Remember when you saw sage green all over?  I’m old enough to remember hunter green – my ninth grade bedroom was hunter green with burgundy.  How about teal?  Kelly green?  Celery?

Green is such a pretty and versatile color, and I’ve been seeing it more and more in magazines and on TV interiors.  I’m getting ready to re-do our guest bathroom, and  it’s made me rethink the color I thought I wanted to paint the walls.  Now I’m thinking green.

Here’s a little inspiration:

Soft green, gray green, dark green, yellow greens… It’s hard for me to decide!  What do you think?  Do you have any favorite greens in your home?

Image credits: GardenWeb, GardenWeb, Apartment Therapy, Apartment Therapy, Decorpad, House Beautiful, Photo by Anna Williams, from Furnishing Forward by Sheila Bridges, Katy Elliott, Pink Wallpaper

Spring/summer is a great time to fall in love with running. Running is an incredibly amazing exercise.  It trims and tightens, leads to a very healthy heart, and is great for working out stress.  Not to mention that it is just so simple; throw on shorts, a tank, running shoes, and head out the door. Despite all of the benefits it can seem like the most boring activity ever. Right!?

I used to really dislike running.  As in if I ran a quarter of mile that was enough.  Then junior year of college came around bringing an extra 20 pounds.  So I found myself in the gym, trying to learn how to work in exercise and find that balance to get to and maintain a healthy weight.  After a  while the elliptical machines and the stairmaster started to get a little old and I was simply watching the clock.  It was time to try something new.  Running is hard, even if you are in shape, and I remember very clearly being quite intimidated by the treadmill and the people confidently pounding out their miles.  But I decided to give it a go.

Overtime I built up my mileage and confidence through intervals.  But while the challenge of building up that endurance was a nice feeling I was still finding myself to be overall bored with running.  I was doing it for the calorie burn, not because I enjoyed it.  On a whim one spring morning I headed out for a run through the neighborhood.  Oh my gosh was it exhilarating!  The change to an outdoor scene was what clicked for me to start to actually enjoy a run.  It is an entirely different experience to be out in the fresh air, feeling the resistance from the wind, seeing the green on the trees during a run.  After that I was hooked.  It became part of my routine and I figured out how to get into that running zone.

A few things that helped me learn to run and that have helped me keep going:

Intervals. It is really okay to do a run/walk workout.  Or to use a steady pace with some speedy intervals.  You have to start at your own pace and build up.  Intervals are fantastic for building both endurance (start adding more time with the intervals!) or speed.  And interval training running will stay with you long past your first goal.

Consistency. Running is an amazing heart and lung work out.  But to really see progress you need to do it regularly.  I find that I am able to keep in running shape when going at least three times a week.  And once you start to see progress in your cardiovascular capacity it is so motivating and much more enjoyable!

Run outside. There is an awesome energy that comes from running outdoors.  Whether it is in the middle of an urban city street or on a rural country road, it just can’t be matched with running in the gym.  Treadmills are great for nasty weather days and will get it done.  But running outside is a huge improvement in the total experience.

Running buddy. Having a running partner can be such a great boost.  It is harder to let yourself skip or to cut a run short when someone else is counting on you to be there.  And miles somehow seem to fly by when running with a buddy.

A goal. It can be a race, a speed, a weekly mileage, etc.  Regardless, having a goal you are working towards can be a great experience and might help you find your stride.

Running magazines. For real.  I used to think that magazines like Runners World were for crazy hard core marathon winning types.  But every issue is filled with tips and tricks for all levels.  And the healthy recipes are sometimes pretty good too!

Great shoes. Running may not require a lot of equipment but good shoes are critical.  Keep yourself in the right type of running shoe and replace them before they wear out to prevent injury.  A running store is a great resource to find out what type of shoe you need based on how your foot lands.

But every now and then I still find myself in a running slump, these are the times where I have remind myself to just get out the door and to find a fresh goal.  One of the things that I have learned over the past ten years is that once your run is over you will always be glad that you went.

What has helped you learn to love running?

My brother is getting married soon, so no one in my family (besides my father and myself) is currently consuming bread/carbohydrates right now. Hubs wants to fit into his tuxedo with aplomb, so I have been cooking in accordance with his dietary restrictions (while keeping things in my wheelhouse). I adore eggs, and cheese, so quiche tops the list as one of my favorite foods since it’s a powerhouse combination of the two. However, crust is out for Hubs, and honestly, it would not hurt my waistline to avoid that butter laden bit of deliciousness.

So the following recipe was born- relatively healthy, inexpensive and containing infinite variations.  Pair with a green salad, some fruit or a cup of soup, and you have a wonderful meal.

Crustless Quiche Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons whole wheat panko
• 5 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups 1% milk
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (or more to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 8 oz diced ham
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cups grated Monterey Jack

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan (6-cup capacity) with cooking spray. Add panko, tilting to coat bottom and sides.
2. Whisk eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
3. Steam broccoli until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Refresh under cold water and drain well. Chop coarsely.
4. Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ham and onion; cook, stirring often, until softened and light golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add onion mixture and broccoli to the egg mixture; stir in cheese. Pour into the prepared pan, spreading evenly.
5. Bake the pie until light golden and set, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool slightly, cut into wedges and serve.

Now the wonderful aspect of this recipe is it’s variations.  For example, I had some bulk sausage sitting in the fridge, so I made some substitutions and created this-

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons whole wheat panko
• 5 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups 1% milk
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (or more to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 3 cups frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 8 oz
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cups reduced fat cheddar, shredded

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan (6-cup capacity) with cooking spray. Add panko, tilting to coat bottom and sides.
2. Whisk eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
3. Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and brown.  Add onion; cook, stirring often, until softened and light golden, 3 to 5 minutes.  Add spinach to onion and sausage. Add onion mixture to the egg mixture; stir in cheese. Pour into the prepared pan, spreading evenly.
4. Bake the pie until light golden and set, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool slightly, cut into wedges and serve.

Next time I want to try asparagus, goat cheese, and smoked salmon.  Yum!  Best part of all, Hubs loved it!  He went to the grocery yesterday to get more eggs so I can make more quiche.  You could also divide it between muffin cups for mini quiches- perfect for individual freezing.  Enjoy, and please pass along any delicious variations you create!

From celebrities to friends to fellow bloggers, everybody seems to be pregnant right now… including me! You may be even more surprised to learn that I’ve been sitting on this secret for 32 weeks. That’s right, I’m having a baby in July!

During my first trimester, I realized I wanted a space to document my pregnancy, but it was too early to reveal the news on my personal blog, Somewhere in Middle America, or here. So I created Bunny & Dolly to discuss my excitement and fear about having a baby and to keep track of my favorite things for me and him. Yes, I’m having a boy!

Being pregnant has been a remarkable and weird experience. Yes, weird. It’s controversial to admit this, but I can’t say I’ve truly loved sharing my body with this new little person, and I’ve had my more than my share of super emotional days. Then in March, my life got even more stressful: I began a new full-time job, my first in 3 years (yay!), and my husband deployed again (boo!). Needless to say, taking care of everything by myself – the house, the dog and my work – while growing a baby has been exhausting, which explains my two month radio silence.

But now I’m excited to fill you in on the past 8 months and look forward to reaching the finish line with you cheering me on!

Have you noticed a baby boom among your circle of friends recently?

When Dr. Dave and I were first dating, one of the things we enjoyed doing together the most was cooking.  From shrimp scampi to chicken wraps, we experimented with new dishes as we got to know one another in the kitchen.  When we realized that we both had a passion for making (and eating!) sushi, we put our heads together and busted out our sushi mats.

Now that we’re married, despite all the caramel white chocolate pancakes, stuffed french toast, and croque montagnard, our favorite food is actually quite healthy.  Whenever we are looking for a celebratory meal for birthdays, anniversaries, or holidays, we usually turn to sushi.  However, as ex-grad students with loan debt, we can’t afford the high expense of sushi restaurants…luckily, over the years, we’ve refined our sushi-making abilities to near restaurant quality.  I thought I’d take today to show you all how easy it is to make sushi at home! Don’t be intimidated; it’s really much easier than it seems.  And much cheaper…the entire platter of sushi below cost less than $40.

{all photos from author’s personal collection}

The most important aspect of good sushi is, obviously, good fish. Make sure you purchase “sushi-grade” fish from your fishmonger.  We find Whole Foods carries good salmon, tuna, unagi (smoked eel), crab, and octopus.  However, a fishmonger would be another good option if you have one close by.  Keep it very cold until you’re ready to make your sushi.  You will also need:

-Nori (the seaweed wrap for sushi rolls, which you can find in the Asian section of your supermarket)
-Short-grain white sushi rice
-Fish of your choice (unagi, tuna, salmon, crab, octopus, etc.)
-Filler vegetables (green onions, avocado, cucumber, carrots, whatever you’d like!)
-Rice vinegar
-Cream cheese if desired, soy sauce, ginger, wasabi (optional)
-Sushi mats

Look at the color on that salmon! Just beautiful.  We find it helpful at the beginning of a sushi-making session to lay everything out on the counter, buffet-style, so we can grab from a variety of things when building a roll.  We’ve also experimented with a homemade eel sauce, a slightly-sweet vinegar sauce (see recipe below).  Line it all up, with room enough for your sushi mats, which you can purchase at most grocery stores or specialty food stores.

The unagi is a beautiful fish. If you’ve never had it, it is slightly sweet, a little smoky, and has a great tender texture. It’s wonderful with cream cheese. :) Pop it in a warm oven (170 degrees) for about 10 minutes before using to heat it up; then peel the thick fatty skin off before slicing and eating.

To prep your ingredients, slice the veggies into long thin strips.  We like to cut our fish into thicker sections for a higher ratio of fish in a roll, but you can slice yours as thick or thin as you’d like.  If you like sashimi, reserve some wider slices for this.

While cutting and prepping your ingredients, start cooking your rice.  You will need short-grain white sushi rice.  Rinse the rise several times through a mesh strainer until the water runs clear: this is how the rice becomes sticky after cooked.  See Dr. Dave’s perfect sushi rice recipe below.

Once the rice is done, put it into a chilled bowl and fan while stirring, to cool it.  Add rice vinegar to taste, and continue to stir and fan until cool enough to handle.  We also like to add some sesame seeds to the rice for a delicious, nutty flavor.

Next, take a piece of nori out of the package and lay down on your sushi mat (shiny side down).  Using a flat, wide wooden spoon, spread a thin layer of rice onto the nori, leaving about an inch of nori uncovered by rice at the top (you’ll need this section to seal the roll).

Once your rice is spread, place your roll ingredients in a line near the bottom of the nori. This roll (my favorite!) is filled with unagi, cream cheese, avocado, and eel sauce.

Start rolling away from you, from the bottom of the nori, using the sushi mat to squeeze the roll firmly as you go.

When you’re done rolling, give one final squeeze and remove the mat. You’ll be left with a neat tidy little roll!  Now dip your finger in the water/rice vinegar mix and run it along the inch of nori you left uncovered. Press it against the roll to seal it closed; slice with a very sharp knife dipped in the water/rice vinegar mixture to keep the rice from sticking to the knife.

Making sushi is a fun way to spend some time together in the kitchen, trying something new, and ending with something delicious!  Don’t worry if your first rolls don’t turn out looking as well as planned: they will still taste delicious!

RECIPES:

Homemade Eel Sauce: Combine 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 1/4 cup soy sauce, and 1/4 cup white sugar in a saucepan.  Simmer over low heat until thickened.  Drizzle over rolls or use as a dip. Store leftover sauce in fridge for up to a month.

Dr. Dave’s Perfect Sushi Rice: Place rinsed rice into heavy-bottomed pot.  Fill with water until a finger inserted into the pot just touches the rice and the water comes to the base of your fingernail (sounds strange, I know, but it just works!).  Bring to a full boil, uncovered, until the level of the water reaches the level of the rice, then reduce the heat as low as possible. Cover and cook until no water remains (keep a close eye on it).  Or, use a rice cooker. ;)

Roll combination ideas:
-salmon, avocado, and cream cheese
-tuna, cucumber, and green onion
-crab meat, carrot, cucumber, avocado
-anything that tickles your fancy