Mustard-Almond Crusted Mahi Mahi

Finally, here is the third recipe in the standing-at-the-front-of-the-grocery-store-with-my-cookbook series. 

This one, by far, was the most delicious.  Definitely a top 10 meal that I've made since we started clean eating and worthy of being added to the "My Favorite Meals" page of gold-medal dinners.

This recipe is, as usual, really simple.  

1. Select a white fish of your choice.  The recipe called for tilapia, but the grocery store was all out and out choices were Haddock or Mahi Mahi.  We took a vote and with a score of 1 - 0, the Mahi Mahi was selected.
2. Once the fish is washed, top each fillet with 1/2 tablespoon of all-natural mustard. 
3. Mix whole wheat bread crumbs with chopped almonds. 
• Here's where I have to digress a little.  I put MJ in charge of getting whole wheat bread crumbs while I went off to find chopped almonds.   MJ came back with bread crumbs, reporting that there was no whole wheat option.  It wasn't until we got home and I started cooking that I realized he picked panko crumbs.  He said I knew they were panko crumbs in the store but I definitely did not.  Oh well, I had a Tim Gunn "make it work" moment and used the panko crumbs instead.  Meanwhile, I don't really think "chopped almonds" exist, so my choices were slivered almonds, sliced almonds, or sliced almonds with the skin still on.  MJ picked the third option and we were on our way.
4. Top the fish with the almond/bread crumb mixture.  Pat it on to make sure it stays.
5. Bake fish.  We did 400 degrees for 18 minutes.
6. Pick a veggie and side dish of your choice.  We opted for brussel sprouts (that we sauteed) and some quinoa with chickpeas.  Really this fish could go with anything.
7. Plate, eat and enjoy!

This meal was really, really delicious.  Luckily we made 5 pieces because MJ ate a ton and we still had enough for leftovers!   Let me know if you try this tasty dinner!

Orange Glazed Salmon

Tonight's meal is another standing-at-the-front-of-the-grocery-store-with-my-cookbook selection!  This meal sounded delicious and easy - glazed salmon?  Very few ingredients?  I'm in.

Unfortunately, it wasn't till I was home, making this salmon, that I realized the recipe called it "GRILLED glazed salmon."
Womp womp, we don't have a grill.

Can Julie Chickpea save the day?
Stay tuned:

Here's how to make it:

1. Select a veggie of choice, that you will grill/saute/bake to your liking.  The recipe suggested asparagus spears, so we selected a pre-cut medley of asparagus, mushrooms and onions, that we then sauteed on the stove and seasoned with some garlic salt.
2. Salmon.  Or whatever fish your heart desires.  The recipe has you top the salmon with some brown sugar and orange rind and let it marinate for 2 - 8 hours.  Well, not only do we not have a grill, but we definitely don't have an "orange zester" or whatever it is you used to get the outside of the orange into an edible form.  Do people really have those?  And if you do, have you actually used it?  Instead I just squeezed some fresh orange juice on the fish and called it a day. I let the fish marinate for ALMOST 2 hours (i mean, it was getting late, and we were hungry) before I popped the fish in the oven and cooked it for about 15 minutes.
3. Chop up a fresh pineapple.  We actually did this.  Yes, I know it's shocking but I followed instructions!

Colorful, no?
But, this actually turned out pretty bad.  I mean, it was completely edible but the flavor was lacking and the pineapple totally didn't go with the asparagus/orange flavors.  Now, I know what you're thinking.  Obviously my error was in the incorrect use of the orange.  I'd totally be willing to try this meal again once I get my hands on one of those zester thingies.  Until then, I volunteer you, faithful reader, to try it out and tell me about it!  Send me a message and I'll send you the exact recipe so we can make sure the fish you make is delicious! 

Peanut Toss Chicken

Sorry for the delay in posts, friends.  We spent a few days not cooking anything and then a lot of days cooking and somehow I fell behind.  Don't worry, I have a lot of posts queued up for a few days of yummy clean eating.
This week I did something strange - I brought my cookbook to the grocery store.  I hate shopping when I'm not sure what I'll be making because I'll either a) fall back on boring meals that we make all the time, or b) forget a key ingredient, like the chicken.
So, I bought my cookbook.  Actually, it went something more like this:
MJ: "hey Julie, since I did the grocery shopping last, we're out of everything!  Meet me at Trader Joe's on your way home from work?"
Julie: "okay, dear, but can you bring the 100, 200, 300 cookbook? It's tiny."
MJ: "yea it's huge but I'll bring it."

So I met MJ at the front of the store and while he selected bananas and apples, I flipped through the 300 section of the cookbook to decide what to get.

The first meal I picked was "Peanut Toss Pork" but we Chickpeas don't eat pork, so I substituted the pork out for chicken.  You may remember that I've made this exact recipe before, which I also knew, but didn't bother to read my previous blog post before making this meal.
The good news is that I cooked the veggies correctly this time.  The bad news is that I still thought the sauce had WAY too much ginger.*  But again, the good news is that I made the sauce on the side and could happily enjoy the meal without any gingery contamination. 

So here's how you make peanut toss chicken/pork - cook whatever you like.

1. Begin preparing brown rice.
2. Heat peanuts in a pan for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. While MJ stirs for you, cut peppers and onions into long strips.  The recipe also calls for carrots, but I'm not a huge fan of carrots, so I left them out.  But don't listen to me, if you like carrots - cut some carrots!
4. Remove the peanuts from the heat and throw in sliced chicken/pork.  Saute until the meat is no longer pink.
5. Remove the chicken/pork and add the veggies.
6. Meanwhile, make sauce from the following ingredients: low sodium soy sauce, cider vinegar, ginger (NOT TOO MUCH), garlic, salt, pepper.  I'd give you measurements but I hated the ones the book suggested, so I would never tell you to do that.*
7. Once the veggies have been cooking for about 5 minutes, re-add the chicken and peanuts. 
8. Cook another 2 minutes
9. Serve over brown rice.  Top with non-gingery sauce.
10. Enjoy!

* I should probably mention that MJ enjoyed the sauce.  Maybe I'm just ginger-sensitive?

Unreal

Good afternoon readers.  MJ and I were traveling this weekend, which means we cooked 0 meals and I have no new recipes to report.  Don't cry.  Please? Okay go get a tissue, I'll wait.




Okay great.  Feeling better? Don't worry, I still have stuff to talk to you about.  Remember, this blog isn't just about recipes, but about all kinds of ways to eat clean.  As we all know, I love chocolate. And candy.  And it's a regular occurrence for me to eat a twix bar or a reese's peanut butter cup because they are just great.  And easy.  In the past, I viewed these digressions as just a natural, unavoidable part of clean eating.  But the world is about to change.

MJ showed me a Wall Street Journal article about a 15 year old boy that is changing candy.  And it's awesome.  Nicky Bronner loves chocolate too.  And when his parents made him throw out most of his Halloween candy because it was unnatural and bad for him, he decided to change candy.  He created a line of candy called "Unreal" that is supposed to taste just like the candy we all know and love, but using only all natural ingredients.  AKA he is "unjunking" junk food.  Let me tell you, I really hope this kid delivers on his promise.  And that our future Chickpea-Jordan babies are just as ambitious in their futures. 

Here's one example of the Unreal candy.  They made a Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup that's supposed to be way better than a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.  Looks like there are also "cleaner" versions of M&Ms, Peanut M&Ms, Snickers and Milky Ways coming out.  All I can say is that I cannot wait till the Unreal products come out.  I will definitely try them and report back to you.  I think they are coming to CVS in July.

Have you heard of Unreal?  What do you think of Nicky's new candy line?

Honey Mustard Tilapia

Michael Jordan and I watched a special on the 1992 Dream Team last night.  He really enjoyed reminiscing about his glory days in the 90s.  Great video footage of all his fans in Barcelona.

We should really get together with Magic and Bird soon.  Maybe I'll invite them over for dinner.

Meanwhile, while we were watching MJ win the gold with his buddies in '92, we ate dinner.

This week, MJ went to the grocery store on his own.  Which means he bough bananas, milk, and a bag of salad.

Luckily, we had a package of frozen tilapia.  I defrosted it and then flavored it with a Chickpea family classic - honey and mustard.  This combination really works on any fish.  Equal parts honey and mustard.  Super easy.  I also topped the tilapia fillets with a few panko crumbs to give the salad a little more pizazz.  I baked the fish in the oven for 15 minutes and then put it on the salad and called it a day.

During a commercial break, MJ added balsamic vinaigrette to his salad.  Then he asked for rice.  We have this really easy frozen rice medley from trader joes:



It only takes 3 minutes to make and tastes great.  I topped mine with a little honey/mustard mixture to tie in the flavors.  This meal probably took about about 1 minute of prep time and 15 minutes to cook.  This dinner gets a gold medal for being simple, easy and yummy.

Honey Mustard Tilapia with Salad and Rice Medley

Eggplant Kale Penne

It's funny how much things have changed over the past year.  One of our staple dinners has become Eggplant Kale Penne.  I learned about this meal through following my clean eating meal plan, and as I was brain storming how to tell you about this dinner, I went back though my old posts and found the first time I made Eggplant Kale Penne, on Day 13.

 

The difference between Julie Chickpea Future Jordan and the Julie Chickpea of Day 13 is tremendous.  First of all, I don't bother to look at the recipe anymore, so all the beef I had with the clean eating editors is long forgotten.  But now that I'm thinking about it, they really should have done a better job editing their cookbook.  Page numbers seem like a simple enough thing to check and fix.  Anyway, since Julie Chickpea Future Jordan doesn't follow the recipe anymore, the issue with ingredient quantity and portion size are nonexistent.  I make my own rules now.  So, here are my new rules/recipe:

Before starting, buy:

• 1 eggplant or two, depending on the size of the eggplant and the size of the people you are feeding
• whole wheat pasta of choice (2 oz uncooked per person)
• 1 package feta cheese
• 1 jar natural tomato sauce (optional)
• pine nuts
• 1 bag kale.  This is what we get:

So here's how you make it:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Make pasta.
2. Preheat oven to 400.  Chop 1 large eggplant into 1-inch cubes.  Yes, some of them will be triangles.  That's okay. Lighten up a bit, you're just going to eat it.  Line a tray with foil and spread cubes  evenly over the tray, adding a little bit of oil and some salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the little eggplant cubes half way through.
3. In a large wok/frying pan, add kale.  If you have a small wok, cook the Kale in shifts.  Keep the heat on medium and stir frequently.  Season to taste.  We use garlic salt.  The entire bag should cut up in less than 5 minutes. 
4. Plate the pasta, add eggplant and kale, sprinkle with pine nuts and feta cheese.  Then, if you're MJ, add tomato sauce.

Something that hasn't changed this past year?  MJ is still pretty much Slowpoke Rodriguez. 



Chickpea Cookie Dough Update.

I went away for the weekend and left MJ alone in the house.  I came back to find this:

I'm gonna go ahead and say the chickpea cookie dough was a huge success.

Popcorn Caluliflower

The other day, Michael Jordan requested that we make cauliflower for dinner.  Now when he says "we," he of course means "you" aka yours truly, Julie Chickpea. 
I accepted his challenge/request because it's so rare that MJ expresses any type of opinion about what we eat other than to say "this is great, Julie!  I can't wait to do dishes!" 

I love cauliflower, but it's a big pain to chop up and makes a huge mess.  I know that you can buy pre-chopped cauliflower, but that's cheating. 

The Chickpea family has a famous "Popcorn Cauliflower" recipe that involves a lot of spices and a lot of oil.  Over the years I'm modified this recipe, and my version of Popcorn Cauliflower goes something like this:

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Chop up 2 heads of cauliflower so there's almost no stem/trunk (you know - if you picture them as little trees, we only want the leaves).
3. Put all your tiny cauliflower tops into a big zip lock bag
4. Add a little bit (1/8 tsp) of the following spices:
• cumin
• turmeric
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• salt
• pepper
• paprika
5. Zip the bag.  Shake shake shake.  All the cauliflower should get spread with the spice mixture and will probably turn yellow from the turmeric.  Shake shake shake.
6. Cover a baking tray (one that has edges!!) with foil.  Spray the foil with pam/oil mist so that your baby caulis don't get stuck. 
7. Spread the little cauli tops on the tray so they are pretty even and not that stacked on top of each other.
8. Bake for about 20 - 30 minutes.  Yea I know that's a huge range but just reach in (CAREFULLY) and taste one.  If it tastes delicious, they're done.  If you prefer them a little more done, leave them in. 

I should note that I've seen/tried other great cauliflower recipes that involve some type of bread crumb or panko crumb.  I've done this occasionally but prefer just the spices I've listed above.

So anyway, I made Julie's version of the Chickpea family popcorn cauliflower recipe.  This time I also baked some chicken.  MJ added some orange/teriyaki glaze to his chicken, which is pictured below:

Do you have a cauliflower recipe you love? Let me know!

Peach Salsa Salmon

Good afternoon, Bloggettes. 
I have another fabulous, quick and easy recipe that I created. 
You can customize this recipe any way you want to make it delicious for you. Here's what I did:

I was standing in Trader Joe's and decided I wanted to make some type of fish with a flavored salsa.  There were two contenders for Battle Salsa: Peach and Pineapple.

First, I was worried that the Peach salsa was called "spicy" and "smoky."  I have zero tolerance for anything spicy and was worried a strong spicy flavor might ruin the meal for me.  But this salsa is on the mild to medium side, so don't be alarmed.  Both Peach and Pineapple had all natural ingredients, all that I could pronounce, and similar calories/serving.  However, the Peach salsa had less sodium, so it was crowned the winner of the epic battle of peach v. pineapple.

I also picked up some salmon, which MJ and I love, avocados, which we adore, and some Spanish rice to complete the dish.

Honestly though you could make this meal with any salsa, any fish, and any rice/side dish and it will be delicious.

At home, I turned the oven on to somewhere around 400, poured some salsa on top of my salmon, and baked the fish for about 15 - 20 minutes (checking often and ignoring the burning smell from the salsa that leaked onto the tray).

I loved how little effort I had to put into the meal.  More importantly, I loved how it tasted because I used all of our favorite things.  The peach salsa had great flavor and wasn't spicy at all.  And I think avocado takes any meal to the next level, so tonight was a great success in the Chickpea-Jordan household.  Let me know if you come up with a fish-salsa creation that you want to share!



Chickpea Cookie Dough!

As you know, I love cookies. 

A lot. 

But it's difficult to eat cookies when you are trying to live a healthy lifestyle.  Don't get me wrong, I do still eat cookies, but if there's a healthy alternative out there that still tastes yummy, I'm ready to try it.

I've previously tried Almond Butter Cookies and Chewy Mocha Brownie Cookies and Dessert Nachos.  All were relatively successful and, if you're going to eat dessert, these are great alternatives to the unhealthier counterparts.  So I'm always willing to try a new dessert and when Pinterest led me to this Healthy Cookie Dough, I knew I had to try. 

This recipe comes from a girl who calls herself "Chocolate-Covered Kate" which I think is French for "we should really be friends since we both seem to like healthy-versions of desserts."  Call me, Kate.

Anyway, when I saw this recipe it literally had my name on it.  I mean, my name is Julie Chickpea.  And I love cookies.  Match made in heaven.  Sorry MJ.

So Kate lists out ingredients that you should use, but in true Julie Chickpea style, I only used what I had. Which is how I think all recipes should work. If you don't have it in your fridge/pantry, forget it. It will still taste good.

So here's what Kate said to use:

• 1 1/2 cups chickpeas or white beans (1 can, drained)
• 1/8 tsp plus 1/16 tsp salt
• tiny bit over 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup nut butter (You can get away with using only 3 tbsp. If you use peanut butter, it’ll have a slight “pb cookie dough” taste)
• up to 1/4 cup milk of choice, only if needed
• Sweetener (anywhere from 2/3 cup of brown sugar to 2 or 3 packets of sweetener, liquid sweetener, etc.)
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips
• 2 to 3 tbsp oats

Then you put it all except for the chocolate chips in a food processor (NOT A BLENDER) and then add the chips and eat it.  She gives a lot of good suggestions for dippers also. 

But here's what I really used:

• However many chickpeas we had left from our Can Salad dinner.  Probably about half the can.
• 1/8 salt
• No baking soda.  Didn't have it, and I wasn't going to buy it to add "a tiny bit over 1/8 of a teaspoon."  Sorry, Kate.
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup almond butter (because it was more fluid and therefore easier to stir than peanut butter)
• 1/4 cup fat free milk
• Note: this made it very thin.  I would probably not add milk next time.  However, after leaving the dough sitting in the fridge overnight, the mixer thickened and there's no problem anymore.
• 1 tablespoon Stevia
• a handful of 65% cocoa chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons oats

Now the problem is that we don't own a food processor or any type of electric mixer, except for a blender.... but my BFF Kate says absolutely no way should you use a blender.  MJ was also using the blender to make himself a smoothie. So I made the executive decision to to smash the chickpeas by hand/fork and stir in the rest of the ingredients using an old fashion bowl and spoon.  Grandma Chickpea would totally approve.

I think the results came out great, considering I was making it up as I went and opted not to use any technology in the mixing.  MJ and I ate this by the spoonful as a light, quick snack/dessert.  Almost like licking the spatula when Momma Chickpea bakes for me, minus the risk of salmonella.  It doesn't taste exactly like cookie dough but it definitely doesn't taste anything like chickpeas.  We have a ton left, but when this runs out I'd definitely be willing to try it again.  Maybe I'd use a food processor next time.  Maybe.

Thanks Kate.  I love you.  So call me, maybe.

Chickpea Cookie Dough!

***UPDATE***: http://chickpeasandcottagecheese.blogspot.com/2012/06/chickpea-cookie-dough-update.html

Can Salad... and can you make chickpeas taste like cookies?

Hey, what's up?

Hungry?

I'm not.  Because I ate a delicious salad.  I call it "Can Salad" because it requires the opening of a lot of cans.  I used to call it Steak Salad and I still could call it that, but I feel like the new and improved "Can Salad" title is much more fitting.  Because essentially, you can open up cans of whatever you have and put it in your salad.  I'm made this steak salad so many times that I don't even follow the original recipe.  This time, I used:

• Romaine Lettuce
• Chickpeas
• White kidney beans
• Red Kidney beans
• Chopped cucumbers
• Chopped tomatoes
• Broken up pieces of whole wheat pita chips
• Steak (cooked on the stove, seasoned to your liking)
• I know what you're thinking now.  Julie, you eat a lot of red meat.  You're so right, reader.  And I rarely eat red meat and never order it in a restaurant.  I just happened to pick two recipes with steak and blogged about cow parts two days in a row.  I blame the quinoa.  Please forgive me?  I'll make it up to you tomorrow, I promise.  Okay great thanks.

Dressing: Sweet Relish.  I do not like pickles and I love this relish stuff.  Perfect light dressing.  Even MJ only used the Relish as dressing without adding anything else.  If that's not enough for you though, you can add EVOO or some red wine vinegar.  Or both.  Or make up your own dressing.  You, too, can ignore a recipe just like I have done many times!

I'm pretty sure the recipe is also supposed to call for corn, but after I opened the three cans, MJ said we had enough and we will save the corn for something else.  Any ideas?

my beautiful Can Salad!

Speaking of too many beans, we have a very large amount of left overs.  Most of the beans, veggies and meat we will use for lunch or left over salads, but I saw this recipe on pinterest for chickpea cookie dough, so the remaining chickpeas are definitely going to sacrificed for the sake of science... aka I'm dying to see if you can really make chickpeas taste like cookies.  Please stay tuned.

Beef and Quinoa Sautee

I made another delicious, healthy, new meal.

Want to hear about it?

Great!

This recipes comes from The Best of Clean Eating - Book 2.  The sequel to my first meal plan adventure. MJ got me Book 2 for my birthday.  Lame gift right?  

But then he proposed.  MJ for the win.

Book 2 is like the ugly step sister to my original bible/book because there is no meal plan in the back.  I was surprised and disappointed and relieved to see there wasn't another meal plan included, because I wasn't sure I had it in me to commit to the full Julie/Julia style system again but wouldn't have be able to turn it down if there was.  So I've just be trying recipes as though Book 2 were just a regular cook book.  Which it is.  So this is normal.

So here's your first Book 2 Recipe:

Book 2 names this recipe "Beef Stir-Fry" which is so smothered in boring that I was required to rename it "Beef and Quinoa Sautee."  Much better, right?

Here's what you do:

1. Cook 1 cup quinoa, according to package directions.  Set aside.
2. On a wok, heat 1 Tbsp oil.
3. Add 1 cup chopped onion and 3 cloves of minced garlic.  Heat for 2/3 minutes.
4. Add 1 chopped red pepper, 1 chopped orange pepper, and 1 chopped green pepper. (I used 1 red and 2 orange.  Sue me).  Also add 1 cup chopped roasted red pepper.  Stir for 2 more minutes
5. Add 1 lb of beef, trimmed of fat and cut into this strips.  Stir for 2 minutes.
6. Add 1 cup low sodium beef broth.  Simmer for 2 minutes until steak is cooked through.
7. Remove from heat. season with basil, salt and pepper.
8. Serve over quinoa.
9. Enjoy immensely.

As you may have gathered by this recipe, you are going to spend a lot of prep time chopping away.  I enlisted the help of Sous Chef Jordan and I'm sure he'd be happy to come to your house and help you chop vegetables... as long as you feed him.

Book 2 claims this meal serves 4 and is 377 calories per serving.  We both ate seconds and had a ton of left overs, so this is a great meal to make if you don't feel like cooking the next day or later in the week.

Finally, Book 2 has an image of chopsticks next to their much prettier picture of their boring-titled "Beef-Stir Fry."  If you plan on using chopsticks, I wish you luck.  We opted for forks.

10 Minute Turkey Tacos

The other night, MJ and I had the easiest dinner ever invented.  The recipe came from one of my clean eating cookbooks, but I changed it to be Julie Chickpea style.
 
This meal is so easy, I would trust MJ to make it on his own.

Here's what you do:

1. Take some small, whole wheat wraps (we used 5: 3 for MJ, 2 for me) and wrap them in foil and throw them in the oven to warm up.

2. Brown some lean, ground turkey.  Season lightly.

That's it.  Seriously.  Everything else is ready to go:

Open a bag of lettuce.  Put lettuce on wrap.

Open a can of low sodium black beans.  Spoon beans on wrap.

Open a jar of natural salsa.  We used Trader Joe's Fresh salsa.  Take a look at the ingredient list.  It should only say things like tomatoes, onions, cilantro, etc.  No words you can't pronounce.  Spoon salsa on wrap.

Open an avocado.  Spoon directly into mouth.

Add ground turkey. 

Eat tacos.

10 Minute Turkey Tacos!

I'm back and getting married!

Hello again to all my long lost readers!  I know it has been over a year since we last met via blog post, but have no fear, Julie is here. 

Let's see  - a lot has changed over the past year.  I've changed jobs. Changed cities.  Changed relationship status.  That's right, Julie Chickpea is going to be Mrs. Julie Jordan!  It's true, clean eating gets you engaged.  You should really try it. 

So now I have a new goal in the distant future: be in shape and lose weight for my future wedding to Michael Jordan.  However, I still maintain that this is not a diet, and this is certainly not a wedding diet and this is certainly certainly not a wedding diet blog.  This is just the beginning of my future life with MJ, and I'm starting early.  Or continuing where I left off.  However you want to think about it.

Now on to the food.  I still have my go-to peanut butter, whole wheat english muffin and banana breakfast almost every morning.  Unless we forgot to go to the grocery store and I eat a veggie egg white flat bread at Dunkin Donuts. 

I've made an effort to start cooking dinners again, and that's where this handy dandy blog will help us both.  I'll tell you about our dinners.  You read about them and try them out!  Sound like a plan?  Okay you don't really need to try any of them, but I'll still tell you about our dinners.  However, since I'm not following an exact meal plan, I'll just tell you about each meal on its own instead of telling you about my whole week/day.  And I'll probably tell you about my wedding, too.  And we'll lose weight! Sounds like a plan? Great.  Let's get started... again.

Best Meals Yet and Week of April 11th Preview

Avid readers,
Sorry my posts have been so far apart.  This week I ate some really great foods and I'm very excited to share them with you!

DAY 80

Today I had my Go-To breakfast with 1 cup of skim milk.  Are we allowed to call it skim milk anymore?  Only non-fat?  I remember as a kid despising skim milk.  Now I can't fathom drinking anything else!
For lunch I had leftovers from our delish beef and broccoli stir fry.
During the day I snacked on:

• 1 cheese stick
• laughing cow spreadable cheese on 3 rykrisp crackers
• 1 vitamuffin top
• 3/4 cup blueberry kefir
• zumba gym class.

For dinner we had a chicken and toasted peanut "toss" which basically means stir fry.  They recipe only called for cooking the veggies for 3 minutes, which basically meant they were still raw, and Michael Jordan and I really prefer the veggies (esp onions) to be cooked.  I ended up cooking them up more before we packed them away for leftovers.  This dish was supposed to be made with pork, but we replaced the pork with chicken.  Served with brown rice.  There's also a ginger sauce that goes on it, that I thought called for WAY too much ginger and really didn't like it.

 

DAY 81

For breakfast today I had eggwhites and mozz cheese.  And it tasted like ginger from the sauce we made last night.  I lodged a complaint with my maid/MJ.  He apologized.
I actually took my egg "on the go" with me by wrapping it in foil and carrying it along with me.  That's when I realized I wasn't the only one who walks and eats breakfast.  The problem is that the other two people I saw walking with their breakfasts were eating Doritos.  Wow unhealthy.  It wasn't even 9am.  So sad.

For lunch I had left overs from our chicken/peanut toss.  They were better with the more-cooked veggies.

I snacked on: 

• 60 cal raspberry yogurt
• go to snack
• apple
• mini twix and milkyway bar
• coffee!

At work they got a new coffee machine with a new type of coffee that is SO much better than the burnt junk they used to have.  This is a dangerous new development.  


For dinner we tried this delicious new recipe!  It's called a southwest turkey bake.


You mix up some lean, ground turkey (cook on pan until no longer pink) and then add black beans, salsa, cumin and red pepper.  We found this great natural salsa where I recognize all the ingredients and it actually tastes really good!  Mix those together and then fill a 13 x 9 pan.  Separately mix cornbread mix (we used whole wheat corn bread) with an egg and low sodium chicken broth.  Pour over the turkey mix and bake for 15 - 20 minutes at 400º.  (Your are supposed to top it with Mexican cheese, but we skipped that step).
IT WAS SO GOOD!  MJ ate double what we were supposed to.  Seriously YUMMMMMY - you should try this!!!!

first piece never comes out pretty

a flawless second piece!

sideview

Today I also decided to try out dessert since we haven't done more than the occasional cookie or vitamuffintop.  

I made dessert nachos!  You cut up a whole wheat tortilla, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Serve with low-fat yogurt, fruit and chocolate chips!  Huge success!  So easy and can be changed to include whatever fruits/toppings you like!

 

DAY 82 

Today I had my go-to breakfast for breakfast.  With a coffee.
For lunch I had leftovers from my turkey bake.  MJ brought two portions for his lunch as well!  
I was pretty good about not snacking today, and I'm not sure how/why that happened.

For dinner, I used what we had around the kitchen to make a meal.  I had planned on making this recipe that called for butternut squash and replacing it with sweet potatoes, but upon further investigation, I realized it really wasn't possible.  Instead I peeled the sweet potatoes and sliced them like thin potatoes chips, seasoned them to taste and baked them for 8 minutes on each side.  Meanwhile, I baked some chicken and sauteed some broccoli and green onions.  The end result was a nice meal that turned out pretty good.  We tried some hawaiian teriyaki sauce on the side (about the size of a quarter) to give the chicken some flavor.

I had some fun with the plating... serve irish flag style...

or serve bulls-eye style!

After dinner we went out with some of our friends and I order my vodka gimlet.  The server called me an "advanced drinker."  I was very proud.  Then I almost got some late night falafel, but didn't give in to the peer pressure.  I was very proud.  

DAY 83

Today I tried another Amy's Organic breakfast.  This time, I tried the Mexican tofu scramble.  It was SO good!  I almost couldn't believe it.  I immediately added it to next week's shopping list.
For lunch I used some of the leftover plain chicken from dinner to make a salad - adding lettuce, craisins, pistachios and a light sesame ginger dressing.

For dinner we had another banquet to attend for work.  The good news is we got a free meal and I didn't have to cook.  There's no bad news.  I ate a salad, a roll, and the main course was chicken with asparagus (3 spears) and some mashed potatoes.  I, of course, ate the slice of cheese cake and berries for dessert.  And drank the free wine.  And then switched to free vodka gimlets.  Thank you, work function.  

DAY 84

This morning I made eggs with onions and a scoop of salsa.  I guess I enjoy the Mexican flavoring in my breakfast foods.  Okay let's be serious, in all my foods.  I love avocados too.  mMmmm that sounds good.  I'll need to add some avocados to our lineup next week.

I snacked on a chewy mocha brownie cookie (fresh from the freezer - that's right, they're still good!) and a 100 calorie pack of cheese.

For lunch I had a leftover portion of the turkey bake.   Still good.  I'm sad it's all gone.   MJ ate all our leftover couscous tilipia too.  We did a good job of getting rid of stuff we had in the fridge this week!

MJ snacked on an Amy's Organic Black Bean Veggie Burrito.  He gave it a big stamp of approval but declined the option of writing a guest post.  Mabye next time.

For dinner, we met up with some friends who cooked us rice with sauteed peppers and tofu.  It was served with a peanut sauce and I think it came out well and looked really easy to make.  They also had some corn chips/tortillas and this delicious bean dip out, that MJ and I devoured.  Apparently they bought it at a farmer's market, so now I'm working on convincing MJ to attend said farmer's market so that we too can purchase this bean dip.  

So that's all in our fantastic week of cooking!  Michael Jordan said it was probably our best week of meals to date.  

Week of April 11th

Coming up this week, we've decided to make:

1. Spanish Style Chicken with Mango Salsa 
2. Mediterranean Veggies with Navy Bean Penne (vegetarian)
3. Fish Tacos
4. Leftovers 

We only actually need to cook 3 meals this week because then we'll be heading home where Mama Chickpeas will take over the cooking!  Don't worry, the blog will continue from the Chickpea home!

What are you making this week? Need other suggestions?

Coupon Organizing

I want to mention that I've been diligently clipping coupons every Sunday in the paper.  I also bought a super duper organizer from staples that looks similar to  this:

I labeled each tab with an area of the grocery store/shopping place: 

• produce
• meat/fish
• dairy
• freezer
• cleaning supplies
• non-perishables
• health/beauty/medicine
• paper goods
• misc. home things
• other restaurants
• Any discounts I have to restaurants or food stores go here
• mall
• Gift cards go here

 This coupon organizer had been extremely helpful in helping me keep track of my coupons and really saving money!  What do you do to keep track of your coupons?

Running, An Early Seder (Passover Preview) and a Delicious Stir Fry (Days 78 and 79)

DAY 78

Michael Jordan and I woke up very early today to go for a run together.  I've mentioned running a few times before, and how much I enjoy running with MJ because we get to spend time together.  Let's be clear that I have not always been a runner.  In fact, this time last year I HATED running.  It was boring, hurt my knees, and I always got cramps.  MJ started running last spring when the weather got nice and I went with him one time.  We probably ran a half of a mile and I stopped more than 10 times.  It was bad.  Really bad.  After the "Julie Loop," MJ ran another 2 miles before calling it a day while I stayed in and cried about how horrible it was.  But I tried it again and only stopped 5 times.  And then could run the whole "Julie Loop" without stopping.  Then the loop got bigger, and then doubled in size.  And I liked it.  We were probably running about 3 miles then, and we decided to sign up for a 5K (3.1 miles).  I ran the whole 5K without stopping and set a time of 31:51 - beating my goal of "under 40 minutes."  We ran another 5K later in the fall and plan on running in more this spring.  

So today we went for a run before work and we ran 4.4 miles!  That's my longest run to date.  I was confused because my fitbit told me we ran about 5.2 miles, so I wonder if I just took a lot of steps, which made the miles seem longer?  Not sure.  Maybe I just misread it before we started running.  Either way, it felt great to achieve my longest run and get so many steps in before even going to work!

We got back and I did my Monday Morning Weigh In.  I'm down 2 pounds from last week, so only 3.5 more to go to get to my goal weight!  That's only 1 pound above my lowest point so far on this clean eating meal plan.  Meanwhile, if you're keeping score, MJ hasn't gained a pound.

For breakfast I broke out of my routine of eating my go-to english muffin breakfast and whipped up some eggs.  2 egg whites with onions, tomatoes, and part-skim mozz cheese to be exact.

For lunch, I tried Annie Chuns's Chinese Chicken Soup Bowl, that was located in the organic section of the supermarket.  I picked this soup because:

1. It looked yummy
2. It looked easy
3. I did not have to keep it refrigerated/frozen
4. I could recognize all the ingredients on the back of the box.

Well I was right on 3 of the 4 above.  The last three.  This soup was not yummy.  Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad, but it was not "yummy."  I'd probably compare it to a healthier version of cup of noodle soup.  That's not a good thing.  Coincidentally, MJ also tried this soup for dinner, and agreed that it was disappointing and not worth repeating. 

The only good thing is that there's a coupon for Annie's products inside the label!  Looking at the Annie Chun's website now, there are definitely other products that look good and that I'd be willing to try.  Maybe I'm just not an instant soup fan?

For snacks today, I had 1 health valley chocolate granola bar and 1 90 calorie special K bar.  I'm not thrilled with either one, but I will say that I won't be purchasing the 90 calorie special K bars again because I can't recognize a thing on the box.  I'm sure this sounds like old news to you, but I was persuaded by the packaging and "chocolatey chip cookie flavor" that was promised.  After all, we all know I'm a sucker for cookies.
I also had 5 french fries (stolen from a friend) and some tam tams (a Passover cracker, similar to matzah) and salsa.

Some of you may now be thinking something along the lines of.... "WHAT?  What's a tam tam?  Where did this matzah talk come from?  It's not passover, is it?  Since when is Julie Jewish? Are we about to learn something personal about Julie beyond the anonymous pen name??" 

Well avid readers, after 78 days I'm pleased to share with you that I am Jewish.  If you notice, there's no pork, ham, bacon, or sausage posts.  I don't eat piggies. Oink oink.  You're welcome, Wilbur. 

"But Julie, you ate shrimp!  Can you eat shrimp?"  Very astute observation, blog reader.  I did/do eat shrimp.  No, I'm not supposed to.  It's not kosher.  I make my mom sad every time I cook shrimp.  (Sorry mom!) But I make my own rules and do allow an exception to be made for shrimp.  


I do tend to refrain from mixing meat and dairy products together.  I have separate plates and silverware for meat and dairy foods. 99% of the meals I cook are Kosher-style.  If you have any questions about keeping Kosher, let me know.


Anyway, you're still right - it's not Passover and Passover doesn't start for another two weeks, so what's the deal with the tam tams? 


Well, a few coworkers decided to put together a model seder to help teach both Jewish and non-Jewish colleagues about Passover.  So I attended a seder, even though I have 2 weeks to eat regular foods before Passover begins.


"WHAT?  Julie you are going to have MORE dietary restrictions?"  Yup.  During Passover I can't eat anything with leavening in it, including, but not limited to, wheat, barley, oats, rye, and spelt.  I'll explain a lot more about Passover in 2 weeks when the holiday begins, since I will be cooking/eating only foods that are Kosher for Passover.

So anyway, back to my story.  I went to a model seder, and at the model seder I ate:

• a few bites of matzah
• chicken (probably 4 ounces)
• 1 slice of brisket 
• 5 bites of roasted potatoes
• grilled veggies
• 1/2 bite of a cookie
• Wine!

The best part about passover is that you get to drink a lot of wine.  That definitely makes the amount of foods you can't eat more bearable.  I hope you are now all sitting on the edge of your seats waiting for my Passover posts.

After dinner I watched a horrible horrible game between UConn and Butler.  Sigh.

DAY 79

Once again, I decided to make eggs for breakfast.  Exactly the same as I did yesterday, so I put them on a different colored plate so you would know I really did eat them two days in a row and didn't just recycle pictures.  Would I do that to you, avid reader?  

At work I had a cup of coffee.  And a free (delicious, unhealthy) blueberry muffin.  And another cup of coffee.  What, the first one was bad.  And cold.

For lunch I tried Amy's Organic Cheese Burrito.  It was pretty good, but I didn't heat it up enough so the middle wasn't hot.  That's my fault, not yours, Amy.  I see on the website that Amy's Organic makes low sodium burritos also, so I'll have to look for those next time I am in the store.

For snacks I had my go-to almond butter snack, 1 apple, 1 cheese stick, 2 rye krisp crackers and 3 cheese cubes.

For dinner, I made a DELICIOUS DELICIOUS Beef and Broccoli Orange Stir Fry from the Best of Clean Eating Magazine Cookbook!

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces soba noodles (TOO MANY - 4 ounces uncooked is enough)
• 1 lb lean round steak, pounded to 1/4 inch thickness and sliced into strips 
• 1/2 cup white onion diced
• 2 cups fresh broccoli florets 
• 1/2 red bell pepper, julienned
• 2 tbsp low-sodium tamari soy sauce
• juice 1 medium orange  
• 2 gloves garlic 
• 2 tsp raw organic honey
• 2 tsp whole-wheat flour

Recipe:

1. Cook noodles according to package. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat large skillet over high for 1 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-high, mist with cooking spray and saute steak for 5 minutes or until cooked through. Remove steak, leave juices in pan.
3. Add onion, broccoli, and pepper, saute for 5 minutes.
4. In medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, orange juice, garlic, and honey.
5. Add steak back to pan and pour in mixture. Saute until heated through then whisk in flour to thicken. Add noodles to pan and cook until warmed. 
6. 1 serving = 1 cup = 257 calories

The only thing I really changed was the amount of noodles (less) and the amount of veggies (more).  It was really easy and turned out great.  MJ helped himself to thirds! The meal says it serves 6, but I really think it would only serve 4.    

Let me know if you try out the beef and orange stir fry!

Meals for the Week of April 4

Last week I planned out 6 meals to make during the week (see the list here).

I never got through all 6 meals because we traveled and didn't eat at home for 2 dinners.  So, this week I'm rolling over one of the meals:

1. Beef and Broccoli orange stir fry 
1. Dinner on day 79
2. NEW favorite healthy meal!
2. Chicken Gratin
3. Southwest Turkey Bake
4. Chicken and Toasted Peanut Toss
5. Leftovers
6. Out to eat (we have a few dinner events this week, so I won't need to cook as many dinners at home)

What are you planning on eating this week?

Tourists, Bridal Luncheons, Traveling, and a Light Meal (Days 75 - 77)

Hello my blog readers.  All 3,500 of you!  I can't believe my personal little blog project has been read by over 3,500 people.  I appreciate that my blog is being followed and read by so many people.  Please continue to read!

DAY 75

Breakfast - go to breakfast.  As per usual.  

Today I took off the morning from work to be a tourist in my own town.  MJ and I are planning on moving in about 4 months and I created a bucket list of things that I must do in this city before I leave.  Today I went to a top tourist site with Mrs. Jordan.  Without ruining the anonymity of this blog, I'll just say that we did a lot of walking.  So much so that my fitbit total for the day was 16,182 without going to the gym or actively exercising!!!

  

After being tourists in our own city, Mrs. Jordan and I went out for lunch at a hot spot in the city.  The place was packed by 11:30am!  Luckily we got a table without a wait (the last one!) and enjoyed a delicious lunch.  I had two small slices of bread with butter, and the special of the day: chicken with stir fry veggies, rice, and a sweet teriyaki/cherry sauce.  It was delicious and I basically ate the entire thing.  I also had a diet coke so I'd have enough caffeine to have a productive day at work for the rest of the afternoon!

I don't remember what snacks I ate for the rest of the day, but I think it's safe to say I had a cheese stick.

For dinner, I met up with a few friends from high school at this Italian restaurant.  WHAT?  Out to eat TWICE in one day??? I know, right?  Bad choices.  


But I still tried to be good!  I picked a whole wheat pasta with shrimp and veggies in it, topped with a light lobster sauce.  I also had two slices of bread with that and some wine.  Then MJ and I split some chocolate mousse for dessert.


I'm glad that I had a high-scoring fitbit day in lieu of my not so great meal choices.    Sorry I have no pictures to share with you from today.

DAY 76

Breakfast - go to breakfast.  As per usual.  Again.

Today I happily attended my friend's bridal shower luncheon.  There was a pre-selected menu for us with a few different options.  I picked a potato leek soup (very good), a grilled chicken caesar salad, and some vanilla and chocolate haagen dazs ice cream.  How could anyone say no to haagen dazs??  Picking the grilled chicken was definitely a good choice, and the salad was very lightly dressed so I think I did fairly well considering we were out at a restaurant!

After the bridal luncheon, MJ and I hopped in the car and headed to the beach to see my college roommates: Annabelle, Tiffany and Desiree.  And all of their respective boyfriends.  I was really good not to snack in the car.

For dinner, we had some homemade burgers and veggie kabobs that Annabelle's boyfriend grilled for us on the BBQ.  I limited myself to 1 burger + bun + ketchup and as many veggies as my heart desires!  I also had some bites of a yummy potato salad.  And one slice of American cheese.  Just because I missed it.  Processed American cheese is NOT included on the recommended clean eating food list!  

After dinner I had a few drinks.  When my friends went out for late night snacks I caved and got 3 chicken fingers.  Which was really only 1.5 chicken fingers because MJ ate half of them.  Which was really about 6 bites of chicken.  I know that eating late at night is bad for you.  So is eating fried chicken strips.  I recognize that most late night food options are really unhealthy, but I think chicken fingers may be the lesser of the evils.  No, I don't think chicken fingers are healthy.  But I ate them.  They weren't good.  

However, the plus side for my horrible late night eating is that after midnight and before I went to bed, I had 5600 steps (dancing) on my fitbit.  Quite an impressive way to start a day.          

DAY 77

This morning for breakfast I had an egg and cheese sandwich on a croissant and a cup of coffee.  Once again, croissants are not healthy.  I should not have picked a croissant.  However, when faced with a list of 5 unhealthy bread options for a breakfast sandwich, I'm going to select the yummiest one every time, and the yummiest one is definitely a croissant.  And it was yummy.

Then I said goodbye to my college roommates and drove back home with MJ.  Again, on this car ride home we were very good about not snacking.  

For lunch, we got deli sandwiches on kaiser roles (again, not healthy.  I miss you wheat bread!!!).  I had half of a turkey, lettuce, tomato and mayo (GASP) sandwich.  I know, I know.  How horrible could I possible be in one 24 hour period?  Pretty horrible.  

When we got back home I felt that I needed to cleanse myself of my junk food habits and cook a good, clean eating meal for dinner.  Before dinner, I snacked on one cheese stick.  Then I planned out our meals for the week and took Michael Jordan to the grocery store with me to get everything we needed.  We also saved over $20 by buying things that were on sale and using coupons!  


For dinner I made a tilapia citrus couscous from the best of clean eating cookbook!  

This was really easy to make:

Step 1: Cook 1 dry cup whole wheat couscous

Step 2: Chop up 2 carrots, celery (I skipped this because I don't like celery), 1/2 red pepper, 1 medium yellow onion.

Step 3: Cook 4 tilapia fillets on a pan - 2 minutes per side.

Step 4: Make a dressing from the juice of 1 lime  + zest, the juice of 1/2 lemon + zest, 1/2 tsp dijon mustard, 1 tbls evoo, 2 tbsl dried parsley flakes, 1 clove garlic - minced.

Step 5: Add everything in a big bowl

Step 6: Eat!  1 cup = 1 serving = 154 calories!

MJ and I agreed this meal was light, healthy, and easy!  In the future, we might try to marinate the tilapia before hand or cook up the veggies to give a fuller taste.  Let me know if you try out this recipe!