Date Truffles

1 cup raw almonds or walnuts
20 large dates, pitted
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
Zest from 1 medium-sized orange
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Cocoa powder, for rolling

Grind almonds or walnuts in food processor until fine. Add dates, cocoa powder, orange zest, agave nectar, cinnamon and nutmeg, and process until mixture forms a ball. If mixture does not stick well add more agave nectar. Form 30 small balls (walnut-sized) out of mixture. Roll in cocoa powder and serve.

Variations--roll in shredded coconut, ground nuts.

--Sierra Club, Planet Kansas, vol. 33 no. 4, August/September 2009

Three-Bean Salad

1 can chickpeas
1 can kidney beans
2 cups green beans, cut into 1" lengths
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
5 scallions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives
2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 ear fresh corn, cooked and cut off cob
10 kalamata olives, pitted and diced

Dressing:
1 lemon, juiced
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Place green beans in small amount of boiling water and boil for five minutes. Remove from heat and cool by running cold water over beans. Place remaining salad ingredients into a large serving bowl. Prepare dressing and mix into salad. Serve and room temperature or chilled.

Additional veggies can be added for a fuller salad such as grated carrot or cucumbers.

--Sierra Club, Planet Kansas, vol. 33 no. 4, August/Sept 2009

Broccoli Raab & Cannellini Beans with Pasta

I found this recipe at Whole Foods...or I should say my kids found the recipe when a nice lady with samples handed them a tiny cup of this yummy goodness. They loved it so I grabbed the recipe.

1 bunch broccoli raab, washed
1 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Dried red chile flakes to taste
15-oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 oz. whole wheat pasta (any shape...my favorite is campanelle)
Lemon wedges or red-wine vinegar
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Start a pot of water to boil for pasta.

Peel the larger stems of the broccoli raab and slice them thinly. Chop the leaves coarsely. Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch skillet. Add the onion and rosemary and cook over medium-high heat until onion softens and begins to color, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and a pinch or two of the red chile flakes and cook 1 minute longer. Add the chopped raab leaves and stems along with 1 cup of water and cook, stirring occasionally, until the raab is wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the beans (and more water as needed) until the beans are cooked, about another 15 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling water. Drail well. Toss the beans and greens with pasta. Drizzle olive oil liberally over the mixture. Top with a squeeze of lemon juice or a splash of red-wine vinegar and freshly-grated Parmesan. Serve warm.

I also love broccoli in this, 1 bunch with the step peeled thinly sliced.

Wii Active

Wii Active provides a surprisingly intense and beneficial workout!

You break a sweat and have fun doing it!

I am beginning my 30 day challenge today! I'll report back with my thoughts!

Belly Buster Walk #3

Total-Body fat Blaster!

On a scale of 1-10 to determine how hard you're working with 1 being easy and 10 being very difficult effort--
warm-up/cool-down: 2-3 effort difficulty (treadmill at 3mph) You can chat with ease at this level.
brisk pace: 4 to 5 (3.5-3.8 mph) Breathing is harder, can still talk but with pauses.
push pace: 6-7 (4 mph) Some huffing and puffing. Manage only one or two word replies
power pace: 8-9 (4.2-4.5 mph) No talking possible.

Time: 60 minutes, 6 days a week
Lose: Up to 3 pounds plus inches off your hips, butt, and thighs, weight loss of 3-5 pounds with healthy diet

Note: If you're doing this on a treadmill start with 3% incline for the hills, working up to 5%. If you're outside, try to find a loop with two hills about midway through that will take about 5-6 minutes to climb.

Start warm-up
3 minutes in brisk pace
5 minutes in push pace
20 minutes in brisk pace
22 minutes in uphill brisk pace
28 minutes in brisk pace
32 minutes in uphill brisk pace
38 minutes in brisk pace
42 minutes in push pace
57 minutes in cool-down
60 minutes Finish

Smoked Paprika Roasted Salmon with Wilted Spinach

Serves 8

1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons thyme leaves, divided
2 pounds salmon fillets
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 bag (10 ounces) spinach leaves

Mix orange juice, 2 tablespoons of the oil and 1 teaspoon of the thyme in small bowl. Place salmon in a large glass dish. Add marinate; turn to coat well. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, longer for extra flavor.

Mix sugar, smoked paprika, cinnamon, orange zest, remaining 1 teaspoon thyme and sea salt in small bowl. Remove salmon from marinade. Place in a greased foil-lined baking pan. Discard any remaining marinade. Rub top of salmon evenly with smoked paprika mixture.

Roast salmon in preheated 400 degree F oven 10 to 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add spinach; cook and stir 2 minutes or until wilted. Serve salmon over spinach.

Belly Buster Walk #2

On a scale of 1-10 to determine how hard you're working with 1 being easy and 10 being very difficult effort--
warm-up/cool-down: 2-3 effort difficulty (treadmill at 3mph) You can chat with ease at this level.
brisk pace: 4 to 5 (3.5-3.8 mph) Breathing is harder, can still talk but with pauses.
push pace: 6-7 (4 mph) Some huffing and puffing. Manage only one or two word replies
power pace: 8-9 (4.2-4.5 mph) No talking possible.

Time: 40 minutes
Loss: Up to 2 inches off your waist (a pants size) in just a month

Start with a warm-up
3 minutes in brisk pace
6 minutes in push pace
13 minutes in power pace
15 minutes repeat minutes 3 thru 15--brisk walk for 3 minutes, push pace for 7 minutes, power walk for 2 minutes)
27 minutes in brisk pace
37 minutes in cool-down
40 finish