Baked Tilapia, Roasted Garlic Cauliflower, and Couscous

Needless to say, I have become obsessed with the Roasted Garlic Cauliflower recipe. 

I recently marinated a tilapia filet in lemon pepper, baked it and paired it with some of the cauliflower and couscous.  Amazing healthy meal, cheap as well.  I made the whole meal for me under $3.

 
This meal took me about 30 minutes from start to finish.  It is all very easy to make, and extremely healthy!

Go For The Goal

I saw this on Meghan's blog, and knew I had to participate. 

Thought this would inspire me to keep on trucking with my New Years resolutions..and other goals in general. 

My New Years Resolutions were pretty practical this year.  Nonetheless, I want to keep them!

1.  Make a cookbook.  I have tried many new recipes this month.  All of them were simply amazing.  My resolution was to cook at least 1 new thing a week. I also signed up for Blurb, to design the book.  I tried a different book last year.  Fail.   The cook book is coming along..I want to make it for me, somewhere I can put my fav recipes and give them to my family.

2. Invite Friends over more often.  Success.  I had some friends over a few times, but the best was having all the folks who live in the barracks over for a home cooked meal.  I know I hated living in the barracks.  I am looking over to more of these get togethers. 

3. Work Out More.  Another success.  I have lost some weight this month, and have loved every minute of my new work out plan.  I do Zumba with the girls every Saturday, and work out after class when I can.  It is still sporadic, but my job is a bit crazy right now.  Next goal is to do Yoga every weekend too!

4. Photography.  I have only gotten out once due to the weather to mess with my new camera.  I have been taking photos of the recipes I have made, and those have turned out amazing. 

Next goal:  Do 30 for 30 again.  I need to get rid of some clothes before my next move.  Yes, moving again.  This way, I can put together outfits I "actually wear", and donate the stuff just taking up room. 

What are your goals?

Stuff Chicagoans Say

Found this gem yesterday. Laughed so hard because I have definitely said many of these things. But...I am from Chicago..not Skokie:)

Crockpot Rosemary Chicken

I made this Rosemary Chicken this past weekend, and it was nothing short of amazing.  First time I have ever made chicken and say "wow, it isn't dry".  That good.  I love chicken, but am always afraid to under cook it and get people sick.  Am I the only one who thinks that way?!

Fresh Rosemary Chicken
1/2 c lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1/4 tsp sea or kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper or more
1 1/2 to 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

In a large ziploc bag (not the zipper type), place lemon juice, oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Shake mixture and add chicken. Close bag and marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator, turning bag frequently. Place chicken in the crockpot and pour marinade over. Cover and cook for 6 to 8 hours, or until tender, basting occasionally with the marinade, if possible. Serves 4 to 6 servings.  I cooked it on high for 4 hours.  Worked out for me!  I paired the chicken with some steamed broccoli and cheese, and some white wine.  Perfect Sunday dinner.

Rosemary Chicken

Chicken with Parmesean Risotto and Roasted Cauliflower

One day while perusing the organic section at the grocery store, I stumbled upon this:
Parmesan Risotto.  I made it tonight with baked chicken breasts, and garlic, roasted cauliflower.  Cauliflower is in season, and I used the recipe from here.

Such an amazing winter meal.  Tastes great.  I want to run out and buy some more risotto already!

Low GI Diet

For the past few years, I have been battling a medical condition.  Little did I know, that this condition also messed with my weight, a lot.  I kept going to the doctor, and I finally figured out what was wrong.  My body does not process sugar and carbs properly, thus it stores it as fat.  Sucks right?  The solution was go on a Low GI diet, so my body not only stays fuller, longer, but so I eat the foods that are good for me.  I had no idea that many of the foods I ate were so bad for me.  Again, I say bad for me, because they aren't bad for everyone.  I went to a nutritionist to see if I was on the right track, and I was.  Sigh of relief.  My best results was when I did Seattle Sutton for 2 months.  I lost so much weight, I was not hungry, and I worked out all the time.  It was awesome.  Definitely worked for me.  Now, I am in the North East, with no Seattle Sutton in sight, so back to cooking and trying my hardest with this Low GI Diet.  The best part of the Seattle Sutton diet was that it was pre-packaged, amazing food.  I can't say enough good things about it, and no, they are not paying me for saying this. 

Many of the recipes I post on my blog are good for a Low GI diet.  I do eat a lot of "carbs", but they are good carbs.   You can look at this link to take a look at the foods that you should and shouldn't eat on a low GI diet.  It honestly takes a lot of planning at the grocery store, and in making my meal lists for the week.  I have realized that planning in advance helps me really stick to this.  This way I am not running out for fast food, etc.  I honestly don't even know where to get fast food in Newport, and that is a good thing. 

I hope to post more about the Low GI Diet as I post more recipes, and document more weight loss success. 

Weekend Re-Cap

I definitely needed a 3 day weekend.  I just finished another module of school with a 3 hour essay exam on Friday am.  Yikes.  Let's pray I passed, and if I didn't, pray for another shot at it!

• Lunch with my homies on Friday.  Met some "new" homies (aka folks who are going to Florida with me!)
• Great workout Saturday am
• Errands, groceries, etc Saturday
• Ghost tour of a Castle.  Belcourt Castle was amazing!  The owner was the nicest lady!
• Pizza at Via Via...yummy.  Game night.  Love meet up groups.
• Brunch at a place I won't name, because I have never been treated so poorly by a server in my life.  We felt like the scene out of Pretty Woman.  So sad.
• Lazy day at home with the pup on Sunday.  Sooo cold.  Made an amazing dinner. Promise I'll post the recipe soon.  Watched the Lovely Bones.  Incredibly sad movie.  Good representation of the book by Alice Sebold. 
• Good run on Monday am.  Ran into old shipmates.
• Lunch and shopping with friends in Providence.  Bought an electric blanket.  Definitely feel old.  Priorities go from awesome shoes to electric blankets.  Hmm.

Solid weekend overall.  Who says winter has to be a bummer?  I say bring it on. 

Photography

I have dabbled in photography here and there, but have never really "gotten" into it.  I have never had a nice camera, and never took it seriously.  Last spring, I took a free class at a center in Chicago, and it made me realize, that Yes! I can do this.  I started saving for a nicer camera, and my guy got me one for Christmas.  Such a thoughtful and amazing gift.  I have looked at going to more classes while in Rhody, but I have just dabbled with it for now.  Here are some recent photos:

Bella!

She was curious, then just decided to lie down.

Newport Bridge on a brisk January day.

Bridge and the Lighthouse on Goat Island.

I hope I can continue to use this gift now, and in the years to come.  I love documenting my travels, and of course, food!

Pasta with Roasted Vegetables

I asked some of my friends for their favorite recipes, and a college friend of mine gave me her fav.  Her mom makes this all the time, and after I made it, I texted her and told her to hug her momma for me.  It is that good.

I modified this recipe to use what I could find at the commissary. 

Time total: 45 mins
Cook time: 30 mins veggies
Pasta: boil 7-10 mins (less for al dente, or just look at the box;)
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• Whole grain bow tie pasta (1 box)
• assorted veggies to roast: 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper,1 yellow squash, 1/2 red onion, 1lb asparagus, 1 cup baby carrots. 
• olive oil
• salt/pepper to taste
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese

I preheated the oven to 450 degrees while I prepped the veggies.  I cut the peppers into small strips, sliced the squash thin, as well as the red onion.  I omitted the asparagus because I couldn't find any! 
I placed the prepped, cut and washed veggies into a 9x13 dish, and mixed them with a few tablespoons of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  I put this in the oven at 450 for 30 mins, stirring twice while cooking.  I boiled the water and cooked the bow tie pasta, drained, and placed in a bowl.  I covered the pasta with the roasted veggies and parmesean cheese when complete.  You can also add some tomatoes in garlic, but I felt that these veggies hit the spot.  This isn't just my friends favorite, it is now definitely one of mine!

Pasta with Roasted Veggies

Butternut Squash/Carrot Soup

Since there is a new chill in the air, I have been making soup about once a week.  It is great for dinner, and then reheated for lunch the next day. 

I made my hearty barley soup this week, and this new butternut squash soup.  It took longer and more steps than most soups I make, but it was well worth it. 

Love this soup.  Perfect on a cold, winter day.

Butternut Squash Soup.  I left out all of the optional ingredients.  They didn't seem necessary, and the soup was wonderful, and every filling!  I paired the soup with some baked tilapia for a full, protein rich mean. 

Butternut Squash Soup

Since I have so much barley left from the other soup, expect more recipes!

Tuna Pasta Salad

New year, new recipes.  I tried this Food Network salad, and absolutely loved it for lunch.  It is more of a spring/summer recipe, but I really enjoyed it! 

Tuna Pasta Salad.  I would recommend cooling the pasta before the other steps.  It tastes great chilled in the fridge. 

Tuna Pasta Salad.  Yum.

Cheap, healthy, and easy.  Can't beat it!

Vacation Recap

I was lucky enough to have the past couple of weeks off of work/school.  We took an exam, and poof...3 weeks "off".  I boarded the pup for about 10 days, because I felt bad leaving her too long.  I went to Chicago and spent some time with my wonderful guy, my friends, and my family. 

• Day 1.  Quality time with my guy + dinner at a new Indian restaurant
• Day 2.  Took the train to downtown to hang with my friends.  Did some holiday shopping, had dinner at Wilde, and had a sleepover.
• Day 3.  Spent Christmas Eve with my middle brother, SIL, sister, and baby. Had coffee that afternoon with my closest college friend. 
• Day 4.  Spent Christmas Day with my guy and his family.
• Day 5.  Had brunch with my besties at Feast.  Met my guys bff from kindergarten. 
• Day 6.  DMV day.  Boooo.  Birthday dinner @ Wildfire and drinks @ Fado.
• Day 7.  Back to North East.
• Day 8. Drove to Philly.  Had my "real" birthday.  Spent the evening at a dear friends rehearsal dinner where she and her guy had some birthday fun for me! 
• Day 9.  Dave and Busters..dinner..relaxing with our friends at the hotel.
• Day 10.  NYE wedding.  Amazing!
• Day 11.  Back to reality..dropped my guy at the airport, and drove home.  Got my pup back.

Me n my girl @ Wilde

Me n my brother

Downtown for Brunch!

Wrigley Building

Love these girls!

Birthday drinks @ Fado

So Happy!

Big 30!

Thanks for making my birthday special Col!

NYE Wedding!

Can't wait for my next trip back home!

Grateful

I have been so overwhelmed lately because of my schedule.  I feel swamped with things to do before I move again. 

Yes.  I have to move again.  This time for 3 years, away from those I love so dearly.  Luckily it is only a short plane trip away in warmer weather.  I guess not knowing how many deployments and when is also adding to the stress.  Uncertainty in the life of a girl so well organized...hmm.  You get the point. 

But I realized something tonight that I need to keep in my head. 

I need to be grateful. 

I need to appreciate what is around me, no matter what.  I just hope I can take in the next couple of months, and breathe.  Just breathe. 

After having such a wonderful vacation which will be covered in another post..I promise..I am forever grateful.  For the conversations, the lazy days, everything.

via

New Recipes

New year, new recipes.

Here are a few I want to try in the next few weeks.  I am trying to make more food at home, instead of grabbing that quick breakfast sandwich, or lunch sandwich at the cafe in my building.  Those calories add up, and I need to lose that extra weight. 

Healthy Lasagna
Tuna Salad
Butternut Squash Soup
Swiss Chicken Bundles

Some I want to make for me..some for dinner parties.  I can't wait to get out of the cooking rut I was in, and make some new, tasty meals. 

Do you have any healthy recipes to share??

New Years Resolutions

Here is my post from last year.  I am going to focus on those three things, because I think I did them well last year, but not well enough!  I am also adding one..

1. Make a cook book.  I have completed great strides at making new recipes often.  I had to have a break during some of my moves.  I am in a rut right now, but my guy and I watched about 2 hours of Food Network yesterday, and all I have to say is standby for some future delicious recipes!

2. Invite friends over more often.  I have had a few dinners at my house in Newport, and have hosted 2 brunches.  Lets just say much more of that will happen, especially when I have visitors!

3. Work out more.  I let this stupid month blow by me, and I am going to get back into it like a crazy lady.  Must pace myself, and not hurt myself, but I need to be healthier.  Studying and working every day from 6 am until 8-10pm was not conducive at all to my work out schedule. Although I do have to say, my run time on the PT test was my best time in 3 years! 

4.  Take a photography class, or join a meet up group.  My guy bought me a nice camera for Christmas..one I have been talking about for over a year.  I just never had the drive to get it for myself.  Now I can take better pictures, especially during all of my travels/deployment!

What are your resolutions?