Category Archives: Cooking

Quinoa and veggie stuffed peppers

Posted on by
Reply

DSC02515Happy Wednesday everyone!

I know I’ve done a poor job of giving updates on my #tfgbridal plan, but if you follow me on Instagram, you at least get more updates.

I’m skipping around a lot, and I still owe you all a post about the food at my Bachelorette party. And the juicing afterwards. But for now, I wanted you all to see what I made for dinner last night.

DSC02517Some recipes I try are great. Some not so much. This was a winner.

Kale, zucchini, quinoa & black bean stuffed peppers.

DSC02513

Ingredients:

  • 1-2 handfuls baby kale (or regular. just be sure to not include stem)
  • 2 bell peppers (cut lengthwise in half)
  • 1 small zucchini (diced)
  • 1 can black beans
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1 TB olive oil
  • 1/4 cup vegetable broth
  • 1 tsp finely chopped garlic
  • 1/3 cup plain Greek Yogurt
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheese of your choice
  • salt + pepper + paprika

Heat oven to 400F. Line cookie sheet with foil, place 4 bell pepper halves on sheet. In a large pan, add olive oil, sautee zucchini until soft. Add kale. Let wilt. Stir. Stir in broth and garlic. Cook for 1-2 mins. Remove from heat. Stir in quinoa, Greek yogurt, black beans. Season with salt, pepper and paprika. Spoon mixture into pepper halves. Be generous! Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake for about 25 minutes or until peppers are soft. Voilá!

Dessert was homemade almond butter. Didn’t realize making almond butter is so easy. Add almonds to blender, blend at low speed, be patient. And you’ve got almond butter! Nothing added! I will never buy almond butter again!

DSC02510

As far as the bridal plan goes, my workouts have been as follows:

Monday: 1 hour vinyasa yoga

Tuesday: 2 mi run, .5 mi walk

Wednesday: will be 1 hour vinyasa yoga

I have been pretty good, but it’s hard to be perfect! I will say I got a craving for Swedish Fish last night…and satisfied that craving. Does anyone else get weird candy cravings?

Bon appétit,

That Foodie Girl

vegan quinoa and cheese

Posted on by
Reply

DSC02088Ok, this little bowl of delicious was quite a hit on my Instagram (@thatfoodiegirl).

Some wanted the recipe, but I can hardly call it a recipe. It’s a mishmash of ingredients. Here’s the ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

sauteed vegetables of choice (I used zucchini, bell pepper & asparagus)

handful of vegan “cheeze” of your choice. (I used Daiya shredded mozzarella)

DSC02086

Cook the quinoa as instructed. Sautee vegetables in olive oil or coconut oil, sea salt and pepper to taste. When quinoa is done, add cheeze and stir until melted and combined. Add vegetables. Enjoy!

You might even have leftovers…I didn’t have the self-control though.

As you may or may not know, my Bachelorette weekend was last weekend. My bridesmaids and I enjoyed a fun-filled weekend in Sonoma, California (Healdsburg to be specific) hopping around vineyard to vineyard, enjoying delicious local wine and food. Healdsburg, CA is on the top of my favorite cities list. What a cute town. I can’t wait to show you all what we had! Until then here’s one of my favorite photos of us at Trentadue Vineyard in Alexander Valley.

DSC02365As far as my bridal plan goes, I did a juice cleanse the day before my bridal portraits this week (more on that later) and I’ve been eating well post-Bachelorette… Workouts haven’t been according to plan, but life is busy 4 weeks before my wedding! This week’s workouts were the following:

Thursday: free weights (arms + abs + thighs), 1 mi run , 1 mi treadmill incline workout that left me extremely sweaty

Friday: 1 hour vinyasa

Hope everyone is doing well! Has anyone else been to Healdsburg, CA?

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

balsamic roasted tofu quinoa salad

Posted on by
Reply

DSC02089Good evening, foodies!

Today has been insane. Working, wedding planning meeting, more wedding planning, yoga, packing, cleaning, working…and fitting in a delicious lunch in there too of course.

This lunch was created in my mind while I was in a yoga class. Yes, I know you’re supposed to clear your mind and just focus on your practice, but when your stomach is growling and its 12:30pm,  it’s hard not to think about what I’m going to eat.

DSC02092I was about to go grab something to-go, but it turns out I did have food in my fridge.

Into my salad went:

spinach

balsamic roasted tofu (finished off in a sauce pan to make it crispier)

quinoa

strawberries

carrots

red bell pepper

honey roasted peanuts

Topped with oil + vinegar. Didn’t need anything else! Perfect crunch and combination of flavors! I encourage you to try mixing up your salad routine…sometimes salads sound so blah, but they don’t have to!

And as for a recap on #tfbridalplan, things are going really well! I haven’t eaten any refined sugar (just a piece of dark chocolate here and there), and I’ve been loading up on the fruits and vegetables! This week I did my hard run on Monday, and then 1 hour vinyasa yoga Tuesday, Wednesday and today.

And now I’m off to my Bachelorette weekend!

Bon appétit,

That Foodie Girl

good morning pancakes

Posted on by
4

Good morning! It’s 8:13am and I’ve already cooked breakfast and eaten it! This is pretty good for me, so let’s make it a productive day!

DSC02116Today’s breakfast was 2 ingredient pancakes: banana and egg. Simple, easy, and it actually worked! This was a Pinterest win.

DSC02117These pancakes were the thickness and texture of a crepe. Sweeter than usual (because of the dominant ingredient, banana), so don’t make these if you don’t enjoy bananas. Top with almond butter, PB or sprinkle with coconut flakes. I topped mine with peanut butter. It was a great salty offset to the sweet cakes.

The recipe to make the amount shown above: (for 1-2 people)

1 banana

2 eggs

(add a pinch of baking powder if you want them to be fluffier)

Mash banana with a fork, ensuring it’s completely smooth. Add 2 eggs and mix thoroughly. Heat pan on medium heat, add batter, but allow pancake to cook through before flipping. Stack it up and enjoy!

As far as my #tfgbridal plan update goes, Sunday was a day of rest and Monday was a brisk 4 mi run (8:30min/mi pace). Today is 1 hour vinyasa yoga. Lots of #tfgbridalplan meals coming your way!

Bon appétit,

That Foodie Girl

bridal plan dinner idea

Posted on by
Reply

Morning everyone!

Have you gotten a chance to see my bridal plan? The plan includes (a very vague) description of how I plan to eat and workout from now until my wedding.

From now on, I will provide examples of my meals and snacks, as well as workouts. So even if you aren’t heading down the aisle anytime soon, join me in my plan to tone up and get healthy!

DSC02082Last night’s dinner: pecan crusted chicken, quinoa, lightly roasted zucchini.

Looks fancy, but it came together in a flash. The chicken is already “crusted” and ready to bake in your oven (from Whole Foods), quinoa was cooked in vegetable broth for added flavor (needed sea salt too), and the zucchini is cut in half, drizzled in olive oil, topped with sea salt and cracked pepper and thrown into the oven for 10-15 mins at 375.

My favorite part of the meal was the quinoa. This superfood couldn’t be more satisfying.

Before dinner came one of my runs of the week. Ryan and I did a tempo run for 4 miles (1 mi warmup, 2 mi a decent pace, 1 mi recovery) and then walked 1 mile home. Total 5 miles.

Breakfast this morning is a green smoothie– handful spinach + kale mix, 1 cup frozen blueberries, 1/4 cup frozen strawberries, 1 scoop Juice Plus Complete, enough coconut water to get it all mixed up.

Workout ideas coming next!

Bon appétit,

That Foodie Girl

Our Christmas Eve

Posted on by
4

Hi everyone! I wish I had more time to blog, but my excuse this time is that I was spending quality time with my family. And I had my fiancé here with us for our first Christmas together!

Let’s start with Christmas Eve.

DSC01545We spent the day running errands, last minute wrapping and baking, etc. We headed to church for the 5pm service and got back in time for a glass of champagne before dinner. The gifts began to multiply under the tree as the night went on.

DSC01548My sister and me after church on Christmas Eve. Please note the leaning angel…

This year I cooked Christmas Eve dinner, minus the turkey. My dad prepared the turkey. And I made sure to snap a photo of each dish.

DSC01583Side dishes included roasted asparagus,

DSC01560roasted sweet potatoes and onions,

DSC01558roasted brussels (are you starting to see a pattern?)

DSC01559quinoa broccoli bake,

DSC01579and a side salad of arugula, cucumber, honeycrisp apple & sliced almonds with balsamic.

DSC01561All in all, it was a pretty tasty meal. I decided to keep it mostly healthy this year with lots of vegetables and greens. Next time, I think I can try out some new recipes and get a little more creative. But for the time I spent, I’d say this meal turned out pretty well.

Do you eat out for Christmas Eve or cook at home?

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

Visiting home

Posted on by
2

Hi everyone! I’m still here. I can’t believe I’ve gone a whole week without blogging. Let me tell you, I miss you all! This past week has been filled with work, being sick and a trip home to Austin.

Let’s begin with the journey to Austin. It was an ominous drive…lots of clouds and few rain showers.Once I got there, the weekend was so beautiful.

I’m a little spoiled to be able to call this my backyard. Coming home is like going on vacation. And this time my whole family was home for ACL! The lake was calm, weather was perfectly warm and a nice cool breeze too. But you came here to see some food, right?

My first night home we decided to cook. My twin brother and I made the side dish: broccoli quinoa “bake”. Not to be confused with casserole. Because Travis hates that word. So we went with “bake”. This was so easy to make and even more delicious. I will post the recipe soon!

Pumpkin chocolate chip bread with a cinnamon glaze. Sooooo tasty.

And finally, one of the highlights of my weekend was getting to see one of my very best friends, Stephanie. We brought our pups along for a walk and a smoothie at Whole Foods.

Adorable.

And back to the being sick thing..if you recall in my last post I had a cold. That turned into actual sickness that required antibiotics, so I’m just trying my hardest to get back to feeling 100%. I’m so behind on my training and this Saturday is my 9 miler! Hoping I’ll be able to do that!

Bon appétit,

That Foodie Girl

A hearty breakfast

Posted on by
6

This morning I woke up sore and starving. Welcome to training day #4.

Enter large first meal. I don’t usually wake up hungry, but this morning I was craving vegetables and protein.

See? There are veggies under there. I sautéed zucchini and orange bell pepper in coconut oil with a bit of sea salt and cracked pepper. 2 fried eggs on top for protein. Side of Seeduction toast (from WF) with a smear of Earth Balance.

Holy moly this red plum was the BEST fruit I’ve had all summer long. WF only had about 5 left and I snagged 3 of those. I don’t think I’ve ever had a red plum before but this thing was perfectly ripe, tart, juicy with a touch of sweetness.

This breakfast was the perfect balance. I could eat it again today.

So back to training. Last night I was very sore. Today is cross training day and I will be going to yoga in place of the elliptical. I hope yoga counts as cross training. It’s going to be a lovely stretch and sweat session.

What do you usually crave first thing in the morning? Sweet or savory? I usually have an internal battle every morning trying to decide what I want.

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

Training Day 3 and chocolate protein bites

Posted on by
Reply

Happy Wednesday! Training today was tough. Just 3 miles in 30 minutes, but I feel like the treadmill won that battle. I’m very sore from yesterday’s cross training + yoga but hopefully my body will get used to this.

Now on to the chocolate protein “bites”. I got the recipe from one of my favorite healthy living blogs, Peanut Butter Fingers. I don’t think mine turned out as pretty.

I was on the search for a little bite with a big kick. Something I could pop into my mouth in the early morning hours before my morning runs. This really did the trick. They’re chewy, not too sweet and just 2 bites does enough.

One of the key players in this recipe besides the chocolate protein powder is the almond flour. Found it in the bulk section of Whole Foods. (don’t attempt this recipe with any other type of flour)

I used one of the (outdated formula + packaging) Juice Plus chocolate protein Complete powders I need to use up.

With carob powder for an extra chocolatey kick.

The key is to bake them for just 7-8 minutes. The outside should appear done, but the inside should be left a little undercooked for that gooey texture.

Ingredients:

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup chocolate protein

1 TB dark choc cocoa powder OR carob powder

1 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1/4 cup canned pumpkin

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet or grease sheet.

Combine all dry ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add eggs and pumpkin to dry mixture and stir well. Use a tablespoon to measure out dough onto baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 7-8 mins.

Makes 12-18!

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

Lazy Sundays

Posted on by
Reply

Happy Lazy Sunday everyone!

Sunday is my favorite day of the week. A day with absolutely no expectations. A day to worship God. A day to sleep in. A day to snuggle with your loved ones (this includes pups!). A day to make waffles and sip on coffee. A day to do nothing. A day to be productive. Whatever your Sunday includes, be sure to soak it up!

Just in case you’re wondering, this Sunday (as in today) I slept in way past breakfast and got to enjoy lunch with my fiance.

This waffle was enjoyed Friday morning right here at my desk. Sometimes making waffles during the week makes your entire day feel special. This waffle was made with a mix plus a scoop of Juice Plus Complete for extra staying power, topped with a dollop of plain Voskos Greek yogurt and sprinkled with chia seeds. Berries on the side. Dab of PB on the side for good measure. This had me full for hours.

Bon Appetit,

That Foodie Girl