Turkey Noodle Soup

I make soup all the time.  I love soup and find that we almost always have the ingredients to make up a batch on those cold dreary days when you want something hearty but also good for you!  This is also another great way to use up chicken or turkey leftovers.  I can't help but serve it with a nice warm from the oven crusty bread.  

Ingredients

thyme, dried parsley, salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
8 cups chicken stock or broth
3 large carrots
4 large celery stalks
4 medium parsnips
1 cup uncooked noodles (I like the amish brand)
1 - 2 cups of cooked turkey or chicken, dark or light

Recipe

1. Melt butter or margarine over medium heat in a large stock pot.
2. Add carrots, celery and parsnips and cook on medium for 5 minutes.
3. Add stock/broth and bring to a boil.  Add Noodles and bring back to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to medium simmer and add chicken/turkey.  
5. Simmer until the noodles are done.  Around 12 minutes for the amish brand.
6. Add seasonings (salt/pepper/thyme/parsley)
7. Soup is ready to be served!  Just allow to cool some before eating to avoid those burned tongues

Red Curry Turkey

We cooked a 22 pound turkey for our week after Thanksgiving feast.  So the entire week after I can up with ways to enjoy the turkey but give a new twist.  This is my first attempt in a long time at a coconut milk red curry.  The result was good but as my family likes it super blazing hot I will add even more curry and maybe a touch of chili paste next time.  Great way to reinvent those turkey leftovers!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 cloves of garlic
8 ounces mini button or sliced mushrooms  
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 cups broccoli
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
8 ounce can of water chestnuts drained
8 ounce can of bamboo drained
Between 1 and 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless turkey meat cooked, we prefer breast

3 tablespoons curry paste, use this to your taste mix 1 tablespoon at a time

1 tablespoon grated lime zest
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Recipe

1. Heat oil in large skillet or wok over high heat.  
2. Mix curry paste through coconut milk in a medium bowl with a whisk and set aside.
3. Add garlic through baby corn and sauté for about 5 minutes until vegetables are not as crisp but are not completely soft.  Stir often.
4. Pour curry mixture into the pan.  Add turkey.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for 3-5 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and add cilantro.  Stir and then serve over rice.

Spicy Chicken Sloppy Joes

When you cook from scratch for the majority of your meals canned and super processed foods can leave something to be desired.  I like the concept of sloppy joes but was never happy with the taste of manwich.  So we decided to look online for homemade recipes and modify, merge and tweak until we came up with a good recipe for our family.  Here is is.  Still has that sloppy joe taste, is a bit healthier and less salty and no metallic can flavors.  And who doesn't love to eat with your hands and be messy!  And this is still a quick meal.  You could even prepare the meat in the morning before work, or when the baby is napping in my case, and reheat for dinner.

Ingredients

1 pound ground chicken breast (could use turkey or hamburger)

1/2 cup chopped onion

3/4 cup ketchup

1/3 cup BBQ Sauce (we like a local place City BBQ)

1 tablespoon mustard

1 tablespoon vinegar

2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce

ground pepper to taste

hot sauce to taste (we like it spicy so like 8 shakes of Chalupa)

sharp cheddar cheese slices (optional) 

whole wheat hamburger or slider buns

Recipe

1. Cook the chicken and onion over medium heat until done and no longer pink.  Add oil if you are not using a non-stick pan.
2. If you like your sandwiches extra saucy double the sauce.  Add ketchup through hot sauce and mix thoroughly.  Let the meat simmer for 5 - 10 minutes.
3. Serve on buns and top with cheese if desired 

Pumpkin Donuts

Today we got lucky and called up two families we like to play with for a last minute no notice playdate.  We only had an hour and a half to play and the kids took full advantage.  While they ran around using up energy the moms hung out in the kitchen and made these yummy pumpkin donuts.  I swear I'm not obsessed with donuts, it's just so nice to be able to enjoy a fall treat while I'm eating soy and dairy free.  I'd say it was an hour and a half well spent!  Now if only I had a pumpkin late to go with the donut...

Recipe Modifications

• used fleishmanns unsalted margarine (dairy-free)
• used kirkland real eggs (like egg-beaters)
• Used own topping instead of the on in the recipe 
• added 1/2 cup pumpkin
• the batter is super thick and there isn't any to spare.  I used the baggy to put in pan then spread with a butter knife

Ingredients

For the donuts:

Baking spray

1 cup flour

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp butter, cold

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

For the topping

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

dash or two cinnamon

dash nutmeg

2 tablespoons fleishmanns unsalted or other butter/margarine

Recipe

This recipe comes from a food blog new to me Confections of a Foodie Bride but I like it!

Click Here for Recipe

For the topping

1. After the donuts cool.  Melt the butter in shallow bowl.  
2. Mix sugars and spices in another shallow bowl.
3. Dunk donuts in butter on both sides then roll in the sugar mixture

Diary-Free Hot Cocoa

Today felt a bit dreary and chilly and I just picked up some cocoa so we decided to experiment and create a yummy dairy free hot cocoa.  The end result was a success!  I have tried in the past but couldn't get it right with rice milk.  The thicker consistency of almond milk was just what we needed.  And at only 40 calories for a cup of almond milk even with sugar and marshmallows this is a treat that tastes much more indulgent than it is.  Might try sweetening with honey the next go around.  

Ingredients

dash of salt

3/8th cup of sugar

1/4 cup of cocoa

1/3 cup of water

2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk

marshmallows or marshmallow fluff

Recipe

1. Cook salt, sugar, cocoa and water over medium high heat until it boils stirring frequently.  Cook for a minute at a boil stirring constantly.
2. Add almond milk and cook until hot, does not need to boil.
3. Carefully pour into cups and top with marshmallows, enjoy!

Note:  You may try adding vanilla extract but we found that this gives an off taste with almond milk.  You are better off using the unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

Maple Walnut Apple Crisp

Today was my oldest daughter's first parent accompanied field trip.  We went to Erie Apple Orchard and got to pick apples, pick out a pumpkin, go for a hay ride, see how apple cider is made and of course eat cider and donuts.  The sun was trying to peak out after days of rain and the air was crisp as it should be in fall.  It was a great start to the many field trips to come and made us all want a nice warm yummy fresh apple crisp.  Here is our family's favorite recipe.  After trying Maple syrup I don't think I'd go back to sugar on the apples, it's so good!  And it's even good enough you don't have to top with ice-cream, although we often do

Recipe Modifications

• This recipe is from Cooking Light so it's still yummy but light.  Well I take away a bit of the light because I love the topping so I use 1 1/2 the amount the recipe calls for
• I am eating milk free so I substituted Fleishman's unsalted margarine for butter
• I never measure the apples I just fill up my pie plate all the way to the top.  I also eye the maple syrup and let the girls sprinkle the cinnamon.  You don't need allot of syrup and we always use real Maple Syrup
• Make sure you really work the crumple until all the ingredients combine into a nice true crumble.  There shouldn't be allot of loose sugar and flour.  For some reason it took me years to learn this!  And buying a cheap pastry blender is so much easier than using the double knife method
• You can use many types of apples for this.  Most fruit markets will suggest of have signs for apples that are good for baking

Ingredients

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup regular oats

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup chilled butter or stick margarine, cut into small pieces

3 tablespoons chopped walnuts

7 cups sliced peeled Rome apple (about 3 pounds)

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Recipe

This recipe comes from my favorite source Cooking Light. Not diet food, but food that is conscious of health without losing any flavor. Food for life! 

Click Here for Recipe

Apple Cider Donuts

The weather outside is dreary and I have two little girls that want to bake so we made up a new donut recipe!  These are apple donuts with a cider glaze or sugar and cider topping.  They were a huge hit today and will be added to our must-make-for-fall list.  Next weekend I'm thinking pumpkin, I absolutely love pumpkin baked goods.  One benefit of eating milk and soy free right now is that it's forcing me to create my own recipes.  Almond milk bakes very well but does impart a bit of almond flavor.  Rice Milk doesn't bake as well but doesn't add a flavor.  Good thing we love almonds ;-)

Ingredients for 6 donuts

1 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 heaping teaspoon baking powder

dash or two  ground nutmeg (optional)

dash or two ground cinnamon (optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup almond milk (we use almond breeze original, they come in milk box size)

* can substitute buttermilk or make your own with skim/1% and vinegar) 

1 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon margarine melted (smart balance light in the tub is dairy and soy free)  or butter melted

1/2 cup applesauce

1 1/2 teaspoons real maple syrup (costco has a good deal on the real stuff!)

Sugar Coating 

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon margarine melted (smart balance light in the tub is dairy and soy free)  or butter melted

1/4 to 1/2 cup apple cider

Glaze

1/8 cup apple cider

1 cup powdered sugar

pinch of salt 

Donut Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a doughnut pan with non-stick spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt with a whisk. 
3. Stir in milk, eggs, vanilla, apple sauce, maple syrup and melted butter. Beat together until well blended.
4. Pour dough into a ziplock bag.  You can place bag in a large mug to make purring easier.
5. Snip of one corner of ziplock bag and fill each doughnut cup almost but not quit full.  These are more dense donuts and will not rise as high as some recipes. 
6. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until doughnuts spring back when touched. They will not be brown, should appear still pale.  Allow to cool for two minutes before removing from pan.  These took two minutes longer in my oven then less dense donuts.
7. Cool completely before adding toppings.

Sugar Coating

1. Combine white sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon in shallow bowl.
2. Pour enough cider into small bowl to cover bottom.
3. Dunk donuts on both sides in cider quickly, shake off excess, and then roll to cover completely in sugar.

Apple Cider Glaze

1. Microwave cider in small bowl for 40 seconds.
2. Add powdered sugar and salt to bowl and whisk until smooth.  
3. Dunk top of donuts in mixture.  Let cool and glaze will harden.

Homemade Baked Donuts

I love playing outdoors with my girls. Hiking, walking, going to parks, farmers markets, festivals, farms, dairies, laying on the grass and looking at clouds...the list is endless. We enjoy all seasons, but there is something so magically about fall. It's simply beautiful with fall leaves, and the change to homey rich foods from summers lighter fare. So you can imagine that I absolutely love cider mills with hot apple cider and fresh donuts. We try to eat healthy but believe treats are good too as long as you're eating mostly healthy and staying active. So I was intrigued when my friend Stephanie posted on her Facebook about baking donuts. I finally got around to buying a pan and came up with the following recipe after taking bits from several I saw online. These are so good, just as good as fried cake donuts, and better than many I've tried. I will make them again and again. As an added bonus they are soy and milk free!

Ingredients for 12 donuts
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar, add 1/4 more if you like them really sweet
2 teaspoons baking powder
dash ground nutmeg (optional)
dash or two ground cinnamon (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup almond milk (we use almond breeze original, they come in milk box size)
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoon margarine melted (smart balance light in the tub is dairy and soy free)  or butter melted

Ingredients for 6 donuts

1 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup white sugar, add 1/8 more if you like them really sweet

1 teaspoons baking powder

dash ground nutmeg (optional)

dash or two ground cinnamon (optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup and 1/8 cup almond milk (we use almond breeze original, they come in milk box size)

1 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon margarine melted (smart balance light in the tub is dairy and soy free)  or butter melted

Sugar Coating

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon margarine melted (smart balance light in the tub is dairy and soy free)  or butter melted

Chocolate Glaze (1/2 recipe for 6 donuts)

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips plus a few more

2 tablespoon margarine melted (smart balance light in the tub is dairy and soy free)  or butter melted

1 1/2 tablespoons corn syrup

1 teaspoons hot water, add more if too thick

Donut Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a doughnut pan with non-stick spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt with a whisk. 
3. Stir in milk, eggs, vanilla and melted butter. Beat together until well blended.
4. Pour dough into a ziplock bag.  You can place bag in a large mug to make purring easier.
5. Snip of one corner of ziplock bag and fill each doughnut cup approximately 3/4 full. 
6. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until doughnuts spring back when touched. They will not be brown, should appear still pale.  Allow to cool for two minutes before removing from pan.
7. Cool completely before adding toppings.

Sugar Coating

1. Combine white sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon in shallow bowl.
2. Melt butter in a shallow bowl.
3. Dunk donuts on both sides in butter then roll to cover completely in sugar.

Chocolate and Sprinkle

1. Combine chips, syrup and margarine.  Melt in microwave for 1 minute at 50% power stirring ever 20 seconds.
2. Add hot water until mixture is thick but not too thick to dunk.  
3. Dunk top of donuts in mixture.
4. Top with sprinkles if desired

Recaito Spiced Fajitas

Michael saw recaito spiced chicken on Food Versus Man and was obsessed with trying it out.  Since we had peppers we decided to make fajitas with chicken marinated in recaito for two days.  The result was so good, tender and different from anything I've tried.  We served the fajitas with recaito spiced rice.  You just add as much of the recaito as you like, taste as you go.  I really love that my kitchen experiments are spreading to my whole family.  Now if we see something that sounds good we make it!

Recaito Recipe Modifications

• Our usual produce market did not have culantro so we used all cilantro as the recipe directed

Recaito Ingredients

1 medium Spanish onion, cut into big chunks
8 garlic cloves, peeled
6 ajies dulces, hot peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into chunks or 1 cubanelle pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into chunks
4 leaves culantro (if you can't find culantro, increase the amount of cilantro by half)
1 cup packed fresh cilantro, stems and all, coarsely chopped

Fajita Ingredients

recaito marinated boneless skinless chicken breasts, marinate chicken in recaito for 8 hrs to 2 days

1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 small white onion
sharp cheddar cheese shredded
tortillas
salsa, sour cream, avocado, hot sauce - to top if desired

Fajita Recipe

1. Grill chicken until done.  Do not overcook, you want it tender!
2. While chicken is grilling saute onion and peppers over medium heat in oil until they soften some and onions are slightly brown.  Stir occasionally
3. Cut chicken after letting it sit for a few minutes.  This will retain those juices and keep it more moist.
4. Heat tortillas according to package directions.  Top with chicken, peppers, onions, cheese and other desired toppings.  Eat and enjoy!

Recaito Recipe

This recipe comes Food.com

Click Here for Recipe

BBQ Chicken Burgers

I know we have been making allot of burgers but really it's that time of year and they are so easy and quick.  This one is a chicken burger recommended my our friend Stephanie and it is so yummy!  We used BBQ sauce from City BBQ and that made it even better.  Served with simple balsamic glazed asparagus and smashed sweet potatoes.  My only regret is we went up to the lake and I left two burgers behind, hate to waste food especially when it's so good.

Recipe Modifications

• Cooked the onions until they turned a nice brown color
• Added some fresh pepper

Ingredients

2 Tbsp Oil, divided
1 Small Onion, diced
1 lb. Ground Chicken Breast
2 Tbsp BBQ Sauce (your favorite), plus additional for serving
1/2 Tsp Onion Powder
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt
4 Jack or Mozzarella Cheese Slices
Burger Buns

Easy Side Recipes
Asparagus

1. Cook Asparagus over Medium heat in olive oil
2. Add tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, dash of sea salt and dash of fresh ground pepper
3. Cook until desired softness, 5- 10 minutes.  Turn often

Smashed Sweet Potatoes

1. Microwave or bake sweet potatoes until soft
2. Cut lengthwise and scoop potatoes out
3. Add 1/4 to 1/2 tablespoon of butter, depends on number of potatoes
4. Add dash of nutmeg.  Mash and serve 

Burger Recipe

This recipe comes from Weelicious.  Healthy creative recipes that once you try you'll be hooked!

Click Here for Recipe

Easy Taco Night

My family loves tacos and they are so easy and fast to make that we have them often.  We never eat all the tortillas so for lunch we have leftover cheese and tortillas to make quesadillas with.  Throw on any leftover meat or veggies you have from other meals.  The girls love them, and I love that food isn't wasted.  I am a bit of a lazy taco maker and wasn't even sure this qualified as a real recipe.  But just in case anyone out there never makes them at home, look at how easy this is!  We usually serve with spanish rice or corn bread and corn.  If the avocados are ripe I'll make a side of avacados smashed with lime and fresh salsa too.

Ingredients

1-2 tablespoons taco seasoning

1-1.5 lbs ground turkey

1/2 - 1 cup tomato chopped

1 cup shredded lettuce

Sour Cream to taste

Hot Sauce to taste

Sharp Cheddar to taste

Multigrain Tortillas (Giant Eagle brand are actually quite tasty)

Recipe

1. Chop tomatoes and shred lettuce
2. Brown the Turkey over medium heat and Drain
3. Return to heat and add Seasoning and 1/4 cup of water, mix until water has reduced a few minutes.  Remove from heat
4. Heat tortillas according to package instructions
5. Let everyone make their own taco to taste!  I like mine topped with meat, sour cream, cheese, hot sauce, lettuce and tomato.

Banana Muffins with Streusel Topping

You may notice allot of banana recipes on this blog.  We eat these regularly and sometimes don't eat those bananas fast enough so they become very ripe, especially with the heat wave we have been having!  Now since the girls and I enjoy baking and trying out new recipes this is rarely a problem.  A quick search and a few minutes later we are off creating some new treat.  My friend Stephanie posted a really cute picture of her girls streuseling muffins and that was the inspiration.  These are so good!  They have enough spice to make the muffin part flavorful, but the topping is really what makes you grab that second muffin.  Toasting the walnuts and eating warm out of the oven are must do steps.  You could even serve these as dessert with a scoop of ice-cream and drizzle of carmel.

Recipe Modifications

• Used pasteurized egg product
• Used salted butter, I was out of unsalted
• Used skim milk, recipe still turned out amazing
• Used 2 and a half bananas 
• Cooked recommended 25 minutes but may try 22 minutes next time.  New pan cooks fast!

Ingredients

Streusel

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts, toasted

1/4 cup old fashioned oats

1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tbsp. flour

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces

Muffin

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp.baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp.freshly grated nutmeg

2 medium mashed ripe bananas

1 large egg

1/2 cup half-n-half or whole milk

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Recipe

This recipe comes Genesis of a Cook blog.  The first I have tried but after this one I'll be trying more! 

Click Here for Recipe

Turkey Burgers and Special Sauce with Asian Twist

As you may of guessed from my blog I am not red meat eater.  I eat poultry and fish and find that there is so much variety in the foods I can make and eat.  Michael is a red meat eater so for burgers he usually opts for a angus beef or some other beef variety.  But I have to say he really liked this recipe having left-over burgers two nights in a row as a late night snack!  I think it will be hard to be happy with the frozen pre-made burgers after trying all these great recipes.  The ginger in the burger and sauce give it a unique flavor that's sure to please even your picky red meat burger eaters and it's from Cooking Light so you know it's not horrible for you ;-)

Recipe Modifications

• Used 1.5 lbs of ground turkey, one of the packs from Costco.  I never get the super-lean meat you want a little fat
• 1/4 + 1/8 cup of green onion
• 3 large garlic cloves
• Added 1 tsp pepper
• 3 tbsp orange juice
• 3 tsp ginger
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• Froze the burgers on a cookie sheet for two hours prior to cooking.  Wait until they really have time to cook before flipping.  You'll see the sides start to brown.  Cooked over medium heat on outside grill and did not spray with cooking spray
• The special sauce made way more than we needed.  I'd half the recipe next time.  Added 1 1/2 tsp of ginger to the sauce instead of 1/2 tsp

Ingredients

Burgers

1/4 cup chopped green onions

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, minced

1 pound ground turkey breast

Cooking spray

1/2 cup Special Sauce

4 (1 1/2-ounce) whole wheat hamburger buns

4 curly leaf lettuce leaves

Special Sauce

3/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise

1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon fresh orange juice

1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger

Recipe

These recipes come from my favorite source Cooking Light. Not diet food, but food that is conscious of health without losing any flavor. Food for life! 

Click Here for Recipe for Burgers

Click Here for Recipe for Special Sauce

Fresh Strawberry Pie

Last spring we went to the Butterfly House with Michael's parents and the girls.  We stopped at a hole in the wall place.  Kind of reminded me of a vfw hall only smaller.  Turns out they had the best fresh strawberry pie that I've ever tasted.  So I searched for a recipe that I could make and this one is perfect and so easy to make!  I never knew that you could make a pie that tastes fresh, cool, sweet and home-made with so little effort.  It was the perfect treat for the day I made it since we had to pull the girls out of the pool after only 15 minutes of playing when a sudden thunder storm hit.  For an almost 2 and almost 4 year old it was the end of the world, until they had the pie that is ;-)

Recipe Modifications

• Used refrigerated pie crust that you put in your own pan and bake
• Used 2/3 cup of sugar instead of 3/4, if berries are really sweet I'd use 1/2 cup
• Didn't add mint
• Topped with homemade vanilla whipped cream
• Didn't measure the strawberries, just sliced until they filled the pie crust to the top

Ingredients

1 (9 inch) unbaked pastry shell

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup water

1 (3 ounce) package strawberry gelatin

4 cups sliced fresh strawberries

fresh mint

Recipe

This recipe allrecipes.com and was featured in Taste of Home

Click Here for Recipe

Old-Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake

My girls adore strawberries and Michael and I have always liked strawberry shortcake.  So I started browsing more ways to improve our favorite recipe.  This recipe from Cooking Light is amazing.  The whole family agrees best strawberry shortcake recipe ever!  It's spring and the farmers markets will soon to laden with fresh sweet ripe berries, the perfect time to try out this recipe.  And since it's Memorial Day weekend what a great sweet treat to have after some good old American BBQ :-)

Recipe Modifications

• We whip our own topping.  1 cup heavy whipping cream, 1 tablespoon confectioners sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Whip until thick fluffy whipped topping consistency
• I didn't have enough strawberries so I halved the strawberry portion of the recipe
• I never keep buttermilk, no worries make it using 1 cup lowfat milk to 1 tablespoon of lemon juice 

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups halved strawberries, divided

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup orange juice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons chilled stick margarine or butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

Cooking spray

6 tablespoons frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed

Whole strawberries (optional)

Recipe

This recipe comes from my favorite source Cooking Light. Not diet food, but food that is conscious of health without losing any flavor. Food for life! 

Click Here for Recipe

Mexican Lasagna

I was browsing the weelicious site and saw a recipe for mexican lasagna, how intriguing.  We love spicy food, love cheese and love lasagna.  This recipe was amazing!  I would of never thought to create something like this.  All the flavors work so well together and the tortillas transform when they are baked to actually hold it all together.    

Recipe Modifications

• used 7 corn tortillas instead of 6
• used medium spiced salsa
• used sharp cheddar and pepper jack cheese, topped with extra 1/4 cup
• used more chicken maybe around 1.5 pounds
• didn't add scallions
• topped with sour cream, olives and hot sauce

Ingredients

Cooking Oil Spray

6 Corn Tortillas, cut into quarters

1 Large Egg

1/4 Cup Milk

1/4 Cup Sour Cream

1 Cup Mild Chunky Salsa

1 lb Chicken Breast, cooked and shredded

4 oz Cream Cheese, half inch cubed

2 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro, chopped

3 Scallions, chopped

1 Tsp Kosher Salt

2 Cups Mexican Cheese Blend (or a blend of Monterey Jack and Mild Cheddar), divided

Recipe

This recipe comes from weelicious

Click Here for Recipe

Banana Oatmeal Bugs and Muffins

It is a great experience having young imaginative children.  Cadence has such a delightful sense of humor and makes us laugh all the time.  So when we ran across a bug pan at Costco and she thought it was so funny to have buggy food I had to get it.  I feel like a child again when she draws me into her little world.  These buggy cakes and muffins were both delish and a fun adventure.  Try the recipe it's healthy and super yummy and if you want some adventure make it buggy ;-)

Recipe Modifications

• Used 1/2 cup brown sugar instead of white sugar
• Added 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup mashed bananas

Recipe

This recipe comes allrecipes

Click Here for Recipe

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

I will admit it, I'm not usually a huge fan of rhubarb.  I made this recipe for Michael who adores strawberry rhubarb pie.  The girls and I tried the strawberries and they were sweet but not as super sweet as farmer's market peak of season berries.  The rhubarb tasted woody and tart.  So I decided to put a little bit of extra sugar in to compensate.  And the end result was so good, I am now a huge strawberry rhubarb fan and might even try to bake a pie!  I would highly recommend this easy and yummy crumble.  It also keeps well so if there is any left you'll enjoy later that night or the next day.  Serve warm from the oven and top with ice-cream!

Recipe Modifications

• Added 1/2 cup of brown sugar to compensate for tart rhubarb and not peak of season berries
• Added 2.5 cups of berries

Ingredients

Topping:

1 Cup All Purpose Flour

1/2 Cup Old Fashioned Oats

1/2 Tsp Baking Powder

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Tsp Lemon Zest

1/2 Cup Chilled Unsalted Butter, cut into cubes

Filling:

1 Cup Rhubarb, chopped

2 Cups Strawberries, hulled and quartered

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

Recipe

This recipe comes from weelicious.

Click Here for Recipe

Turkey Burgers with Spinach and Feta

I had some left over hamburger buns to use up and if you know my family you know we hate to be wasteful.  So I decided to try my hand at making some turkey burgers.  It was raining out so we decided to pan fry them and they were a bit sticky anyway so I think that's the best method for this recipe.  They turned out amazing!  The next time I make them I think I'll add some hot sauce to kick them up a notch more, we like spicy foods.  Of course we served with french fries and topped with fresh tomatoes, lettuce and a touch of mayo.

Ingredients

1/2 cup of chopped onion

4 garlic cloves

2 cups fresh baby spinach

19-20 ounce package of ground turkey, not the super light kind you want a little fat

1/4 cup pasteurized eggs or 1 eggs beaten

4 ounces feta 

2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce

pepper to taste

hot sauce to taste - optional

hamburger buns

burger toppings (lettuce, tomato, pickle) and condiments (mayo)

Recipe

1. Cook onion and garlic over medium heat until onion is slightly caramelized (slightly browned), around 4 minutes
2. Add spinach and cook until wilted, around 2 more minutes.  Remove from heat
3. Combine turkey, eggs, feta, worcestershire, pepper and hot sauce (optional).  Add onion mixture and stir until well combined.
4. Heat large skillet over medium heat.  Form meat mixture into patties and place in pan.  The patties should not be too think and only the width of a burger bun.  
5. Do not turn until they are nicely browned, 4 or 5 minutes depending on temperature.  You will notice the patties shrink and edges appear cooked.  Then allow the other side to cook until browned.  You can turn once more for a few minutes to ensure they thoroughly cooked.  If you wait let them brown before flipping they will have amazing flavor and actually be more moist.   
6. Place on buns and top with your favorite toppings

Spicy Roasted Red Pepper and Sausage Frittata

Michael and I have both been eyeing the frittata pan at Williams Sonoma for some time.  Recently it occurred to me that neither of us has ever had a frittata so I decided to make one and try it out before investing in the special pan.  The experiment was a total success.  We both love frittata, Cadence liked it and Rylee was a frittata monster.  I even found out that my le creuset cast iron skillet pan makes them great so I don't need a special pan.  You do need a pan that is oven safe for this recipe.  Allot of people have cast iron pans and that will work nicely.  I looked up several recipes online and came up with one of my own.  I bought a 16 oz jar of roasted red peppers and will use the other half to make chicken ala king later this week.  We served with fresh bananas and toasted rosemary sea salt bread for a nice brunch.  Frittatas are like a big fluffy oven omelet.  You can use what you have on hand and they will most likely come out super yummy! 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

chicken andouille sausage - 1 small package (15/16 oz) chopped

8 ounces chopped roasted red peppers

3-4 garlic cloves minced

4-6 eggs

1 cup pasteurized egg product, such as kirklands from Costco

3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese 

1-2 teaspoons hot sauce such as cholula or red hot

1 teaspoon dried parsley or 2 tablespoons fresh parsley

ground pepper to taste

Recipe
Note: You will need an oven proof pan for this recipe.  We used a 12 inch, this will also work for a 10 inch pan.  You will need to add more eggs for a larger pan.  

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Whisk eggs, egg product, cheese, hot sauce, parsley and pepper in a bowl.
3. Cook sausage in olive oil on stovetop over medium heat until lightly browned.
4. Add peppers and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Turn heat to low and add egg mixture.  Be sure to spread egg mixture evenly around the pan and make sure the sausage mixture is even too.  Cook until bottom is firm but top is still runny, 7-9 minutes.
6. Place pan in oven to finish cooking.  Will be done with eggs are set and top is lightly golden brown, 6-8 minutes.
7. Take out of oven and loosen sides and bottom before sliding to a serving platter.  Cut and serve!

This recipe was mostly inspired by Click Here for Recipe

Cedar Plank Salmon

This has to be one of my absolute favorite summer time meals.  There's just something about that smokey scent while grilling that makes the anticipation of eating almost as good as the meal itself.  We have been cooking this for years and I never get tired of it.  My foodie girls also love anything spicy and salmon so they'll easily eat an 8 oz portion each!  We like to serve this with brown rice, a few simply prepared veggies and a nice salad.  Should of added a nice bright corn or squash but yesterday was a beautiful sun shiny day and I feeling the green vibe :-)

Ingredients

• Large Salmon half with skin on (we like the wild caught ones from Costco), large piece that fits the plank works better than individual fillets
• Potlatch Rub (we prefer the rub from William Sonoma)
• Cedar Plank soaked overnight or at least 8 hours, Costco has these too
• Squirt bottle filled with fresh water

Recipe

1. Generously sprinkle the rub over the salmon 1 - 3 hours before grilling
2. Heat grill up on medium heat.
3. Place Salmon on soaked cedar plank.  Place in grill and turn to low heat.
4. Time to grill will depend on thickness and size of salmon.  Ours usually take around 20 minutes.  Be sure to check the salmon often and squirt any flames.  Cedar planks like to catch even when you soak them.  You can tell the salmon is done when you see white frothy/bubbles start to rise to the top.  Be sure to check it when you pull off the grill and make sure it's cooked all the way.  It's plank cooked so it will be pinker than if baked.  Enjoy!