Non Sequitur Box

  If you ever find yourself in Woodland Park, CO, make your way to the Historic Ute Inn for some of Miss Rhonda’s fat girl fries. Add two fried eggs for extra protein. I got the pulled pork platter thinking it would be more filling, but my friends actually got more pulled pork on this plate than I did! This is an old photo, but I wanted/needed to record these here for my recipes. I have yet to re-create these for myself on the east coast, but I’m thinking about trying my hand at them (after I can use two arms) to thank my boyfriend for taking such amazing care of me after shoulder surgery. Cook and combine: Fries Pulled Pork Coleslaw Baked Beans BBQ Sauce Ranch Dressing? Two Fried Eggs

Ingredients: 1/2 cup instant oatmeal 1 cup water (or however much it says for your instant oatmeal handful of dried sour cherries handful of sliced almonds Instructions: 1. Put all ingredients into a bowl. 2. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. I like instant oatmeal because I like to make a quick and easy breakfast. I just like to share easy ways to spice up plain instant oatmeal without buying those pre-flavored instant packs. I don't like to use table sugar or brown sugar to add some sweetness to the oats, so I use fruit most of the time (I do use chocolate chips if I'm looking for a chocolate fix). Dried fruit is great, especially if you're mixing a large dry batch for a trip.

Ingredients: Kale (we bought one big bunch) Olive oil (spray works best) Salt Instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (~177 degrees Celsius) 2. Line a baking sheet with foil or wax paper (or nothing, I just like an easy clean up). 3. Break kale up into smaller pieces (about 2-4 inches long). 4. Either toss kale with olive oil now or wait if you have some spray. 5. Line kale in a single layer across the baking sheet (I was running out of room and had a little overlap). 6. If you haven't tossed with olive oil, now is the time to spray with olive oil. 7. Add a little salt if you like (I like salt, so I shook a little salt over the chips). 8. Place on the top rack for 15 minutes. 9. Remove when crispy. You can enjoy right away! My boyfriend wasn't a fan of the kale cooking smell (it smells like Brussels sprouts, he said), so he didn't want any kale chips. I ate all of this by myself. I guess cooking the kale is a good way to get in ...

This recipe is from BlendTec ( http://www.blendtec.com/recipes/blueberry_breakfast_bars ). Since my boyfriend owns a BlendTec and gets emails from them with recipes, he sends me recipes he thinks I'd like to try. I've eaten almost all of the breakfast bars by myself already. Ingredients: 1 ripe banana 2 eggs 2⁄3 cup pecans 1⁄3 cup low-fat plain yogurt 1⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon 1⁄2 tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 1 cup rolled oats, divided 1-1⁄4 cups whole wheat flour 1 tsp vanilla extract 2⁄3 cup brown sugar 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted 1⁄2 cup applesauce 1 cup fresh blueberries Directions: 1. Mix banana, eggs, yogurt, applesauce, coconut oil, vanilla, and brown sugar. 2. Mix pecans, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, 3/4 cup rolled oats, and flour into wet mixture. 3. Fold in fresh blueberries. 4. Bake in 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 35 minutes. Ingredients ...

This is another recipe from my boyfriend. You can add meat spaghetti sauce if you want, but the version below is a meatless lasagne. Ingredients :1 box of no boil/ready bake lasagna noodles 2 lbs. spinach (1/2 frozen, 1/2 fresh) 32 oz. Ricotta cheese 32 oz. regular tomato sauce (NOT spaghetti sauce) 1 jar of spaghetti sauce 1 large sweet onion 1/2 head garlic 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese Fillings: fresh tomatoes, eggplant, mushrooms, whatever you'd like Directions : 1. Sauté onion and garlic in a pan. Add a teaspoon of oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and any other spices you'd like. Continue to sauté. 2. Thaw and drain frozen spinach. 3. In bowl, mix spinach and ricotta and onion-garlic mixture. 4. In lasagna pan (glass casserole dish), put some tomato sauce on the bottom (under shells), then layer of shells (overlap a little), spoon in onion-garlic mixture, sprinkle cheese, maybe fresh tomatoes/eggplant/whatever, shells layer, tomato sauce...

I am a sucker for caprese salad. It is simple and refreshing, with an emphasis on simple. I suck at making balsamic vinegar reductions (I have zero patience), so I was very excited to learn from my friend Chris that Whole Foods (and I'm sure other grocery stores, but Whole Foods is closest to me) carries a bottle of pre-made balsamic vinegar. I used it to drizzle (or drown) my caprese salad. Ingredients: 3 heirloom tomatoes (any color, any size) 1-2 fresh mozzarella balls 1 sprig of fresh basil Isola Classic Creme (a gourmet infusion of balsamic vinegar of Modena) or your own balsamic reduction Directions: Slice the tomatoes into 1-2cm thick slices. Slice the mozzarella balls into 1-2cm thick slices. Lay the tomatoes and mozzarella on a plate, alternating between the cheese and fruit. Pick some basil leaves and tear into smaller pieces (I have no patience, so I basically tear the leaves in a haphazard way) and sprinkle on top of everything. Drizzle it all with Isol...

Back in college, one of my favorite bar food combinations was chili with a grilled cheese sandwich. I started ordering chili at every bar/restaurant I went to decide who made the best chili in town. I never made chili on my own (the closest I came was when I would heat up a can of chili to put over spaghetti, served with honey and cornbread, a staple in my first boyfriend's diet). It wasn't until I was living alone that I decided I needed to learn how to make chili (salads and sandwiches only go so far). In fact, that was the way I convinced my current boyfriend to hang out with me ("Um...I'm pretty new to this cooking thing. I manage to burn everything, even if I stay in the kitchen the whole time. I love chili, but I don't know how to make it. I've never seen anyone make chili. It must be difficult because it tastes so good. So, when can I come over to learn how to make chili?"). It worked. My boyfriend makes a delicious vegetarian chili. I'm fa...

Oatmeal with Banana, Peanut Butter, and Chocolate Ingredients 1/2 cup oatmeal 1 cup water 1 banana 1 small handful of chocolate chips (or 1 serving) 1 spoonful of chunky peanut butter 1. Boil the water (I microwave it on high for 2 minutes) and mix it with the oatmeal. 2. Slice the banana on top. 3. Add the chocolate chips. 4. Stir in the spoonful of peanut butter. I do this while it is all hot, and it turns into a gooey mess of an oatmeal dish. I've had this before long runs and before long work days. Sometimes I start thinking about my sugar and fat intake, and I just have plan oatmeal...but that's no fun for a blog post.

Egg White, Spinach, and Feta Cheese Sandwich Recipe Ingredients : 1 English muffin, cut in half 3 TBS egg whites 2 tsp basil pesto small handful of spinach, torn into smaller pieces 1 TBS sundried tomatoes 1 TBS feta cheese 1. Put the egg whites, spinach, sundried tomatoes, and feta cheese in a bowl. Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes, until egg whites are done. 2. Meanwhile, put the English muffin in the toaster until you get the toast you like (I prefer medium to well-toasted). Spread the basil pesto on one side of the English muffin 3. Place the egg mixture on top of the muffin mixture. Combine halves to make a breakfast sandwich! I know this isn't very complicated, but I hope I gave some of you ideas! I love making this sandwich for fast fuel. I get a mix of protein (egg whites), fat (cheese and oil from sundried tomatoes), and carbs (vegetables, bread). You can leave this off bread or use a wrap instead. What inspired this? Starbucks has a delicious Spinach a...

Banana Nut Blueberry Bread Recipe Ingredients: 4 bananas 4 eggs 4 tsp butter (melted) 1/2 cup peanut butter (or almond butter) 1/2 cup blueberries 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 1 TBS ground cinnamon 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder pinch of salt 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (F -32 * 5/9 = 177 degrees Celsius) 2. Mix bananas, eggs, butter, and peanut butter until well blended. (I am lazy and used Rob's Blendtec.) 3. Add the rest of the ingredients (except blueberries) and blend well. 4. Finally, stir in the blueberries (or chocolate or walnuts or whatever you want with your banana bread). 5. Grease a glass pan (mine was 9"x9" or so) and pour the mixture evenly throughout. 6. Heat it in the oven for about 35 minutes (that worked for me, you may need more if you use a metal pan or less time if you use a cupcake/muffin pan). 7. Remove and let cool before eating (okay, confession time: I cut a slice immediately and enjoyed while I was keepi...