Nosh Night

Saturday is our long day at the gym.  I killed it today!!!  Killed.  It.  I did a run/walk for 35 minutes and then this little bit of punishment.

I'm pretty proud of the sweat drops that smudged the ink.  As if that wasn't enough, I did another 30 minutes on the treadmill walking on an incline.  As you can probably imagine, I was pretty wiped out.  I had an apple on the way home from the gym.  I don't normally like apples but it was probably the most amazing apple ever!!!  We had a ton of errands to run so we came home and got cleaned up.  I was soooo hungry after that workout - I made a strawberry smoothie for breakfast but that was long worn off!  (I didn't take pictures of the smoothie because I didn't have the blade on the Bullet all the way and it leaked all over the counter...  I EARNED that smoothie after that colossal mess... hahaha!)  

We went to Pei Wei for lunch.  It's one of our go to places.  We talked about going to Chipotle but The Husband said I make those at home and they're just as good.  He ordered the Pei Wei Spicy Chicken Salad (which I recreated a few nights ago... I guess it wasn't as close as the Chipotle bowls...).  I ordered the Asian Chopped Chicken Salad.

The dressing is so tangy....  sesame and ginger.  YUM!  Dave - of course- had the Pei Wei Spicy Chicken Salad.

I found this picture online.  I can never get Dave to sit still long enough to get a picture.

We went to Firehouse Subs to buy some of the Datil Pepper Sauce.  I'm super excited about a meal I'll be making soon using that and a big hunk of beef I bought at the grocery store yesterday.  We got The High Schooler some more school clothes.  We lounged around playing with this guy for a little while after we got home.  He's so much fun.

Earlier this week I did some meal planning.  Mediterranean Nosh Plates was one of the meals on the menu.  This isn't really a recipe but more of a meal idea.  It was a quick throw together meal.  It was a fun change of pace.

I'm making pesto this week too so I have some really amazing, fresh basil from Trader Joe's.  It is so fragrant and bright.  I bought a beautiful tomato and some incredible mozzarella too. I couldn't help but to make Caprese.

Thick slices of tomato and mozzarella, fresh basil, a drizzle of olive oil, and fresh ground sea salt and pepper.  My taste buds did the happy dance!!!!

I normally make my own hummus but I don't have any tahini paste right now.  I forgot to buy it (and body wash - plain soap for me until I get back to the store!) when we went shopping yesterday.  I always grab a tub of Sabra brand hummus when we go to the store for a healthy snack option (Hummus and Carrots???  Yes, please!).   My favorites are the Supremely Spicy and the Luscious Lemon but our grocery store doesn't often carry the lemon.  Sad face.

Yummmmmy!!!  This was such a simple, fun dinner. The boys loved it!

I also made some stuffed Poblano peppers.  I'll post about that tomorrow because I am falling asleep as I type this.  Stay tuned!!!!  It is well worth the wait!!!!  Here's a sneak peek!!!

Valicious Spicy Chicken Salad

My sister can attest to this...  We are Pei Wei fiends.  I LOOOOOOOOOOVE Pei Wei.  We especially love the Spicy Chicken Salad. The dressing is tangy and limey.  The Spicy sauce is .... well, SPICY!  The cold vegetables are such a crunchy, cool complement to the heat and spice of the chicken.  It's perfection in a bowl.

This morning I peered into the fridge to figure out what to make for dinner.  We had a bag of spinach that was hurtling closer and closer to its expiration date, a lonely cucumber, a little cilantro, and a tomato.  In the freezer, we have some pork chops, a package of italian sausage, a package of ground beef, and some chicken.  We had beef yesterday, I wasn't feeling pork chops, the sausage wasn't beckoning to me...  I took out the chicken and stuck it in a bowl in the fridge to defrost.  I wasn't feeling too inspired; I was thinking a grilled chicken salad.  Yawn.  I told The Husband I wished I could recreate the amazingness that is the Spicy Chicken Salad.  DUH!!!!  Of course I can!!!!

I picked The High Schooler up from a friend's house came home to my kitchen to create another masterpiece!!!  I think I nailed it!!!  It looks nothing like the salad above but the taste was almost spot on.  I didn't have any sugar snap peas or the fried noodle things but I did good!!!

The first thing I did was put the cucumbers in a cool bath.... uh... marinade.  It's the usual soak for veggies to serve with anything Asian that I make....

Cuke Soak
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced thin
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

I mix the water, vinegar, and sugar together and then toss the cucumbers in.  I let it sit while I'm cooking.

Lime Vinaigrette
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all of the ingredients together and let sit until ready to serve.  (I think I mentioned that I will NEVER buy another bottle of salad dressing again....  Homemade is SOOOO easy and tasty!!!!).

Chicken
3 chicken breasts, cubed
2 tablespoons corn starch
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon vegetable oil.

Heat the oil in a pan. Mix the chicken, cornstarch, salt and pepper.  Place the chicken in the pan.  Cook until chicken is done; about 5 minutes (until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees).  When the chicken is done, pour the sauce (recipe below) into the pan and cook for 2 - 3 minutes (or until thickened).

Valicious Spicy Sauce
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons chile garlic sauce <==== It really isn't that spicy but if you're not a fan of heat, use less.
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil


Salad
In a bowl, pile in the salad veggies - spinach, cucumbers (removed from the "bath"), tomatoes, and cilantro.  Top with lime vinaigrette (I used about 1 tablespoon) and 1/4 of the chicken mixture.   YUMMMMMMMY!!!!!

Supreme Calzones

Greetings!

PHEW!  Today was busy!!! Took the eldest to swim practice, got a workout in, scarfed down a bowl of soup, showered, and flew to work for the afternoon.  I had a great day with the kids - We finished a conversation about Amy Tan and started Robert Frost.  It's always a great day when I can talk about metaphor, simile, and apostrophe (the lit device as opposed to the punctuation) - It's an even better day when my kiddos can identify each appropriately!  Lots of high fives and attaboys/attagirls!  It's awesome!  I love my job soooo much! 

When I got home; THIS was waiting for me....

Is my man awesome or is my man awesome???  None of My Menfolk eat beans - at all - but he even heated me up some canned baked beans.  Oh happy dance!!!  

We have been working out really hard lately.  Last weekend, we decided to swim laps at one of the high school pools.  My sister went with us and during one of our rests, we were reminiscing about our childhood swimming memories.  Our Grandma 'Rain used to take us swimming every Saturday morning at the Y.  We'd swim around and then she'd take us out for pizza and salad.  Every time I swim, I get a craving for pizza and salad... Hello Pavlov????? Not only pizza - supreme pizza loaded with sausage, peppers, onions, and olives!  The husband isn't a fan of loaded pizza like that so we compromised on calzones.  

I can't have pizza (or calzones) without a salad.  (Again, Grandma 'Rain's influence!).  I have just started to dabble in making my own dressings and I have to say that I will never buy another bottle of dressing again.   

I threw whatever salad stuff I had in the fridge (slim pickin's right now!) - Spinach, cucumbers, bell peppers, carrots, blueberries, & capers (I'm addicted to the briny almost lemony flavor of capers!).  I made a simple lemon dill dressing to accompany the salad.

Lemon Dill Salad Dressing

1/4 cup olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup)

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon dill weed

dash garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all of the ingredients together.  Pour over salad when ready to serve.  

Doesn't that look tasty????  I made a quick marinara sauce to serve with the calzones.  It's soooo easy and fast!!!  

Marinara Sauce

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1/2 onion

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic

2 teaspoons italian seasoning

2 teaspoons Mrs. Dash italian seasoning blend

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (more or less to taste)

1/8 teaspoon black ground pepper

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed sauce pan.  Add the onions.  Lower heat to medium.  Cook 2 - 3 minutes.  Add the garlic.  Cook another minute.  Add the tomatoes.  Stir in the remaining ingredients.  Cover and cook on low until the calzones are ready.  We used less than half of it for dinner so I put the rest in a freezer container.  I'm super excited that we have some marinara for another meal!!!  Woot Woot!

Calzones

I cheat when it comes to pizza dough...  I have a really great recipe for pizza dough.  I'm the only person in the house who will eat whole wheat.  I've tried.  My Menfolk just won't eat it.  They've tried it but they really hate it.  So, we compromise.  We buy pre-made dough from Trader Joe's.  They have whole wheat for me and plain for my guys.  It's win-win.  We use half a package of dough per calzone.    (To make this easier, we cut the dough in half when we bring it home and freeze so we just have to grab one serving at a time).  The husband is the dough rolling master.  

While he's rolling out the dough, I cook the chicken italian sausage and prepare the rest of the toppings.  Then I turned on the grill to preheat.

The great thing about calzones is that you can top them with anything you want.  We had a package of hot italian (chicken) sausage so I cooked that.  I love the supreme combo from childhood - sausage, pepperoni (turkey), peppers, onions, and olives.  I also love green olives and jalapeño peppers so I put them on there too.  I use very little cheese because I don't need it with all those flavors.

Once the dough is rolled out, top the dough with the toppings.

Then add the cheese

Fold over and crimp the edges to keep it together.

Place on a cookie sheet lined with foil.  Put the foil and calzone on the grill. Cook until crust is done - about 10 minutes. (You can cook these in the oven as well.  We prefer to cook them on the grill because we like that grilled flavor - it isn't really a smokey flavor but it's so good!  Cook in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes (or until crust is cooked).

When it's done, let it cool for a few minutes.  It's hard because it's so good.  Cut it in half.  Don't share.  You can if you want to but that's why we all make our own.  It's too hot to eat right away so that's when I dive into the salad!!!

I ate half and saved the rest for later in the evening when I wanted a snack!  :)  The only thing better than cold pizza is a cold calzone!!!  

Better than Chipotle Bowls

I had a crummy day.  I was in a crummy mood.  There used to be a commercial on TV for some microwaveable meal thing and the tag line was something like, "Who wants to come home and chop and dice after a long day at work?"  ME!!!!  There is something therapeutic about chopping and dicing and creating yummy goodness for my family after a crummy day.  I thought I wanted a glass of wine.  Turns out it tasted awful and wasn't what I needed at all.

My husband met me at the door with a big hug. I cooked a great dinner and now we're sitting on the sofa getting ready to watch last night's True Blood.  My crummy day turned into an AMAZING evening.

I love Chipotle bowls. If you've never been to Chipotle Mexican Grill; it is healthy fast food.  They have burritos, tacos, bowls, and salads.  I get the salad when I don't want rice but mostly, I eat the bowls.  I've never tried the tacos but they look delicious.  I had a burrito once and ended up not eating the majority of the tortilla (carbs...).  I get the brown cilantro lime rice, black beans, grilled veggies (peppers and onions), chicken or beef, a little cheese, a little sour cream, and a little guacamole.  I request the sour cream and guac on the side and share them with my husband.  They have a corn salsa and a green salsa that are both delicious.  Once I had the bowl, I knew I could recreate it at home and know exactly what went into it.

Chicken
4 chicken breasts
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 1 lime
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon adobo seasoning
1 teaspoon chile powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes up to overnight.

After marinating, put the chicken on the grill.  Cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Rice
1 1/2 cups rice
3 cups water
1/2 one small onion
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons caldo de pollo (chicken bouillon)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 lime

In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, warm the oil.  Add the onion until translucent.  Add the rice.  Cook on high for a minute or two.  Add the caldo de pollo and the water.  Stir.  Bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to low.  Cover.  Cook on low for 20 minutes.  When the rice is cooked, stir in the lime juice and the chopped cilantro.  Cover with plastic wrap and set aside while the chicken cooks.

Peppers & Onions
1/2 large onion
1 bell pepper
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste

Black Beans
Drain and rinse one can of black beans.  Heat on the stove.

Heat the oil in a pan.  Add the peppers and onions.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Stir often until cooked to desired tenderness.  [We prefer our peppers and onions slightly crunchy]

Assemble the bowls.

Rice first.  Then add the beans.

Add the veggies

Next is the chicken.  It's hard not to nibble the chicken while it's waiting to be added to the bowl!

Top with whatever toppings you like.  I personally LOVE avocado, jalapeño (green) salsa [bottled], sour creams, and sliced jalapeño  peppers.  I didn't have any cheese but it didn't really need it.

Dig in!

My husband swears that if we did a side-by-side, blind taste test we wouldn't be able to taste the difference.  This is an easy weeknight meal that comes together in under an hour; even less if you put the chicken in the marinade in the morning or the evening before you go to bed.

True Blood is calling...  This newest season is CRAZY!!!  I can't wait to see what kind of mess Sookie gets herself into this evening!!!!

Oooey Gooey Cheesy Yumminess - AKA The Best Mac & Cheese EVER!!!

I've been MIA for a few days.  It was a crazy week!  The Husband and I went on a wonderful date last night to one of our favorite spots - Jinja!  We love the atmosphere and the food is good too!

The Husband had the Grilled Sashimi Tuna.  I had the Caesar Salad with Black Tiger Shrimp but didn'ttake a picture.  The dressing is a creamy ginger dressing.  I really wanted to lick the plate clean! We asked for a side of the cilantro-mint sauce and it is so lovely on the shrimp.  I am going to attempt to recreate that sauce at home!!!

Before leaving to teach a few days ago, I asked The Boys what they wanted for dinner.  The Middle Schooler immediately said, "Mac & Cheese!"  The High Schooler did a little Happy Dance at the mere thought of Mac & Cheese.  It's another one of those meals that comes together in minutes. I used to make a baked Mac & Cheese but one night when were too impatient to wait, I made a simple stove top version.  It's now my go to Mac & Cheese recipe!

Mac & Cheese
1 - 1 pound package elbow macaroni
1 - 8 ounce bag shredded sharp cheddar (you could also use mild cheddar or extra sharp)
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 cups milk (I used skim)
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the macaroni according to the package directions.  Once cooked, drain the pasta.  Melt the butter in the same pot you cooked the pasta in.  Add the flour to make a roux.  Cook for about a minute to get rid of the raw flour flavor.  Add the milk slowly to avoid lumps.  Stir until smooth and slightly thickened.  Add the cheese.  Stir until melted.  Add the pasta.  Mix until all pasta is coated.  Serve with a side of steamed or sauteed broccoli. Get out of the way!  The Boys love this and may throw an elbow or two to get to it!

I've been working really hard this summer to eat better and exercise more.  I'm starting to see some results (I've lost over 8 pounds!) and don't want to slip back into old habits.  I sauteed 2 broccoli crowns  with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper while I was making the cheese sauce.  I took a few spoon-fulls of the cheese sauce and poured it over the broccoli.  I cut down on some of the carbs but got the taste of the cheese sauce.  I'm not so naive as to believe cutting out a little macaroni makes this low cal but I'm sure I cut out at least 200 calories.  I cannot eat a small bowl of this.  I had a small serving of the pasta and a heap of broccoli.  It satisfies my craving for ooey-gooey-cheesy yumminess and I don't feel the carbohydrate loaded guilt later!

Off to the gym for our Saturday Sweat Sesh!  

To meat or not to meat...

The boys wanted meatballs.  We had beef yesterday.  I cannot eat beef 2 days in a row.  My tummy rebels.  We didn't have any ground turkey and after a hectic day, I didn't have it in me to go to the store.

(picture source: Biscuits & Banarsi)

So, before I left for work, I took out a package of ground beef.  I told The Husband that in addition to the beef meatballs, I planned to make Italian Veggie Balls as well.  He isn't a fan of beans - at all.  In fact, none of My Menfolk like beans. I love them.  Growing up, my Grandma always told me, "You cook for your husband."  I don't make any meals unless they're Husband approved.  The recipes for my meatballs and veggie balls  share the same ingredients so it wasn't too much of an effort to make both.  I wasn't in the mood for pasta.  I really wanted veggie ball sandwiches but didn't have any rolls.  I did have naan that we bought on impulse at Sprouts this weekend.

I really wanted something simple to make tonight because I have been battling a bit of a migraine and am just really tired.  Cooking calms me.  This meal is ideal.  It's an easy and fast weeknight meal.  

Meatballs

1 pound lean ground beef

1 egg

1/2 small onion, chopped

1/4 cup italian style bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon italian seasoning

1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash italian medley seasoning mix

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Mix together all of the ingredients in a bowl.  I don't love getting my hands dirty but I'll do it for meatballs.  Once all of the ingredients are mixed together, form 1" meatballs.  Place on a foil lined cookie sheet.  Cook in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or until the meatballs are done.  

Italian Veggie Balls

1 16 ounce can black beans

1 cup fresh spinach

1/2 small onion

1 egg

1/2 cup italian style bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon italian seasoning

1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash italian medley seasoning mix

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Have I mentioned my love of my food processor?  Oh how I love my food processor!!!  Toss everything into the food processor and pulse until all ingredients are well blended.

The mixture is a little sticky.  Form 1" balls and place on a cookie sheet.  Cook in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes.  

While the meatballs and veggie balls are cooking, heat some spaghetti sauce on the stovetop.  I didn't have any homemade in the freezer so I just used a jar of marinara I had in the pantry.  If I was making this on a weekend or a day off, I would make my homemade sauce.  

Once the meatballs and veggie balls are cooked, remove from the oven.  Mix in separate bowls with the marinara, leaving some out for the naan.

Place the naan on foil.  Spread a little marinara on each piece of naan.  Top with meatballs or veggie balls and cheese.  

This is mine with veggie balls.  My Menfolk all used meatballs.  The Middle Schooler added pepperoni to his.  The High Schooler had meatballs and veggie balls.  He was shocked that the veggie balls are made from black beans and spinach.  He thought they were really good.  

You can cook these in the oven or on the grill.  I love cooking on the grill so that's what I decided to do tonight.  The kitchen was really warm after cooking the meatballs and it's nice and cool today.  Put the foil with the naan on the grill.  Close the lid and cook until the cheese is melted and bubbly.  

                                          Italian Veggie Balls

                                          Meatballs

The Husband tried one of the veggie balls.  He said they were really good.  He wished they were flatter so they didn't have a bean-y texture on the inside.  The outside has a nice crispy texture and the inside is smooth and almost creamy.  The flavor is spot on for a meatball without the heaviness of a meatball.  I love this recipe!!!  It's a great alternative for a meatless meal!  

Getting over a case of the Mondays

I wasn't in a great mood today.  My head hurt.  I was tired and a little whiny. I wanted to go here...

This is Edja Lake (or Lac Edja).  It's outside of Gracefield, Quebec.  It's my favorite place on the planet.  My sister took this picture when my family was there last week.  Since that wasn't an option, all I wanted to do was come home, cook something yummy and cuddle with my Menfolk.   And hang out with this guy...  This is Leo.  He's our French Bulldog.  I adore him.  He met me at the door today.  The Husband was right behind him with a hug and a kiss.  Then he got me a cold Stout.  I love that man!

Pretzel Roll Cheeseburgers

Pretzel Rolls (we bought these at Sprouts)
Burger Patties - We had a ton in the freezer that we didn't use for a get-together last month that I wanted to use up (you can make your own, use turkey burgers, or veggie burgers if you don't eat meat)
Stout Peppers & Onions (see recipe below)
Cheddar Cheese

Stout Peppers & Onions

On my drive home, I was thinking about what goes well with pretzels.  First thought?  BEER!!!  ...and mustard.  I was already planning to make some caramelized onions and bell peppers for the burgers so I  decided to kick it up a notch.  In the immortal words of Emeril Lagasse: BAM!

1 small onion
1 small bell pepper
1 jalapeño
1/2 beef broth (not pictured)
1/4 cup Stout beer (or any beer you prefer - if you don't drink beer at all, just leave it out)
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
1 teaspoon minced garlic
salt & pepper to taste

I threw some tater tots in the over and started cooking the peppers.  Once the grill was hot enough, I threw the pre-formed burgers on the grill.  My sister Sarah came for dinner with a bag of cabbage in hand and a please-oh-please-make-me-coleslaw-because-I-missed-it-yesterday grin.  I couldn't say no so I made a quick batch of cole slaw.

When the burgers were done, I melted some shredded cheddar on top.  This meal came together in less than 30 minutes.  The peppers and onions have a great tang from the beer and mustard.  It was a really great burger!!!

After cooking dinner and spending some time with the fam, I'm feeling much more like myself.

Oh believe me; I do!!!!