Vegetable Quiche Cups to Go

 "This crustless quiche recipe can be used as a base for any combination of vegetables and reduced-fat cheese. Once prepared, the quiches can be frozen individually and reheated in the microwave." Makes 12, 2 per serving. This is page 201 out of the South Beach Diet Supercharged book. Look for my review down below.

1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach
3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar or Jack cheese
3/4 cup egg substitute
1/4 cup finely diced green bell pepper
1/4 cup finely diced onion
3 drops hot pepper sauce (optional)

Heat oven to 350F. Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray.

Place spinach in a microwaveable container and cook in the microwave on high power for 2.5 minutes. Drain excess liquid.

In a large bowl, combine spinach, cheese, egg, bell pepper, onion and pepper sauce, if using. Mix well. Divide evenly among the muffin cups.

Bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.


Review:  I used 4 eggs instead of the egg substitute. When using eggs instead of egg substitute, first beat the eggs with a fork, then add the spinach, onion, cheese and green pepper. This went together fast and easy. I used frozen chopped onion and green pepper which made it even quicker. Even though I used cooking spray, they tended to stick in the pan. Next time I'd use a heavy coating of spray in each muffin cup, especially up the sides. Needs salt. My spinach wasn't squeezed out enough. When I bit into them, they tasted a little watery.  Next time I'll use a sieve and push out the water. I just used a fork against the side of the pan. They are thin, about half the height of a normal muffin, so a serving size of 2 is pretty small. I was still hungry after breakfast. They are very vegetable-y. Next time I'll add a couple more eggs to increase the egg to vegetable ratio and to make them a little bigger.

They tasted good. I liked the green pepper and hot sauce, in fact I'd a little more. I liked how easy they were to make. I could see making this in a double batch and having them in the freezer for a quick, healthy breakfast. My son's review: "I don't really like it". Why not? "Too vegetable-y" (obviously his grammar is picked up from me). Getting green vegetables into that child is a major feat so I wasn't too surprised. Mmmm... more for me.

They recipe would be yummy with ham and swiss with mushrooms, onions and broccoli. Or add some crab and garlic to this recipe.

Invite life in. - Kathleen Rettig

Lazy, lazy girl

Get up and do something now!

Summer sun shining.

10 Great Declutter Tips

I had a small bit of a clean out the other day in my living room when I was feeling kind of blue. The rearranged and decluttered, now more minimal and monochromatic accessories lifted my spirits. And if you believe in such things, moving the items around eliminated stagnant pools of bad or stale energy allowing good fresh energy to flow throughout the room, which is what perked me up. Either way it feels good to give a room a bit of a declutter.

Clutter is to "fill with things in a disorderly manner" or "a state of confusion". I think we all know it when we see it. If you struggle with clutter (and really - who doesn't have a little clutter tucked away somewhere?) here are some tips to make clearing it out easier.

1. Declutter for 15 minutes every day. It's amazing what you can accomplish in small increments.
2. Declutter during TV commercials. You don't need to watch the commercials and want new items. Get up and spend a minute or two decluttering a surface, drawer or basket.
3. Don't allow new things in the house in the first place. Whether you’ve begun decluttering, or you’ve just completed it, stop bringing in new stuff NOW. This way, when you do get to decluttering the existing stuff, you’ve already stopped making it worse. 
4. Use the "one in two out" rule.  For serious clutter busting, when you bring in a new item, two items have to leave.  A new decorating accessory in - two back to Goodwill. 
5. Reduce your storage space. If you have lots of storage you can have lots of clutter.  Clutter will fill up whatever space you let it. Eliminate extra storage barns, lockers, rented space, etc. and stop it's creeping presence.
6. Clothing Rule - if you haven't worn an item in 2 seasons (e.g. last summer and this summer) or it doesn't fit donate it
7. Donate the stuff you are decluttering  This way you won't feel like you're wasting things. Besides donating can help someone else out and keep things out of the landfills.
8. Declutter one room at a time (including desk drawers, closets, etc.) It will feel so good to be in that room that it will help motivate you to keep going.
9. Declutter in layers. You won't get all the clutter on your first pass around a room. Start at the door and go around the room. First get the superficial stuff (the surfaces and piles), then open drawers and doors on the next pass around the room. Then when you think you are done, revisit the room in several weeks or months and give it another pass. You'll be amazed at what you now see and are now willing to part with. Decluttering is like housework. You might "finish" but you have to do it again next week because, well, it keeps getting dirty!
10. The One-Year Box. Take all your items that you are unsure about getting rid of (e.g. “I might need this someday…”), put them in a box, seal it and date it for 1 year in the future. When the date comes, and you still didn’t need to open it to get anything, donate the box WITHOUT OPENING IT. You probably won’t even remember what there was in the box (don't label the box - that's cheating).

I'm off to take a look at what's lurking in my china hutch. I have an abundance of table linens, candles, and "picnic dishes" (Its been 4-5 years since my last picnic). The doors are barely closing so its time to reduce some clutter!

If you want to revisit an early post of mine on the emotional aspects of clutter go here.

How's your clutter? Mild, Medium, Get the Bulldozer? Do tell!

Dyson Vacuum Cleaner Drama

I heart Dyson vacuum cleaners. I paid a small fortune for one 5-6 years ago. This thing sucks! It's unbelievable the crap it picks up. I have a long haired dog that sheds like crazy and a short-haired cat plus the usual dust and dirt. It's unbelievable but I will fill up the canister in just one room. I'll vacuum about every 1-2 weeks, depending on what life is like. So its not like crazy hoarder dirt or something. Just everyday stuff. I can't say enough about how good this machine is.

However, I've been having problems with the love of my cleaning life. It started to smell like burning hair when the brushes were going. I took it to an authorized dealer and they had no clue (turns out they were clueless) but charged me $35 anyway. I thought the motor or belt or a gizmo was burning up and I would soon have to say good-by to a favorite friend. (And I was vaguely worried that I would electrocute myself if the motor was going out or something).

As a last resort I called Dyson and they had the problem diagnosed in 1 minute. There was hair wrapped tightly around the inside spindle. The nice man on the phone had me open the casing using a quarter and talked me through cleaning it. I put it back together (which was super simple) and tried it.

No smell! I'm such a happy girl. And I don't have to worry about affording another expensive vacuum cleaner in the near future. Lesson learned here: call the manufacture's support line first. They might actually be able to help.

If you are looking for a new vacuum, think about a Dyson. They are expensive but worth it. And no, I'm not being paid to say these things-but if I was, how cool would that be?!

Turkey Meatloaf with Mushrooms & White Beans

We're embarking on a program of better food choices and a more active lifestyle (nowhere did I say the words diet and exercise) and following the South Beach D*et (a word we don't say). I had great success on it back in 2003 when it first came out losing 50 lbs. Well the years have passed and the pounds have slowly crept back on. D*eting is like housework. Nobody likes it, you have to do it daily, it feels like it never ends and sometimes it you don't seem to be making progress. Sigh. Today's recipe is from page 212 of the South Beach Diet Supercharged book. Since this isn't my recipe, I'll review it for you. Look for my notes at the bottom of the recipe. Oh, and get ready for a bunch of recipes from the same source!

My food styling needs some green garnish to sprinkle down the center of the meatloaf.

"This healthy alternative to typical meatloaf adds white beans for a delicious high-fiber twist. Serve extra Dijon mustard on the side; it lends a satisfying, piquant flavor element".

• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 lb mushrooms chopped
• 4 large cloves garlic minced
• 1 15 oz. can Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/4 lb extra lean ground turkey
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard plus extra for serving

Heat the oven to 375F. Lightly coat an 8x4x2/12" metal or glass loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, thyme, cayenne, paprika, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and mushrooms are incorporated, about 5 minutes longer. Add beans and stir to combine. Transfer mixture to a bowl and let cool, about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine cooled bean mixture, turkey, eggs, parsley, and 2 teaspoons of the Worcestershire sauce. Mix well with wet hands to combine. Form into a loaf and place into the prepared pan (mine was just mushy and wouldn't stay in a loaf form).

Stir together mustard and remaining 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce and set aside.

Bake meatloaf on the middle rack of the oven for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with the reserved Worcestershire mixture. Return to the oven and continue baking 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until a thermometer inserted into the meatloaf registers 170F. Let meatloaf stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with additional Dijon mustard.

Makes 6 servings. Cooked meatloaf freezes well for up to 3 months. Cut it into individual portions before freezing and thaw in the microwave when ready to eat.

Review:

Well right off the bat lets talk about what I did different from the recipe. I didn't have parsley so that is missing. I didn't have paprika so I substituted chili powder (they are both spicy and red-ha!). I try to follow recipes, really I do. I just misread where it said 4 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce and read 4 tablespoons. So the meatloaf is extra Worcestershirey - lets see if anyone notices. I'm not sure my turkey was extra lean ground turkey. It came in a tube and was mush like. I'm thinking I should have sprung for the more expensive packaged ground turkey, but we'll see. Oh and when I put it into the pan it was full to the tippy-top of the pan. I put it on a jelly roll pan to catch overflow if necessary. 50 minutes later - Well good thing it was in the pan because when I went to brush the top with reserved sauce and mustard there was "juice" all over the pan, the top was submerged so I tilted the pan to let it run off and added the sauce.  Here I took a picture for you - yummy (not).

Hmm... not bad. The texture is a little weird with the beans in it and I'm not sure the paprika to chili powder substitution was a good one. I would reduce the amount of thyme the next time, I can really taste it and prefer a more subtle note. If you are expecting it to taste like ground beef meatloaf with ketchup and bread crumbs (plus other stuff of course) you will be disappointed. This is not that. But this is a healthier, more sophisticated seasoned meatloaf and it is good. I will be making it again (following the recipe a little more closely next time). I will also try doubling the recipe so I can freeze one while we eat one. Next time I'll spring for the more expensive packages of ground turkey and see what a difference that makes. My son agrees "not bad".

Happiness is not a place to travel to. It is a way of getting there. - Anonymous