BBQ Chicken Quinoa

This is a fairly quick and very healthy summertime meal. 

It's great for dinner and almost better for lunch the next day. 

You can change it up or add more stuff to it if you'd like. 

Might be good with shredded carrots, peas, tomatoes, etc...

Happy cooking to you:) 

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked quinoa (I used organic white)

about 2 cups frozen organic corn

about a handful of snap peas, cut in half or thirds

about a half of a bunch of green onions, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

4 chicken tenderloins, boiled and shredded

 BBQ sauce (I used Annie's Naturals 

Organic Sweet & Spicy BBQ sauce from whole foods)

Directions: 

1. Boil chicken 

(bring water to boil, add salt and pepper, 

drop chicken in and let cook for 4-5 minutes. 

remove from water, cool, and shred)

2. Cook quinoa according to package 

(usually 1 cup quinoa, 2 cups water. bring to a boil then cover, 

reduce to a simmer and let simmer for 10-15 min. fluff with a fork when done)

3. In a sauté pan at about medium heat add a drizzle of olive oil, 

add minced garlic--watch it so it doesn't burn 

4. Add thawed corn and cook a few minutes

5. Add chicken, cook a few minutes

6. Add snap peas and green onions, cook for a few minutes 

7. Add chicken and vegetables to quinoa and add BBQ sauce  to taste (a little at a time so it doesn't overpower it)

8. If needed add s&p and/or more bbq sauce 

Garnish with cilantro. 

enjoy!

Watermelon, Basil, Feta Salad

Get ready to impress.

  

With VERY little effort.

This salad is oh so pretty. 

It's like the perfect sundress...in a salad version. 

makes sense to me 

:)

Ingredients: 

Seedless watermelon, cut into bite-sized chunks

Handful (or more) of feta

Couple handfuls of basil, chopped

Lime juice

Sea Salt

Olive Oil
Tiny drizzle of balsamic vinegar and/or sprinkle of orange zest if desired.

Directions: 

 Chop of the watermelon and basil. 

Squeeze a little lime juice and add a few dashes of olive oil.

 Lightly toss together. 

Sprinkle the feta on top (don't stir or it gets messy looking)

Top with a little sea salt and vinegar/orange zest if you wish.

Serve on a bed of arugula or on its own.
Garnish with fresh mint or basil.

Enjoy! 

Spinach Lemon Pasta Bake

This pasta dish is fresh, summery, and simple.

 It's a good one to make for a crowd. 

Ingredients: 

12-16 oz. whole wheat pasta (not a spaghetti type of noodle)

1 lemon, zested and juiced (use 1/2 lemon if you don't love lemon)

2 c fresh spinach, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 c milk or half and half, any kind 

1-2 T butter

1-2 T flour

1/4 c parmesan cheese

1/4 c shredded mozzarella

red pepper flakes

basil, dried or fresh

s&p to taste 

Directions: 

Preheat over to 350. 

Make pasta, drain, put back in pot with a dash of olive oil to prevent sticking.

Add butter to sauce pan and melt. Saute garlic in butter. 

Add milk, flour, lemon juice & zest, and spices (including basil).

Stir with whisk until it thickens.

Add sauce, spinach, and cheese to pasta (reserve a little parmesan for the top) Stir.

Transfer to casserole dish and top with remaining parmesan cheese.

Bake covered for 20 minutes.

Uncover and bake 5 more minutes. 

Garnish with fresh basil and serve.

Enjoy! 

garden lettuce wraps with shrimp

I've made these twice in the past 2 weeks. They are fun, a good thing to share with friends, really healthy, and so so good. It does require some chopping and a teensy bit of sauteeing, but other than that there's nothing to these! Change up the ingredients if you'd like, but I'll share what I put in mine.

What I used:

-Bibb lettuce (iceberg might work as well)

-shrimp

-red pepper, thinly sliced

-chives

-cilantro

-cucumber, thinly sliced

-carrots, thinly sliced

-portabella mushrooms, thinly sliced and sauteed

-lime wedges

-edamame (for appetizer)

-Soy Vay Island Teriyaki (from whole foods. it's like soy sauce, but much better...with ginger, sesame seeds, and other goodness)

How to prepare lettuce wraps:

Chop and organize all your vegetables into little bowls or dishes.

Saute portabello mushrooms (and red bell pepper if you'd like) in a couple teaspoons of olive oil for about 5 minutes.

Add shrimp to bowl and pour some Soy Vay sauce on shrimp (about 3 Tbs). Sprinkle a small handfull of chives over shrimp. Sautee over medium high heat for about 3-4 minutes, stirring/flipping shrimp gently until shrimp are cooked through.

Assemble lettuce wraps any way you like. I like lettuce, shrimp, all the vegetables you want, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.

mmm!

enjoy!

daydreaming about summer

I have 13 days of work left until SUMMER.

Yesssssssssssssssssssss!!!

Excited is an under statement.

We have lots of visitors coming this summer. We're going to a couple weddings in Texas!

 I'm nannying for 3 kids this summer which I'm really excited about (4 days a week. no lesson plans. no observations. time at the pool. getting to know some sweet teenagers.... all sounds perfect!)

 And Ryan will keep on keeping on in his second (almost) year of residency.

I've been daydreaming a lot about Summer lately.

swimming.

bathing suit coverups.
bright nail polish.
being barefoot.

 weddings.

frozen yogurt.

(craving a snow cone so badly, but they don't exist here. if you're in houston, please enjoy one for me. white coconut, light on the syrup. mmmm) 

grilling.

cold drinks.

margaritas.

family. 

friends.

no more sunday blues.

eeeeeeeeeee i can't wait.

There are countless things that I love about summer!!

One thing I'm REALLY excited about is lightened-up, summery fresh food.

 salads. grilled veggies. watermelon as a meal (mixed with feta and basil and grape tomatoes of course!) lots of herbs. fruit. veggies, veggies, and fruit. and margaritas. and the pool. wait a second...

cooking light has some great summer meal/side ideas. can't wait to try a lot of them!

http://www.cookinglight.com/food/in-season/scb-sides-0040000002%208195/page33.html

convo with 3 of my 5th graders today:

student # 1: so Mrs. Aubuchon, what do you like to do? i mean like what's fun to you? what do you do besides teach?

me: well i like a lot of things... (then i was cut off by student #2)

student #2: she likes to read! right, mrs. aubuchon? you love reading?

me: yes i love reading and i like some other things

all the students: YOU DO? LIKE WHAT?

me (laughing): well like cooking and exercising and being outside and with friends and at the pool and travelling and lots of things :)

them (totally shocked at the idea that i'm a regular human not just a reading teacher): ohhhhhhhhhhh

:)

I'd love to hear about what you're looking forward to doing and/or cooking this summer!!

Happy almost Summer!

my favorite way to eat corn...thanks, Mom!

What you'll need:

5 ears of corn (with all their clothes on..if you know what i mean. corn clothes=husks)

3 big cloves of garlic

about 2 T olive oil

about 1/2 tablespoon of butter

a little salt

a little pepper

a dash of cayenne pepper

What to do:

-Bring a big pot of water to a boil

-put all 5 ears of corn (husks and all) in the pot of boiling water

-boil for about 3 minutes

-remove from boiling water with tongs and place under cold water

-remove husks and cut corn off the cob

-heat olive oil and butter in skillet

-add garlic and corn

-saute for a couple minutes

-season with salt, pepper, and cayenne

it's crunchy and sweet and ohh so good.

enjoy!

Dad's famous margaritas!!

Our heat is off. I ran in shorts and a t-shirt all week. I put my winter boots in the closet. We made margs! Thank you, little groundhog, looks like it really is going to be an early Spring. yahoo!!!!

Consider this your birthday and Christmas present for the next...well a long time (jk).  I'm about to share my Dad's margarita recipe.

bad lighting, picture doesn't do it justice, but here she is..in all her glory!

What you need:
spring or summer weather, good company, and good food
and...

1 can minute maid limeade (small) (don't throw limeadae can away, this is what you'll use to measure the other stuff)
1 can tequilla
1/2 can triple sec or cointreau
however much ice you want to make it the consistency you like
margarita salt
limes
a spoonful of grand marnier on top, if you're fancy like my Dad :)

What to do:
Blend it.
Well, first put in limeade, tequilla, triple sec, and ice. Blend.
Rub lime on rim, dip in marg salt, pour deliciousness in your glass, and top with a spoonful of grand marnier.

No margarita mix flavor, just limey tequilla-y goodness.

Enjoy!