Hello, Vacation!

As of today, I am officially on vacation.  I celebrated by sleeping in this morning and then taking myself out for a run before taking Dippy to the vet.

"What is this place?"

Let’s just say that she wasn’t really a fan.  Especially since I disturbed a perfectly good nap to dump her in a carrier and take her off to be poked and prodded.

However, the run this morning was most excellent.  Why was it so awesome?  I’m now doing more running than walking!  I’m still on a run/walk program, but I’ve graduated to doing 2 minutes of running with 1 minute of walking.  The best part is that my knee is tolerating it pretty well.  It definitely wants some ice when I get done, but it’s all been pain free.  Now I just need to get the rest of myself in shape…

Since I’m done with school, my to-do list has gotten much, much shorter.  Right now the main priorities are to brush up on my French and catch up on my reading.  And maybe my knitting, before Susan’s sock starts to make me look really bad.  (I’ve got a pair of socks I’ve been working on for over a year now.  I’ve got 1.3 of them done.  If Susan finishes her sock before I finish mine, I really don’t have an excuse, since I’m pretty sure I could find 3 minutes each day to knit.)

I’ve also decided to adopt Erin’s 21-day Make Me Something Good challenge.  Since I’ve, you know, got some time and just bought a couple of shiny new cookbooks to inspire me to do something creative with our CSA veggies.  The idea behind the challenge is this: try one new healthy recipe a day for the rest of the month and blog about it.

I can’t promise daily updates, and in my case it’ll be more of a 16-day challenge than a 21-day challenge (since we’re leaving for our honeymoon in a couple of weeks), but I’ve decided not to let those things stop me.  Full on ahead with creative cookery!

So here are the past couple days of creativity.  Yesterday, I tried out a Jambalaya-style chicken & shrimp recipe from my slow-cooker recipe book.  I swapped out the white rice for brown and added a bit more liquid to compensate, and it turned out deliciously.  This one was definitely a winner.

Jambalaya-Style Chicken & Shrimp, adapted from the Biggest Book of Slow Cooker Recipes
Serves 4-6

1 cup sliced celery (about 4-5 stalks)
1 large onion, chopped
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes in juice (use fire-roasted for more flavor)
2.75 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 of a 6-ounce can (1/3 cup) tomato paste
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/4 t white pepper
1/2 t garlic powder
1/4 t ground red pepper
1/4 t paprika
1/4 t black pepper
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1.5 cups brown rice
8 ounces (1/2 pound) cooked peeled, deveined shrimp
1 green bell pepper, chopped

• In a 3.5-4 quart slow cooker, combine celery, onion, undrained tomatoes, 1.75 cups broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and spices.  Stir in chicken.
• Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 4-5 hours.  Stir in rice and 1 cup additional broth and leave covered on low heat for another 1-2 hours or until most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
• Stir in shrimp and green pepper.  Cover and let stand for 10-15 minutes, or until shrimp is heated through.

My other experiment happened at breakfast this morning, when I swapped my oatmeal out for bulgur.  I cooked it exactly the same way, just with a different grain.  The results were decent – the chewier texture was a nice change, but I think I would have been happer with a more savory result.

Banana Bread Bulgur, adapted from Kath’s Whipped Banana Oatmeal
Serves 1

1/4 cup bulgur
1/2 cup plain unsweeted almond milk
1 banana, sliced
1 t cinnamon
1 T peanut butter

• Combine bulgur, almond milk, banana and cinnamon in a small pot on the stove and bring to a boil.
• Turn the heat down to medium-low and cover.  Simmer for 12-15 minutes.
• Stir and transfer into a bowl.
• Top with peanut butter.  Let sit a minute or two before stirring the peanut butter in.  Enjoy!

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Rethinking Breakfast

I am a breakfast person.  I wake up hungry and if I don’t eat within a few hours of waking up? Well, let’s not ponder that.  Over the past year or so, I got into a pretty good groove with it.  I’d have oatmeal or a cereal/yogurt/fruit combination.  It was tasty and filling and everything I wanted breakfast to be.  Here’s the problem, though: I can’t eat that in the car.

When I had a 10-minute commute (or was an unemployed slacker), having a sit-down breakfast wasn’t a big deal.  If I didn’t have time to eat at home, I just took it into work with me.  However, with the new and improved (read: hour-long) commute to grad school…. that just doesn’t work.  I’ve done it before, but by the time I get to school and can eat I am absolutely ravenous and don’t really feel totally unhungry until after lunch.  Let’s just say that I wasn’t a fan of the arrangement.

Sure, I could get up earlier so I definitely have time to eat at home, but for the days when that just doesn’t happen I’ll need a Plan B.

So!  What are your ideas for on-the-go breakfasts that I can eat in the car?  Smoothies and bagels are the obvious choices, but I’m curious to see if there are any more creative options out there.

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