Another Chicken Salad

Cranberry Carrot Celery Chicken Salad.. lots of C's!
So I wanted to use up the celery I had gotten and some other veggies and the Stoneyfield Oikos ( like that would be a problem! I use this for a gazillion things!)

I made another chicken salad for lunch today but since I didn't have grapes anymore, I used... Cranberries! I thought, cranberries go well with turkey, why not chicken? So I thawed frozen organic cranberries in the microwave, chopped celery hearts, chopped a heart of palm, grated organic carrots, added three big tablespoons of Oikos Plain Greek Nonfat Yogurt.

And then added the last of some goat cheese I had for extra creaminess and fat ( since I knew this would be an essentially fat free chicken salad anyway).

While I was doing all of this I boiled 4 small chicken breasts in a pot of water . I brought them to a boil , then reduced to a slow bubbling for about 15 minutes.
When they were done, I let them cool then shredded 3 of them into the bowl. ( I saved the other one just because it wouldn't fit).

There is the whole bowl, I threw in purple cabbage just because I have it.

Here is mine with sprouts, lettuce, newman's own double fiber bread, carrots and a pickle.

It was a really TALL sandwhich.

Jeff really liked this... but we both liked the version the other day with grapes. I may get an apple to chop up and put in this for some sweet crisp/crunch. It is always better the next day because the flavors meld and set in the fridge. I might try to use it for an appetizer of some sort for Andrea and Nate's party-

Rocky Road...

Body:
Doctor says it might not yet be a respiratory infection but I did get an icky strep test that (thank goodness) came out negative! So rest it was after buying some crucial theraflu for sore throat. As soon as I got home and took it, I fell asleep. I pretty much slept all day because I did not sleep AT ALL last night! Awful, I was up every hour ( i looked at the clock) from my throat hurting etc etc.

Mind:
I even stayed home from class... I HATE missing class but there was just no way it would be good for me to bear the cold and strain myself and making classmates sick ( esp. since there were food presentations today too)

I did do three suduko puzzles after waking up late afternoon

Soul:
I found a race next week, Thursday morning 8k around my Campus!!! How awesome is that! I loved training with my runs around campus and I was looking for a 10k to keep my spirits up since the non-race marathon a few weeks ago. I am going to try to kick this nasty bug with lots of rest and hopefully be up and going by thursday/friday of this week .. It will feel so good!

I totally called my mom - It will never go away, needing your mom's comfort when you are sick. I actually broke down on the third time I woke up last night, 1:30 am, I banged my hip on our doorknob trying to get back to bed without lights on. I crashed and just started bawling, which made me literally heave because of all my congestion and throat pain. As I was blurting unaudibly " i can't breathe I am so miserable I just want to sleep I hate this"....Jeff almost laughed at me but was seriously SO sweet, he was rubbing my hands and patting my back telling me to try not to cry because it would make it worse. He is so wonderful.

So this is the first time all day I have had any energy to do anything!
Onto eats... I did eat today and last night I made the most amazing dessert so I should start with that..



HOLY YUM! Rocky Road Brownie for Two ( B-healthy -style)
-three tablespoons no-pudge brownie mix

-2.5 tablespoons nonfat greek yogurt ( i used Oikos Organic Vanilla)
-mixed it very well

-microwaved for 2 minutes

-topped that with:
- Marshmallows

- Pistachios, Almonds, Pecans
- Flaxseed Butter

So freakin delicious! yum!

I know the marshmallows and the mix aren't incredibly healthy- but all the other ingredients are - IT WAS AWESOME!

Tuesday Breakfast:

French Toast
- two egg whites

-splash of organic 1% milk

-cinnamon

-a half teaspoon of Splenda Brown Sugar Blend

-whisk very well

-Dip slightly toasted bread into this mix, then into a hot pan ( on medium)
- While it was cooking I heated up some fruit - I could definately use the extra vitamins/minerals/antioxidant
- pineapple

-strawberries

-blueberries

-cranberries

When the french toast was done, I took it out and sliced half of a banana into the pan. Turned off the heat and let the sugars caramelize - YUM

Two dipping sauces: Chobani Strawberry Greek 0% Yogurt and Flaxseed Butter

Fantastic breakfast- I was hoping it would make it a fantastic day, but the cold won...

onto...

Lunch:
I got back from the doctor's and had...
Chicken Noodle Soup ( Healthy Choice)
added extra chicken and extra veggies!
On the side I slathered up a mini whole wheat tortilla (Trader Joe's) with hummus

Dinner:
Easy casserole + Tofu on the Side
-Annie's Mac and Cheese ( organic)
-Made as directed but used a splash of organic cream and 1/4 cup nonfat plain Chobani

- While that cooked, I defrosted broccoli in the dish

-Added sliced up "healthy style" canadian ham bacon ( it literally says it on the package "health style")
- I added the Annie's into my dish, mixed all of it really well

-Crushed four triscuits very well and spread on top

-Shook Parmesan cheese on that

-Baked for about 20 minutes on 350 ( in my toaster oven of course)

For the tofu, ( which is making its first appearance on the blog! wooohooo applause please)
I dried it out with a few paper towels, then sliced the pack in half. I left one half in the fridge for later and this half I used
Olive Oil

Pepper, Salt

Hot Pepper Sauce ( dashes of Frank's and Tabasco)

And let it saute on several of its sides.
I have to say, it was alright, but it was tofu.
Does anyone have any good recipes for tofu that do not include a "sweet" factor?

I found a bunch with maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, etc. I was trying to make it taste like buffalo chicken but it didn't do it for me. I will not give up on tofu though. ( I have actually tried several times before) ..

Cranberry Pumpkin "Filling"

I had a few cranberries left from my experimenting with the BSI ( I made a sauce to go with the pork and another type of bread -both i completely burned!) So.. I used them in my breakfast today as a secret secret ingredient ( I hid them in there )

Pumpkin "Filling" - Mine doesn't come out like a "cake" but it is certainly not "mush". Most of the time it comes out tasting more like the delicious inside of the pumpkin pie ( less dense though). I originally got the idea from Kath's site but change mine pretty much every time I make it! I stopped at TJ yesterday and picked up organic pumpkin ( canned for $1.99.... has anyone had a hard time finding pumpkin?) AND carton of egg whites that were cage free eggs- which I haven't been able to find !

1/4 cup organic pumpkin ( its less orange.. more brown ?)
1/2 cup cage free egg whites

whisked until well blended
sprinkled with cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice

** note most people would probably want to add a sweetener of some sort- i have used tsp of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of maple syrup, packet of splenda etc... Today I didn't feel like adding any sweetener*

microwaved for 2 minutes

in go the cranberries
in goes the uncle sam's cereal ( whole wheat bran and whole flaxseeds)

mixed it all around
microwave for another 1 min +

Sliced a banana on top with a smudge of pb! (natural organic smuckers! ..ingredients: peanuts)


Body:
Run.. hopefully long and hopefully soon so I can adjust to morning runs ( I LOVE afternoon running so I have adjusted to "pre-lunch" running- which means after breakfast I blog/read/yoga/clean so that I don't run on a "Full" stomach and so when I am finished I am hungry for lunch. The problem now is that my race is at 8 am which means I have to wake up at about 6 am to get there on time and I never run that early. My plan is changing that sleep schedule over the next two weeks to waking up at 6 and running/exercising or just getting up that early! I am not concerned so much with the running 13 miles, I am more concerned with running while my body does not feel awake.

Yesterday I biked at 10 am... so today 9:30 is at least a little better! * baby steps*

Mind:
Class.. assignment on research questions, edit/draft paper due tomorrow, begin slides for presentation (tuesday class Chp. 6 of Organic Inc) , Find info on beginning slides for presentation (wednesday class- Native Am. Health- childhood obesity) , Article for Thursday class found- back up research needed-

Soul:

Not sure- yoga this week, actually accomplishing the "mind" section, the yard looks fantastic from all our work yesterday, clean the guest bedrooms, organize clothes and send out evites for clothing sale


Plus I have trainings during the mornings this week so it will be busy!

AMAZING Moroccan Curry

Maybe I have a love/hate relationship with Kashi- hate one of their cereals for cutting my mouth but LOVE LOVE LOVE their new whole grain pilaf instant mixes!!!

I had no idea it was going to taste this good, here is what I decided to throw together:

Kashi Whole Grain Pilaf: Moroccan Curry . It heats in 1 minute in the micro and includes:

• 7 Whole Grain & Sesame Pilaf- buckwheat, barley, hard red winterwheat


• Carrots


• Coconut Puree


• Lentils


• Dried Currants


• Cilantro


• Curry


• Ginger Puree


• Hint of Cayene

( all in that package!!! - you dump it into a microwave safe dish and heat for 1 minute! )

To make it more of a fufilling meal I added:

• Ground Turkey ( 99% lean left over from last night)


• Can of Garbanoz Beans ( chickpeas)


• Frozen, then Heated Spinach


• Dired Cranberries


• Chopped Almonds


• A little sprinkle of cheese for some dairy
  

I normally despise the savory/sweet combos but this one I really enjoyed. It was only a hint of the coconut and dried currants, and spicy but not overwhelming. All the added ingredients went together so nicely... turkey with cranberries, spinach, almonds, beans, lentils and whole grains.... it was deliciousness in a bowl and took like 2 minutes to make!

Body: Run- 2.5 miles 18 minutes, Elliptical 15 minutes, Bike 7 miles 15 minutes, Strength: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

Mind: going to study in the library!

Soul: I have organized several "return" purchases to do all in one trip vs. several whenever in hopes to save on gas, Great TV night with Biggest Loser and Privelidged ! That meal was totally awesome too, it made me feel really proud of myself for throwing it together so quick!