It's Monday and I need a Boost!

It's the beginning of the week again and after a long weekend with hardly any sleep I could use a little extra energy! Today's recipe is for homemade granola bars, these things are oh so good and exactly what you need to perk up and even satisfy your sweet tooth  little bit. :)

Homemade Granola Bars
(makes 24 small bars, about 150 calories each)


                                                         photo courtesy of FitnessMagazineOnline.com
Ingredients:

1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
2 tsp. Cinnamon
1 beaten egg
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
5 oz. Craisins
5oz. Raisins
3oz. Chopped up Dried Apricots
3oz. Sliced Almonds
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup dark-chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8-by-8-inch pan with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray. Set pan aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, mixing in between each addition.
3. Spread mixture evenly in the pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Cool completely on a wire rack. Use edges of foil to lift cooked granola from pan, and cut into 24 bars.

This is also a great snack to get some energy back right after your workout, or in the middle of the day. It's healthy and can even stop you from reaching for that cupcake.... I saw that!!!

Wine Marinated Fajitas

One of the problems I often face when cooking for my family is that it is incredibly hard to plan dinners for people who are never there. Last week I decided to surprise my parents and prepare a lovely fajita recipe I had read about, so I bought the meat, prepared the marinade and let it sit in the fridge until dinner time just to find out they were out for dinner and my sister had invited me out somewhere as well. So the steak marinated, and marinated and marinated for three days until finally I decided I would cook for myself! And oh boy was it delicious! The recipe says you only need to marinate it for a couple of hours but let me tell you three days made a huge difference! So here ya go!

Wine Marinated Fajitas

(each 4oz. serving of steak is about 250 calories)

                                                                                                                    photo courtesy of foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

1lb. (4 oz. per person) Flank Steak

4 Teaspoons Olive Oil

4 Garlic Cloves Minced

1 cup red wine

salt and pepper to taste

1. Whisk together all ingredients in a bowl. 

2. Place the steak on a cutting board and use a knife to punch a bunch of cuts into it.

3. Place the steak in a gallon ziplock bag and poor the marinade on top.

4. Put the bag in the refrigerator and let sit for a couple of hours to three days!

5. You can either cook the steak in a very hot skillet for 2 minutes per side then bake it in a 350degree over for 10 minutes. 

or

You can grill it on an outdoor grill (about 5-10 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the steak) or just use your trusty George Foreman!

As a side to this fabulous dish I suggest rosemary roasted potatoes or eggplant saute'! More recipes to come...

Gourmet Delivery and Shrimp Noodle Salad

So this whole thing started when my sister told me the other day she was going on the Slim Fast diet. Now I know it sounds like an easy way to lose weight, just drink a couple of shakes and shed the pounds, but unfortunately I also happen to know that it does not work. Let me explain, when you starve your body of the calories it needs it tends to store everything it can find, you may start to lose "weight" but generally that is going to be muscle weight as the body will start using your muscles to compensate for the extra calories. Then when you have decided that you have had enough.... you gain it all back, but this time you gain it back in fat. No bueno! So I told her this but she said that honestly she doesn't have the time to think about eating well, let alone make dishes to feed herself. So we came up with a plan. I would do the shopping, meal planning and cooking. I would prepare her two snacks, lunch and dinner for every week day, and she would compensate me with what she would usually spend picking up some Chik-fil-a or whatever else she had nearby. I also thought that if I was going to come up with yummy recipes to eat well I might as well share it with the rest of you guys! So here goes. The recipe for today is:

Shrimp Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce

I got the idea for this recipe from Fitness Magazine Online. It is super easy to prepare and a serving is only about 400 calories. Shrimp is always a good thing to have in your freezer. It is healthy, a good source of protein and very little fat. You can pick up a large bag of pre-cooked, no tail shrimp for about $8 at Costco.

                                                                                                      Photo courtesy of foodnetwork.com
Ingredients:

1/3 cup of cooked bean-thread or rice noodles
1/4 cup sliced carrots (or julienne)
1/4 cup snap peas
1/4 cup red bell pepper sliced (optional)
1 cup shredded romaine lettuce or baby spinach
3 oz. Peeled cooked shrimp
Scallions and Sprouts for garnish (optional)

Sauce:
1 tsp. Peanut Butter
2 Tbsp. Rice Vinegar
1 tsp. Brown Sugar
Juice from 1/2 Lime (Lemon works too)
1 tsp. Olive or Sesame oil
Chile Pepper, fresh, sauce or flakes to taste

1. Cook the bean thread or rice noodles as directed. Drain and rinse in cold water. Set aside.
2. Boil 2 cups of water and cook the Sugar snap peas for about 2 minutes, until they are tender but still crisp.
3. In the same water as the peas you can boil the shrimp until thawed or cooked, depending on whether you are using frozen or fresh. You can tell when the shrimp are done because they will turn pink and will be opaque in color.
4. Drain the Peas and the Shrimp and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
5. In your salad bowl place the shredded lettuce or spinach, the peas, the shrimp and the noodles.
6. Dice the carrots and bell peppers and add them to the mix.
7. Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing and drizzle it on top of the salad.
8. Garnish with Scallions and Sprouts if desired.

Voila'! A super easy, super tasty, super healthy lunch! Let me know what you guys think. :)

Getting Started

I decided to write a blog yesterday while I was on the phone with my sister. I come from a family of food-aholics, we're Italian, we can't help it. Though being a foodie of course has it's price. Not just in the wallet but also on the waistline. Ever since I was a teenager I have struggled with my weight. I've been a yo-yo from size 6 to size 12 and never really managed to stay long in one place. A lot of it has to do with my profession. I'm a decorative painter and faux artist, half my job is extremely active standing on my feet all day, running up ladders and painting in all sorts of mediums. The other half, however, involves sitting on my duff writing e-mails, doing research and praying for the next job. I also travel a lot between Italy and the U.S. and therefore my diet changes all the time. Through the years I have tried every diet out there, from the cabbage diet (yuck!) to the leek diet (faint!), from Atkins to Zone and everything in between. Every time I inevitably failed. One, because I have very little self-control, and two because I just love food way too much! So I pretty much gave up all together until last January when I hit my all time record weight and decided it was time to start caring again. This time however, I decided to try something different, instead of dieting I would make a lifestyle change. I would find a way to eat good food AND lose weight. Every foodie's dream right? However, I was not completely naive, and I did realize that it would take some effort on my part. For one, I cannot eat EVERYTHING I want, but I can always find a very satisfying alternative, and of course  I knew that exercise would be essential.  But hey, what is a little sweat when it allows you to eat such dishes as Ancho Glazed Salmon with Sweet Potato Fries and Dark Roast Crème Brûlée? Over the past year I became avid reader of health articles, fitness magazines and cooking magazines. I've found great recipes for dishes that are so  incredibly delicious no one would ever guess they are actually good for you and healthy! I've also come up with a fitness plan that is not completely over the top but does take some dedication. So if you are a foodie like me, love to cook and eat delicious meals, but still want to pay attention to your delicate figure, this blog is for you. I hope you can enjoy these recipes and workouts as much as I have and hopefully attain some results as well. Let's get started!!!