Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Speed Tuesdays and Dinners...

Today I went to the gym for Speed Tuesdays.  On the plan was: Two mile warmup, 1600 - 7:45 mile, 1200 (7:30 mile pace=8.0) , 800 - 3:35, 400, 1:40 (400 m recovery)
Here's what I did:
2 mile warmup at 6.0 (everything at 1.0 incline)
1600: 7:42
400 rest at 5.0
1200 at 8.0 pace
400 rest at 5.0 
800: 3:35
400 rest at 5.0 
400: 1:40
400 rest at 5.0 
200: 39 seconds
cooldown to get to 6 miles in 56 minutes.
Then, on my cooldown, my towel flew off my treadmill and all of the sudden, my treadmill stopped.  The towel got stuck in the machine!  Once I pulled it out, it still wouldn't start.  I hope MY treadmill is okay!! I told the front desk but they didn't seem to know how to fix it.  Lets hope it's fixed by Thursday.  I love that treadmill!

Last night I went to the gym AFTER work.  I hate working out after work.  The gym was crowded.  MY treadmill was taken and the TV didn't work on the one I was on.  And it had no fan.  I know, I'm spoiled but I'm so used to MY treadmill now I can't help it! So anyway, I slowly got through 3 miles.  And it was not fun.  
Dinners: Sunday night I made Cajun Seafood Casserole.  This was inspired by a recipe I got from myrecipes.  
Ingredients:
2 pounds frozen seafood medley- Shrimp, Squid, Scallops (from Trader Joes)
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped orange bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups fresh or frozen sliced okra
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups cooked brown rice (I used the :90 microwaveable kind)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup of Panko Bread crumbs
10 ritz crackers, crushed
Directions:
Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and next 3 ingredients; sauté 7 minutes or until tender. Add garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in okra, lemon juice, and salt; sauté 5 minutes. 

Add seafood, and cook 7 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. 

 Stir in soup and next 4 ingredients until blended. Pour into a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish. 


Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese, crushed crackers and panko. 

 Bake at 350° for 15 to 20 minutes or until casserole is bubbly and cheese is lightly browned. Garnish, if desired.
This dinner was sooo good! And even better for lunch the next day.  I loved all the peppers and seafood. 
Last night I made Spicy Chicken Sausage, Butternut Squash, Feta Tacos with Sweet Potato Fries. The first was inspired by who other than Cara's Cravings.  Can you tell that when I find a new blog, I get obsessed and scroll through several old entries!  Anyway, I skipped out on the poblano peppers and instead used regular bell peppers and this recipe didn't need the extra heat.  I loved the combination and this was totally convinient to make.  I used Trader Joe's Chicken Sausage, pre-peeled and diced butternut squash that you can cook in the package in the microwave, low-carb wraps and feta cheese. 
Here is the recipe:
Spicy Chicken Sausage, Butternut Squash & Feta Tacos
Ingredients:

1/2 cup shallots
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 cups cubed butternut squash, cooked in microwave to soften
4 links TJ's smoked andouille chicken sausage, sliced thinly

1/2 red pepper, 1/2 green pepper, cut into strips
pinch cumin and smoked paprika
6 TJ's reduced carb tortillas
4 oz crumbled feta cheese

Directions:
Toss onions with lime juice and coarsely ground salt. Steam squash in microwave, covered, with a splash of water, until tender (or cook in bag like I did). Heat a skillet over medium heat with nonstick cooking spray and cook peppers, until softened. Add sliced sausage, squash, cumin, and paprika, toss together and heat through. In another skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat, cook the tortillas for a couple minutes on ea
ch side then top with onions, sausage mixture and feta.

This was another amazing combination.  The sausage was spicy while the squash was sweet and I pretty much love anything that involves a wrap and cheese.  I served these tacos with Sweet Potato Fries that were good but some were burnt and some were soggy.  We still finished them tho!
 Tonight I made another recipe inspired by Cara
Brussel Sprout Salad with Apple Chicken Sausage and Butternut Squash over Quinoa
Ingredients:
3/4 lb butternut squash, diced
2tsp olive oil, divided
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 links smoked apple & chardonnay chicken sausage, such as Trader Joe's brand, sliced
3/4 lb Brussels sprouts
pinch each of smoked paprika and nutmeg
1/2 oz pine nuts, toasted 

2 cups of cooked quinoa
Instructions:
Place the squash in a microwave-safe dish, add a splash of water, cover, and cook on high for about 5 minutes. Wash the brussels sprouts, remove any yellowing outer leaves, trim, and slice in half. Heat 2 tsp olive oil over medium-high heat and add the steamed squash with a pinch of salt. Cook for a few minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Add the sliced chicken sausage, cook 1-2 minutes more, and then add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Microwave the brussel sprouts (if you bought them in a bag like I did) until softer then turn the heat up just a bit on the skillet, and add the brussels sprouts. Season with more salt and a pinch of smoked paprika and nutmeg. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring a few times, until nicely browned in spots. Add the squash mixture and pine nuts, toss together and heat through. Serve with quinoa as a bed and add the salad on top.

I served this with Kale Chips.  What can I say, I couldn't resist.  I also just made Baked Banana Oatmeal to be eaten for breakie-time the rest of the week.  I'll share that recipe another day.  But for now, my bed is calling!  Remaining planned workouts: Physical Therapy in the morning, Thursday 5-7 miles, Friday off, Saturday 17! 

1 comment:

  1. That cajun seafood dish looks awesome! And I think I am like the only blogger yet to jump on the kale chip bandwagon. I need to get on that.

    Glad you liked the tacos!

    ReplyDelete