Thursday, May 30, 2013

Good Girl Eats...wait, what?

So, I've discovered that yogurt is my new favorite topping. For pretty much everything. 


If you remember, I plopped it on top of some pancakes a few weeks ago and was delighted with the result.

Well, over the weekend, I bought a pb&j bar while picking up some ice cream at Sustainable NYC. I had half of it for breakfast on Tuesday and the other half this morning.


This time, I paired it with some yogurt and blueberry maple syrup. I'm pretty obsessed with the warm, gooey + cool, crisp texture combination. It's rocking my world right now.

Dinner last night was pretty stellar.


Baked Garlic Chicken with roasted taters and sautéed kale.

And lunch today was pretty tame, too:


Baked salmon with roasted cauliflowers and leftover kale.

Look at me being all good...it'll even out the shit I'll be eating this weekend, no doubt.

In other news, I need to share some very exciting news: there is someone on the planet as obsessed with pb&j as I am. Her name is Averie. See? I'm not alone.

Granted, a lot of her recipes contain sugar and flour, so I'll have to make some edits.

But, you can bet your bonnets I'll be recreating these recipes one at a time. Let me know if you try any!

'Til next time, have fun being bad.


Wednesday, May 29, 2013

My usual shenanigans

If you read my last post, which you should have, then you know I had a dreamy weekend.

I had to get back to real life, so I'm back to my usual shenanigans. What does that mean?

THE BACHELORETTE SEASON PREMIERE!!


The boy and I engaged in a little drinking game someone suggested on Twitter: take a drink every time Des sheds a tear or says any of the following: blessed, fairytale, amazing, or prince charming.


I was ready to go - with wine, which usually spells disaster. Luckily, I got to drink my wine at a reasonable pace and go to bed stone cold sober because there was nothing fairytale or prince charming about the majority of the guys. If you don't watch, this is the season to jump in after Des has time to weed out the weirdos. If you do watch, was that the worst group of guys yet or what?!

Moving on (until next week).



 Lunch yesterday was a smoked salmon and goat cheese sandwich with a few apple slices on gluten free bread.

I love Udi's brand of GF bread - I usually get the whole grain version, but tried the regular this time. 

I'll stick with whole grain from now on as this one looks uncomfortably similar to white bread.

Also, toasted is recommended...otherwise it's too crumbly.





In the mix: 

tomato
spinach
smoked salmon
goat cheese













 I wasn't feeling great last night, so the boy grilled up some turkey burgers from whole foods and roasted some cauliflowers.

I topped mine with avocado and tomato.








The boy topped his with...well, everything.











I ended the evening with yet another feeble attempt at defeating level 97 on Candy Crush. How many of you out there threaten to quit playing at least once a day? What's the definition of insanity again?






Memorial Day Recap

Wow. No one prepared me for how difficult it would be to come back to work after vacation.

Rude awakening.

I spent the long weekend in Florida by the pool soaking in the sun. I'm feelin' a little crispy after shocking my skin with so much sun time, but it was good to get out and enjoy the first weekend of summer!







It was very early...I added an egg white and the whole thing fell apart.

Whoops.












As soon as we got in, I demanded lunch.


Which resulted in my favorite meal of the weekend: Blackened red snapper with sautéed veggies and sweet plantains.















The plantains were the stars of the show.


AMAZING.















Ahi tuna salad appetizer from my favorite restaurant in Jupiter!
















My dinner: blackened fish (I can't remember what kind it was!) with coconut rice and cucumber and fruit salads.
















Mr. Right's dinner: angel hair crusted tuna over salad.

I helped him finish this...













The yogurt options there weren't as good as NYC, but we made due :)

They did have one pro: dividers! One side was coffee with chocolate chips and the other was pb&j...no surprises there.












When we weren't eating, we were outside.

While the boy and I thoroughly enjoyed our outdoors time, our phones did not. 

We saw a lot of this screen this weekend.






I caught up with some lovely old friends whom I've missed dearly.

We have a thing for being silly.






We also visited the animals at Lion Country Safari.


We got to feed this guy!! 

Isn't he cute?!




















We bonded.

















The animals just roam freely, so we got to see a bunch of them up close.






Though LCS claims these fellas are not aggressive, I drove past them pretty quickly.

They are huge and have horns and I didn't want to get cocky and linger long enough to see them break from the usual and attack my car.






Also, ostriches are BY FAR the weirdest looking animals alive.

Just chillin' by the side of the road. NBD.





We got back early Monday and, I swear, we brought the sunny weather with us, so we got out and enjoyed it!

Look at those clear skies!











It's so nice to get away from the city every once in a while. We got to drive everywhere, lay by the pool, and eat lots of Caribbean fare, which is one of my favorite food groups. It was absolutely wonderful.

But, we had a great time coming back home and enjoying all that NYC had to offer on Memorial Day.

Stay tuned for a recap of my eats for the week!


Monday, May 27, 2013

Summer Staples

It's officially summer! Yay!

After what felt like an eternity of a cold, windy, rainy winter, I am happy to say I can bury my puffy jacket in the back of my closet for the next several months. And make me some tuna salad!

I haven't made this in a while because it just tastes like spring/summer. All winter, all I wanted was hot food and warm drinks to defrost my bones. But, I've missed my tuna!

 Tuna salad is a staple.


It's cheap, easy, & delicious.

Unless you don't like tuna. Or fish.

If you don't fall into that category, read on.

This is one of my favorite summer eats because it's so easy. No cook recipes are a lazy girl's best friend. All you need for this is a bowl, a knife, and a spoon. If you've ever uttered the words, "I don't have time to prepare for the week," this recipe is for you.

Tiff's Fruity Tuna


2-3 cans tuna (in water, not oil), drained
3-4 tbsp mayo (or greek yogurt, if you prefer)
3-4 tbsp mustard
1/2 cup grapes, halved
1/4 cup walunts, chopped
salt & pep to taste
hefty squirt of lemon juice

Directions: 
1. Put it all in a bowl
2. Mix
3. Eat
Note:  I would add the mayo/mustard one tbsp at a time to make sure you get the consistency you like. I don't like mine super sloppy, so I tend to go lighter on the mayo. But it's up to you. 


Until next time, have fun being bad.

-t


Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Pancakes Jubilee!!

People, I have had some kick ass food for the last couple days. 

Monday, I got home from work and boredom-ate chips and hummus so that I wasn't even hungry for dinner. Then I topped the night off with a hefty serving of coconut milk ice cream.

I felt like Tuesday and Wednesday of this week needed to be a little more deliberate and not filled with eats out of boredom.







On Tuesday morning, I reheated some pancakes from this weekend.

I realize I've been on quite the pancake kick lately. Considering I use oat flour, though, I feel like this is just another form of oatmeal.




















I topped these gems with homemade blueberry syrup and this coconut cashew butter.


The result?















Gooey, sweet, melty.

A masterpiece of flavor.

I may seem slightly melodramatic to you, but I was very passionate about this combination of flavors and textures.

Mmm.











Lunch was two slices of frittata with some broccoli on the side.


I. LOVE. GOAT CHEESE.












Since I was off to a yoga class, I wanted a more substantial afternoon snack, so I whipped up this concoction.

Nectarine + greek yogurt + slivered almonds + honey =

BOMB.

This was so good, I didn't want it to end.

I usually only feel that way about ice cream.





Dinner was a game-time decision to get take out from one of our favorite places in the city: Coppelia.

We pretty much always alternate between the ropa vieja and the arroz con pollo.

When I say alternate, I mean we always get those two things...we just alternate who gets what.

It's that good. 

Also, I pretty much always mix everything together in my bowl.

Rice/beans + arroz con pollo + ropa vieja = Coppelia fiesta







This morning, after my workout, I thought it'd be a great idea to combine two home runs from yesterday into one orgasmic masticating experience.

That sounds very sexual, but masticating = chewing, so don't give me that face.










Pancakes + greek yogurt + tangerine + honey

DAMN. I'M GOOD.

This was truly amazing.

You've really gotta try this combo. 

I found it difficult to maintain my composure in my very quite corporate office.

So, you've been warned.











Lunch was Coppelia leftovers with some additional veggies, which was amazing, but nothing can top the surprise and delight I felt from the result of this morning's experiment.









Do you ever eat something that makes you think, "Mmm. I want to hug the person responsible for creating this."

That's what I felt with my last two breakfasts. Except the person was me. I was literally so jubilant that I made something that I liked so much while simultaneously fearing that I would forget some important step or ingredient and never be able to experience it again. 

Thank heavens I write all this shit down so that never happens. Phew. Close one.




Smoked Salmon, Kale, and Goat Cheese Frittata

Is frittata the correct word for this? I'm honestly not sure, but it's my blog so I DO WHAT I WANT.

I may or may not have a frittata addiction. They're just so easy and tasty and awesome...I can't help it. I made a frittata for Mother's Day Brunch a few weekends ago and decided I needed to have a lil fun with the next one.

So, I put my thinking cap on and out popped an idea for the following recipe.




Smoked Salmon, Kale, and Goat Cheese Frittata


Ingredients:

8 eggs (or 4 eggs & 8 whites)
2 cups kale, washed & cut
1-2 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
2 oz smoked salmon
1-2 oz goat cheese
salt&pepp






Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350.
2. Sauté kale in oil until it's dark green and wilty
3. Spray a 9-inch round pan or an 8x8 square one with oil
4. Crack and whisk eggs in separate bowl, set aside
5. Layer sautéed kale along the bottom of your pan and evenly dump your eggs on top
6. Lay salmon on top and then plop little pieces of goat cheese evenly all over the surface of your egg mixture.
7. Bake that bitch for about 30-40 minutes.
8. Once the egg is solid in the middle (not runny), take it out, let it cool, and cut it up.

Either eat warm or let cool and store in the refrigerator for a quick lunch/dinner/snack.









I enjoyed two pieces of this for lunch the other day and it was awesome.

I went the half egg whites route and would suggest (if you plan on doing the same) seasoning the whole thing with more salt&pepp than you'd think.

Egg whites don't have a TON of flavor, so seasoning helps. Or, if you're feeling mighty fancy, you can use an herbed goat cheese. That would be bombtastic.









Bombtastic is not a word. But, you should know by my treatment of the frittata controversy that I don't care much because I'm my own boss.

Well, at least here I am.

Enjoy this and share your results!


Monday, May 20, 2013

Learning to survive

Happy Monday, friends. I hope your weekend was splendid...mine looked like this.









It rained alllll weekend. We barely got out of the house. 

It was a welcome break, though. 

I watched Lincoln (snooze) and old episodes of Survivor.










Did you know that there have been approximately 26 seasons of Survivor? Truth. Mr. Right is a big fan so, naturally, I've become addicted. I also tend to think I'd kick ass and last the full 40 days when, in fact, I would probably throw in the towel after a day of eating only rice and sleeping on bamboo. But, I like thinking about how I would prepare myself if I were on the show. This is what I've got so far:







Learn how to build fire.
















Learn how to build shelter. Preferably a two-story treehouse, but I'm not picky.

















Learn how to climb trees. Like a boss.

















Learn how to hunt and fish. Also like a boss.








Other skills I'd need to work on:

Lying better.
Running faster.
Eating less.

I'll start working on those now and by the time they're on Season 100, I'll be ready to roll.

Let's be honest, I have a hard time waiting for breakfast in the morning. But a girl can dream, right?

Since I can't imagine a day without food, let's talk about it.








Kale. 







I've been putting it on, in, and next to pretty much everything. 

Sauteed with some chicken sausage?

Sure.




Mix it with rice & beans and leftover pork?

Yes, please.

If I ate many sandwiches, I'd put it on them too.

So, just be aware that you'll be seeing a lot o' green in the near future.















Also, I grabbed grub from the Whole Foods breakfast bar the other day and came across this sweet potato chicken hash (next to my egg white/huevos rancheros mixture).





Truthfully, it looked better than it tasted because I'm fairly certain it was made with soy sauce or something similar that just tasted out of place to me.

But, I will definitely be trying to replicate something like this soon.

Otherwise, my weekend eats were supremely uninteresting. Hopefully that will change this week. Good news, I'm going out of town for the weekend, so I will most likely come back with some vacation eats, which are the best and most naughty. Something to look forward to!





Wednesday, May 15, 2013

It's wednesday already?!

Wow, the week has just flown by, hasn't it? I'm just sitting down to write a recap of the weekend and Mother's Day, but it's already Wednesday! I can't even keep up. 

I sort of mix-n-matched some recipes and came up with a DELICIOUS frittata for our Mother's Day brunch festivities.




Bacon Swiss Chard Frittata


1 bunch swiss chard
5 slices bacon
1 sweet potato
8 eggs




I sliced up a sweet potato (you could also do chunks) and roasted the pieces in a 400 degree oven for about 40/45 minutes. Don't slice them too thin or they'll be sweet tater chips. 

While those are cooking, throw the bacon in a pan over medium heat and let them cook. Remove the pieces to a separate plate to cool and keep about 1-2 tbsp of bacon fat in the pan (I keep the extra to use later).

After they're done roastin', layer your taters on the bottom of a greased or sprayed 9-inch round pan or an 8x8 square pan. Turn your oven down to 350 degrees.




Throw your swiss chard into the hot bacon fat and let it cook until it's a tasty-lookin' dark green color.

Chop up your bacon and whisk up your eggs.

If you are either watching calories/cholesterol or are out of whole eggs, use 2 egg whites per egg.

Layer the chard atop the taters and half the bacon atop the chard. Pour your whisked eggy goodness on top and then sprinkle the remaining bacon bits on top.

Cook for 20-30 min.




Check the frittata often once it's in the oven. I actually forgot to set the timer, so I don't actually know how long this was in there for. At some point, I just realized I had thrown it in without setting the timer. So, I just kept checking until the middle wasn't jiggly. These frittata things are pretty easy to read like that.







I made an easy blueberry maple syrup (1.5 cups frozen blueberries + 1/2 cup maple syrup + 5 minutes boiling on the stove = DELISH) to go along with my favorite pancake recipe.



I made banana pancakes and just a few unbanana ones for my BIL (bro-in-law) who doesn't like nanners.

WHO DOESN'T LIKE NANNERS?!

I was in a rush to get brunch on the table, so these were mighty messy cakes, but they tasted AMAAAAAAZING.

Per usual.








My in-laws brought some bagels and fruit and we had a mega meal in our tiny apartment. 















I had leftover frittata over some spinach for lunch this week and I am determined to roast some sweet tater chunks in leftover bacon fat because LET ME TELL YOU -- that combo is bitchin'.











I also mixed up some of that leftover blueberry syrup with some greek yogurt for a snack yesterday.





I'm planning an experimental Blueberry Cheesecake Greek Frozen Yogurt recipe in the near future. 

This simply needs to be duplicated.





Lastly, I made another batch of Juli's sweet tater brownies.

This time, I used the right kind o' taters and they were amazing. They were good last time too, but these were sans tater chunks, which is preferable.

I like tricking people into eating healthy food. 

Everyone loved them, but we didn't eat them all.

Sokay, MORE FOR ME.





Hope you're all having a happy hump day. Check ya later.