Enchilada Bar

Chicken, rice, and a fresh veg is my easy go to meal. I always have left overs. I could pack it for lunch, but I found a way to re purpose it without it feeling like yesterdays dinner. When I eat super clean I tend to crave naughty favorites....like Cafe Rio. I'm not trying to fool myself into thinking I can make anything healthy that mimics the taste of a smothered burrito. What I can do is make a healthy alternative that fulfills my cravings. This enchilada recipe is super easy and great for kids.

Enchiladas

6- Whole Wheat Tortillas 

1 can- Green Chili Enchilada Sauce 

1 can- Black Beans (drained and rinsed)

2- Cooked Diced Chicken Breasts 

2 cups- Cooked Brown Rice

1/2 cup- Shredded cheese

Fresh Cilantro to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 8 x 8 pan pour about a forth of the sauce in the bottom. Place the first tortilla in the pan. Add 1/6th of the beans, chicken, brown rice, cilantro, and a splash of sauce. Fold tortilla ends and roll. Push the first rolled tortilla to the edge and continue assembling the next five. When finished pour the remaining sauce on top evenly and sprinkle cheese. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place in the oven for 20 minutes or until heated through.

A fun interactive way to prepare food is to provide multiple choices and let people put what they want on their plate.

I just used what I had in the house..

Avocado

Green Onion

Tomato 

Spinach

Spinach is a great alternative to ice berg. It gives the same affect but is pack with a lot more vitamins and nutrients! Try it! 

Cilantro Lime Greek Yogurt

1/2 cup- Plain Greek Yogurt

1- Lime

1 TBS- Cilantro

Salt to Taste

 Combine yogurt, lime zest, lime juice, finely chopped cilantro, and salt. 

Simple as that! 

Using Greek Yogurt is a great alternative to sour cream. It's fat free and packed with protein!

I apologize I don't have a picture of the enchiladas..I made them for Jake and his friend Greg and they were on the plate and gone before I could snap a shot. 

Love, 

LEX & JAKE 

XO

The Oak Post..

The Oakster...

 ..is getting pretty big these days. He is a little over seven months and is weighing in at about 65 lbs. He has already clogged our vacuum with his fur, and learned how to jump over my parent's fence. He still loves torturing my mom's lil' Yorkie Peanut. This hyper Husky loves his freezing cold walks and lying outside in the snow. I love my companion he keeps me company while Jake is on shift, and always keeps me on my feet. He thinks he is human and tries to talk to you with his dorky howl. He is obsessed with his grandma and knows when I am talking to her on the phone. He goes nuts when he hears her voice. This smarty pants knows when I am getting ready for school and will hide the best he can in our small two bedroom condo. He thinks he can out smart me so he doesn't have to go in his kennel. His naughty habit of jumping and cuddling on the bed in the morning is something I can't bare to break.

Him telling me to screw off, and that he didn't want to take family pictures.

His favorite place... Grandma & Grandpa's cabin.

He loves his toys. Especially the ones Santa brought.

Love, 

Jake & Lex XO

No Bake Protien Bars

Jake and I are always on the go and need a quick snack that will fill us up and give us energy. There are thousands of options at the grocery store, but most of the ingredient lists look like this...

If you can't pronounce it ...don't eat it.

There are healthier options such as Luna, Kashi, Cliff and so on. I turned to those for a while but if they weren't on sale I couldn't afford to buy them. I came up with a better, healthier, CHEAPER option! When in doubt make it yourself...

P.B. &  Nutella Protien Bars

2 cups- Quick Oats

3/4 cup- Organic Peanut Butter

1/4 cup- Nutella

1 TBS- Protein Powder (Chocolate or Vanilla)

1/2 TBS- Honey or Agave Syrup

1/4 cup- Peanuts

Mix peanut butter, Nutella, protein powder, and honey together in a large mixing bowl. Place in microwave for 30 seconds to warm through. Fold in the Quick Oats and peanuts. Place the mixture in a loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Spread mixture evenly throughout pan. Place another piece of parchment paper on top and press firmly. Place something heavy like a couple of glasses on top of the parchment paper and put in the refrigerator for 1 hour. After they have set in the fridge take them out and, cut into 6 rectangular bars. Serve or wrap individually for a quick snack. Enjoy! 

Love,

 Lex & Jake 

XO

Quinoa

Butternut Squash Quinoa

1 cup- Quinoa

2 cups- Water

1- Butternut Squash cut into 1/2 inch cubes

4 slices- Turkey Bacon or Regular Bacon

3 TBS- Olive Oil

2 TBS- Balsamic Vinegar

2 TBS- Dijon Mustard

1-TBS Honey 

1 tsp- Nutmeg

Salt and Pepper to Taste

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place cubed butternut squash on cookies sheet. Lightly coat in olive oil, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Place in oven and let cook for about 30 minutes. Test with a knife to see if it is tender enough. Knife should come out with ease.

2. In a pot add Quinoa and water. Bring to a boil. Turn heat on low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, fluff with fork.

3. Cook bacon through in a skillet and cut into small pieces.

4. Whisk together in a separate bowl: olive oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, and salt and pepper to taste. 

5. Add Quinoa, squash, and turkey bacon together. Add in dressing slowly and stir. Note: You don't have to add all of the dressing. Taste and if it needs more continue to add. Salt and pepper your dish to taste. Enjoy

Serves 4 

 NOTES-

This dish can be served warm, room temperature, or chilled. It is a great left over and a perfect next day lunch.

I served it with curry chicken..recipe to come soon.

I buy my Quinoa in bulk at Costco. They also sell the pre-cubed butternut squash shown in this recipe.

Love,

Jake & Lex

XO

A New Direction

Healthy Eating

Something I am most passionate is nutritional health. Throughout my childhood my mom made it a priority to eat dinner every night as a family. She cooked basically seven days a week. My greatest memories with my mom were watching and helping her prepare dinner. People ask me where I learned to cook so well... honestly I didn't know I was learning. I was just hanging with my mom. The rules of the table still stands as we are grown adults and rules I have carried on into my married life :

YOU EAT WHAT I MAKE YOU, OR YOU GO TO BED HUNGRY

NO PHONES

NO TV

As a young adults we argued these rules more than not. Many important, intellectual, and argumentative conversations were held around the dinner table. As a family they were the uninterrupted moments where we could bond.

As I progress in my own life I have come to love cooking. Eating healthy is habit. Don't get me wrong I love a Cafe Rio salad or Training Table cheese fries, but I love them because they are a treat. Living on my own during my first year of college made me realize that I  needed to fen for myself. That Christmas I asked my mom for one thing.. a cookbook of all of her recipes. I used it all the time and made it feel like a piece of home was with me. I wouldn't always have every ingredient so I would adapt, and change things. Now I have started to create my own healthy dishes.

When you get married you both bring different experiences of life. Jake didn't exactly come with a knowledge of healthy eating, or a liking for vegetables. Being a firefighter he is at higher risk for certain health concerns like heart disease, cancer, and chronic respiratory disease. Not to mention all the other dangers of walking into a burning building. As his wife I would like to do whatever I can to help reduce these risks and keep him here and healthy as long as I possibly can.

I have definitely had to get creative in the kitchen when it comes to veggies, and things that he "thinks" he doesn't like. If he doesn't like a certain food I try to prepare it in different ways. For example: carrots-he hates them raw, but will eat them steamed or roasted. Cauliflower.. is a no go, but if I steam it, puree it, and add it to mashed potatoes you can't even tell it's there. 

As a broke-newlywed-student I want to be able to inspire people that anyone can eat healthy. You don't need to shop at Whole Foods (even though it's heaven in there), you don't have to juice, and you don't need to be an expert in the kitchen.

Veggie Mac & Cheese

1- Spaghetti Squash

1 Package- Frozen Spinach

2 cups- Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 cup- Milk

2 TBS- Flour

2 TBS- Butter

1 -Onion

1 TBS- Olive Oil

Salt, Pepper, and Nutmeg to Taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut ends of spaghetti squash off and cut it long ways in half. Scrap out the insides with a spoon. Olive oil and salt and pepper the insides and place them cut side down on a cookie sheet. Place the squash in the oven for 40 minutes.  Dice the onion. Defrost the spinach. Place spinach in a paper towel and squeeze to drain extra liquid.

Add butter to a large skillet on medium-high heat. Once your skillet is hot add the onion. When the onion is translucent add spinach. Once spinach is warmed through add flour. Stir in flour for a minute or two. Add milk and continue stirring. Bring to a light boil while continuing to stir. Once it is at a boil turn in down to medium/ medium-low and keep stirring. The mixture should become thick. If after bringing it to a boil and turning down heat and it doesn't thicken up add a little bit more flour. If it is too thick you can add more milk. Fold the shredded cheese into the skillet. 

Once your spaghetti squash is done scrap the insides with a fork and it should pull off the sides easily into shreds. Add the squash directly to the cheese mixture and stir together. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. 

Serves 4 People

Suggestions:

For something more hearty you could add grilled chicken on top.

You can substitute spinach with broccoli or any other veggie on hand. You could even puree carrot or cauliflower and add it to the cheese mixture. 

Sometimes I put it in a casserole dish and put Panko bread crumbs on top and keep warm in the oven until Jake gets home.

An easy meal you could make ahead of time and pop in the oven to heat up.

Love, 

Jake & Lex XO

So this is the New Year..

Yes, we did take a hiatus from the blog scene over the holidays, but now we are back on. Our lives got a little crazy with finals, work, the pooch, and preparing for our first holiday season together. Christmas break was exactly what we need to regain energy to take on what might be the hardest seven months of our young newlywed lives. Jake just started an intense paramedic program that is up to 40 hours of class time each week, not to mention still working with Unified Fire. I decided to take 18 credits this semester, but today I can see the light. In May I will be suited up to graduate from the University of Utah. After summer semester I will be completely finished with my bachelors degree and Jake will be a paramedic!!!! My mom always says, "You can pay the piper now, or you can pay the piper later." You could say we decided to pay him now. We hope that working hard and sacrificing this time will help shape our future and allow us to do the things we only dream about. I am so interested to see what happens after this is all over and where life will take us..Maybe to a new state? One can only hope! Who know where we will be a year from now!  Cheers to a new adventure and a new year. 

Yellowstone

XO 

- LEX & JAKE