Food

January 30, 2014

Making Him Feel Special on his Birthday!

Yesterday was Clint’s 39th Birthday!  One more year until I get to throw a kick-ass 40th.  I am going to start planning now!

Until then, let me recap his 39th.

Present Time!  Why yes, I used leftover Christmas wrapping paper.  It’s called being resourceful, people!

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Following up the opening with a cheese-tastic grin!

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I ordered him a Samsung Chromebook.  Pretty awesome!   He has broken two laptops in the last few years… fingers crossed this one lasts a little while.  The Chromebook fits his needs perfectly.  The three main staples my friends: YouTube, Craigslist and Facebook. Super high-tech he is.

Next up, dinner at Brother Sebastian’s.  

 

ImageDon’t we just love iPhone night pics?  Such quality…

 

Brother Sebastian’s was gorgeous in architecture and ambiance.  The restaurant is divided into multiple dining rooms.  Our room had 6 booths and a fireplace in the middle.  Cozy, comfortable and relaxing.

 

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Each room had the below window’s allowing you to see what people were up to on the other side.  We caught a pretty spectacular comb-over but thought it to be mildly inappropriate to take his picture.  So the window is all you get. 

 

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Clint ordered a Ribeye accompanied by rice and green beans.  He was very excited.  Can’t you tell? 

 

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Clint’s expert culinary review:  “Steak was damn good. Nice flavor, very tender, could have used a little more fat.  I like fat on my steak”

Oh boy….

 

I had the Chicken Oskar – chicken, crab, asparagus and hollandaise sauce with a baked potato and green beans. 

 

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My expert culinary review: “Delicious.  Just delicious”

 

I don’t think we are going to be asked to do any important restaurant reviews anytime soon, however, I HIGHLY recommend Brother Sebastian’s in Omaha, NE.

 

Happy 39th Birthday, Clint!

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January 26, 2014

Weekend in Review- David Nail, Pitchers of Margaritas, Volleyball and Shopping!

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FRIDAY

Friday in a nutshell included copious amounts of Vodka Red Bull, Friends, Lot’s of Laughing and Killer Music by David Nail at the Whiskey Roadhouse in Council Bluffs, IA.

Is he not just adorable?

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My favorite songs of his right now include Catch You While I Can and Strangers on a Train. 

Us gals met for pre-drinks and dinner around 5:30 before heading over to the concert venue at 6:30.  It was already PACKED and he didn’t go on stage until after 9.  Didn’t bother us.  We scored a table thanks to a couple splitting early and we kept the drinks a coming.

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ImageTyree and I

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Carrie and Tyree

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Before we had too many drinks

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After too many drinks. 

Camera couldn’t even keep up with those stellar moves.

Cheers to a pretty fantastic Friday Night!

 

Saturday

Shopping.  I started off shopping for a couple of new workout shirts as I desperately needed to add a few to my rotation.  I walked away with some shirts.   And some shoes.  

Do I dare say a couple pair?

#nikeairmaxprobs   #bestillmyheart

One could say Nike and I have quite a great working relationship.

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I think I have a fair representation in my closet of every year of Nike Air Max starting with the 2005’s.  No shame in admitting that.   They have been the best shoe for all my high impact exercise and activities.  There is just enough cushion with the perfect arch support and room in the toe box. 

Yesterday I added another 2013 pair to my collection (grey and lime green) because they were on sale.  

And I just couldn’t take my eyes off the 2014’s.  OH. MY!

Nike.  You have figured it out.   The Flyknit and cushioning.  Seriously, best yet.  I can’t wait to try these babies out tomorrow while I teach my Turbo Class!  (Check out The 2014’s <——–).

Nike… seriously.  We should form a real live working deal. 

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Saturday night we went to dinner with Clint’s mom and family at Maria’s Mexican Restaurant.   If you are ever in the Ralston, NE area, this is a MUST.   We went at 5:30pm and it was already packed with a wait.  Such a popular place to eat.  For good reason as well!

The taco’s are hands-down my favorite.

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We shared two pitchers of margaritas as well.   Ya, we know how to do it up.

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We capped off the night watching The Great Gatsby.   I don’t really know what I thought of the movie.  It was different.  Eccentric?  Can I describe it using that word?  Ya.  Works for me.

 

Sunday

Spent the morning with my Goecker family watching my cousin play volleyball and the afternoon talking on the phone (not kidding), editing photos, lesson planning and Grammy watching. 

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Cheers to a GREAT week my friends!

 

January 15, 2014

Recipe for Black Bean Patties

Don’t run away yet.  Trust me, these are worth trying!

Filled with black beans, artichokes, olives and green chiles.  Seasoned with hot sauce, chili powder and cumin.  Thickened up with oatmeal!

Spicy, Healthy and Cheap to make.

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Ingredients:

• 15 oz. black beans
• 4 oz. can diced chiles
• ½ onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 6 oz. jar artichoke hearts
• 12 large black olives
• 3 Tbsp. Egg Whites (or 1 egg)
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 Tbsp. cumin
• 1 Tbsp. hot sauce
• ¾ cup oatmeal

Directions:

• Drain and rinse black beans
• Mash black beans and chiles
•Chop onion, garlic, artichokes and olives in food processor.  My processor is tiny so I had to chop the onions and garlic in one round and artichokes and olives the second round.
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•Add chopped mix, egg whites and seasoning to beans
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• Once ingredients are combined, add oatmeal.  Mix should be sticky
• Place in refrigerator for 15 minutes
• Form 6 patties, place on prepared baking sheet
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• Bake 30 minutes, flipping half way through
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• If desired ‘fry’ patty on pan sprayed with olive oil for a few minutes if you prefer a crisper outside.
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I added a little hot sauce on top for a bit more kick (I could eat Cholula Hot Sauce on most everything).
Enjoy!
Black Bean Patties
Nutritional Info for 1 patty (if making 6 patties)
146 Calories
22 grams Carbohydrates
9 grams Protein
January 7, 2014

Healthy Baked Chicken Enchiladas

If you are like me, when you hear the word enchilada you think red sauce and cheese.  Extra cheese.

This recipe goes a whole new direction by using Greek Yogurt and minimal cheese and still tastes great.  This recipe packs some extra protein power as well.

 

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Sincere apologies for the less than appetizing coloring.  iPhones not ideal for food.  Clearly.

On a positive note, I received a call from Sony today saying they received my camera, and it goes in for repair tomorrow!

They also said they would call every three days to update me on the status.

A+ for customer service.

But, one has to ask what kind of surgery they are performing on the darn thing if it’s in for that long?  Dang!

 

Moving on…

 

Healthy Chicken Enchiladas

  • 1-2 cooked and shredded chicken breasts
  • 1 1/2 cups Greek Yogurt
  • 1 1/2 cups salsa
  • 1 Can Diced Green Chile’s
  • 2 Tbsp. Hot Sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. Enchilada Seasoning
  • Corn tortillas
  • Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese
  • Black Olives

* All Ingredients are estimates.  Add or subtract amounts as desired *

1) Mix together shredded chicken, yogurt, chile’s, salsa, hot sauce and seasoning.

2) Spread mixture in center of corn tortilla, roll, place seam side down in prepared 9×13 pan.

3) Repeat until pan is full.

4). Spray EVOO on the top of each corn tortilla, sprinkle with cheese and olives.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

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5) Remove foil, add extra cheese if desired, serve, enjoy!

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Printable Recipe

Baked Chicken Enchiladas