Fast Turkey Meatball Recipe
Filed under: Body For Life, Daily Eats, Product Reviews
Wow – you all LOVE your pumpkin butter! I have to admit that you have me drooling over ALL amazing possibilities and ways to use pumpkin butter….MMMM! I LOVE the idea that was mentioned today of possibly including a Pumpkin Butter Recipe and/or a recipe using Pumpkin Butter with the winners prize packs. Of course, I’d have to post the recipes for you all too. Note to self to add this to the list! For now, you have ONE more day to enter The Great Pumpkin Giveaway– make sure you checked off all 4 ways you can enter to win!
This morning I was wide awake at 4 am ~ why?! I refused to be awake at this time so I stayed in bed until 5:15 and finally gave in. I decided that Power HIlls were in order for my HIIT today. These absolutely make your legs and bum burn way more than any run I’ve ever done.
minutes 1 & 2: 3.5 mph @ 1% grade
minute 3: 3.6 mph @ 6%
minute 4: 3.7 mph @ 7%
minute 5: 3.8 mph @ 8%
minute 6: 3.9 mph @ 9%
minute 7: 3.6 mph @ 6%
minute 8: 3.7 mph @ 7%
minute 9: 3.8 mph @ 8%
minute 10: 3.9 mph @ 9%
minute 11: 3.6 mph @ 6%
minute 12: 3.7 mph @ 7%
minute 13: 3.8 mph @ 8%
minute 14: 3.9 mph @ 9%
minute 15: 3.6 mph @ 6%
minute 16: 3.7 mph @ 7%
minute 17: 3.8 mph @ 8%
minute 18: 3.9 mph @ 9%
minute 19: 5.0 mph @ 10% (barely made it, but, I pushed through it thinking of Bob & Jillian saying don’t say you can’t do anything again – you can!!!)
minute 20-22: 3.0 mph @ 0%
Can I just say between yesterday’s rocking lower body workout (that included step lunges) and this power hill workout, my legs are SORE like week 1 – such a good thing!!! I can’t believe my Body For Life Challenge is half over – yahoo!
Breakfast included 1/2 c egg beaters cooked in the microwave with some hot sauce, sea salt and pepper.
1 slice Nature’s Pride 12 Grain Oat Bread with a smear of PUMPKIN BUTTER!
It was delicious and completely hit the spot for a complete carb/protein balanced 4 Weight Watcher Points!
I knew that Meal #2 was going to include The Hummus Guys Pita Bread and Spicy Hummus with Harissa. This WW pita bread rocks because it gets super soft when you toast it. I had 3 mini peppers and 1/2 c low-fat cottage cheese on the side.
At lunch today I had to run out to buy the Birthday cakes for the September birthday’s at work. I was super bummed that Whole Foods changed their policy and said that they now require 48 hours to order any big cakes 
While I was there, I picked up a cup of their Garden Vegetable Soup to go with lunch. It looks tasty, but, it was, eh ok – it really needed salt and pepper.
I added 1/2 c Trader Joe’s 0% Greek yogurt with 1/2 c Low-Fat Cottage cheese and 1 Tbsp PUMPKIN BUTTER for some protein with my soup.
For dessert, I had 1/2 of this Honey Crisp apple before I got pulled into meetings :/
I had 32 oz of bubbles with lunch too….Fizzy water seriously makes my day!
I ended up finding 3 delicious looking cakes at Raley’s – a local market. They are Mile High Cakes ~ Blondie (white cake, custard, strawberries, white chocolate), Carrot Cake and Tiramisu! I am pretty sure everyone LOVED them because they disappeared fast.
Check out all the LAYERS each cake has!!! I did have 2 bites of each kind for “quality control” and all ~ MMMM….they were all good but I LOVED the carrot cake best ~ It tasted like PUMPKIN 
I managed to grab a little bit of a snack on my way to my next meeting. I had some Whole Wheat Annie’s bunnies (x’s 3) and a Low Fat Sargento Colby Jack Cheese.
The animals were out like crazy at our house. It seems our adopted kitty invited her friend over……she didn’t ask us! 
Then, while I was cooking dinner The Husband called me outside to tell me we had a bunny in our back yard. Crazy ~ how do you find a bunny in the city?!
I have really been craving Turkey Meatloaf lately and I am pretty sure it has to do with the weather cooling. I picked up some Trader Joe’s Tomato Chutney yesterday and thought I’d replace the ketchup with it. The stats are pretty decent.
I didn’t have time or patience to make meatloaf, so I made Meatballs! The Husband said the shape doesn’t matter – square or circle, it all tastes the same. These only take 20 minutes to cook!
I topped them with Trader Joe’s Tomato Chutney after I cooked them. WOW – that is some seriously spicy hot chutney, but, it’s loaded with a great curry tomato flavor.
FAST TURKEY MEATBALLS
1 lb Lean Turkey Breast (99%)
1/3 c chopped red onion
1/3 c chopped green bell pepper
2 garlic cloves
1/4 oat bran
1/4 tsp ground thyme
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 egg white
Garlic Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Saute the onion, bell pepper and garlic in nonstick spray over medium heat until soft, about 4-5 minutes.
Combine the above ingredients and shape into 8 meatballs. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until browned and cooked through.
**Note, if using sauce, add during the last 5 minutes of cooking or when served.
Makes 8 medium meatballs or 4 large meatballs/mini loaves
Top with your favorite sauce and enjoy!
I chopped up the leftover Grilled Carrots for side #1.
Plus some Trader Joe’s Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes.
Dinner was all about FAST comfort foods that were delish. I am so glad the week is 1/2 over….only 2 days left til the weekend – woohoo!
Tomorrow is the last day to enter my Great Pumpkin Giveaway! Good luck, good luck!
Nite all!
The Great Pumpkin Giveaway
I have decided to kick Fall off with a FUN FALL GIVEAWAY. I am giving away THREE Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Butter jars plus a fun fall mixes to go with it. If you LOVE TJ’s Pumpkin Butter or have been dying to try it, now is your chance to score some.
Here are the 3 Prize Packs I am giving away.
Pumpkin Prize #1 ~ Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Butter & Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Pancake and Waffle Mix.
Pumpkin Prize #2 ~ Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Butter & Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice Granola.
Pumpkin Prize #3 ~ Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Butter & Trader Joe’s Pecan and Praline Granola.
HERE IS HOW TO ENTER:
1. Leave a comment below telling me your favorite use for Pumpkin Butter for ONE ENTRY.
2. If you have a blog, link back to this contest. Post an additional comment with the link for a SECOND ENTRY.
3. Add me to your Blogroll and leave a comment here for a THIRD ENTRY.
4. Follow me on Twitter and TWEET this contest for a FINAL ENTRY.
There you have it ~ 4 chances to win the Great Pumpkin Giveaway!
You have until Midnight (PST), on Thursday, October 1, 2009 to enter. The winners will be announced on Friday, October 2nd.
Good luck everyone!
Introducing ~ “Catman”!
Filed under: Body For Life, Daily Eats, Product Reviews
When we were shopping in South Lake Tahoe last week at Pier 1 Imports, The Husband checked out the Halloween stuff. He came over to me wearing this “Cat” Mask and telling me he wanted to buy it so he could go up to our adopted Kitty and be a “Cat” too!
So, I introduce you to “CATMAN”!!!!
He has a fierce claw, but, is really just a nice kitty kat!
As soon as we got home, he put on his mask and taunted our adopted kitty with “meows” and “hisses”…..
It only took her a minute or two to figure out her dad is CRAZY! OMG, I am STILL laughing as I type this and it’s been a few days since I took these Here kitty, kitty, kitty ~ Maybe I should pet him
I woke up today thinking about Catman so I thought today would be a FANTASTIC day to post it. I LOVE Tuesday’s because they are Biggest Loser day. It helped to motivate me to get up bright and early to fit in an awesome Lower Body Workout!
I quickly got ready and was starving by the time I got to work. I whipped up a BIG Chocolate Banana Protein Shake (1 scoop 100% Whey Chocolate PP, Banana, water & Ice).
I completely know better than to bring BIG Chocolate Bars to work because they taunt me all day long. I brought it in today to try and to share with my co-workers. Scharffen Berger gave us a ton of their AWESOME chocolate at BlogHER Food09 and I have been dying to try the Milk Almond Sea Salted Chocolate!
Ignore the nutritionals , but, check out that ingredient list ~ It’s CLEAN and you can recognize EVERY ingredient…..see chocolate IS the new health food I LOVE that it has WHOLE VANILLA BEANS in it too.
I think I might have drooled a little when I opened up the package and saw this beautiful chunk of chocolate loaded with almonds.
And since it was only 9:00 am, I dug in and had some I shared too! WOW – it’s so creamy with a hint of sea salt that makes it caramel like right before you get the roasted crunch of the almonds. I am beyond words to describe it but it was awesome and totally not BFL approved at all ~ Oops! Sometimes a girl needs some chocolate…..at least I shared.
After my chocolate fest (which was awesome with some GOOD coffee), I decided to have a proper snack at 10:30.
2 slices Cabot RF Cheese
Handful of lightly salted TJ’s Pistachios
5 Back To Nature Organic Whole Wheat Flax Crackers
It was the perfect snack and it held me over while we shopped at the Farmer’s Market. I was really sad at the market today because there was hardly any fruit to choose from and NO SQUASH – boooo! I did score some fantastic looking peppers and tomatoes plus something new to me – FIGS!
Friends can so cool! My friend couldn’t believe I’ve never tried figs so she bought me some to try. I know you can add them to salads and pizzas or eat them straight up.
Do you have any ideas or recipes for using figs? If so, do share, I’d LOVE to know.
After we worked up an appetite at the market, we headed over to Taylor’s Refresher. I was sooo jealous of her order ~ she got one of their specials ~ an “organic heirloom tomato mozzarella sandwich”! Check out the yellow and green tomatoes! MMMMMM
I did steal a couple of her spicy sweet potato fries – so good!
I ordered two Grilled Mahi Mahi Tacos that were awesome with all that fresh pico de gallo.
At the Farmer’s Market today, I did pick up a couple of things to share at work. I restocked our Spicy with Harissa Hummus and Pita Bread, but, also bought some cookies from my FAVORITE LOCAL BAKER there ~ Annie The Baker. IOMG ~ I had no idea that you all at BlogHER Food09 had her cookies there until I just saw she was on Foodzie ~ Awesome coincidence!! Her cookies are absolutely amazing and I buy them from her every week, but, usually give them to my co-workers! I bought 3 and she gave me 1 free!
Toffee Chocolate Chip ~ My personal favorite!
Snickerdoodle ~ The newest addition. The cinnamon is on the INSIDE.
Double Chocolate Chocolate Chip
Peanut Butter with Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
These are super soft, chewy and fully loaded ~ check out the insides of them all!
We cut them into small pieces and everyone nibbled away. I am weak at the knees for these cookies since they are my favorite….I did have a couple of bites and they were 110% worth it! I traded in my afternoon snack since I indulged a bit today. I am thinking my FREE DAY this week needs to not be so FREE.
Dinner was a fast and easy breakfast scramble.
1 LF Spicy Chicken Sausage
1 egg plus 1/2 c Egg Beaters with splash of lf milk
Handful Sliced Mushrooms
Handful Spinach
1/2 tomato, chopped
Sea Salt & Pepper to taste
I had the other 1/2 of the tomato sliced on the side.
Plus 1 slice of Nature’s Pride 12 Oat Bread. I LOVE this bread – it’s soft and doughy with a hint of nuttiness from the oats. I’d definitely buy it!
All together it totally hit the spot!
Check out Amanda’s Pepper Dog Salsa Giveaway by clicking HERE!
Off to watch The Biggest Loser!!!! Stay tuned tomorrow morning for a fun Fall Pumpkin-Y Giveaway!!!
Nite!
Creamy Grilled Chicken Marsala & Grilled Carrots
I am a big fan grilled chicken and mushrooms. Add a little wine with a cream sauce and I am sold. I LOVE Marsala sauce but the traditional version is packed with fat. The recipe below is so packed with creamy, wine, mushroom flavor, I guarantee you won’t miss the butter or fat.
Creamy Grilled Chicken Marsala & Grilled Carrots
INGREDIENTS:
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
4 4-oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts
16 small carrots, peeled
12 oz marsala or low-sodium chicken broth (you can use 1/2 wine & 1/2 broth too)
8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms
2 shallots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 sprig fresh rosemary
4 tbsp nonfat yogurt
4 sprigs fresh rosemary & chopped chives for garnish, optional
Add 1 tsp of arrow root (like cornstach) if you want a thicker sauce, optional
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Mix rosemary, sea salt, pepper and red pepper flakes in a bowl. Sprinkle spice mixture over chicken and set aside.
2. Boil carrots for about 8-10 minutes and remove; dry on a paper towel and set aside.
3. Add 2 tsp Olive Oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Add mushrooms, shallots and garlic. Season with more salt and pepper. Cook until the mushrooms are slightly browned and soft. Add wine/broth and simmer until sauce reduces to one third, about 20 minutes. Add arrowroot if using and remove from heat.
4. While the marsala sauce reduces, grill chicken for 8-10 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Grill carrots for about 5 minutes, rotating until charred.
5. Once the mushroom sauce has reduced, remove from heat and whisk in yogurt. Divide carrots among 4 plates and top each with chicken, mushroom marsala sauce and a sprig of rosemary.
Makes 4 servings
FUNNY STORY OF THE DAY!!!
I had everything on hand to make this today, but, the Marsala. I stopped at Whole Foods at lunch to pick it up and guess what – I GOT CARDED buying cooking wine!!! How funny is that?! Obviously they had a need to be worried since the WHOLE bottle is now gone (I used it in the recipe LOL).
STEP BY STEP PHOTOS:
Mix your spices – I used too much pepper in my version so I reduced it for the actual recipe.
Sprinkle your chicken with your spice mixture and place it on the grill to cook.
Add your carrots to boiling water to par cook while the chicken cooks and start your mushroom sauce.
Heat your sauce pan with 2 tsp olive oil and add your shallot, garlic and mushrooms.
Saute until lightly browned.
Add your bottle of wine – Marsala or your favorite Red/White wine would work too.
Add your Rosemary Sprig and simmer until the sauce reduces to 1/3
Remove your rosemary sprig and turn the heat off. Stir in your greek yogurt.
To create a FANTASTIC creamy, wine mushroom sauce.
Remove your grilled chicken and carrots from the grill ~ top with sauce & serve.
I was joking with The Husband that carrots were the new “hot dogs” – they do remind me of hot dogs, but, I think he’d shoot me if I served these in a bun
Creamy Grilled Chicken Marsala
Super Sweet Grilled Carrots
This dish is so easy, healthy and packed with flavor. Enjoy!
Hello Cupcake!
Filed under: Body For Life, Daily Eats, Product Reviews, Work Fun
Today feels like the first day of FALL here and I LOVE it! It was dark out when my alarm went off at 5:15 am, but, I hopped out of bed to get in my Body for Life HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) run in. I debated with myself for about 8 minutes on what I felt like doing, then, finally, I told myself I needed to “Just Do It!”
minutes 1 & 2: 3.5 mph
minute 3: 5.0 mph
minute 4: 5.5 mph
minute 5: 6.0 mph
minute 6: 6.5 mph
minute 7: 5.0 mph
minute 8: 5.5 mph
minute 9: 6.0 mph
minute 10: 6.5 mph
minute 11: 4.0 mph
minute 12: 5.0 mph
minute 13: 5.5 mph
minute 14: 6.0 mph
minute 15: 5.0 mph
minute 16: 5.5 mph
minute 17: 6.0 mph
minute 18: 6.5 mph
minute 19: 8.0 mph (level 10 ~ all the way!!!)
minute 20-21: 3.0 mph (cool down) Plus a few more minutes just walking really, really slow
When I got to work I decided to celebrate fall by opening my first jar of the season of Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Butter. I scooped 1/2 Tbsp over 3/4 c Low-Fat Cottage cheese ~ Pumpkin Cottage cheese is SO GOOD! I had a Honey Crisp apple and some Starbuck’s decaf on the side.
I did ponder declaring “email bankruptcy” when I walked in to over 200 emails. I learned about “Email Bankruptcy” from Elise at BlogHerFood09. Each month she clears out all her emails and puts them in a folder that may/may not be accessed later. This way her email box is CLEAN and the pressure to respond to them all is gone. Good idea, no?
I took a break mid morning and had a container of TJ’s 0% Blueberry Greek yogurt with a small handful of TJ’s lightly salted cashews. MMMM – LOVE this yogurt and the stats are fab too (120 cal, 0 g fat, 0 g fiber, 16g carbs, 13 g protein) – 2 Weight Watcher Points!
I seriously think going back for work on a MONDAY after 9 days off makes the day SOOO LONG! I had planned to work on some of the cool stuff I learned at BlogHerFood09, but, I decided I NEEDED to get outside instead. Off to Whole Foods & Trader Joe’s I went. I was really hoping to get the WF Teriyaki Chicken Bowl that I heard about from Emily , but, the WF by me doesn’t do them – Booo! So I settled for making up my own meal from the hot bar.
Herb Roasted Turkey Breast
1/2 c Brown Rice
A scoop of grilled veggies
Asian Slaw
All together it was a decent lunch. The turkey was SO DRY but it had great flavor.
This afternoon was so fun! First, my co-workers re-created the rainbow cake I made for The Husband’s birthday. Didn’t they do a great job?! LOVE IT!
I also brought in the two containers of the NEW Pillsbury Easy Frost that I got at BlogHerFood09 – Vanilla Dream and Decadent Chocolate Fudge to set up a Cupcake Decorating Station!
I LOVE the concept of these frostings in that they come with the tip already to decorate. My only complaint is that they contain trans-fats (aka the Hydrogenated Oils). I know you can’t have perfect ingredients when indulging in treats, but, you can easily avoid ingredients by making your own frosting or finding a brand that excludes them.
Here was our mini Cupcake station! I baked up a batch of Chocolate Cupcakes last night to bring in and share…..
Then, I let my co-workers go to town decorating. The only catch was that they had to take a picture HELLO CUPCAKE – Quite possibly the BEST dessert ever created (aside from ice cream of course!)
They all did such a fantastic job! My FAVORITE were the Clown Faces!
I have a confession to make ~ I couldn’t resist!!! I am helpless when it comes to frosting! I could visualize myself squirting this in my mouth like frosting so I HAD TO bring it into work…You know you all have done that!!!
When I got home, I had a cool box waiting for me from FoodBuzz! I received 2 NEW Nature’s Pride Loafs of bread as part of their Tastemaker Program – woohoo! I cannot wait to try them out. I’ll be sure to let you know what I think, but, so far the stats are awesome!
Dinner tonight was a new recipe ~ Creamy Grilled Chicken Marsala with Grilled Carrots. The recipe is up next!
1 day down, 4 to go! Let the weekend countdown begin. Tomorrow is a fun day because I am meeting a friend to go to the Farmer’s Market plus lunch. Then, of course, it’s Biggest Loser night – yahoo!
Have a great night all!
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