Busy Weekend and Lazy Monday

Now that I'm not working, my body seems to have found a comfortable schedule of falling asleep at 2am and waking up at 11am. This really has to stop. I sure am enjoying it while it lasts though. I'm sure a Body Pump class at 6 am would cure me. :)

Saturday afternoon (when I'd been up for exactly 2 hours) I met up with Sara at the farmer's market downtown. I hadn't been in YEARS and didn't quite know where to begin. There were so many stands of fresh produce, jewelry, even one stand that had these pretty serving spoons. I might have to go back and get one for my mom. I only brought a small amount of cash so that I wouldn't overspend.

First I bought some kale:

I love greens!

Collard greens are my favorite (thanks to my family in Alabama and yes I also like black eyed peas). I knew that dark leafy greens were a good source of iron so I wondered what the other health benefits were. According to Wikipedia, it is also a good source of vitamin C, vitamin K, and Caroteniods (which provide Vitamin A). Usually, I steam them and add a little red wine vinegar but I'm going to try a new recipe so stay tuned.

Next up:

Blue cheese dressing to DIE for!

It's made by a company called Boise Bleu and there is nothing like it. I could probably drink the whole jar. Instead I politely gobbled up a handful of carrots dipped in it.

Lastly, some locally made granola bars. I just love local businesses.

Scott's Loaded Granola Bars

Triple Berry, Pistachio Cherry, Blackberry Lime

Then we went to the Co-op and had a lovely lunch outside.

I got the chicken salad sandwich with lettuce, red onion, sprouts and tomato. They make the best sandwiches.

I did some shopping at the Co-op and headed home.

PB Puffins, coconut flour, spelt bread, white chocolate syrup, Amy's stuffed pasta shells and agave. I'm a sugar fiend, I know.

At home, I immediately tested out the white chocolate syrup with strawberries.

Num. Num. The syrup is not thick and heavy so it wasn't overpowering at all. Just the perfect touch of sweetness.

I also bought some flowers to spruce up our house.

These go inside:

Aren't orchids gorgeous?

These go in the front yard:

Still have to plant these babies!

These were already in the front yard but I thought they were pretty:

Does anyone know what they are? I'd like to go get some more for the back yard.

These did go in the back yard:

I skipped pilates today (gasp!) but I did mow the lawn which is just as good. It's nice to be outside. I need a hammock so I can take an afternoon nap out there. :) Horray for summer days!

How did you spend your weekend?

What are some of your favorite local products?

A little of this, a little of that!

This is a bit of a long one, so get comfy!

Recently, I've seen several blogs about Trader Joe's egg white salad. Wow, that sounds great! Let me drive over to the nearest Trader Joe's to pick that up-- oh wait. There isn't one near me. :'(

So I struck out on my own to google such a recipe. This One was my main inspiration. I read through the ingredient lists of some and then examined what was available in my fridge. I combined finely chopped celery, cucumber, chives, egg whites from 12 boiled eggs, squirt of Miracle Whip, two heaping spoonfuls of Greek yogurt, salt, freshly ground pepper, onion powder and after much hesitation, a small dollop of dijon mustard (not pictured).

Then I took a potato masher and mixed/mashed the eggs and everything. Then I thought to myself: something is missing still. Then it hit me what my friend Sara says: "Everything is better with Laughing Cow" Why yes, Sara, everything IS better with Laughing Cow! I mashed in two wedges of the garlic and herb flavor.

Not going to lie here, when I mixed it all together, I looked at and thought, what have I done? I was NOT sure about how this would taste. You can't learn unless you try though, right?

So I gathered up what was left of my pride, toasted a piece of bread, added some spinach and put together the sandwich.

It was GOOD! I credit the onion powder, slight hint of dijon and of course Laughing Cow.

Breakfast the next morning was pretty red and white waffles:

Whole wheat waffles with a smear of Brummel and Brown butter, tons of sliced strawberries and a little bit of Tru Whip. I am more of a savory breakfast person, so I also had some scrambled egg whites.

I'm so classy, I wiped my strawberry hands on my t-shirt...

That night, I had a dear friend of mine over for dinner. I went for simple but delicious!

Oven Roasted Yukon Golds

Green Salad

Romaine, spinach, shredded carrot, cucumber, orange bell pepper, tomato, romano, parmesan and asiago cheese blend and freshly ground pepper.

Broiled Chicken Thighs

They're better on the BBQ, but ours isn't set up yet, and the broiler is SO underrated!

This is the simplest, most delicious marinade I know of. When my brother and I were little we were allergic to citrus fruit, peanuts, chocolate and tomatoes. We were lucky to outgrow them, but since we were allergic to tomatoes, most BBQ sauce was out of the picture. So this is how we ate "BBQ" chicken.

Soy Marinade

1/4 c. lower sodium soy sauce

2 tbs canola oil

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

I usually just mix them right in the mixing cup with a whisk or fork and then pour them over my chicken in a dish. Marinate for 15 to 30 min then cook up! I can't stress how good this is and it's so simple you MUST try it!

Afterwards, we went to see Battle of the Titans. I loved it! We stopped by the Cheesecake factory on the way home for dessert.

Red velvet and cheesecake, rich but delicious. Here's what they boxed up, I made though maybe a third of it. It took me three sittings to finish it. I could have gobbled up the left overs the next day, but I really wanted to savor and enjoy it.

I had leftovers for lunch the next day only I added some kalamata olives and artichoke hearts to my salad.

That night Sara came over and we watched Twilight. Can you believe she hadn't seen it? We both had been wanting to try banana soft serve that we'd read about on so many blogs, but our bananas weren't quite frozen enough. It still turned out to be a tasty treat.

I added fresh strawberries, Tru Whip and Caramel syrup to mine.

In case you haven't noticed I LOVE strawberries. They are my very favorite fruit. I buy huge flats at a time from CostCo and devour them by themselves, with Tru Whip, a little white chocolate syrup, in smoothies, or on waffles. Mmmm...

Tomorrow I'm off to browse the farmer's market, shop at the Co-op and do some yardwork!

What is your favorite summer fruit?

What combination do you like in smoothies? I stick to strawberry banana. Sometimes if I'm feeling adventurous, I also add a splash of OJ.

What are your weekend plans?

Pass the Pesto!

Ok, June 1st... forecast? Clouds and light rain. Uhm, seriously? Don't get me wrong, I spent nearly two years living in Victoria, BC (that's in Canada near Seattle, y'all) where it rains all year long. I like rain. I really, really do. But for goodness sake! It's JUNE in IDAHO!

Despite the sprinkling rain, I decided to try something new today. Vanilla Greek yogurt with raspberries! Normally, I don't care too much for raspberries. I was craving them today though, go figure. Speaking of figure, look what I figured out today!



Alright, I already knew how to put picture codes in my blog, I was just lazy, and it had been a little while. Pat myself on the back nontheless.

So besides the rain, I was just having a grumpy day. My dog ate a bunch of used Kleenex (pretty sure you don't want me to tell you how I found out), late for work, no motivation AT work since I have exactly 3 days left before I quit to return to school, wacky hormones, soreness from dirt biking over the weekend.

I REALLY wanted to order pizza and admit defeat. Still, I can't let all my wonderful produce spoil, so I mustered up the courage to cook. You know what? I felt better. Sometimes, when days are stressful, the thought of cooking stresses me out more. I learned something today. Cooking relieves stress, at least for me. By the time I finished, it was after 7, but I felt relaxed. Which meant I wasn't going to eat away the stresses of the day but actually enjoy my food.

So I made:



Instant Chicken and White Bean Stew

A little ridiculous for June, but the forecast said low 60's. It ended up being about 75 today, those weathermen don't know what they're talking about. C'est la vie!

Oh, right, the recipe:

1 small sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp olive oil
2 c. reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (I think I used 2 large ones, *shrug*)
1 can cannellini beans, drained
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 c. cooked diced chicken (once again, the Foster Farms frozen chicken strips from Costco came to my rescue!)
2 tbs prepared pesto

1. In a (good sized) nonstick skillet, over medium heat, cook the onion and garlic in oil until soft. Add the zucchinni, and cook for a few minutes (remember, the zucchini will continue to cook while you're simmering the stew) then add the beans, and pepper. Heat to boiling, boil 2 minutes.

2. Add the chicken, return just to boiling for a few minutes, then remove from heat. Add the pesto. Let stand for 2 to 3 minutes to blend the flavors.

I only wish I had a little fresh Parmesean to sprinkle on top! Next time, I'll use more garlic because well, I can't get enough of that stuff.

I also made pierogies! If you haven't tried these you are MISS-ING OUT!




These are basically whipped potatoes with cheddar (or onion, or bacon depending on the flavor) inside a pasta shell. They are thought to have started in the Slavic region, so you'll find them in Ukrainian restaurants and the like. I bought mine frozen, then you boil them for about 3-5 minutes, then immediately transfer them into a hot pan drizzled with olive oil. Brown both sides until slightly crispy. Delish. Traditionally, they are cooked with bacon and onions and served with lots of sour cream. I chose to forgo the bacon and onions and served them with light sour cream blended with Greek yogurt.



I also had a small side salad with orange bell pepper, romaine, spinach, avocado, cucumber, tomato, fresh ground pepper and poppy seed dressing.

And for a late night snack while writing this blog, my two favorite summer fruit:



Pineapple and strawberries with some Tru Whip!

A day of firsts

I've been meaning to mention more recipes here, but lately I have been blah when it came to trying anything new. My work was having a birthday luncheon and I wanted a chance to showcase my baking skills, so I volunteered to bake a cake. Super! Wait. What cake am I going to make that doesn't contain 1,000 calories a serving, but still tastes super good.

Luckily, a while ago my friend Sara made this impressive angel food and Heath bar cake for a birthday. I knew that would be the perfect choice. There was only one tiny concern: I'd never attempted to make angel food cake. Surprise, I know. I bought two boxes, just in case. Luckily, I got it right the first time!

I get home, and realized that the bundt pan I bought was slightly smaller than what was required for the entire box, so I just poured the remaining batter in a loaf pan. Luckily, my guestimations came out just right. Tah dah! my first angel food cake! I had already wrapped it up before I took the picture, but you can see it isn't burned and after a little coaxing, came out in one piece! If I remember, I'll take a picture of the final product tomorrow.

I do, however have a picture of the remining batter baked in the loaf pan. A (not so) mini strawberry dessert with a bit of real whipped cream. I am enjoying it as I type. Mmmm!

And speaking of fresh fruits, I got my very own first gardening book today. "Starter Vegetable Gardens" by Barbara Pleasant.

For a little change I tried making some slow roasted sweet potatoes to go along with my (whole wheat) spaghetti and broccoli dinner. I decided to try it after reading this blog. Surprisingly easy:

1 sweet potato cut into thick slices
1/2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a bowl, toss potatoes in oil, salt and pepper.
2. Line a baking sheet with tin foil. Lay the potatoes flat on the sheet.
3. Bake for 30 minutes, then turn oven up to 400 F for an additional 20 minutes.
4. (p.s. remove the potatoes from the sheet when you pull them out of the oven, or they'll stick!)
Mmmmm!

So there you have it: a day of firsts. :)