What We've Been Eating Lately

I don't know about you, but I love seeing what other people are eating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That's probably why I love Instagram so much, an endless stream of good eats and inspiration. I get stuck in food ruts all the time. We're currently in one right now with breakfast. Miss A is refusing to eat eggs, oatmeal (not like she ever did before), and yogurt. She'll only eat toast or waffles right now. And blueberries by the carton. Anyway, I thought I'd share some of our recent eats with you in case you're looking for something new to eat!

Breakfast- toast, peanut butter, and banana is still one of my go-to's. I also like to add a drizzle of honey or agave with granola.

Lunch- lettuce wraps! A few weeks ago I was on a huge lettuce wrap kick and was stuffing them with roasted turkey, dried cranberries, sliced carrots, and mozzarella cheese. On the side I'd have a chopped cucumber, tomato, and feta salad, lightly tossed in olive oil and lemon juice. 

Dinner- This is one of my favorite dinners we had recently. Sweet and sour chicken over fried brown rice, mixed with chopped carrots, frozen peas, corn, scrambled egg, and diced red pepper. I sauteed all the veggies first in some sesame seed oil, added cold day old rice, an egg, and scrambled it all up. Then I dosed it with soy sauce and topped the whole thing with diced green onions. It was delicious! 

Another favorite is Alaskan Baked Salmon with lemon risotto and sauteed zucchini. This is how I usually make salmon. It's super easy and fast to put together. The oven does all the work for you and I love the crunchy topping. 

Not the best picture, but these potato nachos were a lot of fun to make and a new thing for us to try. I sliced up idaho potatoes very thin, tossed them in some olive oil, salt and pepper and placed them on a wire rack on to of a baking sheet. Then I added cheddar cheese, black beans, tomatoes, and green onions. 

Hope you find something new to try!

What We Ate Wednesday

I'm loving linking up every week for What I Ate Wednesday. It always amazes me how much of my day revolves around food every time I snap a picture of what we're eating. Since my pictures were just terrible last week I whipped out the real camera so that you would actually find our meals appealing! I hope these posts give you inspiration on what to eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, along with some new ideas for your kids. Miss A has had quite the appetite lately and I'm loving it!

Breakfast: 8:30 am

I ate: my favorite- whole wheat toast with peanut butter, bananas, honey, and granola

Miss A: toast with applesauce and banana slices

Snack: 11:00 am

We've gotten into the habit of having a snack right before nap time. Miss A will walk over to the pantry when she's ready, grab a yogurt, and wait by her high chair.

I ate: pumpkin pie yogurt with granola and chocolate chips

Miss A: two banana cookies with yogurt

This is what happens when I allow her to "feed" herself. She's insisting on being more and more independent while she eats, but of course, she hasn't gotten the hand of holding a spoon and feeding herself that well. She can manage fairly well and there are plenty of bites that make it in- but...this is what happens sometimes. Yogurt gets EVERYWHERE. And banana cookies make great dippers!

 Lunch: 12:30pm 

I ate: leftover white bean chicken chili that I made the night before with cheddar cheese and crushed tortilla chips. So good!

Miss A: ham and cheese wrap with tomato slices, which, she didn't eat, but she LOVED them a few days ago.You never know with this girl. 

Afternoon snack was on the go. We attempted to tackle some Christmas shopping but failed miserably. Why are men so hard to shop for? She ate some Mum Mum's, a granola bar, and cheerios. 

Dinner: 6:00pm

Dinner was early since I was starving and didn't take a handy dandy snack cup for me!

I ate: slow cooker ranch chicken over brown rice and roasted carrots, which I'll be adding to our dinner rotation, it was that good!

Miss A: the same, which she devoured and begged for more! I love when she's a good eater.

What good eats have you had recently?

What We Ate Wednesday

Today I'm participating in What I Ate Wednesday, a link up I've always wanted to try. I'm always looking for new ideas on what to eat, I get bored easily, especially with breakfast and lunch! I took a different take on it and decided to show you what Miss A and I ate one day. Here we go!

Breakfast: 8:15 am

I ate: frozen waffles with sliced bananas, granola, and honey

 Miss A: toast with applesauce and slices of banana (which she poked at and fed to the dog)

Morning snack: 10:30 am

Miss A: Strawberry yogurt and a couple of Mum Mum's

I ate: A Kashi cookie spread with peanut butter and a couple graham crackers dipped in peanut butter

Lunch: 12:30pm

 I ate: A peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a sliced apple (it was a peanut butter kind of day!)

 Miss A: A whole wheat tortilla ham and cheese melt

Afternoon Snack: 3:00pm

I ate: Greek yogurt with sliced bananas, granola, chocolate chips...and a swirl of peanut butter!

Miss A: toddler cookies and watermelon 

Dinner: 6:30pm

I ate: garlic roast chicken, rice pilaf, and cesar salad. So good!

Miss A: pieces of chicken and a few bites of rice, she usually eats whatever we're having for dinner

Happy Wednesday! What did you eat today?

Summer Garden Pasta

The summer months should be spent relaxing, reading, hanging by the pool, and taking long walks with an ice cream cone in hand. They shouldn't be about fancy dishes or long hours spent in the kitchen. Although, I will admit, I did roast a chicken the other day when it was 90 degrees out..what can I say, I suddenly have a lot of time on my hands (ie, school's out, I'm waiting for this baby to pop out, gotta keep myself busy somehow). 

Really though, I do find myself looking for easier meals to make in the summer: salads, quick pastas, new marinades for things to throw on the grill. I watched Ina Garten make this easy pasta dish one afternoon when I had no dinner plan in mind. I ran into the kitchen and gleefully cheered aloud that I had all necessary ingredients on hand. I added chicken to it as I need heavy amounts of protein lately (baby is HUNGRY) but it really isn't necessary. The flavors come together so well and if I could have a glass of wine, I totally would have with this!

Source: Foodnetwork

4 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
Good olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
18 large basil leaves, julienned, plus extra for serving
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound dried angel hair pasta
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

Combine the cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, basil leaves, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, and the pepper in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature for about 4 hours.

Just before you're ready to serve, bring a large pot of water with a splash of olive oil and 2 tablespoons salt to a boil and add the pasta. Cook al dente according to the directions on the package (be careful - it only takes 2 to 3 minutes!). Drain the pasta well and add to the bowl with the cherry tomatoes. Add the cheese and some extra fresh basil leaves and toss well. Serve in big bowls with extra cheese on each serving.

Mac n' Cheese Soup

I've had this recipe dog-eared for months. The photograph in the magazine, Cuisine at Home, is a cheese-lovers, i.e me, dream. Filled to the rim with noddles in a cheddar bath and topped with crumbled bleu cheese (I can't have any bleu cheese right now, so sad). I die. If only I could make my bowl of soup look that good.

It's good enough though, right? I love that it has some crunch to it with bites of celery (also making it "healthy") and that it is super easy to make. Have it for lunch or dinner. With a grilled cheese on the side? Or would that be too much?

I'd love to experiment with different kinds of cheeses in the near future. The recipe calls for sharp cheddar, which is perfect, and fitting. How fun would it be to mix it up though and use different flavors? Let me know what you come up with.

Source: Cuisine at Home
Servings: 7 cups

1 1/2 cups dry elbow macaroni
1/2 cup minced onion
1/4 cup minced celery
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp dry mustard
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (I used regular pepper)
2 cups whole milk
4 cups shredded sharp cheddar
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Salt to taste
1/4 cup crumbled bleu cheese (optional)
2 tbsp. minced fresh chives

Cook macaroni in large pot of salted water according to package direction; drain and set aside.

Sweat onion and celery in butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour to coat and cook 1 minute. Deglaze with wine and simmer until nearly evaporated. Stir in broth, mustard, nutmeg, and cayenne. Simmer until slightly thickened, 5 minutes, then whisk and warm through. Do not let boil or base may become grainy.

Add cheddar, 1 cup at a time, allowing it to melt completely before adding the next cup. Stir in macaroni, lemon juice, and salt; remove from heat.

Combine bleu cheese and chives in a small bowl. Garnish each serving with bleu cheese mixture. 

What soups are you loving lately?

Whole Wheat Grilled Chicken Wrap with Bacon

I don't know about you, but sometimes figuring out what to have for lunch can be a daunting task. Around these parts we have sandwiches, salads, or leftovers. Lately I've been making lots of salads to reach my veggie quota, but I've also turned to whole wheat pita bread.

It's really hard to photograph a wrap. How do the great food bloggers do it?

I constantly have lettuce, chicken, and cheese in the house. Those are essentials in my kitchen. Without them I'd be lost, especially without cheese. This week I had bacon in the produce drawer too, a rare commodity. As much as I love bacon, I try not to buy it too often or I'll put it into everything we eat. Which is exactly what I did this week. Oops.

What I love about wraps is how customizable they are. You can change them up so often it's hard to get bored of them. In this wrap I've got grilled chicken strips, bacon, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and honey mustard dressing. This isn't really a recipe, more of an idea of something new to have for lunch, in cause you've been struggling. I'm thinking of trying shrimp next!

Grilled Chicken Pita

Whole wheat pita bread
2 slices of bacon, cooked
Grilled chicken strips, cooked (I buy a bag of them at Costco already prepared)
Head of romaine lettuce
4 cherry tomatoes, halved
Shredded mozzarella cheese

Honey Mustard Dressing

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey mustard
Squeeze of lemon juice

Heat up pita bread in the microwave for 20 seconds. Fry bacon in a skillet and drain. Using the same skillet reheat grilled chicken strips, flipping over when starting to turn brown. Layer lettuce, bacon, tomatoes, shredded cheese, and chicken. To make dressing, combine olive oil, honey mustard, and lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk to combine. Pour over wrap contents and enjoy!

What do you like to have for lunch?

Ham and Cheese Apple Panini

I hate cold sandwiches.

There are times when I don't have a choice and have to eat my sandwiches cold; i.e. at work. It's the worst thing ever! Unless it's a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

I like my bread toasted and crunchy. My cheese has to be warm and melted. On the weekends I like to make elaborate sandwiches so that I can actually enjoy them pressed between my panini maker.

Bread and cheese. I've got a thing for you.

This is sandwich is very easy to make with staples I'm sure you have in your fridge. Ham, cheese, dijon mustard, and mayonnaise. I don't normally have red onions in the house but I had half of one leftover from pizza night. I think it really makes a difference in this sandwich.

Source: adapted from Kraft Foods

2 tsp. mayonnaise 

1 tsp. dijon mustard

2 sliceswhole wheat bread

1 thin red onion slice

4 slices ham

6 thin apple slices

1 slice cheese

Heat panini grill. Mix mayo and  mustard; spread onto bread slices. Fill with onion, apple, ham, and cheese. Grill 3 minutes or until golden brown.

What do you like to put in your sandwiches?

Egg and Bacon Salad

Okay, we all know eggs and bacon were meant to be together.

A match made in heaven by the food gods. We pair bacon with lettuce and tomatoes and call it a BLT. Eggs and bacon and toast = breakfast. We make bacon omelets. Cobb salads. But this my friends, this...is something I never thought possible. Egg and bacon salad. So simple. So genius. And top it with some honey chicken tenders (from the giant Tyson bag) and you've got yourself a meal.

One day, a very good friend told me to make this salad when I blasted on my Facebook page that I couldn't figure out what to eat for lunch. I had eggs, bacon, and lettuce in the house and she posted this video on my page. My starvation had already gotten the best of me so I had already made some sort of crappy sandwich and didn't make it that day. When I finally got around to making it (four days ago), I was blown away.

I posted this picture just for the bacon. Oh yes.

If you read the original recipe, you'll see that you can make your own dressing using the leftover bacon grease (!). I tried doing that the first time but didn't read the measurements correctly and poured a bit too much of the vinegar. So I tossed it with some honey mustard and olive oil and ohmygod it's perfecttttt!! So that's what I'd suggest doing. But I'm curious to try Nigella's way. Let me know if you do!

Source: adapted from Nigella Lawson
Servings: 2

2 eggs
1/2 bag of mixed greens (arugula, spinach, escarole)
1 teaspoon of olive oil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
4 slices bacon, cut into chunks
6 honey chicken tenders (I used Tyson)
2 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese

Put the eggs into a saucepan of water, over medium heat. Bring to boil, and cook for 1 minute, then turn off the heat and let the eggs sit in the pan for 10 minutes. Microwave/bake the chicken tenders.

Transfer the eggs to a bowl of cold water and let cool.

Meanwhile, tear the salad leaves into bite-sized pieces and drop them into a serving bowl.

Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan over medium heat and sprinkle in the garlic powder. Fry the bacon until crisp, about 5 minutes or so. Transfer bacon with a slotted spatula to some paper towels to drain.

Add the bacon, cheddar cheese, and chicken tenders to the salad greens. Toss with the honey mustard and some olive oil. Quarter the eggs and add them to the salad once they're cool. Gently mix to combine, trying not to break up the eggs.

What do you like to add to salads?