After getting home from work, I decided that I wanted to make some pumpernickel bread. A friend had sent along this recipe so I decided to give it a try. Total time was about 4.5 hours including cooling time. Result was delicious. Definitely worth the time. It didn't quite rise the way I thought it should, but it still tastes awesome. Here's the link to the recipe:
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,234,159183-235201,00.html
I think I didn't mix it long enough or let the hot water mixture cool enough. It still came out super yummy.
For dinner tonight we had pulled bbq chicken sandwiches (leftover from a while ago when I froze it), green beans, and potatoes. Nicholas ate so much BBQ chicken it was amazing, he even ate it as a sandwich which for him is unbelievable.
We will see what tomorrow holds with regards to the weather. Its supposed to be pretty icy so if we are iced in....I'll probably be making bread and other goodies!!! Fun times!!!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Overdue update....
Well....it has been a while since I last posted. I went up to PA to stay with my parents during the snow storm. I just didn't want to be snowed in with Nicholas by myself. It was a really good decision especially since we lost power here and I'm not sure how I would have survived without power!
We had some really amazing meals while in PA. Beef stew, turkey with all the fixings, and breakfast at the Farmer's Market. I absolutely LOVE the Farmer's Market breakfast. I had a really yummy breakfast sandwich on a Portuguese Muffin. It is kind of like and English Muffin but SO much better. Bigger, a little sweet, and just plain yummo! I am going to see if I can find a recipe for them to try and make them at home.
After leaving PA, my parents came down here. My dad has been working on renovating my bathroom. My mom made meatballs and a roast beef. Tonight for dinner we had Turkey Apple Potpie. A favorite of mine for using up leftover turkey. So delicious, and super simple. Here's the recipe:
1/4 cup onion
1 Tbsp Butter
2 cans cream of chicken soup
3 cups cooked turkey
1 large tart apple
1/3 cup golden raisins
1 tsp lemon juice
1 pastry pie crust.
Saute the onions in the butter. Mix in the soup, apple, raisins, turkey and lemon juice. Pour into a 11x7 pan. Put the pie crust on top. Cut slits in the pie crust. Bake at 450 for 25-30 minutes. Let cool for abotu 5 minutes....ENJOY!
I'm going to start posting recipes in my blogs so please let me know if you try any of the recipes and how they turn out. I'm really hoping to try the pumpernickel bread and the braided bread this week. We'll see...I'll be happy if I can just do one this week.
Still have to do my menus and grocery list for this week. Better get to it!
We had some really amazing meals while in PA. Beef stew, turkey with all the fixings, and breakfast at the Farmer's Market. I absolutely LOVE the Farmer's Market breakfast. I had a really yummy breakfast sandwich on a Portuguese Muffin. It is kind of like and English Muffin but SO much better. Bigger, a little sweet, and just plain yummo! I am going to see if I can find a recipe for them to try and make them at home.
After leaving PA, my parents came down here. My dad has been working on renovating my bathroom. My mom made meatballs and a roast beef. Tonight for dinner we had Turkey Apple Potpie. A favorite of mine for using up leftover turkey. So delicious, and super simple. Here's the recipe:
1/4 cup onion
1 Tbsp Butter
2 cans cream of chicken soup
3 cups cooked turkey
1 large tart apple
1/3 cup golden raisins
1 tsp lemon juice
1 pastry pie crust.
Saute the onions in the butter. Mix in the soup, apple, raisins, turkey and lemon juice. Pour into a 11x7 pan. Put the pie crust on top. Cut slits in the pie crust. Bake at 450 for 25-30 minutes. Let cool for abotu 5 minutes....ENJOY!
I'm going to start posting recipes in my blogs so please let me know if you try any of the recipes and how they turn out. I'm really hoping to try the pumpernickel bread and the braided bread this week. We'll see...I'll be happy if I can just do one this week.
Still have to do my menus and grocery list for this week. Better get to it!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Chicken Enchiladas
I had a craving for these this week so I decided to give it a try. Pretty easy to make. Although I messed it up and didn't follow the directions properly, they still came out yummy. Took about 10 minutes to throw it together and then bake for 40 minutes and voila...dinner. I guess technically these were chicken and cheese enchiladas. I should have taken a picture. I really need to start doing that more often so you all can see what the meals look like. This one was really pretty.
Well, it looks like there might be a change in my cooking plans for the week. I think I am going to go up to PA tomorrow to hang out with my parents. If it is snowing badly tomorrow then I'll be staying home, but I think I'll most likely be up at my parents. This means I probably won't be making the bread I had planned on. I will defnitely make it next week. I got all the ingredients for the pumpernickel so I'm really excited to give that a try! I definitely take some pictures of it as it goes along and the finished product.
Well, it looks like there might be a change in my cooking plans for the week. I think I am going to go up to PA tomorrow to hang out with my parents. If it is snowing badly tomorrow then I'll be staying home, but I think I'll most likely be up at my parents. This means I probably won't be making the bread I had planned on. I will defnitely make it next week. I got all the ingredients for the pumpernickel so I'm really excited to give that a try! I definitely take some pictures of it as it goes along and the finished product.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Beef with Apples and Sweet Potatoes
So delicious!! Beef in the slow cooker. This sounded really good. It made the whole house smell delicious. The cut of beef I used was a bit bigger than the recipe called for so I think if I added more onions and apples it would have been even better. Here's the link for the recipe. http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,2312,155179-234201,00.html
Pretty easy and very warm, filling and hearty.
I think I'm going to try to make some pumpernickel bread this week. I have to find some ingredients so as long as I can find them I'll give it a try. I might also make a braided bread that a friend sent me the recipe for. We just finished up the two loaves of honey wheat bread I made last week and they stayed fresh a really long time which I'm pleasantly surprised about.
Pretty easy and very warm, filling and hearty.
I think I'm going to try to make some pumpernickel bread this week. I have to find some ingredients so as long as I can find them I'll give it a try. I might also make a braided bread that a friend sent me the recipe for. We just finished up the two loaves of honey wheat bread I made last week and they stayed fresh a really long time which I'm pleasantly surprised about.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Yummy.....
Cheesecake Factory....SO good!!!! I had French toast. So delicious!!!!! The best part about it was the friends we went with. Brunch is always so much nicer with friends!!! Then Nicholas and his friend rode the train at the mall. He LOVES that train.
Tonight we are having spaghetti and meatballs. Nice and easy Sunday night dinner.
Jim is traveling this week so it will be just Nicholas and I so I probably won't be making very elaborate dinners. Simple and easy will be the name of the game. Probably some more pasta, maybe some chicken and rice, even some PB&J...who knows.
I still need to do my menu for the week. I definitely didn't stick to it last week, but that's ok. It helped plan and kept me from buying useless stuff in the grocery store. As soon as I'm done on thie blog I'm going to do my menu plan and grocery list for the week. I am planning on making some more bread this week, a different kind though. I'm not sure what kind yet. Need to look at the cookbook and find a recipe that looks interesting.
I know I mentioned this website earlier, but I really think it is a good website: http://www.thegrocerygame.com/ If you are willing to clip coupons she does all the other work for you as far as finding good deals with them and combining them with store sales. In fact, this week I'll be getting a few things for free or super discounted by about 50-80%. If you do sign up, please please please use my email as a referrer mailto:kelly_sellevaag@yahoo.com You can get a 4 week FREE trial. Absolutely FREE. What can it hurt other than saving some money. And who doesn't want to save money!!!! It is really inexpensive to sign up for after the trial as well. You save WAY more than you pay.
Well, I'm off to do my menu plan for the week....Check back to see what I cook and what kind of bread I decided to make. Its going to be something fun!! Remember I'm always willing to share recipes, just ask. Also, if you have any recipes or ideas for dinner please send them my way....I'm always open to new recipes and new ideas. Thanks for reading!!! :)
Tonight we are having spaghetti and meatballs. Nice and easy Sunday night dinner.
Jim is traveling this week so it will be just Nicholas and I so I probably won't be making very elaborate dinners. Simple and easy will be the name of the game. Probably some more pasta, maybe some chicken and rice, even some PB&J...who knows.
I still need to do my menu for the week. I definitely didn't stick to it last week, but that's ok. It helped plan and kept me from buying useless stuff in the grocery store. As soon as I'm done on thie blog I'm going to do my menu plan and grocery list for the week. I am planning on making some more bread this week, a different kind though. I'm not sure what kind yet. Need to look at the cookbook and find a recipe that looks interesting.
I know I mentioned this website earlier, but I really think it is a good website: http://www.thegrocerygame.com/ If you are willing to clip coupons she does all the other work for you as far as finding good deals with them and combining them with store sales. In fact, this week I'll be getting a few things for free or super discounted by about 50-80%. If you do sign up, please please please use my email as a referrer mailto:kelly_sellevaag@yahoo.com You can get a 4 week FREE trial. Absolutely FREE. What can it hurt other than saving some money. And who doesn't want to save money!!!! It is really inexpensive to sign up for after the trial as well. You save WAY more than you pay.
Well, I'm off to do my menu plan for the week....Check back to see what I cook and what kind of bread I decided to make. Its going to be something fun!! Remember I'm always willing to share recipes, just ask. Also, if you have any recipes or ideas for dinner please send them my way....I'm always open to new recipes and new ideas. Thanks for reading!!! :)
Saturday, January 22, 2011
the weekend....
Well, I haven't posted in a few days. I haven't really cooked much in the past few days. Been feeling kind of lazy. We ate out way too much in the last few days. Oh well. I did made dinner tonight. We had breakfast for dinner. I think this is a favorite of everyone in the Sellevaag (Suburban Campus) house. I know that city campus (specifically Tom) has issues with that. Nicholas comes running to the table when he sees the pancakes. He was so excited to see the animal pancakes. His favorite is the lion.
Last night, we went out to Chuck E. Cheese's for the first time. Much better than I thought it was going to be. The pizza wasn't too bad. Nicholas had fun playing the games (We had some fun too!!!) And it really wasn't too expensive. It was a fun family night out.
Tomorrow we are going out to the Cheesecake Factory for brunch with some friends after visiting their church. I LOVE Cheesecake Factory especially their brunch.
Hope you all are having a great weekend! A big shout out to my dad whose birthday is today!!! Happy Birthday Dips!!!!
Last night, we went out to Chuck E. Cheese's for the first time. Much better than I thought it was going to be. The pizza wasn't too bad. Nicholas had fun playing the games (We had some fun too!!!) And it really wasn't too expensive. It was a fun family night out.
Tomorrow we are going out to the Cheesecake Factory for brunch with some friends after visiting their church. I LOVE Cheesecake Factory especially their brunch.
Hope you all are having a great weekend! A big shout out to my dad whose birthday is today!!! Happy Birthday Dips!!!!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Baked Mac and Cheese
We had a meatloaf that was leftover from a previous dinner that we froze for another meal. So we had meatloaf and baked mac and cheese and green beans. The mac and cheese was really good. It had a Ritz Cracker topping and was cheesy. There really wasn't a whole lot of nutritional value to it with all the cheese, milk, butter in it. But I did use whole wheat pasta. It was really simple to make.
Here's the recipe:
1 box elbow pasta
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
3 cups cheese (shredded, your choice....I used a mexican blend)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup butter melted (yes another 1/4 cup)
1/2 sleeve Ritz crackers
Cook the pasta.
In a medium sauce pan, blend butter (1/4 cup), flour, and milk. Make a roux (a thick sauce). Gradually add the cheese to the mixture stirring constantly. (I didn't measure the cheese, but used about 3/4 of a 16 oz bag so about 3 cups). If the mixture seems too thick add a little more milk.
Mix the pasta and the sauce in a 9x13 pan.
Melt the other 1/4 cup butter and mix it with the Ritz. Sprinkle on top....you can add some parmesan to it for some added flavor.
Cook at 350 (the original recipe which I altered said to cook it for 1 hour....I think it would have been burnt to a crisp. So about 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and brown)
Enjoy!!! I know we did!!!
Here's the recipe:
1 box elbow pasta
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
3 cups cheese (shredded, your choice....I used a mexican blend)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup butter melted (yes another 1/4 cup)
1/2 sleeve Ritz crackers
Cook the pasta.
In a medium sauce pan, blend butter (1/4 cup), flour, and milk. Make a roux (a thick sauce). Gradually add the cheese to the mixture stirring constantly. (I didn't measure the cheese, but used about 3/4 of a 16 oz bag so about 3 cups). If the mixture seems too thick add a little more milk.
Mix the pasta and the sauce in a 9x13 pan.
Melt the other 1/4 cup butter and mix it with the Ritz. Sprinkle on top....you can add some parmesan to it for some added flavor.
Cook at 350 (the original recipe which I altered said to cook it for 1 hour....I think it would have been burnt to a crisp. So about 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and brown)
Enjoy!!! I know we did!!!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Lime Cilantro Fajitas
Oh my! So good. Another super simple meal, but delicious. The smell while cutting the cilantro made me think of Chipotle; Made me realize how long it has been since I've been to Chipotle. I think the last time was during softball season last year. I love that place!!! I wish you could order a mini size burrito. I think I'd visit it more often if you could. Anyway, the fajitas came out great.
The update on the bread is that it is still pretty fresh. Nicholas and I had sandwiches on the bread for lunch. I am impressed. We finished the first loaf and now its on to the second. I think making bread could become a regular thing me for. I really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to trying a variety of other kinds. I've even decided that this year I'm going to attempt to make Italian Easter Bread. I have a few recipes, but the first one I'm going to try is my grandmother's. So Mom (I don't think you even read this blog) hand it over!!!
The update on the bread is that it is still pretty fresh. Nicholas and I had sandwiches on the bread for lunch. I am impressed. We finished the first loaf and now its on to the second. I think making bread could become a regular thing me for. I really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to trying a variety of other kinds. I've even decided that this year I'm going to attempt to make Italian Easter Bread. I have a few recipes, but the first one I'm going to try is my grandmother's. So Mom (I don't think you even read this blog) hand it over!!!
Monday, January 17, 2011
I did it!!!!
I made homemade bread. It was definitely a lot of work, but so worth it!! NO bread machine, just good old fashioned kneeding! It is a honey whole wheat bread. So delicious!!! I followed the recipe on the back of the flour bag...LOL! I've never done that before. I was hoping it would be ready for lunch, but didn't calculate the time right so it was a little late. Of course, that didn't stop us from having some after lunch! My brother in law stopped by and had some and said it was really good as well. I'm feeling liberated from my fear of yeast. In fact, one of my cookbooks has a whole chapter on yeast breads and I'm excited to try a few. Stay tuned for the results and let me know if anyone wants recipes....I'l share!!!
I'm curious to see how well this homemade bread holds up. When I have made bread in the bread machine in the past, it went stale very fast...within 12-24 hours. I'm hoping this bread will last a little longer than that!
For breakfast, I tried a new waffle recipe and wow were there good! Sinfully good. Nicholas ate 1 1/2 waffles (not the small kind, but the big round Belgian kind). You barely needed syrup on them. I doubled the batch so we have leftovers for the week. Definitely makes mornings a bit better to know that a yummy waffle awaits!!!
Ok, now back to cleaning. This morning we rearranged N's room a bit...still have a ways to go on it, but its getting there. Trying to figure out what to do with some of the furniture that is currently in there. I'm excited that he will have a nice reading and playing space in his room. Hopefully this will get some of the toys/books out of the living room and help him to play with more of them. I just need to figure out a way to organize them easily. Also, trying to organize and clean out the office. Someday this house will be clean and organized!!! A wonderful site for help with cleaning and organizing is http://www.flylady.net/. She is my hero!!! While I'm still a "flybaby", her tips and tools have helped me tremendously. Little by little we're getting there. Be sure to check out her website and the baby steps. VERY HELPFUL!!! Take it baby step by baby step. I know I have a hard time with that and just want it all done right away. I'm learning!!!
I'm curious to see how well this homemade bread holds up. When I have made bread in the bread machine in the past, it went stale very fast...within 12-24 hours. I'm hoping this bread will last a little longer than that!
For breakfast, I tried a new waffle recipe and wow were there good! Sinfully good. Nicholas ate 1 1/2 waffles (not the small kind, but the big round Belgian kind). You barely needed syrup on them. I doubled the batch so we have leftovers for the week. Definitely makes mornings a bit better to know that a yummy waffle awaits!!!
Ok, now back to cleaning. This morning we rearranged N's room a bit...still have a ways to go on it, but its getting there. Trying to figure out what to do with some of the furniture that is currently in there. I'm excited that he will have a nice reading and playing space in his room. Hopefully this will get some of the toys/books out of the living room and help him to play with more of them. I just need to figure out a way to organize them easily. Also, trying to organize and clean out the office. Someday this house will be clean and organized!!! A wonderful site for help with cleaning and organizing is http://www.flylady.net/. She is my hero!!! While I'm still a "flybaby", her tips and tools have helped me tremendously. Little by little we're getting there. Be sure to check out her website and the baby steps. VERY HELPFUL!!! Take it baby step by baby step. I know I have a hard time with that and just want it all done right away. I'm learning!!!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Menu Planning
I have tried planning menus for the week in the past and it was helpful. When I know what I'm going to cook for the week it provides variety and I am more likely to stick to it and less likely to call an audible "Let's go out to eat." So tonight I sat down and planned out the week. Its a nice variety and I'm looking forward to it. It also helps me to buy only what I need at the grocery store which helps me spend less. I've found some websites that help with menu planning and some that help with getting the best deals at the grocery store. One is e-meals. http://www.e-mealz.com/ Its a pretty good site that does all the meal planning for you. GIve you a grocery list to shop from and a good variety of food. Becuase I like to create my own meals, I don't subscribe anymore, but if you don't want to have to think about meal planning it is definitely one to check out. For those of you who know who the wonderful Dave Ramsey is, he endorses the site and highly recommends it. Again, great site if you don't want to have to think about meal planning and you just want it done for you.
The other site is http://www.thegrocerygame.com/ I LOVE this site. You have to be willing to clip coupons to get the maximum savings, but if you follow the "rules" of the game you can really save a bunch of money. It lists coupons and sales at the stores you select. Gives it to you in a nice spreadsheet. Sometimes you can even find stuff for free. Great site (Remember that I referred you!!!) If you need my email for the referral it is kelly_sellevaag@yahoo.com
Recipes: My two current favorite recipes sites are http://www.allrecipes.com/ and http://www.tasteofhome.com/ Both have lots of great recipes. While I rarely follow the recipes exactly as they are, both have great recipes as places to start.
Well, I'll be on the lookout for other resources and will report back as I find them.
The other site is http://www.thegrocerygame.com/ I LOVE this site. You have to be willing to clip coupons to get the maximum savings, but if you follow the "rules" of the game you can really save a bunch of money. It lists coupons and sales at the stores you select. Gives it to you in a nice spreadsheet. Sometimes you can even find stuff for free. Great site (Remember that I referred you!!!) If you need my email for the referral it is kelly_sellevaag@yahoo.com
Recipes: My two current favorite recipes sites are http://www.allrecipes.com/ and http://www.tasteofhome.com/ Both have lots of great recipes. While I rarely follow the recipes exactly as they are, both have great recipes as places to start.
Well, I'll be on the lookout for other resources and will report back as I find them.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Homemade Pizza
I finally got up the courage to try it. I'll admit that I have a fear of anything that calls for yeast. I am nervous that I won't get the water the right temperature to make it rise right. I am attempting to overcome this silly fear! LOL! Today was the first step. The homemade pizza turned out really good. The dough was pretty easy to make and was all whole wheat (I altered the recipe to make it all whole wheat). I was nervous the whole time, but the dough rose as it should have and rolled out very nicely. I think next time I will roll it out a little thinner, but I didn't want to tear the dough. Jim loved it and I thought it was really good. I will definintely make it again. It is much healthier than ordering it and much less expensive. The recipe made two pizzas so we'll have some leftover for a snack or another meal!
For dinner, I think I'm going to make a turkey stroganoff with egg noodles. Ground turkey was on sale really cheap at the grocery store so I bought some and am going to try out a new recipe for stroganoff. It looks pretty hearty which is nice for a cold evening.
Also, a quick thanks to those of you who have clicked on the ads....Please keep clicking! (I get paid when you click them!)
Also, a quick thanks to those of you who have clicked on the ads....Please keep clicking! (I get paid when you click them!)
Friday, January 14, 2011
Last night....
Lemon Chicken, Scalloped Potatoes, and Broccoli
Both the lemon chicken and scalloped potatoes were new recipes from Taste of Home (My new favorite source of recipes!!!)
The lemon chicken was delicious! So good. Basically its oven fried chicken dipped in butter and lemon juice with some garlic before its breaded. Then it bakes in the oven. Very tasty, full of flavor. Will make it again. I cut the chicken into little nuggets instead of using the whole breast. Each piece got a little more flavor that way.
The scalloped potatoes were ok. They needed a little something else. Definitely smelled better than they tasted. The onion and green pepper were a nice addition, but maybe a little salt (I'm not a fan of salt....I regularly cut it out of things, but in this case I think it needed a little more).
Then we had Edy's Peppermint Ice Cream for dessert. WOW!!! So good....little pieces of candy canes in it. I'm not a big candy cane fan, but this ice cream is GREAT!!! I know this breaks my sugar free attempt, but you have to have a treat every now and then and this one was definitely worth it!! I also bought lots of fruit at the grocery store so I can have healthy snacks and desserts.
Thank God its Friday. And its a long weekend!!!! Hope everyone has a great weekend...not sure what I'll be cooking, so it will be an adventure!
Both the lemon chicken and scalloped potatoes were new recipes from Taste of Home (My new favorite source of recipes!!!)
The lemon chicken was delicious! So good. Basically its oven fried chicken dipped in butter and lemon juice with some garlic before its breaded. Then it bakes in the oven. Very tasty, full of flavor. Will make it again. I cut the chicken into little nuggets instead of using the whole breast. Each piece got a little more flavor that way.
The scalloped potatoes were ok. They needed a little something else. Definitely smelled better than they tasted. The onion and green pepper were a nice addition, but maybe a little salt (I'm not a fan of salt....I regularly cut it out of things, but in this case I think it needed a little more).
Then we had Edy's Peppermint Ice Cream for dessert. WOW!!! So good....little pieces of candy canes in it. I'm not a big candy cane fan, but this ice cream is GREAT!!! I know this breaks my sugar free attempt, but you have to have a treat every now and then and this one was definitely worth it!! I also bought lots of fruit at the grocery store so I can have healthy snacks and desserts.
Thank God its Friday. And its a long weekend!!!! Hope everyone has a great weekend...not sure what I'll be cooking, so it will be an adventure!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Leftovers....blah
Well, I have just about had it with leftovers. I'm not a big fan of them to begin with. Certain leftovers are great like mac and cheese, lasagna, and some others. Since the baby shower this weekend and my mom's meatloaf, all we have eaten are leftovers. So tomorrow night its onto something new. I appreciate the ease of leftovers and not having to think about it, but overall, I'm not a fan.
Now the question is what to cook tomorrow. I feel like its been a while since I've actually cooked...its has been almost a week. I'm on the hunt for a new recipe for tomorrow. I'm thinking something with chicken, but I'm just not sure what yet. Any suggestions?????
Now the question is what to cook tomorrow. I feel like its been a while since I've actually cooked...its has been almost a week. I'm on the hunt for a new recipe for tomorrow. I'm thinking something with chicken, but I'm just not sure what yet. Any suggestions?????
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Maggiano's
Always a treat!!! My sister-in-law's baby shower was at Maggiano's today. Delicious food!!! Started off with grilled veggies and mozzarella marinara. Then chopped apple and walnut salad, zucchini frite, and brushetta. Oh my!!! Main course was tilapia with lemon and herb, chicken parmesan, and whole wheat penne with egglant marinara. Wow!!!!!! Followed by profiteroles (AMAZING), cake from Master's (My favorite!!!), fruit, and my mom's cookies. I thought I was pacing myself, but of course walked out of there soooo stuffed. I also have all the leftovers so we have dinner and lunch for a few days.
Last night we tried a new restaurant called the Potomac Grille. It was really good. A little heavy on the fish side for Jim, but he found a prime rib that he was thrilled with. I had a California Chicken Salad. It was great...it had a raspberry ranch dressing with it. Very interesting. Not my favorite, but good.
Tomorrow I begin seriously getting rid of sugar from my diet....I'll still eat fruit and things like that, but no more sugary treats!! The only problem is that I still have some of my mom's cookies around, so I'll do the best I can, but seriously limiting the treats...don't you love how I change my plan!!! Eventually we'll get back to a healthy eating schedule.
Last night we tried a new restaurant called the Potomac Grille. It was really good. A little heavy on the fish side for Jim, but he found a prime rib that he was thrilled with. I had a California Chicken Salad. It was great...it had a raspberry ranch dressing with it. Very interesting. Not my favorite, but good.
Tomorrow I begin seriously getting rid of sugar from my diet....I'll still eat fruit and things like that, but no more sugary treats!! The only problem is that I still have some of my mom's cookies around, so I'll do the best I can, but seriously limiting the treats...don't you love how I change my plan!!! Eventually we'll get back to a healthy eating schedule.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Yummy breakfast
This morning we are having monkey bread. There is no real nutritional value to monkey bread, but it sure is delicious (at least I'm expecting it to be). Pretty easy to make; the only thing I wish is that I could make it the night before so I could just pop it into the oven in the morning. Maybe I'll try it sometime, but I think it would dry out.
Last night for dinner, my mom brought down meatloaf (I love meatloaf!!), baked macaroni, green beans, and fresh italian bread. Probably one of my favorite meals. The baked macaron was a new recipe. It was ok....it had velveeta and cheddar in it. I'm not too much of a velveeta fan, but the cheddar helped with it quite a bit. Funny thing is that Nicholas does NOT like mac and cheese. He inhaled the green beans and meatloaf and the bread, but wouldn't touch the mac and cheese.
Tonight we are trying out a new restuarant. Should be interesting.
Last night for dinner, my mom brought down meatloaf (I love meatloaf!!), baked macaroni, green beans, and fresh italian bread. Probably one of my favorite meals. The baked macaron was a new recipe. It was ok....it had velveeta and cheddar in it. I'm not too much of a velveeta fan, but the cheddar helped with it quite a bit. Funny thing is that Nicholas does NOT like mac and cheese. He inhaled the green beans and meatloaf and the bread, but wouldn't touch the mac and cheese.
Tonight we are trying out a new restuarant. Should be interesting.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Easy night
This morning when I left for work I took out ground turkey. I didn't really know what I wanted to do with that ground turkey, but I figured I would decide during the day. Well, the day came and went and I hadn't come up with any brilliant ideas. Meatloaf I thought...nah (which is a good thing since my mom called and said she was going to make a meatloaf to bring down for tomorrow night.) So I went with my old standard of pasta and meat sauce. It was one of those nights that I'm glad I decided to do something easy. The pasta was actually tortellini which is one of my favorites. It was quick and easy and since my boys were STARVING both of them it made an easy success.
I've been pulling out recipes of things I want to try. I just need to find the time to get the stuff together and make some of it. This week is always a tough one; after winter break and a full week at that, plus planning for my sister-in-law's baby shower this weekend (I'm super excited for it!!!!). Fortunately the shower is at Maggiano's so I know the food will be fantastic and we'll get some leftovers I'm sure. So hopefully next week I'll be a bit more adventurous and try out something new. I've got lots to chose from....what will it be.....
I've been pulling out recipes of things I want to try. I just need to find the time to get the stuff together and make some of it. This week is always a tough one; after winter break and a full week at that, plus planning for my sister-in-law's baby shower this weekend (I'm super excited for it!!!!). Fortunately the shower is at Maggiano's so I know the food will be fantastic and we'll get some leftovers I'm sure. So hopefully next week I'll be a bit more adventurous and try out something new. I've got lots to chose from....what will it be.....
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Beef Stew
There's not much better than coming home to dinner making the whole house smell good. That's one of the many reasons I love my slow cooker. Tonight we had beef stew. I'll confess I didn't season it myself, I used a seasoning packet. After I put it together I read the ingredients on the seasoning packet...it had MSG!!!! I wish I had read it sooner because I would have thrown it away. Unfortunately it was after I had already mixed in the beef and all the veggies. This is evidence as to why I want to try to get rid of those type of seasoning packets and processed stuff. I am also going to be way more careful and read the ingredients in things like that. I have heard that some soup broths also have MSG or Monosodium Glutamate. YUCK!
The stew was good, but knowing that it had MSG made me not love it. I did a little research on MSG and while there are no conclusive studies on its effects, it is something I'd like to avoid if possible. In doing the research I realized that MSG is associated with other ingredients such as hydrolyzed vegetable protein (that actually sounds kind of healthy), autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed yeast, and a few others. They are forms of glutamic acid and salts. There were concerns that MSG was associated with migraines, ADHD, food allergies. and asthma. Again, most researchers haven't proven that it is harmful, but why mess with it.
I want to eat food without all these weird additives. Gotta read those food labels, including the ingredients!!!
The stew was good, but knowing that it had MSG made me not love it. I did a little research on MSG and while there are no conclusive studies on its effects, it is something I'd like to avoid if possible. In doing the research I realized that MSG is associated with other ingredients such as hydrolyzed vegetable protein (that actually sounds kind of healthy), autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed yeast, and a few others. They are forms of glutamic acid and salts. There were concerns that MSG was associated with migraines, ADHD, food allergies. and asthma. Again, most researchers haven't proven that it is harmful, but why mess with it.
I want to eat food without all these weird additives. Gotta read those food labels, including the ingredients!!!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Favorite Cookbook
Last night I sat down and looked through my favorite cookbook. It is not your average, traditional cookbook. It is called Nourishing Traditions. The recipes are not simple. They include foods that most people don't typically eat, but NOTHING processed. It is all about getting back to eating food as close to its source. I love the tagline on the book "The cookbook that challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats". The author includes lots of red meat and butter. She explains her reasonings for it. Some really awesome recipes in there. So Im going to be trying out some of them soon.
Tonight, Jim is traveling home from Atlanta and won't get home until after dinner probably (depending on standby situation) so Nicholas and I will probably try and finish up some more leftovers. Tonight is the LAST night of leftovers. I'm not a fan of leftovers for the most part so I'm looking forward to some new things. New cooking adventures coming soon!!!!!!
Tonight, Jim is traveling home from Atlanta and won't get home until after dinner probably (depending on standby situation) so Nicholas and I will probably try and finish up some more leftovers. Tonight is the LAST night of leftovers. I'm not a fan of leftovers for the most part so I'm looking forward to some new things. New cooking adventures coming soon!!!!!!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Happy 2011!!!
I know I took a bit of a break from blogging this past week. However, the eating did not stop. I wish it was the other way around!! LOL!! We had a huge New Years Day dinner...with pork sandwiches and pulled chicken sandwiches since we don't eat pork...thanks mom for making us something special!!! I know we are difficult. Tons of other food at that dinner.
Then on the 2nd we had the after Christmas/New Years left-over brunch. Except that it wasn't left-overs. It was basically all new casseroles and other stuff. My personal favorite was the veggie turkey sausage strata. So good!!! I need to get that recipe because I can easily see it becoming a brunch favorite. We also had two different french toast casseroles: one cinnamon and one orange marmalade. A few other egg casseroles and an apple sausage bake....kind of like a sausage meatloaf. A TON of food.
Now for 2011....its time to get back to normal eating. My goal for 2011 is to cut down on the number processed things I use. Both eating and used for cooking. I want to make more things from scratch...less soup mixes, seasoning mixes etc and use more of my own creativity and seasonings.
Tonight we are still finishing up leftovers from new years. Looking forward to trying some new things this year!!
Then on the 2nd we had the after Christmas/New Years left-over brunch. Except that it wasn't left-overs. It was basically all new casseroles and other stuff. My personal favorite was the veggie turkey sausage strata. So good!!! I need to get that recipe because I can easily see it becoming a brunch favorite. We also had two different french toast casseroles: one cinnamon and one orange marmalade. A few other egg casseroles and an apple sausage bake....kind of like a sausage meatloaf. A TON of food.
Now for 2011....its time to get back to normal eating. My goal for 2011 is to cut down on the number processed things I use. Both eating and used for cooking. I want to make more things from scratch...less soup mixes, seasoning mixes etc and use more of my own creativity and seasonings.
Tonight we are still finishing up leftovers from new years. Looking forward to trying some new things this year!!
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