Cooking with Tyler – Week 1

So anyone who knows Tyler, knows he loves a recipe for an idea THEN he basically throws it away midway through preparing the meal and runs with the rest of the dish how he sees best fit. Let’s be real, sometimes this makes something that would be good — AMAZING… and other times, well it ends up with whole lot of love, some crazy flavor, and maybe even a run to Taco Bell.

So for our first recipe we made Avocado Toast with Miso Fast Greens from Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky’s cookbook, Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow. Sounds like a simple recipe but trust me, Tyler found his ways to mix it up…

Ingredients:

whole grain bread – Nope, Tyler doesn’t like whole grain so Italian bread fo us
avocado
greens – Tyler used kale
eggs
salt
pepper
olive oil
miso butter
garlic – Tyler used pre minced from the jar
red peper flakes
sesame seeds – I forgot to buy (oops!)
everything bagel seasoning – added by Tyler
balsamic vinegar – added by Tyler

And notice, I did not put the amount for anything…. Tyler eyeballed from the start today.

Step 1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat then add greens, stirring frequently, until wilted – done to perfection!

Step 2. Add miso butter, garlic, and red pepper flakes and saute – after a look of disgust when opening the miso butter, he completed this step to perfection… minus the measuring part.

Greens Complete….oh what there is more! Batch 1 turned out perfect and there is so much kale left over, now lets skip the miso and add balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper! Check! Oh wait, there is even more! Now lets make them with just olive oil. Thank goodness Tyler liked the extra special flavors… because nope, that was a funky combo of flavors (and yes, he used the same pan from the first perfect batch through his specialty concoctions…Hello Flavor!)

Step 3. Toast the bread, scoop half an avocado on each slice, smashing the avocado with the back of the fork onto the toast – sous chef to the rescue! My only appearance till clean up has been made. Done to perfection if I do say so myself!

Step 4. Place greens on top of layer of avocado – we had two pieces of toast each, and the mystery greens were a thing. Tyler didn’t tell me which piece had which of the specialty greens so the first bite sure was interesting. Hint, it wasn’t the delicious Miso Greens!

Step 5. Make the perfect fried eggs and place on top of greens- I have to give Tyler credit, he made 4 perfectly cooked, runny eggs. Bravo, Chef!

Step 6. Garnish with red pepper flakes and sesame seeds – not a chance! Garnish by Tyler was Everything Bagel Seasoning — this was actually a great choice! The extra salt was the perfect addition.

So all in all, we ended up with something that was pretty similar to the original recipe, only a few twists and turns. Judge Kathryn (me) gave Tyler a score of: 8. Would have been a 9 but he used too many unnecessary dishes (that I had to clean up).

See below for the original recipe and let me know if you decide to give the Pros or Chef Tyler’s version of the recipe a try!

Happy Cooking!

xo, Kathryn

A Week in 3hours

Hello Hello! I hope y’all have had a wonderful weekend and your Monday is off to a great start! I had just the weekend I needed after some stressful days these last couple weeks. I was able to step away from the Queen City to visit some of my closest friends, Kimberly and Bre in Greensboro and Raleigh. After work Saturday, I made a quick stop in Greensboro to have lunch with Kimberly then took off to Raleigh for the rest of the weekend with Bre. I had a great time catching up with both of these ladies. It also always amazes me what a stress reliever it is when you can step away from the day to day monotony and just smile, laugh, and catch up with close friends. Anyways, enough about my weekend and on to today’s scheduled post….Creating all your meals for a week in three hours.

Meal prep to me, and I think to many, is one of those daunting ideas. The idea of making ahead of time EVERYTHING you are going to eat for an entire week (or in my case 5 days) is kind of a crazy thought. So for today’s post, I am going to break down for you how I meal prep, start to finish, in less than 3hrs…..

Step 1: Inventory what you have on hand and throw out anything that has spoiled in your pantry and refrigerator. Should only take about 5min.

Step 2: Based on what you have already plan your meals and snacks for the week. Typically I choose a theme to follow to keep grocery costs to a minimum and avoid waste. I like to make 2-3 options for the entire week to keep from getting bored at meal time. For snack I plan to have 1 salty snack, 1 sweet snack, 2 fruits, 1-2 veggies, and 1-2 dairy / protein options for the week. From this prep sheet, highlight or circle everything you need to get at the grocery store. This should take 15 – 20min.

Step 3: Write your grocery list according to how the grocery store is laid out. This means keeping your produce together, meats together, etc. Less than 5min.

Step 4: Grocery shop. Stick to your list. 20min. If it takes you longer than this you aren’t sticking to your very well organized list.

Step 5: Unpack the groceries, put the produce in the sink to wash. Less than 5min.

Step 6: Start with the meat and the starch for the week. These will be the base for your meals.

Step 7: As the bases are cooking, wash and chop your produce.

Step 8: As the bases are cooling, cook your veggies.

Step 9: As veggies are cooling, start dividing your base items into individual containers.

Step 10: Finish packaging the rest of your items. This means adding your cooked veggies to the appropriate meal, dividing up your raw produce, creating individual snack bags for your sweet and salty items, etc.

Steps 6 – 10 can vary in length but should be no more than 75 to 90min.

Step 11: Put all prepped food away in easy to grab locations and clean up the kitchen. No worries with the exception of the containers, you will have almost no clean-up to do all week! 🙂 10min

Total time: 2:15 – 2:30 and no more cooking for the week!!

What different ways do you go about meal prepping? Please comment below with any tips and or tricks you have!

Have a great day!!!

31 Day Detox

Hey y’all! I hope you have had a fantastic weekend so far. I am about to head out the door to work then am hitting the road to Greenville to see that boy. I will be sure to update you in the coming week on my weekend adventures. As for today’s post, I want to invite you to join me in a 31 day real food detox.

Similar to the Whole 30 plan that I tried about this time last year, I will be cutting out almost all processed foods, the majority of dairy products, added salt and sugar, and alcohol for the entire month of March. Unlike Whole 30, I will still have non-fat greek yogurt, skim milk, whole grain carbohydrates, real fruit juices, and legumes as a piece of my diet. I am doing this because I feel like I have slipped up big time over the last couple months and it is time to get my rear in gear especially as my training volume starts to increase and recovery is going to be extremely important.

So who else needs to get their booty in gear and wants to join me? I’ll be sure to keep you updated with my progress through the month.

Have a great weekend!

Super Bowl Yummies

Hey Y’all! How are you doing? Even though its already Wednesday night, lets back it up to Super Bowl Sunday when Alexie and I headed over to my parents house for a relaxing evening of food, drinks, laughing, and football watching. The commercials were good, the game was great, the company was awesome, and the food was fantastic! So in today’s post I want to take you through a few of the yummy highlights…. (PS just so we are clear, I can’t take credit for any of these, they were all chef mama bear and papa bear’s)

1. Barbecue Chicken Bites.

Basically healthier boneless BBQ chicken wings. We all loved the chicken but weren’t so sure about the dipping sauce. The sauce was much hotter than we had all anticipated.

4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs {They used only the white meat to further reduce the calories and fat} 18-ounce bottle barbecue sauce 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 1 cup panko breadcrumbs Kosher salt and ground black pepper For the dressing: 1 cup sour cream 1/4 cup chopped pickled jalapenos 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon onion powder Hot sauce, to taste Kosher salt and ground black pepper. TRIM any visible fat from the chicken thighs, then cut each into 2-inch pieces. Place in a large bowl and stir in 1 cup of the barbecue sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours. WHEN ready to cook, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the smoked paprika and breadcrumbs and cook until the breadcrumbs are toasted, stirring continuously, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. MAKE dressing: In a small bowl whisk together the sour cream, jalapenos, chives, garlic powder and onion powder. Season with hot sauce, salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside. HEAT broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and mist with cooking spray.USE a slotted spoon to remove the chicken from the barbecue sauce, allowing any extra sauce to drain away. Discard the excess marinade. Arrange the chicken pieces on the prepared baking sheet. BROIL chicken about 6 inches from the heat for 8 to 10 minutes, or until browned and cooked through. Brush the remaining barbecue sauce over the tops of the chicken bites, then sprinkle all over with the toasted crumbs. Serve with the dressing for dipping.

2. Baked Parmesan Zucchini

This was probably my favorite of the night. I don’t know what to compare it to but I promise it was really good. And according to chef papa bear it was super easy to make.

Ingredients – 4 zucchini, quartered lengthwise, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste, 2 tablespoons virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves. Instructions – Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a cooling rack with nonstick spray and place on a baking sheet; set aside. In a small bowl, combine Parmesan, thyme, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper, to taste. Place zucchini onto prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan mixture. Place into oven and bake until tender, about 15 minutes. Then broil for 2-3 minutes, or until the crisp and golden brown. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired. This recipe is from damndelicious.net.

3. Cilantro Lime Shrimp

If you like shrimp, lime, and cilantro, you will like this. It had me going back for seconds which is saying a lot since I am typically a plain jane, just give me boiled shrimp kind of girl so I was pleasantly surprised.

Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp, 1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin, Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, 5 garlic cloves, crushed, 2 tablespoons lime juice (from 1 medium lime), 3 to 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro. Directions: Season the shrimp with cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the oil to the pan, then add half of the shrimp. Cook them undisturbed for about 2 minutes. Turn the shrimp over and cook until opaque throughout, about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and the remaining shrimp to the pan and cook, undisturbed, for about 2 minutes. Turn the shrimp over, add the garlic, and cook until the shrimp is opaque throughout, about 1 minute.{cooking time was a bit longer than this, maybe a total of 7-8minutes according to chef papa bear} Return the first batch of shrimp to the skillet, mix well so that the garlic is evenly incorporated and remove the pan from the heat. Squeeze the lime juice over all the shrimp. Add the cilantro, toss well, and serve. This recipe is from skinnytaste.com.

There you have it, the yummies of my Super Bowl Sunday. What were your Super Bowl favorites? Let me know in the comments below.

Happy Eating!

Six Things Sunday 2

Hey y’all! I hope you had a great week and an even better weekend. Since my posts are (unfortunately) turning into weekly thing and less of a daily thing, let me catch you up on this past week and whats going on with me in this week’s Six Things Sunday post.

1. Buzz City. Yesterday afternoon my roommate came across a couple free tickets to the Charlotte Hornets game and I was lucky enough to get to tag along. We met with a couple of her friends who ended up being awesome and a were fun to go out with before and after the game. Before the game we hit up Whiskey River and after we headed over to Tilt. However, at the game our tickets introduced us to some interesting characters…including two that made us feel really old. We had two 18 year old guys, one of which was stroking a rabbits foot, ask us to buy them beer, of course we said no but their skinny jeans and rabbits foot were hard to turn down. 😉

2. Mason Jar Salads. Again the new roomie coming into play. She introduced me to these last week and I have to say they are awesome and keep everything super delicious and fresh. This week I used a lite blue cheese dressing, carrots, cucumber, broccoli, baked chicken, a hard boiled egg, and lettuce. What is especially nice about them is they are an easy make ahead lunch. The trick is to put the dressing in the bottom and keep the hearty veggies closest to the dressing. My layering is in the order that I gave you the ingredients. I highly recommend giving these a try if you are needing an easy lunch option.

3. Harris YMCA triathlon group. Over the last two weeks I have gotten to work with the tri group and y’all they are a great group. I feel like I can learn so much from the head coach who has so much experience with coaching and each member of the team brings so much to the table whether it be a little bit of spunk or years of experience with the sport. They are so much fun to be around and I am just so excited to get to spend time with them week after week.

4. Cat pee. Okay so this one isn’t as much fun but I need your help. If you recall in a post a while back, I told you about my additional roommate, Izzy. Izzy is my roommate’s cat and she has decided that my bed is a litter box sometimes. Well actually she went on it 3x last week. My current solution to the problem is putting a shower curtain liner on top of my bed everyday but what do you suggest to get her to stop the behavior?

5. Fuzzy Slippers. I don’t know if it is because its cold outside or the fact that I wear heels most everyday but slippers are a new favorite! Soft, cushy pillows for your tootsies… what could be better after a long day?!

6. Healthy Daddy. Early last week my dad finally went in to have his hip replaced and surgery went great! He is now home from the hospital and is up and moving around well already. I am so happy he was able to get this done and that he is on his way to a great recovery.

Thats it for this week, I hope each of you has a great week and hopefully I’ll be back before next Sunday!

Yummy in my Tummy

Hey! I hope each of you had a fun filled weekend. I made it down to Atlanta for a quick 24hr trip to visit a good friend. I’m a little exhausted now but it was well worth it. I will be sure to give you a more in depth update of that in the coming days. But for now, I wanted to share a couple easy meals to help you get your week started off on the right foot.

1. For an easy, high protein breakfast:

Grab 2 frozen whole grain waffles, some almond almond butter, raisins, and a few chopped walnuts. Toast the waffles, smear on the almond butter, and sprinkle on the raisins and walnuts and you’re ready to go. I cut up an apple to go along with this. It was super filling and very delicious.

2. For a quick snack:

Grab the blender, throw in a banana, some greek yogurt, a handful of frozen strawberries, a little water and ice, hit blend and you are good to go. I like to add a few chi seeds in the mix as well, but not necessary.

3. For a complete lunch or dinner in minutes:

All you need is a sweet potato, frozen broccoli, pre-cooked chicken (I bake a couple chicken breasts at the beginning of each week to have on hand), and some low-fat shredded cheese. Stick the potato in the microwave for about 7min, steam the broccoli for about a minute in the microwave, and warm up the chicken for about 30seconds. I put it together like a loaded baked potato and finish it off with a little bit of cheese on top. This last time I added half an avocado to the mix for a little something extra.

So what are some of your easy, go to meals? Please share in the comments below.

I hope you week gets off on the right foot!

Ideas for Success on Turkey Day

Gobble Gobble Gobble!! Its about that time; time to sit around the table with plates piled high as we give thanks for our friends, family, and all our many blessings. But what if this year, we change things around a bit, still give thanks but maybe back away from the piled high plates and overly full bellies that are ready to pop?! Over the last couple weeks at Jenny Craig we have had a board out for our clients to put their “Ideas for Success on Turkey Day” on and I have to say, they came up with some great tips and tricks!

Some were pretty similar so I combined them into one but here is a good list to go by on your turkey day!

1. Don’t starve yourself before the meal, eat your typical breakfast.

2. Walk before or after the Thanksgiving meal.

3. Slow down by putting your fork down between every bite.

4. Eat lots of leafy green vegetables.

5. Take the skin off the turkey and skip the gravy.

6. Enjoy the people more than the food!

7. Plan for no leftovers or send guests home with them.

8. Sign up for a Turkey Trot, 5k or 1mile.

9. Drink a big glass of water right before the big meal.

10. Eat off a salad plate to help keep portions small.

So do you have any other tips for success? Please share in the comments below!

Happy Thanksgiving Y’all!

Spaghetti & Meat Sauce with a TWIST

As colder weather sets in I don’t know about you, but I crave warm, hearty meals which unfortunately aren’t always the healthiest. Here, however, is a spin on a traditionally high calorie, comfort food to make it a good bit healthier but still just as delicious.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH AND TURKEY MEAT SAUCE:

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash
Olive oil (tiny amount)
Salt and Pepper (tiny amount)
A low sugar pasta sauce — Prego that has a few that are pretty low
Lean ground turkey — I usually get the 97% lean

Directions:
Preheat over to 400

Carefully cut the spaghetti squash in half long ways. I promise this is the most difficult part of the entire meal.

Scrape out the guts….the seeds and stringy parts.

Coat with a a small amount of olive oil, salt and pepper, and place face down on a cookie sheet (they should be laying flat)

Bake about 40min.

Brown turkey.

Add sauce to browned turkey and simmer.

Remove squash from the oven and very carefully turn them over to cool for a few minutes …. WILL BE VERY HOT!!!

Once you can safely handle it, using a fork scrape the insides of the spaghetti squash. It will start to look like noodles.

Serve just as you would regular spaghetti.

Enjoy!

Getting Back on Track

Every now and again I find myself a little off track when it comes to my eating habits… Thank you baseball season!!

…Regardless of your reason for getting off track here are some suggestions for when you have the “oh crap! I’ve gained a couple pounds” or “I feel like blah…what’s going on with me!?” moment and you’re ready to put your foot down and start eating healthy.

– Start recording what you are eating. This will make you much more aware of just how much or how little you are putting in your body. I use My Fitness Pal, it’s a great free app.

– Plan meals for the week and stick to them. This means planning meals that you have time to prepare as well as the ingredients for.

– Clean out the refrigerator and pantry. Get rid of the junk. If it isn’t in the house, you can’t eat it!

– Go grocery shopping with a list. This list should be based on the meals you have planned out. Don’t forget to plan snacks as well!

– Wash and cut up produce upon returning home from the grocery store. You are more likely to eat it if it’s easy to grab when you’re hungry.

– Finally, tell those around you who influence your eating habits that you are trying to eat more healthy. If they know, they are much more likely to give you the support you may need.

I hope this helps if you’re like me and have fallen off the healthy eating train!

Happy Monday Y’all!

Eating Healthy Quick

Often times I find that my life is go go go and I feel like I don’t have time to breathe let alone cook fabulous, nutritious meals. This is why I keep a few essentials on hand all the time. Below you will see a picture of MyPlate. This is what replaced the food pyramid. You do not have to have all your meals look like this plate but it should be used as a general guideline when you are planning your meals. I placed my everyday essentials on the plate so that you can see where things fit….

What are some essential that you always try to have on hand?

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30	31