{Checking In - A Constant Reminder}

Our first full week of work in the new year has come to an end, and I have to say it feels good to get back into a daily routine.  And as the week comes to an end I have found that I have been reflecting a lot on my new 2014 resolutions.  I know, the year is still new but I have this energy inside of me that I cannot begin to explain.  An energy that is driving me forward to become a better version of myself, and to jump head first into the things I love doing without fear of failure!  I just feel as though 2014 is going to be a big year filled with endless possibilities! 

Anyway, today I wanted to focus on my weekly and daily resolutions (you can read my full resolution post here).  Since I broke my 2014 resolutions out into three main parts "The Big Ones," "The Daily Gut Check" and "The Weekly Feel Goods" I have been trying to come up with creative ways to remind myself of my 2014 goals.  I know the big resolutions will be easy to remember, because those are the resolutions that are tough, take a long time and will push me way out of my comfort zone.  However my weekly and daily check ins are smaller goals and just because they are smaller doesn't mean they aren't important!  My smaller goals or check ins I need to think about on a daily/weekly basis.  

So, here is what I have been doing!  I have my  weekly "Feel Goods"  posted on my planner/notebook.  I literally open this book everyday to write something down, so it is hard for me to miss these weekly goals!  Just a nice friendly reminder to do something good for myself! 

My "Daily Gut Checks" those are posted by my bed on a post it.  Not the most glamours of reminders but hey its one of the last things I see at night and allows me to think and reflect on if I met my goals for the day. 

So, there you have it!  And with that, Happy Friday! 

{Creamy Skillet Pasta with Spinach and Portobello Mushrooms}

A decedent pasta you can enjoy guilt free?

Sign me up for that!  This delicious pasta contains no heavy cream, cups of olive oil or butter! 

Are you wondering how this pasta can be so creamy then?

Well, the pasta gets its creaminess the same way a risotto does, it is all based on how the pasta is cooked.  I discovered this new pasta cooking technique in the newest Cooking Light magazine.   You start by sauteing uncooked pasta in hot olive oil.  This first step is very important as it initiates a process called the Maillard reaction.  Apparently (I learned this from Cooking Light), the Maillard reaction is what makes foods taste "toasted," and this Maillard reaction helps give this pasta its creamy texture! 

You see, once you have toasted your pasta you slowly add in chicken/vegetable stock to cook your pasta verses throwing the pasta in a large pot of boiling water to cook!  By cooking your pasta slowly with stock you allow the toasted starches (which is created by the maillard recation) to "slough off" in the simmering stock, thus creating a creamy rich pasta sauce!  See, no cream, butter or olive oil needed!

I added meatiness and texture to this meatless dish by sautéing up thick cut portobello mushrooms.  The mushrooms really added great texture and bulk to the pasta.  The onions and shallots provided wonderful flavor, and the dish received a bright pop of color from a handful of spinach that I added in with the pasta during the final cooking stage!  A touch of parmesan cheese and some fresh basil completed the meal! Serve with crusty bread to soak up the delicious creamy sauce! 

Creamy Skillet Pasta with Spinach and Portobello Mushrooms

By - Hilliary@BrunchAndCupcakes

Recipe Adapted from Cooking Light  - Original Recipes Found Here

Serves 4 

Time - 1 Hour 

Ingredients

• 3 large portobello mushroom caps thickly sliced and cut into bite size pieces.  *Note be sure to remove the brown gills Portobello Mushrooms
• 1/2 of One Sweet Onion, Chopped
• 1 Chopped Shallot
• 8 Ounces of Baby Spinach
• 8 Ounces uncooked whole wheat pasta
• 2 Tablespoons good quality olive oil, divided
• 6 Cups  unsalted chicken stock - You can use vegetable stock to make dish vegetarian
• 1 Teaspoon  course ground black pepper
• 2 Tablespoons parmigiano- reggiano cheese
• Fresh basil, chopped for garnish (optional)

Instructions
1- Bring stock to a simmer in sauce pan and keep warm. 

2- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet.  Add dry pasta and cook 5 minutes or until pasta is toasted.  Stir Frequently.  Once toasted remove pasta from pan and set aside.

3- Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet.  Add onion and shallots cook until translucent.  Add portobello mushrooms and cook until tender, 5-6 minutes. Once mushrooms are done remove onion/mushroom mixture from pan and set aside. 

4- Add pasta back into your sauce pan along with 1 cup of your heated stock, turn heat to medium.  Cook until stock is completely absorbed by the pasta.  Remember to stir constantly.  Continue this process until stock is gone.  **Note when last cup of stock is almost absorbed add in your spinach and cook until wilted. 

5- Once spinach is wilted and stock is absorbed stir in your mushroom/onion mixture, pepper, and cheese.  Stir to combine

6- Garnish with basil and additional cheese if desired.

Enjoy!  

{Vegan Peanut Butter Pumpkin Oat Bars - Recipe To Come}

Well folks! 

I have dabbled in what is an unknown world to me yesterday!  Vegan baking!  

I think with a few tweaks these bars will be amazing!  They are sweet, but not to sweet and chalked full of cinnamon and spice! 

Stay tuned, I will share the recipe soon! 

{Brunch: Scrambled Eggs With Onion, Grape Tomatoes, Peppers and Smoked Gouda}

Sometimes the simplest and most ordinary recipes are my favorite, and for as long as I can remember I have been making some version of these delicious scrambled eggs with vegetables for breakfast, sometimes lunch and even dinner!

These eggs were always my contribution to a weekend family brunch.  I loved the addition of the bright colored peppers and the nice pop of red provided by the grape tomatoes. The addition of the shredded Gouda gives these simple eggs a refined taste.  I was always proud of my contribution to the meal, as I would place my finished dish on the brunch table along with my dads famous pancakes.   These eggs have always been a crowd pleaser in my family and have continued to be a brunch staple on weekends when the entire family is gathered around! 

Add these eggs to your weekend brunch line up or prepare it for a quick and easy week night dinner.  Top your eggs with avocado, salsa or roll into a whole wheat tortilla for a delicious "breakfast" burrito filling! 

Scrambled Eggs with Onions, Grape Tomatoes, Peppers and Smoked Gouda

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

6 Eggs

1/2 of a Red Pepper Chopped 

1/2 of a Yellow Pepper Chopped 

1 Cup Chopped Grape Tomatoes 

1/2 Onion Chopped 

1/3 Cup Shredded Smoked Gouda (I love Trader Joe's Smoked Gouda and I shred it myself)

1 Tablespoon Milk 

2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder 

Salt and Pepper to taste 

Directions:

1- Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a medium skillet.  Add onions, pepper, and tomatoes to skillet.  Saute until vegetables are tender. 

2- Crack eggs into a bowl and beat with milk and garlic powder.  Once veggies are tender add egg mixture to skillet. 

3- Cook eggs with your vegetables until your eggs have reached the consistency you prefer.  I prefer my eggs on the dryer side.  

4- Sprinkle eggs with shredded smoked Gouda cheese.  Allow cheese to melt a bit before serving.  Serve immediately with avocado, salsa or egg toppings of choice! 

Enjoy! 

{2014 - The Resolutions}

I spent a fair amount of time on New Years Eve and New Year’s day looking at my past resolutions posts on the blog, and thinking about what I wanted to accomplish in 2014.  And as I looked at the past resolutions I had set for myself I felt a sense of excitement for all the possibilities that 2014 holds!  2014 is a New Year with endless possibilities.  Do I dare say that the sky is the limit? 

However, this year I thought I would take a different approach to my annual resolutions!  I have always liked the idea of having a few big New Year’s resolutions.  You know the resolutions that are going to push you out of your comfort zone and make you a better person.  Because don’t we all want to grow and become the best version of ourselves?  I know I do!  With that being said here are my “Big” New Year’s Resolutions!

"The Big Ones":

One -  Run another Half Marathon (or two) and a Full Marathon.  I am thinking!  Grandmas Half Marathon, Get In Gear Half Marathon, and The TC Full Marathon.

Two - Take a photography class.  I really want to improve my photo taking skills and now that I have the equipment I better learn to use it, and use it well!
Three - Volunteer More!  I need to devote more time to giving back to my community.  Volunteering makes me happy, why wouldn’t I want to do more of something that makes me happy?

Four - Join a small group or a bible study at church!  I tackled praying more last year, time to take my faith to the next level.

Five  - Spend 30 minutes a day praying/thinking/reflecting!  I think I could use more of this in my life!

Six - Find my unfaltering happiness!  Don’t we all want to find happiness?  This resolution might make me sound like I am not a happy person or that I am unhappy with my life both of which are untrue statements.  I simply want to learn to be more happy with the things I have been given and not take my life for granted.  This resolution might take more than a year but at least I will be thinking about it!

So, now that I have gotten the “Big” ones out of the way here is how I am switching up my resolutions this year.  As I mentioned I love having “big” resolutions to tackle  throughout the year but I also want to have smaller resolutions that I can implement in my life as a daily “Gut Check” I guess you could say.  I got this idea after attending a networking event at work on the topic of happiness stemming from the book The Happiness Project By­­ Gretchen Rubin.  During this women’s networking event one of the guest speakers talked about how she disliked new year’s resolutions and how instead she had daily resolutions or guiding principles in her life.  At the end of each day this women would check in and see if she met all of her daily resolutions/guiding principles that day.  See, a mini gut check.  This women’s guiding principles for her life were based on her beliefs, what was important to her and how she wanted to be perceived as a person, and as I left this networking event I began to think of what would be my guiding life principles, my daily resolutions, my daily gut check.  So, here they are I am going to call them my 2014 Daily Gut Check! 

"Daily Gut Check" –

Am I living each day the way I feel I should?  Today was I...
Grateful/Thankful/Faithful

Understanding

Present in the here and now (not half listening)

 Genuine

Thoughtful

 Giving my All

Those 6 points tie back into my beliefs and who I am as a person.  In 2014 I strive to live by those guiding principles and am ready to implement my 2014 Daily Gut Check.  The daily gut check ties in nicely to one of the 2014 “Big” Ones, spending 30 minutes a day thinking/praying/reflecting!

And finally… I know bear with me, I told you my resolutions were taking a new form this year!  Finally, I want to tackle a few smaller things in my life.  Things like drinking more water, eating clean once a week, improving my mile time.  These smaller goals/tasks I frequently find scribbled down in my notebook among my upcoming weeks to do list.  The lists is usually titled “weekly goals” followed by a date.  Well my friends, this year those “weekly goals” are going to be called my “Weekly Feel Goods” my gut check for health!  Here they are:

“Weekly Feel Good”

Drink 64 oz. of Water Daily
Eat clean one day a week
Appreciate my body
No put downs
Treat myself with respect

Well there you have it folks, my 2014 resolutions.  From the big to the small they are all important.  Here is to pushing the limits,  and making 2014 the best it can be! 

Happy New Year everyone!  

{Welcome 2014}

Another year has come and gone!  2014 is here, a new year full of new possibilities, new adventures, new trials and new excitements. 

(Ringing in 2014) 

With 2013 behind me, I look back on everything I was blessed with over the past year.

(Mimosa Breakfast to ring in the New Year)

Good health, a job, a stronger faith, a supportive family and a caring guy by my side!  2013 brought challenges, new achievements, growth both professionally and personally and new opportunities that I will be carrying forward with in 2014. 

(some 2013 favorites!)

So with that, Happy New Year everyone! 

 May your New Year be filled with endless possibilities!

{Holiday Tradition -The Lucky Foods }

Traditions, what would the holiday season be without them?  A tradition is a tradition no matter how big or small. Christmas Eve without my mom's Chicken Wild Rice soup after the evening church service just wouldn't be the same.   And even though my sister and I are fully grown we still insist on my dad reading The Night Before Christmas before bed on Christmas eve.  Yes, some traditions we will never out grow.  

  Traditions make the holiday season extra special. 

And just because Christmas is over doesn't mean that the Holiday traditions stop!  Ever since I can remember my mom and dad have prepared the same New Years day feast.  So what do we feast on New Years Day?  Well my parents make pork, black eyed peas, and purple cabbage!    Why these foods?  Well, because these 3 simple foods were believed to bring you good fortune in the upcoming New Year!  I guess you could call them "Lucky" foods!  Cabbage represents financial prosperity, pork  represent progress and the moving forward into the new year, and black eyed peas represent luck and prosperity (source, source). 

I can remember being small and rolling my eyes at the thought of eating purple cabbage on New Years day!  The sight of the vegetable made me wrinkle my nose.  I may have also thought my parents were crazy for this "Lucky" food tradition that we would partake in every New Years Day!  But a tradition is a tradition and as I got older I began to love our New Years Day feast (minus the pork now).  And if you ask me, New Years Day wouldn't be the same without these three "Lucky" foods!  

Caraway Seed Purple Cabbage with Apples and Onions

Recipe from my Mom 

Serves 6 

Ingredients:

1 Large Head Purple Cabbage - Finely Shredded

1 Spanish Onion - Thinly Sliced 

2 Apples Peeled and Thinly Sliced (Granny Smith are delicious) 

1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar 

2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter 

1/2 Cup Chicken Broth 

2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar 

1/2 Tsp. Salt

2 Tsp. Caraway Seed

1/2 Tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper 

Directions:

1- In a large bowl combine shredded cabbage, salt, and red wine vinegar.  Mix and let stand for 5 minutes. 

2- In a large skillet melt butter.  Add cabbage and turn 2-3 times.  

3- Stir in Onions, Apple, Caraway Seed, Chicken Broth, Brown Sugar and Pepper. 

4- Reduce heat to low and cover skillet.  Cook cabbage on low for an hour until cabbage is tender.  Best served warm! 

Best of luck in the upcoming New Year!  Enjoy