Still Here

I was beginning to feel a little guilty not posting since September. Life has been nothing short of exhaustion this fall. The school year was off to a crazy start with all sorts of curveballs I am still recovering from. Then the leaves began to drop. When you live in what my sister calls "Sherwood Forest" you are never short on raking leaves. Bags of leaves and excuses aside does not excuse my neglegence to my blog! Sorry poor blog for leaving you on the back burner!

So what is new? Not much. I joined a gym back in August which has been fantastic. I started religiously attending weekly yoga classes and have no regrets. Yoga has been amazing for my stress and body. This is the first year that I have started back to work and actually have remained toned. It amazes me after every class how relaxed I feel and how much it works the human body. It is the first time I have ever exercised and felt like I wasn't doing anything at all. That is my kind of exercise.

As far as the whole fertility thing, my body is producing all the hormones needed for conception. While it is still somewhat frusterating, we are remaining positive and just waiting for the mircle of life to occur. So we are patiently waiting:)

How I Make Monday Easier

I teach special education.  As a teacher, Mondays are tough.  As a special education teacher, Mondays are typically tougher.  My father and I both can admit we have a mild addiction to fast food breakfast.  The convenience, the flavors, the sodium.  Oh Wendy's how I miss you.  Those days are gone now.  The above sandwich, I actually made in advance, wrapped, and heated in the morning.  Let me explain my thoughts and how they might help you become more efficient and healthy with your dining.

My husband is working on his master's degree in civil engineering.  We are both very active people.  He participates in a slow-pitch softball team on Thursdays.  I do yoga on Mondays and Wednesdays.  We also believe in making our lives as healthy as possible.  To make my life easier, I try to streamline as many meals as possible.  This means planning breakfast, lunch, and dinner in advance and taking the time on the weekends to prepare for meals as well as keep up with other household duties. 

Since late February, I've been on  a gluten-free diet.  This means reading a lot of food labels, thinking twice as hard about eating things that are ambiguous, and more planning.  While it's been a lot of hard work, I've been feeling soooo much better.  I'm not nearly as gassy, my thinking is more clear, I swear my vision is more clear, and my allergies are better. Life gastronomically and allergy speaking are much more comfortable.  Life, however, has changed.  I have to think in advance.  And, sometimes, thinking in advance and preparing in advance means eating the same thing for a few days in a row.  I don't mind it as long as it is good:)

Some tips for preparing weekly meals in advance I suggest require a little planning and chopping, but are well worth your time and money.  First let's start with breakfast!

Since becoming an adult, I've not really liked cereal that much.  Maybe it was an overkill as a kid?  I don't know.  Now, I enjoy quick and easy smoothies, breakfast burritos, and egg casseroles.  The beauty of any of the above is ease of assembly and all I have to do is usually, blend, poor, and go if I am making a smoothie OR bake on Sunday, package, and heat in the morning as I'm getting ready to head out the door if we are talking breakfast burritos or casseroles.  So easy!

Now let's talk lunch.  Lunches usually consist of yogurt, veggie bags I've chopped and packaged on Sunday, and some sort of soup I've made in a large batch and froze the extra portions, or left-overs from the night before.  I usually try to pack my lunch the night before, so I don't have to fumble around with things in the morning. 

Dinner, oh sweet dinner.  One of the great joys for me is planning our weekly menu.  This is a time that I enjoy searching for new recipes, incorporating old favorites, all while trying to stick to some sort of a budget.  For dinner planning, I try to stick to soups, casseroles, and meals I can cook or prep in advance or prepare in a limited amount of time.  This is for weeknight dining.  If at all possible, I will try and pre-assemble and prep dinners in advance on Sundays.  This includes, chopping veggies, marinating meats, and cooking items like soups which always taste better the next day anyway.  We typically eat left-overs a couple nights a week; however, if the left-overs get a thumbs down from the hubster, I don't mind taking them for lunch the next day.  For weekends, we usually plan for social events out, dining out at least one night, and making something a little more extravagant or special for one night.  After all, weekends are for enjoying and relaxing and I love relaxing in the kitchen. 

So, this might seem a lot for some people.  For us it works and I find well worth the little bit of time I spend preparing that I get back in return after a hectic day at work.  Hopefully, it may get you some of your time back too:)

Baby Steps

I usually try to make my blog a very happy place.  Running, cooking, and blogging bring such joy to my life.  I guess that might be why I've tried not to bring up too many issues or complain.  I also do not like to get too personal sharing issues over the blogoshpere.  That being said, I am only bringing this information to heart for advice, encouragement, and really to take a proactive approach to what I am about to share. 

For the last two years, my husband and I have been trying to have a baby.  While he sometimes feels we were not trying hard enough (I think you get the male hint here:)) We miscarried back in January.  This was very disheartening news for us both. My body felt totally off kilter and I had been having my period for two weeks straight.  I had taken two home pregnancy tests which were negative and never would have known had I not sought out medical attention. That put a major damper on things until this summer.  While we were not not trying, I was not feeling totally prepared emotionally unless the news was positive. 

This summer, I have finally been able to relax. I am not beating myself up and am working on being kind to myself.  I am finally getting regular exercise in.  I am implementing more vegetarian meals into our weekly menu.  I am taking good pre-natal vitamins and charting my basal body temperature.  My husband and I have been going out on dates and making time for each other.  We have totally reconnected as a couple; however, we are still not preggars.  After talking with my OBGYN, whether we are trying hard enough or not, she said I really should have been pregnant by now.  I am not one to run to the doctor for every cold or ailment.  However, rather than continue to be frustrated, I feel that we will be taking a more proactive approach than continuing to "wait and see" or feel like "I'm not trying hard enough."  This will probably take some time if I have yet again not conceived this month, as it is too early to know.  And again, I will never know unless I seek some sort of medical attention.  It will require patience, understanding, and be a bit of a test for us as a couple.  Regardless, I feel these are the positive steps we need to take and will help us achieve our goal in creating a family.

Gettin' Dilly With It

 

  Does the play on words make you want to start singing "Gettin' Jiggy With It" or what?  For some reason, I couldn't keep the song out of my head when I decided to make my annual jar of pickles.  Ahhh pickles.  I think pickles are either a food people totally love or hate.  I happen to love them.  Justin does not.  So, this jar is all mine until I start to get sick of the ginormous Ball jar hanging out in my fridge.  Then, I'll divvy them up amongst friends and family.  Those who love pickles are always requesting my annual crop.  I adapted this recipe from my mother's.  She said she got the recipe from a friend (Jane Underwood).  Regardless, you can tweak the recipe however you please.  If you want to make them more spicy, add more peppers.  I used serrano peppers for a nice kick.  If you don't like the spice, leave them out.  If you like your pickles sweet, don't add as much salt.  No matter how you do it, it is a win!

Hot Refrigerator Pickles

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup salt

1 quart white vinegar

1 quart water

3 tablespoons pickling spice (I add on small jar of Tone's brand)

1 tablespoon mustard seed

30-40 sliced cucumbers (I used persian cucumbers because they are so cute!)

3 large sprigs fresh dill (which did not make it into the photo, but are present)

3 cloves garlic smashed

3 serrano peppers with the tops cut off and slit down the middle

Bring the sugar, salt, vinegar, and water to a boil.  Cool for 10 minutes and poor over the cucumbers.  Add the dill, garlic, mustard seed, and peppers.  Refrigerate for 2-3 weeks and then enjoy.

P.S. I got the giant Ball jar from Super Target.  It is the 1 gallon Ball collector's jar for only $14.79.  After the pickles are gone, I plan to wash this puppy out and make it a decoration item in the kitchen. I love it!

Best Nachos Ever!

  As a child growing up in Iowa, I looked forward to the summer sweet corn season all year long.  We would eat corn on the cob until we were almost sick of it and then enjoyed nature's bounty throughout the winter months with frozen corn.  Now an adult living in Kansas City with road side farmstands far from reach, I cherish the sweet corn crop even more.  Sorry Kansas, your sweet corn doesn't cut the Iowa stuff that is grown in the richest, blackest, most fertile soil in the world.  Last week, we were craving the good stuff; however, my patience got the best of me and I bought some from the grocery store.  It was pretty good and we didn't complain, but we are really looking forward to hitting up some farmstands when we are back in Iowa this weekend.

For those of you who have corn coming out your ears, or you just want to change you palate up a bit from the traditional corn on the cob, I highly suggest this recipe-- Crazy Corn Nachos.  I got the recipe from some family friends, the Schwark's, and am not really sure about it's origins.  These nachos are a little rich, cheesy, and not only corny, but crazy good. 

Crazy Corn Nachos

1 Bag tortilla chips

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 cup corn cut off the cob (or you can use frozen if it is not corn season)

4 oz. can diced green chilies

1 cup sour cream

8 oz. softened cream cheese

1-2 teaspoons chili powder

1-2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 pinch cayenne pepper

Salt & pepper to taste

4 slices crisp bacon, crumbled

2 cups shredded monterrey jack cheese

1-2 diced green onions for garnish

Saute red pepper, onion, and corn until soft.  Stir in the green chilies.  In a bowl, mix the sour cream, cream cheese, chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper.  Fold the cream cheese mixture into the sauteed vegetables.  Place your chips on a platter.  Cover the chips with sauce, bacon, and cheese.  Broil until the cheese is melted and garnish with green onions.

Summer Time Risotto

  I think risotto tops my list with mashed potatoes in the world of starches.   I heart a good risotto! The creamy goodness makes me hungry just thinking about it.  The funny thing is, I used to be really scared to make it for a couple of reasons.  The first reason being, it takes a little bit of attention.  The second, all of the fancy-shmancy chefs are making it.  Both complications were resolved earlier this spring when I decided to finally just do it already:)  After my first batch of lobster risotto, which is way more complicated than this little gem, I got over my fears.  With a glass of wine handy to enjoy while stirring and realizing that I don't have to be a celebrity chef to do this at home, I've fallen in love:)  Really, it isn't that difficult and you, yes you can make it too.

Summer Time Risotto

4 tablespoons olive oil (divided)

4 tablespoons butter (divided)

1 shallot finely chopped

1 zucchini sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices

1 yellow squash sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices

1 cup frozen peas

1 box organic chicken stock

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 cup Arborio rice

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the 3 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter to the pan; swirl to coat.  Add the zucchini and squash to the pan; cook for 5-7 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.  Gently stir in the peas.  Remove from heat and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a gentle simmer.  Keep warm over low heat.  In a Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the remaining olive oil and butter.   Add the shallots and cook for 2-3 minutes or until translucent.   Stir in the rice, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly in order to lightly toast the grains.  Stir in the wine; cook until the liquid is absorbed, stirring constantly.  Stir in 1 cup chicken stock.  Cook and stir until the liquid is absorbed.  Continue adding stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of the chicken stock is absorbed before adding the next.  Add the vegetables; cook 1-2 minutes or until combined and everything is heated through.  Remove from heat; stir in the Parmesan cheese. 

You can serve this dish totally on its own or along side a lovely piece of grilled chicken, pork, or fish.  Don't be afraid to make risotto!  It is totally worth the tender, loving care!

Colorful Fruit Salad

  I've been meaning to post the recipe for this salad for quite sometime; however, I haven't had it on the menu for a while.  I stumbled across the idea from the Rainbow Salad recipe in Bon Appetit magazine back in January.  I loved the idea of using a variety of fruits and veggies after eating several heavy holiday meals.  Originally following the recipe to a "T" I made a few tweaks to lighten the salad up for summer, ingredients that are in season, as well as appease my husband's palate;) 

For the dressing, I used the same ingredients from the post back in June. It includes 1/4 cup olive oil, 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon finely minced shallot, salt, and pepper.  The rest of the salad includes one head chopped Romaine lettuce, once diced mango, one chopped pear, one Pink Lady apple chopped, a squeeze of lemon juice to keep the fruit from browning, and goat cheese. 

I served this with my lightened up Fettuccine Alfredo (still tweaking this recipe); however, I would suggest taking advantage of the grilling season and serving it with chicken, pork, or fish.  You could also add almonds, walnuts, or hazelnuts, bulk up the portion and serve the salad as the main entree. It is so refreshing and unique I suggest you put it on your summer recipe list!