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Things

Posted on September 13, 2012 by kissmybroccoli

So I have some things to share…

Not to be confused with these things:

No, my things are less of the mischievous type and more of the delicious nature! 😉

But first, let’s give ~~something~~ someone a warm welcome home!

It took a bit of sacrifice on the sleep front, but I made it up to Carmax yesterday to finally pick Elvira up from her stent in rehab. She did end up having some transmission problems, but after a pretty intense detox*, she’s back and good as new!

*Thank God I bought the extended warranty!

Now onto those THINGS!

Like my latest obsession with cottage cheese, pumpkin, peanut flour and cinnamon…shown unstirred due to photogenic qualities
resembling cat vomit <-too much?

I’ve had this for breakfast for THREE days in a row and it has YET to get old!

Something I have NOT had for the last three days?

Sad day right?

I’ve been out of my Fitmixer Aminos since Monday and while I thought about ordering more, something I noticed a few weeks ago just hasn’t set right with me…

I love Fitmixer…the taste is great…the energy from it is amazing…but artificial flavors AND Red #40? Really?

So I took matters into my own hands…

After spending HOURS online the other day looking for a “clean” amino acid supplement, I was just about to throw in the towel when I spotted this:

I’ve read a TON about the benefits of matcha powder and have wanted to get my hands on some for a while now so you can imagine my excitement when I found this little guy on Netrition.

So starting tomorrow, THIS will be the new base for my
ACV morning cocktail!

And I shall call it…”Clean”Mixer! 😉

And speaking of clean…

Am I the only one out there who was completely naive to the deliciousness that is a Zevia soda??

Someone left a couple in the breakroom yesterday, free for the taking and after a quick taste that INSTANTLY took me back to my childhood A&W days, I scooped up the others in a quickness!

And after I was bombarded with Instagram comments apparently the general consensus is that I haven’t LIVED until I’ve had the Black Cherry flavor as well!

Now, I’ll admit, I do inspect nearly EVERY label looking for numbers that I approve of and I lean toward the cleanest of ingredients when it comes to something I use on a DAILY basis, but every once in a while, it’s nice to have a splurge…

Not the cleanest, but certainly NOT a high-fructose corn syrup laden Snack Pak…this little gem took me to a special pudding Heaven yesterday!

And I don’t even like pudding!

But I’ll tell what I DO like…it’s official, I’m a [fresh] fig lover!

Especially when they are stuffed with TJ’s Cookie Butter!

Mmmmmmmm!

But that was just my appetizer before THIS:

Spinach salad topped with caramelized onions, dried cranberries, slivered almonds, and…

Goat cheese-stuffed, prosciutto-wrapped figs!

AND drizzled with a bit of fig balsamic!

Heather, you are a GENIUS! <- not me sillies, I’m not THAT big headed! 😉

And some other “things” that I’ve forgotten to mention:

My interview/guest post over on Katie’s blog, Talk Less, Say More…get the story behind my blog name!

AND

My first ever submission for Tuesday Trainer last week…check out my buff arms! 😉

What are some things worthy of mention from your week so far?

Are you a label reader like me ?

Posted in Breakfast, Entree, Snacks, Thursday Things | Tagged ACV, cookie butter, cottage cheese, Elvira, figs, fitmixer, goat cheese, labels, matcha, peanut flour, pumpkin, Trader Joe's, Zevia | 32 Comments

Portobello Bean Burger…It’s What’s for Dinner!

Posted on September 11, 2012 by kissmybroccoli

What’s up guys and gals?

As promised, I have a DELICIOUS recipe to share with you today, but FIRST…

We’ve got some partying to do!

That’s right, it’s already time for another What I Ate Wednesday…AND the perfect time to check in on those good habits that we’re “falling” into! Be sure to head on over to
Peas & Crayons, thank our lovely host Jenn for giving us reason to grab the party hats AND see what kind of deliciousness everyone’s been getting into this week! 😀

I’ve had a can of pumpkin burning a hole in my pantry for weeks now, so when I got off work the other morning and the weather was cool and crisp, I KNEW it was time to break it out. Still, I just wasn’t feeling a big bowl of oats…so I made something a little different!

Although not very photogenic, I assure you my pumpkin omelet stuffed with cottage cheese and topped with warm raspberry sauce and granola was EVERY bit of the fall-flavored deliciousness that I thought it would be!

Hit.the.spot!

Lunch was supposed to be Laura’s Lemon Thyme Salmon cakes, only we had some problesm…

Salmon crumblies, anyone?

But they didn’t stay that way for long!

If necessity is the mother of invention then ricotta cheese and Edamame Spinach Pesto are the parents of this beautiful love child!

I literally sighed after the first bite of this! I thought I’d try to make the cakes again tomorrow, but after tasting this, I’m not so sure! 😉

Since I’ve been trying to reach for veggies more when it comes to snacks, I picked up a package of organic celery hearts at the store the other day…

And then the dip-aholic in me was unleashed!

I know, I have problems…

But getting my veggies in ain’t one of them! 😉

Now, what you’ve all been waiting for…

DINNER!

After spotting these beauties on Pinterest the other day, the wheels got to turning…I’ve been craving a good bean burger for a while now, and how could I resist one with the meaty flavor of portobellos?

Obviously I can’t follow a recipe to save my life (see salmon “crumblies”) so I got to work on something of my own…

Portobello Black Bean Burger

By: Heather @ Kiss My Broccoli

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Ingredients (Serves 2)

1 large portobello mushroom, stemmed and chopped
1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup diced onion
1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon ground flax
1/3 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon of your favorite salt-free seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a food processor, combine all ingredients and process until well combined.

Transfer mixture to a bowl and form into 2 medium-sized “burger” patties.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until patties start to crisp.

And I have to say it was pretty darn delicious!

With rocking nutritionals!

And…if I could go so far?

Just as good, if not BETTER than a meat version!

Seriously guys, go make this NOW!

Posted in Breakfast, Entree, What I Ate Wednesday | Tagged beans, dip, eggs, mustard, pesto, pumpkin, recipe, ricotta, salmon, veggies | 53 Comments

E is for Eeeee-talian!

Posted on September 10, 2012 by kissmybroccoli

Hey guys!

I hope you all had an amazing weekend! Thank you so much for all the sweet comments on yesterday’s Mint Chocolate Chip Protein Pancakes…and IF you didn’t see them, go now…print them, Pin them, but most importantly, MAKE them! They are absolutely delicious and you will NOT be disappointed!

FYI, if you’re not too fond of mint, just leave it out!

I may or may not have forgotten to add on the first batch I made the other day…the most mint-less mint chocolate chip flavor I’ve ever tasted…but hey, it’s still chocolate! 😉

And if that wasn’t enough green for you, I’ve got another lean, mean, and GREEN recipe for you today!

Raise your hand if you like pesto!

Ok, how about if we take that pesto, subtract some of the fact, add some fiber, and maybe a little protein?

It’s time for another Meatless Mondays from A- Z hosted by the lovely Heather at Better With Veggies and today I’m going to show you that pesto is DEFINITELY something that is better with veggies…and beans! 😉

When I realized this week would feature edamame as the main ingredient in our weekly recipe roundup, the wheels IMMEDIATELY started turning…only not how you would think. Most people think of the soy bean as (protein-rich) vegetarian ingredient in Asian cuisine, but I thought, why not cross over that border, skip over a few seas and get cozy with our Italian friends?

Edamame Spinach Pesto

By: Heather @ Kiss My Broccoli

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: N/A

Ingredients (Makes 10 Tablespoons)

1/2 cup shelled edamame, thawed from frozen
1 cup fresh spinach
1/2 cup basil leaves
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon salt-free Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in food processor and blend until creamy.

Nutritional Stats per 1 TBSP serving:

Not bad, right? I really wanted to keep the fat content down in this. I love pesto, but let’s be honest, I’m a VOLUME eater and all that fat from the oil, the nuts, AND the cheese just weighs me down. But now? Now I can have a little pasta with my bowl of pesto!

Imagine me waving my little basil leaves as a sign of victory! 😉