Friday, December 9, 2011

Hearty Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash & Quinoa


While the sun is still shining here in San Francisco the air has turned winter crisp. I don’t do well in the cold. It’s habitual for me to blast the heat in my car to 90 degrees during the winter months! Back in high school my little sister wasn’t a fan of my heated car when I picked her up from her intense Tae-Kwon Do classes. She was already sweating before she got into the car and I would still be shivering. I became so selfish for warmth that when she tried to roll down her window to cool off (and probably get some fresh air from the stuffy, over-heated car) I would lock the windows at their upright position. I couldn’t fathom loosing any heat from the vehicle. As soon as I saw her (failed) attempt to roll down her window I would erupt in laughter. Let’s just say warmth is a priority for me.

I like to think I have matured a little since then.

Today, rather than torturing my little sister for heat’s sake, I knew a healthy stew would do the trick! Oh. My. Goodness. This stew rocks! The unconventional combination of ingredients is sure to please any pallet.

Hearty Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash & Quinoa
Recipe adapted from Cookin’ Canuck

Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded & chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 2 ½ C Kale, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 can (14 oz) petite diced tomatoes
  • 2/3 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 3/4 cup pitted and quartered kalamata olives (I used the entire jar!)
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions

  1. Steam the butternut squash until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Remove half of the squash pieces and set aside.
  2. Steam the remaining squash until very tender, an additional 5 to 6 minutes. Mash this squash with the back of a fork. Set aside with squash pieces.
  3. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the chicken broth to a simmer.
  4. Add chicken thighs, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 10-15 minutes.
  5. Transfer the chicken thighs to a plate and allow to cool. Pour broth into a medium-sized bowl. (You will use the broth later.)
  6. Return the saucepan to the stovetop and lower heat to medium. Add olive oil.
  7. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is starting to turn brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
  8. Add minced garlic while stirring for 1 more minute.
  9. To the saucepan, add tomatoes, butternut squash pieces, mashed butternut squash. Stir to combine.
  10. Stir in reserved chicken broth, kale and quinoa. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the quinoa turns translucent, about 15 minutes.
  11. Shred the chicken with your fingers or a fork.
  12. Stir the chicken, olives and pepper into the stew and simmer, uncovered, to heat, about 5 minutes.
  13. Stir in parsley and serve.
Bon appétit!

Monday, December 5, 2011

In With the New


I am a creature of habit. My keys are always placed in a particular pocket in my purse, I wore Nike cleats for my entire soccer career, and I tend to buy the same food brands my mother purchased. Just for the sake of mixing things up I decided to venture out of my comfort zone and try a few new things.

I started the change with my favorite item on earth: ice cream. While Hagan Daz is my go-to ice cream brand I decided to give custard a try. Man, oh man I’m glad I did! Consuming Snoqualmie gourmet honey and cinnamon custard was probably the best decision I made all week long! Next time I need an ice cream fix  I’ll have try  Snoqualmie’s caramel ginger snap custard (festive too).
Honey Cinnamon
 When it comes to yogurt I typically grab organic Greek yogurt; however, this time I let my eyes scan for other options and I went with Siggi’s Iclandic skyr yogurt. Honestly, this is my new favorite yogurt! It’s thick, creamy and not too sweet (sweetened by agave nectar)! I’ve already tried two flavors, pomegranate and passion fruit as well as orange and ginger.
Pomegranate yogurt package shot
Beyond exploring new food products I focused on executing my usual routines differently as well. Every week I make an effort to go to the gym 4 to 6 times. When I’m at the gym I usually head straight to the treadmill and run anywhere between 6-11 miles and then top it off with an abs workout. This week I opted for a spin class followed by a kettlebell routine. Turns out that is just what my body needed! I have been so sore the entire week! My hamstrings are tight and my quads, which rarely get sore, are aching.
 I really should venture out of my comfort zone more often! By doing so I have discovered new food favorites and developed new muscles. Oh, the simple pleasures in life.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Wrap It Up


So it has been about a year since I have written a blog entry. Yikes! For a while I had forgotten I even had a blog. However, I’m at a time in my life where I will be going through a lot of major changes in the next few months (more on this later…as long as I write another blog entry. HA!). Knowing that my life will drastically change in the near future I became inspired to look back on this last year and observe what I’ve learned, the struggles I have faced and the challenges I have overcome. While this topic may seem more relevant for the upcoming New Year, I simply did not want wait any longer to share my thoughts and I could not think of a better place to share them than on my blog!

Here are the biggest accomplishments and challenges I have faced this past year:

6 Accomplishments:
1)      Ran my first half marathon with my big sister! (New Years resolution – check!)
2)      Found a small community of friends (20’s group at church)
3)      Learned to cook more than just stir-fry (I just cooked steak for the fist time this week!)
4)      Maintained a healthy weight while working a desk job (diet was a biggie here)
5)      I feel comfortable doing things by myself (went to a play solo)
6)      Finished reading the Bible in it’s entirety (about 15 minutes a day for a year)

5 Challenges:
1) Being homesick (I’ve been living about 600 miles away from my family for five years now and the distance is only getting more difficult for me.)
2) Learning to work with micro-managers
3) Feeling lonely for the first time in my life (the real-world is much different than college)
4) Maintaining a healthy relationship with a long-distance boyfriend (He is wonderful.)
5) Sticking it out, when quitting appears to be the easy option
6) Saving enough money for travel opportunities in the future

It turns out I have done a lot of growing this year! A lot of people say it’s not good to dwell on the past; however, I believe by taking a look at the past I am able to observe how far I have come as well as the areas that need improvement in my life.


While this entry hardly touches on my past year, I think I’ll have an easier time writing more blog entries going forward now that I have written a quick wrap-up of my past year.

Running the final mile of the San Francisco Half Marathon 4/10/11

Learned to bake a chocolate espresso cake from scratch