Eating my Brussel Sprouts

Someone pointed out to me that I haven't posted anything in awhile, so I figured I would post something tonight and give an update.

I am still cooking and a large portion of my dinners have been located via Pinterest. I don't remember everything I have made, but I will give you some of the high points. First I should probably note that the Sunday before last I decided to try a wheat-free diet for a couple of weeks to see if I notice an improvement in allergies, energy, etc. I am not calling my diet "gluten-free" because I am really only avoiding wheat based products and gluten is often found in salad dressings and other such condiments. I don't have celiac disease, so I figured a little gluten isn't going to kill me. That being said, here are a few of the things I have been eating.

Spaghetti with Tomatoes, Black Olives, Garlic, and Feta via Food and Wine - I made a few alterations to the recipe by using Quinoa pasta to make it wheat-free and exchanging mozzarella for the feta and basil for the parsley. It turned out super delicious.

Quinoa Taco Salad via gluten-free goddess - I didn't really follow the recipe per se but used it more as inspiration. For my version I used some spring mix for my "lettuce" and added some quinoa on top. Then I added some black beans and roasted vegetables (corn, red bell pepper, and red onion), an avocado, and then topped it all off with some cilantro-lime dressing.

The dressing is something I just threw together, but it turned out delicious. I put about 1/2 a carton of sour cream in the blender along with a tablespoon or so of olive oil, the juice from one lime, and a bunch of fresh cilantro. I blended it all up and it was scrumptious.

I have been craving something sweet and through the magical search feature in Pinterest, I came across these PB 'Nana Cream Bites from the Nom!Nom!Nom blog. I was super excited since they are easy and look delicious. Unfortunately I have to report that I am not a fan. I like the three flavors together but apparently not when they are frozen. Next time I might just simplify the idea down to a cut up banana with some peanut butter and a few chocolate chips sprinkled on top.

Tonight I was feeling a little tired and not really in the mood for cooking "from scratch" so I went with a go-to meal that is easy to make in a pinch. Basically it consists of spaghetti, a sauce, and some additional ingredients. This is what I went with tonight.

Quinoa pasta + sun dried tomato pasta + black olives + artichoke hearts + fresh Parmesan cheese = YUM

I also added some meatballs that I had in the freezer  to make my husband happy. The meatballs are quick and easy to make and freeze well. I base the recipe on one from The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook. You can find the original recipe for the New Favorite Meatballs here. I follow the recipe for the most part - substitute fresh diced onion for the dried and then I change it up by adding different herbs. Sometimes I use fresh basil and other times I might go with cilantro. Anyway, it is a good base recipe to work from and you can change the flavor easily by just adding the herbs and seasoning of your choice.

And then as a side to the pasta, I served some sauteed brussel sprouts.

I think brussel sprouts get a bad rap. They are tasty and good for you. I challenge you to give them a try!

I kept this dish pretty simple. I cleaned the brussel sprouts by peeling off the first few layers of leaves and then cut off the bottoms. Then I cut them in quarters, sliced them in to little pieces and sauteed them in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil along with 2 minced garlic cloves and salt and pepper. They turned out pretty yummy.

So, those are some of the things that have been cooking in my kitchen lately. What have you been making?

<random side note>

Oh, and I have failed miserably at the decluttering goal I set for myself at the beginning of January.

<additional random side note>

BUT, I have been doing pretty well in my photography class. Here are a few of my favorites from the pictures I have taken so far.

You can check out the other photos on my portfolio page if you are interested.

Hominy Chili with Beans Recipe

The other night I made this Hominy Chili with Beans Recipe via Pinterest and My Recipes. It was super easy and DELICIOUS! I amended the original recipe a bit by sauteing a diced onion, a jalapeno, and about double the garlic before adding the other ingredients. I basically doubled the recipe and added about half a can of chicken broth into the mix to thin it out a little, plus I added some fresh cilantro. I think cilantro pretty much makes everything better. I used two cans of diced tomatoes instead of stewed.

And the result was delicious. I am going to guess it is pretty low and calories and fat as well. The only "fat" used was the olive oil I sauteed the onion and garlic in. I had planned to add sour cream and cheese to it, but liked it without so I left them off. Quick, easy, and healthy. Can't ask for much better.

Random product shout-out - Costco has been carrying the brand S&W, and the canned tomatoes are delicious. They taste very fresh, and Costco usually has the organic ones for a decent price. I have gotten the S&W black beans from Costco as well and they are also yummy.

An Eclectic Mix of Thoughts

So, the other day when I dropped Dylan off at school, his teacher ran over, got him, gave him a hug and told him good morning. And I thought, at what point in education do teachers stop greeting their students and letting them know they are happy to see them? Middle school? High school? And more importantly, why do teachers (myself included) stop doing this?

I am not suggesting that a middle school or high school teacher hug each of their students as they enter the room, but standing at the door and greeting them goes a long way. When I taught in an actual physical classroom, I tired my best to stand at the door and greet student as they came in AND, I tried hard to let them know I was happy to see them (even if I sometimes was exhausted and didn't feel all that happy.) Occasionally I had to make a visit to the "facilities" during the passing period and there were times when my students said they missed seeing me at the door ushering them in. So, I KNOW they notice and that it makes a difference to at least some of the students and that makes me happy. I like to know that something as little as a, "Good morning," or a, "Hello," can perk up a student's day and put them in the mood to learn.

Enough about education, let's talk about food. :) I haven't been posting my daily dinners, but that doesn't mean I haven't been cooking. So, let's take a look at some of the recipes I have come across on good ol' Pinterest lately.

Last week I made this pasta with tomato cream sauce via Pinterest and The Pioneer Women and let me just tell you this dinner was an EPIC FAIL. Let me just say that the recipe is good and I think had I actually followed it, our dinner would have turned out well... but I didn't. When I went to buy the supplies, the store was out of cream so I gt half and half. I also FORGOT to get fresh basil because I usually have it in the garden but it has died due to the cold. So, half and half and dried basil are NOT the same. Plus, I had a genius idea of trying rice pasta instead of my usual. Yeah, it was slimy and GROSS.

The next night I decided t make chipotle pork tacos with corn tortillas via Pinterest and Our Best Bites and they were okay. I followed the recipe exactly, but think if I make them again (which I am sure I will), I will ramp up the amount of adobo and not cook the red onion. I tend to like the red onion fresh. Although not a grand slam, these tacos are certainly worth a try.

And tonight I made roasted tomatoes with shrimp and feta via Pinterest and Real Simple. It was quick, easy, and pretty tasty. I served it with a mixed salad (spring mix, tomatoes, carrot, beets, and black beans) and fruit salad (apple, pear, grapes, and blackberries). Dylan has never had shrimp before so I wasn't sure if he would like it. It turns out he is a big fan. He ate EIGHT pieces of shrimp plus his entire salad and fruit salad. I guess I will be making shrimp more often.

I didn't even attempt to take photos of any of the food this week. Eh, whatever. I did, however, take pictures for the photography class I am auditing, and here they are. This particular assignment was to take some photos and then play with cropping using Pixlr. It was really fun and now I am a huge fan of Pixlr. It is a super easy and fun way to touch up your photos.

So, what has been happening with you this week? Make any good recipes?

A Little on the Late Side

So, here is my belated post from Thursday's dinner. Wednesday and Friday we just had lefovers so I don't have anyting new for you there.

Thursday I decided to try the white checken enchiladas recipe I keep seeing come up on Pinterest. I'll go ahead and say, this recipe is not really my usual taste, but I thought I would give it a try and I new my husband would like it. The only thing he ever orders when we eat at Mexican restaurants is sour cream chicken enchiladas. So, I made these babies from Joyful Momma's Kitchen.

They looked and smelled pretty tastey when I pulled them out of the oven! And honestly, they were pretty good, but just not my thing. I followed the recipe exactly except for the addition of some black beans. If I were to make them again I would decrease the amount of sauce and I would add to the enchilada mixture - onions, garlic, and some spinach.

As I said, they were good, but they were too heavy for my taste. Dylan didn't like them either. He tried a bite and then opted for the green beans and corn I served as sides.  So, they got a mixed review at my house - Kyle enjoyed them; I thought they were okay, and Dylan wanted nothing to do with them.

They are worth trying if you like chicken enchiladas, but you might tweak the recipe a bit to make it fit your personal tastes.

On a random and unrelated note, Dylan and I drove to Iola, Texas, yesterday to visit my best friend since second grade (that's a long time, folks). We had a good visist and Dylan had fun playing with her kids and running around in their yard. Here are a couple of the photos I took while there.

Carson

Relaxing

What are you looking at?

That's a chicken folks!

Cupcakes!!

I like cupcakes. I admit it. I like cupcakes.

They are delicious bites of cake tastiness with a dollop of frosting... what's not to like?

So, due to my cupcake adoration, I became a little (OK... a lot) fascinated with the recipes on this site. Some of the recipes look AMAZING. The problem is, if I make the cupcakes, I will EAT them... ALL.

But despite this predicament, I broke down and made these Snickerdoodle Cupcakes. They are GOOD. VERY GOOD.

Dylan helped and, he took his job VERY seriously.

Just for the record... I am eying these Orange Devil's Food cupcakes and these Key Lime cupcakes. YUM!

What's for dinner?

Last night I was thinking about the Internet and internally evaluating the personal sites I use most often... I came up with Google (for searching, Reader and other apps), Facebook, and Allrecipes.com. I was a little shocked at the last one, but the more I think about it... I pretty much use it every day.

Since I cook dinner every night (or at least MOST nights) I use Allrecipes to help me locate meals and plan menus for the week. And I frequently use the ingredient search to look up recipes to use the items I have on hand.

Since I find Allrecipes so useful, I decided to make a little tutorial video for you so YOU can find it useful too (humor me... the "teacher" side of me is showing). So here you go...

As an added bonus, here are a couple of my favorite recipes from the site...

I like biscuits, and I like whole wheat, so I LOVE these biscuits. I have played around and made them exactly like the recipe, with 100% whole wheat flour, with half the butter and more milk.... they have been good each time. When I make them I usually bake a double-batch and freeze the biscuits for later. Once they are thawed and zapped in the microwave for 10 seconds or so they are delicious. This is pretty much what I had for breakfast on the drive to work every day last year. 

Which leads me to my other favorite breakfast item... these muffins. They are low-fat and tasty. I use the recipe as a base and then add other ingredients l like - vanilla extract, cinnamon, apple chunks, banana, nuts... pretty much whatever sounds good, and then I freeze and follow the same re-heating process as above.

This slow cooker chicken taco soup is easy and yummy (it is also good with ground beef).

And, if you like quiche this recipe is a great base from which to work. I have made it as the recipe states and with other ingredients (ham, bacon, various veggies). It's quick and easy and delicious.

Oh, and to answer the question... what's for dinner? We will be trying this tonight. Hopefully it will be good.

Enjoy and feel free to share some of your favorite recipes with me!