Gluten-Free Hippie Loaf

Happy Friday to you all! This week flew by for me, how about you? Let’s all do a little happy dance…

happy dance

 

source

As I mentioned at the beginning of the week, I didn’t really plan on too many meals for the week. It was a busy week and Dana and I were both gone quite a bit so the only meal I really planned was for a recipe I got from a friend called Hippie Loaf. The recipe is from the Happy Herbivore and it is a vegan meatloaf made with loads of veggies obviously, quinoa, and a little ketchup and soy sauce.

quinoa veggie "hippie" loaf

I followed her recipe pretty closely except for I forgot the 3 Tablespoons of brown rice flour (I was going  to use almond flour because that is what I had on hand) so I completely omitted it. It turned out great without it!

Here is her recipe!

Happy Herbivore’s Hippie Loaf

  • 1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed (I used cooked black beans from dried)
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 large carrot, shredded
  • 2 celery stalks, shredded
  • 1 cup mushrooms, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
  • salt and pepper (this was not in the recipe)
  • 3 Tbsp brown rice flour  (I omitted)
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce (I used low-sodium)
  • 2 Tbsp ketchup (Ya’ll know my love for ketchup—I used about 2 Tbsp in the loaf, and then slathered it on top of the loaf as well. I used homemade ketchup).
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Grease a standard 8-inch loaf pan and set aside.
  3. Mash black beans in large bowl and combine all ingredients until evenly combined.
  4. Transfer to prepared pan and pat down firmly using hands.
  5. Bake for 45-60 minutes until firm and brown on the outside.
  6. Allow loaf to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Source: Happy Herbivore

I really didn’t have any idea what to expect before taking my first bite. The loaf smelled fantastic as it baked in the oven, but that doesn’t always mean it’s going to taste great.

Once I took my first bite though I was very impressed. I believe my first words were, “I could be a vegan” because this loaf was stellar. I don’t necessarily want to be a vegan, but I was just saying it probably wouldn’t be the end of the world for me since I don’t love meats or cheese or milk, however I would miss eggs quite a bit. I respect vegans entirely, it’s just not something I am interested in at this point in my life.

The seasonings and ingredients in this loaf were simple and the dish was so flavorful. That’s what I love: simplicity.

quinoa veggie "hippie" loaf

It didn’t hold up quite as well as a standard meatloaf when I went to plating it, and this could have been because 1. I didn’t wait long enough for it to cool before cutting and serving it, or 2. I forgot the flour, or 3. A combination of the two factors. But it didn’t matter! I enjoyed it just as well!

quinoa veggie "hippie" loaf

There are a couple of tweaks I would like to make to this loaf recipe to better suit my taste buds and to make it “my own”, but all-in-all I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend this recipe to all.  I can’t wait to make my own version of Hippie Loaf!

******************

Switching gears…to catch you up quickly on the rest of my week. On Wednesday I stopped over at mom and dad’s for dinner. Mom coaxed me over for her French Onion Soup. Kidding, like it takes any coaxing to get me over there. 🙂

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, her French Onion Soup is my FAVORITE soup! I’ve ordered this soup at many-a-restaurants in my time, and I have never ever found one that compares to hers. And what’s ironic about that is that my mom uses the simplest recipe for this soup. No wonder I like it! I’m a simple gal.

french onion soup french onion soup

 

The soup was everything I hoped for and more and even better, I enjoyed it in the company of my wonderful parents.

I am in a GREAT mood today. I am hopeful that the sun is going to shine for a little while today. My plants need some serious sun, and I could really use a touch of Vitamin D myself! I hope you all have a glorious Friday! Keep on smiling my friends!

Question of the day: What made you smile this week?

Continue Reading Gluten-Free Hippie Loaf

Currently…Survey Time!

I found this fun little survey on Julie’s blog the other week and saved it for another day because it looked like fun! The survey is titled “Currently,” and asks about things I’m currently loving.

Feel free to play along in the comments section!

Current Book(s): I was trying to read Under the Tuscan Sun but I’m having a really hard time getting into it so I have given up on it and am looking for a new book to read. My friend Kalley recommended The Fault in Our Stars so that may be next on the agenda. Any other recommendations?

Current Music: This is completely dependent on my mood. If I’m feeling calm in the morning I prefer contemporary christian or country, if I’m trying to get pumped up for a workout or feel like dancing around the house I like some pop, hip-hop, or rap, if I feel like singing along in the car I will go for the 90’s hits or musicals, if the sun is shining and it’s a summer day I will usually turn on Kenny Chesney. It all depends!

Current Guilty Pleasure: I wouldn’t say I feel guilty about it, but I am really enjoying dark chocolate. We have a bag of Dove Dark Chocolates at our house right now and I love unwrapping them and reading the inspirational words on the wrapper before I savor the chocolate.

Current Nail Color: My hands and toes are actually totally naked right now! I just took my toenail polish off yesterday, but it was bright fuschia pink. Up next, I’m not sure. Red, light pink, neon pink…

Current Drink: Medium roast coffee with coconut creamer and a touch of stevia. I am a huge water drinker too.

coffee

creamer

Current Food: Carrots and hummus, bananas and almond butter. Same old same old.

banana with almond butter

Current Favorite Show: So You Think You Can Dance, The Bachelorette, Modern Family

Current Wish List: Cute summer shorts, a summer dress, and to be fully and completely healed and off meds. I realize I’m all over the place here on this one.

Current Needs: I’m in need of a haircut and finally made an appointment for next week. It’s been a good six months or so now, so it’s time to get it cleaned up. I could use a pedicure too but I don’t NEED one.

Current Indulgence: If we’re referring to food it would be frozen yogurt on Monday night…

cherry berry

If we’re talking anything else it would be my new black maxi skirt from Victoria’s Secret.

piccolo

Besides that, I bought some expensive cod liver oil that supposedly is like liquid gold for the body but that’s not exactly what I consider an “indulgence.”

Current Blessing: My body that keeps on moving. My family. My friends. My passion for healthy living.

Current Outfit: As in what I am in right now? Sweatpants of course. Sweatpants and an old turquoise t-shirt from a dance recital in 2002. Keepin’ it classy.

Current Excitement: I’m excited for some warm summer weather! I know it’s coming. We’ve waited a long time around here for it and had little sneak peeks here and there, but I’m ready for the real deal.

dana and melanie

Now it’s your turn!

  • Current Food…
  • Current Wishlist…
  • Current Blessing…
Continue Reading Currently…Survey Time!

Memorial Weekend: Productive Yet Relaxing

 

Long time no see! How was everyone’s Memorial Weekend? Mine was very productive but also relaxing. That seems to be a common theme around our house on the weekends. We got so much done around the house and spent the majority of our weekend working outside in the yard.

I want to give HUGE shout-out thank you to the guys who came over on Sunday to help Dana dig the egress window well. THANK YOU times a million! They plowed through that job so fast I couldn’t believe it.

After the window was dug, I helped Dana lay the bricks in for the walls of the well. I felt pretty tough as I carried those bricks around the yard, and my arms are definitely feeling it today! One more trip to Menards for our last batch of brick and the egress window well will be nearly complete. The next step will be putting the windows in, but we’re going to have that done professionally. Then we can start finishing our basement! I’m just waiting for that money tree to start growing in the yard. It all adds up real fast.

Besides getting muddy in the yard this weekend, I also hung out with family, friends, and ate some delicious food. I was hoping to get a bike ride in with Dana but the weather wasn’t really cooperating. The sun hasn’t shown us its beautiful face around here since Thursday if I’m not mistaken. Our poor plants haven’t seen sun since we planted them in the ground on Thursday! We could all use a little Vitamin D around here. Soon enough though. Think positive thoughts, right? Maybe I’ll do a little sun dance later.

Alright, I’m planning on keeping it short today. I don’t have a ton of photos to share to recap the weekend, but I do have a few. So, I’m going to finish off today’s post with the collection of my photos from the weekend. And here we go…

Chipotle loaded with veggies! Proof that you can chose healthy fast food decisions; just go light on the cheese, sour cream, and guac, ditch the tortilla, and go heavy on the veggies and you have yourself an extremely delicious and healthy veggie-packed Chipotle bowl.

 

chipotle

Almond banana muffin with almond butter and sliced bananas…

almond bread

The Egress window well…

dana

Salad: mixed greens, tomato, carrots, peas, avocado, olives, sunflower seeds, and Newman’s Own honey mustard dressing.

salad

 

One of many trips to Menards…11% off everything right now really adds up when you’re there everyday. Spend money to save money, right?

menards

 

Cherry Berry…with no skimping on frozen yogurt OR toppings. I meant business.

cherry berry

Homemade MAH bites, fauxtmeal raisin cookie style.

mah bites

 

And the Bachelorette…

 

 

 

bachelorette

 

I had to throw that last one in there because I am super excited that the Bachelorette is back on again. I spent a good 5-miles on the treadmill watching the season premiere last night. It should be a good one! No favorites yet, though.

I have a nummy vegetarian meal planned for tonight that I am anxious to share with you all (inspiration from Denise). This is actually the only meal I planned for the week because I’m thinking there will be leftovers. Do you have any meals planned for the week?

I hope you all had a FANTASTIC weekend.

Did you do anything fun this weekend? Were you productive around the house? Did you relax with family and friends?

Continue Reading Memorial Weekend: Productive Yet Relaxing

Baked Falafel with Kale

 

Well hello hello! Happy Saturday! Anyone have any fun plans this memorial weekend? We have a fairly quiet weekend planned but we hope to work out in the yard (in between the bouts of rain forecasted), maybe get a bike ride in, and get a few other things done around the house. It should be a productive and relaxing weekend yet again.

I can happily say that I am officially out of my food funk. I know that if I want to continue to be creative in the kitchen I need to take a small amount of time and PLAN out our meals before the week, buy the appropriate groceries, and be realistic when planning. I find it realistic to have three meals planned out for the week(days) so that I’m not overwhelmed at the thought of making some thing every night, and then on the nights where I have nothing planned, we can eat leftovers or do our own thing. This has been working out really well.

The last recipe on my meal planning agenda for this past week was…

Baked Falafel

Falafel is a traditional Middle Eastern food made from ground chickpeas, herbs, and spices formed into patties, which is often deep-fried, and usually served in a pita or flatbread and topped with veggies and a tahini sauce.

I love these little patties, but you all know I’m not about to go deep-frying my falafel, so I decided to bake them in the oven instead.

I used a family recipe as a guide to my falafel recipe, and created some seriously delish and extraordinarily healthy little bites.

I started by thoroughly rinsing and draining a can of garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas). Then I tossed them into my food processor along with parsley, cilantro, garlic, almond flour (I made them gluten-free), lemon juice, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, and the special guest ingredient….KALE. I had to sneak just one more veggie in there. 😉 I pulsed these along in the food processor until they reached a paste-like consistency. Detailed recipe below.

Using my hands, I shaped small handfuls of the mixture into patties which I placed on a lightly sprayed cooking sheet. I sprayed the tops of the falafel with olive oil spray and popped them in a 400°F oven for 20 minutes, turning the little guys half way through.

We didn’t have any pita pockets or wraps at home, and we were running low on lettuce too, so I made an impromptu base for my falafel using the remains of an iceberg lettuce head, broccoli slaw, tomatoes, and green olives.

I plated the falafel on top of the salad, spritzed it with some fresh lemon juice, and topped it with yogurt sauce. The yogurt sauce was made from Greek yogurt, cumin, garlic powder, and lemon juice, but I actually wasn’t really feeling it so I ended up taking it off hence the reason I’m not going to share that recipe with you all. Sorry.

The flavor of the falafel was right on point. The texture was slightly soft, and the flavor combination from the herbs and spices tasted perfect. I enjoyed them on the salad, but next time I make these I really want to throw them into a whole grain tortilla and top it with tomato, lettuce, possibly some pickled veggies, and maybe a drizzle of tahini-based dressing. But really, I can’t complain about the way I ate them last night, because they tasted great.

baked falafel baked falafel

baked falafel

Baked Falafel with Kale (GF)
Print
Serves: 2-3
Yields 12 falafel
Ingredients
  • 3 garlic cloves, quartered
  • 3 Tbsp cilantro
  • ¼ cup parsley, chopped
  • ½ cup kale
  • 2 cups chickpeas (or 1-15 ounce can)
  • ¼ cup almond flour
  • 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • ½ Tbsp ground cumin
  • ¾ tsp paprika
  • a pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet with aluminum foil and a light coat of olive oil.
  2. Add all ingredients into food processor and process until mixture resembles a paste-like consistency.
  3. Use hands to shape small handfuls of mixture into falafel patties and place onto prepared pan.
  4. Spray the tops of the falafel with olive oil.
  5. Bake for 20 minutes, turning once half-way through baking time.
  6. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before plating.
  7. Serve on top of a salad, in a whole grain pita wrap, or in a whole grain tortilla with tomatoes, lettuce, and tzatzilki sauce if you wish.

 

These could also be enjoyed as an afternoon snack! They can be eaten warm or cold and the leftovers taste just great as the first day you made them.

Question of the day: Did you make any fun recipes last week?

Continue Reading Baked Falafel with Kale

Spicy Beef Barbacoa

Every now and then I get a craving for beef. I usually take it as a sign that my body is needing it and I do my best to listen to my body’s needs and nurture them as best as I can.

Well, the other day this craving hit as I was browsing through Pinterest. I stumbled upon a recipe for beef barbacoa from this site, and I knew I had to give it a shot. This particular recipe I found has you braising the beef in the oven all day, but since I was going to be at work and that wasn’t possible for me, I pulled out the trusty crock pot to get the job done.

I used some pieces of this recipe and some from this one to create my spicy beef barbacoa.

The preparation was so simple. I began by pureeing together chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, garlic, lime juice, and red wine vinegar. Once that was all pureed and blended together I set it aside.

On the stove top, I did a quick pan-sear on each side of the 1.5 lb chuck roast over high heat, using tongs to rotate the meat. Once all sides were seared, I placed the meat into the crock pot, topped it with the chipotle sauce, and then added the rest of the seasonings (recipe below) as well as a touch of chicken bone broth. I was so close to opening up a container of beef broth to use in this recipe but decided against it as I had a whole container of homemade chicken bone broth waiting for me in the fridge, plus I only needed a small amount of broth.

Next is the easiest part. I covered the crock pot, and set it on low for 8 hours. I gave it 2-3 stirs throughout the entire cooking process. After 8 hours, I removed the meat and placed it on a cutting board, removed excess fat, shredded the meat, then added back to the crock pot.

We charred up a few corn tortillas over the stove, plated the tortillas, topped them with beef barbacoa, cilantro, diced white onion, and tomatillo salsa.

Then it was go time. Spicy go time!

beef barbacoa beef barbacoa beef barbacoa beef barbacoa

These were incredible. The flavors were so vibrant and a medium amount of spicy kick really made the dish exciting. We felt like we were eating straight out of a professional food truck!

These are so simple to make but present themselves as fancy and time-consuming. This would be a great meal for entertaining, just make sure your guests can handle a little bit of heat!

Beef Barbacoa
Print
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1½ lbs chuck roast
  • 6 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
  • 1 Tbsp of extra adobo sauce
  • ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 Tbsp cumin
  • 1 Tbsp oregano
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ½ cup chicken bone broth
  • corn tortillas
  • white onion, diced
  • cilantro, chopped
  • tomatillo salsa
Instructions
  1. On the stove top, pan sear each side of the roast over high heat.
  2. Transfer roast to crock pot.
  3. In a mini food processor, blend together chipotle peppers, sauce, vinegar, lime juice, and garlic. Pour into crock pot.
  4. Add cumin, oregano, cinnamon, bay leaves and broth to the crock pot. Cover and turn on low for 8 hours.
  5. Remove roast from pot and remove excess fat if desired. Use two forks to shred the beef, then add it back into the crock pot.
  6. Arrange tortillas on a plate, top with beef, next diced onion, cilantro, and salsa. Devour.

Recipe adaptation from these two sites: tablespoon.com and abitchinkitchen

Can you handle a little heat?!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Continue Reading Spicy Beef Barbacoa

Health Supplements & Insanity Month One

I have bunch of little tidbits to catch you up on so I’m going to get right in there and be a little random today.

First off, I hope everyone is having a good week so far. We are half way through the work week already. These weeks have been flying by lately crazy fast.

Moose had his second tooth extracted on Monday and he is doing very well. They didn’t have nearly as much trouble with this tooth as they did his other one, and he didn’t have to be under anesthesia as long. We are happy that is over with, and so is he. Thanks again for all of your sweet comments.

Let’s see, Monday evening’s dinner was one you have seen a million times by now, my favorite salmon recipe, but I still snapped a photo because it’s always so pretty.

salmon

And breakfast yesterday: banana with almond butter, honey, and cinnamon = Num.

banana with almond butter

Insanity Update

Two days ago I finished Month One of InsanityIf you’re new to my blog, you can quickly catch up on my weekly Insanity reviews here:

Here is what went down this last week:

Body and Strength Changes

I don’t feel like I went through many body changes this past week although I do feel my core continues to get stronger day by day. I feel this has helped tremendously with my back pain. I continue to see my chiropractor for adjustments but we have been able to stretch out my visits to every two weeks now versus what began as twice a week visits. That is great progress that I am super happy about.

Besides that, I may have hit a bit of a plateau, where my strength isn’t improving much, and my endurance is at a standstill.

So, this week I have started the recovery workout. The focus of this workout is on recovering from all of the cardio madness, giving muscles time to relax, yet still working them so as not to fall back in your progress.  It is a slightly more mellow workout which focuses on core and balance. For the next six days the program has you repeating the same workout daily. I’m a little nervous that I will get bored from the repetition because I usually can’t handle doing the same workout day after day. That being said, the next week of recovery may take me longer than six days to complete because I may throw in some runs or other workouts here and there.

Soreness, Fatigue, or Aches

The sore elbow that I mentioned last week which has been persistent for the last month or so is no longer an issue. Who knows what that was I’m just happy it’s gone!

Every now and then I will get a little tenderness on the top of my feet and occasional knee discomfort. When this happens, I try to take a day off to rest and then get back into it the following day once the tenderness has subsided.

Overall Thoughts and Feelings

I can’t believe month one is complete! I did take before and after photos but I think I may keep them to myself (I haven’t 100% decided either way yet), but what I can tell you is that I see some great results. My stomach is flatter, leaner and stronger, my legs are more toned and much stronger, my arm strength has increased greatly and I am now able to do hands and toes push-ups much more easily. I see more definition in my arms and my shoulders, and I have less back pain! Besides training for the half-marathon, I don’t know if I’ve ever been so diligent with a workout program before, especially with one this intense. I am very proud that I have kept with it this long. Time will tell how the second month goes. If I feel it is too intense for my body, I may scale back. We will see though.

I’m happy to have this week to “recover” before starting up with the even more insane workouts to come. My body could use a little rest, plus I am missing running and hope to get some of that in this week.

To any of you contemplating the Insanity program, I will tell you right now that it is not easy, but it is so worth it! The results are worth it. The way I feel about myself and the strength I have built, is so worth it. If you want to see results and build a stronger body, absolutely complete this program.

But first…Please consult with your physician before you begin this program if your health is compromised or if you are hesitant about the intensity of the program. 

A Sneak Peek at Last Night’s Dinner

I’m hoping to share this barbacoa recipe with you all sometime this week. It was a spicy one and SO good!

beef balcacoa

Health Supplements

Last topic of the day I promise. It has been a little while since I have given an update on my current health supplements I am taking in the journey towards my total wellness. I want to share this with everyone in case there are others out there who are fighting for wellness (in my particular case Ulcerative Colitis), and to give others some hope that alternative medicine can really truly make a difference! I plan to go into this in further detail another day, but today I would just like to keep it to a brief update.

Again I want to reiterate that I truly believe that if you are eating a healthy and balanced diet, and if you are completely 100% healthy and not fighting any type of disease, that you may not need to take supplements. You can get the nutrients you need from foods (Vitamin D is a probable exception) and your body is able to utilize those nutrients properly, but for those of us with compromised health, supplements can be a very good option in helping to find balance. I continue to work with my chiropractor and naturopath, who are working with me to find proper supplements to suit my particular health needs.

Last time I checked in with you all on this subject, I was taking:

  • cod liver oil
  • a multivitamin
  • calcium plus vitamin D3
  • probiotic

Today, I am taking these:

  • cod liver oil
  • multivitamin
  • folic acid
  • calcium plus Vit D3
  • probiotic
  • digestive enzymes

Digestive Enzymes are enzymes that break down food molecules in our body, which helps the body to digest and absorb food and nutrients from foods. I don’t take the enzymes with every meal as recommended, but I take them when I feel my body may need extra help in digesting a meal. For example, if I am eating a meal with broccoli or cauliflower, I will most likely take one beforehand. They really do seem to ease the digestion process for me and they make me feel better and able to tolerate more foods.

I had a terrible experience with the cod liver oil a couple of days ago however. The one I currently have is a liquid cod liver oil with cinnamon tingle flavor. Apparently I coughed right as I was swallowing the liquid and it got caught in my throat. For the next couple of hours my throat burned and all I could taste was fish. It was terrible. I continued to feel nauseous well into the afternoon. I asked my chiro about other options and thankfully there is a gel that has a chocolate flavor and there are also tablets available. The only downfall to the tablets is that you have to take 7-8 a day. I am going to try the chocolate one next and hope that I can tolerate it better because my cinnamon experience totally ruined any chance of me taking that one again. My body LOVES this stuff though. It’s like liquid gold. It’s full of omega-3’s, and Vitamin A and D. Before I take it I imagine it coating my intestines  like a cozy blanket to protect them. That’s weird, huh? Then I chug a gallon of water to get the taste out of my mouth.

Anyway, this is getting a bit lengthy. I do want to write another post about my experience with the naturopath and go more into detail about the specific brands of supplements I am taking, what they are primarily used for, and other health changes I have made to aid in my healing process. But for now, I am going to call it a day.

Happy Hump Day!

What are your thoughts on supplements? 

Continue Reading Health Supplements & Insanity Month One

Sweet Orange Chicken

Well this weekend just like every other weekend, flew by very quickly, but it was packed with a lot of productivity and relaxation too!

A few scenes and tidbits from the weekend

A little change-up to my standard pb and banana breakfast. I made bananas with strawberries with a spoonful of homemade almond butter. This batch of almond butter turned out perfectly and I am so diggin’ it.

fruit and almond butter

Throughout the course of the weekend I munched on a couple of these ALT bars by LARABAR which they so kindly sent me last week. This is their new protein bar made from pea protein that has 10 grams of protein. These bars are absolutely delicious and satisfying. So far I’ve had the peanut butter cookie (obviously I chose that one first) and the lemon pound cake. I let Dana taste test too and we both gave them two thumbs up.

 

larabar alt

 

Oh the joy of finding a package of these bars on your front step when you aren’t expecting it! I don’t think I could ever get tired of it.

larabar ALT

Dana and I actually sat down and watched a movie on Friday night. We have been wanting to see Silver Linings Playbook for quite some time, and by chance I checked out our local RedBox and it was actually there!

Holy cow, have you seen this movie? If you haven’t seen it, please do. It was a little dark but there was humor throughout the entire movie which lightened it, and the ending made me happy. I seriously loved it. And I love Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence.

bradley

 

This weekend we worked on the yard: we pulled weeds, cut the grass, planted flowers in the window boxes, mulched around one of our front trees, painted the exterior trim that needed touching up, planted herbs in pots, and hung up a decorative piece above our garage door. It felt great to be so productive and the house is really shaping up!

This weekend we celebrated my father-in-law’s birthday. The weather was beautiful that evening. We grilled burgers and sat outside for a while and soaked up the sun. It felt like a summer evening finally! We finished off the birthday celebration with Dairy Queen ice cream cake which I thoroughly enjoyed.

 

 

burger dinner

To end the weekend, I threw together a sweet and tasty dinner in the wok…

Sweet Orange Chicken!

In the wok I cooked one large chicken breast in a touch of sesame oil. I then added the veggies, some orange juice, coconut aminos, ground ginger, garlic, rice wine vinegar, honey, and salt and pepper. I let it all cook through for a while (more detailed recipe below) and then served it up!

I was going to chop up some iceberg lettuce and have that as a base under the orange chicken but I completely forgot. You could serve this just as I did, or with cooked quinoa or  brown rice.

orange chicken orange chicken orange chicken orange chicken orange chicken

It was sweet with a little hint of salty which is a flavor combination I adore.

Sweet Orange Chicken
Print
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast, or 2 small, cut into chunks
  • 1 cup onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¾ cup carrot, diced
  • 1 cup sugar snap peas, chopped
  • 1½ cups broccoli
  • ½ cup red bell pepper, chopped
  • sprinkle of dried ground ginger
  • 2 Tbsp coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
  • 1-2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • ½ cup orange juice
  • 2 Tbsp honey
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 Tbsp orange zest
Instructions
  1. In a wok or large sauce pan, heat sesame oil. Add chicken and cook for about 6-7 minutes until almost completely cooked through.
  2. Add vegetables and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Add in remaining ingredients; let cook and boil for 4-5 minutes.
  4. Turn off heat, use microplane to grate 1 tablespoon of orange zest over the chicken and veggies. Serve warm with brown rice, quinoa, or enjoy by itself!

 

You can use up whatever veggies you have on hand for this recipe. It is truly so easy (like the majority of my recipes) and it was something fun and different from your standard stir-fry!

Did you cook up anything nummy this weekend?

Continue Reading Sweet Orange Chicken

Fresh Vegetarian Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

 

 

Happy Saturday! So, yesterday when I was driving to work, it dawned on me what day it was. It was May 17th which means it was Moose’s 5th birthday!  Our little guy is now 5 years old which is just pure craziness! We celebrated by giving him a couple of pieces of cheese with his pain meds and antibiotics last night and he got to lick the end of the peanut butter jar. 🙂 Lucky guy, huh?

mooser birthday

Another thing I was remembering while driving was that last year at this time we were in the Boundary Waters with my brother Scotty and his girlfriend Nicole. The weather was a whole lot different last year and we were actually bathing in the water! It was cold, but it was tolerable. It was definitely an adventure I will never forget. If you want to reminisce with me you can check out this boundary water post!

I’m slowly pulling myself out of my food rut and I got creative in the kitchen again last night! It was a Vegetarian Spring Roll night in our casa!

I began by prepping my veggies: cutting cucumber, red bell pepper and carrots into strips, chopping up fresh cilantro, and opening up a bag of broccoli slaw.

vegetarian spring rolls with peanut sauce

Next, I prepared the peanut sauce. Into the bowl went 1/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter, 2 tablespoons of hot water, the juice of half a lime, 3/4 tablespoon coconut aminos (you could use soy sauce instead), and 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil. After I made all of the rolls up I decided I should have added some heat to the sauce, so I recommend adding either red pepper flakes or a dash of hot sauce to the peanut sauce!

 

vegetarian spring rolls with peanut sauce

 

Next, we submerged the rice paper into a hot water bath one by one, rotating it until it becomes slightly floppy and pliable. Don’t be intimidated by rice paper, it is really SO easy to use! I placed the paper onto the counter and smeared on the peanut sauce and piled on the veggies (broccoli slaw, red bell pepper, cucumber, carrots, and cilantro).

vegetarian spring rolls with peanut sauce

 

I rolled the long side over first, then tucked each side over, and continued the rest of the roll.

vegetarian spring rolls with peanut sauce

 

vegetarian spring rolls with peanut sauce

 

And the end result is these gorgeous spring rolls!

 

vegetarian spring rolls with peanut sauce

You could also use the peanut sauce as a dipping sauce on the side instead of inside the wrapper, but I was in the mood to tuck it inside.

vegetarian spring rolls with peanut sauce vegetarian spring rolls with peanut sauce vegetarian spring rolls with peanut sauce

 

Aren’t they gorgeous?! They tasted so fresh and delicious and they were actually very satisfying as well. The best part about these rolls is you can use up whatever you have on hand as the filling. The last time I used these rice papers to make rolls I made a warm baked Santa Fe version and they were super good too! The kids would love these rolls especially if you served them with a dipping sauce.

Have a fabulous day! I have to go get Insane

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Grilled Cauliflower Steaks with Marinara and Parmesan

Well, my creativity level in the kitchen has been at an all-time low this week. I had zero motivation to make anything, especially for dinner, and wound up eating lots of taco chicken leftovers from Mother’s Day as well as quite a few snacks for dinner types of evenings.

taco nacho salad trail mix

 

 

 

 

Note: The peas are frozen in this photo but defrosted by the time I ate my salad. Just in case you were wondering. 😉

chicken leftovers

 

Not my proudest week of creativity but I guess we all have our moments. I did however make my best attempt to get out of this rut by using up a cauliflower head that was in the fridge and making it into…

Grilled Cauliflower Steaks with Marinara and Parmesan!

The original plan was to use the cauliflower to make homemade cauli pizza crust, but since the lazy vibes were still lingering I thought I would go a more simplistic route.

After washing and drying one head of cauliflower, I cut into it vertically and made four “steaks” out of it. I made sure each piece had a little bit of the cauliflower stem attached to it to keep the steak intact. The two middle steaks held together a lot better than the outer ones because of the stem.

I sprayed each side of the steaks with olive oil, then sprinkled them with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. I threw them on the grill where they cooked for 6-7 minutes on each side.

cauliflower steaks with marinara

Meanwhile, I pulled some leftover marinara out of the freezer from a couple of weeks ago when I made roasted veggies with marinara sauce and heated it up on the stove. The sauce already had cooked Italian sausage, mushrooms, onions, garlic and some added herbs, but I went one step further and added chopped green olives and capers. It was so nice having the sauce pretty much ready to go so that all I needed to do was heat it up and use! The beauty of the freezer.

In case you haven’t noticed, I sort of LOVE red sauce. When we were in Italy for our honeymoon, I ordered marinara sauce on everything. It was so darn good but the heartburn that coincided wasn’t so great. It probably didn’t help I was also drinking red wine and eating hearty meals late in the evening. All things I recommend staying away from if my clients are experiencing heartburn. 🙂 When in Rome though, right? Literally. Ha! I was just thinking, wouldn’t it be fun to do a food recap from Italy? I didn’t take a TON of food photos (that was before my blog days) but I know I have some I could show you. I also kept a food journal so I could remember what I ate! I just may have to do that.  Keep your eyes peeled!

Anyway, back to the cauli. After we pulled them off the grill they looked like this…beautiful.

cauliflower steaks with marinara

I grated fresh parmesan cheese over the top so that it melted into the crevices.  Then I spooned on a large portion of the leftover marinara sauce and dug in.

Icauliflower steaks with marinara cauliflower steaks with marinara

The cauliflower was cooked perfectly and took on a whole new flavor and texture from the grill. The texture was slightly “meaty” especially in the stem, and it was satisfying and fun way to eat cauliflower! Between the cauliflower pizza crust, cauliflower fritters, and cauliflower steaks, I’m finding that this is the veggie that keeps on giving. What will I come up with next?

Grilled Cauliflower Steaks with Marinara and Parmesan
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Ingredients
  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • garlic powder
  • parmesan cheese
  • marinara sauce
Instructions
  1. Preheat grill.
  2. Keeping the stem attached, cut cauliflower head vertically into 4 steaks (make sure each of the pieces has some of the stem so that the steaks stay intact).
  3. Lightly spray olive oil on each side of the steaks, and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Place on grill.
  4. Grill on each side for 6-7 minutes.
  5. Remove from grill and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Top with warmed marinara if you wish and enjoy!

 

Happy Friday!

Do you ever get into food ruts? What do you do to pull yourself out of them?!

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