Part of living a healthy life is helping others to do the same. This can be done in many ways and I personally do it every day at my job as a fitness coach at Invictus Fitness. I love my job! It is an amazing way to touch people from all walks of life and help them reach their health and fitness goals. Most of you don’t have the pleasure of going to work at a giant playground like I do but I’m sure you could figure out ways to help friends, family, and even strangers live longer, happier, and healthier lives!
I have volunteered for a number of organizations over the years and find it very rewarding to work directly with the people who are served by them. A few months ago, I organized a group of fellow Invicti to join me in serving lunch to low-income seniors at Senior Community Centers (SCC) once a month. Volunteers like us mean that the center doesn’t have to pay staff to serve meals so more money can go toward the nutrition program and other services that they offer. It is also a wonderful community and team building activity for our gym. I put a sign-up on the whiteboard each month and it is full within a day. The staff at SCC is always pleasantly surprised at the size of our group and the seniors clap upon our arrival. It is a win, win, win situation.
Last week, a friend of mine who attends my 9:30 group class at Invictus had some pretty major surgery. I was stoked when the other ladies in the class decided to take turns checking in on her and bringing her food and of course, I jumped on the opportunity to help out. My day is Wednesday and I will go each week until she has recovered enough to get along on her own.
Last Wednesday I took her BBQ Rubbed Pork Tenderloin, a Garden Salad with my Roasted Grape Tomato-Balsamic Dressing (see August 27th entry), and a Frittata so she would have a week’s worth of breakfasts on hand within one minute in the microwave.
BBQ Rubbed Pork Tenderloin:
Open one package of pork tenderloin and remove both pieces (there are always two tenderloins in the package). LIGHTLY cover with liquid smoke but be careful because a little of this stuff goes a long way! Sprinkle on your favorite sugar-free BBQ rub. Cook at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until meat is medium-well. Remove from oven and let rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing. It will finish cooking through during the rest period but don’t worry, it is okay to eat pork when it is a little pink and is actually better if not overcooked.
Sausage, Mushroom & Roasted Red Pepper Frittata:
2T coconut oil
1 pkg. white button mushrooms, sliced
2 roasted red peppers, diced (I always have a jar of these on hand)
1T minced garlic (another thing I always have a jar of on hand)
1 pkg. turkey breakfast sausage links, quartered
18 eggs, beaten
In an oven proof pan, sautee mushrooms and garlic in the coconut oil on medium-high heat until mushrooms cook down (about 5 minutes). Add roasted red peppers and sausage and cook until sausage is no longer pink. Pour in eggs and scrape bottom of pan until mixture is almost set. Smooth out top and let sit over heat until steam rises through tiny holes in mixture (about 2 minutes). Place under broiler until top browns (about 2-3 minutes). Slip spatula under frittata and slide out of pan onto plate then cut into 8-12 pieces. This will keep for a week and slices can be reheated in the microwave in about a minute for easy breakfast!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Bison Ribeye & Krispy Kale - The One-Two Punch for a Fight Night Brainstorming Session on "The Evil Cooking Empire"
My friend Angela invited me over last night to watch the fight and cook some yummy food but really I went to talk about this new project called The M Good Life; the ongoing story and daily dialogue of my (I’m M Good) healthy life. I’m putting it all on this blog with the intent to turn it into a practical and fun show.
The blog will fuel ideas which will be turned into episodes of my “talk cooking show”. Each episode, I will interview a guest with expertise in a specific health-related topic ranging from acupuncture to organic farming. The topic of each episode will provide at least one related recipe that will be prepared for viewers.
Angela and I already have enough ideas to produce a weekly show for a year or more. She is full of ideas, excitement, and energy so she makes the perfect producer for this project. I know she will be able to help me finally make this “Evil Cooking Empire Dream” a reality by keeping things rolling behind the scenes as well as in the occasional cameo appearance or contributing editorial.
Not only is Angela a great producer, she’s also a mighty fine cook. For dinner, she prepared bison ribeye, sweet potato fries, and grilled eggplant from her garden. My contribution added crunch and texture to the meal. I wanted to share an unusual way to eat a dark leafy green and made Krispy Kale, a recipe I got from my friend, Lu Crenshaw, at CrossFit Allegiance.
This menu is perfect for a night of brainstorming since all of the recipes are simple and require minimal ingredients and prep time.
Bison Ribeye: Rub each ribeye with garlic, salt and pepper. Grill over charcoal to your desired cooking temperature (medium-rare is suggested).
Sweet Potato Fries: Cut sweet potatoes into long pieces and toss in olive oil or coconut oil then sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg. Bake at 425 degrees until slightly brown (about 20 minutes).
Grilled Eggplant: Cut eggplant into long pieces so they will not fall thorough slats on grill. Drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Grill for about 3 minutes on each side.
Lu’s Krispy Kale: Cut stems off of one bunch of kale. Toss in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on baking sheet and broil for about 3 minutes then flip and broil another 3 minutes. Watch these pretty closely because they finish quickly. You will know when they are done when they start to brown.
The blog will fuel ideas which will be turned into episodes of my “talk cooking show”. Each episode, I will interview a guest with expertise in a specific health-related topic ranging from acupuncture to organic farming. The topic of each episode will provide at least one related recipe that will be prepared for viewers.
Angela and I already have enough ideas to produce a weekly show for a year or more. She is full of ideas, excitement, and energy so she makes the perfect producer for this project. I know she will be able to help me finally make this “Evil Cooking Empire Dream” a reality by keeping things rolling behind the scenes as well as in the occasional cameo appearance or contributing editorial.
Not only is Angela a great producer, she’s also a mighty fine cook. For dinner, she prepared bison ribeye, sweet potato fries, and grilled eggplant from her garden. My contribution added crunch and texture to the meal. I wanted to share an unusual way to eat a dark leafy green and made Krispy Kale, a recipe I got from my friend, Lu Crenshaw, at CrossFit Allegiance.
This menu is perfect for a night of brainstorming since all of the recipes are simple and require minimal ingredients and prep time.
Bison Ribeye: Rub each ribeye with garlic, salt and pepper. Grill over charcoal to your desired cooking temperature (medium-rare is suggested).
Sweet Potato Fries: Cut sweet potatoes into long pieces and toss in olive oil or coconut oil then sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg. Bake at 425 degrees until slightly brown (about 20 minutes).
Grilled Eggplant: Cut eggplant into long pieces so they will not fall thorough slats on grill. Drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Grill for about 3 minutes on each side.
Lu’s Krispy Kale: Cut stems off of one bunch of kale. Toss in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on baking sheet and broil for about 3 minutes then flip and broil another 3 minutes. Watch these pretty closely because they finish quickly. You will know when they are done when they start to brown.
Friday, August 27, 2010
The CSA Box - A Palate for my Creative Outlet
I picked up my CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box this week and was pleasantly surprised. Heck, I’m always pleasantly surprised. It is like a little treasure chest of seasonal veggies and fruits and I never know what I’m going to get. My healthy lifestyle completely supports eating all natural, chemical-free products which are in season. I am a master at throwing together a delicious and nutritious meal based on what’s available with no recipe at all and through this blog; I hope to teach you to do the same.
For those of you who have never heard of a CSA, you should really check it out. It consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farming operation where the growers and consumers share the risks and benefits of food production. Individuals do not pay per pound of produce but rather support the budget of the whole farm and receive weekly what is seasonally ripe. Basically you pay the same price each week and the available crop is divided amongst the participants so some weeks you might get a lot more goods than others.
At first, I was unsure about receiving the unknown. I used to go to my favorite Mexican market for the cheapest produce that I could find and didn’t worry where it had been or how it had been treated since I could fill up my cart for under $30. Now, I look forward to my weekly pick-up because it makes me feel good about avoiding eating harsh pesticides, supporting local farmers, and getting my creative juices flowing. Guess what? It still costs me $30 per week!
This might freak a lot of you out but YOU DON’T NEED A RECIPE OR EXACT MEASUREMENTS when cooking. We aren’t doing a science experiment here (i.e. baking) so use the kitchen as your canvas and let your imagination be your guide.
This week’s box included: hot house tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, grape tomatoes, grapefruit, apples, peaches, kale, summer (yellow) squash, orange bell peppers, basil, carrots, red onions, mixed greens, and purple green beans.
Tonight’s Dinner (Serves Two):
Bacon-Wrapped Scallops
Heirloom Tomato Salad on a bed of Mixed greens w/ Roasted Grape Tomato Dressing
Sauteed Peaches
Roasted Grape Tomato Dressing Ingredients:
1 pint grape tomatoes
½ c. olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
¼ t. red pepper flakes
1 bunch fresh basil (or oregano, or thyme)
¼ c. balsamic vinegar
Salt & Pepper
Roasted Grape Tomato Salad Dressing Directions (make this first):
Put tomatoes, garlic, pepper flakes, olive oil, salt & pepper in pan and in the oven on broil until tomato skins blacken. Let cool then put in food processor or Magic Bullet and top with balsamic and basil. Blend until smooth. Chill. This will make more than you need for one meal so save the rest for up to two weeks.
Bacon-Wrapped Scallop Ingredients:
12 large scallops
6 slices uncured bacon
Bacon-Wrapped Scallop Directions:
Preheat oven to broil. Cut six pieces of uncured bacon in half. Wrap twelve large scallops in bacon and place seam side down on baking sheet covered with foil. Broil for about 10 minutes (until bacon is crispy).
Heirloom Tomato Salad Ingredients:
Mixed Greens
2 heirloom tomatoes
¼ red onion, finely chopped
1 orange bell pepper, chopped (use any color)
Salt & Pepper
Heirloom Tomato Salad Directions:
Chop tomatoes into large pieces and mix in finely chopped red onion and orange bell pepper. Sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste. Toss mixed greens in salad dressing and top with tomato mixture. Again, make extra so you can have some on hand for a quick snack.
Sauteed Peaches Ingredients:
2 ripe peaches
1 T coconut oil
3 shakes cinnamon
1 shake nutmeg
Sauteed Peaches Directions:
Cut peaches in half and remove pits. Cut each half into four slices. Place peaches and coconut oil in pan on medium-high heat until edges slightly brown. Do not stir (you know who you are, over-stirrer). Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg then turn each slice and cook other side until edges slightly brown. Serve hot.
For those of you who have never heard of a CSA, you should really check it out. It consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farming operation where the growers and consumers share the risks and benefits of food production. Individuals do not pay per pound of produce but rather support the budget of the whole farm and receive weekly what is seasonally ripe. Basically you pay the same price each week and the available crop is divided amongst the participants so some weeks you might get a lot more goods than others.
At first, I was unsure about receiving the unknown. I used to go to my favorite Mexican market for the cheapest produce that I could find and didn’t worry where it had been or how it had been treated since I could fill up my cart for under $30. Now, I look forward to my weekly pick-up because it makes me feel good about avoiding eating harsh pesticides, supporting local farmers, and getting my creative juices flowing. Guess what? It still costs me $30 per week!
This might freak a lot of you out but YOU DON’T NEED A RECIPE OR EXACT MEASUREMENTS when cooking. We aren’t doing a science experiment here (i.e. baking) so use the kitchen as your canvas and let your imagination be your guide.
This week’s box included: hot house tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, grape tomatoes, grapefruit, apples, peaches, kale, summer (yellow) squash, orange bell peppers, basil, carrots, red onions, mixed greens, and purple green beans.
Tonight’s Dinner (Serves Two):
Bacon-Wrapped Scallops
Heirloom Tomato Salad on a bed of Mixed greens w/ Roasted Grape Tomato Dressing
Sauteed Peaches
Roasted Grape Tomato Dressing Ingredients:
1 pint grape tomatoes
½ c. olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
¼ t. red pepper flakes
1 bunch fresh basil (or oregano, or thyme)
¼ c. balsamic vinegar
Salt & Pepper
Roasted Grape Tomato Salad Dressing Directions (make this first):
Put tomatoes, garlic, pepper flakes, olive oil, salt & pepper in pan and in the oven on broil until tomato skins blacken. Let cool then put in food processor or Magic Bullet and top with balsamic and basil. Blend until smooth. Chill. This will make more than you need for one meal so save the rest for up to two weeks.
Bacon-Wrapped Scallop Ingredients:
12 large scallops
6 slices uncured bacon
Bacon-Wrapped Scallop Directions:
Preheat oven to broil. Cut six pieces of uncured bacon in half. Wrap twelve large scallops in bacon and place seam side down on baking sheet covered with foil. Broil for about 10 minutes (until bacon is crispy).
Heirloom Tomato Salad Ingredients:
Mixed Greens
2 heirloom tomatoes
¼ red onion, finely chopped
1 orange bell pepper, chopped (use any color)
Salt & Pepper
Heirloom Tomato Salad Directions:
Chop tomatoes into large pieces and mix in finely chopped red onion and orange bell pepper. Sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste. Toss mixed greens in salad dressing and top with tomato mixture. Again, make extra so you can have some on hand for a quick snack.
Sauteed Peaches Ingredients:
2 ripe peaches
1 T coconut oil
3 shakes cinnamon
1 shake nutmeg
Sauteed Peaches Directions:
Cut peaches in half and remove pits. Cut each half into four slices. Place peaches and coconut oil in pan on medium-high heat until edges slightly brown. Do not stir (you know who you are, over-stirrer). Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg then turn each slice and cook other side until edges slightly brown. Serve hot.
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