Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Six o'clock already, I was just in the middle of a dream

There's something about having a Monday off that inspires me.  It's sort of like I view it as a challenge.  How much stuff can I cram into a twenty-four hour period?

You can't just be lazy on a Monday free from work.  No, if you did it right, that's what your Saturday and Sunday were for.  The Bangles made it sound like "manic" was a bad thing, but here's what I did:

-Car wash, baby.  Close up enough that you can see it shine, but not so close up that you can see the scratches on the bumper. 
-Hour long bike ride
-Two hour boat ride with friends
-Re-upholstered the dining room chairs in a new floral print
-Painted three canvases to hang in our living room

Heavy on the crafts, I know.  The store was having a military appreciation sale where if you brought in military ID you got an extra 20% off.  I'm sure that the five years my husband spent in the Army were totally worth it knowing he saved his wife $11.73 on fabric.

 I invented a new dinner too.  I use the term "invention" loosely.  Having exhausted myself doing the above, I created "chili nachos."  Yeah, just go with it. 

Chili Nachos
-1 can light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
-1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
-1 small can fiesta corn (corn with added chiles/peppers)
-2 cans petite diced tomatoes with green chiles (such as Ro-Tel)
-1 pound lean ground beef or turkey
-1 large yellow onion, diced
-corn tortilla chips (I used Trader Joe's flaxseed chips)
-nonfat plain Greek yogurt
-shredded Cheddar
-chopped lettuce
-salsa

1. Saute onion and beef/turkey in a Dutch oven or large pot.  When fully cooked, add beans, corn, and tomatoes.  Season with pepper.  I added a pinch of chipotle seasoning as well.  Let simmer for 15-20 minutes.
2. That's essentially it.  You could certainly stop here.  But I had some chips and toppings to get rid of, so here's what I did:
Pile of chips. 
Pile of chili.
Sprinkle of cheese.
Blob of yogurt. 
Pile o' lettuce. 

There you go. 

It's just another Manic Monday.  My "cook and crafts and clean day."  That's my fun day. 

Whoooah-oh! 


Monday, May 21, 2012

Go-to greats

I'm not usually one to "mix it up."  I like routines.  I like lists.  I like things to be just to be like they were last time.  And the time before that.  And the time before that. 

I freaked out as a kid when my mom wanted the Christmas tree to be in the family room instead of the living room.  Nooooo!

I ask for the same flavor of birthday cake every year.  Oatmeal cake with coconut frosting!

I bring the same dish to potlucks, time and again.  Cream-cheese filled veggie bars!

And behold, people seem to like it.

Veggie Bars
-1 8-oz block Neufchatel cheese (reduced fat cream cheese), softened to room temperature
-1/2 cup olive oil reduced fat mayo
-1 Tablespoon chopped dill
-1 teaspoon onion powder
-1 cup chopped carrots
-1 cup chopped broccoli
-1 cup chopped cauliflower
-1 tube crescent rolls
-1 cup shredded cheddar

1. Roll out the crescents on a cookie sheet.  Flatten with a rolling pin.  Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees, or until nicely browned.
2. With an electric mixer, blend mayo and cream cheese with dill and onion powder.
3. Spread cream cheese mixture on cooled crust.  Top with veggies and cheese.
4. Using a pizza slicer, cut into 24 squares. 
Easy, fairly healthy, and delicious.  Invite me to a potluck and you'll know what to expect.  Just don't ever expect me to move my Christmas tree. 

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Weekend Recap

Who has two thumbs and looks like a nerd on wheels?
This girl!

My husband took my bike to the shop to get new brakes.  A nice gesture, and I can't really fault my bike, seeing as it was my Christmas present in like 1996.  Yep, I ride around on a teenage boy-size mountain bike.  But I have a matching helmet and bell, which ups the cool factor big time.

We went for about a 20 mile bike ride on Saturday morning on a trail that took us through St. Paul out to around Stillwater.  A DQ lemon-lime Mr. Misty on the way back was my reward.
   Nothing reminds me of my childhood summers quite like these.  I think the DQ kid was a bit stingy with the lemon lime syrup.  

We also took a trip to Wal Mart.  Not our typical shopping destination.  Did you know that they sell Hard Candy makeup and nail polish?
Oh Hard Candy, how you have fallen.  I remember being about 12 years old shopping with my mom at Neiman Marcus- NEIMAN MARCUS- and she bought me an electric blue metallic bottle.  The plastic ring was the best part.  If I were to write a biography of nail polish, it'd be like "From Posh to Pegboard: the Hard Candy Story."  I passed on buying a bottle.  They just looked too sad.

Then it was time to try a new recipe.  A truly made-up recipe by yours truly.  I hadn't made Thai food in awhile, and with ground chicken on sale, this is what I came up with.

Thai Chicken Meatballs with Carrot & Pepper Salad
-2 lbs ground chicken
-1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
-3/4 cups panko (or plain breadcrumbs)
-1/2 cup finely chopped green onion
-1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
-1 Tbsp honey
-2 tsp sesame oil
-1 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
-1 egg
-1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
-1 Tbsp chili garlic paste
-1/2 jalapeno, finely diced
-1 large yellow pepper, diced
-1/2 cup unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped
-1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
-1/2 cup light coconut milk
-1 lime
-1 bottle Trader Joe's Thai Spicy Curry sauce (ok this is optional)
-Brown rice (optional)

-In a large bowl, combine the first 9 ingredients (stop at the yellow pepper).  Go ahead and mix with your hands until it's all well combined.  Shape into 2" meatballs and place in the bottom of a glass baking dish.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until nicely browned and internal temperature is at least 165 degrees.

-While meatballs are baking, combine the yellow pepper, peanuts, carrots, coconut milk, 1/3 cup of sauce (optional), and half the lime's juice.  Refrigerate until ready to eat.  

-You can also prepare some noodles or rice to go with this dish.  I was out of brown rice, so I made basmati.  I added a few pinches of pepper and the juice of the other lime half.
Argh, after 10 minutes of trying to rotate this picture the right way, it still posts sideways.  Tilt your head for me please.
Makes six servings of four meatballs.  Per serving: 303 calories, 14 g carbs, 19 g fat, 33 g protein.

There you go- the meatballs are a little spicy, a little sweet, a little peanutty, a little oniony, and really really good.  The veggie salad has a nice fresh taste to it as well, and would be good heated up as leftovers.  For us this recipe is a keeper- in the future I may try making pita sandwiches with them.

So there you have it- helmet, slushie, polish, meatballs.  Dietitian-approved.  Well, except for the slushie.  A little FD&C Green No. 3 and high fructose corn syrup never hurt anyone.  Bike it off, baby.   
 




Friday, May 18, 2012

On to better things

Well now that I've read all three of the "Fifty Shades..." books, it's back to blogging.  Not-so-great writing and completely unrealistic plotlines...and the author is laughing her way to the bank I'm sure.  Fifty Shades of Time Wasted.  But at least I can say I've hopped on that pop culture bandwagon.

I am behind on recipe posting, but since it's Friday and a beautiful weekend's ahead of us, here's a super easy crock pot recipe that is perfect for summer.

Barbecue Shredded Pork
-1 pork loin (about 1 1/2 pound)
-12 oz root beer (not diet)
-Bottle of barbecue sauce

Place pork and root beer in a slow cooker.  Cook on low for 6 hours.  Drain liquids.  Shred with a fork, add barbecue sauce, and serve.

Is it the most nutritious thing I've ever made?  Nah.  But it's not awful for you, since pork loins are pretty lean.

So there you go- don't spend your weekend cooking.  Enjoy the weather and a good book.  Just don't ask me for my pick.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Before & After. Subtitle: cheap 'n' easy eats

My brothers and I used to love watching "Wheel of Fortune" as kids.

R-S-T-L-N-E!

The best category of puzzles?  "Before & after," because they tended to be the longest.

If you go up to one of my brothers and say "finish this: Glenn Close..." they'll answer you with "...encounters of the third kind."  Yesssss.

So here is a recipe that involves green mac & cheese.  Now, it's hard to be green mac & cheese, because your average calorie-bomb mac & cheese is yellow.  As Kermit said, it ain't easy being green.

It Ain't Easy Being Green Mac & Cheese
-1 box Ronzoni Smart Taste elbow noodles
-1 box frozen spinach
-1 lb bag carrots
-1 cup shredded Cheddar
-1/2 jar Ragu cheese sauce

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil; add noodles and cook until tender.  Drain water.
2. Meanwhile, in a microwave-safe dish, heat up spinach until thoroughly warm.
3. Peel carrots and cut up into chunks.  Bring water to boil in a medium size pan; add carrots.  Cook until nice and mushy.  Drain water. 

4. Working in batches, puree spinach and carrots.  Add back to the pan you just cooked the carrots in.  When you've got all the spinach and carrots pureed, add the cheese sauce and cup of shredded cheese.  When hot, stir this into the noodles.

Makes six servings.  Per serving: 350 calories, 53 g carbs, 14 g fat, 18 g protein, plus 3 mg iron, and 150% of your daily needs of vitamin A.


Before:


& after:


Monday, May 7, 2012

Getting funky

Ever feel like you eat the same old meals day after day after day?

I went through a period in grad school where I ate oatmeal for lunch for 10 months straight.  Quaker, you're welcome.

This recipe jumped out at me because it involves a plantain.
It's sort of like a banana, only less sweet and more starchy.  We ate them a lot in Nicaragua (but in deep-fried form). 

It also calls for tomatillos, which I had never bought before.
You have to unwrap the thin outer shell away, and it's weirdly sticky to do so. 
Is it a fruit?  Is it a vegetable?  It tastes like a limey-flavored apple when eaten raw (fact provided by me).  It's actually a fruit, in the same family as the cape gooseberry, and is a staple in Latin American cooking (fact provided by Wikipedia).

This is another recipe that takes some time, but my husband and I both agreed that this one should go in the rotation.  So here goes:

Pork & Plantain Enchiladas
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
  • 1 1-lb pork tenderloin, with any visible fat trimmed
  • 2 Tablespoons canola oil, divided
  • 1 2/3 cups chopped onion, divided
  • 1 chicken bouillion cube dissolved in 1 1/3 cup boiling water (or 1 1/3 cups low sodium chicken broth)
  • 3/4 lb tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and coarsely chopped (about 6 large)
  • 1/2 teaspoon jarred minced garlic
  • 1 serrano chile, seeded and chopped
  • 1 fresh lime, halved
  • 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 Tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 large plantain, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 10 6-inch corn tortillas
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I used Colby Jack)
If you haven't yet run away in fear, here's the prep:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine cumin, oregano, ground red pepper, and a pinch of salt.  Rub over pork.  Heat a large ovenproof skillet (or Dutch oven) over medium-high heat.  Add 2 teaspoons of oil to pan.  Add pork and cook five minutes, flipping it so each side gets browned.  Place pan in the oven and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes, or until internal temperature reads at least 165 degrees.  Remove pork from pan; let rest 15 minutes.  Cut pork into 1/2-inch pieces.
3. Combine 1 cup onion, 1 cup broth, tomatillos, garlic, and serrano in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until tomatillos are tender.  Cool for 10 minutes.  Combine tomatillo mixture, pinch of salt, and the juice from half of one squeezed lime in a food processor.  Process until fairly smooth.  Set aside for later.

4. Place skillet over medium heat.  Add 1 teaspoon oil to pan.  Add the remaining 2/3 cup onion and cook until tender.  Add 1/3 cup broth, the juice from the other half of the lime, and the black beans.  Cook for 1-2 minutes.  Pour in a large bowl and save for later.
5. Combine brown sugar, 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and plantain in a medium bowl, until plantain is well coated.  Heat up the same skillet again with a Tablespoon of oil this time.  Add plantain mixture to pan; saute for three minutes or until golden brown.  Combine plantain mixture with pork and bean mixture.

6. Coat a 13x9 glass baking dish with cooking spray.  Spread 1/3 cup tomatillo mixture in the bottom of the pan.  To assemble the enchiladas: heat tortillas in the microwave for a few seconds until they're warm, soft, and flexible.  Put about 2 Tablespoons pork mixture in the center, along with a sprinkle of cheese, wrap, and place seam-side down in the pan.  Continue until you've done all twelve.  It's a tight fit.  I ended up making a few more in a meatloaf-shaped pan.  Cover with remaining tomatillo sauce and the rest of the cheese. 
7. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until cheese melts and filling is thoroughly heated.
Ok so the last image might get the prize for worst-quality photo yet.  I'll just say that uh, my hands were shaking from excitement over my enchilada. 


Thursday, May 3, 2012

Nice things are nice

I am guilty of irrationally trying to preserve nice things.

My aunts gave me a really nice (expensive) designer lavender candle as a shower gift. 

I've used it once.  Most often I light up my $1 "Divino Baby Jesus" candle. 

I have a beautiful pair of patent leather Coach flats.  But most days I choose to wear my PVC Target flats.

You know to preserve these things.

But what's the point of having something nice if you're too afraid to use it?  Case in point: the programmable slow cooker we were given as a wedding gift that's sat in our basement since September.  Ohh, I'll just use our cheapie one- I don't want to get the new one all used.  Enough of that thinking.  Here's a recipe for easy easy easy slow cooker Buffalo chicken sandwiches. 

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
-1/2 bottle Sweet Baby Ray's Buffalo marinade/sauce
-1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (with fat bits trimmed)
-2 cups pre-shredded cole slaw mix
-2/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
-1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
-2 Tbsp olive oil mayo
-Light wheat hamburger buns (I used Village Hearth brand)

1. Combine chicken and buffalo sauce in a slow cooker.  Set for 6 1/2 hours on low. 
2. With an electric mixer, combine mayo, blue cheese, and yogurt.  Blend until smooth.  Stir in cole slaw.
3. When chicken is done, shred with a fork.  Serve on a bun along with blue cheese topping. 

Makes six servings.  Per serving: 260 calories, 9 g carbs, 14 g fat, 25 g protein



I think I might enjoy these in front of my lit lavender candle while wearing my patent flats. 

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Sometimes I feel ambitious.  Sometimes.

When I clean, I don't just vacuum the floors or wipe the bathroom counter.  No, it's more ADD.

Pick up the sock on the floor leads to
Tear off the fitted sheet to be washed leads to
Scrub the tub leads to
Wash the dirty glass by the sink leads to
Go through the mail pile leads to...
...several rooms of the house that are half cleaned.  Or half dirty.  I'm the optimist here.

I've found that my cleaning mantra is "focus on the task at hand."

But this recipe is a great way to sneak in some ADD-cleaning, because it takes awhile to make.

Dill Potato Salad
-10 medium size red potatoes, rinsed and cut into smallish chunks
-2 stalks celery, finely chopped
-1 small onion, finely chopped
-4 radishes, thinly sliced and chopped
-1 bunch green onions, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup worth)
-1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
-2 Tablespoons mustard
-1/3 cup lowfat mayo
-1 sprig dill, chopped
-3 hard-boiled eggs, yolks removed, coarsely chopped
-salt and pepper to taste

1. With potatoes in a large stockpot, fill with enough water to cover them by double.  Bring to a boil.
2. Hard-boiled egg recipe (if needed): place eggs in a medium-size pan.  Add room temperature water, with about an inch of water covering the eggs.  Bring water to a boil.  As soon as the water starts boiling rapidly, remove from heat and place a lid on the pan.  Let stand for 20 minutes, then plunge into an ice water bath.  Peel.
3. While you boil the potatoes, do your chopping.  I guess it would've been good to explain that earlier in this recipe, huh?
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, mayo, mustard, dill until smooth.  Stir in your veggies.
5. When potatoes are tender, drain the liquid and dump in a large bowl.  Add chopped eggs.  Stir in yogurt/veggie mixture.
6. Refrigerate until chilled.


Makes 6 3/4 cup servings.  Per serving: 150 calories, 20 g carbs, 3 g fat, 11 g protein.

Takes awhile to make, but it's worth it.  Otherwise why would I have posted it?  I could've used this 15 minutes to half load the dishwasher and then go change that lightbulb, then go pick up the other sock...