Noooo I don’t notice a recurring theme here

Happy Summer to all!

Fettuccine With Peas, Shallot, and Herbs

* 12 ounces fettuccine (3/4 box)
* 1 10-ounce package frozen peas
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 6 shallots, sliced
* 2 cloves of garlic,  crushed
* kosher salt and black pepper
* 1/2 cup grated pecorino or Parmesan (2 ounces)
* 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
* 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

Directions

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, adding the peas during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the cooking water, drain, and return the pasta and peas to the pot.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
3. Add the shallots, garlic ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Toss the pasta and peas with the shallots, ¼ cup of the cheese, and just 1/2 cup of pasta water for now (read tips).
5. Fold in the parsley and mint. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup of cheese and serve.

Tips

Although the recipe originally called for a 1/2 cup of pasta water, I used about 1 1/2 cups but I would only add  a 1/2 cup at a time and really allow the pasta to absorb it. You may not need it all (since I used more pasta) but it really helps so that your pasta doesn’t dry up and I would rather have it and not use it then vice versa.

Toss in ½ cup toasted walnut halves when combining the pasta and peas for crunch, flavor, and extra protein.

While the actual design and architecture of all these homes is probably fabulous, I think it’s also about the accessories! Notice the orange Hermes blanket in the first photo, the numerous plants and pillows…Each photo is highlighted by plants, flowers and other pretty little things that just give it that pop!

Got me thinking about my house! Here are my favorite ways to accessorize!

I love to add flowers in fun personal spaces such as your bathroom…

Also love to have small silver frames with neat pictures of people I love…

My favorite thing to buy is a coffee table book. I collect them and love to see them stack up. Here would be the view if you’re sitting on the couch. I love that look!

That’s all for now…I need to keep reading for ideas to spruce up the outdoors. I lack imagination there!

I picked these beauties up at Bristol Farms a few weekends ago and they made me so happy. Tis the season for P’s! Go out and get a lovely bouquet of what you love because it does add life to your home.

Juju is growing so fast…

and so is my hair…Thank God, I need long hair like yesterday!

I have been making very healthy meals lately…My cousin asked me if I let Juju eat junk and the answer is YES! Of course, he’s a kid! But if 60 percent of the time we can eat healthy foods that nourish all our bodies then I’m totally satisfied. Tonight we made Salmon Po’ Boys…

Super easy! Here is the recipe I followed from the Eating Well website: I left out the mayo and grilled the onions in the oven for one hour at 300 degrees.

Blackened Salmon Po’ Boy
Ingredients
* 1/2 small avocado, pitted (see Tips for Two)
* 1 tablespoon reduced fat mayo
* 1 teaspoon blackening or Cajun seasoning
* 8 ounces salmon fillet, skinned and cut into 2 portions
* 2 crusty whole-wheat rolls, split and toasted
* 1 cup arugula
* 1 plum tomato, thinly sliced
* 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

Preparation

1. Preheat grill to high. Oil grill rack (see Tip).
2. Mash together avocado and mayo in a small bowl with a fork.
3. Rub blackening (or Cajun) seasoning on both sides of salmon. Grill until just cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
4. To assemble the sandwiches, spread the avocado mixture on the bottom halves of each roll. Top with the salmon, arugula, tomato and onion.

Even Juju ate a bit…

Apart from that…I am so excited about an upcoming destination…Here is a picture, maybe you can guess where I will be…

I can hardly wait to be back “home.”

I promise to share details!

I’ve gotten pretty decent about making nutritious dinners primarily because I’m determined to feel better. The last few years I lost my way in that aspect. Cheese, cream, sugar, carbs and ranch dressing were what my diet composed of and I promise you that my health suffered. I think that I’m pretty resilient to this damage but I’m hoping that my family and I adopt better eating habits. I was the first to add fruit to each of Juju’s meals but I wouldn’t touch one myself. I easily used 7 grain bread on his peanut butter and jelly but dug in to French baguette because it was warm, doughy and comforting. Why did I neglect myself so much? While there is NOTHING wrong with eating white bread and ranch, it should not be 90% of your diet. Right??? I would also get up early to fix Brian and Juju a wonderful breakfast but yet I would eat a protein bar standing up while they sat at the table and enjoyed each others company.

I did it to myself…

Anyway, here I am ready to give my body the nutrition it needs and deserves and this is why I roasted veggies tonight, made some delicious whole wheat pasta and barbecued some amazing chicken!

Here is exactly what I did so I would have it super easy tonight:

Woke up at 6:45 am, made coffee, peeled and chopped carrots, chopped shallots and garlic, washed my broccolini, green beans, asparagus. Placed all the veggies in a large ziploc bag with lemon juice from one lemon, a few tbs of olive oil, Maldon sea salt, pepper, dried rosemary or any other dried herbs you may like. Placed the Ziploc in fridge.

Placed 6 chicken legs in a bowl with some low fat buttermilk I had in the fridge, lemon juice, rosemary, thyme, Maldon sea salt and pepper, covered and that went in the fridge too.

Boiled water for my whole wheat pasta and when that was cooked and drained, I added 3 cloves of crushed garlic, olive oil and sea salt. Placed in a tupperware and in fridge!Tonight all I did was set the oven to 425 degrees, lay the veggies on a baking sheet and cooked for 25-35 minutes. Set my pasta cold on a serving dish topped with Parmesan. Brian barbecued the delicious chicken and DONE! Dinner was healthy, easy and very good!P.S Loving Maldon Sea Salt!

The sun disappeared a bit but nonetheless we’ve taken advantage of this lovely Spring-ish climate. Friday night we ate dinner outside with Brian’s friend Andrew and I made baked spaguetti and mozzarella, grilled sausage and a simple salad. The boys sat out till 10pm eating and talking while Juju and I hit the sack early after 20 minutes of Nemo. I got this recipe from a blog my gal pal Cassie sent me this week. It reminded me of something my Grandma would make so I had to start cooking! Everyone liked and we are still having the leftovers today. Brian suggested I add more garlic next time, but a chopped yellow onion would up the flavor as well. Baked Spaghetti and Mozzarella

2 cans whole peeled tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

4-5 garlic cloves smashed and peeled (The recipe called for 2 but we LOVE garlic and 4-5 was perfect)

3/4 pound spagetti

2 cups diced mozzarella (I tossed this with the pasta but also topped with thin slices of mozza)

Italian seasoning (thyme, oregano, rosemary did the trick as well)

salt

1. Preheat oven to 400*

2. Set a large pot of salted water to boil.

3. In a food processor, pulse tomatoes until chopped.

4. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high and add garlic and cook until fragrant.

5. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil.

6. Add Italian seasoning and salt to taste.

7. Cook until sauces starts to thicken

8. Meanwhile, cook pasta for 5 minutes. Drain pasta and return to pot.

9. Add tomato sauce and half of the mozzarella and toss to combine.

10. Transfer mixture to a 3-quart baking dish and top with remaining cheese.

11. Bake until cheese is golden. About 20-25 minutes.

This is my go-to salad every week… Butter lettuce, 3tbs of Champagne vinegar, 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 crushed garlic clove, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup of good olive oil… Mix all ingredients but olive oil and lettuce, then slowly whisk the oil last. Drizzle with a spoon on top of lettuce.

Here are some of the ways we’ve improved the health of our home and our bodies…

I love to clean, it’s almost like therapy but I never thought about all those toxic fumes in the air from the Windex, Pledge, bleach etc until recently so we’ve switched to almost all GREEN cleaning products and it feels great! Martha Stewart has a decent line which I’ve been using but there are a ton more available at your local Target or grocery store. Sometimes they don’t have much fragrance so I add a few drops of lavender oil in the bottle to give it a pretty smell!

Eating a lot more veggies, fish and healthy grains as well! For lunch today I roasted some veggies with olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Brian seared some Ahi Tuna as well…

But the best part was this AMAZING Lebanese Couscous…

Take 1 cup of couscous and boil in 3 cups of salted water for 20-25 minutes, drain well and place in a bowl, squeeze one whole lemon, drizzle some olive oil, add sea salt, pepper, 1 tsp rosemary, 1 tsp thyme and 1 crushed garlic clove. Mix well and serve… DELICIOUS!!!!

Simple but so full of flavor!

In addition, each evening a few spoonfuls of extra virgin olive oil followed by one squeezed lemon in 6 oz of water is recommended to improve the circulation of the liver.

Ok so here is the downside, I can’t give up Diet Coke yet so I guess I still have a way to go. Oh well, one thing at a time

10 Thoughts of living in the NOW!

1. The shape of your life reveals itself moment by moment.

2. In refusing to forgive old hurts, you live them over and over again. Learn to let go.

3. Opt for quality over quantity. Value is revealed over the long term.

4. Real awareness is not about hanging on to the moment, but realizing it’s there.

5. No one knows what the future will bring, put you’re energy in the now.

6. Resist the urge to over analyze everything, live each moment instead.

7. See a rut for an opportunity for change.

8. Any moment can bring an awakening to what really matters.

9. Take comfort in the uneventful, it prepares you for what is to come.

10. Living well requires a focus on the present, not just a promise for tomorrow.

Lentil Soup Serves 6

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 leeks (white and light green parts), cut into 1/4-inch-thick half-moons

1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained

4 cups of low sodium vegetable broth

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 bunch kale, thick stems removed and leaves cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips

1/2 cup brown lentils

1 cup of small, dry pasta

1 can of tomato paste (usually 5-6 oz)

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

Kosher salt and black pepper

1/4 cup grated Parmesan (1 ounce; optional)

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, breaking them up with a spoon, for 5 minutes.

2. Add broth & 2 cups water  and bring to a boil. Stir in the sweet potatoes, kale, lentils, thyme, pasta, tomato paste, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Simmer until the lentils are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. You may need to add more water.

3. Spoon into bowls and top with the Parmesan, if using.

Best part? Juju ate tomatoes and a few beans! Yahoooooo!!!!

White Bean & Tomato Salad ~ Serves 2-3

I can (14 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

4 plum tomatoes, sliced and halved

1/2 cup chopped basil leaves

2 cups baby arugula

2 tbs olive oil

1 tbs Champagne vinegar

sea salt

cracked pepper

Combine beans, tomatoes, basil, arugula in a medium bowl with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk olive oil and vinegar and drizzle on top. Enjoy!