Roy, my little helper, picks the ripe fruit.

“If I can reach just a little higher.”

A beautiful bowl of ripe mulberries. Ready to eat. 

The post It’s Mulberry Picking Time! appeared first on Balance Personal Training.

At a recent potluck a friend brought a homemade Farro Salad. It was so delicious that her serving bowl was empty in under an hour. Below is the recipe which she got from Food52.com. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked farro (or substitute barley)
• 1 medium red onion, cut in half
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 handful fresh parsley plus 1 tablespoon finely chopped
• ¹/₂ teaspoon salt (add more if needed)
• 1 cup diced (about 1/4″ cubes) fresh mozzarella cheese
• 2 teaspoons minced pitted kalamata olives
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
• 1 pinch freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cups extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons honey

Directions

1. Add the farro, one onion half, garlic, handful of parsley and salt along with 2 3/4 cups water to a 2 quart pot. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off burner and let sit, covered, for 5 more minutes. Discard the onion, garlic and large pieces of parsley. Spread out on a rimmed sheet pan and let cool completely (do not skip this step or the mozzarella will melt into the finished dish).
2. Whisk together the olive oil, vinegars and honey to prepare the dressing. Chop the remaining onion half finely. Add onion, cooled farro, mozzarella, kalamata olives, tomatoes, remaining tablespoon of parsley and basil to a deep bowl. Pour the dressing over the ingredients and stir well to combine, using a long wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Season with salt and pepper. The salad is ready to serve, but can also be made and stored in the fridge, covered, one day ahead.

Parsley and basil straight from the garden.

Here is the onion half, garlic and handful of parsley that we removed from the farro. We saved it for another dish.

Cooked Farro looks lonely without the other ingredients.

Chopped tomatoes, olives and red onion.

Olive oil, vinegars and honey. 

Everybody in the pool. Ready to serve and eat.

The post Farro Salad Recipe appeared first on Balance Personal Training.

Ingredients

3 Tbsp curry powder

2 lbs chicken thighs, sliced into 1/2″ pieces

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

3 Tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp sugar

2 lemongrass stalks

1 tsp ground ginger

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 1/2 pounds sweet potato, peeled and chopped

1 1/2 coconut milk

1 onion, chopped

1 Tbsp dried basil

Directions

Place the chicken pieces in a dish or container and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the curry powder. Mix to coat and set aside for 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a medium pot or deep skillet over medium-to-high heat. Add the garlic, crushed red pepper and last tablespoon of curry powder. Stir until fragrant, about 10-15 seconds. Add the chicken and cook until the edges turn golden, 7-8 minutes. Stir in the fish sauce, sugar, lemongrass, ginger and chicken broth. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and add carrots. After about 10-12 minutes, pour in the coconut milk. Fold in onions, sweet potatoes and basil and simmer for 15-18 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Serve hot over basmati rice.

Notice the two containers of coconut milk. We had frozen them previously, so we just needed to defrost them for this recipe. We also used a small package of red pepper flakes from Dominos Pizza. Must be at least 5 years old. But as my Mom would say “Spices last forever.”

Chicken pieces resting nicely in a container with curry powder. 

Chicken, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, fish sauce, sugar, lemongrass, ginger and chicken broth all in the skillet. Can you smell it? Yum!

Carrots, coconut milk, onions, sweet potatoes and basil have been added. It’s getting closer. The sauce thickened up nicely.

The post Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry Recipe appeared first on Balance Personal Training.

Ingredients

1.5 pounds chicken thighs, cut into 1/2″ pieces

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 1/2 tsp fresh minced garlic

1 tsp ground ginger powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cardamom

1/2 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp salt

pinch cayenne pepper

2 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp fresh cilantro finely chopped

3 large sweet onions sliced long and thin

Ingredients for Rice

2 cups Basmati rice uncooked

3 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 1/2 tsp cardamom

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp dried anise

2 bay leaves

1 tsp olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juiced divided

2 tsp saffron

Directions

Marinate chicken in a medium size bowl, stirring together coconut milk with all chicken spices. Stir to coat and let marinate in refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

To a pot or dutch oven, add 2 tsp of vegetable oil. Set heat to medium-high. Add onions and cook until browned. Remove pot from heat and plate onions.

To the same pot, add the marinated chicken. Sauté over medium to high heat until cooked. 

Add water and all rice spices to same pot. Stir together and bring to boil. Then add rice and reduce heat to low. Let simmer until liquid is absorbed, but rice is not fully cooked, about 12 minutes. 

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Then add cooked onions to top of rice/chicken dish. Mix saffron with remaining 2 tbsp lemon juice. Drizzle over top. Cover and bake for 60 minutes.

The post Chicken Biryani Recipe appeared first on Balance Personal Training.

Ingredients

Directions

Preheat over to 450°F, with a large cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet on middle rack. (*The original recipe asks that you cut the broccoli lengthwise and then cut larger pieces in half again (also lengthwise) to create long florets. Instead I used the entire head of broccoli including the stalk. No waste here.) Remove skillet from oven; swirl in 2 tablespoons oil. Add broccoli and turn to coat, then arrange so a flat side of each piece faces down; season with salt and pepper. Roast 15 minutes. 

Stir together bread crumbs, Parmesan, garlic, thyme, and oregano. Transfer broccoli to a plate. Add marinara to skillet; top with mozzarella and chickpeas. Return broccoli to skillet, browned-sides up. Sprinkle evenly with bread crumb mixture. Roast until bread crumbs are golden, mozzarella is melted, and sauce is bubbling, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes. Serve. (*Because my cast iron skillet wasn’t large enough to hold all of the contents, I used a bigger skillet [not oven-proof], added the ingredients and finished the dish off on the stove top instead of the oven. The Parmesan cheese did melt but the bread crumbs did not get golden. No biggie.) 

The post Broccoli-and-Chickpea Parmesan appeared first on Balance Personal Training.

Ingredients

2 pound beef flank steak

For the marinade:

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup soy sauce

1 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp sesame oil

Directions

In a bowl, mix the apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, ginger powder, garlic powder and sesame oil. Place flank steak in a 9×13″ casserole dish. Pour marinade on top. Cover dish and let marinate in refrigerator for several hours until over night. To get the most out of your marinade, be sure to flip the steak half way through. (The vinegar will help tenderize the steak and add sweetness.) 

Set oven to broil. Remove the steak from the marinade, shake off the excess, and place it in the middle of a broiler pan. Place the pan in the oven on the top rack. Depending on the steak’s thickness cook for 7-10 minutes per side. This also depends on your taste; whether you like the steak rare, medium rare or well done. Also remember that the steak is thicker in the middle so the ends might get a little charred. 

Remove steak from broiler pan and place on cutting board. Let rest for 5-10 minutes so juices reabsorb and you don’t bleed the meat. 

Slice against grain. Serve and enjoy!

The post Beef Flank Steak with Mom’s Marinade appeared first on Balance Personal Training.

When you think of a stack of breakfast pancakes, what do you picture? Thin and round steaming cakes with a tab of butter on top? A light and fluffy flapjack covered with maple syrup and other delicious toppings? Did you know that pancakes are basically flour, butter or oil, eggs, baking powder and salt?  

Have you ever tried blintzes? A friend of mine calls them lumpy pancakes and loves them. My blintz recipe is high in protein and is more substantial than traditional rolled or filled blintzes. Plus this recipe does not use sour cream, ricotta cheese or cream cheese. My middle son, Bruce, says that he likes them “much more than boring pancakes.” 

I have made blintzes for over twenty years and have experimented by adding baking powder, fresh fruit, frozen fruit, nuts, flavored yogurt, large curd cottage cheese, etc. The combinations are endless. See which one you like best! Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 cup unsifted flour (all-purpose or whole wheat)

1 cup yogurt (flavored, non-fat, low-fat or Greek)

1 cup cottage cheese (non or low fat)

4 eggs, beaten

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, add flour, yogurt, cottage cheese and eggs. Mix well. If consistency of batter is too thick then add a little milk. 

Heat nonstick griddle to 325-350 degrees F.

Using a large mixing spoon or a 1/3 cup measuring cup, pour batter onto hot griddle. Each blintze will be about 4 inches in diameter. On our 22 inch griddle, we cook 2 rows of 4  blintzes: 8 total. It’s important to leave enough space between blintzes and room for flipping.

Cook for about 5 minutes. Then flip. You can tell when the blintz is ready to flip when: 1) The edges of the blintz are slightly pulling away from the griddle. So it is easy to get the spatula underneath and it doesn’t stick.   2) When you see the top of the blintz bubbling slightly. Cook approximately 5 minutes until done.

Serve with fresh blueberries, sliced bananas or your favorite fruit. Of course, drizzle a little Wisconsin maple syrup on top.  

The post Hi Protein Blintzes Recipe appeared first on Balance Personal Training.

The other day, my 8 year old son, Roy,  excitedly grabbed his pail and ran outside to collect blackberries. We have blackberry bushes surrounding our vegetable garden and at the edge of our woods. A few minutes later he came back inside and showed me his full pail. “Try one.” he said. I did, and they were delicious. Blackberries are great on their own, on top of hot or cold cereal and in crumbles, tarts and cakes. Soooooo Heather whipped up a dessert in no time at all. She did add fresh mulberries from some of our mulberry trees.  It turned out great!

Enjoy this Old-Fashioned Blackberry & Mulberry Cake. (Recipe adapted and modified from Favorite Recipes of the Michigan 4-H Family)

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

dash of allspice

3 tablespoons plain yogurt

3 tablespoons butter, cut it in

1/4 cup honey

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 ounces applesauce

1/3 cup brown sugar

3 cups blackberries

1 cup mulberries

Directions

Sift flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice in a bowl. Cut in butter. Add honey, eggs, walnuts, vanilla, yogurt, brown sugar and applesauce. Mix well. Stir in blackberries and mulberries.

Spread batter in greased 9×13-inch cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 to 45 minutes or until cake tests done.

Serve and enjoy.

The post It’s Blackberry Picking Time + Old-Fashioned Blackberry & Mulberry Cake Recipe appeared first on Balance Personal Training.

Ingredients

For the chicken:

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Marinade 

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp dried oregano

3/4 tsp ground coriander

3 large garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tbsp)

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

For the Rice

3 tbsp butter

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp ground cumin

2 cups long grain rice

2 cups chicken brother

2 cups water

salt and pepper to taste

For the Yogurt Lemon Sauce

1/4 cup real mayonnaise

3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp clear vinegar

1 tbsp lemon juice

handful of chopped fresh parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions for the Chicken

Combine lemon juice, oregano, coriander, garlic, olive oil, salt and black pepper. Mix well. Place chicken in large bowl or casserole dish and add marinade. Turn chicken to coat. Marinate in refrigerator for at least one hour and up to fours hours, turning occasionally.  Don’t marinate chicken longer than four hours or it’ll get broken down and will have a mushy texture because of the acid from the lemon juice.

Remove chicken from marinade. Chop into pieces. Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces and garlic from the marinade to skillet stirring frequently. Cook chicken until done. Approximately 10 – 15 minutes.

Instructions for the Rice

To a pot add rinsed rice, 2 cups of water and 2 cups chicken broth. Cook on high heat. Add butter, turmeric, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir thoroughly. Bring rice to boil. Cover, reduce to simmer and cook 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to rest until water is absorbed and rice is tender about 15 minutes. 

Instructions to Serve

Plate rice. Add a few spoonfuls of chicken on top. Drizzle with yogurt sauce. We served it with steamed broccoli and bruschetta.

The post Street Cart-Style Chicken and Rice with Yogurt Lemon Sauce appeared first on Balance Personal Training.

The Indian Butter Chicken recipe was adapted from an article in the magazine Slow Cooker Favorites Volume 7.

The Chickpea Tikka Masala recipe was  born of Heather’s culinary experience.

Ingredients for Indian Butter Chicken

3 Tbsp butter

2 lbs chicken thighs and drumsticks

1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger

 1 Tbsp garam masala

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 cup chopped onion

Directions

In a large skillet heat 3 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Add chicken; cook 5 minutes or until lightly browned, turning once. Transfer chicken to a slow cooker. 

Add ginger, garam masala, garlic, cumin, salt, turmeric and cayenne pepper. Toss to coat. Stir in tomatoes and onion. Cover and cook on low 6 hours or high 3 hours.

Serve over rice and with a side of warm naan.

Ingredients for Chickpea Tikka Masala

1 15 ounce can organic garbanzo beans (aka: chickpeas)

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

8 ounces cauliflower, chopped

2 Tbsp cow ghee (clarified butter)

1/2 15 ounce jar of Tikka Masala Simmer Sauce (from Aldi)

Directions

In a skillet, heat clarified butter over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and onion and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Then add cauliflower. FYI we used cauliflower that we had previously chopped and frozen. Cook for another 3 minutes.

Add chickpeas and mix ingredients thoroughly. Then add simmer sauce and stir to coat. Set heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes or until dinner is ready.  Enjoy!

The post Indian Butter Chicken with Chickpea Tikka Masala appeared first on Balance Personal Training.