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A Yummy Way to Eat Your Vegetables

Easy as…garliclemon…and salt! But really, I know many people our age and even beyond who still don’t like their vegetables. Although this is baffling to me, I still want to help them out. And my way of doing it is also easy for people who aren’t natural cooks or don’t have the time! It’s a simple, yummy way to cook your vegetables in a way that doesn’t require much skill or effort. And it might even introduce a love for cooking and vegetables! Well, at least the house will smell nice afterwards. This is the simplest recipe of them all, let’s get started! 

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Sautéed Mushrooms and Broccoli
Serves 3
A yummy way to eat your vegetables
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
10 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
10 min
Ingredients
  1. Box of mushrooms
  2. Head of broccoli
  3. 1 lemon
  4. Garlic pepper & salt (can use regular)
  5. 4 cloves garlic
  6. 1 tbsp oil
Instructions
  1. Chop up the mushrooms and broccoli into bite-sized pieces
  2. Salt and pepper the veggies
  3. Heat up a pan with the oil in it (medium heat)
  4. Cut up the garlic or crush it. Put it in the heated pan with oil
  5. Put the mushrooms and broccoli into the pan
  6. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the pan while stirring
  7. After 5 minutes, put a lid over and let it steam
  8. When vegetables are tender, take out and serve immediately
hungry and fit https://hungryandfit.com/
You can really serve this with ANYTHING! I chose to serve it with penne, red sauce, and morningstar. You can eat it with other grains, meats, whatever you fancy. It’s so delicious I couldn’t stop eating it out of the pan. And hey guess what–it’s CHEAP and easy to make. There you have it…a yummy way to eat your vegetables. As always…stay hungry and fit!

BONUS PUPPY PIC

A ridiculously silly picture of Noke

A ridiculously silly picture of Noke

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Fresh Caprese Salad

It’s hard for me to make a recipe for you to follow and I apologize for that… but I don’t! For me, recipes can be a little too formulated and strict because above all else, you need to make sure you taste your food and season it accordingly to make sure it has that perfect flavor when it is served. Preparing good food is about using the freshest and highest quality ingredients you can find, and also seasoning it properly! With that being said and taking that into consideration here is the best recipe I can provide you. 

What you need:

  • Spinach – only use the undamaged leaves
  • Tomatoes – preferably Roma tomatoes
  • Cheese – preferably a fresh, soft mozzarella
  • Olive Oil – Extra virgin, please
  • Balsamic Vinegar – I only use Balsamic Nectar
  • Salt – a coarser grind, I like Pink Himalayan
  • Pepper – Fresh ground black pepper from a mill

As for quantities, it depends on how much you are serving and what ratios you prefer. You can tell by my pictures what I prefer. Everything after the first three ingredients is to your taste, so those amounts are not designated. If you want to make it a good first course for yourself, two handfuls of spinach, a tomato, and a half a ball of mozzarella is my preference.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: Zero Minutes

Obviously, nothing is cooked.

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First, thoroughly sort and clean your spinach. Only use leaves that are not bruised or wilted. Clean them without damaging them. Remove excess water.

Next, wash your tomatoes and chop them into about twelfths, if they are romas. With larger tomatoes, consider cutting them into sixteenths. A thicker tomato provides more texture to this salad and butchering them less helps retain some of those delicious natural juices. Add them to the spinach. Apply some olive oil, salt, and pepper to the two ingredients and taste. You want to be able to taste all of the elements if you have seasoned properly. I usually coat the ingredients in olive oil, toss lightly. Six to eight cracks of pepper, and a teaspoon of salt, sprinkled from 18 inches above the mixing bowl. 

Next, slice your cheese carefully, especially if it is soft as to not create messy cuts, into quarter to half inch cubes. Relatively large, I know. Again, this is meant to be a salad with larger components so that every bite can include one of each of the three main ingredients. If they are cut or added in large enough pieces, a fork can easily pierce and hold all three components. 

You are nearly finished. Add the balsamic at this point and toss lightly. I usually add half the amount of olive oil that I used.

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Now comes the most important step, take a bite of your salad. All three components at once. How does it taste? What does it need? At this point I usually add a drop of the liquids, a crack or two of pepper, a healthy amount of salt. I think the salt helps bring out the other flavors in the dish and cuts the acidity of the tomatoes and the balsamic. The cheese is the only rich component along with the olive oil so the salt has a significant effect in this regard. 

Toss lightly again to ensure that every piece of the salad is dressed evenly and then drain the salad. Yes, drain it carefully. Remove the excess dressing. At this point, the salad has been treated so carefully that every component is dressed and the juice in the tomatoes will help keep the salad moist. If you dressed it properly, draining it will have no negative effect. You can save the dressing, obviously for other uses. 

The salad is ready and it is time to plate. You can take the rustic approach and use a pasta fork, much more delicate than tongs, to scoop a portion onto a side plate. I prefer serving on a plate rather than a salad bowl because of the composed nature of this salad. If you take this path, make sure that your ratios are correct and there is spinach, cheese, and tomatoes in the serving. Otherwise you can technically and methodically place the spinach first, topped with tomatoes, and finally cheese. That is up to you. A final crack of pepper, sprinkle of salt from above, and without adding final liquid components, serve with a fork. 

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French, obviously

You can also serve with a slice of good toasted bread and make a crostini. Leave that option to your guests, or yourself… whoever is eating. Note: You can actually finish with olive oil and balsamic, just make sure you do so and immediately serve to prevent the pooling of juices in the bottom of the plate. If the liquid components do pool, make sure you have a piece of bread or something to scoop it up with!

BONUS KITTY PIC

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Protein Oat Pancakes

As some of you know, our 5-Minute Protein Pancakes recipe is one of our biggest hits. I would say I eat pancakes at least once a week, so I am always trying new recipes. With the help of Silk, I’ve come up with another–Protein Oat Pancakes! I know it’s weird to describe pancakes as “juicy,” but they are wonderfully akin to that on the inside. It’s not just some flat pancake without any umph– this pancake has personality! Plus, they are healthy and full of protein!

To make this recipe, you’re going to need a few items–one of which is Silk Unsweetened Vanilla Almondmilk. Before you head to the grocery, sign up at Silk.com for some free coupons!

Dry ingredients together

Dry ingredients together

Silk milk!

Silk milk!

Ready to be stirred up

Ready to be stirred up

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Wet and dry mixed together

Wet and dry mixed together

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Protein Oat Pancakes
Yields 7
Pancakes filled with healthy grains and protein
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Prep Time
7 min
Cook Time
5 min
Prep Time
7 min
Cook Time
5 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 cup old-fashioned oats
  2. 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
  3. 1/2 cup Silk Unsweetened Almond Milk
  4. 1/2 cup 0% Greek yogurt
  5. 1/4 tsp baking powder
  6. 2 tbsp honey
  7. 1 tsp vanilla extract
  8. 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Mix together the dry ingredients
  2. Mix together the wet ingredients
  3. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet using some sort of spoon (you don't want to over-mix the batter)
  4. Grease up a pan and once hot, spoon some of the batter into the pan (I was able to fit two pancakes in my pan at a time)
  5. These cook fast, so be ready to flip! After three or so minutes on each side, flip and finally take out
  6. You can serve with butter, syrup, fruit, or just eat it plain!
hungry and fit https://hungryandfit.com/
Simple, sweet, and nutritious. How can you get better than that? Make sure you head over to Silk’s Facebook page and like them! You can find tons more recipes like these and also ways to earn free coupons. You can also make a big batch of this overnight for the whole week! Talk about a yummy week of breakfasts. Let me know how these turn out for you! And as always…stay hungry and fit!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

 

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Healthy Huevos Rancheros

This brunch favorite can be yours in ten minutes or less! Okay, sorry that sounded like a sales pitch, but I’m super passionate about this dish. My spin on it is delicious and healthy! It’s always my go-to when I don’t feel like doing a lot of cooking, but still want to stay on the nutritious side. It’s pretty simple and I’m always happy eating it. Let’s try it out.

Chop dem tomaters

Chop dem tomaters

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Don't forget your tortilla!

Don’t forget your tortilla!

Healthy Huevos Rancheros
Serves 1
A healthy version of huevos rancheros you can make in ten minutes
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
5 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
5 min
Ingredients
  1. 1/2 can black beans
  2. 1/2 tomato
  3. 1/2 handful of spinach
  4. 1 egg
  5. 1 tortilla
  6. salt and pepper
  7. hot sauce
Instructions
  1. Heat up the beans in a pot
  2. Cook your egg
  3. Heat/toast your tortilla
  4. Put the beans down first, then the egg, then the veggies
  5. Either use your tortilla as a taco or rip it up and eat it with a fork alongside the other goodies
  6. Throw down some hot sauce and dive in!
Notes
  1. You can use different types of beans or greens
  2. You can add cheese as well
hungry and fit https://hungryandfit.com/
There you have it. I often whip it up at night when I don’t feel like doing a lot of cooking and when Hungry has found his own dinner. It’s fun to spruce it up with fresh vegetables, although tomatoes are a must (unless you aren’t a fan). Avocados would be PERFECT for this too! Have fun with it and feel free to add anything to make it yours! And as always…stay hungry and fit!

BONUS KITTY PIC

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Delicious Vegetable Soup

This post is brought to you by Hungry’s mom! We composed the post, but she provided the recipe and pictures! Yum!

With spring and summer around, vegetables are flowing freely (yay!). We are truly happy for that and even happier with the recipes that come along with it! This vegetable soup is sure to keep everyone around the table happy and well-fed with nutritious ingredients. There is not much work to it at all! 

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Vegetable Soup
A easy-to-make vegetable soup that can last the week
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
1 hr 15 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
1 hr 15 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 large container(approx 32 oz) organic vegetable broth
  2. 1 large can (approx 28oz) whole peeled tomatoes
  3. 1 can 16oz (or fresh equivalent) of cannellini and red kidney beans
  4. 1 cup fresh green beans
  5. 2 cups shitake mushrooms
  6. large dash pepper
  7. large dash olive oil
  8. 2 cups diced celery
  9. 1 cup sliced carrots
  10. 1 onion, sliced
  11. 1 shallot, sliced
  12. several handfuls fresh dill
  13. 12 fresh sage leaves
  14. 1 cup thin egg noodles or similar small pasta
  15. pepper to taste or if you like it spicy, add fresh peppercorns
Instructions
  1. Make sure to do all the chopping or slicing you need to do for vegetables
  2. Add all ingredients with the exception of egg noodles to large sauce pot and bring to a boil
  3. Simmer and cover for approx 1-1.5 hours
  4. Ten minutes before serving, add egg noodles
Notes
  1. Would go great alongside ciabatta bread!
hungry and fit https://hungryandfit.com/
There you have it. Enjoy and thank Hungry’s mom for this one! This is a great way to meal prep for the entire week and not have to worry about dinner. Big batches are smart like that. Use this recipe to stay hungry and fit!

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Glazed Cinnamon Scones

You know what day it is–Wednesday! The day I bring some form of treat to my co-workers. It was a toss-up today between glazed cinnamon scones and another healthy version of brownies. This won out this week! It looked slightly intimidating, but it was fine once I got rolling. Similar process in making the scones as in my mum’s. I substituted a few things like put less sugar and added in whole-wheat flour to make it a little more healthy. These are delicious. They simply crumble into your mouth as you bite into it. The cinnamon settles nicely with the texture–it’s a keeper. Let’s try it out! 

Crumble it up!

Crumble it up!

Knead it out!

Knead it out!

Pie?

Pie?

Love this mixture...

Love this mixture…

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Glazed Cinnamon Scones
Serves 8
A fiber-rich delicious glazed cinnamon scone
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Prep Time
17 min
Cook Time
11 min
Prep Time
17 min
Cook Time
11 min
Scone Ingredients
  1. 2 cups flour (1 whole-wheat, 1 regular)
  2. 2 tsp baking powder
  3. 1/2 tsp baking soda
  4. 1/2 tsp salt
  5. 1/3 cup milk
  6. 1/2 tsp lemon juice
  7. 1 egg
  8. 1/2 cup butter
  9. 3 tbsp granulated sugar
Dust Ingredients
  1. 1 tbsp sugar
  2. 1/2 heaping tsp cinnamon
Glaze Ingredients
  1. 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  2. 3 tsp milk
  3. 1/2 tsp maple syrup
Instructions
  1. Let's first start with the scones. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F and grease up a baking sheet.
  2. Get out a big bowl and put your flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in there. Cut the butter into the dry mixture until it gets crumb-y.
  3. Separate the egg and put the egg YOLK in a separate bowl along with the sugar, milk, and lemon juice. Mix that up.
  4. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix it until it combines (don't overdo it)
  5. Flour up a surface (I use a cutting board) and put the dough you've made into a ball on the surface
  6. Knead it into around 1/2 inch thickness and then cut into eight pieces
  7. Place the eight pieces on the baking sheet
  8. Take out the egg white and whisk it until frothy. Brush it onto the scone pieces
  9. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over the egg-whited scones
  10. Put in oven for 10-11 minutes
  11. While it bakes, let's make the glaze. Mix the powdered sugar, milk and maple syrup until it forms up properly into a glaze
  12. When the scones are done, let them cool a bit and then drizzle the glaze over
Adapted from Money Saving Mom
Adapted from Money Saving Mom
hungry and fit https://hungryandfit.com/
 Once you get rolling, you won’t stop! There may be one or two less scones going to work tomorrow because they perhaps made a way into my stomach. Oops? I hope you enjoy this recipe and use it to spread happiness all around! Keep baking to stay hungry and fit!

BONUS KITTY PIC

Sleepies

Sleepies

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Homemade Scones and Cream Recipe

This recipe is perfect for Valentine’s Day if you want to create a treat for the special day! Some of my favorite Valentine’s Day memories involve my dad putting those little candy hearts allll over the house and me getting to look and find them. Onto the yummy stuff. I have watched my mum make her scones year after year growing up throughout my childhood, but I never actually made them myself. Sure, I helped her put on the jam or whip the cream, but I was just helping, not creating. I was thinking of what I wanted to bring to work for Valentine’s Day (I’m not a huge proponent of this day because it’s normally too gushy, but I always like an excuse to make something yummy), and then it came to me! Mum’s scones! Simple, delicious, and not too sweet. Looking back, I have to laugh, because when I asked mum for the recipe, and then when we were FaceTiming while I was making it at 6:30am (5:30am her time–sorry, Mum!), the way she actually did it was completely different. Here is a family recipe, rooting back in New Zealand that promises to not be too heavy or sweet but a definite crowd-pleaser.

The finished product

The finished product

Scones

  • Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
  • Baking Time: 10 minutes
  • Makes: 20 scones (40 halves)

Ingredients

  • 3 cups unbleached white flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 5 level tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 stick butter
  • 1 1/4 cup milk

Directions

  • Pre-heat oven to 450 degree F
  • Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in a big bowl
  • Heat the butter in the microwave for 5 seconds and then chop up into itty bitty pieces. Throw those pieces into the flour mixture and start rubbing it in until it gets gritty similar to bread crumbs
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Pre-rubbed

  • Now slowly pour the milk in, mixing as you pour. It should end in a dough-like consistency

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  • Put a dusting of flour on a large cutting board and knead it out, but not a lot. You want them an inch, inch and a half thick

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  • Now cut them all at once, vertical lines and then horizontal lines into two inch pieces. Place on the baking sheet, no greasing needed

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  • Check on it after 8 minutes and until 10 minutes. Check the bottom of them, don’t let them burn. After you take them out of the oven, they should cool for at least 10 minutes before you put the toppings on them
All cooked!

All cooked!

Okay, so while they are cooling….let’s make some cream! Super easy.

Cream

  • Creation Time: …1 minute 

Ingredients

  • 1 pint heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp sugar

Directions

  • Put ingredients into bowl and beat them until it turns into the whipped cream you know and love

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NOW to put it all together! This is what you’re going to need to finish these puppies up…

  • jam (any kind you like)
  • chocolate 

Directions

  • Cut open the scones into halves and lay them out
  • Spread jam on each one (yes, takes some time)
  • Dollop the cream on each one (you can make it pretty by spreading it out, I didn’t)

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  • Use a grater that can grate super finely and grate chocolate over the scones. I added some red sprinkles to make it more Valentine-y

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And you’re done. I know this was a long post, but it actually doesn’t take that long and is worth it ten times over. These were a HUGE hit at work and they don’t leave you feeling guilty because they are certainly not heavy nor are they too sweet. That’s why Americans sometimes don’t like these kind! I am very proud to have successfully produced these, they taste very close to my mum’s. Whip these up for this lovey-dovey weekend and make people happy! You can thank my mum, not me! And as always…stay hungry and fit!

BONUS KITTY PIC

Sleeepy baby

Sleeepy baby

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Maple Orange Butter Recipe

If you’re looking for a super simple, delicious recipe, then you’ve come to the right place! This post directly follows yesterday’s post as the two go together perfectly! This maple orange butter goes great on tons of things: muffins, pancakes, toast, waffles, scones–you name it! I took this right out of the Cuisinart mixer cookbook and it was so good, I wanted to share. Easy as 1-2-3!

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  • Creation Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • zest of 1 orange (I did two clementines)

Directions

1. Beat the butter in a bowl until nice and light

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2. Grate the orange into zest and mix that in along with the maple syrup

3. Refrigerate until ready to serve

Yeah, I was serious…1-2-3! Whip this up in five minutes to make another baked product have some shazaam! It’s easy, it’s delicious, it’s butter! Use this recipe to stay hungry and fit!

  • Question of the Day: Do you ever used flavored butters?

BONUS KITTY PIC

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Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Muffins

A muffin we don’t have to regret eating! Hurray! Ever since I got my new hand mixer (thanks, mum), I’ve been wanting to try out the recipes that came with it in a little booklet. This muffin recipe is from that booklet (Cuisinart), but I changed it to what I wanted it to be. These muffins are perfect to me because it’s a good ball of energy when I don’t have a lot of time to eat (mostly between clients). They are tasty, without being overly sweet, and leave you feeling great (rather than the sugar-coated, fat-loaded ones you will find elsewhere). I also made a maple orange butter to go along with it, but let’s save that for another post. This recipe is super easy too! I always value that.

Yum yum yum

Yum yum yum

  • Prep Time: 5-7 minutes
  • Bake Time: 18-20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole-wheat flour
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup evaporated milk
  • 1/4 cup whipped butter
  • 1/2 cup raisins

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Grease up your muffin tin. I made 12 muffins, but you can make 24 mini muffins and it will take less time to bake

2. Put the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder into a big bowl and mix

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3. Put the eggs in a smaller bowl and beat them until they become foamy.

4. Add the evaporated milk and butter into the egg mixture

5. Pour the small bowl of wet ingredients into the large bowl of dry ingredients. Mix everything together

6. Fold in your raisins, can be any type, I chose golden raisins

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7. Spread your mixture evenly into the muffin tins. Bake for 18-20 minutes for 12 muffins, 14-16 minutes for 24 mini muffins.

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And that’s it! Really simple, huh? My favorite pair is simple and healthy. It can’t get much better than that, at least in my opinion. Use this recipe to stay hungry and fit!

  • Question of the Day: What’s your favorite type of muffin?
BONUS KITTY PIC

 

Sajah loves the sheepskin from New Zealand!

Sajah loves the sheepskin from New Zealand!

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Healthy, Delicious Kale Dip Recipe

This past week, I bought way too much kale. Chris was so nice, he didn’t say anything, but seriously–there’s only two of us! The Super Bowl was nearing and you’ve got to have dips while watching football, can’t get much more American. I do love spinach artichoke dip, but neither were in my fridge and I believe in using what you’ve got! So I grab my enormous bag of kale and set to work on a dip! It was adapted from this recipe. This dip recipe is simple and, more importantly, delicious! It tastes like spinach and artichoke dip, but with more of a sharp flavor mixed in with that garlic creaminess. Oh, did I mention that it’s healthy too?! Read on.

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  • Total Prep & Cook Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3-4 big fistfuls of chopped kale
  • 6 oz of nonfat greek yogurt
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • small pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 1 garlic clove
  • salt to taste

Directions

  • First, chop up your kale and garlic into very thin pieces. Try to get all the stems of your kale out.
  • Heat up a pan with some olive oil in it and then toss all your kale and garlic in. You can put the salt over it now. Cook until kale turns its dark color, about 4-5 minutes, stir now and then.

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  • Pour the kale garlic mixture into a food processor if you have one, or if you don’t (or don’t know how to use yours yet–cough, not me at all) then just put it in a bowl and get ready to use a beater! Before you start beating, blending, or mixing, put in the greek yogurt, lemon juice, and pepper flakes! Stir up that mixture as much as you can until it’s relatively smooth!
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Beat it! (Thanks, mum, for the hand mixer!)

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  • And…serve. Yeah, it’s that simple. Once you get a hang of the chopping, then it’s a breeze.

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I would serve warm or luke warm, although you can refrigerate for a few days if you aren’t going to be using it right away. I liked this dish so much I made two batches! The garlic creaminess mixed with the sharp flavor of the kale is a winner in my book. And unlike with other dips, there’s no sense feeling guilty about it because it has all great ingredients! This one will come up again, I can assure you. Try this recipe out to stay hungry and fit!

*Question of the Day: What’s your favorite dip?

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