Friday Randomness

While looking through some old posts the other day I found I had a bunch of half written posts that I {obviously} never finished.  There were a few with some good recipes I really wanted to share with you but, for whatever reason, they never got done.  So, I've put together a post with all of them.

But first, my review on the Chisel & TRX Abs class with Christine at Thriv yesterday.  This class is no joke!  It's a mixture of light weights, kettlebells, bands and TRX.  It starts with a simple warmup, skipping, side shuffles, arm circles, etc.  Then the hard stuff started.  We used a step and all the equipment (besides the TRX to do combination upper and lower body moves.  Bicep curls while stepping, lunges while doing raises, and kettlebell swings to name a few.  As I've talked about before I'm not a sweater, I don't really sweat.  But, about 10 minutes in, at the end of the first exercise, I was drenched.  
Then came the abs portion of the class.  Planks, leg raises and pikes.  My legs and abs were burning.  Christine kept coming by and correcting my form when my hips would drop on planks, or when I was turning out my feet during squats (old dancer habits die hard.)  
I am so sore today it's not funny.  And I will be there next week to do it all over again.  I highly suggest taking this class. 

squash baked ravioli purses
1 medium Butternut Squash
2 T minced garlic
1 medium onion, diced
1 package of wonton wrappers

Directions

1. Cook squash until soft. (I peel and cub it then roast in a 400 degree oven for about 30-60 minutes) and sautee onions and garlic until golden and soft.
2. Heat oven to 375.
3. Mash squash and mix in onions
4. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment and spray with pan spray
5. Lay out wonton wrappers and add 1-2 tablespoons of squash mixture in center
6. Pick a way you want to fold them (Nasoya has a list of directions.  Click here to be check it out)
7. Use a bit of water to moisten the sides so they'll stick together when you close them
8. Spray the tops with pan spray and bake for 13-17 minutes until golden brown

I served them with a roasted vegetable gravy (not pictured)

roasted vegetable gravy
2 packet Lipton Mushroom Onion soup mix
1/4 flour
4 cup water
16 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, sliced thin
a few cloves of garlic, optional

1. Heat oven to 425
2. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with pan spray
3. Place mushrooms, onions and garlic on sheet and spray with pan spray.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and soft
4. Make soup mix according to gravy directions on box.  When the gravy is boiling add in your vegetables and heat through.

Don't you love when you come across a DIY project online that is something you actually need?  My MP3 holder arm band is too small for my new phone so, I was stuck listening to gym music.  (which is okay but, listening to the sounds of the gym, in my opinion, is distracting)  I was really excited when I came across this DIY project online.  It's a cell phone/MP3 player holder made out of an old tube sock.  Is it glamorous?  No.  Is it pretty?  Nope.  (Especially since I made it out of an old army sock.  I need to find a prettier sock to use)  Does it do it's job?  Most definitely.  It works better than the one I paid money for actually.  It's comfortable and I only readjust it if I've touch my phone. It doesn't slip at all. 

DIY MP3/Cell Phone Holder 
What you need:

• Old Tube Sock
• Scissors

Directions

1. Cut the foot part of the sock off.  Make sure you are left with only the tube.
2. Turn the sock inside out and fold the bottom of the tube up so it meets the top of the tube and so it's right-side-out again.
3. Insert your phone into the pocket you just made.
4. Put your arm into the hole and pull it up to the middle of your arm.

Some people prefer to put on the sock before folding it over their phone.  I was no talented enough to do that so I put my phone in THEN put it on.  But, do it whichever way works best for you. 

Christmas Recipes

Okay, here's a little known fact about my family.  Christmas dinner takes FOREVER to decide on in this house.  I have no clue why but it takes us about a week to figure out our menu.  Christmas Eve is a no-brainer.  We do a "munching spread".  But, Christmas dinner, we have serious sit downs to decide on what we're going to have.  We normally start talking a few days after my parents get here and finalize the menu a day or 2 before Christmas Eve. 

But, here it is.  My Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner menus

Christmas Eve

Jalapeno Poppers 

Fat free and my fave!!

(adapted from Cook This!  Not That!)

1 cup mushrooms, diced
1/2 onion, minced
1/2 cup of fat free shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup fat free cream cheese
12 jalapenos

1. Spray a skillet with pan spray.  Sautee onions and mushrooms until soft.
2. Heat oven to 400 degrees
3. In a separate bowl, combine the onions, mushrooms, cream cheese and cheese
4. Slice the jalapenos in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds (leave them in if you want it super spicy)
5. Fill each half of jalapeno with the cheese mixture. 
6. Place them on a baking sheet and bake for about 15-20 minutes until the peppers are soft and the cheese is brown and bubbly. 

Spinach Pie

(Adapted from SkinnyTaste)

(You can find the crust recipe HERE) 

Ingredients
10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1 T dried dill
1 T parsley
1 cup fat free feta
2 T minced garlic
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup fat free milk
1/2 cup egg substitute (equal to 2 eggs)
 1/4 - 1/2 pizza dough recipe

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2.  Spray a pie pan with cooking spray
3. Roll out pizza dough to about 1/8" thick.  Cut it out so it's a bit bigger than your pie pan, lay it inside and crimp the edges
4. Mix together the spinach, green onions, dill, parsley and feta
5. In a seperate bowl mix together all the other ingredient.
6. Mix both mixtures together.
7. Spread in the crust
8. Bake for 28-33 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Let it rest for atleast 5 minutes before cutting it.

(If you use 1/4 of the pizza dough recipe it will add about 51 calories to each slice of pie)

Sliced Fruit
Strawberries
Grapes
Pineapple
Cantaloupe
Apples
Bananas

Sliced Veggies
Mushrooms
Carrots
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Celery
Radishes
Cucumber
Grape Tomatoes

For the fruits I use a yogurt dip:  

Ingredients
2 cups fat free vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup honey (more or less to taste)
1 tsp cinnamon (to taste) 

1. Mix it all together
2. Chill until ready to use

For the veggies I use a simple  

Ranch Dip 

(I found it on the back of the ranch powder container):

Ingredients
3 T ranch dressing powder
16 oz sour cream

1. Stir it all together, cover and refridgerate

Per Mo's request we are having  

PIGS IN A BLANKET

Ingredients
1 package Hillshire Farms Lit'l Smokies
1/2 batch of pizza dough

1. Roll out pizza dough and slice into long strips about 1" wide
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
3. Drain the liquid from the packages of sausages and dry them off
4. Wrap dough around sausages  
5.  Place on a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown

ON TO CHRISTMAS DINNER!!

Gramma's Christmas Cake
This cake has been a Christmas tradition for many, many, many years.  I can't imagine Christmas without this cake.  When I got sick I had to doctor the recipe to make sure I could eat it.  This cake is my mom's Christmas version of a Jello Poke Cake.

White cake  

(taken from CalorieCount.About)

2 c all purpose flour
1 1/3 c sugar
2/3 c cornstarch
4 tsp baking powder
4 egg whites
1 1/3 c skim milk
2/3 c Karo syrup
2 tsp vanilla

1. Grease 2 9inch cake pans
2. Preheat oven to 350
3. Mix together dry ingredients
4. In a separate bowl whisk the liquid ingredients together
5. Add wet ingredients into the dry and mix well
6. Pour into greased pans
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes
8. Remove from pan and cool (Keep the pans though, you'll need them for the next step)

Ingredients to put the cake together
1 box cherry gelatin
1 box lime geletin
2 C boiling water
8 oz whipped topping (Cool Whip, Dream Whip or fresh whipped cream)
  

1. Place the cooled cakes back in the pans.  Poke holes into each cake using a chopstick, skewer or knife.
2. Dissolve cherry gelatin in 1 cup of boiling water, do the same with the lime.
3. Slowly pour the cherry over one layer of cake and the lime over the other cake.
4. Place the pans in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours to set.
5. Take the cakes out of the pans and  use the whipped topping to frost the cakes.
6. Dig in!

Honestly the rest of my Christmas menu is quite simple

Salmon

Ham

Potatoes, Green Beans and Onions

Ingredients

Petite Red Potatoes (or creamer potatoes)

Frozen or Fresh Green Beans

FROZEN Pearl Onions (Mr. Amazing made the mistake of getting me fresh pearl onions for Thanksgiving, they are a pain in the neck to peel!  But, if you can't find frozen, fresh will do)

Directions

1. Clean your potatoes and green beans 
2. If you're using fresh green beans then trim the ends
3. Put potatoes in a pot and fill with water.  
4. Bring the potatoes to a boil and let boil for 15 minutes
5. Add the green beans and onions, bring back to a boil, and boil for approximately 5 minutes.  
6. When everything is done, drain
7.  Serve

 

Rolls

You can either make your own or, if you're lazy like me, you can purchase them.  The only company that makes fat free rolls is Alexia.  Their French Rolls are fat free and very delicious.  

  

Corn 

We're just going to do frozen corn on the cob.  Nice and simple.

Squash with Wilted Spinach 
(The same one from Thanksgiving, ditch the dressing, I'm using butternut and acorn squash and sweet potatoes, and roast some garlic with the potatoes, after you put it on the plate, throw some feta on top)       

Well, there it is, my Christmas dinner and Christmas Eve spread.  Hopefully I've given you some ideas.  If you try any of my recipes please leave me a comment and tell me what you think!