my favorite app

recently i became really fancy and bought a smart phone, an iphone to be specific.  jb has had a droid phone for quite some time and my covetous heart got the best of me and i needed a smart phone all my own.  although, i have to say after having an iphone i definitely don't covet his droid, i always tell him droid doesn't (if you have seen the droid ads and used a droid you know what i am talking about).  anyway, let me get back on track, it's amazing how quickly i get distracted.  i love my iphone.  i don't how i survived without it before.  honestly, i am in love.  sometimes i lie awake at night whispering sweet nothings in it's ear.  then jb will whisper something real sweet back to me.  "oh honey, that is real sweet and all but gosh, this is awkward...i was talking to my beloved iphone".

one of the best things about the iphone is the endless apps.  my favorite app so far is fooducate, it is free app aimed at helping consumers eat a bit better.  it is available for the iphone or the droid.  the app let's you scan the barcodes of the food you are purchasing and gives that food a grade (a-f) to help you make healthier food choices.  i use it everytime i am at the grocery store.  it is particularly helpful at stores like sunflower market or whole foods where everything is marketed as being healthier.  last week, i thought i would buy some healthy frozen waffles for quick breakfast items.  not a single waffle had a grade better than a c, even the ones that were organic with flax and other fancy tricks up their waffle sleeves.  but fooducate doesn't just give you the bad news and leave you in the dark (without waffles), it gives you healthier alternatives.  

so here's your challenge if you have a smart phone, download this app today and start scanning.  head to your local grocery store and start scanning! hit up the cereal aisle and scan some of your favorites.  or even as you are shopping scan some of the items you normally purchase such as breads or frozen meals.  aim to fill your carts with only a or b grade items.  let me know what you think of the app.  how it changed (or maybe didn't change) your food choices.  or better yet, tell me if any items shocked you with their high or low grades.

if you can't get enough fooducate or don't have a smart phone, head to their fantastic blog.  happy scanning!

last week's (hunter-gatherer) menu

i have been so lame lately about updating the blog.  i am sorry for the same ol' types of the posts and also that they haven't been as frequent.  i a working on spicing it up...but not today..te he he.  today is one of the same ol' types of posts...my weekly menu.  i have to be honest, i enjoy posting my menus because it makes me more creative with my choices and i also aim to pick healthier options because i know others are reading the menu.  before i post this week's menu i wanted to share a few of last week's dinners. 

the hubs and i have become more critical of what we are eating and also where it comes from.  darn, jaime oliver and his food revolution!  it is totally working on me.  i hardly ever care where my meat comes from but after watching how ground beef and chicken nuggets are made i started to realize that i need to be more aware of the meat we are eating.  so last saturday we went on an adventure to our local farmer's market and then to a local butcher.  jaime oliver recommends asking the butcher a few questions, such as, "where does your meat come from?" and "where do you grind your meat?"   if the butcher can't answer these questions for you there is a good chance (70% to be exact) that ground meat is actually pink slime...yuck.  or if the meat is ground off site it could also be pink slim.  no thanks!  so when we stopped at the local butcher he was able to tell us where the meat was grown and even showed us their grinder.  hooray! 

one perk to using a local butcher shop, not in a grocery store, is that not only do they know their stuff but they are likely to offer you tips.  we were only there for ground beef but we left with buffalo flank steak and 4 quails.  say what?!  how did that happen?   our friendly butcher could tell we were interested in healthy lean meats and pointed us toward the buffalo and then recommend we make fajitas out of the meat.  we were sold.   earlier in the week i had stumbled upon a recipe for quail.  out of curiosity i asked if they carried quail.  i was shocked when he said yes.  so we decided to be totally brave and crazy and eat unusual meat.  the results?  2 new recipes that we love!

monday night:  buffalo fajitas.  i couldn't find a recipe so i created it.  i hope you branch out and try it.

• put the buffalo meat (we used flank steak) in a glass baking dish
• take 5-10 garlic cloves and smash them with a knife. rub over meat and leave in dish
• juice two limes over meat
• sprinkle meat with oregano and cumin
• drizzle small amount of olive oil over the dish
• take a fork and turn meat over several times to coat with seasonings
• put in refrigerator to marinade while you prep the rest of the meal...turn occasionally
• cook on the grill.  do not overcook!  because it is so lean buffalo cooks quickly and will be tough if overcooked. 
• let meat rest for 10 min after grilling
• cut against the grain so meat is less tough

the result...

a delish healthy fajita!  we sauteed veggies and cooked black beans and piled everything in a whole wheat tortilla.  if you just like meat and toppings in your fajitas then use the veggies and black beans for sides.   we had our dear friend, taylor, and her young brother over for dinner and they enjoyed the fajitas too...or at least they said they did.  so this meal is great for company and even for kids.  i bet they won't even notice the difference from beef.
wednesday: moroccan inspired grilled quail  i (mostly) followed the recipe for the quail, i mean honestly i dont' follow directions well.  the recipe states the rub is for 8 birds but we used all of it for just 4 birds, it was just right.  i made sauteed rainbow swiss chard instead of the kale.  swiss chard cooks like spinach so it was a bit faster and i prefer chard.  i also made basmati rice with a little butter and fresh parsley from our herb garden.  the grill gave the quail a nice crisp crunch but kept the meat...juicy.  (even you don't know i hate the word moist.  excuse me i just threw up in my mouth).  i was glad jb did the grilling because darn it i felt like we were grilling babies out there!  i know that quail are just small but it still tugged at my heart strings.


aren't they so tiny?  i love all things small.  sniff sniff...those are really tiny.




jb with a teeny drumbstick.   jb was flying the birds around the table and that made me want to cry since they are just so darn little.   we may not make quail again but only out of guilt.




so when was the last time you tried something new?  what is the most exotic food you have tried?

getting real

so i am sure you have already seen this video all over facebook and no doubt someone has sent it to you in a few hundred emails but for the one person out there who hasn't seen this video...enjoy!  

cross(not nearly)fit

recently,  i mentioned that i have a 4:15 am wake up call but i haven't told you the why.  obviously, i am not sane in the first place but one needs a great motivation for getting up that early.  for me crossfit is that reason.  i started a new boot camp at the crossfit gym near me.  it is the hardest workout regime i have done.

in fact, the workouts have been so intense that i have made it a habit to lay on the bathroom floor or (even better) hang my head over the toilet when i get home.  to the untrained eye i am a tidy house cleaner but if you look closer you'll see i am just out-of-shape.  but that bathroom inspection is an important part of the workout.  during this time i ponder how crazy crossfit is and i really should clean my bathroom floors and fixtures better.  the hubs has been nice enough to start laying the bath mat close to the toilet and getting me a glass of water.  now that is love.   after the first workout, i was of course laying against the throne telling him how horrible the workout was and how i thought i might just die.  he told me, " you are going to love it, you just don't know it yet."  and you know what?  he was right.  i l-o-v-e crossfit.

crossfit is worldwide and seriously legit.  it's the best money i have spent on fitness!  it's better than a regular gym membership because the workouts are written out for you everyday.  each gym across the crossfit world is doing a similar workout.  so if you live in new mexico but your sister lives in washington, you both can get slaughtered and humbled at crossfit and then call each other after to talk about the hurtin you just endured.  it's built in community at the local and national level.

interested?  check out the video that piqued my interest...

what do you think?  are you ready to be exhausted, sweaty, sore and happy?

weekly menu

here is the chow line up for this week...

monday:  taco's at the parental's house = no cooking for me...awesome!
tuesday: noodles with roast pork almond sauce.  jb was sweet enough to whip this up for us last night.  it was delish!  i predict this recipe will make another appearance in our near future.
wednesday: apple and brie quiche.  i know quiche twice in the last two weeks.  i can't say (and eat) enough about quiche's easy and delish ways. 
thursday: pasta with green peas and pancetta.  the recipe calls for bucatini but i am going to use fettuccine pasta instead.
friday: summer squash and pasta soup.  i am saving the soup for friday so i can toss in extra bits from thursday's dinner to make the soup even tastier. 

the last week in pictures..

i got addicted to crack-lin oat bran.  look for me on the next episode of intervention.

i meet benjamin button in a dog's body.  just look at that stache!



jb found an exotic parrot...living in a yucca tree...in new mexico!  after this, we were abducted by aliens.



an exhausted jb came home from work and tossed his shoes off...he was in the bedroom and somehow the shoe flew into the dishwasher.  stay tuned next week when we when the lottery.

my jb started school!  honey, hold up your fingers and toes to show people what grade you are in.

this is my favorite out take pic.   that face just cracks me up!

i told him his backpack makes him look like a teenage mutant ninja turtle and this was the face i got.

the last two weeks, i have also been waking up at 4:15 am but i will save that story for tomorrow.

weekly menu

let me just say i am sorry for being absent all last week.  i have an excuse note, i promise.  but for now, here is our weekly menu.

monday: hippie rice
tuesday: vegetable quiche with fresh fruit on the side.  this is a great summer meal and you can eat it any time of the day.  holla.
wednesday: spaghetti and meatballs.  instead of using beef i am using ground elk meat...i will let you know how that goes.
thursday: bean and cheese tosadas with pineapple jicama salad
friday: brussel sprouts and chicken dish

i was going for simple this week and within budget,  i accomplished both! 

what is your favorite spring or summer dish?