Snowzilla 2016

There is nothing I love more than a beautiful snow day. I'm sitting here at my desk sipping a Bailey's hot chocolate with the most perfect view of snow blowing through the trees behind my apartment and the 90's pop radio station blasting. I'm snuggled up in the fuzziest sweater you've ever seen with my feet nice and toasty in my slippers. I'm basically having the most perfect day! We've accumulated over 17 inches of snow here in Alexandria and it hasn't slowed down. Now typically, this would be the perfect day to be snuggled on my couch watching Netflix. But to be honest, that was how I spent my entire weekend last week. So in hopes of not being a complete lazy scrub (I always have tomorrow to do that!), I'm putting on my big girl pants and trying to be productive with my day. I made a banging breakfast that consisted of Cinnamon Raisin French Toast Stuffed with Honey Pecan Cream Cheese topped with a dusting of cinnamon sugar, fresh raspberries, real maple syrup and completed with turkey bacon and coffee. Ummm, hello deliciousness. This recipe will be put down on my long list of breakfast favorites and will be seen in my kitchen again in the near future. Next time, I'll invite some friends because a meal this good needs to be shared (any takers?).

Next up, I did my monthly budget. My personal budget has to be my least favorite chore. And yes, it is most definitely a chore. But at the beginning of 2016, I vowed that I would strive for financial consistency and make an action plan to be debt free before I'm 35 (I was being generous in my time management). I've made a drastic change to my monthly budget in order to pay down my credit card debt, in hopes of finding financial freedom at some point in the near future. If you have any good advice in the financial department, please send it my way! I can use all of the help and support I can get on my financial journey. On my list next, blogging! I'm sorry it took a blizzard to get me back in front of my computer. I've been hoarding some great recipes to share with you all and I can't wait for you to try them. 

First up is a recipe I made for my parents over the holiday break. Growing up on the North Fork of LI, I was not exposed to many ethnic cuisines. And the Chinese takeout place down the street does NOT count, although is still very much appreciated. But since college, I have learned to love all different sorts of cuisines, oh so much. Both of parents love Thai food and there is not a single Thai restaurant within a 30 minute drive of their house (probably even longer). Pineapple Fried Rice is by far one of my favorite Thai dishes and add some fresh shrimp from the Southold Fish Market and it is literally the perfect thing to warm you up on a cold night. I always add a little sriaracha to add that extra depth of flavor and heat. Let's just say I'm pretty sure Mom was glad to have someone else cook for the evening and Dad wasn't complaining either :)

Thai Pineapple Shrimp Fried Rice

1/2 medium onion, diced 

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 scallions, sliced (white and green parts) 

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 tsp. fish sauce, or more to your taste (coconut aminos or soy sauce would work)

1 Tbsp. yellow curry 

1/4 cup chicken stock (veggie works, too)

3 cups leftover cooked rice (I used brown, but any will work)

1 can of diced pineapple (canned in 100% pineapple juice no sugar added), drained 

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 red thai chili, sliced (or 1 medium jalapeño with ribs and seeds included)

1/3 cup peas, frozen 

1 egg, scrambled

1/2 cup cashews, unsalted 

1/4 cup currants or raisins

cilantro (handful chopped)

oil for pan (use a mild flavored oil, such as vegetable or canola)

Sriracha for garnish

In a large saute pan (or wok), heat oil (about 1 Tbsp.) then add onion, garlic, white part of the scallions, red bell pepper and cook for about 1 minute or until onion is translucent. Add curry, fish sauce, stock and stir. Next, add rice, pineapple, thai chili, and peas. Cook for a few minutes. Push rice mixture to one side of the pan. Add a bit more oil and shrimp, cooking until the shrimp are just opaque. Mix all of the ingredients in the sauté pan/wok so shrimp are combined evenly. Again push rice/shrimp mixture to the side. Add scrambled egg and cook through. Combine rice/shrimp mixture with egg. Add cashews, currants, green part of the scallions, cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with Sriracha and serve! 

Be on the lookout for my next post that includes a great Mediterranean dip that will please any crowd. Stay safe east coasters and enjoy Snowzilla! 

Apple Season!

October might just be the best month! It started off with an emotional roller coaster of days leading up to my birthday, but is turning into a fun and exciting month filled with adventures. My 30th birthday weekend began with a visit from my sister, followed by a surprise boat cruise party with some of my closest friends, and ended with the perfect Sunday afternoon discovering a new brewery (Forge in Lorton, VA) and snuggled up with my sister discovering the Netflix show Narcos (so good!!). 

Thirty is feeling good! I'm so thankful to have friends that are willing to plan a surprise party for me and keep it so secret I had no clue it was coming!! My jaw dropped when I walked up to the docks and saw all my friends waiting to board the boat cruise. We danced the night away and braved the rain to take in the monuments by night! 

The delicious Filomena's in Georgetown! 

Kristen really out did herself, even making customized koozies for all the party goers. They were even my favorite color, purple! Thirsty & Thirty! It was such a fun celebration and one that I could have never dreamed up on my own. It was absolutely perfect and exactly what I needed to ring in my 30th year! 

The next weekend was filled with more celebrations. This time for the Johnson family. It was time to celebrate Baby J with a shower. I was lucky enough to co-host the party with the beautiful mama herself. The grandma to be was in town from Iowa, so it made the event extra special. I cannot wait to welcome the little bundle of joy in January. Sheesh, that seems like too long! Can't wait! 

The theme was Lil' Pumpkin and it was the perfect, very chill, coed shower. We served chili with toppings, baked brie, fall salad, and lots of sweet treats. I had some fun with new fall cookie cutters that were just perfect for the pumpkin pies. Grandma to be made her famous Monster Cookies! I may or not have had my own special stash hidden upstairs. We had a few fun games, like who can chug through a bottle the fastest (very entertaining to watch) and guess the sex of the lil' pumpkin (I'm leaning towards boy!). 

 To keep the fall extravaganza's going, this weekend featured apple picking!! My good friend Liz planned a fun outing to Poolesville, MD, where we hit up Homestead Farms. It was the first day that actually felt like fall with a cool, crisp breeze blowing and the colors popping! We collected a few different varietals including Aztec Fuji, Pink Lady, and Enterprise. We may have tried a few along the way for quality control purposes.

I liked the witches wart pumpkins the best! Can you tell?! 

 And let me tell you, I walked away with almost 10 lbs. of apples!! Uhhh, what am I going to do with 10 lbs. of apples you ask? Oh plenty! I started with a Buttermilk Apple Crumb Pie, next will be Traditional Apple Crisp, and some Overnight Apple Butter will be a new adventure I try. But with all that sweet goodness, I felt the need to balance it out with a delicious savory recipe that I've been making since as far back as high school. This is Whole30 compliant (only if you use arrowroot powder!), so if you're looking for a new recipe this is a great switch up!

Apple Chicken
1 lb. chicken thighs, trimmed of fat
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
salt and pepper
2 tbsp. ghee (divided)
2-3 apples, cored and sliced
3/4 cup apple cider
2 tsp. (a dash more if needed) arrowroot powder (or corn starch)

Season chicken thighs with salt, pepper, and thyme on both sides of the thighs. In a large skillet melt 1 tbsp. ghee over medium heat, add the chicken. Brown the chicken on both sides (about 3 minutes each side). Remove the chicken from skillet and cover with aluminum foil. Add the remaining 1 tbsp. of ghee to the skillet, then add apples. Cook apples until tender, about 4 minutes. Remove apples and place in same dish as chicken. Using the same skillet, pour cider into the skillet, add arrowroot powder (or corn starch if using) whisking until combined completely. Allow cider to come to a simmer, whisking occasionally. Continue to cook until the cider has reduced and thickened. Add the chicken and apples back into the cider and finish cooking for 5 minutes or until chicken is completely cooked through. Serve with mashed potatoes and roasted brussel sprouts for the perfect fall meal! This doesn't photograph well but it sure does come out tasty!

I have purple cauliflower roasting in the oven to accompany my Sunday roast chicken. And you better believe I'm slicing into that Buttermilk Apple Crumb Pie for dessert. My coworkers will be living the life in apple desserts this week! Until next time!!!

Buffalo Turkey Burgers

Hey ya'll! I'm on Day 20 of my second Whole30 challenge and it has been a roller coaster. I've tried so many new recipes that I can't even count. I literally have been living in my kitchen, cooking, meal prepping/planning, eating, and washing dishes. Seriously, the dishes never end...I've been way more adventurous this time and I'm happy to report that it has been seriously rewarding. I've made my own almond milk, chicken stock, and coconut butter all from scratch. No packaging, no preservatives, just good old homemade deliciousness. I've seriously reduced my food waste since starting the challenge. I think that has more to do with deliberate meal planning then the actual food I'm making. But heck, I'll take what I can get. My grocery bill has jumped quite a lot, but figure I'm almost never eating out so my restaurant budget is close to zero.

Some of my favorite recipes this go around include: Shrimp over Zoodles with Sunshine Sauce, Buffalo Turkey Burgers with Avocado, Ranch, and a Fried Egg, Pumpkin Breakfast Custard with Pecans and Dates, Salmon Cakes with Tarter Sauce over Spinach, and Harvest Chicken Salad.

Most of the above recipes come from the Whole30 cookbook/guide book (find it here on Amazon), which has been a life saver. It has helped me stay organized, on track, and motivated these last 20 days.

As of today, I'm feeling so much better than Day 1. I have less bloat, my clothes fit better, my energy is up, and cravings have dropped (although they are not gone completely). I've put myself in situations where my willpower has been tested, and I've been successful! Try sitting in a kitchen while your friend bakes chocolate chip cookies, if that isn't a test I'm not sure what is. But honestly, I didn't even want to eat the cookies, because I knew that it would take me away from goal and away from the lifestyle/behaviors I'm trying to embody.

Yet again, the positives I'm seeing from eating better and becoming healthier are pouring over into other areas of my life. After my first Whole30, I mentioned that I was making better life choices. And it is true the second time around. I spent close to two hours today working on my budget. My finances have been a huge burden for the past few years. I'm in decent credit card debt and have been struggling to get the number moving down. I have a lot of factors against me including living in one of the most expensive areas in the nation, working in an industry that doesn't compensate enough based on the work delivered (although don't we all think that!), and being single, living on my own! But instead of being negative, as I have been in the past, I decided to take a more positive tone to my plan. I set a date to when I want to be debt free, January 2019! I made a plan of how I was going to get there (teaching classes off hours, spending less, and committing to my budget). And I'm not going to let the lack of things I have take a bigger portion of my focus, than the things I am blessed to have. I have so much to be thankful for and that is where my concentration needs to stay! This may include giving up my vacation travels for the next few years and tightening up my purse a little, but it will give me the freedom that I've been wanting for so long!

On that note, I'm going to leave you with a recipe that is sure to put anyone in a great mood! I enjoyed this last night and just had to share!

Buffalo Turkey Burgers

1 lb. Ground Turkey
1/3 cup Buffalo Sauce (I made my own with hot sauce, ghee, coconut oil, cayenne)
1/4 cup Cashew Meal (Almond meal or coconut flour also work)
Salt and Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Form turkey mixture into 4 larger patties. Heat a large sauté pan with a touch of olive oil in it, so the patties don't stick. Cook patties for about 3 minutes each side. Then finish in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Serve with extra buffalo sauce drizzled over, a fried egg, on top of spinach with a side of avocado and roasted sweet potato wedges for an amazingly satisfying dinner!! Enjoy!

Homemade Almond Milk

Wishing I had a pretty milk jug to display the final product!

Happy Labor Day! The summer is coming to an end and I'm getting so excited for the fall weather. I can practically smell the falling leaves, campfires, and crisp air that is one of my all time favorite smells. I'm on Day 5 of my Whole30 and going strong. There were a few touch and go moments but stocking my fridge and having compliant foods made it easy to stay on track. Think fried eggs, sausage, over salad with hot sauce slathered on top as my late night dinner.

I promised myself this time around I would be a little more adventurous in making homemade ingredients. Today I tackled almond milk. You would think extracting the milk from those little nuts would be a laborious process. In all honesty it was quite easy. The only down side was the amount of dishes that are still sitting in my sink waiting for me to clean up. Overall, I'm so happy I decided to give this a try. The results were fantastic. This isn't the most cost efficient way to enjoy almond milk. It is however the healthiest. With only three ingredients it's almost too good to be true. Almost. You do need some special tools in order to pull this off. First off, either a high powered blender or food processor and a nut milk bag (I ordered mine off Amazon for about $8). Remember that you will need to store the milk as well, so a sealed container is key.

Homemade Almond Milk
Filtered Water
2 cups organic raw almonds
4 cups Filtered Water
Pinch of Sea Salt

Soak almonds overnight (8-12 hours) in filtered water. I put mine in a big bowl with just enough water to cover the almonds. Cover bowl with wrap and let sit. In the morning, drain the almonds and rinse with a bit more filtered water. I made my milk in two batches. In food processor, place 1 cup of almonds and 2 cups of water. Process for 1-2 minutes. The mixture all be milky with some foam on top. Place nut milk bag in large deep bowl, then pour milk mixture into bag. Repeat process with remaining almonds and water. Tie off the bag, then squeeze all excess milk out of the bag, adding a pinch of salt to the finished product. You will be left with a lot of almond pulp in the bag, set aside for use later. Pour the strained milk into a sealable container and refrigerate!

This is the perfect addition to my morning coffee. Since Whole30 has seriously reduced my food waste, I'm going to put the leftover almond pulp to good use. There is no use wasting perfectly good pulp and throwing away money. I found a recipe to make an almond pulp hummus style dip. I'll give it a go and see if it's worth the share. Here is to another 25 days of whole, natural, and delicious food. Don't forget to follow me on Instagram, username Goldsmre, for more recipes and daily musings!

Whole30 Round Two

It was time for a kick in the butt. I had been struggling with my eating for the last few months. I lost all my self-control and once that snowball started rolling it just got bigger and bigger and bigger. I went back and read a few things that I had written at the end of my first Whole30 challenge in February. It held such positivity. How I felt, the things I was doing, and all of the positive effects Whole30 had on all aspects of my life. It was time to give it a second go. Why didn't it stick the first time? I don't have any excuses, it was my choice to stray and my decision to put bad things into my body. The one thing I do have to say is that going through surgery, no matter how minor, takes a lot out of a person. 

I was determined to sail into my 30th birthday in a more positive light. I didn't want the darkness from those bad decisions to overshadow my upcoming celebration. Because I truly do have a lot to celebrate. I wanted to get back to those feelings of accomplishment, lightness, happiness, and back to the better relationship with food I achieved. 

This second go around is starting off so smoothly. I think a part of me realizes that if I've done it once I know I can do it again. But I'm not naive. I know this is going to be equally challenging and a second time around will present different obstacles. I'm going through this solo. Last time, I had three friends equally committed to the challenge. I don't have that safety net this time. I have to rely on myself and that in itself is exciting. I purchased the Whole30 cookbook/guide and it has been my savior. It literally makes it so easy to be compliant. With tons of easy recipes at my fingertips meal planning a breeze. 

The best way to be successful is to prep. So Sunday meal prep started my week off right. Even though my Whole30 didn't officially start until Tuesday, I took the time to meal prep so there would be no surprises. My struggle is always mid-week when I'm exhausted and don't feel like coming up with something to cook. If I already have it planned out and the ingredients are in the fridge, I don't have an excuse. Meal prep included making homemade mayo, homemade raspberry walnut dressing, an NYC Frittata, cutting up watermelon, and cleaning out the fridge. This last one might just be the most important. I left no temptations behind. Literally cleared out all of the junk. Then meal planning was next. 

Here is what my first few days look like:

Tuesday

Scrambled Eggs with tomatoes, green beans, dill, scallions and Watermelon

Grilled Chicken over Mixed Greens with apples, cucumber, raisins and a Raspberry Walnut Dressing 

Coconut Beef with cauliflower rice and green beans

Wednesday 

NYC Frittata with Watermelon

Coconut Beef with cauliflower rice and green beans

Buffalo Chicken Burger with Sweet Potato Fritters and homemade Ranch 

Thursday 

NYC Frittata, banana with almond butter

Buffalo Chicken Burger with Sweet Potato Fritters

Spaghetti Squash with Italian Chicken Sausage and Tomato Sauce

Friday 

2 Fried Eggs over Mixed Greens and Monkey Salad (banana, shredded coconut, almond butter) 

Spaghetti Squash with Italian Chicken Sausage and Tomato Sauce

Buffalo Chicken Burger with Sweet Potato Fritters

Emergency Snacks: raw almonds, fruit, brazil nuts, raisins, applesauce 

I like variety so I try to get three meals out of each recipe. This helps me switch things up and not get bored. I love my food so the more variety the less likely I am to crave something other than what I cook. Because the NYC Frittata came out so good, I'm going to share the recipe. I came up with this after a trip the the bagel store when I was home on Long Island. I was thinking of your typical NY bagel with lox and cream cheese. Now how could I make it Whole30? A frittata, obviously. And here this emerged! 

NYC Frittata (makes about 3 servings) 

6 eggs

1/3 cup water

4 oz. smoked salmon (check the labels, NO added sugar)

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

4 thin slices of a big tomato 

1 Tbsp. capers drained

2 Tbsp. dill, minced 

Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Using a deep dish pie plate layer the smoked salmon. In a medium bowl, crack eggs, add water and whisk. Add dill, capers, and red onion to eggs. Pour mixture over smoked salmon. Top with slices of tomato, sprinkle a few capers over top. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is set and the edges are golden brown. 

Serve with a side of your favorite fruit! Be on the lookout for more recipes, Instagram posts, and more of my Whole30 journey. Need support or have questions on how to get started? Check out the website here, or message me! 

Asian Shrimp with Zoodles

Recently, I road tripped with a car full of friends to Long Island. On the way back, we decided to delve into a few podcasts. My friend Steve suggested two podcasts that were focused around race and education. My friend Kristen suggested a podcast on the psychology of 30 not being the new 20. All three were excellent podcasts that sparked intellectual conversations on what we took from the podcast. It made me excited to get out of my own little world and expand my view.

I've never been what one would call an academic or intellectual. I basically floated my way through high school and college. Don't get me wrong, I put in some long hours of studying and had a very real interest in what I was learning. I just never had the patience to pull an all-nighter. I always figured if it hasn't stuck by now it's not going to matter if I cram a few more hours in. Needless to say, I never made the Dean's List. That might be one of the regrets in life that I carry, not putting in the effort for all of those classes. Oops.... but to get back on track, the podcasts sparked my interest in learning. If you ask any of my friends or co-workers what I do in my free time 9 out of 10 will respond, binge watching Netflix or any season of her favorite television shows. So putting together my love for watching TV, and my new found interest in learning, I dived into a series of TED Talks. The talks were called Chew on This, and featured on Netflix. They revolved around food, food production, and agribusiness. I highly recommend you watch a few, most are only 20 minutes in length, and I promise you will learn at least one new thing from each!

Watching these talks only reiterated my intent to repeat the Whole30 challenge, see older posts for more on that. In my preparations for a September eating only whole and natural foods, I slowly have been cutting out the bad stuff. At least one meal a day is dedicated to Whole30. Tonight, it's dinner. My Whole30 cookbook and zoodler arrived in the mail via amazon.com on Monday, so I was eager to break in at least one! I decided to go with the zoodler first. The cookbook was a little intimidating!

Asian Shrimp with Zoodles
2 medium zucchini, peeled and spiralized (a julienne peeler also works well) --> zoodles :)
1 lb. wild caught shrimp
1 Tbsp. ghee
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 inch ginger, peeled and minced (about 1 Tbsp.)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (or to taste if you like it spicier)
1 Tbsp. Coconut aminos (check your labels)
3 scallions, sliced for garnish
Zest of 1 lime for garnish

Bring 2 quarts of water to boil in a medium saucepan. While the water is boiling, heat ghee in large sauté pan adding the onion, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Cook until onion in slightly translucent. Add shrimp and continue to cook for 2-4 minutes or until shrimp is opaque. Turn the heat off. Add the coconut aminos, salt and pepper to taste. Once the water comes to a boil, add the zoodles and cook for 2-3 minutes or until tender, then drain. Serve shrimp hot over the zoodles, garnish with scallions and lime zest!

The lime zest was a last minute addition and boy did it add a nice little fresh zip at the end. The red pepper flakes and ginger add some heat. The zoodles were tender and great! Love this new style of veggie eating. Overall, a great summer evening meal that came together so quick!

Warm Eggplant and Tomato Salad

This summer is absolutely flying by! I mean I have been so busy, I feel as if I blinked, and boom here August is over half way through. What?! I can't even. From spending a lazy week at home on Long Island, to a weekend trip up to Rochester, to a weekend in NYC, to two weekends in Dewey, and finally back to LI this weekend I am one happy traveler. The beach has been my friend this summer and my tan is not complaining. But with all the beach bumming about, I have neglected my cooking and with that my blogging. This weekend was a lazy weekend staying in town that included just a bit of cooking. A girl does have to eat at some point.

As I am preparing for my second go around at Whole 30 in September, I'm trying to clean up my eating a bit so it isn't such a shock to the system. Therefore, I went with a gluten free, dairy free dinner using the freshest ingredients possible. My good friends the Crandall's gifted me with a gorgeous heirloom tomato when I stopped by there house the other evening. With an eggplant in the other hand, I immediately craved eggplant parmesan. But alas, that would not be clean eating. I had a day dream of a deconstructed eggplant parm I made a few years back and through that thought process came to this salad. I used almond meal and coconut flour to coat the eggplant to make a crisp outside. I kept the tomatoes au natural and sliced thick with a touch of salt and pepper. I left off the cheese, made a homemade balsamic to dress the greens, added a few cubes of leftover sautéed eggplant and chopped tomatoes and that was all she wrote. Paired it all with a dreamy fruit forward chardonnay from Mattebella Vineyards (which I so luckily brought back with me from home, aka The North Fork of Long Island, aka the new hot spot where everyone and their hipster best friend are vacationing).

Winery Visit!

My mom and I visited Mattebella in July and I chose their white flight. This chardonnay stood out to me with its crisp clean taste and floral nose. It is the perfect summer wine to enjoy on a hot evening. If you are one of those crazy hipsters visiting the end of the island, I highly recommend a tasting at Mattebella. The atmosphere is beautiful, the staff knowledgeable, and the wine is on point (no they did not pay me to say that, actually no one has ever paid me to review and I do so often hmmm maybe there's something there, ha).

Warm Eggplant and Tomato Salad
1 medium eggplant, peeled and sliced into 1/2 in thick rounds
1/3 cup coconut flour
1 egg, beaten and whisked with 1 tbsp. of water
1 cup almond meal
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. parsley, dried
1/2 tsp. oregano, dried
1/4 tsp. dill, dried
Salt and Pepper
Olive oil for frying
1 heirloom tomato, sliced thick
Salad greens
Balsamic Dressing (olive oil, balsamic, honey, dijon mustard, S&P)

Place the coconut flour in a shallow dish or plate, the egg in a shallow bowl, and the almond meal mixed with spices (garlic, parsley, oregano, dill, and S&P) on a separate plate. Heat olive oil in large sauté pan over medium heat. . Working in batches, place one slice of eggplant in coconut flour, being sure to coat completely, then dip in egg wash, then coat with almond meal mixture. Then fry eggplant for about 4 minutes each side. While you continue to cook the eggplant in batches, place cooked eggplants on a cookie sheet and place in 300 degree oven. This will help keep them warm, crispy, and continue to cook the insides. Be careful not to burn the outsides when frying. If they are golden crisp on the outside, the oven will help the middle cook through.
Place salad greens in a large bowl. Lightly dress with balsamic and toss with some cubed eggplant (sautéed with olive oil) and cubed tomatoes. Then stack the warm eggplant and sliced heirloom tomatos and drizzle with more dressing. Add glass of wine and serve!!!!

Post your favorite fall foods that you would like to see blogged! Don't forget to hashtag #OneRecipeAtATime if you try any of my recipes! I would love to see your creations! Much love :)