Well Balanced Sunday

Hi everyone!

How’s your Sunday going? I hope it is relaxing or productive (if that’s what your going for). These days I like the have a combination of both if we’re actually home for the weekend. I usually have a long to-do list to tackle, but I know that I should also cherish the last few weekends I have without a newborn.

 

Last night we stayed in and ate homemade crabcakes for dinner with a side of asparagus and mashed potatoes.

My recipe for mashed potatoes can be found in this post.

I didn’t snap a picture of the whole meal because we didn’t end up eating until 9pm and I was starving. They were great though.  This is the recipe I used for the crabcakes except I used 16oz of crabmeat so everything else is doubled. I also used Old Bay Seasoning instead of Phillips because that’s what I had in the house.

 

Crabmeat is expensive and definitely a rare treat around here- but the whole meal cost $18 for two (actually 4) because we’ll eat it again tonight. Much better than going out to eat.

 

My dessert last night was a Luna Bar I hadn’t tried before and some almond milk. I’m trying to get my sweet nightly fix with something that actually has some nutritional value. The pre-packaged size also makes for better portion control (versus the gallon of slow churned ice cream).

 

This flavor is great! Have you tried it? I don’t think it’s new, but I had never seen it before.

 

This morning after doing a few loads of laundry and eating breakfast, I attended my first pre-natal yoga class. It was good- very relaxing and the stretches helped my pelvic soreness. We did a long pigeon/double pigeon series that really targeted the right areas. source

After class I had to hit up Michael’s for a few things that I needed (it was a zoo there!). Once I got home I enjoyed a delicious tortilla pizza with my mom’s homemade sauce, mozzarella, and spinach.

and some Greek yogurt and frozen berries on the side

And now just chillin on the couch with some tea

What are you up to today?

What is your favorite yoga pose?

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Fast Food

And I don’t mean another PB&J. Thank goodness.

 

I’m actually very excited for a normal meal tonight. But it took all my efforts to get out of my chair and go cook something.

 

I opted for ease over the completely healthy route, but it’s not KFC so I know I’m still doing a good thing.

 

I breaded some organic skinless chicken in egg and breadcrumbs, put it in a dish with a little olive oil, and popped it in the oven.

 

Pre-bake

Post Bake

And I’ll let you in on a family secret. It’s called the "cake". Back in the day when people didn’t waste anything, my Nana would always take the leftover breadcrumbs and leftover egg from breading and combine them.

 

Add a little water if you need it, and there ya go!

Usually these were made when my Nana or Mom was frying chicken cutlets, and my sister and I would get the cake to snack on before dinner. It would always be wrapped in a paper towel.

 

Tonight’s cake will be baked in the oven (not as delicious) but I will still wrap it in a paper towel for tradition’s sake.

I also cut up some red skinned potatoes that i coated in pam, salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, and parsley.

 

Pre-Bake

Post-Bake

I’m steaming some of these guys too.

Alright time to eat..then more work to do (I’m up to page 35 already)

and the pressure is on.

 

And I realllllllly want to watch Top Chef at 10!

YOU should watch too so we can gossip!

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Not quite the McRib…

Thank god.

Yesterday I made the easiest recipe ever. Tonight, as leftovers, it’s even better.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches:

1 center cut pork loin roast

About a cup to a cup and a half of chicken broth

Salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Roast in a crockpot for about 8-10 hours on low. Shred!

Joe likes his plain but if you want it BBQ from the get-go, you can add the BBQ sauce in and less broth. Since it cooks for so long, you just want to make sure that the pork stays moist.

I eat mine on a sandwich thin with some provolone and BBQ sauce.  I also sauteed some banana peppers in olive oil. We grow a ton of these in our garden in the summer and then freeze them.

On the side, some TJ’s potato wedges and brussels sprouts.

Last time I checked, they don’t have brussels on the menu at Mickey D’s.

 

Random Funny thing I saw today: A motel with a sign that said, Power Nap Special $39. EW.

Do you like BBQ? – Oh yeah. I could eat BBQ sauce on everything.

Are you a crockpot enthusiast?- Yeah, I’d say so. Although I don’t really like casserole type dishes or things that taste overly boiled. Shredded meats (including my chicken enchilada filling which I am due to make soon) are my favorite thing to make in the crockpot. I also like to transfer things like soup and chili in there so it can cook while I’m not home.

Here are some other crockpot favs you might like:

Roast Beef Sandwiches

Pork and Sauerkraut

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A quick lunch and some holiday talk

Thank you guys so much for your playlist suggestions. Keep em coming!

 

Today has been full of errands and lots of school work. But overall, it’s been a great day!

 

I did get a little caught up though at Costco when I was picking out some wrapping paper. They had 375 yards for $9.75!

The rolls are reversible, so you get a lot of bang for your buck.

I usually aim to save money by purchasing seasonal paper rather than just Christmas paper. (think snowflakes) so these rolls were the winner.

The opposite side of the multicolor snowflake one is blue and says let it snow. The opposite side of the boxy one has some red and green stripes and polka dots.

Lunch was super easy thanks to a good idea from Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point.

A microwaved sweet potato topped with vegetarian baked beans. I know it sounds a little odd, but these two things are meant to be together. It was delicious and filling.

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m getting so excited for the holiday season! I got a whiff of a pine wreath today and it made me so happy!

 

I’m trying to get some shopping done early in order to save money. I always end up overspending when I try to do things at the last minute.

 

Joe and I made a budget and we’re aiming to stick to it.  We just looked at what we spent last year and now we’re able to better plan what we will need for this year.

Budgeting isn’t always about cutting costs, it’s is about being AWARE of what you spend. Not knowing is a big part of the problem.

 

Have you started holiday shopping yet?
Do you made a budget for holiday gifts?

Any other money saving tips to share?

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The Chicken Roasting Chronicles

There’s nothing I love more than a Sunday night complete with a warm and comforting meal, and tonight’s dinner is a comfort classic- Roasted Chicken with Potatoes and Broccoli.

 

Before I get into the recipe though, I must tell you that I have a bad history with roasting chicken.

When Joe first moved to Philly I came to visit and thought it would be a great idea to cook him dinner while he was at work. I envisioned him coming home to a roasted chicken and all the fixings and being so happy that he would get down on one knee before dessert.

Too bad I bought an inexpensive fryer chicken which was full of giggly fat and not a lot of good flavor. I stuffed it with everything I thought would taste good in chicken and 3 hours later (yes, three hours of roasting) there was a pale, fatty, really unappealing chicken. YUCK.

YEARS LATER, I tried again.

In fear of my own concoctions, I spread some McCormick rotisserie spice all over a chicken and baked it in a roasting bag. Again the chicken I used was an inexpensive store brand roaster and it had little flavor. The bag kept the chicken moist, but the skin wasn’t crispy at all and it was soooo bland. FAIL.

 

So tonight we have attempt #3. And this time I think I’ve got it right. I consulted three very important people before I started.

1. Mr. Trader Joe (for an organic free-range, high quality chicken)

2. My mom (to tell me to put in the chicken and what NOT to put in the chicken)

3. Ina Garten (a.k.a. the Barefoot Contessa, to tell me how long to cook the chicken)

source

 

First I cleaned the chicken and removed the giblets and all that stuff they put inside the chicken (YES, remember to do this!)

Then I salted and peppered the inside of the chicken and stuffed it with a quartered onion, 3 sprigs of rosemary, and a few whole garlic cloves.

Put olive oil all over the chicken and salt and pepper liberally.

Roast on 425 for one and a half hours. I basted it a few times too once the juices came out. Also make sure to cover it and let it rest for 20 minutes.

 

On the side I made the cutest little roasted potatoes!

 

I made a paste with fresh garlic, kosher salt, and rosemary and coated the potatoes in pam and the herb paste.

Also roasted up some broccoli

 

Ladies and gents, we FINALLY have a winner winner chicken dinner! WOOHOO!

 

Have a great Sunday everyone!

 

Please please please tell me some of your funny kitchen FAILS!  I’ll highlight some of them in a future blog post!

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6.2 Hilly Miles later…

I’m back! And I’m a 10K finisher! WOOHOO!

 

Seriously guys, this course was SO hilly. I felt like we were climbing most of the time with only a few downhill parts to recover.

 

I was really happy that I have made the effort to train on hills because I think it really helped me push through.

Another curveball? The temperature at the start of the race was 40 degrees.

 

It was hard to take off my two jackets and run in short sleeves, but I knew that I would get hot. I ALWAYS GET HOT. Joe tried to convince me to wear a long sleeve shirt, but I just couldn’t. Lucky guy got to carry my bag for the whole race.

My friend Shannon was running the 5K, and it was really nice to have someone to run with.

I said goodbye to Shannon after a mile when the 5K’ers veered onto a different course. Little did I know I was headed for hill-mania 2010.

I felt pretty strong throughout the race. Enough so to even give thumbs up in the home stretch.

Garmin Report

Distance: 6.2 miles Time- 58:07, Avg pace 9:22/mi

Mile 1- 8:58

Mile 2- 9:18

Mile 3- 9:29

Mile 4- 9:45

Mile 5- 9:23

Mile 6- 9:16

Mile – 0.2- 9:35 pace

I’m happy to see that my pace got faster in the last 2 miles.  And I’m happy to see that I’m getting faster! Slowly but surely.

Post run food was an orange at the race, and some leftover Trader Joe’s wedge fries when I got home.

It usually takes me a while to feel hungry again after a race or long run, but I’ll be getting my grub on throughout the day.

 

Now it’s time for my favorite part of running races…NAP TIME!!

 

Have a great afternoon!

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Who’s that

Girl?

OMG, it’s the exact same girl that left the house a few hours ago!

We’ll let’s just say that the hair-do isn’t that different, but I also think it’s because there is a lot of product in my hair and it’s pretty flat.

 

I wonder how long (if ever) it will take Joe to notice I got my hair cut. (wagers?)

 

Dinner tonight is a comforting classic.  MEATLOAF!

Here’s how I make mine.

 

Turkey Meatloaf

3 lbs. 93/7 lean ground turkey

3 egg whites

1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1/4 cup ketchup for mix and 1/4 cup for topping

salt, pepper, garlic powder

How To:

Preheat the oven to 375

Mix meat, breadcrumbs, egg whites, salt, pepper, garlic powder and 1/4 cup of ketchup

I mix this with my hands, and I spared you the "bowl of mixed up meat" picture

Form into a loaf and put the other 1/4 cup of ketchup on top

I smooth out the beautiful design with a fork. Yes, you are basically frosting a meat cake with ketchup. It’s worth it in the end.

Bake on 375 for 1 hour.

Along side I also made my Roasted Potatoes

Dice em (I didn’t use the bruised part)

Put them on a pan sprayed liberally with PAM.

Season with:

Salt (regular)

Salt (kosher)

Pepper

Garlic powder (heavy)

Paprika (a must)

Dried Parsley.

Use more Pam so everything sticks to the potatoes, and then toss.

(pre-toss)

(post-toss)

Bake at 400 for 40 min. Flip once or twice.

These are the best roasted potatoes! And the secret is PAM. I don’t use it because I hate olive oil, I use it because it ensures crispy light roasted potatoes and olive oil can’t do that. I finish the potatoes with olive oil for flavor if I feel like it.

 

Additionally, I made some awesome baked zucchini fries!

 

I’ll get you this recipe tomorrow.

This post is getting just a litttttttttttle bit too long, kinda like my hair

 

Have a great night!

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Gross.

If you’re a blogger you might want to sit down for this one.

 

My husband has officially declared that quinoa is gross.

Did he eat any? No. But when I was assembling my dinner he came in and said, "What is that? Looks gross."

All of a sudden I’m whisked back to that day in 3rd grade when I brought a tuna fish sandwich for lunch.

Let’s just say its not nice to call other people’s food gross.

(but can we all admit, quinoa kinda looks a little gross?)

 

Still tastes good.

 

Sweet potato with olive oil, quinoa, greek yogurt and Trader Joe’s black bean and roasted corn salsa.

Now I’m going to relax and eat some frozen mango chunks.

Mango CHUNKS?

Gross.

 

What foods do you like that others might think are gross? I have a really long list!

Oh and don’t forget, ask me anything is open!

ASK ME ANYTHING!

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If you don’t like sauerkraut…

You might want to stop reading.

If you DO like sauerkraut…you might want to bookmark this page.

Tonight I made our traditional New Year’s Day dinner, just because I was in the mood. Its something I would file under "comfort foods", because that’s exactly what it is.

Oh and if you’ve never heard of a New Year’s Day tradition that includes sauerkraut, its because you’re not from Pennsylvania. I had no idea it existed until I moved here. Now I’m a pusher.

Sauerkraut falls into the category of foods/condiments that are not eaten enough.

Other items in this category?

- cocktail sauce

- horseradish

Crockpot Pork and Sauerkraut w/Mashed Potatoes (Serves about 4)

Ingredients (for the pork and kraut)

2-3 lb. center cut pork roast w/ fat trimmed

1 package Polska Kielbasa

Club rolls for the kielbasa

2 large cans of sauerkraut

salt, pepper, garlic powder

1 bag yukon gold potatoes

1 8 oz container sour cream

1/2 cup milk

4-5 tbsp butter

salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika

 

How To:

Pour a can of the kraut into the bottom of the crockpot. You can use all the liquid.

Put the roast on top and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Drain the second can of kraut completely.

Put the rest of the kraut on top

Cook on high for 2-3 hours and then on low for another 2-3 hours

About 1 hour before it’s done, cut the kielbasa into 4 pieces and bury it into the kraut.

At the time you add the kielbasa you can start the potatoes.

Peel and wash the entire bag of yukon golds

Cut into smaller chunks, but all about the same size

Cover with cold water and boil on high until fork tender (about 35 min/depends on how small you cut the potatoes)

Once done, drain the potatoes and then put them back in the hot pot to absorb some extra water

Then put them into the Kitchen-Aid (miracle worker) with the paddle attachment

Add the milk, butter, sour cream and seasonings and mix until smooth, you don’t want to over mix!  So just mix it until blended and then stop.

Sprinkle paprika on top.

Cut the roast, and serve it on top of the potatoes with the kraut. Joe likes to also eat the kielbasa in a roll with kraut.

Happy New Year Week!!

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