Happy Memorial Day Weekend - Dry Rub Steak with Fresh Fruit Salsa

Enjoy your holiday weekend everyone!  Just wanted to pass on a great recipe if you need something for your BBQ!

Dry-Rub Steak with Fresh Fruit Salsa

Steak

1 T. fresh lime juice

1 1/2 t. salt

1 1/2 t. minced garlic

1 t. chili powder

1 t. finely chopped fresh or 1/4 t. dry oregano

1 t. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 t. ground cumin

1 (2 pound) sirloin steak

Salsa (best prepared right before steak is grilled)

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

2 T. fresh lime juice

1/2 t. kosher salt

1 1/2 cups finely chopped peeled mango

1 cup finely chopped peeled kiwifruit

1/2 cup quartered cherry tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped green onions

2 T. minced fresh cilantro

1 T. chopped fresh mint

1 t. sugar

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

Remaining Ingredient:

cooking spray

1.  To prepare steak, combine first 7 ingredients; rub evenly over steak.  Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

2.  Prepare grill or broiler.

3. To prepare salsa, combine red onion, 2 T. lime juice, and 1/2 t. salt, tossing to coat.  Let stand 30 minutes.  Combine mango and next 7 ingredients (mango through jalapeno) in a medium bowl.  Add onion mixture; toss gently to combine.

4.  Place steak on grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray;  cook 6 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.  Place steak on a platter; let stand 5 minutes.  Cut diagonally across grain into 1/4 inch thick slices.  Serve with salsa.  

Yield:  8 servings (about 3 ounces beef, 1/3 cup salsa)

Calories:  229 (36% from fat)

Fat:  9.1 grams

Protein:  24.7 grams

Fiber:  2.1 grams

Chol:  66 mg

Iron:  2.7 mg

Sodium:  535 mg

Calc:  29 mg

 

A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.
                                                                                                           -Joseph Campbell

Feeling Flattened by Rain?

Happy Monday Morning!

It is one of those rainy Mondays that would be easy to sleep in isn't it?  Sometimes it's hard to get motivated after a gorgeous weekend!

There is a lot going on in May for us parents!  There's prom, graduations, field trips, art shows, music shows and all the games of spring sports!  So honestly a rainy day feels pretty good to me today. 


I love to find quotes to inspire me ... some quotes just sound like they are talking to you.  If you are needing some direction to help you through an ambiguous time, here is one that I absolutely love:

"The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for.  And the most you can do is live inside that hope.  Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under it's roof."
                                                                                                   ~Barbara Kingsolver

Dig in and live your hopes!
Krista








Please check out my new spot on www.youth1.com as a weekly Sunday guest on sports and nutrition.

Never Too Old...

Today I went to treat myself to a mani/pedi for Mom's Day.  I sat down with all my magazines and catalogs that I never get to look at ... ready for some chill time.  My little happy buzz was brought to a halt when I saw an elderly couple come in and sit down next to me for their pedicures!  The reason I wasn't thrilled was that I recognized them.  They live kind of behind me.  I have only had issues with them once when their cat bit me.  No big deal but I didn't think they'd be good company for my "me" time.

To my surprise, it was the best pedicure I ever had!  They had me laughing and chatting the whole time.  Here he is - an 86 year old man telling me about his time in WW 2 and his war buddy Mario from Italy, his kids, his dogs, his ducks, his quadruple by pass last year, he and his wife chatted up all the women who worked there about where they were from (Guatemala, Argentina and so on).  This was his first pedicure!  Why was this manly man of 86 years in there?  Because his wife is tired of cutting his toe nails!  How funny.  She announced later that "Getting old sucks!"  She is turning 85.

Can you imagine?  They came in together to get their first pedicure together at their ages ... he said he was definitely coming back because he liked it!  I just got such a kick out of their present moment candor!  It made me realize that you're never too old to try new things or maybe get some help where you least expected it ... even if it is cutting your toe nails!!

Chardonnay Chicken with Pears

Cheers Everyone!  Happy Monday night!  Just wanted to share a quick tweak in a recipe I've posted before:  Chicken With Apples in the Slow Cooker has been transformed tonight to "Chardonnay Chicken with Pears."

If you don't remember the Chicken with Apples recipe, check back to October 25, 2011.  It was a great success in my family and when I went to take out all the ingredients this morning, I was bummed that I was out of apple cider and only had one apple!  Oh jeez.  So I decided to substitute what I did have  (I guess my food shopping is slipping lately ...).  Instead of apple cider, I substituted white wine with some orange juice.  I figured it couldn't be that bad right?  Instead of apples I had a bunch of really nice pears from my fruit and veggie co-op.  We always get pears and they just don't get eaten by my family.

Anyway, I just wanted to give you all a heads up that you can wing these recipes!  Make sure you have something similar and give it a go! 

Chardonnay Chicken with Pears
Ingredients:
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup orange juice
2 T. apple cider vinegar
1/8 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1 T. curry powder
2 T. butter
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds of organic chicken thighs
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 pears thinly sliced
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 T. cornstarch

In a small bowl, combine white wine, orange juice, vinegar, nutmeg and curry powder.
In a small microwave-safe bowl combine butter, onions and garlic. Microwave on high for 1-2 mins. until onion is softened. Place mixture in bottom of 3-4 quart (or larger) slow cooker.
Dip each chicken breast into the juice mixture to coat and place in crockpot over onions. Pour any remaining juice mixture over the chicken. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours until chicken is almost cooked. Add pears and cook 30 minutes longer on low until pears are tender and chicken is thoroughly cooked.
Mix together broth and cornstarch in a small bowl and stir into the liquid in the crockpot. Cover and cook on high heat stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened and bubbly, 10-15 minutes. Serve with some hot cooked brown rice or roasted potatoes and a green salad.

Enjoy!
Krista

Check out my new website:  www.refuelyourathleticfamily.com 
                                         

Here is a great recipe you can test out on your family this week!

Cilantro Mango Chicken 

Prep Time:

10 minutes

Cooking Time:

30 minutes

Yields:

4 servings

Ingredients:

2 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts, split
8 ounces plain yogurt
1 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh lime, juiced
Dash of cayenne pepper
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
1 large ripe mango, peeled, finely diced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine1/4 cup yogurt,1/4 cup of cilantro, half of the lime juice, cayenne pepper and garlic. Coat chicken breast with this mixture, marinate for at least 1 hour.
3. While chicken marinates, purée remaining yogurt, 2/3 of cubed mango, 1/2 teaspoon lime juice and 1 cup cilantro in blender.
4. Bake chicken in a glass baking dish for 25-30 minutes.
5. Place chicken on serving plates, pour on sauce and sprinkle with mango and extra sauce on side.
6. Add a sprig of fresh cilantro for garnish.

 I don't know about you but here in the Northeast we've been spoiled this year with nice Spring weather.  Haven't had a wet day in a long time so when it hit Saturday and Sunday we needed it badly.  Lots of parents with kids who play sports on Sundays were frozen fans in the rain!  It took a long time for my fingers to get back to their non-blue color! Regardless of the weather,  I would not have traded it for anything!  The effort was beautiful even if the weather was not! 

Team Bonding!

Green Smoothies Scare You?

If the thought of a green smoothie just makes you think, "EWWW!" let me pass on one you need to get your feet wet with!

You could blindfold someone and they'd never know there was plenty of spinach in this drink.

Here goes:

Pineapple Mango Green Smoothie

2 big handfuls of spinach
1/4 cup pineapple (frozen is fine - defrost for a few minutes to make juicier)
1/2 cup mango  (frozen is fine)
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 t. agave syrup (or more to taste)
3 ice cubes

Blend away!  This tastes like a Caribbean beach drink!  You can play around with the ingredients but this is a great start!  I seriously have an addiction to these green drinks every morning! 

If you've forgotten from a previous post why spinach is a positive boost to your body here is a quick note on some of the benefits of spinach from one of the best books on Greens:  Greens Glorious Greens by Johnna Albi and Catherine Walthers.

"Spinach is high in vitamins A,C, and E, the antioxidant vitamins shown to reduce the risk of cancer.  It also makes the top 10 lists of fruits and vegetables with the highest sources of carotenoids, a large family of nutrients (that includes beta-carotene) being studied for preventing disease.  Spinach also fufills the daily requirement for folacin, and contains more iron than most greens."

Enjoy your greens!!!  Let me know if I have any new spinach groupies!!
Krista

Pumped Up Smoothie

Easy Protein Smoothie for Before or After the Game

Hey Busy Moms and Dads ... Here is that smoothie recipe I promised you!

Hello Friends,

Sometimes getting food into our young athletes is not easy before or after practices and games.  Sometimes they are just not hungry as they worked their bodies really hard.  Beverages work magic when this happens!  Every time I have brought these smoothies in the car for other kids or just my own, they are sucked down in no time!  My only advice on products to use is buy the best quality ingredients you can find.  Their bodies will thank you!  Rock on Super Moms and Dads!!!

Pumped Up Smoothie

Serves 1

1 cup of 2% milk or rice milk
1 scoop of ice cream
3 ice cubes
1 scoop of whey protein powder

Blend all ingredients. 
Enjoy!

If you'd like to learn more about how to time meals and snacks for your young athletes be sure to check out my upcoming book: 

Winning the Game:  The Busy Mom's Manual for Refueling her Athletic Family in 6 Easy Steps

Be Well!
Krista