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January 12, 2010

learning to un-plan

Filed under: Blog,Comfort foods,Dinner,Favorites — Tags: lemon, pasta, pesto — Kristen :) @ 5:03 pm

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?

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January 9, 2010

it’s already Friday?

Filed under: Blog,Breakfast,Comfort foods,Dinner,Favorites — Tags: crock pot, lamb, quinoa — Kristen :) @ 12:11 am

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. (more…)

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December 31, 2009

out of this world banana puddin’

Filed under: Blog,Breakfast,Comfort foods,Desserts,Dinner,Holidays — Tags: Beef, cereal, pudding, sandwich, spaghetti squash, tofu, wine — Kristen :) @ 3:59 am

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?

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December 26, 2009

it’s good to be home

Filed under: Blog,Comfort foods,Desserts,Dinner,Holidays — Tags: broccoli, pasta, pumpkin, sandwich, turkey — Kristen :) @ 3:10 am

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??

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December 18, 2009

lots of comfort & the winner is . . .

Filed under: Blog,Comfort foods — Tags: Beef, casserole, coconut water, green bean, potato, rotisserie chicken — Kristen :) @ 5:04 am

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 🙂

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November 12, 2009

seeing green

Filed under: Blog,Comfort foods,Dinner — Tags: dates, oatmeal, pistachio, quick bread, sweet potato — Kristen :) @ 4:03 am

Well, I really wish I could tell you it’s lots of money, but alas it’s PISTACHIOS, lots and lots of pistachios! If you follow me on twitter, I won a contest from @thegreennut for a years worth of pistachios plus a subscription to Prevention magazine. I was so excited because I rarely win anything! I didn’t really know what to expect, but I was thinking that maybe I would get a bag every month, or little bags so I could do a giveaway. I was so shocked when I opened the door to find a giant box full of pistachios! Thank you!

I guess this would be a years worth! wow, I couldn’t get over it and I don’t think I’ve seen that many nuts in my entire life. Right now I have 3 gallon bags in the freezer, 2 bags in the fridge, 1 in the pantry and 5 sandwich bags full of them.

Do you have any good pistachio recipes?? One that I have to try to make is baklava. Anyone ever try to make pistachio butter? hmmm so many possibilities!

Here are some cool facts on pistachios:

One serving of pistachios is 49 nuts (160 kcals), more than any other tree nut
Pistachios are high in phytosterols which may lower cholesterol levels and decrease the risk of heart disease. In animal studies phytosterols have been shown to potentially have anti-cancer properties
One serving of pistachios has as much potassium (300mg, 8%) as an orange (250mg, 7%)
Just a single serving of pistachios provides you with the same amount of protein in a one-ounce serving of soybeans and can serve as a protein alternative to meat, poultry or beans according to the USDA Food Guide Pyramid
Forty-nine pistachios serve up to 20 percent of your Daily Value of B₆, about the same as half an avocado

Check out their website, they have lots of yummy looking recipes that I want to try too.

Since I had the day off today (glorious!), I got caught up on some school work. I finished a lit review and presentation for sports nutrition, although I didn’t make too much progress on my proposal and presentation for research methods 🙁 the day just flew by too darn fast!

I also treated myself to a little house cleaning since it was in desperate need, and did a little baking 🙂 Could this have been the reason my day flashed before my eyes?? . . . nah I blame it on taking Chris out to lunch at BJ’s since he had to work 🙂

Morning eats started with pistachio date oats. I can’t get over dates in oatmeal! It makes it taste like caramel-y heaven, and the pistachios give a nice contrasting crunch.

For a snack I had 1/2 of the Clif Spiced Pumpkin Pie Bar. I didn’t really like this flavor, and I will not be getting this one again. It didn’t have any cinnamon in it and had a strange ‘fish-like’ taste to me? Weird. I would much prefer making these bars from Dan which are soo much better.

I tried a new spice today called cardamom in Cardamom Banana Bread with Pistachios from CookingLight. It’s a very interesting spice, aromatic and warm, but with a licorice type flavor. I can’t quite put my finger on the taste? I guess I just have to keep tasting!

I used 1/2 whole wheat & 1/2 AP flour. I reduced the butter by 1 tbsp, doubled the cardamom and added a bit of cinnamon and some dates. It turned out nice and Chris is very fond of the quick breads.

Dinner consisted of a bunch of leftover items in the fridge that I needed to use or risk wastage. I enjoy trying to make things from random ingredients because I hate wasting.

I made a mix of roasted goodness (sweet potato, apple, brussels sprouts, and apple chicken sausage) with a maple glaze . . .

And a little lasagna with some leftover homemade pasta sauce, and some sweet potatoes, oyster mushrooms and thai basil I got from the farmer’s market. It actually worked and tasted pretty darn good!

Hope you are having a fantastic week so far! I am so looking forward to the holidays and a little break, just have to get through. I also want to say Happy Veteran’s Day, so thankful for those who dedicate their lives for our protection.

What’s your favorite way to use pistachios?

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November 2, 2009

thesis drama & a nice bike ride

Filed under: Blog,Comfort foods,Dinner,Fitness/Health,Sports Nutrition — Tags: casserole, pasta, smoothie, soup — Kristen :) @ 4:35 am

With the time change I can’t believe it’s getting dark so soon. Even though this inevitably happens every year, I never can quite adjust.

It just seems so darn late now and all the wonderful, precious sunlight dwindles faster and it’s harder to get good food pictures!

Anywho, the weekend for me was pretty unproductive. Several projects/presentations are fast approaching the due date and I’m trying to find the time and motivation to get them done.

I also had some disappointing news with my thesis . . . First, the professor who first told me she would be my chair and help form my committee pretty much blew me off and I just found out that she eagerly said she would chair another student’s thesis that isn’t even related to sports nutrition. I’m trying to not take it personally, but I can’t help it. Then, ever since I sent my research outline to my chair (twice) over a month ago, he hasn’t responded to me at all. I spoke to the graduate coordinator about it and he said that he could be my chair, but he doesn’t really do lab work. What? I was really wanting to work in the lab, but now I guess I have to come up with a whole new idea and it has to be more like survey research. Any ideas??? At this point I’m just desperate for anything, very disappointing. *sigh*

Other than that we made some yummy dinners!

Since I had Friday off, I spent most of the day running errands and getting ready for dinner. I made fresh pasta manicotti and fettuccine too. Fresh pasta is so cheap to make and you get a butt load of it! The whole drying rack was full by the time Chris was done rolling/cutting it in the mixer.

I stuffed the manicotti with a mixture of ricotta, mozzarella, fontina, parmesan, spinach, chicken sausage, and Italian spices. I also made a homemade tomato sauce in the crock-pot which is very easy.

Did you have a good Halloween?? We didn’t even get dressed up this year! Terrible. We did hand out some candy and fruit snacks to the few kiddies that came in our neighborhood. We bought waaaayy too much and now we must get rid of it asap!

I spent most of the night trying to find research articles and a new thesis topic (with no luck) and went to bed pretty early even with the time change. I’m so glad we didn’t forget, which is unusual!

Sunday morning Chris and I went with the Green Valley Cyclists on the Lake Mead Loop trail. It was just about 50 miles with 2300 ft of elevation change. This is the longest I’ve done so far and boy my legs were sure letting me know it by the end of the ride! My legs weren’t used to all that climbing.

At this point in the ride I was still feeling pretty strong and there were some awesome views of Lake Mead . . .

I also did a little calorie calculation experimentation with an equation I found from an RD. I’m not sure where this equation was developed or if it’s reliable, but I love playing with numbers 🙂 It did seem pretty accurate with what my HR monitor says.

118 lbs x 0.0561 (15mph) = 6.6198

6.6198 x 60 x 3 hours = 1,191 kcals

2300 ft gained/100ft x 22 = 500 extra kcals = 1,691 total kcals

Min – x 0.3/3 = 170kcals/hour Max – x 0.5/3 = 281kals/hour

I went with about 200kcals/hour to try to match, which seems about right. I think they multiplied the total by .3 or .5 because of actual absorption of what’s expended?

Let’s see if I matched this . . .

Breakfast: big bowl of cereal, 1/2 banana, 10oz H20 – 500 kcals
On the Ride:
- luna moons – 100 kcals
- Power Bar Energy Chews – 300 kcals
- Gatorade (42oz I think) – 180 kcals
- 1 L of H20
Post Ride:
- Smoothie – milk, 1/2 banana, strawberries, blueberries, scoop whey protein, honey, chia seeds, flax, wheat germ, peanut butter – 500 kcals
- leftover 1/4 omelet, hash browns and 1/4 pita – 300 kcals
- 1 L of H20
Dinner:
- Beef and Barley Soup and cheesy bread – 650 kcals
- glass of milk and 1 TJ’s cookie – 160 kcals

total kcals for the day – 2,690 kcals (net gain of 1,000 kcals)

I’d say I didn’t do too bad, but still 1,000 kcals net gain isn’t really enough, but I’d also say I have a few extra kcals in storage since my mom came 🙂 It is important for athletes and active individuals to maintain proper nutrition throughout training and off days to make up for potential losses. I’m no athlete, but it’s just fun to try things and see. I usually wear an old HR monitor, but I guess my data capacity was full so it didn’t even work 🙁 Calorie expenditure is just fascinating to me.

This smoothie was amazing and I added a huge heaping spoonful of peanut butter so I could really taste it, yum! Funny it’s in a beer glass 🙂

aaaah, cheesy toast is a great dipping vehicle for soups. I think fontina is my favorite cheese, next to goat cheese.

Soup is great for post-workout replenishment. It gives extra fluids, veggies, a bit more iron from the beef, fiber and carbs from the barley and even a bit more salt for electrolyte losses.

Do you track your calorie expenditure and how? Hope you have a great week! I’m counting the days till the holidays and a little winter break, woo-hoo!

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October 7, 2009

quickest back-up dinner

Filed under: Blog,Comfort foods,Dinner,Recipes in a Flash — Tags: soup — Kristen :) @ 11:05 pm

Usually in my meal planning I like to include an easy prep meal that I can fall back on if something comes up during the week, or if I get home later and just don’t feel like putting something together.

Well, it was one of those days yesterday and I love having something for plan B that is simple, healthy and filling!

It has finally started to cool down somewhat here, well, it’s still in the 70s during the day which is like summer for many of you. I am enjoying being able to open the windows and having a considerably lower power bill. Another great thing about the cool down that I absolutely adore is starting to make more soups and casseroles again!!!! Yay! I think those are my favorites to make because they are so easy and can be adjusted based on what ingredients are on hand.

On to the easiest recipe in the world. . .

TJ’s Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup (I get the low-sodium version)
1/2 box low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups frozen veggies and big handfuls of torn spinach
1 cup grilled balsamic-marinated chicken or you could sub chickpeas/beans
Various spices, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, cinnamon (gives it some warmth)
2 cups cooked pasta, or some rice, quinoa, etc.

In a pot place all the ingredients and warm to your liking.

These are also great if you don’t have fresh basil on hand. It’s not as flavorful as fresh, but it works. I used about 8 cubes for the soup.

That’s it! I like to serve it with a nice grilled cheese or cheesy naan for dipping (fontina with oregano). I am addicted to naan with pretty much anything at the moment.

What’s the easiest back up meal you like to make?

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September 25, 2009

in a funk

Filed under: Blog,Comfort foods,Dinner,Recipes in a Flash — Tags: Beef — Kristen :) @ 5:37 am

This week was certainly not my best as far as fitness goes. So far I haven’t made it to the gym this week! I think all the studying/working and fitting in the fun last weekend with lack of sleep really started to get to me. I think it was Tuesday when I started to feel like ick and my body was definitely trying to tell me something. After having to get up for work at 4:30 that day, I came home, took an hour long nap, ate dinner and then went to bed for a total of 10 hours! This is totally not like me. If I take a nap after 3pm I usually can’t sleep at night. I think I’m just running myself down right now and really need to take it easy somehow. It was really weird, I felt nauseous tired and my muscles didn’t want to work. Has anyone else had this feeling?

I loved college because at least when we stayed up late studying and working (and occasionally a fun time?), we got to sleep in to at least 7 or 8am. I’ve been taking my daily vitamin as an insurance policy right now, especially with the season of germs starting and going out to the middle schools (germ factories) now. My iron levels are normal since last visit, so I don’t know what’s my deal. Ah well, hopefully the funk will pass and sleep will miraculously just not be needed. I think that would be wonderful if I didn’t have to sleep because so many things could be accomplished in those 5-7 hours!

I am looking forward to the month of October though because my hours are being cut back. It’s just for one month based on my contract position which is kind of weird. This really isn’t a good thing as far as the paycheck goes, but I think it will be nice to have a tiny bit of extra time. It seems right now my time is worth more than what I’m getting paid. Unfortunately, I think I will have to request less hours with my next contract. Just for me, I don’t think I can do this and work on my thesis and research. Half the time I’ll be working on something only to look down and see that it’s already 11pm and wonder where the heck the time went and why didn’t I accomplish more?

Anywho, I turned in my first very rough draft outline to my chair today and hopefully we can get my committee formed! I’m excited, yet nervous!

This weekend doesn’t look as exciting as last 🙂 I’m going to try to at least get a bike ride in on Saturday morning and then I’m not sure if Chris has any plans Saturday night for our 3-year anniversary (the non-wedding type)? I told him we don’t have to do anything, especially since we splurged on dinner and the concert last weekend. Sunday will be reserved for lots of school stuff!

Lately, I’ve been going for easy dinners 🙂 Tonight we had some good ol’ sloppy joe’s! Kind of reminds me of childhood when my mom would use that packet or canned stuff. As I got older, I really didn’t like those pre-prepared packages, and making sloppy joe’s from scratch isn’t too bad.

I adapted the recipe only slightly from the blog Pinch My Salt. This blog has some great photography and recipes 🙂

Sloppy Joes

1 onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 T. Olive Oil
1 pound lean ground beef
2 t. chili powder
1.5 t. ground cumin
1/8 t. cinnamon (this is so good!)
1/8 t. freshly ground black pepper
1 t. kosher salt
1 small can tomato paste
1/4 cup fruity balsamic vinegar
1 T. brown sugar
1/3 C. ketchup
1/2-3/4 C. water

Sauté onions, peppers and garlic in olive oil until softened; add beef and cook until browned.

Make a circle in the middle of the pan, add tomato paste and balsamic vinegar and cook down for 10 minutes.

Add all other ingredients to the ground beef mixture and cook, stirring, over low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes). Add more water if it gets too thick.

Serve in whole wheat buns and get messy!

I like to serve a big salad along side. This time mine had goat cheese, cranberries, heirloom mater and carrots.

Also topped it with some gooey cheese . . .

What’s a food you remember from childhood? What do you do when you get in a funk?

Have a great weekend!

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August 27, 2009

it’s really over

Filed under: Blog,Comfort foods,Dinner,Favorites — Tags: calzone, fig, peach, pizza — Kristen :) @ 4:08 am

My first realization to the end of summer was the giant chunk of change that was gone from my pocket with just a mere click of the mouse, and now with the first week of classes, along with work, I’ve come to the final realization that it is definitely over *sigh* Even though it’s only midweek I feel my free time is going to be very tight this semester and the weekends are just going to fly by even worse than before. I want to let you guys all know that I may be lacking in the blogging and commenting department, but I will try as much as I can. I myself like to personally respond back to each commenter on their own blog because I really enjoy getting your comments and I like to see and respond to your blogs too 🙂

Thanks for all your comments I really appreciate them! I’m going to try to get another ride in this weekend, but it will probably be with the slow riders, so I’ll have to some how get in contact with him again. Whatever my thesis may be I think I’m going to ask these guys if they want to come in the ex phys lab. I wonder if they’ve tried coconut water? hmmm . . .

Happy Hump Day! Even though it’s almost pretty well over. I have to say that on Sunday and Monday I went to bed at 9 and wow, what a difference a few, well about 3 extra hours makes! I wish I could go to bed at 9 every night!

For times sake, I will jump right in to one of my favorites. . .

Chris and I always usually make home-made pizza and calzones on a Friday because we can make the worst mess in the kitchen, have lots of red wine and just be happy that it’s the weekend 🙂 This time we made them Tuesday night. Well, Chris made the dough and then we made the rest together that night. Tuesday night was also Chris’ last day before he started his new job!!!!!!!!! We are so excited and relieved that he got this one, it’s just going to be pretty tough juggling everything and dinner with both of us working full-time and doing grad school. We’ll see how it goes!

There is nothing like fresh, home-made dough! It is just so yummy and pretty darn fun to make too. I’ve made this ww dough recipe before and you can find it here, or you can just simply look at the pictures 🙂

Pizza stones give an awesome texture. Oh my gosh the oven was so freakin’ hot and we were dying. Chris also set off the fire alarm using the grill pan for stuffing ingredients, oops! We had to bring down the box fan to get some air circulating since it was just as hot if not hotter outside. I can’t wait till it cools down here!

Happy buns in the oven!

This one recipe makes a whole lotta dough (wish it was the green kind), so be prepared to make a lot for leftovers!

Ok, best pizza topping invention!!!! Have you ever tried fresh figs on your pizza? Sounds kinda weird, but it works so well. I like to use a balsamic reduction as the ‘sauce’, top it with some spinach, fresh figs, crispy prosciutto and fontina cheese, yum!

Another great pizza topping is grilled peaches, I love the combination of salty sweet things and these also pair well with the salty prosciutto.

I make thin crust pizzas most of the time, but every once in awhile I do like a Chicago deep dish from a place called BJ’s. It’s to-die for! And also their pizookies are a big weakness 🙂

Why not have a calzone or pizza making party for your next get-together? I’ve done this a couple times with some friends and we’ve had an absolute blast (of course an addition of wine makes it fun too). Just have all the ingredients and dough ready to go and get your guests working in the kitchen! Nice!

What’s the worst mess you’ve made in the kitchen?

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