Winter Break- new recipes

Since my return from Spain, I have truly enjoyed my time at home to catch on some much appreciated R & R as well as spending time with my family and friends. When I came back into the states I decided to put my clubs down for a few weeks and which is always and interesting experience for me. Usually I start enjoying the time to do other things from golf, so most of my time was spent working out, cooking, seeing friends and family, and shopping : ). Eventually this also becomes a routine....so when its time to get back into my golf routine its definitely hard sometimes to reach for that inner motivation. What usually gets me going is knowing I have a tournament coming up to prepare for.... I hate not being ready for a tournament and so sometimes you just gotta grit and bare the cold and laziness and move forward. My next string of tournaments begin January 20th in Australia. I will be playing in 2 back to back tournaments, after I will have a week break and then I will go to New Zealand to play in their Women's Open. I'm really looking forward to competing again and playing with some pressure, which is fun! The season is supposed to be their spring/summer so I can't wait to bring out my shorts and soak in the warm temperatures. I leave this Sunday the 16th so I still have golf practice and travel preparations to wrap up in order to be completely ready for the long flight across the world. Anyways I will fill you in later on how I will prepare for this trip. I do have some recipes for some good eats I've prepared over the break. I hope you try them out and enjoy them as much as my family and I did!

  Applesauce Pumpkin muffins (from The Eat Clean Diet Cookbook)

Ingredients:

1c old- fashioned oatmeal

1/2c unsweetened applesauce

1/2c canned pumpkin

2 large egg white, 1 egg white (lightly beaten)

2 tbsp and 1 tsp canola oil

1 tbsp double-acting baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2c milk or soy

1/2 c flour of your choice

1/4 c whole-wheat flour

1/4c maple sugar flakes (i used a free tbsp of maple syrup instead)

1/2 dried cranberries or raisins

Preparation:

1) Preheat oven at 375 degrees. Line muffin pan with cooking spray and liners 2) Combine oatmeal, pumpkin, applesauce, milk, eggs and oil. Mix until all ingredients are blended 3) Measure and mix all dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and pour in all wet ingredients. Mix all ingredients until all dry are moistened. Fill muffins cups 2/3 full. Bake 15-20 minutes until brown on top

Maui Black Bean Soup (The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook pg. 71)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 ribs celery, trimmed and chopped

1 fat carrot, peeled and chopped

1 small purple onion, peeled and chopped

1 red pepper, seeded and de-veined, chopped

1 green pepper, seeded and de-veined, chopped

2 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press

1 tsp dried cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp chili powder

4 cups low-sodium chicken stock

2 x 15oz cans black beans

1 x 15oz canned diced tomatoes

1c fresh (or frozen) corn kernels

Sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Preparation: 

1) In large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add celery, carrot, onion and bell peppers. Saute' until onion becomes translucent, about 8 min. Add garlic and spices cook another 2 minutes. 

2) Add stock, beans, tomatoes. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes. Use a hand blender to slightly puree mixture. Add corn and simmer. Add salt and pepper

Black Bean Brownies (from Sept. 2010 Oxygen mag)

Ingredients:

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

3 whole eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

12 oz package Mori Nu, extra-firm lite tofu

1/2c unsweetened applesauce

2 tbsp canola oil

1/3 pure maple syrup

1/2c unsweetened cocoa

3/4c chocolate whey protein powder

1 tsp baking poweder

1/2 tsp sea salt

Preparation:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2) Puree beans in a food processor. Add the rest of the wet ingredients and blend to combine

3) In a large mixing bowl, use a fork to mix together the dry ingredients. Add to the wet ingredients and blend until smooth

4) Pour batter into an oiled 8x8 baking dish. Bake for 30 min

Makes 16 servings. 100 cal, 3g fat, 11g Carb, 8g Protein     

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