Brown Rice Arancini with Parmesan Squash Noodles

It's that time again, Meatless Monday. Today I'm taking ya'll to Italy for a bit of a twist on the classic Sicilian favorite - Arancini.  We typically don't do white rice in the Zuniga household.  So much that I usually  have to go out and buy some to make Papa's Rice (the best Mexican rice around!).

If there was one type of person I think I'd want to hire to work just for me - it would be a photographer.  I would want someone to hover around me as I cook, taking action shots and getting great plating of the food I make - photography is not my strong suite at all.  I'll admit that I'm horrible at providing a lot of pictures of the food I cook.  I just don't have the time to prop the ingredients, wash my hands in between steps and then take pictures.  C'mon people, what do you want from me? I work 9 hours a day, spend at least an hour at the gym, run errands - and then cook.  Anyone want to be my professional photographer? How great would that be though? To have someone constantly photojournal your life? Why can't we all just be celebrities and get all of our greatest moments on camera? I guess if that were the case...I wouldn't be cooking so its a moot point from here.

Anyways - since I love my zucchini noodles and wanted to try out different spices and sauces, I decided to make those as a side.  It seemed kind of wrong to do carb on carb on carb by serving real spaghetti with breaded rice - I mean, you can never go wrong with all those carbs but let's be honest, does anyone really need all that?

This time around I used yellow squash which has a milder taste and a softer texture.  I ended up sauteing the zucchini and seasoning with basil, italian seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper and then tossing with fresh ground parmesan once cooked.  I would recommend waiting to add the salt until it is no longer cooking as the salt will release some of the water from the vegetables!

Brown Rice Arancini

Adapted From Delightful Delicious Delovely

4 Cups Short Grained Brown Rice, cooked and cooled (I used brown Basmati rice which worked well, but something stickier would be better!)

3-4 Extra Large Eggs*

1 tsp each of salt and pepper

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

1/2 c fresh chopped parsley

1/4 c fresh grated parmesan (grated, not shredded)

1/3 c shredded mozzerella

fresh mozzerella - cut into half inch cubes

1 1/2 c flour

1 1/2 c Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

Olive Oil for frying

Place cooled, brown rice, one egg (may need to add another, first the white, then the yolk if consistency isn't sticky enough), salt, pepper, oregano, basil, parsley, parmesan and mozzerella in blender.  Blend until rice is approximately half the size and a sticky mixture has formed (2 minutes).  If you cannot roll the rice without it falling apart, here's where you add the egg white, and if necessary, the yolk.  

I recommend two things in this next step - don't do it right after you have swept/washed your floors because it can get messy, and wet your hands from time to time to aid in forming the rice balls. Place about a teaspoon of mixture in your hand and add a cube of cheese in the middle.  Add more rice to cover on top and form a ball (a little larger than a golf ball)- place on cookie sheet with waxed paper until remaining mixture is formed.  Refrigerate 30 minutes to allow to set. 

Beat remaining eggs in one bowl, and put flour in a  bowl and breadcrumbs in a bowl.  Season breadcrumbs with freshly grated parmesan.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees and heat oil in fry pan (you want enough that it will cover half the rice balls.  Dredge the rice balls in flour, followed by egg, followed by breadcrumb mixtures. Brown on each side in fry pan, transfer to cookie sheet to finish cooking in the oven.  

Cook in oven for 7-10 minutes or until browned and warmed through - serve over your favorite red sauce. 

*Depending on how large your eggs are, you may need more or less. As noted in the instructions for the "dough" - if you have smaller eggs, you might need to add another.  

**Typical arancini is made with risotto and has a creamy, soft center and a light crisp on the outside.  This is a little harder to achieve with brown rice so I have added some extra cheese in the mixture.  Using a softer grained brown rice, or a brown sticky rice will help you achieve that texture more! 

I Mustache You a Question, but I'll Shave it for Later

My father in law has had a mustache for as long as any of his kids and probably extended family can remember. In fact, that seems to be the "over 50" Zuniga mantra because almost ALL of Steve's uncles have mustaches.  Rule #1 in this Zuniga household...no mustaches...for either of us...ever.  Welllll, with the exception of mustache cookies of course! For my FIL's birthday, the theme was mustache, as clearly it should have been considering he has spent at least half of his life with one and I of course wanted to be able to play into the theme and opted to make chocolate mustache cookies.  At first, being that I'm crazy, it seemed a great idea to do basic butter cookies and then ice all 70 some-odd of them but I quickly came to my senses and opted for chocolate butter cookies so I could still get the color and the taste, but cut down on some of the craziness. 

The Birthday Boy in his mustache shirt we got! 

The cookies were a HIT.  Steve's Auntie Barb who is the token baker in the family was raving about them  - so I knew I had done well.  She even asked to take some home AND for the recipe. This recipe will be added to my favorites and probably my Christmas cookie archive.  

CHOCOLATE BUTTER COOKIES

Me and the Hubby rockin' 'staches

Viva Italiano - Day I

We arrived in Rome quickly and safely and I was immediately in love once we got near our hotel. The sites are just unbelievable - it's fascinating to think that  some of them have been around for thousands of years. On our first day we walked around the roman forum and saw the ancient ruins from roman times. The site is massive and it took a good several hours in extreme heat to walk through the area. We went into one of the stadiums and up onto palatine hill were we got a panoramic view of the colosseum. We stopped for lunch at a little cafe where Steve got a sandwich and I got a calzone of spinach and mozzarella. From all the heat and walking  poor Steve wasn't feeling great so we spent some time rehydrating and enjoying the ac. I pushed him to buy a hat so he looked über tourist while we walked around Rome.

The tour of the colosseum was unbelievable. How in the world did the ancients build something of such mass and detail without any of today's modern technology? The guides tour was just ok, I don't think we felt it was worth the money after all was said and done although some of the facts were interesting. The Romans were such barbarians but I guess we'd do the same with out iPods, TV and blogs, right? From the colosseum we decided to head back and prepare to go to dinner. I yelped a place that was amazing - Mama Angela's Trattoria. Steve and I decided to do dinner "Italiano style" and enjoyed some prosciutto with melon and some bruschetta and prosecco to start. For our first course we had saltimbocca which is veal with prosciutto and a white wine sauce. It was delicious as though Steve said it reminded him of McDonald's breakfast sausage - whiiiiich I guess is a good thing for him since he enjoys that so much. We had some penne arbiatta which was fantastic - some of the best pasta I think we had ever had. Since all that was delicious and we were finishing up a bottle of wine we decided to go big or go home and get another pasta dish - carbonara which was incredible. The sauce was so tasteful and creamy - the pasta perfectly al dente. We finished up with some limoncello as a "digestive" although as Americans we took it like a shot instead of sipping it - whoops! We slept like babies which was good size we had only gotten a few hours of sleep the night before and were up early the next morning to head to Florence!

Florence was so beautiful- such a change from Rome with its quaint cobblestone streets everywhere and the river running through. We waited a few hours to see the David mostly to check it off our list. We had our first taste of Italian gelato - oh. My. God. Steve got mint chocolate and I got half chocolate half hazelnut and I think after tasting mine- Steve wished he had been a bit more adventurous. We walked the streets of Florence to see several of the plazas - signorino, and several others and saw such amazing beauty. We also visited one of the churches which was absolutely incredible. The area scenery just doesn't compare - each house and shop seems to have its own different taste. We walked through one of the plazas filled with Italian leather, handbags and trinkets. It was so tempting to get a handbag but it was hard to tell which ones were real Italian leather and which were going to be a rip off and disappoint - I passed and hoped I wouldn't later regret the decision NOT to get one. We had lunch of fresh pizza and sat on the steps to people watch. The pizza was amazing - I've never met a pizza I didn't like but this was exceptionally delicious. We decided to head to Michelangelo piazza were there were supposed to be beautiful sites of the city. It was quite a trek and in the heat even more so. We stopped for some wine - I had a primitivo, a surprisingly delicious red wine and Steve had a white of sorts. We continued our trip to Michelangelo piazza and were not disappointed by the views. There's a David replica up there and panoramic views of the entire city. After waking around and visiting the church up there, we took a break and had a drink and split a spicy salami and mozzarella panini. After a long day - we decided to head to the last suggested site we wasted to see, the market - but failed and decided to eat instead. We went to zazas as recommended by the mrs Jackie schwarz and had a caprese salad, gnocchi with Gorgonzola and rigatoni with pomodoro. Amazing - the gnocchi was a loath smushy for my liking but the Gorgonzola sauce really hit the spot. Exhausted - and 12 hours later, we make the trek back to Rome where we'd prepare to make the longer trek to Naples, Pompei and the amalfi coast. 

We had an early start but made it quickly to Naples - thank goodness because from there, we took a train similar to the cta to Pompei were we walked around the acres upon acres of ancient ruins. It was so incredible to see just how vast the town was and how advanced their thought processes and abilities were. Although it was super hot, the homes were cool as a cucumber. They had theaters, schools, bath houses, laundromats - it seemed like they had a lot of what we find in modern day and this was all B.C.! We stopped for some Napoleon pizza right by the train station (do you see a pattern with my food choices so far in Italy?). I had one with "sausage" which was more like thin slices of what tastes kind of like Italian sausage but more deli meat style. Steve stayed basic with a margarita pizza which he devoured and then finished off mine. We hopped back on Italy's cta (circumvesuviana) and went on our wh to sorrento. Sorrento was so picturesque. A seemingly small town which so much character. We checked into our hotel and quickly left so we could spend a few hours on the island of capri - said to be one of the most beautiful islands around. We took a hydrofoil which got us to the island in under 30 minutes and were able to take a million (ok not literally) gorgeous pictures. Of all the wonderful places I e traveled so far I have never in my life seen water quite as blue as this. It looked straight out of magic waters where blue dye is thrown in to create the illusion of water. We docked and right away hopped on a speed boat tour to get us to the blue grotto - one of the sites the island is known for. We actually got out there to see a tiny little cave opening with rowboats of people going in - if you aren't sitting down, or have your hands out of the boat, you will get rocked by...well the rocks. Imagine how small an opening that is.  Rowboats people, normal sizes rowboats with the passengers sitting on the floor because if they were on the seats, they'd be squished. We rowed our way in there just barely hitting the cave walls to glowing bright blue water - kind of like what one would see in a lava lamp. The rower started to sing in Italian and his voice was so beautiful and it echoes throughout the small cave. We were in and out in five minutes but the view was worth it without a doubt. When we got back to town we took a gander at the beach - it was so bizarre. There was no sand at all, only large white pebbles and people were just sleeping on it like it was a sealy posturepedic. The rocks hurt - I can guarantee you that. We went into the little shops around town and had a creme limoncello sorbet which was a party on the palette. We walked back towards our hotel which included 158 stairs up from the port - exhaustion. We decided that since we've been non stop since we left Chicago that we'd take advantage of some great air conditioning and nothing else to do and grab food to eat in our hotel. We stumbled upon a place called Tony and Rosie's where we ordered food and while we waited for it to cook, has some fresh arrancini (Italian rice balls with tomato and cheese) and these sandwiches for which the bread was like breaded mashed potatoes and then it had salami and cheese in the middle. I'm still trying to figure out what that was other than absolutely delicious. Steve had - surprise, margarita pizza and I had a caprese Stromboli which I enjoyed quite a bit. We cashed in early and didn't even notice we fell asleep. 

Today was to be the relaxation day we were looking forward to - we were having a tour up the amalfi coast. For the first time in days we weren't going to be walking several miles. Instead - we had a Mercedes's van,  driver and someone else's itinerary for us - heck yeah! We started with breakfast which was typical Italian and a nice surprise from the hotel. We drove up the coast and had our first stop in positano where I had a pair of custom, Italian sandals made. I picked out a style, picked out the colors and has them made to fit my Fred flinstone feet perfectly. They were a bit expensive but worth it for the quality, their uniqueness and the fact that I experienced a show lovers dream - seeing someone make a pair of shoes that were special JUST to you and knowing no one else will have a pair quite like them. Positano was stunning - the views from the coast, the beach, the streets - all equally amazing. The town itself has such a small entrance that cars aren't even allowed into the town. I can't imagine what it's like to love there and have to take the steep, cobblestone steps to and from ones house day after day. We headed back up the coast towards amalfi -  busy little tourist town with black sand beaches, abeautiful  church and plenty of sun and limoncello. We got some lemon sorbet here with fresh strawberries - now that's Italian ice! We chose to mostly relax here and enjoy the weather and opportunity TO relax. Back in the car we went - we leaned so many near things along the way. Alllll the way on the top of the coast is a cross - our guide explained that in ancient times when people fell ill with the plague, they would send them up there to quarantine them and to die. The cross symbolized a huge tomb but also that religion oversaw the town. The amalfi coast itself became popular in the 50's when Sophia Lauren filmed movies there and it's beauty started to gain traction. There is an island that looks like a woman laying down and this is known as the island of sirens. It was said that one of the ancient rulers would bring women there to fall in love or put trances on men.   Through one of the roads we saw a full model of the village created into the mountainside. There was a nativity scene in there as well which is lit up during christmastime. Finally we headed to Ravello - a super small but very beautiful town along the amalfi coast. Here we had lunch at Cumpa cusino - a rustic Italian trattoria where family recipes prepared the most amazing homemade ravioli, penne and tiramisu I have ever had. We cook and owner served us at a tucked away table that made me and Steve feel like celebrities. I'm sure my big Sunday and red dress and steves charmingly good looks made then wonder if we were important. When we got back to sorrento 9 hours later we sampled limoncello - bought some and started on our journey back to Naples and then to Rome. The circumvesuviana was quite an experience this time around. Granted the first time a rowdy group of twenty something men played soccer, cheered and did pull ups in the entry way - but this definitely topped our first experience. We got on in sorrento and avoided a car full of teenagers as we had read plenty about the stereotypical pickpocketers. Shortly after we got on - a loud, overweight man and 6 kids got on the train - all in nothing but bathing suits. What first caught my attention was the very over sized five - seven year old girl in nothing but jean shorts and a pacifier carrying on and throwing a temper tantrum. In case you missed the first part - super chubby, probably closer to seven, boobs bigger than mine, shirtless, pacifier sucking, temper tantrum throwing girl. She carries on and on, the dad got angrier and angrier, his butt crack was hanging out, his other kids were eating coconut in water straight or of beach buckets - what the heck was going on? The next thing we know the dad is making friends with a guy who must have been selling handmade items earlier in the day - and then, as the guy sits down, he starts stealing from him! Placing the necklaces on his temper tantrum throwing, pacifier sucking daughter and stuffing his pockets. Then all his kids were running around, taking the necklaces from him, stuffig their pockets so he could steal more and running about. On top of all that chaos - a young couple was hardcore making out and staring at me as Steve as they did it. Haha what in the world was going on?!? Where were we? On high alert that's for sure. Any move those kids made had me and Steve in attack mode- watching every zipper on each of our bags. See, in Chicago, if someone wants something they just shoot the person and take it, here, they're much craftier and would be long gone before we knew we had been robbed. Wow - what an experience. Needless to say, the amalfi coast makes it to the top of my list of places to revisit and spend more time - Naples, not a chance. 

Jalapeno Popper Chicken Chili

My mom has been wanting to host an annual chili cook-off for several years now.  We kind of had one last year, but really it ended up just being a chili fest and it was awesome. This year, she is hoping to have one again, and despite my hesitation to post this recipe since it will most likely be my entry - it's just too good to pass up posting, especially with today being the first day of Fall and the weather starting to have a chill in the air.

I brought the leftovers of this over to my brothers and they were enamored by it - can you even use that word to describe how someone feels about food? Probably not for normal people, but for my family, its completely acceptable.  We love food. Plain and simple.  It's an event in the Shirahama household, an emotion, a conversation topic. When I was away at U of I for school, any time I spoke to my mom around dinner time, she would ask what I was having and then unknowingly torture me by telling me what she was making. As I treked to the dining hall where I found very few things enjoyable (and also was horrified at coming home in the fall with the dreaded "freshman 15" - I opted for turkey sandwiches and salads most of the time.  I love making something that I can share with my family and that elicits "ohhh's" and "ahhh's" because that's exactly how we were raised.  Dinner is still always shared because we all enjoy discussing how delicious the meal my mom made was and laugh about those meals that weren't so great (which is rare, but you can bet my poor mom never lives those meals down).

My mom thinks this will be the winner of the chili cook-off - I think she's just being a good mom and praising me more than I deserve, but I think it will at the very least be enjoyed by whoever makes it!

Jalapeno Popper Chicken Chili

Adapted from Sweet Treats More

Ingredients

1 tbsp EVOO

1 small sweet onion, diced

4 Fresh Jalapeno Peppers, seeded and diced (leave in some seeds if you like more heat)

3 Cloves Garlic, minced

1 1/4 lbs chicken tenders, cut in chunks

2 TSP Chili Powder

1 TSP Cumin

1 TSP Oregano

1 1/2 C Chicken Broth

1 - 10 oz Can Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles

1 - 14 oz Can Navy Beans, drained

1 - 14 oz Can Sweet Corn, drained

4 oz Cream Cheese

4 oz Neufactel Cheese

1 lb bacon or turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled

Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Cook bacon, remove and drain.  Add bacon fat to large stock pot with 1 TBSP of EVOO.  Add in jalapeno peppers, onion and garlic and cook until tender.  Add salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin and oregano. Season chicken with salt and pepper, add to stock pot and brown on each side (add more EVOO if needed). Add diced tomatoes, chicken broth and corn and increase heat allowing to simmer for 30 minutes.  Add cream cheeses and stir until melted - stir in bacon and additional salt, pepper and seasoning as needed. Serve with shredded cheddar and corn bread.

Spin on Mac and Cheese with Sriracha Chicken

Football season seems to bring out something in my cooking needs and wants.  Even though I don't necessarily watch all of the games or get super into football - the start of the season has me immediately thinking of football friendly foods.  For the start of the football season, chicken wings were an obvious choice, however Steve and I both agree that wings are great when you don't have to make them - when you do, they're a pain to make so many little wings, especially when they're being made into a meal.  I opted for chicken legs instead and would recommend them, but would thighs or wings would definitely trump the legs.  I feel like had I made this sauce and glazed the small wings instead, they would've crisped up nicer than the chicken. 

I paired the chicken legs with some quinoa mac and cheese with broccoli.



 I figured that as much as I wanted to be fully glutenous - that I would stand by my gluten free lifestyle for the night in terms of my side and opt for quinoa instead.  I had seen several different recipes for the mac and cheese and finally gave it a shot.  

Garlic Sriracha Chicken 

1/4 C Honey

2 TBSP Balsamic Vinegar

3 Cloves Garlic, minced

1/4 C Brown Sugar, packed

1/4 C Sodium Free and/or Wheat Free Soy Sauce

1 tsp Fresh Minced Ginger Root

2 TBSP Sriracha Sauce

3 green onions, diced 

6- 8 Chicken Legs

1 TBSP Canola Oil*

Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Toss chicken legs in canola oil, season with salt and pepper.  Line baking sheet with aluminum foil - add chicken legs, thick part facing inwards.  Cook 35-40 minutes or until skin is browned and chicken is no longer pick in center.  Remove and set aside.  Meanwhile, combine honey, balsamic vinegar, garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger and sriracha sauce in small saucepan, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer until sauce has reduced - remove from heat, allowing to cool and thicken.  Dip cooked chicken legs in sauce, brush to glaze.  Return to oven and cook 10 minutes, baste again with mixture, cook 7 more minutes or until chicken is brow and crisped.  

Quinoa Mac and Cheese with Broccoli 

Adapted From Tasty Kitchen

3 TBSP Butter

3 TBSP Flour or gluten free flour

1 1/2 C Skim Milk

2 Dashes Nutmeg

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1/4 tsp Dried Mustard 

8 oz Shredded Low Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese

3 C Cooked Quino (follow directions on back, I recommend if you do not have pre-washed washing it before cooking)

1 C Chopped, Steamed Broccoli

In medium saucepan, melt butter, whisk in flour and heat over medium heat. Continue to whisk until a paste forms, you are going to create a roux. Whisk in milk and increase heat to medium/high - bring to boil while continuing to whisk.  Stir in milk, nutmeg and cheese. Remove from heat when all cheese it melted and smooth cream sauce has formed.  In large bowl, fold together cooked quinoa, cooked broccoli and cheese sauce.  Lightly grease a 9 inch pie dish, add mixture to dish and sprinkle with additional cheese. You have the option of adding a mixture of panko and melted butter on top (4 tbsp melted butter to 3/4 c panko) - I opted out of this.  Bake one 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until bubbly.  Serve immediately. 

Sunday Snack Day

I have an extremely intense gag reflex and sense of smell, which never makes for a great combination when something stinky is in nose-shot. Hey people on the cardio equipment, please, for the love of everything holy, spare of from your uber intense smells of various spices, body odor, copious amounts of perfume/body spray/cologne/aftershave.  This is one concept that continually seems to escape me.  Sure, I'm almost entirely certain I have had my days in which Coco Chanel was screaming out of my pores as if to make note that I was wearing it.  And embarrassingly, I've certainly had my days where I catch a whiff and realize that that smell, is coming from my under saturated pits - or that I left my clothes in the washing machine, damp, for a little too long and tried to repair the error by simply washing again.  I get it, stuff happens.  But please, please, please - if you notice that you're omitting a smell that is comparable to rotting garbage/bodies/animals, spare us all and just stop.  Stop running and go stretch, or move to a less intense cardio machine - those of us who want to continue to run without having to turn our heads the other way to breathe would appreciate it. 

I successfully completed my first week challenge of eating mostly paleo and getting back in the "six timers" club and hitting the gym 6 days this week (contemplating a 7th today, but let's not get crazy). As I've mentioned many times before, I will continue to eat glutenous from time to time and of course, am not going to be 100% Paleo and 100% gluten free - I know how to eat and therefore, believe that in order to live the kind of fullfilling life I look for (full = yummy food, filling = unhealthy foods from time to time) - that I deserve to cheat.  Today - for my Simple Sunday I opted to do Snack Sunday.  I endured the torture last week of a very smelly gym-goer and still manage to plow through my treadmill workout - I deserve it.  

What better way to enjoy a lazy Sunday and football than to just have a bunch of snacks all day long and not worry about stopping the day to make a meal - that's the concept and that's the plan.  So here I sit, after preparing our snacks for the day, with nothing left to do that doze in and out of naps, and catch up on blogging.  Hoooraaay! 

Today's Snack Sunday is all about my husband.  I made snacks that I  know he will just gobble up and enjoy (with a little guac for myself) so that he can truly relax this Sunday. 

Buffalo Chicken Dip - AKA Man's Best Friend

I don't know that I have ever met a man who tries this dip and doesn't just love it.  I first was introduced to it by a former co-worker who brought it to the work holiday party.  I think she double, or even quadrupled the recipe and went home with a licked-clean crockpot.  The first time I made it was for the superbowl several years ago. I encouraged my guy friends and now husband to try it, despite the fact it looked kind of like vom (sorry, it does).  They were hooked.  The pizza was left barely untouched.  #winning.  This became the most requested dip by my husband.  One of the other times I made it, a guy friend of ours actually took out his retainer - dipped it in the dip and put it back in his mouth, he loved it that much.  I honestly don;t follow a recipe anymore, its most just added to taste, but I have included the recipe below so that you too, can impress your man friends to the point of embarrassment for them.

2 - 8 oz Cream Cheese, softened

2 - 10 oz Cans Chunk White Chicken

1 cup Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing

3/4 C Franks Hot Sauce (I usually use the original, not the wing sauce)

1 1/2 C Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

In large bowl, combine cream cheese and chicken, microwave for 3 minutes or until warmed.  Add in ranch, hot sauce, and shredded cheese, combine and microwave 5 minutes or until heated through.  Add more sauce for taste - serve with tortilla chips, crackers or celery/carrot sticks. 

This can also be made in the crockpot and slow cooked - just combine all ingredients and let it do it's thing!

Italian Sub Dip

The idea for this recipe came from my mother in law.  I'm not sure where she originally got the recipe, but I know that it's always a hit and my husband and brother in both really enjoy it.  My brother in law and his family love this dip so much, that my sister in law will actually make it for them for part of dinner! My nephew likes to make the dip into a sandwich and instead of taking small pieces of bread, just filling a hoagie with it - totally doable.  The best part of this dip is it taste just like an italian sub from your favorite sandwich shop.  It combines various lunch meats and cheeses and all the toppings! 

1/4 lb of each of the following: provolone cheese, salami, turkey, ham, bologna, mortadella

1 TBSP Banana Peppers or 3 whole pepperoncini peppers, diced

1/2 head iceberg lettuce, shredded

1/2 tomato, seeded

1/2 red onion, diced

1/3 C Olive Oil

1 TSP Oregano

1 1/2 TSP Basil

French Loaf, cubed for dipping

Dice up all the meat and cheese into tiny squares.  Combine diced meats, cheeses, and all vegetables.  Add olive oil and seasoning. Allow to set in fridge for at least one hour for all flavors to combine. Serve with french bread. 

**This can be made really with any variety of your favorite deli meats and cheeses - although I would recommend avoiding meats such as roast beef, corned beef, etc.  The original recipe I follow actually calls for prosciutto which is a great add - I sub mortadella instead. 

Alfredo Chicken and Spinach Stromboli

There's no great story about this except that we needed some sort of "meal" today that didn't involve dipping to eat.  I decided on a stromboli because I figured I could prepare it ahead of time and just throw it in the oven when we were ready to eat.  It could be reheated if needbe and only called for a few, easy recipes.

1 container pizza dough, or one frozen bread dough, thawed*

1 1/2 c fresh spinach

1 C Chopped, Cooked Chicken (I used rotisserie, again, ease of use)

6 Slices Mozzarella Cheese

4 TBSP Alfredo Sauce

Parmesan and pizza seasoning - desired amount

1 tsp Olive Oil

Roll dough on a floured surface or parchment paper.  Roll into 12x15 inch rectangle.  Add parmesan and pizza seasoning. Top with ingredients in the following order, careful to allow one inch on each side of the dough: spinach, cheese, chicken, alfredo sauce. Starting from the long ends, carefully start rolling the dough to create a pinwheel or cinnamon roll effect.  Seal off ends - place on greased cookie sheet seam down.  Brush with olive oil and add additional parmesan and seasoning.  Cook in 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until dough is browned.  Allow several minutes to cool - slice into 1 1/2 inch slices, serve with alfredo sauce or pizza sauce. 

*I use the fresh, pre-made dough from my local fruit market.  They also carry a whole wheat version! 

What?!? Zucchini Noodles?!

I am beyond excited to write this post today.  I walked into the office, told everyone what I did last night, and got three people to purchase the vegetable spiralizer I own.  I should probably call Paderno and request commission for it because I highly doubt, without my advertising, these folks would've known the amazingness (yes, that's a word in my vocabulary) of this product.  I was pretty impressed that I was able to make a delicious meal that was both low carb AND (mostly) Paleo but still delivered the kind of flavor I'm used to.


The best part about this spiralizer is that I was able to make an entire bowl of "pasta" in under 5 minutes and out of just two large zucchini. It made an excellent side dish and I cannot wait to sample a bunch of different sauces with the noodles to really provide you all with some good insight.

I purchased the Paderno World Cuisine Spiral Slicer and couldn't be happier with my investment.  I did some research and found this one to be the easiest to use, clean and most versatile as it has three different blades depending on the "noodle" thickness you're looking for.

If you asked me five years ago if I thought I'd be living like this, the answer would have been "absolutely friggin not". I always ate healthy but was never really looking for the next best thing to replace my pastas and breads that I love so much.  I can honestly say that now, I'm quite content and it always excites me when Steve can hop on board as well.

So here it is folks - my mostly paelo, low carb and super satisfying meal - man approved!

Can't Believe It's Almost Paleo* Chicken Piccata

Adapted from My Momma :)

4 Chicken Breast Cutlets

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp capers

1/4 c Almond Flour

1/4 c Arrowroot Powder

1/4 c dry white wine

1/2 c chicken broth

salt and pepper

vegetable or olive oil (I used olive oil, but I have used vegetable in the past for non-paleo and its fantastic :) )

Between two pieces of parchment paper, pound chicken to less than 1 inch thick.  Season with salt and pepper. Combine almond flour and arrowroot powder.  Dredge* the chicken breast with flour mixture.  Heat approximately 1 tbsp of olive oil.  Add cutlets to the pan allowing to brown on each side (approximately 3 minutes). Cover and continue to warm for several minutes.  Remove the chicken from pan, cover to keep warm.  Add white wine and capers to pan to deglaze. Allow to cook for two minutes, add chicken broth and chicken.  Cook for several more minutes and serve platted with lemon slices.

***This recipe is fantastic non-paleo as well.  Simply swap the almond flour and arrowroot powder mixture for regular flour

Creamy Lemon Zucchini Noodles

4 oz Neufactel Cheese

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1 TBSP Olive or Coconut Oil

2 C Fresh Zucchini Noodles

2 TBSP Lemon Juice

1 TSP Dried Parsley Flakes

Sautee garlic and olive oil, add in cream cheese until melted.  Add lemon juice and stir.  Add zucchini noodles to heat, only allowing to cook for approximately 3 minutes - you want them to maintain a bit of a crunch.  Remove from heat, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Lifestyle Change

I've been trying a few different things lately to really get on board with being healthy, lean and fit.  It's so crazy but I've not really lost any weight, but I'm ok with that.  I finally got Steve on board to looking at a different way of living.  We're going to try and tackle a mostly Paleo lifestyle, much like I did when I was in wedding mode - this time I'm really trying with it and bought arrowroot power, almond flour, fresh unsweetened coconut, raw honey etc.  I even bought some dates to make some paleo protein bars sometime this week (inspired by the ones I bought from my co-worker's friend).  I will be the first to say that this type of eating would be a complete lifestyle change, and I don't know that Steve and I can be dedicated enough to never eat processed foods or never have complex carbs - but we're going to try as much as possible and really make sure that we're always working towards bettering ourselves for our futures.  DISCLAIMER: for those of you who DO eat Paleo religiously, please note that I am not calling myself a cavewoman and eating this 100% perfectly - we will also indulge in cheat meals and I will continue to post yummy, fattening, non-paleo recipes because that's who I am! But, we are aiming to be paleo at least 80% of the time - maybe more if all goes well.  

Here is a sample of some recipes you can expect to see this upcoming week: 

-Falafel Burgers with Tzatiki Sauce and Side Salad (I know this is not very paleo BUT its Meatless Monday and it's SO  hard to match this world)

- Paleo Chicken Piccata with Zucchini Noodles and Spinach

-Raw Coconut Chicken with Mashed Parsnips and Broccoli

-Beef and Broccoli with Quinoa (The side isn't fully paleo BUT, you just need something with that meal)

-Cauliflower Hamburger Helper (cheese isn't paleo but this will be a low-carb option)

Today was the first weigh in of Work's Fitness Challenge - I'm down one lb - nothing to whoo haa over.  I can't break up with Trainer Mike - I'm going to have to take the wimp way out and do it over text - something's gotta change! 

Roasted Grape and Goat Cheese Sweet Potatoes with Buffalo Chicken Burgers

I feel so fancy, and rightfully so.  I not only pulled off a delicious and unique meal, but Steve actually liked it, all of it.  Imagine that.  My picky husband will soon lose that title because he is eating more interesting things every day. Today's feat: goat cheese.  Okay, so I didn't exactly tell him there was goat cheese in there until AFTER I got an "mmmm", but who's counting these days?  I had seen a recipe on Pinterest for these roasted grape and goat cheese sweet potatoes and was immediately intrigued and excited.  What a perfect side dish - not only does one get the punch of healthiness from the sweet potatoes, but the also the added antioxidants of the grapes. My tastebuds and imagination were dancing.  I bought all the stuff to make them last week but didn't get around to it and decided that no matter WHAT happened this week, these sweet potatoes were happenin' with it.  Needless to say, I had also decided that I needed to make something with the ground chicken that was in my freezer since I'm trying this new thing, where I use what I've bought before I buy something new.  Alright, I'm lying, that was my plan last week but I'm never very good at it.

As soon as dinner was served, Steve asked if I had taken a picture of his plate yet because it looked perfect.  Wow - I'm getting spoiled with all of these mmm's and compliments! Woot! Woot! I'll take it! I served my burger without a bun and it was just as delicious.  I contemplated even chopping up the leftover burgers and adding them to make a "dirty rice" of sorts but haven't made it that far yet.

Buffalo Chicken Burgers

Makes 4 Burgers

1+handful of ground chicken

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix

1/4 C Breadcrumbs (optional)

1/4 + more to taste Franks Wing Sauce (I opted for the wing sauce over just the hot sauce and would recommend)

1 Medium Onion, minced

1/2 C Parmesan Cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp Olive Oil

4 slices extra sharp cheddar cheese

Tomatoes, lettuce, wing sauce and ranch to serve

Combine ground chicken, ranch dressing mix, wing sauce, onion, parmesan, salt and pepper.  Add breadcrumbs to mixture if texture seems too wet.  Heat oil in skillet.  Form mixture into 4 burger patties.  Cook each side until browned, approximately 10 minutes/side.  Remove from heat and serve with tomatoes, lettuce and extra wing sauce/ranch as desired.

Roasted Grape and Goat Sweet Potatoes

Makes 2 Potatoes

Adapted from: How Sweet It Is

1 C Red Seedless Grapes

1 TBSP Olive Oil

2 Large Sweet Potatoes

1 1/2TBSP + additional for drizzling Raw Honey

1/4 tsp Cinnamon/Sugar Mix

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

3 oz MontCherie Cranberry Cinnamon Goat Cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Puncture sweet potatoes throughout, place each sweet potato in individual foil and bake approximately 1 hour.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Spread grapes onto non-stick baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.  Toss to coat.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until grapes start to pop, remove from oven and set aside.

 Cut slit down the middle of the sweet potato, carefully remove the flesh and add to medium bowl.  Add honey, nutmeg, salt, cayenne pepper, cinnamon/sugar, and 2 oz of goat cheese.  Stir and spoon back into the potato skins.

  Add grapes top top, drizzle with honey and crumbled goat cheese.  Add back to oven and allow to back 15 minutes or until cooked through.

Health and Fitness Update

Quick update - we started a Health and Fitness Challenge at work that I'm really excited about.  It will have us earning points for things such as: working out, parking further, partaking in the bi-weekly lunch walks, and losing weight.  What's most exciting to me is that unlike other fitness challenges, this puts people into healthy habits and healthy lifestyles and its not just about being scale watchers.  For me - it's going to be awesome because I'll get that accountability I am looking for, especially since I am such a competitor - I refuse to let myself lose.

I've been at a plateau in my weight loss challenge, but as usual, I'm ok with that.  I'd rather be healthy and fit and maintain where I'm at, all the while getting stronger every day.  I'm breaking-up with my trainer temporarily.  It's going to be rough on him, but I think he'll be ok.  For the next several weeks, I think I'm going to just focus on my cardio and Tabata intervals to really lean out.  I'll minimize my training to only Saturday's to force me into the gym early - and eliminate my Wednesday's to be able to add another cardio day.  I always seem to be sore, so I feel like my training is almost counterproductive because I can't barrel through as easily as when I take a few days off.  My ultimate goal is to be able to engage in exercise almost daily, but when I train too hard - I just can't get in as much as I want.  Therefore - breakup time - sorry Trainer Mike.

My pants are fitting looser and I can tell that my body shape has changed as I work different muscles.  I'm looking forward to setting a clear goal and working through this work program - there's never a challenge I want to lose!

GOALS
-Lose .5-1 lb this week (I'm at my "muscle high" of 136, which i usually fluctuate between that and 134 depending on soreness)
-Focus on the running
-Go on a break from trainer  Mike

Quinoa Burgers and Cauliflower Pizza

I'm slacking a bit because I took off last Monday and made TWO meatless Monday meals and had the whole day to post, and just didn't make it to it. When I first went Gluten Free - I bought these "Qrunch" quinoa burgers and found them to be absolutely delicious! Ever since, I have been on the hunt for something similar and think I finally found it! While I didn't make the changes I listed, I will make them next time to deliver a flavor a little more to my liking.

         Rosie LOVES "Meatless Monday" but knows better than to beg...

For dinner I made cauliflower crusted pizza to aid in my gluten free lifestyle.  The crust was great and even Steve didn't seem to mind that it was a substitute for the real thing.  We did it "caprese" style with fresh tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella and then I sauted some spinach and onions to add some flavor.

Caprese Styled Cauliflower Pizza

Adapted from Skinny Mom

2 Cups uncooked, frozen cauliflower

1 Cup reduced fat mozzarella, shredded

1 egg, beat

1 tsp Oregano

1 tsp Basil

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp sea salt

1 c fresh spinach

1 small onion, sliced

Fresh Mozzarella - I used the pre-sliced fresh boccini and sliced them in half.

1/2 c fresh marinara

1-2 fresh tomatoes, sliced thin

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Microwave cauliflower for 8-10 minutes or until fully cooked.  Place in food processor and pulse until a rice-like consistency (I used my Ninja blender on "pulse" and that worked perfectly). Place cauliflower on paper towel and allow extra moisture to soak in.  In a medium bowl, mix together cauliflower, egg and cheese. Add oregano, basil, garlic and sea salt.  Mix well, ensuring the cheese has melted.  Cover a pizza sheet with parchment paper (it is important that you use parchment and nothing else "non-stick"). Spray generously with cooking spray. Spread cauliflower mixture into round shape starting from the outside and working your way inward being careful to spread it as thing as possible without breaking through.  If you start from the middle, it will tend to be thicker and will not crisp through as nicely! Cook for 20-22 minutes until "crust" is golden brown and bubbling. 

 Meanwhile, saute onions and spinach allowing spinach to wilt.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

 Once crust is browned, remove from oven and add ingredients - sauce, then tomatoes, then spinach and onion mixture and top with desired amount of fresh mozzarella. Turn oven to broil, cook until cheese is melted and slightly bubbling.

Qrunchy Quinoa Burgers

Adapted from: Chatelaine

Serving Size - 4

1/2 C uncooked quinoa (makes about 2 cups cooked)

1 tsp coconut oil

1 C coarsely grated zucchini

3/4 C coarsely grated carrots

1/2 C finely grated broccoli

1 small shallot, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 egg, beaten

3 tbsp corn starch or arrowroot powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Quickly brown quinoa in a fry pan until you can smell the aroma- this helps to really bring out the flavor of the quinoa. Remove and add to a fine strainer and rinse - quinoa has a bitter shell and rinsing helps eliminate that to again, bring out the flavor.  Cook according to package directions (most packages are for 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of water, since this is only  half a cup, use one cup of water OR cook 1 cup of quinoa and then measure out the 2 cooked cups - ya follow? In fry pan, heat the coconut oil.  Add in onions and allow to caramelize.  Add garlic and then vegetables in the following order: broccoli, carrots, zucchini - cook for several minutes or until all the vegetables are softened, add cooked quinoa and stir to combine.  Transfer to large bowl and add in the egg, corn starch (or arrowroot), salt and red pepper, stir until just combined.  Using 1/4 measuring cup, scoop in the mixture.  Heat oil, add mixture and form into patties.  Cook on each side allowing quinoa to brown (approximately 7 minutes/side).  These are best when served immediately as the quinoa has a great, crunchy texture.  However if you want to make them and reheat, I recommend reheating in the oven or in a pan - the microwave is fine but it just doesn't do the dish justice! Serve plain with a tahini sauce, or on a roll.