drink to your health

My name is Lindsay and I have a problem.

I don't drink water. I rarely drink anything, actually. I prefer to chew. I drink a few sips at meals and a few during the day if I get parched, but rarely at all.

Yes, I have a problem. I need water. Our bodies need water. As an article I just read points out, water is one of the basic elements of life. Our survival depends on it. Not just survival, but having a quality, healthy life is dependent on water.

I'm not the healthiest person around. I admit it. I try, but it seems I'm quite often knocked backward by some ailment or another. As I was thinking about this today, I realized that water could have a lot to do with it.

So, here's my goal. According to the MayoClinic, women should drink 2.2 liters of water per day, which is around nine cups. I plan to reach this goal every day for the rest of the week.

The huge problem is that I don't like the stale flavor of water. Not to mention the metallic taste of water at my work. I've been trying to drink more but I have to choke it down more often than usual.

As I was thinking about this, I realized that when I go to a restaurant I always order water with lemon. I have to have a lemon in my water to drink it at a restaurant, so why not have a lemon in my water at home/work too?

So, here's my plan (goals must have plans).

• Always have a pitcher of fresh, filtered lemon water waiting for me in the fridge
• Take a Nalgene bottle to work--don't drink the nasty metal water anymore
• Drink one pitcher every day (each pitcher is 2 quarts, which equals 8 cups), plus one more glass before bed

There you have it. I'm planning to give small, health tips every so often as I move forward on my little journey toward healthy eating and drinking. (I'll soon be posting fast lunches for every day.)

This whole water epiphany occurred thanks to the Happy Little Vegans and her inspiring Holiday Detox.

Anyone else have suggestions for a good detox?

inspired: caramelized onion and sweet potato tart

Every now and then, I will post recipes from other blogs that I try and love. I won't take the time to paste the recipes here because I feel that the blogger who developed such delectable goodness ought to get the well-deserved traffic.

I have been drooling over this recipe for months wondering if I had the courage to make it. It looked so pretty and I didn't think I could do it justice. Today, I took the plunge.

It is amazing. Thanks to this new recipe, I have a new obsession with caramelized onions. Seriously. Completely obsessed. It was all I could do not to eat the whole pan.  

Does anyone have any caramelized onion recipes? Please, help me. Otherwise, I may just eat a pan of plain caramelized onions without thinking about it. I need more caramelized onion recipes. Please share yours.

Romantic Additions

DO: Give the sweet potatoes plenty of time to soften. It took a lot longer than the 8 minutes detailed in the recipe, but I'm glad I waited. Otherwise, the gooey, sweet potatoes would have just been hard and starchy.

DON'T: Use pizza crust instead of the puff pastry. I couldn't find it at the store and had frozen pizza crust at home, so I tried it. It wasn't bad, but I picture it better with a flaky crust.

FOR ME: I adore feta cheese on pizza. ADD IT to yours.

What are you waiting for?  
Head over to Fresh365 and give it a try!

rejuvenating leftovers: spicy black bean cakes

 

First, I made these Spicy Black Bean Cakes (thank you, Martha). It was amazing and delicious, and you should make it too. It's so healthy and filling for a vegetarian dish.

{Romantic Additions}

DO: Wait to cook the jalapenos and garlic until after the rest of your vegetables are prepped and ready. I didn't wait and the jalapenos and garlic stood getting cold on the stove.

DON'T: Try to just make 8 patties. This recipe created a large batch and if I were to make only 8 patties, they would have been enormous.

FOR ME: I didn't have all the ingredients for the lime sour cream, so I improvised:

• Mix 1/3 cup sour cream (or all that's left in your tiny container) with a couple squeezes of mayo.
• Add lime juice. Stir to combine.
• To spice things up, add a few dashes of paprika. 

Now to the leftovers:

• Place the remaining patties (after being cooked) in a zip-lock bag in the fridge over night.
• Come home from work, hungry (and proud that you didn't eat the remaining bags of Cheez-its under your desk).
• Put rice in the rice cooker (according to package directions) and start cookin'.
• Do some minor cleaning--vacuum, sweep, etc.
• When the rice is done, throw some olive oil in a saute pan.
• Add the leftover patties. Break them apart and let them warm up.
• Toss two and a half heaping spoonfuls of rice.
• Add some soy sauce and this amazing goodness (Panda Express Orange Sauce).
• I've found the amazing orange sauce at both the grocery stores in this small town, so it should be available to most of you.
• Cook until it's piping hot.
• Serve.
• To yourself on a cold winter's day, waiting for your significant other to return.

whole wheat bread

 

{ingredients}

• 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. brown sugar, divided
• 2 cups warm water
• 2 pkg. active dry yeast (4 1/2 tsp. yeast)
• 5 to 6 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup powdered milk
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup oil

1. Dissolve 1 tbsp brown sugar in warm water, add yeast, and let it grow.
2. Mix 4 cups flour, powdered milk, 1/3 cup brown sugar, and salt in mixer bowl. Using dough hook in a Kitchen Aid mixer bowl, set speed to 2 and mix for 15 seconds. Continuing to mix while adding yeast mixture and oil. Mix for about 1 1/2 minutes.
3. Continue at speed 2, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Mix and knead for about 4 minutes. 
4. Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with a warm, damp cloth for one hour. Let rise.
5. Knead the dough and divide in half. Shape the loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Cover. Let rise in a warm place for another hour or until doubled in size.
6. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 350° and bake for 30 minutes more. Remove the bread from the pans immediately and let cool on wire racks (or dig in and add a slather of butter and jam--hot goodness!).

<adapted from Instructions and Recipes for Your KitchenAid Stand Mixer>

stuffed shells

I made these for dinner last night. It was one of my favorite meals growing up. I've changed my mom's recipe to give it a little more gourmet taste, but it's still easy and delicious.

{ingredients}

• 1/2 box of shells, cooked according to package directions
• 4 cups cottage cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp. garlic salt
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
• Your favorite jarred marinara (my recommendation)
• Asiago/Parmesan, or both

Preheat the oven to 350°. While the shells are cooking, prepare the filling. Mix cottage cheese with the other cheeses. You can choose to add different types of cheese if you'd like. Parmesan would be great. Add the eggs, garlic salt, and dried herbs (crush them in your hand first). Mix it thoroughly and set aside.

Drain the shells when al dente. Spread 1/3 of the marinara on the bottom of an 8x8 pan. LineRun a little bit of cold water over them to avoid burning yourself. Stuff the shells with the cottage cheese mixture. People always tell me not to stuff them too much, but I love it--so I stuff it! (Okay, a little too cheesy there--um... that was too. Sorry.)

Line the pan with your pleasantly plump shells, open side up. It's okay to squeeze them together to fit them all. Top with Asiago or parmesan cheese--or both, like I did.

Bake at 350° covered in foil for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for 10 more minutes.

Bonus~A Poor Couple's Garlic Bread

 

When we can't afford gourmet artisan bread or don't want to go to the store (or when dinner is almost ready and your significant other says, "Where's the bread?"), this is what we do:

• Take a few slices of whole wheat, store-bought bread.
• Toast them.
• Undress one garlic clove (a.k.a. Smash it with a can and remove the peel.)
• Rub it on the toast. 

Voila! Instant, cheap, and tasty garlic bread. It literally takes a couple minutes.