Homemade Tomato Juice

Tomatoes are an excellent source of antioxidants...Vitamin A, C, and K, folic acid and fiber. Juicing increases the absorption because you break the tough cell wall of the vegetable...err...fruit? Tomatoes also help prevent cancer (especially prostate and pancreas), heart healthy, a natural anti-inflammatory, and aid in lowering your cholesterol.

I've been told that tomato juice is a hangover cure. Yet to be tested since the last thing I want to do when I have a date with the toilet bowl all morning is stand over my juicer making fresh tomato juice. A handful of my guy friends that I work with flew in from our Detroit office and we met up at the bars two nights this week and partied until midnight. Another night we celebrated a retirement party. I overdid those nights but surprisingly did not get hungover. Will report back on this theory another time.

One night I was hungry and getting close to going over my allotted calorie count for the day so I decided to whip up a glass of homemade tomato juice. Juicing is easy, quick, and the health benefits of fresh juice are numerous. I am aware that sharing this recipe during the months of July-September would have made more sense but they were on sale and ended up in my cart during my last grocery trip to Whole Foods.

The taste is nothing like V8 and much more refreshing. It would be perfect for a Summer morning or a recovery kinda morning. Enjoy!

Homemade Tomato Juice

Adapted from: The Best of Raw Food

Makes 2 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 3 large tomatoes
• 2 stalks celery
• 1/2 cucumber (peeled is optional)
• ginger (1/4 inch)
• 1/2 lemon, peeled
• 1 jalapeño 
• black pepper, to taste

And Action:

Run all of the ingredients through the juicer. Add the black pepper to taste. 

Peanut Butter & Banana Pancakes

I don't understand why a bunch of bananas ends up in my cart every week, they sit on the counter until they are overly ripened, and then they get shoved into a bag in the freezer. I'm always on the hunt for ways to use up what I have on hand and bananas are always on hand.

(Photo from Fitness Magazine by: Chris Gallo)

Instead of the usual loaf of banana bread I came across a recipe for Peanut Butter & Banana Pancakes. I had all of the ingredients on hand and knew I had to give this recipe a try.

Made these before I headed to work one morning and put them in a sandwich tupperware container. When I got to work I couldn't wait to dig into these. Oh my! These are hands down my favorite pancakes I've made to date. They are sweet, moist, and absolutely delicious!

Peanut Butter & Banana Pancakes

Fitness Magazine

Makes 1 Serving

Stars of the Show:

• 1/2 banana, chopped
• 2 tsp peanut butter
• 1/3 cup prepared whole-grain pancake batter
• 1 tsp honey - I used agave nectar.

And Action:

Add banana and peanut butter to batter. Cook pancakes and serve with honey drizzled on top. 

Head over to The Country Cook: Weekend Potluck #89 to see what others have been cooking up this week and for some kitchen inspiration.

Creamy Vegan Buckwheat Porridge

I packed my lunchbox with all of the ingredients needed to make breakfast at work. I figured I would be able to just throw this together without an issue. I've made oatmeal before but this was my first time working with buckwheat. Wasn't as easy as adding hot water and letting it sit for a couple of minutes. This actually required microwave time and stirring.

Not a breakfast I would recommend taking to work to prepare but a good option for the weekend rotation and those sensitive to gluten.

Creamy Vegan Buckwheat Porridge

PopSugar Fitness

Makes 1 Serving

Stars of the Show:

• 1/4 cup buckwheat groats - I used cream of buckwheat.
• 1/4 cup soy milk (or milk of choice)
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 banana, sliced
• Optional mix-ins: Cinnamon, chopped fruit, nut/seed butter - I added cinnamon and raspberries.

And Action:

Grind buckwheat groats in a spice/coffee grinder for 2-3 seconds, two times. There should be some larger pieces left of the groats. In a small saucepan bring buckwheat, water, and milk to a boil and reduce heat, stirring frequently. After four minutes stir in banana and keep whisking frequently for two more minutes. Serve with cinnamon, chopped fruit, and nut/seed butter. 

Panko Crusted Halibut

I am failing at keeping up with my workout sessions and slipping on healthier choices. No excuse is ever a good excuse but Little Man started swim class and it puts us home later in the evening. The nights go... dinner, shower, homework, and straight to bed. 

The stars have not been aligned lately and I've been having a string of bad days. No excuse but it has drained me emotionally and physically. I know, I know, exercising and healthy eating will put me in better spirits but I'm just so damn tired by the end of the night.

Every meal is a chance to do better. 

I'm training for a 5k coming up in December and a half marathon in March. I was browsing the Internet (aka Pinterest) for post run meals and came across a recipe for Panko Crusted Fish Over Kale. A guilty pleasure of mine is shopping at Whole Foods on Sundays. Easily my favorite errand to run. As I've mentioned before I have the best of intentions to stick to the plan. I set myself up for success by shopping there and fill my cart full of fresh produce and lean proteins.

After Wednesday's swim class I prioritized my night time to do list on the drive home. When we got home I enacted the game plan. Showered first and then set Little Man up at the table to work on homework. While he got to work I got to work on preparing dinner. 

Luck has not been on my side this week. I went to pull the halibut out of its wrapper and one of my filets landed on the floor, the kale was limp, grabbed garlic salt instead of powder, and forgot to add the parsley. The kale was the game changer and were subbed with green beans steamed in the bag. 

Thankfully I delivered a balanced meal that was absolutely delicious. 

Protein is necessary for your body to recover after a strength training session or a long run. I did neither but Little Man did swim. He earned this meal and it came to the table within 30 minutes and packed 36g of protein. I prefer halibut but you could use tilapia or cod. 

Panko Crusted Halibut

Adapted from: PopSugar Fitness

Makes 2 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1 1/2 tbsp butter - I used Land O Lakes with Olive Oil.
• 1/4 cup lemon juice - I LOVE! citrus but even this amount was overpowering. I would cut the amount in half next time.
• 1 tsp garlic powder 
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 small halibut filets
• 1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

And Action:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a small baking dish with the cooking spray.

In a small dish, whisk melted butter, lemon juice, garlic powder, and salt well. In a separate dish, make an even layer of panko breadcrumbs.

Take one halibut filet, and dip it in the butter mixture. Flip the filet and dip again so both sides are covered.

Press the skinless side of the filet into panko crumbs, then place the fish skin side down on prepared baking dish. Repeat with other filet, then sprinkle both with fresh parsley.

Place baking dish into the oven and cook for 13 to 15 minutes (mine needed 5 minutes more).

Refreshing Cantaloupe Juice

Looking for a way to sneak veggies into your child's diet? The cantaloupe in this juice masks the flavor of the greens. My 5 year old went crazy for this juice and was not put off by the green color, however, he was hesitant at first until I told him it tasted just like cantaloupe.

Cantaloupe is full of beta-carotene which is converted to Vitamin A.

This juice is refreshing and acts as a body coolant and thirst quencher. This would be the perfect juice recipe to have on hand for next summer.

Refreshing Cantaloupe Juice

His Harvest

Makes about 16 oz

Stars of the Show:

• 1 container mixed greens
• 1 container spinach
• 1 cantaloupe

And Action:

Remove the outer rind of the cantaloupe and juice with the greens. Serve over ice or chill in the fridge before enjoying. 

Key West Chicken Avocado Sandwiches

Avocados have lots of health benefits from protecting the body's good cholesterol levels and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Avocados have necessary minerals like potassium, calcium, Vitamin C and K, folic acid, copper, sodium, and dietary fibers.

This sandwich is packed with lots of flavor. Whole grains, lean protein, and belly fat trimming ingredients make this a healthy and satisfying meal. When buying the rolls or buns for this sandwich check the calorie count and aim for 150-180 to avoid overdoing it with calories.


I made this for dinner but think this would be perfect for taking to work for lunch.

Key West Chicken Avocado Sandwiches

Prevention

Makes 4 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 1 cup mashed avocado
• 1 tbsp lime juice, squeezed
• 1/2 tsp green pepper sauce (Tabasco), optional
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 10 oz grilled or roasted chicken breast, sliced
• 1 mango, sliced
• 4 small whole grain rolls or buns (2 oz each), split

And Action:

Combine avocado, lime juice, and green pepper sauce in small bowl. Spread top and bottom halves of rolls with 2 tablespoons each of the avocado-lime mixture.

Layer 1/4 cup of the spinach, one-quarter of the chicken, and 1/4 cup of the mango on bottom halves. Top with other halves of rolls.

Nutritional Information Per Serving:

Calories: 367

Protein: 29g

Carbohydrates: 19g

Fiber: 8g

Fat: 11g

Saturated Fat: 2.5g

Cholesterol: 60mg

Sodium: 355mg