I changed my name...don't be confused!

I know I  haven't posted in like, forever.  That will change I promise.  I have some awesome recipes I will be getting up here for you soon.
For right now, I just wanted to post so that if anyone noticed my name changed (on my google profile) not to be confused.  I'm still the same Phitness Phoodie, just (phinally!) taking my husbands name.  So if you see Lindsey Arellano, just know it's the same Phitness Phoodie!

Thanks for reading, and I swear, I'll post soon!

Brown Rice and London Broil Veggie Stir-Fry - OMG Delicious!

If you follow me on Instagram, (which you should! @phitnessphoodie) you may have seen my stir-fry dinner last week.  I cannot express to you how delicious this was.  It’s not that I didn’t think it would be good, but I did not think it was going to be as delicious as it was.  It was so simple too; once I got down how to cook the brown rice.  

Brown rice is so much better for you than white, but my fiancée was having an issue with it because he mentioned it cooks different, and he’s never liked it.  So I decided to search and find the best way to cook it.  And for all you other brown rice doubters out there, it turned out really well!

Then I just used whatever veggies we happened to have on hand; an orange pepper (for some color), broccoli, mushrooms, onions, and leftover corn that I cut off the cob.  And of course garlic.  I also like to keep some ginger on hand, so I grated a little of that in, about a teaspoon or so, and it just gave it an extra little burst.

You could also use whatever meat you’d like for this; we had leftover London Broil so I cubed that up to put in it.  (Side note: don’t cook you’re protein (meat) in the stir-fry, cook it first then add it.)

Not to toot my own horn, but I’m a pretty good cook.  Since I like to eat healthy, I have really flourished with finding ways to make healthy foods tasty, and I think I didn’t have enough faith in myself with this dish.  I half expected it to be just a bland stir-fry that my fiancée would end up adding gallons of soy sauce just to make it edible.  Not. At. All.  And I think my 2 little secrets helped; the ginger and perfect cook on the brown rice. 

I even brought the leftovers for lunch the next day and planned on only eating half…I literally could not stop eating it, it was so good!  The good news there at least, was that the serving of leftovers I brought was still only about 400 calories.  I honestly can’t wait to make this dish again, maybe with another protein; chicken or pork.  If you like tofu, I’m sure there is enough flavor in this that you could use that, too. (I’m personally a meat girl and proud of it!)  

Ok, Ok, I’m sure you’re all dying to know the recipe by now, and if you’re not, you should be!  It will be a new staple in your meal rotation.

This recipe yielded probably around 4 servings (depending on how much you and your family can eat).

Ingredients

About 1lb of London broil – usually what I do when I buy London broil is first cut it in half since it’s usually sold as a large piece.  Then for 2 of us, we get 2 meals out of that.  So we ate 1 half one night, and used the other half for this recipe.  I think most packages are around 2-3 pounds, so I would just cut it in half, whatever the weight might be.

1 cup of brown rice (makes 2 cups cooked)

1 pepper, diced – your color choice

Garlic cloves, chopped – I used 6, use less if you don’t want it as strong

1 cob of corn, kernels removed (check out my blog post  http://phitnessphoodie.blogspot.com/2013/02/making-your-own-frozen-veggies.html  on the best way to cut the kernels off)

1 onion, diced

5 mushrooms – I used the big whole mushrooms and cut them into pieces, you could use the already chopped

1 head of broccoli, chopped

About a teaspoon of fresh, grated ginger

Salt/pepper and granulated garlic to taste

Olive oil

Light Sodium Soy sauce

Season the London broil with salt, pepper, granulated garlic and a little drizzle of olive oil on each side.

Cook your rice first, because that can sit a little.  Here is the recipe I found to perfectly cook brown rice.  This is one I did follow to a ‘T’.  http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Perfect-Brown-Rice

Once your rice is resting, get a large sauté pan really hot (you can put a little drizzle of olive in the pan too if you’d like.)  Cook the meat to about rare to medium rare – about 3 minutes per side.  (This is why you want the pan really hot to get a nice sear on each side.)  Remove from pan and rest. You don't want to cook it all the way, because it will continue to cook while resting, AND you're going to put it back in the pan once everything is complete, so by the end it will be a nice medium.

Turn heat down to medium high, add a little drizzle of olive oil and the chopped garlic.  Let that sauté for about a minute or two until it becomes really fragrant, and then grate your ginger in.  Let that sauté for another minute, then add the soy sauce with about 2-3 turns of the pan to de-glaze.  Add the veggies, salt and pepper to taste, and let cook down, about 10-15 minutes until everything is tender.

While the veggies are cooking, slice or cut the meat into cubes.  (Let it rest for at least 10 minutes first though!)  Once the veggies are tender, add your rice and meat and stir together, adding more salt/pepper/soy sauce to taste.

All that’s left now is to eat and enjoy!!  Let me know what you think!!

PALEO bacon cheeseburger meatloaf

Ok, I know you're thinking "how can you make a bacon cheeseburger meatloaf healthy and paleo?"

I have figured it out. And let me tell you, it was DELICIOUS! I did not want to stop eating it. I know for next time to double the recipe so I have plenty of leftovers!

If you're not following paleo, (which I'm technically not, I just like finding paleo recipes to be a little healthier) you can just cook this as you normally would a meatloaf, using non-paleo ingredients. If I were you however, I wouldn't, because the healthy version is just as delicious, if not more so!

The secret is the "cheese".  Lucky for those paleo cheese lovers there is now non-dairy cheese. I've seen a number of different brands, but thanks to the great staff at Whole Foods I tried (and loved!!) the Daiya brand. They make cheddar, mozzarella and Monterey Jack "cheese." It's shredded, and melts and "strings" just like normal cheese, and literally just tastes like cheddar. I have used this in multiple recipes and not told my fiancée and he didn't even notice - sorry Mike! :)

Just a note on that cheese, I like it better in dishes where I mix the cheese in, (like my quiche-check back for that recipe!) rather than say on a burger, but it does melt enough if you are strictly following paleo and dying for a cheese burger. 

Ok, on to the recipe. 

As you know I don't measure so I'll do my best for you bakers out there. 

I used 1lb of ground beef, and I needed a little extra, so I added half a pound of ground turkey because that was what I had on hand. Feel free to change it up, but 1.5 lbs of meat was perfect for a normal sized loaf pan. 

1.5 lb ground meat of choice

1 onion diced

1 bell pepper diced

1/2 zucchini diced (I wanted veggies and had it on hand, so why not?! You can leave it out if you want) 

You could add mushrooms too (I didn't have any so I couldn't :(

A couple garlic cloves chopped to taste. You know I love garlic so I used about 6, use 3 if you're not a garlic lover. 

About a cup of cheese (daiya, or real cheddar if you're not following paleo)

1/2 lb of bacon

Almond meal/flour or breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400

Take the 1/2 lb of bacon and slice the strips in half. Reserve half. Take the other half and chop into pieces. Cook for just a couple minutes, you want to let them cook the rest of the way in the meatloaf to impart flavor. Strain. 

Use the bacon grease to cook the onions, pepper and zucchini. Add salt and pepper to taste and sweat out. Cook until almost tender, then add the garlic and cook for a few minutes until fragrant. 

Once cooled, add veggies, bacon, almond meal (or breadcrumbs if you're not following paleo), cheese, salt and pepper to taste to meat and mix well. 

Put mixture into loaf pan, and top with the reserved strips of bacon. 

Bake for about 45 minutes, or and internal temperature of 160. 

Cut in slices and enjoy!!!!

Mmmm, look how nice and juicy and cheesey it turned out! Yum! I even enjoyed it just as much as leftovers today. I may take this recipe and make meatloaf muffins with it too. It would also be a great party appetizer putting them in mini muffin tins-little bite sized meat loaves! I can't wait to make this recipe again. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! 

Happy cooking!

Philabundance Cupcake Smash

Ok, so this may go against my whole "healthy food blogging",  but Philabundance is such an amazing organization, and one of my besties asked me to blog this. Check out this amazing event for an amazing organization. And who doesn't love cupcakes?!?! If you're in the Philadelphia area, a cupcake baker, or just cupcake eating enthusiast, definitely check out this event!

I've personally volunteered with Philabundance and it is such an amazing organization, definitely check out this event! Head down to the piazza, bake some cupcakes, have some drinks at the amazing restaurants and bars, and support a great cause! 

You won't be disappointed!

Just please, for me, get in a good workout that morning!!

 

 

 

Contact:

Lindsay Bues

​​​​​​​​​215- 339-0900 x1501

​​​​​​​​​lbues@philabundance.org

 

Tickets on Sale for Cupcake Smash at The Piazza in Northern Liberties

Cupcake Smash, the premier cupcake baking event benefiting Philabundance, takes over The Piazza

 

Philabundance, the Delaware Valley’s largest hunger relief organization, is throwing the fourth annual Cupcake Smash at The Piazza at Schmidts on Saturday, April 26th from 2pm-5pm. Cupcake Smash challenges local cupcake enthusiasts to create and enjoy delicious, creative cupcakes while fighting hunger in our communities. It’s a competitive baking event to benefit a sweet cause. In honor of Philabundance’s 30th anniversary, professional and amateur bakers alike will vie for the tastiest cupcake based on Philabundance’s “Most Needed Food Items” list.  Advance tickets are on sale now for $25 and can be purchased atwww.Philabundance.org/cupcakesmash or at the door for $30.

 

Cupcake Smash will be held in the middle of The Piazza.  Special guest judges include Chef Toni Johnson, production chef at the Philabundance Community Kitchen; Gretchen Fantini, owner and pastry chef at Sweet Box Bake Shop; Melissa Ward, blogger at Cupcake Friday Project and three-time competitor in Cupcake Smash; Stephen Wilson, pastry chef at 10Arts Bistro & Lounge at the Ritz Carlton Philadelphia and two-time competitor; Dabina Soondrum, pastry chef at Fitler Dining Room and Pub & Kitchen; Jennifer Reed, blogger at One Curly Fry in a Box of the Regular; and Patricia “Tish” Smith, owner and pastry chef at Foam Floaterie. Judges will vote on the best cupcake for the amateur and professional categories, while attendees will vote for the “People’s Choice”.

 

“Cupcake Smash has been such a huge success over the past three years thanks to the enthusiasm of the bakers, judges, sponsors and of course, attendees,” said Marlo DelSordo, director of marketing and communications at Philabundance.   “More than 30,000 meals were provided to people in need because of Cupcake Smash and we know that this year will be the best one yet.”

 

The number of men, women and children approaching Philabundance’s agencies for food has increased 23 percent in the past year, and more than 143 percent since 2010. Last year’s Cupcake Smash raised more than $15,000 for Philabundance helping them provide more than 30,000 meals to people in need.  

The goal for the fourth annual Cupcake Smash is to raise$30,000 during the 30th anniversary year for people struggling to put food on the table.

 

Cupcake Smash is made possible by The Piazza at Schmidts, PYT, Philadelphia City Paper, Radio 104.5, Chorus Photography, Green Mountain Energy Company, Cheesesteak Tees, Barefoot Refresh, KIND Healthy Snacks, Narragansett, Philadelphia Chocolate Tours, Philadelphia Distilling, White Mule Farms Spodee and Uber.

 

For more information, please call 215-339-0900 or visitwww.philabundance.org.

 

 

About Philabundance

Throughout 2014, Philabundance is celebrating their 30th anniversary of fighting hunger in the Delaware Valley. Philabundance reduces hunger and food insecurity in the Delaware Valley by providing food access to people in need in partnership with organizations and individuals. Philabundance provides a full plate of services through neighborhood distribution programs and a network of close to 500 member agencies in 9 counties. Philabundance serves approximately 75,000 people per week at a cost of 50 cents per meal. There aremore than 900,000 people in the Delaware Valley who are at risk for chronic hunger and malnutrition. In 2013, Philabundance distributed nearly 30.1 million pounds of food. For more information about Philabundance, visit www.philabundance.org or call 215-339-0900. 

Visit us on Facebook, Facebook.com/Philabundance and follow us on Twitter, Twitter.com/Philabundance. If you or someone you know is in need of food assistance, please call Philabundance’s Food Help Line, 800-319-Food (3663).

 

 

2014 March Challenge!!!

I know I'm a slacker and it's already March 1st and I haven't posted March's challenge yet, so this post will be short and sweet. 

Seeing as we're (hopefully) going to be shedding those extra layers soon, and we all have the beach and bikinis in our minds....March's challenge is......

CRUNCHES!!!! 

Let's work on those abs so we're all ready to strap those bathing suits on in a few months. 

This doesn't have to be too strict, do your crunches however you'd like: full sit-ups, bicycle crunch, or any variation of crunch. Even better to switch it up and work all those muscles of the stomach because there are quite a few. Add some oblique work in as wel!! (If you need any ideas, of course just feel free to ask me! I'm happy to give ideas!!) As long as you're getting in the equivalent of 65 a day or 455 a week that's all that matters. 

One thing I of course have to mention is to remind you that "rock-hard-6-pack-abs" mean NOTHING without eating properly. You've probably heard the term "abs are made in the kitchen", well it's true. That also means to make sure you're eating healthy while we're working our abs. 

So March kind of entails 3 things, "spot training" on our abs, healthy eating, and then of course cardio, all three together are key to a fantastic bikini ready stomach! 

Happy crunching!!!!!

2014 February's Challenge!!

So, I've been doing this Commit 30 program with my Corefitness group, to get myself back where I know I can and should be. Healthy eating, intense workouts...all that fun stuff. I attempted the Whole 30 Challenge - it's a Paleo cooking/eating challenge for 30 days, and I'm 2 weeks in. To be honest, I have cheated. I'm not a fan of limiting anything from your diet, especially carbs and cheese from mine - I fully believe in 'everything in moderation'. So what I have been doing is SEVERLY limiting carbs and cheese, I eat them maybe once a week on a cheat day (a day I got a fantastic workout in, don't forget that!). Otherwise, everything I cook or eat is done Paleo. I've really developed a knack for cooking yummy dishes even though they are Paleo, just ask my fiancée!  It's also forced me to eat more of, and try new veggies! I've discovered I LOVE Brussels Sprouts! Who knew? I will be posting some of my favorite Paleo recipes I've done so far, Artichoke Pesto Chicken "Pasta", Turkey Meatballs and sauce (which my fiancée said was the best pasta and meatballs he's ever had, he's not following Paleo so he got to eat real pasta with it 😢) and many more.  

But anyway, onto why I'm really here!

We're almost to the end of January! How has everyone done with their jumping jacks? I have been doing them by the week, and I plan on doing all 488 today just to get them done so I'm ready to move on to February's challenge starting Saturday!

I hope you have all stayed motivated this month. It's probably the easiest month of the year to stay motivated with everyone and their "New Years resolutions". But don't quit once February comes! Stay on track, stay motivated, and most of all have fun, because that's what it's really all about. 

If you saw my teaser, February's challenge is some Glute fun! Hopefully by March, the weather will start getting nicer, and we'll all be out of our sweatpants and extra layers, so we need to make sure we have some rockin' butts to show off!

So for February, we're going to do donkey kicks! Below is a how-to video should anyone have any questions. But the basic breakdown per day, or per week is a little different than January since we have a couple less days. If you want to do them everyday, it comes out to 72 per day, or just make sure you get in 504 every week. (This is per leg! Not total! So yes, you will be doing 2,014 kicks on each leg by the end of the month!)

With donkey kicks, as you'll see in the video, I really like to stick to 50-100 at a time, so what I suggest is adding them into your regular workout routine. Pick a few of your favorite exercises, and do a few rounds, and add 50-100 donkey kicks (each leg, remember!) each round. You'll have done 2,014 in no time! 

As always, feel free to comment with any questions or issues. 

Happy kicking!

http://youtu.be/1C-yngZmRKA

2014 Monthly Challenge: January's Challenge - Jumping Jacks

Happy New Year all!!! Hope everyone had a safe and happy new year! I'm back with a new year and a new me!! I've received my personal trainer certification, but more on that later when I have more time.  Right now, being January 1st, I want to tell you about my new challenge; my 2014 monthly challenge. Each month, I will pick a different exercise in which we will do 2,014 reps.  1 exercise, 2,014 reps, 30 or 31 days, (and 28 in February!) Each exercise will average about 65-67 reps a day depending on the month, to equal 2,014 per month.  You can do them however you like, 100 a day, 500 a week, 130 a day with 2 days rest, etc.  It's up to you however you would like to get them in!!

We're going to start simple, and progress through the year, with each month becoming more challenging, mixing in cardio, arms, abs, etc.  For January, we're going to start with jumping jacks.  Just a simple jumping jack, low impact if you need, and it averages out to 65 a day....65 jumping jacks a day is nothing! It's less than 2 minutes out of your day! You can totally do that!!

So let's get started! Each month I will post a video of the exercise (I'll try to post a few days before the end of the month) so you know what to expect! Below is the jumping jack video, check it out, and always feel free to contact me with any questions, problems, or modifications.

Have fun, good luck, and happy jacking!!

Phitness Phoodie, AKA Lindsey

http://youtu.be/PVntzWEwXyw