It's finally fall

Hello friends!!

I am sorry I have not been a very active blogger.  I have had a hard time making time for it.  But here I am :)  The Colts are not playing so hot so I need a distraction anyways!  Fall is by far my most favorite season.  I love the chilly weather and I get to eat lots of soup/stew/chili!  HOORAY!  I could eat soup every day...I really could.  This week I made my friend Sara's chicken chili. 

This is a great recipe that she shared with me and I love it.  It is super simple and quick!  Me likey!

Chicken Chili

Put 3-4 Chicken breasts in the crock pot
Salt and Pepper per your taste
1/3 a packet of taco seasoning 
1 can of Rotell 

Cook on High for 3-4 hours
* *about 1/2 - 3/4 of the way through, I take a fork and half the chicken breasts just to ensure thorough cooking.

Once cooked all the way through, Remove chicken and shred. I then layering the following:
Shredded chicken
2 cans of Northern Beans (drained)
1 (additional) can of Rotell (or desired type of tomatoes)
1 small can corn/peppers (mexi-mix)
2 handfuls of shredded cheese

Mix it all together, cover, and cook ingredients on Low for another 30 minutes or so....
**Once everything is warmed up, I like to take a big spoon and smoosh some of the beans against the side of the crock pot, mashing them....it creates a nicer/thicker/more tasty base. :)

Salt/pepper/more cheese as you like when eating!
Enjoy!
 

I have eaten this chili all week and am still not sick of it.  It makes about 5 servings.  I added about 1 can of water to the end product just to make it a little more soupy but it is delish as is...thick and hearty. 

What is your favorite fall soup/stew/chili?

Hello there punkin

Fall is in the air and I am excited.  It is by far my most favorite season.  I love the smell of burning leaves, sweatshirts, tailgating (duh), and the cool weather.  I dislike being extremely hot or cold.  So this weather is my heaven.  My favorite flavor in the fall is pumpkin!  Mmmm!! I can not get enough of this stuff.  I put it in pastas, smoothies, pastries, drinks...you name it...I will try it.  This week I made a smoothie and pumpkin fettuccine.  I get bored really quick when it comes to breakfast.  I need to switch it up a lot.  I can only eat so many eggs, or so many bowls of oatmeal.  I like change!  My solution when I get in this rut....SMOOTHIES.  I <3 them.  You can make so many different flavors that it never really gets old.  I am a planner.  I always have been.  I get anxiety if I do not have a plan.  Its my nature and I like it.  It keeps me organized and knowing what is going on at most moments in my life.  Grocery shopping is another one of the things that I must be organized about or I will stress.  I know I know....you are probably thinking I need to lighten up.  But I enjoy it.  I really do.  If I could go grocery shopping and plan meals as a full time j.o.b.  I would.....in a heart beat.  It's fun and challenging to me.  I enjoy sitting down and planing my meals and then organizing what I will be getting.  And yes my lists are organized.  I organize them however the store I am going to is laid out.  I don't want to have to back track and be wandering all over the store.

 So I plan out which store or stores (yes sometimes I go to several) I am going to and then write my list accordingly.  The reason for many stores is that I love Trader Joes, Whole Food and Fresh Market however some things are just cheaper at Marsh or Kroger.  And I also go according to sales.  I want to get the best deal on my food as possible.  Yes it is a process, but to me it is worth it. 

The past couple of days I have made a "pumpkin pie" smoothie for breakfast.  Um hello....can you say yummy!  I do not mind sipping on this my entire way to work.  It makes me in such a good mood and its healthy.  I put protein powder in all my smoothies since I don't get enough through out the day.  You can absolutely leave it out.  I made mine with half milk and half plain yogurt but you can do whatever you want.  My protein powder is a tad sweet so I don't use any sweetener and use plain yogurt for that reason too.  If you don't use any protein powder I would suggest vanilla yogurt/greek yogurt or honey flavored.  I ran out of pumpkin pie spice so I just used cinnamon and nutmeg.  Equally delish as pumpkin pie spice!

Pumpkin Pie Protein Smoothie

1/3 c canned pumpkin

1 frozen banana

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

5 ice cubes

¾ c. milk

1 ½  tsp. pumpkin pie spice


For dinner pumpkin fettuccine.  I bought several cans of pumpkin at the store and just could not get enough of the flavor.  So behold yummy fettuccine.  Now the easy way to make this and not so healthy is to buy a jar of alfredo or make your own and stir in some pumpkin puree.  I wanted to lighten it up a little bit.  The way I made mine was

Cook about 3 servings of fettuccine

3/4 cup of chicken broth
1/4 cup of finely chopped onion ( i used red cuz i had it on hand but you can use any kind)
1 clove of finely minced garlic
S&P
2 wedges of garlic and herb laughing cow cheese

Boil all the above ingredients until the chicken broth evaporates.  Let the onion and garlic brown.  While the broth simmers mix together the below ingredients in a separate bowl.

3/4 cup of pumpkin puree
3/4 cup of milk
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
S&P

Once the chicken broth mixture is browned pour in the pumpkin mixture and heat through.  Once its warm pour all over your pasta and enjoy!  Healthy and delcious!

Hope you guys enjoy!  Have a great long weekend and be safe this labor day!

xoxox

Karin
 

Beef Brisket...enough said!

Happy Monday friends!  Or not.  What is it about Mondays that just plain suck?  I am always exhausted and feel I need another day to just relax from my weekend.  OYE!

I am obsessed with the food network and the cooking channel.  I watch them all the time and record a ridiculous amount of shows.  I love to learn new techniques and get inspired by new foods ideas.  One of my favorite shows is Claire Robinson's Five ingredient fix.  The premise of the show is that she can make any disk great in five ingredients or less.  Pretty great huh?  When a recipe contains 10+ ingredients I am immediately turned off.  That is to much work and money.  One of Claire's shows a couple of weeks ago featured a slow roasted brisket.  It looked amazing and I knew it would be in my near future.  I have cooked a lot of beef in my day but BBQ....not so much.  I have already wanted to try it but was intimidated by it.  This recipe is so easy and requires little knowledge about BBQing.  The only downfall is that brisket is expensive.  I bought a 3 lb slab and it cost me $21!!!!! WHAT!  That is insane.  I figured I would go ahead and use what she made but next time I may use a less expensive cut of beef such as london broil, flank steak, boneless chuck roast or sirloin tip.  There are plenty of other options that would be just as great.  Anywho, I only cooked about 1.5 pounds this go around.  I am so excited that I have another 1.5 pounds in the freezer to make this recipe all over again soon.  The meat was so tender and falling apart when I brought it out of the oven.  My mouth was watering the whole time.  Oh my you have to try this pronto!!  A couple things I did differently.  The recipe states to trim the fast, I did not :)  The fat bastes the meat while in the oven and in my opinion keeps it moist and adds a ton of flavor.  Instead of using 6 lbs, I used 1.5.  Which means the cooking time was drastically reduced.  I cooked mine for almost 3 hours and it was to long.  The meat was still delicious but a tad dry.  The internal temperature only needs to reach 185.  Next time I will cook for closer to 2 hours.  And that's about all I changed.  Claire's idea of dipping the rolls in the juice is genius!!!!  It almost turns the sandwich into an Italian beef of sorts.  So messy but OH SO GOOD!

Braised Beef Brisket

Ingredients

• 1 (6-pound) beef brisket, trimmed of fat
• 1/2 cup BBQ spice blend, be sure and check sodium levels
• 4 cups water (1 cup cold, 3 cups hot)
• 1 tablespoon very finely ground coffee
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar, preferably unfiltered
• 6 potato or dinner rolls, split

Directions

• Rub the brisket generously with spice blend, cover with plastic wrap and let marinate overnight in refrigerator.

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Put the roast, fat cap up, in a roasting pan. Add 1 cup water to the pan and roast the brisket uncovered for 1 hour.

• In a medium bowl, combine the coffee, brown sugar, pepper, to taste, 3 cups hot water and cider vinegar.

• Remove the brisket from the oven, pour the coffee mixture over the brisket, cover with foil and braise until brisket reaches an internal temperature of 185 and is fork tender, about 3 hours. Remove to a carving board to let rest.

• Simmer the braising liquid in the roasting pan on the stovetop, skimming fat and allow to reduce just slightly or to desired consistency.
• Thinly slice beef across the grain. Dip the meat slices or the cut sides of the rolls in the reduced sauce. Make sandwiches with the meat and serve. Pour the remaining sauce into a small bowl and serve it with the sandwiches.

I made a simple tomato salad on the side.  I received some garden tomatoes from a friends mom this weekend and could not wait to eat them.  I think garden tomatoes taste SO much better then store bought tomatoes.  They are so juicy and delish.  I simply cute them into wedges and then in thirds.  I then marinated then in a tad of olive oil, S & P, a touch of vinegar, basil and oregano.  I didn't have fresh herbs but you can absolutely use either.  I let it sit in the fridge for about an hour and then dinner was ready.  I loved this meal and think you will too.  Enjoy!

Cheers :)



Some like it sweet, some like it sour....i like both

Chinese food....I have a love/hate relationship with it.  I get extremely grossed out by ordering it from those little hole in the wall places.  I don't know the quality of the meat they are using, the amount of sodium they are adding to their food and most importantly the cleanliness of the establishment.  Yes this holds true for all restaurants however it seems to bother me the most with Chinese places.  I don't know why.....I am strange.  Most of you know about my chicken phobia.  One to many bad experiences and I am not a chicken snob. I pretty much will only eat it if I cook it.  I get so grossed out by the fat and veins.  Enough to make me not eat it and eat vegetarian half of the time.  It has been years that I have been like this I honestly don't think it will change.  I have come to terms with it and most of my friends are aware of this issue and accept it! :)  I try not to be obvious when I am a dinner guest but sometimes it is to much for me to bare.

Ok enough about my wierdness! :)  I read about this recipe on one of my favorite blogs.  According to her it is the best Chinese food recipe she has found to make at home.  While I love it i do not get it often therefore I was chomping at the bit to try this one.  This is now the second time I have made this recipe and it is a keeper for sure.  This recipe also heats up great!  I made some brown rice and served it on the side.  The sauce does dry up a little bit after the dish cools down so if you are a sauce lover I would suggest making extra :)

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Bake Time: 1 hour

For the Chicken:
3-4 boneless,skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, slightly beaten
¼ cup canola or vegetable oil

For the Sauce:
¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup vinegar (preferably rice or white)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper.

3. Working in two batches, toss the chicken pieces in cornstarch and then coat with the egg. Heat the oil over medium-high heat and again in two batches, brown the chicken, turning it so that all sides are browned.

4. Place the chicken in a single layer in a 9×13 baking dish.

5. Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and pour evenly over the chicken. Turn the chicken to ensure each piece is coated.

6. Bake for 1 hour, turning the chicken every 15 minutes.

Enjoy my friends!!

I'm baaaaaaaack

I know some of you have been bugging me to post something.  I am so sorry I have been out of the loop.  Honestly....life got in the way and I have been busy and when I am not busy I want to be lazy.  I moved.....a MONTH ago.  Holy h*ll.  I didn't realize it had been that long until just now.  Wow I really have been away for a while.  This post is not going to have any food tips, tricks, or recipes in it.  It's more of a hellllo I am still here and this is what is going on! :)

Since the move I feel like my life has been non-stop.  I have plans generally 3-4 nights during the week and at least 1.5 days during the weekend.  I have enjoyed a couple lazy nights or day on the weekend but for the most part I am constantly doing something.  This has the obvious pros and cons.  I have a social life.  This is not a bad thing at all, but sometimes its nice not to.  Does that even make sense?  I love and adore my friends and don't know where I would be without them but sometimes I just need some me time.  I feel like I have not taken any in a long time.  It's one of those things that I know I need some alone me time but when it comes down to it I get bored and feel like I am missing out.  What is wrong with me?  Why must I constantly need to be involved and knowing what is going on?  I don't! 

The past couple of weeks I have been struggling with quite a few things.  Some are known to some of you, some are not.  I came to realization this week that I NEED me time to get some of this figured out.  Life is about challenges, fun, excitement, hurt.....and so many other things.  No one has a perfect life..and mine is far from it.  I have flaws that I desperately want to rid myself of or at least improve.  The one that always ranks high on my list is always a constant struggle for me.  I haven't been vocal to anyone but really close friends regarding this but if you know me you can assume what it is.  Controlling my weight.  It is constantly a daily battle.  Everything I put in my mouth I am analyzing, criticizing and beating myself up about.  I count every single morsel one day and then the next I "don't give a f*ck" and then go back to beating myself up.  Will it ever end?  Nope.  It is something I will need to deal with and learn out to deal with.  Some people will never have to worry about this in their lives...consider yourself lucky.  This is miserable!  For the first time in years I do not have a gym membership.  Well ok that is a lie....i have one but it is currently paused.  I wasn't going.  I haven't gone. And I don't want to go.  I was paying $41 dollars a month for something I wasn't using.  Yes my company pays for a majority of it but I still couldn't justify it.  I can use the company money towards something else like a massage.  I paused it in the hopes that I will un-pause it soon.  We will see if that happens.  I talk about losing weight ALL the time.  I am educated in it and could probably blow some of your minds with all the knowledge I have.  I am constantly reading blogs, magazine and articles about it.  I have all the tools but no motivation.  Where is it?  Will I ever get it back?  I have done it before and it's not easy.  It takes a lot of work and time.  I know I am the only person that can do this.  No one can do it for me.  PERIOD! Ugh! 

Thank-you for listening.  That is all for now :)  I have been cooking more recently now that I am all moved in and back into a routine I will hopefully be posting at least once a week.  Stayed tuned and keep the comments coming.  I love hearing from everyone out there and it helps to know that someone is listening sometimes!

Cheers!

xoxo

Karin

Sunday funday = cooking and packing for me! :)

I am moving one week from day....technically at this time next Sunday (fingers crossed) I will be completely moved.  I sure hope so!

This morning I woke up feeling refreshed and awake after a night out to dinner and the movies with girlfriends.  We went to Kona Grill and saw bridesmaids.  If you have not seen this movie you have GOT to see it.  It is hilarious!!!  I met my friend Katie and her daughter Ella for breakfast at Scottys Lakehouse and had a yummy skillet for breakfast.  My next stops were Whole Foods and Kroger.  Once I got home my cook-a-thon began.  This week is going to be pure madness and my apartment is going to be in shambles.  I am a planner.  The thought of all my stuff being all over the place and between two places makes me feel anxious and annoyed at the same time.  The one thing I can control this whole week are my meals!  I have been on a weight watchers kick recently and found all of these recipes on their websites.  So not only are these recipes yummy but they are healthy too :) 

Once I got home and unpacked all my groceries I dug right in and started to make a slow cooker barbecue glazed turkey meatloaf.  Yes you are reading correctly....slow cooker meatloaf.  I thought the same thing, that can't be good.  But WRONG.  It turned out great and was SO EASY.  The slow cooker is seriously my best friend.  You throw everything in and in a couple hours you have a meal.  Its unbelievable!

Barbecue-Glazed Turkey Meatloaf

6 servings, 4 WW points

·         1 ¼ pounds(s) uncooked ground turkey breast

·         1/3 cup dried bread crumbs, seasoned ß I used panko as I had that on had

·         ¼ cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

·         ¼ cup onion, minced

·         1 large egg, lightly beaten

·         1 tsp dried oregano

·         ¼ tsp table salt

·         ¼ tsp black pepper

·         2 Tbsp ketchup

·         2 tsp packed light brown sugar

·         2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

·         1 tsp spicy brown mustard

Directions

·         Fold a 24-inch length of foil in half lengthwise. Fit into the bottom and up the sides of a 5–6-quart slow cooker insert.

·         Put the turkey, bread crumbs, cheese, onion, egg, oregano, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl; mix with hands until well combined. Shape the mixture into a loaf and place on the foil in the slow cooker.

·         Cover the slow cooker and cook until the meatloaf juices run clear or an instant read thermometer inserted in the center of the meatloaf registers 165°F, 3–4 hours on high or 6–8 hours on low.

·         Combine the ketchup, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard in a small bowl. Spoon the mixture over the meatloaf, spreading it smooth. Cover the slow cooker and cook until the glaze is heated through, about 30 minutes longer. With the help of the foil, lift the meatloaf from the slow cooker and transfer to a platter. Discard foil and cut the meatloaf into 6 slices. Yields 1 slice meatloaf per serving.  

I separated my meatloaf into 6 portions and put them in Tupperware to eat throughout the week.  To the left is my lunch for tomorrow :)  A simple salad of spinach, pea sprouts and arugula.  My salad dressing is spicy mustard (from the farmers market a couple weekends ago), olive oil, S&P and a tad of honey.  Topping for my salad as I love a little crunch is croutons and pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and of course my favorite dried cherries.  I also threw an apple in my lunch bag too.  I am so excited to eat this for lunch tomorrow.

While my meatloaf was cooking away, I made some quinoa and apple breakfast cereal.  I don't know about you but I get so sick of my breakfast choices.  I have to come of up with new items to keep me on track and wanting to actually eat breakfast.  I am typically not that hungry when I wake up and could just drink coffee if I didn't know that breakfast was the most important meal of the day.  I have so much more energy throughout the day when I eat breakfast and often times snack a lot less too.

I read a lot of articles about nutrition and cooking in general.  I have read a lot of articles about quinoa and have yet to try it.  Quinoa is an amino acid-rich (protein) seed that has a fluffy, creamy, slightly crunchy texture and a somewhat nutty flavor when cooked.  Not only is quinoa high in protein, but the protein it supplies is complete protein, meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids.  I saw this recipe on the WW website and I just had to try it.  The reviews were great and it sounded like something I would really enjoy in the morning. 

Quinoa and Apple Breakfast Cereal

6 servings, 5 WW points

·         1 cup uncooked quinoa

·         2 sprays cooking spray

·         1 Tbsp butter, divided

·         2 medium apples, chopped or dices

·         2 cups water, cold

·         ½ tsp ground cinnamon

·         3 Tbsp packed brown sugar

·         ¼ cup fat-free skim milk

Directions

1.     Soak quinoa in a bowl of water for 5 minutes.

2.     Meanwhile, coat a large skillet with cooking spray; set over medium heat. When skillet is hot, melt 1/2 tablespoon butter until it just starts to sizzle. Add apples and cook, turning occasionally, until apples are soft and begin to caramelize, about 5 to 10 minutes depending on personal taste; set aside

3.     Rinse and drain quinoa. Add quinoa and 2 cups of cold water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; boil for 1 minute. Reduce heat to low, cover pan tightly and allow quinoa to simmer for 10 minutes. When quinoa is cooked (a little tail will appear on each grain), remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter, cinnamon, sugar and milk; stir to combine and fold in apples. Yields about 2/3 cup per serving.

And once again my phone did not save all the pictures I took.  Sadface.  Its time that I get my real camera fixed and stop all this phone non-sense.  There were some great shots of step by step directions of this recipe.  The image to the left is what the quinoa should look like once it is cooked.  Do you see the little tail?  So strange but a good indication that this grain is cooked.  Below is the picture of this recipe all portioned out ready for breakfast this week.  I tried a little nibble before separating these and I think I am going to enjoy this very much :)

The last item I cooked today was what WW calls butterscotch cake but I call a white chocolate blondie.  I have a HUGE sweet tooth and feel the need to have a little something after dinner each night.  Even when I am watching every calorie that I put in my mouth it is nice to end my day on a sweet note.  I figured with all the packing that I will be doing this week and next weekend that I would enjoy this even more. 

Butterscotch Cake

24 servings, 4 WW points

·         1 spray cooking spray

·         1 ¼ cup packed light brown sugar

·         1/3 cup regular butter, softened

·         2 tsp vanilla extract

·         2 large eggs

·         2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

·         1 cup whole wheat flour

·         1 cup A/P flour

·         2 tsp baking soda

·         ¾ tsp table salt

·         ½ cup white chocolate chips, finely chopped

·         24 halves pecan halves ßI had chopped walnuts on hand so I used them instead

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9- X 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream sugar, butter and vanilla extract. Add eggs and blend thoroughly. Add applesauce and blend. Add both flours, baking soda and salt; blend until just incorporated. Mix in chips with a wooden spoon.
3. Spoon batter into prepared pan and decorate with walnut halves, one for each serving of cake. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool for about 15 minutes in pan and then remove to a wire rack to continuing cooling. Cut into 24 squares. Yields 1 square per serving.

Race day fun and good eats!

Good Afternoon all!

This is my post from Sunday however I am just now getting around to posting it.  Sorry...it was a long, wonderful day!

It's race day which means its gonna be hot, humid, crazy crowded and lots of booze consumed.  My morning started by packing up my backpack cooler.  This sucker fit 12 beers and 4 frozen water bottles.  I was very pleased with how much it could carry and didn't kill my back.



We started our day around 9 am.  We figured since we had a ride to the track we didn't need to leave as early.  WRONG.  Record crowds this year meant traffic was horrendous.  Last year I got there at 9 and parked in a lot right across from the track.  This year....no where close.  Abby's dad drove us so we didn't have to deal with having a car and worrying about driving.  The closest he could get us was about 2.5/3 miles away from the track.  OYE.  It was a long walk.  TG the sun was behind clouds most of our walk and it wasn't that humid yet.  I was in good company so didn't mind the walk that much but my feet did.  I swear my feet hate me.  I wore some ballet flat gym shoes.  Wrong choice.  I figured we would be doing a lot of walking and these would be comfy.  Um NO!  I had blisters so bad I was limping.  Last minute packing my bag I threw some flip flops in.  TG!  I put those on and had immediate relief.  We made it to the track took our seats and the fly over happened.  I love when this happens at any event I am at.  How can you not get emotional when this happens?? 

 

Needless to say we had a blast at the track.  We were cabbing it back up to the northside so we left with about 20 laps to go.  We figured we would be waiting for a cab for forever if we waited till the end of the race.  We walked out of the nearest gate and had a cab within 30 seconds.  Hooray!! I was beat by the time I got home.  Took a nap and had a slight hangover by the time I woke up.  So not cool.  I was so hot still and just wanted to go to bed.  I knew I needed to eat something before calling it a night.  I whipped up this quick salad and it hit the spot. 

Chickpea and Feta Salad

2 cups chickpeas, rinsed and drained

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 Tbsp onion, finely minced

1/2 large red pepper, diced <-----i used roasted red pepper cuz I had it on hand

2 Tbsp parsley, finely minced

9 black olives, chopped

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 Tbsp lemon juice

S & P to taste

1 tsp lemon zest

1. In a medium bowl, combine chickpeas, garlic, onion, red pepper, parsley, olives, and feta; toss to combine.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together oil and lemon juice.  Pour over chickpea mixture and season to taste.  Garnish with lemon zest

It was refreshing, light and yummy.  It was just what I needed before going to bed at 9pm.  YEP....you read that right.  I was asleep by 9 :)  All day in the sun drinking and walking miles will do that to ya!  Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend!! 

Cheers