Lean Cuisine Honestly Good Healthy Meals #EatHonestly

   I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client. All photos and opinions are my own.

 

   Last night was hectic.  I had an order for 200 chocolate covered pretzels and after making them I was exhausted but still wanted a healthy meal.  I told my husband I would cook for us since he was out all day as well but I knew I didn't have the energy to cook.   So I headed to the store hoping to buy a frozen meal with healthy ingredients.  When I went looking for a frozen entree I found a new frozen meal from Lean Cuisine.  They have a new line of meals called Honestly Good which are 100% all natural with no artificial ingredients and no preservatives. (You can read all about my shopping experience HERE!)

     My husband has never been a huge fan of frozen dinners but these looked different.  They each included a protein, vegetable, and side item.  I bought two different chicken entrees, the Pomegranate Chicken and the Honey Citrus Chicken.

    When I got home I took a look at the meals. They looked pretty good and were packaged different then most frozen meals.  The sauce came in a separate package.   I cooked both of the meals and transferred them from the trays they were cooked in to dinner plates.  I was surprised by the amount of food on the plate.  My husband actually asked what I was making because it smelled so good.

       Both chicken entrees were delicious.  The honey citrus chicken was in a sweet and slightly lemon flavored sauce.  It was served over pasta that was cooked al dente and was tossed with spinach, almonds, and tomatoes.  The glaze spilled over onto the pasta and both my husband and I agreed that it tasted great on the pasta as well.  The broccoli and zucchini were both cooked tender but were not soft or soggy.

      We enjoyed the pomegranate chicken as well.  The sauce was sweet and tart which was a pleasant combination.  The whole grain pilaf tasted great with the sweet currents.  The beautiful green beans, yellow beans, and ribbon cut carrots were tender crisp and kept their vibrant colors.

     The big surprise was that these healthy frozen entrees were not only good but filling as well!  I usually only eat frozen meals for a healthy lunch but I'm happy that there is a frozen meal that is filling enough for dinner as well.  In fact we didn't need to eat anything else except one of the leftover chocolate covered pretzels for dessert. 

If you want to #EatHonestly and try Lean Cuisine Honestly Good frozen meals head over to their website to find a coupon for Honestly Good meals!

For more information on these healthy meals, visit Lean Cuisine on Facebook and Twitter @NestleUSA. All six varieties of these frozen meals can be found in the natural meals section of the freezer aisle at WalMart.

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Skating Fridays

Just a bit behind

There are a few things that I'm a bit behind on this week. I didn't get to practice because we've been away on vacation, so this post is late. We just got our mail, so there is a week's worth of mail to sift through. Laundry needs to be done, and flowers need to be watered.

Another thing I'm behind on is my music for my Adult Gold freestyle program. I attended a freestyle session last weekend before we left on vacation and ran through my program for the first time. I had played my music beforehand and envisioned my program while I was listening to the recording, so I mentally knew where I need to be on the ice.

Unfortunately, when I ran through my program, I was behind. About 5-10 seconds behind, which is a pretty big deal. Even though I cut out a few elements (mainly in my footwork, which was a bit too complicated and slowing me down), I was off from the very beginning. My spins are taking longer than expected and throwing off the rest of the program's flow.

Thankfully I did catch up at the end and got all my required elements in before the music ended, but I felt very rushed. Now that we are back in town, I will be sure to try and run through my program at least once a week. I have less than a month before competition day, so it's time to play catch up and be fully prepared.

How do you prepare for a competition when you feel behind?

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Lemon Mint Smash

     In the summer I enjoy drinking refreshing, fruity drinks.  I also like to partake in an adult beverage during the summer because I don't have to work.  One of my favorites in the mojito.  This lemon mint smash is like a mojito only with lemon instead of lime.

     It's just as refreshing as the original but has a lighter taste.  It has a very subtle mint taste with a strong lemon flavor.  It's perfect for a hot, summer day.

Lemon Mint Smash (adapted from Bon Appetit)
7 fresh mint leaves
5 lemon balm leaves
1/2 lemon, cut into slices
1 T. simple syrup
1/4 t. nutmeg
1 oz. Bicardi rum
Seltzer water

1.  Combine the mint leaves, lemon balm, lemon slices, simple syrup, and nutmeg in a cocktail shaker.  Mash them together with the handle of a wooden spoon.

2.  Add the rum into the cocktail shaker.  Top with the cap and shake vigorously for 30 seconds.  Strain into a short glass over ice.  Top with seltzer water.

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50 Perfect Dishes for your Labor Day Party - Burgers, Grilled Chicken, Sides and More

September is almost here. I can hardly believe it. I am so excited to get on to the next season. Bring on fall! Here are 50 ideas for your perfect Labor Day Party. Burger, chicken, steak, fries, sides, condiments and salads are all included. We are going to start you out with 10 of our favorite TSRI burgers and ten Grilled Chicken recipes. There is something for every barbecue! Check back for more ideas for your party. We will be sharing fabulous cocktail and dessert idea tomorrow.

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Top Paddock

Lattes at Top Paddock

Top Paddock

658 Church Street

Richmond VIC 3121

Ph: (03) 9429-4332

Website

When Top Paddock opened earlier this year, I immediately knew I had to take my parents - Top Paddock is owned by the same crew who used to own Three Bags Full, which my parents love! (My dad, especially, loves the chicken schnitzel sandwich at Three Bags Full - it tastes great and "the bread isn't too hard"). I've visited Top Paddock twice now: once with my parents for a weekday lunch, back when I used to get RDOs, and another time to celebrate my birthday with some friends. These pictures are from both visits.

Hot tip: when we sat outside, we found it very difficult to get any attention from the staff and, worse, had to keep fending off bees! I'd definitely suggest sitting inside.

The bar

They do specialty coffees (think: filter and clover, in addition to espresso coffees), and rotate the types of beans on offer. Over my visits, I've tried the filter, a cappuccino and a latte - all consistently good.

Orange juice, ruby grapefruit juice - $6 each

2008 Cuvée, Yarra Bank, Yarra Valley - $12 (It was my birthday, after all!)

The menu is a little bit more cheffy and creative than your typical brunch menu - it feels quite current, without trying too hard to be "on trend". Let's have a look:

Pan-fried local snapper with a chilli fried egg, avocado, salsa and lime and corn tortilla - $17.50

My dad ordered this one, and it was really good - a light and healthy interpretation of modern Mexican flavours.

Three-mushroom omelette with bean sprouts

My mum got the three mushroom omelette, and whilst it looked great, and the eggs themselves were cooked skilfully, she did comment that it was weird that the bean sprouts were raw (and that there were heaps of them!) Looking at their current menu online, it appears that this isn't on the menu any more - perhaps it wasn't that popular.

Free-range pulled pork on rye with prunes, leaves & Boatshed goats curd - $16.00

I got the pulled pork on rye, and it was a seriously filling dish. I really liked the combo of rich, tender pork, sweet prunes and sharp goats curd, but had to admit defeat about halfway through. A good one to share.

Cheesecake brownie!

The cheesecake brownie appears to be an item that they brought over from Three Bags Full, and I'm glad they did! I love the thick cream cheese layer. (And incidentally, it was this brownie that inspired the super-thick cheesecake layer on my own chocolate cheesecake brownies).

Local pine mushrooms with chilli scrambled eggs & Boatshed feta on toast - $15.50

Look at all those pine mushrooms! What a treat! The eggs were cooked perfectly too - just set and still a little bit runny. Delicious.

Pork belly and fried egg roll with relish - $13.00

Pork belly and fried egg on a brioche bun. Do I need to say more?

Funny story: the day we visited and tried the pork belly roll, we literally saw three different friends who had eaten the exact same thing that day and posted pictures to Facebook. Freaky! Well, when you roll with foodie hipsters like I do...

White anchovies and jamon serrano with fried eggs, padron peppers & manchego on toast - $18.00

I greatly enjoyed this one, which I mainly ordered for the white anchovies - again, what a treat. I was worried the overall dish might be too salty, what with the jamon, the manchego and the anchovies, but it was a well balanced dish - eggs do need a bit of salt, and white anchovies are less pervasively salty than their hairy, briny jarred counterparts.

Mmm... yolk

When we ordered "ricotta hotcakes", I was expecting a pile of little pikelets, but what came out was one giant fluffy hotcake! I loved the use of sunflower seeds and pepitas, the fluffy light dough, and the generous pieces of ricotta inside.

Ricotta hotcakes with blueberries, organic maple, seeds & organic mascarpone - $14.00

Mmm... fluffy hotcake insides

Top Paddock is great - they have a strong focus on food and coffee without being pretentious, and have an airy, bright, relaxed atmosphere. I like it!

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Spaghetti Squash with Hummus Pesto (Gluten Free & Vegan)

     If you've been following my adventures this summer you know that I belong to a CSA and that many of my recipes have used fresh fruits and vegetables.  It's been a fun way to learn how to cook some of the produce that I wasn't familiar with prior to receiving our share.  The last few weeks we've received an abundance of squash in all shapes and sizes.  While I'm familiar with yellow squash and zucchini, the spaghetti squash and acorn squash were new to me.

     When I looked at the spaghetti squash my initial thought was cook it with marinara sauce but then that seemed to easy.  Right around this time I received a package from Sabra which included a variety of hummus, salsa, and even vegetable dip!  When I saw the Roasted Pine Nut Hummus and immediately my thoughts went to a hummus pesto sauce.  I just happen to have a bunch of basil in my CSA this week as well so I knew it was meant to be.

       I don't make pesto very often because my husband doesn't like it so I didn't really know what I was doing.  I through in a little basil, a little garlic, some lemon juice, and a whole lot of hummus.  Then I gave it a whirl in the food processor and viola!  Smooth and creamy hummus pesto that was bursting with flavor.

       I roasted up the spaghetti squash in the oven with olive oil, salt, and pepper then scraped out the squash strands.  The pesto went wonderfully with the spaghetti squash.  I didn't know that the squash had a slight sweetness to it but the strong flavor of the hummus pesto went so well with it.  I really enjoyed this meal and I liked knowing that it was both gluten free and vegan as well.  This is definitely a meal I could cook for company.

Spaghetti Squash with Hummus Pesto  (a Hezzi-D original recipe)
2 medium spaghetti squash
1 T. olive oil
1 t. salt
1 t. black pepper

For the Hummus Pesto:
1/2 c. Sabra Roasted Pine Nut Hummus
1/4 c. fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 lemon
1/2 t. salt
1 t. fresh ground black pepper
2 t. olive oil
Parmesan Cheese (optional-leave off if making vegan)

1.  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.

2.  Cut both of the spaghetti squash in half.  Scrape out the seeds with a spoon.

3.  Brush each of the squash halves with olive oil and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place in the baking dish cut side down and bake for 30-35 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

4.  Meanwhile, put the roasted pine nut hummus, basil leaves, garlic cloves, juice of 1 lemon, salt, and pepper in a food processor.  Process until smooth.  Add in olive oil a little at a time until desired consistency is reached.

5.  Carefully handle the hot squash halves and scrape out the spaghetti like strands.  Place in a dish.   Add 1/4 cup of the pesto and toss to coat.

6.  Heat the remaining pesto hummus for 30-60 seconds in a microwave or until just warmed.

7.  Divide the squash between desired amount of plates, top with another spoonful of hummus pesto, and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  Serve hot.

Note:  The hummus pesto is also great over penne or spaghetti.  It covers about a pound of pasta.

Sabra provided me with the hummus and a stipend for my work but all opinions, photos, and text are 100% my own.

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Chocolate Caramel Cookie Cocktail Shooters and 5 More Shooter Favs

I am a sweet lover. Cookies are right up my alley, so Chad came up with these fabulous caramel cookie flavored cocktails that are served with a chocolate cookie on top that were perfect for me.

These shooters are sweet and chocolaty with a touch of caramel that make these exactly what your get together needs. Whether you are having the girls over for a Ladies Night gathering or serving them up your weekend card game these Chocolate Caramel Cookie Cocktail Shooters are exactly what you need.

Half of entertaining is flavor and presentation. These cocktail shooters have it all.

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Continuing on with the honey motif...

{Earlier this week, we talked honey and beekeeping.  Today, we're talking a honey giveaway and Adventure Getaways with Georgia Pellegrini.  Man, we're getting outdoorsy around here!}

You guys may have met my friend Georgia before.  Georgia is a chef, blogger, hunter, and author of Girl Hunter.  I was lucky enough to attend her very first "Girl Hunter Weekend." (How many bloggers do you recognize up there?!?)

Georgia now hosts Adventure Getaways...for a girls' getaway, couple's retreat, bachelorette parties, and more!

Fly fishing, clay shooting, s'mores by the campfire....they are weekends like no other.  Whether you're looking for rugged or refined, Georgia has a weekend for you!

{I want to go on another one just for the bathtubs.}

If you're like me and are more of an "indoorsy" (as opposed to "outdoorsy") type, I can promise you that you'll have a ton of fun and it will be a getaway you'll never forget!

Here's where the honey comes in...Georgia's family keeps bees on their property, Tulipwood, in New York State and she's sharing some of their honey with us!!! 

To enter, leave a comment on this post telling me who you would love to take on an Adventure Getaway.  For an extra entry, leave another comment telling me any of the bloggers you recognize from the hayride picture. :)

{PLEASE, be sure that your profile links to an email address or that you put one in your comment. Feel free to leave it in this form: cutiepie {at} gmail {dot} com if you don't feel comfortable typing it out.}

Entries accepted through 11:59pm CST, August 31st. Good luck!

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Vegan chocolate cake

I mentioned in a previous post that we have a friend who is currently dairy and soy free. She and her husband invited us over for dinner one evening, and of course I volunteered to bring dessert. I scoured the internet for some dairy and soy free recipes but nothing jumped out at me. Our friend also mentioned that she didn't like coconut, so that made my search a bit more challenging.

I found a few potential recipes and almost settled on some vegan blondies. After I read the instructions, I realized that the ingredients and baking method were very similar to the healthy (vegan) deep dish chocolate chip pie that I made the last time our families got together. I obviously did not want to repeat a dessert so I kept looking for other potential recipes to try.

Eventually, I came across a recipe that boasted "the best chocolate cake you will ever have... that happens to be vegan."  Well, that definitely caught my attention. I looked through the ingredient list and was thrilled that I didn't need to buy any special ingredients and that I already had what I needed in my pantry.

I brought this cake over to our friends' house, and they were all very impressed with this cake. My husband said that it tasted amazing, and he never would have guessed that it was vegan. Even my friend, the non-coconut fan, said that she liked the frosting and kept the leftovers so she could snack on it another day. This is a cake that I know I will be making again because it was so easy to bake and didn't require a trip to the grocery store. The frosting, of course, is optional, but it helps take the cake to a whole new level.

Vegan chocolate cake

• 1 and 1/4 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon distilled white or apple cider vinegar

Vegan frosting

• 1 can full-fat coconut milk (or coconut cream)
• 1/4 cup plus 1 TBSP cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Dark)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar to taste (Use stevia or powdered sugar for thickest results.)

Directions
To make the cake: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease or line an 8x8 baking pan and set aside (I used my 8x8 silicone baking pan and did not grease or line it).

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Then add in the warm water, vanilla, oil and vinegar. Mix well until the batter is smooth and all the ingredients are completely incorporated.

Transfer the batter to your prepared baking pan. Bake in your preheated oven for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting or serving.

To make the frosting: Open your can of coconut milk and drain out any excess liquid (you can save or toss it). If the coconut cream is already thick, move onto the next step. Otherwise, leave it uncovered in the refrigerator overnight.

Dump the coconut cream into a small bowl and mix in the cocoa powder, vanilla and powdered sugar. Beat well with a spatula, fork or a whisk. Be sure to NOT add too much liquid from the can of coconut milk or else your frosting will be runny.

If the mixture is thick enough, you can use it immediately to frost your cake. If it's not as thick (like mine), transfer to a bowl and leave it uncovered in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight so the liquid evaporates. Then you can drizzle it on top and call it a ganache.

The frosting will keep in the refrigerator for several days. If you keep it uncovered, it will thicken up each day since the liquids will evaporate.

Yield: About 16 squares of cake; frosting recipe makes about 1 cup

Source: Instructables; frosting from this post

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CSA Wednesdays: Lamb Stew + Roasted Potatoes and Rainbow Beans

    This was the last week I was able to pick up my CSA share and boy was it a great one!  This week we received meat, yes MEAT!, in our share.  I was extremely excited, especially when I found out it was lamb.  I love lamb but it's hard to come by in our small town and when I can get it, it's expensive. 

     Of course we received a bad full of vegetables as well.  This week our CSA contained:  lamb, sunflowers, scallions, spaghetti squash, celery, tomatillos, basil, and green beans.  I used the tomatillos in a taco salad that I'll be sharing in a few weeks and I used the spaghetti squash and basil in a pesto recipe I'm sharing tomorrow.

      Since the weather has been surprisingly cool for August I thought a lamb stew would be perfect.  I made a fairly simple but delicious stew made with lamb meat, carrots, onions, celery, and potatoes.  It was hearty and perfect for a cool summer night.  It was seasoned with fresh herbs and the touch of balsamic vinegar at the end added a nice depth.  We served it with hot rolls and a salad for a delicious meal.

Lamb Stew (adapted from In The Kitchen with David)
1 lb. lamb stew meat
1 T. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 large tomatoes, diced
1/2 c. red wine 
5 medium potatoes, diced
3 c. beef broth
2 t. fresh rosemary, chopped
1 t. fresh thyme, chopped
1 t. black pepper
1 T. balsamic vinegar

1.  Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Season the lamb with salt and pepper and place in the pan.  Sear the meat until it is browned.

2.  Move the meat to the edges of the pan and add in the onion.  Cook for 3-5 minutes or until softened.  Stir in the carrots, celery, garlic, and tomatoes and saute for 5 minutes.

3.  Add the red wine and deglaze the pan. Toss in the potatoes and stir.

4.  Add in the beef broth, rosemary, thyme, and pepper.  Bring the stew to a simmer and cover.  Simmer for 90 minutes.

5.  Remove the lid and stir in the balsamic vinegar.  Serve hot.

    Then I used the green beans in a side dish.  I had a recipe picked out and ready to go but when I started getting the ingredients together I realized that I didn't have even half of what I needed.  Do you ever do that?  I normally don't but my mind has been elsewhere this week.  So I randomly started throwing things in a pan and came up with a side dish that my husband ended up loving!

    It's a simple roasted potato and green bean dish with some herbs, a little wine, and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.  The potatoes softened but didn't get mushy and the green beans stayed firm.  The wine and lemon juice brightened up the dish and the Parmesan cheese gave it a saltiness that was delicious.

Roasted Potatoes and Rainbow Beans (a Hezzi-D original)
1 lb. red skin potatoes
1 lb. rainbow beans (I used purple, green, and yellow), trimmed
1 shallot, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 c. dry white wine
2 T. lemon juice
1 T. fresh parsley, chopped
1 t. dried rosemary 
2 t. fresh oregano, chopped
1 t. herbs de provence 
1/2 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
3 T. Parmesan cheese

1.  Heat a pot of water over high heat until boiling.  Add the potatoes and cook for 5 minutes.  Add in the green beans and continue cooking for 3 minutes.  Drain and set aside.  

2.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

3.  Once the potatoes have cooled, cut them into 1/2 inch to 1 inch pieces and place in a large bowl.  Add the green beans, shallot, and garlic to the potatoes.

4.  In a small bowl combine the white wine, lemon juice, parsley, rosemary, oregano, herbs de provence, salt, and pepper.  Pour over top of the potatoes and green beans and toss to coat.

5.  Pour into a baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the potatoes have softened.

6.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve hot.

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