Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Wednesday Winners

Here are the winning recipes for this week. My notes are in RED :o).

Breakfast:
Blueberry Banana Baked Oatmeal

Blueberry & Raspberry Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients:

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, divided
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup maple syrup (I used sugar free)
1 cup milk (I used skim) I did 1/3 c silk original coconut milk and the rest skim milk. Made it creamy and nutty. :o)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced - I only used one banana
1 cup blueberries or raspberries, fresh or frozen, divided

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish. In a medium bowl, mix the oats, half of the walnuts, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir to combine. In a liquid measuring cup, combine the syrup, milk, egg, butter, and vanilla.
3. Spread the sliced bananas in a single layer over the bottom of the baking dish. Top with half of the berries. Sprinkle the dry oat mixture over the fruit in an even layer. Pour the liquid ingredients evenly over the oats.
4. Sprinkle the remaining nuts and berries over the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is browned and the oats have set. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
 What I like about this recipe:
-Only about 200 calories/serving and very hearty!
-You can make the batch and then eat it for a week.
-I love the baked-factor, the oatmeal isn't too dry, but still isn't mushy.


Lunch:
Green Goddess Grilled Cheese
 

Green Goddess Grilled Cheese Sandwich

based on all those gorgeous green goddesses out there…
makes 1 sandwich

Ingredients

2 slices bread (we used a white bread, but one filled with lots of different whole grains and seeds would be *awesome*) I used one slice honey whole wheat cut in half
2-3 tablespoons Green Goddess Herb Pesto (recipe below)
2 slices mild white melty cheese like mozzarella I also used one slice provolone
handful fresh baby spinach
¼ avocado, sliced
2 tablespoons goat cheese, crumbled I omitted this because I didn't have any on hand and it was still TDF
olive oil (and butter if you’re so inclined) I didn't use any butter

Directions

Spread about 1 tablespoon of Green Goddess Herb Pesto onto each slice of bread (2 tablespoons total, but if you’re sensitive, go light, the pesto is STRONG).
On one slice of bread, add 1 slice of cheese, sliced avocado, crumbled goat cheese, spinach, second slice of cheese, then top it with second slice of bread. Press together gently.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a frying pan over medium low heat. (If you want to use butter, add it to the oil and let it melt). Add the sandwich to the oil and cook until bread is golden brown. Press down on the sandwich lightly, then flip the sandwich over and cook until second side is golden brown.

There is a recipe for the green goddess pesto but I just used some that I had handy that I bought from the store. This makes it much more time-efficient and just as delicious! 

What I like:
-SO easy
-Healthy! I love grilled cheese but find that they are not the healthiest sandwich in the book. I made a few adjustments to make mine lower carb and it was perfect!
-Delicious. Avocado makes everything taste better.

Dinner:
Mexican Lasagna


Ingredients
  • 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 package (about 1 ounce) fajita seasoning mix I used taco seasoning
  • 1 pound ground beef I used ground turkey
  • 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's Condensed Golden Mushroom Soup
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves, crushed
  • 12 corn tortillas (5-to 6- inch)
  • Chopped tomatoes (optional)
  • Sliced green onions (optional)
I added chopped avocado on top and served it with sour cream. Soooooo good!

Preparation

    1. Stir cheese soup, milk and half the fajita seasoning in medium bowl until mixture is smooth.
    2. Cook beef in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until well browned, stirring often to separate meat. Pour off any fat.
    3. Stir mushroom soup, water, chili powder, oregano and remaining fajita seasoning in skillet and heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.
    4. Place 3 tortillas in the bottom of a 2-quart shallow baking dish, overlapping slightly. Spread 1 cup beef mixture over the tortillas. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining tortillas. Spread the cheese soup mixture over the tortillas.
    5. Bake at 350°F. for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbling. Let stand for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the tomatoes and onions, if desired.

    What I like:
    -SUPER easy and very few ingredients-most things you may already have on hand
    -Completely gluten free! (Of course making sure you do get corn tortillas.)
    -Total comfort food. 

 Dessert: 
Chocolate Scotcheroos
This recipe is courtesy of my MIL Dianna, and is one of my hubby's favorites! It was a traditional dessert in his family growing up so he was excited when I made them. I was assigned to bring dessert for our dinner group tonight and I knew they would be a hit. We also gave some to our home teachers and visiting teachees.

Ingredients:
1 c sugar
1 c light corn syrup
3/4 c creamy peanut butter
6 c rice krispies
1 c semi sweet chocolate chips
1 c butterscotch chips

Directions:
-Bring sugar and corn syrup to a boil over medium heat.
-Remove from heat and add peanut butter, then rice krispies.
-Press into a greased 9x13 pan and let set.
-Melt both chips together in a saucepan over very low heat.
-Pour melted chips over krispie mixture.
-Chill 5 min, cut into squares and enjoy!

What I like:
-My hubby loves them. :o)
-They can be gluten free (as long as you buy the gf krispies, just in the cereal aisle next to the regulars.)
-Super easy!
-A fun new twist on a regular old rice krispie treat.
-No baking!

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Current Events: Part 2

The rest of our week was fantastic. We are pretty pooped now but it was totally worth it! And we are already planning a great week ahead. :o)

Thursday: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Featuring Katie Houston as one of the wives.)
 I made a Strawberry Balsalmic Chicken pizza on whole wheat crust which we ate on the drive there. :o) I would recommend this recipe. It is a great healthy spin on BBQ chicken pizza.
 Katie was a total sweetie and I got me a half-page ad in the program for her play! I was so excited.
 Sorry for the bad-quality photos, remember, our camera broke. Only phones these days.
 Typical us. Here we are after the show. Sad we couldn't get any shots with Katie in her costume. She did such a great job! It was fun to watch my sister dance for once instead of her watching me! She's got some serious talent. We think she should've been one of the narrators (she got called back for that role). Stupid politics.
Jer loved the Pharaoh, he was a riot.

Friday: A day with the girls and Wizard of Oz (Featuring Lauren Anderson as Glinda.)

 We went to lunch at Pier 49 Pizza. They had a great GF menu so everybody got to have pizza! Hooray!
 Went to Mollie's and played with the munchies. Here's Grant.
 And Paigey! Love these two!
 Mom, Anna, Jer and I went to see Lauren. What a beauty she was! This is her calling, for sure!

4 little raccoons! Haha terrible photo but at least we got one with Laur!

Saturday: 7 Peaks and Pixi Dust (featuring Rebecca Barton as The Night Sky and Leo.)

I don't have any pics of 7 peaks because we used Anna's camera but it was so fun to have the pass of all passes and just go for a couple hours and not worry about getting our money's worth.

Here we are with the star herself! Becca did such a great job, we were so proud of her and it was fun to see her up on stage. What a cute little performer. Before the recital we were able to go out to dinner with Jer's family to a childhood favorite of Jer's, Robintinos. So fun to have family so close and to be able to (and want to :o)) spend time with them. We are very blessed.

Today we went to church and then had a wonderful dinner at Katie's. She's getting pretty good at cooking Gluten Free. I'm learning a lot, too! Next post will be a few recipes. I promise, because I've got some I can't pass up sharing. I also tried a few that were total flops :o/. You live and you learn.

Until next time!

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Current Events

Wow, sorry for the hiatus, guys. We went on our tour to Nauvoo, lost our camera charger, can't get those photos loaded since the camera died and then all the pics we took on Jer's iphone won't load because my computer hates me for some reason.

Luckily, we are having a really fun week here in O-town (Orem). For some reason our week filled up REALLY fast which was really fun because we are getting to see all of our friends and family.

Monday: Grocery day! Especially after a 2-week tour where we don't get to choose what we eat, I was very excited to hit Costco and get some serious produce! This was just the beginnings of my fruit and veggie craze.
Monday Evening: We went to the Thornock's house to watch Bachelorette (of course) along with our friends Jared and Amy, Kenzie, and Ashley and Jared. (Yes there were to Jared and a Jer there. Totally confusing, haha.) We're going to miss the Thornocks this summer but are glad they will be back in the fall!
 Tuesday: I'm kicking myself for not getting any pictures at this wondrous event but we had a BBQ with the Bready's and the Chris and Alison's. This was such a blessed reunion and some seriously awesome food. The above picture is the dessert I made. Totally healthy (NOT) although Court did say they were one of her favorite desserts I've ever made (and she's tried a lot of my experiments, bless her.) This one came from Pinterest. As my mom would say, "I'm a purist." So next time, I don't think I will use Reeses, just plain old Hershey's chocolate. Go check out my pinterest for the recipe.
 Wednesday: A little out of order but in the evening we went to the Strawberry days rodeo with Bryan and Sally and their little one, Bennett. He is such a handsome little man. They had these TDF cups of fresh strawberries with a sweetened condensed milk-type cream on top. Sooooo good.
 The whole group! We love Sally and Bry and will miss them when they move to Philly at the end of the summer :o(.

Wednesday Morning: My family came into town this week for Katie's play (which we are going to see tonight) she is one of the wives in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in Murray. After I got done teaching, Jer and I did a double date with Katie and Dave. We made yummy breakfast at our place which included GF pancakes with Magleby's syrup, Jer's special eggs, hash browns in the waffle iron (thanks Pinterest!), fresh fruit, and sausage links! After breakfast, Anna came over and Jer left for work, and the four of us hiked the Y. After our hike, of course, Anna, Mom and I went shopping. :o)

We are looking forward to the rest of the week. Pictures to come of Katie's show, Lauren's show, Becca's recital, 7 peaks, etc! Also some killer recipes.

Just try this for me, we made them last night and Jer said, "That sandwich changed my life." haha:
BLTA with a fried egg. It's that simple. Do it.

I had mine open-faced (One piece of whole wheat bread), no mayo and it was perfect!



Sunday, June 3, 2012

"Well, I've got Good News, and I've got Bad News..."

It's been a crazy week. Somewhat emotional but not 100% in the negative way. My whole family was in town for a visit and for my last show in Utah with the BDC. Joe and Shana hadn't seen me dance since my freshman year so it was super fun for me to have them there at my show. Plus, I got to spend some serious Q.T. with this little cutie.


Pretty sure it doesn't get any cuter than this. 

This is just a preview of the fun we had this week/weekend with the fam. 

During all this I had my last recital with Legacy Dance Studio. Up until now, the plan had been to stay with the studio for the fall but I was recently offered a job in the BYU Youth program that would conflict with working at the studio. The final recital was definitely one of those bittersweet moments and an end to a very important and meaningful chapter in my life. I have learned so much from those kids and teachers and will greatly miss it. At the same time, I'm very excited for this new change and opportunity at BYU. 

My sweet students brought me beautiful flowers and fun treats.

The end of another chapter came this week as well. It seems really silly but as I have been wrapping up my time with the BDC I have kept it together really well up until this moment. I have to admit I got a little teary-eyed as I cleaned out my locker of 3 years.

Goodbye locker #8, you've been good to me. :o)

Another milestone and change that happened was little Harper's first birthday! We were so excited that we were able to make it to her birthday celebration. She loved playing in the water and especially loved the banana cake her mommy made her. (We all loved it too, delicious.)
 What a cute little ladybug!
Sorry for the bad quality, just had our phones with us. 

Tomorrow we embark on our two-week Nauvoo adventure. We look forward to a change of scenery, time with our friends, and some serious dancing!

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Tasty

I tried a new recipe tonight that I found on Pinterest. Surprise, surprise, I know. Jer was a little skeptical when I told him what I was making but it turned out really good. It was SUPER easy and healthy and is a definite repeat in my book. Since it is Tuesday, of course we ate at like 9:30 so I didn't go all out. We just paired the pasta with some delicious, fresh corn on the cobb! YUM

Creamy Avocado Pasta

 

**You are basically making a pesto-like sauce. I omitted the jalepeno. It wasn't missed.

1 medium ripe avocado, pitted
½ lime
2 garlic cloves
¼ jalapeno
¼ cup packed basil
1 cup spinach
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup freshly grated parmesan
1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
1 cup spinach
 basil leaves to garnish

To Make:
Boil the pasta according to directions. While pasta is cooking, combine first 8 (7 if you don't count the jalepeno) ingredients in a blender until nice and smooth. When finished, strain the pasta and toss 1 cup spinach in pasta to wilt it. (To be clear you will be using 2 cups of spinach, one the the actual pasta and one in the sauce.) Add the sauce and toss. Top with parmesan cheese and basil to garnish. ENJOY!

What I loved about this recipe:
-It was meatless
-Easy
-Healthy
-The lime added a nice little zing to it.
-Um, who doesn't love fresh basil? 
-There are multiple possibilities: You can add fresh grilled/cooked veggies, chicken, etc. Although I thought it was delicious just the way it was. 
-It is my favorite color. GREEN. :o)

Just a note: 
Sometimes I think all my recipe blog posts are useless because anyone can find any recipe on the internet but I was chatting with my friend today about how it is sometimes nice to see that someone has actually tried it and can confirm that it was, indeed a good recipe. Let me know if you are getting sick of these posts but I just get so excited when I try a great recipe, I want everyone to know about it. Oh, and I don't believe in secret recipes. Share the wealth people!

In other news, Jer and I are prepping for our upcoming tour. It seems that it has snuck up on us. We were quite enjoying our lives of semi-freedom. But we are excited for the chance to travel and spend some quality time together. 

Monday, May 28, 2012

"Hoo" Loves Owls?

Lots of people have sent me pictures (some I also stole off Facebook) of them or their children wearing Owl Hats they have purchased for me or were given as a gift. It has been so fun seeing everyone in the hats and thought I would do a little compilation of pictures of people wearing their hats!








 This post may have been more for me than anyone else but I thought it was fun to see. I have given a couple owls for baby showers already this summer and can't wait to see those little cuties in those hats. Keep those photos coming people!

If you're interested in these hats check out my Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/flowersnfrills











 

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Girls' Weekend

For Memorial weekend Katie came to Provo to stay with us and have a fun, relaxing girls' weekend. She just came yesterday morning and we have had so much fun already!

We started our wonderful day with a trip to the Provo temple. Nothing better than the peace you can feel inside that beautiful building.



After our temple trip Katie treated us to Tucanos. Jer had a free meal from his birthday so it was a perfect opportunity! Also, almost everything at that restaurant is gluten free so Katie could pretty much eat whatever she wanted.



 
Next stop, pedicures of course! We went to New Nails in Provo. They know us by name and we know everyone there by name too! They are the best in town, they even know our mom and ask about her everytime we go in. :o) Jer obviously opted out of this activity.

While waiting for our nail appointment, we went to the Downeast Warehouse sale and checked out the steals.

 


While Jer went with our downstairs neighbor to Laser tagging, Katie and I decided to do some more relaxing and watch a movie. Of course we chose, The Prince and Me. Sometimes it is the best to just lay around and watch a movie.
 Ok, this weekend did have SOME productivity. Jer had some friends over to watch a basketball game so Katie and I tackled our second bedroom. I decided to spare you all the "before" picture of this room, mostly because it was just embarrassing. Long story short, this is after 3 hours of work and much organizing into bins (thanks for teaching us the importance of bins, Dad! :o))

It is SO much better to have someone with you while you work on a big project like this, Katie is the best one for the job.

Today, Katie joined us for church and experienced life in the primary after many years of absence. I think she liked being a visitor. Not sure she wants to be part of it again though.

We had a yummy dinner after our afternoon nap. All of which was gluten free!

It has been a pretty gloomy memorial weekend (weather-wise). It hailed today! But I was determined to make this drink that I found a recipe for on Pinterest. Let me tell you, it was WELL worth it, and I will be repeating it many times this summer.

Watermelon-Strawberry Lemonade
 8 cups cubed and seeded watermelon
1 cup strawberries, halved
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup white sugar
2 cups water
(you may substitute Sprite or 7-up instead of water)
Just dump all this in a blender and blend till smooth. You can freeze your watermelon cubes for a more slushy drink if you like. My Blendtec "wildside" jar was the perfect size for this. 
We also had something that was very fitting for the gloomy weather:

Zupas Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup


photo via Zupas

recipe from Bake 'n Make

Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup
Yields: 9 cups or 8 first-course servings (or 4-5 hungry adults :)

2 tablespoons margarine or butter (1/4 stick)
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 can (13 3/4 to 14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1 head (2 1/2 pounds) cauliflower, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup pepper jack cheese

In 4-quart saucepan, melt margarine or butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour and salt; cook 2minutes, stirring frequently. Gradually stir in milk, chicken broth, and 1 1/2 cups water; add cauliflower and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes. In blender (with center part of blender cover removed to allow steam to escape), blend cauliflower mixture at low speed in small batches until very smooth. Return cauliflower mixture to saucepan; heat over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in mustard and 1 1/2 cups cheese until melted and smooth. Garnish soup with remaining cheese to serve.

This was such a great use of the cauliflower I got in my bountiful basket and really tasted just like Zupas! 

*To make it gluten free, we just used all purpose gluten free flour in place of regular flour and it still thickened up quite nicely.
We also had a fruity green salad with this amazing dressing. Of course it is from my favorite cookbook, Our Best Bites!

Poppy Seed Dressing
Recipe from Our Best Bites

1/3 c. white vinegar
1 tsp. Kosher salt
A few turns of freshly ground black pepper
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. mustard
1 green onion, ends removed (both the “hairy” end and where the green part starts to get floppy)
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. poppy seeds
In a blender, combine vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar, and mustard. While the blender is running, add the green onion. Continue running the blender and add the oil in a steady stream and is fully incorporated into the dressing.
Pour the dressing into a serving or storage container and whisk in poppy seeds. Serve over leafy greens.

Our next project is to make Gluten free cookies. Wish us luck! I'll let you know how they turn out. Maybe they'll be worth trying!