Tag Archives: squash

Dreams of Root Vegetables

by

Whew, Tuesday is almost over!  My meeting went well, I still have no idea which career path I’ll choose but it is exciting to learn about the options.  After my meeting I swung by the house to pick up the husband, who graciously offered to go along on my printing/mailing resume errands.

True Story – while we were driving he got annoyed that I don’t know what I want to do and said – “You’ll never know what you want to do.  Next thing I’ll know you’ll want to be a turnip!  Do you need to go back to school to be a turnip!?!”  And now he has called me Turnip for the rest of the day.  Holy cow I love my funny husband!

On our way home – resumes successfully mailed, hopefully I will be substituting at some point – we stopped in The Spot for coffee.

DSC00508

I got a small  Chaider; steamed apple cider and chai tea.  Mmn, fall!  I actually think I’m going to head back to the Spot to work tomorrow, I haven’t been getting much done at home 😦

I was feeling sick with hunger when we got home so I got a snack while I worked on my lab (which I can not do without help, boo!).

DSC00510

A bumped log,

DSC00511

with Granny Smith slices with cinnamon caramel apple dip.

DSC00512

I had a coupon for the dip and you know I’m a sucker for all foods fall.

DSC00509

After struggling with Chemistry for forever I moved on to making dinner.  On the meal plan was a recipe from the November “Everyday with Rachael Ray” ‘lightened up’ moussaka.

DSC00513

DSC00514

I can’t share the recipe but if you bought the magazine and are planning to try it here are the changes I made:

  • used 99% lean ground turkey instead of beef
  • skipped the food processor and used low fat whipped cottage cheese
  • used half graffiti eggplants
  • add 1/2 pint mushrooms

DSC00516

We actually got busy and didn’t even eat dinner so I’ll have to review the recipe tomorrow!  I have a busy day planned tomorrow – no room for headaches! – so don’t be surprised if I don’t post until dinner.  Night!

Don’t forget to enter my Zevia giveaway!

BSI Entry

by

Oh man was a good evening!  I am pretty much excited about everything right now.  My dinner (and drink) are delicious, but more importantly fall themed, and the whole meal is just rocking my socks!  I’ll back up though…

We didn’t head out to the store until after 7:30 but I was cool with the tardiness because I was excited about my new shirt.

DSC00453

This was one of many $10 mall finds last weekend.

The grocery store was quick and easy, Adam and I make each other laugh so much when we are doing errands.  This week’s BSI, a la Megan, is acorn squash, so I picked one up for dinner.

DSC00454

By the way, Adam was less than thrilled by a veggie stuffed squash so he made his own dinner, including (among several other things) this sample from Annie Chun’s Soup Bowls.

DSC00455

DSC00457

It had beef broth, so my caveman was happy.

While I cooked dinner I ate the last of this pineapple.

DSC00456

Dinner was a masterpiece if I do say so myself!  My squash was inspired by eggplant and chicken parmesan, but ended up being waay more tasty.  Italian Stuffed Acorn Squash, for 1-2

  • 1 medium acorn squash, cut in half with seeds scooped out (go bigger than the one I bought, pictured above, it was too small and I had leftover guts)
  • 1T evoo
  • 1C baby bella mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/2 a small eggplant, cubed (I used a graffiti eggplant)
  • 1/4t minced garlic
  • 1/4t dried oregano
  • salt and pepper
  • 3T balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2C marinara sauce
  • 1/4C reduced fat mozzarella, shredded
  • 1T seasoned bread crumbs
  1. Preheat the oven to 400*.  Line a baking pan with tin foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.  Place squash cut side down and cook for 40minutes.
  2. While squash is cooking, heat evoo in a pan over medium-high heat.  Add eggplant and mushrooms.
  3. Season with salt, pepper, and oregano.  Cook for 7minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Add balsmic vinegar and cook another 3-5minutes, until liquid is reduced.
  5. Remove from heat and stir in marinara sauce.
  6. Remove squash from oven and flip cut side up.  Fill cavities with veggie mixture and top each side with half of the bread crumbs and cheese.
  7. Return to oven for 10minutes, until cheese is browned.

DSC00461

Holy cow, I fell in love!  The flavors of this melded together amazingly and I loved the texture. Gaaah!

DSC00463

DSC00462

I really planned on eating the entire thing but 1half ended up being enough (I also ate some leftover stuffing while the final product cooked). 

DSC00458

I am super excited to finish the rest tomorrow!  To drink I made the most “Fall” cocktail ever.

DSC00459

DSC00460

8oz each apple cider and pumpkin beer.  Gah again!

Good meals, especially especially fall themed ones, make me so happy!  I’m going to do some blog reading and then head to bed.  I didn’t get any studying done today (that time was taken up by the flooding fun) so I have a lot to accomplish before my in-laws get here tomorrow.  Sleep tight!

Do you participate in the BSIs?  Have you won any?

The Right Fluff

by

My sleepless night left me pretty dazed, and not at all productive.  In fact, as soon as this is published Adam is driving me to school early so I can focus on studying there.

Lunch was randomly thrown together but quite tasty.  I ate the second serving of my long leftover bbq cabbage.

DSC00422

And discovered 5oz of okra in my fridge as well.  I chopped off the ends and roasted at 475* for 25minutes.

DSC00423

I roasted this delicata squash too, with a little nutmeg.

DSC00421

DSC00424

All together.

DSC00425

The cabbage was actually better after sitting and the okra was great as always but I was not a fan of the squash.  The flavors were good (I love nutmeg!) but I did not like eating the skins at all.  I ended up leaving a big pile of “crusts” on my plate.

Dessert more than made up for it.

DSC00426

I love love love marshmallow fluff so I was very excited to see a vegan, and slightly healthier version.

DSC00427

I’ve had this Rice Mellow Creme in my cabinet for a while, just waiting for inspiration.  I found it!

DSC00428

No, that is not a cup of hot chocolate…

DSC00429

…that a fluffernutter sundae!  Stoneyfield Nonfat Vanilla Froyo with melted peanut butter and rice mellow fluff.  Mmmmmmmn!  I will be making this again, soon.

I also snacked on 1 2 servings of Food Should Taste Good Olive Chips.

DSC00430

They were a little too good, I probably should have used a plate instead of dipping into the bag.

Adam is driving me to campus now so I can hopefully finish my ch. 10 notecards without distraction.  After class Caroline and I have another study session, so I won’t be home until late.  We are planning on studying at Wegmans and getting dinner from the salad bar.  I hope everyone has a great evening!

P.S. Please vote for me for the Good Mood Gig here.  You can vote every day until the 30th.

Mish Mash Meal

by

Fabulous day alert!  After so many weeks of being a lazy blob I am seriously relishing my productivity.  Post office, studying, dinner; check, check, check!  Plus I rocked two of my grandma’s old necklaces which always makes me happy.

DSC00274

The line at the post office was redonculous, but a very sweet package from my mommy was a nice reward at the end.  Lots of excitement ensued; I got a  bunch of magazines, new book,

DSC00277

a baggie of my favorite candy of all time ever (I ate one of these without photographing), fruit gels,

DSC00276

and a P.E. T-shirt from my old high school!

DSC00275

After my not ‘rain nor snow’ing I met up with a friend from Chemistry to study.  We got in a solid 5 hours!  As much as we accomplished, I didn’t do so hot on the practice tests so I know I have my work cut out for me this week.

I got home around 8:30 and got right to dinner.  My goal was to use up leftovers, frozen food, and my Annie Chun’s sample.

DSC00278

The end result was seriously socks rocking!  I was in absolute heaven eating this plate.

DSC00279

I heated chipotle pepper oil over medium high heat.  Added 2 chopped Apple Maple Sausages (I froze these a few months ago) and 2 big handfuls spinach/arugula and a small handful shredded carrot.  Next I added leftover roasted butternut squash from yesterday and 1/2 of the black pearl rice.  Then I stirred in a splash each of soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame seeds.  Finally I broke in 1egg and stirred.

DSC00282

I couldn’t get over how good this was!  What a mix of flavors and textures, lots of sweet/savory which I love.

DSC00281

For dessert I tried some of my new candies.

DSC00283

They were good, but the Sunkist ones are the best.

We started watching “Glory Road” while we ate and I’m enjoying it.  See you tomorrow!

Have you made any good mish-mash meals lately?

Borrowed

by

I made it to campus in time to print off my materials and reschedule a study session with my chemistry friend.  Class went well, we got out 10minutes early which is always exciting 🙂

When I got home the husband and I did a photo shoot to show off our new produce.

DSC00254

Check out our funny sized apples!  The small one is called a “Mini,” but that pregnant Kate Gossling of an apple is actually just a Honeycrisp.

DSC00255

Adam and I split the biggie (in fact he did lots of sharing tonight, thanks hubby!), I ate my portion on a salad.

DSC00256

It was quite a good salad, it had arugula, chopped apple, shredded carrots, a few peanuts and ~1T of Adam’s creamy italian salad dressing.

DSC00257

I ate dinner in courses, each item alone, but it all added up to be a great meal.

After the salad was a tropical smoothie.

DSC00260

~1/2C Goya passionfruit pulp, ~1C frozen tropical fruit blend, ~1/2C oj.  It was tasty, but a little too tart, I only drank about 2/3 of it.

Next Adam was the sweetest bear ever and shared 2 chicken nuggets with me.

DSC00259

And finally I ate some roasted butternut squash.

DSC00261

I spritzed it with evoo; sprinkled with salt, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg; and roasted for 20minutes at 475*.

Actually, finally was dessert.  I prepped this Chocolate Peanut Butter Quick Bread my mom sent awhile ago while I drank my smoothie.

DSC00258

I did a lot of spoon-licking while I made it, but I saved room for a small piece.

DSC00262

It was good, chocolate bread with gooey peanut butter chips.

I’m heading to bed so I can get up early tomorrow.  This week is off to a good start!

What foods do you like to “borrow” from your significant other?  In general Adam’s food choices are a little less healthy than mine, but I usually don’t have any junk-envy.  However, those frozen chicken nuggets are to die for!

Dinner Was Roasted and Orange

by

Not exactly my proudest day, you can go ahead and just call me Super Sloth!  I felt like crap so I took a solid 2hour nap.  Plus I’ve been so. frickin. hungry. all. day.  I feel like all I did is eat and sleep but there was literally no reprieve from the hunger!  After the many meals I posted earlier I ate this before dinner.

DSC00221

DSC00222

Healthy.  But I’d been wanting chips all day so I finally walked to the gas station and went with it.  And that was before dinner mind you!

Dinner was actually pretty good.  It started yesterday when I marinated 2blocks of tofu overnight.  Usually we make 1block at a time but then there is never leftovers for more than one person.  Since I have class tomorrow I decided to try a double batch.

DSC00224

Asian Orange Tofu Bake, serves 6

  • 2blocks extra firm tofu, drained and lightly pressed
  • 2C orange juice
  • 4T cornstarch
  • 1T soy sauce
  • 4T rice vinegar
  • 2T chipotle oil (or any spicy oil; you could also use evoo and just add red pepper flakes)
  • 1T honey
  1. Slice each block of tofu into 7 pieces and set aside.
  2. In a large tupperware, stir together oj and cornstarch to mix.
  3. Add the rest of the marinade ingredients and stir to combine.
  4. Place the tofu slices in the marinade, making sure each piece is fully covered.  Cover and let sit for 2hours or overnight.
  5. Remove slices from marinade and place in a single layer on a foiled and sprayed baking sheet.
  6. Bake for 25minutes at 450*.
  7. ***Tip – we reserved our leftover marinade to cook with broccoli later this week.

I also roasted up some butternut squash with salt, pepper, and a bit of nutmeg.  I was so excited to see this convenient package at Wegmans.

DSC00223

Finally, I used a sample from Annie Chun’s on the side.

DSC00225

These rice bowls have two servings each and are quick, healthy, and tasty.

Dinner was very starchy and orange upon second glance, but rather good.

DSC00227

DSC00228

DSC00229

DSC00226

I’m not gonna lie though, I’m still hungry.  The husband just said I was a fatty!!  I will most likely have a snack, even though I know that it’s probably unnecessary.  I am also still pretty sleepy, so in spite of the nappage, I will probably go to bed early tonight.  We’re wild and crazy around here 🙂

Tomorrow I must go to the gym, work on Chemistry, and go to class (duh).  What are your big goals for Hump Day?

*****Updated – You know ate more crap!  I used a Wholly Wholesome sample to bake cookies!

DSC00230

DSC00231

Lazy Hazy Days of Summer

by

Hi there folks!  Was anyone else feeling lazy in the heat today?  I just couldn’t seem to get going, ever!  In my defense, originally, my alarm clock didn’t go off so I got a late start.  I pushed myself out the door and headed to Starbucks for a study session.

I did breakfast there since I felt bad bringing in my own food, a low fat spinach feta wrap,

HPIM3644

and a small Naked Green Machine juice.

HPIM3643

All together:

HPIM3645

Way to go Starbucks, I couldn’t believe how good this was!  I will certainly be going back to order this wrap again, it had great flavor and chew.  Plus I hit every food group and got a tasty meal for just 410 calories.

My study efforts were not as successful.  The table next to me (after intense eavesdropping I think it was a girl and her landlord who was also her boss) had the longest, loudest conversation!  But even after they left I couldn’t focus.  I ended up working from 10:30 – 12:00, staring into space for another half an hour, and then calling it quits.  I came how to veg out and was very happy about it 🙂

Plus I had a great lunch.

HPIM3647

I’ll be honest though, I started with dessert.

HPIM3646

After my row of Riter Sport I had roasted yellow squash,

HPIM3648

roasted cauliflower, and

HPIM3649

carrot salad (the recipe is posted here).

HPIM3650

Also a serving of Asiago cheese.

HPIM3651

I spent some serious time enjoying Bones, and I enjoyed a few too many of these salt water taffies my parents brought us from Hilton Head (they went to a wedding before visiting us) too.

HPIM3652

I’d like to say it stopped there, but I ended up eating a bunch of other random crap throughout the afternoon.  First I stole some of A’s chicken nuggets,

HPIM3653

yes they are dino shaped, and yes he is 23.  And then I ate 1/4C of peanuts.

HPIM3654

Finally I realized I wasn’t getting full so I made myself stop and just wait for dinner.  I think part of the problem was boredom and part was being tired.

Dinner was easy peasy:  quinoa, topped with canned seasoned mustard greens, and baked tofu.  Plus a sprinkle of goat cheese.

HPIM3655

The tofu I drained, pressed, thinly sliced, rubbed with rice vinegar, rubbed with maple syrup, sprinkled with jerk seasoning, and cooked at 475 for 20minutes.

HPIM3656

I made another cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk and no sugar added CIB (this time in vanilla) to drink with dinner.

HPIM3657

I got a very very exciting package in the mail the other day (can you guess what it is?) and I refuse to open it until my CIB is gone.

Husband and I are planning on going out for dessert later but I’ll post about that in the morning.  This summer is not going to be successful until I start following a bedtime!  Peace.

Don’t forget about my Flogg giveaway!  It ends tomorrow at noon and you can enter by commenting at this post.