Gettin’ BUSY in the Kitchen

Yesterday I was a cookin’ fool. I’m proud to say that I followed through with my meal planning pledge and actually planned out my meals for this week. Both Husband and I each picked a new recipe for me to try and I got BUSY in the kitchen. Cooking, folks. Really.

Husband picked an Indian beef curry recipe from Now Eat This! by Rocco Dispirito. This recipe shaves off almost 40g of fat from the traditional recipe and is only 264 calories per serving. LOVE that.

A few key ingredients – cooking spray, Greek yogurt, curry powder and fish sauce. I feel like such a chef – I’ve got “fish sauce” in my fridge.

Then I got to chopping …

Green peppers, garlic …

… and Cauliflower

I broke out the iron skillet for this one and cooked up some lean beef.

While it’s not as pretty as the picture in the book it tasted DELICIOUS.

I added a little extra spice to the recipe, put it over some brown rice and was really pleased. Husband gave it a thumbs up and went back for seconds; and even Miles’, my 9-year-old, liked it. My daughter was at a play date and missed my masterpiece although she wouldn’t have eaten it anyway – it wasn’t cereal or a sandwich.

I’m inspired, folks. Maybe this cookin’ thing isn’t so bad. I’ve got a new attitude ... and some fish sauce.

Winks & Smiles,

The ChatterBox's Top 5 Ways to @ChooseCherries

You may have already read on Twitter and in some of our Race and Relax posts about the benefits of cherries and tart cherry juice for recovery after exercising...

"Cherries contain anthocyanins 1 and 2 that researchers believe can have a significant impact on relieving muscle and joint soreness more quickly. And, cherries’ powerful bundle  of antioxidants and carbohydrates offer added nutrition active people need. Available year-round as dried and frozen cherries and cherry juice, it’s easy to make cherries part of your training regimen." - Cherry Marketing Institute.

It was great news to me being that this "super fruit" is my fruit of choice during the late spring and summer plus I'm always drinking cherry-blend juices (pomegranate-cherry, cran-cherry).  I love me some cherries!

Our wonderful Race and Relax sponsor, Cherry Marketing Institute, sent all racers bottles of tart cherry juice to try out during our training.  When I got mine out of the mailbox, I immediately put it in the freezer to give it a quick chill.  Then... I forgot about it.  About 30 minutes later, I remembered it and fished a dynamic slushie out of the fridge.  As I savored my accidental frosty treat, I began to think of all the outside-of-the-box ways to enjoy the benefits of this bottle of antioxidant joy! (because that's what I do)

ChatterBox's Top 5 Ways to Choose Cherries

5 - Cherry Slushie:  Well, duh!  Pop the bottle in the freezer for about 30-45 minutes and have a chilly treat after your outdoor exercise / activity.

4 - Cherry Smoothie:  I make breakfast smoothies from vanilla nutrition drinks (i.e. Boost or Ensure). Running them through the blender with a bit of crushed ice froths them up to milkshake consistency.  Skip the ice and throw in your frozen cherry juice!  Yum!

3 - Cherry Popsicles:  Go old school with popsicle sticks and cherry juice poured in ice cube trays.

2 - Cherry Ice Cubes:  Ditch the sticks and drop your frozen cherry cubes in a glass of orange, apple, pomegranate, or cranberry juice.  Add a splash of club soda or lemon-lime soda for a fizzy kick.  (okay, diet lemon-lime soda...sheesh!)

1 - COCKTAILS!:  And speaking of kick... you know I had to go there, right?  Add a shot of your favorite adult indulgence to any of the above combinations in #2.  Now that's what I call recovery!

As you can see, though kind of unconventional, you can incorporate the benefits of tart cherry juice in many ways.  How do you choose cherries?  Check out these recipe suggestions.