Category Archives: Healthy

Quinoa and veggie stuffed peppers

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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.

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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!

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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

balsamic roasted tofu quinoa salad

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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

bridal plan dinner idea

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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

Healthy Smoothie Breakfasts

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Hi guys,

Before I get to the smoothie, I want to say my heart is feeling heavy this morning. My heart goes out to anyone and everyone involved in the Boston bombings that happened yesterday afternoon. When you hear “Pray for Boston,” remember to actually take a moment and say a quick prayer for all who have been affected by this horrific event.

That being said, I want to move on to a healthy breakfast idea. A tropical green smoothie!

DSC01832You can really make several variations of green smoothies, but lately, this has been my favorite combination. Full of plant-based protein (Juice Plus Complete), potassium, iron and probiotics. And it’s a salad in a smoothie!

DSC01829Tropical Green Smoothie

2 handfuls baby spinach

3 Tb plain Greek yogurt

1.5-2 cups frozen mango (or fruit of your choice)

1 scoop Juice Plus Complete (protein powder)

Coconut Water (enough to get things moving)

DSC01830Blend it up! Be sure to put the spinach in first!

Next up is the bridal eating and exercising plan! I’m less than 8 weeks away, and I have a plan even non-brides will want to follow! Be on the lookout for it!

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

Homemade vegetable quiche

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Hey everyone! Hope you all had a great Easter.

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Mine was different because I ended up sleeping through the church service I was supposed to go to with my aunt and uncle. Because of my oversleeping mishap, I ended up attending my church by myself. It felt strange, but I’m glad I got to celebrate Easter where I felt was most important. (my fiancé is out of town, too)

After church, I decided it was time to make brunch. Brunch for 1, please. Ok, just to let you know, Easter wasn’t all loneliness. I met up with family later in the afternoon for an Easter get together complete with little babies Easter egg hunting!

This was my very first quiche and I am very proud of it. I loosely followed this recipe, but ended up with my own version.

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I used my new KitchenAid mixer (my pride and joy) to make the dough for the pie crust (use a mixer if you have one!).

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Be sure to use your paddle, not whisk.

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Instead of pastry flour, I used 1/2 cup brown rice flour, 1/2 cup cake flour. I just didn’t have pastry flour on hand and this turned out beautifully.

When blending, be patient. It might look dry, but add tablespoons of cold water one at a time, waiting for each tablespoon of water to blend in. The dough should end up looking like this:

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Roll out the dough, ensuring it’s wider than the pie dish.

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It was difficult to pick up and place in the dish, so I ended up pressing the dough around to try to make it all even. Don’t worry if it doesn’t look that great. Once you’re done with that, pinch the edges to form a new edge. (tip: tuck the dough under along the edge) Then, press the dough into one of your fingers, making the cute zig-zaggy design. Completely professional instructions.

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Use any vegetables you have on hand…it made for a great fridge clean-out. I sautéed chopped red bell pepper and onion and added a few fistfuls of spinach at the end.

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Add the cooked vegetables to your pie…

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Prepare your egg/milk mixture. I used 7 organic cage free eggs and almond milk.

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Whisk it all up…

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And then pour in your egg/milk mixture, stirring to make sure everything is all mixed in. Add a bit of sea salt just for good measure.

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I added a sprinkling of shredded mozzarella on top, but not too much.

Cook for 40-45 minutes. It shouldn’t jiggle when you shake the dish, and it should appear slightly browned on top.

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Voila! You’re done! Allow at least 10 minutes to cool, then serve it up! Makes 8 generous slices.

Hope you enjoy as much as I did…

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

a few friday things

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Notice the new header? Big thank you to my twin brother Travis for designing it! The TFG facelift is still in progress, but this new header is a great start, don’t ya think?

I miss blogging.

Hello world. I am still here, and I know I say I’m going to get back into the blogging habit, but life has been full of a few things:

  • running a business
  • planning a wedding (only 4 months to go!)
  • yoga/running

But mostly the top 2 things on the list. I also got food poisoning last week from chicken I cooked…my fiance was feeling it too. It was a full weekend of feeling horrible, but that has passed and even That Foodie Girl gets good poisoning and doesn’t even want to think about food.

Here are a few images I will leave you with for the weekend:

blueberriesA delicious pre-yoga snack. Cold, ripe blueberries.

quinoa and eggsOne of the most delicious combinations of flavor and texture: quinoa cooked in cream of mushroom soup with diced bell pepper and zucchini. Topped with a fried egg and cracked pepper. This. was. incredible.

central market veggiesVeggies all around. Dallas people– this is at the Lover’s Lane location. You can choose as many fresh vegetables as you want and they’ll stir fry it or toss it into a pasta of your choice. I got the stir fry and it was very tasty.

And finally, my sweet baby cousin Pierce. He was looking at himself on my phone.

pierceHave a great weekend!

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

 

Our Christmas Eve

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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

St. Jude’s Marathon Weekend

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we did itHi everyone! I have missed blogging on a normal schedule but I am here now!

This past Saturday my mom and I flew to Memphis for the St. Jude’s marathon (we ran the half) sponsored by Juice Plus. I was so proud of my mom for running so fast and proud of myself for completing the half marathon under 2 hours. That was my goal, and I had to make that time. And I did!

memphis marathonThis was the before the race started. Temperatures were in the high 50′s–perfect for running.

marathonThis bridge was at mile 2 or 3…I really tried to remember each mile split to do a good job of reporting how my first half marathon went, but 5 days have passed and I have forgotten many details. I know I hit a wall at mile 6, felt some chest pain, but breathed through it and didn’t slow down.

corral 4My mom and I both started out at the 8:20-8:54 pace, and I ended up averaging 8:50 throughout the race, so I was happy with that.

finish

The feeling of crossing the finish line was amazing. I knew it would feel good, but I sprinted the last half mile and was so happy when I crossed the finish line, I got the shivers. Does that happen to anyone else? It was so cool that we got to finish inside the stadium.

That night I paid for my faster than training pace. When I trained I usually ran 9:20-10:20 min miles. Boy did I push myself for the race. And I definitely had stiffness and soreness that night and the next day. After proper refueling, I was golden by Monday. Back to yoga yesterday, so I’m feeling good.

race

Getting to share this experience with my mom was something really special. Even though during the race we only stuck together for the first mile, it was fun to celebrate (a.k.a. relax) afterwards together. I really hope I’m as strong as she is when I’m her age. She is an inspiration.

Now that I’m all caught up on my work, I hope to be blogging more consistently. I miss reporting on my awesome meals and I miss reading blogs even more. I have a lot of photos to share–new restaurants in Dallas included. Stay tuned!

Bon appétit,

That Foodie Girl

Playa Rivera, Los Angeles

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Happy Friday everyone! Picture yourself here.

Playa Rivera

What: Urban Latin, fresh, healthy

Where: Los Angeles, CA

Let’s back track to a few weekends ago when I was in LA visiting my brothers. I got the pleasure of dining at Playa Rivera, the restaurant I learned about through this video:

Cielo Verde from Gene Fama on Vimeo.

They grow almost all of their produce on their rooftop via the Tower Garden. Chef Rivera Sedlar created this Urban Latin concept and he had (extremely) local and fresh ingredients in mind. You can taste the freshness in each of his dishes. Oh, and he also wrote a cookbook with Chef Stephan Pyles, so even more reason to get over there and try it out!

It’s tapas style, so we ordered up quite a few dishes. Starting with the Hamachi Tartar Cone.

This was my personal favorite. Yellowtail, black cobra chiles, pac choi salad, miso, sesame  oil, sesame seeds and a bit of avocado at the bottom of the cone.The flavors were incredible and the crunch of the cone with the smooth buttery yellowtail was perfection. Getting to bite into the creamy avocado at the bottom was like reaching the chocolate at the end of your Drumstick. Except a whole lot better.

Other cones to choose from, but a prettier photo from their website.

Mind you, most of the produce is from their Tower Garden up top.

This was the Tortillas Salsa Semilla. Homemade tortillas with a kick–never tasted a spicy tortilla before, but it was delicious with a side of their avocado butter and their black bean dip.

Again, this is their photo. Mine didn’t do the dish justice. This was my second favorite. This is their snap peas with serranos, lardons, scallions and a fried egg on top. This dish was reminiscent of something I’ve ordered at Samar by Stephan Pyles.

If burrata is on a menu, I order it. This was their Maize Cake Salsa Semila. Homemade maize cake (tortilla), fresh burrata, salsa verde, fresh arugula, amaranth & sal de colima. Very tasty but the burrata was a bit too soft for my liking. You can taste the freshness in the arugula. It was perfectly crisp and nutty.

I’m sorry for this horrible photo, but this was amazing. I’m not finding it on their online menu, but it was one of the mushroom tamales. It was rich in flavor and had the perfect tamale consistency.

We also had their 100% Cielo Verde salad–the one where they go up and pick your arugula, pac choi and spinach straight from the Tower Garden and place right on your plate. It had a simple dressing and it was a refreshing addition to our meal.

Finally, fine dining you can leave without feeling regretful. We left full, content and satisfied. A place you can eat and feel healthy and indulgent at the same time. If you’re ever in the LA area or you live around there, be sure to make your reservation and head over there soon. The pricing was right too. No excuses people! Bonus? The menu is vegan & vegetarian friendly.

Oh, and if you’re interested in a Tower Garden for your home, comment below. I can help.

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

anniversary dinner, crab apples and prosecco

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My fiancé and I got to celebrate our 6th anniversary a week late, but better late than never, right? We didn’t feel like getting dressed up and going out, so we opted for a cozy night in. We ordered a prosciutto and parm pizza from Fireside Pies with a (heaping) side of caesar salad. The pizza had wayyy too much prosciutto, but the caesar salad was the real focal point for us. It was delicious.

Props to Fireside for their generous portions of fresh ingredients. The caesar came with freshly grated parmesan…to die for. I found a chunk of fresh parmesan in my salad and gladly ate it atop a piece of crust.

The other focal point was trying this Santa Margherita prosecco. I love their white wine, so this was a treat. It was dry with a hint of sweet. That description came out of the mouth of Ryan.

The plan was to watch Dexter (how romantic), but unfortunately we found out that my AT&T plan didn’t have Showtime. Breaking Amish it was. And it’s so hard not to watch that show when it comes on. TLC, people.

Wondering about the crab apple portion of the headline of this post? Here ya go:

They look like cherries, but they’re hard like apples. Baby apples! I couldn’t resist taking a photo…buying…not so much. I do want to eventually try one. Found them at Whole Foods.

And finally, my training update.

This was yesterday’s morning run. It’s been so nice in the mornings—temperatures in the low 60′s!! Awesome. And the training schedule has gotten a bit ramped up with more mileage during the week.

Yesterday: 4 mi, 45 mins (did it in 43:18). Slow, easy breezy run.

Saturday: 7 mi run on the treadmill. It was pouring rain all day, so I forced myself to run on the treadmill. Ran it in 1hour2mins. Record time for me! 1.5 episodes of Revenge helped me get through those miles.

Friday: rest!

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl