The Good, The Bad, and The Yummy

I've lost a much needed companion this past week, and his name is Sleep! Jordan has been throwing quite a few dance parties lately and they all conveniently start right when I am trying to go to sleep. Between her stellar dance moves and my inability to find a comfortable position to lye, I am up nearly every hour. Looking on the bright side, I will be ready for night time feedings by the time she gets here!

In other news, I am very proud to announce that Josh and I will be welcoming our NEPHEW William James Haygood in June!!! Jordan is thrilled to have a little boy cousin and so is the rest of the family!

I am so proud of how well my sister has rocked her pregnancy! She's stayed  on track by eating healthy and working out regularly. She even started training for a half marathon that she is hoping she will be able to complete while she is 31 weeks pregnant!! Regardless of whether or not she makes it to the finish line, her daily determination is keeping her and my little nephew healthy as can be! Lesson to be learned ladies: maintaining a healthy diet and exercise routine while pregnant doesn't just benefit the baby, it benefits yourself as well. Exercise and a proper diet are large contributors to your mood and energy levels.

                                                         

Josh is traveling for the next 8 weeks in a row which means I get make all the "weird" foods that he refuses to eat! My Nanny (that's my grandmother) and I took a trip to Trader Joe's a few weekends ago to stock up on some of our favorites; one of the items I bought was tofu. I don't cook it often, mainly because Josh won't eat it, but I do like it as an alternative to  meat every once in a while. This week I decided to make tofu nuggets. I've been recommending this recipe to my clients who have kids that refuse to eat meat. It's a good source of  protein and has the crunch of a chicken nugget. Pair it with BBQ sauce, ketchup or low-fat honey mustard, and you'll forget you are eating tofu!

TOFU NUGGETS - Combine with your favorite dipping sauce and a healthy vegetable and you have your self a delicious vegetarian meal!

Ingredients

-1 block firm or extra-firm tofu, pressed (by pressed they mean sweat as much water out of the tofu as you can. 

-1/3 cup soymilk ( I used regular milk because I was out of soy, regular milk works just as well)

-2 tbsp mustard ( I chose a low-fat honey mustard)

-1 tsp onion powder

-1 tsp garlic powder

-1 tsp dried parsley (optional)

-1/2 tsp salt

-1/4 tsp black pepper

-1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional) ( I did not use the yeast)

-3/4 cup bread crumbs ( I chose to use panko to get that extra crunch)                               

Preparation:

1. Cut tofu in 1/4 -1/2 in thick slices

2. Mix milk and all other ingredients except the bread crumbs in a wide bowl. Place bread crumbs in a separate bowl.

3. Coat each piece of tofu with the milk mixture and then coat in bread crumbs.

4. Place on a baking sheet and cook on 350 degrees for 25 minutes flipping tofu once.

* After I baked my nuggets,  I sprayed each piece lightly with PAM, turned the oven to broil, and let the nuggets broil for 2-3 minutes on each side to crisp up. 

**When reheating I suggest sticking them back in the oven rather than using the microwave to prevent them from getting soggy.

I boiled  fresh Brussels sprouts, sprinkled with a little Parmesan and used low-fat honey mustard as my dipping sauce

Tonight I'm fixing eggplant Parmesan and roasted butternut squash. YUM!

HAVE A HAPPY AND HEALTHY HUMP DAY! KEEP ON MOVING!