I'm on a roll with rolled oats!

Boom baby!  I made some tasty coconut oatmeal cookies.  The granola bar extravaganza from my last post inspired me to try dabbling adventurously in the kitchen to come up with my own recipes.  I took the basis for the granola bars and added a few more cookie-like ingredients.  Let me say, the coconut makes the cookie.  At least in my opinion it does and since it's my blog, I can put my opinion where I want!  And it's going here...and can be found again below.

And let me go on record as saying, it is a GORGEOUS day outside and the breeze is blowing through the windows.  It is weather like this that I bask in (or in which I bask for you crazy English grammar people).  It reminds me of what summer leading into fall feels like, which gets me excited because fall is my favorite time of year.  

Random note for the day: I was thinking I would try to find a way to give you an option to print the recipe, but figured you could just select and print selection.  Plus, Blogger doesn't have an easy little gadget for me to add to make that happen.  So, please let me know if the selection/print isn't working for you and I'll see what I can do.

Coconut Oatmeal Cookies 

Yields: 16 large cookies

 

Ingredients:

• 2 c. oats (I used quick dry oats)
• 1/2 bag (or 3.5 oz) of dried fruit
• 1/2 c. of unsweetened shredded coconut/coconut flakes (or coconut flakes).  If you can't find unsweetened, try eliminating the brown sugar.
• 1/4 c. brown sugar (optional)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 very ripe bananas

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix all of the ingredients together.
3. Put heaping spoonfuls onto your baking sheet.
4. Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden.  (You can also use the toothpick test.)

Note: These do not rise/spread out like traditional flour cookies.
Note: You can always put smaller spoonfuls on the baking sheet if you want to get more out of the mixture without doubling the ingredients.

My apartment's a disaster. But, I made yummy food!

In my last post, I mentioned how I was a maniac cooking up all sorts of dishes.  Well, experimenting with 2-3 new dishes makes me a maniac in my book.

I saw on Pinterest (yes, Pinterest) about adding fruits to regular water to break up the monotony of drinking plain water upon plain water upon plain water.  Well, this was freakin' delighful! I made raspberry and lime water (left) and strawberry water (right).  I let the fruit sit in overnight and then strained out the water so the fruit didn't fall apart and get gross in the water.  I also put strawberries in my ice cubes for a little somethin' somethin'.

 

Another Pinterest adventure was this cauliflower pizza crust, which you can find here for the recipe.  My friend Nikki suggested it and I really enjoyed it.  I made my own sauce courtesy of my Vitamix blender (which I am obsessed with now) earlier in the week and just froze it.  So, all I did was nuke it so I could spread it on the crust.  Then I topped it with mushrooms and peppers with half having turkey pepperoni.  Because the crust is cauliflower, I definitely think a meatier texture from the pepperoni or mushrooms was needed.  I might try making a taco pizza with this crust and see what it's like.

And lastly, I made my own granola bars.   I kept looking for recipes and wasn't finding one that struck my fancy.  So, I got gutsy and made my own.  I figured I would keep adding ingredients until it was the right texture and hope for the best.  And since I didn't use eggs, I could taste as I was making it so see if it needed more spices.

 

Note: These aren't very sweet, which was my goal.

Here's my granola bar recipe if you want.  My next attempts will include ones with nuts and I think for a nice fall bar I'll experiment with adding pumpkin, different seeds like sunflower seeds, and more cinnamon.

Nut-Free Granola Bars:

Ingredients:

• 3 c. rolled oats (I only had quick oats so that's what I used)
• 1/2 c. flax seed
• 1 1/2 c. dried fruit (I used 1/2 c. dried cherries, 1/2 c. dried cranberries, 1/2 c. Sun-Maid "Fruit Bits")
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1 c. unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 - 1/2 c. brown sugar (optional, but I added 1/4 c. b/c I didn't want it too sweet)
• 2-3 tbsp. pure maple syrup
• Several sprinkles of cinnamon (I just added enough sprinkles to cover the top of the mixture in my bowl)

Steps:

1.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix ingredients together starting with the dry and adding wet ingredients.
3. Spread out mixture onto parchment-lined baking sheet. (I wanted thin bars so I used a bigger baking sheet, but if you want fewer, thicker bars, use a smaller sheet or pan.)
4. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until top is fairly dry. (You can always do the toothpick test too.)
5. Flip the granola over.  (You'll noticed what was the bottom is a bit wet)
6. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until top dried out some.
7. Let cool and cut into bars.  I cut mine into 12 bars.

I'm a maaaaaniac..maaaaaniac on the floor.

I just put the image of Chris Farley's gas pump dance scene from Tommy Boy in your head, didn't I?  Oh I didn't?  Well, now I did. You're welcome.

I have been quite the little cooking machine.  Stella...move out of the way because Kristen got her grove back!  <insert sassy finger snap>  I was in a rut with cooking because I was sick of the food I kept making and didn't want to try new recipes because if they were bad (or I didn't do something right), then I just wasted time and money.  Plus, now what the heck am I going to eat for dinner?  And since I'm only one person, that means I'm out lunch and dinner the next day too!

Well, I decided that if I stick with recipes that mostly use ingredients I know/like, then chances are things will go well.  I came across this recipe called "Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers."  I didn't want the meat called for in the recipe so I changed it.  Chicken or black beans sound like good alternatives depending on what you like.  I must say, this was quite the delicious dinner!  I have been on the lookout for food that is lower in carbs and I found this gem.

 

 

I'm not completely cutting out carbs (obviously there are carbs in vegetables), but my goal is to be more conscious about the types of carbs I'm eating.  I want to eat fewer bread type carbs and instead incorporate more carbs from veggies while still occasionally using oats, rice, quinoa, etc.

If you're interested in making the recipe yourself, here is the link.  If you notice, I sliced the provolone in half for the inside of the peppers because I only found medium sized peppers and let's face it.  Fitting a whole slice of provolone in those peppers was like fitting 5 pounds of crap in a 3 pound bag.  Not going to be pretty.  But, I still think my half a slice of provolone worked out really well.

Next on the menu, mini pies.  This is what actually got me back into the baking/cooking mood when I made a version of these for my best friend's birthday earlier this month.  Then I made them again for another bestie's birthday.

I made a cranberry/strawberry filling.  I learned the hard way, but luckily you get to benefit from my mistakes.  Since strawberries are pretty watery already, mixing them with sugar only pulls out the liquid.  (I should have known this because I've made a sauce where you sprinkle some sugar over strawberries.  Place it in the fridge and the sugar pulls out the liquid for a great sauce on Angel Food Cake.)  Anyway, I decided to add cranberries to help thicken things up.  Then there was liquid draining, sugar adding, rinse, repeat, you get the idea.  So, this is what I would do next time:

Sauce/Filling for Mini Pies:

1.) Put cut strawberries and 1/3 c. sugar in sauce pan.  Turn up to a medium heat and stir regularly.

2.) After about 5 minutes, the strawberries will have a liquidy sauce.  Adding the cranberries will help thicken it up.

3.) Then add about 1/2 a bag of cranberries to the mix along with 1/4 c. of water and 1/4 c. of sugar.

4.) If the sauce looks too runny/pink, add more sugar.  If it's too thick, add a bit more water.  

*Note, the sauce won't completely jell until cooled so if it's bright red and a little thick, then you're good.  I notice it's done when I lift the spoon out of the sauce and can see little bubbles on the spoon.

*Alternative method: follow the instructions on the cranberry bag (1 c. water, 1 c. sugar, bag of cranberries).  Then add blueberries once the cranberry mix is heated.  The blueberries weren't as temperamental as the strawberries, but both tasted yummy in my opinion.

Original Crust:
This lady clearly knows what she's doing and mine look like crap compared to hers (mine look more like tarts) but hey.  I'm not a full time chef here so cut me some slack.  You can use her recipe for the crust.  The only issue I had was it didn't make as many pies as I thought it would have.  Probably an error on my part.  After all, we already established I'm the novice.

For this version, I played around with an alternative crust.  Instead of using all-purpose flour like I did last time, I made my own oat flour to use instead.  Thanks, Vitamix!  (I also made some brown rice flour too, but the oat flour takes much less time and I was reading online how the oat flour works better in pie crusts.)

*I used her recipe except I substituted the all-purpose flour for 2 c. of oat flour and 1/2 c. of potato starch.  (I read that potato starch helps makes recipes a bit smoother and not so grainy.)  I also tried cutting down on the butter and only used one stick.  Um, yeah.  It was a bit crumbly so I'm going to wager a guess that I need to add the other stick or see if adding applesauce for the other half helps.

Next on my list was trying this Hungry Girl recipe for this Greek slaw salad.  It calls for raspberry vinaigrette, which gives it a little bit of sweetness.  It was different, but good different.  I made the vinaigrette from scratch and again, gotta thank my Vitamix.  I'm seriously adoring that thing!

Yum all around!!!  And for the record, I think I would enjoy cooking/baking so much more if I had a dishwasher...not named Kristen.  One named GE, Maytag, or Whirpool.

Guess who's back? Back again. Kristen's back. Tell a friend.

In trying to get back on track with healthy eating, working out, and life in general really, I have realized one very important thing.  When my apartment is clean, I'm a much  happier person.  I have more energy and most importantly I am willing to cook and would go so far as to say I look forward to cooking.  When my apartment is so messy that someone breaking in and ransacking the place would actually be an improvement, I don't want to do squat!  I don't want to work out.  I don't want to cook because it's one more effing dish in the already full sink of dishes that have been sitting there longer than they should.  (Not stinky long, but long enough).  I don't want to do anything, but veg and eat like it's the end of the world or that I'm preparing for hibernation. I know my problem is three part: I'm so mentally exhausted from grad school that now I'm finished, I just want to veg and do activities that require little to no thinking.  I'm also frustrated with the knee pain that has screwed up my running to the point where my distance is severely limited.  Lastly, I've gained back some weight that I worked hard to lose. 

So, after giving myself/my appetite a swift kick in the hindquarters, I've resolved to getting back to 5 day a week workouts and taking the time to prepare dinner rather than rely on unhealthy fast crap.  Now that my kitchen and living room are clean, I feel like a weight has been lifted.  Now if only actual weight was lifted, I would be ecstatic!  :)  The other rooms in my apartment will have to wait because as my sister can attest - I have a problem just cleaning without reorganizing.  I didn't do too much reorganizing, but once I get to the bedrooms it's a whole other story.

Last night, I made an egg sandwich.  It had been so long since I had one and let me tell you I did a yummy tummy dance with this meal.  I put 6 tablespoons of egg whites in my non-stick frying pan and that baby bubbled up wonderfully!  Then, it slid right out of the pan when I went to flip it.  BEEEE-AUT-IFUL!  I spread a bit of Miracle Whip Light and sprinkled a bit of cheese on the sandwich thin bread for a little somethin' somethin'.  Next time, I'll veggie-fy the sandwich for some extra fiber and flavor.  Then, I busted out the grapes and had a lovely meal.  (I also used the small plate trick.)

Adorning the table is a lovely orchid plant from my wonderful friend Sarah.  THANK YOU!  I'll make sure to do the plant justice and get the whole thing in next time.

While dinner was cooking, I was preparing breakfast for the next day (two days actually since I split it into two servings).  Here are what my overnight oats looked like this morning.  I'll admit.  I was a bit apprehensive about cold oats/oatmeal type breakfast, but I enjoyed it!

Here I added some of Trader Joe's Better 'n' Butter peanut butter and drizzled it with honey.  Tomorrow I think I'll just add the peanut butter and in the future, I'll experiment with different additions/toppings.  I think next time I won't use as much milk.  And for the record - it kept me full until lunch!  Heeeyyy fiber!

'Til next time!

Greenifying my apartment

Hello world!  (And by world, I mean the 2 people who actually read this thing.)  Grad school is done, which one would think gives me more time to blog when really it means I didn't have homework to procrastinate doing with blog writing.  ;)

Let's see...what's been happening?  Well, I have been working on jazzing up my palace with more eco-friendly products.  For a while now, I've been using more eco-friendly cleaning products such as Seventh Generation.  I really like their laundry detergent, but I have mixed emotions about their dish soap (and Nikki can attest to that).

Anyway, I thought I would write an homage to the green products I adore.  Enjoy!  Oh, and now that grad school is finished, not just for a semester, but for for-ev-er, I will get back to posting recipes a bit more regularly.  I needed to cook in order for that to happen and I haven't cooked in, well, longer than I'd like to admit.  Just ask my pants.  They'll testify to my bad eating habits.  Those bastards just don't know when to keep their mouths zipped and instead blurt all my business to anyone who will listen.

7.) Reusable shopping/produce bags - I have a bunch of cloth bags I use now instead of plastic.  The only downfall is that I unload my groceries and forget to put the bags back in my car and thus, negating the purpose of having them in the first place.  I also bought cloth produce bags so I'm not using the plastic bags at the grocery store.  (Thank you Etsy). 

6.) Microfiber mop head - This bad boy is awesome.  It's like the Biore nose strips of mops...you can see all the nasty stuff that used to be there and have satisfaction knowing it is no longer there.

5.) Bar soaps/shampoos - I proclaimed my love of these in my last post, but I love the idea of not having plastic bottles to recycle once I'm finished.  And let's admit it, I can never rinse all the soap out of those freakin' bottles anyway!

4.) Vinegar & water cleanser - I used this concoction to clean my floors and I must say I was pleasantly surprised!  I found some similar products on Pinterest (one where you soak citrus rinds to add a little olfactory happiness to your cleanser).  I'll be trying some of these out later.  I'll keep you updated because I know all two of you are just on the end of your seats in anticipation.

3.) Reusable water bottles - I like CamelBak, but will not discriminate against any reusable water bottle, in particular the aluminum water bottles, especially those with Sasquatch on them like this one we found at the Whole Foods in Seattle:

http://laurajvandenbosch.blogspot.com/2011/11/sasquatch-liberty-bottles-unite.html

2.) Unpaper towels - Just a fancy way of saying cloth.  However, if you call them "reusable paper towels," "unpaper towels," or "cloth paper towels," and dress them up with cute designs, people like me will pay more money for them.  Although, I will say I like some on Etsy in particular that snap together and can be rolled up and put on the paper towel roll.  Don't worry, I will not be going so far as to use unpaper toilet paper.  I draw the line there.

1.) Reusable sandwich/snack baggies - Thank you again Etsy for this one!  I am a fan of Lizzy who has her own Bag It label.  She's the one who made the bamboo utensil  holder (and also sold the utensils with the holder so I have reusable utensils for lunch.)  Sa-weet!

Even though I haven't been cooking much, there are a few things I've made recently that have my taste buds singing.  In the morning I've been making smoothies courtesy of the Magic Bullet (an unfortunate name for a blender.)  The one below has strawberries, blueberries, mango (frozen because I'm lazy and can't cut up a mango for the life of me), and some vanilla flavored Greek yogurt.  YUM!!!

 This is a Mexican Lasagna I made in my bean pot:

Ingredients:

- 1 can of Rotel

- 1 can of cream of celery

- 1 can of cream of mushroom

- 1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)

- 1 pkg of Mission's Carb Balance Small Fajita shells

- 1 pkg of shredded cheese (I used the Mexican blend)

Mix the first 4 ingredients in a bowl and set aside.  Layer the shells, mixture, and a sprinkle of cheese and repeat until you used all the mixture.  (You may have to tear the shells to fit and layer properly.)  Then on top of the last bean mixture, put the last layer of shells and sprinkle with cheese.  Bake for 325 degrees for around 30 minutes.  Voila!  Dinner is served!

Coupons and Lettuce Wraps

My apologies for the vagueness of what is to follow.  I don't want to spoil it in case my sister reads this...
Last Friday (2 days ago Friday), I was working on putting together my nephew's birthday present and since I have to make it and then send it off to a magical place in cyberspace to get it assembled, I wanted to get it done in plenty of time before his birthday next month.  Now the company I use gives me coupons and I had one that was set to expire Saturday meaning I had one day to make his gift.  Deadlines help put pressure on me to get things done, but this was too close for even my liking!  Anyway, I'm working on this present like an elf in Santa's workshop - haulin' ass like it's Christmas Eve so I can use this blasted coupon.  Are you on the edge of your seat?  I bet.  It's a tantalizing tale.  You'll be happy to know I got that bad boy sent off at 3PM on Saturday and got to use my coupon!  WOO HOO!  Oh, but wait.  There's more.  I wake up this morning and check my email to find a message from the company.  Those bastards extended the deadline for the coupon until Tuesday.  Well, it was early when I saw this so I don't fully remember what I said aloud to myself, but you can be assured I dropped some choice expletives.  I'm just telling myself that at least the gift is done and is one thing off my to-do list.

And now onto the recipe...
My friend and her husband made these for me one night and was generous enough to share the recipe with me.  They are awesome and one of my favorite things to eat.  I hope you like them too!  Oh, and did I mention they are ridiculously easy to make?  Cuz they are. 

THAI LETTUCE WRAPS

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup of Hoisin sauce
- 1/2-1/4 cup of Thai peanut sauce (I use a little more than 1/4)
- Dash of ground ginger
- Soy crumbles (or your preferred meat choice)
- Romaine hearts
- Chow Mein noodles
- Green onions

Directions:

1. Cook soy crumbles in a frying pan.
2. While that's cooking, combine Hoisin sauce, Thai peanut sauce, and ground ginger in a bowl and set aside until the soy crumbles are done cooking.
3. Cut the end of the Romaine hearts.
4. While you're at it, chop up some green onions.
5. Wash and pat dry the lettuce leaves.
6. Once the soy crumbles are done, add your sauce mixture to the pan and stir until all is covered.
7. Take a few spoonfuls (however heaping or non-heaping you like your spoonfuls) and fill a Romaine leaf.
8. Sprinkle the Chow Mein noodles and green onions on top of your lettuce wrap.  Voila!  
9. Repeat steps 6 & 7 as desired and eat to your heart's content.  (That is a direction and you better follow it.  There is a fine line between heart's content and food baby so proceed with caution.)

I forgot the green onions so they're not in this photo.  My bad!

The kitchen is my lab.

I'm sad that I didn't have time to make some Irish soda bread or Barmbrack this year nor did I watch "The Quiet Man."  (Insert big fat frowny face here).  But by golly, I had to at least celebrate some how!  So, I made my own shepherd's pie and called it a day.

Here's the recipe if you're interested:
Ingredients:
- 1 pkg of soy crumbles
- 1 small can of vegetable stock (equivalent to 2 cups)
- 3-4 tbsp of flour (or enough to thicken it to your preferred consistency)
- 3 large potatoes (or if you're lazy like me, 3-4 cans of sliced/cubed potatoes)
- 2 tbsp of butter
- Shredded cheese
- Vegetables of your choice (I used frozen corn, peas and carrots, and green beans)
- Pepper
- Thyme


Directions:
1.) Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.

2.) If using fresh potatoes, skin and boil in water until tender (but not mushy).  Drain water and mash.  (If using canned, drain liquid and mash or if you're extra lazy pressed for time like me, throw those bad boys in a food processor and PRESTO!  Instant mashed potatoes without the dehydration.)

3.) Add the butter to the mashed potatoes to make a bit creamier (or you can sub sour cream).  Set aside.

4.) If using frozen veggies, throw them in the microwave and heat according to the directions (or cook them on the stove top.  Who am I to judge?)

5.) Warm up/brown soy crumbles in a very large frying pan.  Once warmed, add the veggies (or better yet, just throw the still frozen veggies in with the soy crumbles like I did.  Lazy to the max!)

6.) Add stock to the mixture about 1/2 cup at a time and alternate adding flour and the stock.

7.) Add seasonings to taste.

8.) Once everything is thickened to your liking, put the veggie/soy mixture at the bottom of a 9"x13" cake pan.

9.) Spread potatoes on top.

10.) Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until potatoes have browned.

11.)  Sprinkle some cheese on top.

12.) Bake for another 5-10 minutes of until cheese has melted.

NOTE: if your veggies have a butt load of freezer burn, the extra ice/water from the veggies will mean you'll have to add more flour to thicken the sauce.  So, prepared to add more flour or compensate by adding less stock.



Now, I have eaten a certain nameless fast food joint's oatmeal in the morning and decided I can save money while enjoying it more if I made my own because I can whatever fruit I want.  (I know - way to stick it to the man.)

Below, you can see my colorful and very yummy oatmeal.  As I ate it in the car while driving (because that's safe and I only drive safely), I did my yummy tummy dance and said aloud, "Ugh!  You're so good!  Why don't I eat you more often?"  If you like oatmeal, I encourage you to do make your own.  I did plain with some strawberries, raisins, Granny Smith apples, and blueberries topped with some maple syrup and brown sugar.  And the best part?  I was full for HOURS!  One of the most filling breakfasts I've had in, well, ever!

Races, Friends, and Food...Oh My!

Here are a few updates before I delve into some homework, followed by Once Upon a Time, then by more homework...

Today was the American Lung Association Fight for Air Stair Climb.  I begrudgingly signed up, but I became more enthused as time passed.  (I was begrudged merely because stairs generally hurt my knees.)  Anyway, I had a blast and hope to do it again next year with hopes of doing all 4 towers!  I completed the one tower (49 floors, not 45 like I originally thought) in 9 minutes and 54 seconds.  I was pleased!

The next order of business - food.  I ate at this awesome restaurant called Frances' Deli and had a very delicious grilled cheese on rye with a potato pancake and coleslaw for sides.  And let's not forget the pickle!  Mmmm...hit the spot.  Then of course I followed it up with a very delicious sundae (split 5 ways so really it wasn't that bad to have).

Lastly,  I bought a food processor and was pleased with how well it worked.  (I'm skeptical about these types of purchases, but I researched as best I could.  No, no excel spreadsheets were made for this purchase.)  This recipe for banana soft serve was pretty good.  I added strawberries, but you can really add any fruit you want.  Granted, I wouldn't mistake it for ice cream in a blind taste test, but it's pretty good if you're looking for a change or a healthy alternative to ice cream.

I read this blog a lot for yummy ideas and her photos look freakin' beautiful.  So, don't go all Judgey McJudgerson on me and knock my dishes.  They were free and I'm darn grateful for my we-don't-break-even-if-you-drive-over-us dishware.  Anyway,  if you try the soft serve, let me know what you think!

Later gators!