Criss-Cross Applesauce

On 3 separate occasions this week my mind was filled of images of bubbling homemade applesauce. The first came as I was grabbing my lunch out of the fridge and was staring at a ¾ full tote of apples I swore I’d eat before they got soft. The second was at dinner the other night as I was slicing into a warm pork roast wishing I could have some applesauce. The third occasion, and today’s blog title source, came from a client I was training. We were training his agility and reaction time. I asked him to sit cross-legged with his back to me. With a puzzled look he looked up at me and replied, “Oh, you mean criss-cross apple sauce?” With a roll of my eyes I said, “Sure, whatever works for you dude.” Needless to say, I was left with a craving for applesauce.

Nothing beats homemade applesauce. I can remember helping my grandmother make applesauce when I was a kid. I can’t remember the exact recipe but feel confident that it didn’t require anything more than a bag full of seconds she picked up at the local orchard, cinnamon, and water.

I have no exact recipe to give you. I pulled out the bag of Macouns I had in the fridge, along with a few other Honey Crisps and Braeburns I hadn’t gotten around to eating before turning mushy. I peeled, quartered, cored, and diced even to fill a large, heavy bottomed, pot. I filled the pot with enough water to almost cover the apples; stirred in a teaspoon of cinnamon and a generous shaving of fresh nutmeg. With the pot sitting on a medium heat I let it bubble and simmer for 2-3 hours. The liquid reduced significantly as the apples turned into chunky sauce. At this point I debated about leaving the sauce chunky or blending it. The decision was easy to make as I gave it a quick taste. Leave it chunky! It tastes like apple pie filling, but with no guilt!

As my kitchen was filled with a wonderful apple-y aroma I couldn’t resist the urge to follow through with another recipe I found while nosing around a few of my favorite blog sites. Gingerbread Granola! Seriously, Gingerbread Granola. The holidays are upon us and for many years I would spend HOURS whipping up cookies for friends. Since, my newfound dietary habits limit…wishfully eliminate, the amount of white sugar and white flour I consume, cookies are out.

Ok ok ok…I admit it. I eat cookies! I LOVE a warm gooey chocolate chip cookie and a cold glass of milk. Who doesn't!?

As it is the holiday season Gingerbread Cookies are something I look forward to. They have to be soft and chewy, not crunchy. Leave the frosting and decorations. Give me just the cookie.

In an attempt to match the gingerbread deliciousness with an oat and nut granola I was hoping I’d be rewarded. Much to my surprise I was! Let’s be honest granola does not equal cookie but the sweet and spicy combination is a much healthier alternative.

I even threw caution to the wind and food combing rules out the window and mixed the granola into the warm and bubbly criss-cross applesauce. It had the taste and texture of apple crisp. Amazingly delicious.

I found the recipe for the Gingerbread Granola at the Minimalist Baker. In fact, I’ve found a number of recipes from this site. Most recipes are vegan and gluten-free friendly, of which I am neither but enjoy the variety. This recipe makes A LOT of granola. Be sure to share with friends. Or, if you don’t have friends give them some Gingerbread Granola sprinkled over your very own batch of Criss-Cross Applesauce and you’ll be sure to get at least one. ;)

Enjoy,

SK

They’re Deadly for a Reason

I do not consider myself a particularly religious person but I would say that I am spiritual one. Understanding the difference between the two may be difficult for some but not all. There is one overwhelming aspect of religion that I grew up with and has carried with me for all my adult years. The Seven Deadly Sins. Greed, Gluttony, Wrath, Sloth, Pride, Lust and Envy. I truly believe that constant self reflection is necessary to not fall victim to any of these fatal flaws - yes they're fatal.

I want to reflect on Envy for just a moment. What is it to be envious and what is it to be jealous? I'm not saying I'm dead on, but it's my blog post so tough shit. This is the way I look at it. In my opinion, it’s not bad to be jealous. It’s not healthy to allow it to consume you but it is not good be complacent and let life pass you by. To me jealous means I care, it reminds me to push and to live everyday with my very best self forward. It's the fear that a worthy competitor will take the next stride in front of me, my lifting partner will get one more rep, or a colleague will get published before I do. To be jealous is to look at someone and WANT what they have but you COULD have it. You just weren't willing to sacrifice and go through pain to get it. It wasn't important enough for you to be uncomfortable. Do be jealous might mean you let yourself settle and accept your current situation because quite frankly you didn't give a fuck. So, what is it like to be envious?

Envy is all consuming. Envy will paralyze you with negative thoughts. Envy is to look at another person and be CONSUMED with jealousy that they are more *blank* or that they have more *blank* than you. They may have better cheek bones or thicker hair and that makes you envious of their beauty. They may have been born into a wealthy lineage or had a trust fund and you didn't. They have a genius level IQ or are the height you wish you were. Envy is to not just want but covet something that you have ZERO ability to change. The thoughts running through your mind no matter how hard you push, how badly you want something, and what you're willing to sacrifice can change that fact. THAT is envy! It is an ugly, all consuming and life altering state of mind. Be careful my friends - this is a question you may have to ask yourself more than you want to admit. "Am I jealous or?.. Oh shit! I'm envious!" Scary realization but not a dead end. We are are all blessed with amazing qualities and making sure we are thankful for our true character and what makes us beautiful is to be happy with yourself. 

I am a competitive son of a bitch and I need to reflect on that daily. As I said, I am not a religious man but I have my outlet to "pray". I have the place in MY life where I can connect inside my own head and be at peace with me.

To quote one of my favorite artists: "This is my church / This is where I heal my hurts / It’s a natural grace / Of watching young life change / It's in minor keys / Solutions and remedies / Enemies becoming friends / When bitterness ends / This is my church." He was speaking about the recording studio. I am speaking of CPC. It's not just a place of business or where I see my friends - It’s my outlet. It’s where I find MY peace. 

The realization is that we are surrounded by temptations daily that will pull us in towards those seven deadly sins. Being in touch with who you are and remain damn proud of the beautiful things you contribute to everyone else's lives will help keep you away from at least one... 

~Sully

Soup is On!

Let’s be honest, the colder the weather gets the more I crave a bowl of soup. Not just any soup, but a soup that will fill me up and keep me warm throughout the day. When I get a craving for soup I typically empty out my fridge into a pot, throw in some pasta or rice and have a few crackers on the side. Those days are gone and let me tell you why.

In previous blogs, from my Kona or Bust series, I wrote a lot about working with my Health Coach, Krystal Say, and the food combining rules she was asking me to follow. If you didn’t get a chance to read about it I’ll give you a quick refresher. Carbs and proteins should not mix. Each are digested differently and when sitting in your stomach together you’re left feeling overly full and bloated. To give you a point of reference, think about how you felt post Thanksgiving dinner and everything thing you consumed. There you have it; food combining at it’s finest. There are exceptions to the rules and not all carbs are created the same but in an attempt to continue treating my body well and encourage continued recovery from Kona I’m sticking with it. Hence, the days of chicken noodle soup, homemade turkey & rice after Thanksgiving, and beef & bean chili for Sunday Football are gone.

If you can believe me I really don’t miss the recipes I grew up with. I see the world of food differently now. I have to resourcefully tweak recipes to eat the way I want to eat. In my search for a hearty and filling chicken soup I pulled out a cookbook I received for Christmas several years ago, New England Soup Factory Cookbook by Marjorie Druker and Clara Silverstein. I sorted through a delicious plethora of recipes and settled on one, Caribbean Chicken Soup with Coconut.

Why? Simple I like chicken and I like coconut. Ginger is an anti-inflammatory and aids in digestion, so why not. The recipe calls for lots of vegetables and room to be creative.

I made a few adjustments along the way and was rewarded for all 30 minutes of my hard work. Seriously, once I started chopping and dropping veg, broth, and chicken into the pot I was surprised at how quickly it came together. You’ll notice I put a few ingredients in bold. These are the items I tweaked. I also took the liberty of adding a few items just to give it an added nutritional kick.

• I used olive oil instead of canola. You could also use coconut oil.
• Instead of celery I got adventurous and tried celery root. I’m glad I did.
• The red bell pepper didn’t make it into my shopping cart, despite being on my list so I left it out.
• I added turnip for extra bulk. Yes, I know.  Food combining. If I’m going to food combine I’d rather it be with starchy vegetables and protein rather than grains.
• The homemade chicken stock was very quickly, and easily, replace with packaged organic chicken stock. I mean really; who has the time to make homemade chicken stock?
• I also subbed out the cilantro for several big handfuls of baby spinach. Greens are good and I always need to get more into my diet. 
• Topping the soup with half an avocado gives it an additional "filling" element.
• The biggest piece of advice I can give about this recipe is that it serves a small army! If you don’t have a small army kicking around the house half the recipe and you’ll still be able to feed the whole family.

I hope you enjoy the soup as much as I did. Please let me know any of your own tweaks. I’d love to hear them.

SK

Caribbean Chicken Soup with Coconut

Serves 10-12

3 Tbps canola oil

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbps peeled and minced fresh ginger

1 large Spanish onion, peeled and diced

2 ribs celery, diced

4 carrots, peeled and diced

1 large red bell pepper

2 cups chopped cooked chicken meat

1 ½ cups whole corn kernels

1 cup shredded coconut

12 cups homemade chicken stock

Juice & zest of 3 limes

1 can (14 ½ oz coconut milk)

2 teaspoons ground coriander

½ tsp allspice

8 dashes hot sauce

1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro

Kosher salt & pepper to taste

In a stockpot over medium-high heat add the oil, garlic, ginger, onion, garlic, celery, carrots, and red pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add the chicken, corn, coconut, and stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the lime juice and zest, coconut milk, coriander, allspice, hot sauce, cilantro, salt, and pepper. Simmer an additional 5 minutes.

Taken from New England Soup Factory Cookbook by Marjorie Druker & Clara Silverstein

Make The Time

Hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving and some good eats!  It's here: we’ve finally reached the holiday season. With Thanksgiving now over, we begin that non-stop, hectic "race" to Christmas. As we get into this crazy time of year our schedules can get a bit overwhelming, but that is NO excuse to miss workouts and eat like crap. This is the time of year where so many people drop off with their exercise programs and diets. WHY?! Why give up all the results you’ve EARNED? Whether you’ve been working towards your goals for a few weeks, months, or even years - this isn't a time to use lack of time as an excuse to throw all of that out the door. 

Don’t let the holiday season be an excuse! That's lazy. A workout only requires around one hour a day. There are 24 hours in a day which adds up to 168 hours a week. There’s simply NO excuse as to why you can’t take 3-5 of those 168 hours a week to get in a workout. You'll thank yourself for doing it. 

Need additional motivation? Come and talk with me. We'll get you set up. 

- SW 

Happy Thanksgiving

In the midst of shopping for my next blog I realized time was escaping me and my plan was quickly sliding in the direction of Plan B. I was once an obsessive planner, to the point of having a back up plan for a back up plan. As of late, not so much. Chalk it up to a new job, new hours, a dog that requires walking at un-godly hours, and of course finding time to keep myself as healthy as the rest of you. It’s funny how priorities shift once you’ve meet one life’s goal (finishing the Ironman) and move onto the next (establishing myself permanently at CPC).

Plan A was to provide you with a killer Thanksgiving Dessert that was delicious and semi guilt-free. The deliciousness will have to wait until later in the week. Instead, I’ll provide you with the recipe if you are looking for a new post Turkey treat. I’ll also say, that I am eagerly looking forward to trying this recipe.

Crustless Carmel Apple Pie – Found at my new favorite food blog lemonsandbasil.com

http://lemonsandbasil.com/crustless-caramel-apple-pie/

Plan B was honestly an accident. I hadn’t thought about what I would blog about until I started considering what I would have for breakfast Monday morning. Overnight oats have come back into my morning rotation. They are a great way for me to limit the amount of processed grains I eat now that I’m not training for an Ironman, but also give me a satisfied feel to start my morning. Overnight oats are great, but as it gets cold I want something warm. Standing in front of my eyes fixed on the  tube of steel cut oats. Wondering to myself how I could find a way to cook these without having a stare at a simmering pot for 45 minutes it hit me…SLOW COOKER! I pulled my trusty crock-pot out of the cabinet and darted to my computer to find a recipe. Let’s be honest I may have great ideas but I am not the type to throw stuff into a pot and hope for the best.

My search didn’t take me long to find a recipe for Pumpkin Pecan Steel Cut Oats in the slow cooker. The recipe contained items I had in the pantry, thanks to the recipe for the crustless caramel apple pie above. It also had a Thanksgiving feel to it because of the pumpkin. Come on, who doesn’t like pumpkin!?  Warm creamy oats mixed with pecans and pumpkin pie spice. Winner! Added bonus, toss everything into slow-cooker before going to bed and breakfast is ready when you wake up, or in my case when I get back from walking the D.O.G.

I should mention that I didn’t follow the recipe exactly. As much as my perfectionism can consume me, there are times when I feel like a different ingredient might do the trick. Due to the size of my crock pot and Pyrex bowls neither would work together. Instead I melted coconut oil and spread it around the inner portion of the crock to prevent sticking. I also took the liberty of subbing out the brown sugar for my Dad’s own Maple Syrup. I mean really, can you go wrong with using family made Grade A Maple Syrup? I don’t think so.

I found this wonderful pumpkiny deliciousness at the food blog, Kitchen Treaty. Enjoy it on your own or with friends and family on Thanksgiving morning.

http://www.kitchentreaty.com/crock-pot-overnight-pumpkin-pecan-steel-cut-oatmeal/

Speaking of Thanksgiving, don’t forget to give thanks for all that you have in your life. I had a whirlwind of highs and lows this year but have become a firm believer that things happen for a reason an am thankful for all that has come my way. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

SK

The Incredible Edible Egg

I like eggs.

Scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs, fried eggs, poached eggs, omelets, and the list could go on.

In the crazy day-to-day approach that I take, despite my best attempts to be more organized, I find myself never having a fridge full of food prepped for consumption at the end of a long day. I do, however, always have EGGS! One of my favorite go-to’s at the end of the day is scrambled eggs with spinach and cheddar cheese, with avocado on the side. It’s simple and nutritious.

Eggs are an easy and convenient source of protein. In fact, eggs are considered to be a gold-standard protein source. One large egg has only 70 calories, 0 carbohydrates, 6g of protein, and only 5g of fat. Some might scoff at the eating of the whole egg, yolk and all, because of the amount of cholesterol contained within. I’ll let you in on a little secret, egg cholesterol isn’t going to cause heart disease. Lack of exercise and poor dietary habits (ie. processed foods!) have a much larger impact.  One large egg has 185mg of cholesterol. The daily intake is recommended at 300mg/day. If you restrict the rest of the crap you eat throughout the day and enjoy a few eggs for breakfast …or dinner, you should be fine! Eggs are much too delicious and nutritious not to be eaten!

Below is a quick recipe of what I created the other night, Vegetable Hash with Eggs and grated Cheddar Cheese. I got the idea from a food blog I was searching through and immediately knew I could throw my entire refrigerator in a frying pan and make it happen.

Prep: Empty refrigerator onto counter. Use whatever you’ve got! I used roasted butternut squash, white sweet potato, roasted beets, red onions, orange and red peppers, and swiss chard.  Chop everything into similar bite size chunks.

Cook: Heat up a few tablespoons of olive or coconut oil over medium high heat to fry up the veggies. I was lucky and had a few vegetables already prepared and waiting for me which cut down on cook time. I’m all about cutting down cook time. Once all vegetables are soft to touch with crispy edges make a small plate and package the rest for another day.

Using the same pan plop a small scoop of olive or coconut oil to fry the eggs in. If I had time and was much more patient I would spend the time to pouch a few eggs. Instead I fried the eggs sunny side up to still allow for the gooey blend of egg yolk and everything else. Before placing the eggs on top of the hash I grated some cheddar cheese over top and freshly ground pepper.

 Eat & Enjoy!

Interested in learning more about eggs? The recipe that I took the liberty to tweak? 

Check out these links.

http://www.incredibleegg.org

http://lemonsandbasil.com/root-vegetable-hash-with-eggs-and-aged-cheddar/

Enjoy,

SK

Spaghetti Squash Soup

I know I know, I've never really heard of it either, but in response to a spaghetti squash dilemma this is what I came up with as a solution.  I thought it was pretty good.

What I did:
I took a smaller sized squash, cut it in half, scooped out the innards, and roasted it in the oven at 350 about 35-45 minutes.  While the squash was in the oven I took a small onion and a clove of garlic chopped them up and sautéed them on a low heat in some olive oil.  I did it on low heat to try to cook them as much as possible without actually browning or crisping them up, the technical name for it is called sweating.  Food for thought.
After everything was done cooking I combined it all into a pot and added a quart of vegetable stock and let everything simmer for about ten minutes.  From here you have a couple of options, I used a hand-held immersion blender so I was able to blend everything right in the pot (be careful if you do this not to use a non-stick pan, you will scratch it and end up with Teflon in your soup), if you don't have an immersion then a traditional blender works just fine.  Just be careful with a traditional blender not to burn yourself or make a crazy mess.
Once everything is blended up you can put it back into the pot to simmer for a little while longer.  Now, here is where you can pretty much go nuts. Taste the soup and see what you think, odds are it might be a little bland and the addition of salt and pepper may be needed.  What I did was added the S&P but then added some sage, a small "splash" of balsamic, and then when I put it in the bowl to serve I grated some romano cheese over the top.  It was good, actually looking forward to eating the left overs tonight. You can totally get creative with this soup, spaghetti squash doesn't have a huge or distinct flavor so you can put in whatever herbs or spices you like and make it your own.  Have fun!

-MS