Chili!

Yes, another recipe that I have found helps the busy family when you get home from a full soccer day (or I'm sure football, softball, swim, field hockey) especially with that nip in the air we are tasting here in NJ.  Yesterday was one of those days that needed some menu planning or it would have been another call for pizza.  I do enjoy my pizza, but after these kids just got thrown around on the field and played hard using up their energy stores,  I believe the nutritional requirements are better met with a healthy batch of chili and cornbread!  Plus we get to watch the pre-recorded football games that we miss during the afternoon of soccer ... chili seems to score high with the friends and family on that one.  Plus, there are great health benefits to eating spicy foods if you like to make yours spicy!  See my list at the bottom if you are into learning more about why hot foods are good for you!

I tend to tweak my recipes all the time, but this is a very basic recipe that you can use and alter to your liking.  My kids really don't like it too spicy so I usually cut the recipe's measurement in half.  You can also get creative with different veggies and peppers ... even add some red wine or grated dark chocolate to the sauce.  On a typical Sunday, we leave the house before lunch and return in time for dinner.  So, if you get this organized the night before, you can get it going that morning before you leave to bring your kids to whatever game or practice they might have and have it done when you get home.  Use your slow cooker!  Follow the directions and once it is mixed together put it in the slow cooker for about 6 to 8 hours on low.

Easy enough and done when you get home!  Serve it up with some shredded cheddar, cilantro, sour cream, green salad and corn bread.
Ready, set...

Chili
Serves 8

2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 large onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic - crushed
1 lb. ground sirloin
1 14 1/2 ounce of chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
2 15 oz. cans of tomato sauce
3 Tablespoons of fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons of chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 15 oz can of kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 15 oz can of garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)
1 15 oz can of black beans (drained and rinsed)

Directions:
1.  Heat olive oil in a large soup pot.
2.  Add onions and garlic to pot.  Cook until soft.
3.  Add ground sirloin to the vegetables. Cook until no longer pink.
4.  Add remaining ingredients (except cilantro) to the pot.  Mix well.
5.  Pour mixture into slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low about 6-8 hours.

Easy enough and done when you get home!  Serve it up with some shredded cheddar, cilantro, sour cream, green salad and corn bread.

Then ... smile to yourself super mom, because you rocked the busy Sunday obligation day with ease ;)

Happiness,
Krista


Health Benefits of Spicy Foods:
1.  weight loss
2.  heart health
3.  cancer prevention
4.  lower blood pressure
5.  eases depression and stress

 

GRILLED PINEAPPLE!

Told you I'd give you this one ... making it tonight for my B's birthday dinner!
If you want to enjoy your pineapple in a new way or maybe that pineapple is getting a bit too soft (yucky fruit flies around?) try this!

Grilled Pineapple with Minted Honey

1 pineapple
2-3 Tablespoons of honey
1 mint stalk

1.  Get pineapple ready for coring - cut top and bottom off.  Slice in half lengthwise. Use apple corer or other kitchen gadget to core the middle out.  Cut slices about 1/2 inch thick.
2.  Brush olive oil over the slices.
3.  Grill on medium heat with cover closed for about 5 minutes.  Flip and grill other side for about 4-5 minutes.
4.  Remove from heat and drizzle honey and chopped mint over pieces.

Grilled Pineapple

5.  Enjoy!

I leave the skin on the outside while grilling and cut off before eating.  You can remove the outer skin before grilling as well.

BBQ Pulled Chicken Recipe

Hi All,

If you are like me, you may be scrambling to find something new to feed the kids after practice on weeknights.  It is that time of year to get back on track ... new schedules for the kiddies, new schedules for us and whatever sport they are playing is in full swing. 

I am glad to share this new bbq pulled chicken recipe!  I tweaked this recipe (as I usually do because I run out of spices or tomatoes or something ...) but it came out so good that we had 3 days worth of dinners (not kidding).  I like to change it up each day but the basic recipe below is pretty versatile.  And best of all...the crock pot is open for business again.  So easy to do and done when they walk in the door so you don't have to deal with, "What's for dinner?  I'm starving!!" as they rummage through the cookies that you thought you hid pretty well.  

Enjoy ... serve on rolls, add some sour cream, maybe some lettuce, over a salad, with some grilled fruit (grilled pineapple was awesome!  A recipe for that tomorrow!)... the list goes on and on.

Barbeque Pulled Chicken

courtesy of EatingWell:  Feb/March 2006

8 servings

Time to prep:  25 minutes

Cooking Time:  5 hours

Ingredients:

1 8 oz can reduced sodium tomato sauce

1 4 oz can chopped green chiles, drained

3 tablespoons  cider vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon sweet or smoked paprika

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1 teaspoon ground chipotle chile

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 pounds boneless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

Preparation:

1.  Stir tomato sauce, chiles, vinegar, honey, paprika, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, ground chipotle and salt in a 6 quart cooker until smooth.  Add chicken, onion and garlic;  stir to combine.

2.  Put the lid on and cook on low until the chicken can be pulled apart, about 5 hours.

3.  Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred with a fork.  Return chicken to the sauce, stir well and serve.

Happy Eating!

Krista 

"I forgot how good kale tastes!"

Quoted from my kid tonight at dinner.  I know ... more hip hip hooray about kale!  You're probably so tired of hearing about it if you see me around town but I just wanted to pass on a new product I found this week at Trader Joe's.  They currently have "Organic Lacinto Kale" already washed and chopped for use.  Yes, there are so many uses for kale such as sauteed kale with olive oil and garlic or stir-fried or even hidden in chicken noodle soup ... but my favorite is just plain old kale chips because the kids really do eat them!  I like this bag of kale because it is so easy to do.  The chips are definitely smaller and there are a lot of stems in the bag (I usually don't use stems), but sometimes easier is better.  Plus they are organic ... that's not always easy to find and kale is one of those that you should try to buy organic as the pesticides are high on conventional varieties. 

Kale Chips

*1-2 bunches of kale (aka "King of Calcium and "heavy hitting” crucible)
*olive oil
*sea salt or other spices you like (I use Gomasio, curry, garlic  or cumin)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Remove kale from stalk, leaving the green in large pieces
Brush or use your fingers to lightly oil the kale
Put the kale on a baking sheet and bake for 4 mins. or until it starts to turn a bit brown.  Keep an eye as it can burn quickly!
Remove and serve!

Enjoy!

Ok, done.

Lots of goodies in this one!

"I love carrots!"

I swore I died and went to heaven!  Coming home from a ridiculously hot soccer practice on the turf in Summit, NJ (97 degrees at 6:00 pm) with my daughter's friends ...I try to offer the good stuff ... I TRY and hope that if they are desperate for food, they will eat the good stuff first!  So I pack grapes, carrots, and Cheerios.  Exciting right?  I couldn't believe my ears when my daughter had to actually ask for her Cheerios back when they were being inhaled by her 3 teammates in the car.  Just cleaned out the vehicle ... and those grape stems and empty containers were on the ground ... ok, not the neatest kids but I didn't care because I heard those words!  And yes, after the 30 minutes of swilling water and eating healthy I stopped at our famous ice cream shop in town.  Here they are ... young people are amazing with their never ending energy.  They just got out of the pool a few minutes ago and I'm still trying to get mine to bed.  Wish I had that boundless energy!

Stay Cool!
Krista

Walking on Sunshine ...

Hydrangea Angel ...
She's watching over all the flowers here in my perennial garden ... we haven't had rain in a long time here in NJ.  Hope she can keep watch during the next heat wave coming next week.

Just an update to those of you who didn't see my facebook post two weeks ago (see below picture) ... I had a follow up appointment with my neurosurgeon just to go over the latest mri done 3 months post-radiation/cyberknife.  There is nothing new to report ... the tumor hasn't shrunk as of yet (maybe it will with the radiation) but it hasn't grown either so that is great news!  I am now on a "come back in one year" regimen - yippee! I'm so grateful for those who have supported me through the last 2 years and 6 months! Wow I just can't believe it's been that long!

NYU Medical Center - Dr. Chandraneth Sen's office

I've been busy learning the ropes of book publishing the last few months.  It has been a really good experience and I highly recommend it for those of you who have thought about writing a book and just gave up on the idea as it seemed too overwhelming!  I'm currently sending my book files to be formatted to be an ebook (Kindle and Nook)!  The book and ebook will be available for purchase very soon ... in fact I have a shipment on the way to my house right now!  I can't wait to hold it in my hands and read it!  My book is a manual ... it is designed to help busy moms who need some guidance in feeding their young athletes healthy food while maintaining a bit of sanity!   I'm not saying it will ever be the easiest job in the world ... it never will be!  Busy moms will always be busy if their kids play sports or are engaged in other activities.  But, in this day and age of never ending sports, fast food and limited time, we sometimes just want to feed them something! Bonus points if  it is easy and healthy!  So, that's what I'm all about ... quick, easy and helpful to growing athletic bodies (and us parents too)!

 So, go out and enjoy summer and when the back to school thoughts kick in (shhh, not yet) my book will be ready for you to get your kitchens, cars and fridges in order!

Summer Love,
Krista

PS  If you have young athletes check out the www.youth1.com website for news in sports!  I get to contribute an article every Sunday on athletes and nutrition!

Meningioma Madness!

I am sorry if you are tired of hearing about Sheryl Crow.  But as upset as I was when this story first came out a few days ago, I am thrilled we are finally getting some attention in the medical community and the media.  I (and the meningioma survivor community) was upset at the way a brain tumor was being portrayed by her publicist and the doctors reporting on her condition.  Some articles were comparing a meningioma tumor to a wart … or saying that half the population is walking around with one and doesn’t know it as they are asymptomatic, or how bout the fact that 90% of them are benign … when people hear benign they generally think of them as minor.  Let me tell you, they can be minor if you have found it early enough and can treat it with radiation or a “wait and see” method.  Mine, on the other hand was more like a “Holy crap … get her in here … we are booting Mrs. Jones from her appointment to make room for this woman who needs it out pronto… before she leaves her kids and husband with a house full of  dirty laundry!” 

BRAIN TUMORS SUCK REGARDLESS OF WHAT KIND YOU HAVE!

There I said it.

In the attached article (http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com scroll down to June 6th),  you will read that it truly is a matter of location and size that determine a patient’s prognosis.  If it is big (mine was about 5 cm – golf ball size which is considered big), the more likely it will be to cause problems.  “It can actually be wrapped around the eye and you can lose vision (been there…).  You can lose speech, and on down the list.  Meningiomas can affect one’s sense of smell, equilibrium, and physical strength.”

I am sending lots of love to Ms. Crow and all those who are employing the “wait and see” suggestion. Every case is different for sure!  I was so lucky to have some symptoms to alert me something was up!! I feel so fortunate that I was given a second chance at this life!  Some brain tumor patients aren't as fortunate.

 I truly hope that the attention this week is beneficial to the entire brain tumor community as they are finding more links between certain things like earlier radiation to the head, bitewing dental x-ray exams, and hormone receptors in the cells that may be involved with the tumor development. 
By the way if any of you have anyone who is dealing with this diagnosis please contact me for more information on treatments.  I have learned so much the last two years and I love to share resources!!! 
Thanks for reading and supporting me through my own diagnosis!

Much Love,
Krista