Modern Mountain Mama

Freezing Baby Food

2011-08-27T22:39:00.003-05:00

I also wanted to recommend this great freezer container for freezing portion sizes of your baby food. It is great because it has a lid, it freezes it in portion sizes, and the frozen food pops out easily. They are made by Beaba and can be found at Williams-Sonoma. It may seem a little pricey at $24.95 per tray, but I think it's worth it. And you can just get one, that's what I did, and after the food freezes, I remove it and place them in ziploc freezer bags so that I can freeze more food. It comes in a bunch of cute colors too!

Chelsea's Baby Food, Inc., Continued

2011-08-27T22:20:00.005-05:00

5. Throw the carrots in your blender.

6. Blend on low. Gradually add the leftover water you used for steaming to thin it out until you get a smooth consistency.

7. The one bag of carrots made all of this food. I was able to put some in the fridge and freeze the rest. This is great for saving time later. If you work, you could make a bunch of food one weekend, freeze it all, and be set for a month!

8. Now you have a beautiful, fresh, and healthy meal for you sweet baby!

I recommend removing all clothing (saves you from doing extra laundry). Jack loved his carrots!

I will post more as I experiment with different foods and stages of eating. So far it has been so much fun. I really enjoy doing this for Jack, and it is saving us a lot of money!

Chelsea's Baby Food, Inc.

2011-08-27T10:56:00.003-05:00

A few years ago, if you would have mentioned making homemade baby food, I would have told you that is ridiculous. Why spend so much time and effort when you can buy it so easily at the store? Well, after some reading, I realized it actually is not that difficult, it's way cheaper, and it is very healthy!

I have a few different books that have been very helpful in this process. One is Organic Baby & Toddler Cookbook by Lizzie Vann. My favorite thing in this book is that it gives a schedule for feeding from weaning to four years. It is really helpful as I am slowly introducing Jack to solids and gradually weaning from breastmilk. The other book I have really enjoyed is Start Fresh by Tyler Florence. As you are probably aware, I am a bit of a Food Network junkie, so when I found out one of there chefs wrote a baby cookbook I was really excited. His recipes are really great, and I appreciate how much he wants to introduce children to fresh fruits and vegetables and great flavor combinations at such a young age. I have other cookbooks that have also been helpful, but just thought I would mention those two.

There are many different options when cooking fruits and vegetables for baby food, but from what I read, it seems that steaming is the best, because it allows the food to retain most of its nutrients. This is what Tyler Florence recommends in his book, at least for the first foods. So, this is the route I took, and it was so easy. He also recommends using a blender rather than a food processor to make the food as smooth as possible, so I have been doing that.

So, here are the simple steps to making delicious baby food:

1. Make sure your sous chef is nearby.

2. Choose from a variety of fruits and vegetables for your little one. I started with carrots. This bag of organic carrots was only $.79! That comes out to less than $.10 per serving for organic baby food! Since then I have also cooked sweet potatoes, zucchini, peas, and pears. Jack seemed to like all of them except the zucchini.

3. Peel carrots. Your sink might look a little disastrous afterward. But just be thankful you don't have a hideous brown 1980s era sink like me (and if you do, I am sorry).

4. Place beautiful carrots on cutting board and slice.

4. Fill a large pot with water, place a steamer insert in it (this one came with this pot, but I think you can buy one if you don't already have one), cover, and bring to a boil. Add carrots, and cover again. Steam until carrots are soft, about 10 minutes.

Continued on next post...

Easy Shrimp Pasta

2011-08-24T17:07:00.002-05:00

During my "cook with what you've got" phase, I was pleased when I found a bag of frozen shrimp in the freezer with a few shrimp left. So I cooked the shrimp in pan with a jar of marinara, minced garlic, and crushed red pepper. I made angel hair pasta, then threw the cooked pasta in the pan with the sauce and stirred it around. I then topped each pasta dish with shredded Italian cheese. This was a very easy dish to make, and pretty tasty!

Cook With What You've Got

2011-08-12T16:39:00.003-05:00

Lately we have been a little tight with our budget as Josh was studying for the bar and we are transitioning with the move and everything. So I have been trying to create meals with things I had in the kitchen and not buy too many groceries. I was assuming this would mean we would be going vegetarian for awhile since meat can get expensive and isn't necessary. I was fine with a diet sans meat, but one day I looked in my freezer and found salmon. I was so excited (silly, I know), so I made baked curry salmon with peas and Mediterranean Curry Couscous. The couscous was from a box, it is the Near East brand. I had bought it awhile back when it was on sale at Whole Foods, I think it was about $1, so not bad. The peas were frozen peas in a steam in bag package, so easy. For the salmon, I wanted it to have a similar flavor to the couscous, so I melted butter in a dish, sprinkled a dash of curry powder in it and mixed in a clove of minced garlic and a little salt and pepper. I placed the salmon in a baking dish, poured the butter mixture over it, and baked it at 450 degree for about 12 minutes. The flavor with the curry butter sauce was delicious, but I think the salmon wasn't all that great. I think it was because I used a cheaper salmon. My new resolution is to buy all seafood and meat fresh from Whole Foods instead of getting frozen seafood and other meats from cheaper places. I think it will be worth the splurge. And I will just get most of my other ingredients from the less expensive stores.

Another dish I tried was this ravioli. I had bought sun dried tomato and goat cheese ravioli at Trader Joe's, so I spruced up the dish by cooking the ravioli, then putting it in a pan over medium heat with baby spinach, olive oil, and salt and pepper. I mixed it until the spinach was wilted. After putting it in our dishes I sprinkled a little parmesan cheese on top. It was pretty good, but I don't know that the ravioli was worth the cost. I am pretty sure a less expensive pasta would have been just as good, just add a little goat cheese and sun dried tomato too if you want those flavors.

First Attempt at Tikka Masala

2011-08-10T10:29:00.003-05:00

Are any of you fans of the show Next Food Network Star? I really love it, and I recently caught up on last season thanks to Hulu. My favorite contestant throughout the season was Aarti. She always had amazing food, and she had such a sweet, bubbly personality. She is a food blogger (although she writes about other subjects as well), and her blog is really fun. She is a strong Christian, and is not afraid to write about her faith. I was very excited when she won her own show on Food Network. Her show is called Aarti Party. She makes the most amazing looking dishes, many of which I plan to test in my kitchen.

As I have mentioned before, I absolutely love Indian food, especially Chicken Tikka Masala. I always thought I would love to find a good recipe for it and make it at home. So I was very excited when I found Aarti's recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala. The recipe was not too difficult to make, although there were some ingredients that were a little more difficult to find. For instance, garam masala, which is a spice blend, is not available at all grocery stores. I found it at World Market. The dish was very good, but I may want to tweak it a little more next time to add a little more flavor and spice. I used two serrano peppers, but next time I might use three or leave the seeds in since we like it spicier. Overall, it was good and I will try it again. I served it over rice with naan on the side...yum!

With our leftover naan and leftover zucchini I had, I made these delicious naan pizzas. Place a piece of naan on a pan, drizzle with olive oil, spread marinara sauce over it, and cover with thinly sliced zucchini and mozzarella. Bake at 400 degrees until cheese is nice and bubbly. This was so good, and I made it everyday until I ran out of naan! It makes a great meal served with a salad, or could be a fun appetizer for a party if you sliced it into strips. By the way, if you are wondering where to find naan, you can usually find it at most grocery stores. I found great naan at Trader Joe's here in Albuquerque. They had plain and garlic, both of which were delicious!

New Mexico Sunset

2011-07-12T22:47:00.002-05:00

I took this picture tonight when I went for a walk in our neighborhood. Isn't it beautiful? I love where we live! I will definitely be sharing more pictures soon!

A Few More Originals...

2011-07-10T22:15:00.003-05:00

Here are a few more of my original recipes. Above I made Fried Zucchini with a Sriracha Ranch Dressing. I bought a bunch of zucchini at the store the other day, more than I needed, so for a snack one day I decided homemade fried zucchini would be great, and it was! Here is how you can make it:

Slice zucchini in thin discs (I used the slicer on my food processor, and it worked great).
Set up a breading assembly line with 3 bowls. In the first place flour seasoned with a little paprika and any other seasonings you like. In the next bowl, beat 2 eggs, and in the final bowl, place panko breadcrumbs. These are Japanese breadcrumbs you should be able to find at any grocery store.
On the stove, fill a pot with canola oil and heat to medium high. Make sure the oil is nice and hot before frying.
Take sliced zucchini, dip in flour, shake off excess, dip in egg, making sure all of the zucchini is covered, then dredge in breadcrumbs. Make sure you do this in small batches. Drop zucchini in oil, and let fry for 2-4 minutes or until golden brown. Place on a plate lined with a paper towel to soak up excess oil. Sprinkle salt and paprika over fried zucchini.
For the Sriracha Ranch, pour Ranch dressing in a bowl (I use Light Ranch, tastes the same and isn't quite as bad for you), then pour Sriracha in the ranch and stir it in. Just add a little at a time, tasting to figure out when you get to the spice level you prefer.

This was really good! I made it again the next day for Josh, and he loved it. Would be fun for a party too.
I had hot dogs for lunch on the 4th of July, and made them a little differently. I thought this technique was good because it made the bun crispy and melted the cheese well. You just boil or grill the hot dog as you normally would. While doing that, butter the buns and place them in a 350 degree oven. Once the hot dogs are ready, take the buns out, place the hot dogs in them, then cover them with diced green chile (very delicious), and cover with a slice of cheddar. Place them back in the oven and keep an eye on them. Once cheese is melted, remove from oven and cover with any other condiments you like.

I made these Red Chile Chicken Enchiladas the other day, and they were pretty tasty too. I poured one jar of Cervantes Red Chile Sauce (made in Albuquerque!) and one can of cream of chicken soup in a pan with 2 chicken breasts cut into cubes. I cooked them on medium heat until chicken cooked through then let it simmer a while. Next I heated up flour tortillas (you could use corn tortillas if you prefer) in the microwave for about 30 seconds then poured a little chicken and sauce mixture into each tortilla, rolled them up, and placed them in a greased baking dish. Make sure you put all of the chicken in the tortillas. Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas and cover with shredded Mexican cheese. Bake in oven at 400 degrees until cheese is nice and bubbly (can't remember how long this took, maybe 10 minutes?). I served mine with an egg over easy on top and sour cream. I would have served rice and beans for the sides, but didn't have any, so just used tortilla chips instead!

New Recipes

2011-07-10T09:30:00.003-05:00

Taking a little break from the recap posts to share pictures and recipes of things I have cooked lately. Above is an improv meal I made one night with ingredients we had around the house. It is a Cajun Chicken Sandwich with fries. I seasoned the chicken with Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, and I think that was it. I sliced some jalapenos and sauteed them in a pan, once they were done, I removed them and cooked the chicken breasts in the same pan. When the chicken was cooked through, I placed them on a bun I had toasted with garlic butter. I covered the chicken with cheese and the jalapenos and served them with french fries. I found these frozen fries at Whole Foods and seasoned them with Tony Chachere's as well and topped them with the leftover jalapenos. I made a Creole Mayo I had seen in a recent issue of Cooking Light. You can find the recipe here (it goes with a shrimp recipe they had). We both loved this meal, and I will definitely do it again!

I made this Summer Squash, Bacon, and Mozzarella Quiche from another recipe in the recent issue of Cooking Light. Josh loved it (he is a huge fan of quiche), and I thought it was pretty good (I am not as big of a quiche fan in general). It was pretty easy to make, and pretty healthy as well.

New Mama

2011-07-09T00:35:00.004-05:00

This is a picture of one of the happiest moments of my life (I know I am not looking my best, but that is beside the point). Here I am holding my son Jack just moments after he was born with my wonderful husband and my sweet mom.

I have always wanted to be a mom for as long as I can remember, however, I was not in too big of a hurry to make it happen. A little over a year ago, Josh and I decided after almost three years of marriage that we were ready to start trying to have a baby. I was thrilled when we found out we were pregnant last June. God had given us a gift we did not deserve. Pregnancy for me was good. I felt pretty good throughout most of it, I only got sick a few times, and felt pretty comfortable and energetic for the most part (until about the last month). I enjoyed being pregnant. Some women absolutely hate it, others love it, even preferring it over not being pregnant. I would say I fall in the middle of the two extremes. I enjoyed feeling my son moving inside of me, seeing my stomach grow as he did, and anticipating what was to come (and I am not going to lie, I even kind of enjoyed all the attention). I did not enjoy the nausea (especially since I was in D.C. for most of that period, which you can read about in my posts from last summer), I did not enjoy gaining 50 pounds (especially in undesirable places like my rear end and thighs), and I especially did not enjoy the constant heartburn that kept me up most nights.

During pregnancy I talked to other moms and read all about giving birth. It is so nice to have the internet and be able to research and have a better understanding of what you are about to go through. Now I can't imagine how women did it before! Although those things helped prepare me, nothing could truly prepare me for the experience of having a child. There is absolutely nothing like it on this earth. I know every mom says that, but it's true.

Here is the basic rundown of my experience giving birth. This is the abbreviated version, even though it may seem long. Just know I could have gone much longer. I began having contractions at about 11:00 the night before Jack was born. I always wondered how I would know if they were the real thing, but after timing them for a few hours and feeling them get progressively worse, I had a feeling it was the real deal. We called the doctor and went up to the hospital around 4 a.m. (I think, but my memory is fading). When I arrived, they put us in a little room to monitor the contractions and check to see if I was dilated. We stayed in there for about an hour or two. I did not enjoy that time at all. I was in pain, I was tired, the room was dark, and the hospital floor seemed eerily quiet. Needless to say, I was very happy when they told us they would be moving us to the Labor and Delivery room, which was much bigger and very nice. I got an epidural around 9 or 10 that morning, and it made a world of difference. I am so glad I did it. I know some people are very opinionated one way or the other about the whole epidural thing, and I think it is completely up to the mom, but I will say I had a great experience with it. I was glad I did it for many reasons, but one of the main reasons was that I was able to sleep for about an hour or two afterward since I was no longer feeling the contractions. Josh was able to sleep too, and we both agree that was a great thing so that we were well rested for the delivery.

I think I began to push around 12:00, but once again, my memory is fuzzy. For some reason, I didn't realize how long I would have to push. I figured this would take about 30 minutes (I guess I missed this part in all of the online articles I read...hmm). Well, it took much longer (another reason I am thankful for the epidural). Without it I don't know if I would have had the strength to keep pushing. Plus it was really wonderful not to feel any pain! Jack finally arrived at 3:14. There is no way to accurately describe the moment he arrived. I was completely overwhelmed with joy. They gave him to me right away and tears of joy were streaming down my face. It was incredible. It was also amazing to share that moment with Josh. We both agree it was the best day of our lives (even better than our wedding!). My mom was in the room too, and it was so special to share that experience with her. My dad and Josh's parents were in Lubbock too, and soon after they were able to come in and meet Jack. What a blessing for Josh and I to have such wonderful parents to celebrate this moment of our lives with!

Next time I will write about the first few months of motherhood, but now it is time for bed!

New Look, New Name, Not Quite the Same...

2011-07-09T00:02:00.003-05:00

Well, it has definitely been awhile since I have written. Life has been a little busy. We had our baby in March, in May Josh graduated from law school, I finished work, and we moved to Albuquerque. If you are going to have some big changes in life, you might as well have them all at once, right?

The birth of our son Jack was amazing, and I am loving being a mom (more on that some other time). The first few months of adjusting to motherhood, then moving to a new city kept me very busy and distracted. Not until recently did I begin cooking again on a regular basis and feeling like I wanted to start writing again. As I thought about coming back to blogging I debated whether I should continue to write primarily about food, or if I should expand the blog to cover more things I am interested in. After a little thought, I chose the latter. Why not right about all of the things I find interesting rather than just one? I know most people have stopped checking my blog at this point, and there probably were not too many people reading it to begin with, but even if no one reads it, I think I will enjoy getting back into the practice of writing on a regular basis. It's just fun. I think as a stay at home mom it is good for me to have a hobby like this too.

So, all that to say, I am changing things up a bit. I will be writing about the things I enjoy most, and those things which I find myself doing most often. That will include cooking (and anything to do with food), design (especially as I am decorating our new place), being a mom (this is the topic that will probably come up the most), travel, and the outdoors. Of course, there will most likely be other topics that will creep in here and there, and some that may end up creeping in a lot. So we will see where things go.

In the next few posts, I want to just talk about all of the things that have happened in my life over the past four months. So, enjoy!

Easy Curry

2011-02-04T01:53:00.003-06:00

My friend Emily shared this easy and delicious meal idea with me. Cook cut up chicken breasts (or whatever meat you have around) in a pan with this yellow curry paste (you can find it at Asian Grocery Stores), and a can of coconut milk (you can find this at Asian Grocery Stores or most upscale grocery stores or World Market). Add any vegetables you have on hand too. When I made it this time I used frozen peas and corn. Cook until meat is cooked through. I usually cook it on medium until the sauce is bubbly then turn it down to low and cook for about 20 minutes or however long it takes for the chicken to cook. You can also do it in a slow cooker, but I don't know about the times for that. Serve over rice.

This meal is so simple, and very delicious (it has a nice spicy kick too)! I have started stocking up on the coconut milk and the curry paste at the Asian Grocery store, and I usually have rice, chicken, and some vegetables around, so it is a great last minute meal!

Lemon Poppy Seed Waffles

2011-02-04T01:49:00.002-06:00

I found this recipe for Lemon Poppy Seed Waffles in a recent issue of Southern Living. They are pretty easy to make and taste very good. They have a nice, light texture. The recipe recommends topping with a blackberry and syrup mixture, but I used blueberries. I had some frozen ones in my freezer and just thawed them out. They tasted good with the waffles too! You can find the recipe here.

Healthy Dinner

2011-02-04T01:33:00.003-06:00

Okay, so I know it's been forever. Pregnancy and busyness have caused me to not cook as often, and when I do it is usually something really simple and boring. But I have had a few good meals here and there, so I thought I would catch up and share some of them.

I probably cooked this a month or two ago, but it was good, so I figured I would share. I baked salmon fillets in a lemon and garlic butter sauce, but they didn't taste that great. Although, I am going to blame that on the fish, not my cooking. They didn't have any wild salmon at the store when I bought it, so I had to go with farm raised and it just did not taste as good. Even though the salmon was not a huge hit, I did make one of my favorite salads. Just top spinach leaves with some chopped hard boiled eggs and crumbled bacon. It is so easy, and really delicious. I used Annie's Naturals Lite Honey Mustard Vinaigrette Dressing with it, which was really tasty as well.

Fall Flavor

2010-11-10T18:14:00.005-06:00

I have been so awful keeping up the blog lately, so rather than trying to catch up with everything I have been cooking lately, I thought I would choose one of my recent favorites. My mom shared a recipe she had seen on Tyler's Ultimate on the Food Network for Ricotta Pancakes. You can find the recipe here. I tried them, and they were delicious! On Halloween night I was feeling in the mood for a flavor of fall, so I decided to take the recipe for the Ricotta Pancakes and create my own pumpkin adaptation. It was so amazing, that I have made it multiple times since.

The ricotta recipe is really two recipes in one. It has the pancakes with baked apples and crispy prosciutto. But when I made the pumpkin version, I left the apple and prosciutto portion out and for the pancake batter I omitted the lemon and substituted canned pumpkin for the ricotta (use the same amount of pumpkin as you would ricotta). The pumpkin has a similar consistency to the ricotta, so I think it makes a good replacement. I also sprinkled cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice into the batter. If you half the recipe, it makes 6 medium sized pancakes, which is what I do for Josh and me. The pancakes are pretty rich and filling, so we think this portion size is great. Serve with real maple syrup, and if you are trying to be a little healthier, put the syrup in a small dish and dip your pancakes in so you don't drown them in sugar.

So put on your scarf, watch the leaves fall, and enjoy some pumpkin pancakes!

Got a Little Catching Up to Do...

2010-09-03T15:01:00.003-05:00

So, I have dropped off the face of the earth again (at least with the blog here), and since it has been over a month since my last post, I have a lot I could write about to catch up. However, I will leave much of it out, partially due to my laziness, and partially due to my forgetfulness of everything I have done/eaten in the past six weeks or so.

The other day I made this yummy cookie dough. I just used the Nestle recipe on the back of their chocolate chips. I think the cookies it makes are okay, but nothing great. However, the cookie dough is delicious! I think I ate a little too much...oops!

Taste of Philly

2010-08-04T08:15:00.003-05:00

We also experienced great food in Philadelphia. The most famous food there is the Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich. Josh and I had seen something on Food Network once about two rival cheesesteak places in South Philly, and we decided if we ever made it there we would give them a try. Well, these places were crazy. They are across the street from each other and consistently have lines wrapped around the buildings of hundreds of people waiting for their famous sandwiches.

So, Josh and I got in line at Pat's. It is the original, which you can tell looking at the building. It is very simple. They invented the cheesesteak sandwich.

Josh's parents got in line at Geno's, which opened later. Kind of looks like Vegas. I love it.

Afterward we all shared sandwiches and cheese fries from both places. The verdict? We honestly couldn't tell much of a difference in the sandwiches, but the fries from Geno's were better. Josh and I were saying we kind of think cheesesteak sandwiches are a little bland, so if we ever come back, we might branch out on the menu and try one of the flavored sandwiches.

On Sunday we ate lunch at Bobby's Burger Palace in the university area. This was recommended to me by a friend who use to live in Philadelphia. It is Bobby Flay's burger place, and is in the fast casual restaurant genre. If you are a Food Network junkie like me, you know who he is. He has a few locations along the East Coast.

The food here was fantastic! I had the Santa Fe burger which was topped with white queso, jalapenos, and blue corn tortilla chips...heaven. We also split sweet potato fries which were delicious. Josh had a burger with avocado, which he loved. Josh's mom is a vegetarian, so she ordered a salad, which she loved too. It is always nice to find a place that everyone loves! The atmosphere was great too. If you are ever in Philly (or anywhere else he has a location), give this a try!

The City of Brotherly Love

2010-08-04T08:03:00.003-05:00

Okay, I have been doing a horrible job of keeping up the blog lately. So I am going to attempt to make up for it today!

Two weekends ago Josh's parents came in town to visit, and we went to Philadelphia for the weekend. We had never been there before, so it was fun to explore a new place together. The city has so much to offer with great museums, tons of history, and more.

We visited the historic area of the city, which was amazing. To think of all the amazing men in our nation's history that met here to form our country is incredible. Above is Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence was signed, and below is the Liberty Bell with Independence Hall in the background.

This area is all a National Historic Park, so everything is free, but can be very crowded. On Saturday there was a heat wave in which we experienced a heat index of 104 degrees! This made for pretty miserable touring, and combined with the crowds and my pregnant belly, I was getting a little moody! However, we got up early Sunday morning and headed back to the area and it was wonderful. The weather was much cooler, and the crowds were minimal. We were able to walk right up to the Liberty Bell (the day before the line was wrapped around the building). So this was definitely the way to do it.

This is the room where the Declaration of Independence was signed. It was really amazing to see this. If you are ever able to visit Philadelphia, this is definitely worth the trip!

This Week in the Capitol

2010-07-23T12:22:00.002-05:00

On Wednesday night, Josh, me, and our friend Mallory went to the Kennedy Center to see Shear Madness. We found half price tickets the day of the show, so it was a great deal! The show is done here in D.C. and in Boston. Josh had seen it in Boston with his family a few years back and really enjoyed it. It is a funny mystery show where the audience gets involved to help figure out the case. It takes place in D.C., and they have plenty of lines and humor in reference to the city. If you are ever here (or in Boston), you should see it. It is really fun!

It was also fun to get to see the Kennedy Center. I loved the building, and especially the views from the outside terrace. That is where Josh and I took the above picture. Anyone can come into the building, so even if you don't go to a show, you could come check out the views.

Yesterday Josh and I went on what he called a "double date." Not the kind where you go with another couple, but a lunch date and a dinner date on the same day. We met for lunch at Circa Cafe near Dupont Circle. It is close to his office, so it was an easy place to meet. The food was delicious and very fresh, and the atmosphere was comfortable and nice. I ordered the Free-Range Chicken Pizza, which had grilled chicken, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, and artichokes. It was really good. And it fed my craving for pizza, which, as I mentioned before, seems to be constant. At least this one was kind of healthy, right?

We had dinner at Cafe Asia, which my brother-in-law had recommended. They had a wide variety of Asian dishes. We got there right at the end of happy hour, so Josh was able to get a few pieces of sushi pretty cheap. We ended up ordering a few different appetizers and other sushi as well. I enjoyed the Spicy Chinese Ravioli, which was pork dumplings in a spicy sauce. We also had crab wontons which were good. When you are pregnant, you are not suppose to have raw meat, so I was sad I couldn't try much sushi, but then we noticed they had some tempura rolls, which have fried meat. So I got crab tempura rolls, and Josh got shrimp, and we shared with one another. They were pretty good.

One thing I love about D.C. is all the amazing restaurants. There are so many, you could go to a different one every night and not even cover one neighborhood. There is a great variety of places too. I think we will be going out most nights next week since we will have family in town, so it should be fun!

This weekend Josh's parents are coming in town, and we are going with them to Philadelphia. We are really looking forward to it. Neither of us have been there, so it should be fun. Plus, we get to stay in a hotel and get out of our stinky place here!

Weekend in Virginia

2010-07-22T08:10:00.003-05:00

Last weekend we rented a car and drove to Lynchburg, Virginia. Some of our good friends, Marc and Amy Corbett and their daughter Caroline live there. When Josh and I were in college at Texas Tech, Marc was our campus minister with RUF, which was a campus ministry we were involved with. He and his wife Amy became good friends and mentors. They have known and loved Josh and me since we were freshmen in college, and watched our friendship turn into a dating relationship and eventually marriage (Josh and I did not start dating until 2 years after graduating). They have been a huge source of encouragement to us through some of the highest and lowest points in our lives.

It is so nice to have people in your life that are just a little bit ahead of where you are to give you advice and encouragement along the way. Two years ago Marc and Amy adopted their daughter Caroline. So it has been fun to watch Marc and Amy become parents, and during our visit, they shared lots of wonderful advice.

Recently Caroline has been struggling with hair loss, which after much research and countless doctor's appointments, Marc and Amy figured out it had to do with intestinal problems. They have been doing all they can to get their sweet little girl healthy again, which has included putting her on a strict gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and more diet (you can find more details about this at Amy's Blog). It is amazing to see how dedicated they are to their daughter. It is also incredible to see what an amazing little girl she is. She is so smart and full of life. Other than her hair loss, if you just met her you would never guess anything is wrong. She is a joy to be around. When we left on Sunday, Josh said playing with her made him ready for our baby to get here!

We went to church with them on Sunday before we left, and as Caroline walked in and the musicians were rehearsing, she began to dance and sing, and as people walked in, she would announce to them, "I am singing!" I almost cried just watching her. What an incredible example of hope and joy in the Lord this sweet 2 year old girl was to me!

We wanted to bring Caroline something, so when we were in D.C. before heading to Lynchburg, we were visiting this great bookstore called Kramerbooks, which is a bookstore and restaurant all in one. They have great food, and an amazing selection of books. We found this book there, and thought it would be so much fun. It is called Waddle! by Rufus Butler Seder. As you turn the page, the animals move. It is so cute. She loved it and kept reading it over and over. They have another one called Swing! that is all sports stuff, and we sent that to my 2 year old nephew. My brother says he loves it too and wants to take it in the car everywhere he goes. So, if you or anyone you know has young children, try out these books!

On our way back from Lynchburg, we stopped in Charlottesville, Virginia, which is home to the University of Virginia. It was a really cute town. The campus is beautiful. When I was in college, I minored in architecture, and in my architecture history course we studied the buildings at the University of Virginia. It was designed by Thomas Jefferson. I had always wanted to see it, so it was a fun detour on our trip home.

I Have Turned Into a Bloodhound

2010-07-16T09:23:00.003-05:00

Josh and I have frequently discussed what type of dog we would like to get once we actually get one, and one of my favorites is the bloodhound. Who could resist that droopy face and those adorable long ears? Well, we have not found our dream dog yet, but as of late, I feel like I myself am turning into a bloodhound. No, this is not me thinking I am the next star of "The Shaggy Dog," I am just referring to my incredibly heightened sense of smell.

I have always heard and seen on movies and TV shows that pregnancy gives you the nose of a bloodhound, but I often wondered how exaggerated that was. I was not noticing any change in my sniffing abilities for the first bit of my pregnancy, but that has slowly changed. I first noticed it about a week ago. It was not the smell of food, which I hear most women complain about, but it was the smell of the city. I would walk past a dumpster, or over grates on the sidewalk, or a sewer, and the smells were too much. It made me want to go back to my small city in West Texas where we don't have the "city stench," and well, even if we do, everyone drives in cars all the time, so you don't notice it! Now, we do get the stockyard odor in the air on occasion in Lubbock, so I guess I would have to deal with that.

This week smells of certain foods are starting to get to me too, and at times have been linked to food aversions, which seem to be developing at a rapid pace (another symptom I was skeptical of pre-pregnancy). In my previous post I mentioned eating asparagus at a meal. I ate that because I had not felt like eating almost any vegetables, but those seemed okay. I was excited when I ate them and thought this would be one of the few vegetables I could actually eat. Well, that didn't last long. I bought some asparagus the other day, and when I took them out of the fridge yesterday to have for lunch, I could not take the smell and had to put them back. So I ate my lunch sans vegetables.

I feel like my aversions are taking me back to the palate I had as a child. I was a horrible eater as a child (my mother can attest to this). I wanted nothing to do with vegetables at all. I loved pizza, hamburgers, tacos, and chicken. Well, you know what has been one of my number one cravings lately? Pizza! It is one of the few things that really sound good. Actually, most Italian food sounds very good to me. This baby has an Italian uncle, so Zach, maybe you will be its favorite uncle!

I have been trying to eat more fruit, since I find that a little more bearable, but depending on the texture, I am not always sure of it (generally staying away from mushy fruits-bananas, raspberries, etc.). Apples have been great, so above is a picture of a healthy snack I am able to partake of without gagging.

As a result of my strange new taste buds and the limited kitchen I have to work with here, I have changed the way I shop for groceries. I am spending more time in the freezer section of the grocery store. When I went shopping the other day, I bought this microwavable vegetable lasagna. I figured a vegetable lasagna would be a good way to get my veggies in since the vegetables are so small and mixed in with everything else (I have to trick myself into eating them, okay). This one was Amy's Organic vegetable lasagna. It was very good. I also bought garlic Texas toast which I know is not healthy, but who cannot admit that it is absolutely delicious with lasagna? I also bought some frozen pizzas. I found Newman's Own makes some, and they were really good!

Another way I am trying to get in good nutrients and fruit is in yogurt. Stonyfield Organic yogurt was on sale, so I bought a few of those. It's one of my favorites. This morning I had White Chocolate Raspberry flavor for my mid-morning snack-yum!

Just 2 more pictures...

2010-07-16T08:45:00.003-05:00

These are the last Baltimore pictures, I promise! I forgot to put these up earlier. I just wanted to write about our lunch there on Sunday. We ate right on the harbor at a restaurant called J. Paul's. It was a great spot to look out at the water and watch the boats pass by. My grandfather owned a Sea Ray boat dealership, and pretty much everyone on my dad's side of the family is really into boating. So, every time we are somewhere that we can eat by the water, my family finds a front row seat and comments on every boat passing by. So, in true Pillsbury family fashion, we did just that.

The food at J. Paul's was good. They bring these delicious pretzels to your table before your meal, which I thought was a great idea. For my meal I ordered a grilled chicken club and had them add avocado (trying to get the vegetables in where I can), and you could also have asparagus as your side, so I ordered that instead of fries. It was a good meal, and more than enough food for me!

Balt-Amore

2010-07-14T10:48:00.003-05:00

Saturday night we headed to Little Italy in Baltimore for a wonderful Italian dinner. We ate at Gia's, which was fantastic! It was so cute and quaint, and the food was excellent. Josh had the special, which was a wonderful fish dish, and I had chicken parm...yum!

Below are more pictures from around the city...

I would love to live in that corner house-isn't it beautiful?!

Looking out at the harbor on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

Milkshakes & Crab Cakes

2010-07-14T10:23:00.005-05:00

Remember that milkshake I mentioned in my last post? I got it, and it was delicious! I got the "black and white" flavor, which was a vanilla milkshake with chocolate fudge. It was very good, but I won't be getting these too often, because I am pretty sure it isn't too healthy!

Last weekend Josh and I went to Baltimore. It was so much fun! We rode the train there Saturday morning, spent the night in a hotel there Saturday night, and came back Sunday afternoon. It was so wonderful, for many reasons! We loved the city and the food, and it was really nice to stay in a nice, clean hotel room! We are staying in a shared house with other students doing internships in D.C., so it is not exactly the ideal place for a 27 year old married couple with a baby on the way! Having our own room and bathroom at the hotel was wonderful!

On Saturday we ate lunch at Mothers Federal Hill Grille. My main requirement for a lunch spot was that it must serve crab cakes, since it is Baltimore's signature dish, and they did, so it was a good fit. We both ordered a crab cake sandwich with sweet potato fries. It was really good! The restaurant was in the Federal Hill neighborhood, which was really pretty. There were really neat old houses and fun shops and restaurants.

That day we walked all over the city, which is such a neat town. Each neighborhood was very pretty, and the whole city has lots of character. I can't fit all the pictures on one post, so I am going to continue on the next post...

More Adventures in the Capitol

2010-07-09T13:58:00.003-05:00

Well, I thought I was going to post great stories each day of my many adventures here in our nation's capitol, but that just has not happened. You may think this is due to the fact that I have been diligently working my way around the city, studying every monument and museum from top to bottom. Well, I have been making my way around the city, but I have not been super thorough. I leisurely stroll through a museum or two in the morning, come home, eat lunch, and rest for awhile, and sometimes go see something in the afternoon. Once Josh gets home from work, we usually go out to dinner or eat at home, then go walk around town or visit a museum.

Ordinarily, I would be buzzing around town at a somewhat frenzied pace, but my leisurely pace has been inspired by a new development...I am pregnant! Right now I am six weeks along. The due date is March 7. So, this baby is definitely making its mark on my D.C. experience (which is just fine with me)!

Everyone says that once you have kids your life is forever changed. Now I would venture to say that once you are pregnant, your life is beginning to change. My routine is already becoming less of my own, as what I eat, how much I sleep, etc., all effects this baby, which in turn, effects me. I cannot walk around this city briskly bouncing from one spot to the next without feeling tired. I cannot go without breakfast without feeling nausea. I am much more okay with spending much of my day resting in my room, which, for those of you that know me, this is not typical. I usually like to be out doing things. But at this point in time, my body, and my baby are telling me to SLOW DOWN!

So, I have slowed down (at least for the most part). I still plan on seeing all the sites in this great city before I leave, but knowing that I have five weeks and most of the museums are free, I am not in too big of a hurry!

All that to say, posts from now on may look a little different as I attempt to figure out what is best for me to eat and do.

So, back to my tasty travels here in Washington! The picture at the beginning of this post was taken this morning. This is the Supreme Court. As a history teacher and the wife of a law student, I have much respect for our nation's highest court. It is really fascinating to me. I walked around the Supreme Court building today and enjoyed seeing the inside of it, especially the court room. Who knows, maybe one day Josh will be a Supreme Court Justice (okay, so maybe it is just a dream of ours, but you never know)!

While there, I sat in the court room as a woman gave myself and other tourists details about the court. During her little lecture, I started feeling a wave of nausea. "Oh no!" I thought. "What if I vomit in the Supreme Court? They will never let my husband practice law in this country!" Well, I did not have to worry about that, it was only nausea (praise the Lord)! However, this is a common thought running through my brain as I visit these museums. Yesterday I was at the National Archives, and it was "What if I throw up on the Declaration of Independence? They might throw me out of the country (even though it is enclosed in a glass case). And later that day, as I strolled through the National Gallery of Art, it was "What if I can't make it to the bathroom in time and ruin one of Rembrandt's masterpieces?" I have yet to ruin any historic documents, government buildings, or pieces of art, but I don't think the fear will subside. And I will persevere in my tourist endeavors!

On Tuesday I visited the National Museum of American History, which is really amazing. One of the highlights of the museum was seeing Julia Child's kitchen. These are pictures of her simple, yet fabulous kitchen. This may sound cheesy, but I felt a little inspired just being there!

On Tuesday night we ate dinner at the place we are staying (just a simple pasta, nothing too exciting), but for dessert, I went to Pitango Gelato. It was delicious! They had really unique flavors. I had cardamom gelato, which I never would have thought of, but it was delicious!

Last night we met a friend at Matchbox, which was really great as well. We had one of their wood-fired pizzas, and for an appetizer, we had the mozzi carrozi. It was so good! It was basically like a mixture of fried mozzarella and a caprese salad. It was mozarella and tomatoes fried with fresh basil and tomato sauce, you can't go wrong with that, right? For dessert we all split the chocolate chip bread pudding...yum! It was so moist and delicious!

On Wednesday night we ate at Good Stuff Eatery. It was a great, casual burger place. Chef Spike Mendelsohn from Top Chef runs it along with his family. We had the Spike's Sunnyside Burger which had a fried egg, bacon, and special sauce on it. We also had their Village Fries which are seasoned with fresh thyme, rosemary, and sea salt. They also have a mayonnaise bar where they have different flavors of mayo like chipotle and sriracha. It was great food in a really cool atmosphere, and since we split all of that plus 2 drinks, we ate for about $12. Not bad! They also had great looking milkshakes there, which I think I am going to get right now...

A Capitol Fourth

2010-07-06T08:06:00.002-05:00

Here are a few pictures from around D.C. on the Fourth. Above is a view of the Capitol from the Botanic Gardens on the mall (which are gorgeous)!

We were able to see the most incredible fireworks display! We were standing below the Lincoln Memorial, looking toward the Washington monument. This picture is towards the beginning of the show.

This picture was during the grand finale...incredible! I have never seen so many fireworks in my life!

Washington Weekend

2010-07-06T07:21:00.002-05:00

Josh and I arrived in Washington, D.C. on Saturday for his summer internship here. He will be working here for six weeks. Since I am a teacher, and do not have to work right now, I get to stay here with him during his internship. It's a great set up, I am not complaining one bit! So, while he is at work each day, I will be exploring everything the city has to offer, and at night and on weekends we will get to do some exploring together.

Yesterday was a federal holiday, so we had a nice 3 day weekend to start off the trip. We got in late Saturday afternoon, and after getting settled at our place, we walked around and enjoyed the evening. All the museums on the mall in D.C. are free, so it is really great, especially when you are living here, because you can just go in for an hour or two whenever you have time, and you don't feel guilty about paying a hefty entrance fee. That night, we got a little hot and tired walking along the mall, so we went to the Air and Space Museum for a little while, then found a good restaurant for dinner, Rosa Mexicana. It was "upscale Mexican." For those of you from the Dallas area, think Mi Cocina style. The food was really good, a little pricey, but not outrageous. One of their most popular dishes (judging from the fact that it was on almost every table), is their guacamole. The order is a huge bowl of fresh, delicious guacamole. Some of the best I have ever had.

Sunday morning we slept in, then got an early lunch at Tortilla Coast. It is about 2 doors down from where we are staying, and was highly recommended by many friends. It is basic Tex-Mex in a good atmosphere. We enjoyed sitting by the big window, and watching everyone out and about enjoying their Fourth of July. I ordered the Lucy platter, which had a chicken taco, a chicken flauta, and a guacamole tostada. I thought the food was good, nothing spectacular, but very similar to the Tex-Mex I am use to from home. The prices were very reasonable.

For dinner last night, we ate at a great restaurant, Vapiano. I thought it was maybe just a D.C. chain, then when I looked at their website, I found that they are actually a European chain, with locations throughout the world. They even have one in Dallas. Once I learned they were European, I wasn't too surprised, since they were blaring techno music. It is in the genre of "fast casual" restaurants, but this one is different than any I had been to. When you enter, they give you a "chip" card, which you take with you to order your food or drinks. They have a wide variety of pizzas, pastas, and paninis. You take it directly to the cook, place your order, and he will swipe your card. If you would like a drink, you do the same thing at the bar. Then, as you leave, you take your card to the cashier at the front, who swipes it and tells you your total.

We ordered the chicken barbeque pizza. It was delicious, and at $11, a pretty good deal! The ingredients tasted very fresh, and we will definitely go back! The atmosphere was modern and very comfortable. The area we sat in had big comfy chairs. The only thing we didn't like too much was the techno music (although, it wasn't completely unbearable).

Easy Fresh Breakfast

2010-07-05T20:44:00.002-05:00

I made this quick and easy breakfast the other day. Top a tortilla with a fried egg and 2 slices of bacon. Spread sliced avocados around the plate, and sprinkle with pepper. It was great!

Yummy Treats!

2010-07-02T14:55:00.003-05:00

The other night we had a friend over for dinner. I baked a cobbler using a recipe I found in Southern Living a couple of years ago. It is a great recipe because it is so simple and easy to make. Other than the fruit, the ingredients are all items you would normally have on hand. The recipe is for a blackberry cobbler, but this time I also added some peaches. It was really good (especially with some Blue Bell vanilla ice cream!). You can find the recipe here.

Wednesday was our anniversary, so I stopped by Peace O' Cake Cupcakes and picked up some yummy cupcakes to celebrate. Peace O' Cake has different flavors everyday, and this time I picked "Raider Red Velvet" and "Milly Vanilly." They were really good! For more information and flavors, you can go to their website.

Hill Country Breakfast

2010-06-29T21:28:00.003-05:00

Last weekend Josh and I went to San Marcos, Texas to see his brother and sister-in-law, as well as to meet up with Josh's parents. We had a great time enjoying the beautiful Hill Country. We ate at some good restaurants, and one I have pictures of. The Root Cellar Cafe is in downtown San Marcos and has an excellent breakfast. If you are ever in the area, give it a try!

Josh ordered the Brazilian French toast, which was soaked in a vanilla rum sauce.

I ordered Migas, which is a favorite of mine, and their version was excellent! Very fresh and delicious!

Before our trip, I made this breakfast dish one day, which is similar to one I have made before. I did not have the green bell pepper, jalapeno, or green onion, so I just topped the tortilla and fried egg with black beans, roasted green chiles, salsa, cheese, and chili powder. It was very good, healthy, and cheap!

Taco Time!

2010-06-22T22:52:00.002-05:00

Today I made tacos. I decided to make them at lunch time so that I could use some of the meat for lunch, and then Josh and I could have it for dinner. It worked out well, so that I didn't have to spend too much time worrying with dinner once Josh got home from work.

When I used the meat for lunch, I topped some tortilla chips with taco meat, black beans, my homemade salsa, and shredded Mexican cheese. It was very good!

We ate the taco meat in corn tortillas with black beans, salsa, cheese, and fresh cilantro. I got the tortillas at Amigos Grocery Store, which is United's Latin Foods Store. It has all the regular items you would find at a grocery store, as well as specific Latin items. They make fresh tortillas there everyday, and that is what I got for us. I also bought these tortilla chips there. They make them at all United chain stores. They are so good! They have some great seasoning on them.

Bacon is Back

2010-06-22T22:24:00.003-05:00

I am back from my bacon hiatus. I know, it was short-lived. I bought this delicious peppered bacon from Red Raider Meats the other day. If you live in Lubbock, you can buy it at the Meat Sciences building at Tech, or at any United or Market Street grocery stores. It is really good. I think I have mentioned Red Raider Meats before. They are great!

So, for breakfast Sunday morning, I made bacon and scrambled eggs. I had a little Rotel left over, so I put that and some shredded Mexican cheese on the eggs. It was really good!

For dinner we did not have much around the house, so I made us grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches. I used havarti dill on mine...yum.

Eating & Burning Carbs

2010-06-18T16:35:00.003-05:00

Last night I used the leftover (uncooked) ground beef from Wednesday night to make a meat sauce for pasta. I put about 1/3 lb. of lean ground beef in a pan, and cooked it most of the way, breaking it into small pieces as it browned, then added a jar of pasta sauce. This time I used Newman's Own Sockarooni (pictured below). I like this sauce because it is fairly inexpensive (I think the jar was about $1.30 at Target), it's all natural, and this particular flavor is filled with peppers and spices, giving it a little more flavor than plain marinara. I did add a little garlic salt and crushed red pepper to it for an extra kick.

After I added the jar, I waited for it to get bubbly, then turned the heat down to low and covered it. Meanwhile, I cooked the pasta, which was Full Circle organic bow tie pasta. Full Circle is a generic organic brand that is usually cheaper than other organic options. When the pasta was cooked, I put some in each bowl, added sauce, and topped it with fresh basil and fresh grated parmesan.

I am a teacher, so right now I am not working (hallelujah!), which is giving me much more free time to work out, eat breakfast, and live a more balanced life. Sometimes I wish I could just be a housewife all the time! I sure am enjoying it. Each morning after I take Josh to work I go to the Texas Tech rec center and work out, then come home and eat a good breakfast. This has been a great way to start each morning. I am planning on continuing this routine for the next two weeks, then we are off to Washington, D.C. for about six weeks. Josh will be doing an internship there, and while he is at work during the day, I will be exploring around the city. I will be posting lots of pictures with travel tips and local restaurants while I am there. I am really excited!

Bacon Day

2010-06-17T15:16:00.007-05:00

Yesterday was unofficially National Bacon Day (well, at my house at least). I did not plan it this way on purpose, but I ended up eating bacon at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Ridiculous, I know. I am now on a self-imposed bacon hiatus (at least for a day or two).

For breakfast I had bacon with scrambled eggs, and topped my eggs with shredded havarti dill cheese. One little hint I have for making some great scrambled eggs is to cook the bacon in a pan first. Then remove the bacon, drain the grease, but do not wipe the pan completely clean. Cook the scrambled eggs in the same pan, and it gives the eggs great flavor.

For lunch I had some leftover pasta from Sunday night with half of a grilled turkey sandwich. For the sandwich I put turkey, guacamole, dijon mustard, some chipotle cranberry cheddar, and of course, bacon on a slice of whole wheat cut in half. I grilled it in a pan in olive oil. This sandwich was fantastic! It was full of great flavors, and just half of a sandwich was very satisfying!

I made the guacamole before lunch. Here is my recipe for easy guacamole. Mix together 2 large avocados, 1/2 can rotel (drained), 1 clove of minced garlic, juice of one lime, Julio's seasoning, and pepper. It is very easy to make, and has lots of flavor.

If you have made guacamole before, you probably have figured out that it has a tendency to turn brown after awhile. Some people say squirting lime juice on top will keep it from turning brown, but that does not work. One time I was watching Tyler's Ultimate on the Food Network, and he gave a great tip for keeping guacamole fresh. When you need to store it in the fridge, cover it with plastic wrap, and press tightly on the guacamole so that none of it is exposed to air. Then you can put the regular lid on your container. He said the reason guacamole will turn brown is exposure to air, so covering it tightly really helps. This was my first time to try this, and when I took it out of the fridge at dinner time (about six hours later), I took the picture above. It looked perfectly fresh and green!

For dinner we made burgers. For the patties, I combined about 2/3 pound of lean ground beef, a dash of Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper. Josh grilled the burgers, and I made some homemade fries. I cut baking potatoes into wedges then drizzled them with olive oil and sprinkled them with chili powder and Julio's seasoning. I baked them at 425 degrees until they were brown (I didn't pay attention to the time because I was a little distracted). We topped our burgers with colby jack cheese, diced roasted green chiles, guacamole, and for the grand finale, bacon. Let me tell you, this was one delicious burger!

I bought a pound of ground beef for the burgers, and since I would not need to use it all, I took out about 1/3 pound before making the patties, and put it in the fridge for dinner tonight, which was pasta with meat sauce (more on that in my next post). When buying meat or other ingredients that will expire within about a week, it is helpful to plan out multiple meals you can make with those ingredients so that they don't go to waste hanging out in the fridge too long.

I Love Breakfast Food!

2010-06-15T22:43:00.004-05:00

This post is dedicated to all the wonderful breakfast foods out there. I love most everything that is available for breakfast, which I think I got from my dad. My dad eats a big breakfast almost every morning, and loves cooking breakfast foods too. The funny thing is, when I was a teenager, I went through a stage where I refused to eat breakfast foods, which I guess was my odd way of rebelling as a teenager...teenage girls are strange.

I found a great Buttermilk Pancake and Waffle Mix from Arrowhead Mills that I tried for the first time on Monday night. It is all natural, and a little healthier than most other ready mixes. I followed the instructions on the package for waffles, and used my waffle maker. We got our waffle maker as a wedding gift three years ago, and although it is the very expensive one we registered for, we had yet to master the art of making the perfect waffle with it...until now. Our waffles on Monday night were very good and really easy to make. I topped them with fresh fruit and real maple syrup...yum.

For breakfast the other day, I made whole wheat toast topped with two slices of bacon, scrambled eggs, fresh grated parmesan, and fresh basil. I also had some great fresh fruit!

Light Dinner

2010-06-14T10:42:00.004-05:00

Last night we were ready for a light and healthy dinner after our week of not eating so well. I made this pasta salad that is a favorite of mine. It is very simple, and if you make the amount the recipe calls for, you will have plenty left over for lunch for a few more days. The recipe is on a previous post.

For the pasta salad I used this pasta I bought at World Market. It was very good!

We also made margaritas last night. Josh enjoys playing bartender, so he tried a recipe from his Ultimate Bar Book that I gave him for Christmas a couple of years ago. The recipe was for a Classic Margarita, and is as follows:

1 1/2 oz. premium silver tequila
1 1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
1 oz. Cointreau

Shake the liquid ingredients vigorously with ice. Strain the liquid ingredients and pour over ice in a glass.

It was a pretty good margarita. We both thought it was a little sour with all the lime, and I remembered we had just bought blueberries, so I decided to mix those in. I just put a handful in the glass and mashed a few of them at the bottom. It was pretty good, but I think next time I might try it with some sugar added, or make a simple syrup with the blueberries.

Back to a Normal Schedule

2010-06-14T10:08:00.002-05:00

Well, Josh and I finished our week as parents of six children on Saturday afternoon, and it has been very nice to be back to our regular routine for the next few weeks. We spent the week not eating super healthy, and when we got back home Saturday, we continued the theme. We had nothing to eat around the house, so we went to Five Guys and picked up some cheeseburgers and french fries. We love Five Guys, and it is dangerously close to our new apartment (we might be going there quite a bit this year)!

I made this breakfast of eggs and bacon with coffee and apple juice (Simply Apple brand, it's delicious!) the week before we watched the kids. I was making breakfast and exercising everyday, so I am doing that again, and hope to get back into a good routine.

When I cook eggs and bacon, I like to sprinkle fresh cracked pepper on the bacon before I cook it. After it is done cooking, I remove it from the pan, drain the grease from the pan (but do not wipe clean), then scramble the eggs in the pan. It gives the eggs great flavor.

Mom For a Week

2010-06-08T14:17:00.003-05:00

Last week I went to Mississippi to visit my brother, his wife, and their 2 year old son. It was really fun, and I enjoyed spending time with them since I don't get to see them too often. My sister-in-law is pregnant and on bed rest, so their wonderful church family at First Presbyterian in Jackson has been providing them with meals, which I was able to enjoy while I was there. We had a different meal every night, and they were all great. It is always nice to have meals brought to you, but sometimes it feels like you get too many lasagnas, roasts, and chicken casseroles, so it is nice to have a little variety. They used a website our church uses as well called takethemameal.com. It is great for any time you need to organize bringing meals to friends. You set it up for whoever is needing meals, and send out an email with a link, then everyone can look online and sign up. The person who has set it up can let everyone know of any dietary preferences. In my sister-in-law's case, she needed meals suitable for someone with gestational diabetes, so everyone was able to bring meals with that in mind. Each person that signs up to bring meals types in what they will be bringing on which day, so meals are never repeated. I highly recommend this sight. It is so much more simple for everyone involved!

This week Josh and I are keeping our friends' kids for them while they are on a cruise. They have 6 kids ranging from 20 months old to 12 years old. We know the kids really well, so it is a lot of fun, but it is definitely busy. So taking pictures of meals has not happened yet! We have made some pretty good meals so far: turkey tacos, eggs and bacon, and spaghetti. We also have had sandwiches galore, of all varieties. Today I made a grilled cheese and bacon sandwich (with turkey bacon). I put mayo, country dijon mustard, cheddar cheese, and cooked turkey bacon on wheat bread and grilled it in a pan with a little butter. It was really good, and was a nice alternative to the typical turkey and cheese or peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

I do have one picture I took of my secret stash of goodies for the week (Josh and I decided we would each need our own stash of sweets). He chose Nilla Wafers for himself, and I chose Newman's Own Hint 'O Mint Newman-O's. They are basically like Oreos, but organic, and with mint flavored creme. I discovered these back in college, but don't buy them too often since they are a little pricey and not all that healthy. But every once and a while I will buy them, and they are so good!

I will try to take pictures and post recipes of meals later this week...but we will see. Being a mother of 6 is a lot of work (even if it is only for a week)!

A Few More Cheap & Easy Meals

2010-05-26T12:12:00.006-05:00

Here are a few more budget friendly meals I have cooked in the past few days. For breakfast a couple of days ago, I heated up a tortilla in the oven, folded it in half, then topped it with a fried egg, cheese, cilantro, and salsa.

For dinner on Tuesday, I fixed stir fry with rice, as I have many times before. Cut up chicken breasts and put in plastic storage container. Pour Teriyaki sauce over the chicken (I use Very Teriyaki). Cover and let sit in refrigerator for a few hours. Spray wok with canola oil spray, and heat to medium high heat. Pan sear vegetables in wok for a few minutes. Remove chicken with slotted spoon and add to veggie mix in wok. This time I added about 2 teaspoons of garlic chili paste. Cook chicken completely. Pour chicken and veggies over rice. Serve with soy sauce and Huy Fong Chili Sauce for extra flavor.

The other day for lunch I wanted to use the leftover tomato sauce from the night before. So, I spread a few spoonfuls of sauce over a whole wheat tortilla, sprinkled with shredded Italian cheese blend, and topped with diced tomatoes, salt, and pepper. I baked it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes or until the cheese wass melted and the tortilla was golden and crispy. Then I topped it with oregano and crushed red pepper. This was so easy and cheap. It also could be made with a lot of different sauce and topping variations.

Been A Little Busy Lately...

2010-05-26T11:08:00.002-05:00

Well, the last couple of weeks have been super busy for us, so I have been a little absent lately. My sister got married 2 weekends ago, we moved a week ago, and last weekend we were in Dallas. So, needless to say, life has been a little crazy! We are finally settling into our new apartment a little better, and I am getting back to cooking!

When we got back in from my sister's wedding, we were low on money, so we did not want to go out to eat, but we had very little food in the fridge. We did have some chicken, so I pulled that out and made a delicious (although not super healthy) meal, homemade chicken strips. I cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts into strips. Next I made a battering assembly line. You need 3 shallow bowls, one with flour, one with a beaten egg (season the egg with salt and pepper, and garlic powder), and the last one with whole wheat seasoned bread crumbs. Keep them in that order, with the bread crumbs closest to your frying pan. Fill your frying pan with oil (canola or olive), about 1/2 inch deep. Heat oil over medium-high heat, and wait for it to get hot. Dredge chicken through flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. Drop battered strips into the oil and cook until golden brown, turning to cook all sides evenly (cut into thickest pieces to make sure they are cooked all the way through). Place on wire rack with paper towel lined plate underneath to drain remaining oil.

I made a little honey mustard dipping sauce to go with the chicken fingers. I don't have exact measurements, so I will do my best. Stir together 2 parts mayonnaise, 1 part dijon mustard (I use Annie's Naturals Dijon), 1 part honey, and salt and pepper to taste.

This chicken with the sauce was really good (especially for being a meal born out of improvisation). Josh loved it too. He told me it was like homemade Chick-fil-A, which is a huge compliment coming from him, since he loves their chicken strips and Chick-fil-A sauce!

The past couple of mornings I had Kashi Honey Sunshine cereal for breakfast. It is one of my favorites! Give it a try sometime. It is sweet and has 6g of fiber per serving.

So, as I mentioned before, we have been pretty poor since we got back from my sister's wedding, so I have been trying to think of inexpensive meals using ingredients we already have along with cheap extra ingredients. On Monday night we had this pasta. I cooked whole wheat spaghetti and topped it with tomato sauce and sauteed carrots and zucchini. Often I think I can't buy fresh ingredients when we are low on cash, but that is not true. If you are on a tight budget, you can still find some really great deals on fresh produce. The zucchini was only $.55, and I bought a one pound bag of carrots for $.69, which will last me through the week! I also bought broccoli for another meal, and it was only $.41! You just have to be a little more flexible. Some produce is expensive, such as avocados, baby spinach, and almost anything organic. But if you just take the time to look around at prices, you can find some great deals on vegetables you can buy with your spare change!

To make the sauce for this pasta, I used 1 can of tomato sauce, which I already had in my pantry, and poured it into a pan on medium heat. I then added a generous dash of oregano, 2 cloves of minced garlic, a dash of crushed red pepper, and salt and pepper to taste. After the sauce was bubbly, I reduced the heat to low, and let it simmer while I cooked the pasta and veggies. I saved the leftover sauce to make pizza the next day.

This meal was simple, healthy, and cheap!

Southwest Pizza

2010-05-10T10:39:00.004-05:00

On Saturday night I created a new dish, a Southwest Pizza. My inspiration came from a pizza I had a few years back in Crested Butte, Colorado at the Secret Stash. My grandparents owned a home in Crested Butte for about 30 years, and I spent lots of time in that wonderful town. I even spent one summer in college living and working there. One of my favorite spots (although that is a long list, there are so many good ones), is the Secret Stash. It's a great little pizza place/restaurant/bar that is so Crested Butte (great hippie vibe). I ate a pizza there that had black beans and corn on it, and found it surprisingly delicious. Their version had more of a barbecue flair, while I took mine in a more southwest direction.

This is how to make my easy Southwest Pizza:

Spread one Pillsbury pizza crust (refrigerated kind you find in a tube) out on a 13 x 9" baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. Pull out of oven and brush with olive oil. Cut a garlic clove in half, then rub on crust. Next, cover crust with shredded colby-jack cheese (leave off of edges to create a crust), then sprinkle with black beans, corn, diced cherry tomatoes, diced roasted green chiles, chopped cilantro, pepper, chili powder, and Mexican seasoning (I used Julio's). I used canned black beans and corn (about 1/2 can of each). For all the other ingredients, you can use as much as looks good to you!

Return pizza to oven and bake for another 12 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is golden. Cut into 8 rectangular slices for serving.

This pizza was really good! I will be making it again soon! Plus it is inexpensive and very easy!

Side note: The picture is not very good because I had to take it with my phone. Next time I make it I will do a better job!

Summer Is Almost Here!

2010-05-07T09:35:00.004-05:00

On Tuesday night, I tried a new recipe I found in the latest issue of Southern Living. The meal felt like summer to me, and we enjoyed it out on our patio. I love summer cooking, grilled food, fresh fruits and vegetables, and dining al fresco!

The recipe was for grilled chicken thighs, but I had chicken breasts in my freezer, so I used those instead. It also had a recipe for a white barbecue sauce, which sounded great, but I did not have all the ingredients for that, so I did not make the sauce. We just used our barbecue sauce we had in the fridge. The chicken was really easy to make. You just combine spices, which you should have in your spice rack already to make a rub. Then you grill the chicken, so it was very simple! You can find the recipe here. The chicken was really tasty, so we will definitely do it again. It would also be great for entertaining, because you could prepare the chicken earlier in the day, so all you have to do is throw it on the grill.

To accompany the chicken, I made green chile cheese grits. I just cooked some quick grits from the box, and once they were cooked, stirred in colby-jack cheese and chopped green chiles. It was pretty easy, but I think next time I will go easy on the green chile, I put a little too much in and it kind of overpowered the grits.

I also served a spinach strawberry salad. It was just organic baby spinach leaves with sliced strawberries and pepper, and a drizzling of basalmic vinaigrette. It is very good, healthy, and easy!

For breakfast on Monday, I had a little more time than normal, so I made a quick and healthy breakfast, similar to what I made on Saturday. This time there were no potatoes, and no bacon, but I used spinach and fresh grated parmigianno reggiano. Saute fresh spinach in a pan with olive oil, place the cooked spinach on top of a piece of whole wheat toast, then top with a fried egg, roasted cherry tomatoes, and the cheese. This was very good, and very easy. It's a great vegetarian meal too!

On Sunday night, we decided we wanted a light dinner since we had the big taco lunch. I went to Market Street and picked up sushi. We had tuna rolls, salmon rolls, and vegetable rolls. It was a nice meal for Sunday night, especially when you have eaten a big lunch.

We are moving in a couple of weeks, so we went ahead and canceled our cable and internet. So, my writing may be a little sporadic until we move into our new place! I have to write whenever I am somewhere that I can get online!

Taco Dinner & Saturday Breakfast

2010-05-02T15:41:00.004-05:00

Today for lunch I made turkey tacos. I used ground turkey and Lawry's taco seasoning (just follow the directions on the seasoning packet). I served it with black beans, and covered the tacos with cheese, salsa, and cilantro. Tacos have always been a favorite of mine. I use to love when my mom would make us tacos for dinner! Using ground turkey is a great way to make this meal much healthier than when using ground beef. Also, this is one of the meals when using ground turkey where there is enough seasoning so that the meat is not too bland. Unlike beef, turkey does not have much flavor on its own.

I used these taco shells for the first time, and they were pretty good. They were much smaller than most taco shells, but they were very light and crispy. I think we might have them next time too!

Yesterday we had a laid-back Saturday morning, which we have not had in awhile. So, I figured it would be a good time to cook a great breakfast. So, I looked at what we had in our kitchen: bread, 2 eggs, bacon, cherry tomatoes, a couple of baking potatoes, cilantro, and a little leftover manchego cheese. So, this is the meal I came up with:

Toast 2 pieces of wheat bread in toaster. Cut cherry tomatoes in half, place in baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and pepper. Cook in oven for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Cook 4 pieces of bacon in pan. After bacon is cooked and crispy, remove bacon and place on paper towels. Drain most of grease from pan, but do not wipe clean. Add chopped up pieces of baking potatoes, a little oil, and salt. Once potatoes are soft and cooked through, remove from pan (if you get impatient like me, you can throw them in the oven for a little bit). Then clean pan and fry eggs over easy. To assemble dish, place toast on pan, cover with 2 pieces of bacon and one egg. Place potatoes and tomatoes on plate next to bread. Then top entire dish with fresh grated manchego and chopped cilantro. This will make enough for two of these dishes.

This meal was very tasty and easy to make. We will definitely do it again!

Noche de Espana

2010-05-01T11:49:00.005-05:00

Last night we had our friends Anndee and Daren over for dinner. They visited Spain last summer, where I studied abroad in college, so we decided to have a Spanish feast. We had a Spanish tortilla, paella, Serrano ham, and Manchego cheese. It was absolutely delicioso!

I spent a summer during college studying abroad in Seville, Spain. It is a beautiful city in the southern region of Spain, also know as Andalusia. While there, I lived with a sweet Spanish woman and her young daughter, along with two other students from Texas Tech (she was our mama while we were there). Our Spanish mama would cook meals for us every day, many being authentic Spanish dishes. My favorite dish she made was a Spanish tortilla. I also loved her fresh fruit juices and paella.

Many people assume Spanish food is like Mexican or other Latin foods, with the same spiciness and flavors. But Spanish food is very different from Mexican food. It usually is not spicy, and I think it has more of a Mediterranean influence (at least in southern Spain).

A Spanish tortilla is in no way like a Mexican tortilla (other than the fact that it is round). It is similar to a quiche (without the crust), or a frittata. It is made with eggs usually mixed with some vegetables like potatoes or asparagus, or even meat. Last night my tortilla had potatoes and chives. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

8 eggs
3 small baking potatoes sliced into about 1/4 in. pieces
about 1/4 c. chopped chives
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in frying pan over medium heat. Add potatoes, chives, and garlic. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally (until potatoes are soft). In separate bowl, stir eggs, salt, and pepper. Pour into pan with other ingredients, making sure potatoes are spread evenly across pan. Let sit at medium heat for about 3-5 minutes. Eggs should set in bottom of the pan. Next, get a spatula and begin to loosen eggs from sides of pan. Place a plate (larger than the pan), over the pan. Flip the pan over so that the cooked side of the eggs faces up. Then return tortilla to pan, this time with the cooked side up. Cook for another 3-5 minutes or until eggs are set. Then place on dish and cut into wedges.

It can be pretty difficult to flip your tortilla (I spilled a little of the eggs when I did it). The most important thing is to have a plate larger than your pan. My plate was about the same size as my pan. Next time I think I will use a smaller pan with a large plate so that it will flip with the plate better. I have seen some recipes where instead of flipping it, they will put it in the oven for a little bit. This could be a good way to do it, but when my Spanish mama showed us how she makes hers, she did the flip, so I like to make it that way! This is a great dish, and you can make so many variations with what you put in it. It is also very inexpensive, and still filling-eggs and potatoes are cheap!

Paella is a rice dish that usually has some vegetables, seafood, and/or meat. I have yet to attempt making it from scratch, which requires much more time, and with many types of seafood, more money. So, I bought this box of paella I had tried at a friend's before. I bought it at World Marked for $4.99, and it could easily feed 6-8 people. The 4 of us each had seconds and there was still some leftover. This is a tasty and inexpensive dish as too!

Steak Dinner + Best Mashed Potatoes Ever + Amazing Cheese=One Amazing Culinary Experience!

2010-04-29T20:29:00.004-05:00

Tonight I had a nice appetizer of crackers and havarti dill cheese. My grandmother use to always have havarti dill out before family dinners, and it was a favorite of mine. So, I decided to buy some the other day. It is a great creamy and flavorful cheese.

For dinner I made steaks, bacon-wrapped asparagus, and mashed potatoes. For the steak, I basically followed a recipe I came up with a little while back. You can find it here. This time I used fresh chives and chopped garlic also. For the asparagus, I wrapped them in bacon and baked them at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes (until bacon is browned), if the bacon doesn't cook all the way, you can turn it to broil for a couple of minutes.

Now, to the most amazing part, I came up with a new version of mashed potatoes tonight that were absolutely delicious! I was inspired by the havarti dill I had before dinner and decided to use it in the potatoes. This is how you make my havarti dill potatoes: Bake 3 small baking potatoes at 400 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour (don't forget to poke holes in the potatoes with a fork before baking). Next, cut the potatoes in half, remove flesh, and place in mixing bowl. Add about 2-3 tbsps. butter, about 1/2 cup shredded havarti dill, salt, and pepper. Use mixer to combine all ingredients. These potatoes were my favorite mashed potatoes ever! They were so creamy and flavorful. I would definitely recommend trying them out!

Baked Potatoes Two Ways

2010-04-28T22:51:00.003-05:00

I bought a bag of baking potatoes recently for a specific recipe, and since I had so many potatoes, I figured I would use them! So, last night I made this great appetizer/snack/should have just been my meal. I cut 2 potatoes into wedges and placed them on a foil-lined baking sheet, and drizzled them with a little melted butter. Then I baked them at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes (just until they are a little soft and some were beginning to brown). Once I took them out of the oven, I covered them with shredded cheese, chopped chives, bacon pieces (that I made on my own), and season salt and pepper.

I should have added the cheese to the potatoes for the last couple of minutes they were in the oven to make the cheese melt completely, but I forgot, so I had to stick them in the microwave. So you could do either one. Also, as the true Texas girl that I am, I drizzled some Ranch on top (don't worry, it was light). So, this may not have been the most healthy of snacks, but it was delicious!

For lunch yesterday, I made a baked potato for a fresh, fast meal. I cooked the potato in the microwave (since my lunch break was short), then filled it with bacon pieces (homemade), shredded cheese, chopped chives, butter, season salt, and pepper. This was a great way to have a somewhat healthy (think portion size) and tasteful meal for lunch. There are so many variations with baked potatoes too, depending on what you decide to fill them with, and potatoes are a pretty cheap and healthy option!

Great Light Meal

2010-04-27T00:34:00.003-05:00

Monday night I made a healthy meal for dinner (which I definitely needed after all the sweets this weekend!). I found salmon fillets on sale a couple of weeks ago, and kept them in the freezer. I decided to bring them out tonight. I placed the 2 salmon fillets in a baking dish, then made the following mix to pour over the fish:

2 tbsp. melted butter
1 clove of garlic, minced
Lemon juice (about 1 wedge)
Pepper

Pour this mixture over the fish and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. I also cooked the asparagus in the oven at the same temperature for about the same amount of time. I placed the asparagus on a baking sheet and drizzled it with a mixture of olive oil, minced garlic, and pepper. I served white rice as well.

Josh and I both loved this meal. It was so flavorful, yet still light and healthy!

I also played another basketball game Monday night, which, as always, was a great workout. Halfway into our game, one of my teammates told me that most of the women on the opposing team were former Texas Tech basketball players, which definitely made sense! These women were so fast, could shoot 3's without a problem, and had huge muscles. It was kind of funny to me to compare my scrawny, somewhat flabby arms, and my slow-moving body with theirs! Oh well, it was still fun and a great workout, even if they did cream us!

More Party Food

2010-04-27T00:08:00.005-05:00

Here are some pictures from the shower we hosted. Above is the great spread. I made my salsa, the cream cheese pound cake, and the great blueberry-almond-lemon cookies. The other hostesses contributed some wonderful food as well, so there was plenty of great food!

These are the blueberry-almond-lemon cookies. You can find the recipe here. The only things I changed were not using almonds (I don't like nuts in cookies, but there is almond extract, so you still get the flavor), and instead of putting the dough in the fridge, I spooned the dough onto the cookie sheets then placed it in the freezer for about 5 minutes. This is a trick I got from the Cooking Light cookbook. It allows the cookies to maintain their shape and not flatten out too much when cooking. I also just bake them about 10 minutes. I like them soft, so I just keep an eye on them and pull them out before they get any brown on them.

And last but not least, my salsa!

Best Cake Ever!

2010-04-26T10:53:00.005-05:00

On Saturday I co-hosted a shower for two friends of mine who are both getting married in the next few months. I also had a birthday party that night for three friends of mine who have birthdays this month. So, I decided to pull out the big guns for this festivity-filled Saturday. I baked two delicious cream cheese pound cakes.

My kitchen turned into a bakery, and I was up way late baking away, but it was definitely worth it!

I found the recipe for this cake in Southern Living a few years back. It was the first cake I ever made from scratch, and it is absolutely amazing! Everyone that tries it always loves it too. You can find the cake recipe here. You can find the recipe for the icing here.

This is the batter-rich and delicious!

Here is the cake first thing out of the oven.

And here is the final product-voila! Strawberries or other fresh fruit make a great garnish around the cake. If you are going to break the diet, this cake is the way to do it!

Indian Food at Home

2010-04-21T22:07:00.002-05:00

The other night I made tikka masala (our favorite Indian dish) at home with the help of some sauce and rice from World Market. It is a very easy meal, and really good! All you have to do is cut chicken breasts into pieces, saute until cooked through, then pour sauce in the pan with the chicken and let it simmer about awhile. You can substitute veggies, shrimp, or any other meat for the chicken. The rice is simple too, you just put the bag in the microwave! Although it is not as good as Maharaja, it is still pretty tasty!

Above is a picture of the sauce and rice, in case you are interested. They have many other sauces as well.

Tonight I am baking up a storm in our kitchen in preparation for a wedding shower I am co-hosting tomorrow, and a birthday party tomorrow night for some friends. I am making a wonderful cream cheese pound cake for both parties, and for the shower I am making my blueberry lemon cookies and my homemade salsa. I will have pictures and recipes up in the next couple of days for those.

New Mexico Night

2010-04-19T13:11:00.002-05:00

Last night I made my New Mexico Green Chile Enchiladas again with Mexican rice and black beans. I love this recipe because it is so easy, and very inexpensive. I cooked them basically the same as before, except this time I made them in a lasagna pan and did 5 layers instead of 3. I topped it with a fried egg again and served with rice (the kind you microwave in the package), and black beans, which I just heated up on the stove. Seriously, this is one of the easiest meals ever. Josh and I decided it is a good "poor man's" meal because it is so cheap, but it is still very filling and flavorful!

Sushi Day

2010-04-16T13:52:00.005-05:00

On Friday, I brought this sushi to my geography class. I taught them about Japan last week, so I decided to bring sushi. I usually try to find food I can bring from the different places we learn about. I bought this sushi at Market Street here in Lubbock. I didn't want to buy it from a restaurant since I was buying it for the whole class. They have a sushi chef in the store that makes the rolls each day. The box pictured above had a variety of rolls, and was $8.99 (not too bad), and I also bought a box of just vegetable rolls for those students a little unsure of seafood. I think it was about $5. I was surprised that they all ended up trying it and most of them liked it. It is fun to introduce them to new foods.

The sushi was pretty good, especially for the price. I think the fish and all other ingredients are probably higher quality at some of the sushi restaurants in town, but this is great for what it is. I need to pick it up more often since it is so easy and not too expensive. It would be great for parties too!

I forgot to mention in my previous posts that I have lost weight! About 4 pounds from when I started. Getting back into eating healthy and exercising this past couple of weeks has been very good. I have gone back to eating multiple snacks throughout the day, and trying to always eat something for breakfast, even if it just means grabbing a yogurt from the fridge on my way to work. This really helps with controlling portions and not feeling like I am starving (since there are not long stretches between meals). I am going to do my best to keep this up, especially since my sister's wedding is now less than a month away! I can't wait!

Good Morning

2010-04-16T10:11:00.002-05:00

This morning I woke up to lots of rain, which made it very difficult to get out of bed. However, a good breakfast helped a little. I cooked this waffle, which I found in the frozen foods section at Target. It is the Target Archer Farms Organic waffles with flax seed. I topped it with chopped strawberries and blueberries, and a light drizzle of pure maple syrup. I also had a nice glass of orange juice and some coffee. This is a very easy and healthy breakfast.

In the last post I forgot to mention the exercise update. I went climbing on Tuesday, which was fun, and a great workout. Afterward I was pretty sore with the combination of a night of basketball and a night of climbing back to back. I haven't had a chance to workout since then, unless you count detail cleaning my house on Wednesday night! I was scrubbing bath tubs, showers, and sinks, so I think it should count!

First Attempt at Tuna...Not Too Shabby

2010-04-15T22:14:00.003-05:00

Last night I cooked seared tuna for the first time, and I have to admit, I am pretty proud of myself! I found tuna steaks on quick sale at the grocery store (they were about to expire), so I got them for about half of what they usually cost. Looking at quick sale meat items is a great way to save, especially on the seafood and meats that might normally be too pricey. I bought the tuna and some salmon, and put them in my freezer.

So, last night, I figured I would try the tuna. Now, when most of you think of tuna, you imagine canned tuna, which is great for sandwiches, but nothing special. Tuna steaks are really good, and far from the flavor you might be accustomed to with canned tuna.

To flavor the tuna, I decided I would make a marinade, which was pretty tasty, I just didn't have time to let it marinade very long, so it did not soak in the flavors as much as I would have liked. For the marinade, I figured some Asian flavors would give it a nice taste. So, for the first time, I bought fresh ginger (pictured above). It is kind of ugly, but has such wonderful flavor, so I would definitely recommend giving it a try. Just cut off the rough outer edge, then use however you would like. I minced some, then mixed it with one clove minced garlic, fresh lime juice (about half of a lime), 1/4 cup rice vinegar (less sodium kind), and 1/4 cup soy sauce (less sodium kind). Then I poured it over the tuna. I also sprinkled sesame seeds on both sides of the tuna.

I looked online for an idea of what heat and how long to sear the tuna. I have ordered it at restaurants before, and it is best just seared on the outside and rare inside.To sear the tuna, spray a non-stick cooking pan with canola cooking spray, and turn stove on high heat. Once pan is nice and hot, turn heat to medium and sear tuna about 2 minutes per side (remember, you are just searing the outside, not cooking it through). Then remove from pan, slice, and top with chopped chives. My tuna slices were not as clean as I would like, which is most likely due to the fact that my knives aren't that fancy!

To accompany the tuna, I cooked some broccoli that I also found on sale (I was also going to do rice, but ended up cooking late and did not want to take the time to cook it). I placed a pan on high heat with a little oil to get it very hot. I cut the broccoli up, then turned the pan down to medium, threw in the broccoli, and added a dash of garlic salt and a little soy sauce. The broccoli will cook quickly, and you have to make sure you move it around a lot so it doesn't burn. This only takes a few minutes, and you are done! This entire meal only took me about 15 minutes to prepare, and it was very healthy, easy, and tasted great! I think cooking a variety of vegetables together like I did the broccoli would also be good over some rice or noodles.

For dessert, I made a smoothie. I put 1 cup frozen strawberries, 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/2 cup low fat vanilla yogurt, and one frozen banana. When our bananas start to turn brown, I put them in the freezer, and they work great for smoothies (or banana bread). Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. This is a great way to have a healthy dessert, or would also make a good breakfast or snack.

New Pasta Dish & Another Basketball Game

2010-04-12T22:10:00.003-05:00

Tonight I tried a new recipe I found in the April issue of Sunset magazine. I followed the directions except I used cherry tomatoes rather than regular ones, and no purple basil (don't know if they carry it at the local grocery store-I might have to look harder next time). This dish was pretty good, but I forgot to season it before serving, so it seemed a little bland. So, if I try it again, I will season it ahead of time and try to find the purple basil! This was very easy to make, and pretty fresh and healthy! You can find the recipe here.

Tonight I had another basketball game. The last one was canceled, and I had plans the week before that and couldn't play, so I finally got to play again tonight. This evening's game was much better than the last one I played in. Our opponents were not high school varsity players (more women in their 20s and 30s like us), and they had no subs, so we beat them pretty easily. I felt much better playing (most likely because I wasn't trying to keep up with 17-year-olds!), and I had a few good shots which boosted my confidence!

I am going climbing again tomorrow too, so I am slowly getting back into the work out mode. I realized today that I haven't done any of my at home weight workouts, I guess I just slowly quit, without really meaning to. So, I am going to try to start doing that again too.

Attempting to Get Back In the Game...

2010-04-09T17:24:00.005-05:00

So, with all of the busyness lately, I have not been eating well. I decided on our way home from our Easter trip that we really needed to get back to cooking at home more regularly and eating healthier.

So, on Tuesday night I made this wonderful meal. I had seen something similar in a recent issue of Sunset magazine, and just changed it up a bit. It was easy and delicious! This would be a great brunch meal for guests, or just a Sunday morning on your own. Here is how you make it:

Ingredients:

2 slices ciabatta bread
6 asparagus spears
2 eggs
About 2 handfuls cherry tomatoes
olive oil
dried rosemary
pepper
2 thin slices prosciutto
Fresh grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place asparagus and tomatoes on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and pepper. Bake for about 10 minutes (you want them nice and roasted). Meanwhile, heat olive oil and rosemary in a pan over medium-high heat. Place ciabatta slices in pan and cook about 1 minute per side to brown them. Sprinkle grated parmigiano reggiano on top of each slice and leave in pan until cheese is melted. Take bread out and place on plates. Top each slice with a slice of prosciutto. Then top with 3 asparagus spears on each slice. Fry eggs over easy in same pan. Once finished, place over asparagus. Top with cherry tomatoes and pepper.

With the leftover ciabatta, I have enjoyed a nice appetizer throughout the week of ciabatta with a dipping sauce made of toasted garlic, crushed red pepper, Italian seasoning, and a little salt. Yum! The only problem is it's so good I want to eat tons of it!

Last night I made an easy pasta with this Arrabiata sauce I found at World Market. Making homemade pasta sauces is great, but it's always nice to have this on hand when I want to make a quick, easy, and healthy dinner.

I poured this sauce over whole wheat noodles and sauteed zucchini, and topped it with a little grated parmigiano reggiano. The sauce was good and had a really nice spice to it. I will definitely try it again!

Easter Weekend

2010-04-09T12:59:00.002-05:00

Okay, it has been forever since I have written. Life has been busy! Last weekend we went out of town for Easter. Josh and I drove to Dallas Thursday night and spent the night there, and most of the day Friday. We picked up my sister at the airport in Dallas that night, then went to Tyler to see my family for the weekend.

On Friday we went to lunch at one of my favorite Dallas restaurants, Mi Cocina. They have a few locations, usually we go to the one in Highland Park Village, but since our hotel was near the Galleria, we ate at the one there. It is right on the ice rink, so you can watch people skate, which is very entertaining!

They have good lunch specials. I ordered the #5, which is: One Cheese Enchilada, One Beef Taco, One Sour Cream Chicken Enchilada, for $8.75, and I actually only ended up eating the taco and the chicken enchilada, so it was plenty of food!

In Tyler, we ate at Smashburger, which just recently opened in the Southeast Crossing shopping center (Troup Hwy. and Loop 323). This is a national chain. I had the Spicy Baja Burger with sweet potato fries. The fries were great, and the burger was pretty good. Although, of the many new burger chains popping up, I think I like some of the other burgers better. The restaurant had a nice atmosphere, and a great patio (which isn't very common in Tyler).

Easy Entertaining

2010-03-29T23:17:00.002-05:00

Sunday night we had our small group for church at our house. Everyone brings a little something, and for my part I served chips with my homemade salsa, chocolate chip cookies (Cooking Light recipe from earlier post), and hummus with pita chips and celery. I just used store bought hummus (Sabra brand, original flavor), and to add a little flavor, I drizzled it with olive oil and garlic pepper. These are healthy (for the most part), easy, and flavorful dishes that are great for entertaining.

I haven't exercised much in the past few days, but tomorrow I am getting back into rock climbing (for about the 3rd time, hoping it sticks this time), so maybe I will have some more stories soon. I am telling my friends that go with me that we need to go every Tuesday night, so I think it will help to have a routine with some accountability.

Red Hana

2010-03-27T19:11:00.003-05:00

On Friday Josh and I tried a new restaurant here in Lubbock called Red Hana. It has been open for about a week or two, so we figured we would give it a try. Josh ordered steak pad thai (pictured above), and I ordered a Mongol Grill bowl. When you order this, they give you a bowl, which you take to a bar which has various vegetables, meat, and sauces. You pile whatever you like from the bar into your bowl, then take it to the Mongolian grill, where they cook it for you and serve it with your choice of rice (they have a few varieties), or noodles. Mine was pretty good, I just did not find the sauce all that flavorful. I got the chili sauce with mine, which I thought would be nice and spicy, but it was pretty mild. Next time I might order what Josh did, or try some of their sushi.

The meals range from $7-$15, and are very generous portions. We definitely could have split Josh's pad thai and have been full. So, in that sense, it could be a pretty cheap date! Red Hana is located on University just across from the football stadium, next to Spoonful (which I had again). They do not have a website, but you can find their facebook page here, which has menus.

Easy Pasta Recipe

2010-03-22T23:25:00.003-05:00

Tonight I tried a new pasta recipe for Pasta Ponza. This is one of Giada De Laurentiis' recipes, and you can find it here. I originally saw it in a recent issue of Reader's Digest (thanks for the subscription Nana and Papa!), in which they were highlighting some Food Network stars. This recipe is very simple to make, light, and flavorful. I think it would be great when entertaining a large crowd too, because you bake the tomato and bread crumb mixture in one dish for about 30 minutes, then just cook the pasta separate, so it is not too much prep work, but it is still a filling and impressive meal. The only changes I made were to use only red cherry tomatoes (couldn't find yellow tonight), greasing the pan with olive oil cooking spray instead of butter, substituting fresh parmigiano reggiano for pecorino romano, and penne for ziti (I already had these and did not think it was necessary to buy something different).

Well, tonight I got back into exercising by playing a game of basketball. I am on a team in a women's league here in town, and tonight was our first game of the spring season. Our team is a mix of women from age 16-40ish. So, I am about in the middle of the age range. Our opponents, however, were primarily players from the varsity basketball team of one of the local high schools. Turns out teenagers can run a lot faster than all of us old ladies-who would have thought?

I played basketball all growing up and through high school, and although I was never a super star, I was a varsity level player, and very familiar with the game. I feel like when I play now my mind tells my body to do things, but my body doesn't always respond the way I am hoping. I made one pass tonight to a girl under the basket, thinking it was going to be really awesome, but my pass hit the backboard, and I am afraid people watching may have thought it was a shot attempt. Yikes.

There is also the problem of being able to breath. Sometimes it's a little difficult to feel like I am capable of breathing when I am running up and down the court trying to keep up with all those 17 year old girls.

I had one shining moment where I made a nice steal then dribbled in for the lay-up. However, that moment was short lived when I missed the lay-up (but there were 2 girls guarding me, so I have an excuse, right?).

Well, I have a feeling I will be very sore these next few days. Despite the imminent soreness, the slowness of my body, and the embarrassment on the court, I did enjoy playing (as I always do), and I plan on playing through the rest of the season. So, you can look forward to many more stories about Chelsea's Adventures on the Court.

Did I mention that the breathing thing made me realize I need to start running again? Not too sure how I feel about that...

I Love Grits!

2010-03-19T23:24:00.003-05:00

Our last day at the beach was wonderful. We had sunny, warm weather, and enjoyed a day of playing on the beach and eating good food! For lunch that day we went back to The Great Southern (I went there a total of three times on the trip, it was our favorite!). This time I had their signature dish, Grits a Ya Ya. It is: Smoked Gouda cheese grits smothered with a sauté of applewood-smoked bacon, spinach, shallots, garlic, portobello mushrooms, and cream, finished with spiced shrimp and sweet potato hay. We had this the last time we were in Seaside a couple of years back and loved it, so I was excited to try it again. And once again, it was delicious!
With my meal, I had a Red Stripe beer (yum!), which was perfect for a sunny day at the beach!

As an appetizer, we ordered the Blue Crab Claws. They were: Sautéed in a rich garlic dipping sauce of white wine, lemon butter, and cream. They were so amazing! The sauce was delicious!

Friday night we went back to Barefoot BBQ, where I picked up a BBQ chicken sandwich with potato salad, baked beans, and sweet tea. We took it to the park behind it where they were having a Guitar Hero contest. It was fun sitting there eating our food and listening to the contestants. Barefoot BBQ is located on Highway 30-A in an airstream trailer in the center of Seaside.

On our way out Saturday morning, we stopped at The Red Bar in Grayton Beach for breakfast. We had been there before for dinner, and always thought it was a fun spot. They now serve breakfast, so we thought we would give it a try. We both had eggs with bacon, grits, and biscuits. It was good, and very cheap ($5.00 each). You can find their website here.

Beach Breakfast

2010-03-16T23:17:00.004-05:00

Today was our first day at the beach, and it has been wonderful! The morning began with a fun breakfast date with my sweet nephew, Jay. We walked over to the town of Seaside. We ate at the Great Southern Cafe, which I have been to for dinner, which is fantastic, but this was my first time to try their breakfast. I ordered the Eggs Benedict which was made with bacon instead of ham (much better if you ask me), and is also served with cheese grits (yum!). It was delicious! Jay helped me eat it, and judging by the speed with which he ate it, I think he liked it too! We sat out on their covered patio area, which was great with a 2 year old because I wasn't worried about him making a mess or running around a little. And the waitress put the T.V. above the bar on "Sesame Street," which is his favorite! I would highly recommend this restaurant to any of you who might be traveling this way. You can find their website here.

For lunch, Josh and I went on a date to Bud & Alley's Pizza Bar which was also in Seaside. This restaurant is a little newer (Bud & Alley's has been in Seaside for awhile, but their pizza bar and taco bar are more recent additions). We sat out on the terrace, which backs up to the sand dunes and the beach, and is a wonderful, comfortable setting. We ordered the Prosciutto di Parma pizza, which had prosciutto, arugula, mozzarella, garlic, and tomato sauce. It was really good, and the perfect size for two people to split. Here is their website, sorry, my pictures did not turn out well.

For dinner, Josh, Jay, and I went to pick up food in Seaside at Barefoot BBQ, which is a cute little airstream trailer on the side of the road with great food. We both had pulled pork sandwiches, which were great, and wonderful sweet tea. I did not get any pictures here because I was too busy carrying our to go containers and drinks! We were going to eat there outside, but it was a little chilly, so we brought it back to the house.

Well, I will write more tomorrow, and hopefully have some more tasty things to share!

Pizza Night

2010-03-15T00:22:00.002-05:00

Tonight I made pizza using a recipe I have used a few times before. You can see the recipe at an earlier post. The only change I made tonight was with the tomatoes. I had some fresh tomatoes, but they were a week old and didn't look too good, so I decided to toss them. I hated doing that because my remaining ingredients would have made a pretty boring pizza. So, I remembered I had some diced canned tomatoes, and figured I would give them a try. They actually tasted really good. I think I will do that again in the future. That will make the pizza that much easier to make since it is an item I always have stocked in my pantry.

Well, tomorrow we leave for the beach, so hopefully I will have some good recipes and restaurant reviews to share with you while I am there!

A New Favorite

2010-03-13T12:22:00.003-06:00

Last night Josh and I tried a new place here in Lubbock for dessert. It is called Spoonfull Frozen Yogurt (located on University close to Marsha Sharp Fwy., next to Ruby Tequila's, across from the football stadium). It was really good, and we actually went back this afternoon for more! I think it is a chain with locations in Plano (not sure if they are anywhere else). They have a website, but it just says coming soon.

This is a pay-per-ounce yogurt place. You grab a cup, then go to the yogurt machines on the wall and fill it with whatever flavor you would like. They had a wide variety of flavors ranging from classics like vanilla and chocolate to more unique flavors like pomegranate-blueberry, green tea, and cheesecake. After getting the yogurt, you go to the toppings bar and choose from an assortment of fruit, nuts, syrups, and more.

Last night I tried cheesecake yogurt with strawberries, blueberries, graham cracker crumbles, and chocolate fudge. It was really good. And there are so many different flavors I could try something new every time!

Cooking Healthy Again

2010-03-13T10:22:00.002-06:00

Last night I finally got back to cooking a healthy meal again. I made the spicy Asian peanut sauce with noodles that I have made before. The recipe is back on my second post. The only difference is, instead of shrimp, I just did veggies (zucchini, red bell pepper, and green onion). This is such an easy, healthy, and flavorful meal with just the right amount of spice.

I came home from work a little earlier than normal yesterday afternoon, and Josh and I were both hungry, so I made these pot stickers as an appetizer. They are just frozen pork pot stickers from Target (their Archer Farms brand), you can follow the directions on the box for cooking them in the pan, and they are really good (don't think they are super healthy, but it's about moderation, right?). I serve them with soy sauce and sprinkled fresh cilantro over them.

So, It's Been Awhile...

2010-03-12T09:41:00.004-06:00

Well, it's been awhile since I posted last, which tells you what kind of eating schedule we have been on (busy nights all week = more fast food than I need). So, for the most part I have been unsuccessful in eating healthy this week. I bought all these wonderful, healthy items to cook with for the week on Sunday, before taking a look at the calendar and realizing we wouldn't have a night at home until today. So, tonight I will turn around. This weekend should be all healthy, home-cooked meals. And next week we will be in Watercolor, Florida for spring break with my brother and his family (plus some kids from their youth group), so I should have some good recipes for big groups plus restaurant reviews from the coast (can't wait for some good seafood)!

I did make one thing this week, in the midst of all the craziness. We had a little party we went to for some friends of ours who just got engaged (congrats Clint and Alexis), so my contribution was a Mexican queso dip.

This is the recipe for my queso dip:

1 32 oz. pkg. Velveeta cheese, cut into chunks
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles (original, but if you don't like spicy, get the mild can), undrained
3 roasted green chiles, chopped (if you don't have fresh, you can use the canned kind)
1 pkg. Mexican chorizo (the package I bought was one link, but I don't remember the actual size)
Dash of cumin
Dash of chili powder

Cook chorizo in a pan over medium heat. When fully cooked, pour into a colander lined with paper towels (this will help remove a lot of the grease). Wipe pan clean of grease with a paper towel. Return chorizo to pan. Pour remaining ingredients in a pan over medium heat (you can also cook it in the microwave), and keep in pan until all cheese is melted, stirring occasionally.

When serving, I usually place the queso in a fondue pot or slow cooker over low heat. If you leave it in a regular bowl, the cheese will harden.

Well, hopefully I will have some more to report in these next few days than I did last week!

I am leaving you with this picture of the beautiful Lubbock sky I took on Wednesday.

Easy Italian

2010-03-05T09:22:00.003-06:00

On Wednesday night I made this yummy chicken parmigiana. It is a recipe I saw on Tyler's Ultimate on Food Network. I followed most of his recipe but omitted the olives since I don't really like them, and also omitted a few other things that I did not have at my house (onions and fresh mozzarella). I also substituted fresh parsley for fresh basil because it was what I had available. This meal is easy to make, and is very filling. Most of the ingredients are things you may already have around your house too. You can find the recipe here.

Before I started cooking, I sliced a baguette and managed to slice the tip of my thumb as well-guess I need a better bread knife. No worries though, it was just a small cut. A week ago I zested a bit of my thumb instead of the lime in my hand, and I have had quite a few instances where I have burned my skin. Ahh...the joys of cooking!

Anyway, back to the baguette...after bandaging my thumb, I put the bread on a plate with some oil for dipping. I poured balsamic vinegar and olive oil over a mixture of crushed red pepper flakes, garlic salt, and herbs de provence. This is such a simple appetizer, and you can put any type of seasoning in there, depending on your personal tastes.

Easy Soup

2010-03-03T10:45:00.007-06:00

Last night I tried a new recipe I found in Real Simple magazine. It was a Black Bean Soup with Roasted Jalapeno Salsa. It was very easy to make, and pretty inexpensive. You can find the recipe here. I followed most of the recipe, except since I do not have a potato masher to mash the beans, I put a little over half of the soup in my food processor and pulsed it a few times, then returned it to the pot with the rest of the soup (you could use a blender if you don't have a food processor). I also broiled the onion for the salsa with the jalapenos. The recipe calls for one bottle of lager beer, and I used Dos XX Lager (the green bottle). If you don't like beer, I am sure you could use more water or vegetable stock, but I think the beer gives it a nice flavor.

The roasted jalapeno salsa added is used to top the soup, and really gave it a nice flavor. Sometimes black bean soup can be bland, but this one was very flavorful, especially with the salsa. I served the soup with cheese quesadillas.

Josh had class and a review session, so I made myself an appetizer of jalapeno poppers before dinner. To make them, cut stems off jalapenos and discard. Cut remainder of jalapeno in half lengthwise, removing seeds. In a small bowl, mix 1/3 less fat cream cheese and a dash of chili powder. Spread about 1 tbsp. of cream cheese mixture in each jalapeno and wrap with a slice of bacon. place on baking sheet, sprinkle with cracked pepper and chili powder and bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. This is a very tasty and easy appetizer!

So, I wasn't sure if I would have an exercise update, but I am happy to say I actually do. Yesterday after work I went to the Tech Rec Center and worked out on the eliptical machine for 35 minutes. It was a good workout-I just need to do it more often!

Back Home

2010-02-28T20:41:00.004-06:00

I got back in town last night, and since Josh wasn't back yet, I figured it would be a good night to pick up Thai food, throw on my sweats, and watch the end of the Olympics (I was very sad it had to come to an end...4 more years of waiting). So I decided to try Thai Thai (last time I went was a Tuesday, which happens to be the one day they are closed). They are opened on Sunday, however, which worked to my advantage last night. I wasn't sure what to try, so I fell back on a simple (and not too adventurous) choice, chicken fried rice.

I also ordered Thai Thai for an appetizer, which reminded me of an Indian samosa with a Thai twist. It was chicken mixed with potatoes, onion, and curry, wrapped in an egg roll skin and fried. Both were very good, and extremely generous portions, so I was able to have leftovers for lunch today. I think Josh and I could split that the next time we go. The restaurant is on 50th Street, just east of Slide.

Tonight Josh was finally back in town (hooray!) and we went back to West Crust Pizza. And once again, it was great! This time we tried the West Tuscan, which has Italian sausage, basil, mozzarella, carmelized onions, parmesan, and is suppose to have sundried tomatoes, but for some reason they put roasted red peppers on ours instead. I actually didn't even notice until I was just looking over the menu, so it obviously didn't bother me! I liked the mixture of the spicier sausage (along with the red pepper flakes I always douse my pizza with), contrasted with the sweet carmelized onion and basil. I love that the crust there is thin and crispy too-so delicious! You can find their website here.

Exercise on my part has still been minimal...well, actually, almost non-existent to tell the truth. I have allowed my busy schedule and laziness to take over. I brought my running shoes all the way to Tyler with me and had the best intentions of going for a run, but the chance to sleep in a bit was just too tempting! The weather in Lubbock has been cold, and we have had quite a few wet days as well, so the great outdoors is not exactly calling my name. I enjoy some cold winter days, but after having had some warm, sunny days, I am ready for the spring weather to come and stay for good!

Someday soon I will be giving you a real update of wonderful cardiovascular feats accomplished by yours truly, or at least I keep telling myself that.

Taste of Tyler

2010-02-28T19:51:00.004-06:00

This weekend I went to Tyler to visit my family while Josh was out of town. I was able to eat at a few restaurants in Tyler and help my parents make a nice meal for my grandparents as well.

This morning we had brunch at Caffe Tazza. It is a great cafe and coffee bar. For brunch I had an omelet with green bell peppers, salsa, and cheese. I also had this wonderful skinny vanilla latte, which was so delicious, and nice and foamy! I love the atmosphere there, it has a sleek, modern, and comfortable design. You can find their website here.

On Saturday night we made a big meal of burgers, sweet potato fries, homemade salsa, and guacamole. We also had La Diosa Sangria to go along with it. This sangria is from La Diosa, a wine bar and one of my favorite places in Lubbock. You can buy this at many grocery stores or anywhere else that sells Texas wines (even if you don't live in Lubbock). To prepare it, pour the bottle into a pitcher and mix with a liter of Sprite. It tastes great with sliced citrus fruits too!

For lunch on Saturday, my mom and I went to a new restaurant in Tyler called Oliveto. It was good Italian food that was fairly inexpensive in a nice, casual, modern environment. My mom and I split this asiago cheese bread for an appetizer. It had a lot of flavor, and was $4.50-not too bad!

For our meal we split a pizza with pesto sauce, carmelized onions, chicken, and sundried tomatoes. It was pretty good, and we were able to split it, but I think I would have still been hungry if we had not ordered an appetizer.

The service there was good, and they apologized for taking too long getting our food out (although we didn't notice it being too long), so they gave us a free dessert! It was their large cookie with ice cream and milk shots (that was a first, wasn't sure what it was then they first brought the shots out). It was okay, but I felt like the cookie was dry, and didn't taste too fresh. However, it was free, so I can't complain! You can find their website here.

Breakfast Date

2010-02-25T11:33:00.004-06:00

Josh left town this morning for a mock trial competition in Phoenix, so we decided to have a little breakfast date before he left. I made bacon, scrambled eggs, and whole wheat toast. I bought this new pomegranate jelly that was really good on the toast. It was nice to enjoy a meal together before he had to leave.

Last night we went out on a date to a new restaurant in town called Rain Uptown. It is on 98th St. between Quaker and Slide. I had been wanting to try it for awhile, so I was glad we finally got to check it out. The atmosphere in the restaurant was pretty nice, and we thought the food was okay, but nothing great. At dinner they serve all Italian dishes, and it's a bit pricey. We don't go out for Italian much, because it is so much cheaper to make it at home, and at most restaurants it isn't that much better than at home. It seems like making above average authentic Italian dishes is an art that few have mastered (especially in West Texas). Also, the wine list at the restaurant was mostly cheap wines you can buy by the bottle at the grocery store for almost the same price they were charging for one glass. If I am going to pay that much for a glass of wine, I would rather it be something unique. I have heard that the restaurant has a really good breakfast, and I think their lunch menu might have a little more variety, so we may try it again, but probably not for dinner.

I will be here in Lubbock by myself tonight, but tomorrow I am flying to Tyler to see my parents. I am looking forward to spending time with them. I am actually flying in to Dallas, and we are going to go out to dinner there, so I will write about where we go, as well as anywhere we eat out in Tyler.

Stir Fry

2010-02-23T18:57:00.002-06:00

Last night I made an old favorite of ours, stir fry. I use to make this all the time when we first got married, and had not made it in awhile, so I decided it was time. This is such an easy dish to make, and you can make so many different variations. Last night I made ours with chicken, zucchini, carrots, red bell pepper, green onions, peanuts, and garlic. It is also great with shrimp, or just veggies.

To start, I marinated 2 chicken breasts in this great Teriyaki sauce, which Josh and I both love. I then cut up the chicken into cubes.

This was my prep area before I began. It helps me to have everything prepped and ready to go when I am about to cook. I have here the chicken, chopped zucchini, lightly salted roasted peanuts, chopped carrots, diced green onions, and 1 diced red bell pepper. I also have my wonderful wok! You can make this in a regular pan, but the wok is just so much more fun!

First, I heat the wok on medium-high heat (make sure it is pretty hot before you start cooking), pour about 1-2 tablespoons and make sure it is spread well around the pan. Next, pour carrots, green onions, garlic, and red pepper in the wok. Heat for a few minutes, then add zucchini. It is good to add this later, because it will get mushy if it cooks too long. After a couple of minutes, add chicken, and cook until it is cooked through. Add peanuts at the end and mix around. Serve on top of steamed rice.

We like to top ours with soy sauce, a little more of the teriyaki, and this hot chili sauce (so good). You don't need much of it, it's pretty spicy!

Chilly Day, Warm Food

2010-02-22T17:35:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was cold, so I was in the mood for warm food when I walked home for lunch. So, I made a grilled bacon and cheese sandwich. I cooked bacon, Then placed it on bread with cheddar, mayo, and dijon mustard. Then I grilled it on each side for a few minutes. A little tip when grilling sandwiches: place a lid or foil over the pan, and the cheese will melt a little better. Wonderful melty cheese is the key to perfect grilled sandwiches!

On Sunday night I made a last-minute dinner of breakfast quesadillas. I cooked bacon and scrambled eggs, then folded them over in a tortilla. Next, I grilled it in a pan with oil and topped it with chili powder. I served it with my homemade salsa. It was a nice, tasty, quick dinner!

Supper Time!

2010-02-20T21:34:00.003-06:00

Tonight for dinner I made pork chops, peas, and homemade macaroni and cheese. The peas were frozen peas heated in the microwave (very simple). To make the pork chops, I seasoned both sides with salt, pepper, garlic pepper, and herbs de provence. I melted a tablespoon of butter on medium-high heat in a pan, then added the pork chops to it. I cooked them for about 2-3 minutes per side, then let them sit on the plates tented with foil for a few minutes. I also poured the remaining butter and bits from the pan on the pork. It was very flavorful. Josh loved them. For the mac and cheese I used a recipe I found in Southern Living a few years back, but I couldn't find it online to share with you. It was good, but I think I want to try some new mac and cheese recipes next time.

Today I went to the Tech Rec Center and worked out on the eliptical machine for 30 minutes, which was good. Then, at home I did some weight and ab workouts. I haven't been doing much running/cardio workouts, but I feel like I have been able to do strength and core exercises since they are easy to do at home.

I have 2 big motivators to help me get in better shape (which is very helpful). First, for Spring Break (which is less than a month away), I am going to Florida with my brother and his family, so swimsuit season will be coming sooner than expected. I just ordered a new swimsuit from JCrew today, and I am hoping it fits well! Also, my sister is getting married in May, and I would like to look good in those pictures (and my bridesmaids' dress)! So, I will keep trying to be healthy and exercising to get ready for both of those events!

A New Twist on Chicken Strips & Fries

2010-02-17T22:35:00.004-06:00

Tuesday night I took inventory of what was available in our kitchen, and tried to think of meals I could make with what we had. I had a few sweet potatoes, which I decided to use for sweet potato fries. And I had some chicken breasts, and tons of leftover tortilla chips from our Super Bowl party, so I decided to try out a recipe I found in Southern Living a couple of years back for tortilla-crusted chicken strips. I usually always have a bag of chicken breasts in the freezer, which is easier than just buying a few at a time (and cheaper!). When I make recipes that call for chicken strips, I just cut them into strip-size pieces, instead of buying chicken tenders separately. The recipe was very easy and the chicken tasted great! Josh and I both loved it. I think this would also be a good recipe if you have kids or if you are making food for a big group. The strips are cooked in the oven, so you could cook a lot at one time. You can find the recipe here.

For the sweet potato fries, I cut the potatoes into blocks first, which is much easier than peeling, and makes more even, matchstick-style fries. Then, I cut them into thin, rectangular strips. I put them on a baking sheet, drizzled them with olive oil, then sprinkled the same seasonings from the chicken over the fries (cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt, and pepper). I then baked them in the oven at 475 degrees for 18 minutes (same temp and time as chicken). They were still not as crisp as I would have liked at that point, so I turned the broiler on and put them back in for a couple of minutes, which gave them a nice texture. Just keep an eye on them, they can burn fast!

I served the chicken and fries with the chipotle mayonnaise from the night before and sprinkled with parsley. I like sprinkling fresh herbs on dishes like this to give them a more fresh, colorful look. My theory is, if your food looks good, you will enjoy eating it even more!

Spicy Meals...Mmm!

2010-02-16T19:11:00.005-06:00

Tonight Josh had his night class, and I had a meeting, so I decided to try something new for dinner. First I went to Thai Thai, a local place I have been meaning to try, but apparently, they are closed on Tuesdays...so much for that. So instead, I decided I would try Saigon Cafe, which is just down the street from it. It is a Vietnamese restaurant (a first for me)! I asked the woman at the counter for a recommendation, and she mentioned a few things, one of which I tried, the Thit Heo Xao Rau Cai, also known as C-23 (much easier to remember). I ordered it spicy, and it had a nice kick. It is shredded pork in garlic sauce served with white rice. It was really good, very flavorful! I would definitely recommend it if you live in Lubbock. It was also cheap, $6.50 for my entree, which was more than enough food. They do not have a website, but they are located at 4515 50th St., between Quaker and Slide (on the south side of the street).

Last night I looked at what we had on hand at the house, and decided to make some yummy grilled sandwiches (good comfort food). I made the sandwiches with turkey, smoked gouda, bacon (one piece on each sandwich), and made some chipotle mayonnaise for it as well. I grilled it with olive oil over the stove. The gouda is really tasty but not too melty (to use a technical term), so another cheese might be better.

To make the mayonnaise, I placed mayonnaise and a couple of chipotle peppers (they can be found canned in the Latin foods section of your grocery store), in my small food processor and pulsed them together. It was very spicy (which we like), and added great flavor to the sandwich. I think this sandwich would also taste great with avocados or guacamole.

Last night, I decided to try a little at home work out. We have instant Netflix, so I took advantage of it, and tried a pilates video. It was a really good workout, especially for a core workout. I love having instant Netflix and being able to try different workout videos.

Valentine's Day...P.M.

2010-02-14T23:52:00.003-06:00

Tonight for dinner, I made steaks, roasted asparagus, and fingerling potatoes. Everything was really good, except the potatoes, which took longer to cook than expected, so I didn't really get them cooked all the way. For the asparagus, I put them on a baking sheet, drizzled olive oil over them, and topped them with roughly chopped garlic and salt and pepper. I baked them in the oven at 375 degrees for about 10-15 minutes (just watch them). This is my favorite way to cook asparagus. It gives it such great texture and flavor.

The best part of the meal was the steak. Josh and I both love steak, and we are pretty picky about how it is cooked. An overdone steak just isn't the same. We both like ours cooked more medium-rare. So, since we have been married, we have tried and failed many times in an attempt to make the perfect steak. We use to always grill them, but recently I have been trying pan-searing then baking. This time, we finally achieved success! We had thick steaks, and depending on the size of the steak you cook, times will vary. I put 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan and melted it over medium-high heat. I patted the steaks dry with a paper towel, then seasoned them on both sides with salt, pepper, steak seasoning, and dried chives (I had them on my spice rack and figured I would give them a try). Then I seared all sides of the steak in the pan of melted butter (about 3-4 minutes total). After searing them, I cooked them in a 375 degree oven for about 10-12 minutes (you can leave them in the same pan you seared them in as long as it is oven-safe). Then, I placed them on our plates and let them rest for about 5-7 minutes. I covered them with the remaining butter and bits from the pan. Man, these were great steaks! My dad would be very proud of me for these (although he may not be too sure about not using the grill)! Josh said it is one of the best steaks he has ever had!

Josh's favorite dessert ever is funfetti cake (just the Pillsbury box mix). It is really funny how much he loves it. I can make cakes from scratch, and although he likes them, nothing compares to the funfetti! They usually have seasonal kinds, so I bought him the Valentine's box and baked it yesterday. I decided to bake it in this Le Creuset heart-shaped dish we were given for our wedding (note: I did not register for this, but Le Creuset is a great brand, so even though it is heart-shaped, I didn't complain)! Well, this was a bad idea. I don't think these were made for baking. The inside did not bake all the way through very well, so although it looks cute, it was a disaster, our first ever funfetti to throw out...oh well (now I know to stick with casseroles for this dish)! Next time I will go back to baking it in my metal cake pans.

Before dinner, we sat in our living room watching the Winter Olympics (which we love), and had this great appetizer. Just take a block of 1/3 less fat cream cheese, and top it with raspberry chipotle sauce, or any kind of pepper jelly. Serve with organic wheat crackers and good wine...yum!

Valentine's Meals..A.M.

2010-02-14T16:49:00.003-06:00

This morning, we started our Valentine's Day celebration with a nice big breakfast. I cooked bacon and scrambled eggs with blueberries and strawberries. It was a wonderful way to start the day! I decided to make the eggs extra tasty by scrambling them in the pan with the remaining bacon grease. I know it sounds gross (and unhealthy), but it sure is delicious! You just don't want to make your eggs like this too often!

I bought bacon from the deli counter at the grocery store, where you can buy it by the slice, and it is nice and thick. Then I sprinkled cracked black pepper over it and cooked it in a pan until it was nice and crispy. After removing the bacon, I drained most of the grease (but left enough for some good flavoring for my eggs), then poured the eggs in the pan (after removing it from the heat, because the pan is very hot).

For the fruit, I placed chopped strawberries and blueberries in a bowl, then sprinkled about 1/2 tsp. of sugar over them. Mix it around, and let it sit, and it gives the fruit a nice sweet flavor! This would make a great dessert too.

Texas Music Makes Me Sing

2010-02-13T18:35:00.003-06:00

The other day I found this great spinach and cheese ravioli on sale, so I thought I would pick some up and give it a try. I made it for lunch on Friday, and it was really good and very easy to make. I just followed the package directions, then topped it with olive oil, fresh grated parmesan, and fresh chopped parsley. I may have to try this again (although, if it is not on sale it's a little pricey). It made 2 decent size portions, good for lunch, but may not have been sufficient for dinner.

Last year we discovered a great local graphic artist named Dirk Fowler at the Lubbock Arts Festival. He is well-known for his "gig posters," which he prints individually for various concerts. Many are Texas musicians, but he has a wide variety. At the time, we bought a poster he had made for the Buddy Holly Music Festival a few years back. We later decided we should buy 2 more of his posters to hang with it above our bare fireplace (it had been empty awaiting inspiration). So, we finally ordered 2 more, a Lyle Lovett poster, and a Merle Haggard one (you've got to support great Texas musicians, right?). Now Buddy is not alone on the mantle! We are very pleased with the new look. If you want to check out Dirk Fowler's work, his website is here.

Today I finally got around to working out again! I went to the Rec Center at Tech and rode an exercise bike for about 30 minutes. I like working out on the machines there because each of them has a television, so I was able to watch Food Network as I exercised. The exercise bike always tricks me because while I am doing it I don't think it is too hard, but once I get off, my legs remind me I was working pretty hard!

Tomorrow I am cooking lots of delicious food for Valentine's Day, so there should be some good recipes to come!

Valentine's Date

2010-02-12T09:36:00.002-06:00

Last night, Josh and I went out on our Valentine's date (a little early since we have plans this weekend). So, since Josh and I have been married, we have never made much money. We like celebrating birthdays and holidays together, but we have to be careful not to spend too much money buying presents and going out. So, our normal routine is to skip presents (I know, to some of you this seems ridiculous to voluntarily veto presents) and set aside a good amount of money to go out together on a nice date. We usually find one of the nicest restaurants in town and go all out. We order appetizers, big meals, a bottle of wine, and dessert if we aren't too full. We take our time, ordering one thing at a time, not ordering the next course until we have finished the previous one. We usually end up staying at the restaurant for up to 3 hours!

I love celebrating special occasions with Josh this way because we really get to enjoy each others' company, with great conversation and an escape from our normal routine. For one night we pretend like we make tons of money and that fancy dinners are normal for us. I would highly recommend doing this. It may seem strange to spend so much money on something consumable, but I feel like the value of these dinners is so much higher than any present Josh could give me (and don't get me wrong here, I love presents).

Last night we decided to have our special Valentine's date at the Double Nickel here in Lubbock. You can find their website here. We had been there a few times before and really like it. Usually the only time we go there is if our parents are in town and are feeling extra gracious! This restaurant has amazing steaks in a nice, romantic atmosphere. We had great service last night as well. We ordered the lobster roll for an appetizer, which was something neither of us had tried before. It was okay, but nothing special. Most of the appetizers were seafood, and I think Josh and I have come to the conclusion that most seafood in Lubbock is mediocre (we are a long way from the coast in the middle of nowhere). So next time we will just order soup or salad ahead of time rather than one of the appetizers. They also bring out good bread before your meal. I ordered the 8 oz. filet, which came with creamed corn and mash potatoes. It was really good, and cooked perfectly! Josh ordered the bone-in ribeye, which he enjoyed so much I could hardly get a word out of him! We ordered a bottle of Pinot Noir, which I can't remember the name of anymore, but it was really good. The wine there is pricey by the bottle, so be prepared! We skipped dessert this time because we were so full. All in all, it was a wonderful date. If you haven't checked out the Double Nickel before, give it a try for your next special occasion!

We bought this bottle of Le Grand Pinot Noir during our last visit to World Market. It is very tasty, and pretty inexpensive. I thought I would share this recommendation.

I mentioned previously that I was going to climb in the Tech climbing competition this weekend, but it is not going to work out. Maybe next year! Anyway, I will try to get a good workout in with a run or something.

This Time I have a Picture

2010-02-09T21:09:00.002-06:00

So, I mentioned in my previous post that I made the amazing Smoked Gouda and Chorizo Jalapeno Poppers for our Super Bowl party, but did not take a picture. Well, have no fear! I made them again just so I could post a picture for you. Well, actually I made them because I love them so much, and just couldn't resist making them again with all the ingredients just sitting there in my fridge staring at me. I decided to make them and a plate of nachos for Josh and me for dinner last night. It was a 2 appetizer meal. Nice for a Monday night when you are tired and want to veg in front of the TV.

Tonight I had my last basketball game (to coach), and came in late. So, we had Chick-fil-A for dinner. Usually I try to stay away from the fries, but I couldn't resist it tonight! I also had a Diet Coke, which I have been trying not to drink as much. I had made a rule that I would only have one a week, but this week I think I have had three. Someone brought it to our Super Bowl party, and left it here afterward. It's too hard to resist when it is sitting there in my fridge!

Exercise update: Well, not much of one, I have to admit. The weather has been cold and wet, and life has been busy (still not a legitimate excuse, but it's the truth). I am going to try to do some indoor exercise tomorrow (it's going to be cold in the morning). Also, I am planning on climbing in the Tech climbing competition this Saturday. Just for fun, not because I am planning on winning or anything. I will let you know how that goes!

Super Bowl Party Food!

2010-02-08T18:56:00.004-06:00

Josh and I hosted a Super Bowl party yesterday, so I spent Saturday night and Sunday afternoon cleaning and cooking! Since the New Orleans Saints were playing, I thought it would be fitting to make jambalaya. So, I tried out a famous Collins' family recipe. Josh's parents are both from Louisiana, and this is a recipe they have tweaked a little over the years to make their own. So, it may not seem like the traditional jambalaya, but it is very tasty, and a little healthier as well.

I was a little nervous making this dish because it is Josh's favorite thing his parents make. I had never made it before, and did not know if I could live up to the expectations. I was really pleased with the final result-it was great! And Josh liked it too!

So, here is the recipe for Collins' Family Jambalaya:

Ingredients:

1 whole cooked chicken (you can make this on your own, I just bought a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store to save time), torn into pieces
1 lb. Jimmy Dean sage sausage
1 onion, chopped
1 cup white rice
2 cups water
Creole seasonings, salt, and pepper

Directions:

Brown sausage and onions on stove (put a little olive oil in pot ahead of time).
Add chicken, rice, and water to pot. Bring to boil and stir. Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes.
Season with Creole seasonings, salt, and pepper.

I put directions for how I cooked it. I just made a few changes from my in-laws recipe. The only differences were that they cook the sausage and drain it, then cook the onions in the microwave with 2 tbsps. of water for 6 minutes. They then combine all of it and cook as I did.

I also made Smoked-Gouda Chorizo Jalapeno Poppers. This is a recipe I saw on Cooking for Real on Food Network. I made these at our Christmas party this year and loved them, so thought I should make them again! You can find the recipe here. The only changes I made were to use light sour cream and 1/3 less fat cream cheese instead of the regular stuff, you can't tell a difference. I forgot to take a picture of them in all the craziness, but trust me, you want to try this recipe!

In preparation the night before, I shredded the smoked gouda with my awesome food processor. It begins as a solid block of smoked gouda.

Place it in the food processor with the shredding blade on, and in seconds...

Shredded cheese! Voila!

I also made some of my home made salsa the night before. I made a "New Orleans Spicy" version, and an "Indiana Mild." I also bought the nacho cheese sauce you buy at concession stands at football games with tortilla chips and even the little plastic trays you get them in at games. It is one of my guilty pleasures, I try not to have it too much, but I figured this was a special occasion!

Our friend CJ made Shrimp Po' Boys we had seen on Tyler's Ultimate on Food Network. They were really good! He just did shrimp, no oysters, and instead of an actual sandwich, just put the shrimp on top of a slice of bread with the mayo. It was very good. You can find the recipe here.

Weekend Fun

2010-02-08T18:25:00.005-06:00

On Saturday night, we decided to try Blue Sky Burgers again. My curiosity was too much, I just couldn't wait! So, it was very crowded once again, but Josh was sweet and said he would wait because he knew how much I wanted to try it! The line was almost out the door, but it moved fairly fast considering. We were getting annoyed with the people who would get up to the counter and still not know what they wanted to order. Come on, people! You should be figuring out what you want while you are in line!

I ordered a cheeseburger with green chiles and grilled jalapenos. Mmm! It was really good! I have never tried grilled jalapenos, but it was delicious. We also got an order of fries to split, which were very good as well. Overall, the food was good, and the atmosphere was nice too. We had to wait a little while to find an open table, and noticed a few others doing the same. However, I think once the newness wears off a little, there will be less waiting there. They do not have a website, and are located on 98th St., just west of Quaker.

Sunday morning I made my "Hippie Yogurt" again, this time with blueberries and chopped strawberries. I knew I would be eating tons of junk at our Super Bowl party, so I tried to have a healthy breakfast and lunch.
I also had a cup of coffee in my Cafe Du Monde mug to support the Saints!

For lunch I made these bagel sandwiches, which were a toasted whole wheat bagel with scrambled eggs (which I cooked with chopped jalapenos in them), shredded low fat Mexican cheese, fresh chopped cilantro, and my homemade salsa. Pretty tasty!

The Never Ending Feast

2010-02-05T22:50:00.006-06:00

Tonight we planned on going to dinner with our friend CJ at a new restaurant here in Lubbock called Blue Sky Burgers. When we got there, the parking lot was packed and the line was almost out the door. So, we decided we would need to try it another time! We were trying to think of another restaurant close by that would not be to crowded, and decided we would go to Maharaja again. May seem boring, but seriously, it's that good. Plus, they have so much on the menu, and every time we go, we have a hard time ordering anything other than the tikka masala, so we figured since we just had it last night we could try a new dish tonight. Also, CJ had never been and wanted to try it out.

Tonight we had meat samosas for our appetizer. They were really good. And I was so hungry, I gobbled it down before even thinking of taking a picture (I had a salad for lunch, so I was starving)! For our meal tonight, we asked the waitress for a recommendation. One dish she mentioned was the palak chicken. It is spiced chicken breast with fresh creamed spinach and spices all blended in curry sauce. It was so good! It came with rice, and we ordered a side of naan as well. CJ had the tikka masala and really liked it.

Here is the thing I love about Indian food, it has such a wonderful balance of savory and sweet flavors, with just the right amount of spices. You take the first bite and think it is pretty good, and as your taste buds begin to absorb the flavors even more, it just gets better. You begin to taste different spices, and it makes for such a wonderful dining experience! Anyway, I just think it is delicious, but you will have to try it yourself!

Today I finished reading the book, The Prodigal God by Tim Keller. It is a great book that I would definitely recommend. It is short and explains the parable of The Prodigal Son really well, teaching us about Christ and the people who are the "Younger Brother" and those that are the "Older Brother." In the last chapter, he is discussing the importance of community (the church), and the feast that the Father gives for the son. As he explains this feasting, and how it is a symbol of community and a picture of heaven (among other things-I am giving you a condensed version), it made me think about how wonderful food is, and that eating and drinking together is one way we enjoy God's people and his gifts to us. As I sat at the dinner table tonight with Josh and CJ, enjoying conversation with them and savoring the amazing flavors, I was reminded of that feast I had read about. It also makes me realize that while tonight was wonderful, heaven will be infinitely better than even my greatest feasts here on earth.

I have been thinking about food, and about heaven and earth a lot recently. A friend of ours, Emily Mulkey, passed away last week. She was someone I was just beginning to know, but who was the sister-in-law of some of our best friends here in Lubbock. She was a 26 year-old wife and mother to a 3 year-old daughter. She had cystic fibrosis her entire life and had received a double-lung transplant about a year and a half ago. She had been sick recently and passed away from complications with that illness. You can find more details at her blog, here (a friend of hers has been posting since the time she got sick).

It was really hard to see her go, and to imagine what life will be like for her husband and daughter. It is also difficult to see our friends have to face such sadness as well. Her funeral was on Monday, and among many of the things said there, one of the people speaking mentioned how Emily enjoyed things in life, like food (Dr. Pepper and Mike and Ikes to be exact), because she knew her time on earth would be short.

I know food has no saving powers, nothing sacred in itself. However, I do think that throughout Scripture, the Lord shows us that enjoying food and drink on this earth can be a way to glorify God. We can soak in the good things God has given us. We can sit with friends and family around a good meal and experience a wonderful sense of community. And in these things, we can be pointed to the greatest feast, the feast where we will all sit around His table, with an abundance of food and drink..and this feast will never have to end!

⁶ On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare
a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
the best of meats and the finest of wines.

⁷ On this mountain he will destroy
the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;

⁸ he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears
from all faces;
he will remove the disgrace of his people
from all the earth.
The LORD has spoken.

-Isaiah 25:6-8

Breakfast Time!

2010-02-05T16:04:00.004-06:00

This morning for breakfast, I was going to make an egg sandwich on a bagel, but soon realized my eggs had expired (I feel like this is becoming a theme). So, I decided to do a peanut butter and banana bagel sandwich instead. Just toast a whole wheat bagel, spread a little peanut butter on each slice, and place sliced bananas in between. This is a tasty, filling, and healthy breakfast! And it brings you back to your childhood a bit!

This Silk French Vanilla Creamer is a favorite of mine. I tried it one time because I knew it would be much healthier than other creamers that are full of sugar, fat, and chemicals. It became a fast favorite, and a regular staple in my fridge. Well, Wednesday morning I was out of this wonderful creamer, and tried to substitute with regular soy milk-no bueno. I couldn't finish my coffee. It was pretty sad (it is also sad that the perfect coffee is so essential for my day). Needless to say, I was very happy to have some this morning.

Today I came home for lunch and made this salad. I topped organic baby spinach leaves with sliced strawberries, walnuts, cotija cheese (feta would be better, but I didn't have any), balsamic vinaigrette, and salt and pepper. It was pretty good. Josh really liked it. I think I will make a few changes next time. The strawberries were a little tart, so it might be good to toss them with a little sugar ahead of time. I also might try a home made dressing that would mix with these flavors better.

Mmm...

2010-02-04T21:53:00.002-06:00

Today I had a basketball tournament to coach, so I got home a little late and decided it was a "to go" kind of night. We picked up dinner from one of our favorite local restaurants, Sri Maharaja. They have wonderful, amazing Indian food. We usually like to eat in the restaurant, they have great service, but tonight we wanted to eat at home. Josh and I always order the Chicken Tikka Masala, which comes with a choice of rice or naan (the flatbread shown in the picture above). We order it with rice and a side of naan, and split, which is plenty of food for both of us. They are located on 80th, close to Slide. You can find their website here. If you live in Lubbock, check it out!

Last night I was going to make a chicken and rice dish, but just before starting to cook, realized the rice was expired (I thought it lasted forever, but I guess I was wrong). So, I looked at what we had on hand, which was not much, and decided to do nachos, but this time with chicken and homemade tortilla chips.

I saw the recipe for the tortilla chips on Mexican Made Easy on Food Network. You can find the recipe here. These chips are baked, rather than fried like most chips, so they are much healthier. They are also cheaper! I added chili powder and Julio's seasoning for mine.

I baked the nachos in the oven like last time. This time I topped them with black beans, roasted green chiles, chicken, low fat shredded cheese and my homemade salsa.

Last night I did some weight exercises at home, then for some reason had the motivation to try a yoga video (I found it through instant Netflix). I have always wanted to try getting into yoga, but never have. I really enjoyed doing it. It was relaxing, yet still felt like a good workout.

I finally got paid, so no more empty fridge! I did a quick grocery trip tonight, but look forward to stocking up this weekend. We are hosting a Super Bowl party this weekend, so I will be stocking up on lots of food. I look forward to sharing the recipes and pictures Monday!

Seeing Results!

2010-02-03T10:08:00.003-06:00

Well, this morning I had the alarm set so that I could get up and exercise. I knew it was going to be a rainy and cold morning, which meant no running, but I had planned to do exercises in the house. When the alarm went off, I could hear the rain outside, and I was so comfy in my bed, so I thought I would snooze just a little bit longer. That turned into another hour, so any chance of getting in a morning exercise went out the window. I am planning on working out tonight instead. Josh will be getting home a later than me, so I do not have any excuses!

So, I woke up an hour later than planned, showered, made coffee and this yummy waffle. This is a Kashi Go Lean Blueberry Waffle. They are great frozen waffles you can just throw in the toaster. This morning I topped mine with fresh blueberries and a light drizzling of pure maple syrup. It was a great breakfast, but I was running so late I had to scarf it down!

Last night Josh had his night class, and I did not get my chicken out of the freezer early enough to thaw for dinner, so we ate another one of our frozen pizzas. Not super healthy, but this time it was cheese, not pepperoni, so it was a little better! I also did some of my weight and core exercises at home last night, so I at least got a little bit of a workout.

Good news! I am making progress on losing weight! I weighed myself this morning, and I have lost 4 pounds since I started (which was a little less than a month ago)! I was excited to see some results. It was very encouraging. Also, this has been with minimal exercise, so I feel like if I stay on top of the exercising a little more, I might even be able to see more results.

Down Home Goodness

2010-02-01T19:27:00.003-06:00

Well, dinner tonight was an old favorite of mine, Chicken Divine, that I like to think is very East Texan (that's where I grew up), however, I have no clue where this dish originated. I think it is a spin off of Chicken Divan, which from my research, was a casserole served at the Divan Parisian Restaurant in New York in the early 20th century. This version is the casual, homey version. I made this dish for Josh the first year we were married, and he loved it. Since then, it has been his favorite meal. I have been using a recipe from a cookbook, and just changed it up a little (trying to be a little bit healthier, although it still isn't super healthy). Here is the recipe:

Chicken Divine

Ingredients:

2 10 oz. packages frozen broccoli spears, cooked according to package directions (the steam in bag kind are nice and easy)
6 chicken breasts, cooked and diced, or 1 store bought rotisserie chicken (much easier)
Garlic powder
2 cans cream of chicken soup (low sodium, or healthier version)
1 cup mayonnaise (I use mayo made with olive oil)
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
3/4-1 teaspoon curry powder
Generous dash cayenne pepper
Grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 seasoned whole wheat breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon melted butter

Spray 9 x 13 inch baking dish with olive oil spray. Mix soup, mayo, lemon juice, curry powder and cayenne together. Place cooked broccoli in bottom of dish. Place chicken on top of broccoli. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Pour over chicken. Cover with cheese and breadcrumbs and sprinkle with butter. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbling. This will make 6-8 servings.

Well, I don't have much of an exercise update, but hopefully I will soon!

1st Non-Cheating Day

2010-02-01T12:41:00.005-06:00

Okay, so as I mentioned in my last post, we cheated on the "Empty Fridge, Empty Wallet" challenge Saturday night. I guess you could say we cheated Sunday as well. We had leftover pizza for lunch, and for dinner, I was too tired to cook, so we decided to use a Texas Roadhouse gift card we had been given for Christmas. I ordered a burger, and was very tempted to have fries as my side, but I resisted the temptation and ordered a baked potato instead (although, I am not sure the butter, sour cream, cheese, and bacon made it much healthier).

So, the weekend is over, and I am done cheating! I came home for lunch today and made an Asian pasta, similar to one I made awhile back. If you look back to my second post, there is a recipe for Spicy Peanut Noodles with Shrimp. I made the sauce and noodles from that recipe, and since I did not have any of the vegetables or shrimp, I just topped it with sesame seeds, cilantro, and garnished it with a lime wedge. It was really good, and only took about 15 minutes to cook. There was extra sauce left over, so I stuck it in the fridge and will be able to use it in the future.

Some of you may be curious about what certain ingredients are, so I took a picture of the noodles I used and the chili paste with garlic. I bought these at World Market, but they are also available at some grocery stores and Asian Markets.

Yum...

2010-01-30T22:52:00.002-06:00

So, the first night of our "Empty Fridge, Empty Wallet" challenge ended up not being much of a challenge at all. Our friend CJ offered to bring over pizza from a new place in town called West Crust Pizza (on 82nd, west of Frankford). Josh and I had tried to go there once before, but the wait was long and we were in a hurry. So, when CJ offered to bring it over tonight, we were excited to try it out (and very thankful to him)!

We chose the "Spinach Dates Prosciutto" pizza, which had prosciutto, dates, spinach, feta, and mozzarella. It was delicious! I would highly recommend it. You can find their website here.

Empty Fridge, Empty Wallet

2010-01-30T12:54:00.003-06:00

Well, last night we concluded our relaxing snow day with some homemade pizza. I used the same recipe from a few weeks past (you can find it on an old post). The only difference was this time I used shredded mozzarella, not the fresh stuff (it wasn't as good, but still not too bad)!

This morning I made this for breakfast. It was very simple, just top a piece of toast with scrambled eggs, salsa, cilantro, and cotija cheese. It was a good way to use items I had in the fridge from previous meals, and was a nice, healthy, and filling breakfast.

Well, as you can see, there isn't too much in our fridge at the moment (besides ridiculous amounts of condiments, why is that always the case?). So, here is the challenge set before me; I have about $30 to my name until next Thursday (waiting for payday...seems to be the case all the time), and that money needs to be saved for gas. We have one car between the two of us, which happens to be a four-wheel drive Chevy truck, not exactly the most fuel efficient vehicle. So I must use the contents of this sparsely occupied fridge along with the random selection of pantry goods to feed Josh and myself through this week. I also have some chicken breasts in the freezer. I have looked over the selection, and think we can do it.

So stay tuned for empty fridge and empty wallet week with the Dieting Doughgirl.

Lunchtime!

2010-01-29T15:43:00.003-06:00

Well, the lazy snow day theme has continued at the Collins' household. The only work I have done is cooking, which does not seem like work to me. We decided it was time for lunch, and realized it was already 3:00 (what a glorious day)! I had seen a salad recipe on Barefoot Contessa last week, and bought a few of the ingredients this week. I thought I would make that for our lunch, since we had eaten such a big brunch. However, I realized that I was missing quite a few of the ingredients, so I just made my own version.

Place a couple handfuls of arugula in a bowl, and top with roughly chopped Granny Smith apples (I used one apple for two salads), dried cranberries, walnuts, cotija cheese (or feta), cracked pepper, and lite honey mustard vinaigrette (I used Annie's naturals brand).

This was a great salad, very fresh, and a great blend of sweet and sour flavors. Josh and I both loved it. I will make it again, and sometime try the recipe I saw on the show too, it seemed to have a good homemade dressing.

Time for more laziness!

Bliss

2010-01-29T11:58:00.003-06:00

The scene in Lubbock yesterday and today looks like this (side note: this picture was not taken in my neighborhood, although I wish it were; it is in Vintage Township) . I am loving the beautiful snow, but even more than that, the fact that I get the day off because of it!

When I was younger, I would get so excited about snow days. I loved getting out of school, and having a chance to play in the snow (which was very rare in East Texas). The funny thing is, now I think I like snow days even more than I did then! There is something about having an unexpected day off, with absolutely nothing I am required to do that makes me feel like I am in a complete state of bliss. I knew I would not have to go into work today when I went to bed last night, so I was able to sleep in (no alarm, hooray!), and enjoy a slow-paced morning. I cooked a nice brunch, and had time to enjoy my coffee rather then throw it in a mug and run out the door.

I saw a recipe on a new Food Network show the other day (Mexican Made Easy), for chilaquiles. This is a traditional Mexican brunch dish. It was first created to use corn tortillas that have gone stale. It is strips of tortillas fried a little, then cooked in a sauce. They are often served with eggs and or beans.

I was first introduced to chilaquiles on a trip to Cancun, Mexico a few years ago. The hotel where I was staying had an amazing breakfast buffet each morning, and they had chilaquiles with different sauces everyday. Since then, I have tried chilaquiles at every Mexican restaurant I find that serves them. When I lived in Las Cruces, there was a great little restaurant called Good Luck Cafe. They made very authentic Mexican dishes, none of the employees spoke English, in a very plain building (for those of you that live there, it is on Solano between Missouri and Lohman). I am not sure where they got the name for the restaurant, it does not seem like a very fitting name for a Mexican restaurant, I guess it just adds to its charm. Anyway, they have wonderful chilaquiles, which I loved to get when I lived there.

So, today I tried this new recipe. I actually made the salsa verde last night and left the tortillas out, then cooked everything this morning. I served it with scrambled eggs. You can find the recipe here. When you are looking over the ingredients, a few things may seem unfamiliar. Tomatillos look like small green tomatoes, but they are wrapped in husks. Serrano peppers look like thin jalapenos, and are a little spicier. I added roasted green chiles (surprise, surprise), and instead of queso fresco, I used cotija cheese, which is a similar, crumbly Mexican cheese. I found it at my local grocery store.

The recipe turned out to be delicious! Josh and I both loved it. It was easy to make, and like most Mexican food, very inexpensive! The salsa has chicken broth, but to make it vegetarian, I think you could substitute vegetable broth. I will definitely make this again, and think it will be great for company as well. You can prepare the salsa and tortillas the night before, so your work the next day is minimal. I also am going to look into chilaquiles made with red sauce to try as well.

Well, I am off to enjoy a wonderful, relaxing day!

Light Lunch

2010-01-27T22:07:00.002-06:00

Today for lunch, I came home and made this salad. It contains: spring mix, quartered cherry tomatoes, fresh grated parmesan, cracked pepper, homemade croutons, and balsamic vinaigrette. Here is a quick and easy way to make homemade croutons: cut bread into pieces (I used whole wheat sandwich bread), place on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and spices (I used garlic pepper today). Bake at 425 degrees about 5-10 minutes, or until crispy.

GORP

2010-01-26T23:23:00.009-06:00

Well, the past week or so I have not done a very good job at sticking with a healthy lifestyle. There are many factors contributing to this: laziness, lack of money, lack of time, lack of motivation...I could go on. Anyway, I am realizing more and more that I have to stay on top of things, be organized, and not give in to temptations (to sleep too much, eat too much, etc.). When trying to lose less than 15 pounds, every workout and every meal seems to count extra. I will do well for a few days, lose 2-3 pounds, then do poorly for a few days and gain them right back.

One thing I have noticed is that I need to stay organized, and plan out meals, groceries, budget, etc. When I don't plan these things well, we seem to run out of food and money at the same time, and our "reserves" seem to always be junk food. This month one of my goals is to do a better job with all of this so that I will have good, healthy meals planned, and a good supply of healthy snacks. I noticed on Monday at work how hard it is to get through the day when you are hungry, and the temptation to eat a lot when you get home from work if you have not eaten well throughout the day. Last week I brought snacks to eat when I have breaks, and it really made a difference. On Monday I had a small, healthy lunch around 11:00, but nothing else to eat until after 5:00 when I got off work. My energy was low that afternoon, and I was starving when I got home.

So, I got paid (from one of my jobs) yesterday, and was able to pick up some groceries. A friend at school had given me a big bag of M&M's, which I definitely do not need to be eating in large quantities, so I decided to make some GORP with it. What is GORP you may be asking yourself? Well, it is basically trail mix. I have heard it stands for "Good 'Ole Raisins and Peanuts." When I worked at the Outdoor Pursuits Center in college, we made this to take on all of our outdoor trips. It was wonderful in the middle of a day of backpacking, because it helped give you the boost of energy you need. It generally has some sugar, salt, and protein. There are many variations when making this, and last night I made mine with equal parts M&M's, Raisins, and unsalted dry roasted peanuts. You can also add cereals, pretzels, reeses pieces, dried fruits, or anything else along those lines. Now, this is not something I need to eat large amounts of, but a handful in the middle of the morning or afternoon gives me a good energy boost, and calms my appetite.

Last night Josh had his night class, and I was coming back from coaching a basketball game out of town, so I decided it would be a good night to pick up dinner. I went to Rudy's Barbecue, which is close to my house, and very good. I ordered a turkey sandwich, which I feel is a fairly healthy option, but I decided to add a side of potato salad, which may not have been the best idea (probably a lot of mayonnaise in that).

On Monday, I tried to think of a healthy lunch I could make quickly at home during my lunch break. We did not have much in the fridge or pantry (this was pre-payday, so pickings were slim), so I decided to go with pasta. I cooked bow tie pasta, then added quartered cherry tomatoes, minced garlic, olive oil, dried basil (fresh would have been better, but I did not have any), fresh grated parmesan, and salt and pepper. It was really good and light! I think this might also be a good cold pasta you could make the night before, stick in the fridge, and eat it cold the next day.

Exercise update: I actually exercised! It had been awhile. Last night I went climbing again with some friends. I am really enjoying getting back into it. It is such a great workout, and I feel like I push myself more with climbing than any other sport I do. When you climb, your goal is very obvious, and I find the challenge really fun and rewarding (completing a difficult route after many attempts feels really good)! My motivation to push myself with sports like running is a lot lower. I know I could run harder than I do, but it is easy to just settle into a slow pace and go.

This morning, I tricked myself into getting up and running. This is how: last night I set my phone alarm and set it on my bedside table. I also set my ipod alarm for 10 minutes later, and put it on the floor so that it would require more effort. When the phone alarm went off this morning, I told myself I was not running today and reset it for 45 minutes later. However, when my ipod went off, I had to reach down and get it, making myself wake up more. I laid in bed fighting an internal battle of whether or not to get up, and the good side squeaked out the victory today! I ran for 20 minutes (in freezing temps), and came home in time to get ready for work and eat a good breakfast.
I like using this light vanilla flavored soy milk in cereal. It is healthy and a little easier on the stomach. Some of you may be thinking soy milk sounds really gross, which is partially true. I don't think it is that great as a drink on its own, but it tastes good in cereal, and I particularly like the vanilla flavor. So, I had a bowl of organic toasted oats (similar to Cheerios) with soy milk and topped with blueberries...not too bad!

A Few of My Favorite Things

2010-01-25T10:54:00.004-06:00

Well, this weekend was not the most successful as far as diet and exercise go, but it wasn't too bad (or at least that is what I am making myself believe). I did not exercise much, just some weight workouts at home last night. I did, however, enjoy some good food favorites and such that I thought I would share.

The picture above is of my cute coffee mug I found at one of my favorite local stores here in Lubbock, Hodgepodge Design. It is on 26th and Boston, next to J&B. They have home decor, jewelry, stationary, and other fun items. You can find their website here. The style reminds me of Anthropologie. I have found so many fun things there. Some of my friends have had their wedding invitations made there, and my mom ordered some really cute shower invitations their once.

Below is a picture of some amazing gelato I found this weekend. Now, I realize this is not that healthy, but it is better than ice cream, and the main thing is, I have a very small portion when I eat it. Gelato is easier to eat in small portions too, because it is so rich. I found this at Market Street, and the nice design of the container hooked me (I am a marketer's favorite type of customer-they get me every time)! This is excellent gelato, and it is made in Dallas, so it is a great way to "Go Texan."

On Saturday my friend Beth and her husband were in town visiting. I went to lunch with them at Fuzzy's Taco Shop, which has locations in Lubbock and the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. I ordered the tempura fish tacos, which I had never tried before. They were filled with fried fish, cilantro, garlic sauce, and feta cheese. I would definitely order them again. I had two, which was a good amount, but not too filling.

On Saturday night I used our leftover taco meat to make nachos. I like to bake nachos in the oven, especially when they are for more than one person. It is easier to spread it all out on the pan, which allows the cheese to melt more evenly. I topped tortilla chips with taco meat, green chiles, and cheese, then baked them at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes or until the cheese was melted. I usually like to use black beans too, but I did not have any on hand.

Sunday night was not healthy, but sure tasted good! I have been buying frozen pizzas at Target, their Archer Farms Brand. They have thin crust style, which is really good. They have different toppings, and last night we had the most unhealthy, pepperoni. I added some of our roasted green chiles on top (I know you are probably sick of hearing about those at this point, but we love them so much!). In New Mexico, it is very popular to put green chiles on pizza, and it is so good! I highly recommend it!

I was going to wake up this morning and run, but when the alarm went off, I just couldn't do it. Mondays are rough! Anyway, I am going to try to run tonight after work (hopefully I can muster up the motivation).

So-So Soup

2010-01-23T11:31:00.004-06:00

Last night I tried another new recipe, this time for French Onion Soup. I don't like onions too much, but I love French Onion Soup (I know, it's strange). Anyway, I pulled this recipe out of Cooking Light a year ago, but had yet to try it. It was okay, but nothing great. Josh felt the same way. I think next time I will try a different recipe. The one I used called for chicken broth, and most other recipes I have seen call for beef broth, so I think that may give it a better flavor. Anyway, if I try another recipe, I will let you know!

When Josh and I got married, I thought I did a good job of registering, but as I have gotten more and more into cooking since then, I realized there were quite a few things I wish I had requested. So, I have slowly tried to add those things to my kitchen collection. I used some of my Christmas money this year to purchase an 11-cup food processor, which I am loving (I went with the Cuisinart one). I originally thought I would use it mostly for soups and dips. However, last night I discovered one of it's amazing powers...the shredder. A week ago, when we had some friends over for pizzas, my friend brought a block of mozzarella. We spent quite awhile shredding it with a hand grater. Well, on one of my cooking shows this week, the chef grated her cheese in a food processor, and I quickly realized it was something I needed to try. So, when I needed to shred my gruyere cheese for our soup last night, I used the food processor, and finished in about 5 seconds. I was so happy, and was exclaiming my excitement to Josh and our friend CJ, who was eating with us. I think they were pretty amazed too, even if they weren't showing it as much as I was.

Exercise update: well, there isn't one right now. I did not work out yesterday, and have not yet today. I might get to do a little tomorrow...hopefully.

Busy Week Recipes

2010-01-19T22:48:00.008-06:00

Well, it's been a busy week, so sorry I haven't written in awhile! That also means this post will be extra long. I know most of you have been dying to see when I would post next (or maybe just my mom was, but I am glad to have a faithful reader)!

On Monday night I tried a new steak recipe and made my own french fries to go with it (it was make what we have on hand night, which just happened to be steak and potatoes-can you tell I am from Texas?). A friend had mentioned a good rub for steaks if I searched "Cowboy Steaks" online. I found a good recipe on the Food Network website that was really easy, and I had all of the ingredients in my pantry. You can find it here. I used the rub in the recipe, and tried broiling my steak, which I had been wanting to attempt for awhile. I think it could have been good, but I kept them in there just a little too long, so it was more cooked than I would have liked. Next time I think I will just follow the recipe that goes along with the rub and cook it in a pan.

I made my own version of shoe string fries by cutting russet potatoes into thin strips, laying them out on a baking sheet and drizzling them with olive oil and spices. I used chili powder, garlic pepper, and season salt. Then I baked them at about 450 degrees until they were a little crispy. I ended up baking them about 15 minutes then broiling them for a few minutes, just keep an eye on them, and figure out how long is best. I liked these fries because they are cheap, quick, and healthy!

Monday morning Josh ran with me, which was really nice. I do enjoy running on my own, but it's nice to have company sometimes too. It's also good to have someone to help push me to work a little harder!

On Wednesday night I made Pasta Pomodoro from a recipe in my Cooking Light cookbook (and just changed it up a little, so I am giving you my version). It was quick, simple, and good. It's a great meal for weeknights when you get off work and don't have time to cook a big meal. For the two of us I used about 1 1/2 cups (dry) penne pasta, which you cook as directed on the box. Then, in a pan, saute about 3 cloves minced garlic in olive oil. Next, pour one 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes in with it, along with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then let simmer about 5-7 minutes (you want the sauce to thicken a little). Remove from heat and stir in fresh basil. Split penne between two bowls. Top each with sauce and fresh grated parmesan. I also added some red pepper flakes to mine for a little spice.

Tonight I made tacos and my black bean and corn salsa. Josh had a meeting and was not going to be eating dinner with me, so I just decided to make some taco meat to use for a little taco salad. I always just make taco meat with ground turkey or beef (turkey is much lighter, but tonight it was beef because I already had some on hand) and store bought seasoning packets (my favorite is Lawry's, probably because it was what my mom always used). Taco meat makes great leftovers too (makes me look forward to my lunch break tomorrow)!

I like to use the meat for a taco salad, which for me consists of blue corn tortilla chips, my black bean and corn salsa (recipe below), my regular salsa (which I have on a previous post), reduced-fat Mexican shredded cheese, and the taco meat. Tonight I tried to use a smaller portion of meat and cheese to be healthier. I like the black bean and corn salsa because it is healthy and filling, so you can use less meat and not notice.

I ate something similar to my black bean and corn salsa once, and decided to come up with my own. It is inexpensive, easy to make, pretty, and good! It's great for parties because it makes a lot and you can make it ahead of time (just wait to add the avocado until just before your guests come so it doesn't get to brown). Here is the recipe:

Chelsea's Black Bean & Corn Salsa:

1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained
2 small avocados or 1 large, chopped
Julio's Seasoning (this may only be available in Texas, I am not sure) or other Mexican seasoning or season salt
Fresh lime juice (about half of a lime)

Stir all ingredients together in a bowl and add the seasoning to taste. You can also add fresh cilantro if you have some. This is great in salads, as a dip, or to top grilled chicken.

Okay, now to the exercise update...

Sunday night I went rock climbing at the indoor climbing wall at Tech. I use to do it a lot in college, but not much since then. It was really fun, and is a wonderful workout, so I am hoping to keep doing it about once a week.

On Monday I ran with Josh, which I mentioned earlier. Tuesday I was busy working and did not workout. Wednesday morning I decided to work out inside, which for a cardio workout wasn't the best for me. I did not work as hard as I do when I run, so it probably was not the best idea. However, Josh and I did go for a walk together that night, so I got a little more exercise in, just nothing strenuous.

Today I had a break in the middle of the day, which I normally do not have, so I decided to go for a run (and this isn't even one of my official running days-I am crazy!). It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day, so it was nice to run in shorts and soak up the sunshine. I even ran longer this time-25 minutes (I know, it's not that much, but remember, we are taking baby steps here)! And after dinner I did some weight workouts at home. I think tomorrow I am going to do weight workouts in the morning, and hopefully run later in the day, and if not then, I will definitely run Saturday.

Well, hopefully next week I will be able to write more regularly!

It's Cookie Time!

2010-01-15T18:02:00.007-06:00

That title is a little reference to Troop Beverly Hills, man I use to love that movie! Well, Thursday night we ate leftover enchiladas for dinner, but afterward, I decided to bake some cookies using a new recipe I found. The recipe is from my Cooking Light cookbook, and is a lighter version of regular chocolate chip cookies. In the recipe it calls for dried cherries and white chocolate chips as well as semisweet chocolate chips, but since I only had semisweet chocolate chips on hand, I just doubled the amount of those. This recipe has you freeze the dough before baking, and it really helps keep the cookies in a nice shape, so I may keep doing that from now on. The first batch I made the cookies bigger than they suggested, but I made another batch yesterday with smaller cookies, and I think they turned out a little better. Plus, it is easier to eat less with smaller cookies!

Here is the recipe for Double-Chocolate Cookies:

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
5 tbsp. butter
1.2 c. granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg white
1/3 c. dried cherries
1/4 c. semisweet chocolate chunks
2 1/2 tbsp. white chocolate chips
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt, stirring well with a whisk.
Combine butter and sugars in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add vanilla and egg white; beat 1 minute. Stir in flour mixture, then remaining ingredients
Drop by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Place pans in freezer 5 minutes. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks. Yield about 16-24 cookies.

Friday night we had friends over and made pizzas using the Pillsbury crust. My friend brought a bunch of different toppings, and we all made what we liked. It was fun, and the pizzas were very good.

On Friday morning I was super tired when the alarm went off, so I decided to sleep longer and run today (Saturday) instead. I think it was good, because I was behind on sleep, and I was able to get a nice run in this morning. Josh had a meeting at school at 10:30, so I dropped him off, then parked my car at J&B Coffee, which is in my favorite neighborhood in Lubbock, Tech Terrace. I ran around the neighborhood, which was a nice change of scenery.

I felt pretty good on the run again. I still go at a pretty slow pace, but I feel okay while I do it (it is difficult at times, but I don't feel like I am dying or want to throw up). I have a great playlist on my ipod to make things a little more enjoyable. At one point on my run, I was listening to a Vampire Weekend song (they are one of my favorite bands, and don't get turned off by the name, their music isn't morbid), and I just started smiling, and I really just wanted to start dancing down the street like I was living a Broadway musical. I refrained from the dancing, but if anyone saw me, they were probably wondering why I was smiling while running. I am sure it looked pretty odd. I ran 20 minutes again. Well, actually, I kept running to 21 minutes, since I am so hard core now. Then I walked a few blocks back to my car and went into J&B to have some coffee and do a little work...not a bad morning!

For lunch, Josh and I went to one of my favorite local restaurants, Thai Pepper. I ordered chicken fried rice, which is my favorite meal there (I know, it's not too exciting, but it's really good!). I ate half of it and took the rest home. I think that is one of the best ways to stay healthy when eating out. The portions are usually so huge, so if you can put half in a to go container, it will keep you from over eating.

Delicioso!

2010-01-13T21:43:00.004-06:00

Tonight for dinner I made a "Chelsea Classic." For those of you that have eaten at my house before, you know one of my favorite dishes to make is green chile enchiladas. Living in New Mexico, I learned so much about the wonderful food made there. When you order enchiladas in southern New Mexico, they are usually stacked (lasagna style), rather than rolled, like you will find most places. So, after eating them at many restaurants there, I came up with my own version that is simple, quick, and cheap! This can also be frozen before baked or stuck in the fridge and baked later. This is a great dish to bring to a friend that may need a meal because they can just stick it in the oven so it will taste very fresh. Here is the recipe:

Chelsea's New Mexico Style Stacked Enchiladas:

6 corn tortillas
about 1-1 1/2 cups shredded reduced fat Mexican cheese blend
1 can Hatch brand green chile enchilada sauce (any brand will work, this is just my favorite, and it's from New Mexico)
2 eggs (optional)
Fresh chopped cilantro (for garnish)

Heat oven to 400 degrees
Pour enchilada sauce into microwave-safe dish, and heat for about 20 seconds
Heat tortillas in microwave for about 20 seconds
Spray baking dish with cooking spray.
Place 2 tortillas in bottom of dish
Pour some enchilada sauce over tortillas (just enough to cover the tortillas). Top with a small handful of cheese. Repeat layers twice, placing most of the cheese and sauce over the top layer.
Bake in oven about 10-15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.
Top with a fried egg over easy and fresh cilantro.

This will serve about 4-6, depending on serving size. You can also just make one stack (with just three tortillas) for a single serving. The egg isn't necessary, but adds a nice touch. The yolk tastes really good mixed with the enchilada sauce, and adds a little protein. Plus, it makes it a more authentic New Mexican dish!

For breakfast, I looked at what we had in the house and thought of a quick but filling breakfast for Josh and me. Toast a slice of wheat bread, top it with a fried egg, fresh grated parmesan, Italian parsley, and pepper, and voila!

Last night I tried two new recipes for dinner. One was a steak recipe from my Cooking Light cookbook, and the other was a recipe for potato gratin I found in the latest issue of Cooking Light. You can find the recipe here. The potato gratin was really good but it was a little more time consuming with having to peel and slice the potatoes (I could really use a mandolin). The steak recipe was for a beef tenderloin with a wine sauce. The sauce was good, but it was difficult to get the steak just right because our cuts were so big (but everything is bigger in Texas, so what do you expect)?

For the steaks season 2 beef tenderloin steaks with salt and pepper. Place in pan on medium-high heat for 2 minutes per side. Remove from pan. Pour 1/2 cup sweet red wine and 1/2 cup low sodium beef broth in pan, reduce heat to medium. Return steaks to pan and cook until desired degree of doneness (2-4 minutes per side?). Remove from pan, add 1 tablespoon butter cut into small pieces, stir until melted. Cover steaks with sauce from pan.

I also cooked an easy asparagus recipe I came up with on my own that I like to cook often. Place asparagus in a baking dish or on a baking sheet (this may be better so you can spread them out). Place a few garlic cloves in with them as well. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with a little salt and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. After you take them out, you can also top with fresh grated parmesan if you would like. These have a nice crispy texture and great flavor. They are easy but look elegant enough for entertaining. I made these at Thanksgiving, and everyone loved them.

I ran again this morning (I am trying to do it every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). It went much better today. It may have been because it was warmer (a balmy 34 degrees), or I just paced myself better. Anyway, I just felt better overall, and even had energy toward the end of the run to pick up my pace more. And my ipod didn't freeze this time! Running and eating a good breakfast really makes me feel better and more energetic throughout the day as well.