Ugh

I haven't been around because things have not been so well and have been entirely overwhelming. I have a complete stress overload in my life right now. I took a vacation and came back to a worse situation than when I left. Sometimes it seems like the best option is just to walk away and never look back.

Times sure are changing..

So at the grocery store I'm juggling an armload of freezer items because I figured I'd be in and out. Well all the 20 item or less aisle had silly long lines so I picked what I thought was the shortest one behind two chatty Cathy's about my age or so who kept giving me dirty looks like "look at that idiot  without a carriage." So I switched to the next aisle because I was so over them where a nice older gentlemen with an oxygen tank tells me immediately to go in front of him because "no lady should have to stand there like that." Then has the nicest conversation with me about how he used to be a marine and loves to cook and we talked about what we were making with out 20 items or less. The woman in front of us had ditched some cheese in the candy so the man addresses the cashier by her name and hands her the cheese so she can get it back to the dairy section before it spoils and the rude little cashier, who I wanted to then slap the crap out of by the way, says in the sarcastic way possible, eye rolls included, thanks you just saved the store like $5. Oh cashier Brittany, it's the principle of it and clearly you know nothing of the anatomy of a raise. So the cashier rings in all my stuff, with items ringing in incorrectly and her explaining to me that she's not going to fix it because the items are the same price and that "if your basil bag is ripped that's my fault." On my way out I made a point to thank the man for the 3rd time or so and reminded him to have a nice day. I wish I had remembered to thank him for his service to our country but I was so disgusted at my generation it slipped my mind. 

It's just a blatant reminder of how times are changing and not necessarily for the better. People are too busy in their own worlds to stop and help out a fellow human being. Or even just to be polite and considerate. It really concerns me the direction our species is taking. We're so wrapped up and focused on technology and efficiency were are forgetting key life skills as this shopping trip exploration demonstrated to me today. I would have never asked or expected this man to be so generous to me but it meant a lot that he was. 

rollercoaster

a lot has happened since i last updated. i brought home my new baby Sydney and she has been doing wonderful. been super beyond busy with work. began the process again of applying for grad school. been toying with the idea of moving and have been lightening the load ever since. you know. took some vacation time before i lost the time from work, during which one of my ferrets had to be put down due to receiving a diagnosis and complications from adrenal disease and prostate cancer. and had an adventure with my boyfriend in proviencetown. so needless to say it has been a rollercoaster ride lately. i'm starting to feel like i've developed a rapid cycling bipolar diagnosis.

i did want to share some pictures to keep you updated, so here we go:

nature hiking at weetamoo

lobstering in provincetown

beach!!

gift i made for my mother on mothers day

Sydney kisses

shes a big salad lover

and sweet potato

RIP Eddie 2/2008-5/25/13

Eddie in healthier times

Making the decision to put Eddie down was one of the hardest things ever. he was in so much pain and there was not much of a chance he would have survived a $2000+ surgery or even become stable enough to have the surgery completed. i did not expect him to be the first ferret to go at all as i have another one who is almost 9 years old. one of the things i regret is not doing all of their pawprints when i had the chance. i planned to do it soon but just hadnt got around to it. luckily the crematory is going to do it for me, for a nominal fee, and i am making it a huge point to do it with the rest this week. Eddie was bonded with another one of my ferrets Alfie who has been utterly depressed and is withdrawing, barely eating, and moving less than he was. i fear this is going to be a domino effect. i truly hope it isn't but im going to have to start ensuring Alfie is hydrated with pedialyte.

hope everyone else is experiencing more stability than i am at the moment.

MIA

So I've been a little MIA lately. It's been really hetic lately and I've been somewhat blue.

Travis' prints :(

Just days before my birds 15th birthday she passed away. I'm still not sure exactly what happened because the vet I brought her too was not so crystal clear as to what was going on and how they were treating her. From her behavior it looked like she was having either a stroke, explaining the partial paralysis, or seizures, explaining the talon clenching and erratic behavior. Either way I'm not going to know now and she won't be returning to me alive. I decided to have her cremated, which was one of the most heart breaking things I've had to do. This bird was with me through everything difficult in my life. She was a tired soul I think. We travel so many times I think she just finally decided to rest now that I've finally found some stability in my life. My one regret is not getting to the vet in time. But how was I to know? They called me and told me she could come home then less than 1hr later called to tell me she collapsed and they were starting CPR. I still miss Travis tremendously. My house is so quiet with out a bird. I'm at such a loss.

Travis refused to do anything but cuddle me in her final hours

However I do feel at peace knowing Travis is home with me even thought its not the same.

Travis 3/31/98-3/24/13

I went to an old bird store I used to frequent to see if they buy back cages and found myself falling in love with another baby bird. I went back a week later and she was still there. And another week later i decided this would be my new baby. I am in no way under the impression that this bird will replace that hole in my heart but I am excited by the thought of building a new bond with a bird. I had toyed with the idea of getting another before Travis passed but couldn't seem to find the right one. So now I have my sweet Sydney. She's going to be 4 months tomorrow and is almost ready to come home. So I am busy nesting and preparing for her arrival.

So on top of my already busy schedule and what have you, I have been preoccupied. Ill be back shortly.

i forgot!!

so i forgot to talk about this a while back and i'm really not sure why, but i recently helped a friend dread her hair. eww dreads? YOU'RE WRONG! awesome, dreads. this was so much fun to do, i almost wanted some too. i don't think my job would let me get away with it but it looks absolutely fabulous on her. it didn't take as long as we had expected it too. 3 hours of back combing, palm rolling, and capping the ends. they look so good on her and she is so happy. i'm jealous.

i recently went out to breakfast with my mother too. breakfast is an obsession of mine. there's this little breakfast place i love going to thats not too far from my house called alice's last stop. its an excellent diner if you're ever in the area. great college kid prices. they always have muffins that i want to try to bake on my own. i have had egg nog muffins there that were absolutely to die for. for saint patricks day they had green muffins/mint chocolate chip muffins. that were so good. they are absolutely monster muffins.

so this week at work has been draining. i am in dire need of a weekend. and a vacation. i have been trying to plan a week or so to florida to visit family and friends but i am not sure when and if that will happen. i seem to keep getting caught up financially with silly expensive expenses. i have had to fix my car twice this month bringing my car expenses alone way over $1000 including repairs, gas, and regular maintenance. its such a bummer. i am so disappointed now that the vacation is essentially on hold until i pay off my car next month and have some expendable income. it's been almost 2 years since i have taken a vacation at this point. i NEED a get away. i am thinking florida needs to happen soon. if not i need to get to vegas and live it up for a hot minute.

who has instagram? feel free to follow me on IG to keep up with my daily photo micro blogging.
refriedbeatss

 

that is all.

spicy sausage pasta

i made a lot of things from pinterest and had a pretty decent success rate. HOWEVER, this one recipe did not come out even remotely close to what the picture looked like. still tasted good so i guess it's not a fail. it just did not look as good as the pin. i'm going to copy the recipe exactly how the pun described it. the only change i made was i used milk instead of heavy cream because i'm trying to avoid heavy things like the plague..

spicy sausage pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 14-ounce package smoked turkey sausage, sliced into rounds (I used Butterball brand)
1 1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 10-ounce can Ro-Tel Tomatoes and Green Chiles, Original Style
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces uncooked penne pasta (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Thinly sliced scallions
Salt, to taste


Heat oil over medium-high heat in a cast iron skillet (or other oven-safe skillet) until smoking. 
Add the sausage and onion, and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add in the garlic, and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the broth, Ro-Tel, heavy cream, uncooked pasta, and pepper, and give the mixture a good stir. Bring to a boil, cover the skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until the pasta is tender, about 15 minutes, stirring once or twice while cooking. Preheat the broiler while the pasta is cooking.
Remove the skillet from the heat, and stir in 1 cup of the cheese. Taste, and add salt as needed. Top with the scallions and remaining cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted and lightly browned - about 3 minutes.

tortellini-alfredo casserole

honestly, i don;t know if i can make it again because neither myself or my boyfriend were able to moderate our portions. it was freaking amazing. i found a sundried tomato alfredo sauce when we were grocery shopping and decided to use that instead of a regular one. you really don't need the refrigerated sauce, the regular jar kind in the sauce aisle is perfectly fine. i think the next time i make this i might add chicken because to me it seemed like if anything was missing it would be that.

just proceed with caution. seriously. we did not have left overs.

 

tortellini-alfredo casserole

ingredients

• 2  containers

  (10 ounces each) refrigerated Alfredo sauce
• 1/8  teaspoon

  black pepper
• 1  package

  (20 ounces) refrigerated green and white mixed cheese tortellini
• 1  package

  (10 ounces) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed, drained
• 1/2  cup

  garlic and herb-flavored or Parmesan-flavored bread crumbs
• 1  tablespoon

  olive oil

directions

1. heat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. in medium-size bowl, stir together alfredo sauce, 2 cups water and pepper. pour 1 cup sauce mixture into bottom of 2-1/2-quart shallow casserole. arrange half the tortellini (uncooked) in a single layer over sauce (see photo 1); sprinkle with chopped broccoli. pour 1-1/2 cups sauce over top. repeat layering remaining tortellini and remaining sauce. cover with foil.

3. bake at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes. remove from oven and heat broiler.

4. in small bowl, stir together bread crumbs and olive oil until evenly coated and sprinkle crumbs on top.

5. place casserole under broiler about 4 inches from heat until crumbs are golden, 1 to 2 minutes. let stand 10 minutes before serving. makes 8 servings.

happy st. patrick's day

this weekend has been both fun and traumatically draining. so i'm sitting here enjoying left over st pattys day dinner from yesterday in for form now of corned beef hash  finally feeling back to my normal self.

homemade hash - put left over corned beef, cabbage, onion, potatoes, and carrots in a food processor. chop. fry. enjoy

friday boyfriend and i went out with some friends and coworkers to send off a coworker to a new job. had an absolute blast as expected. saturday morning we decided we were going to go geocaching and got ready to go, put the dog in the harness and stepped outside. well she got out of her harness in two seconds and bolted into traffic and across one of the most high traffic streets in my town and kept going, boyfriend chasing after her of course. i was absolutely horrified that i would be finding all 11 lbs of her turned into a minpin pancake. thankfully she darted into a cemetery and became distracted by a pile of snow so boyfriend was able to snatch her up. i have never felt more relieved in my life. needless to say, boyfriend shredded her old harness and neither of us wants to walk her. in fact, i want to move her into the suburbs with a nice fenced in yard. shes a clueless barely 4 year old pup.

i took shelbie, my miracle of a minpin, to my mothers afterwards where of course my niece who is obsessed with her is there declaring her love for "shelldie" and hugging her nonstop which of course sparked some waterworks. go figure. i'm just eternally relieved that she is ok.


thursday was the day i found more issues wrong with the car i am going to finally pay off next month. isnt that always the way? i'm super bummed because i was hoping to get to florida for my friends baby shower. i have a feeling that might not happen at this point. i'll probably be able to make it down for her birthday two weeks after which is more financially realistic for me. i feel like i am consistently a victim of murphy's law. i'll never get used to it but i'm still smiling.

my boyfriend and i did make it to see coheed and cambria at the house of blues in boston, which was an excellent show. he's not a huge fan of them but still went with me. they are a band i have wanted to see for a while not but timing, funds, and company never really lined up. (for some reason i just can not seem to go to concerts by myself) the show was everything i had expected and i was glad i got a chance to go. i did feel bummed for the friends i bought the tickets off of last minute but i think i had enough fun for the three of us.

anyways. i can not wait for spring. warm weather and more geocaching, bike riding, beach bumming, and ice cream. i just can not wait to pay off this car however. my auto loan has become an unbelievable financial burden on top of my other debts. i just can not wait to be able to put that money towards something else. i am bummed that it's increasingly difficulty to fix my car as its a suzuki and with suzuki pulling out of the US auto industry i'm just going to assume it's going to be more difficult to fix this car. i'm not ready to trade it in yet. but when it is time, i'm probably going to be at a toyota or ford dealership. oh lordy.

hope everyone has a nice week. take care.

spicy thai noodles

this is legit one of boyfriends favorite meals. spicy thai noodles and egg drop soup. it's pretty easy to make. it's been a super awful and draining day so i'm going to copy the recipes here for you and i suggest that you try them. :)

egg drop soup

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken broth, divided 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch 2 eggs 1 egg yolk

Directions:

1.	Reserve 3/4 cup of chicken broth, and pour the rest into a large saucepan. Stir the salt, ginger and chives into the saucepan, and bring to a rolling boil. In a cup or small bowl, stir together the remaining broth and cornstarch until smooth. Set aside.
2.	In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolk together using a fork. Drizzle egg a little at a time from the fork into the boiling broth mixture. Egg should cook immediately. Once the eggs have been dropped, stir in the cornstarch mixture gradually until the soup is the desired consistency.

coconut strawberry chia seed pudding

i need to figure out healthy deserts. i can not live without sweet things. i've had plain chia seed pudding before. believe it or not, it's very tasty. it's not recommended to refrigerate this, even though if you do it doesn't really matter. it just tastes better fresh.

coconut strawberry chia seed pudding

1/4 cup chia seeds
1 cup coconut milk
3 medium strawberries, blended

blend together coconut milk and strawberries. transfer to a bowl and add chia seeds and stir. let sit for 2 minutes and stir again. allow to set for 20-25 minutes more minutes until mixture becomes thick. stir and serve.

Cheddar Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta

this week has been so tiring for me. i don't know what it is but i'm just exhausted. i am hoping tomorrow night i am going to get a chance to go out and have some fun at a coheed and cambria show in boston. good music and hanging out with people i haven't seen in a while. maybe i'm just tired because i have been back in the swing of going to the gym and getting up earlier than normal.

however before i go any further i feel the need to tell you, i am not on weight watchers. i don't think i ever could see myself doing weight watchers. the whole points thing seems odd to me but that's my own personal hold up. i hear it works well for some people. i did however come across a meal that look, and wound up actually being, pretty tasty. i mean, truthfully, you can not go wrong with bacon. (actually, when i made this i used turkey bacon so if there is going wrong that's where i went wrong..)

weight watchers cheddar chicken bacon ranch pasta

recipe adapted from Better Homes & Gardens, only lightened up for those Weight Watching by Hope Vaillancourt

ingredients

1/2 lb whole wheat penne pasta

4 slc bacon, diced

1/2 Tbsp light butter

1 lg chicken breast, boneless & skinless, cut into bite sized pieces

1 Tbsp all purpose flour

1/2 pkg ranch dressing mix ( 1/2 oz)

1 c fat free milk

1/2 c fat free shredded cheddar cheese

salt & pepper to taste

directions

1. cook pasta according to package directions in boiling salted water; drain, return to pot, and keep warm.

2. meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. drain on paper towels. drain all but 1/2 tablespoon of bacon drippings from the pan.

3. season the chicken with salt and pepper. add the butter to the reserved bacon drippings, then add the chicken to the same skillet. cook until tender, no longer pink, and slightly browned.

4. sprinkle the flour and ranch dressing mix over the chicken, stirring to coat evenly. stir in the milk, and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and bubbly. stir in the cheddar cheese and half of the reserved bacon; cook and stir until the cheese is melted. taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

5. serve each plate of pasta with more bacon sprinkled over the top.

chicken lo mein

i am still not entirely convinced you can replicate take out food in your home. i swear take out is make with special crack like seasonings that just keep you coming back and craving more. i've been trying a lot of recipes from the web, cookbooks, and pinterest of course which claim its "better than take out." i have yet to feel that way about something i've made. this came pretty close.  my boyfriend is beyond obsessed with chinese food. it's his true weakness so anytime i come across something i really have to try to make it.

 

 

 

chicken lo mein

ingredients:

• 8 ounces thin spaghetti noodles
• 3 cups water
• 3 chicken bouillon cubes
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 onions, chopped
• 1 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 celery ribs, thinly sliced
• 2 cups cabbage, thinly sliced
• 2 stalks bok choy, sliced
• 1 carrots, shredded
• 1/4 cup frozen green peas
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1/4 cup light soy sauce  

directions

1. boil spaghetti in water adding bouillon cubes until al dente then drain well reserving liquid.
2. cut chicken breasts into small shredded pieces and sprinkle with salt to taste. saute chicken until done in a large skillet or wok heat olive oil and remove and set aside.
3. add 2 tablespoons sesame oil to skillet or wok and saute onion, garlic, celery, cabbage, bok choy, carrot and peas until crispy tender (approximately 5 minutes) adding more olive oil if needed. dissolve cornstarch in cold water. add cornstarch liquid and one-half of reserved broth.
4. stir in spaghetti noodles and chicken. add remaining broth liquid. add soy sauce and toss. on low heat cook just until noodles are nice and darken.

the original poster put a side note that you can use coleslaw mix found in produce section of grocery to substitute for cabbage.

wah

i wish i knew where this bracelet ran off to. this was probably one of my favorites and now i don't know where it is now. womp.

i made it a few years ago when i was very into making jewelry. back when i guess i had more disposable time. is it just me or are there less hours in a day as we age? what the heck.

i think maybe tonight i might try to make this again or something similar. i could use some new jewelry since my alex and ani bracelets have been breaking. ergh.

buffalo chicken meatloaf

usually i am all about buffalo chicken. truly. i'll have it on anything. but this time.. no. just no. it was too much for me. it murdered my intestines. i don't know. feel free to try the recipe. maybe i did something wrong but it just was not for me at all. boyfriend loved it completely. maybe i just made it wrong. who knows.

give it a try and let me know what your take on it is.

buffalo chicken meatloaf

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4 ribs celery, finely chopped
3 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground chicken breast
1 cup buffalo wing sauce (such as Sweet Baby Ray's Wing Sauce), divided
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup honey
Sliced green onions, for optional garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place a large skillet over medium high-heat. When hot, add olive oil, then add onion, celery and carrots. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 8 minutes or until onion is translucent. Add garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Let vegetables cool slightly.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, 1/2 cup wing sauce, egg, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Add cooled vegetables. Mix gently but well.
4. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Place half of the chicken mixture on the baking sheet, patting the meat into a rectangle. Top evenly with cheese. Add the rest of the meat, covering all the cheese and forming a loaf.
5. Stir together the remaining 1/2 cup wing sauce and honey. Brush over the meatloaf.
6. Bake for 1 hour or until cooked through. Let cool slightly before slicing. If desired, sprinkle with green onions.

apple butter

i am still working my way through the apple butter i made during the fall after our lovely apple picking trip. we got so excited about all the apples we picked more than we could ever eat.  i've been using the apple butter for so many different things. from breads to cooking it with meats to straight out of the jar. it wasn't difficult to make but it absolutely a weekend project.

crockpot apple butter

Makes a little more than 1 pint
1 dozen apples, peeled, cored, cubed
1/2 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon All Spice

peel, core, and chop a dozen apples.
toss the apples in the sugar and spices. put everything in the Crockpot, then cook on low overnight.
after a few more hours on low, about two or so, turn the crockpot to high and prop the lid open for about 4 hours or so. the mixture will cook down and thicken.
if you want you can smooth it down further in a blender. it's not required but depends on your taste. pour whats left into clean canning jars and enjoy now or later. or both.

easy breakfast pastry

for whatever reason i can not get enough of this call me maybe NIN mash up. i can't its just too awfully perfect. but i digress.

so not a breakfast person. i'd make smoothies all day. instant oatmeal. skip it. who needs it? i'm just not really a morning person.

i found this recipe in a cooking light cook book, or something along those lines. this took me a whole of five minutes to assemble. basically you get refridgerated biscuits. create a sugar and cinnamon mixture using 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup cinnamon. roll each individual biscuit around in the mixed and place on a greased cookie sheet. make an indent with your thumb and fill it with your favorite preserve or jelly. bake as directed on biscuit package. easy.

i've been trying to spend more time knitting lately. i really miss it a lot. i have a spare room in my apartment that previously was a studio space for whatever project i was working on at the time. it has since just turned into a storage room. time seems to always get away from me. i think over this weekend i will try to clean it out a little bit more. i think some of it is that i just need to part with a few of my things. if i haven't used it in a while why keep it? i want to try to get back to living simply. not having excess and all.

i have a huge problem with wanting to want. i want things and then when i get them i want more. and more. and it's really never ending. things to work on..

mini nutella cups

i am so freaking over snow. i'm over it. i cant stand it. i dont want anything to do with it. i hate it. an apparently there's more coming tonight? fantastic. /sarcasm. seriously. last winter i feel like there was maybe a minute of snow and that was it. everytime it snows my bones ache and i get tired and lazy and want to hide in comfort food. not to mention works gets especially busy when it's cold for whatever reason, so things be come increasingly hetic. and to top it off, i get rear ended while at a dead stop on the highway and my boyfriend wants to bicker about who's going over who's house and why i apparently never go there. um.. because 8-12 inches of snow tonight that's why. i don't think either of us should be on the road in the snow, especially me because i get worlds of anxiety around inclement weather. so whatever.

this right here is a really bad picture of a really delish cookie. so flipping much work to make but so good. i wasn't sure if this was a recipe i should even venture into because nutella is not exactly on the path to a skinny tummy food. but it's so good. and my boyfriend is so obsessed with it. if it's in the house, he will sneak eat it in the middle of the night. i swear, the boy would live off of nutella if he could.

anyway, i had a really tough time trying to find the perfect thing to stamp the cup part of the cookie with. the bottom of a shot glass did not work for me as the recipe claimed it would. so i tried tops of different bottles and found that the top of a tobasco sauce worked good for me. it's not like anyone who ate them noticed. i also had trouble distributing the nutella because i wanted them to look even and pretty. which, is not happening apparently. but i found if i did it while the cookies were still warm the nutella melted and all was right with the world again.

mini nutella cookie cups

(Makes enough for 2-3 dozen)
Recipe adapted from Delightful Bites, originating from Barbara Bakes
Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe adapted from AllRecipes (sans chips)
ingredients

1 cup butter (softened)

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Jar of Nutella(12 tablespoons per batch)

preheat oven to 350 degrees F. grease your mini muffin tin (unless it is nonstick).

cream butter and both sugar in bowl until light, smooth. beat in eggs and vanilla fully and then gradually add dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda) until all the flour is mixed in.

roll dough into balls 1.5 inches thick and pop them in the mini muffin tin and bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown but not too dark around the edges.

when done, remove from oven and let sit for about 2 minutes and make wells for the nutella with a shot glass, a similar object or a spoon. add 1 tbsp Nutella to each cup – it will start to melt quickly so you can swirl it around and make it nice and smooth.

 let cool 15-20 minutes in tin. remove from tin and enjoy.

butternut squash mac and cheese

i am always trying to figure out ways to make my comfort foods healthy. i've acquired so many cook books where i try to find things i like that still taste good. most of my problem with my weight is absolutely in the kitchen. i try to keep active where i can. i've been back in the swing of things with the gym this week and adding more greens to my diet with my morning green smoothies. but dinner time rolls around and i'm all about carbs, cheese, high fat, tasty tasty time. 

i'm trying to learn more of what healthy foods you can use to substitute for higher fat foods. i never would have thought that i could swap out cheese for butternut squash in mac and cheese. i found this recipe on pinterest and figured why not try it out? i'm going to share the recipe how it was written but i adapted the recipe slightly for my own tastes. i left out the gruyere cheese and only used romano and omitted the greek yogurt because i forgot it when i went shopping, and doubled the garlic. still tasted yummy to me.

creamy butternut squash macaroni and cheese

• 3 cups cubed peeled butternut squash
• 1 1/4 cup fat free, lower sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups fat free milk
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbs plain fat free greek yogurt
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup shredded gruyere cheese
• 1 cup grated romano cheese
• 1 box (1lb) uncooked elbow noodles
• 1/2 cup whole wheat panko breadcrumbs
• fresh parsley, garnish as desired

preheat oven to 375 degrees f.  in a medium saucepan, combined cubed butternut squash, chicken broth, milk and garlic and bring to a boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 25 minutes, until squash is tender.  while doing this, cook pasta as directed on box.

pour hot squash mixture into a blender, or stand mixer, and add Greek yogurt, salt and pepper.  blend/mix until smooth and pour mixture into a large bowl. if you're using a stand mixer, leave in bow and stir in cheeses until melted and then fold in your pasta.  pour everything into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

sprinkle breadcrumbs over top and place in oven for about 25 minutes.  sprinkle with parsley and enjoy..

happy birthday.

i absolutely love my pets. every single one of them. after rough days and weeks, coming home to critter who love you is perfect. this month my bird is going to be turning 15. FIFTEEN! i can barely believe i have had her for so long. it seems like just yesterday i was picking out a hatchling from a box of naked babies. at that point it's almost like reaching into a hat and picking out whatever. will it be a blue or green or yellow quaker? will it love you?

so out of this box only one hatchling raised their head and was squaking. THAT ONE. i'll take that one obviously. so i handfed her and raised her. i'm very proud of this pet in particular. she has grown into such a lovely pet. she dances when i play music and screaches at me "dance" to do the same, laughs manically, and is so protective of me it's comical. this morning she was guarding the couch from the dog, who is a hundred times bigger than her. the second the dog gets on the couch she runs towards the dog and scares her off the couch.

when people get to really know me and my family and meet my bird they come to know the bird is named travis. why is your female bird named a male name? well. when i first got her, i brought her to an avian specialist and asked for their imput before naming her. well.. they were wrong. about 10 or so years into my ownership of her travis began to lay eggs. about 3-4 every couple of months. go figure. i tried changing the name slightly but she responds to travis. how can i call her anything different now? i'm open minded and she doesn't seem to be bothered by it.

i cant imagine being without her. she's the perfect little buddy. so happy birthday to my dear travis. 

oh martha. martha martha martha. why do you keep making me want to make all kinds of things? and why when i make said things are they so delicious it's all i want to eat for the next year? i swear, everytime i make this, i need to make sure i cut out everything i want to eat because my boyfriend will devour the rest, and he really is not into mexican food in the same way that i am. the recipe for this says you can use either beer or water to cook the beans in. use beer. trust me.

i have been using sam adams winter because it was given to us and i have been trying not to drink as much as i used to. empty calories and all. below i have copied the recipe for your enjoyment. i really can not get enough of it. 

Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

Everyday Food, October 2003 http://www.marthastewart.com/336692/tortilla-and-black-bean-pie

• Yield Serves 6

Ingredients

• • 4 flour tortillas (10 inches)
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 jalapeno chile, minced (remove seeds and ribs for less heat)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 12 ounces beer, or 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn
  • 4 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
  • 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (2 1/2 cups)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. With a paring knife, trim tortillas to fit a 9-inch springform pan. Use the bottom of the pan as a guide. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeno, garlic, and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Add beans and beer, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until liquid has almost evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in corn and scallions, and remove from heat. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
4. Fit a trimmed tortilla in bottom of springform pan; layer with 1/4 of the beans and 1/2 cup of cheese. Repeat three times, using 1 cup cheese on top layer. Bake until cheese melts, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove side of pan; sprinkle pie with scallions. To serve, slice into wedges.

dermal problems

so this picture was taken at a tattoo convention about a year ago when i first got  my shoulder dermals. whats a dermal? a dermal, or dermal anchor, is a piercing that can be done anywhere on the body because it is implanted just below the surface of the dermis. i got two on my chest and was immediately obsessed. for this picture at the convention, i added another 8 to spiral across my shoulder and later added two more. my piercer is lovely, sean theroux of mom and pops tattoo and piercing in fall river, and the piercing were so good to me. so many compliments and they really made me feel so fancy. unfortunately as with surface piercings, there can be complications. between regular movement of my body, remove and putting on clothes, seatbelts are a huge one, my poor dermals have had a few accidents and close calls. it's funny when you first get them because you will never realize how much you move a certain area until there is a cute little anchor there.

i've had a few fall out, become irritated, put back in, come out again, and migrate. everyone's skin is different. i had a feeling that these might migrate after a while because out of the three times i've had my belly button done it has been unsuccessful. unfortunately after just about a year, i removed one of my chest dermals because it was irritated and migrating and the other one fell out on its own several days later. the four on the front of my shoulder have continually been tricky. i've had them get caught on shirts and come out and they seem to be more susceptible to becoming irritated than the ones in my back, which just for the record, have never been a problem ever. on thursday one got caught on my shirt and came out so i figured at this point i am just going to let it be and not even bother having it put back in. this morning one of the other ones on the front got snagged on my blanket in my sleep and came out as i tossed and turned i suppose. the one that came out this morning i have put back in and pulled out more then three times at this point so i'm over it.

so i think, as much as i hate to admit it, i am at the point where which ever dermal falls out, it will no longer be replaced. :( womp womp wahhh. i'm ok with having half gems and half scars on my shoulder. the two scars on my chest i am however a bit bummed about. they have been shrinking and disappearing.. slowly. it isn't a huge deal i guess in the bigger scheme of things but i miss my pretty gems. 

i guess as far as piercings go, i'm going to hold off for a while. back to tattoos i go.

pho

so there's a restaurant not to far from my boyfriends house that serves this soup called pho that he is obsessed with. i figured it can't possibly be that hard to make and somewhere there has got to be a recipe for it. sure enough there is. the original recipe calls for boy choy, which i didn't have and for some reason the grocery store was sold out of it, so instead i used spinach. just as tasty. perfect for the horrible messy snowy winter we have been having. you can make pho with any type of meat really. i just chose to use chicken because i am pushing away from red meat.

pho

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/4th tsp salt
6 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 cups spinach
5 oz chinese noodles (about half a package)


directions:
heat the sesame oil over medium high heat in a large heavy-bottomed stock pot. add the minced garlic and ginger and briefly saute for about 30 seconds. add the chicken and spinach, add salt, and saute for another three minutes until chicken has turned white but not completely cooked all the way through.
add the chicken broth to the pot and bring to a simmer. cook for 15 minutes until chicken is done.
meanwhile, cook the noodles in boiling salted water, drain and rinse with cold water. set aside.
add the rice vinegar and soy sauce and stir. you can add a little more salt if you like, but taste first because soy sauce already contains a lot of salt! add the noodles to the pot and serve

veggie loaf

 this was a big hit for me. i usually don't like veggie loaf. i mean isn't a loaf supposed to be made of some kind of meat? i've made buffalo chicken loaf, meatloaf, not veggie loafs. however this one was decent.

veggie loaf

• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoon(s) olive oil
• 1 can(s) (15-oz) lentils, rinsed
• 1 small red onion,  finely chopped
• 2 cup(s) baby spinach,  chopped (about 2 oz)
• 1 jarred roasted red pepper, cut into 1/2-in. pieces
• 2 ounce(s) feta cheese,  crumbled
  
  
• 1 package(s) (6-oz) falafel mix 

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil and 2 Tbsp water. Add the lentils, red onion, spinach and roasted red pepper and mix to combine; fold in the cheese.
3. Add the falafel mix and stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet and shape into a 9 x 3½-in. loaf. Bake until the internal temperature registers 150°F, 30 to 35 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

From:  Lentil, Roasted Pepper, and Spinach Vegetable Loaf Recipe - Woman's Day

spinach artichoke pasta

this right here. this right here. i can't even begin to tell you about this right here. so freaking tasty. probably so not good for me. but so good. it's difficult to reheat though. i recommend adding it to a pot with 1/2 cup of milk and reheating slowly.

spinach artichoke pasta

• 1 12-oz box pasta
• 1 tsp butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 8 oz package reduced fat cream cheese
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 14 oz can artichoke hearts (packed in water), drained and chopped
• 10 oz chopped, frozen spinach, thawed, with as much excess water squeezed out as possible
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
• Additional Parmesan for serving

cook pasta while melting butter and cooking garlic in a saucepan over medium heat. cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. add cream cheese and stir until melted. slowly stir in milk, then add sour cream, lemon juice, salt and red pepper flakes. stir in artichoke hearts, spinach, and parmesan cheese.

drain pasta and add to artichoke mix. toss and season to taste with salt and additional lemon juice as needed. serve with additional shredded parmesan.

thai fried quinoa

this was something i saw on pinterest and thought it looked interesting. this was one healthy thing my boyfriend liked more than me which is odd. it just wasn't what i expected. i was kind of disappointed but i think i will try it again sometime. i figured it might be worth a share. maybe you can decide for yourself

thai fried quinoa

Serves 4
Slightly adapted from Peas and Thank You
Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 cup lite coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth
2 green onions, chopped
1 Tablespoon microplaned or minced ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 cup frozen peas
1-8oz can pineapple tidbits, drained
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
juice of half a lime
chopped peanuts (optional)
Directions:

1. Place rinsed quinoa in a saucepan over high heat. Add coconut milk and chicken broth, then bring to a boil. Once boiling, place a lid on top, turn the heat down to medium-low, and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 15-20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat and spray with non-stick spray. Add green onions, ginger, and garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly as to not burn the garlic.
3. Add peas, pineapple tidbits, and cilantro and cook for 1 additional minute.
4. Push the ingredients to the sides of the wok to create a clear space in the center. Whisk the eggs together in a small bowl, then pour into the wok. Stir with a spatula until the eggs are scrambled, then stir to combine with the rest of the ingredients.
5. Add cooked quinoa, soy sauce and lime juice to the wok, and stir to combine. Cook for an additional minute or two, or until the quinoa begins to crisp up. Serve with optional chopped peanuts on top.

zucchini pasta and tomato parsley sauce

so since i have switched my diet i noticed i have been thirstier than normal. i can not seem to get enough water. yesterday i found myself with a splitting headache because i didn't find enough time during my work day to get enough water to satisfy my body. but there's nothing wrong with tons of water. i've been drinking "green smoothies" daily for breakfast. for those of you who having had one, it's a smoothie made of a green leafy vegetable, some fruit, and some vegetables. the color looks really odd to a lot of people. (yes, a lot of my coworkers give me some funky looks.) but it tastes really good. it takes a while to find a combination that really works for you. i really tend to gravitate to spinach, banana, celery, and the occasional cucumber.

this was one of my favorite things to make last time i was eating raw. it's not difficult to make and is surprisingly filling. pasta is a complete vice of mine so being able to have some good for you pasta is key to me surviving any dietary change.

to make the parsley tomato sauce, all you need are the ingredients to the left and a blender.

parsley tomato sauce

5 tomatoes, washed and sliced
1/2 cup olive oil
1 bunch parsley, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 lemon, juiced
2 stalks celery
2 cloves garlic, chopped
salt, to taste


blend together all ingredients except the parsley and olive oil. once completely blended, slowly add the olive oil and parsley until sauce thickens.

see. super simple and tasty sauce. the color is a nice green depending on how much parsley you add. for me the more the better because you can never get enough greens. if you like your tomato sauce a little on the red side add half of the bunch of parsley and you will get a nice red pink sauce.

now there's a few different ways you can make your zucchini pasta. you can use a food processor, vegetable peeler, mandolin, or my favorite bad boy: a spiral vegetable slicer. they aren't expensive and are a nice novelty to have. think curly fries, vegetable pasta, thinly sliced anything. it's easy enough to use. secure washed and peeled (if you want) vegetable in the middle and turn the crank.

one of the things i do to make sure i don't have a huge noodle is slice the vegetable half way through.  the end result is nice and quick. very professional looking.

so now that the pasta is all done, mix it with a little sauce and enjoy. tangy and raw pasta.