It Happens in the Kitchen

Usually, anyway. Unfortunately there hasn’t been much cooking going on in our kitchen lately as I’ve been working more late nights than not the last couple of months. I’ve been looking forward to this long weekend so I could finally do a little cooking again and try something new! I find that when we get busy, we tend to get in a major rut when it comes to meals and eat the same easy things over and over. It’s getting really old.

First up…a little healthy snack with a kick

I got this idea perusing through Pinterest one day. I love chick peas (super healthy source of protein and fiber that’s easy to add to salads or quinoa bowls) and thought this was an awesome idea. Turns out, it’s really incredibly easy too! Thanks to Jess from Cheese Please (isn’t that a great blog name?) for posting this on her blog!

I simplified it a bit, but it still turned out great!

Roasted chick peas! I drained and rinsed 1 can garbanzo beans, patted them dry then in a bowl mixed with 1tbs olive oil and about 1 tsp ground chipotle, then baked on a lined baking sheet at 400’ for about 30 minutes.

I’m not big into spicy, but Woody is, so I added enough chipotle to give them a kick but not so much that I couldn’t enjoy them too! Next time I’m trying the sweet version Jess featured in her post!

Next up… super hearty and pretty healthy dinner

I don’t often eat red meat, but Saturday evening we were watching a lifestyle show and the host was checking out late night spots in a couple major cities across the country. One restaurant was known for their sliders and they looked so good, I started craving them. This is what happened…

Okay, so not the most beautiful shot of food ever, but it was pretty delicious and definitely filling. The burgers are 85% lean and local; grass-fed; 5 out of 5 on Whole Foods animal welfare scale. I chopped up a garlic clove and mixed it in with two of the four sliders then covered the other two in cherry BBQ sauce. For veggies I sliced a zucchini and two carrots, steamed them, then drizzled balsamic vinaigrette just before serving. The sweet potato chips. Well, just sliced thin and baked for what seemed to be forever. Dinner turned out really well and I was pretty proud of myself for actually cooking the entire meal and not warming anything up in the microwave!

As long as it doesn’t rain, which it’s been doing a lot of lately, we’re planning to do a little picnic this afternoon which means I’m going to do a little more cooking! I’ll share with you sometime soon!

In other news…

We also ordered a new bed yesterday! This is life changing as we’ve had the same bed for well over 7 years and it’s totally dead. I have high hopes that my hips and back won’t be so stiff after a few nights with the new bed.

Also, we’re heading up to Central Park for a run and breakfast. Hope you’re all having a great Memorial Day Weekend!

• How spicy do you like your food?
• What’s been the highlight of your Memorial Day Weekend so far?

************

Today’s workout -

On the way there! Run in Central Park!