Mexi-Peppers and Witch Fingers!

Wow!  My blog is at an all-time low this year for the number of posts I've written!  That means two things:

1.  Life is CRAZY busy.

2.  I may have gotten a better handle on cooking.  

So, it's weird to think that my initial reason for starting a blog had nothing to do with cooking.  See?

I really just wanted to start a blog to get out my thoughts... and somehow that turned into this lovely collection of yummy recipes.  

I also can't believe that I started this blog 5 years ago.  FIVE?!  That's nuts.

I've come a long way.  Like... instead of following an exact recipe, I can concoct!  Ah, how much better is now that I can concoct!  Okay, don't get me wrong.  I still have a lot to learn.  For example, I've still never made a pot roast.  Or cooked Thanksgiving dinner (not that I want to, my uncle makes the best everything for Thanksgiving <3).  I don't know how to use Swiss chard.  Or bake bread.  Oh, the list could go on and on...

...but I got some free green peppers from a friend with a garden today and thought, 'Oh!  Those would be perfect stuffed with my chicken concoction from last night!'  Voila.  Dinner done.  Aren't they pretty?

Alissa's Mexi-Peppers

 ...and here's what it looks like cut open!  Not so pretty anymore, but delish.  Though, I think I've decided that, in general, I like other colors of peppers better than the green ones.  They seem more subtle in flavor, I think.

So, for my Mexi-Peppers, I just cooked ground chicken and added taco seasoning, chopped onion, tomatoes, diced green chiles, reduced fat cream cheese, and a bit of garlic.  Two nights ago we used the mix in soft taco shells... or you could make enchiladas... or put it over a baked potato... or make a quesadilla... or put it in a salad... whatever you like!

OR... add the mess to a pepper of your choice and bake it.  I did 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Top with fresh salsa, shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, or whatever else you like and enjoy!  :-)

...

On a completely different topic, I have to tell you about my friend, the cotton candy grape.

For those of you who don't know the story, I became addicted to these last summer (2013) when I was pregnant.  This is bad news when these grapes are only available for a few weeks a year.  And you don't know that.  And you're pregnant.  Yeah.

Well, my lovely hubby found them this year and stocked up!  I actually still have a bag in my freezer that I've been slowly eating.  :-)

...and that same smart man found these today... witch fingers!!!  They are fabulously weird, juicy, and sweet.  I like them!

So strange!

What will they think of next?  ;-)

Four Months Later...

Methinks you'll have to get used to once-in-a-while appearances from me from now on... I just can't keep up like I did before!  It might be a mix between having a toddler and not trying as many new recipes now that I have some cooking skill.

Since Thanksgiving, the hubs and I have been calorie counting and really trying to whittle down our weights.  I've been looking for lots of low-cal, delicious recipes and have tried a few things recently I thought I'd share with you.  So far I've lost about 16 lbs and am officially back down to pre-preggo weight (it sure took me long enough!).

Southwestern Egg Rolls

Alissa's Alfredo Lasagna

Okay, so this might sound like it's not-so-healthy.  It really depends on what you put in it.  I made it with RF ricotta cheese, a TON of spinach, lean ground beef, mushrooms, light alfredo sauce, and no-bake noodles.  If you portion it out, it's delicious and you don't have to feel guilty about it!  :-)

Pretty picture, right?

I have discovered the secret to yummy, light scrambled eggs... and I'm going to share it with you right now.  Are you ready?  Laughing cow cheese.  I've had this lunch almost every day for the past two months and it's filling, full of protein, and worth every calorie.

I use 1/2 c. of egg beaters, 2 wedges of any kind of laughing cow cheese, Old Bay, and pepper.  Sometimes I add mushrooms, spinach, a touch of lean ground beef... really, anything your heart desires in scrambled eggs is okay.  I like to put it on an English muffin (high fiber) with a Mushroom Lover's Morningstar veggie burger on the side.  I'm addicted.

Top with fresh salsa and a little guac or fresh avocado.  Heavenly.

Seriously.

Quinoa Pizza Bites

These were good, but I would recommend using pepperoni slices as suggested in the recipe.  They were good without, but needed something!  I also didn't have a tiny muffin pan, so I just baked them like cookies.

Alissa's Split Pea Soup

I made this with a bag of split peas... which I didn't realize would actually split or explode all over the pot as they started cooking.  I didn't take an after picture, but I should have!  I added potato, corn, chicken/veggie broth, mushrooms, and some spices.  It ended up thick and pretty tasty.

Next up...

Green Smoothies!  I've started having these more often lately.  Usually I add whatever we have in our house... banana, apple, strawberry, blueberry, etc.  Then you load it up with spinach or kale and add ice to get it the thickness you want.  I've been making them with soy yogurt and vanilla soy milk so that Liv can drink some, too.  Always yum.

Tilapia with Salsa and Black Beans

This is exactly what it says.  I made brown rice and mixed salsa into it, added black beans, and topped with tilapia (seasoned however you like).

Homemade Mexican Pizza

We are huge fans of Cheeseburger Pizza and just switched the toppings a bit to make it Mexican.  On this pizza, I used taco seasoned lean ground beef, fresh avocado, grape tomatoes, black beans, corn, and shredded cheese.

Broccoli, Cheese, & Potato Soup

Tomato Soup

I couldn't find the exact Taste of Home recipe that I used for the tomato soup, but there are so many there!  I might have to try some others.  :-)

For Christmas, I got an immersion blender... and it's AWESOME!  Here I am using it!  :-)

Smooth soup!

Sorry that this post was so random.  I'll try to post new recipes as I make them so I don't have to have crazy posts like this one!

Hopefully you see something you'd like to try... enjoy!  :-)

Eating More Plants

Happy August!  I can't believe it's August already... once August hits, it always seems like the summer is going fast (even if it's not).  I think this summer has felt very long, partly because I've been staying home with my sweet baby girl and she's grown so much!  We've been keeping super busy, too.  It almost seems like we are busier than we were during the school year, thought I know that can't possibly be true. 

On that note, I'm sure it will seem like summer is even longer than it already has been when I don't go back to school this year.  I'm a pretty lucky girl to be able to stay home.  <3

Anyway, with summer in full swing, I've been trying to eat more plants.  Plants are tasty!  Good for roasting, grilling, salad-making, etc.  I've been thoroughly enjoying corn-on-the-cob, which I've never really appreciated before this summer.  Why?  I don't know.  It's delicious! 

Spicy Black Bean Burger, Corn-on-the-Cob, and Grilled Eggplant

I also have a new appreciation for veggie burgers.  I know, right?  Who am I?  What have I done with Alissa?  Veggie burgers?  What's the world coming to?  Yeah... so, Morningstar products (at least the ones I've tried) are pretty good. 

You're probably wondering how I cooked everything.  I'm glad you asked!  I cooked it all on my grill pan.  Have I told you lately how much I love my grill pan?  I have?  ;-) 

The picture below is dinner I made tonight.  I'm not even sure what to call it... I kind of threw some things in a pan and cooked them up.  It consists of ground chicken, cream of chicken soup, pinto beans, frozen corn, garlic, and some seasonings (cumin, cayenne pepper, poultry seasoning, red pepper flakes, and a touch of garlic salt).  It's scooped over some brown rice and next to some grilled potatoes and mushrooms. 

I must also say that that's the saddest salad I think I've ever made.  It's just baby spinach and tomatoes... but it worked.  Initially I was debating about adding the spinach and mushrooms to the chicken mixture.  It probably would have been just as good.  By the way, this was a success!  Hubby liked it and even went back for seconds.  :-)  That's always a good sign.

Untitled Dinner...

These are just blueberries covered with strawberry yogurt (it's what I had in the fridge) and put in the freezer.  I found this idea on Pinterest.  :-) 

Yogurt-covered Blueberries

I hope you're making something amazing in your kitchen!!!

Happy Leap Day!

Oh man.  I have a couple of recipes I need to post because they were so delicious!  I figured I should probably try to post them while it's still February, too.  I did cook them in February! 

Happy Leap Day!  :-)

Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells

YUM.  We ate this for like a week afterward.  I did substitute half-and-half for the heavy cream and didn't put in quite so much butter.  I also had to wing it when making the sauce because I didn't have nearly the correct amount of cheese.  Despite all of that, it turned out mighty tasty.  I definitely recommend it!

Jelly Meatloaf!

Well, this is really called "Sweet & Sour Meatloaf" and I originally found it in an email from the Hungry Girl site.  However, I couldn't find it when I searched!  Wait!  I lied... here it is.  Ta da!  I particularly thought the edges of the meatloaf were yummy.  It tasted a lot like the jelly meatballs I've made before. 

Mushroom Quesadillas

Sauteed mushrooms... melty cheese... need I say more?

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

Yum!  I found this great site called Emily Bites!  Emily does indeed bite... into all sorts of yummy things.  It may be my new favorite recipe blog.  She basically takes recipes and makes them healthier.  That's exactly what I'm looking for in a recipe blog!  Check it out.

On that note, I am off to bed.  It was a long day and I'm not nearly ready enough for March to begin.  Are you?!

Smooth and Creamy

I miss Jamba Juice.  :-( 

We went to NYC in July and I've decided that they have the best smoothies.  No ice cream, but good smoothies.  Did you know that this is apparently the only way to get ice cream in NYC?

I'll be perfectly honest.  For National Ice Cream Day (July 17th), I was hoping to find an awesome ice cream shop and get order something amazing.  I wasn't expecting to have to chase down an ice cream truck.  I could do that at home!  Hehe, so we noshed on some Jamba Juice smoothies.  Mmmm... like heaven in a cup.  Too bad there aren't any around my house.  Sad.

So, here are two attempts at smoothies I've made:

 


I'm not going to give you exact measurements because that's not how I made these smoothies.  I just added stuff to them until they tasted yummy.  Real precise!  Haha.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie (On the left!)
Strawberries, hulled
1 banana
1 c. of yogurt (I used a cherry-flavored one)
Dash of skim milk
...and then add ice until it's smooth and creamy enough for you!  You could also add blueberries, raspberries, or any other kind of fruit that you like.  I topped it with a spoonful of lite Cool Whip. 

Mango Pineapple Smoothie (On the right!)
1 mango
1 c. pineapple chunks
Handful of blueberries
1 c. Greek yogurt (I used a honey-flavored one)
Dash of skim milk
Several squirts of honey
...and again, add ice until it's smooth and creamy.  Not terribly difficult.  Pretty tasty!

Have you ever tried making a smoothie?  What do you like to put in it?  I'm open to suggestions!  :-)