It seemed that this weekend was all about cooking and eating! This post will have recipes for a Green Monster, Blueberry Orange Muffins, and a Tex-Mex soup that is the soup version of a “junk salad.” (A junk salad is a salad that is a bunch of miscellaneous ingredients tossed in a bowl to make a salad.)
In preparation of next week’s 10K and my questionable right leg, I needed to try a run to see what my current situation was. I should have practiced outside, but I didn’t want to get too far from home if I really needed to stop. So onto the treadmill. The goal was 3 miles at a slow steady pace, and I ended up going 5! I was surprised and thankful that something I have been doing this last week is working.
I have told you I am a slow runner, but I ran 5 miles in 55 minutes, which is actually faster than my usual pace. I will keep up with the icing and stretching, and hope that next week goes well! At least I have a little more confidence than the last few days. Sunday I did a spinning class to rest my legs from the pounding.
Onto the eats! After the 5 miles on Saturday morning, I was starving by noon. Like could have eaten anything put in front of me. So I made a Green Monster and a PB&J Sandwich. It hit the spot! My green monster was basic and filling:
Green Monster:
1 banana
lots of spinach (2-3 cups?)
3/4 C milk (i didn’t measure)
1/2 Truvia sweetener
2 strawberries
handful of ice
blend away! it was thick and very tasty. If you have not had a Green Monster and are scared by the green, just try it! It tastes like banana, not spinach. And if you add berries, the smoothie turns purple.
The PB&J was Maranatha Creamy PB, Crofter’s Superfruit Jam, and Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin bread.
I will get better at picture taking.
Onto the next baking adventure:
For Mother’s Day brunch, I made Blueberry Orange muffins by Ingredients Inc.
Blueberry-Orange Muffins
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Yield: 16 servings
Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat or all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar, divided
11/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons grated orange rind
3/4 cup orange juice (about 1 large orange)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh blueberries or cranberries (about 8 ounces)
1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted
Cooking spray
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Set aside 1 tablespoon sugar. Combine flour, remaining sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture.
3. Combine orange rind, juice, oil, and egg in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in blueberries and nuts. Spoon batter into 16 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with reserved sugar. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until the muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Run a knife or spatula around outer edge of each muffin cup. Carefully remove each muffin; place on a wire rack.
These muffins were very tasty and had a strong orange flavor. Good strong. The batter was very thick, and they did make exactly 16 muffins. I made them Saturday and served them on Sunday. I thought by Sunday they were a little sticky, but they still got eaten. I have made other baked goods from this website and always freeze them to eat for breakfast. That definitely helps toughen up the muffin or loaf, so I will try that with these leftovers.
The last meal was Sunday night dinner for two. It was a Tex-Mex soup. I almost feel embarrassed to serve this because it requires no effort. A great way to empty your pantry!
Tex-Mex Soup:
2 cans Great Northern Beans
2 cans Rotel diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 can corn
1 onion
1 tsp cumin
handful cilantro
1 package ranch dressing mix
1/2 pack taco seasoning mix
cheese and tortilla chips for topping
2 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
Cook chicken first, then mix everything else in soup pot and let simmer until ready to eat. Very spicy!
I served with side salad.
A few other pictures from the weekend:
[...] Strawberry Banana [...]