Spinn Class is not the devil

Whatever it is called in your neck of the woods, but Spinn Class (also called group ride,etc), seems very daunting if you have not tried it, but it really is a lot of fun and so fast paced (i.e.: the time goes by so fast). I thought when I first heard of it that if I could not keep up that they would throw tomatoes at me or something. But I tried a class and realized that no one is even paying attention to what you are doing! A good instructor will tell you that if you are a beginner not to do certain things or to take it a little easy on yourself. But at the same time, push yourself as hard as you can. It is a total body workout!!!! You use your triceps, back, abs, legs, butt....everything! It really is your ride, and you control the resistance...so try spinn this week. it is great crosstraining for running and anything else!

Warms the Cockles

Once it gets around to Fall and football season is in full gear, I usually think...MMMMM....Chili! I love it, this was my first time ever making it, and I am so pleased with the result. I literally poured over chili recipes for the last week, and came up with one that I really love. Hubby loved it too, we like it spicy, so adjust seasonings to suit your taste. You can also substitute ground turkey for the ground beef, but if you use the 95% lean sometimes it is less calories than ground turkey. Enjoy!

Karen's soon to be famous Spicy Two Bean Chili

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 med. Mayan Sweet Onion, chopped (use any sweet onion)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 and 1/2 lbs 95% lean ground beef

1tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp cumin

1 and 1/2 Tbsp Chili Powder

1/2 tsp ground oregano

2 tsp Cayenne
sprinkle of cinnamon

2 bay leaves

3 Jalepenos, sliced (not seeded if you are brave)

1 (29 oz) can crushed tomatoes

1 (29 oz) can tomato sauce

2 tsp tomato paste

pinch of sugar

1 can Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 bottle dark beer (i used Sam Adams Boston Ale) minus 2 swigs ( ;

salt and pepper to taste

Red Pepper Flakes and Cholula hot sauce to taste (any hot sauce will do, I like this one)

Saute onions over med heat in olive oil until translucent (about 8 min). Add garlic and saute another minute. Add beef and brown the meat over med high. (about 10 or so minutes). Add all spices except bay leaves and stir. Add bay leaves, sugar, Jalepenos, tomatoes, tomato sauce and beans and bring to simmer. Add beer. Remember to take two swigs---you earned it! Allow to simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour covered. Discard bay leaves. Taste and add salt and pepper, hot sauce and other seasonings to suit your taste. I put it in a crock pot and kept it on warm for about 2 hours. Dont forget to remove the 2 bay leaves before serving! Serve with shredded colby jack cheese, sour cream and sliced jalepenos. I served it over a little bit of macaroni elbows. It is even better the second day.

Diane's Black Bean and Corn Salad

I have to give credit to my mom, the former dietician, for this recipe. This is great to bring for lunch and will keep for about 3 or 4 days in the fridge. It is a filling, healthy recipe. As soon as I make it again I will post a picture.


1T olive oil
2T red wine vinegar
1T dijon mustard
1 tsp curry powder (or cumin--your choice)
1/3 c chopped cilantro
15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 c froz sweet white corn
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
cheese and or shredded chicken (optional)
Mix first 4 ingredients for dressing, set aside. Combine cilantro, black beans, corn (do not need to thaw unless serving immediately), tomatoes. Mix dressing with black bean mixture. You can also put in chicken or many different kinds of cheese, or even jalepeno. This is very low cal, filling and yummy!

Black Bean Quesadillas (healthy)

These were really great! I LOVE mexican food and we like things spicy, but I usually try and keep it pretty healthy during the week for dinners, so this satisfies that craving without forgetting the healthy. The black beans ole recipe is a little spicy, but you can leave out the Jalepenos if you want.

Yield 2
Black Bean Quesadillas (muy muy healthy)

1 recipe of my Black Beans Ole: http://tinyurl.com/62bz54

2 South Beach whole wheat wraps (tortillas) or any whole wheat tortillas
low fat mexican shredded cheese (I use Sargento)--as much as you want (I used about 1/2 cup)
guacamole (I used this great premade kind--wholly guacamole, because no ripe avocados at the store)
low fat sour cream

Make the Black Beans Ole and spread them on the 1/2 of the wraps and top with some cheese. Fold in half and spray with a little olive oil. Grill them in a pan over med until browned on each side. Cut in half and serve with a Tbsp of Guac and tsp of sour cream. We ate it with steamed garlic broccoli.

Opa! Crockpot Bruchetta Feta Chicken

This is a recipe that I made up, it was semi inspired by salsa chicken in a crockpot. This comes out so moist! I ended up using chicken tenders and it came out fine too. I also started using crockpot liners which are a godsend! This is a flavorful, healthy meal that takes very little work (but takes a little time). I love crockpots, fix it and forget it!

Crockpot Bruchetta-Feta Chicken
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or equal amount of chicken breast tenders)
approx 2 C prepared Bruchetta (I used Costco's Hannah Brand)
A couple of glugs of white wine
Sliced feta cheese ( slice as thin as you can from the block of feta) enough to cover the top of the bruchetta.
Place chicken in bottom of crock and season with a little salt and pepper. Spoon bruchetta topping over chicken, using enough to cover it. Pour a couple of glugs of white wine (or approx 1/2 c) over it and cook on high for 3 hours. A half hour before the dish is done, place sliced feta on top of bruchetta and continue cooking. The bruchetta makes a great sauce with the wine and oil, etc. This would be great over pasta.

Healthy Rotisserie Chicken Salad

I love chicken salad, but often times do not order it out because I might as well just eat a bowl of mayo. Does not sound too appetizing anymore, does it?! When I make it at home, I can make a healthier version that does not sacrifice any taste and can control the amount of mayo that goes into the salad (mayo being something that kind of gives me the heebie geebies). You can use any cooked chicken, but I find that Rotisserie Chicken (white meat) works the best. It is moist and flavorful, and usually pretty affordable. Here is the recipe (make modifications where you see fit):

Rotisserie Chicken Salad

Rotisserie chicken breast (3-4 C), cooled and shredded

1/2 C light mayo1 tsp dijon mustard

1/2 C Craisins

1/2- 3/4 C diced celery

onion powder to tastesalt to taste

dill to taste

thyme to tastemix all ingredients together.

"Unfried" Zucchini

I don't know about you, but sometimes I just want to eat something fried. I usually just wait until the nasty little craving passes, but sometimes I just give in. With this recipe you can have your fried and eat it too! This tasted almost as good as the full on deep fried one, but with way less guilt!

Courtesy of Dori at the Foodie Fashionista Blog: http://foodiefashionista.blogspot.com/2007/08/fried-zucchini-chips.html These came out great!!!!! So yummy and I think they would be good also with Horseradish sauce.