Kitchen Adventures: Houseguests Must Work For Food!

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In case last Wednesday’s post didn’t show you, I LOVE having houseguests. Anytime we have visitors, I go crazy in the kitchen baking delicious items like donuts and scones.

After living in apartments for years, it’s fun playing host in a REAL house. And, I take my duties very, very seriously. I even offer up Cole as a cuddle buddy for my guests.

Life is "Ruff"

Life is “Ruff”

He doesn’t seem to mind his “extra duties.”

Anyway, I mentioned on Wednesday that my friend Molly would be staying with us this week. What I didn’t mention is that Molly happens to be a very talented photographer and offered to help me out with improving my food photography. In case you didn’t notice, there’s a lot of room for improvement in that area!

Unfortunately, Molly’s camera needed to charge last night, so she’ll be teaching me a few things on today’s hike…but that didn’t mean I let her get off easy!

She was pretty excited to learn that I would be making her my “famous” Cheesy Spaghetti Squash and Cucumber Tomato Summer Salad for dinner last night. But, I wasn’t about to let her get off easy and sit on the couch with Cole as I worked away. Nope, since both were recipes for the blog, I put her to work taking pictures of me cooking in the kitchen.

Three guesses on who took this pic. Hint? Not me!

Three guesses on who took this pic. Hint? Not me!

Houseguests must work for food!

Relaxing and taking in the Hudson Valley...this won't last too long, Molly!

Relaxing and taking in the Hudson Valley…this won’t last too long, Molly!

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A Crazy NYC Track Workout and Dark Chocolate Date Scones

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To celebrate our favorite day of the week, today I have both a workout AND a recipe for you. The workouts = healthy. The recipe = sinful. This combo = Sometimes Healthy!

Wednesday night I headed to NYC for a couple of meetings and to enjoy some quality girl time with my best friend, Michelle. We watched What to Expect and ate ice cream, topped with chocolate sauce AND Cupcake Goldfish. Both she and her husband were shocked at how delicious the Cupcake Goldfish tasted. Yep, this Sometimes Healthy Girl is changing lives, one Goldfish at a time.

Anyway, I planned to try out a track circuit workout at my favorite NYC running spot on Thursday morning, but the weather did not cooperate. Around 9:00, it started raining pretty heavily, and it wasn’t showing any signs of letting up.

So, I did what any hardcore/crazy running girl would do: I threw my iPhone in a plastic bag, laced up my sneakers and headed out for a very wet run. Between there and back to the track, I probably covered about 10 miles, 50% of which was completed in the pouring rain.

Rain will not stop me. I am like an airplane: only blizzards and lightening will slow me down!

Rain will not stop me. I am like an airplane: only blizzards and lightening will slow me down!

And.it.felt.amazing. There is something incredibly liberating about running your heart out as rain pours down on you. In fact, I think I do my best thinking during rainy runs. Thankfully, the weather cleared up just in time for me to start my circuit workout.

It's all good baby!

So, I washed up, took a quick “selfie” and banged out my new favorite track workout…

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Kitchen Adventures: Popsicles Made with Love

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Recently, my BF has jumped on the health train and requested that I not bake quite as many desserts to help him stick to a healthy eating plan.

No, I’m not such an amazing baker that it’s impossible to turn down my sweet treats. He’s just not that picky.

The other night post-dinner, we decided to head out for a walk over the bridge to take advantage of the beautiful weather and take in one of my favorite views in the Hudson Valley.

The view never gets old...

The view never gets old…

Post-walk, the BF was craving some sweets. He was so desperate that he asked me to see if the local fro-yo joint was still open. It was closed, so we headed to the popsicle aisle of the grocery store, thinking a little popsicle would be much more healthy than a pint of Ben & Jerry’s.

Then, the BF did what he always does when he buys something new. He carefully read the ingredients and sugar content, intensely concentrating while he compared each label (He is the epitome of an educated shopper, folks. It also takes him FOREVER to shop.) Ultimately, he left the store empty-handed after deciding that everything had too much sugar!

So, that’s when I decided to make my BF some low-sugar homemade popsicles. But, of course, I just couldn’t resist a little experimentation…

I will not let my BF go hungry! Sometimes Healthy Girl to the rescue!

I will not let my BF go hungry!

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Kitchen Adventures: Healthified Bacon French Toast Cupcakes

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Confession.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been on a Cupcake Wars BINGE. I have a new routine. Every night, I watch two to three episodes of this show. Usually, I eat a bowl of ice cream or nibble on some S’mores Goldfish as I sit in front of the tv, transfixed on all of the crazy cupcake creations. (I have a subscription to Amazon Prime, which allows me to watch all of the old seasons at no cost). It just boggles my mind how these people are able to make a great-tasting cupcake out of weird flavors, like cheddar cheese and green beans.

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As old Sometimes Healthy readers may know, cupcakes hold a very special place in my heart.

I heart cupcakes and frosting!

I heart cupcakes and frosting!

When I lived in NYC, I would bake a different cupcake every week and bring them to my lucky coworkers, who served as my taste testers.

I was the most popular girl in the office on Cupcake Mondays!

I was the most popular girl in the office on Cupcake Mondays!

Here in the Hudson Valley, both the BF and all of our friends are cookie eaters. So, recently, I’ve been baking up some tasty cookie recipes. They’re also not big fans of healthified treats, so I’ve been baking with all of that full fat goodness.

However, after watching Cupcake Wars one too many times, I could no longer sit on that couch in cupcake envy. Nope, I needed to make my own cupcake concoction. And, just for kicks, I’d try to healthify it….

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Three Summer Grilling Must-Haves

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It was another weekend of firsts for this Sometimes Healthy country girl in the Hudson Valley: first time manning the grill!

Check out that focus!

Check out that focus!

I always leave the grilling to the BF, even when I prep the food. Grilling always seemed too complicated for me. Also, I like our house, and I don’t think the BF would be too please if I set it on fire while I tried to figure out how to work the grill.

However, the BF did a couple of nice things for me this weekend, so I decided I needed to repay him with a tasty meal. And the weather was beautiful on Saturday, so it just had to be on the grill.

Here’s a quick rundown of the menu for our Saturday Night Sometimes Healthy Grill Out

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Kitchen Adventures: Dark Chocolate Coconut Cookies

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It’s Friday, and I’m very excited to share my very first COOKIE recipe on the Sometimes Healthy Living Blog.

This is huge news. But you must endure a story before we get to the recipe (trust me, it’s worth the wait).

It doesn’t take much perusing on my little blog to see that I’m a big fan of cupcakes. I like them so much that I created a Cupcake Monday at my last job and served my lucky coworkers a different cupcake creation every Monday.

I HEART cupcakes. Big time.

I HEART cupcakes. Big time.

I am not quite sure why I have such an affection for cupcakes, but it has something to do with the fact that I love frosting, cake and sprinkles, all of which you can usually find on a cupcake. In addition, there is little finesse involved in mixing up a cupcake batter and then just plopping it into a muffin pan. You can get all pretty with the frosting if you want, but why bother? It will likely be smushed in transit.

Add some fruit on top, and poof, you've got an elegant creation (this particular cupcake pulled in some $ for Breast Cancer Awareness!)

Add some fruit on top, and poof, you’ve got an elegant creation (this particular cupcake pulled in some $ for Breast Cancer Awareness!)1

Anyway, for some reason, as much I as I adore my cupcakes, I have always had quite a distaste for cookies. I just never felt as satisfied after eating a chocolate chip cookie. Where is the frosting? Why is it so small? Am I supposed to eat JUST one? And when it came to making cookies, forget it. If ever I had a request, I would promptly go to the store, buy a roll of Nestle cookie dough and call it a night. (I would usually burn these cookies too). Or, I would make “cake cookies.”

Why? Because cookies are downright complicated. The measurements must be exact. The temperature must be just right and the dough must be the perfect consistency to achieve your desired cookie. Do you want your cookie to be crispy, chewy or airy? All choices require changing some tiny inconspicuous variable. And, this Sometimes Healthy Girl had no time for all of these variables.

Apparently cookies are kind of a big deal around the holidays. I'll eat them, but I won't bake them!

Apparently cookies are kind of a big deal around the holidays. I’ll eat them, but I won’t bake them!

Enter a boyfriend who hates cake and cupcakes and loves cookies.

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Uh oh.

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Kitchen Adventures: Just Call me Giada

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Another Friday, another Kitchen Adventure to share!

I’m in Jersey City for the day, and it’s dreary as can be.

Rain rain go away!

Rain rain go away!

But let’s not small talk about the weather – let’s talk homemade marinara sauce instead.

I had always believed that only the true Italians could accomplish the delicious flavor profiles of homemade marinara sauce. I had thought that Prego and Ragu was for semi-homemade, cooking-challenged Sometimes Healthy girls like myself.

But, as I mentioned last week, my new REAL kitchen has spurred me to go places this city-living girl had never dreamed of a year ago.

Now that's amore!

Now that’s amore!

On Tuesday, I put myself in the “Giada” mind frame and cooked up my first ever homemade marinara sauce. Here’s how it all went down.

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Kitchen Adventures in Whipped Cream

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Now that it’s officially summer time, I’m sure there are a lot less of us in front of our computers on Fridays. Hopefully, you’re outside enjoying the weather or headed somewhere fabulous for a weekend vacation.

If not, I have a tasty dessert recipe to share with you! Now that I’m officially a country bumpkin with a REAL kitchen (not a wall inside of a studio apartment), I feel excited and inspired to try new things in the kitchen – techniques and foods I never would have dreamed of trying to tackle in my tiny little NYC studio.

My goal is to explore one new “kitchen adventure” every week, but given that it’s summer and I’m me, every other week is probably more realistic.

For my holiday dessert, I was on a mission to make homemade whipped cream….

Whipped Cream Opener

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