Vegetarian Crockpot Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Today I decided to experiment with making Vegetarian Quinoa Stuffed Peppers in the crockpot.  Before creating my own version, I searched online for a healthy, low fat and vegetarian version however was unsuccessful.  Many recipes I found used a lot of oils, cheese and for some reason were mostly meat based which was strange considering I did Google "Vegetarian"!  

To my surprise after combining a few ideas from a few recipes I did find and using what I had in my kitchen, these turned out to be incredibly satisfying and healthy.  With only about 20min of prep time, these will now become a staple in my plant strong, vegetarian meal planning!

As I said, I do not like recipes where heavy oils are added when cooking.  To saute veggies simply use a little bit of non-stick cooking spray and about 1/8c of water.  Steam sauté works just as great and does the same with less calories and fat added to the recipe.

So here's what's in them!

Ingredients:

• 2 green and 2 red bell peppers (cut tops, but set aside)
• 1 c Quinoa (cooked) 
• 1 yellow onion (diced)
• 8 button mushrooms (stems removed & diced)
• diced peppers from the tops of bell peppers
• 1 can black beans (I use no salt added from Whole Foods)
• 1 14oz can diced tomatoes (I used Delmonte no salt added basil & oregano diced tomatoes)
• 1 8oz can no salt added tomato sauce 
• 1 c frozen corn 
• 1/4 c salsa
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder (I use no salt added from Frontier )
• 1 tsp oregano 
• 1 tsp Italian blend (I use no salt added by Mrs. Dash) 
• 1/4 c cilantro (chopped) 

Directions:

• Cut tops off peppers and remove inside seeds and stem from peppers.  Dice up the remaining tops of peppers and set aside.  
• In a saucepan, sauté diced pepper (tops), onion, mushrooms and garlic using my above suggested steam sauté method.
• Drain the diced tomatoes by pouring the remainder juice into a separate container.  Next add in the can of tomato sauce and Italian seasoning to the diced tomato juice container and stir. 
• Once the veggies have been sautéed add in the remaining seasonings, black beans, cooked quinoa, corn, salsa and diced tomatoes and heat until warm.
• Finally use the saucepan mixture to fill all 4 peppers.
• Place stuffed peppers into crockpot and pour the container of seasoned tomato sauce over as your base. 
• Cook on low 3-4 hours

Per Pepper:

Approximately 250 calories, 3g fat, 48 g carbohydrates and 12g protein.  

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Apple Pie Smoothie

Apple Pie Smoothie  This recipe is courtesy of Dr. Joel Fuhrman.   Perfect Fall treat :) Serves: 2  Preparation Time: 5 minutes Ingredients: 2 medium apples* 3 dates, pitted 1/4 cup walnuts 1/4 cup raisins 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon vanilla 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds 1 cup soy, hemp or almond milk
Instructions: Blend all ingredients in a high powered blender until smooth and creamy.

Being Plan Strong (Vegan) Does Not Mean Eating Bland Foods

Being Plant Strong (Vegan) doesn't mean I don't enjoy what I eat.  It's the exact opposite!  Veggies are the best foods to add in a variety of seasonings as they absorb and always deliver such a greater flavor by taking on the seasoning of your choice.  Veggie dishes are satisfying and deliver the greatest health benefits. There are several credible resources I have learned from, watched their DVD's and read just how great these foods really are to eat. I not only learned there were so many varieties and taste to the foods I was eating, but all the great health benefits that went along with it.  Eating "healthy" should never just be about looking good in the mirror or to fit into that bikini, but to feel great on the inside too!  

As I begin to share with you some of my favorite healthy plant strong recipes, you will often see me source Dr. Joel Furhman, Jeff Novick, Engine 2 Diet (Rip Esselstyn) and Dr. John McDougall.  They have been an instrumental part of my transition.  I admire, respect and am thankful they have shared all their knowledge on nutrition including healthy recipes.  I enjoy learning from others, educating myself on a healthy lifestyle that includes fitness and nutrition and sharing this with others.  Educating yourself and expanding upon your comfort zone or habit of eating the same foods, will give you the success you desire with your clean eating plan.    

One of my favorites and the first one I want to share with you, is a Veggie Lasagna made by Jeff Novick.  This veggie lasagna not only has less preparation time than traditional lasagna, but dramatically lower in calories and fat.  Amazing taste and very satisfying.  I hope you give it a try and enjoy this as much as I do.  Being vegetarian or trying a vegetarian dish for the first time does not have to mean salad or plain broccoli...it means exploring, learning from others and sharing!  

Tomato Sauce
2 Boxes POMI Chopped Tomatoes
Fresh Garlic, Basil, Oregano

Lasagna
1 lb frozen chopped spinach

1/2 lb frozen mushrooms

1 lb frozen zucchini
1/2 lb frozen carrots
1/2 lb frozen onion, pepper mix
2 sweet potatoes baked

Filling
Mashed sweet potatoes and thin with warm water while veggies thaw and then mix thawed veggies in with the mashed sweet potato to make the filling

1/2 cup sauce on bottom of pan
1 layer whole grain noodles (cooked)
1 1/2 cup sauce
1/2 sweet potato/veggie mix
1 layer noodles
1 1/2 cup sauce
1/2 sweet potato/veggie mix
1 layer noodles
1 1/2 cup sauce
sliced tomatoes

Bake covered for 45 minutes at 375

Enjoy!

Goals...Come In All Shapes, Sizes and Types!

You’re probably wondering if Kim Cory Fitness had just disappeared or faded away. 6 months is a long time to be off the radar, but I am excited to set a new goal in getting back into blogging. The truth is I’ve been right here, still working on setting and achieving new goals and still focused on what matters most…my overall health and nutrition. New career challenges and life in general has kept me quite busy, leaving a little less time to write out my thoughts to share with all of you.

It seemed fitting for my first post back to talk about GOALS! Just because we have new challenges in our lives whether it’s career, family, friends or situations, does not mean we should ever take breaks from setting and achieving goals to our health and fitness. Goals can come in all shapes, sizes and types, it’s up to you to set them and strive to achieve them. What are you doing to help motivate yourself to set goals and then what are your strategies or plan to achieve them? Anyone can set goals, but the challenge is actually putting the plan in place to achieve success! For me it’s having family or friends to support me through achieving my goals. Many times it just starts by having a conversation with someone about fitness or nutrition that motivates me. Hearing others stories of success or even encouraging them when the struggle is what drives my passion even greater.

If someone would have told me a year ago that I would be so involved into cycling, I would have told them they are crazy! Sometimes we need new challenges whether it is with our fitness activities or our nutrition choices. For me learning the sport of cycling and experiencing the beauty of nature has been truly rewarding. I found myself burned out from the gym scene and realized competing in figure was not a sport I could see myself being able to maintain through my entire life. I still would like to compete again someday in figure, but have also learned competing in other sports can be even more challenging and rewarding. As I’ve matured these past years in my fitness life, I’ve also learned I wanted to find a fitness plan I can maintain as I mature in age. Let’s face it, CrossFit, Boot Camps and other fads like this are just that, they are fads that come and go, but usually leave you with some type of injury.

If you are just getting into fitness or exercise, don’t be brainwashed into going hard or all the way to gain or see health benefits. Some of the greatest health benefits come from riding a bike, swimming, walking, running or even hiking. Most of these activities are inexpensive or free, don’t have a schedule you have to follow, good for you and when you push yourself at any fitness activity you will see benefits. All of these fitness activities I listed above are one’s I know I could maintain at any age. Of course the intensity level may fluctuate, but at least I will be strong enough to still do something at any age. You just have to keep moving and never stop!

I know I did not touch much about nutrition in this post and will be sharing more in the future, but one of my personal goals was to go from being a vegetarian to plant strong (vegan) and over the past year I have achieved this! To me this feels amazing, not just from reaching a goal, but from how I feel every day just by the choices I was making on what to feed my body. I have a friend who has set a goal to educate and make decisions on her nutrition by reading more about the vegetarian lifestyle. Her teenage daughter is even influenced by this interest and is also learning about this lifestyle.

A fitness goal doesn’t always have to mean placing top 5 in a figure or bodybuilding show or for placing top 3 to get on the podium. It simply means setting a challenge/goal for yourself and working to achieve it. Just today I viewed photos from my friend Lydia’s (hope she doesn’t mind me sharing) bike ride this weekend in Indian. It wasn’t a race to finish first, but she reached one of her goals of averaging a speed of 17 miles per hour. Actually she went above her goal with an average of 17.5mph and I forgot to mention this was over 160 miles…WOW! I sure am proud of her and know she is super happy and excited for all she has achieved.

I am competitive, with myself and with others, but this is just me. Earlier this summer I went out on a Sunday morning training ride with all guys and was getting dropped, couldn’t keep up and felt exhausted/frustrated afterward. Today, just a few months later I was in the front with the lead group, was able to keep the pace and learned I had in deed gotten stronger. A goal I had back in March was to stop getting dropped on these hard training rides and I have worked my way to doing just that! Next I want to learn more from my friend Brian who has done an Ironman about incorporating swimming and running into my fitness goals. I can’t run from a spider and my idea of swimming is sipping on a Bahama breeze off the back of a boat, but it’s not going to stop me from trying and learning something new just because it's a challenge.

So I end this post for you to think about your goals, what are some of your short term and what are some of your long term goals? Remember a goal can be anything like trying new foods, recipes, education on nutrition or even trying a new type of fitness! Hey you may see me swinging a golf club next:) Let’s continue to help motivate and encourage one another on our journeys. You just never know where it may lead you! Be strong, be fit, be a better YOU!

Vindaloo Vegetables

This dish is a great way to liven up vegetable stew! Don’t be thrown off or discouraged by all the ingredients. Most of them are spices and the rest are vegetables. Very easy to whip up and perfect for preparing a meal in advance. Just turn on the crock pot and 6 hours later you have a healthy vegetable stew rich of flavor.

Meals like this are a great way to spice up vegetables. Eating healthy does not have to taste bland or leave you feeling unsatisfied. Learning how to cook and looking forward to the foods you eat, is all part of your journey to a rewarding and appealing healthy lifestyle. You must first find what you enjoy, so don’t be intimated to try and experience new recipes. I could never eat the same things forever as there are way too many options, choices and varieties to healthy eating. Do yourself a favor and explore today. This recipe is was found in the “Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker” by Robin Robertson. You can find it here on Amazon.

2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp. ginger powder
1 tsp. light brown sugar
1 tsp. ground coriander
½ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. dry mustard
½ tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste
½ tsp. turmeric
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 green pepper, seeded and diced
2 cups cauliflower florets
2 small zucchini, cut into ¼ inch-thick slices
1 15.5 oz can red kidney beans or any beans of your choice
1 6oz can tomato paste blended with 1 ½ cups hot water
½ cup frozen green peas, thawed

1. In a blender or food processor, combine 1 Tbsp. of the oil, the garlic, ginger, brown sugar, coriander, mustard, cayenne, turmeric and vinegar; process until smooth, and set aside.
2. Heat the remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in a medium-size skillet cover medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrots, cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Transfer the onion and carrot mixture to a 4-quart slow cooker and turn it on low. Add the spice paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the pepper, cauliflower, zucchini, and kidney beans. Pour in the tomato paste mixture, season with salt and pepper, cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
4. A few minutes before serving, stir in the peas and allow to heat through for about 10 minutes.
5. Optional, serve over basmati or brown rice. Naan is also a great addition to this dish!

Kim's Healthy Soup For Everybody!

Getting back on stage again didn’t mean it was time for starvation, eating nothing but chicken/fish/protein and plain asparagus or not enjoying the foods I eat! What it means for me is finding foods that are healthy, full of flavor, low in calories and fat, yet high in volume. The higher the volume the more satiated I feel and more energy I have throughout the day. Whether you are competing, trying to loose body fat and even choosing a healthy eating lifestyle, this soup is for you!



Thanks to my husband Kevin for introducing me to what he calls his Longevity Soup. I am lucky to have him share his passion for cooking and his knowledge of healthy eating. One of my daily staples includes this healthy soup. What’s so great about the soup is it is so versatile to what you enjoy eating and even the spices you like most. There are a few basics I will always keep in the ingredient list, but there are others I switch in and out to keep it interesting and appealing. This soup also has unique anti-cancer properties from the onions, mushrooms, and other phytochemicals in the vegetables.

Ladies, I divide this recipe into 6 – 2 cup servings which equals 275 calories and 13g protein. And guys, Kevin divide this into 3 HUGE servings which still only equal 500 calories for each serving. It’s amazing just how much this recipe makes and how satisfied you will feel. The greatest benefit is you will be incorporating so many good foods into your diet along with shedding the fat!

The entire recipe is approx 1650 calories and 72g protein. Most importantly it's simple to make and easy on the budget. All this for under $15!! It is inexpensive to healthy and feel satisfied! I sure know I can't go to McDonald's and spend $2.50 for a meal and feel great too!

Ingredients:
1- 2lb bag of frozen mix vegetables
1- 1lb bag of frozen broccoli or cauliflower or any other vegetable source of your choice
4- 16oz cans of no salt added whole tomatoes
2- Cans of no salt added beans of your choice. I like 1 can kidney and 1 can of garbanzo
2/3c chopped frozen onion
1 ½ c fresh sliced mushrooms
1/3 of a 1lb bag of either frozen spinach or collard greens
(For Kevin's soup he adds in 1 cup of cooked brown rice)

Spices- YOU PICK!!
I love Indian cooking and spices so here is what I use.
1 Tbsp. Organic Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp. Cumin
1 Tbsp. Chili Powder
1 Tsp. Coriander
1 Tsp. Tumeric

Place all ingredients into 8-10 QT pot. Helpful tip if you want your tomatoes diced: Add them in the pot last. The easiest way to dice them is by using a paring knife. After the tomatoes are diced up, add in all your spices. Cover and place on high heat.

You will want to stir every 3-5 minutes to avoid the vegetables from burning until it comes to a boil. After it comes to a boil, bring down to a simmer and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Remember to always keep the pot covered to lock in all the moisture. Once cooked, I leave the soup on the burner as it will continue to keep cooking even after the heat is off. The total cooking/cooling time is approx. 1 hour. Divide into containers, store and enjoy!

Original recipe from Jeff Novick R.D. For more great recipes like this, check out Jeff Novick's Fast Food DVD.

Why I Don't Eat Pizza For Lunch!

Do you ever feel lethargic, out of sorts or even depressed after eating too much of your favorite foods? I sure know I do! Today we had a team lunch appreciation where we celebrated with pizza. Yes it was amazing, tasted so yummy and I couldn't seem to get enough. Within just an hour I began to feel all the symptoms from overeating and for the rest of the day the symptoms only got worse.

If you don't believe by how much of what you eat impacts how you think, how your body functions and your emotions you truly have never experienced a clean eating way of life. Since I have been eating salads every day for lunch over the past 4 years, I know just by eating one bad lunch can really throw off the rest of my day. Here’s how this one bad meal really took what was supposed to be a great ride on my bike and turned it into the ride of “De Sucko”

Today was hot and it doesn’t help that exhaustion is starting to settle in from working non-stop the past few weeks, but add in a bad meal and my training quickly became a disaster.

My goal for the night was to get in a 30mile ride, add in 6 sets of intervals and be able to keep working at pedaling faster with more power. I may be strong in the gym with being able to leg press 360lbs and deadlift 225lbs, but training on a bike is a whole new ball game for me and to be honest I feel very week & vulnerable.

Right off the start the ride turned into a wreck. First I felt about 20lbs heavier the minute I got on. Amazing how much one meal can weigh you down. At the first stop I totally was not thinking, my mind was wandering and sure enough lost my balance and hit the ground hard. Now I just got my bike serviced two days ago and the thought of having to show my face in the Trek shop again sickens me! So less than a mile into the ride I shifted the shifters (if this is even the correct lingo) and the bike seems to be riding ok, but who am I to think so! Not only am I embarrassed to show my face in the shop again, I fell hard right behind 3 real deal cyclist…talk about humiliating! These guys at least were considerate and checked on me, but wow was I embarrassed. See my mind was so foggy from the pizza food coma. How could I fall from something you do all the time on a bike…STOP!

The ride was brutal. I had no motivation, struggled at even getting in 3 intervals and at times my speed felt as fast as speed walking. Between feeling heavier, falling, embarrassment, lack of motivation, fatigue, and now road bun on my knee, I can honestly say the ride just sucked. I understand not all workouts can be your best, but what I do know is I am usually motivated, work to achieve goals and have more energy when I exercise. The point to my very long story is if you are trying to loose weight, achieve goals and work hard, you must first evaluate what you are feeding your body. If this is how it feels to be overweight or obese from the constant overeating, this is no way to live life. Do something for yourself today and eat to live, not live to eat! Your mind, body, emotions and energy levels will give you a high like no other.

I still made the best of my ride and was able to get in 22.80miles, rode for 1hr 21min and kept my avg. moving speed at 17.28mph. This did not reach the goal I set out to achieve today, but at least I did it & still worked hard enough to burn 840 calories. Who knows how my ride may have turned out had I stuck to my normal healthy salad for lunch? I hope you can use my day as proof that what you eat matters and does affect decisions, actions and emotions. Now what will you be eating for lunch tomorrow?