Archive for April, 2012

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April 30th, 2012

Potatoes Au Gracias

by Tiff

Last week I received an OXO Good Grips V-Blade Mandoline Slicer in the mail. I was so excited to give it a try, and the first thing that came to mind were potatoes. Slicing potatoes can be a pain, but those thin rounds are so delicious as scalloped potatoes, chips, and potatoes au gratin.

taterific

Although cheese and I are very close, I at least *try* to keep things healthy around here. Instead of a adding a lot of heavy cream or an artery-clogging amount of cheese to my potatoes, I decided to add some beans and veggies. On that note, I bring you…

Potatoes Au Gracias

Serves 2

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium/large baking potatoes
  • 3 jalapenos (or half a bell pepper if you can’t take the heat)
  • 1/2 medium/large onion
  • 3/4 can fat-free refried beans
  • 1 cup salsa of choice, 1/4 cup salsa of choice (reserved)
  • shredded Mexican cheese (optional)

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 400. Very thinly slice potatoes, onions, and jalapenos. (so quick with the mandoline slicer)
  • In a medium bowl, mix your beans and 1 cup salsa.
  • In a medium casserole dish, spread half or slightly more than half of your bean/salsa mixture. Layer potatoes (I used two layers of potatoes because they were quite thin), then onion, then jalapenos. Top with remaining bean/salsa mixture and repeat.
  • Top with final layer of potatoes, and add salsa.
  • Cover with foil and bake approximately 45 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
  • Uncover, add cheese (if using), and bake 10 more minutes.
jalapeno

I like cheap and easy recipes that use easy-to-find ingredients. If you can’t find this stuff at your grocery store, you might need to find a new grocery store.

A word about the OXO Good Grips V-Blade Mandoline Slicer: I had no idea how cool this thing was. I’m not paid to say this, but it seriously made slicing up veggies effortless. I see myself using this baby a lot.

Good News for You: I actually received 2 from OXO, and one of you lucky readers gets one. Woohoo! Here’s how to enter this giveaway, which ends Wednesday night. I will announce a winner Thursday. You can have a total of three entries.

  • Comment telling me what you’d slice first.
  • Follow me via Twitter @lovesweatbeers (and let me know where to follow you).
  • Tweet about this giveaway with a link to this page:

Good luck!

Posted in Food | 49 Comments »

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April 29th, 2012

Sunday Store List

by Tiff

Yaaawwwwwn. Anyone else enjoying a lazy Sunday? It’s nearly 9:30 a.m., and I’m still in my pajamas. Okay, I do have some laundry going, but aside from that, it’s pretty lazy here.

latte

Breakfast of champions: homemade latte (crafted by Kevin) and carrot cake loaf

breakfast

Now I’m sitting down at my computer to make my grocery list. I’m a stickler for the list. If I go into a grocery store without a list, I walk looking (and feeling) lost and confused. I need a game plan.

There’s a process to a good list. Here’s mine for today:

  • Get out any coupons (I rarely have any) & pull up the local grocery store’s online weekly flyer for inspiration by what’s on sale and what’s in season
  • Pull up the LiveFit meal plan to get a basic idea of what I’m going to need
  • Visit a few of my favorite recipe sites for meals that fit my on-sale/in-season/LiveFit needs.

Since I’m about to pull up my favorite recipe sites anyway, let me go ahead and share them with you.

  • Oh She Glows (duh… I mention this one frequently)
  • Better Homes & Gardens (they’re not all wins, but they’re traditional and usually comforting)
  • Whole Foods (some wins, some loses, but the wins are big wins)
  • Eat Better America (you have to look harder for all-natural recipes, but these have easy-to-find ingredients)
  • YumSugar (not always healthy, but it often appeals to my foodie side)

Of course, you can always find more recipes than you need on Pinterest.

Follow Me on Pinterest

 

  • What’s your favorite go-to recipe site?
  • Or do you prefer cookbooks?

 

Posted in Food | 10 Comments »

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April 27th, 2012

Five for Friday: Link Love Edition

by Tiff

Yes, it’s another Five for Friday post.  I promise I’m not feeling uninspired.  In fact, it’s quite the opposite.  I have so much to share that I try and condense it down into one post.  Hopefully (at least) one of the five floats your boat.

1. I made Whole Foods Market’s Cabbage and Cheddar Gratin Saturday for dinner.  Kevin and I were both pleasantly surprised. I didn’t take any pictures since it wasn’t particularly photogenic; that’s a pic from WF’s site.

Note: I probably used less spice/herb, and I shredded my own cheese from a block of white Wisconsin cheddar.

2. Brittany posted a link to a comical post by Sohee Lee Fitness.  Check it out here.  Now.

3. I created my version of the LiveFit turkey muffins on Sunday.  Delicious!  I spiced them up a bit with cayenne pepper and a little horseradish, and they were almost too spicy for me.  (Hint: Eat the veggies first.)

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Oh, and the recipe calls for 2 lbs lean turkey, but I used 1 lb turkey and 1 can white beans.  Recommended!

4. I found a great warm-up video on Hulu.  It has a 10-minute cardio session focused on arms followed immediately by a 10-minute cardio session focused on abs.  I did the second half before completing a little ab work last night.

5. I wanted to make these Salmon Burgers on Wednesday.  I bought TJ’s canned Alaskan salmon, but I couldn’t do it.  Between the smell, the skin, and the bones, I nearly puked.  I called Kevin into the kitchen to ask him if he minded cooking for me.  He took one look at the salmon and said he wasn’t eating it. 

dinner 003dinner 005

The Brussels sprouts were already roasting in the oven, so we quickly came up with Plan B… of course, Plan B isn’t on the LiveFit plan, but it was pretty darn tasty.  Pasta n’ sprouts.

 

  • Ever get grossed out in the kitchen?
  • What’s your go-to Plan B meal?

Posted in Food, Link Love | 11 Comments »

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April 25th, 2012

What I Ate Wednesday

by Tiff

Happy Wednesday! Just so you know, I’m still making some pitiful attempt at the LiveFit program. I can’t follow the meal plan exactly. It calls for a “dinner” type of meal at 3:30ish, and I simply can’t prep and carry that much food to work with me. Plus, I’d still have to cook Kevin a warm meal at 7:00 while fixing myself a low-carb mini-meal. I’m at least trying to limit evening carbs though, so hopefully that will at help.

Here are the eats from Tuesday…

Snack 1 (Pre-Gym): rice cake with 1 TBS peeb (peeb -> pb -> peanut butter)

Breakfast (Post-Gym): protein oats with chia seeds and berry/cherry mix

Snack 2: grapefruit and 8 almonds

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Lunch: curry tuna salad (tuna, Greek yogurt, curry powder, cabbage, celery) over 1 serving red quinoa and a few snap peas on the side

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Snack 3: half cup of fat-free cottage cheese (2% is sooo much tastier) and quarter cup of blackberries

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Dinner: field of greens, grilled chicken, bell pepper, broccoli, 1 TBS sunflower seeds, and TJ’s hummus dressing

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Dessert: Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Lover’s Chocolate Bar (2 squares) + EAS chocolate protein shake

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I think that totals approximately 1420 calories (132 g protein). I was full, got protein, and ate my veggies. What else could a girl want? Oh yeah… chocolate, I got that too!  As always, head over to Peas & Crayons to see the other blogger eats and recipes!

 

  • Favorite berry?  (Blackberries for me!) 
  • Favorite salad dressing? (TJ’s goddess dressing takes the cake… er, the salad.)

Posted in Food | 20 Comments »

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April 24th, 2012

Mother Earth Weeping Willow Wit

by Tiff

On Saturday, I tried a new beer, Mother Earth Weeping Willow Wit.  A few weeks ago, Kevin went to the beer shop without me.  (He should know better.)  To make it up to me, he brought home this little surprise.

mother earth 008

I don’t loooooove wit beers, but seeing how Saturday was hot, sunny, and all-around perfect wit weather, I gave it a go.  FYI: Mother Earth Brewing is from North Carolina, and this particular beer has 5% ABV.

mother earth 010

My Thoughts:

Appearance: not just golden; downright yellow – no head, but significant carbonation

Smell: not much aroma; light

Taste: upfront lemon; a little yeast on the way down; lingering dough and spice (pepper or coriander)

Mouthfeel: very light and spritzy – the carbonation tingles a little on the tongue

Overall: very refreshing; I like it, though I’m in no hurry to buy it again.

mother earth 012

Wit Beers:

Wit beers often taste of spice, citrus, and yeast.  They are commonly referred to as “white beers,” and are also commonly served with lemon.  (I find that fruit takes away from the beer, so I always request mine without… or give my Dos X lime to Kevin.)  They often have a cloudy appearance due to lack of filtration, but Weeping Willow Wit looked pretty clear.

The term “wheat beer” refers to weiss and wit styles.  Weissbiers are German, and witbiers are Belgian.  There are some subtle differences; for example, brewers generally filter weissbiers (many of which are hefeweizens).  Brewers originally crafted witbiers without hops, and according to Mother Earth Brewing, brewmasters have been brewing this style of beer for over 400 years.  I think they might be onto something here…

 

  • Are you a wit fan?  If so, got a favorite?
  • Do you prefer to drink locally, or is that not much of a concern?

Posted in Brews | 10 Comments »

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