Fuel Yourself for Exercise — Even though many of my recipes are for desserts [baking > cooking in my book!], I still eat a fairly healthy diet most of the time. Moderation is the name of the game.
Click on over to read more… and for now, share with us:
What was your best vacation ever?
What are your favorite ways to fuel yourself for exercise?
Boy, am I loving the crock pot lately. School has been busy lately, and I’m trying to clean out the freezer, which means that big hunk ‘o pork shoulder needed to be eaten. Pronto. Since I don’t like to leave the crock pot on during the day when we were gone, I made this up on a Sunday after we got home from church. It cooked away all afternoon until dinnertime, and then we had a delicious, no-work dinner waiting for us at our leisure. I didn’t use to like the crock pot because it felt like cheater cooking, but for some things, like hunks ‘o meat, it’s just way easier than slaving over a hot oven. 🙂
This pork literally fell apart on it’s own; it was so tender. The flavors were sweet and a little spicy because of the cumin and the sweet chili sauce, with a hint of blueberry in each bite. A little bit of summer, a little bit of fall. A lot of flavor. And it’s really easy too.
1 cup blueberries [I used frozen blueberries from the freezer that we picked earlier in the summer.]
1/3 cup sweet chili sauce [I got mine from Trader Joe’s and it contains red chili, sugar, water, garlic, and salt if you need ingredients as a reference.]
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried cilantro
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2-2 pound pork shoulder roast
Directions:
Place pork shoulder in a crock pot, then add all ingredients. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7-8. Shred pork shoulder with two forks, then serve over brown rice or in a tortilla.
In my opinion, fall couldn’t come soon enough. This summer was HOT, which made running pretty miserable at times and made other outdoor activities sound not-so-attractive. Drenched in sweat after a stroll in the neighborhood? No thanks. Though I love the bounty of summer’s produce, my favorite seasonal flavors are from the fall. Pumpkin. Apple. Squash. Cranberry. Yum.
Even though I’ve been graduated for three years now (!), fall takes me back to my alma mater, with pretty leaves on the trees, homecoming festivities, and cross country races. Oh, how I miss Wittenberg, dear Wittenberg!
I’m learning to love fall on my new campus, Indiana University. I love walking in the midst of these grand old limestone-and-brick buildings with a chill in the air and leaves crunching beneath my feet. Fall weather, whether it comes in the first week of the semester or the sixth, just screams academics to me. Does this resonate with anyone else? I just love the line in You’ve Got Mail about this:
“Don’t you love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address. On the other hand, this not knowing has it’s charm.”
one aspect of fall…
Last fall, Ben and I even got to partake in a classic fall ritual–apple picking! It was really fun, and we came back with dozens of apples–a whole peck, I do believe.
Apple picking last fall.
We made many an apple recipe last fall, and since I wasn’t blogging then, I haven’t shared them yet!
In honor of the first day of fall, I made this applesauce last night to celebrate. Since it’s a crock pot recipe, made is a loose term. After getting home, I quickly enlisted Ben’s sous-chef skills and hopped to it!
8 apples, cored, peeled, chopped [I used 3 Gala apples and 5 Granny Smiths, but feel free to use whatever you like/have on hand.] — about 8-9 cups
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Directions:
Prepare apples, and don’t feel like you have to peel all the skin off–we like a little left on for texture! Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Stir well, then cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Resist the temptation to open the lid! It adds cooking time if you do that because the air escapes. [Ask me how I know… :)] When it has finished cooking, use a potato masher to mash apples to desired texture. Eat and enjoy!
Notes:
If you don’t have a crock pot, I’m sure you can make this recipe on the stove, too, but I haven’t tried that. If you do, let me know how it goes! Also, this recipe can easily be doubled or even tripled, depending on the size of your crock pot. Feel free to adjust the amount of sugar based on the sweetness of your apples too. Or the seasonings too. Or add pears. That’s yummy also. Basically, this is a very versatile recipe. Do with it what you like!
My love for pancakes lives on! Since I began baking with whole wheat flour back in February, I’ve been trying to find a good whole wheat pancake recipe. I’ve experimented with many but haven’t found my go-to recipe. Until now. The combination of buttermilk and melted butter work in tandem to provide the light fluffiness of a traditional pancake with the nutrition and satisfying taste [in my opinion] of whole wheat.
Maybe I’m a purist, but I honestly prefer the nutty flavor found in items prepared with whole wheat, rather than all-purpose flour. There’s just something about it being less processed that is really appealing to me–and not just for health reasons. However, the health benefits of whole grains can’t be beat. Whole grains provide more fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and adding whole grains to our diet helps reduce risk of heart disease, cancers, and diabetes. I know this is all common knowledge today, but it’s important to have a good reminder of what we’re putting in our bodies and why, I think.
Regardless of your beliefs on whole wheat flour, this is a perfect basic pancake recipe. Leftovers freeze easily so it’s an option to make ahead for busy mornings.
1/3 cup of your choice of mix-ins [we like blueberries and chocolate chips]
canola oil for frying
Directions:
Pour approximately 2 tablespoons canola oil onto a griddle pan and heat to medium-high heat on the stovetop. A hot griddle is key to pancake success.
Then, in a large bowl, mix dry ingredients together–flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, and butter [make sure it’s cooled–otherwise it’ll cook the eggs!]. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
Spoon onto hot griddle in scant 1/4 cup increments. Top with mix-ins of your choice; cook until golden brown and crispy on each side. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree oven.
Notes:
Makes about 10 regular size pancakes, but can be doubled or tripled to suit your needs. For freezing tips, check out Money Saving Mom’s tips on the recipe source.
What has your experience been with using whole grains [like whole wheat flour] in cooking or baking?
This is a guest post from my husband, Ben. Periodically, he has agreed to share some of his favorite recipes with you in a guest post column entitled One Tablespoon Testosterone, or OTT for short. Enjoy!
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The whole cast of characters.
Bonjour and bienvenue! This is my latest Monday night meal. With Sarah being on campus until 6, I take control of the kitchen on these days this semester. Well, since my lovely wife was ill the previous week, I wanted to make a “real” dinner this past Monday. So, in a brash display of something far shy of wisdom, I decided to make up my own recipe. I really like fish. I also really like citrus flavors, and my experience tells me that these two things fit together nicely. So I came up with the following.
tilapia filets (as many as needed to feed your family)
lime juice (roughly 1 T per filet)
lemon pepper (we have one that you grind, but approximately 1/2 t per filet for the marinade, and more to taste sprinkled on top)
orange zest (roughly 1/2 t per filet)
dried cilantro
Directions: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking dish with foil and cover lightly with cooking spray (you don’t have to use foil, but if you don’t definitely use cooking spray or grease the pan in some way). Place filets in baking dish. In small bowl combine lime juice, lemon pepper, and orange zest to make marinade. Brush the marinade onto the filets, coating evenly. I used the entirety of my marinade, but as long as they’re all well covered that’s what matters. Sprinkle lemon pepper and dried cilantro to taste on top of filets. Bake in oven for 9-11 minutes or until fish flakes easily. Serve with your choice of sides. I made a tasty salad and homemade fries! Eat until full, take a break, come back, and eat some more. Yum.
This is my salad (obviously). It’s made with romaine lettuce, red cabbage, carrots, dried blueberries, craisins, dried papaya and topped with two slices of orange, homemade croutons and poppyseed dressing.These fries were baked in the oven for about ten minutes longer than the fish at the same temperature. They’re made from red potatoes coated in olive oil and sprinkled with lemon pepper and kosher salt. Excellent.
In lieu of a related question, I will ask what has been running around in my mind recently.
What would you do for a Klondike bar?
Personally, I would root for Michigan and the Patriots in the same weekend. Oh, the horrors! (As long as OSU isn’t playing Michigan. That’s pushing it. No food is worth that!)
The Pajama Chef 