It’s not always sloppy the second time

Last week was yet another busy week of studying, testing, working, cooking, and trying to find time to train for the triathlon next month. I went out to the lake for nice little (3000 meter!!!!) swim with some of my training buddies.  It’s kinda unreal how pretty it is out here.

I also got to visit with some new friends.  Apparently there are a ton of these cute little guys that live wild out by the lake.

So I have yet another Mexican recipe to share with you.  What can I say, I can’t go more than a couple weeks without a taco. This marinade was super tasty.  Plus it gave me an excuse to use some of that tequila we got in Mexico.

Tequila-Lime Fish Tacos (inspired by a recipe on epicurious.com)

• 4 T Lime juice
• 3 T tequila
• 3 T cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp finely chopped garlic
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 lb white fish, like mahi mahi
• 3 T rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp canola oil
• 2 tsp honey
• 3 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
• salt and pepper to taste
• corn tortillas
• 1/2 avocado

1. In a plastic bag, combine 3 T lime juice, tequila, 1 T cilantro, garlic and cumin.  Add fish, seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 1 hour.  2. In a bowl combine vinegar, oil, honey, salt and pepper.  Add cabbage and toss well.  3. Heat grill. 4. Remove fish from marinade, season with salt and pepper. 5. Grill, turning once, until cooked through and slightly charred. ( about 4 min a side) 6. Chop into cubes. 7. Stir remaining cilantro into slaw. 8. Grill tortillas, turning once, 30 seconds per side.  9.  Assemble tacos with fish, slaw, and avocado.  10.  EAT!

The best thing about this meal was that I had beans, salsa, avocado, and tortillas leftover.  On my morning run I came up with a brilliant plan for breakfast.

My Huevos Rancheros

• 2 Corn tortillas
• Black Beans
• Shredded Cheese (or fake cheese for me)
• Salsa
• avocado
• 1 egg
• black pepper

Heat a small amount of oil in a omlette pan.  Place one tortilla on the pan. Sprinkle cheese on it and top with another tortilla.  Cook until browned on each side and cheese is melted. Top with black beans and some more cheese. Keep in a warming drawer.  Heat up another small amount of oil.  Crack one egg carefully in pan.  Season with pepper.  Cook egg over easy by flipping only once without breaking the yolk. Place the egg on top of the tortilla.  Top with salsa and avocado.

I gotta say, the “Force” was with me on this one.

Sorry, I just had to find a Segway to use this picture.  A friend sent it to me to brighten my day and it cracked me up!

I won’t be defeated, I’ll eat garlic instead

Awhile back we started talking about “first world” problems.  Like the woman who is complaining that there are no direct flights from here to her summer home in the Bahamas.  Or the person who has to wait 5 minutes because their to-go order wasn’t ready the second they arrived at the restaurant. We all have those things we get so down in the dumps about. If we just took a step back we would realize that it’s kind of ridiculous to be so upset. My “first world” problem is beginning to make me crazy. I fell off a jet ski in Cabo. Oh how sad! I know, but I did fracture my rib and I still can’t run or swim or sleep very well. But I’ve been managing my sorrow with hiking,

with a ton of supplements,

magnesium, Calcium, Tumeric (natural anti-inflammatory), Vitamin D, Multi-vitamin, Probiotic

and some delicious dairy-free ice cream 😉

I will not drown in self-pity! I will continue to bring you delicious gluten-free, dairy-free recipes.  I found a couple great recipes in Experience Life magazine that featured garlic.  Love garlic! The key is that you and your man have to both eat garlic so that when you make out later your breath is equally hideous! 😉

Garlic and Pecan Crusted Fish (methods adapted by me)

• 1/3 cup of pecans
• 1/3 cup quinoa flakes (or wheat germ for you gluten people)
• 3 cloves of minced garlic
• 2 T of lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lb of white fish (I used cod)

Preheat oven to 400*. Crush pecans with a rolling pin. Add quinoa flakes and garlic.  Arrange the fish on a foil lined baking sheet. Cover fish with lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.  Press the pecan mixture onto the fish.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until fish is cooked and pecans are toasted.

White Bean and Roasted Garlic Pate

• 1 15oz can cannellini beans, drained
• 1 head of roasted garlic, removed from skin (roasted in olive oil for 40 min)
• 2 T olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
• Salt and cayenne pepper to taste

In a food processor blend the beans, garlic, and olive oil.  Add the parsley and pulse to mix.  Season with salt and cayenne to taste.  We served it with grilled red peppers and zucchini. 

 

Retail Therapy

Two weeks can seem like two years! It has been two weeks since I fell off that stupid jet ski and I still can’t work out.  This weekend I decided that I was sick of sitting around so I went out for a run.  Bad idea! I didn’t even make it one block before I was in tears.  It felt like someone was stabbing me in my ribs. UGH! I ended up riding my bike for the third day in a row since it’s the only thing I can do.  I was in a horrible mood so I decided to go shopping.  Dangerous.  I stopped by the triathlon store.  I left with this:

Oops! But, I was in a much better mood afterwards 🙂 So, I guess I am coming out of retirement.  As soon as I can start swimming and running again, that is. This morning I had one more spin on old Blue:

Quite the upgrade, huh? She was loyal for 6 years but it was definitely time to move on. And now for another tasty, yet healthy recipe. (Yea, I had no Segway) Fish with White Wine

• 2 filets of fish (Tilapia, Cod, or Halibut)
• 1 red pepper, sliced julienne
• 2 T olive oil
• 1/4 cup white wine
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup cilantro

1. Preheat oven to 400*  2.Tear off two pieces of parchment paper large enough to wrap up the fish. 3. Place red peppers (and any other veggies you may want) in the middle of each paper. 4. Place fish on top. 5. Drizzle each with oil and wine. Season with salt and pepper.  Garnish with cilantro. 6. Bake for approx 20 min, or until paper starts to brown.  Serve in the paper.

I served the fish alongside something I just made up as I went with some things we just had lying around. I just sautéed some minced garlic and onions in olive oil.  Added some tomatoes, spinach, and some tomato paste. It was actually really, really tasty.  This would be a great little summer meal. Speaking of summer, Sammy is really enjoying his pool

 

Ready for Battle

This weekend we decided to try something new. I’ve now been consistent with my running and lifting,but this my friends, was a whole new beast. The Warrior Dash. Just a little 5k, no big deal.  Oh, but let’s throw some cars to climb over, walls to scale, ropes to climb, fire to jump over, and end with crawling through mud under barbed wire. Now that is what I’m talking about! First, obviously, you must have a costume.

We decided to call ourselves Warrior Goddess. Chad was a little offended so we amended it to Ultimate Warriors. I think we look tough 😉 It’s the gold sequin headbands.

It was pushing triple digits in heat again so our 3 pm start time was not ideal. But, we made it, we got dirty, and had a blast doing it.  I highly recommend even you non-runners to try one of these events.

Now, if you are going to race like a warrior you need to eat like one too.  Here is a recipe that I originally started using back when I was on the Clean diet a year ago. It was a good book with many good points. I found, however, that it is just not realistic as a lifestyle. It is also not a good choice for someone who works out. I became very irritable and tired, which is exactly opposite of how you are told you will feel. I was in the middle of a tough quarter in grad school, so being exhausted all the time was not an option. I only lasted two weeks of Clean. But, as I said I learned some good things from it and I use many of the delicious, healthy recipes like this one.

Baked Citrus Fish in Parchment

• 2 filets of fish (I’ve used Cod, Halibut, and Orange Roughy, all good)
• 2 T olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives
• 1 Lemon sliced
• 1/2 zucchini sliced
• 2 T capers*
• 1 T lemon juice*
• salt and pepper to taste*
• Parchment paper

Preheat oven to 425*. Cut two strips of parchment, approximately     in size.  Drizzle oil on paper and place fish on top. Arrange zucchini and lemons on top of fish, alternating them.  Top with remaining oil and lemon juice (split between the two equally).  Add the olives and capers to each and salt and pepper.  Fold up paper around fish like a little package.  If I can’t get the paper to stay put I secure it with toothpicks.  Bake in the oven for about 12-15 minutes.The paper will be slightly browned. Serve in the paper immediately. 

This time I didn’t have the lemons, but I would highly recommend them. I also added fresh basil from my plant and used spears of mini zucchini instead of slices. I grilled some shiitake mushrooms and brussels sprouts for a side.  Just a little olive oil drizzled on top with some salt and pepper. There is also a mini steamed artichoke in there 🙂 This is so easy, so healthy, and so delicious!

It’s probably about time that I give an update on the actual Operation Meltdown.  The mission has been less about weight loss and more about getting healthy and it is paying off.  Slow and steady I am now down six pounds.  Not a ton but if you have been following for a while you have seen the ups and downs as I have tried to figure out what works and what doesn’t.  I’m feeling good and I’m only four pounds away from my goal. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon!