Al Dente Pasta Recipe #2 {Fish-and-Noodle Soup with Bona Chia Fettuccine}

Hey there, folks! I'm on a roll with blogging this morning! Guess that's what happens when you don't get a chance to post for a while and just keep holding everything in 'til the next chance you get to sit down and blog!

I've been meaning to put this recipe up for a while because: (1) I finally had the chance to experiment with Al Dente Pasta's Bona Chia Fetteccine, which, to no surprise, is everything I had hoped it would be, and (2) I think this is actually a unique/original recipe worth trying for the seafood lovers out there because it's simple, fast, and healthy (my motto when it comes to preparing a meal).

{Simple Fish-and-Noodle Soup}

Ingredients: (serves 4)

• 4 fillets of fresh wild Alaskan salmon
• 2-4 C water or broth of choice (Depending on your preference of broth to substance ratio. I used 2 cups water.)
• Seasonings: salt, bay leaf, pepper corns, fresh fill (Lemon juice and fish sauce would also make great additions.)
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

• Combine water and 1 tsp salt (or to taste) in a medium sauce pan
• Bring to boil
• Add fish fillets and 1 tbsp olive oil
• Reduce to simmer
• Add a bay leaf and a few pepper corns
• Cook for ~20 min or until the fish is cooked
• In the meantime, cook the noodles in a separate pan according to cooking instructions on the package (Bona Chia Fettuccine takes just 3 min to cook!). I also steamed some string beans for extra greenery.
• Top with fresh dill and enjoy! (Fresh parsley would also be quite wonderful!)

Bona Chia Fettuccine was incredibly soft and delicious - just like homemade fresh pasta! There was no chia crunch, however - I believe that's because it's made with ground chia. But! I could feel that smooth texture that chia gets when it absorbs liquid. If you've ever had chia, you know what I mean. One serving size is 1.5 cups and has 200 calories, 4 g of fiber, and 7 g of protein!

Why haven't others thought of using chia to make pasta?! It is used in baking after all. What a fantastic (and yummy!) idea! Once again, Al Dente Pasta gets two thumbs up. It is making the option of eating good ole' regular pasta not exciting at all. My family is loving Al Dente Pasta, too! My mom has already asked several times, Where can we get more? 

Hope you try this recipe! In all honesty, it's a very forgiving recipe that really allows you to use whatever spices and flavors you'd like. It's a great option for reusing leftovers, too. You can broil/bake the fish ahead of time, steam some veggies, cook some pasta or rice, use broth of choice, and just combine all the ingredients whenever you would like to have them in a soup version! Here is a fantastic-looking recipe I'd like to try soon.

Tell me: Have you ever made fish soup before? What seasonings/spices do you use?

#WIAW with Ancient Grains

...and I'm back with my WIAW Numero TRES! I miss photographing every single one of my eats... I still find myself trying to make all of my food "look  pretty." I guess that's just a little joy in my life. Oh the love life of a foodie...

So let's recap today's eats & treats!

{Breakfast - 6:30am} Ancient Grains Oats

Stir together:

• 1/2 cup Instant oats


• 1 scoop SunWarrior Vanilla Protein Powder


• 1 tsp Chia seeds


• 1/8 tsp Salt


• 1 cup Hot water

Topped with (& ultimately stirred in):

• 1/4 cup Cooked wheat berries


• 1 tbsp Popped quinoa (yes! popped! here is how - be sure to cover the skillet or else you'll have quinoa everywhere!) >>> LOVED the crunch!

{Morning Snack - 10am} 1 Hard-boiled egg + 1 Egg White, sprinkled with salt, pepper, and garlic powder

How do you hard boil your eggs? Here is how I do it, and it couldn't be easier! Comes out perfect each time. The egg is such a wonderful nutritional source for anythingarians! Don't fear the yolk, please. It's packed with omega-3s and folate, which are not found in the egg white, by the way. And just like the beloved egg white, it's loaded with protein.

{Lunch - 1pm} Mixed green salad with salmon, steamed string beans, and a little bit of more popped quinoa for more crunch!

{Afternoon Snack - 4pm} Borsht and whole wheat flat bread with a slice of Lite Swiss. I love this cheese. All natural and with 50 calories, 7g of protein, and 4% total fat (8% DV saturated) - you can't get much better than that!

...and last but not least... {Dinner - 7pm} Mixed salad, pasta with grass-fed beef, onions, and mushrooms, and Russian Salad "Vinegret" (made of cooked beets, potatoes, dill pickles, and sour kraut)... I admit to helping myself to probably 3x the pictured portion of Vinegret... I never put a limit on my veggie intake :)

And a litt bite to satisfy a sweet craving... I made these chocolate chip cookies the other day for my friend's birthday! I followed Liz's recipe, and yes, I used my CHO, too! These cookies were wonderful. My modification: I added chopped toasted almonds!

P.S. How do you like my new nailpolish? It's actually dark brown, bu turned out burgundy in these photos (and my skin looks red?!?!).

P.P.S... speaking of CHO... There is just a few hours left to enter my Chobani giveaway! Hope you did it already! There is nothing better than a company that makes good quality, good-for-you products... or perhaps there is! A company that does both and is super kind, supportive, and generous! Chobani donates 10% of its profits to charity, and constantly sponsors events. The reasons to love Chobani seem to be endless. :)

P.P.P.S. Today's strength-training featured the following:

• 3 sets of 12 squats


• 50 alternating lunges


• 3 sets of 12 wide-armed pushups (2 sets done on knees... I'm getting there!)


• 3 sets of 25 sec wall squats (these really made my thighs burn!)

And that's a wrap, my dears! Hope your week is going well! And thanks to everyone for your support of some of the changes that I (and my blog!) am going through. You da best! ;)

Wheat Berries For All

Last night, I realized that (1) I needed an especially filling breakfast because my Thursday mornings leave no room for a morning snack, and (2) I haven't had oats in a while! Not sure how I let the latter happen... Must be my recent pancake craze.

I'm still oh so in love with my SunWarrior Protein Powder (Vanilla), and was happy to experiment with a new protein-packed SIAB recipe (smoothie in a bowl).

Blueberry Vanilla Protein SIAB:

Overnight: (the classic combo) 1/4 cup old fashioned oats + 1 tsp chia + 1/2 cup water

Morning: Reheated on low heat + 1 scoop protein powder + somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 cup water (enough for a smoothie consistency) + 1/4 tsp salt (combat's protein powder's sweetness)

Adorned with defrosted wild blueberries! (from Costco) Wild blueberries have nearly 2x the amount of antioxidants!

Dear self: how many times do I have to remind you to not go crazy over blueberries on days when having purple teeth isn't exactly professional...

...And now... welcome to the wheatberry craze...

I can't believe I completely forgot about the wheat berries I bought several weeks ago! Especially since I loved them so much. I surely made up for the deficit with today's meals (and tomorrow's breakfast... hint hint)

Somehow, time was on my side today... I finished my clinical off-site 30 min early, which meant I had time to stop home for lunch on my way back to school. I had prepared this delicious wheat berry salad last night thinking I would be downing it behind the wheel (only at traffic lights, I promise!) or at school. Instead, I got to eat like a normal human being - seated, at a table, with food on a plate instead of a container. So. Much. Better.

Wheat Berry Salad with Chicken, Chickpeas, Corn, and Fresh Vegetables | Last night I cooked the wheat berries according to instructions on the package. | In the morning, I mixed in 1/3 chicken breast, 1/4 cup canned chickpeas, 1/4 cup canned sweet corn, and raw veggies (cucumber, zucchini, yellow bell pepper, tomato, broccoli, and parlsey). | Drizzled with balsamic vinegar + olive oil + salt + pepper.

Eaten in entirety with a small loaf of whole grain bread. Delicious.

An afternoon snack in the form of more whole grain bread with cheese (melted in the toaster oven! yum!!) and coffee followed lecture (and a marvelous and much-needed one-hour nap). And then I was off to the clinic to volunteer!

DIAB (dinner in a bowl, haha) awaited me when I got home. This time, I combined my leftover wheat berries with stir fry veggies. For flavor, I stirred in ketchup ad nutritional yeast. For greenery, I sliced up a tomato and zucchini. My family had salmon, and left a piece for me, too!

A sweet and colorful dessert/ late night snack followed! A sweetie and an orange! A perfect combo!

Ah! The weekend is almost here at last! Gotta love Fridays! Do you have any exciting plans?

My Vegified #WIAW

I'm excited to join hundreds of other bloggers in the What I Ate Wednesday movement! And I certainly vegified today's meals, as Peas & Crayons encouraged (Love that blog to pieces!) :) My WIAW featured lots of eating and snacking - my appetite was through the roof!

{Breakfast - 7 a.m.} - Vanilla Protein Pancakes with toasted almond slices and strawberries. Lots of coffee, too, because I just couldn't wake up this morning! I love this breakfast - it's so filling and healthy (23g of protein = 50% DV!!!), and the endless variety of toppings makes it fun and something to look forward to in the morning. I actually prepared the pancakes "batter" last night and kept it in the fridge. And get this - since I don't have a blender and since this is a one-serving recipe all for me (thus too small for a food processor), I blended the ingredients in a coffee grinder! Worked like magic :)

{Snack - 10:30a.m.} - A juicy pear that my dear N gifted me yesterday for Valentine's Day. Only best friends gift each other with fruit :)

{Lunch 12p.m.} - A mixed salad with balsamic strawberries (which I made last night by soaking strawberry slices in balsamic vinegar and a dash of brown sugar) amd roasted tofu cubes. D-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s. Another friend treated with to a red velvet cookie - so moist and oh so yum!

{Snack/ lunch numero dos - 3:30pm} - When I got home from school, I knew I needed something to hold me over til dinner. So, I had a bowl of Borscht soup and pita chips with hummus (still obsessed with hummus... but I officially finished the big container we got at Costco... tear)

{Dinner - 7p.m.} - A gorgeous salad with more of my balsamic strawberries, pan-roasted brussels sprouts with caramelized onion, and shrimp-onions-broccoli-red bell pepper stir fry.

{Dessert - 8:30p.m.} - Have you ever heard of "aerated chocolate"?! That's the literal translation of this Russian treat we got at the Russian store! The bubbles make it so smooth and light - love how it melts!

And have you ever tried this unbelievably delicious and healthy sweet treat? Apparently it claims to be a snack, but to me - there is nothing about it that doesn't scream "dessert"! These bite-size brown rice crispy "almond pops" are heavenly - AND currently sold in Costco!!! Take a look at this list of ingredients: oven baked almonds, rice syrup, puffed brown rice, dried cranberries, puffed white rice, cane sugar, crispy rice, molasses, sea salt, natural flavors. Wow. I have a feeling I'll need to stock up on these before they are forever gone from Costco. I've never seen them before and have no idea where else I would get them again.

And so, here is to my very first What I Ate Wednesday and to the many more to come! It's so fun to document my daily eats - it allows me to make a retrospective review of my dietary habits to see how I eat and if I need to change any habits... I've noticed a recent increase in my sweet tooth activity, which I think I should address... I think. Baby steps. Just listening to my body and trying to be good to it!

Don't forget to enter the Chobani giveaway!

The Lunchbox & Friends

 ...I still bring my lunch to school in a lunchbox! It's convenient and eco-friendly - no paper bags or plastic bags involved! :) This morning, I packed my lunch before heading out to school to study with N.

The lunch actually came together unexpectedly nicely!

Leftover roasted salmon, carrots, celery on a bed of mixed greens. Topped with Parmesan and balsamic vinegar + olive oil. I like to "compartmentalize" the ingredients when preparing, but then mix it all together when I'm ready to eat! The combination of flavors was perfect! I foresee something similar in the form of salmon burger. :)

Snacks included sweetie, apple, pistachios, and walnuts, and KIND Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew Bar for dessert. SO GOOD!

This week's exam is the most exciting event in my life right now... No, not exciting at all. But it's taking over nearly every waking minute. At least I have N as the best study buddy ever. Hi N!

Hope your day is going well!

Roasted & Toasted {snack & dinner}

I had a speedy date with sunshine today!!! To my luck, or lack thereof, our wireless was malfunctioning. So while my dad was trying to resolve the issue, I took advantage of this time away from the computer to get some Vitamin D! Good decision. :)

Since I ran a long-ish distance yesterday, I decided to make this one shorter but slighter faster. Still worried about my foot (I'm recovering from metatarsalgia), I stayed on the grass the entire time. If you didn't read yesterday's lunch post, I'm looking for sneaker recommendations! Something with lots of cushioning in the mid- and forefoot. I don't heel strike. :)

A delicious snack loaded with healthy fats, fiber, and alotta protein followed shortly. Gotta love CHO! The granola is actually a mixture of some of the leftover "crumbs" I've accumulated - Nature's Path Pumpkin Flax Plus Granola, KIND Healthy Grains Honey Almond Clusters, and my very own toasted buckwheat from Friday night dinner! This was the perfect crunch to adorn my Blueberry Chobani!

And later, I treated myself to the last remaining Food Should Taste Good Salt + Vinegar Sweet Potato Chips. They are all gone now :'(

A fabulous and healthy dinner came soon enough!

Roasted salmon "Greek style" (coated with a marinade made of miracle whip, tomatoes, dill, and parmesan) and potato slices. With a side salad, of course. Num-num-num!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Here's to a great week ahead!

Quick & Easy Lunch {cauliflower-potato soup}

Cauliflower Potato Soup. I love this soup. I know I say this about every homemade soup, but that doesn't mean I'm not being serious! This one is light and soothing: steamed potatoes and cauliflower pureed in vegetable broth (made with leek, celery, dill, and parsley). A small spoonful of tzatziki stirred in for slight creaminess and ever-so-subtle tartness.

Alaskan Pollock with Caramelized Onion and Peppers, Topped with Fresh Parsley. I know, I know. It's also known as "imitation crab meant," but I'm not very fond of that name! It's pollack, so that's what I'm going to call it! ;) This is a dish we make when we are out of ideas and/or time. Parsley always does the trick to make a dish seem fresh and earthy.

For a treat with tea, I had 2 options: cacao wafers or Zephyr (Russian version of a marshmallow, but infinitely better and healthier, as it's made with pureed apple, egg white, and pectin. Nope, no gelatin!).  I went with Zephyr. :)

OMG it's gorgeous outside! Let's hope for a productive afternoon and hopefully a short run to refresh my brain!

Fishy & fruity

With such a large post-run lunch numero dos, dinner ended up getting postponed til 9pm! Kind of late-ish for me, but that's alright! I needed time to make room for this delicious dinner.

Have you ever prepared fish by boiling it? Sounds weird, but when done right (boiling for just a few minutes), it's so soft and juicy! We add dill, parsley, black peppercorns, bay leaf, and salt, and actually drink the broth with dinner! ...Not sure if this is a Russian thing, but it's sure is my family's thing! This is our definition of fresh dinner super fast!!!

Another dinner highlight: my adorable date, Gizmo, and a new episode of New Girl.

Oh, and the fresh fruit tart can be added to the list of dinner's highlights, too. :)

Have a good night! Thanks for stopping by :)

The nutterbut squash

How in the world was it 55F degrees today?! It was deceitful, though, because the winds were brutal! I didn't get to go outside, so I'm planning for a run tomorrow. I hope the Wind Gods will have left by then!

When I got home from lecture, I was uber hungry, and because lunch wasn't ready yet, I started munching on pita chips with hummus. The munching went on for too long... I should have known better! So, lunch followed a little later and was on the lighter side. But it was surely delightful! A bowl of pea soup and a bowl of sauteed sour kraut. Grandma has been adding capers to many of her dishes - I love their little bursts of sourness! [This is coming from the girl that eats whole lemons...]

My afternoon snack included greek yogurt, toast, and a cup of coffee. I was sleeepy!

And oh my, was dinner lovely or what!? Salad (duh!), with balsamic glazed roasted butternut sqush, quinoa, and salmon with carrots, onion, garlic, and mushrooms sauteed/caramelized in tomato paste.

I was so excited to make butternut squash after I bought this beauty today at the Farmer's Market! But I had no idea what to do with it. I figured roasting never fails! So I got to work... First search term: nutterbut... Good job, Veronica. 

Once I figured out why my search failed to yield any recipes, I came across Chelsey's recipe for Balsamic Glazed Butternut Squash Fries, and followed it to a T. The result: phenomenal. [I actually roasted about 1/4 of the squash just in olive oil and salt... not sure what I'm going to do with it yet, you'll certainly see it incorporated into some meal in some shape or form!]

Dessert featured a small hunk of freshly baked bread and a spoonful of Nutella. And a cup of green tea, of course!

Does anyone have any nutterbut squash recipes to share with me? Looking for suggestions!

The deadline to enter the FSTG giveaway is almost here!!! Who's going to get lucky?

Have a good night, everybody!

♥ V.

When dinner came early

Lunch with my dearest N is always wonderful. She brightens my day with her endless energy (Hi N! I know you are reading this!) :)
Lunch consisted if a salad, an almost-hard-boiled egg (my favorite!), and a side of imitation crab meat (I just realized how weird that sounds... It's made of Alaskan Pollack... and it's actually really good).


As always, N was an incredible hostess. That girl doesn't know how to sit still... She couldn't stop offering me various Indian treats to which I couldn't say no... And so I managed to consume a handful of nuts and some spicy things the name of which I don't know and if i did, I probably wouldn't be able to pronounce. :)
*****
By the time I got home around 5:30 after class and running errands, my stomach was demanding dinner, and I decided to respond promptly to this demand...
With a big bowl of sautéed veggies on top of the nutty and deliciously wholesome quinoa (which is hiding underneath!)... Yummm!





...and a side of my face Russian rye bread! It's made with molasses, which gives it the beautiful dark, almost purple, color.

...knowing myself, there is a 95% chance that I will have dinner numero dos later tonight...
Friday is almost here!!!... And the deadline to enter the FSTG giveaway is 4 days away!!!

♥ V.

Bowl-eating and Tea-drinking

...Of course I was hungry by the time I got home 4 hours later, and with dinner being almost 5 hours away, I decided to have a small bowl of soup, and some stir fry veggies with pasta! Err... lunch numero dos methinks?Today's weather was nothing like yesterday's gloomy rainy day. To take advantage of the remaining minutes of sunlight (yes! there was actual sunshine today!) and the warm fresh air, I went for a slow leisure walk with the girls (aka my mom and g-ma). It was wonderful to just relax and enjoy the outdoors with them!

Upon our return home, I was craving something salty and crunchy, so I had a handful of Pop Chips and Veggie Sticks! Loooove 'em!

Not surprisingly, I wasn't hungry when my family sat down for dinner at 8pm. In restrospect, I should have had a slightly lighter second lunch snack, but it's alright. And so I ate dinner an hour later.

Tonight's dinner was both beautiful-looking and delicious-tasting. As always, a huge salad dominated the scene, with halibut, caramelized beets (in coconut oil!!! loooove the subtly sweet and nutty flavor!), and white rice "on the side".

I think I can officially claim myself to be a bowl-lover/addict. I just love eating everything out of a single bowl! Less dishes to wash, easier to run away with to my room if I have to eat while working, and a great way to practice portion control! ...There is also something undeniably cozy about eating out of a bowl. Or maybe it's just me :)Following today's afternoon lecture, the Healthy Living club organized a tea tasting event! We sampled some amazing and unique teas. I am a huge fan of green tea, and today for the first time I tried green tea with roasted brown rice. One word - wow.  So much flavor. I now need to figure out where I could get hold of it! I also came home with some jasmine and lavender loose leaf teas, which I prepared as my post-dinner treat. With a side of dried date, cherries, and blueberries. Yummm!



Aren't the lavender petals just beautiful?!

The week is flying by! So much to do, so little time. What else is new...

♥ V.

P.S. Have you entered the Food Should Taste Good giveaway?