A Little Hot, A Little Cold May 4, 2012
Posted by cirellih in Food, Health, Lunch.Tags: baby greens, Carrots, Couscous, Peppers, Salad, TGIF, Tomatoes
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I really appreciate my neighborhood. I love that it’s residential with lots of trees, parks and trails nearby. I enjoy the fact that we have a library and shopping center across the street. And I particularly like that the shopping center includes a grocery store.
One of the greatest purchases that I can make in said grocery store is in the produce section. There is a bulk bin of salad greens and baby spinach. I love that I can purchase the perfect amount of flavorful greens for a salad. I don’t always manage to eat a whole head of lettuce before it goes bad, so this is the perfect solution for me.
Recently, I have been on a couscous kick. In salads, I find it particularly delicious to have warm couscous on a bed of cool baby greens. Add in some carrots, peppers, and tomatoes… you’ve got yourself a fantastic salad!
Doesn’t this just scream summer? So refreshing and comforting at the same time. The couscous is garlic and olive oil flavored, so I sprinkled a small amount of olive oil, salt, and pepper over the lettuce for a cohesive flavor.
Happy Friday, everyone!
Summer Time, Summer Time May 3, 2012
Posted by cirellih in Dessert, Dinner, Family, Food.Tags: Bell Pepper, Grilling, Hamburger, Justin's Chocolate Hazlenut Butter, Quinoa Salad, Strawberries, Summer, Terra Blues
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Nothing says summer like 80* days and grilling. Now, I might not be a huge fan of the heat, but I am certainly a fan of the fire.
Chris decided that tonight would be the perfect night to fire up the grill and make some of the ‘Omaha Steak’ burgers that my grandmother gave us for Christmas. They were perfectly cooked and positively delicious!
To go with the burger, Chris popped an orange bell pepper on the grill. I just love the grill marks! I brought home some Terra Blues as a treat… Chris loves them because they are the official snack of JetBlue! I also made a quinoa salad, which is absolutely delicious!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 sweet onion
- 1 2/3 cup low sodium vegetable broth or water
- 1 tsp salt (if you want)
- 1 cup tomatoes
- 1 1/4 cup corn
- 2 scallions
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 avocado
Directions:
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add quinoa to onions and continue cooking, stirring constantly, for 3-4 minutes. Add vegetable broth/water and stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt. Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil. Cover pan tightly with lid, turn heat down to low and simmer for 17-20 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is cooked. Transfer cooked quinoa to mixing bowl and chill in refrigerator.
- When quinoa is cool, add remaining tablespoon olive oil, tomatoes, corn, scallions, cilantro, remaining 1/2 tsp salt, and lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Right before serving, scatter avocado chunks over top.
- Enjoy!
The salad is so delicious and cool. The lime juice gives it a nice freshness. I can definitely see having this in the middle of summer. Absolutely fantastic.
For dessert, I had strawberries dipper in Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter… heavenly!!!
Talk about a summertime treat!
Saturday Successes April 28, 2012
Posted by cirellih in Dinner, Food, Goals, Weight loss, Weight Watchers.Tags: Asparagus, Mussels, Weight Loss
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Sometimes, Saturdays are trying days… usually those come after long weeks where I didn’t track what I ate, when I splurged more than I should have, when I didn’t take as many walks as Oliver would have liked.
Sometimes, however, I have done everything right. Today was one of those days! I stepped onto the scale and found that I had removed 2.6 pounds!!! This is not particularly usual, but it couldn’t have come at a better time. I had a few weeks where I had gained a little weight, so this was exactly what I needed to get right back on track.
To celebrate my success, I treated myself to some mussels!
A whole heaping pile of asparagus on the side… what a treat! It was certainly a good way to a great day! Goodbye pound number 43, you won’t be missed!
Don’t Get in a Flap April 21, 2012
Posted by cirellih in Dinner, Food.Tags: Chicken Wings, Green Beans, Grilling, Jalapeno, Rum Glaze, Summer
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After a long hiatus, Chris and I decided it was time to crack the wings book open again. This time, it fell open to citrus wings with a rum glaze. Pretty fantastic, and certainly summery for this unseasonably warm weather we have been having!
A little spice from a jalapeno, lots of fresh citrus flavor from lemon and lime juice, a little punch from the rum, and some nice sweetness from molasses in the glaze. There were definitely a lot of flavors going on, but they came together nicely.
A healthy side of green beans… and by side I mean half a plate! Done just they way I like them, ie. a little crunchy. What could be better for a fine spring day?
Chili Today, Hot Tamale March 6, 2012
Posted by cirellih in Uncategorized.add a comment
It’s back to chillier weather again. Silly Colorado, please pick a season and stick with it!
The delightful warm weather left as quickly as it came. I’m not sure that March in Colorado can ever be classified as lion or lamb. It hops back and forth between the two daily!
Today I decided that soup should be on the menu. Oliver and I went for a cold, windy walk. We usually go for a three mile loop, but today we had to turn around half way! So ridiculously cold!
When I got home, and my poor fingers had finally thawed, I set to work making Cauliflower and Cheddar Soup. It was definitely the night for it!
Ingredients:
- 1 medium cauliflower, chopped into bite sized pieces
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
- Cayenne Pepper, optional
Directions:
- In a saucepan, sautee the onion in the butter until soft. Add in the garlic, cooking for 30 seconds.
- Add in the cauliflower and cook until it start to brown, approximately 8 minutes.
- Next, add in the 4 cups of chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer until the cauliflower is soft, around 20 minutes.
- Take the soup off the heat and then carefully, in batches, put the soup into a food processor and blend until smooth. Add in the extra one cup of water, or until the soup is the desire thickness.
- Return the soup to the heat and melt in the cheddar cheese. Season with the salt and pepper. Serve with a sprinkle of cayenne pepper if desired, and a side of crusty bread… you can’t miss!
I used promise spread instead of butter to cook the onions, and it came out just fine. However, I then used low fat cheddar cheese, and it didn’t melt evenly throughout the soup. It seemed to sit in the middle in a melty blob. Definitely tasted good, but I would splurge on the regular cheese next time. Maybe that would have solved the melting problem!
Healthy Heath 