Spice Storage

As David and I continue to organize his house we found a creative way to store our million spices. So after painting the inside of the pantry we decided to utilize the inside of the pantry door. We decided to paint the door using a magnetic paint.

Once the paint dried we attached magnetic spice containers and a pad of paper for making our grocery list. We still needed to put the spices in the containers in the picture below but you can still get a great idea of what an awesome storage solution this is.



Bikram Yoga

This week I completed one of my goals for the year, trying yoga. I had several friends recommend Bikram Yoga to me and luckily there is a studio right by my house. Bikram yoga is a 90 minute yoga class where you perform a series of 26 poses in a 105 degree and 50% humidity room. Below are the poses performed:

I received a lot of advice before taking my first class and the most important was to hydrate. I had been warned that you may feel dizzy or nauseas during your first class but most important was to stay in the room even if you had to take a break from poses. Well I can happily say I finished all 26 poses my first class and felt pretty good doing it. And after my second class this morning I felt even better and think I have found a new practice to help round out my workouts. Some of the things I love about Bikram are the calming feeling it provides afterwards, the clarity I have at work after a morning practice, the ability to breathe more deeply throughout the day and the overall affect it has had on my body image and food choices. I finally understand what people mean when they say they eat to fuel their bodies. Bikram makes me think about my food choices as what is best for my body. What will help me get through class tomorrow without feeling sick?

David even noticed a difference when we were driving in DC traffic and he started to get frustrated by the other drivers. I just took a deep breath and said it will be ok. I am usually the one driven crazy by DC traffic but with Bikram in my life my perspectives and patience are beginning to change.  I can’t say that I recommend Bikram to everyone, as I found my first class to be very intense, but if you go in knowing what to expect it could be life changing.

Sausage and Mushroom Lasagna

In my fitness magazine this month they had delicious and healthy Italian recipes. They recommended making the lasagna in individual dishes but we made it in one large pan. It turned out really well and made plenty.

Ingredients:

Lasagna Noodles

1/2 pound fresh sweet Italian turkey sausage

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp shredded Parmesan

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 medium onion (we omitted)

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

4 ounces sliced white mushrooms

1/4 cup red wine

1 15oz can crushed tomatoes

1 tsp sugar

1/2 lb fresh mozzarella, cut into 12 slices

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook noodles 5 minutes, gently stirring occasionally. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pasta to a bowl of ice water and let cool 20 minutes, then drain.Cut each noddle in half to make 12 squares.

2. Remove sausage from casings and with it with half the garlic, 1 tbsp Parmesan and parsley. With clean, damp hands, divide mixture into 4 meatballs; pat meatballs into 4-inch square patties about 1/2" thick.

3. Heat 1 1/2tsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties and cook until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to plate using a slotted spoon and dispose of oil left in skillet.

4. Return skillet to stove; heat remaining oil over medium heat. Add onion, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper and cook until just golden brown, about 2 minutes.

5. Raise heat to high, add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown about 5 minutes. Add remaining garlic; cook 1 minute more. Stir in wine scraping bottom of skillet. Add tomatoes and sugar; season with salt and pepper to taste. Add patties and simmer, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes.

6. Heat the broiler to medium high. Place 1 pasta square in the bottom of each of the four shallow heat proof bowls. Top with 3 tbsp sauce, 1 sausage patty, 1 slice mozzarella and 1 tsp Parmesan. Layer with a second square of pasta, top with 3 tbsp sauce, 1 sausage patty, 1 slice mozzarella and 1 tsp Parmesan.Top with a third pasta square, 1 slice mozzarella and remaining Parmesan. Place bowls under broiler and cook until cheese is bubbly, about 1 minute.

Delicious! And for only 476 calories it is a great dinner option. Again, we didn't do ours in individual dishes but it was very easy to adapt to our larger pan recipe.

Lemon Chicken Tarragon

This is one of my favorite recipes when hosting guests. It is very easy and comes out with such a light refreshing flavor. This is another recipe from my Aunt Robin that is a great crowd pleaser.

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts

4 tbsp butter

3 tbsp Dijon mustard

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 tbsp finely chopped tarragon

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

10 saltine crackers finely chopped

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken in lightly greased baking pan.

2. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Stir in mustard, lemon juice, tarragon, salt and pepper, and pour mixture over chicken.

3. Mix together crackers and cheese and sprinkle over chicken.

4. Bake until chicken is cooked and topping is golden, about 35 minutes.

Spring Cleaning: Kitchen Pantry

The first time I saw David's kitchen 'pantry' I was in shock. It was the smallest closet I had ever seen and only had one full size shelf that was so high I could hardly reach it. After a year and a half of hating that closet I decided it was time to put in a real pantry. David of course was thrilled with the thought of more storage and created the new shelves we put in. Below is the previous pantry.

We decided to paint the inside the blue we painted the hall closet so it would actually appear bigger. Then David cut and painted shelves.

Here is the final pantry! We still want to get a few more Tupperware containers to organize it a bit more but for now it is a huge improvement. It is such a change and frees up a whole kitchen cabinet with room to spare! The black painting on the door is another ongoing project that I will blog about shortly.

Oh how I do love organizing!

Asian Inspired Scallops

Last week was a very hectic week and I didn't cook as much as I would have liked. So on Friday I decided I wanted something delicious and low in calories, scallops! I absolutely love seafood so when I want a treat I turn towards shrimp, scallops, or fish. I also wanted to use a lot of ingredients that I already had so I decided to make my own recipe. I was inspired by kabobs but seeing that is it February I tweaked the recipe just a little so I didn't have to stand outside in the cold. Surprisingly, it turned out very well!

Ingredients:

6 tbsp soy sauce

3 tsp wasabi powder

1 tbsp honey

1 1/2 tsp ginger

1 lb scallops

8 mushroom caps halved

Directions:

1. Preheat grill or for me the panini press (which doubles as a grill for me).

2. Combine the soy sauce, wasabi powder, honey, and ginger in a bowl. Toss scallops and mushrooms in sauce.

3. Grill scallops and mushrooms until finished, about 4-5 minutes. I turned them halfway to allow for even grill marks.

4. Toss over rice or couscous.

Of course you can always add more delicious veggies. I just happened to have a bunch of mushrooms in my fridge so this worked!

Breakfast Quesadilla

I recently joined weight watchers as a way to check that my meals are balanced and healthy. It has also provided me with a great new resource for recipes! On my quest to continue eating high protein breakfasts' I created this really simple breakfast burrito.

Ingredients:

small quesadilla shell

1/2 cup fat free cheese

1 slice turkey bacon

egg whites

Directions:

1. Spread your ingredients on half the quesadilla shell.

2. Fold shell over ingredients and grill. I use my panini press but you can also just use a frying pan which works very well to make the outside crispy and melt the cheese. This is such a super easy breakfast and delicious as well. When I am running low on time I even leave out the egg whites and it still keeps me filled up!

A Change of Pace

As part of my quest to a healthier me I have begun adding more time to my current workout routine and making sure to go to the gym at least 6 times a week. Not only do I feel even better it has me thinking about other ways to improve my body, like yoga. I have tried it before and found it difficult. I am use to being sweaty and out of breath for an hour a day but to be sweaty and focus on only my breathing is another thing. My mind is normally going 100 miles a minute and to quiet it for an hour is extremely difficult for me. However, it is my new goal to practice yoga at least once a week. I know the quieting of my mind will help to make me a more centered person and the strength and stretching will improve my body and other athletic endeavors.

Picture from lululemon blog and hopefully me soon!

So, in search of a change of pace I began looking at new classes and therefore gyms. Now let me tell you that I love my gym, I have gone to Fitness First in Arlington for 2.5 years and they have been amazing. However, they offer a limited number of morning classes and to vary my routine I need more choices. So starting March 1 I will officially be a member of Gold’s Gym in Ballston! I am super excited about this since it is closer to my house and my roommate Stephanie is a member, yay for workout dates! I will keep you all updated on how my yoga adventure goes. If anyone has tips on practicing yoga please feel free to share!