I absolutely love my Jack LaLanne's juicer and use it several times a week for myself and the littles! If you think you may not be getting enough fruits and veggies, well juicing is a perfect and easy way to do that... not to mention it is delicious!
Here are some resources
It's What's for dinner
What's For Dinner - Spinach Parmesan Spaghetti
Monday, March 12
There are a few things in life I am not wiling to give up and one of them is Spaghetti! I love Italian food... warm fresh baked bread, oil, wine, pasta, garlic bread, meatballs, caprice salad, mozzarella, chicken marsala and did I mention crisp sourdough bread dipped in olive oil, parmesan cheese and drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette! Well this next recipe is something I created from years of trial and error pasta dishes. I usually just cook up some ground beef, add sauce, and make noodles but I started getting adventurous one day when I had bought a huge thing of spinach and had neglected to eat it all week. And in my house if it is left in the fridge too long my wonderful husband will remind me that wasting food is wasting money, So the good wife that I am I quickly found a way to use the ENTIRE container of spinach in one dish!
The other very positive thing in this dish is the amount of veggies the kiddos and I will be eating to off set that delicious bread we talked about earlier.
Directions:
First you boil your pasta
Then in a separate skillet pour in a few tbls of EVOO, add your garlic and sauté your spinach. When the spinach begins to wilt down keep adding until dark green. Then add 2 tbls of the pesto
Add your ground beef to the spinach and cook until slightly brown. Now remember that what kind of meat you use makes a huge difference in taste and overall flavor. Check out this list of Local Grass Fed Beef Farms
After the meat is a light brown add the sauce (Bertolli Organic Garlic and Basil) and a couple tbls of capers. Let all of this simmer and marry together about 20 min. Then add the cooked noodles right into the sauce and stir
Mix together and serve topped with parmesan or asiago cheese. And of course a crusty fresh bread with some delicious dipping oil.
I love food
I love food! Always have and always will, but how and what I eat has evolved over the years. I grew up eating pretty healthy almost too healthy, I have nightmares of my mom forcing us to eat brussels, the slimy green ones not the baked, sea salt encrusted ones with a dash of balsamic and parmesan they make now. I went through a faze of eating all fat free, no taste or nutrient filled foods and at least 2 Diet Cokes a day, to eating no red meat and all veggies. And who could forget the Atkins Diet, I was so excited that I could eat a Big Mac every day (just the meat and cheese of course). After having children we decided to go GREEN! I mean all organic, if it didn't come from Whole Foods, we didn't eat it. I made baby food and spinach muffins and used raw ingredients in everything, until we didn't have $1,500 a month to spend in groceries!
So where am I now... BALANCED! Trying to eat as much fresh, natural produce as possible and doing the research on the protein we eat and where it comes from has been very educational. We are now a mix between organic and all natural. I feel very challenged by the fact that we are given one life and one body. It is truly our responsibility to take care of ourselves as much as possible and what happens after that is out of our control. And I feel even more challenged now that I have children to take care of and teach how to eat and make healthy choices. Believe me, we get in our treats here and there and have pizza night on Fridays, but our "foundational foods" are things that will help our bodies keep up with a long week of school, and sports and homework etc!
I believe you can take any recipe and make it healthy or change out a few of the ingredients and throw in something green. Luckily for me, I have lots of friends who know how to cook and make some fantastic dishes. The best day for me to get some ideas is Monday! What to make for dinner? My friend Lisa Leeman who lives in California with her hubby and 3 littles, makes some of my all time favorite food! She makes a chicken spinach lasagna to die for and a chicken dish with apples and sweet onions and these easy tortilla wraps with a chili powder, cilantro mayo! I asked her, and other lovers of food, to start sending me some easy recipes to share with all of you on Mondays!
I love Chili and here is a delicious version ... Merlot Chili
1 yellow onion, chopped2 T evoo
1 t chili powder
2 t ground cumin
1 1/2 t ground cinnamon
3 bay leaves
3 cups Merlot
2 27 oz kidney beans, undrained
1 27 oz can pinto beans, undrained
3 21 oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
2 lbs ground turkey, cooked
1 pkg kielbasa sausage, sauteed
Saute onions and olive oil until tender. Add spices. Stir. Add wine and bring to a boil. Turn to simmer and add all other ingredients. Simmer 1 hr.
Stuffed peppers
These look fantastic and can be made vegetarian or with ground beef or ground turkey with fennel!
Southwest Stuffed Peppers - Deena Driskel
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| Southwest Stuffed Peppers |
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 Tbsp. olive oil
6 scallions, thinly sliced, white & green parts separated
1 can seasoned black beans, drained mostly
1 cup frozen corn
1 4.5oz. Can chopped green chilies
1 tsp. ground cumin
Salt & Pepper
Salsa of choice
4oz. Monterey Jack , grated cheese (1 cup)
4 large bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs & seeds removed
1/2 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt salsa, for serving
Heat oven 375
Heat oil in large skillet over med.-high heat. Add the scallion whites & saute for 3-5 min. Add can of blk. beans, corn, chilies, cumin, cooked quinoa, 1/2 cup cheese, 1/2 tsp. salt & 1/4 tsp. pepper
Arrange bell peppers, cut side up, in 9x13 Pyrex. Divide mixture among the 8 pepper halves, add 1/4-1/2 cup water to the dish, tightly cover the dish with foil & bake until peppers are soft,
30-40 min. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining cheese & bake til browned, 5-7 min.
In small bowl, mix yogurt & salsa together & Drizzle over peppers. Top with green scallions.
Soooo yummy!
Dinner + Dessert
I have loved watching the news and Rachel Ray with all the yummy "Game Day" food ideas! If you know me at all, I am not a big sports girl. I enjoy going to a game, because of the food and excitement, and it pretty much stops there. But I certainly love a party and a reason to make lots of goodies! What did you have for your Superbowl Parties? In our home we decided it would be too much for everyone involved to attend a party so we decided to have our own Family Party!
Nate is doing a lot of the grocery shopping these days and cooking. Something I really look forward to, especially on the weekends. The weather was so nice yesterday, he actually grilled out burgers... and they were amazing. Not too much better than charcoal grilled burgers, right?
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| The Recipe Club |
1.5 pound of either ground sirloin, chuck or I used ground turkey this time and loved it!
2 cans of Progresso Chicken Gumbo
*Ketchup and Mustard and brown sugar to taste - I put in about 1/2 cup ketchup, less than 1/4 cup of mustard and about 1/4 cup brown sugar because I like mine on the sweet side. It tastes like the sweet and sassy sauce from Famous Dave's!
Cook your meat in a skillet, add the soup, ketchup, mustard and brown sugar and stir! DONE! I like to let it simmer for about 10 min to thicken up and then serve on any kind of bun you like... or if your feeling crazy poor over some kettle chips.
And who can forget about dessert! Now this cake is seriously addictive so if you don't want to gain 5 pounds in one day you may not want to attempt it. But since it is my birthday week, I thought I would treat myself and the kids to this amazing "Death By Chocolate" sheet cake. The recipe, from none other than the Pioneer Woman. What a dream! The entire sheet gone in 24 hours! Between all of us of course!
Ingredients
- FOR THE CAKE:
- 2 cups Flour
- 2 cups Sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
- 2 sticks Butter
- 1 cup Boiling Water
- 1/2 cup Buttermilk
- 2 whole Beaten Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- _____
- FOR FROSTING:
- 1/2 cup Finely Chopped Pecans
- 1-3/4 stick Butter
- 4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
- 6 Tablespoons Milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 pound (minus 1/2 Cup) Powdered Sugar
Preparation Instructions
Note: I use an 18x13 sheet cake pan.
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.
In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together.
Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.
Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.
In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.
While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.
Cut into squares, eat, and totally wig out over the fact that you’ve just made the best chocolate sheet cake. Ever.
