August 31, 2010: Today's iPod Playlist for The Gym

Here's what I listened to today on the treadmill (on shuffle from my "FitBitch" playlist which means we may start to see/hear some repeats down the line).

Lada Gaga, Poker Face

Hurricane Chris, Halle Berry

This is where I paused the music because I was sidetracked with the Barefoot Contessa making a super yummy BLT sandwich (I'm a sucker for avocados)

Katy Perry, I Kissed A Girl

Total of 25 minutes / 2 miles

Here's her California BLT recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/california-blts-recipe/index.html

Since I'm watching my food intake, I would leave out the bacon or substitute with turkey bacon or something like that,  I would have whole wheat bread instead of white and I would use my light lemonnaise instead of mayonnaise.

I wish the nutrition information was included in her recipe, but when I make one for myself, I'll be adding it into the MyFitnessPal app to figure it out for myself.

Photo from WeHeartIt

Recipe - Black Bean Chili

I'm slowly getting used to my crockpot & my new kitchen (and just cooking in general) and I like finding new recipes that I would actually repeat. This is one of them. Its simple, its yummy, and its good for you. And it actually comes from my FitOrbit trainer, Charlanne, so thank you to her!

Makes 6 servings: Serving size about 1 cup (about 285 calories)


Ingredients:
1 tbspn canola oil
1 3/4 cups finely chopped onion (about 1 large)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbspn chili powder
2 tspn ground cumin
3 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed & drained
1 cup water
1 tbspn sugar
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained


Instructions:
Heat canola oil in a big regular pot over medium heat
Add onion & garlic; saute for 6 minutes or just until onion mixture begins to brown
Add chili powder & cumin (or substitute with taco mix); cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly
Add beans, water, sugar, tomatoes; stirring to combine
Bring to a boil; reduce heat, & simmer for 30 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally. (Lid off)
Ta da!


Then I bust out 6 plastic containers and divide the goods evenly, so that its all ready for my lunches/dinners.

 

Thanksgiving Menu

Tomorrow my little family (me, boyfriend, brother) will be having lunch at our new condo to celebrate Thanksgiving. (My dad is at home in Sacramento & my mum is in Georgia taking care of my grandmother, but usually they come down to SD). Here's what we've planned for our menu:

• Rotisserie Chicken - Pre-made from the grocery story (We started this genius tradition last year)
• Mac n Cheese - Homemade in the SlowCooker (it's my first time, so if it turns out well I'll post the recipe)
• Corn on the Cob
• Mashed Potatoes & Gravy - From KFC. Oh yes, they're the best
• Pear & apple slices
  
• Stuffing - Just the easy peasy box kind
• Mimosas

My mouth is watering just thinking of the yumminess. And my favorite part is that I won't spend all day slaving in the kitchen, but spending it with my favorite boys.

Slow Cooker Recipe - Garlic Chicken

This is a recipe that I originally got from a blog called "A Year of Slow Cooking" (which I think is such a great idea!) and was really thankful to have when I first bought my slow cooker and didn't have any recipes. The first time I tried it I mostly followed her super easy instructions, but I got tired after peeling 31 garlic cloves, so I didn't make it to 40. Plus my boyfriend doesn't like onions, so I didn't use those. The second time I tried it with drumsticks instead of chicken breasts and we loved it even more!

So here are my 2 variations of Stephanie's recipe that I use:

31 Clove Garlic Chicken Breasts:
2.4 lbs chicken breasts (which is 2 packets from Costco)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp pepper
31 garlic cloves
Low heat setting for 6 hrs

24 Clove Garlic Chicken Drumsticks:
1.5 lbs drumsticks
3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp pepper
24 garlic cloves
Low heat setting for 4 hrs

Make sure to click on the links to her recipe to get all the details on what to do. Enjoy!