accidental minestrone soup

So last week I scored really good deals on some produce and needed to use it asap before it spoiled..so I decided to make a veggie soup, which ultimately turned into minestrone(didn't mean for it to). Whatever it was, it was really yummy and super duper healthy! Here's what I did.


What you will need:

olive oil

1 onion (chopped)

minced garlic

2 cans crushed tomatoes -italian style (or you can use fresh tomatoes and add some tomato sauce and seasoning)

carrots

celery

zucchini

corn ( I used canned kernels)

noodles ( I used elbow, but use whatever you want)

6-8 cups of chicken stock

dried parsly

dried basil

dried rosemary

salt

pepper




What to do:

in a dutch oven (or any soups pot) saute your chopped onions and minced garlic in a little bit of olive oil (the best smell ever!)

chop celery, carrots and zucchini, add them to pot

add 2 cans of italian style crushed tomatoes

add corn kernels

add chicken stock

add noodles

let all of this boil until noodles are soft

add a few dashes of all of the herbs

salt and pepper to taste..

and voila! A yummy, hearty, minestrone soup!

Notes:
* The longer you let this soup simmer, the more the flavors evolve and the yummier it gets!
* I like mushy zucchini, if you like your to have to bite to them, simply add them later
* put your own twist on this, use different veggies or spices...make it your own :)
* This recipe with work much better if your listening to some authentic italian music, it makes the veggies happy :-P


Happy souping!
Nikki

Healthy zucchini sticks!

Baked zucchini sticks! They are healthy and oh so yummy!



What you'll need:

1-2 Zucchinis (more if you plan on making a whole bunch!)

1 cup italian bread crumbs (more if needed)

1/2 cup regular bread crumbs (more if needed)

2 eggs

1 small pinch salt

dash of pepper

greased baking sheet


What to do:

mix your bread crumbs, salt and pepper

beat your eggs in a separate bowl

cut your zucchini into spears (however thick you like)

dip the zucchini into the egg then the breadcrumbs (repeat if you like extra crispy)

put onto a greased baking sheet

bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes...

and...


tada!!! Dip them into yummy ranch and enjoy!

Have fun with this recipe and put your own spin on it. If you buy premade breadcrumbs, make sure to check if they already have salt, and if so, don't add the extra pinch to your batter.

Happy baking!!

Nikki.

surgery, juice, weird trees and bike rides.

So I  already broke my I'm-gunna-blog-at-least-every-other-day promise to myself... but I have very good reasons. My grandfather (who my sister and I are extremely close to) had a stroke and was in the hospital. His carotid artery was clogged 100% on one side and 90% on the other. Everything is okay now, he's safe at home recovering and will be just fine with some drastic diet changes. :) This completely opened up my eyes to the importance of taking care of yourself! So from now on, my husband, roommate and I are putting the juicer to work! Below, is our yummy spinach, kale, carrot, tomato, beet, orange and apple concoction. It doesn't look the best, but it's so healthy! 

on the brighter side..some pretty interesting things happened this past week :)  

It was my husband's big 25, so we attempted to go to Disneyland (it was waaaay too crowded) so we went to the block of orange and walked around. We also discovered that Market Broiler and THE BEST sushi!  Yum!!! 

On sunday, Ray and I went with my dad on a vintage bike ride in Long Beach. I've never experienced anything like it, it was soo neat! There were 195 people with cool vintage bikes..some were even from the 20's! We started at a coffee shop and rode down to the shore, down the beach and ended at a lighthouse.

There were so many riders that we blocked streets. It was so fun! When I looked back, the riders went back for at least half a mile..and I wasn't even in the front!

my dad and I

My handsome hubby

Oh ya, and there was this really weird tree in Long beach..I think I need my front yard to be covered with these one day!

Also this week, my mother-in-law got a major back surgery that took 5 hours! The surgeon said that it looked like a grenade went off in her back!! Crazy! So he basically rebuilt her a new one, and he said that she should be good from now on. The craziest part to me was the fact that she was up and walking around the next morning! I remember when I had my back surgery, if anyone asked me to get out of bed the next day I would of laughed. loud. 

So now we are mostly caught up and I vow to myself to blog more often. :) 

surgery, bikes and weird trees,

Nikki.

To a new beginning.

A new home, a new blog, a new beginning. We finally got our first place :) Its such a wonderful feeling. Independence, privacy, and responsibility... its a whole new world...and I love it. So with that, I've decided to start a new blog... Its pretty much going to be the most random, unpredictable blog you've seen. There will be no theme, or purpose really... just me, pictures, and thoughts. With that said...let me tell you about my day.

It started at the crack of dawn. We're talking the not-so-beautiful hour of 6 A.M. (we don't get along very much.) because my mom and baby brother were coming to visit. We watching tv, napped, ate and played with blocks all day long. :) I loved every minute of it.

Tonight we went out to dinner for my hubby's almost-birthday where we watched a guy dominate a wing challenge.  Basically you have to eat 12 so-super-hot wings without a drink, napkins, or dip in under 6 minutes....i think he did it in under 2! Kudos to you, guy.

 Now we are at home sweet home watching tv, relaxing and letting the food coma set in. So, until tomorrow,


new home, sleepy babies, and snuggly kitties,
nikki.