What I Ate Wednesday!

It’s Wednesday… time to join in with the What I Ate Wednesday Party over at Peas and Crayons!  I actually missed the party last week when I was at the beach… oops!  This month, the focus is on food, fun, and fitness! 

 

Here’s a quick peek at what I have been eating… and doing… and I even have 2 quick and easy recipes for you! Let’s get this party started!

First of all, this week I had fun getting back to swimming.  I actually wanted to go today, but I didn’t make it home in time before the swim teams took over the cold pool. 

 

Sad face.  But I plan to go tomorrow, as long as it isn’t storming!

This has been a week of great eats, including baked tomatoes (a Pinterest find)

 

and Sausage-Stuffed Peppers (click for recipe)!

 

I also made a light and tasty salad that my sister Adrienne invented.

 

Doesn’t that look great?

It’s very easy to make.

Adrienne’s Lemon-Herb Summer Salad

Ingredients:

• butter lettuce (3 cups or more)
• mint leaves (about a handful)
• basil leaves, chopped roughly (about a handful)
• 1/3 red onion, sliced or chopped thinly
• Juice from 2 lemons
• EVOO (about 2 Tbsp)
• salt and pepper

Prep:

Mix the lettuce, mint, basil, and onion in a bowl.  Mix lemon juice, EVOO, salt, and pepper in a separate (small) bowl.  Pour the lemon-Oil dressing over the salad and serve immediately.

This salad is delicious on a hot day—very refreshing!

And now, I’d like to show you a simple dinner that I created this week using just a few ingredients—but it was a hit!

 

Easy Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry

 

 

This dish was created because I had ground beef in the fridge that had to be used quickly and I was tired of the usual chili, meatballs, and hamburger patties.  I started searching around for beef-and-broccoli recipes, which usually use thin strips of steak, but of course I didn’t have that.  So this easy version was born!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 2-3 cups of broccoli florets (I used frozen that I thawed in the microwave)
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 cup diced bell pepper (any color—but I used red and green)
• 3 Tbsp. Low-Sodium Gluten-Free Soy Sauce OR Coconut Aminos
• splash of Fish Sauce (I used HT Traders)
• Sesame Seeds

Preparation:

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with the onions and peppers.  Drain most of the fat when beef is cooked through.  Add broccoli to the skillet.  Add the fish sauce and soy sauce, and stir fry, heating the broccoli.  I like the broccoli to be crisp-tender, which only takes a few minutes.  When everything is cooked, add sesame seeds by sprinkling over the top.  No specific amount here—just however much you like.

Enjoy!  One pot, done in less than 30 minutes, and very hearty!  Yum!

So there you go!  That’s my past few days in a nutshell.  What have you cooked or done this week?  Leave me a comment and tell me! (And if you are a blogger too, remember you can link up to the WIAW Party!  Just click on the button at the top of this post to find out how!

A Weeknight Dinner...

Hi, all!  Today I have a special treat for you... my sister Meredith is going to write a guest post!  Meredith lives in Columbia, SC and writes a blog called The Family Jewell.  So after you read her post, be sure to head over and check out her blog!

I was so excited to be asked to “guest post” on my sister’s blog Confessions of a Former Couch Potato.  I’ve only been blogging since early November but she had faith in my ability to create something (hopefully) somewhat interesting, but if not, then fun.  Let me first preface this post by telling you I’m not a hot chef in the kitchen.  In fact (and to be honest) I think I cook about as much as my husband does, and well, he actually does cook a good bit, so that’s a good thing I hope.  Either way, I’m no Betty Crocker or Ina Garten, but I can hold my own on occasion and hope you’ll enjoy some photos and comments on tonight’s Weeknight Dinner.

Today was a normal day for me (although around the southeast this week it’s been a strange week full of snow, ice, cancelled school, and more cancelled school).  I went to work and then hit the gym for my usual Wednesday evening yoga class.  I have grown to love yoga the more and more that I go and believe it really does have some very positive benefits including strength and core building.  When I got home I knew I was going to have to make dinner because we didn’t need another night of being slack and unhealthy eating (the previous two nights were frozen lasagna and take out).  I read about the “Eat In Month” Challenge that The Chic Life puts on and was going to try my best to have us abide by that rule this month, however we haven’t quite succeeded, but are trying our best (on normal weeks) to eat in as much as possible…and with that, generally making healthy meals.

So on with the dinner…tonight I decided that since I hadn’t prepped ahead of time or marinated the chicken we bought the other day I would just use Publix brand Zesty Italian and bake the chicken in the oven…simple and pretty healthy. 

 

chicken marinating (and cooking) in Zesty Italian



I also had a bag of red potatoes so I decided to do a simple combo of chopped potatoes with EVOO, salt, pepper, garlic powder (a staple) and dried rosemary…delicious!

 

red potatoes with EVOO & seasonings

I knew we needed something green so I made green beans (something simple yet healthy) and as if that wasn’t enough, I decided to pull out our new “How to Cook Everything” cookbook that was a Christmas gift from friends and found one more side dish (Sautéed Apples).



I captured the butter for the sauteed apples before it melted (without the flash)

 

brown sugar and cinnamon for the sauteed apples



green beans & apples cooking side-by-side



possibly my favorite part of the meal (deliciously sweet)



Although I know you’re probably thinking by now this meal doesn’t seem very complicated or original, but it wasn’t meant to be.  It’s merely to show that by having a few basic items in your house during the week (fresh and/or frozen) you can still pull together a tasty and healthy meal…and best of all, have leftovers!!



no caption needed   :)



So after all the prep work was done and each item cooked to al dente, I was actually surprised with myself that all came out at the exact same time and piping hot.  I’m not sure these pictures really give it justice, but hearing my husband compliment me in saying “I’m really proud of you, this is a really good meal” was music to my ears…and voila!  Dinner is served…



dinner is served...



Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything"



And to end on a sweet note since I didn’t include dessert tonight, I thought I’d share a photo of my little kitchen helper…or little beggar, if you will.



Zoe

Happy Cooking!

xo, Meredith (The Family Jewell)

Mint... How Refreshing!

Look at what a wonderful co-worker brought me this morning!

Love this picture of the mint!

My very own mint plant!  Now, you know that I have said before that herbs just seem to die on me, but I’ve heard that it is really hard to kill mint.  So I am going to give it a try.  I use so much mint that the cost of buying it all the time was getting too high.  Hopefully growing my own will help.

Now, I mainly use mint to make infused water.  I love ice water with lemon and mint!  It looks so pretty in the glass and tastes so refreshing!  Plus, it helps to naturally detox your body!  (And who doesn’t need that?)  I also like to use mint as a garnish on desserts, too, or on yogurt parfaits. 

After I got my mint plant, I decided to Google mint and see what other uses there are for this herb. 

I found some great information on mint from HealthMad site.  According to HealthMad, here are some uses for mint:

·  Boil few mint leaves in milk; add sugar to it and drink it when you have stomachache

·  Apply mint juice to acne every night and wash it with cold water early in the morning. This remedy works for dry skin also.

·  Add some salt to mint decoction and gargle with it to get relief from sore throat.

·  Apply mint juice on skin affected by Eczema, Scabies and Dermatitis

·  Mix 5 teaspoons lemon juice and 2 teaspoons honey in a ¼ cup mint juice to get relief from acidity, thread worms and Diarrhea.

·  Mint tea relieves from menstrual cramps and heavy menstruation

·  According to traditional medicine mint is a contraceptive. Taking ½ teaspoon mint powder with water 10 minutes before intercourse prevents pregnancy. (NOT SURE I BELIEVE THIS ONE!)

·  Taking mint juice at night before going to bed induces restful sleep

·  Taking mint tea half an hour before meals stimulates appetite

·  Infusion made with mint leaves is useful for cold, flu, hiccups and flatulence

·  Keep your breath fresh by chewing some mint leaves

·  Mint cures from dog bites, scorpion and beestings

·  Mint has excellent wound healing properties

·  Infusion of mint is good for hypertonic diseases, atherosclerosis, and kidney and liver diseases

Read more: http://healthmad.com/alternative/15-wonderful-medicinal-uses-for-mint/#ixzz10q1nHbJV

 

Now, some of these, I am not so sure about… I’d want to know some of their sources.  But it’s interesting reading!

Now, for the food...

This morning, I had a yogurt parfait for breakfast! 

I used Dannon Light n Fit Vanilla Yogurt, fresh raspberries, and some Fiber One Cereal.  I had these convenient little packets of Fiber One from the Get Your Rear In Gear 5K Run (raises money for colon cancer and other diseases of the colon).  Yum!  The raspberries made it tangy and the FO added some crunch. 

Lunch was a bunch of random stuff from the fridge thrown into baggies.  Cheese slice, some pastrami, turkey, an apple... not very satisfying.  I'll have to do better tomorrow.

Tonight I taught Zumba at church!  I had a GREAT group of participants, many of which were new to Zumba! 

Now, I am finally home and having a late (easy) dinner.

I took leftovers from our pork tenderloin and made a sandwich.  (And the round bread makes yet ANOTHER appearance!)   I sliced up some fresh tomatoes and cucumbers and a fresh peach to go with it.  And then I saw some cinnamon applesauce in the fridge, and I thought, yummm... that sounds good!  So I am having a bit of a random dinner, too.

I am really looking forward to dessert-- a yummy chocolate ice cream cup.  These were on sale at Harris Teeter this week for $1.50!  That's a HUGE deal!  So I grabbed a few for desserts this week.  This ice cream is a great treat!

I was thinking about making more pumpkin muffins, but I think I am just too tired... maybe tomorrow? 

Stay tuned for progress on the mint plant... I put it in its home this afternoon... hoping it makes it!

Maybe Not Gourmet, But...

So, if you read my blog, then you know that I am by no means a "Gourmet Chef."  I don't know that you can even use the word "chef" to describe me.  I read lots of food blogs and see amazing meals and recipes.  Sometimes, I am just in awe of what some people can create in their home kitchens. I am in awe that there are people out there with full-time jobs that have TIME to create such amazing dishes. 

I was thinking about all my years of watching the Food Network and trying to decide who my favorite FN chefs are. 

There's Ina Garten.  She's who I would aspire to be if I didn't have to work.  She grows so much of her food herself.  I love when she says, "I'll just grab a handful of basil," and she turns to her amazing basil plant that somehow grows big and bushy in her kitchen. 

I love Giada de Laurentiis.  Italian is one of my favorite cuisines.  I don't know how she stays so thin, cooking the way she does.  I have two of her cookbooks and I can always count on her when I need a good dinner recipe. 

And another one of my favorites is Sandra Lee.  I started watcing her several years ago when she was doing the show "Semi-Homemade."  For those of you who haven't seen that show, Sandra makes recipes are are 70% store-bought with 30% fresh ingredients and creative touches.  The first time I saw that show, I was like, "Whoa.  This is REAL."  So many moms and dads are looking for a way to serve tasty meals to their family, while avoiding the frozen dinner section of the grocery store. 

So, in honor of Sandra, tonight's dinner was:

 "Cheesy Ravioli and Semi-Homemade Sauce."

I started with some extra vergin olive oil.  I heated about a tablespoon in a saucepan.  Then I added about 1/2 cup of chopped yellow onions, 1 clove of minced garlic, and 2 tbsp of chopped fresh basil.  Whe the onions were soft and the kitchen was smelling AMAZING, I added a can of petite diced tomatoes.  Finally, I added a jar of spaghetti sauce.  My spaghetti sauce was a sauteed garlic-and-onion-flavored sauce.  However, by adding in some fresh sauteed garlic and onion, it made the flavor much more bold.  It tasted REAL.  Does that make sense?  I let it all come to a boil and then simmered for about 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, I heated some water in anoher pot and added in my ravioli.  Remember my trips to Earth Fare last week?  Well,this was my free low-fat cheese ravioli. 



Free Ravioli!

120 Calories-- not bad!  Even if you eat 2 servings-- 6 ravioli-- not bad at all!

I'll admit, I was skeptical.  Sometimes low fat cheesy anything equals yuck.  However, Penne Lane proved me wrong!  This ravioli was tender and so tasty!  I definitely recommend it and will buy it sometime!  Thank you Earth Fare for the FREE ravioli!  When everything was finished, I topped it with a little Parm and voila!  Yummmmmm!  So tasty!

Finished product

I mean, it WAS an Italian meal... you have to have wine!

As for the rest of the day, it was great!  I didn't have time to make my lunch this morning, so I took a chance on the school cafeteria.  And it paid off!  I had a very tasty wrap today with Baked! Lays and a fresh peach.  (I brought the peach from home.)  The best thing about the wrap was the pickles!  I LOVE pickles.  I am going to give my school cafeteria manager two thumbs up tomorrow and also ask her about the calories.

Yummy cafeteria wrap!

See those pickles in there?  Love it!

I went to a Palmetto Reading Council Meeting today after school, which was great!  I was kind of dreading going to a meeting after school, but I am so glad I went!  I won a bag of coffee, and I learned things about Google that I never knew!  AND, there was popcorn and chocolate.  What a great combo...



Free coffee!  Yay!

 Finally, I have to thank Ryan for the 2 hours of peace and quiet this evening.  It was wonderful!!!

A funny thing happened as I was writing this post.  I was wearing one of my grandmother's old aprons when I was cooking tonight.  It's one my sisters and I used to dress in when we were playing house when we were young spending time at our grandparents' house in Philadelphia.  Well, I haven't worn this apron since I brought it home to live with me in South Carolina.  As I was typing, I got up to let the dog out and reached into the pocket.  And here's what I pulled out... wonder whose ticket this was? 

Just a little preview... tomorrow we are having one of my favorite fall crock pot meals...

A Little Money-Saving Tip

A few days ago I was reading a blog called Inexpensive Eating by Scott Duncan.  He was wrote a post called "Curse of the Black Thumb: Rosemary Focaccia Bread."  This made me laugh because I also have sort-of a black thumb when it comes to herbs.  I'd really like to grow my own herbs.  I have even tried.  I have tried parsley, rosemary, basil, and others-- and nothing really lasts.  This summer I planted basil in the kitchen.  I thought, surely I can do this.  I watered it.  I checked the soil to make sure I wasn't overwatering.  I put it in the window to get sunlight.  I sang to it and gave it motivational speeches.  A week later, it went into the garbage, looking like I had fed it battery acid.  So I've been sticking with dried herbs since then. 

So the other day, I had to buy a bunch of green onions for a recipe.  As I was standing in the produce section, I remembered this money-saving tip from last year's "The Next Food Network Star."  Melissa, who ended up winning, gave this tip.  She said that when you buy green onions, you can stick them in a glass with water and they will just root and keep on growing.  At the time, I thought, "I should try that."  But then I forgot and never did it.  So a year later, as I was standing in the grocery store, I thought, "I should REALLY try that." 

I came home, made my recipe, and put the onions back in the fridge.  Forgot all about rooting them in a jar.  Three days later, I remembered.  I remember thinking, "Surely this won't work NOW, after they've been in the fridge... but heck, let's try it."  And I stuck them in one of these tall beer glasses that has never been used for beer because Ryan doesn't like it. 

After a day, it started looking pretty dried out.  After 3 days, it looked dead.  I thought, "I should throw that away."  But then I got busy doing something else and forgot about it.  A day or two later, suddenly, new bright green shoots were growing from this plant.  And the next day, more green, and then more.  Here is the plant today:

How crazy is that?  So maybe I can grow something after all!  And now I have green onions anytime I need them!

It just goes to show you that we have to keep trying.  A lot of times we try something once, fail miserably, and don't ever try again.  I've done that many times.  But sometimes if we just try one more time, we can surprise ourselves.

Who knew all that inspiration could come from onions?