s so easy to let loose and try every cheese-covered, bacon-wrapped or chocolate-drizzled treat on the table. There’s nothing wrong with sampling some delicious munchies – but if you’re like me, it’s hard to stop once you start.

I know a lot of people struggle with making healthy choices in social situations, so lately when I’ve had people over or brought a dish to a party, I’ve made an effort to provide a healthy (yet still delicious) option. Homemade hummus with veggies usually fits the bill perfectly.

This recipe for black bean hummus is even healthier than regular hummus. The use of black beans allows you to use less tahini, which cuts some calories.

This recipe also makes a huge batch, so take half of it to a party and save the other half for lunches and snacks. Oh, and pardon the unappetizing color. Once you taste it you won’t care what it looks like!

Black Bean Hummus
Adapted from thedailygreen.com
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained well
1 can chickpeas, drained; reserve the juice
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (more to taste)

Combine all ingredients in food processor and blend until combined into a thick paste. Slowly add some reserved chickpea juice and/or more olive oil to acquire your desired consistency (mine was quite thick).

Here are some more healthy recipes from the Post-College Kitchen. Keep in touch on Twitter @postcollegecook