Dinner is Served! Blackberry Chili Scallops over Couscous

Dinner is served! This week's dinner was Blackberry Chili Scallops over Couscous. Looks and tastes entirely decadent, but will be done in less than 20 minutes.  For the full recipe click HERE>>

The key to making the scallops delicious is to make sure you don't overcook them.  Stick to 2 mins a side and they should be amazing.  

One of my favorite things about this meal besides the fact that it was amazing in every way is that it made me remember how easy couscous is to make! Even though I loved last week's meal, Japanese Fish Rice Balls and Edamame Salad, I'm just not that great at making rice.  Couscous is absolutely fool proof to make and done in 5 mins. So much better than rice!

Would you try this recipe? How do you enjoy your scallops? Share your thoughts with a comment below: 

What's for Dinner? Wednesday: Blackberry Chili Scallops over Couscous

Happy Wednesday! It’s What’s for Dinner? Wednesday again here at Fit Armadillo.  It’s also Website Wednesday, because I’m determined to get my website and blog married and moved over to their new WordPress home by the end of the day.  Think I can do it? I hope I can! 

The guys over at Blue Host (who are AMAZING, I might add) have warned me that you may see some funky things happening with Fit Armadillo the next week or so, but once it’s all done it’s going to make all of our worlds so much better, so hang in there with me!

This week’s meal features two of my favorite foods, scallops and blackberries, paired with my husband’s favorite food item, peppers!  Very fitting for the last meal before my online websites are joined together, right? (totally NOT planned!).  

This recipe comes to you modified from one found in my favorite magazine of all time: Clean Eating Magazine. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you definitely should! 

So let’s get onto this week's recipe for Blackberry Chili Scallops over Couscous since I need to get back to setting up my website!

Here are the ingredients you need to serve the meal to four:

4 cups blackberries 2 tsp lemon zest 1/4 cup lemon juice 2 tsp raw honey 1 tbsp chopped chile (recommended: chipotle) 1 cup couscous 2 tsp olive oil 20 oz sea scallops pepper (to taste) fresh parsley (garnish)

Here’s how to put it all together:

Step One: Make your blackberry chipotle sauce by combining your blackberries, lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, and chipotles in a small bowl. 

Step Two: Make your couscous by first bringing 1.5 cups of water to a boil and then adding your grains to the pot. Cover the pot and remove it from the heat and let your couscous sit for 5 minutes.

Step Three: Cook up your scallops! Preheat a skillet over high heat and then spray it with cooking spray.  Season your scallops with pepper before searing them in your skillet for about 2 mins on each side.  Remove the scallops when their edges start to split and set them aside.

Step Four:  Add the blackberry sauce from step one to the skillet and stir it up.  As soon as it bubbles, turn the heat to low and continue to stir for 4 minutes to it’s ready to top you meal.

Step Five:  Divide the couscous among 4 plates and top with 1/8 a serving of the blackberry sauce, the scallops, and 1/8 a serving of blackberries.

And that's it! Super delicious and super easy to make! Check back tonight to see the final product. 

Would you try this meal? Share your thoughts with a comment below:

Tighten + Tone Tuesday: How to Enjoy Easter Candy without Regret

Happy Tighten + Tone Tuesday! It's Easter week and Easter candy is everywhere.  Is it stressing you out? Do you feel guilty because you want to enjoy a childhood favorite, but you don't want to undo all the hard work you've put into your fitness routine? Fear not, my friend! This week's video brings you three tips for enjoying your Easter candy without regret.  That's right! I'm here to tell you that you can eat your Easter candy and enjoy it too!  

Even more exciting? The actual Easter bunny is my special guest for this week's video! Check him out hard at work editing our video footage here:

Nathan, the Easter Bunny, editing video footage. 

Most personal trainers will tell you to avoid candy altogether, but I think it's fine to indulge intelligently. If you REALLY want to eat that candy, you will. The longer you avoid it, the more you'll want it. Plus, I don't know about you, but Easter candy is the best candy! I've tried not enjoying any myself, and it's just no way to live.  By taking the tips I'm sharing this week to heart, you'll get to have the best of both worlds.  You can enjoy your favorite seasonal treats, but you won't feel like you've ruined months of hard work in the process.

Ready for my healthy Easter tips including one of my FAVORITE online fitness tools, Easter basket ideas to keep your favorite kiddos active, and to meet the Easter bunny? Check out this week's video:

Did you enjoy this video? Give it a thumbs up/share it for me on Google + and with your friends. 

Did you do your homework yet? I'd love to hear about your favorite Easter candy and the activities you'll add to your week or other treats you'll give up so you can enjoy your candy without guilt. Share your thoughts with a comment below: 

Dinner is Served! Japanese Fish Rice Balls & Edamame Salad

Happy What's for Dinner? Wednesday! This week's meal brought all the flavors of your favorite Japanese restaurant to your kitchen without the need for testing your sushi-grade fish buying skills.

Tonight's meal, Japanese Fish Rice Balls & Edamame Salad, substituted raw salmon for smoked fish to keep crafting it in your own home safe as well as delicious.  Smoked salmon is fairly high in sodium, so make sure to enjoy this dish on a day where you haven't been eating a lot of this ingredient.

The hardest part of this meal for me was the rice! I don't know why, but that small little grain is something I just can't seem to perfect.  If you're like me and get a little stressed out by cooking rice, remember to breathe AND that to make the rice sticky, you really need to have wet fingers.  That being said, I think I'm going to leave all future rice cooking to Mr. Fit Armadillo since he's Indian and can basically cook the stuff in his sleep!

Think you'd enjoy this meal? Check out the full recipe HERE>>

What do you think of this dish? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Please leave them with a comment in the space below this post: 

What's for Dinner? Wednesday: Japanese Fish Rice Balls & Edamame Salad

Happy What's for Dinner? Wednesday! Today's dinner is a Japanese dish that combines all the great flavors of your favorite sushi spot in a way that can safely be prepared in your kitchen.  That's because instead of making this meal with raw fish, you'll be using smoked salmon.  If you're like me and you wish that you could eat Japanese food every night, but just aren't ready to trust your ability to select sushi-grade fish, I know you'll enjoy this dish.

This recipe for Japanese Fish Rice Balls and Edamame Salad has been modified from one I found in MiNDFOOD, a magazine I fell in love with while in Australia.

To serve it to four people, you'll need the following ingredients:

2 cups short grain rice

4 tbsp sesame seeds

2 nori sheets (dried seaweed)

8 oz smoked fish (I'm using salmon)

7 oz edamame

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted

Salad leaves, ginger, wasabi, and miso soup 

Step One: Get your rice ready.  Rinse your rice in cold water until the water runs clear.  Drain the rice and then place it in a microwavable container. Cover the rice with 2.5 cups of cold water and heat it in the microwave for about 20 mins or until it is tender. Leave the rice to cool.

Step Two:  Prepare the fish ball coating.  In a dry frying pan, heat up 5 tbsp of sesame seeds so they become toasted. Allow them to cool while you heat up the nori sheets in the same dry frying pan.  Use a coffee grinder to make a powder out of 4 tbsp of the sesame seeds and the nori sheets.  Set aside the extra 1 tbsp of sesame seeds for later.

Step Three: Make your fish balls. Wet your hands and use them to shape the rice into 1 inch balls. Use your thumb to make a hollow in each ball and fill it with your smoked fish before sealing and reshaping the ball.  Finish each ball off by rolling it in your sesame seed and nori powder.

Step Four: Make your salad.  Blanch the edamame in boiling water.  When cooked, rinse the beans in cold water before tossing them with the rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, and the remaining 1 tbsp of sesame seeds.

Step Five: Put it all together! Serve the fish balls on top of a bed of salad topped with wasabi, ginger, and edamame.  Heat up miso soup to serve on the side.

Now you can enjoy a quick Japanese food fix without needing to visit a sushi restaurant.

Would you try this dish? Share your thoughts with a comment below.  Know someone who might enjoy it? Spread the word by sharing this page.

Tighten + Tone Tuesday: How to Select the Correct Running Shoes for Your Feet

Happy Tighten + Tone Tuesday! This week's video gives me the chance to talk about two of my most favorite things in the whole wide world: running and shoes.

If you're here to learn how to select the correct running shoes for your feet, don't worry. I'm not going to break out my stiletto shoe collection and go for a run (or will I?).  Instead, I'll be providing some tips that will make your running shoe shopping trip go more smoothly.  

The big takeaway from this video is the importance of buying your running shoes for comfort and not style.  I won't be telling you to stop buying impractical shoes, because I wear them on my off days.  However, I will give you some tips that will make changing up the way you shop for your running shoes easier to understand.

To get my tips, watch click on the video to tune in:

Interested in checking out the shoe finder tool I talked about? Visit it on Runner's World by clicking HERE>>

One of the online shoe stores that offers an extended warranty is Road Runner Sports. Check them out through THIS link>>

Are you starting a running routine? If so, have you bought new running shoes yet? Share your thoughts on my tips and your new routine by leaving a comment below. Know someone who might enjoy this video? Please share it to spread the word.

Dinner is served! Cornmeal Dumpling Soup with Kale and Red Beans

This week's What's for Dinner? Wednesday meal is served! You're looking at a bowl of Cornmeal Dumpling Soup with Kale and Red Beans.  It was my first time making any dumplings so I am feeling pretty accomplished right now.  Although, that might have more to do with the fact that this meal also helped me use up a good amount of the copious amounts of cornmeal that appeared out of nowhere last month.

To find the full recipe click HERE>>.  I think you'll enjoy the fact that it takes about 40 minutes to cook (and only about 10 minutes of hands on time).  If you've gone gluten free or are a vegetarian, this wold also make a great meal with a nice salad and maybe some gluten free bread.

Would you try this recipe? Share your thoughts with a comment below: 

What's for Dinner? Wednesday: Cornmeal Dumpling Soup with Red Beans and Kale

Happy What's for Dinner? Wednesday! I hope you survived April Fool's Day okay and got to play a joke or too on some unsuspecting victims.  I didn't try to fool anyone, but Wordpress definitely played a trick or two on me!

This week's meal is something to help my friends in cooler climates warm up a little as they wait for warm weather to finally arrive.  I'm sharing a recipe for Cornmeal Dumpling Soup with Red Beans and Kale.  Besides warming you up from the inside out, this soup is gluten and meat free.  Pair it with your favorite salad and some fresh bread (gluten free if needed) for a complete dinner. The inspiration from this recipe comes from one I found on the website Simply Gluten Free.  It's been altered quite a bit to take the total cook time down from 4hrs to less than 40 mins, but you might want to check out the site if you're more of a pro than I am!

OK....I have a little confession. I did think of my friends up north while selecting this recipe, but I initially picked it because I discovered this situation when doing a little spring cleaning two weeks ago:

You're looking at not one, not two, but THREE "things" of cornmeal! Yes, one is yellow cornmeal and two are white cornmeal, but I'm pretty sure a girl only needs one of these at a time. I'm really not sure how this happened, but if you're in Houston, TX and need some cornmeal, I'd love to share some of the wealth.  I need to take back that valuable pantry real estate so I can add to my slightly obscene collection of fancy oils.

If you stopped by last week, you know I shared a recipe that also included cornmeal.  The recipe was quite scrumptious, but when I found it I was SO excited to have located a yummy, healthy chicken fingers recipe (want it? get it HERE>>) that I overlooked the fact that it really wasn't going to make a dent in the cornmeal invasion.  This week's recipe is definitely a better attempt to solve my cornmeal crisis.

So without further ado, here's what you need to make Cornmeal Dumpling Soup for four people:

Ingredients:

1 can red kidney beans, rinsed with water

1 onion 

1/2 cup of mushrooms, chopped

1 tablespoon soy sauce (*make sure yours is gluten free if you're avoiding the ingredient)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 lb kale, ribs removed and chopped

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

3/4 cup gluten free flour blend (I used brown rice flour)

3/4 cornmeal (take that, cornmeal invasion!)

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup water

1 bunch green onions, minced

crushed red pepper (optional, but recommended)

Accessories (optional):

Witch hat

Green face paint

Broomstick 

Putting it all together:

Step One: Grab a large pot and add in your red beans, onion, and 8 cups of water (you may want to add more or less water later depending on how "chunky" you like your soup). Bring your caldron (WAY more fun than saying pot, right?) of goodies to a boil and throw on your witch accessories, if desired or if you need to cast a spell today. Need help finding a spell? Check HERE>> 

Step Two: Let out an evil laugh and turn the heat on your stove top down so everything simmers. You can put away your witch hat for now if you'd like :) Add your soy sauce, pepper, kale (a witch has to stay trendy, my friends!), and balsamic vinegar and cover your pot for 20 minutes. 

Step Three: While you wait, make your dumpling batter.  Whisk together the flour, cornmeal (and rejoice if you have as much as I do), sugar, salt, and baking powder. Next, add in 1/2 cup of your green onions.   Check on your caldron and add a little more salt, if needed.  Take a few laps around the house on your broomstick to get in a little cardio and scare any guests if desired.

Step Four: By now those 20 minutes of simmering should be up.  Drop your dumpling batter into your caldron/pot by large tablespoons.  Cover it up again and let it continue to simmer for a final 15 minutes. Take one last broomstick calorie burning fly-by.

Step Five: Dinner will be served when you portion out your soup and top it with some green onions and crushed red pepper! Take off your witch disguise or don't. It's up to you.

Do you plan on trying this recipe? Have you ever cooked in costume? Share your thoughts and comments below and this recipe if you enjoyed it!

Tighten + Tone Tuesday: Why exercise IS an effective way to lose weight and tips to maximize your routine

Happy Tighten + Tone Tuesday! This week's video is the last in my March Madness series.  Yes, I know it's April 1st, but since March Madness at Fit Armadillo is more about shining a light on fitness myths than it is about March or basketball, I figured it was still timely.  Especially since it's April Fool's Day and this week's myth is one I don't want someone to prank you into believing!

What myth am I uncovering this week? It's the myth that exercise "just isn't proven to aide in weight loss."  This myth always really grinds my gears, because it's just not true!

However, haters are gonna hate and they keep talking all this trash about exercise. I think the myth comes from the fact that while your eating and exercising habits work together to impact your overall weight and weight loss goals, it's a lot easier to overeat than it is to overexercise! 

Most of us don't realize what we actually eat during the day and tend to overestimate the amount of exercise we enjoy.  But "most of us" doesn't have to be YOU! Take charge of your healthy living routine and get a few steps closer to your goal by getting real about your current routine with me.  If you're not sure where to begin, you'll love the quick tips for learning how to modify both your eating and exercising routines that I reveal in the video.


Find out more about my thoughts on the maddening idea that exercise doesn't work by watching this week's video here:

Did you enjoy this video? Share it with a friend and then share your thoughts with a comment below. Did you visit Choose My Plate yet? It's a great resource and I'd love to hear your thoughts on that as well :) Type away: