New Blog

I have started a new blog to update family and friends about my pregnancy. The link for the blog is below.

http://nicci-futuremotherhood.blogspot.com

Fruit Smoothie

Wow! Its been awhile and I'm not making any promises to do any better in the future with school starting back up now. Although, for some reason, I seem to do better when I am busier. For example, today was my first day back at work, and this is the first time I've sat down since I got home (it's almost 8:30pm), and I sit here bloging. I'd rather just be lazy and read my book, but I'm trying to be good. I'm making progess on the home as well. I installed two towel racks tonight. I'm trying to get things done, one task at a time. One of my plans for the summer (which is now over) was to get healthy, i.e. start working out and eat healthier. I've made progress with both, but not up to the level I had planned. As for the healthier eating, I've been trying to incorporate fruits into my diet by making fruit smoothies for me and my husband every morning. The basic recipe came from my much healthier older sis, whose site you can visit at http://smalltimecooks.blogspot.com/. All of the amounts are approximate, as I don't really measure anything to make them.

Jessica's Fruit Smoothie for 1

3/4 cup orange juice
handfull of baby spinach leaves
1 tbsp. ground flaxseed
1/2 banana
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/4 cup frozen raspberries
1/4 cup frozen blackberries
Blend the orange juice, spinach, and flaxseed. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend again. That's all folks.

Orange Juice

Orange Juice, Spinach, and Flaxseed before blending.

Orange juice, spinach, and flaxseed after blending. It doesn't look good now, but it will. Trust me.

I like to freeze the bananas in 1/2 banana portions wrapped in wax paper and stored in a ziploc bag. Its a good way to use bananas that are starting to get too ripe.Then, I add the berries. This picture shows me and my husband's smoothie before blending the berries. I use the Cook's brand of the individual blenders (like Magic Bullet).Then blend and voila! Finished product.

Also, if you haven't looked up the many benefits of flaxseed, you can check out just one of the many websites that overview them here: http//www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/flaxseed-000244.htm

Florentine Meatballs

Ok...I think I'm back. We've finally moved in to our new house, and I still have a lot to do, but I'm going to try to post regularly. I've been telling my husband that we are going to get healthy this summer, so I've been trying to cook healthier foods. I've also been trying to integrate fruit into our diets. I've been leaving them out because I personally don't like many fruits. This dish is special because it has spinach in it and my husband still likes it! It is a Rachael Ray recipe from 30 minutes meals, it think.

Florentine Meatballs

1 10oz box frozen spinach, thawed

2 lbs. ground turkey

1 med. onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 large egg

1 3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

EVOO

salt and pepper

2 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. flour

1 cup chicken broth

1 10oz sack of italian blend cheeses

handful of chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wring defrosted spinach dry in a paper towel. Place the turkey in a bowl, then add the spinach, all but 3 tbsp. of the onions, all the garlic, the egg, 1/4 cup of milk, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper. Mix well and form into 12 large balls, then drizzle with EVOO. Arrange on nonstick cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Heat a small saucepan over med. heat. Add a drizzle of EVOO and the butter, let it melt. Add remaining onions, and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute, then whisk in the remaining 1 1/2 cup milk, and the broth. Bring to a boil, stir in italian cheese. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Turn heat to low and stir until cheese is melted. Serve sauce over meatballs, top with parsley.

What to Eat When the Husband Is Away

I've cooked and eaten some great food the last couple of weeks. My husband has been on a business trip, so I have taken the opportunity to make the foods that sound great to me. From reading this blog, you might remember that my husband refuses to eat most vegetables, which are my favorite. So, these recipes center around veggies. This one was my favorite. I'll post more soon.

Roasted Vegetable Frittata

2 eggs

2 egg whites

2 tbsp. milk

1 zucchini, chopped into 1" pieces

1-2 squash, chopped into 1" pieces

1/2 medium red onion, chopped into 1" pieces

1 red bell pepper, chopped into 1" pieces

1 tsp. olive oil

salt and pepper

2 oz. goat cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In small bowl, toss vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread evenly on cookie sheet and place in hot oven. Roast for approximately 20-25 minutes until veggies are cooked.Preheat the broiler. Whisk the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend. Set aside. Spray an 8-inch-diameter nonstick ovenproof skillet and heat over medium high heat. Add roasted vegetables to the skillet, then pour the egg mixture over the vegetable mixture and cook for a few minutes until the eggs start to set. Crumble goat cheese over eggs and vegetables. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the frittata is almost set but the top is still runny, about 2 minutes. Place the skillet under the broiler. Broil until the top is set and golden brown on top. Enjoy!

Sorry for the blurry picture. I haven't been trying very hard to take good pictures lately.

Monte Cristos with Cajun Corn

Things have been busy around here. I feel like I say that a lot, but it's true, and I know that it is the same for almost everyone else in the working world. My younger sister's senior prom was last weekend, so I went to see her, and I've been getting her senior pictures printed.

Mom, Lindsey, Me

Speaking of senior pictures....they were taken by some friends of ours who have their own photography business. They are awesome and you can check them out at http://www.e4photography.com/. I would definitely recommend them if you live in the Houston area.

So, back to food...on Sunday, my husband grilled ribeyes and I made mashed potatoes. Herbed Mashed Potatoes

6 1/2 cups of potatoes, cubed
2 garlic cloves, halved
1/2 cup milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp butter
1/2 sour cream
Place potatoes and garlic in a large saucepan, cover with water, and boil for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender; drain. Return potatoes to pan, add milk and remaining ingredients. Beat with mixer on medium speed until smooth.


Tonight, I made monte cristo sandwiches and cajun corn. These sandwiches are ideal for lunches, but we are never home during lunch hours, so we have to settle for dinner. I think the Monte Cristo recipe came from Rachael Ray, but I can't remember.

Monte Cristo Sandwiches

8 slices of bread
1/2 cup taco sauce
8 slices honey baked ham
8 slices pepper jack cheese
8 slices smoked turkey
2 eggs, beaten
splash of milk
2 tsp hot sauce
1 tbsp butter
salt

Spread each slice of bread with a light layer of taco sauce. Build sandwiches using 2 slices each of ham, cheese and turkey per sandwich. Beat the eggs with the milk, hot sauce, and a little salt. Heat a griddle or nonstick pan over medium heat. Melt the butter in the pan. Dip each sandwich in egg mixture and cook in pan for 3-4 minutes on each side, until cheese is melted and the meat is heated through.

Cajun Corn Dish

2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
2 tbsp butter or oil
1 med. onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 tomato, seeded, chopped
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
In a saute pan, heat oil or butter over medium heat. Saute onion and pepper for 5 minutes. Add rest of ingredients. Cook 3 minutes, stirring. Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring often. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

On an unrelated side note...I'll leave you with a couple of creepy pictures we accidentally took of our cats tonight.

Southwestern Corn Salad

I think this dish will be my go-to dish for picnics. It was good enough that my husband liked it. Also, with some black beans and tomatoes, I think it could be an excellent dip for tortilla chips.

Southwestern Corn Salad

4 - 11 oz. cans white or shoepeg corn, drained

8 green onion, chopped

3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

In a large bowl, combine the corn, onions, jalapenos, and cilantro. Combine the mayonnaise, salt, and pepper; gently stir into corn mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Notes: I only refrigerated it for about 30 minutes and it was still good.

Spaghetti Casserole

Ugh...I've been sick for the last few days and I don't want to do anything. But, with the TAKS test (Texas' standardized test) next week, I can't miss a day of work. I wasn't able to cook dinner tonight, because I was sleeping. So, its a good thing I made a huge casserole on Tuesday night to hold us over. I found this recipe awhile ago and my husband really likes it. Plus, it makes enough to freeze leftovers.

Spaghetti Casserole

1 - 16 oz. package angel hair pasta

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 - 26 oz. jar spaghetti sauce

2 - 8oz cans tomato sauce

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup (8 oz) sour cream

2 cups shredded colby-monterey jack cheese

Cook pasta according to directions. In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until done; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce. Remove from heat. Drain pasta. Combine soup and sour cream. In two, 8 inch square baking dishes, layer half of the meat sauce, pasta, soup mixture and cheese. Repeat layers. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake the remaining casserole at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes or until cheese is melted.

To use frozen casserole: Thaw in fridge overnight. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking, then bake as directed.

Notes: I think that I will use an extra 16 oz of spaghetti sauce vs. the 2 cans of tomato sauce next time. Also, instead of making 2 casseroles with this recipe, I just made one 9x13 casserole this time. I froze individual portions of the leftovers for my husband to take for lunches.