Clearly Fresh Bags: Review

I was contacted recently by the sample team at Clearly Fresh Bags to try out their product and see how I liked it. Clearly Fresh Bags are special bags meant to keep produce fresher for longer. I'm sure you've seen infomercials and similar items in the stores. I tried an as seen on TV kind a few years ago when I was eating raw for the most part and always had pounds of produce. What intrigued me about this particular brand was the zip closure top. I figured even if I didn't end up using them they would work just as well as a Ziploc bag would for travel or freezing foods.

 The product how it arrived

Peppery Creamy Fettuccine with Grape Tomatoes

 I was watching an episode of Barefoot Contessa on Hulu the other day and found this recipe irresistible. What I liked most about it was the ingredients were already on hand, so all I had to do was boil water and cook the pasta. The rest is really too easy! I've tweaked the recipe a tad, but the ingredients are almost identical to the original. Enjoy!

Easy Peasy Fish Tacos

I try to shop at Fresh n Easy because it's cheap fast and they offer a good selection of products. I saw a pack of Parmesan and herb crusted tilapia for about $4 and I thought that would be delicious over a green salad. It made a great low-cal lunch. The next day I still had the other fillet hanging out in the fridge so I decided to try doing fish tacos since I had a nice array of ingredients. If you have fish, tortillas, and any kind of topping like cheese, greens, or a nice sauce then these are for you.

Eggplant Stack, by Steve Martarano

I mentioned previously that Hubs and I ate at Martarano's at the Rio in Las Vegas. For an appetizer we shared the eggplant stack, and it was amazing. The ingredients are those found in eggplant Parmesan with the addition of balsamic vinegar and an arugula salad, yum! I saw an episode of the Real Housewives of Miami on Hulu, and one of the girls hosted a luncheon where they had a cooking lesson from chef Steve Martarano. That gave me the general idea of how to assemble this dish! I also found the actual recipe (or at least I'm assuming it was) on this website, check it out for yourself for the complete measurements!

Treats for a Foodie

Today I went grocery shopping with my mother, we went to North Park Produce and Fresh n Easy (same shopping center). I needed more extra virgin olive oil because I only had about a 1/4 cup left. I was watching something on Hulu and learned that Spanish olive oil is apparently the best, I had no idea. They do tastings of olive oil there, just like you would with wine. I figured if it was that good then I simply must buy some! North Park Produce only had Moroccan olive oil, the shelves were pretty bare =( I'm excited to try the Moroccan oil though, sounds exotic. I also grabbed a bottle of Rachael Ray's balsamic drizzle. I've made my own and it tastes amazing, but it makes the ENTIRE apartment smell so strongly of vinegar that is stings your eyes and makes you cough up a lung. Sad and unfortunate.

We popped on over to Fresh n Easy to get cheeses, ground beef, bread, and more treats. I went to the oil aisle and saw Spanish olive oil! I danced around and proudly showed my mom what I found. I was like a dog with a dead pigeon in it's mouth. I also purchased a large bottle of regular olive oil for sauteing, as well as (gasp!) white truffle oil! I was so happy with my little finds. I've wanted truffle oil for some time now but it's pretty pricy. This bottle was $7, which I happily paid. For Father's Day my aunt is hosting a wine tasting party and she said we were encouraged welcome to bring food for appetizers. Sticking with the Italian theme I have decided on bruschetta. I picked up four loaves of Italian baguette, a container of mascarpone cheese, and plenty of tomatoes and basil. I plan on my dish being everyone's favorite, how could it not be with the addition of truffle oil??

Being the weirdo I am, my thoughts constantly revolve around food whether it's what I'm going to cook next or some ingredient I've been obsessed with finding. I know, I'm sick. There is truly something wrong with me. No one should enjoy food this much. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go chug a bottle of olive oil. Buon appetito!

Hawaii

It's finally time for the post about HAWAII!! I'm lame and slow to get this up, but it's not like anyone is breaking down the door or flooding my email for pictures so I'm sure it's all good. I'm going to give a rough run down of what we did all 7 days and 6 nights and include some pictures! There are literally hundreds so I'm just going to include some of my favorites ♥

On Sunday we explored around the hotel, we didn't get into the room and settled until 5 pm. We stayed on the island of Oahu, at the Marriott Ko Olina Beach Club. It was ridiculously nice, I highly recommend staying there or in that area if you're looking for a nice quiet getaway!

Repost:Triple Seasoning Crock Pot Roast

Since I haven't been cooking anything interesting (just a lot of omelettes and frozen foods) I thought I would repost a favorite recipe of mine! If you want a nice home cooked meal over the weekend, without doing much cooking, this crock pot recipe is absolutely perfect!

I saw the recipe on Monica's blog and I knew I just had to make it! I actually have three recipes to share with you tonight.

SOYrizo!

I've never had chorizo, when I want a meaty Mexican breakfast I got for a breakfast burrito or machaca. Chorizo is made from the lymph nodes and other questionable parts of the pig. That grosses me out quite a bit. Although I've never had authentic chorizo, I think soyrizo tastes excellent! I know a lot of people that say it almost tastes the same as the real deal. So I'm guessing both are tasty, but one is a far healthier choice. You can find soyrizo in pretty much any grocery store, and especially in health food stores. I have a quick and easy way to make breakfast burritos for me and the hubs on weekends!

Tofu Spring Rolls

 This is a favorite meal I love to put together on warm summer nights, or just in a flash when I have the right ingredients on hand! I made vegan spring rolls using tofu, but you could easily use any type of meat to fill these up. The spring roll wrappers themselves are VERY light, in everything. You'd have to eat a 1/4 of the package to consumer 280 calories. I believe the package is 12 ounces and has lasted me a couple of years, so there's no danger of actually eating a full serving. Here's everything you'll need:

Shaved Asparagus Pizza

Last week I made poached eggs over asparagus for brunch, a couple of days later the asparagus was looking a little sad and I knew I had to use it up somehow. As luck would have it I had frozen dough in the freezer, an open jar of basil marinara sauce, and a ton of mozzarella cheese in the fridge! I thawed out the dough the night before and decided to make a pizza. I was just going to chop the asparagus and lay it over the cheese but then I thought about the textures, do I steam the asparagus first? Do I just cook the pizza for a while until the asparagus is tender? I figured it would be easier to just use a vegetable peeler to shave the asparagus into thin slices. It worked well! I love making a simple cheese pizza then bumping up the nutrition by using whatever veggies you have on hand.