#1,330: Zucchini Carpaccio

If you love marinated cucumbers, you might love this recipe.  And if you are like me and you don't like marinated cucumbers because they are too mushy, you might definitely love this recipe. :)  I don't like how cucumbers get soft and mushy as they sit and marinate.  I like my veggies crisp.  And although these veggies do get softer as they sit, I cut them into larger slices so they held up better.  I am not a huge raw zucchini fan, but this recipe may have just made me a converter!

3 medium zucchini (about 1 pound)

¼ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon celtic sea salt

Trim off the ends of the zucchini, then slice lengthwise as thin as possible

Place zucchini, olive oil, balsamic and salt in a shallow baking dish (forget that, I thew it all in a bowl). Place in refrigerator to marinate (1 hour to overnight)

Serves 4

#1,329: Spaghetti Squash Pizza Pie

I really liked this recipe, but I think I slightly ruined it by putting in some fresh garden tomatoes.  This recipe was SO watery/mushy, and I found myself desperately seeking the slight firmness of the zucchini noodles.  Next time I'm going to omit the tomatoes or get all of the seeds out of it.  I also don't think this recipe needs the egg(s), so I will omit those as well.  Otherwise, it was a really good dinner.  I would definitely make this again! 

1 spaghetti squash, cut in half and remove the cooked strands

1 ½ lbs. chicken breast (I omitted but next time will add some chopped cooked turkey meatballs)

3 tbsp. ghee (I omitted)

¾ yellow onion, diced (I omitted)

2 zucchini, turned into noodles with spiralizer (or use a box grater)

1 ½ cup pizza sauce 

1 tbsp. Italian seasoning 

5 eggs, whisked (I used 1 egg)

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake spaghetti squash face down on baking sheet for 30 minutes and remove the threads once cooled. Lower heat to 350 degrees. Place threads in a large baking dish. 

I skipped this step to avoid the meat/chicken filling:
Heat large pan over medium heat with the ghee and cook the chicken until no longer pink (about 5 minutes on each side). Pull apart the chicken and add the onions. Cook until onions are slightly browned. 

In a small bowl, combine your pizza sauce, seasonings, and salt and pepper, mixing well. Add this mixture and the zucchini noodles and to the spaghetti squash threads.  Add the whisked eggs and mix well.  Place in a lightly greased baking dish.  Bake in oven for about 50 minutes or until the top forms a slightly browned crust that is no longer runny. Let cool and enjoy.

#1,328: Ginger-Garlic Roasted Chicken

I was honestly a little scared that my family (especially my husband) would not like this recipe.  The idea of serving him chicken that was marinated/coated in yogurt would make him not even attempt to eat this chicken.  So I did what any sneak chef would do....I didn't tell him!  I was sure he was going to catch on and ask what was up with this chicken but he didn't.  And shockingly, we all really enjoyed this dinner!  Even I did, and I'm a super picky chicken eater!  It was a tad sweet/tangy from the Greek yogurt, but it was so moist.  I loved it!  

4 bone-in skin-on chicken breast halves (I used boneless)
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Heat oven to 425ºF. Coat large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Using kitchen shears, trim back and rib bones attached to chicken. Combine all remaining chicken ingredients in large bowl. Add chicken, turning to coat. (Chicken can be made to this point 1 day ahead; cover and refrigerate.)

Remove chicken from yogurt mixture; place on baking sheet. Discard remaining yogurt mixture.  Bake 30-50 minutes or until chicken is brown and no longer pink in center.  If you use boneless/skinless breasts like I did, 30 minutes was plenty! 

#1,327: Sun-dried Tomato Tuna Salad

I made a few changes to this recipe because I don't really love eggs in my tuna and I omitted the yogurt.  Overall though, I really loved this tuna recipe and enjoyed it eaten in lettuce cups.  This would be great on top of a veggie salad too...or on bread (which I'm not eating).  I loved the sweet and saltiness of the sun-dried tomatoes.  I will definitely be making this recipe again!

1 hard-boiled egg, yolk only (I omitted)
1 tsp vinegar
1.5 tbsp plain yogurt  (I omitted)
1 (5 oz.) can tuna
1 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil (I used 2-3 tbsp)

1 tbsp fresh chopped basil
I also added some diced orange peppers and red onion
Lettuce leaves/cups or bread

In a medium bowl, mash egg yolk. Stir in tuna, vinegar, and yogurt.  Stir in sun-dried tomatoes and basil.  Mix in tuna and serve as desired (in lettuce cups, in hard boiled egg white halves, on bread/crackers, etc.)

#1,326: Baked Lasagna Style Spagetti Squash

Doesn't that look absolutely delicious?  It was!  And it was healthy and filling, and I cannot wait to eat it again.  I omitted the cheese since I'm not eating dairy right now, but I didn't miss it at all.  I also used fresh ingredients right from my garden.  This recipe could be so versitile, you can pretty much throw in whatever you want.  I added some chopped, cooked turkey meatballs to give it some protein and make it a complete one dish meal.  LOVED it!

1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 (14 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes (I used tomatoes fresh from my garden)
1 tablespoon dried basil (I used fresh basil)
1 cube vegetable bouillon (I omitted)
black pepper to taste
1 (15 ounce) can black olives, chopped (I omitted)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I omitted)
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (I omitted)
I also added about 4 cooked turkey meatballs cut into pieces (for 1/2 of a squash)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spray a baking sheet with a thin layer of cooking spray. Place squash halves cut side down on the baking sheet.

Bake squash 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife can be easily inserted. Remove from oven, and cool. Remove squash strands with a fork, reserving the shells. 

Meanwhile, spray a non-stick saucepan with cooking spray. Over medium heat, saute the onion and garlic until golden brown. Stir in tomatoes, basil, bouillon cube, and black pepper. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until you have a medium thick sauce. (I cooked my fresh tomatoes for about 5 minutes). 

(At this point I just mixed the cooked spaghetti squash with my tomato/basil/onion/garlic/black pepper mixture.  Then I thew in some chopped, cooked turkey meatballs and mixed it together). 

I pretty much skipped all of this and just thew it into the shell: Layer each half with a spoonful of the sauce, a layer of spaghetti squash strands, olives, and mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers until shells are full, or until all of the ingredients are used. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until Parmesan cheese melts.

#1,325: Meatball Calzones

This recipe has been sitting on my pinterest board for almost a year now.  I was slightly intimidated by it because it called for rolling out bread dough, and I am NOT a baker.  But this recipe was so simple and my family absolutely loved it.  When asked what they would rate it on a scale of 1-10, 2 of them said 100. A little dramatic if you ask me, but definitely a recipe they enjoyed!  

I dislike this recipe ONLY because it takes some planning (thaw the bread dough, make the meatballs, let it sit, etc.) so it is not a recipe that I will make often (I need quicker meals).  But this is definitely a great weekend meal.  We had enough to make 2 meals out of this...that's a bonus!  (I only used 2 bread dough loaves and about 1 lb of ground turkey for the meatballs). 

Serves 12 (4 slices of calzone per bread loaf):

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 teaspoons Italian seasoning

2 pounds ground turkey or beef

3 loaves (1 pound each) frozen bread dough, thawed

3 cups (12 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1 egg white, lightly beaten

Additional Italian seasoning

1 jar (14 ounces) spaghetti sauce, warmed

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-in. balls. Place meatballs on a rack in a shallow baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 10-15 minutes or until no longer pink. Drain on paper towels. 

Reduce heat to 350°.

On a floured surface, roll each portion of dough into an 18-in. x 12-in. rectangle. Spoon a third of the meatballs and mozzarella cheese down the center of each rectangle. Fold dough over filling; press edges firmly to seal.

Place on greased baking sheets. Brush tops with egg white; sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Let stand for 15-30 minutes. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with spaghetti sauce. 

#1,324: Monkey Muffins

It's been a while since I made a Pioneer Woman recipe, mainly because they are not super healthy or anywhere near a Paleo-ish plan.  But I made some calzones for dinner and had a little bit of leftover thawed bread dough.  So I took to Google to search for a way to use up this dough, when I came across this recipe for Monkey Muffins.  Now, my muffins look NOTHING like the Pioneer Woman's recipe.  Hers are much more carmelized and gooey looking, but I was also looking to keep these a tiny bit healthier for my family.  So I used less butter and sugar/cinnamon and made a simple powder sugar glaze to lightly drizzle on top.

My family loved these.  There was just enough dough left for each one to have one small muffin...a perfect after dinner treat.  Matthew just kept saying "yum" over and over.  Thanks Pioneer Woman for an easy way to use up some ingredients!!

Leftover Bread Dough
Butter
Sugar
Ground Cinnamon
Sweetened, Condensed Milk (I omitted and used a simple powder sugar glaze)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Add 1/2 teaspoon butter to muffin tins. Sprinkle in sugar and cinnamon.

Roll dough into walnut sized balls.  Place three into each muffin tin. Top with 1/2 teaspoon butter. Sprinkle on more sugar and cinnamon.

Allow dough to rise, if applicable, or just go ahead and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.

Remove from oven and immediately drizzle plenty of sweetened condensed milk over the top of each one. Be generous! Allow rolls to sit for a little while to absorb sweet, sticky milk.

#1,323: Crockpot Green Beans

I'm totally in a green bean recipe mood (as you can tell by the number I'm posting recently), so I was eager to try this recipe when allows me to make fresh green beans in the crockpot.  I had very low expectations for this recipe expecting them to come out mushy and over done.  These remind me a lot of canned green beans, except better.  They are slightly more firm and don't have all of the preservatives or sodium.  I didn't like the bacon in this at all, so I picked it out, but it did give it some nice flavor so I will continue to add them again next time...along with some garlic.

I WOULD make this again for my family for dinner...ok, for me as a side dish.  The girls, who like canned green beans didn't love these but it is a great way to have veggies ready for me when I get home from work.  

2 lbs. fresh green beans
6 strips of bacon
1 medium yellow onion, rough chopped
1 tablespoon kosher salt or salt to taste

Clean the green beans by snapping off the ends and then snapping longer ones in half.

Cut the bacon strips in half, and rough chop the yellow onions.

Add the green beans, bacon, yellow onion and salt to the slow cooker.

Add enough water to just cover the green beans.

Set the slow cooker to low and cook for 8 hours.

#1,322: Banana Oat Greek Yogurt Muffins

I had a helper in the kitchen making these muffins with me.  Allison (7) was very happy to help put this recipe together.  She did almost all of it on her own too!  Since she helped make the recipe and since I am not eating muffins these days, I thought I would also let her be a guest "blogger" and give her opinion on these.  :)
"These were good!  It tastes a lot like bananas and I barely tasted the oatmeal.  The banana and chocolate chips mixed together were really good.  If I could, I would eat them everyday."

Final verdict: All three kids loved these, and are already asking if they can have one with their dinner.  I'd say that's a win!  Plus, I like that they are a healthier, protein packed breakfast that they can enjoy before school!!

Since there is no oil in this recipe they are SO hard to get out of the paper liner.  Even with spraying each liner with non-stick spray, some of the muffin stuck to the bottom and sides.  It wasn't too bad, but just be prepared if you are making these to take to an event or serve to guest.  The kids though, didn't mind a bit!

1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 ripe bananas
2 eggs
2 cups rolled oats (old fashioned or quick)
¼ cup brown sugar
1½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ cup chocolate chips, mini or regular

Preheat oven to 400F and prepare a muffin pan by spraying cavities with cooking spray or lining them with paper liners (spray the liners with spray as well). Set aside.

Add all ingredients except for chocolate chips to a blender or food processor and process on high until oats are broken down and batter is smooth and creamy. Stir in chocolate chips by hand.

Pour batter into prepared muffin pan, filling each cavity until it is about ¾ full. Optional: sprinkle a few chocolate chips over the top of each muffin.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the tops of your muffins are set and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool in pan for ~10 minutes before removing. Store in an air-tight container for up to a week.

#1,321: Bacon Roasted Green Beans

There isn't actually any bacon in this recipe.  I know, the name is a little deceiving.  BUT, it does use bacon fat...so it's kind of true.  I happened to be making bacon for another recipe so I happily saved some of the grease to use with the green beans in this recipe.  Although I totally loved these green beans, it really didn't give it much of a bacon flavor, so if I don't have any bacon fat/grease on hand (which I never do), I'll just use some olive oil instead.  The only thing I will also do differently with this recipe next time is to add a little bit of sliced onion and some garlic.

Now if you really want to make these unhealthy but SO good, go ahead and use some of that bacon you were frying up in the first place and add some crumbled on top. Now that would have made for an even better side dish!  ;) 

1 lb Green Beans, end trimmed

2 Tbsp Bacon Fat (melted, slightly cooled)

Sea Salt, to taste

Fresh Ground Black Pepper, to taste

Preheat your oven to 425F. Line a large rimmed baking pan with parchment paper.

Make sure that your green beans are washed and completely dry. Place them on the parchment-covered baking pan.

Pour the bacon fat over the green beans and add your salt and pepper.

Using your hands, mix everything so that all the green beans are evenly coated. Arrange in a single layer on the pan.

Roast in the oven on the middle rack for 15-20 minutes.

#1,320: Easy Garlic Green Beans

This was such an easy, delicious recipe that I ate for dinner tonight.  I will definitely be making this one again...and again! I loved that I could cook this one up so quickly.  

1 lb. fresh green beans 

2 T peanut oil (I used about 1 tbsp of olive oil)

2 T chopped garlic

1/2 large yellow onion, cut into slivers 

1/4 tsp. salt

1 T water (plus a bit more if you check and the pan seems dry)

2 T oyster sauce (I omitted)

Trim both ends of green beans, and cut nto 2 inch lengths.

Heat the wok or a heavy frying pan over high heat for 1-2 minutes, until it's too hot to hold your hand over it.  Add the oil and heat about 30 seconds more, then add the garlic and onion slivers and cook for 20-30 seconds, stirring the whole time.

Add beans and salt and cook about 2 minutes, stirring several times. Then add water, cover wok, and let beans steam for 5 minutes. 

Uncover the pan and add oyster sauce, then cook 2 minutes more, stirring so all the beans are uniformly covered with the sauce. Beans should still be slightly crisp when they're done. Serve hot.

#1,319: Calzone Dip

Of all of the meals I've made for my family, THIS is apparently the one that they liked the best.  My kids RAVED about this super simple meal.  It's almost embarasing how simple this recipe is.  My kids told me it was so good, I should enter Master Chef.  Uh, yeah right.  Bwahahah.  This would make for a good appetizer, but it was also a great dinner when paired with some yogurt and fruit...I guess! 

2 12" Boboli® Original Pizza Crusts

2 5-oz. pkgs. Boboli® Pizza Sauce

1 15-oz. container ricotta cheese (I used about half of this)

1 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded (I omitted)

3/4 c. Parmesan cheese, grated

20–25 slices pepperoni, roughly chopped

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes, crushed

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Preheat oven to 450° F.

(I didn't layer this as suggested in the next step, I just mixed it altogether): In a small mixing bowl, combine 1 pouch of pizza sauce, Ricotta cheese, Mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup of Parmesan, pepperoni slices, red pepper and black pepper until well blended. Transfer the mixture to a small, shallow baking dish; top with remaining sauce pouch, spreading evenly; and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. Bake alongside the crusts for 10 – 12 minutes until dip is bubbly and crusts are crisp. Cut crusts into 1"x 4" strips and serve alongside dip.

#1,318: Cookie Dough Greek Yogurt

This is a super simple, tasty recipe that I found and made for my kids to add to their Greek Yogurt.  I give the kids yogurt and Greek yogurt often, especially since I don't give them many carbs at dinner anymore.  I especially give it to Matthew who is a very picky meat/protein eater.  They all loved this recipe and I've probably made it 3 times now.  So simple,yet so good. 

The recipe below is for one serving and is suggested to be added to an individual serving (6 oz cup??) of plain or vanilla flavored Greek Yogurt.  I tend to use more yogurt than the recipe calls for so that it's even healthier.  In my opinion one single serving of yogurt does not need an additional 3 tablespoons of sugar/sweeteners (nut butter, sugar, chocolate chips).  So alter the recipe as you see fit. 

To an individual serving of plain Greek yogurt, add:
1 tbsp nut butter (we use peanut butter or Nutella)
1 tbsp sweetener (I used a little organic sugar)
1 tbsp mini chocolate chips
1/4 tsp of vanilla

Throwback Thursday: Sausage Roll-ups

This may truly be one of the ugliest photos I ever took.  BUT this was one of my very first recipes I made/reviewed/posted on a different blog and we hardly ever eat these anymore, but whenever I make them, my family devours them!  They look like cigarettes, which is not appealing as I look at this photo, but the kids (and hubby) love these and I like that it requires only 3 ingredients:

1/2 small onion diced (sometimes I just used the dried minced onion flakes)

1 lb bulk pork sausage

1 package of phyllo dough sheets 

Take the phyllo dough out of the freezer the night before you need it and put it in the fridge to thaw. 

In a pan, brown the sausage and onion. Break up the sausage into small, crumbled pieces as it cooks. Drain off the excess fat when done. (I always do this the night before so it's ready to go when I get home!)

Take 3-4 sheets of phyllo dough and cut it in half width-wise. Put about 3 tbsp or so of the mixture onto each roll and roll up around the sausage mix. (I really don't measure this.  I just eye ball it).  Put on a lightly greased baking sheet...or save yourself the clean up time and put it on some parchment paper! Spray the tops of the roll-ups with buttered (or whatever you have!) cooking spray. 

Continue rolling up sausage in sheets of phyllo dough until you have used up all of your filling.  I can usually get about 6-8 roll-ups depending on how much sausage filling I put in each one.  

Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 12 minutes or until golden brown. 

#1,317: Nutella Banana Popsicles

We may be back in school and technically summer is over for us, but that didn't stop me from trying to squeeze in another summer bucket list item!  (Summer isn't officially over yet for a few more weeks, so this counts right?!).  I made Nutella Banana popsicles for 2 of my kids, and a Peanut butter banana popsicle for Allison who has a tree nut allergy.

The kids LOVED these, and I loved that I got a protein and dairy into them all the while they were thinking they were having dessert.  

These are so easy to make, but the original recipe suggest swirling the ingredients together...that's one more step that I don't think is needed.  So I threw everything into a blender and combined it all.  The kids really loved these so we will definitely be making these again!

Four 5.3-6 oz containers Vanilla Greek Yogurt (I thought this was A LOT of yogurt, so I used about 1 cup total)

1 overripe banana, mashed (1 used 2 bananas)

½ c chocolate hazelnut spread (like Nutella)

In a small bowl, combine two of the containers of Greek yogurt and the mashed banana, and stir until thoroughly incorporated.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining two containers of Greek yogurt and the chocolate hazelnut spread, and stir until thoroughly incorporated.

Fill popsicle molds or small paper or plastic cups by layering the two yogurt mixtures (swirl with a knife, skewer or chopstick, if desired), or, to create swirls, place alternating large dollops of the yogurt mixtures in a large plastic storage bag, cut off the corner for about a ½-3/4 inch opening, and pipe into the molds or cups.

Insert sticks and place in freezer several hours, until frozen.

#1,316: Beer Can Chicken

Although my kids really enjoyed this dinner, this was not my favorite meal and I personally ate very little.  If you like the skins off chicken though, this just might be the recipe for you!  I am not a fan of the skins and had to get it away from my plate because I kept sneaking pieces of it (it was so good).  Last week I made a chicken in the crockpot and personally, I think that is easier to make, easier to get the meat off the bones, and more flavorful.  Plus, my chicken fell over at one point and started to scorch.  It is much easier to throw it all in a crockpot and let it do it's thing for an entire day.  This recipe/version is definitely faster though.  :) 

Would I eat this again?  Yes.  Would I make this again for my family?  Probably not.  Although we have a lot of shredded chicken leftover now for another meal, so at least we got 2 dinners out of one bird/meal/recipe. 

1/3 c brown sugar
3 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp paprika
2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Can of beer or root beer with about 4 oz in the can
1 whole chicken  (about 3 lbs)

Clean chicken (rinse with water and pat dry).  In a small bowl combine all of the seasonings.  Place about 1 tbsp of seasoning inside the chicken cavity.  Rub the rest of the seasoning on the outside.  Place the can of beer with 4 oz of the liquid inside the chicken so the chicken can stand up on its own.  Place on a preheated grill, which should be around 400 degrees.  Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 180 degrees.  Remove from grill and let sit for 10 minutes.  

#1,315: Paleo Banana Chocolate Shake

I've been looking for some easy, fast, healthy breakfast ideas for the kids and I came across this recipe for Paleo Banana Chocolate Shakes.  Chloe (age 5) loved making this with me and being my non-smoothie drinker, drank the most of any of the kids.  I took a tiny sip of this and immediately fell in love.  Chloe has already requested this again for breakfast tomorrow!  

2 frozen bananas
1 1/2 tsp dark cocoa powder
1/2 c coconut milk (I used unsweetened chocolate almond milk)
1/2 c cold water (I omitted)

1 tbsp almond butter (I used nutella)
pinch of cinnamon

In a blender combine all of the ingredients and blend until smooth.  Add water if necessary to reach desired consistency.  Serve immediately.  

#1,314: Cake Mix Banana Bread

Do not judge this recipe by the extreme over-doneness of this cake/bread.  I'm going to blame my mom for this one!  I was talking to her on the phone and completely forgot that this was in the oven.  I wasn't sure my kids would eat it because it is obviously over-done, but they loved this cake.  Unfortunately as you can see from the photo, the chocolate chips (minis) all sank to the bottom.  That's okay though because the kids were not complaining!  

I tried the tiniest piece of this cake so that I could review it and I thought it was very, very good.  I love banana bread though AND I'm not eating carbs so I'm sure I loved it just because it was a cake/bread/carb.  :)  

I had to cut the kids off after their second piece and promise them they could eat more for breakfast tomorrow.  This recipe makes 2 of these loaves, so we are sharing one with Matthew's daycare friends tomorrow.  

1 box Betty Crocker™ cake mix (I used a yellow cake mix)
1/3 cup oil (I used vanilla flavored Greek yogurt instead)
3 eggs
1 ½ cups mashed bananas (3 to 4 medium)
½ c mini chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350°F. Generously spray 2 (8x4-inch) loaf pans with cooking spray. .

In a large bowl, beat all ingredients until well mixed. Divide batter evenly between pans.

Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of loaves comes out clean and inside of cracks do not look wet. 

Cool 15 minutes in pans on cooling racks. Remove loaves from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 2 hours, to prevent crumbling when slicing. For easier slicing, store loaves tightly covered 24 hours. Cut with serrated knife, using a light sawing motion.

#1,313: Balsamic Green Bean Salad

I have a huge love/hate relationship with fresh green beans.  I think I'm probably just bad at cooking/steaming them because one meal I love them and the next I end up throwing the whole batch out.  So I was super leery about making this recipe.  The picture really doesn't do it justice, it was SO good.  This called for crumbled feta on top, which I would have absolutely loved, but am not eating at this time.  Feta would be great to give it that salty/creamy texture and flavor.  But, I practically licked the bowl clean with this one.  The fresh green beans, tomatoes (from my garden) and red onion with the balsamic dressing were to die for.  I can't wait to eat this for lunch tomorrow!  

1 lb. green beans
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1/2 small red onion, diced
Feta cheese (I omitted)

{For the dressing}
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt/pepper


Make the dressing: in a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients.

Trim ends off green beans and rinse. Steam (or boil) for about 3-4 minutes until crisp-tender. In a colander, rinse well with cold water to stop cooking, then pat dry. Cut green beans into 1 to 2 inch pieces.

Place onion and green beans in a bowl. Drizzle dressing over top and toss to coat.
Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour to marinate.  When ready to serve, add in tomatoes and feta and lightly toss.

#1,312: Veggie Loaded Sloppy Joes

As you can tell by the many sloppy joe recipes I post, this is a meal/main dish that I enjoy making and eating.  As a family we have two favorite versions that we gravitate towards often (Diet Coke Sloppy joes and Myrtyle's Sloppy Joes), but this one might be my new favorite one.  I say that with 100% certainty that my family will not touch this recipe/meal.  I however am loving eating this over zucchini noodles instead of on a hamburger bun or roll (which would be good too).  I loved this one!!  

1kg mince (ground beef) (I used 1 lb ground turkey)

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 large leeks, washed and finely chopped (I omitted)

3 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped

2 celery spears, finely chopped

250g mushrooms, finely chopped (I used about 4 small baby portobello mushrooms)

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 tsp each ground cumin, coriander and cloves

2 tsp paprika

2 tins chopped tomatoes (I used about 15 cherry tomatoes from my garden)

1 tbsp tomato paste (I used more like 2 1/2 tbsp)

1 1/2 cans of beef stock 

2 tsp sugar (I omitted)

salt and pepper to taste

To serve (I omitted)

Fresh bread rolls, toasted

grated cheese

Fry the mince (ground beef or turkey) in a large, hot pot until browned all over. Remove from the pot and set aside.

In the same pot, fry the onion, leeks, carrots and celery until soft and fragrant, about 10 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and garlic and fry for another 5 minutes before adding the spices and tomatoes and tomato paste.

Allow to simmer for 5 minutes before adding the mince back into the pot with the beef stock and sugar.

Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 30-45 minutes covered.

If the sauce looks very watery, remove the lid from the pot and turn up the heat. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes uncovered until the sauce has reduced slightly. Season to taste.

Serve the mince on the toasted bread rolls with some grated cheese.

#1,311: Grilled Sweet Balsamic Steak Bundles

My weightloss/life changing coach does not like me eating much pork or beef.  Typically I try to stay away from it.  I hadn't intended to eat much of this recipe, but once I took a bite of one, I couldn't stop eating these.  Holy cow were these good!  My text to my coach at the end of the night also noted "even if I don't lose tomorrow, this meal was worth it!"  I don't think he liked that one.  It sure was good though!  

Sweet Balsamic Marinade
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground

Combine all the ingredients in a large Ziploc bag with your meat and or veggies. Allow to marinade for several hours in the refrigerator before grilling. While grilling, brush the marinade over the meat and or veggies for extra flavor.

For Bundles:
Thin Slices of Steak (Flat Iron or Flank recommended)
Toothpicks
1/2 Red, Yellow, Green Pepper, cut into thin strips
12-13 Asparagus Spears, cut into thirds.

Begin by marinating your steak in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours (or even overnight) in Sweet Balsamic Marinade in a large Ziploc bag.

When you are ready to cook, remove the steak from the marinade and cut into slices large enough to wrap around your veggies.

Lay each slice of steak out on your cutting board, place your veggies in the middle, wrap the steak around the veggies, and then secure with a toothpick.

Preheat your grill and spray grill rack with non-stick spray. Place all steak bundles on the grill and rotate to cook evenly. Remove when cooked thoroughly.