Hate Reading & Chicken And Veggie Pesto Pasta

I've been on a roll cooking up all sorts of different meals for myself.  One of my co-workers was selling cute recipe flip-books for her son's school last week and I purchased the "Better Health" flip-book.



I was surprised with the variety of recipes in the book and chose to try something I've never made before. Pesto!  I've actually only had pesto a few times so I was a little intimidated to try making it on my own.  It turned out well and I'll definitely make it again.

Chicken And Veggie Pesto Pasta
Adapted from Better Health recipe book that kids sell at schools to make money for sports teams.
Ingredients

1/2 lb boneless chicken breast, cut into pieces 

1 zucchini  

1 yellow squash
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1 clove garlic
2 cups torn spinach leaves
1 cup basil
1/4 cup part-skim mozzarella
salt and pepper to taste 

Instructions 
Add all the pesto ingredients to a food processor, except the olive oil. Pulse and blend well. Slowly drizzle in the oil (I used a blender for this and it worked fine).
Cook pasta in boiling water. While the pasta cooks: Saute the chicken in the pan with 1 TBS of olive oil until browned and done, about 5-8 minutes depending on size of pieces. Remove chicken from the pan.

Cut up all the veggies and add then to the pan. Saute until crisp tender, about 5 minutes.

Drain pasta.

In a large pot or bowl, combine the pasta, chicken, sauteed veggies and pesto. Stir together until combined well. 

 

I wasn't sure how it would taste using walnuts in the recipe instead of pine nuts, but I didn't notice a difference in taste.  I overcooked my pasta a bit as you can probably see in the photo, but it still tasted good and I had tons of leftovers!

There was an interesting article on Jezebel yesterday discussing why people hate-read blogs and what makes a blog hate-readable.  I had to laugh because everyone does this and I'm always interested in what other people hate-read and why.  Personally, I hate-read because I'm bored at work and it amuses me.  The thing is, I don't hate-read the blogs themselves, but the comment sections.  Comment sections on blogs blow my mind.  I love laughing at people who will comment, "Your oatmeal is so inspiring!" or when people attack others for having a different opinion.  I could sit and hit refresh and watch an argument go down all day long.  These are my top three hate-reads:

• Barstool Sports.  I actually enjoy their sports coverage and think some of the articles are pretty funny.  However, the writers go over the line of what's appropriate.  There are rape jokes and they're very demeaning towards women, but I can't stop reading!  The comment section kills me.  Commenters get into fights over everything from whether Ochocinco should play Sunday to if Hillary Duff is still hot.  And they throw down over this stuff! It's hilarious.  I've learned most of my new favorite insults from Barstool's comment section.
• Thought Catalog.  Oh my God. This is one of the worst sites on the internet.  It's a place where 20-somethings write passionately about how hard their lives are because their boyfriend didn't text them last night and it made them feel all the feelings or how life just isn't fair because they have to go on coffee runs at their internship.  It's frustrating to read about these special snowflakes, but I can't stop!  Maybe I like it because it reminds me of my younger, unaware, self? Who knows.
• Huffington Post Politics Page.  Pick an article, any article on the politics page, scroll down to the comment section, sit back and have your mind blown by comments from people who think that Obama is a terrorist, that there are CIA agents living in our basements listening to our conversations, that Sarah Palin is the next Mother Teresa, or that our elections are rigged by aliens from secret planets that we don't know about.  It's amazing.

To recap:  I'm pretty much a Top Chef at this point and hate-reading is a fabulous way to kill time.

What I've Learned From Dr. Oz & Hydroxatone Winner!

Good morning! Thanks to everyone who entered the Hydroxatone giveaway.  The winner is:

#29 SummerSlowRunner:  "I want to win face goo!! Mine needs all the help it can get."

Email me with your contact information. Congrats!

It doesn't matter if I'm at a client site or at my company's office, Dr. Oz is always on in the breakroom during lunch.  He's quite popular among women of a certain age.  Personally, I'm not a fan.  The way he leers at women and has to hug and caress his audience member's arms turns me off.  Oh, and I think he looks like a dragon.  That being said, there are few things I've learned from watching his show.

1. We're All Fatties.  Yup, we're all fat and Dr. Oz wants to remind us of this fact every, single day.  No matter what the topic of the day is, it all comes back to LOSE WEIGHT!  I understand that obesity is a problem in our nation, but I had no idea that losing ten pounds would solve all our health problems.  Have an eye twitch?  Lose weight.  That cut on your finger?  You probably got it because you're a fattie.  I commend Dr. Oz for advocating eating less and moving more.  He tells his audience there are no quick fixes, well, except Weight Watchers of course. Because he's teamed up with them for some weight loss challenge.  So get on Weight Watchers everyone!  It cures everything!

2. Take All The Vitamins!  Every episode that I've seen, Dr. Oz tells viewers to take all these vitamin "cocktails".  The "cocktails" are different every show; weight loss, anti-aging, energy, fertility, etc... What I've never seen him recommend is a general "cocktail" for everyday wellness.  I checked his website as well and wasn't able to find anything there either.  If you took his advice from a week's worth of shows, you'd be taking a mountain of pills.  So just go to CVS and buy all the vitamins. I'm sure it'll work out well.  That being said, I did start taking fish oil and magnesium after he recommended that all women take fish oil for the Omega 3s and to reduce inflammation and magnesium for good bone health. 


3.  Everyone Needs To Start Boning.  He's right about this one.  We'd all be less stressed if we were having sex on the regular.  I just wish he wouldn't hug and rub up on his audience members while he's telling them they need to have more sex.


4.  Go Vegan...For A Month.  If you want to lose weight and be more healthy, Dr. Oz suggests going vegan for a month.  That's not insulting to vegans at all right?  Because I'm sure vegans are only vegans so they can be skinny.  He outlines a four-week process to going vegan. In week one, he implies that vegans need to take multivitamins and B12 in order to get protein. What? This guy's a doctor, but doesn't know his vitamins. In week two, he advocates substituting all meat products with soy products.  Yup, just eat processed foods people.  So easy to be a vegan!  The best part is that you don't have to go vegan, you just play vegan for a few weeks because in your last week of being vegan, you "introduce" eggs and dairy back into your diet.  His reasoning for this?  Because veganism "isn't a reality or even an ideal." I'm sure the millions of vegans would disagree.

To recap:  Congrats Summer! And Dr. Oz is a toolbag with good intentions.

Is This Sh*t I Say?

Okay, so I know I said I hate all these Sh*t _______ Says videos, but my friend just emailed this one to me and I thought it was funny enough to share.

Seriously, I hope this isn't what it's like to be around me, but I'm pretty sure I'm this terrible.

Mad, Bad, And Sad

I just finished reading "Mad, Bad, And Sad: A History Of Women And The Mind Doctors" by Lisa Appignanesi.

In "Mad, Bad, And Sad"  Appignanesi uses letters, diaries and articles of sources ranging from Betty Friedan to Marilyn Monroe to show how women's ability to live creative lives has been controlled by culture, and how their unsuccessful attempts have lead to mental illness.  She begins the book with writer Mary Lamb's 1796 matricide, an early case that was the beginning of the notion of a link between "childhood experience and the deformations of the adult." From there, Appignanesi charts the lives of women in different eras, demonstrating how various forms of "madness" surfaced and tracing the evolution of treatments from early sanatoriums to newer diagnoses (such as postpartum depression) and increasing pharmaceutical options.

It's not surprising that Appignanesi's findings reveal that with new treatments come new problems; she touches on early Prozac recipients Lauren Slater and Elizabeth Wurtzel to show how a generation's "drug-charged highs too often descended into the terrifying and recurring lows of depression, which themselves became the target of more drugs."

What I liked about this book is that Appignanesi doesn't offer solutions, rather than blame men, parents, or media, her case studies contribute to the ongoing conversation about what constitutes mental illness and the ways it's treated.  Lately I've been getting into books that explore the history of psychiatry and this was a fascinating read.  I think you'll enjoy this book if you're into feminist issues or psychology.

Wicked Pizza & Three Things Thursday

Last night I met up with my gal pal Emily for pizza at Wicked in Dedham, MA.  Being the professional and amazing blogger that I am, I forgot my camera.  Woops.  We shared the Autumn Butternut and Goat Cheese pizza (apple smoked bacon, roasted apples, goat cheese, butternut squash puree, mozzarella, fried sage) but we ordered it without the bacon (Emily doesn't eat meat).  Even without the bacon, the pizza was incredible.  When our server put it on the table, the smell of the apples and cinnamon was heaven.  The goat cheese was a fantastic contrast to the sweet butternut squash and apples.  I'm not normally a crust fan, but the crust was warm and chewy with a slight crunch.  Amazing.  This was hands down one of the best pizzas I've had in quite awhile and it was fun to share it with a good friend.

Today's Thursday and that means that it's Three Things Thursday! If you're new to the blog, this is a post where I list three things that are annoying me this week. Basically, I whine about my white people problems. You get your chance in the comments.

1. WHAT?!  I was watching the local news yesterday during lunch at work and almost threw up on myself.  They reported that this guy has been brought up charges of child porn.  I went on a date with him!!!!  He was on Match!  Oh my God...I don't even....It was only one date and it was just drinks and I wasn't interested (he was boring as hell) so it's not like I dated him, but OH MY GOD!  What?!  Only me.  I guess this is a problem in Newton, MA because they found out one of the librarians had a child porn collection going on at work too.  What's up with this Newton?  Get it together.

2. Shyness.  Believe it or not, I'm very shy when I meet new people.  It usually wears off in an hour or so, but work is different.  I'm struggling to find that balance of being professional, but also "myself" at the same time.  I'm still fairly new and don't feel comfortable cracking jokes when others are joking.  I just stand there and laugh along.  I've been in "Professional Melissa" mode for a long time and I'm starting to see cracks in my veneer.  It's becoming harder and harder to hold in my sarcasm and I'm afraid one day I'm just going to explode, say something wildly inappropriate and get fired.  GAH!  I hope I get over this soon. 

3.  American Idol.  I didn't realize this show was still on until I heard a bit on the morning show I listen to (Toucher And Rich 4Lyfe!!) making fun of the inappropriate things Steven Tyler says to contestants.  Who watches this?   Why don't they just go to a karaoke bar instead?

To recap:  I love pizza, beware of kiddie porn dudes on Match, I'm too shy shy (Kajagoogoo anyone?), and American Idol...blech.

Hydroxatone Giveaway!

Good morning!  This week is flying by for me.  I've been super busy at work and found out yesterday that I'm going back to Detroit next week for a round of interviews.  Oh, I forgot to mention that I decided to apply for that job transfer.  I leave next Wednesday and have a lot of preparation to do over the weekend for the interview.  GAH! I really want this job.  I really want to move.  Just putting that out into the universe.  Make it happen universe!

You might remember this post where I complained about that crappy Aveeno eye roller.  After reading about my disappointing experience, my blog friend Dori asked me if I'd like to try the line of skin-care products from her company, Hydroxatone.  Duh!  I love trying new magical potions for my face!  Dori sent me three Hydroxatone products to try out.



The Instant Lift Pads which work in 20 minutes to decrease the look of under-eye puffiness and wrinkles. This was my favorite product! I used these on mornings that I had been out late the night before or was feeling especially tired. After 20 minutes, my under-eye area wasn't puffy and there wasn't the usual redness that I experience. I'll definitely be keeping these in my medicine cabinet.

Liftalyze Eye-Lifting Serum which works to reduce wrinkles and restores moisture while boosting the appearance of a toned, firmed and lifted look.  I've only been using it for a few weeks, but so far so good and I like that it stays put while I'm putting on my makeup.

Hydrolyze Advanced Under Eye Formula which works to diminish the appearance of dark circles, puffiness and fine lines and wrinkles.  Of all the under eye products I've used, this is the only one that I've seen a difference almost right away. I have thin skin under my eyes so you can really see redness and dark circles.  After a week I noticed the redness wasn't as deep. Huge fan of this product!

I'm not going to keep going on about this stuff without offering you guys a chance to try these products!   If you'd like to win these three products to try for yourself, visit Hydroxatone to see all the fabulous products they have then leave me a comment in the comments section below saying you want to win.  It's that easy!  I must receive all entries by Sunday January 29, 2012 and the odds of winning are determined by the number of entries received. No purchase necessary to enter.  I'll announce the winner Monday.

To recap: Win free magic face potion!

Chicken Poblano Pasta

This weekend my friends Mike and Tammy had people over their apartment to watch the Patriots game.  Tammy made a fantastic pasta dish that was creamy, cheesy and absolutely delicious.  Pasta and cheese are my biggest weaknesses so I begged her to email me the recipe.  She happily sent it along and gave me the okay to share it on the blog.

I've been stuck in a rut of veggie burgers and stir-frys for awhile and I'm trying to make an effort to cook more interesting meals for myself.  The recipe Tammy sent me is just for the sauce she used so I jazzed it up with chicken and a frozen bag of "Southwestern" vegetables from Shaws.  I don't like cream cheese so I substituted 2% Fage Greek yogurt and added chili pepper to give it a little zing.

Chicken Poblano Pasta
adapted from SparkRecipes

Ingredients  
8 oz Chicken broth, fat free  
1 cup 2% Fage Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup reduced-calorie margarine 
3 garlic cloves, peeled (or to taste) 
3 Poblano peppers, roasted, peeled 
1 box whole wheat penne
2 chicken breasts diced
1 bag Southwestern Frozen Vegetables (a mix of red pepper, corn, black beans, green beans)
salt, pepper, and chili pepper to taste

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Coat poblano peppers with a little bit of oil and place in a heavy, oven-proof pan with the diced chicken.
Roast for 20 minutes or until skin starts to char and bubble.
Immediately remove and place peppers into sealed container or plastic bag.
At this point, start cooking your pasta.
In about 10 minutes, skin should peel right off the peppers, split and remove seeds.
In a blender, combine all the ingredients (except for the chicken, pasta and frozen vegetables) and blend until smooth.
Transfer into a saucepan and heat through on low to medium heat until hot.
When pasta is ready, add frozen vegetables to the pot and let them cook for about two minutes.
Drain pasta and vegetables, return to pot.
Add chicken and sauce to pasta and veggies, mix well.

This recipe came out wonderful. The sauce wasn't as thick as my friend Tammy's, but I think that's because I replaced the cream cheese with yogurt.  The leftovers had thickened up considerably when I packed them away later in the night.  I'm thinking this meal will be even better heated up again for dinner tonight.

To recap: I'm cooking things!