Monday, May 3, 2010

New Kitchen, New Creations!

Thanks for all of your kind comments about our new house! We clearly have a lot of work to do, but like most of you said, it's important to stay positive and make it fun. We are really trying to enjoy every step of the way.

Did you think I had forgotten about my 2010 Cookbook?! I'll admit I've been slacking, but I'm still coming up with some good recipes, which are quick, cheap, and usually very healthy. I say "usually" because some, like the recipe below, should be served with a side of fruit and/or vegetable to increase the nutrient density.

Cheap, Quick, and Healthy Recipe #21
Not Your Typical Grilled Cheese


Ingredients
2 ounces (Processed) Swiss cheese
2 slices whole grain bread
1/2 cup spinach
2 slices turkey bacon (nitrate free)

Possible Modifications
  • Use any cheese you wish! I used processed because that's all I had at the time!
  • Add tomatoes or any other vegetable
  • Use regular bacon (more fat, but some people prefer it)
Directions
1) Spray a large skillet with PAM or extra virgin olive oil (I prefer the latter). Heat the pan to medium.

2) Place the two slices of bread on the heated pan, and top with all of the ingredients (I put a majority of my ingredients on one side, but this isn't necessary).



3) After about 3-4 minutes, close the sandwich and heat one side at a time.

4) After about 2 minutes (depending on how crispy you like your bread) flip the sandwich.

5) Remove the sandwich from the heat once your cheese is nice and melted.


Sorry for the blurry picture!


Serve!
Because this recipe wasn't the healthiest (see nutrition facts below), it's best to serve it with some healthy components. Nick ate this with a side of sugar snap peas, broccoli, and a half of a sweet potato. The ketchup, well, I wouldn't recommend using as much as Nick! Even after I showed him that 2 T has 8 grams of sugar (that's ~1/4 of a man's total daily needs) and ~400 mg sodium (that's ~ 1/6 of your total sodium needs) he still insisted on using it. I'm buying the "low sugar" ketchup once we run out of this stuff! I hear Trader Joe's makes a nice one (thanks for the tip Evan!).


Nutrition Facts
With the addition of the broccoli, peas, and sweet potato, I'd be willing to bet this meal was at least a "B"!


Here is one of my latest random kitchen creations. I grabbed some cooked spinach, broccoli and carrots, then topped them with 3 ounces canned tuna (Albacore), 1 T nutritional yeast, 1/4 cup peach Chobani Greek yogurt (yes, I said peach!), and ~2 tsp Red Hot sauce. You know how the combination of salty and sweet is so perfect? So was this meal.


Here is my new favorite breakfast combination. It's oat bran, Truvia, ~2 T raspberry flavored soy yogurt, ~1/4 cup organic plain yogurt, ~1 T ground flaxseed, and ~ 1/4 cup frozen blueberries.


This keeps me full for a good 2 hours, which is fantastic for me!

Coming Up
I already showed you the inside of our fridge, so tomorrow you will get a peak inside our cabinets and freezer. Our new house has a lot more storage space, so I'm a happy foodie :)

Thanks for reading everyone, and have a great day!

22 comments :

  1. I love grilled cheese! That looks like a fabulous one. :) You know I love the bacon!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your food looks so yummy!! I lo e grilled cheese..I usually make them with avocado tho :) and I do enjoy ketchup as well, but my hubby bathes his food in it! I never realized that their was a low sugar one! Thanks for the heads up..I will def look for it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. i love albacore tuna! tuna salad, tuna sandwich, tuna tuna tuna. lol and to think only a month ago i would gag at fish. what happened lol. maybe it was blogging.. i wonder...

    its been forever since ive had grilled cheese sandwiches. i used to have them for lunch all the time as a kid.. and sometimes for dinner too. the nutrition facts on ur is very healthy! i mean not bad for a grilled cheese right..!

    ReplyDelete
  4. i just saw your post from yesterday...love your new place!!

    i second kat on liking the addition of avocado to a grilled cheese. yum! i think my ideal grilled cheese would have harvati cheese...so creamy and delish!

    ReplyDelete
  5. i just saw your post from yesterday...love your new place!!

    i second kat on liking the addition of avocado to a grilled cheese. yum! i think my ideal grilled cheese would have harvati cheese...so creamy and delish!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Such a great creative idea for a grilled cheese! Nothing beats a yummy grilled cheese sandwich with a side of mushroom soup - best comfort food!

    Have you ever thought about preparing your own ketchup? I looked up a few recipes and it seems pretty easy, but I guess it wouldn't be practical if it's not eaten a lot, I'm sure it would go bad long before store-bought ketchup.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love adding tomatoes to grilled cheese and basil. Sometimes though I just crave the classic cheese, bread, and butter!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I randomly threw together bread, swiss cheese, spinach, and laughing cow cheese the other day... Great minds think alike ;)

    It really was yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  9. The grilled cheese looks awesome! I am going to try it with Facon!

    ReplyDelete
  10. mmm that grilled cheese would be perfection with a side of tomato soup :)

    i'm amped to see inside your cabinets ;) haha

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hmmm grilled cheese! I love a good grilled cheese....i like putting spinach in mine too!

    If I didn't already have dinner planned tonight I would be making that for dinner.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Your house looks adorable! Congrats! That grilled cheese sammy looks great too! Can't wait to get a little cabinet tour!

    ReplyDelete
  13. ooh that does look like a great sandwich!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Grilled cheese sounds so good right now, it's been rainy all day. Love the spinach addition!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Processed cheese? Ew.

    ReplyDelete
  16. yummay!! grilled cheese!!...(whats up with anon comment?! haha) annnnyways, looks so good! I cant wait to see whatyou whip up in your new kitchen!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love grilled cheese! Such an awesome comfort food. I like making mine with american cheese and tomato slices, and using REAL butter! Just a tiny bit makes such a huge difference!

    ReplyDelete
  18. this looks like a fabulous recipe-who can resist grilled cheese?

    ReplyDelete
  19. Your new breakfast looks really good. I've been eating the weird combo of oatmeal, spinach, and tomato sauce. I know it's strange, but I really like it!

    I was totally craving Jeni's ice cream today...

    ReplyDelete
  20. Breakfast looks ahhh-mazing! I'll be right over for a bite and a tour of your new digs!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I love grilled cheese sandwiches, but I haven't made any in a long time. I'll have to put them on "my list!" :) Yours looks great!

    ReplyDelete
  22. I love how you used Swiss cheese in your grilled cheese, and added spinach too - so creative, and delicious!!

    ReplyDelete