Roasted Kabocha

September 18, 2013 by Christine Skari

Hey guys!

Sorry I’ve gone AWOL lately, I’ve had a ton of things on my plate and can now happily say that I’ve successfully moved in to my new apartment with three of my best friends! We actually have a pretty sweet deal going on and have 16 (!) people in our immediate friend group, both boys and girls, who are living in the same apartment complex as us and are stationed right above the pool and grill.

From moving in to catching up with everyone, I’ve hardly touched my computer in the last week or so, but I’m glad to be back!

Anyways, I’ve been trying to maintain my healthy habits while in school and have to admit that it gets much harder when the college norms are to consume copious amounts of pizza and alcohol and make late night slurpie runs. I have had some success in whipping up some old favorites like my Lemon Garlic Shrimp Orzo and roasted kabocha! Man, I can’t get enough of that stuff and am SO glad that my local grocery store carries them and I don’t have to hunt them down at Whole Foods or an asian supermarket.

If you haven’t tried kabocha yet, you’re in for a treat. The asian pumpkin is unbelievably tasty and has the most delicious creamy texture. I kid you not that I’ve eaten almost an entire one for dinner and was 100% satisfied. They’re that good. And I don’t mean good as in “healthy good”, I mean just plain freakin’ yummy!

Whenever I roast up one, I find myself constantly sneaking back into the kitchen to grab just one more bite, but end up hovering and eating at least a couple of slices. Never fear, though, because kabocha is not only mouthwatering, but also good for you!

Here are some awesome facts about kabocha to convince you that it’s actually your soul mate disguised as a member of the winter squash family

“Kabocha is like butternut squash’s sadly under appreciated sister. A single cup of kabocha has forty calories compared to butternut squash’s 60, and has less than half of the carbs of butternut squash (7 grams vs. 16 grams). But, it tastes better… the perfect substitute.”
It’s a great source of beta-carotene (which your body converts to vitamin A). A single serving has 70% of your daily recommended amount. This means your eyes, skin, hair, and white blood cells will thank you!
Fiber. Lots of it!
You don’t have to peel em’. When they cook, the peel softens and is so, so, so delicious with the creamy fleshy part on top.

Anyone else share my obsession?

The BEST Skinny Dip Ever, the “I Don’t Want to Workout” Workout, & More!

September 9, 2013 by Christine Skari

Happy Monday everyone!

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend- I know I certainly did! Let’s kick off the week with some Marvelous in My Monday fun and a great game day recipe.

Marvelous is a fantastic workout!

Yesterday was one of those days where I didn’t really feel like working out, but had no excuse not to move. I headed over to the gym and created this bad boy, which ended up being a great workout and left me feeling sweaty and accomplished.

It was easy to get myself on the treadmill since I could tell myself I was only running half a mile at a time, and I loved how quickly the time passed since I was switching up running and incline walking. It’s weird, but I’m more sore today than I usually am on leg day!

Marvelous is sharing my favorite dip recipe!

Okay, you guys… you NEED to try this dip. I’m known as the “dip girl” and anytime there’s any sort of potluck, I’m told that I need to bring it. It’s one of those foods that almost ruins the party since everyone just stands around the platter concentrating on eating instead of talking.

*if you’re going to pin this recipe, pin this one please

I got this recipe from my mom, who in turn received it from one of her teacher friends. The original involves more fatty ingredients (yum), but I was easily able to lighten it up so that it won’t weigh you down (literally) on game day or wherever you choose to bring it! Trust me, it’s addictively good and reasonably low calorie for the flavor punch it delivers!

For the record, my friend Kate and I demolished almost the entire thing ourselves yesterday while we watched our boyfriends work laboriously with woodcutters and automatic saws. The good life.

Marvelous is sweaty hikes with my favorite guy!

I love going on active dates with Kyle, especially if it involves hiking or playing tennis! We had a great 4.5 mile hike on Saturday with two of our favorite people to double date with. Mixing in fun cardio with the gym definitely keep me from becoming bored with my routine and loving fitness!

And lastly for today, marvelous are my Dark Chocolate Avocado Truffles!

I whipped up another batch for Kyle since he likes to have them in the morning with his coffee, and they were gone in a day. I actually had a 5 minute long conversation with his Dad later about how unreal they are. They’re SO fudgy and you can’t taste the avocado at all. He was dumbfounded!

Whew, this post was a doozy to write/make. Time to catch up on what you guys have been up to!

xo Christine

What I Ate Wednesday: Healthy Thai Sesame Patties

September 3, 2013 by Christine Skari

Why hey there all you party people!

It’s Wednesday, which means another What I Ate Wednesday post! I’ve got some great eats to show you guys as well as a tasty recipe that’s delicious and packed full of protein and flavor!

But first, my workout!

I had a great workout today thanks to my heart rate monitor. I usually am too lazy to put it on, but my workout is always fantastically sweaty when I do! I’m not sure why, but the built-in monitors on most machines don’t pick up my heart rate and it’s irritating constantly trying to get a proper reading. My heart rate monitor automatically transmits my numbers to the screen of the cardio machines and helps motivate myself to get my heart pumpin’ and not just go through the motions!

My workout consisted of 30 hard minutes on the elliptical, 10 minutes on the bike, and lots of abs! Has anyone tried a Captain’s Chair before? The one at my gym is amped up with a bosu ball back and is so hard. I definitely felt the burn!

Now, to the food!

Breakfast: oats on oats on oats!

Lunch: thai food with Kyle! We split a green papaya salad and beef pad thai.

Also, can someone please tell me why guys always get the best eyes? Boys suck. Boo.

Dinner: I whipped up those tasty thai sesame patties I mentioned before for dinner and ate them with some sautéed green beans! They have a great asian flavor and are delicious dipped in thai sweet chile sauce.

Not only do they taste pretty darn good, they’re good for ya! With 30g of lean protein per serving, they make for a filling and drool-worthy lunch or dinner. Just add some brown rice and veggies and you have yourself a power meal! I can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow!

If you’d be so kind to pin this picture below on pinterest, I’d love you five-ever (that’s more than forever!)

The rest of the evening was spent on a long beach walk with Kyle. We talked about everything, from body dysmorphia in both men and women to the size of blue whales and what we would do if a T-Rex attacked us. We obviously make a very deep and reflecting couple. Oh, and a venti pumpkin spice latte was involved!

Time to hit the hay!

xo Christine

Healthy Skillet Lasagna

August 25, 2013 by Christine Skari

Sometimes, all you need in life is a steamy plate of pasta with gooey, melty cheese bubbling on the top.

I mean, I usually prefer the flavors of asian cuisine, but I do love me a good plate of pasta- one of my favorites being lasagna. There’s something so comforting about throwing everything and the kitchen sink into a pan and letting all of those delicious ingredients meld together in a savory symphony.

There is, however, a secret ingredient in this that TOTALLY blows it away and makes all the difference in lasagna for me!

That being said, I’m usually pretty picky about exactly how I like my lasagna and have yet to taste one better than that of my Grandma’s. I actually find it pretty funny that the original recipe came from a tiny asian woman instead of an Italian cookbook! She uses this cottage cheese instead of ricotta, which makes the lasagna more savory than sweet tasting and, in my personal opinion, much tastier.

Another thing I love about this recipe is that is was so easy to lighten up, yet still stay mouthwatering!

It’s packed full of protein, has less than 400 calories per hefty serving, and you could easily add some chopped vegetables to get in an extra serving of veggies.

Fast, healthy, and delicious! This healthy skillet lasagna is my kind of dinner.

Enjoy!

This recipe contains sponsored content!

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Broccoli and Beef Recipe

August 20, 2013 by Christine Skari

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know that I love asian food. Mexican cuisine? Meh. Italian? It’s okay. But, plop anything that involves the fantastic flavors of Thai/Japanese/Korean/Vietnamese/Chinese cuisine in front of me, and I will demolish the entire plate of food.

One thing I’m not a fan of is the overall nutrition of some of the classic take-out items that are readily available. (I’m looking at you, Panda Express. Give me all of your orange chicken).

That’s why I was ecstatic when I made a healthier version of a classic Chinese favorite to be both delicious and good for you! Give a round of applause for (are you clapping yet?) this broccoli and beef recipe! **nutrition posted below**

I won’t lie, I was running around the house is cooking-ecstasy when I first tasted the fruits of my labor. There was some dancing to Taylor Swift and then I proceeded to eat almost all of it before realizing that I had to take a quality picture to share with you guys. I can’t get over how delicious the sweet and salty combination turned out and how quickly dinner came together.

When I usually try a new recipe, it takes me much longer than usual to cook it up since I’m constantly modifying, tasting, and taking my time to make it as perfect as possible. This recipe for broccoli and beef was ready in 30 minutes flat… on the first try!

The broccoli stays nice and crunchy and the florets soak up all of the mouthwatering pan juices! Just include some brown rice, and you got a tasty and healthy meal!

I’m also linking up ti WIAW so I can share this delicious recipe with the blogging world!