food for the week

Last week we had three different things for dinner…

On Sunday/Monday I made our favorite chicken with rice and roasted asparagus.

Lemon Basil Chicken

I love easy side dishes, and for me rice is pretty much as easy as it gets.  All I do is dump about a cup of uncooked rice into my rice cooker, add in about 2 cups of water plus a drizzle of olive oil, and then press start.  Easy peasy. 

It’s the same story for the roasted asparagus.  Toss the little stalks in some olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic salt, and then roast at 400 for about 10-15 minutes. 

Tuesday night we wanted to try something easy, cheap, and comfort-foody.  Enter tomato soup with grilled cheese. 

Tomato Soup Recipe

I decided to attempt to make my own tomato soup, and you know what?  It was SO easy, probably cost about the same as good ol’ Cambell’s canned version, and it tasted great! 

For Wednesday and Thursday night I made a pork roast with roasted vegetables.  

I had a wonderful pork recipe in mind as I made my weekly trek to our local Kroger, but when I started perusing the meat case, there were no plain pork loins to be found.  I groaned as I picked up a “lemon herb” pork loin, and watched as my dreams of my rosemary-Dijon pork were dashed.  However, this pre-marinated piggy turned out to be awesome.  All that I had to do was shove it in the oven for about 40 minutes, and boom.  Time to ring the dinner bell. 

For the veggies I decided to roast some zucchini, yellow squash, and a butternut squash.  The butternut squash takes a little longer to cook, so I cut it up into little cubes, tossed it with olive oil, salt & pepper, and then roasted it at 400 for about 10 minutes.  I took that out, and then added the zucchini and yellow squash to the mix (also cut into little medallions and then tossed with olive oil, salt, and peppa).  I roasted this trio at 400 for about 15 minutes.

At the beginning of the week, I made the dessert that we munched on for the rest of the week…cinnamon roll cookies:

Cinnamon Roll Cookies

These were SO good!!  It’s basically just sugar cookie dough rolled out, topped with cinnamon roll filling, and then rolled back up into a tube.  From there you just slice and bake.  The end result tastes like a buttery, flaky, cinnamon tart. 

Yummy yummy…last week was delicious!

project 365 vol. 5

Hellooooo February!  The month of loooove.  The last month that it's really cold (I hope).  The month where I turn 23!

Sunday January 29, 2012

On Sunday we went to brunch at Fernando's in Dallas.  Fernando's has an awesome brunch.  All of the entrees are between $8 and $15, AND (this is the best part) with brunch you get unlimited mimosas!  Yuuuummmyyy!  That's a picture of my plate: chilaquilles.  Ole!

Monday January 30, 2012

The little girls that I teach on Monday nights are starting to work on their recital dance...hooray!  They are doing a tap routine to "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" (from company B!), and in the dance they use these golden horns as a prop.  By the end of class, there is glitter all over the floor and the aroma of stinky tap shoe feet in the air.

Tuesday January 31, 2012

 On Tuesday I made some cinnamon roll cookies.  I got the recipe from the same blog where I found the cinnamon roll pancakes that I have recently decided are the best thing to happen to breakfast since IHOP's never ending pancakes.  These cookies turned out delish, and I will put the final product on my "food for the week" post coming later this week!

Wednesday February 1, 2012

On Wednesday, I was making some soup, wearing sweatpants with holes in the bottom, and donning Easter socks.  When Austin came into the kitchen to see what was cookin', he starting chuckling and said, "don't move your feet, but turn around and look at your heels..."  Then he took this picture.

Thursday February 2, 2012

This is the book I was reading on Thursday.  I finished it on Friday.  The Luxe is a 4-book series, and I love it.  Think Gossip Girl but in the early 1900's.  This is the third book, and I'm currently a little over halfway through the fourth...I can't wait to see how it all ends!

Friday February 3, 2012

Friday was the start of my bird day weekend!  When Austin came home from work, he gave me these flowers.  What a cutie :)

Saturday February 4, 2012

On Saturday night we went out to eat for my birthday.  If that mini-great wall of China cake from P.F. Changs is a taste of this next year, then 23 is going to be a good one...

project 365 vol. 4

I can't believe January is almost over!  2012, how are you going by so fast??

...1/22 through 1/28 here we go:

Sunday January 22, 2012

Sunday was a day of football, as always.  In the middle of the first game I got restless and decided to make Austin and myself a snack.  Then, I put said snack on a tropical plate because I wish it was summer.  Have you guys ever made triscuitizers?  That's appetizers using triscuits in case you were wondering.  If you haven't, I think you should.  They're easy and they make your tummy happy.  The triscuitizer displayed above is as follows: cracked pepper & olive oil triscuits, a tomato slice, cheese (half of these are parmesan and the other half are goat), and a little basil to top it off.  I stuck these cuties in the oven until the cheese melted, and then I stuck them in my yapper.  Yum.

Monday January 23, 2012

I've talked on here about Pinterest.  I've also talked on here about the chocolate mug cakes from Pinterest that I love.  I put strawberries on top of mine because they taste delicious with the cake, and (I don't know if you know this or not), but if you put fruit on top of something that isn't very healthy, the fruit makes the not-so-healthy thing have zero calories.  It's pretty cool.  Here's a picture of my mug cake with strawberries and zero calories because I ate one on Monday night.  I might have also eaten another on Tuesday.  And Wednesday.  And Friday.  I took a break on Thursday and Saturday.  Saturday I had ice cream instead.

Tuesday January 24, 2012

Tuesday I got a call at 5:34 in the morning.  It was from my good friend, SubFinder.  SubFinder informed me that there was a substitute position open at an elementary school as a 4th grade teacher.  At 5:34 in the morning my brain wasn't completely turned on, so my thought process went something like this: "oh good, a job. elementary school...uh-oh.  never done that before.  small kids.  4th grade though...can't be too bad.  kids are big in 4th grade, aren't they?  no boogers or pants-wetters in 4th grade.  right?  what if I accept this job and someone wets their pants?  should I throw some extra pants in my bag today?  do I have pants that would fit a 4th grader?  ...At this point SubFinder cut me off and asked me to press 9 if I would like to accept the job.  I pressed 9 and taught 4th graders all day.  They were precious.  No one wet their pants.  The picture above is what we worked on all day...how to make boring sentences more exciting and grammar practice.

Wednesday January 25, 2012

I decided to take the day off on Wednesday and get some things done.  I needed to work on applying for some jobs (since I usually can't get on the Internet when I'm subbing...boo), write a decent cover letter, do some laundry, iron, make dinner, sleep, watch TV, plan some dance classes that I was teaching on Thursday, yada yada yada...  This is what my computer screen looked like.  If you like writing resumes and cover letters lemme hear you say, "Hey-oo!" ...me neither.

Thursday January 26, 2012

Thursday was a loooooong day.  I subbed for a Spanish teacher (whose students clearly drank a gallon or seven of sugar water before they came to class) all day.  Then I drove on over to the dance studio and taught cute little dancers from 4:30-8:30.  When I got home, I had a DVR full of goodies to watch (American Idol, Jersey Shore, Dance Moms...), so I did that and then went to bed.  Like I said, long day.  Good thing I had these dark chocolate hershey kisses to get me through it.  I love dark chocolate, and these kisses are the perfect portion for a small chocolate fix.  Over the course of my long Thursday I probably had about 14.  Perfect portion!

Friday January 27, 2012

I found this button on the wall in the Chemistry classroom I was in on Friday.  Where do teachers find all of these crazy things to put in their rooms?  I can't wait to have my own classroom and fill it with dog buttons.

Saturday January 28, 2012

When I teach my cute little ballerinas on Saturday mornings, hand sanitizer becomes my best friend.  I don't think I need to go into any further explanation on that one.

eatin' good in the neighborhood

Here's some stuff we've been munching on over the past two weeks:

Arroz con Pollo: click here for the recipe

Pulled Pork with Ramen Noodle Coleslaw and Balsamic Glazed Carrots.

For the pulled pork click here

This is where I got the recipe for the carrots

Here's the coleslaw!

Chicken Pot Pie 

Thanks eatliverun for the recipe!

Taco Soup

I got this recipe from one of my college dance friends, and I've tweaked it a bit.  Here she is:

Ingredients:

1 lb lean beef, browned and drained

1 can of corn

1 small can chopped green chilies

2 cans stewed tomatoes, chopped

1 can of black beans

2 cans of pinto beans

1 packet of taco seasoning 

1 packet of ranch dressing mix

3 tbsp chili powder

12 oz of water

Instructions:

-Begin by browning the meat until completely brown; drain and empty into a large pot.

-Add each cup of vegetables, after being boiled until soft, into the pot with the meat one at a time

-Once adding in all of the veggies, mix in the taco seasoning and ranch dressing mix.

-Depending on the amount being made, it is optional to add a vegetable can sized amount of water. 

-Once adding all of the ingredients together let the soup simmer on the stove until it is time to serve. 

I served the soup with some Mexican cheese and sour cream on top and guacamole and tortilla chips on the side...

For my guacamole, I just mash up two avocados, chop up a tomato, and add in one of those seasoning packets you can find for 99 cents at the grocery store.  If I'm feeling frisky I might even squeeze a lime over the top.

Mozzarella-stuffed Meatballs with Spaghetti and a Bleu Cheese Salad.  

Here's where I found the meatballs

The sauce is just Classico's "Tomato and Basil".

This is the salad:

To make this salad, I just chop up about a head of lettuce, add in two or three diced tomatoes, sprinkle on two chopped hard-boiled eggs, and throw in some croutons.  Then we just scoop it onto our plates and let the bleu cheese dressing flow.   

All of these recipes turned out great.  However, if I had to give one the award for "Jamie's fave" it would be the pulled pork.  That stuff was so darn easy to make, and it was awesome.  It's very versatile too.  You can have it with BBQ sauce and put it on a sandwich.  Put it on some chips, add cheese, and you've got some nachos.  You could even use it to make tacos, enchiladas, soups...the list goes on.  AND it made a TON of pork.  The total cost of that entire meal was about $12, and it fed us for four or five lunches/dinners.  The next time I have a party/event with a lot of people, that will be my go-to dish.

Happy eating everyone!

stretching games

When I teach dance, the majority of the time it's to little girls ages 2-6.  Sometimes they are a lot to handle, and I'm very happy to give them back to their mothers after the hour is up, but most of the time they are just too stinkin' cute. 

In these classes, one of the ways that we get them to behave/actually dance and not just run around like a wild pack of wolves, is by playing stretching games.  Stretching games are basically a way to trick small children.  They think that we are giving them permission to take part in their wolf-like behavior, but really we are getting them to stretch.  We're so sneaky.

One game that we play is called the pizza/cake game.  We all sit in a circle, strick our legs straight out, and put our toes in the middle.  From there, we go around the circle and everyone gets a chance to say what they want on their cake or pizza.  The dialogue usually goes something like this:

Me: Ok (insert name here), what are you making today?
Ballerina/Wolfchild: CAKE!
Me: And what do you want on your cake?
B/WC: Sprinkles!!!!
Me: Alright, put 'em onnnnn....
*Everyone pats "sprinkles" all the way down their legs* (aka hamstring stretch)
*Repeat with all ballerinas/wolfchildren in the circle*

Now it's time to bake the cake/pizza!
So we reach upppp and put it in the oven...
Then close the oven door (lay down flat on our legs)...
And reach back up to set the timer *tick tick tick tick tick tick DING!*
It's ready!
So we pull our cake/pizza out of the oven...
Cut it down the middle...
Grab our first slice (pick up our right legs)...
Then blow on it, and eat it! (hold our leg straight in front of our face and make gobble gobble noises)
The grab the other slice (pick up our left legs)...
Then blow on it, and eat it! (hold our leg straight in front of our face and make more gobble gobble noises)

Obviously, the best part of this entire process is hearing what random cake/pizza toppings these girls desire.  sometimes they shout out the first thing that comes into their heads.  "Sprinkles!" "Pepperonis!!" "Chocolate sauce!!!"  Other times, you'd think we were asking them to decide which 4-year university they're going to attend in 12-16 years.  "Umm...(15 minutes later)...I want a Disney Princess cake!  With leopard sprinkles.  And glitter icing.  And 5 candles!!!"

They're not high maintenance.  They just know what they want and how they want it. 

I can relate.

blackened chicken caesar salad

Remember a few posts ago where I showed y'all this salad?

Now I want to tell you how I made it...because it was delicious!  And very, very easy.  

Here's the list of ingredients that you'll need:

-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

-Blackened seasoning (I used Kroger brand, but you can get whatever you'd like)

-Romaine lettuce (1-2 heads depending on how big they are)

-Croutons (buy 'em in a bag, or make your own...I got mine at Kroger for one dolla)

-Parmesan cheese

-Caesar dressing

And some step by step instructions:

1) Coat your chicken with the blackened seasoning, and throw them on the grill.  If a) you live in an apartment that frowns upon outdoor grilling, b) it's the middle of winter, or c) all of the above, you can use a grill pan:

2) Once it's been about 3-4 minutes and your chickens have a nice color on one side, flip them over...

3) After another 3-4 minutes your chicken should have a good sear on both sides, but it will not be fully cooked.  I just stuck these suckers on a roasting pan and threw them in the oven at 350* to finish cooking.  I don't remember the exact time, but I want to say it took about 15 minutes or so, give or take.

4) Chop up the lettuce, and cube the chicken into bite size pieces.

5) Throw some lettuce on a plate, sprinkle on the cubed chicken, parmesan cheese, and croutons, and then drizzle the dressing on top.

Five easy steps, six simple ingredients, and you've got a delicious meal that is definitely boyfriend approved.

Now I'm off to make a chocolate mug cake because all this salad talk is making me hungry...

project 365 vol. 3

Sunday January 15, 2012

On Sunday, we went to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the Texans in their 2nd playoff game.  They lost (womp), but it wasn't by much!  Also, there was a Raven's fan in the bar that was going CRAZY.  Every time Baltimore would score he would take a lap around the bar area, hollering his head off.  I will never understand how men can get so into football...

Monday January 16, 2012

In honor of MLK day, I spent my Monday on "SubFinder" (the website where I go to book subbing jobs), and watching cheesy shows like "The Bachelor".  For whatever reason I've started watching this season of "The Bachelor"...it's ridiculous, but I love it.  And just for the record, I'm totally team Kacie B.

Tuesday January 17, 2012

I had never been to a professional hockey game until this past Tuesday: Stars vs. Red Wings.  Our friend, Jeff, got us great tickets that included an all you can eat concession stand.  ALL YOU CAN EAT CONCESSION STAND.  Nachos, soft pretzels, peanuts, popcorn, hot dogs, and soda was had by all.  And then had again.

Wednesday January 18, 2012

Season premiere of American Idol!!!! Ahhhh I'm dying!  My second favorite show (after So You Think You Can Dance) is back!  

Thursday January 19, 2012

Thursday January 19th was the most frustrating day of my year so far, mostly thanks to the brainiacs that work at The Hampton Inn and Suites in Conroe, TX.  The story behind my frustration is a long one, so here's the gist: back in September I stayed at this hotel for a wedding.  I left my glasses in the room.  About a week later I called to see if they had them, and I was told that they did.  When I went to pick my glasses up, they no longer had them.  I sent in a complaint to corporate, and now they are telling me that they are "not responsible for lost or stolen items".  Is an item considered "lost or stolen" if it was in the possession of a Hampton Inn employee and they threw it away?! 

Apparently so.    

Friday January 20, 2012

For Christmas our friend Zac got us a gift card to Houston's.  On Friday we decided to use it!  I got this delicious salmon with a caesar salad, and Austin had a filet.  Yummmmmmm.

Saturday January 21, 2012

Saturday mornings I teach little girls how to dance.  They are precious.