Well, this is a busy week for Eli. He is currently in Washington D.C. for medical school interviews. Today he had one at George Washington University and Thursday he has one at the Military Medical School. Then he flies to Nebraska to interview in Omaha (it's not much of a secret that I would love that). I am sad that he is in DC at our friends house without me. And, he does have some free time so he gets to go to some museums and monuments. LUCKY! I'm also sad that I couldn't get work off and Annie got to go to Missouri without me. No awesome pumpkin patch in Omaha. But, I am liking my job and it's good to keep busy.
I am currently reading the book Fast Food Nation. It's really interesting. I'm only about 1/3 of the way done, and so far it's mostly about the history of fast food, but it is really interesting. I feel like being on a "health journey" (isn't that lame sounding?) is slowly happening for me. I've read a lot of different books and tried a lot of different things. Now that I have more knowledge, I have started making better choices. That doesn't mean that I never eat white bread (I made mom's rolls last week) or that we will never go out to eat, or to fast food again (I've been craving Taco Bell and Olive Garden like crazy), but now I think about it a lot more before I do those things. It's starting slowly, to where if I do eat a cheeseburger, even though it is really good, in the back of my mind I remember about the fat, the meat, and the effect it has on your body, plus the way the animals were raised and what they were fed. I think anytime you are looking to change your diet, you do have to go slowly. And, you can't make anyone change their mind about food, it's something you have to do for yourself. After reading a lot about cancers, heart disease, and obesity and the data of thousands of scientists regarding our diet and its effect, I want to be better. When we have children I want to teach them to eat the right things. I want to be able to learn how to make delicious healthy food. I'd love to be able to come up with a packet of recipes that Eli could give to his patients someday. It is scary to think of how many of our fellow citizens work so hard, but don't have time to cook and eat right. But that's not even half of the problem. If you really want to find out about the food Americans eat and where it comes from, you have to do a lot of searching. This information is not widely known, and information really is power. I'm trying to live more by the Word of Wisdom, that is to eat more grains, fruits, vegetables, and to eat meat sparingly.
A couple of weeks ago I went with Annie and Cindy to a Green Smoothie Girl class. It was fun to go out with my sisters and we learned some neat things. She has done a lot of research herself, and has come to the conclusion that the best diet is 60-80% whole raw plant food, with only 5% animal products (That includes all meat and dairy). I am starting to agree with her. I'm nowhere near that right now, but I'd like to eventually get there.
Sorry to go rambling on about this. I wasn't intending to when I started writing, it was more just an update.
I miss Eli. He'll be coming home on Saturday with Annie and her kids. I wish I could be with them all right now. Oh well, we don't always get what we want in life, and sometimes we have to work instead of play. Being an adult is sometimes not much fun.
My new favorite thing is this cheap candle I got at Wal-Mart. It's Spice Cake scent and it smells just like fall. I love it.
I really need to stop, this is just ridiculous.
Have a good day everyone!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
New things going on
Well, it's been a while since I blogged. Even though our day-to-day lives seem pretty event-less, when you look back on a few weeks you realize that a lot has happened. In the past couple weeks Eli has done his first three interviews, and he has 5 more in October. I got a new job that I really like. We've spent a lot of time with family, and we've gotten on a better schedule of going to bed earlier, which is always helpful.
Eli's first interviews went well. He flew out to Louisville, KY. He got to stay and have fun with our friends Emily and Kyle (Thanks again!). His interview went well, and they took him around and got to do some pretty fun things. Then he went from Louisville to Des Moines, where my Mom picked him up from the airport and took him to dinner. When I heard where they went I immediatley got jealous. They ate at HyVee, a local grocery store. You may think, "yuk. Chicken strips and macaroni salad," but HyVee has an awesome salad bar and almost any type of food you can imagine. His interview at Des Moines went well too. Then about a week after he got back he had an interview at the University of Utah in Salt Lake. He feels like it went really well. The U would be a great choice for us because of in-state tuition and we already know where we'd live and how things would go. But, the lame thing about the U is they don't let you know until April, whereas the other schools can tell you starting October 15th. So, I guess we won't really know for sure, 100% where we are going until April.
He has interviews next month at George Washinton University in D.C, the Military Medical School, Texas Tech., University of Nebraska, and Temple University in Philadelphia. He is becoming quite the seasoned traveler. I'm really proud of him.
My new job is really good. I am a receptionist at Mercedes-Benz of Lindon. I really like it. I work from 7:30 am to about one, M-Th, and until 4 on Friday, then from 4-7 on Saturday. Although I do not love getting up early, I do like getting things done earlier in the day, and then I can come home, rest if I need to, make a good dinner, and go to bed early. So, it's good to be gainfully employeed again.
That's about all. We hope to start hearing back from schools soon, hopefully with some yes's, so we won't have to keep buying plane tickets. Prayers are gratefully accepted.
Eli's first interviews went well. He flew out to Louisville, KY. He got to stay and have fun with our friends Emily and Kyle (Thanks again!). His interview went well, and they took him around and got to do some pretty fun things. Then he went from Louisville to Des Moines, where my Mom picked him up from the airport and took him to dinner. When I heard where they went I immediatley got jealous. They ate at HyVee, a local grocery store. You may think, "yuk. Chicken strips and macaroni salad," but HyVee has an awesome salad bar and almost any type of food you can imagine. His interview at Des Moines went well too. Then about a week after he got back he had an interview at the University of Utah in Salt Lake. He feels like it went really well. The U would be a great choice for us because of in-state tuition and we already know where we'd live and how things would go. But, the lame thing about the U is they don't let you know until April, whereas the other schools can tell you starting October 15th. So, I guess we won't really know for sure, 100% where we are going until April.
He has interviews next month at George Washinton University in D.C, the Military Medical School, Texas Tech., University of Nebraska, and Temple University in Philadelphia. He is becoming quite the seasoned traveler. I'm really proud of him.
My new job is really good. I am a receptionist at Mercedes-Benz of Lindon. I really like it. I work from 7:30 am to about one, M-Th, and until 4 on Friday, then from 4-7 on Saturday. Although I do not love getting up early, I do like getting things done earlier in the day, and then I can come home, rest if I need to, make a good dinner, and go to bed early. So, it's good to be gainfully employeed again.
That's about all. We hope to start hearing back from schools soon, hopefully with some yes's, so we won't have to keep buying plane tickets. Prayers are gratefully accepted.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Applications
So, this summer has been a summer of applications for Eli. He has worked so so so hard and I'm really proud of him.
Eli applied to a lot of schools, and each school sent him their own secondary application. Each application had their own essays and other things they wanted to know about him. He had to spend hours researching each school and painstakingly writing out each essay, trying to convey the right message about him. On good days he could get 2 applications done in one day, but usually it took longer. It was very stressful, because he knew that how he answered could be the difference between an interview or a no.
But, I am so proud of him because he is done! He has finished all of his applications, and he has started to hear back. So far, he has 4 interviews! I'm so proud of him! Of course soon, we'll start hearing more no's, but it's so exciting he has 4 already! The interviews are at University of Nebraska in Omaha, George Washington University in DC, a D.O school in Des Moines, and at the University of Louisville in Kentucky! The great thing about all of these places is we either have family or really close friends in each area. My sister lives in Omaha, and my parents are 3 hours away from both Omaha and Des Moines. Our good friends Emily and Kyle just moved to Louisville where Kyle is working on his PhD, and our good friends Jake and Heidi live in DC and Jake is going to law school at George Washington. We're really excited. I'm really proud of Eli and how hard he's worked. I just wish we could fast forward to January and February when we can find out where we'll actually end up.
Be sure to tell Eli good job, and we'll accept any prayers you might want to include us in. We just need to get in somewhere!
Eli applied to a lot of schools, and each school sent him their own secondary application. Each application had their own essays and other things they wanted to know about him. He had to spend hours researching each school and painstakingly writing out each essay, trying to convey the right message about him. On good days he could get 2 applications done in one day, but usually it took longer. It was very stressful, because he knew that how he answered could be the difference between an interview or a no.
But, I am so proud of him because he is done! He has finished all of his applications, and he has started to hear back. So far, he has 4 interviews! I'm so proud of him! Of course soon, we'll start hearing more no's, but it's so exciting he has 4 already! The interviews are at University of Nebraska in Omaha, George Washington University in DC, a D.O school in Des Moines, and at the University of Louisville in Kentucky! The great thing about all of these places is we either have family or really close friends in each area. My sister lives in Omaha, and my parents are 3 hours away from both Omaha and Des Moines. Our good friends Emily and Kyle just moved to Louisville where Kyle is working on his PhD, and our good friends Jake and Heidi live in DC and Jake is going to law school at George Washington. We're really excited. I'm really proud of Eli and how hard he's worked. I just wish we could fast forward to January and February when we can find out where we'll actually end up.
Be sure to tell Eli good job, and we'll accept any prayers you might want to include us in. We just need to get in somewhere!
Disney Land
Okay, a disclaimer first of all. I don't have pictures. I still need to ask Brooke for them, we decided to just carry one camera around rather than two, and their camera took better pictures, so, sorry, no pictures today.
How do I even describe Disney Land? Magical doesn't even cover it. Maybe it's a defense mechanism of mine, when people say that something is amazing I always think it can't be that great. Maybe it's because I always wanted to go to Disney Land but never went. Anyway, I went into it thinking it would be a fun trip and that Disney Land is probably cool, but it's not going to be magical unless you're a kid. Boy was I wrong. It exceeded every expectation. Every detail of it was seen to, I just can't even describe how much fun it was! But I will try.
If you're not interested in a day by day breakdown of our trip, then don't feel obligated to read.
So, we left on Thursday morning at 5! Steve and Brooke picked us up. We got all loaded and hit the road. Brooke's parents were kind enough to let us borrow their hybrid car, so we gas was so cheap. We had fun driving. Brooke and I decided that Steve and Eli were more excited about going on a trip with each other than they were about going with us. When we got close to California, they sat in the back and watched Step-Brothers (edited) together and laughed and laughed. Then we were all listening to an episode of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, and we could hear them laughing in the back seat, then all of the sudden it was only Brooke and I laughing, we looked back and the little boys had fallen asleep at the same time. It was so funny. They were like two little kids. So, we got to our hotel, which was not the nicest, but it was cheap! We got unpacked, then went to swim for a little bit. Then we got dressed and went to Downtown Disney. It was so cool! The whole place was so cool. We ate dinner at the ESPN Zone. That was a really cool restaurant. While we were there, we got to see LeBron's decision on a bunch of tv's, specifically, a the biggest screen tv I have ever seen! That restaurant has tvs in the bathroom stalls. Eli loved seeing wall to wall sports of all kinds.
That night we went back to our hotel. We had been given a handicapped room on the first floor, which is fine. The shower, however, had a backed up drain, and leaked all over the floor. So, the hotel generously upgraded us to a bigger room on the third floor.
The next morning, we got up bright and early and headed to the park. We had our park hoppers, so we started in Disney Land, went to California Adventure, and back and forth! The favorite rides were Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, California Screamin', Toy Story (The coolest ride), and Soarin' Over California. The food was so good. We had the most delicious corn dogs ever for lunch! We had pineapple ice cream, delicious wraps, pretzels, and other really good food.
The shows were so amazing! We saw the Muppets 3-D Experiment. The best show was the new Colors, in California Adventure. I don't even know how to describe how awesome it was. They had a whole light show on water shooting up, but it was more amazing than anything I had ever seen. Then we ran back to Disney for fireworks and Phantasmic, and then we went home. It was great!
The next day, Saturday, we slept in a bit, then went to the beach. It was great! It was kind of a cloudy day, but still warm. We played soccer, saw some dolphins, and did some body-boarding (Or boogie boarding, I can't remember what it's really called). That was so much fun! We had a blast! Then we went home, cleaned up, and went back to Downtown Disney for dinner. We ate at the rain forest cafe. It was delicious. Then we got packed, slept and left the next morning after we went to church. The drive back was good. Once we got past Cedar City we drove through this pretty valley where it had just rained and saw the brightest most beautiful rainbows. There must have been about 5 or 6 of them!
It was a wonderful trip. We had so much fun with Steve and Brooke. It was better than I could have imagined!
How do I even describe Disney Land? Magical doesn't even cover it. Maybe it's a defense mechanism of mine, when people say that something is amazing I always think it can't be that great. Maybe it's because I always wanted to go to Disney Land but never went. Anyway, I went into it thinking it would be a fun trip and that Disney Land is probably cool, but it's not going to be magical unless you're a kid. Boy was I wrong. It exceeded every expectation. Every detail of it was seen to, I just can't even describe how much fun it was! But I will try.
If you're not interested in a day by day breakdown of our trip, then don't feel obligated to read.
So, we left on Thursday morning at 5! Steve and Brooke picked us up. We got all loaded and hit the road. Brooke's parents were kind enough to let us borrow their hybrid car, so we gas was so cheap. We had fun driving. Brooke and I decided that Steve and Eli were more excited about going on a trip with each other than they were about going with us. When we got close to California, they sat in the back and watched Step-Brothers (edited) together and laughed and laughed. Then we were all listening to an episode of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, and we could hear them laughing in the back seat, then all of the sudden it was only Brooke and I laughing, we looked back and the little boys had fallen asleep at the same time. It was so funny. They were like two little kids. So, we got to our hotel, which was not the nicest, but it was cheap! We got unpacked, then went to swim for a little bit. Then we got dressed and went to Downtown Disney. It was so cool! The whole place was so cool. We ate dinner at the ESPN Zone. That was a really cool restaurant. While we were there, we got to see LeBron's decision on a bunch of tv's, specifically, a the biggest screen tv I have ever seen! That restaurant has tvs in the bathroom stalls. Eli loved seeing wall to wall sports of all kinds.
That night we went back to our hotel. We had been given a handicapped room on the first floor, which is fine. The shower, however, had a backed up drain, and leaked all over the floor. So, the hotel generously upgraded us to a bigger room on the third floor.
The next morning, we got up bright and early and headed to the park. We had our park hoppers, so we started in Disney Land, went to California Adventure, and back and forth! The favorite rides were Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, California Screamin', Toy Story (The coolest ride), and Soarin' Over California. The food was so good. We had the most delicious corn dogs ever for lunch! We had pineapple ice cream, delicious wraps, pretzels, and other really good food.
The shows were so amazing! We saw the Muppets 3-D Experiment. The best show was the new Colors, in California Adventure. I don't even know how to describe how awesome it was. They had a whole light show on water shooting up, but it was more amazing than anything I had ever seen. Then we ran back to Disney for fireworks and Phantasmic, and then we went home. It was great!
The next day, Saturday, we slept in a bit, then went to the beach. It was great! It was kind of a cloudy day, but still warm. We played soccer, saw some dolphins, and did some body-boarding (Or boogie boarding, I can't remember what it's really called). That was so much fun! We had a blast! Then we went home, cleaned up, and went back to Downtown Disney for dinner. We ate at the rain forest cafe. It was delicious. Then we got packed, slept and left the next morning after we went to church. The drive back was good. Once we got past Cedar City we drove through this pretty valley where it had just rained and saw the brightest most beautiful rainbows. There must have been about 5 or 6 of them!
It was a wonderful trip. We had so much fun with Steve and Brooke. It was better than I could have imagined!
A Good Summer
Well, I had the best of intentions about blogging EVERY day, but I didn't do it. What can I say, I'm just not a very dedicated blogger. Sorry. Well, let me fill you in on the summer. I believe I'll do this in a series of posts, a trick I picked up from my sisters. So, this first one will be about our diet.
I'm sure you're all dying to know about our diet and how it is going. Well, our trip to Disney Land was the end of the diet. I mean really, who can stick to that in the happiest place on earth? Not us. And, since we've been back, it's been hard to be as strict as we were. But, I am happy to report that we have seriously cut back on our sugar and refined flour intake. We eat way more fruits and vegetables now. Neither of us have gained any weight back either, so that's good. Now we are more aware of what we eat. We've even tried to cut back on our meat intake. The next thing I'd like to do is cut back on our dairy. I don't know if I'll ever be able to give up cheese and sour cream (my favorites), but I'd like to cut it down to couple times a week. So, that's the deal. I think in a while we might go back to cutting out the sugar. My new favorite thing to eat is quesadillas. I use whole wheat tortillas, refried beans, a little cheese, green peppers, and fresh guacamole. I love it. In fact I'm having it for lunch again today. So, to sum up, we've changed our habits. My goals this week are to try making my own whole wheat bread, including grinding the wheat, and try to make my own fruit leather. I just need to see if I can borrow the dehydrator from Eli's grandma. I'll let you know about those things!
I'm sure you're all dying to know about our diet and how it is going. Well, our trip to Disney Land was the end of the diet. I mean really, who can stick to that in the happiest place on earth? Not us. And, since we've been back, it's been hard to be as strict as we were. But, I am happy to report that we have seriously cut back on our sugar and refined flour intake. We eat way more fruits and vegetables now. Neither of us have gained any weight back either, so that's good. Now we are more aware of what we eat. We've even tried to cut back on our meat intake. The next thing I'd like to do is cut back on our dairy. I don't know if I'll ever be able to give up cheese and sour cream (my favorites), but I'd like to cut it down to couple times a week. So, that's the deal. I think in a while we might go back to cutting out the sugar. My new favorite thing to eat is quesadillas. I use whole wheat tortillas, refried beans, a little cheese, green peppers, and fresh guacamole. I love it. In fact I'm having it for lunch again today. So, to sum up, we've changed our habits. My goals this week are to try making my own whole wheat bread, including grinding the wheat, and try to make my own fruit leather. I just need to see if I can borrow the dehydrator from Eli's grandma. I'll let you know about those things!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
I got behind
Hello everyone. It's been two weeks (tomorrow) and I am loving it. The only time I felt tempted was today when we went t WinCo today for the first time (really cheap) and I saw they sold Tillamok ice cream! Luckily they were out of my favorite flavor. Anyway, I don't remember a lot of the stuff we've eaten lately, other than the Baked Lemon Asparagus Risotto, Curry Yogurt Chicken, and Lemony-Almond Green Beans. I'll put those recipes later. And just know that I DID take pictures tonight, but now I can't find the cord to connect the camera to the computer. So, sorry. I did try.
We had a fun weekend though. On Friday we had a birthday party for Eli's dad. On Saturday I went swimming with my sisters and their kids. That was a lot of fun. I was really bummed when I realized that it was the end of June and that was my first time swimming. Working full time over the summer really sucks. Eli and I got a new calling in the ward. We get to be nursery workers together. We're really excited. We love nursery. We're getting all geared up for our trip to Disney Land with our friends Steve and Brooke. I am so excited. I've never been to Disney Land before, so I am really looking forward to it. Woohoo! It's going to be so much fun!
If you guys want to read a good book about health, you should read The Culprit and The Cure by Dr. Steven Aldana. It has more than anything scared the pants off of me about the statistics of lifestyle diseases in this country. I'll look up some scary facts and post it later. Anyway, let me put those recipes on here now.
Curry Yogurt Chicken:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2/3 c. plain low-fat or nonfat yogurt
1/4 c. light mayo
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tblsp. fresh minced ginger
Juice of one lemon
2 tblsp. curry powder
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne (optional)(I didn't use it and it was fine)
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Place chicken in baking dish and season with salt and pepper.
In a med. bowl, combine yogurt, mayo, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, curry powder, and green onions. Pour over chicken and turn to coat chicken on all sides.
Bake uncovered in preheated oven until cooked thoroughly, about 25 minutes.
Serve over brown rice.
Lemony Green Beans with Almonds
1 lb. thing green beans, trimmed
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 ground pepper
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tbls. olive oil
2 tblsp. slivered, toasted almonds
place beans in a microwave safe bowl and sprinkle with 1 tblsp. of water. Cover with plastic wrap and cook in microwave on high for 3-5 minutes until beans are tender-crisp. Drain beans and return to bowl, toss with salt, pepper, juice, zest, and olive oil. Top with green beans.
Baked Asparagus and Lemon Risotto
1 1/2 c. aborio or carnaroli rice
1 tblsp. olive oil
1 med. onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ob. asparagus, cut int 1/2 in. peices
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 c. evaporated milk
juice and zest of one lemon
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 c. chicken or veg. broth
6 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded
bring 5 c. water to a boil and add rice. Boil rice, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes, then drain thoroughly.
While rice is boiling, heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over med-high heat. Add onions and garlic, and cook, stirring about 3 min. or until onions are tender. Add asparagus, and cook, stirring, about 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs, then add evaporated milk, lemon juice and zest, salt, pepper, and broth. Stir in drained rice and asparagus mixture until well combined
Spray a 9'' springform pan or cake pan with a removable bottom with olive oil spray or nonstick cooking spray. Wrap a sheet of aluminum foil around bottom to catch drips. Pour rice mixture into pan, smooth out into an even layer and top with cheese. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until golden brown on top and cooked through.
I remembered another recipe I made over the weekend that was so delicious, but I don't have time to type it out now. I'll do it later, but it was beef stir-fry with sugar snap peas and it was so good. It tasted just like beef and broccoli, but better.
Well, that's about all. Enjoy!
We had a fun weekend though. On Friday we had a birthday party for Eli's dad. On Saturday I went swimming with my sisters and their kids. That was a lot of fun. I was really bummed when I realized that it was the end of June and that was my first time swimming. Working full time over the summer really sucks. Eli and I got a new calling in the ward. We get to be nursery workers together. We're really excited. We love nursery. We're getting all geared up for our trip to Disney Land with our friends Steve and Brooke. I am so excited. I've never been to Disney Land before, so I am really looking forward to it. Woohoo! It's going to be so much fun!
If you guys want to read a good book about health, you should read The Culprit and The Cure by Dr. Steven Aldana. It has more than anything scared the pants off of me about the statistics of lifestyle diseases in this country. I'll look up some scary facts and post it later. Anyway, let me put those recipes on here now.
Curry Yogurt Chicken:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2/3 c. plain low-fat or nonfat yogurt
1/4 c. light mayo
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tblsp. fresh minced ginger
Juice of one lemon
2 tblsp. curry powder
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne (optional)(I didn't use it and it was fine)
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Place chicken in baking dish and season with salt and pepper.
In a med. bowl, combine yogurt, mayo, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, curry powder, and green onions. Pour over chicken and turn to coat chicken on all sides.
Bake uncovered in preheated oven until cooked thoroughly, about 25 minutes.
Serve over brown rice.
Lemony Green Beans with Almonds
1 lb. thing green beans, trimmed
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 ground pepper
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tbls. olive oil
2 tblsp. slivered, toasted almonds
place beans in a microwave safe bowl and sprinkle with 1 tblsp. of water. Cover with plastic wrap and cook in microwave on high for 3-5 minutes until beans are tender-crisp. Drain beans and return to bowl, toss with salt, pepper, juice, zest, and olive oil. Top with green beans.
Baked Asparagus and Lemon Risotto
1 1/2 c. aborio or carnaroli rice
1 tblsp. olive oil
1 med. onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ob. asparagus, cut int 1/2 in. peices
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 c. evaporated milk
juice and zest of one lemon
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 c. chicken or veg. broth
6 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded
bring 5 c. water to a boil and add rice. Boil rice, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes, then drain thoroughly.
While rice is boiling, heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over med-high heat. Add onions and garlic, and cook, stirring about 3 min. or until onions are tender. Add asparagus, and cook, stirring, about 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs, then add evaporated milk, lemon juice and zest, salt, pepper, and broth. Stir in drained rice and asparagus mixture until well combined
Spray a 9'' springform pan or cake pan with a removable bottom with olive oil spray or nonstick cooking spray. Wrap a sheet of aluminum foil around bottom to catch drips. Pour rice mixture into pan, smooth out into an even layer and top with cheese. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until golden brown on top and cooked through.
I remembered another recipe I made over the weekend that was so delicious, but I don't have time to type it out now. I'll do it later, but it was beef stir-fry with sugar snap peas and it was so good. It tasted just like beef and broccoli, but better.
Well, that's about all. Enjoy!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
A Delicious Tuesday and Wednesday
Okay, these recipes are very delicious. And I want to apologize in advance because I forgot to take pictures. I promise to tomorrow.
So yesterday I had:
breakfast: green smoothie
Lunch: leftover soup from the night before
Dinner: Brown rice risotto with broccoli (recipe to follow)
Eli came home today, I was so glad to see him. He had a really good time with his mom and grandma, got to see his sisters play, and got to shadow a doctor. It was a good trip for him. I'm just sad I couldn't go with him.
Okay, here is what we had today:
Breakfast: Green smoothie
Lunch: Leftover rice, hummus with carrots, and a juicy juicy plum
Dinner: Green Chile and Cheese Quesadillas and Zesty Black Bean Dip
These quesadillas were so so so so good! I was really so impressed. And, I just love the way this kind of food fills you up. I feel full, but not stuffed, and I don't get tired after I eat, like I always used to do. Here are the recipes for the rice, quesadillas, and dip:
Brown Rice Risotto:
(I used the electric pressure cooker, which cooks rice very quickly. If you don't have one, just modify it by adding time to make it cook on the stove top, or if you use a rice cooker, add the broccoli in a steamer basket, or straight into the rice, when there is about 5 minutes left. Then just stir in the cheese.)
1 c. brown rice
2 c. chicken broth, veggie broth, water, or a combination of each, just as long as you have 2 c. of liquid
As much broccoli as you want, I don't measure, just enough to have a piece of it with every other bite or so.
Some shredded Parmesan cheese.
a little bit of olive oil
1/2 tsp or so of salt
1. Put salt, rice, liquid, and oil in the pressure cooker (or whatever you are using), secure the lid, and set it to high. Cook for 20 minutes.
2. When timer is done, release the pressure, add broccoli and cheese, return to high and cook for 3 minutes.
This recipe is sooooo good. I usually make risotto with aroborio rice, which is still delicious and a good kind of rice, but I was out last night and just decided to use brown rice. I'm glad I did.
Now get ready for this. Your tastebuds will love it. Green Chile and Cheese Quesadillas from Dr.Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Diet:
2 tbls. olive or veg. oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 md. onion, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
3 poblano or pasilla chilies, seeded and thinly sliced
1/4 water
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. Summer Salsa (recipe included below)
Non stick cooking spray
8 corn torillas
8 ounces reduced fat Monteray Jack cheese
Heat oil in large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onions, and chilies. Cook, stirring, until vegetables begin to soften. Add water, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies are soft, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in salt and salsa.*
Spray a large skillet with oil and heat over medium-high heat. Place one tortilla in hot skillet, top with one-fourth of the cheese and one-fourth of the veggie mixture. Top with a second tortilla. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. **
* Upon reading this recipe to type up I realized I forgot to add the water and cover it. I just kept it sauteeing on medium-low heat for 12 minutes. I loved it. I'll try it next time with water to see if I notice a difference.
**You can make way more than 4 quesadillas with this. Just don't use as much of the veggies. I like to use less because you can taste the flavor more. And there's less stuff to spill when you flip them. Maybe I'm just not a good flipper. I'll have to work on that.
Summer Salsa:
1 small red onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
juice of 2 limes
4 red or green (or combo) jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely choped
4 med. tomatoes, chopped
1 c. fresh or frozen(thawed) corn kernels
1 med. rip avocado, peeled and diced
1 c. fresh cilantro.
Place chopped onion in a bowl, sprinkle with salt, squeeze lime juice over it, and set aside for 15-20 minutes. Add chilies, tomatoes, corn, avocado, and cilantro, and stir to combine Serve immediatley, or cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. (trust me, it won't last 3 days!)
Zest Black Bean Dip
1 tblsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 med. red onion, chopped
1 med. red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2- 15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
juice of 2 limes
1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp. mild chili powder*
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp cayenne, or to taste
2 tblsp. water
Heat oil over med.-high heat in large, heavy skillet. When oil is hot, add garlic, onion, and bell pepper. Cook, stirring until onion is translucent. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a food processor (or blender) puree beans, lime juice, cilantro, chili poder, cumin, coriander, salt, cayenne, and water until smooth. Transfer puree to a bowl, and stir in onion mixutre. Cover and chill at least 3 hours **. Bring to room temp. before serving
*we were out of chili powder, so we used chipolte chili powder. This gave it a smokier flavor, but also very spicy. We think it would be better with regular chili powder.
**We ate it immediatley. It was still good. I liked to dip the aforementioned quesadilla's in it. This is zesty, like it says, but it has a great flavor. I think I'll make it next time I have a party.
Well, that's all. I hope some of you try the recipes. I have the whole next week planned out. We are going to have some great meals. I'll keep you posted, next time with pictures!
It's been a week without sugar or flour. I've lost 5 lbs, Eli's lost almost 9. I feel so good and I love it!
So yesterday I had:
breakfast: green smoothie
Lunch: leftover soup from the night before
Dinner: Brown rice risotto with broccoli (recipe to follow)
Eli came home today, I was so glad to see him. He had a really good time with his mom and grandma, got to see his sisters play, and got to shadow a doctor. It was a good trip for him. I'm just sad I couldn't go with him.
Okay, here is what we had today:
Breakfast: Green smoothie
Lunch: Leftover rice, hummus with carrots, and a juicy juicy plum
Dinner: Green Chile and Cheese Quesadillas and Zesty Black Bean Dip
These quesadillas were so so so so good! I was really so impressed. And, I just love the way this kind of food fills you up. I feel full, but not stuffed, and I don't get tired after I eat, like I always used to do. Here are the recipes for the rice, quesadillas, and dip:
Brown Rice Risotto:
(I used the electric pressure cooker, which cooks rice very quickly. If you don't have one, just modify it by adding time to make it cook on the stove top, or if you use a rice cooker, add the broccoli in a steamer basket, or straight into the rice, when there is about 5 minutes left. Then just stir in the cheese.)
1 c. brown rice
2 c. chicken broth, veggie broth, water, or a combination of each, just as long as you have 2 c. of liquid
As much broccoli as you want, I don't measure, just enough to have a piece of it with every other bite or so.
Some shredded Parmesan cheese.
a little bit of olive oil
1/2 tsp or so of salt
1. Put salt, rice, liquid, and oil in the pressure cooker (or whatever you are using), secure the lid, and set it to high. Cook for 20 minutes.
2. When timer is done, release the pressure, add broccoli and cheese, return to high and cook for 3 minutes.
This recipe is sooooo good. I usually make risotto with aroborio rice, which is still delicious and a good kind of rice, but I was out last night and just decided to use brown rice. I'm glad I did.
Now get ready for this. Your tastebuds will love it. Green Chile and Cheese Quesadillas from Dr.Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Diet:
2 tbls. olive or veg. oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 md. onion, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
3 poblano or pasilla chilies, seeded and thinly sliced
1/4 water
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. Summer Salsa (recipe included below)
Non stick cooking spray
8 corn torillas
8 ounces reduced fat Monteray Jack cheese
Heat oil in large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onions, and chilies. Cook, stirring, until vegetables begin to soften. Add water, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies are soft, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in salt and salsa.*
Spray a large skillet with oil and heat over medium-high heat. Place one tortilla in hot skillet, top with one-fourth of the cheese and one-fourth of the veggie mixture. Top with a second tortilla. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. **
* Upon reading this recipe to type up I realized I forgot to add the water and cover it. I just kept it sauteeing on medium-low heat for 12 minutes. I loved it. I'll try it next time with water to see if I notice a difference.
**You can make way more than 4 quesadillas with this. Just don't use as much of the veggies. I like to use less because you can taste the flavor more. And there's less stuff to spill when you flip them. Maybe I'm just not a good flipper. I'll have to work on that.
Summer Salsa:
1 small red onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
juice of 2 limes
4 red or green (or combo) jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely choped
4 med. tomatoes, chopped
1 c. fresh or frozen(thawed) corn kernels
1 med. rip avocado, peeled and diced
1 c. fresh cilantro.
Place chopped onion in a bowl, sprinkle with salt, squeeze lime juice over it, and set aside for 15-20 minutes. Add chilies, tomatoes, corn, avocado, and cilantro, and stir to combine Serve immediatley, or cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. (trust me, it won't last 3 days!)
Zest Black Bean Dip
1 tblsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 med. red onion, chopped
1 med. red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2- 15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
juice of 2 limes
1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp. mild chili powder*
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp cayenne, or to taste
2 tblsp. water
Heat oil over med.-high heat in large, heavy skillet. When oil is hot, add garlic, onion, and bell pepper. Cook, stirring until onion is translucent. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a food processor (or blender) puree beans, lime juice, cilantro, chili poder, cumin, coriander, salt, cayenne, and water until smooth. Transfer puree to a bowl, and stir in onion mixutre. Cover and chill at least 3 hours **. Bring to room temp. before serving
*we were out of chili powder, so we used chipolte chili powder. This gave it a smokier flavor, but also very spicy. We think it would be better with regular chili powder.
**We ate it immediatley. It was still good. I liked to dip the aforementioned quesadilla's in it. This is zesty, like it says, but it has a great flavor. I think I'll make it next time I have a party.
Well, that's all. I hope some of you try the recipes. I have the whole next week planned out. We are going to have some great meals. I'll keep you posted, next time with pictures!
It's been a week without sugar or flour. I've lost 5 lbs, Eli's lost almost 9. I feel so good and I love it!
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