Tomato Basil Pasta

I have been craving a “tomato-basil” anything lately. There is something so refreshing and wonderful about these two flavors together. I didn’t go out looking for a recipe like a usually do because I wanted to get creative with the food I already had in my house. I wish I would have had some fresh basil, but all I had was dried. This dish would be delicious with some fresh basil leaves as well!

I threw together this dish and while the sauce didn’t turn out exactly like I thought it would, I am still really happy with the final outcome. This dish is light, refreshing and perfect for a summer’s evening!

Tomato-Basil Pasta

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved (or quartered, depending on the size of your tomatoes)

½ onion, chopped and sautéed

3 chicken sausages, sliced (Italian sausage would be great as well)

1 Tbps + extra for sprinkling dried basil (a handful of fresh basil leaves would be divine as well)

1 package gluten-free spiral noodles (we get ours at Trader Joes)

Goat cheese (optional)

Dressing:

¾ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tbps (or to taste) minced garlic

1 tsp white vinegar

1 Tbps dried Basil

5-10 cashews

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp organic sugar

¼ cup water

I started by making the dressing. Add all ingredients to a blendtec or food processor. Blend until creamy and completely smooth. Set dressing aside.

Prepare noodles according to package. While noodles are cooking, cook your sausage until slightly browned. Saute your onions as well. Once noodles are cooked and drained, combine sausage, onions, tomatoes, basil and top with the dressing. Mix until well combined. Top with some shredded goat sheep and combine. Serve on plate and top serving with a sprinkle of additional basil. 

Tuna-Stuffed Tomatoes

Wow, it’s been almost 3 months since my last blog. I wish I could say that I had some awesome reason for my hiatus or that something exciting was going on in our lives, but… I don’t. I simply had been feeling unmotivated to blog.

I can’t pinpoint why I was feeling this way or what sparked me to start blogging again, but I’m back. I think I was pressuring myself to post something EVERY DAY, and if I didn’t, I was some kind of failure, when really I started this blog as a way to keep track of recipes I liked and a virtual diary of sorts.

I have a bunch of new recipes and ideas to share and I am excited to get them on the blog again!

While this first blog isn’t really a recipe, I thought the idea was so fun and clever I had to share.

Tuna-Stuffed Tomatoes

These cute little treats are so much fun to serve for dinner or would make a great addition to any potluck. We use mustard in our tuna, hence the yellowish color in the pictures!

Ingredients:

2 cans of Tuna (drained)

1 pickle, diced

Quarter of an onion, diced

Mayo (or mustard) to your liking

2 tsp minced garlic

3 beefsteak tomatoes, hollowed out.

Basil for sprinkling

Mix up your tuna to your liking in a bow. Hollow out the tomatoes, just as you would a pumpkin. Stuff the tomatoes with the tuna and top with a sprinkle of basil.

Serve with some organic tortilla chips for a wonderful appetizer or dinner! 

Chicken Con Cipolle e Formaggio

I have a plethora of chicken breasts at my house right now, about 40 lbs to be exact.So expect a lot of chicken recipes in the next few weeks.

I knew I wanted to try a new recipe, as my husband easily tires of chicken, and to get him to love any chicken dish, it has to be new, and something we don’t eat very often!

Thus came along Chicken con Cipolle e Formaggio, which is really just Chicken with Onions and Cheese, but it sounds so fancy :) 

Not to brag, but oh wow! This dish came out even better than I could have imagined. It was so moist and flavorful!

Chicken con Cipolle e Formaggio:

3-4 Chicken Breasts

1 medium onion, sliced

8 slices of goat cheese

Italian dressing of choice to marinate Chicken in

Coconut Oil to grease your baking dish and for Onions

Salt

Marinate your Chicken breasts in Italian dressing of your choice up to 24 hours.

Preheat your oven to 375.

Lightly grease a baking dish, add your marinated chicken breasts to the dish and cook for 25 minutes.

While your chicken breasts are cooking, add some coconut oil to a saute pan and heat over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add your sliced onion. While they are cooking, sprinkle with salt (this makes them sweet, not sugar surprisingly) Let them cook until they are slightly browned and very limp.

When the 25 minutes is up, take your chicken out of the oven, top each breast with 2 slices of goat cheese (or more or less), and then a large pile of onions. Put back into the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

I wanted my onions and cheese to brown slightly, so for the last five minutes I turned my oven to broil.

Quinoa Summer Salad

My dear friend, Jenny, emailed me a version of this recipe a few weeks ago. Her co-worker brought this salad to a work potluck, and Jenny thought of us, since it was gluten free and delicious!

After being on vacation (a post on our wonderful trip to Florida is coming soon) and just a crazy month of May, I finally got around to making this dish last night. It was a huge hit! My husband even said “Ang, I think I have a new favorite!” I love that he is so easy to please!

I adapted the original recipe a bit to add more protein and make it a dinner dish. My adapted recipe is below.

Quinoa Summer Salad

3 cups Quinoa

¼ Cup Olive Oil

1 bag (2 cups) frozen corn

2 Chicken Sausages

1 pint (about 10-12) grape cherry tomatoes, halved

½ cup cilantro

½ Onion finely chopped

¾ jar of creamy balsamic dressing (or dressing of your choice)

½ lime squeezed

3-4 sun dried tomatoes, diced

1 Avocado, chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook the Quinoa according to package directions. Once the quinoa is cooked and has cooled, add olive oil and fluff. Salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer to a large serving dish/bowl.

While the Quinoa is cooking, defrost corn and cook the sausage until heated all the way through. Chop the sausages into bite sites pieces.

Cut up the tomatoes, onion and cilantro and avocado.

Add the corn, onion, sausage, cilantro, grape tomatoes, and dried tomatoes to the Quinoa mixture. Squeeze your lime and add your dressing to the dish and mix until well incorporated. Top the dish with the avocado and serve.

 

 

I'm sharing this on Pennywise Platter Thursdays,  Full Plate Thursdays, and It's a keeper Thursdays

Coconut-Breaded Halibut

When I first started buying organic food in bulk, I might have gone a little crazy. I may have an entire cupboard full of 5 lbs bags of flour, baking ingredients and such, just maybe!

One thing that I bought in bulk (and look back and have NO idea why) was shredded coconut. Now, many of you are thinking that there is a lot you could do with 5 lbs of coconut, and I’m sure you are right, but me? I don't like shredded coconut! I never have, I probably never will! I don’t like the taste, I don’t like the texture and I avoid foods with shredded coconut on/in them.(This leads me back to the point “why do I have 5 lbs sitting in my house?!?)

Well, in an effort not to waste the coconut, I decided to try this recipe for Coconut-breaded Halibut. Let me bring up another point… I do not like seafood very much. In fact, I didn’t have my first voluntary bite of fish until I was dating my husband. Now, I can eat shrimp and tilapia and that’s about it! I am slowly working my way toward different varieties, but it is a slow transition.

All of that to say, I have no idea why I thought I would LOVE this recipe. It includes two ingredients that even on a good day, I don’t like! Needless to say, this is not my favorite recipe, however my husband really liked it and I’m sure if you are not afraid of coconut and like fish, this would be a great dish!

Coconut-breaded Halibut (or Cod or Tilapia)

1 cup shredded coconut, finely chopped

2 tablespoons coconut flour

1 tablespoon Cajon seasoning

4 (4 ounce) Halibut fillets or similar white fish

1/2 cup cornstarch

3 Egg whites

Preheat oven to 350

Toss together the coconut, flour and Creole seasoning in a bowl. In a separate bowl, toss the fish with the cornstarch, and shake off the excess. Pour the egg whites into a separate bowl, and dip the fillets in the egg. Next, press fillets in the coconut mixture coating all sides. 

Place fillets into a lightly greased baking dish. Bake the fish for 10-12 minutes, or until the coconut is browned, and the fish is flakey. 

Viola! 

Im sharing this on:

Real Food Wednesdays

What's Cookin Wenesdays

Pennywise Platter

Real Food Weekly

Full Plate Thursdays

Its a keeper Thursdays

Homemade Chili

Seattle has had a late launch on Spring/Summer weather this year. This being the case, we are still drudging through rain, clouds and cold weather. I think I can handle this weather through the end of March, and that’s it. Once April rolls around I expect some sunshine (even if it is mixed in with rain showers) and some warmer weather!!

This weekend, we had the wonderful pleasure of going to a Mariner’s baseball game! While the roof was closed on the stadium (so we weren’t soaked) it was still chilly and I needed something warm and hearty to heat me up.

This recipe is so simple, its delicious and it makes a TON of chili. We usually have enough to last us through a few meals, and then an entire zip lock bag full for the freezer!

Crockpot Chili:

1 lb. ground turkey, grass fed beef
1 29 oz. can tomato sauce plus 1 -15 oz can of tomato sauce
1 29 oz can. large can of diced tomatoes
2 Tbls Minced Garlic
1 large onion, chopped
1 pepper, chopped
3 Tbls. taco seasoning mix
4 cups cooked beans (I used Kidney and black, but any kind will work!)
1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup rapadura or natural sweetener
1-2 tsp. oregano
3/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp salt
3 tsp cumin
1-8-1/4 cup chili powder, as desired.

In a large sauté pan, cook meat, onions, and peppers until browned. Add minced garlic and cook for about one minute.

Place in your crockpot with remaining ingredients and allow to cook over low heat for 5-6 hours, or high heat for 2-3 hours.

After having this for dinner last night and lunch today, here is the amount of soup we have left over:

We use the leftovers for baked potato bar (nothing like a chili baked potato) or chili hotdogs, or for another meal!

Cajun Casserole

 

I don’t know how I’ve had a blog this long without posting this recipe! I have been making this casserole (as least some version of it) for years! It is packed with protein, it’s quick and it’s good!  

(And yes, those are brussel sprouts in my picture. That recipe coming soon – I’m just like you, thought I HATED them, but oh man, these were fantastic!)

I call this Cajun Casserole because I used Cajun spices to season it. You could easily change the spices to better reflect what your family likes. You could make this more Italian, or Mexican if you prefer!

Cajun Casserole:

½ -1 lbs Ground Turkey or Beef (grass fed if using beef)

½ large onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

2 Cups cooked quinoa (or brown rice)

1 can organic diced tomatoes

15 oz (1 can) cooked organic kidney beans (or black beans)

1 Tbps minced garlic

2 Tbps Cajun seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400

In a large skillet or pan, cook your ground turkey (or beef) until brown and cooked all the way through. Season with Salt and Pepper to taste. Remove meat from skillet and set aside.

Add a bit of oil (may not need to if you have grease left over in your pan) to your skillet/pan and add onions and pepper. Saute until soft – about 5-7 minutes. Add Garlic about one minute before your veggies are done.

Once your veggies are done cooking, add tomatoes, beans and meat into skillet/pan. combine well. Add 1 Tbps of Cajun seasoning. Let cook for 1 minute.

Add in Quinoa (or rice) and stir until well combined.

Transfer contents into a large baking dish. Top with remaining 1 Tbps of Cajun seasons. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until flavors combine. 

I'm sharing this on Pennywise Platter!
and on Full Plate Thursdays!
and Its a Keeper Thursdays!

Simple Taco Salad

Taco Salad is a staple in our household. I put taco salad on our menu at least once a month. It’s so quick to prepare, it’s healthy, it’s delicious and it’s fun, because YOU get to pick what to put in your salad.

I always prepare the salad like a salad bar. I will cut up lots of different veggies, put out corn, beans, chips, seasoned taco meat, salsa, avocado, different salad dressings, ect and then my hubby and I top our salads however we choose!

There isn’t really a recipe for this salad, as you can choose whatever your family likes, but I will provide a list of ingredients that we typically use for our Taco Salads:

Taco Salad:

Carrots – chopped

Onions – diced/chopped

Peppers – chopped
Olives – chopped

Avocados – chopped or turned into guacamole

Corn

Beans – either refried as a topping or any whole bean (heated would be best probably)

Corn Chips – crunched as a topping

Tomatoes – chopped/diced

Shredded Chicken/beef – Seasoned w/homemade taco seasoning

Ground beef/turkey – Seasoned w/homemade taco seasoning

Cheese/Sour cream – if you can eat dairy

Salsa

Salad Dressing of Choice

Throw together and enjoy!

Mike's Pasta

One night, in a mad scramble to make dinner in a hurry, without having anything planned for dinner, this dish came together and was quickly dubbed “Mike’s Pasta” because he has requested it almost weekly since I first made it!

This one dinner dish is quick, simple and hits the spot at our house every time I make it!

Mike’s Pasta

3 Chicken Sausages, chopped

2 Cups chopped Veggies (any veggies work, we use a frozen veggie blend with carrots, peppers, broccoli, beans, baby corn, onions, mushrooms, ect)

1 pack of elbow noodles (I use brown rice noodles from Trader Joe's)
¾- 1 Cup Italian Dressing (recipe below)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Grated Goat cheese to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

While the water is coming to a boil, sauté veggies and sausage until well cooked (about 10 minutes) in a separate large skillet.

Once the water boils, add your noodles and cook according to directions on package.

Drain your noodles and rinse (if using rice noodles)

Add Sausage and veggies into the noodles and combine well. Top Pasta mixture with Italian dressing. Mix well. Salt and Pepper to taste. Grate Cheese into the mixture, and combine well.

Enjoy!

Note: Because rice noodles get hard when cold, this dish is best served warm. If you are using wheat noodles, this dish may be great served cold as well!

Italian Dressing (to go with above recipe)
(from heavenlyhomemaker.com):

2 T Dry Italian Dressing Mix (recipe below)

¼ Cup Vinegar

2 t. water

½ Cup Olive Oil (or extra-virgin)

Mix well. Enjoy!

Dry Italian Dressing Mix:
1 1/2 t. garlic powder
1 T. onion powder
2 t. oregano
1 T. dried parsley
2 t. sea salt
1 t. pepper
1/4 t. thyme
1/2 t. dried celery flakes

Shake ingredients together and store in a jar!

Papa's Chicken

I plan my meals a month in advance. I find that this is the easiest way for me to stay within our grocery budget, for me to cook healthy nutritious meals and to make sure that we don’t eat out every night. It is so much easier to come home from work after a long day and not have to think about what’s for dinner. I simply look at my chart, and start cooking. I already have all the ingredients and I rarely plan for anything that takes longer than 30-45 minutest to prepare!

Last night, however, was one of those rare nights when I got home, the vegetables had gone bad, the meat wasn’t thawed and I had NO desire to try and be creative and make the dinner work. So I dug through our freezer and fridge to see what we had and this recipe is a result of our existing ingredients. We loved it (my husband did especially – anytime he gets bacon, he’s a happy boy!)

Papa’s Chicken

4 Boneless Free Range Chicken Breasts

8 Slices Nitrate Free Bacon

1.5 Cups Homemade BBQ Sauce, divided

Homemade BBQ Sauce

¾ cup Organic Ketchup

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

1 T Garlic Powder

1 T Onion Powder

1 T Honey

Mix in a small pot and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 350

Rinse and pat dry your chicken breasts. Place Chicken Breasts in a 9x13 lightly greased baking dish. Poor half of your BBQ Sauce over chicken breasts. Place in over and bake for 30 minutes.

While chicken is baking, cook the bacon until crispy. When chicken timer goes off, place 2 slices of bacon on each chicken breast. Top with remaining BBQ Sauce. Bake for 10-15 more minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

Such an easy dinner, and if your husband is anything like mine, it will be a HUGE hit!

I'm sharing this on Real Food Wednesdays, What's Cooking Wednesdays, and Pennywise Platter Thursdays and Real Food Weekly

Easy Pot Roast and Veggies

When I married my husband, I made it a priority to find out what his favorites home cooked meals were so that I could make them on a semi-regular basis or for special occasions for my sweetie. What were they you ask? His mom’s potato salad, steak and Pot Roast.

Steak? No problem! I don’t mean to brag, but I can make a mean steak. Potato salad? A little more intimidating, but because he loves his mom’s specific recipe, all I had to do was get the recipe from her and have her help me with the first batch. Pot Roast? That’s a whole other story. I had never, ever, made a pot roast before we were married. I don’t think I had even eaten a pot roast in 10 years.

Well, in the almost 1 year that we have been married I have successfully made at least 5 pot roasts and have received raved reviews from my hubby every time! I don’t know why I was so intimated by the thought, pot roast is definitely one of the easiest meals to prepare and almost impossible to mess up!

Crockpot Pot Roast w/Veggies

1 Beef Roast (any kind will do, really! I used Chuck Roast last night)

10-15 mini carrots or 3 large carrots, peels and chopped into quarters or fifths

1 large onion, chopped into large chunks
Potatoes – amount to your liking (cubed and skinned, if using Russets)

1 Tablespoon Allspice

1 ½ Tablespoon garlic salt
1 Teaspoon Thyme (or spice of your choice)

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, combine allspice, garlic salt, and Thyme, salt and pepper. Rub the spice mix onto your roast. Save remaining spice mix.

Place your roast in the center of your Crockpot. Place carrots, potatoes, and onions around the roast. Sprinkle the remaining spice mix over top of veggies and pot roast.

Lastly, add the minced garlic over top of the veggies and pot roast.

Cook for 8 hours on low, or 4-6 hours on high. I have found it is juicer and melts in your mouth more if you can cook it for longer on a lower heat than on the higher setting, however either way works!

This meal is great because you have a whole meal done when you get home from work. Through it on the plate and you are good to go!

I'm sharing this on Real Food Wednesdays, What's Cooking Wednesdays, and Pennywise Platter Thursdays

Sweet and Oniony Beef

With Christmas season upon us, I must admit that I have been struggling to keep up with my all homemade meals, grocery shopping and whole food eating. With all the Christmas parties, concerts, weddings, and friends home from out of town, things are a little crazy around our place! So crazy, I forgot to take a picture of this dish! It’s beautiful though with the green peppers, onions, red tomatoes and beef! Very Christmas-y!

This dinner is simple and got rave reviews w/my husband!

Sweet & Oniony Beef

1 lbs. steak of your choice (I used Top Sirloin)

2 Onions, diced

3 Tbs Honey
1 Tbs Garlic, minced
1 Green pepper, sliced

1 Can diced tomatoes, juice drained

2 Tbs arrowroot powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut your steak into ½ in. wide strips. Brown beef in a large skillet with a bit of coconut oil, Season meat w/salt and pepper to taste. When meat is almost done, add onions and sauté until onions are translucent. 

Add the honey, garlic and cover the dish until about half way covered w/water, bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes add pepper and tomato and simmer for 10 more minutes.

Bring to a low boil.  Mix arrowroot powder with cold water (just a little bit, enough so the arrowroot powder mixes in) and add to hot liquid, stirring constantly until thick.

Serve over brown rice or quinoa. 

I'm sharing this on  Real Food Wednesday, Simple lives Thursday, Pennywise platter Thursday and What's coooking Wednesdays!

My “Famous” Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

As I mentioned in my last few posts, my husband and I were on the Carnival Splendor cruise ship last week, the one that was stranded at sea for 4 days! (You can read this post for more information about our experience and for lots of pictures). By the time we were home on Sunday, we were both craving a home-cooked, warm meal.

I decided that Monday night’s dinner would be our all time favorite meal that I make, my “famous” spaghetti and meat sauce! When I first moved out of my parent’s house and out on my own, I knew nothing about cooking, eating healthy or my way around a kitchen. The one thing I did know how to make? Spaghetti. It has been my favorite food since I was about three years old, and over the years I have mastered the meat sauce!

This recipe will forever be my go-to recipe and my favorite food. I hope you try it and enjoy it as much as we do!

My “famous” Spaghetti and Meat sauce:

1 Pack Organic Rice Spaghetti Noodles (I use Trader Joes)

1 lb grass fed ground beef

1 medium onion, diced

1 can organic marinara sauces ( I use Trader Joes)

1 large pepper (any color, I usually use green to add color), diced

½ - 1 can of olives, diced

1 can organic diced tomatoes
1-2 tsp of minced garlic (we like garlic so I lean towards 2)

pinch of turbinado (or other natural sweetener)

salt and pepper to taste

2 tsp Italian seasoning

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and onions to skillet. As the meat is browning, add salt and pepper to taste.

Once the meat is almost all browned, add the peppers to the skillet. keep cooking over medium heat.

Once the meat is browned, fill a separate large pot with water and heat over high until it boils.

While the water is heating up, add the olives, diced tomatoes, and Italian seasoning to the large skillet. Mix the ingredients well. Once mixed, top with the can of marinara sauce, add the pinch of sweetener and lower heat to medium low.

Once the water is boiling in your large pot, cook the noodles according the directions on the box.

Once the noodles are done cooking and you have drained and rinsed them, scoop them onto a plate and top with the meat sauce, which should be well cooked and combined by now.Then.. enjoy :)

I am sharing this on Real Food Wedensdays, What's cooking Wedensdays and Pennywise Platter Thursdays

String Bean Chicken

As I have mentioned, our family is currently on a grain-free diet to work to treat some of the symptoms of Mike’s Lyme Disease. I have really enjoyed the task of finding great tasting, healthy recipes that are dairy-free, gluten free, dairy free, grain free and refined sugar free!

We had this String Bean Chicken the other night and it was hit! It is full of flavor and so pretty to look at! I love all the colors!

String Bean Chicken:

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 tbsp. Coconut Aminos
2 tsp. rice Vinegar
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
2 tsp. tapioca starch
2 tsp. honey
2 tbsp. coconut oil
1 cup onion, peeled, cut in 1/2-in. wedges
2 tbsp. garlic, minced
12 oz. green beans, trimmed, cut in 3-in. pieces
1 cup red bell pepper, large dice
hot cooked  quinoa (for serving)

Slice chicken breasts into 1/4-in. strips; place in medium bowl.

Combine coconut aminos, vinegar, sesame oil, tapioca starch and honey in small bowl; pour over chicken breast; toss to coat. Cover; refrigerate 20 minutes or until ready to cook.

Heat coconut oil in wok (or large nonstick skillet) over high heat until quite hot. Add chicken; cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes or until chicken begins to brown and is cooked through. Remove with slotted spoon to serving dish.

Return wok or skillet to high heat; add onion and garlic. Quickly stir in green beans and bell pepper. Add 1/4 cup water, cover, and cook 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender-crisp.

Return chicken to wok; stir; toss over high heat until well mixed and heated through; about 2 minutes.

Place in serving dish; serve immediately with quinoa!

Im sharing this on Simple Lives Thursday!

Almond Crusted Tilapia

While I am still fighting a serious cold, I decided it was time to start blogging again! Thank you all for your patience as I work to get 100% better.

Being sick and still having a family that needs feeding is always hard. This past week I have been looking for simple, delicious healthy meals that I can quickly make for Mike and I.

I found this recipe and adapted it to fit our families needs. It is very simple, and so good! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Almond Crusted Tilapia

• 3 tablespoon  lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 4  tilapia fillets
• 1/4 cup(s) ground almonds (I ground mine in my food processor until it resembled small breadcrumbs.)
• 2 tablespoon(s) water

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

1. In cup, mix lemon juice, oil, salt, and black pepper.
2. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish. Place tilapia, dark side down, in dish. Drizzle tilapia with lemon mixture; top with almonds, pressing them on.
3. Bake 15 minutes or until tilapia turns opaque.

We served our Tilapia with Green Beans and Quinoa!

I'm sharing this on Tempt my Tummy Tuesday!

Honey Mustard and Lime Chicken

This week, we found out that my husband’s arthritis may have actually stemmed from Lyme Disease, which he would have contracted when he was little from a Deer Tick (I have a post coming soon about Lyme Disease, if you want more information!)

This being the case, his Naturopath has put him on a 6 week long completely grain-free diet. We are so excited to finally have some sort of answer and possible solution for the arthritis, but this meant that I had to go and re-plan my menu for October to cut out any brown rice, corn, yeast, ect. I needed a meal for us last night, and I found this great recipe that I adapted to make it more friendly for our family.

My husband’s response to this meal? “This one has got to go on your blog honey!” So here it is, at Mike’s request!

Honey Mustard and Lime Chicken:adapted from Elanas Pantry

 3 boneless chicken breasts (can have the skin or not!)
½ cup fresh lime juice
¼ cup dijon mustard
3 Tbps Honey
1 Tbps olive oil
1 Tbps chili powder
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp pepper

Combine lime juice, honey, mustard, olive oil, chili, salt and pepper in a food processor Pulse until ingredients are well combined. Or just shake it up really well!

Rinse chicken breasts, pat dry and place in on a plate or baking dish. Pour marinade over chicken, cover and refrigerate for at least for up to 6 hours (our only marinated for about 15 minutes, but longer would be better!)

Heat grill and cook chicken for 5-7 minutes per side until browned and cooked in the center

We had this with Quinoa and a side salad! So easy, and delicious!

My Daily Chicken Salad

I have had many people ask me “What you do put in your salad that you eat everyday for lunch?” If you look at my meal plans for the week, I do eat a salad for lunch almost every day.

I do this because it’s easy and quick. I am lucky enough to work in a place that has a freezer and a microwave for me to be able to make this process even simpler, but if you’re not, you can always bring cooked chicken and eat it cold instead!

I can hear most of you thinking “uuugghhh… how boring! I could not eat a salad everyday!”

But really, eating a salad everyday is the most diverse thing you can do! I put different things on my salad every week. This is a great way to get a diversity of nutrients and to keep your mouth smiling!

What I do to make sure I stick to this, and don’t spend money eating out, is prepare a “Salad Kit” every Sunday night that I bring to work and keep in the fridge throughout the week. This usually takes me 15-20 minutes, and saves me over $ 3.00 a day, $ 15.00 a week, and $ 60.00 A MONTH!

Here is a break down of the cost (These are all guesses, hard to estimate EXACT cost):

	Total Cost	How many Servings?	Cost Per Service
Actual Salad (Organic lettuce from COSCTO):	$3.99	10	$0.40
Frozen Chicken (All natural from Trader Joes	$4.99	10	$0.50
Vegetable Toppings (carrots, tomatoes, onion, cucumber, ect	$2.50	5	$0.50
Protein Topping (seeds, nuts, ect)	$3.99	20	$0.20
Dried Fruit Topping (cranberries, raisins, ect)	$4.99	20	$0.25
Homemade Salad Dressing	$1.49	15	$0.10
Total:			$1.95
Average Eating out cost			$5.00
Total Savings bringing my lunch			$3.05

Here are some examples of things that go in my Salad Kit (I usually pick 1-4 out of each category!):

Salad – I fill a freezer bag size Ziploc w/lettuce, that usually lasts me all week

Veggie Toppings: Carrots, Grape Tomatoes, Pepper, Celery, Onions, Cucumber, or green onions

Protein Toppings – Chicken, Steak, pork, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, cashews, walnuts, peanuts, black beans, chickpeas

Fruit Toppings- Dried Cranberries, Raisins, apples, mandarin oranges, mango, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries

Other Toppings – Cheese, crunched up tortilla chips, wonton strips, Coconut shreds, croutons, grilled onions, Chai Seeds, Flax seeds, popcorn

Dressing (all homemade): Honey Mustard, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Italian, Thousand Island, Lemon Poppy Seed, Creamy Avocado, Creamy Italian,

How in the world could I get bored when there are so many different combinations that I can create?

I encourage you to think about your lunches and your budget. Do you spend $5.00+ a day eating out and filling your body with garbage?

It may be time for you to consider bringing a lunch to work! Look how easy it can be, and how delicious!

I'm sharing this on Tip Day Thursdays

Creamy Beef and Onions

There is something about Beef Stroganoff that brings me back to my childhood. That may be because I have never once made this recipe since I’ve moved out on my own. There are two main reasons for that…one, it sounded complicated, two, it is loaded with sour cream and has flour in it. Both are big no-nos in our house.

I decided to get creative last night and adapt this recipe into a dairy free, gluten free recipe! And I have to say, I am VERY excited! Don’t get me wrong, this did not taste exactly like “real” beef stroganoff, but it was creamy and delicious none the less! Since this doesn’t resemble Beef Stroganoff I decided to rename this dish!

Creamy Beef & Onions

1 ½ lean beef (we used a top round steak)

3 T Coconut Oil

1 Medium Onion, chopped and grilled (grill in 2 tsp of oil, until slightly brown, about 15 min)

1 C cashew cream

1 ½ cup Beef Broth

1 T All purpose GF Flour (Bob’s Redmill)

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Cute the beef across the grain 1-2 inches long and ¼ inch wide (or as close as you get to this!)

In a large skillet melt 2 T Coconut oil over medium high heat. Add beef and reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Allow to cook slowly tossing occasionally, for 15 minutes. Add Onions and cook uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once meat and onions have cooked, set aside meat, mushrooms and juices. In the same pain melt 1 T over medium high heat. Add flour and stir for 1 minute, scraping up brown bits in the pan. Add Cashew cream and stir briefly,  stir in meat juices and beef broth, once combined, add beef  and onions to skillet. Cook until heated through, do not boil.

Serve over swirl noodles or rice.

I’m sharing this on Real Food Wednesdays and What’s Cooking Wednesdays and Pennywise Platter Thursdays!

Enchilada Bake

Okay, I wasn’t planning on posting a recipe today,  I actually have almost a whole post done about the importance of grass fed beef, but that will have to wait!

Every time I make this recipe, both my husband and I get so excited, it’s that good! It’s so good I want to go back for thirds every time (but I don’t, okay... maybe once I did!)

I hope your family enjoys this as much as mine does!

Enchilada Bake: 

adapted from Heavenly Homemakers

1 lb. Grass Fed Ground Beef (or pasteurized ground turkey)
3 T. arrowroot powder or flour
1/2 cup water
1-2 t. chili powder (depending on your taste)
salt
3 cups tomato sauce
1 large Onion, sliced into thin rings
10 corn or brown rice tortillas cut into 1 inch strips
Shredded Goat Cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 350

In a small skillet heat Coconut oil and add Onion. Lightly salt the onions to bring out the flavor. Cook until caramelized, about 10-15 minutes.

While those are cooking, brown hamburger meat.  Do not drain grease!  Put cooked hamburger meat in separate bowl, salt and set aside.  Sprinkle arrowroot powder into the grease and stir (if you do not have enough grease to absorb the arrowroot powder, add 2 T. butter). Keep your burner on medium to high heat.  Pour in water and smooth the clumps of arrowroot powder/grease around while you stir the water in.  This will thicken and make a gravy.  Pour in tomato sauce and chili powder.  Stir well until bubbly.  This is now your enchilada sauce!

Cut corn tortillas into one inch strips.  Dip tortilla strips in enchilada sauce and coat thoroughly (I suggest using tongs for this, as the sauce is VERY hot and will burn your fingers).  Cover bottom of baking dish with enchilada sauce coated tortilla strips.  Sprinkle 1/3 of the cooked ground beef over the tortillas…then a light layer of your onions.  Repeat layers twice more:  enchilada sauce coated tortilla strips, meat, caramelized onions.  If you have any leftover enchilada sauce, drizzle it over the top. Then top with light layer of Goat Cheese (optional)

Cover and bake for 30 – 40 minutes or until bubbly.

Homemade Hamburgers and Sweet Potato Fries

Of all the things that I cook, bake, grill and steam in the kitchen, it's safe to say that my husband’s favorite food is sweet potato fries. He asks for them multiple times a month. What Can I say? He’s easy to please!

Well, we were long overdue for some sweet potato fries, and what better to go with them than homemade hamburgers? Not only are homemade hamburgers MUCH better for you than restaurant burgers, they are much more frugal and are super easy to make!

Here is a break down of the cost:

1 lb Grassfed beef - $ 4.99

Spices - $ .25

1 Tomato (organic) - $ .79

1 head of Romaine Lettuce (organic) - $ .99

1 Onion - $ .59 (when bought in bulk)

Homemade Buns (4) - $ 2.00

3 Sweet potatoes (organic) - $ 1.75

Total for 5 homemade burgers and fries = $ 11.36, Total per serving: $ 2.27

Compare this with the cost of a fast food burger, and you save about $ 3.00 PER SERVING! Not to mention all the added nutrition and increased quality of this meal, using real, whole foods! Plus, you don’t have to worry about ecoli, sodium content, fat content, contamination, ect!

Homemade Burgers:

1 lb Grassfed ground beef

4 pinches paprika

2 pinches of thyme (or other spice of choice)

2 pinches of onion powder

1 tsp Worchester sauce

2 Tbps shredded or finely minced Onion

Tomato, Onion, Lettuce – to top burgers (all optional)

Homemade Buns (recipe here) 

Mix ground beef, spices, Worchester sauce and onion in bowl. I used my hands to mash them all together. Shape the mixture into balls, we had enough for 5.

Heat your skillet over medium heat. Add a small amount of oil. Once oil is heated, add your burgers to the skillet. Press the balls down with your spatula, to create a hamburger shape. Cook 3-4 minutes on each side (4-5 if you like them really well done). Repeat until all burgers are cooked!

Then garish with your toppings and sauces and serve! We had bunless burgers, but these would have been great with these homemade buns!

Sweet Potato Fries:

3 Medium to Large Sweet Potatoes

¼ Cup Olive Oil

1 Tsp Basil

1 Tsp Minced Garlic

2 Tsp Sea Salt (depending on how salt you like them, reduce or increase amount)

Preheat over to 425. Wash and Peel your sweet potatoes. Then cut them into fry sized pieces, they can be thicker or thinner, depending on your preference!

Mix Olive Oil, Basil, Garlic and Sea Salt together in a small bowl. Empty the bowl into a gallon size plastic bag. Add the sweet potatoes and shake until well coated.

Transfer to a cookie sheet, bake for 20 minutes, then flip the fries and cook for another 5-10, until crispy on both sides!

I am sharing this on Real Food Wednesdays, Pennywise Platter Thursday, and What’s cooking Wednesdays!