new year's resolutions

There are still 2 days to come up with the annual new year's resolutions everyone. This year though, we're all actually going to stick to our goals. 

I bet as you're reading this, the first resolution that comes to mind has to do with food and/or exercising. Me too. Especially after this past week of winter break with a messed up routine, less exercise than desired, and continuous eating. 

Well I want us all to reach our resolutions together, and I've been thinking of ways that to do so. We all say every year "this will be the year I stick to my goals", but I know for me I have yet to come to a December 31 with a check next to each one of the things on my list from January 1. But in reality these goals are just like a giant to-do list for the year. And I know when I make a to-do list everything has to be done. So why is this different? It's not. 

I'll share with you one of my main new year's resolutions. I want to be more in shape. I work out now, but I'd like to work out more on a schedule and to aim to be stronger. I can do minimal push-ups, my endurance is lacking a little, and I want to be able to feel really good all the time. I'm sure a lot of you also have a goal similar to this one, and for any resolutions that involves working out more I have the same advice. What I'm going to do this year is log all of my workouts. I'm going week by week and writing down my planned workouts and goals and I'm writing them down for myself. (I even have this beautiful journal to write it in).  Then, when I complete the workout, I'm going to write down what I've done to keep track of everything for the year. 

That sounds like a lot of planning, I know. But my sister Jenna decided last year to train for a 5K rather than just fecklessly run on the treadmill at the gym, and after that 5K she ended up running another one. A few months later she ran a 10K. Jenna said that having a schedule and a plan, and a goal helped motivate her to work out more. And I think when things are written down, it's more likely that they will get done. So this is a good plan for me in the new year and hopefully it gives you some ideas of how to get to where you want to be as well. 

Another one of my resolutions is to stick to eating healthy. And this may sound funny coming for me, but it's true. My main goal is to stick with portion control. I enjoy healthy food so much that sometimes I forget that too much of it isn't good, so I keep eating past the amount I need to. Most of what I eat is healthy, but that mindset tricks me sometimes into disregarding the amount of food I consume. Quite the problem, right? 

I'm sure for many of you though just eating healthier is a resolution. Well, we're all in this together and hopefully some of my recipes will help you through 2013 without depriving your taste buds of good flavor. I believe that the most important aspect of eating healthy is keeping in your mind why you're doing it. Maybe short-term it's to lose weight or get in shape, but long-term, it's so imperative to give your body the nutrients and food that it needs to stay healthy for the rest of your life. So in reality, this resolution of ours is more like a life goal. Now if that's not intimidating you, I don't know what will. 

Seriously though, we can do this. I'm no expert on any other goals you may have, I'm really no expert on this either. But I share the same resolutions with you when it comes to being healthy, and I think we're all ready to tackle 2013. You still have two days to sign up for the gym (warning: it's always most crowded on January because new members sign up. Don't be discouraged, just make sure you keep your membership all year!). You also still have two days to buy yourself a great notebook or journal to keep all your work outs in. And if you so desire and think it'll help, track your food as well. You'll probably be less temped to eat something that you'll feel guilty about if it's written down forever. (Make sure to use pen to intimidate yourself!)

As much as I want to help you here, in all honesty the only person that can really bring you to December 31 feeling fit, accomplished, and satisfied is yourself. Motivate yourself to work out with a great playlist. Drink a lot of water, and eat healthy without starving yourself or depriving yourself of good food. We can do this! (Hey, we survived the apocalypse last week, think about that and we can survive anything.)

Have a happy New Year's everyone, and I'll blog back again in 2013!!

here today, gone tomato

Now that Christmas is over, it's a common feeling to want to start working out and eating healthy. Whether you were devouring countless courses of Christmas dinner on Tuesday or unbuttoning after a great Chinese food feast, it's a must to get back into being healthy now, just in time for the new year.

What was I eating on Tuesday, you may wonder? Well due to a soy allergy in my Christmas crowd, we avoided the Chinese restaurants (where all the other Jewish families go). We went to hibachi one year on Christmas in hope that there was something on the menu without soy, but the employee's response ("No soy sauce?? No good!!") deterred us from returning.

Anyway, this year we went to Friday's and I had a great pasta. I ordered the Bruschetta Chicken Pasta (See above for menu excerpt). It was super delicious and I was really hungry (going to the movies really requires a lot of energy!). So I didn't have enough to take home as left-overs for the next day. But I really liked it, so I decided to make a "copycat" version of it for dinner last night for my family.

Multi-grain angel hair pasta tossed in garlic, basil and Roma tomato marinara. Topped with tender strips of fire-grilled chicken breast. Finished with balsamic glaze. 

I Googled the name of the entree, and I found this recipe of how to make it yourself, so that's what I did. Instead of angel hair (which is my favorite kind of pasta), we used rotini, but otherwise the recipe is basically the same.

And just a hint for this one, there are a lot of different things going on at once, and I know I'm not a good enough chef to do this alone so my mom and I made different parts simultaneously. My mom made the chicken and put the pasta up to a boil while I made the tomato salad and glaze.

It was a big hit with my family, and again there wasn't enough to leave for tomorrow!

I also really enjoyed this meal because I'm not a huge fan of tomatoes, and even though there's loads of them in this pasta, the taste wasn't overwhelming and I found myself really liking it anyway.

Here's what you'll need:
4 chicken breasts
salt and black pepper 
1 box pasta of your choice
4 large sized Roma tomatoes 
4 tbps olive oil, divided
3 minced garlic cloves
15 fresh basil leaves (or about 1 tsp crushed basil)
3 garlic cloves, sliced into coins
3/4 cup tomato sauce
1 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar

For the chicken:
1. Season both sides of chicken breasts with salt and black pepper. (My mom added Italian seasoning and garlic powder too.) Grill both sides and cut up into smaller pieces.

For the pasta:
2. Boil pasta as per directions on the box. Drain and transfer to bowl of tomato salad (when ready).


For balsamic glaze:
3. Bring the vinegar and sugar to a boil in a small pan.

*The recipe I used said reduce heat until sauce turns to a thick syrup. I couldn't seem to figure that part out. My balsamic remained pretty thin, but it tasted good regardless so I wouldn't worry to much about the consistency.


For the tomato salad:
4. Wash, core, and dice tomatoes into small pieces. Add basil, 2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper, minced garlic.

5. Heat a heavy bottom saucepan. Add 2 tbsp olive oil, heat oil for 20 seconds. Then add cloves of garlic that are sliced into coins. Do not brown garlic.

6. Increase heat and add tomato salad. Stir.

7. Add plain tomato sauce to pan and bring to a boil. Add pasta to sauce pan and toss.

8. Transfer to serving platter. Garnish with balsamic glaze. Enjoy!!

keen on quinoa

Happy winter break to everyone! I'm so excited to be off for a week, and besides a bit of SAT studying, I have very few things to do. Which leaves me a lot of time to spend in the kitchen! I also have my sisters Jenna and Suzanne home on their winter break from school, so I have 2 more sources of recipes to choose from!

For lunch today I wanted to make a new quinoa recipe, so Suzanne suggested a something she and Jenna tried up at school. It turned out really good! It's another Asian themed quinoa; this time with broccoli and water chestnuts. Suzanne found the recipe on Pintrest here but we changed it up a bit for lunch today.

This was a great lunch recipe since quinoa is such a power-food (packed with protein, fiber, and more). The broccoli as an extra source of fiber, and what I didn't know is that water chestnuts are a good source of calcium and potassium.

Here's what you'll need:
1 cup uncooked quinoa
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cup broccoli 
small can water chestnuts

for the dressing:
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tsp soy sauce

1. Heat sesame oil and olive oil in a saucepan on medium heat. Add in garlic and quinoa and stir to coat. Toast for 3-4 minutes.

2. Add in chicken stock and increase heat to high. Bring quinoa to a boil.

3. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for 15 minutes, until quinoa is fluffy.

4. Meanwhile, mix ingredients for dressing.

5. Blanch broccoli by heating water in another pot, then adding the broccoli for a few minutes. Then turn off heat.

6. Add broccoli and water chestnuts and dressing to quinoa. Enjoy!

Resource: http://www.livestrong.com/article/412433-health-benefits-of-water-chestnuts/

i butternut squash your hopes

I made butternut squash mac and cheese for dinner last night, and it was pretty interesting. And I know that may sound like a turn-off - that's not the first adjective usually used for a spectacular dinner... I'm not going to lie though, in my opinion the recipe was nothing out-of-this-world, but for sure it was a new dinner for me and I'm glad I tried it.

I added a little crushed red pepper on top and it actually ended up pretty good. So before your hopes are completed "squashed", you just have to be adventurous enough to try it. You never know, you may really like it (me and my mom ended up pleasantly surprised - although we couldn't get my dad to try anything squash).

*Sidenote: I didn't realize my camera had low battery, and while the squash was on the stove already... it died on me, so I'm lacking a few shots of the steps during cooking. (Again, not trying to squash your hopes.)

Here's what you'll need:
8 oz whole wheat pasta
1/2 cup fat-free milk
6 oz frozen butternut squash
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dry mustard
Parmesan and bread crumbs to top

1. Prepare the pasta according to the package directions.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and squash. (This picture is from when they were just put in the pan [pre-battery failure], not when they are combined. At that point the squash should be easily spread apart and less chunky.)

3. Remove from heat and mix with cheese, salt, mustard, and pepper (to taste)

4. Pour drained pasta into a baking dish, stir in mixture, and top with Parmesan and bread crumbs.

5. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes.

6. Enjoy!

*Please don't forget to sign your email up on the side of the blog for all new posts to be sent to you!!

eggcelent way to start your day

You knew that pun would show up at some point, didn't you?

This post isn't much of a recipe, it's just me filling you in on some things.

1. I just made myself a delicious egg breakfast and wanted to share it with you. I chopped up a handful of kale, a jalapeno pepper, and feta cheese and added them to a scrambled egg. I put it on a piece of whole wheat toast and I had myself a great breakfast. 

*Sidenote: Kale is one of those "superfoods" that everyone should have. It's a leafy green that I don't think has much of a taste, but it is jam-packed with good things. Kale has a lot of antioxidant vitamins and fiber. Kale is known for its high content of vitamin K (K for Kale! - easy enough to remember) which is a cancer-preventing vitamin. 

2. I was playing around with the layout of my blog and found an email notification "gadget" it was called. If you look to the right of the posts, under my description, you can add your email and get every new post sent straight to you! I added that with my mom in mind, because I know she's not of Facebook or Twitter to see when I publicize for myself. I also added a search box right under the title so that it's easy to find anything I've ever posted. 

3. Also, I just have a little preview of a survival guide to New Years Resolutions. It's that time of year again when holiday cookies are everywhere and the "I'll start my New Year's Resolutions in January" excuse comes out. I know for me the temptations can be hard, but just limit yourself. One holiday cookie a day isn't the worst thing ever, just don't go overboard from now until December 31 (unless of course we don't make it past December 21..). It'll be much harder to start off the new year right if you're used to a batch of cookies a day for the weeks prior. And we all know that come January 1 every gym is packed with new members and everyone claims they're going to be healthy this year. Well, make this the year that you keep your resolution!!

Resource: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/the-truth-about-kale?page=2

aisle give you another recipe

 So today in my Sociology class, we had a mock wedding. We've been planning this for over a month and it really showed. Each of us in the class had a job and we had to research and prepare like a real wedding. We had a student in charge of the food (the caterer), music, clergy (that's me!), and of course the bride and groom. We had a budget and a color scheme and guests. It was really nice and I'm really proud of how my class put this together.

Here's the wedding in action; Danielle looking excited to be a newly-wed, Jordan breaking the glass as the Jewish tradition in this inter-marriage, me (the blonde Rabbi on the right) and Kristina, the Priest (she's hidden behind Jordan).

And of course I was super excited about the food aspect of it. We "catered" from Subway - we bought 5 foot-longs and cut them into slices so everyone could have sandwiches; one of the wedding planner's mom's made delicious penne vodka, there were cookies and cupcakes and the wedding cake; and I was in charge of appetizers.

This recipe is super easy and really delicious - the hardest part is naming it. What should I even call it to tell you? Well, it's a feta and pepper stuffed cucumber bowl. Quite the mouthful, I know. But in reality it actually is just a mouthful, these bite-sized appetizers are easy to keep popping in your mouth! They really are delicious though. I was determined to find a recipe to make for this wedding that was healthy and I found the idea for this here, but omitted a few ingredients I wasn't sure if everyone would like. My only note for next time is I would definitely try to use a few different color peppers for a nicer appearance.

Anyway, this recipe is basically all good things; cucumbers and peppers and feta with paprika, salt and pepper. Now that I say that, it sounds like it should be called a mini-salad of some sort! Anyway, cucumbers have virtually no nutrients, save a small amount of vitamin A and iodine. But it's super high in water content and low in calories! And peppers have high vitamin C contents and folic acid, fiber, and potassium.

Here's what you'll need:
6 tbsp feta cheese
1 1/2 - 2 peppers (in various colors)
4 cucumbers
salt, pepper, paprika to season

1. Peel the cucumbers (unless you prefer the skin on - which is actually the healthier alternative) and cut them into about 1 inch slices. (Pay attention to the 3rd and 4th row more, I was still experimenting with sizes in the first two rows).

2. Using a melon baller, scoop out the insides of the cucumbers.

3. Cut up peppers into small pieces, add to a bowl with feta cheese (also cut up into smaller pieces). Add in seasoning (to your desired amount) and mix.

4. Using the melon baller, scoop the filling back into the cucumber bowls.

5. Sprinkle tops with pepper.

6. Enjoy!

*Note: You probably will have some extra pepper and feta mix if you use 2 full peppers and 6 tbsp of feta (it's a 1 pepper:3 tbsp ratio here), but I know I was happy to put it on a salad for myself!

This is how much extra I had..

skinny dipping

Not really, don't worry.

But today I made myself a great quesadilla and dipped it in this new salsa we bought, and it was the perfect midday snack.

Salsa's a fantastic snack, because it's packed with vegetables, and really not much else. This salsa's from Target, it's the Black Bean and Roasted Pepper salsa by Archer Farms. I didn't think it was so spicy at all (even though it's marked Medium) but nonetheless it was delish. It's definitely just a more interesting mix of flavors than just the average salsa, and I wanted to share this purchase.

The other day when I got home from school I wanted some salsa, and what I did rather than taking out the bag of Tostito's (because I know once I eat one, I just want to keep eating and eating until the bag is done) I cut up a whole wheat tortilla into smaller triangular pieces and toasted them until they were crunchy. You could even melt some cheese on the "chips" and then dip them in the salsa if you wanted!

But today what I did was I made a quesadilla for myself. I was hungry, and with the vegetables and cheese as well as the salsa, it was more of a filling mini-meal for me. It was also pretty quick and easy to make, which is good because today's my best friend's birthday (happy birthday Lindsay!) and I've been in and out of the house doing various fun things with her. (See below picture for a small preview of the manicure I got this morning!)

Here's what you'll need:
a whole wheat tortilla
shredded cheese (I use cheddar and mozzarella + a few slices of horseradish cheese)
vegetables (today I just put peppers, but you can put avocado, beans, corn, etc)
spices (my usual spice blend: chili powder, cayenne, paprika)

1. Put cheese on one side of the tortilla, then put everything else on top. Sprinkle spices.

2. Fold tortilla and bake in a toaster oven for about 5 minutes or until brown and crispy.

3. Enjoy!

what i've bean up to

So I haven't blogged since last weekend, because I've been up to a lot this week. It seems I had tests in most of my classes, I had tutoring, work, Hebrew School, club meetings - the usual, but all in one week.

I also went to a Young Women's Leadership Conference through school; a handful of girls from 21 schools from my county gathered and took seminars to empower ourselves, and during lunch there were tables set up with women from different agencies and organizations that would possibly interest us. And as interesting as Planned Parenthood and Girls Scouts are, they don't really appeal to me. But I was drawn to a table that had a big sign that said "Obesity" because I knew they would have lots of information about healthy living. Well, they did, and I pretty much took every pamphlet they had to offer. (I went up twice though at different times because I was slightly embarrassed to take everything at once). I have yet to go through all the pamphlets, but I'm excited to share with you any knowledge or recipes I find.

Also, in one of the seminars I attended there, I heard some good advice. The seminar was called "Act Like a Lady", and it was about how women are portrayed in the media and how we should not feel pressured to act or look like we're "supposed to". My favorite thing that the speaker said - and this goes for everyone, not just women - is that instead of feeling conscious about your weight or the looks of your body, you'll feel better if you work out and acquire the strength and endurance to feel good. That in itself will boost your confidence and make you feel better about your body, because you'll know that it's able to accomplish so much. It'll help you gain respect for your body. I really liked that idea.

Anyway, I took the SAT for the first time this morning. I'm not sure what I think about it, but I'm just happy it's over. It felt like it went on forever today, and by the middle of the test I felt my stomach grumble (despite the delicious and filling egg that my mom made me this morning - thanks Mom!) It was a good thing I packed myself a snack... Even though my friend Sarah laughed at me as I stood in front of the classroom chomping on green beans, they extenuated (SAT word!) my hunger until I got home for lunch.

Green beans are high in fiber, calcium, and protein, and they help boost your immune system because of their antioxidant content (which is important during these winter months - happy December by the way!).

I personally love green beans, and one serving of them during the test wasn't enough for me. I found a recipe on dashingdish.com (click here for original) and I really was just in the mood to make it. So I did. These are baked Parmesan green beans, and this is one of the simplest recipes out there. This recipe of mine is enough for 1-2 servings, depending on how much you want to eat of them yourself or how much you want to share!

Here's what you'll need:
1 serving of green beans
1 tsp Parmasen cheese
1/3 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp salt (remember to used iodized salt!)
spray olive oil 

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Wash and cut off ends of green beans.

2. Mix together Parm cheese, garlic powder, pepper, and salt.

 3. In a bowl, spray green beans with oil and sprinkle topping on. Then mix around and repeat until desired amount of topping.

4. Spread green beans out on a cooking sheet and bake for about 18 minutes.

5. Enjoy!

*Tip: When I made these, I was experimenting with how much of everything I'd need for one serving, and I over-estimated. So I had a lot of the topping left over. I put it to use though just now when I ate pizza for dinner. Instead of just putting Parm cheese like I usually do, I put the excess seasoning blend on my pizza!

Reference: http://www.livestrong.com/article/257290-what-are-the-benefits-of-string-beans/