Cod Creole

While I’m at school, my diet is mostly comprised of grilled chicken or deli sandwiches. Rarely do I get the luxury of any type of seafood, which is very unfortunate because shrimp miiiiiight be my favorite protein. (if you don’t like seafood you’re wrong)

My mom makes a quick and easy Cod Creole and it’s one of my favorite dishes when i’m home. We buy the vegetables already chopped, too, which makes for an even easier prep and clean up! I love meals that look impressive but are actually super simple. Can anyone say date night?    Like I said, we bought the assorted bell peppers already chopped up and the onion already diced as well. Some might call this cheating, I just think it’s smart. They might be a little more expensive, though, so you should probably check that out if you’re on a tight budget! (chough, me, cough.) I LOVE peppers so I would probably buy them whole to have extra to snack on anyways :) Peppers and hummus, peppers and guacamole or sauté them up for fajita tacos! You can’t go wrong. I love that you still get the crunch without all the fat and calories from tortilla chips or pita chips. If you haven’t tried cod before I HIGHLY recommend it. It’s an excellent low-calorie source of protein (4 oz has 21 g what!) and just like most fish, it contains a good amount of omega-3s to improve heart health and reduce cardiovascular disease. OH and it tastes great, too. ( The most important factor ) Its a pretty mild flavor with a delicate/mild flaky texture.

Okay so now for the recipe…

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup onion
• 1/2 cup peppers
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 1.5 1bs cod
• spray butter
• salt & pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. While the oven is preheating, chop the onion and peppers.
3. Spray a baking pan with Pam or Olive Oil and place the cod in the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Bake the cod for 30 minutes.
5. While the cod is in the oven, sauté the onion, peppers, and tomatoes on the stove until tender.
6. Once the cod has been baking for 25 minutes, pour the mixture onto the fish and bake for the remaining five minutes.
7. Serve and enjoy!

What’s your favorite way to cook fish? Submit your recipes in the comment section below!

– elizabeth

Food and Worship

I’m sure many of y’all have noticed the title of my blog, Faith and Fitness, and you may be wondering why that’s the title since I primarily post about food and nutrition. I’ve been asked a couple of times and would love to clarify.

Worship + Reverence ::

rev·er·ence

ˈrev(ə)rəns/

“A feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe and the outward manifestation of this feeling.”

Worshiping God, then, is an outward display of awe and respect directed to the Lord.

 To me, food is an art, and art is a form of worship. As a believer it is important to turn everyday activities into opportunities to worship God. Art is a form of communication, it isn’t just something that looks pretty. I’m sure if you talked to any form of artist: musician, painter, sculptor, chef, photographer, etc. they will tell you, if they’re a believer, that what they created wasn’t done by them but rather through them by the Holy Spirit. God is present during the process and in the outcome. When I am hit with inspiration, it’s not my own idea but God communicating with me.

The Lord blessed me with a passion for food as an art form. This includes food styling, food photography, creating recipes, baking, blogging, etc. How you use the gifts and passions The Lord has given you is how you can show reverence towards him. I choose to create mostly healthy food to promote a healthy lifestyle and instill knowledge in others. Creating recipes, writing posts, taking pictures, and everything else that goes into my blog also releases anxiety for me and puts me at peace. When you feel at peace that is the Holy Spirit. While my blog may appear as simply a food blog to some people, it’s much more to me.

Food and fellowship go hand in hand. Not always, but many social events include food. It brings people together and helps us grow in our relationships. Think of how many meaningful conversations have occurred while food was present. I’m not saying food is the sole reason, or that there aren’t other ways to build relationshpis, but everyone enjoys a nice meal or homemade dessert. After all, food is kind of necessary to live!

Lastly, since the blogging process has so many stages, it forces me to appreciate small things. When you’re thinking about what pictures to capture, you begin finding beauty in little things. I know that sounds extremely cliche, but it’s true. How often do you stop and admire things around you? I don’t claim to be a photographer, but I do enjoy taking pictures. It’s becoming one of my passions and it’s a hobby of mine. Because I am taking so many pictures, I tend to think in snapshots. I mentally capture images of things I see that are beautiful to me. Normally I wouldn’t have taken the time to appreciate them, but God has created so much around us we often forget how much thought he put into every detail.

I hope this post helped you better understand the reason for my blog title. No, I don’t write many posts strictly about my faith, but I do know that God is present throughout the process of each and every one.

Below are some pictures I captured a while back. They are very hodgepodge, but just some things that caught my eye. I hope you enjoy them.

elizabeth :)

Oh My it’s Blueberry Pie!

I’ve had the privilege of growing up with a mom that loves to bake. Every time I come home I can count on there being at least five baked goods to choose from. After dinner I always ask “What’s for dessert?” and her response sounds like our house has been transformed into a bakery. I’m definitely NOT complaining though :)

We don’t typically have homemade pie around the house, but I never really requested it because I just assumed they were too much work. I was so so wrong. Turns out pie only has about four ingredients and its very simple! My mind was blown. This new knowledge will be a game changer for sure. The recipe she was following had three fillings to choose from: blueberries, blackberries or raspberries. Mixing all three was also an option. Blueberry pie makes my heart sing, so when I opened up the fridge to several containers full of the little gems I knew what was on the menu. ( praise hands )

First she took the prepared dough out of the fridge and let it sit while rinsing off the blueberries. The blueberries get coated in sugar and poured into the pie crust. Be sure to cut off the excess dough that will hang around the pie pan. You should probably do this before pouring the blueberries into the dough to avoid a mess! But hey, baking and a messy kitchen go hand-in-hand right?After all the yummy, sugar-coated blueberries are in the pie crust, top it off with the rest of the dough. You can get creative with this part. I think that’s why I always assumed pie was difficult? Since it’s always too pretty to eat! My mom cut a simple design into the dough because we were in a rush to have it ready for dinner. I’ve seen some really fun designs on Pinterest. Then again what ISN’T on Pinterest? The pie got brushed with milk and sprinkled with sugar to make for a crispy, brown crust. When it came out of the oven some of the blueberry juice had pushed through the slits in the dough. I loved the added touch it gave the pie. It made it clear that it was homemade and gave it a cozy feel. ( Can you use cozy to describe pie? )I only got one picture of the entire, untouched pie because when I got home from the gym my dad had already cut himself a slice! I was only gone for an hour.. come on dad. But I can’t really blame him. I enjoyed mine on top of some Dulce de Leche frozen yogurt and I was in heaven! The pie didn’t set completely, so the juice was a perfect syrup to top off the ice cream.

What’s your favorite kind of pie? Share in the comments below!

Ingredients:

• 1 Pie Crust
• 5 Cups Blueberries
• 2/3 Cup Sugar
• 3 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 while you prepare and roll out the pie crust.
2. In a large bowl, prepare the blueberry filling. Combine the sugar, flour and blueberries. Gently toss the blueberries until they’re coated. If you’re using frozen fruit, let the fruit thaw for 45 minutes. You want it to still be slightly icy.
3. Pour the berry mixture into the pie crust and trim the excess pie crust around the pie plate.
4. Cut slits into the second pastry circle so the pie is able to breathe. This is where you can get fancy and make whatever design you’d like!
5. Cover the pie with the second pastry circle and pinch the edges keeping all the berries and sugar sealed inside.
6. Brush the pie crust with milk and spring sugar on top to get a pretty, brown crust.
7. Cover the pie with a pie crust shield so the edges don’t burn.
8. Bake for 50 minutes.

xx, elizabeth

50 Calorie Breakfast Cookies

Cookies and breakfast in the same sentence? I must be dreaming *heart eyes*

This weekend I went home for Labor Day and spent some good ole quality time with the fam. Whenever I go home I’m sure to take advantage of the spacious kitchen and all the top-notch baking utensils/equipment we have handy. (Basically anything electric falls under this category since we can’t even have a toaster in our dorm… I wish I was kidding.)  My mom makes THE BEST cookies. I know everyone thinks/says that about their mom’s cookies.. but seriously. She’s famous for them. Once you try one of Mrs. Yontz’s cookies every other cookie seems to let you down. Remember back in elementary school when you’d trade lunch items with your friends? Yeah, I could get someone’s entire lunch for one cookie. I’d pass. Anyways, I think y’all get my point. Since I can’t be eating her wonderful, buttery cookies all day, I wanted to make something I could grab instead that was guilt-free. I’d heard of people using bananas as a healthy alternative for all sorts of things and thought why not give it a try? I mean hey, I like bananas; they’re inexpensive (aka free when you take them from the caf at school) and they’re very sweet, yet nutritious. Basically there was no reason not to go for it. They turned out really well and I’m excited to share the recipe with you!The cookies shape won’t change much throughout the baking process. Next time I might try to flatten them out and see what happens. I decided to call them breakfast cookies because I definitely see myself grabbing a couple with my morning coffee, and who doesn’t want to start their day with cookies!? Tell your kids their giving them cookies for breakfast and see what happens. Actually, tell anyone you’re serving cookies for breakfast and see what happens. Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Oats
• 3 Ripe Bananas
• 1/3 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
• 1/4 Cup Chocolate Chips
• 1/4 Cup Dried Blueberries
• 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 Tbsp Cinnamon

Baking Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut up and mash the bananas in a mixing bowl until most of the bumps are gone. You can use a mixer if you have one handy or just use a fork if not. #dormlife
3. Next, add the applesauce, vanilla and cinnamon. Combine until smooth and everything is blended.
4. Add the oats and continue mixing until you form a dough.
5. Lastly, add the chocolate chips and dried fruit. I chopped my blueberries before adding them because they were pretty large.
6. Use a tbsp to measure out cookies.
7. Bake for 15 minutes. Makes two dozen cookies.

Nutrition Breakdown:  560 cal (oats) + 315 cal (bananas) + 33 (apple sauce) + 70 cal (blueberries) + 280 cal (chocolate chips) = 1258 cal/24 cookies =  52.4 Calories Per Cookie

 Chat soon,

elizabeth

Throwback Thursday: West Coast Vibes

#TBT isn’t just for instagram, y’all. Or maybe it is and I’m just wanting an excuse to share this post with you guys? Either way I think we both win. In March I went to California with my dad for Spring Break and it was utterly breathtaking. I’d never really been out to the west coast (besides LA/Disney when I was eh, maybe 8?) so this was all new to me. In order to not bombard you with picture I’m going to divide this into two posts, but here’s a recap of part one.

My aunt and uncle live in San Jose and have the most unique and lively house. It’s full of interesting knick knacks, artwork, and just look at their view! I mean come on. It’s unreal.  This father-daughter trip was one for the books. It was a week long adventure covering central California in it’s entirety. San Jose, Santa Cruz, Cambria, San Simeon, San Francisco. You name it and I bet we left our footprints there. It was literally a whirlwind of exploring.

The first day we packed our lunches and sat on a “dock” in Wilder Ranch State Park. Wilder Ranch runs along Monterey Bay and is covered with rocky cliffs and a walking trail.   My aunt makes dried persimmons and lemme tell ya.. they’re addicting. I had never heard of them before but I’m so glad she introduced me to them. You have to be careful with dried fruit though! Losing all the water content makes them calorie-dense, but it also makes them a perfect trail snack. And fun for picture taking.  After walking along the bay we made our way to the Santa Cruz Harbor to grab a drink. This was also a prime spot for people watching. I love how active the culture is in California, or just the west coast in general. Everyone was out biking, boating, skating, kayaking, etc. There was a surfing contest going on, too. I’d never witnessed surfing in real life; only on TV. So yeah, my mind was blown.  After grabbing dinner (and searching high and low for ice cream) we both crashed. As wonderful and eye-opening as the trip was, it was also exhausting. I’m eager to share part two with you all, but I hope you found some joy in part one.

elizabeth x