Meatless Monday Recipe: French Toast with Fresh Strawberries

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Karen Morse

I remember as a kid having breakfast for dinner when we’d had a busy day or it got late before we realized it. It was like a treat! Scrambled eggs and pancakes. Those were some of the best dinners!

This French Toast recipe is amazing. Seriously… I try French Toast any time I see it on the menu. Just last week after we finished the OC Half Marathon, we stayed for a few extra days at the St. Regis Monarch Beach down in Orange County. The morning after the half marathon, I had a pretty darn good French Toast with Mixed Berries. I believe this recipe (taken and modified slightly from the Williams-Sonoma Breakfast cookbook) is THE BEST FRENCH TOAST I’VE EVER HAD. Try it yourself!!

Ingredients:

6 slices sturdy French bread, about 3/4 inch thick
1 1/2 cups 2% milk
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier (or Cointreau)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Powdered sugar for dusting
Maple syrup (warmed)
Fresh sliced organic strawberries

Preparation:

Arrange the bread slices in a single layer in a large baking dish.
In a glass mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, vanilla, Grand Marnier, granulated sugar, nutmeg, and salt. Pour evenly over the bread slices and let stand for one minute, then turn bread over. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 to 30 minutes.
In a large skillet, melt one tablespoon butter over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add as many slices of the bread that will fit without overlapping. Flip after 3 minutes. Cook for 2-3 minutes on the opposite side. Melt the remaining butter & repeat with the rest of the bread slices.
Transfer French toast to plates and sprinkle a little powdered sugar on top. Add fresh strawberry slices and serve with warmed maple syrup.

Car Yoga – Three Simple Stretches to Try on the Road

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Karen Morse

Road trips are supposed to be fun, but more than a couple of hours in the car can be a real pain!

Passengers can do these simple stretches at any time. For drivers, it’s a good rule of thumb to stop ever two hours (or 100 miles) for a stretch break. The following seated stretches are taken from the book Yoga to Go by Paula Carino.

Seated Twist

Place feet on the floor and bring your left hand to the outside of your right knee. Twist gently to the right. Hold for a couple of breaths, then reverse the twist with your right hand on your left knee.

Forward Neck Stretch

1. Interlace your fingers and clasp them behind your head at the base of your skull. Allow your chin to drop down near your chest.

2. Let gravity and the weight of your hands stretch the back of your neck. Hold for three to five deep breaths.

Side Neck Stretch

1. Sit forward on the seat with your feet planted squarely and firmly on the floor. Reach your right hand back and grasp the right side of your seat. Lengthen your spine; tuck your chin to your chest.

2. Pull your body to the left and place your left hand on the right side of your head. Carefully pull your head towards the left. Hold for a couple of breaths & switch sides.

You might also like:

Workouts You Can Do Anywhere

Motivation

Eat Chocolate, Help Save the World!

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Karen Morse

I love socially-conscious vendors. People who are in it for more than just a profit, thank you! I’m not going to give up my two squares of after-dinner dark chocolate, so I want to support these chocolatiers with a cause!

Rescue Chocolate

Photo courtesy of rescuechocolate.com

With a motto of “the sweetest way to save a life,” Rescue Chocolate (out of Brooklyn, yo!) donates 100% of its net profits to animal rescue groups around the country.

All bars are:

Organic & Fairly-traded
Vegan
Kosher

I haven’t tried these chocolates yet, but their bars called “The Fix,” which is made of 66% cocoa and “Pick Me! Pepper” (mmm… spicy!) are on my list to try next.

Check ‘em out here!

Endangered Species Chocolate

Endangered Species Chocolate (out of Indianapolis, IN) was born out of a desire to make an impact on the growing number of plant and animal species that are disappearing from Earth.

Their darkest chocolate bar boasts an 88% cocoa content (can you handle it?)

Photo courtesy of endangered species chocolate – chocolatebar.com

All bars:

Use Rainforest Alliance Certified™ Cocoa
Non-GMO Verified
Gluten-Free
Vegan
Kosher
Fairly-traded

10% of the net profits go to support species conservation & habitat preservation.

Theo Chocolate

Seattle-based Theo is proud to be the first Organic, Fair Trade, Fair for Life certified Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Factory in North America.

Their chocolates are:

Gluten-free
Vegan
Kosher
Soy-free
Organic & Fairly-traded

In Seattle? Go visit them! I’ll bet they give out free samples I’m hoping to try their new Congo bars (Pili Pili Chili, please!)

Photo courtesy of theochocolate.com

$1 from each box sold will benefit Eastern Congo Initiative’s work with farmers, mothers, and families in eastern Congo.

If you know of other socially-conscious chocolatiers, please share them with me below!

Mushroom Soup with Sweet Potato, Greens, and Ginger

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Karen Morse

This easy, healthy soup has become a staple for me when I feel the need to eat clean. It is super easy to throw together, and it makes a great Meatless Monday dinner! This recipe was adapted from one with chicken that was part of the Whole Living Action Plan in 2011. As a vegetarian I had to make some modifications, and I think it turned out great!

There is no milk, cream, or butter in this dish so it’s super low in calories, but the almond butter and broth make a nice creamy base so you’d never know it was dairy-free!

Here’s what you will need to make this tasty meatless soup! Yields 4 servings.

Ingredients:

4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 minced garlic clove
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced (2 cups)
1 pint of shiitake mushrooms (or your favorite mushroom), sliced
1/2 cup smooth almond butter
1 cup collard leaves (or kale or Southern Greens mix) coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions:

Combine the stock, onion, garlic, and sweet potato in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the mushrooms, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the almond butter and 1/2 cup of the soup mixture into a thick paste. Note: if you mistakenly use chunky almond butter, the bits of almond will float on top of the soup once cooked.
Add the collard or other greens and ginger to the soup and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in the almond butter paste. Season with salt and pepper.
Ladle the soup into bowls, and squeeze with lime wedge.

Other meatless recipes you might like:

Meatless Ground “Beef” Enchiladas

Thai Pumpkin Soup

Three Cheese Baked Ziti

Meatless Monday Recipe: Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Karen Morse

I’ve gotten in to making my own salad dressings and marinades lately in an attempt to make something with much less added sugar and sodium.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting sodium to less than 2,300 mg a day (1,500 mg if you’re age 51 or older, black, or have high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease). The average American is actually getting around 3,400 mg per day — way over the recommended amount — and processed foods (like store-bought salad dressings) are very much a culprit.

This Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette recipe was created by Martha Rose Shulman, author of The Very Best of Recipes for Health: 250 Recipes and More from the Popular Feature on NYTimes.com

Ginger has many medicinal properties, including acting as anti-inflammatory and easing nausea or mild stomach discomfort.

Here’s the original recipe:

1 garlic clove, finely minced or puréed
1 teaspoon finely minced ginger
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar or agave nectar
5 tablespoons canola oil or light sesame oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

1. Place all of the ingredients in a minichop or blender (because the amounts are small, I prefer a minichop) and blend until homogenized.

Yield: Makes 2/3 cup.

Advance preparation: This dressing keeps for several days in the refrigerator.

Nutritional information per 2 tablespoons: 177 calories; 2 grams saturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fats; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 58 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 0 grams protein

Photo credit: Greatist / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Meatless Ground “Beef” Enchiladas

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Karen Morse

Going meatless doesn’t have to mean missing out on your favorites. I LOVE Mexican food – more than any other food out there!

Here is a great Meatless Ground “Beef” Enchilada recipe with my homemade enchilada sauce that will put a smile on your face!

[gmc_recipe 2188]

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and grab a 13 x 9 baking pan. Spray the pan with a little non-stick cooking oil spray.

In a large skillet, spray a little more non-stick cooking oil spray and heat for about 30 seconds on medium. Add Lightlife Smart Ground Mexican Style meatless grounds and heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep from burning or sticking.

These meatless grounds are a great substitute for ground beef. There is ZERO fat, ZERO cholesterol and only 60 calories in each serving.

Add 1/2 cup of homemade enchilada sauce (my recipe is at the bottom of this post) to the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Tilt the baking dish to make sure the sauce completely covers the bottom (and your enchiladas don’t stick!).

Next, grab your tortillas. I prefer flour tortillas to corn. There are also some really tasty whole-wheat tortillas out there now! For this recipe, you’ll need 8-10 tortillas. Pre-heat the tortillas 4-5 at a time by stacking them in between two damp paper towels & microwaving for about 45 seconds.

Now you are ready to prep!

1) Grab a pre-heated tortilla & add about 1/4 cup of the heated Mexican meatless grounds, a sprinkling of cheese (I like the Mexican cheese blends for this recipe), and a drizzle of enchilada sauce.

2) Roll it up nice & tight, and repeat until you have filled up your 13 x 9 inch pan!

3) Pour the remainder of the enchilada sauce over the top of the wrapped enchiladas. Cover with foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

4) Take the enchiladas out of the oven and remove foil. Top with remainder of cheese blend and put back in the oven for 5-7 minutes to allow the cheese to melt

5) Serve with a little chopped cilantro on top, a little low-fat sour cream, and a side of sliced avocado.

[gmc_recipe 2211]

Training Time: Half Marathon, Here I Come

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Karen Morse

I’ve been quiet for awhile, but I wanted to share that I have started training for the OC Half Marathon that will take place on Sunday, May 5th!

The first thing on my agenda was making sure I had the right socks (which incidentally ended up being Wright Socks

I’ve been using the Nike Running Coach Half Marathon Training Plan, which you can see here. Since the race is on May 5th, I had to jump in at Week 5. Luckily, I’ve been doing lots of jogging & walking over the past several months so I wasn’t totally out of my league.

This plan has been working for me. Not too many days per week of running, but a couple of days of short runs followed by one long run each week. It also encourages strength training & yoga plus stretching.

Yesterday, I did some speed training & took a spin around Stanford’s amazing track Cobb Track & Angell field. Pretty awesome to have such a great place to train within walking distance of home!!

Has anyone else every done a half marathon? Any advice for this first-timer?

Is Ditching Dairy the Answer to Having a Flat Stomach?

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Karen Morse

In addition to ramping up my cardio & Pilates the past couple of weeks to get Bikini-Body ready for Hawaii in a couple of weeks, I’ve been reading up on food-based cleanses and other recommendations to get rid of any excess bloat before suiting up. Only 12 MORE DAYS until I say “Aloha”!!! Can’t wait!

A 2009 Baylor College of Medicine study found that about 12% of adults are lactose intolerant, which causes swelling during digestion. In many, the symptoms can be mild enough or we can grow to believe they are “normal” enough to where we may not even know that we have the intolerance.

Several experts suggest ridding your diet of both dairy & wheat products for 7-14 days before a beach vacation to appear as svelte as possible.

I love my morning coffee with 2% milk and my afternoon Tazo Awake Tea Lattes from Starbucks, so this is going to be a tough one!

I started substituting almond milk in my morning coffee, which isn’t bad at all. I’m going to switch to herbal tea in the afternoon or a cappuccino with almond or coconut milk. We’ll see!

Source: Uploaded by user via Karen on Pinterest

I don’t think ditching wheat products will be too difficult. I did it once before in the 2011 Whole Living Action Plan (and dairy too, for that matter). I did feel immensely better after giving up dairy, caffeine, and wheat products for an entire week!

I’ll keep you posted on my journey! Any ideas for your favorite milk-substitutes are much appreciated! I do LOVE a good coffee in the morning since I don’t use any sweetener, a little splash of something creamy is a must!! Thanks for sharing below!!

Meatless Monday Recipe: Quinoa Two Ways

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Karen Morse

I couldn’t decide which quinoa meal idea to share for today’s Meatless Monday recipe, so I decided to share both!

The first quinoa dish I’m serving up today is one you can make for lunch or dinner, Roasted Vegetables Over Quinoa. I started out by roasting a pan of veggies that I had on hand. This time, it was butternut squash and cauliflower with several cloves of crushed garlic. Check out my Easy Peasy Roasted Vegetables recipe for cooking time & step-by-step instructions on how to roast the perfect veggie every time!

Next I simply cooked up some quinoa according to the directions on the box. I opted for the microwave method since I had tried it before and it had turned out well.

Once the vegetables were roasted, I simply scooped a few spoons over the cooked quinoa and my dinner was ready!

If you are looking for a little more flavor, add a little low-sodium soy sauce or whatever else you might put over a stir-fry when serving.

The next morning, I was really craving a hot bowl of oatmeal with sweet strawberries for breakfast, and I remembered that I had some quinoa leftover. Knowing how many nutrients are in quinoa and that it’s lightly sweet flavor would lend itself well to something that might be good for breakfast, I decided to experiment.

I simply reheated 1/4 cup of the leftover quinoa in the microwave for one minute. Next, I added cut strawberries, half a banana, 1/4 cup of non-fat Greek yogurt, and a drizzle of honey to make a very satisfying Quinoa Porridge. Looks good, doesn’t it?

I was pleasantly surprised, and I will be making this again.

How do you use quinoa? Tell me about it below this post!

Meatless Monday Recipe: Thai Pumpkin Soup

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Karen Morse

I tried out a nice new spicy soup to share with you for this week’s Meatless Monday recipe. This did not disappoint! It had just the right amount of heat & spice and was perfect for a cold winter night.

I used the light coconut milk to make this a little healthier, and it certainly didn’t feel like I had sacrificed anything with this substitution. Both of the canned ingredients came from Trader Joe’s. They have everything!

This is what the soup looked like after Step 1 (before adding the coconut milk and blending). It smelled delicious!

And finally, a bowl of hot & spicy Thai Pumpkin soup served up! I added just a dollop of light sour cream & some chopped cilantro. Lots of flavors going on in this soup…all of them complementing each other very well.

This recipe was actually really quick & easy to make – I even had all of the ingredients on hand, except for the fresh ginger. Instead, I used 1 tablespoon of powdered ginger instead of 2 tablespoons of fresh ginger. It tasted great!

Other meatless recipes you will love:

Butternut Squash & Roasted Garlic Soup

Thai-Style Mixed Vegetables in Coconut Milk

Zesty Black Bean & Brown Rice Bowl