Veggies Re-Vamped

Lunch today was essentially last night’s dinner in different form.

All the same veggies came to the party: asparagus, eggplant, red onion, red pepper, and garlic. Plus a crumbled up left over eggplant patty just for fun.

Really it was just an excuse for me to have more goat cheese, short from eating it straight out of the wrapper.

After the veggies were cooked I doused it in red pepper pesto. Mmm mmm.

Instead of pizza, I made a wrap using a whole wheat tortilla instead. Plus some veggie nuggets- two spinach and one corn. (Someone’s indecisive….hey, I like variety)

I don’t know what it is about pizza that makes things taste so darn yummy. This is nearly identically to the pizza I had last night, yet the pizza was SO much better than this wrap. (Not that the wrap wasn’t good…the pizza just kicked it’s butt).

Then I had some rice pudding for dessert! It’s not really dessert. It’s more like a side of creamy rice. Interesting.

 

Today is a day PACKED full of deadlines, so back to busting my butt I go!

“Make Your Own” Night

One dinner I’ve found that is SO easy to tailor to individual tastes is pizzas. That’s exactly what was on the menu tonight!

I chopped up a bunch of veggies- mushrooms, red peppers, red onions, eggplant, and asparagus.

Then sauteed them with some garlic, Italian seasoning, and black pepper. When the veggies were done I scooted them to one side and cooked up some chopped meatballs for the husband.

Then we each got to make our own pizza! I used whole wheat flatbreads from the bakery instead of making pizza dough tonight. They were tasty, and made things super easy.

My pizza had the whole veggie mix, plus sundried tomatoes on a layer of Laughing Cow Swiss Cheese & Bertolli marinara (since it was already open!), then topped with goat cheese & basil.

I’m convinced you could put goat cheese on anything and it would taste magnificent.

I toasted the flatbreads in the oven as it preheated, then threw the pizzas in a 425 degree oven for about 5-10 minutes. So good and crispy, but not too crunchy.

Dessert

For dessert I decided to experiment with making rice pudding. I’m not sure why, I don’t even know that I can definitively say I’ve even had rice pudding before.

Coconut Rice Pudding

1/2 c short grain brown rice

2 c water

1 1/2 c milk

1/2 c coconut milk

1/8 c egg substitute

1/2 T cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

1 T unsweetened coconut flakes

orange zest (optional)

1 t vanilla

1/8 t salt

squirt agave nectar

Soak rice in water ~1 hr. Bring water to boil, then cook over medium heat 10-15 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook over medium low, about 20 minutes, or until most liquid has absorbed. Remove from heat with some liquid remaining, as it will thicken upon standing.

This was really good! It wasn’t sweet at all, so if you’re looking for a more traditional “dessert” I’d stir in some extra sweetener at the end.

I served mine with extra cinnamon and coconut. Then went back for seconds thirds.

What’s your favorite dessert? Mine’s a toss up between tiramisu and key lime pie 🙂

“Make Your Own” Night

One dinner I’ve found that is SO easy to tailor to individual tastes is pizzas. That’s exactly what was on the menu tonight!

I chopped up a bunch of veggies- mushrooms, red peppers, red onions, eggplant, and asparagus.

Then sauteed them with some garlic, Italian seasoning, and black pepper. When the veggies were done I scooted them to one side and cooked up some chopped meatballs for the husband.

Then we each got to make our own pizza! I used whole wheat flatbreads from the bakery instead of making pizza dough tonight. They were tasty, and made things super easy.

My pizza had the whole veggie mix, plus sundried tomatoes on a layer of Laughing Cow Swiss Cheese & Bertolli marinara (since it was already open!), then topped with goat cheese & basil.

I’m convinced you could put goat cheese on anything and it would taste magnificent.

I toasted the flatbreads in the oven as it preheated, then threw the pizzas in a 425 degree oven for about 5-10 minutes. So good and crispy, but not too crunchy.

Dessert

For dessert I decided to experiment with making rice pudding. I’m not sure why, I don’t even know that I can definitively say I’ve even had rice pudding before.

Coconut Rice Pudding

1/2 c short grain brown rice

2 c water

1 1/2 c milk

1/2 c coconut milk

1/8 c egg substitute

1/2 T cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

1 T unsweetened coconut flakes

orange zest (optional)

1 t vanilla

1/8 t salt

squirt agave nectar

Soak rice in water ~1 hr. Bring water to boil, then cook over medium heat 10-15 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook over medium low, about 20 minutes, or until most liquid has absorbed. Remove from heat with some liquid remaining, as it will thicken upon standing.

This was really good! It wasn’t sweet at all, so if you’re looking for a more traditional “dessert” I’d stir in some extra sweetener at the end.

I served mine with extra cinnamon and coconut. Then went back for seconds thirds.

What’s your favorite dessert? Mine’s a toss up between tiramisu and key lime pie 🙂

Date Night

The husband and I are going to Carrabba’s Italian Grill tonight for dinner. We aren’t going to see each other for a week due to overlapping conferences and I got a giftcard for Christmas, so I thought it’d be the perfect time to use it!

I love checking out a restaurant’s menu online before I go. I’m SO indecisive that it helps me get a head start on my decision and keeps me from holding other people up. It’s also good to read the menu before you’re starving so you can make a good, healthy decision. Sometimes it’s helpful to look at the nutrition info too. I don’t really go to nice restaurants a lot, so I usually get whatever it is that I want, even if it’s not the healthiest choice on the menu. If I get to the point where I’m eating out a lot, then I tend to stick with lighter options.

I ordered my favorite entree at Carrabba’s- the Chicken Bryan- a grilled chicken breast with goat cheese, sundried tomatoes, and a basil lemon butter sauce. Say the words “goat cheese” and I’m hooked.

I’m amazed at how much food comes with an order- the entree, a side, soup or salad, bread…jeez! I had 2 slices of bread dipped in the spiced olive oil, a cup of spicy chicken soup, and asparagus as my side. I opted for a “small” sized entree. I thought it was pretty cool they give you an option of ordering a smaller sized entree—until I realized I had no leftovers to bring home!! I love leftovers!!

Even though I really like their house red wine, I decided to forgo the wine for dessert.

That ended up being a good decision…we split a Limoncello Bread Pudding topped with vanilla bean ice cream. mmmm!

I feel kinda like a kid again tonight—tomorrow’s my first day of school! I hope I’ll be able to sleep! hahaa. I started graduate school at one school a year ago, and every semester I ran into the same problem- they weren’t offering the classes I needed.  It was getting to the point where it was ridiculous and I wasn’t getting anywhere. I made the decision to take a risk and apply to a different school, even though it was a reach (and a lot more expensive ah!). I found out a few weeks ago that I was accepted and now I’m all signed up for classes and ready to start tomorrow!!

Looking back at the week in training:

I ran 10 miles!! (3, 3, and 4!!)

Red Pepper & Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast

I decided to treat myself to a decadent lunch today–dinner doesn’t have to be the only home-cooked meal of the day!

First I sauteed some onion, then added some leftover roasted red pepper, garlic, and dried basil. At the same time I sauteed a chicken breast with black pepper. After cutting a slit in the middle (almost the whole way through but not quite!), I scooped the onion & pepper mixture in the chicken, and stuffed in some goat cheese. I think this would have been fantastic with fresh basil, and maybe some wilted spinach too. Mmmm!

Roasted Red Peppers & Goat Cheese Quesadillas

Big fat negative on the training today. Way to go, self, way to go. We’ll pretend it was supposed to be a rest day and get back to it tomorrow. (Don’t remind me of these things when I’m huffing and puffing on the course and can’t figure out why I can’t finish…) Anyways, enter dinner: roasted red pepper & goat cheese quesadillas:

Sorry it’s a bit blurry, I just couldn’t wait to dive in.

I guess my grocery store has stopped carrying whole wheat wraps, as they haven’t been there the last couple times I tried to grab some. I got tired of waiting for them to start stocking them again (if ever?!) and decided I’d just have to figure out how to make my own. Thus came my homemade whole wheat tortillas!

For 4 medium sized tortillas:

1 cup whole wheat flour (or whatever kind)

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

a bit more than 1/4 cup hot water

Set aside to rise for a bit (does dough rise without yeast..I think so)

Divide into 4 balls. Roll out flat. Place in saute pan over medium heat for a few seconds on each side. Yummmm. A little thicker than normal wraps, not as thick as a pita. Delish!

For the quesadillas I piled on some sauteed onions and some red pepper I roasted last week. Little bit of Light Original Swiss Laughing Cow, pepper, dried basil, and a ton of goat cheese. Heated it up a bit more and instant gourmet dinner. When I was planning this dish in my head I picture some baby spinach leaves, but turns out I used the last of the batch in my soup yesterday. Would have been a great addition, along with some fresh basil leaves. Went perfectly with a little glass of wine…Barefoot Pinot Grigio, my absolute favorite! (and only 5 bucks!–you’d never know)