Tofu-nk

In a tofu-nk and in need of ideas!

I realized I really haven't had much meat in quite a while. I might order it when I am out to eat, and I am happy to eat it if someone cooks it for me; however, I am not going out of my way to buy and prepare meat myself. I am not mostly vegetarian for moral or ethical reasons, or even really for 'diet' purposes. A lot of vegetarian dishes can have just as many calories as meat-filled dishes, depending on how they are prepared. While I didn't make a conscious decision to phase it out of my diet, it kind of happened naturally. Wanna know why?

My #1 reason for being mostly vegetarian is because I am cheap. Have you seen how much one pound of ground beef is lately? Not to mention I don't like touching raw meat (specifically, chicken). A block of tofu is $1.99 at Trader Joe's. Eggs are cheap too. I am going for the most bang for my buck here.

Eggs and Morningstar sausage. Tofu. Super versatile. Yum.

I have made or tried tofu prepared in a few different ways now (see recipes page for some of these recipes if you are interested!): tofu noodles, tofu pigs in a blanket, baked sesame tofu, tempeh in pasta sauce, tofu in soup, and I recently made up a delicious tofu marinade. My favorite way to eat it is sliced thin, marinated, and pan seared in my new cast iron skillet (one of my favorite purchases as of late). I will eat this tofu plain, and I have put it on a sandwich and used it as 'lunch meat.' A grilled cheese with mayo and tofu hits the spot, and provides a little more protein than just a regular old grilled cheese.

To make the marinade, I mix dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce, horseradish, and a bit of canola oil. Then I pour it over the sliced tofu and let it sit at least overnight.

I feel like I am now comfortable cooking and working with tofu. Now I need to expand my library of recipes! Please help! Also, if anyone has any good vegetarian frozen meals or snacks. I am stuck on Morningstar, (sausage, egg, and cheese biscuits!) but I know there have to be other good vegetarian options out there. I need ideas, please!

Not 5k ready

Last week, I had a realization: I had to run a 5K in about a week, and I had not run in about 2 and a half weeks. That stretch of not running started out with an epic 5-day migraine, and then I just got lazy. I did some pilates and eliptical-ing here and there, but I had no urge to run whatsoever. And, I still don't... 

But I have a 5K to run on Saturday. 3.1 miles. I hope I can run the entire time - if not, I am reminding myself that it won't be the end of the world. I tried running 2 miles on Thursday. It sucked, and my heart just wasn't in it. I had grand plans of going running again this weekend, but I was traveling and of course that didn't happen.

I was majorly craving pizza all weekend, so I went and picked up a calzone last night. My compromise was to walk the long way there and back to pick it up. That was my exercise this weekend!

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So, here is my mini-training plan - making the commitment here, so hopefully I stick to it this week!

Monday: Eliptical (lunch) + pilates (after work)
Tuesday: 2.5 mile run
Wednesday: Eliptical (lunch)
Thursday: 3 mile run
Friday: Pilates (after work) + maybe walking
Saturday: 5K

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Next Monday I start Best Body Bootcamp and am really excited!!! 8 weeks of accountability and a workout plan created for me. I am really looking forward to incorporating more strength training, and I really hope to  see results from it!

Skinny Macaroni and Cheese Soup

Yet another Skinny Taste recipe, tested out by yours truly...

This turned out surprisingly delicious! Also, it is very inexpensive to make. I happened to have the broccoli and carrots in my farmshare, and all of the other ingredients in my pantry. This would be very kid-friendly as well. I plan on packing it this week for lunches. Here's to hoping it reheats well!

You can check out the link above and check out Gina's recipe. Of course, I had to make some updates to Katie-fy it. Aka remove ingredients I don't have...

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Skinny Macaroni and Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

4 oz Smart Taste Elbows
1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp light butter
2 tbsp flour
2 1/2 cups fat free low sodium chicken broth
1 cup almond milk - unsweetened
pinch nutmeg
1/2 tsp dry mustard
salt and fresh pepper to taste
2 cups fresh broccoli florets, chopped into small pieces
2 tbsp parmasean cheese
1-1/2 cups 2% shredded sharp cheddar

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Directions:

Boil pasta in salted water according to package directions for al dente. Drain and set aside.

Chop carrot, onion, and garlic.

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt light butter. Add chopped vegetables and sauté on low heat until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add flour and fresh pepper to the pot and stir until smooth. Slowly add chicken broth, milk, nutmeg and dry mustard powder; whisking constantly. Set heat to medium-high until it comes to a boil. Cover and cook on low about 10-15 minutes.

Add broccoli florets and parmesean cheese. Stir well. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Cook uncovered until broccoli is cooked to your liking, about 5 - 10 minutes.

Add cheddar, mixing well until cheese melts and remove from heat. Add cooked elbows and mix well, adjust salt and pepper if needed.

Prepared per the Katie-fied recipe (serves 4)

296 calories, 37 g carbs, 12 g fat, 17 g protein, 5 g fiber, 733 g sodium