s5 restaurant

it's restaurant week right now in my county (if you're in the hoco area check out all the participating restaurants at the tourist website here). everything looks amazing, but on a college budget, those prices are far out of my range, so instead, i get to play w/ M&D's money and cook us all a meal worthy of a restaurant :)

i've had kale hanging around in my freezer since i don't know when. i try to grab a handful and throw it into my smoothies in the morning, but sometimes i don't want to be green with envy. it's still hot (but thankfully the storms last night brought some relief, the mid-80s feel downright comfortable!) so actually cooking was not something i was interested in. so that brings us to kale pesto!

i grabbed the recipe from sprouted kitchen and also nabbed her idea for the salad. i didn't even blanch the kale. i just let it defrost in my fridge and then zapped it in the microwave for about 15 seconds. i'm just getting that lazy! i toasted my walnuts in the mini convection we have and toss and serve. yum! i may prefer kale pesto over basil pesto, but i'd have to try them side by side (maybe it's the toasted walnut thing).

i wasn't sure how D would like the kale pesto. in his own words, "i don't like sauces" so i needed to find something else for the meal. grabbed some smoked salmon from costco and toasted some sliced ciabatta to have little salmon bites. welcome to the family restaurant. happy eating!

summer is for salads

i don't know if anyone else noticed, but we seem to be experiencing a heatwave. i drive to and from work and i can feel my shirt sticking to me and i know once i get out of the car i'll have that very embarrassing back sweat spot going on. 

it's too hot to bake let alone turn on the stove, so that's where salads come in. the one above was super quick and easy and required no stove or oven, just a knife and cutting board. you can jazz it up w/ your own favorite toppings

Tomato, Avocado and Bean Salad

Throw together grape tomatoes sliced in half, avocado, your favorite beans (or grilled chicken chopped up), onions, and lemon juice with salt and pepper. Toss together. I put it all on a bed of arugula and enjoyed it immensely at work!

some other recipes i'm eyeing if this heatwave continues:

• Santa Fe Tuna Salad
• Pesto Pasta Salad
• Arugula Salad with Lemon Parmesan Dressing
• Summer Bean Salads
• Tricolor Salad with Fresh Cheese and Honey-Lime Vinaigrette

Happy melting! (stay hydrated, hang out in my favorite place- the library for some a/c)

lunch 101

Having to always eat lunch out of the house whether at work or school, I have to make meals that are appetizing and yummy enough that I won’t be tempted to buy something every day.  As a dietetic student we learn how to counsel clients in building nutrition and healthy foods into their diet in an economical and easy way- 1) making grocery lists, food prepping all in one day, etc. it’s one of those things that sometimes comes to “do as I say not as I do.” Because really, everyone has a busy schedule, who has the energy after a long day at work or school to go grocery shopping and cook rice and veggies and prep foods that are healthy and satisfying?

But that’s where I’m trying to improve myself and hopefully give you some ideas to make your lives easier. I’m busy- I go to school part time, I have 4 jobs and I like to workout and relax and have a social life (some of those things definitely get pushed to the bottom of the list when things get really crazy), but I also want to eat well and make sure I have foods that make my stomach happy (currently, processed foods are on the “makes my tummy sad list”).

When I research recipes to fiddle or try the ingredient list is the first thing that decides whether or not I will try it. Not just if the ingredients are archaic and things I don’t want or have the money to buy, but if it’s longer than say 7 items (not including salt and pepper) then I usually find it too overwhelming. I want simple, straight forward recipes that won’t take my whole life to figure out. And if I can just use one piece of equipment or use two at the same time to save time, more power to the recipe.

As the weather gets warmer my lunches get more colorful and lighter (salads, wraps, etc.) as opposed to my colder weather lunches which usually include veg chili and things that need to be microwaved. My go-to building of a lunch for spring/summer includes:

Starch            +       Vegetable                         +              Protein

Brown rice             Lettuce (arugula,                                Beans

Wild Rice               Mixed greens, romaine, etc)                Tuna salad made with yogurt

                             Cucumber                                          Hardboiled eggs

                             Tomato, etc.                                     Hummus

 

I cook rice in batches of 1-1.5 cups for the week (in ½ cup servings that can usually last me 5 days). Rice can be boiled simultaneously as you prepare your vegetables…

I finally got around to roasting some squash and zucchini. Just slice, drizzle with olive oil both sides and season (I just did black pepper and garlic) and then bake in 400F for about 20 minutes. I also threw in some red onions for extra fun (my kitchen smelled amazing!).  The idea of prepping your vegetables for the week is actually a really great idea. If I have them cut up in the size of how I plan to eat it for the week it makes it really easy to make a stir fry really quick one night or to grab some carrots for snacking with hummus.

Protein is usually from a can or an egg. I know dried beans in a bag are cheaper and don’t have the sodium of canned ones, but by the time I remember I need beans I’ve forgotten to do the presoak and I’m saving time just popping a can open. I’ll rinse the beans really nice to get extra salt off and then toss together for a bean salad or combined with rice and veggies (like the fake fattoush). Tuna from a can is probably one of the easiest ways to get protein and made into a tuna salad with carrots or celery and old bay is eum eum good! Hummus (I usually buy sabra or I’ve delved into making my own) is a great way to get creamy protein in a salad. 

tuna and egg salad lettuce wraps are a great lunch/snack option,
just add some grains if you make it lunch

Snacks are another place of contention in my life. I don’t want to eat the same stuff I ate in my meal so it comes down to more creativity, pinterest, and just google searching. So far, my go-to snacks throughout the day are:

• ·         Fruit
• ·         Carrots and hummus
• ·         Handful of nuts
• ·         More fruit (I can never have too much fruitJ)
• ·         Dried fruit
•        I'm still on the fence about roasted chickpeas, maybe i just made it wrong
• ·         If you don’t have a lactose problem string cheese is always a nice addition here
• ·         If you don’t have a peanut butter addiction like me, where once you have one bite somehow the entire jar disappears, peanut butter energy balls are a great snack

         happy cooking! and have fun w/ it :)

and she's back!

hello!!!!!! back in md and ready to adventure it up and cook and bake all at the same time:D

all that time i spent in the kitchen and i forgot to grab some of the recipes! oh boy, but today was definitely a re-creation of gmfr. breakfast was my fave- greek yogi, fruit, natural pb, cinnamon, and a handful of dry cereal. man, it'll never get old.

lunch was fun- once again, my goal is to cook more, and not only for me but for others. today's is an egg and tofu salad w/ greens and baked corn tortilla chips.
for the egg/tofu salad (i wanted to buffer the amount of egg in the salad since D has high cholesterol)

Egg/tofu salad
hard boiled eggs (i had 6), peeled and chopped
big block of tofu (i microwaved it for about 2 minutes, pressed all the water out, crumbled and froze for a bit to cool down)
greek yogurt (~1/4 to 1/2 cup)
olive oil (~1-2 T)
diced onions (half a medium onion)
diced green pepper (1 small)
salt and pepper
capers (optional)

Combine all the ingredients:) 

for the corn tortilla chips- i'm liking the fact that corn tortilla has less ingredients to make than whole wheat flour tortillas. gmfr was so unprocessed that i want to try to stick to that (thus, the early morning run to safeway after my workout to pick up natural peanut butter, the smuckers version has only peanuts and salt and pretty affordable. too bad it's such a pain to mix, but i'll get over it)

Baked corn tortilla chips

corn tortilla (cut into 8 wedges)

olive oil

Lightly coat the wedges in olive oil (you can also sprinkle w/ salt and pepper or whatever spices you like, i forgot). Bake in 400F for about 5-7 minutes or until getting lightly brown.

i added a large handful of a mixed greens salad and a cup of cherries. i actually checked my plate like at gm for the size i wanted (about the size of your hand spread out, i have a tiny hand so i give myself some leeway) 

what's cooking thursday- salad!

not just any old salad! here's some more "lets use stuff in the kitchen and be healthy when we can" kind of salad :) i had to go to the grocery store for the avocado and the roma tomato but everything else was in the house. each salad includes: a handful of mixed greens, arugula, 1 roma tomato, 1/4 of an onion (sliced), avocado (i tossed the chopped avocado in lemon juice to keep the color, hopefully!), carrots, crumbled blue cheese, and a hardboiled egg for each.

all the pretty salads ready for munching.

gobble gobble! i usually don't like raw onion but it really worked with giving the salad a nice kick. finals start so didn't get a chance to cook anything but some baked sweet potato fries, half a cheesy sandwich or warm soup would have been perfect! next time. happy thursday!

what's cooking, thursday- chili with cornbread

2nd thursday i've managed to cook a meal. this one wasn't quite as labor intensive as last week as i have an exam tomorrow (although cooking is still a great way to procrastinate...) but still lovely delicious!

as a pescatarian i'm ashamed to admit these were probably my first vegetables for the week. but at least i made it as colorful as possible! this is actually M's plate (mine was about half the size). even though it's cold and dreary outside colorful veggies (and fruits!) are a great way to stay healthy, especially with the changing temperatures. i'm thinking baked sweet potato fries next week?

this chili is as easy as pie (speaking of pie, has anyone baked chili under cornbread mix?). i sauteed half an onion, a red pepper in olive oil with garlic. i then threw in a big can (i think a 28 oz) of peeled whole tomatoes, a McCormick 30% less sodium chili mix and presoaked kidney and black beans. then boil, simmer for 30 minutes (the kidney beans were still a little undercooked, but the black beans were fully cooked). i think i have to go back to making my own chili spice mix. even though the packet was 30% less sodium it still seemed a little on the salty side. but i did like it's level of heat.

the cornbread recipe i pretty much snagged from the bag and then did the lazy cook's measuring (pour and eyeball amounts)

Cornbread
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
sprinkling of brown sugar (maybe 1/8 of a cup?)
1 cup milk
1 egg
about 1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 425F. Grease up a 9x9 pan (i just spread some olive oil around). Mix together cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. In a separate bowl mix the milk, egg and olive oil. Lightly mix the wet ingredients into the dry and scoop into the pan (spread it out flat). Bake for about 25 minutes (or until all the outside is a nice golden brown).

enjoy! and happy almost halloween (have i mentioned how much i love fall?)

dietary fiber kind of day

another food/picture dump. i'm doing really well this week in terms of updating. maybe it's b/c i'm doing so well in finally preparing meals. this has become my go to lunch pretty much everyday this week. i can pretty much top the salad with whatever i'm in the mood for. this one has the mixed spring lettuce, tuna, chickpeas, yellow and red peppers, slice carrots and of course topped with salsa (not pictured, but i'm loving the safeway select hot southwest salsa)

going a bit out of order, i made a pumpkin chickpea curry for breakfast before going on a run. i wasn't sure how it would turn out but i figured it wouldn't hurt to try.

chickpeas/garbanzo beans are a good source source of protein, dietary fiber, manganese, and copper. it's also low in saturated fat. go chickpeas!

Pumpkin Chickpea curry (serves about 1) this is all very estimated
1/4- 1/2 cup diced onion
olive oil
some water
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 tsp curry powder (or however you like)
3/4 cup chickpeas
1/2 cup rice

Saute the onions in a small pot with the olive oil until they are nice and limp. Add some water (I think in total I added about 1/2 cup?) to make sure it kind of has a watery mix. Add the curry powder then canned pumpkin. Add the chickpeas and simmer on low for 5-10 minutes (you want to get the curry powder and pumpkin flavor into the chickpeas). Once it's all simmered, add the rice and mix it all up. Eat!

pumpkin is highly nutritious- it's a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin A (beta carotene!), vitamin C, riboflavin, potassium, copper and manganese.

lunch 9

main: leftover chicken, spinach, penne, broccoli tossed in olive oil and pepper

sides: spinach wrapes with ham (from heavenly ham, which i'm told is yummy) and havarti, apple and a slice of mimi's birthday cake (thanks!)



it's mommy's bday. made her a card. got the cupcake idea
off of a scrapbooking sticker...

lunch 6

main: spinach salad w/ ham and egg
sides: pita & hummus, yogurt w/ granola and an unripened banana (her choice, not mine)

lunch 4

Yum yum. main: spinach salad, havarti, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots and the leftover chicken from yesterday
snacks: hummus and pita, graham crackers, pb & chocolate chips, and an apple