Stir-fry Mu Shu Vegetables Wraps

Hello there my lovely blog readers. I am sorry I haven't been around much lately but I have been enjoying a wonderful vacation in San Diego visiting my family. I went for a great 20 mile bike ride yesterday with my dad in the beautiful Coronado. After the ride (and relaxing a little bit) I decided to try out a new recipe that I found on www.Shape.com. I love their magazine and I didn't realize they had so many amazing recipes online!

Well after Alexis and I did some major grocery shopping I made these amazing wraps and they hit the spot! They weren't too heavy but filled us up. There was a lot of ingredients that went into it but they all added a different element that was very needed! I would highly suggest these tasty wraps!

Ingredients
4 dried black Chinese mushrooms or dried shiitake mushrooms
1/3 cup fat-free vegetable broth
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 bag of morning star chik'n strips
4 cups shredded green cabbage or packaged cole slaw mix
1 carrot, cut into matchstick-size pieces
1 small zucchini, cut into matchstick-size pieces
2 green onions, sliced diagonally into 1/4-inch pieces
8 6-inch whole-wheat or spinach tortillas
1/4 cup hoisin sauce

Directions

• Soak dried mushrooms in 1/2 cup of warm water for 20 minutes. Drain and reserve mushroom liquid. Remove and discard any stems and thinly slice caps.
• Whisk together broth, soy sauce, and cornstarch; set aside.
• Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add minced garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add "chicken" and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, until no longer pink. Add cabbage, carrot, zucchini, green onions, reserved mushrooms and mushroom liquid and stir-fry for 1 minute, until cabbage wilts. Add cornstarch mixture and simmer 1 minute, until liquid thickens. Remove from heat.
• Wrap tortillas in plastic and heat in the microwave for 15 seconds to soften. Spoon 1 1/2 teaspoons of hoisin sauce on each tortilla. Add chicken and vegetable mixture and roll up.

Nutrition Score per serving:
390 calories, 1.02 g calcium, 46 g carbs (50%), 7 g fat (14%), 21 g fiber, 35 g protein (36%), 922 mg sodium

And....just for fun I thought I would share a picture of my adorable niece enjoying her homemade cupcakes for her third birthday!

My Time with Blue Print Cleanse

Yes I know this is a goofy picture but this is exactly how I felt after eating a fresh apple! My 3 day Cleanse is over and I survived. I not only survived but thrived!

A little recap for you:

The first day I felt AMAZING! I didn't drink a sip of coffee but I had a lot of energy and my friends even noticed my improved attitude. I must admit the first sip of that green juice scared me but after I got through the whole bottle I knew I would make it all three days. There were a lot of trips to the bathroom (TMI I know but what do you expect when all you do is drink water and juice?) which was made me feel lighter toward the end of the day. Also, the last juice, a cashew and cinnamon concoction was SO good! I was ready to take on the rest of the journey.

Day two - This was a lot harder I have to admit. I was working at my lovely internship where my boss, Sarah, and I were both doing the cleanse, which was good and bad. When we heard about someone eating Mexican food for lunch we were both very jealous but reminded each other that we are doing this cleanse to rid all of the Mexican food we had! Come night time I was ready to reach through the TV screen and eat the pizza on all those darn commercials....but I drank some tea and water and got through it!

Day three- This was MUCH easier! I was full of energy and feeling lighter and happier. I went grocery shopping and got lots of fruit from Trader Joe's and Whole Foods to prepare for today! The juices went down easier and I actually craved that last green juice! I might have bitched and moaned while doing it but on day three I knew it was going to be worth it.

Now that the cleanse is over I feel lighter (by 5 pounds) and healthier. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who has been overindulging or just wants to get rid of that extra bloat for the beach. I now have no desire for salty foods and crave the clean taste of water and fresh fruit and veggies (although I think I have always craved the taste of fresh fruits I had lost it for a little while getting overwhelmed with stress).

This was worth all the hype and I can't wait to cleanse again...I think I am addicted :)

First day of Blue Print Cleanse

Today is my first day of Blue Print Cleanse and after trying the first green juice I am a little nervous! This cleanse consists of 3 days of only drinking 6 freshly made juices. It sounds a lot harder than I think it actually will be.

A little about the Cleanse straight from their website "This Cleanse will gently rid your body of impurities, regain an alkaline balance and normalize digestion and metabolism. Too often, a cleanse stirs up detox symptoms that are far too intense for the “average” person. BPC is designed for people that would like to give their insides a rest while simultaneously going on about their daily lives. One needn’t gamble with extremes to feel the benefits of a Cleanse."

I have not been eating very healthy or going to the gym as much as I need to so I am hoping this will help me get back on track. After finishing the first green juice (that has lots of good for you stuff like celery, kale, romaine, and green apple) and brushing my teeth I am feeling very good.

I don't have any recipes for you today because I don't want to think about all that yummy food I can't have BUT I will be keeping you updated on my cleanse so wish me luck :)

Greek-Style Pizza with Ricotta and Feta

I have been eating horribly lately, which is why I haven't been updating as much as I should. I have been on the hunt for a new roommate/apartment as well as a new job so life has been stressful and it has caused me to not cook as much and basically eat anything that is in front of me. But I am trying to get back on track!

My amazing internship at J Public Relations has been a great way for me to take my mind off of all the stresses and learn a lot. One of their clients is a great juice cleanse company called BluePrintCleanse that I am SO excited to start on Monday. I am planning on documenting everything for my lovely loyal readers and let you know all of the good and bad of doing the BPC cleanse!

Now...on to my latest cooking adventure! This recipe from Shape Magazine will make you never want to order pizza in! I needed to find something that would be easy and very tasty. I didn't want to have junk-food withdrawals and this pizza not only tasted amazing but left me feeling great after eating. I hope I can stay on track and get my life in order! I know that my cleanse on Monday will truly help me get everything together.

On to the FOOD!!

Ingredients:

Makes 8 slices

Cornmeal for sprinkling
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup chopped fennel
1 10-ounce package chopped frozen spinach, thawed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 14-inch whole-grain pizza crust (see recipe, p. 214) or store-bought pizza dough
3.4 cup fat-free prepared marinara sauce
1.2 cup reduced-fat ricotta cheese
3 ounces crumbled feta cheese (about 3.4 cup)
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
1.4 cup chopped fresh mint

Directions

• Place a pizza stone on middle oven rack, turn oven to 500°F, and let stone heat for 20 minutes. (Alternately, use a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal; preheat oven but not sheet to 500°F). If using a stone, liberally sprinkle a wooden peel or baking sheet with cornmeal.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fennel and sauté 5 minutes; reduce heat to low. Squeeze spinach to remove excess water and stir into fennel. Season with salt and pepper.
• On a lightly floured clean surface, roll dough to form a 14-inch circle. Transfer to prepared peel or baking sheet and slide dough onto heated pizza stone—or just transfer to baking sheet—and cook 5 minutes. Remove pizza stone or sheet from oven to add toppings.
• Spread sauce over crust. Arrange fennel-spinach mixture evenly over red sauce. Spoon tiny dollops of ricotta over fennel-spinach mixture. Sprinkle with feta and bake 12 to 15 minutes more, or until edges are golden.
• While pizza cooks, place tomatoes and mint in a bowl and toss to combine. Scatter mixture over pizza before cutting it into 8 slices and serving.

Nutrition Information per serving:
(1 slice): 176 calories, 4 g fat (23% calories), 2 g saturated fat, 27 g carbs, 7 g protein, 3 g fiber, 128 mg calcium, 2 g iron, 381 mg sodium

It has been awhile!

Hi there...I am sorry I have been away for so long! Life got a little stressful, but now hopefully I am back for good! 

Today I just found out about a great new website called Veggie Trader that is such a fun concept an online marketplace that works like a mash-up of eBay, Craigslist and your local farmers' market. This newly minted site lets you buy, sell and trade homegrown produce with other backyard farmers in your area. Have a ton of tomatoes but no lemons or wax beans? The registration is free so why are you waiting?

I am going to start trying to branch out into other area's of food on my blog so it is a little more interesting than simply recipes. It might take me a little while to find my footing so bare with me :)

Now on to what I know how to do best....give you yummy recipes! And these brownies won't disappoint! 

Ingredients:
1 box Betty Crocker Fudge Brownies Mix (the 18.3-oz. Family Size box)
2 cups canned pure pumpkin
2 cups mini marshmallows
1/4 cup slivered almonds, lightly crushed
2 tbsp. Hershey's Lite chocolate syrup

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine brownie mix, pumpkin, and chocolate syrup in a large bowl, and stir until completely mixed and smooth. (Batter will be thick!) Spray a mid-sized baking pan (8" X 8" works best) with nonstick spray and pour in the mixture. Smooth the top of the batter with a spatula.

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove pan from the oven, and evenly distribute mini marshmallows across the top of the batter. Sprinkle almonds over the marshmallows. Using a spatula, press down on the marshmallow-nut layer to help it adhere to the batter.

Return pan to the oven, and bake for 10 additional minutes. Remove pan from the oven, and let cool slightly. Refrigerate, uncovered, for several hours, until completely chilled. (Important! Do not cover pan while initially chilling it in the fridge.) Cut into 36 squares and serve!

MAKES 36 SERVINGS

Serving Size: 1 square

Calories: 73, Fat: 1g, Sodium: 52mg, Carbs: 15.5g, Fiber: 1g, Sugars: 10g, Protein: 1g

PS- I am also getting used to posting on my new Mac so I am slowly working out the kinks with that as well!