Rosemary Steak with Arugula and Blue Cheese

I recently got a new issue of Clean Eating magazine … and this recipe was staring me in the face! How delicious – I thought! I had a whole bunch of arugula from a tomato, arugula recipe from a week ago, and this was the perfect way to finish off the allotment!

So simple, so delicious – I am becoming a master of cooking steaks, indoors that is. Steve was telling me a while back that most restaurants cook steak either just pan-searing or a combination of pan-seared AND broiled… either way.. I am learning to secrets to the perfect steak YUM!

Operation White Dress: Lemon Walnut Chicken

I stepped on a scale Friday...Hell of a day to step on a scale I know. And to boot, it was horrible. Who ever said numbers can't be mean -- well, quite frankly, I believe some lying skinny bitch probably said that while she downed her last of many martinis. All the weight I had lost from eating clean and running every day has come back… Yo-yoing so 1994… But in four short weeks I have undone everything I worked so hard and passionately for. Traveling is amazing but UGH it certainly takes a toll on your numbers... I don't even want to know my butt measurement right now - I would make Beyonce jealous for sure. 

So today, we started Operation White Dress. I bought a workout DVD incase its too hot out to run (a common excuse in our household), and my yoga mat is back in full operation. I even bought myself a new sports bra to inspire me to wear workout clothes – and the rule is if you want to wear the clothes, you have to do the work.

There will be no cheating.

There will be no processed crap entering this house.

There will be no excuses.

However!

There will be planning.

There will be cooking.

There will be sweat.

There will be pride and confidence in this house again! (insert Braveheart howl here)

My triumphant return to the stove: Chicken Piccata with Parmesan Couscous

I cooked again! And the weird thing was I remembered where all the tools were :P Although initially it was like calling the doctor to make an annual check-up appointment, even though you haven’t been in four years… or maybe even like pulling teeth pre-Novocain… or maybe even going to work without coffee (the worst of all  three!) … But once I got over that initial hump of “holy crap, how do I do this?” … it was GREAT! I forgot that cooking isn’t a chore with the right foods, some good tunes and maybe a glass of wine (or two) – but rather it’s really enjoyable and fun! And the best part, by far, is putting that creation on the table and seeing someone’s face when they take the first bite. 

Panini Heroes Continued: Prosciutto and Grilled Asparagus Panini

Well after the success of the Turkey Panini, I figured we would have another relaxed but delicious dinner this past Monday (and subsequent delicious lunch Tuesday) and do another Panini. After crusing the internet for inspiration I decided to combine a few recipes I saw, but put a little twist. It's not exactly "clean eating" but its better than a lot of alternatives! Just trusty ol' fashioned good eats :)

I’ll keep this post short since I’ve already gushed about the grill pan and it’s wondrous and numerous uses… But seriously, it doesn’t get much better, much easier, and much more delicious for 5 minutes of effort… than this. 

A cure for the soggy jog: Veal Scaloppini with Artichokes and Red Pepper Aioli

Today was my first attempt ever at preparing fresh artichokes! For no particular reason, while looking at recipes in my newest cookbook: Clean Food, I decided we were going to eat Veal Scaloppini with Artichokes and Red Pepper Aioli. Perfect for an unsuspecting Wednesday… What a delightful decision! Light, filling, full of flavor! 

Thankfully the artichokes weren’t as much of a pain in the rump as I keep hearing - and they are just SO CUTE! Snip Snip Chop – Boil – Rinse – Scoopie doop – Marinate - Sear! 

Veal was a synch too! Egg – Flour – Bake! 

And Aioli is possibly the most simple thing EVER to spice up any meal – literally throw all the ingredients into a food processor or blender and SHABAM!

I first trimmed, boiled and marinated the artichokes and then woooooooooosh-splash! We were out the door for a rainy run! We harnessed Chili up in his new workout gear, threw on some good sweat wicking spandex and just skipped over the puddles. It was actually a nice change of pace, being cooled off instead of burnt up! Victorious for sure! Tomorrow we will go farther – I can feel it!

We came home and I took to the stove! And 30 minutes later our meal was on the fold out tables and we were into it! All I can say is I am in love with the light, delicate flavors and the presentation… I mean who doesn’t like good looking FOOD!!? I hope you love it too J

Slacker Central: Green Bean, Corn and Tomato Salad

So I've slacked at posting (thanks Terri for pointing this out!) this week... BUT! We have been cooking! Monday was a marvelous day for a simple meal... Coming off a rough weekend of eating whatever we wanted, drinking whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted... Running was a bit of a challenge! But we carried on nevertheless!

Once we returned from said miserable run, we proceeded to the supermarket for the goods. By the time it was supper time, it was WAY late! So we decided to make the easiest meal of the week (or so we thought until Tuesday)... a Green Bean, Corn and Tomato Salad. We originally had this paired with a Bison Steak, but were feeling hot, fat and fat... so veggies it was!!

I didn't take a picture.. Thats how delicious it was! We made it... and then it was GONE!

Ingredients

×          3 ears of corn, husked

×          1.5 lb green bean, chopped into bite size pieces

×          1 large tomato

×          2 cups smaller tomatoes (I used 1 cup yellow cherry, 1 cup red grape)

×          1/2 sweet onion (I might even ditch this next time…)

×          3 tablespoons oil

×          3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

×          2 cloves of garlic, pressed (we will use these to flavor the oil, you can crush them to flavor then remove them later if you prefer a less garlicy taste)

×          Whole wheat bread (optional)

Major Instruments

×          Large pot

×          Sharp (larger) knife

×          Large bowl

Instructions

1.       Boil water and cook corn for 10 minutes. Remove with tongs but keep water boiling. Remove corn from husk into bowl using large knife J

2.       Blanch green beans for about 5 minutes or until just soft enough (you’ll know!)

3.       Combine green beans and corn in large bowl with 2 tablespoons oil and garlic. Mix and chill for 30 minutes (or until you can’t stand it anymore!)

4.       Cut tomatoes and onion (if you are using) and add to bowl along with remaining oil, red wine vinegar and S&P if you so choose…

5.       Chow down alongside some fresh baked whole wheat bread J

It’s simple. It’s delicious. It’s springy. It’s CHEAP! And it’s AMAZING as a leftover the next day at work! 

Clean Eating Pizza "Dough"

You know those days that you just need pizza? For me, this is an everyday craving… I can’t get enough of the cheesy, oozing, bready, pepperoni-covered goodness! But, as one would expect.. something that tasty sounding isn’t always that good for you.

Lucky for me there are pioneers like Tiffany at the Gracious Pantry who came up with a fabulous dough recipe for moments just like this! It’s delicious! Granted, I would literally eat anything masquerading as pizza, this is a home run! I didn’t feel like grinding up flax seeds so I excluded them in my version and also halved the garlic powder… I want to talk to people tomorrow!!

Dinner on the Porch? Tomato Basil Rotini

Music: B.o.B

Drink: None - I’m too busy chopping!

Never have I wanted an herb garden more than I do right now. The smell of basil is just one of those beautiful scents… Like vanilla or garlic... it’s just something I love smelling when I cook. This recipe is just clean, light, delicious and has basil, tomatoes and cheese! An Italian girl’s favorite (yes, I am pulling the 1/6^th part Italian ancestry card right now…) combination!  

Now embarrassingly enough this is the first time I have purchased fresh parmesan cheese to add instead of that processed garbage… holy crap.. what was I THINKING?! (I know what you are thinking, “How can she even consider herself Italian? I bet she likes Ragu too…” Well I do and I USED to! I’ve since seen the light!)

I have cooked recipes like this (but found this one here) about a billion times in the past, but the fresh ingredients made it light, very un-pasta-coma-like, and crisp, not salty or sticky. Totally worth the extra trip to the supermarket..

Note: You should totally add chicken for protein if you have some precooked, or if you have time to bake it… unfortunately I didn’t budget enough time and ended up making a delicious vegetarian dish :D When eating clean, you should always strive to combine lean proteins with complex carbohydrates…

So major take-aways:

1.       Use fresh basil

2.       Use fresh parmesan cheese

3.       Find a 25^th hour in the day, or con your job into letting you work 6 hours for the price of 8…

4.       That cliché about fresh ingredients being the key to a successful dish… totally true

Homage to Gusteau and Nancy: Clean Eating Ratatouille and Clean Popovers

Music: Boston. Basically any song by Boston.
Beverage: Water. You gotta hydrate people!

Steve actually made this one – before I got home from work he prepped the veggies, mixed the seasonings and had all the instrumentation ready for a rumble! It was excellent! We downed our smoothies, blasted out a quick run, then came back and he threw it (neatly and artistically) into a casserole dish and POOF! Dinner was in the oven in a matter of minutes! Its clean, its simple, its GOOD for you, and its TASTY tomatoey-deliciosity! I'm telling you, if you like Italian flavors.. you will LOVE this dish!

Complimenting this fabulous main dish was popovers – a Nancy classic J A delicious, eggy, airy side “bread” that compliments just about everything under the sun. We’ve “cleaned” it up by using whole wheat pastry flour, soy margarine and skim milk… but they sure do smell JUST the same as moms! YUM!

The magic here is that we cooked both dishes simultaneously. And since you can’t (DON’T YOU DARE) open the oven during popover baking (DON’T EVEN THNK ABOUT IT), it’s a dang good thing… don’t you think? (you sure do!) Our ratatouillie had to bake for an extra 10 minutes after we took the popovers out to get that just right texture! YUM!!

Heaven comes on toast: Clean Neufchatel Red Pepper Tea Sandwiches

I’m not sure if I have mentioned this in the past, but I LOVE goat cheese. (yes, I know, I’m obsessed) Well, when I started thumbing through Tosca Reno’s Clean Eating Books, I discovered a close cousin: Neufchatel. UGH! Is it heavenly!

Although not for the budget eater, this little treasure is a mix between brie and goat cheese (in my mind anyway) – salty but savory! Just the right amount of cheesy resistance (the Baby Bear of cheese consistency you could call it)

Perfect for a snack at work (with a little assembly – it’s been done!) or dressy enough for a schmaltzy brunch – this is a sure fire hit! This recipe is adapted from Miss Tosca herself… Eat it with squeaky love my friends J

The Cure to all Mornings: Clean Oatmeal Pancakes

I don’t like eggs... Well, I do like eggs in cake, pie, cookies...

Ahem...let me rephrase…

I don’t like breakfast eggs.

Now, as a person who is egg-averse, breakfast tends to be more of a desert than an actual meal: waffles with whipped cream, crepes with nutella… I mean YUM, but who has room in their pants for such indulgences every day? Well, what about pop-tarts or bars? Cereals? Freezer solutions are abounding! …all I have to say is read the ingredients people…

This is one of those back-pocket, every-day, microwave-friendly, just add fresh berries PERFECT recipes! A staple in our houss-i mean-apartment :) if you want a more traditional pancake texture, I would recommend grinding the oats first, but if you don’t, it’s just as tasty! This tasty treat will give you a GREAT boost to start your day, keep you full for hours, and all with as little as 150 calories per pancake!

Feel free to substitute/add other ingredients to the batter for a change of flavor! Bananas, Strawberries, even walnuts!  I always eat mine with fresh strawberries as a topping ..mmm!

Clean Eating Savory Mushroom Oatmeal

We are about to dive into a new obsession of mine: http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/

She is a real help with clean eating! We have bought several cookbooks, and continue to scour the internet for clean recipes to keep our taste buds dancing.. but this little lady is one stop shopping!!

Well, we are on a two week, sugar free challenge. Voluntarily.

I almost broke a few times so far (its day 7)… wanting a glass of wine, a cookie, (I’m a desert FIEND), shortbread!  But Steve has really been pushing me to finish this one with my head held high and victory in my hand! And I will!!

We have discovered many recipes on this challenge, some good, some not so suited for our refined pallets (well, mine really, Steve will eat anything…)

Here is a GOODIE!

This is wonderful for a lazy weekend brunch-y moment (it’s SO easy!), or maybe when you're feeling a little famished and want something to really fill you up in the morning without lying like a brick in your stomach. yum yum YUM!! I added more mushrooms because they are wonderful… Play around!

(original recipe found here)