Saturday, April 30, 2011

Chicken Avocado Salad

So I'm trying to be healthy, right? I made this salad that I was not so sure about but Trent and I ended up loving it!



Ingredients

2 avocados - peeled, pitted and diced
1 Chicken Breast, shredded and sauteed
1/4 sweet onion, chopped
Green bell pepper, chopped (as much as you want)
1 large ripe tomato, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Lime juice to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

In a bowl, mix everything and season with salt and pepper.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Peruvian Causa


AKA "Yellow Potatoes with Chicken Salad"

Ingredients
  • 8 potatoes. (Preferably Idaho Potatoes)
  • Yellow Pepper Sauce to taste (You can get it at Latin Stores. If you live in Provo, you can get it at La Pequenita store at 1102 S. State Street. Orem, UT 84097)

  • Lime Juice to taste
  • Shredded Chicken (About 2 boneless chicken breasts)
  • Mayonnaise to taste
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
Preparation

  1. Boil the potatoes (unpeeled) until they're soft.
  2. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher.
  3. Add yellow pepper sauce, salt & pepper and lime juice to taste.
  4. In a bowl, mix chicken, salt, mayo and lime juice to taste.
  5. In a Pyrex, put one layer of potatoes, then a layer of chicken.
  6. Do as many layers as you want. It's usually only 2 layers of potatoes and one of chicken though.

    Monday, April 11, 2011

    An Oxymoronic Post

    First off, Nadia and I were talking the other day about how we could use this blog as a motivator to help us lose weight. I've been trying to lose weight (unsuccessfully) since the baby was born. But I've been doing pretty well since the beginning of January. (I'm actually keeping a New Years Resolution! Whoa!) I didn't really have a specific deadline for my weight loss, that is until Trent and Nadia decided to get married. Since I'm going to be immortalized in pictures from their wedding (haha), I want to look good! It's been a pretty strong motivator. Nadia is trying to lose some weight too (although she looks great and definitely doesn't need to!), which means we have the same "deadline" (June 25).


    I've lost 21 pounds since January 1st!


    And I'm finally started to feel a difference. My jeans are a lot looser and my pre-pregnancy jeans mostly fit! (They're still a little bit too tight though.) I feel better about myself too. Sometimes it's frustrating that losing weight isn't a huge overnight transformation, so I just have to remind myself that it's a slow process and that I'm progressing.


    I posted these pictures on my family blog, but I'll put them here too and get y'all's opinion as well. Can you see a difference between these pictures? (If you can't, I promise I won't be offended. I'll just try even harder to make the difference more pronounced next time I post pictures.)


    Taken beginning of January

    Taken April 10th


    And now for the "oxymoronic" portion of this post:


    Dinner tonight was oh so yummy! (And oh so unhealthy!) We had jalapeño popper pizza. If you click on the link, you can find the recipe. The website (Lauren's Latest) was created by Lauren Brennan, the wife of one of J.J.'s good friends from Oregon. Her recipes are amazing! I wish I had the time to try them all. I'll also post the recipe here, for convenience. But you really should check out her website, 'k?


    1 lb. pizza dough (I used pizza crust from the store instead)
    1 cup prepared alfredo sauce
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    1/2 large onion, sliced
    1 large jalapeño, seeded and sliced
    1-1/2 cups prepared breaded chicken, cubed (I used chicken nuggets from the frozen section)
    4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
    4 oz cream cheese
    1/2 lb grated mozzarella cheese 
    1/4 lb grated cheddar cheese
    (I'm not sure if I actually used this much cheese. I might have, but I'm sure you don't have it. But as J.J. would say, "The more cheese, the better!")


    Sauté the onions and jalapeños in the olive oil for about ten minutes or until you think they're done. Spread the alfredo sauce on the pizza crust. Spread the onions and jalapeños on the pizza. Add the chicken and bacon. Place pieces of cream cheese on the pizza. Add the cheese.

    Bake in oven at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is golden and bubbly. (If you're using pizza crust and not dough like I did, I would follow those baking directions. It doesn't usually take as long to cook the crust.)

    This recipe is really yummy and really easy. Just be careful not to eat too much of it! Oh, and if you're worried about it being too spicy, it's not. Especially if you make sure to seed the jalapeños really well. And apparently, the longer you cook the jalapeños, the less hot (as in spicy) they are. I've made this pizza two times and I don't think either time has been spicy at all.

    Before baking in the oven

    Dinner is ready! Doesn't that look so yummy?
    I think I gained 10 pounds just by looking at this picture!

    I did a okay job portion control-wise. I only ate two small pizzas.
    (My plate is the one on the right.)
    I probably should've only eaten one though, but it was so tasty!

    My cute husband enjoying Sunday dinner. :)

    Monday, April 4, 2011

    Yummy Clam Chowder!



    Okay, this is seriously one of my favorite things to make. I LOVE clam chowder! (And not to brag, but I'm really good at making this!)

    Ingredients:
    2 6oz. cans minced clams*
    1 cup onion, chopped finely
    1 cup celery, chopped finely
    2 cups potatoes, chopped finely**
    3/4 cup butter
    3/4 cup flour
    1 qt half & half
    1 tsp vinegar
    1-2 tsp sugar
    1-1/2 tsp salt
    Few grains pepper

    * Make sure to get minced clams, not chopped. Well, I supposed you could get chopped, but only do that if you really like clams. I'm not a huge fan of the texture of clams, so I liked minced better.
    ** I don't chop the potatoes finely because I like chunks of potato, but that's just me. And also, because I just love potatoes, I use a lot more than just 2 cups. I'm not sure how much I use. I basically just eyeball it.

    Instructions:

    Drain juice from clams and pour over vegetables in medium saucepan.
    (But don't include the clams in this step- just the juice!)
    Add enough water to barely cover vegetables. 

    Simmer, uncovered over medium heat,
    until potatoes are barely tender, about 20 minutes.
    (After cooking the vegetables, you can let them sit in the pan until you're ready to finish cooking the soup.)

    At mealtime, melt butter, add flour and blend and cook a minute or two.

    Add cream and cook and stir until smooth and thick, using a wire whisk to blend.
    (This can sometimes take awhile. Just make sure it's thick before moving on to the next step.)

    This step is critical: Have a very cute baby "assist" you in the kitchen.

    My little chef's assistant. :)

    Add undrained vegetables and clams. Heat through.
    Season with salt, sugar, vinegar and pepper.

    Enjoy!
    A word of warning: I've been eating really well the last few days, but I couldn't help but eat a huge bowl of this soup. So be aware. It's that yummy!

    Tres Leches Cake

     

    This is the best cake ever.
    So I'm sharing it with you.
    Because it's easy and so good!

    Ingredients

    1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist yellow cake mix
    1 1/4 cups water
    1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    2 teaspoons vanilla
    4 eggs
    1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
    1 can whole milk or evaporated milk
    1 little carton whipping cream
    1 container Betty Crocker Whipped fluffy white frosting

    1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease and flour or spray bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan.
    2. In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil, vanilla and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.
    3. Bake 29 to 35 minutes or until edges are golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes. Poke top of hot cake every 1/2 inch with long-tined fork, wiping fork occasionally to reduce sticking.
    4. In large bowl, stir together sweetened condensed milk, whole milk and whipping cream. Carefully pour evenly over top of cake. Cover; refrigerate about 1 hour or until mixture is absorbed into cake. Frost with frosting.
    Makes 15 servings


    Friday, April 1, 2011

    ~ Chicken Noodle Soup ~

    ~ Chicken Noodle Soup ~
    So easy, a college freshman can make it!

    Thanks to Nadia for adding me to the blog!

    So, today, Trent and Nadia were sick. So sick that Trent couldn't make it to our math-date. We'll see how this next test goes for both of us... we're so behind.

    Anyways, Nadia put something on facebook about wishing her mom was there to make her some chicken noodle soup. Now, I am by no means an expert, but I can put chicken and noodles together and make someone happy! So I did. After doing great on a test, and enjoying the fantastic spring weather we've been having, I was in the mood to do something productive and helpful. Here ya go!



    Chicken Noodle Soup (a la Angela)

    Ingredients:
    One package of Egg Noodles
    3 Boneless Chicken Breasts
    4 cups of water
    4 cubes of Chicken Bouillon

    Prepare the noodles according to directions. While the water is boiling, chop chicken breasts into roughly 1 cm cubes. Fry these cubes in a frying pan, until large chunks can be cut in half and be white all the way through. Drain the water from the noodles and set aside. Prepare 4 cubes of chicken bouillon according to directions, using the 4 cups of water. Combine the noodles, broth, and chicken. Voila!

    Note: This recipe is easy to manipulate. For example, I use Ramen seasoning packets instead of bouillon, and I add it directly to the pasta water, without draining the noodles. You can also add vegetables to the mix.