how i got my husband to eat kale.

We had dinner at our friends' house recently & they made a delicious baked pasta dish with kale in it. It was perfect because Joel would have felt like a jerk not eating it, so he had to try it. And to my surprise and delight (hah), he didn't mind it. Which meant I needed to start sneaking kale into meals at home. This fritatta is the first I tried. And he loved it, yay!

Fritatta with Chicken Sausage, Kale and Ricotta (adapted from Bon Appetit)

(Served it with breakfast sweet potatoes & fresh fruit)

Ingredients

• 12 ounces chicken sausage or protein of choice, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces
• 1 cup sliced shallots
• 12 cups (packed; 12 ounces) kale or other greens (such as chard and mustard greens)
• 10 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 12 ounces fresh whole-milk ricotta cheese (about 1 3/4 cups)
• 2 Tbl + 1 Tbl butter (or oil)

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook sausage in 12-inch-diameter ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Add 2 tablespoons butter to skillet. Add shallots and sauté over medium heat until golden, about 4 minutes. Add half of greens and toss until beginning to wilt, about 1 minute. Add remaining greens and sauté until wilted, tender, and dry, about 15 minutes. Transfer greens to plate; cool.
• Rinse and dry skillet. Beat eggs and salt to blend in large bowl. Whisk in 3/4 cup Parmesan, then greens and half of sausage. Stir in ricotta, leaving some clumps. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in skillet over medium heat. Pour in egg mixture; spread greens evenly. Sprinkle remaining bacon and 1/4 cup Parmesan over eggs. Cook over medium heat until frittata is just set at edges, about 10 minutes. Transfer to oven and bake until just set, about 20 minutes. Cut around frittata to loosen; slide out onto platter. Let cool. Slice into wedges and serve. 
  
  

Hooray for kale! Would like to find more ways to incorporate it into our meals.. I will probably try pasta next. I've been using brown rice pasta lately and it really tastes no different to me than whole wheat pasta. Curious to try quinoa pasta as well. I'm currently reading Wheat Belly and have already cut way back on wheat. Feels good! But the bread cravings that come with winter have definitely crept in.. Actually right now, I want some warm bread like crazy. It truly is addictive!! I still do splurge on it here and there, and it tastes even better than it used to because I really savor every bite :) But then I feel like taking a nap afterwards. 

This fritatta, on the other hand, will energize you and provide lots of stuff your body actually needs like protein, vitamins, antioxidants and fiber. And hopefully curb those carb cravings!

A road trip to Kansas City

Back from yet another road trip! This one for the purpose of Joel presenting at/attending a counseling conference (which went really well for him - so proud of my man). Let me tell you, the drive from Detroit to Kansas City is long and dreadfully boring. There weren't even pretty fall colors, except for a few small patches here and there. Good thing I had an awesome travel companion. Near the end of our drive home, I read him a long list of random geographical facts I had found online, just to keep the two of us awake (plus we are both kind of obsessed with geography). Haha. Did you know that Michigan has the longest coastline of any state (besides Alaska)? Yea, our state is pretty darn awesome. I could spew off lots more useless facts about U.S. geography but I'll spare you.

Kansas City itself was really cool. I enjoyed the laid-back Midwest feel. And the artsy vibe! You may not guess it, but there is a thriving artist community in Kansas City. Joel and I really enjoyed the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. We also really enjoyed THE FOOD (thanks to Yelp and Sandy), most of it locally sourced (love that). I never did have BBQ, which kind of bums me out considering how much I love it, but the delicious food I did have made up for it. We went here, here, here and here. At that last place (Glacé), I had fluer de sel caramel ice cream along with butternut squash ice cream and it was some of the best ice cream I've ever tasted! I also dined solo one day while Joel was at his conference and went to my first vegan restaurant. It was out of this world, especially the raw chocolate hazelnut pie. Oh mah gah. Wow, I am really obsessed with food. Not that that's news.

 

The highlight of the trip was meeting a blogger in person for the first time! I got to have lunch (and crepes!) with the lovely Sandy of Sandy a la Mode. It was quite exciting. And as I expected, she is super sweet and fun to talk to. (Not to mention a pretty lady!) Makes me want to attend a blogger conference so I can potentially meet more of you lovelies :)

please excuse the extreme fuzziness. bad lighting!

Oh yea, another awesome part of our trip -- discovering a three-story antiques market! wow, it was so hard not to come home with a bag full, including that blanket below. I hope that there is a market like that wherever we move -- would be perfect for furnishing our future home {since we probably won't take a lot of our stuff with us}. can't wait to decorate a new place :)

Man I just love exploring new cities.. I've been so blessed to be able to join Joel on all of his conference trips. I think traveling/exploring is my favorite thing to do with him. I look forward to exploring a brand new city with him once we move, wherever that may be (the list of posititons Joel is applying to has grown to 20! More on that soon).

made a pit stop in St. Louis for a scrumptious brunch in the magnificent sunshine.

this weekend, i...

{oh, look! all my photos revolve around food...}

- welcomed the first day of Fall with these pumpkin pancakes (from the pumpkin recipe roundup in my previous post) & they were SO yum, easy & mess-free.

- finally tried Zingerman's Roadhouse in Ann Arbor & had my first Cornish hen (delicious!!)

- saw this documentary and highly recommend it, it's a truly incredible story.

- cleaned our house & put away summer clothes/organized my closet.. it's amazing what a sense of relief/peace I have when or house is clean/a {teeny} bit more organized!

- bought my first piece of clothing for fall thanks to a Target gift card. it was exciting. my spending freeze continues and it has helped put things into perspective for me. although, i have to admit, i have a serious hankering to go on a fall shopping spree.

- started this devo on the YouVersion app, thanks to this pretty lady. good stuff, so far!

- had an awesome dinner guest on Sunday complete with a fall-inspired, dinner, a bonfire, these for dessert, and oh yea, Trapped in the Closet.

i am loving {potentially our last} Michigan fall so far! can't wait for the leaves to change. hope you are all enjoying the new season, wherever you are. even if it still feels/looks like summer there, at least you can get a Pumpkin Spice Latte and pretend ;)

summer recipes to try.

with all of this summer heat (i'm talking 100-plus-degrees-heat), i've been craving refreshing, light dinners. thought i'd post a few that are on my to-make list (they can all be found on my ever-growing food board on pinterest.) pretty excited to try some out this week (particularly the gizpacho and the eggplant with caprese salad.

1. Fresh corn tomato salad a la Food Network (also want to try this one)

2. Chilled avocado and mint soup a la Bon Appetit

3. Tomato gazpacho with prosciutto-mozzarella sandwiches a la Martha Stewart

4. Roasted eggplant with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil a la Deliciously Organic

5. Caprese grilled chicken with balsamic reduction a la 

6. Cold rice noodles with peanut-lime sauce a la Smitten Kitchen

7. Avocado & quinoa salad with lemon supremes a la House and Home

a new look on food.

{just as a pre-cursor, i am not at all trying to be preachy or judgy. this is just something that has been on my mind a lot lately and has become very important to me, and so, naturally, i wanted to share a bit about it with all of you :)}

so if you follow me no instagram or twitter, you may have noticed that i've been talking a lot about food the last several weeks. ok, fine, i always talk about food - it's a big passion of mine - but recently, my passion for food has evolved into a passion for nutrition. i have pretty significantly changed the way i view food and, in turn, the way i eat. i have become very conscious of what i put into my body.

i think i have been on a journey toward this point for awhile now, choosing to take more trips to the local farmers market, starting to buy organic here and there, and buying less and less processed foods, primarily shopping the perimeter of the grocery store. but it really took a turn when i read this article about GMOs (genetically modified foods), posted by an amazing/inspiring chiropractic friend. it was unsettling, to say the least. it stirred up a lot of strong emotions in me. i was infuriated that we, the public, are so left in the dark about what we are eating and that the food industry is so heavily controlled by money, when what should be its driving force is providing consumers with fresh, healthy food options. it is all very f'ed up, i tell ya. there aren't even conclusive studies about the long-term effects of GMOs. scary.

here are just a couple of unsettling points from the article, in case you're interested (the article is long & a little bit dense, not the easiest read.. you can find a few more highlights from it in the google doc i created.)

There can be no scientific testing of the physical effects of GM foods on humans. Or animals, for that matter. It is not permitted. And of course there is no GMO limit in US foods, and no testing has ever been done because, remember, NOT ONE LAW has ever been passed regulating GM foods in America.

HOW MUCH OF THE AMERICAN DIET IS GM TODAY?
Best estimate: 80% of processed foods on supermarket shelves contain at least some GMOs, and at least 60% have GM as a primary ingredient.
In addition, virtually all confined animals are fed GM food almost exclusively, most of it GM soy.
 
In 1991. the policy commissioner of the FDA was Michael Taylor. Under his personal guidance the decision never to label GM foods in the US was ushered into policy and enshrined in an unassailable position. That decision has never been challenged.

from there, i started reading/researching nutrition like crazy, about herbicides and pesticides, how processed foods affect our health, all sorts of things that i was in the dark about. i also watched quite a few food documentaries, thanks to Netflix, such as Fresh, Forks Over Knives, Food Fight, and Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead (just to name a few... i'm kind of addicted). with all of this new, eye-opening information i had gained about food & how closely it is linked with health (the number one killer in the United States, heart disease, is a result of how people eat!), i knew i had to make a change to the way i ate; there was no going back.

for the first week, i followed the Paleo diet (which i now think involves too much meat), cutting out grains & dairy completely (except eggs), as well as any kind of processed food, which includes refined sugar.. (i have discovered, through this process, that sugar, or high-fructose corn syrup, is added to just about anything in a box/can/bag of food. argh). i just ate a whole lot of fruits and veggies. and let me tell you, i felt freaking amazing. i had not one stomach issue and i had never felt lighter. it felt so good. once i reintroduced dairy into the picture, i realized that i unfortunately must have some level of lactose intolerance. not enough to where i have to avoid it altogether, but i have started cutting back on it quite a bit (i used to drink milk and eat cheese like it was my job). i have started drinking vanilla coconut milk and it is delicious!

after reading all sorts of articles on the optimum diet//what's good for you/what's bad for you (there are a million different perspectives on nutrition, let me tell you), i decided, for now at least, that i would (mostly!) stick to a whole foods diet with no refined grains (buh-bye white bread, white rice, white pasta, etc.) and minimal amounts of refined sugars (honey and maple syrup are excellent alternatives). oh, and only organic and grass-fed meats (and dairy when possible), and mostly organic fruits and vegetables (i use the dirty dozen food list for reference.. i can't afford to buy everything organic!). i eat way more veggies and fruits than ever before & have only been eating meat once or twice a week (and fish usually once a week). and honestly, it hasn't even been that hard. (except the sugar thing, i have to splurge here and there. i can't live my life entirely without cupcakes, cookies and ice cream. no freaking way.) i feel so.much.better, so much healthier. and - bonus - i've even lost a few pounds. and i swear my skin looks better.

{available here}

{HELPFUL RESOURCES}

i've found the blog 100 Days of Real Food to be an incredible resource. (thanks Beth!) it answered so many of my questions and has a lot of great recipe ideas. i've also been loving Martha Stewart's Whole Living and the blog Deliciously Organic. i've been going to the farmers' market every weekend now, trying to buy as many foods locally as possible, including meats and cheeses. there are so many great reasons why buying local is best! i'm looking into using Door to Door Organics once the farmers' markets close down for the summer.

if you made it to the end of this, i am impressed (and happy!)  there is still so much i've left out... i could go on and on about all this. if you have any questions (or advice!) don't hesitate to email me. i really feel like God has given me a passion for food and nutrition, and i am excited to see where it will lead! i am even considering going back to school to get my Masters in Dietetics once joel becomes a (full-time) professor (i could take courses for free)! expect to see some healthy (but still delicious) recipes from me in the future :)

would love to know your thoughts on nutrition!

{a delicious fall meal, all in one skillet}

it is a beautiful thing when a meal requires only one pot/skillet.
i am borrowing my mom's cast iron skillet right now & i love it.
it's so versatile! i'm hoping santa brings me one of my own!

i've recently started cooking with bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
in place of boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
for one thing, they're generally cheaper. for another thing,
they are wayyy more flavorful & juicy!
season them with some smashed garlic, red pepper flakes, lemon juice,
salt & fresh rosemary  (luckily i still have some growing - that stuff is hearty)
& they will explode with flavor.

after browning the skin-side of the chicken on the stovetop, throw in some cooked
red potatoes & a couple handfuls of mushrooms, throw it in the oven at 450
for around 25 minutes & you've got yourself a easy, not to mention delicious, meal.
the potatoes & mushrooms become  sooo flavorful after soaking up the juices
from the chicken.  plus, it makes for a very elegant dinner
without costing you much.

and let me tell you, your house will smell like heaven.

{before it went in the oven. isn't is pretty?}

SKILLET ROSEMARY CHICKEN
(4 servings :: adapted from Food Network recipe)
INGREDIENTS ::


3/4 lb red potatoes
kosher salt
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
1 clove garlic, smashed
pinch of red pepper flakes (depends on how spicy you want it)
juice of 2 lemons (squeezed halves reserved)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 small or 2 large skin-on, bone in chicken breasts
1/2 lb cremini mushrooms
1/2 lb button mushrooms (any kind of mushroom will do)

DIRECTIONS ::


Preheat over to 450.
Cover potatoes with cold water in a pot and salt the water.
Bring to boil over medium-high heat & cook until tender; about 8 minutes.
Drain & set aside.

Pile chopped rosemary, garlic, 2 tsp salt, & red pepper flakes on cutting
board, then mince & mash into a paste using a large knife.
Transfer paste to a bowl.
Stir in the juice of 1 lemon & the olive oil. Add chicken & turn to coat.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken,
skin-side down, cover & cook until skin browns, about 5 minutes.
Turn the chicken; add the mushrooms & potatoes to the skillet & drizzle
with the juice of the remaining lemon.

Add rosemary springs & reserved lemon halves to the skillet; transfer to the
oven & roast, uncovered, until chicken is cooked through & skin is crisp,
about 20 to 25 minutes.

{food fit for fall}

ah, i love alliteration :)


so i must share with you two delectable recipes that make for perfect autumn-time meals. even my husband, the veggie-phobic, gobbled them right up. unsurprisingly, they are both from giada :)

Rigatoni with Squash and Prawns



Ingredients

* 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons
* 1 pound butternut squash, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 teaspoon salt, plus 1 teaspoon
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/2 teaspoon
* 1 cup vegetable stock
* 1 pound rigatoni
* 1 pound prawns, peeled and deveined
* 3/4 to 1 cup whole milk
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Warm 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butternut squash, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Saute until the squash is golden and tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the squash is very soft, another 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the squash mixture to a blender or food processor and puree.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

Meanwhile, warm the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the prawns with the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Add the prawns to the pan and cook until just pink, about 3 minutes.

In a large pot over low heat combine the cooked pasta, pureed squash mixture, and 3/4 cup milk. Stir to combine. Add the remaining 1/4 cup milk if the sauce needs to be moistened. Add the cooked prawns, basil, and cheese. Stir until warm and serve.

i would definitely recommend adding more salt and pepper than it calls for. otherwise, it is a bit bland. i also added some crushed red pepper flakes for a little extra zing. it is a quick and easy meal - the hardest part is cutting up the squash.

wondering the perfect dessert to follow it up with? may i recommend the pumpkin pie blizzard from dairy queen. mmmmmmm!! just don't get it to close to your dog, or he'll take a lick (baaaaad dog, magglio).


and for the second recipe of the day. unlike the last, this one is neither simple nor quick, but it is TOTALLY worth the labor. believe me.

Baked Angel Hair with Eggplant

Ingredients

* 1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 4 to 6 Japanese eggplants (about 2 pounds total), cut into 1-inch cubes
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 1 pound mild Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
* 1/3 cup dry red wine
* 3 cups marinara sauce
* 1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
* 8 ounces angel hair pasta
* 1 pound mozzarella, diced
* 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
* 1 (17 1/4-ounce) package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed

Directions

Heat 1/3 cup of oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add half of the eggplant and toss to coat in the oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute the eggplant until it is golden and tender, about 10 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium. Add half of the garlic and saute until it is tender, about 2 minutes longer. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggplant mixture to a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining 1/4 cup oil and the remaining eggplant and garlic.

Add the sausage and wine to the same frying pan. Cook over medium-high heat until the wine evaporates and the sausage is brown, breaking the sausage into pieces with the back of a spoon, about 8 minutes. Add the sausage, marinara sauce, and crushed red pepper to the eggplant mixture, and toss to combine.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the angel hair and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until pasta is still slightly crunchy and undercooked. Drain. Toss the angel hair with the eggplant mixture. Cool completely. Add the mozzarella and Parmesan and toss to combine.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Roll out 1 pastry sheet on a floured surface to a 13 1/2-inch square. Transfer to a 9-inch springform pan, allowing the excess pastry to hang over the rim. Spoon the pasta mixture into the pan. Place the second pastry sheet atop the pasta filling. Pinch the edges of the pastry sheets together to seal. Trim the overhanging pastry edges to about 1-inch. Fold the pastry edges in to form a decorative border. Cut a slit in the center of the top pastry to allow the steam to escape.

Bake until the pastry is brown and puffed on top, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Let stand for 20 minutes. Remove the pan sides and serve.

bon appetit!

Expand Your Lexicon!

If you're bored at work, as I am, or are simply in love with words, take a peek at WSU's website called Word Warriors:

The purpose of the site is to integrate resplendent [splendid, brilliant or glorious] words from the English language that are rarely used into our lexicons, so that we can be more precise with our speech. As a former English major, I can't help but be excited by this prospect :)

I had to list a few of my favorites. Hope you get a kick out of them too.


Crapulent - Sick from eating or drinking too much.
"After the excesses of the prior evening, George woke up feeling both foolish and crapulent."

Bumbershoot - Umbrella; parasol.
"Remember to take your bumbershoot on rainy days."

Collywobbles - Pain in the stomach or abdomen. "As a kid, I got the collywobbles every time I thought about my piano recital in June!"

Willowy - Tall, slender and graceful.

Higgledy-piggledy (hig-uhl-dee-pig-uhl-dee) - In a disordered manner; helter-skelter.


Pretty awesome, huh? I'm sure I could integrate a few of these into my vocabulary fairly easily. Especially the first (I have a tendency to overeat). Don't be surprised if you have to consult an online dictionary when reading future blogs.


Speaking of FOOD, I am super-duper excited right now because since my work schedule has been changed from 2:30 - 11 to 10:30 - 7 for the remainder of the week, that means I get to make dinner for & dine with my hubby TONIGHT, and tomorrow night, and the night after that and the night after that... Which means as soon as I found out about this revised work schedule yesterday, I got busy making out a meal schedule for the next five nights, based around what I already have in my cupboard/fridge:

• Mediterranean Pasta (w/ bread & salad)

• Chicken Parmesan over a bed of spaghetti (also w/ bread & salad)

• Tilapia with Purple Potato Crust and Chive Rosemary Oil, served with shallot spaghetti, green beans & bread (a meal is not complete with some type of bread)

• Chicken Enchiladas w/ Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa, served with yellow rice

• Baked Mac & Cheese (the ultimate comfort food), served with salad so I don't feel so bad

Those are the dinners. Here are some breakfast/lunches I have planned for the coming week:

• Grilled Cheese, Bacon & Apple Sandwiches, served with homemade Tomato Soup, yesssss

• Potato Chowder w/ Caraway Cheese

• Ham & Cheese Quiche w/ Rosemary, served with fruit and salad


The fact that I not only planned all of those out in detail but typed them out as well shows that I have WAY too much free time at work. Well, I guess that makes up for my lack of free time outside of work!

Anyway, if you haven't already realized it, I love, love, love to cook and I am passionate about fooood. This is why I need to start working out again. I'm still recovering from Monday's workout (the first in months). I'll aim for the weekend.

Just in case any of the aforementioned meals sparked your appetite, many of the recipes can be found at foodnetwork.com (my favorite) or thenest.com.

Lots of lists in this post. Maybe I was influenced, after all, by the special list edition of Real Simple magazine (which came free in the mail). I have become so domestic, weird.