#18 Guilt-Free No-Bake Oatmeal Bars

Working downtown, there are so many places to buy lunch, or grab a mid-afternoon snack.  It adds up in cost, but it also adds up in those damn calories!

A while ago, a friend and I were talking about Team Beachbody - where she was a coach.  I was intrigued and signed up!  Although I didn't continue with the Beachbody workouts (I am onto NTC now - and LOVING it!), I still have some of the delicious Shakeology powder left, and so have decided to put it to use.

What's nice about this, is that not only is it quick, easy and there is no baking involved, it is also fairly healthy for you.

You'll need: 

4 scoops of Chocolate Shakeology (or another chocolate flavoured protein powder)

3 cups rolled oats

1 tsp cocoa powder

Dash of Cinnamon

1 cup almond milk

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Combine the protein, oats, cocoa powder and cinnamon in a large bowl and mix well together

2. Add milk, peanut butter and vanilla extract and mix well

3. Place in an 8x8 inch greased pan

4. Cover with plastic wrap and press down to flatten into pan

5. Place in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours

6. Cut into 12 bars and enjoy!!

They are pretty gooey and chewy, but feel satisfying and you don't get the guilts after - always a plus!!

xo 

#17 Glazed Honey Balsamic Chicken Thighs

Before I get started on sharing the recipe, I just have to say how much I love, love, LOVE this.  I had a friend over for dinner the other night, and so this was perfect to prepare the night before, allowing the chicken to marinate thoroughly. 

Ok, so - I find that when I use boneless chicken thighs, it's just so much easier, so let's start with that!

You'll need:
6 chicken thighs (seems like a lot for 2 people, but this is perfect for leftovers)

Marinate
1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 cup Honey
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
4 Minced Garlic Cloves
2 tsp Ginger

Glaze
(from the leftover marinate, while the chicken is baking)
1 tbsp Cornstarch
1/2 tsp Salt

The Night Before (or at least 3 hours before cooking)

1. First, add in all the ingredients of the marinate into a large ziplock bag
2. Add chicken, shake around until it's completely covered, then store in the fridge until it's ready to be cooked (approx 3 hours before)

The Day Of..

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
4. On tray, put chicken into oven for 30 minutes.  Make sure any excess marinate is dripped off the chicken before putting in the oven.

The Glaze

5. While the chicken is in the oven, pour the marinate into a pan on the stove, medium heat
6. Add cornstarch and 2 tbsp of water to marinate, continually stirring to thicken
7. The marinate/glaze must come to a boil, in order to remove any bacteria from the raw chicken
8. Remove chicken from oven, brush with glaze and serve!

Oh, and check out these awesome teas and gift package that my friend, Taryn, gave Ken and I for our engagement!  How sweet is she?!

[Fit Friday] Introducing, Ashy!

So, as I mentioned in my first post, I never was one to make resolutions.  But, after talking to my bestie about my personal goal of hitting 265 meals this year, she revealed some of her own fitness goals.  Together, we started brainstorming on ideas and how to help each other reach them.  So - we decided to work together on them.  

Ashy has been a long-time bestie of mine.  We met in 2002 in college, when it seemed so easy to stay fit - all the while eating whatever we wanted (hello, pizza pizza and shanghai noodles!).  

Our plan is that while I am posting about food and new recipes (and perhaps introducing some other lifestyle goodies into the blog), she is going to do a monthly guest post on her fitness from the month, which will allow her to reflect on the past months workouts.

This idea was, of course, discussed over a delicious greasy breakfast at our local all-day breakfast spot.  Mmm mm. 

So, introducing Ashy.  Long-time bestie and partner in crime!

I am turning 30 this year (*sigh*) and have decided to up my fitness game to hit my goals by my birthday on September 1^st… 

A little background on me; I have done sports all my life (baseball, basketball and dance – yes, dance is a sport), studied fitness and lifestyle management in college, am a Personal Trainer and Fitness Instructor, teach CPR and work for the leading fitness certification organization in Canada! 

So, up’ing my fitness game should be easy, right?! WRONG!!! I am stuck in a rut and feel that I have done everything under the sun already but then a light bulb clicked when discussing this with a co-worker (her name is CH and yes, she has become part of the fitness game now).

We have decided that on our lunch hours, instead of going to the gym everyday to lift weights or go run the treadmill, we will try the old fitness trends and see what they were all about!!

In January, we tried Richard Simmons: Sweat and Shout and Tae Bo!!

Richard Simmons – LOVE, LOVE, LOVED IT!!! I have met him before, but never actually tried a workout! We searched YouTube (because who has a VCR anymore to play his videos???) and found a few options… we choose Sweat and Shout, which had a great mix of motown and fun moves! We thoroughly enjoyed the 1 hour workout, laughed, sweat and made the decision to do Richard Simmons workouts more often!! Such a great time!!!

Tae Bo – HATE, HATE, HATED IT!!! I seriously don’t know how anyone got in shape or motivated by these videos (sorry Billy Blanks). We started the workout with an optimistic outlook but about 5 minutes in, I wanted to shut it off… there was minimal music and they all just counted to 8 over and over and over again! But, CH said we have to push through and finish the workout (nice, thanks CH…) However, 20 minutes in we couldn’t take it anymore and went to the gym to run on the treadmill!!! Decision made – no more Tae Bo ever again!!

January is off to a great start and I am happy to say, I am 4 pounds down (sorry, not ready for an unveiling of the “before” picture just yet!!!)

Stay tuned for February’s post – CH and I plan to include more old school videos and hopefully, I drop a few more pounds!! WOOP WOOP!!! Having fun and getting one step closer to my 30^th birthday “be in the best shape of your life” goal (The name is still a work in progress – feel free to leave a comment with another option! lol) 1 month down, 7 to go!!! 

Peace,

Ashy xx

 

#16: Heavenly Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Who doesn't love breakfast for lunch (or even dinner!).

For today's lunch, I whipped up some chocolate chip pancakes.  Not the most healthy choice, but absolutely lip-smackering delicious.

You'll need:

1.5 cups all-purpose white flour

3.5 tsp baking powder

Sprinkle of salt

1 tbsp white sugar

1 1/4 cups milk

1 egg

3 tbsp butter, melted

Ok, first - sift all the 'dry' ingredients - the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.  Once that is all mixed thoroughly, add the remaining ingredients and mix until smooth.

For the chocolate chips, I just eye balled as I poured them in.

I used a griddle, at 400 degrees.  Just keeping an eye on them, I flipped when they were browned on the bottom.  

Once all done, pile on a plate and smother with syrup.  Good to go!

Oh - and we got some succulents for the kitchen window sill.  I love these and itching to get some more!   The best part, is that they are incredibly easy to take care of.

#15 Ja, Schnitzel Time!

Who doesn't love a good schnitzel (unless you're a vegetarian, of course!)

With some family in town, Ken and I decided to host them for dinner.  Of course, being pretty new to hosting, and cooking an actual full meal for them...was pretty daunting!

Originally, we were going to have some glazed chicken thighs, but when the grocery store didn't have enough to serve anyone, I piled up on the chicken cutlets for some schnitzel.

Normally, I do schnitzel with pork or veal, but not everyone is a fan of those choices, so, we opted for chicken.

You'll need:
Your choice of chicken/pork/veal cutlets (the number will depend on how many people you are serving...)
Breadcrumbs
Eggs (I used 3 eggs for 12 cutlets)
Splash of milk
Flour (I used approx 2 cups for 12 cutlets)

1. Pound the meat so that it becomes quite thin
2. Cover each piece of meat into the flour, dusting it off after it's fully covered
3. Dip the meat into the egg, completely covering it
4. Cover the meat with the breadcrumbs
5. Heat oil into a frying pan (I use vegetable oil)
7. Once the oil is heated, fry the meat until it is browned
8. Voila!!  Done!

#14: Avocado Tomato & Toast

Mornings are never very easy for me, but this breakfast helps get the day started!  With simple, fresh ingredients, I always feel great after having this.

You'll need (to make 2 servings):

Bread of your choice, toasted (2 per person)

2 Avocado 

1 Tomato 

1/2 Red Onion

Sprinkle of Garlic Powder

1 tsp Lemon juice 

1. Chop red onion as finely as possible

2. Cut avocado and put into a separate bowl.  Smash into a guac-like state

3. Mix in the red onion & lemon juice to the avocado

4. Sprinkle garlic powder over mixture & mix

5. Spread over toast

6. Cut tomato and put on top of toast/avocado

7. Enjoy!

#13 [oh she glows] Broccoli & Cashew Cheese-Quinoa Burrito

Tonight for dinner, was straight from the Oh She Glows cookbook.  It was delicious!

There are two parts to this:

Cashew Cheese Sauce
3/4 cup raw cashews
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1.5 tsps Dijon mustard
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt

For the Burrito
1 cup quinoa
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1.5 cups diced sweet onion
sale and pepper
3/4 cup diced celery
2 cups diced broccoli florets
tortillas

*the recipe calls for 3-4 tbsps of sun-dried tomatoes and 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, which I didn't include.


First, you'll need to make the Cashew Cheese Sauce.

1. Put the cashews into a bowl and cover with water.  This will need to soak for 3.5 hours.
2. Combine the soaked cashews (after draining!) with the garlic, almond milk, yeast, mustard, lemon juice, onion powder and salt/pepper.

Moving onto the burrito bits...

3. Cook the quinoa and put aside..
4. Heat the oil in a pan, and add the garlic and onion until the onion is clear.
5. Add the celery, broccoli (and tomatoes, should you wish!).  Saute over the heat until the broccoli is soft.
6. Add the quinoa and sauce and stir to mix it in with all the veggies and quinoa.  Cook until it's all heated through.

Voila!  Spoon into tortilla wraps and enjoy!

Ken and I were brainstorming some extra things we could add in, and were thinking some peppers or some type of meat.  However, it definitely doesn't need it as it's very tasty already!