Thai Spiced Spaghetti Squash

Here's yet another great recipe I stumbled upon during my week of vegan.  I found the recipe here, but changed it up a little to better fit my taste.

What you'll need:

• 1 red bell pepper
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 spaghetti squash, cooked and shredded
• 2 cups fresh pineapple, diced
• 3-4 green onions, chopped
• 2 tbs dried basil
• 1 inch knob of ginger, peeled and grated
• Juice from 1 lime
• 2-3 tbs soy sauce
• salt and pepper to taste

What to do:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add red bell pepper and saute for about 2 minutes.  Add garlic and saute another 4-5 minutes.  Add ginger, green onions, and basil, and saute about 2 minutes.  Add squash and pineapple and toss until both are heated through.  Add soy sauce and toss until fully coated.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from heat.  Squeeze lime over mixture and toss.  Serve immediately.

Serves about 4.

Prep time: 1 hr

Cook time: 12 minutes

Total time: About 1 hr 12 minutes

Black Bean and Sweet Potato (Vegan) Chili

I recently went through a weird period in my food life where all I could seem to put in my body was crap foods.  For about two straight weeks I was eating all the wrong things, feeling sluggish, and my weight was fluctuating more than usual.  My solution was to make it through an entire week of eating only vegan meals.  I figured it would be a good cleanse as well as a project that would get me back on track with my normal eating routine.

During this week I discovered some tasty foods that I plan on making again and again as well as some foods I will never ever ever make again.  It was a learning experience, and I managed to actually lose about 3lbs. One of my favorite meals I made was vegan chili.  The recipe I used as a guideline can be found here, but of course I could never follow a recipe exactly, so I'm posting the way I made mine.  It was so freaking delicious I will never make ground beef chili again.

I believe I have a homemade chili recipe on here somewhere.  As you might be able to tell from that, I like to make sweet chili.  I always make sweet cornbread and crumble it into my chili.  This vegan chili is already sweet, and it has way less calories than regular chili.  Not only do you not get the calories and fat from the ground beef, you also don't have to add any cornbread.  The sweet potatoes, corn, and carrots give it the exact same flavor as regular chili with sweet cornbread crumbled in.  And it's just as filling! You absolutely cannot go wrong with this recipe.

What you'll need:

• 1 small onion, chopped (or half of a medium to large onion)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (I actually got really lucky and found a head of garlic with GIANT cloves, so I only needed one)
• 1 green bell pepper, diced and deseeded
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1 tbs chili powder
• (1) 28oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1 large carrot or 10-12 baby carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1 3/4 - 2 cups frozen corn (or one can drained)
• (3) 15.25oz cans black beans, drained but not rinsed
• 1/2 small jar of salsa (I used Tostito's Restaurant Style)
• (1) 14oz can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
• salt and pepper to taste

What to do:

Heat oil in the bottom of a large pot over medium heat.  Add onions and cook about 3 minutes.  Add bell pepper and continue to saute for another 4 minutes, or until pepper is soft.  Add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds until fragrant.  Add cumin and chili pepper and saute for another 2 minutes.

Add crushed tomatoes and mix together.  Add the rest of the ingredients and stir them all together in the pot.  Bring the chili to a boil.  Reduce heat and let simmer covered on medium-low heat for about 30 minutes, and then uncovered for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes and carrots are cooked all the way through.

Serves about 6-8.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 1 hr 10 minutes
Total time: 1 hr 20 minutes

Outrage over Coca-Cola commercial.

For those of you who have not seen it, Coca-Cola's Super Bowl commercial showed shots of various Americans living their lives with "America the Beautiful" playing.  The song is sung beautifully by several girls singing in different languages.

This has caused an outrage among bigots, who claim that you can only sing "America the Beautiful" in English, because English is the language of America.  I'm sure Native Americans appreciate that.  You can see the remarks, along with the video here.

These people need to wake up and realize that English is not the only language that is spoken in America.  It never has been, and it never will be.  Just because it's the only language you understand, does not mean that everyone needs to speak it around you.  Grow the hell up.  Or move to England.  But even there, you will be disappointed.  Many people in England speak multiple languages because of the relationship that European countries have with one another.

Yes, learning English in America will definitely make an immigrant's life a lot easier, but how is their language choice affecting you negatively?  You can't understand what they say when you go into their store?  Instead of complaining about it, go to another store.  That's your right as an American.  You can shop where you want and give your money to whomever you want.

Just like it is everyone else's right as Americans to speak whatever language they choose; to sing in whatever language they choose; to worship or not worship as they please; to wear clothes that they pick out themselves.  That's what is so great about this country!  We can choose!  An American who does not look like you, sound like you, or act like you is not any less of an American.

The last line of the Pledge of Allegiance is "...with liberty and justice for all."
For all.  Not "for white people," "for English speakers," or "for Christians."  For. All. People need to get off of their "English speakers only" club and remember what country they live in and what it was founded for: freedom.

15 Ways to Burn Extra Calories without Changing your Daily Routine

You're already eating healthy, but you're having trouble finding time to work out between work, kids, and maintaining your househould (if you're doing this last one, then you're already doing better than me).  Well, believe it or not, there are small ways that you can burn extra calories without having to find time to do them.  Yes, you can burn calories without changing your daily routine.

1. Park farther away.
Whenever you get to work or the grocery store, park farther away than you normally would, even if it's only by a few parking spaces at first.  Those extra steps add up.  Try working your way up to to moving farther and farther away from the entrance.


2. Return the buggy.
Instead of leaving your grocery basket in the parking spot next to you, return it to a designated buggy corral.  Or, if you're feeling froggy, bring it back into the store.


3. Swing your arms.
The more parts of your body that are working, the more calories you are burning.  Adding a little swing in your step can subtract a few more calories.


4. March while you sit.
This is great if you have a desk job or are a student who spends a lot of time sitting.  Lifting your legs up and down in a marching motion can not only work out your leg muscles, but also help with circulation.


5. Do heel raises while you brush your teeth.
Start off doing 15 every time you brush your teeth.  Increase by one every day (or every other day) until you get to doing 50 standing
heel raises every time you brush your teeth.  This small workout tones all of the muscles in the back of your leg.

Img src: http://www.coastrehab.com/blog/wp-content/images/2011/08/heelraises1.gif

6. Work out your arms while you cook.

While you're waiting for the water to boil or the lasagna to bake, grab a couple of canned goods from your pantry and experiment with different ways of toning your arms.

7. Dance and clean.

Turn up the music, and shake it while you work.

Img src: http://mlblogsjaneheller.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/dancing-woman21.gif?w=327&h=537

8. Prepare your own meal.

Believe it or not, cooking and food preparation burns calories.  Just ask MyFitnessPal.  As an alternative to frozen dinners and fast food, chop up your own veggies.

9. Chew gum.

Yes, this actually burns a small amount of calories.  It also helps you resist the urge to snack.

10. Laugh.

Tell a joke.  Listen to a comedy station on your drive home.  Laughing not only burns calories, it works your ab muscles and helps you unwind after a long day.

11. Leg exercises while watching TV.

Or even when you're reading.  Do this as an alternative to just sitting still will help you burn more calories for the day and tone your legs.

12. Do jumping jacks before every shower.

What are you doing while you're waiting for the water to get hot?  Nothing.  Do some jumping jacks (or push-ups).  No matter how many you do, you're already burning more calories than you were before.

13. Tighten your core.

Every time you think about it, suck in your belly and tighten your abs.  Do it every time you stop at a red light, or every time you hear a commercial on the radio.  Just whenever you think about it, tighten it.

14. Fidget.

This burns more calories that you would think.  You know your friends who have a naturally high metabolism?  Not the ones who work out, but the ones who can eat like crap all the time and still manage to stay thin?  Watch them and see how often they actually sit still.
Tap or wiggle your feet when you sit, roll your chair back and forth, move around.

15. Wear heels.

Anyone who has ever walked a flight of stairs in heels can tell you that that is much more of a workout that climbing stairs in flats.  Wear the highest pair of heels you own (carefully, of course) to vacuum in, to do squats in, or clean the kitchen.

Burning calories does not have to be awful, and you don't have to take extra time out of your day to do any of these things.  No more excuses.

Tasty Detox Smoothie

Whether you just spent the weekend partying or just came out a holiday food binge, your body is probably looking for equilibrium.  Sometimes, in order to do this, you just need to spend a few days detoxing.  I prefer to do it the natural way with whole foods, versus the detox in a box.
A really good and natural way to help cleanse your body is by drinking a detoxifying smoothie.

What you'll need:

• high fiber fruit (such as an apple or pear)
• citrus fruit (orange or lemon)
• high fiber green (kale or spinach)
• 1-2 tbs. of a high fiber grain (barley or oats)
• 1/2 cup of water
• jalepeno puree (optional for those who like a little kick)

What to do:

Chop up the apple or pear into smaller cubes, peel and separate the citrus, and remove kale leaves from the stem.  Combine all ingredients in a blender and liquefy.  Serve immediately, and enjoy!

Shrimp Pasta in Tomato Herb Sauce

If you're in an Italian mood but don't really want spaghetti or alfredo, I have a recipe for you.  This was something I threw together when I discovered I had no tomato sauce in my pantry (that's when you know it's time for me to go grocery shopping).


What you'll need:

• 12-16 oz medium to large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 large tomatoes, diced (keep all of the juices with it)
• 1/4 cup olive oil 
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 tbs parsley
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp oregano 
• lemon juice from half a lemon (or a capful of the bottled stuff)
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/2 box (8oz.) small shells
• grated parmesan

What to do:

Combine tomatoes (and juice), olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper, and herbs and spices into a large skillet. Bring to a low boil. Cover and let simmer on medium low heat for about 5-6 minutes*.  While this is happening, start the water for your pasta.

Add shrimp and re-cover.  Continue to simmer on medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until shrimp is bright pink (about 10 minutes).

Add shrimp and sauce to cooked pasta.

Sprinkle with some parmesan and enjoy!

Total cook time: About 25 minutes

Serves: 4

*If you want a more fresh taste, you can skip this step. I strongly dislike the taste of raw tomatoes, so I let them cook a little longer.  If you're not sure, you can cook the shrimp in the sauce first and taste it when the shrimp are done.  If you don't think the tomatoes are cooked enough, remove the shrimp and cook the sauce for an extra 5-6 minutes.

The Easiest Chicken and Dumplins You Will Ever Make

Not only are they easy, they are super yummy!

Total cook time: About 35 minutes.

What you'll need:

• 3lb bag of boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Large can of cream of chicken*
• 1 can of large biscuits (homestyle original or buttermilk)**
• Salt
• Pepper
• Basil
• Garlic powder
• Parsley (not pictured)

*You can mix it up and use 4 small cans of cream of whatever else. I've mixed cream of celery, mushroom, and chicken, and it turned out really good.  I experimented with the Healthy Choice this time, but it is not nearly as flavorful as the full fat one. I solved this by adding more basil.

**Do NOT use flaky or butter flavored biscuits. They will not turn out.

What to do:

• Place the whole bag of chicken breasts in a medium to large pot, and fill with enough water to submerge them. (You can also cut the chicken beforehand, but it makes straining the fat out more difficult later.)
• Season with salt, pepper, basil, parsley, and garlic powder.
• Bring to a boil, and cook on medium heat until chicken is cooked through (about 15 minutes).
• Pull the cooked chicken out of the broth and set on a plate to cool a little. 
• Using a large spoon, scoop and strain the fat out of the broth. You will not be able to get it all out, which is perfectly fine.
• Keeping the heat on medium high, stir in the cream of chicken.  Heat and stir until all of the lumps are gone.
• While your cream of chicken is heating up, begin to tear or cut up the chicken into bite sized pieces. Set aside. (I like to set mine in the microwave or stove to keep it from losing too much heat.)
• When your broth mixture is smooth, turn down the heat begin tearing the biscuits into dumpling size pieces and dropping them into the broth. (Note: the biscuits will expand as they cook, so keep the pieces smaller than you would normally want them to be.)
• Let them cook for about 5 minutes, then add the chicken back to the soup.
• Enjoy!