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Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Bonefish Salmon Asparagus Salad

My all time favorite meal is Bonefish Grill Salmon Asparagus Salad. Since I can't afford to dine at Bonefish when I am craving a salad I decided to make my own! It turned out great, I was ecstatic!! It was fairly simple too.


Grill Salmon (seasoned in basil and Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
Steam Asparagus
Mix spring baby greens in Citrus Vinaigrette (orange, lemon, olive oil)
Top with goat cheese and pine nuts

I also love Bonefish Pomegranate Martini! So I found the recipe for that too and whipped on up! This turned out REALLY REALLY GOOD!
2 oz. vodka
2 oz. POM Pomegranate Kiwi
1 oz. Simple Syrup

For dessert and weekday snacks I made Pumpkin  Chocolate Chip Granola Bars, smell and taste heavenly. I found the recipe here: http://twopeasandtheirpod.com/

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
3 1/4 cups rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup applesauce
¼ cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 by 8 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk oats, spices, and salt together. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk brown sugar, pumpkin, applesauce, honey, and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour over oats and stir well, until all of the oats are moist. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Evenly press oat mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. The pumpkin keeps the bars moist, so make sure they are golden and set-you don’t want them to be under baked. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
5. Using a sharp knife, cut into bars. Remove from pan and let cool completely.
Makes 10-12 granola bars


Molasses Cookies
Original Martha Stewart Recipe made healthy


  • 1 1/2 cups (spooned and leveled) whole wheat pastry flour

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup packed light-brown sugar

  • 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

  • 1 large egg

  • 1/4 cup light unsulfured molasses



  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.

  • In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter until combined. Beat in egg, then molasses, until smooth. On low speed, gradually add flour mixture until a dough forms.

  • Drop rounded measuring teaspoonfuls of dough onto two ungreased (or parchment-lined) baking sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart. Sprinkle dough with sugar.

  • Bake until centers are dry to the touch, 12 to 15 minutes; rotate pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through. Cool 1 minute on baking sheets; then transfer to a rack to cool completely.


  • Monday, October 18, 2010

    RT Internship Day!

    This weekend was everything I anticipated, relaxing! I was able to spend time with Mark, family, and friends after a very hectic week. I also made a wonderful breakfast Saturday morning. Here is the weekend recap:


    These are Banana Ricotta Pecan Pancakes (Yes, they are whole grain)
    I used Kodiak Cake Flapjack Mix as my batter. I smashed 1 whole banana and added 1/4 cup part skim ricotta cheese to the batter, let sit 5 minutes. Topped the flapjacks with 1 tbsp Chia Seeds. When they finished I topped the flapjacks with almond butter and a few more crushed pecans.

    What are Chia Seeds? Well they are referred to as "The Ancient Food of the Future". Here's a great link to find out just what is so great about Chia Seeds and why I use them in EVERY SINGLE breakfast. http://www.living-foods.com/articles/chia.html

    Interesting Facts: 
    --More than 50% of all deaths are caused from coronary occlusion, blockage of the blood flow to the heart and/or the brain. These are all preventable deaths according to the Journal of American Medical Association.
    --An excellent source of protein
    --High oil content and the richest vegetables source for the essential omega-3 fatty acid. 
    --Rich source of calcium
    --Reduce your blood pressure
    --Help weight loss. Chia seeds are popular for weight loss. They reduce food cravings by preventing some of the food that you eat from getting absorbed into your system. This blockage of calorie absorption makes them a great diet helper.

    For centuries this tiny little seed was used as a staple food by the Indians of the south west and Mexico. Known as the running food, its use as a high energy endurance food has been recorded as far back as the ancient Aztecs.

    On Saturday I attended my first College Football Game and first IU Football Game. We had a great time! We ventured out and found a really neat restaurant with an excellent view overlooking Lake Monroe!
    A spinach, turkey, feta, and artichoke wrap with sweet potato fries!
    Mark is an awesome photographer!
    My cousin Sydney home from college! We had a get together at Bonefish :)

    Today started at 6 a.m. because it was Internship Day at Methodist/Clarian Respiratory Care. Ohhh boy was it fun! I had a blast and learned so much, I am so thankful for the opportunity to be picked to represent IUPUI.

    Molasses cookies are on their way to my oven... and a really great Eggplant recipe straight  <-- I wish--from one of the best chefs in Italy! (Tyler's Ultimate featured today on Cooking Channel).

    Friday, October 15, 2010

    Coming up for air..

    It has been entirely too long since I have updated my blog. This saddens me because I find pure enjoyment and relaxation in blogging about my recipes and life. I have been very busy this last week and need time to come up for air! This weekends agenda is non existent, I am not planning ANYTHING. I am going to spend time cleaning, doing laundry, and cooking :) I enjoy cleaning, or should I say I enjoy a clean house. I am going to take some "me" time to relax, enjoy the beautiful weather, and have QT with Mark. I will have plenty of updates from the weekend! I have a rather large eggplant sitting in my refrigerator waiting to be eaten, any suggestions? I am going to make this guy tonight but want to find the perfect recipe! Confession, I'm not a huge eggplant lover because of the texture but I always find myself purchasing one at the grocery, along with 100 other things I don't need :)

    I am setting new goals for myself. I am going to start running for "fun" and not improvement. I find myself overwhelmed when trying to meet pace and distance goals. I will take the next few weeks to enjoy my run for what it is.

    I also started making "money envelopes". Many of you have probably heard of this strategy from the famous Dave Ramsey. I have complete confidence in his strategies and would like to get back on the wagon. I have fallen off and find myself spending entirely too much money on FOOD! I will now make myself an allowance at the beginning of the month and only put an alloted amount of cash in.

    After meetings and training I finally got to meet my "little buddy" Ariana. I am taking part in College Mentors for Kids! It's such a positive and fun experience and I can't wait to mentor Ariana and create a friendship. We made friendship bracelets ;) She insists on me calling her "Ari" and her calling me "Manda".

    Breakfast tomorrow will include a delectable recipe from Hungry Meets Healthy. More on this later...

    Keep it Happy, Keep it Healthy, Keep it Sweet!

    Wednesday, October 6, 2010

    Lemon Dill Salmon & Sweet Potato Crisps


    Getting motivated to run today was difficult. I pushed through it and finished 2.5 miles in 20 minutes, a slow run but at least I kicked myself into gear. It's difficult for those who work all day/have school all day and get home around 6:00 to stay motivated. If you have a family, you have dinner to cook and a family to spend time with. Being the college student/part time Insurance Customer Service Rep it's difficult to make time for homework, dinner, exercise, and everyday needs. I believe in quick & healthy weeknight meals. Fast food makes my stomach turn. I never feel satisfied after eating fast food. This doesn't mean I don't like going out to dinner, I just can't stand fast food; unless it's Chick-fila (on occasion). Now that I'm done blabbing I'll give you the recipes ;)

    This meal literally took no time at all to prepare and bake AND it was nutritious & tasty!

    Lemon Dill Salmon
    1 serving

    1 4 oz. fillet of salmon
    1 tsp dill seeds
    1 tsp lemon garlic seasoning
    1 tsp sea salt
    1 tsp pepper
    1/2 tbsp

    Pop into the oven, bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. Until Flaky.

    Sweet Potato Crisps
    1-2 servings

    1 Sweet Potato
    1 tbsp course sea salt
    1 tbsp pepper

    Spray pan heavily with non-stick oil. Slice sweet potato into thin discs, you can use a knife or mandolin if you have it. Spread evenly over baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-16 minutes. They will be slightly brown and crispy.

    Keep it Happy, Keep it Healthy, Keep it Sweet.

    Sunday, October 3, 2010

    Birthday Weekend

    This weekend was what I like to call my "birthday weekend." When your birthday lands on a Friday I think this should be allowed :) I enjoyed spending time with family and friends. We attended the going away party for a long time friend, Joe Fox; he is leaving for the Coast Guard! Good Luck Joe! This weekend was full of delicious food but I failed to take pictures, sorry! My consumption of sugar this weekend doesn't follow the "healthy" but it definitely involves "happy & sweet."

    I ran 4 miles on Saturday to make myself feel better but like I said before, it was my "birthday weekend!"

    Here are some pictures from the "Wine at the Line" marathon!





    Back on track tomorrow! Keep it Happy, Keep it Healthy, Keep it Sweet.