Debate

I feel like it’s time to bring back the wordpress and with it a little bit of domesticity and organization.  If you don’t know, I also house a tumblr, which I love dearly and is more of my creative and spontaneous outlet, but I’ve found myself missing these lengthy and photo-filled blog posts more and more lately.

Life is pretty crazy… grad school starts back up on Monday and I am working my little tush off at my 8-5 (Don’t you wish it was still 9-5, world? ‘Cause I do! Dolly, make it happen!).

But, maybe I can make this happen?  Maybe?

 

Just maybe?

Ch-ch-ch-changes

It’s a stormy little Tuesday morning here in our corner of the world… something that has come to be a constant in these parts! In the past few months, if it wasn’t a tornado passing through, it was a rough storm striking down trees and power lines and leaving us flooded.  I can’t complain, I LOVE storms. I love leaving the balcony door in our bedroom open to feel the breeze and smell the rain, while curling up on the bed with a good book. I am thankful, though, that our power lines seem to hold up against anything.  We’ve only lost power once and it was only for a few hours, thank God!

I wanted to update everyone on the status of the Raders, since I have fallen off the blogosphere!

We’ve been taking advantage of any sunlight that comes out by toasting ourselves by the pool… or well, I’ve been toasting, the red-headed hubs has been slathering on the sunscreen to the point of no return.

We’ve been eating fruit and bread from the amazing Chattanooga Market.

Hubs finished up the spring semester and made all As… yet again

We’ve been eating our weight in delicious barbecue…(if you haven’t eaten at Sugar’s, go, NOW!)

But I, in particular, have some big news…(NO, dear God, I’m not pregnant… not drinking that water)

I’m going to grad school in the fall!

I will be attending the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga to get my Masters in Secondary English Education and I am pumped, but nervous as all get out.  I’ll be making my rounds as a substitute teacher in Tennessee and Georgia for now, and then eventually hope to land a transitional position in one of the schools until I complete the program.

There are a lot of bridges we have to cross to make sure we are ready for the beginning of the semester, but we are praying and keeping positive that all will go well.  Obviously, we’re not in charge, and whatever God decides to throw at us, we’re ready to accept!

Impromptu Menu

Sup y’aaall.

I struggled so much this week trying to figure out what to make for next week…

So I took the plunge and went to the store without a list.

Not only that, but I went with half a falafel in my stomach– and nothin’ else!

Needless to say, I went over budget… just by $15, though.  I did shamelessly buy a box of cookies for myself and a surprise for Robert… I also ended up with an unnecessary package of chicken breasts.  So, the next visit to the grocery store will definitely be planned and well under budget.

However, my hungry belly and the rows of food-laden shelves did help inspire some meals:

Monday: Turkey & Quinoa Meatloaf + Mushroom Rice + Green beans

I have about half a box of quinoa left in the pantry leftover that I’ve been aching to use because it’s so rich in nutrients (fiber, complete protein, iron, etc.) and I found this interesting little meatloaf recipe online.  Hope it’s good!

Tuesday: Taco Pizza

Okay, let me be trashy for a minute: do any of y’all remember going to CiCi’s Pizza as a kid and having the Mexican pizza? We drooled over that in my family.  Salsa instead of sauce, taco meat, lettuce… all things I love in the form of the one thing I love the most – pizza!

Wednesday: Brat dogs + Sweet potato fries + Broccoli slaw

It’s summer…  and that means hamburgers and HOT DOGS! We’ve been doing burgers since the temps hit 75, but we have completely been neglecting the hot dog.  I’m not a huge fan of the overly processed boiled weenies, but grill me a mean bratwurst with some hot mustard and I’m THERE.

Thursday: Baked Tofu + Brown rice + Grilled summer vegetables

Obviously, Thursday night is single gal’s dinner.  Although the hubs will eat tofu, I know that I can happily make a whole meal around it without needing man meat.

Errr… you know what I mean.

Friday: Farfalle Bake 

I’m totally enjoying the fact that I now love squash and zucchini.  I also am loving the fact that I can throw them in with some of my favorite whole wheat pasta and marinara sauce and that it not only adds that awesome Italian flavor, but it remains just as healthy!

Saturday: Carnitas Tacos

I can’t tell y’all how excited I am about these! Part of the reason I went over budget was because I bought a huge 4-pound pork shoulder to make carnitas tacos.  We have a ton of leftover corn tortillas from this past week’s fish tacos and there’s nothing like tender, juicy shredded pork with onions and aromatic cilantro (and a marg or two) to celebrate a Saturday night with your hot and sexay hubs. The best part: it cooks in the crockpot!

Sunday: Leftovers

Self-explanatory! We will have a ton of leftovers this week, not to mention we have a vat of zucchini and sausage pasta frozen in the freezer.  On top of that, Sunday lunch is our designated meal out and more than likely there will be even more leftovers from that.

Voila! The hungry hippo strikes again.  These are all relatively indulgent meals (read: no baked fish and steamed broccoli, baha), but all still relatively figure-friendly — and you can keep it clean and natural if you look around your local farmer’s markets this weekend for tomatoes, zucchini, squash, cilantro… and any other local delicacies!

Have a great weekend, guys

Summer Veggies

Confession time:

The list of vegetables I like is pretty short.  More specifically, the list of non-starchy vegetables I like is very short.

I was born in the Dominican Republic and raised pretty much in the South where our vegetables include stewed beans, plantains (fried, of course), potatoes, potatoes with cheese, fried potatoes with cheese, and corn swimming in butter.

That’s what I’m talking about, right?

Unfortunately, my waistline, cholesterol level, and little ticker can’t handle a constant supply of those kinds of “vegetables”, as much as I may love the $5 plate at the Cracker Barrel.

Don’t get me started on the dumplings.

For clean and healthy eating, I am a firm believer in the theory of the “nutritionist’s plate”.  I don’t know if that’s what it’s really called, but that’s what I call it in my head.  All nutritionists that I have seen throughout my life have told me that the rule of thumb for a properly fixed plate is to divide it into 1/2 non-starchy vegetables, 1/4 protein, and 1/4 good carbs.  Obviously, throwing in a tiny bit of dairy and a good helping of fruit never hurts, either.

Therefore, when I plan out our weekly meals, you’ll notice that I always include those three.  As an example, I’ll give you the run-down of our latest and greatest pasta concoction, Summer Squash & Zucchini with Sausage.

Very rarely in the wee Rader household do we have pig products (except for bacon, of course, hello) like sausage and pork, but on occasion, we will indulge for some added flavor and fat.  Turkey sausage and chicken sausage, however, are excellent substitutes with less fat and just as much flavor.

Brown up about a pound and a half of your favorite spiced sausage (not necessarily spicy, just not plain).  It doesn’t have to be fully cooked at this point because it will be cut up and go back in the pan.

Yummmm.  Once they’re ready, take them out and cut them up into about 1/4 of an inch slices.

While those are cooking, slice and chop up about half a cup of onion, two small zucchini, and one small yellow squash.

Throw everything back in your big skillet for about two minutes… let everyone get to know each other…

And then add a can of stewed tomatoes.

If you have some favorite Italian seasoning mix or a few pinches of basil and oregano, throw that in now.  Reduce the heat to simmer and cover for about 10-15 minutes until the sausage is cooked all the way through and the veggies are tender (to your liking, of course).

We served ours over whole wheat rotini, but it’s great by itself with a slice of crusty bread or on top of a bed of brown rice.

Full recipe:

1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage links
2 small zucchini, sliced
1 small yellow squash, sliced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, with liquid

Directions

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the Italian sausage until the inside is no longer pink. Cut sausage into 1/4 inch slices, and continue cooking until browned.
2. Stir in the zucchini, yellow squash, and onion; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Pour in the tomatoes, with liquid. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Enjoy your summer!

Lemon Garlic Tuna Burgers

Before I start to indulge you guys with my very slightly tweaked version of these delicious tuna burgers, let me just tell you that someone found my blog by searching:

“Looks like butt cheeks”

O.O

Should I be concerned? Baha!

Anyhow, last night the bearded one worked late so my sister and I whipped up these burgers and sat down to a few episodes of Criminal Minds.  We party hard, I know.

The closest thing I can compare these to in good ole’ southern terms would be salmon patties.  Now, I once made a batch of salmon patties and they were pretty much the most awful tasting things I ever put in my mouth.  And I’m not a bad cook, I promise.  The canned salmon just made me cringe.

On the other hand, I am a tuna lover.  Of all kinds.  I can open up a can of tuna and eat it straight up, maybe with a few crackers on the side. Add lemon, parsley, and green onions (my three favorite things ever) and you’ve pretty much won my heart.

Not to mention those giant chunks of garlic.

To be quite honest, I’d never used panko before.  Not that I’m averse to them or anything, I had just never thought to use it in lieu of regular breadcrumbs.  They’re great, just like an extra crispy version of the original stuff.  Now, I might just go and do something crazy like dip my pickles in them. You’ll see what I mean later.

Just take your tuna and break it up as much as you’d like.  You can process it to get a very mushy, bean-burger-like consistency, or leave it a little flakier for more chunk-a-lunk.

A little parsley… about three tablespoons.

A little bit less than a 1/3 of a cup of the panko breadcrumbs.

Seriously, I could put green onions in just about anything.  Eggs, pasta, salads, burgers… they kind of have a sweet crispness to them.

The juice of half a lemon… put the other in your seltzer water, or in a handy-dandy lemon holder! I got one in my stocking at Christmas last year and it is the cutest little thing.

All together now!

Throw in your egg and three tablespoons of plain Greek yogurt, mix up, and form into four (very wet!) patties and bake for twenty minutes at 400 degrees.

We baked up some sweet potato fries to eat on the side and served the burgers on whole wheat English muffins with a tomato slice and some spinach.

And coming from a girl who is anti-leftovers, these taste just as great out of the toaster oven or microwave the next day.

Enjoy!

Lemon Garlic Tuna Burgers
(adapted from Andie’s, here)

2 5oz cans of tuna
2 garlic cloves, chopped up
3 tablespoons of parsley (more if ya like
1/4 of a cup of green onions
1 egg
3 tablespoons of plain Greek yogurt
1/3 of a cup of panko breadcrumbs (a little less)
Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Mix all ingredients together and bake on a greased cookie sheet for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

If you’ve got it on hand, a few tablespoons of cottage cheese make for a fatter, tangier burger, too.

Upcoming Eats & Grocery List

Hello hello!

What am I spending my Saturday night doing? Oh, you know… eating BBQ pizza, watching Get Him to the Greek with my bearded man, and writing out this week’s eats for y’all!

Since it’s Saturday, I’ll go from Sunday to Sunday for you…

Sunday: Lemon Garlic Tuna Burgers + Sweet potato fries

Holy yum, y’all.  I stole this recipe from Andie and tweaked it a bit since I was low on a few of the ingredients.  I will try to post my version with some photos this week. They are amazing on whole wheat English muffins or by themselves.  Also, we couldn’t find any satisfactory sweet potatoes for roasting, so we bought the frozen kind (just as delicious and healthy, promise).

Monday: Eggplant Parmesan

A non-fried version of the Italian classic… The mister and I are going to give eggplant a chance and we figured this has to be a fool-proof way of enjoying a veggie we have shunned for far too long.

Tuesday: Grilled Fish Tacos with Corn & Jicama Salsa

Let’s just talk about how much I love fish tacos… and corn tortillas… and corn salsa.  All great things.  If you haven’t given jicama a chance, you need to get yourself to the nearest produce section and give it a whirl.

Wednesday: Turkey Robinson + Brown rice

What y’all might not know is that Claire Robinson is my favorite Food Network personality.  I race home from work to get home in time to catch her show at 5:30 every day and I drool over all of her dishes and her deliciously fresh ingredients.  This is a mix of all things I love (beans, spinach, turkey), full of protein and vitamins.

Thursday: Penne with white wine & shrimp

We’re getting a little creative with our pasta dishes over here in the Rader household.  Whole wheat penne is our current favorite and mixing it with a little olive oil, onions, white wine, and shrimp helps to keep it tasty and light.

Friday: Baked salmon + roasted fingerling potatoes + green beans

This is hands down the best salmon recipe I’ve ever made.  Don’t let the calorie content scare you, that’s for the entire sum of the marinade.  I would eat the entire batch if I could.

Saturday: Wild card!

I’ve decided that this Saturday, I’m going to peruse the markets and see what inspires me that day… I often find myself lusting after Earth Fare’s handmade ravioli when I’m there, but never think to put it on my menu.  So, if I find a lust-worthy treat that morning, it will be our dinner that night.

Sunday: Braised balsamic chicken + brown rice + mixed greens salad

I looove braised meats.  And I love balsamic vinegar.  And diced tomatoes.  Needless to say, this intrigued me and we’re hoping for the best!

As for my grocery list:

Garlic
Green onions (pretty much a staple in this house)
1 Can of corn
Corn tortillas
1 red onion
1 jicama
1 red bell pepper
Cilantro
2 Limes
2 Lemons
Plain greek yogurt (used as a sub for sour cream)
Tilapia fillets
Chicken breasts
3 cans of diced tomatoes
Salad greens
3 eggplants
White wine (Umm, where’d it all go?)
1 lb. shrimp
Whole wheat penne
Frozen green beans
Sweet potato fries
2 cans of tuna fish
1 lb. ground turkey
Spinach
1 can of cannellini beans
Popcorn (excellent low-fat, low-calorie snack)
Bananas (another staple)

I have to go in search of the red onion and jicama tomorrow, but aside from those our total was around $48.00.  That’s what’s up, y’all.

Stay tuned! I have a lot of great posts planned for this week (Ever wanted to learn how to make your own soft pretzel rolls? Need an easy stir-fry recipe? What about the best friggin’ turkey burger this side of the Mississippi?)

Happy cooking!

ABCs of Food

 

 

 

Found this in the blogosphere and thought it’d be fun!

A is for Apple: What’s your favorite variety?

Depends on my mood… sometimes a granny smith and sometimes a pink lady

B is for Bread: Regardless of nutrition, what is your favorite type?

I love really crusty, chewy baguettes or really crusty, crunchy multi-grain boules… all for the crusty!

C is for Cereal: What is your favorite kind currently? (just one!)

Oh gosh.  I really am loving Kashi Go Lean Honey Almond Flax, especially swirled in a bowl of greek yogurt

D is for Donuts: You might not currently eat them, but what kind do you fancy?

I am not a donut fan at all… the only I really enjoy eating are regular ole’ Krispy Kremes

E is for Eggs: How would you like yours prepared?

Poached are my all-time favorite… over toast!

F is for Fat Free: What is your favorite fat free product?

Must agree with Chelsea, fruits and vegetables! All natural

G is for Groceries: Where do you purchase yours

Wal-mart, Fresh Market, and Earth Fare

H: is for Hot Beverages: What is your favorite hot drink?

White Tazo Tea

I is for Ice Cream: Pick a favorite flavor and add a fun topping.

Ice cream destroys me, but if I must, my favorite is cookies and cream with hot fudge, mmm, I’m a fatty at heart

J is for Jams or Jellies: Do you eat them? If so, what kind and flavor?

I’m not a huge fan, but I do like the taste of raspberry jam, and I love whole wheat toast with orange peel preserves, mmm

K is for Kashi: Name your favorite Kashi product?

Currently Go Lean crunch or those awesome dark chocolate/cherry bars

L is for Lunch: What was yours today?

Taco Mamacita! Chipotle greens, memphis taco, and vegetarian jerk taco (black beans and plantains, hello!)

M is for microwave: What is your favorite microwave meal/snack?

Currently, The Fitnessista’s egg puffs!

N is for nutrients: Do you likes carbs, fats, or proteins best?

Being post-gastric bypass, proteins, proteins, proteins! Make me feel strong and energized

O is for oil: What kind do you like to use?

Olive oil

P is for protein: How do you get yours?

Greek yogurt, beans, chicken, fish, turkey — at the top of the list

Q is for Quaker: How do you like your oats?

Hot! Hot oats all the way, with soy milk (taste so much nuttier) and then a little granola or crunchy peanut butter mixed in

R is for roasting: What is your favorite thing to roast?

My absolute favorite cooking method… and I love to roast everything, but especially mushrooms and sweet potatoes

S is for sandwich: What’s your favorite kind?

I love sandwiches of all kinds, but my current favorite is: pretzel roll with black forest ham, swiss cheese and pickles

T is for travel: How do you handle eating while traveling?

I try to make wise decisions on the road.  That IS possible, folks!

U is for unique: What is one of your weirdest food combos?

Umm… good question.  Sweet potatoes and laughing cow cheese? Is that weird?

V is for vitamins: What kind do you take?

Flinstone’s multi-vitamins, twice a day!

W is for wasabi: Yay or nay?

YUM

X is XRAY: If we xrayed your belly right now, what food would we see?

A bite-size crunch bar, mwaha… chocolate.

Y is for youth: What food reminds you of your childhood?

Plantains… and pizzas made with pizza sauce, kraft singles and sandwich bread

Z is for zucchini: How do you prepare it?

Pretty much anyway! I have a newfound love for zucchini… grilled, roasted, sauteed, any way.