SWASHBUCKLED! (S2E9): Ryan’s Life Hacks for Sweet Abs

What can we say, except…[You’re] Welcome! This week, we celebrate all foods Ryan Haringa, our favorite demi-god amongst men! He sings, he acts, he’s intelligent… Okay, mostly we’re just obsessed withi his perfect abs. Marie got her hands on Ryan’s meal plan, and this week she and Amanda are setting out to get a “Body by Ryan” by cooking the things he eats every day: ground turkey, spinach, bell peppers, and…Peanut M&Ms*?

*Peanut M&Ms not available at Trader Joe’s. Discover the answer to this dilemma and more, by watching now.

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Following a diet plan that called for rock solid abs meant that Amanda’s refrigerator was full of healthy ingredients. Unfortunately, it was stocked with the same items that Marie brought (thus the spite bag reference).

But with most reducing diets, when you deprive yourself and restrict calories, you usually start to crave high fat, high sugar and generally unhealthy foods…which you’ll see in action in this episode. We don’t know how Ryan does it! (must be those daily 6 MnM’s! and One Bars!

Ingredients featured in this week’s episode:

 

Couple notes about the meals we prepared:

• The zoodles were great. When we make this again, we’ll use a leaner ground turkey. The additional fat adds a great mouthfeel and flavor, but we would use a little extra heart healthy olive oil instead.
• When you make zoodle bowls, add the zucchini at the very end. The longer they cook, the more fluid they release and turn mushy. We suggest you add the zucchini and parmesan, then turn the burner off. Top with cheese and put in the broiler for a minimal amount of time. The zucchini will soften enough with the other hot foods in the pan and in the oven.
• We added protein powder to our ice cream. It tasted pretty good, but didn’t last in the freezer. Not because we ate it all, but because it solidified to a point it was inedible. If you choose to do this, we suggest eating within the hour of making or enjoy as a milkshake.

Spinach, Bell Pepper & Turkey Zoodle Bake

• Servings: 4
• Time: 15 min
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Recipe by Amanda Hibshman, RDN

Ingredients

• 1 pound Ground Turkey
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 Enjoya Peppas
• 1 Bag Spinach
• Salt and Pepper 1/2 tsp each
• 1 large or 2 medium zucchini
• 1/4 cup Roasted Tomato Basil Hummus
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/4 Quattro formaggio cheese

Directions

1. Over high heat add ground turkey. Add salt & pepper. Cook through. Remove and set aside. Drain turkey fat. While this is cooking, spiralize zucchini.
2. In the same pan, add olive oil. Once hot, add in peppers and sauté for a few minutes. Once soft, add spinach and let cook for another minute. Add in hummus.
3. At the last minute, turn off burner and stir in zucchini noodles and parmesan. Top with Quattro fromaggio cheese and place in the broiler (low) for a few minutes (watch closely).  Remove and top with parsley and serve.

High Protein Sundae with Exactly 6 Peanut MnMs

• Servings: 3
• Time: 10 min
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Recipe by Amanda Hibshman, RDN

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup full fat Vanilla Ice Cream
• 2 Scoops Vanilla Protein Powder
• 1/3 cup Chocolate Covered Peanuts
• 6 Mnms
• Chocolate Syrup

Directions

1. Combine ice cream and protein powder in a blender and blend on high speed for 30 seconds. Turn on low and add chocolate covered peanuts and mnms.
2. Transfer to individual bowls and top with chocolate syrup.

 

 

 

 

 

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SWASHBUCKLED! (S1E5): Brupper for Bros (AKA. The Father’s Day Special)

Our biggest critic (Amanda’s husband) recently asked, “why can’t you just make something simple, like meat and potatoes?” Here in the Fearless Flying Kitchen, we like to take our fans (and critics) opinions seriously…which is why we have “meat and potatoes week” for all the Bro’s out there.

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Ingredients featured in this week’s episode:

 

This week, we throw Amanda’s husband a solid, by making a meal out of meat, potatoes, “not meat” and “not potatoes.”

We went with a savory brunch for dinner, which we have officially coined as “Brupper” (add that to your urban dictionary!)

The meal’s base is a blend of mashed red and yellow potatoes with frozen mashed cauliflower. The two are blended together with some Parmesan cheese and herbs and spices and formed into a patty (a savory pancake)

The bag of potatoes also came with purple potatoes. We didn’t include these in the mash, because they would have turned it a funky color. Instead, we rinsed and quartered then, added a splash of olive oil, salt and pepper, and put them in the oven to roast at 400 degrees for about a half an hour.

Next up is the soy-chorizo creamed spinach. Full of so much flavor! At this point, if you are a vegetarian (or just don’t like or have steak) you could top with a poached egg for a fun take on an eggs Benedict.

The steak we used in the episode is a little bit tough, and is perfect for braising (cooked with a liquid). We tried to soften it up a bit by pounding and soaking in buttermilk (the acid can help soften the tough meat), but in the end, it still wasn’t the ideal texture. If we had more time in the kitchen, we definitely would have let the meat marinate for a lot longer (or try a different, wet cooking method, like braising).

To finish off the dish, we ended with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. Lots of flavor!

Lastly,  before you get to these awesome recipes…We did have a bit of a challenge with our new technology (the challenge was that Amanda accidentally deleted all the footage before uploading it), so apologies for the lack of actual cooking footage on the episode. We’ll work it out and make it work for future episodes. Thanks dad for the technology boost!

Parmesan Potato Pancakes

• Servings: 8
• Time: 20 min
• Difficulty: easy
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Recipe by Amanda Hibshman, RDN

Ingredients

• 7 Small Red or Yellow Potatoes
• 1/2 Bag Frozen Mashed Cauliflower
• 1 Egg
• 1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Romano Cheese Blend
• 1/4 tsp Dried Parsley
• 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tbsp Everything but the Bagel Seasoning
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Spray canola or olive oil

Directions

1. Pierce potatoes and place in a microwave safe dish with a tablespoon of water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 6 minutes. Add half the bag of mashed cauliflower, re-cover, and microwave for another 4-6 minutes, until potatoes are soft and cauliflower is no longer frozen. Mash the potatoes and cauliflower together, add egg, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, parsley, salt and pepper and mix well. Let cool a little bit and turn on griddle (electric to about 350 or a stovetop griddle to medium-high).
2. Spray griddle with oil. Take a dollop of potato/cauliflower mixture and flatten into a patty (It will be really sticky, but that’s ok, you can get it mostly there, then continue to flatten with spatula once it is on the griddle ) and place on the hot griddle. Cook on each side for about 4-5 minutes, until it has a nice little brown mark on it.

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Soyrizo Creamed Spinach

• Servings: 4
• Time: 20 min
• Difficulty: easy
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Recipe by Amanda Hibshman, RDN

Ingredients

• 1/2 package of Soy Chorizo
• 1 tsp Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp Onion, minced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 3 Cups Fresh Spinach (whole bag)
• 2 Heaping Tbsp Grated Parmesan Romano Cheese Blend
• 2 Tbsp Half and Half
• 1/4 Cup Lowfat Milk

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add minced onion and garlic then sauté for about 3-4 minutes. Add soy chorizo and continue to cook for about 5 minutes. Add spinach and let cook down for another 2-3 minutes. Add milk, half and half, and parmesan cheese. Continue to cook over medium-high heat for another couple minutes. Turn off heat and cover until ready to serve.

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Buttermilk Steak Medallions

• Servings: 6
• Time: 60 min
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Recipe by Amanda Hibshman, RDN

Ingredients

• 1 lb Sirloin Medallions
• 1/2 Cup Buttermilk
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 Vegetable Oil

Directions

1. Pound sirloin steak tips with a mallet to tenderize and flatten. Place in a ziplock bag with buttermilk, garlic powder, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Squeeze air out of ziplock, seal, and place in refrigerator for at least a half an hour (longer preferred).
2. When ready to cook, take steak out of ziplock, season each side with additional salt and pepper, and drudge through flour. Place oil in a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Once hot (will sizzle when something is placed in skillet), then add flour coated steak medallions. Cook for a few minutes on each side (you want it to be brown and crispy on the outside.

 

SWASHBUCKLED! S2E1: Jessie Spano Special

Welcome Back!

We’re SO EXCITED! We’re SO EXCITED! And unlike Jessie Spano in Saved by the Bell, we are NOT scared to bring you SEASON TWO of SWASHBUCKLED!

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Ingredients featured in this week’s episode include:

85% Lean Ground Beef

Chevere with Honey

Heart of Palm Medallions

Organic Thyme

The reasons behind the choices? Marie chose ground beef because she just loves a good cheeseburger. The chèvre cheese, because, why not? In our Simpler Wines Facebook Live Event, our friend, Ryan, suggested we use “Palm of Heart” in one of our recipes. And last, she brought thyme as a way to pay homage to one of our favorite 90’s TV shows, Saved By The Bell.

Really wanting to impress Marie for the season premier, Amanda decided to go for the cheeseburger, even though there wasn’t any buns in the house. We made this awesome 40-minute Hamburger Bun Recipe from Taste of Home. It was quick and easy, and had a biscuit-like quality to it. We replaced 1 cup of the flour with White Wheat Flour for an earthier flavor and improved nutrition profile. Make sure you watch the episode for extra tips on making yeast bread from scratch.

However, if you don’t want to make your own bread and have an opportunity to go to the store, these Parm-Iago Rosemary Rolls (pictured to right) make excellent slider buns and would work well in this recipe.

We started out by “blooming” our thyme, which releases more flavor than just sprinkling into whatever you are preparing. Since some flavor compounds in some herbs and spices are fat soluble, you can extract more flavor when they are cooked (over low heat) with a fat source. We chose a mixture of oil and butter for this recipe, but you could easily just choose one or the other. Remove the herb before adding other ingredients.

(SPOILER ALER) We loved this meal and would definitely do it again. Highly recommended!

'Never Enough Thyme' Burgers

• Servings: 6
• Time: 20 min
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Recipe by Amanda Hibshman, RDN

Ingredients

• 85% lean Ground Beef
• 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 tsp Worchestershire Sauce
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 10 sprigs of Fresh Thyme
• 1 Red Onion, thinly sliced
• 1 Bag Hearts of Palm (or Palm of Hearts), sliced
• 3 Garlic Cloves
• 1 bag fresh spinach
• 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
• Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
• Chèvre with Honey
• Glaze (Balsamic Glaze)
• Your favorite bun (we love THIS RECIPE)

Directions

1. Infuse thyme into oil and butter: over medium-low heat, melt butter and add olive oil and 8 sprigs of thyme. cook on low for about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove thyme and discard. Turn heat up to medium or medium-high, and add sliced onion and sautée for a couple minutes, then add heart of palm. Cook for 5 minutes then add spinach, garlic, mustard and 2 additional thyme stems (chopped). Cook until spinach has cooked down. Salt and pepper to taste.
3. Make burger patties: Preheat grill to medium-high. Combine ground beef, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper with hands. Mix well. Form into 6 balls and squash them into thin patties. Set aside (and don’t forget to wash your hands with warm soapy water!) Cook for about 4 minutes per side, until internal temperature of 165˚F is reached.
4. To assemble, slice bread in half, butter each half and cook on griddle for a couple minutes, until golden brown. Place a tablespoon of goat cheese on top bun, burger patty on the bottom, topped with 1/4 cup mixture of onions, spinach and heart of palm. Top with “GLAZE” (balsamic reduction or balsamic glaze).

“Never Enough Thyme” Burgers, featuring Balsamic Glaze, Chèvre with Honey, Hearts of Palm, and Spinach.

Visit our PATREON PAGE for more ways on how to contribute monthly to The Fearless Flying Kitchen, and get some awesome rewards.

Meal Prep Monday: Greek Chicken Salad

Meal prep on a Monday? That’s crazy talk!

Each week, I will create a different “salad of the week” for my husband’s lunches. I hate doing anything other than relaxing in the afternoon and evening, so I always end up prepping salads for the week bright and early Monday morning. And from working with clients, I know that meal prepping on Sunday is the bane of existence (I feel that too).

Thanks to Trader Joe’s, meal prep can be a breeze. Each week, I am going to share with you all of my recipes and creations that are literally thrown together in a few minutes, bright and early Monday morning!

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This week’s salad features:

GRILLED CHICKEN STRIPS

If you could purchase stock in food ingredients from Trader Joe’s, this would be mine. I am not normally a fan of pre-cooked and sliced chicken, because they are usually loaded with preservatives and lacking flavor. But these moist and flavorful chicken strips are the perfect refrigerator staple to make your meals a little bit easier. One package usually gets me through three salads.

TABBOULI

I love the addition of grains (especially whole grains) to entrée salads. But that often requires thinking ahead and a little extra time. This tabbouli uses traditional bulgur wheat, parsley, tomatoes, onions and mint leaves. I usually put about a quarter of a package (1/4 cup) on the salad, which provides 75 calories, 6g fat, 160mg sodium and 4.5g carbohydrates (1g fiber).

CRUMBLED FETA

The last star of the show is Feta Cheese. Trader Joe’s has the best cheese selection around, and there are so many feta options. I love the full fat without the additional mediterranean herbs. You could also forgo the feta and use the Greek Feta Dressing if that’s your thing.

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The base of the salad was a blend of Organic Spinach and Organic Arugula lettuce. Topped with Shredded Carrots (another time saver!) Tabbouli, peeled and sliced Cucumbers, halved Grape Tomatoes, Crumbled Feta Cheese, and slices of Grilled Chicken Strips. Lucky for my husband, the Green Goddess Dressing was in stock this week at our local store, so that’s what he got to top his salads for the week.

We also always stock up on Baby Carrots and bag them up into individual portions at the beginning of the week. Gala Apples are a mainstay in our house, we usually buy about 10 every trip to Trader Joe’s.

Stay tuned for next week’s WEEKLY SALAD for MEAL PREP MONDAY!

Summer Spinach Tortellini Salad

This past weekend, I went up to the mountains with my mom (who is a vegetarian) and my daughter (who regularly survives on bread and cheese alone) to attend my dear friend’s 10 year wedding vow renewal ceremony. I volunteered to pack a lunch to make sure we had everything we needed for the all-day-affair. What to make that would keep in a cooler for hours and satisfy both of their needs? Thus, the Summer Spinach Tortellini Salad recipe was born! Good news was that it lasted hours without wilting, was full of vegetables, and provided the little one with enough carbohydrates to keep her going. Bad news is that I didn’t make enough to get a second helping.

• Servings: 6
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Ingredients:

• 1 Package of Spinach Tortellini
• 1/2 Bag of Organic Spinach, rinsed and dried
• 1/2 Bag of Organic Frozen Broccoli
• 1/2 Cup Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Diced
• 1 Bell Pepper, Diced
• 1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded
• 1/2 Cup Tuscan Italian Dressing

Directions: Fill a large pot with about 4 quarts of water. Bring to boil over high heat. Add frozen broccoli. in 2 minutes, add Spinach Tortellini and cook until done, about 5 minutes (the package says 2-3 minutes, but because you will be adding something frozen just prior, it will decrease the temperature, thus needing more time). Prior to removing from the heat, add red bell peppers and sun-dried tomatoes, (to rehydrate them) for just a few seconds, then remove from heat and strain well, and rise with cold water.  In a separate bowl, combine spinach, mozzarella and the strained pasta/veggie mixture with 1/2 cup Tuscan Italian dressing. Cover and chill for at least an hour before serving.

Spinach, Mushroom & Beef Lasagna

Growing up, lasagna was this elusive meal only consumed by cats that sounded like Bill Murray. For some reason, we never ate it at my house. Perhaps it is the lack of Italian ancestors in my family tree? I am not sure.

Any who, fast forward about 20 years, my best friend invites me to her dad’s lasagna party. Every year, her very Italian (and awesome) father cooks multiple pans of delicious lasagna and opens his home to about a hundred of their closest family and friends. This was one of the best parties ever, not only because the wine flowed as fast as the videos of Father Guido Sarducci, but the lasagna was incredible. Now, long story short, at this point in my life, I had eaten my fair share of lasagna, but I still hadn’t ever made it. So, when the time came, I asked my friend to give me some pointers, and what does she do? She straight up gives me a link to re-create her fathers lasagna. Score! So, for the past few years, this has been a stand-by recipe. Only recently have I started to alter it to make it more of “my own.”

I did a couple of tweaks to make it a healthier choice, such as swapping regular ricotta for non-fat, decreasing the amount of meat, and using more veggies. And I am willing to bet that as soon as TJ’s starts to carry whole wheat lasagna noodles, that will be another swap!

Spinach and Mushroom Beef Lasagna

• Servings: 8-10
• Print

 

Ready for the oven!

Ingredients:

• Lasagna Sauce (see recipe below)
• Ricotta Cheese Mixture (see recipe below)
• 1 bag mozzarella cheese
• 1 package (12) lasagna noodles
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (Fresh if possible)
• 1 tbsp butter

Directions:

1. Make sauce (see below)
2. Make ricotta mixture (see below)
3. Butter 13×9 dish
4. Assemble: noodle, 1/2 ricotta, 1/3 sauce, mozzarella, noodle, 1/2 ricotta, 1/3 sauce, mozzarella, noodle, 1/3 sauce, Parmesan and a little more mozzarella (but not too much)
5. Bake at 350 for 35-40 min. Let sit a few minutes prior to serving.

Lasagna Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 lb 96/4 ground beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, or 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 bag mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 bag baby spinach
• 1 jar Tomato Basil pasta sauce

Directions:

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, start to brown ground beef. Once it starts to release its juices, add diced onions and cook until meat is starting to brown and onions are starting to soften. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook until mushrooms begin to soften. Add pasta sauce and put to simmer on a low heat for about a half an hour. Towards the end, add spinach until just wilted and remove from heat.

Ricotta Cheese Mixture

Ingredients:

• 1 container non- fat ricotta
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup Parmesan
• 2 tsp basil, dried
• 1 tsp oregano, dried
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a bowl and stir until combined.

Suggested pairings: 

A nice Chianti

sautéed zucchini sprinkled with parmesan cheese

A light salad with balsamic glaze, meyer lemon olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground pepper

The Mean Green Smoothie

I sometimes think that if pizza never existed, smoothies might be my favorite food. They are so versatile and you can easily customize the nutrition profile by adding different fruits, veggies, protein powder, nuts, etc. Lucky for me, my little one loves smoothies too, and asks for them almost as often as she asks for MnMs.

When you are making green smoothies, you can start with picking a green vegetable. This one calls for spinach, but I have also been known to throw some kale if I have some in my fridge. Then I pick some light colored, frozen fruit. I usually have bananas stocked in my freezer, so that is a given. Then I’ll add whatever TJ’s has in stock (they often run out of frozen mango), usually pineapple and mango. You can add other fruit, such as berries, but it turns the beautiful green smoothie into a brown color. Still delicious, but doesn’t really match the name. Then pick a protein, my go-to as of late has been non-fat vanilla Greek yogurt, but also have some Trader Joe’s Whey Protein powder in my pantry for back up. Using the sweetened Greek Yogurt gives a little but more robust flavor to the smoothie, which I like.

For the last month or so, I have been blogging and vlogging for Nutrition Milestones, which is a team of dietitians that provide nutrition services for people going through life changes, such as pregnancy, parenthood, weddings, medical diagnoses, etc. Olive and I recently shared with them our Green Smoothie recipe, take a look!

• Servings: 2
• Time: 5 min
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Ingredients:

• 2-3 cups spinach, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup non-fat vanilla Greek yogurt (approx. Just use one small 6 oz container)
• 1 frozen banana
• 1/2 cup frozen mango
• 1/2 cup frozen pineapple
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup Milk of choice or water

Directions:

1. Put in blender and blend on high until smooth. If you need to think it out more, add additional water or milk.