Corn Salsa

Confession: Sometimes I hate eating vegetables. It feels so good to get that out in the open. Luckily, when I'm feeling like I can't be healthy I have an awesome recipe for corn salsa. I brought it to a New Year's Eve party and it was a big hit. Even my kids like it. I know I've posted the recipe here before but it's one worth repeating.
Emily's Corn Salsa Recipe
6 Roma Tomatoes
2 Green Pepper (or one green and one red/yellow for a pretty color)
1 Bunch Green Onions
1 Avocado
1 Can Drained Corn
1 Can Drained Black Beans
1/2 Bottle of Fat Free Zesty Italian Dressing

Chop all the veggies and add the corn, beans and dressing.
Store left overs in and airtight container in the fridge.

Sweet Potato Muffins

I saw a recipe on Runner'sWorld.Com that looked interesting. Sweet Potato Muffins anyone? I plan on trying it soon. If any of you try it before I get a chance, let me know how it turns out. Sweet Potato Muffins

by Mark Bittman

The Great Pumpkin

In celebration of the beautiful fall weather, I decided it was time to make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies (I know, not that healthy). I had left over pumpkin and thought that my two year old would like it. Sure enough he ate an entire bowl of pure pumpkin puree with a little cinnamon and loved it. Besides being full of antioxidants, pumpkins are also rich in many vitamins and minerals which make them a healthy fall food choice. With that being said, my main experience with pumpkin recipes include pumpkin chocolate chip bread and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. I'm pretty sure the massive amounts of sugar and fat required for these -oh so tasty treats- negates the nutrition of the pumpkin so I decided to do some healthy pumpkin recipe research. Below are a couple of links I found.

Top 10 Low Fat Pumpkin Recipes
The banana pumpkin muffins look delish!

7 Surprising Pumpkin Recipes
Once again, I think I'm going to try the muffins. Yum!

I'd love to hear about your tasty recipes. Leave a comment or shoot me an email.
oklahomarunningmom@gmail.com

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken

I tried a new recipe the other night for a family get-together (a risky move, I know), and it was a big hit and really healthy. I found it here and it is super easy. We ate it over brown rice and even the little kids loved it!

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken:
Serve over rice with chopped scallions, fresh cilantro, fat free sour cream and reduced fat cheddar.

Servings: 8, Size: 9.85 oz, Prep time: 5 minutes, Weight Watchers Points: 3, Calories: 171.9, Fat: 1.6 g, Fiber: 3.8 g

- 24 oz (1 1/2) lbs chicken breast
- 14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
- 15 oz can black beans
- 8 oz frozen corn
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 14.4 oz can fat free chicken broth
- 3 scallions, chopped
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper {to taste}
- salt to taste

Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in your crock pot. Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Adjust salt and seasoning. Serve over rice.

Happy Crockpotting!
-Bek

Cucumber Salsa

I've been meaning to post this recipe for forever because it's SO good and cucumbers are busting out of everyones' gardens and on sale at the grocery store. The recipe came from my friend Erica who got it from Melanie who got it from...you know how it goes. I love finding different ways to get in my daily servings of veggies. Try it...I know you'll LOVE it!

Cool Cucumber Salsa
2 medium cucumbers - peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions: In a medium bowl, stir together the cucumbers, tomatoes, green pepper, jalapeno pepper, onion, garlic, lime juice, parsley, cilantro, dill, and salt. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

**I left out the dill and parsley and it still tasted fantastic.

Ravioli Vegetable Stacks

My cousin Emily (I guess I should say cousin-in-law) recently ran the Chicago Half Marathon. (Nice job Emily!) The night before she had a pasta party at her house and said this one was a big hit. It sounds super yummy. Try it out and let me know what you think.

Ravioli Vegetable Stacks

FYI: Emily said that she used fresh sun-dried tomato and chicken ravioli rather than the frozen sausage the recipe called for. Smart choice, especially considering everyone was running 13.1 miles the next day. Thanks for sharing!!

Canning Tomatoes

I planted a garden for the first time this year and the tomatoes went crazy. I'm so excited that I was able to preserve some for the winter time. Besides tasting great, tomatoes provide powerful antioxidants from Lycopene which, among other things, help aid in fighting cancerous cell formation. Even if you don't have a garden you can still can tomatoes, they're on sale almost everywhere. Grab some and try it out. I LOVE the Idea Room Blog which is where I got the instructions form bottling tomatoes.

Garden Fresh Salsa

I was SO excited when the veggies in my garden started ripening. Because I'm obsessed with homemade salsa, my garden consists mostly of tomatoes and peppers. My two favorite recipes are corn salsa and Bekah's Salsa (recipe below) which I made tonight. Bekah's Salsa

Chop and Combine:

6 Roma Tomatoes (I usually add more b/c I LOVE tomatoes!)
1/4 cup onion

1/4 cup cilantro

1 Tomatillo Pepper

1 Jalapeno (I don't include the seeds; they're way too hot for me.)

Add:

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp salt

juice from one lime

Sometimes I chop everything but other times, when I'm feeling lazy, I put everything in the blender. Both strategies create a great ending result.
Here's what I enjoyed tonight. Try it out and let me know what you think. Remember that including veggies in your diet doesn't have to be the same boring salad every night. Mix it up a little with something different.

Thanks Bek for the AWESOME recipe!

Stay Hydrated with Yummy Treats

I found some tasty recipes on Runner'sWorld.Com. Check them out and let me know what you think.

TREAT YOURSELF
Refuel and rehydrate with homemade frozen pops.

By Liz Applegate Ph.D.

S'mores

In case you can't tell, I'm kind of on a dessert kick lately. (Is it okay if I blame it on pregnancy?) S'mores are one of my favorite treats and compared to many other treats, they aren't that bad. Check out the info I discovered below.

Regular Sonic Milk Shake: 460 Calories, 26 Grams of Fat
Snickers Bar: 280 Calories, 14 Grams of Fat
One Serving of Chocolate Cake: 235 Calories, 10.5 Grams of Fat

(FYI: I found this info using the Calorie Counter Like on my sidebar.)

If you eat a S'more with one marshmallow, half a Hersey Bar and one gram cracker, you're eating approximately 180 calories and 8 grams of fat.

You're saving between 55 and 280 calories and 2.5 and 18 grams of fat (more if you eat bigger portions of those other snacks) if you choose a S'more over the other choices.

Obviously, it's always better to abstain from extra sugar all together but at least we can still have a really good treat without feeling super guilty. Plus, how can you resist a S'more in the summer time??? Happy Roasting!

Mmm...Popsicles!

I read The Idea Room blog pretty frequently. It has nothing to do with running but it turns out that sometimes I do other things too. :) Check out these Fresh Fruit Popsicles I learned about. It sure beats the ones filled with high fructose corn syrup. Have fun with your kids and make a healthy treat.

Yummy Salad

I was at a church activity on Tuesday night and had this tasty salad. Seriously, I couldn't get enough. When everyone else was going for dessert, I headed back for more salad (highly unusual for me). My friend Mindi who made it was nice enough to share the recipe with me so I'll share it with you.

Dressing
1/4 cup sugar
2T apple cider vinegar
2T honey
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/2 tsp grated onion
1/4 tsp celery seed
dash of salt -
warm all of these until the sugar dissolves and then add 1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used canola).
Note: Make sure the dressing is cooled before you add it to the salad or the leaves will wilt.

Salad
8 cups torn mixed greens
2 cups sliced strawberries
1 cup Mandarin oranges
1 medium sweet onion
1/3 cup slivered almonds
4 slices bacon crumbled (Obviously, this is the least healthy part. Even if you omit bacon, the salad will taste amazing!)

Today I read an article in Woman's Day written by Joy Bauer which said that having a little bit of fat with your salad "helps your body absorb the beta-carotene, vitamin E and other fat-soluble nutrients from the veggies." With that being said, light dressings like the one above are okay but still use it in moderation (esp since there's also sugar). Personally, I prefer to add my own rather than toss it all together. I find that I use less that way. Thanks again Mindi for the yummy recipe!!!

Corn Salsa

A few months ago I posted my corn salsa recipe on this blog. The other day I brought some to a friend's house and she wanted the recipe so I decided to post it again. Click here for the link to some super yummy salsa that will go perfectly with your Summer BBQs.

Bun in the Oven

We all know that whole grain bread is more healthful than white but sometimes it just doesn't taste that great. Well, today is your lucky day because I found an awesome wheat bread recipe on cooks.com that I know it will win you over. Try it out! I know you'll love it!!

Whole Wheat Bread
2 tbsp yeast
2 c lukewarm water
1/4 c honey
3/4 c olive oil
2 fresh eggs
6 c whole wheat flour (I usually only use 5 1/2 cups which makes it softer.)
2 tsp salt

Dissolve yeast in water and honey for about five minutes. Place all ingredients in mixing bowl and knead until it loosens from sides of the bowl. Place in large oiled bowl, cover and let rise until about double. Be sure it is in a warm place. Remove and shape into loaves, rolls, or buns. Bake at 375 degrees until browned.

In other news, I actually have a bun in the oven but it won't be ready until November 23. I'm so excited!! :)

Strawberry Muffins

Because strawberries are in season, I've decided to post a recipe for strawberry muffins that I absolutely love. Confession: It's not really healthful but we all have to splurge sometime...right? I got the recipe from allrecipes.com. I made them today....SO GOOD!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2tsp baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup chopped strawberries (I add a little more)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly oil an 8 cup muffin tin (I stretch the recipe to make 12) or use liners

2. In a small bowl, combine oil, milk, egg and vanilla. Beat lightly. In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Toss in chopped strawberries and stir to coat with flour. Pour in milk mixture and stir together.

3. Fill muffin cups. Bake at 375 for 22-25 minutes or until the tops bounce back from the touch. Cool in pan for 10 minutes then remove.