Tasty Cereals!

I was at Target the other day and had to make a mid-week grocery run, so I picked up a few things there. They have decent prices on a lot of my staples, like kashi cereals and morningstar farms products. I also enjoy their generic store brand, Archer Farms. I picked up a new kashi cereal called "Honey Sunshine," and an Archer Farms cereal called "Cinnamon start with protein." Generally we only buy kashi Golean, as it is chock full of protein and fiber and keeps you full until lunch, but I was getting fairly sick of this twiggy cereal though so I thought I'd branch out.

Both of these cereals are very tasty and make a great breakfast or snack. The Honey Sunshine has an appreciable nutrition content: 100 cal/1.5 g. fat/6 g. fiber/2 g. protein. I've been looking for an easy pre-workout snack and I think this would be great, with or without milk. It's best to avoid slow-digesting whole grain before a workout, but it's low enough in protein and fiber that I think it would be alright about an hour before the gym. The Cinnamon start cereal tastes exactly like cinnamon toast crunch, a beloved childhood favorite of mine. But unlike the sugar-loaded kids' cereal, this packs a nutritional punch with 190 cal/2 g. fat/4 g. fiber and an astounding 15 g. protein (not really sure where that is coming from).

The best thing about these cereals is the dessert I just concocted- sprinkling a little of each over a half cup of Dreyer's (Breyer's on the east coast) yogurt blends vanilla frozen yogurt. It tasted like a cinnamon filled fried ice cream and was a very filling evening snack for about 150 calories. MMMmmmm!

Eldorado Canyon: Rattlesnake Gulch Trail

A few weekends ago we ventured to Eldorado Canyon State Park, only about a 20 minute drive from Boulder. The $6 entrance fee was well worth it. We did an easy 2.8 mile hike up Rattlesnake Gulch Trail to the ruins of the Crags Hotel, which burned down in 1912. The trail follows and old wagon road and leads past beautiful views of the canyon. The ruins of the hotel are not that impressive, but it does give one a deep sense of history standing in the former hotel fountain and looking out what was once a window with a sweeping panoramic view. I am a huge fan of ghost towns and historic ruins so this place was a big hit for me. There are pottery shards and glass littered all over the ground so that it literally sparkles in places. Further past the hotel ruins there is a gorgeous view of the continental divide, which made a great lunch spot for us. It is also fun to watch the multitude of rock climbers make there way up the park's many cliff faces. FYI, www.protrails.com is one of the most comprehensive and well researched hiking databases I have ever used. They have detailed trail information, directions, and photos and it's free! Check it out!



Jay next to the fireplace ruin.

Wild Mushroom Risotto

This is a tasty and rich fall dish. Wild mushrooms are my favorite and they really shine in this risotto. I served mine with oven baked Quorn cutlets (my usual substitute for chicken). Defrosted Quorn is easily breaded, topped with a little parmesan and baked for about 20 minutes. Recipe from recipezaar.com.

• 5 1/2 cups chicken broth (I used veg. broth, and you may not need this much)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1 lb wild mushroom, sliced (oyster, crimini, shiitake)
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry sherry (I used dry white cooking wine)
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated (about 2 oz)
• 3/4 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

1. Bring chicken broth to simmer in medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low; cover and keep broth hot.
2. Melt 3 tbsp butter with olive oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped shallots; sauté 1 minute.
   
3. Add wild mushrooms; cook until mushrooms are tender and juices are released, about 8 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat.
   
4. Add sherry and simmer until liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Add 3/4 cup hot chicken broth and simmer until absorbed, stirring frequently.
   
5. Add remaining hot chicken broth 3/4 cup at a time, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently until rice is just tender and mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes. Stir in Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh thyme. Serve warm.

Healthy "Fried" Eggplant

I recently cooked this eggplant and was very impressed. In the past I've had trouble getting the breading to stick to baked eggplant, and frying it is just way too greasy. This is a really easy recipe and it comes out tasting like deep fried eggplant. I cooked some zucchini in the same way and topped some pasta with the veggies, marinara, parmesan and fresh basil. This would also be really tasty in an eggplant parm sandwich.

• 1/2 cup fat-free mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon minced onion
• 1 lb unpeeled eggplant, sliced-about 12 (1/2 inch slices)*
• 1/3 cup fine dry breadcrumb or panko*
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• vegetable oil cooking spray

1. Combine first 2 ingredients, stir well.
2. Spread evenly over both sides of eggplant slices.
3. Combine breadcrumbs, cheese, and Italian seasoning in a shallow bowl; dredge eggplant in breadcrumbs mixture.
4. Place eggplant on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
5. Bake@ 425 degrees for 12 minutes.
6. Turn eggplant over; and bake an additional 12 minutes or until golden.

*Although I didn't peel the eggplant this time around, I would reccomend taking the time to do this, and if you have a chance salt the eggplant, let it sit and then rinse well.
*I used a combo of regular breadcrumbs and panko.