Farmers Market Inspiration

A trip to our local farmers market always brings me inspiration. All the pretty, colorful veggies displayed by the folks who grew them call my name. Music playing in the background. Colorful people walking around, purchasing, smiling, and enjoying their Saturday. It's one of my favorite Saturday things to do. It's still a little early in our part of the world as far as the growing season goes but there can still be lots of yummy things to find!

I decided to buy a bright orange squash that looked sort of like a pumpkin. I love squash and I love to try new ones so I gave this one a shot.

I washed it well. Then I carefully cut it in half (careful, they're somewhat hard to cut). Scooped out the insides and then sliced it into little crescents. I tossed them with about a half tbsp of olive oil, some sea salt, and cayenne pepper.

I preheated the oven to 425, covered my baking sheet with foil and put it in the oven while it preheated.

Then I placed the squash on the baking sheet and roasted for about 25 minutes. This was DELICIOUS. A little sweet, a little 'nutty' and a little spicy (thanks to the cayenne). One nice thing was that the skin was really thin and after roasting, you could just eat it. No need to peel. It was really tasty!





The next thing I bought was heirloom tomatoes. I don't think a trip to the market is complete without tomatoes. I also purchased local, fresh, organic basil. Yum!!

I decided that part-skim mozzarella would be my "lean" this night. Sliced it up with those tomatoes, garnish with basil, and voila' - delicious, healthy lean and green.





Then Sunday, my son, his girlfriend and I took a hike up at Crater Lake National Park. Absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking!! Here are a few photos:

love the blue of this lake. Spectacular

Plaikni Falls - a beautiful short, easy hike

wildflowers were in bloom everywhere

Phantom Ship 

Mt Scott

Hope you enjoyed your weekend!

Shopping During Weight Loss

First, I'm going to post a few photos that aren't the best quality but I hope you'll at least get my point.

I want to talk today about shopping during weight loss. I have lost 103 lbs but I have 37 left to go.

In shopping terms, this means:

a) I've shopped more in the last six months than I have in the last 10 years (I've gone from a 24 to a 16).
b) Shopping has gone from something I hate to something I enjoy.
c) I'm starting to love clothes so I'm starting to have a very very full closet.
d) I expect with 37 lbs to go I'll be shopping a lot more in the future.
e) Thrift stores are my friend (I don't want to spend a ton of money while I'm still losing).

I wanted to do a series of blog posts about thrifty shopping and what to look for during weight loss that will help you get the most bang for your buck.

Today's tip is.... Ignore the size and try on a few things you'd never ever wear. Oh and be prepared to leave empty handed. Oh and if you see something you like, buy it...it won't be around long. So sorry for the lousy pictures. I was sure the ladies in the other room thought I was a creeper as they heard my camera going off.

First, a lesson in ignoring sizes. This top (below) is a size medium. It fit loose. (for the record I "typically" wear a size XL or 16)

Size medium and loose

But this top (below) was a size Large and fit tight. 

Size large and tight

This monstrosity was actually a size 2X. I wanted to try a maxi dress and it was the only one not a small so I tried it. It was SUPER tight and not at all flattering. I don't think my body is made for maxi dresses. 

Size 2x and super super tight

I decided to just try this one on because it's not something I would have picked. It was a size Large and fit nearly perfectly. I didn't buy it because it was just "eh" and I didn't really need something like it in my closet.

Size Large, fit well

 Another "just try it" top. This was a Gap Junior size Large. It almost came home with me. It fit well, I loved the color and I think it was flattering. But I felt a little self-conscious in strapless and I wasn't sure I'd wear it. I'm sort of regretting not buying it but oh well.

Size large, fit well

 I took another picture just to try and decide

 Then I put together an outfit. The yellow was a size XL, the belt was a 3x, the pants were size 16,  and the tank was a large. See, sizes don't always matter.

A crazy mix of sizes

 Not too bad.

Anyway, as you can see, sometimes size is JUST a number especially when thrifting. Some items have been washed and may have shrunk. Brand sizes run different. A lot of things play into it so visit your local thrift store or consignment store and spend some time. Look through several sizes and don't be afraid to try it on! (PS - if you're in Klamath my fave place to shop is Periwinkle!)

Buffalo Chicken and Cauliflower Casserole

On Friday, I was craving some spicy wings and decided to make a buffalo chicken and cauliflower casserole. I found a recipe online and then of course adapted it to stay on plan. It was spicy, tasty, and a great substitute. Here's my version:

Buffalo Cauliflower & Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets

6 tbs. Frank's hot sauce

1 tbs. paprika

2 tbs. garlic powder

1 tbs. freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 lb. chicken breasts, cut into small cubes

1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles

1/3 cup minced green onion

Preheat oven to 400. Put hot sauce, spices and olive oil in a large bowl and mix. Add cauliflower florets and toss to coat.

Spread cauliflower out in a 9x13 greased baking dish. Bake for 35 minutes, tossing once.

Meanwhile, add chicken to bowl with remaining sauce and seasonings. Toss to coat the meat. When cauliflower is done, remove from oven and scatter chicken on top. Sprinkle with cheese and return to oven. Bake for another 15 minutes.

Scatter with minced green onion.

I'm not a food photographer.
It was yummier than it looks

Like I said, this dish was amazing and I'll be making it again. I served it with a very small salad on the side because I liked the contract between hot and spicy and cool. 

Lemon-Oregano Roasted Chicken

A while back, I pinned a recipe for Roasted Chicken Thighs with Lemon and Oregano. It was easily the picture that attracted me. . . made my mouth water. This weekend I decided to give it a shot. My apologies for not having mouth watering pictures but I just forget to do that. I did have to slightly modify the recipe to stay on plan. Here's my version:

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Lemon and Oregano

Ingredients

• 1 lemon
• 4 large or 8 small boneless, skinless chicken thighs (original recipe called for skin on, I made it with skinless)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 3 sprigs oregano
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1/2 garlic clove, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth (the original recipe called for wine but I didn't have any so I used chicken broth in two steps)
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Directions

• Preheat oven to 425°.
• Very thinly slice half of lemon;discard any seeds.Cut remaining lemon half into 2 wedges. 
• Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
• Coat a large room-temperature skillet with 1teaspoon oil. I used my cast-iron skillet. 
• Add chicken.  Place skillet over medium heat and cook, letting chicken brown, and pouring off excess fat to maintain a thin coating in pan,until chicken is cooked halfway through, about 10 minutes. (Note: the original recipe showed a crispy skin, I of course did skinless but my chicken thighs still browned up nicely and gave me the same effect). 
• Scatter half of lemon slices over chicken and half on bottom of skillet (the slices on top of the chicken will soften; those in the skillet will caramelize). 
• Transfer skillet to oven. Roast until chicken is cooked through and lemon slices on bottom of skillet are caramelized,6-8 minutes.
• Transfer chicken pieces and caramelized lemon slices from bottom of skillet to a warm platter.(Leave softened lemon slices in the skillet.)
• Return skillet to medium heat. Add oregano sprigs, shallot, garlic, and red pepper flakes; cook,stirring frequently,until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Remove skillet from heat. Add 1/4 cup of chicken broth; cook over medium heat until reduced by half,1-2 minutes.
• Add the 1/2 cup of chicken broth; cook until thickened, about3minutes.
• Squeeze 1 lemon wedge over and season sauce with salt, pepper, and juice from remaining lemon wedge, if desired.
• Drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil.
• Return chicken to skillet to rewarm.Serve topped with caramelized lemon slices.

Delicious! This was one of my favorite things I've ever made! Served it up with a nice salad and a big glass of ice water. Give it a try - you'll love it. 

And remember, I got this recipe from Bon Appetit - you can view their recipe online. 

Asian Style Turkey Meatballs and Broiled Bok Choy

Last night I decided to find a recipe to use up my extra lean ground turkey breast and stumbled across various recipes for Asian-style Turkey Meatballs. Some had bread crumbs added, some had things that aren't on plan so I improvised. 

My Asian-style Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 lb extra lean ground turkey breast
• 1/2 scallion finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fish sauce 
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp soy sauce

Directions:

broiled bok choy

Mix together and form meatballs. You could bake them but I browned them and cooked them in a skillet with 1 1/2 tsp of canola oil. I cooked on medium low until done. After cooking, this equaled 2 green servings. 

Green

Then for the green portion of my meal, I broiled baby bok choy. Just cut the bok choy in half, spray with cooking spray, sprinkle with a bit of salt and broil for 5-7 minutes. Serve. I drizzled a bit of Frank's hot sauce on mine. 

I also served mine with some steamed broccoli to get in my servings of green.

Delicious!

Orange Julius? Yes, Please!

What if I told you that you could have an orange julius and still stay on plan? Well, if you're like me...you'd say hell yeah, sign me up! Well you can....sort of. It's not technically Orange Julius but it's delicious and very close (oh and very simple). . . 

Take the Medifast Orange Blend drink (one of my favorites anyway) and pour the powder in a blender. 

Orange Blend Drink (pour the powder in a blender, don't add water)

Now throw in some ice. However much you like. 

Then instead of water, add a cup of Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla. Delicious! 

Did you know that 1 cup of this counts as 1 condiment?

Blend and drink!

Delicious!! 

To Recap:

1 packet of Orange Blend drink

A handful of ice

1 cup Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla Milk

Blend. Enjoy! 

Remember to count one meal and one condiment:) 

Craving Nuggets

Do you ever just want something breaded? I go through that craving once in a while and lately I've been craving Chicken Nuggets. I make them for the kids occasionally and I prefer to make them from scratch so that I know they're real chicken and not some weird chicken leftover parts.

Until recently, I'll make them nuggets and bake plain ole' chicken breasts for me. Until now...I stumbled across this recipe from Sandy's Kitchen, an excellent resource by the way for lean and green recipes. These nuggets use Medifast Parmesan Puffs as the breading. A bonus - it gives me a chance to use those up as they aren't my favorite thing to eat. I have clients who love them but they're just not my favorite.

Here's the recipe:

Chicken Nuggets
from Sandy's Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 9 oz. raw boneless skinless chicken breast cut into cubes- should yield 6 oz cooked (1 Lean)
• 1 tbsp Frank's Red Hot Wing Sauce (1 Condiment)
• 1 Bag Medifast Parmesan Cheese Puffs (1 Meal)
• 1 tbsp Reduced Fat Grated Parmesan Cheese (1 Condiment)

Optional Dipping Sauce:

• 2 tbsp Hidden Valley Light Ranch Dressing (1 Healthy Fat)
• 1 tsp Frank's Red Hot Wing Sauce (0.33 Condiments)

Directions:

Preheat Oven to 350. Finely crush the Parmesan puffs into a bread-crumb consistency - use food processor or just whack the heck out of the (already opened) bag with something heavy. Mix the Parmesan cheese with the processed Parmesan puffs and pour crumb mixture into a plastic Ziploc bag. Set aside.

Cut Chicken Breast into approximately 1 inch cubes/chunks. Combine chicken with 1 tbsp of Frank's Hot Wing Sauce, tossing until combined. Place the coated chicken (let excess sauce drip off chicken before placing in bag) into the Ziploc bag with the crumb mixture and shake the bag, making sure the chicken is completely coated with the crumbs.

Put the crumb coated chicken cubes onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (etc.) and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on your oven, but I used my oven light and kept an eye on them to make sure they didn't burn.

Combine ranch dressing and 1 tsp Frank's Hot Wing Sauce and stir until combined. Serve with chicken bites.

1 Lean Serving with 2.33 Condiments, 1 Healthy Fat, and 1 Meal (Don't forget to add your Greens!)

Let me know if you try them. And remember - Sandy's Kitchen is a great resource. Lots of delicious Lean/Green ideas. Go there now!