Tag Archives: ground turkey

light & lean black bean pumpkin chicken chili

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this morning started out with an invigorating weight workout.  every time i drive to the gym early in the AM feeling crappy from not enough sleep or just plain tired, i always, and i do mean always, end up feeling the complete opposite immediately afterwards.

then my day REALLY got started with some pancakes.

banana -oat surprise! pancakes.

surprise.  i promise i’ll use a different fruit sooner than later.

i drizzled them with my precious Walden Farms syrup.  i now have  a small inventory of bottles in my pantry.  ever hit the store and the one (or few ) item you need is completely gone!? that’s been happening to me lately.  Hunt’s reduced sugar ketchup….GONE. every other freakin kind of  hunts ketchup is just sitting there collecting dust, untouched.  rows perfectly straight.  Mc Cormick smokehouse maple seasoning… nowhere to be found.  the entire row! coincidence?!?  vegan whipped topping… :roll:  do all my readers live in this area or what LOL

well HEB did have fresh salmon on sale and plenty of it.  i always keep my eye on it and 3.97 is the lowest i’ve ever seen it go.  so, i got a few pounds.  large shrimp were also going for that same price, so that went in my cart too.  i seasoned a hunk of salmon with garlic and herb seasoning and roasted it in the oven along with some zucchini for lunch today.   healthy,  fresh, and light.  clean eating makes you FEEL that way too.  i also had two slices of sprouted grain sesame Ezekiel bread along with it.

i also bought some 99% lean ground turkey and cooked it up with cilantro, onions, shallots, curry, chili powder, pepper, and liquid aminos  last night for dinner.  i had just come in from the gym and had a craving for some cheesy enchiladas!!!

so i used that turkey mix and combined it with fresh spinach, La Tortilla Factory white-wheat soft wraps, Trader Joe’s organic pizza sauce, plenty of shredded rice cheese, and fresh avocado.  healthy, low-fat, low-carb, delish, and GUILT-FREE.

so as i was checking out of HEB, the best grocery store ever in life, this caught my eye.  look at all those special options!!

did i mention i was still inside HEB?

who puts a mini self-serve fro-yo shop complete with not only low/no fat options but gluten and dairy-free as well inside a grocery store!?


it doesn’t matter. *sheds a tear or four* two of my fave things under one roof.

did you know that a red bell pepper is green first?  it doesn’t grow red. did you know that? i didn’t.  i believe my co-worker told me that a while ago.  now, it’s happening on my kitchen island. cool.

nugget of info about red bell peps:

‘These are more mature than green, orange or yellow bell peppers. They are rich in carotenoid phytonutrients and contain almost eleven times more beta-carotene than green bell peppers as well as one and a half times more vitamin C. Red Bell Peppers have a sweet, almost fruity taste. Pimento and paprika are both prepared from red bell peppers.’

must be why they are so expensive :shock:

almost done, last thing!

light & lean black bean pumpkin chicken chili

the stuff:

  • 1/2 cup sweet corn
  • 2 medium chopped tomatoes
  • 4oz lean ground chicken breast
  • 2 tbsp Bragg’s liquid aminos
  • 1 can pure pumpkin
  • 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp smoked papripka
  • 1 4 oz can no salt added tomato sauce
  • 1 cup low sodium chicken broth (or water)
  • 1/2 cup no salt added black beans (drained and rinsed)
  •  1 medium shallot, chopped
  • 1 medium-large yellow onion, chopped
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
  • couple sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1-2 tsp sea salt (to taste)
  • 1 cup mushrooms (optional)

i split the entire pot into 5 bowls of chili.

1 serving = 1 bowl

do this:

chop up the onions, shallots, and  half of the cilantro, and cook it in a medium heated pot until translucent.  throw in your ground chicken along with your spices and liquid aminos and cook it until there is no more pink. dump all your vegetables, canned pumpkin, tomato sauce, beans and chicken stock in…everything except the cilantro and salt.  bring to a boil, then let simmer for 10-15 minutes on low heat. add more chopped cilantro and stir.  now, taste it, and add the appropriate amount of salt to your liking.  this will taste EVER better the next day!

i made a bowl for myself and topped it with fresh avocado, goat cheese, and corn thins on the side.

Sonny had a nice big helping of it too.

i’m so excited- i had a cooking date tonight with one of my dear friends!! can’t wait to share what we created- good times and good food.

nite!

le

gobble these

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what else can you do with ground turkey logs!?

make some turkey meatballs and serve them over fibergourmet penne pasta with a light cream sauce.  this was my last box:( ordering again soon.

 next time i’ll use reg. chicken broth- the garlic flavor in this kind was waaaaaaaaaaay too strong.  you might try a different brand though.  start boiling your pasta water now.

lite cream sauce:

  • 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup fat-free half and half
  • 1-2 tbs light butter (optional)

turkey  meat balls:

  • 1 ground turkey log 93/7 or 99% lean
  • 1 diced yellow onion
  • 1 med shallot OR 3-4 garlic cloves, diced
  • couple sprigs of fresh basil and parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 cup low sodium Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 egg whites OR 1/4 cup liquid egg whites
  • 2 slices (torn) Natures Own double fiber wheat bread (optional!)
  • tony c’s and fresh cracked pepper to taste

extras:

  • fresh spinach
  • fresh mushrooms

incorporate the meatball mix together by hand.  get in there.  shape them into balls.   you certainly don’t have to add the bread, but it just makes for a more moist and fluffier meat ball. if you don’t mind a dense meatball, skip it. we didn’t mind at all.

drop them in, put the top on, and let them pan ‘fry’ in just a little extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil, my new fav!!

i used 97/3% lean ground turkey.  as always, you can use 99% lean, but your meatballs won’t be as juicy since there’s not a lot of fat present.

once the meatballs are done, take them out of the pan, drop the butter in, and stir it around to activate those pan drippings. it seriously brings your sauce to life.  add the broth and cream. once it starts to simmer,  add your fresh spinach and mushrooms.  cover the pan again and cook them on low-med heat until the spinach just starts to wilt and the mushrooms get tender, less than 4-5 min.

combine the pasta with your sauce, veggies, and meatballs.  finally, top it with some fresh parmigiano reggiano.  i’ve been asked why i use this cheese so much- it has such a sharp fruity/nutty taste and a little goes such a long way in terms of flavor.  AND, 1 tbs is only 20 calories. *gasp* i know!!!

gobble.

le

leaner & cleaner meatloaf + something you should know!!

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another recipe for those ground turkey (or lean beef) logs.  i have never thought of meatloaf as a healthy dish, ever.  it even sounds like anything but healthy. every now and then i want it though, so every now and then i make it.  i know you’ll enjoy and appreciate this flavorful, lighter, healthier, yet filling recipe.

lean turkey meat loaf

the stuff:

meatloaf:

  • 1 cup almond milk (or skim milk)
  • 1 minced yellow onion
  • 1 med shallot or 2 cloves of garlic
  • 3 slices of double fiber wheat bread
  • 2 lbs of ground turkey 93/7% or 99% lean (i used one of each)
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon tony c’s (seasoning salt)
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 whole eggs, 1/2 cup egg whites
  • few squirts of low sodium worcestershire sauce

sauce:

  • 1-1/2 cup Ketchup
  • 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard or yellow mustard
  • tabasco to taste

do this:

pre-heat your oven right now before you forget @ 350 deg. start by soaking the bread in the milk for a couple minutes.  while that does its thing, chop up the shallots and/or garlic, yellow onion, parsley, and cilantro.  in a huge bowl, throw everything in (soaked bread, veggies, meat, eggs, seasonings). make sure those hands are scrubbed clean, then dive on in and mix.  i stuck with the boring, classic loaf shape and put it on my broil/grill pan. i’ll be more adventurous next time.

'thar she blows!'

as you can see, i like my veggies nice and chunky.  you can dice/mince them if that’s too big for your liking.

top the loaf with only half the sauce for now, and let it bake for 45 minutes.  that’ll produce this:

 go ahead and sauce it one more time, and pop it back in the for last 15.

i fished out my meat thermometer and stuck it right in the center of the loaf- that little dial shot up so fast!! it was definitely overdone and i worried that it might be dry as i was already using lean meat.

nope, it was still juicy, flavorful, and moist.  even still, i suggest you check the temp after about 35 minutes in.

 2 lbs makes plenty- we ate off this thing for about 3 days for sure.  tasted better and better each time.

instead of the usual mashed potatoes and peas, i did cabbage.  cabbage is a nutritious veggie that is cheap and produces A LOT. it doesn’t wilt down so much like spinach does.

 i sliced up 1 yellow onion, 1 green bell pepper, and a few slices of bacon for flavor (2-3).  before topping the pot and letting it simmer on med-low for about 20 minutes, i pour in about 1/2 – 1 cup of low-sodium chicken broth to help get the steaming process going.  i like my cabbage with a little crunch to it, but you’ll just have to taste test it along the way.  oh don’t forget to add fresh cracked black pepper and as little salt as necessary.  i was able to get 12 generous slices out of the loaf.

stats per serving:

cals: 140 (w/out sauce)

165 (w/ sauce)

fat: 1.6g

protein: 6g

fiber: 1g

last thing i HAD to share! no matter how much i love a product, i never trust their (or anybody’s) portion sizes.  i was getting snacks ready for the week and although i  didn’t want to lol, i put that chocolate drizzled popcorn to the test….i just had to know.  the bags says 1.5 cups is one serving, and that there are 6 servings total in the bag. that equals, yes, 9 cups of popcorn.

um…

…

i only managed to scoop out 6 cups. barely. more like 5 and 3/4th.

to be honest, i was expecting the exact opposite so i could tell you to be careful about taking in WAY MORE cals than what the label actually says!!!

…not this.

 i don’t know whether to be happy there are 400+ cals less than i anticipated in the entire bag, or to write a letter to Popcorn, Indiana about my 3 missing cups!! regardless, a lesson was learned.  read the label and do your own measurements.

when’s the last time you ate or even made meatloaf?

le

6 days to go

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6 days to go until my 10k and how about i didn’t run AT ALL last week.  i am the worst when it comes to training for my races, goodness.  it rained all day friday and saturday, but sunday we woke up to the exact opposite.  i got suited up and did my 7 miles- so glad that’s over with.

i need to invest in one of those arm band thingies for my ipod.  i always feel like it’s going to drop but it hasn’t yet.  i got my hair permed thursday, so after two days off lol, it’s time to sweat.  i did the best i could and wrapped it before my run. i sweat in my head and there is really nothing i can do about that:(

leaving my head uncovered and pinning my hair down so my head can breathe has been working for me so far.

i wear the headband to help my headphones/ear plugs (whatever they are called ) stay put.  when i get sweaty, they tend to pop out and mess up my run flow.

however it does a number on my edges. sigh…i’ll find a solution to this someday.  what do you do with you hair when you exercise? advice please!

anyway here are some trainings:

5K – quick

5K – long term

10K – quick

10K – long term

you get a free jar of HEB’s holy pasole when you buy the tortilla soup.  so i had two jars waiting to be used.  we have company coming over a little later so i made another one of their featured recipes:

i did healthify this up as best i could- i used 93/7% lean ground turkey, only 1 package of corn bread, and 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese.

there was plenty of corn bread to cover the top btw…didn’t miss it.  ok i did miss it.  man i love cornbread.

done after 20-25 min.

aaaaaaaaand we’re off to another 1st birthday party- they’ll be plenty of those coming up this year including our little guy’s big day!!

le

back to it

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yesterday everything FOOD repulsed me!! although i certainly wouldn’t mind, no, it’s not what you think.  i’m guessing it was some crazy 24 hour bug because Sonny ate the same things i did the night before.  here’s what we had:

groud turkey, carrots, corn, kidney beans, tomatoes, spinach, asparagus

sometimes i’ll have a log of ground turkey that i have no idea what to do with.  so, i’ll brown it up with some onions and shallots and throw in as many vegetables i can find.  i never had a name for it, but i recently read that what i’ve been making all this time is referred to as ragu. threw it over some pasta, sprinkled it with some cheese and avocado, and called it dinner.

the only thing i had to eat all day friday was the 6in. turkey subway sandwich my hubby brought home for me.  it stayed down, and i’m back to normal today. i took friday off from exercise as well, so i was anxious to get up and get moving this morning.  to the track!

i did one of my two fav running workouts.

‘sprint the straights, walk the curves’.  i’m sure you’ve heard that track jargon before.  this is definitely a workout that a beginner can start with.  no track available?  you can also do this running through your neighborhood and use either a light pole or any  other landmark as your start and end points.  or, you could just could use a stop watch or count the 10, 15, or 20 seconds in your head as you sprint.  3 miles of that (12 laps) and i was toast. beginners, start with 1 mile and add on from there.  with anything, you get out what you put in. so SPRINT!!!  after all, it will be over in a couple of seconds.

Q: which is better, sprinting or long distance running?

totally depends on what your goal is, but for weight loss and/or maintenance, both.  fast or slow, your body will get use to whatever type of exercise you do no matter what. it’s important to do a combination of speeds just to shock your body and keep your workouts different and exciting.

le

souped up canned soup

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some days i work from home and i have to find time for lunch somewhere in between the job and taking care of my little guy. today i went in the pantry and found some tasty but boring black bean soup.

i love and recommend Amy’s products, but remember, just because something is organic, natural, or any other deceptive word companies try to blind you with, that doesn’t mean it’s HEALTHY and/or good for you.  the info is right there for you to look at- just turn it around and read that label. yes, especially in the store before you spend your money on it.

i always watch my portion sizes.  1 cup of soup is around 140 calories.  however, you see that there are ‘about 2′ servings.  so do the math and yep, that’s almost 300 calories.  300 calories is actually a small lunch for me, so i have no problem eating the entire can.  but remember though, if you double the calories, you double everything else!  1500mg of salt is the minimum needed to support all physical functions. that’s 1240mg for one can of soup and this is not even close to my last meal of the day.  too much salt makes me bloat like crazy, so i try to keep my intake fairly low.

so, how do i enjoy this soup and get full from just one serving?  throw some other stuff in there. but not just any stuff, fresh veggies and/or protein of course.

turns out  i didn’t have any cooked chicken breast or ground turkey ready, but i did have tomatoes, cilantro, and my fav cheese.  then i looked in the freezer and found some frozen corn. perfect.  be creative though- you can do spinach, zucchini, broccoli.. the list goes on.

i added half an apple and some wheat thins and chowed down.

back to work!

le