I’m still hardcore eatin’ clean and occasionally making recipes from Clean Eating Magazine.

Today I made these tasty Multi-grain pancakes with raspberries & ricotta sauce. They are a nice alternative to the boxed pre-made crap they sell in the grocery stores, but with a fancy topping.

Multi-grain pancakes with raspberries & ricotta sauce

Clean Eating, September/October 2010

Serves: 4. Hands-on time: 10 minutes. Total time: 20 minutes.

Nutrients per serving (about 4 pancakes, 1/4 cup raspberries, 1/4 cup ricotta sauce): Calories: 408, Total Fat: 6 g, Sat. Fat: 2 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g, Carbs: 70 g, Fiber 10 g, Sugars: 17 g, Protein: 23 g, Sodium: 350 mg, Cholesterol: 13 mg.

INGREDIENTS – PANCAKES

• 1 1/4 cup white whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup spelt flour
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 cup regular oatmeal, ground
• 1 tsp Sucanat
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1 cup unsweetened plain soy milk
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1 cup raspberries

INGREDIENTS – RICOTTA SAUCE

• 1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek-style yogurt
• 1/2 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon, ground

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare pancakes: In a medium bowl, mix both flours, wheat germ, oatmeal, Sucanat, salt, baking soda and baking powder. In a smaller bowl, whisk together egg and egg white, buttermilk and soy milk until foamy. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix until well-blended; let sit for 5 minutes so flours have time to absorb liquid (mixture will thicken).

2. Prepare ricotta sauce: In a small bowl, combine yogurt, ricotta, maple syrup and cinnamon with a whisk until smooth and creamy.

3. Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium-high heat (about 350 F) and coat with cooking spray. Pour pancake batter onto griddle in large spoonfuls (4 inches in diameter). Cook until bubbles form around edges, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.

4. To serve, stack pancakes evenly among plates, drizzle with 1/4 cup ricotta sauce and top with 1/4 cup raspberries. Serve immediately.

TIP: If you’d like a thinner sauce, simply add more water, 1 tbsp at a time.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I did not like the ricotta sauce. Instead, I ended up using sugar free syrup with the raspberries. The pancakes were very good, and a wonderful alternative to the usual junk out there.

If you are like me – dumb to the world of cooking (ha ha) – maybe these tips will help you:

• Ground oatmeal: At first wasn’t sure how to make “ground” oatmeal. I ended up just throwing the oatmeal in my mini food processor and it worked great.
• Sucanat: You can usually find Sucanat at your local whole foods store if you are unsure where to purchase it.
• Buttermilk: No, it’s not found in liquid form (at least not in my experience) but rather in a powder form. The back of the container gives you instructions on how to mix it for recipes that call for liquid buttermilk. (A real light bulb moment for this girl!)

Does eating clean really help you to lose weight?

YES. My husband is a perfect example. He hasn’t worked out with me or ran with me in probably a month or two. However, since I switched our household to clean eating and organic foods, it’s all that he’s eating. He noticed that a suit coat of his was loose, so he hopped on the scale yesterday and found that he had lost 4 pounds. This was in addition to the additional poundage he had gained before the switch to clean eating. Fantastic!

I’m feeling much thinner the last few days but I’m waiting until June to weigh in. I’m not too anxious to see my weight because I can feel the loss in my clothes.

I’ve also switched our family’s milk supply to glass milk jugs that are filled by a local farm (and purchased at our local whole foods store). The price is a little bit higher, but the milk tastes wonderful! There’s even cream that collects at the top of the milk jug. I’m all about recycling, but I’m pleased that refillable glass jugs will cut down on our carbon foot print.

Pumpkin Pasta Surprise

Clean Eating, May/June 2010

Serves: 6. Hands on time: 33 mins. Total time: 35 mins.

Nutrients per 2 slice serving: Calories: 402; Total Fat: 3.5 g; Sat. Fat: 0.5 g; Carbs: 62 g; Fiber: 6 g; Sugars: 7 g; Protein: 25 g; Sodium: 72 mg; Cholesterol: 38 mg.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 13-oz pkg whole-grain pasta or brown rice pasta
• 1 lb lean ground turkey or chicken
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, finely shredded
• 1 Roma tomato, chopped into small chunks
• 1 small zucchini, finely chopped (peel left on)
• 1 roasted red pepper, chopped
• 15 oz pumpkin puree
• 1 10-oz jar pasta sauce
• 1 tbsp low-fat plain cream cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

Cook pasta according to package directions (under cook it slightly as it will continue to cook a bit in the sauce).

Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium heat, brown turkey for 7 to 10 minutes or until no pink remains. Drain any fat, return pan with turkey to stove and add onion and garlic. Saute turkey mixture until onions are translucent. Add carrot, tomato and zucchini and saute for about 3 to 5 minutes, until tender.

Add red pepper, pumpkin puree and pasta sauce (if mixture is too thick, add a bit of water). Cover and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes, until zucchini is soft. Add cream cheese, then turn off heat and let cream cheese melt.

Add pasta and mix, cover and let stand for 2 minutes. Enjoy!

FINAL THOUGHTS

I loved this dish!!! It is one of my favorites that I have made so far and I’m so glad I tried it, as I almost did not (I thought pumpkin in pasta? Really?).

I purchased a can of organic pumpkin and a jar of organic marinara sauce at our local whole foods store. It was an easy dish to make, and I think the low-fat cream cheese and pumpkin mixed together made a wonderful taste.

First, I need to say something.

I ran my fastest mile this morning at 9 min 40 sec. Extremely happy with that, but can’t wait until I can push it under 8 minutes. :)

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For most of my life, I have been an extremely impatient person.

I’m not sure how I became impatient or if someone is born that way. I never saw a problem with being impatient. The problem was all of the other people who where always late and IN MY WAY!

Everything was: “Hurry, hurry!” I would be running to and fro, hating when anyone was late, including myself. I would be rushing the children in and out of the car for some pre-determined reason which really made no difference. Everything had to happen right away or it was not worth wasting my time on.

The journey to get healthy and fit has taught me an invaluable lesson: PATIENCE.

I remember that first month working out with my personal trainer Dean. I would come into the gym grumbling under my breath about how I wasn’t loosing any weight. I mean working out was such hard work and I wasn’t seeing the benefits… and I needed to see results NOW!

I actually gained three pounds that first week or two. I couldn’t believe it and wanted to give up because it seemed it just wasn’t worth my time. Things weren’t happening FAST ENOUGH.

Of course, Dean asked me: What was the big hurry? Did I think the weight would drop over night? Did I think that the 100+ pounds I put on over many years would magically disappear? What the hell was my hurry anyway!?

I heard him but I didn’t listen – well not right away.

It took several weeks/months and newly learned skills in the gym before I started to really “listen” and remember what he said.

I was so busy hurrying my life that I didn’t stop to appreciate everything that makes my life worthwhile. Silly things. How it feels to wake up in the morning and stretch. How good it is to master a new skill in the gym. Watching my children get ready for school without me barking “hurry up!” orders at them.

I know the rest of the weight and inches will come off. I’m about a third of the way to my goal.

I’ve got time – it’s on my side.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

Clean Eating, January/February 2010

Serves: 4. Hands on time: 30 mins. Total time: 1 hour

Nutrients per 2 slice serving: Calories: 390; Total Fat: 7 g; Sat. Fat: 2 g; Carbs: 55 g; Fiber: 7 g; Sugars: 12 g; Protein: 26 g; Sodium: 200 mg; Cholesterol: 40 mg.

INGREDIENTS

• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 4 oz white mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1/2 lb boneless, sklinless chicken breast, pounded to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness and cut into strips
• 5 oz unsalted tomato paste
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp raw organic honey or pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp Spanish paprika
• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 12 oz whole-wheat pizza dough
• 2/3 cup pre-shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 F.

This time I got smart and prepared all of the the veggies first!

Heat a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over high heat for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low, mist with cooking spray and add onion. Saute for about 8 minutes or until caramelized. Add mushrooms. Mist with more cooking spray, if needed, and saute until cooked, about 5 minutes. Add red pepper, saute for 2 more minutes or until just cooked. Remove vegetables from pan. Mist pan with cooking spray, turn heat to medium high and cook chicken strips until golden brown on each side, about 2 to 3 minutes total.

Prepare barbecue sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together tomato paste, vinegar, honey, onion powder, garlic, paprika and black pepper.

This is the brand I used, whole wheat organic pizza crust.

Mist a nonstick cookie sheet or pizza pan with cooking spray. Roll dough onto sheet. If dough comes out of package lumpy or uneven, use a rolling pin to thin it. It should be about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Spread barbecue sauce over dough and sprinkle cooked chicken evenly across pizza. Then evenly distribute cooked vegetables, sprinkle mozzarella evenly over top and add oregano.

Heading into the oven!

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until cheese is melted and just starting to brown and bubble. Remove from heat and cut into 8 equal slices.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I made this dish for Mother’s Day when I had my mom over. We all loved it! I could not find whole wheat pizza dough ANYWHERE so I ended up buying pre-made whole wheat organic pizza crust and it was quite good. I also shredded my own mozzarella cheese as opposed to buying pre-packaged. I really like doing that even though it takes longer to prepare.

This was a fun dish to make with my oldest son and I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes pizza.

Yum, yum!

Last night I hit the gym. I love my gym. I love that Dean and his wife own the gym and everyone is so nice there.

There’s this guy that is always there working out. His name is Dennis and he’s in his 50′s and has diabetes. He also has an amazing upper body. Dennis always says hi to me and last night was no different. He told me he was getting over pneumonia. I was like “What!? What the hell are you doing here?!”

He said, “Tell me one source that says it is not a good idea to workout when you are recovering from being sick (providing you are not contagious of course)?”

I thought about it. He’s right. You know, they (the doctors, and everyone) always say you need bed rest to get better. I told Dennis that.

Dennis said, “I feel better when I’m exercising. It makes me feel good.”

Have you ever worked out while recovering from pneumonia or the flu? I did last February. It sucked but I sure felt better after the exercise was done.

As I was getting ready to go home, Dennis said, “You leaving already?”

I told him I got in my hour workout. I had to go slow to get back into things. Gone were the two hour workout days and 1400+ calorie burns.

He just looked at me and said, “Huh. Well I’m sure you’ll get back into it soon. You worked it hard tonight.”

I looked at myself in the mirror and seen I was completely covered in sweat from head to toe. Yep, I worked it hard and it was good to be back.

This morning I could feel the soreness in my arms. I winced when I  lifted my arms to wash my hair in the shower. I wasn’t irritated by the soreness. I smiled to myself. I remember that feeling. YEP, I’M BACK. Or perhaps I never really left? I don’t know.

Dennis is an incredible inspiration to me and I’m sure he has no idea. He is a KICK ASS FITNESS WARRIOR.

Curried Bison Biryani

Clean Eating, May/June 2010

Serves: 4. Hands on time: 20 mins. Total time: 20 mins.

Nutrients per 4 oz bison and 1-1/2 cups vegetables-barley mixture serving: Calories: 354; Total Fat: 11 g; Sat. Fat: 2 g; Carbs: 37 g; Fiber: 7 g; Sugars: 10 g; Protein: 29 g; Sodium: 305 mg; Cholesterol: 80 mg.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup dry quick-cooking barley
• 1 medium onion, sliced into rounds
• 5 cloves garlic, sliced into thin rounds
• 1 cup fresh mango, cubed, or 1 cup frozen cubed mango (about 1-inch cubes)
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 16 oz bison sirloin tip, trimmed of any visable fat and cut into 1/4-inch strips
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Biryani Spice Blend

• 1 tsp cumin, ground
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground
• 1 tsp coriander, ground
• 1 tsp turmeric, ground
• 2 tsp ginger, ground

I started out being in love with the idea of my mango until
I tried to cut it. Have you ever tried to cut a mango before?
They’re tough little suckers.

INSTRUCTIONS

In a medium pot. bring 1 cup water to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, add Biryani Spice Blend and salt to a small bowl, mix and set aside. When water comes to a boil, add barley, stir cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside.

While barley is cooking, in a large nonstick saucepan over medium heat, saute onion in oil for 3 minutes or until fragrant. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent garlic from burning.

Stir in spice-salt mixture, mango, peas and bison. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir again to make sure all ingredients are nestled in cooking liquid. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes.

Combine barley with bison mixture before plating, then top each portion with tomatoes and serve.

The finished product. Funny thing is how the food left a
neon-green mark on my plate. Was it the mangos or
the seasoning? I don’t know.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This was my first time cooking with and eating bison, mango and barley. I was pleasantly surprised at how fantastic they all were together. It was a wonderful new taste. Highly recommended!

Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Clean Eating, March/April 2010

Makes: 24 cookies. Hands on time: 10 mins. Total time: 22 mins.

Nutrients per cookie: Calories: 110; Total Fat: 8 g; Sat. Fat: 1.5 g; Carbs: 10 g; Fiber: 1 g; Sugars: 3 g; Protein: 2 g; Sodium: 55 mg; Cholesterol: 10 mg.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup unsalted almond butter, stirred well
• 3/4 cup Sucanat
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 3 oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa or greater), broken into small pieces

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a medium bowl, stir together first 5 ingredients until blended. Sir in chocolate.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and let cool for 15 more minutes.

These cookies were so good the kids were
grabbing them by fist-fulls…

FINAL THOUGHTS

The first time I attempted this recipe, I tried to make my own almond butter using a recipe I found online. I didn’t have any of the Sucanat so I used Splenda. These two variables equaled an epic FAIL. The cookies sucked ass.

Then I got smart and made a trip out of town for the Sucanat and almond butter and the final product is what you see above – pure fabulous-o!

Another tip I would give is to only use 2 oz of the chocolate. 3 oz is just way too much in my opinion. :)

YES, it’s true, I took a month long sabbatical from the gym. I returned after a long absence on Saturday and realized it was like home. I didn’t forget how to use any of the equipment and my body cooperated for the most part (*cough* *cough*).

I know I must have smelled like a brewery coming in as we had celebrated pretty heatedly for my husband’s birthday the previous night. I was feeling sluggish and a bit hung over (okay A LOT hung over), but I forced myself to go and I told myself I was going to run the fastest mile I could. I would run the damn alcohol out of my system! My fastest mile so far had been 10 minutes and 57 seconds (outdoors).

I ran my ass off. I kept upping the speed. I was choking and gasping for breath. I couldn’t believe how out of shape I felt. It had been awhile since I ran and I was paying the price. I refused to quit before the mile was up even though I wanted to so BAD.

My Nike+ kept counting down towards the end in my ear.

“400 meters to go!”
“300 meters to go!”
“200 meters to go!”

Just when I began thinking how much I hated that stupid ass piece of equipment, it FINALLY notified me my mile was complete. It was the most painful mile I have ever ran. Okay, JOGGED. My time was 11 minutes and 28 seconds.

Was it my fastest mile? No.

Will I be going back again to beat my fastest time? Yes.

My mom got me a new water bottle for Mother’s Day.
Hint: “Get your fat ass back in the gym!”

I’m sure I felt sluggish because of the all night drinking, but mostly it had to do with the fact that I took that stupid ass sabbatical from the gym. Why did I do that anyway?!

I’m pissed that I did that. I’ve come so far and I really thought I could do things at home and on my own for awhile and change up my routine. But you know what I learned? If it’s not broken don’t fix it.

Well, I did learn something else too.

Going back to the gym after a break is much harder than going in for the first time… But once you make it in, you realize how easy it would have been to walk through the doors long before.

Does that make any sense?

Okay, enough self pity and whining. You know I don’t like to do that here much. I’ll be heading to the gym in a bit. All bets are that I’m going to beat my time.

———

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Beef Stir Fry

Clean Eating, March/April 2010

Serves: 6. Hands on time: 45 mins. Total time: 45 mins.

Nutrients per 1-cup serving: Calories: 270; Total Fat: 2 g; Sat. Fat: 0 g; Carbs: 51 g; Fiber: 4 g; Sugars: 6g; Protein: 14 g; Sodium: 520 mg; Cholesterol: 10 mg.

INGREDIENTS

• 12 oz soba noodles
• Olive oil flavored cooking spray
• 1 lb lean round steak, pounded to 1/4 inch thickness and sliced into strips
• 1/2 cup white onion, diced
• 2 cups fresh broccoli florets, separated into bite-size pieces
• 1/2 red bell pepper, julienne cut
• 3 tbsp low-sodium tamari soy sauce
• Juice 1 medium orange
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp raw organic honey
• 2 tsp whole wheat flour

DIRECTIONS

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Guess who showed up to help make the sauce? None other
than mommy’s favorite helper. (Usually there’s trouble
lurking, so it’s good to keep her busy!)

Heat large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over high heat for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-high, mist pan with cooking spray and saute steak for about 5 minutes or until cooked through. (For medium doneness, the steak will still be slightly pink in the middle.) Remove steak, leaving the juices in the pan.

Mist same pan again with cooking spray. Add onion, broccoli and pepper and saute over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes or until cooked through.

John also chipped in and helped with the orange squeezing.
He’s good with the simple tasks. LOL

In a medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, orange juice and zest, garlic and honey.

Add steak back to vegetables in pan and pour in soy sauce mixture. Saute steak and vegetables over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes, then whisk in flour to thicken, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add noodles to pan and cook until warmed, about 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and serve.

This recipe made enough to fill two cast iron skillets!

FINAL THOUGHTS

This beef stir fry recipe made a huge amount of food. Lots of leftovers, but we weren’t complaining because it was FANTASTIC. A definite thumbs up from all of us and I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys a good stir fry.