BBQ Chicken Stuffed Potato and Laughing Cow Spinach

I've had a lone potato sitting in my fruit/veggie basket just waiting to be baked, fried, or scalloped. I chose to bake it and stuff it! I needed some greens to go with those carbs, so I added some creamed spinach made with Laughing Cow.



BBQ Chicken Stuffed Baked Potato

Ingredients: (1 serving)
1 med-large potato
3-4 oz boneless, skinless chicken, shredded
2-4 tbsp honey bbq sauce
Chicken Seasoning
Sea Salt

You can chose to microwave or bake the potato. I'm more of a convenience girl, so I chose to microwave my potato for 4.5 minutes.

Spray chicken with cooking spray and coat generously with chicken seasoning. On medium heat, cook chicken until no longer pink. Use a fork to shred the chicken.


This stuff is key!!

In a bowl, mix chicken and bbq sauce. Feel free to add more chicken seasoning.

Split potato and stuff with chicken mixture. Add sea salt to taste.

Creamed Spinach

Ingredients: (1 serving)
1 cup frozen chopped spinach
1 wedge Laughing Cow light swiss
1 tsp fat free sour cream

Cook spinach in a small saucepan. I just add it to the saucepan in it's hard, frozen state and spray it down with cooking spray so it doesn't burn. Cook until not frozen, duh. Add cheese and sour cream and stir until cheese is melted. Salt and pepper to taste.

Kentucky Advances to Final Four!

My weekend can be described in the title of this post. I've never regretted going to the University of Kentucky and this weekend proved to me that I made the best decision. I love the passion and dedication of the whole town to this one team. Despite the doubts from everyone, some of our own fans, we've advanced to the Final Four. There was screaming, shouting, tears of joy, road blocks, and couches burning in the streets. It was a day to be celebrated.

This is after we won and had jumped all in that booth.






I. LOVE. THIS. TOWN!! And those boys in blue!!!

Mmmm, the Yummiest!!

Hamburger Helper. Nothing about it is really helping anything, except your taste buds. Here's a recipe that is close to the real thing...okay, maybe even better...with ingredients that didn't come straight from a box.

Turkey Taco Helper

Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground turkey
1 1/2 cup (dry) whole wheat rotini pasta
1/2 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
3 oz reduced fat cream cheese
1/4 cup fat free sour cream
4 tbsp taco seasoning
1/2 tsp red pepper
salt & pepper to taste

Cook pasta as directed. Drain and save 1/4 cup pasta water. Set aside.



In the meantime, cook ground turkey, onions, carrots, and garlic until turkey is no longer pink.



Add diced tomatoes, taco seasoning, cream cheese, and sour cream. Add pasta and pasta water. Stir until cream cheese is melted.



DIG IN!

Homemade Vegetable Pad Thai

I love Thai food. Ok, I mainly love Pad Thai. Hot, spicy, and sweet Pad Thai. I've had a box of Pad Thai Rice Noodles marinating in my pantry for almost a year now, so I finally decided to take a stab at making this dish at home. While it wasn't as delicious as the oil laden take-out that I'd pick up from Planet Thai, it will suffice as a lower calorie choice. If I made it again, I'd add more veggies and more sauce.

Homemade Vegetable Pad Thai
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
1 box Annie Chun's Original Pad Thai Rice Noodles
2 packages of frozen California Vegetable Mix (I only used 1, but would use 2 next time)
1/4 cup onion
2 cloves garlic
2 eggs
Red pepper, to taste
Lime juice, to taste
Chopped Peanuts for garnish

Sauce:
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp fish sauce
4 tbsp lime juice
Dash of red pepper

Cook noodles as directed and set aside. Spray wok generously with cooking spray and add onions, garlic, and vegetables. Cook on medium to high heat until tender.


Once vegetable mix is cooked throughly. Move to the side and scramble the eggs. Once the eggs are cooked, mix with vegetables, then add noodles to the mixture.


Mix all ingredients for sauce mix in a small bowl. Pour sauce over noodles and vegetables mixture and coat evenly.


Top individual servings with peanuts, grab your chopsticks, and dig in.

I added massive amounts of red pepper and some slivers of carrots to mine. Only because I like to sweat while I eat. Not really, but I do love spicy!

March Madness Kick-Off

March Madness couldn't have started out any better. My Cats inched by Princeton proving that it's hard to beat a bunch of white boys with money, which may explain why Duke does so well. The picture below may be one of the greatest moments of March Madness. Morehead State beat Louisville...oh how sweet it is to see them lose, especially to a fellow Kentucky team.


There was no green beer involved in my St.Patrick's Day. There was however some delicious sushi,salad, and delicious bread from Harry's. To my dismay, this small amount of food pushed me way over my calorie limit and came out to over 1,000 calories. Watch out for that bread people!

Here is a picture from the St.Patty's Day Festival in Lexington this past Saturday.


And here is a picture from St.Pat's circa 2008 in Orlando. Much more tan and rockin the dark hair.


Annnnd I couldn't resist putting this one up from St.Patty's Day 2009 in New Orleans. I apparently was highly celebrating my non-existent Irish roots...

In honor of St.Patrick...

I made Shepherd's Pie...a light version of course! I made a half of the recipe below.

Skinny Shepherd's Pie

1 lb lean ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp Italian style tomato paste
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup fat-free, reduced sodium beef broth
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn

For the topping:
2 large potatoes
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1 tbsp light butter

Directions:
In a large pot coated with non-stick cooking spray, saute onions and carrots until softened (keep coating with cooking spray to prevent burn). Turn up heat to medium-high and add turkey; cook until no longer pink. Add Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, herbs/spices and broth. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Add peas and corn.

While sauce is simmering, bring a separate large pot of water to boil. Add potatoes, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until tender. Drain water. Add milk and butter. Mash with a potato masher until smooth. Salt to taste.

Pour sauce into an 11-inch by 7-inch baking dish. Top with potatoes. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup reduced-fat cheese if you like.



Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.



I sure did top my piece with some ketchup! Enjoy!!

The Pacific

Right now, all you need to do is take a moment of silence or pray, in whatever way you do, for those in the Pacific.

It's hard for us to fully grasp, mourn, and grieve for people that we don't know personally. However, most of us have experienced tragedy in our lives and for this reason we are all linked together. So when you're complaining because gas prices are too high or because your roommate ate your last popsicle, remember that someone just lost their husband or wife, brother or sister, son or daugher after a tsumani swept them into a raging ocean.

Fat Tuesday Recap

Lunch was Alligator Etouffee with French Bread from Bourbon n' Toulouse. The alligator was chewy and fishy. Next time I'll stick with my usual etouffee.


Dinner was Crawfish Boil from Bourbon n' Toulouse. My vegetarian friend was totally disgusted that I ate these "creek critters" like a caveman. I have no shame!





What a fun night! It was complete with a hurricane and a pitcher of brew. The pitcher of brew turned into a makeshift game of flip-cup in a crowded bar. I was amazed at how many people came out on a Tuesday night. Don't you people have jobs? The street and bars/restaurants were packed! There was even a Mardi Gras band and dancers on the street.

On to business. I'm giving up Bourbon for Lent. Goodbye Jim, see you in 40 days.

Fat Tuesday

Fat Tuesday or Gluttony and Debauchery Day, whichever you would like to call it, is upon us. I'm not Catholic, but I plan to celebrate the day. When in Rome, right? I plan on attending a Fat Tuesday celebration at one of my favorite Cajun food joints tonight. Actually, it's looking like I'll not only be there for dinner, but lunch too. Good thing I had a date with the treadmill early this morning.

In Lexington, we've been graced with the presence of one of the best Cajun restaurants I've been to...and I've been to New Orleans several times. Let me introduce you to Bourbon n' Toulouse. The Southwest Crawfish Etouffee is to die for. It is a traditional etouffée, finished with cheddar cheese, chili powder, cumin & crawfish tail meat.

On top of the etouffee, they have a menu full of other incredibly flavored items. They even have several gluten-free and vegetarian options. The best part is that all dishes range from $4.50-$7.50.

I'll try to post some pictures tomorrow. For now, in the spirit of all things Cajun, I leave you with some pictures of my time on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.

This is me acting like I'm 10 again, playing with my food...




Parental discretion advised. Mardi Gras parade.





Just posting up beside the Bourbon Street sign.

Mom's 50th continued...

As mentioned in my previous post, my mom & stepdad came to visit for mom's 50th birthday. I just wanted to share some pictures from the weekend.



Here's mom with the cake I made her. She's obviously already getting used to be over the hill since she is in her pajamas before 10.




My first time making coconut cake. Mom's favorite.




Mom and me on Saturday night after dinner.


Needless to say...there was a lot of eating and not a lot of activity. I cannot wait to hit the gym and eat some vegetables tomorrow :)

Finally, here's the recipe for the delicious Coconut Birthday Cake!

1 package butter yellow cake mix
1/2 tsp. almond extract
3 6 oz. packages frozen flaked coconut, thawed
2 cups sugar
8 oz. sour cream
8 oz. cool whip, thawed
extra coconut for garnish

Prepare cake mix, adding almond extract. Bake in two 8″ round cake pans. Cool. Cut each layer in half horizontally (to make four layers).

Combine 3 packages of coconut, sugar, and sour cream. Reserve one cup of this mixture.

Spread mixture evenly between bottom three cake layers. Fold whipped topping into the reserved 1 cup of the mixture and spread on top and sides of cake. Sprinkle top and sides of cake evenly with flaked coconut. Cover and chill 1 day before serving.
Recipe courtesty of http://www.recipemashups.com/2009/03/17/coconut-birthday-cake/

Momma's 50th weekend = food, food, food....

My parents are visiting this weekend for my mom's 50th birthday. The agenda is filled with lots of dining out and birthday cake. While I love dining out, it doesn't help my waistline. When dining out, I always try to check-out the menu online beforehand so I can make a more "educated" decision. This a big key during a weight loss journey, especially for those of us who like to be social and dine out with our friends and family.

At some point we've planned to check out Wallace Station. It has been featured on the Food Network, so it's sure not to disappoint. I'm not sure there is an educated food choice to make here, but I'll be sure to fill you guys in on what I pick.

We're a breakfast family, so I'm planning to take them to Doodles for breakfast one morning. This place serves mostly local organic food and I'm a huge supporter of supporting the local farmers and economy. Why would I want to eat food grown and shipped across the country when I can eat food grown right here in the Bluegrass?

I hope you have a fantastic weekend and I'll be sure to fill you in on mine next week.

An introduction...

First post...such pressure to make it a good one. Alas, it probably won't be one you'll remember tomorrow.

I'll be writing about running, training to run, cooking, eating, grocery shopping, dining out, and the occasional dramatic event.

The Run the Bluegrass Half-Marathon is quickly approaching...just one month away! I can honestly say I feel stronger. I've been complaining about the scale not moving downward all through training. However, as I neared the end of my run yesterday, I thought to myself, "I'll take my strong 140 pound medium frame any day over a skinny, weakling frame." It's necessary to have those positive, yet degrading towards the skinny population thoughts in order to get me through those runs.

I finished the night with a steak burrito bowl from Chipotle. I'm an advocate of Chipotle. They offer food that fits into a healthy diet and food with integrity. If you aren't aware of their business practices I encourage you to check them out.