Scenes from the Weekend

Happy Sunday, everyone! I hope all of you had a wonderful and productive weekend. This post will be a little bit of a mashup... I thought I would just share some pictures and details from our weekend.

We started off our weekend with a special ceremony for our little soon-to-be preschool graduate!

 

I still can't believe that she is going to Kindergarten in the fall! (Insert cliche comments about time passing too quickly here.)

The ceremony was very cute and I only took about 200 photos.

 

I will spare you the other 197.

On Saturday, we were all up and around pretty early. I headed up to the Queen City to help lead the warm up for the MS Walk with Queen City DanceOut (the company for which I teach dance fitness classes). We led our warm up song and then quickly headed to another venue where we were guest instructors for a Zumbathon called Pearls for Creative Healing. Pearls is an organization dedicated to helping victims of domestic violence and also raising awareness of this important issue. We were the last instructors of the Zumbathon. The pictures from the event were amazing. Here are a couple that were posted online by Hip Chick Photo.

 

Afterwards, I met up with the hubby and munchkin for lunch:

Salad topped with a turkey burger... And sweet potato fries!

I squeezed in a few bike rides this weekend- nothing too long, but it was nice to be out on my bike in the neighborhood. I like to ride around and check out other people's yards and landscaping.

Meanwhile, Sadie enjoyed the sprinkler in the yard.

And I made this delish smoothie.

In the magic bullet: 4 large strawberries (green tops and all), 1/4 cup canned coconut milk, 1/2 banana, a few ice cubes. SO good! It was actually too thick for this straw. Very sweet and creamy! I am wondering about making strawberry ice cream with coconut milk... I will look into this!

Okay friends, that's about it! Hope you all had a fabulous weekend, too!

 

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Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Salad

Here is a confession. I love trashy TV.

Housewives? Yep. All cities.

Bachelor/Bachelorette? Every season. Back to Season One.

Jersey Shore? Seen every episode. Teeeee Shirt Tiiiiiiiiiime!

Nip Tuck? Watched the whole season on Netflix. Oh, Sean and Christian, how I miss you.

 

This weekend, I found a new trashy TV show that I am now hooked on: Gossip Girl. I know I should be ashamed to admit it, but...I'm not. I figure that since I am reading 3 professional books about teaching right now, it cancels each other out intellectually.

I know what you're thinking. "What does TV have to do with pork carnitas?"

Well, that's one of my dirty secrets. And so is this. When I get home late after teaching a hot and sweaty Zumba class, it's really hard to spend time cooking. So sometimes I just throw a bunch of stuff on a plate and hope it works well together. Tonight, it really did.

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Salad

I have been thinking about making this ever since a friend shared this recipe with me. Every time I make one of Melissa Joulwan's Recipes from her website or from her cookbook Well Fed, it is always delicious! I made a couple of changed to the recipe (click to view the original).

First, I used a 2 lb pork loin because it was what I had on hand. I prepared the spice mix as written except I left out the coriander. I rubbed the spice mix into all sides of the pork and then placed it in the slow cooker. For the marinade, I used 1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice, juice from 1 lime, and 1/2 cup of Orange juice, and about 1/2 cup of water. I poured this over the pork and set the slow cooker to low for about 8 hours.

Let me tell you... When I came home, it smelled soooo good in this house. And the pork? Tender and falling apart! It was so delicious. I decided to serve it salad style on a bed of lettuce and topped with salsa, Wholly Guacamole, diced tomatoes, and crumbled plantain chips.

 

I wish you could try a bite. You'd love it.

 

Next week I plan to make this again, but as it is written in Melissa's recipe with stovetop preparation. I will let you all know how it goes!

 

Ok friends... it is growing late and I am pretty sure there is time for one episode of Gossip Girl before bedtime. So.....

 

Xoxo...

 

Confessions Girl...

 

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Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

Don't you love when a kitchen experiment turns out to be a success? Rarely do I have "beginner's luck" when working on a recipe. Most times I have to try something a couple of times to get it right. (And while I am confessing, I will just say that lately my kitchen luck has been extra rotten!) However, I am excited to share a new recipe with you all today!

Last week, I had the best lunch from Earth Fare. I can't believe I didn't take a picture of it to share with you all. I guess I was so hungry by the time I sat down for lunch that my mind wasn't on sharing. Oops! But it looked like this:

 

 

My 4 pack included roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet potato salad, chicken salad, and a kale salad. It was the best lunch I have had in a long time, AND it was only $5. I made everyone jealous when I pulled out my lunch that day.

Ever since that day, I have been wanting to recreate that potato salad. Being mostly Paleo, I try to avoid white potatoes and use sweet potatoes instead. However, I don't always love the sweetness of sweet potatoes. I prefer a sweet potato in a more savory recipe. I think it adds a little surprise to a dish. I mean, we have all indulged in sweet potato casserole smothered with sugar and melted marshmallows, and of course, it is wonderful. But for me, finding a good sweet potato recipe that has a more savory flavor is like striking gold.

I started by Googling (is that a word?) sweet potato salad recipes. Some sounded good and some didn't. I looked at ingredient lists and also thought about what I remembered about the salad I had from Earth Fare. I knew that it had garlic, possibly roasted red peppers, and onion. I decided to make a small batch- jus enough for about 2 servings. That way if it wasn't any good, I wouldn't have wasted too many ingredients.

When I finished making the salad, I made the hubby taste it for me and also brought it to work to have 2 co-workers taste-test it. It got eat reviews, so now I am sharing it with all of you! I hope you enjoy it!

 

 

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 large sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 whole cloves of garlic, peeled
• EVOO
• Salt, pepper to taste
• 1 large ruin of celery, chopped
• 1/4 cup of green onions, sliced
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard (don't sub yellow mustard- the flavor is not the same)
• 1 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar (can add more if you like a bit more "tang")

 

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place sweet potatoes in a baking dish along with the garlic cloves. Spread out so that the potatoes are in a single layer. Coat with Olive oil- about 2 Tbsp. Toss the potatoes and garlic around so that they are all coated with the oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender and starting to brown. Remove from the oven. Let cool for about 10 minutes.

Remove the garlic cloves. Chop and set aside in a small bowl. Add the celery, olive oil, Dijon mustard, and green onions. Stir together and then pour over the roasted potatoes. Toss everything together until combined.

Serve immediately (warm) or refrigerate for a chilled potato salad.

 

 

 

I think these potatoes would be great for a picnic (chilled) or they would also make a great side dish for a holiday dinner. Personally, I ate them for breakfast! (It's not THAT weird... sorta like hash browns!)

 

If you like savory sweet potatoes, you may also enjoy these posts:

Sweet potato and Sausage Breakfast Hash

Sweet Potato, Smoked Sausage, and Apple Hash

Frittata with Sausage and Shredded Sweet Potatoes

 

Do you like sweet potatoes? Have a favorite recipe or way that you like them prepared? Share by leaving a comment below!

 

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Salsa, Two Ways

You know one thing I love about summer?  Fresh salsa.  For years, I bought the jarred stuff from the aisle in the grocery store that has the International foods.  You know, the kind that doesn’t need to be refrigerated until you open it?  What was I thinking?  How fresh can tomatoes be if they can sit indefinitely on a shelf?! 

Then one day I found that there is a separate salsa section in the grocery store.  Go to the produce section and you will find some fresher salsas.  One I like is Jack’s Special Salsa.  I also like this one kind that is just called “Fresh Salsa.”  I promise, that’s all it says on the jar.  The difference in the fresh salsa vs. the other stuff is unbelieveable. 

Then a few years ago, my mom started making her own salsa, and it is amazing.  This summer, being the new owner of my very own food processor, I decided to give it a whirl.

This recipe is adapted from the way I have seen my mom make it.  Now, if you don’t have a food processor, you could finely dice each ingredient with a knife, or you could use a chopper to dice each ingredient, and then mix it all together at the end.  personally, I throw all the ingredients in the food processor and process them all at once.  That’s just because I am lazy.  But it comes out delicious!

Fresh Summer Salsa

Ingredients:

• 4-5 vine-ripened tomatoes, rough chopped
• 1 bell pepper, rough chopped
• 1-2 Jalapeno Peppers or other “hot” peppers, rough chopped*
• 1 small-medium onion, rough chopped
• handful of cilantro
• 2 garlic cloves (I just throw them in whole)
• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• sea salt and Freshly ground black pepper to taste

* For a milder salsa, you can omit the “hot” peppers.  You can also control the heat by including (or not including) seeds from the peppers.  The seeds add lots of heat!

Preparation:

Throw everything in the processor.  Process until the salsa is the desired consistency.  Pulse to be sure it is mixed well and scrape down sides once during processing.  Store in the fridge for about a week.  If it lasts that long.  ;)

Use this fresh salsa for:

tacos

taco salads

on fish

as a dip for celery

as a salad dressing

on burgers

on chicken or chicken sandwiches

Are you wondering about the two ways thing?  Well, I do love salsa 2 ways.  Obviously I love to eat it.  But you all know I am a Zumba instructor.  So I also love salsa dancing!  It is one of my favorite Latin rhythms and I always include a salsa song in every one of my playlists for Zumba classes I teach. 

(Here are a couple of photos from a few classes I have taught or helped with lately.)

So… here’s to Salsa!  Go enjoy either type this week!

Imitation is a Sincere Form of Flattery

So… I have eaten this salad twice this week:

(Image borrowed from McAlister’s Deli Website)

This is the Italian Chopped Salad from McAlister’s Deli.  In the mix: green olives, salami, provolone, roasted peppers, ham, tomatoes, onion, cucumbers, and mixed greens.  I am telling you, it is absolutely delicious.  Ever since I tried it, I have been thinking about recreating it at home.  It has the best flavors! 

Yesterday we were heading out for a picnic with friends, and I thought this would be the perfect dish to make.  I decided to put a twist on it and turn it into a pasta salad, just to change it up. 

 

I thought it turned out delicious!  I didn’t use any measurements here—I just chopped until it looked like enough.  That’s the beauty of salads—pasta or green—you can make them to your liking.

In the mix:

• 2 boxes of macaroni noodles—cooked, drained, and rinsed with cool water
• turkey pepperoni (I used this instead of salami to save fat grams and calories)—chopped
• 4-5 slices of honey ham, diced
• provolone I used about 4-5 slices-- chopped
• Green olives, stuffed with pimentos (about 1/3-1/2 cup)—chopped
• 1/2 cucumber—diced
• roasted red peppers—julienned
• carrots—about 1/3 cup chopped
• Ken’s light Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Again—you don’t have to use these amounts.  I was preparing for about 10 people, so if you wanted to make this for yourself or your family, you could cut back on these amounts.  I didn’t add a lot of dressing—just enough to keep the pasta from sticking together and to give it a flavor boost.  I might have used 1/4 cup. 

This pasta salad has great flavor and color!  It’s perfect for a picnic or summer light meal!

 

Luckily, the weather held out for our picnic!  We were worried, because the past two years we have had rain for this event.  But thankfully, it stayed away last night!  The tailgate/picnic is the culminating event for the Come See Me Festival each year.  Unfortunately, we haven’t made it to much Come See Me this year, since we were out of town last weekend. 

We even got to watch a skydiving demo!

The kids all had fun running around and playing together, and we adults enjoyed the time to get together. At the end of the night, we enjoyed a great fireworks show! 

I think there must have been something in the air, because everyone in my house has a sore throat and Sadie and I are congested.  Must be spring allergies.  But now we’re getting some rain, so I bet that will help. 

Events like this make me look forward to summer.  It’s coming soon!!!  Speaking of summer (and imitation) I also made some lemonade cupcakes, which I will share soon!  Hopefully tomorrow!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

American Potato Salad from Weight Watchers

I hope you all have had a very happy Monday!  This morning as I was pulling into the school parking lot, I was thinking, “No Monday Blues next week!”  We have a nice long weekend because it is Labor Day Weekend!  Woo hoo!  This year it is nice to not have plans… so we’ll get three days at home to catch up on rest and housework.  Yay!  I feel like I have been playing catch-up ever since I left for my trip to Philadelphia.  As soon as we returned home, I started back to work and things got crazy all at once!  However, we’ve got a little fun trip on the horizon… so you’ll have to stay tuned for that! 

Tonight we were supposed to celebrate my brother-in-law’s birthday.  However, in the spirit of Mondays, lots of things went wrong.

• 1.  My nephew Jack woke up sick.
• 2.  My nephew Jerry hurt his foot. 
• 3.  My child woke up from her nap with a 101+ degree fever! 

(What is going on with these kids???)

Actually, I have to admit that I think sick kids are the cutest ever.  AND mine made me a sweet little card at school because she missed me.  (So sweet!)

 

The front says, “Mommy, I Missed You!”

And she wrote her name inside.  (How cute is that?  She has been working on her S’s.)

We read a couple of books tonight and hopefully sleep will take care of things.

We decided to postpone the birthday celebration.  We went ahead and had dinner with Ryan’s parents tonight.  I made a big batch of potato salad, so we got to enjoy that!

This potato salad recipe is one of my favorites.  I have made it 2-3 times.  It actually is from the Weight Watchers website.   Click here for the recipe!  They lightened up the potato salad by using Greek yogurt, light mayo, and adding vinegar for extra flavor.  It’s really delicious and I love the addition of the sweet pickle relish. 

I only made one adjustment to the recipe: I used rice vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar.  I really couldn’t tell much of a difference.  If you’ve got a picnic or a cookout coming up, I recommend trying this recipe!

On a different note, I cooked like a mad woman after school today!  I made:

• potato salad
• lunch for tomorrow (grilled chicken salad with lots of veggies!)
• AND… a new Dixie-Style Dining Recipe to share with you tomorrow!  (It’s a make-ahead recipe.)  It’s one of my favorites!  It is one of the best comfort-food meals ever.