Tag Archives: cooking

Chocolate, PB, & Fear Vegetables

Posted on February 15, 2012 | 10 Comments

I woke up with a little Valentine’s Day hangover this morning and wasn’t in the mood for anything but my cafe.

(Mischief  Champion)

So I just sat around looking sullen while Kevin ate breakfast and drank a few sips of my coffee. It’s always too hot for me until I get to work!

Around 10AM, my stomach had righted itself, and I dug out my PB Puffins. Yay!! I actually stayed at work for a lunch meeting today! I’m such a young professional! Haha. We ordered Jimmy John’s which I was a little skeptical about, but it turned out okay. Trust me when I say that I Googled the nutrition facts to find something that wasn’t a complete carb trap. The Veggie Club has 773 calories and 38 grams of fat – FYI!

And some chocolate for my afternoon snack!! I love these little guys. They’re on sale this week at King Sooper’s! I remember always wanted to buy the mini chocolate soymilks when I lived in the DR, but I actually did the peso-dollar calcuation (for once in my life) and they were about $3 a piece!!

Today’s workout: 5.10 miles running + a kettlebell workout!

We completed a version of this Summer Bikini Blast workout from MyoMytv. I always study the videos and take notes before I go to the gym. I swear I was even dreaming about kettlebell form last night! I kid you not!

I actually talked Kevin James into trying it! That’s a miracle. He’s usually very skeptical of the tabata-ish workouts I do. It’s probably because I make so many painful noises. I got to practice my personal training skills on him! His squats and lunges made me very nervous!! We really need to work on his form! :)

I will say he took my pointers very well. And he should. They were mostly direct quotes from the like of Jillian Michaels! He did get a little sassy with me a few times, but I know it’s tough being beat by a girl. I got my karma for being a pain because I cranked my neck weird while doing show-off jumping jacks. It takes a special to feel the need to show off during jumping jacks… It still feels weird to turn my head!

Today I conquered one of my fear vegetables. Kale!

Whole Grain Spaghetti with Garlicky Kale & Tomatoes.

It was NOT love at first bite. But after a few tries, it tasted kind of like a crunchy spinach/broccoli type thing. I like spinach and broccoli!! I’ll keep working on it!

My other fear food is edamame. Yeah, I thought it was a vegetable there for a second. Give me a break. It looks like peas! Yuck!

I tricked Kevin into doing dishes while I constructed the ultimate chocolate dessert for him. Really, it was just leftovers of the 2-ingredient fudge and last night’s cake crumbled up in a mini trifle bowl! I licked the frosting knife for my dessert. My life is so rough. Haha.

Kevin also scored these questionable chocolates that I found on my desk this morning….  What a brave soul.

What about you? Any chocolate and/or pb today? Both. Kind of.

Any fear foods/vegetables? Not to be confused with vegetables you dislike. Ones that you are actually afraid to try.

Would you eat a questionable sweet? Just something to think about.

P.S. Thanks for all your sweet requests for the second installment of our How We Met series. These things take time. I have to wordsmith them, unlike my daily onslaught of words posts!

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Cookie Friday Fail + My Chocolate Cake Redemption

Posted on January 27, 2012 | 14 Comments

Today’s workout: 4.25 mile run + 2.10 on the elliptical. I know, it’s weird. I ellipticized. But I have this blister and after a mile of running, I didn’t think I was going to be able to hack it. So I got on the elliptical. Two miles on that thing seemed to numb the pain (and my brain), and I was able to run again!! The elliptical is not my friend, but I guess it helped me out today!

Let me be clear. I did not fail to MAKE cookies — it’s just that, the cookies were a failure.

You see, I really am firm in my belief that “too much of a good thing is a good thing”, and I put way too much marshmallow fluff. I’m sure this is a perfectly good recipe for Hot Cocoa Cookies – if you follow it correctly.

As you can see, that didn’t stop Kevin from scraping them off and eating a few! I decided to give myself a little grace since I was out of flour last night, and I was not in the mood for another flop!

And since I have to do everything I can to prove that I’m good enough for the baby of the family ;) , I decided to think up a super chocolatey recipe for my father-in-law.

And then I remembered Deidre’s famous chocolate cake. She even made it for our wedding! We were emailing it up (like always!), and she sent me the link.

I was really nervous about the bundt cake flipping, but I decided to go for it!

Too Much Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

  • 1 (18.25 ounce) package devil’s food cake mix
  • 1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a well-greased 12 cup bundt pan.
  3. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan at least an hour and a half before inverting onto a plate If desired, dust the cake with powdered sugar + I added SPRINKLES!

YUMMY!! Kevin looks so dreamy! :)

Like father like son! ;)

For some reason we felt the need to eat dinner before dessert – lasagna magherit! I made it ahead of time this afternoon (while I was unfortunately not at an interview), and just popped it in the oven when it was time for dinner.  Just the pasta, the ricotta, basil, sauce, and cheese! So simple & delish.

After dinner was game time!

Aren’t they cute in their matching vests?

My husband has quite the game face. Man, I just love him so much!

And now, before bedtime, I have some very important questions for you.

Chocolate or vanilla? I’d probably choose vanilla. Vanilla fro-yo is definitely better than chocolate fro-yo. And everything goes back to fro-yo, right?

Cake or cookies? Cake. It’s more likely to have frosting!

Board games or movie night? Board games!! Unless I want to blog. Than movie night because I can rarely just watch a movie or tv. I have to multi-task!

P.S. That chocolate cake is the BEST! And it was super easy to whip up. You should definitely try it. Word on the street is that there’s also a lower cal version that uses fat free sour cream + sugar-free pudding. I should’ve read the reviews first…

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Posted in Family, Fitness, Food

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Black Bean & Sweet Potato Tostadas + Birth Order

Posted on January 17, 2012 | 20 Comments

I think I have found the best recipe of January!!! This one was KILLER. Kevin and I agreed that broiling the corn tortillas was what made it special.

Black Beans & Sweet Potato Tostadas

Recipe via Two Peas & Their Pod <—- (Also the Cookie Recipe QUEEN!)

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes, washed, peeled, and cut into small cubes
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 corn tortillas (we used Tortilla Land)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 avocado, diced
1 lime, cut into wedges
Shredded cheese (optional)
Salsa or hot sauce (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place sweet potato cubes on a large baking sheet. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until sweet potatoes are soft and tender. Stir a couple of times while they are roasting.

2. In a non-stick skillet, heat corn tortillas over medium-high heat. When tortillas start to bubble up, flip and heat the other side until golden brown, about 30 seconds for each side. Place tortillas on a baking sheet and lightly spray with cooking spray. Place under a hot broiler for about 2 minutes. Remove from oven and turn over tortillas. Place tortillas back under the broiler for another two minutes.

3. Heat black beans over the stove or in the microwave. Top tortillas with beans, sweet potatoes, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and any other toppings you desire. Serve warm.

*Note-these are a little messy, we just pick them up and eat them with our hands:)

** Corrie Anne added a layer of nonfat Greek yogurt as sour cream because she thought it would be nice.

Now I can’t stop thinking about other tostada toppings!! And the little corn tortillas we used were only 99 cents! :)   I’m going crazy with the sweet potatoes and bananas lately. They’re two foods I’ve always hated, but I’ve discovered I like prepared in more nontraditional ways!

We actually used the broil setting twice today. I was trying to teach Kevin the wonder of broiled grapefruit. They didn’t turn out too great, mainly because I took them out to soon. The pan was smoking & bent in two so I thought they were done. I was also experimenting with using Truvia. It tasted great, but didn’t brown up nice and pretty the way brown sugar does. That should’ve been predictable!!

So, when it comes to birth order, my husband is the baby of the family. Can you guess what I am?

Doesn’t he just looked like the spoiled baby eating the cake batter pancakes?

Me?

I’m a middle child. Classic. Middle child. There are six in my family, but there’s a big gap between the oldest three and youngest three so I definitely got the middle child going on.

I’m always teasing Kevin about this when he says something totally bratty to me so I thought I’d do some serious research (via Match.com).

If you’re a middle child…
Contrary to their reputation as insecure messes (example: Jan Brady), middle kids actually make stable and loyal partners. “One thing you’re not is spoiled,” Dr. Leman says. You probably grew up feeling like you got less attention than your siblings, and that drives you to work for every perk — including a happy relationship. Also in the “positives” category: You’re “a compromiser and negotiator,” Dr. Leman notes, so you’ll give your partner plenty of say in everything from how quickly your relationship progresses to where you go on vacation together. And your romance should be free of daily petty squabbles (middles hate conflict); instead, you try to put others at ease. Best match: Youngest child. “Middles aren’t as threatened by last-borns as they are by exacting first-borns,” says Dr. Leman, so the odds are good for open communication.

Sweet!! I married my best match. I’m definitely a negotiator and a peacekeeper, but I wouldn’t say I felt neglected. I was the only girl at that point…. :)

My description actually fits me a lot better than Kevin’s fits him. Contrary to the stereotype of many youngest children, Kevin is extremely responsible… but he is hilarious and makes me laugh a LOT.

What’s your birth order? Do you think the stereotypes apply to you? Middle. Yes, for the most part. And if you’re married, which birth order did you marry? Middle + Baby forever. I’m sorry. I know there isn’t LOADS of truth to this, but there is some and I find it fascinating. Although temperament is probably an even bigger factor.

What food did you used to hate, but you like now? I just started liking avocado when I lived in the DR! I used to fear the green!! I still hate bananas, but I like them in smoothies/oatmeal/anything where that nasty string texture is not present.

When’s the last time you broiled something? Twice today!

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Posted in Food, Healthy recipes, Vida/Life

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Mondays Aren’t So Bad + Baked Mac ‘n’ Cheese With Spinach

Posted on January 16, 2012 | 18 Comments

(source)

So Monday wasn’t so bad, right? I was trying to shake a bad attitude all weekend. I was totally dreading going back to work, and it was making me waste weekend time! I hate that!!! I eventually snapped out of it, and today wasn’t even bad at all!

Tonight’s dinner was a healthified baked mac ‘n’ cheese. I could eat comfort food dinners like this every night in January!!!

Recipe via Eating Well

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons plain dry breadcrumbs
  • 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 16-ounce or 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed  Or fresh. It’ll be fine!
  • 1 3/4 cups low-fat milk, divided
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese <—- I accidentally just used 1.5 cups, and it was fine!!!
  • 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste LOTS!
  • 8 ounces (2 cups) whole-wheat elbow macaroni, or penne

Preparation

  1. Put a large pot of water on to boil. Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat an 8-inch-square (2-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.
  2. Mix breadcrumbs, oil and paprika in a small bowl. Place spinach in a fine-mesh strainer and press out excess moisture.
  3. Heat 1 1/2 cups milk in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until steaming. Whisk remaining 1/4 cup milk and flour in a small bowl until smooth; add to the hot milk and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce simmers and thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Cheddar until melted. Stir in cottage cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
  4. Cook pasta for 4 minutes, or until not quite tender. (It will continue to cook during baking.) Drain and add to the cheese sauce; mix well. Spread half the pasta mixture in the prepared baking dish. Spoon the spinach on top. Top with the remaining pasta; sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture.
  5. Bake the casserole until bubbly and golden, 25 to 30 minutes.

Nutrition

Per serving : 576 Calories; 22 g Fat; 11 g Sat; 2 g Mono; 69 mg Cholesterol; 63 g Carbohydrates; 37 g Protein; 9 g Fiber; 917 mg Sodium; 403 mg Potassium

I topped mine with broccoli for some extra GREENS!

Earlier…

Kevin and I realized when we got my office building and the streets were dead that it was MLK Day! I wanted to get back into the car right then!!!! The good news is that the elevators weren’t crowded.

Notice my hair? I washed it this weekend. My husband noticed and complimented me on my hair. I’m really thinking that was probably a hint to wash it more often. It’s not my fault it’s winter. I can’t have my hair freezing! I’m cold enough already!

Pickings were pretty slim since we were too lazy to go to the grocery store last night. But apparently not too lazy to walk 2 miles right before bedtime. That’s weird. Kevin scored the Lean Cuisine pizza we had in the freezer and I went with spinachy eggs on a bagel thin with a little smear of basil. That’s spinach in 2/3 meals today if you’re counting! :)

A smoothie in a cup — with leftovers packed for an afternoon snack at work!! It was hard, but I forced myself to wait until 3PM to dig into that!!

I guess I shouldn’t have made fun of Kevin wearing pj pants on our walk last night when I was sporting this glamorous look as I left the office today. I do NOT waste time in the locker room. That place kinda freaks me out. Also, I was home schooled and I have serious issues getting the lockers to work!

Today’s workout: I ended up with 5.57 miles @ 7:43 pace. Kevin says I have no willpower at the gym. I totally meant to take it easy. I’m a little anxious because I need new shoes, but I don’t want to switch till next week. Meanwhile, I’ve been a little sore and a little tight so I want to take it easy. But, the girl who sold us our gym membership got on the treadmill next to me, and I had to show her who’s boss. I can’t help it. That girl drove me crazy with her poor salesmanship – I still can’t get over it. I don’t think she’s used to selling memberships to people with a lot of gym experience. Haha. After my run, I did some time doing stairs/incline and a random 3.0 on the spin bike.

Can I just say something? Eating a variety of healthy foods on a budget is tricky. It requires patience. It requires planning. And I am still learning the art. Especially while I am still pantry building. At least I will have caradmom for the next 5 years!

The good news?

We got berries! 4 blackberries and 2 strawberries! They were a steal!

I resisted the urge to buy the new PB Cheerios! You know that was tough for me!! Doesn’t that sound good? Peanut Butter Cheerios?!?! But I figured, they are new, there must be a coupon somewhere?!  Instead, we went with 4 boxes of Kellogg’s because they were on sale and if we bought 4, we got a gallon of milk free!! See! We’re making progress! And still totally in grocery budget for the month of January.

Did you have to work today? I’m super nice so I’m hoping you had the day off. :)

What’s your grocery shopping process look like? Mine is evolving. I just can’t imagine myself to ever exactly plan my meals around like sales and coupons. I have plans. I have things I want to try!!!

What should I do with ALL THOSE BERRIES! yay!

P.S. I’m a huge fan of this post on Fitnessista! Winter Shape Up 2012. So many good ideas!

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Cookie Friday: Chai Spiced Sugar Cookies + My Baking Uniform

Posted on January 13, 2012 | 16 Comments

Make these if you want your house to smell heavenly!

Chai Spiced Sugar Cookies  (via My Baking Addiction)

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl combine sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, allspice and black pepper. Remove 1/4 cup of the sugar-spice mixture, set aside to reserve for rolling the cookies.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar-spice mixture until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

5. Beat in egg and vanilla extract, combine until fully incorporated.

6. Slowly blend in dry ingredients mixing until just combined.

7. Using a small scoop (2 teaspoons) roll dough into balls and then into the reserved sugar-spice mixture. Place dough balls on prepared baking sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart.

7. Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

8. Let stand on baking sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

Don’t you even THINK about skipping the caradmom. It is KEY! I promise. Even if you have to pay over $8 for it. That was a painful moment for me in the grocery store today, but I am still on budget. And that cardamom will last me a while.

Do you want to see what I bake in?

I wish it was this.

But as you can see in the calendar behind me – that was in July! When I was blissfully unemployed, tanned, and manicured! :)

Today?

Head to toe sweatylicious black! It wasn’t until I saw this picture that I realized there was an actual HANDPRINT on my pants. It doesn’t get classier than that. But I figure, why not use my pants? They’re about to going into the washing machine as soon as I get these cookies in the oven.

I thought it would be cool to pose with some measuring spoons so kinda paint the picture. A better thought would’ve been to just get in the shower already.

Do you want to know the most upsetting part of my day? I know, my life is too easy, but they postponed Jeopardy! till 1:30 AM  so they could do more Tebow fangirl coverage in Denver. 6:00PM is my treadmill tv time, and I don’t appreciate it being messed with!! Haha.

What do you bake in? I wish I could say heels. When I used to bake in the DR, I would generally be in a swimsuit because it got so hot in the kitchen. That caused some close calls, but no serious burns!!

Just curious, do you have caradmom in your spice cabinet? I do now!

P.S.  Just for fun: July Cookie Fridays!

 

 

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Thai Fried Quinoa & 1-2-1-3-1-4-1-5-1-6-1-7-1-6-1-5-1-4-1-3-1-2-1

Posted on January 11, 2012 | 26 Comments

I feel so proud. I’m becoming such an adventurous eater. I remember a point in my life where about 80% of my meals were what I called “noodles & sauce.” Yeah. It’s what it sounds like. Half a box of pasta with some tomato sauce. And maybe a little black pepper if I was feeling daring. In college I spent a semester eating McNuggets at McDonald’s everyday with a friend (including once while watching Supersize Me). I could still fit my PacSun jeans, but I couldn’t have been a picture of health!

Check me out now. Today was my first time making quinoa. I’m new so I was thinking of tabbouleh when I chose this recipe. Oddly, Kevin is a huge tabbouleh fan. That’s so not him. I wonder what happened there. Anyways, I picked the recipe because I knew he liked tabbouleh. And then, I was thinking it was going to be couscous. Someone needs to write a primer on these things for me!

Thai Fried Quinoa (loosely adapted and de-veganized version inspired by Peas & Thank You)

Ingredients

  • 1 c. dry quinoa
  • 1 c. light coconut milk
  • 1 c. vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
  • 1/3 c. chopped green onions
  • 1 T. minced ginger
  • 2 t. minced garlic
  • 1 c. frozen peas (Or green beans or broccoli. Peas are gross!!!)
  • 1 c. pineapple
  • 1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
  • 1 T. lime juice
  • 2 T. reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 1/2 c. scrambled tofu (I subbed an egg! I’m so bad).
  • Optional garnishes: lime wedges, peanuts, cilantro, cherry tomatoes

Instructions

  • Place a saucepan over medium-high heat and add quinoa, stirring every minute or so until quinoa is toasted.
  • Combine coconut milk and vegetable broth and add to quinoa.
  • Bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.
  • Meanwhile, coat a large skillet with cooking spray or a light spritz of oil and place over medium-high heat. Add green onion, ginger and garlic and sauté for a minute or two.
  • Add veggies, pineapple, and cilantro and sauté for an additional minute.
  • Add quinoa to the skillet and cook until starting to slightly brown and crisp.
  • Finish with lime juice and soy sauce and add in scrambled tofu (or egg), if using.
  • Garnish & serve.

I added unsweetened shredded coconut and PB2 (in lieu of peanuts). I need to study some of the health benefits of quinoa (and practice pronouncing it so I don’t sound like a loser). All I know is that it has protein in it and Wikipedia says it’s close related to “beets, spinach, & tumbleweeds.” Haha.

I wasn’t feeling the red beans & rice leftovers so I made a nice little bowl of my own with black beans, brown rice, broccoli, garlic, & salsa! It was kinda gross, but I ate it. The broccoli was pretty old, and it needed some kind of sauce. Oh well.

For some reason I decided that this bag of Habanero kettle chips would be a good pre-workout snack. When just yesterday I was complaining about TOAST bothering my stomach. Luckily, I had them at 3:00 so they had quite a while to digest. It wasn’t my fault! I had planned a Greek yogurt for a snack, but it froze in the break room refrigerator. Or at least I think that’s what happened. It was all separated and super nasty. Have you ever had that happen? It’s not pretty. Surprisingly, the chips didn’t bother me till I was a 5k in!

I have been refusing to miss JEOPARDY! this week because I am a huge fan of Dan McShane!!!! Look at that guy rock a cardigan!!!

But I promised myself I wouldn’t waste my treadmill time and would get in a decent workout. So I channeled a little missfitrunner and got myself a PLAN!

Incline or Die

  • 5 minute warm-up @ about 8:00 min pace
  • Adjust to goal marathon pace (or pace of your choosing)
  • 1 minute at each of these fun inclines 1-2-1-3-1-4-1-5-1-6-1-7-1-6-1-5-1-4-1-3-1-2-1
  • Cooldown

I didn’t cooldown there. I decided to run faster. I’m crazy like that. Once I start running, I feel better! I finished 7.63 miles in 1 hour. That’s about a 7:51 pace. I was happy to get a good quality run in versus just doing junk cardio miles. Yay!

But Kevin was done working out by that time so I didn’t get any more gym time. Boo.

I’m never wearing this Minnie Mouse tank top to the gym again. It’s kinda loose on the bottom and it like flapped across my stomach the whole 7.63 miles. And THAT is why runners tend to like tight clothes. That’s highly annoying.

Would you rather do incline or speed interval workouts? Haha. That’s such a workout nerd question. But I love to run inclines. I hate running for speed. That’s just my preferred order of torture!

Do you consider yourself an adventurous eater? I can’t really say yes. I hate most meat, seafood, most condiments, bananas, or peas. My skepticism on sauces and meat often makes me hesitant to try things at restaurants or especially pot lucks. You never know what people are going to put mayo in. Gross!

Do you eat any of the following: couscous, quinoa, or tabbouleh? Just curious. Where I come from, I’m still trying to teach them that hummus and feta cheese are not overly exotic. :)

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Posted in Fitness, Food, Healthy recipes, Running

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