Chocomallowbutterscotch Bars! :D

Are you reading the title and thinking "Choco...what??" Don't even worry about it. Just skip the reading part and go as quickly as you can through the making part so you can get to the eating part.

I know I promised you noodles last weekend and a) I should know better than to say I'll do something over the weekend, and b) I really wasn't that proud of the result. These bars that I made last night however, are a very different story.

I have a very distinct memory of the first time my mom made these. I was in fourth grade and my friend Hillary and I had been playing outside. We came inside for whatever reason and my mom and just taken these out of the refrigerator and said, "Do you want to try some?" Well chocolate is involved, so obviously the answer is 'yes,' but I had no idea that I was about to taste the most delicious thing that I'd yet had in my young life. I think I actually said, "Mom! Why haven't you made these before!?" 

At that age you assume that your mom knows everything, and therefore she must've always known how to make these amazing bars and was holding out on me. I thought it was terribly cruel. I don't remember her response, probably because I was too busy stuffing my face.

Now, these may not look like much, but try to judge from what's not there rather than what is. As you can see, almost half the pan is gone and like I said, I made these last night. These are such an amazing combination of salty and sweet and soft and smooth and melty that there's no way they'll last the weekend. Not around Mitch and I, that's for sure.

So without further ado....

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

1 cup peanut butter (I've always used creamy, but crunchy would be interesting too! Let me know how it goes if you try it!)

1/2 cup butter

1 bag mini marshmallows

Put the first four ingredients into a saucepan on med-low heat and stir until melted and smooth.

Line a baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. It really doesn't matter what size pan you use. I used a 13" x 9" and that was great. The smaller the pan, the thicker the bars!

Pour the marshmallows into the pan and spread them out evenly.

Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the marshmallows and use a spatula to spread it out evenly as well.

Lick the spatula. You know you want to.

Put the pan in the refrigerator and let set, then cut into bars, but don't share. Just make sure you run one mile for every piece you eat. (No fair eating the whole thing as one big "piece," either.) If you're super impatient, put the pan in the freezer. That's what I did last night and they were ready in about 15 minutes.

If you don't eat these all in one sitting, they're better kept in the fridge than at room temperature. They get too melty!

That's all! Super simple, super awesome! Please enjoy :)

inhale.exhale.pull

Here's just a little something, stay tuned for a pasta recipe coming either later today or this weekend (at the latest)...yay for carbs!

Yoga is a huge part of my life, and anyone else who feels the same way will totally get this...

This is a photo taken by Jim Campbell of OmLight Photography in Colorado. He takes amazing pictures, so check him out on Facebook and at his website. He posted this to Facebook this morning and it was one of the first things I saw this morning on my mini feed.

The caption was "Inhale. Exhale. Pull."

Here's the part where you kind of have to be a yogi to get it, but I totally think that "inhale.exhale.pull" is a great life motto.

Yoga isn't always about feeling comfortable. More so, it's about finding your edge and knowing whether to back off or to take a big, full ujjayi inhale and a big ujjayi exhale, and then pulling yourself further into the experience.

See the connection to the bigger picture? 

Yoga teaches me to live life fully both on and off my mat, and those lessons don't always come when I'm upside down in a hot, sweaty room.

Here's to finding wisdom where you least expect it.

Namaste.

Citrus-Steamed Salmon, cont.

As if my last post wasn't lengthy enough (being concise has always been a struggle for me, I apologize), I promised you nutrition facts if I had them, and I in fact DO for the salmon dish I gave you in the wee hours this morning.

Here ya go...
per serving: 406 cal, 18 g fat (3 g sat fat), 37 g protein, 26 g carbs, 5 g fiber.

That's all...I'm done now, I promise!

Citrus-Steamed Salmon

If you read my last post, here's the product of the latest installation to the age-old 'what-should-we-have-for-dinner' conversation: Citrus-Steamed Salmon, inspired by my latest issue of Everyday Food. If you're as yet unaware of the wonders of this little publication, start by checking out the website. It's done by the team at Martha Stewart so you know it's amazing, even if when you hear the name you still think ankle monitors and insider trading. You have to admit, the woman knows what she's talking about!

Here's what you'll need for four servings. This recipe can easily be reduced if cooking for two, or even just for one, or multiplied if you need even more. I made four servings and kept leftovers since we only ate two.

4 fillets of salmon (or about a pound and a half if you buy one big piece, which tends to be cheaper)
3 oranges
1 shallot
1 6-ounce bag of fresh baby spinach (just whatever your grocer has in the bagged spinach section by the produce)
olive oil for drizzling
salt & pepper
enough parchment paper for four 16-inch-long pieces
a zester (or a cheese grater with a zesting side)

The first step here is to skin your fish. If you can buy fillets that are already skinless for a reasonable price, DO IT!! Not having to skin your fish will save you a lot of stress (especially if this would be your first time doing it, or if you're a bit neurotic like me) and time. That said, I paid about $11 for the pound and half skin-on fillet that I got, while I would've paid probably twice that if I'd gotten four skinned fillets. Save time or save money, it's really up to you.
Another bit of useful knowledge is that the majority of the omega-3s, the good fats that are in salmon, are between the skin and the flesh. If this recipe were for grilled salmon, I would tell you to leave the skin on because once the fish is cooked it becomes very easy to peel away the skin. Because we're steaming however, you won't get the opportunity to remove it before serving, and the skin can change the flavor profile of the fish.

SO, if you're up for the fish-skinning adventure, here we go. I apologize that I forgot to take pictures during this process, but I'll try to be as descriptive as possible. This is, in my opinion, the best way to do it IF you have crappy knives like me. (If you don't, skip down to the link below and watch the video. THAT is the way it really should be done.)
Place your fish on a cutting board with the skin side up. With a very sharp knife parallel to the board, make a cut along one of the short edges of your fillet just under the skin, trying to cut into as little of the red fleshy part as possible. Try not to use sawing motions, but rather make long, even strokes along the length of the cut until you have enough skin detached from the meat to be able to get a good grip on it. This is the point at which I like to pretend I'm a surgeon.

Using a paper towel, grip the skin and pull it away from the meat while using your other hand to hold the fillet in place against the cutting board. Pull slowly and firmly, making additional cuts as you need to (if you start picking up a lot of meat with the skin).

You'll get the hang of it as you go but it can definitely be frustrating, so if you're reluctant or if my explanation didn't make any sense to you, just spring for the skinless stuff! If you've got a nice knife, here's an alternate method via a helpful video compliments of ehow.com (a fantastic website! you can look up how to do just about anything!) as well: http://www.ehow.com/video_2339480_removing-skin-from-fillet-salmon.html

OK, the hardest part of this recipe is over, I promise!! From here on out this is super easy to prep, make, AND best of all, to clean up!

If you opted for one big fillet, cut it into four equal parts and double check for bones. If you skinned the fish yourself there's a better chance that you'll still have a few little bones to pick out, depending on where you bought it. Apply gentle pressure along the center of the fillet (where the spine would've been) and just off to either side and run your fingers laterally off the fish. If you feel any bones poking you, just pull them out with your fingers but if you've got some stubborn little guys, try a tweezers (sanitized first, please!) if you don't have the appropriate top-chef tool (a special fish bone tweezers!).

Preheat your oven to 400° F.

While your oven is heating up, zest about half of one orange. Then cut the ends off of all three oranges, and using a knife, cut away the peel, wasting as little as possible of the actual orange. Cut each orange into four even rounds. Finely slice the shallot.

Place a piece of parchment paper on your work surface, then arrange a bed of spinach (about 1/4 of the bag) on top. Place one salmon fillet on the spinach, then top with a good sized pinch of orange zest (Don't be shy, but you don't really need a ton either...you probably won't end up using all of the zest) and about 1/4 of the shallots. Even if you don't like shallots or onions, just cook the fish with them for the flavor. The pieces are big enough that they're easy to pick off after cooking. Trust me. AND you may decide to make yourself like them after reading all the good nutrients that are in them! (see end of blog)

Season with salt and pepper, the drizzle with olive oil.

Now take the long sides of the parchment paper and roll them together to make a seam, then tuck the lose ends under to make a little packet. Be sure that you've got a good seal so that the contents will steam properly and not lose any moisture to the hot oven. By the way, these packets can be made ahead of time too. If you've got extra time the night before, or before you go to work in the morning (I know, nobody has extra time in the morning...I'm just trying to give you options!), make these up then and when you get home just pop them in the oven and relax!

Repeat these steps with all four (or however many) portions, then place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the salmon is cooked through. Start by setting your timer for 15-18 minutes and go from there. I ended up baking mine for 23 minutes all together.

The original recipe also calls for 1/4 cup of fresh, diced ginger (about a 2-inch piece, peeled), which I think would really bring out the flavor of the oranges, so somebody try it with ginger and let me know how it is! (I thought I had some but I'd used it all! :( ) I also would be interested to know if this is good with leafy greens other than spinach! Maybe something with arugula in the mix?

And finally, as promised, here's what's good about eating what's in this dish:

(brought to you by livestrong.com, webmd.com, ods.od.nih.gov (Office of Dietary Supplements website) and nutritiondata.self.com)

-Salmon is naturally very high in omega-3 fatty acids, which the body cannot produce on its own yet it needs for growth, development and brain function. These fatty acids are also great for your heart since they lower blood triglycerides, the main form of fat in the body. When we consume excess calories that the body cannot convert into energy, triglycerides are what those calories are converted into, and what's stored on the body parts that we may not be so proud of. Omega-3s also keep plaque from accumulating in the blood vessels. A four-ounce serving, which is a little less than you're getting with this dish, carries 2.9 grams of omega-3s, which is equivalent to 87% of the daily recommended value! Salmon also is one of the few foods in which vitamin D naturally occurs, which promotes growth and bone health. Also natural to salmon are selenium (good for thyroid function and cancer defense) and and vitamin B-12 (promotes nerve function, red blood cell and DNA synthesis).

-Spinach also has a ton of good stuff that the body needs. Iron is a big one, especially for women, who need more than twice as much daily as men do to aid in the healthy formation of cells. We all know that vitamin C boosts the immune system, but did you know that it also aides in the production of collagen, which we need for healthy skin, bones, teeth and blood vessels? In one cup of spinach, you'll get 1,688 micrograms of beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant that protects your cells from harm and also helps the body to produce vitamin A, as well as 145 micrograms of vitamin K, which helps your blood clot normally and promote bone health in the elderly.

-Oranges are a huge source of vitamin C, but also of fiber, thiamin, folate and potassium. Fiber has been shown to lower the risk of heart disease, obesity and certain types of cancers, and can make you feel fuller for longer since fibrous foods require more chewing and stay in your stomach longer. Thiamin, a.k.a. vitamin B-1, processes carbohydrates, while folate processes protein and can help prevent birth defects when consumed by pregnant women. Potassium promotes healthy blood pressure and fluid balance within the body and even reduces the risk of kidney stones!

-And I just learned something new about scallions! Holy cow are these full of good things!! You could pretty much pick anything off the periodic table and scallions are probably chock full of it: thiamin, riboflavin (vitamin B-2, converts food into energy), magnesium (heart, muscle, nerve and bone health), phosphorus (cell function, energy production, bone growth), copper (iron metabolism), fiber, vitamins A, C, and K, folate, calcium (bone, nervous system and blood health, muscle contraction), iron, potassium, and manganese (bone formation, chemical reactions in the body).

So I hope you enjoy the recipe, and that you learned something along the way! Stay tuned for more new posts coming soon :) Happy Tuesday!

Eating with Awareness

Okay, so this is turning out to be easier/more addicting than I thought it was going to be. Should I be sleeping at 2:23 AM? Absolutely. Am I here writing instead? You bet. Oh well, what are random three-day weekends for anyway, right?

So tonight my boyfriend said to me, "What are we going to eat tonight?" Now if you don't know me, you maybe think that's the kind of question that might warrant an 'oh-so-you-just-expect-me-to-cook-for-you' glare, or at least an eyebrow raise. While I'm just as much a feminist as the next girl, my love knows me well enough to be entirely certain that at any given time I've got anywhere from seven to twenty-seven recipes that I can't wait to try and "What are we going to eat?" is like saying taking the leash off your dog and saying "Go get that squirrel!" Yes, I just compared myself to your dog, but dogs are people too, so I'm okay with it.

I said to him "What do you feel like eating?"
Normally this warrants the response: "I don't know...Whatever..." (So helpful, thanks for narrowing the field, babe.)
But today he said, "Something healthy. Something that's good for us."
"DEAL!" I said. That's right up my alley, and it actually gave me an idea for my blog!

Now, I'm going to admit that I'm addicted to sugar. I physically cannot stop myself from eating "just one more cookie," or pie for breakfast, or half a bag of Guittard chocolate chips on the way home from the grocery store even though they were supposed to go in the recipe (yeah that happened...whoops...). BUT I really do believe that nothing good comes from putting things in our bodies that don't serve a purpose. The more conscious we are about what food does for and to our bodies the more healthy we'll be, and the chances of eating with awareness instead of on auto-pilot are multiplied. This is why I've decided to add nutritional information to all of my new recipe posts! Not necessarily calorie counts, fat grams, sodium content and all of those things (which I will give you when I have it!), but just a little knowledge regarding why it's good to eat certain things and what benefits you'll gain from the ingredients in my recipes. I know there's a ton of information out there regarding nutrition, but I will make a solemn vow to you right here and now to always cite my sources and only use them if they are reputable and factual.

Happy eating! (And please give me the strength to not eat anymore blueberry coffee cake tonight!!)

5 Ingredients & 5 Minutes to a Healthy, Delicious, Hot Meal

Got a crock pot? (say yes...or if not, get one. You can get a decent one for under $40 at Target. Or, get a really old one for free from your boyfriend's mom. That's what I did, it works just as well.) Excellent.

You're already off to a great start to making easy, awesome meals.

My latest crock pot endeavor involves five ingredients. Yes, five. Even better, it requires about five minutes of your time.

1. three or four frozen chicken breasts, depending on size and how meaty you want this to turn out
2. one bag of frozen corn
3. one can of black beans, drained. try to find a kind that are a little more interesting than just plain. i really like Kuner's of Colorado Jalepeño Black Beans with Lime Juice--super flavorful, and not at all overly spicy! I made my latest batch with plain ones and it was a little less awesome than it's been in the past.
4. a jar of your favorite salsa. the bigger the jar the saucier this'll turn out. i usually just use a 16 or 24 oz jar of medium Tostito's and it's great, but i'm sure that something more exciting would be even better!
5. a can of diced green chiles


Throw all this in your crock pot before you leave for work in the morning (I usually have my heat set to low, but that can be adjusted depending on how long your work day is) and by the time you come home your kitchen will smell wonderful and you'll have a delicious, healthy meal that you barely lifted a finger for. The chicken shreds itself while it's cooking and the flavors mix together in a fantastic way. Serve over white or brown rice or quinoa, or just eat! (okay, so that's a sixth ingredient)

This will become a favorite, I promise.

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

These were great when I made them the other night!


Healthy and super tasty!


The recipe makes a ton, so half it if you want to, but I love to have leftovers so I don't have to put in much thought after a long day. Also, I'm totally okay eating things cold, and these are actually great that way too!


original recipe from http://fashionablyfoodie.blogspot.com/2009/03/asian-chicken-lettuce-wraps.html

6 chicken breasts (either raw or frozen)
2 whole carrots, grated
1 pint of mushrooms (just the regular-sized carton that you get at the grocery store)
6 green onions, finely chopped
2 red bell peppers, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can of water chestnuts, drained and chopped
4 Tbsp canola oil (or whatever type of cooking oil your prefer)
1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 c water
1/2 c sugar
4 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sriracha
*rice vinegar, sesame oil and sriracha maybe aren't something you use very frequently, but they're easy to find in the Asian aisle at your regular grocery store and they're not expensive
1 c soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 head iceberg lettuce, leaves washed and peeled away (keep as whole as possible!)
chow mein noodles for garnish/texture

•Bring a pot of water big enough to cover the chicken to a boil, and add chicken breasts, a pinch of salt and a clove of garlic. Boil for about ten minutes, or until chicken is done. If using frozen chicken it'll be more like twenty minutes.

•While chicken is boiling, prep your vegetables.

•Once chicken is done and very little pink remains (it'll cook just a little more when you throw everything into a sauté pan [or wok if you have one], so a little bit under-done is okay) chop it into very small pieces. Ideally, the chicken and all vegetables would be cut into the same sized pieces...good luck with that.

•Mix water, sugar, vinegar, 2 tsp sesame oil, sriracha, soy sauce and 1 tsp ginger. Whisk to combine well.

•Heat 4 Tbsp oil and 1/2 tsp sesame oil in a large pan. Add onions, mushrooms and peppers and cook to soften, about two minutes. Add chicken, water chestnuts and garlic; sauté for another two minutes. Add half of the liquid mix that you made in the previous step to the pan and reserve the rest. Bring to a boil then let simmer for ten minutes, or until the liquid is reduced and there is just a little left in the pan.

•While the pan is simmering, add more sriracha, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp fresh ginger to your reserved liquid. This will be a dip for your wraps.

•After the chicken/veggie mix is ready in the pan, stir in the grated carrot. Serve on lettuce leaves with chow mein noodles.

•Enjoy being healthy and happy!

Welcome to The Daily Digest

lettuce wraps!...made these the other night and they were great (recipe posted soon!)

Welcome. I say that to both you and me, because this is a brand new thing for me too. You'll have to bear with me over the next few weeks as I tweak, edit, make changes, decide I hate the whole thing, start over, have a break down because the computer just deleted my entire post and just generally get used to this blogging idea.

I've been thinking about writing a blog for a while now, ever since I started admiring such wonderful women like Jessica at www.howsweeteats.com, Nikki at www.chef-in-training.com, and Kristina at mouthfromthesouth.com, thanks in large part to the advent of everyone's favorite addiction, PINTEREST. However, I credit my best friend Cathryn, whose blog nuefvies is beautiful, funny and honest, for really giving me the inspiration to finally sit down at my desk and start typing. loveyousister.... :)

You may have noticed that the majority of the blogs that I just mentioned have to do with food...Now, I don't have nearly as much time or money as those women must to devote themselves so fully to exploring their culinary interests (even though in a perfect world I would spend all my money on ingredients for fabulous recipes, vacations, and fashion) but as far as I can foresee, this blog will focus mainly on my aspirations to get into as much trouble as possible in the kitchen. I can't promise that I'll have a new great recipe for you every day with stunning pictures and witty instructions, nor that they'll always be entirely my own creations, but I solemnly swear that I will do my best to post at least one recipe a week.

Maybe this is a good time to explain how I came up with my title, "The Daily Digest."

According to the handy dictionary on my macbook, "digest" has a few definitions:

1. (v) to break down food in the stomach and intestines into substances that can be used by the body

-That correlation is pretty obvious, given my top chef aspirations-

2. (n) a compilation or summary of material or information

-You'll also see, from time to time, posts about my other loves: yoga, fitness, nutrition, traveling, art, puppies, music, my DVR, fashion, dance, my friends and family, etc.-

3. (v) arrange in a systematic or convenient order

-Now I thought this correlation was pretty funny, and also entirely appropriate. Here's a little tidbit about me: I'm nothing if not organized. I was recently called "excessively methodical" by a co-worker. In my opinion, I'm simply making things more convenient, but I'll go ahead and apologize ahead of time if you find that you disagree :) I won't be offended...what can I say, I gotta have a system!

Like I said earlier, I won't make an empty promise and say that I'll have something new "daily" as my title implies. A few posts per week and I'll be proud of myself. But as humans we're constantly ("daily," one might say) thinking of new things we'd like to do and places we'd like to go and goals we'd like to achieve despite the regular routine that we're subject to. We dream while being realistic (thanks nuefvies, for that one!), and that's the basis for my writing.

So I hope that gives you a taste (pun intended?) of what's to come. Look for a new post soon!! Time to get cooking....