New Years in Vermont

Brian and I headed to Killington, VT on Sunday morning and spent the next few days watching football, drinking Switchback beer, playing pool, making homemade pizza, and lounging around in our sweats. I'd say it was great way to start the New Year! I'm slightly disappointed we didn't go out to the bars on New Years Eve but we had just as much fun staying in and watching the movie "Grown Ups", drinking champagne, and watching the ball drop in Times Square.

Earlier that day we all piled into the car and headed to The Longtrail Brewery for lunch. We ate fried onion strings, hot wings, and drank plenty of cold beers. I think we ended the year just right! :)

A Winter Wonderland

 

Sunday Football...

Homemade pizza with Gram.

 

 Gram knows all the secrets.

Deliciousness.

 Cheers Happy New Year!

Our 2013 Bucket List

What to look forward to in the New Year...

       While Brian and I sat in bumper to bumper traffic on our ride home from a relaxing New Years in Vermont we decided to kill some time by making  a 2013 bucket list. Unfortunately it only killed about 10 minutes of the 2 1/2 4 hour trip. Yikes! At least we had each other :)

This is our list combined:

1. Go to Six Flags.
2. Go to North Carolina.
3. Go Skydiving.
4. Buy a new car.
5. Lose 10lbs/ Lose 20lbs.
6. Hike Mt. Washington.
7. Buy a house.
8. Turn 30.
9. Turn 25.
10. Go to the Bronx Zoo.
11. Go to Washington, D.C.              
12. Golf.
13. Get a tattoo.
14. Pay off my Debt.
15. Make Money.
16. Run 25 different races.
17. Finish all our Christmas shopping by "black" Friday. 
18. Get Straight A's this semester.
19. Eat out at a restaurant only twice a month.
20. Go to Happy Hour every Friday :) .

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Happy Holiday's Everyone!

 

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:

• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and excess liquid squeezed out
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 8oz 1/3 fat cream cheese
• 1/3 cup fresh parmesan Cheese
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 cup (4 oz) shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
• fresh pepper to taste
• serve with your choice of crackers, chips, or veggies

 Directions:

Mix all ingredients and place in crock pot until hot. (20 mins or so)

Skinny Mozzarella Sticks

Ingredients:

• 12 sticks part-skim, reduced sodium mozzarella string cheese
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 tbsp flour
• 5 tbsp Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 5 tbsp panko crumbs
• 2 tsp parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• olive oil cooking spray 

Directions-
1. Cut cheese in half so you have 24 pieces then place in freezer until frozen.

2.  In small bowl, whisk the egg. Place the flour on another small dish. In separate bowl, combine bread crumbs, panko, parmesan cheese and dried parsley.

3. Dip the frozen sticks in flour, shaking off excess, then into the egg, then coat with the crumbs.

4. Repeat this process with the remaining cheese placing them on a tray with wax paper. Place cheese back into the freezer until ready to bake (this is a must or they will melt before the crumbs get golden).

5. When ready to bake preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly spray with oil.

6. Place frozen cheese sticks on baking sheet. Spray the tops of the mozzarella sticks with a little more oil and bake in the bottom third of your oven until crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes. Turn and bake an additional 4 - 5 minutes watching them closely so they don't melt.

Original Recipe here.

Christmas Sangria

 

Ingredients:

• 2 Bottles of crisp white wine ( I used Pinot Grigio)
• 1 bottle of Sparkling Apple Cider
• 1 orange sliced
• 1 crisp apple sliced
• 1 cup of fresh cranberries (I had to use pomegranate seeds)
• Fresh mint leaves

Mix all ingredients and chill for a few hours before serving.

adapted from Marshalls Abroad

Enjoy!

Pomegranate, Pear & Prosecco Cocktail

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle of Prosecco
• 1 1/2 cups of Pear Nectar(Goya)
• 1/2 cup of Pomegranate Juice (I used Pom all natural juice)
• Pomegranate Seeds
• 4 champagne flutes

Original Recipe

Thanksgiving Martini

This Martini is thanksgiving in a glass! 

Ingredients:

• Vanilla Vodka 2oz
• Apple Cider 3oz
• Ginger Ale 1oz
• 2 tbsp of pumpkin puree
• Cinnamon and Sugar for rim of glass

Directions-
Place a few drops of cider on a plate and cinnamon and sugar on a separate plate. Roll the rim of each martini glass in the cider and then coat it with the cinnamon and sugar mix.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the vodka, cider, ginger ale, and pumpkin puree into the shaker. SHAKE and pour! :)

The original recipe can be found here.

Chocolate Pudding Layer Dessert

 adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients-
1. 1 cup of flour
2. 1/2 cup of melted butter
3. 1/2 cup of finely chopped pecans
4. 1 8oz package of cream cheese (I used reduced fat)
5. 1 cup of confectioner's sugar
 6. 2 8oz packages of cool whip (or make homemade whipped cream)
7. 1 large 5.9oz box of any instant flavor pudding (I prefer chocolate!)
8. 3 cups of milk
9. 1 bar of chocolate for chocolate shavings (optional)

Layer 1:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a medium bowl, mix 1 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of finely chopped pecans, and a 1/2 cup of melted butter. Firmly press into the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool completely.

Layer 2:

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, and 1 cup of confectioner's sugar. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth. Fold in 1/2 of 8oz container of cool whip or make homemade whip cream. (1 cup heavy cream, mixed with 3 tbsp of sugar, and a dash of vanilla, whipped together with an electric mixer for 2 to 3 minutes) Once the 1st layer is cool spread the cream cheese layer on top and place in the fridge while you make the 3rd layer.

Layer 3:

Make pudding according to package directions and place over the 2nd layer.

Layer 4:

Spread remaining cool whip or fresh whipped cream over the pudding layer and garnish with chocolate shavings and extra chopped pecans. 

Store in Fridge to set 1-2 hours.

Crockpot BBQ Beer Chicken

serves about 8-10

• 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 large)
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 8 ounces of beer (I'm using a Longtrail double bag IPA)
• 32 ounces of barbecue sauce

I also added garlic chili powder, cayenne, and hot sauce to mine (love spicy food!)

Season chicken with onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Place chopped onions at the bottom of the pot and then add the chicken, beer and 24 ounces of barbecue sauce. Cook on low for 8 hours, tossing once or twice if desired. After 8 hours, shred and add remaining barbecue sauce. Toss chicken to coat and let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving to absorb everything. Serve as desired.

I will be serving mine over rice but you could also top it over salad, as a taco, or as a sandwich. This makes a ton of chicken so plenty of leftovers to freeze or use for the week! :)

adapted from howsweeteats

 

Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie with Rosemary Biscuits

After a weekend month of indulging it's about time I jump back on the "healthy" bandwagon. School has had a bad influence on my eating habits and it's time to fix that before it's too late!! Especially because the holiday's are literally right around the corner.
I gave up on grocery shopping because I end up throwing half of the groceries away, so don't come looking for food in my fridge because all you will find is BEER! (which isn't so bad) But having no food in fridge=eating out EVERY day of the week! Seriously let's look at this past week for example...

Thursday night-dinner at Tilted Kilt with 3 Blue Moon's (not just 16oz beers but 24oz beers)
Friday Night-Formal dinner at Hilton Garden Inn with many alcoholic beverages...lost count.
Saturday-Ordered a Penne ala Vodka dinner with a small cheese pizza (Shared!)
Sunday- Lunch at Sliders=wings, wings, and more wings and Dinner to follow at East Side Restaurant where I had bread,wiener schnitzel, potato pancakes, and why not finish it off with a chocolate cream pie...

Talk about never wanting to eat again after a week like that!

Since it's Monday and I get to make dinner...it's time to start FRESH  and cut back on the drinks eating out for the rest of the year!

Tonight's Menu:

Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 lb of Ground Turkey
1 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 parsnip, diced
10 oz Frozen Vegetables
2 tbsp of flour
1 cup fat-free low-sodium chicken brothh
2 tsp tomato paste
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp freshly chopped rosemary
salt+pepper
paprika

Sweet Potato Mashed:

1-1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled, diced
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup 1% milk
1/4 cup fat free chicken broth
2 tbsp reduced fat sour cream
salt and pepper to taste


DIRECTIONS:

Boil sweet potatoes and garlic in a pot of salted water until cooked and soft. Drain and mash with chicken broth, sour cream, salt and pepper. 

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a large saute pan brown turkey; season with salt and pepper. When cooked, set aside on a plate.
Add olive oil to the pan, then add the onion and sauté one minute.
Add the celery, parsnip, salt and pepper to taste; cook about 12 minutes, until celery is soft.

Add garlic; sauté another 3-4 minutes.
Add flour, salt and pepper and mix well. Add frozen vegetables, chicken broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, cooked turkey, and mix well.
Simmer on low about 5-10 minutes.

 In a large baking dish, spread the meat mixture on the bottom of each dish. Top with the sweet potato mixture. Use a fork to scrape the top of the potatoes to make ridges; sprinkle with paprika. Bake 20 minutes or until potatoes turn golden. Remove from oven and let it cool 10 minutes before serving.

Rosemary Biscuits

Ingredients:
2 tbsp salted butter, melted
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary
2 cups of Heart Smart Bisquick
3 oz shredded parmesan cheese
2/3 cup fat free milk

DIRECTIONS-
 
Preheat oven to 400°. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Melt butter in a small pan, add oil and half the garlic; sauté on low heat about 1 minute.
Remove from the heat and add chopped rosemary.  
In a large bowl, combine biscuit mix, parmesan cheese, and remaining garlic. Stir in milk and mix (do not over mix). Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes. Brush or drizzle biscuits with melted butter. Bake for 5 more minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom.
Makes 14 biscuits.  
 
Both Recipe's adapted from Skinnytaste

No-Bake Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake

I love a quick recipe and this can't get any quicker! This cheesecake is very light but full of pumpkin flavor :)

Ingredients:

• 7 oz 1/3 less fat Philadelphia Cream Cheese

• 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin (canned is fine)

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

• 1/4 cup brown sugar, unpacked

• 8 oz Cool Whip Free, thawed (I bought two so I had some to top on each slice)

• 9 inch reduced fat Graham Cracker Crust

In a large bowl using an electric mixer, whip cream cheese, pumpkin, vanilla, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and brown sugar for a few minutes until fluffy. Add Cool Whip and whip until smooth. Spoon mixture into pie crust and chill for a few hours, until firm.


adapted from Skinnytaste

Pumpkin Seed Encrusted Tilapia with Roasted Broccoli Rabe and Sweet Potato Hash

Happy Fall! :) My last post was September 5th and I started class September 4th so please excuse my disappearance!!! I went from having so much time before school to now only having Monday and the weekends available to make dinner and even my weekends have been hectic lately! Since I finally took some time away from homework to make dinner here is a healthy fall recipe that you have to try! It had to be a quick simple meal because I had to get back to my studying so I promise it's easy to make!

Pumpkin Seed Encrusted Tilapia

 Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds
• 2 tbsp panko crumbs
• 1 tsp dry parsley
• course salt such as kosher
• fresh cracked pepper
• 4 pieces tilapia filets
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• olive oil spray  

 Directions:

 Grind the pumpkin seeds in a food processor or coffee grinder. Combine crushed pumpkin seeds, panko, parsley, pinch of salt and fresh pepper and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with foil for easy clean up. Drizzle 1/4 tsp oil on each tilapia filet. Rub over fish to coat, season with salt and pepper and top with crushed garlic.

 Add crumbs to the top, mist with a little oil and place in the center of the oven.

 Bake for 15 minutes or until fish is cooked through, then broil for 1 - 2 minutes, or until crumbs are golden (be careful not to burn! You really need to watch them). 

served with Roasted Broccoli Rabe

• 1 large bunch broccoli rabe, tough stems removed
• 4-5 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and fresh pepper
• pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Heat oven to 400°. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When water boils, add broccoli rabe and blanch one minute. Remove from water and DRAIN WELL in a colander.

Add to a baking dish and mix with garlic, oil, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes. Roast 15-20 minutes. SOOO YUMMY :)

Adapted from Skinnytaste

And a Sweet Potato Hash

•  2 Large Sweet Potatoes (cubed)
• 2 tbsp of oil
• 1 clove of garlic chopped
• Salt + Pepper
• Garlic Chili spice to add a kick to it 

Heat oil in a large  covered skillet. Once hot add all the ingredients above and cover the skillet to help steam the potatoes. Cook and stir about 8 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

ENJOY!

 

Detox (Day 2)

Fresh Green Drink:

I'm definitely having a more difficult time getting this juice down than the first but I don't feel hungry. Yesterday I only ate 2oz of almonds and a 4oz plain piece of chicken. Today I ate a 6oz piece of plain chicken and steamed broccoli. (I put some fresh lemon juice to help out the taste!)

Ingredients: 

Apple, Celery, Cucumber, Ginger, Parsley, Spinach.

End of Summer Detox (Day 1)

After an amazing summer with family, friends, food, and alcohol, I decided it's time for a Fall detox. I have never done a detox before so this will be quite interesting! I found this 3 day cleanse from Lauryn on The Skinny Confidential, which she used from Juicers in Solana Beach, CA. Since we don't have access to a Juicers I decided to make it on my own. Brian (The best boyfriend ever) bought me a GE Juicer to make the process easier, but you can also use a regular blender to make the juice. It just needs to be a larger blender and not a magic bullet size. You can find more information about Juice Fasting here.

For the 3 day detox you make 64 oz of juice and you drink 8oz every hour with a glass of water in between each hour starting around 9am and ending at 4pm. You may have 6oz of lean protein and a large handful of steamed vegetables once in the day. But you can also split the 6oz of protein into 4 oz of chicken and 2oz of almonds, which is what I did. It's really up to you. You are also allowed herbal tea's with the detox.

Juice 1 consists of  
Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Carrots, Beets, Celery, Apples, and Lemons.
Day 1 pictures:

I'm just about half way done for today and I'm feeling good! I did get a little hungry so I snacked on some almonds. I also had a Bigelow Green Tea. Only complaint is how often I have to pee! ;) I will post day 2 juice tomorrow and if you would like the information sheet email me at kathryn.pember@gmail.com!

Summer comes to an end...

Well hello there! :) It's been quite awhile since my last post! I had to take a break from blogging because I had a week off from nannying and I was sooo busy enjoying the last few weeks of August. I couldn't have had a better ending to my summer. I had a family reunion and then took a mini vacation with Brian, spending 5 days in Cape Cod and 2 days in Vermont! We both haven't had a week off in years so we truly enjoyed it. We had gorgeous weather and spent practically everyday at the beach. I also ate healthy anything I wanted the whole vacation and I made sure to drink plenty of H2O twisted tea's and margarita's as well. ;)

 Getting a little twisted...

My reading partner <3

 

Killington, VT

Here's a few recipe's I've been meaning to share that were quite the hit at my family reunion! Especially this delicious concoction...

Sangria:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup brandy
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup frozen lemonade concentrate
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1 (750 milliliter) bottle dry red wine
• 1/2 cup triple sec
• 1 lemon, sliced into rounds
• 1 orange, sliced into rounds
• 1 lime, sliced into rounds
• 8 maraschino cherries
• 2 cups carbonated water (optional)...I forgot to put this in my batch!

 

1. In a large pitcher or bowl, mix together the brandy, lemon juice, lemonade concentrate, orange juice, red wine, triple sec, and sugar. Float slices of lemon, orange and lime, and maraschino cherries in the mixture. Refrigerate overnight for best flavor. For a fizzy sangria, add club soda just before serving. adapted from Allrecipes 

 

Creamy Avocado Dip:

 Ingredients:

1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt (I use Chobani)
2 ripe avocados, peeled and seeded
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Pita chips, tortilla chips, cut up veggies-for serving

Directions:

1. Place the yogurt, avocados, garlic, cilantro, jalapeño, lime juice, and cumin in a blender or food processor. Mix until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
2. Scrape dip into a serving bowl and serve with pita chips, tortilla chips, or cut up veggies.

 

 adapted from twopeasandtheirpod

Mozzarella Basil Tomato Skewers:

Ingredients:

• 16 bamboo skewers
• 48 grape tomatoes
• 48 small basil leaves
• 1 lb fresh mozzarella, cut into 32 1-inch cubes
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic
• Salt and Freshly cracked black pepper

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper. Marinate mozzarella in dressing about 30 minutes. Thread tomatoes, basil and mozzarella onto skewers. Arrange on a platter and serve. 

adapted from Skinnytaste 

I hope you had a great ending to your summer!

BBQ Roasted Salmon with Cilantro Lime Quinoa

TGIF! Friday's are the best especially when you have the day off! Sleeping in would have been nice but that was not happening especially because my internal clock wakes me up at 6:15 :( So the first idea was the gym and the second idea was getting breakfast. I remembered about the new Panera Bread that opened up so Breakfast won and I headed there this morning for this delicious breakfast...

It's the perfect environment for blogging this morning. Although I do wish I had my headphones on so I didn't have to listen to this loud distracting classical music.

So for dinner last night...

I enjoy cooking for a group of people and who is better to cook for than your family?! So I put together a family dinner for my parents, my brother John, and Brian. Unfortunately my sister Emily is living in Massachusetts so she was missed! I decided on a BBQ Roasted Salmon that I had found on the lovely site Pinterest with a side of Cilantro Lime Quinoa and Roasted Broccoli. They were both so easy to make! I will definitely be making this again. :)

 BBQ Roasted Salmon:

• 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Cooking spray
• Lemon slices (optional)

Combine the pineapple juice, fresh lemon juice, and salmon in a zip lock bag. Marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator, turning occasionally.

While the salmon is marinating, combine the brown sugar, chili powder, lemon rind, cumin, salt, and ground cinnamon in a bowl.

Preheat oven to  400°

Remove fish from the bag and discard the marinade. Place salmon in a 11x7 baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Rub spice mix over the salmon and place in oven for 12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve with Lemon slices.

adapted from Cooking Light

Cilantro Lime Quinoa 

2 cups of Vegetable Broth
1 cup of quinoa, rinsed and drained (follow cooking instructions using vegetable broth)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a large pot, bring the 2 cups of vegetable broth to a boil. Stir in quinoa and cook until broth is evaporated and quinoa is tender, about 20 minutes. Pour quinoa into a medium bowl and fluff with a fork.
2. Stir in garlic, lime juice, cilantro, and sugar. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve warm.

*I doubled the recipe because I was cooking for 5 people*

 From the lovely blog Two Peas and Their Pod.

Time to go it's getting crowded in here and I need to go buy something to wear for the MS Golf Tournament tomorrow since I DO NOT own any collared shirts!  Enjoy your FRIDAY! :)

PB Banana Smoothie

I quickly threw this together in my magic bullet before heading out the door this morning! YUM :)

Ingredients:

1 scoop of whey vanilla protein

3 ice cubes

1 tbsp of natural peanut butter 

1 tbsp of flax seed

1 whole banana

Baked Eggplant Fries

So this past weekend I dragged Brian to the Coventry Farmer's Market with our friends. I had a great time but he didn't care for it at all. Though he did care for these eggplant fries I made from the eggplant I had bought. :) I served these as an appetizer and then we ate the homemade garlic and parsley linguini I also picked up from the market. I mixed it with a pesto sauce and sliced chicken. Kept it pretty simple!

Ingredients:

• 10 oz eggplant
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
• 1/2 cup Italian Seasoned breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp parmesan cheese
• 1 large egg white
• oil spray 
• 1 cup marinara sauce for dipping (extra points)

 Try to cut them all the same size so they cook evenly.

 

Sorry I forgot to take a picture before they were almost gone!

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly spray with oil.

Cut ends off the eggplant. Slice eggplant in half, then into 1/4 inch thick slices. Lay each slice on the cutting board and cut into 1/4 inch strips.

Mix breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese in a bowl, and egg whites in another.

Take a few strips of eggplant at a time and dip them into the egg whites, then into the breadcrumbs. Using a fork, remove eggplant from crumbs and place on the baking sheets. Spray with more oil and bake 10 minutes in the middle rack.

Turn over and bake an additional 5 minutes, or until golden. Serve hot.

After dinner we cut up this sweet pink watermelon which was another good buy from the market. We ate this juicy dessert while watching the movie The Dark Night. Which I tried very hard to stay awake for but that was unsuccessful! Clearly it wasn't a movie I picked to watch. ;)

Run update- I ran 4 miles yesterday, I will be running 4 miles tomorrow, and then 6.5 miles on Saturday or Sunday.

10 weeks until the Hartford Half Marathon!

Eggplant fries adapted from skinnytaste

A Simple Beef Stir-fry

For dinner last night I decided on a stir fry. I really never make sit fry so I looked for an easy recipe and I found a site for 15 basic stir fry sauces. I made it very simple for myself and I bought a bag of frozen stir fry vegetables and 1 lb of prepared beef stir fry. It was nice that I had all the ingredients for the sauce on hand already, but for you that might not be the case.

I'll be sure to buy a Wok before my next stir fry.

First I browned the meat in my large Skillet for about 4 minutes. Not too long because I like my meat to have a pink center. Then I removed the meat and cooked the vegetables with 1 tbsp. of oil for about 8 minutes. While the vegetables were cooking, I mixed the sauce together in a separate boil. Once the veggies were ready I added the meat back into the skillet along with the stir fry sauce below. I decided to mix a packet of brown rice into my stir fry. Whatever floats your boat...

And there you have it dinner in about 15 minutes! :)

  Soy Sesame Stir-Fry Sauce –

1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 tsp. rice wine vinegar
4 tsp. toasted sesame oil
2 tsp. hot red pepper flakes
2 tsp. sugar

Thursday=Running day
This morning I ran 4 miles with the cutest running partner ever! :)

Birthday Balls

These were quite the hit at Lindsay's 30th Birthday! 
adapted from Bakerella

Ingredients: 
1 box of funfetti cake mix
Ingredients on box
1 can of funfetti frosting
 2 bags of vanilla candy melts, any color
1 tbsp. shortening to thin the chocolate

Make cake according to directions on box. Once cake has cooled crumble it into pieces into a large bowl (you could also use a mixer). Mix with can of funfetti frosting, beware it get's pretty messy! Roll into small balls and place on a large cookie sheet.  You can use butter on your hands to help it not stick. You should get about 4 dozen. Place in freezer for at least 20 minutes to chill.

Melt candy melts in microwave according to package directions. You may add a tablespoon of shortening to thin if needed. Remove a few cake balls (I recommend no more than 5) at a time from the freezer. Use a toothpick to dip entire ball into melted chocolate. Swirl around to remove excess. Place ball back on baking sheet and let cool. Repeat process with remaining cake balls.

 Be careful! These are very addictive!