Roasted Cauliflower and Vermont Cheddar Soup

I'm trying my best to make it through this blog post before cleaning my computer screen.

The puppy doesn't understand what the computer does and continually puts her nose prints and tongue on it.

She also thinks she hears the hubs coming home every 5 minutes and RUNS to the front door.

Hopefully one day she will figure out it's the TV?

Tonight I was on my own for dinner, well actually, I am pretty much on my own all week because of law school (cry...sniff...cry).  And this rainy Monday has left me craving soup!  The hubs doesn't mind too much because he gets to take yummy food to school for lunch!  He has since come home, tried the soup and professed his undying love for it... and me :)

I have been dying to try this recipe ever since I pinned it!

My more recent love for cauliflower led to daydreams about this creamy soup.

I DEFINITELY recommend it! Go make this NOW!

Roasted Cauliflower and Aged NE White Cheddar Soup

Makes about 4-6 servings.

1 head of cauliflower

1 small onion

1 tsp thyme

2 garlic cloves (minced)

3 cups chicken broth

1 cup skim milk

1 1/2 cups white aged cheddar cheese

salt and pepper

olive oil

Roast cauliflower florets at 400 for 20 minutes.

Dice up small onion and begin sauteing in pot with olive oil.

Stir in 2 garlic cloves and thyme for about one minute.

Add chicken broth and roasted cauliflower, bring to boil.

Once boiling, bring back down to simmer and cover for 20 minutes.

Using immersion blender (hand blender), blend until soup consistency.

Add in cheese, stir until melted in.  Do not boil cheese.

Add in milk and stir.

Now... ENJOY :)

butternut squash soup

This Monday is finally coming to an end.  

We are wrapping up the evening by watching the debate, of course.

The hubs and I fell in love talking politics, so what else would we do.

But earlier tonight...

Let me just tell you... I outdid myself.

I mean I'm seriously impressed.

I made a soup.

And not just one with tons of beans, but something yummy and healthy.

Husband ate two bowls, so I know I'm not crazy, it's REALLY good!

Butternut Squash Soup.

YUM.

And it gave me an excuse to buy an immersion blender.

What goes in it?

1 large butternut squash (3-4 cups cubed)

2 carrots peeled

2 celery stalks

1 small onion

7 cups of fat free chicken broth

4 sage leaves

1/2 cup skim milk

salt and pepper

How do you put it together?

Get out a big pot and lid.

Cube your butternut squash.

Chop up your celery and onion.

Peel your carrot.

Throw it all in the pot.

Add chicken broth and sage leaves.

Boil for 10 minutes.

Cover and simmer for 40 minutes.

Remove sage leaves.

Puree with immersion blender (while on stove).

Add milk, salt and pepper to taste.

Puree, puree, puree.

Add some parmesan cheese to the top if you like.

Trust me, you won't regret it.

I hope you ENJOY :)

Insta-Tuesday

For Insta-Tuesday, I will catch up on my life through Instagram pictures!
Since last week, I have been busy, busy, busy!  I am SO happy we had a three day weekend!  I think it's finally helped me get over the hill with this cold I've had!  I always catch something from one of my kiddos in the first couple weeks!  So happy that's over with!

First, I watched a lot of the Republican National Convention.  If I haven't mentioned it, I teach Government.  And I love politics.  I started keeping a journal of government quotes.  I write one down every day.  Liberal, conservative, general observations... all of it.  My goal is that next semester, I would have enough to have a Quote of the Day, everyday.

My volleyball team was undefeated (and even won a tournament) until last week.  We lost one game Thursday night.  Losing makes you stronger though, right? 

And where else would I spend a Saturday in Athens when there is a home game?  That's right, I was there to see Gurly run those amazing touchdowns!  And I have the sunburn to prove it! GO DAWGS!

After the game, the hubs and I went to dinner with my parents.  Then spent our "date night" at this movie.  I highly HIGHLY recommend it, whatever your beliefs are.  I would also highly recommend reading President Obama's book, Dreams From My Father.  I cannot stress enough that Americans need to understand foreign and economic policy much better.

And now that I'm off my soap box, I made the carrot chips!  They were really yummy and SO easy!  David and I chowed down on them.  Perfect snack!

We also spent part of this weekend celebrating the marriage of David's cousins!  We had so much fun!  I haven't uploaded my pictures yet, but I did capture her precious favors on Instagram!  Missy made the cutest monogrammed mason jars for us to drink out of at the wedding and take home!  What a GREAT idea!

I hope your Labor Day weekend was as relaxing and fun as mine!  I can smell the amazing supper my husband has been working on in the kitchen now!  It pays to marry a chef :)

cauliflower pizza

I have been extremely under the weather this week.  Some bug has gotten me and apparently refuses to leave! UGH!  I've done lots of sleeping, sleeping, and sleeping.... and just trying to recover!  My volleyball girls made me this sweet Get Well card!  It definitely helped!

I have had time to get over prepared for this coming week though!  And if I haven't made it obvious, I love cauliflower!  There are SO MANY uses for it!  When I learned that you can make pizza crust our of it, well I was sold.  And I love pizza, SO MUCH!  I'm looking so forward to trying it this week!  I will let you know how mine turns out!  Look how yummy it looks!

Stuffed Peppers!

I have been eying stuffed peppers on Pinterest for awhile now. And after repeatedly being told that a crock pot is a teacher's best friend, I decided to give them a try!

I spent my Saturday doing laundry, writing lesson plans, and getting ready for the first day of school. I was so busy and seriously all over the place. So I popped those peppers in the crock pot for the day.

They were amazing! David and I are in love! They were nothing I expected, and so good!!!

Let me tell you what I did! First, I put some ground turkey in a bowl. Then I added tons of seasonings, which included:

-Onion Powder
-Oregano
-Salt
-Minced garlic
-Seasoned salt
-Garlic salt

I tossed them all together. While doing this, I was boiling some rice. Once the rice had boiled, I added a cup of cooked brown rice to the meat and tossed it all together!

Lastly, I added about a 1/2 cup of marinara sauce to the meat mixture. My sauce had chunks of tomato and basil in it, adding a good texture to the meat!

I cut the tops off my peppers (I used two green and two red) and cleaned them out. I stuffed them with the meat mixture. I even put some of the leftover mixture on two of the tops.

I put them close together in the crock pot and cooked on high the first 2 hours, then low for 4 more hours. However, I read that low for 8 hours works too.

For the last 2 minutes I threw some mozzarella cheese on them and it was perfect!

I thought David would demolish at least two of these, but one was plenty!  I could hardly eat a whole one!  So now we have leftovers :)

Seriously, these peppers are so good! I would recommend them to anyone!

I hope you enjoy!

Chef Courtney

Just before my wedding, I wrote about my cooking first meal as a wife. Well, it has taken some time, lots of moving and lots of traveling has prevented it from occurring before this week.

However! I have exciting news! I did t! And it was SO YUMMY!!!! First of all, my goal was to create a meal that I could enjoy without thinking about carbs and sugar. Check. Defeating insulin resistance one day at a time!

We had artichoke and parm stuffed chicken, zucchini parm, and mashed cauliflower. It was so good! David said the mashed cauliflower was better than mashed potatoes! I threw some cheese in them and they were unbelievable! And let me just go ahead and put this out there.... I'M A REALY GOOD COOK!!! I'm trying not to let my head get too big, but I have been really successful this week! I even perfected a guacamole (my new love) recipe!

I'm always looking for alternative foods and recipes to replace carbs. Do you know of any I can try?

what to cook?

The official countdown to my wedding is now 4 DAYS!!!!! I'm over the top excited :) :)

However, this blog is going to be about after the wedding. And after the honeymoon.

It's about food.

I feel as if the first meal I cook as a married woman is an important one.  So I have very carefully selected several dishes -all Pinterest and blog inspired- to choose from.  AND I would MUCH appreciate having your opinion on the matter!  So let me know what you think would be the most memorable first meal for my new hubby in my comments!

Oh and did I mention this is a 3 course meal?  Well, it is.  And carb-free/low-carb, sugar free?  Well, it is.  Setting my goals high people.

Possible Appetizers

Cauliflower Pizza

Skinny Spinach Dip

Hot Chorizo and Cheese Dip

Possible Dishes

White Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Picatta

Possible Sides to a Chicken Dish

Zucchini Cakes (No Flour Added!)

Fake Mashed Potatoes! (I've been dying to try these!)

Possible Dessert

Frozen Peanut Butter Pie 

 

Okay, I know the Peanut Butter Pie doesn't look sugar free, but it is flour free and I can do a lot with the ingredients to get the sugar out!  But again, let me know if you have any suggestions?  What are your favorite main dishes, etc.?

Getting excited!

Love,

the quiche has risen

My new diet has tested me to try new things! I have a list of recipes I'm itching to try. However, I need a food processor for most of them. Maybe soon?! But tonight, I'm baking a crustless quiche for me and my man. He's super pumped because it's all protein, and I'm excited because it has less than 2 carbs, no sugar, and almost no fat! Way to go me! I even took a picture of my excitement!!

David seriously had to talk me into waiting on the quiche to finish. I wanted to check it every five minutes. What I haven't told you yet is that my man, he can cook! Now, he hasn't been able to cook as often as he wants since he's been in law school. But he definitely enjoys helping me in the kitchen.

And waaaalaaaaa, the final product!


It was so yummy!! Since it was crustless, I took the advice of my friend Sarah and used turkey bacon around the edges to give it that crunchy crusty feeling. THANK YOU SARAH! It was amazing!

Hope you had a great week and are having a wonderful Sunday!