Holy smokes! I have been getting progressively busier at work. This is a good thing. A really good thing. I feel like I haven't submitted a post in a while; like a week. I also feel like I don't want to cook, and my allergies are driving me absolutely crazy. Last night, I had Toastmasters, and I was planning to fix dinner for my family before I left. That didn't happen, and I left David in charge...He did not cook dinner. The kids ate leftovers. Tonight, I didn't want to cook either, fortunately David jumped in and fixed the dinner that I was supposed to fix last night. He takes good care of me when he knows I'm starting to get overwhelmed, or over worked, or just plain tired and unmotivated. It gives me a small respite, and I can get back to my routine tomorrow.
The kids start spring break tomorrow, and we are going to a spring training game on Saturday. I am taking Monday off from work, as well as next Friday and Saturday. I'm pretty excited about spending some time with my kids and family.
Deli Monte Cristos
prep/total time: 10 minutes Makes: 2 servings
4 slices rye bread
4 thin slices deli ham
2 thin slices deli turkey
2 Tbsp deli coleslaw
2 Tbsp thousand island salad dressing
2 slices Swiss cheese
2 eggs
On two slices of bread, layer a slice of ham and turkey, coleslaw, salad dressing and cheese. Top with remaining ham and bread.
In a shallow bowl, whisk the eggs. Dip both sides of sandwiches in eggs.
In a non stick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, cook sandwiches over medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until bread is toasted and cheese is melted.
Enjoy
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Again with the sloppy joes!
I am loving getting up early to take care of my workouts. I used to do it all the time, and then I got out of the habit, but when my schedule gets booked with back to back clients, I don't have time to get mine in. However, today I had a fairly easy day, and got my workout in before I started my shift. Then I got off early in the mid-day, so I did another thing that I used to do all the time. I went home and deep cleaned my kitchen from top to bottom; dusting the ceiling fan, washing the french door windows, washing the walls and base boards, cleaning the appliances, you get the idea. I bought some Mr Clean Magic Erasers the other day, and I have never tried one before. Where have they been all my life? And WHY didn't I start using them sooner? WOW!
After I cleaned the kitchen, I went to get the kids from school, and came back home for a late lunch, and then off to my second shift at work, and my second workout of the day. I came home after that and got dinner started. Before I left, I gave David the choice of making cheese burgers, or I could make sloppy joes after I got home. He's not feeling too well, so he chose that I cook dinner tonight. The last sloppy joe recipe I shared with you, was a crock pot recipe. Tonight, I made them in the skillet. I got this recipe out of a magazine. It's a recipe by French's Mustard, super easy and delicious.
Sloppy Joe Sliders
Makes: 24 sliders
1 1/2 tsp oil
2 C chopped onions
3 lbs ground beef
2 C barbecue sauce or ketchup
1 C French's classic yellow Mustard
1/2 C Worcestershire sauce
24 slider buns
Heat oil in a large pot. Saute onion 3 minutes, until tender.
Add beef to pot. Cook until browned, stirring to separate meat. Drain well.
Stir in barbecue sauce, mustard and Worcestershire. Simmer 5 minutes, until flavors are blended. Spoon onto slider buns.
I do not make the full amount. I cut it down to 1/3, and we use regular buns, not slider buns. So crock pot or skillet, it doesn't get much easier than sloppy joes, for a hectic day or an easy but super productive day.
Enjoy
After I cleaned the kitchen, I went to get the kids from school, and came back home for a late lunch, and then off to my second shift at work, and my second workout of the day. I came home after that and got dinner started. Before I left, I gave David the choice of making cheese burgers, or I could make sloppy joes after I got home. He's not feeling too well, so he chose that I cook dinner tonight. The last sloppy joe recipe I shared with you, was a crock pot recipe. Tonight, I made them in the skillet. I got this recipe out of a magazine. It's a recipe by French's Mustard, super easy and delicious.
Sloppy Joe Sliders
Makes: 24 sliders
1 1/2 tsp oil
2 C chopped onions
3 lbs ground beef
2 C barbecue sauce or ketchup
1 C French's classic yellow Mustard
1/2 C Worcestershire sauce
24 slider buns
Heat oil in a large pot. Saute onion 3 minutes, until tender.
Add beef to pot. Cook until browned, stirring to separate meat. Drain well.
Stir in barbecue sauce, mustard and Worcestershire. Simmer 5 minutes, until flavors are blended. Spoon onto slider buns.
I do not make the full amount. I cut it down to 1/3, and we use regular buns, not slider buns. So crock pot or skillet, it doesn't get much easier than sloppy joes, for a hectic day or an easy but super productive day.
Enjoy
Monday, March 9, 2015
Crock pot Monday
What a day! I got up at 4:30 this morning so I could get my first workout in. I didn't have any other time available through out the day, and there are no excuses for missing a workout on Monday. The kids had to get to school early today, and I had to get dinner in the crock pot before we left. The funny thing is, the more I have to do in a small amount of time, the better I perform, and the calmer I actually am. I forgot to take the chicken out of the freezer last night, so I actually just put it in the crock pot frozen, and I like the way it turns out. Something about the texture that I like better than most chicken in the crock pot.
My day was slammed with back to back clients and then I had to go pick the kids up after school. I went back for my second shift, and had a second workout planned for after those clients. My second client was 30 minutes late, and normally that would make me twitchy, but because I knew dinner was already prepared, and the family could eat, I wasn't too distracted by his tardiness. When I got home, everyone had eaten, and said dinner was delicious. After eating some for myself, I could guess that the kids probably had a very small portion, and then made a cheese crisp or something. Tonight's dinner had a decent kick to it, and my kids don't like "spicy" Needless to say, there are leftovers, and I am very excited about that.
I found this recipe on Pinterest, and it came from www.skinnymom.com
Iron: 19%
My day was slammed with back to back clients and then I had to go pick the kids up after school. I went back for my second shift, and had a second workout planned for after those clients. My second client was 30 minutes late, and normally that would make me twitchy, but because I knew dinner was already prepared, and the family could eat, I wasn't too distracted by his tardiness. When I got home, everyone had eaten, and said dinner was delicious. After eating some for myself, I could guess that the kids probably had a very small portion, and then made a cheese crisp or something. Tonight's dinner had a decent kick to it, and my kids don't like "spicy" Needless to say, there are leftovers, and I am very excited about that.
I found this recipe on Pinterest, and it came from www.skinnymom.com
Ingredients
- 16 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 16 oz can reduced-sodium black beans, drained + rinsed
- 16 oz can kidney beans, drained + rinsed
- 8 oz can tomato paste
- 10 oz package of yellow corn, frozen
- 2 — 10 oz cans Ro*Tel® diced tomatoes with chilies
- 1 packet reduced-sodium taco seasoning
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 32 oz reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 20 unsalted corn tortilla chips
- reduced-fat sour cream
- sliced Jalapeño peppers
- avocado
- reduced-fat Mexican shredded cheese
- cilantro, chopped
- lime wedges
- *Optional toppings are not included in nutritional calculations.
Soup:
Optional toppings*:
Instructions
- Place chicken on the bottom of the slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients.
- Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.
- Remove chicken breasts and shred with a fork, return to slow cooker and mix well. Spoon soup into bowls and top with crumbled tortilla chips. Add optional toppings, if desired.
Soup:
Nutrition Information
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Stupid easy lasagna
WARNING If you are paleo, or more importantly Italian, you should probably just stop reading now. There is nothing paleo friendly about this recipe, and it's also just an insult to all Italians. Before I get into all of that let me say that I have a hard time sleeping in, so I went to bed at midnight last night - or this morning. I was awake by 7:30, and could not go back to bed. For me, that is a success. I decided to try to make today an electronic free day. So much accomplished today!!! When I used to do triathlons, I was constantly productive. I haven't raced in a while, and while I think about doing it again, I must admit that I am obsessed with the barbell right now. At any rate, since I haven't had to budget my time to include training for racing, I haven't really been doing all of the things I used to. I know that I work, because I feel that it makes me a better mom. I am just better able to budget my time, but I have been neglecting some household chores, and that effects my stress level. I am feeling pretty good that I was able to put some attention into the things that I have been needing to for a while.
Today my daughter went over to her best friend's house, and I've started to become friends with her mom. I never thought i would be friends with any of my kids' friend's parents, but I am happy that we are becoming friends. When I went to pick my daughter up, I stayed and chatted a bit, and found out that they make home made pasta every Sunday as a family. Pretty cool tradition and family bonding. I told her we were having lasagna for dinner, and that's when she told me about that tradition. She then asked if I've ever made pasta before, I said no, and then she asked if I make my own sauce. While I have, I don't very often. When I got home, I decided to take a small respite from all my productivity. Then I went to search for my lasagna recipe. I remember my mom making lasagna when I was a kid, and I remember her putting egg in the recipe, and she would make her sauce from scratch. Yummy! David is the lengthy pasta dish maker. He makes the most delicious manacotti. I should request that in the next menu block (in about 6 weeks). I have only made lasagna 2 or 3 times before, and I haven't made it in probably 10 years. Imagine my dismay when I saw that it was a fairly lengthy process. I went online to see what I could dig up. I struck gold on www.myrecipes.com As I started to assemble the dish, David walked in, and shook his head at the order of operations. Certainly not like I've ever made it before, and definitely an insult to Italians. However, it was so delicious and there were no leftovers. Everyone - including Kaila had seconds.
The recipe calls for ground beef in the sauce, and I would normally add that, but I didn't thaw any out, so I left it out. Everything else was followed as instructed.
Extra Easy Lasagna
Makes: 6-8 servings
1 pound lean ground beef
4 C tomato basil pasta sauce
6 uncooked lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
2 1/2 C (10 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 C hot water
Cook beef in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the pasta sauce
Spread 1/3 of the meat sauce in a lightly greased 11x7 inch baking dish; layer with 3 noodles and half each of ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese. (The ricotta cheese layers will be thin). Repeat procedure; spread remaining one third of meat sauce over mozzarella cheese. Slowly pour hot water around the inside edge of the dish. Tightly cover baking dish with 2 layers of heavy duty aluminium foil.
Bake at 375 for 45 minutes; uncover and bake 10 more minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
So easy to prepare, and I was able to continue to be productive while the lasagna was cooking.
Enjoy
Today my daughter went over to her best friend's house, and I've started to become friends with her mom. I never thought i would be friends with any of my kids' friend's parents, but I am happy that we are becoming friends. When I went to pick my daughter up, I stayed and chatted a bit, and found out that they make home made pasta every Sunday as a family. Pretty cool tradition and family bonding. I told her we were having lasagna for dinner, and that's when she told me about that tradition. She then asked if I've ever made pasta before, I said no, and then she asked if I make my own sauce. While I have, I don't very often. When I got home, I decided to take a small respite from all my productivity. Then I went to search for my lasagna recipe. I remember my mom making lasagna when I was a kid, and I remember her putting egg in the recipe, and she would make her sauce from scratch. Yummy! David is the lengthy pasta dish maker. He makes the most delicious manacotti. I should request that in the next menu block (in about 6 weeks). I have only made lasagna 2 or 3 times before, and I haven't made it in probably 10 years. Imagine my dismay when I saw that it was a fairly lengthy process. I went online to see what I could dig up. I struck gold on www.myrecipes.com As I started to assemble the dish, David walked in, and shook his head at the order of operations. Certainly not like I've ever made it before, and definitely an insult to Italians. However, it was so delicious and there were no leftovers. Everyone - including Kaila had seconds.
The recipe calls for ground beef in the sauce, and I would normally add that, but I didn't thaw any out, so I left it out. Everything else was followed as instructed.
Extra Easy Lasagna
Makes: 6-8 servings
1 pound lean ground beef
4 C tomato basil pasta sauce
6 uncooked lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
2 1/2 C (10 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 C hot water
Cook beef in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the pasta sauce
Spread 1/3 of the meat sauce in a lightly greased 11x7 inch baking dish; layer with 3 noodles and half each of ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese. (The ricotta cheese layers will be thin). Repeat procedure; spread remaining one third of meat sauce over mozzarella cheese. Slowly pour hot water around the inside edge of the dish. Tightly cover baking dish with 2 layers of heavy duty aluminium foil.
Bake at 375 for 45 minutes; uncover and bake 10 more minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
So easy to prepare, and I was able to continue to be productive while the lasagna was cooking.
Enjoy
Saturday, March 7, 2015
A new family favorite that I didn't eat
What a beautiful day it was today. I had an easy day at work; 1 yoga class, and 2 clients. Then, my daughter and I went with my mom for our pedicures. I swear, that was probably one of the best, most relaxing pedicures I've ever had. I got dinner cooking, but when it was all said and done, I didn't want to eat it. My allergies started acting up as I was cooking, and you know how you can lose your appetite when you get stuffed up. My family said that dinner was delicious, and there are no leftovers, so I won't be able to try out some leftovers to try for myself. I served broccoli as a side dish.
Zesty Pork Tenderloin
Makes: 6 servings
2 pork tenderloins, about 3/4 pound each
1/4 C ketchup
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp white wine or water
1 Tbsp hoisin sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Trim fat from pork tenderloins. Mix remaining ingredients in a shallow glass or plastic dish. Add pork; turn to coat with marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour but no longer than 24 hours.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place pork on rack in shallow roasting pan. Insert meat thermometer horizontally so tip is in the thickest part of pork. Bake uncovered about 35 minutes for medium done-ness (160 degrees).
Very easy. Even when allergies make you feel like doing absolutely nothing.
Zesty Pork Tenderloin
Makes: 6 servings
2 pork tenderloins, about 3/4 pound each
1/4 C ketchup
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp white wine or water
1 Tbsp hoisin sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Trim fat from pork tenderloins. Mix remaining ingredients in a shallow glass or plastic dish. Add pork; turn to coat with marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour but no longer than 24 hours.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place pork on rack in shallow roasting pan. Insert meat thermometer horizontally so tip is in the thickest part of pork. Bake uncovered about 35 minutes for medium done-ness (160 degrees).
Very easy. Even when allergies make you feel like doing absolutely nothing.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
cowboy burritos
So, I was mistaken, I thought that Wednesday was the night that I had planned for the steak dinner, but it was actually tonight. So I made what I had planned for Wednesday night, tonight. On Wednesday, Heath had parkour, and my folks invited us out to dinner after. Very lovely. Winning all around. I got to spend time with a bigger portion of my family at the table, and I didn't have to cook. We ate at a place called Baja Joe's. Great Mexican food, and excellent seafood. I had a client tell me about the place, and then I told my folks about it, and my mom can't get enough of their shrimp tacos.
Tonight was a recipe that I'm sure isn't original, but it just came to me one day, so I don't know who to give credit to. I wanted grilled chicken burritos one night, and then I started just throwing things together as the chicken breasts were grilling. The end result was delish and everyone loves when I put them on the menu. David was in charge of grilling the chicken breasts while I was at work, but when I came home I was sitting in my driveway listening to a good song on the radio, and my car died. Just like that. Sooo, I had to take over the grilling while David ran around getting my battery replaced. I must say that I am slightly intimidated by the grill. I think I am a bit more confident after tonight's experience, but I will just say this; please don't ask me to light the grill.
When I set up the assembly line for this dinner, I lay out the tortillas, then I chop up the tomatoes, lettuce, and avocado, and just leave it on the cutting board. I set out the cheese, sour cream, and salsa so that each person can assemble their burrito as they wish. Then there is the pan for the beans, so really clean up is so simple, as we eat these on paper plates.
Ranch Style Cowboy Burritos
1.5 lbs chicken breasts, grilled and shredded
1.5 ounce can ranch style beans
tortillas
shredded cheese
tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, sour cream, salsa
Grill the chicken over medium heat until no longer pink (you can choose to marinade them if you'd like - I don't), cool and then shred. Heat up the ranch beans. heat up the tortilla, then layer on the chicken, beans, and whatever toppings you'd like. Use your imagination and make a masterpiece.
Enjoy
Tonight was a recipe that I'm sure isn't original, but it just came to me one day, so I don't know who to give credit to. I wanted grilled chicken burritos one night, and then I started just throwing things together as the chicken breasts were grilling. The end result was delish and everyone loves when I put them on the menu. David was in charge of grilling the chicken breasts while I was at work, but when I came home I was sitting in my driveway listening to a good song on the radio, and my car died. Just like that. Sooo, I had to take over the grilling while David ran around getting my battery replaced. I must say that I am slightly intimidated by the grill. I think I am a bit more confident after tonight's experience, but I will just say this; please don't ask me to light the grill.
When I set up the assembly line for this dinner, I lay out the tortillas, then I chop up the tomatoes, lettuce, and avocado, and just leave it on the cutting board. I set out the cheese, sour cream, and salsa so that each person can assemble their burrito as they wish. Then there is the pan for the beans, so really clean up is so simple, as we eat these on paper plates.
Ranch Style Cowboy Burritos
1.5 lbs chicken breasts, grilled and shredded
1.5 ounce can ranch style beans
tortillas
shredded cheese
tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, sour cream, salsa
Grill the chicken over medium heat until no longer pink (you can choose to marinade them if you'd like - I don't), cool and then shred. Heat up the ranch beans. heat up the tortilla, then layer on the chicken, beans, and whatever toppings you'd like. Use your imagination and make a masterpiece.
Enjoy
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Fish and Brussels sprouts after a long day of work and working out
I forgot to post last night, but David was in charge of the cooking. We had meatball subs, and a nice salad. YUM! Today was a split shift for me, and I ate lunch on my break, so I didn't have time to cook, or rather I didn't feel like cooking on my down time. I had 2 clients in the evening, and then had to get in my intervals before heading home. I called David on my way home, and asked him to prep the vegetable. His choice was between broccoli or Brussels sprouts. He chose the Brussels sprouts. Dinner was actually rather easy to fix, and I got to do something that I really enjoy, which is prepping an entire meal, and timing it so that everything is done and ready at the same time.
We had a very pleasant dinner together, at the table as a family. Great bonding and conversation. Everyone liked the dinner, and Kaila ate her entire dinner with only a minimal amount of "picking" - she didn't care for the shallots in the sauce/dressing. I have to figure out what I have in the freezer for tomorrow night's dinner, as we ate the steaks I had planned for tomorrow on Sunday when we had surf and turf. I guess tomorrow is the mystery dinner. Maybe I've come up with a new night, like meatless night, word of the day Wednesday, mystery dinner night. Maybe not.
Dinner looked so delicious that I thought about taking a picture of it, but first I was too hungry, and ate it before I gave it a second thought. Also, I am still pretty frustrated about the pictures I took on Sunday, and my inability to post them here. UGH
Pecan-Coated Roughy
Prep/total: 30 minutes Makes: 4 servings
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 C finely chopped pecans
4 orange roughy fillets (6 ounces each)
1 Tbsp chopped shallot
2 tsp butter
1/2 C wine
2 tsp cornstarch
1 C orange juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
Place the egg and pecans in separate shallow bowls. Dip fillets into egg, then coat with pecans. Place in a greased 15x10x1 inch baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, saute shallot in butter until tender. Add wine. Bring to a boil; cook for 1-2 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, orange juice and mustard until smooth; stir into wine mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Serve with orange roughy.
OK, so I learned on Sunday that orange roughy is not sustainable, and is actually endangered. So I chose to use tilapia instead. I haven't cooked with roughy in probably a decade, so I haven't purchased it in equally that long, which explains my ignorance I guess. I also use arrowroot instead of cornstarch. Also, in one of my earlier posts, I think the first one, I mentioned that I try to cook recipes that use similar ingredients, so that I don't end up using part of something and throwing it away, but rather I use it the next night, or the day after. However, wine is an entirely different story. I don't drink. Well, I might have a beer 2-3 times in a year, and I really don't like wine. Especially red wine. I know, please don't judge me. When I have a recipe that calls for wine, then the bottle of unfinished wine will seriously sit in the fridge until the next recipe, and on and on until it's finished.
This dinner was seriously very easy, and quick. I could imagine fixing this after work if I worked a 9-5 job, and then had to run around carting the kids here and there.
Enjoy.
We had a very pleasant dinner together, at the table as a family. Great bonding and conversation. Everyone liked the dinner, and Kaila ate her entire dinner with only a minimal amount of "picking" - she didn't care for the shallots in the sauce/dressing. I have to figure out what I have in the freezer for tomorrow night's dinner, as we ate the steaks I had planned for tomorrow on Sunday when we had surf and turf. I guess tomorrow is the mystery dinner. Maybe I've come up with a new night, like meatless night, word of the day Wednesday, mystery dinner night. Maybe not.
Dinner looked so delicious that I thought about taking a picture of it, but first I was too hungry, and ate it before I gave it a second thought. Also, I am still pretty frustrated about the pictures I took on Sunday, and my inability to post them here. UGH
Pecan-Coated Roughy
Prep/total: 30 minutes Makes: 4 servings
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 C finely chopped pecans
4 orange roughy fillets (6 ounces each)
1 Tbsp chopped shallot
2 tsp butter
1/2 C wine
2 tsp cornstarch
1 C orange juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
Place the egg and pecans in separate shallow bowls. Dip fillets into egg, then coat with pecans. Place in a greased 15x10x1 inch baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, saute shallot in butter until tender. Add wine. Bring to a boil; cook for 1-2 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, orange juice and mustard until smooth; stir into wine mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Serve with orange roughy.
OK, so I learned on Sunday that orange roughy is not sustainable, and is actually endangered. So I chose to use tilapia instead. I haven't cooked with roughy in probably a decade, so I haven't purchased it in equally that long, which explains my ignorance I guess. I also use arrowroot instead of cornstarch. Also, in one of my earlier posts, I think the first one, I mentioned that I try to cook recipes that use similar ingredients, so that I don't end up using part of something and throwing it away, but rather I use it the next night, or the day after. However, wine is an entirely different story. I don't drink. Well, I might have a beer 2-3 times in a year, and I really don't like wine. Especially red wine. I know, please don't judge me. When I have a recipe that calls for wine, then the bottle of unfinished wine will seriously sit in the fridge until the next recipe, and on and on until it's finished.
This dinner was seriously very easy, and quick. I could imagine fixing this after work if I worked a 9-5 job, and then had to run around carting the kids here and there.
Enjoy.
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