Bar Snacks 12/12/2010

Cute snacks for cute guests

go great with a  BIG bottle of Sake!

Prepared for Erin and Ann

after the Xterra Crystal Cove Ultra

on Sunday, 12/12/2010

 : )

One does not have to slave over a hot stove for hours

to make their guests feel appreciated.

This quick little snack

was put together in as much time that it took for Erin, Ann, and Andrew

 to head to the 99Ranch Market (2 miles away)

to pick up the BIG bottle of Sake.

I figured these little treats would do the job

to hold them till I prepared the

Ghetto Gourmet Ramen for dinner.

Cute little deviled quail eggs

topped with caviar and chives

served with

garlicky/buttery toasts, cold sake, and cold beer.

I love

our  Kitchen "bar" at "Chez Calasanz"

Cheers!

: )

Pre Marathon Carb Loading Meals

Andrew will be running the Malibu Marathon

on Sunday 11/14/2010

I'm only doing the 1/2

so I'm not too concerned with the Carb-Loading

I'm just gonna keep eating good, clean meals,

keeping tabs on my hydration, and making sure I get a bit more rest

so I don't feel as wrecked as I did 2 weeks ago when I did

The Los Angeles Rock n Roll 1/2 Marathon

Andrew loves pasta

in any shape, form, and preparation

 

So I decided to make him one of the dishes that my Grandma would make

for my brother when he was in junior high/high school

and participating in every sport that fit into his schedule

Marathon Men and teenage boys have 2 things in common

A never ending appetite

and a never ending pile of sweaty clothes and socks

Luckily

I only have the never ending pile of sweaty clothes and socks

in common with them.

The greatest thing about this dish

is that it's inexpensive

and can be made with wonderful ingredients

to ensure the best of both worlds

Nutritional Value and Flavor

As always

start with fresh, high quality ingredients

In the cast iron skillet

fresh red and green bell peppers; fresh yellow onions; fresh green onions, fresh garlic, fresh shallots, fresh sage, fresh, oregano, some cumin, salt, and pepper.

Add

The House Burger Blend from McCall's

to the veggies once they are almost beyond al dente

Add

2 cans of tomato paste, and some more herbs and seasoning to taste

Mix

with some enriched elbow macaroni

and you've got yourself a whole heck of a lot of

delicious carb-loading goodness

that tastes even better the next day

*******

Here's another Excellent way to carb load

while still incorporating fresh ingredients

that also ensures some nutritional value and comfort-factor flavor

Tuna Casserole

White Trash Done Right

Along with the usual suspects (white trash ingredients),

I use fresh, chopped spinach, fresh mushrooms, peas

and freshly grated Parmesan

I'm sure you know the drill

Mix ingredients, stick in Pyrex Dish, Bake,

Serve

Eat

Not exactly photogenic

but it sure does taste good

and it's pretty inexpensive

and, a little goes a long way.

I would love to hear about your favorite

Carb-Loading Meals.

Wishing You a Happy and Healthy Day!

Melissa Adylia Gutierrez

Owner/Personal Trainer

Controlled Burn Fitness

Garlic Chicken, Carmelized Onions, Fresh Vegetable Pasta, and Ghetto Garlic Bread

Amazingly Easy Sunday Dinner
with lots of garlic and onions

5 Bulbs of Garlic, 5 Yellow Onions, 3 Carrots, 4 Stalks of Celery,

and some Rosemary from the Garden
That's pretty much all I had in my vegetable drawers and bowls so I decided to put them to work

Had a 1/2 of stick of butter so why not chop up 3 cloves of garlic,
mix it with the butter, then spread it on the chicken
Got the chicken at 99Ranch for $0.69 a pound for their
Anaheim Location Anniversary Celebration

I'm a little frightened to think of where it came from and how it was raised

but wow was it fresh and delicious

Couldn't figure which was a better view

Mmm, baking at 350 degrees and getting crispy

Done
and ready for eating

Gotta have the freshly grated Parmesan for the pasta
there is no better tool than the Microplane-Everyone should have one!

Plating it Up!

Hey, Chicken, the caramelized onions are waiting to meet you at the table

along with the "Ghetto Gourmet" garlic bread

Dinner is Served
How many bottles do two people need for one simple dinner

As you can see, there is work looming in the background
Mondays usually begin at the studio at 6am, that means I have to get on the road by 4:30am to drive from Anaheim to Glendale-had to get their programs finished and printed for the early morning

But work would not keep me from enjoying a wonderful meal
Fuel the Body. Fuel the Mind

Notice the addition of the caramelized onions?
They were amazing! 

Looks like Mister Andrew C enjoyed the meal too
What better way to finish off a great meal
than with some Nutella and Pan DeLeche!

I chose to skip dessert...I prefer savory snacks for dessert and sweets at breakfast time

Here's lunch for tomorrow!

I'll post the pasta dish at a later time.

It's filled with tons of fresh mushrooms, carrots, spinach, roasted tomatoes, onions, and garlic!

Mmmmm,
this dinner made it possible to make 3 completely different meals.
Stay tuned
: )

You Get What You Give

New Post on the

Controlled Burn Fitness Blog

"Give your body tragic looking crap your body will deliver the same..."

Warning, this is more of a rant/scolding than an article, but I am certain many of you can relate
Read More

Your comments are encouraged

Thanks for Reading

-Melissa Adylia Gutierrez

Owner/Personal Trainer

Controlled Burn Fitness

The typing behind Disciplined Indulgence

Kelly, Thanks for the Champagne! : )

There is something about Champagne and something spicy

that makes an ordinary evening something special.

Andrew and I received a beautiful bottle Champagne

from my dear friend and client Kelly

(owner of The Pilates Body)

in honor of our recent engagement.

I'm a sucker for Champagne

and I cannot resist making some of Andrew's Favorites for dinner.

On this evening I asked if he wanted spicy shrimp with noodles or rice, his answer:

Yes

Instead of making him choose

I made both

with lots of crunchy fresh cabbage, onions, and carrots, along with some steamed peas.

Topped with Spicy shrimp

with red chili flakes, onions, garlic, and shallots

Don't forget, the blog does say:

"Taking Terrible Pictures of Beautiful Food While Living a Happy, Healthy, and Balanced Life."

Bring on the Bubbly!

The Table is set

(and 19 pomegranates mock me)

: /

Please excuse the mess

It was a week night  and I still had several programs to type up for clients

Mmmm, the hot noodles topped with fresh goodies

The noodles next to the rice topped with the shrimp

Thanks Kelly!

Cheers!

: )

Ghetto Gourmet Ramen Night

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010

 Rockin' the Ramen in a Healthy Way!

As I've stated before,

We are on a budget. A tight budget!

When I hear people say

"it's too expensive to eat healthy"

I want to smack them with their 5cent package of ramen!

This meal is absolute proof that cheap doesn't have to be tacky,

unappetizing or unhealthy.

Check the pics from this evening in my Facebook album

for tags of all the ingredients.

Setting the table with all the goodies that will be dressing up the

"ghetto gourmet" meal that is "6 packs for a dollar-everybody holla"

Ramen

 Mmmm, Shrimp...I love shrimp in my ramen.

 Shrimp, meet all the other goodies that you'll be swimming with in my ramen.

Oooh, y'all look good together...but I think we'll need a little something more to dress things up.

 Ahhh, Bubbly...waiting in the wings.

You sure know how to dress up and evening.

 You have to admit, that even blurry, it still looks pretty darned good.

But it's still missing something.

SHRIMP!

 : )

Such a great meal with a splurge of $17

for the Tasmanzian Bubbly from Anne's Boutique Wines in Costa Mesa.

It was an excellent and refreshing bubbly that had just the perfect amount of crisp and hint of sweet to off set the super hot heat of the random red pepper from our garden that pretty much blistered my lips

and left me drooling for about a half an hour.

So, whatya think?

Super pretty, pretty healthy, absolutely delicious and super cheap!

And plenty of room for dessert.

SUGAR BOMBS! 

 These little critters

were the very first thing we ever made in my 7th grade Home-Ec class.

Hadn't thought of them in ages and decided to make the when Mister AC and I first began dating.

Well, the dessert isn't exactly healthy, but Mister AC loves them.

Now, go dress up some ramen, and leave room for dessert!

: )