Fried Rice

This is so easy to make and pretty darn healthy. I use brown rice which makes it even better for you. I can see why this is a staple in so many other countries. It's also a great way to use up leftovers.

4 cups leftover refrigerated rice
1 diced onion
oil (olive oil or coconut oil)
2 eggs
2-4 tbsp soy sauce to taste
1 tsp paprika
salt
pepper
garlic (1 minced clove or a dash of powder)
leftover veggies (peas, corn, chopped spinach, bell peppers, green beans, mushrooms, etc.)

Saute the cold rice, onion, and veggies in oil. Add soy sauce, salt, pepper, garlic. Push rice mixture to the side and crack eggs into the skillet, blending them as they cook. Serve.

Notes-
In the pictures I used spinach and green beans. This was not a big hit with the kids. They liked it better the next time I made it with carrots and corn. Use whatever sounds good to you. My husband and I really like this new dish.

Gourmet Veggie Wrap

My good friend (who needs to start a cooking blog) made me lunch one day this summer and it was so good! She's a health nut like me and she always finds and makes the most amazing food! This recipe was from a magazine (one that I'd like to start getting a subscription to EatingWell) and one day I tried to make a copy-cat version using what I had on hand. Here is my take on it but below you can link to the original recipe. Now I love using the bean/avocado spread for just about any sandwich or wrap.

1 can or 1 1/2 cups cooked white northern beans
1 avocado mashed
1/4 tsp taco seasoning
dash of salt
dash of pepper
sprinkle of garlic powder
pinch of dried minced onion
2 cups shredded cabbage
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp poppyseed dressing
2 tbsp italian dressing

Mash the beans and avocado together. Spread the bean/avocado mixture on the tortilla/wrap. Mix the remaining ingredients together. Make it into a wrap using any of the following...

tomatoes, spinach, red bell pepper, olives optional.....
whole wheat tortilla or other wrap

This is SO GOOD!


link to original recipe

Vegetarian Rice and Bean Burritos

I try to keep cooked beans and brown rice in the fridge all week so that I can make many things with them. They are both healthy food items that are filling and versatile. One of my favorite ways to eat them is wrapped up. Here they are wrapped as a burrito with no meat....just the beans and rice seasoned with garlic and salt and topped with sour cream, salsa and avocado. YUM!

Macaroni Salad

13 oz macaroni pasta (whole wheat or brown rice pasta)

4-5 diced large Clauson kosher dill pickles

3 2 oz cans sliced black olives

1 to 1 1/2 cups mayo

my kiddos love this....as do I.

Corn Dog Muffins

I saw this recipe idea on Heavenly Homemaker and had to try it. Corn dogs are one of my son's favorite food items and well, as you know they aren't the healthiest thing in the world so making them from scratch is a step in the right direction.

Couple of things:

-I use 100% beef, no nitrate hot dogs....the healthiest ones I can find minus the organic factor.

-I cut the hot dogs into small pieces and stirred them into the batter which we were really happy with.

Double this corn muffin recipe:

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 tbsp honey
¼ cup melted butter
1 cup buttermilk (or milk)

Stir together dry ingredients. Add eggs, honey, butter and buttermilk. Stir until just mixed.

Cut up 5-6 hot dogs and add to the batter.

Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown (about 15 min.)....dough may be a little greasy around the hot dogs but as long as it's cooked you are good to go.

These are great because you can make a bunch of them and freeze them and they are a great quick lunch for hungry kids!

Healthy Quesadillas

Chop up fresh spinach and sliced avocados to add to your quesadillas.

You can also try adding:
a sprinkle of ground flax seed
a sprinkle of wheat germ
chopped cooked broccoli
chopped cooked cauliflower
chopped sauteed kale
chopped fresh onion
sliced fresh leeks
a few beans
a little corn
some cooked lentils
some sauteed sliced cabbage
or some rinsed sauerkraut

Pepperoni Pizza Grilled Cheese and Soup

This amazing combo has a pepperoni pizza flavor...by adding pepperoni to the timeless grilled cheese and tomato soup combo.

sourdough bread
mozzarella cheese
turkey pepperoni slices
tomato soup

While heating the tomato soup, make a grilled cheese sandwich with the cheese, bread and turkey pepperoni slices. Dip the sandwich in the tomato soup (the sauce on the pizza) for the complete taste of pepperoni pizza.

Warning- kids are inclined to like this

Mashpotato Soup

I came up with this easy and healthier potato soup out of leftovers we had on hand. Instead of a creamy potato soup that is high in fat, this one uses no milk or cream at all (other than what is already in the mashed potatoes). And, you can make it in the crock-pot if you want to.

It's a broth based soup with lots of veggies and mashed potatoes to thicken it. My kids loved it and it's a keeper!

2 cups mashed potatoes
3 large carrots sliced
4 celery stalks sliced
1/2 - 1 diced onion
3-4 minced garlic cloves
3 tbsp olive oil
1 box chicken broth
1 diced potato
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper
2 cups water

Saute veggies in olive oil with garlic and onion until all are tender. Add broth, water, and all seasonings. Simmer for about 20 min. Add mashed potatoes and stir till blended and heated through.

Chicken Taco Soup and Corn Chips

I made this chicken version of taco soup the other day with leftover taco chicken... It was really good! I also cut up corn tortillas into triangles with a pizza cutter and then put them in the oven on about 475-500 degrees on a cookie sheet. Turned them over once and kept checking them. Don't leave them in too long or the edges will burn like mine in the picture. =0) But they were SO good with this! I like making my own chips that are so much healthier! No, I didn't put anything on the chips...just laid them on the cookie sheet and into the oven they went.

This taco soup had in it:
shredded taco chicken
can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
beans
frozen corn
2 taco seasoning packets
water
garlic
salt to taste

topped with fresh diced tomatoes, shredded mexi-cheese, chopped avocado, chopped cilantro

Tuna Melts

Growing up my mom always made tuna melts for us. In an effort to get some fish down our family I tried making them again the other day. I love tuna melts! One of our kids wouldn't have anything to do with the tuna though so we made a few Chicken Melts for him.

1 package of tuna (I buy the white packed in water)
mayo
2 chopped pickles or 4 tbsp relish
1/4 c grated cheese
sliced cheese
3 whole wheat english muffins
dash salt
dash pepper

Split the english muffins in halves. Mix the tuna, mayo, pickle, and grated cheese together. Use as much mayo as desired to moisten. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread mixture on English muffins. Top with sliced or grated cheese. Bake at 435 degrees for about 15 or until heated through and cheese is melted.

~variation
use canned chicken instead of tuna.

What to make for lunch today....

I've been working on coming up with a list of easy lunches that are healthier and provide some variety to our diet. I like to cook them from scratch as much as possible but keep them easy and it's all in an effort to avoid feeding my kids lunch meat, peanut butter and jelly, and hot dogs on a three day rotation! =0)

Here is the list that I made today and taped to the inside of my pantry door next to my dinner list.

tortilla wraps
simple tacos
macaroni salad and toast
pasta salad
grilled eggplant sandwiches
zucchini cakes
salad bar
homemade soup
grilled tomato & cheese sand. and tomato soup
grilled turkey and cheese sandwiches
tuna and crackers
tuna melts (recipe coming soon)
pita pockets filled with good stuff (goodwich; chicken salad, salad, veggies, etc.)
chicken salad and crackers
english muffin pizzas
toasted peanut butter and honey
bagel sandwich
stromboli
quiche
bakeover
fritta

Have more lunch ideas....share them in the comments! I'd love more!

Beets

Beets are good. Red beets stain. But beets are good. =0)

High in iron, beets are worth cooking. Wash them, cut off the ends, and then steam them with the skins on till fork tender. Once cool enough to handle, skins peel off with ease..in fact, they practically fall off. Serve them hot with butter and salt or let them cool and slice them for salads.

Instead of steaming them, cook them in your crock-pot on low for 4-6 hours or until fork tender.

(the beets pictured are red beets and white beets fresh from my dad's garden)

Chile Relleno - Guest Chef

Here's another recipe from my sister in Mexico! Yummy.

6 fresh poblano or Anaheim chiles

2 potatoes (total of 14 oz.)

Scant 1 cup cream cheese

1 ¾ cup grated cheddar or mozzarella cheese (I used a white cheese since we don’t have cheddar and it was yummy so you might want to go with a white-jack would work…the cheddar seems like it might be pretty strong.)

½ tsp salt

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

½ tsp pepper

2 eggs separated

1 cup flour

Oil for frying

1. Roast chiles in frying pan until totally black all over. Try to pick flat chiles at the store as they are easier to roast evenly.
2. Put chiles in a plastic bag for about 20 minutes or until skin peels off easily. If they are not thoroughly roasted they will be really hard to peel.
3. Peel chiles, cut one opening down the side and carefully remove seeds. Try to keep them as intact as possible.
4. Dice small and cook potatoes until tender.
5. Mix potatoes, cream cheese, grated cheese, ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper.
6. Fill each chile with filling and cool in fridge until filling becomes firm. They don’t have to be COLD COLD just firm. (This will help keep them from falling apart or opening during frying too.)
7. Whisk egg white to firm peaks. Beat yolks separately then fold in with whites.
8. Put flour in shallow dish and mix in the other ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper.
9. Heat oil for frying (375 degrees).
10. Coat chiles in flour then egg and place in hot oil. CAREFUL!
11. Fry all chiles in batches and enjoy!

Crock-pot Meatballs

This isn't something I would normally make but since I'm married to a meat-loving man, I make meatballs. And I keep looking for ways to make my cooking life even easier so yet again I find a way to make it in the crock-pot. And this TWO step process is just about as easy as it gets!

1. Put your frozen meatballs (homemade ahead of time or store bought) into the crock-pot.
2. Dump a jar of your favorite pasta sauce on top (or for those of you that have made your own, go ahead and dump a jar of your homemade and canned sauce).

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (optional)

This works well for a spaghetti dinner or for meatball subs. My husband REALLY likes the meatball subs with a slice of provolone cheese.

I even got away with serving these as an appetizer. I cut each meatball in half and served it with slices of bread on the side.

Kale Sandwich???

Since I get asked for more and more sandwich ideas..here's a crazy one for you...ya, kale. You know I'm on this kale kick and well, I stuck it in a grilled sandwich...I grilled the chopped kale first a bit (removes the bitterness) and then stuck it in the sandwich. Yep, I liked it.

Veggie Pancakes

I'm trying to use up the bounty of my parent's garden while they are out of town for a month. My mom used to make these....here's my version:

4 cups shredded veggies (squash, zucchini, beats, carrots, etc.)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 c whole wheat flour
2 large egg whites (or whole eggs if desired)

Spray skillet with olive oil. Mix ingredients together. Scoop onto skillet and flatten like a pancake. You can make these large or small. Flip when browned on one side. Be sure to cook through because of the egg.

Serve with sour cream basil recipe (I found from Eggs on Sunday) :
3/4 c sour cream
1/4 c chopped fresh basil (or 1 tbsp dried basil)
2 tbsp chopped fresh chives (can omit)
1/2 tsp salt or less to taste
dash of pepper


Served warm and fresh these are amazingly good! Of course there is no way my kids will eat them or my husband for that matter. But I served them to friend and she and I slowly enjoyed devouring them. They can be served for lunch with a salad if made large enough OR you can make small appetizer ones as a nice little luncheon side dish.

I had so much squash and beets to use up that I made about 4 batches of these and froze them for some easy healthy lunch options for myself. But I have to admit they are much better hot off the griddle like regular pancakes!

Kale Soup

My mom has been cooking kale in her soup for quite some time now and I love the flavor of it. Dad grew so much of it in his garden this year that I've been enjoying the benefits of it. I chopped it up and added it to this chicken broth veggie soup I made and it was so good. Going off my other recipe for tortellini soup I figured adding tortellini to it I couldn't go wrong and I was right.

I can't remember the measurements but it went something like this:
1 box of chicken broth
4 c water
diced carrots
diced celery
3 c frozen tortellini
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 tsp Italian herbs
I'm sure there was some garlic in there too
1/4 chopped onion
2 c washed, de-ribbed, chopped fresh kale

We sprinkled a little Parmesan cheese on top of the soup.

Kale has a really mild taste when cooked that is so smooth....it's really not bitter at all. Want to know more about why Kale is so good for you?....here, I dug this up on the net.....

When you mention kale, the majority will look up with raised eyebrows and mumble "What"? "What's that"? An old, hardly spoken of and powerful green food. Kale is a leafy green vegetable with a mild earthy flavor. The season for kale is between mid winter and early spring where it can be found in abundance in most produce sections of the local grocery store. However, one can find kale year round. Thankfully, kale is starting to garner well deserved attention due its nutrient rich phytochemical content which provides unparalleled health promoting benefits.

Kale absolutely rich and abundant in calcium, lutein, iron, and Vitamins A, C, and K. Kale has seven times the beta-carotene of broccoli and ten times more lutein. Kale is rich in Vitamin C not to mention the much needed fiber so lacking in the daily diet of processed food eating Americans. The "Icing on the Kale" are the natural occurring all important phytochemicals sulforaphane and indoles which research suggests may protect against cancer. Let's not forget the all important antioxidant Vitamin E. Rest assured kale spares nothing in providing one with much needed nutrients and associated health benefits.

The naturally rich sulfur content of kale deserves a bit more discussion. Science has discovered that sulforaphane, helps boost the body's detoxification enzymes, possibly by altering gene expression. This is turn is purported to help clear carcinogenic substances in a timely manner. Sulforaphane is formed when cruciferous vegetables like kale are chopped or chewed. This somehow triggers the liver to produce enzymes that detoxify cancer causing chemicals, of which we all are exposed on daily basis. A recently new study in the Journal of Nutrition (2004) demonstrates that sulforaphane helps stop breast cancer cell proliferation.

Quiche

I've been cooking a lot lately but haven't had much time to blog about it. I'll try to get more recipes posted this week though. I love quiche. It's one of those comfort foods for me. I'm not even a big egg person....I don't like eggs plain but I love quiche. Here's my recipe for a double batch so that you can freeze one for later. I try in the fall and throughout the winter to make double of everything so that I have a lot of freezer meals. Although traditionally a breakfast item, quiche makes a nice lunch or dinner served with a salad. My kids absolutely love it too which makes it a nice family dinner that I know everyone will enjoy.

-------------------------------

2 single pie crusts (homemade or store bought)

6 eggs beaten

3 c milk

1/2 c chopped onion (yellow or green) or sprinkled dry onion flakes

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3 c shredded cheese (cheddar -mild or sharp, swiss, jack, etc. whichever you have on hand)

1 c chopped fresh spinach or chopped steamed broccoli (optional)

1 tbsp flour

--------------------------------

Prick pastry shells and bake in 450 degrees for about 10 min (on a cookie sheet) or until pastry shell is lightly cooked. Remove from oven and turn oven down to 325 degrees. Meantime, mix together beaten eggs, milk, onion, salt, and pepper. Stir in spinach or broccoli. In a separate bowl, toss together cheese and flour. (The flour will keep the cheese from melting into a clump.) Add cheese to egg mixture and mix well.

-------------------------------

Pour egg mixture into hot pastry shells evenly distributing the egg mixture between the two shells. Bake at 325 degrees for 35-40 min. or until a knife comes out clean from the center. If desired cover edges of crust with foil to prevent darkening. In the pictures I did not cover mine. Let sit for about 10 min. to cool a bit before serving. Each quiche should serve about 6.

Green Chicken Chili

I know, I know, another taco recipe....sorry, it goes with the family name and blood on my husband's side....we just love Mexican food. (or I should say -thanks to my sister that actually lives in Mexico- that we love "american-mexican food" since it's really not the same thing at all)

This is an oh-so-yummy recipe my dear friend, Robin, shared with me and my other friend, Tenille. Very easy and great for leftover chicken. If you want to make it and don't have leftover chicken, then you can cook about 4 chicken breasts in the crock pot, boil in the pot, bake in the oven, or pull off of a roasted chicken from the super market.

about 4 cups leftover chicken
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove minced garlic
1 tsp chili powder
1 c enchilada sauce verde
1/4 c chopped roasted red bell peppers (come in a jar in the store)
1 c verde salsa
1 small can green chillies

Saute garlic in olive oil. Chop up the roasted red peppers and then mix everything together in a pot till heated through. Serve.

This is like a green enchilada taco. You can actually make them into enchiladas if you want to, or layer it with tortillas and cheese in a casserole dish or be simple and dump it into a tortilla like a taco and dress it with your favorites, like cheese, sour cream, olives, chopped onions....whatever ya like! =0)

Garlic Grilled Chicken

It's not only sandwich season and salad season, but it's also BBQ season! Our BBQ was broken the first half of summer which was a total bummer but a trip to the store and a few hours in the hot sun repairing it, my husband is back to grilling for us. We love using the BBQ in the summer....it's convenient and it keeps the heat outside instead of inside. So, I hope to put more grilling things on here this month....

I'll start with something simple though......when we first grilled up this chicken with some beef for a party we had years ago, some of the gals chose the chicken because they were trying to be "good" on their diets. After tasting it, one of them said, "what is that seasoning on it?!?!?" All that was on it was garlic powder. Yep, garlic was the secret ingredient that tasted amazing on the grilled chicken. I like to add some seasoning salt to it sometimes as well.

You could surely use minced fresh garlic as a rub for your chicken instead of garlic powder. The leftovers also make wonderful garlic chicken Caesar salad wraps for lunch the next day! =0)