Easing Back Into the Flow & Freestylin' in the Kitch

As I've mentioned, January has been INSANE/ AWESOME/ STRESSFUL/ WONDERFUL. World premiere of my one-woman show, applications sent out for artist residencies, planning my (rapidly) upcoming wedding, began auditioning for MFA Acting Programs and working three jobs. I'm incredibly grateful for all the opportunities being thrown my way, but my body is ready for a break!

Admittedly, my contest prep and diet were the first things to fall by the wayside when the rest of my life picked up pace. I'm doing some soul searching to determine if I'll be able to dedicate the time and effort I know I'd need to in order to feel like I'm properly prepared for the upcoming bikini show, but that'll be a different post.

My food has been pretty wholesome and delicious these past few days, thankfully. I've been feeling a bit weak and tired (coming down from all the cortisol/ adrenaline combo of the past few weeks, no doubt), so I've been embracing good carbs in a major way. Not exactly a prep diet, but at this point, feeling good is my priority. In the meantime, I got my workout on today at home, and though it was VERY BRIEF, it felt GOOOD.

20 Pushups
60 KB double-armed swings (20 each 8, 10 and 12 kg)
20 KB lunges with single-armed press (10 x arm w/ 8kg)
The Power of 10 Jumptstart Workout

Tonight after work, I snagged what I could carry from the grocery store in preparation for Snowpocalypse Part 3 (fingers crossed for another snow day!), and found some inspiration in the produce aisle.

YUM!

So I set to free stylin'! As I've mentioned in earlier posts, I'm not really a recipe sort of girl. I learned how to cook at a pretty young age, and I haven't turned back since! I'm pretty adventurous in the kitchen, and it usually serves me well...

Tonight's non-recipe is named Cousa Canoes, because that's what they look like, and I LOVE alliteration.

First, I cooked up some quinoa.

Then I chopped up a red pepper that was on it's last leg (I HATE THROWING AWAY FOOD).

And split/ scooped five mini cousas. What's cousa? A green summer squash that looks and tastes like the love child of a zucchini and a yellow squash.

COUSA CANOES!

In a large bowl, I mixed my chopped red pepper, the quinoa, the innards of the cousa and some leftover tilapia that I had prepared earlier (exciting coincidence).

For a majority of my life I suffered from a tree-nut allergy. I've recently discovered that I've outgrown it, and am happily embracing tree nuts as a vital part of my life. Yum. I picked up some lite coconut milk at the store... HOLY MOLY, is this stuff creamy. I need to figure out something else to do with it, but since I was so excited to use it, I added a few tablespoons to my stuffing mix.

Stir in some seasonings, fill up the cousa canoes and top with shredded Parmesan if you please.

My oven was at appx. 350 F, and they went in, uncovered for about 30 minutes... All of the filling was cooked, so it was basically a matter of heating/ melting/ fusing...

Happy, happy times.

Do you follow recipes, or make it up as you go?