3 super easy appetizers

Getting together with friends and making new friends is so much fun, especially when food is involved.
I love being inspired by new creations, flavors and recipes when I eat outside my home and I saw my past "Girls night, appetizer night" as a great opportunity to yum over new creations. 

I brought cucumber bites (pic above) with fresh sliced tomato and part-skim mozzarella cheese (and a sprinkle of salt) on top. I absolutely love the crunch of cucumber with the savory taste of mozarella. It's been a go-to pre-meal snack for me lately. 

Here are two other appetizers from the evening: 

How cute are these Santa kabobs?? Perfect for kiddos - and adults who love to say "awww" when they eat.
Grapes, banana, strawberries and a marshmallow on top. 

And these apricot, feta cheese and pistachio bites excited my taste buds.
I just love dried apricots and the added crunch of pistachios along with the salty punch of feta was amazing. 

Not pictured was a delicious banana, cinnamon, almond butter, oat and egg baked "cookie". I guess I forgot to take a picture when I was yumming!

Eggplant pizza, mango slaw and more!

On Saturday, my body did not disappoint me. I was actually very impressed with how my body performed with 6800 feet of climbing over 85 beautiful, hilly miles. Our ride included a 45-minute (for me), 5 mile climb to the top of Ceasers Head which has an elevation of 3215 feet. And to finish off the fun, I had a good two more hours of riding behind Karel's wheel to finish off our workout.
In the past I would have called this a training camp but now it's just part of our training, in our new backyard.
I will do a separate blog on this ride soon. In the mean time, let's eat!

After our 85-mile ride and 4 mile run, we did a little resting coupled with computer work and then it was time for some meal prep for our first house guests in Greenville!
Our friends Kristen and Trent Norris (and Trimarni athletes) came to Greenville from Charleston for their own personal Trimarni mini training camp in prep for Ironman Boulder and since nothing beats a home cooked meal, I couldn't wait to make their bellies happy after our awesome morning of training (they did a slightly shorter route of around 64 miles followed by a 15 min run).
After our workout we had our first real meal of the day (glass of milk w/ whey protein and handful granola for a recovery snack and then eggs, fresh bread and fruit for a meal for me) and then snacked throughout the afternoon before dinner. Mini carb + protein meals are best for helping the body recover and repair as oppose to one large super filling post workout meal followed by several hours of not eating.

For starters, an assortment of foods to meet the many cravings of athletes after a workout:
-Sweet cravings - fresh dates
-Salty - Pretzels and Triscuits
-Carby - fresh baguette from the local French bakery
-Crunchy - Mixed raw veggies
and hummus for dipping/spreading
 

 

Pizza makes me super happy all the time so I decided to do eggplant pizzas.

Eggplant Pizzas
2 large eggplants (cut into slices)
Panko bread crumbs
2 egg whites (slightly scrambled)
Marinara sauce
Fresh Mozzarella cheese
Fresh Basil (chopped)
Pepper and garlic spice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Arrange items: plate of sliced eggplant to far right, then shallow bowl of egg whites and then shallow bowl of bread crumbs.
3. Take one eggplant and place into bowl of egg whites for a second until slightly coated (just one side) and then press into bread crumbs and then place onto non stick cooking sheet sprayed with non stick spray. Continue doing this until all eggplant slices are coated.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until breadcrumbs are slightly toasted or eggplant is soft.
5. Remove pans and spread a spoonful of sauce on each eggplant and top with a pinch of fresh basil (as much as you want) and then a few pieces of mozzarella (I just broke the cheese into pieces instead of one thick slice on top).
6. Season with your choice of seasonings (I used fresh cracked pepper and garlic powder).
7. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. 

Instead of a salad I wanted to do a refreshing slaw that had a bit of sweetness to it.
This slaw is very versatile and you can use whatever ingredients you are in the mood for such as nuts/seeds, raisins, cranberries, dried fruit or a different flavor of yogurt. This was a delicious side to our meal. 

Mango Slaw

2 bags slaw (I purchased from Publix grocery store)
1 large mango (soft to the touch)
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
Pinch of salt
2 small containers of pineapple chobani 0% Greek yogurt

1. Pour slaw into a large bowl.
2. Spoon yogurt into bowl and mix with a large mixing fork until evenly combined. 

3. Add a pinch of salt (to taste) and coconut and mix.
4. Add cubed mango and combine. 

5. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
(best if consumed within 3 days)

My plate made me yum a lot and my belly was super happy.
For my protein I kept it simple, a black bean Morning Star veggie burger. For everyone else, Karel made baked chicken (his own recipe).
We also had a bowl of Jasmine rice w/ onions because we LOVE jasmine rice. 

And for dessert......

Fresh cold seedless watermelon and

Dark Chocolate covered almonds from Trader Joes.

I hope you enjoyed your weekend, trained hard and smart and did some yumming with your own happy tummy "food is fuel and food is medicine" creations. 

3 Holiday creations - hummus, barley mint apple salad and fruit pizza

My favorite part about the holiday season is being around family. But like any holiday, memories are typically being created when food is involved. And when it comes to the holiday season, I couldn't believe more in my saying that "if you eat well most of the time you don't have to worry about the rest of the time." 

I will never diet, fast, cleanse or detox before during or after the holiday.... or anytime of the year. EVER.

Despite enjoying occasional treats and eats, the same relationship with food and my body alongside the same tips and tools are carried with me during the holiday meals. I'm not alone in this, for both Karel and I love traditional foods around the holiday and neither one of us want to be served anything sugar-free, fat-free or anything that has some restricted word in front of it. Don't tell me what I am not eating - tell me what I get to enjoy. We do not leave our meals feeling stuffed, horrible or miserable but instead, we smile because we enjoyed a fabulous meal (and dessert) with our family and feel thanks that we get to reflect on another year of crossing finishing lines and being in great health. We also think about those who may not be in good health and wish that they could share these special moments with us. 

Despite the large portions and higher calorie/fat/sugar meals that people are served, there really isn't a lot that we should stress about with holiday eats. If anything, the BEST thing I see coming from holiday eating is holiday cooking....which typically involves REAL FOOD!

Unless you are microwaving a frozen turkey dinner or buying store-bought pumpkin pie, I'd imagine that most people out there would enjoy grandma's cobbler or your family members secret gravy for the turkey.

Oh - and Campy loves the holiday's as well.....especially when anyone "accidentally" drops something.

                               

Lucky Campy - he gets his own Thanksgiving plate....

Too much Turkey?

So despite a few holiday-themed chemical concoctions...

And delicious looking, yet "a thanksgiving meal in disguise" drinks and eats...

Starbuck's Venti 2% Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha
660 calories
22 g fat (14 g saturated fat)
95 g sugar

I'm all for the holiday eats and being super creative in the kitchen.

I have a few recipes that I created yesterday for two holiday edition of my normal  HeartWise (for men and women) class that I teach at Baptist Medical Center Beaches as a clinical Registered Dietitian. It's important to me that although I am speaking to a room of heart attack victims and individuals who are at risk for cardiovascular disease that they do not leave the room feeling overwhelmed or restricted with their food but instead inspired that they have a new way of living life - yes - for many it's a new lifestyle and way of thinking about food but it isn't until you have to make time for illness that you are reminded of how important it is to take care of your health. Prevention is cheaper than medicine.... and it tastes/feels better too :)

The creations were well-received so I thought I'd add a little inspiration to your holiday menu (or daily eats).....enjoy!

Lemon Garlic Hummus

2 heads garlic

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

3 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp tahini 

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth (or to the consistency of your liking).
(very garlicky! If you'd like a little less garlic, use 1 head of garlic)

Makes ~1.5 cups

APPETIZER SPREAD
 CARROTS, SNAP PEAS, BROCCOLI, CAULIFLOWER, WASA WHOLE GRAIN CRACKERS

Barley salad with apples and mint

½ cup orange juice
1 ½ tbsp. apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves
2 cups barley
2 tsp grated orange zest
1 large green apple - chopped
1 large red apple - chopped

1. Cook barley according to package.
2. Combine orange juice, vinegar, orange zest and mint leaves in a bowl and combine.
3. Add barley and apples dressing and stir until coated.
4. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. 

Fruit pizza

1 sugar cookie dough

Whipped cream cheese

Fruit of your choice (seasonal)

1. Press cookie on nonstick large pan (sprayed with nonstick spray) until ½ inch thick. 

2. In 350 degree oven, bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool. 

3. Spread a light layer of cream cheese on cookie and top with fresh fruit. Refrigerate before serving. 

WHOLE NUTS and DARK CHOCOLATE