So. I was going through my cupboards and fridge (must be a daylight-savings induced spring cleaning) and I got thinking about some favourite recipes that I either make all the time or haven’t made in a while. I haven’t eaten a lot of "real" food lately, since I’ve been workin’ the Isagenix plan, but I do have a number of really good, healthy and "non-fattening" (there’s a phrase you don’t hear much these days) recipes that have helped me a lot in my 50-pound weight loss quest, and I am not stingy about sharing recipes, so here you go…enjoy!
SMOOTHIES
The first thing you need when considering smoothies is a VERY GOOD blender. And by very good, I mean sturdy, solid, and well-made. If you’re serious about smoothies (and you should be!) then you need to invest some coin in your blender. You will not regret it. And when buying a blender, there is just one key thing to remember: PARTS THAT MOVE AGAINST ONE ANOTHER SHOULD NOT BE MADE OF PLASTIC. This means that the gear on the base of your blender and its mate in the pitcher should be metal. If not, they will eventually get unseated and burn up from the friction. This is messy, smelly and ruinous for your small kitchen appliance. Trust me…I know whereof I speak. As for the pitcher, try to stay away from plastic or polycarbonate simply for health reasons (bisphenol and all that). Glass is best when it comes to pitchers, and I prefer a pitcher with a very pronounced spout – smoothies are thick and viscous, and a square-topped blender with just a small lip for a spout makes a messy job of pouring (again, I know whereof I speak here).
Okay! On to the recipes!
First, get yourself over to Costco (or a regular grocery store) and buy yourself some bags of frozen fruit.
The only other ingredient you need is juice and/or Crystal Light (depending on if you want to go really low-cal, or if you want to avoid aspartame…your choice!)
My favourites are mangoes, peaches (or mango-peach mixture) and raspberries (or a good berry mixture, heavy on raspberries/blackberries, not overdone with blueberries).
As for juices, I like cranberry and the Sun-Rype FruitPlus Veggies Mango-Pineapple blend.
Here’s how to make a killer smoothie for two:
1 cup frozen fruit
1 cup juice (or Crystal-light)
Blend on medium for 15 seconds, then on high for 30 seconds
Serve immediately (with a straw) and enjoy!
My fave combos are:
- Cubed frozen mangoes (Europe’s Best) blended with Sun-Rype FruitPlus Veggies Mango-Pineapple juice.
- Peach & mango mix (from Costco) blended with white cranberry juice (sweet!).
- Berry mix (from Costco) blended with cranberry juice.
Smoothies are a great way to get a lot of fruits into your body in a delicious and very indulgent way!
MARINATED FLANK STEAK
Okay, maybe it’s a bit of a jump from smoothies to steak, but honestly, we used to live off this recipe. It’s totally versatile…serve 3-4 ounces sliced fresh off the grill with some grilled veggies and 1/2 cup of brown rice, or serve 2 ounces cold on a romaine salad with fresh tomatoes and blue cheese dressing. Serve cold in tortillas or heat it up in a veggie stir-fry. Try it. You’ll like it!
To make the marinade:
(mix all ingredients in a large ziploc freezer bag)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried ginger
1/3 cup soya sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil (you can substitute other oils, but it won’t have the same flavour)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Place the flank steak in the ziploc bag with the marinade, and allow to marinate for several hours (overnight is better, 2 days is best!)
Cook the steak over very high heat on a grill – 2 minutes on the first side, 1 minute on the second side. The steak will be rare in the middle, but to me this is the tastiest way. If you prefer your meat more well-done, let me first disparage your taste (peasant!) and then feel free to grill it a bit longer, or cook to a specific temperature. I prefer not to cut open the meat on the grill to test for doneness, because a) it releases all the juices (which robs the meat of flavour) and b) it’s hard to see how well the meat is done (because of the juices — see above).
Allow the steak to sit for 10 or more minutes before slicing, to prevent the juices escaping, then slice, on the diagonal, against the grain.
Serve with grilled veggies and a small grain serving (1/2 cup of rice). And the leftover possibilities are endless, too!
FAUX ICE-CREAM SANDWICHES
So easy, yet so delicious. Buy a box of chocolate flavoured pizzelle, and a tub of ultra low-fat cool whip (or other filling…even ice cream works!).
*NB: make sure you thaw whatever filling you’ll be using before attempting to assemble these.
Spoon about 1/4 cup of filling in the middle of one pizzelle. Place a second pizzelle on top and twist gently to evenly spread the filling. Place the finished sandwich on a cookie sheet lined with parchment (or wax) paper. Make enough sandwiches to fill the cookie sheet, cover with a second piece of parchment paper, and freeze for several hours. Once the sandwiches are frozen, you will want to store them in an airtight container/bag to prevent freezer burn.
These kick butt served with fresh sliced strawberries. YUM!
I hope you enjoy my fun, favourite recipes. I might just have to dust them off myself in the coming days!
Children go to “heaven”. They must behave apprioriately, think correctly and be genuinely god-fearing. Their innocence is their superiority, reflected in the favor in which the gods hold them.
Religions teach that old people to go to heaven when they die. They don’t. Old people are reincarnated. It’s children who go to heaven.
If you are not willing to read this and learn from it than it doesn’t matter if you get it or not. Expect pineing for attention to be considered insulting.
Children are discounted by adults in society. This is nothing new, for adults have always minimized the wisdom of children.
The gods corrupt people as they age, use trust-building tactics and soon these adults view the children as ignorant, yet to understand the god’s system. Ironically, quite the opposite it true:::
The wisdom the gods impart to children, either through their innocence/purity or (religious-based) educational pursuits, are the gods sharing the truth with their most favored people. They teach children to have faith. Understanding the god’s geographical clues hurts people because they illustrate negative things.
It’s the children whom the gods teach the right way to for it is the children who still have a chance.
“I won’t help priveledge (with feedback). I don’t want them to change their behavior.” – god. I concurr.
Italian evidence reinforced their evil behavior (1906, wealth, perception of power). Black feedback illustrates they have big problems::::Italians are more disfavored than Africans/blacks.
Third time is a charm.wav:::
1. Italians ruined life on Planet Earth in the 20th century
2. The gods got the Italians into position then role played them telepathically, CHEATING you out of the Final Prophet
3. You are all told to wait. They tell you that you’ll all be saved. The Second Coming of Christ will be Italian, only a pre-selected group will be “saved” and the gods will have used The Boot to hurt the disfavored for the final time. And before you get too excited remember the gods make all the calls, and can force your exclusion just like they have those whom engage in Chinese piracy and “intentional foreclosure”. The World is to the the US like life in the suburbs is to the ghetto:::FAR more temptations and opportunities to be victimized. Americans will NOT do better than the respectable Chinese.
Kath, have you been living somewhere in my kitchen????These are all my faves as well…but we are a bit more decadent and use sorbet (passion fruit) in our smoothies as well. How is the Isagenix going? are you on your second month? I’m starting a 30 day in April. I need some serious boot camp!
these are great – they are definitely going to feature in my post-baby nutrition plan.
we are HUGE fans of flank steak around our house! i will have to try yours!
Mmmmmmmmm…I’m on a cleanse day and the marinated flank steak would REALLY hit the spot right about now.
Ooohhh, I love a good smoothie. I throw some plain or vanilla yogurt in there & some protein powder & I call it a rounded out meal!
And I think that we’ll just have to to try the other 2 recipes as well. They sound fab!!
Thanks for the inspiration.