Meatless Monday and an Ode to Zucchini

In college, I lived with my two very best friends from growing up, Laura and Diana. We lived in a beautiful house off campus and created our own little family complete with family dinners in the dining room.  At that time, my roommates were two of the biggest carnivores I had ever met.

I’m talking...
No date for Valentine’s day? Homemade three meat lasagna in front of the tv to drown our sorrows.
No food in the fridge? Don’t worry - summer sausage straight from the wrapper lasts forever.



Christmas 2008 pre-vegetarianism, illustrating our love for the Christmas ham 



For the past few years they have both been vegetarians! (Although Diana now eats meat again for energy reasons, listen to your bodies people, it will tell you what it needs!) I continue to love my meat…but I have adopted Meatless Mondays! Well, at least one day a week where I don’t eat any meat, it’s very rarely Monday. Let’s be real.

Meatless Monday is a public health movement which encourages people of all ages to cut out meat one day a week to improve their health and the health of the world by reducing their carbon footprint.

This week my meatless dish was a green pepper stuffed with zucchini, carrots, breadcrumbs and sautéed onions. Sorry about the lack of picture, I was REALLY hungry after work and didn't think about it.

I bought two zucchinis thinking the filling would take much more than it did and I needed to figure out a way to use them. 

Enter, carb-less Tuesday! 

Zucchini Ribbon Pesto Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes and Grilled Chicken! Basically, I cut the zucchini into spears and then used my mandolin to turn it into thin strips (you could also use a vegetable peeler to get it thin enough if you don't have a mandolin) and sautéed it in just a little bit of olive oil until it was al dente and pasta-like. Then I dressed up with Giada’s canned pesto sauce and tossed in the tomatoes and chicken. YUM! And paleo too!

I used half a zucchini here and STILL had some left. Good thing I like it! I used the other half in this delicious healthy apple bread! 

Apple Zucchini Bread

Hands on time: 10-20 minutes depending on your available kitchen tools

Total Time: 1 hour 10 min

What you need:

This makes one loaf, but it is easily doubled

• 1 cup shredded zucchini (I used half a zucchini and shredded it by hand with a box grater...this is what took so long, I recommend a food processor)
• 1 diced apple
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup white flour
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg and one egg white (or 1/4 cup egg substitute)
• 2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice or nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Start by shredding and dicing the healthy stuff. Yum! I personally don't mind leaving the skins on, but feel free to peel your fruits and veggies. Next mix together your sugar, applesauce, and eggs. Once this is combined slowly add in your flour, baking soda, and spices. It will be a thick, delicious, spicey mess at this point. Now go ahead and fold in the good stuff. It may not look tastey yet, but just wait! Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and spread the batter into the pan. The parchment keeps the loaf from sticking and makes it super easy to lift out of the pan. Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick or fancy cake tester (that I stole from my boyfriend, along with my beloved stand mixer...and vegetable chopper...and measuring cups...) comes out clean. 

Let cool, slice and enjoy!

What you get:

A moist, almost-cakey, spiced apple bread with all the benefits of zucchini and none of the taste. Although, zucchini bread itself is pretty delicious, so it wouldn't be bad if you COULD taste it. Applesauce is a great substitute for oil in baking, just make sure you use unsweetened, or cut back on the sugar in your recipe. We all know "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" and that apples and zucchini are good sources of fiber. Fiber helps to stop bad cholesterol (LDL) from being absorbed in the gut. Both apples and zucchini also have lots of vitamin A and vitamin C which are antioxidants. Antioxidants help protect cells against inflammation and breakdown. For more information on the health benefits of zucchini and apples check out my earlier "De-Stress and Dehydrate" post.

 

It's getting hot in herrrre

After a much needed girls' night in with wine and cookies, and Magic Mike of course, I woke up today motivated and ready for a productive day off.

The morning started (very early as per usual -- 7am) with my new obsession Dunkin’ Donuts Gingerbread coffee and a delicious pumpkin oatmeal mug cake! I made these addictive pumpkin molasses cookies earlier in the week and was left with half a can of pumpkin sitting my fridge and no idea what to do with it.

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies
Recipe: Nutrition Nut on the Run

So to fuel up a few hours before what was promised to be sweaty and challenging workout, I made this protein and fiber packed breakfast mug cake!

Pumpkin Mug Cake

At 11:30, off I went to experience the hottest (literally) new trend in exercise.

The Mercury Method is a fusion of yoga, Pilates, strength training and cardiovascular exercise in a heated room, set to almost club-like beats. The classes promise to improve your flexibility, strength and stamina.

Lucky for me, they just opened their first studio in Chicago, right by my house! AND they were offering free pilot classes to get a feel for the neighborhood and help train their new instructors.

The studio is sleek and modern with heated floors and giant ceiling fans to distribute the 98.6 degree heat.  New to Chicago, the staff was eager to adjust class schedules and incorporate feedback to meet the needs of their new clientele.

The class itself was incredible! I left class feeling strong, sweaty and centered. Each exercise was rooted in core strength but targets all the major muscle groups, and some I had forgotten I had! Serratus Anterior push-ups, holy cow, if it weren’t for med school I wouldn’t have even known these muscles existed, but I felt the burn.

The instructor, Diana, was motivating and provided much needed comic relief with a well-placed swear word, or endearing catch phrase. My favorite was that she called our rest pose, downward dog, “Man’s best friend” and I was very grateful when it came along.  I was so focused on the heat and wiping the sweat out of my eyes that I didn’t have time to doubt my abilities and cranked out each challenging exercise. Including push-ups, on my toes! A personal goal!

Super sweaty post-class with our awesome instructor, Diana

I highly recommend the Mercury Method!  It combines all the best aspects of my favorite exercises into one quick hour and for the city it is super affordable. Check it out!

They recommend you come hydrated, caffeinated and lightly fed…This mug cake isn’t quite light…but it kept me full and energized from the time I woke up at 7am through class at 11:30 and until lunch at 1pm! 

Pumpkin Mug Cake

Hands on time: 3 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

What you need:

• 1 ripe Banana
• 1/4 cup Canned Pumpkin
• 1/4 cup Old Fashioned Oatmeal
• 1/4 cup Egg Substitute, or one whole egg
• 1/2 Tbs Molasses
• 1 Tbs Chocolate Chips
• 1 Tbs Walnut Halves chopped
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

Mash up the banana in the bottom of your mug. Mix in the pumpkin, molasses and egg. Add the spices to this mixture. Next, stir in the oatmeal and chocolate chips. Sprinkle the chopped walnuts on top and microwave for 2 minutes. You want the center to still look a little wet. 

The cake is about 400 calories, perfectly portioned for a healthy breakfast. To me, it's okay to spend a lot of your daily calories at breakfast since it fuels your entire day. There is that old key-to-health proverb..."Eat breakfast like a King, lunch like a Prince and dinner like a pauper."

What you get:

Have you realized how much I love bananas? They are nutrient powerhouses, I eat one every day! Oatmeal helps to reduce your cholesterol, stabilize your blood sugar (helps to prevent diabetes), and has tons of fiber to keep you full. Pumpkin is also full of fiber (being full helps you eat fewer calories throughout the day). Pumpkin also contains beta-carotene, an antioxidant which may help fight cancer cells AND WRINKLES! Surprisingly, pumpkin has even MORE potassium than a banana, almost twice! Potassium is essential before and after a hard workout to balance electrolyte loss in your muscles and sweat. Finally, pumpkin is a good source of vitamin C. It's perfect that pumpkin is in season in the Fall and Winter, to help you battle those changing of the seasons colds!

Will Run For Chocolate

The Hot Chocolate 5K & 15K was this weekend in Chicago.

 I won't lie, the motivation to run this race came from a cute sweatshirt for finishing and a free after party consisting of a giant mug of chocolate fondue and hot chocolate! I decided that gorging on chocolate post race is an example of a "healthy balance".  And man was it good!

So true!

The race was VERY cold and VERY crowded. Over 40,000 people ran it, including the Mayor of Chicago! BUT it was well organized with corrals based on estimated pace and staggered start times, which made the actual running of the race really easy. I set pace with the person next to me, and had a radius of least 2 feet between me and the closet runner!

Waiting in the corral for the race to begin, and the sun to rise.

Corral G, a 10 min mile pace, totally reasonable! 

It was my first race since moving to the city. I know,  I promise to do more, weekends off have been limited but there is already a plan in the works to run the Shamrock 8K shuffle in March. 

The course itself was really scenic, through downtown, under the bridges and alongside the water. It was also essentially flat, perfect for your first race (which for some of my friends it was!). I could have done without the uphill trek to the finish line, but running past the Field Museum and seeing the Shedd made it worthwhile. 

Hot Chocolate 5K finishers. It was the first race for all these girls except me, so proud of them! 

Again, here's to whatever motivates you to get moving! 

See there is a banana, that's healthy!

After the race, my sweet tooth was raging! Eating that delicious chocolate fondue just sparked more chocolate cravings, so I baked cookies! Don't worry -- these cookies have no eggs, no flour and no butter. Just whole, delicious ingredients, a bit of chocolate to satisfy my craving and of course, fruits AND veggies!

Banana Oat Drops

Hands on time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 28 minutes

What you need:

• 3 ripe mashed bananas 
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup vanilla almond milk (or any milk of your choice)
• 2 cups oatmeal
• 1/2 cup of raw zucchini shredded or chopped in food processor (about 1/2 a small/medium zucchini)
• 2 Tbs mini chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1 oz chopped walnuts (or any nuts you prefer)
• 2 Tbs shredded coconut (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mash up the ripe bananas (one of my favorite parts, gets the aggression out). Coarsely chop the nuts and grate the zucchini or pulse it in a food processor.  Mix the bananas and zucchini together with the applesauce, cinnamon and vanilla. Next, stir in your oats and wet the mixture with your choice of milk. Finally, fold it all your mix-ins. The best part of these recipes is you can get creative, don't like raisins? Try chopped apricots! Don't like walnuts? Try pecans! Don't like chocolate? Wait what?! No such thing! :-) Shape the cookies into golf ball or walnut sized drops and place them on your cookie sheet. Press them down a little bit, they will stay in whatever shape they are on the sheet. Bake for approximately 18 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Let cool completely and enjoy! 

Super close up to see all the goodness!

What you get:

The perfect fix for your chocolate and cookie cravings, full of whole grains, protein and fiber! These cookies are great for the paleo diet too, you can substitute the oatmeal for an almond or flax flour, or just not be that strict. Moderation. :-) We've talked about bananas and walnuts in the past, and of course, my favorite, cinnamon. I just switched over to using almond milk. It has more calcium and vitamin D than cows milk for about half the calories! I love it in coffee, on cereal, on it's own and in my recipes. The real hidden nutrient knockout in these is the zucchini. It has folate, potassium and vitamin A. A half cup of zucchini also has approximately 20% of your daily needed Manganese. Manganese is important for the functioning of one of your bodies greatest antioxidants. It also helps to keep your bones strong and create the collagen that helps wounds heal! But be careful, as with many vitamins and minerals (and anything really), it isn't good for you in excess.

My recipe made 2.5 dozen cookies! That makes each cookie approximately 50 calories! Yes, please!