I have to say I was disappointed with the lack of strawberries and cherries this year at TJ’s. I remember last year we had weeks and weeks of luscious, sweet strawberries in season piled high as you walked in the sliding doors, but this year has not been so good. This past week I did see a nice carton of plums labeled with ‘sweet and juicy’, so I thought I would give them a try and incorporate them into a savory dish . . .
June 30, 2011
June 9, 2011
lots of wedding planning
Hi there! This past weekend Chris and I made the drive to Reno to take a look at our wedding location, meet with our coordinator and figure out other vendors including the wedding cake. In fact, we had so much cake, I think we are pretty much set on eating any kind of dessert until the wedding in September! Our weekend was jam-packed, but it was great to get to see the space and start the countdown for the wedding, which is now less than 3 months away! (more…)
April 1, 2011
bullseye and sloppy joes
Hi guys! I hope everyone is doing well. Summer is definitely here in the West and things are warming up! Today it hit 94 degrees, wow I need to get used to this again. I went for a ride today and it was hot! I also can’t believe that some over on the east coast are getting snow. Craziness. Things are going pretty good over here at eatingRD, just have been busy! I have a few simple recipes to share for when you just don’t feel like cookin’ 🙂 (more…)
April 29, 2010
easy din dins
This week I’ve been resorting to fairly easy fix ‘er uppers for dinner, mostly because it seems like time is of the essence lately. Is there really ever enough time? Sometimes I have this crazy hope that someday we will be able to freeze time in its tracks, just for a few hours or so to get caught back up. I could see this being a major problem, but it’s always nice to dream!
The wind has greeted us yet again here in the desert, and when it does it really does! I think last night we had gusts up to 63 mph and I thought our townhouse was going to break away from the foundation and take us away like the Wizard of Oz. Well, we’re still here safe and sound, but it hasn’t left much by way of bike riding, especially in the afternoons when it really kicks up. (more…)
February 18, 2010
easy dinner ideas
This week I didn’t do too well in the planning dinner department. Well, I did plan it out, but I didn’t account for somehow not having enough leftovers for us to have the next night, oops! So I had to figure out some quick, easy and cheap dinner ideas which included (more…)
October 7, 2009
quickest back-up dinner
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?
September 25, 2009
in a funk
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!
September 16, 2009
munchies
Yay for Wednesday! I hope all your weeks are going well. Last night I was determined to be efficient with my limited time. I was thinking about stopping at the Whole Foods on the way home, since I was missing a few ingredients for dinner, but I knew that would just be danger. I try to make only one or two grocery-related stops per week, otherwise if I just stop to pick up one thing I tend to walk out with the entire store! I like to peruse the aisles, finding any cool thing to try and discover. Any one else like that? Plus it’s a big waste of time, so I decided to fight the urge to stop and improvise with what I had at home. But, somehow I still managed to go to the store, you’ll see (I mean read).
I decided to make lettuce boats sometime this week and last night was perfect because they are really pretty quick. I also killed two birds with one stone and prepped veggies for the peanut butter noodles I plan on making for Thursday. I think this is really what I need to do from now on. I need to prep on the weekends with the little spare time I have (ha!) so that dinner during the week isn’t so laborious and time consuming. Cooking is supposed to be fun, right? I love cooking because it is like an outlet for me and I enjoy the time and every sensory aspect of it, but it is just not as feasible now. Plus, Chris is also working full-time and taking classes at night so while he’s getting ready for class, I’m left prepping and cleaning up. Even though he is a good helper when he has time 🙂
Another great and quick dinner is Annie’s Mac and Cheese, but I always have to ‘spruce up Annie’ with a little extra ingredients like veggies, tofu, mushrooms, yogurt and cheese. This time I just threw in random leftovers we had in the fridge, easy and yummy!
Here’s the lettuce boats, don’t you love the ancient plates 🙂 Hey, they work, right?
Yum! They turned out really good and refreshing. Here are the lettuce boats 🙂 I also like to pair them with some soba noodles.
Before I left from work around 4pm I had a snack of greek yogurt, cereal and cantaloupe, because this helps me from getting too hungry for dinner. If I get too hungry I tend to raid the kitchen like a crazy person. Usually I just much on baby carrots while I make dinner and that works. I also felt pretty full from dinner, but for some reason I was still craving something after dinner! Oh no, the munchies were attacking! Okay plan B. When this happens I try to go for a walk or go upstairs to work on things to take my mind off of it. I did the above and usually that works, but last night I was really craving some fro yo!
The urge would not leave me (Chris was also not helping) and so I decided to fuel our cravings and went to a nearby Fresh & Easy to get something cold and creamy. I normally don’t shop here exclusively, but boy this store is dangerous and has really good prices. I went in for some frozen yogurt and came out with cereal, fig bars and pb pretzels too, geez! All for only $10, though. I can’t be controlled in any grocery situation 🙂 Every grocery store should come with a warning: CAUTION! you WILL buy more than you really need.
I had a bowl of 1/2 fat vanilla bean and a crumbling of 1/2 leftover banana muffin on top mmmm . . . but then I proceeded to grab a handful of popcorn and pb pretzels to try! And that was it, the munchies were defeated, well sort of.
I am sooo looking forward to the weekend and the GREEK FOOD FESTIVAL!!!!!!!!!!!! We absolutely love this every year and the food is well, phenomenal. We may also be going to a pink martini concert on Sunday night (this group is really awesome), but I really have to study, research, get ready for a project and an exam on Monday eek!
What do you do to battle an attack of the munchies?
June 10, 2009
sprucing up annie
I love annie’s mac and cheese, but I always like to add a little bit more to it and spruce it up. I like things with contrasting flavors, colors, textures, so just having a plain bowl of mac and cheese just doesn’t do it for me. I want more adventure! So I like to add just a few things to change it up a bit. When I make popcorn, I have to mix some cereal 
or chocolate chips in it because I can’t have just popcorn. When I eat cereal I have to have about 4 different kinds all mixed in, because I can’t just eat one kind. So weird!
Usually I make things from scratch and always despise making things out of a box or freezer bag. My dear mother used to love making those hamburger and tuna helpers, and I absolutely despised it as I got older! She always tried to fit in in there somewhere. Maybe that is where I get my culinary inspiration from? No one in my immediate family enjoys cooking that much, except my great grandmother (she passed away when I was 3, so sad we didn’t get to cook together) and grandmother on my mom’s side. Isn’t that funny?
But, oh when i was younger my grandma used to make me Velveeta brand mac and cheese, and oh how I loved the salty, creamy goodness of it! She probably put extra butter in it too, oh grandma and her butter. She would make me peaches and cream too with the real stuff, yes whole milk, chopped peaches and sugar! It
was so good though. I used to also love those Little Debbie nutty bars. I think I’ve had a love affair with peanut butter from birth! It’s crazy the junk food kids love and are attracted to these days with great media tactics.
Here are some previous attempts at sprucing up Annie:
Tonight here’s what I came up with:
I added chopped shallot, garlic, a few mushrooms, leftover corn, 1 zucchini, 1/2 bell pepper, 1 small head broccoli and tofu and sautéed it until golden. I also like to add about 1/4 cup each of non-fat milk and greek yogurt to it for its tang and creaminess, along with herbed goat cheese, a little fontina (leftovers from the peppers), parmesan and all-purpose seasoning. It was delish! Next time I think I’m going to add some chipotle chilis in adobo and black beans for a Mexican twist? Or caprese mac and cheese? mmm . . . endless possibilities!
Mac and Cheese tower . . .
Brought me back to my childhood 🙂
What are some nostalgic childhood junk food memories you have that you wouldn’t think of eating today? I’d love to hear them!
April 17, 2009
few delays
We found out that we won’t be able to close until next week sometime because there are 25 people ahead of us waiting to close at our title company and they are slammed. And I thought people weren’t buying houses right now? Even though we will be pushed back a bit, we still can spend time doing lots of packing this weekend. Ugh!
I also made a quick and easy dinner since C has class tonight. Basically it’s a couscous pre-mix doctored up with some sautéed tofu, mushrooms and broccoli. So easy!
But for starters I had some home-made Italian-style hummus with a can of drained chickpeas, 2 garlic cloves, 1 roasted red pepper, handful of basil, 1/4 cup parmesan and 2 tbsp pine nuts along side some whole-wheat naan from Trader Joe’s for dipping! I saw this naan in the store when I was shopping today and thought . . . I want to make some hummus!
I can’t wait to try all their naan flavors, and they even have some in the frozen section, which would be conducive to less spoilage and a better texture believe it or not. I usually freeze all my fresh breads and cakes before frosting because they don’t dry out that way. I loved this stuff! It
has a wonderfully moist texture and is the perfect accompaniment to hummus.
The whole wheat also has 8g of fiber per serving! I want to try this for a quick pizza base too. Yum!
On to the main course . . .
- 1 box of pre-mix whole-wheat couscous with pumpkin and red pepper (Sofella brand from Costco) cooked according to the package, with just water
- 3 stalks broccoli, chopped
- 1/2 carton crimini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 blocks TJ’s Teriyaki flavored tofu, cubed
- splash of rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Cook the couscous according to the package directions (I used the pumpkin with red pepper flavor not the one to the left), omitting the oil. Gently steam the broccoli until al dente; drain and rinse with cold water to preserve the green color. Sauté the mushrooms and tofu in a large pan with a little olive oil until golden. Add the broccoli and continue to cook to char it up a bit. Turn off the heat. Splash a couple glugs of vinegar, with the hoisin and sesame oil and mix everything up. Serve along side the couscous or mix it all together. Yum!
I made this bowl at one of those pottery places awhile ago and it has a sunflower in the middle at the bottom. I Love cute eating-ware because it makes eating such an even better experience!
Any fun weekend plans?
