BBQ Leftovers to Makeover? Easy

Many times, we tend to grill enough chicken to feed an army! So what do we do with the leftovers when we realize that?

BBQ chicken leftovers are not the best on the second day. The chicken tends to become more dry as it loses some of its juice and marinade. Well, no problem, I got a solution: Creative BBQ pizza!

It is quick, easy, and very DELICIOUS!

Here are the steps and ingredients:

1. Shred the leftover bbq chicken.

2. Decide what vegetables you’d like to have with it. I used: Spinach, Organic Cherry Tomatoes, Grilled onions, and on some, I used olive spread.

You will also need some BBQ sauce, your favorite cheese, and a few Pita/tortilla bread.

First, spread the BBQ sauce along with the olive spread on top of the Pita or Tortilla bread.

Second, add the spinach on top.

Then, add the BBQ chicken pieces and the grilled onions.

Then, add the cherry tomatoes on top and cover with a layer of cheese. In this case, I chose Chipotle Gouda Cheese.

Place it on a tray lined with aluminum foil, put it in the oven for 4 minutes on Broil (The time can change depending on your preference. I like to take it out when all the cheese melts and can hear and see the sauce sizzling) .

Now, ENJOY the delicious, quick, and easy BBQ chicken makeover!

Easy Organic?

So over the weekend, I got a delivery package from Arganica. It is the mid-Atlantic’s premier locally sourced food club. It grants you access to a variety of local farm-fresh and organic foods. However, it doesn’t stop there, they deliver it to your footstep every week on a day you specify!

 

It is a great service, especially for those with tight schedules and who like to have organic food in their household, yet do not have the time to shop for it.

I stumbled upon Arganica on Living Social. They had a deal for One-Month Membership, One Mixed Organic & Local Produce Crate, One $25 Gift Certificate, One Issue of Flavor Magazine and all for $45. It sounded appealing and decided to try it out.

 

When buying a crate, you have two options: All Local or Mixed crate. The difference between the two is the source of the produce. I went with the Mixed crate as it was ten dollars cheaper.

The crate was delivered Sunday morning at 9:45am. The produce looked so fresh and beautiful! Some of the items I received were apples, pears, strawberries, onions, green onions, broccoli, Kale (I think), tomatoes, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. I also received the Flavor magazine.

 

I am not so much of an organic buyer; however, I am working on becoming one. Therefore, I cannot really judge the price, but to me it seems very reasonable as it was delivered to my house, I received great quality produce, and not to mention it is all organic!

 

I will be using the $25 gift certificate soon for my next crate.

I definitely recommend checking their website to see if they deliver in your area. I think you should give it a try, especially if you are a busy person.

 

 

Stay healthy and beautiful!

Arki

 

 

 

Leftovers Revived

Saturday, April 7th, was my Mother In Law’s birthday, we all went out to Tara Thai, a Thai Restaurant in Vienna, VA. It was our first time there and definitely not our last. The food and service were outstanding. It was actually my first time trying the Thai Iced Tea as it was recommended by the owner. I quite enjoyed it. It had a different flavor, it was actually loaded with flavor. It wasn’t your typical iced tea. If you like trying different things, I suggest you add this to your list.

All the appetizers and the main dishes were very flavorful and delicious. We loved the Thai Basil aroma that was floating around the whole time. My favorite appetizer was the Chicken Satay that was served on a wooden stick with peanut sauce. It was very tender and flavorful. We had six main dishes, the Chicken Kapow was my favorite, a little spicy but delicious! After stuffing our faces with all that food, we decided to leave a window open for some Fried Banana & Coconut Ice cream and the infamous delicious Sticky Rice Mango. They both hit the spot and didn’t disappoint. 

We had great time at the restaurant, enjoyed all the Thai dishes, and left home with some leftovers 🙂

Typically, we just reheat the left overs and indulge in them the next day; however, yesterday I decided to try a different approach. Here is what I cam up with: An Asian inspired Lemony Soup.

1. I grabbed the two boxes of leftovers: Spicy chicken eggplant, and ginger sesame beef.

2. I added some coconut oil in a mid size pot, and left it to warm up.

3. I added the leftovers to the pot to warm them up for a couple minutes.

4. I added two handfulls of frozen veggies: corn, carrots, peas.

5. I added some fresh baby corn that I had. [you can basically add whatever vegetable you like]

6. I stared the mix until all the vegetable warmed up.

7. I added some freshly crushed black peppers and salt.

8. I added the whole carton of chicken broth [32oz.]

9. I added the juice of one freshly squeezed lemon.

10. stair it a few times and then let it boil.

11. I reduced the heat and add it some scallions at then end before serving.

 

The soup turned out delicious, especially with all the different flavor infusion and vegetables. I think I just discovered my new go to thing to do with leftovers!

 

I hope i inspired you to revive your leftovers.

Arki

 

 

TJ’s Haul & Favorites

So if you don’t know yet, I am a fan of Trader Joe’s! I love to do most of my grocery shopping at that store because the quality is great, they have a variety of food and organic options, and the prices are great compared to other organic stores (i.e. Whole Foods).

I will share with you my favorites as well as the new finds. Every time I go there, I buy a few items that have made it to my staples list, and %70 of the purchase would be new items to try. Shopping at TJs is like a treasure hunt. Some things you might find again, and other things, unfortunately, disappear!

I love using Coconut Oil in cooking. It adds a slight sweet flavor and is great for stir fries. Plus, coconut oil has so many uses to it other than cooking. It can be used for the hair and skin. It is a great product! I will do a separate post on it.

Their Sesame Oil is amazing. I love the flavor it adds to the food you’re cooking. All you need is a tiny drop to achieve a great flavor.

The  Chile Lime chicken patties are so flavorful and delicious. You can either pan fry them or grill them. They are such a great source of protein with low carbs and low fat. It is a great choice, if you are watching what you are eating. Grill a patty, brush some mustard on a whole wheat/multi grain Arnold Sandwich Thins, add some lettuce and maybe a couple slices of avocados, and enjoy the healthy deliciousness! The Chicken Quesadillas is another delicious choice. It only takes a few minutes to be ready. It is great for those of us who are busy and rarely have time to prepare dinner from scratch.

TJ’s frozen section is a treasure to me. I lease to work at 6a.m. and usually do not get home till 6p.m. If I were to go to the gym that day, I wont be home till 8p.m. So, when can I ever cook or prepare dinner from scratch? NEVER. That’s when TJ’s come in place and help me out. TJs has a great selection of healthy options that fit easily in my busy and rushed life style. That’s why I am obsessed with it.

Here are more of our favorites. The vegetable Bird’s Nests are basically vegetable tempura. They are not the healthiest choice, but having one at lunch certainly doesn’t hurt as they are super delicious. The Lemon Grass Chicken are great as a snack with a home made mustard and Sriracha sauce. The Channa Masala chickpeas are so flavorful and make a great side dish with grilled chicken and rice. One other favorite is the Potatoe Pancakes. They make a great side on your breakfast plate, served with a fat free spoon of sour cream. Deliciousness.

More of our favorites are these:

The Sea Salt & Lemon Ppper grinders. TJ’s has a wide range of these grinders and each is less than $2. The Low Calorie Lemonade was one of my first items I ever bought at TJ’s and it’s been a favorite ever since. We love it as it is a bit sour and very refreshing! The Saffron is a great spice to have and add to your chicken marinade. And finally that Rustic Pan Bello bread is magnificent. Super tender, yet with a crunchy crust. It is one of our new favorites.

Both the Mixed Berry and Mango Passion Granola Cereals are the hubby’s favorites. They are so crunchy and the fruits actually taste like fruit. Great source of fiber!

I fixed dinner last night using the Marinated Chicken Breast and the Kimchi rice. Oh don’t they sound so wonderful together or what? We loved them! The Rice is on the spicy side, but so flavorful. Oh boy, and the chicken came out so juicy and tender. Here you go, more things are getting added to our favorites. Keep in mind that they were both very low in fat! TJ’s is such a treasure box.

The next three pictures are new items that we haven’t tried yet. However, I am pretty sure they will end up to be part of our favorites.

I hope you enjoyed this post, and I hope I inspired you to go do your own treasure hunt at Trader Joe’s!

Arki

What’s for Breakfast?

I love Mondays!
Everyone starts their work week on that day, except me. So I decided to start this day with a delicious breakfast.
Plate breakdown:
1 egg fluffed with olives.
Half of an avocado sprinkled with salt and lemon peppers.
2 mini potatoes topped with cheddar cheese and scallions from TJs.
A slice of home made bread, made by my momma, topped with light cream cheese and TJs olive tapenade spread.

I hope everyone is having a great Monday!
Arki

TJs haul coming soon..

I Love TJs

One of my absolute favorite grocery stores is Trader Joe’s. I love that store. Every time I shop there, I end up purchasing new favorites. I always go back, buy our favorites plus new items to try. Soon, I will dedicate a whole post to our TJ’s favorites, but for now I want to share this new favorite: the Freeze Dried Strawberries. These babies are unsweetened and unsulfured, they are low in sugar and carbs, and contain fiber. They make a perfect snack and can be used with yogurt and on top of your cereal. I love them because they aren’t too sweet, actually, they are a bit soury lemony sweet. My perfect combo!

I love you Trader Joe’s!
Arki

Best morning snack

A snack that I learned from the hubby, Skinny pretzel topped with a piece if provolone cheese = deliciousness in crunchiness and tastiness!
Something to get me through until lunch! 😀

Arki

Jalapeño Olive Cheese swirls

Coming soon and easy delish recipe..

How Did U?

So how did you spend your Super Bowl evening? What was your favorite commercial?
I spent it home alone, watching the commercials really. I didn’t pay attention to the game. I had some peach fuzzy, read some magazines, organized my pantry, and worked on a couple jewelry pieces. It was pretty relaxing time for me.

As for my favorite commercial, I am not quite sure. However, I thought David Beckham underwear commercial for H&M as well as Adriana Lima’s for Teleflora were very sexy!

❤
ArKi

Lemon Diet?

Seriously though, who doesn’t love lemons? I am one of those people who adds lemon on everything!
I love lemon in my tea, lots of lemon on my soup, on my salads, on cucumbers as snacks, in my water, and on my proteins. I can never get enough lemons! Besides the fact that it adds such a great flavor to the food I eat, it has many health benefits.

Did you know that introducing lemons to you diet with help with your digestion? It actually helps the body regulate its metabolism, lower the sugar absorption in you stomach, and increases the absorption of calcium which gets stored in your fat cells and later burns the fat. All this is due to the lemon’s acidity content and richness in vitamin C.

All you have to do is add lemon to your current diet, squeeze a few drops over your tea and salads, add it to your marinades and sauces, and finally enhance your flavors and health!
So, please bring on the Lemons. I want more!

❤
ArKi

Home made

Just finished making my first home made zucchini sticks and lemon dipping sauce!

Bon appetite para moi
Arki

Grape Juice

So I am thinking of starting a favorites series. It will be a nice way to see how my favorite might evolve through out the years. Of course, what a better way to start this with my wine favorites. I am not a wine expert, but I definitely know what I like. I really enjoy the fruity Sweet ones, but not overly sweet. Anyways, Here are my top 4 favorites:
1. Golly wobbler Pink from St. Michaels Winery
2. SANEMAN Ruby Porto
3. Mavrodaphni of Patras Kourtake sweet red wine
4. Dow’s Porto

I’d go for a glass right now actually!
And now what’s yours?

Dow’s Porto wine

It’s din din time!

Fantabulous Guilty Pleasure..

So, it’s ok to slip in a frozen mango yogurt+warm chocolate chip muffin when your lunch really sucks on a Friday. Right?