November 25, 2014

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup...healthified! + skinny bacon

November 25, 2014/ leah.egwuatu@6packusa.com

i told Sonny to get me outta bed when my alarm went off this morning no matter what. he didn't, haha, but i got on up anyway and hit it early so i could use the rest of the day cooking for Thanksgiving! speaking of, we have a Thanksgiving Damage Control Challenge going on right now by the way for 1 buck!! check out the details and sign up to keep yourself in check for the big day tomorrow. i did a little arc trainer for my cardio and then one of our 6 Pack USA upper body workouts which targeted chest, biceps, triceps, and a little back. then i went into the group fitness studio for core and stretching and did a few of these:

[wpvideo 1CFeeUoN]

i admit- i love this Beyoncé video and song. i just do! not a Yonce stan, but definitely a fan.

then i got home and got the boys up and fed before i got cracking on this soup again. yesterday went terribly wrong. bad pics, bad soup color cause i burned the sausage...it was just...wrong. sometimes i want to post anyway and get it off my chest but something kept telling me to WAIT and be still. today turned out loads better. loads.

while i was cooking away, the doorbell rang. i immediately heard a truck engine start which means it was UPS and i had a package, haha! they never wait. ever.

knock, knock...

IT'S BACON!!!!!!

not just any bacon though. uncured, Applegate Good Morning Bacon.

skinny bacon! what? yes please! when it comes to natural and organic meats, Applegate is top-notch. you get what you pay for, guaranteed. Chiso looooved the hot dogs from our welcome-home-from-the-hospital lunch a few months ago! and if you're a dear reader of mine then you know how picky that guy is. we cracked the bacon open right away for breakfast. it's:

applewood smoked
60% less fat than regular bacon
uncured
antibiotic, gluten, casein, hormone, and nitrate-FREE
heaven-sent

it's no coincidence the soup calls for *drum roll* bacooooon. i told ya, perfect timing. His timing! anyway, it tastes just like pork belly bacon without all the excess grease and/or oil. let's give it up for Applegate!

*round of applause*

without further adieu, i present to you, healthified, dairy-free, Zuppa Toscana soup! it's 2nd place to Olive Garden's chicken & gnocchi soup in my book. maybe i'll healthify that one next ;) . the longer you let it sit, the creamier it will become, fyi. i hurriedly took these pics a few minutes after i finished cooking while i still had some good natural light left and it was still a tad thin. a few hours have passed since and the flavors have made their presence known and the texture is just right.

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup - Healthified

the stuff:

1 lb sausage of your choice (see mine below), sliced
2 medium red potatoes
1/4 cup Applegate uncured Good Morning Bacon, roughly chopped
1 can light OR full-fat coconut milk
1 large yellow onion, minced
1 medium shallot, diced
32 oz low sodium chicken broth
2 big handfuls of raw, fresh kale
sea salt and black pepper to taste

couple things: i used light coconut milk. full fat would yield an even thicker, creamier soup of course! i also used spinach & garlic chicken sausage that i found at HEB, but you can use whatever you fancy.

do this:

coat a very large pot with no-stick cooking spray and set it to med-high heat
brown sliced sausage in pot (3-4 minutes)
add onion, shallot, potatoes to pot and stir
add chicken broth ensuring the water cover the top of the veggies/meat
cook on medium heat until the potatoes are done (about 10-12 minutes...watch it closely)
add bacon
add salt & pepper and let simmer for 10 min; taste
season again if needed then turn heat to low
add coconut milk and kale (make sure you push the kale into and under the liquid) and stir until well combined
serve warm and top it with more bacon!

using the My Fitness Pal recipe nutrition calculator i estimate 4 big bowls of soup from this pot. for one 12 oz serving:

285 cals, 10g fat, 28g carbs, 4g sugar and 1299mg sodium

(high sodium because of my sausage choice but that can be altered.)

pure YUMMINESS! make this and tag me! @fitfoodiele

omg. i'm running a 10k tomorrow morning. it's not like i don't know how to train for a run, i just don't want to. lol. and the temperature has dipped early this year at that! man. this time last year i was preggo and complaining about the cold. only difference is i still want to workout (indoors) and no first trimester woes. welp, if you're out there getting your trot on in Houston, holla at meeeeee! for now...

back to cooking my mom's famous cornbread dressing! happy TG eve!

January 02, 2014

hostess with the mostess - cheesy spinacy & squash au gratin

January 02, 2014/ leah.egwuatu@6packusa.com

my mom is a pre-K teacher and still on her holiday break, so she and my aunt (her sis-in-law) came over to hang out, sleepover, and keep Chiso company with us. which means, i get ta' COOKIN'! whipping up healthy, tasty food for my family gives me life (add that to the phrases we should stop using in 2014 :roll: ) but it best describes how i feel while i'm doing my thing in my kitchen. now can i do all this again tomorrow? you bet! playing hostess is FUN. what we chowed down on today:

lean turkey burgaaaaaas for lunch! super easy recipe can be found on my instagram post from earlier today (look for this same photo).

i topped the patties with cheddar style rice cheese,

and i found those sprouted grain buns at Sprouts Farmer's Market recently. i was looking for the Ezekiel ones but these were cheaper and by Alvarado Street Bakery. heard a lot about them and was not disappointed.

no lettuce or avocado in the house, womp. but i did have condiments, tomatoes, and plenty of pickles. stuff your burgers with your fave toppings and toast your buns (makes a big difference in taste and texture). everyone enjoyed their burger except for you-know-who.

he touched it like he was going to pick it up and then faked everybody out. i'll try again tomorrow.

i've been playing around with a squash casserole type recipe for the past few days and finally just went for it today since i was all up in the kitchen anyway. turned out better than i imagined, whoa. Sonny says it tastes just like Boston Market's squash casserole side and well, i won't argue with him!

cheesy spinach & squash au gratin

the stuff:

2 large zucchini, raw, coined & halved (see pic above)
2 large yellow squash, raw, coined & halved
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp parsley
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2 eggs
Earth Balance Organic Whipped Buttery Spread
2 tbsp liquid aminos
1 cup frozen, thawed spinach
1/2 cup cheddar style rice cheese
1/2 cup skim mozzarella (you may use mozzarella almond cheese as well)
1/8 cup light parmesan cheese

breadcrumbs:

3 slices Sara Lee 45 Calories & Delightful bread, toasted until crispy
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 cup light parmesan cheese

do this:

spray your casserole dish with no-stick cooking spray and pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
make breadcrumbs by combining listed ingredients in your food processor and pulsing until you achieve a breadcrumb-like consistency.
in a large skillet over medium heat, saute the garlic, onion, zucchini, and squash together for 4-5 minutes or until translucent.
add spinach, garlic powder, onion powder, liquid aminos, parsley, and cracked black pepper to pan; mix.
cover pan and let cook down for 10 more minutes before shutting off the heat and pouring your squash mixture into your prepared casserole dish. set aside.
in a separate bowl, whisk eggs.
to the egg mixture, add 1/8 cup of parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup of breadcrumb mixture, 1/2 cup of cheese, and the 1/2 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
if your squash mixture has completely cooled by now, go ahead and add the egg mixture to it in the casserole dish and mix WELL. if it's still warm, temper the eggs by adding a little bit of squash mixture to the egg mixture (in that order, please!) at a time to prevent making scrambled eggs. the cold almond milk should help cool the squash mixture down faster too. once all combined, set aside.
add the last 1/2 cup of cheese to 1/4 cup of the breadcrumb mixture and sprinkle it on top of your casserole evenly.
bake for 40-45 minutes or until the casserole no longer jiggles when you shake the dish.
let it cool then dive in.

i divided my dish into 8 nice size servings and here are the stats for 1 serving: 162 cals, 6g fat, 14g carbs, 15g protein, 4 g sugar.

have a seat, Boston Market :lol:

lastly, for dinner, i heated up some leftover chicken & veggie stir fry and mixed it with some marinara sauce to revive the flavors. very yummy! i also baked two pans of swai for tonight and for Sonny's lunches tomorrow. i don't add ANY salt to the swai cause it doesn't need it at all like tilapia.

i topped these with onion powder, garlic powder, and salt free Southwest seasoning from Mc Cormick (found at Walmart and HEB) and cooked them for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. that's it! roasted brussels sprouts on the side.

thinking about all the crazy business ideas in my head and on my heart for 2014 and it overwhelms me. i'm determined to make 2014 NOTHING like 2013 though. one day at a time. ok, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

February 05, 2013

twosday

February 05, 2013/ leah.egwuatu@6packusa.com

what? two posts in one day!? don't thank me, thank Chiso :lol:

he actually stays put when i put his Elmo movies on these days, so that gives me a little mo time to post some stuff.

how was your workout today? i loved this the second i saw it:

you're the boss, Applesauce!

you make the schedule and determine workload. if you keep working away on that ginormous stack of papers on your desk, it will start to dwindle, eventually. equate that to living a healthier lifestyle (or weightloss/gain/maintenance) - the results WILL come with a little consistency! some days you'll do more work, some days you won't do nearly as much. and that's ok.

first early AM class of February has been taught, BOO-YAAAAAAH! afterwards, i stayed behind and did a few weight circuits, solo.

there's #crotchsweat, and then there's good ol' #bootysweat!

after that, i came home and made these babies...........

Peach Branberry Coconut Cakes.

this is another 'cardio creation'! i thought of this on the elliptical last night and almost made them when i got home cause i didn't wanna wait!

i hope the new flavor combo is appreciated cause yall know i could eat banana pancakes EVERYDAY :shock:

i've been using organic oat bran instead of oatmeal these days! why? more fiber, more protein, and it's cheaper by the pound at my store. i've seen it used in other recipes and decided to give it a try myself. it can be found in the bulk bins at HEB and/or Whole Foods for sure, but if your grocery store doesn't have a 'bulk' area, i'm pretty sure it's sold in the box on the shelf too.

i haven't had blueberry pancakes in a good while. #satisfied

here's another recreated Central Market salad fave from last night:

dill, cucumber, tomato & feta salad

the stuff:

2 sliced cucumbers
3 chopped roma tomatoes
2 tbsp red wine vinegar OR juice of a fresh lemon if ya don't have any
2-3 tbsp fresh chopped dill
fresh cracked black pepper
1 tbsp liquid aminos
2 tbsp garlic and herb goat cheese
1 heaping tbsp 0% greek yogurt

do this:

chop up/slice the cucumber, tomatoes, dill and add this to a large bowl. add everything else and MIX! you can break up the goat cheese over the ingredients. let it sit in the fridge overnight and it'll taste eeeeeven better the next day. no red onion in this recipe.