1. Herbed Veggie Skillet recipe

    Last year, I picked up a “Go Red for Women Recipe Collection” at my fitness center. I was recently leafing through it for recipe ideas — man that thing has a LOT of good ideas! I successfully followed four of the recipes— two main dishes and two sides — in the past week alone! One of the four stood out for its ease and taste: the herbed veggie skillet. 

    This may be a common dish many of you have made. But, I’m still a beginner cook, so for me, I’ve struck gold.

    Not only is it remarkably easy, but it’s simple to manipulate the ingredients. I’ve made four different versions of it this past week. It’s really simple:

    1. Slice up your favorite vegetables and spices.

    2. Heat two teaspoons of canola oil on medium-high (or medium… I find medium-high to be a bit much).

    3. Toss your favorite veggies and spices in, add a dash of water (or lemon juice). Cover and cook for 5-ish minutes. 

    4. Serve!

    Now, I usually add zucchini and onion first and allow the two to soften before adding the rest of the ingredients. I’ve manipulated the original recipe, which can be followed here, adding lemon juice, celery, carrots, fresh parsley and even a pinch of cinnamon. 
  2. My “healthy” cart while shopping today at Hen House Market, the previously mentioned grocery store. Chicago has Jewel and Dominicks, with Whole Foods as its fancy-pants store. Kansas City has Hy-Vee and Price Chopper, (well, and Cosentinos and Sun Fresh… but these two are both classier versions of Price Chopper). Hen House is a blend of Whole Foods and Trader Joes in some ways, in that it sells a lot of GOOD food. It’s not quite as expensive as Whole Foods. It’s nice to have, as the closest Whole Foods and Trader Joes are about 30+ minutes away (in fact, there are two Whole Foods and two Trader Joes in about a 5 mile radius…. and then nothing outside that. Seriously, planners, what the heck??!). Anyhow, I usually purchase my fresh produce at Hen House, since most of it is locally grown, and I can get some pretty good deals.  My cart today featured green peppers, red peppers, blueberries, mixed greens, fresh mozzarella, Bretton crackers, zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, roma tomatoes and a peach.  I’ve made a variation of the same meal four times in the past week — it’s my new favorite thing. It’s simple, delicious and healthy, and involves a lot of the above ingredients. I’ll post more about it later. :)

    My “healthy” cart while shopping today at Hen House Market, the previously mentioned grocery store.

    Chicago has Jewel and Dominicks, with Whole Foods as its fancy-pants store. Kansas City has Hy-Vee and Price Chopper, (well, and Cosentinos and Sun Fresh… but these two are both classier versions of Price Chopper).

    Hen House is a blend of Whole Foods and Trader Joes in some ways, in that it sells a lot of GOOD food. It’s not quite as expensive as Whole Foods. It’s nice to have, as the closest Whole Foods and Trader Joes are about 30+ minutes away (in fact, there are two Whole Foods and two Trader Joes in about a 5 mile radius…. and then nothing outside that. Seriously, planners, what the heck??!).

    Anyhow, I usually purchase my fresh produce at Hen House, since most of it is locally grown, and I can get some pretty good deals. 

    My cart today featured green peppers, red peppers, blueberries, mixed greens, fresh mozzarella, Bretton crackers, zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, roma tomatoes and a peach. 

    I’ve made a variation of the same meal four times in the past week — it’s my new favorite thing. It’s simple, delicious and healthy, and involves a lot of the above ingredients. I’ll post more about it later. :)

  3. I thought my discovery of wine juice boxes sold at Target a few months back was unique. I found something today that tops that.  The local Hen House (greatest grocery store) sells Alcohol Infused Whipped Cream. Who woulda thunk? I didn’t purchase a bottle, but I’m curious to see what it tastes like. The bottle repeatedly warns consumers NOT to refrigerate the cream, which is a little weird, but I don’t know the science of it.  When I do try it, and I’m guessing it’ll be soon, I’ll let you’all know how it tastes.  Has anyone else tried it? Or some other unique alcoholic food/drink item? Photo: http://rileyswinesoftheworld.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/CREAM.jpg

    I thought my discovery of wine juice boxes sold at Target a few months back was unique.

    I found something today that tops that. 

    The local Hen House (greatest grocery store) sells Alcohol Infused Whipped Cream. Who woulda thunk? I didn’t purchase a bottle, but I’m curious to see what it tastes like. The bottle repeatedly warns consumers NOT to refrigerate the cream, which is a little weird, but I don’t know the science of it. 

    When I do try it, and I’m guessing it’ll be soon, I’ll let you’all know how it tastes. 

    Has anyone else tried it? Or some other unique alcoholic food/drink item?

    Photo: http://rileyswinesoftheworld.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/CREAM.jpg

  4. A quick, healthy, easy and inexpensive dinner! I made a delicious yet filling meal this evening. I cooked a Sara Lee turkey burger on my stove while I dethawed and toasted two leftover Skinny English Muffins. I sliced a tomato and put one giant slice on each muffin and covered it with a light sprinkling of light shredded mozzarella cheese. When the burger was done, I sliced it into two halves (it was pretty big to begin with) and divided it between the two buns. I added a little ketchup on top. On the side, I sliced celery and added blueberries and raspberries. To top it all off, I had a (few) glass(es) of Skinny Girl Margarita. Yum.  Plus, it was a healthier alternative than my original plan — turkey burger with homemade Memphis-sweet potato fries. Turns out, my sweet potatoes weren’t so sweet anymore and already were growing some green. Yuck. Oh well… another time!

    A quick, healthy, easy and inexpensive dinner!

    I made a delicious yet filling meal this evening. I cooked a Sara Lee turkey burger on my stove while I dethawed and toasted two leftover Skinny English Muffins. I sliced a tomato and put one giant slice on each muffin and covered it with a light sprinkling of light shredded mozzarella cheese. When the burger was done, I sliced it into two halves (it was pretty big to begin with) and divided it between the two buns. I added a little ketchup on top.

    On the side, I sliced celery and added blueberries and raspberries. To top it all off, I had a (few) glass(es) of Skinny Girl Margarita. Yum. 

    Plus, it was a healthier alternative than my original plan — turkey burger with homemade Memphis-sweet potato fries. Turns out, my sweet potatoes weren’t so sweet anymore and already were growing some green. Yuck. Oh well… another time!

  5. A wonderful weekend and delicious breakfast

    After two frenzied weeks of nonstop work and travel, last weekend was a heaven-send. Two adjectives describe it perfectly: productive and relaxing. It was wonderful. On the productive side, I cleaned my apartment, organized, recycled, moved seasonal/unneeded stuff to the garage, etc. It was a lot of work, but a huge relief. Clutter stresses me.

    One the relaxing side, I got a total of 20 hours of sleep between Friday and Saturday nights. 20! TWENTY! Ah-maz-ing. In addition, the weather was ideal, ranging between 60 and 91, averaging 73. Love it. I got much-needed running clothes (Dri-Fit!!) and ate a delicious breakfast at Mimi’s Cafe.

    Matt and I went to Mimi’s Saturday morning. Oh my goodness, it was perfect. Needing to fix that darn coffee addiction I’ve acquired, we decided to order and share a Coffee Freeze and a Cinnamon Mocha Coffee Freeze — gourmet coffee mixed with yogurt and ice (and in the latter’s case, with a pump of mocha and a dapple of cinnamon). SO good — and it was cheaper, fresher and possibly healthier than Starbucks’ fraps. Mmmmmmm.

    My main entree impressed me the most. 

    I honestly forget what it was called, and because it was on special, it’s not on the online menu. But OH MY GOODNESS. Each bite tasted like pure HEALTHINESS. Often, when I dine at breakfast joints, I leave feeling stuffed, greasy and gross (cough*MerryAnns*cough). Not here!

    The eggs, mixed with broccoli and light cheese, tasted very veryyy healthy. As if it hadn’t been cooked using any oils or fats. The broccoli tasted warm but raw. Yum. And if that didn’t sell you…. there was fresh pineapple cut on my plate. C’mon!  YUM!

  6. the dynamic trio: healthy, quick & inexpensive

    I went shopping at Cosentino’s, a Whole Foods-esque grocery store, yesterday during my lunch break for dinner. I browsed some recipes before going and purchased what ended up being a fantastic choice.

    The meal? Baked Pesto Tilapia and Lemon Coucous. Click the links for the complete recipe, or to see how simple it really was, view the pictures below.

    First, I mixed a 10 oz. can of chicken broth, about 4 oz of lemon juice and the juice of a lemon into a medium saucepan. I first cut two pieces of lemon for garnish later.

    Once mixed up, I boiled the mixture.

    Then I poured dry coucous into another pot.

    While I waited for the lemon broth to boil, I greased the pan, washed the tilapia and placed it on the pan. (Looks good, huh?! Only $7.99/pound on sale this week at Cosentino’s!)

    The lemon-broth mixture started boiling so I poured it over the dry coucous and covered it for 10 minutes.

    I’ve made pesto on my own many times before, but I never have all the ingredients necessary (psssh pine nuts…) so I decided to buy my own bottle. Yum!

    I scooped a little pesto over the tilapia, spread it even, and placed it in the oven for 11 minutes. About 5 minutes later, I put some corn in the microwave and cut up a tomato for the fish. Everything timed out perfectly! Even Matt arrived just as my microwave was going off!

    And here’s the final product!! Delicious!

    For complete recipes:

    Baked Pesto Tilapia
    Lemon Coucous 

    Bon appétit!
  7. I found these beautiful martini glasses at Stein Mart’s 12-hour sale last weekend. They were only $3.50/piece … 50 percent off already discounted prices. Jackpot! :)

    I found these beautiful martini glasses at Stein Mart’s 12-hour sale last weekend. They were only $3.50/piece … 50 percent off already discounted prices. Jackpot! :)

  8. Dinner last night was delicious. And the magnificent aroma it gave off while cooking just made it better. 

    I discovered Oxygen Magazine last week while working out. Not only does the magazine provide great fitness advice (especially for people on a budget!), but it also offers deliciously healthy recipes. Below are the two I tried last night! 

    Cinnamon ginger sweet potatoes

    Ready in 20 minutes • Makes 
6 servings

    • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 1/2 tbsp ginger, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 6 medium sweet potatoes, peeled 
and cut into cubes
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp honey
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

    1. Heat a large skillet on medium high heat, add 1 tbsp of broth and sauté onions until soft.

    2. Add ginger and garlic and mix together with onions.

    3. Add sweet potatoes, cinnamon, honey and remaining broth. Stir and let simmer until potatoes are tender (about 15 minutes).

    4. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot. 

    NUTRIENTS PER SERVING: Calories: 141, Total Fats: 0 g, Saturated Fat: 0 g, Trans Fat: 0 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 54 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 32 g, Dietary Fiber: 4 g, Sugars: 12 g, Protein: 3 g, Iron: 1 mg

    Reader recipe provided by Chivi Sieng. Thanks Chivi.

    Fish Pockets

    Oxygen #76, pg. 137

    INGREDIENTS: 

    • 1 small tomato, sliced
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 12 oz white fish
• 1 small zucchini cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup white cooking wine
• Mrs. Dash lemon pepper
• 1 lemon

    INSTRUCTIONS:

    Preheat oven to 375. Fold two sheets of foil into pockets, turning up the sides so it doesn’t leak. Divide all ingredients in half and layer tomato slices, onion slices, fish and zucchini cubes, in that order. Pour the white wine over layers, then sprinkle with Mrs. Dash. Squeeze lemon juice over top. Close foil, place pockets on a shallow baking pan and bake for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork and zucchini is tender.

    NUTRITIONAL VALUE:

    Calories: 351.9
Fat: 13 g
Protein: 43 g
Carbs: 13.3 g

    Makes 2 Servings

  9. vneckandacardigan: Gooey Nutella Banana Bread Ingredients 2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs 1 1/4 cups mashed ripe banana 1/3 cup skim milk 1 tsp. vanilla extract 3/4 heaping cup Nutella  Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8×4-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. 2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda & salt. 3. In a separate large bowl, beat sugar and butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, milk and vanilla. Beat until blended. 4. Add flour mixture, beat at low speed just until flour is incorporated (don’t over mix). 5. Spoon Nutella into a small dish and soften in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Add 1 cup of the banana bread batter to the Nutella and stir until blended well. Spoon Nutella batter alternately with plain banana bread batter into the prepared pan. Swirl batters together with a knife. 5. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, it will seem a tiny bit undercooked but that’s what makes it good. Cool for at least 15 minutes in the pan, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.  I’m so making this soon.

    vneckandacardigan:

    Gooey Nutella Banana Bread

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 3/4 tsp. baking soda
    • 1/2 tsp. salt
    • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 1/4 cups mashed ripe banana
    • 1/3 cup skim milk
    • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
    • 3/4 heaping cup Nutella 

    Directions

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8×4-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.

    2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda & salt.

    3. In a separate large bowl, beat sugar and butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, milk and vanilla. Beat until blended.

    4. Add flour mixture, beat at low speed just until flour is incorporated (don’t over mix).

    5. Spoon Nutella into a small dish and soften in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Add 1 cup of the banana bread batter to the Nutella and stir until blended well. Spoon Nutella batter alternately with plain banana bread batter into the prepared pan. Swirl batters together with a knife.

    5. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, it will seem a tiny bit undercooked but that’s what makes it good. Cool for at least 15 minutes in the pan, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

     I’m so making this soon.

    (via tallgirltales)

  10. New favorite beer for the season.

    New favorite beer for the season.

  11. Last night, Matt and I checked out Abuelos Restaurant, thanks to the suggestions from the girls who work where I work out. Oh my goodness, it was delicious — like Dos Reales, except, well, better quality, less corporate-y feel and well, better margaritas. Can it get any better? I don’t think so!

    I had “quesadilla al horno” and Matt ordered something with enchiladas. It was a delicious way to spend a Thursday evening. 

    Planning a visit to KC? Check out Abuelos at Zona Rosa. (FYI: Fly Southwest from Chicago and tickets are only $59 … hurry, this offer ends on Sunday!) 

  12. Pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Because we’re not going to be together for Thanksgiving, Matt and I celebrated it early. To change it up a bit from traditional Thanksgivings, I cooked turkey burgers, honey roasted sweet potatoes and corn. It was delicious! …And I finally have a built TV stand! 

    Pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving

    Because we’re not going to be together for Thanksgiving, Matt and I celebrated it early. To change it up a bit from traditional Thanksgivings, I cooked turkey burgers, honey roasted sweet potatoes and corn. It was delicious!

    …And I finally have a built TV stand! 

  13. Lamb Meatballs with Couscous. They turned out well! I skipped the sliced onion on top, but I’m still a little onioned-out from the onion inside the meatballs. But besides that, delicious!

    Lamb Meatballs with Couscous. They turned out well! I skipped the sliced onion on top, but I’m still a little onioned-out from the onion inside the meatballs. But besides that, delicious!

  14. Real Simple recipe: Lamb Meatballs with Couscous

    After the success I had last week cooking Real Simple’s Roasted Tilapia, Potatoes and Lemons (sorry, didn’t take any personal pictures) recipe from the October issue, tonight I’ll be attempting another Real Simple recipe: Lamb Meatballs with Couscous.

    I can’t remember the last time I ate lamb, and I’m not sure if I’ve ever had couscous before, so this evening’s dinner will certainly be different and hopefully delicious.

    See Real Simple’s website or last month’s issue for more cooking inspiration and ideas. The October issue provided enough easy, nutritious and interesting recipes to last an entire month.

                            

    Serves 4| Hands-On Time: 25m | Total Time: 25m

     

    Ingredients

     

    Directions

    1. Heat broiler. In a medium bowl, combine the meat, apricots, coriander, chopped onion, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
    2. Form the meat into 1 ½-inch balls (about 20) and place them on a broilerproof baking sheet. Broil until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes.
    3. Meanwhile, place the couscous in a bowl. Add 1 cup hot tap water, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
    4. In a small bowl, mix together the oil, lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
    5. Serve the couscous with the meatballs, tomatoes, cucumber, Feta, and sliced onion. Drizzle with the dressing.
  15. I made pumpkin bread from scratch yesterday. Delicious. :)

    I made pumpkin bread from scratch yesterday. Delicious. :)

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