Calzones & Quinoa Bake

Week Two of my weekly meal planning endeavor was a success!  Here are two of my favorite recipe's from the week.  Enjoy :)

Broccoli Calzones
1package of pre-made dough (or homemade if you are feeling ambitious)
1 1/2cup broccoli
3tbs ricotta
1/2cup daiya or standard cheese
1/4 of a medium-sized red onion (chopped finely)

Served with a little tomato sauce :) 

1tbsp of chopped garlic
1tbs of Earth Balance or other butter
Dash of salt
Dash of pepper
Dash of nutritional yeast
Optional: topping of parmesan, tomato-ish sauce

Directions: Roll pre-made dough out onto a large baking sheet and cut into four equal pieces.  Preheat oven to 400F.  Steam broccoli and drain.  Place back in warm pan and stir in ricotta, cheese, and spices.  Combine this broccoli mixture well.  Warm butter up in the microwave so that it is completely melted and add chopped garlic.  Brush this mixture on the dough evenly.  Then, add the broccoli mixture to the dough (add to the side WITH the garlic mixture) so that 1/2 of each square has broccoli-mix on it.  Fold the dough over the mixture, creating a pocket and use a fork to form sealed edges.  Top with olive oil and parmesan, if desired.  Heat in the oven for 20-25minutes.  Serve hot!


Quinoa & Spinach Bake (Casserole with Vegan option)

Scoop out with a spoon and serve :) 

1pound frozen spinach leaves, thawed and drained
2cups cooked (equal to 1cup uncooked quinoa)
2tbs chopped garlic
1/2 cup of mixed veggies (mushrooms, onions, etc)
1/2cup daiya or cheddar (or substitute for nutritional yeast mix)
2tbs of Tofutti (or other sour cream-ish substance)
Dash of salt
Dash of pepper
Dash of rosemary
Dash of oregano
Optional: breadcrumbs & parmesan for topping

Directions: Preheat oven to 350F. Chop spinach into fine pieces.  Sauté garlic and any veggies that you have chosen to put in the mixture (excluding spinach).  Put all ingredients in a 9x13 baking pan (I am sure any size will work but you may have to adjust bake times).  Mix well so that the ingredients are evenly dispersed throughout the pan.  If wanted, top with breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. For added crispiness drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the toppings. Bake for 35minutes or until mixture is warm and golden brown.  Serve hot!

These were, without a doubt, two of my favorite meals this week.  Cody loved them too.  Easy, healthy, and hearty.  I think they will both become go-to meals for us.

Do you have any go-to meals?
Do you usually use toppings on your casseroles?

  

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All Quiet On The Northern Front

Sorry for the lack of posts this week.  I have been busy and out of the house a lot.  Specks is feeling a bit sad :(

Sad faces at the front door in the morning. 

Cody and I have been making the most of our time together (sans computer) by eating quick and tasty family dinners.  Even though its been a busy week, it has been a tasty one. I think you'll all enjoy the recipes that are to come this weekend.

Us. 

Calzones, recipe to come. 

I have hopes that this weekend will be a fun and bright adventure.  The weather this week has led me to believe that we are in for something wonderful.  Cross your fingers!

View from my office (last day Friday!) 

This weekend I will be more interesting, promise!

Nine Mile Creek

Today was a girls day :) I woke up, ate breakfast, loaded Specks in the car, and headed out for a hike with some girl friends.  We went out to Nine Mile Creek Road, which is part of Mendenhall Wildlife Refuge (the refuge spans a huge amount of space on both sides of the channel).  Nice weather and beautiful views greeted us!

View of the mountains at the refuge. 

We had an awesome view of the airport in the distance and we sat on this boat and watched them take off and land for awhile.  It was a beautiful and relaxing break in our trek.

Why are there so many abandoned boats in Alaska? 

Specks and his bff Sergeant Pepper, aka Pep, (our friends dog) had a HUGE time chasing each other and passing ducks all over the place.  They were pooped by the end of the trip and Specks immediately fell asleep in the car on the way home.  Ahhh, the tough life of a pampered puppy.

Best friends!! 

Tired and ready to head home to nap. 

Do you pamper your pooch?  

Inked

Cody gifted me with some new ink for my birthday.

The idea for this tattoo stemmed from a necklace that was gifted to me by a dear friend who passed away two years ago.  I wore the necklace for a very long time, but I always worried about loosing it.  So, in the end I settled on getting it tattooed just under my collar bone (close to where the necklace naturally sits when I wear it).

I have always been a fan of tattoos.  Cody has a large chest piece, which I love.  And, he is constantly planning new tattoos.  Personally, I have three different tattoos and I am always in the works for a new one. Many people will ask why I choose to get them, the answer is always the same... I think tattoos can be beautiful!!

What are your thoughts on tattoos? 
Do you have any tattoos? 

Weekly Meals, Part Two

So, last week was CRAZY as far as eating goes.  Cody and I both had super stressful weeks and celebrated our birthdays.  There was not a meal plan in sight.  I made one…but then completely threw it out the window.  Most of my meals came in the form of instant-meals from this company.  Annie's was my savior and go-to for the week.  The upcoming week is looking to be less kooky, here's to hoping!

Saturday: Eating Out (celebrating a friends birthday)
Sunday: Spicy Orecchiette with Steamed Veggies
Monday: Quinoa and Spinach Baked Casserole
Tuesday: Butternut Squash Soup with Tofurkey Rollups
Wednesday: Veggie & Tofu Stir-Fry
Thursday: Broccoli Calzones with Tomato Dipping Sauce
Friday: Mini Deep Dish Pizzas

This week I found a lot of my recipes on this website.  It is the Martha Stewart Vegetarian Meal website.  I usually search online for meals that look good and then make them my own.  That is my plan this week with my many Martha-inspired recipes.

I leave you all this morning with this aDORKable picture of my boys.  Aren't they the cutest?

The hubby and our puppy :) 

Birthday Gifts & Big Changes

Happy Birthday to me!!  I turned a year older on March 18th.  And, for my birthday I…….. bought a new car and landed a new job!!!!!!!

The car: Cody's car broke down about 3weeks ago and it has been so difficult carpooling.  We work different schedules by about a two hour difference.  This meant a lot of waiting around for whoever was stuck without the car for the day.  We shopped for a few weeks (VERY limited market in Juneau) when we stumbled across this car. It is a 2008 Hyundai Accent.  I can now drive to work, getting 45mpg, and be a happy clam.  (note: Cody's car breaks down and I gift myself  with a new ride…typical.)

The Green Machine :) 

The job:  While I loved my job and the people I worked with at Spunky Sprouts Preschool, I needed a change.  The main contributing factors to this were that I missed teaching and I needed more financial stability (aka: higher salary).  The main reason though was that I missed being in the classroom.  I supervise at the preschool and spend a good portion of my day pushing papers.  This isn't ideal. I miss the kiddos, the broken chalk, the days spent teaching class morning meetings.  So, I made the decision to seek out a public school job.

At the front of my class, back when I was teaching 3rd grade in Illinois. 

And, one week after interviewing I was offered a position as the new pre-k teacher at Glacier Valley Elementary School.  The position starts in April and I will be under contract for this year and next year. All day teaching…ahhhhh, sounds glorious.  Not to mention….summers off!!

My birthday was two days ago and I have to say that this was a fantastic way to spend it :)

St. Patty's Sunday

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

We spent our St. Patty's Day enjoying a hike out at Fish Creek with some good friends and our favorite puppy, Specks.  (Sidenote: Specks is about to turn four….so he isn't really a puppy).  Anyways, our hike was beautiful and the weather held off and allowed us a few hours of sunlight and cloudy-ness.

Fish Creek.  

Crab legs found on the beach. 

Views from the island that we hiked.  

Abandoned boat at the end of the trail.  

After hiking we ran errands, bought a new couch, and did some housework.  It was a pretty typical Sunday.  Now we are tucking into some Vegetarian Shepard's Pie.  Yumm :)

Just a typical Sunday and the Thompson-Middleton household.