5 Pasta recipes

For those of you who know me well, you know that I absolutely love pasta.  Yes it's filled with carbs and definitely isn't the healthiest choice, but for some reason I have a hard time resisting it.  Pasta recipes are probably my favorite thing to make in the kitchen and my go to when I don't know what to eat.  Pasta is 100% a comfort food for me. When I've had a bad day I love a bowl of plain noodles with butter and salt. 

Anyways, the colder seasons of the year are definitely a great time to incorporate some pasta recipes into your weekly meal plans.  Today I'm sharing some recipes that look like good options to try this winter! 

One: Butternut Squash Penne with Chicken

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Butternut Squash has lots of health benefits. It's low in fat and incredibly high in fiber, which makes it a great addition to any meal. 

Two: Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp and pasta- such a great combination 

Three: Winter Vegetable Pasta with White Wine and Parmesan 

The perfect winter feel good meal!

Four: Pasta Carbonara

Giada's pasta carbonara is hands down my favorite. 

Five: Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash, Sausage, and Kale

This recipe not only looks pretty, but sounds like it would taste amazing too! This seems like it would be an easy weeknight meal-perfect for November or December.  I've never roasted butternut squash, but it doesn't sound like too daunting of a task.  

Image via

Bon Apetit!

XOXO

Work Week Breakfasts

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but yet it's the meal most likely to be skipped by most of us.  During the work week, most of us would rather spend a few extra minutes sleeping rather than making time to eat the first meal of the day.  I used to be really guilty about this, but over the past year or so I've changed my habits and it's made a big difference. Eating breakfast each morning has given me more energy and a less chaotic launch to my day.

Here are a few tips that might make eating breakfast easier:

Make it ahead of time
When you do meal prepping in advance, then you don't have to waste anytime in the morning deciding what to eat or cooking.  Try to plan out your breakfasts on Sunday night, so that you don't have to think about it during the week. On Sunday night you could even prepare a few breakfasts ahead of time.  Preparing breakfast ahead of time could be simply placing yogurt and fruit in a container as well as placing your granola in a zip lock bag, preparing overnight oats, pre-cutting the bagel you will eat. slicing fruit, or even putting all the ingredients in the bullet blender cup for your morning smoothie.

Establish a morning routine
Establishing a morning routine will schedule you time to eat breakfast regularly. Like I said earlier, most of us don't eat because we don't have time. If you allow yourself time, then you can definitely indulge on the most important meal of the day. Play around a little bit to figure out what works best for you. I personally have found that showering the night before gives me extra time in the morning to eat breakfast.

Make one morning special
Try to pick out one morning a week to treat yourself to a special breakfast. This might be stopping at Starbucks for your favorite latte, eating leftovers for breakfast, something that might not be as healthy, or taking extra time to make your favorite breakfast (waffles, pancakes, etc.).

On the go options
Stock up on a few items that you can always bring to eat while you're en route to your morning activity.  Some items to keep around might be fruit, granola bars, or dry cereal.

So now that I've shared some strategies that help me, let's chat about some things you could eat for breakfast.
 

Toast recipes// Bagel toppings// Instant Oatmeal
Yogurt ideas// Breakfast cookies// Smoothie recipes
Quiche recipe// Overnight oat recipes// Wraps

What are your go to breakfasts for a busy morning?

XOXO

Kitchen Adventures: Frogmore

This is hands down one of my favorite summer meals. Don't ask me about the name because I have no idea why we call it this, but I can promise you it has nothing to do with frogs. It's very simple to make and quite fun to eat! Growing up this was a meal that we would have a week or two before school started. It has always been something that we did as a family and over the years we have began to share it with friends too. Since I went back to college, this meal has transitioned into a summer meal rather than a back to school meal because we all started school at different times.

My mom usually cooks the meal in a very large pot. We cover the table with a plastic table cloth, and once the food is finished cooking we dump the pot of food out onto the table and eat it with our hands. Most of it is pick food, so utensils aren't really necessary.  This year we didn't have a table cloth, so we put it on a serving tray and ate it on plates.

Ingredients
2-3 pounds of shrimp
 6 ears of corn on the cob
2 packages of kielbasa or your favorite type of sausage
Redskin potatoes (about 3 per person)
1-2 cups of Ole Bay
1 loaf od Italian bread
1 stick of butter
Thousand Island dressing

Directions
Fill a large stock pot 2/3 full with water and ole bay. Bring the combination to a boil.

When the water comes to a boil, add the potatoes and cook them for about 20 minutes. You should be able to easily pierce the potatoes with a fork, once they are cooked.

Add the kielbasa and let the water boil without being covered. This should take about five minutes.

Add the corn and continue to cook the food. The corn will need to cook for about 13 minutes, so you will want to set a timer. It's best if the corn is cut in half before placed into the boiling water.

Add the shrimp when the corn has about six minutes left. Once the shrimp turn pink, then you will know they are cooked all the way.

Drain the mixture in a large colander.

Pour the mixture onto a covered table or serving platter and sprinkle with additional ole bay seasoning.

Optional Extras:
Bread and Butter
The meal pairs nicely with sliced Italian bread and butter. The ole bay can be a bit spicy, so the bread helps to cool down your mouth.

Thousand Island Dressing
This is known as Timmy's Sauce if you choose to make it by hand. The dressing is perfect to dip the shrimp and kielbasa in.

Beer
If you're 21, then I recommend pairing a nice cold beer with the meal.  We chose to pair the meal with Corona and limes this summer. The beer was refreshing after eating lots of ole bay seasoning.

Enjoy!
XOXO

Building a Better Salad

One of my favorite meals to eat during the summer are variations of salads. These cool meals involved fruits, veggies, and proteins. They can change depending what you put inside.  Not only do they taste good, but they are also good for you too! 

How to build the perfect salad:

One: Pick your Base

spinach, iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, butter lettuce, etc.

Two: Add more greens

Cucumber, avocado, green peppers, broccoli, sprouts, etc.

Three: Add color

fruit, carrots, peppers, onions, tomatoes, beats, etc.

Four: Add some crunch

apples, nuts, sunflower seeds, etc. 

Five: Add some healthy extras

herbs, nuts, cheese, hard boiled eggs, etc.

Six: Pack your salad with protein

Chicken, steak, shrimp, salmon, beans, etc.

Seven: Dress it up

Opt for a healthy vinegrette

**Tip: leftovers make for great additions to summer salads**

These are two salads that I've made recently. 

Salad #1

Steak, strawberries, avocado, and romaine lettuce

Salad #2: 

salmon, avocado, hardboiled egg, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, spinach, romaine lettuce and dill

What's your go to mix for salads?

XOXO

Lox + Cream Cheese

Today I'm sharing one of my favorite food combinations- Lox + Cream Cheese. This dynamic duo is amazing and can be paired in so many different ways! You can have it in an omelet for breakfast, on a flat bread, with a bagel, on pizza, as a sandwich, as a dip, and so many other ways.  Needless to say you can have it as a snack, breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Recently my favorite way to eat it is on top of a flat bread with a fried egg on top.  I had something similar to it at brunch, in the winter, and ever since then I have been working to recreate it at home. 

Ingredients: 

flat bread or nan bread

block of cream cheese

Lox (salmon)

Capers

Dill

Directions:

One:

Heat the bread up according to the directions on the package. The crispier your bread is the better!

Two:

Spread the cream cheese onto the flat bread. 

Three:

Spread a pinch of the dill on top of the cream cheese

Four:

Add the capers. I don't like a ton of these, so I usually only put a little bit on. 

Five:

Add several pieces of salmon on top

Six:

You can fry an egg and put it on top or just dig right in.

I hope you enjoy this tasty dish as much as I do!

XOXO

Super Bowl 50

This year is the fiftieth anniversary of the Super Bowl! It's crazy that this has become such a tradition to some people.  Growing up, football wasn't too big of a deal.  Sure we would watch the Philadelphia Eagles play when it was convenient, but I definitely wouldn't describe my family as die hard fans.  When your hometown team doesn't usually make it far in playoffs, actually watching the Super Bowl isn't that big of a deal to you.  The Super Bowl has always been an excuse to get together with family friends to have a party.  If you're not really into the sport, then you probably participate in the activities surrounding it to watch the commercials, socialize, eat some tasty but not so healthy food, watch the half time show and maybe even drink a little.  

This year I will be at school for Super Bowl Sunday.  My roommates and I are hosting a Dip Bowl.  We're inviting our friends over and asking them to bring some sort of dip for everyone to eat while we hangout/watch the halftime show game. This is a fun way to be festive and an excuse so have some people over.  

Whether you're going somewhere to watch the game or just staying in, dips are great to make for Super Bowl.  Here are some links to some dips you could potentially make for this weekend. 

Philly Cheese steak Dip

Corn Dip

Bean Dip

Smoked Salmon Dip

Chocolate Peanut butter Batter 

Chocolate Chip Canoli Dip

Monster Cookie Dough Dip

What are you making for Super Bowl Sunday?

XOXO

Summer Detox

Back in June, my mom and I did a detox together. This time we created it ourselves. It was pretty much free sugar, dairy, and red meat. Our meals were filled with greens and protein.  The meal plan consisted of clean eating for five days.  I finally completed a five day cleanse.  This was a great way to jump-start the summer. While I did not lose more than a few pounds, I loved the way I felt when the week was over. I felt like I hit the reset button and freed my body from all the junk and toxins.

So what did I eat?

Every morning I drank water with lemon juice in it.

Every day I drank 90 ounces of water

Monday:

            Breakfast:Oatmeal “cookie”

            Lunch: Veggie burger and grilled squash

            Dinner: Fish tacos with coleslaw and beans

Tuesday:

            Breakfast: Oatmeal “cookie”

            Lunch: Tuna, half an avocado, tomatoes and greens with honey mustard

            Dinner: Chicken with steamed kale, carrots, and hummus

Wednesday:

            Breakfast: Steel cut oats

            Lunch: Tuna, half an avocado, tomatoes and greens with honey mustard

            Dinner: Chicken, spinach, black beans, and coleslaw

Thursday:

            Breakfast: Steel cut oats

            Lunch: Turkey, avocado, tomato, and hummus

            Snack: Smoothie 

            Dinner: steamed kale with salmon

Friday:

            Breakfast: Oatmeal “cookie”

            Lunch: Turkey, avocado, tomato, and hummus

            Dinner: California roll (sushi)

XOXO

Shop Local: Farmer's Market

One of the perks to living in rural southeastern Pennsylvania are the many local produce stands.  Within five miles of my house there are at least three different produce stands, all of which are operated by Amish families.  Shopping locally has many perks.  If you don't live out in the country, don't fret because there are many other options for shopping locally.  Many populated areas have farmers' markets where farmers bring truck loads of fresh fruits and veggies.  If you haven't been to one of these, then I highly recommend you search to find one near you. 

Reasons to Shop at a Local Farmer's Market:

1. The fruits and vegetables are freshly picked, which means they are in season. While a large grocery store has a larger variety, the food is not necessarily in season. Food that is not in season usually has more chemicals and less health benefits for you. 
2. Try a new fruit or vegetable. These markets sometimes have less common foods, so it provides you the opportunity to try something that you have never had before. 
3. You know where your food comes from.  This food is grown locally, so you know the fields they are coming from.  You are able to see how many chemicals the food is being njected with. 
4. Sustainable agriculture helps protect the environment.  This type of farming uses less resources and has a less negative impact on the Earth than conventional agriculture. 
5. Support the local economy.  Purchasing food from local farmers helps to support families and businesses that are in your backyard. 

Do you shop local? I'd love to hear about your experiences!

XOXO

I Scream, You Scream

We all scream for ice-cream!

This Sunday is National Ice Cream Day!

Ice cream has been one of my favorite foods ever since I can remember.  Surprisingly, I don't have a favorite flavor.  This past week my mom, brother, and I took a little adventure and did a creamery tour. Where we live there are several creameries within an hour of driving. We ended up going to three different locations. You may have seen me talking about it here. 

Stop 1: Wood Side Creamery

We each got a small cup of ice cream (Peach, Turtle, and Motor Oil).  The ice cream was delicious, although it did make us really thirsty afterwards. We enjoyed our sweet treats on picnic tables outside the actual ice-cream shop.  The farmhouse on the property had gorgeous landscaping filled with hydrangeas. 

Stop 2: Milky Way Farm

This was our shortest stop. Word of advice, look up a farm's hours before trying to go. We got to the farm and they were closed. I'm sure we will try to go back there again someday, but it ended up working out because eating ice cream three times in one day would have been a bit much. 

Stop 3: Kilby Cream

Yet another creamery located on a local farm.  This stop was my favorite of the three. The ice-cream was some of the best that I have ever tasted.  For this stop I got cow dough, otherwise known as cookie dough, in a waffle cone.  This was hands down one of the best waffle cones I have had.  The farm was adorable.  The ice cream shop was filled with cow decor and had puns like "cow tipping is appreciated". 

How to Celebrate National Ice Cream Day:

If you are looking for something fun to do this summer to cool off, then I highly recommend a DIY creamery tour! If you can't get to a creamery this weekend to celebrate National Ice-cream Day, then I found some things you can make with ice-cream at home. Photos courtesy of Pinterest. 

Brownie Sundae Bowls

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Sandwiches 

Host an Ice Cream party with a topping bar

Rainbow Dipped Ice Cream Cones

Happy National Ice Cream Day!

XOXO

Memorial Day Weekend Recap

(A day late)

In just two short weeks I fell into "summer mode".  I have forgotten the days of the week, I've finished a few books, my skin is already peeling from sunburn, I have spent time watching netflix, and I have managed to sleep past nine a few times. 

As much as I would love to live this care free for the entire summer, it is now back to reality.  Yesterday I started my two summer classes.  Let me tell you summer classes are intense.  For some reason I thought they would be easier, jokes on me.  We cover the same amount of material in five weeks that would be covered in a regular 15-16 week semester.  Today was day two and in my one class several people have already dropped.  This may sound odd, but I enjoy the rigor and fast pace style of the courses.  Doing them this way keeps you organized, on task, and gets rid of the "fluff" that is not needed in college classes. But enough of me rambling on about summer classes, more to come in future post. 

And now for the real reason I wrote this post...

Memorial Day Weekend entails something different for every individual.  Some people have traditions, some open their summer homes during this weekend, some spend their weekend on sports field, others visit with family and friends, sadly some people have to spent it at work, and for others it is just like any other weekend during the year (just a little longer).  

My weekend was filled with productivity, time in the sun, gardening, food, family, friends, and a little bit of tradition.  

Friday morning was a busy one for me.  I woke up and went for a two mile run. (I think it might be time for new running sneakers because I woke up Saturday morning with shin splints.)  I then took Todd to work and we managed to squeeze in a brief Starbucks date.  2 caramel macchiatos, one iced and one hot. I then took a ride over to the local library. Since classes ended, I have been a bit of a book worm.  I don't have time to read for pleasure during the semester, so I guess I really missed it.  I had planed just to bring one book home with me, but after an hour of walking through each isle, of books, I ended up coming home with six books.  I really don't know where I thought I would be getting all the time to read six books on top of working and taking classes.  I then spent the rest of the day getting a head start on my online class.

Friday night Todd and I went out for sushi.  We were lucky enough to sit outside. 

Saturday my mom and I took an adventure. More details will come in future post, but the place was adorable and filled with home and garden essentials.

Sunday I helped my mom do some yard work.  My family grilled burgers for dinner, and my mom made pasta salad and potato salad (so yummy!). Later that night we enjoyed the nice weather by sitting, on a deck, catching up with our neither.  My mom and I stopped by and ice-cream store in our town.  It was so hot out, that the ice cream was melting faster than we could eat it!

Monday morning I sat on our deck and read a book for awhile.  At 1 pm, the family all gathered to watch the Division 1 Men's Lacrosse Championship game.  This is the tradition I was referring to earlier.  We watch this game every year, a couple of years we actually went to the game.  Although my brother nor I play lacrosse anymore, our family still loves the sport.  Throughout the day several family members stopped by for brief visits. We ended the weekend with family dinner.

I hope you all had a wonderful MDW weekend!

xoxo

-mQs-

Snack Time

Snack time is the best time! In case you didn't know already, I love food!  I try to eat healthy, and I am all about food that tastes good and is good for you.  Everyone enjoys trail mix, so I wanted to share with you my version of "trail mix".  

It is quite simple and super easy to make.

Ingredients: Walnuts, craisins, and Ghirardelli chocolate chips.

I usually buy a bag of the chocolate chips and then I buy the other ingredients in the bulk section of the grocery store.  Pour all three ingredients into one container, mix it up, and enjoy.

This snack is perfect to keep in your purse or backpack , just make sure the chocolate doesn't melt.  I usually always have this with me.  It is a nice nutty, sweet, and chocolaty combination.  Also, it is not that bad for you.  There are a lot of unhealthier snacks out there that you could indulge in.

Xoxo

mQs