keep ’em away. [banana cupcakes w. peanut butter cream cheese frosting]

March 12th, 2013 by | comments

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I’m doing everything I can to get these cupcakes out of my apartment as soon as possible–they’re sinfully delicious. I brought a few to work today for my co-workers (who devoured them), and am taking some to my friends tonight.

In all honesty, the cupcakes don’t even need frosting; though, the banana and peanut butter combo is divine. I plan on using just the cupcake recipe next time to make banana bread. But I’ll wait a while to make the bread, as I’d probably finish the loaf in a day and gain 10 pounds. :)

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throw it together. [ground turkey & quinoa tacos topped w. crispy kale chips & honey-lime Greek yogurt]

March 1st, 2013 by | comments

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Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a great week. Mine had an unexpected, but wonderful start–my roommate and I decided to foster a kitten! He’s been battling a virus for a few weeks and wasn’t able to fight it at the shelter. We’re hoping that he’ll get better soon now that he’s in a home and away from other cats. Though we’ve only had the little guy one week, I have a feeling I’m going to want to keep him. :)

On to the tacos–I know, quinoa again, right? I’d already made the ground turkey and quinoa, and had a large bag of kale, so I decided to combine the ingredients and make tacos. And believe it or not, it worked!

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that’s a first. [tricolor quinoa and black bean salad]

February 20th, 2013 by | comments

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Not having work on Monday really threw me off this week–I can’t believe it’s already Wednesday. I did, however, enjoy the long weekend and spent part of it at home with my grandma. We had a wonderful time together hanging out, shopping and eating (this quinoa salad included)…oh, and dealing with my flat tire for most of Saturday afternoon. I got to experience my first ride in a tow truck, though. Woohoo!

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late to the game. [jalapeño poppers w. sausage & parmesan]

February 6th, 2013 by | comments

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I’m a little late, but I hope everyone’s Super Bowl Sunday was a blast (aside from the 49ers losing). My roommate and I had a bunch of friends over to  watch the game, eat mass amounts of food and drink an exorbitant amount of beer. We had a variety of appetizers ranging from these stuffed jalapenos to a crock-pot sausage and cheese dip to mini weenies in Jack Daniels sauce to homemade chicken tenders to a kale cheese dip. Since a couple of my friends are vegetarians, I made half of the jalapenos with sausage, and half with just the cheese mixture–both were equally delicious!

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addicted. [kale & quinoa salad w. dried cranberries, walnuts & feta]

January 29th, 2013 by | comments

IMG_2724No joke, my roommate and I have eaten this salad four days in a row–it’s that good. It’s also one of the easiest and quickest recipes, aside from the time it takes to cook the quinoa, which is all of 10-15 minutes. The lemon-mustard vinaigrette compliments the salad wonderfully, and tames the bitterness of the kale. Considering how much salad we made, I’ll be eating this for another few days.

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pop ’em. [goat cheese, parmesan & pancetta stuffed baby bell peppers]

January 23rd, 2013 by | comments

IMG_2715Even though we had a long weekend, this week is going by miserably slow. At least work is busy, so that helps!

I remember Giada making these stuffed peppers in an episode of Giada at Home a while back, and I’ve had the recipe bookmarked ever since. I altered the recipe a bit, using goat cheese instead of ricotta, excluding the peas, etc., and boy were they delicious–especially straight out of the oven. My roommate doesn’t eat pork, so I excluded the pancetta from her peppers. Judging from her reaction, the peppers were equally as delicious without the meat. :)

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forget about it. [chicken breasts w. lemon-mushroom cream sauce]

January 18th, 2013 by | comments

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Disregard those New Year’s resolutions–just for one meal. I promise it’ll be worth it. Though this dish is a bit heavier than most meals I cook, it was absolutely delicious. The prominent earthy flavor of the mushrooms in the sauce complimented the slight tartness of the lemon juice. The chicken was even better served atop a bed of brown rice, as the rice soaked up the creamy sauce. I’ll get back to eating healthier next week. :)

Hope everyone enjoys the long weekend ahead. I plan on laying low and staying in LA, after last weekend’s Vegas trip for my dad’s birthday.

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Vegas with the family for my dad’s birthday!

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back on track. [quick broccoli cheese soup]

January 9th, 2013 by | comments

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Happy New Year! Hope everyone had a great one. I’m just getting back into the swing of things, as I had two weeks off work. I spent most of the break at home with my family, then flew up to San Francisco for New Year’s Eve weekend.

Unfortunately, I caught that nasty cold going around, so I’m relying on comfort foods, Emergen-C and lots of rest to get better. Though I’m not fully recovered, this soup definitely helped a bit. Here’s to hoping none of you catch this cold!

 

 

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