Archive | June, 2012

Lightened Up Summer Fruit Crisp

28 Jun

Tis the season for fresh, sweet berries and other fruits like peaches.  I also love  that in addition to the sweeter taste, these fruit don’t cost an arm and leg during the summer months.  I use berries in oatmeal, greek yogurt, smoothies, as a snack, and atop cereal regardless of the time of year.  Similarly, it being a season other than summer doesn’t stop me from grabbing a peach.  I wanted to do something different with these fruits.  Conveniently, my want to make something yummy with these fruits aligned with Bryan’s request to make a cobbler or crisp of some sort recalling that it was incredible on one of our cruise vacations.  He sent me a recipe he found from King Arthur Flour that I modified a bit.  Mainly, I used less sugar in the filling counting on the sweetness of my fresh berries and just ripe enough peaches.  Also, I used whole wheat flour and went sans nuts.  Full disclosure, I didn’t cut the butter.  Paula would be proud!  The taste of the topping is definitely governed by that combo of butter, rolled oats, and brown sugar so it had to stay in my version too :)  Thus, I still defined this as a sinner meal.  That and the original recipe notes this yields 9-12 servings.  Sure, if you want a spoonful perhaps!  B and I polished this off in 5 servings oops. 

Ingredients:

The Filling

  • 4-5 cups fresh sliced peaches
  • 1-2 cups fresh berries (I used chopped strawberries and blueberries. Rasp/blackberries would be great too)
  • 2 1/2 TBSP whole wheat flour
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar (1/2 the amount from the original recipe)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/4 – 1/2 tsp almond extract, to taste (I used a 1/2 tsp , but in the future I’d use more like a 1/4 tsp.  It is potent!)

The Topping

  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup (aka the whole stick) softened butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9″ x 9″, or similar-sized baking pan/casserole dish with plenty of butter nonstick spray. (Definitely healthier than greasing with butter, but your call ;) )

2. Whisk your filling flour with the filling sugar and salt.  Subsequently, add the peaches, lemon juice, and almond extract and toss until thoroughly mixed.

 

 3. Spoon your filling mixture into your baking pan and sprinkle berries on top. Set aside.

 

 4. Now for the topping.  Simply combine brown sugar, flour, oats, and spices.  Then, mix in the softened butter.  Continue to stir up the mixture until it becomes crumbly.

 

5. Sprinkle topping over the filling mixture evenly.

 

6. Bake 40-50 minutes until the topping is a nice golden brown and the filling is bubbling.   Allow to cool a little while before serving with a scoop of ice cream and a dollop of whipped cream!

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Holy Hotness

23 Jun

 

Photo Credit: http://blog.ctnews.com/whatthehealth/2012/06/19/as-hot-temperatures-loom-outdoor-workers-at-risk/

Unless you live under a rock or have not gone outside this week, you know it’s been blazing hot all over the Northeast.  We’re talking like a hundo degrees, your shoes are nearly melting to the ground type of heat.  My 12 minute walk from home to Metro, DC’s public transportation, has been misery even at 8 am.  The humidity leaves me flushed and sweaty before I even get to work.  I often wear a work dress or separates a few times, but forget about that after days like these.  Prepare to work over-time my dear washing machine. 

But why does it really feel so terrible?  I read a great article yesterday in the Express, DC’s  free daily paper, about dealing with the heat.  It discussed that the discomfort many of us have been experiencing from the heat won’t last too much longer.  Reason being that your body begins a process called acclimatization.  This process gets your body to a place where you can better deal with the heat.  You haven’t had to deal with these temperatures- or anything like them- for several seasons so your body is essentially in shock.  According to the article, the shift to coping with the heat more efficiently can occur in as as few as a couple weeks.  Your health and fitness level and age does play a role however.  Those who are fitter/healthier acclimatize quicker than those who don’t exercise often, who are elderly, or who are overweight.  No matter who you are, stay on top of being hydrated and don’t overdo it with outdoor activity.  Take time to cool off inside regularly.  No shame in it!  To learn more about the acclimatization process, check out the “Take the Heat” article from the Express on page 13. 

If you’ve been running, doing boot camp , or cycling outside as of late,  hats off to you and don’t give  up!  Even if you’re feeling like your performance has been poor, the good news is that you will be accustomed to the heat- and faster than most.  Personally, I’m what I call a “fair weather” runner.  You’ll see me running during the spring and fall months, but typically not in the summer and winter ones.  I’m admittedly a baby with the heat so I prefer an air-conditioned gym this time of the year.  Still, this insight into why the heat has hit me so hard recently and the promise of it becoming more bearable is encouraging.  I hope you feel the same way!  Who is braving the heat for workouts?  Leave your comments proudly. 

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Copycat Bang Bang Shrimp

21 Jun

I wanted to make something different than I have made before.  Bryan has raved about Bonefish Grill’s Bang Bang Shrimp appetizer.  I have seen a number of copycat recipes for this, but Skinnytaste recipes don’t steer me wrong in the quest for the more reasonable version of restaurant crowd-pleasers so it was a no brainer.  The Bonefish Grill version of this shrimp dish is breaded and fried best I can tell.  I don’t eat much in the way of fried food so another reason to choose the Skinnytaste version.  I slightly modified the sauce knowing our palettes.  Gina, Skinnytaste’s author, suggested two sides to accompany this dish.  I chose the summery, fresh low-carb one- a Asian Cabbage Mango Slaw (pictured above.)  I promise to share how I went about making that recipe at a later date.  I was actually pretty proud of myself as I made my own Sesame Oil for it.  Stay tuned!

Copycat Bang Bang Shrimp Ingredients:

The sauce:

  • 4 TBSP light mayo (little less than the Skinnytaste recipe calls for)
  • 3 TBSP Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
  • 1.5-2 tsp Sriracha (more than the Skinnytaste recipes calls for because we like some extra kick)

The shrimp:

  • 1 lb large shrimp, shelled/deveined
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp canola oil

Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl, combine the mayo, sweet chili sauce, and Sriracha.
  2. In another bowl, add the cornstarch to your shrimp and mix well with your hands.       
  3. Heat a large skillet on a high heat.  Once hot, add the canola oil.  When the oil has heated up, add your cornstarch-coated shrimp and cook thoroughly.  This will take approximately 3-5 minutes.    
  4. Transfer shrimp to a medium bowl and add the sauce.  Mix until the shrimp is completely coated.      

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Pinkberry’s Greek Goodness

19 Jun

Recently, I grabbed Pinkberry fro yo as an afternoon snack during a particularly busy work week.  I don’t walk out of Pinkberry with less than a huge smile ever, but this time I was even happier because I got a voucher for a complimentary snack-sized Greek Goodness.  This is Pinkberry expanding its menu to include frozen as well as unfrozen yogurt.  Greek Goodness is the name for Pinkberry’s new greek yogurt menu items.  Honestly, had I not received this voucher I’d likely continue to go back to Pinkberry for their Salted Caramel, Original, or Pomegranate fro yo and toppings for the rest of time.  I’m thrilled I did though.  As you can see from the photo above, these greek yogurt creations come in sweet and savory varieties.  They also come in 2 sizes- snack and meal.  I chose the Kiwi concoction.  This included the greek yogurt, sliced kiwi, fresh strawberries, and mango as well as a lowfat honey almond granola and vanilla agave.  I think life started when I tried this agave.  Oh my goooooooosh.  I know it is often used in recipes to substitute for honey and is actually sweeter, but I don’t know why I’ve never tried it.  Kicking myself.  Overall, this greek yogurt snack was awesome.  It was reasonable too at 190 calories/ 2.5 g fat/ 19 g sugar (not much different than flavored Chobani greek yogurt per a frame of reference)/14 g protein.   You must give it a try!  It is offered with some degree of exclusivity however as Massachusetts, DC Metro area, and Southern California locations are the only spots that feature it currently.  Another plus for my DC friends to know is that our locations are open at 8 am to serve breakfast. That includes all DC, Maryland, and Virginia locations.  I suggest grabbing a meal size to kick off your day!  I know I’ll be doing that one day on my way to the metro.  Happy to have found a new summery snack and to have discovered this love of agave nectar.  Double win.  I’ll close with a photo of my snack-sized Kiwi Greek Goodness:

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Kiss My Sass Booty Ride Recap

16 Jun

Booty, booty, booty, booty, rockin’ everywhere! What did 26 behinds and 52 legs have in common this past Friday morning after doing it up at Thursday night’s  “Kiss My Sass” Booty Ride at Revolve?  My guess is soreness and a sense of accomplishment.  Speaking for myself, I definitely had a sore tush.  The 45 minute spin class focused on all things booty.  We’re talking booty-focused songs, booty-focused technique, and booty-toning results!

I DO think you’re ready for this jelly so here’s a recap.  Targeting those glutes and hammies meant the riders in the class faced some serious climbs, lift sprints, and simulated turns into wind resistance.  And we (the class) did that with the  help of songs like Beyonce’s Bootylicious and Bubba Sparxxx’s (remember that guy?!) Ms. New Booty.  Let’s be real though- you can’t do a booty-themed ride without the most quintessential booty song of our time.  It goes without saying I think, but that song is Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-A-Lot.  Safe to say that after a class like this, all of us (Revolve) babies got back.  I look forward to another theme ride next week which is Summer Solstice party.  It will feature a live DJ spinning during and after the class.  The after party will include healthy snacks and cocktails.  I’m all about it!

Have a good weekend everyone!

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Panache DC

14 Jun

My friends! I’m sorry I missed the mark for posting early this week.  I’m getting over being sick and hard as I tried I couldn’t get it together to post.  I have some good ideas lined up to make it up to you though.  Before I jump into B and I’s  recent new dinner adventure, it’s worth visiting a couple tips to avoid getting sick (or sicker as was the case for me.)  Eat well, sleep lots, and exercise are the basics.  Simple enough, but have an honest check in with yourself sometimes and assess if you are actually doing that.  If you feel like you’re developing something, don’t stack your schedule chock full of activities especially lots of walking or hiking ( I went hiking Monday for 2 1/2 hours.)  Rather, get some freaking rest.  Being honest with myself, I had been a little negligent on the sleeping.  Further,  I assumed allergies when I started feeling off early last week.  Then, I was in denial about being sick until I was in the thick of it feeling like total crap the past few days. Cherry on top:  I got Bryan sick too.  I’m a rotten human. Yup.  So my message is this:  Take care of yourselves! Who wants to be sick in the summer months when there is so much opportunity to do fun things?!

Back on track here…B and I just passed the 6 year mark of dating.  Good food is absolutely a must when there is anything to celebrate in our relationship.  We decided to try out a new restaurant and follow with dessert at Cold Stone Creamery.  Cold Stone makes Bryan insanely happy.  Look how genuine this smile is:

We had dinner at Panache located in DC across from the famous Mayflower hotel.  The ambiance is fairly casual but you get that upscale dining type of experience.  It is known for Mediterranean, French, and Spanish tapas.  We were in the mood for fish though so we decided to order the crab cakes and pan-seared mahi mahi special and share them.  I ordered a mixed salad and Bryan asked for French onion soup per some starters.  The presentation was very nice and the food came out quickly.  We were impressed that we ended up in and out in 50 minutes yet we did not feel rushed.  The mahi mahi came with a fresh, flavorful mango salsa on top and cilantro rice and steamed vegetables on the side.  The crab cakes were served with the steamed vegetables and mashed potatoes.  We both enjoyed the restaurant overall, but agreed we may not necessarily crave it on a regular basis.   I could, however, see us going back to try out the tapas selection!  Here are pics from dinner and keep on reading for Cold Stone deets.

Curious what we got at Cold Stone?  We’re both in LOVE with the All Lovin’ No Oven Signature Creation.  This includes the Cake Batter ice cream, fudge, cookie dough, and whipped cream.  We take this already awesome combo to another level though.  I add caramel to mine.  Bryan adds caramel AND brownie.  My topping addition almost warrants the next cup size up as not to overflow.  Bryan’s brownie, on the other hand, REQUIRES the cup size up because of the sheer mass it adds.  It’s pretty hilarious how the Cold Stone employees look at us when we order and funnier still that we get warned of the imminent cost increase associated with our addition of fatty goodness.  YES, we are fine with the extra $0.79!  Anyone craving Cold Stone now? Sorry about it…

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The Stepmill: The Premier Sweat Your Face Off Quickly Machine

9 Jun

Recognize this machine from your gym?  STEP right up and meet the stepmill.  I find that choosing this machine is the fastest way for me to feel like I’m dying at the gym.  Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel is a bit melodramatic, but what I mean is that I’m breathing heavily and sweating profusely in a matter of 5 minutes.  Of course, you can adjust intensity and resistance as not to feel the burn so quickly.  My personal preference though is to select a “Calorie Burner” or “Fat Burner” program and opt for hard-very hard intensity.  For me, the stepmill is usually that 15-20 minute warm-up machine in advance of a strength session as was the case today.  I have this thing with incorporating at least some cardio to work up a good sweat before lifting in order to feel like I got a great workout in.  I know the benefits of strength training are that it ultimately leads to burning more calories/boosting your metabolism, the obvious toning of the guns, among several other positives, but I just can’t let go of the getting a good sweat going via cardio element.  So, you get a good sweat and burn going, but you also can burn a lot of calories in a short period of time compliments of the stepmill.  Lastly, a perk I attach to is that this machine can provide you with a nice booty shape my friends.  Everyone is okay with having a nice butt.  Am I right?

In sum, I’d like to encourage you to stop walking by this machine at the gym if that is what you have been doing!  If you are a fan of this machine, know that it is fact that this baby is a gem and keep on using it.  I will caution that if you suffer a lot of joint stress, this could be a machine you will want to use sparingly compared to other cardio equipment like an elliptical or arc trainer.  Nonetheless, give it a try!

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Grilling Isn’t Just for the Weekend!

7 Jun

Normally, grilling out may be more of a weekend thing, but why not break the mold and have a fantastic dinner mid-week with good friends?!  Adrienne and David, our recently married friends, invited us over to grill out last night.  We did a tag team effort on the dinner items.  Bryan and I were responsible for a side veggie and something sweet and the Belkens were going to provide pork chops and potatoes.  I prepared the Garlic Roasted Broccoli that I blogged about a while ago to fulfill the veggie side contribution.  As for the treat, we went with a summer time favorite: angel food cake, fresh sliced strawberries, and Lite Cool Whip.  A reasonable yet satisfying sweet something :)   Adrienne had the pork chops marinading all day in Wicker’s and David did a great grill master job on these bad boys last night.  Homemade mashed redskin potatoes were the perfect compliment to the pork chops and broccoli.  See the action shot below!  The boys enjoyed their Abita Strawberry Lagers and Southern Pecan Ales while Adrienne and I sipped on white wine.  All in all, it was a perfect and healthy mid-week meal with great company.

Adrienne in action whipping up the mashed potatoes!

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On Top of Spaghetti (Squash), All Covered with Cheeeeeeeese

5 Jun

DISCLAIMER: There was no sneezing and thus no meatball loss here.  I know you were worried!  

Spaghetti or some other form of pasta and sauce is a meal pretty much everyone loves.  The trouble is that pasta often loves you back in the form of pudgey tummy or love handles if you eat too much of it.  Sigh- carbs!  I eat whole wheat pasta if I’m cooking it myself or request it out if it’s possible.  Usually the latter is not feasible since I like gnocchi or lasagna when I grab Italian at a restaurant.  I also have a tendency to forget to ask!   A great way to curve  those carbs AND add veggies to a meal is to prepare spaghetti squash and top with your favorite tomato or meat sauce.  The flesh of this high in nutritional value squash type when cooked resembles spaghetti.  The texture is not too off either.  1 cup of it comes in around 40 calories, 10 g of carbohydrates, and boasts low fat and sugar content.  What’s not to love?  I’ll just give you another reason to get excited while I’m at it.  You know that big pot and strainer you need when cooking pasta?  You won’t be needing that here because you can simply leverage the microwave to cook the squash.  Let’s walk through the how-to’s for whipping up this healthy meal.  I can make my own pasta sauce, but I like the option of buying a jarred sauce and doctoring it up for the sake of time now and again.  That is what I did here. 

Ingredients

  • Medium-sized spaghetti squash from your local grocer’s produce section (see above)
  • Jar of your favorite tomato sauce.  I recommend trying Francesco’s Rinaldo’s ToBe Healthy sauce line!
  • 1/2-3/4 lb ground turkey (if you want to add to sauce to doctor it up)
  • Optional: Additional “doctor it up” spices and herbs: red pepper flakes, minced garlic, italian seasoning to taste

Directions

  1. On large cutting board, use a large serrated knife to cut your spaghetti squash length-wise like so.  Be cautious!
  2. Subsequently, use a spoon to scrap out all of the seeds and “guts” similar to how you prepare a pumpkin for carving.
  3. Microwave both halves on high for 13-15 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, brown your ground turkey on  a medium-high heat until cooked throughly.  Add pasta sauce and additional seasons and bring to a light boil.  Simmer a while until you are loving the flavor of the sauce.
  5. Let the spaghetti squash sit in the microwave for several minutes.  Carefully remove the halves with a potholder.
  6. Take a fork and shred the squash halves which is easy if it is throughly cooked.  If not, pop back in your mic for a few minutes.                                                                                                            
  7. Serve your sauce atop the spaghetti squash and enjoy!  This makes great left overs as well.

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Herndon Festival and a Treat from Amphora Diner

2 Jun

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I told you Herndon Festival was around the corner.  I actually decided with the amount of food festivals and “Taste of’s” Bryan and I hit every year that I will make a Food Festival category for the blog.  It just makes sense!  St. Katherine’s Greek Festival, a festival down the road from us with you guessed it- great Greek food and culture, was on the calendar for this weekend as well.  We weren’t sure we’d make both as B had a golf tournament out of town, but we made a showing there too.  More to come to that end another day.

This was the third time we’d hit up Herndon Fest.  The festival is free and includes live music, arts and crafts vendors and other business expo exhibitors, carnival rides, and of course, awesome eats. :)  It runs Thursday night through Sunday afternoon so go check it out if you want something to do tonight or tomorrow.  Here is the website for more info: http://www.herndonfestival.net/.  There is a great shuttle bus service that I recommend you look into if you end up going to the festival.   In the past we’ve done the rides and taken in the other experiences, but this night was all about the food.  Also,  the vendors were not present on Thursday evening of the festival so we didn’t have the opportunity anyway.  We arrived and did our typical walk through to get a lay of the land and plan out the menu.

As a perfect starter, we had the $1.00 sample ($5.00 by the bowl) of Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern’s Jambalaya.  Man oh man is it good!  It has a fabulous kick to it.  Good enough in fact that I suggest you hit up the Tavern to get it.  They’ve been around like 15 years in downtown Herndon and follow the mantra, “Where everyone is treated like a regular.”  You know you’ll feel real welcomed with that sort of mentality.  We came back for another Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern food item after we inhaled John the Greeks’ Chicken Pita.  John the Greek is a food concession business that is family owned and operated so you won’t find a standalone restaurant in Herndon, but I always grab a gyro, pita stick, or chicken pita when I visit the festival.  You know how I said I’m tainted by meatballs now that I had filet mignon ones in Vegas?  Well, I have a tainted by gyro issue in my life too.  My college, James Madison University (GO DUKES!), has a spot called Dave’s Downtown Taverna.  It is home to the best gyro I’ve ever in my whole life.  End of story.  The tzatziki sauce is unparalleled.  In any case, other gyros and chicken pitas work for me just not like Dave’s.  If you are on I-81 S around the 240 exits and have a tummy rumble, get off at Exit 245 and hit up Dave’s Express on Port Republic Road or follow signs for downtown to sit down and enjoy the gyro at Dave’s Downtown Taverna.  You will not be sorry!  Back on track here…After the chicken pita, we re-visited Jimmy’s Old Town Taverna for the Festival Shrimp.  This entailed 3 BBQ skewered shrimp wrapped in bacon. Oh myyyy gooodness.  Bacon = always fantastic.  It was the skewer of 3 decently-sized shrimp for $5 so of course we had to get our own!

After those eats, we perused around for a treat.   We had discovered one of the spots we looked forward to, The Tortilla Factory, had gone under after 37 years of business.  The chicken nachos they offer every year are bomb.com so this was a total bummer.  Thus, it was time to humor our sweet tooth.  Nothing was jumping out so we decided to stay for the fireworks display and go venture elsewhere for a treat!  B made a number of suggestions- none of which I was feeling so ultimately he put the ball in my court and tried very hard not to get super annoyed with me.  Good patient guy!  I suggested we head to a local 24 hour diner called Amphora’s.  This spot holds a special place in my heart because my best friend from high school, Becca, and I used to frequent Amphora’s for late night hot tea and toast and maybe something else time to time.  I’m aware how random tea and toast at 2 am sounds, but it was our thing!  I made sure to tell Bryan how special he is for me to take him there haha.  Amphora’s has a fantastic bakery with every pie, bread pudding, ice cream sundae,  cookie, etc. you dream of.   A table tent highlighting the pie of the month caught our eye.  It was May 31st mind you and so the pie of the month was going to turn over the next day.  After reading the description for the Chocolate Caramel Candy Bar Pie, we knew what was going down.  As the picture in my slide show does not truly give this thing justice, please take a look at this picture and description!!  B loves chocolate mousse and you have me at caramel let alone OOZING caramel.  The addition of a scoop of vanilla ice cream was a great choice.  Needless to say I was not planning on a bunch of treats the next day, but oops they happened at the Greek festival.  I’ll tell you about it soon ;)  Have a fantastic rest of your weekend!

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