Food!!!!

I have a couple new recipes to post with photos. Part of my 101 in 1,001 (see tab on top of blog) was to try 20 new recipes. Well, over the last year or so I have developed a real love for cooking and I have since surpassed my original goal of trying 20 new recipes. I have posted a few here on our blog in the past, and I have a couple new favorites to share. I just love sharing recipes, and I love when others share them with me! Feel free to link to your favorites:)

I will admit my pictures aren't great because my kitchen doesn't have the best lighting for photos, but you get the idea.
Both recipes come from one of my all time favorite food blogs: Gina's Skinny Taste

The first one just looked like fun. Meatloaf cupcakes with mashed potato "frosting". This would be a great meal for kids. It even has hidden veggies. They were DELISH!
Here's the recipe: Meatloaf Cupcakes
And here is a picture of mine:

 I love Asian food, especially Japanese. I really love all the Asian flavors like ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil. This recipe has it all! I served these Asian turkey meatballs over rice with some edamame on the side. YUM!

You can find it here: Asian Turkey Meatballs with Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce

And finally, not a recipe but it is food...Santi located a new Ecuadorian grocery here in Phoenix! It's right by his office, so he stopped by after work the other day to check it out. After chatting with some fellow Ecuadorians he picked up some goodies for us. These are some of my fave foods from Ecuador.

I pink puffy heart Fiora Vanti...there is no soda like this in the U.S. It's kind of like Fanta but waaaaaay better! Can't wait to go with Luca for some Ecuadorian ceviche and mote sucio (google it)!

Num Nums

I have become quite the foodie over the last year or so. I love cooking, trying new recipes, and I am obsessed with Food Network. My favorite recipe blogs are Gina's Skinny Taste and Annie's Eats. Now that I am on Pinterest, I started a "Num Nums" board. Check it out. My Num Nums Board

Personally, I think the turkey meatloaf "cupcakes" are going to be next on my list of new recipes to try.

I mean, seriously?!

I Am So Tired...

Who knew summer vacation could be so exhausting? Well, when you are 35+ weeks pregnant and not able to sleep...it is. I could probably fall asleep typing this. I know, I know, I am about to find out what sleep deprivation really feels like, but I thought I would be able to get lots of good rest before Luca arrives so I am ready for all of those sleepless nights. Not so much. My hips and back ache all night and I can't breathe. I spent one night sleeping in the recliner and it was wonderful, but poor Santi thinks he needs to follow me out to the living room and sleep. I have been trying to sleep in bed, but I am just not sleeping. I think it will be back to the recliner tonight. I feel like a zombie today.
Since I haven't been able to sleep, I have done some yummy cooking and baking, take a peek:

 My favorite yummy chocolate chip banana bread...mmmmmmmmm.

 Another weekly staple in our house. I love some spicy jambalya!!!

I believe I have posted my banana bread recipe before, so here is my very own jambalya recipe. This one I actually invented pretty much myself. I took several different jambalya recipes and tweeked them to my liking. We eat this at least once a week probably. It's soooooooooo yummy.
You will need:
1 tbsp. minced garlic
EVOO
1 green pepper finely chopped
about 2 celery stocks finely chopped
half of a white onion finely chopped
Jenni O smoked turkey sausage (you can also use chicken, shrimp, or a combination of the three) sliced diagonally
1 cup chicken broth
1 can petite diced tomatoes in their juice
cajun seasoning (to taste, depends how spicy you like it)
2 to 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 and a half cups of white rice

1. Chop the onion and green pepper finely (I love my Slap Chop) and saute them in a large skillet until soft with a little EVOO and a tbsp. of minced garlic
2. Add the turkey sausage and let cook for a few minutes (it's already precooked, so just to brown it a little)
3. Add the can of tomatoes with their juice, the cup of chicken broth, the cup and a half of rice, the celery (finely chopped), the cajun seasoning, and the 2 to 3 tbsp. of Worcestershire sauce.
4. Mix all ingredients and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 30-45 min (until rice is ready)

Enjoy!

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.