New Years Resolutions & new recipe for the adventurous

Happy New Year friends!  I have been evaluating my resolutions very carefully over the past few weeks.  I have taken some time off to think things over and have come to some very great conclusions about my upcoming year in health and fitness.

2011 Resolutions in Fitness

* 10,000 steps a day (I track this with my fitbit that my husband got me)
* Improve sleep efficiency (integrated naps to produce a smaller nightly sleep time)
* More recreational fitness (yoga 4 days a week, aerial classes)
* Integrating a 6 wk. pre-hab (see Four Hour Body) to restore imbalances in my muscle growth, balance, and flexibility
* After pre-hab, introduce strength training and running into workouts
* Record workouts and progress daily

2011 Resolutions in Healthy Eating
* Weekly meal planning (first week down and it was a HIT with my husband, and so much fun to have every week pre-planned and shopped for)
* Reduce all pasta, flour (including most grains), white refined grains and sugars to one designated day a week (Saturday) -- this is not for weight loss reasons, though I would recommend this for weight loss--it is for health purposes.  Think I'm crazy?  Maybe I am. ;)
* cut back on artificial sweeteners (just as harmful as real sweeteners)
* Increase veggies, proteins, and legume intake
* Cook as much as possible (every day--I already do)

I have my own detailed version of these goals, but I am super excited about prehab, recording progress, losing the sweets--so hard, but SO worth it.

What are your 2011 health and fitness goals?  Any suggestions for me? 

 One more thing... I have a new recipe to share...super simple, super quick, and a bit adventurous.  It starts with the amazing food processor my parents bought me for Christmas.  Life has been so much easier and cooking has never been so fun!  Removing  flour from my diet has taken out a key component to my past survival: and that is bread (including whole grain)....GASP!  This is a personal choice my husband and I have made, so do some research before you jump on the band wagon, because it may not be for everyone.  Anyway, this is a pancake recipe with no flour.  You could get creative and make crepes, wraps,  etc. so if you figure out recipe specifics on variations of this let me know!  This is really yummy, really filling, and extremely healthful.

Flour-less Pancakes (This makes about 1 serving depending on how much you eat, male/female, etc.)

Ingredients:

2 eggs or 3-4 egg whites
1 cup lentils
2 carrots peeled
*any spices you wish to add, salt, pepper, etc.

Put all the ingredients in a food processor, give it a whir, and use a measuring cup (I used 1/4 cup for itsy bitsy pancakes) to spoon it out and onto a buttered/oiled skillet (I used grapeseed oil) on medium-high heat.  Flip when the edges are brown and the top gets bubbly in the center.  After the other side has cooked for a few minutes remove onto a plate and enjoy! 

Mine came out savory because I used lentils with onion and bay leaf flavorings, but if you experiment with different flavorings, let me know what is good.  I was THRILLED with this recipe.  It is filling, and actually quite good.  AND-it resembles pancakes surprisingly, though it is NOT the exact same.  Try it-let me know what you think!

Happy New Year and tell me about your fitness goals this year! 

Veggie Burger Recipe

 

Matt and I are red meat lovers.  While we rarely eat it for health and financial reasons, we enjoy a good burger on occasion.  That being said, I am NOT a vegetarian though I do try to eat a plant based diet.  The only veggie burger I have ever really had prior to this one was from P.M. in Nashville, TN and just because it is one of the best burgers in town.  I decided to give this recipe a try and I like it for three reasons.  It is super healthy, proved to be pretty easy to make, and it gave me something fun, different, and unique to try.  So give it a try even if you don't normally eat veggie burgers! 

Chickpea Burger

(PS- Chickpeas are the BEST :))

Equipment needed:  food processor

2 1/2 cups canned chickpeas (or garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed (or if you are really a daredevil soak them over night and prepare fresh, dry chickpeas!)
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 onion, chopped
Grated zest of one large lemon
1 cup micro sprouts, chopped (try brocolli, onion, or alfalfa sprouts - optional)
1 cup toasted (whole-grain) bread crumbs (home-made is better, of course)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (or clarified butter)

Combine chickpeas, eggs, and salt in a food processor.  Puree until it is the consistency of a thick hummus.  You can keep it a little chunky to maintain texture.  Pour into a mixing bowl and stir in cilantro, onion, zest, and the sprouts.  Stir in the breadcrumbs and allow to sit for a few minutes.  This will allow the breadcrumbs to soak in some of the moisture.  Form them into patties.  You can make a bunch of tiny, cute patties, or a few larger ones.  Put olive oil on a skillet on med-hi heat and cook for about 7-10 minutes per side, or until golden brown on each side.  Take them off the heat and enjoy.  You can add toppings such as avocado, spinach, tomato, grilled veggies-whatever you want!  I enjoyed mine on whole wheat bread with lots of spinach to top it off!  Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.