Ravioli and Peas in Lemon Pepper Cream Sauce

Sounds glutenous, right?

Wrong!

This recipe is one of my "dang-I don't-feel-like-cooking-forever-but-we-need-something-to-eat" staples. My family loves it and I love that it's so fast and easy! I also love that the cream sauce in this recipe is made with evaporated milk and olive oil, giving you that yummy rich flavor and texture, without the extra saturated fat.

Ingredients:

Refrigerated or frozen ravioli, we use Bertolli whole-wheat cheese ravioli. You'll either need two small packages or one family-size package.

1 12 oz can evaporated milk

2 tbsp butter (okay, so there's a little bit of butter. But you need this in order to keep the sauce from breaking-when fat sits on top of whatever liquid... icky)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp flour

1 tsp lemon-pepper seasoning (available in any grocery store)

1/2 tsp onion powder (or 1/2 cup diced onion if you like)

Zest from one lemon

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced (or pressed, I love my garlic presser)

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese (please don't buy the pregrated stuff, a small wedge will last you forever in the fridge and will add lots of body and flavor to just about anything)

1 1/2 cups peas, fresh or frozen (if frozen, thaw them in a bowl while you cook everything else)

Salt and pepper to taste (don't salt until AFTER adding the parmesan, you might not need any)

Directions:

1. First get your ravioli cooking. Remember to salt your water and add a little bit of oil to prevent sticking. Drain.

(and don't forget to get those frozen peas out so they can defrost)

2. While those cook, melt butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. To this, add both garlic and cook until very lightly browned. Now add your onion powder and flour. Using a whisk, cook flour until light brown. It will be thick (nice rue you got there!).

3. Whisk in evaporated milk and keep whisking until flour mixture is well incorporated. To this, add your lemon-pepper seasoning, lemon zest, and parmesan cheese. Let simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the sauce seems too thick, add water a tablespoon at a time; too thin, add flour a teaspoon at a time or let simmer a little while longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Once the sauce is how you like it, add your peas. Give those a minute to cook and then add your ravioli and toss.

Not exactly the best picture (I realized I should blog this recipe a little too late), but...

Kid Tested.

Husband approved.

"Someone Busier Than You is Running Right Now"

The quote above is from an old Nike ad, and I just love it. It’s something I have to remind myself constantly when I try to justify my excuses not to exercise. The truth is, everyone is busy. We all have tight schedules and heavy commitments. There are plenty of people who have more on their plates and less time to spare, but they make their health a priority. Why would I not do the same?

It’s easy to list the hours of work, school, and married life that I need to tend to. It’s difficult to get out there and just do it (isn’t that another Nike ad? I’m on a roll). It takes work. It takes discipline.

Discipline is a huge part of my fitness journey. While others often focus on what helps them to stay motivated, I focus on staying motivated AND disciplined. They have to work together. However, to me, discipline is the more important of the two. Why? Discipline can be learned and practiced. The extent of your discipline can be developed and honed through routine and goal setting.

I also think discipline is more important than motivation because I feel like when all is said and done, discipline will carry me further. If my reasons for eating well are to lower my cholesterol…what will keep me going when my cholesterol level reaches an ideal range? If my reasons for exercising are to lose Xlbs…what happens when I’ve lost them? Sure, sustaining those actions for the long term could also motivate me…but that’s rarely how my mind works. Motivation is short term and fleeting in my world. Motivation also isn’t around all the time. Sometimes, the Xlb weight loss can’t stand up to Ben and Jerry. :) Discipline can.

Discipline helps me to focus on the long-term goals and ignore the short-term pain, laziness, and hard times. Even on the days when I feel tired, (…unmotivated!), or convinced my workout will be no good – I go because that’s my routine and I’ve got a long-term plan.

The picture below is the calendar that is on my fridge at all times. Each time I workout, I note it on the calendar. The different colored star stickers represent strength vs. cardio workouts, as I have weekly goals I like to meet for each.

Discipline to maintain a workout schedule is like any other habit…it has to be built and slowly sustained. Pull out a calendar right now. Make a commitment to yourself to workout this week….to get in the habit…to be disciplined. Even adding one more workout than you do now is putting you on a path toward long-term discipline. You are not too busy for an extra 30-45 minutes this week.

Links to Health:

Australian Mags and Airbrushing

A Woman Runs 2,500 Miles for AIDS Orphans

That Chlorine Smell Doesn’t Guarantee a Pool’s Cleanliness

Top Two Activities to Prevent Weight Gain in Women

How To Raise a Healthy Eater

Bye-Bye BMI

Cooking Class...

Hello from Barcelona!

First: Let me tell you why I am in Barcelona. I am chaperoning a group of American high school students who are taking classes at a school in Barcelona. They range from 14-17 and are from all over the USA.

Second: One of the classes being offered is a Spanish cooking class. Because the class is far away, a chaperone needs to accompany the students to the class. And guess who that chaperone is...you guessed it! Me!

In today's class, we made a Spanish tortilla and mushrooms al ajillo (in garlic). The mushrooms are what I want to focus on today...

The chef placed in front of each student a large bowl of mushrooms, a handful of parsley, 2-3 cloves of garlic and some olive oil. He also preheated the oven to about 200 degrees Celsius (about 450 degrees Fahrenheit).

The chef had us cut the mushrooms in half (you don't want the pieces to be too small) and wash them. He then had us dice up the garlic and and parsley.

We placed the mushrooms in a small roasting pan and spread olive oil on the top (not too much, you don't want the mushrooms to swim in the oil). We mixed it all together in the pan and put it in the oven for about 5 minutes.

It was so good! The mushrooms were cooked enough that they were soft, but were not mushy at all. It was the perfect amount of oil and the garlic with the parsley was amazing. Cooking the mushrooms this way allows the flavors to mix well together, but not over power each other. Plus, the mushrooms don't have time to absorb the oil, so you are not consuming a large amount of it.

I spoke to the chef as to why he thinks Spanish people are so thin (they really are!). He said that they allow themselves to enjoy food, but not too much of it. That is why Spanish tapas are so popular. You can enjoy your food without feeling that you have overeaten. He also said that the Spanish walk a lot, so their weight stays constant naturally.

Truly, I think that I am enjoying the class more than the kids, and I am definitely learning more about being in the kitchen.

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the mushrooms, but this is the chef as he was explaining how to cook the tortilla.

it's naptime, y'all.

Hamlet talked about it, babies do a lot of it (but not enough at the right times), and all of us adults dream of doing it more often.  sometimes, it's better than cookies.

(and only sometimes!)

i'm talking about sleep. the restorative need we all have and the one we can't live without.

(my case in point: the episode of star trek: the next generation when they stopped sleeping and there were THREATS and CRAZY and ALMOSTMURDER.  that's evidence right there, folks.)

we all know that sleep is important.  anyone who has had a bad night and then a big day can tell you that they weren't their best that morning. their poor spouses can probably testify to that fact as well. 

but did you know that sleep is crucial to weight loss?

i'm sure you've all heard this before, but studies have shown that when we sleep well, our efforts at changing our bodies are more successful. it makes sense.  as a machine, your body needs downtime, especially when you're pushing it further than ever.  working out more or changing up your routine? you'll likely need to get more sleep.

flip this on its head, though.  imagine you're working hard, watching your calories, and doing well. you're seeing the weight slowly come off. something's obviously working. then, suddenly, you see the scale's number jump up higher.  you are probably thinking that you've done something wrong. you begin to calculate what you've eaten, berate yourself for all of the slip-ups, and maybe even begin to slip into the dark abyss of "no matter what i do, it doesn't matter."

before you buy property in that abyss of frustration, think about how well you've been sleeping.

this happened to me last week. four pounds worth of calories? all of my work over the past two weeks gone over a few slip-ups? 

perhaps.

but then i realized--i had been suffering from mega sleep issues all week.  i was sleeping probably between 4 to 6 hours a night when i am accustomed to a good 8.  they were a bad 4 to 6 too, fitful and out of the norm.

i am a person who really needs 8 hours. i don't always get it, but i'm at my best when i consistently get close to that.  what happens when i get less? it builds up, and that sleep deprivation will cause me to gain weight. 

i've seen it happen before--struggling and struggling with my weight and my workouts and the plateaus continue no matter what i do. then, i started resting more, taking better care of myself, and trying to eliminate stress from my life as much as possible.  and BAM.  changes.  

so when you're doing all the right things and are frustrated by the lack of progress?  assess your sleep.  take naps when you can and do all you can to get good sleep. though i'm far from an expert, i know that when i am more rested and paying attention to the amount and quality of my sleep, my body begins to respond in all kinds of good ways.  it is kinder to me, allowing me to be more flexible with my workouts and eating while also seeing results, and it gives me the energy to do all of the things in my day that i need to do. 

and do we really need to question any excuse to take a nap? 

it's like eating a vegetable. feel no guilt. just do it. 

If all else fails, freeze it.

Talk about a crazy Monday! There's not much time to get on the computer in between getting our new house unpacked and packing my husband to ship out. But alas, I shall grace you with this simple and easy trick.

My daughter is a picky eater. I'm not sure where she got that from (people who know me know that I'm laughing right now because I'm probably one of the pickiest eaters around... like When Harry Met Sally picky). She doesn't like the taste or texture of a lot of fruits and vegetables. One day, I was cooking with frozen peas and gave her one. She gobbled it up and asked for more. So I gave her a bowl full, and wah-la, she scarfed down about two good servings of vegetables and was none the wiser.

An example of a typical toddler dinner in our house: grilled cheese on whole wheat, pasta with cooked peas (this was a little taste of Mommy's dinner), frozen grapes, and frozen peas.

Now I freeze everything (or buy frozen).

Grapes

Bananas

Peas

Green beans

Cooked carrots (diced up)

Blueberries

Strawberries

You get the idea.

So next time your picky eater won't eat her vegetables, try freezing them!

Cheap, easy, yummy? Oh yeah.

Let's be honest with ourselves for a minute. Fast food/ casual dining places(like Apple bee's or Olive Garden)are not the place to go for healthy meals. We all know that, but we also know that going there means somebody else does the cooking and somebody else does the cleaning up. It's summer here in Florida and that means it's too flipping hot to crank up the stove! We go to these places because of perceived convenience. We're hot, tired, feeling down-right blah. Does eating at these establishments help solve this? Probably not, so why waste the money and take in the absurd amounts of sodium, fat, MSG, etc. (even in salads!) that they provide?

If offered you a way to have a super yummy meal waiting for you when you got home and it would cost you $.05 an hour, the cost of the ingredients and 20 minutes of your time either in the morning before heading out the door or while on your lunch break, would you want it? I'm sure you've guessed that I'm talking about a slow cooker (a.k.a. a crock-pot). Yes, the $.05/ hour is a real statistic!

When we (my husband and I) are deciding to go to dinner we spend about 20-30 minutes deciding where to go.
"What are you in the mood for?"
"I dunno."
"How about Italian?"
"OK. Pizza or pasta-type?"
"Eh... Olive Garden ish."
"It's 6:00. The line will be out the door."
"Yeah, I'm not really feeling Olive Garden anyway."
"Well, then what do you want?"
"Applebee's? Nah. Tonight's that crazy drink special offer. The line will be even longer than usual, and we'll have to deal with a bunch of wasted students."
"How about Outback?"
"Ehh..."
"Oooo. Tonight's that really great special at Leaning Tower (local pizza place... super yummy!)"
"But we went there last time."
Get the idea?

If we transferred the time and energy we spent picking a place to eat to dumping stuff into a crock-pot that morning (or when we were home for lunch), we'd have been eating dinner and relaxing. There are about a billion resources for easy, cheap slow cooker meals.

My favorites are both blogs. The first is Hallee the Homemaker (an amazing resource for homemaking in general): www.halleethehomemaker.com

and A Year of Slow Cooking. (This lady used her slow cooker everyday for a full year! She can cook anything!) http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

My personal suggestions for recipes from HTH are Root Beer Barbecued Beef Sandwiches and Spinach Lasagna (not a crock pot meal, but very easy and AMAZING!)I haven't tried the recipes from AYOSC, but they are making their way onto our calendar soon.

Crock-pots save you money because you can buy cheap cuts and slow cook them, making them very tender. Beans are super cheap (and good for you), but they can be kind of blah. Most slow cooker recipes fix that. Also, most of the time, you can grab a few ingredients you have in your pantry /fridge(beans, veggies, leftover hamburger, mashed potatoes),and some spices (Salt and pepper, maybe some garlic powder)... dump, pour, sprinkle... and you're good to go. Think what you want about her, but Rachael Ray's measurements (a dollop, a palm full, etc.)are SO easy, and they're perfect for this type of cooking. (I don't really do exact measurements, which is why I don't bake... too much science.) Crock pot meals are PERFECT for teaching teens/ young adults that will be off fending for themselves soon... no tears mom! Perfect for dorms. Oh how I wish I'd had a crock pot when I was in the dorms! *sigh*

Traveling this summer? Take a crock-pot! You'll save a bunch of money by going to a local grocery store and doing a pouring cans into the crock pot (and letting it cook all day while you're out and about) rather than going out to eat. (More money for souvenirs!)You come back to your hotel room and VOILA! Dinner is served!

Of course, crock-pot meals can become far less healthy very quickly (creamed soups, tons of cheese, salt from canned veggies, etc.), so you have to be aware of what you're eating. Lentil and veggie soup is both filling and healthy. Cocktail weinnes with grape jelly and barbecue sauce (seriously, it's delicious!)... not so much, but oh so yummy!

Sometimes All Relationships Are Rocky...

There is one relationship in my life that has outlasted many others. We have been close for over a decade – longer than most of my close friendships have lasted. We have fought, gone months without interacting, and I always go back…seeking fulfillment. This relationship…is with my scale.




Unfortunately, the scale and I rarely see eye to eye. We have an inverse relationship, when I’m working hard, he rarely moves. When I’m not doing what I need to be doing, he seems to move up on cue.

I know a lot of women share this struggle, which is why I think it’s important to find other ways to measure progress in fitness and look away from that piece of plastic and metal on the floor.

After working out consistently for nearly a year, I have seen more progress from body fat measurements, progress pictures, and body measurements than I have ever seen from the scale. Even when my bicep or thigh measurements move up a bit (dude! I thought numbers should go down. what is going on?), I am happy…because I know they are moving up with muscle and my body fat is decreasing. When my body fat decreases, I see myself living longer, living healthier, and living happier. That’s something the scale was never able to tell me…no matter what number showed up in those little red digits.

I think these three progress tracking methods are integral to a fitness-training program, at least for me. I like to see progress and often times a scale can't show me that.

I have my body fat measured every three months or so. I take my measurements whenever I remember…generally every 8-12 weeks. The measurements and pictures are something you can do yourself with a camera and measuring tape (some day I might be bold enough to post some of my fitness progress pictures…but not today ☺ ). You can get your body fat measured at many different places. I get mine measured at the Personal Training and Assessment Center at the local university, but you can also have yours tested at many gyms, doctors offices, etc, for a small fee (many gyms even do it for free!).

I capture my measurements on Spark People, so that I know exactly the day they were put in. It will also show you a graph of your progress during a specific date range, which is nice. But keeping the data in a notebook works just as well!

Now I guess I will get courageous and show off some numbers, so you can see some of my progress (not saying it's impressive or anything. but when the scale refuses to budge, it's all of I've got). To emphasize how these numbers can show you things the scale can’t, remember that between my March 2010 body fat reading & the one I had earlier this week, I am only about 3lbs lighter (yeah, I didn’t say I don’t use the scale, I just said I can’t judge progress by it….nobody is perfect ☺)

Body Fat Readings:

12/18/2009: 30.00%
03/19/2010: 25%
06/28/2010: 22.89%

I know that it is not as much fun to look at where you are starting, but it is VERY fun to look back and see where you have been. Before starting a fitness regimen, I encourage you to take some measurements and photos...and try to look away from the number on the scale. Will you?


Links to Health:

What's The Best Time to Exercise?

5 Shockingly Unhealthy Salads

Is Your Job Harming Your Health?

Stay on Track While Heading Out of Town for the 4th