Teriyaki Marinated Chicken Breast

I'm finally moved into my apartment! I have so many new things that I'm super excited about. Two of these are my macbook and my kitchen. Now that I have a webcam that actually works, I wanted to try out a vlog. It's unedited and it's also my very first one, so I apologize for the super amateur video. Enjoy!

Teriyaki Marinade

Ingredients:

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (or bottled juice to make things quicker)

2 tsp minced garlic

1 tbsp minced ginger

2 tbsp light brown sugar

1-2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Pour over chicken, fish, or beef and let marinate. 

To broil: Position a rack in the upper third of the oven, line a baking sheet with foil, and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Broil, watching carefully and turning at least once, until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes total (from Eating Well magazine)

My comments: You guys all got to see how quick this was, and broiling was just as simple! Except that the high heat caused any marinade on the pan to burn...thus setting off my fire alarm. That was not so simple. I'll probably bake at a lower heat next time, and just do it for 30-40 minutes. It was a little bit salty, so next time I will use less soy sauce, but I thought it was pretty tasty. And cleanup was a breeze with only a bowl and a measuring cup (the foil keeps you from having to wash the baking sheet). 

New leaf, new look

It's a bittersweet thing, but tomorrow is our last day of class for the summer. I am really going to miss my kids, but even more so, I'll miss all of the friends that I made this summer. On the "sweet" side of things, I'm moving this weekend! It's my first post-graduation step that says "I'm a big kid now," and I'm feeling very empowered and independent.

I learned a lot this summer, and I really do feel like a different person. Being in an environment where making healthy choices is difficult has helped me to realize how important my health is to me. It's always been important, but now it is my number one priority. I've decided to really buckle down and change my lifestyle for good.

In honor of changing my lifestyle, I also changed up the look of my blog. I guess I felt inspired, but I consider it the first step in moving in the right direction. Let me know of any comments or suggestions you have that would make things easier for you to navigate! 

And one more thing: I bought the Tone It Up! Diet plan. Expect several new recipes from this plan (once I actually have a kitchen). They always preach that this plan isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle. Since changing my lifestyle is my goal, I decided that my health was worth the splurge. 

Time to turn a new leaf! 

Peanut Butter and Banana Oatmeal

Only 13 more days until I'm in my new apartment! I can't wait to make myself an entire meal. I'm falling waaaaay out of my healthy eating habits. I blame the dining hall for offering like 4 options for every meal. And I don't mean each meal is 4 new options, I mean it's the same every single time. I'm so sick of the same mushy veggies that I have started doing the whole "Nothing sounds good...pasta with alfredo and chicken strips it is." Which is exactly what caused me to put on all of my college weight when I was living on campus.

I have managed to find a couple of go-to options that I actually like, and this is one of them. I don't have a picture, because I've been making it in the dining hall, but I did want to share the recipe! It's super easy, and you could use any time of plain oatmeal...instant, quick cooking, steel cut, or anything else really.

Peanut Butter and Banana Oatmeal

Ingredients:
3/4 cup cooked oatmeal (follow directions for whatever type of oatmeal you're using)
1 1/2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
1 small banana, cut into bite sized pieces
1 tsp honey

Add peanut butter and honey to cooked oatmeal and stir well to combine. Fold in banana.

Taste Rating: 7

Easy Rating: 9
Other than cutting up the banana, this is a breeze. Especially since the dining hall has ready-to-eat oatmeal. It still wouldn't be difficult if I had to make the oatmeal myself, though!

Overall Rating: 8
Given that this is a well-balanced meal on its own, I'm gonna say this is pretty awesome. Whole grains, fruit, healthy fats, protein...talk about a power breakfast!

Honey-Jalapeno Vinaigrette

It's the last day off in between sessions, so I decided to use this time to make something delicious. I've been gorging on salads in the dining hall lately, because frequently, that's the only vegetable option there is. Only one hot line ever serves vegetables, and half the time it's corn, which is actually considered a starch. When I was still in school here, I absolutely despised the salad dressings, so I'm actually pretty shocked that it took me an entire month to get sick of it. But that time has come, so it's time to start bringing my own dressings.

I wanted to try a jalapeno vinaigrette, because Flying Saucer has one that I'm seriously obsessed with. I googled jalapeno vinaigrette, and based on the ingredients, I thought this one would be the best bet: honey jalapeno vinaigrette

Recipe Notes: I thought 1/3 cup of honey was entirely too much. I used about 2 tablespoons. I also added a little extra cilantro, probably another 1/2 tbsp or so. And I used bottled lime juice because I had some leftover from my melon pops.


Honey-jalapeno vinaigrette
Makes ¾ cup

1 ½ tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
½ tablespoon chopped jalapeno
1 large clove garlic, quartered
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup vegetable oil, such as canola

In a blender, process vinegar, lime juice, cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, salt and pepper. With blender running, slowly add honey, then oil until well blended.

Before I give ratings, here are some serving suggestions for Mexican inspired meals that I think would make great use of this recipe:
1. Side salad on taco night
2. With tortilla soup
3. "Fancier" taco salad: Mixed greens topped with thinly sliced lean steak (seasoned with fajita seasoning!), pico de gallo, corn, black beans, chopped onions
4. Use as a marinade for grilled chicken

Taste Rating: 7
Compared to the bottled, watered down salad dressings at the dining hall, this was like heaven. But I would definitely make some changes: more cilantro, more jalapeno! For a "spicy" dressing, this wasn't nearly spicy enough. But definitely a do-over, especially for a Mexican inspired meal.

Easy Rating: 8
I usually make my salad dressings in a little tupperware container and shake them up, so this was a little more work than usual. Not that it was hard or anything, just made some extra dishes. Also, I don't know if my blender blade is becoming dull or something, but the garlic would not break down. Next time, I'll use that pre-minced stuff that you get near the spices. Also, I'm going to find a way to invent a portable/dorm-friendly dishwasher.

Overall Rating: 7.5

Melon Stripe Ice Pops

I'm two weeks into term one at TIP, and my schedule is jam packed. I love my kids, but I haven't had much free time at all. I realized that I need to spend more time taking care of myself,  so I'm starting the "Tone It Up! Bikini Challenge." It's an 8 week program designed by two trainers from California, Karena and Katrina. The program is actually over, but they posted all 40 challenges online for anybody who wanted to do it again, start over, or who missed it the first time. I would love to do this with you, so please let me know if you're interested in toning it up with me! Here's the link to the program: http://toneitup.com/blog.php?Bikini-Series-If-you-missed-it-5112.

One of the things that Karena and Katrina preach is eating chemical-free. No preservatives and NO artificial sweeteners! Time to cut out the fake sugar and switch to things like honey, agave nectar, stevia, and raw sugar. I saw some recipes for frozen popsicles in Women's Health magazine this month, most of which are 100% natural! I decided to make these fun summery desserts so that I can still have something sweet when cravings strike, without using processed sugar or sweeteners. Plus, they're fruit based, meaning low-calorie and full of nutrients!

P.S. My apologies for the blurry picture. My point-and-click camera was giving me problems.

Melon Stripe Ice Pops

Ingredients: 

1 cup cantaloupe, diced

2 tbsp lime juice, divided

2 tsp honey, divided

1 cup honeydew, diced (I used seedless watermelon instead. I was buying pre-diced fruit, and they didn't have honeydew)

Directions:

In blender, combine cantaloupe with 1 tbsp lime juice and 1 tsp honey. Fill a fourth of each ice pop mold (3.5 oz. each) with cantaloupe and put in the freezer for 1 hour. Set remaining mixture aside (I recommend in the fridge).

In blender, combine honeydew with remaining lime juice and honey. After cantaloupe layer has set, add a layer of honeydew. Freeze for 1 hour. Add one additional layer of cantaloupe and then honeydew, allowing pops to set in the freezer for 1 hour between each layer. After pouring the final layer, insert sticks and freeze for another 4 hours. Makes 4 servings

Per serving: 40 cal; 0 g fat; 11 g carbs; 15 mg sodium, 1 g fiber; 1 g protein

Taste Rating: 6
These aren't bad at all! The lime juice gives them an interesting twist, and they're sweet but not too sweet. The texture is a little icy compared to regular popsicles, but I kind of like it. Definitely a great summer dessert/snack to have around! 

Easy Rating: 7

Ok, so the layers take some patience. They look pretty cool, but unless I'm entertaining with these, I would probably just blend everything together at once and fill the popsicle molds on the first try without having to go back to it. Not that it was incredibly difficult, I just would rather not mess with it. Other than that, these are super simple. I'm becoming obsessed with my blender.

Overall Rating: 7

Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie

Happy Father's Day! I had a great time making dinner with my mom for father's day. We made my dad steak with mushrooms, garlic mashed potatoes, and green beans. Plus a coffee ice cream pie for dessert. It was all sooo delicious! We ate a really late lunch (like at 3:00), so I knew I wouldn't be hungry for dinner. This smoothie seemed like the perfect snack/small meal for later.

This recipe was from my newest addition to my cookbook collection: 125 Best Blender Recipes. I bought this little magazine style cookbook about a week ago, because I knew I would be needing some good blender recipes. They have smoothies, cocktails, soups, salad dressings, and more, so I figured it would be a worthy investment even if I wasn't in the dorms.

Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie


Ingredients:
1 small ripe banana, cut in half
1 tsp creamy peanut butter (I used 2. You can never have too much PB, right?)
1/2 cup low fat milk (I used skim)
Ice (I used about 2 cups)

Directions:
In blender, combine banana, milk, peanut butter, and ice. Blend until mixture is smooth and frothy.

Makes 1 smoothie: 165 calories, 6 g protein, 28 g carbs, 4 g total fat (2 g saturated), 2 g fiber, 5 mg cholesterol, 85 mg sodium

Taste Rating: 6
I'm definitely going for a whole tablespoon of peanut butter next time. It's just a teeny bit bland, but that could also be from using skim milk instead of 1 or 2%. My banana also wasn't that ripe, so a riper banana would add some extra sweetness.

Easy Rating: 9
Pour everything into a blender and press a button...

Overall Rating: 7.5
I think with the extra peanut butter and a riper banana, this would be pretty good. I'm thinking I'll make it for breakfast next time.

Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal

I'm officially out of my apartment and into the dorms! I'm SUPER excited about my job this summer. For those of you who don't know, I'm a teaching assistant for Duke TIP. The program gives gifted students a chance to take a class during the summer. There are some pretty cool classes being offered, like mock trial, creative writing, modern medicine, and more. My class is called mathematical problem solving. So far, it seems like I'm really going to enjoy this. I can't wait for the TIP-sters to get here tomorrow!

Training has been crazy busy, but I finally have a chance to cook! This recipe was inspired by one from "Hicky's Healthy Handbook." I got this cookbook as a gift from Spurs PC 11, and it's packed full of so many healthy recipes! The very first recipe in this book is for Cherry-Hazelnut Oatmeal. I'm not using the exact recipe, but it served as an inspiration for the one below.

Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal


Ingredients:
1 package instant oatmeal, original (unflavored)
1/2 cup skim milk
1 tsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp dried cranberries
1 1/2 tbsp chopped walnuts
Dash of ground cinnamon


Directions:
Cook the oatmeal according to package instructions, replacing water with skim milk. Once it is cooked completely, add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

Taste Rating: 6
Not too bad. It's oatmeal, so you're not going to get an "ooooh my gosh this is amazing" from it unless somebody sprinkled fairy dust in it or something. I will say this is waaay better than those pre-flavored things you get at the store. The walnuts add a really nice crunch to it.

Easy Rating: 9
Microwave and mix. What could be easier? I am not giving this a 10, because I'm dishwasher-less, meaning I have to wash my bowl and spoon by hand in a bathroom sink. If I had a dishwasher, the easy cleanup would justify giving this a 10.

Overall Rating: 7
Since breakfast is the most important meal of the day (not only to give you fuel, but it can actually help you lose weight). This one dish has whole grains, antioxidants, good fats, protein, calcium, etc. All of that in 5 minutes? Win.