not always as planned

Posted: April 16, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Educational Bits, General Ramblings, Meals, Recipes | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Saturday I had this great idea to make these mini pizzas. It didn’t work the way I wanted and was totally discouraged. I’m going to share what I did anyways, just to show you dinner doesn’t always have to follow your plan for it to be balanced and delicious.

Here’s where I went wrong: I didn’t look up the recipe. Because I didn’t look it up, my measurements were off. I used 2 pounds of dough, with the intention of freezing at least half of my yield for the week after the wedding. I knew I wouldn’t be up for cooking the first couple days we were home – actually I probably won’t be up for grocery shopping, the cooking is easy. I have the hardest time with pizza dough. I canNOT get it to stretch out and form a nice thin crust. Never have been. I have found ways to make it work like par baking the crust so it doesn’t rise so much and won’t be gooey after we add toppings. So Saturday I knew the general idea of the recipe, put dough in muffin pans, top with goodies and bake. But my normal issue arose and I couldn’t get them flat. So I decided to just cut up the dough in 14 standard muffins and 10 mini muffins. I poked them with a fork so they wouldn’t puff too much and baked them for 10 minutes at 350. Meanwhile I chopped up some turkey meatballs. When the muffins were nearly finished (still a little doughy in the middle) I put them on a rack to cool.

Then a few hours later when it was time for dinner I preheat the oven to 350 and sliced the pizza dough muffins in half like a hamburger. Next was the assembly line. The muffin halves were lined up on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Each half got a dollop of tomato sauce, a sprinkling of meatball and then fresh grated parmesan and pecorino. They went back in the oven for 10 minutes until crispy and warmed through. We served it with a large salad. Not as intended, but still delicious.

We have the muffins left over and so when I am ready to use again I will defrost the night before then when it’s time for dinner I can get these guys ready in about 15 minutes.

Oh and we have a dog now… Unless his owner claims him before the wedding.
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Spicy Breakfast for dinner

Posted: March 1, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Meals, Recipes | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The other day I mentioned a frittata I made. It was one of those fantastic things that you create with the random ingredients you have on hand. A few weeks ago I picked up my Bountiful Basket and also got a guacamole pack. There was so much food I was running out of inspiration to use everything before it went bad. I had this genius idea to make a Mexican-inspired frittata. You know, eggs, jalapeno, avocado, salsa, cheese, etc. I have only made a few frittatas in my day and only one of them has turned out well. Oddly enough it was the first one I ever made and I have not been able to duplicate the results until this Mexican frittata. Do you have some goodies laying around? Or feel like going out of your way to try my concoction? Here’s what you will need…

Mexican Frittata

  • 4 eggs
  • 1/3 cup egg substitute
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup pico de gallo
  • 1/4 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 jalapeno, diced
  • 1/2 tablespoon butter
  • 3 tablespoons shredded reduced fat cheese

Preheat oven to 350. In an oven-safe medium skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter and stir to coat pan evenly. Meanwhile whisk together eggs, egg beaters, pico, milk and jalapeno until well-combined. Add mix to skillet slowly. You want to work the egg mixture gently in the pan but keep the liquid moving so all portions get heated. This is just to start the process of cooking before placing pan in the oven. See this video for a visual (Giada). Next, I bake it for 7-10 minutes. You want the eggs to be set and the top to be a light golden brown.

You will get four servings out of this. I served ours with roasted potatoes and onions (1/2 pound potatoes, 1/2 medium yellow onion, 1/2 jalapeno diced; roasted at 400 for 35 minutes with oil, salt, and pepper) but you could also add a side salad and or some crusty bread.

Taco Salad – dinner and lunch

Posted: January 9, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Meals, Recipes | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Taco salad is one of Carver’s favorites and one that I haven’t tried previously with any success. The recipe came to us from Donna. I made up the proportions and they seemed to work well. This recipe yielded four servings- two for lunch and two for dinner. The salad is so hearty that it held very well from the evening to lunch the next day. The only thing I would recommend is to keep the chips and dressing separate (from the other ingredients and each other) and add on right before eating. No one likes a soggy salad or chip!

Taco Salad

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped and divided
1 pound ground beef (96/4)
1/2 packet taco seasoning
1 avocado, cubed
1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
3 ounces doritos, crumbled and divided
10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
4 ounces low-fat cheese, cubed
1/2 cup light French dressing, divided

Cook beef in large skillet over medium high heat until cooked through. Drain off any excess fat and add in taco seasoning and 1/2 cup warm water; stir to combine. Cover, reduce heat and simmer about 5 minutes until sauce is thickened.
While sauce thickens prepare salad. Combine romaine, beans, avocado and tomatoes in a large bowl. Mix well and then divide up. Half of this will be for your lunches. Once the beef has cooked, give it a good stir and put half of the beef towards the dinner salad and the remainder for the lunch salads. Now to add in the chips, cheese and dressing. Mix away. *note: remember the dressing and chips shouldn’t go right in with the lunch salads yet.
That’s all. Yep. That wasn’t so bad, right? In about twenty minutes you have managed to get a healthy and balanced dinner on the table and tomorrow’s lunch in the fridge.
This is also a great option for last-minute guests. Super easy and tasty.

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Quality time with mom

Posted: October 31, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: General Ramblings, Meals | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

So a few weeks ago my mom came to visit. It was a whirlwind weekend, but we got a lot done and it was nice to spend some quality time with her. The majority of our work was for the wedding but we did some serious eating while she was here to. There were 3 places I had to introduce her to. Pita Jungle, Sprinkles, and Seasons 52. Yummy… Such a yummy weekend. Falafel, hummus, cupcakes and salads… Especially because she brough cake pops! oh my… I must make these once I have guaranteed someone to help me eat them (Jen, Gina… ahem).

I did so well taking photos early in the day… But by the time we scarfed down cupcakes I was almost comatose and thus there are no dinner photos. Please forgive me. I promise to return to Seasons 52 to get you photos… Maybe a lunch shot would be more successful.

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Tomato-Beet Salad

Posted: September 5, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: General Ramblings, Recipes | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I believe my taste is fairly simple. I like things clean and classic and well executed. I like foods the way they were intended. Tomatoes for example – a good tomato with a drizzle of oil and S&P is a delight. Equally delicious is  a perfectly cooked or served crimson beet. I found two recipes for tomato salads that just screamed of summer. I liked them so much individually I was convinced they must be joined. I plan on eating this for lunch this week along side a chunk of artisan whole wheat bread. YUMM

Tomato Beet Salad

  • 2 medium beets, cleaned and peeled
  • 1 pound fresh tomato, variety of sizes/colors
  • 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 1 small shallot, minced
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 bag arugula, rinsed and drained

 

Preheat oven to 425. Place beets on piece of foil on baking sheet. Spray with non-stick spray and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper. Fold foil around beets and roast for 45 minutes. (If you buy the beets that are already cooked, like Trader Joe’s in the packaged produce section, use the whole package and rinse them then roast them as instructed but for only 7 minutes.)

 

Let beets cool for approximately 10 minutes. Rinse tomatoes… now it is time to cut your produce. You can cut these however you would like, though I would suggest dicing the tomatoes and beets or slicing them in to ½” thick coins.

 

In a large bowl whisk together oil, vinegar, ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper, shallot and oregano. Add in the beets, tomatoes and arugula. Toss to coat.

 

Serves 4. 3 Points Plus per serving. If you would like, you can also crumble in 1 ounce semi-soft goat cheese before serving which increases the points by 1.

Pizza and beer?

Posted: July 9, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: General Ramblings, Meals | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Saturday morning! But not just any Saturday, this Saturday started with Jen!! We have a fun afternoon planned- lunch, shopping, maybe a cupcake or two to go with our coffee.
Last night was date night for Carver and I, and we had a great time. We drove to downtown Phoenix and had dinner at Pizzeria Bianco. This restaurant was featured on Food Network and it is one of Carver’s favorite pizza places.
The room was tiny but smelled amazing, but we were told there was an hour-long wait. So we went to their bar and had a beer and a ham-cheese panino. Super greasy but very good, and it was served with a warm stony grain mustard and homemade bread and butter pickles which made me want pickles at the reception.
After a quick 25 minutes we were seated and I let Carver do all the ordering: caprese salad, farmhouse salad, and a wiseguys pizza. The caprese salad was very good, and the tomatoes had formed a tasty sauce at the bottom of the plate which was great for dipping the ciabatta in. The farmhouse salad was very nice: arugula and watercress in a lemony vinaigrette with goat cheese and fresh figs. And the pizza you ask? Well it had caramelized onions, Italian sausage and a creamy cheese blend. The crust was light and crispy and full of flavor.
All in all a delicious date night and we will certainly be back.

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Cat is out of the box

Posted: July 8, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: General Ramblings, Meals, Recipes | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Last night was rough. I couldn’t fall asleep and when I did I tossed and turned all night. I also had my first wedding nightmare- glad that’s over with. So today got going a little later than I had intended, what with my mandatory catch-up nap and all.
I realized last night amid the tossing and turning that I promised some earth shattering news yesterday and never delivered – will you ever forgive me? Hopefully yes. So anyways this news that has me all riled up is about lunches. Mainly Carver’s lunches this week- no sandwiches, all salads! Amazing!! And what’s even better is he enjoyed them! Basically I made homemade chipotle ingredients and the couscous salad along with some sautéed and broiled protein and just assembled each morning. It was great, because he really enjoyed it, it kept him full, and it is really good for him.
The couscous salad recipe can be found on the recipes page. The chipotle recipes I got from http://www.chipotlefan.com and honestly I wasn’t thrilled with the amount of effort they required given the end product. So check it out if you would like, I plan on doing more research to find a better, easier option- which I will share once I find it.
Today I was planning on studying for my boards, cleaning and doing more work on this website, but those plans have changed. Instead I will be working on par sheets and trying to set up a meal plan for 2.5 people on a budget. The other challenge is that next week I start my (awesome, amazing, exciting) new job and thus will not be home all day to slave over the stove. Ahhh challenges.
I think I need a cup of coffee before I take this one head-on.

Happy Friday all!!

cool dinner on a warm night

Posted: June 13, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Meals, Recipes | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A few weeks ago I had an amazing lunch in Brookline, MA at Zaftigs. It was a couscous salad in a fresh vinaigrette with grilled chicken and mixed field greens. It was filling and refreshing but not heavy. I decided to try recreating it using the online menu description and my memory. What I came up with was not an identical salad, but it was equally delicious in its own way.

I'm sorry, did you want the last bite?

Couscous Salad with Chicken

This dish works well at any temperature – from right off the stove to just out of the refrigerator. When I had this at the restaurant they served it with a few slices of pita bread, which would be an easy addition. The following recipe serves 4.

  • 2/3 cup Israeli couscous
  • 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons warm water
  • 1 teaspoon minced shallots
  • 1/4 cup diced red onion (about 1/4 of a small onion)
  • 2 medium chicken breasts
  • 4 mint leaves, minced
  • zest and juice of 1 orange
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons orange juice
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 3 – 6 cups mixed field greens, rinsed and dried

In a small saucepan heat the couscous, shallots and 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium-high heat until toasted and lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Slowly add in water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes until water has been absorbed. Add in red onion, stir and remove from heat – keep cover on the pan. Meanwhile grill or sauté the chicken breasts until cooked through, about 5 minutes on each side depending on thickness. Let the chicken cool and then cut or shred into bite-sized pieces. In a serving bowl combine the zest, juice, mint leaves and remaining olive oil- whisking to make the vinaigrette adding in salt and pepper to taste. To the bowl, add the: couscous, cranberries, pecans and diced chicken. Mix to coat ingredients with vinaigrette and let sit (at room temperature or in fridge) until ready to serve.

To serve, place 1-2 cups mixed greens on a plate or in a bowl and top with 1 cup of couscous salad.

Points Plus: 10

my week measured by meals

Posted: April 19, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: General Ramblings | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

                                
The To-Do list around here is still a bit excessive, but we have been eating well and trying to keep up on sleep and fun.

   

As always it’s a matter of balance. In 23 days I will have handed in my last exam, and in 31 days I will be graduating. Somewhere around day 16 I expect being able to update more often. But until then, know that I am keeping on top of things and keeping myself healthy. I have not been able to include everything I want to (regular blogging, planned exercise, etc), but I have still gotten a lot done. This week is a major prep time for me as next week is packed.

Not much wedding planning going on now, but I have started looking for jobs. Last count was 3 applications in, I’m not sure anything will come from them but at least my name and resume are getting out there.

That’s all I have time for today, but remember to keep planning and enjoy what you do and everything you eat.

cabbage salad

Posted: February 19, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Meals, Recipes | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I have had a roller coaster week, though it is ending on a very high note. Kyle is staying with us for a few days which will be lots of fun. He is planning on making us dinner one night so I will share photos and recipes as I get them. We made 5 recipes from the Just 5 book this week and we have another 12 recipes planned over the next 10 days. So far we have made: Baby greens with gorgonzola and almonds, Napa-beef slaw with dressing, Simmered Italian-style pork chops, Pasta with chicken sausage and artichokes, and Mussels in spicy garlic broth. Coming up this week: beet salad, broccoli with parmesan and shallots, quinoa with fruit and nuts, roasted tomatoes, bruschetta, chicken and black bean burritos, simmered chicken thighs, fried rice, garlic cream topped filet mignon, lemon sautéed fish, vegetable frittata, and rosemary-balsamic pork. I am planning on making the filet mignon tonight with roasted broccoli, cauliflower and carrots and a side of fettucine hungry girlfredo.

I knew time would be a hot commodity this weekend, so I spent about an hour on Thursday night doing some meal planning and online grocery shopping. I plotted out 10 days worth of food: everything from meals to snacks, and included the points value for each item, and the page number for the recipes all on a grid hanging in my kitchen. For the online grocery shopping, it is a wonderful convenience but it is not without flaws. This delivery wasn’t too bad: minimal bruises on bananas, 30 minutes late, a poorly chosen Napa cabbage and as always the delivery fee. For this weekend, those cons are worth it for the time and energy saved. When the delivery came I looked at my menu plan and froze any protein that I wouldn’t use within 2 days and put everything away. Today I prepped the Napa cabbage and salad ingredients, and made up a batch of applesauce oatmeal. I also sorted my fridge so breakfast items were together and items for each meal were kept together.  On Monday I will prep the carrots for my snacks planned later in the week.

Things have been pretty crazy for my family recently and I have felt a bit stressed as there was not much I could do… or so I thought. I was reviewing my past blog entries and had an aha moment- when the words are hard to find a care package does the trick. So I am going to recruit help from the boys for something small. So look for a how to on care packages in the next couple posts. For now it is back to my project list then making our steakhouse dinner later this evening.

No-Knead 100% Whole Wheat Bread

This bread was decadent, easy and had a perfect moist crumb. You will get 16 slices out of each loaf and it is 3 points plus per slice. It is equally delicious at room temperature and toasted. We did not use it for sandwiches, it was most commonly paired with a cup of coffee, a piece of fruit and a little dab of butter and jam.

Napa Beef Slaw

Whisk together 6T low-fat raspberry vinaigrette with 1/2 medium shallot-chopped in a large bowl. Add 6c chopped Napa cabbage, 2 carrots peeled and diced, 10 cherry tomatoes– halved and toss to coat. Divide among 4 plates and top each evenly with 1 slice roast beef-diced and 2t gorgonzola cheese. Points Plus: 3