Kale Chips + Surgery Update

So I've been wanting to try kale for some time, but I could never figure out what to do with it. I knew it was lettuce's more nutritional but slightly less appetizing cousin; it has a reputation of being bitter and chewy. I've heard of it being used in salad, but that didn't really excite me. And then, thanks to Pinterest, I discovered kale chips!

I actually pinned a couple different recipes on my {food love} board, but the one I went with is from the Lululemon blog. Lululemon is a Canadian company that sells super cute workout clothes (I got one of their energy bras for my birthday and I'm so excited to wear it!). Their blog is also pretty cool, and this particular post contained some helpful tips on how to prepare kale and bring out more of its flavor.

Here is the link to the recipe. The only thing I did differently was add some sesame seeds (an ingredient in the other recipe I looked at). Other than that, just beware of oversalting! Here are some pics of my finished kale chips:

In other news, Mr. G is in surgery right now for his back and hopefully will be finished soon. He is having a spinal decompression for a herniated disc in his lower back. It's a minimally invasive surgery with moderately low risk, so we're hoping to go home today - pain free. :) Keep us in your thoughts and prayers, please. Especially Mr. G - he has handled all of this very well, but he is so active that I know it's been hard on him to feel so immobile. He can't wait to start running with me, and I can't wait to have him back!

<3 Mrs. G

Ham & Egg Cups + the World's Best Wheat Cookies?

Hi everyone,

This is the first of several recipes I'm trying this week and next courtesy of Pinterest. The other two I'm trying are kale chips and tomato basil pizza.

Today's recipe, however, is ham & egg cups. Or at least that's what I call them; I don't think they actually have a name... Here's the link to the recipe. It's super easy to make, it only takes about 10 minutes, and it's a delicious source of protein and veggies! I used chopped green onions and shredded cheese on top of mine. Here's how they turned out:

Another recipe I made last night is an oldie but goodie with a little modification. Remember my world's best sugar cookies? Well I attempted to make the the world's best wheat sugar cookies using mostly whole wheat flour in place of bleached (part of our effort to eat only whole grains). That combined with my vanilla buttercream frosting made the cookies taste like sugary, buttered wheat bread. They're not bad, but they're no world's best. Whole wheat flour is dense and dry. I've heard that mixing it with bleached flour and/or adding more liquid ingredients can help, but I'm not convinced I'll try it again. If you have any tips or success stories, please share!

In other news, my shin splints are still not healed, so my half marathon training is on hold a little bit longer... Nevertheless, here are my most recent marathon-related posts. Another one will be up on Friday! Hopefully I'll be running again by then.

<3 Mrs. G

Sunday Recipe #8: Lemon Salmon

Hello everyone!

Hope you've all had a great week. I survived my first week at the new job! Moreover, I actually really enjoyed it, and I think I picked a good company to work for. I picked a good week to start, too - we launched our company this week and had our summer party at the horse races yesterday. I just feel so blessed to finally be doing what I want to do, even if it did take me a while to get here. :)

As for today's recipe, Mr. G and I bought a huge slab of fresh atlantic salmon on sale yesterday at Cub, so I decided to try my hand at it. I've cooked salmon a couple times before, but I've never cooked it fresh, and let me say - it is a million times better fresh. Honestly. I used a very simple recipe with only the following ingredients - olive oil, lemon juice, lemon pepper seasoning and rosemary. I cut a couple strips of the salmon, basted it in a small amount of olive oil and lemon juice, and sprinkled with the spices. After about 15 minutes in the oven at 375, I added a little more lemon juice and pepper then let it cook 2 more minutes before taking it out. In my oven, 17 minutes was perfect - the salmon was flaky and tender but still juicy. We ate it with sides of rice and broccoli, and it was a perfect summer meal.

I also made chocolate chip cookies tonight (as requested by Mr. G), and I think they were my best batch yet! I used the recipe on the back of the Nestle Toll House chocolate chip bag, but I added a little extra brown sugar, substituted some pancake mix for flour, and I didn't use the entire bag of chocolate chips. Also, they only took about 8 minutes to cook. Definitely will be making these again!

In other news, Mr. G and I joined a gym! We had been waiting to see what kind of insurance I got at my job, which turned out to be a good decision because it will pay most of our (already severely discounted) membership fee each month. :) We joined L.A. Fitness, and the one we go to is a huge facility that never seems very busy, so it's perfect. However, we do have to go at least 3 days a week in order to get insurance coverage, so we will be working out a lot. Maybe now I'll finally get in shape! If I stop baking cookies and cupcakes, that is...

Hope you have a good week!

<3 Mrs. G

Belated Sunday Recipe #6: Low-Fat Turkey Tacos

Happy Monday!

I tried a new recipe last week, and Mr. G helped me out with this one. It's a quick, low-fat meal that anyone can make, and it tastes amazing! I served it with refried beans and Mexican rice, but you can skip the beans to keep it health-conscious. Personally, I have an obsession with refried beans... Hope you enjoy the recipe! I know I'll make it again.

Low-Fat Turkey Tacos

Ingredients:

• Mission tortillas (96% fat free)
• 1 lb ground turkey 90/10 (we used Jennie-O - watch out for the recalled stuff from Cargill!)
• Ortega reduced sodium taco seasoning
• Diced tomatoes
• Onions
• Green onions
• Lettuce
• Mexican cheese blend
• Light sour cream

Directions:

• Cook ground turkey in skillet. Once cooked, add taco seasoning according to package directions.
• While turkey is cooking, cut up vegetables into bite-size portions.
• Serve with tortillas and desired toppings.
• Enjoy!

Stay tuned, because I have exciting news as well as a very successful bargain shopping trip to report. 

Feel free to share any ground turkey recipes of your own! We buy a ton of the stuff, so I'm always on the lookout for new ways to use it.

<3 Mrs. G

(Really Belated) Sunday Recipe #5 - Summer Apple Salad

Hello everyone!

Sorry for the late recipe, but to be fair I did only make it last night for Mr. G's grandpa's 80th birthday party. Mr. G and I have been on a salad kick lately, which I think our bodies appreciate. I made one last week with leftover grilled chicken, cucumbers, onions, bell peppers, and cheese topped with a red wine and olive oil vinaigrette. It was delicious, but I wanted to try something a little more challenging for the party. I was inspired by a popular salad at the Italian restaurant where I used to work. It's called Apple Gorgonzola Salad, but I tweaked it a little to make it my own. It's the perfect summer salad, and it's especially great for those who want to indulge in something sweet without the calories of a cupcake. ;)


Summer Apple Salad Recipe:


Ingredients:

• 3 heads romaine lettuce
• 2 green apples
• 8 oz. crumbled goat cheese (the original recipe calls for gorgonzola, but Mr. G and I prefer goat)
• 2 small bags of glazed walnuts and dried cranberries (I bought them together in a bag, but feel free to purchase them separately - I just couldn't find any glazed walnuts by themselves)
• Pinches of cinnamon
• Dressing - I loved Marzetti's white balsamic vinaigrette, but Mr. G enjoyed Litehouse's raspberry walnut vinaigrette. You choose!

Directions:

• Rinse and cut lettuce heads into bite-size portions, excluding the tops.
• Rinse and cut apples into bite-size portions (cut in quarters, slice each quarter in half, then cut into smaller portions).
• Drop a few pinches of cinnamon in each cranberry/walnut bag and shake to mix (or mix in a ziploc bag if you bought the ingredients separately).
• Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl. 
• Top with dressing and serve cold.
• I would guess this serves 6 as a main dish and 10-12 as a side salad. Mine fed about 20 in very small portions, and there was plenty leftover.

After a delicious dinner last night of grilled chicken, fruit salad, my salad, and veggies, I went to my very first legit tent circus. It was a family-run circus called Culpepper & Meriweather's, and they set up shop in the middle of a field, in the middle of nowhere. It was straight out of an old movie; I didn't know those types of circuses still existed! I went with Mr. G's youngest siblings, and it was their first circus. I still remember my first circus... It was a Barnum & Bailey's, and I went with my dad when I was really little. I don't remember the acts, but I do remember the cotton candy, which took me all night to finish. They had cotton candy last night, but I didn't partake this time around. I did, however, have some delicious birthday cake when I got back - a flourless chocolate cake made by Mr. G's mom. 

In the midst of everything else going on last night, I also received an amazing belated wedding gift from one of Mr. G's relatives. Apparently she took a lot of photos at the wedding, because she put together an entire album of wedding photos and even made a video slideshow not only of the wedding but also of all the details (invitations, programs, welcome bags), the reception, and my bridal shower in MN. It was such a thoughtful gift, and I was so happy to see some of the photos the photographer was unable to capture (ie: a close-up of our vows and our first kiss!). The funny thing, too, is that Mr. G and I had finally watched our official wedding video in its entirety for the first time a couple nights ago - and now we have two! Plus, this is our first wedding photo album. :) I'm hoping to have one made by our photographer as well, plus I would like to put together a scrapbook. Maybe now I'll get on the ball with those!

I hope you enjoy the salad recipe! Feel free to comment with any of your own - I'd love some more to try.

Stay tuned for my next post on engagement / baby shower cupcakes. ;) Have I mentioned I love summer?

<3 Mrs. G

Sunday Recipe #3 - Healthy Chicken Pasta

Hello all!

I hope you've had a lovely weekend. I had a relaxing one - I slept in, went swimming, and went out to eat with Mr. G and some friends. Nothing crazy, but it was great. We were due a chill weekend.

To keep with the theme of my weekend, I'm posting a ridiculously simple recipe tonight. It also happens to be one of Mr. G's favorites - we eat it once a week. What makes it even better is it's actually super healthy. The best time to make this pasta is when you have leftover chicken, which - if you're like us - you always have. We pretty much live on a chicken diet.

Healthy Chicken Pasta:

• Ingredients:
• 1 box penne pasta (penne is Mr. G's favorite, but bow tie and linguine are also good)
• 2 cooked chicken breasts - grilled chicken is healthiest
• 1-2 cups broccoli (I don't measure - put however much you like)
• Olive oil
• Directions:
• Cook/grill chicken, if not already cooked.
• Cook pasta according to box directions.
• While pasta is cooking, cut chicken breasts into cubes and cook broccoli (we just microwave frozen broccoli). Cut broccoli if desired.
• Strain pasta when it is finished cooking, then add chicken and broccoli and toss to mix.
• Divide pasta onto plates and top with olive oil. I also use parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.
• Enjoy! This recipe serves 2-3.

Speaking of recipes, I finally used my rhubarb crisp recipe! I baked one with raspberries a couple nights ago when Mr. G's grandparents came over for dinner. It looked a little undercooked when it came out of the oven, but it tasted delicious, so I consider it a success! It's especially good with vanilla ice cream and French vanilla whipped cream. Yum!

In other news, is anyone else going to see the last Harry Potter movie this week? I'm going at midnight on Thursday (with poor Mr. G in tow) and I can't wait! I love Harry Potter, and I don't care if that makes me a nerd. I grew up reading the books, and I've loved them ever since. I'm going to attempt to watch all seven movies before Thursday, but so far I've only managed to watch the first one - I have a long way to go. Marathon anyone??

<3 Mrs. G

Cupcakes & Custard

Hi everyone!

As promised, I'm posting the recipes for my recent dessert ventures: chocolate dulce de leche cupcakes and berry custard pie. As you know from my last post, my parents came to visit over the weekend, and on Friday, we all went down to Mr. G's parents' house for dinner. I was assigned dessert, so I was excited to try a new cupcake recipe, of course. However, I also wanted to make something low-fat for my health-conscious dad, so that's how I found the berry custard pie recipe.

Chocolate Dulce de Leche Cupcakes

I randomly got the idea to add dulce de leche to my cupcakes - it's one of my favorite flavors, and it seemed fitting around Cinco de Mayo. :) At first I was going to add it as a filling to a chocolate cake, but then I found this amazing recipe for chocolate dulce de leche cupcakes! Here are the recipes I used:

Chocolate Dulce de Leche Cupcakes

Dulce de Leche (for filling and/or topping)

Unfortunately, I had a few problems with these cupcakes... They turned out pretty good still, but they were a struggle to make. FYI - dulce de leche is very challenging and very time-consuming to make. If you have the time and the patience, go for it, because it tastes delicious home-made. But if not, you can always buy it in a can. That wasn't the only problem, though... This is really embarrassing to admit, but I forgot to put in the chocolate chips!! Kind-of important for CHOCOLATE cupcakes! :( Thankfully, I had already put cocoa powder in the mix, so they still tasted like chocolate. But I'm sure they would have been much better with the chocolate chips... Oh well. Lesson learned: pay close attention to your ingredients!! Especially when there is a lot, like in this recipe. Double-check everything!

Also, my cupcakes fell in the middle instead of rising... Maybe it was due to the missing chocolate chips? Or maybe it was the temperature change. Who knows. Either way, I opted out of using dulce de leche filling since there wasn't really room for it... Instead, I just put a lot on top of the cupcakes and swirled in chocolate fudge. They ended up looking pretty cute, and they still tasted good in spite of all the problems.

Here they are, flaws and all:

Berry Custard Pie

The berry custard pie recipe went much more smoothly than the cupcakes, and it came out delicious!

As it turns out, there is actually a pie crust recipe included, but I used a different one that is actually easier and worked great.

Here are my recipes:

Graham Cracker Pie Crust

Berry Custard Pie

I didn't take a picture of the pie. :( Completely forgot. But it was a hit, and it is surprisingly healthy! I used peaches and raspberries - only because my dad doesn't like blackberries - but I think any berry combination would work. I loved the peach/raspberry mixture, though! And I think the custard actually tasted better than the cupcakes, but if they had been made right, maybe that wouldn't have been the case...

In other news, I'm hoping to get another DIY project done this week - either the book page wreath or the moss letters (see "Crafting My Nest" for more info). I'll report back!

Feel free to comment if you've had a similar ditzy baking moment, or if you have any fun cupcake recipes or low-fat dessert recipes to share!

<3 Mrs. G