Showing posts with label Recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Recipes. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

recipe you'll want to try... corn chowder

So... I made something yummy in my kitchen the other day and I thought I would share this delicious recipe with anyone who wants it.  The original recipe was adapted (I tend to switch out time consuming things like cutting corn off of the cob even though I'm sure it's better that way) and can be found here(AmyBites).

Corn Chowder (Yum!)
4-5 servings


You need:
1 bag of frozen sweet corn
1 lb. potatoes
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups lowfat milk
1 1/4 cup reduced fat, reduced sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Green onions, sliced, for topping
Reduced fat cheddar cheese, for topping

Now what you need to do...

1.  Wash the potatoes, pierce them with a fork, and microwave them until tender (8-10 minutes).  When they cool, cut into bite-sized pieces.

2.   Cook your corn according to directions (I steamed mine in the bag in the microwave), then set aside.

3.  Heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add onions and saute for 2-3 minutes.  Then add red pepper and saute for 1 additional minute.  Depending on what pan/pot you used, you may need to switch to a larger pot (something that the soup can cook in).  Add corn and stir.



4.  Whisk flour into 1/2 cup of milk and add to corn/onions/red pepper.  Stir.

5.  Add in 1 1/2 cups of milk and broth.  Add salt and pepper.  Cover and bring to a boil, then cook for 1 minute. Reduce heat to a simmer, uncover, and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until thickened. Stir in potatoes. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

6.  You can top with cheddar cheese and green onions.




According to amyBITES... each serving only has 278 calories and 4.6g fat.

All pictures taken by my camera phone :-)







Monday, February 20, 2012

Monday's Weekly Menu

     We had a very busy, but productive weekend!  Unfortunately, it ended with Peyton throwing up three times all over our friend's living room.  So, today (which was a day off for me) consisted of setting up Peyton's doctor appointment- don't worry he's fine, setting up the website for Brandon's Christian summer camp (www.characterdrivenathletics.com), and I was able to plan dinner for the entire week!  Then we went grocery shopping and actually got all of the ingredients.  Hopefully, I'll stick to my plan and I won't venture off to Chipotle, Panda Express, or Panera... as I have been doing far too often lately.

In case you're interested, here is my Weekly Menu (click on the picture to be directed to the recipe):

Monday- Turkey Burger w/ Sweet Potato Fries
Recipe From: All Recipes


Tuesday- Chicken Enchilada Bake w/ Corn
Recipe From:  Picky Palate Blog


Wednesday- Garlic Toasted Open Faced Lasagna Ciabattas w/ Salad
Recipe From: Picky Palate Blog


Thursday- Sweet and Tangy Baked Chicken w/ Broccoli and Brown Rice
Recipe From:  Syrup and Biscuits Blog



Friday- Either.... Chicken and Pesto Pasta with Spinach (which I made up a recipe for) OR... Honey Chicken in a Crock Pot w/ Brown Rice and Peas (I'm thinking the honey chicken might be too similar to the sweet and tangy chicken.. so I'll probably save it for next week)
Honey Chicken Recipe From: Mmm... Cafe Blog



As you can see, I'm not too big on meat- unless it's chicken.  Really if it were up to me we'd eat pasta or Mexican food everyday, but since there's more than just me in this household, I try to switch it up some.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Pinspiration :-)


I felt like blogging (even though I'm sure I have several other things I should be doing).  But, I don't have much to say tonight, so I've decided to blog some of my favorite Pinterest ideas!  Since joining Pinterest, I have created 14 boards and pinned 315 photos- not a ton, but enough to have a few favorites.  Of those 315.. here are my favorite 7 Pinterest inspired ideas that I actually made!

# 1. Ho Ho Ho Punch

We served our Ho Ho Ho Punch during a "game night" with two other couples.  We used 1.5 liters of champagne and 2 liters of ginger ale then 2 packs of frozen strawberries.  It was yummmmy and there was none left by the end of the night.


2.  Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps


http://www.lovefromtexas.com/2011_08_01_archive.html

These are sooo good.  And so easy!  I don't follow the recipe exactly, but I stay pretty close. Copy and paste the link below the picture (photo credit: lovefromtexas.com) to get the recipe.  Then go make it- because it is good!


3.  Chocolate Cake  

http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dessert/the-best-chocolate-cake.html

This cake is probably my favorite chocolate cake now!  I made it twice in one month and will be making it again soon.  Copy and paste the link to get the recipe (photo credit: kevinandamanda.com).  I made it with Magnolia's vanilla buttercream icing- which you can find on my Pinterest page linked to the board "Sweets"- titled Magnolia's Cupcake Recipe. 


4.  Chocolate Chip Cookies

http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/bigchocolate-chip-cookies/
 These chocolate chip cookies were exactly how I like them.  Thick with lots of chocolate chips.  Chocolate chip cookies could be my favorite dessert, but I'm picky.  I like them firm but soft inside- big- and like I said ... thick.   I like lots of chocolate chips- semisweet!  These were perfect.  Loved them.  Copy and paste the link below the photo to get the recipe (photo credit: mybakingaddiction.com).

5.  Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

http://veryculinary.com/2011/05/10/chocolate-chip-cookie-pie/

Like I said... I love chocolate chip cookies... so why wouldn't I love chocolate chip cookie pie?!  Made this for Thanksgiving and it was so good.  Another one that was super super easy- notice a theme?  Please make this.  You won't regret it.  Copy and paste the link... you get the idea.  (photo credit: veryculinary.com)

6.  One more sweet... I love sweets- I can't help it! 
     Honeybun Cake

http://veryculinary.com/2011/05/10/chocolate-chip-cookie-pie/

Box yellow cake mix...sour cream... cinnamon... brown sugar..  glaze.  Really, how can't you like this.  Same deal.. copy the link... (photo credit: veryculinary.com)


7.   Although it's not linked to my Pinterest, I created an art piece for Peyton's room that was Pinterest inspired.  It was pretty easy to make.  It involved a canvas, traceable letters, a sharpie paint pen, and water color paint.  And voila.

Everyday i Love You

 Thank you Pinterest for so many wonderful ideas.  I'm sure you will occupy my time this summer when I have more time to be occupied :-)  To follow me on Pinterest or see what Pinterest even is.. click the Follow Me of Pinterest button on my page or go to www.pinterest.com.  (Don't go if  you have anything to do in the near future- you may get hooked!)


Monday, January 16, 2012

10 Favorite MLK Quotes and One really yummy recipe!

 MLK Jr. DAY

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which for me means a day off (which is great).... however of course it means much more than that.  In rememberance of MLK, I've included some of my personal favorite quotes of his:

1.  Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

2.  I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.

3.  Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase
 

4.  I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
 
5.  Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
 
6.  Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'
 
7.  Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
 
8.  If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.

9.  Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.

10.  A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.

As a social studies teacher, MLK Jr. is easily my favorite historical/political figure.  Which quote is your favorite??

Lunch Time on MLK Jr. Day


Since I have today off.. I made lunch for myself and Brandon and I thought I would share...

Naan Pizza 
(makes 2 small pizzas; serves 2-4 depending on how hungry you are and who you're feeding)
You need:
  • 1 package of Naan
I used the one below- Stonefire Whole Grain Naan

  • 3/4 cup of pizza sauce- I used Ragu Pizza sauce
  • 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Any toppings of your choice- We used chopped onion and green pepper

Directions:  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Simply place the Naan on a cookie sheet.  Spread half of the pizza sauce on each Naan.  Spread half of the cheese on each Naan.  Spread toppings.  Cook for 7-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.  (If using the measurements above and the vegetable toppings, each Naan pizza is about 510 calories- which is a kinda a lot but you could opt for only half which would be 255 cal.)


It'll look something like this... only this is half eaten (sorry I waited too long to take a picture)



For lots of other Naan recipes that look really good and I'll have to try in the future.... check http://stonefire.com/recipes/

 

Thursday, January 12, 2012

400 Calories or Less?

For the last 10 days, I've been counting calories using an app I downloaded called My Fitness Pal.  I've sorta become addicted to it.  I love adding in my calories and seeing if I can stay under the goal of 1360 that the app gave me.  I'll quickly admit that I don't always stay under the goal, especially because I love sweets and I began doing this the same week as B's birthday, my birthday, Peyton's birthday and a co-worker's birthday too.  All of these birthdays came with A LOT of cake!  I'm proud to say though that I did stay under for 5 of the last 10 days :-)  Here's a picture of what the app looks like on your phone... (credit: myfitnesspal.com)



So, basically it just helps you keep track of how many calories you ate and most foods are already stored if you search for them, so I can input my foods pretty quickly (plus it continues to store foods you eat often).  The main reason I like it is because it's helping me make better choices, and that's really my main goal.  So with all this calorie counting going on, I have had to find some low calorie dinner recipes (so that I can eat chocolate cake and stay under my goal) so that I can get used to making healthier choices :-) Looking through my recipe bookmarks, I found a recipe that I had bookmarked months ago.  It was super delicious and low calorie, low fat, very easy (like under 15 minutes) and yummy!  Who doesn't want a recipe like that?!
 
Szechuan Shrimp (credit: cookinglight.com)


Ingredients 

Cooking spray 

1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp 

3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (spicy- so add less or more depending on your preference) 

1/2 cup light sesame-ginger dressing (such as Newman's Own) 

4 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces* 

2 tablespoons lightly salted toasted soy nuts, coarsely chopped*


*My changes:  I left out the green onions and soy nuts simply because I didn't have either.  I did add in chopped yellow onion.  It was realllly good, so I don't think you need those two ingredients.

Preparation

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; coat with cooking spray. Coat shrimp with cooking spray; add shrimp and red pepper to pan. Stir-fry 2 minutes. Add dressing and onions. Cook 3 minutes or until shrimp are done, stirring constantly. Sprinkle evenly with soy nuts; serve immediately.

Here's the nutritional info:
Amount per serving
Serving Size- 1 cup of shrimp
  • Calories: 190
  • Calories from fat: 18%
  • Fat: 4g
  • Saturated fat: 0.6g
  • Monounsaturated fat: 0.3g
  • Polyunsaturated fat: 0.6g
  • Protein: 29.5g
  • Carbohydrate: 7.9g
  • Fiber: 1.4g
  • Cholesterol: 252mg
  • Iron: 4.4mg
  • Sodium: 708mg
  • Calcium: 72mg 

Yep! It's that simple.  I served it over 3/4 cup of cooked rice (150 calories- no butter or salt) and 1.5 cups of steamed broccoli (30 calories- no butter or salt).  So the total calorie count came to 370 calories and I was FULL!  It was good.  It was simple.  I'll make it again.  And I wanted to share :-)