Rosemary Butternut Squash

I'm a relatively newcomer to butternut squash.  I wasn't raised eating it, and I never thought to try it until the last few years.  What a waste!  It is my new favorite, I'm telling you.

If your only interaction with butternut squash is a passing glance in the produce section, I highly suggest you take a few minutes to watch Dani Spies' "Butternut Squash 101" video.  That girl knows her food and I love her videos.  I learn something new every time.

At the end of her video she suggests this recipe.  So, I went for it.  And I downed it in no time flat.

Rosemary Butternut Squash
by www.trainermomma.com
source: Dani Spies

1 butternut squash
olive oil
kosher salt
dried rosemary

Cut off the ends of the squash, then peel the butternut squash with a peeler.  Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds then cube it into bite sized pieces.

Steam half or the entire squash around 12 minutes (or until the squash it tender).

Pour steamed squash into a serving dish and coat with a few dashes of olive oil until lightly coated.  Sprinkle with a little kosher salt and dried rosemary.

YUM!

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

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Rosemary Herbed Potatoes

My mother was not touching these killer potatoes.  I finally asked her why, and she said she didn't want all the fat from the sour cream.  Gotcha, Mom!  It's plain yogurt and totally delicious -- now my mom thinks so too.

Rosemary Herbed Potatoes
adpated from Eating for Life by www.trainermomma.com

1 1/2 lb small red potatoes
1/4 cup fat-free plain yogurt
1 tsp Italian seasoning (recipe here)
1 clove minced garlic
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 tsp rosemary

Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low.  Cover and simmer until tender, around 15-20 minutes.

While potatoes are boiling, mix yogurt, Italian seasoning, garlic, pepper, and rosemary in a small bowl.

Drain potatoes when done and return to saucepan.  Stir in yogurt mixture to coat.

Makes 6 servings.

103 calories per serving.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

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Super-Speedy Sweet Potatoes

I needed a quick side dish and just threw these in the microwave.  In. Out. Done.

Super-Speedy Sweet Potatoes
by www.trainermomma.com
from I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening!


2 medium sweet potatoes (around 6 oz or one 12 oz potato cut in half), scrubbed
1 tsp light butter (I used Smart Balance Light)
2 - 4 tsp brown sugar

Using a fork, poke each potato several times on each side.  Plae all the potatoes in a microwave-safe dish.  Cover the dish loosely with a paper towel.  Microwave for 3 minutes.  Flip the taters (they are hot!), and continue to zap them 2-3 minutes at a time until they are tender.

Cut them down the middle, add the butter and some brown sugar.  Return to the microwave and cook another 30 seconds until the butter and sugar are melted.  If desired, mash the butter and sugar mixture into the cooked potato and serve immediately.

Makes 2 servings.  One 6 oz potato has 162 calories.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.


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Mango Salsa

Mango Salsa
by Simply Recipes

1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and diced (about 1 1/2 cup) 
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 Jalapeño chile, minced (include ribs and seeds for a hotter taste if desired)
1 small cucumber, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Also good with diced red bell pepper and jicama.

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If the salsa ends up being a little too hot or acidic for your taste, you can temper it by adding some diced avocado.

4 servings.

45 calories per serving.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

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Turkey, Ham, and Cheese Stromboli

This is a personal favorite.  This is a kick to make, and fantastic for leftovers.  

Turkey, Ham, and Cheese Stromboli
by www. trainermomma.com


1 whole wheat pizza dough (find recipe here)
3-4 Tb honey mustard
5 slices of reduced sodium deli turkey**
5 slices of reduced sodium deli ham**
5 slices of Jarlsberg Lite cheese
cornmeal
1 beaten egg
poppy or sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Roll out dough to be about 12"x8" rectangle.

Spread the mustard all over the the dough.

Arrange the turkey, cheese, and ham.

Roll up the Stromboli from one side (similar to making cinnamon rolls).  Be sure to pinch the edge of the seam and tuck the ends under.

Place the Stromboli on a jelly roll pan that has been sprinkled with corn meal.  Cut long diagonal slashes, about 1/2 inch deep along the top of the loaf.  Brush the top of the loaf with the beaten egg, and sprinkle with poppy of sesame seeds (I didn't have any).

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the bread is a gorgeous golden brown.  Cool slightly before cutting and serving.  Or, if you prefer to eat your Stromboli cold (me! me! me!), let it cool entirely, then wrap it up and refrigerate.

Dip in marinara sauce and enjoy!

Servings 12.
125 calories per slice

** Trainer Momma Note:  I highly recommend using reduced-sodium, lean meats for Stromboli.  I have tried normal meats with this and it tastes like I am dumping an entire bottle of salt in my mouth.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

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Summer Black Bean Salad/Salsa

I was headed to a church BBQ and true to form I signed up to bring a salad.  I always try to do that so I know there will something I will enjoy eating.  The store-bought potato salad just doesn't do it for me :)  I had to bring something that I could make ahead of time and keep in a cooler for a few hours in the back of my car while I coached my little guy's baseball game prior to the BBQ (my Saturdays are nuts). I found several recipes that were almost what I had in mind, so I just combined them and came up with a keeper.

Thanks to Fit Mommas and friends Ann and Brittney for their recipes that helped inspire this salad!




Summer Black Bean Salad/Salsa
by www.trainermomma.com

3 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
3 cans shoepeg white corn, rinsed and drained
2 cucumbers, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 orange pepper, chopped
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
3-4 tomatoes, chopped
2 large avocados, chopped
Homemade Italian dressing (see recipe here)

Basically, get ready to CHOP, CHOP, CHOP!  Dump it all in a very large bowl and mix with Italian dressing to taste (I used about half of the dressing I mixed up).

Eat as leftovers, add some baked tortilla chips and eat as salsa, pour over baked/grilled chicken or salmon.  This salad is soooo versatile and delicious.  It will be your go-to salad from now on.

150 calories per one cup

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

Healthy Pasta Salad

This is just soooo tasty. I could eat buckets of this, but it is high in calorie. I have to restrain myself and just enjoy each bite.




Healthy Pasta Salad

2 cups whole wheat pasta
1 tomato, diced
carrots, julienned
red peppers
green peppers
1/2 cup cooked, shelled edamame
1 can garbanzo beans
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup of Creamy Garlic Vinaigrette Dressing (recipe here)

Cook the pasta according to directions and cool. Mix the rest of ingredients and chill.

224 calories per cup

Hearty Asian Salad

With Thanksgiving in only one week, it is the perfect time to eat well. I'm talking clean. The heavy, comfort food is on its way-- so a good way to prepare for what's ahead is to stick with light, easy salads for lunch or dinner.

Fit Momma Crystal sent this recipe to me quite some time ago. Frankly, I shoved to the back of the cookbook because of one ominous ingredient:

tofu.

Whoa! I have eaten tofu in restaurants several times before and enjoyed it, but never have I actually purchased it and prepared it myself.

This week I was more daring than usual, and bought the darn stuff. I found it in the produce section at my grocery store. It turns out I was intimidated for nothing. It comes in soft, medium, and hard consistencies -- I stuck with the medium just to be safe. Tofu is kind of a follower, it really doesn't have a distinctive taste and will just take on whatever taste you give it.

This salad also has another protein packer:

edamame.

What? Never had edamame? It is a long, fancy word for soybeans. You can find them shelled in your freezer section. Delicious.

As usual, I made myself a nice big batch of this stuff and ate it all week long. And I got some serious protein with the tofu and edamame -- I'll save the meat for next week! :)

From November 2009

Hearty Asian Salad
by Crystal Bowman

In a salad bowl combine dressing:
1 tsp fresh grated ginger (mine was not fresh! It was from a little bottle)
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

Layer on the following salad ingredients:
4 oz. tofu cubed
1 cucumber diced
1 red pepper diced
2 stalks of celery diced (I didn't have celery so I diced up a green pepper instead)
1 cup shelled edamame (green soybeans)
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 Tbs sesame seeds

Toss all and serve.

If you are storing this: The only thing that didn't keep well over the week were the almonds -- they got a little soft. I suggest leaving those out and adding them fresh each day.

Enjoy! Thanks for the recipes, gals! Keep them comin'!

See all Trainer Momma recipes here.

Chicken Quinoa Salad

I LOVE SALADS. Anyone who knows me knows my happiness comes in the form of a heaping plate full of salad. A new salad recipe is a treasured gift and I welcome one and all to please, pretty please, send them my way!

My awesome sister-in-law, Stacy, obviously loves me tremendously because she passed this Chicken Quinoa Salad recipe along. I made it just for me, and I've been feasting on it all week while Halloween candy has been thrown at me from every direction. It helped me feel like I was still having a "treat", but not the kind that starts will an "M" and ends with an "M".

A main ingredient in this salad is a grain called quinoa (pronounced keen-wa). It is a complete protein (contains all the essential amino acids our bodies need, similar to milk), lots of fiber, and it a SNAP to prepare. Yes, you can pick it up at any grocery store; however, I had to ask my friendly grocery store worker to stop texting and show me where it was. It was hidden waaaay down at the bottom of the rice aisle.

From Collages

Chicken Quinoa Salad
from Healthy Recipes from the Heart of Our Homes

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
Bring water to a boil. Add quinoa. Cover and turn off heat. Let cook for 10 minutes. When it is done, fluff with fork.

Add the following goodies:

1/2 cup cashews
1 cup grapes, halved
1/4 of a red onion, chopped (use more or less to taste)
1 chopped cucumber
1 cup cooked chicken, chopped (I threw it a bit more)
3 Tbs chopped fresh basic or cilantro (I used the dry kind, it was all I had)
1 tsp lemon grass (optional)

Toss with a Light Rasberry Vinegarette dressing. Arrange on a crisp lettuce. Garnish with avacado slices.

Chunky Salsa

You are working hard at this fitness thing. Doing cardio. Lifting weights several times a week. All that thrown into the mix of motherhood makes you one busy gal. Lunch time hits, you are STARVED and what do you eat?

Leftover crusts from your little guy's PB and J.
Half a cup of applesauce.
A handful of fishy crackers.
Maybe some grapes if your precious one didn't claim them first.
A half of a glass of milk from a princess cup.

WHAT?!?

I'll just say it:
You are better than that.

You are better than your kids' leftovers. Long ago I made a solemn vow to NEVER eat my kids' leftover food or eat off their plate. I know we are all pinching pennies these days, but you have earned your right to have your own plate with real food on it, darn it. If you won't stand up for yourself, I WILL!

But what about time? You are right, you are short on time and the hunger pangs are relentless around lunchtime. A trick I use is to make something I love, a lot of it, then indulge for the entire week.

I picked out a winner this week. My mom just gave me a copy of her church's new cookbook (translation: GOLDMINE). I have been eating this salsa with salmon, egg whites, chicken, tuna wraps, and or just by itself nearly every day (nope, no chips... I needed to couple it with protein to make a meal out of it).

From October 2009

Chunky Black Bean and Corn Salsa

from LeAnn Hunt (from the Gilbert 9th Ward RS Cookbook)

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, drained
1 green pepper (or any other color)
1/2 bunch cilantro (I didn't have that, so I liberally sprinkled dried cilantro)
4-5 Roma tomatoes
1/4 red onion, diced
salt and pepper to taste
1 avacado
1 cup salsa from a jar

I have been one happy camper when lunch (and breakfast and dinner!) rolled around this week. I've been eating it by the bucket load!