Yummy Mini-Meal/Snack

One evening recently, I had eaten a very early dinner and by 9pm was starving! I didn't want to eat too much right before bed, but I wanted a little something substantial too, ya know?

After a little root around the old pantry, this is what I came up with;

 PB & Spiced Banana Sandwich.

1 Tbsp. natural peanut butter

Arnold Flax & Fiber Sandwich Thins

about 1/2 a banana

sprinkle with Pumpkin Pie Spice or just plain cinnamon

This snack packs a decent amount of fiber into a small portion coming in at about 7 grams, and more is more when it comes to fiber! Plus it's filling and delicious! I've eaten it several more times since that first discovery. I think it will be my new go-to quickie meal!

Yummy Fall Food

Some friends of mine were kind enough to allow me to use their washer and dryer to do my laundry, so to repay them for their kindness I brought over some yummy Fall food while the laundry was going. Both recipes are super quick and easy and that's my kind of cooking! For dinner we had Taco Soup, a recipe that I've adapted from an old Kraft Foods magazine, and it's been a favorite for years. And for dessert I made another adaptation on an old favorite, Banana Bread (except my new version is named Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Banana Bread!).

Since I put the Banana Bread in the oven first, I'll start with that recipe.

My sister Susie gave me this recipe a long time ago and it is yummyummyummalicious!

 But I have been trying to find ways to make old favorite recipes a little bit healthier so I made a few tweaks to her recipe. And then I fattened it up again with the chocolate chips! Ah well!

I substituted regular flour for whole wheat flour and applesauce for the oil. I used 3 full smashed, very ripe bananas, 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, and then at the end added about 1/3 cup of chocolate chips. I don't like nuts in sweet foods so I left those out. But I followed all of the steps of the above recipe exactly and it came out very nicely!

This pic was taken before I decided to use the whole wheat flour and the bananas shown are not the actual bananas that were used as those were completely brown and unsightly!

All coming together!

Mmm, chocolate chips make everything better!

And then THIS happened, DOH! That fork jumped out of the bowl and FLEW to the ground! I definitely didn't drop it...

All ready to go!

I am not a very neat baker...

Let me pause this story to mention that most of the time, when I am baking/cooking, I like to have a little jazz on in the background. Somehow it makes me feel more productive in the kitchen, and I can also imagine that I speak fluent French and Italian. I don't know how jazz gives me those magical powers, but it DOES!

As I was putting the bread into the oven this song came on! Perfecto!

 After a quick tidy up of the counter, I assembled everything needed for the Taco Soup. I don't really have a printed recipe for this so here is the doubled recipe:

2 lbs. ground beef (i used lean beef)

1 can Mexicorn

2 small cans sliced black olives (i only ended up using one due can opener issues...)

2 cans diced tomatoes (i used organic)

1 packet taco seasoning

1 can black beans

1 tsp minced garlic

one large handfull chopped cilantro

You can really adapt this however you like using whatever you enjoy or whatever you have on hand.

All you do is brown the meat, pour in the taco seasoning with a little water, add the garlic, and then dump all the cans in together. Stir and simmer!

I began to question my choice of a recipe that included so many canned items when I realized that I was in possession of the WORST CAN OPENER EVER! GRRR! I may as well have cut the cans open with a knife...Anyways...

Makes me hungry!

The soup tastes great by itself but these are the toppings I like to add to each individual bowl.

Right about that time, I had a little peek at the bread, it was almost ready!

There is nothing like the smell of a sweet baked bread in the Fall!

And just as everything was ready, this song came on and put the icing on the cake!

 It's always nice to share a meal with friends, and even better when you have leftovers! After several days in the fridge, the soup turns more into a chili as all the liquid gets absorbed into the ingredients and it makes a great base for a hearty salad. I warmed up a big scoop of the soup/chili and then added it to a big bowl of lettuce, threw a couple cherry tomatoes on top, drizzled a little bit of Light Ranch dressing and chowed down. It was sooo good!

From my kitchen to yours, Happy Fall!

Hooray for Trader Joe's!

This past week I did a little grocery run to Trader Joe's. For about $30 I got several healthy microwave meals, a few various bags of frozen vegetables, some chicken burritos, a couple of $3 bottles of wine, and an extra dark chocolate bar, because I always need to have one of those on hand! The first meal I tried was a Vegetarian Pad Thai which I do not have a picture of because I inhaled it before I thought to capture it, but just trust me, it was delicious! Then last night when I got home from work I was really craving something healthy that I could throw together quickly and decided to give one of the bagged vegetable mixes a try. I also had some goat cheese medallions on hand that a friend had so thoughtfully given me (also from Trader Joe's) that I thought would be a nice little addition.

So here's how it came together:

First I defrosted some chicken breast tenderloins (this was the only part of the meal not from Trader Joe's, these were previously purchased at Publix) in the micro, then popped them in a skillet with some olive oil and a sprinkle of one of my favorite all purpose seasonings, Cavender's.

I cooked it covered with a little splash of water on medium heat for about 10 minutes on each side. Then took the lid off and let it get just a tad crispy for the last few minutes.

Meanwhile, I threw the frozen Fire Roasted Vegetables with Balsamic Dressing into a glass bowl, covered and microwaved for  6 minutes.

Finally, I put it all on a plate and crumbled a little bit of goat cheese over the top of everything with a fork and poured myself a nice glass of Malbec.

The finished result was so delicious and I had the rest of it today for lunch!

So far, I'm loving everything I've tried from Trader Joe's! It's all quick and convenient but tastes like real food and not microwaved mush! So, hooray for Trader Joe's! I shall definitely be shopping there more often now!

Day Off Breakfast Food!

Today is a holiday and I love having a lazy morning on a holiday! Usually I stick to a pretty quick and easy breakfast, but when I have a day off with nowhere to go I indulge in this yummy breakfast that brings me back to my childhood! This isn't going to win any awards for being the healthiest breakfast, but it's not so bad and it does make me happy! You have to live a little sometimes! What's your favorite holiday morning breakfast?

1. Make one packet of instant Butter Grits in a bowl in the microwave.
2. Spray a small skillet with Olive Oil spray and heat.
3. Crack one egg into skillet, turn heat to medium, add a splash of water to pan, and cover.
4. Allow egg to cook according to how runny or firm you like your egg. (I like mine runny in the middle!)
5. Meanwhile, add one Jimmy Dean fully cooked sausage link to the micro & cook for 30 seconds.
6. Give Grits a good stir, add egg to the top, and then the sausage on the side.
7. Devour with a second cup of coffee! (Optional) ;)

Easy Throw Together Dinner

Tonight I came home from work starving and dug through the kitchen cabinets looking for something quick and easy to make for dinner. I came up with this recipe and it turned out so well! It will definitely be a go-to recipe from now on, as I usually have most of the ingredients on hand at any given time. Hope you enjoy and let me know in the comments if you try the recipe out!

Pesto Chicken Orzo w/French Beans & Campari Tomatoes

Pesto Chicken Orzo w/French Beans & Campari Tomatoes
6 frozen chicken breast tenderloins
Cavender's Greek Seasoning (or sub your own favorite spices)
half of a 1 lb. box of Orzo
1 small pkg prepared reduced fat Pesto sauce (I used Buitoni)
1 small pkg French style green beans
1 tsp minced garlic
drizzle of olive oil
cracked pepper
salt
parmesan cheese
campari tomatoes

Thaw chicken in micro for 3 min. Place on greased cookie sheet and sprinkle with Cavender's seasoning. Cook at 350 for 25 min.
Meanwhile, boil water and cook orzo for 11 min. Drizzle olive oil in a skillet with garlic and heat. Add green beans and a TBSP of water, cover and steam at medium heat for 3 min.
Drain orzo and add chicken to the pot, pour pesto sauce over top, and mix well. Allow to heat through.
Cut campari tomatoes into fourths on the plate. Add chicken orzo and green beans to plate and sprinkle all items with parmesan, salt, and cracked pepper. Enjoy!

Mojo was nearby to lick the plate!

The Owl

This weekend I had the pleasure of visiting for the first time, The Owl, an amazingly inventive dining experience (because the word restaurant just doesn't begin to describe it!).
If you're a foodie and in the mood to try something different with a twist, The Owl is for you! The staff was friendly and helpful while the food was an artfully displayed treat for the senses. My friends and I thoroughly enjoyed everything about our evening there and I can't wait to try it out again soon! I'll just be quiet now and let the pictures be the review!

My Sea Foam Margarita

Sea Foam Margarita Description

Our Menu

Menu Take II

Pulled Pork: peach, verjus, chili, cabbage slaw, toast

Pulled Pork Take II

Pea Soup: preserved lemon, popcorn, mint yogurt - chilled

Cheese: fresh ricotta, beans, basil, honey, crostini

Curry: pork, coconut vanilla foam, pineapple, basil gel

Belly: citrus glaze, green bean, black garlic, golden raisin

Door to the Ladies Room!

Inside the ladies b/r was the tiniest mirror with the caption above "Girl, you look GREAT!"

Panna Cotta

Me Lucky Charms! (because Multigrain Cheerios just doesn't have the same ring to it)

I had an epiphany this morning as I was munching on my breakfast of almond milk, Multigrain Cheerios, and banana. I don't miss milk! Over the past few months I've been cutting back on dairy.

Now, before you start thinking I'm little miss uber health nut, I must admit that my initial reason for going low-dairy was because my friend had started doing it and she was looking quite svelte! I thought to myself, she looks amazing! If I cut back on dairy I'll look like that too! (I was quite certain that her new fit self was all due to the dairy cut back and had nothing to do with the countless hours she spends in the gym. The LIES we tell ourselves to avoid cardio!) But I digress. It was a real eye opener to realize just how much dairy I was consuming on a daily basis even though I had always thought that the dairy I was eating was the healthy kind. You know, organic skim milk with my cereal, Activia yogurt (because it has probiotics!), string cheese for snack, large dollops of not regular sour cream, NEVER regular sour cream, but LIGHT sour cream (because the light sour cream makes you skinny, right?), 2% shredded cheese in casseroles, etc, etc... By the way, I am neither a Dr. nor a health expert by any means and many people are able to eat dairy and remain perfectly healthy! For me personally, though, as I began to wean myself from all of the above a wonderful thing happened! Not only did a lose a couple of pounds (I'm not talking 20 lbs here people, like 3!) but I started to feel lighter in general! I noticed that my perpetually doughy face was less puffy, and best of all my belly didn't feel icky and bloated (ugh, has there ever been a more disgusting word than bloat!). It seemed that I didn't feel as sluggish and lackluster as usual. I also noticed that when I did allow myself the occasional Dairy Delight Day, I would feel the previous symptoms return. Belly ache, puffiness, fatigue... Let me just say that having a little bit of relief from those ailments really gave me the incentive I needed to continue on my low-dairy journey.
 I still, however, allow myself moments to splurge. For instance, I have a long-standing love affair with Talenti Gelato (specifically but not limited to the Double Dark Chocolate one!) This gelato is so delightfully yummy that I really couldn't care less that it will give me a stomach ache. The pain is worth every creamy bite! In fact, I feel that it is my duty to regularly consume this treat because if I didn't, how else would I store my beauty goodies? ;)

Talenti Gelato containers used as makeup storage

All of a sudden I've realized that I should've titled this post "How do I love Talenti Gelato, Let me count the ways!"
SO! In conclusion, while I am always looking for ways to skim a few pounds off the old belly, my foray into the low-dairy world has become more about feeling good and less about the cosmetic benefit. I now love substituting dairy milk for Almond Milk specifically the Blue Diamond Unsweetened Almond Breeze (try saying that 3 times fast) and also, when I'm not indulging in Talenti Gelato, the Chocolate Almond Breeze flavor. It's yumm-O and satisfies my ever present chocolate cravings! I haven't really explored any non-dairy cheese options but if any of you have, do tell!

Yes, the Talenti container is empty because they don't stay full for long in my house!