My Favorite One-Pot Meal

I love to cook, but I love it even more when it all goes in one pan/pot and lightens the cleaning. My favorite one-pot meal is chili! There are several ways to make this and that's probably why I love it. I make it differently each time based on what ingredients I have or want to add. My parents have a great chili recipe that is so different from this one, but it's not football season without the Noodle Chili.

I will try to record what I made tonight:

Kasey's One-Pot Chili

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs ground beef or turkey

2 gloves garlic, finely diced

1 jalapeño, finely diced

2 hatch chiles, finely chopped (when in season!)

1/2 white onion, chopped

1 can beans (I used a large can of black beans)

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce (I didn't have any tonight and it was still delicious)

1 tablespoon of cumin, chili powder, and paprika each

1 teaspoon ground chipotle (or more if you want more smoke flavored)

1 tablespoon of cooking oil (I use coconut)

Salt and pepper

Toppings: shredded Mexican blend cheese, sliced avocado, sour cream, cilantro

Cook:

Heat oil in large pot or deep skillet on medium heat. Add garlic, chiles, jalapeño, and onion. Cook a few minutes then add ground meat.  Cook meat until brown. Add spices and stir. Drain tomatoes and beans and add them to the skillet. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add your favorite toppings and enjoy!

This can be a rather high calorie meal so watch your serving size. I like to eat this meal for dinner after a running day. The protein in the meat, beans, and cheese is great for recovery.

I'm not sure how long it took me to make this tonight, but the longest part is chopping everything.  I would guess this is a quick 30 minute meal and my large skillet is full so it could definitely feed at least four people. Since it's only Patrick and me, that means leftovers for days!! :)

Cheers!

Favorite Recipe: Banana Ice Cream

I've decided to post some of my favorite recipes here as of late.  I have gotten on the Paleo kick and really enjoy the cooking options and how I feel after meals.  I try to have three meals a day without snacking to control calorie intake, but I do like healthy treats now and then!  Here's my favorite cool snack: Banana Ice Cream

Banana Ice Cream

What you need:

• food processor
• frozen bananas (1-2)
• anything you would like to add to the bananas for flavor.  Options are not limited to: unsweetened cocoa powder, peanut butter or PB2, honey or agave nectar, etc.

Break the frozen bananas into small pieces and blend them in the food processor for a few minutes until they are smooth.  Blend in any flavor additives you would like.  Enjoy! 

1 serving usually equals one banana for adults, 1/2 of a banana for kids.

If you are watching calories, watch your flavor additives!  They can pack unwanted sugar and calories.  There are plenty of healthy options out there, though.

Getting Rid of Summer

Hello, all!

It seems that I have put myself on yet another diet. However, this time, I'm seeing this as a way to shed the incredibly crappy summer I've had and start over. I've got a new job on the horizon (hopefully!) and new PRs to run at races this coming winter. Time to get back at it! Want to know what I'm doing? I'm simply counting calories (auuuuuuggggggghhhh!) and working out 4-5 times a week. I know this works; the Biggest Loser contestants to do it on a much larger scale (pun intended) but I don't need to lose as much as them. Most diets these days make you eat crazy things when it's all about calorie intake and output. I've been making sure I stay around 1200 calories consumed per day (one day a week I treat myself to 1400!) and getting on the treadmill after school. I pack a gym back that morning and have it with me in the car on the way home. I know that if I go straight home I will not want to go back out that door! (And I just discovered that the newest and final season of "Friday Night Lights" is on Netflix!) I've been doing this for one week and already I've lost two pounds! I want to see how many I can shoot for by Christmas. 15-20 would be nice and would put my BMI far into the healthy range instead of straddling the overweight line. I already sleep better at night and have more energy to teach those kindergartners when I sub!

Here's a recipe that I want to share with y'all. Just a little somethin' that I cooked up out of my own brain! Enjoy and leave feedback! :)


Kasey's White Wine Stewed Tomato Spaghetti (Linguine)
Serves 1 (sometimes with leftovers!)

This is a favorite of mine to make during the week. It takes some time (boil the noodles, stew the tomatoes) but it's worth the wait!

1 cup tomatoes (I've used cherry, off the vine, and roma)
1 serving (2.5 oz) whole wheat linguine or spaghetti noodles
1/2 tbsp EVOO (shout out to Rachel Ray!)
lemon juice to taste
1/4 glass of white wine (or less, depending on your taste- less calories, too.)
1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella
fresh basil to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Set one large pot of water on high to boil.
Cut up tomatoes to desired size (I usually half the cherries and quarter the romas) and place in a medium pan with EVOO on medium high heat. (Sometimes I add mushrooms here, too. Low calorie!) Boil pasta according to the package. When tomatoes reach heat, add salt, pepper, lemon juice, and white wine. Stew for 10-15 minutes. (or less if you like the raw taste of tomatoes in your pasta dish). Remove from heat. Strain noodles. Chop up basil, sprinkle in tomato mixture. Serve on top of noodles. Add cheese and serve!

Calories: 350 (388 with mushrooms)

New Fav: Power Foods

I blogged a few days ago about the cookbook "Power Foods" by Whole Living magazine. I tried the Lemon Chicken with Corn Salsa recipe and we all fell in love. Since then, I've tried a few other recipes and found them to be a success, as well. I am so excited about this book that it's ridiculous. It's making me see food from a natural point of view, as we should. Our crazy/busy lives today made convenience a priority over health. It's a sad thing to realize, but we've taken food for granted and have neglected to give our bodies what they need to function properly. When I was shopping for a few of these recipes and my regular weekly foods, I began to notice that most of my list was in the produce section. I went down a few aisles in the rest of the store but only for natural grains and dairy. There are complete aisles that I didn't even need to pass through, including the snack, soda, and boxed dinners aisles. I never noticed just how much processed food we have become used to consuming. I encourage you to find more natural foods to incorporate in your diet and pencil in your calendars time to plan meals. Natural foods expire. If something has been in your kitchen for over two weeks, it's probably not healthy for you.
I've broadened my breakfast horizons with this cookbook, as well. There is a great recipe for Fresh Muesli with Applies and Greek Yogurt. I tried it out this afternoon and it is delicious! I've never tried greek yogurt, but since there is no sugar, you can add anything you want to it. The oats and almonds were toasted in the oven for a bit and put in a container to store for the week. Another great breakfast option is a slice of toasted whole grain bread (I use Nature's Own 12 Grain) with goat cheese, smashed raspberries, and a drizzle of honey. I also bought some chocolate almond milk and put it in my coffee on some days (less fat, more vitamin E).
Runner's World magazine did a small feature on ginger root a few months back (maybe even last summer) and featured a simple recipe for ginger tea.

Ginger Tea
Set a pot of water to boil. Meanwhile, cut a small chunk off a fresh ginger root. Peel and slice in half. When water is at a boil, drop in ginger. Let boil for 5-7 minutes, until water is infused with the ginger. Put a drizzle of honey into a mug. Pour in tea. Enjoy! With the leftover tea, I like to let it cool, pour it into a water bottle, and refrigerate. When I'm ready to drink it, I add some sugar, shake, and drink! :)

And I Set Fire to the Rain

I CANNOT stop listening to Adele's newest: "21". Yes, she's only 21, but completely amazing. Her second album is better than the first, which is also amazingly stellar. How can she capture such emotion in her lyrics and voice? Get it if you haven't!

I'm on a food kick! (Well, when am I not? haha) I checked out a cookbook from Borders called "Power Foods" by the editors of Whole Living magazine. (An employee benefit is that we are able to check out books for two weeks at a time for free, as long as we return it in sellable condition.) I also decided to by my own recipe book. I'm 27 years old I don't have have one yet. I put one together for my sister for Christmas with family favorites and she can keep adding to it. I decided I wanted my own.


The first recipe I tried from "Power Foods" is Lemon Chicken with Corn Salsa. Theresa loves it and has dubbed it Lemon-Ginger Chicken due to the tasty ginger in the salsa. The ginger pulls it all together. The salsa includes corn, black beans, avocado, red onion, tomato, and jalapeno pepper. It's delicious enough to stand on its own, or be thrown onto any number of dishes. I'm going to use the left overs in a tasty taco later this week! Recipe one was a hit! And it was easy to make. The longest thing was cooking the chicken breasts, which, silly me, I bought the thickest ones I've ever seen. Whoops! Tomorrow I'm going to try a brussels sprouts recipe (I know, WHAT?) that includes pears. I want to start liking things I thought I didn't like before. Healthy stuff!


One good thing about the "Power Foods" cookbook is the sections before and after the recipes. They are full of nutritional information on the healthiest foods out there, including which oils, spices, and onions to use. There is even a glossary of scientific terms in case you were wondering what a polysaccharide is. (A carbohydrate compound made up of groups of saccharides, or "sugars." Common polysaccharides with nutritional importance are glycogen [a storage form of carbohydrates], starches, and dietary fiber.) It's a 25 dollar book, though, but I may end up buying it eventually just for the nutritional information.

Happy eating! :)