Signs of Aging

Gone are the days of my youth, spent recapping drunken shenanigans and dishing about dating [disasters].  Gone are the days of my youth, where 90% of my meals were cooked in either a hot pot or a George Foreman grill.
Gone are the days of my youth, when SPF 10 seemed like a reasonable compromise.
Gone are the days of my youth, when I could wear high heels for more than an hour at a time. 

You know you're getting old when you willingly put on these babies:

But there are benefits to growing older.  I've participated fascinating discussions on lawn care and home maintenance.  I've experienced firsthand the thrill of going to bed before 10 pm.  I've read insightful comparisons between Neutrogena and Olay when it comes to wrinkle prevention (thaaaaanks, Glamour!). 

And I've also found that I'm more adventurous in trying new recipes.  This one really had me skeptical.  Fruit is fruit, and should be eaten plain.  Old thinking.  Fruit + beans?  New thinking.

Poblano, Mango, & Black Bean Quesadillas

• 1 teaspoon olive oil 
• 1 1/2 cups sliced yellow onion 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 
• 1 poblano chile, seeded and chopped
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup jarred sliced peeled mango (such as Del Monte SunFresh)
• 1/3 cup cubed peeled avocado 
• 4 (8-inch) whole grain flour tortillas
• Cooking spray 
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, oregano, salt, pepper, and poblano, and sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Add beans; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat; stir in mango and avocado.
3. Place flour tortillas on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Arrange about 3/4 cup bean mixture on half of each tortilla, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheddar cheese over bean mixture, and fold tortilla in half. Lightly coat tortillas with cooking spray. Broil 3 minutes or until cheddar cheese melts.

Serve with a nice blob of salsa and plain nonfat Greek yogurt (you're not still buying sour cream, are you?). 

Per 1 quesadilla: 335 calories, 54 g carbs, 9 g fat, 13 g protein, 7 g fiber.

I'd be remiss to not blog about the Olympics.

It both inspires and shames.

With the latter, I'm talking 'bout how I sat indoors, on a beautiful sunny Sunday, eating cookie-dough topped brownies, watching the events.

At least I painted my nails red with blue and silver glitter for the occasion.

I am not qualified in the least to judge someone's swimming form, or their tumbling skills, but I do feel right in judging the outfits.  Those purply gymnastics outfits?  Way cute.

I am also qualified to judge recipes.  Lately I've grown tired of buying boxes upon boxes of protein bars.  They are expensive, and they usually don't even taste that good.  I figured why not try to make my own?

No-Bake PB Chocolate Chip Protein Bars
Dry:
1.5 c oats
1/2 c shredded coconut
1/2 c raisins (or date chunks, cranberries, craisins, dried cherries/mangoes/apricots/etc. Any dried fruit will work
1/2 c chocolate chips 
1/4 c almonds, chopped
2 scoops vanilla whey protein powder

  

2 Tbsp flax seeds
2 Tbsp chia seeds

Wet: 
1 ripe banana (mashed)

1/2 c maple syrup (or agave)
1/2 c peanut butter (or any nut butter, i.e. almond, pecan, cashew, etc.)

1 Tsp vanilla extract 

Stir dry ingredients together first.  Combine all wet ingredients, mixing until smooth.  Stir in wet ingredients with the dry. 
Line an 8x8 pan with wax paper or plastic wrap.  Press mixture into the pan and freeze for 30 minutes.  Cut into 9 squares and wrap well.  Refrigerate.
Per bar: 270 calories, 35 g carbs, 10 g fat, 10 g protein, 3 g fiber

Gold-medal quality!





(Come on- you had to have seen that one coming)

Unfamiliar Territory

A month ago some friends invited us over for homemade sushi.  My husband and I decided that this was something we really wanted to try at our new home.

But then we both got busy.

Doing important things like:

Buying the dog a festive 4th of July skirt. 

But then after procrastination, our sushi mat ordered from Bed, Bath & Beyond finally arrived, and on Saturday night, it was time.

You can find the seaweed wraps at Byerly's by the sushi stand- not in the actual Asian food aisle.  Yes, these are a bit scary. 

Get yo'self some fillers.  I stuck with the traditional California roll ingredients, containing avocado and thinly sliced cucumber.

And krabmeat crabmeat.  No raw stuff.  Let's ease into this whole homemade sushi thing.

After making the sticky rice, with wet hands pat it down on 2/3rds of the wrap. 

Ah yes, sushi condiments.  Again, scary looking stuff but in reality is super tasty.

YUM.  If you don't think you like sushi, omit the crab for a more mild taste.  Perfect for summer, as it's minimal cooking (just the rice). 

Per roll (8 pieces): 255 calories, 38 g carbs, 7 g fat, 9 g protein.

Now onto the next super important way to spend my time- painting my fingernails.

At least I'm not painting my dog's nails too.  

Morning Routines

I have to say that I've settled nicely into my summer morning routine.  Take the dog for a jog.  Pack my lunch.  Shower.  Breakfast + Matt Lauer.  Go to work.  Day after day, repeat. 

But sometimes I need to change it up a bit.  I don't mean by switching to Good Morning America.  Ew no.  I mean changing what I eat.  New favorite breakfast? 

Almond butter with flaxseeds, thanks to Trader Joe's. You could easily make your own- just add 1 tsp flaxseeds per tablespoon of almond butter.  Why do I like flaxseeds?  They're a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which fight inflammation in your body and protect heart health.

Let's use some high fiber waffles as the base:

Toast, top with almond butter, and a sliced banana.

Ahh, makes me love my mornings. 

Serving: 2 waffles.  420 calories, 51 g carbs, 23 g fat (heart-healthy), 11 g protein, 15 g fiber (!)

Hmm, what have I been eating lately?  This summer has flown by, largely in part to the busy-ness of moving.  I'll admit that when it comes down to 1. shopping for new home accessories, or 2. shopping for dinner, the former has been more appealing.  Probably 90% of the things I've bought over the past 2 weeks have come from Goodwill.  Hey now, don't judge.  I'll have an upcoming post with all the awesome re-purposing I've been doing. 

So crafting, yes.  Cooking, not so much.  But last week this recipe caught my eye as an easy minimal-cook summer salad.  I served it for dinner one night over some fresh spinach, and then the leftovers were eaten the next night as nachos, with whole grain tortilla chips.

Crab, Corn, & Tomato Salad
Adapted from Cooking Light June 2008

• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
• juice from 2 lemons
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup boiled or grilled corn kernels (about 2 ears) 
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced basil leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped orange bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
• 1/2 pound lump crabmeat, shell pieces removed
• 2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

1. Combine rind, lemon juice, and next 5 ingredients (through black pepper) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. In a large bowl combine corn, pepper, onion, crab, and tomato.  Stir in dressing when ready to serve.

How pretty is this?  With dinner complete, it's back to the crafts...

Don't tell PETA...

This past weekend was my 8th annual trip to the Hamel Rodeo.  I can't say that I'm all that interested in watching steer wrestling and tie-down roping, but I really enjoy wearing my cowboy boots.

It was a perfect summer night to spend outdoors, and true to form, I saw something that I had to buy:

Plus it was my good friend's birthday celebration.  Really, what could make the night any better?

Monkeys.

That's what. 

Monkeys riding dogs.

Borderline animal cruelty going on here.  They were strapped in to their little saddles.  The whole purpose of this act (sort of an intermission-type thing) was to herd a bunch of rams into a pen.  Once the dogs had done this, the ringleader unstrapped a monkey, kissed it, gave a sort of offensively patriotic speech ("It's time we take this country back!"), and ended his act by pronouncing "THIS IS MONKEY LOVE, Y'ALL!"

Ohhhkay.

Now that you totally think I'm a redneck who engages in redneck entertainment with redneck boots, here's a classy recipe.  Why is it classy, you ask?  It has Dijon mustard in it.  Duh.

Wild Rice Turkey Burgers
-1 lb lean ground turkey
-1 can pre-cooked wild rice, drained and rinsed
-1 egg
-1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
-1 sprig fresh dill, chopped
-1/2 cup panko or whole wheat breadcrumbs
-1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
-6 slices Provolone cheese
-Pinch of salt and pepper

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.  It's easiest to use your hands, but then again, I'm a redneck, so if you choose to use a spoon, that's quite alright.  Form into 6 patties, between 1/2-1 inch thick.

I tried to grill these, but they didn't stick together very well on the grates, so I'd suggest pan frying these- 5 minutes on medium-high, flip, cook for another 5 minutes, or until internal temp is 160 degrees.  Place a slice of Provolone cheese and serve on a whole wheat bun.

Per burger: 210 calories (not including bun), 10 g carbs, 7 g fat, 19 g protein.

THIS IS BURGER LOVE, Y'ALL!

Sorry.  Done with the redneck stuff.  'Til next year at least. 

Home unpacked-and-messy-yet-sweet home

I am officially a homeowner.

Yikes.

That might not bode well for blogging, as my diet will now have to consist of either ramen noodles or rice 'n' beans. 

No, not because I just spent all my money on a house.  More like I spent all my money on rugs, curtains, decorative bath items, storage containers, gas powered trimmers, hoses, and all the crap I never realized that goes along with having a house.

You all will still read though, even if I just post about stirring a beef flavor packet with 1 cup boiling water and pouring over a noodle block?

No?

Good thing I made a classic dinner the other night.  In fact, it was the first meal I ever made for my husband back when we started dating.  I pointed that out when we sat down to eat.  The response I got was hardly nostalgic- "Really?  I don't remember any of that stuff from back then." 

Ranch Chicken
-1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (I bought the kind that are pre-cut into 2-3" thick strips)
-1 packet ranch dip/dressing mix
-2 eggs
-2 cups plain breadcrumbs or panko.  Bonus if you find whole wheat.

1. If you didn't buy the pre-cut chicken, go ahead and cut it into 2" thick strips (I had 8).  Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with nonstick olive oil spray. 
2. In a medium sized shallow bowl, whisk eggs until smooth.
3. In another medium sized shallow bowl, stir together ranch powder and breadcrumbs.
4. Dip a chicken strip into the egg, then roll around in the breadcrumbs until nicely coated.
5. Arrange on baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

Per serving (2 strips): 350 calories, 34 g carbs, 10 g fat, 31 g protein

I heated up some frozen Trader Joe's rice medley and some steam-bag broccoli. 

It might not be the fanciest meal in the world, but hey, I could've served us ramen instead.