Category Archives: Recipes

Sloppy Joes – Skinny Style….

Healthy Eating, Recipes February 3, 2017 Leave a comment

I am all for quick and easy.  It doesn’t get any quicker than browning burger or easier than mixing a few ingredients together.  I ran across this recipe and thought I’d give it a shot.  It’s really good and much leaner and better for you than some I’ve made before.

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You all know I’m not a fan of processed foods, so eventually I plan to make this with my own sauce and paste (GOALS)….gotta keep those Goals in from of me!  Ok here’s for simple and easy.

  • 1 pound of ground turkey (or venison)
  • 15 oz tomato sauce
  • 6 oz tomato paste
  • 2 1/2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
  • 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tbsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp garlic salt
  • 1/4 tsp salt

In a large sauce pan, brown the ground meat until completely cooked.  In a mixing bowl, stir in all ingredients. Once mixed, add to the ground meat and heat on low for 5 minutes.  Ready to serve!

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Forget the bread, add a side of jasmine rice and something green and enjoy!

Nutritional Information:  5 Servings at 243 calories each.  Protein 31 grams, Carbohydrates 23 grams and Fat 3 grams.

 

Baked Oatmeal

Healthy Eating, Recipes February 1, 2017 1 Comment

I have to switch things up to keep my boys interested and engaged in a meal prep plan.  If I do the same thing day after day, week after week, they get bored.  When searching for a recipe to offer them something different and nutritious, I found options of “Baked Oatmeal”.  I substituted some things, added some stuff and adjusted it to our liking…..

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Here’s your chance to get creative, blueberries and strawberries may not be your pick, so why not try apples or peaches….pumpkin..bananas…..your options are endless!  I have not tested the variations, because so far we love the mixed berries.  I will eventually switch it up and try them all.  As we try them I will update the post to let you all know what we think….

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish really well.  Combine all the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.  Slice or dice the fruit as needed.

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Dry Ingredients – Mix in one bowl.

  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 cup unpacked brown sugar
  • 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats

Wet Ingredients – Mix in a separate bowl.

  • 2 eggs
  • 2 ½ cups Almond Milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 tbsp butter or coconut oil, melted

Fruit

  • 2 cups berries (I prefer 1 cup blueberries and 1 cup strawberries mixed)  If you don’t like berries, there are different variations listed below.

In the baking dish layer 1/2 of the oats mixture, topped with 1/2 the fruit and then the remaining half of the oats mixture.  Pour the wet ingredient mixture on top.  Place the remaining 1/2 of fruit on top.

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Bake for 40 minutes until the oats are tender and it has a cake like texture.  Cut into individual servings and refrigerate.  This is great to eat straight out of the oven or warm up the next day.  It makes for a quick and easy breakfast or snack.

If you prefer a different variation, substitute the following in place of the 2 cups of berries.

Variations:

  1. Banana Nut – 1 cup of mashed bananas and 1/2 cup of pecans.
  2. Apple Cinnamon – 2 cups of diced apples
  3. Peaches n Cream – 2 cups of diced peaches
  4. Pumpkin – 1 cup of puree pumpkin and 1/2 cup pecans (for a little extra kick – add 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice!)

ENJOY!

Pork Chops with Apples, Red Onion and Brussels Sprouts

Healthy Eating, Recipes January 30, 2017 Leave a comment

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One thing about cooking – I’m not afraid to experiment!  And a true test of “if it’s good” is if my 5 yr old eats it without being badgered.  This passed the test when he cleaned his plate!  The combination of flavors is amazing…I never dreamed garlic and cinnamon would go together, but WOW!  Talk about waking up the taste buds!!!   I’m a fan of pork, cinnamon and Granny Smith apples cooked together, if you’ve never tried the 3 together, you’re missing out.  (I have a great simple crock pot recipe for a pork tenderloin that uses cinnamon and apples.)

  • 4 Boneless pork chops
  • 2 Granny Smith Apples (sliced)
  • Brussels Sprouts (trimmed and halved)
    • To trim Brussels, cut the stalk ends off and discard.
  • Red Onion (sliced)
  • 4 Garlic Cloves (minced)
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Pepper
  • 3 Tbsp Olive Oil

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Slice the apples, onion and brussels sprouts and arrange in a sheet pan.  Mince the garlic over the pan.

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I added a little extra cinnamon, salt and pepper by sprinkling it over the pan as I minced the garlic. Drizzle the pan with 1/2 the olive oil.  Be sure to coat everything with oil and spices.  You can peel, dice and add a sweet potato if you have one on hand and want to add some color.

Place the pork chops in a zip-lock bag, drizzle 1/2 of the olive oil over the meat, add the cinnamon, salt and pepper and shake!

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Place the pork chops on top of the brussels, apples and onions.  Bake for 25-30 mins until the pork chops are cooked thoroughly.

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Enjoy!!

Taco Soup

Recipes January 9, 2017 Leave a comment

In the cold winter months this is one of my family’s favorite go-to quick and easy comfort foods.  It reminds me more of taco style chili beans than a soup.  My boys love it with tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream. I like it by itself or on a salad.  It’s super easy to throw together and loaded with stuff that’s good for you!

Looking at the picture below makes me realize that I need to add “make homemade ranch dressing mix” and “make homemade taco seasoning” to my to do list.  And….I just added to this year’s canning list:  Homemade Rotel!  Next season this picture will include all homemade ingredients!

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  • 1 lb of ground meat (beef, turkey or venison)
  • 1 pk of taco seasoning
  • 2 cups of water
  • Onion, chopped
  • 1 pk of dry ranch dressing
  • Rotel,  mild
  • 15 oz corn, drained
  • 15 oz black beans, rinsed
  • 2 – 15 oz pintos (or kidney beans),  rinsed
  • 2 – 15 oz tomatoes (for more heat you can use Pace Picante Sauce)

Dice the onion and slowly cook it in a stock pot.  Fry the ground meat in a frying pan.  I do this separately because I rinse the meat while I drain the grease.

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Once the meat is done, drain, rinse and add back to the frying pan.  Stir in the taco seasoning and 2 cups of water.  Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes.

 

Rinse the beans and drain the corn.  In the stock pot mix together the onion, tomatoes, Rotel, black beans, pintos, corn and dry ranch dressing mix.

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Add the ground meat and taco seasoning mixture to the stock pot soup base.  Let it simmer 20-30 minutes to let all the flavors combine, stir frequently.

Serve with tortilla chips, freshly shredded cheese and sour cream (or Greek yogurt) and enjoy!

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When I calculated the calories, this pot yields 8 servings at 325 calories per serving.

Spiced Hot Fruit Bake

Healthy Living, Recipes December 20, 2016 Leave a comment

20161218_080812-1If you like cranberries, this is for you! The tart cranberries added to the sweet fruit and spices leave you wanting more! It took me back several years and reminded me of the rhubarb pies my grandmother used to make – minus all the sugar that she put in them!!  After the first taste, my boys immediately thought it needed more sugar, not me!

  • 2 cups sliced apples
  • 2 cups sliced pears
  • 1 bag or 1 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
  • 1 can of chunk pineapple (save the juice)
  • Juice from 1 lemon
  • 1 Tablespoon Honey or Agave
  • 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
  • 1/3 cup Coconut Sugar (or regular sugar)
  • 1/2 stick melted butter
  • 1/3 cup Walnuts  (if desired)

Preheat the over to 300°.

Slice the apples and pears.  Mix the apples, pears, pineapple and cranberries in a large bowl.  Squeeze the juice of the lemon over the fruit.20161218_083733-1

In a separate bowl, mix the melted butter, honey, sugar, spices and half of the saved pineapple juice.  Pour half of that mixture over the fruit and mix.  Pour the balance of the mixture over the top.

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Bake 1 hr on 300°.  I love the way this makes my kitchen smell…. like apple cider.

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This can be eaten for breakfast, brunch, as a side dish or dessert.  Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Casserole

Recipes December 13, 2016 Leave a comment

This was always a hit at Grandma’s Holiday dinners, whether it be Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter.  Depending on which grandchild you ask, some will call it a casserole, some will call it”yum – yum”.   You can make this with or without nuts (we prefer without and adjust the topping recipe for one and a half of what is listed below.)

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  • 3 cups of cooked sweet potatoes, peeled and mashed
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/2 stick of melted butter (or margarine)
  • 1/2 cup of milk
  • 2 eggs
  • pinch of cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°.

Blend all above ingredients until smooth and pour into a greased casserole dish.

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Topping:

  • 1 cup of brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup of self-rising flour
  • 1/2 stick of butter (or margarine)
  • 1 cup of chopped nuts

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Blend together with a hand chopper if there are nuts to make them fine, or simply use a fork if you leave the nuts out.

Bake at 350° for 35 minutes.  Enjoy!!!

Collard Greens

Recipes November 25, 2016 Leave a comment

I’ve cooked collard greens my whole life, but these are by far my all time favorite. Hold the vinegar until you try these for yourself!   Everyone will want to know your secret!!!

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  • 3 bunches of Collard Greens (as they’re sold at supermarket)
  • 6 oz of seasoning chunk ham (1/2 a pack)
  •  2 – 32 oz boxes of reduced sodium chicken broth

Wash the greens really well.  Cut the hearts (center stems) out of the greens and cut/tear them into small pieces.  Cut your ham into small chunks.  Pour chicken broth in a large stock pot and add ham, then bring to a boil.

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Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and drop collard greens on top of broth and cover.

Cook until tender and the broth has evaporated.  Would you believe ALL those greens made this one small pot?!  They cook down like you wouldn’t believe!  Of all the things we cooked for dinner, this is the one thing that everyone asked – how did you cook those greens?!?

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ENJOY!!!

Baked Parmesan Sweet Potatoes

Healthy Living, Recipes October 12, 2016 Leave a comment

When I  think of sweet potatoes, I think of cinnamon, sugar….butter…. I never thought of garlic or Parmesan cheese mixed with sweet potatoes.  Once I sampled this recipe, my initial thought was I should have made a double batch!  I have one son that hates sweet potatoes and this recipe won him over (if you know my Clint, that speaks volumes)!  The boys can be picky eaters.

Preheat the oven to 400°.

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  • 2 Sweet Potatoes
  • 1 Garlic Clove, minced
  • 2 T Butter, melted
  • 1 T Olive Oil
  • 1/2 t Mrs Dash
  • 1/2 t Garlic Salt
  • 4 T Parmesan Cheese + some to garnish
  • Parsley

Peel and dice the potatoes.

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Mix the butter, olive oil, minced garlic, Mrs. Dash, garlic salt and parmesan cheese in a Ziploc bag.  Add the diced potatoes and shake!

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Spray a pan very well, layer the potatoes in a single layer and top with parsley flakes and parmesan cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes, until tender.

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There’s no way to describe the way these flavors compliment each other.

Black Bean Brownies – Flourless and Delicious!

Healthy Living, Recipes October 10, 2016 Leave a comment

A dear friend of mine tried these and shared her recipe.  Once I discovered these are only an average of 115 calories each and they’re SUPER easy to make, I had to try them!   You literally dump all the ingredients into a blender, pulse, and bake.  Yes, they’re really – that easy….

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Preheat oven to 350°.

In a blender add the following ingredients:

  • 15 oz can (1 1/2 cups) black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/3 cup Maple syrup or Agave, pure
  • 1/2 cup Oats
  • 1/2 tsp Baking powder
  • 2 tbsp Cocoa powder
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1 pinch Stevia, Zing or 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tsp Vanilla flavoring
  • 1/4 cup coconut or vegetable oil

Pulse until blended really smooth.  This is important – the better you blend it – the better it will taste!  Once blended, mix in a handful of dark chocolate chips.

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Spray a brownie pan really well with Coconut Oil Spray and pour the mixture into the pan. Sprinkle extra chocolate chips over the top, if desired. Cook the black bean brownies 15-20 minutes, then let cool at least 10 minutes before trying to cut.  Makes 9-12 brownies.

 

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TADA!  When I originally posted this picture, a friend pointed out that these were in a “Temptations” dish – how appropriate!

Chocolate Truffles – Guilt Free!

Healthy Living, Recipes September 19, 2016 Leave a comment

These are insanely delicious!   When I first saw the ingredients I thought,  this should be good, interesting but good….I never imagined they’d be “that” good, plus addictive!

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  • 1/2 cup Dark Chocolate Chips, melted
  • 1 Tablespoon All Natural Almond Butter
  • 1/4 cup Plain Fat Free Greek Yogurt
  • 1/3 Cup Cocoa

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave for 20 seconds, stir, 20 seconds, stir, etc until completely melted.  Add in the almond butter.  Fold in the yogurt.

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Refrigate at least 20 minutes until firm. Form 1 tablespoon size balls and roll in the Cocoa.

Once all the truffles are made, refrigate until ready to eat.

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Enjoy!!!!