Not Feelin' It

I haven't been feeling the blog lately, as can be seen by my lack of posting over the past month or so.  Every now and then I go through a phase of not wanting to pull my laptop out when Evelina is napping/sleeping.  Instead, I chill with the hubby, organize (the kitchen cabinets and pantry needed some help), attempt to plan fun crafty projects for Evelina, work on improving my abdominal strength (oh my aching back), and/or cook.

Here are a few new recipes from the past week: 

Spookie Smoothie:  It doesn't need to be Halloween to make this!!  A great option to include veggies at breakfast.  I really enjoyed it and Evelina also seemed to like it at first.  I had never tried rice milk before and I think it has a strange aftertaste so I plan to use almond milk the next time. 

Mini Sweet Potato Muffins:  Yum!!  Two thumbs up all around.  Great for any meal including snack time. I used 2/3c whole wheat flour and 1/3c white flour, and also substituted steel cut oats instead of old fashioned. 

Grilled Corn Guacamole:  I love me some guac.  I thought I would try a new take on an old favorite.  It was yummy but the corn didn't add much to it, perhaps because corn isn't in season.  Maybe I will try again in the Summer. 

An old favorite, Chili Chicken Tacos. Perfect game day cuisine, especially with the guacamole.  Yum. 

Slow Cooker Beef Stew:  This was delectable; the perfect chilly winter night meal. 

Yesterday, I made Chicken Parisienne in the crock pot (forgot to snap a pic).  It was pretty good over egg noodles.  Chris really enjoyed it and Lina stole a few mushrooms but didn't love the chicken...nothing new. 

I plan to give this Crock Pot Meaty Pasta Sauce a try this week as well. 
Thanks heavens for slow cookers!!  

Tasty Recipes to Share

I've whipped up a couple of new recipes over the last week that are worth sharing.

Apple Pumpkin Muffins - Evelina loves stealing bites of my Dunkin' Donuts pumpkin muffins but who knows what's in those things (that make them soooo tasty).  So, I decide to find a healthy option for her (and me) so I made these apple pumpkin muffins.  They were delicious.  The recipe made 6 large muffins and 16 mini muffins, the perfect size for Evelina.  I stored them in a Tupperware container on the counter and Evelina would request one daily. 

Nutella Banana Bread - All I need to say about this is, YUMMY!! It is really heaven in bread form.  I even debated adding some vanilla ice cream on top and probably would have if we had some in the freezer.  
 
Slow-Cooker Hawaiian BBQ Chicken - Super quick and easy, and very tasty.  We ate it over brown rice but it would also be great on a bun with slaw, similar to a pulled pork sandwich.  I was hoping Evelina would enjoy it too, but nope (can you sense my frustration). 

Lasagna, in the crock pot?!

This week I navigated into uncharted territory and decided to make a lasagna using the slow cooker.  I've been skeptical in the past.  Pasta in the slow cooker?  But, I was inspired by the Crock Pot Veggie Lasagna recipe I found on Weelicious.  Even though the site is geared toward food for kiddos, most of the recipes are parent-friendly.  

I used broccoli, zucchini and spinach as my vegetables of choice and this recipe did not disappoint...and the best part?  It was super easy!!  In the future, I think I will use different colored veggies and add more cheese.  It just wasn't gooey enough for me.  

Now if only Evelina would have enjoyed it :-/  Instead, she dined on watermelon and raisins.  What happened to my tot who previously would eat anything?  Ugh!!!  

Tasty!!

I have a new love, the Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen blog. Each and every time I visit the blog, I wish that I could just stay home and cook, cook, cook.  There is an endless supply of yummy recipes that are just waiting to be whipped up and devoured.  Oh, to have all the time in the world.  If Evelina didn't love pulling my hair (still!!), I would put her in the back carrier and cook away.  Maybe one of these days.  

Last week I made:

Risotto Primavera -  It was creamy and so delicious, especially with roasted shrimp added.
Zucchini Pancakes - I really enjoyed these but Evelina thought they were so-so.  I think I they just needed to be a little bit more firm since Miss Evelina doesn't seem to like anything mushy.  It is a bonus that she got some vegetables for breakfast, though!!



I MUST try these soon:  

Knock You Naked Brownies - Seriously, they look like heaven
Grilled Corn Guacamole - I am a guac addict and this looks too good not to try

Tips and Tricks

I just love coming across tips and tricks to make life's little tasks that much easier. One of my most recent favorites is when loading the dishwasher, to load cutlery together by utensil type.  All spoons together, all forks together, etc.  That way, it makes emptying the dishwasher much easier since you don't have to sort.  Since I HATE emptying the dishwasher, this saves me a little bit of time. Yes, this is pretty basic, and I'm surprised I didn't think of it already, but sometimes you just have to learn something from someone else.

A couple of days ago, I came across this awesome technique for peeling kiwi.  I tried it last night while peeling kiwi for Evelina and it worked like a charm.  So much easier for me than dealing with the slippery little suckers in conjunction with a paring knife.  Chris will be very happy, considering I am extremely accident prone when slicing, chopping, or peeling.  

Yummy Salad

Taking a mini-break from the blog this week as we prepare for Evelina's first birthday.  Sniff, sniff.  But, I had to share one of my favorite recipes from the last few weeks. Paula Dean's Southwestern Avocado and Black Bean Salad.  I think it may be the only one of her recipes that doesn't include a stick (or more) of butter or a require a deep fryer.  It is super yummy and a perfect, quick, weeknight meal for the Summer.  I've been adding roasted chicken to make it more complete and filling.  Delectable.  

Short Ribs ala Slow Cooker

For all of my slow cooker lovin’ friends, I highly recommend Ginger Soy Short Ribs with Green Rice and Lime.

Chris and I were in heaven as we noshed on these short ribs last night. They were so incredibly tasty and falling off the bone tender. We paired the dish with a nice Pinot Noir and were transported from our living room watching the Steelers/Jets game, to a cozy restaurant dining on comfort food in front of a roaring fire. You could even pair this dish with buttery mashed potatoes and it would be equally yummy. I can’t wait to eat some leftovers!!  This is definitely going to be added to my slow cooker recipe arsenal.

UPDATE as of 2/1/2011:  These are NOT good leftover!!  Enjoy straight from the slow cooker.  

BFF

Recently, my BFF has definitely been the slow cooker.  Dinner time can be hectic since it tends to coincide with Lina's witching hour or her bed time.  We aren't at a point yet where we can put Lina in the exersaucer or bouncy seat for play time while I cook dinner (unless I'm making a 10 minute meal).  She either likes to be held in the evenings or is tired from a busy day at "school" and would rather hit the crib.  In comes the slow cooker, I whip something up on Sundays and we have leftovers during the week.  It has been great.  What else is great?  Chris cooking more!!  My fave slow cooker recipes these days:  

Beef Stew
Chili Chicken Tacos
Tex-Mex Chicken and Beans