PEARLS 'N PEPPERS

The Fall Squash

2010-11-01T08:50:00.001-05:00

I bought a butternut squash at the grocery store last week. After staring at it for two days, I decided to do something with it. I found Warm Autumn Salad on Jessica's blog and decided that was the simplest way to experiment with the squash.

I decided to half the recipe since it was only for little 'ol me. Here goes...

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut and chop butternut squash, brussel sprouts, apple, and red onion.

Mix vegetables (and apple) in a bowl and coat with olive oil and S & P to taste.

Roast for 40-50 minutes, flipping every 15 minutes.

Garnish with parsley and feta cheese.

Dig in! (The full recipe can be found here.)

On another note, I figured I should update my progress for my behavior enhancement project. Let's just say there have been too many sugar cookies around my house lately! Tomorrow is a new day, right?

Have you ever cooked a buttnernut squash? How did you cook it?

Fallin'

2010-10-31T15:23:00.000-05:00

Well folks, the Baylor Homecoming extravaganza has passed.

It's still 90 degrees in Waco.

The Baylor Bears are making their presence known.

And I finally have time to breathe.

The past month has been a blur. Go, go, go, go. Not to mention, Fall Break - better known as "Fall Friday"- was thrown in there. Me and three of my besties ventured up to Fayetteville to see Blake and Brooklynn.

The weekend started with Brooklynn delivering a box of these goodies from Rick's Bakery to our hotel room. Nothing compares, seriously.

Happy Halloween!

We spent Friday evening with Blake and his friends! We were highly entertained. I hope we didn't cramp their style too much!

Eyes closed - sorry Blakelynn!

On Saturday, we wondered around downtown Fayetteville and the campus. It actually felt like fall there; we loved it!

Chi Omega Greek Theatre

The greek theatre is where the bid day celebration took place. This time, it was 20 degrees cooler and not full of people! We also made a pit stop at Hugo's for lunch. Hugo's is a Fayetteville tradition for me now!

Downtown Fayetteville

We spend Saturday afternoon with Brooklynn and her friends. Once again, there were a lot of laughs! I wish I was up there more often! Blake also joined us for dinner. Eight girls and one boy? The odds were in Blake's favor.

Christmas Card 2010?

I have a yummy recipe coming soon!

Have a great Sunday!

First Time for Everything

2010-10-12T18:39:00.000-05:00

Saturday was the first time...

I've seen a VitaMix and tasted a smoothie. It's true, this blender is amazing.

The first time I've ever seen a life sized butter sculpture.

The first time I ate a caramel apple. Love that fair food.

The first time I ate a Mediterranean restaurant.

The first time Reagan's tried hummus. (Yeah, he missed the memo until Saturday.)

Hummus

Chicken Kabob Plate

Kibee Plate

The first time I've tried falafel.

Falafel

After heading back to Waco, Reagan and I were starving. Reagan was "in a creative mood" (his words, not mine) and wanted to try a new restaurant. I heard about D's Mediterranean Grill a year or so ago and have been meaning to try it ever since.

The verdict? We loved it. D's is a small, hole-in-the-wall, family owned type restaurant. The owner took our order, and his wife made the food. They were so precious and actually ended up giving us appetizers for free because it was our first time eating there.

Back to studying!

Two Bears at the Fair

2010-10-11T16:43:00.000-05:00

There's so much to say about last Saturday, so I'm going to let the pictures do most of the talking!

Reagan and I headed to Dallas early Saturday morning to watch the Baylor vs. Texas Tech game. The game was at the Cotton Bowl, which happens to be right in the middle of the Texas State Fair. The state fair is famous for it's fried food; they fry everything. By everything I mean: chicken fried bacon, fried margaritas, fried beer, fried cookie dough, and fried butter. Get my drift?

We started our morning by walking around the state fair and taking in the sights.

We stumbled across the Texas Agricultural building. Like I've said before, Regan is a true Texan, so of course we had to spend some time in here.

The law student coming out.

Farmer's market

Texas history

Deer blind, complete with the deer

After wandering around for a bit, Reagan was dying to eat something fried. What do you think he chose?

Chicken Fried Bacon

Chicken fried bacon of course! I know, I'm afraid he'll have a heart attack too.

Maybe it was a little early to be eating it?

After taking in the fair, we walked over to the stadium to find our seats. I grabbed some peanuts on the way in. I guess this is brunch for me?

We were right in the action! Reagan and I met as students at Baylor, but now he's in law school at Tech. However, he stayed true to his roots and cheered for Baylor with me.

2 yards...

TOUCHDOWN!!

Baylor ended up losing 45-38. :( Baylor hung in there until the very end, and it was a very exciting game! The tan lines and sunburn were worth it.

More fair adventures next!

Have you ever been to a state fair? Would you/have you eaten any of the fried food?

It's a Rodeo

2010-10-10T11:22:00.000-05:00

Reagan and I love the rodeo. Maybe it's because he's the most proud Texan I know. Maybe it's because I grew up calling Texas "the homeland." Reagan took me to the San Antonio Rodeo for our Valentine's Day date last year. We both agreed it was one of the most fun dates we've ever been on!

I was thrilled when my sorority decided to do a Take-a-Date to the Heart of Texas Rodeo on Friday night. I was even more thrilled that it was the night before the Baylor vs. Tech game, and Reagan could go with me!

We put on our boots and hit the town :)

Roommate & event planner!

Popcorn monster

I have to eat popcorn at events like the rodeo. I don't know why, I just can't resist. I think it's because I'm exactly like my mom.

On our way out we got stopped my a company doing a trivia game. How could we say no? We're all too competitive. The game was called "Are you a smart Texan?" We did pretty well, if I must say so myself.
.

Do you know the answer? It's heating/cooling. We didn't win a prize, but it was fun to participate.

The rodeo was just the start of a fun weekend!

Have you ever been to a rodeo? If you have, what's your favorite event? I have to say my favorite event is the muttin' bustin'! Those little kids are too cute!

Right Now

2010-10-03T10:59:00.000-05:00

Well, first things first. In my last post I told you about my Behavior Enhancement Project. I'll do as I promised and fill you in.

All was good until one of my friends got engaged on Thursday night, and I went to a surprise party for her. Her parents had brought a cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes, and I decided to try it since, after all, my goal isn't to stop eating cake completely. This was hands down the BEST. CAKE. EVER. Seriously. There was Pecan Praline and White White Chocolate at the party. I ate both, then I ate some carrots. (The roommates and I also brought some back just so we could eat the icing off the top. Fail.)

Friday turned out to be a much better day than expected! Reagan had originally planned to come see me earlier in the week, but he found out he had a research paper. All week I figured he was lying so he could surprise me (because he's sweet like that!) Then, Friday after his class was over he called and I could tell he wasn't in the car (becuase there's that weird background noise when you're driving - ya know?) I was sooo sad and told him I thought he was planning on surprising me all along. He, of course, went a long with it and rambled off his to-do list. I proceeded to pout.

Then, about 10:30 pm I heard one of the roommates' boyfriends pull up and was expecting him to walk in the door. Low and behold it was Reagan! I promise I didn't move from my place on the couch for a solid 2 minutes because I was in shock. Then I cried - tears of joy of course!

Reagan got to go to the Baylor vs. Kansas game with me. We are both huge college football fans, and we love the game day atmosphere. Several of Reagan's friend who have also graduated were at the game, so we got to hang out with them and catch up.

Baylor had a record breaking game and beat Kansas 55-7! It was exciting to say the least.

After recovering from the game, Reagan and I headed to one of our favorite Waco restaurants, Gratziano's. Gratziano's has amazing pizza, salads, and appetizers. Reagan loves ordering pretty food for the blog...

Bruschetta

Californian Salad

Pizza

Half of this dinner left with us in a box. Our pizza was huge but delicious! I love it that Reagan is more than a "meat and potatoes" kind of guy. He loves trying new food with me!

Next weekend will be filled with more football and fun with Reagan.... Stay tuned!

How was your weekend? Did your college team win?

Behavior Enhancement

2010-09-29T19:14:00.000-05:00

Long time no see/talk? I'm not sure what the correct saying would be. Moving on...

Senior year has been out of control (in a good way!) I knew I'd be busy with school, internship, sorority, and social life, but throw the job hunt in there, and it's out of control! I'm loving this year though, and I'm sad I'll only be living with my best friends for a few more months :(

Interestingly enough, one of my classes this semester is Human Health and Behavior. I'm a marketing major, so this is a required course for my degree plan. It's funny how it worked out because most students take this their freshman year. I managed to hold off until my senior year. I'm so glad I did because I wouldn't have gotten near enough out of it when I was a freshman. I'm sure it would have been one of those classes that I deemed "pointless" and "annoying."

Since I've realized a passion of mine is pursuing a healthy lifestyle and balance, I love this class! We've been learning about diet, fitness, weight management, mental health, and it goes on and on. We have a project called the "Behavior Enhancement Project". Over the course of the semester, we're supposed to implement a behavior change in our lives. I decided to implement a behavior that I could address on the blog - cutting out sweets!

You didn't really think I was going to completely cut out sweets did you? Because I'm not. Here's the plan: I'm going to significantly reduce the amount of sweets I eat during the week over the course of the next few weeks. Ever since I went to Arkansas, things have been out of control. Yes, I believe in a cookie a day, but I wasn't eating just one cookie. My mood and energy level were starting to be affected, so I decided this was the perfect time to get back in line.

Things I am going to stop eating so much of:

Cookies
Brownies
Ice cream
Candy
Cake/cupcakes

Things that I will replace the above with:

Fruit
Greek yogurt
Vitatops ( I finally found some at Target in Lubbock - of all places!)

And that's all I have for now. I think the hardest thing will be eating more fruit; I honestly don't like fruit that much - I know, the horror! This isn't about deprivation, it's about balancing my diet so I feel better. Throughout the semester I'll keep you posted! It's been three days and I'm going strong!

Have you ever enjoyed a class that you thought you wouldn't?

Arkansas & Beyond

2010-09-01T19:00:00.000-05:00

After my weekend in San Antonio, I jumped on a plane (2 actually) and headed to Arkansas. I was greeted by my parents and Brooklynn at the airport. It was a happy day! After a few hours in Fayetteville, my parents and I drove 6 hours east to my grandparents house. We spent the next couple of days relaxing and visiting with Grandma and Granddad.

My mom, Grandma, and I headed out for a girls day one afternoon. First, we stopped at Lazzari for lunch. I ate at this Italian restaurant when I was in Arkansas over Christmas break, and it is wonderful! I had a small salad and stuffed mushrooms. Of course, I tried a bite of my mom's chicken and Grandma's ravioli!

Salad

Yumm... bread.

Grandma & Mom

Stuffed mushrooms

Mom's plate

Grandma's plate

For the rest of the afternoon we browsed around the mall and saw Eat, Pray, Love. I just finished the book, so I couldn't wait to see it. It didn't disappoint!

Before we headed back to Fayetteville to see Brooklynn on bid day (she was going through rush during my stay at the grandparents) I decided to bake a cake to take to Blake. Blake is ~~weird~~ picky about the sweets he eats, so I went with a cake I baked last summer and he loved.

Chocolate Chip Cake

Delicious

Chocolate Chip Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
1 small package instant vanilla pudding
1 small package instant chocolate pudding
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
1- 12 oz. package chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, combine yellow cake mix, vanilla pudding, and chocolate pudding. Add water, oil, vanilla, & beaten eggs; mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour in greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes.

We stopped at Fred's Fish House on the way back to Fayetteville. Fred's is the best catfish place I have ever eaten. If you're a catfish lover, you can't go wrong here. The restaurant overlooks Lake Norfork, so we had some pretty scenery to look at over lunch.

Coleslaw

Salmon cakes

I ended up ordering the salmon cakes that were a special that day. They were like crab cakes with less breading and salmon. Delicious.

Annnnd.... look what else I found! There is a town named Marble in Arkansas. Who knew? (FYI... this is Reagan's last name, which explains why I found this amusing!)

This is a random sidenote: there is a "gourmet" convenience store in Bentonville, Arkansas. There is gas out front, and they sell junk food. If you walk a little further, however, it turns into (basically) a Whole Foods. I was ~~confused~~ in awe. I made my mom take my picture with the Siggi's yogurt. I also ate the best. gelato. ever. I would try to describe it to you, but I'd fail miserably.

The reason we went back to Fayetteville was to celebrate bid day with Brooklynn at the end of rush. We stayed with some family friends who live in Bentonville while we were there, so we got to eat at some restuarants that we never would have found on our own. The morning of bid day we ate at the Station Cafe in downtown Bentonville. It was homecooking all the way!

The square in downtown Bentonville was adorable. It's like the 1950's in 2010.

Then we picked up Blake and headed to the bid day celebration!

It's a little bright..

We stood outside overlooking the greek theater for a solid hour. It was soooo hot. Thank goodness we were able to stand under some shade.

Bid day madness

After an hour of waiting, Brooklynn ran up with her bid to Kappa Kappa Gamma!

It was very exciting to say the least! We spent the next hour or so taking pictures, walking to the Kappa house on campus, and meeting Brooklynn's new friends. I can't believe my little sister is officially in college and pledging a sorority... weird. I feel old!

Once we made it out of the heat, Blake took us to Hugo's. Hugo's is a "hole in the wall" burger joint, and it was awesome as well. We all needed to refuel after our loooong morning!

Sweaty mess

Spinach & artichoke dip

Black & Bleu Burger

My burger was delicious, and you better believe I ate every bite! I was about to faint I was so hungry.

Maybe not, but it felt like it.

There it is in a nutshell. Now that I am back on a schedule, I'll return to blogging more regularly. Since I am running all over the place this semester, I want to focus on remaining healthy and balanced by finding time to eat healthy meals and exercise. We'll see how that goes!

Do you have a favorite "hole in the wall" restaurant?

Back in the Game

2010-08-31T22:12:00.000-05:00

Hello! Long time, no ~~see~~ talk! I have been all over the place recently. Instead of one mega post, I'm going to do a couple of shorter posts recapping my adventures!

As I mentioned before, I was in Arkansas for a week visiting family. Before that, however, I went to San Antonio with Reagan for his mom's 50th surprise birthday party. I failed to capture a ton of pictures during the party; I was too busy being a social butterfly, of course. I did get some pictures of our eats!

We made a pit stop on the way down there at Whataburger...

My baby burger

Reagan's grown-up burger

The first night we were in San Antonio, we stayed with Reagan's dad and step mom. The next morning they made us a wonderful breakfast!

My plate

If you're wondering why I ate carrots with breakfast, it was actually "hot mix." Reagan's step mom has a garden and cans a lot of fresh produce. Hot mix was a combination of peppers, onions, carrots, and cauliflower. I loved it! They also had a TON homemade jelly, the best kind!

And introducing....

Belle! Belle is their new puppy. I'm allergic to dogs, so I have an aversion to them. I couldn't resist her though! She was so precious and well behaved. I couldn't believe it.

Belle

Don't mind my double chin in the above picture.

The next day was party day!

Hannah (Reagan's sister)

I had such a great time with Reagan and his family over the weekend. It was great to get to spend time with them before Reagan started law school! Now he's super busy being a serious law student!

Next time I'll fill you in on my Arkansas trip and the beginning of my senior year of college!

Hang in There

2010-08-23T22:30:00.002-05:00

I apologize for my absence.

I've been travelling, starting school, and hanging out with friends I didn't see all summer! I'll be back soon...

Big Changes Ahead

2010-08-11T20:58:00.000-05:00

There are some big changes ahead for me and my family! This summer has been a summer of firsts and lasts. It was my last "official" summer. Next summer I'll (hopefully) be starting my first real job! Ahhh. I'm so old.

So, here's a recap of my summer adventures!

It started with watching these two graduate from high school....

Blake & Brooklynn Christmas '09

Then Erin and Jay got engaged....

Erin & Jay's engagement party

...I saw Texas! with my family and Reagan for the 4th of July, and we had a picnic!

Mom got a Twitter...

...I went with Reagan to a wedding.

July 11, 2010

I spent the weekend in Austin with some of my favorite girls!

The car battery died on the way home.

Oh, and I had to call one of these at 3:30 a.m. last Friday night. This was one of my summer "firsts." For the record, there was no fire. My fire alarms just went off for two hours. For no reason.

In a few days the twins will be moving to Fayetteville, Arkansas to attend the University of Arkansas!This is the biggest change coming for my family. They won't be any farther from me than they were when they lived at home, but everything will be so different (in a good way!) I can't wait to hear about the best friends they make, the football games they will attend, and the all-nighters they'll pull! I honestly can't believe it's time for them to go!

Woo Pigs!

Is the fall bringing any changes for you?

Quinoa Take Two

2010-08-06T21:19:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday! I have a couple exciting recipes to share tonight! Before we get to the quinoa, let me tell you about my first attempt at homemade muffins.

I bought some blueberries the other day at the store, and I knew I had to put them in some type of baked good, and muffins it was. I have to admit, these are a little dry. I don't know if it's because I added chia seeds? The dryness could be due to any number of alterations I made to the original recipe. Nonetheless, they are tasty.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins (adapted from Cooking Light)

Makes 15 muffins

2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. rolled oats
1 c. packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 Tbsp. chia seeds
1 c. skim milk
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 c. blueberries
1/2 c. flaked coconut (optional)

Combine flour and next eight ingredients (through chia seeds) in a large bowl. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk, butter, vanilla, and egg in a small bowl; add to flour mixture, stirring until just moist. Gently stir in blue berries.

Spoon 1/4 cup batter into paper lined muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Top with flaked coconut. Bake at 400 degrees for 17-20 minutes.

Love the skull & crossbones :)

Now for dinner. I impulsively bought a poblano pepper at the grocery store thinking, "I need to be creative with this." I also knew I wanted to incorporate quinoa in my dinner, so it was fitting that I stumbled across Bethenny's Stuffed Pepper recipe.

Quinoa Stuffed Poblano Pepper (for one)

1 poblano pepper
1/8 c. quinoa
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. Tobasco
2 tsp. Worchester
pinch of chili powder
1/2 Crock pot chicken breast, cooked
Handful black beans
Feta cheese

Cut poblano pepper in half and remove seeds. Place pepper, outer side facing up, in broiler for 3-5 minutes (until outer skin starts to darken.) Begin to cook quinoa (one part quinoa to two parts water) on stove top; add spices and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in chicken and black beans. Peel outer skins off pepper and spoon quinoa mixture over peppers. Sprinkle with feta cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Roasted pepper

Yummm... quinoa

This dinner was a wonderful Friday night meal! I'm really excited for tomorrow because Reagan is coming to visit! I'm sure we'll go on a date and have tons of fun. I'll keep you posted!

Dangerously Delicious

2010-08-05T10:30:00.000-05:00

I did something bad last night. Very bad. I made Rolo brownies. Never heard of Rolo brownies? Let me explain.

Rolo brownies are the best dessert/brownies ever. A chocolate lover's dream. In 8th grade, my mom made them to put in the teacher's lounge at school. So many teachers were pulling me out of class to get the recipe, Mom had to come up to school to run off copies for everyone. Why have I only made them once since coming to college?? Oh, that's right... they're deadly. And I can't be trusted around them.

Rolo Brownies

11 oz. Rolos
1 German chocolate cake mix
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
2/3 c. PET milk
1 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat over to 350. Grease and flour 9x13 pan. Combine Rolos & 1/3 c. milk. Melt in microwave. Set aside. Combine cake mix, butter, next 1/3 c. milk, and nuts. By hand, stir until dough holds together. Press 2/3 of dough in pan. Bake 6 minutes. Pour melted candy on top, then top with additional cake mix. Bake 18 minutes. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

*Tripling the recipe makes two pans. Yes, we make that many brownies in my family. They go fast with me my dad around. Also, dividing the recipe into two pans gives them the right consistency.

At this point I'm thinking to myself, "I wish I had melted enough Rolos to eat it with a spoon."

Then I ate the whole pan.

Just kidding. I promptly cut them up and put them in Tupperware to bring to work today. My co-workers ate them for breakfast.

Disclaimer: These are gooey, chocolate-y, awesomeness. You've been warned.

Ever heard of Rolo brownies? What's your favorite chocolate dessert?

Learning Something New Everyday

2010-08-03T21:47:00.000-05:00

That old saying was definitely true for me today. Things I learned today:

Do not lean back on your high heels. They will break.
Crock pot chicken is the best invention since sliced bread. (Thanks Julie!)
I heart quinoa.

So let's get started. This is what happened to my shoe today at work:

Sad day :(

Yep, the heel snapped right off. While it was depressing on my end, it provided some comic relief during the work day. I guess this means I need to go buy some new shoes?? That's what I thought.

Next on the list: crock pot chicken. I've been reading about this method of cooking chicken (or anything really) on Julie's blog and Lexie tried it recently, so I figured I should give it a shot. Since it was an experiement, I only put one chicken breast in the crock pot with a cup of chicken broth and fajita seasoning.

Raw chicken (it's gross, sorry.)

I cooked the chicken on low all day. It was oh-so-tender when I took it out of the crock pot and cut it up. Also, I found slow cooker liners at the grocery store, so clean up was a breeze!

Last but not least, the quinoa. I picked up some quinoa during my trip to Whole Foods on Sunday. What is quinoa you ask? It looks and tastes like a grain, but it's actually a relative to leafy greens. I've heard a lot about it but was always to scared to try it. I waited too long!

Mexican Quinoa

1/4 c. quinoa
3/4 c. water
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. cilantro
1/2 red bell pepper
1/4 c. black beans
s & p to taste
lime juice to taste
1/2 cooked chicken breast (optional)

Put quinoa and water in saucepan. Add spices and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add chicken, beans, and bell pepper. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes.

I used my crock pot chicken and it. was. so good. It was topped with half of an avocado.

If you're interested in more information about quinoa, check out Gracie's post right here. It's very interesting.

Hmmmm..... I wonder what I'll learn tomorrow?

Have you tried quinoa? How do you make it?

Austin - Day Two (and three)

2010-08-03T18:26:00.000-05:00

Saturday was busy, busy, busy! We were running all over Austin. Finally, around 2:00, we sat down for lunch at Matt's Famous El Rancho. Matt's was recommended to Nana by a friend of hers who used to live in Austin. (The same friend recommended Z Tejas last year. She has great taste in food!) Our meals didn't get photographed because we were way too hungry! However, I did manage to get a shot of this queso:

YUM

We had big plans to eat at the Oasis for dinner, but we we lost track of time (and were still stuffed from lunch) so we opted for a late dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. We knew their dishes were big enough to share, and it was right by our hotel.

Brooklynn ordered Teriyaki Chicken; my mom, Nana, and I decided to share the Pear and Endive Salad and Crab Cakes.

Teriyaki Chicken

Pear and Endive Salad

Crab Cakes

We all shared dinner so that we could have cheesecake, because there's no way you can go to The Cheesecake Factory and NOT have cheesecake! We split the Vanilla Bean cheesecake and the Red Velvet Cake cheesecake. We weren't able to finish either of them, but they were a-mazing.

Onto the next order of business: Whole Foods. Can you believe I've never been to Whole Foods before?? We decided to eat brunch and shop around on Sunday morning.

Oatmeal

Egg white omelet and Texas bean salad

Turkey sausage and huevos rancheros

I (of course) had oatmeal and the egg white omelet. Mom and Nana tried the turkey sausage and huevos rancheros. They said it was great!

We probably spent an hour or more just wandering around. There is so much to see! Is it lame that grocery shopping was one of the best parts of the weekend? Don't answer that.

We also found this:

Owls + chocolate = perfection

After Whole Foods, we had to go to one more store. Little did we know our trip would be delayed. We got in the car, turned the key, and heard that sputtering noise. You know the noise that makes your stomach drop because you know something is wrong? Yeah, we heard that. The battery had died.

It was one million degrees outside, and we were stuck in a parking lot. Thankfully, a security guard was able to jump start the car, and we headed to Sam's to get a new battery. Before too long, we were back on the road.

Well, that's it in a nutshell! I loved spending time with all the girls. Our weekend trips are few and far between! It's not long until I see my mom and sister again. I. Can't. Wait.

Austin - Day One

2010-08-02T21:47:00.000-05:00

If you guessed that I was going to Austin this past weekend, you were right! My mom, sister, and Nana picked me up around noon on Friday and we were headed southbound! Of course we needed snacks for the road, so I made Chocolate Chip Cookies with applesauce on Thursday night. I read about the cookies on Tina's blog a while back and have been meaning to try them out since then. I substituted M&M's for chocolate chips because I didn't have any chocolate chips on hand.

Draining applesauce

Applesauce Cookies

"Snack Bag"

The cookies were a big hit. Brooklynn is a cookie monster like me! We also made a Starbucks pit stop on the road.

We love Starbs.

After a little bit of shopping on Friday afternoon, we got ready to eat at Z Tejas. We. Love. This. Place. We ate at Z Tejas last year during our Austin trip, and we had to go back again! If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?

Pretty girl

Z Tejas on 6th St. has a fun, lively atmosphere. Once again, our food did not disappoint. We are some seafood lovers, because we all got seafood!

Nana's plate

Mom's plate

Brooklynn's plate

My plate

I got a pan seared snapper on orzo. It was delicious! Also, if you ever visit Z Tejas, try the guacamole! It's amazing. We ordered it, but it went unphotographed.

Next, we headed to Esther's Follies. This comedy show on 6th St. is another tradition. It was so much fun! Some of the skits were the same as last year, but a lot were different. We were laughing the entire time and even before the show started. We have so much fun together!

A recap of the Austin adventures will continue tomorrow!

Have you ever been to a comedy show?

Fun to Come

2010-07-30T09:38:00.000-05:00

I'm going somewhere fun this weekend. I'm sure I'll have a lot of stories and pictures to share when I get back!

Here's a teaser....

(Source)

Can you guess where I'll be? Hints:

I'm going with some of my favorite ladies.
We'll make a stop here.
A lot of frozen yogurt and coffee with be consumed.
We go every summer for a weekend get-a-way.

Where would you like to go for a weekend this summer?

Dinner on the Ranch

2010-07-26T21:20:00.000-05:00

As promised, I was a good blogger this weekend and took pictures! On Saturday night, me, Reagan, Nana, & Pappy ate at Perini Ranch Steakhouse. It was another one of those places where I had to get a steak.

Perini Ranch had a great atmosphere. There was an outdoor patio where we waited for a table. While we were waiting, Reagan and I walked around the patio and surrounding area. We found out that during the summer, Perini's has a catfish buffet on Friday & Saturday nights. If we lived closer, we would go back to try it out. It all looked delicious!

Catfish Buffet

A True Texan

2010-07-26T10:36:00.000-05:00

If you know Reagan, you know that he is the definition of all things Texas. He's a deer huntin', boot wearin', steak eatin' Texan through and through. It makes sense that he gets along great with the other true Texan in my life, Pappy. It also doesn't hurt that Reagan is 22 going on 70. I love his "old man" tendencies, of course :)

Nana and Pappy graciously offered to drive me to Abilene on Saturday to meet Reagan for dinner (Abilene is halfway between our respective locations.) We had a dinner reservation at 6:30, but we met earlier to spend the day together.

We started off at the mall, Reagan's ~~worst nightmare~~ favorite place. I had to buy a new straightener, because, after three years, mine finally gave out. It was a sad day. Reagan bought me ice cream at the mall, so all was right in the world again.

Next, we headed out to Frontier Texas!, a museum in Abilene. We had seen billboards on our way into town, and it looked interesting. Frontier Texas! portrays what it was like living on the Texas frontier when it was being settled. There was a ton of Texas history, along with great technology and exhibits! Reagan and I actually loved the whole museum.

Now begins our photoshoot...

Frontier! Texas

There were scary animals...

Reagan loved reading about the exhibits.

Hi Pappy!

Reagan & guns

Lonesome Dove, of course.

Reagan wanted a picture of me with the cattle.

There was an anamatronic bartender that was talking to Reagan when I snapped this.

As you can see, we had a blast. We only got to spend a few hours together, but it was worth the drive. For dinner we ate at Perini Ranch Steakhouse. It was a fabulous meal, and I'll be doing a full post on our dinner later today (or tomorrow??)

I hope everyone is having a great day!

Do you like visiting museums? What's the best museum you've been to?

24 Hours

2010-07-25T20:04:00.000-05:00

I had a very quick (and fun) Saturday! In 24 hours I went from Waco > Dublin > Abilene. And back. Stay tuned.

A Classic Casserole

2010-07-21T19:59:00.004-05:00

When I was younger, as in junior high and high school, I wasn't a fan of casseroles. I don't know what it was that bothered me about them. Too mushy? Too many things in one dish? Who knows. Recently, my tastes have changed, because I now like a good casserole. And tomatoes.... the other food I used to dislike. I guess I'm growing up... frightening!

Last night I read a recipe in Paula Deen Magazine for a Squash and Zucchini Casserole. I decided to improvise by adding some protein, reducing the amount of crackers used, & altering the recipe so that it didn't make eight servings. I ended up with a casserole that closely resembled chicken pot pie. I'd say it was a success!

Chicken & Squash Casserole (serves 4)

2 yellow summer squash
2 zucchini squash
half yellow onion, sliced
1 can chunk chicken breast
1/4 c. grated cheddar cheese
1/4 c. part skim ricotta cheese
1/2 c. crushed buttery crackers
Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 8 x 8 in. baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Slice squash & zucchini. Toss in salt & pepper in a mixing bowl.
In another bowl, mix together ricotta cheese & chicken.
Layer zucchini & squash in bottom of baking dish.
Spread half of chicken & cheese mixture over squash. Sprinkle part of grated cheese & onion.
Add another layer, then top with crackers.
Cover & bake until vegetables are tender, about one hour.
Uncover & bake for 15 more minutes.
Let cool completely & serve!

This turned out to be cheesy & wonderful without being to heavy!

What is a food you've grown to like over time?

Chicken Fried

2010-07-19T20:19:00.008-05:00

As I mentioned last night, this past weekend was full of southern home cooking. And I'm owning it. I ate fried chicken and pecan cobbler and loved every minute.

After working on Saturday, I jumped in the car and headed to Dublin to stay with my grandparents for the night. I had a long week, so I was looking forward to relaxing. And the company of course! About halfway there, I realized I forgot my camera. Blogging failure. I apologize.

Saturday night we ate at Oak Dale, and I had a kid's Pineapple Jalapeno Burger. Sounds strange but it was wonderful. Naturally, we needed dessert, so we opted for frozen yogurt. Frozen yogurt (or anything ice cream-ish) is my favorite kind of dessert!

Now, onto Sunday. After church, we ate at Granny Clark's. What do you think of when you hear that name? If fried chicken comes to mind, you hit the nail on the head. However, I ate a chicken fried steak. With gravy. It was a small one... but still. The chicken fried steak paled in comparison to the pecan cobbler (not pie -- cobbler) that I had two servings of, with ice cream on top. You just can't beat homemade food like that.

I promptly went back to the house and fell asleep for two hours.

Over the weekend, Nana wrote off a recipe that I had to make right away!

Peanut Butter Dessert (makes 6 servings)

8 oz. Cool Whip, thawed
1/4 c. chunky peanut butter

Mix well, then divide into cupcake liners. Freeze for a few hours. (Or however long you can wait to eat it!)

This dessert is perfect for me because I tend to eat peanut butter for dessert anyway. Also, Nana sent me home with some homemade chocolate sauce to drizzle over them. Does it get any better?

I'm waiting for a yummy casserole to bake that I can tell you all about tomorrow!

Do you like "southern" fried food?

Creative in the Kitchen

2010-07-19T17:14:00.014-05:00

My goal last week was to be more creative in the kitchen all week. I think I succeeded... for the most part. I had a very full weekend with a ton of good eats! Expect the post about all the southern home cooking I ate tomorrow; I'm still recovering.

First, let's go back to earlier in the week. I made a chicken salad I found in Cooking Light. It a little different than your regular chicken salad.

Chicken Salad with Roasted Peppers

2 c. chopped cooked chicken breast
1/2 c. prechopped green bell pepper (I used a mix of green, red, & yellow bell peppers)
1/2 c. prediced celery
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. chopped bottled roasted red peppers
1/4 c. prechopped red onion
1/4 c. chopped pecans
1/4 c. mayo
2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl; toss well. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Chicken Salad...

... with a side of broccoli

Now onto the weekend. After a long (kind of stressful) Friday, I decided to bake bread for dinner. Yes, I wanted just bread. I already planned on baking something "new" over the weekend; I decided the baking should happen Friday night. I found the Lady and Son's Onion-Cheese Bread on the Food Network website.

This recipe took about 10 minutes to prep and 15 minutes to cook! It was so easy and sooooo delicious.

Ahhhh.

Moving on. I had to work Saturday morning, but I woke up super early. A big breakfast was calling my name. Enter: peanut butter stuffed french toast. I must give credit where credit is due, because I did not come up with this recipe on my own. I was inspired by Almond Butter-Stuffed French Toast on Tina's blog. Of course, I went with peanut butter.

Peanut Butter-Stuffed French Toast

1/3 c. liquid egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla
splash of milk
bread (of your choice)
peanut butter
cinnamon & nutmeg to taste

I made the batter, then a peanut butter sandwich. Next, I let the sandwich soak for a few seconds in the batter.

Into the skillet...

I have to admit, it doesn't look pretty. But it tasted heavenly. I scrambled some egg whites to round out my breakfast.

This meal had some serious staying power. I worked for four hours, went for a run, and wasn't hungry until after I had driven to Nana & Pappy's.

Here's a teaser about the next post: chicken fried steak, frozen yogurt, pecan pie. If you're wondering if I ate all that, I did.

Good night!

Noteworthy

2010-07-15T11:11:00.002-05:00

A days ago I said that I do other things besides watch tv. To prove it to you (and to myself) I have some interesting articles/new stories to share. I actually do enjoy reading the news, celebrity gossip, politics, etc.

Of possible interest:

Top 20 Healthy Snacks (Shape.com)
Carrie Underwood got married! (People.com)
Bristol Palin got engaged...? (ABCnews.com)
The Senate passed a financial reform bill. (MSNBC.com)
Portion Distortion (health.msn.com)

Happy reading!

My Mother's Daughter

2010-07-14T20:44:00.009-05:00

This month's issue of Real Simple had an interesting article called Are You Destined to Become Your Mother? I found this particularly interesting because I realized I was my mother when I first cut my hair short and went blonde. Or when I became a coffee addict... Anyway, the article mostly discusses how genetics play a role in common conditions and experiences, such as certain cancers and pregnancy. It didn't talk about the funny things my mom and I have in common like always waiting to put on our lipgloss after the car is turned off and we're sitting in the parking lot. Or the fact that we can drink 2 - 3 pots of coffee a day. It's the coffee junkie in us.

Onto the food. Most of the time I make a salad at night and put it in the refrigerator for lunch the next day. The other half of my salmon fillet from last night was a great topping for my lunch salad today. In the mix:

Spinach leaves
Raw Ramen noodles
Diced bell peppers
Salmon
Feta cheese
Balsamic reduction

If you're wondering why I'm eating out of tupperware with a plastic fork, I forgot to start the dishwasher last night... oops. Sometimes my salad creations aren't that great, but this one was a winner!

My dinner was inspired by this recipe I read on fANNEtastic food. Also, Nana made me something similar when I was passing through one time.

Easy Egg Muffins

3 eggs
1/3 c. liquid egg whites
1 c. spinach leaves
1/3 c. cheddar cheese
S & P to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Pour into muffin tin and bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes.

You can alter the recipe to make as many, or as few, as you want. My recipe made five. They're so easy, and I think they'd work great for a brunch, perhaps?

I'm trying to incorporate more protein into breakfast. My original plan was to make the egg muffins and eat a couple in the morning for breakfast. They just smelled so good, I had to have one (or two) for dinner. With a side of asparagus, of course.

After dinner, I really acted like my mother and cleaned my house. Yes, at 8:30 pm on a Wednesday. When the urge to clean hits me, I have to take advantage of it. Normally, the "cleaning bug" hits me on Saturday afternoon. I've been known to call my mom at 3:00 pm on a Saturday to tell her that I'm vacuuming and drinking coffee. She's normally doing the same thing. What can I say?

My goal this week was to be "creative" in the kitchen everyday. Mainly, not to eat a turkey sandwich for every meal. So far, so good! We'll see how the rest of the week goes!

Are you exactly like your mother or father?

Favorites

2010-07-13T20:20:00.009-05:00

First off, I'm sorry for my blogging absence recently. I was out of town having fun this weekend! I got to do a lot of my favorite things (hence, the title of this post): shopping, go to a wedding, eat great food, and spend time with my best friends.

My roommate, Erin, got engaged in May! Since I was going to be in Dallas for the weekend, I got to meet her (along with the others in the picture below) for some wedding dress shopping. It was so fun, and I'm so glad I got to be a part of it! Of course I can't give any of the details about the dresses, but rest assured, she will look gorgeous.

Erin's Engagement party

The "real" reason I went to Dallas for the weekend was to go to a wedding with Reagan. Reagan was in the wedding party, so I stayed with my friend, Emily, and saw him at the wedding on Sunday. Once again, so much fun! It's a sad day when Reagan has to leave to go back to Lubbock :( But.... I am so happy I got to spend some time with him.

Wedding

Next on my favorites list is my dinner. I've been thinking about it a lot lately (get ready, this is kind of lame...) and my favorite vegetable is asparagus. I like it roasted, grilled, boiled, etc. You get the idea. Something new I learned this summer is how to store asparagus.

Asparagus should be treated like a flower. After purchasing it, the asparagus needs to be washed, and the ends need to be trimmed. Then, put the asparagus in a cup with water and a plastic bag over the top. For example:

I love seafood. Like, really love it. Salmon is my absolute favorite - of all time, end of story. Naturally, when I saw this at the store yesterday, I had to buy it.

Earlier this summer, my mom sent me an issue of Cooking Light. I want to make literally everything in the magazine. Everything is so simple and delicious! Tonight's choice was asparagus and roasted bell peppers.

Roasted bell peppers

Asparagus

Asparagus and Roasted Bell Peppers (from Cooking Light)

3 tablespoons light balsamic vinaigrette, divided
1 tablespoon water
12 oz. asparagus spears, trimmed
1 cup chopped bottled roasted red bell peppers
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add 1 tablespoon vinaigrette and 1 tablespoon water to pan. Place asparagus in pan. Cook, covered, 5 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Remove from pan onto a serving platter.

2. Add 1 tablespoon vinaigrette to pan. Add bell peppers; cook 1 minute. Spoon over asparagus. Drizzle remaining 1 tablespoon vinaigrette over the asparagus and bell peppers; sprinkle with parsley.

I halved the recipe and actually "eye-balled" a lot of it. Preparing asparagus this way is a winner in my book! I also roasted a small summer squash to round out my dinner.

Dinner plate

Salmon + asparagus = my favorite kind of dinner. Now I'm off to watch more of my "trashy tv shows" a.k.a. reality television. Why do I always talk about tv? I promise I do more with my day besides watch tv... I cook.

Breakfast Eater

2010-07-09T09:27:00.005-05:00

Out of the three kids in my family, I'm definitely the breakfast eater. I turn into a monster without breakfast. Not really, but pretty close. (Reagan would argue that I actually turn into a monster anytime I'm hungry, period. The time of day makes no difference. I can't disagree with him!)

For the first 2 1/2 years of college, my breakfasts consisted of a Slimfast shake or some form of breakfast bar. Then, in February, I made oatmeal cookies. And I had leftover oatmeal. So I made some for breakfast. And fell in love.

Typically my oatmeal looks like this:

1/2 c. oats
1/2 c. water
2 scoops peanut butter
sprinkle of Splenda (or sweetener of choice that day)

Often I would get creative and add extra ingredients such as:

canned pumpkin
shredded coconut
berries
mashed banana

Then summer rolled around, and I just couldn't eat hot oatmeal anymore. When it's 90+ degrees in June, hot oatmeal just doesn't work. I can't do it. I didn't want to abandon my new favorite breakfast, so I found overnight oats. Kath does a great job describing overnight oats, so I had to give it a try.

There are two ways to make overnight oats:

1. Mix the oats with the liquid (milk, soymilk, yogurt, water, etc.) and let it sit in the fridge overnight.

2. Make oatmeal at night (in the microwave, stove top, etc.) then let it cool overnight in the fridge.

It's really a matter of texture. I usually go for option number one. My overnight oatmeal usually contains:

1/2 c. oatmeal
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. water
Splenda

I leave it in the fridge overnight and top it with cinnamon, nutmeg, and peanut butter in the morning. It's a healthy version of cold cereal!

Happy Friday everyone!

Can't Get Enough

2010-07-07T20:47:00.005-05:00

In case you haven't noticed, I have an intense love for Mexican food. You know those people who say, "I feel like I've been eating so much Mexican food lately. Can we eat somewhere else?" Well, I never say that. Ever. I blame it on my mom. Salsa is a vegetable in our house, and she introduced me to Joe T's, after all. Tonight's dinner was a taco salad of sorts.

In the mix:

Spinach
Morningstar Spicy Black Bean Burger
Half of a fresh tomato
Canned jalepeno
Spoonful of guacamole
Spoonful of sour cream
Cheddar cheese

This was a healthified version of a taco salad, but I still loved it. Don't get me wrong, I love a Beef Nacho Salad from Taco Bueno every now and again, but my homemade version was a much healthier choice!

Thankfully, almost all my girlfriends, family, and The Boyfriend, love Mexican food as much as I do. My friends and I go to Joe T's annually to celebrate mine and Rebecca's (roommate) birthdays. Truth be told, we make it there more than once a year! What can I say? I can't get enough.

Joe T's 2009

I'm looking forward to tomorrow because Reagan's mom and sister are coming to town for a tour of Baylor, and we're going to lunch. Hannah, his sister, is a senior in high school, and Reagan and I are definitely hoping she'll come to Baylor.... Fingers crossed.

Also, tomorrow I'll be posting about overnight oats. Haven't heard of it? You'll find out soon enough!

At the Moment

2010-07-07T11:02:00.004-05:00

Things that I'm liking at the moment -

Pandora Radio - it keeps me sane during work!
Pretzel M&M's
The Help - I just finished reading it, and I found out it's being made into a movie!
Twitter
My cold coffee cup
Peanut Butter Puffins

That's all for now!

Science Experiment

2010-07-06T19:59:00.005-05:00

So, I did an experiment in the kitchen, and I failed. Kind of. More on that later though!

Reagan and I are a pretty simple couple. Our favorite "go-to" lunch is soup, salad, and breadsticks at Olive Garden. Yes, plain and simple.

Yesterday I got to spend a few hours with Reagan on my way home to Waco. We, of course, ate lunch at Olive Garden.

Salad
Soup

Our waitress was a little confused as to why I was taking a picture of my soup. Reagan explained to her what my blog was all about, and she was actually very interested. That made me happy! We finished our lunch date by walking around Barnes & Noble. Go ahead and laugh. We're a little lame, but we own it.

While we were there we looked at the Nook. The Nook is Barnes & Noble's version of the Kindle.
Reagan and I both really liked the Nook and decided we'd need one soon... Christmas maybe?

I raided my mom's pantry before the drive home, but it's a little difficult to transport groceries on an eight hour car drive. All I ended up bringing was: coffee, frozen blackberries, and grapfruit. Then, when I got to Nana's, she had some produce from the farmer's market waiting for me!

The loot
(Yes, I just referred to vegetables as loot.)

Now onto my experiment. I read a recipe for Strawberry Yogurt Granita and thought, "That sounds delicious!" However, LAZY + NOT ENOUGH TIME = FAIL.

What I did: mixed everything together and put it in the freezer overnight.

What I should've done: follwed the recipe. Hmmm. Oh well.

First, I stirred together all the ingredients using frozen blackberries instead of strawberries. Then I put it in a bowl, stuck it in the freezer, and went to bed. I was tired. (The recipe actually calls for putting it on a baking sheet and freezing for 30 minutes, then stirring to remove ice crystals. And repeating that three times.)

This morning when I took it out, it was just one frozen blob. After it thawed, it still wasn't everything I hoped for. You live, you learn. I resorted to blending the mixture and making it into a smooth, protein filled yogurt.

Blackberry Protein Yogurt

1/2 c. frozen blackberries

1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt

1 tsp. honey (or sweetener of choice)

1/2 single serving packet of chocolate protein powder

1 scoop smooth peanut butter

Add all ingredients to blender and blend for one minute.

I'm actually eating some now, and it's marvelous. Not quite the "ice cream" I intended to make but close.

Cupcake Wars calls. Goodnight!

Homemade

2010-07-04T11:00:00.010-05:00

Happy 4th of July! I hope everyone's weekend has been wonderful. Mine sure has! It's been full of good eats and laughs. Just a warning, this is somewhat of a mega-post. I've been successfully documenting all my food this weekend, so I have a lot to tell you!

Let's start with my drive home. I always stop at Nana and Pappy's to say hello, and I usually grab a bite to eat. It was just me and Nana on Friday, so she had a delicious (and beautiful!) lunch for me when I got there.

Homemade chicken salad salad with crackers, pickles, and a side of fruit.

My plate. I actually ate a lot more pickles and another serving of fruit. It was delicious. Nana told me how she makes her chicken salad, so I'll be attempting it soon. I'll post the recipe then!

My stomach started growling in the late afternoon while I was driving, so I broke into a turkey sandwich I had packed. I'm glad I didn't eat anything else! When I got home, my mom had Lemon Chicken Piccata and a healthy Ceasar salad prepared. I didn't have a huge appetite, but I did save room for one of these bad boys....

Actually, I just nibbled on the icing from one of the cupcakes. My sister bought 6 different cupcakes from a bakery in town as an early birthday treat for my dad.

Reagan drove into town on Saturday morning, and we knew we had to go to Leal's for lunch. How was I home for two weeks and didn't manage to eat at my favorite restaurant??

Brooklynn was ready to go, as you can tell. I didn't take any pictures of my lunch (fail, I know.) I ordered the Teresa Special, which is shredded chicken topped with lettuce, tomoatoes, guacamole, and cheese. It's wonderful. Lots of chips and salsa were consumed as well.

Now onto the picnic. The cookies above are Red, White & Blue Cookies. They are amazing! Everyone my family (myself included) ate three or four.... or seven. Same difference.

We packed up our gourmet picnic and headed to Texas! The show is outside, so we were afraid the rain would ruin our fun. It rained while we ate, but it eventually quit. We got to watch the entire show, rain free!

Our picnic spread!

Our menu included almost everything that I mentioned the other day. My mom added deviled eggs and some fresh cherries. I'd say the picnic was a success!

We're headed to watch the fireworks soon to celebrate the 4th!

On the Menu

2010-07-01T08:13:00.005-05:00

Ahhh. Thursday. So close to the weekend. Like I said earlier, I can't wait for this holiday weekend!

My meals this week have been boring for the most part. It's been Operation: Clean out the fridge/freezer. That means I've been consuming turkey sandwiches, oatmeal, and eggs. I'm not complaining though - - those are some of my favorite foods!

However, the menu for this weekend is a little more exciting. The family (plus Reagan minus Blake) is going to see Texas! on Saturday night, and my mom and I are planning a "gourmet" picnic for us to eat before the show. So far the menu includes:

Pulled Pork Sliders with Spicy Avocado Spread
Oven "Fried" Chicken Tenders
Coleslaw
Broccoli salad

I'm not sure what recipe we'll be using for the sides yet, but I will post more on the picnic after the weekend. Also, no meal would be complete without dessert.... especially for me and Dad. I'm still brainstorming what our picnic-friendly dessert will be! Dad's birthday is next week, and I'm sure we'll be making him a special dessert (or two) to celebrate. Strawberry cake, anyone?

Earlier this week I read an article on Cooking Light about fast food breakfasts. This article is very interesting, and it will make you realize that you can eat something (fairly) healthy when you're traveling, craving fast food, etc. It gives you several meals at popular fast food chains and the nutritional break down of each one. Enjoy!

First Time for Everything

2010-06-28T22:11:00.009-05:00

Happy Tuesday! Is anyone else looking forward to this holiday weekend. I'll be spending time with the family, and I cannot wait!

I'm especially excited to see Brooklynn. We were together for almost a month in May since I was at home for Blake & Brooklynn's graduation and then her week long visit to Waco. Needless to say, we were a little spoiled after that. It almost makes me wish I was in high school again so we could live together... Ok, not really. At least not the high school part. Brooklynn and I have big plans. Going to Eclipse is the first thing on the agenda!

Now onto the food. From the title of this post, you can probably tell that I tried something new this week. First, I made Pumpkin Spice Roasted Chickpeas. Stay with me here; I know what you're thinking. Normally, I eat yogurt as a "dessert" when I crave something sweet at night. However, I'm trying to cut back on dairy products because I was overkilling for a while. I could've made brownies or cookies or muffins.... But I found this recipe and I thought I'd give it a try. I didn't have everything th recipe calls for, so I improvised.

Roasted Sweet Chickpeas

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. nutmeg
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1 big scoop of peanut butter

Rinse and drain chickpeas. Combine all ingredients in a bowl to coat. Put on a roasting pan and roast at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

The chickpeas were actually very tasty! Not too sweet, but sweet enoough. I put them in my oatmeal this morning, too!

The second thing I tried: tuna. I'm sure I've probably tried it in the past, but I honestly can't remember if I have. I whipped up some tuna salad for dinner last night and lunch today. In the mix:

1 package Chunk Light Tuna
1 tbsp. mayo
1 tbsp. Dijion mustard
1 tsp. sunflower seeds
1 tbsp. dill pickle relish

My tuna salad did not disappoint. I roasted some asparagus for a side, and I finished off some carrots. More tuna salad is in my future!

Tuesday night is a great night for TV, so I better get to watching! (If you can't tell, I'm kind of a TV junkie.) Goodnight!

Creature of Habit

2010-06-23T20:44:00.003-05:00

How many of you are creatures of habit? My hand is raised. I get ready the same way every morning, get on the same treadmill at the gym, and sleep on one specific side of the bed. You get the picture. I guess these "habits" go hand in hand with my "planning" personality.

When it comes to food, I get in "habits". I eat oatmeal every morning and a turkey sandwich almost every day for lunch. For dinner, however, I've been on an "egg kick." For my Sunday night meal I made a two egg Italian omelet. My omelet included: spinach, ricotta cheese, and spaghetti sauce. I also chopped half an eggplant and roasted it in the oven at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

I've been failing at my picture taking recently. I promise I'll get better! Now, I have to get back to The Next Food Network Star. Goodnight!

Plan Ahead

2010-06-23T20:22:00.005-05:00

I'm a "planner." Anyone who is close to me will agree. Since I've started cooking a lot more, I've learned to plan my meals. When I say "plan" I don't mean anything too serious. I look at the upcoming week to see: if I'll be in town for the weekend, if I'll have a lunch break, if I have anything in the fridge/freezer, etc.

That being said, I've learned that when I eat what I plan, as opposed to what I crave, my meal doesn't always satisfy my appetite. And so it begins: finding the perfect balance. I crave ice cream for dinner. Obviously, that isn't the best choice -not EVERY night, anyway. For example, a chicken breast with green peas and herbs was the plan for dinnner. After a long workout with Lizzy, that wasn't going to do. I needed Mexican food - and fast. The in-between? A Mexican omelet.

For this omelet I whisked two eggs and poured them over med-high heat. Next, I added:

Handful of spinach
Sprinkle of diced jalepenos (from a can)
Handful of kidney beans
Sprinkle of cheddar cheese

I let that cook and topped it all with Leal's salsa. This was the perfect dinner to satisfy my craving!

Don't get me wrong, I'm still all about planning. My lunch for tomorrow may or may not be ready and waiting in the fridge...

Now I have lots of blog reading to catch up on, as well as "real" reading, a.k.a. books. I'm trying to read at least 4 books this summer. I'm well on my way!

Go Big or Go Home

2010-06-20T22:38:00.011-05:00

When Reagan and I get together and eat, our motto might as well be, "Go big or go home." We love to try new restaurants and order new meals. When we go out to dinner, I usually get talked into eating an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert. Saturday night we went to a restaurant in Lubbock recommended by my parents, Las Brisas, because they had "the best steak they've ever eaten." So what did we order? Steak, of course. More on that in a second.

First, we ordered Fire Roasted Jalapenos. Warning: these are not for the faint of heart. They were spicy. Luckily, Reagan and I can handle spicy food, and we ate every bite. For dinner, we both ordered a steak. I almost never get a steak at a restaurent; however, there are certain occasions when it's a must. Saturday was one of those times. I have to say, I was not disappointed. I didn't get any pictures of the food... Mainly because we ate it so fast.

It was so pretty outside, and we tried to get a good picture in front of the pond. Obviously, we failed on both attempts.

After church today, I made Eggplant Lasagna from the Real Simple website. Reagan introduced me to eggplant last summer, and I've been a fan ever since. Since he loves eggplant, I knew I needed to make this for him. To simplify the recipe, I used a bottled marinara sauce, a bag of Italian blend cheeses, and parsley for the herb (it's what I had on hand.)

Egg mixture

Eggplant: pre-broiling

Finished product. This lunch was a success! Reagan gave it two thumbs up. I actually tried this recipe out a couple of weeks ago for myself. I halved it and it worked just as well!

Two posts in one day, there ya go! Stay tuned, I got a new blender. Many smoothie concoctions to come!

Fathers

2010-06-20T15:30:00.009-05:00

Happy's Father's Day! Although I am not with my dad today, I must say, he is pretty awesome. I'm actually a lot like my dad. A few reasons why:

We are both capable of eating an obscene amount of sweets. (Cookies, brownies, cake, ice cream, you name it.)

We can both call the hogs perfectly. Woo PIGS.

When we're not watching something specific on tv, we flip through the channels really fast.

Oh, and we can recall numbers like nobody's business.

This is me and Dad when I was home for a football game last fall. Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!

Repeat Offender

2010-06-15T19:57:00.007-05:00

Since I am working late during June, I've been trying to make meals for dinner that can last for a couple of days and serve as multiple meals. Oriental salad is perfect for that. My mom gave me the idea of oriental salad earlier this year, so last night I made the salad and put it in the fridge for today. My salad included:

Bag of coleslaw
Half can of water chesnuts
1 cup edamame (I buy the frozen bag at the grocery store and steam it in the microwave)
Half a package of raw Ramen noodles
1 package Ramen noodle seasoning
4 grilled chicken tenders

I put all of this in a big bowl and drizzled it with the following:

Light soy sauce
Olive oil
Rice wine vinegar

This salad is so tasty and will serve as three meals for me! Needless to say, that's what I ate for lunch with half of a turkey sandwich. I wanted to beef up the salad for dinner tonight since I had a super sweaty workout this evening. Enter: roasted broccoli. My favorite form of vegetable. I put the broccoli on a roasting pan, sprinkled with garlic salt and crushed red pepper, and roasted at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Perfecto.

Oh, and I ate part of a bell pepper. Why I loved this meal: there was fat in the dressing, carbs in the coleslaw/veggies, and there is protein in the chicken and edamame. Well rounded and delicious!

Cupcake Wars on Food Network = AWESOME. That's all!

Better Than Expected

2010-06-14T20:18:00.008-05:00

I have to say, I was a little down this morning when my mom left. After such a fun weekend, I wasn't ready to start the work week. However, my day flew by because I was so busy at work AND I got to catch up with Reagan (the boyfriend) who was at a bachelor party all weekend.

Now onto the food... I don't really have a lunch break, so when I leave in the morning I have to pack like I'm going on a mini-vacation.

That's a peek inside my lunch box. Turkey sandwich, bell pepper, water, and a Luna bar. I downed all three because my stomach was growling at 2:00 when I finally got around to lunch. I also got this fun new cup this weekend for my iced coffee. I started making my own iced coffee after reading how on Tina's blog. Iced coffee=lifesaver in this Texas heat. If you're a coffee drinker/addict like me, I definitely recommend it.

As you can tell, I was really excited to use it and take a picture (of course). After working out, I was excited to experiment a little bit for dinner. I adapted this Tortellini With Eggplant & Peppers from Real Simple.com. It was very easy! A few things about this recipe:

1. I halved everything because I was just cooking for myself.

2. I added zucchini squash and spinach to add some more vegetables.

3. I used chicken broth instead of vegetable broth.

There's the finished product! I tried a Morningstar veggie burger for the first time as well. The verdict? Very good! I was pleasantly surprised. I'm off to get everything ready for work tomorrow and get to bed early!

Laid Back Day

2010-06-13T21:57:00.003-05:00

If I could describe a perfect day, today might have been pretty darn close. Sleeping in, shoppping, and baking - pretty great, right? My mom is in town visiting me for the weekend, so we had the whole weekend to do all kinds of fun, girly things!

We ended up sleeping pretty late and making lunch arond my house. We then set off to run some errands, including finding a baby gift (which I, surprisingly, enjoyed!) and looking for some bedding for Blake's (the brother) dorm room. We were successful on both accounts!

Afterwards, we headed to Pei Wei to eat with one of my best friends, Liz. Liz took a study break to come enjoy some yummy Asian food with us. The night ended with me baking some Ranger cookies. Honestly, I'd rather cook than bake (It's a shame, I know), but there's something rewarding about baking something that other people can enjoy. Hopefully Lizzy can come over tomorrow and enjoy the Ranger cookies after her test!

This is Liz and Blake on my birthday this year. Two of my favorite people, for sure!