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Tag: broccoli

Taco Tuesday, Val Kilmer, and San Marzano Sprouts

Day 16 of 28 Day Refocus

Jack Russell Park
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 17, 2021

We headed out for a neighborhood walk this morning and hit up our favorite parks. The water is starting to recede a bit, so we moved a little faster this morning. The dangerous part about walking during the summer storm season is that, sometimes, you think it’s a safe path through the grass and the next thing you know, you are stepping into an ankle deep puddle that was cleverly disguised by said grass. It reminds me of trick puddles on NYC street corners…you think they are snow and ice, but you are wrong…and now your shoes are wet. Wet sneakers are pretty much a daily occurrence around these parts no matter the season, I have learned…and Codee just suffers through lots of baths.

Howell Park
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 17, 2021
“Maybe I can get in over here…” – Codee
Howell Park
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 17, 2021
Howell Park
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 17, 2021

In The Gardens:

It’s still too hot to move these to the garden, but we’re getting close. Most of the sprouts are San Marzano tomatoes, with one tiny Purple Peacock Broccoli sprout in there, and they mostly came up really fast. As I have mentioned before, my balcony faces east, so I get great sunlight in the morning. The end of the direct sunlight comes right around 12:30, saving them from baking all afternoon. They lean so far towards the sun that I have to keep rotating the pots to keep them growing straight.

Full Pots, The Upcycle Balcony Victory Garden
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 17, 2021

On The Beach:

Atlantic Beach, FL – August 17, 2021

Sweating It Out:

Above 95 degrees outside means an inside treadmill wog with 3lb dumbbells.

What I Watched:

What a collection of footage he has! I may have only been 8 years old when Top Gun came out, but I feel like his movies were such a huge part of my teenage years. I mean, come on. How great are Willow and Real Genius?

On The Plates:

Taco Tuesday!!! These were Lola Farms chorizo tacos with sauteed leeks and homemade pickles. I served them with some zucchini slices that I brushed with avocado oil and broiled for about 15 minutes. Truth be told, I’m guessing at that number because I really just keep my eyes on it. The broiler and I have a history and I have learned the hard way that I shouldn’t get distracted while I have something under it. It’s best to just check it often because it might have been closer to 10 and, anyway, your oven will be different. Or, you could grill the zucchini and that would be delicious. I’m not allowed to have a charcoal or gas grill here…HOA rules say electric only…so the broiler is the way to go for me.
I also had my daily green drink and peanut treat, along with a quinoa bowl with very little imagination and thought, but I was hungry and it did a fantastic group of fixing that problem.

Cronometer:

Well, I am consistently a woman who loves hers carbs…so, I have that part down.

Garmin Says:

Tuesday numbers are my favorite. Nothing even close to the realm of steps that I’ll see once I am back to loading in on Tuesdays, but a good start.

Stay safe and moving, y’all!

Roasted Chicken, Chickpea Spirals, Broccoli and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

So simple. So yummy. I find that the key really is to season my food properly, but I am a veggie lover all the way, so they don’t need much for me. The chicken adds even more fantastically filling protein and tasty fat. I had a skinless chicken breast already roasted in the fridge, but this would be a great meal for a rotisserie chicken or really any leftovers. If you are starting from scratch, I roast chicken breasts, that I usually season the night before with salt and pepper, in the Ninja at Bake/400 degrees for about 15 minutes. Cooking time will, obviously, depend on the thickness, but I take the internal temp to 165 degrees and then let them rest for at least 10 minutes before I slice them…or whatever it is I might be doing with them.

Before
After

As always, substitute in your favorite products, but I have taken gluten, dairy, and added sugar out of my diet for a month. Even when I am not restricting gluten, it turns out that I enjoy a lot of the “pasta” products that have come out recently. It’s not because I think that pasta is “bad” or I shouldn’t eat it, but because I love the extra bang for my buck that I get in the protein department with some of them. A word of caution for any beginners…I have given many a lecture about pasta replacements that go something like this, “Please, accept this food for what it is. You will be disappointed if you think that what you are about to eat is comparable to semolina pasta, but you may decide you really like it if you let it stand alone.” Now that I have gotten that noodley bit caveat out of the way….
My favorite of the bunch on the market these days are the Chickapea brand products. I love all of their shapes and the noodles cook really fast, which means that I can still reap all the time saving benefits of a box of pasta. You also get all the other benefits. They are reasonably priced, shelf stable, and they have a little selection of shapes to keep it interesting. They are a huge part of my rotation these days. 🙂

Chicken with Sweet Potato and Broccoli

So many sweet potatoes in my life this week!! I like to roast a few at a time and keep them in the fridge or the freezer…Sweet potatoes, and all vegetables, contain fiber, as I am sure you know, and fiber has some extraordinary health benefits, but there is a more recent fiber buzz word kicking around lately and it is “resistant starch.” It’s just a small amount in sweet potatoes, but they are learning more and more about the positive effects of eating it. You will find more in day old white rice or leftover baked potatoes, but long story short, the starches in potatoes and some grains change when they are cooked and then cooled. They become excellent food for the good bacteria in your gut. As always, nothing is good for everyone, but I am all for one more reason to get that meal prepping done!

I pulled everything cooked from the fridge, so I just heated it in a skillet with some avocado oil. I had roasted the skin on chicken breast in the Ninja and I removed the skin and did a rough chop on it. I knew that I was going to put it into a few plates this week, so I only lightly steamed the broccoli when I prepped it ensuring that it wouldn’t be overcooked when I actually wanted to eat it and you already know about the sweet potato. Once the pan was hot, I started with the baked sweet potato because I wanted to get some color and a little crispness on it. Then I added the chicken breast, then the steamed broccoli. It only takes a few minutes to get everything up to a good temperature for me. I have never been one to use a microwave and heating things up on the stove is what I am used to, but you could also get this meal on the table super fast by using one.

Maybe it was TOO simple, though. It was really good, but I kind of wanted it to have a sauce when it was all said and done…I don’t usually get into making one, but maybe a lemon vinaigrette or a mustard sauce? I got some nice color on the sweet potatoes, though. I won’t be surprised if I make this next week, so I’ll keep that note in mind.

Mayport Road Corridor Murals, Tomatillo Sprouts, and Too Many Blended Frozen Bananas

Day 5 of 28 Day Refocus

Mayport Road Corridor Murals
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 6, 2021

I’ll put this delicately…The little man had some digestive issues that caused a very early morning (2:54AM) trip outside. Historically, I am not known for my natural ability to wake, but luckily, I have woken up every time that it has really mattered when it comes to this guy…so far. Oddly, he doesn’t bark, but I must sense that something is different in the bed. Tonight was no exception and we made it in time. 3AM isn’t an unknown hour to me, but it did mean that I was awake for awhile after. No worries for Codee though. He was definitely my partner in sleeping in today and seemed to be just fine when we got a late start. We headed straight to the community garden instead of hitting the beach or the park. The garden is 1.75 miles from the condo and to get there, I go through an area, apparently known officially as the Mayport Road Corridor. Earlier in the year, Atlantic Beach partnered with the firm ArtRepublic to add about 15 murals to buildings in the neighborhood and this one is part of a large group of them on Mayport Road. They have been pretty controversial, as all good art should be. The other side thinks that they aren’t “beachy” enough, but I think that is why I love the project so much. It’s nice to have a little originality and diversity in our public art. Someday, I’ll try to find out more about the man in this particular mural.

In The Gardens:

Sprouts are so fun because, well plants are just awesome, but also because changes are noticeable day to day when they are this tiny. I’m going to have to break these guys apart pretty soon, I think. I still marvel at how all of these purple tomatillo sprouts popped up after an unripe fruit that fell from a plant a few months ago decomposed just right. Mother Nature carried on the most important part of the plant even if I have yet to taste one proving yet again that she does not need us. Maybe this season, the timing will be right. 🤞

Tomatillo Sprouts
Dig Local Community Garden, Dutton Island Road
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 6, 2021

Here at the condo, my sunflowers are just about to burst into color. I really didn’t expect them to get to 9’! This is going to be quite a compost run once the season is finished.

Mammoth Sunflowers, The Condo
Atlantic Beach FL – August 6, 2021

On the other hand, I am not holding my breath about the fruitfulness of this pepper plant patch.

Codee Cooling Off, The Condo
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 6, 2021

Sweating It Out:

That’s right. It’s not a typo. I’m calling this category a Wog. It’s not quite a walk and not quite a jog…something immediately in between though it’s enough to give my heart rate a little boost. I’m sure I live in the Sunshine State, but I keep lining my timing up with our daily storm, so here we are…Well, here we are after Codee decided that I had had a long enough wog.

What I Watched:

Amazon released Season 2,Episode 1 for free, but the rest of the Season 2 episodes are on Showtime.
It’s a guilty pleasure and I feel like that’s the only other thing I need to say about it.

On The Plates:

I had my usual Green Drink for brunch, but then it was a natural sugar landslide from there.

So many sweet potatoes this week!! I like to roast a few at a time and keep them in the fridge or the freezer…it’s a tiny amount in sweet potatoes, but more on resistant starch later. Dinner was simple and nice. I pulled everything cooked from the fridge, so I just heated it in a skillet with some avocado oil, starting with the baked sweet potato, then the cubed, skinless, roasted chicken breast, then the steamed broccoli. It only takes a few minutes to get everything up to a good temperature.

Maybe it was TOO simple, though. It was really good, but I kind of wanted it to have a sauce when it was all said and done…I don’t usually get into making one, but maybe a lemon vinaigrette or a mustard sauce? I got some nice color on the sweet potatoes, though. I won’t be surprised if I make this next week, so I’ll keep that note in mind.

Cronometer:

The day played out with me skipping supper and tacking a double portion onto my evening sweet tooth fix…My Frozen Peanut Banana. It was the second dessert day of the week…Go big or…never mind…I’ll see tomorrow what this does to my scale number, but I’m going to guess that it won’t move much in either direction tomorrow morning. This will more than likely halt that quick water weight drop I was experiencing. Two bananas and an apple are a lot of sugar to have at once at any point in the day, but especially two hours before bed…I know better, but it’s a splurge, so let’s make it worth it, right? Points to me for dulling the blood sugar effect a tiny bit by blending the bananas with peanut protein powder and full fat coconut milk. To be clear, the apple didn’t go in the frozen banana. It was it’s own crunchy craving after I had the “nice cream”…one is too many and two is not enough… It’s all good. I still think it was a successful day.

Garmin Says:

Not as active overall today, but I still hit the goals.

114 Days Until Load In…Stay safe and moving, y’all!!

Sunny Side Up with Broccoli and Sweet Potato

I love having breakfast for dinner and eggs are my last minute dinner sidekicks. I roasted the sweet potato the other day, so this came together pretty fast. Plus, I got a tiny dose of resistant starch from cooking it and then letting it cool for at least 8 hours, but they really don’t take that long to bake. If you wanted to, you could start it from raw in the pan. Just be sure to adjust your heat and cook time accordingly.

Breakfast For Dinner, The Condo
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 3, 2021

If I am turning the Ninja or the oven on anyway, sometimes I sneak in a little “meal prep in tiny steps” to get ahead on my list. Look how well that little sweet potato nestles in between the chicken breasts, each in their own silicone bread mold.

The unseen heroes of this dish are the 1.5tsp of avocado oil that I used in the pan and my cutting board that I use as a lid. The first teaspoon went in the pre heated pan for the cooked sweet potato and raw broccoli. I am a lover of broccoli all ways and I like it really crunchy, so cooking it this way works for me. You could roast it or use a microwaveable bag from the freezer. Once the broccoli was super bright green, I added another 1/2tsp for cooking the eggs. I covered it again for a few minutes so the eggs would steam a little. I was in the mood for pretty runny eggs today, but I get how some people think that’s yucky. I, personally, think the yolk is super delicious with the sweet potato, but to each their own. Cook to your liking, always! I just wish I got a little more color on the sweet potato, though….ah well, it’s a note for next time. 🙂

A crowded pan at the midway point, The Condo
Atlantic Beach, FL – August 3, 2021

Roasted Veggie Plate

Ingredients: Broccoli, Brussel’s Sprouts, Sweet Potato, Walnuts, Goat Cheese, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Maldon Sea Salt

Pre-Roast

The time I really don’t feel like turning the stove or the oven on the most is after I get home from a summer run. It’s moments like this that make me so happy I prepped large quantities of yummy roasted veggies. Of course, if you love veggies as much as I do, this is a welcome plate pretty much any time of the day. Walnuts, extra virgin olive oil, and goat cheese deliver healthy fats and a tiny bit of protein with lots of carbs and fiber. The nutrition coach in me says that I should have added a couple of hard cooked eggs to bump the protein…I didn’t feel like it, so I’ll file that under “Notes For Next Time” and move on. The texture and flavor variation on this one made me super happy and, despite knowing better, purple Brussel’s sprouts just seem like they would be tastier, right? Brussel sprouts and broccoli can be, surprisingly, polarizing and I get that these particular veggies may not be your jam. I love all veggies (except green peppers) equally, so sub in what suits your tastes or try something new from your local farmer’s market!!

Post Roast