Apologies

Just a quick check-in. I apologize for my lack of posting in the past couple of days - work and personal issues leave little time for blogging, unfortunately :(

I hope to return shortly!

Tasty Tuesday: What's for Lunch?

Here are some healthy and easy options for our on-the-go days!

Guacamole and Bean Burrito roll-up

Think of this as a mini burrito. You can also add chicken and shredded cheese to the recipe for some extra pizzaz.

1/2 cup canned low-fat refried beans

1/4 cup salsa

3 tablespoons prepared guacamole

1 cup shredded romaine lettuce

2 small (6-inch) whole-grain tortillas

Heat up the beans and then combine all ingredients into the slightly warmed tortilla. Roll up and enjoy for later!

1 serving = 310 calories

Cesar Turkey Wrap

Simple and delicious, and I usually have most ingredients on hand. You can also substitute the turkey for chicken, or something I omit the meat altogether. I like to pair it with some fruit on the side.

1  large (10-inch)  whole-grain tortilla

2.5  ounces  sliced turkey breast

1/2  cup  shredded romaine lettuce

1  tablespoon  Caesar salad dressing

(option: a handful of shredded parmesan cheese)

Combine all ingredients into the tortilla. Roll it up, toss in a sandwich bag and you’ve got yourself some lunch!

1 serving = 380 calories

Barbecue Chicken Sandwich

This definitely adds some kick to the mid-day meal. Pair with a salad, and you’ve got a healthy meal for under 400 calories.

2  tbsp.  barbecue sauce

1  3-ounce  chicken breast (or use rotisserie chicken, skin removed)

1 whole grain hamburger bun (I’ve been using the orowheat sandwich thins)

Brush barbecue sauce on chicken and bake or grill until it reaches 165 F. Put chicken on bun and serve with side salad.

1 serving = 360 calories

Strawberry Spinach Salad

This salad is easy to make and packed with a ton of good stuff. Plus, it’s perfect for when the weather starts to get a little warmer.

2  cups  baby spinach

1  cup  shredded romaine lettuce

1/2  cup  sliced strawberries

1/2  cup  apple

½ avocado sliced

1/4  cup  tomatoes

8    croutons (or not)

2  tablespoons  vinaigrette

Combine all ingredients, except the dressing. Keep the in fridge until ready to serve. Sprinkle with dressing and enjoy!

1 serving = 360 calories

Greek Salad

Make your own dressing and enjoy this healthy lunch

1    lemon, juiced

1  tbsp.  olive oil

1    garlic clove, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

3  cups  chopped romaine lettuce

½ cup cucumbers

½ cup tomatoes

½ cup red bell pepper

2  tbsp.  reduced-fat feta cheese

1/2  cup  canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained

2  tbsp.  chopped kalamata olives

To make dressing: Whisk together lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt and pepper.

Combine all other ingredients and set aside until ready to serve.

1 serving = 265 calories

What are some of your lunchtime favorites?

Monday Motivation: Stop Putting Things Off!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! I apologize for the lack of post on Friday. Sometimes my work gets a little hectic, and everything has to take a backseat. The joys of television, I suppose. But, because of that is what inspired today’s blog post: STOP PUTTING THINGS OFF! One reason I’ve been able to post a blog every day is I try and knock it out first thing in the morning before my day gets hectic. On Friday, I kept waiting until “after lunch” which then turned into, “shit, it’s already 6pm and I have date night tonight.” So here are 3 simple ways to avoid a procrastination problem.

Tackle Large Things First

You know when you have a large list of things to do, but you can’t even start on the little things until the big stuff is taken care of? Well, there’s a reason the big stuff needs to get done first (as daunting as that is!). When wedding planning, I couldn’t even begin to think about the food and colors until the bigger item of venue and general guest list was taken care of. Same thing goes for “every day life.” It’ll be a lot easier to keep the apartment tidy if I do a great big overhaul clean first.

Plus, an amazing thing happens when you scratch the biggest item off your to-do list first – everything else seems that much easier! Suddenly you can say to yourself, “I can totally take care of those little things because I already finished (insert GINORMOUS task here!) It does wonders for your self-esteem.

The same can also be said for items that are small, but seem monumental to you emotionally and physically. Like working out, for example. That’s why I try and get my workouts in first thing, so the rest of the day I can say, “well, I already worked out this morning!” I don’t have it hanging over my head like a yucky, gray cloud.

Get Support from Friends

Anytime I’m unsure of my ability to actually perform a task, I tell at least a dozen people about it. Why would I do such a potentially humiliating thing, you ask? It’s because I know my friends will hold my feet to the fire and I don’t want to deal with the embarrassing question of, “hey, whatever happened to that blog you were supposed to do?” By even saying the task aloud, you’ve made some sort of contract with the universe to complete it. Writing it down, that’s some sort of written contract. Telling your buddies about it? That’s support and pressure all rolled into one. And hey, who can’t finish to-do’s without a little support and pressure, huh?

Re-Evaluate Halfway Through the Day

Every morning, I always sit with my blank to-do list journal, and blank word document that will soon be filled with my daily schedule. I fill both items out while sipping on my morning coffee. Then, I get to work on them. BUT, without fail something will come up halfway through the day that prevents me from working on my novel or getting to read the research book for my boss. Instead of letting it derail me, I’ll revisit my list halfway through the day and start the day over like new. Suddenly the things that were so pressing this morning don’t need to get accomplished until tomorrow, and things that just didn’t seem like a big deal needed to be taken care of yesterday.

By revisiting our goals, it allows us to reorganize and re-pattern and we’re less likely to put them off. Or at least be able to accomplish them in a better thought out way. It’s like the daily check-in motivator.

Weekly Goals

Here’s mine for the week. What are yours?:

*Take 10 minutes every day to train Cardinal

*Have daily check-in meetings w/ my boss to ensure nothing falls through the cracks

*Finish my pilot beat sheet

*Write a chapter of my novel

*Workout at least 3 times this week

*Stick to no more than 1 glass of wine a night this week

*Root hard for the lakers!!!

*Take time to RELAX

Have a wonderful week, lovelies! 

Thrifty Thursday: Tips for Saving Big on Parties

Now you have all the tools to throw an awesome spring holiday party, but in a world where we’re constantly trying to save money, how can you throw an awesome bash without breaking the bank? Lucky for you, I have a few ideas:

Set a Budget… and Stick to It

In the early planning stages, come up with a realistic budget. For Eassover we try not to spend more than $200 TOTAL (including food, alcohol, and activities). If you can spend a little more, great. If not, then you may need to cut some stuff out of your planning. For example, alcohol tends to take up the most in terms of budget so ask your attendees to pitch in and bring their favorite wine. There are lots of way to avoid going over your budget, but you need to know how much you’re willing to spend first!

Scope Out Deals Weeks in Advance

Remember way back to Monday when I created a checklist of when to do stuff? One of the reasons you want to come up with your menu so far in advance so you can start scoping out deals that far in advance! With holidays especially, local supermarkets will offer specials on items associated with that particular holiday. For example, I bet you can find eggs right now for cheaper than you will all year! You also want to compare and contrast the supermarkets. I’m more of a Vons girl, but last year my neighborhood Ralph’s had the best deals in terms of meat, so that’s where we went for our Easter Ham and Roasted Chickens. Trader Joes tends to be more cost effective (and fresher) for produce, so we went there for that.

Also, if you pay close attention to the weekly circulars, they go crazy with coupons and 3-day specials during the holidays. I usually like to do my grocery shopping on a Sunday, but if Vons has a special where I can get Ham for almost 50% on a Wednesday, I’ll find a way to get to the store during the week. Coupons and specials can really help your grocery budget.

Consider DIY

Especially when it comes to activities and decorations, you don’t need to do store-bought. Sure, there are lots of pre-made easter egg dye kits, but you can accomplish the same thing with food dye, vinegar, and plastic spoons. And you can be all fancy and get the special easter plates and decorations, or you can use everyday plates and make a sign off the computer. Think about if you really need something, or if you can do the same thing by yourself. You’ll save a ton!

Happy Thursday everyone! For those of you that have tomorrow off, enjoy :)

Wellness Wednesday: Act Like a Kid (Eassover Edition!)

Easter undoubtedly has the best activities and candy. I mean, Easter egg hunts, baskets, PEEPS! All good stuff. Passover has some cool things, but they mainly involve matzo (not that there’s anything wrong with matzo, mind you!) Here’s my guide for acting like a kid this Eassover!

Easter Baskets

Remember when you got these as a kid? I do too (my family used to give out baskets at the end of our Seder and then we suddenly remembered we were Jewish one year and stopped that). My fiancé and I have exchanged baskets since we started dating. He makes me what he likes to call a “Moses Basket” since Moses was essentially found in a basket on the river. Here’s what I like to put in the adult version of these kid favorites:

-Alcohol (wine, bottle of something, 6 pack) – you wouldn’t find that in a kid’s basket, right?

-Candy (peeps, PB easter eggs, malted easter eggs from Trader Joes) Because every good basket could use a little sugar

-Gift Cards (restaurants, and places that recipients will find useful). They’re small and you know they’ll get some good use

-Something to remind them of being a kid (baseball cards, paddle ball, flying helicopter) – they’ll get that reminiscent feeling of opening their basket as a youngin’

I like to do my easter basket shopping at a drugstore like CVS. Find an inexpensive whicker basket or recycle from last year, throw in some “grass” garnish, and wrap it all up in cellophane! You’re set

Easter Egg Hunt / Afikomen

I think everyone knows the basic premise of an Easter Egg hunt, but Passover has a tradition where you have to find the matzo that’s been hidden in the house and you get a price (usually some sort of monetary one). For last year’s Eassover we scattered plastic eggs and matzo around the house and told everyone when they came inside there were prizes hidden in the eggs, and an extra special surprise for whoever found the matzo. It was fun and added an extra layer to the dinner party. And I kid you not, we were still finding matzos until the day we moved out (eight months later!). In the eggs we put the standard candy and jelly beans, but we also put slips of paper that said things like: “get a signature drink from the bar”, “make an easter egg at the decorating station”, etc so it turned into more of a game. Also, whoever found the matzo was given a price basket that was essentially a mini version of an Easter basket. Fun!

Egg Decorating

I’m always amazed at how simple and fun this is! We just got a pre-made kit from CVS that cost around $10 and had colors and stickers. Then, we just hardboiled a bunch of eggs beforehand. Some of the eggs our more artistic friends created were amazing. Mine was just purple, but still awesome.

Chocolate-Caramel Covered-Matzo Recipe

And because I’m in such a giving mood, here’s a bonus recipe for the week: Chocolate-Caramel Covered Matzo. They will definitely put the wellness into your Wednesday. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 15 minutes, Bake time: 15 minutes, Ready in: 45 minutes

4-6 Matzo crackers

1 cup (2 sticks) butter (the recipe I used called for unsalted, but I only had salted on hand and they came out fine – so use whichever you prefer!)

1 Cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

½ cup chocolate chips (semisweet is my favorite, but I used milk chocolate and

white chocolate and everyone thought they were delicious)

1. Line a baking sheet with foil, Preheat oven to 350. Break apart the matzo into square size crackers (about ¼ of the matzo brick)

2. In a medium saucepan, cook the butter and sugar over medium high heat for 3-5 minutes, whisking constantly.

3. Pour the caramel mixture over the matzos with a spoon. Spread evenly so it’s a thin layer

4. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Check halfway to make sure it’s not browning too quickly, and rotate the pan

5. Remove matzo from oven, immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips over the matzo pieces. (tip: if you’re using white chocolate, sprinkle those pieces first since they tend to take longer to melt)

6. Let the chocolate sit for 5 minutes, then spread over the matzo (like frosting!).

7. Place in the fridge for about 15 minutes to set. Keep them at room temperature until they’re ready to serve.

8. Soak in the compliments when you serve them!

Makes 16 servings. 1 serving = 200 calories

Happy Wednesday! We’re halfway through the week!

Tasty Tuesday: Eassover Menu

When I was putting together the Eassover menu, I really wanted it to reflect and honor both cultures and religions. Sometimes though, blending has to lead to compromise. Like… serving un-kosher Ham, or not being able to eat delicious bread. Hopefully you can get a little inspiration from this menu for your own table!

Appetizer: Deviled Eggs

I served these along with egg salad and matzo as an appetizer when the guests arrived. This is the best recipe I’ve found, and they are easy to make. And, oh so delicious!

Ready in: 15 minutes

6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled

¼ cup Mayonaise

2 tsps Lemon Juice

1 ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp Yellow Mustard

¼ tsp Salt

1/8 tsp Pepper

Paprika for garnish

1. Cut eggs lengthwise in half. Slip out yolks and mash with fork in small bowl.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients except egg white halves.

3. Fill egg white halves with egg yolk mixture, heaping it lightly. Sprinkle with paprika

Makes 12 servings. 1 serving: 155 calories

Delicious Deviled Eggs

Main Dish: Honey-Roasted Chicken

This is a chicken comparable to the kind my Grandma used to make for our Seder dinner. My cousins have a ranch, and I use their homegrown honey for this dish. It is amazing and relatively easy!

Prep time: 1 day,  Cook time: 2 houra, Ready in: 2 hours, 20 mins

2 6 1/2- to 7-pound roasting chickens, rinsed, patted dry

2 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice (from about 12 large lemons)

Coarse kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup honey, heated until pourable

1. Place each chicken in heavy-duty resealable plastic bag. Add 1 1/4 cups lemon juice to each. Seal bags; turn chickens to coat. Refrigerate at least 6 hours and up to 1 day, turning bags occasionally.

2. Preheat oven to 450°F. Drain chickens; pat dry. Sprinkle each with salt and pepper. Place chickens side by side, breast side down, on racks in large roasting pan. Roast 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Roast 45 minutes.

3. Turn chickens breast side up. Brush all over with honey. Continue to roast until cooked through and deep brown, basting with any juices in pan and brushing with honey occasionally, about 55 minutes longer. Transfer chickens to platter. Tent loosely with foil to keep warm and let stand 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, pour pan juices into small saucepan. Spoon off fat. Rewarm pan juices. Season with salt and pepper. Serve chickens with pan juices.

Makes 16 Servings. 1 serving: 240 calories

The chicken! (and me)

Main Dish: Ham

I had never cooked Ham until I started preparing it for Eassover. I am always shocked at how easy it is to make, and how delicious it is. Plus, would it really be Easter without Ham?

Prep time: 15 minutes, Cook time: 3 hours

6-8 Pounds fully cooked, bone-in Ham

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 TBSP balsamic or cider vinegar

½ tsp ground mustard

1. Heat Oven to 325

2. Place ham, fat side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan. Insert meat thermometer so tip is in thickest part of ham and does not touch bone or rest in fat. Cover loosely and bake 1 1/4 to 2 1/4 hours

3. About 20 minutes before ham is done, remove from oven. Pour drippings from pan. Remove any skin from ham. Cut uniform diamond shapes on fat surface of ham. Insert clove into each diamond. Stir together brown sugar, vinegar and mustard; pat or brush on ham. Bake uncovered 20 minutes longer.

4. Cover ham and let stand about 10 minutes. Slice and serve.

Makes 12 servings: 1 serving: 300 calories

Side Dish: Potato Kugel Puffs

These are an alternative to potato pancakes and are really yummy.

Prep Time: 20 Minutes, Cook time: 20-25 minutes, Ready in: 60 mins

2 TBSP margarine

1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

1 medium carrot, finely shredded (3/4 cup)

2 ½ cups water

1 box potato pancake mix

2 TBSPS matzo meal

1 tsp parsley flakes

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground pepper

2 egg whites

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Grease 1 large or 2 medium cookie sheets with cooking spray.

2. In 1 1/2-quart saucepan, heat margarine, onion, carrot and water to boiling. Reduce heat. Cover; simmer 2 minutes.

3. In medium bowl, mix pancake mix, matzo meal, parsley, nutmeg and pepper. Add hot vegetable mixture; stir until blended. In small bowl, beat egg whites with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into potato mixture until well blended.

4. Spoon mixture onto cookie sheet, forming 12 mounds. Flatten each mound slightly to a 3-inch round, about 1/2 inch thick.

5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 to 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet. Serve immediately, bottom side up.

Makes 12 servings. 1 serving = 60 calories

Potato Puffs Cooking

Side Dish: Cheesy Broccoli Casserole

This was so good last year, it was already gone before I had a chance to scoop some on my plate. Casseroles are great for a crowd, also.

Prep Time: 25 minutes, Cook time: 30 minutes, Ready in: 1 hour

1 can French-fried onions

2 bags green giant frozen broccoli in cheese sauce

1 package cream cheese, cut into cubes

½ tsp red pepper flakes

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Reserve 1 cup French-fried onions for topping.

2. In large saucepan mix remaining onions, the broccoli, cream cheese, bell pepper and red pepper sauce. Cover; cook over medium-low heat about 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking, until sauce chips are melted. Transfer to ungreased 2- to 3-quart casserole dish (I use 13x9 pyrex dish)

3. Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Sprinkle reserved onions around outer edge of casserole; bake 5 minutes longer.

Makes 14 servings. 1 serving = 110 calories

All that was left... seriously. But doesn't it look like it was yummy?

Side Dish: Noodle Kugel

I don’t think Passover would be complete without some sort of kugel (which I’m pretty sure means casserole). This slightly sweet dish goes great with the rest of the food, and my non-Jewish friends always ask me for the recipe. It’s still not quite as good as my Grandma’s kugel, but she hasn’t given me that recipe yet!

Prep Time: 20 minutes, Cook time: 1 hour, Ready in: 1.5 hour

1/2 lb. wide egg noodles

1 lb. creamed or whipped cottage cheese

1 cup sour cream

1/4 lb. unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup golden raisins

2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced thin

pinch of salt

pinch of cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla extract

butter for greasing baking pan

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Boil the noodles until al dente, and drain.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine drained noodles and remaining ingredients (through and including vanilla extract) and toss well.

4. Transfer the mixture to a buttered 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish, and bake 40 minutes, uncovered. Cover with foil and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until cooked through.

5. Remove from oven and let cool before cutting into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 12 servings. 1 serving = 280 calories

Half-eaten Kugel. Proof that my cooking is a-ok!

Side Dish: Grilled Asparagus

With all the heavy sides, I need something to lighten things up. Plus, asparagus is in season and completes any easter or Passover meal.

Prep Time: 5 minutes, Cook time: 20 minutes, Ready in: 30 minutes

1 bunch asparagus

1 pinch sea salt and pepper

2 ounces olive oil

1. Heat large skillet over medium heat

2. Sprinkle olive oil and salt and pepper over asparagus

3. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes, turning occasionally

Dessert

I don’t usually cook dessert for Eassover since presumably we’re snacking on Peeps and other Easter chocolates all day. And, with all that food do you really need something else? But, I will post my now-famous chocolate covered matzo recipe tomorrow. Seriously, my family went crazy for the matzos last night!

What’s on your tables for Easter and Passover?

Monday Management: Plan your Easter / Passover / Spring Party!

My fiancé and I are an interfaith couple – he’s a Midwestern Irish Catholic, whereas I’m a reformed Jew from the West Coast. Both of our religions and cultures are extremely important to us, but we also love and respect each other so much that it’s important for us to start our own traditions. One of these traditions that we formed (and one of my favorites, at that) is a holiday called Eassover – the blending of Easter and Passover. About a year after we started dating, we decided to throw a party that celebrated the best of both our cultures and it was a hit. Sadly, because of saving for the wedding, plus a general lack of time (who decided 2011-2012 was going to be the year of the wedding anyway?), we’re not able to throw an Eassover party. So, I will live vicariously through the blog!

I know not everyone throws an Easter / Passover / whatever party, but seriously this time of year is a great time to gather up friends and celebrate. I’ll give you all the details you need to throwing an awesome spring celebration (including a yummy menu for tomorrow’s Tasty Tuesday!) Enjoy!

Eassover pre-dinner setup. Doesn't it look fun and multi-cultural? :)

Party Planning 101

Ideally, a dinner party like Eassover needs a solid 3 weeks to plan. But, we’ve thrown it together in as little as a week.

Guests Galore

First things first, start with the guest list. We always want to invite everyone we know, but cooking for 100 people can be a tad bit stressful (and by tad, I mean VERY), so be realistic in your expectations.

Once you’ve decided who to invite, you’ve got to invite them! Websites like evite.com are great for casual parties. If you’re looking for an online invite company with a tad more oomph, check out paperlesspost.com. They cost a bit for “online postage” but guests are always impressed when these pop up in their inboxes. Plus, it’s still cheaper than paper invites.

Now, you’ve actually got people to come! Great, let’s move on:

Menu

I’ll go into more menu detail tomorrow, but about 2 weeks out you want to decide what you’re cooking and creating. This will give you plenty of time to shop for groceries and scope out the best deals. You’ll want to do the first round of grocery shopping the week before.

Along with the food, you’ll want to make sure your bar is fully stocked! Want to save some money? Come up with a signature drink for your event and serve that along with wine, beer, and soda. For Eassover, we created a drink called the Red Sea Resurrection and everyone loved it!

Red-Sea Resurrection... yum!

You’ll also want to decide what to serve everything on. The first year we did Eassover, we decided to use our actual dinner plates, which was nice, but I think we were doing dishes for the next month. Last year we got nice plastic plates to serve on, which made cleanup a breeze but cost a little more dough. Take stock of your inventory and decide what you want to do. Just make sure you’ve got enough serve ware for everyone.

Activities

Wednesday, I’ll give you some ideas for fun Eassover activities, but about a week beforehand you’ll want to come up with ideas for your own party. Sure, it could be as simple as: eat dinner, listen to music, and chat. But, you’ll want to create a killer playlist then!

Blurry Egg-Decoration station. For more fun Eassover activities, check out Wednesday's blog

Get the House Ready

For Eassover, we do a solid cleaning the morning of. But, you may need a little more time to get the house ready. Also, decide on how you want to arrange furniture and if you need to bring in extra seating and tables arrange for that the week before. The day of assemble your decorations, set out trash bags for clean up, and give the place  a once-over to make sure everything looks great!

The day before you’ll also want to notify the neighbors, especially if there are cocktails involved and if it’s at night.

Day-Of Schedule

If you know me, you know scheduling is my thing. Here’s what my day-of Eassover schedule looks like (please don’t stop reading my blog, if you think I’m crazy!)

8.00am- wake up, make breakfast frittatas and coffee

9.00am-shower, get dressed

9.30am- Leave for Church

10.00am- Sunday Mass

11.30am- come home, serve brunch foods (frittata, matzo, coffee, mimosas)

12.30pm- Clean house, hide easter eggs and afikomen, set out egg decorating station, setup bar area

1.30pm- Make deviled eggs and egg salad

2.30pm- Setup pre-dinner buffet station (matzo, egg salad, deviled eggs, wine, peeps, easter candy)

3.00pm- Guests arrive, start making potato pancake puffs. Greet guests, show them activities

4.00pm- Start making ham, roasted chicken

5.00pm- Make noodle kugel and broccoli casserole

5.15pm- Make asparagus

5.45pm- set out food, blessings over the food

6.00pm- Dinner

7.00pm- Watch the Ten Commandments 

Happy Easter and Passover week!