Fall Recipe Round-up

Well, kids.

Gone are the days of overworked AC units, humid L rides, crop tops (can I get an amen?) and weekend beach trips. Fall is officially here. While some may be bummed about this realization, I am a true Midwest lady and openly embrace the change of seasons.

My dad is on a mountain bike trip with his buddies in Wisconsin this week and sent this picture to our family last night.

C’mon…it’s gorgeous!

In honor of this significant change in season I’ve decided to round-up a bunch of my favorite fall recipes from different chefs and cooks that will hopefully inspire you to embrace the cooler weather and all it’s glory.

Here we go!

Warm Butternut Squash and Chickpea Salad – Smitten Kitchen

This recipe is perfect for bring-to-work lunches and fall potlucks.

Balsamic-Roasted Brussels Sprouts – Ina Garten

I love anything roasted with balsamic vinegar on it.  Perfection.

Potato-Apple Latkes – Cooking Light

I’m a sucker for good Jewish food, and love how easy this recipe is to make at home.

Beef and Butternut Squash Stew – Giada De Laurentiis

I’ve made this recipe for Brian and I on holidays or for a special date night at home.

Honey-Bourbon Toddy – Bon Appetit

Perfect to bring to a tailgate!  Go BEARS!

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas– Skinnytaste

Hellooo Tex-Mex and butternut squash?  Genius combo.

5 Ingredient Breakfast-stuffed Acorn Squash – PaleOMG

Easy, but impressive breakfast.

Pumpkin Spice Trail Mix – Eating Bird Food

My go-to snack to bring on road trips, to work or to gift to friends.

 

Hope you enjoy some of my favorites… go fourth and eat!

Sweat Inducing Workout

Good Morning, Sunshine!

I have a GREAT workout to share with you today 🙂  This week had been good, but a lot has been going on so I find myself thinking about a million different things after I leave work.

As some of you may know, yesterday was ‘National Running Day’ and in honor of the glorious holiday I came up with a perfect sweat-inducing workout.  Instead of running outside, I decided to head to the gym… why, you ask? It was such a beautiful day!  Well for one, the gym is never crowded these days so I like all the room I have to explore.  Second, my workout focused on incline and pace and the best place to gauge all of that is on the treadmill!

A 40 min. “Tempo Run” was slotted for my half-marathon training and so this is what I came up with…

Oh man, this workout was good.  The middle running portion is what really gets yah – but it is so worth it.  If you’re looking at this and thinking… “I can’t do that”, um YES YOU CAN!  If a 6.5 treadmill pace is not comfortable for you as your normal pace, adjust it!  Customize what feels good to you, but make sure it’s challenging.  Also, it helps if you have a really killer upbeat playlist.  Mine was full of lots of Calvin Harris and David Guetta – the perfect tempo to keep me going.

MIND OVER MATTER.  Here are what the final stats looked like:

This was one of those workouts that left me feeling so accomplished, especially because I was sweating like a maniac — this is where the empty gym thing is a plus!

After my run, I grabbed a foam mat and focused on stretching.  I brought my iPad with me and pulled up the Tone It Up! ‘Bikini Booty’ workout and completed the session 3 times.  I was definitely feeling the burn!

Because I was such a sweaty mess, I ended up showering at the gym and taking full advantage of their sauna which I rarely do!  It was the perfect end to my workout.

By the time I got home I was starving!  I opened my fridge and decided that I wanted something meaty – but healthy — stuffed peppers sounded just right.

Southwest Turkey and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

• Two Large Bell Peppers (I had red on hand)
• Ground Turkey (I used leftovers from my turkey tacos)
• Frozen Corn Kernels
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• Quinoa
• Black Bean Salsa
• Hot Sauce
• Olive Oil Spray
• 1 Medium Tomato – diced
• Taco Seasoning
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Cooking the quinoa according to package directions in a saucepan.
3. While the quinoa is cooking, grab your ground turkey and start cooking.  I already had some precooked, preseasoned ground turkey on hand – but if you are doing this from scratch – cook the turkey in a pan for 8-10 minutes or until cooked through.  With three minutes left, add the diced tomatoes, corn and black bean salsa to the pan and stir until warmed through.
4. Slice your bell peppers in half.  Scoop out the insides and rinse through making sure not ribs or seeds are left.  Spray a baking dish or pan with cooking spray and place the peppers hollowed side up.  Bake these for 15 minutes until just tender.
5. Once the quinoa is done, combine with the meat mixture in a large bowl.  Taste the mixture and add salt – pepper and hot sauce if desired.
6. Pull the peppers out of the oven and stuff with turkey and quinoa mixture.  Top with the grated cheddar cheese – enough to cover the peppers.
7. Bake again for 15 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and gooey!
8. Enjoy!

These little babies were do delicious and just the right amount of food.

Once again, Brian and I ended the night watching Castle, but right as we were ending a VERY INTENSE episode – our Tivo restarted!  Yes, we have Tivo and yes we were both screaming at the t.v.  We were not able to recover the episode and therefore I went to bed not knowing the ending.  The little things in life…

On a brighter note, two days until the weekend!

Grandma’s Recipes

I write part of this blog post Tuesday night as a severe storm cell is moving through the Chicagoland area.  It’s time like these when I wish I lived in a high rise and could see the lightening bolts bounce off the Lake – storms fascinate me.

I also sit here reminiscing about the weekend, specifically the conversations that were had around the dining room table during our Memorial Day feast.  My mother talked a bit about my Great-Grandpa and Grandma Luigi and Filomena Cinotti, both Italian Immigrants who settled in the town of Mount Hope, West Virginia.

As we passed their pictures around the table, Brian’s first reaction was, “wow they’re short”… which was true.

My grandparents, George and Cherry Barbera – pronounced – bar-bear-ah – opened their own Insurance Agency in Mount Hope and expanded their investments shortly after when they opened their own restaurant “Burger Land” and convenience store “U-Totem.”  Fun fact:  my grandparents Burger Land restaurant served the first twist ice cream cone in the state of West Virginia, and let’s be honest… the twist is the best kind of soft serve 🙂

My grandparents taught me many great things in life like…

• The best way to eat a tomato is whole, like an apple
• Just because someone says it can’t be done, doesn’t mean you can’t do it
• Cursing is okay, as long as it’s in Italian
• Malocchio – The Evil Eye, is real

And most importantly, the secrets to Italian cooking.

In honor of their memories and because I was feeling extra nostalgic  I prepared my grandmother’s Italian meatloaf for dinner last night.  Ketchup not included – yuck.

Italian Meatloaf

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 lb ground sirloin
• 2 heaping cups of corn flakes
• 2 eggs
• 1 chopped yellow onion
• 1 chopped orange or yellow bell pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped parsley
• 1 large can of Campbell’s tomato soup ( I swapped out the Trader Joe’s brand for a Campbell’s I found in my pantry – it’s the best)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375*
2. Combine all ingredients and only 1/3 of the can of tomato soup in a large mixing bowl
3. Mix well and add more cornflakes if the texture seems too sticky
4. Form meat mixture into a loaf and place in a large baking pan sprayed with cooking spray
5. Take the rest of the soup and whisk with 2/3 cup of water
6. Pour soup mixture all over meatloaf
7. Bake for 1 1/4 hours
8. Serve with extra juice and enjoy!

The loaf without pre-sauce pouring

This meal brought me straight back into my grandmother’s kitchen… It is one of Brian and I’s favorite recipes that she left me.

What are your most cherished family recipes?

Stretch, Strength & Savor

Hello, Hello!

Yesterday was quite the eventful/stressful day at work in part because…

I GOT SATURDAY LOLLA TICKETS!

My coworkers are the best and all had different browsers and computers up at exactly 10:00 a.m. – constantly refreshing and holding our breath.  Right after mine was purchased, we started blasting Mumford & Sons.  Can’t wait!  I have a good handful of friends who were able to get the Saturday tickets and I also have a good handful who were too late.  I believe they sold out in about 10 minutes!  Crazy.  What’s even more crazy is that people are reselling their tickets on Stub Hub and Craigslist for double and triple the cost.  Don’t do it people!

All the anxiety must have revved up my appetite because by the time lunch came around I was famished.

Lunch included leftover turkey sausage and a salad with bell peppers, avocado and balsamic dressing. I love the Tupperware that has compartments  – It really helps with portion control and keeps everything separated.

After work, I headed straight home and was greeted by this bundle of joy!

I love that no matter how long you have been away from your dog, every time they see you they act like it has been forever.  Lot’s of Bailey Kisses for me!

Once Bailey settled down and Brian left for the gym, I rolled out my yoga mat and took the time to stretch and strengthen.  My legs were a little tight from Tuesdays tempo run, so the yoga stretches felt amazing.  I can’t stress enough how important it is to incorporate some rest/stretch days into your weekly routine, especially when you are training for races.  You need to give your muscles time to recover and stretching helps prevent injury tremendously.  If you have never practiced yoga before, there are a ton of free online videos that can show you some of the basic stretches and poses.  I am by no means a ‘yogi’, but I do enjoy going to class and taking the time out of my busy schedule to savor the hour or so I give to myself just to focus on my health and well being.

Dinner last night was quick, easy and satisfying.  I made Tex-Mex Burrito Bowls in under 30 minutes!  Don’t you just love those kind of dinners?

Tex-Mex Burrito Bowls

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• 1 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 15 oz can black beans – drained and rinsed
• 1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 package of your favorite taco seasoning
• 2 cups of organic brown rice
• 0% Greek yogurt
• Guacamole
• 1 cup diced lettuce
• Hot sauce

Directions:

1. In a saute pan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and ground turkey
2. Saute until turkey is cooked through breaking the meat into bit-sized pieces
3. While the meat is cooking, prepare the brown rice according to directions on the package – set aside
4. Add the diced tomatoes, black beans and taco seasoning to the turkey. Mix together, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until heated through.
5. Assemble your burrito bowl!  Rice on the bottom, 1 scoop of the meat and beans mixture, handful of lettuce, 1 dollop of Greek yogurt, 1 dollop of guacamole (reduced guilt for me!) and a dash of hot sauce
6. Enjoy!

What is your favorite dish to make in under 30 minutes?

Food Coma

This is how I feel after this weekend…

Food coma to the max.  Where did I leave off?  Oh yes, Saturday.

Saturday morning I planned to run 6 miles as a part of my training schedule with a good friend of mine.  We set the “meet” time for 10:00 a.m., so I was able to wake up with plenty of time to eat, digest and stretch.  We started our journey running south down the lakeshore path and it was VERY windy, but beautiful.  In true Chicago spirit, there were a ton of people out on the path due to our first above 50* F temperature.   We made our turn back up north around LaSalle street and wove our way through the Lincoln Park/Lakeview neighborhood.   It was such a good run… the 6 miles really flew by especially because we were talking the entire time.

We finished conveniently by a grocery store, so we stocked up on some Gatorade to refuel while I stretched.  Perfect way to start the day!

After I stretched, showered and guzzled down a quick protein shake, Brian and I headed out to meet his family for a late lunch.  We ended up choosing Burger Bar because Brian’s aunt is an avid burger fan and we wanted to go somewhere that wasn’t too crowded! (yes I know Kuma’s and DMK would have been great choices – but those lines!!)

At this point – 3:00 p.m. – I was famished and could not wait to sink my teeth into some juicy goodness.  I ordered a bloody mary to start and Brian and I split an order of their sassy wings.  The wings were so meaty and flavorful – they did not seem deep fried at all!  I will have to look into this…

For my entree I ordered the Bison Burger – “Wild Bill” – on a multi-grain bun with goat cheese, arugula and a tomato chutney.  Heavenly.

The rest of the evening was pretty chill… we cleaned a little for the arrival of my parents on Sunday and watched a movie. Snoozefest.

I woke up very early Sunday morning to finish all the cleaning and prepped some of the food for our Easter feast!  Easter Sunday was such a relaxing day.  My parents and I went to 11:15 a.m. mass and the choir that sang was so amazing!  Sadly, my dad and I could not find any children wearing Easter bonnets – that’s my favorite part!

After mass, we headed back to my apartment and enjoyed some mimosas and smoked salmon dip with crudites and crackers.  I followed the recipe from the Barefoot Contessa for the dip and it was so easy and light.  Win.

While everyone was unwinding in the living room, I headed to the kitchen to start the main course – Roasted Chicken with Lemon and Fennel.  This recipe was a combination of Martha Stewart’s Roasted Chicken Recipe and The Pioneer Woman.  I just kind of played around with what I thought would taste good and the chicken turned out really well!  Side note – I bought my chicken from Whole Foods and it already came with the gizzards cleaned out – thank goodness!

This was my first roast chicken I have ever made by myself – I was so proud.

The rest of the meal included a light Lemon Capellini and Parmesan side accompanied by an arugula salad.  The roasted chicken did have its fare share of butter, so I wanted to make sure to balance the meal out with lighter sides 🙂

My parents and I were discussing the kind of meals most American families prepare on Easter and concluded that we have never baked a ham… is that weird?  I guess we just aren’t really ham lovers – good news for the pigs!

Most of our Easter dinners consisted of either Chicken, Lamb or Duck.  Yum!

Once dinner was over, we relaxed on the couch with coffee (more wine for me!) and little lemon cookies and treats.  It was truly a wonderful Sunday and I had so much fun cooking!

Question: What does your family cook as the main course on Easter?