tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48065809022451559122024-03-05T18:11:01.445-05:00Big Eater Small BodyMeagan Spencerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337844932611085476noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806580902245155912.post-64461093206543845142014-02-01T17:26:00.002-05:002014-02-01T17:27:28.963-05:00Big Eater Small Body Has MOVED!!!! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Thank you so much for reading, please visit the new site for new posts!</span></div>
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Meagan Spencerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337844932611085476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806580902245155912.post-89992698335301564742014-01-30T06:37:00.000-05:002014-01-30T08:51:04.106-05:00Ooodles of Zoodles<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
can’t even tell you how many of my friends have insisted that I buy a zucchini
noodle “zoodle” making machine. A whole ton of my friends here are Paleo and
hopefully reading my blog week to week. Those friends that are Paleo have
insisted that I try this since I love eating spaghetti squash. So, I’m an old
school TV show watcher and whole idea of that machine reminds me of a hilarious
Cosby Show episode where Cliff is watching infomercials….”Just $19.99! $19.99!”
Anyway, I am a big supporter of the As Seen on TV stuff (come by and check out
my Turbie Twist), but I just can’t seem to get down for a machine that does
something my mandolin can do. So I’m all like, “Yeah, I’ll just make the
zoodles on the mandolin, NBD!” And then I nearly slice my hand off doing so.
But however you cut your zoodles, do try this recipe. I’m no Italian, but I’ll
basically put bacon on anything. So buckle up for this delicious one!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><u>Ingredients</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">5
zucchinis<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">12
oz bay scallops<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">¾
lb bacon, diced <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">6
cloves garlic, minced<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">2
Tbsp bacon grease<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">½
egg, whisked<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">1
tsp dried basil<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">½
tsp coconut oil<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">1
Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">S&
lots of fresh P<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><u>Directions</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">On
your zoodle machine or on your mandolin, slice zucchini into spaghetti sized
noodles. Then place them on a cooling rack over a baking pan. Sprinkle
liberally with salt and let drain for 30 minutes. You’ll notice the water
colleting on the zoodles as well as dripping down. After about 30 minutes, wrap
handfuls of them in paper towel and get mas much of the moisture off them as
possible. When you unwrap them, you’ll notice they are not firm anymore, but
more like cooked spaghetti. It’s amazing! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Drain
the scallops, wrap them in paper towel as well and press them to get all the
water out. Then season with dried basil. Let sit until last minute.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Dice
the bacon before you cook it. Then brown over medium-high heat
until crispy. Drain, but save the excess bacon grease. In a pan over medium
heat sauté garlic with bacon grease stirring constantly. Just for a couple
minutes, you don’t want to burn the garlic. Add zoodles to pan and sauté for 3
minutes. In a separate pan over medium-high heat melt coconut oil and add
scallops. Cook for a minute or two per side. Meanwhile, turn off the heat from
the zoodles and stir in the egg. Mix in the bacon bits and scallops. Stir well
to get everything mixed together. Garnish with lots of fresh pepper and fresh
parsley.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I think
this could easily serve 4 people if you served it as more of a smaller side
portion with a fresh salad. The crunch and salt of the bacon was perfect with
the richness of the egg. It’s a tiny bit on the rich side, but I’m Big Eater
Small Body, so I ate a lot! I’d suggest making a lot and eating until you’re
done! Maybe I am Italian! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It was super fun to twirl them on my fork too! It's the little things!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Salud!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Meagan Spencerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337844932611085476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806580902245155912.post-19987631015069959532014-01-23T08:02:00.000-05:002014-01-23T13:25:48.008-05:00Weekly Consumption Approved<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I am a crazed burger eater. Ask my husband. I legit suggest Boston Burger Company nearly every single time he asks if I want to go out to eat! In fact, I’ve spent substantial time coming up with ways to justify it. My first justification was post tabata class when I started taking it last year. I’ve told numerous friends that I’m sure I was burning 1200-1500 calories each time I took the class, so obviously as my post tabata, Friday night meal, I deserved a burger! I’ll add that I never eat the bun, so there’s that but I’m not sure that counts for much when, during my busy season at work, I’ve rationalized eating at BBC once a week. You think I’m kidding, but I’m not. Incidentally, I always get a Hot Mess, no bun, medium rare! You should check this out it is dangerous! Did I mention I love danger?<br />
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Anyway!!! As a burger lover, I decided a few weeks ago that I wanted to try cooking a new and healthy version that I could perhaps justify eating once a week! What I came up with after some bouncing ideas of Josh and really thinking hard about what I know about food, flavors, and texture was an absolute slam dunk success!<br />
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It was a shrimp burger! Please proceed without fear!<br />
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<u>Basil Mayo</u><br />
½ cup paleo mayo (Recipe on yesterday’s blog)<br />
3 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped<br />
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Mix and refrigerate overnight<br />
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<u>Pickled Red Onion</u><br />
½ red onion, sliced very thin<br />
½ cup red wine vinegar<br />
½ cup water<br />
Pinch of salt<br />
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Mix ingredients and refrigerate overnight.<br />
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<u>Shrimp Burger</u><br />
1 lb raw shrimp (41/50 count), processed in the food processor<br />
10 raw shrimp (21/25 count), cut into quarters<br />
2 egg yolks<br />
2.5 tsp fresh oregano, chopped thin<br />
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes<br />
¼ tsp salt<br />
¼ tsp pepper<br />
1-2 tsp Coconut oil<br />
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Process the first pound of shrimp in a food processor until it’s no longer lumpy. You’ll need to pulse the processor a few times to mix them around so it doesn’t get to mushy. Cut the larger shrimps into quarters. Then mix all of the above ingredients except the coconut oil into a bowl. Patty the shrimp mixture out into 5 patties. Then put in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes so the mix firms back up but doesn’t cool all the way to fridge temperature. Finally, warm the coconut oil in a pan over medium heat and cook for 5 minutes on the first side or until brown. Then flip the burger and cook another few minutes until cooked through and brown on both sides. To test the doneness of the burger you can press on top. If it’s firm and springs back, it’s done!<br />
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Garnish the burger with fresh tomato, basil mayo and pickled onions. I tried to wrap it in iceberg lettuce, which was great really because the crunch is exactly what you need. But apparently I need a trip to NorCal to learn how to wrap a burger in lettuce! It was kind of a mess. Next time I’ll use a knife and fork. Who really cares the method in which you get it in your mouth anyway!<br />
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Either way, this was one of my favorite recipes I’ve ever cooked/blogged! It was silly healthy since my mayo is basically a superfood! But the flavors were spot on together. Don’t leave out a component! Even if you THINK you don’t like one of them! I swear this will impress all of your toughest critics!<br />
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Salud burger buddies!</div>
Meagan Spencerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337844932611085476noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806580902245155912.post-69076988880798287262014-01-22T08:54:00.001-05:002014-01-22T09:13:37.543-05:00You Say Aioli, I Say Mayo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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My whole life I’ve been a mayonnaise eater. My dad is too, so I guess it’s in my DNA. I basically put it on everything. And for all those non-mayo eaters out there, ask yourself this. Do you eat aioli? Yeah? Well, if ya do, you’re my husband. And you’re also being tricked into believing there is a difference. At some point, I believe restaurateurs and chefs all over the world decided to dupe their non-mayo eating public by fancying it up and calling it aioli! So there you have it! Time to reevaluate your eating habits? Am I talking to you?</div>
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That said; I’m not a fan of all the crap that is put into commercial mayo. Is this stuff necessary for something so simple? And please, do not disillusion yourself into believing that vegan or soy or non mayo mayo is healthy. This is false. Anything you are purchasing in your grocery store that is, or is claiming to be, mayo has a bunch of stuff in it that you do not need!</div>
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Some time ago, I decided to make my own and found that it a) couldn’t be easier b) taste great c) is better for you, maybe even good for you! I actually got this recipe base from The Meanest Momma. But her way with the lemon and cayenne wasn’t working for me so I adapted it a tiny bit to make it taste the way I wanted. It took a little finagling and several failures, but this is the best way to make it…well, in my opinion. I’ll let you form your own!</div>
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<u>Ingredients</u><br />
1 large egg, room temperature<br />
1 tsp Dijon mustard, room temperature<br />
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, room temperature<br />
~1 cup Extra Light Tasting Olive Oil<br />
Pinch of salt</div>
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<u>Directions</u><br />
Put the egg, mustard, and vinegar into a standard 2 cup measuring cup. Let them sit together without mixing for a few minutes. Then add the oil until it reaches just barely under the 1 cup line.</div>
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It is particularly important to use extra light tasting olive oil. First of all, if it is super yummy olive oil, use it in your salad not to make mayo! Additionally, the really olive rich stuff gives it a strange taste and what I’m trying to do is recreate the mayo I love with healthy ingredients!</div>
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Once you’ve added the olive oil, blend on high with a hand blender for about 3 minutes. You’ll want to move it in an up and down motion as well as around to get everything blended well. You’ll notice it start to firm up, but keep mixing for another minute or so after it does. Then stir in a pinch of salt and refrigerate (best if chilled overnight or longer).</div>
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The next day it will be creamy and delicious! It’ll be aioli! I use this stuff for a host of things, tuna salad, base for cole slaw dressing, on French fries and you will too! Just call it aioli if you have to!</div>
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Check the blog tomorrow for a super tasty way to eat this recipe!!!!<br />
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Salud!</div>
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Meagan Spencerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337844932611085476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806580902245155912.post-56020581826892108792014-01-16T10:02:00.001-05:002014-01-16T10:02:10.412-05:00A CBC Recreation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>One
of the things that Josh and I missed most about Kentucky when we first moved to
Somerville was the accessibility to outdoor dining. Because there are so many
months that you can eat outside there, most of the restaurants patios. So
one night many years ago, Josh and I went on a search for something casual that
had outdoor seating. We decided to try the Cambridge Brewing Company in Kendall
Square. I like the beer there but we haven’t been back in a long time as there
are so many other options for great food in the Cambridge/Somerville area plus
you can get the beer in other restaurants. However, there was one dish there
that I regularly crave. It was a curried mussels dish. I don’t remember the
description on the menu but I do remember the flavor, so a couple weeks ago I
decided to take a stab at guessing what was in it and recreate it at home. It
was pretty easy to do once I sat down and thought about the flavor and texture.
Here’s what I came up with!</b></span></span></div>
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</b></span><br />
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<u><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients</b></span></span></u></div>
</div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>
</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWTjr1aBsT5g4yK8kYxN-17ipaZ7uYEE6oy8C1i7Ide-9HPt6az0xGYH_UMHzHmDsCF05-5Z7uS6Ugx6iw9QKi0L_J5HfdaaBRf9uPiS3AX8QyT3YfQlBPM1tUo7u4bp6mC8H_mZ_Na13/s1600/CBC+Sauce.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWTjr1aBsT5g4yK8kYxN-17ipaZ7uYEE6oy8C1i7Ide-9HPt6az0xGYH_UMHzHmDsCF05-5Z7uS6Ugx6iw9QKi0L_J5HfdaaBRf9uPiS3AX8QyT3YfQlBPM1tUo7u4bp6mC8H_mZ_Na13/s640/CBC+Sauce.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4lbs
mussels<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1
can coconut milk<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1
cup canned pineapple, diced<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Juice
from the canned pineapple<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1
cup tomatoes, diced <o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>¼
onion, grated<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>½
cup chicken stock<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1
Tbsp yellow curry powder<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1
tsp red curry paste<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1
tsp salt<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Directions</span></u><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Mix
all of the ingredients above with the exception of the mussels in a dutch oven.
It should be fairly thin, not like a curry sauce at an Indian or Thai
restaurant. Bring it to a boil stirring constantly. Then bring the heat down to
low and let the sauce simmer for approximately 20 minutes stirring occasionally.
This will get the curry and pineapple well married. Separate the sauce into two
dutch ovens. Then turn the heat back up on both pots, put the half the mussels
in each pot, and cover with a lid. Cook for 2-3 minutes then stir them bringing
the mussels on the bottom to the top and vice versa. You want to cook them only
until the mussels open. Do NOT cook them any longer because they will over cook
and there is nothing worse than over cooked seafood. You’ll need to keep an eye
on them to make sure. If you don’t have 2 dutch ovens, you can always cook them
in two batches. <o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ll give you a couple quick tips on the
mussels. 1) They need to be alive when you cook them. To check this, firmly tap
open mussels on the side of a bowl. If the mussel closes up, they’re fine. If
they don’t, toss them. 2) I usually then give them a good rinse and remove any
beards. The beards are the hairy looking part that sticks out the side. A firm
pull with a back and forth motion will get that out. You do not want to eat
this, so check every mussel when you rinse them.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8c4zlXLFjAG-FQz75q7CInvKsIMF63X00mQaqkY5gOX_HETlttci27q2MGIj1Ip5nVm0UrI8LIAo_lHYq-A2QNFMNFlDIdkhVlcL1VTgRXNADREAE6a6EmPfbYI9tELl3e2Gzxv11JeV/s1600/CBC+Mussles.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8c4zlXLFjAG-FQz75q7CInvKsIMF63X00mQaqkY5gOX_HETlttci27q2MGIj1Ip5nVm0UrI8LIAo_lHYq-A2QNFMNFlDIdkhVlcL1VTgRXNADREAE6a6EmPfbYI9tELl3e2Gzxv11JeV/s640/CBC+Mussles.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>This
hit the spot exactly. It’s a little sweet and a little spicy and overall just
very delicious. I like to break one of the shells in two and use one side as a
kind of spoon that way I get the broth, the mussel and some of the fruit in one
bite. It’s a bit messy this way, but it’s totally worth it!<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I
hope you enjoy this as much as I did. Seems crazy to me that it took me 6 years
to try it, but I know it won’t be that long before I make it again!<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Salud!<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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Meagan Spencerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337844932611085476noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806580902245155912.post-19850475595002794912014-01-09T12:24:00.000-05:002014-01-09T12:24:52.718-05:00Another Crappy Stir Fry....Kidding! Kiiiiiiidding!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I
cook stir fry every once in a blue moon. The reason? Because it’s quick and simple.
Well, I say simple, but I don’t actually mean it. Yes, sautéing vegetables and
protein is easy. However, the truth is, I think it’s extraordinarily difficult
to get the sauce right. Especially if you’re not drowning it in sugar! Healthy
stir fry that taste really good is tough. I don’t care who you are, this is
fact. So typically I resign myself to a cheat day and get it from someone who
knows what they’re doing. <o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>But
when our family was in during Christmas, we bought a veggie tray so that we’d
have cut up veggies to snack on. </b></span></span><b style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.555556297302246px;"> We had leftovers from our second tray that was soon going to be a wilted mess, so I needed to use up the veggies. I decided to make another crappy stir fry. Only….this time it wasn’t crappy! It was actually really yummy and while it contained ingredients I don’t typically include in my diet, it was still healthy and I ate it guilt free! </b><b style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The veggie tray, incidentally, is from Whole
Foods. This sounds trivial; however, it is so important. In a typical veggie
tray you get broccoli, celery, carrots and tomatoes. Sound right? In the Whole
Foods one you get cukes, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, tomatoes,
peppers of all colors, zucchini and summer squash. This is the holy grail of
veggie trays!</b><br />
<b style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></b></div>
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<u><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></u></div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>
</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Stir
Fry:<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2
chicken breast, cut into thin strips<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Sliced
peppers<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Zucchini,
sliced into thin strips<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Summer
squash strips, cut into thin strips<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Broccoli
florets<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Snap
peas<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Scallions,
sliced<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1
Tbsp Coconut oil<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Sauce:<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>¼ cup
peanut butter<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>*make
the ingredients are just peanuts, no extra sugar, salt, fat, etc.</i><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2
Tbsp gluten free soy sauce<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1
Tbsp white wine vinegar<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2
Tbs olive oil<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>¼ plus
a little extra cayenne pepper<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2
splashes fish sauce<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br clear="all" style="mso-break-type: section-break; page-break-before: auto;" />
</span>
</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Directions</span></u><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>First,
I did not indicate the amount of veggies you need. I fill up a medium bowl for
two people. But if you like more veggies, go ahead! Don’t add the scallions to
the bowl for sautéing. Mix up your peanut butter sauce first. Then combine
everything from the sauce list except the fish sauce in a bowl. It should be
thin(ish). Be sure to taste it…never know, might want more cayenne! Keep it to
the side for later.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Melt
the coconut oil in a pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is good and hot,
add the chicken. Now let it sit. Do not stir it. Just let it cook. Your brain
will tell you to move it, but don’t. After about 4 minutes, stir it. This gets
one side caramelized. When the chicken is cooked through, take it out and cover
it with aluminum foil. Then add a touch more coconut oil to the pan, sauté your
veggies for a couple minutes. You don’t want them soggy, so not too long. I’d
say 5 minutes or so. Add the chicken back to the pan. Reduce the heat to
medium-low.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Then
splash a couple splashes of fish sauce over the stir fry. Do not go overboard.
Stir and cook some until some of it cooks down. Not long…a minute or two. Then
add the peanut butter sauce. Stir to evenly coat and garnish with sliced
scallions.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I
loved this for a couple reasons. A) I love peanutbutter. I don’t think this is
a secret. B) It’s spicy! Although you can tone it down if you like, but I may
make fun of you! C) It’s quick. If you use a WF veggie tray, you can bang this
whole thing out in like half hour! The not chopping vegetables is key!<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Welllllp
Hannah, I hope you like this and thanks for requesting that I blog it!<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Salud
to all those who hate making stir fry too!</b></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
</div>
Meagan Spencerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337844932611085476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806580902245155912.post-42923453331795688492014-01-02T07:56:00.004-05:002014-01-02T07:58:13.279-05:00Jingle Bell Brunch<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Right
after they postponed the Jingle Bell Run in Somerville, my work/running posse
and I decided that if we couldn’t run then drink together, we’d just pot luck brunch
and drink together. Easy solution to what was a total bummer in addition to the
mound of wet heavy snow we received that pushed the race back a week! Lucky for me
everyone had already planned on being in Somerville, so I suggested my house as
a venue knowing I wouldn’t want to go into the city! The only one with a
contingency was Ellen who didn’t want to come if I was making super health
wheat grass kind of food! I assured her it wouldn’t be wheat grass but couldn’t
promise anything on the healthy part. It should be noted that I met Ellen my
first week at work and I happened to be in the middle of a 21 Day Cleanse so I
continually catch jokes at the office about my eating habits!<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>So
my goal for the afternoon was to make something healthy that everyone would
love and I think I succeeded, but I think Gia in particular liked it more than
the rest of my crew! Although who would know after numerous bottles of
champagne?.....don’t ask about the dance party in my living room….well party
might be a stretch, mostly it was Matt and I! It was a seriously wonderful day
with some of my most favorite people in the world!<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<u><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1-1.5
sweet potato, shredded<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>20
eggs, mixed<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>½
roasted chicken meat, diced<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1
½ red bell pepper, diced<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1
8oz container sliced baby bello mushrooms<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2
tsp dried thyme<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1
Tbsp dried basil<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1
Tbsp dried oregano<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2
tsp salt<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1
Tbsp ground pepper<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Coconut
oil<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Directions</span></u><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Shred
the sweet potatoes in your food processor. Wrap them all with a couple layers
of paper towel and squeeze. Unwrap and replace with more paper towel then let
sit for an hour or more. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. In the meantime,
dice up the chicken and peppers, toss them together with the mushrooms. Then
whisk up your eggs with thyme, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. After your
potatoes have dried out some, spray the bottom of a 9x13” glass baking pan with
coconut oil then press down a layer of shredded potato on the bottom and sides
of the dish. Bake just the potatoes for about 15 minutes or until they start turning brown and crisp. Put the chicken, mushroom, and pepper mixture in the pan on top of the potatoes, then pour the
eggs over top. The eggs should just cover the chicken mixture. Bake for a little over
an hour, but check it by touching the top. If it’s firm and there’s no liquid
on top, it’s done!<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Best
served with mimosa and your pals!</b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b>Salud!</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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Meagan Spencerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337844932611085476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806580902245155912.post-515793952074392662013-12-19T17:22:00.000-05:002013-12-19T17:41:47.605-05:00Missing My South Africa!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>It
seems like life has really taken me away from my blog! I apologize to those of
you that look forward to reading. But for now, I’m back for at least another one
more! As some of you may know, I just to back from South Africa! What an
amazing trip it was! Not only is it stunningly beautiful there in all different
kinds of ways…not only did we see all kinds of animals, but the people truly
made the trip special and I will hold a small place in my heart for South
Africa always. That said, one thing I wasn’t too wild about was the food. Our accommodations
were pretty much catering to a European clientele and for the most part it was
just boring old fine dining! But I did manage to talk one of our lodges into
making traditional African food. I believe the quote goes like this, “Melvin, I want to eat what your mother cooked you as a kid!”<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>So
one evening we had a huge barbeque with South African food that you could find
on Melvin’s mother’s table and holy smokes was it good! All of it. However, the
best thing on my plate was African Peanut butter spinach! I don’t think it is
any secret that I love peanut butter. I love it so
much that I typically plop a spoonful of it in my chicken soup! Don’t judge! I
just don’t happen to eat it too often. But this dish was so delicious and
nostalgic that I just couldn't stomach replacing the peanut with almond butter!
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<u><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients<o:p></o:p></b></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3
plum tomatoes, diced<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>½ small
onion, diced<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1-5oz.
box baby spinach<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1-5oz.
box baby kale<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3.5
oz peanut butter<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1-2
Tbsp Coconut oil<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>S&P</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<u><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Directions<o:p></o:p></b></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heat
sauté pan over medium-low heat and add coconut oil. Sauté onion until
translucent. Add tomatoes until soft. Then slowly wilt spinach and kale into
the pan stirring frequently. When the greens are completely wilted, add peanut
butter and stir until evenly coated. You may need to add a smidge of water to
keep it thin(ish). Stir in salt and pepper and serve piping hot!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7oYs5-mZkf886A92N4WglzSUf-tW2ueG_xbpA_Q8mRruR_usKSTDlVkXIel_urepTSkLL9K2YirZMsCqV6yTB2qb2BBTu4FzYk6C1Vt0h7xyktmwqhsWoUvWy21nK9Q791g7kh5QbOS5/s1600/PB+Spinach+II.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7oYs5-mZkf886A92N4WglzSUf-tW2ueG_xbpA_Q8mRruR_usKSTDlVkXIel_urepTSkLL9K2YirZMsCqV6yTB2qb2BBTu4FzYk6C1Vt0h7xyktmwqhsWoUvWy21nK9Q791g7kh5QbOS5/s640/PB+Spinach+II.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">This </span>couldn't<span style="font-size: small;"> be simpler to make. And to me it is seriously delicious. Not just
because of my sentimentality to the trip, but also because, DUH…peanut butter
makes everything better! I encourage you to try this even if it sounds strange
to you! But if you need me to send some pictures of giraffes to truly enjoy it,
let me know!</span></b></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Meagan Spencerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337844932611085476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806580902245155912.post-87447951071097090762013-11-07T09:07:00.001-05:002013-11-07T09:17:31.056-05:00A Sauce Constructed BY me FOR me<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Recently </span>I've<span style="font-size: small;"> noticed that it seems like it might be winter. This is a devastating
realization as my favorite season, autumn, has come and gone and I’m not sure I
joined her! Additionally, I have a nagging feeling that we may have a blizzard
at any moment. Huge sigh! That said, I’m reaching for a healthy dose of fall
flavor. I’m not sure but I think I associate fall with cherries because of
Thanksgiving. Cherry pie at Thanksgiving is one of my favorite things and
honestly cherry anything pretty much makes me happy. Even cherry ring pop! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">I
had Mahi Mahi as protein so I decided to make a rustic cherry sauce to go with
it as the highlight of the blog this week. I had previously picked up dried Thai
chile peppers and was dying to try to cook with them for the first time! Hello delicious
sauce! Kind of like me, a Spicy.Cherry.Sauce! Womp Womp<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjpDcjqbV-RSbeA_bYz-_bwWNvIlWNKuoZdnTdY82gZME5HaLyrheeDzxRs-DP20XeHmYTrRZIIUWvo3oYJfynK8DU8wtgWNqAebC-xcgkrVvI4nJITEbkhu5Xmh6KN-JhGBRKqLu0LZgF/s1600/Cherry+Sauce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjpDcjqbV-RSbeA_bYz-_bwWNvIlWNKuoZdnTdY82gZME5HaLyrheeDzxRs-DP20XeHmYTrRZIIUWvo3oYJfynK8DU8wtgWNqAebC-xcgkrVvI4nJITEbkhu5Xmh6KN-JhGBRKqLu0LZgF/s200/Cherry+Sauce.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Cherry
Sauce</span></u><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">1/3
C dried sour cherries, reconstituted in hot water<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">5
dried Thai chiles<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">10
oz black cherry spread<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">4-5
oz crimini mushrooms, sliced paper thin<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Salt<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">First
and foremost, use a black cherry spread that is sweetened with fruit juice and
the only other ingredient is pectin. I found this fancy one while I was
shopping in the South End. Whole Foods has its own brand though that is much
cheaper and equally tasty. Melt down the cherry spread over medium-low heat then
toss in chile peppers and sauté, stirring frequently. Let it cook down and soak
up the heat a bit. Then toss in the reconstituted cherries and stir. After the
sauce has thickened back up a little, toss in the mushrooms and sauté them,
stirring frequently, until the mushrooms get soft. Stir in a pinch of salt at
the end. Do not skip this, the heat won’t come through as well without it!</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyGt_Gw5Y713ptNcNZ7WW9XTRJtbZ0JWKwFuwLBrb8ny2t1Bb81kGETGt_5pP6Zw7K6XRAYVJwx1BxoP4R002ykQl8OkBnEKp2gVZAZDd7cjC_pZZ3V6jgT34nZ_h5Dgl4fRciZCLVOeTI/s1600/Cherry+Sauce+cooking.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyGt_Gw5Y713ptNcNZ7WW9XTRJtbZ0JWKwFuwLBrb8ny2t1Bb81kGETGt_5pP6Zw7K6XRAYVJwx1BxoP4R002ykQl8OkBnEKp2gVZAZDd7cjC_pZZ3V6jgT34nZ_h5Dgl4fRciZCLVOeTI/s320/Cherry+Sauce+cooking.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Spoon
the sauce over a piece of simply seasoned (salt and pepper) mahi and a
vegetable. I used asparagus that I simply sautéed in a pan. Thing is, you do
not need extra seasoning on your plate because this sauce is bold, complex and
delicious.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">I’m
not sure what it is about mushrooms and cherries that makes me think of autumn,
but this was terrific. I mean really super! If I did it over, I’d probably try
it with duck breast instead, however, this was fantastic and didn’t overpower
the fish at all. If you try it with duck breast, tag me on Instagram
@bigeatersmallbody and let me know how it was! And if you need a tip on how to
cook that duck breast, comment on this or on the photo on Instagram!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Salud y'all!</span></div>
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Meagan Spencerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337844932611085476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806580902245155912.post-30511782346036249362013-10-31T08:40:00.000-04:002013-10-31T08:40:12.476-04:00Crepe-y Halloween<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">On
my very first night ever in Boston, I ate at a Spanish Tapas place on Newbury
Street called Tapeo. I absolutely loved this place! And subsequently took all
visiting friends there for the next, oh 3 years?!?! I never go there anymore
because apparently we’re on a quest in my house to never eat at the same place
twice! I don’t really miss it, but I do miss one of the dishes there. It was a
pimiento con camarones. (A roasted red pepper stuffed with shrimp). It had some
delicious sauce, but not only do I not really remember what it was, I’m not
sure I’d even have the ingredients to make it. However, I wanted to try something
with a similar flavor. I've also really wanted to try to make crepes. I feel
like making them is a skill that is grossly overlooked when you see them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">So
here we go. French crepe meets Spanish tapa! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"> </span><u style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Crepe
Batter</u></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">6
eggs <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">2/3
cup whole milk<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">½ tsp
salt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">¼ tsp
pepper<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Coconut
spray<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Mix
first 4 ingredients very well. Spray a thin coat of coconut spray into a 10
inch NON STICK pan on medium-low heat. Drop just a tad under ¼ of a cup into
your pan and swirl it around to cover the bottom. It’s going to look thin, it
should, it’s a crepe. Cook for a few minutes longer than you think you should
(3 min total) then lift a corner with a
spatula. If it’s browned, scoot the crepe to the far of one side, slide your
spatula under and flip it! Then heat for another 3 minutes (or until brown). You can stack them up as you go and
heat them back up later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">****Important
Note****<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Stick
with it. You will ruin a few. It will take some time to get the hang of it. I
ruined 6 before I got it down. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Filling</span></u></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">1
lb large shrimp, diced in ¼” pieces<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">½ bunch
asparagus, diced small<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">2
roasted red peppers, diced small<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">1-1.5
Tbsp garlic<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Splash
white wine<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">*I
used sauvignon blanc <span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">2
Tbsp butter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">*I
use Kerry Gold its grass fed and it’s Irish, kind of like me!<span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">1
Tbsp olive oil<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Juice
of 1 lemon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">S&P<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw8K9ksquS6TUeGZyAMdsi1GvEExOX-v3OnJeOBaZgY10HX4lllUNf0o_5S6cwOGCzHTMhY35AE8Yc7t3rYrcDStEIzE543ljWPo3HLWi_ZoRYIZs9Y3EsM-Fag6pSTkBGaMgf2XpeBBQJ/s1600/Open+Crepe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw8K9ksquS6TUeGZyAMdsi1GvEExOX-v3OnJeOBaZgY10HX4lllUNf0o_5S6cwOGCzHTMhY35AE8Yc7t3rYrcDStEIzE543ljWPo3HLWi_ZoRYIZs9Y3EsM-Fag6pSTkBGaMgf2XpeBBQJ/s320/Open+Crepe.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">In
a pan over medium-low heat, sauté butter, olive oil and garlic for about 5
minutes. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Then add asparagus and cook for
another 5-7 minutes. Add shrimp and cook until the pieces are just barely pink.
Approximately 5 more minutes. Then throw in the wine and sauté for a minute or
two. Toss in the roasted red peppers and mix until they are heated through as
well. No more than a minute. Juice the lemon over the shrimp mix, with a
sprinkle of salt and pepper and start filling your crepes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">To
do this, keep your heat low and spoon a smallish amount into the middle. Then wrap
them like burritos. I garnished them with some shaved raw asparagus, fresh
parsley and a plain ole green salad dressed with lemon juice and olive oil.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It
looks absolutely beautiful on a plate and it tasted awesome! You could even add
an extra roasted red pepper as the bites with them were the best ones! This </span>wasn't<span style="font-family: inherit;"> really even close to the dish from Tapeo, but I considered it a valiant
victory over a food </span>I've<span style="font-family: inherit;"> been afraid to try to make (the crepe) and it was sooo
delicious. Another thing, this is an incredibly light dinner, so it would also
make a terrific brunch or lunch! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Salud!</span></div>
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Meagan Spencerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337844932611085476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806580902245155912.post-27785187164404815202013-10-23T22:23:00.000-04:002013-10-23T22:25:27.542-04:00Beets N Sweets<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Alright,
last week I said I’m not really a salad lover. And this week, I am going to
blog another salad. Every single time I make a blanket statement like that, I
end up doing something completely contrary to my previous statement.
Must.Stop.Making.Generalizations.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Some
of you know that I run the Relay For Life event in Peabody, MA. If you know
anything about me or Peabody, you know that I am an A-Typical Somerville
resident, who almost never crosses the river and that I only go to that part of
the state for two reasons. First, my beloved Relayers. Second, my friends Steve
and Brit. I had a lunch meeting with a volunteer last year and she asked me to
pick up salads from this place in Danvers called Prime Roast Beef. I was
seriously skeptical, but I did as I was asked. When I went to get them, I
ordered myself what now stands as my favorite salad to date! I literally crave
this thing every week. This little beauty is called “Beets and Sweets” and I
always add steak tips. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So
the problem is that I cannot schlep it to Danvers every week for salad. I drive
a Prius, but an hour round trip for a salad is extreme! Well, this week I
decided to make it myself. How hard could it be? Beets, sweet potatoes, goat
cheese, pecans, steak tips, greens, balsamic dressing. Piece of cake! No….piece
of steak! Ooooooh, I’ll be here all night folks! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Due
to the quality of steak tips that I buy (thank you Matt Napoli, see previous blog
re: “crack tips”), I actually enjoyed my salad better than Prime’s! Ha! I win!
You can pick up these steak tips “original” flavor at Pemberton Market,
Idylwilde Farm, Mann Orchards or directly from them. I’m sure you can get it
other places but these are in towns I’m regularly in. <a href="http://www.domsausage.com/Home.aspx" target="_blank">DOMS</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Salad</span></u><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/3
sweet potato, cooked, cooled and cut in chunks<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1
medium beet, cooked, cooled and cut in chunks<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">¼ cup
pecans, chopped<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2-3
Tbsp crumbled goat cheese<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2
cups mixed greens<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4-6 steak tips</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Dressing</span></u><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3
Tbsp balsamic vinegar<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">¼ to
1/3 cup olive oil<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pinch
of salt<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">¼ tsp
fresh ground pepper<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Basically
stack the ingredients in a bowl. You’ll want to grill your steak tips for just
a couple minutes on screaming high heat to get a crust, but keep them medium
rare. Bake your potato in the microwave for 8 minutes. Cooking beets is easy
too. Boil them, skin on until you can pierce through with a fork. Then wrap in
paper towel and twist lightly. The skin will separate easily. This couldn’t be
easier and it’s really not a salad…it’s a steak and potato. </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk1qxPj9NU1oFwBxn6XuYu-bt4gk_mN8YxJ1Z6zR8Ct3GNM9wo0f_Eyyaq0MUF0GLD1HcX4P9e349JO75A62PF0GnAEImwTFU69kmRObULFEqbQ8tJdCjcrLF5V9G7R7x63YBtW4jS6CPD/s1600/Beets+n+sweets.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk1qxPj9NU1oFwBxn6XuYu-bt4gk_mN8YxJ1Z6zR8Ct3GNM9wo0f_Eyyaq0MUF0GLD1HcX4P9e349JO75A62PF0GnAEImwTFU69kmRObULFEqbQ8tJdCjcrLF5V9G7R7x63YBtW4jS6CPD/s640/Beets+n+sweets.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This
salad, if that’s what you want to call it, was so pretty, I texted it to two
friends….here are their responses…</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">..</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGR0xC62fBPEG-oKh0BYPNb2S3Ep0iTxsRfKy5AbpGrUplNAxrZJEaOHvwWw10YWQF23OksPkr0L6tebq7pIWGorkoWZPAUU_prfepqYf57E7T05f4KU8sUvtFDZW1vZFX9sjKknLW9Pj-/s1600/Text+I.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGR0xC62fBPEG-oKh0BYPNb2S3Ep0iTxsRfKy5AbpGrUplNAxrZJEaOHvwWw10YWQF23OksPkr0L6tebq7pIWGorkoWZPAUU_prfepqYf57E7T05f4KU8sUvtFDZW1vZFX9sjKknLW9Pj-/s320/Text+I.PNG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bsWP9dwI9qMfxjOLOvz0TiOPkteGp1s2ZjsVR19a7HrAF0PXmqd3qR4yzEkXN7Gni_Or5hfz9UpI0U-OYcZ3yEZiK_TSSu5SMR1TBAj27m6XZOdgYEE7Hm2cQxHU1xymBLMR5-lg-f21/s1600/Text+II.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bsWP9dwI9qMfxjOLOvz0TiOPkteGp1s2ZjsVR19a7HrAF0PXmqd3qR4yzEkXN7Gni_Or5hfz9UpI0U-OYcZ3yEZiK_TSSu5SMR1TBAj27m6XZOdgYEE7Hm2cQxHU1xymBLMR5-lg-f21/s320/Text+II.PNG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Please
try this yourself, you won’t be disappointed!!! I think my friends deserve this
salad for their terrific responses. Maybe I’ll make it for them! </span></b></div>
</span><br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Salud!</b></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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Meagan Spencerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337844932611085476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806580902245155912.post-13266246312067945582013-10-17T08:32:00.000-04:002013-10-17T08:38:36.710-04:00Salad Guessing Game<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I
am not a salad eater. I really just don’t super love salads and especially not
as a main meal. Don’t get me wrong, I eat one for lunch between 3 and 4 days a
week. But I really just do it because it’s a quick thing to pack up and take to
work and it’s always going to be healthy. I mean, unless you coat it in ranch
dressing, which I don’t. But really, if I’m being honest, I’m more of a bacon
girl! That said, I had plans for a quick and easy dinner of grilled chicken and
a brussell sprout salad last week. Unfortunately it didn’t make it to my plate
for dinner. However, before Josh and I ventured out for an entire day of
drinking on Saturday, I decided it was probably a good idea to eat something
healthy beforehand. It’s all about balance, right?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I
Instagramed (is that a verb?) and Facebooked a pic of the fantastic and uber
healthy salad on Saturday at which point my food friends started guessing what
was in it! So friends, today I unveil my super simple but very healthy salad
from Saturday. I know the suspense has been killing you and I’m very sorry for
the long wait! But as my father told me anytime he handed me a bottle of
ketchup as a kid, “Good things come to those who wait!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAlaQHOftq3vTf78756JqHjuYP-Upna2W-dQ6JMFUn6J3iWoDcKk2INIy65Npya2zDOFYEH5f5udg2YO_K6El1TkKBxMiFkWNZgRUZUZi4h_cip0EhuIcuNspAGMQzrE_6AhglU8aUIWSb/s1600/Roasted+Hazelnuts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAlaQHOftq3vTf78756JqHjuYP-Upna2W-dQ6JMFUn6J3iWoDcKk2INIy65Npya2zDOFYEH5f5udg2YO_K6El1TkKBxMiFkWNZgRUZUZi4h_cip0EhuIcuNspAGMQzrE_6AhglU8aUIWSb/s200/Roasted+Hazelnuts.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Roasted hazelnuts have been my new </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">obsession,they are soooo yummy!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salad<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">20
or so brussell sprouts<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">½ a
5oz box Olivia’s Organics Baby Kale, roughly chopped<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 ½
cup roasted hazelnuts<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/3
cup fresh shredded Parmesan<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Dressing</span></u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Juice
of 2 lemons<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1
Tbsp dried basil<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Olive
oil<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">S&P<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I
decided on this lemony dressing based on a drink I once had on a night out with
Gregory, Jon, Marc and Pam. I omitted the tequila but hey, if you want
some tequila in your salad dressing, MORE POWER TO YA!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Directions</span></u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Cut
stems off brussell sprouts and put them in your food processor using the slice
blade. Toss together thoroughly with the rest of the salad ingredients. For the
dressing, put lemon juice and basil in a shaker or mixing bowl. Add olive oil,
tasting as you go. You want the dressing to be acidic but not as thin as lemon
juice is. I can’t tell you how much this is because it’s going to depend on the
size of your lemons and also how acidic you can handle. But keep a bite, it
helps with the cheese. When </span><span style="font-size: 17px;">you've</span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> got the acidity right (remember, it just
needs to taste good to you, there is no right or wrong answer here) add salt
and pepper. Now toss a little bit in at a time until your salad is well coated,
but not weighed down. You won't use all of the dressing, but the good news is you'll have some for another salad later! Toss a few extra hazelnuts on top for presentation and
serve with just about anything you like</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="color: #444444;">.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><i><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*Advice
from a salad professional* My friend Becca makes legit the best salads in the
world! They are maybe my exception to the I Don’t Like Salad rule! And her
advice is always mix in the dressing to the whole salad! Don’t put it on top
per portion! And in my limited experience, she is right on the money! I listen
to Becca, you should too!</span></i></b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9SjeEujlEhyphenhyphen0shuEPFBtbWsOAsugdnbBEMuyw9hec3Sk4YepQK7K9a_2SXPvOKXklDAQjGfzgQGrbWvpHVDt1r_2LWvdiTBQ9nGQ5_VQnwmLegX26i5TA12qH7sQNZ5-QjGiKP90IA_jS/s1600/Brussell+Sprout+Salad+With+Dressing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9SjeEujlEhyphenhyphen0shuEPFBtbWsOAsugdnbBEMuyw9hec3Sk4YepQK7K9a_2SXPvOKXklDAQjGfzgQGrbWvpHVDt1r_2LWvdiTBQ9nGQ5_VQnwmLegX26i5TA12qH7sQNZ5-QjGiKP90IA_jS/s640/Brussell+Sprout+Salad+With+Dressing.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Not
only is this salad the ultimate of superfoods (kale, Brussels, nuts,
paaaahlease!) but it will also keep your friends guessing if you post pictures
of it on Facebook! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Enjoy
and Salud!</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
Meagan Spencerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337844932611085476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806580902245155912.post-26377457942395793892013-10-10T12:34:00.001-04:002013-10-10T12:34:35.517-04:00Sticky Maple Bacon Balls On Request<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #660000; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Well,
I think it’s officially time to call me Big Eater Lazy Blogger! With work
transitions and focusing on my workouts, blogging and creative cooking has
gotten a bit scarce. But I come today with a food that was suggested by a
friend. We all know that I didn’t declare myself a foodie until after I grew
and developed my obsession with pork. And by default this makes me a bacon
eater, ok ok I’m obsessed with bacon. Knowing that about me, my pal Hannah
pretty regularly tags me in bacon photos, recipes and comments through social
media. In the past, it hasn’t been clear as to whether it’s because she wants
me to cook her bacon goodies, but a few weeks ago, it was more of a “Hey can
you cook this for us!” type of tag. What was this delicious goodie? Maple Bacon
Sausage Balls. Well friends, that’s the end of the story! Haha, not really but
it certainly could be. So with this planned I decided to host a BESB Breakfast
for Dinner! I let my guests know what the intentions were and a few days later,
Marcy shows up at the gym with some VT Maple Syrup! Awesome! Funny thing was, I
had traveled to Montreal the previous weekend and grabbed some syrup myself in
VT, I mean, because where else would you get it?</b></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwr77iCKDIjqadLxdmux_8riCfRj5ynv6CWIW7CdcHBK8qmupulw8u3eqVn4wvqH77U_whvR93wlO60w7d82UM4UzHQPnPZSWS6Mz1VRnpbu-nbiJ3XtKjvGCrJDFZZaveMmpnzChQyX34/s1600/Maple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwr77iCKDIjqadLxdmux_8riCfRj5ynv6CWIW7CdcHBK8qmupulw8u3eqVn4wvqH77U_whvR93wlO60w7d82UM4UzHQPnPZSWS6Mz1VRnpbu-nbiJ3XtKjvGCrJDFZZaveMmpnzChQyX34/s320/Maple.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">It's kind of hard to see here, but there's<br /> a definite color differenc</span>e</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>The
evening before my dinner, I decided I needed to figure out just exactly what I
was working with. So I poured each syrup into a shot glass. Marcy’s was a Grade
A from Bixby Farms and mine was a Grade B from Eaton’s Sugarhouse. Well the
color in itself was a huge contrast and that’s when I realized maple was a
little like wine, so Josh and I had a tasting! It was so interesting. The color
of the Grade B was darker than the A. Additionally, the Grade B had a more
concentrated sugar and caramel flavor. However, when we tasted them side by
side the Grade A was much better. It had a tree flavor that was so cool! Now,
my disclaimer is that I’m a southern girl and I may or may not have grown up on
the kind made mostly of corn syrup! But it was truly amazing to me just how
well you could taste the tree in the syrup Marcy brought me! So obviously that’s
what I was going to use. Additionally, Bixby only processes pure maple syrup in
their facility and so it made it 100% safe for my girl Jackie, who cannot eat Gluten.</b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>Here’s
what I came up with, I hope you enjoy it as much we did!<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><span style="color: #444444;">STICKY
MAPLE BACON BALLS</span><o:p></o:p></b></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Serves
6 (If that’s too many, just freeze them for a quick breakfast or dinner later)</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Ingredients<o:p></o:p></b></span></u></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>2lbs ground pork<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>2lbs bacon, chopped<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>½ onion, minced<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>2 Tbsp allspice<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>6 cloves garlic,
minced<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>1 Tbsp dried fennel
seed<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>1/3 cup maple syrup<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Salt and Pepper<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Directions</span></u><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Mix all ingredients
and let sit in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Roll into golf ball size balls.
Bake at 350 degrees for a 30-40 minutes (depending on your oven) and flip
halfway through.</b></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTUb43-8K5PhPluxpBENvzFctvrVSjh5KxefsrHkECPUN86KPq3-tNCXS3SOaOgc0U9cT4El8HJOEX-7WNkKSpjWscJQeJ5SLbOxxcTQR3za3pFX3v9_CxiHcD8NTn7tePncwRrrpY7nB6/s1600/Maple+Balls+I.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTUb43-8K5PhPluxpBENvzFctvrVSjh5KxefsrHkECPUN86KPq3-tNCXS3SOaOgc0U9cT4El8HJOEX-7WNkKSpjWscJQeJ5SLbOxxcTQR3za3pFX3v9_CxiHcD8NTn7tePncwRrrpY7nB6/s640/Maple+Balls+I.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We also had a frittata and sweet potato parsnip cakes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
</div>
Meagan Spencerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337844932611085476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806580902245155912.post-68814892589149898912013-09-23T22:45:00.000-04:002013-09-26T07:04:07.706-04:00Food Memories<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It
has taken me a loooong time to get comfortable in my new kitchen. But as I sit
here listening to music and waiting for my squash to finish and grill to heat
up, I can say my heart is back in it and I am feeeeeling the joy of cooking
that I grew up with. I don’t know if anyone will ever watch me cook the way I
watched my grandma, aunt and mom, but if they did, they wouldn’t just see it…they
would feel it. In my southern family, you cook for people to show them that you
love them. Be sure that if I’ve ever cooked for you, it was with that sentiment
as well.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So
as I got my groove back, I realized that I was experiencing two of my favorite
childhood things; the smell of celery, onion and sage cooking together and
snappin’ beans. I have literal days of memory snapping beans and despite the
chore as a kid, I still love doing it!<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><span style="color: #444444;">At
the farmers’ market two weeks ago, I picked up some winter squash. They were
beautiful and I love mashing squash up with curry. However, t</span></b></span><b style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #444444;">here was also some seriously gorgeous sage so I decided I would combine the two. Little did I know I’d be recreating my grandma’s Thanksgiving stuffing only sans the bread! But the flavor was spot on and it reminded me of many Thanksgivings of my childhood.</span></b></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Squash<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2
winter squashes <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*It
really doesn’t matter which kind although I’d stay away from butternut </span><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1
celery stalk, finely diced<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">¼
onion, finely diced<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2-3
Tbsp fresh sage, finely diced<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><span style="color: #444444;">2
Tbsp butter</span><o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><span style="color: #444444;">olive oil</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><span style="color: #444444;">s&p</span></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qMtr1BCDTn5P7S4l_zQiU55X8731-_MEL8p0O4eEUFJd86s-q950VJQk7oCIt6Yum-iBP0xcWfQFq-d8rmq0t9t8-4fQW-gayUyjcjsbZQl4QhbEDC8ozjolT7dL2CylfQfSDcUVsR7_/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qMtr1BCDTn5P7S4l_zQiU55X8731-_MEL8p0O4eEUFJd86s-q950VJQk7oCIt6Yum-iBP0xcWfQFq-d8rmq0t9t8-4fQW-gayUyjcjsbZQl4QhbEDC8ozjolT7dL2CylfQfSDcUVsR7_/s320/photo+2.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cut
squash in half and remove seeds. Rub with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and
pepper. Bake at 425 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour (until soft). In the
meantime, sauté celery and onions in butter with just a pinch of the fresh sage
until the veggies are soft. Spoon out the squash in a bowl, add onions and
celery and fresh sage. Smash it until it is smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdACG20ynMhVIZ5TiuNYslOT4k9GynM-M8SEXkOg6hpI4MRQYXXuevEy96vSX_Z0Lz8TkYewYhTsPRkLpDeb8lYnen57DYrqTemX2PRRi_hoDwWE2U7r1mLPIQyN2d_0cBr0pxcWz8ffd2/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdACG20ynMhVIZ5TiuNYslOT4k9GynM-M8SEXkOg6hpI4MRQYXXuevEy96vSX_Z0Lz8TkYewYhTsPRkLpDeb8lYnen57DYrqTemX2PRRi_hoDwWE2U7r1mLPIQyN2d_0cBr0pxcWz8ffd2/s200/photo+1.JPG" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I
grabbed some bone in pork chops from Stillman’s at the Turkey Farm, seasoned
them with Borsari and grilled for 5 minutes a side. Done and Done.<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><span style="color: #444444;">Served
the pork and squash with roasted brussel sprouts and beans. You know the drill,
425 degrees for 18 minutes. Always perfect!</span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In
a moment I was back in Terre Haute, Indiana at Thanksgiving with my family.
Funny how food can be so important to your memories. I hope you’ll try this and
pack it away as something you share with your friends and family!</span></b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Meagan Spencerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337844932611085476noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806580902245155912.post-16858019766219905352013-03-28T08:43:00.000-04:002013-03-28T09:04:40.948-04:00A Very Sparty Salad<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); color: #444444;">In the great state of Kentucky, it is the middle of March Sadness. Well, in most people's houses, but not so much in my dad's house. In my dad's house, Tom Izzo may take my father's beloved Spartans to a national championship. I grew up in a divided home. My dad is a Michigan State fan to his soul and my mother always cheered for Michigan. Although I sometimes wonder if she just did that to get his goat. Either way, it was a home divided and game days were a sight. So when I decided to attend the University Of Kentucky, I am sure eyes rolled with regard to sports. Yet another family division. If we're being fair, Kentucky is the obvious better choice of teams to cheer for. I mean, caaahm aaahhhn! Big Blue Nation or Die! I don't feel strongly about this, hahaha! Anyway, my father's allegiance definitely translated in me a certain respect for a team, perhaps the only team in the NCAA, that trains for the tournament all year long. Year in and year out this team gets its butt kicked all over the place. I'm not saying they always lose, we know that's not true. But they kick, scratch and fight their way through their season and their unmatched difficult schedule. Izzo has no interest in making the season a cake walk for these poor kids. But they always show up to the tournament and this year, they just might win. So since my beloved Cats aren't in the tournament, I've been taking bribes at work for which team I cheer for. We have a Cuse fan, a Kansas fan and a State fan. The choice here isn't really a competition, but I do respect all of the teams represented in my office and love the friendly competition it brings come tournament time. It is always fun to be around folks with a similar passion for basketball! Anyway, I was cooking over the weekend and decided I had the ingredients to make a very Sparty Salad that my dad would love!</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><u>Here's the breakdown:</u></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Vinaigrette</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFp7ph9bXJKSfsnNLu9QYIxREdz9IxRI0vbCL8rntze7eWrkYWOwB8BA5sROc3QReZ7MXfWzhCmFr-EfsWp7dERYeitow_Jb72mctxTHfHBr58kgSLeVIE59bg7aHbkxmlxwbvuXg9m_VQ/s1600/photo-26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFp7ph9bXJKSfsnNLu9QYIxREdz9IxRI0vbCL8rntze7eWrkYWOwB8BA5sROc3QReZ7MXfWzhCmFr-EfsWp7dERYeitow_Jb72mctxTHfHBr58kgSLeVIE59bg7aHbkxmlxwbvuXg9m_VQ/s200/photo-26.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easy Peasy Product</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes</span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">1/4 cup red wine vinegar</span></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-size: x-small;"><i>*I used cabernet vinegar</i></span></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">1/2 cup olive oil</span></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">pepper</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Salad</span></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">1 bunch green asparagus</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">1 bunch white asparagus</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">12 oz country ham, diced</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-size: x-small;"><i>*If you don't have country ham, which unless you're in the south, you dont....use serrano ham or prosciutto</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">1 6 oz package ArtiHearts grilled artichoke hearts</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-size: x-small;"><i>*or 6 oz of your own grilled artichoke hearts</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Cut the woody stems off the asparagus and then cut the spears into thirds. Then divide up the artichoke hearts with your hands. Mix everything together. Food process the sun dried tomatoes and mix with the rest of the vinaigrette ingredients. Toss together some of the dressing with the salad and voila! A very Sparty green and white salad that any State fan would love!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Go State!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggfAI-Y8upwnXHMdvqwAYygti4CvRyITgjP0_e-PIDGeh1Rv9Id2uKGWpa3mvHJwMwWuyqCu17R_F2BNh_PGfb1W7v_W14skcMiIU6vShFSA2NtQrga4NsEmI4bXQTliYxEPf7skKgJ5xs/s1600/DSC_0043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggfAI-Y8upwnXHMdvqwAYygti4CvRyITgjP0_e-PIDGeh1Rv9Id2uKGWpa3mvHJwMwWuyqCu17R_F2BNh_PGfb1W7v_W14skcMiIU6vShFSA2NtQrga4NsEmI4bXQTliYxEPf7skKgJ5xs/s400/DSC_0043.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Meagan Spencerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337844932611085476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806580902245155912.post-65472561449576117632013-03-21T09:30:00.002-04:002013-03-21T09:30:59.190-04:00Try It Again<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">I hate salmon. I mean, no, I hate cooked salmon. Cooked salmon is like this year's UK basketball team. You want to love it because you know it's good for you, but ya just hate it! How someone's most favorite piece of sashimi can be someone's most hated fish when it's cooked is totally beyond me, but there you go. I am a freak of nature. The truth as I know it is that salmon changes almost completely once its cooked. So you can imagine we don't eat it in my house...ever. However, because of a great tip that Dave's Fresh Pasta has day boat fresh fish on Thursdays, combined with the fact that Josh likes it, added to the fact that it is seriously good for you, I decided to give it another whirl. Incidentally, did you know how good it actually is for you?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Due to the high amounts of Omega-3 fat and Vitamin D, salmon is great in preventing inflammation, improving cognitive function, preventing cancer. It also improves eye and , skin, hair and cardiovascular health. It is also high in Vitamin B12, protein and is moderately low in calories.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Here's what my little brain produced!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Marinade</span></u><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">2 Tbsp. fish oil</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">1/2 cup coconut aminos</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">1/4 cup rice vinegar</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">1 Tbsp. spicy sesame oil</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">1" fresh ginger, minced</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">6-8 cloves garlic, minced</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">1 Tbsp honey</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">pepper</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Fish</span></u><br />
<u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></u>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">3 salmon fillets</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">1-2 Tbsp. coconut oil</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Sauce</span></u><br />
<u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></u>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">left over marinade </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">honey</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">1-2 Tbsp. almond butter</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">cayenne pepper</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Put all the marinade ingredients into a ziploc bag and mix up thoroughly. Put salmon in the bag skin up so that the fleshy part is in direct contact with the marinade. Marinate for several hours. Remove from the marinade and dry off skin side of the salmon really well. You want it super dry. Heat coconut oil on high then add salmon to the pan skin down. Then turn the heat down to medium. Cook on that side until the fish is almost cooked all the way through. You'll see this happen by the color change. Then flip over for just a minute or two to brown the other side. Reserve the left over marinade and put in a small saucepan. Heat over medium with a little extra honey, almond butter and a dash of cayenne pepper. Stir until it thickens. Spoon over fish.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">I served this with bok choy, leek and mushroom stir fry. So here's the verdict. The sauce was amazing! But I still don't like cooked salmon. Josh, on the other hand, loved it. So what have I learned? Stick with sashimi. For all you salmon lovers, I'm sure you'll love this too. If you hate cooked salmon like I do, try this recipe with fish you like!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Salud!</span></div>
Meagan Spencerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337844932611085476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806580902245155912.post-20803678673662497082013-03-07T08:19:00.000-05:002013-03-07T09:16:03.435-05:00Getting Wingy Wit It!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">When I was poor and in college, my friend Jason and I used to go out for half price tall boy beers and half price buffalo wings liiiike every week. We could pretty much get bombed and full for 10 bucks a piece! It was pretty glorious especially in hind sight living in a state where drink specials are illegal. Don't even get me started on this particular subject. Anyway, I believe these nights are where my buffalo chicken obsession began. I could legit happily eat them several times a week. However, those little spicy beauts will make you fat really quick. And in fact, they did! Did I mention I used to be a little pork chop? However, I do not think one should have to give up flavors they love. I think adapting them is the way to go. So that's what I did with this recipe. I seriously enjoyed it and because I thinned out the blue cheese dressing, I also suffered from a little heat induced sweat. Which I hear burns more calories, so rock on!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><u>Here's the breakdown:</u></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">2 chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" cubes</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">4 cups mixed greens</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">1/2 yellow pepper, sliced</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">1/2 red pepper, sliced</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">1/4 english cucumber, sliced</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">1 crown broccoli</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">julienned zucchini</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-size: x-small;"><i>*I got this from the salad bar at Whole Foods to make my life easier</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Franks Red Hot</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-size: x-small;"><i>*I put that sh*t on everything</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">1/4-1/2 cup grass fed blue cheese crumbles</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">1/8 cup white wine vinegar</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">1/2 cup olive oil</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">1 Tbsp coconut oil</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">pepper</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Mix up all the veggies into 2 bowls. Sauté chicken in coconut oil over medium-high heat. Let me give you a great tip incase you aren't already doing this.....melt your oil then put the chicken in and let it sit. I mean really let it sit. Like 2 minutes after you think you should move it around, then do it. I just think the chicken tastes better when you let it get brown and it also sticks less to the pan at that point. So anyway, cook your chicken through and set to the side. Toss with the Franks. For the dressing, I wanted to thin down the blue cheese dressing, not get rid of it. It's one of my favorite parts of eating buffalo chicken! So instead of making it creamy, I made a blue cheese vinaigrette. Cut down some of that dairy and unnecessary fat. So start with the blue cheese in a container that has a tight lid. Then add the vinegar and pepper. Put the lid on and shake the bejesus out of it. It will look milky at this point but still have some chunks. Then add half the olive oil and shake again. Then taste it. If it's too acidic add more little by little tasting it along the way. When it's just to your liking, toss the veggies with the dressing and then place the buffalo chicken on top of your salad. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">This absolutely fixed the need for spicy and blue. It is a terrific alternative to the less healthy alternative and it has exactly the same flavor plus some. You won't even miss those greasy old wings!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Salud!</span></div>
Meagan Spencerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337844932611085476noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806580902245155912.post-2575963186771941262013-02-28T07:29:00.000-05:002013-02-28T07:29:16.123-05:00RoseBerry Mahi Skewers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">So this weekend in my house we decided that the chore....I mean joy, of cooking should be shared a little more evenly. Don't get me wrong, I adore cooking! You know this. I love my job, but given the opportunity to build an amazing professional kitchen and join the cast of Travel or Food Network, I'd be done and done! Of course I'd still volunteer for my beloved American Cancer Society. But all this said, I'm still waiting on that call from Anthony Bourdain and Bobby Flay so for now, I work. And when I say work, I mean things are ramping the heck up and my hours are nutso! So again, as much as I love cooking, doing it every night is getting to be much too taxing!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">So Josh and I sat down to make a menu for the week knowing we were sharing the cooking and I got a chance to really think up something I've not made or eaten. And with the added bonus of only having to come up with 3 meals for the week instead of 6, I was really able to think! What I came up with was creative, colorful and just plain delish albeit a little labor intensive....a little. Don't be skurred!</span><br />
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<u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Here's the breakdown:</span></u><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">2 mahi mahi fillets</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">3/4 pint raspberry</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">1 Tbsp fig balsamic vinegar</span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: x-small;">*regular balsamic would be just fine, I didn't have any</span></i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">2 Tbsp olive oil</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">2 tsp honey</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">bamboo skewers</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Put the raspberries in a bowl with the vinegar. Let it sit overnight. Then either in a food processor or with an immersion blender (hand blender) blend that up. Add the oil and blend again. Then stir in the rosemary and honey. You may want to quickly warm the honey in the microwave to loosen it up. Cut the mahi into chunks and put in the mixture in a gallon size Ziploc bag. Leave for a few hours. In meantime soak the skewers in water to keep them from burning. Skewer the fish and grill on each side for 3 minutes a side. Put the excess marinade in a sauce pan and heat until it thickens up. Serve poured on or beside the fish.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">I served this with a similarly flavored and colored veggie that I was myself pretty skeptical about, but it was bomb!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><u>Here's the breakdown:</u></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">4 small red beets, cooked and diced moderately small</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">2 zucchini, diced</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">1/2 cup almonds, chopped fine</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: x-small;"><i>*I used the food processor for this</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">1 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Radicchio cups</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Melt the coconut oil over medium low heat and add rosemary. Infuse the oil slowly. When it gets fragrant (2 min or so) add the zucchini and crank up the heat. Toss it around initially then leave it alone for a few minutes to brown slightly. Then toss it again and repeat. In a separate pan, sauté the beets slightly to get them hot, but not to brown. Put all of this in a bowl with the almonds and toss gently so as not to dye the zucchini red! I served it in a radicchio cup for looks! But it's great either way. The almonds really really change the consistency and the flavors marry well!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">We loved both and Josh hates beets....or that's what he keeps telling me anyway even though he mowed them down this week!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Enjoy and salud!</span><br />
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Meagan Spencerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337844932611085476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806580902245155912.post-57796932153051377952013-02-14T07:54:00.000-05:002013-02-14T07:57:02.386-05:00All the Veggies to the Pool!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">I am getting old. Or busy. Or tired. Or all of the above. My conversation with Josh post dinner went like this:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Me "I feel like my blog posts used to be witty and funny. Now they're not"</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Josh "Why, blogging too much?"</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Me "No I think it's too much of everything else! What did you say about dinner tonight?"</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Josh "That the onions were really good?"</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Me "No, I think it had something to do with the number 12. I remember thinking I wanted to quote you"</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Josh Looking Puzzled</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Holy shish kebab! Can someone follow me around with a voice recorder?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">AAAAANNNYYYY WAAAAAAY!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Some time ago we had a small group discussion at the gym about veggie lasagna. Some use whole wheat noodles some not, some meat, some not. It wasn't until this week that I realized I've never blogged my veggie lasagna. It's always a little bit different, but this one pretty much killed it. I think it's because I decided to use less, but more complex cheese. In the past I've used shredded mozzarella. But I'm trying to use grass fed dairy and less of it. Because why cut up and cook so many veggies if you're going to drown it in boring cheese? I say no!</span><br />
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<u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">Here's the breakdown:</span></u><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">2 summer squash, sliced and grilled</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">1-5oz container baby kale, sautéed</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">1 red onion, sliced and grilled</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">3 roasted yellow peppers, jarred</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">2 zucchini, sliced and grilled</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">3 portobello mushroom caps, sliced and sautéed</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">1 container crimini mushrooms, sliced and sautéed</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">1 container shitake mushrooms, sliced and sautéed</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">1 lb ground turkey breast, browned</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">Spaghetti sauce</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">*I use my own recipe, stored in lunch meat containers and it took almost 2 containers</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">5 oz goat cheese, crumbled</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">1/2 container shredded parmesan</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">*The good stuff, naaaaht Kraft shredded in a bag</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">dried basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, garlic powder</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">chopped fresh basil</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">Cook all the vegetation as prescribed above. After you brown the ground turkey breast, mix it in with the spaghetti sauce and simmer until warm. Then start layering it all up. I went in this order: summer squash, kale, onion, 1/2 the parmesan, roasted yellow pepper, zucchini, mushrooms, 1/2 goat cheese, meat marinara sauce, rest of the parmesan and goat cheeses, dried herbs. Then bake uncovered in a 350 degrees oven for 35 minutes. Turn the heat up to 450 degrees and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Top off with chopped fresh basil and serve.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">I had hoped to have tons of leftovers to take to the gym and share with some of my posse, but Josh and I destroyed most of it at dinner and I'll be eating it for lunch and that'll be all she wrote! Hope you enjoy it too!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Salud!</span></div>
Meagan Spencerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337844932611085476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806580902245155912.post-25006990412504966422013-02-07T08:37:00.000-05:002013-02-07T08:37:13.957-05:00What's In Your Lunchbox?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">If you've been reading the blog over the last few weeks or noticed my blogging, or lack thereof, in April and May last year you know that my job keeps me insanely busy. The nature of my job regularly has me on the road or at events where eating a healthy lunch is a real challenge. This is especially true since I don't eat sandwiches much, not because I don't eat wheat, but mostly because I just don't really like them. The other lunch problem I suffer from is that I am so finicky about wanting to eat exactly what I want, which regularly changes from the time I pack my lunch to the time I eat it! Don't call me high maintenance haha Knowing all this about myself, I decided to take control of the situation and over the summer I picked up a HUGE lunch box so that I could always have food with me and a variety of it no matter where I was or what I was doing. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Just about a year ago, I filled you guys in on my childhood nostalgia and love for open face tuna salad on toast. I always have cans of tuna in the house just in case of a pinch, but I hardly ever eat them. Since they were piling up, I decided to use them for lunch. However, I wanted to try to cut down the sugar from traditional tuna salad and also maybe transform my childhood favorite into a more adult flavor with a few healthier things in it.</span><br />
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<u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">Here's What I Came Up With:</span></u><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">1 can white tuna in water, drained</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">1/4 - 1/2 apple chopped small</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">1 celery stalk, diced small</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">1.5 Tbsp raisins</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">1/2 Tbsp finely diced nuts</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">*I used a mix of some I had left over from cooking</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">1/4 tsp hot madras curry powder</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">1 Tbsp mayo, paleo mayo or 1/2 avocado, mashed up</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">*Simply, you need fat, you decide which you use</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">Mix everything except the fat in a bowl. Its important to mix all the curry powder around before mixing in the fat. You don't want clumps of curry powder. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpGPPtatHExqfam6p5Gcy8BMJ4gPhWn_RpHYAIQhdPKwXlaNM2nP-GLdyjHGRkoRCzoA2Ul2mnuhEltBC6PGTsF4kFe_LOPV2ne5MBTyaJJYy0sZjs3Lo-j9NKgQJ8PauE2P8Qo0icR7p/s1600/photo-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpGPPtatHExqfam6p5Gcy8BMJ4gPhWn_RpHYAIQhdPKwXlaNM2nP-GLdyjHGRkoRCzoA2Ul2mnuhEltBC6PGTsF4kFe_LOPV2ne5MBTyaJJYy0sZjs3Lo-j9NKgQJ8PauE2P8Qo0icR7p/s640/photo-11.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture's not great, but it taste great, swear!</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">I eat this with a green salad and that's it. Done and done! It's simple, interesting and healthy! What more can a finicky girl ask for? </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Salud!</span></div>
Meagan Spencerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337844932611085476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806580902245155912.post-34154351760489478122013-01-31T08:56:00.002-05:002013-01-31T08:56:24.260-05:00What Are You Going to Season That With? Uhhh, Bacon!!! Duh!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">It has been an incredibly long and trying week and it is only Thursday! I feel like I'm pushing my body right over the limit physically in the gym and mentally at work. And gearing up for running 10 miles, when I currently don't even run 1 at a time which is emotionally draining every single day. D</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">id I mention I'm running a tough mudder in May? </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Luckily I've had some awesome support in that department, thanks Ellen and Dahlia! So the point I'm trying to get at is that I am not creating anything for you guys this week since all my energy is going into my work and workouts! I am really sorry! But that doesn't mean I'm going to leave you high and dry.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">I downloaded a great App called Fast Paleo a while ago and I regularly search that for good dinner ideas. This week I made something I found on there that was posted by eileenio. It is a bacon stuffed chicken breast. Well, the decision to make that was easy enough: Did someone say bacon!?!?!? Aaaand the only thing I needed to buy for it was carrots! Imagine that! I did modify the amount of the ingredients some, but it's still the same ingredients as the original. And it's unbelievably easy!</span><br />
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<u>Here's the breakdown:</u><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">2 chicken breasts</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">2 large carrots</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">3/4 to 1 small onion</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">1.5 cups pecans</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">1lb center cut bacon</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">pepper</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJxY1vkRxLZQ9qcqajr8rgYnQQmPrUlUnbGAsmwa4qbs8jRBFEMBgCtbpYv8aGuAcM1qbHSsyojv2aqsb_NBhvmrmRh2ei0lgUyxYnQvsSV_KlFNpllDX6UMZO4_XRSdtp9oNxg6aS68dq/s1600/photo-8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJxY1vkRxLZQ9qcqajr8rgYnQQmPrUlUnbGAsmwa4qbs8jRBFEMBgCtbpYv8aGuAcM1qbHSsyojv2aqsb_NBhvmrmRh2ei0lgUyxYnQvsSV_KlFNpllDX6UMZO4_XRSdtp9oNxg6aS68dq/s320/photo-8.JPG" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. Cut each chicken breast in half horizontally to make two thin breasts/cutlets. Then cover the chicken with a gallon size Ziploc bag and pound out the pieces. Most people use a kitchen mallet, I used a hammer! You say tomato, I say tomaaaato! Anyway, get them pretty thin. Then put everything else, but the bacon, in a food processor and pulse until it is almost paste consistency. Put the "stuffing" lengthwise down the middle of each chicken piece and wrap the sides of the chicken around it. Then wrap the whole darn thing with bacon. This should take about 2-3 pieces of bacon per chicken. Place the happy meats on an oven rack on a baking sheet so that the fat from the bacon will drip off the food and onto the pan. Bake for 35 minutes. Then place the chicken under the broiler until brown/crisp on both sides (this means flip them over). I then patted off the cooked chicken on paper towel just to get rid of any extra grease.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">I served this with a green salad and roasted brussel sprouts. It was a really great meal, mostly because of the bacon, but the filling was really really yummy too. In fact, I took the left over filling, added an egg, dry sage and fresh time and baked it in muffin tins. That was really yummy too!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Well, I know it's not my own creation, but it definitely wasn't disappointing! Now I guess I need to get my butt outside for a run!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Salud!</span></div>
Meagan Spencerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337844932611085476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806580902245155912.post-86917989592448902762013-01-24T08:46:00.000-05:002013-01-24T08:46:27.819-05:00West Coast BLT Po' Boy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">When I was a kid we did very little eating out. We didn't have elaborate meals every night, but we just didn't go out because there was no time or someone was tired. To be fair to all of us that work hard and have a million things going on, my mom didn't work until I was about 15 so feeding us was important to her. Again, however, it wasn't always roasts and big meals that took all day to prepare. In fact, we ate sandwiches pretty regularly. Sometimes it was because there was leftover picnic ham from a bigger meal and sometimes it was just a good old BLT! I'm not sure if you folks know how I feel about bacon, so I'll clear it up! Bacon makes EVERYTHING better. I used to feel guilty about eating it, but I've gotten over that. In my opinion a small amount of bacon is better for me than an english muffin or bowl of pasta, so I'm over beating myself up about eating it. And frankly, I don't mess with turkey bacon. It's not bacon, it's just not. You will not change my mind on that. So I had a hankerin for some bacon and a mess of leftover frozen shrimp. That's when I decided I would make a cross between a BLT and a Po' Boy. What came of it was something truly delicious but super simple! Josh and I were in bacon euphoria!</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">West Coast BLT Po'Boy</span></b><br />
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<u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">Here's the breakdown:</span></u><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">About 1lb raw shrimp, tail off</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">3/4 lb center cut bacon</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Campari tomatoes, sliced</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Romaine lettuce</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Old Bay </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Coconut oil spray</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">1 avocado</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">2 Tbsp Paleo Mayo</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-small;"><i>*If you're not paleo, just use regular</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">2 Tbsp finely diced onion</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Meyer lemon juice</span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-small;">*Regular lemons are fine, but Meyer lemons are in season and I adore them</span></i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">garlic powder</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">cayenne pepper</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">s&p</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">Fry or bake your bacon until crispy. Pat off the cooked bacon with a paper towel and chop it up into large bits. While the bacon is cooking start the avocado sauce. Put one ripe avocado and the mayo in a mini food processor. Blend it until it's completely smooth. Add 1/2 a Meyer lemon's juice and blend again. Transfer that to a bowl and add onion, a sprinkle of garlic powder, s&p and a small small amount of cayenne pepper. Put plastic wrap on the surface of the sauce and store in the refrigerator until you need it. Not for days mind you, the avocado will start to oxidize and turn brown. Then make sure your shrimp are thawed completely and dried off with no tail. I like when I get good grill marks on them and that won't happen if they're a bit damp. Sprinkle them with a generous amount of Old Bay seasoning. Get your grill screaming hot. I did this on my indoor grill and I actually liked it better especially since I didn't have to put them on skewers. Spray your grill with coconut oil spray and put the shrimp on. Flip them over about 3 minutes into cooking if you're doing it on the indoor grill. If you're skewered them and are grilling outside you'll need less time. I used Romaine lettuce as my vessel for everything. So on the lettuce, I stacked up the tomatoes, sauce, shrimp and bacon bits and wrapped them up! Josh put his on a bun, but honestly even if I did eat wheat, I wouldn't have this time because all the flavors popped and I think the bread would have outweighed a really delicious mix of flavors. He did love it though, so I don't know.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">This was a light meal that was creamy, spicy, salty, smokey and fresh all at the same time. I highly recommend you try this one and even if you eat wheat, try it without, I think you'll be happy you did.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Salud!</span></div>
Meagan Spencerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337844932611085476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806580902245155912.post-79367005633361613402013-01-10T07:35:00.000-05:002013-01-10T07:35:13.579-05:00Go Go Go!!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">It was going to be a hectic week. Two night meetings, two late evening workouts and one super early bootcamp, a walk through the new condo, plus getting ready to head to Vermont. So on Sunday, despite the fact that my entire body hurt, I knew I needed to get food ready for the week. When I say my whole body hurt, I am not exaggerating. On Saturday sweet Jackie from the gym and I took a gymnastics class. Let me remind you that I am 30 and that equals to 13 years out of practice. I thought that because I'm so much stronger and in better shape than ever before that it wouldn't be a problem. This makes me laugh at how wrong I was as I sit here typing! It may have felt ok at the time, but as each hour passed various parts of my body started to get sore. By mid day I was in pain head to toe. Good pain, but pain nonetheless. What I will say, is that gymnastics is a little like riding a bike and according to the instructor "muscle memory is an amazing thing". True dat sista love! In fact, during the open gym portion, round off handsprings came very easily and I managed to get the courage up to try standing tucks with her spotting of course. Gymnastics is half ability and half mental. So even though my old lady body was totally cooked on Sunday from it, I'm giving myself a huge pat on the back! Anyway back to cooking. I knew mornings were going to be rough for me this week since I'd be out late working and back up early. And you know I don't go without a pretty full breakfast, so I decided to pre-make some sausage balls that I could reheat in the mornings for quick breakfast. They weren't really breakfast sausage, but I don't really care if it's actual breakfast food at breakfast time. They turned out great and were super easy.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130;">Here's the breakdown:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130;">1 lb sweet italian sausage</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130;">1/2 - 3/4 cup dried cherries</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130;">1/2 medium union, diced small</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130;">2 ribs celery, diced small</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130;">1/2 cup almond flour</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130;">1 egg</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130;">1 tsp dried parsley</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130;">1/8 tsp Cardamom </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130;">S&P</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130;">Coconut oil</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130;">In a skillet over medium-lowish heat sauté onions and celery in coconut oil. You won't need much oil. Stir them until they are soft. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees or if your oven runs hot like mine does, bring it down 25 degrees. Throw everything (minus oil) into a bowl. Then roll the mix into golf ball size or a bit smaller balls. Just make sure they're somewhat uniform in size so they cook in the same time. Ya don't want raw sausage ball! Ick! Bake these little beauts for about 25-25 minutes. You'll want to flip them over about half way through.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">It absolutely astounds me how good these are! Josh was VERY SKEPTICAL when I added cardamom, but I think it worked perfectly with the cherries. Another successful risk! This recipe makes a bunch of them so just store them in your fridge, pop in the microwave for 1 minute and keep moving, just like I have done so far this week! Total lifesaver!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Salud!</span></div>
Meagan Spencerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337844932611085476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806580902245155912.post-35490542131002464942013-01-03T10:28:00.000-05:002013-01-03T10:28:04.492-05:00NO to the PACKAGE!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Last Thursday I was completely worn out from cooking at home. I normally cook 3 sometimes 4 days in a row before I'm too tired and we either go out or Josh cooks something (don't laugh). So after cooking on Sunday night, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and last Wednesday, I was not exactly happy about cooking again last Thursday night. However, I had an itty bitty dress for New Year's Eve planned and I've been working too hard in the gym to be eating out three days before getting into it! But dinner absolutely had to be easy or my crank was really going to get out of control. So I grabbed a red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion and a carton of baby bello mushrooms for Mexican stir fry aka Fajitas. I had chicken breast thawed; now to just find the seasoning for it. I started shifting through the maze that is my spice cabinet and pulled out one of those Taco Seasoning packets by Old El Paso (Betty Crocker). I ALMOST mindlessly threw it in my food, but for some fabulous reason thought to check the ingredient list. You'll be interested to learn what I found....</span><br />
<b><br /></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><b>Maltodextrin, salt, chili pepper, onion powder, spice, monosodium glutamate, corn starch, yellow corn flour, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, silicon dioxide, natural flavor, ethoxyquin. </b> <b> </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Let's break this down real quick: </span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Maltodextrin = Sugar derived from starch</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Monosodium Glutamate....MSG yeah MSG</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Corn Starch...Do we really need to add starch to our diets? I'm trying to get rid of it in mine!</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Yellow Corn Flour...Again with the grain starch! Remember, this is seasoning....</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil = Trans Fat</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Silicon Dioxide...Long Story Short, Google it, I cannot even begin to completely comprehend this chemical compound</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Ethoxyquin = Preservative</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">I think you see the point I'm trying to make. These are things I neither want, nor need in my body. But I do love some taco/fajita flavor. So I took the good things out of this little packet and what I got was terrific and worked the same way!</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Meags' Taco Seasoning</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">1 Tbsp chili powder</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">1.5 tsp garlic powder</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">1 tsp onion powder</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">1/2 tsp salt</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">1/4 tsp pepper</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">1/2 tsp cumin</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">The dinner I made with this was delish and I apologize for not having a picture.....I was staaaahvin and again, remember the crank! </span><br />
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<b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Healthier Taco Seasoned Fajitas</span></u></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">2 chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">1 red bell pepper, sliced</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">1 yellow bell pepper, sliced</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">1 small onion, sliced</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">1 carton baby bellow mushrooms, sliced</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Meags' Taco Seasoning</span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: x-small;">*Most of it, not the whole batch</span></i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Coconut oil</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Splash of water</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">In one pan heat 1 Tbsp coconut oil over high and cook chicken strips through. In a separate pan heat 1 Tbsp coconut oil over high and cook all the veggies until softened, but not limp. Strain out the juice from the chicken and add to the veggies. Sprinkle most of the taco seasoning over the chicken veggie mix and stir well. Add a splash of water and stir/toss around until it's not cakey, more of a suace.....kind of. If you need to keep adding a little water at a time, no problem. I served this just with an itty bit of sour cream and pico de gallo on top. No tortillas, no starch! Woooo! It was so so so yummy and I'm feeling great aobut not having eaten all that random stuff in the packet! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Try this out, might even do really well for dip!.......hmmmmm Maybe a future blog in the making!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Salud!</span><br />
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Meagan Spencerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337844932611085476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806580902245155912.post-82290566118730467772012-12-27T10:03:00.000-05:002012-12-27T10:03:03.814-05:00Brussel Bliss with a Side of Fish<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #444444;">I was surfing the meat counter at Whole Foods not too long ago since I'm regularly looking for products I've never seen before. Especially since I dazed out a this month and forgot to pick up my CSA from Stillman. So for the next month, I'll be getting meat elsewhere. But back to the meat counter...I was looking around and saw pancetta. Alright, so I know Italian folks are regularly cooking with this product, but if I'm being honest, I'm not even sure I've ever seen it in the store. So I decided I was going to figure out how to use it. I mean, it's just fancy bacon, right? Couldn't be too hard. I decided to go with brussel sprouts as the veg to go with it. Not a ton of thought went into this mostly because I love caramelized foods. So that's what I was going to do with all of the ingredients.</span><br />
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<u><span style="color: #444444;">Here's the breakdown:</span></u><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5pmqLKYEKszRtHP40PYeYuZiD7Ux2yhRCNR0Jq3cRiijvNLKjNRV99FoYbOVJfAlpdJ2r6OVWFOBCdRI_T0PsMr4vzJDKVhwkdbpeZ8jtwsu81n23hCg4n1HQ3VcJYVgX3xdXgkASVPh-/s1600/DSC_4848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5pmqLKYEKszRtHP40PYeYuZiD7Ux2yhRCNR0Jq3cRiijvNLKjNRV99FoYbOVJfAlpdJ2r6OVWFOBCdRI_T0PsMr4vzJDKVhwkdbpeZ8jtwsu81n23hCg4n1HQ3VcJYVgX3xdXgkASVPh-/s320/DSC_4848.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pancetta and onions</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">2-3 cups brussel sprouts</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">1 onion</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">1/4 lb pancetta</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">s&p</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d;">Slice onions thinly. Dice pancetta into small pieces. Brown in a pan until fat renders. Add onions and turn heat to low. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and cook on low, stirring frequently until onions are caramelized. 30-45 minutes. Meanwhile, cut ends off brussel sprouts and quarter or half the sprouts. Turn heat to high, add sprouts. Here's the important thing. DO NOT TOUCH the brussels until they have browned on one side. You can check them by flipping the one in the middle of the pan. You want to get a good brown on one side of them. Sprinkle with pepper and serve.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #b45f06;">I paired this dinner with mahi. Earlier in the week I made cookies for work that had almonds and coconut flakes (the big kind; not finely flaked or shredded). I decided to crust my mahi with those ingredients to make a nutty complex fish.</span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #b45f06;">3 mahi fillets</span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;">2 cups coconut flakes</span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;">1 cup whole almonds</span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;">2 eggs</span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;">1 jar sugar free apricot preserves</span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;">1 Tbsp dijon mustard</span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;">coconut oil</span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;">s&p</span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #b45f06;">Put the coconut and almonds in a food processor to thin it out a bit and put it in a gallon size Ziploc bag. Pat the fish dry with paper towel, whisk the eggs and dredge the fish in egg. Put the fish in the Ziploc bag and toss around pressing the coconut almond mixture into the fish so that it sticks. Heat about 2 Tbsp coconut oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Put fish in pan and cover 4-5 minutes or until that side is brown. Do not rush this by upping the heat or you'll have raw fish. Blech!!!! Flip your fish and cook until brown and cooked through. If you get the right brown and the fish isn't cooked, throw it in a 350 degree oven until it's cooked through. This won't take long. Put the apricot preserves and dijon mustard in a small sauce pan with a pinch of salt and heat through. Drizzle the sauce over the fish, add brussel sprouts to the plate and voila, a beautiful dinner! The sauce was particularly delicious and even Ray who refuses to eat salty and sweet together like it! The mustard really changed the profile of the preserves.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">As a side note, make sure you're reading the label on the apricot preserves. I was able to find a brand that has fruit, apple juice and pectin. That's what you want, stay away from all that sugar that most brands add!</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;">Salud!</span><br />
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Meagan Spencerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337844932611085476noreply@blogger.com2