The Chic Life: Winding Down for the Weekend

Quick Note: I have a reader question for you guys and your expertise - scroll to the end of this post if you don't feel like reading the whole thing to get to it.

Does it ever feel like your weeks are longer than normal? By the time I got home tonight, I was thankful that I had a super easy meal planned.

After cooking all those potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, and parsnips Wednesday night, I was left wondering, What the heck am I going to do with all these leftover roasted root vegetables? The only thing that kept popping up in my mind was hash. I figured I could make a hash like one of those breakfast-type items.

I'd like to start cooking things on the fly instead of constantly depending on recipes and so far, so good. This is my second recipe this week! I'm hoping that all the practice I've had with various recipes has taught me something useful I can apply through my own, intuitive cooking. I think I made up more recipes when I was a kid than I do now! lol

I re-heated my roasted root veggies in an oven-proof saute pan with half an onion, then put the pan in the oven to finish warming everything through.

While the veggies were in the oven, I got the eggs cooking. I tried to make them over-easy, but one of the yolks ending up breaking. Oopsie!

The hash made for a simple dinner for my I'm-exhausted-from-the-work-week mood.

It was pretty light, too (not sure how healthy, but it was def not too-filling). Dinner was definitely light on the pocket and a nice way to use up leftovers! The only thing that was missing was a fruit/veggie serving, but I'm working on not forcing every meal to have "all the courses." I did have a banana earlier today and I have been eating a ton of blueberries this week. :)

Leftover Roasted Root Vegetable Hash (serves 2)
by Moi

My Notes: I think this would have tasted better with a couple more ingredients - maybe garlic and chopped green/red pepper?

Ingredients:

3 cups leftover roasted root vegetables (or however much you have)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 eggs
2 tbsp butter
salt, pepper

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees F. Heat an oven-proof saute pan over medium heat. Melt 1 tbsp butter in pan. Add onion and root vegetables. Season lightly with salt and pepper (about 1/4 tsp each). Saute, turning frequently, so vegetables don't stick to pan, for about 5-7 minutes. Place saute pan in oven to allow vegetables to heat through.

Meanwhile, heat a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Melt 1 tbsp butter (or use non-stick cooking spray) in pan. Crack and drop eggs into pan side by side. Once bottom of each egg is opaque and firm, flip gently with spatula. Cook to desired doneness of yolk.

When eggs are done, carefully (it's hot!) remove pan from oven and serve vegetables in 2 plates/low bowls. Top vegetables with fried egg.

Post Dinner

After dinner, hubby and I headed out to run some quick errands. We first hit up the mall so he could exchange a Brooks Brother's shirt for a sweater. We also browsed J Crew and Anthropologie, but I didn't get anything! Pretty good for a shopaholic like me. Especially with all those deals!

Next, we hit up Earthfare to grab some goodies for a big Caesar salad for dinner with friends tomorrow night.

Finally, we went to Barnes & Nobles - the store that inspired our night out. Since I'm on my I'm-going-to-get-healthy-this-year kick, I'm hoping to get more inspiration around me. I think if you surround yourself with things that inspire you (so long as you don't get out of control and clutter your place up) they will help you move your life in the direction you want to go. I'm currently researching "healthy" magazines because I'm interested in subscribing to one. I'm going to get a few one-offs first so I can read them and see how I like them. I found one magazine with Ellie on the cover! :)

I'm also really interested in learning more about foods - what kinds of vitamins and nutrients they contain, if/why they're healthy, how they help your body, etc. My dad knows all these things already. I used to be able to just ask him, but I see now I'm going to have (and I really want!) to learn about them for myself (since we live so far apart).

Check out my stack! I wanted to flip through a few magazines and books before committing to trying any out. Luckily, I had a hot beverage to enjoy whilst browsing - a soy hot chocolate. Yum!

Does any one have any recommendations for good "healthy" magazines? How about books? Please comment with your suggestions...I'd love to hear them!

Comments

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this seems obvious, but my favorites are Shape, Self, Fitness, and Health.

Posted by: emily | January 31, 2009 at 12:16 AM

Eat Drink and Be Healthy - by Walter Willett is one that's recommended quite a bit. I can't speak for it personally as I bought it and then never read it, but I had good intentions at the time.

Posted by: Erin | January 31, 2009 at 07:48 AM

LOVE SuperFoods!!!

I'm reading Intuitive Eating. You can borrow it when I'm done if you want.

Magazines I love = Body + Soul, Natural Health and Health. I hear Clean Eating is good but I haven't ever looked through it.

Posted by: Kath | January 31, 2009 at 10:39 AM

Intuitive Eating is very good.

Plenty is an interesting look at one couple's experience of eating locally for one year. Not a how-to, but a how-we-did-it. I wouldn't recommend buying it because the writing is not 100% my cup of tea and it's not like a book you'd refer back to over and over. But definitely a borrowing book.

Stealth Health is a Reader's Digest book that is a thick book full of little tips, not all about food. The idea is you can change your life by making tiny changes one at a time. You don't need a massive overhaul.

Posted by: Amy | January 31, 2009 at 01:48 PM