I followed Barefoot Contessa’s recipe for Chicken Chili exactly and it came out perfect!

I didn’t take photos during all of the steps because it was much too messy at times, but it was fun to cook something that I knew everyone would love.

I made the chili the afternoon before our outing and refridgerated it overnight.  Personally, I think the chili tastes better the second day once the flavors have time to settle and mix with each other!

I packed up the chili with some other chili staples.

Greek yogurt (instead of sour cream), shredded cheddar cheese and corn chips!

And, cornbread!

All packed up and ready to go!

This meal was delicious and everyone enjoyed it.  It was perfect on a cool fall day.

While I was packing up the Chili, Brant was working on pancakes for breakfast!

He made Heidi’s Favorite Pancakes, switching up a few ingredients.

 - 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (instead of white whole wheat flour)

 - 1 cup buttermilk & 1 ripe mashed banana + 1 tsp cinnamon + 1 cup greek yogurt (instead of 2 1/4 cups buttermilk)

The bananas and greek yogurt kept the pancakes very moist and the cinnamon added just a hint of flavor!

We topped the pancakes with a Pear Syrup:

• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 chopped pears, very ripe
• 2 tsp cinnamon

Simmer for about 10 minutes until pears are very tender!

YUM!

Once I was up, I knew I had to start the morning off on the right foot, so I made Brant and I a treat for breakfast – Pancakes!  Not just any pancakes, though.  These were souped up Banana Almond Oatmeal Pancakes.  And, they were yummy.

I followed the recipe exactly from Fitsugar (see recipe here).  Her recipe makes 12 smaller pancakes, but I like my pancakes thick and filling, so I made the pancakes twice as thick.

I am not a big pancake or waffle eater because I always find that they keep me full for about 10 minutes…there is not much substance or protein in a plain pancake, so it makes sense.  However, two of these pancakes with toppings kept me pretty full for the majority of the morning.  It must have been the oatmeal.

They were fluffy, but dense, so if you like light and fluffy pancakes, these definitely aren’t for you.  I topped my pancakes with a little greek yogurt, banana, chopped almonds and maple sugar.

Next time I would add more banana and cinnamon to the batter!

For lunch, I wanted to do something with the cabbage from our CSA, so I searched for a recipe.  I found the perfect recipe for Japanese Pizza on 101cookbooks.com (see recipe here).  I love pizza and this seemed like a really easy and healthy alternative.

I made sure to wash and dry my cabbage thoroughly, since it came straight from the farm.

The recipe called for shredded cabbage, but I was too impatient to chop it all, so I threw it in my food processor.  It was more grated than shredded, but it worked!

I doubled the recipe to make individual pizza’s for Brant and I, which was a perfect amount (I only ate 1/2 of one).  Once the ingredients are all mixed together, you cook the pizza in a pan on the stove.

Flipping the pizza was easier than I thought.  After cooking the pizza for 4-5 minutes on one side, it was time to flip.  I slid the pizza out onto a plate, put another plate on top and flipped!  Then, slide back into the pan to continue to cook.

Once done, I garnished with almonds and cut it up on the cutting board.

Then, served with a few dipping sauces…guacamole hummus and tomato paste.

It was really, really good!  The pizza itself did not have too much flavor, but it is so basic that you could add anything that your heart desires.  The dippers provided more than enough flavor for me, but I like plain things.

For a lunch dessert, I broke open some chocolate bars that I bought yesterday.  Endangered Species chocolate started selling some new organic dark chocolate, so I picked up one in each flavor.

How good do they sound?!  Of course, I tried a little of each.

It was tough to pick a favorite, but I really liked the Dark Chocolate with Goji Berry, Pecans and Maca!

Have a great Saturday!

Remember when I posted a healthy tip about eating protein within 30-60 minutes after exercise?  Well, check out this article on recovery and some post-workout meal ideas – Post-Workout Meals!

It was tough to get up this morning!  Monday’s seem to do that to me.  As much as I plan a workout for a Monday morning, it never works out.  Which is why I always use Monday as a rest or cross train day, then I never feel guilty about sleeping in.

Anyways, on to breakfast!  I heated up the 2 leftover poppyseed pancakes from Saturday morning.

I could not let these guys go to waste because they were so good and packed with oatmeal and other good carbs.  I topped my pancakes with a spread of peanut butter, 1/2 sliced banana and a drizzle of pure maple syrup.

It was just what I wanted this morning – perfect way to start a Monday!

Lunch was more leftovers!  Two Cannellini Patties on a bed of greens with yellow cherry tomatoes.  The patties were great served cold on top of a salad.  And, the yellow cherry tomatoes were so sweet!  I cannot decide which way I like them better, but I do know that I love these patties even though they are a little messy to work with…

I finished lunch with a Chobani Raspberry Greek Yogurt topped with homemade granola.  This is a new chobani flavor!  I haven’t seen it in any stores around here yet, but I love the flavor.  Thank you, Shari for sending me a few samples!  As I have said before, I prefer plain greek yogurt and the addition of my own toppings, but if you like flavored yogurts or need a sweet treat in a pinch, buy this flavor!!  So good!  The thing that I love about flavored greek yogurt over other yogurt is that they are not too sweet.  I love Fage and Oikos too (really, I love them all).

I snacked on a Jazz apple and a granola bar this afternoon to hold me over until my dinner date with Kate!

Kate and I made a delicious dinner!  We whipped up my favorite Wild Rice Waldorf Salad (see the recipe here).

Luckily, Kate loved it to!  I love girl’s night – a delicious meal, wine and chatting -what could be better?!

On seeded whole grain bread, which was amazing!

I had him spread some Roasted Red Pepper & Artichoke spread from Trader Joes on mine.  This spread is incredible, try it!

It was delicious once pressed.

Paired with sweet potato fries, even more amazing!

To make the fries he just cut them up and sprinkled them with seasonings.

While he cooked, I sipped on a Pomtini!

A great, quick Friday night dinner!

I had a snack yesterday afternoon that I just have to tell you guys about because it was so good.  Apple clusters from Trader Joes!  They are delicious!

Has anyone noticed my obsession with Trader Joe’s, yet?

Anyways, on to breakfast this morning, which was also made by my husband!  Poppyseed Pancakes from 101cookbooks.com, which were so different and so good!

Poppyseed Pancakes

adapted from 101cookbooks.com

We cut the recipe in half to serve 2 (with 2 pancakes still leftover)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 1/6 cup poppy seeds
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, toasted until deeply golden
• 1 1/8 cups organic buttermilk
• 1 large organic egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1/2 cup rolled oats (added)

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix.  Be careful not to over mix!

2. Heat up your skillet (or pan) and cook pancakes!

3. Cook until golden brown.

4. Serve with citrus maple syrup (recipe to follow) or syrup of your choice!

Citrus Maple Syrup

from 101cookbooks.com

Ingredients:

• 1-2 oranges, peeled and chopped into small bits
• 1 lemon, peeled and chopped into small bits
• 1/4 cup turbinado sugar (or other natural cane sugar)
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup

Directions:

1.  Cut up oranges and lemon and place in a small pot with sugar ad syrup.

2. Heat over medium heat until sugars melt and become syrup.

3. Simmer until pancakes are ready to keep warm!

Serve warm pancakes with a dollop of plain greek yogurt (if desired) and citrus syrup.  Garnish with sunflower seeds.

This was a great pancake recipe.  I am normally not a pancake or waffle fan, so when we make them, I like them to be different and more filling.  This was perfect!  Heidi has phenomenal recipes on her website – check them out.

We are off to explore for the day.   See you later on.  Happy Saturday!!

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup natural granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 2 1/4 cups organic buttermilk
• 2 large organic eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:

• Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.
• Add the buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter.
• Stir all the ingredients until they are just combined. Don’t worry if the batter is a bit lumpy, you don’t want to over mix.
• Heat your skillet, pan, or griddle to medium-hot and brush it with a bit of butter. Test for the right temperature. If a drop of water dropped onto the pan starts to dance, you are in the ballpark.
• Pour about 1/3 of a cup of batter into the skillet. Wait until the pancake bottom is deep golden in color, then flip with a spatula and cook the other side until golden and cooked through. Repeat with the remaining batter.

We decided to make these pancakes extra special and add chocolate chunks to them!

Yum!

huge pancakes cooking on the skillet

flip once nice and golden brown

On to the syrup!

While Brant was cooking all of our delicious pancakes, I decided to use Heidi’s idea (from 101cookbooks.com) and make a flavored syrup.  We didn’t have blueberries like she suggessted, so instead I used some frozen raspberries we had in our freezer.

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces of raspberries
• 1/4 cup natural granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup real-deal, PURE, maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons water

frozen raspberries

  Directions:

•  Add 6 ounces of raspberries, 1/4 cup natural granulated sugar, 1/4 cup real deal, pure maple syrup and 2 tablespoons of water to a saucepan over medium-low heat.
• Heat and stir until the sugar dissolves, then simmer for 5 or 6 minutes.
• Remove from heat and press the raspberry mixture through a fine strainer into a bowl.
• Mash the fruit to get all the juiciness extracted.
• Throw out the solids.

raspberries and syrup simmering on the stove

Pour syrup over pancakes and top with more raspberries and chocolate chunks.  

ready to eat!

Enjoy!

After our delicious breakfast, we ventured out to dig out our cars!  Living in Southie, people are very meticulous about their spots…and use “space savers” to save those spots when they leave!  Luckily, shovelling was not too bad this storm, and we are fully prepared with our cone!  

Having fun shovelling!