cooking, life

Spaghetti squash, multigrain pasta, kale chips, and honey & rutabaga cake

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I was very pleased with tonight’s dinner. The main dish was spaghetti squash seasoned with lemon juice, cumin, curry, garlic powder, chili powder, onion flakes, and a little bit of pepper and a little bit of salt. I also made a little bit of multigrain pasta, which looking back was probably unnecessary, especially since spaghetti squash contains carbohydrates. I also prepared a side of kale chips (yum!), and for dessert … a slice of honey and rutabaga cake. I thought it all tasted great. Hubby not so much, which is really disappointing. He doesn’t like squash. The thing is, neither do I. But I thought that I’d prepared the spaghetti squash in a way that made it not squashy tasting. He insisted it still tasted like squash. I’m a little upset, to be honest, but not trying to take it personally. I am considering serving him Hamburger Helper tomorrow as a little jab.

Gaaaah…keep telling myself, “Don’t take it personally. Don’t take it personally.” He and I talked, and he did agree that when the kids are older, he will eat the squash and pretend he likes it! I’m not dealing with any of that, “But Daddy doesn’t eat it,” shenanigans.

Have you tried spaghetti squash before? What’s your favorite way to prepare it?
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cooking

How to make shrimp ceviche

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I’m a big fan of seafood. That was one thing I really loved about living in Florida. FRESH seafood. Sure, we’re in Virginia now, and you’d think we’d have fresh seafood as well, since we’re on the ocean…but that’s not always the case. I also love food with a lot of flavor and spice, and I’ve never been afraid of trying new things. A dish that I’ve come to love over the last couple of years is ceviche.

Ceviche (pronounced “seh-bee-chay”) is a Central and South American seafood salad that’s been marinated in citrus. It is traditionally made with raw fish, but I also love it with shrimp. I made this particular dish with steamed shrimp to ensure there was no possibility of food poisoning. Hubby would never trust my cooking again ever if I poisoned him.

I would give you the link to the recipe I followed, but I actually didn’t end up following a particular one. I had pinpointed a recipe and written down my ingredient list, but forgot to save the link. I came home with groceries and couldn’t find it again! I ended up flipping through some Web sites and reading a few recipes, and figured out what to do. It’s really not difficult.

My ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp. of chili sauce
  • 1 tbsp. of Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp. of ketchup
  • 1/2 cup of lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup of lime juice
  • 1/2 pound of steamed shrimp
  • 1 8 oz. container of grape tomatoes
  • 1 chopped avocado
  • 1 chopped orange pepper
  • 1 chopped jalapeno pepper
  • 1 chopped white onion
  • 1 tbsp. of salt
  • 1 tbsp. of pepper
  • 2 tbsp. of cilantro
Click on Photos to Enlarge:

I didn’t have enough limes, and I was out of lemons, so I used the bottled juice. Also, the ingredients that I used can all be adapted to fit your tastes. You might like ceviche with more cilantro and less ketchup, so this is definitely a recipe with which I’d recommend experimenting.

Peeled and chopped steamed shrimp marinating in lemon and lime juices.

While I let the shrimp marinate, I chopped up my veggies, tossed them in the bowl, added my sauces and spices, and mixed it all together.

I let the ceviche sit covered in the fridge, until it was time to serve chilled.

That’s it! Wasn’t that crazy easy? It’s also crazy healthy!

Do you like ceviche? What are some of your favorite ingredients?
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cooking

A New Commitment: Fresh & Healthy

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After I was married, I determined that I would improve as a cook. I never particularly enjoyed cooking or was interested in it, but I wanted to be the best wife that I could be. If my husband and I were both working, then I would expect him to split cooking/housework duties. But being a home maker is my job now.

For the most part, I’ve kept to my commitment of avoiding processed food. I’ve cheated here and there. I’ve purchased a couple of family-size prepackaged skillet meals, some turkey burgers, and chicken strips, but I have yet to buy Hamburger Helper, Rice-A-Roni, etc.

I want my family to be healthy. There are a couple of health issues on my husband’s side of the family that are usually related to diet and exercise, and I don’t want the same thing to happen to him, me, or our children.

Starting now through the new year, I will focus on incorporating fresh produce and grains in my cooking. Now that Whole Foods Market has opened up in the area, I have a fantastic selection of bulk foods from which to choose. I’d also like to branch out in preparing vegetarian and ethnic dishes.

Of course, I want to eat like this past January, but I decided it was best to start with a shorter, attainable goal to lead into a permanent lifestyle change. I guess it’s kind of like a New Year’s resolution…early.

Have you made any commitments to cooking healthier? How’s it going?
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