Changing It Up

Hi guys! Thanks for all your sweet words and encouragement in regards to my last post.  It helps knowing I have all of your support.

Did you do anything fun for Cinco de Mayo?  My friend and I had to indulge in some tasty Mexican food and margaritas.  We ate at a delcious restaurant called Lindo Michoacan.  It was PACKED!

They have such delicious Mexican food.  I will just show you a recap of our eats (and drinks) through pictures.

Everything was excellent and you couldn’t pass up a $5 margarita!

I had so many delicious eats today… I honestly don’t know where to start. Well, I guess I should start with breakfast.

Breakfast

I wanted to change up my breakfast this week. My inspiration came from a spinach and egg wrap they sell at Starbucks. I thought, “Hey, I can make that,” and that was exactly what I did. Mine was a bit different but still delicious. I sautéed spinach in olive oil and then added eggs to the mix. When the eggs where about done, I added in a sprinkle of feta. I wrapped it all in a tortilla. I actually made the eggs the night before (always looking to save time in the morning) and heated them in the tortilla.

My taste buds couldn’t have been happier! This breakfast held me over and it was so quick!

Lunch

Lunch was also a bit more creative.  I have seen more blogs adding fruit into salads.  For some reason, I always forget to do it. If I add fruit, usually it is just of the dried variety.  I figured I would change it up a bit.

My Salad Mix:

• Romaine lettuce and spinach
• Strawberries
• Walnuts
• Dried Cranberries
• Feta (of course!)

I had it with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing.  The strawberries made this salad. I love the savory and sweet of the salad.  Yum yum!  What is your favorite salad topping?

On the side, Chobani non fat plain yogurt and granola to round out the meal.

Let’s see…fruit check, veggies check, dairy check, protein check, grains check!

I have been reading this month’s Book Club book, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter. I am about 150 pages in and so far it is really good!

Snack

I snacked on some whole grain crackers as well as veggies and hummus for a mid afternoon snack.  Unfortunately, this hummus is on its way out.

Later on, I snacked on some of my coworker’s trail mix.  Her mom made it..so good!  (My camera must have eaten the picture.)

Dinner

I can’t get enough of Food Network recipes as you might have all caught on by now.  Tonight, I tried out a recipe from another one of my favorite chefs, Aida Mollencamp.  Maybe one day, I can add her to my list of Food Network Chefs I have met.

This recipe was very simple and very tasty.  The recipe calls 1 1/2 pounds of chicken for but I decided to just make one chicken breast so I made a couple adjustments. 

Lemon Chicken with Artichoke Hearts (Serves 1)                                          [source][/source]

Ingredients:

• 2  1/2 tablespoon olive oil 
• 1/2  1/4 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 pounds  1 boneless skinless chicken breast, large dice
• 1 1/2  1 cup quartered artichoke hearts (canned or jarred – not frozen)
• 2/3  1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1/3 cup  3 tab
  lespoons water
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup lightly packed thinly sliced basil leaves dried basil (My basil plant has hit the dust)
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (didn’t realize I didn’t have a zester)

Directions:

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add onion and garlic, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook until golden, about 4 minutes. Add chicken and cook, stirring rarely, until well browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add artichoke hearts and cook until slightly broken down, about 3 minutes.

Add wine, water, and juice and scrape the bottom of the pan to incorporate any browned bits. Cook until alcohol smell is cooked off and sauce is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in basil and lemon, and serve.

I accidentally added some of the artichoke juice to the pan.  It was a bit more liquidy (not sure if that is a word).  Make sure to drain artichokes before adding.

Yum yum! I have decided that I don’t use lemon enough in my cooking.  I have no idea why.  It just made this dish!

I might enjoy a skinny cow ice cream treat and sit in my air conditioned condo. My air conditioning wasn’t working these past few days but now I am back in business. Thankfully, it is not too hot in Vegas yet and hasn’t been necessary. Don’t know what I would do without air in the 110 degree Vegas weather.

Tomorrow is Friday! Enjoy your night and your weekend! Thanks for reading!

What is your favorite website to search for recipes…besides all the wonderful recipes from fellow bloggers?

Tagged as: breakfast, chobani, dinner, egg and spinach wrap, lemon chicken with artichoke hearts, lindo michoacan, lunch, recipe