I’m a big fan of figuring out healthy meals. I don’t necessarily need a recipe, I just come up with things that sound good and inspire me. Today’s meal was inspired by… the random items in my fridge. Wild, I know.

So, here’s my Turkey Asparagus Pasta. (Yes, Mom, I ate asparagus. No one forced me.)

Food:
1 package ground turkey
2 Tablespoons Rasberry Wasabi mustard (or spicy creole mustard)
1 bound stalk of asparagus
4-5 roma tomatoes
dollop of olive oil
2 cups pasta (uncooked)
Lemon Juice
3 garlic cloves
Parmesan cheese 

Dishes:
one pot, two skillets

Boil pasta in the water. When the pasta is done, drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

Dice the garlic (keep one clove separate) and roma tomatoes. Chop the asparagus into 1-inch sections. Add a dollop of olive oil and lemon juice into a skillet, put on medium heat. Add the three garlic cloves, tomatoes, asparagus to the skillet.
Let the vegetables sauté together (about 5 minutes).

At the same time, sauté the ground turkey in the second skillet. Add two tablespoons of raspberry wasabi mustard* and the final clove of diced garlic into skillet.

Toss and plate. Add parmesan cheese to taste. Serves 2-3.

And just so y’all know… It was delicious. However, I did burn my tongue because I was impatient. Dang it.  

*Random food item in my fridge, but you could use spicy creole mustard as a substitute.

There are some wonderful benefits to being done with your dissertation (yes, I still have a few edits to make, but...at least I have time to breathe now). The sky is bluer (despite the crazy tornadic weather the AL/MS area seems to be having), the days are warmer (or maybe that's summer coming), I get to sleep more (or maybe that's the tonsillitis I am currently fighting). There are a ton of benefits... really.

One of them is that I actually can enjoy cooking again. Have I mentioned that I like to cook? No? That's because I've been dissertating for the past 6 months... nonstop. But, we've survived that, and I'm getting back to me. Slowly.

Like I said, one of the things I love to do is cook. I'm no expert, but I love to come up with recipes, try new things, and make my friends join me for dinner. It relaxes me. I'm sort of like Bree Van De Kamp that way. I'm happiest serving others... especially if it means making some skinny girl eat something.

Okay, so the picture doesn't exactly suite, but it cracked me up... and I couldn't find one that she didn't look a little crazy. Now that I think about it, maybe Bree isn't the best example. Hmm...

Anyways... here's a little something that I whipped up while watching that tornadic weather the other day. I didn't exactly have a recipe, but I was inspired by my friend, Kate, and her blog about the Paleo lifestyle. I changed her recipe up for my preferences and here's what I came up with.

Tomato, Feta, & Spinach Stuffed Chicken
1-2 lbs chicken breast (thawed)
2-3 Roma tomatoes - chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
6 oz spinach
1/4 cup cilantro
1/4 cup crumbled feta
Olive Oil
lemon juice (or lime juice)

• Drizzle olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add tomatoes, garlic, and chopped cilantro to the pan. After a few minutes, add the spinach, squirt with lemon juice, and cook it till it wilts. Remove from heat.
• Butterfly cut the chicken (cut vertically down the middle until almost through but not all the way). Place Saran wrap on the chicken and pound flat but without breaking through. Uncover Saran wrap, and place string underneath chicken breast (this will be easier when you tie it off).
• Once the meat is thin, add the ingredients from the pan on top of the chicken. Add feta, and freshly chopped cilantro.
• Gently roll into a tube/roll. Tie off with string, or use toothpicks, & carefully transfer to baking pan.
• Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, and add a dash of cilantro.
• Bake at 375 for 40-60 minutes until chicken is golden brown, and juices are flowing.

Before, meet after. And, yes, I used dental floss to hold them together. Don't judge.

It was a totally new recipe for me. And I must admit, it was as good as it looked.

My roommate is a concert pianist. Jealous much? Well, you should be. She's AMAZING. Not only does she keep me entertained with show tunes, sing-a-longs, and the best of Billy Joel, but she also plays classical music with the best of them. What she does with Chopin is unreal. I really love having her around too... because her practice time is my "Cynthia-is-getting-her-very-own-private-concert-time." I love it. It isn't very often that we actually get to see, hear, and know brilliance or beauty, but what my roomie does with Mozart is sheer brilliance. And I am so lucky to have her in my life... now, if I could just convince her to move to Oklahoma with me.

Anyways, Miss J performed a concert yesterday, and for about 75 lucky people, she strutted her stuff. She is, without a doubt, one of the most amazing pianists I've ever had the pleasure of hearing. I wish y'all could have been there to hear it. But you weren't... So, you get the pleasure of SEEING some of her concert. Not the same, I know, but you're just going to have to deal with it. And before you get yourself in a dander, I had permission to take pictures during the concert. I was the "professional photographer" for the event. (Of course, I use the term "professional" VERY loosely.) I must admit, it was the first time in my life that I was encouraged to take pictures during a performance... and it was awkward. Two reasons: 1) I FELT the stares of people wishing me ill for taking pictures, and 2) I don't think I ever realized how loud a camera could be. The music would be going, and then all of a sudden... CLICK! Granted, I had permission, but it was really odd. Anyways, I'm posting a few of the pics on here... enjoy!