My Marine and Me

Spinach Patties

2013-05-14T22:15:00.000-04:00

These easy to make patties are so tasty! I serve them up on thin whole grain buns. I've tried to modify the recipe a couple times in regards to the bread crumbs and the cheese but it just doesn't seem worth it. I removed the salt from the original recipe and it still tastes great! Enjoy :)

Spinach Patties

Ingredients

1 bag of chopped spinach
3 eggs
¼ c diced onion
½ c shredded cheese
½ c bread crumbs
1 tsp red pepper flakes
½ tsp garlic powder

Instructions

Cook spinach in a frying pan until wilted
Mix all ingredients in a bowl, including spinach
Shape into patties and cook over medium high heat in a non stick skillet with a small amount of olive oil
Patties are done when they are golden and firm (About 4-6 minutes )

Sources:
http://thevillagecook.com/
Modified version of original recipe

Mexican Chicken Recipe

2013-05-14T08:25:00.000-04:00

Prep video: Video

The first day of our diet clean up was a success. Dinner last night was definitely a winner! All three of us thoroughly enjoyed this dish and I will definitely be making it again.

I paired the rice and chicken with steamed brussel sprouts. I was definitely thinking about adding some salt and olive oil to the bland-ish green brains but I refrained myself because there is a bigger goal in sight! Addie liked the plain brussel sprouts too :)

It is a fast, easy and nutritious meal for anyone who wants a healthy dish with little prep and clean up! If you are vegetarian, I would suggest throwing in a couple more varieties of beans and obviously omitting the chicken breast.

Click on the link to find my prep video for this recipe: Video

Slow-Cooker Mexican Chicken

YIELD: 4 servings
PREPARATION TIME: 5-10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 8-10 hours in slow cooker

Ingredients

• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 can black beans (rinsed)
• 1 can pinto beans (rinsed)
• 1 can corn kernels
• 1 small jar salsa (your favorite variety)
• 1 Tbsp / 15 ml cumin
• 1 Tbsp / 15 ml chili powder
• 2 cups / 480 ml cooked brown rice

Preparation

Add to slow cooker: chicken breast, beans, corn, salsa, cumin and chili powder. Mix and cook on low 8 to 10 hours. Serve with cooked brown rice.
To make a creamier version, add ½ cup / 120 ml plain Greek yogurt the last 30 minutes of cooking.

Sources:
www.eatcleandiet.com
Modified version of Original Recipe

Clean Eating Journey

2013-05-13T11:29:00.000-04:00

Click here for my video blog

di·et

/ˈdī-it/

Noun

The kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.

We want to clean up the foods we habitually eat!

We do not want to restrict the foods we eat to cleanse or detox. This is not a crash diet.

We want to challenge ourselves to eat an even more healthy and wholesome diet.

Here is how we plan on modifying our already existing diet in a way that is enjoyable and sustainable for us.

1. Eating more leafy green and colorful vegetables
2. No added salt/ limiting foods that contain high amounts of salt (ex. cheese)
3. No added sugar
4. All our grains should be whole grains (ex. brown rice, quinoa, barley, oats etc)
5. Ensuring 1-2 vegetarian meals per week
6. Ensuring 1 fish meal per week
7. Limiting processed foods (ex. pita chips, cereals)
8. Increasing seasonal, local and organic produce consumption (from local farmers market)
9. Favor cooking methods such as boiling, baking and grilling rather then frying.

If you do follow this journey with us you will notice some choices Jon and I have already made for our family (like not eating red meat or pork, only drinking almond milk, no butter or margarine, no juice or soda etc). Our diet will never be the perfect raw food, all organic, all homemade diet but we hope to challenge ourselves to be the best we can be.We are just trying to improve our eating habits even more. We truly enjoy eating healthy and it is a passion of ours.

Recipes and tricks to follow!

- Kim

Click here for my video blog

Adelynn loves family visits

2012-10-14T15:07:00.001-04:00

Last weekend my parents, Marc and Jennifer, came down to VA for a quick visit from Montreal, Canada. My brother, who goes to school to New York, happened to be in Washington. We took the opportunity to all get together for a quick bite to eat so Eric could meet Addie!

This weekend Jon's parents, Bill and Leslie, came down to visit from Sterling, MA. Saturday morning we ran a 5K race benefiting orphan children in Sierra Leone. Jon pushed Adelynn in her stroller, it was her first 5K! Pop's won 3rd place in his division and his prize was a hand carved elephant from Sierra Leone!

Here are some snip-its from our weekend visits!

Spaghetti Squash with Meat Sauce

2012-10-09T22:20:00.002-04:00

Jon was definitely skeptical about trying this one! He was a good sport and dove right in... now I can't get him to eat regular pasta! It is a great alternative to having regular pasta, not to mention a wonderful way to increase your intake of vegetables. It is low in calories and high in vitamins and minerals. Try it! I dare you :)

Enjoy!

- Kim

P90X week 1 update

2012-10-01T17:38:00.002-04:00

Bean Salad over Brown Rice

2012-09-30T12:32:00.000-04:00

Jon had some of his buddies over this weekend for a poker night. One of his friends had tried my cocoa bites recipe and loved it! He even brought some to poker night! He suggested I give his bean salad recipe a try and yum!! It was delicious, fast and healthy- just the way i like it! I played around with it a little to make it into a dinner.. here is the final product. Give it a try and let me know what you guys think!

Bean Salad over Brown Rice

Ingredients:

- canned black beans
- canned corn
- canned diced tomatoes (i like fire roasted)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 1/2 chicken breasts (or two cans of chicken breast)
- brown rice

Boil or use crockpot to make pulled chicken. Place all ingredients in a oven safe dish. Warm up in oven and serve over brown rice.

Make healthy choices!

- Kim

A day in the life ~ Adelynn 8 wks

2012-09-26T20:48:00.002-04:00

I loved getting all these great moments on camera! I hope you guys enjoy watching Adelynns day unfold...

And a special HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my little sister Emilie!

- Kim

Healthy Chicken Nuggets with Butternut Squash

2012-09-25T08:51:00.003-04:00

I am loving these 4-5 ingredient dinners that take less than 30 minutes to whip up. Between fitting in our P90X workout, feeding, bathing and getting little Adelynn ready for bed and spending some time catching up with how Jon's day went, there is no time left for a big fancy dinner with it's big obnoxious clean up!

Jon had an exam this morning so he was busy studying last night on the computer- reason this post is coming to you now! He might as well be learning Chinese.. I can't believe the stuff he remembers and learns.

This recipe is a fun one! A healthy twist on a food item that is usually on the no-no list.

Healthy Chicken Nuggets with Butternut Squash

Ingredients:
- 3 chicken breasts
- 2 eggs
- panko bread crumbs
- butternut squash
- olive oil
- salt and pepper if desired

Cut chicken into small nugget sized pieces. Dip in egg and then in bread crumbs. Place on baking sheet.

Peel and cut butternut squah. Place on baking sheet.

Bake both on 375 F for 25 mins. Leave chicken in for 3-5 minutes longer on broil to get your nuggets golden and crunchy!

Serve with a green veggie and you've got a delicious, fun and healthy meal!

Enjoy, and remember to make healthy choices!

- Kim

New blogging goals!

2012-09-23T18:17:00.000-04:00

It may be because it was the first day of Autumn yesterday, but I'm setting myself some new goals! A friend of mine, Marie, who also has a blog, posted about using this space as a journal, a way to document what you're up to so you can always look back and remember all the wonderful things that you've done! I loved that idea and have decided to set myself the goal of three blog or vlog posts a week. One would focus on fitness and my P90X journey (getting back into shape after giving birth!), the next on my family life as Adelynn's mom and Jon's wife and the last would touch on my love of healthy foods! I want to push and challenge myself in those aspects of my life and I think it will be fun and certainly motivating to do it with you.. as it is easy to sometimes let yourself down but with others supporting you I think you can really achieve some awesome things!

Jon and I decided to do the "Classic P90X" workout. We wont be following the nutrition plan that they provide because.. as some of you may know, I'm breastfeeding and so I don't want to restrict my nutrition in any way that could be harmful to Addie.. We won't be taking the supplements that they offer either. I'm really looking to push my physical limits but still keep a lifestyle that I think is realistic. Here's the breakdown in case you were interested!

CLASSIC P90X Workout

PHASE 1 - 1st month

Week 1, Week 2, Week 3

Day 1 - Chest and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 2 - Plyometrics
Day 3 - Shoulders and Arms, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 - Yoga X
Day 5 - Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 - Kenpo X
Day 7 - Rest or X Stretch

Week 4

Day 1 - Yoga X
Day 2 - Core Synergistics
Day 3 - Kenpo X
Day 4 - X Stretch
Day 5 - Core Synergistics
Day 6 - Yoga X
Day 7 - Rest or X Stretch

Phase 2 - 2nd month

Week 5, Week 6, Week 7

Day 1 - Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 2 - Plyometrics
Day 3 - Back and Biceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 - Yoga X
Day 5 - Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 - Kenpo X
Day 7 - Rest or X Stretch

Week 8

Day 1 - Yoga X
Day 2 - Core Synergistics
Day 3 - Kenpo X
Day 4 - X Stretch
Day 5 - Core Synergistics
Day 6 - Yoga X
Day 7 - Rest or X Stretch

Phase 3 - 3rd month

Week 9 and Week 11

Day 1 - Chest and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 2 - Plyometrics
Day 3 - Shoulders and Arms, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 - Yoga X
Day 5 - Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 - Kenpo X
Day 7 - Rest or X Stretch

Week 10 and Week 12

Day 1 - Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 2 - Plyometrics
Day 3 - Back and Biceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 - Yoga X
Day 5 - Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 - Kenpo X
Day 7 - Rest or X Stretch

Week 13

Day 1 - Yoga X
Day 2 - Core Synergistics
Day 3 - Kenpo X
Day 4 - X Stretch
Day 5 - Core Synergistics
Day 6 - Yoga X
Day 7 - Rest or X Stretch

Tonight I'm making chicken nuggets with a super healthy twist! I think you'll love them. Since this post is more fitness oriented, tomorrow will be my recipe!

Have a great night! And remember to make healthy choices!

- Kim

Adelynn Grace

2012-08-09T03:55:00.001-04:00

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

DIY peanut butter jar soap dispenser

2012-07-28T08:15:00.000-04:00

I got inspired to make this craft after seeing a DIY mason jar soap dispenser post on pinterest! I didn't have a mason jar and did not want to have to spend anything to make this, so I got creative with what we had around the house. I am so happy with the final product! It works great and looks adorable in our bathroom!

Using an old peanut butter jar and the pump from an old soap dispenser I had purchased from the dollar store months ago...

... a little hot glue (wonderful, can't- do- without crafting tool) and my husband's drill I was able to get busy crafting!

First clean out your jar and drill a hole in the middle of the top large enough to slip the pump through.

Once you slip the pump through the top, use your hot glue to create a seal. I put the glue on the inside of the pump's cap so I couldn't see it once assembled.

Fill it up with your favorite soap. I added some raffia and an old key I had in my craft stuff to add some bling- and there you go! You're done!

Cocoa Bites

2012-07-27T16:06:00.000-04:00

Want a chocolate fix without the extra guilt? Here is a recipe for you!

Cocoa Bites

1 cup pitted dates
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup cocoa powder
dash of water

Blend all dry ingredients together in a food processor.
Add water slowly until desired consistency.
Roll into bite sized pieces.
Place in freezer for 5 to 10 minutes.
Store in refrigerator until eaten!

Yum!

Cloth Diapers for Newborns

2012-07-20T05:57:00.000-04:00

*This is what we have purchased for our newborn*

34 Green Mountain Diapers or GMD Prefolds

- 12 Cloth-eez® Newborn orange edge (12"x13" when new) 11" x 11" when fully shrunk in white. Fits newborn to about 6 weeks, or fits about 5-10 pounds, 4-8-4 ply. Orange edges. Made in Pakistan, 100% "Indian" cotton. $24/dozen

- 12 Cloth-eez® Small Yellow edge (14"x15.5" when new), 12.5" wide x 13.5" long when fully shrunk. Fits 10 pounds to about 6 months old or about 15 pounds or so but this varies a lot. Fits in most size small covers. 4-8-4 ply. Yellow edges, made in Pakistan. 100% "Indian" cotton. $28/dozen

- 10 Cloth-eez® Workhorse™ Diapers are prefold diaper fabric in fitted diaper shape.

Note: The preemie or newborn size can be used a doubler later on

Note: Prefolds "quilt up" after washing

Note: Fitted diapers need covers

What is "prefolded" about "prefolds"? They have a thick center panel. Non-prefolded diapers are huge one-layer old fashioned diapers, which need to be folded many times to get them into a cover or onto a baby. We are going to Tri-fold our prefolds.

6 Snappis (You probably only need 1 or 2 snappis)

Great option to fasten a prefold

Made of a stretchy polyurethane and have grippers

Packaged individually, size 1 or size 2 also known as Toddler size.

Note: Most babies will only need size 1 from birth to potty training

$3.95 each size 1 single pack or $7.55 each size 1 triple pack

6 Thirsties Duo Wrap covers (aplix hook and loop/ snaps) $12.25

          size one:
          6-18 lbs (3-8 kg)
          0-9 months

size two:
18-40 lbs (8-18 kg)
9-36 months

1 Litewrap Newborn 7 to 10 lbs $8.00

2 Bumgenious Newborn all-in-one $12.95

1 Planet wise Pail liner in Seaspray $16.50

1 Happy Tushies wet bag

1 Wet bag Munchkin $5.99

1 Handmade wet bag from online tutorial

Cj’s Butter 8oz $13.97

Detergent Rockin Green $14.95

Wipes and wipe solution

Also available:

Sized Thirsties covers (aplix hook and loop/ snaps) $11.50

x-small:
6-12 lbs (3-5.5 kg)
0-3 months

small:
12-18 lbs (5.5-8 kg)
3-9 months

medium:
18-28 lbs (8-12.5 kg)
9-30 months

large:
28-40 lbs (12.5-18 kg)
30-42 months

Note: Cloth Diaper rentals are also an option

We bought our diapers from these websites:

http://www.sweetbottomsbaby.com

http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com

http://www.abbyslane.com

http://www.cottonbabies.com

Tamari and Ginger Salmon

2011-11-17T09:50:00.000-05:00

My mom and dad came to visit us this past weekend. We had a wonderful long weekend!

Our special treat was a dinner made by my father. We ventured out to Sam's Club to get all the ingredients we needed to make that night's feast!

One of the dishes on the menu for that night was dad's delicious tamari and ginger baked salmon.

Fresh ginger has many beneficial properties. It is found to have powerful cancer- destroying action and anti- inflammatory properties.

The active compounds are called terpenes and gingerols.

It is best to use fresh ginger root (picture below) rather than other forms such as ground or preserved because you will find the highest amount of beneficial compounds in the fresh form.

Tamari and Ginger Salmon

What you will need:

Fresh salmon filet
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
1-2 tbsp ginger root, chopped
3-4 tbsp tamari sauce
aluminum foil

Pre- heat oven to 375 degrees
Line baking dish with aluminum foil
Place salmon filet on foil
Place garlic, ginger root and tamari sauce over salmon (these ingredients are all to taste, reason for the wide range in amounts)
Wrap the salmon in foil, close foil completely
Bake until salmon gets flaky and light pink

Enjoy!

Ginger Root

Make healthy choices!

- Kimmie

Turkey Lasagna

2011-11-08T06:33:00.003-05:00

Turkey Lasagna

This past Saturday we attended the Marine Corps Birthday Ball! It is so fun to get all dressed up with friends and go to a ball!! The men all looked smashing and the ladies looked gorgeous. Here are some pictures from the event that was held in Richmond Virginia.

We had a good time with great friends!

I am also so happy to say that Jon and I are close to wrapping up the submission of my immigration papers!

My friend Anna F (the beautiful pregnant wife in my photos) and I worked hard at getting our immigration medical, police record and fingerprints, official photos, flu and Td shots etc this week. I found myself making recipes I had previously posted because of time constraints! But last night I made a blog worthy recipe- Healthy Turkey Lasagna! This one is inspired by the recipe on the flip side of Ronzoni's healthy harvest whole grain lasagna pasta.

Healthy Turkey Lasagna

What you will need:

1 lb ground turkey
3 cups spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1 container of small curd cottage cheese
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese
2 eggs
1/4 tsp pepper
lasagna pasta (I use Ronzoni healthy harvest, in which case you do not cook pasta prior to making)

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees
Brown turkey in pan, add spaghetti sauce and water and let simmer for 10 minutes
In bowl, mix all cottage cheese, half of other cheese, 2 eggs and pepper
In a casserole, pour in 1 cup of meat sauce
Lay out 3 pieces of lasagna pasta uncooked (I always have to break them so they fit)
Pour in 1 cup of meat sauce, 1/2 of cheese mixture and 3 more pasta pieces
Pour in the rest of the meat sauce and sprinkle leftover cheese on top
Cover and bake for 45 minutes
Uncover and bake for 10 minutes so the cheese gets bubbly
Let stand for 10 minutes before serving

Enjoy!!

Thank you all for reading and I hope to see you here again soon. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think! I believe you need to have a google account to do so.

If not, send me an e-mail with recipe requests at kim.doskocil@gmail.com

Make healthy choices!

- Kimmie

Chicken Cacciatore à la Kim

2011-10-26T09:28:00.000-04:00

My dad would make the most delicious Chicken Cacciatore. I don't think he ever really had a recipe for it, he would just see what we had and worked with it!

And that is exactly what I did yesterday. Pen and paper in hand, to write down my ingredients, I was ready to experiment.

After 1 hour, the house started to smell amazing, I knew it was ready and I was so excited to see what Jon thought.

I was making a "big" portion of this chicken cacciatore because I thought it would be great to see it last a little while. So I threw in 7 chicken legs and 1 chicken breast, thinking to myself "we're going to be eating this for dinner again tomorrow!!"

I was SO wrong. Jon managed to eat 4 chicken legs and 1/2 chicken breast (along with all the veggies and 2 1/2 cups of brown rice on his plate) and I ate 1 chicken leg.

My goodness... there were only 2 chicken legs left and they were going in his lunch today. The pot was empty by 7:00pm.. I couldn't believe it! But this dish was a WINNER!

We ate earlier than usual yesterday because Jon had to fast after 9:00pm for tomorrows TBS blood tests. He was starving this morning! Because we were off schedule, I completely forgot to take a picture of this AMAZING dish!! So I borrowed one that looked most like it from the Internet.

You have GOT to try this recipe. It is so delicious and great for big families... or in our case little families that eat a lot! And it is probably the easiest recipe you will ever make.

Here we go, I hope you enjoy it! Please give it a try.

Chicken Cacciatore

What you will need:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 chicken breast, cubed
7 chicken legs, whole
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
pinch of salt
2 cups chicken broth low sodium
1 (794g) can crushed tomatoes (I have a BJ's can.. so make sure to read the grams on the can)
2 (411g) cans diced tomatoes
5 celery stalks, chopped

Drizzle olive oil in bottom of a large pot with a cover, when hot, add onions and garlic. Allow onions and garlic to cook and caramelize.
Add chicken breast and chicken legs and brown the meat.
Add the crushed tomatoes (1 can), diced tomatoes (2 cans), chicken broth, spices and celery.
Bring everything to a bowl and reduce to medium (4-6). Allow to simmer for 1 hour.
Serve over rice or pasta.

I LOVE this recipe, and I think you will too!

The picture above is taken from the Internet because I forgot all about taking one last night- it just smelt too good, we couldn't wait to dig in! haha! I will snap a picture next time I make it. We made ours with chicken legs and celery- so it will look a little different than the one above, but I still wanted to give you an idea.

Let me know what you think!

Make healthy choices everyone! Have a great Wednesday.

- Kimmie

Potato Salmon Casserole

2011-10-25T11:08:00.001-04:00

Some may think casseroles are boring and tasteless dinners, but I beg to differ!

The truth is, this type of dish can be easy, quick, inexpensive and healthy.

It can also make a little go a long way. If you are creative in the kitchen in the least, you are sure to create something delicious.

We only had 2 salmon fillets left in our freezer. Uh oh- this is never going to be enough to feed Jon and I!

I scrambled around the pantry and found some small potatoes. I also had some leftover cottage cheese from another recipe and we had just bought a dozen eggs.

There was my base for a delicious dish and my recipe for Potato Salmon Casserole was born.

Potato Salmon Casserole

what you will need:

dozen small potatoes or 3-4 large ones (about 1 potato per serving)
2 salmon fillets, thawed (about 1/2 salmon filet per serving)
6- 8 eggs (or egg whites) depends of how many you are feeding, I counted about 2 eggs per serving
1/4 cup skim milk
1 tbsp old bay
pepper
1 cup chopped spinach
1/2 cup small curd cottage cheese 1%
1/4 cup shredded low fat mozzarella cheese
Panko bread crumbs (optional)

Wash, cube and boil potatoes until soft, place in casserole dish
Cut salmon into cubes and place in casserole dish
In bowl, mix eggs, milk, old bay, pepper, spinach, cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese. Add to casserole dish and stir.
Top with panko bread crumbs
Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until all egg is cooked.

Enjoy! (It tastes better than it looks, I promise!)

Make healthy choices!

Thanks for reading,

-Kimmie

Even Healthier Pumpkin Muffins

2011-10-24T12:04:00.001-04:00

7 days to Halloween!

And we all know what that means... Candy, chocolate, chips and other goodies are making their way into our homes and into our bellies at an alarming rate. We cannot let this holiday get the best of us though! If we give in to Halloween, what will happen on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years!

Here are a couple game plan ideas that I think will work well and keep us all on our healthy paths...

Try to avoid buying the candy YOU enjoy the most in the world, you will be less likely to pick at the candy bowl. If you know chips are your weakness- then don't buy 80 small, easily accessible baggies of them.

But... if you love all candy, no matter the flavor, shape, texture or size- make yourself your own bowl and allow yourself one or two candies a day. No picking in the kids bowl!

Small toys, cars, glow in the dark necklaces or stickers are fun for kids instead of candy, taking the temptations away from you.

If you want to be the super healthy house on the street you can always opt for candy alternatives such as dried fruit, popcorn, real- fruit strips, granola bars, mints or sugar free gum.

And lastly, if you do get a little crazy one day and fall off the healthy train don't let it become a "I blew it" binge, tomorrow is a new day!

P.S. Do not , do not, do not keep leftover candy on top of the fridge, in the pantry or in a drawer after Halloween. It's bad news. We all know where that candy will end up... and at 100 to 150 calories a pop, after 5 trips back to our stash in a day we're talking 500 to 750 extra calories!! No thanks. Toss it, get rid of the leftovers! The 4 dollars worth of cheap Halloween candy does not deserve a spot in your life or in your diet. Say goodbye! This may sound a little bit harsh.. but it is all true and it is for your own good!

Now, for today's recipe! After some great feedback on my first attempt at healthy pumpkin muffins, I am excited to share the new and improved even healthier pumpkin muffins!

I have:

increased the fiber content by using oats
decreased the salt
decreased the sugar by using only 1 tbsp of honey and unsweetened applesauce
decreased the fat by replacing the canola oil with unsweetened applesauce, using egg whites instead of whole eggs and using skim milk instead of 1% milk

I love them! I hope you do too!

Even Healthier Pumpkin Muffins

What you will need:

Dry:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oats
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Wet:
2 egg whites
1 tbsp honey
3/4 cup pumpkin
3/4 cup milk
2 tbsp unsweetened apple sauce

1/4 cup chocolate chips if you want

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes!

Make healthy choices!

- Kimmie

Kale n' Turkey stuffed Pasta Shells

2011-10-20T22:01:00.000-04:00

"Eat more leafy dark green vegetables"

What comes to mind?

This is a sentence that is often thrown around by both Canadian and American dietary associations.

So I asked Jon that question today, and this is what came to his mind:

"Oh great, I have to eat a lot of lettuce"

Well, he was right! Sort of. According to Cari Nierenberg's article on WebMD Red and Green Leaf and Romaine Lettuce come in 8th place out of 10 when ranking the country's most widely-eaten greens from most nutritious to least. Iceberg Lettuce came in last. With it's light colour and bland taste, this green is the less nutritious because it is mostly water.

The first prize goes to the nutrition powerhouse Kale!

"It's an excellent source of vitamins A, C, and K, has a good amount of calcium for a vegetable, and also supplies folate and potassium."

If you're interested, here is the full list; ranking most nutritious to least nutritious commonly eaten greens in this country:

Kale
Collards
Turnip greens
Swiss chard
Spinach
Mustard greens
Broccoli
Red and Green Leaf and Romaine Lettuce
Cabbage
Iceberg Lettuce

If some of these greens are foreign to you, try exploring the vegetable section at your grocery store and give them a try!
Here is a delicious recipe placing kale in the spot light.

Kale n' Turkey stuffed pasta shells

What you will need:

jumbo pasta shells
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp worcheshire sauce
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Tabasco sauce
1 1/4 cup chicken broth
kale leaves, chopped
1 cup 1% cottage cheese
tomato sauce
shredded cheese

Cook jumbo pasta shells as instructed on package, set aside separated to cool
Drizzle a pan with olive oil and cook up ground turkey, set aside
Drizzle olive oil in bottom of pot, add onions and garlic, cook until caramelized and brown
Mix 2 tbsp dijon mustard, 1 tbsp worcheshire sauce, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, Tabasco sauce and 1 1/4 cup chicken broth, add to pot
Add chopped kale to onions and garlic in pot, cook for 5 minutes or until kale is settled
Remove pot from stove, add cooked ground turkey and 1 cup cottage cheese
Fill all pasta shells with kale, turkey and cottage cheese mixture, place face down in casserole dish
Pour tomato pasta sauce over shells and sprinkle with cheese
Broil for 5 minutes in oven until cheese melts

I hope this blog has encouraged all of you to "Eat more leafy dark green vegetables"!

Enjoy! And remember to make healthy choices!

- Kimmie

Ginger Pork Chop stir- fry

2011-10-19T15:17:00.003-04:00

Today's recipe is made with pork chops. Some might say that pork is not a lean meat and is therefore not the healthiest choice but some cuts of pork are more fatty than others.

It is difficult to know the nutritional value of meats because rarely do we find value tables on the cuts of meat. Everyone knows that it is important to consume lean meats and lower consumption of red meats, assuming one is not vegetarian or vegan, because of fat content. But how do you know which are lean and which are not without a nutritional values table?

Here are two resources that I use to get the information I need to make informed dietary decisions:

United States: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/index.html
Canada: http://webprod3.hc-sc.gc.ca/cnf-fce/index-eng.jsp

I used the American web site for the information provided below.

A "healthy portion" of meat is usually 75g or 2 1/2oz (the size of a deck of cards). Our first mistake.. a lot of us consume much more then that in one sitting. The extra calories we consume in meat we should actually be getting by loading our plates with veggies.

Alright, so take a look at the values below and see if you can figure out which choice is healthiest and which choice we should consume in moderation.

For 100g of Pork, fresh, loin, blade (chops or roast), boneless, separable lean only, raw:

3.78 g fat, of which 1.38 g are saturated fats (bad fats)

For 100g of Beef, rib eye steak, boneless, lip off, separable lean only, trimmed to 0" fat, choice, raw:

8.5 g of fat, of which 3.1 g are saturated fats (bad fats)

For 100g of Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, raw:

2.59 g of fat, of which 0.5 g are saturated fats (bad fats)

So clearly the chicken breast is the leanest out of the three, but the pork chops aren't so bad!

Steak, on the other hand, is a meat we should eat in moderation. Now remember, this example was for 100g or 3.3oz. I know some guys who would love to enjoy a 16 oz or 473 g steak... we're talking 27.34 g of fat, of which 10.9 g are saturated fats!

Now that we know we're making a healthy choice, let me share this delicious recipe with you!

Ginger Pork Chop stir- fry

What you will need:

3 tbsp olive oil
2 pork chops, cut into strips
4 cups of brussel sprouts, halved
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tbsp low sodium soya sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup water

In skillet, cook pork chop strips in olive oil over medium heat
Set meat aside once cooked
In same skillet, cook brussel spouts for about 6 minutes
Add garlic to skillet
In small bowl, combine soya sauce, brown sugar, ground ginger and water. Mix.
Add meat back into the skillet
Add sauce to skillet, stir and let simmer until the sauce thickens slightly
Serve over rice

I hope you all enjoy this stir- fry! Please let me know what you think if you do try it!

Have a great day everyone! And remember, make healthy choices!

- Kimmie

Pita Pizza

2011-10-18T18:08:00.000-04:00

Jon and I had a great week off in Ocean Park, but I am glad to be back!

With all the time off, I was able to come up with some great recipes to share with all of you. It was tough to be internet-less for 9 days!

We have begun a new chapter in Virginia today. Jon has started his basic training so he will be gone most of the time. Hopefully he will be able to join me for dinner some evenings! I have a feeling my blog portions are going to downsize a little bit.

With Jon being gone from dawn until dusk, I thought it would get lonely in our two bedroom apartment all day. Boy was I wrong. I always seem to find something to keep me busy!

Yesterday I decided to go see a doctor about wrist pain I have been experiencing for over 3 years. I have been putting it off partly because of timing but also because it just wasn't life threatening. Lately it has been getting worse so I decided I should do something about it. I walked into the hospital and they told me I had to go to the ER to see a doctor... well my goodness, I hardly saw the need for that! It really wasn't an emergency! It was the only way to see a doctor though, so I had to.

Before I even had time to sit down and read "Kate plus 8, are the kids going to be ok?" I was in to see the doctor. I couldn't believe how quick they were!

After about 2 hours of X-rays and questions, the doctor told me I had tendinitis. Half of me was relieved that it wasn't a cyst or carpal tunnel but the other half of me was disappointed that I had wasted my time and theirs. Needless to say, I left the hospital with a brace that looks like a go-go gadget arm and prescriptions for ibuprofen and vicodin (yeah, I know! geez!). I knew push ups were bad for me!! haha

At times like this, you get home and you want something quick, healthy and delicious to eat- with little clean up. Pita pizza was calling my name.

These are so easy to make and they even offer a remedy to those ugly pizza cravings.

Remember, if you don't have all these ingredients, use your imagination and create a new ingredient combination.

Pita Pizza

What you will need for 1 pita pizza:

1 whole wheat or white pita (preferably the pocket kind)
2 tbsp tomato pasta sauce (I use my favorite Rozzano Marinara sauce, but any kind will do!)
1/4 chicken breast, cubed
olive oil
2 tbsp shredded spinach
1-2 tbsp feta cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Drizzle olive oil in skillet and cook cubed chicken until no longer pink
Lay out the pita
Spread tomato sauce on pita
Sprinkle chicken, spinach and feta cheese on pita
Cook in oven on baking sheet for 6-7 minutes or until the edges of the pita are crunchy

I hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think if you get to try it.

Make healthy choices!

-Kimmie

P.S. Just want to thank you all for your wonderful recipe pictures, comments and feedback. I really appreciate it!

Healthy pumpkin muffins sent in by Sandra

Really Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

2011-10-06T19:51:00.001-04:00

To all the ladies out there who think that cutting their mans hair could be fun and economical... think again. Unless you've gone to beauty school and have done your practice hours, I highly suggest you stay far away from doing the job.

And unfortunately, I say this from experience.

It seemed easy- make the short hair a little shorter! Wrong. The world of tapered necklines, finishing lines and fades was unfamiliar to me, and that is an understatement.

So Jon needed a haircut, how hard could it be? We went into our guest bathroom and pulled out a home razor kit with all the attachments. I placed them all out and put the smock around Jon's neck. "Cool", I said out loud, "I'm a hairdresser!"...That was the first problem.. "barber, Kim, a barber".

So, it didn't seem so bad at first, we made it all the way up to the top of his ear without causing any major damage. Then Jon says "Ok, now you have to fade the line in".. "You want me to do what?". And that's when things started going really bad. The fading job looked like a lawn cut with a weedwacker by a five year old. It was terrible.

"I can't go out in public like this Kim!"
"Oh my goodness Jonnnn, I'm sorry! What do we do!"
"I don't know Kim!"
"Well, we have to go get it fixed"

And so, there we were, walking into "Annie's barbershop".

The nice lady smiled and to my surprise she said I did a pretty good job, just needed some work on the fading... and maybe 200 hours of practice. She also said military cuts are one of the hardest to do! ...maybe I should just stick to food.

This story does end well- she fixed it all up and Jon looks great now!

Moral of the story: Don't cut your husbands hair if you're a dietitian!

We are off to Ocean Park, Maine for the Canadian Thanksgiving/ American Columbus day! I was craving pumpkin this week and so I decided to create some really really healthy pumpkin spice muffins to bring to the beach! They are not nearly as sweet as commercial muffins but they make great pre workout or mid morning snacks.

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

Dry ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp brown sugar (only 2 tbsp of sugar!)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Wet ingredients:

1/2 can pumpkin

2 tbsp canola oil (only 2 tbsp of canola oil which is packed with good fat!!)
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Filling options

- Apple butter (A mix of apple, cider and cinnamon)

- 60% cocoa dark chocolate chips

1. Pre heat oven to 400 degrees

2. Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine wet ingredients.

3. Pour wet mix into dry mix and stir just until moistened.

4. Spray muffin tins or line with paper.

For apple butter filling:

Fill half the muffin sheet with batter, spoon in about 1 tbsp of apple butter and fill the rest up with batter

For chocolate chip filling:

Add 1/4 to 1/2 of a cup of chocolate chips to batter and spoon into muffin sheet as usual

5. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until golden.

Enjoy!!

The one in the center is apple butter, the two others are dark chocolate chip!

Let me know what you think if you get a chance to try these yummy muffins!

Make healthy choices!

- Kimmie

Cabbage Rolls [Video]

2011-10-05T13:34:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, Jon and I ventured out to the Shenandoah National Park. We hiked part of White Oak Canyon trail for 3 hours, which included our short stop for lunch near a waterfall. I have never seen such beautiful waterfalls in my life.

The climb was parallel with the water flowing down the mountain. It was so peaceful and serene. Colby was able to come with us on this trail, he absolutely loved it and fell asleep as soon as we got home. Jon had his heart set on climbing Old Rag Mountain, a 5.5 hour hike spanning 8 miles with one of the most challenging rock scrambles in the park. Unfortunately, they don't allow pets on this trail, as we found out upon arrival, so we opted to hike White Oak Canyon instead. We are definitely going to make the hour trip back to Shenandoah Park to climb Old Rag Mountain sometime soon!

It was a great workout, a great way to spend a beautiful fall day and a great time with loved ones. Here are some pictures from our hike!

We were lucky enough to have leftovers from the night before, which, surprisingly enough, tasted even better the second day! We had Cabbage Rolls with ground turkey filling! Let me share the recipe with you. Make sure to check out the how- to video below.

Cabbage Rolls

What you will need:

Cabbage
1 lb ground turkey or ground beef
3/4 cup rice, cooked
2 eggs
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp thyme
pepper, salt to taste
Worcestershire sauce (which I still did not pronounce properly in the video haha)
parsley, chopped
1/2 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes

1. Place whole cabbage in almost boiling water for approximately 7 minutes, peel away leaves and let leaves cool
2. Add onion, garlic, eggs, rice, paprika, thyme, salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce and parsley to ground turkey or ground beef
3. Cut out stem from cabbage leave and fill leaf with meat mixture
4. Roll up and place in cooking dish
5. Pour tomato sauce and diced tomatoes over cabbage rolls
6. Cover cabbage rolls with cover or aluminum foil
7. Bake at 350 for 45 mins to 1 hour

Hope you enjoy these little packages of healthy goodness!

Make healthy choices!

- Kimmie

Shrimp Scampi [Video]

2011-10-03T15:07:00.000-04:00

Shrimp Scampi

I want to apologize for the week long hiatus; the reason for this interruption was our move from Middletown, Rhode Island to Stafford, Virginia. We finally arrived at our new apartment on Wednesday morning. As you may know, military moves can be organized and executed for you, but Jon and I opted to do it ourselves after weighing out the pros and cons. We are so happy with the decision we made.

We are finally settled in now and our Internet is connected! I can blog again!

Last Monday was crazy! We spent hours packing 4120 lbs into a rented UHaul and cleaning a 3 bedroom house to a standard we felt was fit for a surgical room. That night we slept on the empty living room floor on a very comfy blow up mattress. A luxurious camping trip!

Tuesday was also a big day. We woke up to last minute packing and a 9 o’clock inspection. We passed! Leaving Rhode Island at 11 o’clock in the morning meant we wouldn’t arrive in Virginia until 8 o’clock or so. With that estimated time of arrival, we would miss the open office hours to pick up our keys to get into our new apartment. We were lucky to have my cousin Niki let us stay at her house in Annapolis Tuesday night so we could complete our journey the next morning. Annapolis is about 1 ½ hours away from Stafford, VA.

We finally arrived at our new living quarters on Wednesday morning! But now... we had 4120 lbs to unload and haul up 3 flights of stairs!!! Both Jon and I started at the back of the UHaul.. we realized we could either spend 100.00$ to mend our relationship in therapy after the move or hire movers- we hired movers. Best 100.00$ we have ever spent! The guys moved in all our stuff in 30 minutes! We decided to give them all our leftover wedding beer. They were happy and so were we!

Thursday and Friday were spent unpacking our bins and decorating our new home. We love it here and I think it is the most beautiful place. There are forests all around and the people seem to be very nice.

Saturday we got to explore the local National Park. Jon and I loved the hike, it reminded us of our honeymoon in TN, but I think Colby was the one who loved it the most. He was practically doing back flips he was so happy and excited to be out in the wilderness.

Sunday we got to check out the church in town and go the pumpkin patch.

But I have not forgotten about you! I have also been working on new healthy recipes! And the recipe I would like to share with you today is Shrimp Scampi! Check out the how- to video below!

Shrimp Scampi

What you will need:

frozen shrimp, thawed
angel hair pasta
¼ cup olive oil
¼ tsp crushed red pepper
4-6 cloves of garlic
3 tbsp parsley, chopped
1 lemon, zest

1. Cook angel hair pasta, drain and set aside

2. Thaw and prep shrimp

3. In a skillet warm ¼ cup of olive oil

4. Add minced garlic and crushed red peppers to olive oil

5. Add shrimp to olive oil mixture

6. Once the shrimp is cooked, add the whole mix to the cooked angle hair

7. Add parsley and lemon zest to pasta and serve

This recipe is healthy and delicious! Let me know what you think!

Make healthy choices!

- Kimmie