Confession

Sunday Funday! Hope your morning is going well thus far. I had a wonderful weekend spent watching Christmas movies, eating eggnog ice cream, and seeing The Nutcracker ballet! I'd call that a pretty festive weekend. BUT next Saturday I will be HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS! If you couldn't tell I've been looking forward to this trip for quite some time now. Looking forward to seeing everyone I have missed and celebrating with the ones I love. Awww, they should make an abc family movie on my life now...

In the meantime I have been kicking some major boo-tay in the kitchen and in the gym (gym being my room). I have a killer lower body workout for you that left my legs screaming. Hopefully they won't wuss out on my during my run today!

Last night I made a delicious dinner for thyself. Parmesan Tilapia from Rachael Ray, and mashed potatoes with (gasp!) gravy. This is where the title comes in to play. From a carniverous perspective this isn't a biggie, but from a 5 year vegetarian it's quite the scandal. Yes, I used a can of chicken broth for the potatoes and gravy. Oh the horror! BUT to my defense it is as possible to find a can of vegetable broth in the grocery store as it is to have Miley Cyrus ringing me through the check-out line. Okay, maybe Miley Cyrus was a bad example but my point is veggie broth is no where. Nada. Zilch.

I probably won't be buying broth after my craving for gravy is filled this week. It was pretty dang salty to me so not really worth veggie sinning over. I will recommend using broth for mashed potatoes though, an idea from Ellie Krieger. It adds more flavor without the need for butter. I just added broth, milk, salt, and pepper. Plus if smothered in gravy I'm sure you'll hardly notice the absence of butter.

Now that I got that off my conscious here's a workout for your Sunday afternoon! Just a set of hand weights and a timer is all you need.

Lower 'Booty' Circuit ~34 minutes

Perform each exercise for 1 minute, for a total of 3 rounds. Try to rest minimally, but take breaks of you need them.

Single leg Bridge (30 sec. each leg)
Squat Kicks (1 min. each leg, 3rd exercise in link)
Squat Jumps
Inner Leg Lifts
Plie Squat with weight
Split Jumps
Wall Squat
Boot Squat
Jumping Jacks

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

The..The...The Beets!

If you grew up in the 90's I hope you know my reference in the title! If not, I don't know you. It's of course from one of the best cartoons ever created. Doug! Oh how i miss nickelodeon when it actually was good. Just like when MTV ACTUALLY had music.

Inspired by curiosity and childhood cartoons lead me to today's post. If you were a fan of the Rugrats, to the extent that I was, you may remember the episode where Chuckie gets sprayed by a skunk, and the only way to get rid of the stench was......(I'll give you a hint..)

(picture courtesy of wikipedia)

Yes, soup! But do you remember what kind? Tomato? No. Chicken Noodle? Double no. Russian Borscht? Of course! Yes, borscht. Probably the only time I have ever heard of such a thing prior to stumbling upon it in my Simply Vegetarian! cookbook.

It's a pretty humble, earthy soup that stars beets to give it a vibrant hue. If you are a fan of beets, this is the soup to make. It's SO simple and this recipe makes an unexpected huge amount! It's inexpensive, and a great way to try some earthy vegetables!

Russian Borscht
serves ~8 (1.5 cup ea.)
adapted from Simply Vegetarian! cookbook


1/2 head cabbage, shredded
1 medium carrot, chopped
3 medium potatoes, chopped
4 medium beets, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
10 cups water
1 cup tomato sauce (optional)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp coriander

This is about the simplest recipe to make. Start by chopping up the onion, potatoes, carrots and beets, and adding to a large stockpot. Make sure they all are roughly the same size.

*Note of caution: It is wise to use a plastic cutting board, and if you have them some rubber gloves. Cutting the beets turns everything they touch a vibrant hue of ruby. The color will come off your hands after a good washing, but be aware of clothing or a wood cutting board as it may get stained. As you can see my hands look like a bloody mess after chopping!

Bloody Beets!

After the veggies are chopped, shred your cabbage in a food processor with the attached shred blade. If you don't have a food processor you can always thinly slice your cabbage by hand, which won't take too long. Just be sure to remove the woody root end of the cabbage, which you can see in the picture below.

 Cut out the core at the bottom of the cabbage.

Add the cabbage, seasonings, water, and optional tomato sauce to the pot. I've seen recipes that use tomato sauce, so since I already had a can open, I decided to add the leftover to the pot. I'm sure it won't make that much of a difference if you don't add it.


Bring the soup to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Serve either hot or chilled with a dollop of low-fat sour cream or greek yogurt. I must say that makes the difference to this soup! The creaminess of the greek yogurt balances out the earthiness perfectly!

*Another note of caution: Depending on how much/often you eat this soup, you may notice a color change in the toilet. Don't be alarmed! It is a harmless side effect to the potent color the fresh beets give off, but just be warned if you see a bit of a red hue in your poo! ;) Haha!

I really enjoyed this soup, and felt like a russian grandma chopping away all those root veggies! It make a great amount, which I even cut back from the original, but felt it needed some more liquid. Adjust to your taste and enjoy a taste of a russian classic!


What's your favorite type of soup?

American Classic: Where's the Beef?!

Good Morning to all! The sun is shining, partially blinding me on this chilly Spring day. I'll take chilly and sunny over cloudy and snowy ANYDAY. It's probably a good thing it's been on the chilly side, since the heat wave temperatures seem to melt away any motivation to do anything productive in regards to school. So I'll take it as a blessing (though I wouldn't turn down a little 70 degree, not a cloud in the sky kinda day ; ) )

Now on to the "meat" of my post, but as the title implies, there's no actual meat. Having been a vegetarian for 5 years now, I've tried most every kind of meatless burger out there. Garden. Boca, Char-grilled. Black Bean. You name it, I've tried it. Now I have settled on a favorite brand, which also happens to be the cheapest at my grocery store. They're from Meredith Farms and offer selections from Garden Vegetable, Portabella, or Char-Grilled. I most often go for the Portabella, just for personal taste. Craving french fries last night, I decided to do a spin on the American Classic of a burger and fries. If you've never baked your own french fries, I STRONGLY suggest doing so. I'm addicted. Of course nothing tops a plate of fresh-out-of-the-fryer, salty plate of fries, these actually don't fall far. They're crispy, salty, and (drumroll please!) healthy! Potatoes are in fact healthy despite the bad rep from it's deep-fried counterparts. They're full of vitamins, minerals, and since I leave the skins on a bit of fiber. They regularly take about 40 minutes to bake to their golden deliciousness, but being ravenously hungry, I par-baked mine in the microwave this time around. Being too impatient to wait any longer, I said screw it, and took them out earlier than I should have, which you may notice in the picture. Regardless, the recipe to follow will guide you to golden baked perfection. There's a lot of ingredients so pay attention. (again, it's hard to pick up sarcasm when typing.)

Oven-Baked French Fries
serves 1, but easily expanded for more


1 potato ( I used an All-Purpose, but White Potatoes work well)
1 tsp oil
salt
seasoning (old bay, cajun, garlic powder, etc)

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. If you want the short-cut preparation, which takes about 20 minutes instead of 40, wash and poke your potato, and microwave for about 2-3 minutes depending on it's size. If you are already baking something, it's appropriate to skip that part and follow the regular prep. Next, slice your potato into wedges. I do this by chopping off all four sides so that the potato resembles a rectangle, and slicing into thin wedges, but slice how ever you want. Put wedges on a baking sheet and drizzle with the oil. Next, sprinkle with salt and any other seasonings you like. I used old bay this time around which was rather tasty. Now toss to coat, making sure every wedge has a good dose of oil and seasoning.

Cruddy Photo due to lighting and a grumbling stomach. You get the point though.

Now bake in the oven for about 8 minutes if taking the shortcut, or 15-20 for the regular prep. Remove from the oven, and give them a good stir. Rotate the baking sheet and toss them bake in for another 10-15 minutes until golden and crispy. Enjoy pipin' hot with a side of ketchup. 

Another cruddy photo. Thank you camera!

I served my fries alongside my burger topped with homemade ketchup, mustard, and romaine on some homemade wheat bread. Both recipes are soon to follow, if only I can perfect them! I hope you give these a try, since they are so simple and delicious, and a fair trade from deep frying. I may be assuming, but I think the oven is more often found in the average kitchen than a deep fryer. Unless your name's Paula Deen.

What's your favorite dipping sauce for fries?