Recipes • Page 25 of 25 • Domestic Superhero

Salsa Poached Eggs & Cheese Grits

Published May 29, 2012 by Allyson
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I have posted a couple other recipes involving eggs, so it is probably pretty obvious that we eat a lot of eggs and we love them in our house. I have been digging poached eggs lately, and when I saw this budget friendly recipe for Salsa Poached Eggs on Budget Bytes, I was so excited to try it. But......then I noticed the side she used in the original recipe were grits. I am not a huge fan of grits, although they have grown on me a little bit since living in the south. I actually really didn't like them until I had the most amazing tomato basil cheese grits at Buckhead Diner. They were to die for, and I have been wanting to find a mock recipe for those since (stay tuned for that...). So, I figured that maybe with the sauce and egg that the grits would come together nicely....and my husband loves them, so I knew he would enjoy it regardless.

You might be wondering if this is a breakfast recipe....but I made it for dinner. I think that it could be breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner! It's good for any meal! Also, if you don't like a runny egg then you can definitely cook longer to harden the yolk...probably 12-14 minutes simmering (you can poke it to test).

I modified the recipe a tiny bit, so I will adjust the recipe I post below as well. This turned out really delicious and I will definitely be making it again. Also, the total cost for this recipe was around $4.50, which is crazy cheap. Per serving only $1.13!! It is pretty healthy, and with the grits it is extremely filling. Score!

Salsa Poached Eggs with Cheese Grits — Salsa Poached Eggs & Cheese Grits

Salsa Poached Eggs & Cheese Grits

Ingredients

2 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium vidalia onion chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 14 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes
1 4 oz. can diced green chilies
3 oz. tomato paste
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cumin
pepper to taste
4-5 large eggs
3-4 sliced green onions

Ingredients for Quick Grits

3 cups water
¾ cup quick cooking grits
¾ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup reduced fat extra sharp cheddar cheese shredded

Instructions

1: Heat a large skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Dice the onion and add it to the skillet along with the minced garlic. Cook over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent (5-10 minutes).
2: Once the onions are translucent, add the roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, and diced green chilies. Also stir in ½ cup of water, ¾ teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of cumin. Stir everything together and allow it to come up to a simmer over medium heat.
3: Make four or five indentations in the sauce with the back of a large spoon. Crack an egg into each. Reduce the heat to low, place a lid on top of the skillet and allow the mixture to simmer while you make the grits. It should take about 10 minutes of simmering on low with a lid for the eggs to poach.
4: In a medium pot with a lid, bring 3 cups of water to a boil over high heat. Once it reaches a rolling boil, stir in the ¾ cup of quick cooking grits and ¾ teaspoon salt. Reduce the heat to low, place a lid on the pot, and allow it to cook on the lowest heat setting for 5 minutes. After five minutes it should be thick. Turn off the heat and stir in the butter and then the cheese. Place the lid back on the pot to keep them warm until you're ready to serve.
5: Once the eggs are done cooking, spoon some grits into a bowl and top with an egg and a spoonful or two of the tomato sauce. Add sliced fresh green onions on top.

Recipe Notes

This recipe makes 4 servings and each serving has 7 WW points. Enjoy!

Vertical Garden? Sure, why not?!

Published May 23, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

For the longest time I have wanted to start my own garden. Growing up in Michigan, my dad had a small garden in the backyard. He would grow horseradish, which took over a huge area, zucchini's, onions, and tomatoes (and I might be forgetting some other things). I remember having tomato 'fights' when my cousins would come to visit, and we would all wind up stained with tomato juice.....and my dad would be wondering where all his cherry tomatoes disappeared too...oops! When I lived in California, I was able to help with the family garden which was awesome. It was more of a vegetable garden, and yielded a huge amount of veggies. I remember making batch after batch of delicious zucchini bread and there was still always more to spare. Then I moved to NYC where it is impossible to have a garden, unless you have a penthouse apartment that includes a sprawling rooftop patio. Clearly, I was not living the high life so I was not able to have a garden. However, farmers markets are extremely popular in NYC in the summer/spring, so I was able to get lots of fresh seasonal produce that way.

So now we are in our own house in Georgia, and it seems like we need a garden. I would love to have a huge garden, but our yard does not have the space for that. We have a townhome, and while the yard is plenty big for our liking, it is not big enough for a sprawling garden. However, it just hit me! Instead of building horizontally on the ground, why not build UP, against the fence?!?! Could this be done? I didn't know! I consulted some friends and pinterest and found it is indeed possible. I think I am a little late to the game for this year (it's already in the 80's here, and is just getting hotter by the day), but I do want to start doing a little. I think I will put 'Garden' on my to do list for next winter. I can hopefully build something and then be ready to plant by spring!

Here are some inspiring garden idea's for small spaces:

This seems easy enough to build, and it wouldn't take up much space. If you have a lot of space you could build a larger design or several. Click here for instructions.

garden 2 — DIY Pallet Garden from Apartment Therapy

Recycling pallets are soooo popular right now! DIY Pallet Garden. Click here for instructions from Apartment Therapy.

This is another idea from apartment therapy. I like the look of this, but having a toddler I would worry that somehow it could get knocked over (although it may be unrealistic, I am a mom and I worry!). Click here for instructions.

This looks extremely difficult, but I still like it in terms of inspiration. I guess you would have to contact the London Garden Designers for more information.

I absolutely LOVE this idea!! It would be perfect for herbs or smaller plants!!! I love the colors and it looks really easy with minimal supplies!! Score!! They use these things called 'Hang a Pot', which can be found here! They hold up to 100lbs, so you could even do larger pots!

This is sooo smart and simple! I love this idea and think it may be the big winner for this year!! I am definitely going to take some time to do this easy project in the next week or so. See instructions on the awesome blog, Living Grace.

I will definitely update as we get things put up and planted!

Maps!

Published May 22, 2012 by Allyson
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With decorating the new house, I have been searching the internet trying to find inspiration. One thing we already have that we like a lot, are maps. For the last 5 or 6 years I have had 2 vintage type maps...one of San Francisco, one of New York City. My husband and I both love traveling, and have been many places, so I think it's a cute way to incorporate thoughts and images of our favorite places. I would love to have maps of cities where we have lived....New York, San Francisco, Berkeley, Greenwich, Detroit, Atlanta... I haven't been able to find any good ones for Atlanta or Greenwich, CT, so if you see any, let me know!

I really want to do a gallery wall above the new refinished dresser, and there are so many options of what we can feature. I am leaning more and more towards maps and places, over family pictures or something alike. Here are some maps that I am digging right now...

This one is very similar to the SF map I have already, so maybe not...

How do you feel about map art?

Roasted Rosemary Potato Wedges

Published May 21, 2012 by Allyson
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This recipe is from a Weight Watchers recipe book, and it's very simple and easy. The recipe called for pre-packaged potato wedges, but I decided to make them from scratch since I couldn't find those at the store (super easy anyway). I would consider this a 'pantry recipe', because you probably already have all the ingredients in your pantry (maybe not the potatoes, but close enough!).

These potato wedges would be a great side to any meal. They have only 2 WW points per serving (1 cup of wedges), so you can have a generous portion.

Roasted Rosemary Potato Wedges — Sliced Potatoes

Roasted Rosemary Potato Wedges

Ingredients

1 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 tsp. Minced garlic
1.25 lbs of Yukon Gold Potatoes about 3 medium potatoes
1 tsp. Dried rosemary
¾ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
cooking spray

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Cut potatoes into wedges.
3. Combine oil and garlic in a large bowl. Add the potatoes and toss to coat. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and rosemary and toss to coat.
4. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray. Place potatoes on a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes and then flip potatoes. Bake for an addition 5-10 minutes until potatoes are browned and can be forked easily.

Recipe Notes

Makes 4, 1 cup servings. 2 WW points per serving.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 123; Fat 3.6g; Pro. 3.6g; Carb. 18.1g; Fib. 3.7g;
Recipe adapted from Weight Watchers Cookbook.

Spaghetti Hot Dogs...a kid's meal!

Published May 18, 2012 by Allyson
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When I saw this activity/meal on Pinterest I knew I had to try it with the kids I nanny. They love hot dogs and spaghetti, so how could they not like this?!?! I noticed it when it was popping up as a fun Halloween meal (worm spaghetti anyone?!), and that is when we did it first. Now we make this occasionally, and the kids have a lot of fun putting the spaghetti through the hot hot dogs! It's great for little hands because the pieces of hot dog are big enough for them to hold with one hand, and put the spaghetti through with the other. Using thick spaghetti is key, because thinner spaghetti's tend to snap and break, and that gets frustrating for the kids.

What you need....

hot dog 1 — Hot dogs and thick spaghetti (otherwise it breaks when putting it through)

What you do....

hot dog 2 — Break the spaghetti in half (or use it whole!) and cut the hot dogs up

hot dog 3 — Spaghetti through hot dog slices (we like 4 or 5 per hot dog)

How to cook....

hot dog 4 — Drop them in the pot of boiling water, and cook just like you would spaghetti

Time to eat!

hot dog 6 — Could do a side of ketchup or marinara!

Spaghetti Hot Dogs

Ingredients:

Hot dogs

Thick Spaghetti

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil.

2. Slice hot dogs into bit size pieces. Break spaghetti in half.

3. Slide strands of spaghetti through the hot dog slices (we do 4-5 per piece)

4. Put pieces into boiling water. Boil according to package instructions (7-9 minutes), and drain when pasta is finished cooking.

5. Serve with a side of ketchup, marinara, or your child's favorite dipping sauce!

Healthy Chicken & White Bean Chili

Published May 14, 2012 by Allyson
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This recipe comes from the South Beach Diet Cookbook, but does not lack taste! It is the kind of meal you can feel good about eating, and satisfied and full at the same time. The ingredients are minimal, and most you probably already have in your pantry, which makes it inexpensive as well. For a little decadence top with a little reduced fat cheese and reduced fat sour cream (or greek yogurt, which tastes just like sour cream but is packed with protein).

This recipe is super quick, so it's great for a week night meal. I would imagine it would freeze well too, if you wanted to double the recipe and save some for the future. It took about 10 minutes to prep and get cooking, and about 30 minutes overall (but only 10 of hands on time). Also, the original recipe called for turkey, but for some reason stores around here do not carry turkey breast/cutlets outside of November!!! So, chicken it was. You could probably play with the types of beans used as well (navy, black, pinto, kidney..would all be good).

low carb chili 2 — Saute onions and garlic

low carb chili 3 — Put the seasoning on the chicken (kind of reminds me of taco seasoning!)

Healthy Chicken and White Bean Chili — Low Carb Chicken White Bean Chili

Healthy Chicken & White Bean Chili

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion roughly chopped
1 garlic clove minced
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 14 ½–ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Add chicken, chili powder, and cumin; cook, stirring often, until turkey is no longer pink inside, about 5 minutes.
Add beans, tomatoes with juice, and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until flavors blend, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Recipe Notes

4 (1 ¼–cup) servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Start to finish: 30 minutes
Nutritional information
260 calories
5 g total fat (0.5 g sat)
21 g carbohydrate
34 g protein
6 g fiber
500 mg sodium
8 Weight Watchers Points per serving

Recipe from The South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook

A Mother's Day Surprise!

Published May 10, 2012 by Allyson
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The kids I nanny, B&K, wanted to do a paint project yesterday, so I thought it would be fun to make something for their mom, for Mother's Day (hello, it's on Sunday!). First we consulted Pinterest and found some cute inspiration, but we wanted to branch out a little on our own, too. K decided she wanted to 'foot' paint a butterfly and 'hand' paint a sun...a really cute summer day scene. B decided that he wanted to do a couple of flowers with his hands and feet! I love doing finger painting activites, but make sure you keep some towels and paper towels close by because it gets messy (although washable paint is great, we still don't like it covering everything!).

Here are the finished pictures:

Flower Handprint Painting — B's Flower Painting

Butterfly Handprint painting! — K's Butterfly Summer Day!

All you need for this is your imagination, paper to paint on, and finger paints!

Buffalo Blue Mac & Cheese

Published May 9, 2012 by Allyson
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When I lived in New York I came up with the idea to open a restaurant called 'Buffalo'. It would have pretty much every type of delicious food, buffalo style. Unfortunately I wasn't able to ever put my idea into action, but maybe someday. Who doesn't love buffalo style?!?!

Buffalo blue mac and cheese is a decadent meal. I can use several 'd' adjectives to describe this meal; delicious, delightful, decadent, desirable, dynamite, dazzling, daring, domineering, divine...I could go on. Your hot spicy kick with your tangy taste of blue cheese, creamy and delicious blanketing the pasta... amazing. If you are a 'buffalo' lover then this is a recipe for you. If you are a mac and cheese lover, then this recipe is for you. If you are a cheese lover...check. If you are on a diet do not eat this (or do, and just say you didn't!).

Here we go...

Pour into baking dish and add cheese on top

Recipe adapted from The District Domestic

DIY Dresser Refinishing!

Published May 7, 2012 by Allyson
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I am obsessed with Pinterest (if you aren't on it, let me know and I will send you an invite!), and you can find anything and everything on that website. I love it because I can put my ideas somewhere and be somewhat organized about it. I am also a very visual person, and for me when I see something I am more likely to be inspired to do it (rather than just reading about it). Insert refinished furniture here. I always knew you could refinish furniture, but I never knew how to do it. Insert Pinterest here. I found so many awesome furniture makeovers; Hideous side tables, 1960's outdated night stands, beat up abused dining room tables...you name it, I found it. Since we moved into a new house, that needs some furniture, I thought it would be a great idea to find some quality pieces that just needed a little TLC and refinish them. But what to do?!?! Paint colors, glazing options, new hardware?!?! There were so many options. First I started lurking on craigslist like a crazy person. I was looking and looking for the perfect item to make over...and finally, after a few weeks I found it! It was for sale at a church sale and marked down from $90 to $60. It is huge, but I could envision it perfectly in our entry way.

At the time, I didn't realize how difficult all the carving etc. would make it...

So this is the glorious dresser! Inside those middle cabinets are 3 pull out drawers, so it has a lot of storage. There were a lot of dings, scratches, and little chunks of wood missing, so I had a big sanding job in store. I borrowed my boss's orbital sander and bought some different types of sandpaper. I used 120 grit for most all of it, and then a little finer towards the end. I took off all the hardware, and filled those holes with wood filler and then sanded that as well. I found it really difficult to get the holes to completely go away, so a couple of the drawers have tiny indentations, but I am going to tell myself that I am the only one that will really notice them. After sanding and sanding and sanding for what seemed like forever, and coated everything in our garage with an inch of dust (no joke), I felt like it was sanded well enough.

Next I had to decide on a paint color, how hard could it be? Well, with me being the most indecisive person alive when it comes to 'big' decisions like that, of course it was difficult. I took a million paint samples, even though I knew I wanted the paint in the grey family.

I first decided to go with 'Beluga' from Behr:

paint 2 — Bottom Color, Beluga....too dark??

But after telling the gentleman at Home Depot to whip it up, I started panicking that it was too dark, and I asked him to stop!

paint3 — And then I fell in love with 'Pencil Point'...but eventually decided it was too dark and maybe had a hint of blue (or maybe I am crazy...)...

I grabbed a couple more samples and then headed back home to think it over. I consulted my husband and he said that he liked 'Annonymous' (see below), but I thought it was too light. I ended up falling in love with the 'Dark Granite', and sent my husband back to HD to pick up a quart.

While learning about how to paint wood furniture, I learned that you must prime the piece, or it will end up in a disaster. I was planning to prime it separately, but then the guy at Home Depot told me that you can buy paint with primer in it!! So I added the primer to the paint and saved myself an extra step of painting.

Onto the painting! I plugged my ipod into the garage, got my paint set up, and got to it!

I put a second coat on the top because it was already dry by the time I did the rest, and I let it dry overnight (well, more like 2 days). I was actually dreading tackling the drawers because they have so much carving/detail on them that I thought they would be really difficult. They were, but it wasn't too bad. I also felt like it would take a long time to do all 9 drawers. I decided that I wouldn't paint the inside, and eventually just line the bottoms with pretty paper or fabric (that will be done in the future). A few days later I did a 2nd coat on the entire dresser, and it looked great! There was still a tiny bit of wood coming through on the left and right sides of the dresser, so I did one more coat on those, and then another coat on the top. Lastly I did all the drawers, and those definitely took the longest. I ended up putting 2-3 coats on depending on how it was looking. I had a hard time with some of the spots with the wood filler (from the hardware holes), and ended up having to sand it down a lot more over those areas, and then repaint...it was a process.

Next I was on the hunt for some new drawer pulls and handles. I was just browsing at Home Depot and came across these pulls that I really liked. They were only $2.99 per pull, which was inexpensive, but since I had to buy 8, I knew it would add up quick. The door handles were only $3.49 per piece (I got 2). Andres helped me measure the drawers so that I would get them exactly in the middle, and then we drilled the holes. A little while later we were able to screw in all the pulls and bring it inside!

DIY Dresser Refinishing — Finished Dresser!

Completed Dresser (the color is WAY lighter here than in real life)

Well, that is it! Hopefully I will have the top adorned with cute decor soon enough! Stay tuned!

Things you might need for this project (aff links):

Like furniture DIYs as much as I do? Check out my other projects:

DIY Dresser to TV Console

DIY Dresser Refinishing Tutorial

DIY Tufted Ikat Ottoman from Upcycled Pallet with Tutorial

Refinished Farmhouse Hutch Tutorial

You can also connect with me here:

Thanks for visiting!

- Allyson

Gnocchi Mac & Cheese

Published May 4, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Gnocchi? Love. Macaroni and Cheese? Love. Pairing the two? AMAZING. Go to the store right now and buy these ingredients. Make this for dinner. You will not be sorry.

I made this recipe a little while back, so I didn't take pictures throughout, sorry! If you aren't a mustard fan leave the dijon out because it does give it a mustard taste. If you like mustard, leave it in. I have found myself adding bits of mustard to nearly all my macaroni and cheese type recipes because it just adds a little kick and extra flavor. Mustard and extra sharp cheddar are a solid pairing.

ps-don't make this if you are on a diet. This is not diet food.

Gnocchi Mac n' Cheese

Ingredients

1 pound purchased or homemade gnocchi
2 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons garlic finely chopped
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
¾ cup milk
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup shredded Gruyere cheese
¼ cup shredded fontina cheese
Salt and white pepper to taste
⅓ cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
Basil leaves for garnish optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 F. Prepare gnocchi according to package directions. Drain and place gnocchi in a single-layer in a 1-½ quart shallow baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in flour until it thickens and bubbles, then whisk in milk and Dijon. Continue to whisk mixture and cook until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes.
Combine Gruyere and fontina, then add by the handful to milk mixture, stirring until melted before adding the next handful. Once all cheese is melted, season sauce with salt and pepper.
Pour sauce over gnocchi and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano over top. Bake gnocchi until they puff and cheese is golden and bubbly, about 25 minutes. Let gnocchi rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe from Cuisine at Home

Low Carb Crab Cakes with Mustard Sauce

Published Apr 27, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Did you know that carb and crab are essentially the same word? Usually crab cakes are loaded with bread crumbs, which make them a higher carb dish, but this recipe does not have bread crumbs, making it lower carb. The mixture seems very loose when you first mix it, and it seems like the cakes will fall apart when you put them in the pan, but if you get the pan pretty hot before you add the cakes, they stay together and crisp up very nicely. They are accompanied by a mustard sauce as well. I think these crab cakes would be as an appetizer to be served at a party, or even as a meal served with some side veggies.

Low Carb Crab Cakes

Ingredients

Crab Cakes

1 pound blue crabmeat
1 tablespoon small diced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon small diced green bell pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon low fat mayonnaise
2 eggs
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ teaspoons Maryland-style crab seasoning recommended: Old Bay
2 tablespoons canola oil

Mustard Sauce

¼ cup low fat mayonnaise
¼ cup Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Instructions

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients, except oil and Mustard Sauce until blended. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. With a tablespoon, carefully spoon poker-chip size mini-cakes into the pan. (The batter will be very loose since there are no bread crumbs, but once the egg in the mix starts to cook they will hold together fine.)
Cook on 1 side until firm, about 2 minutes, and then flip and cook for about 1 more minute. Cook in batches as necessary.
Serve hot with mustard sauce.

Recipe Notes

Makes 18 one cake servings.
Each crab cake is 1 WW point. The sauce is 2 WW points per teaspoon.

Recipe from Foodnetwork.com

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Cajun Vegetable Pasta

Published Apr 25, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Often when we go out to dinner I see something on the menu like Cajun Pasta. 100% of the time it is Cajun Pasta with Chicken, and usually when I ask for no chicken, it is brought to my attention that the chicken has already been cooked in with the sauce. Major fail. It would be so easy to make the sauce and chicken separately, and substitute something like broccoli or mushrooms in place of the chicken. No dice. Most places are happy to add chicken or meat to anything, but often find it difficult to serve without it. This also reminds me of a time when I found a delicious sounding salad, Blue cheese, pine nuts, cranberries, spinach leaves, and filet. I really wanted to order the salad sans filet, but I couldn't justify ordering a $17.99 salad when leaving off the costliest ingredient. Oh well, is the life of a vegetarian. There are tons of delcious vegetarian restaurants and menu items out there, so I shouldn't complain...but it just shouldn't be so hard to leave the chicken/meat out!

Enter 'Cajun Chicken Pasta'. I love The Pinoneer Woman. Her recipes always look super appetizing and amazing. I found this recipe on pinterest and I knew I had to make it. Cajun spice? LOVE. Spicy pasta? LOVE. Peppers, onions, garlic? LOVE. This dish was after my heart. With chicken being the main ingredient, I knew I had to sub it with something. I am guessing it would have probably been good just leaving it out, and using the onions/peppers as the featured ingredient, but I decided that broccoli could be a good replacement. Who doesn't love broccoli in pasta? Come on. I also made the recipe a tad healthier by subbing half and half in place of heavy cream, and using a bit less oil while cooking. I think for a pasta dish this is fairly healthy.

This dish turned out so well that my husband ate about half of it in one sitting. It was so flavorful and it had the perfect amount of spice to get your tongue tingling. It wasn't difficult to make, however there was a bit of prep work, and the outcome was well worth all the work put into it. Since this recipe did have meat originally, you could obviously use meat in your recipe. Pioneer Woman recommend chicken, sausage, shrimp, or crawfish. You can find her recipe here. For the meat free take on this recipe, continue down.

Cajun Vegetable Pasta — Add pasta and serve

Cajun Vegetable Pasta

Ingredients

3 Cups Broccoli florets
3 teaspoons Cajun Spice Mix More To Taste
1 pound Fettuccine
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
½ cup water
2 Tablespoons Fat free Margarine
1 whole Green Bell Pepper Seeded And Sliced
1 whole Red Bell Pepper Seeded And Sliced
½ whole Large Red Onion Sliced
3 cloves Garlic Minced
4 whole Roma Tomatoes Diced
2 cups Vegetable stock
½ cup White Wine
1 cup fat free half and half
Cayenne Pepper To Taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper To Taste
Salt To Taste
Chopped Fresh Parsley To Taste

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain when pasta is still al dente; do not overcook!
Add water to skillet, and then add broccoli. Sprinkle 1 ½ teaspoon Cajun spice over broccoli and stir. Let broccoli cook for 2 minutes and remove from pan, set aside. Add olive oil and butter to pan. When heated, add peppers, onions, and garlic. Sprinkle on remaining Cajun spice, and add salt if needed. Cook over very high heat for 1 minute, stirring gently and trying to get the vegetables as dark/black as possible. Add tomatoes and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Remove all vegetables from the pan.
With the pan over high heat, pour in the wine and vegetable stock. Cook on high for 3 to 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in half and half, stirring/whisking constantly. Cook sauce over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until cream starts to thicken the mixture. Taste and add freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, and/or salt to taste. Sauce should be spicy!
Finally, add broccoli and vegetables to sauce, making sure to include all the juices that have drained onto the plate. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until mixture is bubbly and hot. Add drained fettuccine and toss to combine.
Top with chopped fresh parsley and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

This recipe has 10 WW points per serving if using the fat free versions (how the recipe is listed), and it takes it up to 12 if you use real butter and reduced fat half and half.

Quick & Easy Cheese Danish

Published Apr 23, 2012 by Allyson
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I have made this recipe twice, and it is definitely blog worthy! It is soooo easy, simple, has minimal ingredients, and so satisfying. I, like most people, love cheese danish, and this does not disappoint. You can whip this up for breakfast, a snack, to bring to a party...the options are endless. They are also really good both cold and hot! This isn't healthy, but it's worth the once in a while splurge! Also as a side note, this is pretty much the same recipe as sopapilla (Spanish cheesecake), except you would add cinnamon sugar to the top before baking. I will probably post that recipe soon as well.

Quick & Easy Cheese Danish — Spread 1 can of crescent rolls onto greased dish

Easy Cheese Danish

Ingredients

2 cans ready to use refrigerated crescent rolls
1.5 8- ounce packages cream cheese I use Neufchâtel cheese because it has less fat/calories than regular cream cheese
¾ cup sugar can sub splenda
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg white

Glaze

½ cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13X9-inch baking pan. Lay a pack of crescent rolls in the pan and pinch the openings together.
Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and egg together until smooth. Spread the mixture over the crescent rolls evenly and then lay the second pack of crescent rolls on top of the cheese mixture. Brush with egg white.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until the top is golden brown.
Top with glaze after cooling for at least 20 minutes.

Recipe adapted from The Adventures of a Kitchen Girl

Weight Watchers Spinach & Mushroom Stuffed Shells

Published Apr 20, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Now that I've made this recipe a few times, I thought it was time to post it. It is a weight watchers friendly recipe, and only has 8 points per serving, which is great. Although it's a healthy recipe, you don't feel like you are sacrificing the taste because these stuffed shells taste like a total splurge. This is definitely a go-to recipe when you are craving Italian food!

DSC_0003 (3) — Spinach, mushrooms, and onions

Spinach and Mushroom Stuffed Shells

Ingredients

24 jumbo pasta shells (8 ounces)
3 cups prepared jarred marinara sauce
2 onions finely chopped
2 pounds fresh spinach trimmed and washed
2 cups chopped mushrooms
2 cups fat free ricotta cheese
1 large egg white
⅔ cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup fresh basil finely chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano
5 garlic cloves minced
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Cook shells until just tender, according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
Spray a large nonstick skillet with non-fat cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. Add onions and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes.
Add spinach in batches and toss with tongs until wilted. Drain in a colander, pressing out excess moisture with the back of a spoon. Let cool. Set aside.
Combine ricotta, basil, oregano, garlic, breadcrumbs, ¼ cup Parmesan and nutmeg in a bowl; mix well. Add the reserved spinach and mushroom mixture and season with salt and pepper. Stir in egg white.
Stuff each of the reserved shells with a generous 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture.
Spread 1 cup marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange the stuffed shells in a single layer.
Top with the remaining 2 cups of the sauce and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup Parmesan cheese. Bake until the top is golden and the shells are heated through, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Notes

Preparation time: 15 minute(s)
Cooking time: 45 minute(s)
Entire recipe makes 6 servings
Serving size is 4 shells
Each serving = 8 Points +
PER SERVING: 269 calories; 5 g fat; 48 g carbohydrates; 27 g protein; 7 g fiber

Recipe from laaloosh.com

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Thanks for visiting!-Allyson

Broccoli, Mushroom & Cheddar Quiche with a Brown Rice Crust

Published Apr 18, 2012 by Allyson
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I really love frittatas and quiche, but I wanted to try something a little different for a change. My husband loves brown rice, and I stumbled upon a brown rice crust recipe and thought it might be interesting. It turned out to be a hit, and it kind of tasted more like a casserole. I love the flavor of brown rice, so it probably wasn't too hard to please me, but my husband enjoyed it as well. This recipe was a little time consuming, but it was worth it in my opinion. It would be a great option for dinner, lunch, or breakfast, and it is also pretty healthy! This is a vegetarian recipe, but you could easily throw in some shredded chicken or turkey, sausage, or bacon to make it meat friendly.

19735188061_IMG_3137 — Preparing the brown rice crust

19735188060_IMG_3138 — spread for the crust

19735188057_IMG_3142 — Broccoli, Mushroom, and Egg Mixture poured into crust (mine went a little over the crust, oops!)

19735188056_IMG_3143 — After it's baked! Yum!

19735188054_IMG_3145 — Broccoli, Mushroom, and Cheddar Quiche served with some sourdough toast

Broccoli, Mushroom & Cheddar Quiche with a Brown Rice Crust

Ingredients

2 cups cooked brown rice
¼ cup low fat cheddar cheese finely grated
5 eggs
1 cup skim milk
2 cups broccoli cut into bite sized pieces and blanched
8 oz package of mushrooms chopped
1 cup low fat sharp cheddar cheese grated
4 green onions sliced
1 pinch nutmeg optional
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Mix the rice, finely grated cheese and one egg in a bowl. Press the rice mixture into a pie plate, about ¼ inch thick.
Bake in a preheated 450 degree F oven until the edges and bottom just start turning golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Turn oven to broil on high for 2-3 more minutes until crust looks crisp.
Mix the remaining eggs, milk, broccoli, mushrooms, sharp cheddar cheese and green onions in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture into the pie crust.
Bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven until golden brown and set in the center, about 30 to 35 minutes.

Recipe Notes

Serves 6

Bean and Potato Enchiladas

Published Apr 16, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

People that know me, know that I LOVE Mexican food. I have never met an enchilada I didn't like, and am always trying to come up with different combinations. I think my love for Mexican food grew when I was in college. My freshman/sophomore years I worked during the summer in the best Mexican restaurant ever, Sagebrush Cantina, and got to know the food a little too well. Nachos, enchiladas, tortilla soup, sopapilla, flan, queso, flautas....I am drooling just thinking about it. The staff received a heavy discount on the food, which was prepared by a real Mexican staff (who didn't even speak English), so it made it very difficult not to indulge in everything. The restaurant was very popular, so it was always busy, and there was always a wait which made the 10 hour shifts go by very quickly. I eventually quit, and moved away to California, but I still have a soft spot in my heart for Sagebrush Cantina, and make a point to stop by at least once when I am in Michigan visiting my parents.

So, as you can probably gather, I love making Mexican food. I decided to try out some vegetable enchiladas using potato, which I haven't tried before. I think they turned out delicious, and with the potato they were very, very filling. I had a little bit of filling left over, and my husband was happy to eat that up with tortilla chips!

Bean and Potato Enchiladas

Ingredients

1 TBS Olive Oil
¾ cup copped onion
½ cup green pepper
1 medium yukon gold potato
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon cumin
2 gloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup black beans canned or pre-cooked, I use Bushes reduced sodium
¾ cup refried beans
¾ cup Kraft 2% Mexican blend cheese divided (½ cup, ¼ cup)
7-8 whole wheat flour tortillas could also use corn or white floor
1 can of Old El Paso Medium Red Enchilada Sauce
Spoonful of light sour cream or plain greek yogurt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat oil in skillet, and add garlic. Cook 1 minute on medium. Add onion, green pepper, cumin, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and salt, and stir and cook for 1 minute. Add potatoes. Cook for about 5 minutes, until potatoes are soft. Add black beans, and refried beans and combine until well blended. Add ¼ cup of cheese and mix.
3. Put just enough enchilada sauce in a baking dish to cover the bottom (probably ¼ cup). Take a tortilla, fill with mixture, roll, and place into dish. Repeat until your dish is full (they should be side by side pressing against each other), 6-8 enchiladas. Top with remaining sauce and remaining cheese.
4. Cover with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted.
5. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or greek yogurt.

Recipe Notes

Weight Watchers points: 6 points per enchilada

DIY Paint Chip Address Cards

Published Apr 13, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Since starting this blog, I haven't really made any craft-type posts. I don't do crafts that often, but now with our new house I am motivated and have several projects I want to work on. I felt one of the most important things is letting people know that we have moved! I know that no one sends that much via snail mail anymore (email is so much easier, and cheaper!), but even still, I like finding the occasional holiday card/birthday card/invitation in my mailbox. Heck, ~~even though I am 27,~~ I still love getting mail!!

Anyway, we have been moved in for a week, and I felt like I had to get these things done ASAP. Why? I don't know, probably because I am crazy. I have been inspired by lots of cool paint chip crafts on Pinterest, and I thought this would be awesome. I also stumbled upon some heavy debates on the topic! Apparently some people are very sensitive about people using paint chips for crafts etc, because they think that the companies will run out, or raise prices, or whatever. Well, someone actually called Behr and asked them what they thought, and they replied that they love people using their paint chips! More exposure and free advertising for them, right? I picked up a handful of paint chips (which I will also use to determine paint colors for the house!), and got started on this project!

Not many supplies are needed, paint chip, paper cutter, glue or double sided tape, stationary, printer...a lot of people may even have this stuff at home. I had to buy a paper cutter (I got a cheap $10 one at Walmart because I can't cut a straight line to save my life), and the cool see through paper I used, but that was it. This was a cheap project compared to the buying pricey pre-made address cards.

These photos will pretty much take you step by step through the process.

Here we go!

I used a corner rounder punch to round out the edges

My son really loved the bright colors in this project

I added a strip of the paint chip across the middle

And...you're done! Now just do however many you need! I am going to post some of them because I just love the colors!

I had to block out my address for all you stalkers out there...

If you're lucky you may find one of these bad boys in your mailbox in the next few days!

Inspiration from Hand Make My Day.

Welcome to Our New House!

Published Apr 10, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

429077_10150599923631272_501811271_9264573_1196748653_n — Home Sweet Home

Over the last month and a half we embarked on the journey of finding a house. When we decided to move to Atlanta nearly 2 years ago, we had this goal in mind. Moving to Atlanta from New York City would make this goal attainable, and a lot easier. The housing is more affordable, and you definitely get a lot more for your money. We had to wait it out a while though, because since the housing crisis, banks have been a little bit more careful who they provide secured loans to. Many things are factored in, but 'steady' employment was the main issue in our case, and the only thing that could solve that was time. I have been at my current job for around 10 months, and Andres at his for about a year, so time was finally on our side. The process didn't end up being as difficult as I imagined, though. We found a great Realtor (Paula Kellum) who was recommended by a friend, spent a few weekends looking at homes, and after looking at around 10 places we found 'the one'. A brand new construction, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, hardwood floors, granite counter-tops, a big kitchen....it met all of my requirements, and Andres felt the same as well! Originally we wanted a stand alone home, but this is a townhome, and we ended up liking the feel of it better. Plus, with a small yard there is not much upkeep...and we don't even have to do it! Score!

Anyway, after probably a record closing time (they accepted our offer on March 7th, and we closed on April 6th) of 30 days, we signed the papers on Friday, and moved in on Saturday! The house is a total blank canvas, and while I am super excited to decorate it and make it our own, it is also a little daunting....there is so much to do! We finally have all of our stuff moved in, and are mostly unpacked, but we still need a lot of new furniture, decor, and things. We will be turning the 3rd bedroom into a guestroom/playroom for Austin (finally all of his toys won't be in the living room!!!), so we pretty much need everything to put that room together. I also really want to get new living room furniture, because the pieces we have don't fit well, and they are too big (in fact everything in our living room is too, too big...except our TV). It is definitely going to be a long process, but it is exciting!

Come, take a tour of our new house!!

431637_10150599922266272_501811271_9264537_2010757187_n — Entry way

431678_10150599921936272_501811271_9264529_748043760_n — Living room, dining room to the right

419128_10150599922116272_501811271_9264533_1297037026_n — living room

426156_10150599921821272_501811271_9264525_209146777_n — Kitchen!

422912_10150599923561272_501811271_9264571_1149049892_n — My little tour guide...

424495_10150599921886272_501811271_9264527_44856595_n — Kitchen, picture a fridge in that corner spot!

422465_10150599922336272_501811271_9264539_662632587_n — Come on upstairs!

421594_10150599922371272_501811271_9264541_1269220686_n — Guestroom/Playroom

417982_10150599922451272_501811271_9264543_691197088_n — Austin's room

431398_10150599922556272_501811271_9264545_908219002_n — Guest Bathroom

431682_10150599923086272_501811271_9264561_1917221359_n — View from upstairs hallway

425730_10150599922971272_501811271_9264558_520322814_n — Enter into the Master Bedroom

422583_10150599922696272_501811271_9264549_10579052_n — Master bedroom from the closet

422805_10150599922826272_501811271_9264553_370252239_n — Master Bathroom

421053_10150599922876272_501811271_9264554_1753981107_n — Don't mind me and Austin...Master Bathroom

64150_10150599922941272_501811271_9264556_1345992794_n — Closet!

419769_10150599923336272_501811271_9264566_1553277811_n — Austin loves the house!

That's it! Stay tuned for more house posts in the very near future!

Quinoa Cakes with Poached Eggs & Roasted Vegetables

Published Apr 3, 2012 by Allyson
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Quinoa burgers with Poached Eggs — Quinoa Cakes with Poached Eggs &Roasted Vegetables

Since my husband and I are vegetarians, I try really hard to figure out ways to incorporate enough protein into our diet. It is pretty easy to sneak protein into meals, and this meal is no exception. Since learning about quinoa, I have jumped on the quinoa bandwagon and am still riding it at full-speed. I love it, and don't miss meat while eating it. It is so hearty, filling, and healthy, it makes me happy to be eating it. I always make a large batch of quinoa, and keep some in the fridge to throw in sauces, smoothies, and whatever else. It is one of those foods that taste like whatever you flavor it with, so it can be easily disguised.

Quinoa cakes or patties are easy to make, and so delicious. I have tried them with different spices, cheeses, sauces, and I have yet to meet a combination I didn't like. I really love the spicy ones, but I think for this recipe with the poached egg, I like the egg to take front and center. Speaking of eggs, I had never poached an egg until about 2 months ago. For some reason I have always been intimidated by the seemingly difficult task of poaching an egg, but once I found a really basic explanation, I felt it was time I try it! The first couple eggs I overcooked, and then the next few eggs I under-cooked and they fell apart. This was not going the way I had hoped. After about 6 eggs, I felt like I had mastered it.....fast forward to my second time poaching eggs (for this recipe), I definitely did not master it. I messed up the first 3 eggs, and then finally figured out that I wasn't putting enough water in the pot, and the tops weren't cooking well enough, and once I added a little more water I was good to go!

Quinoa Cakes with Poached Eggs

Ingredients

2 cups cooked quinoa at room temperature
2 large eggs beaten
½ tsp. coarse salt
⅓ cup minced fresh chives plus more for garnish
2 large shallots finely chopped
⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic minced
¼ cup whole grain bread crumbs plus more if needed
Olive oil for frying patties
for serving Shaved Parmesan
for serving 6 poached eggs (one for each patty)
for serving Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Combine the quinoa, eggs, salt, chives, shallots, Parmesan, and garlic in a medium bowl. Stir to blend. Mix in the bread crumbs and stir gently until evenly incorporated. Let sit for 5 minutes. Form the mixture into six evenly sized patties, about 3-4 inches in diameter.
2. Heat a bit of olive oil in a large sauté pan set over medium-high heat and swirl to coat. Add the patties to the pan so that they are not touching. Let cook about 4 minutes or until the first side is lightly browned. Carefully flip the patties with a spatula and let the second side cook until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes more. Repeat with the remaining patties, using additional olive oil if needed. Top each patty with a bit of shaved Parmesan, a poached egg, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Quinoa cakes with poached eggs and roasted vegetables

Recipe adapted from Super Natural Every Day: Well-loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen
Love quinoa like I do? Check out these other great quinoa recipes!

Carrot & Zucchini Bars with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Published Apr 1, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

I decided to do this post after this recipe I found recently on one of my favorite food websites, Real Mom Kitchen. She has so many awesome recipes that I knew this would be no exception. I instantly Pinned it on Pinterest, and it went viral. Two weeks later and over 5,000 're-pins', I am sure there are tons of people who have already tried this.

My bars turned out a little more dense that I would have expected, but they were still delicious. My whole family loved them, and since they were so easy to make, I will probably make them again soon. Next time I will try mixing less and also getting more water out of the shredded zucchini....which I think could have been the culprit behind making these extra dense. It could have also been the fact that my baking soda has been in my fridge for like a year...who knows! I will post the recipe below, but you can also find it here.

No frosting beats cream cheese frosting!

Ingredients:

Carrot and Zucchini Bars with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

2 eggs, slightly beaten
¾ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup canola oil
¼ cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups shredded carrot
1 cup shredded zucchini
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp baking soda

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8 oz) pkg reduced fat cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 ½ teaspoon lemon zest

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, oil, honey, and vanilla. Don’t worry about clumps of the brown sugar, those will dissolve as it sits while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Then fold in the carrot, zucchini
In another bowl combine add the flour, baking powder, ginger, and baking soda. Whisk to blend together.
Add to flour mixture to the wet mixture. Stir just until combined. Spread batter into an ungreased 13x9x2-inch baking pan.
Bake about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
Once the cake is cooled prepare the frosting. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the fosting ingredients with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Spread or pipe the frosting over the cooled bars. Makes 36 bars.

Recipe adapted from Real Mom Kitchen who adapted from Better Homes and Garden

Crock Pot Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Published Mar 30, 2012 by Allyson
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Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, in the crock pot! — Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

I have been wanting to make homemade oatmeal for a while now. More often then not, we find ourselves caught up in the moment, running out of time, and using those little instant oatmeal bags. Sure, they taste good, but they aren't the healthiest. My 16 month old son, Austin, looooooooves oatmeal. He has about 4 things in his breakfast rotation and oatmeal is playing a starring role. I have made an effort since started eating solids to make them myself from scratch. We want to try to avoid so many processed foods in his diet because there are whole, healthy, and delicious foods at our finger tips. Austin has made this somewhat difficult being somewhat of a picky eater, but at least we know what he likes and can work with that. This recipe is easy to fix, healthy, and cheap! You can easily store serving sizes in zip lock freezer bags and freeze them to have on hand. I am also going to try this recipe with different fruits, and I would imagine you could leave the fruit out altogether, and add whatever fresh fruits you want each time you re-heat it.

CrockPot Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Ingredients:

2 cup of oats

4 cups of milk (I used 2%)

4 tablespoons of brown sugar

2 tablespoon of vanilla (I have no idea where my vanilla went in that picture)

pinch of salt

2 small apples, chopped (or whatever fruit you want!)

Directions:

1. Place oats, milk, and apples into the crock-pot. Add vanilla, brown sugar, and salt. Stir.

2. Cook on high for 1-2 hours, or low for 2-3 hours. Check consistency and cook to your liking (some like to chew more than others).

3. Serve and top with cinnamons, raisins, you name it!

Pecan Crusted Trout

Published Mar 28, 2012 by Allyson
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This is another pretty basic recipe that I cooked the other day for my boss. This recipe was from Cooking Light (I think), so it is pretty healthy. I had the guy at the fish counter remove the skin, but you could also make it with the skin and only coating one side if desired. This crust is also so tasty it could be used on chicken or other in season light fishes (tilapia, arctic char, flounder, bass even). I might even consider using the crust on some eggplant as a vegetarian option. Also, depending on the type of fish you choose, this could be an inexpensive meal. It would be great served with a side of spinach or green beans, yum!

Flour dipped fish being dipped in the buttermilk!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ cup nonfat buttermilk
⅓ cup pecan halves, ground
⅓ cup panko
4 (6-ounce) trout fillets, divided (you can also use other white/light fish or even chicken)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon butter, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
4 lemon wedges (if you like lemon with your fish!)

Directions:

1. Place flour in a shallow dish. Place buttermilk in a dish. Combine pecans and panko in a dish. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour, dip in buttermilk, and dredge in panko mixture.

2. Melt 1 ½ teaspoons butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 ½ teaspoons oil. Add fillets; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan. Top with parsley. Serve with lemon.

Broccoli & Cheese Braided Calzone

Published Mar 21, 2012 by Allyson
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After I put Austin to bed I was feeling totally uninspired to cook dinner. I have my weekly menu plan, but I don't designate the meals/days beforehand, so I usually decide the same day what I will be cooking that night. Also, since Austin doesn't go to bed until around 8pm, and Andres doesn't get home from work until 8:30pm, I feel pretty drained by the time dinner rolls around. I had some dough in the fridge from Trader Joes (can't beat their .99 cent pizza dough...well, unless you make your own), and I was planning to make some sort of pizza. Then, GENIUS struck me! Broccoli and Cheese Pizza Calzone!! We stocked up on some frozen veggies over the weekend since they were running a sale at the store, and why not put them to use?! I had calzone recipe in mind that I made once before, but I pretty much winged this one and it turned out really good. With the approximate cost of just over $5 total, I think this is a win in every aspect.

I decided to switch it up and use whole wheat flour for my roux (it was all I had)...but I don't think it made a difference!

Dump that cheese in and whisk! Getting saucy...

Whole wheat flour...put it down wherever you'll be rolling out your dough

Roll dough out to a rectangular shape. I just use my hands/fists and it works great

This is so good, but try not to eat the whole 12 inches.

Phew, that was a lot of pictures. You may wonder who posts 15 pictures for one recipe, but now you know. I am obsessed with my new camera and photos. For me, seeing lots of pictures makes recipes a lot easier. I hate cookbooks with no pictures...what is the point?! Anyway...

Official Recipe: Broccoli and Cheese Braided Calzone

1 ball pizza dough (love Trader Joe's for this)

2 ten ounce bags frozen broccoli cuts (use fresh if you want...probably 2-3 small bunches)

1.5 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

1.5 cups milk

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbs flour and a little extra for dough rolling

2 Tbs butter

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Remove dough from fridge and let rest while you begin. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Cook broccoli until heated through (if frozen, 3 minutes in the microwave worked for me)

3. In a medium sauce pan, over medium heat, melt 2 tbs of butter. Once melted add the garlic. Cook for 1 minute, or until lightly browned. Add in 2 tbs flour. Whisk until combined, cook 30 seconds. Add 1.5 cups of milk slowly, whisking while adding. Whisk until combined. Let roux come to a simmer and it should start to thicken up (2-4 minutes). Once slightly thickened, add the extra sharp cheddar cheese, whisking while adding. Add salt and pepper. Once combined, turn heat to low and let cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Combine broccoli and cheese together (in bowl, saucepan, wherever).

4. Put 1 tbs of flour down on the counter, or wherever you will shape your dough. Kneed dough into a rectangular shape. Flip dough as it becomes sticky and let the flour cover it (to prevent it from sticking to you and the counter). Once you have the dough shaped, put it on top of a greased cookie sheet (baking tray, whatever). **Important** Make sure you put the dough onto the cookie sheet BEFORE you add the ingredients on top. Otherwise it's practically impossible to move.

5. Put the broccoli mixture down the center of the dough, leaving about 1.5 inches on the sides. Cut the dough on the sides at about ¾ inch intervals. Don't cut all the way to the filling.

6. Wrap it up! Start at the bottom and alternating sides, overlap the strips of dough onto the filling in a lattice pattern. You can stretch the pieces to fit all the way over the filling.

7. Make an egg wash (beat egg in shallow bowl). Use brush to brush the egg wash over the calzone.

8. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove and let cool on a wire rack. Slice and serve.

Enjoy!

Shortcut Lasagna

Published Mar 20, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Lasagna is such a chore to make, and who has time for the real thing? I am a big fan of making lasagna, but they do take a lot of time, even when you cheat like me and use the no-bake noodles (they are so awesome!). Today's recipe is also a healthier take on lasagna, but still has the meat, noodles, and cheese that people love. This is a quick dish to cook (20ish minutes) and prepare (less than 10 minutes!), which puts this in a 30 minute meal category!

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked egg noodles (about half the package)

1 and ¼ cups fat-free ricotta cheese

1 and ½ cups (6 oz) shredded provolone cheese, divided

1 teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 lb ground round (or leave if out if you are a veggie)

2 cups tomato sauce

cooking spray

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Cook the noodles in boiling water for 5 minutes.

3. Spray skillet and cook beef in over medium-high heat until browned. Add tomato sauce once browned, remove from heat.

4. Combine ricotta, 1 cup provolone, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and set aside.

Since I can never find [re-shredded provolone, I just stack the slices and grate them. Works for me!

5. Drain noodles. Combine noodles and meat mixture in a large bowl. Place 3 cups of meat/noodle mix in bottom of 11 x 7 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread ricotta mix over the noodles. Top ricotta with remaining noodle mixture, and sprinkle ½ cup of remaining provolone on top.

3 cups noodle mixture with ricotta mixture on top

6. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until cheese melts.

Six servings @ 416 calories per serving

Skinny Baked Chicken Parmesan

Published Mar 19, 2012 by Allyson
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I spend a good amount of time during work cooking....breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the twins, and also cooking a separate dinner for the parents. I get to try a lot of WW recipes, and tweak them to her liking. This is a recipe I found online, not an official WW recipe, but gives the points accurately. This recipe is fairly quick, cheap, has not many ingredients, and smells delicious. One this I will say though, is that a lot of dishes get dirty making this dish, haha.

Baked Chicken Parmesan Recipe

Ingredients:
- 4 (8 oz) chicken breast halves, sliced in half (I use a package of boneless/skinless breasts and pound them pretty thin)
- ¼ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
- ½ cup Fiber One cereal, ground into fine, breadcrumb-like consistency
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoon low calorie butter, melted
- ¾ cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup marinara
- Non-fat cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450°. Spray a large baking sheet lightly with spray.
Combine breadcrumbs, Fiber One, and Parmesan cheese in a bowl. Melt the butter in another bowl. Dip chicken into butter and then into breadcrumb mixture. Place on baking sheet and repeat with the remaining chicken. Lightly spray a little more cooking oil on top and bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes. Turn chicken over, bake another 5-6 minutes. Remove from oven, spoon sauce over chicken and top with shredded cheese. Bake 3-5 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

Entire Recipe makes 8 servings
Serving size = 1 piece
Point Total: 5

*This is not an official Weight Watchers Recipe. Recipe altered from laloosh.com

And so it begins...

Published Mar 16, 2012 by Allyson
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I have put off the idea of a blog for a long time, but finally I am giving in. This will be a space that is filled with random findings, recipes, home decor, and various projects. My family is in the process of buying a new home, and I can't wait to get decorating, trying all my Pinterest finds. I am not usually great with photos, so I will be making an effort to document things more, and the process as well. Please feel free to comment, give me suggestions and tips, and share with me what you have found and love!