Quinoa Burger

Here are a few more pics from Mexico!  Wish I was there now!

Lakeside High School Girls

(Ali, Maureen, Ashley, Me, and Molly)

My best friend and I are pregnant at the same time!  She literally found out the Sunday before we left for the trip!

My five month pic. I thought I was so big then:)  HA!

LOVE these girls!!!!

These "burgers" were awesome!  Yet another great addition to meatless Monday.  My picky husband loved them, even though he had doubts while I was cooking.  This was my first time cooking with quinoa and I am sold!  Here is a little clip about the nutritional value that I found on Wikipedia.

Quinoa was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, secondary only to the potato, and was followed in importance bymaize. In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (18%). Nutritional evaluations of quinoa indicate that it is a source of complete protein.^[14][15] It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high inmagnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered a possible crop in NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration human occupied spaceflights.^[16]

So there you go!  You can find it at your local grocery store! Enjoy!

Quinoa Burger
Source: Modified from http://eatingwelllivingthin.wordpress.com

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups of water
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup of shredded white cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup of low fat cottage cheese
• 1 cup shredded zucchini, squeezed dry
• 3 eggs
• 3 Tbsp. corn starch (original called for flour)
• 2 green onions chopped including the white parts
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
• olive oil for frying
• Top with:  Tzatziki sauce, avocado, tomato, and shredded white cheddar cheese

Tzatziki sauce:

• 3/4 cup thick plain Greek-style yogurt such as Fage’ 
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated – squeezed of excess water
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried or 2 tablespoon fresh dill weed
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

.

In a small mixing bowl blend together the yogurt, sour cream, grated cucumber, garlic powder, sugar, dill weed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill. This is best if made a couple hours in advance.

Bring the 2 cups of water and 1/2 tsp. salt to a boil in a medium sauce pan over high heat.  Add quinoa, cover, and reduce heat to low.  Cook for 18-20 mins or until water is absorbed.

In a large bowl combine the cooked quinoa, cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, zucchini, eggs, corn starch, green onions, sugar, pepper, cumin, salt, and garlic powder.

Heat a frying pan and a couple teaspoons olive oil over medium-low heat.  Mixture will be slightly sticky, so using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, drop mixture into pan and lightly flatten to 1/2 inch thick.  Fry until golden-brown, about 4 minutes on each side.   Makes approx. 10 burgers.

Spaghetti Squash

At the end of February I had the pleasure of going on vacation to Mexico with some of my best friends from high school.  We went to celebrate the wedding of Ali and Jamil!  I was honored to be a bridesmaid for one of my oldest childhood friends.  It was a beautiful wedding!  Oh, and the relaxing was nice as well!

Ashley, Molly, and I on the train at the airport

We finally made it!

Can't beat that view!

Jamil and Ali

Ashley, Molly, Ali, Maureen, and I (High school friends)

Beautiful bride!

This is a great low carb and healthy dinner!  It can be your new meatless Monday dish.  Did I mention it is super easy too!  This is more of a meal suggestion then a true recipe post.  I was intimidated by spaghetti squash for a while, wondering if it could possibly taste good and how do you really cook it.  Play with this and make it your own in regards to sauces, toppings, etc just like you would with normal noodles.  And yes, it does taste great!  Even my picky husband likes it!

Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients:

• 1 spaghetti squash
• Jar of spaghetti sauce
• Parmesan cheese
• Ground beef (optional)
• Veggies (optional)

Preheat oven to 375.  Cut spaghetti squash in half (I have my amazingly strong husband do this task because uncooked squash is tough).  Scrape out the seeds and pulp.  Place each half on a baking sheet with the rind side up.  Bake for 30-40 minutes.

While squash is baking, heat sauce in pan on stove.  Cook ground beef or saute any veggies you might be adding to your sauce.  Allow to simmer while squash is cooking.

After squash is finished, hold one half, with an oven mit on, vertically and use a fork to scrape the inside with long strokes going from top to bottom.  Short strokes will leave you with little strands.  Continue this until you have removed all squash.  You will see the strands look just like spaghetti.  Repeat with other half.

Serve with sauce and other toppings!  Enjoy!

Ratatouille

Who participates in meatless Monday's???  While I have attempted a few times, we have not been successful.  Even if you are a meat lover, I think you will find this recipe fulfilling.  I know my picky husband did!

I served this with brown basmati rice.

Ratatouille
Source:   Southern Living Magazine- January 2012
Ingredients:

• 1 green bell pepper (I omitted because I don't like peppers)
• 1 red bell pepper  (I omitted because I don't like peppers) 
• 1/2 pound zucchini
• 1/2 pound yellow squash
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 3 Tbps. olive oil
• 2-14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
• 1 small eggplant (about 1 lb.), peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil or 2 tsp. of dried basil (what I used)
• Cooked Brown Rice

Directions:

1. 1. Cut first 5 ingredients into 1-inch pieces.
2. 2. Sauté onion and garlic in hot oil in a large skillet over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes or just until onion is tender. Stir in tomatoes and next 2 ingredients, and sauté 8 to 10 minutes or just until eggplant begins to soften. Stir in bell peppers, zucchini, and squash; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender and liquid is slightly reduced. Stir in basil. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, and sauté 3 minutes.

Serve over or with brown rice.

Berry Cobbler

Here is a little peek at my baby bump at 4 months (16 weeks)!

This recipe is about as healthy as you can get when it comes to making cobbler.  I originally received this one from Katherine and it was for peach cobbler, but my picky husband wouldn't dare touch that!  I thought that maybe he would eat cobbler with berries, but he still turned it down.  Who would have known he was raised in the south?!?!

I made this with fresh ground wheat and honey granules from Bread Beckers.  Honey is a much healthier sweetener then white sugar.  You still have some nutrients in honey where as white sugar has been bleached and processed to death.  You can substitute honey granules for any recipe calling for white sugar.  

Honey granules

Whole wheat before it is ground into flour

I hope you enjoy!

Berry Cobbler

Ingredients:

• 5 cups of mixed berries (fresh or frozen-I used frozen)
• 1 cup honey sucanat (granules)
• 1 cup of wheat flour (I used fresh ground flour; make your own at your local Whole Foods)
• 1 egg, beaten (or alternative if you are dairy free)
• 3/4 stick butter, melted (or alternative if you are dairy free)
• Vanilla ice cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place berries in a square dish (~2qt.).

Combine sucanat and flour in a separate bowl.  Beat egg and add to dry ingredients.  Using a fork (or your hand) combine until mixture is crumbly.  

Spread mixture on top of berries with your hands.  Drizzle melted butter all over and bake for 40 mins or until golden.

Serve with ice cream...a MUST!

Pre-baking

Baked Oatmeal

"It's the most wonderful time of the year!"  I LOVE Christmas!  There is so much joy, happiness, and excitement in the air.  I love knowing I will get to see all my family, especially those I don't see enough throughout the year.  

The other fun part of this time of year is everyone announcing they are having babies...including US!  Alex and I are expecting our first child around June 28, 2012!  We are beyond excited.  We feel so blessed that things happened so quickly for us after the miscarriage.  

With the celebration of babies coming we have also been celebrating those who have recently been born.  I recently had the pleasure of visiting Andrew Thompson Heller and his mommy, Holly.  

Precious quilt that Molly made for Mr. Andrew!

I wanted to bring something healthy and different from all the dinner casseroles most bring.  I found this great breakfast recipe that can be eaten any time of day.  Holly is health conscious anyways, but even more so after the baby so this was perfect for her and her new family!  I hope you enjoy!

Caledon Baked Oatmeal
Source:  The Eat Clean Diet Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of old fashioned oats
• 2 cups low fat or skim milk or soy milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries or other dried fruit of your choice
• 1 large unpeeled Macintosh apple, grated
• 4 Tbsp. maple syrup
• cooking spray
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• a pinch of nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Coat a 3 quart casserole dish or baking pan with cooking spray.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  If you are preparing this the night before don't add the liquid ingredients such as milk or grated apple until morning.

Place mixture in a casserole dish.  Bake uncovered for 45 minutes.  (My oven cooks quick so this was too long, just keep an eye on it!)

Polenta Stack with Black Bean and Chickpea Salad

A few months back, we had the pleasure of adopting a sweet goldendoodle named Hank.  He was previously a clients dog and due to unfortunately circumstances he needed a new home.  I fell in love immediately!  How could you not love that face!  

Hank & Alex

Hank is an amazing dog.  He looks awesome, everyone loves him, and he has the best personality.  

Love him!

Alex loves using him at his shows because there is no need to worry about him biting anyone. He loves adults and kids!  

I had to babysit Hank in the van at one event after we discovered that he DOES NOT like gunfire!  The police did a demonstration with police dogs that involved gunfire and he freaked out.  It might be his ONLY flaw.

Most of all, Hank is making a difference in the lives of others.  Alex brings him up to my work frequently to do therapy with my patients.  Those who are in the memory care clinic especially love him.  I think even when the rest of the world can't understand you, there is an unspoken bond between a person and a dog.  It makes my heart smile to see him light up their faces.  Even though they forget who he is with each visit, they are just as happy to be re-introduced the next session.  It is such a blessing to have this sweet dog in our lives.  Now he is living with my in-laws due to the lack of space for another dog at our house. We make frequent stops to see him throughout the week and take him with us whenever time permits.  He is just a love!

I know grilling season is coming to an end, but we have still had some great warm evenings.  I found this recipe on my friend Tracy's blog.  It was my first time cooking polenta and I loved it.  It comes in a tube and is the consistency of grits.  This is a great vegetarian dish that is still a well balanced meal.  Enjoy!

Polenta Stack with Black Bean and Chickpea Salad

Source:  http://kitchenambition.blogspot.com/

Ingredients:

• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup basil, chopped
• 1 1/2 cup feta cheese
• 1 tube prepared polenta, cut into slices
• 1 zucchini, cut into slices
• 1/2 bottle roasted red peppers, drained (I omitted this since I don't like peppers)

Directions:

Heat grill. Coat the inside of four 18" pieces of tin foil with cooking spray. Combine the beans, tomatoes, basil, and half of the feta in a bowl. Place 1/4 of the bean mixture in each piece of foil. Add the sliced zucchini, then polenta, then roasted red peppers, and finally the remaining feta cheese. Grill on a slow cooker grill for about 30 minutes, or on a gas grill for 10-15. Serve and enjoy!

Roasted Garlic Hummus

Sadly, I took horrible pictures of this hummus dip.  So you will just have to use your imagination and know that it was awesome if you are a garlic lover, which I am!

I feel like I have been struggling with my food photography lately.  I think I am either in a hurry or super hungry.  I just assume one will turn out good, and lately they have not.

Enough complaining!

Our small group had an outing at the shooting range the other week.  Yes, I actually enjoy to shoot my husbands guns.  He has always loved this hobby. I have always been terrified by guns!  I hate that they are all over our house. I feel like they are an accident waiting to happen...until recently.  I finally went with him one afternoon to the range.  After getting acquainted with the gun and over my fear, I loved it!  My husband was so excited that we could finally go shooting together and have a really good time.

Trying my best to not look afraid.

Old pro right here

He looks good in action!

SMALL GROUP PICTURES

Beth shooting Alex's AR15

Jordan with his new gun.  I love that I caught the "fire" in this shot.

Mark and Mary showing off the cool gear we got to wear.  Safety first:)

My hot husband showing off again.

Lauren patiently taking instructions from Jon

And she is off!

Roasted Garlic Hummus

Source:  Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

• 2 heads of garlic, intact
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
• 3 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 6 tbsp. tahini
• 14 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Remove the papery outer skins of the garlic heads, leaving them otherwise intact.  Chop off the top quarter of the head so that all of the cloves are exposed.  Wrap the garlic in foil and bake until very tender, about 1 hour.  Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat.  Add the sliced garlic cloves and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 15 minutes.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer the garlic to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving the cooking oil.  Set aside.  Once the roasted garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the cloves from their skins (you should have about ¼ cup).

In a small prep bowl, combine the lemon juice and water.  In another bowl, whisk together the reserved garlic cooking oil and the tahini.  In the bowl of a food processor, process the chickpeas, the roasted garlic puree, the remaining clove of garlic, salt and cayenne until the mixture is finely ground, about 20 seconds.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  With the machine running, add the lemon juice-water mixture through the feed tube in a steady stream.  Scrape down the bowl and process for an additional minute.  With the machine running, add the oil-tahini mixture through the feed tube in a steady stream.  Scrape down the bowl and continue to process until the hummus is smooth and creamy.  Transfer to a serving bowl, drizzle with olive oil, top with toasted garlic slices and minced fresh parsley, if desired.

Spinach Lasagna

Last month we had a lot of things to cook for.  Our sweet friends, Scott and Katie, had their little boy Mason, a dear friend lost his mom, and I was going out of town and the hubby needed to be fed.  So I figured I would go ahead and pre-make three spinach lasagnas.  It was super easy to throw them together and pop them in the freezer until I was ready to cook them.  

Overall this is a great time saver.  If you are making a dish for a friend, go ahead and cook one for yourself too!

Little Mason is so sweet and precious.  I was grateful for all the time we got to spend with him and his wonderful family!

My hubby looks like a natural

Big yawn!

Mason says, "Oh dear, another admirer."

"I'm tired."

Proud dad, Scott!

This recipe is from my wonderful mother-in-law.  I tried one batch with gluten free noodles.  Not good!  Maybe I will try a different brand next time.  My picky husband was a trooper and ate maybe two servings of it, but decided he really didn't like the gluten free noodles either.  The regular noodles got great reviews by everyone who tried it!

Spinach Lasagna

Source:  My mother-in law 

Ingredients:

• 1 box of oven ready lasagna noodles
• 1 jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 15 oz. container of Ricotta cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 boxes frozen cream spinach (cooked to package instructions-I did it in the microwave)

Directions:

In a 9x13 pan layer with sauce on the bottom, noodles, ricotta cheese, spinach, mozzarella cheese, and continue with the layers until you run out of ingredients or fill up your pan.  Top with Parmesan cheese.  Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake for 15 minutes.  Let sit 10-15 minutes.  

Greek Salad

Workouts

I have a new love for Jillian Michaels' workouts.    I have been a fan of her 30 day shred because it is a quick (~25 minute) full body work out with three different levels.  Recently I discovered her iPhone app, Slim Down, which has two full workouts.  Each workout contains five circuits which have 4+ workouts in each circuit.  It took me about 45 minutes to do it one time through.  I did my first one on Monday and it was awesome!  I love being sore the next day and this has left me sore for two days now.  I plan on buying her Making the Cut book which has 30 days worth of these work outs.  I love variety so that would be a great option for me.  If you are bored with your current routine I highly suggest this option.

Around the House


The dog beds have always been an eye sore in our house.  It is so hard to find cute ones that are not really expensive.  I am always scoping out the dog section of Home Goods and finally hit the jack pot on Saturday.  I found TWO affordable beds that matched our bedroom decor!  I was thrilled!  Apparently, our four legged friends are quite fond of them too!

Tucker claimed the big bed immediately

Tini was fine with the smaller one

"Who needs a dog bed?  Tough dogs sleep on hard floors."  Jackson

Jackson is so loyal to Alex that he even lays outside the shower waiting for him

MTV


I have to laugh at Alex because he loves MTV, especially the Rob and Big show.  Does anyone watch MTV anymore?  I might have seen it a few times over the past few years for an episode of the Hills, when I was really bored.  Alex still watches music videos in the morning (yes, they do actually still have something to do with music).  He is definitely a dedicated fan.

Alex's parents had us over for dinner Saturday.  Dakin made some great grilled chicken and veggies with a sweet potato for a side.  I made this Greek salad to go along with all the other fresh veggies.  Plus, I had a lot of tomatoes and cucumbers that needed to be used.  This is a great light salad to add to any summer dish.

Greek Salad
Source: Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ingredients

•   4 whole or 8 roma Ripe Tomatoes, Cut Into Six Wedges Each, Then Each Wedge Cut In Half
•   2 whole (large) Cucumber Cut Into Fourths Lengthwise, And Diced Into Large Chunks
•   ½ whole Red Onion, Sliced Very Thin
•   30 whole Pitted Kalamata Olives, Cut In Half Lengthwise
•   6 ounces, weight Crumbled Feta Cheese
•   ¼ cups Olive Oil
•  2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
•   1 teaspoon Sugar (more To Taste)
•   1 clove Garlic, Minced
•   6 whole Kalamata Olives (extra), Chopped Fine
•   ¼ teaspoons Salt
•   Freshly Ground Black Pepper
•   1 whole Lemon, For Squeezing

Directions:

Add tomato wedges, cucumber chunks, onion slices, halved Kalamata olives, and half the feta to a large bowl.

Combine olive oil, vinegar, sugar, garlic, salt, pepper, and chopped olives in a bowl. Whisk together until combined. 

Pour dressing over salad ingredients, then add salt and pepper. Toss with tongs or clean hands. Just before serving, top with additional feta and squeeze a little lemon juice over the top.