Cold Brew Coffee

Good Morning. It is Monday and the perfect time to catch you all up on my current coffee addictions.

So the husband and I have been super into cold brew coffee these days! Somewhere along the way of a wedding, Christmas, and Chris’s birthday in December we accumulated a large amount of coffee. Now that is in no way a complaint, thank you to all who gave us coffee! We just have been dying to try them all so we decided to branch into iced coffee, and now we are OBSESSED!

Disclaimer: Even though this is homemade, I don’t know if this is cheaper then just buying iced coffee from a coffee shop, because of the high coffee to water ratio, but it will make you feel cooler and more hipster-y! Also it is delicious and super simple…so why not?

Here’s the final product**:

**Super cool blue straw not included in recipe.

Instructions for Best Cold Brew Coffee

1. Use a coffee grinder to grind your coffee bean of choice into  a coarse grind. (Really listen about the coarse grind, I went a bit overzealous on one batch and it was waaayy to strong). Note if you don’t have coffee grinder or prefer pre-ground beans then go for it! I just think it is more fresh to grind your own.
2.  Find a large air-tight container…mine was not glamorous, just a large tupperware bowl with a cover.
3. Place ground coffee and water in 3 to 1 ratio (3  cups of water for every cup of coffee). Then seal container and let it sit on the counter for 12 hours.
4. After 12 hours  (or overnight), strain coffee/water mixture.

5. Chill strained coffee in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.

6. Once coffee is sufficiently cool, poor 1/2 a cup over ice and then add 1/2 cup of milk, and 1 tsp of vanilla=the perfect coffee!

    

Milk time + vanilla= Awesome! It actually tastes like a sweetened fancy coffee drinks from starbucks, but in reality there is no sugar added!

 

FYI: We also tried making cold brew coffee with pre-ground coffee, and it definitely was not as good as grinding your own fresh.

~Alyssa

 

 

WIAW: Pre-Lent Feasting

Well folks, this is it. The big 4-0 (forty days of lent) has started. I think it is a little rude to look over all the gorgeous pictures of food, on a day of fasting. But hey what’s a little sacrifice?

Instead of showing off my fat Tuesday feasting, I chose to showcase my Monday, because, well, I’m lame. But honestly my fat Tuesday looked pretty similar to this, with the addition of a night time scone oh and a mid-day vanilla latte!

Both days I opted to supplement my day with candy instead of my usual larabar and fruit at snack time…well, because I was pre-feasting, obviously!

Breakfast: Oatmeal with banana and strawberries. Lunch: Leftover three bean quinoa chili with 2 eggs and avocado on top.

Snacking: Reeses, Dark Chocolate Truffles, Chocolate covered almonds…basically anything chocolate. Aaannd some venison summer sausage made by my Father-in-law. Oh my goodness summer sausage is my weakness, I could eat it all day and all night. And this venison summer sausage is top notch! Yumm. I keep sending Chris pictures every time I eat it(because he is away on business) and he is super jealous!

Dinner: Mediterranean Salad with homemade dressing and chickpea croutons! Recipe here. With a side of sweet potato fries (unpictured, too busy getting wrapped up in the Bachelor drama).

Dessert: Finally finished this guy, while trying not to choke, while scoffing at the bachelor and his poor communication skills.

Happy Ash Wednesday and here’s to a blessed lent filled with much prayer, fasting, and alms giving. Lent is a season for growing, but to grow we must first be open to the plans the Lord has for us.

As always thanks to Jenn from peasandcrayons for hosting this food fiesta.

~Alyssa

Mediterranean Salad w/Chickpea Croutons!

Good Morning and Happy Fat Tuesday to everyone!

You may ask, “Why is she sharing a salad recipe on Fat Tuesday?” Well, that my friends is a good question. But I just had to share this salad that I have been obsessed with the last couple weeks! It is simple, tasty, and will have you hooked in no time! And Yes, while it is Fat Tuesday, you could have this salad for lunch….and then indulge for dessert or for dinner. There’s nothing wrong with getting those leafy greens in.

There are 2 secrets to this salad, the dressing, and the chickpeas. And don’t you worry I will walk you through both of them!

Let’s start with the chickpeas!

Chickpea Crouton Ingredients

adapted from asimplepantry.com
Prep time: 5 minutes baking time: 30 minutes

• 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed (I used reduced sodium)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2  tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400°
2. Spread chickpeas on a cookie sheet and lightly spray with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Bake for 20 minutes (stirring at 10 minutes)
3. After 20 minutes remove from oven and pour into a mixing bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well.
4. Return to baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 more minutes. Let cool and Devour!

Ok, so that is easy enough! Now we move onto the dressing. Guys. No Joke, this dressing is GOOD!

Creamy Greek Yogurt Dressing

• 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1-2 Tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp spicy brown mustard
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp ground mustard (optional)
• salt and pepper

1. In small mixing bowl start with greek yogurt and add in all ingredients. Whisk together. If too thick for your preference, may add 1-2 tsp water until the consistency you want!

Ok so now the dressing and croutons are ready. Fill your bowl with greens, some red peppers, green onions, and any other salad toppings your heart desires, then layer croutons and dressing on top.

I will be eating some dark chocolate and a latte today, because I will be saying goodbye to both of those things for 40 days!

Happy Fat Tuesday Ya’ll!

Alyssa

 

WIAW- Snakes, on a TRAIN

Happy Happy Wednesday!

Already this week has been crazy, filled with Data collection, Master’s Projects, weight loss counseling, and 6 am runs, and cupcake runs! Where there is a run…there is a cupcake soon to follow!

Let’s back up to this weekend, when Chris and I traveled to WI to do a bed and breakfast on a train. Chris got it from groupon and we had no idea what to expect. But it was really fun. We got on at 5 pm on Saturday and I sipped on some wine and appetizers before we departed.

We had salad, soup, steak, and cheesecake. Every time we got to another stop we would get another course. With Chris traveling so much, it was so great just to be with him and we had fun goofing around and playing board games to our hearts content (I was the big winner). The last car of the train they had turned into a bar with booths, darts, and a pacman machine. Chris was glued to that baby so fast and even pulled me in for a little frogger.

And then here is what I ate Monday. Started off the day with some apple and blueberry oatmeal, moved on to a bbq ranch chicken salad, and finished with some turkey enchilada tacos. Oh and then really finished with a gluten-free chocolate cupcake from Cupcake. We got a coupon in the mail and knew exactly what was for dessert tonight.

Oh and various snacking on this monstrosity throughout the day…

I guess with Valentine’s Day approaching, it’s just a chocolate kind of day/week.

Question(s) of the day?

• What’s your favorite weekend getaway?
• What’s your favorite cupcake flavor?

And as always thanks to Jen from Peasandcrayons for hosting this chocolate celebration!

~Alyssa

 

 

Gluten-free Pizza Crust Review

Hey Guys,

So when Chris is not traveling we like to devote Thursdays to our date night. And one of our favorite date night activities is making homemake pizza and snuggling up to watch a movie. Here starts my journey on finding the BEST gluten-free pizza crust!

The first one we put to the test: Pampered Chef. I got this from my mother-in-law for Christmas and we couldn’t wait to try it out! I did not even know that pampered chef had gluten-free options!

Because it was a prepackaged mix, the ease of the recipe was pretty high.  All we did was add in egg and oil! Here is a recipe  even an accountant can handle.

 

Yeah we used our new kitchen aid, with  the bread dough attachment, when we could have used a spoon, because well we have a kitchanaid now!

After mixing, the dough was sooo sticky (which it warned about on the package), we tried to roll it out and it was a mess so we just kind of pushed it with our hands.

Then we baked. Tada!

Of course Chris added some garlic chunks to the crust..which you can see in this picture. And surprisingly the crust did not stick to the pan…I was foreseeing a mess, after seeing how sticky it was pre-baking.

Then we added all the fix-ins… This pizza had bacon, green pepper, onion, pepperoni, and cheese.

Yumm!

Overall rating:  Me: 3/5, Chris: 3/5

The texture was GREAT! It held up well during cutting and was perfectly crisp which is hard to find in gluten-free products. The only downfalls were the stickiness of the dough and that once we finally tasted our masterpiece it was very salty. When you add pepperoni and cheese to the already salty crust, it was a bit much…but we still managed to eat it all.

It was so fun to make and very delicious….but the search continues, until next date night!

Help with the search and leave any and all delicious pizza recipes, we will be baking this Thursday (and the one on the menu is made from quinoa..shhh don’t tell Chris)!

~Alyssa

 

Faith Friday: Sincere Love

TGIF!! Woo this has been a crazy week filled with many ups and just a few downs! But hey Chris will be home all week next week and I am beyond excited to have someone to eat dinner with.

 

Speaking of Chris, we signed up for an adoration hour this fall on Thursday nights. This hour of prayer, though late at night, has helped me to focus on the bigger picture and “not sweat the small stuff.” As part of my prayer time, I have been reading St. Maria Faustina’s diary.

Last night I read a particular passage that really resonated with me.

“Help me, O Lord, that my heart may be merciful so that I myself may feel all the sufferings of my neighbor. I will refuse my heart to no one. I will be sincere even with those who, I know, will abuse my kindness. And I will lock myself up in the most merciful Heart of Jesus. I will bear my own suffering in silence. May Your mercy, O Lord, rest upon me.”

This meant a lot to me because my internships this semester have me at a Weight loss clinic and a nursing home. As I approach counseling in both these different situations, I know that I do not bring perfection in the form of knowledge and that I do not have all the right answers. But I revel in the fact that I can be there, and listen, and love them. As I sit and listen to their stories, it is devastating to hear the unhappiness, stress, and business people are filling their lives with. There is so much hurt that has accumulated in their lives that they have directed toward their relationship with food. Like most things in life, there is not an easy fix or solution, but I’m glad I can offer something.

So I make a challenge to all you readers to wake up this morning and just love! Show love in your smallest of actions or in big gestures. Just love.

 

Oh and eat some quinoa….it’s good for that big ole heart of yours.

~Alyssa

WIAW-Zasta time

Hello and Good Morning all you beautiful people this Wednesday morning. I chose my WIAW from this Monday. Chris had to work up north this week and plus we had to bring in the Super Bowl with his football fanatic family. So we had a fun weekend in our hometown! We went hiking, watched a hockey game, and bonded with our families.  I wish I had taken a picture of the spread the in-laws had at the Superbowl, because oh my goodness so much good food in one place.

Moving onto this Monday, it all started with oatmeal and coffee with my mom while we watched the today show and talked about everything from Katy Perry to the controversial 50 shades of grey (neither of us have read it…so it’s not that scandalous).

Then I ran to the DMV to get my new drivers liscence. And I came back just STARVING! So what’s a girl to do? Obvi make breakfast numero 2: yellow bell pepper and cheese omelette.

After watching KLG and Hoda and working on some homework for the rest of the morning my mom called and asked if I wanted to accompany her to lunch before I embarked on my journey back to Minneapolis. Of course I said Yes! Salman with roasted veggies on the side.

After grocery shopping and working out I came back and snacked on a greek yogurt muffin while making me some Zasta (zucchini pasta (my dad dubbed it that)) with pesto and parmesan cheese…so good. I still don’t think I’ve quite mastered pesto, but it was delicious none the less.

As always thanks to Jenn from peasandcrayons for this fiesta of food!

Question of the day: Are you a pasta or marinara fan? And what is the funnest (most fun…I know) thing you have made in the kitchen lately? I would say I am still a marinara fan, but pesto is working its way into my heart! And the funnest thing is anything I can put inside the veggeti. I can’t get enough of it.

~Alyssa