Jello Arms and Purple Potatoes!

Well, we did not eat dinner early. Around 7, we walked the "LONG" walk over to the gym before we ate dinner. Huck made me work my arms out until I couldn't hold my water. I can only imagine how they will feel over the next two days. We could smell my Slow Cooker Pork before we even walked in the front door. I quickly cooked some fancy potato salad and whipped up some BBQ sauce to go with the pork, so we could eat dinner.

Purple Potato Salad 

• 1lb Purple Potatoes (or regular potatoes)
• 1 Hard Boiled Egg- Chopped
• 1-2 Tbsp Pickle Relish
• 3 Tbsp Mayo
• 2 Tbsp Onion- Finely Chopped 
• Boil potatoes until tender. 
• Mix together all ingredient in a large bowl. 
• Serve warm or cold. 

I'm not sure if the purple potatoes were the best choice for potato salad. They became more of mashed potato salad. But the color is amazing. 

A beautiful shade of purple!! 

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

• 2 lb Pork Roast
• 1 cup Beef Stock
• 2 Tbsp Paprika
• 2 tsp Ground Red Pepper
• 1 tsp Ground Mustard
• 1 Tbsp Ground Garlic Powder
• 1 Tbsp Ground Onion Powder
• 1/2 Tbsp Salt
• 1/2 Tbsp Fresh Ground Pepper
• Mix all dry ingredients together and rub on to meat. 
• Allow to marinate for 2-24 hours. The longer the better! 
• Place meat into slow cooker. 
• Add one cup stock and one cup water. 
• Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. 
• Shred meat in liquid that is left in slow cooker and allow to cook an additional 30 minutes.
• Serve with toasted buns and pickles. 

Beerbecue Sauce

• 1/2 cup Ketcup
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 cup Beer (I like a strong flavored beer like IPA for the sauce) 
• 1/8-1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/4 Onion- Fine Dice

1. Combined ingredients and cook until sauce starts to thicken. 

I stepped away from the stove for a moment and next thing I knew the BBQ sauce was boiling over the pot and the kitchen was filling with smoke. I was worried that the sauce was going to catch on fire on the eye or the smoke alarm was going to go off. I thought that the flat top stove would be so easy to clean. Boy was I wrong!!! I have had a gas, electric, and now flat top stoves and gas is the only way to go. I have tried a few tips from Pinterest to clean the stove top, but it still has a "dirty" look to it. 

   

This is burnt BBQ sauce. I really thought it was going to catch on fire. Now, time to enjoy a relaxing evening at home. Tomorrow, we are going to check out the Abacoa Community Garden. Excited to get our hands dirty planting plants, and meeting some of our neighbors. Goodnight!!  

Strawberries, Spinach, and Cupcakes

Something exciting happened today...


I decided to submit an idea for a food article to a local newspaper, and today, she emailed me back and sounded really interested AND talked about making it a regular part of the paper!! She is going to talk to her editor and get back with me. I'm really excited. It is a small local paper, but I have to start somewhere, right? And again it is mostly recipes. I'm sure some of you were like... "You are going to... write... for a paper??" 


For lunch, I was looking through the refrigerator, and found spinach, orange, strawberries, and goat cheese.... SCORE!!!     

Strawberry and Spinach Salad

Makes 2 meal servings or 4 side salad servings.  

·         12 oz bag of prewashed Baby Spinach

·         1 cup sliced Strawberries

·         2 oz crumbled Goat Cheese

·         ½ cup Mandarin or fresh navel Orange

·         ½ cup Candied Pecans (recipe to follow)

·         ½ cup Strawberry and Orange Dressing (recipe to follow)

o   Lay spinach on plate

o   Top with strawberries, goat cheese, oranges, and candied pecans.

o   Top with desired amount of dressing.

Strawberry and Orange Dressing

·         ½ cup chopped Strawberries

·         ¼ cup fresh squeezed Orange Juice

·         1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar

·         Salt and pepper to taste

o   Combined all ingredients in a blended.

o   Blend until smooth.

§  You can use a strainer to remove seeds from the strawberries for a smooth sauce.

§  Extra dressing will keep in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Candied Pecans

·         ½ cup Pecans

·         1 Tablespoon  Honey

·         ½- 1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar

o   Preheat oven to 350 degrees

o   Place pecans on a cookie sheet in an even layer.

o   Bake for 5 minutes or until toasted.

o   Combine warm pecans with honey until they are fully coated.

o   Coat with sugar and serve with salad or alone as a snack. 

The doggies went for a car ride today too.

I made a cupcake sandwich for a snack by placing the icing on the inside of the cupcake. This way every bite had icing and it didn't get all over my face. WIN WIN :)

Dinner is the the slow cooker right now and it smells amazing!! BBQ Pulled Pork! We maybe eating dinner really early tonight!! 

Bet you can't guess what we had for dinner...

If you read this blog often, you should know the answer to that question. TACOS!!! We are taco eating people around here if you haven't noticed. Tonight, I used the leftover taco meat from yesterday to make a taco salad. I original mixed everything together in a bowl, but quickly ran out of room and had to up grade to a much larger bowl. I crushed up 5 tortillas chips and added turkey, cheese, corn, tomatoes, onions, sour cream, salsa, homemade guacamole and lots of lettuce.

This is my new favorite way to have tacos. I was able to incorporated a lot more vegetables this way.

For my Guacamole, I used a Florida Avocado. They have less fat and calories then other avocados, so I didn't feel bad eating an extra serving or two.

Guacamole

• 1/2 Florida Avocado (or two Haas Avocados) 
• 1 Roma Tomato- Chopped
• 2 Tbsp Onion- Finely Chopped
• 1 Tbsp Lime Juice
• 1 Tbsp Cilantro- Finely Chopped
• Add all ingredients to bowl. 
• Using a fork, smash all ingredients together.
• Enjoy!!    

I waited a while to add the lime juice to my guacamole, and it had a brown look to it. This is why I did not take a close up picture of just the guacamole. It tasted really good though. 

Today, we went to Miami for Huck to look at two jobs. Every time we drive to Miami, I always think of the song by Will Smith's, Welcome to Miami. It was stuck in my head all day. 

Wedding Ideas

I also have been spending way to much time thinking about our wedding. I pretty sure I know what date we would like to get married (I'll tell everyone when we are 100% sure), but I really do not know where I would like to have the wedding. Vegas would be fun, but I do not want anyone to be mad because they can not come. I also looked at cruises for everyone to go on with the really good deals right now, but I will not have a beach wedding. 

     1.    Does anyone have any ideas for non beach weddings locations? 

     2.    Do you have any advise for Vegas weddings? 

Beer Butt Chicken

Here is another post I had on my old blog. Also, I read a few of my old post and realized my blogs are all over the place. My goal this week is to work on my writing for my post... Or just omitting the writing and sticking to recipes and pictures. We will see what happens!!

Chicken likes beer too...

Chicken ready for the grill. I was limited on beer selection, but it turned out amazing. 

Chicken on the grill. 

The best part of the chicken... crispy skin. Yummy!

Brussels Sprouts and Onions cooked in Bacon fat. 

Serving plate. 

Beer Butt Chicken

• Whole Chicken
• 1/2 Can Beer (I cut the top off the can)
• 1/2 Onion
• 1 Jalapeño
• 2 Tbsp Butter
• Creole Seasoning (optional)
• Salt and Pepper to taste 
• Brussels Sprouts (See Recipe)

1. Place can with wheat (I would not use a fruity wheat for this recipe) or lager beer in center of a beer butt chicken rack. 
2. Stuff chicken with onion and jalapeño. I stuff the inside cavity and between skin and meat for extra flavor. 
3. Mix butter, creole, salt, and pepper together and rub on skin and in between skin and meat of chicken.
4. Place on grill on medium heat. 
5. Depending on size of chicken cook until juice runs clear. (My 4 lb chicken took an hour)
6. Let rest 10 minutes and remove from rack.   
7. Serve with brussels sprouts and brown rice.   

 Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

• 12 oz Brussels Sprouts
• 1/4 large onion
• 2 slice center cut bacon
• Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Slice bacon and cook in a pan until crisp. 
2. Remove bacon on to paper towels to remove extra oil and remove all but one Tbsp bacon grease from pan. 
3. Add Brussels Sprouts and onions to pan and cook until tender. 
4. Add bacon to  pan and heat through.  

Calories
One Serving: 4 oz Chicken, 6 Brussels Sprouts, and 1/2 cup Brown Rice 340 Calories. 
4 oz Chicken: 180 calories
6 Brussels Sprouts: 50 calories
1/2 cup Rice: 108 calories

Molten Lava Cake Made Easy

I made a mess pouring the batter into the ramekins.

Yesterday, we planned to go to the Jupiter Lighthouse, but Huck worked until 1:30 and the lighthouse closed at 5. I was kind of OK with it too because it was windy yesterday and the 4 mile bike ride would have been a cold. 

We, also, decided to bake our chicken in the oven instead of grilling since I wanted to make Oven Baked Chicken. 

Oven Baked Chicken

• 1 lb Chicken Breast, Legs, or Thighs
• 1/2 Cup Fat Free Italian Dressing 
• 15 Saltine Crackers- Crust
• 1/2 Cup French Fried Onions- Crust
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 tsp Ground Red Pepper
• Mix together dressing and ground red pepper.
• Mix crackers, salt/pepper and fried onions together.
• Dip chicken in breading and place on a sheet pan lined with foil. You can use a cooling rack to cook the chicken on. This will allow the under side of the chicken to become crisp as well. 
• Cook for 30-40 minutes or until internal temp is 165 degrees. 

•   

For dessert I decided to cook a boxes of Chocolate Cake mix that has been calling my name for weeks now. I seen a picture on the box for Molten Lava Chocolate Cake, and I had to have it. Just in case you guys didn't know... I have a small sweet tooth :)

As I was eating my awesomely gooey warm chocolate cake, it reminded me of the biggest chocoholic I know... My best/oldest friend Jennifer. She could live on chocolate alone. I have known Jen since we were in the 7th grade. If I ever need someone to talk to (even at 1 in the morning) she is always there! I'm hoping she can come visit soon. I need some girl time!

 

  

Molten Lava Chocolate Cake with Boxed Cake Mix

• 1 Box Chocolate Cake Mix
• 3 Eggs
• 1/2 Cup Oil
• 1 1/4 Cup Water
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees
• Mix ingredients together. 
• Spray ramekins with none stick cooking spray. 
• Fill ramekins 3/4 of the way full. 
• Place ramekins in a baking dish and fill dish 3/4 of the way up, the ramekins, with water.
• Bake for 12-14 minutes. 
• Serve warm! 

I made a mess pouring the batter into the ramekins. I only have 4 extra small ramekins, so I used the rest of the batter to make cupcakes. If serving this for guest, sprinkle a little powdered sugar on top and serve with a sliced strawberry.

How can you say no to this face.

The "I'm kicking some ass at COD!" face.

The sexy face. 

The professional face. 

The action face. 

Lazy Sunday! 

They run this house! 

Bacon really is the best food ever!

A picture I took last night. I love the palm trees!! 

Oatmeal

• 1/2 Cup Old Fashion Oats 
• 1 Tbsp Honey
• 2 Tbsp Golden Raisins
• 1 Cup Water or Milk
• 5 or 6 Strawberries Sliced
• Mix oats, honey, raisins, and water together. 
• Microwave at 50% for 5 minutes. (Use a deep bowl to prevent oats from overflowing.)
• Serve with Strawberries   

I forgot to take a picture until I was almost finished. 

After breakfast, I straightened up the house and made my grocery list for the week. Since I spent a little extra money last week, I set our budget for $20. It would of been $20 too if hungry Huck wouldn't have gone to Publix with me (Love you baby!!!) Publix did have some really good deals on a few things we us a lot of, so we stocked up on them. Huck also wanted BLT's for lunch, so we bought bacon. (Bacon was almost $6. That was over 1/4 of my original budget.) We ended up spending $40! Double what I originally want to spend! To make up for completely blowing our grocery budget, we decided we would take the extra $20 from our eating out budget, so it worked out ok. Last week, we only ate out once when we had pizza in Fort Lauderdale. We spent $15 for both of us. As long as we do not spend any more money this week I will only be $2 over my budget for the past two weeks. I am ok with that :) 

BTL, Chips, and Orange! Yummy!

    A guy I use to work with wrote something on his Facebook page that I wanted to sure, "Money can't buy happiness... but it can buy more bacon and and that is pretty damn close!"  I love bacon! 

Now off to fire up the grill. Chicken and asparagus. My life revolves around meal time!!  

Blogging

Today, Huck worked most of the day and I spent way too much time blogging. You can get lost looking at blogs and next thing you know 4 hours have gone by. But I figure if I'm going to watch TV, I can work on making my blog better at the same time. I really enjoy healthy living blogs. I realized today most of the bloggers that enjoy running, were not always like that. Most of them woke up one morning, were not happy with themselves, and started running. Now they run marathons. They make me want to get outside and run... But to do that I would have to stop reading their blogs.

Around 5 today, we did manage to walk over to the gym. The last 3 days, Huck has us doing a circuit training. In between reps, we rode on the stationary bikes for one minute. He goes up 3 or more levels each time, and I go up 1. I'm a lot weaker. For our weight training, we worked our chest and triceps (I think).

King of Queens was on the TV in the gym, which made my time on the bike more tolerable! When me and Huck first started dating, I use to ride with him when he was working and watch TV in his truck. I either watched King of Queens or a Master Craft wake boarding video. I have seen it so many times, I can probably recite the whole thing. :)      

For breakfast this morning, I made Potato Hash. I used frozen hashbrowns I found in our freezer, ham, and peppers.

This isn't the prettiest breakfast, but it tasted really good.

Huck had a leftover chicken sandwich with his hash. And yes I tried another Publix meal. You can see why here.

For lunch, I enjoyed a can of Progresso Chicken and Vegetable Soup. This soup wasn't too bad, and only 280 calories for a can. I was to scared to look at the sodium.

Dinner was one of Huck's favorites. It is the most unhealthy meal every. It is chicken, broccoli, mushrooms, cream of soup mix (Like chicken, mushroom, broccoli, ect.), and rice. I enjoy it though. Even with the mushrooms this time.

I have always thought I was allergic to Mushrooms. My parents have been telling me I was, I ate mushroom gravy at my work one day and my throat started itching and turned red, I ate the rice from my mushroom risotto in Italy and spent the next day vomiting on our field trip in Tuscany. I thought these events were unrelated, but scared they could be. Well tonight with dinner, I ate Mushrooms. Nothing has happened yet. I guess if I wake up tomorrow and feel fine, I know I'm not allergic. Huck will be really excited. He loves mushrooms.

The boys watching TV together! 

 Tomorrow, we are riding our bikes to Jupiter Lighthouse. It is going to be sunny and 70 degrees outside. HAHA!!

A little of this. A little of that.

Tonight for dinner, I had a plan. It was going to be perfect. Homemade tortillas, pinto beans, poblano sauce, with mango and cucumber side.

But my plan failed!


The problem started with the beans. After two and half hours on medium low, they still were not tender. I turned the stove up to high and planned to eat them in 20 minutes weather they were done or not.

My next problem was the tortillas. It seemed so simple. Water, Salt, and Masa. Mix together. Flatten. Toast... Done! Not!! I do not have a tortillas press, so I used foil and my cast iron skillet to flatten the dough. (I got this idea online). They would not flatten thin like a normal tortillas. They were kind of like pancakes.

The poblano pepper sauce was suppose to be a smooth sauce, but my food processor does not work that well, so I was left with a chunky sauce. It still tasted fine, though.

I can't complain about the mango side dish. It turned out great. I forgot the jalapeno, though.

Slow Cooker Pinto Beans

• 8 oz Dried Pinto Beans
• 1/4 Cup Onion- Chopped
• 1 Clove Garlic- Chopped
• 1 Tbsp Cumin
• 1 Bay Leaf
• Salt and Pepper to Taste
• Soak beans over night in water. Drain and Rinse beans. 
• Mix all ingredients together in a slow cooker with 5 cups water. 
• Cook on Low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. 

 Poblano Pepper Sauce

• 1 Poblano Pepper- Roasted, Peeled, and Chopped
• 1/2 Bell Pepper- Roasted, Peeled, and Chopped
• 1 Garlic Clove
• 1/2 Avocado
• 1/2-1 Tbsp Lime 
• Blend all ingredients together in a food processor until desired consistency.

Mango and Cucumber Salsa

• 1 Mango- Diced (See Picture)
• 1 Cucumber- Seeds removed and Diced
• 2 Tbsp Red Onion- Diced
• 1 tsp Hot Sauce
• 1/2-1 Jalapeno- Minced
• 1 tsp Lime
• Mix all ingredients together. 
• Chili until ready to serve. 

I know this recipe sounds weird. I originally made this with fish tacos, but I can not remember where I found the recipe or what it is originally called. Mango and Cucumber Salsa sounded good to me though.

I was so frustration with dinner, but once everything came together, I realized it tasted pretty good and looked good too.

Huck really enjoyed it. Even without the meat!!