Back to the Gym I Went!

Did everyone have a lovely weekend?  Nice cool weather, what else can you ask for?

On Saturday afternoon I went with a few friends to Jules Thin Crust.  One of my friends had been telling me about this place, they use fresh, organic and local ingredients so naturally I had to check it out and I was NOT disappointed.  This place was amazing!  They have about 30 different pizza options, meat, veggie and cheese.  If you eat in, you can all kinds of different slices.

On the left: Organic edamame, ricotta cheese, locally-produced organic goat cheese, caramelized onions, fresh mint, drizzle of lemon vinaigrette, mozzarella
On the right: Its not on the menu online, but it had green and yellow peppers and a balsamic glaze.

I tasted some of my other friends pizza's, all were amazing!  Highly recommend!

 

On Sunday I finally made my way back to the gym.  I have been going off and on to Norcom Community Center for years.  Its a great little gym.  Its only $12 a month and its a great way to support the community.  I just hung out on the treadmill for a half hour, need to get back into my grove.

 

I also made this little yummy Huevos Rancheros for breakfast.  That's what i am calling it, I'm not even sure what qualifies huevos rancheros!

 

 

 

1 TJ's Low Carb Whole Wheat Tortilla

1/4 cup lite Mexican shredded cheese

Egg Whites

2 TBSP Salsa

1 Avocado

1/4 cup TJ's soy Chorizo

 

I sprayed a pan with olive oil and threw in the tortilla, flipping over so it gets hard and crunchy.  I then topped it with cheese and kept it in the pan until the cheese had melted. 

In a separate pan heat up the soy chorizo until a little brown.

In a separate pan spray butter and then cook your egg whites through

 

Layer the tortilla, cheese, chorizo, egg white, salsa and avocado and enjoy because this is one tasty breakfast!

 

Spinach-and-Ricotta-Stuffed Shells

Makes: 4 servings

Prep 10 mins
Cook 45 mins

Ingredients

·         18 jumbo pasta shells (about 6 ounces)

·         1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

·         1/4 medium onion, finely chopped

·         4 ounces fresh chorizo, crumbled (I used TJ's Soy Chorizo)

·         1 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes

·         3/4 teaspoon sugar

·         1/4 teaspoon salt plus additional for seasoning

·         1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus additional for seasoning

·         Olive oil cooking spray

·         2 cups (about 2 ounces) baby spinach, finely chopped

·         1 cup low-fat ricotta

·         1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella

·         1 egg white, lightly beaten

Directions

1. Cook shells according to package directions; rinse under cold water, drain and pat dry.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and chorizo and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Drain all but 1 1/2 teaspoons drippings and return pan to stove. Add tomatoes and sugar and season with salt and pepper to taste; simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

4. Combine spinach, cheeses, egg white and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a large bowl. Spoon half the tomato sauce into prepared dish. Stuff each shell with 1 heaping tablespoon filling and arrange stuffed shells in baking dish. Spoon remaining sauce over shells and cover with aluminum foil. Bake until pasta is cooked through and sauce begins to bubble, about 30 minutes. Let rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

 

 

This was super yummy.  I followed the recipe exactly.  Next time I would maybe double the sauce recipe.  Or I would just use a premade sauce like marinara.   

 

After I devoured those stuffed shells I ate a fruit floe.  Its a fruit Popsicle that Trader Joe's sells.  This was really delicious and they are rather big so I felt satisfied.  I went to take a photo of the box for my blog and that was the first time I read the ingredient list.  There is saw CARRAGEENAN.  Sometime in the past two weeks I had read an article mentioning this ingredient and to avoid.  I was a little bummed that this was listed on this package.  I started doing some more research and here is what I found.

 

 

From Web MD:

Carrageenan is made from parts of various red algae or seaweeds and is used for medicine.

Carrageenan is used for coughs, bronchitis, tuberculosis, and intestinal problems. The French use a form that has been changed by adding acid and high temperatures. This form is used to treat peptic ulcers, and as a bulk laxative.In manufacturing, carrageenan is used as a binder, thickening agent, and as a stabilizer in medications, foods, and toothpaste. Carrageenan is also an ingredient in weight loss products.

For a review of the research on carrageenan see this PDF document by Cornucopia.org. Please look into this ingredient and make your own informed opinion.

At this point, I am not truly or realistically able to avoid unwanted chemicals as  a lot of them aren't even know on the foods I consume.  I just think its important to educate yourselves on what you put into your bodies (or at least the items you know of).

 

Have a wonderful day :-)