Scrambled Veggies & Eggs

Although there is a snow/ice storm coming our way tonight/tomorrow, we could heard birds chirping outside of our kitchen window when we got home from work tonight. Sounds of Spring, in spite of the cold icy outlook for tomorrow! Someone else heard those birds too….

We finally went grocery shopping tonight & bought the obligatory milk, bread & eggs as you do on the night before a big snow…although we really needed them anyway.  We needed a lot of stuff and because we are kind of picky eaters, sometimes our grocery bill gets a little steep. To curb that a little bit, I try to buy things that we like that also happen to be on sale.  English Muffins, buy 1 get 2 free at the Chopper! Hello, freezer! We also eat a lot of beans, and I always buy cans. One of my coking/food bibles, Food Matters by Mark Bittman, suggests that you make a pot of dry beans at the beginning of the week and find ways to work through them throughout the week.  I have never done this quite like that, but I never really used dried beans for cooking until my adventure making Hoppin’ John for New Years this year. So tonight, to save a little money and a little salt, we bought bags of dried beans. Red Lentils, Chick Peas, Canellini Beans & Black Beans.

For dinner we made a quick & easy favorite.  Scrambled Veggies & Eggs  w/ Turkey Sausage (Veggies First, cause there’s a lot more of those.)

Scrambled Veggies & Eggs  w/ Turkey Sausage

2 Tbsp Coconut Oil (this is the key ingredient to the taste we love in this recipe) with ground Italian Turkey Sausage (we had links so we cut the casing off and crumbled the meat into a frying pan.) Once the meat begins to brown, add whatever veggies you chopped up.

Tonight we used, Broccoli, Zucchini & Red Bell Peppers.

Once the meat and veggies have had a chance to cook, scrambled however many eggs you want (we usually do 4 total for the 2 of us) and pour the eggs right into the pan with the cooking meat/veggies.  The eggs will cook up in about 3-5 minutes. When we do this, there are more veggies than eggs & the coconut oil adds this little touch of sweetness that’s kind of unique.

Yum!

Going to watch Lisa Ling’s “Our America” on the OWN Network. Really good documentaries. Thanks again, Oprah!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

After prancing around the Valley with all of the others high-on-Spring Northeast Pennsylvanians, our delusions came to a shattering halt this morning as we had to scrape a layers of ice and snow off of our cars this morning – yuck!  It was cold and dark and dreary all day and the only ones who are still standing are those that have some superhuman immunity to Seasonal Affective Disorder!  So maybe it’s not that dramatic, but it was a cold, dark, rainy Monday…not so easy to drag yourself out of bed.

As soon as I came home, it was warm clothes and warm food.  I boiled some whole wheat elbows and we added those to bowls of the Spicy Lentil Soup that I made last night. Instead of grocery shopping, like we really needed to do, we opted for the more fun version of shopping and went to Target to get a much needed ironing board (the towel on the washing machine just wasn’t cutting it anymore), and an ottoman that we stumbled upon.

We were hungry again when we got home, so I made grilled sandwiches. This is a good example of a strange variety of tastes coming together to make something kind of bizarre but totally delicious. Between two pieces of  Ezekiel Bread, I spread on a layer of guacamole, some fresh spinach, slices of orange bell pepper, sharp cheddar cheese, & a layer of Apricot Mango Jam. I cooked them in a frying pan on the stove, the same way you would a grilled cheese. I know that doesn’t sound like the most appetizing sandwich goin, but it tastes really good.  It must be the sweet/savory combo….sweet bell peppers & jam with the savory cheese & guacamole, all gooey and grilled together with fresh spinach. I liked it a little too much.

 

That’s about enough Monday for me.

Spring Fever

I think we had some official Spring Fever today, because we walked aalll over the place! After living here for over a year, we finally walked to Sweet Treat around the corner for their famous “$1.79 Breakfast.” A lot of people around here talk about that place, it’s kind of like a small greasy spoon dinner that specializes in serving you two eggs, however you’d like them, home fries, toast and all the coffee you can drink. It cost Mary Beth and I $6.44 for breakfast this morning. Winning!

Afterward, we did a run/sprint/walk 3.5 miles around the neighborhood with MB’s client/friend, Harry. And then she and I walked to Lowes to check out their plants…had to celebrate the first day of Spring with some new life! I bought a Jade plant for the kitchen and MB bought a bromeliad for her desk. It was a little cool out but there were so many people outside and walking around, finally there is some relief from Winter!

Tonight, I looked in the fridge and tried to figure out what to do with the relatively limited amount of options left inside. I made eggsalad for lunch tomorrow, Lentil Soup, and guacamole. We had a little sampler that we ate as we watched some basketball.  The NCAA players look so young to me…hmm…what does that mean?

Hardboiled Eggs. Perfect hardboiled egg according to Rachael Ray. I know the pepiness is a little much, but she knows how to hardboil an egg!

I made eggsalad sandwiches on Rye Bread from the Owen St. Bakery in Swoyersville….they made some pretty good stuff.

Cups of Lentil Soup with a little parm cheese, guac & baked scoops in the background, with MB doing some work

 

The Lentil Soup was made of lentils whatever was left in the fridge…

1 Stalk Celery, chopped

1/2 Sweet Onion, diced

3 medium sized cloves of Garlic, minced

1 Large Orange Bell Pepper

2 Large handfuls or Fresh Spinach

1 Carton of Chicken Broth

3 C Prepared Lentils

1 C Chunky Tomato Basil Sauce from a jar

Salt, Pepper, Rosemary, Thyme, Crushed Red Pepper to taste, 1 Bay Leaf and a dash of ground cloves to bring out the fresh spinach.

I sautéed the garlic, peppers, & onion in 2 Tbsp of olive oil, then added the celery, spices, chicken broth, tomato sauce, Lentils & spinach. Simmered over low heat for appx 45 minutes. we had lentils that were already boiled that we bought in the produce section of Wegman’s not too long ago. The soup tasted spicy and hearty, the fridge leftovers made a pretty mean pot of soup!

I can’t believe the weekend is over already! G’night!

Supermoon = Spring!

Spending this Saturday night enjoying the Supermoon, watching some March Madness and doing a little blogging.  Yesterday was BEAUTIFUL outside…70 degrees!! Today, it was in the high 30′s….which feels A LOT colder after 70 touches your skin on a sunny Friday!  We took advantage of the wonderful weather and went for a run after work yesterday.  Before we left I prepped some Brown Long Grain Wild Rice and Roasted Veggies so would have something good to eat when we got back.

Roasted Veggies with Brown Long Grain Wild Rice

The veggies were whatever we in the fridge/freezer. Ended up being…

Butternut Squash

Yellow Bell Peppers

Red Bell Peppers

Garlic

White Onion

Broccoli

Spinach

I combined everything but the Spinach in a large bowl and tossed the veggies in 1 Tbsp Olive Oil, 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup (the last of the good stuff from Loch’s Maple), a dash of crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper & dried rosemary.  I put all of the veggies in a cast iron skillet and roasted them in the oven @ 350 for appx 30 min….sooo good!  I threw the fresh spinach in about 5 minutes before the veggies were done, since it takes no time at all to wilt. Roasting veggies is the best way to eat veggies if you ask me.

The Brown Wild Rice was a box of Zatarians that we had in the pantry

We ate the veggies over the rice with a little grated parmesan and romano cheese…we were so hungry and it tasted so good!

Although it won’t be exceptionally warm, tomorrow is officially the first day of Spring! I bought some tulips the other day when I was grocery shopping to celebrate.

Happy Spring!

 

Commitment

Commitment can be a scary thing. I guess that isn’t an idea that’s new…..”fear of commitment” is perhaps the most overly used piece of dating lingo second only to, “it’s not you, it’s me.”  Those things in life that reap some of the greatest rewards are often some of the most difficult.  Commitment, often means consistency, which isn’t always easy.  Relationships, fitness, healthy eating, children, home-ownership, careers…all of these things can be beautiful and rewarding, but also overwhelming at times.

Obviously, there has been a little blogging hiatus, not due to fear of committment, but perhaps a lack of consistency Anyway! In the spirit of setting goals and maintaining commitments, I signed up for the Warrior Dash (with some encouragement) tonight with Mary Beth and a few of our friends.  I would best describe the Warrior Dash as 3.5 mile obstacle course for crazy people. Now I have to train for it, if for no other reason, so that I don’t get left behind by myself in the woods! Here goes nothin’!

Doing Sunday night things now, getting ready for work, etc. But for dinner tonight we had grilled tuna steaks with a pineapple salsa.

Pineapple Salsa

2 C diced Pineapple

1/4 diced small onion

1 clove garlic, diced

1 diced red bell pepper

juice from 1/4 of a large lemon (would have prefered to use lime, but we didn’t have any)

Salt, Pepper, Crushed Red Pepper & Dried Cilantro to taste

Pineapple Salsa

Over top of the tuna…

And of course, a little dessert….

Love that Turkey Hill is expanding their variety of Frozen Yogurt flavors….Chocolate Marshmallow was pretty good!

Did I mention that in this Warrior Dash, there is an obstacle where you have to crawl through a mud pit under barbed wire?! Start praying for me now!

Hibernation Cook-a-Thon

After our Cross-Country Skiing weekend got canceled because there is more ice than snow on the ground, we were kinda bummed and feeling a bit cooped up.  The weekend turned into some kind of hibernation, complete with cleaning, cooking, cooking and did I mention cooking?  Every now and then Mary Beth takes on these complex cooking projects. This weekend it was Butternut Squash & Mushroom Empanadas with a Tomatilla Sauce and Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Soup. Lots of butternut squash for us this weekend.

Before all that though, Friday called for some pizza and beer. Friday kinda always has that ring to it, dontcha think?  We went to Grotto and got the Veggie Russo on whole wheat with a Magic Hat #9. Leftovers served as lunch on Saturday.

We finally decided on a Wegman’s run for groceries/dinner. Whenever we go to Wegman’s we try to get one or two products that we don’t splurge on too often or things that we’ve never tried before. Our cabin fever must’ve gotten the best of us because we got more than one of two things. The List: Nutritional Yeast, Sea Salt, Chilies in Adobo Sauce, Crimini Mushrooms, Kale, Tomatillos & Sprouts.

When we got home, MB got to cooking. She made the Butternut Squash + Sweet Potato Soup and we had a late night soup snack.

With a sprig of Rosemary, cooking down on the stove

Late night snack with rosemary & nutmeg on top

Mary Beth adapted the Soup recipe…she added appx 1/2 C. Greek Yogurt to the processed mixture, along with a pinch of crushed red pepper, & a few good shakes of cinnamon.

The she began prepping for the Empanadas. Butternut Squash, Onion, Garlic, jalapenos

Bright and early Sunday morning, she was making the Empanada Dough when I woke up and ventured out into the kitchen…

Kneading the dough

My parents and sister came over to watch the Superbowl with us, so we decided the empandas, soup and a dip I was going to make would be good football food. I decided I need some breakfast way before I thought about dinner. We had steel cut oats with blueberries, maple syrup & walnuts. Like whoa. So good.

Then it was time to finish the filling and stuff the Empanadas

Crimini Mushrooms

Tomatillos in the sun

Starting the sauce. This was ridiculously delicious.

After refrigerating for an hour, MB rolled out the empanada dough

Ready for the oven

Would you believe that after all of that, the only “after” picture we took didn’t come out!? Guess you’ll have to take my word that it looked and tasted good.

Leftovers for dinner tonight

Recipes

Butternut Squash + Sweet Potato Soup

Butternut Squash + Mushroom Empanadas with Tomatillo Sauce

Snow Day!

There really is nothing quite like a snow day. As a kid, one of the best feelings ever was seeing your school flash across the bottom of the TV screen with the word “Closed” underneath it.  As an adult, unless you are a teacher, snow days tend to be few and far between.

Yeah, it feels good to have an unexpected day off, but beyond that it’s like Mother Natures way of saying, stop. Sit still. You can’t go anywhere even if you want to. These are some of the best days.

1 Tbsp Flax seeds (turns into 2 Tbsp when ground) + 3 Tbsp of water = Substitute for 1 egg

Whisked together

Pears

the line-up…Berries, Pears, Pancake Batter, Hot skillet

cooking

We finally got around to digging our cars out.  Well, Mary Beth can pretty much drive the Jeep out, I on the other hand have a little car that requires some snow removal. I got a chance to go to the gym today and spent some time reading.  Found a good article on being a “flexitarian” or someone who eats a primarily plant-based diet.  A most of the time vegetarian. Apparently Oprah had a show earlier this week challenging people to go a week without eating animal products. I didn’t get a chance to see it, but I know Michael Pollan was one, author of a whole bunch of books on food/nutrition.  He wrote one of the books that influenced my own decision to change my eating habits.  “In Defense of Food,” is a great book, you should check it out. It challenges people to eat REAL food, rather than food products (i.e. Grapes rather than a grape flavored fruit roll-up).

Reading it really helped me demystify what I perceived to be so many complex food choices. I finally learned that there is not one “fat free” “low fat” “reduced sodium” brand of anything that was better than another one.  Pollan talks about the idea that if a food product has to advertise what about it is good for you, it probably isn’t.  An apple for example, doesn’t need a label or a sales pitch.  It speaks for itself. It’s an apple. Easy. The proof is in the pudding…err…the apple. Which is what I had after the gym.  An apple and a Honey Graham z-Bar with almond milk.

I wasn’t sure what to make for dinner, but I was craving sweet potato fries, so I figured we’d start there.

I only used one large sweet potato tonight because that’s all we had left.  It was easily enough for 2. Just double it up for 4.

Sweet Potato Fries

I Large Sweet Potato, peel and sliced

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Garlic Salt, Black Pepper & a dash of Cayenne Pepper

Bake @ for 10 minutes, flip and bake for an additional 10 min.

We like to eat the fries with a Dill Dip: Greek Yogurt (or sour cream), Lemon Juice, fresh or dried dill. This tastes really good with the fries.  Because I only made a small amount, I probably used 1/2 C Greek Yogurt, 1 1/2 Tbsp. Dried Dill, juice from 1/4 of a large lemon.

Tossed in olive oil & spices

They were so yummy I forgot to take an “after” picture. We ended up doing some snacking for dinner after the fries. Made Green Monsters and ate a head of romaine lettuce with hummus…random, but all things we were craving.

We are planning to give Cross Country Skiing a whirl this weekend, so we want to make some kind of energy bars to take with us. Searching some blogs now for good ideas.