Green Beans and Tomatoes

     One vegetable that I absolutely love, but quickly get tired of is the green bean.  They yummy and good for you, but until now I haven’t been able to find any exciting recipes for the lowly green bean.  You can sauté them, blanch them, boil them, wrap them in bacon, or dress them in a vinaigrette…but something new needs to break up the monotony!

     I was watching Trisha Yearwood’s show on Food Network one day and she made a side dish of green beans with canned tomatoes.  I’m not really a fan of tomatoes but I thought that I would give it a try.  It turned out so deliciously!  This will definitely be on a regular rotation.  Enjoy!

Green Beans and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

8 oz. can of diced tomatoes with green chilies (Substitute for regular diced tomatoes if you don’t want the heat.), drained

2 14 oz. cans of cut green beans, drained

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 small bell pepper, diced

1 small onion, diced

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

Directions:

Over medium heat, sauté the bell pepper and onion in a medium skillet under tender, about 5-7 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.  Add ketchup and canned tomatoes.  Continue cooking and the sauce will begin to thicken.  Add the dried basil and salt and pepper, taste.  Lastly add the green beans.  Stir them so that the tomato sauce coats the beans and they are heated through.  Serve as a side dish or over rice/pasta. 

Hollandaise Times Two

     One dish I absolutely love is Eggs Benedict; all varieties!  Every time we go out for breakfast or brunch, that’s what I’m looking for.  I love every aspect of this dish; the toasted muffing, the salty meat, the runny egg, and the creamy Hollandaise sauce.  I've always been afraid to make my own hollandaise sauce.  You always hear that that’s a temperamental recipe that could fall apart at any moment.  The packaged kind is okay but doesn't really satisfy the creamy lemony taste that I crave.

     Most weekends, I try to make a real breakfast for me and Tory (and Maverick!).  Since our weekday mornings are usually early and busy, we don’t always eat a nutritious A.M meal.  On the weekends though, I've made everything from pancakes to French toast to omelets (check out my recipes …in the kitchen).  This particular weekend, I mustered up enough courage to make a real Eggs Benny….it actually turned out beautifully!  And it wasn't really that difficult.

     The only trouble I came into was what to do with the leftovers.  Hollandaise sauce is made with raw egg yolks so the shelf life is almost non-existent.  You really have to use the sauce instantly or it will spoil.  Below, you will find two recipes: my Turkey Sausage Eggs Benedict and a round-two egg muffin.  I made both recipes on Saturday morning.  The muffins were then saved for a reheat on Sunday morning.  These little bites would also be good to save and microwave throughout the week J

Turkey Sausage Eggs Benedict

Ingredients (per portion):

Two eggs (I actually preferred fried over-medium eggs…traditionally the eggs should be poached.  It’s your preference.)

One English muffin, toasted

4 oz. of cooked meat (I used pan seared turkey sausage.  I cut the links in half so that they will lay flat on the muffin.)

For the sauce:

4 egg yolks, at room temperature (Save the egg whites for your egg muffins.)

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper, to taste

3 tablespoons of lemon juice

12 tablespoons of melted butter (1 ½ sticks)

Directions:

In a blender, combine the egg yolks, salt and pepper, cayenne, and lemon juice.  Blend until smooth.  With the blender still running, add the melted butter.  The sauce should thicken.  Leave in the blender for up to an hour…until you’re ready to serve.

Assemble your Eggs Benedict, by toasting your English muffin halves.  Then top with the turkey sausage pieces and your fried (or poached) eggs.  Drizzle the hollandaise sauce on top.  Eat immediately!!!

Egg Muffins

Ingredients:

Any leftover hollandaise sauce

Leftover egg whites

Sauteed veggies (We love onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and spinach.  You could also add diced, cooked meat.)

Shredded cheese of your choice

Directions:

Grease a muffin tin and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Whisk to combine thoroughly.  Using a ¼ cup measure, divide your egg mixture into the muffin tins.  Bake for about 10 minutes or until the eggs are cooked through.   Top with cheese and tent with aluminum foil.  This will melt the cheese as they cool.  Once they are completely cooled, you can remove the muffins and place and an air-tight container.  They will last in the refrigerator for about a week.  I recommend eating them the next day.

Interval training:Cardio

     So, today the plan was cardio intervals....but as I started I was mentally over it within the first set (that's like 45 seconds worth of work)!  So I took a moment and decided to just do something different each time my interval timer beeped.  It was awesome!  I got really into it because I could choose the next activity!  Below is what I chose and repeated three times...OMG I know!!!!  I set my timer to work for 30 seconds then rest for 30 seconds with 7 rounds.  After three rounds, the total time is right at 23 minutes.  I added the times to each exercise below in case I really confused you :)  Of course....stretch first!

Cardio Intervals

Repeat entire routine three times

30 seconds jumping jacks

30 seconds high knees

30 seconds butt kickers

30 seconds speed skaters

30 seconds rest

30 seconds jumping jacks

30 seconds mountain climbers

30 seconds plank jacks

30 seconds speed skaters

30 seconds rest

30 seconds jumping jacks

30 seconds walking lunges

30 seconds plank

30 seconds wall sit