Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

Chris has been out of work for a little while due to back troubles, but while he's been home he's really been cooking up a storm in the kitchen, I love it! We are trying to eat better and part of that is eliminating carbs after lunchtime. This recipe he made last night was delicious AND lower in carbs than a normal lasagna. Neither one of us has ever cooked with spaghetti squash before, but I can assure you, we are now big fans. This recipe is a bit time consuming but a big hit!

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
Ingredients

• 2-3 small to medium spaghetti squash
• salt and fresh pepper, to taste
• 2/3 c. part skim ricotta cheese
• 4 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp. chopped parsley (or basil)(we can use dried basil which we have)
• 3/4 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
For the sauce:
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Ground Turkey or Beef
• 14 oz (1/2 can) crushed tomatoes
• salt and fresh pepper, to taste
• A few dashes of italian seasoning

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400º. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds and membrane. Season lightly with salt and black pepper; bake about 1 hour, or longer if needed on a baking sheet, cut side down.
• If you prefer the microwave, cut squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds and fibers and place on a microwave safe dish and cover. Microwave 8-9 minutes or until soft.
• In a small bowl combine the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and parsley.
• In a large deep sauté pan, heat oil and add onions and garlic; sauté on medium-low for about 3 to 4 minutes, until soft. Add the meat and cook until browned. Once cooked, add the crushed tomatoes and add salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low and simmer 20 to 30 minutes, adding fresh basil at the very end.
• When spaghetti squash is cooked, let it cool for about 10 minutes keeping the oven on. If you microwaved this, preheat the oven to 400°.
• When the spaghetti squash is cool enough to handle, use a fork to remove flesh, which will come out in spaghetti looking strands reserving the shells. Drain the squash on a paper towel to soak up any excess liquid, then toss with half of the sauce. Place the spaghetti squash back into the 6 shells and place on a baking sheet.
• Top each with remaining sauce, 1 scoop ricotta cheese mixture, and a little mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in the oven for 20 - 30 minutes or until everything is hot and the cheese is melted. 

This recipe serves 4 or 8 if you halve the squash once complete. 

The squash shells serve as a perfect individual serving dish. This is definitely a meal that not only tastes great (without the guilt), but also pretty enough to serve company! 

(Original recipe found here)

Summer Garbanzo Bean Salad

I'm always on the hunt for easy and healthy lunch items to bring to the office, one can only eat so many turkey sandwiches and tossed salads. When I stumbled across this garbanzo salad recipe I knew I needed to give it a whirl. The ingredients are all so fresh (and pretty too) a perfect summer lunch for the office or even a picnic! 

Summer Garbanzo Bean Salad

original recipe found via 

2 cans garbonzo beans ( rinsed and drained )

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 yellow bell pepper, diced

1 cucumber, peeled and diced

1/2 red onion, diced

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 cup feta cheese

1 tbsp italian seasoning

3 tbsp (give or take) lemon juice

2 tbsp (give or take) lime juice

1/4 cup olive oil

4 tbsp red wine vinegar 

salt, and pepper to taste

Mix olive oil, garlic,lemon, lime, vinegar and spices, whisk until well combined, set aside.

Place rinsed beans, peppers, cucumber, onion and feta cheese in large bowl. Pour over bean salad.

Would be great served with pita bread, or add grilled chicken. 

PS- I'm taking my first Pure Barre class tonight, wish me luck and pray I make it out alive!

4th of July Weekend

I have now been welcomed back to reality by "Monday" after a wonderful and much needed 4 day 4th of July holiday weekend! We definitely kept ourselves busy but we got to catch up with some of good friends and enjoy a couple days off. Now can I please have a day to recover from the weekend?

Wednesday night we went and saw the movie "The Heat" - I love Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock usually, so I was really excited to see them team up. They did NOT disappoint! While the plot line may have been a little predictable the comedy was definitely entertaining and kept me laughing, even Chris said "yeah it was pretty good" which means it was awesome (kinda). 

On the morning of the 4th of July I was gifted with a delicious surprise, CINNAMON BUNS! My friend Allison had made this recipe but failed to realize that it made about 75 rolls - lucky for me, I was a benefactor of this oversight. If you are looking for a homemade cinnamon roll recipe (and who DOESN'T love a good bun), give this one a try, I think she even had enough to freeze and save for later. Thanks Al for the yummy treat! 

We spent the rest of the afternoon poolside, and then headed to a cookout at my friend Amanda's parents house. Their neighbors smuggle the big fireworks across the border and put on a show for the neighborhood. All of us (minus Parker - the bigger they are the harder they fall) really enjoyed it, we even managed to dodge the rain. I brought my "go to" recipe - Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

Tri Color Rotini

Mini Pepperoni

String Cheese (or other block mozzarella)

Cherry tomatoes (optional)

Green peppers

creamy caesar salad dressing

zesty italian salad dressing

Directions:

Cook rotini noodles to al dente, drain and rinse with cold water

cube string cheese and dice green peppers

combine all ingredients and add a 2:1 ratio of italian dressing and creamy caesar -  stir until noodles are well coated

cover and refrigerate for several hours, add a splash of italian dressing before serving

On Saturday we made a little day trip to Durham to help our good friends Chris and Lauren pack and prepare for their upcoming move.  Lucky for us we only had to work a little bit and then got to spend the rest of the day hanging out. We hit the pool until the boys got bored, 15 minutes in, went to a local brewery Lonerider and ended the evening with a boatload (literally) of sushi. We always love spending time with these two and wish we lived closer so we could see them more often.

Sunday we packed up the pup and went to see our friend Shannon at her house on Lake Tillery. We spent the afternoon catching up and watching the dogs swim. Parker is a little fish and its just so much fun to watch him in his element.

We had a great weekend hopping around NC, spending time with great friends and celebrating the 4th. I can't believe how fast this year is flying by!

Dip it

This weekend I tried out yet another Pinterest recipe and boy was it a hit! Seriously, I don't think I've ever made something that got such rave reviews, and it was super easy too! I served it with fresh cucumber slices and warm flatbread and they were the perfect pairing for this delicious summer appetizer

I wish I had taken a picture of my own dip but trust me, it looked the same

Lemon and feta dip

8oz feta cheese, crumbled

Zest + Juice of (1) large lemon
1 clove minced garlic
6 tablespoons olive oil+ extra for serving
cracked pepper for topping

Place feta, lemon zest and juice, garlic and olive oil in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. 

(personally I think a food processor will work best, but work with what ya got)
Spoon into a bowl and drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with fresh cracked pepper

Dig in! 

(original recipe and photo credit linked to image)

Happy Birthday CRS!

Chris celebrated his 29th birthday last week. Its hard to believe this is the last year of his twenties and even harder to believe that I met him when he was just 15! Time sure does fly!

Friday night we went out to our favorite sushi restaurant, and then capped off the evening with cupcakes from our favorite bakery Cake & All Things Yummy. 

We got our wedding cake from this bakery and we have yet to be disappointed. Our wedding cake was fantastic and these cupcakes taste even better than they look!

Saturday morning I made Chris one of our favorite breakfast recipes Jamie Deen's Breakfast Casserole. It takes a little prep work but its oh so worth it! I recommend giving this recipe a try!

(and then... we ate another cupcake.)

The day was so beautiful, and after all our food consumption we took the dog and headed to the park for a morning run. We then spent the rest of the afternoon celebrating in a different way, our friends Jared and Megan's wedding!

The wedding and the bride were beautiful and we are so happy we could share in their special day. Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Hardison!

Sunday was spent planting flowers and playing with the pups.

They are best friends already, all that was missing was Tucker and Boags!

It was such a nice and relaxing weekend. Birthday celebrations have definitely changed over the past decade, but we had a great time celebrating!

White Bean Chicken Chili Recipe

Lately this cold winter spring weather has had me in the mood for some comfort food. However, comfort food usually comes with a hefty caloric/fat price. And being that both Chris and I usually dont get home during the week until after 6 we often aren't in the mood to whip up a gourmet meal. Enter White Bean Chicken Chili. This recipe is so easy, pretty healthy (until I add sour cream and cheese, but sometimes I just cant resist) and lets not forget, DELICIOUS!

What you'll need:

3 Chicken Breasts (can be frozen or thawed - doesn't matter), 2 cans white beans (I use great northern and cannellini), 1 can corn, 1 can diced tomatoes, 2 packs white chicken chili seasoning. (Sidenote: do not drain any of the canned veggies)

How you'll make it:

Now this is where it gets really tricky. You're going to dump all the ingredients, minus the chicken, into the crock pot, and stir to dissolve the seasoning. Then add your chicken breasts to the crock pot cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Shred the chicken before serving, and add any toppings you'd like - That's it!

This picture is from recipes.com because I was too hungry/lazy to snap a photo before eating

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it makes a ton, so there are plenty of leftovers!

Now that I've had my fill of cold weather comfort food, WHERE is spring?!

Pumpkin Seeds

So as promised in my pumpkin planters post  (I know, I know,  you've been on the edge of your seats waiting) - here is my recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds

I've never been one tradionally to roast pumpkin seeds, they've never been my first snack of choice, and as Chris says "they taste like you're eating seeds" (hmm I wonder why?), but when I was making my pumpkin planters, the pumpkins had TONS of seeds and so I figured I'd try my hand at roasting some up.

What you'll need: Pumpkin/seeds, seasoned salt, butter - or you can use cinnamon and sugar and butter (I made both)

Step 1: Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees, and line a baking sheet with foil

Step 2: pull all the globs of grossness out of your pumpkin, try your best to separate the seeds from rest of the mush put in a strainer and rinse

Step 3: Place seeds on paper towel and pat dry

Step 4: Melt 2 tbsp. butter - add a couple shakes of seasoned salt (or cinnamon sugar) and stir together

 Step 5: Put seeds in plastic bag and pour in butter mixture

Step 5: Shake to coat seeds

Step 6: Spread the seeds in a single layer on baking sheet - I added a few more shakes of seasoned salt (or cinnamon sugar) on top 

Step 7:  Bake for about 45 minutes (or until golden brown and delicious looking) - stir seeds around about half way through 

Step 8: Let cool for a few minutes (or as long as you can resist b/c these puppies smell GOOOOOD)!

Step 9: ENJOY!

I was addicted! And like I said, I normally don't love pumpkin seeds. Must be the butter...

Also, I'd like to thank Shannon for all her assistance with this recipe

"Crack Bark"

"Crack" Chocolate & Caramel Pretzel Bark

Ingredients:
2 Sticks Butter (what recipe is complete without butter)
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Bag Mini Pretzels
1 Bag Chocolate Chips (for happiness)
Sea Salt

Preheat your oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and cover with a single layer of pretzels. Melt two sticks of butter in a small saucepan. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and the brown sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Let it boil gently just until it starts to stick to the bottom and it forms a nice smooth caramel. You’ll want to let it bubble a little and get really thick (to the point you think you've messed it up.) Pour caramel over pretzels and bake for 5ish minutes. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle chocolate chips on top. The heat will melt them (or you can place back in the oven for a little melting help,) then use a spatula to spread them around. Sprinkle with as much sea salt as your heart desires. Cool a bit on the counter. Then pop into the freezer for an hour or until you remember it's in there. Break apart into bite sized pieces. Slip into some sweat pants and enjoy!

Football season is here! Now I'd be lying if I told you I was excited about this due to love of the game, that's 100% not true. Pretty much I only really like WATCHING football if I'm actually AT a game. Especially the one time Chris got box seats at the Panthers game through his old job. Although, I had a fierce hangover that prohibited any indulgence in all of  the food/alcohol they had to offer, poor planning on my part, real bad move. Anyways, unless I'm AT the game or App State is playing on TV, I'm probably not going to pay much attention. However, I'm happy to participate in "game day activities" aka - tailgate/stuff my face with foods that will spend a moment on my lips and a LIFETIME on my hips (I'll never learn.)

 Enter Pinterest, here you you will find a whole world of "football foods" for you to feast your eyes on. Now if I was going to be a good wife overachiever and actually make some of these foods instead of just pinning them, here are a few that I would choose: 

Buffalo Chicken Cups

BLT Roll Ups

Reuben Dip - I'm a sucker for all things reuben

Loaded Potato Skins

Adorable Football Cupcakes

Bahahaha who am I kidding? THIS will be my contribution to gameday:

Don't hate too much, you know this stuff is good!