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WIAW: Quick, Easy, & Delicious

Posted on January 25, 2012 by kissmybroccoli

Hey guys!

Well, it’s that time of week again…yep, time for the latest edition of
What I Ate Wednesday!

As always, a big THANK YOU to the lovely Jenn of Peas & Crayons for putting this party together for all us foodies each and every week!

This week, I’ve been doing things a little differently.

I’ve actually gotten up each day this week and been at the gym by 6:00am! The only drawback? Less time for snoozing and being lazy before I have to leave for work by 8:30 am…

A cup of coffee pre-workout is not usually my thing, but 5:30am on a Monday morning sometimes requires routines to be changed up a little.

Once I got home, it was a mad dash for the shower, into the kitchen for cup of Joe numero dos and one of the best yogurt bowls I’ve made in while!

The NEW star players…

And the final masterpiece…before it was all stirred up and eaten in the car on the way to work!

What? You guys know I’m no stranger to seemingly non-portable breakfasts in the car…oh yeah, my knee driving skills are top notch! 😉

Lunch was leftover Greek Lamb Burgers with Tzatziki and a side of steamed asparagus and oven roasted potato chips.

Just as delicious the next day!

Latest snack obsession: pistachios and citrus

I actually picked up a HUGE bag of pistachios at Sam’s Club for the first time the last week and now they are my go-to snack. I never thought they’d be worth the work to break open each.and.every.one, but boy was I wrong!

Citrus for the day was a Honey Tangerine!

Anyone tried these babies? They are amazing…so sweet! 🙂

After a very LONG day (10 hour shift full of pure craziness), some leftover spaghetti squash came to my rescue for dinner.

Remember those vegan burgers from that amazing cookbook review I did back in the summer?

Since they freeze outstandingly well, I had something quick on-hand to toss on top of my faux-ghetti! Topped with a little bit of crushed tomatoes (from a can) mixed with Italian spices, garlic, salt & pepper and I had a wonderful filling meal in all of about 10 minutes!

And get this! I am ROCKING the water consumption lately!

I filled this 500mL (16oz) bottle up EIGHT times!!
…and I peed about EIGHT THOUSAND times! 😉

What’s the best thing you’ve eaten today?

What’s the last thing you ate in the car?

Posted in What I Ate Wednesday | Tagged burgers, cereal, chia seeds, coffee, Greek yogurt, pistachios, spaghetti squash | 28 Comments

Lamb Burgers with Greek Yogurt Tzatziki Sauce

Posted on January 23, 2012 by kissmybroccoli

Hey guys!

I hope you all survived the weekend…seriously…have you seen all the storms happening around the country? I’m not one for snow, but c’mon Mother Nature! Tornados in the middle of January?! You’re sense of humor sucks!

We had some pretty high winds resulting in fallen trees and down power lines, but I’m happy to report all in Casa de Broccoli are alive and counted for…though if Tiger does NOT stop trying to eat my newest house plant, we might be down a family member 😉

So Friday night, I decided to whip up a little something different for BB and I for dinner. While thinking of what to make, I spied in the freezer the pound of frozen ground lamb I picked up waaaaaaaay back when the farmer’s market was still going on. Remember when I said I was going to make some Greek-style burgers? Don’t worry…I don’t blame you if you don’t…I can’t even find the post! But anyways…

I FINALLY did it!

BAM!

Greek Lamb Burgers with Tzatziki: (serves 4)

1 pound ground lamb
1 egg
2 handfuls chopped fresh spinach
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
salt & pepper
3/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

1. Preheat your indoor or outdoor grill to medium heat (I used a grill pan skillet).
2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and (now’s not the time to get girly) roll up your sleeves, and dig your fingers in.
3. Work ingredients together until well combined and then pat out evenly into 4 large patties.
4. Rub grill down with a napkin soaked in olive oil to prevent the burgers from sticking.
5. Cook approximately 6-7 minutes per side or until browned and grill marks appear.
6. Serve on a whole wheat bun with homemade tzatziki sauce (recipe follows) and red onion slices.

Greek Yogurt Tzatziki Sauce: (serves 4)

3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 medium-sized cucumber, peeled and finely diced
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Serve atop Greek Lamb Burgers.

I could not help but be impressed with the way these burgers turned out! The combination of the spinach, feta, and lean ground lamb was already a winner, but the homemade tzatziki sent it over the top!

Warm grilled lamb with tangy feta, cool drippy sauce, and the nice crispness of sliced red onion…better known as heaven on a plate!

I had the last one for lunch today and it was just as good as the night I first made them! I seriously cannot wait to do more experimenting with ground lamb in the future…such a great flavor!

Have you ever eaten lamb or what is your favorite Greek dish?

Any of you get any crazy storms over the weekend?

Posted in Entree | Tagged burgers, feta, Greek, Greek yogurt, grilling, lamb, recipe, spinach | 18 Comments

Flashback Friday: Gone Fishin’

Posted on January 20, 2012 by kissmybroccoli

Happy Friday Boos!

I hope you all had a good week. Any exciting plans for the weekend?

BB and I are meeting some friends of mine in Nashville for some pizza and pottery painting on Sunday. Sound familiar? Now I just have to decide if I want to paint a bowl or a plate to match my KMB mug! 😉

So, I already told you guys about mine and BB’s sa-here-reiously lazy Sunday, but I thought I’d do a fun flashback post to show you guys what happened the next day!

Time for a roadtrip!

But first, how about a little glimpse of the food that fueled our trip?

I broke out my latest Christmas present to myself and got to flapjackin’ while BB was on bacon duty.

I can’t believe I almost forgot about this pancake mix that I picked up from Trader Joe’s back in NOVEMBER!!

For the record, it is beyond delicious! From the moment I opened the bag and caught a whiff of the pumpkin spiciness, I knew it was going to be a good morning!

This breakfast kept ME full for hours…unfortunately, BB “had” to stop for a snack along the way:

Sorry, but I laugh every time I look at this pic! I told him, “Take a big bite and look at me!” Bahahaha!

So where were we going? Oh just a quick jaunt (total sarcasm, it’s like a 2 hour trip!) to Kentucky to visit BB’s mom. Once we got there, we did a little bit of this:

I’m telling you, it’s been about TEN years since I’ve held a fishing pole! I used to go with some of my friends when I was in high school, but it was more of a “let the boys fish and all us girls will just sit on the bank and talk about the boys” sort of thing. I’ve never actually caught a fish on my own that I can remember.

But I did my best to make it look good!

Unfortunately, after casting into just about every tree, shrub, or bush that was surrounding the pond, I gave up and let BB start casting for me.

I actually DID end up getting one bite…it startled me so I ended up losing it, but it felt good to come close to catching my first fish!

It was a bit cold and windy that day so we didn’t stay out for long, but I WAS able to get a quick shot of the two of us before heading in for some lunch…

Mad self-portrait skills right there folks! 😉

Once back inside, BB’s mama heated us up some leftover chili (sorry no pic) and a childhood favorite to go along with it…

Mmm, peanut butter crackers!!

We stayed for a while longer chatting and watching some Who Wants To Be a Millionaire (wow, that show has changed a LOT since I used to watch it) before heading back to Tennessee.

On the way back, BB decided to take the “scenic route”

Even though the wind had picked up a bit and it had started to sprinkle, I hung half out of the car window with my cell phone and was able to get a couple of good pictures of Kentucky Lake.

This one was my favorite!

The rest of the ride was spent chatting and hand holding:

The best part about long car rides 🙂

We were so lost in conversation that we almost signed ourselves up for a smelly evening:

This little guy was just chilling in the middle of the road.

I had never actually seen a live skunk this close before so obviously I took a few pictures:

I never knew that some of them were all white on top! Hmm, learn something new every day, right?

Speaking of animals, BB asked me on the last leg of our trip what I was craving for dinner and well, ever since I started following Sonali @thefoodiephysician on Instagram, I’ve been drooling over practically everything she posts, but the one that stuck with me the most was a picture of some perfectly sauced up spare ribs.

Without hesitation, I spit out “RIBS!”

Pretty sure you can’t suggest anything better to a hungry carnivorous man 😉

So we ducked into the first grocery store we came to, picked up the necessities and once we got home, I set to work.