Tag Archives: pasta

Let It All Out

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Question first – What is currently stressing you out?  Think about it and really let it out in the comments, you’ll feel (a little) better!

I want to apologize for the on-again-off-again blogging schedule of late.  I also want to be honest with you guys about the fact that I’m having a hard time.  There’s not necessarily one big thing that’s bothering me, but there are a lot of little things that are adding up.  I am 80% sure that I believe in fate, and I am 110% that I believe that any seemingly negative thing you go through leads you to a better place.  But it’s still hard not to get a little freaked out by all the questions I have about the future.

Where will we have to move for Adam’s residency?  What if Adam doesn’t get a residency?  What if Adam’s chosen career means he’s away all the time and I’m lonely?  Should we have kids?  When should we have kids?  Should I get pregnant next year so if that I don’t get a job right away when we move I’ll get to be home with the kid until it’s all sorted out?  Should I wait to have kids until I’m established in my job?  How do women with full-time jobs breast feed?  How do you make an impression at your job if you excuse yourself every hour to pump and are also already 28 years old and starting out in a brand new field?  What if I can’t find a job?  What if the career path I’m on isn’t the one I want?  What do I want to do with my life?

And to be honest, the above questions are only a snapshot of all the things I’ve been worrying about.  It’s hard not to feel a little defeated when I can’t do anything proactive (at the moment) to answer those questions.  Sometimes you just have to have hope/faith/optimism and wait it out.

Sometimes – like last night – you have to eat a veggie sub and a bucket of french fries and sit on the couch watching old episodes of “Family Guy.”  But then the next morning you have to do your hair and put on your comfy-yet-sexy shoes.

So that’s what I did!

And in my comfy-yet-sexy shoes, I drove to school early and made my way through a big stack of school work.  I haven’t stopped working since, and bit by bit, I haven’t stopped feeling a little better, a little more in control.

The theme for my meals today was – late.  Breakfast was at 10, lunch was at 5, and dinner was at 9.  My late breakfast was eaten in the computer lab while I worked.

Holy frick I love reusing containers so much  I over-served Adam’s lunches for this week so that reused cheese container held a half serving he’d left behind.  In the mix was penne pasta, roasted zucchini and yellow squash, sautéed mushrooms, spinach, diced tomatoes, marinara sauce, and a drizzle of olive oil.

It was yumtastic; I’ve been a good wife this week!

Also helping me get back my happy, clinic went really well this afternoon.  We are starting to do SOAP notes and learning more about what RDs actually do helps a lot to relieve my anxiety.  Plus, I screened patient who agreed to do another round of diabetic diet education.  I can’t really say much about clinic (thanks HIPPA), but so far all of my patients have been really nice.

When we got back to campus it was time for late lunch.

Not cottage cheese*, another reusable.  *I may not have been eating a very healthy diet lately but I have been sticking to the vegan challenge at least.  And no soda for another 3 days either.

In the container were leftovers from Monday’s dinner; brown rice, roasted broccoli, and Asian Orange Tofu Bake.

Continuing the citrus theme, I had a navel orange.

And a piece of dark chocolate for dessert.

When we got out of class at 8 I drove a friend home and then hurried to make dinner.

Purple grapes.

And a Sandwich Thin with mustard, roasted garlic hummus, and 4 oz of raw tempeh.

I wasn’t expecting much but this sandwich was goo-ood.

This post took me awhile to write, but it felt good to put it all out there.  Thanks for “listening,” seriously.  I’ve got a low-sodium diet education presentation tomorrow and I’m still riding a productivity high so I’ll probably burn the midnight oil today.

Hope everyone is having a good week!

Monday Felt More Super Than Sunday

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Hello, work week!  Did you watch the Super Bowl yesterday?  Were you happy with the outcome?  I will admit to not watching a single minute.  And in fact, Adam and I were a bit under the weather this weekend and did not eat or do a single thing worth mentioning!  Today I’ve managed to get almost back on track and eat some good food.

I had an orthodontist appointment early this morning; nope, I’m still not done with retainers.  My plan was to drive straight to school from there but after two parking lots worth of circling there were still no spots to be found.  Instead I drove to Wegmans and banged out a bunch of work at their comfy booths.  Plus I got a coffee for fuel.

With soy milk and 2 sugars.

My coffee was paired with breakfast from home.  A Coconut Chocolate Chip Clif Bar.

and a baggie of purple seedless grapes.

Curious about my nails?  They are pink glitter French tips!

They aren’t perfect but I did them free-hand so I’m pretty darn proud.

I did work at Wegmans, drove home, walked to school, did work at school, went to class, did work at school, got picked up by Adam, and ended up back at Wegmans for a late lunch.

Some lo mein with a piece of lemon pepper tofu and 1.5 vegan meatballs.

Veggies (mostly mushrooms and carrots with a few green beans).

This hit the spot.

Dinner took a while to cook (you can only fit two trays in our oven at a time) so we arrived home from the store we got right to work on the next meal.

My plate had 1/4 cup of sweet brown rice,

pieces of my Asian Orange Tofu Bake,

and roasted broccoli.

Everything was delicious!  The sauce on the rice and veggies is leftover tofu marinade that I cooked down quickly in the rice pot.  The tofu recipe is from way back in 2009.  I made it again to update the recipe page, still good!

After dinner I managed to drag myself to an 8pm hot yoga class.  Woot!  90 minutes of hot yoga felt so dang good!  I haven’t gone to many classes on this 30-day pass, but I’ve cherished every minute I’ve gotten.

On The Hook

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It’s Friday; two weeks of school are officially done and over with!  And 2 days of Vegan Month in, I realize I need to figure out a new eating plan.  Now that our larders are stocked it should be easier, but I’ve been waiting too long to eat and eating way too much.  Not good.

Due to a looming bedtime and the sheer mass of (uninteresting) food, I’ll keep this quick.  Coconut water was consumed during class.

This Jumanji apple wasn’t quite as exciting as its name, but it was sweet and good.

With 2 Tbsp of peanut butter.  Plus a ridiculous amount of peanut butter (3-4 Tbsp?!) eaten straight from the jar.

This Amy’s Rice Macaroni with Dairy-Free Cheese was good.

The cheese was by far the best vegan cheese you could hope for (it was good even on the just cheese scale, without the vegan modifier!).  But I wish I could find the vegan but not also gluten-free version, because I bet it’d be better.

The rice pasta was a little bit gummy.

Jordan Almonds (x2) were consumed for taste-testing purposes.

If you like Jordan almonds then I have got the recipe coming for you!  I’m baking this weekend and hope to post early next week.

Vegan jerky.

A bagel with SmartBalance Light.

An Earl Gray with soy milk during a monster-shopping trip.

A Red Hood Winter Hook was split with Adam when we got home.

And a big bowl of popcorn (with SmartBalance Light) was consumed while watching “Grey’s.”

Holy crap carbs.  I think I’m going to spend tomorrow embracing produce!

Day Of Work

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After two very (very, very, very) lazy days, it was time for a day of work. This Sunday was all about getting things done. I –

  • put away two loads of laundry
  • did some dishes
  • ran some errands
  • organized my school binder
  • made all of my note cards from last week’s notes
  • did a case study for clinical practice
  • made a delicious dinner

Breakfast was worth a thumbs up too.

I stirred a Liberte Coconut Yogurt into a big scoop of 1% large curd cottage cheese, topped with shredded sweetened coconut.

The coconut flavor was nice, but the resulting texture was mind-blowing. Too creamy for words.

In between errands and school work was lunch.

I picked up a grab bag-style to-go container from the Co-op.

A salad of yam, corn, and black beans; cilantro tofu; peanut tofu with lots of broccoli; and a little bit of vegan pasta salad.

We took Webster with us on our walking errands and his little sweater was so becoming!

He’s still not 100% down with snow, and shivers like a total wimp.  I tease him mercilessly, telling him that his ancestors in Germany only used to hunt badgers in a climate-controlled living room.

While we were out I found a new M&M variety – Dark Chocolate Mint!

Delish.  These had just the right level of chill to them.

Sometime between the lunch and dinner hours we had salads.

Romaine with chopped cucumbers and a dressing made of the remains of the yogurt Caesar shaken with evoo and cider vinegar.

Dinner was a real winner.

For 4 servings of creamy, cheesy, buttery, vegetarian yet protein-rich pasta, combine –

  • ~ 4 servings of small shape pasta, cooked
  • ~ 1.5 cups peas
  • 2 pint mushrooms sautéed with chopped green onion and 5 Tbsp butter
  • 4 oz sharp cheddar, shredded
  • 12 oz 0% Plain Fage

So much yum! I didn’t tell the husband that there was plain Greek yogurt (which he thinks he hates) in the pasta and I didn’t hear any complaints. I think pasta with peas and cheese might be our favorite dish.

I’ve got to get back to work; I’m going to hit with week with running start!

Which flavors of M&M’s have you gotten to try?  I think I’ve had them all – regular, peanut, almond, peanut butter, dark chocolate, pretzel, cinnamon, and coconut – the only flavor I missed with strawberry pb which I never found despite hours of searching!

Minus One Bite

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My lunch didn’t quite cut it so this afternoon I ate a leftover slice of jalapeño pineapple pizza.

Minus one bite 😀

Dinner was my AnTEAoxidant Pasta.

I updated the page for that recipe today too.

Not my absolutely tastiest dish ever, but definitely one of my healthiest ones.

Dessert was supposed to be my horchata can.

But it didn’t suit my fancy and I ended up swapping with the husband for two cookies.

Much better.

Since I didn’t go to the gym today I did some strength training intervals throughout the afternoon/evening instead.  I told myself I had to complete 20 minutes total for it to count as a workout.

In two-minute blocks I did 2 sets of arms, 4 sets of abs, 5 sets of legs, and 3 x 1-minute planks for 25 minutes of strength training total.

Fun fact about the husband – when eating any food by hand, ie french fries or sandwiches, he always leaves behind the part his fingers were touching.

Cheesetastic

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Last week, we made pasta with a cheese sauce that was delicious.  It was ooey, it was gooey, it was cheesy.  But I wanted to go for the er.  Ooey-er, gooey-er, cheesier.  It had to be done.  I needed to make a cheesetastic mac and cheese.

We included red onion and green chilies to add a bit of flavor, but overall this was cheese on top of cheese.  Awesome.

Cheesetastic Mac and Cheese, serves 4

  • 3 tsp olive oil
  • 1 large red onion, chopped
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 4 oz can diced green chilies, drained
  • 4 Tbsp butter
  • 4 heaping Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 and 1/2 cup skim milk
  • 8 oz sharp cheddar, shredded
  • 2 and 2/3 cup prepared short-cut pasta  (we used gemelli)
  • 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare an 8×8 inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Heat 1 tsp oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and salt to pan and cook 7-10 minutes, until softened and beginning to brown. Stir in green chilies during last minute of cooking. Remove to a large bowl to cool.
  2. Reduce heat to medium and melt butter in pan. Whisk in flour to form a roux.
  3. Raise heat to medium-high and carefully whisk in milk, working in 1/2 cup batches. Add all but a medium-sized handful of cheese and stir until melted.
  4. In a large bowl, toss together peppers and onions, cooked pasta, and cheese sauce. Carefully pour into casserole dish. Top with panko and remaining handful of cheese. Drizzle remaining 2 tsp of oil over the top.
  5. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, until bubbly and browned.

pro tips

  • cook pasta just to al dente because it will continue to cook in the oven
  • don’t burn your roux, but don’t pull it off the heat too early either; the browning gives it flavor
  • want more kick? whisk a few tsp of hot sauce into your cheese sauce

What are your tips for really good mac and cheese?

You Say Pizza, I Say Piazza

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It was another great day here in Ohio.

Our last day, unfortunately.

For breakfast I poured a bowl of my grandma’s cereal mix (Cheerios, Special K, and Crispix by the looks of it) with some vanilla almond milk.

Lunch was a big salad – romaine, cherry tomatoes, and an Asian sesame dressing – with cold truffle mac and cheese crumbled on top.

Leftover mac is officially the new crouton.

I also had a glass of almond milk,

and a turtle for dessert.

We spent the afternoon switching out Christmas decorations, and the boys found a minute for a quick nap.

Then we were off to the movies.  We saw “We Bought a Zoo,” and all three of us thought it was great.  Very funny and touching.  My grandma handed me a mini York patty mid-movie that hit the spot.

Dinner was tasty as well, La Piazza in Troy.  I started with a house salad with honey mustard dressing,

and two slices of bread with garlic dipping oil.

For our main meal, Adam and I split two entres.  We shared, but both ate a larger portion of our “own” plates.  He had Smoked Chicken Ravioli (stuffed with smoked chicken, herbs, cheeses, tossed with tomato basil cream),

and I got the Eggplant Parmigiana (fresh eggplant sliced and baked with tomato basil sauce and three cheeses).

All the dishes were good, but now we are feeling a little weighed down with cheese.  In fact, I’m going to blame my heavy dinner for my complete and utter exhaustion at 9:45 pm.  Good night!

Wednesday – Thursday, Still On The Move

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Hello again from another location, this time Ohio.  Once we get home from here we have a day trip to Toronto and then I’m staying put until the end of break!

Wednesday

Yesterday was Adam’s and my 4-year wedding anniversary, aka our 9-year anniversary of being together!!!  It’s crazy to think that we’ve shared so much of our lives.  Sappy sidenote – I am grateful every day that I get to spend with my husband.  I am so thankful that the man I love is handsome and funny in addition to being intelligent and kind. </sap>

I had an early morning orthodontist appointment and we had to do a grocery restock and then we reunited with another man I love.

I sort of want to get those pictures framed.

Adam and I spent our anniversary doing our favorite things – namely tons of eating good food and cuddling on the couch watching good tv.  A big, made from scratch breakfast felt downright gourmet.

For the eggs, we went to the deli and requested two, 1/4 inch-thick slices of honey roasted turkey.

We chopped them up and sautéed them in a bit of butter, then scrambled in 4 large eggs.

Out of control delicious.  I quit eating most meat (mammals) before I had gotten to try everything and I suspect that I would really enjoy ham.

We also had hash browns made with white potatoes, onion, red bell pepper, 2 Tbsp of butter, and 2 tsp of chipotle oil.

Adam bought me some fourth year gifts for our anniversary.

A book with a sweet inscription, persimmons for fruit and rugelach for flour (substituted for flour because we were going out-of-town).

I’ve been picking up the persimmons and deciding that they were too expensive to splurge on for weeks at the grocery, so they were such a nice surprise.  We split part of one persimmon but decided that it wasn’t ripe enough yet.

Adam was careful to buy squishy ones because once in the city, before we knew better, we tried to eat an unripe persimmon and about died when all the moisture was sucked from our mouths!  This one had a good flavor but was still a little cotton-mouthy.  So we washed it away with rugelach.

The snack was perfect to bring us into lunch.

I had an Applegate Farms Turkey Bologna sandwich on half a cheddar jalapeno bialey with a little bit of Miracle Whip.

Plus a huge pile of roasted green beans.

Adam hates jalapeno but knew I’d like that bialey more than the others and I gave him the half with more cheese, so we both compromised in the name of love.

It would have been easy and fun to go out for a romantic dinner, so I’m extra proud of us that we stayed home and cooked together instead.

I started by steam-sauteing 3 chopped zucchini in a bit of chicken stock.  Then I finished them off with 1 Tbsp of evoo and this packet of Garlic Gold I got in my HLS swag.

I was expecting to adore the Garlic Gold after all the love it got in the healthy living blog community, but we found it to be pretty “meh.”

We set the cooked zucchini aside and while Adam boiled 3 servings of pasta I made a roux with 2 Tbsp of butter, 2 Tbsp of flour, and 1 Tbsp of milk.  Into that, I whisked 1 cup of skim milk and 1/2 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.  Once the sauce came together all we had to do was toss it with the cooked squash and pasta.

We topped our bowls with a bit of panko and more cheese.

Dinner was great, definitely as good as anything we would have gotten in a restaurant.  This was on the healthy side, but now I am absolutely going to make a similar sauce and use it in oozey, gooey mac and cheese.

We stayed up later than planned watching “That 70’s Show,” which was good for anniversary fun but bad for me working out this morning.  I can’t do anything active here in Ohio and I’m worried that all my vacation workout momentum will be for naught.

Thursday

Today was a day of many meals.  Due in parts to time of the month and restlessness from 7 hours in the car.  And we got junky food too; a healthy living blog no-no but an unavoidable part of existing in the real world.

Chicken biscuit from Chick-fill-a.

The leftover serving of dinner.

A juicy pear.

Animal crackers split with Adam (70/30 his favor).

Mid-way we got to stop for froyo.

I got eggnog and toffee mocha yogurts, topped with candy bar pieces and some marshmallow topping.

Alas both of my flavors were too spicy and I ended up throwing most of mine away.  It was a sad day indeed.

But hundreds of miles later we found a Sonic and I ordered a diet coke with strawberry that totally made up for it.

Adam and I also split fries and chicken tenders.

Good thing my grandma served a lateish dinner, huh?

Webster was a perfect angel for 95% of the drive.

We even got to take him in to meet my grandpa this afternoon.  I like it when all the men in my life are well-acquainted.

Per usual, my grandma made a great dinner.

Side salad,

cooked spinach with feta and cherry tomatoes,

truffle mac and cheese to make up for Adam not having any on Christmas,

and italian breaded chicken, 

which I only could eat a few bites of because I felt like food was coming out of my ears.

After dinner, Nana and Adam worked on a 750-piece puzzle while I wrote this monster post.  I hate all these super long posts I’ve been writing lately!  I know none of my readers are interesting in scrolling for hours, but since I use my blog as a journal I don’t want to skip days that are so great.  I promise to get back to a less annoying schedule once I’m home for good.