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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.

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Jul 23 2012
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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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Apr 18 2012
3 Comments
Dinner, Recipes

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake

So I did my first tempo run of my 10K schedule yesterday. Not sure how I felt about it. Ran 4 miles, but I don’t know if I did it right. Thursday is a HIIT run. A High Intensity Interval Training run. I am doing these to help with my speed for the 10K. My goal is to get under 55 minutes. Which is almost 10 minutes faster than my time last year, so ambitious but totally doable.

Hey ya’ll. Are you in need of a hearty dish that’s low-calorie? Oh, I got you covered. This dish comes together fast with a little prep work.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake from tastykitchen.com

Serves: 6 heaping servings Calories: 330

Ingredients:

  • 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • 4 c. Cooked Brown Rice (I used Zantarain’s Spanish Rice)
  • ¾ c. Frozen Corn
  • 1 15 oz. Can Black Beans, Drained And Rinsed
  • 1 c. Plain Greek Yogurt (or Sour Cream)
  • 4 ounces, fluid Can Green Chilis (I used jalapenos)
  • ½ c. Salsa
  • 1 c. Low-fat Cheddar Cheese, Plus More For Topping (I used Fat-Free Cheddar)
  • 2 Tablespoons Fresh Cilantro For Garnish (optional)

I started this meal at lunch. I cooked the rice and chicken to save myself time after work. I would also recommend sticking with green chilis. Ours is spicy SPICY!! I also topped mine with a little salsa rather than more cheese.

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients (except cilantro) and mix thoroughly. Make sure the yogurt and cheese are stirred in throughout the entire bowl. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Transfer to an oven-safe dish and top with extra cheese if you would like. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until heated through. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

I really enjoyed it. The Zantarain’s calls for a can of tomatoes so I think that adds to this dish. Also the crunchy corn and protein dense black beans make this a filling dish. Again, take my word, green chilies over jalapenos.

Other recipes you might enjoy:

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Mar 30 2012
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Dinner, Recipes

Pasta with Italian Turkey Sausage, Peppers, and Kale

Buster had a play date tonight with Chloe. I can’t decide if he wore her out or if she wore him out. But he needed a nap after the excitement of a friend over. So he chilled in the kitchen as I cooked dinner.

That recipe name is a bit long, ain’t it? This recipe is a favorite of mine. Garrett isn’t as big of a pasta fan as I am, but I’m the cook so we eat what I want to make.

The original recipe comes from a favorite blog of mine, skinnytaste.com. The original recipe is titled Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage, Peppers, and Escarole. I have made this with ground chicken before, but I had some already cooked ground turkey in the freezer so I pulled that out and presto – one step already done. It had cooked onions in it too which was a bonus for me since I was out of raw onions.

This has basic flavors, but if you love onions, garlic, peppers, and pasta, oh and cheese, you will like this. Trust me.

I can also never find escarole at any grocery store? Has anyone every seen this before in North Dakota? Not me. So I use kale, which has been named a super food by Men’s Fitness.

So here is how I do this:

Pasta with Italian Turkey Sausage, Peppers, and Kale, adapted from Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage, Peppers, and Escarole.  at www.skinnytaste.com.

Servings: 6 Calories: 300 (stats taken from skinnytaste.com recipe)

Ingredients:

  • 12 oz. Barilla Plus penne
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 lb. ground turkey or chicken, I add in Italian seasoning mix or you can add in your own. See below for recipe.
  • 1 bunch of kale, chopped
  • 1/4 c. grated Parmesan
  • 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

Rinse kale and chop the leafy part off the stem. Throw stems away. Chop in to bite size pieces.

Cook pasta according to box. Reserve 1 c. of water before draining.

While pasta boils, heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, peppers, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook until soft, about 5-8 minutes.

Add ground chicken or turkey and break up with spoon until golden, about 6-10 minutes. Add kale, cover and cook for 2 minutes to allow kale to wilt. Stir and add pasta, red pepper flakes, reserved water, and Parmesan, toss well and serve immediately. I grate cheese on top of my own bowl. If you like some spice/kick add a little sprinkle of red pepper flakes to your bowl. Enjoy!

Italian Seasoning Recipe

(for 1 lb. ground turkey/chicken)

  • 1 Tbs Italian Seasoning
  • 1 Tbs paprika
  • 1 Tbs oregano
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes

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 Strahm.

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Mar 11 2012
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Dinner, Fitness, Recipes

Bar-B-Que Chicken Pizza

Ever wondered why people spell BBQ that way? Me too. So tonight I ran 4 miles outside in the beautiful 60+ degree weather. We just got back from my grandpa’s 80th birthday get together and I’d spent 3.5 plus hours in the car. Getting outside felt good.

I used mapmyrun.com to find a new route to take. Does anyone out there in blogger world use mapmyrun.com? I love it. For someone without a smart phone, I can easily build routes so I know my exact distance. It is very similar to our new treadmill features.

I killed this run by the way. 4 miles in 32:30 minutes. Personal Record I think! I don’t know if it was the built up energy from all the car riding, running in my new Mizuno shoes, or my new Zensah compression leg sleeves. I have to tell you about these compression sleeves. Mine are pink. I’ve seen other people wearing them running or working out at the gym so I Googled them. (From their website)The Zensah compression leg sleeves are made with gradient compression which provides wide ribbing in the front for shin support and tight ribbing in the back for calf support.

The compression leg sleeves are made with Zensah Fabric which has silver helping to regulate skin temperature and fight bacteria. The compression leg sleeves can be worn during training or for recovery to increase oxygen blood flow to the muscles of the lower leg. The more oxygen the muscles receive the faster they recover, allowing athletes to push the envelope in their training. The compression leg sleeves are ideal for runners, cyclists and triathletes and anyone else who is on their feet. It can be worn during training, recovery or for traveling.

The Zensah compression leg sleeves are unique in that they provide Pin-Point Compression to the front and back of the leg. The dual action support was developed by a professional athletic trainer.

I knew my training for the 10K was about to start so I thought, “What the heck let’s give these a shot.” I did some pricing around and found Amazon and Socksddict.com to be the same price, but Socksaddict.com had free shipping so I went with them. Buyers tip: they don’t come in pairs so buy two!

They came in the mail on Friday and I wore them around the house for a bit. They are snug, but comfy. Did I mention they are pink :) So today was my first day to get outside with them. It felt a bit weird to run in shorts with these leg sleeves on, and I got a few odd looks, but my legs felt good the whole run and they weren’t uncomfortable.  I powered through the 4 miles in 32:30, that is so great! So I can’t be 100% which factor was the most helpful tonight — but if these things can help me increase my time I am all for it. I also had a lot of trouble last year with shin splints and leg pain, so these might just be my ticket.

After my run I wanted something quick and yummy so I whipped together Bar-B-Que Chicken Pizza.

Bar-B-Que Chicken Pizza

Servings: 8 slices        Calories: 180 calories/slice

Ingredients:

I had purchased this pre-made rustic whole wheat pizza crust at the grocery store to have on hand for a late night craving.

  • Rustic Whole Wheat pizza crust (pre-made)
  • 1 c. reduced fat mozzarella cheese
  • 2 Tbsp reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 c. BBQ sauce (I used KC Master Piece) – If you like a lot of flavoring you might want to add BBQ to crust also.
  • 1/2 c. shredded chicken breast
  • Onion, white, thinly sliced
  • Other toppings optional: I added yellow peppers and mushrooms

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and prep all ingredients. Once timer goes off, load up pizza with toppings and lower oven temp to 425 for 8-14 minutes. I think I did about 10 minutes and I also used a pizza stone.I put cheese down first, chicken, then other toppings, but I know everyone has their own system.

Slice and enjoy!

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Mar 09 2012
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Breakfast, Lunch

Black Beans and Eggs

Three months from today I marry my best friend! I can hardly wait. The dress is at the alterations lady, invitations should be in mailboxes as we speak, tux is hung in the closet, bridesmaids have their dresses, groomsmen and ushers vests and ties are purchased, menu is locked in, DJ is almost paid for. This hasn’t been nearly as stressful as I thought it would be. Maybe because we hired an awesome wedding planner, Weddings by Brianna (no relation :) ) or maybe we haven’t gotten to the stressful part yet. We are 15 months in to this engagement with 3 left, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and it looks bright.

On Sunday I had a long workout at the gym and when I got home I was hungry. Trouble was the fridge was almost bear so I grabbed my Ipad and did some searching for inspiration. I had eggs, hash browns, YUP, I was going to make a scramble. I had never made one before so I Googled “healthy breakfast scramble” and soon found out I could throw anything together I wanted and make the perfect scramble for me.

Serves: 2

Calories: 325

Ingredients:

1 whole egg

2 egg whites

1/2 c. black beans

1/4 c. yellow/orange peppers, chopped

1/4 c. onions, chopped

1 large garlic clove, chopped

Canned mushrooms (optional — everything is optional! Except the eggs of course.)

2 c. frozen hash browns

1 Tbsp bacon bits

1/3 c. Fat Free shredded cheddar cheese

I cooked the frozen hash browns in a separate frying pan sprayed with olive oil. In another pan on the stovetop I sauteed the peppers, onions, and garlic down until soft and added in the eggs. I quickly scrambled them around in the pan. Lastly I added the black beans, mushrooms, and bacon bits just to warm though. I checked the fridge for salsa — dang! Out of salsa. So I threw on top some fat free cheddar cheese and let that melt.

Once the hash browns were browned I took 1/2 the hash browns and put that on the bottom of the plate and stacked on top the egg mixture. Delicious!

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 Strahm.

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