So by the looks of some of the gifts Chris and I received for Christmas, our family members caught on the fact that we like bacon. Bravo to them and their superb observations!
Above is a pic of all the awesome bacony stuff we unwrapped Christmas morning. My sister got me a bacon cookbook which has over 150 bacon recipes and also talks about different kinds of bacon from all around the world. I had no idea there were so many varieties...I must start sampling! She also whipped up some bacon truffles. One word...yummo! Chris got bacon flavored toothpicks from my mom and I got Chris Vosges dark chocolate bacon bars and flying chocolate pigs. That gift may have been a little self serving but sometimes that happens.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and got to spend lots of awesome time with family and hopefully ate way too much. I know I did!
Woohoo! It's Christmas time!!!! I hope everyone isn't too stressed out right now! Too often it is easy to get stressed out this time of year with so much to do and seemingly too little time to do it in. I just wanted to take a quick moment and remind everyone to take a step back and enjoy and appreciate what they have. Enjoy and appreciate your family that you get to spend time with even if it is crazy Cousin Eddie. Not to be morbid and depressing but you never know if this is the last Christmas you may get to spend with someone.
If you do happen to be stressed and frazzled I heard a saying the other day that helps me out. Not that this is the first time I had heard it but really thought about it. Let it be. That's it, just let it be. Not let it be awesome or let it be something, just let it be. Sit back, relax, and let it be.
This is also not the time of year to be worried about diet. I am normally pretty conscientious about what I eat but it's Christmas and I indulge...a lot. Not saying that I don't get belly aches and I don't feel as good so there are consequences but oh well. If you're not sure how to indulge, read this link on holiday eating tips. Lots of great advice. Tip #5 is my favorite.
If you are looking for some recipes for the holidays, whether it is an appetizer for a party or the main dish for Christmas dinner check out these sites:
Williams-Sonoma - one of my all time places to find recipes, especially for entertaining Serious Eats - just found this web site and is chock full of awesomeness! Epicurious - I don't use this site as much but still has a lot of recipes to choose from
Chris and I love chorizo sausage with eggs and we like to pair sweet potato with it. It adds a nice balance with the spiciness of the sausage.
For our omelet I used:
- 5 Eggs beaten w/ salt and pepper
- 6 oz Chorizo
- 1/2 med size sweet potato chopped into 1/2" cubes
- 1/4 onion chopped
- 1/4 red bell pepper chopped
- Cilantro chopped finely
- Salsa
- Guacamole or Avocado (optional)
First I cooked up the chorizo with onion and red pepper. I microwave the sweet potato, let it cool, then chop and add to the mixture after the chorizo and veggies are done cooking.
Then get your eggs going in another pan. Once the egg is cooked add the chorizo and sweet potato mixture down the center of the omelet.
Chris is the master omelet folder in the house so normally I have him finish off the omelet and plate it up.
Lastly, finish off with salsa, guac or avocado and cilantro and eat up!!!
If you don't have awesome ninja skills when it comes to omelets you can just make one big yummy scramble and eat as is or make breakfast burritos.
Mark's Daily Apple is one of my favorite blogs that I make sure to read on a daily basis. Friday posts are my favorite because he posts a success story of someone who has taken up the primal/paleo lifestyle and they are always so amazing and inspirational.
I wanted to share this week's with everyone. So quickly, put down that bready sammich and pick up a drumstick! Enjoy!!!
Last week was my birthday and I turned 29 which means next year is the big one for me. Does the thought of turing 30 scare me...heck no! It may be cliche but I truly do believe that age is just another and you are as young (or old) as you feel. I have a lot of exciting things ahead of me and am ready to take life challenges on as they come at me. Hit me with your best shot Pat Benatar! You may be wondering where the heck are you going with this and how does it relate to your blog. Well, in my first post I did mention that this won't always be about food. It will, however, relate a little bit back to food. Just stay with me.
I might have to get a pig shaped birthday cake for next year.
If you look at a lot of successful people you might observe that they are normally pretty fit. I'm not saying there is a 100% correlation but this has at least been my observation. Fit and successful people are normally both pretty disciplined, persistant, make goals/plans for themselves to strive for, and are passionate about what they do, just to name a few. To be successful being fit can be critical. Living a healthy lifestyle helps successful people keep the long hours and demanding schedules that are normally a part of their daily lives.
Tony Horton - Bring It!
So as I continue to live and the years go by I want to make sure I keep myself fit because I want to be a successful business woman, mother (one of these days), and wife. Will that be easy...absolutely not but if I was in poor shape and sick all the time it would probably be impossible. Also, as people and especially women get busy with work, family, etc, it becomes even more important to take time for ourselves. That can be a walk or bike ride outside, a relaxing yoga session, or good pump in the gym. Not only do you get some "me" time but the exercise will help ward off the stress that everyday life can hand you.
So I'm rambling a little bit and you're still wondering where I'm going with this. Well, I've been thinking of some fitness goals for myself next year to achieve before my 30th birthday. Most I will share and some I will keep personal. Luckily, I have an extremely supportive and loving husband who tells me how good I look everyday (sorry if that's TMI) but I'm always about continuous self-improvement and want to tighten some things up like my abs. I'm not saying I want to look like one of these chicks and enter a fitness competition...yikes! Everyone has their own ideal body and it should be one that is sustainable without starving yourself and one that makes you happy.
Not my ideal look but maybe it's your's!
So here are a few of my goals I am going to train for the next 12 months:
1) Warrior Dash - Chris and I signed up for it last year but then my sister scheduled her wedding for the same weekend. However, as hot as it was and considereing a couple people died last year I'm pretty glad we didn't go. I'm not much of a runner but this looks fun.
2) Tinman Triathlon in Topeka - Always wanted to do it but never signed up so now it's out there.
3) 100 Push Up Challenge - Why not?
4) 50 Mile Bike Ride - kind of random but I really enjoy riding and it seems like it will be challenging but still doable.
5) Be an American Gladiator - Ok, probably not since they don't have that show anymore but when I was younger and the show was on I really really wanted to be one.
My sister and I with Justice from the newer American Gladiator at California Pizza Kitchen on the Plaza a couple of years ago. I was pretty stoked!
So how does this all relate to my blog? Well, it's my blog so I make the rules and can say anything I want. But eating the right way will help me attain my goals. That post will be another day though. Definitely not in December when everyone is dominating sugar cookies and candy canes.
Sorry if this post was a bit boring and I didn't have any yummy food pics for you but I wanted to get this out there and I hope everyone can help keep my accountable in the next year. As they are accomplished I will keep everyone updated. Or at least for whoever is bored enough to read my blog. =)
I finally had a Sunday with nothing going on! I decided to take advantage of it and get some cooking done. As I've mentioned I'm helping coach high school basketball so I don't have as much time to cook in the evenings and I have a few out of town games this week so I wanted to make a couple of dishes for the next few nights.
First, I made some chili which Chris and I had a bowl for lunch and will be great to re-heat as leftovers for dinner this week. For it, I cooked two pounds of hamburger, one onion, two green bell peppers, and a couple cloves of garlic. I then added two cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes, 8 oz tomato sauce and the seasonings: 2 T chili powder, 1 T smoked paprika, 1 T garlic powder, 1 T cumin, 1/2 T cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper. Let it all cook together and then add your beans. I'm not a big fan of chili beans so I use a can of black beans and a can of some kind of white beans. I think it gives the dish more color and I think it tastes better, IMHO.
Next, I made chocolate chip cookies with candied bacon. Are you really surprised I put bacon in cookies? I was happy with how they turned out. Next time though I might add a few more slices of bacon. =) These are made with almond flour instead of regular flour and maple syrup as the sweetener so they are gluten free.
Lastly, for dinner I made pot roast and mashed cauliflower. Both recipes are from the Paleo Comfort Foods cookbook. Here is the recipe for the pot roast. The mashed cauliflower is super simple and a great substitute for mashed potatoes. Take one head of cauliflower and chunk up and put in your pot, add one cup of chicken stock and one mashed garlic clove and steam. When cauliflower is tender and mashable drain the remainder of the chicken stock (if any) and add S&P, butter, and cream/milk. I then use an immersion blender to whip it together. Here is the finished product of the pot roast plated up.
Here is my plate with the veggies heaped on the mashed cauliflower.
So I now have dinners and lunches taken care of for the next few days. Go me!
So I've been slacking on my blogging the last few weeks. I am helping coach high school basketball so my evenings are thinner and normally consist of me coming home after practice, eating, and then plopping on the couch for a bit and then to bed. Pretty exciting stuff.
Anyways, last week was my birthday, the big 29. Since I had basketball practice I didn't want to travel to KC or anywhere far and have a late night driving home. Man, I'm really sounding old. =S So my solution was to head to Guy & Mae's in Williamsburg for ribs with Chris and my family. If you haven't been there you are truly missing out. Best ribs ever and I'm not exaggerating one bit. They are fall off the bone tender and just amazing. I'm a big fan of their sauce as well. It's tomato-ey, with a little vinegar and sweetness. Not thick and syrupy like that KC masterpiece crap.
I love the atmosphere there. It is a small town hole in the wall bar with friendly service and they serve beer in mason jars. Fridays and Saturdays can get pretty packed so I like to go on a week night with friends and hang out at the pool table and play your style of tunes on the juke box. Hello Journey!
Unfortunately, I forgot to take a pic of my slab of ribs because I was starving and dove straight into them. My sister, however, did get a pic of me chowing down on one of them. I attempted to dominate my entire slab but fell three short. My sister made cupcakes so I figured I had better save some room for one since her cupcakes never disappoint! The waitress there also brought me a "birthday pickle" with a candle to blow out. It was a fun night and the food as always was YUMMO!!!!!!
