Baked Zucchini Fries

So Zucchini Fries are one of my favorite snacks and they are so much healthier than french fires or most other appetizer type foods. I found this recipe on Pinterest but have made some slight changes after trial and error. Below is what I have found to work best but please feel free to share any tips or comments to improve the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 large zucchini
• 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
• 1 egg

Directions

• Preheat oven to 425°
• Cut zucchini into 3-inch sticks
• Whisk an egg in a small bowl
• Combine parmesan, seasoned breadcrumbs, and garlic in a separate bowl
• Dip zucchini sticks into egg mixture and then toss in breadcrumb mixture
• Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and place zucchini on sheet
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown (for even cooking flip zucchini half way through)

Ideas for Dipping Sauces 

• Sour cream and Sriracha (combine 1/4 cup light sour cream with 1 teaspoon sriracha)
• Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce (combine 1/4 cup light sour cream with 1 tablespoon honey mustard)
• Good ol' ketchup
• Ranch Dip (combine 1/4 cup light sour cream with 2 tablespoons ranch dressing)

Grilled Steak Salad

Since I'm doing the 3 Day Diet right now I'm not eating anything as tasty as this but wanted to share some recipes I've made in the past and have pictures of. This is my favorite salad. It is tasty, hardy, and perfect for the summer when the grill is fired up. If you don't have a grill you can use one of those cast-iron grill pans but the cooking times may vary slightly.

Ingredients for Salad

• 8 ounces beef flank steak
• 2 small yellow and/or red sweet peppers, stemmed, seeded and halved
• 1 ear fresh corn, husk and silk removed
• 2 green onions trimmed
• 4 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 of a small avocado, halved, seeded, peeled, and thinly sliced
• 2 cups of romaine lettuce or spring mix

Cilantro Dressing/Marinade (optional, or use marinade/dressing of your choice!)

• In a blender or food processor combine 3 tablespoons lime juice, 2 tablespoons chopped shallot, 2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoons water, 2 teaspoons honey, 1 large garlic clove quartered, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and blend or process until combined. Separate into two portions.

Directions

1. Trim fat from steak. Score both sides of steak by making shallow diagonal cuts at 1-inch intervals. Place steak in resealable plastic bag and pour one portion of the cilantro dressing (or marinade of choice) over steak in bag. Seal bag, turn to coat steak. Marinate in fridge for 30 min.
2. Coat sweet peppers, corn, and green onions with nonstick cooking spray or olive oil spray.
3. For a charcoal grill, grill steak and corn on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals until steak is desired doneness and corn is tender, turning steak once halfway through grilling and turning corn occasionally. For steak, allow 17 to 21 minutes for medium rare (145 degrees F) to medium (160 degrees F). For corn, allow 15 to 20 minutes. Add sweet pepper halves to the grill for the last 8 minutes of grilling and green onions to the grill for the last 4 minutes grilling, turning frequently. (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place meat and, later, vegetables on grill rack over heat. Cover and grill as above.)
4. Thinly slice meat against the grain. Coarsely chop sweet peppers and green onions; cut corn from cob, leaving kernels in "sheets." Serve meat, vegetables, tomatoes, and, if desired, avocado slices over romaine lettuce. Drizzle with the reserved portion of the Cilantro Dressing. Garnish with cilantro sprigs. Makes 2 servings (1 cup greens, 3 ounces cooked meat, 1/2 cup vegetables and 1-1/2 tablespoons dressing per serving)

Per serving: 357 calories, 15 g fat, 47 mg chol., 376 mg sodium, 31 g carb, 5 g fiber, 29 g protein

"3 Day Military Diet" Experiment

So I was on Pinterest the other day (as I am many days) and saw the 3 Day Military Diet. It doesn't seem realistic (or healthy in terms of daily caloric/nutrient needs) and I'm sure a lot of the weight people lose is water weight. But, with that said I thought I'd give it a shot. Reading other reviews there seem to be a lot of people who have lost at least 8 pounds over the three days. I'm going on a weekend trip in a few days and haven't lost the 6lbs or so I put on over my summer vacation a few weeks ago so what the heck, I'll see how it goes.

It also says that you can do the following diet as many times as you wish to achieve desired weight as long as you take 4 days off of regular (healthy) eating before doing the diet again. The military part is that it was supposedly developed for people in the military who needed to get into shape quickly.

I have copied the following information from blessedmommy.hubpages.com.

"DAY 1:

Breakfast--1/2 Grapefruit, 1 Slice Toast, 2 Tablespoons of Peanut Butter, and Coffee or Tea

Lunch--1/2 Cup of Tuna, 1 Slice of Toast, and Coffee or Tea

Dinner--2 Slices of any type meat (About 3 ounces) 1 Cup of Green Beans, 1/2 Banana, 1 Small Apple, and 1 Cup of Vanilla Ice Cream (YUM)!!!

Tip to Try: Warm the apple and/or banana and eat them over the ice cream. Delicious!

DAY 2:

Breakfast--1 egg, 1 Slice of Toast, and 1/2 Banana

Lunch--1 Cup of Cottage Cheese (Or 1 Slice of Cheddar Cheese, 1 Hard Boiled Egg, and 5 Saltine Crackers

Dinner--2 Hot Dogs, (no buns), 1 Cup of Broccoli, 1/2 Cup of Carrots, 1/2 Banana, and 1/2 Cup of Vanilla Ice Cream

DAY 3:

Breakfast--5 Saltine Crackers, 1 Slice of Cheddar Cheese, and 1 Small Apple

Lunch-1 Hard-Boiled Egg, and 1 Slice of Toast

Dinner--1 Cup of Tuna, 1/2 of a Banana, and 1 Cup of Vanilla Ice Cream

This diet works on chemical breakdown and is proven. Do not vary or substitute any of the above foods. salt and pepper may be used, but do not use any other seasoning. diet is to be used three days at a time.

In three days you should lose 10 pounds. After three days of dieting, you can eat your normal foods, but do not over do it. After four days of normal eating, you may start back on the three day diet. You can lose up to 40 pounds in a month if this diet is followed precisely.

This is a safe diet.

REMEMBER: Do not eat/snack between any of the meals!

NOTE: Coffee or tea for the first two meals of Day 1 only. Water only from then on. Water intake is unlimited."

So I'll post again to update you all (not that anyone is reading my blog yet :) ) soon to say how it went. I'm on Day One so far and it's OK...

Best Enchiladas Ever!

Though't I'd share some recipes that I've made in the past that were big hits. I will definitely be making these again soon.

These are the best enchiladas I think I've every had. They are a bit time intensive but the pay off is worth the effort. The original recipe is from Tyler Florence from Food Network but when I make them I make a few subtle changes. Below is the original recipe but I'll make notes of things I've changed and add some tips to make things easier to make at the bottom

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (I always use olive oil)
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast
• Salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoons cumin powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Mexican Spice Blend (I omit and use Cayenne)
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed (I use 1 can of corn)
• 5 canned whole green chiles, seeded and coarsely chopped (I buy one or two cans diced green chiles, easier to find and prep)
• 4 canned chipotle chiles, seeded and minced (I omit these, not a fan of the smokey chipotle flavor)
• 1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 16 corn tortillas
• 1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce, canned (having a little extra isn't a bad idea)
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar and Jack cheeses
• Garnish: chopped cilantro leaves, chopped scallions, sour cream, chopped tomatoes (personal preference)

Directions

• Coat large saute pan with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken over medium heat, allow 7 minutes each side or until no longer pink. Sprinkle chicken with cumin, garlic powder and Mexican spices before turning. Remove chicken to a platter, allow to cool.
• Saute onion and garlic in chicken drippings until tender. Add corn and chiles. Stir well to combine. Add canned tomatoes, saute 1 minute.
• Pull chicken breasts apart by hand into shredded strips. Add shredded chicken to saute pan, combine with vegetables. Dust the mixture with flour to help set.
• Microwave tortillas on high for 30 seconds. This softens them and makes them more pliable. Coat the bottom of 2 (13 by 9-inch) pans with a ladle of enchilada sauce. Using a large shallow bowl, dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture in each tortilla. Fold over filling, place 8 enchiladas in each pan with seam side down. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.
• Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree F oven until cheese melts. Garnish with cilantro, scallion, sour cream and chopped tomatoes before serving. Serve with Spanish rice and beans.

SERVES: 8 (2 enchiladas per person); Calories: 383; Total Fat: 13 grams; Saturated Fat: 4 grams; Protein: 29 grams; Total carbohydrates: 39 grams; Sugar: 7 grams; Fiber: 6 grams; Cholesterol: 63 milligrams; Sodium: 1,216 milligrams

Tips:

• For faster prep you can buy a precooked chicken. I've once used those rotisserie chickens from the grocery store but made sure to peel off the skin before using.
• This is messy and a two person job! You could probably do it alone but it's fun to make with a friend or a significant other. When building the enchiladas it's helpful to have one person coat the corn tortilla with the sauce and the other put in the filling.
• I personally season to taste and always add in extra garlic and spices

Easy Hard Boiled Eggs

So one of my favorite things that I have learned from Pinterest, and make on a regular basis, is hard boil eggs in the oven. Technically it is not hard-boiled, I'd say hard-baked, but the effect is the same and they are so good and a million times easier.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Place eggs in muffin tins (help keep them from rolling around but probably      not necessary)
Bake for 25-30 minutes (I do 27)
Take out and let them cool
Enjoy

You can cook as many as you want. Also it's better if the eggs are not really fresh, maybe a little closer to the expiration date rather than the day you bought them, this makes them easier to peel. If your muffin tin is older or hard to clean you may get little speckles on them but it's ok.

This method makes hard-boiled eggs so convenient. I can make multiple at a time without having to bring a pot to boil, then remove from heat and cover and set a timer and then place in ice bath, etc. I typically let them cool down a little bit then put them in a bowl or open tupperware in the fridge so I can grab one to enjoy whenever I feel like it.

I made these (pictured above) for Day 2 of the "3 Day Military Diet" You can read about it on the post prior to this one

Hello World

Welcome to My Edible Life!

I decided to start a blog for a few different reasons. Like most others out there, I love food. I thoroughly enjoy cooking as well as eating... therein lies the problem. There is that constant battle between my love of food and wanting my body to look different. I think if I have something to hold me accountable, like a public blog, I may stick with some of the new life changes that I am trying and it may be fun.

On this blog I plan to share recipes, health habits, and exercise tips. I'll comment on what works and what turns out to be a flop. I will probably post on other random things as well but we'll see what comes out of this new blog experiment. I also make some of the things I pin on Pinterest so I will post those and let you know how they actually turn out. The comments from people who have attempted a new recipe are more beneficial sometimes than the professional photo and step-by-step directions

Well welcome to my blog. Please feel free to comment and share ideas as this (hopefully) grows into a fun personal project.