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Sep 11, 2014

Zucchini Muffins: A Veggie and A Treat

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I’m not fond of the heat of summer, but I do like many of the fruits and veggies that are produced from the warmer weather. I’m especially fond of zucchini. It’s such a versatile vegetable – and it’s easy to hide in other foods for picky kids.

It was zucchini that came to my rescue when I was trying to find a way to get the kids to eat more vegetables a few years ago. They were both stubbornly refusing to try new vegetables. If it required hiding the veggies in another food, I was willing to try it.

Of course, I’m not much of a cook, and only slightly better at baking. But my most successful attempt so far would have to be my zucchini muffins. I’ve been able to put 3+ cups of grated zucchini into the batter and the kids still think it’s a treat. While at first they didn’t know there were vegetables in their muffins, I eventually told them. They were surprised, yet that knowledge didn’t stop them from eating more. I think it helped convince them that it’s worth trying new vegetables. I tricked them into eating zucchini, and years later they still beg me to make these muffins with even more zucchini in them.

I’ve posted this recipe before, but thought I’d share it again in case you’re having a good zucchini growing year. These are great to pack as dessert for school lunches or as part of a breakfast. Or as a late night snack, in my case.

Zucchini Muffins

Ingredients:

3 cups flour (I prefer whole wheat flour)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon*
* substitute nutmeg or other spice here if you have a cinnamon allergy (my girls have mostly outgrown their intolerance to it)
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup natural applesauce (no sugar added)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar *
* you can use all white sugar if you like, but I prefer the addition of brown – go with your preference
3 teaspoons vanilla extract (REAL vanilla ONLY)
3 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Grease two muffin pans. (I use cooking spray.) I like to use one standard muffin pan and one pan for mini-muffins. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl. Don’t have a sifter? A whisk works well enough.

3. Beat eggs, oil, applesauce, vanilla, and sugars together in a large bowl. Add sifted dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour or spoon into greased muffin pans, filling each space only 2/3 to 3/4 full to allow for expansion. (OK, I’ll be honest here. I top them off for bigger muffins.)

4. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool in pan on racks for 20 minutes. Then remove muffins from pan and completely cool.

Cooling them while still in the pan is important. I found if I take them out of the pan too soon, they become hard on the outside.

If you’re going to keep these muffins around for more than a few days (good luck – they go fast here), store them in the fridge. A quick 5-10 sec. microwave zap will warm them up again.

They can also be frozen if you choose to make several batches due to getting 14 zucchini all at once. Just sayin’.

Also, while I may call it “my” recipe, it’s actually a slightly modified version of a zucchini bread recipe on AllRecipes.com. Changes to the original recipe included cutting the oil in half and substituting applesauce for the other half, using whole wheat flour, cutting back on the amount of sugar and using brown sugar. I’ve tried several variations on the recipe, including substituting 1/2 cup of ground flax seed for 1/2 cup of flour, and nearly every variation has still turned out well. It’s a great recipe to play with and make your own.

Added bonus: after baking these, your entire house smells delicious for the next 12 hours!

Filed Under: food ·


Jul 31, 2013

Gluten-Free Breakfast With Udi’s

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It was not even a year ago that we discovered that Aaron couldn’t eat gluten. I had suspected it for quite some time, but it took two weeks of eliminating it from his diet entirely, followed by a visit to the doctor, for us to confirm that eating gluten was damaging his insides and his health.

Having one family member need to be gluten-free was quite a shift for our mealtimes. We had to read the labels on everything at the grocery. We had to buy separate peanut butter and cream cheese containers to prevent cross contamination from a knife leaving crumbs behind. Aaron couldn’t even order pizza with us, or have a fast food cheeseburger.

We’ve navigated the GF (gluten-free) world as best we could so far, along with some mourning of Aaron’s favorite foods. He misses the crackers he used to have as snacks. Cookies and cakes still tempt. And he really misses his breakfast baked goods. Of all meals, breakfast is probably the hardest to recreate without the gluten.

So it’s no surprise that we’ve tried a LOT of gluten-free baked goods and snacks over the last nine months. There have been a few hits and many, many misses. We’ve found many GF baked goods are often dry, flaky, or lacking in flavor. Some have odd textures, too.

Udi’s Gluten Free recently sent us some samples of their foods for Aaron to try. Some of the foods are items he’s tried before. The cinnamon rolls, for example, are a frequent grocery request. When prepared according to the instructions, they’re really moist and tasty, and the icing is just sweet enough to be decadent without being cloying.

Udi's Cinnamon Raisin BreadAaron also found a new favorite breakfast item with the Udi’s cinnamon raisin bread. His quote: “Toasted with a little bit of cream cheese spread across it, you have a nicely filling breakfast that has sweet, tangy and savory flavors. The raisins also help to keep the bread itself moist.”

We also discovered that for our slower mornings – when we’re not rushing out the door – the Udi’s millet-chia bread is a great substitute for regular bread when making french toast. And some scrambled eggs, peppers and cheese tossed together and wrapped up in an Udi’s tortilla makes the perfect breakfast burrito.

(If you’re looking for a recipe, well…you’re probably new here. There’s no recipe to be shared. Scrambled eggs are pretty standard, and our french toast recipe comes from searching Google. I never said I was a cook.)

For days when we’re on-the-go, or just need a snack, the new soft-n-chewy chocolate chip granola bars are convenient and easy to take along. I don’t find them chocolatey enough for me, but they’re still sweet.

And even though Aaron’s the only one who needs GF food options, I’ll admit I snack on the Udi’s cranberry granola. Yum.

Udi's granolaNo, really – just pour the entire bag of cranberry granola right into my bowl.

Finally, the Udi’s snickerdoodle cookies? OMG, amazing. Dude, even if you’re not gluten-free, you’ll love those cookies. (They weren’t included in the samples we received – we just regularly buy them as treats.)

I didn’t expect us to find such a wealth of GF items that are just as delicious as their gluten counterparts. Udi’s has shown why they are one of the biggest names in GF foods based on the samples we’ve tried. We like most of the Udi’s baked goods we’ve tried, and they help my husband live a more typical life with all of us gluten-eaters. I’m grateful to Udi’s for their focus on quality, delicious gluten-free foods that help those who must live without gluten to still enjoy their baked goods.

Full disclosure: We received samples of several Udi’s items for review, although we’re regular Udi’s consumers as well. No further compensation was received and all opinions are my own. (Well, some are Aaron’s, too.)

 

Filed Under: Aaron, food, sponsored · Tagged:


Apr 18, 2013

My Goal To Be Healthier: Week 1 Results

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At the beginning of the month, I declared that I needed to clean up my diet. I spent most of spring break finishing out as much of the junk food we had in the house. Those Thin Mints were soooooo good. And then on April 7, I said goodbye to my Coke Zero and chocolates (with an especially emotional parting from my Nutella), farewell to bread and snack crackers, and plunged headfirst into eating as clean as possible for the next week or two.

Clean eating, for me, means no soda, no artificial sweeteners, limited sugar, and limited processed foods. Lots of fruit and vegetables, nuts, lean meats and eggs, beans, and smaller amounts of rice and dairy. Along with water to drink, I’m also having one coffee or tea each day. It’s not exactly Paleo, but it seemed like a good idea to help me detox from the foods I’m most addicted to.

So how’s it going so far? I’ve made it a week and half now without any soda, sweets, or heavily processed foods. The most processed thing I’ve eaten so far was the tortilla strips on a McDonald’s salad.

My feelings over the past week and a half have swung back and forth. The first seven days went a little something like this:

Day 1: Hahaha, this is fun! We’re going to be healthy! We’ve got this covered!

Day 2: What the hell do I eat for breakfast? Or lunch for that matter?

Day 3: It’s 8pm, I really, really, really, really, really want something sweet to snack on. An apple, while sweet, does not sound exciting.

Day 4: I fought off the chocolate cravings yesterday! Go me! I’ll celebrate by…baking some eggs.

Day 5: If I have to eat another salad…wait, Chipotle is mostly real food, right?

Day 6: Uh-oh, we’re out of dried fruit and nut mix. Everybody panic! Costco run, stat!

Day 7: I’m barely sleeping at night, and yet I’m feeling OK during the day. That’s odd. Hey, pass the almonds, would ya?

There’s no way I can tell you that it’s been a breeze. If you don’t like to cook from scratch, it can be difficult to find enough food to eat on this plan. We’ve had dinners of grilled chicken and veggies, chicken tikka masala with rice, and grass-fed organic steak one lucky night. Hard boiled eggs (baked, actually – the Pinterest idea really works!) and nuts have been good protein for lunches. Fresh and dried fruit help curb my sweets cravings. Carrots with hummus is a great snack.

Yum!

These? Are awesome.

But I am getting a little tired of the same foods mixed up and rearranged over and over. And it’s not cheap, either. We buy a lot of our food from Costco, which does help in price, but our food bill has increased over the past week. Nuts are expensive. I’m looking forward to summer when we can count on farmer’s markets for local fruits and veggies.

Overall, I have to admit that I’m feeling pretty good. It’s easier to wake up in the morning, even when I stay up late working. I’m not feeling the wild energy swings throughout the day. (I do still feel the mid-afternoon slump, which is usually when I reach for the coffee or tea.)

At first I was worried that eating calorie-dense, higher-fat foods would result in gaining weight. Instead, I’m finding my hunger isn’t as strong as it used to be. I don’t even feel like eating large meals now – I prefer to graze throughout the day.

Best of all? I’m down two pounds, and more importantly, my belly looks slimmer.

I’m really proud of myself for sticking to this so far. Yes, it’s been only a week and a half, but that can feel like a long time when it comes to food. I’d like to keep to this strict level of eating clean for at least another week, then gradually expand my diet again, still trying to keep limits on the sugar and processed junk.

Next up is to get back to working out regularly. Yesterday I laced up my new running shoes and broke them in for a 30 minute run/walk (mostly walk, really). I wasn’t excited to work out, and I felt like my heart was going to break out of my chest and run away afterward, but I did it. My dayglo shoes probably played a part to get me moving:

Asics tapped into my 80's memories

Blinded by the light!

I’m hoping this will all become habit so we can be a healthier family. Aaron is eating the same foods with me, and is far ahead of me in getting back into running. And our ultimate success of the week: Cordy and Mira will both eat grilled chicken and broccoli now.

Anyone else trying to make any healthy changes right now? Please share how it’s going for you, or what you’re planning to do!

Filed Under: Fitness, food, healthy living, running, Uncategorized ·


Aug 31, 2012

Two Months & Goal – Now What?

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I’ve reached the end of my two month ambassador program with Slim-Fast, and I have to say it’s been a great success. I did the Slim-Fast program for four months at the beginning of the year, and that experience helped me get within two pounds of my goal weight. This two months has helped me finally reach that goal weight (YAY!!) and consider what’s next for me.

When I set my goal weight, I’m not sure I ever expected to see that number on the scale. I based my goal on the top of the BMI “normal” range for my height, which is 158 pounds. Now that I’m finally here, it’s time for me to re-evaluate and decide if I want to consider this good or continue on in weight loss. On one hand, I’m so happy to reach the goal I set so long ago and I’m ready to celebrate a little. This has taken YEARS and I’m ready to not carefully consider everything going into my mouth for once.

On the other hand, I’m still not entirely happy with myself. My doctor would like to see me lose a little more (preferably fat) around my waist for optimal health. So maybe losing another 10 pounds, with the added goal of more muscle as well, would be a better goal? I’m not entirely sure yet.

Either way, maintenance is a must until I make a decision. And I’m not taking that lightly. I’m still using Slim-Fast because it’s a nutritious, quick meal when I’m in a rush. It keeps portions in perspective for me, too. I’m not strictly keeping to the plan until I decide for sure if I’m going to lose more weight or not. But a Slim-Fast snack bar in my purse is still a fantastic snack when I’m out, and our dinners still are between 500-700 calories per portion.

Any diet program has the possibility of becoming routine, leading some to get bored with their program. I’ve been lucky in that I like routine, but also there’s enough variety and flexibility in the Slim-Fast program to give me plenty to choose from for each meal or snack. The key is to not let yourself become bored. If you feel limited by the choices in front of you, it’s time to switch it up a bit, and a good diet is flexible enough to place that control in your hands without straying from the plan.

I always like a shake for breakfast, but tend to switch up which flavor I go with. I also occasionally experiment with my shakes – there’s no need to keep just to the pre-mixed flavors! Try blending a Slim-Fast shake with a handful of berries, or a spoonful of peanut butter and a banana (great with the Rich Chocolate Royale!) – it’s like having dessert for a meal, without the calories of a fast-food shake. It does add some calories to the meal, but they’re minimal compared to binging from boredom, right?

Keeping your snacks interesting helps, too. I have a pantry stocked with different kinds of snacks that are close to 100 calories a portion. If I’m craving salty, I’ve got 100-calorie packs of nuts. If I want sweet, a Slim-Fast snack bar is perfect. If I want cold or crunchy, I’ve got apples or bags of baby carrots and hummus. I have several options available to me to fit whatever mood I might be in, and to keep me interested in my food choices.

A big thanks to Slim-Fast for asking me to serve as an ambassador again for these past two months. They helped me finally reach that elusive goal, giving me a fantastic end to my summer. I even bought and wore a bathing suit without shame when we were at Lake Erie two weeks ago! Beyond the bathing suit, I once again need (nearly) a whole new wardrobe to go with my smaller size. Size 8 jeans are here to stay, and it’s time to toss out all of my large shirts and sweaters for medium ones. (And even some mediums are loose!)

 Shopping for clothing is finally fun!

It has occurred to me that some people read weight-loss blogs and think, “Well, that’s great that YOU could do it, but there’s no way I could do that.” Allow me to just say: NO, I believe you can do it.

I’m not a glossy infomercial featuring someone who lost a bunch of weight in a short period of time (and somehow got a tan in the process – ever notice that?). It took years for me, with some yo-yo’ing and a lot of frustration and false starts. I’m naturally lazy, I love food and have been an emotional eater for years. I’m crazy busy with kids and a job that has me in front of a computer 8-10 hours a day. I have no more willpower than the average person.

Make a small change, stick to just that single small change until you master it, and then move on to another small change. The effect ads up. Get outside help if needed. Slim-Fast is great for teaching about portion control. Signing up for a group exercise class with a friend can provide accountability. Create a plan for yourself that’s as flexible as you need while still producing results.

I’ll post soon about what’s next for me. I have some ideas, but need to finalize the direction I want to go. However, I think another 5K will be in my future soon. Stay tuned!

Disclosure: This post was created in connection with my appointment as an Ambassador in the Slim-Fast® Summer Slim-Down Challenge. Visit www.facebook.com/slimfast to join the conversation.

Filed Under: food, motivation, success · Tagged: , ,


Feb 21, 2012

I Will Not Stress Eat

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The last seven days have been a mountain of stress for me. Just when everything was swimming along in my life, it was announced that my shift is being eliminated at work. I’m unsure yet as to what this will mean for my employment overall, but you can imagine how news like this can affect you emotionally. Especially when you just had new living room furniture delivered to your house the weekend before, with a large credit card bill coming due.

The first day I was in shock. When I was given the news that morning, I couldn’t sleep. (I work nights, in case you’re new here.) Once I did get a few hours of troubled sleep, I woke up and couldn’t even face the idea of dinner with my family. It’s hard to think I’d ever be too upset to eat, but that was the case for the rest of the night.

I barely ate the next few days as well. The reality slowly sunk in, and while the shock has worn off, the uncertainty at the moment is still very present. It will likely be a few more days before I’ll know the future of my current job situation.

Suddenly the five stages of grief makes sense to me. I went through denial and anger already, and while bargaining doesn’t really make sense in this situation, I know depression is just around the corner. Here’s where I get worried, because depression rarely shows up at my door without a bag of powdered donuts, a pint of ice cream and an extra large spoon. (And as an adult depression also generally brings a box o’ wine along as well, making sure to get the most alcohol for the value. Depression is thrifty like that.)

Before this news hit last week, I was celebrating a new milestone. I finally broke through the 166 pound curse and had officially made it to 165. Since then I’ve dipped down to 164 and even saw 163.8 on Saturday morning. (But won’t officially count it since I know it was partially due to lack of eating while I lived in my head for a few days.) Breaking that plateau was such an accomplishment for me and gave me hope that by the end of my Slim-Fast challenge I’ll reach that goal I set of 158.

So I now find myself scared that all of this uncertainty will destroy the progress I’ve made and send me to the bottom of a fried-dough-and-sugar binge. No matter how much I’m told this job situation had nothing to do with our performance, I still feel like a failure. (Not helped by the news that most of the other two shifts were made company employees while I’ll remain a contractor if I still have a position.) The negative emotion cycle feeds into itself, with any slip on my part interpreted by my brain as more proof of my inability to succeed at anything, which then leads to more self-destruction.

This week’s challenge for myself is to resist the negative self-talk in my head and not give in to stress eating. No matter the outcome of this situation, I can’t let it affect all that I’ve worked for in my personal goals. I’m trying so hard to love myself and reshape myself into a model of good health, and I’m already 80 pounds from where I started.

Failing myself because of the business decisions of men in expensive suits sitting in fancy offices far removed from what I do would be silly. However, that extra large piece of chocolate cake looks like the perfect medication to soothe your soul when your feelings are hurt and depression is holding a chair for you and offering you a fork.

I can be stronger than this situation.

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