Summer is so close I can taste it!

One more week and I am officially on summer vacation. For the first time in forever I have a pretty low key summer planned. No visitors, no projects, no moving, only a little traveling which is always fun. Once school is out on Friday, I have until June 15th to do basically nothing. I can't wait! Well, I do have to take the AZ/US constitution class on the 5th to renew my license, but other than that...NOTHING. I can't wait to relax, do some organizing and cleaning, maybe a little planning for next school year, and of course lounge by the pool. Then, on the 15th we leave for Indiana to spend four days with family, including grandpa who is coming from Ecuador. We are then bringing grandpa back to Phoenix with us for one quick day, then driving him out to L.A. for father's day with the family out there. After a couple days in L.A. with family, Santi and I are driving down to San Diego for some couple time and a relaxing vacation. This will be the first vacation we have had as a couple since our honeymoon. All other vacations have been family trips, or trips to visit family, so I am excited to have this alone time. I am also hoping to squeeze in a girl's weekend in July with my old college roommates. I miss them terribly and it's been WAY too long since we've seen each other.
Other than counting down the days until summer, I have been busy with all of the last minute end of year school stuff, not to mention grad school. I am pleased to announce though that I am only 2 and a half classes away from being DONE. I cannot wait and I really hope it pays off (literally because I owe a boatload of money on student loans now). In between all the craziness, Santi has had two whole weekends off which has been FANTASTIC. I have also accomplished a few more items on my list of 101 in 1,001. We visited a new restaurant, our third from Food Network. It's called Joe's Farm Grill and it's located in Gilbert, AZ on the east side of Phoenix. Here's a couple of pics:

It was a really cool restaurant located on an urban farm. It was featured on the show "Diner's, Drive-Ins, and Dives" with Guy Fieri. It was set up like a burger joint, and all the food is made with ingredients straight from the urban farm on the property. I guess it's been in their family for years, and they turned the old 60's style ranch farm home into the restaurant. It has tons of outdoor seating, and huge old trees (which are rare in Phoenix) to create some shade. They also have misters for hot summer months. It's got a really neat retro vibe, and the food is all organic and healthy. We have also visited Matt's Big Breakfast from that show, located in downtown Phoenix, which is also delicious. Here's a pic there with the Food Network logo in the background:

Aside from visiting another restaurant, I have been trying some more new recipes. So here they are:

Greek Chicken Pitas with Tabouli Salad

I admit, this is technically the second time I have made this meal, but I love it and it's so quick and easy to make. Here's the recipe:

Cucumber Sauce
1/4	cup Yoplait® Original Fat Free plain yogurt
1/3	cup finely chopped seeded cucumber
1	medium green onion, sliced (1 tablespoon)
1	teaspoon grated lemon peel
	Dash salt and pepper
Sandwiches
2	teaspoons lemon juice
1	teaspoon olive or vegetable oil
1/4	teaspoon dried oregano leaves
	Dash salt and pepper, if desired
2	boneless skinless chicken breasts (4 oz each)
1	pita (pocket) bread (6 inch), cut in half to form pockets
1	small tomato, sliced
2	thin slices red onion

1.	Heat gas or charcoal grill. In small bowl, mix sauce ingredients. Set aside. (Sauce may become watery if it stands longer than 30 minutes.)
2.	In another small bowl, mix lemon juice, oil and oregano. Brush lemon mixture over chicken, coating all sides. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3.	Place chicken on grill. Cover grill; cook cook over medium heat 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (170°F). Wrap pita halves in foil; place on grill 1 to 2 minutes or until warm.
4.	Place chicken, tomato and onion inside pita pockets. Top with sauce.

For the tabouli salad I cheated and bought the box mix. Much easier. I like the Far East brand best. Look for it by the couscous and rice.
I also tried this:

Mediterranean Chicken with Rosemary Orzo

1/2	lb uncooked chicken breast tenders (not breaded)
1	clove garlic, finely chopped
3/4	cup uncooked orzo or rosamarina pasta
1	cup Progresso® chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
1/4	cup water
2	teaspoons chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
1/4	teaspoon salt
1	medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into fourths, then cut crosswise into slices (3/4 cup)
2	plum (Roma) tomatoes, cut into fourths and sliced (1 cup)
1/2	medium bell pepper, chopped (1/2 cup)

1.	Heat 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in skillet about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until brown.
2.	Stir in garlic, pasta and broth. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 8 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
3.	Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 5 minutes, stirring once, until bell pepper is crisp-tender and pasta is tender.

And this:

Crab Cakes with Cilantro Lime Salsa

I had to use a lot more bread crumbs than what the recipe called for, but they were pretty good. I served them with brown rice and avocado. The salsa was delicious and I actually used the leftovers in another recipe the next day (see below). Here's the crab cake and salsa recipe:

Salsa
1	can (15 oz) Progresso® black beans, drained, rinsed
1	can (11 oz) Green Giant® Niblets® whole kernel sweet corn, drained
1	large tomato, chopped (1 cup)
2	tablespoons lime juice
1	tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
1/2	cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4	cup chopped red onion
2	teaspoons ground cumin
1	teaspoon sugar
1/4	teaspoon salt
Crab Cakes
3	cans (6 oz each) crabmeat, drained
1/2	cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1/2	cup Progresso® Italian style bread crumbs
1/4	cup chopped fresh cilantro
1	medium green onion, sliced
1/4	teaspoon salt
1/8	teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
2	tablespoons mayonnaise or salad dressing
1	egg, beaten
2	tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
2/3	cup Progresso® Italian style dry bread crumbs

This is what I did with the leftover salsa:

Chicken Soft Tacos with Mexican Rice

This was my own invention. I just browned some chicken in the skillet, added some water and taco seasoning, then the leftover cilantro lime salsa. I served it with flour tortillas and some Mexican rice which I just make by adding Goya brand "sazon" which makes the rice orange but very yummy.

Well, that's all for now I think. Right now we are working on some delicious Ecuadorian swordfish ceviche with tostado and patacones. I will post this recipe and pic at a later date;)

My husband needs a new job because...

...it's not about the money. I miss my husband! This weekend my husband was lucky enough to get both Saturday and Sunday off. This is a rare event. I am usually blessed if I have him home one day of the weekend, let alone two! We didn't plan anything special, but we did manage to accomplish a lot of work around the house that needed to be done, mainly cleaning up the backyard, weeding again, and cleaning the office which was an absolute disaster zone. I would have taken before and after pictures but I was too embarrassed. I can't really take credit, my super amazing husband tackled it by himself while I worked on other housework. Which means, I can check "clean office" off of my 101 in 1,001 list! I can also add that I can update "try 20 new recipes" to "try 17 new recipes". This past week I got motivated to get in the kitchen and try some new things and this is what I came up with:

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

 We always have bananas that we let get a little too ripe, and I am always making banana bread because Santi loves it. This time I took my mom's basic banana bread recipe and used whole wheat flour and threw in some chocolate chips. It was soooo yummy! I am going to use this version from now on!
Then I tried this:

Minestrone Pasta Salad

If you like minestrone soup, this is basically the pasta salad version. It's also pretty healthy, and I used wheat pasta. Here's the recipe:

3	cups (7 1/2 ounces) uncooked medium pasta shells
2/3	cup Italian dressing
1/2	cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2	medium carrots, sliced (1 cup)
1	medium green bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)
1	can (19 oz) red kidney beans, drained, rinsed
1	can (15 oz) chick peas (garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed
1	can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with Italian herbs or stewed tomatoes, drained

1.	Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.
2.	Toss pasta and remaining ingredients. Serve warm or cold.

Then I made this:

Black Bean Pasta Cancun

This is like a Mexican pasta dish. I used quinoa pasta in this one (found it at Sprout's). It was pretty yummy. Here's the recipe:

2	cups uncooked radiatore (nugget) pasta (4 oz)
1	can (14.5 oz) Muir Glen® organic fire roasted diced tomatoes with green chilies
1	cup Progresso® black beans (from 15-oz can), drained, rinsed
1/2	teaspoon grated lime peel
1/4	teaspoon ground cumin
1/4	bell pepper, cut into 2x1/4-inch strips
2	tablespoons fat-free sour cream
2	lime wedges
	Cilantro leaves, if desired

1.	Cook and drain pasta as directed on package, omitting salt.
2.	Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, heat tomatoes to boiling. Stir in pasta, beans, lime peel, cumin and bell pepper. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until hot. Garnish with sour cream, lime and cilantro. Squeeze lime over pasta.

I decided I like to take pictures of my new dishes, one because it makes me feel like a real chef (ha ha ha), and two because I feel like I need proof that I can actually cook if I take the time. Anyways, most of the new things I have been trying come from www.eatbetteramerica.com which is a great place to find easy, healthy recipes. I also use the Food Network website when I am feeling adventurous. I love Bobby Flay.
On another note, I survived field day at school yesterday. The kids had a good time, I was a little stressed because I did a lot of the planning and organizing and it included all of first and kinder this year which was a LOT of kids. Here is the evidence that they had fun:

And here is what brought them to that point:

I am going to tear up at graduation this year. I was so blessed with a wonderful class of some really great kids this year. They are really a great group.