Filed under Recipes …

Sep 10 2012
5 Comments
Appetizer, Dinner, Recipes

Sunday Football and Boneless Wings

Happy Monday ya’ll! I’m sorry I am lacking in the recipe category right now – I have been trying out new ones and not having very good luck. But I promise to keep the recipes fresh and tasty! I have some exciting news:

If you are in the Bismarck area – I hope you’ll join us at the Women’s Business Summit in Bismarck, ND. To learn more or register visit trainingnd.com.

Another cool thing going on this weekend, the Bismarck Marathon, where I’ll be managing one of the water stations. I am really looking forward to observing these athletes in their last 2 miles of 26.2. We’re the last water station on the route. I am managing the water stations as part of the Fit Club that I go to on Sunday evenings at the Capitol. Anyone else attend Fit Club?

It’s that time of year again. When Garrett disappears to the basement for most of Sunday and I’m upstairs – doing god knows what with my day. On this particular day Garrett wanted to make a healthy boneless BBQ wing lunch so he ran to the grocery story and I went for a run – 4.2 miles to be exact.

When I got home the wings were on the stove – still warm. He had tossed a few in two different BBQ sauces and left the others sauced for me. Oh yah!

Garrett’s Baked Boneless Wings

Ingredients:

  • 4 chicken breast
  • Egg whites
  • 1/4 c. flour
  • panko
  • cooking spray
  • BBQ sauce of your choice

Cut the chicken breasts up in to bite size pieces. Put the flour in a gallon size bag and toss chicken bites in bag until they are covered in flour. One at a time, dip the chicken breast in the egg wash and roll in the panko. Continue one at a time until they are all covered.

Garrett baked his in the NuWave for 10 minutes on one side and another 4 minutes on the other. In the oven, I’d do 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes – turning once.

After they were toasty brown he tossed them in BBQ sauce – delicious!  He wasn’t very happy with my photography in the photo. He said I needed to “stage” my food better – and add celery. Oh boys!!!

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Aug 29 2012
8 Comments
Dinner, Recipes

Summer Stew Over Whole Wheat Noodles

How are you all? Summer is coming to an end and as I say this — it’s 100 degrees in North Dakota. YES, it does get HOT here.

My NROLFW is going well. I am enjoying these shorter stages much more. Stage 3 has been my favorite because I can see results of myself getting stronger. I used to lift 20 lb. during an overhead press and now I am doing 40lb. I used to do a seated row at 50 lb. and now I am up to 70 lb. My most significant increase is with squats. I used to use 30 lb. dumbbell weights to squat, now I am using a bar with 120 lb. I am pretty proud of that.

I have been baking up a storm. As we speak I have strawberries and blueberries in the dehydrator. Have you ever dried fruit before? I’m not sure how long to leave them in there – but we’ll find out!

I also made a cucumber salsa and the most amazing coconut banana bread. I made another loaf of bread on Monday because the load I made on Saturday was gone by Monday.

It is seriously the best banana bread I’ve ever had, hands down. I used whole wheat flour, cut the brown sugar to 1/4 c., and added walnuts – ta – die – for. YUM! Please try it.

Does anyone else feel this intense pressure when fresh garden vegetables are on their counter? Or is it just me? I get this “tick tock tick tock” sound in my head when I see them staring back at me – and I couldn’t handle the pressure anymore so I threw them all in a pot.

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp EVOO
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 green onion, chopped
  • 1 summer squash, diced
  • garlic clove, minced
  • 1 eggplant, diced
  • 5 roma tomatoes, diced (or cherry tomatoes sliced in half)
  • 4 chicken sausages, diced
  • 1 Tbsp dried oregano
  • 1 Tbsp dried basil

I honestly threw every vegetable I had in this pot – so  you can substitute and swap out what ever you want. I first sauteed the onion and EVOO until soft in my dutch oven. Then I added the chicken sausage until browned.  Once that happened I added everything else in the pot, lowered the temp to medium-low for 20 minutes, and covered the pot until the squash was soft and tomatoes were broken down. Meanwhile, I boiled a pot of water and made whole wheat spaghetti noodles.

After the noodles were done I portioned out my dish and shredded some fresh Parmesan on top. Delish!

I ate it for leftovers for lunch and supper – and it’s all gone now. Good think I picked up more squash and eggplant at the CSA this week. What do you do with all your summer veggies?

Don’t miss another post! Follow my blog by entering your e-mail address at the bottom of the homepage. Yes, it’s that easy! Questions? Contact me, Brianna Ludwig. Be sure to follow me on Twitter and the Don’t Eat Crap Facebook Page.

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Aug 22 2012
1 Comment
Recipes

Pesto Penne with Chicken and a Bunch of Other Stuff

Creative title, eh?

On Monday night I was feeling like deviating from the meal plan and throwing random things from the kitchen together. I grabbed my homemade pesto (see recipe below), two frozen chicken breasts and threw them on the NuWave for 25 minutes, whole wheat and Barilla Plus, penne, onions, Swiss chard and cherry tomatoes from the CSA, and a can of pinto beans. Why not?

Pesto Penne with Chicken and A Bunch of Other Stuff

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

  • Two cooked chicken breasts, diced
  • 1/4 c. red onion, diced
  • 1/4 c. homemade pesto (see recipe below)
  • 2 c. Barilla Plus or Whole Wheat penne (uncooked)
  • 1 bunch of Swiss Chard, stems removed, chopped
  • 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • handful of cherry tomatoes, rinsed and diced
  • Fresh Parmesan (to top dish)

Boil pasta according to package.

Heat pesto up and add in onions until soft. Add in chicken, Swiss chard, beans and tomatoes until warmed through and Swiss Chard is wilted. Add in Pasta and toss well.

I scooped myself up a bowl and grated some fresh Parmesan on top. I found myself going back for another bowl. I really liked the different colors, textures, and flavors this dish had. It wasn’t super flavorful – but it was about the natural flavors that made the dish and the pesto bringing out them. If you like a creamy sauce or a LOT of sauce, this isn’t your dish.  Or at least that’s what I think. It could have been that I made that homemade pesto last Thursday and it was losing its flavor.

Homemade Pesto

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup toasted walnuts
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

I got some fresh basil from a coworker and I love homemade pesto. So last week when the girls came over I made my eggplant and tomato appetizer with this pesto.

Toast walnuts in a pan with no oil just until you start smelling them. Remove from heat.

Combine the basil, garlic, and nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add 1/2 cup of the oil and process until fully incorporated and smooth. Add in cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

If you are going to use it immediately – GOOD FOR YOU! If you want to save some, pour it into an ice cube tray filling each cube 3/4 full and top with a drop of olive oil in each one to hold in the green. Once frozen pop out and store in baggie.

Don’t miss another post! Follow my blog by entering your e-mail address at the bottom of the homepage. Yes, it’s that easy! Questions? Contact me, Brianna Ludwig. Be sure to follow me on Twitter and the Don’t Eat Crap Facebook Page.

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Aug 21 2012
2 Comments
Breakfast, Recipes

Protein Belgium Waffles

I was craving breakfast on Sunday — like seriously. We had Chicken Zucchini Skillet for breakfast with potatoes. Then for supper I wanted waffles. I wanted waffles that were going to keep me FULL.

And these kept me full until 10:00 PM when I snacked on carrots, hummus, and yogurt. Oh and some Wheat Things and Swiss cheese.

Protein Belgium Waffles

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

  • 1 Truvia packet
  • 1/3 c. whole wheat flour
  • dash salt
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1 Tbsp flax
  • 1 Tbsp wheat germ
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 Tbsp milk
  • cinnamon (to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla

Turn on waffle maker.

Mix all try ingredients together. Add in eggs then vanilla. Then add in your milk until you get a batter consistency. Pour on waffle maker and cook 2-3 minutes. This made 4 small square waffles. I topped mine with frozen (NSA) strawberries and blueberries and some powdered sugar.

These are tougher than most waffles you’ll eat, but because they are full of fiber and complex carbs. For breakfast on Monday I toasted one in the toaster and smeared peanut butter on it. And of course I ate my leftover Chicken Zucchini Skillet.

Don’t miss another post! Follow my blog by entering your e-mail address at the bottom of the homepage. Yes, it’s that easy! Questions? Contact me, Brianna Ludwig. Be sure to follow me on Twitter and the Don’t Eat Crap Facebook Page.

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Aug 20 2012
8 Comments
Breakfast, Recipes

Chicken Zucchini Breakfast Skillet

I had plans for a big breakfast on Sunday and I don’t mean to brag – but it was awesome.

Chicken Zucchini Breakfast Skillet

Serves: 6-8

For a PDF recipe card: Chicken Zucchini Breakfast Skillet

Ingredients:

  • 2 Artisan chicken sausages, diced
  • 1 small green pepper, diced
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 1 c. zucchini, diced
  • 1 Tbsp oil
  • 6 eggs
  • 1/4 c. fat free mozzarella
  • 1/4 c. shredded Parmesan
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 Tbsp milk

Heat oil in cast iron skillet. Once hot, add onion, pepper, garlic and zucchini and cook until soft.

In a small bowl, crack 6 eggs and beat lightly. Add milk and cheeses to egg mixture. Pour egg mixture into skillet and spread veggies out equally. Turn broiler on. Top skillet with diced chicken sausages.

Broil until golden and eggs are set. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until eggs are set.

This was delicious! One of the best breakfasts I’ve made in a long time.

I also cooked up some diced potatoes as a side. Yum! And it made enough for 6-8 people so I’ll be having this for lunch for a couple days.

Don’t miss another post! Follow my blog by entering your e-mail address at the bottom of the homepage. Yes, it’s that easy! Questions? Contact me, Brianna Ludwig. Be sure to follow me on Twitter and the Don’t Eat Crap Facebook Page.

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Aug 19 2012
4 Comments
Blogging, Fitness, Playlist, Recipes

Subway Get Fit 10K Playlist

Happy Sunday! I hope you have a productive and sunny day. My plans are too get a bunch of things done around the house, run 6 miles and go to Fit Club. Ambitious I know. I skipped yesterday’s workout so I am going to punish myself today. GRRR!!! For all you readers who live in Bismarck, you should join me tonight at Fit Club. 7:00 PM at the Capitol building on the lawn. Be there! It’s a great HIIT workout (High Intensity Interval Workout).

I was laying in bed last night thinking about how I didn’t share my playlist with you all from last weekends race. I am still waiting on my official time – boo.

I am also working on a printable recipe card for the blog — not sure if I will post it with every recipe, but we will see how it works out. Here is the front side. What do you think?

I am looking for suggestions for the blog – so let me know if you have ideas or ways I can improve on getting my healthy recipes to you. Is there anything else you’re wondering that you’d like me to talk about? I am also interested in doing some videos, but I’m not sure what to video, maybe cooking demonstrations?

Anyways – back to the reason for this post. If you are looking for a new playlist, I think this one is a winner!

  • Ob-La-Di – Beatles
  • Run the World (Girls) – Beyonce
  • Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen
  • What U Back – Cher Lloyd
  • You Make My Dreams – Daryl Hall
  • Crank It Up (feat. Akon) – David Guetta
  • Give Your Heart a Break – Demi Lovato
  • Take Me Home Tonight – Eddie Money
  • While Ones (feat. Sia) – Flo Rida
  • Some Nights – Fun.
  • Part of Me – Katy Perry
  • To Be With You – Mr. Big
  • Tonight is the Night – Outasight
  • Forever Young – Rod Stewart

I’ll let you know where I hear my official race time. Tomorrow I’ll be posting my amazing breakfast skillet that’s still in the oven. Check out Facebook for a preview photo.

Don’t miss another post! Follow my blog by entering your e-mail address at the bottom of the homepage. Yes, it’s that easy! Questions? Contact me, Brianna Ludwig. Be sure to follow me on Twitter and the Don’t Eat Crap Facebook Page.

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Aug 15 2012
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Dinner, Recipes

Ranch Turkey Meatloaf

I do enjoy a good Sam’s Club trip every once in awhile. It’s where we stock up on many of our meats and favorite salsa. But the pitfall is you get your meat in large quantities, sometimes more than two people eat in one meal. So yesterday I made Thai Basil Turkey Meatballs and with the last half of ground turkey I made Ranch Turkey Meatloaf!

I threw a bunch of random things together – and I thought it was good. Juicy turkey meatloaf is something to be proud of. When you cook with leaner meat you need to add moisture to keep it juicy thus some interesting ingredients.

Ranch Turkey Meatloaf

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 c. oats
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Tbsp Worcestershire
  • 1 lb. ground turkey
  • 1/4 red onion, diced
  • 1 Ranch dressing packet
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf man. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg lightly. Add in the Worcestershire and mix the oats in until coated and let the oats sit in the egg mixture for a few minutes.

Add in the turkey, red onion, and Ranch packet until well mixed. Carefully mix in the black beans being careful not to mash them. Pour into pan and shape into loaf.

Bake for 60 minutes until internal temp reaches 170 degrees. Let it cool for 5 minutes before slicing.

NOW – I made an awesome ketchup dip because who doesn’t love to dip their food in stuff? I mixed 2-3 Tbs ketchup with 1 Tsp Sriracha to make it spicy. DANG it was good! Next time, I’d rub this sauce on top of the loaf before putting it in the oven. The other sauce you see in the picture is a Honey Mustard Yogurt Dressing *see photo below* it’s really good on coleslaw! I also had a piece of whole wheat toast with Brummel & Brown Yogurt Butter.

I added the black beans to this because I wanted to up the protein and make the loaf go a little farther. And we like black beans so it added something to the dish.

Don’t miss another post! Follow my blog by entering your e-mail address at the bottom of the homepage. Yes, it’s that easy! Questions? Contact me, Brianna Ludwig. Be sure to follow me on Twitter and the Don’t Eat Crap Facebook Page.

 

 

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Aug 09 2012
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Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Races, Recipes

Healthy Quiche

This week has flown by, hasn’t it? I feel like I’ve been going – going – going. I have a potluck tonight where I’ll be bringing the Tri-Color Summer Pasta Salad. I changed up that recipe so I’ll share that later this weekend. I hope it is a winner! We’re going to Miranda Lambert tomorrow night and Saturday at 7:30 AM by best friend Bethany and I are running a 10K. YAHOO for good times! I’m itching to workout and it’s only been 2 days.

Last night I wasn’t in the mood to stick with my meal plan so I veered off course. We picked up a variety of veggies at the CSA this week and I was motivated for something on the lighter side.

We had 16 eggs in the fridge and that extra egg carton was driving me up the wall, so I landed on quiche.

Quiche for Dinner

Serves: 8 slices

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 c. Whole Wheat Flour
  • 1/2 Tbs baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 yellow pepper, diced
  • 1/8 red onion, diced
  • 1 little zucchini, diced
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/4 c. milk
  • 6 basil leaves, thinly sliced
  • 2 chicken sausages, diced (I used my Artisan from Sam’s Club)
  • 1/4 c. shredded Parmesan
  • salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a glass pie pan with non-stick cooking spray. Mix the first three ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Toss in whatever veggies you want, I choose these but you could do tomatoes, broccoli, you name it! In a small bowl, crack the eggs and whisk in the milk. Add the egg mixture to the medium bowl. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix until everything is blended well. Bake for 25 minutes. Then move it to the top rack and broil for 3-5 minutes until browned. I added a bit more cheese to the top to get it to crisp.

Ta da! Quiche! It was good. It doesn’t look that appealing, the whole wheat flour gives the color a “blah” look. But trust me, it was good. I had never made it before. The chicken sausages made this dish though. I must admit that. I love those dang sausages. I had it for lunch today as well. It made 8 slices so that’s enough for a few breakfasts and lunches.

Do you ever have breakfast for supper?

Don’t miss another post! Follow my blog by entering your e-mail address at the bottom of the homepage. Yes, it’s that easy! Questions? Contact me, Brianna Ludwig. Be sure to follow me on Twitter and the Don’t Eat Crap Facebook Page.

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Jul 26 2012
2 Comments
Recipes

Zucchini Fritters

I hope you are all having a fabulous week! Hey if you haven’t liked my Facebook Page you should join. I post something once a day, mostly something goofy or motivational. But I would love to hear from you all, so please click here. I’ve heard from a few of you that you are now being courteous runners! One reader even told me after she passed an elderly couple and said hello the man said “that was nice.” YAH! Let’s get out there and build up each others spirits. I know I will.

My coworker has an amazing garden. 30 x 100 feet is what she was guessing. So she’s been bringing in Zucchini and I’ve been taking it home to make things like Zucchini Lasagna and last night’s treat: zucchini fritters.

Zucchini Fritters

Serves: 3 (2 zucchini fritters per person)

Ingredients:

  • 2 c. grated zucchini
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/3 cup cornmeal
  • 1 small onion, shredded with grater as well
  • 1 clove of garlic, finely minced
  • 1 egg
  • 2 Tbsp Hidden Valley Ranch Packet Mix
  • Black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place zucchini inside a  towel and squeeze out excess moisture. SQEEZE those biceps and try to get as much moisture out as you can.

In a bowl, add zucchini and sprinkle with pepper.  Add the remaining ingredients.  The mixture with be sticky and thick. Continue to stir, it will thin down.

On a parchment lined baking sheet, divide batter into 6 fritters on the parchment using a spoon. Then flatten each mound with a spoon until it’s 1/4 inch or so.

Bake for 15 minutes or so and then remove from the oven and take off the parchment paper. Flip them over and broil for 3-4 minutes. Then flip again and broil for 2-5 minutes until you are happy with their golden color.  This makes six fritters.

I mixed a little Kraft Mayo with Sirracha and topped mine. Garrett really liked them straight out of the oven. I will make these again for sure! No frying and still crunch in the oven.

Don’t miss another post! Follow my blog by entering your e-mail address at the bottom of the homepage. Yes, it’s that easy! Questions? Contact me, Brianna Ludwig. Be sure to follow me on Twitter and the Don’t Eat Crap Facebook Page.

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Jul 23 2012
3 Comments
Recipes

Zucchini Lasagna

I am going to preface this blog post with — start making this with plenty of time to prep. Maybe do this on a weekend or get it ready the night before. We were starving and it wasn’t ready until 6:30 PM. After working out, I was starved! Plus, we usually eat supper around 5 PM so this was a stretch.

Secondly, I am going to offer a few suggestions for you if you ever decide to make this. I would do it again, but it does need some additional spices to “kick it up a notch” – no I am not an Emeril fan.

I found this recipe on Pinterst and adapted it from there. I am trying to cut back on my carbs which I am finding incredibly difficult. I mean, I don’t eat that much bread but whole-wheat tortillas, baked scoops, sweet potato fries and oatmeal are still carbs. This recipe caught my attention because it stated “no carbs” and therefore I was hooked.

Zucchini Lasagna (adapted from www.whatrunslori.com)

Serves: 8-10

  • 1 white onion, diced
  • 1 pound of extra lean turkey ground sirloin
  • 1 15oz can diced tomatoes, low sodium
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 3 tbsp Italian spice blend
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 pound of zucchini (peeled) and cut into 1/4″ medallion rounds
  • 1/2 cup mozzarella
  • 2 cups Greek yogurt
  • 1 egg

I recommend slicing the zucchini up and putting it in a strainer, then cover it will salt. I mean drench it in salt and let it sit for 30 minutes. Then rinse it really good and get all the salt off. This will pull some of the moisture out so your lasagna isn’t so runny (ours was very runny!) That is the best tip I’ve got for you. We ended up eating ours out of a bowl because it was so runny.

In a large skillet or sauce pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add the diced onions. Saute on medium-high until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add the ground meat, canned tomato and tomato paste, spices, salt, pepper, and crushed garlic. Continue to cook all ingredients until the meat is cooked through. Set aside when done. Next time, I’ll try adding chili spices or taco spices to kick this flavor in to gear – or a possible jalapeno.

In a medium bowl, combine mozzarella, Greek yogurt, and egg. Mix well. I added plenty of fresh pepper in to this white yogurt mix.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease the bottom of a 13 x 9 Pyrex glass baking dish. Place a layer of zucchini rounds evenly across the bottom, making a sort of liner. Bake for 45-60 minutes and let it cool for 10 before slicing.

I enjoyed one serving and was full. Garrett had two and a bowl of coco puffs as dessert. BOYS!

I have a few things to try this week including cauliflower pizza crust. Stay tuned!

Don’t miss another post! Follow my blog by entering your e-mail address at the bottom of the homepage. Yes, it’s that easy! Questions? Contact me, Brianna Ludwig. Be sure to follow me on Twitter and the Don’t Eat Crap Facebook Page.

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