Liquid Lunch

Here is my current lunch smoothie:

1 LARGE handful of spinach
1 handful of blueberries
1 handful of strawberries
1 banana
1/2 c. organic plain yogurt
1 Tbs. flax seeds
Maybe 2/3 c. of Almond Milk
Splash of water...enough to get it moving in the blender

Blend and drink.
Make one LARGE smoothie or two regular sized cups.
I obviously am drinking a LARGE amount...
but there was a tiny bit leftover that I put in the fridge for River as his after-school snack. 
He loves this smoothie too!
Yay for healthy kids and healthy Moms!



Have a great weekend!!
xo

P.S. Someone very special is turning 33 on Saturday.....

And even though he won't be rafting down the Salmon River like he was here last May....
which is, by the way, his own personal HEAVEN.....
We will probably grill out, bake him a cake, and give him lots of hugs.
He is our rock, our protector, our hero....
and I am thankful everyday that I have him by my side to go through this crazy life with.

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

Making this Friday for the Hubby!

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail:

--about 2lbs. cooked shrimp (bay, or 41-50 ct.)

--1/2 to 3/4 jar cocktail sauce (regular or spicy) & about 1/2 cup salsa

--handful of chopped cilantro

--1/2 chopped bell pepper, jalapeno, & red onion

--1 T. or so of chopped garlic

--1 chopped tomato, mango, and avocado

--1/2 tube of spicy red chile (in produce section) little tubes of herbs

--top with garlic salt and pepper


Seriously so delicious!
Grab these ingredients and some chips...and get to it!
Perfect for the summer.

Recipe from my sweet Brother-In-Law Zac Wilkins.
Thanks Z!

(image found here)

Happy Sunday

Happy Fathers Day!!
Lots of things to be happy about today.
Dads, painted nails, lizards, The Little Rascals movie, Risotto dinner.
Today is a good day!
Happy about finding artwork for Daddy under his pillow.

Happy about our first visitor on the 30th.

Happy about getting through 5 books and it is only June.

Happy about finding a great lemon pound cake recipe.
Read the modifications in the comments.
I added 1/2 cup of sugar, and didn't make any glaze.
We just ate ours plain with tons of fresh strawberries,
but homemade whipped cream would have been dreamy.

Happy about my legs looking reallllllly long in these heels.
camera angle helps, not gonna lie.
Trying them on for an upcoming date-night...
first one since February.
serious.

Happy about the way this smells.....
straight aromatherapy while you clean.
win/win.

Happy about making a video and getting it loaded while my kids were on the couch next to me.
Such multitasking skills today!

wednesday

I am up to something...

I can't tell you what it is yet...

But I promise to tell you soon.

For now, I picked my recipes for this next week or two:
Lentil Soup
Chicken with Prosciutto and Sage
Chili-Rubbed Skirt Steak
Salmon Steaks with Hoisin Glaze
Glazed Lemon Cakes

We will be playing pin-the-tail-on him later for my Birthday Partay

Probably should change out of these though...it is 2:37pm.

And, I bought a box of Thin Mints from some cute girls.
I had a weak moment.
They are in the freezer waiting for me.
The bad thing about thin mints is that
you can eat like 8 in a row and not even flinch.
That is hard to do with cookies.
Dang Girl Scouts!

Off to shower!
xo

Oh baby!

Don't we all need a Rainbow Cake on days like today when it is snowing out, and your hubby is gone....yup, I need a Rainbow Cake like nobody's business!
(check out this blog anyway...she is great!)

Chicken Salad With Potatoes and Arugula

Seriously...my mouth is watering!!! I love Real Simple!!


Serves 4 Hands-On Time: 20m Total Time: 20m
Ingredients

* 1 pound new potatoes
* kosher salt and pepper
* 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
* 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
* 1 2 1/2- to 3-pound rotisserie chicken
* 3 bunches arugula, thick stems removed (about 6 cups)
* 1/4 cup fresh tarragon leaves, chopped
* 1/4 cup Parmesan, shaved (2 ounces)

Directions

1. Place the potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, reduce heat, and simmer until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain, run under cold water to cool, and slice.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Using a fork or your fingers, shred the chicken, discarding the skin and bones.
3. In individual bowls, combine the arugula, chicken, tarragon, and potatoes. Drizzle with the dressing and sprinkle with the Parmesan.

By Sara Quessenberry, August 2008

This could be dangerous...?

Had to pass this on....I made it tonight, and it does the job. I paired it with cut up strawberries...and wished I had some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream to go with it. The only thing I would add to the instructions would be to place a paper towel under your mug in the microwave, and use the biggest mug you have. Enjoy!

Recipe of the Week: Chocolate Cake-in-a-Mug


Today's recipe comes from Pat Hollon of Buckley, who received the recipe from her daughter, Lynn Hentschell. Pat says it's "like the Boston Brown Bread 'in the can' texture."

Why is this a dangerous cake recipe? Because chocolate cake is now just 5 minutes away!

Dangerous Chocolate Cake-in-a-Mug

1 coffee mug (microwave-safe)

4 T. cake flour (plain, not self-rising)

4 T. sugar

2 T. cocoa

1 egg

3 T. milk

3 T. oil

Splash of vanilla

3 T. chocolate chips, optional

Add dry ingredients to the mug; mix well with a fork. Add egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in milk, oil, and vanilla, and mix well. Add chips, if using.

Put mug in the microwave, and cook for three minutes at 1,000 watts. Cake will rise over the top of the mug -- do not be alarmed. When finished, carefully remove mug from microwave and allow to cool a little. Tip onto a small plate prior to serving, if desired. Yields one generous serving or two "more virtuous" servings

Cinnamon Apple Chips

These looked tasty, and pretty healthy too!!


Ingredients:

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 large apples

1. Preheat the oven to 250°. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Using a serrated knife or mandoline, thinly slice the apples crosswise, discarding the seeds and both ends. Arrange in a single layer on parchment-paper-lined baking sheets; sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.
2. Bake the apple slices, turning every half hour, until dry, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remove and transfer to racks to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Yummy!

Ok...two delicious appetizers/snacks!



Mini Salami Puff Sandwiches

2 8-ounce sheets of frozen puff pastry (thawed)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
12-ounce jar of roasted red peppers cut into small pieces
Dijon mustard
6 ounces thinly sliced salami
1 cup lettuce

Heat oven to 375° F.

Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut circles from puff pastry and place on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with Parmesan and bake until golden brown, about 18 minutes.

Using your fingers, split each puff. Spread the bottom halves with Dijon mustard and top with salami, lettuce, the peppers, and the top halves of the puffs.

Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings


Warm Garlic-Brie Crostini

1 baguette
1 garlic clove
1/4 pound Brie
12 roasted cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil

Heat oven to 400º F. Slice a baguette into 12 1/2-inch pieces. Halve garlic clove and rub the cut side on each baguette slice. Cut Brie into thin slices and place 1 on top of each piece of bread. Heat on a baking sheet until the Brie begins to melt, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove and top each with a roasted cherry tomatoes. Drizzle evenly with olive oil.

Yield: 4 servings

Yummy Toffe Bark!!!

Last night I hosted a recipe exchange and this is what I made.  It doesn't take long and it's pretty easy to make.  Also, you can make it a day or two before and just refrigerate or freeze it.  I've made it before and everyone LOVED it.  It's deadly because once you have just one bight, you'll want to eat it all.  So here's the recipe:

1 c. brown sugar (packed)

1 c. melted butter

1 pkg. Trader Joe’s semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

Nabisco’s salted tops soda crackers

Trader Joe’s dry roasted unsalted almonds (chopped)

Preheat oven to 350.  Put foil over cookie sheet and spray with Pam butter flavor.  Place crackers salt side up on foil.  Melt butter then add brown sugar and stir over med. heat until it boils.  After sugar mixture has boiled for 3 minutes, pour over crackers and put in oven.  When it stars getting bubbly on top, turn oven down to 325 and let bubble for another 5 minutes.  Turn off oven and sprinkle choc. chips over mixture (crackers).  Leave in oven for 3 minutes.  They should be soft enough to spread evenly thereafter.  Sprinkle with chopped almonds and freeze for 45 minutes, or you may refrigerate.  Crack into pieces and enjoy!

This looked SO delicious!!!!

Skirt Steak with Deconstructed Guacamole

From Every Day with Rachael Ray
June-July 2008

SERVES 4

2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus more for drizzling
1 cup white rice
One 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed
4 scallions, chopped
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons grainy mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons grill seasoning (about a palmful)
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
1 3/4 pounds skirt steak
2 red onions, halved crosswise
Salt and pepper
2 jalapeño chiles, halved lengthwise and seeded
2 avocados, halved
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup chopped cilantro (a generous handful)
2 limes, cut into wedges

1. In a large saucepan, bring the chicken broth and 1 tablespoon EVOO to a boil. Stir in the rice and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Stir in the black beans and scallions and cook for 6 minutes more.
2. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. In a shallow dish, whisk together the remaining 3 tablespoons EVOO , the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, grill seasoning and hot sauce. Coat the steak and marinate for 10 minutes.
3. Drizzle the red onions with EVOO, season with salt and pepper and grill with the jalapeños, turning, until charred about 10 minutes. Grill the steak, turning once, for 8 minutes for medium-rare. Grill the avocado halves until charred, 3 to 4 minutes; halve lengthwise.
4. Thinly slice the steak on an angle and divide among 4 plates. Top each with the avocados, jalapeños, tomatoes and cilantro. Serve with the rice, onions and lime wedges.

Strawberry Bonbons

I am SOOOOO making these, and because I think this recipe is more of a method than anything, you could use whatever fruit/ice cream/cookie/chocolate combo you like. Our anniversary is in a week, and I think these would be a fun special treat. How cute would these be for a baby shower, or girls night! Impress your friends! http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/dessert-recipes/strawberry-bonbons/article.html

I'm addicted to these!

My new pregnant craving is french fries, but I can't eat the fast food ones for a lot of reasons....(we don't have to be a genius to figure those out) but I have found a substitute that does the trick without the guilt and intestinal consequences! Paige loves them too...


2-2 1/2 pounds baking potatoes
4 cloves garlic, smashed (I LOVE garlic)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 rosemary sprigs, leaves removed and finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 425ºF.
Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Then cut each half into 4-5 long wedges, depending on how big the potatoes are.

Place the potato wedges and garlic on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with about three tablespoons of EVOO and toss to coat.

Season the potatoes with rosemary, salt and pepper and roast them for about 25 minutes, until potatoes are brown and tender. Flip the potatoes and continue to roast for about 10 minutes, or until cooked through.

Thanks Rachael Ray!

You can also sub the rosemary for any herb you like, or make them spicy for you and the hubby with some cayenne or chili powder!