Change of blog name - Sprouts N Squats

Hi all,

I decided to change the blog name, you can now find the new blog here including all the old posts:

http://sproutsnsquats.blogspot.com.au

Eggplant fritters with yoghurt topping

Workout today
This mornings 12WBT workout consisted of legs and arm exercises. At the end was two x 4 minute Tabata rounds of 20 sec on/10 sec off. One of them was push ups and last week I skipped doing it because I knew I would struggle. This week I was determined to push myself to do it even though I didn't want to.

I was able to stay on my toes to about halfway through and then had to alternate between doing them on my knees and toes. At the end I felt like I wished I could have gotten through them all on my toes but I was glad I forced myself to do it this time as the only way to get better is with practice.

Dinner tonight
For dinner tonight I'm making Kasey's recipe for Lentil Sloppy Joes. Ever since I saw the recipe a few weeks ago I've been meaning to make it and tonight is finally the night. I'm planning on adding lots of extra vegies to mine in the form of capsicum and mushrooms as I will probably serve it with some bread not salad as she did.

Here's what my prep looks like so far:

Right now onto Eggplant Fritters. I am really into making vegetable fritters at the moment and wanted to experiment with different vegetables apart from corn and zucchini so decided to give them a go with eggplants. This recipe takes some prep at the start but that can be done in advance.

Eggplant fritters
Servings: 2, Serving size: 3.5 Fritters, Calories: 186 Calories per serve

Ingredients:
2 Large Eggplants
30g Wholemeal flour
1 Egg
2 tsp Garlic
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Bragg's Herbs & Spices Seasoning (or any general herb mix).
1/4 Cup Water
Salt
Pepper

1. Pierce whole eggplants with a knife.
2. Place whole eggplants on a tray to roast in a moderate to hot oven for about 45 minutes or until soft in the middle (should feel squishy):

3. Let eggplants cool and then peel the skin off and discard and then chop up the insides finely. (This is what could be done ahead of time)
4. Add the eggplant insides (I feel there should be a better way to say this!) to a bowl along with flour, egg, garlic, cumin, spices, water and salt and pepper. Mix well:

5. Put a frying pan on a medium heat and spray with cooking spray.
6. Add 1/4 cup of the mixture at a time to form about 7 fritters. You don't have to measure but I just find it easier when I do.
7. Fry each fritter until golden brown on each side be careful when you turn them over.

Yoghurt topping
Servings: 1, Serving size: All of it, Calories: 56 Calories per serve

Ingredients:
75g Low Fat Greek Yoghurt
1 tsp Garlic
1 tsp Cumin
Salt
Pepper
Squeeze of Lemon if you have it

1. Mix together yoghurt, cumin, garlic, lemon and salt and pepper.
3. Adjust the garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

I served my fritters and topped with the yoghurt sauce with a side salad and all up it was 285 Calories and it was yummy:

Do you have to push yourself to do certain exercises you don't want to do? What's on the menu for dinner tonight?

Cardio Monday

Last week I felt like I was verging on getting sick so on my cardio days I took it easy and didn't do my 12WBT workout as I listened to my body rather than pushing myself.

Today I feel back to normal and so I completed my workout as normal. This workout was no joke, it included the cross trainer, steady state running, running sprints, rowing, burpees and mountain climbers. By the end I was ready to fall in a heap but I was feeling good that I got to the end especially after not feeling like I could give it my all last week.

Whenever I do running sprints I always need music to help get me through. I usually just repeat the same song over and over as it helps me just get on with it. At the moment my favourite sprinting song is Spectrum (Say My Name) by Florence & The Machine. I pause it at the chorus on my breaks and then press play when I have to sprint so that it is blasting in my ears and I can just focus on the music instead of my mind trying to talk me into stopping the sprint early.

Image courtesy: Google images

My favourite workout tracks at the moment are:

1. Spectrum (Say My Name) - Florence & the Machine, Calvin Harris remix
2. Thrift Shop - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
3. Trouble - Taylor Swift
4. Scream and Shout - Will.I.Am & Britney Spears
5. Don't you worry child - Swedish House Mafia

Right I'm off to work, can't believe it is Monday again already the weekend went way too quick!

Do you have a go to song for when your workouts are at a tough part? What are your favourite workout songs right now?

Circuit Workout Sunday

This morning I had very limited time to workout before heading out to meet a friend for brunch (one of my favourite things to do) so I decided to put together a quick circuit to work hard in a short amount of time.

I've loved circuit workouts every since I first did Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred dvd about a year ago. Once I'd done it I started doing circuit workouts all the time. Now however for the most part I follow the Advanced Lean and Fit exercise component only of the 12WBT but I always add extra workouts to it or mix it up with my own stuff like longer runs and pilates. I'm currently reading Jillian Michael's new book that I'll post a review on soon and she talked all about the benefits of circuit training and it made me crave wanting to do one today.

Here's the circuit I put together for today:

I love adding in some Tabata training to get me really working hard. I use one of the free Tabata apps on my phone that counts the 20 sec on/10 sec off for you and it makes doing these workouts that much easier. All up it took me just under 24 minutes to complete:

Once I was done it was off to brunch:

Poached eggs on top of a field mushroom served with buckwheat, lentils, grapes and goat's cheese, delicious!!

Do you like doing circuit workouts? What's your favourite quick go-to workout?

Sweet and Sour Tofu

My boyfriend absolutely cannot stand tofu so I'm always trying to come up with new ways to cook it to try and entice him to eat it. This recipe I'm hoping will do that but I'm yet to try it out to confirm whether it will get his seal of approval. Even if it doesn't I'm definitely going to keep making it just for me on nights when he is out or has to work back.

Sweet and Sour Tofu
Servings: 1, Serving size: All of it, Calories: 123 Calories per serve

Ingredients:
125g Firm Tofu chopped into cubes
1 tsp Garlic
2 Tbs Tamari (or soy sauce would work too)
2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 Cup Water
2 Drops of Stevia or other sweetener (You could also substitute some honey)
Spray oil


1. Spray a small pan with oil and cook Tofu until golden brown on each side.
2. Whilst Tofu is cooking combine garlic, tamari, apple cider, water and stevia in a small bowl. Mix well.
3. Add the mixture to the pan and make sure the tofu is coated thoroughly.
4. Turn the Tofu over once it has started to soak up the mixture.
5. Once the sauce has cooked down, enjoy! I served mine up with some Quinoa, alfalfa, grated carrot, coriander and mushrooms with a drizzle of sweet chilli:

 
Simple but delicious!

Is there anything you absolutely refuse to eat?

What I ate Wednesday

This is my first ever What-I-Ate-Wednesday post.The concept comes from the blog Peas and Crayon linked below:

Inspired by other blogs who do it on a regular basis I want to expand my regular posts to include more than just recipes and I thought this was a great way to start.

So here it is:

 To start the day I needed a berocca to get me going. I don't have them everyday and I usually have the tablets ready to go but this morning I woke up super tired so needed a kick start.

I had a slice of homemade Sultana/Apple Bread that I made which uses a similar recipe base for my Healthy Banana Bread. I had it with a cup of tea and some Mixed Berry Chia Jam using the recipe from Powercakes blog which can be found here.

I had a much needed Chai latte to keep me going mid morning.

For lunch I had a salad made with spinach, pomegranate seeds, cherry tomatoes, sprouts, seeds and sweet-n-sour tofu that I will post the recipe for soon.

I had a Pink Lady apple in the afternoon for a snack along with multiple Vitawheat and cups of tea and a few rice crackers.

Dinner was one of my favourites - Pita Pizza. I made it with mushrooms, olives, artichokes and topped it all with Nutritional Yeast Cheese Sauce.

I finished the day with Mango/Banana Yonanas ice cream topped with coconut flakes, delicious!!!

Sweet and Sour Calamari

I would love to say that I'm the type of person that loves all kinds of seafood but some like oysters and mussels I just don't enjoy. They have an 'ick' factor that I just can't get past. However I do very much enjoy squid/calamari when it is done right and when I don't have to prep the whole squid from scratch.

This recipe is really quick and simple and one that I've made again and again.

Sweet and Sour Calamari
Servings: 2, Serving size:1/2 Recipe, Calories: 232 Calories per serve

Ingredients:
300g Celery, chopped finely
1 Medium Onion, chopped finely
1 tsp Garlic
375g Calamari (In large pieces preferably not rings)
125 ml (1/2 Cup) of Stock, Fish or Vegetable
1/3 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
2.5 Tbs Tomato Paste
1/4 Cup Water
2 Drops of Stevia or other sweetener (You could also substitute some honey)
Salt
Pepper
Oil Spray

1. Chop calamari into pieces around 4cm each:

2. Spray a large pan with oil and heat to medium.
3. Add garlic, onion and celery. Let it cook for around 5 minutes:

4. Add the calamari and stock and stir. Cover with a lid and let it cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Add the vinegar, tomato paste, water, stevia and salt and pepper.
6. Turn the heat to medium-low and let it cook for another 10 minutes until the calamari and celery are tender.
7. Serve up with either brown rice or as I did the other day some nice crusty sourdough rye bread, just make sure to add on the calories for these additions.

More recipes to come.

Are there any recipes you would like to see healthified?

Coconut Chia Pudding with Sour Cherries

There's nothing I like more since I switched to healthy eating as a lifestyle than breakfasts I can prepare ahead of time for the whole week. I'd read multiple recipes on overnight oats and had them before but wanted a recipe that used all chia seeds rather than oats to have more protein in my first meal.

I found Loving Earth Sour Cherries in the health food shop and thought I would try incorporating them into my breakfast. They are low in calorie and I read a recent article that said eating cherries is meant to assist you with a better sleep. Since I don't always have the greatest sleep anything that can give me a boost I'm on board with.

(Sorry for the not great photo, I promise I'm getting a better camera soon!)

Coconut Chia Pudding with Sour Cherries
Servings: 1, Serving size: all of it, Calories: 185 Calories per serve

Ingredients:
1 Tbs (15g) Chia Seeds
150g Chobani Non Fat Greek Yoghurt (or any greek yoghurt)
15g Sour Cherries
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
2 drops Liquid Stevia
1/4 Cup Water1/2 Tbs Coconut Flakes


1. Combine chia seeds and yoghurt into a small container.
2. Add sour cherries, cinnamon, stevia and water.
3. Stir well making sure chia seeds are mixed thoroughly through. The texture may be a little watery but don't worry the chia seeds will soak up the extra moisture.
4. Add coconut flakes to the top.
5. Let sit overnight, wake up and enjoy.

I usually make 4-5 of these for the week and have them in my fridge ready to go for a quick breakfast. When I eat it I give it a good mix and sometimes add another drop of stevia but it depends how sweet you like your breakfast, the cherries are quite sour so sometimes some extra sweetness helps offset this. I also usually mix the coconut flakes through when I actually eat it.

Sweet Potato and Lentil Casserole

It was a surprisingly cold day yesterday after a string of very hot days. The change of weather really put me in the mood for something hearty. I had lentils and lots of vegetables in my fridge so I decided to put together this casserole which turned out very well.

Sweet Potato and Lentil Casserole
Servings: 4, Serving size: 2 Ladels / serve, Calories: 171 Calories per serve

Ingredients:
1 Onion chopped finely
375g Sweet Potato
300g Mushrooms chopped
100g Dry Green Lentils
2 x Stock Pots (Vegetable) - You could also use stock cubes
2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp Garlic
1L Boiled Water
Salt
Pepper
Oil Spray

1. Spray a pan with cooking spray and fry onion and garlic on medium-high until soft.
2. Add sweet potato and stir, let it cook for about 5 minutes
3. Add mushrooms to the pan with cumin, paprika, onion powder and pepper only. Do not add salt as salt makes lentils tough if cooked with it.
4. Add a dash of water if the pan starts to cook the vegetables too quickly.
5. Make up your stock by adding stock cubes to 1L of boiling water
6. Add dry lentils to pan and let toast in the pan for about 30 seconds. This gives them a nuttier flavour.
7. Add stock to pan.
8. Bring to the boil. Once boiled turn the heat down to low and let cook for 30-40 minutes until some of the stock has evaporated and the lentils are cooked.
9. Enjoy and add salt once served. I served mine with sprouted grain bread but it also worked well today for lunch with brown rice.

Banana Soft Serve with Cacao hot fudge sauce

I'm obsessed with banana ice cream. If you haven't heard of it before it is ice cream made out of bananas that have been chopped up and placed in the freezer and then blended with a food processor or hand stick blender. I've now taken this further and bought a Yonanas machine which makes it even better as it makes it smoother and you can add things like dates and nut butters.

I've made banana ice cream a few times before and it has always been delicious but this time I wanted to make a healthy chocolate sauce to go with it. I saw one on Powercakes blog which looked amazing and decided to adapt it.

I ended up making it twice with 2 different ingredients for the chocolate and both were good so I'll give you both recipes.

Hot Fudge sauce with Cacao
Servings: 1, Serving size: the whole batch, Calories: 40 Calories

Ingredients:
5g Raw Cacao Powder
1 Tbs Water
1-2 drops stevia

1. Combine the cacao, water and stevia in a microwave safe bowl or mug.
2. Heat for 30 secs, stir and enjoy on top of banana ice cream.
3. If the mixture isn't thick enough return to the microwave for 20 seconds.

Hot Fudge sauce with Chocolatte
Servings: 1, Serving size: the whole batch, Calories: 20 Calories

Ingredients:
5g Chocolatte (low calorie drinking chocolate)
1 Tbs Water

1. Combine the Chocolatte and water in a microwave safe bowl or mug.
2. Heat for 30 secs, stir and enjoy on top of banana ice cream. (or as I did in the picture banana and berry ice cream)
3. If the mixture isn't thick enough return to the microwave for 20 seconds.

To add some extra crunch and delicious flavour to your ice cream try adding some coconut flakes for garnish. Both are good, I preferred the chocolatte one as it is sweeter but I'm going to experiment more with the Cacao.

Microwave Nutrional Yeast Cheese Sauce for Pizza

I discovered nutrional yeast recently from reading many blogs talking about how it could be used as a healthy alternative to cheese. So when I was in the US recently I brought some home with me. You can also buy it in health stores here in Australia too.

So far I'd only used it to make salad dressing but when I had a pizza craving on the way home I had a brain wave to use nutrional yeast instead. I was initially going to just sprinkle the flakes on top until I came across two 'cheese sauce' recipes using the yeast. The original recipes are here and here. I had no corn starch on hand and didn't want to mess up a saucepan with it and also only wanted to make a small low calorie amount so I made a few adjustments and the results were pure delicious!

Microwave Nutrional Yeast Cheese Sauce
Servings: 1, Serving size: the whole batch, Calories: 40 Calories

Ingredients:
5g Nutritional Yeast
5g Wholemeal Flour
1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard
Water (approx 1/4 cup)
Salt
Pepper

1. Add yeast, flour, mustard and salt and pepper to a cup or small microwave safe bowl.
2. Add water to mixture, around a 1/4 cup but just enough to cover the ingredients.
3. Mix together well with a fork to get rid of any lumps.
4. Microwave for 1 minute (may need to adjust depending on your microwave).
5. When the sauce comes out it should be nice and thick, give it a stir when it comes out if it isn't thick enough it needs a bit more time in the microwave.
6. Drizzle over the top of your pizza.

Here was my veggie topped pizza with the sauce:

Yumm! It felt so naughty but was vegie packed and protein packed thanks to the nutritional yeast. The whole pizza was 315 calories.

Fresh Corn Fritters with Quinoa Flour with Quick Tzatziki

Apologies for the lack of recipes and posts of late, I've been slack with trying new recipes but I'm on a new health kick so I should now be on a roll and have at least 1 new recipe a week.

I bought Quinoa flour a whilst ago but hadn't thought what to do with it. The market had a sale on fresh corn on Saturday so I bought some not knowing what to do with it but then had a brainwave today and decided to make corn fritters. I've made fritters before but only ever with canned corn which you could still use for this recipe but believe me fresh tastes so much better if you can get it and the quinoa flour gave these a beautiful nuttiness to them. I served it with a very quick tzatziki that I made up a recipe for which complimented it very well.

Fresh Corn Fritters with Quinoa Flour
Servings: 2, Serving size: 3 fritters or 3/4 cup batter, Calories: 195 Calories per serve

Ingredients:
250g Corn Kernels (2 Fresh Corn Cobs with kernels chopped off)
40g Quinoa Flour
1 Egg White
1 tsp Garlic
1/4 Cup Water
Salt
Pepper

1. Cut corn kernels from corn cobs and place in a bowl.
2. Add the quinoa flour, egg white, garlic, salt and pepper and mix together.
3. Add the water and mix thoroughly ensuring the flour is well mixed in. The batter will not be very thick as it just coats the corn, it should look something like this:

3. Heat a non-stick fry pan to medium high and spray lightly with oil.
4. Add 1/4 cup of the mixture at a time to form 6 fritters. Make sure to flatten them, you may end up with a few loose corn kernels but leave them in the pan as they end up toasty and delicious.
5. Fry each fritter until golden brown on each side be careful when you turn them over.

Quick Tzatziki
Servings: 2, Serving size: 1.2 mixture, Calories: 30 Calories per serve

Ingredients:
70g Low Fat Greek Yoghurt (I'm obsessed with Chobani)
1/4 Zucchini (90g)
1 tsp Garlic
1/4 Lemon
Salt
Pepper

1. Grate the zucchini.
2. Juice the lemon.
2. Mix together yoghurt, zucchini, garlic, lemon and salt and pepper.
3. Adjust the garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

I served the fritters with roasted broccoli which I made from a recipe I adjusted from Edible Perspective, I changed the recipe to use coconut oil, garlic and lemon juice to roast the broccoli in and it worked out really well.

Total calories for the meal: 274 per serve ( 3 fritters, 1/2 Tzatziki and 100g Roasted broccoli)