NO MORE BLOG!!

I am switching to a new host: Wordpress! So please visit my new website at http://www.myhealthypassion.wordpress.com/ I imported all the content from this Blogger Site to my new address so everything is still there PLUS some fun new additions! Please go check me out and subscribe!! Thanks for all the support and I will see on my new site! Cheers!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Keith and I are heading to Dallas to spend Thanksgiving with his family ! I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday! Enjoy all that good Thanksgiving food. Here's my one tip: enjoy yourself and REMEMBER YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL; JUST NOT ALL AT ONE TIME! So think about the foods you really want and enjoy those. Skip the foods you can get at other times during the year. For me, that means lots and lots of stuffing!! Cheers!

Oh...and of course GO AGGIES!!!

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Before Keith and I head out for Thanksgiving I am trying to clean out the produce in the fridge. I had some bell peppers we needed to use up and we had some ground bison in the freezer. Hum, what to do...stuff those peppers baby!! Enjoy!

STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

4 very large bell peppers (any color...I used red)

2 cups cooked lean ground beef (I used ground Bison...about 1 pound...Keith LOVES his meat)

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese (I used cheddar almond cheese)

1 cup cooked brown rice

2 teaspoons taco seasoning mix, dry

1 cup canned tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Slice the tops off the peppers and then slice in half lengthwise; remove seeds, wash and pat dry. Place pepper halves in a small baking dish sprayed lightly with nonstick spray and roast for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, brown beef (bison or turkey...whatever you are using) in a skillet. Drain off excess fat. Stir to combine all ingredients, except for peppers; set aside.

Remove peppers from oven and reduce temperature to 350 degrees F. Evenly spoon mixture into pepper halves and return to oven for 20 more minutes.

Serves: 4 (huge portions!!)

317.8 CALORIES; 5.6g FAT (2.4g saturated fat); 76.2mg CHOLESTEROL; 693.2mg SODIUM; 31.5g CARBOHYDRATE; 5.8g FIBER; 2.6g SUGAR; 35.8g PROTEIN

Hearty Oatmeal

When I got home from the gym this morning I was craving oatmeal. So I whipped up a hearty bowl of cranberry oatmeal to satisfy me! I paired it with some scrambled egg whites and was good to go!

I used Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oats...Take 3 tablespoons oats, 1 tablespoon dried cranberries, 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1/3 cup water, 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon and mix it all together. Microwave for about 2-3 minutes. ENJOY!

Pancake Sunday

I was in Whole Foods on Saturday and I saw this pancake mix called the Organic Batter Blaster . It is pancake batter in a can AND it is organic! I knew I HAD to try it...just from the sheer oddness of it!

So following the directions, I shook the can really well, held it over my griddle and sprayed....

I added some blueberries...yum! These actually looked REALLY good!

A successful flip....AND...

TADA! Perfect pancakes and they actually tasted REALLY good!

Overall verdict: they are definitely EASY (we're talking like 5 minutes here) and no messy clean-up! So if you want organic pancakes in a hurry these are definitely the way to go. Keep the can in the refrigerator for future use. (1 can yields 28 pancakes)

Serving Size (1/4 cup batter = 2 (4 inch) pancakes) 80 Calories; 0.5g Fat (0g saturated fat); 15mg Cholesterol; 300mg Sodium; 17g Carbohydrates; 0.5g Fiber; 5g Sugar; 2g Protein

Fun Saturday Fact

Happy Saturday everyone! Here is a fun little fact that I hope makes you smile!

According to my Women's Health Magazine, "Dropping a F-bomb or two could make your stubbed toe hurt less, according to the journal NeuroReport. Researchers had students plunge their hands into icy water twice, once while cursing and once saying a neutral word. When swearing, they withstood the deep freeze for about 30 percent longer and felt roughly 50 percent less pain. "Cursing can trigger the body's fight-or-flight response, which masks pain," says lead study author Richard Stephens, Ph.D."

So there you go...all you "cursers" out there now have a scientific excuse! HAHA!

White Chicken Chili

Last night's dinner was DELICIOUS! White Chicken Chili! Keith and I both loved it and as the weather gets cooler this will be on our dinner table a lot over the coming months! Enjoy this recipe!!

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

1 pound bag great white northern beans
6-8 cups chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium onions, chopped (divided)
1 tablespoon oil
2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chilies
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt, to taste
4 cups diced cooked chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)

Soak beans overnight (or at least 4 hours prior to cooking)

Combine beans, 6 cups of chicken broth, garlic and half the onions in a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 3-4 hours or until beans are soft. Add more chicken broth as necessary.

In a skillet, saute remaining onions in oil until tender. Add chilies and seasonings and mix thoroughly. Add to bean mixture. Add the cooked chicken to the pot and continue to simmer for 1 hour.

Serve topped with your favorite add-ins: cheese, tomatoes, avocados, sour cream, crush tortilla chips, etc....

Serves 8 (1.5 cup servings)
Nutritional Information (without additional toppings): 245.3 Calories; 2.8g Fat (0.4g saturated fat); 55.0mg Cholesterol; 939.2mg Sodium; 7.2g Fiber; 0.8g Sugar; 31.7 Protein

Gluten-Free Brownies

Did someone really say brownies AND gluten-free in the same sentence?

I am not opposed to using mixes to help me with my baking. Keith and I have tried all kinds, obviously we LOVE Pamela's as my prior posts will show, but our favorite brownie mix is one from Namaste Foods. (You can find it at Whole Foods or The Natural Grocer) The brownies always come out perfectly! I keep these on hand regularly for my chocolate loving hubby! We just individually wrap them up and keep them in the freezer. Then when we want one we pop it in microwave for about 45 seconds for a yummy dessert! Now tell me those don't look like dessert heaven?!?

Get the FACTS!

Great Website: Cereal F.A.C.T.S. (Food Advertising to Children and Teens Score). The Food Advertising to Children and Teens Score (FACTS) was developed to scientifically measure food marketing to youth. While young people are exposed to marketing for a variety of food products, cereal was chosen as the first food category to be evaluated using FACTS because cereal companies target children more than any other sector of the packaged food industry. The amount of money cereal companies spend on marketing to children exceeds $156 million per year on television alone. Check out the website to get the "facts" on your favorite breakfast cereal!

Hail to Acorn Squash

One of the things I love best about fall (DEFINITELY NOT THE COLD WEATHER) is the abundance of fabulous fall produce! One of my favorites is acorn squash! I picked 2 up at Whole Foods the other day and they are FABULOUS!

Acorn squash is super easy to make and very versatile! My favorite way is to just cut it in half and scoop out the seeds. Dot each squash cavity with 1 teaspoon butter (I use Brummel and Brown) and 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Then bake at 350 degrees F for about an hour, or until tender. If you are in a hurry simple microwave squash cut side down in water for about 8-10 minutes (or until tender) and then fill cavity with toppings. Yummy!

I suggest eating NOW!

**For more information on what fruits/vegetables are in season for your area scroll down and check out the newest gadget I added. Once you click on a certain food it will take you to Epicurious.com with recipes highlighting that food. Now that is how you can eat your way through the seasons!

Your Exercise Personality

This is a cool test! Based on your personality (using the Meyer's Briggs personality typing) you can find your exercise color! I was GOLD and it was right on the money! Keith was SILVER and he agreed with his analysis as well! Go check it out for a fun way to find a little bit more about your exercise personality!

http://www.the8colorsoffitness.com/

San Antonio RESULTS

I LOVE the Internet! My official race results are already posted from this morning!!! How Cool!

My time: 1:39:34 (1/2 Marathon: 13.1 miles)

Splits
5K: 23:3 (7:36 mile pace)
10K: 46:41 (7:31 mile pace)
15K: 1:11:05 (7:38 mile pace)
13.1 MILES: 1:39:34 (7:36 mile pace)

Overall Place: 394 (out of 20,021 half marathon runners!)
Overall Place (by sex): 66 (out of 12,585 women!)
Place in my age group: 22 (out of 2,148 runners 25-29!)

Thanks to everyone for the support and good-luck wishes! It all helped!!

GOOD LUCK RUNNERS!!

Okay, I am packed and ready to hit the road to San Antonio! It is the weekend of the second annual Rock 'n Roll 1/2 Marathon & Marathon! I want to wish everyone who is running GOODLUCK!! Let's have fun, kick some butt and show San Antonio what we Austin runners are all about!!!

Children Obesity…Who’s to Blame?

On a serious note: I ran across this article and thought it was 100% spot on. I realize that childhood obesity is one of those topics that strikes emotions in people. (Call it a "hot topic") So I want to preface this blog post with saying that this article is simply one that supports my opinion. I am sure my opinion won't be shared by all but I hope that many of you find this article to be, at the very least, informative to a real problem facing American children today.

Children Obesity…Who’s to Blame?

Cookbook Teaser

Okay everyone, I finally did it!!! I have published my first cookbook! It will be available the first week of December for $20. It contains 100 recipes that have all been tested and tried on my favorite taste tester, Keith! We had fun doing it but it was definitely a process trying everything out and then deciding what we wanted to include. I hope everyone will enjoy it and it will keep you tied over while we work on book #2! Lucky Keith...haha!

Each recipe contains the serving size AND the nutritional information per serving! How great is that?! Here's the breakdown:

100 Recipes:

• 7 Appetizers


• 8 Salads


• 16 Side Dishes


• 17 Chicken Dishes


• 9 Beef/Turkey


• 15 Seafood


• 2 Pork


• 6 Meatless Meals


• 7 Bread, Rolls, Muffins


• 13 Desserts

ITS COMING....Just in time for Christmas and Stocking Stuffers!!! :)

Oh...and if you want to per-order just let me know!!

Back To Basics

The Basic Turkey Sandwich...EVER!

Sometimes you just want the most basic meal. All I wanted for dinner last night was a plain 'ole turkey sandwich and chips. Just like my mom used to make for my lunch! So taking it back to basics. I had a turkey sandwich with my Udi's gluten-free bread, Boar's Head turkey meat (which is also gluten-free and found at most deli counters) and one slice of almond cheese (the pepper jack flavor for a little kick). It was fabulous! I also had a serving of the Guiltless Gourmet Blue Corn Chips (also gluten-free...imagine that!)

Don't Be A Chicken

Last night we had cornflake crusted chicken! It was fabulous and much healthier than traditional fried chicken! Check this out...it is definitely an adult AND kid pleaser!! You can use regular cornflakes cereal or I used gluten-free corn flake crumbs (already crushed...how convenient is that?) that I found then at HEB!

CORNFLAKE CRUSTED CHICKEN

4 chicken drumsticks
4 chicken thighs

salt

pepper

1 egg

2 cups crushed cornflake crumbs

1 T. olive oil

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Season chicken generously with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon water.

In a large bowl, mix cornflake crumbs with olive oil and cayenne pepper and 1 teaspoon salt.

Dip chicken in egg mixture and then into crumb mixture and place on a baking pan.

Bake in oven for 30 minutes. For the last 5 minutes switch the oven to broil for desired crispiness!

Serves: 4 (1 leg and 1 thigh)

254 Calories; 9.5g Fat (2.1g saturated fat); 157mg Cholesterol; 232mg Sodium; 12.3g Carbohydrates; 0.4g Fiber; 1.6g Sugar; 28.8g Protein

Onions Are Girl's Best Friend

I LOVE onions...Keith not so much. So this was only on my dinner plate last night, which is fine because it just means I didn't have to share! haha! But these onions come out hot, sweet and spicy...it is a flavor explosion in your mouth!

HONEY ROASTED VIDALIA ONIONS

2 large Vidalia onions

1 tablespoon water

1/4 cup honey

1 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 curry powder

1/8 teaspoon red pepper (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Peel onions and cut in half crosswise.

Place onions, cut side down, in an 8 inch square baking dish, drizzle with water. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Combine honey and remaining ingredients. Turn onions over. Brush half of the honey mixture over the onions.

Bake, uncovered, for an additional 30 minutes or until tender, basting with remaining honey mixture after 15 minutes.

Serves: 4

123 Calories; 3.0g Fat (1.9g saturated fat); 7mg Cholesterol; 314mg Sodium; 25.5g Carbohydrate; 1.4g Fiber; 20.7g Sugar; 0.9g Protein

Sunday Brunch

Gluten-Free French Toast

LOVE SUNDAYS! My husband, Keith, and I always try to hang out together and enjoy good football and usually a good brunch! It is a great time for us to chill out before the busy week starts again. This morning I made us gluten-free french toast! It was a nice yummy treat! I used the GF Udi White Bread and we had a side of Applegate Farms chicken apple sausage! (my fave!)

Best Running Cities in America

In this month's edition of Runner's World magazine there was a list of the best running cities in America. Check it out:

1. Portland
2. San Francisco
3. New York
4. Boulder
5. AUSTIN
6. Boston
7. Eugene
8. Chicago
9. San Diego
10. Flagstaff

Black Bean Burgers

BLACK BEAN BURGERS

2 cups black beans

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1/4 cup breadcrumbs (I used GF breadcrumbs)

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

Dash of black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Dash of salt

Food process all ingredients except breadcrumbs. Add breadcrumbs by hand and form 4 patties. I grilled mine on the George Foreman Grill.

Serves: 4

147.2 Calories; 1.0g Fat, 0.0mg Cholesterol; 93.2mg Sodium; 26.7g Carbohydrates; 8.1g Fiber; 8.8g Protein

Thursday nights Keith plays volleyball so I am usually on my own for dinner and HOLY YUM...these were delish!! I used almond cheese and 1 peice of gluten-free Udi Bread to make an open faced burger. Served with a side of broccoli and it was the perfect "Kelly" meal.

Why, Why, Why ... - DivineCaroline

If you are having a bad day or simply need a few minutes to laugh then you MUST read this! It is "laugh-out-loud" funny!

Why, Why, Why ... - DivineCaroline

A Good Read

I wanted to post a book that I think EVERYONE should read! It really helped me and Keith in our decision to try to be mostly gluten-free with our diet. It is called The Gluten Connection by Sheri Lieberman. You can find it on Amazon for a reasonable price. While I certainly understand that a gluten-free lifestyle isn't for everyone at least having the knowledge is valuable in it's own right. Happy Reading!

Quitting Your Addictions

Changing habits is HARD! After all, we've spent years building up these habits; we can't expect to change them overnight. Doing it slow, smart, and consistent is what will lead to lasting results. How do you do that?

1. Only change ONE habit at a time, and;
2. Give each habit at least 2 weeks to become ingrained


Below are the two habits that I find people have the hardest time breaking: Fast Food and Soda! So here are my tips for breaking those habits in a slow, smart and consistent way!


KICK THE FAST FOOD HABIT: Most people admit to eating fast food 7 or more times a week!!! That is one habit that is not only expensive but terrible for your health. To cut back on your fast food drive bys, try this:

• Start by saving all your fast food receipts for one week
• At the end of the week add them up to get an idea of how much you are spending
• Round it up to the nearest 10 dollars and then cut it in half
• That's how much you get to spend next week
• Take that amount and put it in a Ziploc bag and all the fast food you buy that week has to come from this fund.
• Once it is gone...it's gone...no more fast food that week.

This still allows you to indulge in fast food without feeling completely deprived. Because let's face it, if someone tells you that you can NEVER have fast food the first thing you want is fast food. This way you can still eat fast food but just in moderation. Keep trying to cut the "fast food fund" down so that you are only indulging occasionally. Remember we want to break our habits in a slow, smart and consistent way to lead to lasting results!

KICK THE SODA HABIT: This one is probably the simplest. Not the easiest but the simplest. You just keep downgrading every two to four weeks. Eventually switching terrible habits for bad and then bad to good.

• Switch from Regular to Diet and leave it at that for at least 2-4 weeks
• Switch from Diet to Caffeine Free Diet again for another 2-4 weeks
• Switch from Caffeine Free Diet to Flavored Water/Water

Once you kick the soda habit you won't even miss it! Then when you do indulge and drink a soda you will be amazed at how sweet and sugary it tastes! You won't be able to believe that you used to down those like water! I promise!!

What An EGG-cellent Idea!

Check these out! These are SO easy, so yummy, and are the perfect on-the-go snack or breakfast! Perfect for kids or adults and the recipe is just a model...get creative, have fun and invent your own eggy creations!!!

EGG MUFFINS

12 large eggs OR 3 cups of Egg Beaters

Optional add-ins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spary a muffin tin with non-stick spray.

2. Scramble the eggs in a large bowl, seasoning to taste (or use 3 cups Egg Beaters product)

3. At this point add in any variation you want in your muffin, such as:

chopped lean ham, candian bacon, etc...

sauteed vegetables: mushrooms, bell peppers, broccoli, spinach, onions, etc...

cheese, grated

green chilis

hot sauce

(The possibilities are endless!)

4. Pour evenly into greased muffin cups, filling about 3/4 of the way full.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until set in the middle. Makes 18 muffins.

TIP: Muffins will rise while baking and deflate slightly when removed from oven. (This is NORMAL) Can be eaten warm or cold! Store leftovers in the refrigerator and reheat in the microwave.

Feel Good Food!

I am fighting a cold! UGH! I am trying to keep the germs away and out of my body! When I am sick I want comfort food! So last night for dinner I made a bowl of slow cooked oatmeal! It was heaven! I used Bob Red Mill's Gluten-Free Rolled Oats and stirred in raisins and Vanilla Almond Breeze at the end...delish!!!

Now how good does that look?! The next time you want oatmeal try the above products! It is a much better option than the over-processed, sugar-filled instant packets!

Common Foods Dangerous to Dogs

I saw an article in Real Simple (October 2009) about some common foods that can make your dog (or cat) sick. I had no idea that some of these foods were bad for animals, so I thought I would share. After all, our pets need healthy living tips too!!


1. Avocados
2. Macadamia nuts
3. Raw yeast, bread dough
4. Alcoholic drinks
5. Xylitol (sweetener most commonly found in sugarless gum)
6. Garlic
7. Onions
8. Raisins
9. Grapes
10. Chocolate

I am also posting a picture of our dog, Kodi. Well actually he is Keith's dog from before we got married and let's just say that Kodi has still not fully embraced "the wife" after 3 and 1/2 years!! Haha!