Today is National Coffee Day!!!!!

Today is National Coffee Day....Go enjoy a good cup of coffee at one of your favorite spots...Here are a couple of mine:

Anodyne Coffee House
4301 Nicollet Ave S.
Minneapolis, MN 55409
anodynecoffeehouse.com/

Cuppa Java
400 Penn Ave South
Minneapolis, MN 55405
http://www.cuppajava.com/

What is A Pesco Vegetarian?

What is a Pesco Vegetarian you ask? I guess that's what I am after eating the salmon burger the other night. This is a diet that includes fish as part of the diet with tons of vegetables and other plant foods. So, if someone says to you they are a vegetarian but he or she is chomping on fish... You know the truth.There you have it! I am still proud of that day it wasn't a total catastrophe just a pescotastrophe (not really a word). I say there is nothing wrong with a little pescetarianism in your diet.

Chayote, Corn and Black Bean Wraps with Fresh Pico De Gallo

I was so excited about the dinner that Ashton and I had last night I couldn't wait to post it!

Chayote, Corn and Black Bean Wraps with Fresh Pico De Gallo

1 Chayote (peeled and sliced)

1 cup of fresh or frozen corn

1 cup of black beans

1 small red onion (chopped)

1 Tbs of olive oil

1tsp. of minced garlic

1 cup of monterey jack cheese

4 large Tortilla's

Add oil to hot pan, then add onion, garlic, corn and beans saute for about 5 minutes. Add sliced chayote and saute for another two to three minutes or just until chayote is tender.

Fill each tortilla with mixture and top with monterey jack cheese. Do not overstuff and be sure to get the large tortilla's used for burrito's we got the wrong size and had to use toothpicks to hold our's together...Place in the oven for about three minutes at 350 degrees for the cheese to melt and the wrap to get a slight crunch. Add Pico De Gallo on the side and any other of your favorite topping and it's ready to enjoy!

Fresh Pico De Gallo

3 roma tomatoes (roughly chopped)

1 fresh jalepeno (seed and roughly chopped)

1/2 tsp of minced garlic

2-3 sprigs of cilantro (roughly chopped)

1 Lime

1 small red onion

I love this recipe because there is no rhyme or reason. Just roughly chop everything thing, drop into a bowl squeeze the juice of the lime on top of all ingredients, add garlic and then salt and pepper to taste and you're done! No, mad science and no culinary degree required.... Try it! I promise you will love it!



Going Vegetarian Day 3 & 4.....

DAY 3
Day three was such a dark spot in my mind. To be honest I don't remember. I was so busy that I spent most of my day in my truck and I drank tea and water all day. That is the truth. I woke up with hunger pains about 3AM and drank water. I just didn't want to attempt to figure out what to eat. I do not at all agree with my decision. I was just tired and wanted to sleep. "I DO NOT IN ANY WAY RECOMMEND THIS".

DAY 4
Here we go back on track...... I thought I was totally losing it. No need to mention exercise at this point. You all know every morning that it happens unless I mentioned otherwise. Breakfast was kind of hum drum....2 eggs and toast for breakfast and for lunch I had vegetarian pizza with a friend. When I was standing in the kitchen trying to figure out what to make for dinner it was like I had made it to the top of the mountain. I didn't even attempt to use the recipe's I found. I started chopping veggies, pulling out seasonings, olive oil and pasta and went for it and below are the results....What do you think?

This was so simple:

2 Large Zucchini

3 Roma Tomatoes

1 Small Onion

1 tsp. Minced Garlic

1/2 cup of Romano Cheese

4-5 Fresh Basil Leaves

1. Drop pasta in boiling, salted water and a 1 Tbsp. of oil to keep pasta from sticking as it's cooking

 for 5-8 minutes. Just til it's al dente.

2. Add 1 Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil to a hot pan, then add garlic and onion, allow to cook for about a minute, add zucchini and tomatoes, let vegetables saute for about 2 to 3 minutes, then add your pasta and about 3 Tbsp. of water that was used to cook pasta. Toss several times for about another two minutes and serve topped with fresh basil and Romano Cheese or your favorite cheese.

Add salt and pepper to taste

Going Vegetarian Update.....

So, I swore last Saturday that I would go vegetarian for seven days. What was I thinking? Oh, I know I was thinking about better health and trying something new. I researched like crazy to make sure that I was venturing into this lifestyle the right way. I even found a starter kit that the Vegetarian Times Magazine offers that is very informative for a beginner. I will be placing a link at the end of this post for the starter kit. So, I am going to talk about how it has gone so far day by day.

DAY 1
I got up and took my walk/run as usual and came home excited about going to the store to do the grocery shopping for my vegetarian meals that I had planned for 7 days. Well first, I spent more money than I normally would and I think it is because I truly paid attention to the quality of the food, I knew something would have to make up for not having meat on my plate. The day went as such: Mushroom and spinach egg scramble for breakfast and I completely forgot about lunch. For dinner I made the best tasting mushroom and spinach quesadilla's with guacamole on the side... No, your eyes are not deceiving you. I was in such dismay that I forgot about my menu and ate the first thing I could find. The ingredients were basically the same....I needed meat so bad that all of that creativity went right out the window.

DAY 2
I took my walk/run and I normally would eat half of a bagel and light cream cheese but my body felt as if it was being deprived so I cut a big chunk of foccacia topped with spinach, feta, olive oil and fresh ground black pepper. Warmed it in the microwave and ate it as if it was the last piece of food in the house. Because I felt so guilty I skipped lunch which was a big no..no. By dinner time which is between 5-6:30pm for my family;  I was in the drive-thru at Mickey D's.. You all would have been so proud, I tossed the food. I truly tossed it! Can you believe that? But, for dinner I gave in and had a salmon burger with tomato, onion and lots of greens . It didn't make me feel better about my defeat but, boy was it good!

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/resources/vegetarian_starter_kit/

Trying Something New

I haven't posted in a long time and I am recommitting myself to writing, because I truly enjoy sharing my stories, thoughts and recipes. Got my exercise on about an hour ago...... I wish I could say I ran the entire three miles. That would be such a big lie! But, I did my best. Feeling better than I have in months(for today anyway). So, Ashton and I are going to be vegetarians for a week. I wonder which one of us will crack under pressure first? About to go into a deep session of menu planning. Who knows, this may turn out to be a new lifestyle for us or me. I will be sure to post all of our creations good and bad. Sometimes we need a laugh. Have a great day!