Leftover Taco Biscuits

I went on a tropical vacation to Costa Rica a week or two ago. It was amazing. I ate lots of delicious food, and drank plenty of Mojitos and Pina Coladas. I didn’t count a single calorie, even though I sometimes thought about how many I was consuming.  On top of the souvenirs I brought back to the states, I also unfortunately brought back a few additional pounds of, well, me. 

So, I’ve been back on track with my food and fitness. I pushed though a 5-mile run yesterday evening, after a bodyweight workout.

I found in my freezer this morning before work some frozen taco meat from the last time I made taco salad, but I didn’t really want tacos. I took it out to thaw anyway, figuring I would come up with something between then and dinner time.

I did.   After work I stopped at the grocery store on the way home and picked up a package Grands! Original Flaky Biscuits, and here’s what I did with them when I got home. I suggest a good side of will power when you make these because you’re going to want to eat way more than a single serving.  I had them with a tablespoon of reduced fat sour cream, and some Cholula hot sauce. They were divine.

You could also use a mini muffin pan to make these as appetizers; they’d be a huge hit.

Serves 6: 2 Biscuits

Calories 299 / Fat 15.2g / Fiber 1.5g / Protein 9g / Carbs 31g

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 12-cup cupcake pan and dust with flour.

(If you don't have leftover prepared taco meat handy; Prepare taco meat by frying 1 lb extra lean (93/7) ground beef in a pan, breaking up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Add a package of taco seasoning, and cook according to package directions.)

Divide layers from biscuits and line the bottom of each cup with one layer. 

Add 1 Tbsp of meat to each cup. Add 1/4 ounce  cheese (about a tsp) on top of the meat. Add desired amount of diced onion on top of cheese. Add 1 tsp Rotel tomatoes to each cup.

Divide additional layers of biscuits and top each cup with a layer. Using the tines of a fork, or your fingers (your choice) pres the dough tops down into the dough bottoms so that a seal forms. You don't have to really precise - they will cook together.

Brush a bit of milk on the top of each muffin. Sprinkle the tops with seasoning of you choice. These have a bit of oregano and something called Seasoning Magic.

Bake for about 20 minutes: remove when the tops are a nice golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes before removing from pan.  

Serve with a dollop of reduced fat sour cream, guacamole, or salsa as desired. 

The dish in the background is Vegetable and Edamame Pasta with Basil Cream Sauce. I made it so I could take it to lunch the rest of the week, but it looked so good I had to have some tonight too.  I used Ronzoni garden Delight Rotini, omitted the tomatoes, and next time, I'll use half a Haas avocado instead of a whole, and double the edamame. I really like edamame.

Vegetarian Spicy Rice and Bean Salad

If I tried to list the things I've learned or picked up from reading other people's blogs, I'd have a post that was a mile long. In that vein however, I did discover both green monsters and overnight oats that I actually liked by reading Oh She Glows. However, since I’m not a vegetarian, I’ll admit some of her other main dish recipes intimidated me.  But, this one looked really phenomenal and as soon as I saw it I knew I had to make it.  I am so glad I did.

This is mostly her recipe, with a few little tweaks I made to customize it to my particular tastes. It was ah-mazing. I served it topped with a bit of Parmesan Reggiano cheese just because I always feel like one dish meals served in a bowl need a topping to make them complete.  It was super filling, but didn’t leave me feeling like I had over indulged, and I now have leftovers for the whole week to  supplement other meals, or take to work for a stand alone lunch. Though to be honest, I didn't find I needed anything else to 'go with' this dish, which is really great since I'm trying lately to eat smaller dinners and larger, more hearty breakfasts instead.

Also, a word about mushrooms that I wish I’d learned sooner; don’t pop their little stems out.  As you’re rinsing the mushrooms, slice just the end – the tough part – off the bottom of the stem, but leave it otherwise intact. They are perfectly edible, and shrink down when cooking.  After all, you likely paid for the mushrooms by weight, so not eating the stems is essentially throwing your hard earned cash away with them.

Serves 7 : 1-cup servings

Calories: 182 / Fat: 3g /  Fiber: 7.8g / Protein:9.0g / Carbs: 32g
Original Recipe from Oh She Glows

1 Cup Brown Rice, uncooked

1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Cup Spanish (sweet) onion, chopped

1/2 tsp Ground Cumin

1/2 tsp Coriander

1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

1/2 tsp Oregano

1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

1/2 Cup Scallions (green onion), chopped

1 Can Black Beans, drained and rinsed

3 Tbsp Tamari (organic soy sauce)

1 cup Frozen Peas

1 cup Frozen Corn

1 Cup Carrots, grated

1/8 Cup Dry White Wine

1 Cup White Mushrooms, chopped
1 Cup Portobello Mushrooms, chopped

Cook rice according to package directions, and set aside.

Prepare all ingredients before beginning this recipe.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until soft; about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, and sauté until they release their liquid. Add wine and cook until liquid is nearly gone. Add spices, garlic, and scallions, and sauté about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to keep from burning or sticking.

Add Tamari sauce and black beans and stir well. Cook about 5 minutes on medium heat.

Add the peas, carrots and corn; mix well. Cook an additional 5 minutes until all ingredients are warmed through.

Add in cooked rice and mix well. Serve immediately.

Oatmeal Extravaganza

The possibilities with oatmeal are endless.  Which is lucky for me, because I really love oatmeal. I eat it 5 days a week.  There are plenty of reasons to eat (read: enjoy!) oatmeal, some of which include a lowered risk of heart disease, type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure and even certain cancers.   If that wasn’t enough, oatmeal is a great way to help you maintain or lose weight without feeling hungry or deprived due to the high amount of soluble fiber, which if you didn’t know, absorb a considerable amount of water and effectively slows your digestive process – keeping you feeling fuller, longer.

On top of the health benefits, it’s just plain convenient. It’s so convenient in fact, that I cook fresh oats each morning while I get ready for work. Once it’s done, I throw it into a plastic container and go. Once I’m at the office I add my fixin’s and enjoy a hot, nutritious, filling breakfast.

I’m begging you not to buy pre-flavored instant packs of oatmeal though – take 5 minutes each night or morning to pack up your fixin’s and you’ll be thankful you did.  Not only do you get a larger serving of oatmeal, but you get less sodium and more real ingredients.

Need ideas on how to spruce up your oats?  All of these assume 1Cup Water and 1/2Cup Oats for a single serving breakfast. I also add a teaspoon (to my cooked oatmeal) of raw Chia Seeds and 1/4Cup Fat Free Organic Milk to all of my oatmeal, because that’s how I roll.  

• 1/2 Sliced Banana, 1/4 Cup Blueberries, 1 Tbsp Sliced Almonds (pictured)
• 1 Diced Granny Smith Apple, 1/4 tsp Cinnamon, 1 Tbsp Chopped Walnuts
• 1/2 Cup Blueberries, 1 Tbsp Chopped Walnuts, dash of Cinnamon
• 1/2 Cup Blueberries, 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup,1 Tbsp Chopped Toasted Walnuts
• 1/3 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce, dash of Cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp Apple Butter, 1 Tbsp Granola
• 1/2 Cup Sliced Strawberries, 1 Tbsp Sliced Almonds, Splash of Almond Extract
• 1/2 Cup Sliced Strawberries, 1/2 Sliced Banana, 1 Tbsp Sliced Almonds
• 1 Tbsp Honey, 1 Tbsp Better N’ Peanut Butter
• 1/2 Sliced Banana, 1 Tbsp Better N’ Peanut Butter, 2 tsp Agave Nectar, 1 Tsp Sliced Almonds 
• 2 Tbsp Apple Butter, Dash of cinnamon and Allspice (or pumpkin-pie spice), 1 Tbsp Dried Cranberries
• 1/2 Cup Diced Apple, 2 Tbsp Dried Cranberries 

The moral of the story here is to be creative!  Oatmeal is possibly the most versatile food out there. Take advantage.

Black-Bottom Cupcakes

My friend recently moved into a new apartment across town. Due to various reasons, I wasn’t able to offer much assistance in the way of helping her move items, but I thought in lieu of physical labor, I could offer to bake her something fabulous to enjoy in her new home.  Anything she wanted. Her only request was that it be chocolate. Lots of chocolate.

Confession: I don’t particularly like chocolate. Therefore, I have never made anything chocolate. So I had to do some serious research.  In my search, I found Black-Bottom Cupcakes. Here’s the trouble though, they aren’t exactly easy on the calories.  I really wanted to try these out before I made them for my friend though, since I planned to modify the recipe to make it a more reduced fat treat than it was. 

I mean come on, I don’t run all those miles just so I can break even with eating dessert. This cupcake though? Worth each and every one of the 11 miles I ran on this past Sunday morning.  I even forgot to add in one of my subs (some sugar free applesauce) which happened to be quite fortuitous because I can’t tell that I ever needed it.  SK’s original recipe is linked above, below is what I made though

Calories 246 / Fat 11.1g / Carbs 39.8g / Fiber 2.0g / Protein 4.3g

Serves 12

For the filling:

8 ounces Philadelphia 1/3 less fat cream cheese

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg white, at room temperature

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

For the cupcakes:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

5 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

1/4 cup Canola oil

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the filling: With a hand mixer, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and egg white until smooth. Stir in the chopped chocolate pieces. Set aside.

For the cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with Pam or line the tin with paper muffin cups.

2. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla.

3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients, stirring until just smooth. Do not over stir.

4. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Spoon a few tablespoons of the filling into the center of each cupcake, dividing the filling evenly.

5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden brown and the cupcakes feel springy when gently pressed.

P.S. I absolutely run so I eat things like this without feeling guilty.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

The great thing about living where I live, is that the Farmer’s Market is open year round. There’s a huge farmer’s market about 20 minutes from my house that I don’t frequent often just because it’s a bit of a drive, and I have this weird thing where I like to arrive to the market super early, and well, I also like to sleep in a bit on Saturday. So those two things are kind of counter productive to each other.

I did however make it this morning by sheer dint of will.  That, and I got out of bed early and actually stayed focused on getting to the market. Despite the wind and the cold (which is relative, I know) I got a lot of things I needed and wanted.  Like a jar of local honey, in a flavor called Sourweed. And a TON of fresh, locally grown produce. I also got a pound of fresh kettle korn and a freshly squeezed lemonade – the obvious necessities in my list of purchases.

I knew I had shrimp at home that I needed to make a dinner out of tonight, but I had no ideas what I was going to make.  As I browsed through one of the produce tents though and came across a little tub of 8 Roma tomatoes (Plum) dubbed as “uglies” for $1.50 I knew it was Shrimp Fra Diavolo.   

The only thing ugly about the tomatoes was that the skin was a little puckered looking, but seeing as I was going to be peeling that skin off anyway, I wasn’t really of a mind to worry about it. They certainly didn't taste ugly.

This also happens to be one of my mother's favorite Italian sauces, and since it turned out to be such a success, I've been charged with writing down my measures for all the spices so that I can duplicate this exact taste at a later date.  I found this to be the perfect amount of heat, but you can up the amount of red pepper flakes for more of a kick.

Calories 246 / Fat 5.9g / Protein 23.4g / Fiber 3.5g / Carbs 17.1g

Four  1-Cup servings

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 tsp salt

1 Red Bell pepper, chopped

1 Orange Bell pepper, chopped

1 Medium Onion, chopped

~2 cups White Mushrooms, sliced

3 Garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon dried Basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon dried Thyme

½ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

1 Cup Dry White Wine

14oz Shrimp, uncooked, peeled and deveined

*8 Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced

In a medium pan, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, basil, thyme, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Sautee until soft about 8-10 minutes, then let simmer.

 

While peppers simmer, add diced tomatoes to a pan and bring to low boil while crushing with a fork.  Let boil for 1-2 minutes.  With an immersion blender, blend tomatoes until desired consistency.

Add cooked tomatoes to pan with peppers. Add garlic, and wine.  Stir to combine and bring to a low boil.  Reduce to low and let simmer for 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add shrimp and cook 5 minutes more.

Serve over fettucini or spaghetti.  Top with Parmesan cheese.

 

*How to Peel Tomatoes:  bring a small  pot of water to a boil.  Using a slated spoon, place tomato into boiling water and roll it around so that all sides are submerged – about 15 seconds. Using the slated spoon, remove tomato from boiling water. They will be hot to touch, but should not burn you.

Grasp skin of tomato and peel off. Use a knife to slit skin for ease in grabbing of necessary.

I seed them by cutting them in half length wise, and then running my thumb down both seed pockets to excavate the seeds. 

Lady Track Shack 5k and Glazed Orange Cranberry Cake

This morning was the Florida Hospital Lady Track Shack 5k race in Mead Gardens. It was an amazing race that I had really been looking forward to.  The event is to celebrate womens health and fitness and the only participants in the race were women.

There were nearly 2,000 participants; from elementary aged girls to senior citizens and the elderly.  There were “running in memory of…” signs attached to the backs of many runners, and a woman dressed from head to toe in a pink fairy costume. It was an emotional race for a lot of women there, from the snippets of conversation I heard at the start and on the course. On my way out, as I traversed the path that ran along the race route, just coming into the last 0.10 of a mile to completion was a woman wearing a pink shirt, screaming in joy and excitement when she spotted the finish line, both arms pumping the air, smile splitting her face from ear to ear…and soft peach fuzz for hair on the top of her head. Not only did she live to fight another day, but she lived to race another race, and it brought tears to my own eyes to see it.

I did really well in the race and I’m happy with my results.  I came in 94^th in my age division – which could be amazing or dead last, since I don’t know how many were in my age group.  I also came in 568^th overall. On top of that, I beat my best time by more than a minute for a new personal record of 32:35, with an average pace of 10:29 per mile.  I also had my body fat percentage taken at one of the booths and came out with 18.8%. Anything less than 18% is “Excellent” on the chart they gave me, so I have that to strive for as a new goal.

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Glazed Orange Cranberry Cake

3 Cups All Purpose Flour

1 ¾ C sugar

4 Teaspoons baking Powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon Nutmeg

½ teaspoon Cinnamon

1 Cup fat free milk

1/3 Cup Canola Oil

4 Large Egg Whites, lightly beaten

1 Tablespoon grated Orange Zest

1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

1  Cup dried Cranberries

1 Cup Confectioner’s Sugar

2 Tablespoons Orange Juice

Orange zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 10-inch Bundt pan with cooking spray.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon in a large bowl. Whisk together milk, egg whites, oil, vanilla orange zest in  medium bowl. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir until well combined. Stir in cranberries. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean; 40-45 minutes. Cool in pan 15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

To make glaze, put confectioner’s sugar into a medium bowl and slowly stir in orange juice until a thick glaze forms.  Drizzle glaze over top of cooled cake; sprinkle with orange zest Let cake stand until glaze sets, about 20 minutes.  Serves 20.

180 Calories / 4g Fat / 19g Carbohydrates / 1g Fiber / 3g Protein