Broccoli and Kale soup

I was searching the Internet for a really good broccoli soup, I found some great ones but made some   modifications.... This has been my lunch choice lately and is so delish! 

I am trying to eat really healthy, my skin has been going crazy and I am trying to eliminate sugar and gluten from my diet (as much as I can) to see if that is part of the problem! 

As a result I have been feeling great and lost a few pounds.. 

My newly diagnosed "psoriasis" however is not even close to being gone, if you have any remedies for it PLEASE let me know.

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
• 3 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 10 baby carrots 
• 4 cups fresh broccoli, including stems, chopped
• 2 cups kale
• 2 cups low-sodium, fat-free chicken or vegetable broth
• 3 cups of almond milk (any milk will do)
• 3 springs rosemary 
• 2 cloves garlic
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Heat oil on medium heat in a pot,  Gently sauté garlic, onion and celery for 3-4 minutes, until onion is softened. Add kale, carotts and chopped broccoli, followed by the broth and milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Allow soup to cool slightly, then transfer to a blender, I just used my hand held mixer and left it in the pot! Blend until smooth. Return soup to pot and heat gently until ready to serve.

weekend randomness and a new challenge

I was thinking I needed to do another challenge of some sort, I was talking to one of my besties Terrah and she suggested to do a food challenge, with spring coming I thought if would be a good idea to share some of my healthy eats and treats...

Panini

Bread Costco.. so yummy

avocados, mushrooms, goat cheese, spinach, 2 garlic cloves, spinach

some chicken pieces from a rotisseree.

I don't have a panini press, I just use my george foreman grill.

A little loose fishtail braid on my hair

We joined the YMCA and I also have been going to Hot Yoga again... oooo it feels good! 

 Sweet kisses from this baby boy! 

 The weather has been so crazy in Grand Rapids, we get snow on the weekends and 

then it's warm-ish durning the week. This view is from the window of my new work station.

(I forgot to mention I started a new job on the weekends)

yay for working in Hair Salons

check out this beauty I found at a thrift store here in town! 

1950's clock radio it works and looks adorable

in the boys room!! 

Happy Sunday

Sweet Chili

Hi Lovers, Algum was craving chili dogs, so being the perfect wife  of course I wanted to make it.. I read through my recipe books and thought that most of them sounded and looked just like my taco soup....  I was thinking of how to make it different, sweet even, I know I am not the one who came up with it, but I thought to add 3 TBS of maple syrup... ah so Delish and it made a perfect meal for the cold Michigan nights! 

Alex made his into a Chili dog, and I tried to be healthy and just had a bowl... boring!! looking at the pictures now I am mad and sad  that I was so lame and didn't go all out.... 

 Chili is one of those things that if you are missing a few ingredients or feel crazy and wild and want to add something , its not like there are any rules... But here is how I made it this time who knows it might change......

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb	Lean Meat, beef, chicken, pork, turkey or any other lean meat.
	Can Be Ground, chopped sliced or cut into small bitesize pieces.
1 1/2 can	Small Onion, chopped 4oz of tomato paste
1 can	(15 Oz) of Stewed Tomatoes, plain or any flavor
1  or 2 cans	( 15 Oz at least) of Beans, any type except "baked"
1 1/2 Tbsp	Minced Garlic or 3 Whole Cloves
3 Tbsp	Real Maple Syrup
1/2 2 cans 1 can 1 tsp 1 tsp	whole red pepper green chilis sweet corn cumin (more to taste) parsley Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbs	Olive Oil

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium sauce pan or large skillet, Saute onions over medium high heat until transparent in a small amount of olive oil. I use a medium size cast iron pot or my large cast iron skillet.

Add meat and cook until meat is done but do not over cook. Drizzle more olive oil if needed to keep meat from sticking.

After meat is cooked, add tomatoes, garlic, beans, corn, chilis Mix well.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper, cumin and parsley to taste.

Add Maple syrup. The amount can vary depending on sweetness wanted.

Heat slowly over low to medium until beans are heated through. Do not boil or over cook.

Enjoy and you can thank me later!! 

 It was even a big hit with Noah, I just had to tell him it was Ketchup soup... 

chicken noodle soup

Now that the weather is getting cold we all like to bundle up and eat warm delish food right?

I make a to die for chicken noodle soup 

{I stole the recipe from my Momma}

With any soup I don't think there is an actual rule that you need to follow, I do everything by taste and experimenting is the best way to get your recipe perfect... 

• a rotisserie chicken (I take most of the meat off and use it for something else)
• small bag of baby carrots
• 6-7 small red potatoes 
• 4 celery stalks
• 2 -3 tbs chicken boullon (more to taste depending on the size of pot you use)
• 1/2 large onion
• egg noodles / any will do I use dumpling yolk free...
• 6 quart pot and fill it a little more than half way with water..
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsp basil (more to taste)

Directions

Boil the chicken bones for at least 30 min to get a great broth from it. You could also use the turkey bones after thanksgiving....

remove chicken from pot and tear off any remaining meat and add to pot.

chop up all of the veggies and add  to water.

add the chicken boullon powder.
add noodles and boil until tender....
yumm

Fish with out the "Fishy"

 Fish is a perfect go to for a quick, healthy, yummy meal! I am not a huge fan of fishy fish unless it is Sushi, so for me any white fish fillet is perfect!! This easy recipe brings out the delicate flavors of the fish effortlessly! 

What you will need

• two white fish fillets
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper 
• foil (luckily for me the hairstylist they already come in handy little squares)
• 1 medium green pepper
• 2 large carrots (or about 10 baby babes)
• 1 small red onion
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lemon sliced thin
• 1/2 cup white wine... (or water, but the wine makes for a yummers sauce)
• 2 tablespoons of chives

Preheat the oven to 425

    Season the fish with the salt, pepper and chives. Place in the center of each foil... Add your yummy veggies, white wine, and olive oil and top with the lemon slices. Close the foil packets leaving a little room for the fish to steam..... Bake for 15 min.. Enjoy ;)

I served the fish with red wine vinegar lentils.... yums 

A Healthier & Easier Rice Crispy treat...

You want to know how to make the easiest, yummiest, quickest, and a healthier treat?! 

1. 8 cups of cereal, any will work this time I used special K.
2. 3/4 cup honey
3. 3/4 cup peanut butter
4. 1/4 cup crushed almonds *optional

In a large pot heat and stir together the honey and peanut butter until melted. Add the almonds and cereal and mix together, remove from heat and dump into a serving/baking dish to cool!                                 *I also sprinkled a few chocolate chips on top!

Enjoy!

ps the treats look a little dry because I put them in the freezer to cool, but they are very moist... (sorry I hate it, but for lack of a better word.. MOIST)

Get Baked Ziti.. Easy

 FYI

 Most of my recipes are healthy(er) versions of the traditional 

way of cooking my favorite dishes. My recipes come from watching 

the Food network and combining and tweaking from my cook books! Oh and
Stealing from my Grandma(s) and Momma! I have

not done a recipe post in forever and my computer is getting 

full with my cooking so 

I need to get on it! 

Happy "Carb"ing

• 1 1/2 low fat cottage cheese
• 1 cup skim ricatta cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (notice I chopped up some string cheese it worked)
• 3 tbs parsley (fresh is always better) 
• 1 lb wheat pasta 
• 1 chopped onion (medium)
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1  15 ounce can of tomatoes (chopped or crushed) I try to get no salt added
• 1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
• 2 tsp basil
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1/8 c red wine
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 c grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 

  combine all of the cheeses and parsley together and set aside.

Heat oil and add onions and garlic cook for about 5 min. Add the rest of the ingredients and let simmer for 10 min. Then stir the cheese mixture and pasta together and turn off the heat. 

  Spray a 9 x 13 glass baking dish with cooking spray and add pasta mixture in. Top with cheese. Bake it for 30 min.... and you have your self a yummy freakin meal. ;) Enjoy

Photos by ME!!
{Don't act like you couldn't tell}

Non-alcoholic spritzers' and shrimp linguine (with alcohol)

Ha Ha no Alcohol in the drinks but pasta + vino = perfect sauce... I have not posted much of what I have been cooking lately... Mainly there is a problem with my brain I can't seem to find out how to unlock my pictures off of my card.. So ya I suck. anyways The other night I whipped up this scrumptious pasta with some random things I had in my fridge. and made a yummy little drink to go with it! 

Pasta-                                                              Spritzers {by the glass}

3/4 box linguine                                              1 cup   sparkling water
1 can artichoke hearts                                         1cup   pink lemonade
1 bunch of asparagus tips                                  Blackberry ice cubes..                                    
1 pound of shrimp                   {Just throw in some berries in your ice tray and freeze}                                    
1/4 c fresh lemon juice
1 cup fresh basil (chopped)
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
2 TBS olive oil
3 cloves garlic (Minced)
1/2 cup white wine
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook the Linguine
Heat the oil cook garlic for a few minutes, add shrimp and cook (set aside)
Combine all the ingredients and 1/2 cup of water. simmer about 10 min
toss the shrimp and pasta in.. and you are done!! How easy is that right? Enjoy your meal!

BBQ Sauce from scratch... Who knew?

Sooooo I know that it sounds way "fancy" as my friend Chay says I cook, but honestly it is so easy to make your own BBQ sauce and it doesn't have all the ick" in there.. (ick being hfcs- high fructose corn syrup). So I set out to make the perfect sauce and I think I have gotten pretty close.. ;) *I doubled the recipe and also made some pulled pork in my crock pot, for pitas the next night. Just added 2 cups of water and 6 more ounces of tomato sauce... 

This recipe calls for...
One very handsome Hubs who is good one the grill.. and an adorable little 2 yr old who wubs to help.. 

1. 1 large onion, chopped
2. 1 tablespoon oil
3. 3 cloves minced garlic (more if you wub garlic)
4. 1  14-oz can low sodium tomato sauce
5. 1/2 cup water
6. 1/4 cup tomato paste
7. 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
8. 2 tsp red pepper flakes
9. 1TBS Worcestershire sauce
10. 1 teaspoon dry mustard    
11. 1 teaspoon Honey      
12. Salt and Pepper to taste                           

Salad Dressing

1. 3 tablespoons E.V.O.O. 
2. 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice.. (I usually zest the lemon too)
3. sprinkle fresh basil or dried (or dill is yums too)
4. salt and peppa 

the corn

1. Fresh basil and a teaspoon of lime..

Mellow Mushroom (My Way)

Hey y'all.... We discovered a jem... a true jem on our vacay down in Charleston, South Carolina. A Yummy place (I know now it is a chain) called the "Mellow Mushroom". I mean just the name sounds inviting and happy!! Anyways while we were there 5 days we managed to eat at this fantabulous place two times...  Oh and once in Nashville on the drive home..Now that we are home I decided to recreate it... I changed it up just a little bit, and I use a healthier crust, but it is still YUM! Enjoy ! PS I make this pizza at least once a week!! 

• Crust.. Really whatever you want, I buy a wheat ready made pita style (much quicker) but you can for sure make your own or use a regular crust. 
• Flank steak
• Mozzarella Cheese
• Mushrooms
• 3 cloves garlic
• Kalamata pitted olives
• goat cheese and/or feta cheese (goat is my fav)
• one 8 oz container of mushrooms 
• 6(ish) fresh basil leaves
• approximately 1-2 tablespoons olive oil               

Some photo's of us at the Mellow Mushroom on King Street in Charleston... aka my favorite place ev...

1. Preheat oven to 350 (follow crusts' directions)
2. cut steak into strips -season with pepper and lightly brown the meat Set aside 
3. lightly grill mushrooms and garlic in the same pan as the steak for extra flavor
4. using a pastry brush glaze the crust with olive oil
5. add desired amount of mozzarella cheese
6. place steak, mushrooms and garlic, goat cheese, olives and basil on the everywhere (Pack in up pack it in let me begin)
7. sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper
8. in about 18 minutes get ready for your mouth to explode with incredible flavor

Ha Ha look at Luke in this picture...