Edit: the end of Whole30. I kept it up! For the most part. Toward the end I was getting headaches every single afternoon :( I was also kinda grumpy? I did a little research and found a *possible* link could be lack of grains = lack of certain B vitamins = possible seratonin imbalance? I'm not a scientist or nutritionist, but I felt something wasn't right. I wasn't taking a multivitamin either, so on Day 27 I reintroduced rice. I had these rice cakes, which also contained quinoa, and I felt a lot better. I ate them for a couple days and no headaches! And less grumpiness (maybe).
I never did get this sudden "burst of energy"/ " tiger blood" thing people talk about. I did get the headaches, which made me tired, if anything. So if I went longer than 30 days, would the headaches have stopped? Would I have gotten the tiger blood? Do I just need some form of grains in my life? .....I have no idea. I kind of want to find out. But I also kind of want to chill out over stressing about every food choice for a little while.
Doing this at home was very easy, honestly. But going out at all SUCKED. And eating clean and then reintroducing too much not clean also sucked more than anything else. I want a sustainable day of eating. Maybe that means clean but not too clean....
Let's see if I actually keep this up.
Day 1:
Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs in a dab of coconut oil, sautéed spinach with tomatoes, cantelope, coffee
Lunch: Apple, 7 dates, cinnamon, toasted pecans (1/2 apple, dates, cinnamon in food processor to make a sauce), sweet young coconut
Dinner: 2 bowls of soup, made from leeks, mushrooms, tomatoes, trader joe's low sodium veg broth, trader Joe's cooking greens, oregano, lentils; 2 celery stalks with about a tbsp of almond butter
Day 2:
Breakfast: 2 hardboiled eggs, coffee, 2 small bananas, tbsp of almond butter, a few pecans
Lunch: 3 cups of spinach (some sautéed), tofu sautéed in coconut oil, a tiny bit of pineapple
Snack: 2 dried figs
Dinner: cashews, and 2 bowls of last night's soup. Raspberries for dessert.
Day 3:
Breakfast: 2 coconut oil scrambled eggs, 2 cups spinach sauteed with grape tomatoes, green beans, cantelope.
Snack: 3 dried figs
Lunch: 1/2 avocado 1/2 cucumber, 8oz tuna* a few bites of coconut flakes
Dessert: Soup
Dessert: 2 small bananas, 1 tbsp almond butter, a sprinkle of coconut flakes
Day 4:
Breakfast: 2 hardboiled eggs, 1/2 avocado, 5 black olives
Lunch: tofu, roasted 1/2 head of broccoli, 2 small potatoes, 3 bites coconut flakes, apple, 7 dates, pecans
Dinner: Veggie pancakes, green beans
Day 5:
Breakfast: 2 bananas, blueberries, pecans, cashews, coconut flakes, hemp seeds
Lunch: tofu, roasted 1/2 head of broccoli, 2 small potatoes, a packed cup of cooked kale
Snack: raw baby carrots (learned: never again!!
Dinner: Veggie pancakes with Indian spices, green beans, coconut flakes.
Day 6: rockin and rollin
Breakfast: hardboiled egg, coffee, banana, coconut flakes
Lunch: 3 cups of lettuce, hardboiled egg, 15 olives, grape tomatoes, fig vinegar
Snack: dried persimmons
Dinner: Portobello mushroom cap topped with onion, ball pepper, tomato, mushroom, garlic. Chili.
Dessert: 2 bananas, coconut flakes, almond butter
Day 7:
Lovely breakfast out with my husband: omelette with mushrooms, green onion, and spinach, tropical fruits salad: mango, cucumber, tomato, cilantro, lime
Lunch: cashew cookie Lara bar (iSuck) and an apple
Dinner: 2 bowls of the soup I made on Day 1
Day 8 & 9- I was out of town, and I planned ahead (somewhat), but I don't feel like I ate "great." I spent almost all day both days in and out of my car. What did I plan ahead? I boiled 4 eggs the night before I left, so I had 2 of those each day. I also prepared a salad with tofu for lunch the first day, and then had a salad for dinner that night (that I ordered from a local place), so that wasn't too bad. But I should have brought more fresh fruits and veggies with me than I did, so I ended up very hungry and eating a lara bar both days. I guess those are supposed to be FOR EMERGENCIES ONLY but whatevs, they were compliant, so it wasn't like I did something to make myself have to start all over. Lessons learned- the eggs were a great thing to bring along, next time I should bring more snacky veggies I can eat easily in the car- like sliced cucumbers, bell peppers, grape tomatoes, duh.
Day 10: Cinco de Mayo! I made a huge plate of Huevos Rencheros (with no cheese... just eggs, veggies, spices) for a big late lunch. For dinner, we had a big salad that John made.
Day 11: I needed to do some shopping, so
breakfast was grates and coconut flakes,
lunch was an apple, a banana, and almond butter. You'd think by now I would be better at incorporating veggies into my meals! So tonight while I make
dinner (Thug Kitchen Lentil Lettuce Wraps), I plan to also fix a frittata and tofu to keep around for breakfast and lunches. Meal prep is a good thing.
Day 12:
Breakfast: Frittata with mushrooms, onion, egg, spinach. Kinda bland, need to work on my frittatas. Grapes.
Lunch: Another piece of frittata; a bunch of grape tomatoes. Almonds.
Snack: Almond butter and banana.
Feels:
Sometimes I ate bananas with almond butter for dessert when my dinner had little or no fat. Or if I was still hungry.
Day 6 was the only day I sort of had any feels, I woke up very tired and had major baggage under my eyes. But as the day went on, I felt normal. I've felt "normal" this whole time. Not bad by any means, but not OMGSOMUCHENERGY either. That will probably come. But I haven't had the mood swings or insane cravings. I was thinking about toast with butter a couple of days ago, and have thought about a few other things. Not even sure I'd call those feelings actual cravings or just thoughts, since they go away quickly.
Day 7: Either the portobello mushrooms or the chili seems to be making some stomach upset happen :( The chili was WAY spicier than I usually make it, so it may just be that.
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Simple Burritos and Limey Quinoa
Omg..... When you throw something together and it comes out this good, you gotta write that ish down!
Burrito Filling:
1 yellow onion
1 can of low-sodium black beans
Chili powder
Cumin
Garlic salt
Smokey chipotle seasoning
Cheese-Daiya (vegan) mozzarella is great
Avocado
Multigrain Tortillas
Quinoa:
Minced garlic clove
1 tsp coconut oil
1 cup quinoa
1.5 cups vegetable broth
Juice from 1/4-1/2 of a lime
Cilantro
Parsley
For the filling: Chop the onion and sauté it a few minutes, then add the spices and cook til it's translucent. Add the beans and cook a little longer.
For the quinoa: Statue the garlic a bit, then add the coconut oil and (rinsed) quinoa until it smells toasty, then add the veggie broth and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook 20-25 mins. Add cilantro and parsley while it cooks, to your taste. Add the lime juice about 5 minutes before its done.
Burrito Filling:
1 yellow onion
1 can of low-sodium black beans
Chili powder
Cumin
Garlic salt
Smokey chipotle seasoning
Cheese-Daiya (vegan) mozzarella is great
Avocado
Multigrain Tortillas
Quinoa:
Minced garlic clove
1 tsp coconut oil
1 cup quinoa
1.5 cups vegetable broth
Juice from 1/4-1/2 of a lime
Cilantro
Parsley
For the filling: Chop the onion and sauté it a few minutes, then add the spices and cook til it's translucent. Add the beans and cook a little longer.
For the quinoa: Statue the garlic a bit, then add the coconut oil and (rinsed) quinoa until it smells toasty, then add the veggie broth and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook 20-25 mins. Add cilantro and parsley while it cooks, to your taste. Add the lime juice about 5 minutes before its done.
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Stuffed Poblano Peppers
Ingredients:
3 poblano peppers
1 cup brown rice
Vegetable broth- however much you need to cook your rice
3-4 Roma tomatoes, diced (I kept the juice and added it to the rice, too)
1 garlic clove
(The following quantities are to your liking:)
Cumin
Chipotle pepper seasoning
Mozzerella and cheddar cheeses
Directions:
Prepare the peppers:
Slit peppers. Broil peppers until slightly charred.
Remove and put in a covered dish for about 20 minutes.
Peel the skins from the peppers and remove the seeds.
While the peppers are cooking/cooling:
Cook the rice in the veggie broth. Add tomatoes and spices.
Add some cheese into the mixture, then stuff the peppers.
Top with more cheese. (It all depends on how much cheese you like...)
Bake at 400 degrees until the cheese is melted.
Maybe add some black beans to the mix, or as a side.
3 poblano peppers
1 cup brown rice
Vegetable broth- however much you need to cook your rice
3-4 Roma tomatoes, diced (I kept the juice and added it to the rice, too)
1 garlic clove
(The following quantities are to your liking:)
Cumin
Chipotle pepper seasoning
Mozzerella and cheddar cheeses
Directions:
Prepare the peppers:
Slit peppers. Broil peppers until slightly charred.
Remove and put in a covered dish for about 20 minutes.
Peel the skins from the peppers and remove the seeds.
While the peppers are cooking/cooling:
Cook the rice in the veggie broth. Add tomatoes and spices.
Add some cheese into the mixture, then stuff the peppers.
Top with more cheese. (It all depends on how much cheese you like...)
Bake at 400 degrees until the cheese is melted.
Maybe add some black beans to the mix, or as a side.
Broccoli Pot Pie
No indulgent pictures of the pie from 54 different angles, and another 100 pics once the pie is cut open. Just the damn recipe.
Ingredients
1 yellow onion, diced
1 Russet Potato, diced
A splash of veggie broth
A handful or two of frozen or fresh peas
2 small heads of broccoli
Sprinkles of sharp cheddar cheese (maybe 1/3-1/2 cup total?)
1 cup of milk
3 tbsp flour
2 pie crusts
Directions:
1. In a skillet, simmer the onion and potato in a splash of veggie broth until the onion is translucent, 5-10 mins.
2. While that's heating up, chop the florets of the broccoli from the stems, into about 1" pieces. Chop up some of the stem into small pieces, too. Steam the broccoli pieces until it's al dente, about 4 mins in the microwave.
3. Add a handful or two of peas to the onion and potato mixture, then add the broccoli and stir it together to incorporate.
4. Make the sauce: In a separate small sauce pan over medium heat, heat the milk (I used coconut milk) and whisk in the flour until it thickens- it won't take long. Be sure to whisk constantly. If it's not thickening or doesn't seem hot enough, increase the heat.
5. Place one of your pie crusts in the bottom of your pie dish.
6. Add half of the broccoli mixture into the pie pan, then sprinkle cheddar cheese in a thin layer on top of the mixture.
7. Add the sauce to the remaining broccoli mixture (or add the broccoli mixture to the sauce if the sauce pan is big enough!), mix it all up, then add all of that into the crust.
8. Add another thin layer of cheddar cheese on top of all of that.
9. Top with the remaining pie crust, pinch the edges together, and cut a few slits in the top for ventilation.
10. Cook for 20-30 minutes, until the top crust looks nice and done.
Yum!
Ingredients
1 yellow onion, diced
1 Russet Potato, diced
A splash of veggie broth
A handful or two of frozen or fresh peas
2 small heads of broccoli
Sprinkles of sharp cheddar cheese (maybe 1/3-1/2 cup total?)
1 cup of milk
3 tbsp flour
2 pie crusts
Directions:
1. In a skillet, simmer the onion and potato in a splash of veggie broth until the onion is translucent, 5-10 mins.
2. While that's heating up, chop the florets of the broccoli from the stems, into about 1" pieces. Chop up some of the stem into small pieces, too. Steam the broccoli pieces until it's al dente, about 4 mins in the microwave.
3. Add a handful or two of peas to the onion and potato mixture, then add the broccoli and stir it together to incorporate.
4. Make the sauce: In a separate small sauce pan over medium heat, heat the milk (I used coconut milk) and whisk in the flour until it thickens- it won't take long. Be sure to whisk constantly. If it's not thickening or doesn't seem hot enough, increase the heat.
5. Place one of your pie crusts in the bottom of your pie dish.
6. Add half of the broccoli mixture into the pie pan, then sprinkle cheddar cheese in a thin layer on top of the mixture.
7. Add the sauce to the remaining broccoli mixture (or add the broccoli mixture to the sauce if the sauce pan is big enough!), mix it all up, then add all of that into the crust.
8. Add another thin layer of cheddar cheese on top of all of that.
9. Top with the remaining pie crust, pinch the edges together, and cut a few slits in the top for ventilation.
10. Cook for 20-30 minutes, until the top crust looks nice and done.
Yum!
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
OHMYGOD it's Pink Strawberry Starburst Smoothie
I have to confess, I am not even sure the pink Starbursts (in the traditional pack, I think there were red, orange, yellow, and pink in there, but they've got all kinds of themed packs/flavors now) are strawberry flavored? Maybe they were strawberry-lemonade? Whatever. Almost everyone I knew when I was a kid liked the pink ones best, followed closely by red, and wished they sold packs of JUST the pink ones.
A 2nd confession, I haven't eaten a Starburst in years, as I'm just not really into fruity candy, and I also tend to avoid things of that consistency to avoid ripping out expensiveass dental work.
But when I made this smoothie a few weeks ago (and again today) and sipped it for the first time, I immediately remembered Pink Starburst! So here you go- end of the indulgent reminiscing and reasoning for the smoothie maybe not tasting EXACTLY like a pink Starburst; you've been warned.
PINK STARBURST SMOOTHIE
1/2 - 3/4 cup water
2 big handfuls of spinach
Some squeezes of lemon juice
3 handfuls of strawberries with the tops on (unless the tops are crunchy/dried up)
2 handfuls of frozen grapes
Yeah, I know, none of these measurements are exact. You can taste as you go and add more of things as you please- I don't measure when I make a smoothie, I just try not to overflow my blender cup.
In a hand blender: Add the water, spinach, Vega, banana, and lemon juice. Blend it up!
Add a few of the strawberries and blend, a few more, blend, etc. until you've added all of the strawberries.
Then add the frozen grapes and blend again.
You can use frozen strawberries, depending on how cold you want it.
If you're into fruit water, you can soak strawberries and lemons together, and when you're done drinking the water, use the strawberries (and squeeze the lemons) from the fruit water into this. That's how I made it the first time, but I get that not everyone has that just sitting around ;)
A 2nd confession, I haven't eaten a Starburst in years, as I'm just not really into fruity candy, and I also tend to avoid things of that consistency to avoid ripping out expensiveass dental work.
But when I made this smoothie a few weeks ago (and again today) and sipped it for the first time, I immediately remembered Pink Starburst! So here you go- end of the indulgent reminiscing and reasoning for the smoothie maybe not tasting EXACTLY like a pink Starburst; you've been warned.
PINK STARBURST SMOOTHIE
1/2 - 3/4 cup water
2 big handfuls of spinach
1/2 scoop Vega vanilla flavored nutritional shake powder
1 bananaSome squeezes of lemon juice
3 handfuls of strawberries with the tops on (unless the tops are crunchy/dried up)
2 handfuls of frozen grapes
Yeah, I know, none of these measurements are exact. You can taste as you go and add more of things as you please- I don't measure when I make a smoothie, I just try not to overflow my blender cup.
In a hand blender: Add the water, spinach, Vega, banana, and lemon juice. Blend it up!
Add a few of the strawberries and blend, a few more, blend, etc. until you've added all of the strawberries.
Then add the frozen grapes and blend again.
You can use frozen strawberries, depending on how cold you want it.
If you're into fruit water, you can soak strawberries and lemons together, and when you're done drinking the water, use the strawberries (and squeeze the lemons) from the fruit water into this. That's how I made it the first time, but I get that not everyone has that just sitting around ;)
Monday, November 25, 2013
Dat Baked Rotini, tho...
12 oz rotini
1/2-3/4 jar spaghetti sauce
4 mozzarella string cheeses
4 handfuls shredded parmesan cheese
5 slices provologne cheese
3-4 roma tomatoes <<YUUUUMMMMY
baby spinach (a few handfuls)
Cook and drain pasta.
While you're waiting for the water to boil and/or cooking the pasta, dice the roma tomatoes into chunks- a little bigger than you would for salsa. Thinly slice/shred the baby spinach. Cut the string cheeses up into little cubes, about 1/2".
Add the drained pasta to a big bowl.
Add the pasta sauce- it's up to you how much. How saucy do you want it?
Add the baby spinach, tomatoes, string cheese pieces, and 2 handfuls of the parmesan cheese. Mix that up well, then dump into a greased 9x13 dish (or a pretty deep 9x9 dish).
Cover with provologne slices, then sprinkle the last 2 handfuls of parmesan cheese over the top.
Cover this with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Check the pasta mix near the end; uncover for a little while if it seems too liquidy.
1/2-3/4 jar spaghetti sauce
4 mozzarella string cheeses
4 handfuls shredded parmesan cheese
5 slices provologne cheese
3-4 roma tomatoes <<YUUUUMMMMY
baby spinach (a few handfuls)
Cook and drain pasta.
While you're waiting for the water to boil and/or cooking the pasta, dice the roma tomatoes into chunks- a little bigger than you would for salsa. Thinly slice/shred the baby spinach. Cut the string cheeses up into little cubes, about 1/2".
Add the drained pasta to a big bowl.
Add the pasta sauce- it's up to you how much. How saucy do you want it?
Add the baby spinach, tomatoes, string cheese pieces, and 2 handfuls of the parmesan cheese. Mix that up well, then dump into a greased 9x13 dish (or a pretty deep 9x9 dish).
Cover with provologne slices, then sprinkle the last 2 handfuls of parmesan cheese over the top.
Cover this with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Check the pasta mix near the end; uncover for a little while if it seems too liquidy.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Elope with a Cantaloupe Smoothie!
YUM, yum yum! This one came out very good!
I thought by now I would be getting sick of smoothies TWICE a day. Believe it or not, I still look forward to them. Probably because they are always easy and almost always very tasty. And even with 2 scoops of protein powder per smoothie twice a day, I'm more than halfway through the 30 Days to Feeling Fit and still on my first bag. I still have lots of powder left and lots of smoothies in my future.
I love buying new fruits and playing around with combinations.
Ingredients:
1/2-3/4 cup cold water
2 scoops vanilla Arbonne protein powder
1/2 scoop Arbonne fiber boost
1 cup (a few fistfulls) of spinach leaves
1 tsp bee pollen (not necessary for taste but add it if you appreciate the nutritional benefits)
1/2 tsp orange extract
1/2 cup Simply Orange fortified orange juice (you can probably sub more orange extract + 1/2 cup water if you don't want the 55 calories from this)
1/2 cup frozen grapes
about 1 cup cantaloupe- we had it cut into slices of various lengths and 3/4" tall; I used 5 of them.
Directions:
I do this in a hand blender with a stainless steel cup....
1. Add water, Arbonne powders, spinach, bee pollen, orange extract, and OJ (or extract + extra water if you're using that) and blend.
2. Add the frozen grapes and blend.
3. Add the cantaloupe and blend, and let it go for a minute or two even after you don't see chunks- just to get it as smooth as possible.
This one is definitely a keeper and one of my favorites! And I'm not even really a fan of cantaloupe. I bet this would be good with a carrot mixed in, too.
I thought by now I would be getting sick of smoothies TWICE a day. Believe it or not, I still look forward to them. Probably because they are always easy and almost always very tasty. And even with 2 scoops of protein powder per smoothie twice a day, I'm more than halfway through the 30 Days to Feeling Fit and still on my first bag. I still have lots of powder left and lots of smoothies in my future.
I love buying new fruits and playing around with combinations.
Ingredients:
1/2-3/4 cup cold water
2 scoops vanilla Arbonne protein powder
1/2 scoop Arbonne fiber boost
1 cup (a few fistfulls) of spinach leaves
1 tsp bee pollen (not necessary for taste but add it if you appreciate the nutritional benefits)
1/2 tsp orange extract
1/2 cup Simply Orange fortified orange juice (you can probably sub more orange extract + 1/2 cup water if you don't want the 55 calories from this)
1/2 cup frozen grapes
about 1 cup cantaloupe- we had it cut into slices of various lengths and 3/4" tall; I used 5 of them.
Directions:
I do this in a hand blender with a stainless steel cup....
1. Add water, Arbonne powders, spinach, bee pollen, orange extract, and OJ (or extract + extra water if you're using that) and blend.
2. Add the frozen grapes and blend.
3. Add the cantaloupe and blend, and let it go for a minute or two even after you don't see chunks- just to get it as smooth as possible.
This one is definitely a keeper and one of my favorites! And I'm not even really a fan of cantaloupe. I bet this would be good with a carrot mixed in, too.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Grape, Banana & Berry Smoothie
Some of my smoothies were getting sort of boring... I guess when I'm always using the vanilla Arbonne, that will always tend to have a certain taste, and then always mixing with fruit... well, you get the idea. I've tried some varieties with apples and cinnamon, and they're ok, but so far nothing to write home (or blog) about.
Today's was pretty simple and spectacular though.
Ingredients:
2/3 cup water
2 scoops vanilla Arbonne protein powder
1/2 scoop Arbonne fiber boost
1 cup of spinach leaves (that's a guess... I take a few fistfuls and shove it in there).
1/2 cup Simply Orange fortified orange juice
1 tsp bee pollen (not necessary but it's good for you)
1/2 medium banana
1/2 cup frozen green seedless grapes
1/3 cup frozen blackberries
Directions:
Add water, arbonne powders, bee pollen (if desired), orange juice, and spinach to your smoothie cup or blender, an blend until smooth. Then add the banana and grapes and blend again. Add the black berries and blend until smooth, then another minute or two for good measure.
I don't usually add fruit juice to smoothies because I feel like it's sort of a waste of calories. Isn't it better to just add the real fruit? More nutritious and whatnot? With the case of oranges, though, I honestly found that as far as taste is concerned, the juice- to me- is better. I haven't compared different ones, but my husband bought Simply Orange to make mimosas recently, so it's just what we had around. 1 cup of it is 110 calories, which can be a lot depending on what else is in your smoothie. Cutting back to 1/2 cup gives you only 55 cals and still a good dose of the flavor. Considering my orange and banana smoothie was a total miss, and two oranges equaled a LOT of calories (I added an extra when I tasted it with just one and it had hardly any orange flavor at all!), I like the idea of getting more intense orange flavor with fewer calories with the OJ. I also recently bought orange extract, but I haven't tried any yet. If you don't want the calories from OJ, that is probably another good option.
Today's was pretty simple and spectacular though.
Ingredients:
2/3 cup water
2 scoops vanilla Arbonne protein powder
1/2 scoop Arbonne fiber boost
1 cup of spinach leaves (that's a guess... I take a few fistfuls and shove it in there).
1/2 cup Simply Orange fortified orange juice
1 tsp bee pollen (not necessary but it's good for you)
1/2 medium banana
1/2 cup frozen green seedless grapes
1/3 cup frozen blackberries
Directions:
Add water, arbonne powders, bee pollen (if desired), orange juice, and spinach to your smoothie cup or blender, an blend until smooth. Then add the banana and grapes and blend again. Add the black berries and blend until smooth, then another minute or two for good measure.
I don't usually add fruit juice to smoothies because I feel like it's sort of a waste of calories. Isn't it better to just add the real fruit? More nutritious and whatnot? With the case of oranges, though, I honestly found that as far as taste is concerned, the juice- to me- is better. I haven't compared different ones, but my husband bought Simply Orange to make mimosas recently, so it's just what we had around. 1 cup of it is 110 calories, which can be a lot depending on what else is in your smoothie. Cutting back to 1/2 cup gives you only 55 cals and still a good dose of the flavor. Considering my orange and banana smoothie was a total miss, and two oranges equaled a LOT of calories (I added an extra when I tasted it with just one and it had hardly any orange flavor at all!), I like the idea of getting more intense orange flavor with fewer calories with the OJ. I also recently bought orange extract, but I haven't tried any yet. If you don't want the calories from OJ, that is probably another good option.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Arbonne- 30 Days to Feeling Fit
I'm starting a new "fitness project" in February with a friend of mine who is a consultant for Arbonne. There may be some other girls joining us, too. I call it a "fitness project" or maybe a "health project" because calling it a "diet" sounds weird. "I'm going on a diet." I've never used that phrase before and I don't plan to start now. But this system is supposed to be a good way to get rid of toxins from your body and from what I've read, after you've done this for the 30 days, you no longer crave some of the bad-for-you food that made you want to start this in the first place.
Oh, and ever since Halloween and especially Christmas, we've had a crap-ton of candy laying around the house. What to do with it to keep it from spoiling? ...Eat it, of course. Now that I've gone through a few bags of Hershey's kisses, some peppermint patties, and Dove little Promise chocolates, I'm actually pretty sick of chocolate. I don't think I'll miss it.
But cheese. I'm going to miss that. For the next few days until we start the "official" program, I'm going to try and get my fill of it!
So what's the program? You order this kit from Arbonne that comes with 2 giant bags of protein (mine came last night. The bags are HUGE), a bag of Fiber boost (also a big bag), some detoxing tea, energy-fizz sticks that I think you add to water, to give yourself a little boost during the day when you're feeling tired, and some other things that I can't remember right now.
The main idea of the program, or at least the biggest change for me, is the smoothies. You have 2 a day, with the protein powder and fiber boost, which keeps you feeling full. Then a regular healthy dinner.
I had some protein powder from a previous Arbonne order, so I sort of pseudo-started the program a bit early by having a smoothie for breakfast every day this week. It's been interesting putting them together and soon enough I'll probably make a Pinboard of smoothie recipes. I can see how having them all the time is going to get old.
Oh, but to cut back on wastefulness, I did order some stainless steel drinking straws from Etsy! Looking forward to getting those.
But back to the smoothies. As of yet, I haven't gone shopping specifically for my smoothies, but that will probably change in a week when I start drinking 2 a day for my Arbonne 30 days to feeling fit. Not specific smoothie shopping = just using whatever we happen to have laying around. Luckily we keep a lot of fruit around, just because. Some of it I don't want to put into a smoothie- like mangoes- because they're so damn good on their own and I want to enjoy it by itself... you know?
In the next week, I will probably actually do some "meal planning" or, smoothie planning. I will go look for good deals or sales on fruit and buy some to freeze for my smoothies. That way the ones we have just laying around can either go into a smoothie or just be enjoyed on their own.
Oh, and ever since Halloween and especially Christmas, we've had a crap-ton of candy laying around the house. What to do with it to keep it from spoiling? ...Eat it, of course. Now that I've gone through a few bags of Hershey's kisses, some peppermint patties, and Dove little Promise chocolates, I'm actually pretty sick of chocolate. I don't think I'll miss it.
But cheese. I'm going to miss that. For the next few days until we start the "official" program, I'm going to try and get my fill of it!
So what's the program? You order this kit from Arbonne that comes with 2 giant bags of protein (mine came last night. The bags are HUGE), a bag of Fiber boost (also a big bag), some detoxing tea, energy-fizz sticks that I think you add to water, to give yourself a little boost during the day when you're feeling tired, and some other things that I can't remember right now.
The main idea of the program, or at least the biggest change for me, is the smoothies. You have 2 a day, with the protein powder and fiber boost, which keeps you feeling full. Then a regular healthy dinner.
I had some protein powder from a previous Arbonne order, so I sort of pseudo-started the program a bit early by having a smoothie for breakfast every day this week. It's been interesting putting them together and soon enough I'll probably make a Pinboard of smoothie recipes. I can see how having them all the time is going to get old.
Oh, but to cut back on wastefulness, I did order some stainless steel drinking straws from Etsy! Looking forward to getting those.
But back to the smoothies. As of yet, I haven't gone shopping specifically for my smoothies, but that will probably change in a week when I start drinking 2 a day for my Arbonne 30 days to feeling fit. Not specific smoothie shopping = just using whatever we happen to have laying around. Luckily we keep a lot of fruit around, just because. Some of it I don't want to put into a smoothie- like mangoes- because they're so damn good on their own and I want to enjoy it by itself... you know?
In the next week, I will probably actually do some "meal planning" or, smoothie planning. I will go look for good deals or sales on fruit and buy some to freeze for my smoothies. That way the ones we have just laying around can either go into a smoothie or just be enjoyed on their own.
Orange and Banana, take 1
And add another check into the "meh" category.
Orange and Banana Smoothie
Ingredients:
1/2 c water
1 Arbonne vanilla protein powder packet
2 oranges
1 tsp bee pollen
1 handful of spinach leaves
I just threw everything into here and blended it together.... pretty boring.
I really wanted to try and duplicate the taste of a dreamsicle here. It didn't happen. At all. Oranges have a lot of flavor, right? I thought using TWO would DEFINITELY up the orangey factor- negative. The Arbonne vanilla powder kind of overwhelms things, which is odd since vanilla is such a mild taste. That's the reason I got the vanilla... so that I would taste more of the fruit.
I probably could have added either a handful of strawberries or mango and this would have been a PHENOMENAL drink. But I was in the mood to be somewhat of a purist this morning, so in my mind, orange = orange and I wasn't going to add anything to "fake" a flavor I was going for.
The result is little flavor at all.
Andplusalso none of my ingredients were cold today, so this was another warm one. Which isn't TERRIBLE but a little bit of chill is nice.
Orange and Banana Smoothie
Ingredients:
1/2 c water
1 Arbonne vanilla protein powder packet
2 oranges
1 tsp bee pollen
1 handful of spinach leaves
I just threw everything into here and blended it together.... pretty boring.
I really wanted to try and duplicate the taste of a dreamsicle here. It didn't happen. At all. Oranges have a lot of flavor, right? I thought using TWO would DEFINITELY up the orangey factor- negative. The Arbonne vanilla powder kind of overwhelms things, which is odd since vanilla is such a mild taste. That's the reason I got the vanilla... so that I would taste more of the fruit.
I probably could have added either a handful of strawberries or mango and this would have been a PHENOMENAL drink. But I was in the mood to be somewhat of a purist this morning, so in my mind, orange = orange and I wasn't going to add anything to "fake" a flavor I was going for.
The result is little flavor at all.
Andplusalso none of my ingredients were cold today, so this was another warm one. Which isn't TERRIBLE but a little bit of chill is nice.
Wanna-Be Pumpkin Pie Smoothie that is bland as hell
Tried another new recipe last night. A few days ago I had looked at Arbonne's "30 days feeling fit" guide and they had some smoothie recipes in there. I was trying to remember one of them last night when I made a 2nd smoothie for the day, but I was lacking some ingredients. The recipe calls for vanilla yogurt, which I didn't have. But then I remembered the guide saying to avoid dairy, and isn't yogurt dairy? So I figured maybe it was best I didn't have the yogurt anyway? I don't know.
Wanna-Be Pumpkin Pie Smoothie that is bland as hell
Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
Arbonne vanilla protein powder packet
1/2 cup Coconut milk
1 teaspoon bee pollen
1 1/2-2 tablespoons honey
2 handfuls of spinach
dash of vanilla
1/3 can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling, just pumpkin)
like a teaspoon or more of cinnamon
generous sprinkling of nutmeg
I blended all of this together in hopes it would taste like pumpkin pie.... but not quite. It wasn't terrible, just... bland. Oh, and kind of warm, since the only cold items were the liquids and spinach.
I was sipping it and kept adding more cinnamon and nutmeg, then tried to imagine I was actually eating pumpkin pie, or maybe just a pumpkin spice drink from any number of coffee places. I tried to think what would make my drink taste more like those, and it hit me: Sugar. Lots of it. It seemed counter productive to add sugar to something that is supposed to be healthy though. I was sort of generous with the honey, but that wasn't enough. If I had had the yummy vanilla greek yogurt that I usually keep around OR some vanilla ice cream, I think this drink would have been AMAZING.
But what do vanilla yogurt and ice cream have in them that my smoothie didn't have? ...Sweeteners. I'm not sure why I was so against putting some sweetener into my smoothie, yet if I had put the yogurt in there that would already contain some sort of sweetener, I would have been okay with it.
Maybe part of it is just avoiding the habit of adding sugar to things.
Wanna-Be Pumpkin Pie Smoothie that is bland as hell
Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
Arbonne vanilla protein powder packet
1/2 cup Coconut milk
1 teaspoon bee pollen
1 1/2-2 tablespoons honey
2 handfuls of spinach
dash of vanilla
1/3 can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling, just pumpkin)
like a teaspoon or more of cinnamon
generous sprinkling of nutmeg
I blended all of this together in hopes it would taste like pumpkin pie.... but not quite. It wasn't terrible, just... bland. Oh, and kind of warm, since the only cold items were the liquids and spinach.
I was sipping it and kept adding more cinnamon and nutmeg, then tried to imagine I was actually eating pumpkin pie, or maybe just a pumpkin spice drink from any number of coffee places. I tried to think what would make my drink taste more like those, and it hit me: Sugar. Lots of it. It seemed counter productive to add sugar to something that is supposed to be healthy though. I was sort of generous with the honey, but that wasn't enough. If I had had the yummy vanilla greek yogurt that I usually keep around OR some vanilla ice cream, I think this drink would have been AMAZING.
But what do vanilla yogurt and ice cream have in them that my smoothie didn't have? ...Sweeteners. I'm not sure why I was so against putting some sweetener into my smoothie, yet if I had put the yogurt in there that would already contain some sort of sweetener, I would have been okay with it.
Maybe part of it is just avoiding the habit of adding sugar to things.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
ANOTHER green smoothie
Still working on ideas for Arbonne shakes... I've signed up to do a "30 days to feeling fit" which means drinking 2 shakes a day!
Ingredients:
1/2-3/4 cup of the Cucumberade I made yesterday (for reference.... basically it's lemon juice, lime juice, cucumber)
1 package Arbonne vanilla protein shake mix
1 teaspoon pee pollen
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
2 handfuls of baby spinach
1/2 can of pineapple chunks, including 1/2 of the juice(the small can... about 1 1/2" tall)
2 small handfuls cucumber slices
2 bigass strawberries, including the green tops
2 handfuls of grapes
I added everything but the strawberries and grapes, blended it up, then added the strawberries, more blending, then the grapes. Keep blending til smooth. This one was really yummy!!!
Ingredients:
1/2-3/4 cup of the Cucumberade I made yesterday (for reference.... basically it's lemon juice, lime juice, cucumber)
1 package Arbonne vanilla protein shake mix
1 teaspoon pee pollen
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
2 handfuls of baby spinach
1/2 can of pineapple chunks, including 1/2 of the juice(the small can... about 1 1/2" tall)
2 small handfuls cucumber slices
2 bigass strawberries, including the green tops
2 handfuls of grapes
I added everything but the strawberries and grapes, blended it up, then added the strawberries, more blending, then the grapes. Keep blending til smooth. This one was really yummy!!!
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Another green smoothie
I try to write these down in case I'm ever needing ideas...
This morning I made the "Cucumberade" from my Cool Waters recipe book.
Part of this recipe involved pureeing a cucumber along with a cup of water, juice from a lemon, a lime, and a teeny sprinkle of salt. (I used a key lime from my lime tree.) After you puree the stuff, you run it through a sieve into a pitcher with more water. (There is more to it than that... but I don't want to infringe on copyright by accidentally publishing their whole recipe here!)
After extracting the liquid, I obviously had all this citrus-flavored cucumber pulp left. I thought that'd be pretty tasty in a smoothie!
Ingredients:
About 1/2 cup water
1 package Arbonne vanilla protein shake mix
Then dumped in another 1/2 cup water on top of that
1 quantity leftover pulp from making Cucumberade
2 handfuls of baby spinach
An apple
I blended everything minus the apple together first- it didn't have much flavor at that point, so I looked around to see what we had and spied an apple that's been sitting around for a couple weeks. I added the apple to give it a little extra... something. It's not a super sweet smoothie or very strong, so the flavor is quite mild in this one. But the cucumber and apple went surprisingly well together- this was a red delicious apple, not a tart one, which may explain why the pairing worked?
I think this could also work with coconut water versus plain water.
This morning I made the "Cucumberade" from my Cool Waters recipe book.
Part of this recipe involved pureeing a cucumber along with a cup of water, juice from a lemon, a lime, and a teeny sprinkle of salt. (I used a key lime from my lime tree.) After you puree the stuff, you run it through a sieve into a pitcher with more water. (There is more to it than that... but I don't want to infringe on copyright by accidentally publishing their whole recipe here!)
After extracting the liquid, I obviously had all this citrus-flavored cucumber pulp left. I thought that'd be pretty tasty in a smoothie!
Ingredients:
About 1/2 cup water
1 package Arbonne vanilla protein shake mix
Then dumped in another 1/2 cup water on top of that
1 quantity leftover pulp from making Cucumberade
2 handfuls of baby spinach
An apple
I blended everything minus the apple together first- it didn't have much flavor at that point, so I looked around to see what we had and spied an apple that's been sitting around for a couple weeks. I added the apple to give it a little extra... something. It's not a super sweet smoothie or very strong, so the flavor is quite mild in this one. But the cucumber and apple went surprisingly well together- this was a red delicious apple, not a tart one, which may explain why the pairing worked?
I think this could also work with coconut water versus plain water.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Deleeeeeshus Overnight Oats
I've seen variations of this ALL over Pinterest. I have no idea whose recipe it was originally, and I didn't even pin one myself to reference. I saw a few different ones and got the basic idea, then made my own, in a quantity that fills me up on a morning when I wake up hungry!
This recipe is totally unspecific since it's so adaptable. But the basics are:
Ingredients:
3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats (not the quick oats- the ones that take like 5-10 mins to cook)
1/3 cup Chobani (or your preferred brand) Vanilla Greek Yogurt
1/4 - 1/3 cup So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk (or other milk of your choosing)
1-2 Tbsp honey (raw, creamed, flavored... up to you, and how sweet you like it!)
Handful of chopped fruit, fresh berries, etc. (Strawberries work well, so do raspberries, apples, blueberries...)
Optional: Various spices, jams, dried fruits
Directions:
1. Add the oats, yogurt, coconut milk, and honey to a jar or container with a lid- or you can wrap with plastic wrap, but that seems so wasteful. Mix well and adjust yogurt and coconut milk to your desired consistency. Since this is eaten cold, I think it's better when it's thicker!
2. Add some of the chopped fruit and mix again. Then add the rest of the chopped fruit. You can mix it again, or leave the rest of the chopped fruit on top. (I like to mix it twice, keeping some of it separated, so some of it gets more incorporated and starts to fall apart a little, while the fruit on top so it stays more whole.)
3. You can also experiment and add things like: Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, almond extract, vanilla extract, raisins, craisins & various other dried fruits, jams/preserves/jelly etc. for MORE flavor!
4. Cover and place in the fridge over night. When you wake up the next morning, you have a yummy breakfast waiting for you!
This is my favorite honey to use for this recipe! It's from a local company here in Virginia (I love supporting my locals), but they ship, too! Some of it might seem pricey, but trust me, it is worth. every. penny. The spiced version shown here contains cinnamon/clove flavors and I like it with strawberries or apples (it tastes like pie). Another wonderful variety is their almond honey. It's fantastic in the overnight oats with raspberries!
Here's where you can order some, too:
http://stores.homestead.com/hstrial-SMitchell/Categories.bok?category=Creamed%20Honey
Oh. And yes. You DO see a bee on the end of the spoon :)
This recipe is totally unspecific since it's so adaptable. But the basics are:
Ingredients:
3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats (not the quick oats- the ones that take like 5-10 mins to cook)
1/3 cup Chobani (or your preferred brand) Vanilla Greek Yogurt
1/4 - 1/3 cup So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk (or other milk of your choosing)
1-2 Tbsp honey (raw, creamed, flavored... up to you, and how sweet you like it!)
Handful of chopped fruit, fresh berries, etc. (Strawberries work well, so do raspberries, apples, blueberries...)
Optional: Various spices, jams, dried fruits
Directions:
1. Add the oats, yogurt, coconut milk, and honey to a jar or container with a lid- or you can wrap with plastic wrap, but that seems so wasteful. Mix well and adjust yogurt and coconut milk to your desired consistency. Since this is eaten cold, I think it's better when it's thicker!
2. Add some of the chopped fruit and mix again. Then add the rest of the chopped fruit. You can mix it again, or leave the rest of the chopped fruit on top. (I like to mix it twice, keeping some of it separated, so some of it gets more incorporated and starts to fall apart a little, while the fruit on top so it stays more whole.)
3. You can also experiment and add things like: Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, almond extract, vanilla extract, raisins, craisins & various other dried fruits, jams/preserves/jelly etc. for MORE flavor!
4. Cover and place in the fridge over night. When you wake up the next morning, you have a yummy breakfast waiting for you!
This is my favorite honey to use for this recipe! It's from a local company here in Virginia (I love supporting my locals), but they ship, too! Some of it might seem pricey, but trust me, it is worth. every. penny. The spiced version shown here contains cinnamon/clove flavors and I like it with strawberries or apples (it tastes like pie). Another wonderful variety is their almond honey. It's fantastic in the overnight oats with raspberries!
Here's where you can order some, too:
http://stores.homestead.com/hstrial-SMitchell/Categories.bok?category=Creamed%20Honey
Oh. And yes. You DO see a bee on the end of the spoon :)
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Asparagus Quiche
When we picked up our CSA last week, it included 2 lbs of asparagus and a dozen eggs (among other things). In the CSA newsletter, they usually include a recipe for some of the ingredients. They included this one for asparagus quiche, but I made some changes... so here is my version.
Ingredients:
1 uncooked pie crust (home made, or I used refrigerated Pillsbury crust, but will make my own next time to make it healthier.)
4-6 green onions
1 small package chopped mushrooms
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 pound of asparagus
1 cup shredded Baby Swiss (or other mild cheese)
1 handful of shredded Parmesan cheese
4 large or 5 small eggs
3/4 cup So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk (while I'm not a vegan, I think the dairy industry is pretty messed up and I try not to support it when possible)
Directions:
A couple of notes-
1. The original recipe calls for bacon. The first time I made this, I followed the original recipe and used Smart Bacon- which if you're watching your calories and fat, or are a vegetarian, Smart Bacon is pretty damn good, honestly. I mainly used it because I was afraid the quiche would be bland without it. But my husband (and I, too,) thought the quiche was a little too salty and rich. He asked me to try making it without the bacon. So I exchanged it for mushrooms :)
2. I used the So Delicious Coconut Milk because I've been a fan of it for a long time and found that it's great in coffee, for cereal, for smoothies, and for cooking and baking. It also stays good for a long time so I like to keep it around. I haven't tried almond or soy or hemp milk (or moo-cow-f**k milk, as Lewis Black would say...), so I'm not sure how well those would work.
3. When our quiche was done, it was kind of watery on the inside. Sometimes this happens when I make quiches with a lot of vegetables, especially mushrooms- I think- because they tend to release a lot of water. It tasted super awesome though. But if you have suggestions as to how to keep the quiche from being watery, I'm open to hearing (or reading) :)
Ingredients:
1 uncooked pie crust (home made, or I used refrigerated Pillsbury crust, but will make my own next time to make it healthier.)
4-6 green onions
1 small package chopped mushrooms
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 pound of asparagus
1 cup shredded Baby Swiss (or other mild cheese)
1 handful of shredded Parmesan cheese
4 large or 5 small eggs
3/4 cup So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk (while I'm not a vegan, I think the dairy industry is pretty messed up and I try not to support it when possible)
Directions:
- Finely chop the green onions and place them into a skillet with the broth on medium-high heat. While they are heating up, wash and chop (if necessary) your mushrooms into small-ish pieces, then add them to the green onions. Stir them occasionally and let them sautée until soft.
- While the veges are cooking, prepare your asparagus. I steamed mine in the microwave (put it into a covered microwave-safe container with a little water) for 3 minutes. I like it cooked but not mushy- it still had a tiny bit of crunch to it.
- Chop the asparagus into 1/2" pieces.
- Place the asparagus pieces and the mushrooms and green onions into a large bowl. Add the Parmesan and Baby Swiss cheeses and mix it all together.
- Dump the vegetables and cheese into your pie crust.
- Whisk together your eggs and the coconut milk, then pour this on top of the vegetable mix in the pie crust.
- Bake at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes.
A couple of notes-
1. The original recipe calls for bacon. The first time I made this, I followed the original recipe and used Smart Bacon- which if you're watching your calories and fat, or are a vegetarian, Smart Bacon is pretty damn good, honestly. I mainly used it because I was afraid the quiche would be bland without it. But my husband (and I, too,) thought the quiche was a little too salty and rich. He asked me to try making it without the bacon. So I exchanged it for mushrooms :)
2. I used the So Delicious Coconut Milk because I've been a fan of it for a long time and found that it's great in coffee, for cereal, for smoothies, and for cooking and baking. It also stays good for a long time so I like to keep it around. I haven't tried almond or soy or hemp milk (or moo-cow-f**k milk, as Lewis Black would say...), so I'm not sure how well those would work.
3. When our quiche was done, it was kind of watery on the inside. Sometimes this happens when I make quiches with a lot of vegetables, especially mushrooms- I think- because they tend to release a lot of water. It tasted super awesome though. But if you have suggestions as to how to keep the quiche from being watery, I'm open to hearing (or reading) :)
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Green Smoothie 1
I've been trying to drink more smoothies lately as a lunch replacement. It's a great way to get more fresh fruits and vegetables into your system, especially when you add greens and make a Green Smoothie.
Here's the 2nd green smoothie I made, and it was fantastic. The first one sucked. I used mustard greens. DON'T USE MUSTARD GREENS IN A SMOOTHIE EVER, EVER, EVER.
Ingredients:
- 3 handfuls of green grapes
- 2 big handfuls of baby spinach
- 1 banana
- 1 pear
- 1/2 green pepper
- About 1/2 cup vanilla greek yogurt
- Some water & some ice cubes
You even get a picture of this one in all it's neon-green-glory. Check out the Mr. Hankey glass.... classy!
Usually when I make a smoothie, I start by putting in whatever liquid I'm using (water, fruit juice, coconut water is also great) and a handful or so of fruit. I blend that all up until it's smooth and then I add other stuff, one or two things at a time, blend some more, and keep stopping and adding more until either the blender is full or until I've used up all my ingredients. If it gets too thick you can add more liquid. Then I set it on "Food Processor" and let it go for a minute or two.
The cool thing about smoothies is you can sort of just start throwing in whatever crap you've got sitting around in your fridge that you need to use up. Like the 1/2 green pepper in this one? It was in the fridge for a couple of days and I was afraid we'd forget about it, so I tossed it in. The grapes were also not in great condition for eating- they were getting a little soft- so in they went. The baby spinach was also sort of starting to go...
See where this is going?
This smoothie was just a product of trying to empty out all of the produce in the fridge and not let it go to waste.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Greens and Tomato Soup: It has a flavor.
I've eaten made my fair share of bland, boring soups, and this is definitely not one of those!
I started with this recipe as the base:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spicy-Kale-and-Chick-Pea-Stew-11641
and doctored it cause that's what I do (and... the store was out of kale) and holycrapamazing and I'm SURE the original recipe is great, too.
Ingredients:
2 nice, big leeks, chopped up
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 package of chopped mushrooms (if you like them)
1.5 - 2 lbs leafy green vegetables such as kale, mustard greens, swiss chard, spinach (or you can do a mix, which is what I did), stems removed and chopped coarsely
2 cans of chickpeas or other white beans (you can use 15 or 19 oz cans, depending on how bean-y you want it!)
8 cups of your favorite vegetable (or other) broth
2 x 28-ounce cans plum tomatoes including the juice, chopped
6-ounce can tomato paste
1 teaspoon chili powder (more if you want it spicy)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sugar
1 bay leaf
Directions:
The.
YUM.
Look, you EVEN GET A PICTURE.
Side note, is it weird that handling those canned whole tomatoes reminds me of what it might be like to handle a human heart? Eeewww.
I started with this recipe as the base:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spicy-Kale-and-Chick-Pea-Stew-11641
and doctored it cause that's what I do (and... the store was out of kale) and holycrapamazing and I'm SURE the original recipe is great, too.
Ingredients:
2 nice, big leeks, chopped up
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 package of chopped mushrooms (if you like them)
1.5 - 2 lbs leafy green vegetables such as kale, mustard greens, swiss chard, spinach (or you can do a mix, which is what I did), stems removed and chopped coarsely
2 cans of chickpeas or other white beans (you can use 15 or 19 oz cans, depending on how bean-y you want it!)
8 cups of your favorite vegetable (or other) broth
2 x 28-ounce cans plum tomatoes including the juice, chopped
6-ounce can tomato paste
1 teaspoon chili powder (more if you want it spicy)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sugar
1 bay leaf
Directions:
- In a bigass pot, sauté the leeks and garlic with a splash of the vegetable broth over medium-high until the leeks are tender.
- Add the green pepper and optional mushrooms and sauté another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the beans, rest of the broth, leafy greens, tomatoes AND the tomato juice, the tomato paste, and all of the spices. Mix well and stir everything together.
- Bring to a boil and continue simmering the soup, uncovered, for an hour. Give it a good stir every 10 minutes or so.
The.
YUM.
Look, you EVEN GET A PICTURE.
 |
| And I didn't even add Insta-Crap defects! |
Side note, is it weird that handling those canned whole tomatoes reminds me of what it might be like to handle a human heart? Eeewww.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Sun Dried Tomatoes
Here's a great way to add some yummy flavor to a meal...
If you buy sun-dried tomatoes in a jar, they're usually packed in some kind of liquid (most times oil, I think). Save the oil and use it to sauté vegetables or fish. My husband especially enjoyed some salmon that was sautéed in sun-dried tomato olive oil!
If you buy sun-dried tomatoes in a jar, they're usually packed in some kind of liquid (most times oil, I think). Save the oil and use it to sauté vegetables or fish. My husband especially enjoyed some salmon that was sautéed in sun-dried tomato olive oil!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Carrot Soufflé
The carrots in this make it quite sweet. If you make it and would like it sweeter, you can add more sugar.
Ingredients:
2 lbs Carrots, chopped up
1/2 cup Melted Butter
1/3 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3 Eggs, beaten
Directions:
I've made this and substituted margarine for the butter, and egg whites for the whole eggs. I thought it tasted great both ways :)
Ingredients:
2 lbs Carrots, chopped up
1/2 cup Melted Butter
1/3 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3 Eggs, beaten
Directions:
- Heat oven to 350.
- Place the chopped up carrots into a steamer and steam them until they are soft.
- Drain the carrots and mash them up.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
- Place into a 2-qt casserole dish.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot; can be enjoyed cold as well.
I've made this and substituted margarine for the butter, and egg whites for the whole eggs. I thought it tasted great both ways :)
Roasted Potatoes
Use any combo of 'taters suitable for baking that you like. Here's a combo we like:
Ingredients:
3 cups raw, cubed Red-Skinned Potatoes
3 cups raw, cubed Sweet Potatoes
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Basil (dried works well)
1 Tablespoon Rosemary (fresh is wonderful, finely chopped, of course)
1-2 teaspoons of Olive Oil (a healthy splash)
Directions:
Ingredients:
3 cups raw, cubed Red-Skinned Potatoes
3 cups raw, cubed Sweet Potatoes
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Basil (dried works well)
1 Tablespoon Rosemary (fresh is wonderful, finely chopped, of course)
1-2 teaspoons of Olive Oil (a healthy splash)
Directions:
- Heat oven to 350.
- Cube the 'taters into about 1/2"-3/4" cubes. (Think homefries.)
- Dump all the 'taters into a large bowl- with a lid, if possible.
- Add olive oil to the taters and mix to evenly coat all of your 'taters
(if you're using a bowl with lid, place the lid on the bowl and shake it up). - Add the herbs and salt. Replace lid, if you have one, and again, mix/shake well.
- Spread the 'taters onto a baking sheet in a single layer.
- Cook them for about 30 minutes, turning them over once or twice during cooking.
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