Hodgepodge Filed under ( Breakfast, Mexican, pork )

I, like Meghann, woke up thinking today was Friday for some reason! Today was a very “usual” day. I went to work, came home and prepped dinner for Josh (couldn’t decide what I wanted), snacked, and then hurried out the door to teach Body Step. I grabbed some of Josh’s pulled pork supply and made him pulled pork quesadillas. They were simple and easy to throw together: tortilla, cheese, pulled pork, corn.

I served them on the cutest plate my friend Rachel got us:

Finished product (I later added some TJs refried black beans to go with these):

After step, I was back to my dilemma of not knowing what I wanted. In the end, I went with brinner, cheesy egg whites with hot sauce on a whole wheat tortilla served with cauliflower/broccoli and an apple:

I got a few questions about my exercise “convention” this weekend. Basically, when Les Mills (who creates the programs I teach- Body Step and Body Attack) puts out their quarterly new releases for each program, they hold a big exercise-a-thon, where the instructors can go and take the new classes for each program. My schedule for the day currently looks as follows:

6:15 AM-7:15 AM BODY PUMP 71 Master Class
9:10 AM - 10:10 AM BODYSTEP 77 Master Class
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM BODYVIVE 12 Master Class (not sure I’ll actually take this one)
12:35 PM - 1:35 PM BODYATTACK 66 Master Class
2:15 PM - 3:15 PM BODYFLOW 46 Master Class
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM BODYCOMBAT 41 Master Class
5:05 PM - 6:05 PM BODYJAM 50 Master Class (not sure I’ll actually take this one)

There will be some educational sessions thrown in there as well. It’s a LOT of fun to be in a room with a bundle of people who love exercise as much as you do. Its also pretty exhausting to workout all day! ;)

Side Note: Did you all see this article about Edward Norton joining an African tribe to run the New York City Marathon??

Baseball and Cuban Style Pineapple, Rice & Beans Filed under ( Beans, Healthy, Mexican, Restaurant Review, Turkey, Vegan, vegetarian )

You have to love the shortened work week that follows a three day weekend! My week has been off to a great start (and I hope yours has as well!). Monday started with a six miler outside:

Followed by lots of errands and housework. The day ended with dinner at Taco Boy and a Charleston River Dogs baseball game with Lindsay & Patrick. Taco boy is a funky restaurant with two locations, one in Charleston and one in Folly. We hit up the Charleston location. Check out the cool decor inside:

We shared some chips and salsa (their chips were great- not greasy at all!) and I got the taco salad for dinner. My taco salad was missing a few of the ingredients mentioned on the menu and came with one tiny sliver of avocado. I was a little disappointed. On the flip side, the roasted corn in the salad was delicious:

 

After dinner, we headed out to the baseball game. The weather was perfect and the stadium is beautiful:

  Josh & I:

Me, Lindsay & Patrick (hahaha)

The game was ….slow? I have no idea who even won! We left in the 9th and the score was still 0,0.

 

Today was back to the grind! After the usual work, I did a bit of cleaning and taught Body Attack.

For dinner, I made up Cuban Style Pineapple Rice & Beans (with Turkey for Josh):

Ingredients:

• 1/2 or 1 full 15 oz can Cuban style black beans (or you can use regular black beans and add in some additional spices (cumin & chili powder), onion & garlic)

 

• 8 oz can pineapple (either tidbits or chunks), drained or fresh cut pineapple
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1 jalapeno, chopped
• 1/2 lb turkey (if using)
• 2 cups cooked brown rice (I used Success)
• 1 tablespoon oil (utilize 1/2 tablespoon if cooking beans only)

Directions:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add turkey and cook through (until no longer pink)
• Lower heat to medium and add black beans, pineapple, salsa and jalapenos. Heat through (~5 minutes)
• Place cooked mixture on top of brown rice
• Enjoy!

Easy dinner! And can be made for vegetarians and meat eaters alike! You can also play around and add some more veggies (peppers and onions would be fantastic!). Serves 2 or 3.

  

Also, on a side note, look at this adorable apron Lindsay gave me for my birthday (love it- thank you girl!):

 

What is your week looking like? Anything exciting to look forward to?

South of the Border Lasagna Filed under ( Beef, Mexican )

I am always looking for new and exciting recipes for dinner.  Like I mentioned before, my girls would rather me stick to a few old favorites but everyone is very nice when I try something new.   Sometimes it is "blog worthy" and I have to admit, sometimes it is not. This recipe came from my friend Donna.  Donna is a great Southern cook!  She has some wonderful family recipes and she is great about digging through her jillions of cookbooks to find another perfect recipe.  My girls aren't very hip on lasagna but I thought they might enjoy this Mexican version and they did.  Serve with Mexican Rice and a green salad.

South of the Border Lasagna


2 lbs. ground chuck
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp Chili powder
3 cups tomato sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/2 to 1 Tbsp salt
1/2 cup sliced ripe olives
4 oz can chopped green chilis
12 corn tortillas
vegetable oil
2 cups small curd cottage cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp dried Cilantro
8 oz Monterey Jack Cheese, grated
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

In large skillet, brown meat over med-high heat.  Drain.  Add onion and saute 5 min or until translucent; add garlic and cook 1 minute.  Sprinkle with chili powder and mix well. Add tomato sauce, sugar, salt, olives and chilis.  Simmer uncovered 15 min.  Heat oven 350.  Spray a 13 x 9 with cooking spray.  In a small skillet, heat 1 - 2 Tbsp oil.  Soften tortillas one at a time, flipping with tongs and then allow to drain on a paper towel lined plate. Mix cottage cheese, beaten egg and dried cilantro. Place 1/3 meat mixture into pan, top with 1/2 Monterey Jack cheese, then 1/2 of cottage cheese mixture and top with 1/2 of tortillas.  Repeat ending with meat on top.  Cover with cheddar cheese and bake for 30 minutes.  Allow to stand 15 minutes before cutting.  Toppings - Scallions, sour cream, black olives, etc.

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Welcome to Moe's Filed under ( Mexican )

WOW! Thank you again for the birthday wishes- Ya’ll are too kind! Today was a good one!! I had lots and lots of work (which I love)- so the work day was done in a flash. Bonus- I got to work from home again! We were having some dead trees in our yard cut down (these guys are crazzzzzzzzzy-Yes this guy is climbing a tree with a chainsaw):


So I wanted to be home to supervise (aka make sure nothing came flying through the roof). After work there was cleaning and baking (Josh requested some more of my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies):

Then I got my cute-ness on (aka my new skirt and heart rate monitor) and taught 45 minute Body Step. It was the jam. I stopped at Harris Teeter on the way because they are selling cantaloupes for 99 CENTS! Yahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Josh and I decided to hit up Moe’s for dinner tonight. Josh has been wanting to go for a while now (actually hes been wanting to go to Chipotle, but we don’t have one…so Moe’s is our substitute!). Josh got a meaty filled burrito:

And I got the personal trainer salad :

Now Josh and I are watching some football and may turn on a movie (oh and I'm eating cantaloupe ;)).What are you doing?

My wonderful sister-in-law, Jenny, sent me this two links I thought you would all enjoy:

More School Lunches Going Vegetarian (Hooray)

And

Are Organic Foods Healthier?

And an EARLY Happy Birthday to the fabulous Ellie at Inside I am Dancing!!

Spicy Flank Steak Filed under ( Beef, grill, Mexican )

I have to say this is one of my FAVORITE recipes. I love it and my family loves it. We had this for dinner tonight and our oldest daughter said, "This is the BEST meal!" I have to admit that my husband is an awesome GRILLER. He always gets the meat perfect - never overcooked and that is so key with this flank steak. I highly recommend this recipe! The leftovers are just as yummy. I have even made this for a large crowd and served with Mexican Pinto Beans, Texmati Rice and Pico de Gallo. You're just gonna love it!

This recipe came from my dear Baylor friend - Lya! Lya is a great cook - I am always curious to know what Lya is cooking!

SPICY FLANK STEAK

¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup minced cilantro
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. ground pepper
1 ½ lb flank steak

Mix marinade ingredients together and spread over both sides of steak. Marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes ( up to 2 hours). Grill approximately 5 minutes on each side. Slice diagonally across the grain and serve immediately.

** Ours took longer than 5 minutes on each side to get done – more like 10! Please don't overcook!

Printable Version

While living in Houston quite a few years back, we enjoyed our share of TEX-MEX! We had our favorites of Pappasitas and Lupe Tortillas. All of these restaurants serve Mexican style pinto beans with fajitas, etc. that are called Charro Beans. I was determined to try to copy these beans. I am not a huge bean fan but my hubby loves them. This is what we came up with. They are actually very yummy-I think you will be quite impressed!

Mexican Pinto Beans



1 lb. dried pinto beans

3 qts water

½ - 1 lb. bacon (more gives them more flavor)

1 medium onion, chopped

3 dried red chile pods, rinsed, stemmed, seeded and chopped

(you can find these in the produce – I used my kitchen shears)

3 – 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

5 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground coriander



Cover beans with cold water. Let stand five minutes, stir and pour through a strainer. Rinse well under cold water and repeat procedure twice. In a large stockpot, combine beans with cold water. Cover by about one inch. *I like ours thicker and with less water – You can add more water if you need to – just check on them. Stir in bacon, onion, chile pods, garlic, cumin and coriander. Bring just to a boil. Lower heat and partially cover the pan. Simmer for at least 2 hours. Add salt and simmer for another hour. * I simmered mine for quite a bit longer to reach the desired consistency – thicker and tender. I made them the day ahead and heated them up the next day. On the third day, I took the left overs and squished them with a potato masher. I layered them in pan with grated cheese on top. I heated them and served them with chips and sour cream!!!



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Pico De Gallo Filed under ( appetizer, Mexican )

This is a great recipe. I love to serve it with the Spicy Flank Steak! Enjoy!

Pico de Gallo (Roosters’ Beak)

4 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and chopped

2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1 medium white onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro

1 – 2 serrano chiles, seeded and finely chopped

3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 Tbsp. olive oil

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Mx all ingredients together well. Cover and refrigerate 1 – 2 hours.

This great as a dip or tucked inside a fajitas!!!

Mexican Rice Filed under ( Mexican, rice, Side Dish )

We made Fish Tacos again tonight and that yummy Lime Cilantro Creme. I made a visit to Kirsten at My Kitchen in the Rockies. Kirsten has great ideas and recipes. I made her Mexican Rice and we loved it. My family loves rice and they were very pleased with this.

Mexican rice:

Ingredients:

* 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
* 1 teaspoon garlic salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/4 cup chopped onion
* 1/2 cup tomato sauce
* 2 cups chicken broth

Directions:

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with salt and cumin. Stir in onions and cook until tender. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Printable Version

Mexican Cornbread Filed under ( Beef, bread, Mexican )

Life is insane right now so I went with one of my standby recipes that I have been making for years. I got this recipe about 20 years ago from Diane - a teacher friend when I taught high school. Nothing fancy but the flavors just work together and everyone in my house enjoys - even my picky middle daughter! Jenna actually said this is one of her favorites! I did take a picture of the final product but this recipe just isn't very photogenic. I promise - it tastes much better than it looks.

Mexican Cornbread

1 lb ground beef
chopped onion (I used minced onion)
1 small can green chiles
2 beaten eggs
2 cups cream style corn
2/3 cup milk
1 - 8.5 oz pkg Jiffy Cornbread mix
4-6 slices American Cheese

Preheat oven to 425. Brown ground beef with onions and drain off excess fat. Add green chiles and set aside. Combine eggs, 1 cup of corn and milk with cornbread mix. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour half of batter in a greased 9 inch square pan. Top with beef, cheese slices and remaining cup of corn. Pour remaining half of batter on top. Bake 25-30 minutes or until brown on top. Serve with green salad and ENJOY!

Grilled Corn Mexican Style Filed under ( Mexican, Side Dish )

I was with my Baylor crew this summer and my friend Jennifer made yummy Carnitas and Grilled Mexican corn almost just like this. I LOVED it. Jennifer used the Cotija Mexican cheese and I thought that was the perfect touch. I found this recipe at www.Foodbuzz.com

What you need for Grilled Corn Mexican Style:
- 1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) of grated Parmesan
- 4 ears of corn, husks and silk removed, cut each in half
- 1 tablespoon of butter, room temperature
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons of light mayonnaise
- 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder (I like to use Chipotle)
- 1 lime, cut into wedges for serving

What to do:

1. Heat your grill to high. Place the cheese on a plate or in a shallow bowl and set aside.
2. Brush the corn with butter and season with salt and pepper. Grill it, turning every 2 to 3 minutes, until tender and slightly charred, usually for about 10 to 12 minutes. Take it off the grill and let the corn cool 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Brush the corn with mayonnaise, and roll in the cheese to coat. Sprinkle with chili powder.

Serve Grilled Corn Mexican Style with lime wedges and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! Summer will not escape me yet! :)

Fish Tacos with Lime Cilantro Creme Filed under ( fish, Mexican )

Okay, I loved this! I have been in a cooking mood this weekend so I tried another new recipe. Our girls don't just love fish so I figured I need to start cooking fish more. My sweet friend Lya has told me on several occasions how yummy this recipe is. Lya lives in Plano, TX and I only see her a couple of times a year. I was bugging her for the recipe and I am thrilled to have it. I especially love the Lime Cilantro Creme and I don't love cilantro. I could keep the creme around to eat with veggies or on a wrap with the carnitas... it is very yummy.

Fish Tacos with Lime Cilantro Creme



Tilapia filets



Brush the filets with olive and generously season with Fiesta fajita seasoning(here in Nebraska, I could only find Kroger fajita seasoning-what is a girl to do!) Grill and separate into bite size pieces with two forks.



Lime Cilantro Creme



1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

3 Tbsp mayonnaise

3 Tbsp sour cream

1 tsp grated lime peel

1 1/2 tsp fresh lime juice

1/4 tsp salt

1 garlic cloved, minced



Mix creme and refrigerate til ready to enjoy. I would double or triple the creme depending on the size of your family. My husband, myself and one of our daughters almost finished off one recipe of creme... but like I said - I loved it!



We enjoyed our fish in white corn tortillas topped with cabbage slaw, lime cilantro creme and sliced avocados with sides of black beans and Texmati rice! YUM!

3 Years Filed under ( Dessert, Family, Mexican, product review )

Good morning. Hope your week is treating you well. Happy Anniversary Josh!! Today marks the third anniversary of our wedding (WOW does time fly). I couldn’t imagine my life without Josh (and Frank) and just feel so incredibly lucky. Josh supports me in anything & everything I do (plus hes really good at reaching the stuff on the top shelf in the kitchen ;)). A few of you asked for some wedding pictures. I did a couple larger posts sharing our pictures here and here, so just one special one for today:

Love you Josh! We plan to do a little low key celebrating tonight. I think a trip to Fresh Berry is in order.

Between work, taking care of Josh & his ankle, taking care of Frank and teaching at the gym- this week has been nuts. Here are a few highlights of what we’ve been eating:

Schwan’s recently sent me some samples (disclaimer: these samples were provided for free) from their new LiveSmart line. According to the Schwan’s website: “LiveSmart™ is committed to satisfying hunger with wholesome and nutritious foods that taste great and are delivered straight from our kitchen to yours. LiveSmart™ is real food made from ingredients that are good for you and good for your body. Products designated as LiveSmart™ have less fat, lower amounts of sodium, fewer calories and no trans fat.”

Josh wanted a quick lunch this weekend, so I popped the Pasta Primavera dinner in the microwave for him:

 

 

Josh’s thoughts on the meal: “A little bland, but not watery at all (as a lot of frozen pasta meals are). The vegetables seem fresh and are nice and crunchy. I would purchase this on my own for a quick meal.” Thank you Schwan’s!

I also made up some burrito meat for Josh (and a black bean and veggie mixture for myself). I cooked up chopped jalapenos in a little oil and then added and browned the ground beef. Once the meat was cooked through, I added Chile powder, cumin black beans, and corn:

  Both of our mixtures were cooked in tortillas with cheese on a Panini press and served with refried beans for some delicious at home Mexican!

 

We’ve also been enjoying the AMAZING local summer fruit. South Carolina peaches and cantaloupe:

And last, but certainly not least, some vegan banana chip cake topped with ice cream and a little chocolate sauce:

  

And since its workout Wednesday, here is my workout plan for the week. It is slightly altered since Josh’s parents & brother will be in town (!!):

• Monday:  Ran & taught Body Pump
• Tuesday: Taught Body Attack
• Wednesday: Gym- ET/Run
• Thursday: Gym- ET/Run or Off
• Friday: Off
• Saturday: Teach Body Step & Pump
• Sunday: Off

Whats your workout plan for the week?

Pork Carnitas Filed under ( Mexican, Pork, Slow cooker )

White we were in TEXAS on the weekend with my Baylor friends, my friend Jennifer made such a yummy dinner. Jennifer was my roommate at Baylor. This GURRRL is a fantastic cook and she almost always cooks very healthy. We had these yummy carnitas with pinto beans, and yummy ears of corn she cooked on the grill. We had an assembly line to top the ears of corn with fresh lime juice, chili powder and cotija cheese. It was all amazing! I will also include a recipe I have for Mexican Pinto beans. They aren't especially low calorie but they are so yummy. My hubby and I were trying to copy some beans we enjoyed at different Mexican restaurants in Texas from when we lived there.

Pork Carnitas

1 sliced onion
2 Tbsp chopped chipotle in Adobo sauce or 2 fresh jalepenos
2-3 lb boned pork butt or shoulder
4 cloves garlic-slivered
Salt/pepper
Oil
Corn tortillas

Spray slow cooker with Pam. Place onion, chipotle peppers and ¼ cup water in slow cooker. Stir to combine. Using knife, make incisions in pork, insert garlic. Salt and pepper pork and brown in skillet on med high heat. Add to slow cooker and cook for 6 hours or til tender.
Shred pork with two forks, return to slow cooker and stir to combine with other ingredients. Serve on tortillas with cilantro, avocado, green olives or any other desired toppings. I loved these with white corn tortillas but you will have to double up and use two as they are much thinner! Enjoy!

Printable Version

Baked Mexican Chicken Salad (NO mayo!) & Questions for Josh? Filed under ( chicken, Mexican, pregnancy, product review )

A little over a week ago, I posted my first attempt at a hot, mayo-less chicken salad. Although it was pretty good, I wanted to kick it up a notch and try again. Josh suggested I add jalapenos to the mix and I decided to make it overall more Mexican-ish. I made a smaller batch as a test run and it turned out really well!! Feel free to double the ingredients. You may also want to add a little more Greek Yogurt if you’d like a creamier salad.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb chicken, cooked (baked or boiled) and cubed or shredded (your call)
• 1/4 cup 2% cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup plain Greek Yogurt
• 1/4 cup black beans (drained & rinsed)
• 1/4 cup corn
• 1 jalapeno, chopped
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon taco seasoning (I used TJs which is POTENT, so I only used 1/4 teaspoon-thanks for the awesome suggestion Julie!!)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

 

 

This can be served in tortillas, on bread, or on top of a salad:

 

Couple more things!! Do you have any pregnancy related questions for Josh (i.e. how moody has Erica been since becoming pregnant)? If so, leave them in the comments and I am going to try to get Mr. Josh to appear in my VLOG!

In other exciting news, I will be working with NuNaturals in the upcoming weeks to bring a great giveaway to you guys!! Do you want to get your hands on NuNaturals products before the giveaway? Here are two ways to do it:

1. If you live in the Continental U.S., you can get FREE samples!! Just send a SELF-ADDRESSED, STAMPED, # 10 envelope to NuNaturals at the following location :

NuNaturals, INC
2220 West 2nd Ave. # 1
Eugene, OR  97402

2. You also can get a special discount on NuNaturals products through the NuNaturals website (www.nunaturals.com). When you’re on the Checkout Page, enter code BLG930 , and you will receive a SPECIAL DISCOUNT of  -15% on your TOTAL ORDER.  This offer is effective through September 30, 2011.

I hope the rest of your week is as wonderful as this:

 

Easy Black Bean Burgers & Frozen Yogurt Filed under ( Beans, Healthy, Mexican, Restaurant Review, vegetarian )

Happy 4th of July!! I hope you have awesome plans, whether they be partying or relaxing. We’re headed to my Aunt’s house on the water for a low key party and I am very excited.

Our Sunday was productive and lovely. I got up at a decent time and headed to the gym for a slow jog and Body Pump. Since I knew the class I teach on Mondays was canceled due to the holiday, I figured I’d fit in some Sunday pump action. After I got cleaned up, Josh and I headed out for lunch and errands. We picked up a bundle of antibacterial soaps from Bath & Body works, towels, a few items at Publix and Lowe’s. At Lowe’s, I picked up a couple new flowers for our front steps:

The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing and baking at home. For dinner, I wanted to whip up some EASY black bean burgers.

 

Ingredients:

• 15 ounce can low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 egg or 1/4 cup egg substitute
• 1/4 – 1/2 an onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon guacamole spice mixture (or you could sub in your favorite herbs including chili powder, cumin, etc)  (disclaimer: I received this product for free from Foodbuzz and Tostitos)

• few shakes of hot sauce
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs

Directions:

In a bowl, smash up black beans with the back of a fork. Add in remaining ingredients and mix until just combined.

 

Form into 4 burgers. Burgers can be cooked in a frying pan with a little oil, on the grill, or in the oven. I did ours on the grill by placing a piece of aluminum foil down and spraying it with non stick spray. Over Medium heat, they took 5 minutes per side.

 

After dinner, we headed into Charleston to meet friends at Yogurt Mountain.  I got a mix of apple pie and vanilla yogurt with fruit and a couple random other toppings:

 

 

The yogurt was pretty good. I still think Fresh Berry in Charleston has the best yogurt and Menchies a close second. Do you have a favorite frozen yogurt place?