Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

I was looking through my food pictures lovingly this morning remembering when I used to make meals like this.  Eating has been so completely uninspired and honestly, not the healthiest lately.  One of the hardest parts of moving cross-country is not moving any food.  So, we are eating up all the random bits from the pantry and freezer.  I cannot WAIT to get moved and fill my fridge and pantry with the good stuff again!
I made this salad a while back and it was AMAZING!  Like, forget the other things in the meal and just make-out with this salad...repeatably. 

Spinach Salad
Recipe Source:  Alton Brown, he is the bomb-diggity

• 8 ounces baby spinach
• 2 large hard boiled eggs
• 8 pieces thick-sliced bacon, chopped
• 3 TBSP red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar (or your favorite sugar substitute)
• 1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 large white mushrooms, sliced
• 3 ounces red onion (1 small), very thinly sliced

Wash and dry (by spinning or patting) the spinach and place into a large mixing bowl.
Slice or chop the hard boiled eggs, set aside.
Fry the bacon and remove to a paper towel to drain, reserving 3 TBSP of the rendered fat.  Crumble bacon and set aside.
Transfer the bacon fat into a small saucepan set over low heat and whisk in the red wine vinegar, sugar, and Dijon Mustard.  Season with a small pinch of salt and black pepper.
Add the mushrooms and the sliced onion to the spinach and toss.  Add the warm dressing and bacon and toss to combine.  Divide the spinach between 4 plates or bowls and evenly divide the egg among them.
Season with pepper, as desired.  Serve immediately.

Hump-Day Confessional

I confess...I will be driving to Austin with 3 kids, a cat, and my mother.  The cat scares me the most.  I have never traveled cross-country with a cat.  Any hints or advice would be greatly appreciated.  The second most scary thing is driving with my mom....she can be like adding another child to the mix...between texting her boyfriend and showing off her new-found dance moves, I may have to drink heavily at night.

I confess...While repacking some boxes in the garage this weekend, I found my old journal from college.  Oh.  My.  Hell.  I was a twit.  Like a majorly boy-crazed, self absorbed, drama queen type-twit.  I am so embarrassed for myself that I was ever like this.  I should have burned it...then buried it...then poured a cement basketball court over top.  But I didn't.  I repacked it.  Bridges of Madison County it isn't....I pity my children for having to find this hideousness one day.

I confess...I am a certified hypnotist.

I confess...In my early 20's, I went  skinny dipping in a lake and woke up the next morning with a rare strain of strep that eventually had to be cut out.  Not flesh eating, but too diseased to heal.  I should be thankful it was just my tonsils and not my lady-bits.

I confess...I want to learn how to do glass-blowing.  Dale Chihuly is my favorite artist...going to see his exhibit at the Bellagio is Las Vegas literally made me weep.  Know what?!  I switched my Groupon city to Austin and one of the first deals to come through was glass-blowing classes!  Ahhh...more signs!

Happy Easter

Hoppy Easter my friends!
Hugs and Sugar-Free Kisses to you all - xoxo

Hump-Day Confessional

I confess...My Mom is dating.  It is weird.  At least she hasn't asked me if condoms come in different sizes.

I confess...I used to have a pet duck named Quackers.  He was leash trained.  I hatched him in an incubator.  He was eaten by a fox.  The end.

I confess...I can sing.  While I have sung in front of thousands of people doing PR for my college, I have never had the desire to sing professionally.  I love to sing loud and proud....unless it is in front of my husband or family (except my kiddos)...then I have SERIOUS stage fright.  This bugs my husband to no end. 

I confess...I have an irrational fear of serial killers.  Sure, they are something to be scared of, but they seriously FREAK me out!  Though I am pretty sure there hasn't been a serial killer that has targeted overweight suburban stay at home mamas....(((shudder)))

I confess...I somehow tweaked my lower back/sciatic last week and have been a total slug since.  I have been to the massage therapist and chiropractor, I have applied ice and heat, I have been taking Advil like it was candy and applying Bengay like it was going out of style.  I am not nearly as far on my packing as I should be.  I am getting so very frustrated.  Ever since I started doing the BFC, I have either been sick or hurting, which is definitely NOT the norm for me.  I have been in bed more the last 2 1/2 months than I have the last 5 years combined.  I am not sure what to make of it.  I have relaxed the reigns on my eating.  My head is not there right now. 

Deconstructed Eggroll Stir-Fry

...or Poor Man's Stir-Fry...or Exploded Eggrolls....I couldn't make up my mind as to what to name this dish.  Whatever the name, it is DELICIOUS!  Not only is it delicious, it is super flexible.  Not only is it super flexible, it is pretty dang healthy.  That makes it a winner, winner, chicken, ...err I mean stir-fry(?) dinner in my book!

Poor Man's Stir Fry

Recipe Source:  Kitchen of Siggy Spice

• 1 pound of Ground Beef (you could also use Ground Turkey, Chicken, or Pork)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 4 TBSP Toasted Sesame Oil
• 4 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 5 Green Onions, white and green parts sliced
• 14 ounces Coleslaw Mix (or finely shredded cabbage)
• 4 TBSP Low Sodium Soy Sauce or Braggs Liquid Amino (more to taste)
• 1 tsp Sriracha Sauce (more to taste)
• 1 tsp Fresh Ginger, paste or grated.  (more to taste)
• 2 packets Truvia (or sweetener of your choice)
• 2 tsp White Vinegar
• 1 bag (14-16 ounces) Frozen Stir-Fry Veggies.  I use the Trader Joe's Hodgepodge Harvest, but feel free to use what you like
• 2 cups cooked Brown Rice.  Trader Joe's makes a handy dandy pre-cooked frozen brown rice that is wonderful here, you could also make cauliflower rice to go carb free.  

Brown Ground Beef with Salt and Pepper to taste.

Remove from pan and set aside.

Heat up Sesame Oil in pan and saute Garlic, Green Onions, Coleslaw, and Stir Fry Veggies until desired tenderness.

Stir in the Soy Sauce, Sriracha, Ginger, Truvia, and White Vinegar

Add the Ground Beef and Brown Rice into the veggies and mix well.  Taste it and make sure it is seasoned well for your tastes, adding more Soy Sauce, Sriracha, Ginger to taste.

Enjoy!



Hump-Day Confessional

photo courtesy of photo x.chng

I thought I would kick off this week sharing another live-stock fiasco...I have lots of those up my sleeve, lol!

I confess...When I was 15, I was riding in the car with my Mom.  It was a black night on a black road in the country.  We hit a black cow.  Hard.  It was like hitting a freaking brick wall going 55 mph.   It rolled up into the windshield, exploding it all over us.  Once I got out of the car, the cow started chasing me.  Let me just repeat that....The cow.  Was.  Freaking.  Chasing.  Me.  It wasn't dead, and it was pissed.  You can only imagine the cow jokes I had to endure for the remainder of my high school life.

I confess...The night we got into the cow accident, we were driving to my Mom's bakery.  My Mom owned the small town bakery, the Sweet Shop.  The decor was disgustingly pink, pink, and more pink.  I literally was the girl who had to get up and "Make the donuts".  I hated that job.  I think that is why I LOVE sleeping in and napping now.  Way too many early mornings in my childhood. 

I confess...I was a band geek.  Complete with 8 years of band camp (camper then counselor),  and flute playing, lol!  I played through college, but sold my instruments after.  I never thought that I would want to play again once I didn't have an audience to play for.  I was wrong.  I intend to get another instrument and play again once we get moved...of course, it has been 15 years, so we will see if I can still play.

I confess...I can't draw...at all.  Even my stick people look wonky.  It is a talent I desperately want though.  If I could draw, I would totally become a tattoo artist!

I confess...I look at the clock everyday at 11:11. 

Well, that's it for me this week  ;) 

Menu Plan 3/26/2012 - 3/31/2012

Happy Monday!
I hope you all had a great weekend.  Ours was pretty good.  Kiddo B and I went to go see the Hunger Games on Friday afternoon.  Loved it, though it doesn't live up to the book...it never does.  I have to say the worst part of going to see a teenage movie is all the teenagers in the movie theatre, lol!  There was some smart-ass kid that screamed "Bless you!" everytime someone sneezed, coughed, or made really any kind of noise.  Then, the hormonal tween (not my hormonal tween) sitting next to me started sobbing HYSTERICALLY during the movie...I mean, like loud.  Then she used her pig-tails to dry her eyes...oh yeah, good times. 
THEN, on Saturday we surprised kiddo C with an iPod.  Her and Daddy drove the convertible (our date car) to Best Buy to "look at things" and was told she could pick an iPod.  Unfortunately, apparently the $10 off sale Best Buy was having on iPods meant there was NONE.  So, we went to Target and got her a pink Nano.  When we got home, we realized that basically Apple downgraded the Nano's in hopes you would have to upgrade to the iPod touch.  GRR!  You can't watch videos with the new Nano and none of the games we have are compatible.  So, basically, it was a Shuffle that cost $70 more.  Sunday, we went back to Target and exchanged it for a Shuffle.
Anyway, that was our weekend.  This week, I have a big-ol-list going to prepare for our move in ONE month! 
Onto the menu plan for the week:

MONDAY

Italian Sausage and Roasted Pepper Spaghetti (made with Trader Joe's High Fiber Pasta), Caesar Salad

TUESDAY

Roasted Red Potato and Green Bean Soup, Buttered Sprouted Toast

WEDNESDAY

Baked Tilapia with Orange Cashew Rice, Salad De Maison

THURSDAY

Strawberry Chicken Salad, Buttered Sprouted Toast

FRIDAY

BBQ Country Pork Ribs, Crash Hot Potatoes, Mini Corn on the Cob

Have a great week!