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Trying to drop a few pounds and to feel a little more energetic (hopefully) does not need to be hugely expensive and always labor intensive. I am hoping to set out to prove that over the course of the next few weeks and months while getting back to being the fit girl I used to be.

After our glorious and indulgent day out on Saturday, I spent the evening in bed, propped up with lots of pillows, and surrounded by cookbooks, ready to plan the week’s meals. It was a blissful evening. It didn’t hurt that Sex and the City II was on. I know most people hated it, but I thought it was cute. It was nice to hang with my old friends for awhile.

I got a lot of inspiration from the books, especially a book I reviewed last year, The O2 Diet. My eyes were made wide open to the need for antioxidants, Omega 3’s, whole grains, water, and all of those other things I probably don’t get enough of.

salmon salad ingredients

Somewhere in my head, I took about four different recipes I read and created something all our own for a filling Sunday lunch. I started with a favorite cheap ingredient, canned Alaskan red salmon from Trader Joe’s. I initially bought this as a treat for my cats but found myself stealing bites and realizing it had a ton of flavor. It is a bargain and can be the base to salads and pasta dishes.

Alaskan salmon

Other ingredients included a large jalapeno, diced finely, a few teaspoona of non-fat Greek yogurt, a teaspoon of hot and sweet mustard, and a large handful of dried cranberries.

jalapeno

All mixed together to make a pretty pink and green salad.

salmon salad

To serve, I spread the salmon salad on whole grain bread and topped with slivers of Kerrygold Killaree cheese. This cheese has a nutty, salty flavor, and a little goes a long way, making it a top choice for trying to cut back a little while still enjoying real cheese. I just can’t do the low fat stuff.

salmon melt

I popped the open-faced sandwiches in the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese had started to melt. . . then got too hungry and decided we needed to eat them just the way they were!

salmon melt

Sweet, spicy, salty, soft, crunchy, and chewy, all in one meal. A success, if I do say so myself! Ever since the Oldways “For the health of it” event last year, I have been striving to add another salmon meal to my diet every week. With a simple, inexpensive recipe like this, I definitely think it is possible!

Is there something missing in your diet that you would like to get more of? Maybe we can help!

Tags: Food, healthy eating, healthy recipe, recipe, salmon, weight loss

On weekends that we go to NJ, we rarely end up doing a big grocery shopping trip. Instead, I try to make time during the week to walk to the store meaning I can only buy as much as I can carry on a 15 minute walk each time.

As I am realizing more and more that I need to. . . ahem. . . revise my eating habits a little after a long winter at home, I made the focal point of this shopping trip fruits and vegetables. I didn’t really have a plan for them, but I knew they had to come home with me.

zucchini and squash

I purchased a huge bag of carrots, radishes, and several summer squash and zucchini, and we ate or drank them little by little throughout the week. By the time Friday rolled around, I needed to do something with the remaining carrots and squash, and I decided to rework the zucchini pancakes I made last summer.

After trying to figure out what veggies I would use, I went with one batch of zucchini and sweet corn pancakes and one batch of carrot and summer squash. I started by grating my veggies.

zucchini

To those, I added an egg, about 3/4 cup of milk, and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour.

whole wheat flour

I also sprinkled in some garlic powder and stirred until I had a thick, almost doughy consistency.

vegetable pancakes

To keep the recipe as healthy as possible, I pan-cooked these in just about a tablespoon of olive oil, flipping so that both sides got golden brown.

vegetable pancakes

I obviously had to sneak some sriracha in there, so I served these with a side of Greek yogurt mixed with sriracha. I dusted the actual pancakes with nutritional yeast and added a side of chopped radishes. Radishes might just be my new vegetable obsession. I love them all alone or topped with a sliver of Kerrygold. . .

vegetable pancakes

These veggie pancakes were a perfect lunch and a great way to use up a variety of vegetables at once. The whole wheat flour and skim milk meant that these are pretty good for you too.

You’ll be seeing more salads and less wine on this little blog over the coming weeks, and I will definitely welcome any suggestions as I try again to revive my Spring Health Challenge!

Have you ever had savory pancakes?

Tags: Food, pancakes, vegetables, Vegetarian

When I decided I wanted to make homemade focaccia, I knew it had to be an easy and quick recipe. As I have mentioned in earlier posts, this week has been insane, and while I am taking on more freelance projects, I do still want to make some great home cooked meals and to continue blogging twice a day.

After a little bit of googling, I found the Easiest Focaccia Recipe on Allrecipes.com.

easiest focaccia recipe

You’ll note the tab for Bodyrocks TV on the bottom of the image. If you want to feel badly about yourself, this is a good place to start. I clicked the site away and made bread instead.

This bread only has a few ingredients, flour, sugar, water, yeast, oil, and salt.

focaccia ingredients

I followed the recipe and started by mixing the yeast and sugar with some warm water. Bubble bubble. I love the smell of yeast. It reminds me of bread and Champagne. Smile

yeast and sugar

Getting the dough together was very easy. I just added the flour to the yeast mixture, then slowly mixed and added water in until it became dough.

focaccia dough

Them I set it on top of my heating oven to rise, a trick I started using this winter when my house didn’t seem warm enough for dough to rise. Thirty minutes later, my dough looked like it was on its way to being bread. I stretched it out, coated it in a little olive oil and salt, and set it to bake at 475 for about 15 minutes.

focaccia

It came out nice and golden brown, chewy on the outside and soft on the inside. This bread would make a nice base for a thick crust pizza. And it was a fantastic sandwich bread.

focaccia

What is your favorite sandwich?

Easiest Focaccia, adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients
  • 1 teaspoon white sugar
  • 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
  • 1/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
  1. In a small bowl, dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture with flour; stir well to combine. Stir in additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until all of the flour is absorbed. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly for about 1 minute.
  3. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.
  4. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).
  5. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface; knead briefly. Pat or roll the dough into a sheet and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush the dough with oil and sprinkle with salt.
  6. Bake focaccia in preheated oven for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on desired crispness. If you like it moist and fluffy, then you’ll have to wait just about 10 minutes. If you like it crunchier and darker in the outside, you may have to wait 20 minutes.

Tags: baking, bread, easy recipe, focaccia, recipe, sandwich bread

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