Cauliflower Hummus

California is so beautiful.  I had the opportunity to travel there last week for work and although I did not make it to the beach, the weather and scenery is absolutely gorgeous.  I was able to visit with my sister, and her constant reminder that I should move to California makes me think “Why not?”  But then, I drive on the roads and there is traffic at 8 pm at night, wth?!?  I decided I will move to California if I do not have to drive anywhere, ever.  You may wonder how that would be possible and I guess my plan would be to live and work in a city, maybe San Diego, I love it there!  Honestly, it was 95 degrees outside and felt absolutely amazing with the breeze from the Pacific.

Just an FYI for everyone, I really dislike coconut water.  While in CA, I went into a health food store and was talking to the cashier, and somehow we started talking about coconut water.  I told her I really did not like it, and she assured me I have just been drinking the wrong kind/brand.  She suggested one and told me I would love it.  Well, I didn’t.  It was gross and my sister drank it for me.  So in case you were thinking of buying me a case of coconut water for my upcoming birthday, please don’t!

Anyways, back home to GA finally.  Only for a few days though, then I will be traveling once again.  This time though, I am going to be a little more prepared with healthy snacks.  I had coffee for breakfast on Friday, because I was rushing to get to my flight.  Haha, whoops!

I attempted making cauliflower hummus.  I even made my own tahini paste.  It turned out pretty yummy!  Next time, I am going to add roasted red peppers and maybe a few additional spices, just for something different.

Cauliflower Hummus

Ingredients

1 Head Cauliflower

1/3 cup Tahini

1/4c EVOO

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1Tbsp Lemon Juice

Salt, Pepper to taste

Toasted sesame seeds which I turned into tahini

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Chop up cauliflower into florets.
3. Place florets on greased cookie sheet and also spray florets with a little bit of olive oil.
4. Cook florets for about 30 minutes, checking every 10 minutes or so and moving them around so they do not burn.
5. Once cauliflower is roasted, remove from oven and allow to cool (I waited 15 minutes).
6. Place all ingredients into your food processor and blend together.
7. Let the cauliflower hummus cool and enjoy with vegetables, crackers, on a wrap, etc.

~ Savannah FitNut aka Morgan McNeal

Almond Butter Zucchini Bars

I hate mosquitos.  They are really annoying!  I was outside gardening yesterday with pants and a long sleeved shirt and somehow, some way, those little jerks bit me through my pants.  How does that even happen?  I was so mad, I went to Home Depot and bought about $50 worth of mosquito sprays, candles, torches, basically anything they had that said it would get rid of mosquitos.  When I was checking out, the cashier asked me “Trying to get rid of the bugs.”  Haha, yup!

And guess what??!!  Whole Foods is opening soon in Savannah, and according to their Facebook page that I stalk like crazy, they are opening August 13^th, less than a month away!!!!  I marked it on my calendar.  I drove by the store and it looks done to me, just put all those yummy groceries in there and let me shop, pretty please.

I must admit I have not been cooking as much lately.  I have been traveling all over, and cooking has not been in the cards.  However, my husband is in his bulking phase…. Yes, it is as annoying as it sounds.  He is eating 2 dozen eggs a week and whole milk and keeps asking me if he looks bigger.  Haha.  I told him that is one question I will never ask him.  He eats all day and packs a daily lunch which seems as though it would contain food for a week.  I decided he needed a quick protein snack, which would be good calories, but have the protein and fat you want in a snack.  End result = Almond Butter Zucchini Bars.  Zucchini is in season right now and it seems as though I can find so many uses for it.

Almond Butter Zucchini Bars - From http://www.hummusapien.com/paleo-zucchini-almond-butter-bars/

Ingredients

¾ cup creamy almond butter

1 heaping cup grated zucchini (1 medium zucchini)

1 egg

¼ cup pure maple syrup (or honey)

1 tsp vanilla

¾ tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp salt

¼-½ cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8 x 8 pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

Stir together almond butter, zucchini, egg, maple syrup and vanilla in a large bowl until combined.

Add in the rest of the ingredients (except chocolate chips) and stir.

Fold in chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 for thirty minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

~ Savannah FitNut aka Morgan McNeal

Happy 4th of July and DILOMF

Happy 4^th of July to everyone.  I finally have a day off!  Work has been quite busy lately and I have been making my US tour…. Georgia to California, Georgia to New York, New York to Washington and Virginia, and now I am finally home to Georgia.  I was able to meet up with my parents while I was staying in Virginia and my mom and I always take about nutrition and fitness when we are together.  She has been an aerobics instructor for over 20 years so we always like to catch up on the latest new classes sweeping gyms across the US.  This time though, our discussions centered more on nutrition than fitness.  One question that came up is “What do I eat in a typical day?”  I post a lot of different recipes, but of course, my eating is pretty routine throughout the week.  And now, I present to you “DILOMF” or “Day in the Life of My Food.”  J  Enjoy or if you don’t care, I will be posting a new recipe soon.  

Date: 07/02/13

Morning (7 am): Bulletproof Coffee (Coffee blended with coconut oil, cinnamon and grassfed butter)

Lunch (11 am): Spinach with tuna and guacamole

Afternoon snack (2 pm): Steamed broccoli with olive oil, ½ cup diced chicken and a hard-boiled egg (Not all mixed together!)

Dinner (7 pm): Turkey burgers with avocado over salad

Breakdown:

Calories: 1,156

Carb: 39g (14%)

Fat: 74g (57%)

Protein: 97g (29%)

~ Savannah FitNut aka Morgan McNeal

Quick Pickles

Summer is always busy.  Even though my husband and I do not have any summer vacations planned this summer, it feels as though every weekend flies by.  It is already the middle of June!  From hanging out with our friends at the beach and the park to having friends come visit us, it seems as though there is never any downtime.  I am not complaining though.  I love being outside soaking up the sun and reverting to our childhood ways, screaming and yelling as we play games.  This is a total random fact, but the city of Savannah, GA does not sell Frisbees.  I am not lying.  We spent over 2 hours going into every single gift shop in the city looking for a Frisbee to no avail.  It was horrible.  The toy sections of each gift shop had fake guns, little stuffed ponies, but absolutely no Frisbees!  Weird!

With the days long, it does make it difficult to force yourself to be in the kitchen for extended periods of time trying out new recipes.   But, it is also the time of the year where produce is abundant.  The garden is doing well.  To date, the cucumber plant has produced the most.  We had picked a few cucumbers from the plant on Friday and decided to make quick pickles this weekend.  We bought fresh dill at the farmer’s market and had a lot left over to freeze for later use.  This recipe is borrowed from Rachel Ray and is quick, easy, refreshing, and delicious!

Quick Dill Pickles From Rachael Ray:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/quick-pickles-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

1/2 cup white vinegar

2 rounded teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon mustard seed

1 teaspoon salt

1 clove cracked garlic

2 tablespoons fresh dill leaves, chopped or snipped

1 bay leaf

3 cucumbers

Instructions

Heat small saucepan over medium high heat. Add vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, salt, and garlic to the pan and cook until it begins to simmer and sugar dissolves. Toss the dill, bay leaf, and sliced cucumbers together in a heat-proof bowl. Pour the simmering liquid over the cucumbers and stir to evenly coat. Allow to cool to room temperature or chill before serving.

Enjoy!

~ Savannah FitNut aka Morgan McNeal

Pumpkin Pancakes on Sunday Morning

Sunday mornings are the best!  I absolutely love them.  I sleep in as late as I want and then slowly let the day start.  I have all the time in the world to enjoy all the coffee my heart desires.  I am not rushing off to the gym or to 100 other errands on my to-do list.  I sit on the couch in the living room (I honestly think this is the only time I sit there), catch up on blog reading or the news, look at 3,764 pictures of cute cats and dogs, and allow myself a little bit of relaxation.  It always feels amazing.  I do not rush to make breakfast, but finally when my stomach starts to growl, I hop off the couch and try to decide what to have for breakfast.  Usually, I will do eggs of some sort (over easy, poached, scrambled with lots of veggies), but there times when I am tired of eating eggs and need something a little different.  Enter these delicious pumpkin pancakes which are not your typical pancakes… they are actually more egg than pumpkin, but whatever, they are delicious.  I top the pancake with sliced bananas and a drizzle of raw honey.  You could use pure maple syrup too or unsweetened applesauce as a topper.

Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes – From http://fastpaleo.com/pumpkin-pancakes-from-practical-paleo/

Ingredients

4 eggs

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch salt

Instructions

1. Warm up a skillet on medium heat.
2. Whisk the eggs, canned pumpkin, and pure vanilla extract together.
3. Sift the pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and baking soda into the wet ingredients.
4. Melt 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Then, mix the oil into the batter.
5. Grease the hot skillet and spoon the batter into the skillet to make pancakes of your desired size.
6. When a few bubbles appear, flip the pancakes once to finish cooking.
7. Enjoy!

~ Savannah FitNut aka Morgan McNeal

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Brussel sprouts are one of those foods I thought I did not enjoy eating.  Prior to a few months ago, I had eaten them two times exactly.  I was certain they tasted like feet and smelled like it too.  Then, we had a girl’s trip planned to Cumberland Island (so cute, you should go there!) and each of us made a few dishes to eat for the few days we were staying there.  My friend made Roasted brussel sprouts and I decided I would give them another try (they smelled yummy cooking).  Low and behold, the brussel sprouts were delicious.  After that weekend, I told myself I was going to try making them.  Well, each time I was at the grocery store, I would almost buy some, but always decided against it.  Then, this week, in my Local farmbag came brussel sprouts.  I had no idea how they grew.  I guess I never really thought about it, but now I know.  Pretty cool!  Although it did reinforce that I need to learn more about the food I eat and without further ado…..

Local Farmbag - No idea brussel sprouts grew like this!

It is time for a little rant.  BUY LOCAL!  Don’t be a jerk, haha, just kidding.  You are not a jerk if you do not buy local, but you should try to as much as you can.  My husband and I visited the farmer’s market on Saturday morning.  I love it there.  It is a small market, but they have a large variety of items.  We stopped at the organic dairy stand and talked with the farmer for just a few minutes, while his son went to retrieve a fresh gallon of milk out of the truck for us.  He talked to us about his farm, and we found out that he travels all the way up to our old home of Harrisburg, PA for the Farm Show every year.  I admit it, I am selfish, but it makes me feel good to buy local and support our local economy, especially one that is providing easier access to whole foods.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients

1 cup brussel sprouts (ends cut off and then halved)

2 slices bacon

Salt, Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. While the oven is heating up, start cooking your bacon on the stove.  Cook until crispy.  Remove your bacon from the pan and set aside.
3. With all the bacon grease left in the pan, throw in your brussel sprouts.  Cover the pan and let the brussel sprouts cook for about 5-6 min.  Make sure you tend to them, and give a good even stir every 2 minutes or so. 
4. When the brussel sprouts are browned, remove from pan and place on greased baking sheet.  Season with salt and pepper
5. Cook in the oven for about 10 minutes, then add your crumbled cooked bacon.  Cook bacon and brussel sprouts for another 10 minutes.
6. Enjoy!

~ Savannah FitNut aka Morgan McNeal

Cucumber and Tomato Salad

I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day Weekend!  I definitely did.  The weather was fantastic and I was able to enjoy every minute of it.  I spent time around town, drinking and eating too much.  Visited our friend’s pool for a little relaxation, and was even able to make it to the beach for a day.  Why are margaritas so delicious?  I do not enjoy the super sweet ones, but the margaritas made with tequila and lime juice, yum yum!

Memorial Day is the official start of the summer; not only in the south, but all over the place (I do not care what the calendar says!).  My parents in the North can finally start using their pool and the sunny days keep getting longer and longer.  I love when it stays light outside until 9 pm.  In addition to the sun staying out longer, it also comes out earlier, which means I can start my runs a little bit earlier and get a few more miles in, before rushing off to work. 

I have had to add to my morning to-do list to water the garden.  It doesn’t take long, and every day it seems as though my plants are growing a little bit more.  I made guacamole over the weekend, and it was nice being able to go out to the garden and just cut a bit of fresh cilantro to add.  I picked my very first cucumber and I was overjoyed.  It was big!  I also know there is going to be a lot of tomatoes to eat this summer.  A fresh salad that is great to bring to any picnic is a cucumber and tomato salad.  It is quick and easy to prepare, but very delicious!  Plus the cucumbers, tomatoes, and basil are all from my garden. J

Cucumbers, Peppers, and Tomatoes in the garden

Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Ingredients

2 cucumbers

2 tomatoes

Fresh basil, a couple of leaves

1 TBSP EVOO

1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar

Salt, Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Dice cucumbers and tomatoes.
2. Tear basil into small pieces.
3. Throw cucumbers, tomatoes, and basil into a bowl. 
4. Drizzle EVOO and balsamic vinegar over everything. 
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Enjoy!

~ Savannah FitNut aka Morgan McNeal