Friday, February 21, 2014

Food Friday- Sunday Night Feast

Food Friday

Great Food and Great Company

Do Sunday's bring your family and friends together for meals?  We kind of like to think that Sunday's give us a great reason to wind down the week with friends and family and this past Sunday, this was our feast so I had to share as it was not only so warming but also so delicious and so nutrient dense. 

 White Bean and Kale Stew and Brussels Sprout Salad


White Bean and Kale Stew
Total time to make 30 minutes!
Serves 6
(this recipe was in the November 2012 issue of Whole Living)

2Tbs of extra virgin olive oil
1 onion diced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 carrots peeled and diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
1 15oz container of chopped tomatoes
1/2 lb sweet potatoes, scrubbed and diced (you can also use small red potatoes)
1 15 oz container of white beans. Rinsed and drained. 
1 bunch of kale (1lb)
1/2 cup of fresh grated parmesan

Heat oil in a large pot. Add onion, garlic, carrots and celery. Cook and season with salt until tender. 
Increase heat to medium high and add tomatoes and their juice. Cook, stirring until mixture starts to caramelize.  Add 7 cups of water (I used 5 cups of water and 2 cups of vegetable broth) add sweet potatoes and beans and bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer until potatoes are tender (about 10 minutes) Stir in chopped kale. Cook until tender (about 2 minutes.) Season with salt and pepper. Top with parm. So yummy!

Brussels Sprout Salad

I wanted to try a new salad as we often default to the same old greens.  We had a bunch of brussel sprouts in the fridge and figured why not give it a try.  The hardest part about this salad is peeling each leave of each brussel sprout but it is so worth it in the end. This is a new favorite "green" with so many endless possibilities. 

separating the leaves is so worth your time for this salad!

1lb brussel sprouts, trimmed, leaves separated.
2Tblp roasted pumpkin seeds (You can also use any other nut of your choice to mix it up)
1 avocado sliced
I also added a handful of cranberries to add some color and a little sweet and tangy flavor.

For the dressing, I kept it simple. 
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 also added one chopped clove of garlic
salt and pepper.  I blended the dressing ingredients up and tossed.

These two paired nicely and I can't tell you how much my girls and our friends loved it.  Did you also catch how many of those hearty greens you are getting in along with some beans for protein and a little sweet potato for a great complex carbohydrate. This really has it all. 

Let me know what you think and enjoy!

Get Fit. Live Fit. Be Fit and EAT Well!!



Friday, February 14, 2014

Food Friday- Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Food Friday 

and 

Happy Valentines Day!

Wild Orange Chocolate Torte


What a great day for a sweet treat. Who doesn't love a little bit of chocolate on Valentines Day.  This Wild Orange Chocolate Torte has been a hit this week. I made two and played around with the flavors but I have to say that mix of orange and chocolate is amazing!  Not only is this dessert gluten free and dairy free but it used some heart healthy 70% chocolate in it (of course always in moderation:)) and I thought I would try my hand at using some of the essential oils I use and try the Wild Orange added to the chocolate.  I wish you could taste it from here but it is super subtle put yet you that hint of orange is just the right amount.

Ingredients:
14 oz of 70% dark chocolate. I am definitely purchasing organic and not Hershey's:)
3/4 of a cup of melted Ghee (you can also use butter)
2/3 cup of sugar. I used coconut sugar
2/3 cup of almond flower
3/4 cup of coconut flower
4 eggs

The How:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
oil and dust with coconut or almond flour a dark tin cake pan (8")
Melt the ghee or butter and chocolate in a dbl boiler. I used a glass bowl over my pot filled with boiling water.

I added all the remaining ingredients to my mixer and poured in the ghee and chocolate once it was melted. I mixed it on high for 3 minutes.

Pour into pan and bake for 15 minutes.
Take it out immediately and flip it over to cool sprinkle with powdered sugar or cocoa powder and enjoy!


We didn't get very far post cooling before digging in.  This made an excellent treat for the Valentines week and holiday but really who couldn't use a little hit of sweet goodness every now and then.  Of course everything in small doses can be a good thing so enjoy!  I know I did!

Get Fit. Live Fit. Be Fit and Eat good desserts every now and then:) 

I have to point our my favorite glass bottle that made an appearance in my Valentines day photo. mybkr.com is a great site for picking up one of these trendy bottles that have been a favorite of mine and my athletes.  Check out their website or shoot me an e-mail and  you can purchase one through me. 

Happy "HEART' day everyone!