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Category: Food

From Recipes to Restaurants – My love for food is never ending

  • Eating a Healthy Balanced Nutrition can include Carbs!

    Eating a Healthy Balanced Nutrition can include Carbs!

    I am fairly new to this coaching business. I know some coaches on my team who have coached for over 10 years. Watching them and seeing them grow not only as a coach but as  person inspired me. 

    I started my journey different than most. I wasn’t overly overweight, in fact I have struggled most of my life being “too skinny” or at least that’s how I felt society saw me. You see… body image comes in all shapes in sizes. You don’t always need to eat healthy and exercise to lose weight. There are many factors as to why people choose to eat healthy and exercise. After having my kids I gained some weight and after my second baby I couldn’t get rid of the “muffin top”. I felt like my body had changed and my anxiety was getting worse. I needed to find something that helped me feel good physically and mentally. I was looking to feel “NORMAL” again. Some people have said that I don’t know what it feels like to be overweight and they are absolutely right. But being overweight isn’t the only reason that some people suffer from body image. Like I said before and I’ll say it again, body image comes in ALL SHAPES AND SIZES.

    You may relate, you may not. But I share my story because I have never felt more confident in my skin than I do now. I’m pregnant with Baby #3 and I would have never showed my belly on social media before. I felt insecure and I didn’t feel that cute glow others say they feel. Looking back, I wish I had, because growing a baby inside you is a blessing. It’s truly a miracle and you may look different then that the girl on instagram but that doesn’t mean that your body isn’t as perfect or as beautiful as you see on social media, because I’m here to tell you IT IS BEAUTIFUL AND SO ARE YOU! Today, I show my belly off all the time in my videos. Who cares what others think or say, what matters is how YOU feel!

    I still struggle with anxiety, it’s something I work on everyday, but changing my nutrition and learning to exercise right has truly made a difference in my life. I share my story because I love HELPING others on their journey. So here I am talking to YOU and hoping you’re listening.

    I tell my clients all the time, nutrition is key. You can exercise all day and not get the results you are looking for if your nutrition is crap. It also works the other way around, if your nutrition is on point, you will get results but you will slowly plateau. Life is about balance and so is your nutrition and exercise.

    Eating a healthy balanced nutrition can help:

    👉 Improve Heart Disease

    👉 Gut Health

    👉 Your skin may improve

    👉 Weight Loss or Weight Gain (depending on what you are trying to achieve).

    👉 Your mood may lift

    👉 Brain Fog?? Eating healthy can help with this

    👉 Balance blood sugar levels (If you have diabetes learning to eat right can help).

    These are just a few benefits on learning to eat the right nutrition. I don’t mean fad, quick fix diets. You see a lot of people cutting out carbs, going paleo, eating only meat. You do what works for you, but I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be hard, you don’t need to feel deprived. Learning to have a balanced nutrition is important.

    The energy we need comes from foods we eat and the fluids we drink. These nutrients are broken into fats, proteins and YES Carbohydrates. Carbohydrates play an important role in helping to provide a quick energy level, especially when exercising. “Good carbs are found in foods like grains, fruits, vegetables, beans and dairy. They don’t just help you with energy, they can also play a role in mental sharpness and help your metabolism. 

    Carbohydrates can help:

    👉 Provide energy to fuel your body, including, brain, heart, and central nervous system.

    👉 Help with Digestion

    👉 Manage blood cholesterol levels

    👉 Help control glucose and insulin metabolism

    Did you know that not getting enough carbohydrates can have consequences in fatigue, weakness, constipation, vitamin deficiencies, and can cause concentrating to become difficult for you? Our human brain utilizes 20-25% of the body’s glucose. 

    Complex carbohydrates is a source of energy that helps fuel muscle contractions. Once eaten, carbs break down into smaller sugars (glucose, fructose, and galactose) which is used as energy.  Unused glucose is converted into glycogen and stored in the muscles and liver for future use. 

    Glycogen is an energy source which is often used in short intense workouts; like weightlifting or sprints. When you are exercising the stored glycogen is converted back to glucose and burned for fuel. If you are doing an endurance exercise, the glycogen breaks down fat into what your muscles can use as fuel. Not only do carbs help with muscle contraction but it also helps supply energy to your brain

    There is so much to learn about what is healthy and what is “bad” for you. I am no expert, I just like to research a lot and truly learn and understand what the body needs before feeling deprived and jumping on a band wagon “diet”. I don’t believe in diets, I think its’ a quick fix. Most people diet and fall off because it gets hard and because they miss the foods they truly love. Truly learning to eat what you feel right for you is key, learning what makes your body feel right and what you need is key. Nutrition, is KEY!

    As a coach I love seeing my clients find what works for them, seeing them feel better not just physically but mentally. I believe nutrition and exercise go hand in hand.

    Exercise also has tons of benefits, these are just a few that I’m going to list:

    👉 Reduce fatigue and gain energy

    👉 Improve balance and lower risk of injuries 

    👉 Manage and help prevent disease like arthritis, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and some cancers. 

    👉 Sleep better

    👉 Reduce anxiety (This personally helps me)

    👉 Maintain a healthy weight 

    👉 Control blood pressure

    👉Help with mood and reduce feelings of depression

    Changing your lifestyle and being consistent takes work. Quick diets don’t and that’s why a lot of people choose them. But in order to truly learn your body and learn to fuel your body right you have to find that balanced nutrition and exercise that makes you feel good. It looks different for everyone and that’s okay. But if you are ready to feel good and create a balanced lifestyle I am here for you.

    Message me over on Instagram or fill out one of the forms on HERE.

    References: VeryWellFit.com

    Nia.Nah.gov

  • I heart Food

    I <3 Food – Photo by: Google.com/images

    I heart Food

    I recently launched my  new site; AGirlsKitchen.com – I love everything about food and I have always loved to cook. I am not a ‘Real’ Chef, but I’m the Chef in my house. If you love food as much as I do, you are constantly looking at pictures and recipes to do. Of course, it’s actually rare if I have the time or energy to make most of these recipes, and sometimes it’s hard to find ingredients that go with these dishes, but I look for them anyway and when I have time I make that recipe.

    I haven’t been able to post as much as I would like but I am in the progress of trying to come up with a plan to at least post one recipe a week. If you have recipes you would like to share, I can post them as a guest recipe. So don’t be shy and email me or comment and I will get in contact with you.

    Recently I have been searching different diets like the low carb diet, which I have been on and off on for over a year, you just cut out all white carbs during the week, bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, and you implement good carbs (vegetables), legumes and meat, chicken or fish. I thought it would be harder to do but I actually enjoy eating healthier and I can feel my body having more energy than usual. Our Saturday’s are our cheat days, so we indulge and I cook all the good stuff that I am usually looking at during the week. Recently we have been looking into the Paleo life style, although it does interest me, I do not think on a personal level that I would like to implement this 100% into my diet. I love food too much, and I know not everything is healthy for you, but you only live once, and as long as you moderate what you eat and you don’t go junk food crazy, then it doesn’t hurt to indulge a little in life. When I see food I love, my mouth waters, my taste buds start jumping and I can’t help but feel like a kid in a candy store. If I go to a restaurant and love their dish, I try to think of ways to recreate it at home, and I don’t mean that I get a little excited, I mean it’s Christmas all over again. Sure I’m not a Chef, but I do think I can cook pretty damn good, and if I can make a dish where my mouth says YUM and my heart skips a beat, then I’m going all in….

    I have a few websites I would like to share with you and you should definitely check them out:

    www.kayotic.nl/blog/

    http://thenovicehousewife.wordpress.com/2012/03/06/garam-masala-tuesdays-shahi-paneer/

    http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/

    http://nomnompaleo.com/

    Don’t forget to check out my website http://agirlskitchen.com (copy and paste link if you can’t click on it)

    Tell me what you think and what you would like to see on here. (Remember it’s a work in progress) 🙂
    Have a great day. i <3 food

    xo,

    kristin nicole

  • Saturday Morning Breakfast for Two

    I got inspired by a recipe in Barefoot Contessa’s cook book. It’s called Omelet for two.

    Ingredients

    * 1/4 pound good thick-cut bacon
    * 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
    * 1 cup medium-diced Yukon gold potato
    * 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
    * 1 tablespoon minced jalapeno pepper
    * 5 extra-large eggs
    * 2 tablespoons milk or cream
    * 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    * 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    * 1/4 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts
    * 4 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, diced, plus extra grated cheese, for garnish

    Directions

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

    Cut the bacon crosswise in 1-inch slices. Cook the bacon in an 8-inch ovenproof saute pan over medium-low heat for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned. Drain the bacon on paper towels and discard the fat from the pan. Add the butter to the pan, and then add the potato and yellow onion. Cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the onion starts to brown and the potato is tender but firm. Add the jalapeno pepper and cook for 30 seconds.

    Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper together with a fork. Stir in the scallions and diced Cheddar. When the potato is cooked, add the bacon to the pan and pour over the egg mixture. Place the pan in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the omelet puffs and the eggs are almost cooked in the center. Sprinkle with a handful of grated Cheddar and bake for another minute. Serve hot directly from the pan. (to see her recipe click on link foodnetwork.com-ina-garten )

    My recipe:

    Ingredients:

    * 1/4 pound good thick-cut turkey bacon
    * 1/2 cup of chorizo
    * 1 tablespoon salted butter
    * 1 cup medium-diced Red potato
    * 1/2 cup chopped Red onion
    * 6 large eggs
    * 2 tablespoons fat free milk
    * 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    * 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    * 1/4 cup chopped curly parsley, & 1 twig of Rosemary
    * 2 to 3 handfuls of mozzarella cheese, plus extra mozzarella and one palm full of Mexican mixed cheese, for garnish

    Directions:

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

    Cut the bacon in 1-inch slices. Cook the bacon in an 8-inch ovenproof saute pan over medium-low heat (If you use Turkey Bacon like I do, spray the pan with Pam first because the turkey bacon tends to stick to the bottom of the pan) for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned. Drain the bacon on paper towels and discard the fat from the pan. Add the butter to the pan, and then add the potato and red onion. Cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the onion starts to brown and the potato is tender but firm. Add the Chorizo for about 2-4 minutes.

    Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper together with a fork. Stir in the parsley and rosemary along with the mozzarella cheese. When the potato is cooked, add the bacon to the pan and pour over the egg mixture. Place the pan in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the omelet puffs and the eggs are almost cooked in the center. Sprinkle with a handful of grated Mexican mixed cheese and mozzarella cheese and bake for another minute.(Depending how much cheese you like). Serve hot directly from the pan.

    Yummmm

    Boy was this dish DELISH! I couldn’t believe how my inspiration for cooking this dish came from stuff I had at home mixed with Barefoot Contessa’s recipe. I definitely want to try Ida’s recipe, but I wouldn’t mind doing mine again either. I might even try a healthier version next weekend. Hope you enjoy, it’s a must try recipe. By the way, it says Omelet for Two but this is more for about 3 people. I only ate half of my slice.

    xo,
    kristin nicole

  • Saturday Night Dinner Recipes

    Saturday night I decided to try a few recipes from my oh so favorite, foodnetwork.com

    Shopping:

    For the appetizer I decided to go for the Spinach and Artichoke Dip. First let me start off by saying Frozen Artichokes are hard to come by. I first started my shopping at Whole Foods, and they didn’t have any, so we headed to WinnDixie where I didn’t find them there either, so off to Publix, because Publix has to have them right? Ehhhh WRONG! They didn’t have them either, so as I ask people no one tells me that they come in a can, and I didn’t find this out until later when my boyfriends mom told us about it. So I bought baby artichokes because I couldn’t even find just one regular sized artichoke at Publix. I get home and find out that cooking this thing is going to take about 25-45 minutes. So we opted to return it and try buying the artichokes in a can at another Publix. While I was there, I decided to try and see if they had the frozen ones, and to my surprise, they did! YEAH for me, I can do the recipe as follows. So off to my house to start my first course.

    BTW:

    My other recipes included my Main Dish – Rib-Eye Steak with Black Olive Vinaigrette and for my side dish, Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic, Gorgonzola and Herbs. They ask for Roma Tomatoes but I couldn’t find those either in Whole Foods, so thanks to the help of one of their employee’s I found out that Roma Tomatoes is the same as a Plum Tomato which they did have. Don’t worry folks, I didn’t just take his word, my boyfriend looked it up on the iPhone and found the same thing. And just in case you are ever wondering, Red Pepper Flakes is the same as Chili Pepper Flakes. (Another item I couldn’t find). So on to the recipes…

    Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip:

    Ingredients

    * 1 cup thawed, chopped frozen spinach
    * 11/2 cups thawed, chopped frozen artichoke hearts
    * 6 ounces cream cheese
    * 1/4 cup sour cream
    * 1/4 cup mayonnaise
    * 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
    * 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
    * 1/4 teaspoon salt
    * 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

    Directions

    Boil spinach and artichokes in 1 cup of water until tender and drain. Discard liquid. Heat cream cheese in microwave for 1 minute or until hot and soft. Stir in rest of ingredients and serve hot. — Recipe courtesy Alton Brown (if you want to see the recipe click on link foodnetwork.com )

    I followed the directions to a tee, and it did come out a little creamier then I thought, so if you don’t like too much cream cut the portions I say a 1/4 or 1/2 of what they ask. However, at first I wasn’t sure because it looked so creamy, but I have to admit, it came out DELISH! I added a few pitta chips on the side and get ready to dig in.

    Main Dish – Rib-Eye Steak with Black Olive Vinaigrette:

    Ingredients
    Rib-eye Steak:

    * 1 2-inch rib-eye steak, boneless
    * 1 tablespoons olive oil
    * 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
    * 1 teaspoon salt
    * 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

    Black Olive Vinaigrette:

    * 1/2 cup black olives, pitted
    * 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
    * 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
    * 1 garlic clove
    * 1/2 teaspoon salt
    * 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    * 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    * 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
    * 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

    Directions

    For the Rib-eye: Preheat your grill pan on medium high heat. Coat the beef with olive oil and sprinkle with the Herbs de Provence, salt, and pepper. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes a side until the meat is medium-rare, remove from heat, and allow to rest.

    For the Black Olive Vinaigrette: Combine the olives, red wine vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper in a blender and blend until mixed. In a small pitcher combine the olive oil and vegetable oil. Drizzle the oil into the blender with the machine running. Transfer the vinaigrette to a serving dish. Stir in the parsley and serve with the rib-eye. — Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis (for the recipe go to foodnetwork-everday-italian.com )

    At first I wasn’t sure I would like the Black Olive Vinaigrette because I am not a huge fan of black olives, although I don’t mind a few in my salad or on my pizza, I am not one to just pick them out and eat them. So I didn’t add as many olives as she required, just a few less, not much a difference and instead of 6 tablespoons of vegetable oil (btw vegetable oil is very similar to canola oil) I only added 5, but boy was it good. I just wanted more on top of my Medium Rare steak which by the way also came out DELISH! The Rib-Eye is simple to make and depending how you like it cooked that’s the only thing time consuming. If you like it like my boyfriend and I do, Medium Rare, then the dish only takes about 6-8 minutes on each side, depending on how thick you bought your Rib-Eye.

    My Side Dish – Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic, Gorgonzola and Herbs:

    Ingredients

    * 12 Roma tomatoes, sliced in 1/2 lengthwise
    * 1/4 cup olive oil
    * 2 cloves garlic, minced
    * 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
    * 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    * 3/4 cup plain bread crumbs
    * 3/4 cup finely crumbled Gorgonzola or grated Parmesan cheese
    * 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

    Directions

    Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

    Using a teaspoon or grapefruit spoon, remove the seeds from the tomatoes. Place the tomato halves, cut side down, on paper towels to drain, about 5 minutes.

    In a large bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Using clean hands, gently toss the drained tomato halves in the oil mixture until coated. Marinate the tomatoes for 10 minutes.

    In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and Gorgonzola cheese.

    Place the marinated tomato halves, cut side up, on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Fill each tomato half with the bread crumb filling. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until slightly softened and the underside of the tomatoes are brown.

    Arrange the cooked tomatoes on a serving platter. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve immediately. –Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis (For recipe click on link Foodnetwork.com-everyday-italian )

    Okay so my only problem was finding the Roma Tomatoes, also if you are only cooking for 4 people, 12 is way too many, 5 tomatoes are plenty. So I followed the directions and I used Gorgonzola NOT Parmesan as my cheese. It’s your choice but if you have never tried Gorgonzola I say try it, but make sure to get one that is not too strong if you don’t like a strong cheese, and if you do, go for it. But we opted for the creamer Gorgonzola. So because I used less tomatoes don’t use as many bread crumbs in your recipe. This plate came out good, but my boyfriend and I weren’t too in love with the bread crumbs, however the idea inspired me and next time I might use the garlic to season the tomatoes and the Gorgonzola cheese for the filling but I might add a few different items and leave out the bread crumbs. However, all in all the dishes came out DELISH!

    I love trying new recipes and next Saturday I’ll probably try another.

    xo,
    kristin nicole

  • Healthy Vegi Sandwich

    The Shopping List for Vegi Sandwich:

    4 slices of Sourdough bread
    1 red bell pepper
    vegetable oil
    olive oil
    2 big portobello
    1 eggplant
    4 basil leaves
    fresh mozzarella
    White Onion cut 1/4
    1 tbsp of unsalted butter
    1 tsp paprika
    Salt
    Pepper

    The Shopping List for Garlic Mayo:

    1/4 cup Low fat Mayonaise
    Half a lemon
    1 1/2 tsp Garlic powder
    Dash of Salt & Pepper

    How to make it:

    Pre-Heat the Oven on Broil at 350 degrees f.

    Take the Red pepper and with a pastry brush, brush vegetable oil all over the red pepper, make sure that the creases are also covered in the vegetable oil. Place the red pepper on the top rack of the oven on a backing sheet, 5-8 minutes on each side. When you see that the red pepper is turning a little black on top grab a pair of tongs and flip the red pepper on the other side for another 5-8 minutes or until it starts turning black. Once the pepper is ready place it in a bowl and cover it with saran wrap (plastic wrap) for 15-20 minutes.

    While the pepper is cooling off in its bowl, take the white onion and cut it in 1/4 cut. Rough chop it, you want big pieces of the onion to put into your sandwich. Take a non-stick pan and place the butter and onions on medium-low heat, season with a little salt and pepper and add paprika. Leave cooking until you see the onions soften, then place covered and leave on warm stove. While the onions are cooking, begin to heat up an indoor grill, while the grill starts warming up take the eggplant and cut off the skin. Cut both ends off so that the eggplant stands up, then cut about 1/2 inch each straight down. Cut 3 pieces and wrap and refrigerate the remainder of the eggplant for dinner tomorrow or another day. Once you cut the eggplant dribble a little bit of olive oil on top of each piece and season with salt and pepper. Place the eggplant on the grill about 5-6 minutes on each side or until you start seeing the grill marks. Take the portobello and rub with a little bit of olive oil, season with salt and pepper on both sides. Once you have room for the portobellos place them on the grill about 7-8 minutes on each side or until the portobello begins to soften.

    While that is cooking you can now take the red pepper out of the bowl. It will be soft so you can just pull the stem right off, cut the red pepper in half and scrap out all the seeds. The skin of the pepper will peal right off. (You now have a roasted red pepper, remember you can always buy them in a jar, but I think this way is so much better).

    How to make the Garlic Mayo:

    While the vegis are grilling you can make the mayo. Take 1/4 cup of Mayo, mix with half a lemon wedge and add a dash of salt and pepper and 1 1/2 tsp of garlic powder. Stir good and refrigerate until ready.

    Finish the sandwich:

    First cut 4 good slices of the mozzarella cheese and have the basil leaves ready for the sandwich and cut the portobello in half so that you have 4 slices. Once all the vegi’s are cooked, sprinkle a little bit of olive oil on both sides of the bread, place two slices of the bread on the grill, while one side is cooking grab your garlic mayo, once one side of the bread has a few grill marks flip over. Take a butter knife and spread some of the garlic mayo on both slices, place 1/2 of the roasted red pepper on one side with 1 1/2 slices of the eggplant on top, on the other bread place 2 basil leaves, 2 slices of the mozzarella cheese and 2 pieces of the portobello that were cut in half and place both slices side to side, take some of your onions and put on top of the eggplants. Take the sandwich off the grill, cut in half and serve. Do the same with the other sandwich. Bon appetit =)

    My thoughts:

    Well of course I’m going to say it’s good, I made it, but in all honesty, I have to admit, it really was just simply Delish! My boyfriend loved it, not only is it healthy, it’s delish. The sweet pepper, with the eggplant and portobello, and onions ohhh and that garlic mayo it’s all just so good. The mozzarella cheese just melts in your mouth and you get that little kick from the basil leaves. You have to try this recipe. If you do let me know how it comes out.

    Hope you enjoy!

    xo,
    kristin nicole

  • Weekend Menu-Stuffed meatballs & more…

    The Weekend Menu:

    This weekend I decided to try a few recipes. I tried a recipe from Rachael Ray Mozzerella stuffed chicken sausage balls with a tomato basil sauce. I decided to switch it up a bit since I couldn’t find chicken sausage in my local grocery store.

    Ingredients:

    – 2 lbs of Italian Sausage (1 sweet & 1 mild) you can get hot if you like it a little more spicy.
    – 1 tub bocconcini, bite size fresh mozzarella in water
    – 1 tub grated Pecorino Romano
    – 1 tub good quality fresh pesto from the refrigerated cases of the market (I got the pesto/basil).
    – Olive Oil
    – 1 large can of whole tomatoes
    – 1 box of whole wheat spaghetti pasta
    – Salt & Pepper to season
    – Non-stick baking sheet
    – Potato smasher

    How to make the meatballs:

    Note: 2 lbs of sausage makes about 12 big meatballs. I bought one sweet and one mild sausage, take the casing off the sausage and mix together.

    Take the mozzarella balls out of the water and pat with a dry paper towel to take off the excess water.

    (While preparing the meatballs – boil some water for the pasta, when it comes to a boil put about a tablespoon of olive oil in the water and about a teaspoon of salt. Let pasta cook about 10 to 15 minutes or until al dente.)

    Pre-heat the oven at 400 degrees. – Take some of the sausage meat and make a whole in the middle to place the mozzarella ball, make into a ball and place on non-stick baking sheet. Continue to do this with the sausage mixture until you are done. Drizzle a little olive oil over the meatballs and place in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. (It depends on your oven so just check it after 15 minutes, if they aren’t completely browned on the outside leave it in the oven for a few more minutes.)

    Making the Sauce:

    The sauce is really simple. While the meatballs are cooking in the oven, place the can of tomatoes in a saucepan, season with salt and paper (about 1 teaspoon – taste to your desire). Take a potato masher and mash the tomatoes (if you like it more chunky then you can just smash it a few times, if you don’t like the chunkiness of the tomatoes you can always place the sauce in a blender.) Let boil and lower heat to low heat. Place 1/2 cup of the pesto in the sauce and let simmer for 5 minutes.

    You can either leave the sauce in the pan and pour it over your pasta or like I prefer it, I mix it in with the pasta. I drained the pasta and placed it in the pot and poured the tomato/basil (pesto) mixture in with the pasta. I placed the meatballs on the side of the plate & sprinkler pasta with Pecorino Romano cheese.

    My boyfriend isn’t a big fan of spaghetti with meatballs, but these aren’t just any ordinary meatballs, they are sausage meatballs stuffed with mozzarella. You can’t go wrong….even my boyfriend loved it.

    Hot and Sour Soup:

    I got this recipe off of Myrecipes.com

    Ingredients

    – 5 dried shiitake mushrooms (about 1/4 ounce)
    – (The recipe asks for: 5 dried wood ear mushrooms (about 1/4 ounce) I couldn’t find wood ear mushrooms in my grocery store so I got Oyster mushrooms (worked just as good)
    – 1 (32-ounce) carton fat-free, less-sodium vegetable broth
    – 2 1/4 cups water, divided
    – 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
    – 1 teaspoon minced garlic
    – 1/4 cup rice vinegar
    – 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
    – 1/2 to 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    – 1/2 pound reduced-fat firm or extrafirm tofu, drained and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
    – 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
    – 4 large egg whites, lightly beaten
    – 1/2 cup chopped green onions
    – 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
    – 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil (I used light sesame oil)
    – Chili Sauce/Oil optional (I used Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce – you can find it in the international section of your grocery store).

    How to make it:

    Remove stems from mushrooms then place the mushrooms in a small sauce; cover with boiling water. Cover and let stand 10 minutes or until tender; drain. Thinly slice mushrooms; set aside.

    Combine broth, 2 cups water, ginger, and garlic in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Add mushrooms. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add vinegar, soy sauce, pepper, and tofu; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.

    Combine remaining 1/4 cup water and cornstarch, stirring with a whisk. Stir cornstarch mixture into broth mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 3 minutes or until soup thickens slightly, stirring frequently. Slowly pour egg whites into broth mixture in a steady stream, stirring constantly but gently with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat; stir in onions, cilantro, and sesame oil. Drizzle with chili sauce/oil, if desired. (I put about 1 teaspoon of the chili sauce in mine to make it a little hotter).


    Sunday Football appetizer:

    Note: I got a coupon for Bob Evans sausage and with it came a recipe called “sausage cups”. I couldn’t find Bob Evan sausage in my grocery store so I opted for which ever sausage you can find in your grocery store. (Original style sausage 1 lb).

    Ingredients:

    – 1 pound (Bob Evans or any) Original Sausage Roll
    – 1 package Won Ton Wrappers (I used the 16ounce won ton wrappers because it comes with more)
    – 1 cup Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded (Or I used Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers for a touch of spice).
    – 1 cup Cheddar Cheese (or I used sharp cheddar), shredded
    – 1/2 cup Ranch Dressing (I used a Ranch dressing with cucumber)
    – mini muffin tins (I used a regular sized muffin tin if you don’t have the mini tins)


    How to make the sausage cups:

    Preheat oven to 350° F. Crumble sausage into medium skillet. Cook over medium heat until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Drain. Spray muffin tins and insert won ton wrappers to form a small cup (because my muffin tin was larger I put two won ton wrappers together in a diagonal form to make them a little larger to pop out of the muffin tin). Bake 5 minutes in preheated oven. Allow wrappers to cool. Mix sausage, cheeses and ranch dressing together. Fill won ton wrappers. Bake for 10 minutes until bubbly. (With the double won ton wrappers I had to bake it for 10 minutes in the beginning instead of 5 and later for about 10 minutes with the mixture).

    This dish was absolutely DELISH — I am definitely going to make this for the next Sunday Football game.

    Hope you enjoy these recipes and if you have more to share, let me know 🙂

    xo,
    kristin nicole

  • Who delivers near you?

    Delivery near you….

    Delivery has become a huge part in our society now a days. Many of us sometimes just want to cuddle near the television, watch a movie and order in. Why get dressed and go pick it up if they can bring it to your door?

    The problem:

    I recently moved to the Downtown area of Miami, and if you live there you know this is Delivery City USA…. Almost every restaurant even the ones that you think don’t deliver; Do! It’s great, so what’s the problem??? Some places either don’t deliver or I have no clue that they do deliver and how am I supposed to find out what restaurants are in my area? Sure there is Yelp.com which is one of my favorite apps, there is also Yellow Pages, Restaurants App, Around Me, Urbanspoon and much more that I’m sure I’m not aware of. My point…. All of these are great with finding a certain radius of restaurants in your area but none let you filter correctly the restaurants that DELIVER in your area. If a business isn’t added by you or me then we also don’t know about the place. Does anyone know of an Application or a website that offers this service? It would also be a great help if their menu was attached, how do I know what to order if I don’t know what they serve?

    No more delivery?

    Some places decide not to deliver. Do you think that this harms a restaurant in an area where competition to deliver is huge? Where the same food you serve there are 2 or 3 others that do deliver? One restaurant that comes to mind that I recently found is Mikan Japanese Restaurant. We ordered from here twice, the first time I ordered, it was brought pretty fast and not only that but the sushi was amazingly fresh and well lets just say DELISH! You can see my review on Yelp here. Well that day we found a great sushi spot that delivers & it was the day I found out I wasn’t going to be able to order delivery anymore, because they stated on a note that they were changing management and they would no longer deliver. WHAT?!? I know, I know….shocking, because there are about two other sushi places I can name off the top of my head that do deliver. I haven’t tried them so I don’t know if they are just as good but if I really don’t feel like driving and sitting down at Mikan’s then I most likely will try one of the other two in my area that do deliver, and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who thinks that way. Lets see how long they won’t deliver?!? Hopefully they will change their minds, because right about now, I feel like ordering me some SUSHI!

    xo,
    kristin nicole

  • Healthy Breakfast for Two

    The Shopping List:

    4 egg whites
    1 whole egg
    1 cup of Spinach leaves roughly chopped
    White onion cut in 1/4 — then roughly chopped
    2 garlic cloves
    1 cup of baby portobello
    2 tbsp butter
    splash of 1% or fat free milk
    3 basil leaves
    Shredded mozzarella cheese
    Salt
    Pepper

    How to make it:

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

    Take the 2 garlic cloves and finely chop, then place 2 tbsp of butter and the garlic in a 9-inch ovenproof saute pan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until the garlic starts turning brown. While the garlic is cooking cut the Onion 1/4 and rough chop it, lower the stove to Medium-low heat and place the onions in the pan, saute for 2-3 minutes. While the Onions are cooking take one cup of baby portobello and rough chop it along with the 1 cup of spinach leaves. Add the spinach leaves and the baby portobello’s in the pan (cover), until the onions and mushrooms are tender and spinach leaves have wilted. Don’t forget to sprinkle the onions , spinach and portobello with a dash of salt and pepper for taste.

    Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper together with a fork. When the onions and mushrooms are cooked, pour over the egg mixture. Place the pan in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the omelet puffs and the eggs are almost cooked in the center. Sprinkle with a handful of grated Mozzarella Cheese (fat free if you can) and bake for another minute. Stack the basil leaves on top of each other, roll it like you would a cigar and rough chop them, then remove the eggs from the stove (be careful, the pan’s handle will be hot), cut a piece how ever big you want, I usually just cut it in half like a pizza pie and serve on a plate, then sprinkle basil leaves to garnish and Bon Appetit.

    My thoughts:

    This plate was light and healthy, you can add more eggs to your mixture if you want a fluffier portion, but we were trying to eat light that day because I was going to make lunch and we didn’t want to over stuff ourselves. (I will post what I made for lunch tomorrow). I also think if you are trying to eat healthy that portion control is a good thing, and this size was just perfect for us. You can taste the spinach leaves with the mixture of the portobello mushrooms and onions, this plate was just Delish! I got the idea from Ina Garten (Barefoot Contesta) from the dish I cooked a few weeks ago, but I wanted to do a healthier version, make it my own, so I did. I still haven’t done her recipe but hopefully I’ll get to do it soon. This was my inspired by Ina — Healthy version Breakfast for Two!

    Hope you enjoy this recipe!

    xo,
    kristin nicole

  • Prego vs Bertolli

    VS.

    Okay so I know this is a strange topic, but what can I say I love to cook, and well I always see the Prego commercial that states they had a blind fold test and the majority picked Prego over Bertolli. My response: REALLY?!?

    Prego vs Bertolli

    First is it true that PREGO really did do this test? And second, did they really choose Prego? Personally my favorite store bought sauce is from Bretolli. They have viarities of tomato and basil, four cheese, vodka sauce and more. I know the others have the same viarities but the flavors, oh the flavors are oh so Delish! Now of course people have their own taste buds and their own opinions, some prefer Ragu, personally Ragu to me is just bland and just tomato thrown together with out seasoning, but that’s just me. My question however, is what do you prefer?

    Do you prefer Prego or Bertolli? Or is there another brand you think will throw these two out of the water? I would like to know, maybe I haven’t tried it yet and I’m missing out. Leave a comment and let me know. I promise I’ll taste them and I’ll let you know what I think. Pasta is my weakness, I love pasta so I’ll try different sauces to see what is really and truly the best ones.

    Change it up

    If you want a change though, I also recommend trying to make your own sauce. I tried a recipe over the weekend that was very simple. I used a Mascarpone with Parmesan cheese, I didn’t have heavy cream so I substituted it with 2% milk and it worked just the same, just not as thick but still oh so creamy. I then seasoned it with a little salt and paper, and in less then 10 minutes your sauce was ready to go. I then placed the light crusted lime flavored Tilapia I made in the oven. Oh what a dinner. This weekend I want to try a new recipe, if you have any favorites I would love to give it a try.

    I look forward to any comments. — Until next time…

    xo,
    kristin nicole

  • Thanksgiving Recipe’s & Ideas for 2009

    Another year is close to an end and we are only 3 days away from Thanksgiving 2009.

    Everyone has their own traditional Thanksgiving dinner. I want to know what you do for Thanksgiving?

    My family each bring a plate and someone in the family hosts the Thanksgiving dinner at their house, this person cooks the Turkey. This year my mom is taking the day off and we are doing Thanksgiving at my cousins house. So this year I was told to bring a green-bean casserole, wine and a fruit platter. TOLD? Yes TOLD, I didn’t get to choose, I left early when they decided this and so I was told to bring these things. Mind you, I like cooking but I don’t really eat green-bean casserole and I’ve never made it. So…. Wine, Check. Fruit platter, Check. Green-bean Casserole….hmmmm, my sister in law was so kind not to only give me coupons but a nice recipe to go with it. I hope it comes out good, does anyone have any other recipes they would like to share other then the Campbell Recipe? Well if you are interested here is the recipe:



    Ingredients:
    – 2 cabs (10 3/4 oz each) Campbell’s Condensed Cream of Mushroom Sup (regular or 98% Fat Free or Healthy Request)
    – 1 cup milk
    – 2 tsp. soy sauce
    – 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
    – 8 cups cooked cut green beans
    – 1 can (6oz) French’s French Fried Onions (2 2/3 cups)

    Directions:
    1. Stir soup, milk, soy suace, black pepper, beans and 1 1/3 cups onion in 3-qt casserole.
    2. Bake at 350F for 25 min. or unit hot. Stir
    3. Top with remaining onions, Bake for 5 min. more

    And there you go, Green-bean casserole. Not that hard huh?!?

    Every year my brother, sister in law and group of friends do a Friends Thanksgiving the Friday after Thanksgiving. So this year I chose to bring a Baked Mashed Potato with Parmesan Cheese and Bread Crumbs, Thanks to Giada De Laurentiis (Everyday Italian from the Foodnetwork channel).

    Ingredients:
    – 1 tablespoon butter
    – 4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
    – 1 cup whole milk
    – 1/2 cups grated mozzerella
    – 1 cup freshly grated parmesan
    – Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    – 2 tablespoons plain dry bread crumbs

    Directions:
    Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon of butter and set aside.

    Cook the potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water until they are very tender, about 15 minutes. Drain; return the potatoes to the same pot and mash well. Mix in the milk and melted butter. Mix i the mozzarella and 3/4 cup of Parmesan. Season, to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer the potatoes to the prepared baking dish. Stir the bread crumbs and remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the mashed potatoes. Recipe can be prepared up to this point 6 hours ahead of time; cover and chill.

    Bake, uncovered, until the topping is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

    Of course I will let you know how each dish comes out. Wish me luck.

    Other ideas are to decorate with pumpkins and turkeys. Colors are fall, so bring out the oranges, and browns. If you have small kids, cupcakes are always fun to make with the kids and you can use orange dye for the frosting.

    Have a wonderful Holiday and Please share your recipe’s and ideas with me.

    xo,
    kristin nicole