Week 17 - turbo support

This week I'm going into full Healthy Revolution mode: less take-out, more homemade cooking.  I'm doing all of this to support my hubby who expressed his desire to "get serious" and loose some weight. I've offered my assistance in the way of meal planning and prep to help him stay on track.  I've also offered my advice on fitness and exercise, although he's not quite ready to take me on as a personal trainer.

Here is my recommendation for him (a 6'2" man, built like a football player) for a simple eating plan for the week:

• Breakfast: my recipe for a cleansing smoothie, 1 slice of sprouted whole grain bread with 2 T of natural peanut butter
• Morning Snack:  high fiber, high protein, low sugar granola bar (we like Trader Joe's Peanut Butter and Chocolate high fiber bar).  This is the perfect snack for him to grab and eat while he's in between meetings.
• Lunch:  a pre-packaged salad with protein that is 500 calories or less, with the dressing.  This is to control fat, calories, and sugar by being able to refer to the calorie count on the package.  Trader Joe's has great, affordable, pre-packaged salads (some are even cheaper than I could make it at home).
• Afternoon Snack:  greek yogurt (0% fat) and 1 piece of fruit, such as an apple or orange (low-glycemic value)
• Dinner: refer to my meal plan below

Below is my weekly meal plan for dinner, taking into account my husband's travel schedule.  I'm trying out several new recipes this week that fall right into the Healthy Home Revolution model.  I will post the recipes for them as the week proceeds.  Enjoy your week!

Happy Cooking!
Sarah

Week 17: April 27, 2014

Sunday:  Lemon, Mustard and Honey Roasted Chicken with roasted potatoes and green salad

Monday:  (husband is traveling) Eating up healthy leftovers in the freezer

Tuesday:  low-calorie Mexican Casserole with a cherry tomato and avocado salad

Wednesday:  terriyaki glazed salmon with siracha sauce, brown rice, edamame, and broccoli

Thursday:  (husband has a work event)  Eating leftovers

Friday: Pizza night

Saturday: Skinny Greek Stuffed Chicken with roasted asparagus and salad

And since I didn't post a meal plan for last week, here's the link for week 16 and week 17 of the 1st year of the Healthy Home Revolution:
http://deliciouslydomesticdining.blogspot.com/2013/04/week-16-sweet-simplicity.html

http://deliciouslydomesticdining.blogspot.com/2013/04/week-17-finally.html

Tips for Great Homemade Pizza

We started the tradition of pizza and movie night on Fridays.  It's our family tradition that lets my husband and I breathe a little while the kids enjoy a new movie.  I'm not going to lie, sometimes I'm just too tired to make my own pizza - we order from our favorite local pizzeria that knows our address well.  But for those times I'm feeling motivated and looking for an activity to do with the kids, we make our own pizza.

This all started with the gifts I received from my parents this past Christmas - a traditional pizza stone, deep dish pizza stone, and a pizza peel.  We began to experiment with different combinations of pizza toppings and of course our favorite, pepperoni.  The best part of making it yourself is that you can control all of the ingredients:  no nitrate added meats, part-skim mozzarella, fresh veggies, and even whole wheat crust if you want.  You get a much healthier pizza with all your favorite stuff!

Below you will find my tips for making the BEST homemade pizza.   Give it a try - nothing to fear but deliciousness.

Happy Cooking!
Sarah

Nitrate-free Pepperoni and Sopressata - my husband claims its the best pizza he ever had!

Tips For GREAT Homemade Pizza

For the ingredients:

• find your favorite store-bought pizza dough, white, wheat or otherwise (some places make herb or garlic flavors) or make your favorite pizza dough recipe in advance.  My favorite is from Whole Foods
• experiment with different bottled pizza or pasta sauces (or make your own).  My favorite is Simply Enjoy Marinara, found at my local grocery store
• find your favorite toppings, and healthier versions of them if you are willing and able to spend the money (organic, nitrate-free, made from part-skim milk, etc)

For the prep work:

• preheat your oven to 450 degrees and allow to pizza stone to pre-heat at 450 for 30 min before beginning
• get your kids involved or have a pizza making party with your closest friends and family!  As you can see from the pictures below, my kids LOVE to make their own pizza and are so proud of their creations.  (you can take one ball of store bought dough and split in 2-4 mini pizzas).  Plus they seem to have no problem eating all of their dinner when its something that they, themselves, made.  

Below are pictures of the kids pizzas they made themselves, before and after cooking.

Cooking time:

• I swear by pre-baking your dough!   Roll your dough out, being generous with flour so it doesn't stick.  Shake the access flour off after you've rolled it out to size, the size of your pizza stone.  Using a spatula, your hands, or a pizza peel, place the dough on the stone and bake at 450 degrees for 6-8 minutes (just enough time for the dough to be cooked but not browned or crispy yet).  Remove from the oven.  Don't worry if any air pockets formed - just press them out...beware of the hot, steamy air that comes out so you don't burn yourself.
• Place all your favorite toppings on top of the pre-baked dough.  If you don't have a pizza peel, I would use a large cutting board and a spatula to assist you with transporting the pizza on and off the pizza stone.  Place pizza back in the oven at 450 for an additional 6-10 minutes, depending on how doughy or crispy you like your crust.  

Some of our favorite flavor combinations have been:

• shredded mozzarella, pepperoni, mushroom, black olive, and spinach
• spinach, kalamata olives, sun dried tomato, artichokes, feta cheese (this tastes delicious with tomato sauce, pesto, or with plan old olive oil and garlic)
• meatball, fresh mozzarella, roasted red pepper, and onion

Be creative!  Make it your own and you may never order another pizza again!!!  Enjoy!

Lentil Salad with Roasted Broccoli and Honey Mustard Dressing

This is by far one of my favorite recipes that I've made.  Not only is it extremely delicious, but its so healthy.  It came from the 7-ingredient cleanse and I've now made it part of my regular diet.  I like to make a batch on the weekends - my husband and I eat it for lunches and snacks during the week.  I've made it a few different ways, but below is my favorite version of the recipe.  I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do!!!

Happy Cooking!
Sarah

Lentil Salad with Roasted Broccoli and Honey Mustard Dressing
recipe adapted from http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/honey-mustard-broccoli-salad/

1 pkg of pre-cooked lentils (I get mine from Trader Joe's - otherwise you can substitute the 3 cups of cooked lentils)
1 head of broccoli, about 3-4 cups, cut into florets and roasted (directions for roasting below)
1 shallot, thinly sliced
2 tsp honey
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 T apple cider vinegar
4 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Extra olive oil, salt, and pepper for roasting broccoli

First, roast the broccoli.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Toss the broccoli florets with some olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Roast for 15-20 minutes or until desired tenderness.

Meanwhile, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing.  First combine the honey, mustard, salt, pepper, and vinegar.  Then slowly add the olive oil while whisking to emulsify the dressing.  Add the lentils, shallot, and roasted broccoli.  Toss to coat and taste for any additional seasoning.  Eat up!  So yummy!!!

Week 15 - running on low

Maybe it's because I'm trying to do too much, maybe it's because my husband has been working late almost every night, maybe it's the kids, but I'm running on empty.  So I'm here, but I'm not - I'm in survival mode.  Here's my plan for this week.

Happy Cooking!
Sarah

Week 15 - April 13, 2014

Sunday: cleansing lentil and cabbage soup

Monday: parent/teacher meeting with dinner (and childcare)

Tuesday: tacos with roasted broccoli and salad

Wednesday: book club dinner for me, making pasta and meatballs for kids and hubby

Thursday: takeout (I teach cardio)

Friday: homemade pizza

Saturday: Greek marinated chicken
with Greek salad and couscous

And here's a link to recipes from week 15 from the 1st year of the Healthy Home Revolution.
http://deliciouslydomesticdining.blogspot.com/2013/04/week-15-keep-on-keepin-on.html

Week 14 - Spring has Sprung

Happy Monday everyone!  I'm so happy that Spring has finally Sprung around here!!!  And with the Spring comes Spring cleaning and organizing.  I spent this past weekend going through all the closets, dressers, toys, and stuff in my kids rooms and the playroom.  We took down the crib, packed away all the baby toys and stuff, and even re-docorated both kids rooms.  Lots of work, but also a great time.  Plus now I feel SUPER accomplished.  Honestly, I can't even believe I did all that!  I spent Saturday morning and early afternoon consignment shopping for things to use for the redecoration of my kids spaces, and most of Sunday sorting, packing, moving furniture, and decorating.  A HUGE thank you to my amazing and wonderful husband for distracting the children as much as possible and assisting with the process.   It might sound a little sick, but being organized and tidy makes me super happy.

Needless to say, operation Spring Clean will continue this month.  I'm hoping I'll eventually get to unpack the last few boxes from our move two years ago.  Hahaha!   On the agenda this week?  I'm going to attempt to tackle the office space, a scary mess of a project.

Between spring cleaning, the usual daily grind, and the fact that we've all had cabin fever and are trying to be outside as much as possible, I'm planning a few simple and quick meals for this week.  I'm getting some help from my supermarket and I may even order out a day or two.  Below you will find my weekly plan (including yesterday) as well as a link to week 14 from last year.  Have an amazing week!

Happy Cooking!
Sarah

Week 14 - April 6, 2014

Sunday- thai and sushi (take out)

Monday - simple grilled salmon with tzaziki sauce (premade sauce), lentil salad with broccoli and honey mustard dressing

Tuesday - spaghetti and meatballs, fennel and orange spinach salad
http://deliciouslydomesticdining.blogspot.com/2013/01/turkey-meatballs.html

Wednesday - grilled italian sausage sandwiches with peppers and onions, sauteed zuchinni and yellow squash

Thursday - leftovers or takeout (I teach cardio over dinner time so no cooking)

Friday - homemade pizza night

Saturday - dinner at a friend's house (we are bringing the wine)

And week 14 from 2013:  http://deliciouslydomesticdining.blogspot.com/2013/04/week-14-its-lifestyle.html

Chicken Yakisoba

I'm excited about this one, mainly because it was super easy, my kids helped, and they loved it!  They ate it all up...no leftovers to be had!  If you are looking for a delicious, healthy, and easy weeknight meal, this is a great alternative to the norm and an excellent way to get your kids to try something new.  You won't be disappointed!

Happy Cooking!
Sarah

Chicken Yakisoba
recipe adapted from http://www.budgetbytes.com/2012/03/chicken-yakisoba/

1(10 oz) pkg of shredded green cabbage
1 medium yellow onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, shredded
2-3 cups of small broccoli florets
2 inches of fresh ginger, grated (peel with a spoon and use a micro plane)
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into thin slices for stir fry
2 T vegetable oil
1 (3 oz) pkg of ramen noodles, noodles only (discard the seasoning)
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 T ketchup
1/2 tsp sriracha hot sauce (add more if everyone in the family likes spicy, but I just served some more on the side)
1 T sugar

Before you begin to stir-fry, be sure you have a large pot of water boiling for the ramen noodles.  You will want to cook them as you are stir-frying the vegetables, but not quite yet.  At this point, prep all the vegetables and whisk together the ingredients to the stir-fry sauce:  combine the soy sauce, Worcestershire, ketchup  sriracha, and sugar until well combined.  Set aside for later.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Once the oil is hot, add the grated ginger and saute for about 30 seconds (don't let it burn).  Add the chicken and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pan.  Heat the other tablespoon of vegetable oil along with the sesame oil.  Add all of the vegetables, stirring and cooking until wilted, about 5-10 minutes.

At this point, before the vegetables are ready, add the noodles to the water and cook just until tender.  I like to under cook the noodles a little bit and let them finish cooking in the sauce.  As the noodles cook, add the sauce and chicken back to the pan and allow the sauce to come to a boil.  The noodles with soak up the sauce after you add them - this makes it so yummy!

Once al dente, drain the noodles and immediately add them to the pan with the vegetables, chicken and sauce.

Stir to coat everything and heat through, just 1-2 minutes.  Serve immediately with extra sriracha for those who want to spice it up.  Enjoy!

week 11,12 and 13 - unplugged

I've been unplugged and on vacation.  I was lucky enough to get away to visit family in a warm, tropical place for 10 days and I didn't get on the computer once.  Although I had grandiose plans of catching up on the 15 recipe drafts I have pending to be posted, I chose to take a true vacation and check out completely.  It was wonderful!  So relaxing and great fun with family, many memories made.

But now I'm feeling as if I've let myself and my readers down by not producing many new recipe posts so far this year.  As I've explained in earlier posts, this blog has taken a back seat to other things and become less of a priority.  Things just seem to be so much more complicated this year than last...maybe it's my little girl's age, or the fact that she only takes one short nap a day and my oldest gave up naps completely, but I don't seem to have the time I used to have in the afternoon to post here.  I can't even believe that March is almost over!!!  I want all of you who read this and are waiting for new recipe posts that they will be coming - and thank you!  Thank you for reading my blog, for your interest.

Below you will find links to weeks 11, 12, and 13 from the first year of the Healthy Home Revolution. You will also find my meal plan for this week.  I'm going to do a mini-cleanse the next few days, going gluten free and boosting the number of smoothies and/or protein shakes I drink for snacks.  I hope you can find some recipe inspiration.  Enjoy your week!

Happy Cooking!
Sarah

Week 13:  March 30, 2014

Sunday:  veggie chopped salad with ranch dressing

Monday:  lentil salad w/ broccoli, asparagus, beets and honey Dijon vinaigrette

Tuesday:  chicken and spinach enchiladas with brown rice and refried beans

Wednesday:  lentils with sauteed cabbage, roasted salmon

Thursday:  leftovers or takeout (I am teaching cardio during dinner time)

Friday:  pizza night (first night off of mini-cleanse)

Saturday: dinner at friend's house


Week 11 (2013)
http://deliciouslydomesticdining.blogspot.com/2013/03/week-11-healthy-home-revolution.html

Week 12 (2013)
http://deliciouslydomesticdining.blogspot.com/2013/03/week-12-healthy-home-revolution.html

Week 13 (2013)
http://deliciouslydomesticdining.blogspot.com/2013/03/week-13-healthy-home-revolution-review.html

Week 10 - no planning

I'm a little late posting this week...not planning to try any new recipes this week. I need to use up stuff in our fridge and freezer in preparation of traveling. I hate wasting food, so I'll do anything to use it up so I don't have to throw it away. I don't want to disappoint, but I have no meal plan this week. I'm just going to throw things together last minute. This is totally not in my nature and goes against my type A planning sensibility, but sometimes it's good for me to take a break from planning.

And good news! Finally fixed my computer!!! So more new recipe postings are in the works. Thanks for your patience.

Enjoy your week! Here's to spontaneity!!!
Sarah

Week 9 - cooking machine

I have been cooking and baking up a storm! There are many recipes I'm excited to share with you, but every time I have a chance to post I end up having computer problems. Right now, I'm even posting from my phone. Ugh! I'm hoping to resolve these issues ASAP so I can continue to share with you.

A big part of creating a healthy home is to do the things necessary for you to be healthy both physically (through diet and exercise) and mentally. I've been able to tackle some of my personal goals over the last two months. I've been reading a lot more, which has been amazing. I've also carved out time for more play dates with and without the kids. ;). These changes have done wonders for my mental sanity.
Decide what you need to feel sane and do everything you can to make those things happen.

So back to healthy eating - below you will find my meal plan for the week, more new recipes I've created or found online. Enjoy your week!

Happy cooking!
Sarah


Week 9- March 2, 2014

Sunday: Oscar party! Cheese tray, shrimp cocktail, assorted fruit, green salad

Monday: falafel & spanokopita, (I'm using a pre-made organic falafel mix and frozen spanokoita...not really cooking today). Greek salad

Tuesday: Skinny taste Piccadillo, rice, roasted broccoli

Wednesday: Crockpot ham and white bean soup, salad

Thursday: Leftovers (I teach)

Friday: Homemade Pizza night

Saturday: Pasta Bolognese, caesar salad

Week 8- ready to go!

We are in full recovery mode (keeping fingers crossed that the boys stay healthy...baby girl and I have been on the mend since Friday).  I'm getting excited to be back in the kitchen and cook up a storm!  You will find my weekly meal plan below, along with any links to recipe inspirations.  Enjoy your week!

Happy cooking!
Sarah

Week 8 - February 23, 2014

Sunday: Sautéed chicken breasts, rice pilaf, roasted broccoli

Monday: mustard coated pork medallions, braised greens

Tuesday: spinach-ricotta pasta with prosciutto and asparagus
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aida-mollenkamp/spinach-ricotta-pesto-pasta-with-crisp-prosciutto-and-asparagus-recipe.html

Wednesday: book club dinner
(Pasta and sauce with Italian sausage for kids)

Thursday: Vegetable orzo soup (I teach my cardio class)
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/vegetable-noodle-soup-recipe.html

Friday: Pizza night

Saturday: beer marinated grilled Skirt steak, refried beans, rice, guacamole salad and pico da gallo
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/marcela-valladolid/beer-marinated-grilled-skirt-steak-recipe.html


And here's the link to week 8 from 2013:
http://deliciouslydomesticdining.blogspot.com/2013/02/week-8-healthy-home-revolution.html