This recipe came to me in part of the “Drop 10″ diet in Self Magazine. I’m not following the diet, but some of the recipes have been hits. This works cold or hot, I prefer cold. It’s the perfect quick lunch these days. This recipe makes 1 serving, I just make the suggested serving on the package for quinoa and include a package of frozen shelled edamane, then just add veggies as I see fit, but if you’re into portion control, you can follow the recipe more closely. =)
1 c quinoa, cooked
2/3 c edamame, shelled & cooked
1/4 c carrots, shredded
1/4 c cucumber, chopped
2 t toasted sesame oil
1 t rice wine vinegar
1 t soy sauce
1/2 t ginger, grated
1/4 t garlic powder
1. Combine quinoa, edamame, carrots and cucumber.
2. Separately, combine toasted sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, ginger and garlic powder. Toss with quinoa mixture. Serve hot or cold.
I just made a batch of this for lunches this week. I didn’t have cucumber so I chopped up a yellow bell pepper. It’s a very colorful mixture!
Happy Mothers Day to the ever growing group of mothers we know!! We hope you all had a wonderful Mothers Day! Alex and I spent the afternoon with my parents, exploring the garden, hanging out and BBQ’ing on Dad’s new grill. We had beautiful weather and just a perfect afternoon.
Check out these beautiful flowers in Mom’s garden:
It’s nearly berry season too!! Cannot wait for my favorite: blueberries!
Back in October, a friend of ours, Dale Mansukh (his flickr photos), took some professional shots of Alex and I for our Save the Date’s. We got some great photos over at Colonial Park near my parents house. This past weekend we met with our wedding photographer, Michelle Jonne, for a second engagement shoot. It was included with our wedding package and it was a great way for us to get to know the woman we’ll be spending our wedding day with. We met at the Asbury Park Boardwalk, down the shore (where Springsteen got his start). It was freezing and windy and most of the boardwalk was closed for the Long Branch Marathon, but that didn’t stop us! Michelle was fantastic and I’m incredibly happy with the photos. Definitely cannot wait for the wedding photos! Here are a couple of my favorites:
It’s officially three months to our wedding date! A lot is checked off our to-do list, yet there’s still so much! But everyday it’s closer and closer and everything we book makes me more and more excited! Our wedding is turning out to be a true expression of us both and I’m happy to see my vision come together in each piece we put together.
Most recently we choose our officiant: Reverend Julie Newhall will marry us. She is an ordained inter-faith and Unitarian minister, who was introduced to us by my mom. Mom and her became friends when Rev. Julie’s former congregation purchased the church I grew up in. The membership at the First Church of Christ, Scientist of Somerville was dwindling and the upkeep of the building was becoming too much; so they relocated to Manville and sold the church to a Unitarian congregation. During the transition Mom, as the face our of church, meet repeatedly with Rev. Julie and eventually started a friendship. Rev. Julie has since moved on from the Somerville church and leads services at various churches throughout the state as well as teaches writing at the local community college. When Alex and I met with her the connection was instant. She has some fantastic ideas for our ceremony; I’m glad to say this process worked out smoother than I ever could have imagined.
Alex also called on his “connections” and we were able to book The Al Louis Band (okay, pieces of, since there’s no room for a full band in our venue!) for our ceremony music and DJ needs. Al Louis, or Alan as we know him, is the son of the orchestra directors for the Sussex County Youth Orchestra Alex played violin in throughout childhood and into college. So I can safely say, there will be music at the wedding! Now I just have to figure out what songs to put on the “must play” list. I’d ask for suggestions, but seeing as my friends always rely on me to bring the iPod and speakers, I think I have it covered! (But really, if there’s something you think we need to play, by all means, leave a comment!! Don’t worry, there will be plenty of Springsteen and Bon Jovi- this is Jersey you know! …Because I know you were worried.)
We also recently took care of the room block (info here) with the Hyatt Place of Princeton. It was the most locally centered: it’s actually on a lot with several restaurants and Market Fair Mall (and if you need your Jersey Diner fix, The Princetonian is just past the overpass on Rt. 1 South). It’s clean, modern, includes breakfast and is only 7miles from our venue!
Well, it’s just over three months to the wedding and all the details are finally falling into place. I’ve been updating the wedding section of our site for a couple weeks with all the new information and will continue to do so up until the wedding date, so keep checking back!!
The most recent update is some information on our bridal party. Here you’ll find some information on the people we’ve chosen to stand up with us at our wedding. I always find myself wondering about the connections of those in the bridal party at weddings I’ve been to, so I hope this will be helpful to you!
It’s worth noting that Steven and Alex moved off-campus into the same apartment Jackie and I lived in our senior year of college. It really was a small community. And Jackie, Joy and I might be adding another yearly appointment to our calendar since we recently signed up for the Warrior Dash New England (we’re crazy you say? yes, probably). =) Kate and Mom are participating in the Dirty Girl Mud Run this weekend, so it must run in the family!
This is another great Nutrition Action Newsletter recipe (link), enjoy this as a main vegetarian dish! Can be served warm or cold, don’t add the dressing until ready to serve. I served this with a side of asparagus, it was lovely!
1 c French lentils
1 lb butternut squash, cut into ½-inch cubes
4 T olive oil, divided
2 T country Dijon mustard
1 T red wine vinegar
2 T red onion, minced
1 t honey
1/2 t salt
black pepper, freshly ground
1/4 c walnuts, chopped
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a large pot, bring the lentils and enough water to cover by 2″ to a boil. Simmer until just tender, approximately 18-20 minutes. Drain and return to the pot. Cover and keep warm.
3. Meanwhile, toss the butternut squash in 1 Tbs. of the oil. Roast on a rimmed baking sheet until tender, about 15 minutes.
4. Whisk together the mustard, vinegar, onion, honey, and remaining 3 Tbs. of oil.
5. Gently toss with the lentils and squash. Season with up to ½ tsp. of salt and plenty of pepper. Sprinkle with the walnuts.
This recipe is certainly a keeper, and can be modified based on ingredients you have in the house! Definitely loving the pita pizza over buying dough- it’s more crispy. I found this one in the latest fitness magazine (link), enjoy!
2 T olive oil
1 c leeks, sliced (white part only)
1 T garlic, minced
6 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed & caps thinly sliced
2 oz. prosciutto, cut into thin strips
1/4 t red pepper flakes
salt & pepper
1/3 c low-sodium chicken broth
2 T basil, chopped
4 whole-wheat pitas
4 oz. fresh goat cheese, crumbled
1. Preheat the broiler.
2. Saute leeks until just beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add garlic, mushrooms, prosciutto, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and saute 30 seconds.
3. Add broth and cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in basil.
4. Place pitas on a baking sheet and top each with an equal amount of vegetable mixture and goat cheese.
5. Broil 4 inches from heat for 1 minute, then rotate and broil 1 minute more.
This is a recipe from the “Drop 10″ diet featured in Self Magazine (link). Alex was not thrilled with this one: “ew, peanut butter in spaghetti?” “the beans look like duck testicles.” (That second one comes from an episode of Chopped on the Food Network that featured “white duck kidneys” aka duck testicles.) Personally I don’t see it and I loved this spaghetti! Recipe serves 2.
6 T rice wine vinegar
2 T creamy peanut butter
2 T orange juice
1/2 t low-sodium soy sauce
4 c kale, chopped
1 T olive oil
1 1/3 c cooked whole wheat spaghetti
1 15oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed & drained
1 t scallions, sliced
1. Combine vinegar, peanut butter, orange juice and soy sauce in small bowl until smooth.
2. Saute kale in olive oil until wilted.
3. Add cooked spaghetti, beans and peanut sauce. Stir until warm. Serve with sliced scallions.
This recipe is from Nutrition Action Newsletter (link) and it’s fantastic.
1 onion, chopped
2 T oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T curry powder
1 15 oz. can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1/3 c crunchy peanut butter
1/3 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks
1/2 lb. green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
3/4 c boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into ½-inch pieces
salt, to taste
For a vegetarian version, swap two 15 oz. cans of drained no-salt-added chickpeas for the chicken.
1. Sauté onion in the oil in a large skillet until lightly browned. Stir in garlic and curry powder and cook for approximately 1 minute.
2. Stir in tomatoes and 2 cups of water and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in peanut butter. Meanwhile, steam potatoes and green beans until tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Add chicken to the skillet and gently simmer until the meat is cooked through. Stir in the potatoes and green beans. Season with salt and enjoy!
My 5th annual stair climb is officially past. For the past five years, my college roommate, Jackie, and I have been running the Providence stair climb for the American Lung Association. Over the years we’ve attracted the attention of Jackie’s father who’s been team captain the last three years and who’s brought the whole family together. Alex and I really enjoy running the climb and having an excuse to visit our friends in MA for a weekend.
This year, our friend (and former boss!) Clayton joined our team once again (he ran with us the first year back in Dec. ’07). We talked running, climbing, weddings and babies. Man, we’ve all really grown up since college, less than three years ago! (And yes, I did wear my Vibrams and neon leg warmers… One of these years we’ll coordinate our outfits accordingly, lol.) We did have matching shirts in 2009, the first year Jarrod joined the team as Jackie’s boyfriend (and one year Alex didn’t make it). It’s pretty cool to think of all the things that happen each year between the stair climb…
Between this year and last, Alex and I got engaged, Clayton got married to his wife, Melissa, Jackie and Jarrod’s first baby was born, I started a new job… Cool stuff.
Alex and Jackie’s husband, Jarrod, played some disc golf the next day at a well-known course nearby their house, Maple Hill. Jackie and I had coffee at a nearby shop and chatted over all the new and exciting things in our lives, weddings and babies (ahh!).
What an awesome weekend. I’m so incredibly grateful to have this annual reason to visit with some of my favorite people (and run for a good cause!). =)
PS. A very happy birthday to Jackie, who is celebrating her first birthday as a mom to 4month old Jordan today!!
