What I ate Today (Work Lunches)

Here's a quick and easy recipes for lunches you can take to school or your workplace, if it has a microwave! 

Teriyaki Fried Rice

What you'll need:
- 1 cup of wild or brown rice
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 2 cups of water
- extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 2 cloves of garlic chopped
- 1/2 red onion chopped
- 1/2 red pepper chopped
- 1/2 zucchini 
- 1 head of broccoli chopped
- 1/2 bottle of teriyaki sauce 


In a medium sized pot, combine rice, butter and water. Bring to boil. Stir occasionally. Simmer over medium-low heat until water is absorbed. 


In a large frying pan, add 2 tbsp of EVOO and warm the pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion. When garlic and onion are soft, add in red onion, broccoli, zucchini and any additional vegetables you would like i.e. mushrooms, sprouts, olives or bok choy.  

When vegetables are tender-crisp, add in rice. 

Fold in teriyaki sauce or soya sauce or the sauce of your choice.

Divide into smaller portions and refrigerate . 

For a side snack: BAKED CHICK PEAS *noms*

For this you will need
- olive oil 
- 1 can of chick peas
- salt and pepper 
- cayenne pepper


Pre-heat your oven to 425 Degrees. Empty chick peas into a strainer and run under cold water for up to 5 minutes (get them clean!). Add chick peas, olive oil (as much as you need to coat chick peas), salt, pepper and cayenne pepper (for a kick of heat!) to a medium mixing bowl. Coat chick peas by stirring the mixture. Place chick peas on a baking sheet. If available to you, add chick peas to a terra-cotta baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Flip chick peas. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or under desired crispness is met. Put in a re-sealable container and enjoy for an afternoon snack throughout the week! 

*This is a great substitute for chips and crisps. :)

Pizza for Breakfast?! - March Food of the Month!

So our healthy and delicious food of the month is Eggs!  Taryn and I had such a good time cooking these recipes for you girls and hopefully you like them as much as we do!  


QUESTION:  What are YOUR favourite ways to eat eggs?

Pizza Frittata

(from the Get Cracking Website)

(Makes 4 servings)

1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
1/2 cup (125 mL) diced onion
1/2 cup (125 mL) diced sweet green pepper
1-1/2 cups (375 mL) sliced mushrooms (8 oz/250 g)
2/3 cup (150 mL) sliced pepperoni (3.5 oz/100 g)
8 eggs
1/4 cup (50 mL) grated Parmesan cheese
Seasoning Mix (see recipe below)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup (125 mL) pizza or tomato sauce
3/4 cup (175 mL) shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat oil in a 10-inch (25 cm) non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, green pepper and mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are soft. Add pepperoni; cook for 1 minute.

Beat eggs and Parmesan cheese in a medium bowl. Stir in Seasoning Mix (or 3-1/2 tsp/17 mL bulk Seasoning Mix) and salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over vegetable mixture in skillet. As egg sets at edges, use spatula to gently push cooked portions toward the centre of the skillet; tilt skillet to allow uncooked portions to flow into the empty spaces. When frittata is almost set, place pan under preheated broiler to cook top.

Remove from oven, spread with pizza sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Return to oven until cheese melts. Cut into wedges and serve.

Seasoning Mix (Bulk measurements are in italics)
1-1/2 tsp (7 mL) dried oregano (1/3 cup/75 mL)
1 tsp (5 mL) dried basil (1/4 cup/50 mL)
1/2 tsp (2 mL) garlic powder (5 tbsp/25 mL)
1/2 tsp (2 mL) onion powder (5 tsp/25 mL)
1/4 tsp (1 mL) dried thyme (2-1/2 tsp/12 mL)

Combine seasonings in a small bow; stir until blended. Use as directed above.
Store bulk mix in a glass jar; stir before using. Use with 6 months.

Tips:
* Frittata recipe may be halved and cooked in a small skillet.
* Frittata can be cooked completely on the stove top; proceed as above, cooking frittata until set before adding pizza sauce and cheese, then covering skillet with lid to melt cheese.

The PERFECT Hard-Boiled Eggs

(from AllRecipes.com)

"The use of a little salt and vinegar makes these hard boiled eggs easy to peel with no tearing or sticking."

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon salt 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar

6 cups water 8 eggs

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Combine the salt, vinegar, and water in a large pot, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the eggs one at a time, being careful not to crack them. Reduce the heat to a gentle boil, and cook for 14 minutes.
2.	Once the eggs have cooked, remove them from the hot water, and place into a container of ice water or cold, running water. Cool completely, about 15 minutes. Store in the refrigerator up to 1 week.

Healthy Lunch Idea! What I ate today March 7, 2011

Nom Nom Nom....

Today for lunch I am having a whole wheat bagel topped off with plain, low-fat cream cheese, sliced cucumbers and a sprinkle of black pepper. For my afternoon snack, which I will probably eat around 3:00 pm, will be homemade roasted red pepper and green olive hummus with stone-wheat crackers. YUM! 


I analyzed these two recipes using the recipe analyzer on the Dietitians of Canada website and found the following:


~450 calories
75 grams of carbohydrates
10 grams of fiber (yay!)
16 grams of fat (this may be skewed because I made my own hummus with no a lot of olive oil)
20 grams of protein
939 milligrams of sodium (again because EaTracker only has a 'generic hummus' option)


It took me 5 Minutes to make this lunch this morning! 


Hope you enjoy!


Taryn 
www.YouTube.com/RachhFit
@RachhFit on Twitter