Midterm season is in full swing so we are doing LOTS of studying and writing papers. But Spring Break is in sight so we’re pushing through! Although all the busyness has led to very few pics for this week, I must get better at that.
What have you all been up to this week? And what are you thankful for this week? Let me know below, I’d love to chat 🙂
This week I’m thankful for:
More fun ochem labs and life chats
Slow cooker meal prep (shredded chicken and peppers, keep an eye out for it!)
Going back to church (very needed)
Friends who are understanding and kind when you most need it
A lunch date to catch up with my girl Shelby
Honey mustard chicken and potatoes
Ibuprofen
Stick on heating pads
Productivity
Catching up on This Is Us
Study breaks to eat Girl Scout Cookies
Buffalo chicken dip (shoutout to my roomie Deena)
Public libraries
Spontaneous late night grocery store trips to get ice cream
Ice cream
Deep cleaning the apartment
The chance to get dressed up with all my band buds
A couple weeks ago I decided I wanted to make a lemon pepper chicken breast. So I bought some lemons and improvised and the dinner that I ended up with tasted AMAZING. And looked pretty fancy too 😉 This is definitely not a quick weekday dinner (although I made it on a Wednesday). But it’s perfect for a nice weekend dinner or a date night!
A note, the chicken breast I used was very large, so I used way more spices than this. So just make more of the rub if you need it depending on how much chicken you have.
I also neglected to use parchment paper or aluminum foil, and cleaning the pan was super difficult. So definitely make sure you line your pan!
I served this with my go to green beans as well as rice, but feel free to switch the sides up! Pasta or potatoes would be great too, and you could make a salad or any other vegetables you choose.
So here’s my lemon chicken!
Spice Rubbed Lemon Chicken
Serves: 2
Cook time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
1 large or 2 medium/small boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 lemons
2 teaspoons of salt
2 teaspoons of basil
2 teaspoons of oregano
2 teaspoons of black pepper
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Then juice one lemon into a medium bowl, and mix in all the spices and the olive oil (add up to 2 teaspoons more if your chicken breast is very large).
Slice the other 2 lemons and arrange in a mound on a sheet pan covered in aluminum foil or parchment paper.
Place the chicken breasts atop the lemons slices (this helps keep the chicken moist) and then brush/pour on the spice mixture, making sure all of the chicken is covered.
Place the chicken in the oven and bake until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken reads 160°F, about 25-35 minutes depending on the size of your chicken breast. It will continue cooking to 165°F on the pan once you take it out of the oven.
Take the chicken out and let rest about 5-10 minutes, then slice and serve!
I’ve mentioned this on the blog before, but growing up my mom used to make giambotto for us all the time. It’s pretty much the easiest sheet pan dinner ever: throw whatever vegetables you have in the fridge on a sheet pan, add some meat, and roast until perfect. My mom makes it with all the Italian spices and and tosses it with parmesan cheese, and I swear it’s one of my most favorite meals. It’s warm and filling and cozy and so easy, plus it makes the house smell wonderful.
Before I get to the most recent iteration of the recipe I made, a quick guide to roasting dinners.
If you’re using potatoes, you’re gonna want to put them in the oven on their own for about 15-20 minutes so that they’ll be finished cooking at the same time as everything else. Alternatively, wrap your potato in a wet paper towel and microwave for about 5-7 minutes before dicing so it can get soft.
You can use pretty much any vegetables you have, fresh or frozen. My favorites are: onions, bell pepper, potatoes, green beans, sweet potato, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and zucchini or any other squash.
Season everything. A lot.
If you’re using meat, be careful. No one wants dry chicken! When I use sausage, I just toss it in the pan with the rest of the vegetables and it does just fine. If you’re using chicken I would suggest either sautéing it in a pan on the stove top and just serving everything together, or add it chopped up to your sheet pan with about 10-12 minutes left.
And now for the version I made most recently! I hope you enjoy a taste of my home 🙂
Giambotto
Serves: 4
Cook time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
2 potatoes, diced
1/2 bag frozen green beans
1/2 bag baby carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
5 Italian sausages, sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons basil
2 tablespoons oregano
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
Parmesan cheese, to serve
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450°F. In a medium bowl, toss the diced potatoes with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon each of basil, oregano, and salt, and half a tablespoon of garlic powder and black pepper.
Pour potatoes onto a sheet pan and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, toss the other diced vegetables with the remainder of the olive oil and spices.
After 20 minutes, add the vegetables and the sliced sausage to the sheet pan, and cook about 20 minutes longer.
Remove from the oven, toss with parmesan cheese, and serve
Welp sorry I didn’t get a third post up this past week. I had every intention to do so, but I was a bit burnt out this week (the longest week of my life) and time got away from me. But we’re back at it and ready to kick this week off strong!
How was your week? What are you thankful for? Let me know below 🙂 And I hope this week brings great things!
This week I’m thankful for:
Snow (as always)
Making it to the gym on Monday morning
Going to the art museum for my Italian class
Salami and cheese stuffed chicken breasts (catch these on the blog soon!)
Yummy snacks
Comfort food that feels like home (giambotto for the win)
Phone calls home
Friends who help you with homework the night before a test
Friends who understand your stuff
My friend making us all silly valentines 🙂
Our women’s basketball team WINNING
A sweet valentine from my grandparents
Friday night productivity (laundry, dishes, cooking, etc)
Habitat work days
The BEST nap of my life afterwards
Making almost our entire goal for the Habitat spring break service trip!
I’ve already written about breakfast tacos on the blog, and today I’m sharing my regular taco recipe. It couldn’t be easier; mostly because I just use the seasoning packets from the grocery store 😉
I know that the best homemade tacos are made with all the important spices: cumin, pepper, chilis, garlic, etc. But we’re poor college kids, we don’t want to have to buy all these different (expensive) spices that we won’t use that often. So I always just buy a taco seasoning pack (think Old El Paso), because they’re so cheap and so easy.
Along with meat for my tacos, I love black beans, tomatoes, avocado, and cheese. But you could also add lettuce, onions, peppers, rice, sour cream. Whatever you have in your fridge works! Don’t have tortillas or taco shells? Make some rice and make it a bowl to have some homemade (super cheap) Chipotle or make taco salads for lunch during the week. It couldn’t be easier and tastier. We love easy meal prep.
So here’s the quick and easy taco recipe that I make all the time. Again, feel free to add or take away anything based on what you have!
Quick and Easy Tacos
Cook time: about 15 minutes
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
1 pound of ground meat (beef or turkey)
One taco seasoning packet
Small tortillas (corn or flour)
1 can of black beans
1/2 an avocado, sliced
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
Cheese, shredded, (cheddar or jack cheeses are best)
Instructions
In a pan on medium heat, cook the ground beef until brown
At the same time, in 1 tablespoon of oil on medium heat, cook the black beans until thick and warmed through.
Add seasoning pack and follow instructions (usually, add water) and cook meat until thick.
Top tortillas with meat, cheese, and all other toppings of choice and enjoy
This week felt SO long as it was the first week in awhile that we haven’t had a day off. It was also super weird weather wise– 60° on Sunday and Monday, and then cold again later in the week, along with so much rain. But we made it through the week and now it’s time to grind for midterm season. I think I have 4 in the next 3 weeks. But we’re stayin positive and being thankful, even if we’re a little annoyed about the warm weather and soaking wet shoes.
Let me know below what you’re thankful for this week! I’d love to chat 🙂
This week I’m thankful for:
Bubble tea dates and sitting in the sunshine
Making homemade bread
Super Bowl parties with lots of snacks
Planning my summer vacation
Having ochem lab cancelled
Valentine’s Day care packages from my mama
My Italian prof deciding that instead of a midterm exam we’re gonna go to the art museum and discuss art!
Coffee dates
Breakfast sandwiches
Pouring plates for the first time at work (to grow yeast on!)
Getting a good grade on my ochem test last week
Making the BEST lemon chicken and relaxing at home while it rains
I very loosely consider myself the queen of leftovers. I really enjoying having a bit of a “Chopped” competition with myself to see what I can come up with based on the leftovers in the fridge.
Last week I had about two servings of pulled pork left in the freezer, onions and garlic, and leftover pasta and crushed tomatoes (from my tuna and asparagus pasta). So I worked with what I had and made the BEST pasta sauce I’ve made in awhile. There’s not much more to say other than that haha so here it is, my pulled pork pasta sauce:
Pulled Pork Pasta
Cook time: 25 minutes
Serves: 2
Ingredients
2 servings of pulled pork (make sure you have some grease)
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt and pepper
1/3 large can of crushed tomatoes
Red pepper flakes
Basil
About 8 ounces of pasta, cooked
Cheese, shredded (mozzarella, parmesan, etc.)
Instructions
In about 2 tablespoons of grease from the pulled pork, sauté the onions and garlic on medium heat, seasoning with salt and pepper, until translucent about 7 minutes.
Add the pulled pork and cook for about 7 minutes until warmed through.
Add the tomatoes and season with red pepper flakes and basil to taste, and cook for about 10 minutes until steaming and thick.
Add the pasta to the pan and cook until pasta is warmed through and everything has combined (get those flavors melding!)
I feel like when most people see canned tuna fish they think either tuna sandwiches or tuna salad. But canned tuna can do so much more than that! I really like adding canned tuna to pasta sauces because it adds a totally different flavor than chicken or beef or pork but is still so good and so filling.
Last week I had canned tuna and some frozen asparagus so I threw together a quick pasta sauce. It was SO good and super easy and healthy too! Plus this is another recipe where you can throw in whatever veggies you have! I’ve made this same sauce before but with bell peppers and Cannelini beans, but you could also throw in zucchini or mushrooms or spinach. It’s so versatile.
All you really need here is tuna, olive oil, some vegetables, crushed tomatoes, spices, and pasta! And you’ve got a dinner that comes together in about 20 minutes and makes enough to give you lunch the next day.
A note: it can be really hard sometimes, especially as a college kid, to justify buying lots of fresh vegetables because they often go bad before you get the chance to eat them. ALDI has really awesome frozen veggies, so I generally buy half and half of fresh vs frozen veggies. And if you’re turned off of frozen veggies because you associate them with microwaved steamed veggies– they can be so much more! Just sauté in olive oil and garlic and salt and you’re golden. I cook all my frozen veggies like this and I promise, they’re so much better than steamed veggies in the microwave 🙂 Watch the blog cause I’ll probably post my veg recipe soon.
Anyway, here’s the tuna and asparagus pasta I made last week! Let me know what you think of it and what vegetables you threw in, I’d love to know what combos you like.
Tuna and Asparagus Pasta
Cook time: 20 minutes
Serves: 2 (or leftovers!)
Ingredients
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
About 8-10 stalks of asparagus, chopped into chunks (or use vegetable of choice!)
1 can white albacore tuna
About 1/3 size can crushed tomatoes
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Red pepper flakes
8 ounces of pasta, cooked
Cheese
Instructions
In a pan over medium high heat, saute the garlic and onion in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil for about 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper.
Add asparagus (or other vegetables) and tuna and saute for about 5 more minutes, seasoning again to taste.
Add the crushed tomatoes and cook about 10 minutes until bubbling. Serve topped with cheese!
This week was so cold. I know a lot of the US has been hit by the polar vortex, and it made Pittsburgh freezing. They cancelled class on Wednesday because the windchill was -38°F and a lot of individual professors cancelled classes due to snow and ice and wind. I also had an ochem test on Friday so this week was full of studying as well. But it was so nice to have a bit of a break this weekend with nothing to do except read and relax. Also it’s suddenly 50° outside today so that’s weird.
Weeks like this, when I get stressed and overwhelmed with tests and schoolwork, are when I notice the effects of my gratitude project the most. Even when I’m stressed and overwhelmed and want to cry, I still make myself think about the good parts of the day. Even if they’re small, even if there are only one or two, there’s always something.
So let me know what you’re grateful for this week! I’d love to chat 🙂
This week I’m grateful for:
A good gym session on Monday morning
Having heating in my apartment
Warm sweaters
Snow
A day off from school
Neapolitan pizza with my aunt who visited from LA
Warm socks
Pasta
Oven roasted sweet potatoes
Dark chocolate
My quirky stat professor
Knowing how to make solutions by myself at work
Powering through the stress
Watching Jeopardy on a Friday night because we’re 80
A movie night sleepover with my bff Carissa
Friends who text you good luck before your tests ❤
Friends who are more knowledgable about computers than you and help you every time you’re stuck
The delicious dinners I made this week (stay tuned this week to see!)
It is so. cold. in Pittsburgh right now. On Wednesday it was so cold with the windchill (-38°F!) that they cancelled classes. Which was honestly a blessing since I had an ochem test today but anyway.
This week has been freezing and I’m exhausted and last night I really didn’t feel like cooking dinner. Which let’s be real, happens to a lot of us. And most days it feels so much easier to go out to eat but that’s expensive and not always healthy and yesterday all I wanted to do was get in bed and not study ever again. But, we must power through and I ended up cooking last night.
My best advice for nights like that is to just make something easy and something you really like. And as we all must know by now, I really like sweet potatoes. So I turned on the oven (which warmed up my apartment!) and roasted some sweet potatoes and onions. And then I had a bit of a fridge clear out: I had half a bag of spinach that was on the edge of going bad, and we have so many eggs at the moment that I don’t know what to do with all of them. So I fried an egg, I sautéed some spinach. I grated some cheese (because everything is better with cheese). And in about 40 minutes (cause we wanted those sweet potatoes and onions nice and soft and caramelized) we had a bowl of warm (healthy!) goodness.
This recipe is remarkably similar to something my mom made a lot for us when I was younger, giambotta. Technically giambotta is an Italian vegetable stew, but it’s what my mom called it when she threw vegetables and chicken and sausage in a pan and roasted them until soft and delicious. That’s probably why this dish is such a cozy comfort food for me 🙂
So here’s the sweet potato bowl I made yesterday. Like a lot of things it’s so easy to put in whatever you have in the fridge. Bacon or sausage? Bell peppers? Broccoli? Chicken? Just roast it all and top it with an egg and life is good.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Spinach and Egg
Cook Time: About 40 minutes
Serves: 1-2
Ingredients
1 medium sweet potato
1 medium onion
Salt
Pepper
Half a bag of spinach
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 egg
Olive oil
Cheese (I used sharp white cheddar)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 400°F.
Dice your sweet potato and onion and place on a sheet pan. Toss with salt and pepper and roast until soft, about 30-35 minutes. Stir periodically to prevent burning.
After about 20 minutes, in two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat, start to cook the minced garlic. Add the spinach and salt and pepper to taste and cook until wilted.
Move the spinach aside in the pan and crack an egg. Cook to desired temperature (I like over medium).
Take the vegetables out of the oven and place in a bowl. Top with the spinach, egg, and grated cheese and serve.
Note: It’s so so easy to add more vegetables or even meat to make this more substantial. Just dice and add to the pan with the sweet potato. Some of my favorites: regular potatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, bell peppers, Brussels sprouts, Italian sausage, and chicken.
College Cooking with Celia 