Hi, my name is Jen and I’m addicted to roasted broccoli

Hi there!

Did you get smacked by the Nor’easter that blew through last night?

We didn’t get snow 😦  but we definitely got the cold. And the wind. And the windchill factor.

source

The forecast for tomorrow is not any warmer, either. To the tune of about 19 degrees in the morning. And that’s without the potential wind chill factor.

Good thing I have lined running tights! I’m pretty sure I’ll be running my final long run kinda quick tomorrow. 🙂

So, I have a new favorite way of making vegetables, especially broccoli.

I actually think I may be addicted.

I don’t know what took me so long to try it.

Have you ever roasted broccoli in the oven?

I mean, I’ve roasted veggies with chickens, pork roasts, etc and I’ve roasted potatoes, bell peppers, tomatoes and onions but for some reason, I never did broccoli.

Oven roasted broccoli is seriously the BEST. THING. EVER.

Well, not according to Thing 2 but she’s crazy. Teenagers, sheesh!

I could seriously eat roasted broccoli every single day.

So, I picked up one of those fancy bags of precut broccoli, cauliflower and carrots.

I had big, big plans for those veggies. BIG.

And, I figured since there was cauliflower and carrots in there, Thing 2 wouldn’t fuss as much if I roasted broccoli – AGAIN.

Yeah, that didn’t work out as planned but I didn’t care.

So, here’s how you do it.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly spray with nonstick spray.

Trust me on that. I didn’t do it once and I was peeling foil off the broccoli.

Put all your lovely cut up broccoli (and cauliflower and carrots, if you want) on that baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. How much you use is completely up to you – I used about a tablespoon for this batch.

Toss all the veggies in the oil and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Then, if you’re a garlic fanatic like me or really worried about vampires, slice up a few cloves of garlic and toss those on the pan.

Give the pan a final toss and get it into the oven.

Roast those babies for about 20-25 minutes.

If your smoke detector goes off, you may have roasted them a little too long.  But, it’s okay, slightly burnt broccoli is AMAZING!

If you don’t like it, call me. I’ll come eat it. Really.

Om nom nom!

 Talk to me: What’s your favorite way to serve broccoli?

– jennifer

Stuffed Potatoes with Roasted Veggies

Hello, hello!

Can you believe it’ll be a whole new year in just 2 days!?!

I have BIG plans and goals for 2014. BIG!

I can’t wait to share them with you!

Okay, honestly, it’s not like I’m going to wait long. Tomorrow’s the day!

Can you wait until tomorrow?

I’m not sure I can – I’m so excited and PUMPED about them!

I’d share them today but I have something tastier to share with you. 🙂

Remember that little “gift to myself” I bought when I was out doing last minute Christmas shopping?

Well, I have been totally LOVING it.

And, *sneak preview alert*, it’s helped shape part of my plans for 2014. 🙂

There are some really delicious recipes in this book!

OH! That reminds me! This book came with 2 trial issues of Clean Eating Magazine! Hang on a second – I have to run the card out to the mailbox so I can take advantage!! BRB!

Okay. I’m back. Thanks for waiting. Phew! So glad I remembered to do that!

Anyhow, I found a recipe in there for stuffed potatoes with roasted veggies.

Um, yeah. So TOTALLY making that.

And I did!

With a few small tweaks, of course. Because, you know, that’s how I roll.

Actually, one was because my grocery store was lacking.

The other  two were by choice.

The recipe calls for Yukon Gold potatoes.

I love Yukon Gold potatoes. LOVE. Alas, my grocery store did not have any. 😦

So, I used Russets. A fair substitute but the cooking time/process changes a little. I set my crockpot to high per the recipe and, while the veggies cooked perfectly, the potatoes did not finish. I had to microwave them for about 9 minutes afterwards. Which is fine. Frustrating, but fine. So, just be aware of that if you use Russets instead of Yukon Golds.

The recipe calls for yellow onion. I chose to use red onion instead. I thought the flavor of the red onion would be better. I also increased the cayenne pepper to 1/2 teaspoon. It just seemed to be the right thing to do. And honestly, don’t tell the peeps at Clean Eating, but I think I was right. It was amazing!

And, I served it with a side of bacon. Because, well, it’s bacon!

Bacon. Is. Awesome.

Stuffed Potatoes with Roasted Veggies
Makes 4 servings

Olive oil cooking spray
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 red onion, cut into 8 wedges
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 carrot, scrubbed well and thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 6-ounce Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed well
¼ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon each sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper
½ cup shredded low-fat sharp cheddar cheese
¼ cup crumbled low-fat bleu cheese

1. Coat a 6-qt slow cooker with cooking spray. Add bell pepper, onion, corn, carrot, cayenne, and oil; stir to combine. Using a fork, pierce potato in several spots, wrap in foil and place over top of pepper-corn mixture. Cover and cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low.

2. Remove potatoes and set aside for 5 to 10 minutes. Add parsley, garlic, salt, and black pepper to pepper-corn mixture and stir to combine.

LOVE the colors in this dish!

3. In a small bowl, add cheddar and bleu cheese and toss gently until well blended. Remove potatoes from foil and cut each in half lengthwise.

4. Fluff potato flesh with a fork and top with cheese mixture and roasted veggies.

5. Om. Nom. Nom.

Nutrition per stuffed potato:
Calories 275; Fat 7g (saturated 2g, monounsatured 3g, polyunsaturated 1g); Carbs 45g (fiber 5g, sugar 5g); Protein 10.5g; Sodium 230mg

Question: What’s your favorite way to top a potato?

– jennifer

Roasted Veggie & Chicken Stew

Hello, hello!

Can you believe that Christmas is right around the corner?!

I was out doing some last minute Christmas shopping and I came across this.

I just had to have it!

So, I bought it. 🙂

Hey, surely I’m not the only person in the world who’s done that?

I am?

Oh.  Well. Don’t judge me.

Anywho, it’s been a super busy physical week for me.

Raked 28 bags of leaves on Monday, smashed my fingers for good measure, 5 1/4 mile tempo/hill run on Tuesday, 9 miles on Thursday + a 3 mile walk through the park with Thing 2, and another 3 mile walk in the park with my sailor yesterday.

I was supposed to do 20 miles this morning.

Um, no.

I twisted my foot a little on Thursday and, after yesterday’s walk, there was no way my foot was going to hold up. It’s not swollen but it’s definitely stiff. It’s been healing pretty well since I did whatever to it back a few months ago but I don’t want to take any chances.

So, I’m resting it and I’ll jump back on the mileage on Monday.

I’m feeling more confident about being able to finish the marathon but I certainly can’t go into it with a hurt foot.

I’ve been so hungry this week!

And, really tired. Holy cow, am I getting a ton of sleep!

And totally craving veggies!

So, I made up a dish with some yummy roasted veggies, rotisserie chicken, and black beans.

Om nom nom!

Roasted Veggie & Chicken Stew

1 rotisserie chicken, pulled apart and bones discarded (or, roast your own chicken and shred that bad boy up)
1 sweet potato, cut into wedges
2 red bell peppers, cut into chunks
handful of baby carrots (as many as you want)
1 small red onion, cut into quarters
1 small yellow onion, cut into quarters
5-10 garlic cloves, NOT peeled (I love garlic so I used 10. You may not love garlic as much as me. Fine. Remove the papery coating but don’t peel the cloves)
Olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup chicken broth
fresh rosemary, thyme and sage (aka the poultry blend)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place sweet potato, bell peppers, carrots, onions, and garlic on large, rimmed baking sheet. Toss with olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes. Let cool slightly.

2. Shred rotisserie chicken into a large Dutch oven and add black beans.

3. Toss with roasted veggies and chopped herbs. Add broth (up to a cup) and heat over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes, until heated through and seasonings mesh. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.

4. EAT!

Question: Sweet potatoes – yum or yuck?