Recipe(s) of the Week

It's really hard to narrow it down to one good recipe... Over the past few weeks, I've been making pretty much nothing I have ever made before.  Thanks to Pinterest and the new cookbooks I got for Christmas, I'm overflowing with good, healthy recipe ideas.

Instead of telling you one favorite recipe for the week, I'll summarize some of what I have made over the past few weeks:

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken:



To be honest, I hated it.  I followed some of the suggestions in the comments section and substituted the cheese soup for cream of mushroom.  I thought the condensed soup made it taste very "fake".  I ended up adding in a ton of diced tomatoes, some tomato sauce, and other ingredients and turned it into tortilla soup.  The tortilla soup was great, but it sparked a great debate in my household... is soup really a meal? I posed my question to my Facebook friends and it turned into a "heated" discussion.  The outcome? Overall, women think it's a meal and men don't.

Crockpot Pot Roast

This was really good.  I made the entire pot roast not knowing Kevin doesn't like it... so I have a TON of leftovers.  Here's to hoping it freezes well.  Sorry I don't have a picture of this one.

Southwest Chicken Wraps (Click the picture for the link)

Source: melskitchencafe.com via Miranda on Pinterest

This was really good as well.  I made my own "homemade" salsa for this which was literally just a can of Rotel tomatoes and fresh chopped cilantro.

Now for my very favorite recipe of the week:

Foil Pack Chicken


I'm guessing you've seen the recurring theme here.. I eat a ton of chicken.  This was such an incredible recipe with such easy cleanup that I know I'll be making it again.  One note, I left out the layer of stuffing on the bottom as I'm not a huge fan (of the store bought stuff anyway).  It saved on some calories too, so that's good.  I used low-fat ranch, extra broccoli, and crumbled turkey bacon as well.  Seriously, try this recipe.

Source: bigoven.com via Miranda on Pinterest

Speaking of chicken... I've got slow cooker fajitas on right now.  Maybe it'll top the list next week.  I'll let you know.

I Finally Gave In....

..... and joined Pintrest.

I created an account a LONG time ago, but I knew in the back of my mind that as soon as I got started, I would become totally obsessed.  I kept hearing more and more people talk about how much they loved it and how many cool Pintrest projects they were working on, so I decided to give in.

Just FYI, I was totally right that I would be obsessed.  It's such a fun website. I think you can learn a lot about a person by seeing their "boards" on the site.  I mean, you can find out what food they eat, what they want their home to look like, and what their personal style is all about too.  Heck, you can even see what their dream wedding will look like! It's incredible. 

One of the best things I've realized on Pintrest is it's a great way to find random blogs that are related to your interests.  I can't wait to start following a few of them. 

Source: crapivemade.com via Miranda on Pinterest

I even found one that is $0 Dollar Home/Craft projects, where you use random stuff you'd find around your home and turn the "junk" into something cool or beautiful.  It's pretty amazing.  I need to find it again, I didn't save the link.  

Anyway, if you're reading this and considering joining... DO IT.  You'll love it, I promise.  And if you need an invite, let me know your email address.

Recipe of the Week: Skillet White Beans, Spinach and Tomatoes Over Linguine

One of my goals for 2012 is to expand my horizons and try new things.  Another goal is to eat better foods and cook more.  As such, I have decided to post a recipe of the week each week here on the blog.  I think it will be fun. 

I actually tried a couple of new recipes this week, but I'll share my favorite one.  It's super easy and very good.  It's also really cheap to make for those of us who are on a budget (about $8 or $9 to make the entire recipe.. and that's based on New York grocery prices).  I got the base recipe from sparkrecipes.com which is a website anyone can contribute to.  They also have chefs who post recipes on there as well.  The focus of the website is healthy recipes but there's a little bit of everything on there. I changed up the recipe pretty significantly, so here's my version.

Skillet White Beans, Spinach and Tomatoes Over Linguine

Ingredients:

2 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tbsp. minced garlic (I like a lot, so I might have used more)

2 cans of diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning 

1 can of any white bean (I used Cannellini)

1 pkg fresh spinach

1/2 box cooked whole wheat pasta

salt and pepper to taste

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (to taste)

Put water on to boil for pasta.  In the mean time saute garlic in olive oil.  Add in two cans of diced tomatoes until boiling.  Add in can of beans (do not drain).  Cook for 3-5 minutes then add in entire package of fresh spinach to wilt.  Once pasta is al dente, drain and mix in the tomato mixture.  Once plated, grate fresh Parmesan cheese on top.

Side Note:  Much to my boyfriend's frustration... I tend to not measure things or time them, so some of the measurements are estimates and you should change it up to suit your taste.

New Obsession: DIY Hairstyles Online

I don't know why it had never crossed my mind to use the internet to find new, fun ways to do my hair given that I use the internet for everything else! I stumbled across the style section of eHow today when looking up french braiding, and I spent about two hours this morning trying different hairstyles.  

So far, I have still yet to master the french braid, but I think I'll get it eventually.  I did; however, come across some fun up-do's, and I managed to practically re-create my Junior Prom style.  Haha.  I actually hated my hair that year, and believe it or not I actually like what I did myself much better.

I will probably be embarrassed years from now if I ever come across this post.. mostly due to the Myspace-esque mirror pics I'm about to share with you.  I have to admit.. I was pretty proud of how it turned out for my first ever attempt.  I think I have found a new fun way to change up my look, too!

Oh Hey Blog Friends.... Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (a little late)

Before I get started on my first blog post of 2012 and also the first post I've written in a month... I want to let you know that one of my main resolutions for the year is to blog more.  I hate half-way doing something, and I know that's what I'm doing here.

I'll start with a brief summary of the past month of my life:

Christmas


This was my first Christmas in New York away from my family, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a few emotional breakdown moments.  Thankfully, Kevin and his family made it such a special time.  Although I missed everyone at home so much, I really had a great time.  I was so excited to give gifts and celebrate and reflect on the birth of our savior.

I got Kevin a weekend in Atlantic City as a gift, so I'm excited for us to book that and go.  So fun.

On Christmas Eve, Kevin and I went into the city and watched the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.  The Rockettes were SO amazing, and I loved the show.  We also saw the tree at Rockefeller Center.  So beautiful.  The crowds were intense, but everyone was super jolly and fun.

New Year's Eve


Both Kevin and I had friends in town for the weekend.  I was SO thrilled to have girl time with Anne-Tyler.  I've always valued having girlfriends but after two months here with knowing very few people, I loved it even more.  In typical AT and Miranda fashion, we ate great food, gossiped, had deep conversations and drank lots of diet coke.

This is us at 12:01 AM on NYE.  In Times Square.

On NYE, I went with Kevin and his friends to a place called Revival.  I'll be honest, when I first walked in, I thought it was going to be awful because it was really small.  We ended up claiming our little spot outside and had a great time.

I really wish this picture were better quality b/c I really like it.

Resolutions


I've never been good at resolutions but I AM really good at making plans and to-do lists, so I'm going to approach it that way.  I've broken down my goals and plans into categories.  It's a long list so read at your own risk.

• Organization
• Because my apartment is so small, it's important for me to become more organized. 
• Donate things I don't REALLY need to charity on a regular basis.
• Don't allow my bedroom to become a "catch-all" even though it's one of the biggest open spaces in the apartment.
• Only buy things I REALLY love and have room for.
• Finances
• I'm pretty good at pinching pennies (I always have been), but the move to New York has forced me to spend a little more of my rainy day fund than I'm comfortable with.  
• Focus on long term savings
• Work on paying off my car faster
• Don't be wasteful
• Relationships
• Invest in people (time, etc.)
• Keep in touch with people I love
• Make new friends
• Spirituality
• Continue to grow in my relationship with God
• Focus on learning his Word and living by His example
• Find a home church in New York
• Read the Bible more
• Professionally
• I have set a lot of professional goals for myself.  Most are really job specific and are not necessarily things I want to share with the blogosphere (sorry) but I will tell you these...
• Read more: leadership books, business news, market trends, etc.
• Join an organization:  I've talked to several people in the local APICS chapter, and I am planning on going to a meeting this month
• Focus on becoming more creative and innovative in my thinking by exposing myself to new things.
• Well- being
• Focus more on being active
• Fueling my body with good things (i.e. eating more healthily and taking vitamins)
• Spending more time doing things I enjoy (crafts, music, etc.)