80--- Runner Girl Gluten-Free Snack Mix

I am running my first Bloomsday race in Spokane, Washington this weekend. Actually, my alter ego is. I am excited for a fantastic run and even more fantastic girls' weekend! My running partners have wonderful appetites, especially my friend Shayla (you remember her Indian potatoes, right?). Shayla has gluten-free needs, so I thought I would make a snack mix to fuel us for our race.

This has a salty and sweet combination. Add your own gluten-free ingredients as you see fit!

Runner Girl Gluten-Free Snack Mix
Makes ~8 cups

4 cups gluten-free Corn Chex cereal
2 cups rice cracker mixture (from bulk bins or found in Asian aisle)
4 oz dry roasted edamame
6 oz dried cherries
6 oz raw almonds
8 oz peanut butter chips (optional)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine cereal, edamame, and almonds. In a separate small bowl, combine oil, honey, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, chili powder, and salt. Pour dressing over cereal mixture. Lay out mixture in a single layer on a large baking sheet sprayed lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until combination becomes slightly crispy, stirring halfway through. Remove from oven and transfer to a sheet of parchment paper. Allow to cool completely, then separate pieces that have stuck together.

Place mixture into an airtight container and add rice crackers, cherries, and peanut butter chips. Toss to mix.


Nutrition Info per 1/2 cup serving: 228 calories, 10 g fat, 7 g protein, 28 g carbohydrates, 2.5 g fiber

20(ish)--- Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

I got to spend time with my California family a couple of weeks ago. My niece, Keiley, and I had a lovely time making these brownies. She likes to cook and bake-- SO PROUD! Drake, my nephew, is an expert at tasting things, especially if they are sweet. He gave these a big thumbs up-- and he even knew about the zucchini content!

I am happy to report that grated zucchini acts much like applesauce, pumpkin, or mashed banana in it's ability to reduce the amount of fat needed in a recipe! These are still not an 80% recipe, but slightly healthier than your basic brownie!

Chocolate Zucchini Brownies
Makes 15 brownies

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
11 oz bag semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups shredded zucchini


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 x 11 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Combine sugar, oil, and flour in a large bowl (mixture will resemble wet sand). Add cocoa, zucchini, and baking soda. Mix until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Pour brownie batter into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the brownies are set. Cut brownies into squares and serve.

20--- Caprese Grilled Cheese

April is National Grilled Cheese Month. Strange, I know. But it's a good excuse to indulge a bit in a 20% food. I'm sure that grilled cheese can be health-ified. I do not think that I've been getting my full 20% of my 20s lately. Time for a jazzed-up grilled cheese sandwich!





Caprese Grilled Cheese

Serves 3

1 loaf French bread, ends sliced off and remainder cut into 3 sections

1 1/4 cups part-skim ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2/3 cup roma tomato, seeded and chopped

3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup fresh sweet basil leaves, chopped

1 tsp garlic powder


Combine chopped tomatoes, basil, and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl and place in refrigerator. Allow to marinate 1-2 hours.


Place oven on high broil. Combine ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese in a medium bowl. Stir in tomato mixture and garlic powder. Slice French bread thirds in half. Onto each half spread 1/2 cup cheese mixture. Place bread slices onto baking sheet. Place baking tray in oven on a middle rack (not too close to broiler). Watch closely and bake for ~5 minutes, until cheese mixture melts and edges of bread lightly brown.


Remove from oven and place two halves together to form a sandwich. Serve with a side of tomato basil soup (optional) for dipping.

20--- Sourdough Currant Scones

These will be perfect on your table at Easter brunch! Scones are not healthy, but these are homemade! My sourdough starter was good, but not quite sour enough yet to make a big impact. These were still delicious! The sweet glaze and currants will nicely offset the sourness if you have a nicely aged starter!

Sourdough Currant Scones
Makes 16 scones

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup dried currants
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tarter
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into slices
1 1/4 cups sourdough starter

GLAZE
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tsp butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle two baking sheets lightly with flour.

Whisk together the flour, salt, cream of tartar, baking soda, sugar, currants and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Cut in the slices of butter with a knife or pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the sourdough starter and mix by hand to form a soft dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 1/2-inch thick round. Use a biscuit cutter to cut into circles and place the scones on the prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Re-roll dough if needed.

Bake until the scones just start to turn golden ~15 minutes. Remove scones from baking sheets and cool on sheets of parchment paper.

While scones are baking, prepare glaze. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, orange juice and powdered sugar. Bring to a low boil, stirring continually for ~10 minutes until mixture has thickened. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

When scones are cool, lightly brush each with glaze and allow to set to harden. Store in an airtight container or serve immediately!

Sourdough Starter

We used to have a sourdough starter in our fridge. It had been there since I had met my husband, almost 8 years ago. I never used it. At that time I was in college, then graduate school, then in an internship, all the while working two jobs. So, I really just didn't cook much in general (actually never). Our starter grew a lovely green layer on the top. It was probably angry because I never fed it. In the trash it went, just a few months ago.

I thought I was out of luck with making sourdough recipes. Don't starters have to be, like, 40 years old? Apparently not. I found a recipe for starting my own! I did not ignore it his time. I fed it, regularly, for the past three weeks.

I vow to keep feeding it, and using it, regularly. My children shall have this starter passed to them, but only when they are able to care for it.

Here's how I did it:

Sourdough Starter

Makes 3 cups

1 package dry active yeast

2 cups warm water (110 degrees)

2 cups all-purpose flour

In a large glass bowl, combine warm water, yeast, and flour. Place a clean towel over bowl and place in warm dry place. I placed mine in the oven with the light on (no, I did not use it for a few days).

Every 24 hours, discard 1/2 of the mixture and then add 1 cup flour and 1 cup warm water. Re-cover and return to a warm dry place. If a liquid layer forms on top of mixture, stir it in prior to each feeding. After 4-7 days of feedings, mixture will begin to bubble and develop a sour smell as the starter ferments. This means that your starter is done fermenting! At this time, the starter is ready to use! Place mixture in a glass jar and place in refrigerator.

After each use, replace the amount of mixture that was removed with equal parts flour and water (if you use 1 cup replace with 1 cup flour and 1 cup water-- this will increase the size of your starter!). If not used, feed mixture weekly in the same way you did feedings, by discarding 1/2 of mixture and replacing it with equal parts flour and water.

Make sure you record the date of your starter (for your children). It will get better with age!

80--- Roasted Asparagus and Poached Eggs

I will admit the first time I saw a Peruvian asparagus recipe in a magazine I thought, "Now that's weird". But with asparagus in season and beautiful right now, I wanted to give it a go. Verdict? It's a fabulous light meal! I roasted the asparagus covered with a light Panko-Parmesan topping to add a little more sustenance. My hubby, who doesn't love eggs as it is, especially for dinner, was very impressed! I cannot wait to harvest some from my garden (probably around July) and make this again!

This would make a lovely addition to your Easter dinner OR brunch! Vegetables for brunch? Fabulous!!

Roasted Asparagus with Poached Eggs

Serves 4

8 eggs, poached until cooked as desired (I left my yolks slightly runny)

2 lb thin asparagus spears, trimmed

1 cup Panko crumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place asparagus spears into a large bowl and drizzle on olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss. Mix Parmesan cheese and Panko crumbs in a separate bowl. Add half of Panko mixture to asparagus and toss to coat asparagus.

Spray a baking sheet lightly with cooking spray. Lay coated asparagus spears flat onto sheet, then sprinkle with remaining Panko mixture. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until asparagus is cooked through and Panko is lightly toasted.

While asparagus is cooking, poach eggs (I used a poached egg pan, but you may cook yours in the traditional fashion described in this post: How to Poach an Egg.) You may cook them through, or leave the yolks slightly runny, depending on your tastes.

When asparagus is done, remove from oven and use a spatula to remove ~12 stems from the baking sheet. Place on a plate, then place two poached eggs on top. Garnish with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, if desired.

You may also serve as a side dish with 6-8 asparagus spears and one poached egg.

Nutrition Info per 12 asparagus spears and 2 poached eggs: 276 calories, 12 g fat, 22 g protein, 21 g carbohydrates, 6 g fiber

20(ish)--- Easter Egg Salad

Research from both Harvard and Columbia universities has concluded that artificial food dyes may cause increased hyperactivity in children with ADHD. Yikes! What else could they do?

I do not have children. When and if I do, I will make natural food dyes for Easter eggs. Until I do, thank you to The Whole Tulip for instruction: Natural Easter Egg Dye.

If you store your dyed Easter eggs in the fridge (as you should), then here is a simple egg salad recipe to use them up after the bunny hops down your bunny trail! I probably could have made egg salad into an 80 recipe, but I wanted a very basic egg salad without too many bells and whistles. I used only 6 egg yolks and reduced-fat dressing ingredients to help bring down the calorie content without sacrificing flavor. Add additional ingredients to your liking!

Easter Egg Salad

Serves 4

1 dozen eggs, hard-boiled and peeled

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

3 green onions, sliced thin

3 Tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 Tbsp light mayonnaise

2 Tbsp light sour cream

1/2 Tbsp yellow mustard (or to taste)

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/2 tsp celery salt

1/4 tsp celery seed

1/2 tsp paprika

Discard the yolks of 6 of the eggs. Chop remaining whites and yolks into 1/4" cubes. Add to a bowl with celery, parsley and onions. Stir together mayo, sour cream and spices in a separate bowl. Add dressing mixture to eggs and mix to coat. Cover and place in refrigerator for 1-2 hours prior to serving.