Tomatoes

I decided to grow tomato plants in a container garden. I chose Roma and cherry tomatoes. Last year, I couldn't get any to grow, but this year I have had a plentiful crop. This weekend I made several recipes including:

Roasted Tomato Salsa- this is super easy to make

2 jalapeno peppers
3 cups chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup cilantro
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

Chop tomatoes, jalapenos and onion. Place in a pan and roast in the oven at 300 for 20 minutes. Cool. Mix lime juice, olive oil, cilantro, and salt in a bowl. Add in vegetables. Enjoy with homemade tortilla chips. Cut corn tortillas into six wedges. Sprinkle with salt and cumin. Bake in the oven at 400 for 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Roasted Vegetables- this recipe has so many uses. I use the vegetables to make a pizza on a FlatOut Wrap. Or it would be delicious with pasta or in lasagna. You can add other veggies including eggplant, mushrooms, etc.

1 zuchini squash
1 summer squash
5 small Roma tomatoes
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 onion
shallot
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
1 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Chop vegetables. Place in a bowl and add olive oil and spices. Roast in the oven at 300 for 30-35 minutes.

Eggs

I love eggs. Scrambled, hard boiled, omelettes. I usually buy an 18 because I go through them so fast. I hard boil several to have on sandwiches or for snacks. I usually share the yolk with my dog Molly. Omelettes are a great easy meal for evenings when I get home late from a workout. Eggs are cheap and they pack alot of nutrition (http://www.incredibleegg.org/health-and-nutrition/egg-nutrients). One egg equals the amount of protein in one ounce of meat (3 ounces is the size of a deck of cards). The egg yolk in particular contains alot of nutrients including choline, folate, lutein, zeaxanthin and vitamin D. Half of the egg's high quality protein is also found in the yolk. For those of you that have high cholesterol, keep in mind that it is not the cholesterol in foods that raises blood cholesterol levels, but it is high intakes of saturated and trans fat. A 2007 study of 9,500 people reported in Medical Science Monitor showed that eating one or more eggs a day did not increase the risk of heart disease or stroke among healthy adults, and that eating eggs may be associated with a decrease in blood pressure. However, the American Heart Association still recommends that individuals with high cholesterol levels limit their intake to 200 mg per day. For healthy individuals the recommendation is 300 mg. A large egg contains 213 mg of cholesterol.
So anyway the impetus for this post was my lunch. I just got home from a bike ride with the Landsharks and I was starving. I was talking with my neighbor Jordan and she was telling me about an egg white wrap that she had at Starbucks. It sounded delicious so I decided to make one at home.

Egg Spinach Mushroom and Tomato Wrap
1 Flatout Multigrain Wrap (if you haven't tried these, they are awesome. Only 100 calories which is great for a wrap. Sometimes I make a flatbread pizza with them too.)
1 egg, 1 egg white (I am not worried about the cholesterol content but I do like to control my fat content)
1 medium mushroom chopped
small handful of basil
a couple of sprinkles of thyme
1 1/2 tbsp feta cheese
1 plum tomato
Handful of spinach
Spoonful of greek yogurt (I love this stuff!)

Chop mushroom and tomato. Add mushroom, basil and thyme to whisked egg. Cook omelette. Spread greek yogurt on wrap. Top with omelette, tomato slices and spinach. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash

I love butternut squash. I have a squash plant growing in my front yard and I am anxiously awaiting the harvest. 
Butternut squash is high in beta-carotene which has been shown to have very powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. For more nutrition facts visit, http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=63.
I must admit, the first time I bought it, I wasn't sure how to cut or peel it? If you are planning to cut it in cubes to use in a dish, try this method: http://www.cookthink.com/reference/1040/How_to_peel_and_seed_a_butternut_squash?tag_type=&tag_id=

Try this recipe for a savory butternut squash risotto. This is based off a recipe from Cooking Light (http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1964004)

1/3 cup quinoa
1/3 cup amaranth
1/3 cup barley
(you could also substitute brown rice)
 1 onion, diced
8-10 mushrooms, sliced
2 cups chicken broth (I use Wyler's or HerbOx sodium free granules)
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp salt.
1/2 medium cooked butternut squash, cut in cubes

Saute onion and mushrooms in olive oil over medium heat. In a separate pan, toast grains over medium heat. Then add chicken broth, thyme and salt. Cook until grains are tender. Reduce heat to low and add onions, mushrooms and butternut squash. Portion onto plates. Add 1 tbsp feta cheese and 1 tbsp pine nuts. Enjoy!
Makes 3-4 servings.

Lunch: Greek Style Chicken Pita

I love Greek food, especially gyros with tzatziki sauce. I don't know of any Greek restaurants in the Lakeland area so I decided to find a recipe and make it at home. I found this recipe from Cooking Light and modified it a bit.
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1687639


The recipe called for 4 but I modified it for 1.
1 whole wheat pita (I found Joseph's Flax, Oat Bran, & Whole Wheat pitas at Walmart- they are only 60 calories each!)
3 oz of leftover chicken breast (the size of a deck of cards)
2 small chopped plum tomatoes (from my garden)
6 cucumber slices
handful of spinach leaves


tzatziki sauce
1/4 cup of Greek yogurt, plain
1/8 cup feta cheese crumbles
1/8 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp lemon juice
sprig of mint leaves (from my garden)
1/4 tsp garlic, chopped
Mix together and spread on pita. Top with chicken, spinach, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Enjoy!

Breakfast Oatmeal

Breakfast. Most nutrition experts say that it is the most important meal of the day. I agree. It's like starting off the day on the right foot. I pretty much eat the same thing every day for breakfast- oatmeal. Yes, it sounds boring, but the potential add-ins are numerous. Make your own- not only is it cheaper, but you can control the amount of sugar, sodium, etc. Instead of adding sugar, try fruit and flavorings. Vanilla, maple flavoring, and almond extract are some of my favorites. Buy the old fashioned or quick cook oatmeal. They both contain the same amount of calories, fiber, etc.  
You can also change up your cooking method depending on your schedule.  During the week I usually make it in the microwave. But on the weekends I like it to cook it on the stove. Here are some of my favorites.

Today I had Vanilla Banana Raisin Almond:
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 tbsp almond slices
1 tbsp golden raisins
1/2 banana
1 tbsp flaxseed

Directions: Turn on the stove setting to medium. Place oats and almond slices in pan. Toast until golden brown. Then add 2/3 cup water and 1/3 cup skim milk (add milk for creamier oatmeal). Add in raisins and 1 tsp vanilla. Add more liquid if desired. Cook until oats soften, 5 minutes or so. Spoon into bowl and add flaxseed and sliced bananas. Enjoy!

Maple Raisin Walnut
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1 tbsp walnuts
2 tbsp raisins
splash of maple flavoring
1 tbsp flaxseed


Maple Raisin Walnut (with egg)
Some days I need a little extra so I add in an egg. Yes, the whole egg. Even though egg yolks are high in cholesterol, they are also high in nutrients (see website, http://www.incredibleegg.org/health-and-nutrition/egg-nutrients). Cook the oatmeal for 2 minutes in the microwave, then add in egg. Cook for an additional minute or so.

Vanilla Berry Almond
1/2 cup oats
1 tbsp almond slices
1 tbsp flaxseed
splash of vanilla
1/2 cup blueberries
3-4 strawberries, slices

Vanilla Cherry Almond
1/2 cup oats
1 tbsp almond slices
1 tbsp flaxseed
5 Prunes chopped (cherry essence flavored http://www.sunsweet.com/products/info.asp?product=cherry_essence)

What are your favorite add-ins?