My "Last Supper" BBQ Steak With Portabella's & Onions, Jamaican Black Beans, and Steamed Broccoli

Twas the night before surgery and all through the house not a skillet was empty, not even the BBQ... haha. I don't eat red meat too often so I thought I'd make it worth it tonight.

The steaks were seasoned with good ol' Montreal Steak Seasoning, cayenne pepper and just a little Italian herbs - and BBQ'd them up outside.

Sliced up two large yellow onions, big portabella with a little butter, salt and pepper and sauteed them.

Opened three cans of black beans, sliced up half bunch of cilantro, 2 tb of minced garlic, 2 tb of minced ginger, some more of that Jamaican Jerk seasoning I have used in previous recipes. Little cayenne, salt and pepper - delicious!!

Here is the steaks all done - they were so tender and amazing! The mushrooms and onions on top were so complimentary and amazing! Black beans were I think everyone's favorite part - as well as we had some steamed broccoli on the side that was great mixed in with everything!

I even opened a bottle of wine I have been saving - If you have never heard of them look up Christopher Creek. Some of the best Cab's I have ever had! The wine was perfect with the steak and beans. Limited it to one glass, then drank a ton of water and had a peach for dessert - more water and cut myself at 11:00pm. No food or drink until after surgery tomorrow! Surgery is at 4:00PM wish me luck! :)

As much as I am not excited for surgery thank you everyone for all of your support and I can't wait until I am on the healing side and on my way back to being to 100% health and able to do everything that I love again! Much love to everyone! xo

Tuna Steak Fish Tacos with Black Beans & Pico de Gallo

I know most people use white fishes like tilapia most often in tacos - but we had some Tuna Steaks in the freezer from Trader Joe's to use. So why not?

You need:

-Package of Trader Joe's Frozen Tuna Steaks

-1/2 Onion - diced

-2 cloves garlic diced

-1 Jalapeno - if you like spice!

-1/2 bunch of cilantro chopped 1/4 for Tuna & 1/4 for Beans (or any salsa you like! I bet pineapple salsa would be great!)

-1/4 cup to 1/2 Cup Pico de Gallo

-1 lime - cut in half

- Salt & Pepper

-Can of Black Beans

-Some shredder cabbage

-Avocado

-Pico de Gallo

-Corn Tortillas - optional

I defrost the tuna in room temperature water - not hot water (cooks the fish). While the fish is defrosting I put the chopped onion/garlic & jalapeno if you desire, in a skillet on medium/high heat with a little EVOO and brown it a bit. I chopped up the tuna into big chunks and turned down the heat to medium/low. Add 1/4 cup of pico de gallo in the skillet and squeeze in half of the lime and half of the chopped cilantro. Stir around here and there until tuna is almost cooked all the way through - turn heat on high for just a few minutes to brown everything.

Warm up the tortillas if desired or pile up like a salad - which is what I do. Fish, black beans, cabbage, more pico de gallo, more lime and more cilantro! So refreshing, light and tasty!

Nice thing about this recipe is start to finish it maybe takes 20-30 minutes from chopping to enjoying!

Good Breakfast: Quinoa with Fruit, Agave and Almond Milk

Easy Quinoa Breakfast Cereal!

I love Quinoa - such a diverse food. It's the only carb I'll eat with dinner as it's a complete protein ("Not only is quinoa high in protein, but the protein it supplies is complete protein, meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids."). I love it's nutty flavor and similar-to-couscous texture. I use it in place of pasta & rice - two things I try not to eat too frequently.

For this example I had blueberries & peaches in the fridge so I made the quinoa as normal - very similar to rice but takes less time. Note about quinoa is that it is unlike typical breakfast cereals and you don't want to fill your bowl as much as usual. Quinoa is very hearty and honestly if you eat too much you're going to feel that heavy kind of full. I scooped maybe 4 good spoonfuls out into a bowl and placed it in the fridge and went about making coffee and what not. Took it out when it was about room temp, I cut up a juicy peach I had just bought from Whole Foods, put in a small handful of blueberries and topped with a splash of Almond Milk - which in my opinion so far is the best option for a "milk". Stirred it up and usually for me the fruit is sweet enough but I was craving something a tad sweet so I added just a little bit of agave syrup. It was so yummy! And I was full for hours! You can use honey, different fruit, or for you guys that want more protein - add some almonds or even a scoop of your favorite whey protein powder!

A lot of my recipes as you can see are pretty simple - I will post specific recipes too but I remember when I started cooking the joy of creating my own "thing" and that's kind of what I like to encourage! I want you to make it your own! What's your favorite fruit? What's going bad in the fruit basket or maybe you prefer honey? DO IT!

Sesame Chicken, Kidney Bean, Feta Salad & Salad Ideas

Yummy Salads!

At almost all times, I keep romaine and spinach on hand. I love getting the big 6-head pack from Costco. Otherwise, the best way to create a salad is use what you got! Beans? Celery? Carrots? Beets? Lemon juice? Lime juice? Salsa? Turkey? Chicken? Leftovers? :)

The salad I made the other night stood above the rest though:

Sesame Chicken, Kidney Bean & Feta Salad:

-Need a chicken breast

-Either chicken broth cube or EVOO (see previous posts)

-Sesame Seeds (I prefer toasted)

-Toasted Sesame Seed Oil

-Dried or fresh ginger

-Salt & Pepper

-Romaine Lettuce

-Can or homemade Kidney Beans

-Feta Cheese (I buy the low fat version)

I like to rub sesame seeds and ginger on both sides of the chicken first then put it into a small skillet with either the chicken broth or EVOO in it on medium heat. I use just a few drops of toasted sesame oil on both sides of the chicken as well as a little salt and pepper (when you flip it). Sesame oil is good for blood circulation, fatigue, backaches, hair and hair loss. I flip back and forth a few times as I like the outside to get a little brown and crispy. When cooked all the way through - sometimes I'll just cut it in half on the pan - take it off the pan and cut it into bite size pieces. Chop up some romaine - top with your chicken, I put maybe /13 cup on pinto beans then just a little feta on top. Nice thing about feta is a little bit goes a long way. With the tastes of the sesame and ginger, the nuttiness of the beans and taste of the feta you don't need any dressing in my opinion! But if you feel it's needed - an olive oil/lemon juice dressing would be delicious! Picture was taken after the gym, a little beat as you can tell but a great recovery dinner!

This is actually the insides from the Stuffed Bell Pepper Recipe - I threw it on top of romaine for a quick lunch and it was great! Again, if you're one of those people that need dressing - this is a great opportunity to use salsa or pico de gallo instead of heavy fattening dressings! As you can see I throw kidney beans on salad a lot. They just compliment salads so well! Great source of protein and fiber too!

This a post I will probably add on to later. Trying to get as much posted before my surgery in two days!

If You're Going to Drink, Drink Smart!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

It was my roommate & good friend Jenna's birthday and we had a great time, went out for a few drinks to celebrate last night, something I haven't done in quite some time. It was a great night with great friends!

With eating so healthy, working out and obviously not drinking.. I was quite a lightweight. Two Pomegranate Vodka & Soda Water's with Lime and I was quite happy. Like I said, you still need to live life and have fun - just do it smart! Such as...

My drink: Pomegranate Vodka - 69 calories an ounce - a shot is 1 to 1.5 ounces on average.

Soda water has no calories and a slice of lime has 1 calorie. See Nutrition Facts below.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1/2 wedge or slice (1/8 of one 2" dia lime)
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 0 Calories 1
% Daily Values*
Total Fat 0.01g		0%
	Saturated Fat 0.001g	0%
	Polyunsaturated Fat 0.002g
	Monounsaturated Fat 0.001g
Cholesterol 0mg		0%
Sodium 0mg		0%
Potassium 4mg
Total Carbohydrate 0.42g		0%
	Dietary Fiber 0.1g	0%
	Sugars 0.07g
Protein 0.03g
Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 2%
Calcium 0% Iron 0%

My drink is about 70-105 calories, you really only need one one or two depending on the occasion and basically no carbs! Compared to most of the beers I like are at least 150-200 calories and 20grams of carbs and you usually end up drinking 3-4 of them. Adds up fast!

Basically stay away from the sweet stuff. If you do not like the taste of alcohol and need something to help cover up the taste - there is still smart choices. Such as a mojito, the classic recipe is - white rum, soda water, mint, lime, and sugar or simple syrup BUT you can use agave syrup instead! This is a cool website to check out if you're unfamiliar with the benefits of Agave (http://www.allaboutagave.com/index.php) I get mine at Whole Foods.

Healthier Mojito:

10 fresh mint leaves

1/2 Lime - sliced into 4 wedges

1 tablespoon Agave Syrup, or to taste

1 1/2 Ounces (standard shot) white rum

1/2 cup club soda

1 cup ice

Muddle (smash basically) the mint and one lime slice, add the agave and the other two lime wedges and smash some more. Add the ice, pour the rum over, add soda water - stir, taste, add more agave if need be and garnish with the final lime.

This is just an example... If you still need some juice opt for something that is 100% juice, no added sugars (why do you need sugar with naturally sweet fruit anyway?), and I opt for something like pomegranate, acai, blueberry, cranberry - something that has some antioxidants in it too.

I made a really yummy sesame chicken salad with kidney beans I'll post about it tomorrow. Insomnia is still about the same but alas I must crawl into bed as I have another appointment with the Orthopedic Surgeon tomorrow - wish me luck!

Wishing everyone health & happiness!

Stuffed Baked Peppers with Ground Turkey

The Very Versatile & Very Delicious Stuffed Bell Peppers: :)

I did a Spanish Style this time around...

You need:

-Bell Peppers

-Package of Ground Turkey

-Handful of Spinach

-1 Small Onion (I used Yellow)

-2 Garlic Cloves

- About 1/2 Cup Pice de Gallo (I usually use homemade for this I used fresh store bought)

-1 Carrot - shredded

-Chopped Celery if desired

-About 1/3 cup of shredded pepper jack cheese (optional)

- (I didn't actually use the beans pictured, but they are always a great addition!)

Spices:

-Chili Powder

-Cumin

-Black Pepper

-Italian Herbs

-Cheyenne Pepper

-Veggie Salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Start with chopping the onion and mincing the garlic - throw in a pan on medium heat, let it brown a little bit and then throw in a big handful of spinach and let it reduce down.

I keep my ground turkey in the freezer as I buy it in bulk usually (I love it!) so I let it defrost overnight - then throw it in with the spinach/garlic/onion mixture.

*Again, experiment! What inspired me was we had some pico de gallo & spinach that needed to be used - use what you have!*

Add in your spices! Sorry I didn't measure, something I need to work on. My mom always taught me "to taste" and that's how I have always been. I put just a light sprinkle of cheyenne, a few teaspoons of cumin, chili powder, crushed some fresh black pepper and italian herbs over and added a little bit of veggie salt.

After the turkey has been mixed and I try to chop it up a bit with a spatula, add in the pico de gallo - and stir well. (Homemade pico de gallo is easy to make- this just needed to be used up).

After adding the pico de gallo, I shredded one carrot over the mixture and let it cook for a few more minutes.

Stuff those peppers! I cut the them in half and take out the seeds and some of the ribs. I kind of cram it in, and even put a little on top. Then sprinkle with a little cheese. I rarely eat dairy but we had some cheese about to go bad and it adds such a nice texture & flavor on top.

I had some leftover as seen here - great to throw in with eggs in the morning, or make a little quinoa or even on a salad!

Place your peppers in the oven and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or 25 to brown the cheese a bit - which I did and it turned out amazing and the peppers were nice and soft.

Let cool for a few minutes and serve! I used a fork & butter knife and it was fine. Also, don't be fooled I was pretty stuffed after just one!

This is a recipe you can play with! Next time I am think I may try a "Greek" version. Chopped up olives, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, basil, spinach, and top with some feta!

Please let me know any questions, suggestions, etc! As always thanks for reading and enjoy!

Quick Tip: White Teeth without the Ouch! And it's Cheap!

So, you're sitting with your girlfriends on the outdoor patio enjoying some lunch & sun and an attractive guy walks by... he catches you checking him out and smiles back at you and BAM! The moment is ruined with his non-pearly yellows staring back at you. Not sure about you, but yellow teeth are a big turn off for me. For me it represents the mouth I may be kissing in the future and usually it's a sign of personal hygiene in general.

Ewwwieeee!

I have sensitive teeth - not as sensitive as some (I can live without Sensodyne toothpaste and I won't die if there is ice in my water) but bleaching trays, white strips and the like usually KILL my teeth. First time I tried bleaching trays I was in terrible pain for several days afterwards. I used white strips here and there but always suffered during & after usage as well. I'm not sure if anyone else gets this but I get terrible sharp pains when using them.

I've cut back but I still love my black coffee. Here and there I drink a glass of red wine - famous for staining teeth.

How do I keep my teeth white? A simple 98 cent bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide!

"But Mikaelaa isn't that was has hurt my teeth in the past?" YES! But in high concentrations. Regular over the counter Hydrogen Peroxide is 3% - compared to the 35% with heat and/or light used at the Dentist.

Over the counter H.P. is great for:

• Strengthens teeth
• Fight mouth bacteria
• Heal canker sores
• Soak and wash vegetables / fruits in to kill bacteria and neutralize chemicals
• Brush teeth with for extra protection
• Soak toothbrush in for a few seconds to disinfect (daily)

See this article for more info: http://www.skrewtips.com/2008/05/19/rinse-with-hydrogen-peroxide-for-white-teeth-and-healthy-mouth/

Of course your dentist is going to say there are adverse effects but to date none can be proven, and how can 3% have adverse effects when 35% concentrate doesn't? Hmmmm....

1. Gargle for 30secs-1 minute

I gargle twice a day after brushing my teeth or sometimes I wait and gargle after I have had my morning coffee :)

2. Spit out (never swallow it!) and have a bright smile without the pain!