Apple Chips

Are you at home for a weekend and want to make a yummy snack? You should make apple chips. So delicious and healthy. So easy. 

You'll find yourself saying, "Hey, I just ate a whole bag of apples!" It makes you feel a lot less guilty than saying, "Hey, I just ate a whole bag of potato chips!"

Apple Chips

* Source

*I've tried this with granny smith and gala apples. I bet any variety would be great.

*You can bake them for less time, they are just more chewy. 

Ingredients:

• Apples (how many your little heart desires, I usually use a bag)
• Cinnamon

Directions: 

1) Cut apples, discard any seeds

2) On parchment covered baking sheets, lay out apples

3) Sprinkle both sides of the apple with cinnamon

4) Put in oven at 275° for two hours. Flip apples half way through.

5) Cool on rack or paper towel. Store in a tight container.

A perfect afternoon snack, or breakfast!

Making apple chips make your house smell like fall! Enjoy!

Wednesday Wisdom

Wednesday Wisdom

At my first teacher workshop yesterday I ended up sitting by another special education teacher who was there from another district. She's a recent grad, newly wed and just beginning her first year teaching. I shared with her my back round and we discovered that we both are the church going God Lovin type. She grew up in the church Greg and I are thinking about joining and only had encouraging things to say about the congregation, its leaders, and its ministries. I don't know if her and I will be in contact again, but it made me realize that I am really ready to make some additional friends here in Eau Claire. 
As a girl, I need a girl to do girl stuff with...  As a wife, I need more wives to contact when we crave a couples night.... As Christian, I need more Christian wives to be in check with... 
 I pray that this will happen and know that it will, because with every move I've made I've made in the past 5 years I have blessed with many friendships that have fulfilled my needs/wants and so much more...

*Source

Menu Monday: 8/13-8/17

Menu Monday

Monday: Out of this World Lasagna (Leftovers for lunch and the freezer!)

Tuesday: Grilled Chicken Salad

Wednesday: Shrimp Green Curry

Thursday: Spicy Sausage,Kale, and Potato Soup (more leftovers!)
Friday: Who knows?!!?
Saturday: Happy 5th Anniversary to us!

This week I go back to the real world. Well... sort of. I have 3 days of workshops, plus a day of planning with one of my teaching teams. Today I met with my mentor for the first time and saw one of the buildings in which I'll be teaching. I still don't know what students I'll be working with, or my schedule, but I'm beginning to get started. 

My mentor Tiffany Hall. Click here for her bio!

Tonight's dinner was all about leftovers! Greg and I really needed to make something that could be frozen for go to lunches when we run out! Tonight's lasagna made 3 lunches for this week and 7 frozen portions divided into 5 lunches and 1 dinner for two! The recipe came to us from our friend Melanie via the internet.  I did not take any pictures, but here is the amazing recipe!

Out of This World Spicy Lasagna!

*Source, and Pictures

*You could make this ahead of time and freeze the whole thing!

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 chopped red onion
• 4 chopped cloves of garlic
• 3 Thai Chilles (chopped) (Optional!)
• 2 pounds spicy sausage
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
• 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (sweet or Thai)
• Add other fresh herbs too (sage, fennel, cilantro) if you want too!
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 pound whole wheat lasagna noodles (about ¾ of a box)
• 15 ounces ricotta cheese
• 8 ounces creamy goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
• 2 eggs
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

1)       Heat oil, sauté onion, garlic and chille until soft.

2)     Add sausage and brown.

3)     Add tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley, basil, simmer for 15-20 minutes.

4)     In Separate bowl: Mix together Ricotta, goat cheese, parmesan, parsley and eggs.

5)     In Separate bowl: Put noodles in HOT tap water until soft

To Assemble in 9x13 glass dish:  1/3 Sauce, 1/2 noodles, 1/2 mozzarella, 1/2 cheese mixture,  1/3 Sauce, 1/2 noodles, 1/2 mozzarella, 1/2 cheese mixture, 1/3 sauce, extra parmesan cheese.

Bake @ 400°:  Covered for 40 minutes, uncovered for 10, Under the broiler for 5 (if needed)

Enjoy!

Guilt Free Drinking

Moving back to the United States was not good for my waistline. It didn't help that the first three weeks of being back (in January) we were staying in a hotel and eating out nearly every meal. Bdubs, Panera Bread, Olive Garden, Coffee shops like EC's Acoustic Cafe-- I love them all! I just don't love what they do for my body. 

I've been trying to work out regularly and just make smarter food and drink choices. For the past month I've been trying to abide by a self-made rule: No Alcohol during the week! So far, I've been doing pretty good. Although I’ll confess that the week of 4^th of July was a TOTAL failure.  Since then I've done much better. When a beer sounds good or I want to have a glass of wine while watching the Olympics after dinner, I try to think of the calories saved. My favorite beer-South Shore Nut Brown Ale- 200 calories. A glass of wine- around 100 calories. 

Inspired by a sangria recipe, I whipped up this drink to see if it would satisfy my taste buds. I was happy that it did! Soooooo refreshing!!!!!

I used a margarita pitcher I got as a wedding gift and rarely use to make the tea. Next I tied my tea bags to the stir stick so that they would be easy to take out. I only used 3 bags for this batch, but next time I will definitely use more. Once you add the ice and soda water the peach flavor is diluted a bit. I like how there's a reflection showing our backyard on the side of the pitcher. This drink just calls to be drunk outside! 

Virgin Peach Tea and Fruit Sangria

* Inspired by: Cherry and Peach Sangria

Peach Tea

* Use Pitcher of your choice

3-8- Peach Tea Bags to brew a pitcher of tea. 

Assembly

Put thyme, fruit, and ice in your glass first then add equal parts tea and soda

* I used a wine glass just to make it fun, but use whatever looks for you!

3 Sprigs of Thyme

1/2 C Mixed fresh fruit-(I used blueberries, raspberries, and grapes)

3-4 Ice Cubes

Soda Water

Menu Monday: 7/30-8/3

Menu Monday

Monday: Strawberry & Spinach Salad, Sweet Corn

Tuesday: Ginger Beef & Green Bean Stir-Fry

Wednesday: Black Bean Soup (leftovers from freezer)

Thursday: Chicken w/cashew Stir-Fry

Friday: (with Z,M, and H visiting from Iowa!!) Slow Cooker BBQ Pork, Corn, melon, lemon squares

Every Monday I hope to post the dinner menu that Greg and I will use to guide our dinner cooking for the following week. Greg and I have planned a menu for as long as I can remember. If you don’t menu plan, I encourage you to give it a try. Here’s what we usually do…it seems like a lot, but it's really not too bad...

o       Greg and I discuss what we want to eat

o       Greg and I discuss what we should eat

o       See what is in our fridge and freezer that we need to use up (I’ve been really trying to use things before they get bad and not to throw food away!)

o       Try to consider what things will have leftovers for lunches, what can freeze, etc.

o       Glance at the Friday/Saturday grocery ads to see what’s on sale, what’s in season

o       After we “research”--Choose and Record meals on our fridge whiteboard.

o       Gather recipes I need to use for the week

o       Go through them and make a grocery list (every week I seem to miss something!)

o       Consider what other food items we need for snacks, breakfasts, lunches.

o       Go grocery shopping at the store and/or farmer’s market

I’ll attempt to post recipes throughout the week for our dinners listed above. If they don’t make it on this week though, you’ll discover that Greg and I repeat favorite recipes quite often. Monday's Recipe is listed below, so simple, so good. Happy Eating!

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Salad
*Mix everything right before eating
1 Pound- Strawberries cut up
1/2 to 1 bag- Spinach (chopped), or fresh spinach (chopped) filling medium salad bowl (use however much you want!)
1 Cup- Pecans (chopped)
1/4 Cup- sunflower seeds
Sprinkle- of light feta cheese (optional)


Dressing
Store bought Creamy Poppy-seed Dressing- each is to their own, just put on table!
OR
Vinaigrette

I use my 2.5QT. Pyrex bowl for this salad. Everything is ready to go before I head to the Y for my "Just Pump" class. When I get home I'll combine everything, get the corn going and it will be ready in less than 15 minutes. 

Yummy!