Category: Dinner
Tofu Stir Fry
| May 22nd, 2013 | Dinner, Recipe |
I’ve made tofu stir fry a bunch of times in college, but it’s been over a year since I’ve tried it again. Bryan actually recommended that we make it! We had a block of tofu in our refrigerator that we had to eat before it went bad, so it was perfect timing.
Tofu Stir Fry – serves 2-3 people
Ingredients
1/3 block of super firm tofu
1 cup of chopped broccoli
10 asparagus shoots (did you know that’s what they were called?!)
2 vine tomatoes cubed
2 cups uncooked rice
Olive oil
Cracked black pepper
Basil
Soy sauce
Instructions
- In a large frying pan, place a tablespoon of olive oil into the middle and turn heat to medium.
- While the pan is heating, cube the tofu to your preferred thickness. I like tofu when it’s pretty thin, that way it cooks faster and actually is a bit crispy.
- Add the tofu to the hot pan.
- Cook for 5 minutes and then turn all pieces.
- Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Tofu should be brown on both sides.
- Depending on the timing of your rice, cook for it’s appropriate time in a separate small pot.
- Add the asparagus and broccoli to the frying pan with the tofu.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes, mixing the vegetables and tofu around in the pan frequently.
- Mix in the cooked rice and the tomatoes at the same time and turn off the heat.
- Drizzle with soy sauce and season with basil & black pepper.
There you go! An easy and quick dinner for two. There was probably enough left in the pan for one more person, so that’s why I mentioned that this meal could be for 2-3 people. Depends on who you’re serving.
As I mentioned in the instructions, I would only keep the tomatoes in the hot pan for minimal time. I accidentally kept them in the pan too long and they overcooked. I would add them with the rice and immediately turn off the heat.
Stir fry is a great meal option because you can truly add whatever you want. If you don’t like asparagus, don’t add it! If you would prefer squash or eggplant, add that!
Talk to Me
- Have you made/had tofu stir fry?
- What’s your favorite veggies to add to stir fry?
- What’s your least favorite veggie of all time?
Date Night In
| December 5th, 2012 | Dinner, Food, Reviews |
Now that we have a wedding to save for, date nights out at restaurants won’t occur that often. Entrees at chain restaurants cost at least $10-15 and fancier restaurants can be up to $40 plus! However, that doesn’t mean that we can’t do date night in!
Some of my favorite memories with Bryan have been nights when we just relax at home, cook a nice meal and watch Netflix. I don’t get home from work until 6pm each night so I don’t like complicated recipes after a long day.
If you feel the same way, these options allow you to decrease time in the kitchen and increase time spent with your loved ones.
Appetizer
The appetizer we chose was VERY easy to make. In fact, there was no cooking at all – cheese and crackers! The cheese we picked out was Emmi’s Kaltbach Le Gruyere Switzerland. This block of cheese is a true Swiss with a crumbly body. It has a salty taste at first, but then ends with a lingering sweet finish. It’s great with a bold red wine!
Entrée
Usually I wouldn’t grab a frozen dinner at the grocery store. I haven’t found one that really wowed me. However, the Contessa World Cuisine brand offers many options and they are pretty amazing. Our grocery store didn’t have much variety to choose from, but the brand does make them!
I picked out the Shrimp Primavera and Bryan got the Beef Mongolian. Let’s take a look at the ingredients.
The Shrimp Primavera has linguini pasta, veggies (broccoli, carrots, green beans, red bell peppers and garlic), shrimp and a light butter sauce. The Beef Mongolian contains veggies (green beans, onions, water chestnuts and garlic), cooked long grain white rice, seasoned beef sirloin and a soy sauce marinade.
The sodium content is high on these, so I wouldn’t eat these meals everyday. We did enjoy them though, and plan to keep these in our freezer for a quick meal.
Contessa World Cuisine products are minimally processed and contain:
- No msg
- No trans-fat
- No artificial colors or flavors
- No preservatives
Dessert
What better way to end your date night in than with fondue?! We picked the Swiss Fondue from Emmi. Fondue is perfect because you don’t need a fondue pot – just use your stove top! This version is a traditional Swiss chocolate and contains bittersweet chocolate, natural flavor, white chocolate and sunflower oil.
FTC: I received the above items for review. No compensation was provided. All opinions are my own.
Talk to Me
- What’s your favorite appetizer for a date night in?
- Have you tried Contessa World Cuisine? What did you think?
- What is your favorite flavor of chocolate fondue? I’m a milk chocolate gal.
The Best Thing I Ever Ate
| October 25th, 2012 | Dinner, Food, Running |
OK, so I am typical of saying “The best thing ever” and “That’s the best!” I can’t help it. Sometimes I really just think something is that incredible. Yesterday’s dinner was no exception.
I’m going to preface this by saying:
- No, this isn’t a healthy dinner
- No, this isn’t fat free/calorie free/sodium free
- No, I don’t eat like this everyday
This, my friends, is the Create your Own Macaroni and Cheese at the Whole Foods Pub. Inside my macaroni and cheese are the following items: cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese, jalapenos, and tomatoes.
Best Thing I Ever Ate. Okay, maybe not the best thing EVER, but definitely the best macaroni and cheese I’ve ever had! There’s nothing better than ending a long day at work with a gooey, warm, spicy bowl of mac and cheese… especially for only $5.
The photo doesn’t do it justice, but this bowl of mac and cheese was massive. I brought half of it home with me to eat as leftovers sometime this week. I can’t wait to put it back into the oven with more breadcrumbs and dig in!
Running Update
This week has been crazy. Every night after work I had plans that I couldn’t break so I haven’t gone for a run since the 10K on Saturday. I hope to get in a run tomorrow morning before work, but that doesn’t always work out.
I’m not sure which Fitfluential blogger owns this photo.
If it’s yours please let me know so I can give you credit!
Yes, that is Shalane Flanagan. You know, the Olympic marathon runner and training partner of Kara Goucher. I attended the Women’s Running Seminar at the Runner’s World Half Festival and she talked about a variety of things: training with my girl Kara, the London Olympics, and most importantly how to keep yourself motivated.
A quote from her really stuck with me.
“The stress really comes from wanting to perform up to your potential.”
When she said that, it really made me think. It’s completely true. No one is making me stressed out to keep going. No one is telling me everyday to get out there and run. The stress comes from wanting to do well at the Philly Half and to keep up with my training because I know I’ll need it on race day.
Talk to Me
- What is the best mac and cheese you’ve ever had?
- Have you ever had the mac and cheese at Whole Foods? If so, what did you put in your bowl?
- How do you keep up with your training plans? Do you give yourself rewards? Keep a journal?
Falafel Goat Cheese Salad
| September 26th, 2012 | Dinner, Food, Half Marathon Training, Recipe, Running |
Yesterday after work I made my way over to the gym with Bry for a short run. On the schedule for yesterday was 3 miles, and surprisingly I didn’t back out of this one. I categorized the run as “great” on DailyMile!
*Note: I did not do this run 2 minutes ago. It was done last night. Not sure why that time is wrong…
Let me break down this run for you.
Mile 1: The first mile went as expected. My legs were a bit tired when I started, since I sat at work all day long, but after the first mile they seemed to be getting used to the run. I didn’t look at the time too much during this mile, because I wasn’t bored yet.
Mile 2: Holy crap this mile felt like forever. I actually stepped up the pace a little bit on the second mile, but it felt so long! Nothing too good was on TV. I was watching a crime show that was freaking me out. I couldn’t change the channel on the treadmill TV because the remote was broken. Better than nothing, I guess.
Mile 3: This mile was the best of the three. I sprinted for the second half of the mile and it went by quickly! I started getting hungry towards the end, which gave me the extra push to finish fast and get home for dinner.
Today’s run is going to be 4 miles. If the weather is okay, I want to get outside for this run!
Falafel Goat Cheese Salad
Oh dinner. Dinner was a bit random last night. I made a delicious salad that I’ve had in the past. It’s a random salad I make sometimes when I need to use up random items in my kitchen.
[Ingredients]
lettuce – I used crunchy romaine
goat cheese
falafel
seasoned croutons
red wine vinaigrette
[Instructions]
-
Heat falafel in microwave for 45 seconds.
-
Cut falafel in quarters.
-
Mix all items together.
-
Serve and enjoy!
It’s super easy. Sometime I wonder why I even share these recipes, because it’s basically just throw random items together and eat!
This all would be amazing if I didn’t take forever to eat. Bry’s dinner wasn’t ready when mine was so I waited for him to eat. I also took some time to take pictures of my dinner, like a typical blogger. By this time the falafel was cold and I wasn’t in the mood for the salad anymore. Luckily it didn’t go to waste. Bry decided to eat some of it alongside his BBQ chicken sandwich on an everything bagel.
What did I actually eat for dinner last night? I didn’t photograph it, but I had a mix of Special K cereal and Honeycombs. Yes, I am one of those weird people who like to mix their cereals. Don’t hate me!
Talk to Me
- What did you eat for dinner last night?
- Do you mix your cereals? What’s your favorite kind of cereal?
- What is your favorite TV show to watch during your runs?
Italian Goat Cheese Salad
| September 4th, 2012 | Dinner, Half Marathon Training, Recipe |
Good morning! It’s Tuesday, but it feels like Monday. Aren’t we all glad it’s not the first day of the work week, but actually the second! This morning the alarm went off at 5:15. This gave me enough time to roll around in bed, scroll through Instagram, get dressed and brush my teeth. It was really dark this morning, so I drove to the gym.
Day 9
Since it’s Tuesday, it’s the first run of the week according to my half marathon training plan. After missing last week’s long run, I knew I had to really get on track this week. On today’s agenda was 3 miles. As much as I told myself that I’d rather just run after work when I was semi-awake, I knew that I would feel a lot better getting the run in before work.
I started my run with 1.5 miles at 9:50 pace and slowly increased my speed until I got to 2.5 miles. The last half mile I sprinted. My run this morning wasn’t easy. The first mile or so was okay, but by mile 2 I just wanted to be done. Bleh. We all have days like these right?
Italian Goat Cheese Salad
Bry and I went food shopping last night before dinner. Everyone was at the grocery store because most people were off from work and the store around the corner from me is open 24 hours. I hate shopping when there are crowds. There are too many people rummaging for the best milk, non-cracked eggs and first spot at a newly opened register. Okay, I’m ending this rant now.
After we got back from an hour long shopping trip, the last thing I wanted to do was cook anything that took time or energy. Thus, I came up with the perfect Italian Goat Cheese Salad for us to have for dinner. You don’t need instructions for this recipe. Just gather the ingredients and mix. Easy, healthy and delicious!
1. tomatoes // 2. cucumbers // 3. goat cheese
4. Olive Garden Italian salad dressing // 5. Italian croutons // 6. spring mix
Talk to Me
- What are your favorite veggies to put into salads?
- How are you starting your work week?
- What is your least favorite veggie?
Shrimp & Strawberry Salad
| January 29th, 2012 | Dinner, Recipe |
I’ve been craving fresh ingredients lately. Yesterday afternoon, I picked up some strawberries and cucumbers at the grocery store anxiously awaiting to use them. I mixed the two together, along with other ingredients already in my kitchen for dinner last night. The outcome= pure deliciousness!
[Ingredients]
a dozen small per-cooked frozen shrimp
1/3 cucumber
4 strawberries sliced
romaine hearts
pinch of lemon pepper
pinch of basil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinaigrette
1 tablespoon olive oil
[Instructions]
Place 1 tablespoon olive oil in hot sauce pan
Add in frozen shrimp. Let cook for approximately 7-8 minutes (if you like them well done)
While shrimp are cooking, slice up a few strawberries.
Slice 1/3 of a large cucumber
Chop romaine hearts (as much as preferred)
Add lemon pepper and basil to shrimp and mix
Mix all ingredients in a bowl, add balsamic vinaigrette and serve!
Target Kills My Wallet
| September 20th, 2011 | Dinner |
As I was looking through twitter feeds yesterday, someone mentioned their tumblr account. I almost forgot I had one! Good thing I logged in and started browsing through photos, because tumblr is a great spot for inspiration of all sorts. I found a quote that I really liked and thought it would be a great idea to write down. Here it is:
In regards to REAL meals yesterday, nothing was too exciting…except for dinner. We had BBQ salmon, asparagus, jasmine rice, + loads of mango salsa! I absolutely love mango salsa; well actually all kinds of salsa. The mango salsa we had was store bought, but actually very fresh and delicious. Lots of fresh mango, cilantro, onions, and peppers.
Bry and I also headed to Target yesterday. Target is great, but my wallet hates me afterwards. I threw my hair in a top-knot, put on my favorite flannel tunic, black skinny cotton pants, and tan flats. Not the most stylish outfit I could have thrown together, but it’s my favorite for fall. Plus, top-knots are cute. Right?
Luckily, all I ended up getting yesterday was a red lipstick by Revlon. Didn’t kill my wallet at all, because I had a $5 gift card. I also tried on a few pairs of their jeans, but they didn’t have my size in the cut that I liked. Maybe I am an old soul, but I don’t really like low rise jeans. I don’t think they are flattering on me at all. I tend to gravitate toward a mid rise jean, but have yet to find a pair I really care for.
What’s your favorite way to cook fish?
What’s your favorite fish?
Blogger Meetup in Philadelphia
| September 19th, 2011 | Blogging, Dinner |
Yesterday, I headed down to the city to meet up with an old friend and fellow blogger, Mecca. We used to work together when I was 16 at Rita’s Water Ice. We’ve stayed in touch since then, but the last time I saw her was last summer before I started my master’s program. We decided that we need to see each other more often.
I was planning on going to the city to check out the Zara store, so I was happy I could meet up with Mecca as well. I headed to Zara and couldn’t believe all the gorgeous items! I think I’ve found my favorite store… ever. I gathered a few items and made my way to the dressing room. Unfortunately, all of the jeans were too long; however, I did end up leaving with a gorgeous pair of ankle length skinny trousers.
I tried on those shoes as well, but they were NOT comfy at all.
Simple Spicy Shrimp
| September 17th, 2011 | Dinner, Recipe |
Yesterday, Bry & I headed to a theater 45 minutes from our house for a play. It was pretty good. Before we left though, we decided to make a quick dinner. Bry ended up making chili and I had eggs. Nothing wrong with breakfast for dinner!
Ingredients:
Olive oil (enough to coat pan)
- Place a large frying pan on the stove on medium heat with approximately 2 tablespoon of olive oil
- Add 1 tbsp. of crushed red pepper and 1 tsp. garlic powder to the hot pan
- Add all shrimp to pan
- Sprinkle the left over red pepper (1 tbsp.) to the cooking shrimp
- Cook approximately 3-4 minutes on medium heat
- Flip shrimp and cook for another 3-4 minutes*
- Turn off heat and plate your shrimpies!
- Add extra crushed red pepper for an even spicier dish
*I like my shrimp WELL done. Almost rubbery. If you like your shrimp not so well-done, cook for a minute or so less.
