Healthier Deviled Eggs

Officially our cleanse part of our challenge is over!!! We did it. Van and I have both lost weight and feel a lot better. Now, on to the 2 week intense work out part, and our packet of like 12 vitamins a day! We are still trying to find healthy, filling, and tasty things to eat throughout the day. One of our mid afternoon snacks can be eggs. As I have said before, I am not much of an egg person. They need to be doctored up a little bit. I do LOVE deviled eggs. All the yummy unhealthy goodness of them. So, I thought that maybe I could find a healthier recipe. I found some here and there, and decided to incorporate a little bit of a few in to my own.

What you need:

6 eggs

2 tbs diced onions

1 tsp Chili Powder

1 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

1 tsp Spicy Mustard

1 tsp Light Mayo

or plain greek yogurt (but Van refuses to eat that)

Hard boil your eggs. I usually put them in cool water, turn the burner on high, and bring the water to a boil. Once it has boiled for a minute or two, turn the burner to simmer and simmer for one minute. Then, turn off the burner, put a lid on the pan, and let the eggs sit for 12 minutes. Then cool your eggs and peel. This way have worked for me every time. No greenish colored yolks!

Slice your eggs in half, scoop out the yolks in to a separate bowl. Mix in your other ingredients and stir. Put the mixture back in to your eggs and sprinkle with Paprika. Chill in the refrigerator before serving. 

They are pretty good! Give them a try.

-Megan

 

Dog Shaming.

This has been an interesting week so far to say the least. The weekend went well, we relaxed, ate our healthy meals for our cleanse, went apartment and house hunting... the work day Monday flew by, and then by Tuesday things took a turn for the worse....

After a nice note on our door around a month ago about our dog howling during the day, my techie boyfriend decided to set up a camera in the "dog's room" to record them while we were gone. What we saw BLEW OUR MINDS. Nova, our 2 year old Husky, about 30 minutes in to us leaving, threw a temper tantrum.. all. day. long. He howled, threw himself on the floor of his cage, bit his cage and lifted the whole front side up, and then repeated it all over again. So, we decided to try to leave the dogs in the bedroom while we left for dinner another night. He sat in front of the door and whined. The next day, we blocked off the upstairs to let them roam the kitchen and living room. We recorded it again, and the dogs were fine. Slept all day. This went on for about 3 solid, heavenly weeks, and then Tuesday happened. On my way home Van called to tell me the dogs had chewed up one of my coach bags. My newest, most favorite bag nonetheless. I left work early yesterday, Wednesday, and came home to find presents left on my floor. The bodily function remnants of my coach bag, on my shaggy WHITE rug. They couldn't have done it on the hard wood floor that covers the entire downstairs, they chose the rug. So today, we decided to record the dogs again. They slept all day long until maybe 45 minutes before Van got home. In that time, Nova grabbed a scarf on the back of a chair, pulled the chair down, and then proceeded to chew on the leg.

Here he is in all of his glory...

A friend of mine sent me a link to Dog Shaming. It is a HILARIOUS website full of pictures like the one of Nova. I posted Nova's picture on it today. Tomorrow, the dogs are back in their cages until we figure out a Plan B. It's too bad Bentley has to be punished...all he does is sleep on the couch all day. Has anyone else had the pleasure of coming home to a special present of some kind from your dog?

Hope the weekend comes fast, and tomorrow flies by. I need a break!!!

=Megan

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

This week has been CRAZY. I started back to school on Monday, we are preparing tax stuff at work, and Van and I started a new workout and eating program. We are doing a 24 day challenge, and the first 10 days is a cleanse. We have been packing lunches, cooking, writing out meal plans. AND we decided to throw in Insanity, as if we weren't crazy enough. We started the cleanse today, but did the Insanity Fit Test last night. OH MY GOD. Talk about degrading! haha. I didn't realize just how out of shape I am. Also, this cleanse fiber drink thing, it was like drinking Drain-O. I can only hope I can find a way to make it taste better the other 5 days I have to drink it. Only 23 days left of our challenge! We are finding some pretty healthy recipes that I will have to share! Somehow I have still managed to find the time to do a little online shopping/lusting/craving. I have been obsessed with wayfarers ever since our vacation this summer, and I have been eyeing a pair of Ray-bans for a while. Also, stacked bracelets have been catching my eye more and more. Take a look!

Satchels
Necklaces

Click on the pictures to get to the retailer!

 I am dying for that Michael Kors Satchel! Hey, my birthday is only a month away, maybe I will get lucky!:)

 -Megan

Spinach, Onion, Tomato, Feta Breakfast Casserole

As part of my plan for eating healthier and meal planning, I decided to try to make a breakfast casserole to eat for a couple of days in the mornings. Van and I like completely different things in our eggs, so we made two different kinds. I put spinach, onion, tomatoes, mushrooms and feta cheese in mine. Van used onion, mushrooms, green pepper, and ham. (One choice of meat instead of the three he originally wanted. I keep having to remind him what eating healthy/healthier is.) We over estimated the amount of filling, and underestimated the amount of eggs we would need, resulting in a trip back to the store for Van. My recommendation, unless you have a larger family, cut the recipe in half and use a smaller baking dish. I ended up wasting about a third of the casserole because I. couldn't. eat. that. much. egg. I am really not an egg person, but mixed with enough things I can eat it.

Here is what you need

Reduced Fat Feta Cheese
Frozen Spinach (or fresh)
Cherry Tomatoes
Onion
Mushroom ( used these because I forget the Black Olives at the store)
ADD Black Olives :) If you like them..
12 eggs
Milk
Salt and Pepper

Prep your filling:

Chop half an onion, quarter your cherry tomatoes (I used 6), and thaw and drain your spinach. Or use fresh, I will use fresh next time. Combine in a bowl, sprinkle some feta, and mix.

It looked so colorful and pretty! I wanted to just eat it then...

Next: Layer about half a bag of hash browns on the bottom of a baking dish. (I will probably omit this next time to make it healthier...but it was really yummy)

Pour the Spinach, Onion, Tomato, Mushroom (or olive), and Feta mixture over the hash browns. Then, whisk together your eggs and add a dash of milk, and salt and pepper to your liking. Pour eggs over veggie mixture. 

Bake in the oven uncovered at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Check the center of the casserole with a knife. If it comes out clean, it's DONE! If not, bake for another 5-10 minutes until done. I sprinkled a little more feta on top when it came out of the oven. I need to get my share of cheese this week before we start our new diet next week...and I can't have dairy-more on that later. 

Here it is!!

It really was good, and it was nice to have breakfast for a couple days. Give it a try, and mix up the ingredients too. I think next time I want to try a "taco inspired" casserole, and top it with some avocado!

Come back soon!

=Megan

Winter Lust List!

In the attempt to save money this year, my shopping budget has been cut! On a daily basis I find myself shopping online, filling up shopping carts, and then closing out the screen. There are still a few things that I feel like I need. Good rain boots, snow boots, and a pair of black boots that can be dressed up a little bit. I have so many boots, but most of then are on the casual side. On New Years Eve here in Columbus, we got about 3 inches of snow...and my outfit of choice ended up not happening. I had no weather appropriate shoes that matched my necklace and shirt. This all resulting in me, 'not feeling pretty' on a special occasion. Something that Van could not understand! So I have decided to narrow things down... Here is what I want!

Boots
Boots

The Hunter Rain boots are going to happen this month, no matter what. The snow boots, maybe next year because I'm still not sure how I feel about them. Any opinions? And the others, well just look at them! I also found a few sweaters and jackets at Forever 21 that I may try to snag in the next month before all of the spring stuff comes out!

Blazers
Crewnecks & Scoopnecks

I need SOMETHING burgundy! And I have the cutest boots that need a green Utility Jacket! Otherwise, some sweaters to wear to work and out for errands are all I need.

 Happy shopping everyone!

 -Megan

Corn Bread Taco Pie!

Happy New Year Everyone! I am excited for what 2013 has in store for me! Van and I have some pretty heavy resolutions this year! Saving for a house, paying some things off, eating healthier and working out more! And Van "says" he is going to stop smoking. Keeping my fingers crossed for that one!

We had a lot going on this holiday season. Lots of places to go, even more people to see, and some weird meal times. We usually like to try to make meals in larger quantities, either to freeze and eat later, or so we can have leftovers for a few days. Corn Bread Taco Pie is an easy relatively cheap dinner/lunch idea for those quick meals. This can even be doubled in a bigger baking dish! We made it the other night and it was REALLY good.

What you need:
Box of Corn Bread
Taco Meat (We used Extra Lean Ground Turkey and Ortega Taco Seasoning)
1/2 cup Chopped Onion
1/2 cup Chopped Green Pepper
1 cup Sour Cream
Cheddar Cheese
Can of Beans (we used black beans)

First, mix and bake your corn bread according to instructions. We used an 8x8" baking dish. While your corn bread cooks, brown your meat and add seasoning, peppers, and onions.

While your veggies are cooking, in another bowl combine your sour cream and cheese. I think we used a half a cup of cheese.

Next, when your corn bread is done, add your beans to the meat mixture and layer on top of your corn bread. 

Here is where we ran in to our snag.... We cooked about a pound of ground turkey! I would say we used half of that to fill the baking dish. So, maybe freeze the other half? Or do what we did and have some appetizer tacos while your food cooks! Haha

After you add the meat mixture, spread the sour cream and cheese on top of it. Then sprinkle with a little more cheese.

We baked this at about 350 for 20 minutes or so until the cheese melted. While it was cooking I made a little Guacamole and ate another taco! When its done, it looks like this!

I let it cool for a few minutes before serving.

Doctor it up with your favorite taco toppings. Salsa, Lettuce, Guacamole. You could also use Tomatoes or Olives too!

It really was yummy, and it was really easy to make! The sweetness of the corn bread and the spicy tangy taco flavor together was delicious. We even brought some to work the next day it it heated up really well. Give it a try!

Happy 2013!

-Megan