easy being green

So, as I told you yesterday, my morning mug of oats photos were deleted =) 

Layered oats – Round 2

Layers:

1. 1/3c. oats + 2/3c. rice milk + 1/3c. pumpkin + cinnamon + 1/2 banana
2. appx. 2oz. Vanilla Coconut Milk yogurt
3. Baked pumpkin/oatmeal bars [they solidified more after the first night and were much better the next day…especially w/a quick zap in the microwave]
4. glob of Whole Foods organic creamy [no stir!!!] peanut butter [my new fav. pnut butter, for sure! appx. $3.50]

Loving the clear, pyrex, mug =) 

This was my first time eating this coconut yogurt.  It is a great substitute for people that cannot tolerate dairy.  It had a great consistency [nice and smooth] and good flavor, with a mild hint of coconut.  The only downside is the protein count.  It only has 2g protein.  Regular yogurt has 6g [usually] and Greek yogurt has about 14g!  So, while it was tasty, I probably won’t buy it again…

I have been wanting to try making a Green Monster smoothie for awhile.  This past week I finally stocked up on some green goods! 

Amazing Grass, wheat grass, is the fuzzy looking stuff in the front.  Green is not my favorite color, but I think it is my favorite FOOD color!

Ashley’s Green Monster – Round 1

1. 1/2 org. pear
2. 1 org. whole kiwi [yes, with the skin!]
3. 1/4 org. avocado
4. 1/2 org. granny smith apple 
5. 1 packet Amazing Grass wheat grass powder
6. 3-4oz. vanilla coconut yogurt [had to use up the rest!]
7. 1/4c. low-fat coconut milk
8. handful of ice

i <3 green food

Chris has been ALL about the kiwi lately.  It is such a great addition to this drink because of its sweet, tangy flavor.  The skin is edible, and so good for you!

Layered in the blender.  I don’t really know what you’re supposed to put in first…but I started with the ice =)  I chopped up all the fruit into chunks and left the skin on the apple and pear as well..but not the avocado ;)

Chris was not 100% sold on my idea for this..especially because I was just winging it with no recipe =)  He liked it a lot though and so did I!  The grass flavor will take a little getting used to, but overall I really liked the flavor and thickness.

My lunch: green monster in a whiskey glass =) and 2 mini lentil burgers with a light layer of cheese.

Can I just tell you, again, that these lentil burgers are SO good.  The mixture [that I made on Tuesday] was still perfectly fresh.  The lentils take awhile to cook, but the recipe is super simple.  You must give it a try! 

I really like when I can put my food in a clear glass/bowl.  It’s just more fun =)

Watch out for Green Monster Round 2!  I have a feeling these are going to become a quick habit!  After I made my first one, I stumbled on the OhSheGlows food blog.  She has a whole website dedicated to Green Monster drinks!  She also started her own granola bar business [like me!]. Glo Bakery

Have a great weekend and eat something GREEN!!! =)

Ashley

double whammy

Whammy #1 - Chris + I don’t have the same system for using the digi SLR camera.  I leave photos on the memory card and then delete all after a few days.  Chris deletes them all as soon as he uploads them. 

Well, to make a long story short…we were both using the camera today, and my breakfast photos got deleted by the husband!!!  It was just oatmeal…but I really liked how 2 of the photos came out.  I’ll have to repeat tomorrow..oh well =)  I had some good layer action going on, in a clear mug!

Whammy #2 – I forgot my memory card in my computer when we went boarding today.  It seems when I forget my camera or memory card there are always more things than usual I want photos of!

We brought the dogs with us and they were hilarious in the back trunk area of the new car.  Everyone brings their dogs to the mountain while they ski/board!  They did great and after, we took them to play at Loveland Pass.  It was Kenna’s first time playing in the snow.  She was hilarious!  They enjoyed themselves and have been completely zonked out ALL night…even caught them cuddling =)

I packed lunch, as usual!  PB+J and yogurt for me…had some Starbucks on the way home.  Like pumpkin latte’s but hate all the extra calories and cost!?  Try getting a regular coffee with a shot of pumpkin syrup [high fructose I’m sure…oh well, I couldn’t see the label! =)] and a little milk. 

HAPPPPPY 3YR ANNIVERSARY TO PAT + NATALIE!!!  I made red beans + rice, that I have been meaning to make for the past 2 weeks.  I finally remembered to soak the beans overnight =)

Beans + sautéed onion/celery/garlic/green pepper + seasonings

Poor Pat and Natalie have been sick ALL week.  I was hoping this meal would help…and a little gift that Chris and I put together.  We got the idea from a gift Kelsey got for her birthday!  It was so simple and cute we had to repeat it =)

All wrapped up in a WF bag =) I am a huge dork and even taped the handles back on to look like a bag…it was so cute and saved some money on wrapping paper!

Their cutie dog, Maggie!

I followed this recipe, almost exactly, for the red beans + rice.  I doubled the cayenne pepper, cajun seasoning, added 1t garlic powder, about 10 black pepper grinds, and 1t sea salt. 

All mixed up, before the water was added.  Then just let it simmer for 2.5hrs and stir a few times. Easy!

You can’t have red beans + rice without cornbread!  This is my favorite.recipe.ever [for cornbread]!!!

101 Cookbooks Cornbread

Batter bowl…While the beans were cooking away, I got busy with this!

Here is what I changed: [Leave me a comment and email address if you want the High Altitude alterations!]

1. No red pepper flakes.  There was enough spice in the main dish.  I like plain cornbread! =) 
2. Also, I normally use the buttermilk, but didn’t want to buy a whole carton of it.  So, I subbed in low-fat coconut milk and it worked perfectly!  There was not even a hint of coconut flavor. Don’t worry! 
3. 2 1/2c. corn in 1 pan is a LOT of corn.  I use 1c. [frozen] max!
4. 2T of butter in the bottom of the pan is definitely enough..no need for the third =)

Super moist + great texture! 

All of my timing worked out, even as I was scrambling to get that photo of maggie printed [last minute, oops!], and get it all wrapped up. 

Topped it with 3/4 of a local Boulder Andouille sausage! mmm

Actually…this dish ended up too spicy for me, with all the extras I added in.  The other 3 in the house can tolerate a lot more spice than I can, so it worked out.  I ate about 1/2.  I would have been happy with a whole plate of the cornbread!! =)

Off to get my sleep on…niiight!

Ashley

p.s. my new blog domain space has been secured =) hope to get it up and running by early next week!

triple yum

Today was super productive!! Always nice to cross things off the to-do list. 

Breakfast: oats + rice milk + whole banana + dollup brown rice syrup + pnut butter glob = always delicious

Do you guys ever eat Kale?? It is a completely underrated leafy green! I only started cooking with it about 1yr ago.  Chris and I both love it.  I either roast it in the oven [alone or with other veg] or pan sauté it.  Today it went in the pan. 

Drizzle a little olive oil in the pan and set to medium. Rip the kale leaves off the stem, wash, and dry.  Chop to bite size pieces and let cook in the pan about 7min.  I also sprinkle on a little salt + garlic powder.  It has great flavor and still holds a nice crunch even after cooking.  YUM

Lunch: pan sautéed kale + leftover veggies + noodles [sunday’s dinner] + sunny side up egg on top.  The egg was seriously so good on the veggies.  Provides a nice little sauce and lots of protein =)

With a side of POM!

I decided to make tomorrow’s breakfast, TOday!  Back to the baked oatmeal snack bars I tried out a few days ago [from Kath’s blog].  I wanted to play with it more this time though! 

Insert PUMPKIN =)

Here was altered ingredient list: [needs to be reworked more though]

• 1.5c. oats
• 3/4c. pumpkin puree
• 1T flaxseed meal
• 3T water [combine with the flax]
• 1.25c. unsweetened rice milk
• 1/4c. brown rice syrup [or cane sugar/maple syrup/honey/etc.]
• 1 sliced banana
• 2t. vanilla
• 1-1/4t. cinnamon
• 1/4t. cloves
• 1/4t. ginger
• 1/4t. nutmeg

So I am experimenting with substituting flax + water, as an egg substitute.  For no reason in particular…just want to see if it works, like it says it does on the side of the bag! Not sure I would go trying this in cake recipes, but we’ll see ;)

Bob’s Red Mill – ground flaxseed meal – For replacing 1 egg combine 1T flax meal with 3T water and let sit for 2min then stir in with other ingredients.

I also left out the nuts and dried fruit and instead subbed in 1 sliced banana and the pumpkin.  I may or may not have also added in 1/3c. dark chocolate chunks ;)

I made adjustments for the higher altitude, [the recipe I provided is normal elevation] but something was definitely off =(  The flavor is good but it’s too wet.  I even cooked it for 10min longer than I thought I needed to.  Maybe the flax didn’t gel it together like the egg would have?  Or maybe Rice milk doesn’t bake in the same way cow’s milk does?  I figured it shouldn’t matter what type of liquid you use…kind of like when you’re making a bowl of oats, you can use whatever.  I think I’ll just use less liquid next time especially because of the pumpkin addition + banana which added extra moisture.

I’ll let you know when I get it right!!  I was cooking dinner + making the bars at the same time which made me need this…

Wine in a whiskey glass =) Oat bars in the background…

Dinner: my made up version of stuffed peppers – Greek style

Serves 6:

• Cook 1c. of whatever rice/grain you want – I used short grain brown rice
• While that is cooking preheat your oven to 400* – cut 6 peppers in half – clean them out – brush with olive oil – place in a pan cut side down – roast for 30min
• Cook whatever meat you’re using, if you’re using any.  I used 3/4lb ground lamb [local colorado lamb! yeehaw] and .25lbs grass fed beef
• Drain the grease and use that pan to sauté 1 small onion + 1 med. tomato  for about 5-7min. on medium
• Wash – dry – chop 4 big handfuls of kale leaves and add them in the mix for another 5 or so minutes
• Take off the heat and add in about 1c. spinach
• When rice or grain is done, fluff with fork and combine with meat and veggies.
• Take out peppers and stuff them full.  Cover the pan with foil and bake at 350* for 30min.
• Uncover, top with feta, and broil for 5min.

After baking, but before the feta was broiled on top…

If you have any questions let me know…I typed that out fast!! I’m wiped out =)

I don’t have the exact cost right now, but it was pretty cheap.  The peppers were on sale for 55 cents!! They weren’t organic but at least they weren’t covered in wax.  I couldn’t pass up that deal. 

Pantry items were: rice/feta/spinach/tomatoes/onion

I only had to buy the peppers, meat, and kale!

Goooooooooooodnight!

Off to the mountains again tomorrow =)

Ashley

strapped in

Last night Chris mentioned going snowboarding today or tomorrow.  It still seems strange to 1. be able to snowboard in october 2. to actually live in Colorado and be able to snowboard pretty much whenever we want…

This morning I checked the forecast and today sounded better than tomorrow so we got ready and headed out. 

I packed some snacks for the ride home because mountain food is $$$ and you know I’m not stopping for fast “food.” ;)

First time trying Chobani Greek yogurt.  Deelicious!  It was about 70 cents cheaper than Oikos, however not organic.  This was my first time eating the Chocolate Coffee LARABAR.  My feeling for these bars is still “meh.”  Chris doesn’t like them because of the texture.  They are o.k. to me, but I mainly eat them because they are filling and have an impressive ingredient list.

I like bars with more varying textures, like KIND bars. mmmm 

I was really in the mood for coffee and we were going to be passing riiight by NOVO Coffee, a Denver based coffee shop.  This also happens to be right next to Great Harvest Bread Co. 

Natural Grocers + Sunflower Market are in the same plaza too, so when I do my Monday shopping I definitely go in all 4 places =) [GHBC to the left]

I got a Pumpkin Latte, which had the perfect pumpkin spice flavor, and no gross syrup taste.  We went into GHBC, were given 2 HUGE samples, and bought a loaf of their Oregon bread.  

Okay…I have a funny story about GHBC and our dog, Dakota.  Yesterday, I went there to buy breadsticks and buns.  All of their bread types have names and the buns I got were made with their “Dakota” bread.  So, I came home and unloaded all the cold groceries, but left the pantry stuff out.  [I was in a hurry for my interview]  Chris got home 10min after I left to find that Dakota ATE 1/2 of the Dakota buns!!!!!! SO dumb + hilarious all at the same time. =)

The slice was bigger than my hand…so delicious + filling.

bread + coffee + snowboarding + husband = HAPPY ASHLEY [but not in that order, haha]

Not a ton of snow in the mountains yet.  There was only 1 run open today.

We will be back to the mountain soon!  I love that my winter running clothes double as base layers for boarding =)

We came home, famished!  What’s for dinnerrrr?  Lentil veggie burgers!  I didn’t have super high expectations for these but they totally wowed us both!  Chris said this is a keeper, for sure.

Brain fart in the kitchen!  I cooked 3c. of uncooked lentils = 6c. cooked lentils. DOUBLE of what I needed, hehe.  Misread the recipe…woooops! 

The only changes to the recipe that I made were adding 2 cloves garlic, and some garlic/salt/parsley seasoning mix [about 1/2tsp].  This recipe was super easy.  It just takes a little while to cook the lentils.  Oh, and I used dark green lentils.  I could not find black lentils at 3 different stores.

I topped them with a little asiago/mozz/avocado and Chris added jalapenos.  We ate them with the herbed Oregon bread and I dipped mine in plain Greek yogurt which was SO delicious!  Also, made a side of Alexia’s fries.  Insanely filling + healthy meal.

The flavor was GREAT.  I thought it might be a little bland..but definitely not.  I added the 1c. breadcrumbs but next time will add a little less as they were sliiightly dry.  You want the mixture to be pretty wet but still able to be formed into patties that don’t fall apart.

We both decided these are DEfinitely better than black bean burgers and there are tons of leftovers!  On the 101 site, it says you can keep the uncooked mixture in the fridge for a week!  These will be perfect for lunches.  The recipe said to make 12 mini burgers but I made 6 full size patties.

pantry items: olive oil, cheese, garlic, eggs, seasoning mix

Total Cost: $11.40/6 = $1.90  INsanely CHEAP and again almost 100% organic! This price includes the fries/yogurt/avocado too! However, I didn’t include the special loaf we got at GHBC which was a little pricey.  You can use any bread or buns…still super cheap =)

Adios foodies…I’m pooped!

Ashley

ROLLUPS

Do you guys remember eating rollups as a kid?  What was SO appealing about it?  It seriously felt like plastic…Maybe it was the shapes that you could punch out of it, or the “fruit” flavors, or competing with your friend to see who could stuff the whole thing in their mouth and swallow it first.

Either way…I did not eat that kind of a rollup today, I ate lasagna rollups!  Much tastier =)

Today was a busy day:

4 mile run –> plan this week’s meals –> weekly grocery shopping –> get ready for and go to interview –> come home clean + cook dinner --> pick up pat + natalie at the airport –> eat dinner

The interview [to be a vegan chef at a preschool] went really well.  We’ll see what happens though!!  It would be a great opportunity and something new and exciting to try =)  I love cooking, kids, and teaching people about healthy living…so it’s pretty ideal!

Dinner time:  I’m sure there are recipes for something like this out there, but I made this up and it’s super easy aaand affordable!

It’s kind of hard to find whole wheat lasagna noodles.  I found them at the first store I went to but thought I could get them cheaper at Whole Foods.  They ended up not having them [it is a small Whole Foods].  These were still made with wheat flour though, and were oh so tasty.

Lasagna Roll-Ups: serves 5

16-18 lasagna noodles

• 1 jar sauce
• 4oz. mozzarella
• 4oz. harder shredded cheese, like parmesan or asiago
• 5oz container spinach
• 1 medium container small curd cottage cheese
• pepperoni [optional if you want meat or not]

1. Fill a large pot with water and 1T of salt and bring to a boil.
2. Add the lasagna noodles being careful not to break them.  Cook until al dente [about 7min].
3. Dump noodles into strainer and rinse with cold water to stop cooking.
4. Lay noodles flat on a kitchen towel [to dry them].
5. Preheat oven to 400*
6. In a 9x13 pan add about 3/4c. sauce [a light coat]
7. Take 1 noodle at a time and add [from end to end] about 2T cottage cheese, then a single layer of spinach, a single layer of pepperoni, sprinkle of parm/asiago cheese.
8. Tightly roll being careful not to tear the noodle and place seam side down in the pan.
9. Repeat until all are rolled.
10. Cover rollups with the rest of the container of spinach and spread the rest of the jar of pasta sauce on top.
11. Cover with foil and put in the oven for 30min. 
12. Take out, uncover pan, sprinkle with mozz. cheese and broil for 3-5 min. until golden and bubbly.

I made some without pepperoni for myself =)  Cottage cheese is the perfect substitute for ricotta cheese!

All rolled up…they’re just so cute!

All done with a light coating of cheese on top! 4oz of cheese goes a long way.

My plate, with a Great Harvest Bread Co. breadstick!

pantry items: none

Total cost: $22.08/5 servings = $4.41 – This included $3 for the breadsticks.  Leave out the pepperoni and save a few bucks!  Also, except for the pepperoni, it was 100% organic! =)

Niiiiiiight

Ashley

bouldering in boulder

When I left Colorado, the weather was snowy and in the 20’s.  Cleveland was in the 40’s the whole week and dreary.  Today was such a nice change!  It was sunny and 80* in CO today.  We were itching to get outside.

Chris found a spot, not too far away, to do some traverse bouldering.  We don’t have a crash pad yet, so we didn’t want to do too much vertical climbing.  This was the perfect little spot to practice on real rock.

In between a rock and a hard spot [or just a tree]

Awesome view!

 

 

Dinna’ time!  It’s been awhile since I did pan roasted veggies over pasta.  It’s really delicious and extremely easy. 

Oven @400* – whatever veggies you want – roast about 40min [softer veg. can go in for the last 15min, like zucc, kale, tomatoes, etc.] – toss with olive oil, s+p – top whole wheat pasta w/veggies, a touch of sauce + a little cheese! It’s one of our favorites.

Veggie combo: sweet potato/onion/garlic/brussel sprouts [went in first] zucc/kale/tomatoes [went in after 25min]

The sweet potato might seem out of place, but I promise it was delicious!

Roasted Kale is really good…love the crunch!

My plate with a little vodka sauce + cheese

Up close + personal

Cracked open a bottle of our “Dope Whine,” after dinner tonight.  We got a gift certificate to make our own wine, from a bunch of friends, as a wedding gift.  We got 30 bottles!! Yes, that is our boxer Dakota on the label.  She is pretty dopey and whiney..which is where the name idea came from ;)

Chris took this photo!

This could be the best/worst new addiction ever.  Move over Ben + Jerry’s FroYo…blegh!  Stonyfields frozen yogurt is UHmazing!! Seriously tastes like delicious fattening icecream! =) It has 130cals per serving and I think 1.5g fat [can’t remember exactly].  It is SO good.  You would never guess this was yogurt.  The caramel is really good too.  Doesn’t have a fake, weird sweetener taste to it. YUM!!!!

Time to relax!!

Byeeeeeeeee

Ashley