Tag Archives: recipe

How to Eat Two Summer Squashes

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Squash is such a versatile ingredient, but as much as I love eating them in salads or sliced up like pasta, I need something with a little more OOMPH! This dish is a perfect way to get tons of protein, fiber, and nutrients and can easily be breakfast, lunch, or dinner! Continue reading →

Why So Blue?

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I knew that taking a day off of work in order to go to the DMV, unpack the remaining items from our PODS unit, and unpack/organize a bit wouldn’t exactly be a piece of cake, but it was definitely not an enjoyable day off.

The morning trip to the DMV started off as expected: stood in a long-ass line with 80 people in front of us. Sat in uncomfortable benches while we waited for our alphanumeric identifier to be called. (Of course the boyfriend was done way before I even got called up since he only needed a new license, not a car registration.)

Then, my stupidity showed.

I pride myself on being a list-maker and calendar-lover. I track everything so I know what needs to be done when and by whom; however, I’ve been falling off the wagon lately and it’s been biting me in the ass as a result! After sitting for an hour in the uncomfortable benches of the DMV, I was only a few numbers away from being called. Hooray! I glanced at my checklist (for the first time that morning)… and realized that I forgot my car’s title in my lock-box at home.

The boy rushed home for me to get it. A girl about my age was sitting in front of me and turned around to tell me that she did the same thing yesterday and reminded me how lucky I am to have my boyfriend here to help. (Amen!) In the end, my number was called, and I traded with the girl in front of me. By the time the boyfriend returned with my title, there were about 5 people in line in front of me so we spent another 20 minutes or so sitting uncomfortably, playing crossword puzzles.

By 10:40am (mind you, we arrived at 9:05am), I got my license and my new plates, which means one thing: I’m officially a Masshole! (Even so… GO GIANTS!) We had a celebratory brunch at my new favorite restaurant while my car got its state inspection so that we could be fueled up and ready to unpack when we got home.

And so we did.

It’s not even close to being completely done, but the place is coming along nicely. Bottom line: we now sit on a sofa, eat at a table, and sleep on a mattress and box spring… at last! The kitchen was my responsibility, of course, as it is my domain! Although frustrated at the lack of a pantry, I think I’m doing okay so far. In the absence of photos of the progression of the unpacking, I will simply share my first creation in my new wannabe-organized kitchen.

WHY-SO-BLUE SMOOTHIE
Yields one very thick 16-ounce smoothie full of nutrition.

  • 3/4 cup frozen blueberries
  • 1 heaping tablespoon of coconut cream (the solid part of coconut milk)
  • 1 big leaf of kale, hard rib removed
  • 1/4 cup coconut water
  • Roughly 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk

I have a personal smoothie maker (a cheap-o version of a Magic Bullet), but you can make it in a large blender if that’s all you have. (Hell, if you have my dream-machine — Vitamix! — your smoothie will lack the bits of blueberry skin like mine had! Color me jealous!)

Simply add the ingredients to your blender with the berries and kale closest to the blade. Blend until smooth, adding more coconut water or almond milk if it is too thick (but is there really such a thing??). Serve immediately.

I may not be following such a strict paleo diet as I was in week one (and as a result, my tummy troubles are gone!) but this recipe just so happens to be friendly to those cavemen out there!

Hopefully the next photo of my kitchen will be of something pretty, shiny, clean, and organized! (Maybe a craft that I’ve done or something… hint-hint…)

Four-Ingredient Egg-less Chocolate Ice Cream

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Sometimes when the proverbial shit hits the fan, you need to take a step back and find something good to focus on. This recipe is just that.

When my boyfriend bought me an ice cream maker attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer, I was absolutely ecstatic in anticipation of making ice cream all the time… until I realized most recipes take a good amount of work as much as a day before you actually want to churn your ice cream (not to mention the couple of hours you have to wait for it to harden to a scoop-able consistency)!

When I want ice cream, I want it to enter my mouth as fast as possible.

I guarantee that this ice cream will be the creamiest, yummiest, not-too-sweetiest of its kind. Oh, I forgot to mention how freaking simple it is to make! Literally four simple ingredients… it can’t get much better than that!

Four-Ingredient Egg-less Chocolate Ice Cream
From here, and many other places on the web.
Makes about a quart.

  • 1 can sweetened condensed milk (do not use fat-free or low-fat unless you want icey ice cream)
  • 2 cups cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (pure is best!)
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder

Make sure your ice cream maker bowl is thoroughly frozen. (I keep mine in the freezer at all times!)

In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Follow directions on your ice cream maker. After about 20 minutes of churning, put in a freezer-safe bowl, cover, and let freeze for at least 2 hours if you want to scoop it.

Devour.

The best thing about this base is that it’s just so darn… basic! Omit the cocoa powder and you will have vanilla ice cream. About 15 minutes into the churning, add whatever mix-ins you want. (We chose those new super-mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.) You can really do whatever you want with this recipe to come up with your own unique flavor.

In fact, I’ll share another great, easy recipe with you soon. Whoever you are.

Ice cream will make even the worst days, weeks, or months just a little bit better.