Posts tagged ‘caramelized zucchini with parmesan crust’

January 24, 2011

Sexy in Safeway

How was everyone’s weekend!? Mine was OK, besides the fact that it was a numbing 7 degrees all weekend. M.i.s.e.r.a.b.l.e. My weekend workouts consisted of

Getting swole. 60 minutes of Body Pump.

Running 6 miles. This is NOT me. I wouldn’t dare wear tube socks to a gym.

Spinning. 60 minutes.

Zumba! 60 minutes.

I tried Zumba with a different instructor and I actually liked it! It all has to do with the music and this teacher knew what she was doing. Little did I know I would be dancing next to Shakira. She almost knocked me over swinging her hips and her long blonde hair whipped me in the face a couple of times. I am SO sore from those workouts that I just might have to take a rest day today :)

Some other things I did this weekend were

Relax by a warm fire. (The majority of my weekend consisted of this)

Made some changes to the blog! Do you like it? I have an easier recipe tab now! I still have work to do…

Shopped at my new favorite place. Since when did grocery stores replace Malls in my favorite category?

OH and completely embarrassed myself.

Remember when I told you that I was a HUGE klutz and I always had some type of ridiculous thing happen to me on a daily basis? Today was no acception…BUT, todays klutziness act has topped anything and everything from my past. I ran up to Safeway (grocery store) to grab an avocado and on my way to the payI spotted a sign that said “Blueberries 99¢ Originally $4.99″ so I did a quick turn around and my pants fell to the ground. I kid you not. WHY ME!? My pants were too big because Victoria’s Secret thinks the size XS is really an XL and they got caught underneath my UGG boot when I did the turn around and instantly fell to my ankles. This is the part where I want to say “Thankfully nobody was around” but then I’d be lying. There were people around - a woman and a man. I wanted to throw my avocado and blueberries to the ground and run away crying! Instead I walked to the check out line with my tail in between my legs and my face 8 shades of red. I couldn’t pass up 99 cent blueberries. I’m almost positive that nothing more embarrassing could have happened to me…and I also guarantee that these things always only happen to me!

Moving on… I also watched these two monsters.. I’m not a HUGE dog fan, but you have to admit they look cute snuggling.

and made a couple of warm comforting meals.

Breakfast for 1

Roasted Banana with Chocolate Cream Sauce

  • 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 1 banana, cut in half crosswise then lengthwise
  • 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tablespoon agave
  • 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place bananas, cut sides up, on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon and a tiny bit of agave. Place in oven.

Meanwhile, mix greek yogurt, cocoa and agave in a large bowl. Remove bananas when they are golden brown (about 15 minutes). Place on plate and top with chocolate cream sauce.

Another dessert like breakfast accomplished :) The house where I’m house/dog/child sitting has a TON of cooking light/eating well/martha stewart recipe books so I’ve been in Heaven!

I decided to make Sunday dinner but wanted to keep things simple. The side dishes turned out extremely well as did the main course but I’m more of a veggie girl than meat lover these days :)

First up…

Caramelized Zucchini with Parmesan Crust

  • 2 Large zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • Pepper
  • Drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, finely shredded

Heat oil on Medium in large non-stick pan – add zucchini without overlaying any pieces. Sprinkle salt & pepper onto zucchini. Cook for about 8 minutes on each side or until slightly tender and golden brown. Turn off heat on stove. Push the zucchini close together & sprinkle cheese on top. Cover for 1-2 minutes until cheese has melted.

I always make zucchini but adding the cheese was a nice change…and who doesn’t love cheese?

Next one on the list:

Lemon & Cinnamon Sweet Potatoes

  • 3 good-sized sweet potatoes, scrubbed and trimmed of fibers
  • 1 1/2 cups apple juice
  • 1/3 cup agave nectar
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Juice of half lemon

Preheat oven 375 degrees. Prepare a large baking dish by spraying with Olive Oil Cooking Spray. Place sweet potatoes in saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer just until tender. Drain sweet potatoes and set aside. Let cool. Cut into rounds 1/4 inch thick and lay them in prepared baking dish.

In a heavy saucepan place apple juice, agave nectar, nutmeg, cinnamon zest and salt. Simmer over low heat for several minutes. Add olive oil and lemon juice. Stir well. The liquid should now be syrup.

Pour syrup over potatoes. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake sweet potatoes for 20 minutes or until hot. Serve hot.

These were SO SO good. It had a sweet touch without having to add butter and brown sugar to it like a restaurant would. I wish you could smell it through the screen because it gave the most pleasant aroma throughout the house for hours. It made me want more dinner instead of dessert. Say it isn’t so……..

Delicious sunday dinner meal :) (Also pictured is a pomegranate balsamic turkey breast)

I’ve seen a lot of posts about what to make a boyfriend for Valentines Day – I recently made a hardcover picture book for my boyfriend (Don’t worry Adam, none of your friends read this :) ) through iphoto of every picture we had together from the past year. You can put as many pictures as you would like on a page, arrange them to your liking and even write captions or make a story out of it. It turned out really cute and if you are looking for something creative to do I highly suggest it.

Cover.

Random inside page.

I’m off to figure out my meatless monday meals and find the tightest pair of pants I own so there are no more mishaps! I hope everyone has a great week :) Below are sunset’s from Friday, Saturday AND Sunday! Enjoy.

QUESTIONS: What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you? What did you do this weekend? Do you like my new set-up on the blog better than the old?