I’m a big fan of meatloaf because it’s fairly easy to make and leaves you with a butt-load of leftovers which are great for sammies, crumbled and mixed into pasta, or just as is.  This time around I decided to experiment with my original stuffed meatloaf recipe, but in the crockpot.  I think this is now my preferred method!!  I used extra lean beef which is key, so there isn’t too much extra fat in the pot.  It comes out super moist and perfectly formed because the temperature is low enough that the gooey cheese in the middle doesn’t have time to escape like it sometimes tries to do!

Give it a try, this one’s a keeper!  

The ingredients where pretty much the same as the original:

• 2.25 lb extra-lean ground beef
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 8 oz crimini mushrooms
• 1/2 cup Italian-style panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup liquid egg whites
• salt, pepper, TJ’s 21-seasoning salute, garlic powder, herbes de provence
• 4-6 slices of fontina or mozzarella cheese

Sauté onion and mushrooms until golden.  Mix all ingredients, except for cheese in a large bowl.  Place half the mixture in the bottom of a 5-6qt crockpot.  Place the cheese down the middle and then top with rest of meat mixture.  It will look very big, but will cook down.  Cook on low for 4.5-5 hours and enjoy!  I also squirted a little ketchup on top.

I served mine with some roasty toasty veggies – fingerling potatoes, sweet potatoes, zucchini – drizzle with olive oil and spices and bake at 425 F for about 45 min.

And that’s it!  This was great for leftovers

~~~~

I almost forgot about the $50 WholeFoods Giftcard winner!!! Well, I had about 4 entries, thank you so much to all of you who entered, it really means a lot to me.

Random.org did the hard work for me and the winner is . . . .

1 – Gelareh from Nutritious Foodie!!!

Congrats!!  As many of you know Gelareh was also training for the MS -150 bike ride, but unfortunately her knee wouldn’t cooperate to do the ride, but she trained so hard, raised a great amount of funds for MS and is looking forward to her next ride after her surgery and recovery. She has some killer recipes and photography as well!

This week has been kind of crazy and it probably won’t slow down till Chris and I leave for the LiveStrong Century in Napa!  Oh my gosh, it’s only another 3 freakin’ weeks, yikes!!  I’m kind of starting to freak, but I’m still waiting for my bike that will hopefully fit, and I’m trying to figure out when I’m going to have time to train during the week since I can’t ride to work now and the weather’s heating up here.  I’m thinking on the days I don’t have to be at work at 7am, I’m going to have to get up at 4 am, ride from 4:30-5:45 and then scramble to get ready for work.  And of course I have to fit in some longer rides on the weekend.  I’d like to get at least 70 miles in the weekend before to feel somewhat prepared and confident

This weekend is my good friend (from 4th grade and college!) is having her bachelorette party and wedding so I am super excited for them!!!  They’ve actually been together for 10 years already and they were both friends with Chris (my fiancé) in high school and actually introduced me to Chris in college!  It should be really fun, but I’m still on the fence whether I should drink or not, but as of now I don’t have a bike, right?  hehe  I’m sure I’m a super light weight now since I haven’t had anything for about 2.5 months?

I may be running around like a crazy person tomorrow to help decorate the bachelorette party room after work, so I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Check out SwankyRD who’s giving away a pretty swanky purse for her 6 month blogiversary!

Have you ever been to a bachelorette/bachelor party?  Any crazy stories you’d be willing share? What’s a good bachelorette gift?

I don’t eat a lot of butter and full-fat cheese all too often, but when I do, it sure is glorious! There’s nothing like the rich and succulent ooey gooey goodness that comes with cheesy baked casseroles. Even just a nice little piece is more than satisfying. One of the top recipes I wanted to try in Giada’s new cookbook since getting to meet her, was cheesy baked farro.  Of course, who wouldn’t love anything enveloped in cheesy goodness?  I also wanted to try my hand at farro for the first time.  

I really think farro is one of my new favoritest grains!  It is awesome just plain on its own too. Super nutty, chewy and slightly bigger than barley. It cooks fairly fast too with a nice tender chew after about 20-25 minutes of a slow simmer. I could totally imagine this new found grain in a light and refreshing salad, as well as in a porridge concoction for breakfast.  Lots of experimenting  to do!

*Warning* this recipe is definitely not light and to be savored in moderation with each delicious succulent bite!

I couldn’t find farro in the bins at WholeFoods, but I did find this package which turned out to be the perfect amount for the recipe.

Farro is a grain from ancient Italy that is part of the wheat family.  Per 1/4 cup (not cooked):  150 kcals, 1g fat, 32g CHO, 2g fiber, and 6g protein.  Nice!

Fontina is definitely my favorite cheese if I had to choose, well it would be a close battle between fontina and goat cheese.  It has a wonderfully nutty and smooth flavor.  Yes, that’s 4 Tbsp of butta!

We’re going to have lots of leftovers!

In other news, I sold my bike!!! Yay!  Actually I was kind of bummed as I saw it drive away in another car  But now I really have to find a new bike ASAP to get ready for the LiveStrong Century!  I hope to continue my indecisive debate during the week and make a decision at least by this weekend, we’ll see  Thanks for all your help!

Oh boy, where did we leave off last? . . . oh yeah that’s right birthday cake, pasta, cupcakes, nutella waffles and  . . . oh my, and this post is continuing the streak of decadent eats.  I’m not going to say they are much ‘healthier’ since I used 1% fat milk and reduced fat such and such, but I will say these recipes are pretty darn good!  

I’ve fallen off the fitness bandwagon this week as well.  After the long ride on Sunday I was greeted by that time of the month and have been ‘blah’ and dragging ever since.  Just haven’t felt like a spring chicken, but more like a bloated couch potato.  I’m also working longer hours this week and am out in the community so I can’t bike to work . . . majorly bummed But those extra hours are so I can attend the SCAN Symposium!  I’m looking forward to learning some interesting topics on sports nutrition, and this year many of the presentations are focused on eating disorders/disordered eating.

I’m trying a new omega-3 supplement that is ocean safe from CardioTabs and I like it so far.  It does make me burp up slightly, but it’s a nice citrus berry flavor and not that noticeable.  It is environmentally friendly and has 1100mg of omega-3s + 100% Vitamin D.

I’ve also been munching on some new LUNA bars, that were graciously sent to me from LUNA recently.

I like the cookie dough flavor out of the other protein bar flavors, but they are still pretty chewy and I think I prefer the regular LUNA bars.

My favorite LUNA flavor has always been Toasted Nuts and Cranberry.  I like it because it’s crunchy, chewy and not too sweet, full of nuts and dried fruit.  They have about 180 kcals, 3 g of fiber and 9g of protein in each bar.  I’m looking forward to trying the other flavors!

~~~~

On Sunday Chris and I made grilled pizza, then I’m not sure what I was thinking on Monday when I decided to make a big batch of macaroni and cheese AND banana puddin’, but oh my gosh it sure has been some good leftovers! I’m not even sure the last time I’ve made either one of these, but it’s sure a treat and totally ok in my opinion every once in awhile.

I guess I will start off with the grilled pizza!  We took the easy way out and bought some WW pizza dough and rosemary focaccia dough from Fresh and Easy.  It was actually really good!  Then we topped them with various ingredients like sauce, spinach, roasted red peppers, meatballs, roasted zucchini, parmesan and fresh mozzarella cheese.

When grilling pizza make sure to grease the grates, not make the pizzas too big and cook both sides of the dough before putting toppings on.

It’s fun to get the nice grill marks.

Here is my plate . . .  I had about 3/4 of the WW pizza because my eyes were bigger than my tummy.

Oh yes, I almost forgot about this one . . . We also decided to roast an apple in the oven with the zucchini for some reason and then Chris had the ingenious idea of making a dessert pizza with roasted apples, butter and cinnamon, um . . . yes please?  So I had to have a sliver of that.  I’m sure you can see where this post is going . . .

Next up was ooey gooey mac and cheese! I kind of just threw this recipe together with ingredients that I had on hand and what sounded good  I’m pretty sure this one would serve 8-10 very well.  Chris and I have been eating off of it for awhile now.  In fact I will probably be having it for lunch tomorrow.

• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp flour
• 1.5 cups chopped morel mushrooms (or any of your favorites)
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cups 1% milk + 12 oz lowfat evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup leftover meatballs, chopped
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese + 1/2 cup mozzarella + 1/2 cup grated parmesan (save a little extra for sprinkling)
• 12 oz of your favorite pasta, cooked
• various spices like Mrs. Dash, thyme, pinch of cayenne and cinnamon

Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add mushrooms and cook until browned; add garlic and cook for a minute. Add the milks and whisk until nice and thick, reduce heat to low and add meatballs, cheese and pasta.  Add to a large pan and cook at 350 for about 20-25 minutes.  Then turn on the broiler for 5 minutes to get it browned on top.

As I waited for it to bake, I perused the many bike options there are to choose from.  It’s really tough!  I appreciate all your comments and recommendations for bikes.  I like getting as much information as I can and then make a solid decision after that.  I’m kind of stuck in my price point (a.k.a. how much debt I want to go into) of deciding between a full carbon bike with Shimano 105 components, which aren’t quite as good, or getting a aluminum frame with some carbon and Ultegra components which are better.  I’m thinking it will be best to get better components because a carbon frame won’t make much weight difference for me.  I just need something that will help with hills and be responsive!  So far I’ve been thinking about the Specialized Roubaix, BH Speedrom (a bit too pricey, but I liked this one)  and I also just love the look of Cervelo.  So many out there!  I have a lot more to think about.  I still don’t have a clue!

There is just nothing like home-cooked mac and cheese!

Now I’ve saved the best for last . . . yes, this is THE best banana pudding I have ever made and tasted at home and oh my gosh I’m in bliss every time I eat it! (which has been far too many times this week)  I can’t even explain the emotions I feel with this pudding, it’s like heaven in a bowl.  I’d say, yes I even dare say this may just be one of my favorite desserts ever!  I can’t take all the credit for this one because CookingLight is just amazing, but I am wanting to experiment with a ‘healthier’ version in the future to at least offset my obsession with this beloved treat.

Best Banana Pudding

(from CookingLight)

10 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup)

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup AP flour
• Dash of salt
• 2.5 cups 1% low-fat milk
• 1  (14-ounce) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
• 2  large egg yolks
• 2  tsp vanilla extract (I added the seeds of 1 vanilla bean for extra vanilla flavor)
• 3  cups sliced ripe banana, divided
• 45  reduced-fat vanilla wafers, divided (I only used about 1/2 since we practically ate the whole box of nilla wafers before I got the chance to make this!)
• 4  large egg whites (at room temperature)
• 1/4  cup  sugar (I would use less next time)

Preheat oven to 325°.

Combine flour and salt in a medium saucepan. Gradually add milks and yolks; stir well. Cook over medium heat until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and vanilla bean if using.

Arrange 1 cup banana slices in bottom of a 2-quart baking dish. Spoon one-third of pudding mixture over banana. Arrange 1/3 wafers on top of pudding. Repeat layers twice, arranging the last wafers around edge of dish. Push cookies into pudding.

Oh my gosh Chris and I are addicted to vanilla wafers and can’t have these in the house!  I also bought the Whole Foods brand vanilla wafers to try so we would have enough, but they just weren’t the same.

Beat egg whites at high speed of a mixer until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue evenly over pudding, sealing to edge of dish.

Bake at 325° for 25 minutes or until golden.

Note: Banana Pudding may be a bit soupy when you first remove it from the oven. Let cool at least 30 minutes before serving.  I like my pudding cold, so I let it sit in the fridge overnight.

Heaven!!!!

Can you see the itty bitty vanilla beans?

Well, as you can see I’ve been eating fairly well this week and need to get back on track.  I’ll be working on that goal while also traveling out of town, so we’ll see how well I can keep on track  I’m excited to leave for San Diego and the SCAN Symposium this weekend!  I hope to take lots of pictures, gain some great knowledge and hopefully I’ll get a little time by the beach

What’s your favorite, all-time indulgent food?  Any bike suggestions?

]]> http://eatingrd.com/2010/03/pizza-pasta-and-puddin/feed/ 36 http://eatingrd.com/2010/01/soups-on/ http://eatingrd.com/2010/01/soups-on/#comments Sat, 30 Jan 2010 06:10:26 +0000 Kristen :) http://eatingrd.com/?p=1217

When Chris and I both got home tonight we were pooped!  Chris was feeling less than stellar from a crazy day at work, and we were really contemplating just grabbing something to eat out, but with a few days still left for the Eat In Month Challenge we just decided it would be better to stay in.  Plus, I had ingredients ready to go for some

soup in the fridge.  Temptation averted!

It turned out to be a pretty good soup and chock full of nutrients and fiber!  Hope you enjoy it for those ‘eh’ days when a comforting and easy bowl of soup will do

Butternut Squash & Kale Stew

Serves:  6

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mixed dried mushrooms (I used about 1/2 bag from TJ’s)
• 1 onion, diced
• 8 oz crimini mushrooms, chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1-1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• shake of cinnamon and cayenne for warmth
• 4 cups red sodium chicken broth
• 12 oz cubed butternut squash (pre-packaged from TJ’s)
• about a gallon-size zippy bag full of chopped kale
• 1 cup whole wheat pasta
• 1 can (15 oz.) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Directions

Put dried mushrooms in a bowl of 1 cup of hot water.  Let sit about 10 minutes.

Heat onions and crimini mushrooms in a saute pan with olive oil over medium heat until browned.  Add spices.

Add broth, squash and kale to pot.  Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for about 10-15 minutes.

Coarsely chop soaking mushrooms and add to pan along with their liquid.

Add pasta and beans to pot and simmer for another 10 minutes until tender.

Sprinkle with parm and enjoy!  mmm

We also enjoyed a gooey grilled meunster cheese alongside for dipping.

Per serving (approx.):  200 kcals, 3 g Fat, 31 g CHO 5 g Fiber

What’s your favorite soup?

Oh man, I can barely keep my eyes open!!  Goodnight all, better get some sleep for my little brother’s 8th birthday party tomorrow

And be sure to check out The Chic Life’s new site and a sweet giveaway, including hand-crafted jewelry and vegan cookies!  There will be 3 chances to win too!

Thank you for all your kind words on the site!  I’m super excited and happy you guys enjoy it.  If you haven’t yet, be sure to enter my giveaway for some Mighty Leaf tea and an Anthro mug here.  I first thought I gave the wrong feed address, but it seems that both of the ones below will work when added to your feed.  Please let me know if it’s not updating in your reader so I can remedy.  I’m a computer retard!

http://eatingrd.com/?feed=rss2

http://feeds.feedburner.com/eatingrd

I am having the darndest time getting up in the morning lately!  ugh, 5am is just too darn early and when the alarm goes off I moan and groan wishing I could just stop time for a few more hours.  I’ve always had this fascination with wanting to be able to stop time.  Wouldn’t that be awesome?  ha, in the mean time I’ll keep wishing for that day and get my butt out of bed!  I think it does have a lot to do with not getting to bed till close to 11pm, which I need to fix.

I’ve been trying to get

most morning tasks done the night before so that if we do end up pressing the snooze a thousand times we don’t end up running around like chickens with our head cut off to get to work on time.  Muesli has been one of those tasks, and boy it sure tastes good!

I tried a new blueberry muesli mix from TJ’s for this morning’s batch and it was pretty good.  I didn’t like it as much as Bob’s Red Mill, but it was still tasty.  I think it may be the freeze-dried blueberries in it.  After soaking they get kind of spongy and taste a little funny to me.  Here’s what went into each batch:

• 1/3 cup Muesli mix
• 2 tbsp quick-cook barley (I found this at Walmart and love the texture it brings)
• 1/3 cup NF milk (or any non-dairy substitute)
• 1/3 cup Wallaby vanilla yogurt (Wallaby is my favorite yogurt style/brand, besides Greek)
• 1 tsp flax meal
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• 1/4 naner
• cinnamon

In the a.m. I just added a handful of Kashi Warm Cinnamon, some pistachios and some pb.  Yummy and quick!

Much of my cooking philosophy revolves around making several meals that are easy to prepare ahead of time, and then finding other ways to use them throughout the week.  Yes, I would love to go to the farmer’s market and find ingredients for a new dish to make every day, but life doesn’t really allow that kind of time.  boo!  I am definitely a multitasker, anyone else?  I always have to keep my mind busy and focused on many things at a time it seems.  The other night I was on the bike trainer, all while watching SYTYCD, texting and tweeting  But a lot of times thinking too much about all the things that need to get done just leaves me frustrated and overwhelmed.  Or I focus on one thing too much and everything else goes to the wayside.  I saw this funny comic from Oh She Glows (she has some great tips on how to NOT multi-task) and found it very fitting for the society we live in nowadays . . .

Here’s a great recipe that will give you enough time so that while it’s cooking away at home you can be at work, running errands and not have to worry about it.  Nice!  It’s also great for sandwiches and salads for lunch the next day.

Crock Pot Pesto Chicken

Serves:  a butt-load (about 4-6)

Ingredients

• 3 cloves of garlic (whiz these in the food processor first)
• A nice big handful of fresh basil leaves (I used about 1/2 pkg from TJ’s)
• 2-3 tbsp toasted pine nuts
• 1/3-1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper
• few splashes of white balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
• 2-3 tbsp of olive oil
• 4-6 lb. young chicken (preferably no-salt/broth added) – you could also use some bone-in chicken breasts which I want to try next time
• 2 onions, chopped
• about a pound of small yellow taters, chopped (you could also add other hearty root veggies)

Directions

For the Pesto:

Pulse the garlic in the food processor, add the next 5 ingredients (through olive oil), and pulse until a nice paste forms. Save half to serve alongside & for sammies later.  Use the other half to pat over the chicken and underneath the skin.
Place the chopped onion and taters in the bottom of the crock pot, place chicken on top (up to this step can be done the night before, just place the crock in the fridge).

I really like these potatoes from TJ’s because they cook super tender and not mealy.

Cook on low for 6-7 hours.  Be careful when taking the chicken out because it falls apart!  (Note:  There will be a lot of juice and fat at the bottom, so that’s why I’d like to try just bone-in, skinless breasts next time?)  Drain and scoop out the veggies onto a sheet pan and roast in a 400 degree oven until golden, about 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Reserve skimmed broth for another use (I think I’m going to make soup).

What’s great about this recipe is that you can multi-task in a good way by making pesto panini sandwiches for lunch the next day with the leftover pesto.  I also schmeared a light laughing cow on one side with a few slices of mozzarella.  You could stuff all kinds of things in there too like roasted peppers, artichoke hearts, etc.

Gotta love that crispy, gooey pesto cheese!!

Are you a multi-tasker?  What are your best strategies to staying sane?

*~REMINDER~*

The Chic Life is hosting the Bake Sale for Haiti starting tomorrow the 27th!!!  Check out all the awesome baked goods that are up for bids here .  I’m going to be whipping up a batch of Gina’s crunchy and nutty granola too, so be sure to bid on it if you want some amazing oat-y goodness

Hope you all are having a nice week so far!

Last night was a wonderful example of good things that can happen when I don’t plan all the time!  Chris invited his dad and step mom over for dinner last night.  We were going to try to make some seared tuna that his step mom had given to us, but it wasn’t even close to being defrosted since we took it out of the freezer too late.  Ok, move to plan B. . .

I made some lemony tofu pesto pasta the night before on Friday thinking I was going to take it over to a friend’s house for a little pot luck.  Chris ended up getting home pretty late from a meeting, and their house was all the way across town, so I decided to skip it to be able to wake for the gym the next morning (I hadn’t made it to the gym all week so I was getting a little antsy and felt the need).

So . . . I thought I’ll just heat up that pesto pasta and pair it with some balsamic marinated chicken for tonight!  ‘That will work, but I don’t really have any other stuff, what if they won’t like it that much?  It has tomatoes in it and Chris’ dad hates tomatoes.’ Then Chris invited two other friends to come over last minute.  ‘Wait!  I haven’t planned for this, I need to have things all situated, more appetizers, need to clean, do wash, aaaaahhh!’ This was my inner self talking and feeling a bit out of the comfort zone lol  But I humbly agreed and hoped we would have enough food and the day old pasta would be ‘good’ enough for my guests.  I want them to really enjoy my food and come back!

Turns out the dinner party went pretty darn well!  I mean the pasta wasn’t perfect, got a little cold and was slightly not as bright green as the day before, but it tasted pretty darn good.  That’s all that mostly matters, right?  Chris BBQ’d the chicken and it was a little chewy, but it was still pretty tasty.  I had other munchies like cheese and crackers, along with pretzels and nuts, but I think people secretly wanted to have a little more food.  I should have made something like a salad, but we ended up making smores and having some vanilla ice cream with a drizzling of cabernet (you have to try this!), so that worked out.  Who doesn’t like a little dessert?  Sorry no picture

We ended up going through 4 bottles of wine!!  And everything’s better with a little wine, right?  lol  We also played a fun game of Cranium into the night.  I love this game, but I am terrible at it lol

Overall success!  Should I have worried so much about not having everything perfectly mapped out?  No, it’s really not that big of a deal, but you know that is something that I’m working on and when something like this happens on a whim it moves me forward in the right direction   It’s weird because sometimes I will just do things spontaneously that I normally wouldn’t and it’s really cool, but other times I think about it too much and that’s when I get into a funk.  I say just go for it, whatever it may be!

Home Goods is the best for fun, cheap serving bowls and all kinds of other stuff for the home . . .

So here is the recipe for lemony tofu pesto pasta.  It’s a great dish for at least 6 people as a side.  And hey, it’s even not bad the next day!  It won’t be as bright green, but it’s pretty darn tasty in my opinion

This time around, in addition to the version above . . .

• I used two lemons because the ones I had were pretty small
• added 1/2 an avocado to the sauce to make it extra luscious.
• cubed some fontina cheese to add in at the end to get slightly melt-y
• instead of home made linguini, I used boxed farfalle pasta, and you can use any kind you like really
• I had about 1/2 cup of pesto leftover to use in other things like sandwiches, yum!

For the chicken I used a really simple, but flavorful balsamic marinade that gets really sweet and slightly tangy.  In a bag, along with about 1.25 pounds of chicken breasts, you add:

• balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, olive oil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and that’s it!
• You can also reserve the marinade, reduce it down slowly and baste the chicken with it and serve it on the side as a drizzle sauce.

So I say let’s not plan for once, just go out there and do anything spontaneous!  Who’s with me?

What have you done today that was spontaneous and fun?

Usually the weeks just draaaaag for me, but for some reason this one flew by!  Maybe because it was the first week back?  Who knows, but that’s alright with me.

Oh boy I am sore from kick-my-butt box on Wednesday!  Every little back muscle along my rib cage is sore and of course my bum and abs.  I couldn’t manage to make it to 6am spin this morning, but that’s okay because I want to be ready for our Great Harvest Red Rock bike ride on Saturday!  I’m looking forward to riding the Red Rock loop for the first time.  It’s about 41 miles and Great Harvest is providing breakfast for us before the ride, yay!

Yesterday morning I put all the prepped ingredients in the crock-potfor a stew to be ready for us when we got home.  I’m in love with this new crock-pot and it’s so much bigger than my old one!  I would highly recommend this one because it has several different cooking settings and a probe insert.

The only thing I had to cook up when I got home was some quinoa.  Easy!

Lamb Daube Provencal

(adapted from CookingLight)

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 12 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1.5-lb lamb meat, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes (you could also use chuck roast)
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup red wine (I used a malbec, wine gives it a rich depth of flavor)
• 2 cups chopped carrot
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion (I also added parsnips & zucchini)
• 1-2 cups less-sodium beef broth (use more for soup-like and less for sauce-like stew)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp herbes de provence, 1.5 tsp thyme
• Dash of ground cloves, dash of cinnamon
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for sprinkling
• pasta, taters, rice or quinoa to serve over

Directions

Heat oil and add garlic; cook 5 minutes or until garlic is fragrant, stirring occasionally. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon, and add to slow-cooker.

Increase heat to medium-high. Add lamb to pan; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove lamb from pan and add to slow-cooker.

Add wine to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits and reduce down for 5 minutes.

Add wine, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, carrot, and next ingredients (through bay leaf) to the slow-cooker, stirring to combine.

Turn slow-cooker on high for 1 hour, then reduce to low for 6-7 hours more. Or you can just cook on low for 8 hours.  It just needs to get nice and reduced. Serve over pasta, roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, rice or quinoa. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. The possibilities are endless!

Leftovers Idea: This would also be great for the base of a shephard’s pie if you use less broth to make it sauce-like. Yum!

We had quinoa with it and I also added some spinach to get wilty

~~~~

This morning we had one of our usual breakfast staples . . . we call it peanut-butter naan.  But all you do is take a 1/2 piece of TJ’s whole wheat naan, slather it with toasty pb and jam, then top it with cottage cheese or yogurt, cereal, nuts and/or fruit.  I also like to micro about 1/4 cup of egg whites on the side.

I love how the peanut butter ooooozes off the sides and the naan is nice and doughy mmm

Not too much going on this weekend.  We are going to go on the Red Rock ride Saturday and I’m going to try to savor the last days of freedom before the semester starts up again with some research . . .

The new template is coming along . . . slowly.  I spent about 4 hours on it last night just trying to figure the CSS out, doh!  I’m such a computer ra-tard, seriously.  I have such respect for you fellow bloggers that are computer savvy, bless you!

That’s about it from here, hope you have a nice weekend!  I’m hoping to do some more sports nutrition related posts soon including overtraining syndrome and safe weight loss for athletes . . . stay tuned!

Are there any sports nutrition topics/supplements you are interested in learning more about?

I couldn’t really figure out what the heck to title this post since it’s pretty random, but after much contemplation I figured it should be titled after the epitome of all banana puddings I’ve ever had. . .

After breakfast most of my morning was spent doing laundry and catching up on bloggies, so we ended up not getting out of the house till later.  My mom wanted to find a new laptop computer so we ventured out to Best Buy and found a pretty good deal on a Dell.  My mom is not savvy with computers, so Chris helped her out

Breakfast was one of my simple staples . . . this one included Nature’s Pride pumpkin granola, TJ’s honey O’s, TJ’s shredded wheat and cinnamon Puffins.  I topped it with 1/2 a sliced naner, frozen blueberries (I love how they turn the milk blue!) and 3 walnut halves.

I had a pretty simple lunch too . . . An Orowheat sandwich thin (I think I like these!), spread with some cooked sweet tater, sliced TJ’s tofu, avocado and muenster cheese.  Then I pressed it in the foreman grill with some carrots and hummus alongside.  It was yummy and just the right size!  I love adding cooked sweet taters to pretty much anything because it lends a subtle sweetness

Among the many food stops that we wanted to try to make on our trip here, one was Gary’s BBQ which is known for their homemade banana puddin’.

Everything is very reasonably priced and the waitress always calls you ‘hun’.  I just think this is too cute because we don’t get that Southern hospitality in Vegas!  We first found out about Gary’s when it was featured in Southern Living magazine.  Chris had a few bites of their pulled pork sammie just to try it and really liked it.

Their pudding is rich, ultra thick and to die for!  It’s definitely worth the drive.  I wish my mom and I would have shared one because I forgot how mondo they are.  I could only finish about 1/3 of it and then I was spent.  I ate too much, but this stuff is better than ice cream and just as deadly lol

It’s so mondo, stuff was falling off the sides of the bowl!

After a successful stop at Best Buy, we wanted to look at a few other nearby boutique shops for fun, but Chris slammed his finger in the door as we were getting out and we had to head back home.  Ouch!  But he is doing fine now

For dinner I whipped up some hearty meatloaf, roasted squash, parsnips and spaghetti squash.

It was my first time making spaghetti squash and I think I’m in love!!  It is so simple to make and is so delish.  This will definitely be a staple in our house from now on, especially because it makes a ton and this one squash was only about $3.  In one cup of plain, cooked spaghetti squash there is only 42 kcals and a fairly good amount of vitamin C and fiber.  Yum!

For this I cut it in 1/2 and roasted it cut side down at 375 F with a bit of water in the sheet pan for about 30 minutes.  Then I turned it over, topped it with about 1/2 tbsp of butter in each half along with some salt, pepper, and garlic powder and continued to bake it until soft.  I also added some parmesan cheese once it was done.  Yum!

Alongside we tried a new Malbec that we found at a local wine store called Total Wine.  It was nice and full with rich, chocolate-y undertones, but it wasn’t out of this world.  I much prefer the Layer Cake Malbec.

I’m looking forward to New Year’s!  We made reservations at a local wine lounge/restaurant that’s going to have some live entertainment which should be fun.  Hope you all have a safe and happy New Year’s!!

Do you have any New Year’s plans yet?

Even though I was born and raised in Las Vegas, I consider ‘home’ to be anywhere family is really, and right now that is North Carolina.  It has been so nice getting to visit with my mom, step dad and grandparents!

I just feel so relaxed and happy here.  It’s nice to have a break from school and work, but I really shouldn’t be taking too big of a break.

Our flight was without hiccups and we arrived late Wednesday evening.  Thursday we didn’t do a whole heck of a lot and slept in late, which was really nice.  We drove to Trader Joe’s and picked up a few last minute things.  For dinner I decided to make the Sausage Broccoli Pasta that is always a hit and my mom’s favorite dish.  It’s so easy and yummy!  She also had a bottle of Charles Shaw Chardonnay and it wasn’t all that bad actually.  I had a glass and a 1/2.

After dinner we decided to watch The Hangover.  I’ve never seen this one before and it was pretty darn funny!  I sure hope that doesn’t really happen in Vegas! lol

Of course there was some munchin’ during the movie and we broke out the stash of popcorn my mom has.  Think we have enough?  The Trader Joe’s Lite Kettle Corn is my fav and I had a small bowl of that mixed with the regular lite popcorn and a few small clusters of the moose munch.  That stuff is too rich!  I also had a glass of Celestial Seasonings Mint Green tea which is my favorite after dinner tea.

Today my mom had to work, but I just spent most of the rainy day prepping the sweet potato casserole, pumpkin pie and turkey for dinner while Chris and my step dad watched sports.

Here’s what I had for lunch while drooling over the Southern Living Magazine and their praline pull-apart bread recipe   A simple pressed turkey sammie with roasted red pepper hummus, muenster cheese and 1/4 avocado.  I think I could just read recipes all day . . .

I had an apple for an afternoon snack and my cat Tweety likes to lick the core!  So funny!

I was a little worried about the turkey though because my mom had only taken it out of the freezer a day and a 1/2 before!  It was only 14 lbs, but it needed at least 3-4 days to defrost.  So when I got up this morning I made a quick cold water bath for it, changed it a few times during the day and prayed that it would defrost and not get too warm.

At 2:30pm when I went to get the bird ready it was still kind of frozen in the middle, eek!!  So we ran some cold water down the cavity and pulled all the bagged middle stuff out.  It was actually the first time I have made a turkey all by myself!  After patting it dry, I rubbed the turkey and underneath the skin with this mix:

• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh sage
• 1-2 tsp poultry seasoning
• garlic powder
• salt and pepper

Place it in a roasting pan, breast up with 2 cups of chicken broth in the bottom of the pan.  Roast at 425 F for 30 min, then turn down the oven to 325 F and roast until the meaty part of the thigh reaches 165-170.  Be sure to baste it with the broth every 30 minutes or so.  Take it out of the oven and tent with foil for 20 minutes to rest.  This was the moistest turkey I think I’ve ever had!!  I was so relieved that it tasted good and everyone enjoyed it

My mom had a Charles Shaw Merlot, and while it was nothing to sing home about, it was an easy red that didn’t over power anything else too much.

I also made a sweet potato casserole from Cooking Light.  It was great, but next time I think I will reduce the sugar a bit more.

Everything else we had alongside was really yummy too!

My grandma made corn bread stuffing and fruit salad.  We also had a green salad, honey baked ham, and Chris made some awesome gravy.  I’m not a gravy person, but his was really good!

Here’s my plate . . .

And then . . . DESSERT!  I made another recipe from Cooking Light called vanilla bourbon pumpkin tart, except I didn’t have a spring form pan or bourbon and made a gingersnap crust, so it’s kind of like pumpkin cheesecake.  I also doubled the spices of course   FYI a few teaspoons of amaretto in whipped cream is amazing!

Oh boy, I think I’m going to pop!  It was all so delicious.  I only had 1 glass of wine and 1 plate and I’m still full, but not uncomfortably full.  My biggest weakness is when we put all the food away I find myself taking more little bites and licking spoons darn it!

I hope you all had a nice Christmas if you celebrate and I can’t wait to read about all your holiday festivities soon!

I think tomorrow my mom and I are going to wake up early and do a little shopping to try and find some deals.  Maybe we’ll stop by the Carolina Blonde Brewery for a little tour?  So many things to try and do still with the family, and I love that nothing of it has to do with work or school

What’s your favorite part of the holidays??

Hello everyone!  How is your week going so far?  I was so impressed by how many of you are on top of all your gifts this year!  I am still way behind, ugh!  But I’m not going to freak out about it.  I am also feeling much much better, still kind of coughy in the mornings, but much better thank goodness.  Humidifiers help me tremendously and I usually sleep with a sheet over my nose so I have moist air to breathe.  Is that weird?  . . .

I really enjoy the foods of winter because they are warm, comforting and mighty tasty!  It seems like I’ve been on a roll lately with the down home country cookin’.  These kinds of foods are also the best for leftovers and can be transformed to other dishes.

I just wanted to share a couple nice recipes that I enjoy during the winter and also announce the coconut water giveaway winner!!

The first one is cornbread-topped chicken pot pie mmmm!  Chris and I really enjoy this one and the addition of the leeks gives it such a wonderful flavor.  Give it a try it’s really yummy.

The next one is my version of Italian-style meatloaf.  Gotta love all that gooey cheese in the middle!  This time I paired it with sautéed haricot verts with caramelized shallot and pecans, along with some roasted fingerling potatoes.  You know I never really eat ketchup unless I’m at a restaurant or if I make meatloaf!  For me I have to have ketchup with meatloaf

Mix this all in a big bowl:

• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 jar TJ’s bruschetta mix
• 1/3-1/2 cup quick oats
• 1 egg
• 1/2 onion, diced & sautéed in a pan (I threw in some mushrooms too)
• seasonings:  Herbs de Provence (or Italian Seasoning), garlic powder, salt, pepper
• topped with a bit of ketchup
• Mozzarella cheese for stuffing

Pre-heat oven to 375 F.  Take about a handful of the meat mixture at a time to form about four, 1/2 mini meat loaves on a foil lined broiler pan.  Place some mozzarella cheese down in the center and then top with the rest of the meat mixture.  Make sure there aren’t any seams open, or the cheese will ooze out when baked.

Bake until a thermometer registers 155 F, take them out of the oven and let rest until the temperature raises to 160 F.  Enjoy!!

It looks like it has a giant tongue!

You can also make stuffed meatloaf burgers!

With the leftover meatloaf this time I chopped it up and threw it in some tomato and roasted red pepper soup from TJ’s, along with some veggies and pasta.  It was great & easy!

Ok, now on to the fun stuff . . .

—–> COCONUT WATER GIVEAWAY! <——

Thank you for your interest in my post about coconut water.  I find it fascinating!  I also agree with many of you on the downside of its expense.  It is pretty darn pricey at $1.99/per 8oz carton and a bit less if you buy the larger bulk carton.  It’s also not as accessible as regular sports drinks and can be very hard to find at grocery stores here in the US.  It sure is a refreshing treat though.

The two winners of 5 individual coconut waters are . . . (generated by RANDOM.org)

*Naomi* & Lori

Congrats guys!  E-mail me kristen@eatingrd.com with your address and I’ll try to get that out before the holidays.  Let me know if you like it or even hate it

On Friday we are having some friends over for a pizza-making party!  I’m excited because I love these kinds of parties.  Everyone gets to make their own pizza and chose from different toppings.  It’s not really holiday themed, but it’s fun & will involve some vino!  Saturday I’m going to be baking like a mad person for the cookie exchange I’m going hosted by Kristen, the swanky dietitian.  I’m looking forward to it!  It’s going to be tough with all those cookies around calling my name, but we’ll see how I do.  I’m thinking about making a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie from Tam, but I can’t decide on the other?  I was thinking either chocolate baklava or mint chocolate cookies.  What do you think I should make??  There are too many good recipes out there, help me decide!

Hope you all have a great weekend!  I can’t believe Christmas is just about here, but I’m just excited about going to visit my mom