Philly Cheesesteak Meatloaf

It's so hot out.

I know.  I complain about this all the time.  But, I'm really not someone who deals well with heat.  If I had it my way, every single day would be partly sunny and 60 degrees.  Perfect 'shorts and t-shirt' weather and requiring only the recommended dosage of sunscreen per day compared to the bottle-a-day habit I'm currently needing.  Going outside, for my pale complexion at least, means reapplying every couple hours or after you've sweat through a current layer.  That, and making friends with every shady spot I can find outside.

Ironically, I don't get as bent out of shape about cooking in summertime as I used to.  It used to feel like such a chore.  Now, I feel like writing recipes is the perfect excuse to stay in the air conditioning.  

For instance, this meatloaf.

As a New Yorker, I shouldn't love philly cheesesteaks so much, but I do.  I love them in all sorts of different preparations, especially in this bread-less version (if you don't count the bread crumbs, anyway).

Plus, just as you might have a meat loaf sandwich for leftovers, this could be thrown on a crusty bun the next day for an almost authentic philly cheesesteak!

I suggest following this down with an icy beverage because it's hot out and this kind of hot-weather cooking deserves a cold drink!

Philly Cheesesteak Meatloaf

1 white onion, diced

1/2 cup diced mushrooms

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 tbsp. minced garlic

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 lb. ground beef

1/3 cup bread crumbs

1 egg

2 tbsp. worchestershire sauce

1 cup shredded provolone cheese

Salt & Pepper to taste

1/2 cup ketchup

Preheat oven 350F.

In a sauté pan, cook onions, mushrooms and peppers in olive oil over medium heat until soft, about 5-7 minutes.  Add garlic and cook an additional minute.  Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine vegetables, ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, worchestershire, cheese and seasoning. 

Place the meat mixture into a greased loaf pan. 

Bake for 30 minutes.

Pour ketchup over the top of the meatloaf mixture and return to the oven for 15 more minutes.

Southwestern Crustless Quiche

My new obsession.

I need healthy breakfasts in my life.  As much as I love breakfast, I rarely have time to make a large, complex meal in the morning.  I wish I could say that I spend my early hours constructing a smoothie full of diverse fruits and vegetables.  Or, that I could plan and execute several courses of brunch material.

Unfortunately, that's not the case.

On busy days, I need to have something on hand to eat that is healthy, but speedy. 

This is why I've developed a brand new obsession with quiche.

And on a side note, does anybody else think the term, quiche, sounds super pretentious?  Like, I think it's delicious, but I almost kind of feel like a snob admitting that I make it and eat it.

I might be the only one who feels like that, but I'm weird like that sometimes.

Anyway, in my house, I eat A LOT of eggs.  Like, a dozen a week, or more.  This quiche recipe lets me use less eggs for a longer stretch of time.  Instead of going through 12 eggs every six days, I go through 6 eggs every eight days.  Plus it's already got some of my favorite vegetables, so it's good for me.  And, it's got cheese because, well, duhh... my life revolves around cheese.

This quiche is delicious and is reminiscent of my favorite way to make omelets - smothered in salsa.  It's a little on the spicy side, but it's a great way to energize myself for the day!








Southwestern Crustless Quiche

1 red onion, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup canned diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
6 eggs
Salt & Pepper to taste


In a large pan, saute onions in olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Add bell pepper and cook about 10 minutes to soften

Add cheese and stir to melt completely.  Remove from heat and let cool.

Preheat oven 350F.

In a separate bowl, whisk eggs.  Add the pepper onion mixture to the eggs and stir in the tomatoes with chilies.  Season to taste.

Pour into a greased 9" pie pan.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Cheddar Cheese Taco Shells

I'm in a funk.

Orange Is The New Black just premiered its fourth season today, so I should be elated.  I've been locked into Netflix all day.  It's been a nice detour from my normal life as I go to reset my diet and my sleep schedule from a long string of night-shifts.

My funk is due to my failing diet and the reason behind it.  To recap, I've been trying to go low-carb for the last three weeks.  I've been running, biking and swimming in preparation for my sprint triathlon.  

But, I haven't lost any weight.  Actually, that's not true.  I lost about three pounds.  I'm ecstatic about that.  However, it's... less than impressive.  In all actuality, I was hoping for something closer to 8-10lbs.  

So... let's talk cheating.

Holidays crept up.  Memorial day invited a four-day long weekend into my life along with barbecues and all of the accompanying fattening sides.  That didn't help.

I set up my weeks to allow one cheat day.  The trouble was getting back on the wagon on the day following my cheat.  Turns out, in my mind, cheat day lasts for three days and I eat MOSTLY well the other four days.  That didn't help either.

So, I did some research.

After some careful reading, I'm convinced more than ever that I have a solid and deep addiction to carbs.  When I binge on food, it's carbs.  What do I associate with happy eating?  Carbs.  I am a metaphorical crack addict when it comes to all things bread and pasta.  

So, this is me... taking control of my addiction.  From here on out, I want no more cheat days, no cheat meals, no cheating of any kind.  I need to break this cycle.

Until I can get out from under this, I'm cooking all things healthy and low-carb.  My goal is to adopt this lifestyle indefinitely, but to start cooking and baking again with carbohydrates once I can adequately control myself.

So... here's a bread substitute in the form of a cheese taco shell.  I can use it to hold my taco fillings while keeping on track.  And, using sharp cheddar cheese is like adding a super bite of flavor.  

This is a great way to fool yourself into thinking you've got a tortilla shell when you're trying to be good!

Cheddar Cheese Taco Shells

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven 350F.

Divide the cheddar cheese into 3-4 portions.

On a greased baking sheet, arrange the shredded cheese 1 layer thick in a circle shape, about 4 inches in diameter.  

Bake for 5 minutes or until the edges brown.  Remove from heat. 

Take a large pot, face up and lay a kitchen utensil with a large handle across the top of the pot.  Lie the cheese circles over the handle and let it bend into a tortilla shape and cool for about 5 minutes.

Once cool, fill with your favorite taco fillings.

Vinegar Fabric Softener & Lavender Wool Dryer Balls

This post is less about making something, and more about just sharing a neat little DIY secret.

Recently, I've been trying to make my home a little more natural by making my own cleaners and cosmetics.

This is another example.  Replacing my store-bought softener with this vinegar solution.

I'm excited to see how well this works for a couple reasons.  One, it's cheaper.  Like, 50% cheaper.  While that might only be a savings of a dollar or two, it will add up.  Especially, when you're making other cleaners that save money as well.

Secondly, as someone who has a mild allergy to fabric softener, I always have to buy the hypo-allergenic brands that cost even more.  This natural version doesn't cause any skin irritation for me and still keeps my laundry soft and not crunchy.

In fact, I'd actually go as far as to say that I think this recipe makes my laundry even softer than the store-bought variety.  It feels cleaner and lighter, if that's possible.  Some internet testimonials I've read suggest that vinegar removes the soap residue that accumulates on fabric better than other softeners.  The soap residue is the supposed reason for the crispy feel of your towels  and sweaters.  If this is true, vinegar is not only cheaper, but most effective at its job as well.

Initially, I tried this with a citrus scent using orange and lemon peels, and let me tell ya:  I'm not a fan.  If you're a big fan of that scent, you can try it, but all I could think of was things like floor cleaners or dusting sprays.  I use citrus peels in these cleaning solutions because I like the way it makes my house smell, but I'd rather my clothes not smell like I was wearing dust rags soaked in mop water.

Instead, I decided to use lavender essential oil in the dryer using wool dryer balls.  I love the relaxing scent of lavender, and I especially love using this on my sheets and blankets because it's the perfect scent to help you get to sleep.  On your clothes, it provides a fresh scent that doesn't overpower if you're in to wearing perfume.

You could use lavender essential oil in the vinegar as well, but I can't tell much of a difference on the clothes if you use it in the dryer instead.  They come out smelling just as lavender-y as if you used them in the rinse cycle and dryer.

Plus, I've found that a lot of essential oil-infused vinegar softeners use a TON of oil, like 20-30 drops per quart.  Depending on where you choose to purchase your oil, that can be at least a couple dollars worth of oil for a whole gallon of vinegar.  Let's save the money and the lavender for the dryer!

If you're looking to go natural with your home products, this is an easy way to start the process!











Vinegar Fabric Softener

1 gallon white vinegar
1 bottle lavender essential oil
Reusable wool dryer balls


Use 1/4 - 1/2 cup vinegar in rinse cycle depending on the size of the laundry load.

For the dryer, infuse 1 wool dryer ball with 2-3 drops of lavender essential oil.  You can use more if you like a stronger scent (I use 5-6 drops when drying my sheets and blankets).

Caramelized Onion and Spinach Crustless Quiche

My new obsession.

I need healthy breakfasts in my life.  As much as I love breakfast, I rarely have time to make a large, complex meal in the morning.  I wish I could say that I spend my early hours constructing a smoothie full of diverse fruits and vegetables.  Or, that I could plan and execute several courses of brunch material.

Unfortunately, that's not the case.

On busy days, I need to have something on hand to eat that is healthy, but speedy.

This is why I've developed a brand new obsession with quiche.

And on a side note, does anybody else think the term, quiche, sounds super pretentious?  Like, I think it's delicious, but I almost kind of feel like a snob admitting that I make it and eat it.

I might be the only one who feels like that, but I'm weird like that sometimes.

Anyway, in my house, I eat A LOT of eggs.  Like, a dozen a week, or more.  This quiche recipe lets me use less eggs for a longer stretch of time.  Instead of going through 12 eggs every six days, I go through 6 eggs every eight days.  Plus it's already got some of my favorite vegetables, so it's good for me.  And, it's got cheese because, well, duhh... my life revolves around cheese.

This is my favorite quiche recipe so far, made with caramelized onions (YUM!) and spinach (not as yum) and sharp cheddar cheese (back to full YUM!).

It's a great way to start my day with veggies and protein, and I can make it ahead of time so it can be reheated for a quick breakfast on-the-go!










Caramelized Onion and Spinach Crustless Quiche

1 white onion
2 tbsp olive oil
1 10oz. package of frozen spinach, thawed
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
6 eggs
Salt & Pepper to taste


In a large pan, saute onions in olive oil over medium-low heat until onions begin to caramelize, about 15 minutes.  Add spinach and cook about 10 minutes, letting the moisture evaporate.

Add cheese and stir to melt completely.  Remove from heat and let cool.

Preheat oven 350F.

In a separate bowl, whisk eggs.  Add the spinach onion mixture to the eggs.

Pour into a greased 9" pie pan.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Beef Stuffed Peppers with Cauliflower Rice

Let's have a moment of honesty.

How many of you (us) have tried "diet" food?  I'm talking meal-replacement shakes and bars, frozen meals, and even just those brands that try to sub out your favorite flavors for a super food stand-in?  Uhh, sorry, but there's no way you're convincing me that those cacao nibs are better than milk chocolate chips, so stop trying to put them in "sweets".  Not only is the taste different (or lacking), but it's more expensive because it's supposedly better for me.

I'm going to probably hate myself for admitting this, but if I had to guess, I would estimate that I've spent over $2,000 in the last 10 years on food that was imitating the food I really wanted.  

TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS!

That's like, six designer handbags.  That's a decent down-payment on a new car.  That's half of my tuition for next semester...

It's also an embarrassing chunk of change to admit to.  And, the worst part is, that's not even counting the non-edible investments I've made to lose weight.  I'm talking the punching bag I bought and never used, the physio-balls, the free weights, the stationary bike, the gym memberships, the subscriptions, the prescriptions and all that other nonsense.  

I don't even want to guess how much money I've wasted.

Nowadays, I try to be a little wiser.  I know myself enough to know that those things won't work, mostly because they consistently haven't worked.  My next focus has been on taking foods that are inexpensive, easy to find and worth eating anyway, and use them in meals to replace the bad stuff.

The biggest problem I've had is convincing my brain.  When I'm missing the feel of chewy bread or silky smooth pasta or creamy potatoes, a salad is generally not going to trick me into thinking I'm satisfied.  That's one reason I truly believe that people (like me) can be addicted to carbohydrates.  

If I want to succeed, I have to find things that legitimately fool me into fullness. 

This is one of the only things I've found so far that has worked for me, so naturally, I have to share it with you!

Cauliflower rice is, like, my new thing.

I'm not even a habitual rice eater, as I much prefer pasta, but this is definitely working.  I've been experimenting with cauliflower as mashed potatoes, breadsticks and even pizza crust, but the rice version has been by far the most believable thus far.

I love stuffed peppers so this version is perfect for me because it's got a ton of flavor without all the rice!

Beef Stuffed Peppers with Cauliflower Rice

2 cups uncooked cauliflower rice

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 white onion, sliced

1 tbsp garlic

1/2 lb. ground beef

1 cup marinara sauce

2 red bell peppers

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs.

Preheat oven 350F.

In a skillet over medium heat, saute onions in olive oil until translucent, about 5-7 minutes.  Add garlic and cook an additional minute.  Add beef and cook until  no longer pink.  Drain the grease.

Cut red peppers in half.  Remove seeds and ribs.  Combine cauliflower rice, sauce, beef mixture and mozzarella, then divide into quarters and scoop into bell peppers.  

Top each with a quarter of the parmesan and panko.

Place peppers cut side up on a baking sheet.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Vodka Chicken Stuffed Peppers with Cauliflower Rice

Let's have a moment of honesty.

How many of you (us) have tried "diet" food?  I'm talking meal-replacement shakes and bars, frozen meals, and even just those brands that try to sub out your favorite flavors for a super food stand-in?  Uhh, sorry, but there's no way you're convincing me that those cacao nibs are better than milk chocolate chips, so stop trying to put them in "sweets".  Not only is the taste different (or lacking), but it's more expensive because it's supposedly better for me.

I'm going to probably hate myself for admitting this, but if I had to guess, I would estimate that I've spent over $2,000 in the last 10 years on food that was imitating the food I really wanted.  

TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS!

That's like, six designer handbags.  That's a decent down-payment on a new car.  That's half of my tuition for next semester...

It's also an embarrassing chunk of change to admit to.  And, the worst part is, that's not even counting the non-edible investments I've made to lose weight.  I'm talking the punching bag I bought and never used, the physio-balls, the free weights, the stationary bike, the gym memberships, the subscriptions, the prescriptions and all that other nonsense.  

I don't even want to guess how much money I've wasted.

Nowadays, I try to be a little wiser.  I know myself enough to know that those things won't work, mostly because they consistently haven't worked.  My next focus has been on taking foods that are inexpensive, easy to find and worth eating anyway, and use them in meals to replace the bad stuff.

The biggest problem I've had is convincing my brain.  When I'm missing the feel of chewy bread or silky smooth pasta or creamy potatoes, a salad is generally not going to trick me into thinking I'm satisfied.  That's one reason I truly believe that people (like me) can be addicted to carbohydrates.  

If I want to succeed, I have to find things that legitimately fool me into fullness. 

This is one of the only things I've found so far that has worked for me, so naturally, I have to share it with you!

Cauliflower rice is, like, my new thing.

I'm not even a habitual rice eater, as I much prefer pasta, but this is definitely working.  I've been experimenting with cauliflower as mashed potatoes, breadsticks and even pizza crust, but the rice version has been by far the most believable thus far.

I love this version of stuffed peppers because it's got all of the flavor without the carbs from the rice!

Chicken Vodka Stuffed Peppers with Cauliflower Rice

2 cups uncooked cauliflower rice

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 white onion, sliced

1 tbsp garlic

1/2 lb.  chicken, in small cubes

1 cup Vodka Sauce

2 orange bell peppers

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs.

Preheat oven 350F.

In a skillet over medium heat, saute onions in olive oil until translucent, about 5-7 minutes.  Add garlic and cook an additional minute.  Add chicken and cook until  no longer pink.

Cut orange peppers in half.  Remove seeds and ribs.  Combine cauliflower rice, vodka sauce, chicken mixture and mozzarella, then divide into quarters and scoop into bell peppers.  

Top each with a quarter of the parmesan and panko.

Place peppers cut side up on a baking sheet.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Serve hot.