When I was a little girl, I used to go to the house of Julie--mother of Elle and Aidan of A&E Wedding Consultants, Inc.--in Ohio. I remember one visit when we made these peanut butter treats, and though I haven't made them in ages--perhaps you will surmise why in about 2 seconds--I still have the recipe memorized. Observe:
Julie and Danielle's Completely Unhealthy Childhood Peanut Butter Delight:
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup Karo light (in color, not calories) corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups Kellogg's cornflakes
Melt peanut butter, sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla in a saucepan until the sugar has dissolved. Mix in cornflakes. Spread onto wax paper and cool in the refrigerator until your sugary snack becomes of peanut brittle-like consistency.
So fast forward 20 years to Watertown, where the local Boston Sports Club sells peanut butter balls to restore energy post-workout. They're little balls of peanut butter, vanilla whey protein, and honey and they are to die for yummy, not to mention a total bargain at 75 cents per ball (and one ball is all you need). So this afternoon, I had this idea: what if I tried to make a Boston Sports Club healthy version of the childhood snack Julie and I created (even though I'm pretty sure we didn't create it and that it came off of the back of a cornflakes box)? So I warmed up my inventive cooking skills, took out measuring cups (a truly rare display) so could write down the recipe and not drive Julie crazy with my "Uh, just a bit of that...I don't know how much...maybe a 1/4 teaspoon, maybe a cup or maybe it wasn't olive oil but rice wine vinegar" style of cooking, and when I was done, Eric took one bite and went, "Aw yeah, that is amazing!"
So here it is, folks:
Danielle's Revision of Julie and Danielle's Completely Unhealthy Childhood Peanut Butter Delight as Inspired by Boston Sports Club and Endorsed by Eric:
1 cup unsalted peanut butter
1 cup unsweetened whey protein powder
3/4 cup agave nectar (or to taste)
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups Kashi 7 Whole Grain Flakes, crushed
Combine peanut butter, protein powder, agave nectar and vanilla extract until stiff dough forms. Add whole grain flakes and mix until well-blended (this will be a challenge, as the dough is very stiff). Place on wax or parchment paper and roll out until 1/4 inch thick. Slice into squares (this is a very calorie dense food, so a little goes a long way), wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator, or just skip straight to the eating and enjoying part!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Our First 10K!
Every year, Eric's company sponsors a 10K run/walk, so we decided to do it together. Eric planned on running the whole thing, but since I didn't train at all (and have never run vast distances), I figured I'd walk. Initially, Eric said he'd walk with me, but I know he loves to run, so I encouraged him to do the course on his own and wait for me at the end.
Yesterday was a beautiful morning for the event. The run didn't start until noon, so we studied a bit before heading over to Boston Common, where the race commenced. It was a bit insane, to be honest--approximately 10,000 people (mostly women, since it was an event to sponsor women's health) were filing through one staircase onto Beacon Street. When the race finally did begin, it took us about 5 minutes just to get to the starting line! Then it turned out that, though we thought we were with the walkers, we were still with the runners. Eric ran on ahead, and since I didn't want to get trampled, I thought, "Okay, well, I can surely run a little while until this breaks up."
It wound up not breaking up until halfway through the race, and I felt hugely empowered that I could keep up with the group!
Anyway, the course was beautiful--we ran across the Longfellow Bridge and then down Memorial Drive in Cambridge. We came back over another bridge and ran down Commonwealth Avenue back to Boston Common. You could see runners going on both sides of Memorial Drive, and at one point, I saw the winner zooming in the other direction and me and all the slower runners cheered her and the other faster folk along. I also saw Eric running on the other side at one point, and we both got excited when we got to wave to each other!
Eric finished about 20 minutes before I did, and he waited at the finish line for me. He was cheering me on when I got there, and it made me feel like I had the best husband in the world for believing in me and my absolutely abysmal running skills!
We both felt so proud of ourselves at the end! Eric completed the race in 52 minutes, with an average mile of 9 minutes 25 seconds, which was faster than his goal of 10 minutes! I finished with about 12 minute miles, which isn't too bad, considering that I walked about 2 miles of the course. Eric said he'd help me and maybe next year we'll run the whole thing together!
Anyway, we felt really, really proud of ourselves and proud that we supported each other for the race. We celebrated with a Cheesecake Factory trip that was kind of hilarious in its healthiness! On one side of us, a group of men got three plates of fried chicken and the fourth guy got salmon topped with French fries and onion rings! On our other side were two women who ordered avocado fried spring rolls, an avocado sandwich, and enchiladas. In between them was Eric--who ordered a salad with cranberries and feta cheese--and me--I got a salad with no dressing that had beans, corn, chicken, and pico de gallo. Then for dinner, we made ourselves fresh pasta with yummy fresh vegetables, chicken, and a balsamic glaze. We felt it was a healthy ending to our healthy day!
Yesterday was a beautiful morning for the event. The run didn't start until noon, so we studied a bit before heading over to Boston Common, where the race commenced. It was a bit insane, to be honest--approximately 10,000 people (mostly women, since it was an event to sponsor women's health) were filing through one staircase onto Beacon Street. When the race finally did begin, it took us about 5 minutes just to get to the starting line! Then it turned out that, though we thought we were with the walkers, we were still with the runners. Eric ran on ahead, and since I didn't want to get trampled, I thought, "Okay, well, I can surely run a little while until this breaks up."
It wound up not breaking up until halfway through the race, and I felt hugely empowered that I could keep up with the group!
Anyway, the course was beautiful--we ran across the Longfellow Bridge and then down Memorial Drive in Cambridge. We came back over another bridge and ran down Commonwealth Avenue back to Boston Common. You could see runners going on both sides of Memorial Drive, and at one point, I saw the winner zooming in the other direction and me and all the slower runners cheered her and the other faster folk along. I also saw Eric running on the other side at one point, and we both got excited when we got to wave to each other!
Eric finished about 20 minutes before I did, and he waited at the finish line for me. He was cheering me on when I got there, and it made me feel like I had the best husband in the world for believing in me and my absolutely abysmal running skills!
We both felt so proud of ourselves at the end! Eric completed the race in 52 minutes, with an average mile of 9 minutes 25 seconds, which was faster than his goal of 10 minutes! I finished with about 12 minute miles, which isn't too bad, considering that I walked about 2 miles of the course. Eric said he'd help me and maybe next year we'll run the whole thing together!
Anyway, we felt really, really proud of ourselves and proud that we supported each other for the race. We celebrated with a Cheesecake Factory trip that was kind of hilarious in its healthiness! On one side of us, a group of men got three plates of fried chicken and the fourth guy got salmon topped with French fries and onion rings! On our other side were two women who ordered avocado fried spring rolls, an avocado sandwich, and enchiladas. In between them was Eric--who ordered a salad with cranberries and feta cheese--and me--I got a salad with no dressing that had beans, corn, chicken, and pico de gallo. Then for dinner, we made ourselves fresh pasta with yummy fresh vegetables, chicken, and a balsamic glaze. We felt it was a healthy ending to our healthy day!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Danielle and Eric Originals!
Eric and I both love to cook and love a steaming, homemade meal. We also like to experiment in the kitchen, so we thought we'd include some of our favorite impromptu, composed by us recipes! Hope you enjoy!
Danielle's Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai with Marinated Tofu for veryone but Meredith, who is allergic to nuts
Ingredients:
For Marinated Tofu:
2 containers extra firm tofu
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp olive oil or sesame oil
For Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai:
1/3 cup peanut butter
3.5-4 tbsp water
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp brown sugar
1 clove minced garlic
1.5 tbsp fresh ginger
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 very large spaghetti squash
1 red pepper, chopped lengthwise
2 cups snap peas
green onions (to garnish)
cilantro (to garnish)
extra lime juice to spritz on top (as needed)
1. Drain tofu from and press between two plates lined with paper towels. Leave for half an hour.
2. Slice the tofu into 1/2 thick pieces. Toss with soy sauce and olive oil. Marinate for 30 minutes.
3. While marinating, preheat over to 350 degrees. You can also begin the spaghetti squash at this point. Feel free to prepare the spaghetti squash however you are used to doing it. I puncture holes in mine with a knife throughout the surface and then microwave it for about 12 minutes. When you do this, it softens the rind so it's easier to cut, and it also reduces cooking time. When it's done in the microwave, I cut it in half, wrap each piece in seran wrap, and microwave it for another 6 minutes. Make sure to handle the squash with oven mitts; it gets pretty hot!
4. While marinating, you can also make the sauce for the pad thai. To do this, combine the first seven ingredients in the pad thai recipe, and that's it!
5. When done marinating, place tofu on a lined and greased (I use Pam) baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, then flip. Bake for another 10-20 minutes, depending on your oven. The tofu should be brown at the edges when it's done.
6. Scrape out the seeds from the squash (which you can use to make roasted squash seeds--see Eric's recipe below) and scoop out the spaghetti squash into a bowl.
7. Heat oil in a wok (if possible--if not, a large frying pan will do) and add onion. Saute until brown.
8. Add in spaghetti squash. Saute for about a minute.
9. Add in sauce and toss.
10. Add in snap peas; saute another 2-3 minutes.
11. Add in red peppers and tofu (I really don't like mushy peppers, so I don't cook this very long, only about 2 minutes until the pepper is warm but still crunchy, but you might want to leave it longer).
12. Remove from heat. Service with generous helpings of green onion and cilantro. Add in extra lime juice as needed!
Serves 6.
Eric's Roasted Spaghetti Squash Seeds
Ingredients:
Seeds of one spaghetti squash
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
Pam or vegetable oil or olive oil
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Separate seeds from remaining squash. Works best if you try to remove the squash from the seeds, not the seeds from the squash.
3. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Coat with Pam or oil.
4. Spread seeds on sheet. Sprinkle with salt.
5. Put seeds in preheated oven. Should take about 20-25 minutes. Check on them every ten.
6. Enjoy!
Danielle's Inventive Pasta
Ingredients:
whole wheat penne or rotini (as much as seems appropriate for 2 people)
2 cortland or macintosh apples
2 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
3 cups of freshly chopped kale
(here's where I start really estimating):
1.5 tbsp olive oil
1.5 tbsp smart balance/butter/butter equivalent (I used smart balance light)
1 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup white wine (I used a pinot grigio; a riesling probably would be fine too)
salt and pepper to taste
1. Boil water for pasta; add pasta when necessary.
2. Mix oil and butter (or butter equivalent) and heat on medium-high.
3. When butter is melted, toss in cubed chicken, salt, and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Add apples, sage, and thyme and cover for about 5 minutes.
5. At this point, the chicken should be basically cooked; if it's not, wait a few minutes while the cover is still on for it to finish cooking through.
6. When the chicken is finished cooking, add the kale and mustard and cover again under the kale is slightly wilted (not overly wilted!)
7. Remove cover and add white wine. When alcohol has burned out of the wine (and presumably the pasta has been finished by this point), the meal is done! Mix pasta with everything else and enjoy.
Serves two, if you're hungry, three if you're not!
Eric's Indian Extravaganza!
Ingredients:
1 cup brown or basmati rice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 potato chopped into 1 inch cubes
1 onion, chopped
8 plum tomatoes, diced
3 bayleaves
1 cup chopped carrots
2 small breasts chicken (or one large), cut into 1 inch cubes
1 small eggplant (or half a large), sliced and quartered
1 tsp cumin (add to taste--D likes less; E likes more)
1 tsp curry powder (add to taste; see above)
2 tsp ground coriander (add to taste; see above)
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp fresh minced ginger
1 red pepper, chopped lengthwise
*Omit or add additional vegetables as the mood strikes!
1. Prepare rice as your rice container indicates.
2. Heat oil in a wok (or a large skillet) on medium heat.
3. Saute onions and tomatoes with bayleaves.
4. Meanwhile, microwave the potato until it's done or almost done (about 8 minutes). Don't forget to pierce holes to keep it from exploding!
5. Add chicken, carrots, eggplant, garlic, and spices (except ginger) and cover for about 8-10 minutes.
6. Add pepper, potato, and ginger. Heat for about two minutes.
7. Remove and serve with rice.
8. Add additional spices to taste.
Serves two, with leftovers.
Danielle's Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai with Marinated Tofu for veryone but Meredith, who is allergic to nuts
Ingredients:
For Marinated Tofu:
2 containers extra firm tofu
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp olive oil or sesame oil
For Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai:
1/3 cup peanut butter
3.5-4 tbsp water
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp brown sugar
1 clove minced garlic
1.5 tbsp fresh ginger
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 very large spaghetti squash
1 red pepper, chopped lengthwise
2 cups snap peas
green onions (to garnish)
cilantro (to garnish)
extra lime juice to spritz on top (as needed)
1. Drain tofu from and press between two plates lined with paper towels. Leave for half an hour.
2. Slice the tofu into 1/2 thick pieces. Toss with soy sauce and olive oil. Marinate for 30 minutes.
3. While marinating, preheat over to 350 degrees. You can also begin the spaghetti squash at this point. Feel free to prepare the spaghetti squash however you are used to doing it. I puncture holes in mine with a knife throughout the surface and then microwave it for about 12 minutes. When you do this, it softens the rind so it's easier to cut, and it also reduces cooking time. When it's done in the microwave, I cut it in half, wrap each piece in seran wrap, and microwave it for another 6 minutes. Make sure to handle the squash with oven mitts; it gets pretty hot!
4. While marinating, you can also make the sauce for the pad thai. To do this, combine the first seven ingredients in the pad thai recipe, and that's it!
5. When done marinating, place tofu on a lined and greased (I use Pam) baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, then flip. Bake for another 10-20 minutes, depending on your oven. The tofu should be brown at the edges when it's done.
6. Scrape out the seeds from the squash (which you can use to make roasted squash seeds--see Eric's recipe below) and scoop out the spaghetti squash into a bowl.
7. Heat oil in a wok (if possible--if not, a large frying pan will do) and add onion. Saute until brown.
8. Add in spaghetti squash. Saute for about a minute.
9. Add in sauce and toss.
10. Add in snap peas; saute another 2-3 minutes.
11. Add in red peppers and tofu (I really don't like mushy peppers, so I don't cook this very long, only about 2 minutes until the pepper is warm but still crunchy, but you might want to leave it longer).
12. Remove from heat. Service with generous helpings of green onion and cilantro. Add in extra lime juice as needed!
Serves 6.
Eric's Roasted Spaghetti Squash Seeds
Ingredients:
Seeds of one spaghetti squash
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
Pam or vegetable oil or olive oil
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Separate seeds from remaining squash. Works best if you try to remove the squash from the seeds, not the seeds from the squash.
3. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Coat with Pam or oil.
4. Spread seeds on sheet. Sprinkle with salt.
5. Put seeds in preheated oven. Should take about 20-25 minutes. Check on them every ten.
6. Enjoy!
Danielle's Inventive Pasta
Ingredients:
whole wheat penne or rotini (as much as seems appropriate for 2 people)
2 cortland or macintosh apples
2 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
3 cups of freshly chopped kale
(here's where I start really estimating):
1.5 tbsp olive oil
1.5 tbsp smart balance/butter/butter equivalent (I used smart balance light)
1 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup white wine (I used a pinot grigio; a riesling probably would be fine too)
salt and pepper to taste
1. Boil water for pasta; add pasta when necessary.
2. Mix oil and butter (or butter equivalent) and heat on medium-high.
3. When butter is melted, toss in cubed chicken, salt, and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Add apples, sage, and thyme and cover for about 5 minutes.
5. At this point, the chicken should be basically cooked; if it's not, wait a few minutes while the cover is still on for it to finish cooking through.
6. When the chicken is finished cooking, add the kale and mustard and cover again under the kale is slightly wilted (not overly wilted!)
7. Remove cover and add white wine. When alcohol has burned out of the wine (and presumably the pasta has been finished by this point), the meal is done! Mix pasta with everything else and enjoy.
Serves two, if you're hungry, three if you're not!
Eric's Indian Extravaganza!
Ingredients:
1 cup brown or basmati rice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 potato chopped into 1 inch cubes
1 onion, chopped
8 plum tomatoes, diced
3 bayleaves
1 cup chopped carrots
2 small breasts chicken (or one large), cut into 1 inch cubes
1 small eggplant (or half a large), sliced and quartered
1 tsp cumin (add to taste--D likes less; E likes more)
1 tsp curry powder (add to taste; see above)
2 tsp ground coriander (add to taste; see above)
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp fresh minced ginger
1 red pepper, chopped lengthwise
*Omit or add additional vegetables as the mood strikes!
1. Prepare rice as your rice container indicates.
2. Heat oil in a wok (or a large skillet) on medium heat.
3. Saute onions and tomatoes with bayleaves.
4. Meanwhile, microwave the potato until it's done or almost done (about 8 minutes). Don't forget to pierce holes to keep it from exploding!
5. Add chicken, carrots, eggplant, garlic, and spices (except ginger) and cover for about 8-10 minutes.
6. Add pepper, potato, and ginger. Heat for about two minutes.
7. Remove and serve with rice.
8. Add additional spices to taste.
Serves two, with leftovers.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Forgot something...
Forgot to mention that dinner was courtesy of Delaine, Rick, Michelle, Larry, and Sandy. Thanks for your gift! We had a wonderful dinner and thought of you on our one monthiversary!
Reflections on the One Monthiversary
Yesterday, it felt so strange to imagine that only 30 days ago we were with all our friends and family in New York. As the hours passed, we could recall where we were and what we were doing, how special every moment was. Around 12:30, I thought, "Leonora started my doing my hair around now," and around 8pm, we danced in our apartment, this time a relaxed Latin dance Eric taught me called the bachata. There was no applause, no friends to jump around with afterward, but we remembered them in that moment, and it made us smile.
It's surprising to us that even though we were only married a month ago, it feels like we've gone right back to normal life, a kind of normal life that we've been living forever. Eric goes to work; I study. We're definitely trying to figure out how to balance all the demands and constraints of married life and work with fun and social time and vacation. I think we'll get there.
We celebrated last night with a trip to Not Your Average Joe's, a restaurant here in Watertown that has some pretty creative cuisine. We split two appetizers (fresh veggie spring rolls and Korean BBQ chicken tacos) and one entree (chicken in a teriyaki orange glaze with sweet potato canneloni). Then we came back home, studied, and watched this awesome show called The Choir. If you haven't seen it, you must. It's a documentary about a British choir director who goes to a lower class British town and starts a town choir (actually three choirs really--one of adults, one of kids, and one just for men) to boost morale. It's a wonderful true story and definitely worth watching (it's on On Demand, for those of you with that feature).
Finally, at dinner, we sat down and told our waitress we were celebrating our anniversary.
"How many years?" she asked.
"One month!" I replied with enthusiasm, and Eric laughed.
We agreed after that to celebrate our marriage at every milestone possible, and to try to do as well in month two as we did in month one!
It's surprising to us that even though we were only married a month ago, it feels like we've gone right back to normal life, a kind of normal life that we've been living forever. Eric goes to work; I study. We're definitely trying to figure out how to balance all the demands and constraints of married life and work with fun and social time and vacation. I think we'll get there.
We celebrated last night with a trip to Not Your Average Joe's, a restaurant here in Watertown that has some pretty creative cuisine. We split two appetizers (fresh veggie spring rolls and Korean BBQ chicken tacos) and one entree (chicken in a teriyaki orange glaze with sweet potato canneloni). Then we came back home, studied, and watched this awesome show called The Choir. If you haven't seen it, you must. It's a documentary about a British choir director who goes to a lower class British town and starts a town choir (actually three choirs really--one of adults, one of kids, and one just for men) to boost morale. It's a wonderful true story and definitely worth watching (it's on On Demand, for those of you with that feature).
Finally, at dinner, we sat down and told our waitress we were celebrating our anniversary.
"How many years?" she asked.
"One month!" I replied with enthusiasm, and Eric laughed.
We agreed after that to celebrate our marriage at every milestone possible, and to try to do as well in month two as we did in month one!
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