tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78225154334536457322024-03-18T02:16:48.709-07:00Never trust a skinny cook....Chronicling the adventures of a 30-ish food lover and avid runner/biker as she tries to balance her love for fat kid food while not sacrificing taste for health...everyday cooking at its most simple.AbbyLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14092590608153358942noreply@blogger.comBlogger448125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822515433453645732.post-37347761035922358172013-05-09T10:29:00.002-07:002013-06-03T13:02:53.661-07:00Decontructed chicken taco casserole<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I know, I know....I've really been MIA this time! I'm not sure what happened, I've just been running and running and not been cooking much at home and running and running. Only one night of dinner made at home this week, now that might be some kind of record. Anywho...I'm going to try to update you on some of the activities I've been running and running to and from so you can see how much fun I've been having while putting you on the back burner. Because I feel like the neglect is less offensive if I get you to want to try some of the things we've been up to....right? Now that we've got that settled...</div>
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This was actually in April, but that's neither here nor there. What kind of a word is 'nor' anyway? Can't we just say 'or'? Why do we have to fancify it? Seems like 'nor' is trying to be all uppity or something. And I'm far from uppity. If the Duck Dynasty guys knew me, they would not call me a yuppy. Or maybe they would. Holy tangent! Let's circle back...a bunch of ladies got together to do a painting at <a href="http://www.thesocialcanvas.com/">The Social Canvas</a> in Waukee and it was so. much. fun! I'm really not superbly artistic....I would maybe classify myself as crafty, but artistic is not in the same realm as me. But in these classes they stand up and take you through the paintings step by step so you really can't mess it up...that's my kind of art class! Plus you get wine, and you can't beat wine and painting. </div>
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Here's my finished masterpiece. I even had a friend on Facebook offer me money for it...how cool is that?! But it was such a fun experience that I want to keep the memory of it and shall hang it at the lake house to smile at all Summer...so no sale. Although it would've been fun to say I've sold a painting before. That does sound yuppy, doesn't it?</div>
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The whole group with our finished products...some are a lot better than others. I'm glad this picture isn't taken any more up close to see all the ones that beat mine out of the running of halfway good. <br />
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What's ladies night without a margarita the size of your head afterwards? The waiter asked me how big I wanted it, and I said "as big as you've got". I learned my lesson...it took three of us to finish it!</div>
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While on the Mexican theme, I will actually share a recipe with you today too! I mean, this is a food blog, I guess I can throw you a bone. This is super duper simple, and very nummy yummy to boot. It was a throw-together-make-ahead if that makes any sense? I was meal planning on Sunday and got all lazy about it. Found all these ingredients and threw them together to bake in happiness and merriment. But first to sit in the fridge for a day until we were ready for said happiness and merriment. Because everyone knows happiness and merriment is best on nights when you have dinner to throw in the oven when you get home. Ok, let's go....<br />
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1 can black beans, rinsed<br />
1 can shoepeg corn<br />
3 wheat tortillas, ripped up into pieces<br />
2 large chicken breasts, seasoned with Lawry's, baked, and diced<br />
1/2 cup greek yogurt<br />
1/2-1 cup taco sauce<br />
2 cups Mexican cheese (1 cup to mix in, 1 cup to top with)<br />
cilantro to taste<br />
crushed red pepper to taste<br />
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Mix all ingredients except 1 cup of cheese together. You could even add some halved cherry tomatoes, or use enchilada sauce instead of taco sauce. Your boat floats one way, mine floats another. I guess that's what makes the world go 'round. I actually would've added maters if I had some on hand. My world doesn't go 'round much if I don't hit the grocery store.<br />
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Pour into a baking dish and cover with leftover cup of cheese. Top with more cilantro if you feel the need. And I did. The need was felt. The need was met. The need was legit. <br />
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Throw in the fridge until ready to bake and throw it in the oven for 30 minutes at 425 degrees. It just needs to be warmed throughout and get the cheese all melty, since everything is pretty much cooked. Remember, we're just baking the happiness and merriment together. Top with greek yogurt, taco sauce, guacamole, and whatever else your little heart desires. Then eat. <br />
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It was good to dip chips with, it was great on its own. One of those versatile weeknight meals that leaves you saying "mmmmm" in front of the tv after it's been demolished. Yeah, one of those. <br />
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AbbyLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14092590608153358942noreply@blogger.com190tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822515433453645732.post-90879057474505844382013-05-01T08:20:00.002-07:002013-05-01T08:55:17.764-07:00Crockpot sausage tortellini<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Since Mother Nature is a B, and we've got a cold front on the way in, I figure its the perfect time to share a crockpot recipe with you! This was one of the easiest ones ever, but then again, I haven't met a super hard crockpot recipe very often. It's sort of the point of the crockpot, isn't it?! Anyway, I had seen this recipe on Pinterest a zillion and one times and had it in my pile to try forever, which meant I had all the elements on hand. Most of them are frozen or canned, so I always kept this on the back burner for a day when I had no dinner ideas (it happens to the best of us)...and that day finally arrived! I had also heard from a few friends who had tried it that this was worth giving a shot, so I saddled up and rode. I do not know who posted this recipe originally, so if anyone does, you can let me know so I can give them credit!</div>
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1 (19 oz) bag frozen cheese tortellini</div>
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1 small bag of fresh spinach</div>
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1 (14.5 oz) cans Italian style diced tomatoes, drained</div>
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1 block (8 oz) cream cheese (I always use fat free)</div>
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1 lb ground turkey or chicken sausage</div>
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4 cups chicken broth</div>
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1 can mushrooms (I added this)</div>
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Brown the meat and add all ingredients to the crockpot. Mix well and cook on high for 2-3 hours. I always, always, always cut the cooking time down on crockpot recipes. Seems like they always say 4-6 hours or so, and I've never had anything need 6 hours before. Besides, all the ingredients are just needing to be warmed and melded, the meat is already cooked. </div>
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Serve with garlic bread and you're in business! I made this on a Sunday afternoon as I ran some errands, and came home to a gloriously filling dinner that I barely worked on...can't beat that with a tortellini. Happy hump day, all! <br />
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AbbyLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14092590608153358942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822515433453645732.post-77426876746691451382013-04-30T09:01:00.002-07:002013-04-30T09:01:36.832-07:00Spaghetti squash turkey lasagna<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Well, hello there! Where have I been, you ask? I've been enjoying the weather at the top of this forecast (minus the lightning bolts) for the last few days while trying to ward away the weather at the middle and bottom of this forecast. Is this real life? 81 degrees to 39 degrees and SNOW?!? In April?!? Yes, it's real life in Iowa, folks. And I'm not amused. I went on 2 runs/walks yesterday just to soak it all up. I guess, if anything, it does make you appreciate the days of good weather....</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I copied this pic from my cousin's facebook page who was nice enough to let us all know what to expect.</td></tr>
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It's also been Main Man's birthday weekend (shoutout to my hubs who turns 32 years old today!!) so we kept pretty busy with that while also throwing in a baby shower and wedding shower. Thus, I had no time for you...but I thought about you alot :) Pinky swear! I'll prove it to you by sharing another spaghetti squash recipe, because you know just how I feel about that! This one is a lasagna so it feels like comfort food to carry you into the next few cold days with leftovers, but is light since it's not actually pasta so you can still enjoy it on an 80 degree day. How's that for versatility...and segues?! </div>
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1 large spaghetti squash</div>
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1 container low fat ricotta cheese</div>
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1 lb ground white meat turkey</div>
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3 cups fresh kale (or spinach, I just happened to have kale on hand to get rid of)</div>
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1 can mushrooms</div>
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4 cloves garlic, minced</div>
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italian seasoning to taste</div>
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2 cups 2% mozzarella cheese</div>
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1 jar your favorite marinara or spaghetti sauce</div>
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1 T olive oil</div>
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crushed red pepper to taste</div>
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First thing is first...you prepare your spaghetti squash by baking it the way we did for the <a href="http://www.justaddasliceoflove.blogspot.com/2013/04/spaghetti-squash-alfredo.html">spaghetti squash alfredo</a> I shared last week. Mix your squash noods with your ricotta cheese and layer in the bottom of a greased baking dish evenly. </div>
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Warm your olive oil in a skillet and add your garlic to the mix. Stir until you can smell it and add the turkey to brown. Add the mushrooms and kale (or spinach) and stir till everyone is mixed together dancing the night away. Add your sauce to the skillet and warm, stirring everything thoroughly. Add that mixture as the next layer above the squash and ricotta mixture. <br />
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Sprinkle with mozzarella, crushed red pepper, and italian seasoning and toss this guy in the oven. I baked it a little long so my cheese got overdone, so don't do that. I would throw it in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes with tin foil on top and check it then. If you take it from the fridge because you pre-made it, you'll need more like 40 minutes to heat. All ingredients are cooked so you just want them to warm and melt together. Serve it up!<br />
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Main Man actually told me he couldn't tell the difference between the spaghetti squash and real pasta in this one. I'm pretty sure he was telling the truth, and not just trying to get a good birthday present because I couldn't tell much of a difference either. The other spaghetti squash recipes you can tell something is different, although the different is good in my opinion. But this one tastes exactly like real lasagna...I'll take it! Now, to get out and enjoy one last afternoon of running weather before Old Man Winter and Mother Nature have another domestic dispute. Jerks. <br />
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MyFitnessPal puts this meal at 406 calories per serving, and the picture above is a serving (its on a salad plate). I was stuffed to the gills afterwards and stayed full for a long time, so you see why I'm loving this stuff lately. Volume without calories=a win in my book! <br />
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AbbyLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14092590608153358942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822515433453645732.post-87846482269779245582013-04-25T12:38:00.001-07:002013-04-25T12:39:14.111-07:00Steak and asparagus stir fry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I had a crockpot meal to share with you today but the weather outside made me feel Springy and the crockpot doesn't make me feel Springy. Not that stirfry is particularly Springy, but you know what I mean. Maybe you don't know what I mean. And maybe you're sick of reading the word Springy. Either way, you get steak and asparagus stir fry today, and you're going to eat it and like it. Do you like how I sound like Big Dan (my dad)? Springy.</div>
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Main Man was perdy lovey on this stirfry the night we had it. The Campbells Skillet Sauces Fire Roasted Tomato packet was a total experiment, but sure made things easy peasy in the heazy. Could I be any more annoying today? Sorry, I get froggy when the weather turns awesome. Point of the story is...try these. I have a toasted sesame one I'm wanting to give a go at, but the marsala and the creamy chipotle look mighty tasty as well. The last two have a little more in the caloric department so I passed them by, but I may give them a try if they're all as good as the fire roasted tomato one we devoured, I mean taste tested. </div>
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Here's what you need:</div>
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1 lb flank steak, seasoned with salt and pepper</div>
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1 T olive oil</div>
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1 bundle of asparagus</div>
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1 can mushrooms</div>
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1 bag Uncle Ben's ready rice, flavor of your choosing (I went with brown and wild)</div>
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1 Campbells Skillet Sauces, fire roasted tomato flavored</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AtYPbkKANeVJk3SRGcCjX6yFEHvdVSMEAhr2GAWXFjdyoEMlKy6hFK9K9Mfin_6P4AWMmXyZWBRDp-ldqEGq85-0IwBtlNgcRqhpJlnE_hECVEbqyxFHyxoLHtghyphenhyphenR1WKyq2jbVwThYD/s1600/blog+pics+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AtYPbkKANeVJk3SRGcCjX6yFEHvdVSMEAhr2GAWXFjdyoEMlKy6hFK9K9Mfin_6P4AWMmXyZWBRDp-ldqEGq85-0IwBtlNgcRqhpJlnE_hECVEbqyxFHyxoLHtghyphenhyphenR1WKyq2jbVwThYD/s400/blog+pics+001.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Add the olive oil to a large pan, and warm. Add full steak to the skillet to brown on medium heat. Cut the hard ends off the asparagus and then cut the stems in half so they're a little shorter. Makes it easier to jam into your mouth, ya know? It's always key to be able to jam things in your mouth quickly when you're eating. At least at our house...<br />
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Add the asparagus to the skillet as well. Continue moving it around, flip the steak after about 8 minutes. You don't want to overdo flank steak or it gets really tough, you want to leave some pinky pink the middle there. <br />
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After 5-8 minutes on each side, remove the steak and slice it into bite sized pieces. Add all of it back to the skillet and add the sauce package to mix and marry everything together. Wedded bliss. Just like Main Man and I :)<br />
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Add the Ready Rice to the microwave for 90 seconds to cook like the package says, and then throw it into the skillet to stir and fry together. Because that's what stir fry is, ya'll. Stirring and frying. And marrying. Bliss, remember?<br />
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After the nuptials, you serve! I used a little soy sauce because I like to spoon drink the stuff, but you don't need it. There is a little bite to the sauce, a little crunch to the asparagus, a little love juice from the steak, and a whole lot of good flava flav coming out of that skillet there. I'm tellin' ya. <br />
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I actually tracked the recipe ingredients and broke them down per serving with MyFitnessPal and it comes out to 754 calories for a huge helping of 3 cups. I realize that sounds like a lot for some people, but when I'm done throwing down 675 calories at Kosama, I need me some meat and I need piles of it. This ends our Campbells experiment, don't worry though, I'll share the next one with you too! Now get outside and love on this weather a little, if you're an Iowan like me! We've been waiting for this....<br />
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AbbyLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14092590608153358942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822515433453645732.post-64254686266729688292013-04-24T10:17:00.002-07:002013-04-24T10:17:37.669-07:00Spaghetti squash alfredoI suppose I had better start sharing these spaghetti squash recipes with you before you have to get like five of them in a week. This stuff is my new obsession. We have it once a week if that tells you anything. Just like quinoa, and subbing cauliflower for potatoes, I'm not sure why I waited so long to try this!! I told you about me trying <a href="http://www.justaddasliceoflove.blogspot.com/2013/03/spagetti-squash.html">Rachel's spaghetti squash,</a> and since then I've made it 3 different ways on my own. I'm telling you...if you're a pasta lover, this is life changing. Carbless pasta. I'm here for the sole purpose of making sure you don't walk the same path of mistakes as I have....and I'm telling you, don't wait another night to try this. Grab one on the way home and get to it!<br />
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Apparently Trader Joe's does not carry spaghetti squash, but Hy-Vee and Wal-Mart both did so there are options. I just bought the biggest ones I could find the first time, I wasn't sure how much they would yield. Turns out they put out more than you would think! <br />
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Chop the squash in half lengthwise. I hate to admit that I had to have Main Man take care of this part, those suckers are tough! I didn't want to cut myself hacking away at the thing due to my sheer stubbornness, so I gave in. I hate when I have to ask him to open jars or lift things...I work out, I'm not a wuss!! <br />
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Use a spoon to get all the seeds and cruckas out of the center of the squash, and then place facedown on a cookie sheet that is sprayed with Pam. Bake for 45 minutes. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHMriIhRUuWLcijzlckKpqxlhWi3TXnDYx2yatz5TEU-qP8h7O9B6kit_r9keq6mYobWmxWArsZwOLfXs7adQJDOK2ZM7VpHhI6Pcya0S1LD5IvTgun0_32aJnMGqKiEnP3tD6FNgJYrXd/s1600/april+035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHMriIhRUuWLcijzlckKpqxlhWi3TXnDYx2yatz5TEU-qP8h7O9B6kit_r9keq6mYobWmxWArsZwOLfXs7adQJDOK2ZM7VpHhI6Pcya0S1LD5IvTgun0_32aJnMGqKiEnP3tD6FNgJYrXd/s400/april+035.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Remove from the oven and take a fork to it. I'm serious that I thought this was going to be sooooo much more complicated. Just fork that shizz outta there and it turns all noodley looking. Pretty sweet stuff. And kinda fun if I'm not lying to you. I was amazed at how easy it was. </div>
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I even ate some plain and was impressed. I didn't know I was a squash lover!<br />
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For the rest of it, I just whipped together a standard alfredo that I would normally do for pasta. You can use whatever you want to throw in. You could use asparagus, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, sundried tomatoes, spinach...whatever you've got in the fridge that you need rid of. That's how I cook :)</div>
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2 chicken breasts, diced</div>
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3 cloves garlic, minced</div>
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2 T olive oil</div>
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2 cups broccoli</div>
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1 cup cherry tomatoes</div>
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crushed red pepper to taste</div>
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fresh ground black pepper to taste</div>
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1 T italian seasoning</div>
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1 jar your favorite alfredo sauce (I use Classico light alfredo)</div>
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Warm your olive oil in your skillet and throw your minced garlic in to brown for 30 seconds, stirring continuously. Add the diced chicken in to cook. Cook till there's no pink left and then add the broccoli and tomatoes (or whatever other fun veggies you're throwing into the party). After all veggies are softened, add your jar of alfredo sauce and your seasonings. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring to combine all the flavas! </div>
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I have been baking my spaghetti squash on the weekends and putting it in a container in the fridge so its ready to go for the weeknight dinner bell. If you do as I do, throw a helping of spaghetti squash on a plate and into the microwave to warm, before covering with this luscious sauce of skinnied up goodness. You can even throw some garlic bread in the mix, because you're being SO good on carbs skipping the pasta noods. We do what we can :) I hope you enjoy as much as I do...stay tuned for the next couple installments of "Spaghetti squash, how do we love you, let us count the ways..." where I show you how I did a lasagna (yep, I went there and it was heavenly) and a shrimp scampi pasta (with no pasta)! </div>
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AbbyLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14092590608153358942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822515433453645732.post-44602826278813475622013-04-23T12:23:00.000-07:002013-04-23T12:28:19.376-07:00~NFJAJ~<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 13px/19.5px "lucida grande", tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<strong><em>This is the love story of a friend of mine and her husband, who was also a friend of mine in college. Today marks 2 years since he was KIA, and his wife and their daughter are still living their lives without him as the rest of world spins unaware. I think of them often, but especially during the month of April which holds their wedding anniversary, and his angelversary. This is a piece she wrote a while back that I've since read multiple times (and not once gotten through without shedding a tear). I want to share it with everyone I can, so that we can all be appreciative of the sacrifice some families make for this country. </em></strong></div>
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<strong><em>Amanda has said that if James had to die, he would've chosen to go out the way he did, and I hope she and the rest of his family gets some comfort from that. Today, she heads to Arlington National Cemetary to pay her respects again to the man who she vowed to live life with forever. I can't imagine the pain that must come with that task each year. So today, please take a moment to send a little thought their way as they travel to the grave of this fallen soldier. ~Never Forget James Allen Justice~</em></strong><br />
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This is a story about young love. One that is heart-wrenching and sobering. This is a story about the price of war.</div>
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James and I never had the classic love story. From the moment we met my freshman year of college in 2001, it was like we tried to do whatever we could to push each other's buttons. From the outside looking in, most people assumed we would never work out. And we didn't most days. For the first five years we went through periods of loving each other to despising each other. We'd break up, date someone else, and get back together every time. Maybe it was our extremely stubborn and sarcastic personalities, maybe it was that we both thought we should be with someone different, maybe it was just being young. But like I said, we always ended up back together. One of my favorite things James ever said to me (outside of "I love you" and "Will you marry me?") was when he tried to explain our relationship to me. His exact words were "No matter how hard we try to get rid of each other, we always end up back together. It's like it's written in the stars and it's meant to be." After he said that line, we never broke up again.</div>
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When I graduated from Drake in 2005 with a degree in Creative Advertising, I knew I was never going to move to some big city and work at the fancy advertising firm I had always pictured in my mind. I knew that my place was with him, in Iowa. I would find a job that I enjoyed, probably in the insurance world, and watch him work his way through the military ranks. I was so proud of who he was and what he was doing for our country.</div>
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In early 2007, after returning home from Iraq in late 2006, James and I found out we were expecting. We were extremely excited and super nervous. He told me continuously that "it better be a boy" because he couldn't handle a girl. He was the typical soldier loving everything "manly" and knowing nothing about the fun that pink, glitter and sparkles bring. Needless to say, in December '07, we welcomed our little bundle of joy ...wrapped in pink! Caydence Lillian might not have been the boy he wanted, but she definitely had her daddy wrapped around her finger within a matter of moments. She was always his greatest accomplishment.</div>
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A year and a half seemed to rush by, and in April 2009, James and I finally tied the knot in front of a small group of friends and family and of course, our screaming little girl. People always ask why we waited so long, and we both gave the same answer – “we had to figure out if we liked each other.” He was never a man of many words (until he was drinking), having him send flowers was like pulling teeth and romance was never a major player in our relationship. For example, on my 27th birthday, him and his friend surprised me by setting up a romantic meal of MREs and shot glasses. That was my man, a jokester. He was also an amazing friend who could always be counted on whether helping someone move or just to give them a smile. Oh, that smile. It made my heart melt every time. Anytime he was in trouble, he would flash it and say “I loooooooove you sweetie” and sure enough, I’d cave in. His daddy skills were second to none as well. He never flinched at a dirty diaper or hesitated to play dress-up with Caydence. I’d come home from work a lot of evenings to find those two fully immersed in a Disney princess movie or covered in makeup.</div>
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Fast forward almost two years. James’ unit had deployed in mid-2010, but because of a back injury incurred in Iraq, he stayed behind. I was not at all upset by this, but like most soldiers, it irritated the heck out of him. He was bound and determined to be a part of the Replacement Battalion that would deploy in early 2011, but I doubted his ability to get medically cleared to leave. I learned my lesson. At the end of January, I received a call at work, from him, telling me that he had received the go-ahead to deploy and would be leaving in the next few weeks. I was shocked. Then angry. Then sad. Then so worried. I cried at my desk for about an hour before my boss told me to go home. I didn’t want to though because I didn’t want to see him. I was so angry that he purposely was leaving. I understood that he felt he needed to be there “for his guys” but I needed him there for us. Another thing bothering me was that we were supposed to leave for our first family vacation at the end of February. A family vacation that he would no longer be attending.</div>
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On February 23rd, James dropped Caydence and me off at the Des Moines airport. His deployment date had been pushed back to the 28th but he wasn’t supposed to leave the state, meaning he couldn’t go on vacation with us anyway. It was a weird feeling knowing he was the one deploying, but was dropping us off at the airport—like something was completely backwards. Staying in true toddler form, when it was time to say our goodbyes, Caydence made a mad dash up the escalators for security. James and I quickly embraced and gave each other a quick kiss before I headed to catch up with the little one. I remember the slow ride up the escalator and watching the back of his head disappear out of sight thinking he never got to hug Caydence goodbye and that we had a crappy kiss. In the back of my mind though, I thought “he’ll be home in less than six months … no big deal.” If I would have known that was the last time I would see my husband alive, I would have ran back down the escalator, jumped in his arms and not have let go until someone pried me away from him.</div>
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The morning of April 23rd was different than most mornings. It was the day before Easter and also my first big wedding of the season. Being a wedding photographer always puts butterflies in my stomach, and this wedding was no different. Some widows say they had a feeling something was wrong, I didn’t. I was more concerned with where my lenses and tripods were. I had talked to my husband three days prior and although he had told me he would call the night before, I didn’t think much of him not calling. I knew it was difficult to get a break and phone lines were long. I also figured with my luck, he’d call right in the middle of the ceremony and I’d miss him anyway. I never doubted he would call and I definitely never thought that while I was thinking of him on my hour drive to the wedding, he was already gone.</div>
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Things started getting strange just before the ceremony started. My parents and sister were in town watching my daughter for me and when I glanced at my phone in-between photo setups, I noticed I had missed calls from both of them and they had left voicemails. I never checked my voicemail and they knew that, so why in the world would they be leaving one? They both said the same thing, “Caydence is sick. Call immediately.” Of course I called, but told them to bring her to the doctor. There was nothing I could do for her and I couldn’t just walk out of a wedding. I could tell in their voice that they wanted me home, but I just figured it was them not understanding that it was the most important day of someone’s life and I was being paid to capture it.</div>
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After the ceremony was complete, I hopped in my vehicle to follow the bridal party to a bowling alley where they wanted to take photos. While driving, I called my sister. She said Caydence was feeling better but I should still get home as soon as I could when the photos were done. I had already told the bride and groom that I was heading out earlier than normal so that wasn’t an issue. The strange thing was that my sister kept asking where I was. My entire family is from Wisconsin, so me explaining where I was in Iowa seemed counterproductive, but I explained anyway. A few minutes from the bowling alley we hung up the phone with an “I’ll see you in a bit.” I saw them sooner than I thought.</div>
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I had just pulled into the parking lot and was getting my equipment out of my bag. The wedding party was standing on the steps waiting for me to snap a few photos, when a vehicle flew into the parking lot. I remember glancing up, figuring it was some friends of the couple and went back to digging out lenses. It wasn’t until I noticed someone coming toward me out of the corner of my eye that I looked up. It was my dad. And he had tears in his eyes. Thoughts rushed into my head and all I could get out was “where is she?!?” There was no reason they would drive and find me an hour away unless Caydence was extremely sick or worse. He shook his head “no” and said “It’s not her. The military was at your house.” Confusion. Why would the military know Caydence was sick? Why would they care? And then it hit me. James.</div>
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The next few minutes were a blur. I remember dropping to my knees. I found out later that I had thrown my camera and purse into my car at the same time. My dad hugged me and I pushed him away. I just needed to breathe and to think and to …. Oh my God …. He couldn’t really be ….. </div>
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During this exchange, the bridal party stood watching on the stairs not knowing what was occurring or who the man talking to me was. My mom walked over to them and introduced herself and told them that I needed to leave. The bride, who knew Caydence was “sick,” asked if that was the reason. My mom answered with a quick, “no it’s her husband.” They all understood right then. I had just had a conversation earlier in the day with the bride and groom about how hard deployments were and how not all women are made to be “military wives.” They understood well as he had been a member of the Iowa National Guard as well and had been deployed. I often think about how they must have felt at that moment. What was the happiest day of their life was the saddest day of mine.</div>
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My mom came over to talk to me after a couple minutes. What most people don’t understand is the unique position my mom was in. A little over 30 years prior, her first husband, was also killed in the military. She had experienced the pain of having a dark sedan pull up to her house, getting a knock on her door and seeing men dressed in class A’s tell her that her husband was gone. She was 23 at the time and had four children under the age of four. It was her telling my dad her story, years prior, that made him acutely aware when the two soldiers pulled into my driveway that afternoon why they were there. They didn’t confirm it with him; they simply dropped their heads and told him to “find his daughter and get her home.” And he did. Now standing in the middle of a parking lot, an hour from my house, my mom hugged me and simply said, “I just want to tell you, this isn’t good.”</div>
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By the time we started the drive back to Des Moines, I was mess inside. I didn’t say much but I remember having thoughts fly back in forth in my mind. I knew he was either dead or missing. I debated in my head whether I would rather him be gone or have been captured. That is a thought no wife should ever have to have. I remember looking over at my daughter sitting happily in her car seat (who was definitely not sick) and thinking that I wanted to protect her from it all. I also remember looking down at the tiny yellow piece of paper that the two men had left with my dad. A Captain and a Chaplain. Just wonderful.</div>
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I had been home for a couple minutes when the dark sedan pulled back into the driveway. I recognized both of their names and knew they both knew my husband. He worked at the local military base and was well known because of his job duties. I could tell in their eyes that this was going to be a struggle. I led them inside and sat directly across from them on a couch. My parents sat on both sides of me and sobbed quietly. My sister had taken Caydence and her kids to the park so they wouldn’t have to witness what was about to happen. When I finally dropped my head and looked at the floor, the Captain read the piece of paper in his hand. “By order of the Secretary of the Army, I regret to inform you that your husband, James Alan Justice, was killed in action ………………..”</div>
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And then the world stopped.</div>
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Eventually it started again. But it wasn’t until after almost a full month of being surrounded by family and friends, signing countless papers, making extremely difficult decisions, being told by my casualty assistance officer that I needed to eat, taking sleeping pills to force me to get some sort of rest, and of course burying my husband.</div>
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James had been killed in the early hours of April 23, 2011 in the Al-Sayad district of Kapisa Province in Afghanistan. His unit had just returned from a routine mission when they were called upon to help rescue and provide cover for the crew of a downed helicopter. I have heard several stories of that morning and they all sound like they were straight out of a movie. Guns, RPGs, mortars and helicopters everywhere. His unit was behind a wall when James was shot in the lower back and exited through his chest. His injuries were too much for him to overcome, and even though his medics and friends did all they could, nothing could save him. Another soldier was shot moments later, and luckily, his outcome was much more favorable.</div>
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James’ body returned to U.S. soil on April 26th allow with two young marines who had both been killed by roadside bombs. I arrived at Dover Air Base in a bus full of their families. The Army, unlike the Marines, only allows three members of the family to come to what is called a “Dignified Transfer.” I watched in silence as the sisters of one of the fallen marines bawled. I understood her pain, but felt like I was trapped inside myself. It wasn’t until I saw the metal container, draped in the U.S. flag, which was carrying his body, that I completely lost it. The floodgates had finally opened. How could the strongest man I know be laying lifeless in that box?</div>
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Almost a week later, when the autopsy was complete and paperwork filed, he finally returned home to Iowa. I still hadn’t seen him when the jet landed at the Des Moines airport. Military officials allowed me and his parents to go touch his casket, but quickly loaded him into the motorcycle Hearst that would drive him the 98 miles to Manning, Iowa. He was escorted on that sunny Monday morning by about one hundred Patriot and Freedom Riders and hundreds of supporters lining the route. Most held flags or signs and some saluted. It was definitely a sight to behold.</div>
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The morning of the visitation, I arrived at the funeral home at 9am. I had an hour scheduled for “my time” with James before the rest of his family would arrive. I had made the decision that I didn’t want Caydence to see him or remember him that way. When I walked into the memorial room, I instantly recognized the profile of his face. My heart dropped, for the past week I had been convincing myself that there must have been a mistake. That it wasn’t going to be him in that coffin. Sure enough, I was wrong. I searched over every inch of his face, taking in the little scar over his eyebrow, the slight stubble on his chin and his perfect cheekbones. I felt broken all over again. I reached out for his hand—wanting just to hold it and have his fingers wrap around mine. Instead, they felt like concrete. I was later told that the military medical examiners use double the amount of embalming fluid to preserve them longer since many are transported across the country. After having the funeral home remove his white “Michael Jackson” looking gloves, I slipped his replacement wedding ring on his finger. One last time.</div>
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The visitation and funeral were attended by over 2,000 people—many of which never knew my husband, but felt the calling to come say goodbye to a hero. His burial at Arlington National Cemetery was much smaller but was attended by the Secretary of the State, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Army among others. Perhaps the most heartbreaking moment of all was watching our daughter received a flag and condolences from the Secretary of Defense. She held out her little three year old hands and cried little three year old tears, but I knew she didn’t really know what any of it meant. Someday though, she will understand the sacrifices her dad and thousands of others made to preserve the freedoms that we enjoy and often take for granted. Someday she will understand that because of media coverage and the length of time our soldiers have been fighting, desensitization runs rampant among our population. Someday, she might be angry and feel like her dad’s death was in vain. But as her mother, I hope that someday, she will know our love story. Someday, she’ll know that even through pain and sacrifice, we will persevere and we can have our happy ending.</div>
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It’s currently been almost 10 months. It feels like 10 years. I have gone through several stages of grief—I will go weeks without crying and then will sob for four days straight. I will suddenly become enraged over how my husband died or pissed at him for leaving us or frustrated that people around me think they understand. Sometimes it is just the lyrics of a song that trigger the waterworks. I listen to Caydence tell him goodnight every night and that she loves him. It always brings tears to my eyes. I’ve tried to tell myself that I need to move on, but I can’t stop searching for him in crowds or thinking his truck is going to pull into the driveway and he is going to step out.</div>
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I am starting to realize that we will never celebrate another holiday or anniversary together. Instead, I will make trips out to visit him at Arlington and feel the tears pour from my eyes until that sense of peace rushes over me. It’s a strange feeling, but one of his friends says he feels the same thing when he is here. In typical “James style,” I don’t receive signs or “God-winks”; instead, I find myself tripping over a box of his in the basement and cussing at him. It might seem abnormal to some people, but to me, it’s totally us. </div>
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I watch his family and friends struggle, but can’t help but feel that my struggle is different than theirs. I don’t want there to be that disconnect, but it feels as though they all have each other and I just have Caydence and our home that we were building. James and I had begun trying to have our second child when he deployed and unfortunately I had a miscarriage a month before he was killed. It still hurts so bad that I can’t have another child with him. Thinking about Caydence and the child I lost, makes my heart break for his parents. As the saying goes, “a parent should never have to bury a child.”</div>
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I’ve been remodeling our house with my parents and trying to do all the things he wanted to get done. He loved this damn house, and I feel like it’s my job to keep going on all those projects he never got to finish (he was definitely known for his unfinished projects.) There is an entire little room in my basement that holds all of his things. I peak my head in there every time I do laundry. I have yet to escape without bawling.</div>
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One upside has been that I have made some amazing friends since everything happened. My casualty assistance officer became my rock and answerer of all questions. Immediately, a few military wives from my area reached out offering me anything from food to childcare assistance. I knew that it must have been difficult for them, as their biggest fear was my reality, but they still stepped forward. I also found the support of military widows from across the country. They have been the most amazing support system and leaning post I could have imagined. Our common bond allows us to feel not quite so alone on this journey. Then of course, I had the friendship of those that had been there before James’ death. Those several people got me through my darkest of days.</div>
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The uncertainty of things to come freaks me out. I hate that I can’t rewind a year, take a “mulligan” or simply ask someone to change the past. At the end of the day, I don’t know what my future holds, but I do know that someday I will see his amazing smile again. That will get me through today.<br />
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AbbyLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14092590608153358942noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822515433453645732.post-6005684726614185402013-04-19T09:21:00.002-07:002013-04-19T09:21:58.349-07:00Greek layered dip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My other contribution for the Easter festivities this year was a layered Greek dip...sort of like the <a href="http://www.justaddasliceoflove.blogspot.com/2012/08/7-layer-dip.html">7 layer Mexican dip</a> I make on a semi-regular basis, but with a Greek flair. I've had a love affair with hummus and Greek yogurt lately so I was almost went through the roof when I came up this concoction while trying to decide what I should bring to our Jamison get together. I actually had the stuff to make the Mexican dip, and was looking around in the fridge for something when I thought "I could do this with anything!" Saw I had some feta cheese and a cucumber, knew I always had hummus and Greek yogurt on hand, and was pleasantly surprised by these Greek flavored sundried tomatoes I found in the cupboard. This was meant to be, my fellow food freaks! The only thing I had to pick up was some pitas to dippity dip into the stuff...I'd say the heavens wanted this to happen. </div>
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1 bag sundried tomatoes (Greek, oregano, basil and garlic flavored preferably)</div>
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1 cup reduced fat feta cheese </div>
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2 cups Greek yogurt (I use Oikos brand, LOVE that stuff!)</div>
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1 container roasted red pepper hummus (I used Trader Joe's brand but I also like Athenos brand)</div>
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1/2 cucumber, diced</div>
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1 T Greek seasoning</div>
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1 T olive oil</div>
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pita bread cut into pieces for dipping</div>
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The instructions are pretty self-explanatory for a layer dip. You just....layer. I started with the creamy ingredients, hummus on bottom followed by the Greek yogurt. Then the sundried tomatoes and cucumbers, and finally the feta. Drizzle with olive oil and your Greek seasoning and you're in business! I made this the day before we served it and it was fine staying in the fridge overnight. I loved the full flavored bites of Greekness you got with each scoop...layered dips make for the perfect bite, you get some of each ingredient in each mouthful! <br />
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Perfect for a party...but don't judge me when I say I could sit down and eat this for a meal. It's very filling, and I am a dip girl, you know. Hummus and Greek yogurt both contain a good amount of protein so it will keep you satisfied like a meal would, not like a normal dip. So you don't have to feel like a heathen for ruining your dindin with this stuff...but I'm not admitting to anything. Happy Friday, all! <br />
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AbbyLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14092590608153358942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822515433453645732.post-71901414871513777242013-04-17T09:09:00.000-07:002013-04-17T09:09:49.417-07:00Pepperoncini salami rolls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Easter apps, ya'll! I have a quick and painless humpday recipe for you. And when I say quick and painless, I mean you won't find a more mindless recipe to assemble. Ever. In your life. Pinky swear. Here's what you need:</div>
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salami</div>
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pepperoncinis</div>
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cream cheese (I used fat free)</div>
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Boomsauce. That's it. Oh, I guess you need toothpicks too, but that doesn't count as an ingredient unless you eat them. Don't eat them, please. Not sure on my liability level if you do...but I told you not to so it's on you now. Although I did eat <a href="http://www.justaddasliceoflove.blogspot.com/2012/05/flank-steak-with-chimichurri-sauce.html">the tine off a plastic fork</a> once without knowing it, and never had an issue afterwards, so maybe you would be fine? Either way, let's not. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuboewdGq6zPRhoMzq51_zQrEg9KlcEOEne-SKjrLJQlDn-VHhyXAcdhQDj3vPB_LPpvad4lcxVW-7GKgFDAsN9iqucSWdBhtcpLtOL-k1R3I1T_ZoG-bsXP7AOttJmlgqvy5HZpTscmg6/s1600/april+025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuboewdGq6zPRhoMzq51_zQrEg9KlcEOEne-SKjrLJQlDn-VHhyXAcdhQDj3vPB_LPpvad4lcxVW-7GKgFDAsN9iqucSWdBhtcpLtOL-k1R3I1T_ZoG-bsXP7AOttJmlgqvy5HZpTscmg6/s400/april+025.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Assembly line time! Lay out slices of salami, dollop some cream cheese on top, and throw on a pepperoncini. Fold in half and stick a toothpick in them, they're done! There weren't many left of these after the Easter nibbling, so I'm thinking they were a crowd fave. I had quite a few fly-bys, I'll admit. A little zing, a lot of flavor, and served on a toothpick. Can't beat 'em!<br />
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AbbyLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14092590608153358942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822515433453645732.post-63791067376265336852013-04-16T08:40:00.002-07:002013-04-17T12:18:00.126-07:00BostonToday I am not a home cook. I'm not a wife. I'm not a daughter or sister. I'm not a cousin. I'm not a business manager. I'm a runner today. I'm a runner every day, even if I don't actually run every day. I've run toward the finish line of half marathons, 10ks, 8ks, and 5ks...and each of them take a little something different out of you. Each of them offer their very own obstacles and challenges to your psyche. Each of them leaves you with a sense of accomplishment and an inner high five to yourself for pulling yourself through it. Each and every one of them leaves you with hope that your next one will be even better, the knowledge that you can continue to make yourself excel even more, and the glee that this one is under your belt and no one can take that away from you....except yesterday's Boston marathon. That run was taken from them. Those runners, volunteers, and spectators are/were wives, husbands, sisters, brothers, daughters, sons, mothers, fathers, and cousins. They are you. They are me. <br />
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The feeling of coming into the finish line of a marathon with one of the biggest natural highs in life guiding your feet, immediately followed by witnessing, or physically feeling, the devastation of the explosions yesterday has to be mind numbing. The idea that these athletes put so much time, money, effort, sweat, and love into training their bodies to perform such a feat as to even qualify to participate in the Boston marathon only to have those very bodies torn apart violently at the pinnacle of their accomplishment is too hard to even fathom. It's ironic in a horribly sick way. And we don't even know who to blame....<br />
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I'm SO ANGRY!! I'm angry that whoever perpetrated this act would have so little regard for human life that they purposefully put shrapnel in the bombs in order to injure as many people as possible. I'm so angry that it is now a hard decision to want to attend a large event such as the Superbowl, the Indy 500, Mardi Gras, or the Boston Marathon....because being in a large crowd makes you a target. I'm angry that our children can't even cheer on athletes and look up to them on the sidelines, maybe dreaming about becoming a runner when they grow up, without being hurt or even killed for no reason. But I'm not scared...<br />
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I'm not going to allow the terror the people responsible want to inflict on us all to effect my life. I'm not going to paralyze myself with fear as they would like us to do. I watched yesterday as people ran <em>toward</em> the blasts to help other strangers, rather than <em>away </em>from the blasts to safety for themselves. People are inherently good. The majority of us will do what it takes when faced with adversity, and evil. There is pure evil in the world. But good will always prevail. You can blow us up or you can shoot us down....but we will stand united against you afterwards. And those of us who can't...their memories will live on and power the rest of us through the finish line.<br />
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I am running the Glow Run 5k this Saturday in Des Moines with my husband and mother-in-law, along with 12,000 other registered runners. I will be wearing this bib I pulled from <a href="http://www.runjunkees.com/">RunJunkees</a> for their virtual event to honor the victims. It's my symbol of solidarity with all other runners. It's my memorial to the fallen and injured runners, spectators, and volunteers. It's my middle finger up and waving to whoever orchestrated this disaster. Go to the link, print it off, run with it, and join me in the one finger salute to tell them we're not scared. We will run on. <br />
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AbbyLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14092590608153358942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822515433453645732.post-77617572016201286192013-04-15T10:28:00.000-07:002013-04-15T10:28:05.875-07:00Chicken and pesto stuffed alfredo shells<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
You know how I always tell you when a recipe is bad? I don't want you getting all jacked up about something, drooling over pictures, go to the store to get ingredients, spend time cooking, and then go into a deep depression because it flopped. That wouldn't be good for any of us, now would it? Well, I'm here to tell you today that this recipe does NOT suck and you should most definitely make this...soon. I feel I should be just as forceful with my "do make this" recommendations as I am with my "don't make this" advice. So here it is: make this, and make this soon. Main Man will vouch, and he'll vouch hard. He's a man of few words around good food, but what I could get from his mumbles between mouthfuls was all good. He actually asked me to make this again. That doesn't happen too often in a bloggers house...I have to keep the recipes a comin' you know. He knows a repeat dinner is a seldom occurrence, so he must really have liked this. </div>
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And guess what! You'll never guess. It has pesto in it...and he loved it!! My work here is done. I've finally broken him. I've continually tried to sneak it into his diet before with some of my favorites, <a href="http://www.justaddasliceoflove.blogspot.com/2013/03/pesto-shrimp-and-gnocchi.html">pesto shrimp gnocchi</a> being my most recent try. It didn't work. So you have no idea how excited I was that he loved this dish so much...especially since I just threw it together with stuff I had in the house. I think the turkey pepperoni was a big part of the success...gave it a little extra oomph in the flava flav department. This meal would be great for kids and husbands alike...give it a shot!</div>
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1 container of pesto</div>
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1 container of fat free cream cheese</div>
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1/2 package turkey pepperoni, snipped into small pieces</div>
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2 large chicken breasts, baked and shredded</div>
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1 t crushed red pepper</div>
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1 t italian seasoning</div>
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16 large pasta shells, boiled, drained, and cooled</div>
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1 jar light alfredo sauce (I used Classico)</div>
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I like the Buitoni brand but you can buy whatever kind you like. You can also make it yourself like I do in the Summer months when I have a full basil plant giving me love on the deck. Click the link above for the gnocchi recipe to get the directions on how to make your own pesto. It's a staple in the warmer months...and so easy!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHh6GgrE4UjKX2khRzN7IoI8y2pe882vrHC5anNXM7Bpzhu9cJG90X0drAo2Md22cqpL4tk2IBXylxX7JNN80O9lj8qEyssDjHS2HQ0ty8SSrR2mD5E3-35zE7KSPn9bCO_oslsycmHDWs/s1600/176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHh6GgrE4UjKX2khRzN7IoI8y2pe882vrHC5anNXM7Bpzhu9cJG90X0drAo2Md22cqpL4tk2IBXylxX7JNN80O9lj8qEyssDjHS2HQ0ty8SSrR2mD5E3-35zE7KSPn9bCO_oslsycmHDWs/s400/176.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Turkey pepperoni is the bomb dizzy...no grease, not much fat or cals, and awesome peppy taste. Try it if you haven't yet, our household is fully converted. <br />
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Mix all your ingredients up thoroughly (besides the shells and the alfredo sauce) and stuff your shells with the mixture. <br />
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Lay your stuffed masterpieces in a greased baking dish and cover with alfredo sauce when all are finished. I topped with some extra hits of italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, and fresh black pepper. Cover with tin foil and throw in the oven at 425 degrees for 30 minutes or until warmed through. Or put it in the fridge and throw it in for dinner for a quick weeknight pasta fix like I did. </div>
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These were sooooo rich and creamy...they just tasted decadent. There's no other way to put it. I hope you get to put some in your mouth soon so we can talk about it. </div>
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I'm starting the week off pretty well in my book...got all my meals made for the week yesterday all my evenings are open to hit the gym and get other household fun done while dinner cooks each night. That's the "I win" card right there. Happy Monday, all!<br />
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AbbyLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14092590608153358942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822515433453645732.post-57168187055710897932013-04-12T13:13:00.002-07:002013-04-12T13:15:45.585-07:00Balsamic roasted cod<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Looks like we're on a bit of a seafood kick this week, huh? I promise, it's not all we eat...although I do try to throw down something that swims a couple times a week. Why not? It's healthy, we both love it, and it's usually pretty easy! Like this one...it caught my eye immediately for meeting my 5 ingredients or less requirement (not counting the olive oil and balsamic because I always have those on hand). </div>
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Can we talk about these scissors before I go all crazytown? These were supposed to really make my life easier...herb cutters to snip herbs (and green onions in this case) into perfectly sized morsels to deliver their flavor to any amazing dish just as they should. Except all the perfectly sized morsels get stuck in the scissors and I'm sticking knives in to release them rather than continuing on with my wonderous meal. I hate kitchen gadgets that don't work....BAH!! Also tried using them to do the bacon. Not a good plan. Anyway, if you get the notion, do not jump at the chance to purchase these shears when you stumble across them on Pinterest. K, thanks...</div>
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Now let's talk about something happy. Like oil and vinegar. What could be happier than that? I would drink the stuff if it was socially acceptable and diet approved. Alas, I'll settle for cooking with it and dunking the occasional loaf of crusty bread that falls in my lap into a mixture of it. This stuff was purchased on our Galena, IL trip recently and I will most certainly be ordering more from <a href="http://www.galenagarlic.com/">their website</a> when I begin to even imagine I'm running low. Pomegranite balsamic, whaaaaaaa? Oh, I picked up some jalapeno balsamic that was just as whaaaaaaaa as well. You want yoself some. </div>
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OK, now that I've gone and told you what to buy and what not to buy like a good bossy blogger...let's get started with this simple but elegant fishy fish dindin. Here's what you need:<br />
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Two 5 oz cod fillets<br />
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions (I used green onions as you can see above)<br />
2 slices reduced fat bacon or turkey bacon, snipped into tiny pieces<br />
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved<br />
2 t balsamic vinegar<br />
2 t olive oil<br />
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Grease your baking dish and throw your fishies in there. Pile high with all the other ingredients before baking at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes (or until fish flakes with a fork). <br />
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Boomsauce. Awesometown. Yummynation. You get it...<br />
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I served with a side of steamed asparagus with salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese topping it, per usual in our household. Asparagus is in season now so instead of it being $3.99 per bundle it runs your more like $1.99 per bundle. I'm always down for a discount :) We could eat asparagus till the cows come home...not that we really have cows. Although Main Man would have cows if I would let him. He also wants chickens. Horrible little creatures, chickens are. His most recent plan involves growing grapes to sell to wineries. He woke up from a nap with this idea and did some online research. We'll see if it comes to fruition (doubtful), but I do love his creative investment ideas, especially when they center around wine grapes. I hope your weekend brings you some great nap ideas as well...happy Friday, all!<br />
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AbbyLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14092590608153358942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822515433453645732.post-52250867840577540722013-04-10T10:30:00.003-07:002013-04-10T10:34:14.910-07:00Shrimp stir fry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Stir fry is one of the easiest ways to get yoself a ton of veggies and protein in a decently low calorie meal that tastes like fat kid food. I'm not sure why? Maybe because takeout is usually so greasy, it seems like the fakeout stuff should be bad for you as well? Either way...I love to throw a bunch of stuff in a pan and cover it with this sauce:</div>
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I've tried a lot of sauces, and this one is only 20 calories per 2 tablespoons and has (by far) the best flavor with a little kick in the pants to boot...and you know how I like my pants kicked. I should really watch my statements like that if I don't want to get a boot to the tush in the grocery store or something. Although that would be a pretty funny story, wouldn't it?! If you can't tell, the ho hum 'tude I had yesterday has been obliterated and we are in full force of a great week in my world. And let's be honest, my world is all that matters here!</div>
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Another great find that makes your life easier than a finger snap is these little packages of Uncle Ben's Ready Rice. I love the Whole Grain or the Long Grain and Wild but there are also Asian and Mexican variations that are wonderful for different recipes...we went with Whole Grain this time to try to keep this as healthy as possible. </div>
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From here on out, you can freestyle this recipe! Plus you will only dirty one skillet...don't you love solo dish nights? I used 1 pound shrimp that I had cleaned and deveined the night before so they were ready to go, but you could use a couple chicken breasts, or even a flank steak cut into strips if you would like. Whatever takes you to Smiletown. I used:<br />
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1 cup fresh snow peas<br />
2 cans water chestnuts, sliced<br />
1 cup shelled edamame<br />
2 cups fresh mushrooms<br />
1 cup cherry tomatoes<br />
1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined<br />
2 cups chopped kale<br />
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Spray your largest skillet or wok with non-fat cooking spray and add all your veggies to begin cooking. Stir continuously for 5 minutes and add shrimp. Stir continuously for 5 minutes until shrimp are pink and cooked through. Add 6 T of the Szecuan Spicy Stirfry sauce as well as 2 bags of cooked (90 seconds in the microwave) Uncle Ben's Ready Rice (flavor of your choosing...Teriyaki would be great in this).<br />
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Dish yourself a heaping helping like I did, top with low sodium soy sauce and you've got yourself some skinny kid food that feels like fat kid food. Love when I get to feel indulgent without ruining the day's workout! Oh, and don't be fooled. I'm not cool enough to eat stir fry with chopsticks. I rock them with sushi but this stuff was shoveled in by the forkful...<br />
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I have this recipe figured at 300 calories per cup basing the portions off my My Fitness Pal account. I've been doing well using it to track my intake the last couple weeks. It's a pain sometimes but keeps me very accountable, and is easier to do with the mobile app I have on my phone. How is everyone coming on the <a href="http://www.justaddasliceoflove.blogspot.com/2013_03_01_archive.html">Tuff Butt April challenge?</a> I fell a little behind this weekend and had to finish days 7 and 9 before I allowed myself to blog for you guys...luckily day 8 was a rest day or I would've been in big trouble! That means I have to throw down days 10 and 11 tomorrow and I'll be all caught up...which may be tough with kickboxing tonight and a quick turnaround to morning power sculpt hot yoga so I can have dinner with a friends and her little ladies tomorrow night. I'll let you know if I can walk to my car after work to get to said dinner....<br />
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AbbyLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14092590608153358942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822515433453645732.post-36290855497104025182013-04-09T10:21:00.001-07:002013-04-09T10:21:15.550-07:00Marinated tuna steaks with cucumber sauce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
You know how some days you're just not in the mood for life? Like if I could've pulled the covers over my head and made the world disappear this morning, it would've happened instantly. Not sure why...the rain on the roof makes it exceptionally hard to get out of bed, but besides that it's just a normal Tuesday. That I would like to skip. Usually a good workout will cure that, so I'm hoping the Kosama plyo day will take care of it for me this evening. Although, by that time the day is almost over anyway so it's a moot point. My only real cure for a day like this is to smile. Try it. If you make your face smile and make yourself look like a goon for no reason, your mood has no choice but to improve. I've told my mom this before....and it works. I'm doing it now and it makes me giggle. Something about the muscles activated to form a smile being directly connected to your mood elevation...either way, I'm telling you, it works. All better...now we can get to the fun stuff.</div>
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I've been loving me some seafood lately. It always sounds good, and I know it's good for me, so it usually wins the debate when we're talking about what we want for dinner the following week. Yeah, we discuss our menu on the weekend so I can get to the store and do prep work beforehand...then it's smooth sailing through the week with no one getting stressed about what's for dinner. It's poifect. This was a great one to start the week with, as I could marinate the tuna steaks, thaw the <a href="http://justaddasliceoflove.blogspot.com/2011/08/frozen-sweet-corn.html">sweet corn</a>, and have the cucumber sauce made...so the only thing needed to do was start the grill! </div>
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If you've never had tuna steak before, you better hop on this train. It's so dense, like a steak. But so light, like fish. Great taste and very lean too. You know what that means? Nom. Nom. </div>
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For the tuna:</div>
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3 T lime juice</div>
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2 T chopped cilantro</div>
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1 clove garlic</div>
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1/4 t salt</div>
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1 lb tuna steaks</div>
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For the sauce:</div>
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1/2 cup chopped cucumber</div>
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1/4 cup greek yogurt</div>
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2 T fresh cilantro</div>
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1 T olive oil mayo</div>
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Mix all the tuna ingredients up (besides the tuna) and pour the drizzle over the top to marinate overnight. </div>
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Mix all the sauce ingredients up and refrigerate. <br />
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When ready to cook, heat a grill pan, Griddler, or your outdoor grill to a high heat. Spray with non-fat cooking spray to prevent sticking. Pour the excess marinade on top of the tuna after you add it to the pan. Sear for 3-5 minutes on each side, removing when the tuna is cooked almost through. There should be pink in the middle, but the tuna should flake easily with a fork. Remove from heat, dallop with cucumber sauce, and serve!<br />
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Told ya. You can't get much easier than that for a weeknight meal. And if you can, invite me over for dinner and show me how. I could use the tips. I'm steadily working toward a world where all I have to do is put my fork in my mouth for dinner at night....and I'm getting closer and closer each day :)<br />
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AbbyLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14092590608153358942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822515433453645732.post-59732090567042300002013-04-05T09:31:00.002-07:002013-04-05T09:31:40.857-07:00Crockpot greek chicken<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I always hate to do this to you...you know, end the week on a bad note with a SNAFU. But it can't be helped, and at least this one comes with some good looking photos. I was so happy with the presentation of this dish! I would've whipped out my camera in a restaurant had this been served to me...it looked amazing. Too bad it didn't taste as such. I really thought the premise of the recipe was good, so maybe I just need to do some tweaking. All the flavors went well together, but I couldn't put my finger on what this was missing. It sure was missing something horribly though...bad enough that I made another dinner. That doesn't happen often, but when it does, I report it to you. I had a Facebook friend recently post about his issues with trying recipes from blogs...sometimes they work and sometimes they don't but it's a total letdown when you're pumped to the max about dinner and then it falls flat. I get that people have different tastes, but by this time in our lives we usually know our own tastes. Greek flavor profiles...count me in. Except for this one. Plus, it's cooked in a crockpot. Imagine my excitement!</div>
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1 cup quinoa (I used red which may have been the problem, this was the first time we've tried that and the first time I haven't liked a quinoa dish)</div>
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1 small whole chicken (I used only breasts, I can't imagine that being a problem though)</div>
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1 red onion, diced</div>
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2 cups vegetable broth (I used chicken broth, but routinely swap the two out so it shouldn't have made a difference)</div>
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1/2 cup Greek yogurt</div>
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juice of 1 lemon</div>
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1 T oregano </div>
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1 T basil</div>
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1 T greek seasoning (I added this)</div>
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Place the chicken into the crockpot with a liner in it. Mix all other ingredients besides the quinoa together and pour over the chicken. Cook for 6 hours (I cooked for 3 hours because I chop all crockpot recipe cooking times in half, they ALWAYS burn if you go the full time, the chicken was fully done after 3 hours). Right before serving, cook quinoa on the stovetop according to directions. </div>
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As usual, you add equal parts liquid to the quinoa so one cup of quinoa equals one cup of liquid. You can use water but I always use chicken broth because I feel like it gives more flavor. It may not, but I do it anyway. When the liquid is absorbed the quinoa is done, simple as that. </div>
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Put the quinoa down on a plate and pile it with the shredded chicken with sauce. I even topped the plate with diced cucumber for some crunch, and some crumbled feta just because I love it. No can do, Kemosabe! I wouldn't say this was horrible...I mean, Main Man ate a good part of his. I just wasn't feeling it. </div>
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And when you're that excited to put something this pretty in your mouth...it betta taste good! Any suggestions on what could've gone wrong? The only thing I can think is I should sub normal quinoa to see if that was the problem...but to me, it was a lack of good flavor more than a different flavor from the quinoa. Either way, I chalked this one up to the SNAFU section and made myself a salad that night. At least I don't have the problem of drooling over my post while typing it up today like I have had this week...<br />
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Happy Friday, all!<br />
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AbbyLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14092590608153358942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822515433453645732.post-45159086871930718432013-04-04T10:24:00.001-07:002013-04-04T10:26:06.694-07:00Baked truffle fries<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Dudes. I gotta learn to stop posting before lunch. Especially when posting means looking at drool worthy french fry photos while trying to concentrate on typing and not licking my screen or jetting to the nearest place I can for a fry or twenty. Sidenote: I would hate myself for that. I just finished Day 4 of the <a href="http://www.justaddasliceoflove.blogspot.com/2013/03/tuna-melts.html">Tuff Butt challenge</a> and I do believe this is going to be more challenging than originally anticipated. With two hot yoga power sculpt classes and two intense Kosama classes under my belt this week, these little daily heartrate boosters I've been doing at work are starting to really buuuuuurn. I'm going to a basketball game tonight and am truly hoping I don't topple down the steps in my wedge boots on the way to my seat. Wouldn't that be fun...</div>
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Anywho...back to the french fry porn. These actually aren't as bad for you as you would think, because they're not fried. Baking fries is the way to go, my calorie conscious friendies. Potatoes get a bad rap, beings carby and starchy and all, but contrary to popular belief in the last few years, taters are NOT the enemy
(they've gotten an undeservedly bad rap)...even the white ones. Yes, they are a
starch, but they are a good, healthy starch chuck full of good for your health
vitamins and minerals and are naturally low in calories for all the bulk and
fiber they provide (especially if you eat the skins)... and they fill you up to
boot. Don't feel guilty eating any potato (well, maybe the fried kind); they are
a healthy food! My Aunt Kris, the nurse, told me all that! So let's get this party started...</div>
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2 russet potatoes, sliced into fries</div>
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1-2 T olive oil</div>
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2 t Cookie's flavor enhancer</div>
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2 garlic powder</div>
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A few drops of white truffle oil</div>
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Throw the taters in a large plastic baggie and drizzle your oils and spices all over that shizz. Shut the bag and shake, shake, shake (pause), shake, shake, shake (pause), shake your bootay! Shake your bootay! Yeah! Coat those taters with all the love in that bag...preheat your oven to 450 degrees and bake for 30-40 minutes depending on how crunchtastic you like your fries. I like a crunchy outside and soft inside....</div>
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I had never worked with Truffle oil before this, although I had experienced its flavor in dishes before. Truffle mac and cheese is to die for, and I've had truffle fries in restaurants before as well. I absolutely adore the flavor it brings to those dishes, but from reading about it, realized that it's very strong so there's no need to go overboard with the stuff. I would probably use a little more than I did this time when I make these next, but its better to be safe than over-truffled, I always say. Actually, I never say that, but you don't know that.</div>
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I picked this little bottle up in Galena, IL at a cute little shop (TONS of cute little cooking shops there if you ever get a chance to go) when Main Man and I went to our Murder Mystery dinner weekend a while back. We spent the chilly day walking from shop to shop holding hands and having coffee and buying fun things like truffle oil...pretty much my perfect day date, ever in the world. I was a little aghast at the price of this stuff ($13 for this teeny bottle), but like I said, you don't need much at all so this should last me a very long time. </div>
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Main Man was pretty pumped about these fries. They were the talk of the town (errr, maybe just our house) that night. And if you want to try this recipe with the <a href="http://www.justaddasliceoflove.blogspot.com/2013/03/bison-burgers-and-purple-potatoes.html">purple potatoes</a> we learned about a while ago! Don't worry, I plan on it :)<br />
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AbbyLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14092590608153358942noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822515433453645732.post-36180297638711260312013-04-03T11:22:00.000-07:002013-04-03T14:42:22.054-07:00New Orleans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Welcome to Nawlins, a.k.a. The Big Easy, a.k.a. NOLA!! Can I tell you how long I've wanted to visit this city? I've always been fascinated with the culture, the food, and the romance of this city...and I was not disappointed, my friends. Everything we did on this trip was right up my alley! I could've stayed another week to soak it all in, but I think Main Man was ready to get outta dodge after downing the amount of alcoholic bevvies and fried foods that we ingested. He gets a little excited :) </div>
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We made it to Bourbon Street, the French Market, <a href="http://www.mothersrestaurant.net/">Mother's Restaurant </a> for some of their famous ham, a small bar on the bayou called Bonne Chance that was full of Cajun crawfisherman, The Bayou Beer Garden for a crawfish boil, <a href="http://www.cafedumonde.com/">Cafe Du Monde</a> for their famous beignets, a bar with endless daquiris called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Spunky-Monkey/168830616543682?rf=147302441970544">Spunky Monkey Daquiris</a> in Pierre Part (you may recognize the town from the tv show Swamp People if you're a Louisiana love like we are), and an awesome restaurant called <a href="http://www.coopsplace.net/">Coop's Place</a> for an authentic dinner. </div>
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The purpose of this trip was to celebrate my good friend Manda's 30th birthday party...and boy did we celebrate! We spent a couple nights at her fishing camp (which is right down the bayou from Troy Landry's fishing camp (a name you won't recognize unless you watch the show mentioned above) and then headed into the city for a big crawfish boil one day and a sightseeing, city wandering day to follow. We celebrated our little hearts out, you understand why we needed a few days to recoop when we got home. NOLA is seriously the city that doesn't sleep with no bar closings and the ability to walk around with a drink in hand whenever and wherever you want...it makes for a very good time, and a very harsh reality adjustment when heading home. </div>
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Manda's Main Man, Matt, cooked us up some authentic shrimp and grits the first morning we were there. Wow. That's all I have to say. Although the fully clothed shrimpies with their whiskers and eyeballs bugging out were a tad tough to get over at first (we clean our shrimp before cooking up here in Yankee territory), these buggers were HUGE and we were easily convinced to suck all the juice out of the shells once we tasted it. I had never had grits before this so I was super excited to give them a try, and I was not disappointed. This is not skinny kid food, folks...I don't know how people down there don't weigh 400 lbs! </div>
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He had to cook the shrimp and sauce in a crockpot on the stove because the oven wasn't working...it didn't hurt the flava flav a tiny bit that way. This was in my top 3 meals that we had on our trip! Thanks for taking care of us, Matt!</div>
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Mmmmm, the grits were so good! There was a little heat to the sauce, but the creaminess of the buttery grits was a perfect match. Heaven, I tell you. Pure heaven.<br />
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200 lbs of crawfish right there to start the party off right...they're alive too!<br />
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The setup for the boil. It was fascinating watching them prepare the crawfish...there's definitely some tricks to the trade.<br />
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This little guy was trying to escape!<br />
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Nice rolling boil with that awesome crab boil flavoring in it...<br />
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Flash boil and then remove from heat, they will cook perfectly...I'll have you know that my mouth is watering from this memory!<br />
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How perdy are those!!?? The brussel sprouts especially held the flavor of the spices used when boiling...we nibbled on piles like this all day long. Word of advice: if the tail of the crawfish isn't curled, it means it wasn't alive when it was cooked and won't be as good. <br />
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A debris poboy from Mother's Restaurant...one of their specialties. Debris is the leftover meat drippings in the bottom of the roast beef pan with all the juice. I love me some debris. There is a slaw underneath there that is to die for, and the bread soaked up just enough of that juice that it was soft but not soggy. Perfection.</div>
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Main Man added ham to his...they're famous for their ham, and I see why. He always wins at the ordering lottery. To be fair, Leslie and I had 2.1 seconds to decide because we were across the street grabbing daiquiris for all of us to wait in line...the line moved much faster than expected.<br />
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Had to stop at the Tropical Isle for a Grenade, which is apparent the strongest drink in the history of drinks. I had one and fully understood why it has earned that title!<br />
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This is the only thing I would recommend NOT trying if you hit up Nawlins. Cracklin. From what I can tell, it's literally fried pig fat. No bueno!<br />
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Gator on a stick at the French Market! Talk about my dream city...all kinds of food carts, spices, sauces, and recipes for sale as you walk around sipping on a toddie. I want to be back there!! This gator sausage was so perfectly spiced and yummy....I should've written this post when I got back and was still full. Lesson learned. <br />
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Before we had our own crawfish boil, we stumbled upon a restaurant with a patio for some drinks and realized they were serving crawfish. We figured a private lesson before the big party was in order, and in no time, we were sucking the heads off like Cajuns! Manda is a big proponent of sucking the heads to get all the flavor out before eating the tail meat, but I wasn't so sure that was going to be my approach. I saw inside there and knew what would be going in my mouth. I'm telling you, you have to suck the juice out of the heads! I can't believe I'm saying that...but it's the truth. So much flavor in there! Main Man liked it :)<br />
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Beignets at Cafe Du Monde. This is a must do in NOLA if you ever head there. These are funnel-cakeish, doughnutish, fried sugary treats from the Gods. You want one. <br />
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Walking through the French Market, I had to have the charbroiled oysters. These were ahhhhh-mazing, you guys! I would've gotten another basket of them if Main Man had let me :) He is good at holding me back knowing I wanted to try everything else under the sun too...<br />
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A crabcake to trump all crabcakes. A crabcake to murder all crabcakes. A crabcake to make all other crabcakes not even exist in this universe. That's what this is. <br />
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The last night there we had dinner at Coop's Place, but of course all my camera batteries were dead (you don't take 2 cameras on vacations?) so I didn't get shots of dinner there. It was all phenomenal but Main Man had a seriously amazing pasta that is right up there with the best of the best of New Orleans that we had. It was a crawfish and tasso pasta that was sort of like a cajun alfredo with ham and seafood. Ugh. I would also recommend the redfish that Matt had...it was similarly phenomenal! <br />
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All in all...what did we come back with besides an additional 5 lbs each? An exceptional love for this new to me city, a desire to head back in the very near future to experience even more it has to offer, and an addiction to crawfish that will not be easy to satiate living in land locked Iowa. I said it won't be easy, but it will be possible :) Since it's crawfish season right now, I've done some online searching and come up with 2 crawfish boils in Des Moines in the next couple weeks. You betta baleev we shall be in attendance! We're not quite official coon-asses, but I think we've proven that we're not full Yankees :) Happy birthday, Manda...glad we were able to celebrate with you!<br />
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</span><br />AbbyLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14092590608153358942noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822515433453645732.post-71257854641941061962013-04-01T09:32:00.001-07:002013-04-01T09:33:33.891-07:00Jalapeno cheddar chicken burgers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We meet again, Monday. I'm not really much of a Monday hater, to be honest. I actually enjoy my routine, and as long as I feel I got everything I wanted to done throughout my weekend (groceries, meal planning, laundry, workouts, house cleanup) I feel pretty good about starting a fresh new week. So no Monday gripes round here. I will say that Friday most definitely trumps Monday though, and that will never change. Just like Spring trumps Winter...some things are just the way they are. Ask me how I feel about Fridays in the Spring! </div>
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This weekend was a busy one, but I did manage to get my life in order with a couple big grocery trips to Trader Joe's and Wal-Mart, as well as get a couple great sweat seshes on the books to keep up with my new found motivation on MyFitnessPal. By the way, today is day 1 of <a href="http://www.justaddasliceoflove.blogspot.com/2013/03/tuna-melts.html">Tuff Butt April</a> so I just completed the required lunges, squats, and lunge holds to check today off the list. This first week will be fairly simple and take minimal time, but it shall get challenging soon. Who's joining me??</div>
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As you know, we've been battling Main Man's cholesterol numbers lately and trying to find workarounds for some of his favorite foods. Enter: chicken burgers. They don't necessarily sound all that great when you have a big, juicy burger in mind, but I pinky swear these babies leave you satisfied beyond the normal greasy patty burger world. They weren't tough to throw together either...</div>
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Start with 1 lb ground chicken (you want to go with breast meat or it won't be as lean)</div>
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1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion</div>
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1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro</div>
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2 garlic cloves, minced</div>
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2 t chopped jalapeno</div>
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1 t ground cumin</div>
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1 t paprika</div>
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1/2 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese</div>
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salt and pepper to taste</div>
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hamburger buns</div>
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guacamole</div>
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cheese (I used 2% pepperjack)</div>
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lettuce (I used spinach)</div>
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tomato</div>
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mayo (I used olive oil mayo)</div>
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Add all ingredients in the first group to a large mixing bowl and....mix. Duh! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07tIQ8M3vuXNKgNL_peuqlcU4Ao5GW3fH4v8yPUoPK3tr9NqcxYFW5-M3rEQUuVC0yyuiAsoLOPyWh2MBtZB1wKimfNKziUs6yHK922NDR_rFo_rkKjprWPd-1hyphenhyphen1Zeo2Vf8aV6FOx8wO/s1600/sunday+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07tIQ8M3vuXNKgNL_peuqlcU4Ao5GW3fH4v8yPUoPK3tr9NqcxYFW5-M3rEQUuVC0yyuiAsoLOPyWh2MBtZB1wKimfNKziUs6yHK922NDR_rFo_rkKjprWPd-1hyphenhyphen1Zeo2Vf8aV6FOx8wO/s400/sunday+002.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Patty the burgers out. I did 3 patties because a 1/3 pound burger is plenty for this chicky poo. If you feel the need for 1/4 pounders or 1/2 pounders, feel free to make them as large or small as your appetite calls for. Per usual, I made these on a Sunday afternoon to throw in the fridge for a quick grilled weeknight dinner...and they worked splendidly!</div>
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Throw them on the Griddler or the grill (spray your grill with non fat cooking spray first to avoid stickage) and grill like you would any other burger. Just make sure these are cooked through before eating, rather than rare like you can do bovine burgers. Chicken needs to be cooked, yo. I sliced into mine to make sure it was done, I can't give you cooking times as all grills differ in their temperatures. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4TNAwKIkfqznYP4QP7LNilO5R3XdMmH0Nv5Z2rgcyNhBg27Me-F9Uxbh0WUrVAig6lqPyk1JWNQyNiqHj_yS_sHLo8dGQW10m_1Gk6FUosqA-nGdEG38DsLnuzYUJVCGQZJ4EEPSQFSG/s1600/sunday+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4TNAwKIkfqznYP4QP7LNilO5R3XdMmH0Nv5Z2rgcyNhBg27Me-F9Uxbh0WUrVAig6lqPyk1JWNQyNiqHj_yS_sHLo8dGQW10m_1Gk6FUosqA-nGdEG38DsLnuzYUJVCGQZJ4EEPSQFSG/s400/sunday+015.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I chose a slice of Pepperjack love to melt on top and then added our burgers to their final resting places on a toasted bun layered with spinach and tomato and spread with spicy quacamole and olive oil mayonnaise. To. Die. For. <br />
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Drink in a look at that first bite. These will be a Summer staple at the lake without a doubt! Main Man tested, Main Man approved. <br />
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I have to give a HUGE shoutout to my good friend Brandy, who got engaged this morning on the beach!! Brandy is one of my oldest friends, she used to keep me out of trouble and I used to do her Geometry tests in high school...we're a good match :)<br />
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I know you all thought the "Wedding Schtuff" tag would be forgotten after our recent nuptuals but I'm sure there will be lots more fun projects to share with you in the coming year helping her prepare to become Mrs. Rizer! SO EXCITED!! See what I mean...Mondays can be awesome! :)<br />
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AbbyLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14092590608153358942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822515433453645732.post-36488237039078784802013-03-29T09:46:00.001-07:002013-03-29T09:46:14.898-07:00Tuna melts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Well, my little poopies (isn't that from The Little Mermaid? If it's not, then I apologize)...we made it. It's officially Friday and I couldn't be happier. I'm not sure the week you get back from vacation and are trying to get back in the swing of your routine and get caught up on sleep and everything else that you put off while you were gone actually feels longer than the week before vacation when you're getting everything ready to go and are so excited about packing and leaving....but it sure feels like it to me. I'm happy to have hit the weekend, and pretty proud of myself for not dropping the ball on my workouts this week or last, even with a 5 day hiatus in the middle. I've still gotten my minimum 3 days in per week and am actually going to hit my normal goal of 4 this week! That's a win in my book...and a needed win after the 3,000 calorie daiquiris I consumed on vacation unknowingly until asking about the health facts. Talk about a blow to the gut! Oh well, that's what vacation is for...back on track!</div>
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This was a meal we had before vacation...something easy that I used to prepare a lot when I was in college. Tuna's cheap, ya'll! And it takes literally 5 minutes to throw these together. Quick and cost-friendly? That's a college student's best friend right there...</div>
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This mustard makes the sammy, I'm telling you. It's the only mustard we use in our house, I'm not a yellow mustard fan. But recently I discovered that Woeber's also makes a horseradish mustard (in the cupboard, have yet to try) and a jalapeno mustard (holy eff bombs, that stuff is the ish). So if you haven't tried this brand yet, make like the Easter bunny and hop to it. Moving on...</div>
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2 cans white albacore tuna in water, drained (I like this because it's not oily or ugly and just tastes more fresh than the normal oil in can tuna...costs a little more but it's worth it)</div>
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4 slices wheat bread</div>
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2 slices 2% pepperjack cheese</div>
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1 T mayo (I used to use fat free but now use the olive oil mayo, its great for you even with calories added)</div>
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1 T Woeber's hot and spicy mustard</div>
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cracked pepper to taste</div>
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crushed red pepper to taste</div>
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Chalula hot sauce dashes if you likey...and I do likey</div>
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Mix all but the bread and cheese (obviously) up in a bowl with a fork. Spread the mixture on the bread, split between two sandwiches. </div>
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I used my Griddler to make those perdy grill marks on the bread this time, but before I lived in Griddler ownership, I would broil them in the oven to get the bread toasted and then heat in the microwave for 30 seconds to melt the cheese completely (the broiler WILL burn your bread if you leave it in there too long). Keep an eye on it if you do it that way, these things are known to go from zero to housefire in the span of 30 seconds! The Griddler works perfectly though..worth the investment, friendys. <br />
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These sammies are so versatile! We actually layered some banana pepper slices on them this time. You can go less spicy and add tomato slices too, if that's your bag. Either way, these are always filling and satisfying. Main Man had actually requested them because I hadn't made them for him since we started dating. Surprised he remembered the meals we had that far back, but glad he liked them then too! Served with the standard <a href="http://www.justaddasliceoflove.blogspot.com/2011/05/from-kitchen-of-mrs-mohr.html">szecuan green beans</a> made with our stock of <a href="http://justaddasliceoflove.blogspot.com/2011/09/frozen-green-beans.html">frozen green beans</a> from the garden last summer and everyone was happy, happy, happy! <br />
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In other news...I'm going to try to do an exercise in accountability and have started using MyFitnessPal again in order to knock some of the Winter (and vacation) weight off the scale. If you are a user and want to add me, and comment when I have too many glasses of wine, skip a workout, or throw in a late night popsicle, my username is abbystensland and I will gladly take as many people judging me on as possible! Also, I'm planning to begin April on Sunday with this "Tuff Butt" workout and use it as a boost to my normal routine each day. We'll see how that goes...again with the accountability...ask me if I forget to post about it! And join me if you would like to have a little booty in your swimsuit this summer rather than a daiquiri booty. Come oooooon, it'll be fun! OK, that's a lie, but misery does love company so...perdy please?! Heading out for a lunch run on this gorgeous Spring Friday...ta-ta for now!<br />
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AbbyLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14092590608153358942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822515433453645732.post-6186163427199229322013-03-28T09:22:00.003-07:002013-03-28T09:22:43.380-07:00Spagetti squash So, I guess it's Thursday then! I have to tell you guys...I am just now feeling like myself after that long weekend in The Big Easy. I've been just exhausted, full of chigger bites, nursing a bit of a food/travel hangover, and just plain trying to stay above water this week. It's been rough. Like, wasn't sure if I was going to make it through the week, rough. The trip was ah-mazing though! I have so much to update you on when I get some pictures uploaded...the food down there is insane. And I'm now a crawfish addict. Not a good thing to be when you live in Iowa. <br />
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I think the secret to my recovery was the hot yoga sculpt class I slugged through last night with Leslie and Rachel. It was most certainly not my best showing, I had to stop and breathe for a while a couple times, but I feel like a whole new person today. Sweating all those toxins out was exactly what my body needed, and I can now focus on life after vacation and getting back into a routine. Looking forward to some laid back family time this weekend with my fam coming to visit, as well as Easter service with the MIL, and finally the Jamison get together (another sure food hangover coming my way on Sunday). A few DIY projects around the house and some yoga to round it out and I'm pretty stoked for the coming weekend! <br />
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Main Man and I have been needing a break from heavy food after vaca, so we've been eating pretty well since we got back. You know you need it when your body is just craving veggies! Well, Rachel (soon to be Mrs. Schwery in October) shared a pic of her spagetti squash experiment on Facebook the other day and offered to bring me some to try since her future hubs didn't like it. I've been wanting to give it a shot, but have been scared to try...you don't wanna mess with a classic like spagetti, right? Wrong. I'm glad I'm not the person who turns down food, because I tried the container she gave me last night and it was unreal! I loved the slight sweetness the squash gives the dish compared to normal pasta. It's got a little crunch to it that you don't get with pasta, but it's a fresh crunch, and not too pronounced. AND you can eat a pile of it if you want..it's just veggies after all! Best part about it...Main Man loved it too, and gave me full permission to sub it for some other pastas (I've heard lasagna with squash is all the rage). Get ready for the newest substitution on the blog...move over cauliflower for potatoes! Spagetti squash pasta is going to be making the rounds soon...keep your eyes peeled. <br />
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The instructions were super simple too...can't beat that with a stick. Just grab your favorite pasta sauce and a spagetti squash and you're all set!<br />
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Cut the spagetti squash in half, then core it. Spray with Pam and lay it flat side down on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Let cool and then use a fork to flake the squash out, it looks exactly like spagetti noodles! <br />
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I shall now go heat up the leftovers for lunch...thanks a ton for the new addiction, Mrs. Soon to be Schwery!<br />
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AbbyLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14092590608153358942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822515433453645732.post-66576336888084644882013-03-20T10:09:00.003-07:002013-03-20T10:13:57.338-07:00Tomato and feta stuffed chicken<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Meal planning 101: Do everything that is possible to do ahead of time, ahead of time. Some people may say its not worth it to them to spend an afternoon shucking, cooking, bagging, and freezing sweet corn once a year so they have a whole year's supply of the stuff at their finger tips to thaw and gobble on any time they so choose. I would wholeheartedly disagree.</div>
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Making my <a href="http://justaddasliceoflove.blogspot.com/2011/08/frozen-sweet-corn.html">sweet corn</a> and <a href="http://justaddasliceoflove.blogspot.com/2011/09/frozen-green-beans.html">green beans</a> each year seriously saves me more time and dollar signs than you would imagine in grocery shopping, cooking, and preparation each week. It's all about the little things, folks...</div>
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Making a dinner so husband friendly that he can literally take it from fridge to stove, is one of the best things in life. Nothing like walking in the door and having dinner almost ready to be served, with no effort from either of you that day. I usually make a few things on Sunday, get the cleanup out of the way, and the rest of the week I have to spend no time or energy on anything but throwing the plates in the dishwasher after dinner. More quality time, less annoying housework during the week, and yummy dinners in no time...how can anyone be mad at that?</div>
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I'm always looking for new ways to prepare chicken, as it can get pretty boring but is one of the great lean proteins we try to eat often in our hiz-ouse. I love me some feta cheese, and I thought the half can of fire roasted tomatoes would mix well with it. Mix all that up with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste and load up your dual chicken boobs. I know...I'm well aware that my infantile obsession with the word boob over breast should've stopped when I turned 30, but age is just a number, my friends! I bought thinly sliced chicken breasts so I didn't even have to pound them out, but you could butterfly them or pound them if you need them to be larger to fit more stuffing. </div>
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Roll them up and secure with a few toothpicks so your insides stay inside. Make sure to remember how many you use for each one, they're not fun to accidentally get in the side cheek. I always use 3 toothpicks for everything so I always know how many I'm hunting for when I eat...makes life easy like that. Sprinkle the boobs (I know, I went there again) with italian seasoning, basil, oregano, or whatever similar spices you have on hand at the momento. Grease a baking dish and put them inside, cover and throw them in the fridge until it's time for their burning death. I guess they're already dead, and it's not fun to think of eating dead things, so just forget that last part. <br />
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Grab a bag of sweet corn out of the freezer and place it in the fridge to thaw. When you are your Main Man or your kiddos are ready to start dinner...preheat the oven to 400 degrees and throw the chicken dish in for 30-40 minutes or until cooked through (no pink, my peeps). Empty the bag of corn into a small pot and simmer on low to warm. It's already cooked so just needs to be heated...no one like cold corn, do they?</div>
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Serve. Now doesn't that sound like a fun week night? Thar she blows! Dinner in a jif with so little effort, I'm trying to train my cat to do it. The opposable thumbs thing is where we get stuck...but we'll get it. </div>
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This chicken stayed very (ahem, I have to cover my ears to even type this word) <em>moist</em>. Great italian flavor, but I love me a little spice so I added a bit of crushed red pepps to my plate and it was puuuuurfect, just as if the cat had made it. OK, even I'll admit that got weird. The cat didn't really make this. Anyway, that's all for today's lesson. Next time I'll show you my crazy hoarder freezer that helps with meal planning as well...enjoy your hump day in the meantime!<br />
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I should warn you all that I shall be MIA the next few days...until next Tuesday to be exact. Main Man and I are leaving on a jet plane (and having severe anxiety about it) with some friends heading to New Orleans tomorrow for my lady friend's 30th birthday celebration (and crawfish boil). Don't worry...I'll take massive amounts of photos of all the lovely southern food I drown my face in and ruin weeks of working out for this weekend. I'll be very excited to get back and let you know I lived through the plane rides, so look for me next week. I have a very valid (in my mind) fear that I will die in a plane crash at some point in my life, just not sure which plane it will take place on, so I'm hoping it's not this one. If it is, I hope it's on the way home with a happy belly full of crawfish and not on the way there so we have to miss the party. Happy (my Friday) Wednesday, friends!<br />
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AbbyLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14092590608153358942noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822515433453645732.post-38688187944604507432013-03-19T15:06:00.000-07:002013-03-19T18:21:13.580-07:00RapeNot the title you were expecting to see written on a food blog, was it? From time to time, I write about things not involving food, but I've never written about as serious a topic as this. I mean, I wrote about <a href="http://www.justaddasliceoflove.blogspot.com/2012/09/today.html">9/11</a> and had a bloggers day of silence for the children of <a href="http://www.justaddasliceoflove.blogspot.com/2012/12/bloggers-day-of-silence-for-sandy-hook.html">Sandy Hook Elementary</a>, but there's no controversy in that. Everyone stands in agreement that both moments in history were horrific and traumatic for everyone in this country, let alone everyone personally involved. <br />
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I don't write about my political views here, although I am extremely opinionated in that arena. This is a happy place where no arguments on the economy or debates on gun control need to happen....it's a place where I can mindlessly enjoy sharing recipes and stories about mine and Main Man's life together and hope that a couple of you enjoy reading about it...an online, public diary of sorts. But, I have to speak about this now, because I have to express the anger in me that has built so much the past two days that I can barely type. I have to throw my hat into the debate about young people, rape, underage drinking, social media, and the recent conviction of Trent Mays and Ma'lik Richmond (I think everyone should remember these names) for the rape of their 16 year old classmate.<br />
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It needs to be addressed that I'm flabbergasted that there is even a debate on this subject or any slight amount of media or public sympathy for either of these two boys, whether or not they were "good kids", "star athletes", or "promising young men". Any promise you had was out the window long before this act occurred, there was never any real promise in your life when you weren't taught that a human being, male or female, should not be treated like a sack of potatoes or a sex doll. I was very surprised that I hadn't heard the story until recently, so if you're in the dark here, read this overview about the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/18/us/teenagers-found-guilty-in-rape-in-steubenville-ohio.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0">Steubenville rape case</a>. <br />
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I'm not happy that I have to link to <a href="http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/01/inside-anonymous-hacking-file-steubenville-rape-crew/60502/">this article</a> so that you can see the picture of the young girl that was assaulted that night. I went back and forth on whether or not to include it at all because I feel sharing that photo continues to revictimize the young woman over and over. But I need you to feel the wrench in your gut that I felt when I saw that photo. Seeing the picture makes this all the more real. If you really want to attempt to choke back the vomit in your throat right now, watch the video at the bottom of that link to see another football player's reaction to the ongoing attack. If you can believe it, I read transcripts of text messages between the "rape crew" that night that were more vile than that video. Now, try to understand how <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/03/teen-girls-charged-for-allegedly-threatening-steubenville-ohio-rape-victim/">other GIRLS are being charged</a> with harassing and threatening bodily harm to the victim (like she hasn't lived through enough) on social media because they are upset about the outcome of the case. If you can explain all that away by their age and immaturity, how about the supposed coverups from football coaches and other adults in the community? And if you think this is simply limited to a small town's moral degeneration, please tell me how you wrap your head around <a href="http://www.upworthy.com/cnn-pays-touching-tribute-to-the-rapists-who-attacked-a-16-year-old-girl?c=ufb1&g=2">CNN's coverage</a> of the verdict on Sunday. <br />
<br />
<strong>What's going on here?!!? </strong>Am I living in the twilight zone this week? I cannot fathom how young men, who should obviously know better, could treat another human being like that when they most certainly have women in their lives that they themselves love...a sister, a mother, a girlfriend. I can't figure out how young women will attack an already victimized and terrorized girl who is trying to stand up for herself, as well as THEIR right not to be treated like a sex toy. And for the life of me, the most asinine of it all, is how the adults in Steubenville, in the media, and all over this country aren't forming a lynch mob against these boys instead of having conversations about how drunk the girl was, if she liked and was flirting with one of the boys who did this to her, and the definition of rape. <br />
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Rape is the only crime these "promising young athletes" could've committed and still be getting this kind of sympathy. If they had mugged a man dressed in nice clothes, no one would be saying the victim was asking for it because they dressed too nicely. If they had been taking performance enhancing drugs, no one would have said they were just "star athletes being star athletes". Why is the focus on the potential these boys had instead of the trauma they imparted on their victim? The only potential I see is the potential to be a college athlete rapist over a high school athlete rapist. Would the attitude toward women or human life have changed in the next year or two when they are at school unsupervised with people's daughters who are learning to live on their own?<br />
<br />
Why is it that rape is the only crime that gets turned around on the victim? Why is it that this girl deserved to be penetrated by them without even <em>knowing</em> it, because she chose to drink that night? I do understand that underage drinking is a crime, but if you can put that level of crime on the same playing field as the crime of rape, then there's no reason for me to argue any of this with you. If having an alcoholic bevvy equals consent, I don't know one female who isn't down for rape. By the way, it's still unclear whether she was drugged or not, but in my estimation, there's no question that a person who was that unresponsive so abruptly had some sort of foreign substance besides alcohol in their system. <br />
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This brings me to my point. I'm petrified. Terrified. Utterly trembling with anger and fear that I hope to bring children into this world someday. <em>This </em>world. A world where a girl can be put on trial for her mistakes but a boy can get off the hook (or get a slap on the wrist in this case, I'm not sure why they weren't charged as adults for a crime like this) for being an animal. A world where people say "boys will be boys", but "If you dress like a slut, expect to get treated like one." A world where the innocence of trying to hang out with a high school crush can be turned into him using your unconcious body as his playtoy without your knowledge or consent. A world where one night out with friends will haunt you for the rest of your life, even if you can't remember it. I could have been her. She could be my daughter someday. <br />
<br />
I cannot fathom what I would want to do to those boys if they had hurt my daughter in that way. I also don't want to imagine the pain I would feel if my son had been involved in something of this nature in any way. There were boys who went to help the girl when they found out what was happening. There were boys that I would be proud to call my son that stood up and said it was wrong...that this was rape. But they didn't call an adult. They didn't call the police. They didn't get her home to her parents. <br />
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I'm not sure how to fix this. Social networking had a large role in the sharing of this girl's torture and the bullying of her since the verdict, but can we really blame the internet for these kids' actions? Can we blame the parents? Can we blame the "athletes can do no wrong" mentality or the victim shaming culture we have in rape situations as a society today? I'm not sure...what I am sure about is that I have full plans to have vivid conversations with my children about occurances such as these when they reach a certain age. Full disclosure about what can happen to my daughter when she's not expecting it, and specific expectations about what my son's responsibilities will be in situations where bad things are happening. Since, as a nation, we don't know how to prevent school shootings and gangbangs it seems, I guess the only way to prepare for the scariest things in life is to have an open dialogue about them. And then cross every finger and toe we have that we've done everything we can to raise a generation of people who won't stand for these things anymore. One kid at at a time. Here's hoping...<br />
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AbbyLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14092590608153358942noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822515433453645732.post-25345760127906215842013-03-18T10:19:00.002-07:002013-03-18T10:34:25.316-07:00Pesto shrimp and gnocchiI'm not sure if I'll ever give up trying to make Main Man like pesto. "Is that the plant-y stuff again?" "Oh, no it's different this time, you'll like it." Aaaaaand he eats a leftover pork chop. There's a lot of things I will gladly give up for my dude, but pesto ain't one that I'm having an easy time parting with. I guess as long as I have a back up for him, I don't even feel bad, so it's really not going to stop. Maybe someday he'll cave?? This was a throw-together meal if there ever was one...I mean I had an idea of what I wanted to do with the ingredients the night before but hadn't really planned it out yet. And it all just came together...<br />
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1/4 cup greek yogurt<br />
1 lb shrimp, cleaned<br />
1 cup cherry tomatoes<br />
3 cups fresh spinach<br />
1 jar pre-made pesto<br />
1 package whole wheat gnocchi<br />
1/4 cup parmesan cheese<br />
1 T crushed red pepper<br />
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Add all that to a skillet and cook. Seriously. I'm not sure what happened at Kosama that night, but it was like a pop quiz...with kettlebells. I haven't been that sore since I first started going, and was juuuuuust famished when I got home! I don't think I had any oxygen getting to my brain yet so I literally just dumped everything into one skillet and stirred for 20 minutes until it was all cooked (shrimp cooked through and pink, gnocchi fork tender, spinach all wilted, and tomatoes busting open with all their lovely juices joining the party). Luckily, I had cleaned the shrimp and had everything all ready to go or I'm not sure what would've happened...scary thought. <br />
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If you want to make your own pesto (which I do in the summer when I've got an endless supply of fresh basil at my fingertips)...here is the recipe I use:<br />
<br />
<br />
1 cup walnuts or pine nuts<br />
Coarse salt and ground pepper <br />
8 cups (4 ounces) lightly packed fresh basil leaves<br />
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2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped</div>
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2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil</div>
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It's Martha Stewert's so it has to be a good thing, right?!</div>
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That's it for today, folks...<br />
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AbbyLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14092590608153358942noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822515433453645732.post-88624585172003053802013-03-13T10:14:00.001-07:002013-03-13T10:17:36.221-07:00Potato thyme crusted codI know there's a few more Fridays to go for Lent season, so if you're looking for a tasty non-heathen meal this week...I've got your back! Have I mentioned that I won the husband jackpot? Oh, I have? And its getting really annoying? OK, I'll stop....after today. <br />
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Picture this: I get home late from Kosama and sit at the kitchen table pounding green bell peppers in hummus to catch my blood sugar up from the recent tuckas-whooping plyometrics day just handed me. I don't feel like standing much to cook, let alone unloading the dishwasher and all that jazz. I must've looked like a hot mess (emphasis on the mess, not the hot) with my hair all sweated back and all the mixins for dinner laying out, but sitting untouched. Main Man walks in, takes one look, and says "What's for dinner? I'll make it tonight." And then the clouds parted and my angel floated in from above (or outside) and made me fish for dinner. The end. <br />
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He just knows when he needs to step in and help a chica out...because usually it takes a lot for me to sit back and watch him cook, and he knows that. Cooking dinner time is my relaxing, end of the day, wind down period that I actually love. Who knows if that will ever wear off...but I do have my days where I would rather go hungry than cook dinner. And I'm thankful that I have a partner who picks up the slack on those rare occasions...sorry, folks, I'm not sharing him!<br />
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All you need:<br />
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*3/4 cup buttermilk (we used skim milk)<br />
2 T grated lemon peel (we used 1 t lemon juice as a substitute)<br />
1 t Dijon mustard<br />
*1 cup instant potato flakes (we used garlic flavored)<br />
1 t dried thyme<br />
*6 cod fillets <br />
*3 T olive oil <br />
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees while you work on the cod. We actually altered the recipe and used 1/3 of some of the amounts called for since we only did two fillets of fish (the items we took down by a third are starred in the recipe above, the rest we left the same as the recipe for 6 fillets called for). In a shallow dish, combine buttermilk, lemon peel, and mustard. In a separate shallow dish combine potato flakes, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Dip fillets into milk mixture and then into potato flakes, pressing to coat completely.<br />
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In a large nonstick skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat until hot. Add fillets and cook 2 minutes per side or until golden, turning only once. </div>
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Transfer to a greased baking dish and bake fillets 10-12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. This was seriously good, people. We're very used to baking fish, but throwing it in with some olive oil beforehand was key. Awesome flava flav in that crust too...and the whole process really didn't take long at all, even if this pile of sweaty gym clothes and hair wasn't too motivated to get it started. We had leftover <a href="http://www.justaddasliceoflove.blogspot.com/2012/03/twice-baked-cauliflower.html">twice baked cauliflower</a>, which is a favorite in our joint, to serve as a ready made side dish...and all was right with the world. A little couch time with the hubs after dinner and I was ready to hit the gym and the kitchen the next day...<br />
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This recipe was one I found on <a href="https://www.hy-vee.com/meal-solutions/">Hy-Vee's website</a> so it had fat stats listed...love when I have this info provided and have quite a few good ones printed to try from them in the future. <br />
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<strong><u>Fat stats (per cod fillet):</u></strong><br />
Calories: 267<br />
Carbs: 6 g<br />
Cholesterol: 59 mg<br />
Fat: 9 g<br />
Protein: 39 g<br />
Saturated fat: 1 g <br />
Sodium: 229 mg<br />
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Apparently Main Man should be having under 200 mg of cholesterol per day to lower his numbers (normal numbered people can have 300 mg per day although the average American male consumes 337 mg per day and average American female takes in 217 mg per day)...so this meal fits just fine with the rest of his daily diet. The olive oil used also contains good fat to raise his HDL numbers. We're learning as we go over here, people...hopefully you are learning from our journey too!<br />
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AbbyLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14092590608153358942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822515433453645732.post-91331036708135137102013-03-12T11:12:00.001-07:002013-03-12T11:15:07.976-07:00Bison burgers and purple potatoes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Remember when I told you about Main Man's <a href="http://www.justaddasliceoflove.blogspot.com/2013/03/chicken-philly-sandwiches.html">cholesterol issues?</a> By the way, if you haven't tried the chicken phillies in that post, you're doing yourself a severe disservice in life. Anyway, his cholesterol problems are not something that's going to go away overnight. We've needed to make some changes in everything, including my dude's love for the bovine genre of the food pyramid...namely, steaks. I've been doing some reading and it seems that bison is an extremely lean alternative to beef, and is even lower in calories and fat than chicken or turkey!! Say whaaaaaat?? The drawback is the price...it's perdy expensive. But I figure, if I can give my guy a beefy tasting burger or steak and have it actually helping his cholesterol numbers rather than hurting them, I'll gladly pay a little more for the extra years on his calendar :) </div>
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I wasn't just going to go buy a half a bison off the bat though...we gotta ease into this stuff. So we grabbed some bison burgers at Whole Foods to see if there was a distinct taste difference or not and we were very pleasantly surprised. Some people said bison has a "gamey" taste to it and I would completely disagree...granted, we ate a burger and not a steak, but I could barely taste a difference besides less grease. My next step is to order some more cuts to try for the upcoming grilling season, so I'll let you know how all that goes too. For now though, I just wanted to pass on the benefits of bison vs. beef as it was something that I had never known existed as a substitute before a little research...</div>
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NUTRITION</div>
<table align="center" border="1" bordercolor="#dbdbdb" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 400px;"><tbody>
<tr><td width="92"></td><td align="center" class="text12blk_bold" valign="middle" width="53"><div align="center" class="text12blk">
Fat<br />
(grams ) </div>
</td><td align="center" class="text12blk_bold" valign="middle" width="53"><div align="center" class="text12blk">
Calories<br />
(kcal)</div>
</td><td align="center" class="text12blk_bold" valign="middle" width="71"><div align="center">
Cholesterol<br />
(mg)</div>
</td><td align="center" class="text12blk_bold" valign="middle" width="44"><div align="center">
Iron<br />
(mg)</div>
</td><td align="center" class="text12blk_bold" valign="middle" width="73"><div align="center">
Vitamin B12<br />
(mcg)</div>
</td></tr>
<tr valign="middle"><td align="left" height="30"><div align="left" class="text14blk">
Bison</div>
</td><td align="center" class="text14blk"><div align="center">
2.42</div>
</td><td align="center" class="text14blk"><div align="center">
143</div>
</td><td align="center" class="text14blk"><div align="center">
82</div>
</td><td align="center" class="text14blk"><div align="center">
3.42</div>
</td><td align="center" class="text14blk"><div align="center">
2.86</div>
</td></tr>
<tr valign="middle"><td align="left" class="text14blk" height="30"><div align="left">
Beef <span class="text12blk">(choice)</span></div>
</td><td align="center" class="text14blk"><div align="center">
10.15</div>
</td><td align="center" class="text14blk"><div align="center">
219</div>
</td><td align="center" class="text14blk"><div align="center">
86</div>
</td><td align="center" class="text14blk"><div align="center">
2.99</div>
</td><td align="center" class="text14blk"><div align="center">
2.65</div>
</td></tr>
<tr valign="middle"><td align="left" class="text14blk" height="30"><div align="left">
Beef<span class="text12blk"> (select) </span></div>
</td><td align="center" class="text14blk"><div align="center">
8.09</div>
</td><td align="center" class="text14blk"><div align="center">
201</div>
</td><td align="center" class="text14blk"><div align="center">
86</div>
</td><td align="center" class="text14blk"><div align="center">
2.99</div>
</td><td align="center" class="text14blk"><div align="center">
2.64</div>
</td></tr>
<tr valign="middle"><td align="left" class="text14blk" height="30"><div align="left">
Pork</div>
</td><td align="center" class="text14blk"><div align="center">
9.66</div>
</td><td align="center" class="text14blk"><div align="center">
212</div>
</td><td align="center" class="text14blk"><div align="center">
86</div>
</td><td align="center" class="text14blk"><div align="center">
1.1</div>
</td><td align="center" class="text14blk"><div align="center">
0.75</div>
</td></tr>
<tr valign="middle"><td align="left" class="text14blk" height="35"><div align="left">
Chicken<br />
<span class="text12blk">(skinless)</span></div>
</td><td align="center" class="text14blk"><div align="center">
7.41</div>
</td><td align="center" class="text14blk"><div align="center">
190</div>
</td><td align="center" class="text14blk"><div align="center">
89</div>
</td><td align="center" class="text14blk"><div align="center">
1.21</div>
</td><td align="center" class="text14blk"><div align="center">
0.33</div>
</td></tr>
<tr valign="middle"><td align="left" class="text14blk" height="35">Sockeye Salmon</td><td align="center" class="text14blk">10.97</td><td align="center" class="text14blk">216</td><td align="center" class="text14blk">87</td><td align="center" class="text14blk">0.55</td><td align="center" class="text14blk">5.80</td></tr>
<tr valign="middle"><td align="left" class="text14blk" colspan="6" height="24"><div align="left">
</div>
<div align="center" class="text12blk">
Source: USDA </div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I realize Lance isn't the most popular dude on the playground these days, but I do use the <a href="http://www.livestrong.com/article/372112-buffalo-meat-versus-beef-nutrition/">Livestrong site</a> alot for calorie estimations, etc...head over there if you want a little more detail on the differences between beef and bison. </div>
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Now about those purple things on the plate there...yes, those are taters. Purple taters. Purple taters that lower your blood pressure. Yes, sirree. I've been trying to read about substitutions for other things as well...starches being one important one. Whole wheat is recommended for all breads and pastas when you have high cholesterol, but there's no such thing as a wheat potato. At least not yet, but it's only 2013. It turns out though, that these little gems can actually <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/id/44345789/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/">lower your blood pressure.</a> Plus, they taste mighty nice when they're tossed in a little olive oil, fresh cracked salt and pepper, and rosemary and then roasted till you can stick a fork through them. Rosemary is to potatoes what mac is to cheese. One of those couples that is just meant to be together. That marriage will last, folks. Just like mine and Main Man's :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpaYMGnPIZuf3F-cQVtvlBRuvnt1opdChsND_2vzZzY8AX0UwF256T7kfte3azkPOB_EEhw9nwUMzyWunsW_bB-xM9UmeQJ9xLFFnpHdRgqxJM0QvQctGxkVetpl8s882bzzB4m8DE1B-O/s1600/march+food+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpaYMGnPIZuf3F-cQVtvlBRuvnt1opdChsND_2vzZzY8AX0UwF256T7kfte3azkPOB_EEhw9nwUMzyWunsW_bB-xM9UmeQJ9xLFFnpHdRgqxJM0QvQctGxkVetpl8s882bzzB4m8DE1B-O/s400/march+food+003.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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So all in all, what tasted and looked like a super hearty cheat meal actually turned out to be a cheating skinnier version of a hearty not really cheating meal. Get it? Then go get it. Your meat and tater loving husband will thank you! Maybe he'll even go to hot yoga with you like mine did last weekend?? He's my favorite feller...<br />
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AbbyLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14092590608153358942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822515433453645732.post-90119907845677465822013-03-11T11:58:00.000-07:002013-03-11T12:13:41.441-07:00Graziano tuscan stewI feel turrible (my favorite Charles Barkley word) about about last week, I really do. Left you with a SNAFU on Thursday, promised this fine mouthful of the best soup I've ever made (according to Main Man) to end the week on, and then I left you hanging allllll weekend. Shame on me. If you're involved in this snow system that's been moving around the midwest all weekend, I would be extra upset at me at this moment...this stuff is the perfect thing to have simmering on your stove all day watching the white stuff fall. I was pretty sure we were done with all this Winter crud with the birds chirping in the mornings last week, and daylight savings time springing ahead on Sunday, but I guess Mother Nature and Old Man Winter wanted another roll in the hay before giving up for the year...<br />
<br />
Looking at these pictures makes my soul do a little hippy dippy dance. This was pretty much a perfect Saturday in my book...yoga in the morning, a light lunch, nice and sunshine-y day outside with a chilly nip in the air, and an afternoon of cooking! If I have time on the weekends, I generally try to prepare our dinners for the week as much as possible so that there is less cook time and clean up during the week. I love the feeling of having a clean house and a full fridge with dinners planned on Sunday night before getting into the weekly grind. I'm type A like that...<br />
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Anyway, I was making a few meals for the following week and noticed I had some graziano in the freezer as well as some veggies in the fridge that weren't slated for digestion in other recipes and probably needed to be used before they were wasted. Soup always comes to mind when I have extra veggies on hand, and why not have some soup simmering while I'm in the kitchen to make my other meals anyhow? I intended to use the noodles that are pictured, but the pot got so full I didn't have room for them...which was sort of a happy accident because the soup was very vegetable-y and lighter than I think it would have been with carbs plopped in it. Here's what you need:<br />
<br />
1 lb Graziano sausage (It's a brand of spicy italian sausage made by <a href="http://www.grazianobrothers.com/">Graziano Brothers</a> in Des Moines, IA if you've never heard of it...Main Man has actually told me if he got propositioned by a Graziano daughter, he would have a hard time not leaving me to join that family...I've got my eye on those girls!!)<br />
1/2 bag baby carrots, chopped (about 1.5 cups)<br />
1/2 white onion, diced<br />
1 red bell pepper, diced<br />
3-4 celery stalks, diced (or about 1 cup)<br />
3 green onions, diced<br />
4 cloves garlic, minced<br />
1 T crushed red pepper<br />
1 T dried basil<br />
8 oz spinach leaves<br />
1 (15.8 oz) can mushrooms, drained<br />
1 (15.8 oz) can great northern beans (canneloni beans would work as well), drained<br />
1 (46 oz) can tomato juice<br />
1 (48 oz) container chicken broth<br />
1 (15.8 oz) can fire roasted tomatoes, with juice<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
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Obviously, you start with dicing all your veggies up. I had the Graziano sausage and minced garlic browning in a skillet as I chopped. On another burner, I had a large pot that I added the chicken broth and the tomato juice to in order to bring it to a boil while I was chopping. When the liquid is boiling, add all the chopped veggies and let boil for 5 minutes. Bring the soup down to a simmer and add the cooked sausage and garlic, as well as the spices to the pot. Let simmer covered for anywhere from 1-4 hours, I went about 3 hours with mine. The longer you simmer, the better the flavors will melt together and reach one fabtastic taste profile vs. everything tasting like its individual state. </div>
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Main Man came home from doing some errands and was raving about this stuff! He said it was by far the best soup I've ever made, and it might be in his top 5 of favorite things I've made to date. That's a pretty aggressive assessment for a soup, especially for a meat and taters man like my hubs. The best part is smelling the soup simmering all afternoon though...nothing smells like home more than soup simmering on the stove on a chilly day. Serve with some dippy bread and have yourself a little warm up in this little snowstorm we've got going on...hopefully it's our last!!</div>
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No matter how great a soup is, Main Man and I would take a full week to eat a batch this large, so I always freeze a large portion of it to pull out and simmer on another chilly day. They are dated and labeled, and I'm pretty excited to surprise Main Man one of these coming days with another dose of his new favorite soup with no extra effort at all from me. I win! Happy Monday, all...<br />
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