Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi and Cauliflower Puree

Thanks for all of your comments on my last post. I really appreciate you all sharing your stories! I think it is important to realize that how ridiculous it was for us to worry about our bodies when we were healthy kids to see that it is equally ridiculous for us to worry about it now if we are in good health.

Anyway, I finally found my camera cord! Yay! I’ve been dying to post about one of the best dinners I have had in a while: ginger glazed mahi mahi with cauliflower puree and steamed green beans.

Fish + ginger = one of the best combinations ever! Total mouth-gasm.

these are the faces i make when i eat really good food. it's completely normal!

 

Mahi mahi is one of my favorite fishes….it has more of a meaty texture than some fish but is still so tender and flaky! I was afraid to eat mahi mahi for a while after I heard that it was a dolphin. But although its common name is “dolphin fish,” it is not at all related to Flipper .

Recipe is from Allrecipes. Click on link, and make it tonight! You won’t regret it.

The other highlight of the meal was the cauliflower puree, which looks and tastes suspiciously like mashed potatoes. It’s like the non-starchy version of mashed potatoes, and it is delicious!

Recipe is from Epicurious. The recipe has directions on how to steam a head of cauliflower, but I recommend the easy way– buy 2 bags of the “steam in bag” cauliflower (pre-chopped, pre-washed) and microwave according to instructions. Then you just pour one bag into food processor along with 1/4 cup hot water from sink. Puree until smooth, then add the other bag along with 3 T butter, 1 t salt (I used sea salt…yum!), pepper (recipe says 1/4 t, I recommend at least double that!), and just enough hot water to make it smooth.

What is your favorite way to eat fish (or tofu if you don’t eat fish)?

Oh, I’m sorry…did my pin get in the way of your ass? Do me a favor and lose 5 pounds immediately!

Since I am hopelessly disorganized and can’t find my camera cord to upload some awesome recent food pics, I am going to use this post to discuss some body image issues and make bad Zoolander jokes .

There is more to life than being really, really ridiculously good looking, but I’m pretty bummed about gaining some weight recently. I have no idea how much I’ve gained (I am officially frightened of the scale), but I do know that  bought a dress a month before New Year’s Eve that no longer fit on the actual night. Also, I’ve been torturing myself trying to wear my favorite jeans than now give me muffin top.

I realize that it is so stupid for me to stress this much since I am at a healthy weight, but somehow it is ingrained in me to never be satisfied with the way I look. I remember the insecurities starting very young. And it definitely wasn’t just me…other girls said negative things about their body when we were kids. A couple examples:

• Once at a swim meet when I was 8-years-old, I was hanging out around the pool with some other girls my age. Everyone was making comments on how fat they were (no one was actually fat). I chimed in and agreed that I was fat, too. One girl looked at me and said, “Yeah, I guess you are kind of wide….” Later that night, I told another friend about the situation, and she assured me that I was thinner than the girl who called me “wide.” Why were we talking about this when we were all healthy weight 8-year-olds?!!
• At the very beginning of the year in 6th grade, we all got our height and weight measured as part of a physical fitness assessment. I was 4′11” and 82 pounds (normal for that age). My best friend was similar height, but weighed 78-ish. I remember wishing that I still weighed under 80 pounds. Pre-puberty, I had already learned that weighing less is considered more desirable.

I’m curious, does anyone else have similar experiences? 

Americans are more concerned about health and nutrition than any one else in the world, yet we have the most health problems. While obesity becomes more prevalent, I think that being thin has become more enviable than being rich (at least for women).

America is so fixated on being thin that even normal weight women feel bad when they gain a little. Instead of weight loss, we should be focused on eating real foods that nourish us (apples are good, fortified cereal bars are not) and enjoying being active (play a sport, talk a walk or run outside; don’t just do the stationary bike while texting and reading a magazine– I see this EVERY TIME I go to the gym).  

I know that I am probably preaching to the converted as most healthy living bloggers seem to have a healthy attitude towards food and body image, but I struggle sometimes, and I’m sure someone else who is reading this does, too.

I wrote this post with the intention of giving some tips on having a better body image, but I’m getting stuck. Besides watching morbidly obese people on Biggest Loser attempt to work out (Whoa that person weighs 400 pounds and can barely walk on a treadmill! I am so thin and in shape!), how do you put body image issues in perspective? 

Now on to some good things that have been going on in my life recently:

• My Magic Bullet blender is no longer a virgin . Yay smoothies!!!
• Despite the fact that I can’t seem to lose any fat, I have been gaining some muscle lifting weights 3 x a week. My arms actually have some definition!
• I’ve made some really healthy and awesome dishes that I will blog about when my camera cord is located…
• THE LOST SEASON PREMIERE IS TOMORROW!!! “NO MORE QUESTIONS, ONLY ANSWERS.” Who else is excited for the final season?

Chicken Enchiladas + Chocolate Sorbetto

Lunch today = Tyler Florence chicken enchiladas + sauteed spinach and arugula + dollop of plain Chobani.

I think my family has permanently swapped sour cream in our house for greek yogurt. It pretty much tastes the same and has a much better nutritional profile. 

Has anyone noticed that the nutrition label on the large Chobani container is very confusing about the serving size???

Serving size: 1 container. 

Servings per container: 2.

I’m not the best in math, but I don’t think that this adds up. Who edits these things?? I’m pretty sure that one serving is actually 1/2 of the container (or 1 cup).

Anyway, I found a new dark chocolate-y treat in the grocery store: Chocolate Sorbetto.

On the package: “The uniquely and delightfully Italian style sorbet is a soft and dense milk-free frozen confection that adds a sweet finish to any meal.” 

Its rich and flavorful like my favorite high calorie ice creams (Read: Haagen Daz), but its slightly less sinful at 130 calories per half cup. And its vegan! Until you add whipped cream…

Shoot I just pushed publish on accident. Sorry if this shows up twice in Google Reader, but I just have one more thing to say.

So I got Magic Bullet for Christmas that is still unused!! I guess the cold weather has not been inspiring me to make smoothies. I’m considering trying out a hummus recipe soon. Also, a lady at Trader Joes gave me an interesting green smoothie idea that I have not yet seen on any blog! Stay tuned

P.S. I am eager for more suggestions if any of you have favorite Magic Bullet recipes!

It’s about time

Raspberry Runner took an extended holiday vacation but will now resume normal blogging

First, a belated secret santa shout out to Lauren @ Eat, Drink, and Be Hopeful.

It was a raspberry themed gift. Yay!

raspberry peanut butter and dried raspberries

There was also a dark chocolate bar with dried raspberries! It did not last long. I tried to save the wrapper until I got around to taking pictures, but it got thrown out. Fortunately, google images has everything:

There is surprisingly lots to do around my parents house, especially since a lot of my friends from high school have also moved home. Stupid economy.  I am also talking to a career coach to get a better direction since I am feeling quite stuck.

Last night, I dreamed that I was at the summer camp that I used to go to as a kid. Then I realized that I was by far the oldest person there, and I informed the counselor that I had a college degree and that I should not be a camper. I felt very awkward and out of place. I was mad about having to eat camp food, so I was thinking about writing my parents a letter to send me a healthy food care package. Then I started teaching the campers nutrition. It was weird. 

Usually I don’t read much into dreams, but I am positive that my dream of being uncomfortable as a 22-years-old at summer camp with 10-year-olds as my peers is directly related to me being an unemployed college grad living with my parents. I feel like I’m not doing a good job of growing up.

I’ve also determined that unemployment is bad for your waistline. Or maybe the holiday feasts + Dad’s new obsession with sourdough bread making is the culprit….

homemade sourdough sun-dried tomato ciabatta bread!!

(Photo courtesy of my sister and her new Canon Rebel)

So, I have a few New Year’s Resolutions:

1. Start weight lifting. (CHECK! I got a membership to the YMCA, and I have begun lifting 3 times per week.)
2. Do another triathlon. (Obviously, this will have to wait until warmer weather, but I can start training!)
3. Cook more.  I need to take advantage of my parents kitchen while I am here! I also got Eat Clean cookbook for Christmas that I need to use.
4. Read more books. Because it’s fun and good for your brain.
5. And most importantly, get a career plan!

What are your New Year resolutions?

Lazy French Toast

It’s cold and rainy in Athens today, so I decided to make a warm, comforting, super easy breakfast in honor of moving out of my college town soon– Lazy College Kid French Toast.

I invented this “recipe” in college after I moved out of the dorms, but it would be perfect for dorm life! (Recipe in quotations because, as you’ll see, there’s not much to it.) Its also great when you have a french toast craving, but you are drunk at 2 AM too lazy to make the real thing.

I’ve actually slightly modified my original version. Here is the original ”recipe”:

• Piece of whole wheat bread, toasted
• “I can’t believe it’s not butter!” spray (Gaaag! I can’t believe I used that!)
• Sugar free syrup
• Lots of cinnamon!!!!

Directions: Toast bread, spray with butter, sprinkle with lots of cinnamon, drizzle syrup, and microwave for 7-10 seconds.

I learned a lot about nutrition since then, including that less calories does not equal healthier and that the words “spray” and “butter” should never be used in the same sentence! So here I present my Lazy College Grad French Toast!

Mmmm…I want to eat it again! 

The changes I made were:

1. Using an Ezekiel English Muffin instead of wheat bread. It soaked up the butter and syrup sooo well!
2. Using REAL butter, instead of fake butter spray. Tastes better and is all natural. You also only need a little bit, so don’t worry, you’re not clogging your arteries. (There is also a current debate on whether saturated fat even does that, but now I’m getting off topic…)
3. Using Trader Joe’s Maple Agave blend. You could also use real maple syrup here, but this is what I had on hand. I can’t believe I used to use the gooey HFCS + artificially sweetened kind! Eww.
4. Double microwave time. Yes, a whole 15-20 seconds. Even though you toast the english muffin first, it is much denser than sliced bread, and you want to make sure your toppings get melted in. Plus, your maple syrup should be in the fridge if you have already opened it, and you don’t want cold syrup on your toast!

Alright, next post will probably be in ATL as I am spending my last days in Athens doing double shifts to make as much $$ as possible before I leave. 

Do you have any favorite recipes that you have updated over the years due to more nutrition knowledge, taste preference changes, etc??

A Christmasy Salad + Moving on…

Thanks for your suggestions on dishes to bring to my Christmas party. I ended up making a salad with spinach and arugula, goat cheese, roasted red pepper, and a homemade vinaigrette.

You all should really try roasting your own red peppers….they are sooo much better than the ones sold in jars, and it’s so easy. There are probably multiple ways to roast peppers, but this is how I like to do it:

1.  Pre-heat oven to 450
2. Cut pepper(s) in half, cut out white stuff (technical term, of course), and place face down on aluminum foil on a baking sheet.
3. Bring sides of foil up to enclose pepper halves.
4. Bake for about 30 minutes or until skin is crinkly and charred.
5. Let cool and peel off parts of skin that are black (comes off really easy!).
6. Cut in strips and put in salad, on sandwich, or just stuff in mouth

To make the vinaigrette, I mixed about 1/3 cup olive oil with 1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar, the juice of one large lemon, and a heaping tablespoon of honey dijon mustard. It turned out perfect!!!

All tossed up:

Very Christmasy looking, right? 

In other news, this is my last week in Athens, Georgia. I’m quitting my waitressing job, and trying to do something working towards some sort of career. I’m not sure exactly what yet, but I have a few ideas. On Sunday, I move back with my parents in Atlanta until I can get on my feet. What did you do right after you graduated college?

I won!

I won a bottle of wine! For selling the most specials at work . I may not have a “real” job yet or a solid future plan at the moment, but I have a free bottle of Spanish Garnacha!!

In all honestly, I probably won more out of luck than my super waitressing skills. Also, the Bulgarian girl with the sultry accent who always wins these contests by a landslide was not working last night. But whatever….I have free wine, and I am happy.

After a run in the freezing cold today (I guess it’s winter now!), I picked up some lunch from Farm Cart downtown. Farm Cart is a new to-go lunch spot opened up by one of my favorite restaurants- Farm 255. They get all their ingredients from local farms, and everything is incredibly delicious!

I’ve been a few times already, and I always get their cauliflower soup:

It’s served with croutons, a drizzle of olive oil, and freshly grated nutmeg. Fantastic!! I love love love this soup!

Today I also got the tortilla espanol, which is a cold frittata with potatoes topped with red pepper jelly and served with a side salad.

Also very delicious. If you have never tried red pepper jelly before, you should!

What did you have for lunch today?

Oh, also, the restaurant I work at is having a Christmas party on Sunday and we are all bringing food. Everyone seems to be bringing some kind of dip or dessert, and I would like to bring something healthier but also tasty. I was thinking of maybe some kind of salad?? I think there will be plenty of carb and cheesy goodness, so I want to bring something with lots of veggies that people will like. Does anyone have any ideas?

Is it winter yet?

It has been getting colder in Georgia! Well, sort of. It was freeeezzzzing and rainy last night when I went out with some friends for dinner/drinks, but this morning when I went outside all bundled up ready for winter….it was magically 70 degrees and sunny. What season is it? Make up your mind Georgia! (I realize that winter technically does not start until later in December, but in my mind, after Thanksgiving = winter.)

I’m really not a fan of cold weather, but I am a fan of cold weather comfort foods! 

Exhibit A: Green lentils cooked with onions and red pepper topped with greek yogurt and a baked sweet potato.

Ok, so I know that the green lentils look a little gross in the picture, but I promise they taste great! Especially if you mash up the sweet potato in the lentils. Mmmmm….so warm and delicious!

Exhibit B: Gingerbread tea.

Definitely a new favorite! I’m sort of obsessed right now…

Adding to Simply Savor’s “You know your a health foodie when..”, you know you are a health foodie when you say things like you are obsessed with a tea flavor. I don’t think normal people don’t say things like that…

What is your favorite cold weather comfort food?

Good Morning!

I set my alarm early enough to go for a run before work today, but since I worked a double shift yesterday, waking up and running was so not happening. I should have known better. 

This morning coffee > running.

Me and all my bed-head glory with a BIG mug of coffee with pumpkin spice creamer. Coffee + pumpkin and cinnamon = true love. I’m on cup number 2! Whooooooooo cooooffffeeeeee!!!!!!

This creamer is probably one of the worst things you can put in your body (INGREDIENTS: WATER, SUGAR, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN AND/OR COTTONSEED OIL, LOTS OF CHEMICAL INGREDIENTS THAT SHOULDN’T BE IN YOUR FOOD…). But 1/2 tablespoon plus a big splash of skim milk per giant mug is plenty to put some holiday flavor in your caffeine. Everything in moderation.

Ok, I’m off for ANOTHER double shift. If you go out to eat today, please tip your servers well! (PS: 15% is BS especially if your meal is under $10…seriously!)

Have you ever worked in a restaurant before? Hated it? Loved it? And do you think you are a good tipper?

You might be over Thanksgiving posts by now, but…

….are you tired of pie recipes??? If you are like me, then the answer is, “No, you can never have enough pie recipes, especially when they involve pumpkin and chocolate!”

Chocolate Marbled Pumpkin Pie

adapted from  Food and Wine

• Pre-made 9 in. pie dough (I have actually never tried to make my own pie dough before…it always seems like a daunting task for some reason)
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar (original called for 3/4 cup, but I thought it was plenty sweet with 1/2 c)
• 1 tablespoon cornstach
• 1 heaping tbsp. cinnamon (original called for 2 tsp…rule of thumb: always, always increase amount of cinnamon in recipes!)
• other spices: 3/4 tsp allspice, 1/2 tsp cloves, 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• pinch salt
• 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup light coconut milk (original called for heavy cream)
• 3 oz. bittersweet chocolate (I used Ghirardelli 60% cacoa chips…soooo good!)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F and line 9 in pie pan with crust.
2. Bake pie crust until golden (I did about 15 minutes.)
3. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, cornstarch, spices, and salt until smooth.
4. Whisk in pumpkin and coconut milk.
5. Melt chocolate in microwave in 30 second increments, stirring after each 30 seconds. (This will prevent chocolate from burning….or you could melt it in a double broiler over the stove.)
6. Transfer 1 cup of pumpkin filling to a small bowl and mix melted chocolate.
7. Pour remaining pumpkin filling in crust.
8. Dollop chocolate mixture on top and swirl with a butter knife.
9. Bake pie for about 45 minutes.
10. Bring to large family holiday gathering and don’t tell any non-health nuts about subbing the light coconut milk for cream until they have enjoyed a slice!

Although desserts are my favorite thing to make for holiday, I also brought a big fall salad to our Thanksgiving:

In the salad:

• 2 bags mixed baby greens
• 4 Bartlett pears
• 6 slices of prosciutto, sauteed

I also made a grapefruit dressing:

• 2-3 tbls grapefruit vinegar (found at Trader Joe’s!!!)
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp honey
• salt and pepper

My whole plate at Thanksgiving:

Salad, turkey (we had 2 types: classic and mesquite roasted!), ham, butternut squash (recipe in last post), parmesan mashed potatoes, and stuffing (recipe in last post).

Un-pictured: sausage balls and cheese and crackers for appetizers, wine, pie, brownies, and decaf coffee with cream. This was ALOT of food!! 

While I was having a food hangover the next day, my brother was ready for a big breakfast:

That’s four pieces of bacon, two eggs, and cheddar cheese between two waffles.

Just to emphasize, in case anyone is just skimming this post, I did not eat this breakfast sandwich, I am drinking tea with a still-full-from-Thanksgiving stomach while marveling at my brother’s appetite.

Sometimes, I wish I was a teenage boy….

On another note, wondering what to get your green-living loving and foodie friends??? How about some edible shoes?

I would love to give these to somebody just to see their reaction, lol.  Have you started Christmas/holiday shopping yet?