Recipe Corner

So, I've tried all kinds of new recipes the last couple days.

First, were these zucchini protein brownies. I wasn't too impressed with them, so I won't go into detail on how they were made. They didn't keep very well overnight, so the consistency wasn't very appetizing after my run today. You can check out the original post if you're curious.

Then, I made the cauliflower crust pizza which is my absolute favorite! For half the pizza crust, it's only 3 points. That's less than one slice of pizza with regular dough! I topped it with mozzarella cheese and meatless pepperonis. Between that and the tempeh 'wings' I was in heaven.

Next, was a 'molten lava pancake,' at least it was supposed to be a 'molten lava pancake.' I cooked it for too long and it was just a chocolate pancake. It was soooo good though, that I will definitely try it again and just flip it sooner: I got the original recipe out of an issue of Runner's World magazine as Ryan Hall's go-to breakfast. If it's good enough for Ryan Hall, then it's good enough for me.

'Molten Lava' Pancake
(8 Weight Watchers points for 1 pancake. It is very filling though)

-1/3 cup bisquick pancake mix
-1 scoop gourmet chocolate whey protein powder
-2 egg whites
-Dash of cinnamon

1. Blend all ingredients together

2. Pour onto a heated pan and cook just until the bottom is solid (this is where I went wrong)

3. Flip it and only cook for 20-30 seconds longer so it is still runny in the middle (hence, lava)

Notice the picture of what it is supposed to look like

Then came the nacho bites. They were a disaster to make, but still tasted delish. They were definitely sodium laden, but it was so good after my 9-mile run this morning. Don't let Weight Watchers fool you into thinking it's so easy to 'gently twist them into a firecracker shape.' As usual, I didn't follow the original recipe.

Nacho Bites
(9 WW points for 8 of them w/the dip. Makes 2 servings)

-16 Nasoya Won Ton Wraps
-2/3 cup Morningstar Farms Veggie Crumbles
-1 can Campbell's Cheddar Cheese Soup
-Salsa

1. Cook up the veggie crumbles with a little bit of spices and about a third of the can of cheddar cheese soup

2. Put a dollop of the crumble, cheese mixture into each won ton wrapper and (according to WW)  Moisten edges of wrapper with wet fingers, fold over to cover filling, press down firmly to seal and then gently twist ends to form a “firecracker” shape (mine turned more into just folding it till it was mostly closed)

3. Lay all the wrapped up won tons on a baking sheet covered in foil and cook at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. Keep your eye on them though because they will burn easily

4. While the won tons are cooking, make the dip. Use whatever is leftover from the filling and add the rest of the cheddar cheese soup and a little bit of water. Stir is up over medium heat until it starts to melt down a bit

5. Add the salsa and give it all a good stir. Transfer it to a bowl to dip the won tons in

Finally, broiled grapefruit. Oh. My. OOOH. MY. This is the only way I will ever eat a grapefruit ever again. I got this gem originally posted by Birchbox, but here's the blog they got it from. The only thing I didn't do from the original post was add the agave. I don't think it's needed.

Broiled Grapefruit

-Grapefruit
-Cinnamon

1. Wash the grapefruit and cut it in half. Use a small paring knife to cut around the outside of the grapefruit. 

I cut mine the wrong way, but same concept

2. Top each half with cinnamon.

3. Broil for 3-5 minutes, or until grapefruit is warm and caramelized in places. Serve warm.

broil it till it starts to look like this

It was so juicy and warm. I dove right in and devoured both halves

On top of all this food, I have done pretty good with my running, too!

Yesterday, I logged 3 miles which was easier said than done since I was still recovering from the 8+ miles from Sunday. Then today, me and a friend ran a 9-miler that my entire body is paying for right now. The hills around my house are so intense! I know it's only making me stronger, but I HATE hills.

The running plan for the rest of the week looks like:

Wednesday - 5 miles
Thursday - 3 miles
Friday - 3 miles
Saturday - rest
Sunday - Alexandria Running Festival Half Marathon

Oh yeah, and a friend talked me into signing up for another half marathon a week later - Run For the Dream Half Marathon in Williamsburg, Va. I'm so happy to be excited for running right now! I have to take advantage of it while I can.

Lay Off Me, I'm STARVING!

So, yesterday, I made it through my first day back to work in about a month. Barely, but I did. And now I know that whoever 'they' are, they are right to say that you should never let yourself get to the point where you are starving, because then you end up eating more than you should.  That most definitely happened last night, but it was out of my control yesterday.

After working an 11-hour day, my usually, 45-minute commute turned into about an hour and a half. I was STARVING by the time I walked in the door. I tried to tame my hunger with some cauliflower and Bolthouse Blue Cheese dressing, but the damage had been done. 

I'm talking Chris Farley as a fat girl, starving.

I made the Hungry Girl Mac n' Cheese and it was tasty; however, next time (and there will be a next time) I'm not going to bake it. I'm just going to eat it after pouring the ooey, gooey, cheesy mixture all over the noodles and cauliflower.

This was one time where I did follow pretty close to the original recipe, I just halved it so that it didn't make 4 servings:

Cauliflower Mac n Cheese
(6 points for 1 1/3 cup)

These are the measurements to make 4 servings, I halved each ingredient-3 cups frozen cauliflower florets
-4 1/2 oz. (about 1 1/4 cups) uncooked high-fiber elbow macaroni
-5 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss cheese (I used 2)
-1/4 cup fat-free shredded cheddar cheese (I didn't halve this)
-1/4 cup fat-free milk
-2 tbsp. fat-free sour cream
-2 tsp. Dijon mustard
-1 tbsp. butter
-1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
-1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8" X 8" baking pan with nonstick spray.

2.  Place cauliflower in a large microwave-safe bowl; cover and microwave for 3 minutes. Uncover and stir. Re-cover and microwave for 2 - 3 minutes, until hot. Roughly chop cauliflower, return to the bowl, and cover to keep warm.

I used the colorful cauliflower. It doesn't effect the taste at all, it's just pretty

3.  While the cauliflower is cooking, cook pasta. Drain pasta and stir into cauliflower. Cover to keep warm. 

4. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine cheese wedges, shredded cheese, milk, sour cream, and mustard. Mix well. Microwave for 1 minute, or until cheeses have melted. Stir. 

I used coconut milk instead of dairy milk just because that's what I drink and I used greek yogurt instead of sour cream. It all worked out in the end

5. Add cheese mixture to the pasta and cauliflower. Stir to coat. Transfer contents to the baking pan.

This is where I'm going to stop next time. Look at that ooey, gooey-ness! No need to bake it away and you'll save a point for not using the bread crumbs

6. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, microwave butter for 20 seconds, or until melted. Add panko breadcrumbs and seasonings, and stir to coat. Evenly distribute mixture over the contents of the baking pan.
Bake until lightly browned, 25 - 30 minutes. 

Look, I even portioned out the other half for lunch for today (I had to, otherwise I would have eaten it all!)

I also made the zucchini boat to go along with my cauliflower mac n' cheese (did I mention that I was STARVING!?):

Zucchini Boat
(2 points for 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese)

1. Slice a zucchini in half. Slice off the bottom to keep it stable. 

2. Brush with olive oil and top with garlic or garlic powder. 

3. Top with sliced tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste. Use mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese or mixed blend.. 

4. Bake 375 for 20 to 30 minutes until soft.

No complaints, I just recommend you do cook it all the way. I was too hungry to wait till it was all the way done

I was proud of myself because I also fit in a 3-mile run after the long work day, and I of course made time for a glass of wine before bed.

I look tired...and old

Okay, now back to work!

Grocery shopping

I am finally going grocery shopping for the first time since getting home almost 2 weeks ago! Wish me luck!

First, though, I have to share this hilarious picture that I got from a Buzzfeed article. This answers the question that I am most commonly asked (just replace 'vegan' with vegetarian):

I told you, it's everywhere!

So, I looked up a couple recipes before going to the store so I have an idea of what I need, here's some things I'm hoping to try in the near future. Stay tuned to see how they turn out:

-Stuffed Acorn Squash

Here's the original source

*drooling*

-Baked Mac n' Cheese

Another attempt at a low-cal Hungry Girl mac n' cheese, here's to hoping it's better than the last time (scroll about mid-way down)

-Baked, Cheesy Veggies

Recipe was from Facebook, so I'll post it when I try it

-Zucchini Boat

Another Facebook gem

Okay, I'm starting to drool so it must be time to go get some groceries and get cooking!

Also, I haven't done my 8-miler today, yet, but I did mow the lawn. I'll do the run later tonight. Baby steps.