A Wonderfully Lazy Day

We had such a wonderful and relaxing Saturday!

Did any of you try to guess how late we slept in??  Would you believe it if I said that we slept until 9am?!?!  We haven’t ever slept that late unless we had jet lag.  I’m sure our bodies needed it.

For an extra treat, I made Luvy Emily’s Blueberry Walnut Banana Bread.  Except, I made it into muffins and instead of a flax egg, I just used a regular farm-fresh egg.  I also used a gluten-free baking mix instead of whole wheat flour.

They were a hit!  I didn’t even take a picture of the finished product, because we were ravenous!  :)  That happens when you don’t eat breakfast until 10:30!

Also with breakfast, I drank some fresh pressed green tea!

When Luvy was in Chicago, he bought me some loose leaf green tea to go in my tea press!  Love him!

It is delicious!!

We spent the day just hanging out, working on school stuff, going on a nice long walk, and Luvy helped me with some spring cleaning.  He finished the roll away island that we bought at IKEA 2 years ago!  Hey… it only took us 2 years to finish it!  :)

For dinner, I had no desire to be creative in the kitchen.  That is what is so great about the blog world!  I just went over to Chelsey’s blog and made her Roasted Vegetables and Kale Pasta.

It was wonderful!  Actually, it was better than wonderful!  I used cauliflower and mushrooms for my vegetables, and I didn’t have kale so I used spinach.

I’m telling you, these girls have some great recipes!  You should check them out!

Luvy and I had a great weekend, and I’m so not ready to go back to work tomorrow!  How did the weekend get by so quickly??

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend!

Garden Eatin’

I love summer because of all the fresh fruits and veggies!!

I love having a garden, but we are having a hard time with bugs.  They killed our squash, zucchini, and cucumbers!!

This year, our tomatoes have taken off like weeds!!  I LOVE having fresh tomatoes, but sometimes I get sick of eating a tomato salad.  Plus, I’m not a huge fan of the large tomatoes raw.  They are too mushy for my liking.  It’s a texture thing.

Every summer, I make a homemade veggie pasta sauce to use up some of my tomatoes.  Of course 1/2 way through I decided to take pictures to share with you all.

I’m way too scattered..sorry!

I love pasta year round, but a heavy sauce is a little too much for me in the summer time.  This sauce is just perfect for summer!

Spinach and Vegetable Penne Pasta

• 1 box Penne Pasta
• 7 cups spinach
• 2-3 cups mushrooms, chopped
• 4 cups chopped tomatoes (I did 5 this time— we needed to use our tomatoes!)
• 3/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped
• 3/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 sundried tomatoes finely chopped
• 2-3 Tbsp fresh parsley and oregano
• red pepper flakes to taste (we used a lot because we like it spicy!)
• kalamata olives, chopped (opt.)

First, put a large pot of water on the boil for your noodles.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray.  Add in onion and garlic.  Sautee until starting to get soft.

Add in bell peppers and mushrooms.

At this time, you can go ahead and cook your noodles.  You want them al a dente.  I used the garden penne which added more flavor!  Make sure you drain them well when they are cooked.

Once peppers and mushrooms are tender, add in tomatoes and spinach.  Add in seasonings here.

Cook until spinach is wilted and tomatoes are heated through.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

When noodles are done, drain and serve sauce over noodles.

 Garnish with nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese.

This is one of Luvy’s favorite meals!  Plus, it is a great way to use up any of your summer veggies.  Feel free to add in squash, zucchini, eggplant, or any other veggie!

Do any of you have gardens??  What is growing well for you this year?

Time is Ticking

Luvy is hard at work with his PhD classes, and I’m hard at work stressing out for him!  :)

I’m good at stressing!!  I stress out if I have too much on my plate.  I don’t know how Luvy juggles all that he does!!  I am one of those people who has to do one thing at a time.  For example, I had Jason Aldean playing on my computer while I was working on this post, and it was stressing me out to have two things going at once.  I am a nervous ball of energy right now!

There just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day for him to get everything done.  He wakes up way early to study, goes to class, comes home and studies, eats, studies more, and then gets very little sleep.  He then repeats that same thing the next day!  That is his life for this week and next!

I think I’m in need of a relaxation day…. and maybe a massage….  :)

With things crazy and not “normal” in our house, I need quick meals that cause no fuss and take little time.  Plus, I have lots of fresh veggies from the garden!  My co-worker gave me 6 HUGE squash and zucchini to use up.  Plus, I am overloaded with kale!!  I need a Vita-mix for my birthday to make green smoothies.  (hint, hint)  I’m not going to hold my breath though… they are way pricey!

I knew that I didn’t want something too hot for dinner, and I wanted lots of fresh veggies.  Also, I knew I wanted a vehicle for Mama Pea’s Mmmm Sauce that I have been eyeing for a LONG time now.

Warm Summa Time Salad

• 2 carrots chopped (don’t bother peeling if organic)
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1 squash, chopped
• 7-8 mushroom, chopped in chunks
• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• kale, loads of it!
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp cumin
• salt and pepper

In a large skillet or wok, start by sauteing carrot in a little bit of water for about 5 minutes or so.  You just want it starting to soften.  Water should be gone at this point.

Add in garlic and a little oil.  I used about 2 tsp of sunflower seed oil.  Let cook about 1 minute.

Add in mushrooms, squash, and zucchini.  Cook about 3 minutes and add in chickpeas, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste.

Add in kale and stir until starting to wilt.  Adjust seasonings as needed.  You don’t need it too seasoned, because the Mmmm Sauce will rock your world!

I served mine over millet.  Quinoa, rice, or bulgar wheat would be great too!

Top with Mmmm Sauce and red pepper flakes if desired.  I also added a garden fresh tomato for good measure!

Try not to set the salad to the side and just lap up the Mmmm Sauce!

This took me a total of 30 minutes to make.  Not too shabby considering how nutrient dense this meal was!

——-

In other news, today is one of my best friend’s birthdays!!

Michele is like my sister.  In fact, we refer to each other as sis.

We have been through everything in life together.  Now that we are “big girls”, I love her even more!  I never get to see her, because she is married with a son.  Plus, she lives in Tennessee and I’m here in Kentucky.  It is heart warming to look back at all we have been through together.

We have grown up so much!  I love you with all my heart, Michele!  I can’t believe how fast time has flown by!

I wish I was there to celebrate with her.  Maybe I’ll make some cookies tomorrow night to celebrate!  :)  Or that cobbler from the 4th….  YUM!