BANANA WALNUT BREAD OR MUFFINS (OIL & WHEAT FREE)

There are many banana bread recipes, & I'm always looking for ways to improve them.  This one I came up with is a combination of 2 recipes I like, a 3rd one I haven't tried before, & my own modifications.  I used spelt flour & oat flour, but you can use regular wheat flour if you prefer.  Spelt & oat make a great bread that I prefer to all-

KITCHEN CRUSH: MINI FOOD PROCESSOR

I don’t know about you, but my most used kitchen tools are simple & I love them: mortar & pestle, citrus squeezer, zester, chef knife, cutting board, & bowls.  I was in the market for a new mini-food processor, & rarely does a new device make me as happy as my new Cuisinart mini food processor does.   I have used a Magic Bullet for years, & it’s great, but my new mini food processor sees a lot more action these days.   I’ve made bean dip, bean cookie batter, banana faux ice cream, oatmeal pancake batter, ground whole flaxseeds into flour, ground oatmeal into flour, chopped nuts, & I know that I will find more uses for it in the future.  You can find this item in my store in the "Kitchen Tools" section.

GROWN YOUR OWN HERBS

I love to cook with fresh herbs, but that can be pricey if you buy them at the market.  If you grow your own, you can always have a fresh supply of delicious herbs on hand for cooking, making tea, or whatever you want to use them for.  I live in an apartment, so I grow my herbs in pots on my balcony.  If my kitchen had windows, I would probably grow them in the kitchen near the windows.  If I lived in a house with a yard, I would grown them outside, too.  One day I might try to grow lettuce, onion, & garlic, but for now I'll stick with herbs.  

600 REP BAREFOOT WORKOUT

This is a 600 rep workout I did at home tonight, barefoot.  I used equipment, but this can easily be done equipment-free.  I did 3 rounds of a fixed number of reps, but you can convert it to an interval workout (set your timer for 10/50 sec x 24 rounds for 24 min workout).

NAVY BEAN SOUP (VEGETARIAN)

Today was cold & rainy: a perfect day for cooking!  I made roasted beet salad, then decided to make navy bean soup using the beet greens.  I have never had navy bean soup with ham in it, so I make a vegetarian version.  If you prefer to use ham hocks, simply add them to this recipe.  If not, enjoy my meat-free version.  

FLANK STEAK IN LIME CUMIN GARLIC MARINADE: GRILLED OR FAJITAS

I REALLY miss Mexican food.  Almost anything on a Mexican food restaurant menu has ingredients I’m avoiding.  Tonight, I made up a dish that was easy, healthy, tasty, & satisfied my Mexican food craving.  I hope you like it as much as I did!

This post has 4 recipes:

Grilled Flank Steak in Lime Cumin Garlic Marinade

Sautéed Peppers & Onions

Herbed & Spiced Brown Rice

Pico de Gallo.

EQUIPMENT FREE WORKOUT

Here is an equipment-free* lunchtime workout that I made up to do in the park last week: 


Set your interval timer for 24 rounds of:
1o sec rest/30 sec work for a total of 16 min

OR

1o sec rest/50 sec work for a total of 24 min 

CREAM-LESS CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP

A few months ago I made cream of broccoli soup using sweet potato as a base rather than cream or milk after coming across a recipe on dadamo.com.  I really liked the soup, even though it tasted different than the traditional version.  Substitute regular potatoes or butternut squash  if you do not like sweet potato.  Cayenne pepper is especially good with slightly sweet things like sweet potatoes, but season the soup however you like!  This recipe serves as a base for other cream of vegetable soups as well. 

KITCHEN EQUIPMENT SUBSTITUTIONS

If you don’t have a Microplane grater/zester & a citrus press, here are things you probably have that could be used instead:
Box grater	Regular juicer.  If you don’t have a juicer, you can squeeze the juice out by hand!

WHITE BEAN DIP WITH GARLIC, ROSEMARY, & LEMON

Garlic white bean dip is my go-to appetizer recipe.  It is easy, healthy, & a great alternative to hummus or ranch-based dips.  My recipe is based on one from The Abs Diet.

CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE WITH RASPBERRIES (...not healthy!)

Here's another recipe that doesn't belong on a healthy eating website.  However, moderation is good, & if you are going to eat sweets, it may as well be homemade so you can control the quality of your ingredients.  

EASY, HEALTHY, GLUTEN-FREE THANKSGIVING DINNER (IN MARCH)

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  It brings family, friends, & great food together without being overly commercial like many other holidays.  Thanksgiving dinner can be delicious, healthy, gluten-free, easy, & enjoyed year-round.  I had a turkey breast half in the freezer, & red potatoes & green beans in my crisper drawer so I chose to make Thanksgiving dinner last night even though it's March. This meal isn’t something to make on a hectic weekday night, but is great for the  weekend, a day off, for company, or obviously holidays.  Another benefit is that it may provide 1-2 nights of leftovers, depending on how much you cook.  If you've never roasted turkey before & if the idea scares you, this recipe is a great place to try it out!

YUMMY LAMB KABOBS

Of all of the new foods I've introduced to my diet since eating according to my blood type, lamb is what I have been most apprehensive about.  Tonight I cooked it for the first time; both my husband & I loved it!  We ate our lamb kabobs with brown rice.  This would make a delicious, easy meal for entertaining, especially in the summertime.   My recipe is a modification of this Bon Appetit recipe.

TANGERINE BREAD WITH CRANBERRIES & PECANS

If you have visited my site before, you may have noticed that many of my recipes include tangerines.  I have a grandmother who loves to send me home with juicy tangerines & grapefruit from her trees.  This morning I made bread similar to last week’s lemon-ginger walnut bread.  Today’s version is tangerine with cranberry & pecans.  Quinoa flour & yogurt add protein to the bread, & ground flaxseed adds heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.  I used quinoa flour, oat bran, & spelt flour in this recipe, but if you don’t like or have those, use whatever you have.  Quinoa flour adds protein, but also a different flavor; if you do not like quinoa, I recommend using another type of flour.  If you haven't tried quinoa yet, try it in a dish before buying flour for this recipe.  Quinoa flour is expensive!  This bread is not very sweet, which is why I like it as breakfast bread.  If you prefer sweeter bread, add sugar (½ cup) to the dry ingredient mixture, or make a glaze. 

ROASTED BEET SALAD

I never like to grocery shop, but I love having a kitchen full of fresh produce.  Today, almost all of the produce I bought was organic, & the prices were only about 10 cents more per pound than their non-organic twins!  Golden beets were especially well priced, & I turned them into a delicious salad tonight.  My recipe is derived from The New Moosewood Cookbook’s Odessa Beets.  This may top cabbage salad as a personal favorite….I never thought that was possible!  The flavors of this salad combine wonderfully, & this vegan salad contains zero added oil.  

LUNCHTIME WORKOUTS: A SOLUTION TO A HECTIC SCHEDULE

HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WORKOUT WHEN I DON’T HAVE ENOUGH TIME?!

Does this look familiar?  This post is lightly modified from a section of another post on my site (Bodyrock.tv Beginner Guide).

Do you have any tips or suggestions to help others make fitness part of a maxed-out schedule?  What works for you?  Please share in the comments below!

When the subject of working out comes up, there are certain phrases repeated so often that it’s like a script is being read each time.  One of these scripts includes the words, “I don’t have enough time to workout.”  I get it.  I’m busy, & I don’t even have kids.  Between work, cooking, cleaning, commuting 2 hours a day, studying, socializing, being a good wife/new mother/daughter/friend & trying to keep up with my favorite shows (Dexter!), it can be a challenge to carve out an hour a day to move.    

BODYWEIGHT WORKOUT FROM MELISSA POWER

Melissa Power has some great workouts!  This one is only 24 minutes, & is equipment free.  Take it on vacation with you, to the gym, or to the park!  I thought this was a perfect lunchtime workout.  If you don't have an interval timer, do a certain number of reps for each move.  

If you have a smart phone, you can download an interval timer 
(from my Bodyrock Beginner Guide):
If you can’t afford to buy a Gymboss, there are free options!  Do you have a smart phone?  iTunes & Android markets each have great interval timer apps for free. 

LEMON GINGER WALNUT BREAD

This weekend I wanted to make lemon ginger muffins, but was out of muffin cup liners & was too lazy to make parchment paper liners.  Instead, I converted a lemon tea cake recipe from The How-To Book of Healthy Cooking into lemon-ginger-walnut bread.  It was really good!  I used spelt* & oat flour instead of all purpose flour & whole wheat flour.  I also did not make a sweet glaze to top this bread.  After the bread recipe, there is a glaze recipe should you choose to make glaze.

*Haven't heard of Spelt?  See the end of this post for a description of the grain.