Cooking while on vacation can be challenging but fun!!

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you probably know that I have been trying to lose weight lately. And if you have been on a diet, you also know that going on vacation can ruin your diet. That is why I was so excited about having a kitchen in the condo that we stayed at. I mean, we did go out to eat twice while we were there and that totally made me gain back two pounds but really, that's no big deal, because I am a reasonable person who knows how to enjoy life every once in a while. I wasn't about to let my diet take away all the fun of my vacation. As much as I wanted to go out to eat for every single meal, however, we also wanted to save money as well. So we managed to cook three delicious meals during our stay at Tahoe. 

It was a little challenging, though, to cook something without any oil or any of my favorite spices. I only had my Santa Maria seasoning and black pepper, totally forgot to take olive oil. But thank goodness, there was a Raley just down the street so we went and got some cooking spray. Luckily, the condo came with a bbq so we did a lot of grilling. We also bought some tortellini and pesto, too. Sometimes, I have to tell myself that premade/precooked meals are perfectly fine... especially on vacation!

Chicken and apple sausage with brown rice. 

This was actually a fabulous meal! We had this for lunch one day and I loved it. It was my first experience with the chicken sausages and they tasted delicious! And they have very low calories compared to normal sausages. Oh and the brown rice was just perfect with the sausages. Look for chicken and apple sausages at your grocery store. I totally recommend them!

Cheese Tortellini w/ Pesto

These tortellinis have a great, rich flavor of cheese and went perfectly with the pesto. I used a store-bought pesto, about 1 cup of it.

Mushroom Burger w/ Pesto

Oh this was absolutely my favorite meal during the vacation. It was a little challenging to saute the mushrooms without any oil, but the cooking spray worked fine with a little bit of water to soften the mushrooms. I added some Santa Maria seasoning (which is a combination of garlic powder, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, black pepper, etc) to the mushrooms and they tasted wonderful. I also sprayed some cooking spray (It was butter flavored) on the buns and grilled them and boy, they were perfect! Spreading one tablespoonful of basil pesto on the bun was my husband's idea and to my surprise, I absolutely loved it! You should definitely try it, if you are a fan of mushrooms and/or pesto. Yum!

Cooking while on vacation can be challenging but fun!!

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you probably know that I have been trying to lose weight lately. And if you have been on a diet, you also know that going on vacation can ruin your diet. That is why I was so excited about having a kitchen in the condo that we stayed at. I mean, we did go out to eat twice while we were there and that totally made me gain back two pounds but really, that's no big deal, because I am a reasonable person who knows how to enjoy life every once in a while. I wasn't about to let my diet take away all the fun of my vacation. As much as I wanted to go out to eat for every single meal, however, we also wanted to save money as well. So we managed to cook three delicious meals during our stay at Tahoe. 

It was a little challenging, though, to cook something without any oil or any of my favorite spices. I only had my Santa Maria seasoning and black pepper, totally forgot to take olive oil. But thank goodness, there was a Raley just down the street so we went and got some cooking spray. Luckily, the condo came with a bbq so we did a lot of grilling. We also bought some tortellini and pesto, too. Sometimes, I have to tell myself that premade/precooked meals are perfectly fine... especially on vacation!

Chicken and apple sausage with brown rice. 

This was actually a fabulous meal! We had this for lunch one day and I loved it. It was my first experience with the chicken sausages and they tasted delicious! And they have very low calories compared to normal sausages. Oh and the brown rice was just perfect with the sausages. Look for chicken and apple sausages at your grocery store. I totally recommend them!

Cheese Tortellini w/ Pesto

These tortellinis have a great, rich flavor of cheese and went perfectly with the pesto. I used a store-bought pesto, about 1 cup of it.

Mushroom Burger w/ Pesto

Oh this was absolutely my favorite meal during the vacation. It was a little challenging to saute the mushrooms without any oil, but the cooking spray worked fine with a little bit of water to soften the mushrooms. I added some Santa Maria seasoning (which is a combination of garlic powder, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, black pepper, etc) to the mushrooms and they tasted wonderful. I also sprayed some cooking spray (It was butter flavored) on the buns and grilled them and boy, they were perfect! Spreading one tablespoonful of basil pesto on the bun was my husband's idea and to my surprise, I absolutely loved it! You should definitely try it, if you are a fan of mushrooms and/or pesto. Yum!

Cooking while on vacation can be challenging but fun!!

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you probably know that I have been trying to lose weight lately. And if you have been on a diet, you also know that going on vacation can ruin your diet. That is why I was so excited about having a kitchen in the condo that we stayed at. I mean, we did go out to eat twice while we were there and that totally made me gain back two pounds but really, that's no big deal, because I am a reasonable person who knows how to enjoy life every once in a while. I wasn't about to let my diet take away all the fun of my vacation. As much as I wanted to go out to eat for every single meal, however, we also wanted to save money as well. So we managed to cook three delicious meals during our stay at Tahoe. 

It was a little challenging, though, to cook something without any oil or any of my favorite spices. I only had my Santa Maria seasoning and black pepper, totally forgot to take olive oil. But thank goodness, there was a Raley just down the street so we went and got some cooking spray. Luckily, the condo came with a bbq so we did a lot of grilling. We also bought some tortellini and pesto, too. Sometimes, I have to tell myself that premade/precooked meals are perfectly fine... especially on vacation!

Chicken and apple sausage with brown rice. 

This was actually a fabulous meal! We had this for lunch one day and I loved it. It was my first experience with the chicken sausages and they tasted delicious! And they have very low calories compared to normal sausages. Oh and the brown rice was just perfect with the sausages. Look for chicken and apple sausages at your grocery store. I totally recommend them!

Cheese Tortellini w/ Pesto

These tortellinis have a great, rich flavor of cheese and went perfectly with the pesto. I used a store-bought pesto, about 1 cup of it.

Mushroom Burger w/ Pesto

Oh this was absolutely my favorite meal during the vacation. It was a little challenging to saute the mushrooms without any oil, but the cooking spray worked fine with a little bit of water to soften the mushrooms. I added some Santa Maria seasoning (which is a combination of garlic powder, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, black pepper, etc) to the mushrooms and they tasted wonderful. I also sprayed some cooking spray (It was butter flavored) on the buns and grilled them and boy, they were perfect! Spreading one tablespoonful of basil pesto on the bun was my husband's idea and to my surprise, I absolutely loved it! You should definitely try it, if you are a fan of mushrooms and/or pesto. Yum!

I'm Back!!

Hello, everyone! I am back from my vacation! Tahoe was a lot of fun. We were supposed to come back tomorrow morning but we ended up coming back two days earlier because of the snow storm that is going on in Tahoe. We were sad that we had to come home earlier but we figured that our safty is much more important than being stuck in our condo watching the snow fall all day. I was so happy that I got to see a little bit of snow before we left, though. The drive was a little difficult. The snow started to fall pretty hard and the fog was thick. It was hard to see ahead. But we made it home fine. And now I can write this post about our trip a day sooner! :)

Thanks to my in-laws, we got to stay at a beautiful condo. It was huge, too, with three bedrooms, three baths (with jacuzzi tubs-- that's right, baby!), living room, kitchen, and two balconies. It was pretty sweet. 

The view from the condo (the condo was on the 7th floor). Isn't it amazing?

I was pretty stoked about this kitchen. I was happy that we didn't have to eat out for every meal while we were on vacation. It gets pretty expensive! Not to mention all the calories... Don't worry, we did go out twice to Pizza Hut (my favorite pizza place) and a Buffet. They were great! I had too many desserts at the Buffet.  I'll be posting the food that we cooked on our vacation soon, too.

That's me and my son, Matthew.

That is Lake Tahoe with a beautiful mountain covered with snow! So gorgeous.

That's us, the fam! Aren't we so cute?? :)

It started to snow quite a bit just as we were leaving. It was Matthew's first time seeing the snow fall from the sky. He wasn't too thrilled....

That is my sweet husband.

Sorry, there are no recipes in this post. I just wanted to let you all know that we had a great time in Tahoe! And I missed you all! :)

I'm Back!!

Hello, everyone! I am back from my vacation! Tahoe was a lot of fun. We were supposed to come back tomorrow morning but we ended up coming back two days earlier because of the snow storm that is going on in Tahoe. We were sad that we had to come home earlier but we figured that our safty is much more important than being stuck in our condo watching the snow fall all day. I was so happy that I got to see a little bit of snow before we left, though. The drive was a little difficult. The snow started to fall pretty hard and the fog was thick. It was hard to see ahead. But we made it home fine. And now I can write this post about our trip a day sooner! :)

Thanks to my in-laws, we got to stay at a beautiful condo. It was huge, too, with three bedrooms, three baths (with jacuzzi tubs-- that's right, baby!), living room, kitchen, and two balconies. It was pretty sweet. 

The view from the condo (the condo was on the 7th floor). Isn't it amazing?

I was pretty stoked about this kitchen. I was happy that we didn't have to eat out for every meal while we were on vacation. It gets pretty expensive! Not to mention all the calories... Don't worry, we did go out twice to Pizza Hut (my favorite pizza place) and a Buffet. They were great! I had too many desserts at the Buffet.  I'll be posting the food that we cooked on our vacation soon, too.

That's me and my son, Matthew.

That is Lake Tahoe with a beautiful mountain covered with snow! So gorgeous.

That's us, the fam! Aren't we so cute?? :)

It started to snow quite a bit just as we were leaving. It was Matthew's first time seeing the snow fall from the sky. He wasn't too thrilled....

That is my sweet husband.

Sorry, there are no recipes in this post. I just wanted to let you all know that we had a great time in Tahoe! And I missed you all! :)

I'm Back!!

Hello, everyone! I am back from my vacation! Tahoe was a lot of fun. We were supposed to come back tomorrow morning but we ended up coming back two days earlier because of the snow storm that is going on in Tahoe. We were sad that we had to come home earlier but we figured that our safty is much more important than being stuck in our condo watching the snow fall all day. I was so happy that I got to see a little bit of snow before we left, though. The drive was a little difficult. The snow started to fall pretty hard and the fog was thick. It was hard to see ahead. But we made it home fine. And now I can write this post about our trip a day sooner! :)

Thanks to my in-laws, we got to stay at a beautiful condo. It was huge, too, with three bedrooms, three baths (with jacuzzi tubs-- that's right, baby!), living room, kitchen, and two balconies. It was pretty sweet. 

The view from the condo (the condo was on the 7th floor). Isn't it amazing?

I was pretty stoked about this kitchen. I was happy that we didn't have to eat out for every meal while we were on vacation. It gets pretty expensive! Not to mention all the calories... Don't worry, we did go out twice to Pizza Hut (my favorite pizza place) and a Buffet. They were great! I had too many desserts at the Buffet.  I'll be posting the food that we cooked on our vacation soon, too.

That's me and my son, Matthew.

That is Lake Tahoe with a beautiful mountain covered with snow! So gorgeous.

That's us, the fam! Aren't we so cute?? :)

It started to snow quite a bit just as we were leaving. It was Matthew's first time seeing the snow fall from the sky. He wasn't too thrilled....

That is my sweet husband.

Sorry, there are no recipes in this post. I just wanted to let you all know that we had a great time in Tahoe! And I missed you all! :)

Whipped Cauliflower Potatoes

This is my favorite way to eat cauliflower. I love the creamy texture of cauliflower in this amazing side dish. It is also really simple to prepare it. It's probably way healthier than regular mashed potatoes but I did add some bacon crumbles which adds a great flavor to the dish.

So I am going away for vacation until Tuesday night. We are going to South Lake Tahoe. We'll be staying in a nice condo and it's got a kitchen. So my eating healthier diet will continue... well, hopefully! We are planning on going to a buffet, though, one night but I'll try to stay away from too many desserts. :) I am not sure if there is a free internet connection at the condo we'll be staying at but if there isn't, I will be back on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. I'll be missing you and all of your delicious recipes!!

Whipped Cauliflower Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 lb cauliflower (yellow or white) flowerets
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon bacon crumbles
1 clove garlic, crushed

Directions:

Steam the cauliflower in a small amount of salt water. Drain thoroughly and dry in the hot pan; do not brown.

While still hot, use an electric hand mier to whip the cauliflower like potatoes. Add the butter, milk, cheese, and bacon, and continue whipping. Do this while it is still hot so everything mets. If too cool, reheat and whip. If too thick, add a little more milk and whip. You can always add more, but don't get too thin. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Whipped Cauliflower Potatoes

This is my favorite way to eat cauliflower. I love the creamy texture of cauliflower in this amazing side dish. It is also really simple to prepare it. It's probably way healthier than regular mashed potatoes but I did add some bacon crumbles which adds a great flavor to the dish.

So I am going away for vacation until Tuesday night. We are going to South Lake Tahoe. We'll be staying in a nice condo and it's got a kitchen. So my eating healthier diet will continue... well, hopefully! We are planning on going to a buffet, though, one night but I'll try to stay away from too many desserts. :) I am not sure if there is a free internet connection at the condo we'll be staying at but if there isn't, I will be back on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. I'll be missing you and all of your delicious recipes!!

Whipped Cauliflower Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 lb cauliflower (yellow or white) flowerets
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon bacon crumbles
1 clove garlic, crushed

Directions:

Steam the cauliflower in a small amount of salt water. Drain thoroughly and dry in the hot pan; do not brown.

While still hot, use an electric hand mier to whip the cauliflower like potatoes. Add the butter, milk, cheese, and bacon, and continue whipping. Do this while it is still hot so everything mets. If too cool, reheat and whip. If too thick, add a little more milk and whip. You can always add more, but don't get too thin. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Whipped Cauliflower Potatoes

This is my favorite way to eat cauliflower. I love the creamy texture of cauliflower in this amazing side dish. It is also really simple to prepare it. It's probably way healthier than regular mashed potatoes but I did add some bacon crumbles which adds a great flavor to the dish.

So I am going away for vacation until Tuesday night. We are going to South Lake Tahoe. We'll be staying in a nice condo and it's got a kitchen. So my eating healthier diet will continue... well, hopefully! We are planning on going to a buffet, though, one night but I'll try to stay away from too many desserts. :) I am not sure if there is a free internet connection at the condo we'll be staying at but if there isn't, I will be back on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. I'll be missing you and all of your delicious recipes!!

Whipped Cauliflower Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 lb cauliflower (yellow or white) flowerets
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon bacon crumbles
1 clove garlic, crushed

Directions:

Steam the cauliflower in a small amount of salt water. Drain thoroughly and dry in the hot pan; do not brown.

While still hot, use an electric hand mier to whip the cauliflower like potatoes. Add the butter, milk, cheese, and bacon, and continue whipping. Do this while it is still hot so everything mets. If too cool, reheat and whip. If too thick, add a little more milk and whip. You can always add more, but don't get too thin. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Curried Yellow Split Pea Soup

Oh I have been discovering all kinds of new food lately, from lentils, chickpeas, to split peas! Can you believe I had never had any split peas before I made this soup? Oh now, I am a fan! I still haven't tried green split peas but I got some in my cupboard and can't wait to try them. I loved the texture of the peas in this soup. And it tasted fabulous! I think chopped onions would have made this soup even better but as you might already know, I have a husband who abhores onions. That's right. He abhores onions, stronger than "hate", that is. But even without oninos, the soup was great and I'd definitely make it again. I had my soup with a piece of pita but I think this soup would go wonderfully with fresh Naan.

Curried Yellow Split Pea Soup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon chopped garlic (add chopped onions if you want)
1 lb yellow split peas, rinsed
5 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1-2 tablespoons curry powder (I used 2 tbsp but you can use just 1 tbsp)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Place the butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat. When the butter starts to melt, add the garlic (and onions) and stir frequently until the garlic starts to brown (or the onions are translucent), about 2-3 minutes (if using onions, about 5-6 minutes).

Add the split peas and the curry powder to the pan and stir well with the garlic (and onions). Add the vegetable broth and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook at a simmer until the peas are tender and no longer hold their shape, about 45-60 minutes (or even longer). Taste and adjust seasoning (salt and pepper) according to your liking.

Serve warm.

Curried Yellow Split Pea Soup

Oh I have been discovering all kinds of new food lately, from lentils, chickpeas, to split peas! Can you believe I had never had any split peas before I made this soup? Oh now, I am a fan! I still haven't tried green split peas but I got some in my cupboard and can't wait to try them. I loved the texture of the peas in this soup. And it tasted fabulous! I think chopped onions would have made this soup even better but as you might already know, I have a husband who abhores onions. That's right. He abhores onions, stronger than "hate", that is. But even without oninos, the soup was great and I'd definitely make it again. I had my soup with a piece of pita but I think this soup would go wonderfully with fresh Naan.

Curried Yellow Split Pea Soup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon chopped garlic (add chopped onions if you want)
1 lb yellow split peas, rinsed
5 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1-2 tablespoons curry powder (I used 2 tbsp but you can use just 1 tbsp)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Place the butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat. When the butter starts to melt, add the garlic (and onions) and stir frequently until the garlic starts to brown (or the onions are translucent), about 2-3 minutes (if using onions, about 5-6 minutes).

Add the split peas and the curry powder to the pan and stir well with the garlic (and onions). Add the vegetable broth and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook at a simmer until the peas are tender and no longer hold their shape, about 45-60 minutes (or even longer). Taste and adjust seasoning (salt and pepper) according to your liking.

Serve warm.