I tried a new recipe recently instead of trying to save every last ounce of time with tried and true favorites. Yay! I have to say that I unfortunately haven’t been in the kitchen as much as I used to and it stinks. Chris and I have made a pact that once school is over and done with (hopefully soon before my head starts turning in circles), we are going to get back in the kitchen together more often. It’s just been really tough lately. Here is a tasty and pretty easy recipe that we both loved! (more…)
April 10, 2011
July 11, 2010
camera blues
I sent my lens off to Canon last week and hopefully they will be able to send me a new one ASAP. I am sure missing it something fierce. I have an ancient piece of crap to work with and I’m trying to make the best of it. I hope you don’t mind 🙂 I have a great roasted pork loin with POM reduction recipe, along with a new twist on grilled pizza, and my first attempt at making coffee! (more…)
May 10, 2010
a taste of summer
I had a packet of farro in the pantry that I bought a little while ago because I loved it in the cheesy baked farro I made so much, I wanted to find something else to use it with. I also bought a bunch of veggies at TJ’s the other day and needed to use those as well. The weather is warming right up around here along with most of the country, so I thought I’d whipped up some kind of summery salad.
I had some lemons in the fridge that were on their last leg, so I decided to make a lemony farro salad with roasted heirloom tomatoes, asparagus, haricot verts and fresh mozzarella. It turned out really well and refreshing! Because I still have a few big bags of pistachios left when I won a year supply from The Green Nut on Twitter, I decided to also make coconut-pistachio crusted chicken tenders again to go alongside. (more…)
January 12, 2010
just a few new finds
I don’t have too much time to blab on today, as I’m trying my darndest to focus on my proposal, but I did want to just stop by and share a few good finds I discovered and some eats I made this weekend.
Can I just say that it is absolutely glorious sleeping in till 7am and eating when the sun is actually up!! Because we went out to dinner a bit late with our friends Friday evening (terrible pictures by the way), I decided to sleep in just a little bit. I love having the sunshine to be able to take food pictures!! Yay! Most of the time I leave when there’s not enough sunlight and get home when the sun is just going down. Dang you time change.
I could even take a nice picture of breakfast! This is just a mixture of Wallaby yogurt mixed with a scoop of LF cottage cheese, topped with frozen blueberries, cereal, banana, and flax. I also had 1/2 a date bran muffin I found in the freezer. Those muffins are definitely our favorite!
Saturday we spent most of the day running errands and grocery shopping. I found some items I can’t wait to try . . .
For lunch I made a munchie plate with crackers, hummus, string cheese, apple, and salmon salad with pistachios and persimmons.
I tried a Fuyu persimmon for the first time this season and I really enjoy them. It tastes like a subtle creamsicle to me? I like to put them in chicken lettuce wraps too.
I also found the Laughing Cow cheese finally and am looking forward to adding it to various recipes like so many of you do!
Persimmon Pistachio Salmon Salad
- one small can wild salmon with bones (for added calcium!)
- 1/3-1/2 cup low fat greek yogurt
- 1 Fuyu persimmon, peeled and chopped
- 1/4 cup cranberries
- 1/4 cup chopped pistachios
- various seasonings (all-purpose, garlic powder, s & p, splash of vinegar)
Mix it all together!
I found this quick cooking barley at Walmart. This will be great to add to soups, oats or make a salad with because normally barley takes quite awhile to cook.
I have to say I am impressed with Walmart’s selection of healthier items and brands at a reasonable price. For some families, it’s just being able to find these and make the choice to buy them over what they usually do, and that can be tough.
That afternoon we went to a bike demo for a local bike shop that we like to go to and it was also a charity event for our local Shade Tree Shelter. Lots of bikes!
We signed a waiver and then tried out a few of them. Most of the people there were mountain bikers, which is a completely different crowd than road bikers. Kind of like the laid back surfer dude type.
First we tried a couple road bikes. Boy, it’s amazing how much better those felt compared to my baseline model. I was really looking forward to trying a tri bike, but they didn’t have any there to sample. We also got to ride around Red Rock on a mountain bike. It was so much different than a road bike but a lot of fun!
Hey, even this dog was enjoying a little road biking! I thought this was too funny. How does that little guy stay on there?
After a C25K run/walk this morning, I made one of my favorite festive bowl of oats this holiday season. I call them festive oats! (gee that’s inventive)
I just love Egg Nog and usually find the low fat version or the soy version around this time of year. I also saw some kind of pumpkin spice nog at Walmart that I’ll have to try. Both low fat nog versions taste equally yummy. I could imagine these would be awesome in your morning coffee too.
Here’s my version this morning:
- 1/2 cup soy nog or low fat egg nog
- 1/2 cup skim milk
- pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, fresh nutmeg
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1 banana (1/2 mashed to add with oats, 1/2 for topping)
- 1 tsp flax mixed in
- splash of vanilla extract
- 2 dates
- Handful of Kashi cinnamon cereal and shredded wheat
- sprinkling of pistachios and pomegranate seeds for the festive touch!
It’s not even Thanksgiving quite yet, but I thought this would be fun 🙂
How do you add a festive touch to your dishes? Any favorite items only available during the holiday season?
If I don’t post again till Thanksgiving I sure hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend no matter what holidays you celebrate! We are going to visit Chris’ dad and step mom who just moved into a new cabin for their retirement. It’s going to be freezing, but I’m looking forward to spending time with family and enjoying a great meal. I am definitely most thankful for my family without a doubt. It just wouldn’t be the same without their never ending love and support. Hope you all enjoy your time too 🙂
December 4, 2009
Fort Collins is awesome
When I left you last we decided to make a drive into Fort Collins to walk around downtown and grab some dinner. I am in love with this city! It was just so neat and quaint, with tons of unique shops. There were tons of bikes all over the city even in the winter! How cool!
I had to get a picture of these bikes. How does one ride this thing?! Or even get on it?
When we first arrived we decided to stop at a cute little coffee shop. I’m not a coffee drinker but I couldn’t resist! I got a decaf fru fru drink and it was divine! There was even a bookstore attached.
Lots of vegan baked goods . . .
Ice Skating!! The little kiddies had garbage cans to help them stay up, but I would have to have one too. I’m terrible at skating 🙂
We grabbed dinner at a chicago pizza place. It was yummy! I had this slice and 1/2 of another.
After dinner we decided to grab some dessert at The Melting Pot. I had never been there and it was quite a treat! Boy, I’d like to have a wine cellar like that!
We ordered the milk chocolate for 4 along with a dessert-type red wine that was a bit too sweet for me on its own but went really well with the chocolate. It was heavenly! I’d love to go back there for a special occasion. It’s too bad they don’t have any in Vegas anymore 🙁 Chris and I shared this platter.
It was such a fun trip! Then we had to head back to reality on Sunday morning. . .
Goodbye Colorado, I will miss you!!!
After all that good eating, here’s a quick pistachio recipe that’s a little lighter on the waistline . . .
Pistachio Couscous Patties
(Adapted from CookingLight)
Serves 6 (two patties)
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 c chopped peeled tomato (used about 3-4 romas)
- 3/4 cup uncooked whole wheat couscous
- 1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
- 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1-2 tsp canned tomato puree
- 3/4 cup shelled dry-roasted pistachios, finely ground
- 1 tsp dried oregano, all-purpose seasoning, garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika, dash of cayenne
- 3/4 tsp salt
- Ziki Sauce for topping
Preparation
Combine first 5 ingredients in a food processor and pulse till ground but not soupy; let stand 15 minutes. Add pistachios and next ingredients (through salt); mix well. Press bulgur mixture into a (1/4-cup) dry measuring cup; unmold onto a cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining bulgur mixture to form 12 patties total. Chill for 15 minutes and serve on a flatbread or pita and top with ziki sauce. I also dusted them with a bit more ground pistachios.
They don’t ‘form’ like patties that well, but are still pretty yummy. In two patties there’s 170 kcals and 6 grams of fiber 🙂
I put them in a flatbread, added some spinach and topped it with some ziki sauce. It was light but very filling!
I also used them in a nice salad.
Even though I still like to enjoy all the delicious holiday treats, it’s important to balance those out with activity & healthier eats of course!
What are some holiday strategies that you use to stay on track?
—> Real Time Update —> well, my computer hard drive files were saved thanks to Chris! I don’t know what I would do without him. I have both my presentations done and done & need to start studying for finals next week. Then I’ll really be done! Woo-hoo! Thanks for all your well wishes . . . motto of the week: This too shall pass 🙂
November 17, 2009
first time for . . . running?
I would consider myself a pretty active person. On most weeks I get to the gym about 4 times and then try to fit in an outdoor weekend activity, which is usually cycling or more gym time. Lately this exercise schedule has been thrown out the window with the end of the semester approaching fast. Now I’m getting to the gym 2, maybe 3 times per week if I’m lucky? Fitness is a huge part of my life and it just makes me feel better too, so I’ve been a bit blah not being able to get that time in. Weekends have actually been my saving grace because I’m still able to fit in something, and this past weekend I tried my hand at running!
I know that I am an anomaly in the blog world since I don’t run, and so many of you are awesome runners! I really have been wanting to try my hand at a sprint triathlon sometime in the future, so I figured I better start training now for next season’s races! Honestly I can say that I’ve never just gone for a run for the fun of it. I’ve had to run a bit for dance team in college and we had to run up and down the bleachers of the football stadium, but that’s about it. I’ve never really liked running because it is very repetitive and gets old on a treadmill to me, but running outside is so much better!
On Sunday I met Kristen at 7am at a local running store and we went for a chilly 5 miles with a couple short walking breaks in between. Honestly, aerobically I felt great, like I could keep going (we were taking it easy which was good). My body didn’t feel too bad afterwards, and right when I got home I fueled with a nice smoothie and handful of pistachios. As the day wore on though, my joints were not liking me at all. Right below and to the outside of my knee was hurting like a mother and I could tell my IT band was not right. I could barely make it up the stairs. Darn it all, I just want to be a runner! I can cycle 50 miles, dance for hours and jump around for kickbox, but running is just different. I think it is the repetitive motions. I took some Aleve, and finally tonight it’s starting to feel a bit better, but I’m hoping that with time and gradual training my body won’t hurt as much . . . right??? (reassurance please!) I may have to have someone look at my form and see if it’s off.
I am sure wanting one of these right now to track my training and practically run and cycle for me! lol
The rest of the weekend was spent in the library and working on presentations, so I won’t go into detail. I’m still working on my last proposal, and hope to start actually writing it tonight. My goal is to have it all done before Thanksgiving so I can enjoy the holiday.
I had a request from Amanda to recap the sweet tater lasagna I recently posted 🙂 This was a small version since I was using random leftovers, but you can always make more and have more layers!
- 2-3 cups pasta sauce
- 4 lasagna noodles, cooked
- 2 cups ricotta with Italian seasoning, garlic powder & fresh basil
- 2 small sweet potatoes (yams) sliced very thin
- sautéed mushrooms, along with a roux added (1 cup NF milk and 1 tbsp flour) and a bit of pasta sauce
- Any kind of cheese for topping: mozzarella, parmesan, etc.
Layer everything in the pan, alternating, and cover it with foil so the sweet potatoes will cook. Bake at 425 for about 25-30 minutes then un-cover, top with cheese and bake till golden.
I loved all your pistachio ideas and links, thank you!!! With an overwhelming majority, most of you want some pistachio ice cream, and boy that doesn’t sound like a bad idea if I do say so myself 🙂 Plus I have a couple vanilla beans screaming to be used in ice cream! Even though it’s getting pretty chilly outside, I always enjoy some of that.
Speaking of pistachios, here’s another quick and easy way to use them . . .
Coconut-Pistachio Crusted Chicken
(measurements are approximate)
- cup pistachios
- 1/2 cup shredded plain coconut
- 1/3 cup parmesan
- all-purpose seasoning (mrs. dash)
- 1 pound chicken breasts
- 1/3 cup egg white
- 1 tbsp honey
Pre-heat oven to 425. Pour the pistachios, coconut, parmesan and seasoning in a food processor and pulse until fine; place in a shallow dish. Pour the egg and honey in another shallow dish. Cut chicken lengthwise to make them thin, or you can pound it. Dip chicken in egg white mixture, then coconut mixture and place on a wire rack in a sheet pan. Drizzle chicken with a little olive oil.
Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken. So amazing!
They are also great chopped on top of a big salad! I’ve been eating a quite a few pistachios lately.
Are you a runner? How did you get started? Any tips? And if not a runner, how did you get started in your hobby of choice?
Hope your week got off to a good start 🙂
November 12, 2009
seeing green
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?
