STEAMED ARTICHOKE
Ingredients:
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 slice Lemon
1 sprig Rosemary (or you can do 1 bay leaf)
1 Artichoke, rinsed
Dip of Choice
Directions:*Fill steam pan with 2 inches of water, and then add in garlic, lemon and rosemary.*Place your steamer over the top and turn on medium high and steam for 40 min.*For the dip I took a little light mayo, added some chinese hotsauce and stirred.Tip: If you have never cleaned an artichoke - you simply remove the outer smaller petals. Then clip the spines off.
BAKED COCONUT SHRIMP
Ingredients:
3 egg whites, beaten
1/3 cup CornStarch
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
2 cups Unsweetened Coconut (you can use sweetened but I have sugar issues)
1 lb Shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails OFF
Directions:*Mix salt, corn starch and cayenne in one bowl.*Eggs in another bowl*Coconut in yet, another bowl*Coat shrimp in dry bowl, then into egg wash, and then roll around in coconut until coated. Place onto a sprayed baking rack.*In a preheated oven (400), place shrimp in center rack and cook until coconut is browned and shrimp no longer translucent in center.TIP: You don't need to dip these at all - but since I didn't go sweet, I decided to dip mine in a little Raspberry Chipoltle sauce. These are kind of spicy - so I don't suggest this unless you love your heat! BEETS THAT TASTE LIKE DESSERT
Ingredients:
1 can Beets, drained
1 (8oz) Pineapple Tidbits in own juice (undrained)
2 tbsp Brown Sugar
1/8 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Corn Starch
2 tbsp Butter
Directions:*In sauce pan, add cornstarch, brown sugar, salt and pineapples. Bring to boil stirring constantly until thickened (around 2 min).*Add beets and cook all together stirring constantly about 5 min.TIP: Reserve Beet juice for dying easter eggs!My daughter even loved this - and this child eats NOTHING. I swear it! It is so sweet and generally healthy. Give it a try and let me know what you think!And of course - you can serve the whole deal up with a wine cooler or Bicardi!
I have this contraption ( click here to see it, or get one for yourself) that turns just about any vegetable into pasta!:) I love this little gadget (which I actually bought at a Goodwill for $2) and use it all the time! It gives you an angel hair consistency. Here - I took a raw zucchini and turned it into roughly 1 1/2 cups pasta! I then used some salt free seasonings in my cabinet to season it, and tossed it into the microwave for a minute!:) How's that for high fiber and low carb!? You can do this with a large carrot, with summer squash, with apples, with cucumbers - basically whatever floats your boat! Calories 29 for the entire zucchini Carbs 7 Fiber 3 Protein 1 You could literally eat that all day long and stay completely full and not hit your calorie requirements!:) That's my kind of food! (I wouldn't suggest you do that though. I don't advocate rut eating and if the nearly raw fiber didn't have your butt screaming within hours, you would be missing out on other important nutrients). I of course - used one of the salmon that I made up the other day to set atop my bed of "pasta"
BTW - My floors don't normally look like this, it was hard to contain kids and food last night! LOL! And my photos are blurry - sorry, I've never found a point and shoot as good as my real gear that I sold. Im so sad. LOL
Muffulettas (Thanks Stacey)
Ingredients:
Olive Tampenade
Salami Lunch Meat
Ham Lunch Meat
Provolone Cheese
Swiss Cheese
Kaiser Sandwich Rolls
Directions:
*Spread a layer of olive tampenade onto one side of the bun, then swiss, then ham, then olive then provolone, then salami, then olive, then bun.
*Wrap in foil and place into preheated oven 350 for 15 minutes.
Pretzel Bites (Thanks Kayla!)
Small pretzels
Rolos Candy
Pecan (or other nut of your choosing)
Directions:
*Place the pretzels in one layer on the cookie sheet, then place rolos on top of each one. Then put into an oven at 350 and watch closely for melting, then pull out and immediatly top with nuts of your choice.
Olive and Garlic Appetizers:
All you need are olives of your choice (shown are normal black pitted olives) and pickled garlic (shown is bread and butter), and just layer onto a tooth pick and serve on a cute plate!
And the shots were the Jolly Rancher infused vodka! Yummy!
There will be more photos added later on when Kayla gets them uploaded! We all participated in the post drinking Yoga! LOL
Tonight I cooked this beautiful Mediterranean Crusted Salmon with a side of Quinoa and variety of greens I picked out of my yard. Yes - I ate my lawn. It's delicious, free, and there are NO pesticides etc. SalmonIngredients:2 Salmon Fillets (roughly 6oz each)Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs (Zesty will give you a kick!)2 tbsp Pine Nuts2 tbsp Sun Dried Tomatoes, chopped1 cup Egg Beaters (you can use regular eggs if you have them, but I try to do the egg beaters for washes)Parmesean to tasteAnd a pinch of any herb you chooseDirections: *Dip the filets into the egg wash and when you lift them out - let them drip a little.* Mix together the dry ingredents in a bowl and coat the fish and set on a rack for about 10 minutes to rest. *Cover a cookie sheet in foil (easy clean up!) and lightly spray with olive oil. Place the fish on the cookie sheet and heat your oven to 375. They should cook about 22-24 minutes.***************************************************************************************************************************Quinoa (Rice Substitute with much higher protein, lower carb, and high fiber.)Ingredients:1/2 cup Quinoa1 3/4 cup of Lime & Chili Chicken Broth (got this at HEB, but you can use regular chicken broth and add some lime juice)Directions:*Bring the broth to a good boil, then add your rinsed Quinoa. Turn down your heat to simmer covered for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, leave covered but turn off the heat and let it sit another 5 minutes before fluffing. ****************************************************************************************************************************The salad is a mixture of Sow Thistle, Wood Sorrel, and Dandelion leaves, tied together using a chive. If you are NOT familiar with eating the weeds - then you should check out THIS BLOG if you live in the Houston area. This blog will also help you if you don't live in this area - but obviously due to climate - you will have a different growing season. This is a FREE way to eat salad, and it's absolutely delicious! Obviously - dont pick from an area that you KNOW animals are urinating, and wash thoroughly. Do not eat someone unless you are SURE it's what you think. Most cities have an extention service that you can take the plant into and have identified for you.Anyway, I'm very familiar with eating this way so I washed my leaves, tied them together with a chive to look pretty, and then spritzed with a balsamic dressing (just put it in a spray bottle to make sure everything has a little but to avoid making your salad soggy.
Love a good flavored vodka - but dont want to spend upwards of $40 PER BOTTLE? Then here's a good way to do it cheaply, easily, and more healthy (if vodka can be healthy...)
I just took 4 bottles ($2/each) and put 10 Jolly Ranchers in the bottom of each (obviously separate the flavors), then topped it with Vodka (used White Gold, Spec's copy of Grey Goose which is hella cheaper). The jolly ranchers will dissolve completely in a matter of hours so you will have delightfully flavored vodka to either shoot, or mix a drink. These 4 bottles will likely last us a year - we aren't big drinkers, but should come in handy if we are celebrating something and the kiddo is at her Nana and Pawpaws!
Sometimes as a mother, the school night just gets incredibly hectic, especially when there are a couple of stops on the way home, and then homework. So tonight was a "cheat night" where we still were able to eat healthy, but quickly and relatively cheap. This likely will not be the "cheap" option for larger families, but I will help you out with that in a moment.
Ingredients:
Boneless Beef Sirloin
Green Giant "Create-a-Meal" Stir-fry (they have several flavors and I'm sure there are other brands that are similar)
Directions:
*Brown your meat, and then throw the ingredients together as it says on the package, and you are done in about 10 minutes.
You can serve this over rice if you like, and I would have if I had some brown rice available but I didn't. My favorite is to put this over Quinoa which is high fiber, high protein goodness!
If you have a large family - a cheaper way to do this would be getting your frozen veggies on sale. Often times, you can get a 12-16oz bag of the individual veggies used in this (see pic of bag) for $.88/each. And a can of water chestnuts (or you can sub in bean sprouts) for less than $1. Then use a cheaper cut of meat. My meat was very cheap as I got it on Reduced for Quick Sale (usually about 60-70% off.
I am a huge fan of Cast Iron cooking. This awesome pot is a Cast Iron Dutch Oven with enamel coating. If you dont already have one of these - I suggest you hurry up and get one! I use it for all my cooking that will fit in there. It has such a nice even heating and such ease of cleaning. No need to season!The one I have is this on here -->Lodge Color Enamel Cast-Iron 6qt Dutch OvenIngredients:1lb Italian Seasoned Ground Turkey1 bunch Kale (the actual soup uses less - but we like more!)1 Red Onion, chopped5 medium Russet Potatos, sliced with skin on1c Half and Half4tbsp Turkey Bacon Bits2 cloves Garlic, minced5c Low Sodium Chicken Stock5c Water2tsp Red Pepper FlakesDirections:*Brown Turkey, drain, and set aside.*Saute onions, garlic and turkey bacon bits until onions are tender*Add 5c stock and 5c water (be sure and scrape the bottom of pot to get that yummy flavor*Bring to boil and add sliced russet potatos with skin and boil for 30 min till tender*Add turkey, and chopped Kale, and half and half and heat through - serve.
MY RECIPE'S NUTRITION INFORMATION Below is Olive Garden's Nutritional Info - Big difference if you ask me!
Ingredients- 1/2 pound frozen shelled edamame (green soy beans), about 1 1/2 cups
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
- 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons), juiced
- 1 clove garlic, smashed
- 3/4 teaspooon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
DirectionsBoil the beans in salted water for 4 to 5 minutes, or microwave, covered, for 2 to 3 minutes.
In a food processor, puree the edamame, tahini, water, lemon zest and juice, garlic, salt, cumin, and coriander until smooth. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and mix until absorbed.
Transfer to a small bowl, stir in the parsley and drizzle with remaining oil. Serve with the suggested vegetables, or refrigerate, covered, up to 1 day.
Quail eggs over easy - and then I rinsed the shells out and put some seasoning/condiments in them for presentation so that people can pick what they want on their eggs. I was thinking this would be cool even with regular chicken eggs - and might be a way to entice the kids into eating more eggs.
I just consumed a pound of steamed asparagus all by myself ... whoa....I poached 4 quail egg for topping, and then used low cal hollandaise sauce as a drizzle, and garnished with rosemary (I love rosemary).
This is my itty-bitty deviled quail egg. It's super duper cute, and tasted yummy. I had 17 more to fill and after doing this one decided that deviled quail eggs are HIGHLY over-rated. And that the payoff kinda sucks for the effort put forth - so we just ate the others whole!:)I found a neat site the other day discussing the health benefits of Quail eggs vs. Chicken and here are some of the points they touched on! These are VERY impressive if you keep in mind that quail eggs are only 1/4 the size of a regular chicken egg and yet they still beat out the larger egg!*Their nutritional value is 3-4 times higher than a chicken egg.*They have 13% protein while chicken eggs have only 11% (and chicken eggs are BIGGER!)*They have 140 of vitamin B1 where as chicken eggs have a mere 50.*They contain TWICE as much vitamin A and B2 as a chicken egg*They contain 5 TIMES as much iron, and potassium than chicken eggs*Richer in calcium and phosphorus than a chicken egg*They do NOT have BAD cholesterol, but have the GOOD HDL, where as chicken eggs cannot claim the same*If children eat at least 2 quail eggs daily, they grow better, and are less prone to infectious diseases.BTW - You can raise quail quite easily. I raise them, (though currently we are re-doing our set up so we don't have them right now), and they are cheap and productive. It's much cheaper to raise and eat their eggs (and then eventually THEM) than to buy them at a store.
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