Squeaky-clean eating

Ah, Sunday night. How'd you get here so fast? Having The H gone Thursday/Friday, planning the little guy's birthday party (and then hosting and cleaning up after it) on Saturday, spending time at church, then grocery shopping, meal planning, and a bit of gardening (more on that later) on Sunday all have a way of making precious "time off" go by too quickly.

In the interest of efficiency, I focused on just one resource for planning my menu this week, rather than pulling favorites and newbies from various places. The majority of my meals come from the book "Squeaky Gourmet: Simple * Clean * Food" by Maureen Jeanson and Jamie Wilson.

 (source)
The authors were kind enough to send me a copy this past winter, when I was out of work and looking for some hobby reading to occupy my time. I'm excited to try them--we made three of them today alone!--and share the results with you. Virtually, of course. Unless you call ahead.

Here's what I came up with:
Mexican Burgers + Mom's Mexican Rice
Chicken with Olive-Tomato Relish + Quinoa with Caramelized Onions
Honey Lime Chicken + Lemon Quinoa with Asparagus
Sweet Potato Breakfast Cakes + Vanilla Cappuccino Shake
Thai Coconut Shrimp - this will be a lunch for me, since The H is allergic

I *love* flipping through a new cookbook or magazine for fresh ideas. The H couldn't believe how many sticky-notes I had flagging the pages of this book already. It's shaping up to be one of my new favorites! Hopefully in a few days I'll be able to post a more thorough review as I get a chance to cook through more of the recipes.

Decadent crispy chocolatey goodness

When you think "rice crispy treats" what might come to mind (other than the fact that I spelled it with a "c" because the "k" version is a registered trademark) is the gooey marshmallow version that begins with melting a whole stick of butter. Perhaps you've even had one that includes chocolate or butterscotch chips (I know I have...yum).

Well. This recipe contains none of those. And it's phenomenal.

Chocolate Hazelnut Crispy Squares
from Clean Eating Magazine, Volume 3, Issue 3
serves 24

1/2 cup unsalted raw hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups unsweetened brown rice cereal (gluten free, if you so desire--Rice Krispies are not)
3/4 cup rolled oats (again, GF if you need that)
2 1/2 ounces dark chocolate (70% cacao or more), broken into pieces
1 cup unsweetened dried pitted dates, pureed
1/2 cup unsalted hazelnut butter (or other unsalted natural nut butter)
2 Tbsp raw honey

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine hazelnuts, cereal, and oats. Mix well and set aside.

2. Melt chocolate in a double boiler (small bowl set above a pot of simmering water). When melted, remove top part of double boiler from the heat and stir in pureed dates, nut butter, and hone. Stir carefully with a wooden spoon until combined. If mixture becomes difficult to mix, set over simmering water as needed.

3. Add chocolate mixture to bowl with cereal and fold in with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined. Spread into a 9"x12" pan, pressing firmly to even out the top. Refrigerate 30 minutes to let bars set. Cut into bars and serve.

These can also be rolled into truffle-like balls rather than into bars.

Nutrition information per 1 1/2 inch square:
Calories - 110
Fat - 6g
Carbs - 13g
Fiber - 2g
Sugars - 7g
Protein - 2g
Sodium - 0.25mg
Cholesterol - 0mg

Gluten-free coconut macaroons

I've always loved macaroons--sweet, soft, coconutty goodness. While it's true that many macaroon recipes are gluten-free, the majority of them also call for sweetened condensed milk. No thanks! A web search led me to this recipe. For us, it's kind of a non-issue that they're gluten-free, because The H doesn't like coconut anyway. But I do, and I was excited to try these! In a half-sized batch, of course. No need to go crazy up in here.

Gluten-Free Coconut Macaroons
from Elana's Pantry
makes 24

6 egg whites
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup agave nectar**
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut

1. Beat egg whites with salt until stiff peaks form.

2. Fold in agave, vanilla, and coconut.

3. Drop batter 1 Tbsp at a time on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

4. Bake at 350* for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheet briefly, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.

My batter was a bit wet, and some agave leaked out around the edges while they baked, making (very yummy) caramel-like puddles around some of the cookies. Those were easily removed without harming the finished product. Which, by the way, is soft. A bit sticky. And sweet. And coconutty. Perfect. The little guy has already chomped his way through three of them, proclaiming them delicious. LOVE that kid.

**There is some controversy about agave and how much better--if at all--it is than high fructose corn syrup. Read some articles/blogs (I like this one) and use your own judgment.

Coconut Chicken

I hadn't originally flagged this recipe when I flipped through the September/October 2010 issue of Clean Eating Magazine, but at second glance (as is the case for many dishes I make from there) it caught my eye and got added to my meal plan.

Coconut Chicken with Pineapple-Strawberry Salsa
from Clean Eating Magazine, Vol. 3, Issue 5
serves 4

1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup light coconut milk, divided
4 scallions, white and green parts separated and sliced, divided
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb)
1/2 small fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and diced (about 2 cups)
10 large strawberries (about 8 oz), diced
5 oz mixed greens

1. In a large bowl, combine 1/4 cup coconut milk with white parts of scallion, salt, and pepper. Add chicken and let marinate at room temperature 30 minutes, or covered in the fridge overnight.

2. In another large bowl, combine remaining 1/3 cup coconut milk with green parts of scallion. Stir in pineapple chunks and diced strawberries (I also added a seeded, diced jalapeño). Set aside, or if not serving immediately, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

3. Heat a grill (or grill pan) over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 5-7 minutes per side, until cooked through and juices run clear.

4. Divide chicken and greens evenly among four plates. Top each serving with fruit salsa and serve.

The little guy wasn't into the chicken, so he had turkey breast, string cheese, and assorted fruits. With the exception of the bell pepper, which he said was sour (he preferred the red one he had before dinner), he cleaned his plate.

Nutrition information per 4oz chicken + 1/2 cup salsa:
Calories - 214
Fat - 4g
Carbs - 17g
Fiber - 3g
Sugars - 11g
Protein - 28g
Sodium - 90mg
Cholesterol - 65m

Summery salmon salad

Last year when I got the July/August 2010 issue of Clean Eating Magazine, I put this meal on my mental to-try list. Buying salmon isn't something I do often, thanks to The H's allergy and my desire to purchase small portions of wild-caught fish (the co-op requires a 2lb minimum), so it's something I have to plan ahead for since I don't often have fillets in the freezer.

Today my restock-the-pantry travels led me right to the door of one of our favorite local meat places, and I made it a point to grab a few small ones--mostly for this recipe, and to have a spare.

Arugula, Asparagus, & Salmon
from Clean Eating Magazine, Vol. 3, Issue 4
serves 4

12oz wild salmon fillet, skin and bones removed
Olive oil cooking spray
2 cups asparagus tips
2 cups blackberries, divided
2 tsp raw honey
4 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp dark sesame oil
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
6 cups arugula
4 large scallions, sliced on the diagonal

1. Preheat the ovven to 400* and spritz a baking sheet with oil. Divide the salmon into four pieces, place on baking sheet, and bake 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

2. Set a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water and steam asparagus for 2 minutes, until crisp-tender. Rinse with cool water and set aside.

3. In a small bowl, mash 16 of the blackberries, then add honey, soy sauce, oil, and orange juice. Stir to combine.

4. Divide arugula among four plates, then top each with asparagus, scallions, a piece of salmon, and reserved blackberries. Drizzle each portion with blackberry dressing and serve.

I subbed cranberry juice for the orange, used organic spring mix (which was surprisingly arugula-heavy) instead of the arugula, and omitted the asparagus because I forgot it was called for and didn't have any.

This was a light, fresh lunch that I didn't feel one bit guilty about eating after my many errands this morning, like I would have if I'd dashed to Buffalo Wild Wings... The salmon I used was 8oz (I halved everything else); once it was cooked, I packaged up half of it with half of the blackberry-honey sauce for tomorrow's lunch.

Good news/bad news

Good news: I was able to maintain my weight while eating mainly from restaurants (ok, and a few street vendors...) for two weeks straight
Bad news: While the number is the same, I can tell I'm more "fluffy" than usual, no doubt due to decreased mileage and no work with weights

Good news: I get to shop and cook in my own kitchen this week!
Bad news: The H is out of town at least two nights
More good news: I can make the Thai Coconut Shrimp I came across in an old Clean Eating Magazine

Good news: The little guy's birthday is Saturday!
Bad news: In less than a week, I'll be the mom of a THREE year old
More good news: My parents, grandma, in laws, and sister (+ bro-in-law + nephews!) are coming to celebrate with us :)

In other news, on my menu this week:

Coconut Chicken
Thai Coconut Shrimp
Leftover chicken-salsa-rice
Electric Cheetah
Girls' run (salad night)
*Possibly* chicken-fried steak (yes, it's a clean-eating recipe!) if it's not too hot
Pizza for the little guy's birthday, per his request

Oh, and yes, I did get my familiar-turf run done today! That felt good. :)

Tonight, tonight

I'll sleep in my own bed tonight!

And tomorrow I'll go for a run on familiar streets, free from clouds of secondhand smoke, in an area where I *know* people. After that, I'll go to my own church with my own family, have lunch that (hopefully) doesn't come from a restaurant, not surrounded by hundreds of strangers, and restock my full-sized refrigerator with beautiful fresh produce from the grocery store a few blocks away.

Home, sweet home! It was a good trip, but man, it's nice to be in our own space again.