Well Heeeeey ya'll.

Dinner is a beautiful thing:

Hatch-a-licious Homemade Pizza

First of all the homemade crust! via eatingwell.com

Delicious! You could also add some things to the dough: roasted garlic, cracked pepper or green chiles!

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees


Next:

-1/2 Orange Bell Pepper, chopped
-1/2 Yellow Onion, chopped
-2 Cloves of Garlic, minced
-As much fresh cilantro as you want, chopped
-We had just a little sausage left and fried it with a little olive oil
- Cheddar, Colby Jack and HERE'S the magic ingredient- Feta Cheese!!

Now, we didn't realize that we were pizza sauce-less so we winged it:

-1 can of tomato sauce
-Red Pepper, to taste
-Oregano, to taste
-Garlic Powder, to taste

-Once the dough has risen (how biblical), roll it out into a circle or some semblance of one. Yes, I used a can of Pam as my rolling pin, no I'm not ashamed to be a bit of a redneck.




-Add the sauce, cheese and veggies

-Bake for 13-16 minutes

Taaaadaaaa:



I think the Feta Cheese really made it extra tasty because of it's extra salt component.

We also had a fruit salad of peaches, mandarin oranges and apple.

I'm baaack. Sorry I took such a long break from this! I had the Quartz Mountain Music Festival and then moved into my own place!!

So, did you have sandwiches everyday in Junior High and can't stand to eat another ham sandwich from home again?
Why not reinvent it a bit?

For me, I find an excuse to not bring my lunch to school or work, and get Burger King or Taco Bell. Which, every once in a while is fine, it can be a treat for being good, but it's time to buckle down and be a lunch box Queen!


Yesterday, I made a ham sandwich:

Magically Simple Ham Sandwich:

-Favorite Wheat Roll
- Lite Mayo
- Blackforest Ham shaved
-A leaf or two of lettuce
-Two slices of tomato
-Slice of Muenster Cheese
-Cracked Pepper




All of this is to your taste. I was in the cheese aisle and the cheap cheese slices were 2 for $5 and Muenster was a choice! Sooo good! I love that kind of ham sandwich meat, but some shaved turkey or chicken breast would be absolutely delicious!






I also had some Pretzel Thins and two baby dill pickles!


That was yesterday's lunch!


This morning I invited my parents over and made my very first omelet!!


Recipe:
-1/4 Onion, chopped
- 1/2 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
-5 or 6 Button Mushrooms, sliced
-4 sprigs of Cilantro, chopped
-4 strips of Bacon, cooked and chopped
-2 teaspoons Olive Oil
-6 eggs, whisked
-2 cups Colby Jack cheese, shredded

~Cook the bacon and set aside
~ Heat a good sized skillet to medium heat and add olive oil, once up to temperature add the onions. Once they are translucent add the bell pepper and cook until soft, then toss in the rest of the veggies and chopped bacon.

~ Set your oven to Bake at 375



~After the veggies have cooked for about ten minutes add the eggs evenly over the mixture
~Release the egg from the side of the skillet every 3 minutes or so
~After the egg has set (about 15 minutes) add the cheese on top and pop the skillet in the oven
~ Cook for 5 minutes
~ Take out and be BRAVE and flip the omelet over itself with a large spatula
~Top with cheese and some cilantro to be pretty

I had some salsa on the side!

Ello my loves!

Well I've been packing alllll day and practicing but I did manage to make a scrumptious dinner!!


I made a grilled portobello sandwich!

--Package of sliced portobello mushrooms (just happened to be cheaper than buying them whole)
--Favorite Italian Dressing, 1 Tablespoon
--Fresh Cilantro, a few springs
--Green Onion, chopped
--Avocado, halved then sliced thinly
--Romaine Lettuce, a few leaves
--Whole Wheat Rolls (the same brand I used for the turkey burgers earlier this week)


-Clean the mushrooms then place in a large bowl
-Add the Italian dressing and toss the mushrooms until coated evenly, refrigerate the mushrooms for at least 30 minutes

-Prepare the other ingredients in the mean time

-Heat a griddle to medium high heat
-Cook mushrooms for about 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until browned
-Place to cool

---Make your sandwich!!




My dad asked if we needed chips from the store and I thought "We don't need chips!". So I instantly thought of a pasta side salad:

--Cooked whole wheat pasta
--Red and green bell pepper, Sliced
--Cilantro
--Carrots, chopped
--Cucumber, sliced
--Another 2 Tablespoons of your fav. Italian dressing

--Chill until ready to serve!

And hello alternative side dish!!



And for dessert a simple sugar free banana pudding with Nilla Wafers and fresh banana mixed in!!

What up ya'll?

I made a pretty standard breakfast today:

--Toasted whole wheat english muffin with sugar-free apricot preserves on one side and peanut butter on the other. An open faced muffin if you will (says in an english accent).
--A "pink lady" apple cut into baby pieces because I'm a wimp with my braces.
--Plus a glass of my fav. orange juice: Simply Orange with Mango!!



~~~

So, last night I was racking my brain for something for lunch. We're out of lettuce and spinach, so a big salad was out, but I have the perfect fixin's for quesadillas!!

My recipe:
Olive Oil
1/4 of an Onion, chopped
A clove of garlic, minced
1/4 green squash, sliced
3 or 4 florets of broccoli, halved
3 or 4 button mushrooms, sliced
2 whole wheat tortillas
2 slices of 2% american cheese


--Heat your skillet over medium to high heat and add just a drizzle of olive oil
--Sauté onions and garlic until the onions are translucent
--Add the rest of your veggies and let cook for 5 minutes
*Stir occasionally

-Meanwhile in another skillet heat to medium heat
-Place tortillas in the skillet and let them heat for a minute
-Add one slice of cheese to each tortilla and cook for 3 minutes


~~Fun fact: Did you know you're not supposed to rinse your mushrooms? I used to go to town on my mushrooms and just toss all of them in a colander and rinse away. But! Ohhhh but! They wouldn't brown! The secret is that they absorb the water and can't release the liquid! So, all you have to do is keep a wet towel by you and hand rinse the mushrooms as you go!


--Add the veggies to one tortilla and place the other on top
--Flip after about a minute and cook for another minute




Voilà!
Quesadillas!!

I'm also having:
Green Mountain Gringo Salsa to dip the quesadillas in--an awesome salsa if you've never had it!
A few tortilla chips
A slice of the Key Lime Tart I made the night before last

And as a snack for later a Red Velvet Cake Yogurt


Stay tuned for my dinner later tonight!


Cookin' Music:

Artist: The Whitest Boy Alive
Album: Dreams

Hey! I for real did not want to wake up this morning!

I always have these fantastic ideas, when I go to bed, about what I'll do in the morning. Sometimes it's walking the dogs, riding my bike, making a crock pot meal for later, practicing scales. Usually what happens is I lay in bed, finally turn on the t.v. to Charmed (judge away) or Bravo and skip breakfast.

Like I said today was no different than any other day, I layed in bed. But!! Alas! I got up and made some oats!



I made a single serving on the stove:

-Just a cup of water (or milk) to a boil
-Add a half cup of oats and cook for 1 minute
-Then I put it in a bowl added about a half tablespoon of honey and half a banana! (I split this with my dad)

SUPER easy! And (for those not equipped with a stove) you can toooootally do this in a microwave!
I'm going to do this in the winter with some dried cranberries or apricots (or any awesome dried fruit) and add your favorite nut!!

Oh! I also had a glass of vanilla soy milk.

Now lunch on the other hand was DE-LI-CIOUS:

-I took a whole wheat sandwich roll (the brand I bought is incredibly soft and tasty).
-I spread a half a wedge of Laughing Cow: Mozzarella with Sun dried Tomato and Basil Cheese on each side of the roll.
-Sliced some cucumber, fresh cilantro and spinach.
-Lastly some deli sliced ham!




Instead of potato chips I had peppercorn water crackers and some sun dried tomato and artichoke hummus, and used the rest of the Laughing Cow cheese on the crackers as well! Definitely more satisfying than chips!

Finally the centerpiece of that delectable picture above is the Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies via this awesome site Whole Grain Gourmet

They're great! I probably would add 1/4 cup of water if I made them again, because the dough was a bit dry but still flavorful!
I added chocolate chips, a 1/4 cup of brown sugar and chopped walnuts.


~~~~~

Can you tell I love sun dried tomatoes? I think after I get back from the music festival I'm going to next week I might try to sun dry some myself!!

Cookin' Music:

Nothin' wrong with a little old school White Stripes: White Blood Cells

Okay!

Dinner numero uno!

I decided to make some "My Big Fat Greek Burgers" via Foodnetwork.com



Stuffed Turkey Burger:
Stuffed with onion, spinach and sundried tomato basil feta cheese, on a whole wheat roll.
There is a lime cilantro mayo with cucumber and spinach.




I kind of improvised the dressing, because I went to the store and they didn't have plain Greek Yogurt! So I made it a mayo instead of a yogurt topping.

and then

Key Lime Tart via myrecipes.com.






So, I tried to do the "pasteurized" egg yolks it called for, but I scrambled them and it called for four yolks so I felt guilty and gave them to the dogs. I didn't do the meringue because it called for pasteurized egg whites and they can suck it. The crust went great though!

I also added a scoop of Mango Sorbet! Nom!

Can I get an AMEN?






Dancin' to:
Artist: Ghostland Observatory
Album: Paparazzi Lightning

Let's get real guys, you can't eat out once a day and expect not to gain weight. I have grown up on drinking several sodas a day and eating out several times a week. If we don't eat out we have ground beef or something fried. It's hard to resist what's put in front of you but that's what I intend to do.

I don't believe in diets or pills to speed up my weight loss. Maybe that's why it's so hard for me to actually start. I don't see the point in using something that will give great initial results and then screw you once you stop using it.

My goal is to fix a healthy satisfying lunch and cook a tasty fulfilling dinner every night.


This is my permanent change.

Genesis

In the beginning there was Sam Beam. At least for me that is. I must say I never really listened to must as a kid, I remember my Nirvana obsessed brother asking me in the second grade what music I listened to. In panic I threw out Hanson, he laughed. It wasn't until eighth grade that I was bit by the ravenous bug that I surrendered to.

This isn't meant to be full of "indie" ideas of the glory of the unsigned or the uncouth mainstream. I listen to what I like, so what if they've made enough to buy a Jag, I'd buy one too!

I'm a classical musician who has surrendered myself to Beethoven, Brahms and Ben Folds. And thus I write with admission of what I like, love and loathe.

So it begins!