Cheesy Quinoa & Veggie Stuffed Bell Peppers

November 17, 2014 by Christine Skari

Delicious, healthy, and so easy! This vegetarian recipe for cheesy quinoa & veggie stuffed bell peppers is the perfect way to lighten up your meal without sacrificing flavor!

Howwwwdy ho party peeeeeps. How is this fine Monday treating ya? I’m feeling a bit blue since it’s back to a busy schedule and I have a full week ahead of me in terms of class and studying. The one positive note is that I only have one more midterm to get through before Thanksgiving break, which means just one more midterm until I’m free to cook/bake/craft/photograph to my heart’s content!

And by that I mean I’ll probably be just sit on the couch and veg out with my good pal Netflix. #realtalk #Netflix=bae.

In the meantime, I’ve been spending most of my time in the garage, which we’ve converted into a study room of sorts. I’d take a picture to show ya’ll, but it’s a disaster and I’m a little embarrassed to show it off 😯 . We’ve managed to comfortably fit 6 full-sized desks among the piles of boxes, extra bikes, and suitcases in a make-shift office, and while it’s not all that pretty, it’s incredibly functional. We have grand plans to make it more home-y and happier by putting in a rug and twinkle lights, but amidst the 43584119 midterms that come with the quarter system, no one has had any time to decorate. One day!

Anyways, when I’m not studying in the garage, I’m at the kitchen table getting constant whifs of the scrumpditiliumptious creations my housemates have been cooking up, one of which is a tasty and fun baked bell pepper that Lana (our foreign exchange student from New Zealand) makes. While her version is made with ground meat, I chose to go down the veggie-filled route and made my own version that’s filled with herbed quinoa, black beans, onions, sweet corn, cheese, and plenty of other goodies to add extra fresh flavor and texture! I have to admit, I’m usually a pretty big meat girl (my Norwegian steak and potato side demands it), but this recipe totally satisfied me and didn’t leave me with any cravings! It’s satisfying without needing any meat, ridiculously filling due to all the fiber and protein from the quinoa, and is oh so easy to make!

You even get to package the filling in an edible container. Hot diggity dog!

While I chose to use these fillings, the world is your oyster. Feel free to add in ground turkey/chicken/beef/pork (just make sure to cook it first) and any veggies that tug at your heartstrings. #noveggiesleft behind #whyamIhashtaggingsomuch . For this particular combination, the nutrition comes out to just around 300 calories per pepper with a whopping 11g of fiber and 14g of protein.

Eat up!

Lightened-Up Cheesy Garlic Noodles

August 7, 2014 by Christine Skari

Guess who got an A+ in productivity today? THIS GIRL. I’ve been up and running and knocking things off my to-do list left and right. POW POW.

I got up and did a few bloggy things over a homemade latte, went on a gorgeous 3 mile run at the beach, picked up some props for my photos from Michael’s, went to the grocery store, started typing up the newest income report, unsuccessfully made homemade banana chips (womp womp womp), but countered that failure with a big success: Lightened-Up Cheesy Garlic Noodles.

I also ate a copious amount of homemade pie and turned my brain into boogers with all the Keeping Up with the Kardashians I’ve been watching. So there’s that as well 😯 .

So anyways, I’m eating these noodles in front of the tv and am getting a little too wrapped up in Khloe’s love life. In this episode, her sisters secretly set up a profile for her on an online dating site and are setting her up with some randoms. That’s the way to true love, my friends.

I think I’m developing a Netflix problem. Since I can get a ton of series instantly, I’ve been binge watching like no other. I’ve learned that if I want to get anything done at all, I need to completely shut off the tv. I try to convince myself that I will reply to emails and type up lab reports after juuust one more show, but Netflix automatically plays the next episode for you unless you click out after a few seconds. And once another episode starts, it’s like rude or something to turn it off. Right?

Mindless reality tv also lends itself to mindless eating and, looking down at the pot (who uses actual plates these days…pshh) I’m already halfway through the entire batch. WOOPS. But can you blame me?! Cheese yummyness. Garlic. GAH. It’s so simple and comes together in just 20 minutes, yet I could eat it all day err’day. I want to swim in a pool of cheesy garlic noodles.

And by swim I mean eat my way through it.

So here’s to a super easy, super speedy, super delicious dinner or lunch that just happens to be on the lighter side as well in terms of calories. WOO!

Meals on Repeat

February 21, 2014 by Christine Skari

When it comes to the meals Kyle and I usually make, things get pretty repetitive. You wouldn’t think so since I do so much cooking for the blog, but when I’m not creating or testing a new recipe, I just want to relax and eat a fast and easy meal.

Anyways, Kyle and I went on a big grocery store haul today, which prompted me to think about what meals are regulars in our apartments. Here’s a quick roundup of our favorites!

Panko Crusted Salmon via The Barefoot Contessa

(Recipe)

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Kyle is a huge salmon fan, so we get a big fillet or two every week. This recipe is delicious, fast, and bursting with flavor! We usually serve it with brown rice and roasted veggies.

Chicken, Veggie, and Sweet Potato Bake

We’ve already had this twice this week! Ridiculously easy, healthy, and gives you the perfect post-full feeling. To make it, we just cut up and season a butt-ton (it’s a measurement, okay?) of onions, carrots, sweet potatoes, and whatever else strikes our fancy, then layer an ass-haul (let’s keep the glute references going) of chicken breast (hahah..breasts… Yes, I’m 5 years old) and bake for 35-40 minutes at 400 degrees. Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce on the side for dipping!

Garlic Lemon Shrimp Orzo

(Recipe)

Fresh, light, and addicting. One of those dinners where you just can’t wait to eat the leftovers!

Garlic Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

(Recipe)

These are so addicting and I pop them in my mouth like candy. In Kyle’s words, “I could eat these all day”. I promise, they’ll turn you into a ‘sprout lover!

Grandma Ople’s Apple Pie

(Recipe)

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By far the best apple pie I’ve ever made and, I kid you not, I’ve made this pie at least 30 times. Seriously. It’s the top rated dessert on Allrecipes.com and is just outrageously delicious.The only adjustment I add is putting in some sea salt to make a salted caramel pie. Are you drooling yet?

Brown Sugar Banana Oats

I eat this at least once a day. I’ve realized that part of their tastiness comes from the oats I use for them. At Costco, they sell GIANT containers of Quaker Oats that are somewhere between quick cooking and steel cut and that have the best texture. I tried making the same banana brown sugar oats with the quick cooking version, and they was only a quarter as good. So go spend the $10 bucks at Costco to get a year’s supply of those oats! You won’t be sorry!

So there you have it! A super quick list of some meals on repeat for us.

Question of the Day: What’s a go-to meal for you?