Soaking Berries to Keep Them Fresh Longer

This one's easy. Strawberries and blueberries don't last through the week for us without this method. With it, we still have crisp berries for nearly 2 weeks!

How to Soak Berries and Keep Them Fresh Longer

1 cup white distilled vinegar
1 sink full of cold water
1 colander

Fill sink with water and vinegar to height that won't allow berries to float out of the colander, place colander in sink, and the berries go in the colander.

Easy peasy. Let em soak for 45 minutes, shaking the colander every 15 minutes to dislodge any dirt.

Rinse with cool water, pat dry. I store mine in Rubbermaid containers with a folded paper towel in the bottom.

Enjoy!

Because Eating Healthy Feels Good

Disclaimer: I also drank a 12oz can of Coca-Cola today. But it felt much less horrible knowing what I ate the rest of the day.

For breakfast, I had 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt with coconut flakes, blackberries, and almond slivers.

I snacked on strawberries, blueberries, Chobani yogurt, a mini Babybel cheese, and a Clif bar before and after lunch.

Lunch was a garden salad (spinach, romaine, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, and balsamic) with a side of green peas and mushrooms.

At 3pm, I wanted a Coke. It reminded me that home wasn't that far away.

And I even managed to drink 30+ ounces of water so far! For me, it felt like 5 gallons.

Loaded Sweet Pepper Nachos

I feel like we totally pigged out tonight and went off the deep end. Did I really cook, serve, and eat nachos for supper? Yep. Sure did.

Sweet Pepper Nachos

Ingredients
1 bag small sweet peppers (I didn't use the whole bag, only 8-10 of the biggest ones)
1 lb lean ground beef (substitutions work well here - turkey, etc.)
1 can black beans
1 small can (6oz) tomato paste
taco seasoning or your favorite taco spices
Optional toppings:
diced tomato
sliced jalapeno
1 cup shredded cheese
sour cream
green onions
hot sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Make taco meat:
Brown meat on medium-high heat, season. Once brown, add rinsed can of black beans and remove from heat. Stir mixture. Add tomato paste and continue to stir. Depending on your meat choice, it may be thick. Add tablespoons of water until proper chili consistency.

Prepare peppers & assemble:
Cut tops off peppers, then slice lengthwise, creating boats. Layer boats in 9x13" baking dish, and spoon chili mixture into boats. Any remaining chili can be on top or in between peppers.

Bake at 375°F for approx. 30 minutes, or until peppers are fork tender.

Top with shredded cheese and let it rest while the cheese melts.

Add jalapenos and diced tomatoes to the dish, and add sour cream and green onions once served.

The yellow peppers look a lot like Fritos Scoops, but taste so much better.

Make-Ahead Work Day Lunches: Grilled Chicken Salad, Yogurt, and Fruit

I've found that if I pack myself a lunch and take it to work, I'll eat it. If I don't bring a lunch and rely on myself to make healthy choices in the company dining room or at a nearby restaurant, I end up eating something awful for me.

Though I didn't have much extra time this evening, I was able to use some of my new Ziploc containers to throw together 3 pre-made salads. My phone was nearby, so I figured I could document it for all 2 of my blog readers.

Dressing on the bottom - this keeps all the crunchy or lettuce-y bits from getting soggy. I'll shake it up before eating. I alternated Wishbone House Italian and Hidden Valley Ranch. I know, Hidden Valley Ranch might as well be melted butter. I don't care. This salad is STILL better than eating a cheeseburger.

Sugar snap peas are next, followed by pre-grilled chicken strips and wedges of tomatoes.

Romaine mixed lettuce and crispy onions as a topper.

Healthy Crock Pot Recipe: Salsalito Lime Chicken

You'll need:
3-4 frozen chicken breasts
3 jalapeno peppers (or more for heat), seeded and diced
24oz jar of picante sauce or salsa
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 limes
1/2 tbsp each:
cumin
salt
black pepper
paprika
onion powder

Optional for serving (not all paleo):
shredded cheese
cilantro
sour cream
tortillas or chips

Directions:
Add chicken breasts to bottom of Crock Pot. Add juice from 3 limes, jar of salsa, diced onions, garlic, jalapenos, and spices to pot and cook on low for 6-7 hours.

Top with cheese, sour cream, cilantro, or tortilla chips.

We enjoyed ours on flour tortillas with sour cream. Easy peasy and delicious.

How to Cook Perfect Boiled Eggs Every Time

With these steps, you'll never get a half-cooked yolk or one of those over-cooked, gray yolks. Ever since I've learned this technique, I've had no problem making perfect boiled eggs for salads and deviled eggs. They even peel easier!

1. Place eggs in the bottom of a pot or saucepan in a single layer (do not stack or pile the eggs on top of each other) and fill water to one inch above eggs. Add a couple pinches of salt.

2. Uncovered and on high, heat eggs to a rolling boil. Allow rolling boil for 30 seconds, then remove eggs from heat and cover tightly with lid.

3. Let covered pot sit for 10 minutes without opening lid, then drain hot water from pot and add cool water and a handful of ice cubes.

You're finished!

I peel my eggs under slowly running water as soon as they're cool enough to handle, and I've never had a problem making pretty, clean peeled eggs. :)

Terrible Day at Work? Eats a Salad.

Today was rough one at work. I've had busier days and days with more issues, but today just got under my skin. I made it home over an hour later than usual, and I was starving. I surprised myself by not going straight toward the 2 packages of Keebler cookies in the pantry (that my husband has seemingly forgotten about... shh), but by reaching for a bowl, some romaine, grape tomatoes, and fresh sliced carrots. Once I sat down with my salad, I stopped to make a puzzled face directed at myself and my shocking behavior.

"Amy, are you really assuaging your cubical woes by eating a salad?" It was so, and the moment deserved to be noted. So, here it is. A blog post and a meme-style image for all 3 of my readers to enjoy.

Stale Ideas, Fresh Food

I've got several web design projects working right now, and I have a couple logo design projects as well. With my full-time job getting busier and several personal things making life hectic, my own creativity and business flow is suffering.
One of my most clear-minded moments was during a recent 2+ mile walk with my husband around the neighborhood. Our little apartment doesn't do me any inspiring favors.
While the man of the house snoozed away on the couch, I made fresh guacamole and pico de gallo tonight. We bought some reduced fat Triscuits to keep around the house for snacking, and those two dips will work perfectly.
I'm excited to pack some of the guac and pico in my lunch tomorrow. Hopefully, my design ideas will be as fresh as my snacks this week. I'm ready to be out of this funk.
Have to be awake in 3 hours to send the hubby off to work, then I'll make my way to work as well. Yikes.

Food Diary 1/10/13: Apples and Pork Don't Mix

I decided to change the naming of these posts, since I'm obviously not doing the juice fast. Done with it.
Breakfast and lunch consisted of my regular work day meals. Omelet and salad.
For dinner, I seasoned boneless pork chops with sage, thyme, paprika, and allspice, and I grilled then up nicely.
I used the same pan to cook down 1/2 an onion, 1 pear and 1 apple. When they were caramelized, I added 1/2 cup of fresh juiced apples. I let that reduce while the chops rested.
I served the chops sliced, with the apple mixture on top. My husband swears that apples and sweet things don't go well with pork. Lol. So, I might not be making this one again.

Not A Juice Fast: Day 3

WEDNESDAY

Okay, so at this point my breakfasts and lunches are about the same every day.

Breakfast: Egg white omelet with spinach and pico de gallo from the dining room at work. Some days, I add hot sauce. And lots of black pepper, because apparently I am afraid they are running out of the stuff.

Lunch: Garden salad with ham or baked/grilled chicken. I know. Black beans are beans, and they are totally not paleo. I'm a big, fat, fraud liar-head. Get over yourself.

Dinner is where things get interesting. Wednesday night, I made a paleo version of chicken cacciatore. It was fresh, and full of tomato, onion, and garlic flavors. Yum.

One more day until cheat day. Not because it's Friday, but because it's our 3-year wedding anniversary. Woo! :)

Juice Fast: Day 1

MONDAY

Breakfast 5:00am
Juice: Mean Green - Celery, kale, cucumber, lemon, ginger, spinach, green apples

Once my husband is off to work at 4:40am, I usually crawl back into bed and drag myself out of bed by 7:15am to arrive at work on time at 8:00am. This morning, I drank my juice before I went back to bed, and I found i couldn't fall asleep. I spent some time sleeping in this weekend, so the energy could be because I was caught up on sleep, or because I was anxious about the whole juicing thing. Either way, I took a shower and used the extra time to blow dry my hair and take my time getting ready for work. I arrived at work at 7:00am.

It's now 8:00am, and my stomach is missing my usual breakfast taco. I have a Camelback of ice cold water, and I'm hoping it helps curb my appetite. I plan on using my lunch break to get some walking done at LA Fitness, and I have a delicious-looking juice waiting for me in the office fridge.

10:30am Update

I'm hungry. I want to go down to the dining room and wait for it to open so I can order a cheeseburger or something crunchy and cheesy. I've had 20oz of water, and I've refilled my Camelback. I got up for a restroom break, and I felt sick to my stomach. No lightheadedness and no dizzyness. I don't feel weak, as I normally do when I've been too long without food. I honestly think my body is just pissed at me for not feeding it carbs and yummy things. I'm going to drink this water and head out to LA Fitness within the hour. Bleh.

Lunch 12:30pm
Juice: Pineapple, carrots, oranges, lemon

This one tastes good. I was ready for it, too. I couldn't go quickly enough to the fridge and grab this sucker off the shelf. The color being a rich, vibrant orange, my brain tricked me into thinking it was going to be sugary and filled with artificial colors and flavors. Not so. Though the juice is naturally sweet, I left the orange peels on, and this has given the juice that tart and bitter taste of the rind. I'm not complaining. Actually, I think I like that. The orange oil leaves kind of a tingle/cooling sensation on my tongue. Either that or I'm going into some kind of shock because I have not eaten anything fried or cheesy today. Dancing taste buds is how I can best describe it. No, really.

Amy's 10-Day Juice Fast

My husband and I have been talking about a detox to jumpstart our 2013 routine, and the documentary "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" sucked us in. We even went out and purchased a Breville juicer (AKA Juice Fountain) from Bed, Bath & Beyond.

If after the 10 days I feel like I can and want to continue, I may push through to a 30-day fast. We'll have to see. I'll be posting an update every day of this 10-day fast. I plan on doing a bit of writing after each juice/meal to include how I feel and whether or not I'm hungry. I'll also include any working out I do, as I will be attending the gym throughout the fast.

Nervous, excited, and curious about results!

.Amy

Easy 4-Item Chicken Stir Fry

Okay. I say "4-Item," because I cheat. I admit it. When I can buy a single package of prepared stir fry veggies in the Kroger produce section, I do it. I'm counting my cellophane-wrapped veggies as 1 item. So there. :)

Here's what you need:

Stir fry veggies (broccoli, carrots, onion, and bell peppers)
2 chicken breasts
1 bottle La Choy Stir Fry Sauce
Soy sauce

Cooking oil
Wok or large skillet



Slice chicken breasts horizontally, cover with plastic wrap, then pound chicken out to approx 1/4 inch thickness.



Heat wok or skillet to med-high heat. Cut the thin chicken breast into small strips (approx 1x1" pieces), and add 2 tbsp cooking oil before placing chicken into skillet.

Perfect Baked Chicken Recipe

When a recipe calls for cooked chicken, don't ever use bland, boring chicken breast meat ever again! This recipe will change your life. It's very simple, but it will make all the difference in your casseroles, salads, and other dishes that call for cooked chicken.

Start with:

2-3 large chicken breasts
1 tbsp chopped, dried parsley
1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 tbsp ground pepper
1/2 tbsp paprika
1/2 tbsp onion powder
1/2 tbsp garlic powder

small bowl
skillet
shallow baking pan or cookie sheet
non-stick spray
Pre-heated oven at 350°

In a small bowl, combine all of the spices and mix.

Prep chicken breasts by trimming off extra fat or rib meat, if you prefer. I usually slice off wasteful amounts of meat when trimming fat and rib meat, so that's the huge pile of chicken you see piled up on the left. Whoops.

Rub the mixed spices on both sides of the chicken breasts.