My Tasty Journey

Some cozy recipes for the weekend...

2012-02-10T10:07:00.000-05:00

Morning everyone! So the light snow we got in Jersey the other day is pretty much gone (I'd hedge to guess that this is SOME people's FAVORITE version of snowJ), but I hear another 1-3 inches is on the way. Last year? This was PEANUTS. This year? It might as well be our blizzard...hahhahhaahahhahaha

So I have a couple recipes that I made the other day that you can throw into your arsenal for the weekend. DITCH THAT 'BREAD & MILK' FOLKS, and try these out!

BREAKFAST: PUMPKIN PIE OATMEAL PUDDING...

In review, 'oatmeal pudding' is taking cooked oats and cooking them in a cup of milk for another 20 minutes or so to create a 'rice pudding-like' consistency. You can try this regular, Chai flavored or even EGGNOG flavored (sighhhh...I miss the holidays already)...but here was my latest trial that I whipped up:

Cooked oats (1/4 cup dry oats precooked in 1 cup water)
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2-3 tablespoons of pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon, nutmeg & pumpkin pie spices to taste

Combine everything in a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil and then let simmer for 15-20 minutes for the CREAMIEST bowl of oats you've ever had!!

(oh...and your house may or may not smell like THANKSGIVING when you make this. Which may or may not send you into a chorus of "HOW DID IT GO SO FAST????" Just a warningJ)

AND FOR DINNER: What says 'cozy (snowy!) night in' better than BEEF STEW????

And the 'secret weapon' of the day???

ROASTED GARLIC!! YUMMMMMMM!

This recipe wasn't DIFFICULT at all...but it definitely took some T-I-M-E. What better way to spend a lazy afternoon when venturing outside is you're least appealing optionJ

Two-Potato Stew with Roasted Garlic
Adapted from Cooking Light

2 garlic heads (or 1....if you're not a garlic lovah!)
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced (yes...moreJ)
1 pound beef cubes, trimmed & cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup of flour
1 cup red wine
2 1/2 cups beef broth
1 large sweet potato, peeled & diced
1 large white potato, peeled & diced
1 carrot, peeled & diced
1 can of peas
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

Long Cooking Time, Warning #1: Trim off the tops of the garlic bulbs, leaving the garlic in tacked & in the papery skin. Drizzle with olive oil, salt & pepper. Wrap garlic in aluminum foil and toss into a 350 degree oven for about 1 hour. Allow to cool. The garlic should slip right out of the papery layers once squeezed into a small bowl.
Heat a Dutch oven oven medium-high heat. Warm a drizzle of olive oil to the pot and then add diced onions to cook for 10 minutes. Add the minced garlic and allow to cook for 1 minute before removing onions & garlic to a bowl and set aside.
Working in batches, dredge the beef cubes in the flour, salt & pepper and add to the pot. Allow the meat to brown on all sides before removing cubes and browning the second batch.
Add the wine to the pan and scrape up all of the browned bits at the bottom (that's where all the FLAVOR is!)
Long Cooking Time, Warning #2: Add the browned beef, onions & garlic back to the pot along with the beef broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat and let simmer for 1 hour.
Long Cooking Time, Warning #3: Add the potatoes & carrots. Cover & simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the roasted garlic bulbs, peas, rosemary, salt & pepper. Cook for 10 minutes or until warmed through.
ENJOY!

Does that say "warm & cozy" or what??

So go grab a blanket, curl up and have some of this simmering on the stove this weekend.

And if it doesn't snow: Do it anyways. That's the BEAUTY of WINTER folks! hahahahahaha

Happy Friday!

Guilt Free...cheese fries??

2012-02-09T07:55:00.001-05:00

So apparently Wednesday is the day that I promise you some sort of recipe...and then somehow run out of time to blog about itJ hahahahhaahhaha...sorry about that! But at least this one will be worth the wait!

Remember when I promised you decadent & delicious???

But also relatively GUILT FREE????

Witness Texas Chili Cheese Fries:

I know what you're saying...."wait a minute, wait a minute...how can chili cheese fries FOR DINNER be guilt free???" Well, my friends, with a few simple swaps to the most decadent ingredients, you can change this normally fat & calorie laden dish into one that could fit into your healthier lifestyle. Ready to see how??

Step one: The fries....

Instead of deep fried calories bombs, these fries were made out of diced white potatoes, drizzled with heart healthy extra virgin olive oil (and a little Montreal Steak Seasoning) and baked at 450 for 40 minutes...

The result? Crispy fries straight from the oven...NOT the deep fryer!

Next up: The Chili....

Made from lean turkey meat and all of the flavors coming from a combo of chili powder, onions, cumin & Worcestershire...NOT excess fat. YUM!

Have I mentioned how much I love Worcestershire?? Any recipe that calls for it just instantly makes me happyJ

And finally: The cheese sauce...

YES, that ooey gooey cheese sauce can be made on the 'healthier' end of the spectrum by using a combo of 1% milk, fat free chicken broth & low fat cheese! This sauce was also flavored with some yellow mustard & smoked sea salt. Again: tons of flavor without a whole lot of calories & fat! WIN!

Oooooooooo Yeahhhhhhh....

And how "guilt free" did this taste?? I don't think either of us even had time to think about it, as we inhaled this dish and dreamed of seconds the moment we were done eating. This one was a definite winner in our house and me thinks you will be a fan too!!

"Guilt Free" Chili Cheese Fries

Adapted from Rachael Ray

2 large Idaho potatoes
1 tablespoon of Montreal Steak Seasoning
3/4 pounds lean ground turkey breast
1 large onion
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon chili powder (more or less...use to taste)
1 tablespoon cumin
3 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 tablespoons Worcestershire
1 1/2 cups of beef broth
3 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons of flour
1 cup of 1% milk
1 cup of chicken broth
3 tablespoons of yellow mustard
2 cups of low fat cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 450.
Dice up the potatoes into long "fry-like" strands and layer of foil-lined cookie sheet. Drizzle potatoes with extra virgin olive oil & the steak seasoning. Mix around and top in the oven for 40 minutes, or until crispy, flipping halfway through.
While the potatoes are cooking, add the ground turkey to a olive oil drizzled pan. Break up the meat with the back of a spoon and cook until it's no longer pink.
Add the onion, garlic, cumin & chili powder and let cook for about 5 or 6 minutes or until the onions are soft.
Add the tomato pasta, Worcestershire & beef broth. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes.
In another small saucepan, melt the butter and then add the flour to cook for 1 minutes.
Whisk in the mustard, chicken broth & milk. Allow the mixture to come to a boil & then let in simmer until thickened, whisking frequently.
Once the sauce is thickened, add your shredded cheese & stir until melted.
Plate your crispy fries, smother with chili & drizzle with ooey gooey cheese.
Enjoy!

So, we got a nice little surprise in Jersey yesterday that we have BARELY seen this winter: SNOW!!! Not a lot, but enough for me to break out a SUPER cozy dinner recipe last night. I'll post it tomorrow, as it may come in handy this weekend. The temperature is suppose to dip into the low 30's this weekend...which has been a rarity in nearly a MONTH! And we just may see a few more of those pretty, white flakes...fingers crossedJ

Have a good Thursday everyone...and go make those cheese fries!

Back to a typical day...

2012-02-07T10:24:00.000-05:00

Morning everyone! Hope you guys are feeling good todayJ

So after our variety of fried foods from "Chicken Holiday" on Sunday night during the big game, I was suuuuuuuuupppppppperrrrrrrr ready to get "back on track" yesterday and tried to eat as 'cleanly' as possible. Along with chugging down LOTS of water, I started my day with a bowl of steel cut oats mixed with pumpkin, chia seeds, maple syrup, nutmeg, cinnamon & a sprinkle of sliced almonds...

I had been having spinach smoothies, flaxseed pancakes and pineapple chobani yogurts for the past few weeks, so it had been a hot minute since oatmeal had been made in my house (after having it nearly DAILY through December!) It was a nice reunionJ hahahahhahahaha

For lunch, I had went through a variety of leftovers from my fridge...but the only thing I REALLLLLLLLLLLLY wanted was SALAD:

In the mix:

Spring blend lettuce drizzled with TJ's Pear Gorgonzola Dressing
Sliced strawberries
handful of chopped & toasted walnuts
sprinkle of crumbled goat cheese

Soooo refreshing & good. Strawberries are OUT OF THIS WORLD right now! I couldn't believe how sweet they were when I picked em up on sale at the grocery store this week. I thought they were going to be 'winter waxy,' but NO...so good!

For snack, in my attempt to quell my DAILY afternoon CHOCOLATE CRAVING I've had lately, I had picked these up at the store last week...

I figured I'd try ANYTHING to get a chocolate fix that was under 100 calories a serving. They work pretty well. *Emphasis on the 'pretty'...hahahahahhahahaha...sometimes you just need the REAL STUFFJ

And dinner was a simple one. Scott had some leftovers to take care of and since he does NOT like seafood, it was finally my chance to have something I had been craving for A WHILE:

Less the 10 minutes + craving conquered = happy! J hahahaha

So I told you yesterday how, along with chocolate, CHEESE is my other favorite food group at the momentJ I have a fun little recipe in store for tonight that takes a particularly guilty dish and makes it a litttle bit on the more healthy side. I think you guys will like itJ Stay tuned & have a good Tuesday!

Quick check in...

2012-02-06T08:57:00.000-05:00

So after quite a few days of take out OR not really even being in the mood to eat dinner, this blog has been pretty quiet. SORRY!!!! I'd be lying if I said cooking has been my favorite activity lately, as not too much sounds appealing these days. I have to say the two things that do: chocolate + cheese...hahahahahahhahaha And how many dinners can you REALLY make with that??J (hey, I'm 9 months pregnant, can you blame me???)

So in an effort to kick start the blog for the week, I thought I'd just give you my workout run down from last week. Hopefully it'll help you get motivated for the week ahead...especially after the "National Eating Day" yesterday. Oh, I mean the SuperbowlJ Jump right back to your healthy eating habits today and you don't even need to worry about 1 day of joy...I mean, overindulgenceJ hahahahhahahaha

Tuesday: Weight Loss Yoga-Level 1+ 1 round of 8 pound weights

Thursday: 1+ hour Gentle Yoga class

Friday: 30 minutes Prenatal yoga + 1 round of 8 pound weights

Sunday: 45 minute walk in the park

It was around Tuesday at the 7 minute mark of the difficult yoga where I realized I needed to hang up the 'power yoga' for a bit. I realized I was doing more modifications than exercises....and that, my friends, is what is called A SIGNJ Definitely want to keep up the gentle yoga & weights for the stretch, strength and 'mental clarity,' but beyond that, I think my body is ready to take it easy for the next couple weeks. Ya gotta listen to it, always!

Alright...that's all I got for you today. Hopefully tomorrows post will be more exciting, but no promises! My 'what I want for dinner' plans tend to change within minutes...hahahahahahahhahahaa

Have a good Monday! And don't forget to drink lots of water! It'll help detox your body from all those glorious eats yesterday!

The third best thing...

2012-02-02T11:15:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone! So I promised you a recipe with a boatload of memories, and here is what I have for you todayJ

Rewind three years ago this month and you would find Scott & I on one of our favorite trips EVER: Our honeymoon to Costa Rica (a place, we both agreed, we think we could visit YEARLY!) And among the zip lining...

...beautiful (SPECTACULAR) sunsets...

...monkeys climbing on our heads...

...getting acquainted with the locals...

...and the world's most breathtaking place I've ever had breakfast...

...we also had some unexpected AMAZING eats (mostly had in a row of open air restaurants that overlooked the ocean. I mean, can you even??) And one of my absolute FAVORITE things I tried while we were there were the pulled pork AREPAS...

Arepas are little corn cakes that are popular in Central & South America. It was seriously love at first bite, as I've been trying to find these ANYWHERE ever since!!

The only place I've seen them so far???? At the ITALIAN MECCA FESTIVAL: San Gennaro in NYC!!!! You KNOW they must be good if I passed up a meatball sandwich for one of these mozzarella stuffed wondersJ

Sooooo since Arepas are lacking on menus in NEW JERSEY, I had to take the next best option.

OK...let's be honest, the next best option would be booking a trip back to Costa Rica.

So we went with the THIRD best option: Making them at homeJ

I combined about 1/3 parts cornbread mix, 1/3 part masa flour & 1/3 parts water to form a dough...

Once the dough was able to be gathered (add more water if the dough is too dry), I flattened the dough into little round cakes and cooked them on an olive oil coated flat skillet...

(ps-the THINNER you make the cakes, the better!)

Cook on each side until browned. The whole process from mixing to finished arepas is about 10 minutes flat. Not too bad, right??

Next, it was time for the toppings. You can mix and match any flavors that you want, but we went with our favorites:

1.- Cumin-coated seared pulled pork chops....

2.-Mashed black beans (just drain, rinse, heat & mash...no muss, no fuss & No hydrogenated oils of most canned refried beans!)

3.- GUACAMOLE!!!!!!! (made SUPER quick by just mashing 2 avocados with a 1 small diced onion, a bit of lime juice, salt & pepper...super easy!)

And then it's time to layer...

...like...

...so! J

And my last little addition: my favorite 'convienece food'...

That's right, folks. I have a secret LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEE of bagged 'preshredded lettuce.' It's one item I don't mind paying extra for the convenience of it already shredded. It brings me joy. Just as it did when we had it on tacos last nightJ

Anyway...the arepas were lovely and all came together in about 20 minutes! I almost could have saved MORE time and ditched the pork & just had the black beans & guacamole, since that was the best part! They were good...but still no Costa Rica arepas. (Scott, how can we fix that????J)

And as some of you may have saw from my Facebook post, I spent yesterday morning dragging my Mom to Cracker Barrel as I had been DYINGGGGGGGGGGG for more of their exceptional pancakes. And we were even MORE excited when the 'winter special' of the day was:

photo source

Oh. My. Heavens. Just tooooo die for, with their sweet potato filling and CRISP pancake-y edges. And the best part???? The BROWN SUGAR BUTTER! Oh yes. Go try these now!

Alright, we'll that's all I got for you today! Have a good Thursday, everyone!!

So nice, we had it twice.

2012-01-31T11:12:00.001-05:00

It had to happen again. It was just TOOOOO much of 'love at first bite.' And since yesterday was suppose to be the coldest day of the week (around 43! NOT in the low 20's as per usual in January in NJ), I figured I'd take advantage and make Lasagna soup again!

Not since Baked Caprese Salad has a dish had us so smittned that we had to have it TWICE IN ONE WEEK!

AKA.-Make this one N-O-W!!!!!!!!!!!

My few little 'change ups' for last night:

1.- I found this cheese & garlic chicken sausage (45% less fat than regular sausage) at the grocery store yesterday....

I had sent Scott to the store to get 'turkey sausage' last time and the only thing with the word 'turkey' on it was apparently kielbasa! hahahahahhahaha...I have to say, both were just as good as the other, thoughJ

2.-I filled AND topped our bowls with the last of the leftover "Quattro Formaggio" for a little extra tangy CHEESE KICK!

3.-And finally, along with my rotini pasta, I also threw in a couple handfuls of Orecchiette pasta. This created....READY??????????? ....LITTLE CUPS OF CHEESE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oooooooooooooooooooo yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

So that wraps up what I have for you today. But no worries! I'll have a NEW recipe to share with you tomorrow. Complete with a boat load of memories from on of our FAVORITE. TRIPS. EVER!

Have a great, Tuesday!

Back on Track...albeit, a bit more tired ;)

2012-01-30T09:18:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! Hope you guys had a great weekend. Ours flew by in a flurry of painting, parties and...Chinese foodJ But I thought I'd show you my favorite recipe from the last few days!

Remember I said I had a good idea for pizza??? Well...how does Caramelized onion & Leek pie sound??

We started off by caramelizing 3 onions. Which means dicing them up and letting them cook on low heat, stirring frequently for about 20 minutes or until they go from this...

...to this! Golden brown deliciousnessJ

Once the onions were cooked, I tossed in a few handfuls of diced leeks (the last of our "freezer reserves"...sniff, sniff!)

While the leeks & onions were cooking, I rolled the dough out and baked it for a bit to crisp up the bottom. For some reason the homemade dough took longer to cook than the store bough, so I wanted to give it a head start. But don't let it cook too long! The dough starts to bubble and shrink when there's nothing on top to weigh it down.

Once it was browned a bit, I added a layer of diced garlic...

...and a layer of cheese. This time I went with the "Quattro Formaggio": a mix of provolone, asiago & fontina. I thought it would add a little ZIP to the white pieJ

...and finally, topped it off with the leeks & onions. Making sure to ALSO layer those ALL the way to the edgesJ

Popped into a 450 degree oven until the cheese was melty & gooey. My first bite literally produced an "oh my God"...it was just so FLAVOR PACKED with all the sweet & tangy onions and gooey, salty cheese. Yummmmm...another good pizza in our arsenalJ

And in other news for Monday, my workout schedule...which I got BACK ON TRACK after last week!

Monday: 1+ hours beginners power yoga

Wednesday: 1+ hours Power yoga (my new favorite class! The teacher teaches this class like it's 'yoga dance.' Lots of different & unique poses and lots of movement. Love, love, love!)

Thursday: 3 mile "Walk away the pounds" with 4 pound weights + 1 round of 8 pound weights (interrupted by stepping on a piece of glass...awesome)

Friday: 1+ hour Power Yoga class

Sunday: 40 minute walk in the park + 1 round of 8 pound weights

Not sure if it was my 'slower paced' week prior OR it being my 35th week of pregnancy, but this week certainly felt like more of a challenge. Even the walk in the park took my breath away a bit easier than before. Oh well, I do what I can do and that's all we can EVER do, right??

Well, that about wraps it up for me! Hope you guys are ready for the week ahead. Looks like it's suppose to be a gorgeous one in NJ. Scott & I didn't end up taking Penny for a walk last night until nearly 5:00 and said how ODD that was to be able to do that on JANUARY 29th!!!!!! We would have been bundled up in the house slurping some variation of soup by 5:00 normally this time of year. Hope those Mayans weren't right!J

Have a good Monday, everyone!

Warm & Cheesy. Do I have your attention?? ;)

2012-01-26T09:55:00.000-05:00

So I'm TRULY starting to believe that when you are pregnant, you take on all of the characteristics of an infant & child. You have your days & nights mixed up, you can't figure out how to get comfortable, you cry occasionally for absolutely no reason whatsoever and my example of the day: the ever present mystery for kid's love of food one day and then their non-interest in it the next. I have gone through that faze with Doritos (thankfully, that passed quickly!), orange mango juice and lots of other stuff. HADDDDDD to have it in my fridge & pantry 24 hours a day...then one day I would just wake up & have ZERO interest anymore. I say all of this to you because apparently it's STILL going onJ

Last week, I couldn't LIVE THE DAY without a couple of these...

Wheat + Flax pancakes = my nirvana last week.

This week?? Be goneJ

Back in the picture this week??? Ye ole green favorite. This takes me about 3 minutes to whirl together and even THAT was NOT FAST ENOUGH yesterday morning. I have a bizarre "caged animal" craving for spinach when I get on a kick of these!

And even though their not as 'natural,' I must say I LOVEEEE making these with the vanilla protein powder over the peanut butter sometimes. It REALLY takes them up to 'milkshake' proportions.

In review:

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (or 1 tablespoon peanut butter)
1/2 scoop chia seeds
1 frozen banana
1/4 cup dry instant oats
a packed blender of spinach

BLEND & LOVE!

ANYYYWAAYY after all that breakfast talk, I have something else VERY important to share with you. Not only did we have yet ANOTHER awesome CHEESY dinner last night...but I may have just discovered my ALL TIME SECOND FAVORITE SOUP (behind Baked Potato, of course)

LASAGNA SOUP!!!!!! And while this may look like an innocent bowl of deliciousness, just wait for the big SURPRISE at the endJ

You start off by browning up the good stuff:

1 pound diced sausage
2 diced onions
4 minced garlic cloves
2 tablespoons oregano

Then it's time for the 'soup' ingredients:

6 cups chicken broth
1 28oz. can diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
2 bay leaves

Bring the soup to a boil and let it simmer for 30 minutes...

Then it's time to add your pasta for about 8-9 minutes. Be sure to check frequently...you don't want your noodles to be too al dente OR too mushy!

I used rotini because of the curls, but you can use whatever you have on hand (about 1/2 a box).

And when the noodles were just about done, I threw in a couple handfuls of torn FRESH basil...ahhhhhh...what a scentJ

And are you ready for the SURPRRRIIISEEEE PART OF THE SOUP??????

You mix 8 oz. of ricotta with 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, salt & pepper and add a dollop to the bottom of each bowl.

Along with a little sprinkle of mozzarella cheese!!!! DOUBLE CHEESE = YES, PLEASE!

Once the pasta was cooked and the soup was thickened, I ladled it on top of the cheeeeeeesssseeeeeee.....

....and added just another sprinkle of mozzarella for good measure!

Woah...like, hella woah was this outstanding! OK...so I took this picture RIGHT after I ladled the soup and before I really chowed down. But once I did and the cheese got all meltyyyyy...you literally needed a bib to keep your clothes from being stained by loooooooooonnnnnnngggggggg strands of stringy cheese. THAT combined with the melty ricotta...heaven, I tell you people, HEAVEN!

I already can't wait to make this AGAIN. This is gonna be a FALL/WINTER staple in our house, I guarantee!!! Try this on the next chilly day...which may or may not be soon here in NJ!!

And in the "just. so. wrong." category: My dessert was a few squares of this little number that I picked up on the VERY BOTTOM of the 'impulse purchase' shelf at Trader Joe's...

Yes...that as in DARK CHOCOLATE FILLED WITH THE MOST MAGICAL OF INGREDIENTS: COOKIE BUTTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So wrong. So right.

Well, I think I yammered enough for today folks! Have a good Thursday!

We have a winner...

2012-01-25T09:28:00.002-05:00

Soooo I told you yesterday that dinner was one item on Scott's 'not a fan' list. What would you think that would be??

Hummus with tabbouli? Nope...he loves it.

Polenta with pumpkin, spinach & white bean? Nope...we have this at least once every few months.

Instead on Scott's short list of non-favorites, the one that I had yet to crack was......ready????....

MAC & CHEESE!

I KNOW! In the gaggle of foods we've learned to cook & love since we started living together, that is one food I could never sneak on the menu without a crinkled nose and a "eeeeeeh." (the other being CHICKEN POT PIE, which I think he's finally come around toJ) But when I spotted this recipe for Cheesy Couscous in Rachael Ray's magazine, I thought I might finally have found the components to welcome 'mac & cheese' into our houseJ

The main selling point was that we weren't having MAC & cheese, but rather COUSCOUS & cheese! This somehow made it 'safe,' and that is A-OK with me!

While I boiled up some Israeli couscous for about 4 minutes, I also...

...crisped up some bacon and set it aside to drain...

And into the 'bacon pan' went 1/2 bag of roasted corn & 3 chopped scallions. I mixed it all together and let it cook for a couple minutes.

Once the couscous was cooked, I drained it and added it to the corn while I worked on the next part...

THE CHEESE SAUCE!

Ohhhhh yesJ First I made a quick roux by whisking together 2 tablespoons of melted butter & 2 tablespoons of flour. Let that cook for a few minutes before adding about 1/2 cup of chicken broth and 3/4 cup 1% milk. Let this simmer for a few minutes to thicken up.

Next, it was time to add the good stuff! 1 cup of cheddar cheese....

...and my secret weapons: 4 torn slices of smoked gouda, a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce, a sprinkle of garlic powder & sea salt.

ohhhhhhhh yeahhhhhhhhhh....

Let it all cook together until the cheese is melted & the sauce is thickened. And then it's time for.....

Couscous to meet cheese sauce.....yummmmmmmmmmmm!

Oh man...could this even BE bad?? Smokey & creamy cheese sauce mixed with chewy couscous and studded with corn, scallions and BACON???? Talk about over the top while still feeling NOT too heavy. LOVEEEEEEE this dish. So much in fact that it's currently a struggle not to run to the fridge and chow down on the leftoversJ

And guess who ELSE was a fan?????

We have a winner!!!!!J

Soooo another 50+ degree day on tap for Jersey today. So what's on the menu for tonight?? SOUP. I'm just ALL sorts of messed up this weekJ That snow sent me off and running for cozy ingredients....EXCEPT on the one day that snow was still on the ground....heheheheheheJ Oh well, at least their all tastyJ

Have a good MIDWEEK everyoneJ

Missed the memo...

2012-01-24T09:28:00.000-05:00

So yesterday was the EPITOME of 'winter nights.' It wasn't cold, but what it WAS was damp, rainy, gloomy & foggy. So please explain why I chose last night to have not only a CLASS-A "summer dinner," but also gave up lounging on the couch to drive to the gym in the fog?? Guess ye ole bod craves what it craves & weather be damned...hahahahhhahahaha....

And our 'summer in the dead of winter dinner' last night? Golden corn salad with fresh basil

I think I was drawn to this recipe at the moment because it had TONS of fresh veggies...but the MAIN one?? Potatoes! And I think you may know how much I LOVEEEE potatoes right nowJ

The base of the salad consisted of:

Diced red potatoes, boiled for 10 minutes & cooled
Roasted halved cherry tomatoes, cooled
1 diced red pepper
1/2 bag frozen corn

I mixed the potato & corn mix with some fresh dressing....

Whisk together:

1 diced shallot
3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

I love, love, love making my own dressing. Not only do you KNOW what you're eating and none of it involves corn syrup & crazy ingredients (like some bottled dressings), but it tastes just sooooo light, fresh and flavorful. Oh...and did I mention it only takes about 3 minutes to make?? Bonus!

Next, I mixed the potato/corn/dressing mixture with a bag of lettuce....this time some spring mix (on sale for $1 this week at the AcmeJ)

And finally, the KEY reason this dish is super summer worthy: Chopped fresh basil....

I look forward to summer in ZERO capacity, but for whatever reason, the scent of the basil made me weak in the kneesJ It just smelled SO. DAMN. DELICIOUS!

Top this bad boy off with a little herbed garlic goat cheese and you are ready to roll!

Bright, vibrant, super textures & majorly healthy = GO MAKE THIS SALAD NOW! Ok, Ok...you can wait a few monthsJ But if you're looking for a quick, fresh dinner...give this one a whirl. It's so light & delicious.

Well, the sun has returned today...so what's for dinner tonight??? COZY!! hahahahhahahaa....I'm actually SUPER excited about my dinner recipe tonight! It's nothing overly extravagant, but it might be a fun way to get Scott to eat one of my favorites that he doesn't really love...but he might like this one!

Have a good Tuesday, everyoneJ

Warm & Cozy Sunday...

2012-01-23T11:08:00.001-05:00

Sooooo....my biggest project of late has been trying to get the baby's room in order...ya know, before they graduate kindergartenJ And this week we finally chose a paint color. The irony? It's called 'Baked Scone'....appropriate, right??J

Photo source

So in honor of our first 'snow Sunday' of the year!...

...and OUR little baked sconeJ, Scott whipped up a batch of...what else?? Pumpkin sconesJ

My lunch has been the same lunch I've had for the last...hmmmm.....4 days, I think?? Strawberry & Pineapple smoothie. I'm obsessed!

Blended up:

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 scoop vanilla Protein Powder (I use Biggest Loser Vanilla Bean)
1/2 scoop chia seeds
Frozen Strawberries
Frozen Pineapple
1 tablespoon honey

These keep me full the ENTIRE AFTERNOON. Could be the protein powder & chia combo...OR my shrinking stomachJ hahahhhahahahha....

And finally for dinner, between the snow AND the dueling playoff football games, I could just FEEL that homemade pizza HAD to happen! I whipped up some quick pizza dough with help from my bread machine...

1 & 3/4 cup cold water
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cups bread flour
1 packet yeast
salt

I let the bread machine do all of the 'dirty work' of the mixing and kneading and then I let it sit for about 2 hours before rolling it out onto my baking sheet.

ps-the recipe made 3 more dough 'loaves'. They are going RIGHT in my freezer for a quick dinner next time....which will probably be at the end of this weekJ I have a gooooood pizza idea...mwahaha!

Ironically, I made my own dough...but bought my pizza sauceJ This was one my Grandmom always used...so if it was good enough for her, it's good enough for usJ

I topped the pizza with the sauce, a gaggle of garlic...

...and per Scott's request, his side got a sprinkle of peppers & onions. These ones from TJ's go from frozen to warmed in the pan in mere minutes. Perfect for a quick dinner topper.

Finally, Scott took on the job of sprinkling the mozzarella very seriouslyJ He said it's ESSENTIAL to spread all of the toppings RIGHT TO THE EDGE. No messin around from this one!

15 minutes at 450 and we were in business. I have to say AGAIN that Scott's side was the winner. The peppers & onions reallllly made the pizza!

And finally, what's a snowy/football Sunday without a homemade dessert?? And since I have been craving homemade brownies since...hmmm...NOVEMBER, I finally caved in and made a batch of frosted & cream cheese filled. H-A-P-P-Y!

So that wraps up my weekend! The only other thing I have to share is my workout schedule.

Ummmmmm...but did I mention about getting the baby's room together?? Yeah...most of my workouts last week ended up coming from lugging the likes of couch cushions, old books & computer parts up & down the steps dozens of times a dayJ hahahahhahahaha I did manage to squeeze two power yoga workout classes into the week, which held me over enough to keep my eating in check, but cleaning took over all things last weekJ hehehehehehhehehehe

Anyway! Hope you guys had a nice, relaxing weekend and are ready for the week ahead. Have a great Monday!

Another pasta 'swap'...

2012-01-20T08:34:00.001-05:00

So I think all of my 'food aversions' are starting to dissipate. First, I conquered chicken after nearly 8 months. Then it seemed like zucchini was the last true holdout of dishes that made me shake in terror (could have been because BBQ chicken & grilled zucchini were the first meal I ate once 'morning sickness' REALLY set in and I had NO CLUE how to handle itJ ) But after having dinner last night, I think I can officially say that zucchini & I have reached 'friend status again' as I whipped up a little...

ZUCCHINI SPAGHETTI!!!!!!

Yep...that's right! I had tried this as a cold side dish once, but REALLLY thought it was kicked up a notch when it was sauteed!

You WILL need a mandolin in order to julienne the zucchini into long strands (you could chop the zucchini into thin strips, but it might take a bit longer) but once that's done, this dinner came together in a jiff!

First, I toasted up some chopped walnuts in a pan (you could also use pine nuts). Once they were toasty and brown, I set them off to the side.

Next, I took a gaggle of garlic...

Tossed it in the same pan with a little olive oil and threw in all of the zucchini to saute and wilt down for about 7 minutes or so. (be sure to add a little salt & pepper to flavor it up!)

And while the zucchini was cooking up, I made a quick whirl of whipped ricotta...

In the mix:

Part skim ricotta
grated cheese
parsley
crushed garlic
salt & pepper

Once the zucchini was heated through, I topped it with the toasted walnuts & served it with a scoop of the ricotta...

Despite what you might be thinking, this was actually REALLY flavorful & deliciousJ You need to make sure to really season up the zucchini, since it tends to be a 'bland-er' vegetable, but served with the walnuts & ricotta REALLY took it over the top!

It even swirled on my fork like regular pasta! Even better than spaghetti squashJ

So if you want a carb free, meat free and SUPER low calorie "pasta" night at your house...give this one a whirl. Scott LOVEEEED this dish and I think this will be in heavy dinner rotation in the summer when zucchinis are in massive abundanceJ

Anyway, that's all I got for you today. Have a great Friday, everyone!! Wohooooooooooo...the weekend is just about here!

The old saying...

2012-01-18T10:02:00.000-05:00

"If at first you don't succeed, try again" says the old adage.

That is unless you're pregnant, still craving lemons and no longer in the mood to experiment recipes that require blanching lemon rinds.

IN THAT CASE, you go with a more "sure bet"....in this case, in the form of Lemon Poppy Seed pancakesJ

I tried out this lemon/poppy seed/ricotta recipes from "1 Cup Awesome" and couldn't be more pleased with the results. Tangy, creamy (from the ricotta) and I loved the texture of the seeds. Just lovely! No blanching required!!J :)

For lunch, I whirled myself up a quick smoothie...

1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/2 scoop chia seeds
Frozen Pineapple
Frozen Strawberries

All in a tribute to my favorite city in the worldJ

And finally, I guess I can say my 'chicken aversion' days are coming to a close. After having Trader Joe's Mandarin Chicken last week, I chose to have my prior nemesis again and went back to one of our very, very favorite dinners (AND HEALTHY SWAPS!) Buffalo Chicken Fingers with Blue Cheese Cole Slaw...

All you do is cut up the chicken, marinate it in buffalo wing sauce, dredge in (salt & pepper-ed) panko and bake at 375 for about 40 minutes. I spritzed em with a little extra olive oil before popping them in the oven to give em an extra CRUNCH!

And the chicken is JUSTSOGOOD with the cole slaw! This time, I lightened up the side dish even MORE by replacing half of the mayo with Fage 0%! (also a good sour cream swap) You couldn't taste the change AT ALL except that it had a more 'clean' taste and less of a rich, mayo flavor. Either way, you are getting TONS of veggies to go along with the leaannnn chicken 'buffalo wings'....so good!

Super Bowl Sunday is a-comin...why not give this dish a whirl if you're watching you're waistline??

Well, seesh, I can hear the wind howling already! It always seems to howl EXTRA loud on the mornings I want to run off to Power YogaJ Mother Nature must just knowJ

Have a good Wednesday, everyone!

Weekend Wrap up...

2012-01-17T10:55:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! Hope you had a great (HOPEFULLY) long weekend!! Sorry for the delay...Scott & I are still trying to recover from our absolutely WONDERFUL baby shower that was thrown by our family & friends on Sunday morning. It was an absolutely wonderful, wonderful day! Thanks again everyone who came to celebrate with us and made us feel SOOO unbelievably special (AND SPOILED!!!!!)

Yesterday I let the celebration "continue" a bit by delving into the cookies my Mom, Aunt & Best Friend's Mom made for everyone as favors. Aren't these great????? Who could resist a little festive breakfast?J

Lunch, however, we tried to pull it together just a bitJ We made a little "Kitchen Sink Soup," which pretty much means we threw everything in there that we had on hand!

In the pot, we simmered:

Chicken Broth
Carrots
Celery
Frozen chopped spinach, defrosted & drained
Chopped leeks
Red Beans, drained & rinsed

Both of us felt a little under the weather and knew chicken broth & all those veggies would be the way go for a good and healthy lunch. Try it out the next time you have a blustery afternoon and a fridge full of veggies on your hands. Who knows what flavor concoctions you could come up with!

And finally, to round out our "trying to pull it together after 2 indulgent days," we went with one of my favorite 'healthy swaps': Rice Ball Casserole. All of the flavors of rice balls without the deep fried business..wohooo!

OK, OK...we did also indulge in the LAST of the shower cakeJ How gorgeous is this????

My friend makes absolutely spectacularr & gorgeous cakes (the chocolate chip cake is also TO DIE FOR!!!!) I was completely speechless when I saw this beauty!!! Check her out at Kim's Cakes (and Piece of Cake Decorating) if you're in the area!

And last, but not least, my workout schedule for your "Motivated Tuesday" (it sure jumps around a lot, huh???J)

Monday: 1+ hour Beginners Power Yoga

Wednesday: Skinnygirl workout (50 minute yoga + 12 minute stretch) + 1 round of weights

Thursday: 30 minutes dance + weights (starting to be QUITE a bit more moderate in the 'dance' portionJ hehhehehehehehe)

Friday: 1+ hour Power Yoga Class

Saturday: 1+ hour Gentle Yoga + 1+ hour Power Yoga

Yeah...I was going to 'take it easy' and just do gentle yoga on Saturday morning, but then it just didn't feel like 'enough.' Tack on another extra hour of super, drenching sweat POWER yoga and it could be the reason I woke up Sunday AND Monday feeling like I got hit by a bit of a mack truckJ hehehehehehheehe....

So that wraps up my weekend for you. Hope you guys are having a good Tuesday! One day down alreadyJ

End of the era...

2012-01-15T08:25:00.000-05:00

It is with much sadness & a bit of exhaustion that I write this post today. Because I have eaten pizza far and wide and NOTHING ON THIS PLANET WILL EVER COMPARE TO MY CULT-LIKE DEVOTION TO DELORENZO'S TOMATO PIES IN TRENTON, NJ. So upon hearing that the Hudson Street location would be closing it's doors for good today after 65 years, we knew we had to make one last pilgrimage...

Sure, they will still be selling pies at their Robbinsville location, but nothing can ever come close to the old school 'traditions' at the tiny, 12 booth (and ONE table for 6) Trenton location. No menus, no credit cards, no bathrooms, pizza sliced with an knife at all strange angels. It's all part of its charm.

I can't even count how many times I've been here in my lifetime. I don't think I even had any OTHER pizza from anywhere else until I was about 13J I'll be spoiled by it foreverJ

So last night, we bundled up against the 25 degree weather and headed out for one last Saturday night on Hudson Street. We just didn't know how much of an ordeal it would actually be!!!!J We knew we were in trouble when we rolled up at 5:25 and the line already stretched AROUND. THE. BLOCK. (no pictures...in fear of angering the 'mob' of folksJ)

So what time did our pies finally hit the table?????? READY???????????????

9:50pm.

No, for real.

Ready for even MORE insanity??? The line stretched to include about 20 more people BEHIND our group...and yet we were the lucky ones who JUST managed to squeak in the door before they called in a COP to LOCK THE DOOR and send everyone else behind us away empty handed. INSANE, right???????? I can't even imagine the fuming that went on outside that door!

There's not much in life I'll wait over 4 hours for. But for one last bite of my childhood favorite?? Well, some things in life are JUST that good. Don't even ASK me what they do to make these pies special. I couldn't even tell you. It's like the magic lies in the simplicity....and the magic elves that they just MUST have in those ovens of theirs to create the charred, yet super delicate crust.

Pardon my blurry pictures...as I believe I was taking pictures with one hand and shoving pizza in my mouth with the otherJ After a morning of 2 & 1/2 hours of yoga and a can of soup about 10 hours prior...I had just about reached the point of delirium by the time the pies arrivedJ hehehehehhehehee....

But it was all worth it. Sighhhhhh...I'll miss you Delorenzo's. Hudson Street will always be part of my pizza-loving heart and NO pies on the planet will ever be your counterpart. It was truly a classic.

*And who else could say they have the cache of being the LAST patrons served there on a Saturday night??? Wohoooooooo...that's history, baby!J

Hope you guys are having a great weekend!

Who cooks a good "man meal"?? ;)

2012-01-13T08:51:00.001-05:00

So before I get to the "man meal" portion of this post...how bout we start with my "dainty girly lunch", shall we?? J hehehehhehee....which included this...

I used half of the can in my West African Style Peanut Sauced Sweet Potatoes Wednesday night, so I decided to have the rest for lunch yesterday. So now I get to tell you that this is my favorite canned soup EVER, EVER, EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It so sweet, super chunky and made with all natural ingredients. It may be a HAIR higher in stats than most "light/broth soups"...but oh man, is it worth it!!!

And since I am not one of those "oh, I can eat soup for lunch and be SO FULL!" types (yeah...for the record: check the back of your "Light" soup can labels. They are usually TWO servings, making that '100 calories a serving for broth water' seem not quite as satisfying, huh???) I served up my soup with a little side salad.

In the mix:

Arugula
1/2 leftover diced mango
Craisins
Handful of walnuts, diced & toasted
Drizzle of olive oil & balsamic vinegar

This (plus a coffee mug of frosted shredded mini wheat for snack) kept me full all afternoon. It's a good way to add bulk to your lunch and help soup streeeeetttttccccchhhhh to keep you satisfiedJ

We now return to our regularly scheduled program: And who gets the award for making the kick-ass "man meal" last night??? Not Scott...but ME! J

Cause yes folks, it was time to brush off those cast iron skillets and bring sliders BACK to the "My Tasty Journey" House!! J

This time I gave the burgers a little French Onion twist. I mixed up the ground turkey with Worcestershire, salt and a bunch of this seasoning we had gotten in Kansas City...(you could also use Lipton onion soup mix)

...as well as topping them with the rest of my Cheddar & Gruyere mix cheese. (Gruyere is what you usually find on the top of your French Onion soup)

Following my "Slider Rules": After preheating my cast iron skillet on medium for 10 minutes, I added my mini formed sliders and topped em with a thinly diced onion. Let those cook up until the edges of the burgers start to turn...

Next, get your mini buns ready. Yes...I most DEFINITELY still recommend potato buns for sliders, but these mini buns from Trader Joe's just HAD to be purchased & used...

I think it was the sesame seeds that put me over the top.

Oh yeah, THAT and that they're ADORABLEJ

After you flip the burgers AND the onions, top the slider with cheese...

...and cover the burgers with BOTH sides of the split burger buns...like so...

(that's how they do it at White Manna!)

Add a little water or beef broth to your pan to REALLY get a good STEAM going...

Cover the pan and let everything steam and moooooosh together for a few minutes, or until the burgers are cooked through.

Once the lid is lifted, you will be treated to not only the worlds most fabulously burger smell BUT also a sea of meat, melty cheese & steamed onions. HEAVEN!!!

Manly enough for the men...but cute enough for the ladiesJ These are certainly an all around friendly dinnerJ

The best part about making the burgers this way is that EVERY bite is just PERMEATED by...EVERYTHING: Cheese, meat, onions. Even the mini buns take on the unique flavors. Just so damn good. Why, why, why do I not make these more often??

TRY. THESE. TONIGHT.

Sooo yeesh...it is just very strange Friday out there. I woke up around 5am to the sound of the wind whipping & the rain banging aganist my windows and it's still continuing now. Wondering if this will play against my "Power Yoga/10:30am" planJ Strangly enough, heavy wind is one of the things I hate driving in the most. I hate that feeling of your car whipping around...even if it's just driving straightJ

Well, I hope you guys have a great loooooonnngggg weekend! Me thinks I have a pretty good one in the worksJ hehehehehe....have a good one! (and make those sliders!)

Meatless Mid-Week...

2012-01-12T16:54:00.001-05:00

Weird Fact: So I've decided that I enjoy my Green Monster smoothies much more as a breakfast then as a lunch. I'll plan on having one of these for a lunch, but those plans usually quickly go by the wayside because I'm just usually NOT in the mood for them when 12 o'clock rolls around. Breakfast, however?? I wake up CRAVINGGGGG them. Like, 'lion out of the cage' craving. Strange, right?? It's the only time in life, I'm sure, that I'll crave spinach before 9amJ

This fulfills your 'random fact' quota for the day.

You're welcomeJ

On another note: How cute is this San Francisco glass??

I love having my spinach served up with a side of fun memories of all my favorite places in the cityJ

(Scott got me these glasses for Christmas from Cat Studios. They have tons of States & your favorite cities from all around the world...all done in adorable art work! Here's a glimpse at NJ & Vermont!)

And since I flip flopped my breakfast & lunch plan, I decided I was going to have more Chai oatmeal for lunch. Buttttt...hunger hit me out of NOWHERE today and even the 15-20 minutes to make oatmeal pudding just seemed tooooo long! To the rescue?? Trader Joe's Black Bean & Corn Enchiladas...

6 minutes in the microwave and I was quickly devouring these babies. I love how fresh the corn tortilla and black bean filling tastes....especially for a frozen entree! Definitely pick these up if you're looking for a quick & filling lunch.

Dinner...mwahaha...was a little creation of my own.

Truth be told: I wanted pizza. (thick, doughy Sicilian pizza to be exactJ) But thankfully, I was anxious enough to try out my 'experiment' that I was able to keep the pizza delivery guy at bay.

This dinner took about an hour...but was one of those great ones where you were actually only COOKING for about 30 minutesJ

First up, I tossed 2 sweet potatoes in a 400 degree oven for about an hour.

When the potatoes had about a half hour left, I chopped up my kale, drizzled it with olive oil, salt & pepper and threw it in the bottom rack of the oven to cook along with the potatoes. (keep your nose on alert! If they smell like they're burning: They're done!)

While the potatoes and kale were doing their thing, I quickly sauteed half a red onion and a few minced cloves of garlic in a saute pan...

...before adding a can of drained & rinsed black beans.

I let those sautee and crisp together, stirring occasionally, while I got to work on the last part of the meal.

Scott & I had made this recipe for West African-Style Peanut Sauce YEARSSSSSS ago...and I think Scott's been wanting to have it again since, but it always slipped my mind. But last night, I knew it would be the quintessential STAR of our sweet potato meal!

(my spices are really getting a workout this week, huh???)

West African-Style Peanut Sauce (adapted from Cooking Light)

1/2 diced red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teasp. cumin
1 1/2 teasp. coriander
3/4 cups water
3/4 cup tomato sauce (we had none on hand, so I used a trusty can of tomato soupJ)
1/4 cup peanut butter

Saute the onion & garlic in a little drizzle of olive oil on medium heat for a 3 minutes.
Add in the ground ginger, cumin & coriander and cook for about a minute.
Next, add the water, tomato sauce, peanut butter, salt & pepper. Stir until smooth and simmer on low for about 2 minutes, or until slightly thickened.

See?? Sounds scary and "fancy," but it's actually super easy and ready in under 10 minutes!

When the sweet potatoes were cooked, we split them oven and 'fluffed' the potatoes with a fork before adding a few spoonfuls of the peanut sauce and mixing the 2 together...

Finally, I topped the 'peanut potatoes' with the sauteed black beans...and wallah: Peanut potatoes with black beansJ

This dinner was super filling & satisfying while being completely vegan. If you're looking for ways to cut your budget a bit (not to mention your intake of saturated fats) going meatless at least once a week is a good start. This entire dinner probably cost us under $10 for both of our meals. Canned beans are super cheap, as well as a great source of filling protein. Not to mention the peanut sauce gave this even more bang for your 'filling' buckJ

And we had gotten this HUGE head of kale for about $1.25 at the Farmer's Market and I was able to stretch it into 2 dinners worth of 'kale chip side dishes' PLUS the few huge handfuls that went into the minestrone soup. Tell me that's not making your dollar stretch for you!J

Try a dinner like this every once & awhile and see how much better you AND your wallet feelsJ hehehehhee...

And to satisfy a chocolate craving that I managed to hold off until dessert....we just HAD to try the CHOCOLATE DIPPED WHOOPIE PIES last night!!

First of all, we couldn't stop SMELLING them even before we dived in! They smelled JUSTTTT like Nestle Quik powder (a sentimental, while not often purchased, favorite in our houseJ) and they tasted equally as delicious. Chocolate craving: satisfied!

And another thing I wanted to share with you guys was that I finally was able to pick up Bethenny's new Skinnygirl workout on sale from Amazon! I couldn't wait to try it out yesterday...

The DVD is broken down into 3 segments, so that if you can get a complete yoga workout in wheter you have 15 minutes or 50. You can follow either of the 2 fifteen minute segments or the 1 twenty minute segment for quick workouts...orrr do all 3 if you have the time and want a full out workout.

I decided to tackle all three (plus the bonus 12 minute stretching segment) to see what it was all about. First of all, and I can't fault the DVD for this as it's certainly NOT a prenatal specified DVD, but a LOT of this workout was ab/stomach centered and involved a lot of twisting. Neither are exactly my 'focus zones' at the moment...so I ended up having to spend 92% of the workout doing modifications. Again, not the DVD's fault...but may have hindered my judgement in making a fair assesment of the workout. I'll tackle it again...but not until after the baby is born. Should be perfect by then to whip my midsection back into shape.

The other thing that I wasn't crazy over was that the male trainer in this one, Mike McArdie, had about 1/4th of the personality of the ADORABLE Kristen McGee in the first one! (Her own DVD's are already on my 'gift list' for ScottJ) hahahahhaha...but it certainly was a TOUGHER workout then "Body by Bethenny." Sooo...you can take your pick. Fun & cheerful yoga? Go for "Body." Tougher, full body, even some CARDIO involved, yoga? Go with "Skinnygirl." It's all about what you're looking for on that particular day.

Yeesh...alright, it's already late and I've now talked your ear off!! Alright...go enjoy the rest of your night!J

On the road again...

2012-01-11T08:22:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone...as promised, today brings a recap of 2 of our favorite little "mini road trip lunches" that we had during our Christmas week off together. Our first stop led us to our favorite little town of Collingswood, NJ and into here....

"West Side Gravy" is like an upscale diner, with all of your favorite comfort foods...but done with a twist. Better yet, the chef grew up right in my own childhood neighborhood! (CHAMBERSBERG, NJ!! WOHOOO!!) Cool, right??? (he also owns the even more upscale "Blackbird," which happens to share the same entrance with "West Side Gravy.")

The menu was relatively small and yet we STILL had a tough time narrowing down our choices...but we knew for sure we were starting with one thing: The Cheesesteak eggrolls...

And after the first bite we knew we were in for a kick ass lunch!!! The eggrolls were DENSELY packed with sauteed cheesesteak, wrapped in a salty deep fried eggroll wrapper, topped with frizzled onions and accompanied by a horseradish dipping sauce for good luckJ If these are wrong, I don't want to be right. Salty + Meaty + Cheesy = Absolutely jaw droppingly awesome.

For our main dishes...like I said, we couldn't even narrow our choices down QUITE enough....so what did we do?? We split our lunchJ

Scott had gotten the "pork & beans." Cute name, right? But if you're having visions of red canned beans and mini hot dogs...you'd be quite wrongJ

Instead it was a roast pork sandwich served on rosemary foccacia topped with broccoli rabe, provolone and "long hots" (wooo...those were hot little peppers. Served WITH their seeds, so I knew they were going to be trouble!J) While the "beans" portion came courtesy of a side of white beans, escarole & tomatoes. Cute spin on it, right???

The pork AND beans were both DELICIOUS...but I had gotten the clear winner of the afternoon: A bacon wrapped meatloaf sandwich served with truffle oil drizzled fries (oh-la-la! How often do you get offered THAT in a diner???)

Killer, KILLER meatloaf...it was super flavorful, tangy & perfectly spiced with LOTTTTSSSS of crispy edges. Magnificent. And Scott & I could barely stop reaching for a fries! I'm not a mushroom person AT ALL...but the truffle oil gave a nice little 'woodsy' taste to those crispy babies. Absolutly DELICIOUS!

Andddd back to our original problem of NOT being able to narrow ANYTHING down...so we even shared our not one, but TWO desserts too. (Hey, it WAS Christmas after all...hehehheheeJ)

I went with the spiced creme brulee and the perfect little almond biscotti...which were both as good as they sound...

While Scott went with one of his favorites...a dense, yet pudding-like carrot cake drizzled with caramel sauce. Both desserts were absolutely drool worthy and the perfect way to end our fabulous lunch!

We both already can't wait to go back to try out the REST of the menu items that we longingly stared at...even if it's gonna be TOUGH to pass up that meatloaf!!J

Another trip we took was one that is probably familiar to most of you in the tristate are. But in typical Donna & Scott fashion: We had already feasted on the West Coast's 'version' at "In & Out" but had never tried...

You always miss things that are right in your backyard sometimesJ

We were curious to see how the 2 stacked up to one anotherJ

Speaking of STACKED, that was one thing I was shocked about was just how HUGEEEEE the burgers were!!! I loved that you could pick from a list of 15 toppings and add as many as you wanted for free. So my cheeseburger with lettuce, pickles, ketchup, mustard, mayo and fried onions made a quite a mammoth and messy lunchJ...

Hard to be bad, right???? But Scott & I both agreed that "In & Out" MIGHT just have that SLIGHT edge. Scott said "I don't know why...there's just something about those burgers." To which I responded: "Could it be cause we ate them in CALIFORNIA??" I think that was a case closedJ There's ONE other location in the area that is supposed to be similar to that magical "In & Out"...we'll have to try that one out someday and report backJ Until then, the double/double with fried onions still reigns supreme in my bookJ (Although...don't get me wrong, I wouldn't turn my back on one of these burgers ANY TIME SOON!!!! I could go for one right now, actually...J)

The one advantage Five Guys DOES have??? Their fries! "In & Out," unless drizzled in "Animal style sauce,' just are not outstanding...but these were. Plus you get a BOATLOAD. I ordered a small and the ones you see on my plate were JUST the 'stragglers' from my bag! My small cup of fries was still FULL! J And Scott was THRILLED to see the Cajun variety on the menu since he LOVES a little spicccceeeeeeJ

So overall, two outstandingly yummy lunches for two totally different reasons. One, upscaled diner classics...the other, just damn CLASSIC and we enjoyed both tremendously.

Although now do you see why it was IMMEDIATELY back to SPINACH & VEGGIES come January 1st?? hahhahahahahahaha...

Hope you enjoyed our little 'trips' and found some new goodies you'll want to try out. Until tomorrow...have a good Wednesday!

They are like crack...

2012-01-10T08:54:00.000-05:00

So my best friend Amy is obsessed with Vanilla Chai...and has since passed on this obsessive love to me via Dunkin Donuts Vanilla Chai Lattes. In her words: "They are like crack. Once you have one...you just want another right after it."

How can you argue with THAT endorsement???J hahahahahhaa So with a leftover cup of steel cut oats in hand, I thought what if I turned my normal Oatmeal Pudding into CHAI SPICED OATMEAL PUDDING?? Result: Amazingness!! So here is some Amy's Chai Oatmeal, named in her honor...hahahhaahahhaJ

*If you don't happen to have all of these spices on hand, I'm sure you could add a scoop of Chai Tea mix to your oats to the same results. I hear Trader Joe's has a good oneJ

Into the pan went:

Around 1/2 cup of cooked steel cut oats (1/4 cup dry oats cooked in 1 cup water + 1/2 scoop chia seeds)
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 teasp. vanilla
1/4 teasp cardamon
1/4 teasp. coriander
1/4 teasp. turmeric
1 teasp. cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg & ground cloves
1 handful craisins
2 teaspoons honey (more or less to your taste)

Bring the milk to a boil & add the oats. Lower the heat to low and slowly simmer for about 15 minutes. Add ALL of your spices and stir, simmering until the oats have a creamy "pudding like" consistency. Stir in craisins.

One bite and I was FLOORED. The creamy consistency of the "pudding" mixed with all of the spices made for one spectacular bowl of oats! You must, must try this one out...it's perfectionJ And I loved that it was tinged a slight shade of yellow from the turmeric. Made me feel like I was eating something very 'international'J hehehehehhee

For dinner, I found that my fridge & pantry had pretty much all of the ingredients to try making BLT Pasta with corn & fresh ricotta. More than likely, you probably have everything on hand too...plus it was SUPER QUICK. I got a late start and it STILL managed to hit the table before I had planned. Yeah me!

First up into the pan was the "B"...as in bacon strips sauteed until nearly crispy...

Next came a little help from my freezer...

First was about a cup of frozen corn as well as 4 minced garlic cloves, salt, pepper & 2 tablespoons of dried thyme. Let that cook together for about 3 minutes.

Next in went the "L": The leeks, which were quick work since I had already cleaned, diced and frozen these for nights like this where you just want to toss them in the pan without the hassle of doing all of the 'dirty work'...

Lastly, in went the "T": the tomatoes...this time in the form of diced sundried tomatoes...(we'll get to that in a sec...)

While I worked on the BLT "sauce," I also had a salted pot of water boiling to cook the pasta for 7 minutes. Before draining, I added 1 cup of the starchy pasta water to the sauce and let it cook up for a few more minutes before adding the sauce to the drained pasta.

ALL TOGETHER NOW...

OH...and one last thing! I mixed 1 cup of part skim ricotta cheese with 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, salt, pepper & a drizzle of oil. THIS was Scott's favorite part...so don't skip itJ

Serve the pasta with one scoop of the mixed ricotta...

I was really happy with this dish (especially the bacon & ricotta part)...until I reached about halfway through my dish. All of the flavors were great at first...and then it was like sensory overload. Thyme & sundried tomatoes are very dominant flavors and it became hard to sort out any flavors BESIDES those after awhile. Even the ricotta just got a weeee bit too rich for me. The original recipe calls for cherry tomatoes rather than sundried (they just happened to be what I had on hand), so maybe that would 'mellow' it out???

At least, Scott loved it and I gladly polished off the restJ. Guess he wins againJ hahahahahhahaa....

Alright...that's all I got for you today. Tonight we are having some Trader Joe's Mandarin Chicken (Again, I've RARELY eaten in chicken in 8 months...yet have been wishing for this since November!), so tomorrow may FINALLY be the day I get to 'catch you up' on our fun "Christmas mini-lunch road trips"....and we had some gooooooood eats. Stay tuned...and have a great Tuesday!

Get Movin...

2012-01-09T09:39:00.003-05:00

Soooo...Sunday started with 2 pans on the stove...and do you know what that means???

CREPES for breakfast!!

After two attempts, I must say I'm getting the hang of this crepe business. (Follow my tips here) Possibly could help that one of my pans is the perfect size and all I have to do is add the batter, swirl, flip & I get near perfect-o crepes! (No 'fancy crepe pans' here!)

I use 2 pans to make quicker work, especially because crepes get cold SUPER quick! I held the chill off by throwing them in the toaster oven while I cooked up the rest...

Once all of the crepes were ready...we smeared them with our 'filling choice' of the day: a mix of cream cheese, brown sugar & vanilla....yum!!!!

And I must show you my crepes verses Scott's! Maybe if I'm the crepe cooking master of the house, he certainly is the crepe rolling expertJ hahahahhaha....

The rest of the day was spent straightening up around the house and taking Penny for an afternoon walk. Which was when we learned just how unseasonably nice it was outside. I was about 2 seconds away from stripping off my coat! Now, I'm a WINTER girl and loveeeeeeed the weekly snows that got dumped on us LAST year. HOWEVER, yesterdays spring-like weather did make us crave something we haven't had in a WHILE: SALAD NIGHT! And far be it from me to complain when we actually both are CRAVING an extra healthy dinnerJ

It's been far too long since our cutting board has been so colorful!

My salad has been one I had been thinking about whipping up all week because it combines all of the ingredients that have a great source of DHA & Omega 3's. First, I whipped up a quick dressing with:

Olive oil (about 2 tablespoons)
1 teasp. balsamic vinegar
1 teasp. dijon mustard
1 teasp. agave sweetener
salt & pepper

Made only more amazing by my luscious olive oil right from Italy. Siggghhhhh...why didn't I pack an extra suitcase JUST to bring home bottles of this gold??

I mixed the dressing with...

1/2 can of crab meat
1/2 avocado
1 handful walnuts, chopped & toasted
1/2 diced mango

Regardless, this salad tasted AMAZINGGGGGGGG....so super fresh and lightly decadent. But, for myself (and anyone expecting...wink, winkJ) the DHA combo of crab, walnuts & arugula plus the healthy fats from the olive oil & avocado make for a pretty tasty way to get in all of the 'good stuff'J

Speaking of...here's a sneak peek of me at 8 months alongJ

Scott's salad looked equally as awesome...he was REALLY happy to delve into his taco salad with all the good trimmings:

Ground turkey with taco seasoning
Black Beans
Corn
Red Pepper
Carrots
Avocado
Sundried tomatoes
Croutons
Cheddar Cheese

We both said: Not too shabby for what we just had lying around the house! Try that the next time you have a random bin of veggies and see what kind of green beauties you can make.

But it wasn't all greens & DHA in our houseJ Don't be crazy. hhehhehehee....for dessert, we cracked open this little box...

A friend (HI KRISTEN!!!) had told me about Maine's Wicked Whoopies and I decided to place an order for Scott for Christmas. The best part was that you can order a variety pack and pick as many unique flavors as you want!! A dozen is a lot more fun when it comes in chocolate dipped, mocha, chocolate chip & maple....mmmmmmmmmmmmm!

So, out of all of the flavors, I was surprised when Scott walked up with this:

hehehehe...although we both lovvvveeeddd the vanilla bean & whipped cream PACKED cake. Soo good (thanks, Kristen!)

So that brings us to today, which means it's back to "Motivational Monday" Workout schedule! I was bummed because after a KILLER "Week before Christmas" where I had done TONS of yoga and even a 3 mile "Walk Away the Pounds" on Christmas Eve....the week AFTER Christmas?? Not so much going on. And ya know what I felt like??? CRAP! TOTAL CRAP. So come last Monday I dove 2 feet back in and got myself back to work (AND NO MORE COOKIES...well, at least 2 rather than 10 of them!!) and after just a few days I felt back to my ole self. Here's what it looked like:

Monday: 1+ hour Beginners Power Yoga Class

Wednesday: 1+ hour Power Yoga Class

Thursday: 40 minute Bethenny yoga + Weights + "Booty Blast"

Friday: 45 minute walk + 1 round of weights

Saturday: 25 minute "Body Slimming Yoga"

Sunday: 45 minute walk + 1 round of weights

I'm pretty proud of still 'cranking out this schedule' because I remember when I FIRST found out I was pregnant, I cried wondering how long I was going to still be able to do yoga (this was when I thought you woke up at 3 months and had a huge bellyJ). So I will say that I'm VERY PROUD that I can still power through a POWER YOGA class at 8 months along. I'm VERY aware of my limitations and make modifications when I need to (obviously anything on my stomach & twists are OUT!), but I was told by my doctor that yoga is completely safe the whole time. That's all I need to hear to kill any excuses I may have had. Plus, I can honestly say that you ALWAYS feel 120% BETTER when you get that workout in. Don't get me wrong...we all need a break now & then. But I definitely know when I need a break vs. when I'm being lazy...and when I skip out just for lazy-sake?? MISERABLE. Hope you guys can find an exercise that you REALLY love to do...be it kickboxing, running, walking. Whatever makes you get off your butt and get movin, is a GREAT thing in my book!

Soon will be my next challenge: Fitting in exercise with a new babyJ I know it won't be easy...but I'm determined to try!!

Alrighttty...you probably heard enough from me today! Hope you have a good (and motivatedJ) Monday!

His & Hers. And the winner is...

2012-01-08T11:07:00.000-05:00

It all seemed so promising.

I have been LOVING lemons lately and stumbling on this recipe in Rachael Ray's magazine for a lemon & ricotta pizza seemed like the perfect Saturday night dinner.

I broke out my ~~be careful not to slice your fingers off~~ mandolin to create thinnnnnn strips of fresh lemon...

...and "blanched" them in salted boiling water for 1 minute, which was SUPPOSED to take the OVERLY tangy taste out of the lemons.

We'll get back to that part in a sec.

After I stretched out my dough, I topped the pizza with a mixed combo of 3/4 cup light sour cream & 1/3 cup half & half and dotted it with about 1 & 1/2 cups of part skim ricotta cheese...

...and then a niceeeee layer of thyme, salt, pepper & LOTSSSS of diced garlic clovesJ

And finally...the drained & dried lemons.

Now, I knew Scott wasn't gonna be too gung ho on my EXCESSIVE lemon shenanigans, so I topped his half of the pie with mozzarella cheese. The "his & her" version of pizza, if you willJ

15 minutes in a 450 oven and 5 minutes under the broiler and the pizza came out crisp & smelling like heaven! I could not WAIT to dig in!!!

Which was all fun & games until I took about my second bite of the lemon topped pizza....

...and declared it inedible!!! It was just BEYONNNNDDDDDDD BITTER! All of the lemon slices had to be relegated to my napkin and the REMAINING pizza was great with just the HINT of lemon taste...but those lemon peels were just WAYYYYY TOOOO MUCH! Maybe a PEELED lemon would have been better?? But that whole blanching business did NOTHING to take away the bitterness. Bummer.

So the winner in the his & her pizza battle was definitely Scott's "all cheese" side! Thankfully, he was willing to shareJ hahahahhahahahaha

At least we had the last of the TJ's Salted Caramel butter cookies to cheer up my lemon dissapointmentJ

That & a viewing of "The Hangover 2"...even if I did nod off half way throughJ At least it was funny up until then!! hahahahahhaha

Although one thing yesterday that did NOT disappoint: I had went to Cracker Barrel with a friend for breakfast and indulged in their new Cinnamon Pancakes...

Photo Source

Holy crap...they were some of the best pancakes I've ever had in my whole life. They tasted almost like FUNNEL CAKES with thier crispy edges. YUM!!!! I'm rankin these babies right up there with Clinton Street Baking Co. & The Brownstone Pancake Factory...they were sooooooooooooooooooooooooo good!!!!!!

Alright...that's enough from me for the dayJ Hope you guys have a nice & relaxing Sunday!

The return...

2012-01-07T14:06:00.000-05:00

Sooo...having soup twice in one week seemed quite a bit more appealing while I was snuggled up against the cold earlier this week. But by yesterday afternoon, when we were able to sneak in a walk in the park with Penny when Scott got home from work and the breeze actually felt WARMMMM, it didn't seem AS appropriateJ Buttttttt...I pressed on with our dinner plans because this wasn't just a normal bowl of soup...

Oh no. It was FILLED with the return of your favorite AND mine: GNUDI!!!!!

In review: Gnudi, while not only being one of the best words on the planet, are dumplings made with the FILLING of raviolis WITHOUT the pasta.

For this recipe (adapted from Giada's "Everyday Pasta"), I mixed together:

1 & 1/4 cup ricotta (I used part skim)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 egg
1 Tablespoon diced Thyme (what I had on hand...but the recipe called for fresh parsley)
Dash of nutmeg
Salt & Pepper
1/4 cup flour (add right before the next step)

Next, form the GNUDI into little dumplings and dredge lightly in more flour....

Gently, drop about 6-7 of them into a pot of salted, boiling water. Once they rise to the top and cook about 4 minutes, remove them from the pot and start a new batch.

While I mixed & cooked the gnudi, I also had a pot of...

6 cups of chicken broth
2 diced carrots
1 box of frozen spinach, defrosted

...going on the next burner.

I had thought I needed the spinach for the gnudi recipe like last time, but when I realized this recipe didn't call for it (and I was nervous 'spinach gnudi' would have broken up in broth), far be it from me to waste a box of spinach...so I just added it to the brothJ

Another thing I was nervous about was adding the cooked gnudi to my boiling chicken broth. I don't necessarily think they were as DELICATE as I thought, but I had wanted to follow Giada's directions and had the cooked gnudi's 'resting' on a separate plate.

Once all of the gnudi were cooked, I added a few to each of our soup bowls...

...and topped them off with the ~~spinach~~ chicken broth....

YUM...warm & soul satisfying. OK, OK...there is ONE thing I'd change. I would have added a little more SPICE to the gnudi. These ones were a bit on the bland side. Giada's recipe called for an ounce of diced prosciutto, which I'm sure would have helped the bland situation....but these were still filling & satisfyingJ

So I'm sure I'm the only person in the tristate area to say it, but I am NOT a fan of this weather. It's an absolutely glorious and sunny 60's degrees right now, which would be lovely...in April. But it's January! I want blizzards, cozy comfort food and snow on my neighbors roof. I'm sure it'll snow in May...or whenever I have to go have this babyJ hahahahahahhahahaa....

Anyway...go enjoy your sunny SaturdayJ

Stuffed Potato: Round 3...

2012-01-06T09:06:00.000-05:00

Well, after our successful attempt at "Pizza Potatoes" (they were literally #21 on my Top 20 recipes list!) & the Swiss Chard Stuffed Sweet Potato, it was time to break out my '50 Stuffed Potatoes' booklet from Food Network magazine again...

...and I knew this one was going to be a SURE FIRE HIT in our house: The French Onion Stuffed Potato!

First step, of course, is to bake the potatoes until crispy & scoop out the centers...

...and then it's time to add the fun ingredients! First & foremost is the caramelized onions...

Caramelized onions probably ranks #1 on my "Favorite to eat/HATE to cook" list. I absolutely ADORE them and would eat them DAILY...IF they didn't require you standing over the stove to SLOWLLLLLY watch them brown for 20 minutes. They're certainly not difficult, but you DO have to keep an eye on them and stir them every few minutes. But oh dear God, they are JUST. SO. GOOD!!!!!! (loveeeee em in this panini....which was probably my #22 recipeJ)

Next in the potatoes, was this fun little number from Trader Joe's...

Gruyere alone is very "Swiss tasting," so the cheddar smooooooothes this our perfectly! I LOVE finding quirky cheeses at TJ's. (ironically, my favorite is still the caramelized onion cheddarJ)

Soooo....into the potatoes went:

1 & 1/2 caramelized onions
1/2 cup of shredded Gruyere Cheddar
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, diced (I just happened to have this on hand and liked the addition, but it's an easy skip...or you can use dried thyme)
About 1/2-3/4 cup beef broth (enough to keep the potatoes moist)

Mash all of the ingredients with the potatoes and refill the shells. Top 'em with more shredded cheese before popping them back into the oven for a few minutes...

Once the cheese is melty & the potatoes are warmed through, you are good to go!

Sooooooooo delicious! Caramelized onions + the cheese just made these babies SOOO flavorful. I sometimes can stick to one 1/2 of a twice baked potato...but this time I scurried back into the kitchen to reclaim the other half before Scott could get a hold of itJ hehehehehe....so good & feeling 'not so ~~flabby~~ shabby' from the lack of butter in this one!

We served up the potatoes with a side of WEEELLL DONE Kale Chips. And while they did have a SLIGHT 'char' taste to them...I think nearly burning them to a crisp is the true secretJ It makes them the MOST "potato chip" likeJ

Hope you guys had a good week getting back into the "swing of things." It seemed like the week went REALLY fast...even Scott said he thought it was only Tuesday last night. Always a good thing when the weekend is looming ever so close!

Have a great Friday, everyone!

Light and Bright...

2012-01-05T07:38:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone...hope you guys like my veggie packed post yesterday, because I have yet another one almost brimming at the seams again for you todayJ

This morning I started out with a bowl of pears with oatmeal...

Oh, did you think I meant oatmeal with pears??? Yeah...that was my plan, butttt since I made myself a double batch of steel cut oats this morning (saving the other serving for another day), I think I accidentally shortchanged myself todayJ

In the bowl:

1 pear, diced & microwaved with a splash of water for 1 minute
1 serving steel cut oats (1/4 cup...or lessJ...cooked in 1 cup water & with 1/2 scoop chia seeds)
cinnamon
drizzle of agave

Not what I planned, but at least it was warm & tasty on a chilllllly morning.

Lunch today came with a little help from:

I haven't had many cravings this pregnancy, but one thing I've LOVED for the last couple months has been crab & shrimp. And it wasn't until recently that I learned that they are both excellent sources of DHA & Omega 3's (and here I thought only salmon was!!) I wonder if it is actually a case of 'you're body craving what it needs'...interesting, no? (don't think I can say the same about my recent LOVE of root beer though...hahahahahahhaJ)

And since I've been OBSESSED with avocados lately (I'm CONVINCED the healthy fats are good for the babyJ), I decided to whip up this super quick salad from Skinnytaste:

1/2 can of crab meat
1/2 avocado, diced (but not mashed)
1/4 red onion, diced
squeeze of lime juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
salt & pepper

I had toyed with the idea of serving this up all fancy in the 1/2 avocado shell....butttttt my morning power yoga class left me a littttle (A LOT) starving, so I decided to 'bulk' up my lunch AGAIN on a sandwich thin with a big handful of spinach...

Soooo goood! I loved the creaminess of the avocado mixed with the crab, and the extra whole wheat bread & spinach kept me full almost all afternoon long while I tore apart my kitchen cabinets and threw out all of those stragglers that we had been hanging out to for FAR too long! Tis the New Years seasonJ

And just like Tuesday night, a big portion of our dinner was focused on VEGGIES. But this one, I have to say, is a little bit more FUN! How does Buffalo Blue Cheese Meatloaf & Blue Cheese Cole Slaw sound???

I had found this meatloaf recipe in the Biggest loser cookbook and LOVE any excuse to eat the buffalo wing/blue cheese flavors all LIGHTENED UP! (much like our beloved baked buffalo chicken fingers) The meatloaf had it's far share of veggies too: carrots, celery & onion....

And our side dish was a veggie fest too! I just HAD to make our favorite blue cheese cole slaw to go along with the meatloaf....this time trying out some purple cabbage for LOTS of BRIGHT COLOR....

Did you know the more brightly colored your food, the more healthy it is for you?? (Although, no, this does NOT include that neon orange mac & cheese powderJ)

I mixed:

1/2 head of cabbage, diced & shredded
3 carrots, peeled & well...peeled some moreJ
4 ribs of celery, diced
(I forgot the scallions, but if I had em, they would have been in here too!)

Mix it all up with some mayo (I like this one with the olive oil base), blue cheese crumbles and salt & pepper to taste...

Loved, loved, LOVEEEEEEED this dinner!!! The meatloaf was super moist from all of the veggies and brimming with flavor from the buffalo sauce & blue cheese which pairs sooo well with the cool & creamy cole slaw. So good! Try this out to get your 'wings' fix without ANY of the deep fried fat & caloriesJ

Well...hope you guys have a great day. We have MORE warm & cozy 'veggie based' comfort food on the horizon tonight...stayyyy tunedJ

Going back to GREEN...

2012-01-04T08:34:00.000-05:00

Morning everyone! So lighter fare I promised you & lighter fare is what this post is alllll about today! Because, yes, after a week of holiday indulging, we were BEYONDDDDDDDDD ready to go back to our 'normal routine' this week. I think I was pretty sick of eating by Tuesday of last week...and then we STILL had 3 days + New Years Eve to get through...hahahahahaha (although I do have a couple yummy 'road trip' lunches to show you soon!) Not to mention that I think food is coming a bit 'full circle' these days. It was NOTSOFUN to eat in the beginning thanks to the ~~morning~~ all day sickness, and now it seems that more frequent SMALLER meals might be in order. Not as much 'room at the inn', so to speakJ hahahahahaha

Annnnyways....so I started my day the healthiest way I knew how: with a GREEN MONSTER...

If you haven't heard me sing their praises before, allow me to do so again: This thing is PACKED with nutrition and I'm telling you: you can NOTTTTT TASTE THE SPINACH AT ALL! (believe me, I would NOT drink it if you could!) Instead, you get a smooooooth smoothie filled to the brim with vitamins. Not to mention, I swear by these things in the winter. The first year I started drinking them, I didn't even get a SNIFFLE the ENTIRE winter seasonJ

You can customize them anyway (they're especially yummy with yogurt), but for my standard recipe I fill the blender with:

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/4 cup dry instant oats
1/2 scoop chia seeds (if you have them...if not, no biggie)
1 frozen banana
1 scoop peanut butter
Enough spinach to fill the rest of the blender

A quick whirl and you're good to go. I know, I KNOW what you're thinking if you've never tried one...but honestly it just tastes like a thick & smooth banana/peanut butter shake. If only I could give you skeptics a blindfoldJ hahahhahaha Believe me: ask me if I would have tried this about 7 years ago & I would have looked at you like you had ten heads! It really IS GOOD though, I promise!

Fast forward to lunch, where I knew I needed something a bit 'heartier' as I tried to bring myself down from having chocolates & cookies at arms reach for the last 8 days straightJ hhahahahhahahaha I reached into the freezer for one of these...

Upside? They are 150 calories a piece and made of just ground chicken (sloowwwwly started to eat chicken againJ), red pepper & spices...

Downside? They come frozen & uncooked, so they're not a very good 'grab & go lunch option'J (no quick microwaving veggie burgers here.) But a few minutes on either side in a pan and you are set...

I slapped the burger on a 100 calorie sandwich slim and topped it with 1/2 a sliced avocado & a handful of (MORE) spinach...

I liked that this thing was pretty mammoth by the time all was said and doneJ hahahhahaaha...and I like any excuse to top a burger with avocado, sooooooooo...yeah, I was happy with this lunch!

And finally, for dinner, I knew I was going to keep the day's theme going of veggies. LOTS & LOTS of veggies! And since the night turned into PURE WINTER with gusty bone chilling winds, I knew soup was the way to go. 30-40 minutes and dinner went from this:

...to this! My "throw together whatever you have in your veggie bins" Minestrone soup...

Into the olive oill drizzled pot went:

3 carrots, peeled & diced
2 small potatoes, diced
4 celery ribs, diced
1/2 zucchini, diced
1 onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
2 sprigs of thyme

Let everything cook together for about 7 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.

Next, I took a few large handfuls of diced kale and added them to the pot. Since kale is a little tough, I added it to the pot...

...and tossed on the lid for a few minutes...

...the condensation from the lid helps the kale wilt and soften the tough leaves. Success!

Next into the pot goes:

1 can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
Enough chicken broth (or vegetable broth) to cover the veggies
For added flavor: 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese & 1 tablespoon crushed garlic

Bring to boil and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes. Lastly add a can of drained & rinsed white beans and cook long enough to heat the beans through. (about 5 more minutes)

* Low fat flavor tip: I also took 1/2 a can of the beans and purred them through my mini food processor before adding them to the soup. The pureed beans give the soup the silky & smooth consistency of cream WITHOUT the fat & calories. More flavor...no fat: Win/win, right??

Honestly, you can whip up this soup with whatever you have on hand, but I must say that this flavor combo can't be beat. The soup was PACKED with flavor and even better? All you had to do was 'chop & drop' the veggies into ONE POT. This was a super hearty, low cal & tasty dinner that you will LOVE all winter long!

So it's New Year's resolution time. Do you guys have any?? I wanted to report that my resolution for "no nonsense in 2011" went really well! Aside for a week & a half spell during my 'all-day sickness' days, diet soda hasn't crossed my lips since last New Years Eve and I also eliminated all Splenda/Sweet & Low/ect from my diet. That's something I've wanted to do for YEARS! And aside from my persistent love of holiday coffee creamers, my goal is to still continue to try my best to eat as much 'healthy, minimally processed' food as best as I can. But don't get me wrong, this gal ain't givin up cupcakes ANY TIME SOON! hahahahaha...80/20 rule, right??

How are you guys trying to be healthier in 2012??

Alright..you've heard enough veggie talk from me for one day! Hope you have a good Wednesday and go whirl up a spinach smoothie...NOW!J

Best of 2011: Dinners, Desserts & Side Dishes...

2012-01-03T08:52:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone...hope you enjoyed my top travel list yesterday. Today brings my favorite recipes countdown...although I JUST couldn't narrow down my main dishes to 10...so you get 20! I also tacked on my top 5 favorite desserts & side dishes for good measure. Get your shopping lists ready and try out some new dishes in the New YearJ

TOP 20 DISHES:

#20: Pulled Chicken Chili

#19: Sweet Potato Tamale with Peanut Butter & Roasted Garlic Shrimp

#18: Very Veggie Pesto Pizza

#17: Rice Ball Casserole

#16: Spring Pappardelle

#15: Crispy Gnocchi with Pesto & Goat Cheese

#14: Red Pepper "Chicken Parm"

#13: Stuffed Waffles (Pumpkin, Pina Colada & Blueberry)

#12: Spinach Gnudi

#11: Sliders

#10: Tortellini with Roasted Butternut Squash & Pear Sauce

#9: Smoked Cheese Pizza

#8: Pad Thai Noodles

#7: Pasta with Cheese & Black Pepper

#6: Grilled Veggie & Polenta

#5: Gnocchi with Squash & Kale

#4: Enchilada Casserole

#3: Grilled Onion & Fontina Grilled Cheese

#2: Bucatini with Bacon Sauce

#1: Caprese Salad Bake

TOP 5 DESSERTS:

#5: Pumpkin Donut Muffins

#4: Bacon Peanut Butter Pie

#3: Roasted Garlic Ice Cream

#2: White Chocolate & Coconut Stuffed Pretzels

#1: Salted "Kick Ass" Carrot Cake

And finally: TOP 5 SIDE DISHES:

#5: Low Cal Flavored Rice

#4: Sweet Potato Panko Fries

#3: Crispy Roasted Garlic Potatoes

#2: Smashed Potatoes

#1: Guilt Free Spinach & Artichoke Dip

OK...so hope you enjoyed & tomorrow I'll be back to our 'regularly scheduled program.' And as a tribute to both a "healthy start to New Years" AND the fact that the mercury dropped about 10 degrees in NJ lately, the theme of the next few days is going to be LOW CAL COMFORT FOOD. It should be tasty...stay tuned!

Best of 2011: Travel Edition

2012-01-02T09:02:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone! Long time, no chat...again. Sorry about that. After surveying our 11 day break together this week, Scott & I quickly realized it would probably be our last 'stretch of days' with just the 2 of us for...awhileJ So we spent them doing all the things we know we won't be doing in the near future: leisurely days, long 'mini road trip' lunches, NAPSJ hahahhahhahahahhaa We have one more day together, but I wanted to get this post up for you today before it was mid-January...hahahahhahahahahaJ The lover of lists in me has 2 days worth of "Tops" for you (like last year) and up first is the one that helps me conjure up some of my favorite memories of the year: Top 10's: Traveling/Eating Out EditionJ

TOP 10 DISHES OF 2011:

#10- Cheesesteak Grilled Cheese: Pop Shop, Collingswood

#9- Scott's first "In & Out" burgerJ: In & Out, west coast locations
(you MUST get the Double Double with fried onions!)

#8- Spaghetti & Tuna Fish: Buenos Aires, Sant' Agata, Italy

#7- Stuffed Peppers: Lo Stuzzichino, Sant' Agata, Italy

#6- Sundried tomatoes & buffalo mozzarella: Inn Bufalito, Sorrento, Italy

#5- "Jim Rome": Ike's, San Francisco

#4- Roasted Garlic Guacamole: El Vez, Philadelphia

#3- Seafood Risotto: Ristorante Delfino, Sorrento, Italy

#2- Dungeness Crab Roll: Fish, Saulsolito, California

#1 Dish of 2011: Pasta e Patate con Provolone: Lo Stuzzichino, Sant' Agata, Italy

Here's the 'don't mess around' category!

Top 10 Desserts

#10- Nutella Calzone: Dar Poeta, Rome

#9- Coconut Cream Donut: Donut Plant, NYC

#8- Ricotta Pear Cake: Ristorante Delfino, Sorrento, Italy

#7- Orange Ricotta Cheesecake: Der Pallaro, Rome

#6- Red Velvet Cupcake: Sweet Eats Bakery, Voorhees, NJ

#5- Gelato...ANY of it in Italy!!!: particularly San Crispino, Rome

#4: Chocolate cream & hazelnut milkshake: Max Brenner's, NYC & Philadelphia

#3- Nutella Gelato: Giolitti, Rome

#2- Morning Buns: Tartine Bakery, San Francisco

#1- Triple Coconut Cream Pie: Ritz Seafood, Voorhees, NJ

And I have two more categories I had to sneak in!

Top 5 "Best Atmosphere"
My favorite unique dining experiences while out & aboutJ

#5: The lovely lounge deck: Treno, Westmont, NJ

#4: Cookies in an alley??: Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, Chinatown, San Francisco

#3: One of the most gorgeous bars I ever set foot in: Cafe Lacatedral, Madrid, Spain

#2: "Cart" Dim Sum: Yank Sing, San Francisco

#1: "No menus, you'll have what we give you": Der Pallaro, Rome

And here's just 3 things that needed their own category:

The best 'they just don't make it the same over here' of Italy: The Olive Oil!

Best Coffee EVER: Blue Bottle Coffee Company, San Francisco

And finally:
"I've been to Italy & back and can STILL say THIS IS THE BEST"
My beloved Delorenzo's Tomato Pies
(which is sadly closing on January 15th...sigh)

Hope you guys have a VERY Happy & Safe New Years!!! I'll be back tomorrow with my Top dinner & dessert recipes. Hope you like lists as much as I do!J

The last 48 hours...

2011-12-26T21:09:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! Anyone else feel like they just got spun out of a hurricane?? Albeit, a wonderful one filled with tinsel, holly, family & good eatsJ hehehehehehehe....

However, what was the one thing our holiday was lacking in??? Photos! hahahhahaa....I didn't even realize how few I took until it was all over. So I only have a quick recap of our Christmas for youJ

We started our day with a breakfast as equally decadent as the day itself: Cinnamon roll monkey bread. Yes, as in ooey gooey monkey bread made WITH CINNAMON ROLL DOUGH!!!

I think after toying with the idea of a few recipes this year, that monkey bread may be our traditional breakfast from here on out. It's SOOOO easy to make ahead of time, bake in the morning and I LOVEEEEE a 'shared' breakfast on Christmas morningJ

And, of course, we finished up our day with our traditional dinner...homemade raviolis, meatball, fresh 'wreath' holiday bread and salad with olive oil & olives. Wonderful, as alwaysJ

It was a wonderful couple days filled with family, good eats, sweet moments and LOTTTSSSS of anticipation for the futureJ

I'll have a few more interesting things to show you this week, but for NOW...we're all still in lounge mode! hahahahaha...hope you guys are resting up too! Have a great nightJ