Salgadinhos!

Salgadinhos is a category of Brazilian finger foods that are absolutely great as appetizers or sides to an entree. My favorite is coxinhas, like a chicken stuffed pastry, it's kind of hard to describe it... so here it is.

Coxinha is the top right and on the bottom we have a  Brazilian cheese rissole, again hard to describe... A doughy cheese filled fried dumpling? The pasta is penne with a mascarpone infused tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese.

If you are curious about Salgadinhos, search for a traditional Brazilian restaurant and make inquires, or even better GO TO BRAZIL!

Sweet Tooth

The right end to every meal is a small satisfying sweet lovable dessert! One of my favorites is a sweet peach half with ice-cream. This is the standard vanilla-peach combo...

The peach half is preserved in a sugary syrup, this makes it last and keeps it sweet. I love these peaches, and they will pop up again in my posts... If you haven't tried, they come greatly recommended!

Burger FRESH!

I got a groupon for BurgerFresh, and it was terrible for my abs routine, but so worth it!

I'm not going to pretend like this was a healthy meal, but it did taste absolutely amazing. Not pictured is the strawberry milkshake from Bluebell ice cream. Below is their monstrous TexasMonthly Award  Winning Burger basket... As far as I know it doesn't go by any other name

This appetite crushing burger consists of 1/2lb. Angus patty topped w/ pepper jack cheese, avocado, bacon, grilled onions and bell peppers. All between their famous jalapeno bun.

It is not too spicy, and the avocado sweetens it up just right. If you are a sucker for burgers work up a big appetite, and get ready to hit the gym hard, because this burger belongs in your hands.

I'm going GREEN, or am I?

Ok mostly green... I am a big fan of salads, they are easy to make, light on the stomach, healthy, and good for lunch or dinner. They are also easy to present, vibrant colors bring the plate to life.

The draw back of course is the short life expectancy of fresh ingredients that salads require.
Easy solution: to-go salad bars. There is a small organic market (it'll pop up various times, H&H) near my house where I can just drop by make a salad on my way to work, from work, the gym, or whatever have you.

I made this on the way back from a mid morning workout...

The beauty of this particular salad is that it requires no sauce, though I did add a little because I wanted to see what it tasted like. The olives in combination with the tuna salad will give plenty taste to keep your buds occupied while you work through the leafy part. Quinoa grains are not only a good vegetarian protein source alternative, but also gives salads a little more texture, and I couldn't resist grabbing a few artichoke hearts while I was at it.

ps. that to-go box is made of recycled materials!

Quick Lunch!

Left overs are wonderful!

This is an oven baked tilapia filet on a bed of mixed veggie rice. It looks great with contrasting vibrant colors and took 3 minutes to microwave! Ok, it's true, it's not much for a big appetite,  but that is why you should compliment it with a healthy snack (personally I go for an organic banana or apple) a couple of hours later. This will not only keep you satisfied, but also keep your metabolism active! 6pack after a lot of work... maybe YES!

My Inner Asian

Here it is, the first Asian dish to glorify my humble blog!

So there isn't much to say about this. Yakisoba with broccoli, carrots, chicken, snap peas, and some onions.

Since today I won't bore you with food comments, lets talk a little about exercise and diet. I always try to buy the least processed ingredients and foods. I believe that is the first step to a healthy diet. It will be a little more expansive, but it is a small price to pay for your life. Next, use the fact that you do want to eat all these delicious foods and get yourself into the gym and exercising.
When I go to the gym I relax. Don't think about the weight you want to lose or how you look, concentrate on yourself. Concentrate on your breathing, relax and let your mind wander. Let your stress dissolve into your sweat and leave your body. Once you get out of the shower you will feel elated! And you will be back for more, trust me.

There is a Fish in My Oven!

Ok, I feel like this picture needs to get shown before I say anything.

Baked salmon seasoned with some herbs, salt, olive oil, and a few onion slices. To compliment the salmon we have a hefty serving of tabbouleh and some pan seared frozen potatoes with veggies.

If you need a quick meal, then fish is your meat of choice. Pan seared will take a maximum of 30 minutes to prepare. I like to have a salad to go with it, maybe some left over veggies.
Healthy, fast, and delicious. Doesn't get much better then that!

Improvised Risotto

So what do you do if you have left over shrimp baked in tomato sauce with catupiry (a traditional Brazilian type of cream cheese) on top and some plain rice?

The correct answer is: mix them into a delicious risotto!

I won't lie to you readers, I am not a big fan of plain white rice. This is why I love mixing it with meats that have been cooked with a sauce. It doesn't always work, but you will be surprised by how often it will. Get creative and mix away!

Italy, not so far...

I am a HUGE fan of Italian food.

This is a shout-out to one of my favorites Capri.
Owned and operated by an Italian, this place bring home made pasta, and original dishes to a location near... well me (The Woodlands, TX). Its a small restaurant with a homely feel, they do not carry a wine selection as they work on a BYOB style (traditional of Italy).

If I cannot convince you with words, well then...

This was a daily special... Seafood extravaganza (clams, mussels, shrimp, calamari) on a bed of slightly spicy spaghetti pomodoro. Plenty of cheese on top... what can I say, I like cheese.

Belgian Waffles from Belgium?!

Ja! Ja! apparently that is how you say yes in Dutch.

So I was strolling along this imported foods market in Houston called the Phoenicia, when I spotted this frozen Belgium Waffle box. The box looked nice so I went for it, always judge a book by its cover, right?

Here is another cover for them...

Worth every penny. Of course I took the liberty to add a few strawberries and some vanilla ice cream, just for presentation purposes of course.

What is Panettone?

It's delicious from what I can tell. If you are looking for a more scholarly explanation here is the wiki for it. Now the version of it that I eat has chocolate chips instead of the traditional dried fruits. This cake/bread with butter is good, but add a small bit of nutella and... well just try it for yourself.

This was my warm up breakfast before I hit the gym... YES! I redeemed myself.

The FIRST

Well this is exciting! My first post! Today I am going with simple elegance.

Ice Cream!
Specifically Haagen Dazs 5 Lemon.
The whole 5 series is good for its simplicity, 5 ingredients, delicious ice cream.

I tried the lemon flavor the other day and I found it great for a quick desert!

Now to wet your appetite...