The Glory of Whole Foods

I never see hot guys in MarriedMecca unless I am at Whole Foods. Or maybe I should rephrase that statement. I never see MY type of hot guys except at Whole Foods; For example, tattooed-bike-riding-hipsters. I always look hot when I go to Whole Foods because all the cashiers are adorable. One of these days, I WILL get the courage to hit on one or all of them.


Beef&Veg Soup for Hipster Boys

1 box Swanson Beef Broth 
1 bag mixed frozen veggies
2 quartered and peeled potatoes
1 lb ground beef
1 tb basil
 3 cranks of crushed peppa
4 crushed beef bouillon cubes
Jane's Krazy seasoning to taste. (or salt) 
splash of Half&Half
1 c. water
2 tb Worchestire sauce

1. Brown your ground beef in a pan. Drain fat off.
2. Combine everything in a large soup pot except the Half&Half and Krazy Seasoning. Bring to a boil than simmer for 45 minutes. Add the Half&Half the last 10 minutes of cooking as well as the Krazy seasoning.

**To make healthier, leave out the creamer and butter. Easily feeds six people. Or Eight skinny hipsters.  

  

Summer Sweets!

I love sweets. However, too many sweets will get you in trouble with your swimwear. I was sitting around the house after dinner yesterday and needed just a little something. I scoured the kitchen and came up with whatever was laying around.

Ingredients

French Bread loaf

Cinnamon&Sugar mix (just add cinnamon and sugar in a small dish)

1 c. Strawberries 

2 T. Cream

1. Heat butter in a large pan. 

2. When the pan is hot, cut two, thin slices from the French loaf. Put that in the pan. Let brown. Flip slices.

3. Sprinkle cinnamon&sugar mix. Brown and Flip. Sprinkle again. Remove from pan when bread is crispy and brown. Your kitchen should smell like Heaven. Place slices on cooking rack. 

4. Dice fresh strawberries, dice French slices. Combine in serving dish.

5. Add your cream. I may of added more than 2 tablespoons. Hit with more cinnamon and sugar.

Simple and delicious. 

  

Chicken Salad Deliciousness

Chicken salad is probably one of the most delicious foods that can be made in less than 15 minutes. It's super simple and only gets better the longer it merries. It's also one of those items that can be adapted for calories.

 Ingrediants

2 c. Chicken meat (I buy a precooked chicken from the Deli)
1 c. Craisens
1/4 c. walnut pieces
3/4 diced green apple
2 c. prediced carrots
3 T. brown sugar
1 T. White vinegar
1/2 c. Olive Oil Kraft Mayo

1. Whisk up the mayo, vinegar, and brown sugar.

2. Mix together all the foodie bits. I guessed the measurements that I used. I mostly just threw stuff in a bowl till it looked yummy.

3. Combine your whisk mix into the bowl with all the foodie bits. Stir till it's throughly mixed. For a less "wet" salad, use less Mayo, but really I didn't use that much Mayo to start with.

4. Gobble on crackers or some other type of carb item: Bagel. Bread slice. Stale Crouton.  

Shake it Baby

So after I sweat out a million calories, I usually want a cheeseburger with bacon, lettuce, tomatoe, and enough condiments to sink a canoe. However, I try to make a protein shake and imagine it's a chocolate milkshake. This recipe works pretty well and it takes zero effort.

Ingrediants

- Half a frozen banana
- 2 scoops Muscle Milk chocolate powder
- 1 cup dark chocolate almond milk (dairy hurts me)
- 1 tablespoon dark chocolate peanut butter
- lots of ice

 Throw everything into a blend and churn until ice is grated. I like mine thick and heavy. It fills me up and makes me feel like I've cheated the calorie gods.



The New Potatoe Chip

Last week my Mom calls and raves about Kale chips. I laughed because it's KALE. As in the green, leafy vegetable nobody eats unless they've celebrated their 80th birthday. So I tried this recipe and they were aaa-mazing. Is it like eating kettle chips? Not really. It's a little more refreshing and high in many vitamins.  

Kale Chips recipe

Ingrediants:

Bunches of kale

Olive oil

cracked sea salt

 1. Kale has very thick stems that are not tasty. Cut those out. Then chop leaves into bite-sized little bits.

 2. Brush and coat with olive oil. Add your sea salt.

 3. Lay bits on cookie tray in one layer spread.

 4. Cook at 250 degrees for 20-25 minutes. When you take them out they will have darkened in color and shrunk. Leave standing for 2-3 minutes. The finished product will be crunchy, salty, and low calorie. Gorge away.

 

Black Bean Soup for Morons

I am not a good cook. I am an excellent food critic and known food snob, but I can barely make noodles. Hence, when I can prepare something from scratch that I don't burn, boil, or destroy; I like to pass it along. This is a gem I got from the internet that I modified because I'm awesome.

Ingrediants

1/2 medium diced onion

1/2 c. chopped celery

1 c. chicken broth

1 tsp diced garlic

2 (15 oz.) Cans Black Beans

1/2 tsp. Cummin

1 tbs Crazy Jane's Seasoning Salt

3 tbs Olive Oil

1 c. corn

Step 1: Heat your olive oil. Throw diced onion, garlic, and celery together in pan. Saute until onions are transparent and eyes are watering.

Step 2: Combine veggies with rinsed beans, spices, and chicken broth in a soup pot. Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes or until beans are tender. Add cup of corn and let warm up.

Step 3: Take less than half of soup and throw into a blender. Puree until creamy.

Step 4: Throw pureed soup back into pot and heat for another 5 minutes on low. Stir occassionaly while listening to Ray Lamontagne.

Step 5: Eat up! I garnished mine with sour cream, slices of avocado, and Frito chips. Mine was less watery than some might desire. If you want a watery soup, add more chicken broth.

Bruschetta for the Cooking-Disabled

Since it's been hot as Hell recently, I've been eating a lot of bruschetta. It's 100% delicious and pretty cheap to make. Plus, it makes you look like you know how to cook so you can impress your friends. Now read this! 

Ingredients

4 large, ripe tomatoes

1/2 red onion

6-8 basil leaves

1/2 block of cream cheese

pinches of salt and pepper

1 baguette loaf

Olive oil

1 large bowl and a wooden spoon 

1. Dice tomatoes. You'll have to remove the seeds under some running water. Throw all this goodness in a large mixing bowl.

2. After removing the outside skin, dice your red onion. Wear swimming goggles to protect your eyes. Add to your tomatoes. 

3. Stack your basil leaves on top of each other. Roll leaves into a tiny burrito. Cut the burrito long ways THEN finely dice. Some people like more basil than others. It's up to you. Add to bowl. 

4. Drizzle this yumfest with some quality olive oil. You're not drowning it, you just want enough OO to coat all the tasty stuff. For our OCD cooks, let's say 1/4 c.  

5. Cube your cream cheese and lightly mix in. Now, some recipes call for a finer cheese, but mine is wallet savvy. For calorie complainers, you can use finely shredded mozzarella. 

6. Salt and pepper to taste.

Cover and set in frig for 30 minutes (Unless you can't wait that long and read below).

7. Toast some baguette slices on a grill or in a toaster or conventional oven.

8. Load your slices and EAT!

[Side note] Bruschetta varies depending on who makes it. It's really up to you and what you like. I've seen it with corn, yellow peppers, and cut up avocado. Various recipes can be found online. I just like mine because it takes zero effort.