Cheesy Orzo & Broccoli

As usual, we found a sale on some good meat. Time to think of dinner...and I didn't know what to pair with it. Then this recipe popped into mind, thanks pinterest! What's a girl gonna do with a cheese craving? It's ok to give in. It may not help me get to being fit like I'd like to be, but it happens.

I discovered this recipe from Iowa Girl Eats a month or so ago. The recipe has some varying measurements, because it depends on what you prefer.

I really wish I could come up with a recipe on my own. I guess that just takes bumbling around the kitchen to figure out what goes good together. And a good apron. I really love this apron!! Darn you for being so expensive, anthropologie.

Serves 3-4
ingredients.
1 cup orzo
1-1/2 c chopped broccoli florets {I've used frozen}
1/4 c shredded cheddar cheese {this past time, I only had a pizza blend, still tasted great!}
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp butter
1/4-1/2 c milk
salt

I.

Add orzo to a large pot of salted boiling water. Cook for 3 minutes then add chopped broccoli and cook for 2 more minutes, or until orzo is tender. 

II.

 Drain well (broccoli florets are notorious for holding onto water) then return to the pot. Add cheeses, butter, and 1/4 cup milk then stir well and add more milk if needed. Season with salt to taste.

{kale, to the movies}

It's been a while since Big Red has had an ice-stash.

We had an ice storm the other day. Of course, we didn't listen to the news and went out for Restaurant Week with some friends.

I'm glad we did, because the food was amazing at Ruth's Chris. Their signature is that they serve the best prime steak, sizzling hot. For meat, the last bite is just as warm and delicious as the first.

We were lucky and didn't have any trouble with the ice. It wasn't hard to believe that there were over fifty wrecks in the areas affected; we saw lots of cars on the side of the road.

The next night it was still a little icy since the temps dropped and the roads were still wet. So, we rented the movie Ted, free of course thanks to the same mad skills I used on these movie nights. It was an alright movie. It was a little foul, but still pretty funny. I also made some tasty kale chips to go with it! They are salty and fill a popcorn craving, but don't add empty calories.

ready for the oven!

ingredients.
Kale {about 2 cups, or however much you want to eat}
Olive Oil {about 1 tbsp}
Sea salt/desired spices {a few squirts of lemon juice is nice too}

I.

Preheat oven to 350. Wash and dry kale, break into chip sized pieces.

II.

Drizzle kale with olive oil, and sprinkle lightly with sea salt and any other spices.  

III.

Pop into the oven until crisped, about 10 minutes. You want it to be dark green, not it's natural color or brown. 

delicious movie snack!

Enjoy! Let me know if there is another recipe that you like better!

xx

{3 Fav Ingredients & Pick-me-up Pancakes}

Best friends: Chia, Flaxseed, Brown Rice Protein

These are my three favorite ingredients right now. Chia seeds, ground flaxseed, and brown rice protein.

I love to sneak chai into salads, pesto, and any kind of recipe where they are discrete. They don't have much of a taste, but they are omega-3, antioxidants, and the list of benefits just goes on forever!

Flaxseed and brown rice protein are part of my favorite pancake recipe! I'm trying to complete a Tone It Up challenge: walk/run 100 miles by Valentine's Day. Lots of protein is key for energy! I'm doing well on my goal, just shy of 30 miles. Unfortunately it has been so cold, I haven't been able to log more miles.

Back on track, I don't post many breakfast recipes because this is what I usually eat.I know they sound weird at first, but you should really give them a try!! I first discovered them when I started getting into the Tone It Up plan last spring, and I haven't stopped since!

ingredients.
1/4 c  egg whites {I usually use the whole egg, I don't like to waste}
1/2 banana, mashed
1 scoop or 3 tbsp of brown rice protein {Found mine at GNC}
1/2 tbsp ground flax seed
1/4 c blueberries {I skip this and sprinkle in chia seeds or slice the other 1/2 banana on top when done}

I.

Spray pan with non stick spray. 

Mix the ingredients very well, and pour evenly into a medium-high heated pan. 

Flip & enjoy!

If the pancake breaks, just scramble it up! Make sure that the batter is poured evenly, and not too thick or it will take too long to cook through and one side will burn. 

There are endless possibilities with these pancakes! Check out the Tone It Up website for more recipes, and their recipes book has tons of options too.  

Time to start thinking up Valentine's Day ideas! Any cute decoration, dinner, or date ideas? 

I can't wait!

{forget it..chicken}

forget it, chicken!

I usually try to plan out of meals during Sundays. Remember the dry erase board? I use it to plan out our meals now. I think it's convenient, and my sweetheart can plan out the more "spicy" nights he needs to pick up something on his way home from work...aka "no-spicy" chilli night. But he loves tacos..

We are going to have a really busy week. We canceled cable {gasp!!} so I will be visitng a friends house for oen of my favorite shows, Pretty Little Liars. I know, that's what me and every other high school girl have in common. I have my classes this week, and we are going to going to Restaurant Week downtown on Friday with some friends! I'll tell you about our non-cable adventure once we've worked out all of the kinks.

During exams last semester, I started on a real pinterest recipe kick. I thought in between school during the last few weeks of December would be a great time to go through all of my pinterest recipes. 

I didn't go through all of them, mostly because I kept adding to them, but I did do several of them! This is one of my absolute favorites. I made this during exams {when I should have been studying}, but it was so easy it didn't take any time at all. 

Now with my new years resolution of cooking at least three times a week, I have a feeling my sweetheart will see this recipe on the board more often! The chicken here is moist, and flavorful. To us, the rice is the best part! All the credit to Brieanna!

ingredients.

4 Boneless Chicken Breasts {original recipe used 6}

2 cups uncooked Minute rice {I used brown}

1 pckg onion soup mix

1 can cream chicken soup

1 can of cream of celery

1 can water {reuse one of the cans from above}

I.

Butter a 9x13 dish. {This means, take a bit of butter and smear it all over the dish. No need for non-stick spray.} Peek at number four, to set the oven.

 II.

Mix the two soups, water, and rice pour them into the buttered dish.

 III.

Lay the chicken breast on top of the rice, and sprinkle the onion soup mix on top. Cover with tin foil {very important.}

IV.

Pop the casserole into the oven on 250 for about three hours. Or cook at 350 for 1 1/2 hours. See, forgotten chicken! The recipe says it is hard to mess this part up.

forgotten chicken

{in the dirt}

There is nothing in my pots.
My celery died because I watered it too much.
My green onion, I didn't tell you about because of the celery, is wilting and I think I didn't water it enough.

My gardening skills are going south. Not in a good way.


However, I did rescue a poinsettia and a green, piney thing from work and they seem to be doing well.

What's important here, is that I have not started to plan to turn the weird plot of back yard you see into a haven. {I find it comical that you can see where Tom Mater & friends sat beside the fence. My sweetheart does not find this funny, at all.}

Things to keep in mind, is I can't dig & I shouldn't kill the grass. We use this odd splat of cement to grill sometimes, so it is nice to be able to pull out chairs. Oh, and we don't know if we will be here til the end of summer. So, I shouldn't get excited and go all out.

This year I need to keep my plants more miniature than last year. I'm hoping for tomatoes, lettuce, & cucumbers at least. I'm hoping for something new too, as well as hopefully a cute pot and some non-expensive dirt. Not too much to ask right?

Wish me luck!!

{favorite free apps}

I got an iPhone over Thanksgiving break, and haven't said anything yet so I could figure it out and decide if I like it or not. I never imagined myself with an iPhone, but so far I really like it. Since I am such a newbie to all of the apple products, I figured I was alone and everyone else knew what they were doing! So for those of you who are like me and are just figuring apps out, here are some of my favorite free apps.

I used the pic stitch app to make the picture above. Which, by the way, you simple re-roll regular cinnamon buns into a heart. Perfect idea for valentines!

Paper Karma is fantastic, because it gets rid of my junk mail! You scan unwanted mail, and the app searches from their database to identify who sent the mail to you, and then they send a request to have you removed from their mailing list. Easy peasy.

 Daily water helps remind me that I need to drink lots of water. You should have half your body weigh in water a day! So 120 pounds? You should have 7.5 glasses of water or 60 ounces a day. This tracker helps me stay on track.

Of course, I do like Siri a lot. Siri has a bit of a personality, as you can see!

I got an iphone over Thanksgiving break. I feel like I'm still trying to figure it out, but I like it so far!
Here are a few of my favorite apps so far.

{simplicity: to buy an island}

I've made a resolution for my cleaning to go green by the end of 2013.

I'm already doing pretty well with  my own dish detergent and laundry soap.
I also like natural toothpaste and deodorant.
But I think there is more room to improve.

I've also made my two usual resolutions: work out and cook at least 3 times a week.

You wouldn't know it based on my recipes I usually post, but I"m a fan of healthy eating.
So for the past week or so, I've been working out and eating lean, green, & clean.
I plan on sharing those recipes more often too.

I feel like my ultimate goal is to make 2013 more simple.
Our house has school, CPA exams, and work, while still staying in touch with our family and friends.
Part of the idea of simplicity was inspired by this movie. 

So, cheers to the man who said he wanted to buy an island, and did.