From the category archives:

Recipes

Chicken Salad and a Giveaway!

by agirlandhermutt on May 10, 2012

Phew. This week has been *rough*. I absolutely love my job and what I do, but right now it is so busy and stressful. I’m having a hard time keeping days straight in my head! Yesterday I spent the ENTIRE day thinking it was Thursday. It was not. But today is and I’m embracing the rest of the week.

I’ve also embraced rotisserie chicken this week. It was on sale at the grocery store so I picked one up and figured that I could pick at it for a few days to make lunches and the random dinner. Problem? Solved.

For the most part my rotisserie chicken just was plain (just pulled that skin off and measured out 3 oz) and eaten in front of my kitchen sink, but for a few lunches I jazzed it up into a chicken salad.

3 oz. chicken

2 tbsp. non-fat plain greek yogurt

About 5 sliced grapes (I used my fun new Grillos Pickled Grapes!) and a bunch of fresh ground pepper.

All together now and in a different bowl. Oops…small bowl mishap!

Rather than eat my chicken salad plain, I took a page from the ol’ Tone It Up Nutrition guide and made a wrap. Instead of a whole wheat wrap, I used lettuce. Nothing inventive, but certainly crisp and a nice change.

I used to love those lettuce wraps from PF Chang’s. There was something addictive about those! I tend to make quite a bit of sandwich type stuff for lunch lately and go through a head of lettuce a week just for the wrap part. That is a lot of lettuce washing, which I’m really lazy about. Gross huh?

Luckily the folks at OXO sent me a Salad Spinner to try out. I used to have one when I was in college, but it was a piece of junk I picked up at the dollar store and I’m pretty sure it put more liquid on my salad than it took off of it.

Not so much with this salad spinner. This sucker is powerful! Just stick your freshly washed greens in the removable basket.

Slide the lock button to the left and it releases a non-slip handle that is used to pump the salad spinner around. WHHEEEEEE!

Once you have done a few WHHEEEEs at the top of your lungs as the salad spins, press the built in brake on the right to stop the spinner from doing its thing.

This is the result of my spinning. I had actually washed and done my typical drying method, but there was still plenty of liquid on those lettuce leaves. I think this says a lot about not only my lazy nature and that I can’t even dry lettuce properly, but also how great this spinner works.

Usually when I make my wraps at night they are a bit soggy by the time I eat them the next day at lunch. After using the spinner I am happy to report that my lovingly packed chicken salad wraps were dry and perfectly edible. AND they didn’t get the cute reusable bags I bought the other day all wet again. FYI…wet chicken salad is gross. Wet chicken salad juice all over your reusable bags is even grosser.

This is going to be super handy when my CSA starts in just a few weeks!

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Ready for the giveaway?! One lucky winner will receive their very own OXO Salad Spinner!

Straight from the OXO website:

Easy, one-handed operation
Patented pump mechanism and brake button
Soft, non-slip knob locks down for convenient storage
Non-slip ring keeps bowl steady on countertop
Basket and non-slip bowl can be used separately
Bowl capacity is 6.22 qts; basket capacity is 4.95 qts
Clear lid disassembles for easy cleaning
Top-rack dishwasher safe
BPA free

5 Easy Ways to Enter to Win! Remember to leave a comment for each entry!

1. Comment on this post telling me what OXO product you are lusting after from their website. oxo.com

2. Follow @agirlandhermutt on Twitter

3. Like A Girl & Her Mutt on Facebook

4. Tweet about this giveaway (Enter to win an @oxo Salad Spinner from @agirlandhermutt! )

5. Follow me on Pinterest!

Contest will close Sunday night, 5/13.

*Just a note…the spinner was given to me by OXO for a giveaway. All opinions and ridiculous statements are all my own. *

{ 25 comments }

Weekday Success Round-Up!

by agirlandhermutt on May 4, 2012

Hi friends! I’m rolling into Friday with a smile on my face. I’ve had a successful and productive week which always makes me enjoy my weekends even more. I worked out. I made a few decent meals. I stuck to my meal plan. I made time to spend some quality time with The Mutt. Not too shabby for a 5 day span, right?

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1. Work out- This week I had a goal to try Piloxing again. I took it last weekend and was less than thrilled with it. However, my regular Zumba instructor added Piloxing to her list of classes that she teaches so I figured why the heck not. HOLY.PILOXING. This workout was…intense. This video will give you an idea of the basic moves of the class, but bump it up a few notches with a lot of jumping around and that is what my class Wednesday was like. You will notice that this video doesn’t have people wearing shoes. There is NO way you could get away without wearing shoes in my version of Piloxing.

After my piloxing class I had a massage scheduled which was great because I can’t imagine how much my arms and shoulders would have been screaming without it. As it was on Thursday I had a hard time brushing my hair.

Final verdict on Piloxing: Just like any other fitness class, the instructor is key to a great workout. The moves aren’t hard to follow at all! I liked the intensity of this class and could really feel myself working the entire time. I don’t necessarily think the weighted gloves that are in the video are needed. The punching was workout enough for me!

2. A few decent meals-You know the saying “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. Well that statement has never been truer for me. My meals were ALL tasty (and nutritious!), but wow…they look gross.

Taco Salad with Non-Refried Beans (Salad, 4 oz. ground turkey, 1 tbsp taco seasoning, greek yogurt & salsa verde dressing)

Zucchini noodles with Black Bean “Meatballs”(1 zucchini, 4 oz. Tone It Up black bean burgers, 1/2 c. spaghetti sauce, a couple of chopped black olives, a little nutritional yeast)

Chili on a Plate (1/2 cup black beans, 4 oz. ground turkey, 1 tbsp taco seasoning, 5 grape tomatoes, 1/2 jalapeno, diced red onion, a crapload of Mrs. Dash Herb & Garlic seasoning, a few shakes of chili powder…all stuffed and thrown over red and yellow bell peppers)

Stuffed Mini Peppers (2 mini bell peppers, 1 oz. turkey slices, 2 tbsp. roasted garlic hummus, 1/2 string cheese)

See what I mean?! Nothing was looking too pretty in my house, but everything tasted good going down my gullet.

3. Meal Plan- I have officially been following the Tone It Up Nutrition plan for 2 weeks. The first week was a kick-off with a 5 Day Slim Down. I lost 6 lbs but most important, I really learned some valuable lessons. For instance, dairy and I are BFF. I could easily eat my daily WW points in cheese. Unfortunately, my body just does not deal with it that well. I have NOT cut out dairy, but I have certainly cut back on it. I’m using the guidance from the TIU plan to help me make my meal plans and so far soooo good. I feel better, my skin is looking great (Big ups to Apple Cider Vinegar!), and I’m losing the pounds. I’ve had a few emails asking me to do a full review which I will do after a month or so with the plan. I’ll keep ya posted!

Here are my 2 fave workout videos from the TIU girls.

Sandcastle Workout: Legs & Core

SELF’s 8 Simple Sculptors from the magazine’s DROP 10 Challenge

4. Quality Time with the Mutt- I try to stretch and he plants himself right on my yoga mat. It doesn’t stop there though. He then just goes to town licking himself and me. Usually it goes in this order…lick the mat, lick the paws, lick the his stuff, lick my toes, I yell at him. Repeat. If that isn’t a relaxing stretch session, I don’t know what is.

Good thing he is so dang cute.

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Phew….so that was my random, but extremely productive week all wrapped up with a pretty bow. I hope you guys had a good week. Enjoy your weekend!

Have you ever tried workout videos from YouTube?

PS. I have a new button on the <—-left to follow me on Pinterest. Follow me. Its fun! I’m killin’ time left and right pinning.

ANNND! If you are a TIU gal and want to check-in with me on Twitter then check out my TIU twitter at @ErinTIU.

See ya Monday!

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Celebrating Cinco de Mayo a little early…

by agirlandhermutt on May 2, 2012

Hello friends! Yesterday was doom and gloom in Boston and it made me just want to crawl back under my covers and nap the day away. Unfortunately I have a job and they would probably frown on “napping” as my reason for not going to work. Instead I trucked my butt into work and secretly was glad that if I had to be at work that at least it wasn’t a beautiful day outside that I was missing.

I ended up having a good day and by the time I got home I was feeling festive, but ready to chow down. Fortunately I had some beans in the slow cooker and it turned into a Mexican Fiesta. Early Cinco de Mayo celebration?! Sure, why not?!

Any time I’m feeling a little hungry for tacos or Mexican food I whip up my favorite “Taco” Salad. It is super easy, full of healthy eats, and really filling!

Start with the base. Throw together whatever veggie goodies you like. I typically go with 2 c. of bibb lettuce mix, 1/2 c. chopped peppers, 5 or so grape tomatoes, a few slices of red tomato and 1/4 avocado. Always apply black pepper liberally.

While this looks delish, it isn’t quite there yet. Add 4 oz. ground turkey mixed with 1 tbsp of homemade taco seasoning or premade reduced sodium taco seasoning.

Eh. Alllllmmmmoooost there. Mix together 2 tbsp plain non-fat greek yogurt with 2 tbsp of your favorite salsa. I ran out of regular salsa so I added salsa verde this time. So creamy and a little savory!

Usually this would make the meal and I’d be settled on the couch watching People’s Court at this point. BUT! I thought ahead and put together some refried beans.

Slow Cooker Non-Refried Beans
In the mix (Serves 8, 1/2 cup servings):
-2 cups dry pinto beans
-1/2 onion, diced
-1/2 jalapeno, diced (or several jalapeno slices)
-2 garlic cloves, diced
-2 tsp cumin
-3 tsp salt
-2 tsp pepper
-1 tsp chili powder, optional but great for a little more heat
-8 cups water

*Throw everything in the slow cooker and cook on high for 8 hours. Drain bean mixture, but reserve the liquid. Mash to desired consistency while adding in reserved liquid as needed.

However, if you are running short on time you could always do my K.I.S.S method for non-refried beans. No, these are not authentic, but they taste great and work in a pinch for when you are trying to satisfy a serious refried beans craving.

Lets just put this out there…refried beans DO NOT photograph well. Yes, I have lighting issues in general, but these just look disgusting. Kind of like baby poo? Ugh. I promise they tasted much better than they looked. I’m trying to cut down on my dairy intake so I skipped the shredded cheese this time and added a sprinkling of nutritional yeast.

All together now…

Glorious. Healthified. Ole!

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In addition to this epic combo, I wanted to share some of my other favorite Cinco de Mayo recipes from other bloggers. All of these recipes and tips are sure to quench your thirst or satisfy your taste buds without adding inches to the waistline. You best believe that some of these will be on my plate this weekend!

-Skinny Beergaritas from Eat Yourself Skinny