I’m not perfect

10.23.12
Pin It PIN IT!

If you want pretty pictures, smiling faces and delicious recipes, well, come back tomorrow. If you want a real post about life, blogging and trying to find a balance, well, hello!

Guys, I’m completely exhausted in all senses of the word. Not only am I completely jet-lagged, but I’ve been running around the state of Washington like a chicken with its head cut off for a PR trip for work. Don’t get me wrong, it was incredible. I still can’t believe I can call what I do my job. MINE. It’s amazing. But we’re not here to talk about that. We’re going to talk about little ol’ me instead.

“HI!”

Lately, I’ve been really apathetic towards blogging. I’m sure you can all tell, my content isn’t up to par, I haven’t made a new recipe for this site for a couple weeks and I’ve been snarky, sassy and sort of rude on social media. And as I write this, part of me wants to say “I’m sorry!” Part of me wants to make up some fluffy bs about what’s going on and then beg for your forgiveness. But you know what? I’m not going to. Because I’m not sorry. My life has been crazy these past few weeks with work, travel and a new part time job. I just haven’t had the time or energy to commit to this. And you know what? I think that’s okay. Because here’s a shocking revelation…I’m not perfect.

I sometimes go through lulls or crazy busy weeks where I don’t eat homemade meals. Where I order pizza, Chinese food or eat peanut butter out of the jar for dinner and call it a night. Or days when I’d rather poke out both of my eyeballs with a fork than talk about food because it’s what I’ve been doing all day for work. Sometimes I just want to crawl in a hole with my husband and puppy and never come out.

My busy schedule isn’t the only reason for my apathy and dismay towards blogging. I’ve gotten some pretty rude, hateful and ridiculous comments lately that have made me start to question why I even blog at all. I know there are rude and mean people out there. I know that acknowledging them is letting them win. I know that these hateful, rude comments mean “I’ve made it,” or whatever that saying is. But I don’t have super thick skin. When people lash out on me, my views and my food, I take it to heart. It’s hard for me not to. This post has actually been a long time coming, but it all started with one person.

I posted a recipe a few weeks ago, a pumpkin coffee cake bread to be exact. Someone didn’t like it and told me it wasn’t healthy. Okay, fair enough. So I told them that, yes, she was right, just because something is labeled as low-fat doesn’t mean it’s necessarily healthy. Then she lashed back to say “well your site is about nutrition, I thought all you posted was healthy.” That’s the comment I had trouble with. See, I can see her point, my site is titled “the Realistic Nutritionist” but they KEY word in that is realistic. (I mean, read my about me.) I never once stated that I was perfect. I  never once promised that all of my recipes would be low-fat, healthy or nutritious. I try my best to lighten up recipes so they can be enjoyed guilt-free, but that’s all. All I can do is try because I’m not perfect.

via Pinterest.

It’s hard as a healthy living blogger, especially, because people EXPECT perfection from you. They expect you to eat and post only healthy recipes. Well, friends, if you are expecting only healthy, only light, only this or that kind of stuff from here, you might be disappointed. I try to live my life in moderation. I sometimes eat bacon. I also sometimes have wine for dinner. And that’s just how I live.

And you know what? I love it that way. My life may be messy with stains, tears and dust, but it’s the only life I know and it’s one I’m insanely proud of. And who wants to be perfect anyway?

Asian Buckwheat Soba Noodle Soup

10.18.12
Pin It PIN IT!

Greetings from the stunning island of San Juan! I don’t want to leave this gorgeous place but I’m onto my next fabulous destination this afternoon so I’m up early to pack. [To see photos of my trip thus far to the Pacific Northwest, check out my instagram feed!] While I’m getting ready to cruise to my next stop, the lovely Megan of the Gluten-free Vegan is here to share with you an amazing recipe for Asian buckwheat soba noodle soup! It’s officially soup week here on the Realistic Nutritionist 🙂 Take it away, Megan!

Hi friends, Megan here from the Gluten-free Vegan! This soup surprised me. I wasn’t entirely sure if the ideas I had floating around in my head would really make sense floating around in the bowl. Forgive me if I sound a bit conceited when I say this but, wow … it really does make sense in the bowl. Like, so much good sense guys.

There’s balance in the bowl. Delicate enoki mushrooms and buckwheat soba noodles stand their ground even with a very flavorful lemongrass-ginger broth. The highlight of this soup is definitely that broth. I could drink it in a mug all by itself. It’s got just the right amount of richness, spiciness, saltiness, and tartness when the lime is squeezed over top.

And considering the fact that there’s a healthy amount of ginger and garlic in this soup, it’s perfect for kicking any cold that might be brewing. An important note about buckwheat soba noodles for those who have gluten intolerance is that not all buckwheat soba noodles are gluten-free. In fact, a lot of the ones I found weren’t 100% buckwheat but contained wheat flour as well. I used King Soba noodles. They have some unique varieties including sweet potato and buckwheat soba noodles that I can’t wait to try out.

Asian Buckwheat Soba Noodle Soup

CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!

Serves about 4.

Ingredients:

  • 1 250 g/9 oz package buckwheat soba noodles
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2 stalks lemongrass
  • 5 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 5 slices ginger
  • 5 whole peppercorns
  • 1 200 g/7 oz package bean sprouts
  • 1 bunch cilantro, stems chopped and leaves reserved for garnish
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges
  • 1 teaspoon Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or gluten-free tamari
  • 1 carrot, peeled and grated
  • 1 100 g/3.5 oz package enoki mushrooms
  • 1 bunch green onion, white part chopped finely, green part chopped on the bias and reserved
  • 6 cups light vegetable broth
  • 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes

Directions:

  1. In a large saucepan, heat vegetable broth on high. Bring to a boil.
  2. Add lemongrass, ginger, garlic, cilantro stems, white part of the green onion, and peppercorns. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile cook buckwheat soba noodles in a separate pot according to package instructions. You’ll want to noodles to be slightly al dente because the hot lemongrass broth will end up cooking the noodles a bit further. Drain and rinse the noodles in cool water.
  4. Toss soba noodles with sesame oil. Divide evenly among 4 large soup bowls.
  5. Divide enoki mushrooms, grated carrot and green onion into 4 and layer over top buckwheat noodles. There should still be plenty of room in the bowl for the broth.
  6. Strain the broth, reserving a 4 smaller pieces of lemongrass, if desired. Add a piece of lemongrass to each soup bowl.
  7. Return broth to pot and add Braggs or tamari and dried chili flakes. Bring to a boil over high heat for just a few minutes to get the broth very hot. Immediately pour broth over the prepared soup bowls and let stand for 5 minutes to heat through all the ingredients.
  8. Serve with bean sprouts, cilantro leaves and a wedge of lime.

Nutritional information per serving: 

Calories: 290
Fat: 3.5 grams
Carbohydrates: 53 grams
Fiber: 3.5 grams
Protein: 10 grams
Weight Watchers Points:  7

Chinese Roast Duck Soup Recipe

10.16.12
Pin It PIN IT!

Greetings from Seattle, friends! I’ve got a full itineary lined up for today but I couldn’t leave you hanging for two days in a row! Since it’s a little chilly and rainy here in the Pacific Northwest, I thought I’d share this Chinese roast duck soup recipe to give me the warm and fuzzies.

I don’t typically use or order duck because it’s a fattier meat and it has a REALLY bold flavor. Plus, it’s often served with that weird fruit jelly stuff and that freaks me out. However, when I stumbled on this recipe for a roasted duck soup, I thought “that actually looks good! Not fatty and not served with weird jam!”

So I roasted the duck, garlic, carrots and onions until my house smelled like the sweet high heavens. Then, I sliced the duck into small bite size pieces and tossed it into a pot of equally amazing smelling broth. The fabulous thing about roasting and carving the duck yourself (versus using pre-made duck) is that you can remove almost all of the fat from the skin so all you’re left with is the breast meat. No fatty skin = no muffin top so I’m totally on board with that.

This soup was like eating comfort and childhood in a big bowl. The broth was perfectly flavored with roasted vegetables and a dash of low sodium soy sauce and the duck was melt in your mouth tender. Paired with some slightly crunch bok choy stems and wilted leaves and you have an amazing and healthy bowl of goodness.

This may be a bold statement, but I’m going to make it. This soup is even better than traditional chicken noodle. I KNOW. Blasphemy. But guys, I’m not kidding. If you’re feeling sad, stressed or homesick, eat a bowl of this. You’ll feel warmed from the inside out in no time.

Roasted Chinese Duck Soup

Serves about 4. Recipe adapted from My Recipes.

Ingredients: 

  • 2 duck breasts
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 1/2 medium onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1 quart reduced sodium chicken broth
  • 8 ounces rice noodles
  • 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 cups chopped bok choy

Directions:

  1. Place the rice noodles in a bowl of hot water until just softened, about 15 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Score the sides of the duck’s skin with a knife. Place duck in a glass baking dish coated with olive oil. Add carrots, onion and garlic. Roast for about 40 – 50 minutes, or until duck is brown and slightly pink on the inside. Remove from pan and cut off fat and skin. Cut the duck into bite size pieces and set aside.
  3. While duck roasts, heat broth and soy sauce. Place roasted vegetables and duck into the broth and reduce heat to low. Simmer duck and vegetables for about 10 more minutes. Add in noodles and chopped bok choy. Heat until bok choy is just softened. Season with a dash of salt and pepper and enjoy!

Nutritional information per 1 cup serving:

Calories: 350
Fat: 10 grams
Carbohydrates: 37 grams
Fiber: 4 grams
Protein: 25 grams
Weight Watchers Points:  9

Sunday Suppers: One Skillet Pumpkin Lasagna

10.14.12
Pin It PIN IT!

So, I did something. I um, went a little wacky in the kitchen and did something kind of bizarre. See, I took this fool-proof recipe for skillet lasagna and I added some pumpkin. Yep, I made a one skillet pumpkin lasagna. Before you click X and never come back because I’ve officially lost it, let me try to win you over with a photo.

It may sound weird, I know, but just look at it. Let your eyes feast on the creamy, saucy, decadent looking dish in front of your eyeballs.

I love savory pumpkin and this recipe just takes that obsession to a whole new level. You get a slightly spicy, sweet flavor from the pumpkin puree but then a fabulous salty, savory flavor from the cheese mixture, sage and basil. I honestly can’t describe how incredible this dish is. All I can say is, MAKE IT FOR DINNER TONIGHT. And then help yourself to 15 servings. Trust me, you’ll want to.

Although I’ve wanted to make another variety of my famous skillet lasagna for ages, the holy grail of awesome in front of you was prompted by this week’s Sunday Suppers theme. Can you guess what it was?

Comfort food, of course! When I’m feeling mopey, down and out or just nostalgic, I crave and desire pasta. Big, heaping plate-fulls of al-dente noodles topped with a sweet or spicy sauce and then covered in gooey, melted cheese. As soon as I saw the prompt, I knew immediately I had to make skillet lasagna. And given the fact I hoard cans of pumpkin puree like it’s Y2K, it hit me. Instead of marinara, I’ll use pumpkin. I mean, Cassie did and it turned out AWESOME. So, I did.

And it came out better than I could have EVER imagined. Creamy, spicy, sweet and decadent. Of course, I lightened it up quite a bit by using fat-free ricotta and part-skim cheese. And you know what? You can’t tell because of how thick and orgasmic the pumpkin sauce is. I was so close to funneling this into my mouth it was shameful. Had my husband and I not had a dinner date last night, well, let’s just say things would have ended differently.

And I’d be wearing sweatpants right now instead of skinny jeans. That’s for sure.

One Skillet Pumpkin Lasagna

CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!

Serve about 6.
Prep time: About 10 minutes
Cook time: About 20 minutes

Ingredients:

  • About 7 regular lasagna noodles, boiled and rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 large onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
  • 15 ounces pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup light cream
  • 1 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
  • 1 1/4 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese
  • 2 tablespoons sage (dried)
  • 1 tablespoon basil (dried)
  • Fresh basil for garnish
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

  1.  In a large pan, heat butter over medium high heat. Add onions and cook until just soft, about 2 minutes. Add in garlic and mushrooms and cook until vegetables are fragrant, about 3 more more minutes.
  2. In a small bowl, mix sage, salt and pepper, pumpkin and cream. Pour sauce over the vegetables and mix well. Reduce heat to medium. In another bowl, mix the ricotta and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
  3. Cut lasagna noodles in half and carefully place in the pumpkin sauce. Stir to coat. Add scoops of ricotta/mozzarella mixture on top of the noodles. Carefully mix. Sprinkle mixture with additional salt and pepper. Heat about one minute longer. Sprinkle the top of the mixture with the remaining cheese. Heat just until the cheese is melted. Add basil as garnish and enjoy!

Nutritional information per serving (about 3/4 cup)

Calories: 239
Fat: 9 grams
Carbohydrates: 22.25 grams
Fiber: 6 grams
Protein: 14.6
Weight Watchers Points:  6

Be sure to check out these other amazing comfort food inspired dishes for this week’s #sundaysupper!

Comfort Food |Soups

Comfort Food  | Main Dish

Comfort Food | Desserts

Coffee-mate Dessert Recipes & A Giveaway

10.12.12
Pin It PIN IT!

I’m beginning to feel a bit like Santa Claus. I have so many amazing giveaways to host the rest of the year I can hardly contain my excitement. It’s looking to be a giveaway EVERY 2 WEEKS! Are you mad? I didn’t think so 🙂 (Btw, be sure to enter the Müller giveaway, going on now!) I’m a little excited today because I have some amazing recipes to share with you, created just for me by two of my fabulous sponsors, Michelle and Stephanie! I gave them a challenge this month, to create delicious Coffee-mate dessert recipes, the healthier the better! And guys, I am in AWE at what they whipped up! So please, check them out and leave them some love!

Hi friends, Stephie from Eat Your Heart Out here!I decided to whip up a raisin bread pudding with french vanilla crème anglaise.

Doesn’t that name sound fancy? And totally impressive. Definitely something you could serve when your honey’s boss and his wife come over for dinner (because we obviously live in a Mad Men world). But guess what? 4 ingredients. In the whole recipe. Yeah, you read that right. Thanks to French Vanilla Coffee-mate, all you need is 4 ingredients, minimal effort…and someone to impress. {As a side note, because this – and most – flavors of Coffee-mate are non-dairy/lactose-free, this is an excellent dessert to make for your lactose-intolerant loved-ones!) In addition, you can swap out the fat-free vanilla creamer in the bread pudding to shave off calories and fat.

Raisin Bread Pudding with French Vanilla Crème Anglaise

CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!

Serves 2. 

Ingredients: 

For the bread pudding:

For the crème anglaise:

Directions: 

  1. First, make the crème anglaise: In a small bowl, whisk together the yolks and the sugar until light yellow and thoroughly combined. Set aside. In a small saucepan, heat the creamer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until hot and steamy.
  2. Slowly add about 2 tablespoons of the hot creamer to the egg mixture, about ½ tablespoon at a time, whisking continuously. {This is called “tempering” and will raise the temperature of the egg yolks to keep them from scrambling once added to the hot creamer.} Slowly stream the egg mixture back into the hot creamer, again whisking continuously. Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes over medium to medium-low heat (do not allow the mixture to boil), stirring constantly, until the mixture is slightly thickened and coats the back of a spoon.
  3. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to cool in the fridge until ready to serve. The crème will thicken significantly as it cools, so do not worry if it seems a bit thin at first.
  4. To make the bread pudding: Place the cubed bread in a bowl. Whisk together the creamer and egg; pour over the bread and stir to combine. Allow to sit while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  5. Once the oven is preheated, divide the mixture into two greased 6-ounce ramekins. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges and a few pricks with a toothpick show no signs of runny egg. Serve warm with French Vanilla Crème Anglaise.

Nutritional information per serving :

Calories: 525
Fat: 16 grams
Carbohydrates: 75 grams
Fiber: 4.5 grams
Protein: 10 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 11

How delicious does that look? Now let’s see what Michelle conjured up!

Hi there everyone! Michelle here, I am so very excited to be a sponsor on The Realistic Nutritionist, and I have a fun recipe to share with you today! Claire suggested that I create a recipe inspired by one of the ones on the Coffee Mate creamer website, and I couldn’t have been more delighted to find pumpkin cheesecakes on there! I am a complete sweet lover, and I love lightening up sweets so I can have more of them (and more often!)

These decadent little cheesecakes are the perfect 3 bites! They are seriously so rich, I couldn’t have more than one (and no, I’m not one of those people who is easily sweetened out– you are talking to the girl who can go through a whole box of Samoa cookies and a jar of peanut butter in one sitting… and maybe add on some cheesecake ice cream). Don’t think overwhelmingly sweet, because these guys aren’t: instead, they are amazingly rich and decadent. I brought these to my friends and none of them had any clue they were eating a skinny, greatly reduced-fat version of the classic pumpkin cheesecake.

Individual Pumpkin Cheesecakes

CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!

Serves 12. Serving Size: 1 cheesecake
Adapted from Coffee-mate.

Ingredients:

  • 12 foil cupcake liners
  • 1 pkg. (8 oz.) fat free cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 package (8 oz) 1/3 fat cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup splenda or sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon maple extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 tablespoons all-natural Coffee Mate Natural Bliss Low-fat vanilla liquid creamer
  • 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 1 apple, thinly sliced (optional, for garnish)

Directions: 

  1.  Preheat oven to 300° F. Line 12-cup muffin tin with foil liners; coat liners with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Beat cream cheese, splenda, cinnamon, flour, vanilla extract and salt in large mixer bowl until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Transfer 1/2 cup batter to a medium bowl. Add pumpkin and Coffee-mate; stir until blended.
  3. Divide white cream cheese batter evenly among prepared cups; sprinkle 1tso graham cracker crumbs onto each cheesecake; top evenly with pumpkin batter.
  4. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until just set. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Top with thin apple slices to garnish, if wanted. Note: Cheesecakes will hold for 3 to 4 days tightly covered in refrigerator. Can be frozen in airtight container for up to 1 month.

Nutritional information per serving:

Calories: 104.4
Fat:  5.4 grams
Carbohydrates: 7.5 grams
Fiber: 1.3 grams
Protein: 5.5 grams
Weight Watchers Points:  3

Now the giveaway! Simple enter your information in the below prompts (being sure to leave a comment!) to enter to win some Coffee-mate loot, including two bottles of seasonal creamer and 10 coupons! (Over a $30 value!)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

<<   Previous Page
Next Page   >>