Chik’n Qorn Chowder

As you may know from reading my blog I generally try to stay physically fit. I enjoy running and weight lifting and eating a healthy plant-based diet. I get plenty of nutrients from my food because my workouts are pretty moderate. My husband on the other hand has been doing P90x. With a workout this extreme and his interest in building muscles he wanted to start increasing his protein and decreasing his carbs. Our meals are predominately low-fat vegan, but I was able to rustle up a delicious vegetarian chowder with lots of healthy proteins. The soup was delicious and filling and will provide some great fuel for his workouts. The base of this chowder is Quinoa, a complete protein and has plenty of lysine which is essential for tissue growth and repair. To that I added Qorn Naked Chik’n Cutlets which are made from mycoprotein, feta cheese and hard boiled cage-free eggs. Several cups of leafy greens, some garlic and cayenne pepper and you’ve got one light and delicious one-pot vegetarian meal. My husband loved it, but said next time he would add onions or leeks, mushrooms and would scramble the eggs in the boiling soup rather than topping with hard boiled (a la egg drop soup). This soup is great because you can really substitute and omit ingredients to fit what you’ve got in your pantry. No Chik’n cutlets in the freezer? Just toss in some black beans. Vegan? Leave out the cheese and eggs. Want more Southwestern? Use a fresh jalapeno and add some frozen corn. You can really work this soup in so many delicious ways that the basic recipe can keep you full and body building all winter long.

Chik’n Qorn Chowder

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons of cumin

1 tablesp0on of lime juice

salt & pepper to taste

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped (or 3 tablespoons of the gel stuff in the tube if you can’t find fresh)

1 cup of quinoa

2 Qorn Naked Chik’n Cutlets (1/2 box), chopped

3 Cups of Spinach (1 bag)

3 tablespoons of pickled jalapeno (I didn’t have any fresh on hand, but that would be delicious).

2 Tablespoons of EVOO (olive oil)

8 Cups of Water

4 eggs, hardboiled and diced

4 oz crumbled feta cheese

Get Cookin:

1. First we’ll need to cook the eggs and the Quinoa, separate but simulataneously to speed things along for a weeknight dinner). Rinse your qinoa in a fine strainer, then add to large stock pot with 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat and once boiling simmer for 10-15 minutes. The quinoa shells will pop off leaving the transulucent grains behind as they expand. Also, boil enough water to cover your eggs in a small saucepan. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook the eggs for 10-15 minutes. The eggs and the quinoa should finish up around the same time.

2. Drain the eggs and set aside to cool for peeling. Drain the quinoa and reserve the cooking water in a separate bowl. Add additional water until the cooking water measures 6 cups.

3. Heat the olive oil in the stock pot and add the garlic and jalapeno. (add leeks/onions/mushrooms now if you plan to use them). Sautee for about 30 seconds or until the garlic begins to brown. Add the chopped pieces of chik’n cutlets and continue to sautee until those begin to brown (about 5 minutes). If the mixture begins to stick add a tablespoon or two of the reserved cooking water at a time to release.

4. Add in the cumin and cayenne and the remaining reserved cooking water and simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Add in the quinoa and spinach and stir until the spinach is wilted, around 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped cilantro and feta cheese. Top with the diced, hard-boiled eggs, a splash of lime juice, a dash of cumin and cayenne and salt and pepper to taste.

Filed under Recipe | Tags: body building, cheese, chowder, DIY, eco-friendly, eggs, energy, Feta, grains, health, healthy, ingredients, low-fat, muscle, mycoprotein, natural, p90x, protein, Qorn, quinoa, recipe, soup, stew, sustainable, thrifty, vegan, vegetable protein, vegetarian, weight lifting, weight loss, workout | Comment (0)

Getting Fit

If you know me personally or follow my tweets, then you likely know that I’m an active gal. I enjoy snowboarding, downhill mountain biking, yoga, gardening, cooking and a variety of other activities (too many to name). Unfortunately now that I am over 30 (sssh, don’t tell anyone) my metabolism seems to have begun its expected slow down. In addition, I had abdominal surgery in October, then tore my meniscus in February. I also quit smoking and changed my diet to being primarily plant-based. Unfortunately I have gained weight (fat) and have now been working it off for the last several weeks. While I haven’t seen a significant difference in my appearance yet, I am beginning to feel more fit, which is great. I am currently continuing with my normal activities, but adding videos to my routine as well. The gym costs more than I am willing to spend right now, and honestly I could buy a new video every week and still save money. I purchased the following videos:
Jillian Michaels – 30 Day Shred
Jillian Michaels: No More Trouble Zones
10 Minute Solution – Kickbox Bootcamp
Weight Loss Cardio Kick

I am loving all of them so far. The 30 day shred is my daily standby and features 3 levels of exercise. It’s a 20 minute workout that features Jillian’s 3-2-1 system: 3 minutes strength training, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of abs for 3 Circuits. You can start with level 1 and work your way up to level 3. She does have low and high impact versions of most exercise to allow you to really work your way up. I’ve hit level 3 now and I am still loving this video.

Jillian’s “trouble zones” video is tough! It goes straight to a level three as compared to “the shred”. It hurts every time I do this, but in a good way. I’m definately building muscle and getting some great definition as a result, but I can really only do it once a week or once every two weeks right now.

Both cardio kickboxing videos offer a variety of workouts that you can select and are high energy and fun. I enjoy these the most because they don’t feel like working out quite so much. I usually do one of these each week, usually on low energy days when I don’t feel like I can deal with Jillian.

Finally, I’ve signed up for FitDay.com’s free calorie and activity tracker. This system allows me to calculate my caloric burn by logging my daily activities and enter the foods that I eat to estimate my caloric intake. This will help me understand my nutrition in terms of carb/protein/fat balancing as well as ensuring that I continue to burn more calories than I eat. It also tracks my weight and gives me a graph so that I can measure my progress (or lack thereof).  So wish me luck on my journey to lose a few inches, maybe a few pounds and to get into race shape before the season is over. If you are interested, you can track my progress here.

Filed under Health and Wellness | Tags: 30 day shred, caloric expenditure, caloric intake, cardio, exercise, fitday.com, jillian michael's, kickboxing, waist measurement, weight lifting, weight loss, workout | Comment (1)