Dinners : Just Good Food...

Whew! This week has been a bit rocky. Changes are coming up that I have faith will work out for the best, but it still causes some amount of freak out in my heart. Anyone else like that? Why do we do it? Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Any-who... here is what my menu looks like this week. I can't remember what we had Monday - probably some sort of un planned clean out the freezer/ what's in the pantry / what is on the brink of going bad and needs to be eaten type dinner. LOL!

TUES- Seared fish & scallop tacos

• We love the Wildtree Taco mix. I tossed big slabs of halibut in grape seed oil and coated the fish and bay scallops in the taco seasoning then pan seared them in our cast iron skillets. 
• Made a quick slaw with a bagged cabbage slaw and a dressing from yogurt, cumin, salt, and lime juice to taste.
• We added cotija cheese, fresh salsa, cilantro, and hot sauce for the grown ups.

WED - Crockpot Gyros (I'm using ground beef because that is what I have in the freezer already)

THUR - Italian garlic bread grilled cheese + Tomato soup

• For the soup I combine a carton of Trader Joe's creamy tomato soup + 1 jar Trader Joe's Bruschetta. Blend & heat.

FRI - Buttermilk roast chicken + wedge salad + homemade bread

SAT - Teriyaki Steak + steamed rice + grilled pineapple + Asian salad mix

• We love the Soyvey teriyaki sauces. I marinate the steak in the teriyaki overnight.
• The fresh pineapple will be cut in spears and brushed with Wildtree grape seed oil before grilling. I love how grilling brings out the sweetness.

SUN - Pork chops with lemon basil cream sauce + roasted apples, pears, & sweet potatoes + green salad


If you try any of these, I'd love to hear what you like!
~M

What's For Dinner?

I haven't posted in a REALLY long time. Life has been a giant roller coaster this last year and a half. I'm going to change things up a bit. Every week (well, most weeks....ok, ok...some weeks) we make a menu plan and then from there, the shopping list. We try to have at least 1/2 of the recipes be something new or at least something we haven't had in a while. My husband and I share a Pinterest board where we both pin recipes we would like to try, and ideally each week we sit together after the kids are in bed and make the week's menu. Going forward, I thought I would share what we come up with each week. Maybe it would give you inspiration, or help you find new recipes to try. From time to time I'll also share which were our favorite meals - what we liked, what we tweaked, what we would change, etc.

Let me know what you think. Do you like this idea? Do you have a similar recipe that is your family's favorite? I would love to hear from you! So, without further ado, here is this week's recipes:


MON - chickpea Tika masala + coconut jasmine rice + salad

TUES - Chicken tostadas

WED - Vietnamese pork + rice & pickled carrots & daikon + iceburg lettuce salad

THU - Ellie's choice

FRI - Grilled brined pork + kale & crispy chickpea salad

SAT - Dinner w/friends - bring Asian salad

SUN - Thai bacon burgers + Sweet potato fries 


MON - sous vide crispy chicken thighs + cauliflower purée + salad

This week's menu...

Every weekend my husband and I create a dinner plan or weekly menu. We both love good food and are on a mission to expose our three girls to a variety for ethnic cuisines and flavors. We still make pizza, grilled cheese (aka Gorilla Cheese in our house) and chicken nuggets, but we are trying to limit the amount of processed foods we consume. Thus much of what we make is from scratch or is semi-homemade. We have a shared pin board on Pinterest called Weeknight Dinners that we both post recipes to that we would like to try AND that we think the kids might like. Below is the list we've come up with for this next week. I'm not sure yet which day will be what yet, but check back and I'll share what we thought of the recipes, any changes or substitutions I make, and actual photos of what our meal looked like. I'd love to hear any questions or comments - especially if you try the recipe too!

Chicken enchilada pasta shells

http://www.aspicyperspective.com/enchilada-style-mexican-stuffed-shells/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=aspicyperspective

Crock pot Greek chicken + farro + cucumber tomato salad 

http://www.chef-in-training.com/2013/07/slow-cooker-greek-chicken/

Grilled Hawaiian chicken with coconut cilantro rice

http://bevcooks.com/2011/07/grilled-hawaiian-chicken-with-coconut-cilantro-rice/

Roast chicken leg quarters + wedge salad 

(I make this all the time and honestly can't remember where I got the recipe. I'll write my steps down and share it with you. As well as how I make stock with the bones in the slow cooker afterwards.)

Vietnamese Bun Noodle Salad

http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2014/04/vietnamese-bun-refreshing-noodle-salad-with-vegetables-chicken-herbs-gf-df.html

Shrimp Scami + pasta + green beans

http://www.smokedngrilled.com/easy-healthy-shrimp-scampi/

Summer Corn Chowder!

Tonight I used what we had in the house to make an AMAZING Summer Corn Chowder (if I do say so my self!) The lemon zest, nutmeg, and fresh parsley are key to keeping this fresh tasting and not heavy. Extra fresh pepper and the green onions took it over the top. All of my kiddos gobbled it up too! Gotta love a meal where you are using whole foods, it comes to the table in about 30 minutes, AND everyone likes it!

Ingredients:

• 8 ears fresh sweet yellow corn, husked and silks removed and kernels cut from cob
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 8 slices bacon, cut into 1/4 to 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 medium yellow onion chopped (1 1/2 cups)
• 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 cups water
• 1 lb red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg 
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup heavy cream (or 1/2 and 1/2)
• Zest of 1/2 a lemon
• 1/4 cup minced flat leaf parsley
• 4 sliced green onions

Directions:

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until onion has softened and just starting to brown around edges, about 8 - 10 minutes. Add in the flour and garlic and cook 1 1/2 minutes. While whisking, slowly pour in 5 cups water. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, then stir in corn kernels and potatoes. Add in bay leaf, & nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a light boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley, lemon zest, and cream. Sprinkle each serving with green onions. 

For the love of Pesto!

Pesto is one of throes things that for me is more of a method then a list of ingredients for a recipe.  It's all in how you like it to taste... Serving it to kiddos? Maybe a little less garlic, or try blanching the garlic to remove some of the harshness. Don't have pine nuts? Try another nut or seed. No basil? Any herb or green will do, or even a combination. No parmasean? Use another dry hard cheese, or leave it out completely.

Last week I was searching for something to serve over pasta to go along with some basic grilled chicken. In looking at what I had on hand, I decided to make a spinach pesto. It ended up too garlicky and spicy for my kiddos, but my hubs and I really enjoyed it. I spread a bit of the leftovers on 9 grain toast a few days later and it was pure heaven!

Spinach Pesto:

Ingredients

2 big fistfuls of fresh baby spinach

5+ fat cloves garlic

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/4 cup roasted salted pepitas

1/4 cup canola oil

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (I use a very fruity California EVOO so a Tbsp is the perfect amount)

Directions

Wiz everything in a food processor or blender. You may need more liquids. If so, drizzle another tablespoon or so of oil or you could use water. Blend until you have the consistency you like. 

Toss it with fresh cooked pasta for a tasty side. Slather it on toast and serve with a hard boiled or poached egg. Smother a brick of cream cheese & serve with crackers for a fresh & easy appetizer. 

Marmalade Pancakes

Citrus is in season right now. And I LOVE citrus! Last week I picked up beautiful pink fleshed Cara Cara oranges & satsuma cuties from which I made orange sugar. Simply add the zest of an orange to a couple of cups of sugar. Stir to make sure the zest is spread throughout. Store in an air tight container (I use a canning jar.) well. This morning I noticed we had one Cara Cara left and I decided to make pancakes! This is the same square pancake recipe I've shared before, but with an orange twist and an orange syrup to go along. The girls and I gobbled it up! Seriously tasty! 

INGREDIENTS:

(Pancake)

2 cups AP flour

2 1/2 Tbsp. Sugar (I used orange sugar)

2 tsp baking powder (heaping)

1 tsp baking soda (heaping)

1/2 tsp salt (level)

Zest of 1/2 an orange

2 eggs

2 cups milk

1 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar

2 tsp orange extract 

(Marmalade Syrup)

1/2 cup sugar (again I used 

Juice & remaining zest of 1 orange + 2 satsumas

Nonstick cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:

1). Preheat oven to 350*

2). Spray 9 x 13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

3.) Add apple cider vinegar to the milk & let sit while you measure the dry ingredients into a large bowl. 4.) Combine wet & dry ingredients & mix until just combined. Do not over mix. 

5.) Spread evenly in prepared pan & bake for 25 - 35 minutes.

6.) Mean while, combine the syrup ingredient in a small sauce pan & heat over low heat until it bubbles rapidly. Set aside until ready to serve.

7.) Allow pancakes to cool in the pan for 5 - 10 minutes, then slice or use cookie cutters to make shapes. Drizzle with marmalade syrup & Enjoy!

Lollipop Sincerity

Just a quick story today. My two year old cracks me up. When I announced that the plan was to go to Trader Joes, she asked if we could get lollipops. I gave her a quizzical look and she said with her sweet little lisp "Mama, lollipops are good for me. I'm not sick anymore. Daddy gave me Tylenol." And she was most sincere.

Chocolate Chip Square Pancakes

I love pancakes but I don't love standing over the stove flipping them while everyone else gets to eat! Well one night I found the solution while perusing Pinterest. Square pan-cakes! Pancake batter BAKED in a 9 x 13 pan! Genius! And so the next morning I tried the recipe. While the concept was good, the flavor was not pancakey enough. So after trying and tweaking several recipes, I finally landed on one that works. If you have a favorite pancake mix, by all means, use that and bake it up! But if you don't, below is mine.

This morning - after days and days of people in our house being sick - it seemed a little sunshine was in order and chocolate chip pancakes fit the bill! I use this same basic recipe and method to also make lemon berry or cinnamon swirl pancakes. You could be extra fancy and cut shapes out with large cookie cutters once baked, but Thats a little more than I want yo do most mornings. 

And now, instead of flipping pancakes, the oven bakes them while I sit with my coffee & my children play. It's glorious. 

Chocolate Chip Square Pancakes

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups AP flour

2 Tbsp. Sugar

2 tsp baking powder (heaping)

1 tsp baking soda (heaping)

1/2 tsp salt (level)

2 eggs

1 cup plain yogurt

1 cup milk

2 tsp vanilla extract 

1/4 cup oil 

1/2 cup chocolate chips 

Nonstick cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:

1). Preheat oven to 350*

2). Spray 9 x 13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

3). Mix batter & spread evenly in prepared pan.

4). Evenly distribute chocolate chips over batter.

5). Bake for 25 -35 minutes.

ALTERNATES: another of our favorites is to sub lemon extract for the vanilla and frozen or fresh berries for the chocolate chips. For a cinnamon swirl, use vanilla extra in the batter, and melt 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, & 2 Tbsp cinnamon in a small sauce pan over medium heat, until combined and the sugar is melted. Do not boil. Then drizzle by spoonfuls over the batter and bake. 

Apple Cinnamon Dutch Baby Pancake

I've been a little MIA from posting lately. With summer travel and then my oldest starting kindergarten, life has just flown by! This morning my oldest had no school due to "Staff Development." I decided to make a special breakfast, apple cinnamon Dutch baby pancake - also known as German pancakes.

The recipe below is for a 9 by 13 casserole dish. You can easily cut the recipe in 1/2 and make it in a 10 inch cast iron skillet which is more traditional. My family of 5 always wants more and so the cast iron skillet just doesn't cut it for us. LOL! I've also made these with frozen blue berries and you could probably use any fruit your family enjoys.

INGREDIENTS:

2 apples

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

1 Tablespoon granulated sugar

3 Tablespoon butter

4 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

confectioners' sugar for dusting

lemon wedges 

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Place a 9 x 13 casserole dish inside oven and preheat oven to 475 degrees F.

2.  Peel and core apples. Then cut into 8 wedges each. Slices wedges into 1/4 inches pieces. Add apples, 1 Tablespoon butter, cinnamon, and granulated sugar to a small sauce pan and cook over medium heat until apples begin yo soften - about 5-7 minutes.

3.  Add eggs, milk, flour, nutmeg and salt to your blender. Blend until incorporated, scraping sides as needed.

4. Remove casserole dish from oven and reduce oven heat to 425 degrees F. Melt remaining 2 Tablespoons butter in the hot casserole dish so that inside of dish is completely coated with butter. Pour all the batter in the skillet, sprinkle apples on top, and return dish to oven.

5.  Bake until puffed and lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Remove promptly. Slice and serve with a generous dusting of powdered sugar and a squeeze of lemon.

Lunch with my ladies!

We don't just like pizza, we LUV pizza. My oldest says the pizza we make at home is "Dangerous pizza! Because it tastes so good you want to eat it all!" So today my lunch with my little ladies was all their favorite toppings on a quesadilla! I know, not a new concept, but it was just so tasty I had to share. One of my secrets is to use tomato paste so it doesn't get soggy and instead of Italian seasonings, we use Dilly Herb blend so it tastes like the cheesy breadsticks from our favorite pizza delivery. I like things a little spicier so I add a bit of crushed red pepper to mine. Super yum!

And we really like the thick slices of the Open Nature uncured salami. Lots of flavor but not too spicy for the girls.

Somewhat homemade muffins!

I made up some amazing and easy muffins today. They would be even more amazing with some cream cheese frosting! They are kind of a cross between carrot cake and banana bread. 

1 box spice cake mix

1/2 cup coconut oil - melted

2 eggs

2 very ripe mashed bananas

3 medium carrots finely shredded

1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut

1/2 cup chopped raw pecans

DIRECTIONS:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Line muffin tins with foil cup liners. (Makes 18).

3) In a large bowl, stir all ingredients together just until combined and the evenly distributed. Don't over mix or they will be come tough.

4) Divide evenly into the 18 muffin cups. I like to use a large cookie scoop.

5) Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy plain, or like I said, top with cream cheese frosting. So very yummy!

Jars Of Clay

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. 

(2 Corinthians 4:7 NLT)

I love the image of us as cracked and flawed, but God's amazing glory brilliantly, blindingly shining through those cracks... IF we let Him... and don't try to cover up our brokenness, if we don't try to hide our flaws.

We have flaws and cracks from heavy blows in life. God wants to shine in the midst of them - to use & redeem them for His glory. But Satan tries to shift our focus from God's working in us, to the jagged ugliness. He heaps on the shame so when we listen to him instead of God, we try to cover up our flaws, we see them as insecurities to hide from the world instead of places being healed by God. We buy into the lie that we need to be perfect right now! Instead of embracing and seeing beauty in the process of God perfecting us with HIS light, His glory.

Lord, help me to see as you see. Help me to tune out the lies. Use my broken places to shine your glory. 

Treats with the Bigs

Today for a fun treat I made individual coconut crispy treats with my two big girls (ages 4 & 5) in the microwave! Super easy, super tasty, & super quick! They helped with counting marshmallows, scooping "butter," measuring & stirring in the crispy rice and coconut. We used my silicone egg poaching cups to mold them into mounds of yummy goodness.

INGREDIENTS:

(For each generous portion)

4 marshmallows

1 tsp butter (we used Earth Ballance)

1/2 cup crisp rice cereal

Optional: 1 Tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut

DIRECTIONS:

1) Melt marshmallows and butter in a microwave safe bowl on high for 45 seconds.

2) Stir in crisp rice cereal and coconut if using, until everything is evenly coated.

3) Shape and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes. 

The girls LOVED them and declared it an excellent activity. The great news is that this was easy, child friendly, and did not use the stove! And I'm not faced with the temptation of a whole pan of crispy treats calling out to me everytime I go into the kitchen. The not so good news is that I now know I can have fresh made crispy treats any time I want. I guess I'll have to get better at restraint. Ha!

Beauty Experiments!

Ive been reading a lot about the miricals of activated charcoal. From teeth whitening to food poisoning - this magic black powder works by attracting pollutants, holding onto them like a super strong magnet and then taking the nasties with it when you rinse or flush it all away. That is what it is used in water filters, and in hospitals for accidental overdose or poison ingestion.

I decided last night to give it a try as a facial mask. Time to pull the nasties from my pores! I started by steaming my face over the sink to open up everything. I opened up two activated charcoal capsules and dumped them into a bowl of 1 teaspoon Bragg's apple cider vinegar. Next I slathered the thin black mixture all over my face, avoiding the eye area of course. Waited about 3-4 minutes - you DO NOT want it to dry out complete. Then rinsed with really warm water and a wash cloth. Followed it up with a few drops of my favorite moisturizer - mixture of extra virgin olive oil, vitamin E, lavender & mint essential oils.

This morning my face feels so soft and and seems to almost glow. I'll definitely do this one again! Do you have a favorite DIY facial? I'd love to hear about it!

Greek Pizza Quesadilla

Today I had a lunch time epiphany! Pizza Quesadillas!! Why have I never thought of this? So simple & yummy, and it caters to individual tastes without a lot of extra work! Yes! Both kid and mama friendly!

I think the key is to use tomato paste instead of sauce. It helps bind it all together without the quesadilla getting soggy. For the kiddos today I made simple cheese & herbs. If we had pepperoni, salami, or ham, I would have added that and some julienned fresh spinach to hide some veg in there. For myself however, I make a Greek inspired pizza quesadilla.  

INGREDIENTS:

2 Flour tortillas

1 tsp tomato paste

3 Tbsp shredded mozzarella cheese

1 Tbsp shedded parmesan

6 artichoke quarters (I used frozen, thawed them, and cut each quarter in 1/2)

6 kalamata olives, quartered

Crushed red pepper to taste

Olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1) Spread a thin layer of tomato paste on one of the tortillas. 

2) Top with mozzarella, artichokes, & olives. Then sprinkle the Parmesan & crushed red pepper. Top with 2nd tortilla.

3) Heat a pan over medium heat, drizzle about 1/2 a tablespoon of olive oil into the pan. Once the oil is shimmering, place the quesadilla in the pan and heat until bottom tortilla has crispy golden brown patches, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook the 2nd side for another 3-4 minutes.

4) Serve and enjoy!

Dutch Babies!

One or more of the girls have been sick with a head cold in the last two weeks. It finally caught me and the last few days have been miserable. Last night was the first decent sleep I've had in about 4 night. So today with some newly found energy, I decided to make a yummy breakfast treat! Dutch babies! Apple cinnamon Dutch babies to be exact. And while I was at it, why not make an apple syrup to go with?! It came out so good, and while it has a lot of steps it really didn't take that long and it was SOOO worth it! My littlest declared it "Dwishes Mama!" Don't you just love toddler speak? Anyhow, here is a drool worth picture and the step by steps. Please try it and let me know what you think.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Meyer lemon

3/4 cup sugar

1 Tbsp cinnamon 

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 large apple

3 eggs

1/2 cup half and half

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup AP flour

4 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup apple juice.

DIRECTIONS:

1) Preheat oven to 425*

2) Into a small sauce pan add the zest from the lemon, juice from 1/2 the lemon, 1/4 cup of the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Set asside.

3) Peal and core the apple (I used Fuji). Cut it into quarters, then each quarter into 3 wedges for a total of 12 wedges. Then chop each wedge into 1/4 pieces. Add the chopped apples to the sauce pan, tossing to coat. Place over medium low heat and let simmer, stirring occasionally.

4) Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and set aside. Add remaining 2 tablespoons to a large 10 or 12 inch cast iron skillet (or any frying pan that can be used in the oven), and place in the oven to melt the butter and preheat the skillet.

5) This is a good time to check on the apples and stir them. Next, beat the eggs, half and half, and almond extract in a large bowl. Add the flour and whisk until thoroughly combined. I like to use an immersion blender but a whisk will work just fine. Lastly add the melted butter and whisk or blend forming the pancake batter. Set aside.

6) Drain apples, returning liquid to the pan. Set aside.

7) Remove cast iron skillet from the oven. Tilt to coat with the melted butter. Add the pancake batter into the skillet. Sprinkle apples on top. Return the skillet to the oven and bake until a medium brown and puffed up (10-12 minutes). Turn off the heat and let the pancake sit in the cooling oven for an additional 10 minutes. Pancake will puff up during cooking and deflate while it cools.

8) While the pancake is cooking, finish the apple syrup. Add the 1/2 cup apple juice and remaining 1/2 a cup sugar to the the liquid from the cooked apples. Squeeze the remaining 1/2 a lemon into the mixture & heat over medium low heat, stirring occasionally. The syrup will be ready when the pancake is ready.

9) Slice the pancake, drizzle with the apple syrup, and enjoy!

M is for Muffin!

This week our preschool theme was the letter M. We talked about manatees, milk, mailboxes, motorcycles, mermaids, magnolia trees, mice, & monsters (they are our friends after all!) And we made various crafts, worked on using scissors, adding & counting monster eyeballs, and memorized the bible verse: My soul rests in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. Psalm 62:1

On Fridays I like to do a kitchen project with them. So today we made snicker doodle muffins. Oh my they are good!

Here's the recipe we used: 

INGREDIENTS:

1 stick butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup AP flour + 1Tbsp

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup non fat plain yogurt

For the Topping:

1/2 cup sugar

4 tsp cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1) Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Put 12 liners in your muffin tin

2) In a small bowl, mix the topping: sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

3) In the bowl of a heavy duty mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add in the egg and vanilla until combined. Add the yogurt and mix until combined.

4) Add in the dry ingredients in 2 batches. Mix, scraping sides of the bowl as needed until a smooth batter is achieved. 

5) Using a large cookie dough scoop, drop a scoop of batter into the bowl with the cinnamon sugar topping. Gently roll the batter in the mixture. Place the ball into the muffin liner. Repeat until all liners are full. 

6) Sprinkle any leftover cinnamon sugar mix on top of the muffins.

7) Bake the muffins for about 15 to 20 minutes or until they pass the toothpick test.

They came out super tasty! Soft and fluffy on the inside, tangy from the yogurt, and lovely little cinnamon sugar crunchies clinging to the whole muffin. The littlest in our family loved these muffins & kept asking for more - she even attempted to steal mine. My oldest licked the wrapper & wanted to know if she could eat it too. They are THAT good. I hope you will try them and let me know what you think. 

Beer!

For his birthday my husband was given one of those boxes with all different kinds of beers. Through the adventure of trying the various small batch craft brews, I discovered one I really enjoyed. I'm not usually a big fan of dark beers. This one is called a "Brunette Beer" and comes from The Original Firemans Brew company out of Ukiah, CA. I decided to try using it to make a beer bread, and oh my goodness did it turn out great! 

Now, I love me a good quick bread recipe, but many are overly sweet. I combined a few recipes and reduced the amount of sweetener to come up with the recipe below. This bread is hearty and has just the right amount of barely there sweetness. It would be PERFECT served warm & slathered with butter along side a stew or cream soup.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups AP flour

3/4 cup old fashioned oats - ground up in a food processor 

1 Tbsp flax meal

2 Tbsp quick grits (corn meal would make a good subsitute)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup honey

12 ounces of your favorite amber or dark beer

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

DIRECTIONS

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray or butter. Set aside.

2) In a large bowl, whisk together flour, oats, flax meal, grits, baking powder and salt. 

3) Add in the honey and beer and mix until just combined. 

4) Spread the batter in the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula. Evenly pour the melted butter over the top of the batter. DO NOT skip this step. This is crucial to both the flavor and crunchy crust of this bread. Reduce the fat somewhere else! I mean it!

5) Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test and the top is golden brown. 

6) Transfer immediately to a cooling rack. Allow to sit for at least 20 minutes and then slice & enjoy!

Easy peasy tortilla soup

Wow! Time sure does fly! It's hard for me to believe it has been 2 months since my last post! CRAZY! 

With the beginning of a new year, most of us are looking for ways to eat healthier. My easy peasy tortilla soup has been a great way for us to get in more veggies and eat something that feels like comfort food.

INGREDIENTS:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

6 cups low sodium chicken or veggie stock

1 Tbsp ground cumin

1 Tbsp dried oregano

2 cloves minced fresh garlic

1 tsp Mrs Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning

2 carrots pealed and sliced into thin coins

1 15oz can no salt added petite diced tomatoes, drained

4 corn tortillas chopped into 1 inch strips

GARNISH OPTIONS

chopped bell pepper

diced avocado

sliced jalapeño

cilantro 

crushed tortilla chips

shredded Mexican cheese

hot sauce 

DIRECTIONS

1) Place chicken, stock, & spices into a large stock pot and simmer until chicken is cooked through.

2) Remove chicken, chop into bite sized pieces, and set asside.

3) Add carrots, tomatoes, and tortillas and continue to simmer for 15 - 20 minutes.

4) Meanwhile, chop and prepare the garnishes you are choosing to use. We like all of them! I usually put everything in desperate bowls on a lazy Susan so that everyone can add their own favorites.

5) Just before serving, add the chopped chicken back to the pot, and allow to simmer for 5 minutes- just until heated through. 

6) Ladle into soup bowls, top with your favorite garnishes & enjoy!

Not Your Mama's Peppers!

I have never been a fan of stuffed bell peppers. First off green bell peppers don't like me & are completely out of the question - I avoid them like my life depends on it. Red, yellow or orange bells are ok, but I'm SUPER picky about them. Basically my experience with stuffed bells has been slimy exteriors and bland (or worse, over-salted) mushy interiors. All topped by flavorless, sometimes burnt tomato sauce. No thanks! 

Well, recently my husband and I have been trying to do weekly meal planning every Friday night. It helps to make sure we buy only what we need, and has made the dinner hour less stressful since there is no frazzled effort to figure out what to make with 3 little girls tugging at you. We have been eating way more fruits and veggies this way too. Anyhow, this week my husband suggested stuffed peppers during our menu planning discussion. He has some fond memories associated with them since his mom used to make them (the traditional way- he didn't think they were gross). Instead of running away in terror, I suggested we try them with a more modern twist. We dreamed up this recipe and I can now say I LOVE stuffed peppers. Well, MY stuffed peppers anyway! Hubby likes them too! 

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup uncooked organic quinoa 

2 cups chicken stock

5 mild Italian sausages, casings removed

1 jar Trader Joe's bruschetta sauce

1 cup fresh spinach, finely chopped

zest of 1 lemon

4 orange bell peppers

canola oil

Garnish: shredded hard cheese like Romano or Parmesan. (Hubby & I both agree that a slice of provolone or shredded mozzarella would be a tasty subsitute)

DIRECTIONS:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

2) Rinse 1 cup quinoa in running water for several minutes. Then add to a sauce pan with 2 cups of stock. Cook according to package directions.

3) Meanwhile, in a large skillet, crumble and brown the sausage. Turn off the heat. Drain any grease. Strain and rinse the cooked sausage quickly under warm water to remove excess grease. Return to the pan, but do not turn on the heat.

4) Add cooked quinoa, chopped spinach, bruschetta sauce, and lemon zest to the skillet with the sausage. Stir to combine.

5) Cut bell peppers in 1/2, stem to bottom. Remove all seeds and ribs.

6) Generously oil a 9 x 13 baking pan. Place peppers cut side up. Par-bake in the oven for 20 minutes. (That's right - no filling yet!)

7) Remove peppers from the oven. Generously fill peppers with the sausage filling and top with shredded cheese. Return to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes more, or until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Served with a salad and a piece of crusty bread for a super tasty dinner!