M: A Couple Days of Dinners and a Yoga Sidenote! Filed under ( chicken, giveaway, Healthy, Italian, life, Mexican, Vegetables, yoga )

Happy Saturday! And what a beautiful few days it has been here in Charleston! Yesterday was sunny and in the 70’s! I am so counting down the days until the pool is open again!

So, I wanted to share a couple of my other dinners this week. They aren’t quite as noteworthy as my recent Rachael Ray dinners, but they are just as good =) And they are always on my regular dinner rotations.

First up, the other day I made these tomato balsamic glazed chicken meatballs from the Crepes of Wrath. This recipe I have posted before, but it has become one of my very favorites so it’s definitely worthy of another mention =)

And last night I cooked up some homemade chicken fajitas. This was actually the first time I marinated my veggies and chicken all day for a fajita recipe and I used this five spice marinade I found at Whole Foods (this is made exclusively for WF so I don’t think you can get it anywhere else):

It is slightly citrusy and full of flavor and spice and even just a little sweet! My favorite part? I recognize every ingredient on the ingredient list, which is always a plus =) This marinade really made our fajitas over the top good!

My marinated chicken, pepper, and onion mixture was spooned into our tortillas and topped with black beans, salsa and cheese:

Yum!

Lastly, I really wanted to share a little from an article I read in this season’s Yoga International Magazine. If you practice meditation and/or yoga or are thinking about trying it, I believe this will catch your interest and you can really see the benefits that come from it.

I don’t think it’s any secret that a lot of our men and women serving overseas suffer from some amount of mental distress during and/or after deployment. To that resolution, the Dept. of Defense has initiated iRest (Integrative Restoration Institute), a holistic health program for soldiers using methods such as meditation, Yoga Nidra, and acupuncture. (visit iRest’s Military article here for more detail, this is really a great read).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDBnUsGglcs

The idea is that our soldiers can’t just be physically ready for anything, but they also need to be able to mentally survive and be able to thrive in their lives during and after deployment.

From the iRest article, “iRest offers the men and women serving in the Armed Forces and veterans in all walks of civilian life, a simple tool for healing through the variety of symptoms and issues that they are facing while actively serving or after being discharged from the service of our country”. Said one Iraq War Vet, “Instead of feeling like there is something wrong with us, iRest makes us feel there is something right with us”.

I truly think it is so fantastic that the influences of yoga and meditation have found their way to the men and women in our military!

Ok, that’s my yoga/meditation note for the day =)

Don’t forget to enter into our Stonyfield giveaway by noon tomorrow! Just visit Erica’s previous post for details! Have a great rest of the weekend!

M: Pumpkin Maple Granola and Aurorae Yoga Filed under ( Breakfast, fruit, giveaway, life, product review, vegetarian, yoga )

I begin with apologizing because you are probably SO tired of all the pumpkin overload! But, since I have can after can in my pantry just in case there is another shortage, I need to use the stuff up. I know, I'm a little pumpkin obsessed. I just remember around this time last year when I needed it and couldn't find it any where! So I'm more than covering my bases this year!



Enter this pumpkin maple granola recipe I found from Two Peas and Their Pod. I followed it almost exactly, but since I couldn't find pepitas at the grocery store, I omitted those, and I also added about 1/3 cup of raisins (because I love raisins in my granola) with the dried cranberries. The hubs and I gobbled most of this up in the mornings mixed in with our yogurt, but there are so many different things you can use granola for!

And can I please tell you how amazing my kitchen smelled while baking it in the oven? I also love the mixture of the maple syrup, pureed pumpkin, and applesauce. It's sweet, but the maple is not overbearing at all. The fall spices are seriously the star in this granola, so if you like nutmeg and cinnamon, then you are in the right place!




Yum! Now onto subject #2 =)

So, as I'm sure most of you don't know about me, I practice yoga...as much as I can. It has become a very important part of my life and has truly helped me find balance and peace, especially during times when I have needed it most. I have never enjoyed the gym - actually it is a place I have come to really dislike. Don't get me wrong, I used to be there almost everyday working my butt off, but I just despised going for many different reasons. And please don't misunderstand, I admire people who love the gym and enjoy it, I wish I did! But, different things work for different people - not everyone enjoys the gym, not everyone enjoys yoga, etc, right? I just got to the point where I couldn't do it any more and I needed to find something that I loved that was healthy for me at the same time. Enter my first yoga session =)



The whole idea of yoga is immersing yourself in a pose mentally and physically and letting go of everything else, just breathing in and out. It's like a pause in the middle of your everyday chaotic life. As Tara Brach stated in her book "Radical Acceptance", "The sacred pause helps us reconnect with teh present moment. Especially when we are caught up in striving and obsessing and leaning into the future, pausing enables us to reenter the mystery and vitality only found here and now".

You can see that when you put yourself in an environment where your focus is quieting your mind/pausing and strengthening and stretching your body at the same time, it is amazing what can come of it! I can be having an incredibly hard day and literally be driving to yoga ridden with anxiety or stress, but the second I walk into that studio and sit on that mat, I am calm.



My time on the mat is very important, and I have had a great week of yoga so far thanks to this incredible new one that the nice people at Aurorae Yoga sent me (disclaimer: I received this product for free) - all of the pictures on this post are of me on my new mat. First of all, let me show you my old mat in comparison to my new Aurorae mat (the old one is in green - if you couldn't tell!)



These mats are the thickest I've seen - I mean, compared to my old one, it was like I was sitting on a cloud! Although they are not too thick to grip onto. They are odor-free and made of eco-friendly materials! The mats are also extra long so your body is always cradled by the mat no matter what pose you are in. And, lets talk about how much deeper I feel like I can go into savasana! I could fall asleep!

I truly feel like I have had so much more support underneath of me with this mat through my yoga sessions, and much more support for my knees and other joints. You can also get the rosin bag (disclaimer: I received this product for free) which I think is crucial to have with your mat - it is like gymnast chalk in a little baggie that you can just pat onto your mat or your hands and feet so you don't slip around, which can be so important to have during those hot yoga sessions while you're sweating like crazy! I felt much more grounded! I also used my new mat for meditation, which was also a great experience.



I was so happy when I saw that I had received the lavender mat. All Aurorae mats come in different colors which represent different meanings. The lavender represents spiritual, soothing, calming, and meditative, which is perfect for me and why I practice yoga.



I just can't say enough about this yoga mat. It makes me want to practice even more often than I already do just so I can use it more frequently! I am really so pleased with the mat that my plan is to order some of their awesome accessories as well. They have everything from denim yoga mat bags and yoga blocks to organic spray mat wash.

Seriously, if you love yoga, or maybe want to start doing yoga, and are thinking about getting some props or a new mat, I really recommend visiting Auroraeyoga.com or go to their Amazon store - all of their products are so reasonably priced. The people that work at Aurorae are also such nice people and you can truly see that they care about yoga and want to stay true to its values. I support a company like that!

Til next time!

Namaste =)




P.S. Don't forget to enter our CSN Stores Giveaway! Entries must be in by tomorrow morning at 7:00AM! Just refer back to our previous post. We will announce the winner tomorrow!

M: My Best Friend's Wedding and Tomato-Balsamic Chicken Meatballs! Filed under ( appetizer, chicken, life )

Can we please talk about how excited I am about Conan O'Brien coming back to TV in November? Ok, I had to get that out.

So, I have this friend...she's my best friend really...we've been best friends for about 14 years now. No, seriously...that's like unheard of, right? Pretty rare (especially for women!) to find even just one friend in your life that you can call a true best friend - like bail you out of jail (not that that has EVER happened!), drive across country if you're in trouble, do anything for you, know you better than anyone best friend. I am so lucky to have one of those! My incredible husband, Mom, two sisters, and brother are of course among those special people - I do have one exceptional family of wonderful people.

I think I have found some genuinely fantastic women in my lifetime to have as friends who are also really good people, strong, and just all-around awesome...you know one of them well, I think =)

So, this best friend of mine, Jen from Savannah, has just gotten engaged to a wonderful guy and I will be Matron of Honor along with her sister. I will also be heading to Savannah today to help her with some of those good ol' wedding plans =) I am super excited! I tell you this because you may be hearing a little bit about miss Jen in future posts...I mean, how exciting is planning a wedding, right?! Just for kicks, here is me and Jen right before my wedding =)



Ok, so I've gotten my whole I have great friends and family thing out of the way...Now onto the FOOD! So, I am actually mildly allergic to beef...I know right?...How weird is that? Well, it requires me to get a little more creative with dinners since beef is out of the question. When I came across this yummy looking recipe for Tomato Balsamic Glazed Chicken Meatballs from Sydney at the Crepes of Wrath, I knew I must try them! If you have not visited her blog, please do! Her recipes are truly fantastic!

This was actually the second time I've made these, and both times they have turned out wonderfully. They have such a good taste - lots of flavor from the parsley and parmesan cheese and can we please talk about how AMAZING this tomato balsamic glaze is?! SO good. I ended up doubling the glaze recipe this second time around. I served the meatballs with some thin spaghetti tossed with some EVOO and a little parm sprinkled on top. But I can imagine this would also make a great appetizer as well!

Alright, let's do this.



Whisk together the egg, parsley, tomato paste, garlic, milk, salt, and pepper until the tomato paste is completely dissolved. Add in the chicken, parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs and mix well. With this step, it's always best to just get your hands in there! Roll into medium sized balls - about 2 1/2 TB big - and place onto greased baking sheet.



Make your glaze by mixing together the tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and sugar. Brush on top of the meatballs or spoon on top. Then bake for about 30-35 minutes.



Then serve with noodles, or as an appetizer, or on top of a salad, or however you would like (sorry, that was a lot of or's)!



Tomato-Balsamic Glazed Chicken Meatballs

from the Crepes of Wrath

for the meatballs:

1 egg

2 tablespoons dried parsley

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 pound ground chicken

1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Italian seasoned bread crumbs

for tomato-balsamic glaze:

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

3/4 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, parsley, tomato paste, garlic, milk, salt, and pepper. Be sure the tomato paste is completely dissolved.

2. Add in the ground chicken, cheese, and breadcrumbs. I used my own clean hands to mix it up! Form medium size balls (approx. 2-3 TB big) and place onto a lined and/or greased baking sheet.

4. Make the glaze by whisking all of the ingredients together in a small bowl, then brush or spoon over meatballs. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball registers 160 degrees. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can just test one of the meatballs with a fork. Remove from oven and serve immediately with whatever accompaniment suits your fancy! I served with noodles tossed with olive oil and parmesan cheese. Makes about 15 meatballs.


Enjoy!

M: It’s all about 4 things… Filed under ( Beans, Dessert, Family, fruit, life, pork, Vegetables )

Man, I guess it’s the New Year huh? I feel totally out of things right now since I haven’t posted in a little while. Well, since the theme of this here post is “4 things”, let me just give you a low down on 4 things I knew darn well would happen over the holidays and did:

1. I got miserably sick right after Christmas (which is of course why I haven’t been able to post for you wonderful people lately)

2. My hubs got me incredible Christmas gifts and of course the incredible-ness of said gift-giving was not reciprocated in my opinion, I mean a new laptop for a pair of Sanuks? (which, of course he always says he doesn’t care at all and I know he doesn’t, but still…)

3. I missed my brother terribly – which always happens at Christmastime – we have always been so close - he lives in Nebraska and it’s usually way too expensive for him to fly home for the holidays

4. I spilled coffee on my white scarf while in D.C. about 5 times because it was so dang cold I was literally running in and out of shops and buildings so as to stay outdoors as little as possible

BUT, it’s the New Year right? So, here’s how I will look at the above 4 things…First, I have my health which means I will get sick, and that’s ok, because 9 times out of 10 I will be able to just truck through it and feel better after a while. Second, I have a wonderful husband who loves to give me things for Christmas because he says he loves to see my face light up.

Third, I have a brother…and he is an amazing brother and I got to grow up with him. And finally, well…I love coffee, so sacrificing some spot remover several times so I could drink some Caribou Reindeer Blend is alright I guess =)

So as to not completely leave you with no pictures of food in this post, here is the meal that I made up for Bryan and my New Year’s Day dinner (hoppin john, collard greens with bacon and onion, homemade cornbread muffins, and grilled pork chops – grilling courtesy of Mr. Bryan)

Last but not least, we ended our dinner with a citrus tart I came across in this month’s Southern Living,oh yes, this is so post-worthy and will be coming up on Thursday don’t you worry =)

Alrighty, here it is…my 4 things…

Four TV shows I watch:

1. (Seriously, I could make this list go to like 10, but I’ll condense it to my favorites) The Office (and all of the Thursday night comedies really…30 Rock, Community, Outsourced, Parks and Rec)…for obvious reasons…it is freaking hilarious and I think John Krasinski is downright riotous

2. Modern Family…I’m sorry, I think this show is the funniest and most clever show that’s been out in the last few years, comedy/sitcom wise of course…it is genius =)

3. True Blood…yep, I hopped on the vampire bandwagon…have you SEEN Eric Skarsgard or Ryan Kwanten???

4. Conan…I have always been a CoCo supporter =)

Four things I’m passionate about:

1. My Family & Friends, I think this one’s a given – my family has always been #1 in my life, and I’m lucky enough to be extremely close to my siblings (2 sisters and 1 brother), not a lot of people are as close to their siblings as we are – I think it’s because we all went through a lot together growing up. I also married into an incredible family where cousins are considered brothers and sisters and aunts and
uncles are more than just aunts and uncles – so now I have double the love =) I am also lucky to have a few exceptionally close friends that are like family to me.

2. Yoga (and yogic philosophy) and meditation (which I’ve promised myself I’ll make more time for in 2011!)

3. My babies (aka my pups Marley and Ziggy…and any animal in general – the time I’ve been able to put into the dog rescue I volunteer for has been amazing and given me such a great feeling)

4. Baking and cooking and wine (in that order) =)

And an honorary number 5…reading and music…GOOD music…I LOVE reading…I always have a book in hand at home. Right now I’m reading House Rules by Jodi Picoult and I cannot put the thing down!

An honorary number 6…is this illegal? It might be…Oh well…my alma mater of course! VT Woop Woop!

Four phrases/ words I use a lot:

1. “Dude” (I know…I can’t believe this word comes out of my mouth as much as it does either)

2. “Awesome” (Yep, I know what I’m starting to sound like)

3. “Are you serious?” (Why would people say it if they weren’t serious? I don’t know…don’t judge me for that one)

4. “Sounds good”

Four things I’ve learned in the past:

1. If you don’t take care of/love yourself first, you can’t give 100% to the people YOU love (I’m still working on this one!)

2. Like Erica said, your true friends will always be your friends no matter how far away you live – try moving 2-3 states away; you’ll find this one out quick!

3. Life is measured by your experiences, so have more of them! Travel, go places, go out with friends, etc. (This is something the hubs and I are working on this year)

4. (this one is not nearly as profound) You MUST have more than one set of measuring spoons and measuring cups in your kitchen, for real. holy crap…You’d think I’d wise up to this one earlier, but nope. I got my new measuring spoons for Christmas, but I’m still hand washing my cups so I can re-use them – so friggin annoying!

Four places I’d like to go:

1. Italy, Italy, Italy, and Italy (maybe around the Amalfi Coast? I don’t know, I’d still have to visit Rome and Tuscany ah the choices!)…all I want to do is go there to eat and drink wine – this is the #1 place I want to visit before I die – and after Eat Pray Love (my favorite movie/book) came out, I can just taste the authentic pizzas and pastas! Ugh!

2. New York (during the holidays preferably) – I have never been and always wanted to go

3. Hawaii (during the Kokua Festival if possible…I know, I’m getting picky here…beggars can’t be choosers – I will take ANY TIME!)

4. Ireland (beer and beautiful surroundings? Count me in…plus the accents are cool as crap)

Four things I did yesterday:

1. Watched VT lose in the Orange Bowl…ugh

2. Went to work (booooo)

3. Got a MUCH needed massage

4. Played beer pong with my hubs – yep – that’s right. We don’t need a party of people to get our beer pong on!

Four things I love about winter:

1. So, I’m going to have to copy Erica’s response on this one…I really dislike winter, besides Christmastime, I’m not a big fan. I moved to South Carolina for a reason – so the time I had to endure winter weather each year was really relegated to maybe 2 months =) I’d say I like wearing sweaters, but I’d MUCH rather be wearing flip flops, so that doesn’t even count.

Here are my four tags:

1. Kelly

2. Teresa

3. Erin

4. Lauren

Charleston Cooks: Gnocchi and Risotto, My Schedule Filed under ( Family, life )

Happy Thursday! Almost to the weekend!! My friend Kristen and I had a great time at our Charleston Cooks class last night. We learned the secrets behind a good gnocchi and risotto and I learned some new knife skills. Throughout the two hour class, the group worked as a team to create the following dishes:

• Red Wine Rosemary Mushroom Risotto
• Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
• Cinnamon Apple Risotto Fritters
• Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce
• Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Hazelnut Brown Butter
• Scallop and Leek Risotto

I was a little intimidated by the head chef, but eventually got out my camera and snapped a few pictures. Prep work:


Uncooked sweet potato gnocchi (mmmm):



Gnocchi fresh out of the boiling water covered in a little oil:

Dessert Risotto balls pre-frying:

My samples (since most of the dishes contained meat, I could only sample a few but they were totally rich and delicious), sweet potato gnocchi and Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi:

The Gorgonzola cream sauce was a little much for me. The sweet potato gnocchi on the other hand...heaven!

Picture of the classroom from our dining seats:

Dessert risotto-super creamy! Kristen and I split a few bites of this bad boy:

Kristen and I, pretending to cook after class was done ;)

For some reason I didn't really get any pictures of the traditional risottos! Is there anything you would love to learn to cook or bake? I'd love to learn to become a better bread baker.

As I mentioned yesterday, a reader asked if I could post my typical week day timeline/schedule. My schedule is usually pretty nutso (by choice). I am VERY lucky in that my job is flexible with my hours and I owe a lot of my getting everything done to that fact. Here is a typical day in the life of…Note: Please be gentle, I know I overload on occasion and I am trying to work on getting to bed earlier ;)

• 5 AM: Wake up !!


• 5-5:30 AM: Shower/get ready/dressed


• 5:30-5:45 AM: Finish making lunches & fill coffee mugs (for Josh and I)/ eat breakfast/take Frank out


• 5:45-6:15 AM: Drive to work


• 6:15-3:00 PM(ish): Work


• 3:00-3:40(ish) PM: Drive Home


• 3:40-5:30 PM: Usually do some form of housework (laundry/ironing/cleaning), prep dinner, take Frank out/for a walk


• 5:30(ish)-5:50 PM: Leave and drive to gym (I teach at two gyms and one is a bit further from my house…takes about 20 minutes to get there)


• 6:00-7:00 PM: Teach 1 hour class


• 7:00-7:20 PM: Drive home


• 7:20-7:30 PM: Quick Shower


• 7:30-8:30 PM: Eat dinner/do dishes/ prep lunches for the next day/set up coffee


• 8:30-10:30/11/12 PM: Range of activities- occasionally more house work, usually read blogs/write my blog, do additional work work (if necessary), watch tv, hang out with Frank & Josh

And thats how I roll! That is a typical day, but it totally varies (i.e. Wednesdays I work out in the morning). I am hoping to adjust my overall schedule in the coming months...more info on that to come!