I love to cook and my kitchen clearly shows it! My newest addition (and addiction) is a KitchenAid stand mixer. I absolutely can't wait to get some of the attachments, especially the food grinder...homemade ground chicken/turkey/sausage! But in all seriousness, I have a variety of kitchen appliances, utensils and gadgets. I love my food processor but sometimes it's a hassle to use when I'm just cooking for one or two people. Enter the Ninja. I received it as a gift and I absolutely adore it, in fact, a few of my friends now own one after hearing me rave about mine. Perfect for making smoothies, small grinding or chopping jobs. It has been put to good use this week too.
I made turkey burgers Monday night with super lean 99% fat free ground turkey. Normally I prefer the 93% fat free since the added fat gives it some flavor and moisture, but the extra lean was on sale. I combined 8 ounces ground turkey, 1/4 cup nonfat, plain yogurt, 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs, herbs and an egg in my small Ninja blender. Pulsed until all ingredients were incorporated and was rewarded with a deliciously moist, flavorful batch of turkey burgers. Will definitely make those again!
I also used the blender size to make Peach-Strawberry smoothies with frozen peaches, fresh strawberries, honey and a touch of nonfat yogurt. For Christmas I was given several very colorful reusable plastic insulated cups (like the travel iced coffee mugs), I absolutely adore them and the extra large straws are great for getting big chunks of fruit. I can make my smoothies, pour what I want and slap the storage lid on the pitcher and back in the fridge for later. Both the Ninja and the cups are great investments.
Last night was I having a crazy chocolate craving. I received an email from Cold Stone Creamery sometime last week, touting the new flavor of the month...chocolate hazelnut. I think I started salivating as soon as I read the words and saw the picture. I am a chocolate hazelnut addict so that email has been hanging in the back of my head. Last night I decided to take matters into my own hands, utilizing my Ninja nonetheless! I mixed frozen yogurt, vanilla since that's what I had on hand, 1 tablespoon Nutella, and a little milk. Blended until incorporated and voila, my own chocolate hazelnut treat. Absolutely delicious, next time I'll try chocolate yogurt.
I think my tastes are slowly changing, slow being the key word! I did indulge in Chick-fil-A nuggets yesterday but had them with a big salad and CFA's fat free honey mustard dressing, slightly spicy but absolutely addictive. I order the chicken strips salad with nuggets and then add about 2 more cups of salad mix at home. I was out running errands, super hungry and in wasn't craving any of the leftovers I had in the fridge. I know myself well enough, if I'm craving something strongly then it's better to have it modified than try to substitute something else. And for dinner I had a chicken breast with a sweet onion sauce, mashed cauliflower, baby peas, and asparagus with a balsamic sauce.
I'm going to a friend's house for dinner and furniture arranging tonight and the plan is to order Chinese food. I'm making brown rice to take with me since our favorite place doesn't carry it. Working out has fallen on the back burner this week as my blood count is low and I'm likely getting a transfusion on Friday. I can usually feel the muscle fatigue in my legs but this time I can feel it in my arms as well. A few steps and I feel like every muscle in legs is oxygen deprived, my arms feel that way just typing right now (but you see how much I've written...stubbornness)! So, I'm hoping that once I get a fresh unit of blood (cause I'm part vampire..hehe), I'll feel better and be able to incorporate exercise again. I was dancing around the house cleaning and had to sit because I got light headed, not fun but I'm used to it. It's been 6 weeks since my last transfusion, amazing since at one time I was needing transfusions every 2 weeks.
Since I'm taking it easy this week I'm searching recipes and planning meals for next week. I will be attempting to replicate the crab nachos from a local restaurant but with a healthy twist. Also thinking about making a sesame tuna salad with ginger dressing. Anybody have any favorite "go-to" recipes?
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