Its been awhile

I have seriously been neglecting this poor little blog, but with good reason....

Joel and I are having a baby!!
I've had horrible morning sickness and with a new school year coming up I have been exhausted. Between working, eating, and sleeping I don't have time to blog....seriously you should see my house. I do nothing but work, eat, and sleep. My house is a disaster every single day. Hoping to overcome the nausea and get back in the kitchen to cook, instead of scraping together bits and pieces. Currently all I want to eat is meat, cheese, carbs, and fruit. Veggies gross me out. This turn of events has me feeling clueless in the kitchen.

Mmmm...Quesadillas!

I love quesadillas. Really, I love any excuse to eat a lot of cheese.
Step 1: Butter tortilla
Step 2: Fill tortilla
Step 3: Fold tortilla
Step 4: Place in skillet at medium heat, cook until crisp and flip. Allow cheese to melt.
Step 5: ENJOY!

I like to mix up the filling on my quesadillas, depending on what's in the fridge, but I always use Food For Life, Brown Rice Tortillas (available at Whole Foods and Native Sun), so delicious!

Some of my fave options include:
* Black beans/refried beans, onions, bell peppers, cheddar cheese/monterey jack w/ peppers, served with homemade salsa and guacamole
* Sauteed spinach, onions, peppers, goat cheese/feta, kalamata olives
* Sauteed zucchini, onions, peppers, roasted tomatoes, garlic, and mozzarella

Go ahead and get creative! They're so easy to make and a great meal served with a salad or a side of veggies.

Update

I have been allergic to wheat for about 6 years but now I am officially, gluten free. To help my intestines feel better and build back my immune system from my recent gluten attacks my doctor has instructed me to avoid sweets and fruit juices for 3 months.

:) Its been 5 gluten and sugar free days and I feel GREAT! :)
Nothing quite like finding a 'diet' that works.

Chill out, its summer

With the summer heat sneaking into the house at every opportunity, I opted out of using the stove for dinner. Thank you, Kim, for the idea to "CHILL OUT" in the kitchen. Look at her site for other GF, no bake recipes.
Mostly RAW Veggie Wraps
* Food For Life Brown Rice Tortillas
* Zucchini, cut in strips
* Bell Pepper, cut in strips
* Onion, cut in thin strips
* Handful of spinach
* A couple of spoonfuls of garlic hummus
Fill tortilla, wrap, and enjoy! Serve with sliced watermelon (or if you are lazy like me, cut watermelon in half and enjoy with a spoon)

Betty Crocker to the Rescue (and free too)

Betty Crocker came out with a whole line of gluten free products this summer including, brownies, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake, and vanilla cake. Sadly, I have not seen any of the products in the grocery store, but thankfully for me and everyone else with a computer, Amazon ROCKS! I ordered a case (6 boxes to share with my GF friends) of chocolate chip cookies for $4 a box and free shipping, they arrived in 2 days, and were DELICIOUS!!These GF cookies are so easy to make and taste as delicious as their gluten filled counterpart, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside (although I cook mine the least amount of time because I love them real soft and straight out of the oven...mmmm). If you don't believe me, check out BeFreeForMe's review, where she tasted them side by side with the gluten filled kind.

There are so many great things about this product:
1. Easy to make
2. A few simple ingredients
3. Delicious
4. Cheaper than most GF baking mixes
5. 1 FREE BOX FOR YOU!! Call Betty Crocker and get a coupon for one free gluten free product, call 1-800-446-1898 and ask for a representative. When I called, the person was very friendly and it was a quick process. A couple of basic questions and within a few minutes a coupon for a free box of Betty Crocker goodness is on the way to your house.

Now when I crave a cookie, I can actually eat one that is just as amazing as I imagined! (ignore my ugly picture, it doesn't do them justice)

Options: I added a small amount of shredded coconut to half of the mix and they were incredible.

Pasta and veggies

I had some leftover eggplant and peppers from my garden and needed a quick lunch. Less than 20 minutes and Tada...

* Tinkyada pasta
Cook pasta according to directions on the bag

* Olive oil and balsamic vinegar
* Small eggplant, cut into strips (sprinkle with salt)
* 1/2 onion, sliced
* Small bell pepper, sliced
* few olives ( I used green and kalamata)
* crumbled feta
While pasta is cooking, heat up olive oil and saute eggplant, onion, and pepper for about 10-15 minutes. Toss in sliced olives and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Serve along side of pasta (top with tomato sauce or italian dressing) and sprinkle with feta cheese and fresh basil (or lemon basil, in my case).

Spinach, Sundried Tomato, and Feta Quiche

* 1-2 grated potatoes
* 1/2 bag spinach
* 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
* 2 oz feta, crumbled
* 4 eggs
* 1 cup half and half

Dry grated potatoes with paper towels (be sure they are dry, otherwise they will not crisp up and will stick to the pan). Press potatoes into a greased 9 in cake pan (bottom and sides). Bake potato crust for 10 mins in a 450 degree oven.
Saute spinach in olive oil for a few minutes until wilted. Chop up spinach, sun dried tomatoes, and feta and sprinkle over the potato crust. Beat eggs and mix with half and half and pour milk/egg mixture in the pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.