Blog resurrection- my latest food obsession

I'm resurrecting this blog to share my latest obsession - goat cheese. I first tried goat cheese during French class in high school and really enjoyed it. I've eaten it on and off since but the past couple weeks I've really consumed a lot (all in moderation of course, I'm careful to measure out my 1ounce). My favorites right now are egg white and goat cheese omelette for breakfast and a salad for lunch. Today I added sautéed spinach for extra nutrition. I prefer it without the spinach, but hey, gotta get the greens in and it didn't taste bad. 

                 

For lunch I use a garlic and herb goat cheese which is fantastic (if you don't mind the goaty flavor). It's cheap at Aldi too. $1.99 for 4 ounces isn't bad. Anyway, I make a salad for lunch and the goat cheese, along with this yummy dressing I found at Sprouts make the salad. I usually chop up a cucumber and tomato but today I decided to use a leftover pork chop from last night. It was a delicious, healthy and filling- exactly what I needed. 

            

Oh and in case you're wondering about the dressing, it's this stuff:

                       

    

    

Menu

No pictures this week. 

Sunday - black bean soup (leftovers)

Monday - smoked chicken, mashed potatoes, veggie

Tuesday - pepperoni pizza with cauliflower crust http://brokeandbougie.blogspot.com/2013/09/clean-eating-pizza-cauliflower-crust.html

** I've never made a cauliflower pizza crust and this one was a failure. It didn't taste bad. It was actually pretty good, just not crispy pizza crust. It was more like soggy casserole. Matt thinks I should put 1/4 c of flour in to help absorb the water. I just think maybe I didn't squeeze enough water out. I soaked 2 towels but when I was flattening it on the cookie sheet there was still a lot of water. I also doubled the recipe to make a large enough pizza for our family.

Wednesday - hamburgers and tator tots. Matt was thrilled I used beef instead of ground turkey. And Aldi's tator tots are delicious at 1.89/bag.

Thursday - pork chops, skillet potatoes, roasted broccoli

Friday - smoked chicken thighs, mashed potatoes, German chocolate cake. Happy birthday, Matt!

Saturday - tuna melts (made with avocado instead of mayo), baked chips, grapes

Menu

It's been a long while since I've posted...time gets away from me. I've had so many fb friends comment on needing menu ideas so I'm trying to get back in the habit of posting. It's also a good reference for me too. I've decided I should post my menus the week after we eat them so I can give an honest opinion about the food I actually cook. 

Sunday: smoked chicken, mashed potatoes, veggie (I really don't remember which one I fixed)

**everyone should invest in a smoker - the meat is heavenly!

Monday: enchiladas

Tuesday: veggie calzones  inspired from this  link http://www.superhealthykids.com/blog-posts/freezer-pizza-bites.php

***i followed the pizza dough recipe link as well and had enough dough leftover for a small pizza. I froze the pizza on a paper plate with sauce and cheese and fixed it for the girls for dinner Thursday night. It was great. Definitely going to make more homemade frozen pizzas.

(my font changed size and I can't fix it on the iPad...annoying) 

Wednesday: Italian quinoa bake   http://brokeandbougie.blogspot.com/2013/08/italian-quinoa-bake-pasta-replacement.html

**this was really good! I like how you don't mix anything together so you can portion out how much of everything you want. 

Thursday: tomato basil chicken     http://menumusings.blogspot.com/2013/04/tomato-basil-chicken.html

**we also like this meal. I added a whole stick of butter for the sauce because I felt we needed more and well, more butter equals more deliciousness! 

Friday:  we at mcdonalds on our way home from hiking at the lake

Saturday: black bean soup.   http://oneshetwoshe.com/2012/01/black-bean-soup-10-minute-delicious-dinner.html

**this was delicious! It would have been better had we had avocado and tortilla chips to go with, but we were out. It made enough for 2 meals so we had it today for lunch as well. Make sure you drain the beans. I didn't because I failed to read the comments prior too. It didn't affect taste but the soup was pretty runny. 

Enchilada Tacos

Enchilada tacos are DELICIOUS!! So good that I had to have seconds despite already feeling satisfied with my first portion. 

                           

Best thing, they're super easy, too! The recipe says to cook in the crock pot but I just used a skillet because I wasn't prepared. I bet the crock pot would make the meat taste better because the flavors would soak into the chicken more. I also added onion and black beans. Black bean add-ins are almost a must for my house because it stretches the meat a bit farther (not to mention the added protein). 

I liked using the queso fresco crumbling cheese. I almost didn't since I already had cheddar on hand but I'm glad I picked it up at Aldi for just over $2. New texture and flavors meshed well with the chicken and lime paprika, cumin, chili powder sour cream mixture. 

Here's the original recipe link: http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/2013/07/slow-cooker-enchilada-tacos.html

2 quick and easy dinners.

We had these meals this week. Quick, easy and healthy! 

Lightly fried Parmesan pork chops, mashed cauliflower with garlic powder, and Greek yogurt, and roasted carrots with thyme. 

             

Chicken Parmesan over organic pasta with organic tomato basil sauce and roasted asparagus.

             

My new favorite smoothie - grapefruit, frozen strawberries and some water. It's tart but delicious and makes me think of summer. 

            

  

Chicken Avocado Soup

I made chicken avocado soup for lunch today. I thought it was really good. Just a simple and tatty soup. Matt thought it was okay. The avocado is what made it for me. It melts in your mouth. :)  The soup is so simple and requires only a few ingredients: chopped green onion, garlic, shredded chicken, chicken broth, and a diced tomato. Then add in avocado right before serving and garnish with cilantro if you want. The original recipe called for lime juice when serving also but I omitted it. 

                     

I'd make it again but make sure I have some crusty bread to accompany it. Matt's a carb lover and so I think that would help. I was fine with just soup. 

Here is the link: http://www.mamamiss.com/2013/03/27/eats-chicken-avocado-soup/

     

Rich Chocolate Syrup

I had my first cup of hot chocolate of the season this morning and it was delicious! I've been making my own chocolate syrup, very similar to Hershey's without the high fructose corn syrup and preservatives. It is so easy and just takes a few minutes on the stove and is well worth the time and effort because it is that good. Or at least I think so. I've made chocolate milk and poured it over chocolate bread pudding and decided to try it out in hot chocolate. Just stir the chocolate into the milk and heat. 

1 1/2 c sugar 

3/4 c cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla

Dash of salt

1 c water

Mix together then heat on stove stirring occasionally until it reaches a boil then simmer 1 min. Recipe makes a little more than 1 mason jar can hold.

Here's the original recipe link: http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/03/homemade-chocolate-syrup.html#more