Veggin' Out

     It has been a exceptionally LONG time since I have added anything to this blog and what better time to do so than now?  Starting tomorrow I will be challenging myself to be vegetarian until New Years Day.  I have been considering this for weeks now and have decided to finally just bite the vegetarian bullet and do it.  Throughout the deliberation process I have gone back and forth mainly concerned that I will forget that I am in the middle of this challenge and slip up; this has been my main concern.  As far as giving up meat, I'm honestly not that bothered by it.  In general I prefer produce to meat products anyhow so I don't actually believe that that will be too much of an issue.  In preparation of the kickoff tomorrow I have been scouring the web in search of interesting recipes.  Given my work/school/personal schedule there are a few boxes that most of the recipes have to check such as being cost effective and not too time consuming. In addition any recipe that can be made ahead of time and frozen earns extra bonus points!       

     I am not necessarily doing this challenge for any particular reason other than to see if I can do it and to see how I feel at the end.  There is a chance that the next couple of months will go rather smoothly and in the end I will not feel as though I have missed out on anything and feel better physically.  After giving up soda and caffeine for the past 4 years I now feel physically ill if I drink it; water is my beverage of choice and I am perfectly fine with that.  There is always a chance that I will feel the same way after going without meat for an extended period of time and I am more than OK with that as well.  As long as all nutritional levels are met, a vegetarian diet can offer a multitude of benefits and I am ready to see if I feel as though the challenge has been beneficial at the end of the year.                                                                                                            

     As time and memory allow I will be posting about my challenge from changes I see or feel to recipes that work or fail.  So here's to a fresh start and an interesting journey!                                

Spring has Sprung and the Produce is Poppin'

Just last weekend i managed to FINALLY plant the fruits and veggies that I've been meaning to get into the ground for quite some time now.  Today I got home from work to discover little pots of green gold sprouting already!  Luckily the rain came in this week and help my little seeds along.  So far my garden is supporting broccoli, two different varieties of tomatoes, watermelon, cantaloupe, and cucumber.  I still have some strawberry plants to get started as well as a yellow pepper plant and a couple of other tomato plants that have been started but need to be transplanted.  I also want to get a planter garden started with kitchen herbs and smaller vegetables.  I'm pretty stoked about this new endeavor and about the money it will be saving me this summer  :)

 (watermelon)

(tomatoes)

yum!

so i recently came across this recipe via www.hungrygirl.com and it is fabulous!    this recipe was rather delicious- maybe too much so- and i imagine that it would work nicely with tortillas in place of the wonton wrappers as well...ill try that next time since there will most certainly be a next time :).

Wonton 'Quitos

PER SERVING (1/4th of recipe, 4 pieces): 202 calories, 2g fat, 759mg sodium, 20g carbs, 0.5g fiber, 2.5g sugars, 23g protein -- PointsPlus® value 5*



Mexican finger food at its finest -- crunchy, perfectly sized, and with an ideal calorie count. So good and SO easy to make!

Ingredients:

One 12.5-oz. can 98% fat-free chunk white chicken breast in water, drained and flaked (about 1 1/2 cups)

1/2 cup salsa verde (a.k.a. green salsa)

1/3 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese

1/4 cup frozen corn, thawed and patted dry

1 tbsp. chopped roasted red peppers

16 small square wonton wrappers

Optional dips: red enchilada sauce, additional salsa verde, fat-free sour cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet by spraying with nonstick spray and set aside.



In a medium bowl, combine the chicken with salsa and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.



Drain any excess liquid from the chicken mixture. Add cheese, corn, and roasted red peppers to the bowl. Mix thoroughly and set aside.



Lay two wrappers flat on a clean, dry surface. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of chicken mixture onto each wrapper, and spread it evenly over the entire surface of each. Roll each wonton up tightly into a cigar-shaped tube. Place wontons on the baking sheet, seam side down. If needed, secure with toothpicks. Repeat with remaining wontons and chicken mixture.



Bake until crispy, about 15 minutes.



Allow to cool slightly. Remove toothpicks, if using. Then serve and, if you like, dunk in the optional dips!



MAKES 4 SERVINGS



HG Alternative! If you're not into canned chicken, use 1 1/2 cups of cooked & shredded lean skinless chicken breast instead. (But honestly, canned chicken rocks in this recipe.)

ham-it-up

what better way to kick off vacation then hanging out with a few of the kiddos and sneaking in a tiny little shoot  (*-*)  surprisingly enough, they were really into it for the most part-at least at first. 

she discovered the leaves

                           

Merry Christmas and a Shoppy New Year

Christmas time is a fabulous time of year.  I love searching for just right gift for everyone but thats when i get in to trouble.  I suddenly become aware of all of the things that i want to buy for myself!  So, i now have a 'gifts to me' folder in my favorites bar on my computer where i keep all of the ideas of things that id like to pamper and 'surprise' myself with over the next year.  A few of the fun things that i am currently trending and stalking are:

you can never have too many hats and i lose them like crazy

i really miss it :(

so, this is free so not so much on the shopping list, but i still love it <3

i love this camera strap....maybe soon :-)

'i am fairly certain that given a cape and a nice tiara i could save the world'

.best.slogan.ever.

i <3 epiphanie camera bags

My Little Gifting Sweatshop

Since i was feeling a bit crafty and ambitious ( i didnt realize how ambitious i would need to be) i tried my hand at making yummy hot chocolate on a stick packaged with mini french vanilla snowman marshmallows. So, this recipe was made to look much easier than it actually turned out to be, for me at least. I didnt have an ice cube tray as suggested so i used a mini muffin pan and didnt want to grease it for fear of a disgusting outcome. In hindsight i should have at least use wax paper-i will next time- or even foil muffin wrappers in order to get them to release easily because mine SO did NOT! That said, the recipe photos were much prettier than mine but mine were still tasty...i hope the ladies at work feel the same way!

Just swirl into a cup of hot milk or cream and enjoy!

Christmas Crafting Fun

A couple of weeks ago we had our work Christmas party and this year we painted pottery.  After much consideration i made this: