Chinese Oval Flat Noodles

I'm cooking a lot more Chinese lately.  Here's my latest from scratch creation, done without a recipe!  No filter on this photo either... it really is that greasy hahaha.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb ground beef, pork, turkey or chicken
2 bunches of baby bok choy, rinsed and separated
1 package of flat Shanghai rice noodles (just place them in boiling water for a bit to soften them, no need to cook 'em for too long thereafter)
1/2 cup light soy sauce
1/3 cup sesame oil
1 T corn starch
1 tsp pepper
1-2 garlic cloves, diced
1/4 cup black bean paste

Directions:
In a bowl, mix ground meat with soy sauce, sesame oil, corn starch, garlic, and pepper.  Mix around.  In a medium saucepan, cook meat on medium until meat is browned.  Remove and cook bok choy in the leftover oil.  Add in the softened noodles, black bean paste, and cooked meat already put to the side.  Cook together for a bit... and done!

My Favorite Pizza Crust

I love California Pizza Kitchen.  In fact, it's probably one of my FAVORITE restaurants.  Despite eating it ALL THE TIME during my former life as an auditor every busy season (only open restaurant to order from when we were working overtime on the weekends in downtown LA), I could do it everyday.  In fact, one job in Pasadena consisted of a team who had the same love of CPK and I think at one point, we had it everyday for four consecutive days.  There's so much variety in the menu, healthy and not so healthy, that we couldn't resist!

So here's an ode to CPK through my favorite pizza crust recipe, taken from the Pioneer Woman, who I adore but when I need to make my favorite pizza dough - waiting for all her photos to load and scroll down becomes a nightmare.

So here it is (mainly for me) but maybe for you too!

Ingredients:
1 tsp yeast (the kind you make poofy with water)
1-1/2 cup warm water
4 cups flour
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 or 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil - depending on how I feel, or how much I feel is necessary.

Directions:
I sprinkle the 1 tsp of yeast over the 1-1/2 warm water and let it stand for about 10 minutes.

Combine 4 cps of flour with 1 tsp of Kosher salt (trick to sift it in is using a mixer by hand).  With an electric mixer (because it's easier), drizzle in the 1/4 cup or 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil until it's all combined... now add in the proofed yeast and continue mixing until your dough gets caught up in the mixture because it's so sticky.

Coat a separate mixing bowl (when I'm lazy, I use the same one.. it's no biggie) with a bit of EVOO and roll the dough into a ball and cover it with a towel and set aside for 1-2 hours to let it rise.

I normally put the dough away in the fridge, taking it out an hour before I want to use it to let it rise again.  Pizza dough tastes best when it's done beforehand - 24 hours up to 3 days.  

I cook it at 375 degrees with my awesome pizza pan (with holes underneath to let the heat get through and helps to make the dough crunchy) for about 10 minutes.  You can also just see when the dough is starting to brown on the sides and the toppings are melting.  

Crock Pot Nacho Chicken

What do you call chicken that's not yours?  NACHO CHICKEN!!!  Never gets old.

I love cooking with the crock pot and frozen chicken breasts for days when I know I won't get home until later.  Here's a quick easy and delicious nacho chicken recipe.  I put it over a bed of romaine lettuce and a few crushed chips for a salad (there's enough juice that you won't need additional dressing) with some Mexican cheese sprinkled on top and for my husband, I put a bed of chips, topped it with the cheese and then drizzled the chicken all over it.  Muy bueno!


Ingredients:
4 frozen chicken breasts
1 8oz can of whole kernal corn - drained
1 8oz can of black beans - drained and rinsed
16 oz pico de gallo - I used the huge Costco can we got for Superbowl that of course, did not get finished.. this recipe brought me close, may have to use it everytime we buy that huge thing of salsa!
1 tsp chipotle powder
4 oz of light cream cheese (or half of a normal package size)

Directions:
Put the chicken, corn, black beans, and salsa into the crock pot and cook for 4-5 hours on low.  Shred the chicken, add the cream cheese, and let it sit on warm for another 30 minutes.  To eat, top with shredded cheese and put it over a bed of lettuce or a plate of chips.  Easy peasy!!

I didn't take a photo but will add one when I make this again.  It's a repeater!

Easy Granola Recipe

I made granola on Monday from my friend Lorraine's recipe.  I tweaked it a bit.. so here it is...

Mix it with some low-fat Danon vanilla yogurt, sliced strawberries and berries and BOOM - easy healthy breakfast as evidenced by my hubs:

Ingredients:
4 cups oatmeal

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup honey or maple syrup

½ tsp vanilla extract3/4 cups unshelled sunflower seeds (raw or cooked)

1/3 cup sesame seeds (I used toasted)

½ cup sliced almonds

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place oatmeal in large bowl.  In medium saucepan, heat oil, brown sugar, and add honey over medium heat, until thin, about 5 min.  Remove from heat.  Add vanilla and salt.  Pour over oatmeal, add sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and almonds and toss to combine.  Spread evenly on 2 baking sheets and bake 15 minutes, stirring every five minutes.  If you want it a bit toastier, cook it a few minutes longer.  I did one at 15 and one at 20... and I kind of like the 20 better.  Makes 6 cups.

Warning:  Due to the content of nuts in your granola, eating it in large quantities (think larger than a handful) is very high in protein but calories as well.

Mommy Muffin Top Destruction Begins

I knew boob feeding meant an extra 500 calories.  I ate well, exercised mildly (if that), and quickly lost all my baby weight.  I was left with some jiggle, but it wasn't too bad... easily hidden with clothes not too tight on the waist, flattering dark shades, and jewelry.  And then at 9 months, we began to ween my son.

I went from around 7 feeding a day to 5 and then to 3 and finally I'm at 2.

And I continued to eat roughly the same (I won't lie, I had some moments with Chinese New Year and then Superbowl Sunday!) and my work outs were likewise.

And then....

Out of nowhere, I gained five pounds (two of it might of been gone after I pooped).

Worse than that... the jiggle has magnified into a very noticeable mommy muffin top.

And so it begins today.  I will annihilate you mommy muffin top.  Say good bye to your days on my hip.

DAY ONE 


Thursday - I went to a latin aerobic class today that was boring.  My mom made me go, I talked with all her friends, noticed I was the youngest girl there by about ten years, and tried my best to remember how to move my hips from my ballroom days (about ten years ago in college).  My left ankle started to throb.  I continued.  I sweated a tiny bit.  I hope all that hip twisting did a number on my muffin top.  Cha-Cha, Samba, Rumba, and even about one minute of Jive.

I think I'll put on Smash and Switched at Birth while doing some bicycles and toe taps.  And yes, I'll post a before and after photo - I'm just too embarrassed to post a before one now.  To be continued...