It's that time of the semester! Final papers/projects/tests that were so safely in the distant future for the first few months of the year suddenly have very real, very quickly approaching due dates. It always seems to happen so suddenly. It's a whirlwind of work and stress and freaking out feeling like I'll never get it all done and then, abruptly, it's all over and I have the whole summer ahead of me. I'm not quite at that part yet but I am very close.
So yeah, my presence here on this blog has been limited because of that and probably will continue to be for at least the next week as I finish things up. I had a 5 page paper due this past Monday, another one yesterday, an assignment due this evening, and a couple little short papers to do this weekend... then a quick presentation next wednesday, and then 2 finals and one more 5 page paper between May 6th-8th. Shouldn't be too horrible, but enough keep me busy and remind me that it's not summer, not yet.
There's a lot to look forward to when the semester finally is over, though! My 22nd birthday is on May 10th, and although I'll actually be working and doing pretty much nothing interesting on that day, Colton and I are going to leave the next day for a vacation in honor of my birthday. There's nothing in particular that I really want, so a trip instead of presents is my kind of birthday celebration. We'll be spending some time in Prescott for Mother's Day and my dad's birthday, which is the day after mine, and then heading to LA to go to Disneyland and California Adventure! After that we are spending a couple days in San Diego where we'll hit up the beach, maybe go to a baseball game, and just relax. Should be a lot of fun :) It will be the best way to end the school year and kick off the summer!
Speaking of summer, I'm planning on doing a little weekly feature here on my blog for about 15 weeks through my summer vacation. It's going to be called "homemade summer"- every week I'm going to try to cook and blog about something that one would typically just buy already made at the store. A blog I read called Macheesmo does something like this that he calls the homemade trials, where he tries to deduce whether it's better to buy something premade versus making it yourself at home based on cost, time, taste, and nutrition. I'm not going to be trying to figure out if/convince you that making something at home is better, I'm just going to be doing it to a. see if I can, b. have fun, and c. appreciate the differences!
Here are a few things I'm thinking of trying to make: Ricotta, mozzarella, marshmallows, pickles, corned beef, butter, bagels, yogurt, chocolate, nutella, mustard, and many other things. If you have any ideas for things that are possible to make at home but that most people just buy at the store, let me know!
Alright, I'm off to work on a couple assignments before I go to work tonight. Have a nice weekend!
26 April 2013
19 April 2013
20 in my 20th: Make and record music with the people I love.
20. Make and record music with the people I love.
Some of my favorite memories of 2011 are of sitting in the "band room" or later, Kris' room at the house on Rosser where all my friends lived playing music together. A lot of the time it was less "playing music" and more everyone simultaneously singing/messing around on different instruments making up obscure harmonies while Linn made up hilarious lyrics. Sometimes there was a whole bunch of us, sometimes just a couple. Often we had had a bit to drink before hand which made it all the more ridiculous. Wonderwall was definitely played about 5 million times. There's video evidence of all of this on facebook and watching it again while writing this post made my heart feel like it was going to burst.
After Linn died there was less music, as he seemed to be the center around which the rest of us formed our parts. One day though, my best friend Kris and I decided to try singing some songs together while he played guitar. That turned into us attempting to record one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite movies ("got my list" from Dakota Skye) pretty much every night for quite a while until we finally managed to get through a recording without messing up, forgetting lyrics, laughing, getting distracted... yeah we sang that song a LOT. I think it was a way for both of us to express ourselves creatively in a time that we were both feeling pretty numb and uninspired, and I really cherish those hours (and hours and hours) spent singing and laughing in the middle of the night, probably annoying the hell out of our other roommates.
Here's what we ended up with:
My favorite part is probably at the end where we finish the song, there's a few seconds of silence, and then Kris strums the guitar and I say "ahhh we did it!" and Kris says "We kinda sorta did it." It seriously took us forever to get through a recording.
I'm so happy for the videos on facebook of Linn singing nonsense into a fake microphone or making up rhythms on the drums while Kris plays the keyboard and the rest of us attempt harmonies or pick up other instruments.His essence is so incredibly alive and present in those videos, I can feel it when I watch them and it makes me want to cry and laugh and shout.
And I'm so, so, so happy for the time that Kris and I spent attempting and occasionally succeeding to make music together. It's like a wonderful, shiny happy memory that floats above an otherwise wholly dark and bleak time in my life and I am so unbelievably thankful for that. Love you Kris, thanks for letting me post this on here ;)
<33>
Some of my favorite memories of 2011 are of sitting in the "band room" or later, Kris' room at the house on Rosser where all my friends lived playing music together. A lot of the time it was less "playing music" and more everyone simultaneously singing/messing around on different instruments making up obscure harmonies while Linn made up hilarious lyrics. Sometimes there was a whole bunch of us, sometimes just a couple. Often we had had a bit to drink before hand which made it all the more ridiculous. Wonderwall was definitely played about 5 million times. There's video evidence of all of this on facebook and watching it again while writing this post made my heart feel like it was going to burst.
After Linn died there was less music, as he seemed to be the center around which the rest of us formed our parts. One day though, my best friend Kris and I decided to try singing some songs together while he played guitar. That turned into us attempting to record one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite movies ("got my list" from Dakota Skye) pretty much every night for quite a while until we finally managed to get through a recording without messing up, forgetting lyrics, laughing, getting distracted... yeah we sang that song a LOT. I think it was a way for both of us to express ourselves creatively in a time that we were both feeling pretty numb and uninspired, and I really cherish those hours (and hours and hours) spent singing and laughing in the middle of the night, probably annoying the hell out of our other roommates.
Here's what we ended up with:
My favorite part is probably at the end where we finish the song, there's a few seconds of silence, and then Kris strums the guitar and I say "ahhh we did it!" and Kris says "We kinda sorta did it." It seriously took us forever to get through a recording.
I'm so happy for the videos on facebook of Linn singing nonsense into a fake microphone or making up rhythms on the drums while Kris plays the keyboard and the rest of us attempt harmonies or pick up other instruments.His essence is so incredibly alive and present in those videos, I can feel it when I watch them and it makes me want to cry and laugh and shout.
And I'm so, so, so happy for the time that Kris and I spent attempting and occasionally succeeding to make music together. It's like a wonderful, shiny happy memory that floats above an otherwise wholly dark and bleak time in my life and I am so unbelievably thankful for that. Love you Kris, thanks for letting me post this on here ;)
<33>
Tags:
20 in my 20th,
Dakota Skye,
friends,
got my list,
kris,
Linn,
music
17 April 2013
Spring in the Desert
Arizona has a reputation for being a hot and dusty desert state full of tanned people exclaiming "it's a dry heat!" while they eat Mexican food and pass outrageously bigoted laws. But that is simply not the case. Arizona has a variety of terrain and climates, from the sweltering desert floor to chilly snow-covered mountains and pine forests. Also a lot of people in Arizona are very liberal minded and shake their heads in confusion and awe with the rest of the country at the few right winged extremists bringing the state into the headlines. We do have/eat a lot of really good Mexican food though.
Where I grew up, in Prescott, spring is very much like spring most places: budding leaves and flowers, fickle weather that can go from lovely to snowy in a matter of hours, and a slow, gentle and steady transition from the frigid winter to the glorious days of summer. I never really was much of a fan of spring, aside from my birthday occurring during it- the flowers and slightly warmer temperatures were nice but for the most part the weather was way too windy and unpredictable, the first half still felt wholly like winter, and the second half coincided with the stress and pressure of the final weeks of school.
Down here in Tucson though, spring is a bit different- with temps that hang around the 70s and 80s and sometimes peak in the 90s it feels more like summer starts in February. It's constantly the perfect temperature out with the occasional light breeze, only slightly chilly nights, and the scent of blooming flowers in the air all the time. By the middle of may and certainly by june it will be too hot to sleep with more than a sheet or walk more than 20 feet to your car, but the blissful months of february, march, and april are probably Tucson at its best.
We have a very small cactus garden in our very small yard, which I really really like. We moved in last August, so we didn't get a chance to see it bloom for spring. This year I'm loving seeing the changes every few weeks as new flowers show up, cactus fruits start to get plump, and things that were dried and wilted by the time we got here last year shoot up fresh and new. In the desert, just like everywhere else, spring is full of new life and plenty of colorful, fragrant blossoms :)
It's still the last few weeks of school, but the wonderful weather lessens the pain a little bit. When I first moved to Tucson, I was quick to complain about the heat and the grime- but over the almost 3 years that I've lived here, I've really come to appreciate so much about this cultured little city. It is really so beautiful and full of natural life and history! Plus, I love how you're never more than a short drive away from hiking trails, campsites, swimming holes, even skiing! As anxious as I am to graduate and continue on to some place new for the next chapter in my life, I'm going to miss Tucson... and I'll definitely miss the perfect Tucson Springtime!
Where I grew up, in Prescott, spring is very much like spring most places: budding leaves and flowers, fickle weather that can go from lovely to snowy in a matter of hours, and a slow, gentle and steady transition from the frigid winter to the glorious days of summer. I never really was much of a fan of spring, aside from my birthday occurring during it- the flowers and slightly warmer temperatures were nice but for the most part the weather was way too windy and unpredictable, the first half still felt wholly like winter, and the second half coincided with the stress and pressure of the final weeks of school.
Down here in Tucson though, spring is a bit different- with temps that hang around the 70s and 80s and sometimes peak in the 90s it feels more like summer starts in February. It's constantly the perfect temperature out with the occasional light breeze, only slightly chilly nights, and the scent of blooming flowers in the air all the time. By the middle of may and certainly by june it will be too hot to sleep with more than a sheet or walk more than 20 feet to your car, but the blissful months of february, march, and april are probably Tucson at its best.
By summer, the old dead flowers will have fallen off the tops and the fruit will turn into gorgeous, wax-like pink and yellow flowers. |
It's still the last few weeks of school, but the wonderful weather lessens the pain a little bit. When I first moved to Tucson, I was quick to complain about the heat and the grime- but over the almost 3 years that I've lived here, I've really come to appreciate so much about this cultured little city. It is really so beautiful and full of natural life and history! Plus, I love how you're never more than a short drive away from hiking trails, campsites, swimming holes, even skiing! As anxious as I am to graduate and continue on to some place new for the next chapter in my life, I'm going to miss Tucson... and I'll definitely miss the perfect Tucson Springtime!
12 April 2013
Slowcooker Chicken Tikka Masala
Food and cooking are pretty high on my list of priorities. It's really important to me to be aware of what I'm eating and to do my best to make sure that I make it myself from wholesome, healthy ingredients. Sometimes I'm a little TOO obsessive actually- I have a tiny panic attack whenever Colton wants to go out for lunch or I'm attending an event where I'm not in control of (and thus don't know the calories/ingredients of) the food. Still working on loosening up with that, but it's really just because I care very much about what fuels my body!
A lot of times though, spending 30 mins- an hour cooking, as much as I LOVE it, is not what I want to do or have time for in between working and going to school. I only end up cooking 4 dinners a week (the nights I don't work) and try to use up the leftovers for the other 3 nights and lunches throughout the week. Usually at least 1 and often 2 of the days that I cook, I use my crockpot to cut down even more on prep time.
I loooove my crockpot. Colton bought it for me this last Christmas and it has gotten a ton of use since then. There is so much you can use it for! My favorite thing to make in it is some variation of shredded chicken and sauce. We've done buffalo chicken sandwiches, bbq chicken sandwiches, asian glazed chicken, salsa chicken, and this really yummy chicken tikka masala, among other things.
One thing I DON'T like about crockpot recipes is that often they are paired with other "shortcuts" that totally ruin the nutritional value of the food and thus the point of cooking at home! I hate and NEVER use crockpot recipes that tell you to use cream-of-anything soup (full of fat and sodium), seasoning packets (like ranch, italian dressing, gravy, etc- they are all full of chemicals and sodium and are an expensive and unhealthy stand in for real, better tasting spices), or whole bottles of preservative-laden chemically sauces when it's easy to just make your own. In my crockpot recipes, I try to break the bond between 'easy' and 'unhealthy/processed/as-few-ingredients-as-possible'. This meal is tossed into the crockpot in 10 minutes using all natural ingredients and is super delicious!
Chicken tikka masala is everybody's favorite Indian dish that isn't really an Indian dish ;) creamy, tangy, spicy, and over a scoop of rice it's a delicious and filling meal! It tastes decadent but this recipe, which uses fat free greek yogurt and just a smidge of half and half is only 181 calories per serving of chicken. With rice and parsley or green onions on top, the total is only 353 calories per serving. This is based off of 3/4 cup of chicken with sauce and 1/4 cup DRY rice which is usually between 1/2-1 cup cooked rice.
For my personal favorite Indian dish that happens to be a vegetarian version of this recipe, check out my recipe for Paneer Masala! It's a bit more complicated and probably a bit more heavy on the calories but it's just as delicious!
Chicken Tikka Masala
Serves 4
Finely dice 1/4 of a yellow onion and toss into your crockpot.
Peel the ginger and garlic, mince them up, and throw them in with the onions.
Get together all your spices. You can just measure them right into the crockpot or make a spice mix separately and add it in a bit at a time to taste. I used all the spices called for, I just wanted to take a picture of them :)
Add the tomato puree, greek yogurt, and spices to the crockpot and stir to combine. This is when you could adjust the spices to your preferences if you'd like. Toss in the bay leaf once everything is all mixed up.
Grab a chicken breast- frozen, thawed, whatever- and add it to the pot. Spoon some sauce over the top to coat it. When I buy chicken breast (usually in packs of 5) I put them all in individual ziplock bags and freeze them so that I can just grab one whenever I need without having to defrost the whole bunch.
Put the lid on the crockpot, turn it to 'low' and let cook 4-6 hours. Since there is only one chicken breast, it doesn't take too long (I don't know why crockpot recipes are always designed to serve 5 million people). Once the chicken is fully cooked, shred it right in the sauce. You also have the option of using a thawed chicken breast initially and cutting it into bite sized pieces before you cook it. I never remember to thaw chicken over night and I don't like defrosting in the microwave... and I prefer the texture of shredded chicken so I usually just go with that :)
Combine the half and half and corn starch and then add to the crock pot and stir to combine. Let cook for about 30 more minutes with the lid off to thicken slightly. During this time you can cook the rice and chop up your desired garnish.
Serve a heaping 3/4 cup of chicken over 1/4 of the cooked (1 cup dry) rice and garnish with parsley or green onions. Yum!
Calories:
Total recipe (chicken):725.5
1 cup dry brown rice: 680
1/4 serving chicken (about 3/4 cup): 181
1/4 serving total (chicken, rice, and garnish): 353
A lot of times though, spending 30 mins- an hour cooking, as much as I LOVE it, is not what I want to do or have time for in between working and going to school. I only end up cooking 4 dinners a week (the nights I don't work) and try to use up the leftovers for the other 3 nights and lunches throughout the week. Usually at least 1 and often 2 of the days that I cook, I use my crockpot to cut down even more on prep time.
I loooove my crockpot. Colton bought it for me this last Christmas and it has gotten a ton of use since then. There is so much you can use it for! My favorite thing to make in it is some variation of shredded chicken and sauce. We've done buffalo chicken sandwiches, bbq chicken sandwiches, asian glazed chicken, salsa chicken, and this really yummy chicken tikka masala, among other things.
One thing I DON'T like about crockpot recipes is that often they are paired with other "shortcuts" that totally ruin the nutritional value of the food and thus the point of cooking at home! I hate and NEVER use crockpot recipes that tell you to use cream-of-anything soup (full of fat and sodium), seasoning packets (like ranch, italian dressing, gravy, etc- they are all full of chemicals and sodium and are an expensive and unhealthy stand in for real, better tasting spices), or whole bottles of preservative-laden chemically sauces when it's easy to just make your own. In my crockpot recipes, I try to break the bond between 'easy' and 'unhealthy/processed/as-few-ingredients-as-possible'. This meal is tossed into the crockpot in 10 minutes using all natural ingredients and is super delicious!
Chicken tikka masala is everybody's favorite Indian dish that isn't really an Indian dish ;) creamy, tangy, spicy, and over a scoop of rice it's a delicious and filling meal! It tastes decadent but this recipe, which uses fat free greek yogurt and just a smidge of half and half is only 181 calories per serving of chicken. With rice and parsley or green onions on top, the total is only 353 calories per serving. This is based off of 3/4 cup of chicken with sauce and 1/4 cup DRY rice which is usually between 1/2-1 cup cooked rice.
For my personal favorite Indian dish that happens to be a vegetarian version of this recipe, check out my recipe for Paneer Masala! It's a bit more complicated and probably a bit more heavy on the calories but it's just as delicious!
Chicken Tikka Masala
Serves 4
1 chicken breast (raw=31 cals/oz- this recipe based on a 13 oz raw breast)
¼ yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
½ tbsp. fresh ginger
1 cup tomato puree
½ cup greek yogurt
½ tbsp. garam masala
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp cracked black pepper
½ tsp cayenne
1 bay leaf
¼ cup half and half
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp parsley or green onions
1 cup dry brown rice
Finely dice 1/4 of a yellow onion and toss into your crockpot.
Peel the ginger and garlic, mince them up, and throw them in with the onions.
Get together all your spices. You can just measure them right into the crockpot or make a spice mix separately and add it in a bit at a time to taste. I used all the spices called for, I just wanted to take a picture of them :)
Add the tomato puree, greek yogurt, and spices to the crockpot and stir to combine. This is when you could adjust the spices to your preferences if you'd like. Toss in the bay leaf once everything is all mixed up.
Grab a chicken breast- frozen, thawed, whatever- and add it to the pot. Spoon some sauce over the top to coat it. When I buy chicken breast (usually in packs of 5) I put them all in individual ziplock bags and freeze them so that I can just grab one whenever I need without having to defrost the whole bunch.
Put the lid on the crockpot, turn it to 'low' and let cook 4-6 hours. Since there is only one chicken breast, it doesn't take too long (I don't know why crockpot recipes are always designed to serve 5 million people). Once the chicken is fully cooked, shred it right in the sauce. You also have the option of using a thawed chicken breast initially and cutting it into bite sized pieces before you cook it. I never remember to thaw chicken over night and I don't like defrosting in the microwave... and I prefer the texture of shredded chicken so I usually just go with that :)
Combine the half and half and corn starch and then add to the crock pot and stir to combine. Let cook for about 30 more minutes with the lid off to thicken slightly. During this time you can cook the rice and chop up your desired garnish.
Serve a heaping 3/4 cup of chicken over 1/4 of the cooked (1 cup dry) rice and garnish with parsley or green onions. Yum!
Calories:
Total recipe (chicken):725.5
1 cup dry brown rice: 680
1/4 serving chicken (about 3/4 cup): 181
1/4 serving total (chicken, rice, and garnish): 353
Tags:
chicken,
chicken tikka masala,
cooking,
cooking for two,
crockpot,
easy,
easy meals,
food,
Indian,
recipes,
slowcooker
11 April 2013
Good things are happening!
Clemenoodles cuddles ALWAYS boost my mood! |
After a week or two of feeling pretty exhausted, stressed, unmotivated, and generally 'meh', some really great stuff happened these past few days which has really boosted my mood.
First, this:
"Thank you for submitting your petition to the General Petitions Committee. Your petition has been read by the doctor at Campus Health who has seen all of the materials, has carefully weighed your specific circumstances, and has voted on your petition.
We are happy to inform you that your petition, requesting a complete retroactive withdrawal from Spring semester, 2012, has been approved."
Then I got a 98 % on a Roman literature test I was about 99% sure I got a C or B- on. Don't know how I pulled that one off but I'll take it.
Then I stopped by the fine arts graduation services offices and got my degree check to GRADUATE IN DECEMBER! Still a couple things I have to do for that but no problems popped up with the initial check so I should be good to go. Something felt so freaking satisfying about filling out a form with all my degree information and letting them know how to spell my full name to go on my diploma. gahh :)
And finally, I've lost 30 lbs in exactly 12 weeks and I'm feeling great about it! 10 more will put me about at what I was in high school, but I didn't really work out in high school so hopefully I will be much more toned at that weight now.
This quote has always seemed kind of dumb to me since everyone loses weight at different paces and there's no way of knowing what effect a certain amount of time and effort will have on your body...
...BUT, in the past week a couple people have asked me if I've lost weight or told me I look skinny which is really awesome to hear. I think anyone who has tried to lose weight knows how meaningful it is to have the hard work manifest itself on your body and to have other people take notice. Very rewarding.
So things are going really well right now, which is great because I was feeling really overworked and a bit down over the past couple weeks. I'm still a bit exhausted and stressed from work and school but knowing summer is just around the corner is a bit of a relief- and knowing that by the end of 2013 I'll have a degree and an even stronger, healthier body is enough to motivate me through the rest of the year!
Sorry for this rather braggy-bordering-on-gloaty blog post. I know sometimes it's looked down upon (especially in the land of the internet) to get really excited about yourself. But oh well, blogging and social media is narcissistic by nature :) and (because apparently I'm really feeling the inspirational quotes plastered all over the internet today):
<3 3>
Tags:
college,
graduation,
inspiration,
Life,
mood,
motivation,
progress,
School,
Update,
weightloss
08 April 2013
Work makes me too tired to blog :(
So here are some pictures of my dog. Sorry.
Today is my last day of work, though it's also my first day of school. School doesn't wear down my everything quite as much as work though, so I'll be able to get a few blogs up in the next few days before it starts all over again on Friday.
<33>
Today is my last day of work, though it's also my first day of school. School doesn't wear down my everything quite as much as work though, so I'll be able to get a few blogs up in the next few days before it starts all over again on Friday.
<33>
05 April 2013
This week, on the Internet...
Here's just a few things I've been finding and loving online lately:
This Etsy Shop, which is full of the most awesome movie posters. They're a mix of original art, images from the film, and awesome collages/juxtaposition/editing. I want the Harold and Maude one, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Breathless... to name a few.
Anything and Everything Doctor Who. I'm not sure when my feelings for Doctor Who went from casual viewer to obsessed fangirl because I mostly just had it on while I worked out or cooked or did other things, but I watched like 10 hours of it in the past 2 days, pretty much just glued to the screen. Good stuff. And then I realized David Tennant also played Barty Crouch Jr in HP4 and was like ZOMG nerdgasm. I already blogged this on my tumblr but I think it's just a hoot.
This dog comic, which describes clem pretty well since she must constantly be cuddling. She always fits herself into little spaces where she can get the most cuddle coverage.
Deanne Berry's Clubland workout videos which combine toning, aerobics, dance, and combat. Kind of silly but really fun haha. Available on amazon.co.uk or in sections on youtube
03 April 2013
Spinach and Mushroom Enchiladas
The picture might not look like much but this is one of my FAVORITE healthy meals to make! I've made it twice in the past week, if that gives you an idea. Onion, spinach, and mushrooms are sauteed with just a smidge of butter, some garlic, and some spices, rolled into corn tortillas, smothered in a smooth, tangy, roasted poblano pepper cream sauce, topped with montery jack cheese and baked until bubbly and golden. The end result is a very un-photogenic heaping pile of deliciousness on your plate that tastes like the zillion calorie restaurant version but is actually only 764 calories for the whole recipe, which can be two or three servings depending on how hungry you are.
I really enjoy cooking at home and finding ways of reducing the calories in my favorite meals. I order spinach enchiladas (which are usually doused in a sour cream/cheese white sauce) almost every time I go to a Mexican restaurant. The spinach makes me feel like I'm being healthy but the sauce reminds me that I most certainly am not! This super easy homemade version tastes the same but cuts out all the unnecessary calories that restaurant meals like to tack on.
|A word about the photos for this recipe- this was the first time I attempted to photograph/blog about a recipe in the house I'm currently living in. It was night (since I was making dinner), but the lighting in my house is rather dark and mediocre in general. And my walls are yellow so that makes everything else photograph a bit yellow. To counteract this I grabbed my clamp-on work light which lights my light tent and tried to use it as a lighting source. It kind of worked... and kind of not.
For one thing I had to keep moving it between different outlets as I moved from cutting board to stove and back. There was no good spot to clamp the light in either location so I had to hold it in my left hand while photographing with my right. It was pretty amusing, you should have seen it. A lot of the pictures still look like something with a very bright light being focused on it in an otherwise very dark room, but it was ok for a first attempt! I'm going to work on setting up a more consistent lighting arrangement for future posts.|
Note: The calorie counts in my recipes are deduced from the information on thecaloriecounter.com as well as certain brands of products (as products vary), which I will try to specify. Substitutions and variations may work but are not recommended for those watching their calories as they will alter the calorie total of the recipe.
Spinach and Mushroom Enchiladas
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
1 clove garlic
1/4 yellow onion
10 mushrooms (about 2/3 small box of mushrooms)
6 cups (1 large bag) spinach
1 tbsp butter, divided
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne (omit or reduce if you do not like spicy food)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2-1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tbsp flour
2/3 cup vegetable broth (I use Safeway O organics brand)
1/2 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt (I prefer Fage)
1 oz monterey jack cheese
1/2 roasted pasilla (poblano) pepper (instructions below)
6 white corn tortillas (Mission brand)
To roast a pepper:
Preheat oven to 450. Rinse pepper well and dry. Place on center rack (no need to use cookie sheet, right on the rack is fine) and bake for about 5 minutes. Check for charring and blistering on the skin of the pepper and rotate to ensure even cooking. Cook for a few more minutes. When pepper is about 70% charred/blistered, remove from oven and place in a plastic bag. This will kind of steam the pepper as it cools and make it easier to remove the skin. When cool enough to handle, slice open pepper, remove seeds, and peel off outer skin, rinsing if necessary. Tada, roasted poblano pepper!
Preheat oven to 400. In a skillet, melt 1/2 tbsp butter. Roughly dice up the (1/4) onion and add it to the skillet, tossing to coat.
Mince the garlic and add it to the skillet. Cook the onion and garlic for 3-5 minutes, until slightly browned and translucent.
Meanwhile, wash and dry your mushrooms. Yes, I wash my mushrooms. With water. If you don't want to you don't have to but I'm going to, cool?
Slice them up (about 1/4 inch per slice)...
...and add them to the pan. Stir them around to mix with the onions and coat with butter. The pan will probably seem a bit dry but don't add any more butter or liquid! Soon the mushrooms will relinquish all their moisture and everything will be just fine ;)
See? Let them cook until browned and tender.
When most of the liquid has evaporated, add in allll the spinach. It will be a lot in the pan (especially my tiny pan) but the steam from the mushrooms should rise up and help it wilt fairly evenly.
While the spinach is heating, get your spices together.
And once it's almost completely wilted add them to the pan. Stir it around, let it cook a bit more to git rid of excess moisture, taste and adjust seasonings, and the filling is done!
If you want, you can measure this and divide it into 6 equal portions. I just move it around the pan with my spoon into 6 kind of equal piles.
Now for the sauce. Grab a small (not teflon, not scratched up and horrible looking) sauce pan and throw in 1 tbsp flour and the remaining 1/2 tbsp butter. Heat over low heat to form a roux, whisking constantly. This will be a very dry rue, since there is twice as much flour as there is butter. This makes it twice as easy to accidentally make butter-flour dumplings and have to start over! The key is to keep the heat low, add liquid verrrry slowly, and whisk super well while you add the liquid in to break up clumps. Don't worry about getting a very dark roux, just cook the flour and butter until combined and a light golden color.
You can combine the veg broth and milk before adding to the roux or do the veg broth first. At first just drizzle in a tbsp or so at a time, whisking to combine, and then add larger portions (like 1/4 cup). Once all liquid has been added, let cook a couple minutes to thicken up slightly. It will still be pretty thin.
Dice up your poblano pepper and add it to the sauce. Remove the sauce from the heat.
Measure 1/2 cup of cool, creamy, greek yogurt. Let the sauce sit and cool for a minute or two- this is very important whenever you make a dairy based sauce, like for mac and cheese! If you add your dairy product (like the cheese in mac and cheese or the yogurt here) when the bechamel is boiling, the product is likely to break down, curdle, and get grainy. blegh. Especially if it's low fat. So make sure your sauce isn't too hot!
Urgh. Looks disgusting in this picture but is delicious, I promise! Add the greek yogurt and stir well to combine. The sauce will become much thicker and creamier.
Now for putting the enchiladas together. Pour about 1/4 cup of sauce in the bottom of a small rectangular glass pan (like a loaf pan) and spread it around. Wrap 6 tortillas in a couple layers of paper towels and microwave for 30 seconds. Take a hot tortilla, fill it with 1/6 of the filling, and roll it up tight. Place in the pan, seam side down.
continue with all six tortillas
Grate up 1 oz of cheese (I cut my cheese into even 1 oz cubes when I buy it so I always know how much I'm actually grating/eating. It helps!)
Then drizzle the rest of the sauce all over the enchiladas. Top with the grated cheese. You should have a LOT of sauce so it should fill all the nooks and crannys of the enchiladas.
Bake for about 5 minutes to heat through, then crank up the broiler and cook for a few minutes to brown the top and crisp up the cheese.
Serve with hot sauce (I like Sriracha. I know it's weird to put sriracha on mexican food but it's delicious. meh.) and beans and rice if you please. I usually just eat 3 enchiladas with no sides and it's a TON of food- and a very filling and satisfying dinner!
I imagine you could freeze this after you put it all together and pull it out for an easy weeknight dinner down the road as well :)
Calories
total: 764
serving (half recipe/3 enchiladas): 382
per enchilada: 127
<3
I really enjoy cooking at home and finding ways of reducing the calories in my favorite meals. I order spinach enchiladas (which are usually doused in a sour cream/cheese white sauce) almost every time I go to a Mexican restaurant. The spinach makes me feel like I'm being healthy but the sauce reminds me that I most certainly am not! This super easy homemade version tastes the same but cuts out all the unnecessary calories that restaurant meals like to tack on.
|A word about the photos for this recipe- this was the first time I attempted to photograph/blog about a recipe in the house I'm currently living in. It was night (since I was making dinner), but the lighting in my house is rather dark and mediocre in general. And my walls are yellow so that makes everything else photograph a bit yellow. To counteract this I grabbed my clamp-on work light which lights my light tent and tried to use it as a lighting source. It kind of worked... and kind of not.
Exhibit A.. |
..and Exhibit B |
For one thing I had to keep moving it between different outlets as I moved from cutting board to stove and back. There was no good spot to clamp the light in either location so I had to hold it in my left hand while photographing with my right. It was pretty amusing, you should have seen it. A lot of the pictures still look like something with a very bright light being focused on it in an otherwise very dark room, but it was ok for a first attempt! I'm going to work on setting up a more consistent lighting arrangement for future posts.|
Note: The calorie counts in my recipes are deduced from the information on thecaloriecounter.com as well as certain brands of products (as products vary), which I will try to specify. Substitutions and variations may work but are not recommended for those watching their calories as they will alter the calorie total of the recipe.
Spinach and Mushroom Enchiladas
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
1 clove garlic
1/4 yellow onion
10 mushrooms (about 2/3 small box of mushrooms)
6 cups (1 large bag) spinach
1 tbsp butter, divided
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne (omit or reduce if you do not like spicy food)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2-1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tbsp flour
2/3 cup vegetable broth (I use Safeway O organics brand)
1/2 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt (I prefer Fage)
1 oz monterey jack cheese
1/2 roasted pasilla (poblano) pepper (instructions below)
6 white corn tortillas (Mission brand)
To roast a pepper:
Preheat oven to 450. Rinse pepper well and dry. Place on center rack (no need to use cookie sheet, right on the rack is fine) and bake for about 5 minutes. Check for charring and blistering on the skin of the pepper and rotate to ensure even cooking. Cook for a few more minutes. When pepper is about 70% charred/blistered, remove from oven and place in a plastic bag. This will kind of steam the pepper as it cools and make it easier to remove the skin. When cool enough to handle, slice open pepper, remove seeds, and peel off outer skin, rinsing if necessary. Tada, roasted poblano pepper!
Preheat oven to 400. In a skillet, melt 1/2 tbsp butter. Roughly dice up the (1/4) onion and add it to the skillet, tossing to coat.
Mince the garlic and add it to the skillet. Cook the onion and garlic for 3-5 minutes, until slightly browned and translucent.
Meanwhile, wash and dry your mushrooms. Yes, I wash my mushrooms. With water. If you don't want to you don't have to but I'm going to, cool?
Slice them up (about 1/4 inch per slice)...
See? Let them cook until browned and tender.
When most of the liquid has evaporated, add in allll the spinach. It will be a lot in the pan (especially my tiny pan) but the steam from the mushrooms should rise up and help it wilt fairly evenly.
While the spinach is heating, get your spices together.
And once it's almost completely wilted add them to the pan. Stir it around, let it cook a bit more to git rid of excess moisture, taste and adjust seasonings, and the filling is done!
If you want, you can measure this and divide it into 6 equal portions. I just move it around the pan with my spoon into 6 kind of equal piles.
Now for the sauce. Grab a small (not teflon, not scratched up and horrible looking) sauce pan and throw in 1 tbsp flour and the remaining 1/2 tbsp butter. Heat over low heat to form a roux, whisking constantly. This will be a very dry rue, since there is twice as much flour as there is butter. This makes it twice as easy to accidentally make butter-flour dumplings and have to start over! The key is to keep the heat low, add liquid verrrry slowly, and whisk super well while you add the liquid in to break up clumps. Don't worry about getting a very dark roux, just cook the flour and butter until combined and a light golden color.
You can combine the veg broth and milk before adding to the roux or do the veg broth first. At first just drizzle in a tbsp or so at a time, whisking to combine, and then add larger portions (like 1/4 cup). Once all liquid has been added, let cook a couple minutes to thicken up slightly. It will still be pretty thin.
Dice up your poblano pepper and add it to the sauce. Remove the sauce from the heat.
Measure 1/2 cup of cool, creamy, greek yogurt. Let the sauce sit and cool for a minute or two- this is very important whenever you make a dairy based sauce, like for mac and cheese! If you add your dairy product (like the cheese in mac and cheese or the yogurt here) when the bechamel is boiling, the product is likely to break down, curdle, and get grainy. blegh. Especially if it's low fat. So make sure your sauce isn't too hot!
Urgh. Looks disgusting in this picture but is delicious, I promise! Add the greek yogurt and stir well to combine. The sauce will become much thicker and creamier.
not the best angle for my hand |
continue with all six tortillas
Grate up 1 oz of cheese (I cut my cheese into even 1 oz cubes when I buy it so I always know how much I'm actually grating/eating. It helps!)
Then drizzle the rest of the sauce all over the enchiladas. Top with the grated cheese. You should have a LOT of sauce so it should fill all the nooks and crannys of the enchiladas.
Bake for about 5 minutes to heat through, then crank up the broiler and cook for a few minutes to brown the top and crisp up the cheese.
Serve with hot sauce (I like Sriracha. I know it's weird to put sriracha on mexican food but it's delicious. meh.) and beans and rice if you please. I usually just eat 3 enchiladas with no sides and it's a TON of food- and a very filling and satisfying dinner!
I imagine you could freeze this after you put it all together and pull it out for an easy weeknight dinner down the road as well :)
Calories
total: 764
serving (half recipe/3 enchiladas): 382
per enchilada: 127
<3
Tags:
cooking,
cooking for two,
enchiladas,
food,
Health,
healthy,
low calorie,
mexican,
mushrooms,
recipes,
spinach,
vegetarian
02 April 2013
20 in my 20th: #12 Summerhaven!
12. Go to Summerhaven at the top of Mt. Lemon, ride the ski-lift.
I did this just over a year ago! Spring is in full swing in Tucson around this time of year and it's wonderful. Down here on the desert floor its warm and breezy during the day (usually anywhere from 70-90 degrees) and slightly cool and mild at night, just enough for you to want a light cardigan. It also smells like honeysuckle all the time which is wonderful. That's going to go away soon I'm sure so I'm loving it while it lasts!
Tuscon is surrounded by big beautiful mountains, many of which are full of hiking trails, swimming holes, and campsites. Mt. Lemmon is the most popular mountain as it's the tallest point in the Santa Catalina mountains and has a tiny little town (Summerhaven) and the Mount Lemmon Ski Valley at the top. It happens to be the southernmost ski location in all of the continental United States, so that's pretty cool.Way up at the top of Mt Lemmon it's still pretty brisk and chilly, and there's even still snow on the ground. It warms up during summer but remains pretty mild- a stark contrast from the sweltering dessert heat. Hence the name 'Summerhaven'.
I have nice memories of visiting the Snow Bowl in Flagstaff with my Dad (where he and I went skiing last month) during fall and riding the ski lift. There was no snow at that time, but it was fun just to be up in the air and look at all the colorful changing leaves. Afterwards we got cups of gumbo soup in the ski restaurant. This memory, along with my curiosity and desire to get a mini vacation from the warm weather inspired me to visit Summerhaven and ride the ski lift up there. It's a decent drive up the mountain (about 45 mins-hr) so Colton and I made a day trip out of it last spring.
It was really fun! Except that between the time that I was 9 or 10, riding the ski lift, and when I was 20 life things happened and apparently I developed a fear of heights. That I didn't really realize I had until I was up in the air. So that was fun. I tried to distract myself by taking photos and trying not to imagine crashing to the frozen-solid snow and rocks 30 feet below me.
I didn't take any pics of Summerhaven sadly, but there wasn't much to it aside from some reaaaally nice cabins and a general store. Pretty cute though! Looked a lot like the neighborhood you drive through right before you get to Frog Falls, Prescott people.
Even though the ski lift ride induced more anxiety than I was expecting, it was a fun day trip and a nice chance to get out of the desert for a bit. Maybe next winter I'll try out some actual skiing, now that I kind of know how (22 in 22? maybe!)
<33>
I did this just over a year ago! Spring is in full swing in Tucson around this time of year and it's wonderful. Down here on the desert floor its warm and breezy during the day (usually anywhere from 70-90 degrees) and slightly cool and mild at night, just enough for you to want a light cardigan. It also smells like honeysuckle all the time which is wonderful. That's going to go away soon I'm sure so I'm loving it while it lasts!
Tuscon is surrounded by big beautiful mountains, many of which are full of hiking trails, swimming holes, and campsites. Mt. Lemmon is the most popular mountain as it's the tallest point in the Santa Catalina mountains and has a tiny little town (Summerhaven) and the Mount Lemmon Ski Valley at the top. It happens to be the southernmost ski location in all of the continental United States, so that's pretty cool.Way up at the top of Mt Lemmon it's still pretty brisk and chilly, and there's even still snow on the ground. It warms up during summer but remains pretty mild- a stark contrast from the sweltering dessert heat. Hence the name 'Summerhaven'.
I have nice memories of visiting the Snow Bowl in Flagstaff with my Dad (where he and I went skiing last month) during fall and riding the ski lift. There was no snow at that time, but it was fun just to be up in the air and look at all the colorful changing leaves. Afterwards we got cups of gumbo soup in the ski restaurant. This memory, along with my curiosity and desire to get a mini vacation from the warm weather inspired me to visit Summerhaven and ride the ski lift up there. It's a decent drive up the mountain (about 45 mins-hr) so Colton and I made a day trip out of it last spring.
It was really fun! Except that between the time that I was 9 or 10, riding the ski lift, and when I was 20 life things happened and apparently I developed a fear of heights. That I didn't really realize I had until I was up in the air. So that was fun. I tried to distract myself by taking photos and trying not to imagine crashing to the frozen-solid snow and rocks 30 feet below me.
All these little shops (aside from the informational one where you buy lift tickets) were closed when we went. I bet in winter when there's lots of fresh snow they're really fun to check out! |
pretty view from the top |
this is windy point, a lookout spot about half way up the mountain that people like to check out and climb around. Great views of the desert below from here! |
I didn't take any pics of Summerhaven sadly, but there wasn't much to it aside from some reaaaally nice cabins and a general store. Pretty cute though! Looked a lot like the neighborhood you drive through right before you get to Frog Falls, Prescott people.
Even though the ski lift ride induced more anxiety than I was expecting, it was a fun day trip and a nice chance to get out of the desert for a bit. Maybe next winter I'll try out some actual skiing, now that I kind of know how (22 in 22? maybe!)
<33>
Tags:
20 in my 20th,
Life,
Mt Lemmon,
nature,
Outdoors,
photos,
skiing,
Summerhaven,
Tucson
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