My Epic Post-Marathon Meal

I guess it says something about me that I get almost as excited about the food I get to eat after the marathon as I am about the marathon itself. Yesterday I finished the race at around 11 am, and try as I might, I could not stomach any food until 8 pm. This is a big disappointment, people! I grabbed a Creamie Popsicle and a carton of chocolate milk in the finisher's box (or whatever they call it), and immediately regretted it. Way too sick. Too sick to eat at Rumbi with my family on the way home. Too sick to even enjoy the famous Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies my friend Sierra brought over after the race. Then at about 7:30 pm, I was lying in my bed, writhing around, and I realized I didn't need to writhe anymore. In fact, I actually felt... hungry! Yes!!! All my hard work had finally paid off. But then a strange thing happened. I realized that for perhaps the first time in my entire life, I wasn't in the mood for anything sweet. Huh? Who is this person, I wondered, who finishes marathons and suddenly doesn't have the urge to bury her hand in a bag of chocolate chips? I went into the kitchen to find out. All my favorite healthy foods beckoned to me and I had to snap a picture before I dove into what was one of the best-tasting meals of my life. I decided to share this meal with you in case you ever find yourself in a similar situation.

I realize this isn't the most attractive picture, but trust me, it was astounding.

Item #1: My Famous Quinoa
If you are not familiar with quinoa (pronounced keen-wa), you should be. It is one of the healthiest foods of all time, and is delicious. It is actually a seed, not a grain, and is a complete protein, rich in fiber, calcium, magnesium and iron. I just learned that on Wikipedia. I buy it at Costco in a beautiful green bag, near its inferior cousin, rice.

To prepare, combine the following ingredients in a medium saucepan:
* 2 cups water
* 1 cup rinsed quinoa (just throw it in a fine-meshed strainer and run some water over it)
* 1-2 tsp. chicken bouillon granules (you can also substitute a can of chicken broth for some of the water)
* Some chopped onion. I use frozen.
* 1 can of beans, rinsed. I usually use black beans, but today I used kidney beans and they were fabulous.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover for 15 minutes or so. The liquid will be absorbed when it is done.

Item #2: Salmon Patty
If you are turned off by the term "salmon patty", I don't blame you. What is appealing about a fish patty? Well, obviously you have never tried the salmon burgers from Costco. Tsk, tsk. They are breath-taking. Every member of my family, from Jason down to Jake, can devour these in a matter of seconds. When I was eating my Perfect Meal, I had to defend my precious salmon patty from the legion of vultures, also known as my children, who suddenly appeared despite the fact that Jason had fixed each of them their own salmon patty merely an hour before.

To prepare the precious patty, just heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Throw on a frozen patty and sprinkle with dried dill and garlic salt. Flip over after a few minutes. You want each side nice and blackened, but not too blackened. You will know in your heart when it is done.


Item #3: Green Salad with BYU Ranch

Let me be clear: I am not a huge fan of Ranch dressing. I AM a huge fan of Ranch dressing from the BYU creamery. It is smooth and creamy and not bitter in the least. It is also light, clocking in at only 50 calories per two tablespoon serving, which is a large enough serving to swim in, which you might want to do, and all my kids love salad because of it. The next time you are in Provo, swing by ye ole Creamery and grab a few gallons. You will thank me, I promise. My salad this night consisted of a handful of greens from my trusty Costco, some sunflower seeds, feta cheese, and a few croutons because I can't be afraid of carbs on a day I run a marathon. Also some dried cranberries for color, but they still didn't improve the picture. But I don't care. It was perfect. I also used the Ranch as a dip for the salmon, and let's be honest, the quinoa.

Item #4: Dessert
By the time I had polished off my meal and licked the platter clean, I was feeling more like myself and was finally in the mood for a little something sweet, so of course I reached for... The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie. It is called the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie for a reason. Not gonna lie.

I had to make the decision of which to take first: a picture or a bite. Need I say more? I like how the cookie seems to be yawning, or perhaps singing. Probably to me, saying, "Good job on your marathon, Anne Marie! You deserve me and my five brothers whenever your little heart desires." Amen, brother, amen.

This is why I love Book Club...

 Of course we are all there because we love to read, right? No, I don't think so. I think book clubs exist to give us moms an excuse to get together, chat and eat yummy treats. That's why I go, anyway! Once or twice a year I get to host book club, which means... I get to try out some yummy recipes. Last night was no exception. I love to spend the day in the kitchen, preparing for my friends to come over and hang out for a little while after the kids go to bed (or are at least banished to their rooms!).

These are Heavenly Filled Strawberries from my mother-in-law's cute blog. They are zero Weight Watchers points, if you're counting. Nothing else clocked in at the zero mark, by the way! I figured we could start with something healthy and go downhill from there.

Next was Cinnamon Cookie Crunch Popcorn from Our Best Bites. They had me at "kind of like a chocolate covered cinnamon bear". I have yet to make something from those OBB girls that disappoints. Wow, they are amazing!

There is even a template for a little print out to attach to the bag of popcorn! How convenient. Thank you, Sara and Kate.

The main dish was this White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake from Meili's Home Baked Goodness. Just a warning, don't go to that blog and expect to not come away hungry! I think I want to make every single recipe. 

And oh yeah, I guess the book was pretty good, too. We read first book in The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Andrew McCall Smith. I love these books. There are twelve, I think, with another one on the way in April. They are such a fun read and remind me of the semester I spent in South Africa right before I graduated from BYU. Such good memories. It was a fun night! Thanks, girls!!

A few diet-friendly recipes

Well, not really. But diets aren't any fun, and cookies are, so here are two of my favorite cookie recipes. I'm big on soft cookies and both of these are soft and stay that way, but they're not crumbly. I chill the dough on both of these recipes so they are easier to handle. I also think they are both better the next day, after they've had a day to set up and become the cookie they are destined to become.

Soft Ginger Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup margarine, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons white sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Caramel-Filled Chocolate Cookies (Rolo Cookies)

1 Chocolate cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
Rolos
2 tablespoons white sugar

Mix cake mix, eggs and oil. Place about 1 tsp of dough in hand and flatten. Place 1 Rolo in the center and roll into a ball. Roll in sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 7-10 minutes at 350. Note: I use the small Pampered Chef scoop and it makes exactly 36 cookies. The dough is pretty thick so I use my bosch to mix it with the dough hook, but you can use your muscles if you are so inclined. And one more note: there are 8 rolos in each package, so you will need 4 1/2 packages for this recipe. What you do with the other 4 rolos is up to you. Or, you could just buy one of those big bags, but then you have to unwrap the little buggars.


So there you have it. Two reasons to bag your diet. Oh, and thank you to everyone for your nice comments on my last post about Abby. I have the nicest friends in the world! Maybe I should just make you all some cookies...

Peanut Butter Rice Crispies

I served these little beauties at my party last night and I've had a few requests for the recipe, so here it is:

1 cup corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups Rice Crispies
1 bag milk chocolate chips
1 bag butterscotch chips

In a large saucepan, heat corn syrup and sugar until sugar melts, but doesn't boil. Stir in peanut butter and allow to melt. Add Rice Crispies and mix well. Pour and press into a 9x13 pan. Meanwhile, melt chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in a large bowl in microwave (I stir after the first minute, then every thirty seconds for another minute or two). Pour chocolate mixture over cooled Rice Crispies and smooth with a spatula. Allow to cool, then cut into squares and savor the experience.

Little boy, big heart

Oh, my little Dallin. The other day Jason got a little upset with the boys because they got into his gummy Valentine hearts and took them upstairs and ate them all. Jason wasn't too mad, but I think the boys felt bad. They know their dad loves those "squishy hearts". Jason left me with instructions to buy a bag "so big I could barely carry it" the next time I went to Kohler's (the hearts are in the bulk Sweets candy section). But before I could do that, Dallin found a few more hearts that had been overlooked, probably because they were under a chair or something. He was SO proud and put them in a little sandwich bag for his dad. Well, in the meantime, Luke happened across them and you can guess what he did. Dallin caught him in the act, and somehow managed to fish one out of Luke's mouth, almost perfectly intact. He then climbed up on a chair and washed the gummy off in the sink and put it back in the bag for Dad. Then he wanted me to call Jason and tell him about the present that was waiting for him when he got home. Here is a picture of Dallin with his little prize. I don't know why Jason hasn't eaten it yet, he loves those hearts so much...

A Few Recipes

Here is one of my favorite soups. This is my mother-in-law's recipe and it is so easy and yummy. I like it because it uses baked potatoes so you don't have to peel them, plus it always thickens up really well. It makes about 4 servings, so you may want to double it.

Baked Potato Soup

¼ cup butter
¼ cup chopped onion
¼ cup flour
14 oz. can chicken broth
1 can evaporated milk
2 large or 3 med. potatoes (baked)
Salt and pepper to taste
Bacon (I use pre-cooked bacon from Costco)
Grated cheese
Green onion

Melt butter in medium saucepan. Add onion and sauté until tender. Stir in flour, and then add broth and milk. Scoop pulp from one potato and mash; add to soup. Bring to boil and then add the rest of the potatoes (scoop the pulp and cut into cubes). Top with crumbled bacon, cheese and green onion.

The next recipe is my new favorite treat. It's not really a pancake, so I don't know why it's called that. I've been making it for dessert almost every night and it is so easy. It only takes a minute to prepare and I just stick it in the oven while we eat dinner.

Apple Oven Pancake

2 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 medium tart apple, peeled and thinly sliced
2 large eggs
½ cup all purpose flour
½ cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
lemon juice and powdered sugar

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter in a 9 inch pie plate in the oven. Brush melted butter up onto sides of pie plate. Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon over the bottom of the pan. Arrange sliced apple on top. Beat eggs slightly in a medium bowl with wire whisk or hand beater. Beat in flour, milk and salt until just mixed (do not overbeat). Pour into pie plate. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until puffy and deep golden brown. Loosen sides and invert pan over plate. Sprinkle with lemon juice and powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

A few items

Our first item of ward business today is you need to click on The Office clip to your right. It will be well worth your time. My favorite part is when Andy does the little bird thing with his hands. I used to hate him but he is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters. You already know I am partial to Abba so this just made him all the more appealing to me. Well, maybe appealing is not the right word... but just watch it and see.

Our second item is Pumpkin Cupcakes. Everyone has been posting their favorite fall treats so I thought I would share one of my very favorite fall recipes, Pumpkin Cupcakes. I am making these to take to my in-laws' house later today and a few of them may have already been consumed. I know they look tantalizing, especially the picture where I am lifting the cupcake up to your mouth, but alas, you cannot partake. Sorry about that. If you love me enough and ask nicely, maybe I will appear on your doorstep with a plateful one of these days...

Pumpkin Cupcakes

1 spice cake mix
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree
3 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup water
1 cup Nestle mini chocolate chips
1 container cream cheese frosting (I like Betty Crocker Whipped)

Preheat oven to 350. Paper-line or grease 24 muffin cups. Blend cake mix, pumpkin, eggs, oil and water in large mixer bowl until moistened. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake 18-22 minutes. Let cool. Spread cupcakes with frosting and decorate!

I have also made these in mini-loaf pans and they are great. So easy. Feel free to share your favorite recipe with me, or just show up on my doorstep with a sample. I promise I won't turn you away.

Our last item of business is that my clever husband has hunted down a picture and added it to one of my previous posts. I'm only bring it to your attention because I love this picture. It is at the very bottom of this post: http://yatesrgreat.blogspot.com/2007/09/to-all-fictional-character-ive-loved.html

And that about wraps it up for today.