Dinner For One

It's really annoying to cook dinner for one person.  Last fall, as I was adjusting to living on my own, my dinners consisted of salads (quick, healthy, no cooking required), grilled cheese (delicious, dirties only one pan), cereal (terrible dinner choice, I know), and freezer meals (enough said).  By Christmas, I was sick of eating like that, and on New Years, along with a bunch of resolutions I didn't keep, I made a resolution that I DID keep: make proper dinner for myself every day.  Since then, I have done really well with this.  My meals are by no means original or interesting, but they're a lot healthier than what I was eating before!

Tonight, I whipped together a simple meal of baked salmon and roasted broccoli and cauliflower.  I made enough broccoli and cauliflower to have leftovers for two days, but only cooked one piece of salmon, as I hate leftover salmon.

So easy, and so delicious.  If you like salmon, that is.  I don't really like it but I think it's good for my skin and all that, so I eat it.  I simply sprinkled a single serving size piece of salmon with sea salt and freshly ground pepper, chopped onion, and a lemon slice, and baked it at 350F for about ten minutes.  A person could probably get away with less, but I like my fish pretty well-done.  For the broccoli and cauliflower (which I really do think is amazingly delicious!!!), I simply chopped it up, arranged it on a baking sheet, sprinkled it with olive oil, sea salt and pepper, and baked it at 400F for about 23-ish minutes, until it was tender, with crispy edges.  This meal is pretty satisfying as it is, though sometimes, I'll have some cooked quinoa on the side.

Other things I like to make for myself include roasted sweet potatoes, homemade turkey meatballs, chicken breast stir-fries, assorted vegetables, and the occasional salad.  Sometimes you have to be creative when thinking up meals for one person, but eating healthy things for dinner is important.  No matter how many times you tell yourself that whole-grain bread and low-fat cheese make a grilled cheese healthy, a grilled cheese is still a grilled cheese (I'm still working to accept this).  :)

Oh, she's so cute!

Okay, I'm about to say some pretty cheesy things.  If that kind of stuff bothers you... well, I can't help you. If not, read on and learn all about my favourite person in the whole entire world!

This is Indy.

She's not my daughter, or my granddaughter (duh! I'm only 20) or my niece.  She's my cousin, and I won't hesitate to say that she's the bestest, cutest, funniest little person I've ever met.  Especially when she's eating cupcakes.  She smacks her lips, and chatters the whole time.  And of course, she gets cupcake goo all over herself and her high chair.

Before I continue to gush over Indy, I'll explain about the cupcakes.  My best friend, Jamie, and I had never made or eaten red velvet cupcakes before, so we decided to try it.  They were soooooo delicious!  And Indy thought so too.

Indy came over later in the day, after Jamie and I had baked the cupcakes, and she just knew that there were cupcakes in the house, and demanding of her mother to "Try one Mum?  Can I try one?"

I gave her a cupcake and watched (and photographed) everything she did after that.  I sure sound like a creeper, don't I?  I just can't help it though, she's just so sweet!

Words I use to describe Indy:  precious, beautiful, brilliant, adorable, wonderful, sweet, perfect, cutie-petutie (not a word, I know), fabulous, blessing from Jesus (I know, I know), the light of my life (seriously Jacy?!)...

She's two years old, blond yet very smart, loves Barbies and cupcakes (a girl after my own heart)... how can I not be completely in love with her?!  And I mean that in a totally non-creepy way!

The Ugliest Smoothie Ever

Is that not the nastiest looking smoothie ever?  It's all speckled and chunky-looking, not to mention it's a creepy shade of greenish-grey.  Yikes!

This smoothie is so ugly because instead of containing fruit and yogurt and other delicious smoothie things, it contains everything you might find in a salad: avocado, lettuce, seaweed (yikes!), and several other veggies.  You may ask, why one earth would I ever blend a salad?!?!  Well, for starters, blended salads are easier to digest and often more nutritious than "chewed" salads.  They are filling, yet low-calorie, and are an excellent snack or meal, especially if you're trying to lose weight or are just feeling sick or bloated.  Besides that, they actually do taste good!  If you don't believe me, make one and decide for yourself!

Blended Salad

one small tomato
chunk of cucumber
a few leaves of romaine lettuce
two or three stalks of celery
chunk of red, green, or orange bell pepper
one small apple
splash of lemon juice
one teaspoon dulse flakes

Place these items (in the order given) in a high-powered blender and process until the "salad" has the consistency of baby food.  Test it, and add ice or additional veggies/fruits to make it taste the way you like it.

Drink it up, and think of all the beautiful veggies you're putting into your body, all without the time and effort that goes into making and eating actual salads!

White Chocolate Blondies

I know I've neglected my blog.  I'm very sorry.  If I offer you White Chocolate Blondies will you please, please forgive me?  In my opinion, white chocolate can make up for almost anything...

White Chocolate Blondie Bites

From the February 2009 issue of Vegetarian Times

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces

1/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup tightly packed shredded coconut (sweetened or not)

1/4 cup slivered almonds

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Coat 11x7 inch baking pan with cooking spray.  Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper or foil and spray again.

In a double boiler, combine white chocolate, butter and sugar.  Cook over low heat until melted and smooth.  Remove from heat and cool 5 minutes.  Then, stir in the eggs, vanilla and flour.  Lastly, add in the coconut.

Pour batter into prepared baking pan.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.  Cool 15 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool completely.  Cut into squares and serve!

Cookies for my baby sister.

Lying on a stretcher, waiting to go into surgery for her ruptured appendix, my youngest sister could only think about how hungry she was (and how she was worried she wouldn't wake up, like that person on Grey's Anatomy...). She hadn't eaten for two or three days, due to sickness and surgery preparation. I told her I'd bring her cookies as soon as she was allowed to eat and she requested "peanut butter cookies with chocolate drizzled on top". Feeling very sorry for my baby sister, I got right to work.

Peanut Butter Cookies (With a Chocolate Drizzle!)

Adapted from this recipe on 17 and Baking.

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 egg

3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Beat the peanut butter and butter together. Add in the sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Then add in the egg, milk and vanilla, again beating until light and fluffy.

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients to form a light dough.

Drop 1 inch balls of dough onto cookie sheets and flatten with a fork or the bottom of a glass. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes and then transfer to racks to cool completely.

For the chocolate drizzle:

Melt about 1 cup of chocolate chips and 3 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, stirring until smooth. Put chocolate into a plastic sandwich baggie and cut a tiny corner off the bag. Drizzle onto cookies and let set. If you're feeling creative, draw cute shapes with the chocolate!

Tournament Cookies

A Taekwondo tournament just isn't quite right without a big bin of tournament cookies. These cookies are so amazing. They are salty, sweet, chewy, chocolatey, filling, and most of all, pretty darn healthy. I discovered these cookies a while ago in the Planet Organic cookbook. They were called Cosmic Cookies, but since I've started bringing them to tournaments, they've gotten a few new names. Ten Pound Cookies (because they're so heavy), Horse Treat Cookies (because apparently they look like horse treats) and just plain Tournament Cookies (for obvious reasons).

Whatever you call them, these cookies are amazing, and a big hit, even with people who don't like "healthy things". You can vary your ingredients based on what you like, but, due to food allergies among the people who eat my cookies, I choose to make them vegan and gluten-free.

Cosmic Cookies

Adapted from the recipe in The Planet Organic Cookbook

2 1/4 cups quick-cooking oats (if you're worried about gluten, make sure they're certified gluten-free and that you can tolerate them)

2 cups flour of your choice (I use gluten-free flours most of the time)

1 cup sunflower seeds

3/4 cup + 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup whole flax seeds

1 cup Sucanat (or brown sugar)

1 tbsp cinnamon

2 1/4 tsp sea salt

1 3/4 cups chocolate chips (I use dark, dairy-free chocolate)

1 1/4 cup raisins

1/2 cup molasses or honey

3/4 cup oil (I use melted coconut oil)

1 cup non-dairy milk of your choice

Step One: Put on your favourite song. Preheat your oven to 350F.

Step Two: Throw all of your dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix well.

Step Three: Mix all of your wet ingredients together in a separate bowl, then add to dry ingredients. Thoroughly mix.

Step Four: Using 1/3 cup measure, plop dough onto cookie sheets and flatten slightly. Bake for 24 minutes, or until cookies are firm and golden brown.

Step Five: Let cool on rack. Try not to eat them all. Eat some at room temperature. Put some in the freezer and eat them frozen. Just eat them. They're pretty much guaranteed to be delicious.

And just look at my friend, the one in blue, sparring. I'm pretty sure she was running on Cosmic Cookies that day. If you eat enough of these, perhaps you'll be able to kick a person in the head. Anything is possible...

Enjoy!

Cookies!

I love baking cookies.

One of the more interesting cookie recipes I've made were these Black Forest Cookies. Aside from being very photogenic, they also tasted delicious! I got the recipe from the Company's Coming Most Loved Cookies book by Jean Pare.

Probably the cutest cookies I have ever made were these Tiny Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Buttons from 17 and Baking.

I got sick of rolling out cookie dough by the teaspoon though, so I made the rest into normal sized cookies.

These Gingersnaps turn out beautiful and perfect every time! Thanks again 17 and Baking :)

And of course, chocolate chip cookies can't be beat! I don't remember where the recipe for these came from....

I know this post wasn't that interesting, but to be honest, I haven't baked anything interesting lately, so I thought I'd share some of my best cookie pictures!