Playing catch up

Since I’ve put my life on hold for the past 3 days, and the last game of college football is coming to the end, this is a good time to catch up on the past few days of cooking, working out, living, and maybe some snow whining..maybe.

Tomorrow is another snow day and you should have seen my reaction to seeing that name run across the bottom of the ticker. One benefit of teaching is inclement weather days if the roads are bad. It’s just another perk that I look forward to enjoying 🙂

Today I had another dreadmill run. While i do love winter weather, I do not love running in winter weather that includes ice. I would rather feel like a hamster than a mass of shattered bones. Besides, I had a lot of pouting to run off since again..no snow.

Now, on to the food.

Today, I finally tried this chicken taco recipe I found in a magazine about 4 months ago. It’s super easy and I don’t know why I waited so long. Probably looking forward to football and snow and got distracted.

The following recipe makes 4 servings, 2 tacos/serving

• 8 corn tortillas
• 4 cooked chicken breasts. I cooked mine in the crockpot with lime juice and 1 chipotle pepper with 1 Tablespoon of adobo sauce. You can use any seasonings you like. Pull chicken apart with a fork.
• 1 cup of vegeterian refried beans OR pureed black beans
• chopped cilantro, cucumber, green onions
• 1/2 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese

I heated my tortilla in a pan until it was soft and warm. Then I layered the beans, chicken, veggies, and cheese. This can be tailored in many ways. I just like those toppings!

(Nutrition information: Calories-312, Total Fat 8g, Saturated Fat 2g, Cholesterol  73mg, Sodium 854mg, Total Carbohydrates 35g, Dietary Fiber 7g, Sugar 1g, Protein 33g)

I’ve said many times that I often just crave vegetables. I don’t know how many ways I can make roasted vegetables, but I’m determined to keep making new ways. I haven’t had a bad pan of them yet. Stephen wanted some broccoli and cauliflower so I made a quick cheese sauce and threw it all in the oven.

Roasted Vegetables

• 1 Cup of the following:
• green beans
• squash
• zucchini
• mushrooms
• onions
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons seasoning of choice. I used Penzey’s Greek seasoning.
• Bake 450* 25 min. Turn vegetables halfway through

Broccoli Gratin

• 2 cups of broccoli
• 2 cups of cauliflower

1. Steam until nearly done, not mushy.

2. lay in shallow baking dish. Make the sauce while steaming vegetables.

Béchamel sauce (fancy for white sauce to which I add cheese)

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups hot milk

grated nutmeg

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar, Gruyere, or Monterrey Jack. Mix works well, too

1 cup of breadcrumbs mixed with 1/8 cup of melted butter

1. Melt butter in pan.

2. Add flour. Stir together until mixed well and cook 3-5 minutes. Do not let it scorch.

3. Add milk slowly, stirring constantly. Turn heat to med-high and let it slowly cook until simmering and thick.

4. Turn heat down to low. Add cheese and grated nutmeg. Stir until mixed well.

5. Pour sauce over vegetables.

6. Mix 1 cup of breadcrumbs with 1/8 cup of melted butter. Sprinkle on top.

Cook 30 minutes on 350 uncovered.

Time for some hot chocolate before bed. I’ve got a snow day to look forward to!