Yummy Fish

My family LOVES eating fish in our home. Someday we'll take a trip to Alaska so we can catch lots of fish (our favorites are Salmon and Talapia) for our freezer. Until then we buy our fish from Costco. I wrap each fish in tin foil with a little butter and seasoning and cook on my grill. I love using the grill because it keeps my house from smelling fishy!! It tastes so yummy and it is so quick to make!!   Cook time on the grill 10 minutes. 

Hot Dog casserole (My dad's favorite)

 If your family likes corn dogs they will love this. My Dad asks my mom to make this regularly. I had to make it for my family and it was so easy and filling. Those are two thing I look for in a meal. Oh and by the way the cabbage came from my garden. First time ever growing cabbage but this is our favorite way of eating it.

Sauté with olive oil

Celery, onion, frozen corn, and hotdogs

add diced or crushed tomatoes

chili powder

cumin

black beans

Salt and pepper

grease casserole dish 

put cornbread on top

bake at 400 for 20 min

Paleo Tacos

I got this recipe from a blog called Stupid Easy Paleo. I really like her blog. Changing your diet can be hard and scary. I usually make it harder than it needs to be so someone showing me an easier way is very appreciated. My family really like these. Ryan's only suggestion was for me to spice them up a little more next time. 

Paleo Tortilla Shells 

• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon melted ghee (sub: melted coconut oil)
• Update: 1 Tablespoon water makes the batter more spreadable / thin
• 1/4 cup arrowroot powder (I didn't have arrowroot powder so I used cornstarch. It worked great)
• 1 teaspoon coconut flour
• Pinch of salt
• If making crepes for a sweet application, add 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

We had filled our tortilla with...

Browned hamburger meat

Diced tomatoes

Grated cheese

Mild salsa

Lettuce/ Spinage

Next time I would like to make a BLT (Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato) in our shells. It would be great for breakfast on the go. 

Chicken Curry Stir Fry

This is another paleo recipe that I tried. My family LOVED this! YEAH!!! I used two different blogs for this meal. I will post the links next to the recipes.  The recipes you see below are my adaptations. 

Paleo Chicken Curry Stir Fry (One Pot Paleo)

2 tbsp olive oil 
12 chicken tenders, diced
1 bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 onion, halved and then cut into strips
1 head broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
4 cloves garlic 
2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp curry powder

I made cauliflower rice instead of brown rice for Ryan and he loved it. 

Cauliflower Rice (Nom Nom)

1. 2 Head of organic cauliflower (clean and chop up small pieces)
2. In a pan saute ½ onion in 2 Tbsp butter when onion is brown add cauliflower and cook for 5 to 10 minutes on medium heat.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste and EAT!! 

Broccoli Soup

This is such a simple but yummy soup!! I made it a week ago and am wishing I had some to eat right now.  I got it off the Paleo mom blog.  This recipe makes 2 to 3 servings, so I of course tripled it. 

2 cup bone broth (I used chicken broth because I didn't have bone broth)
1-2 broccoli heads 
1 avocado 
½ tsp ground nutmeg


Throw broccoli (stems and all) and avocado into your pot of boiling broth. Let it sit on a medium high setting until the broccoli gets all dark and tender. 

Reduce heat and add nutmeg and then put in the blender. Blend until everything is nice and creamy.  Viola, you have something yummy to serve your family. Perfect for those soup and salad nights. 

Sweetish Meatballs

This is a paleo recipe that I got from The Paleo Mom.com. It was really yummy and easy to make. The hardest part of eating the pale diet is that you don't have a starch or carb with your meals. I always feel really good afterward though. 

Meatballs

1 pd ground beef

1 medium yellow onion

1 Tbsp coconut oil

2 eggs

⅛ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

½ tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp. allspice 
Mix all ingredients (hands work best) and form into meatballs 

Bake meatballs in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. 

Sauce 

1 cup chicken broth

½ Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp arrow root 

Spicy Sausage Pasta

I totally stole this recipe from another blog (Kevinandamanda.com). Go to that blog because her pictures rock and she shows every step. Usually I make lots of changes to recipes to fit our families taste but I didn't change a thing with this one. My family loved it just like Amanda's husband. I made rolls and added a veggie. Family dinner time was filled with lots of smiles and laughter.

Makes 4 servings

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb smoked sausage
1 ½ cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (10 oz) can tomatoes and green chiles
½ cup heavy cream
8 oz noodles
½ tsp. salt and pepper
1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
⅓ cup thinly sliced scallions

Add olive oil to an oven-safe skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Add sausage and onions and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add broth, tomatoes, cream, pasta (uncooked), salt and pepper and stir. Bring to a boil, cover skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat and stir in ½ cup cheese. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with scallions. Broil until cheese is melted, spotty brown, and bubbly.

Spicy Chicken Nachos

This is a recipe we got from our good friends (the Wiser family). We make it at least every other week. I love it because it is quick, easy and feeling!! All good things in my home.

Items needed...

• Tortilla Chips
• Chicken (Cook in a pan with 1/2 an onion and 1 or 2 chopped  jalapeños if you like spicy)
• Black beans
• Spreader cheese (our favorites are cheddar or pepper jack) 

Place on a plate...chips, cooked chicken, black beans, jalapeños
  and cheese and heat up in the microwave until cheese is melted.  

Delicious Chicken and Black Bean Concoction

Yesterday my family and I were out doing some errands and after found ourselves very hungry. The thought of eating fast food is hard for us to stomach. Not saying that we don't eat out, because we do. But our favorite is a home cooked meal. As I looked in my kitchen I was having a difficult time thinking of something quick and easy to make. This is what I came up with. It was so DELICIOUS!!! My husband kept on going back for more. I love when my family enjoys what I make for dinner!!!!

In a pan cook 

Chicken (I used 2 cans of chicken from Costco), 1 can of italian seasoned tomatoes, 1 can of black beans, left over rice (2 cups), 1/2 cup of sour cream. Heat until hot and serve. 

In a bowl mix together

2 diced avocados, 1 diced tomato, and 1 cup of shredded cheese.

All that is missing is corn tortillas or tortilla chips and a dollop of sour cream. 

Thank goodness for quick and easy meals!! 

Lasagna Soup

I "liked" this recipe on pinterest last fall and just tried it. It was AWESOME!! My family loved it. My only regret was not doubling the recipe. Its a MUST TRY recipe!!


What you'll need

• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1-1/2 lbs. Italian sausage (I found sausage with jalapeños in it to spice this dish up a little bit)
• 3 c. chopped onions
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 T. tomato paste
• 1 28-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 6 c. chicken stock
• 8 oz. mafalda or fusilli pasta
• 1/2 c. finely chopped fresh basil leaves
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
for the cheesy yum:
• 8 oz. ricotta
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• pinch of freshly ground pepper
additional cheesy yum:
• 2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Sauté

olive oil, onions, and garlic. 

Bring to boil in a big pot

oregano, tomato paste, roasted diced tomatoes, bay leaves, chicken stock, basil leaves, salt and pepper. 

Boil in a pot your  fusilli or mafalda pasta al dente. 

Combine everything. and top it off with the cheesy yumminess!!! 

This is the blog that I got this recipe from. A Farm girl's dabbles. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. 

Salmon

This is my new favorite way to cook salmon. My family loves fish. Every time I make it my kids cheer. This time I got so many good comments on this recipe. Everyone loved it!!

Recipe...
- 2 slices of lemons on foil
- Salmon fish on top of lemon
-  Slab of butter and salt and pepper

Bake at 300 for 25 to 30 minutes.
Or
On the grill medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes.

 This is what our dinner looked like this night (Fish, sweet potatoes and red bell peppers). Very simple, healthy and filling.

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Bell Peppers

I found this recipe on Pinterest. It sounded so yummy I had to try it. Things that I liked about this recipe are... It was something out of the norm (Spaghetti or something with chicken). It was so quick and easy to put together and my family liked it. We are definitely going to make this again.

Ingredients...
8 oz. thinly sliced roast beef
8 slices provolone cheese
5 green peppers
1 medium sweet onion
6 oz. baby bella mushrooms
2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. garlic - minced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions...
Slice onions and mushrooms (my kids don't care for mushrooms so I cut them up really small)
Saute over medium heat with butter, olive oil, minced garlic and a little salt and pepper. Sauté until onions and mushrooms are nice and caramelized. About 15-20 minutes.

Slice roast beef into little squares and add to onion/mushroom mixture. Cook over stove for 5-10 minutes.

Layers in bell pepper... First, provolone cheese. Second, roast beef mixture. Third, provolone cheese.

Bake in oven at 400 degrees for 5-10 minutes. Enjoy!!!

The BEST Chicken Noodle Soup!!!

This is me, a very sick momma!!! Symptoms are pink eye, sore throat and very achy (Not fun). My cute husband came in and took over for me. He asked if I would like some chicken noodle soup? I thought for sure it would've come from a can. When I saw what he made I was so impressed!! It tasted so delicious that I had to post it on my blog. This is something I will definitely make again!!! Good job babe!!!

Bring to a boil... 
9 cups of water,
8 chicken broth cubes
1 finely chopped onion.

Add...  cook for 8 minutes
8-9 finely chopped celery
10-12 finely chopped mini carrots
1 tsp. oregano, bay leaves, salt, pepper  and basil

Add...
3 cups of cooked chicken or 3 cans of Costco canned chicken.
1 can Italian diced tomatoes

Let everything warm on simmer for 10 minutes or so!! So EASY to make. Hope your turns out as yummy as ours did!

Jumbalya

This smelled so good! 

My family gobbled this meal up. They asked for seconds and thirds. 

1/2 cup butter

2 yellow onions, chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

5 green onions, chopped

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 can of green chillies

2 bay leaves

1 tsp ground cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 1/2 lbs favorite sausage. sliced into 1/2 inch slices

4 cups chicken broth

1 (14 1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice

3 cups of brown rice

Directions... 

Melt butter in large pot over medium high heat

add the onions, green onions, bell peppers, garlic, chile, bay leaves, cayenne pepper and thyme. 

cover and cook until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. 

add sausage, broth, tomatoes and rice

bring mixture to simmer

reduce heat to low, cover and cook until rice is very tender, stirring occassionally, about 30-45 minutes. 

Potato Soup and Rolls

This is a family favorite. Especially on a cold winter day. 

Boil until tender. 10 minutes
6 to 10 potatoes peeled and chopped-
Drain water. Add milk an inch above the potatoes. Do Not Boil once milk has been added. Just warm.  

Boil until tender. Add to potatoes.
1 onion (diced)
5 carrots (
5 celery stocks (diced)
2 cups of corn

Stir in slowly corn starch to thicken. 

Season with salt, pepper, rosemary, parsley and larys season salt to taste. 

I got this recipe for these rolls from this website an oregon cottage.They turned out so yummy. I'm definitely going to make these again. 

Hell Burgers (The Best Burger EVER)

We (my husband and I) can't take full credit for this idea. We watched an episode of Man vs. Food and they were visiting a restaurant that served up these delightful little burgers. We almost wanted to take a drive to Amarillo TX just to taste them. We then decided to try and make our own to save the 15.5 hour drive. Our first couple of goes at it were fun and tasty but we have now mastered the approach and these have become very popular. Our friends and family talk about them for weeks after we make them a round of Hell Burgers. They really love them. By the way, they are just as good without the Jalapeno's for your not-so-daring friends.

The (Semi Famous) Hell Burger

Warning: this is a hot one. Our 9 year old can handle it though.

2 lbs. Quality Ground beef

1 Medium or Large diced onion

Season to Taste (Salt, Pepper, Lawry's Steak Seasoning,)

1 Egg per 2 pounds of meat

Lettuce

Tomato

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Thaw ground beef and mix in onion, egg and salt and pepper. Also add in Lawry's Season Salt. Mix with hands and make into patties, ours are usually about 1/3 pound patties.

Preheat the electric griddle to 400 degrees cook the burger on one side for 3 to 4 minutes uncovered to sear it. I like sprinkling a coat of Lawry's seasoning and some cayenne pepper on the burger as it first starts cooking. Then flip it over and place under a metal bowl (See picture), these help to cook the meat all the way through and make it cook a little faster. I estimate that we cook for about 5 - 8 minutes then flip it over and do another 5 minutes on the first side.

Once you place the bowl on the burger put the jalapenos (sliced to make little circles) on the griddle. Brown (slightly). When you flip the burger place the Jalapenos on top of the patty. Keep under the bowl until fully cooked. When almost done put a handful of shredded cheese on top of the burger covering the Jalapenos. Cover again for 30 to 60 seconds to melt the cheese. Then serve it up with your choice of toppings and condiments. Our favorite is on my homemade wheat buns (see below) with just ketchup and mustard although on the show they put lettuce and tomato on as well.

Honey-whole wheat bun recipe

3 c. whole wheat flour

1/3 c. honey

1/4 c. shortening or butter

1 tbs. salt

2 pkg yeast (2 Tbs)

2 1/4 c. very warm water

3 to 4 c. whole-wheat flour

Combine in a glass bowl: honey, shortening (butter), salt, and water. Heat in microwave for 1 minute until hot (not boiling hot)

In your mixer put 3 cups of whole-wheat flour, crate a little cavity in the flour and pour the yeast in. Then pour hot ingredients on top and mix for about a second. Check to see if the water is bubbly, if it is that means your yeast is good (alive). Turn the mixer back on to a slow setting and continue adding flour very slowly as it mixes. When the dough comes off of the sides of your mixer the you have added enough flour. Let the dough continue to mix (knead) for 5 minutes. Place it in big bowl with damp towel over the top. Tip: heat helps the dough rise quicker, place it next to your hot oven.

After the dough has doubled in size, make into dinner rolls size balls (a little bigger than a golf ball). Smash as flat as you can. I even use a rolling pin. Place on a greased pan and then in oven. Then slice the rolls to make your bun.

Preheat Oven: 375

Bake Time: 10-12 minutes

Chicken Avacodo Sandwiches

Lyndsie, this is the recipe I was telling you about. It ROCKS!! My sister in law Melanie made this for me at a Sister's Reunion. They were so good. After I finished mine I was wishing I hadn't.

Sourdough bread. Butter one side and sprinkle fresh parmasan cheese. Put the buttered and cheese side down on the grill or pan. On that slice of cooking bread lay a slice of mozzarella cheese, turkey, and avocado. Top it off with buttered sourdough bread and parmasan cheese on top. Bake on both sides until browned and enjoy. So yummy! - Melissa

Poppy Seed Chicken

Lyn and Jess- This recipe came from my twin sisters-in-law (Janae and Janene). When they were in college they took turns making meals for everyone that lived in their appartment. This was one of their favorites. It has become one of our favorites as well. It is very creamy and you can never go wrong with Ritz crackers. I love quick meals that taste good and this is definately one of them. Try it! I know that you and your famillies will love it.  - Melissa

3-4 Chicken Breasts (cubed or shredded) - I put chicken in the crock pot in the morning making this meal a quick fix.

1 can Cream of Chicken (Family Size - low fat)

1 cup Sour Cream (fat free)

2 pkgs Wheat Ritz crackers (crushed)

1 T Poppy Seeds

2 T Melted Butter

Pre-cook chicken. Mix sour cream and cream of chicken soup. In a casserole pan, add chicken, cream of chicken and sour cream. Crush ritz crackers and mix with melted butter. Top chicken mixture with ritz and sprinkle with poppy seeeds. Serve over rice or noodles. MMMmmmm good!!!

Cook at 350° for 30-40 minutes

The Best Spaghettii Sauce

May 19th was a big day!! My friends Laura, her brother Brett and I ran in the Ogden Marathon. It is something Laura and I worked towards for close to 2 years. Something always got in the way. Injuries, a pregnancy, life. The stars finally aligned and we found ourselves on a bus at 5 am heading to the starting line of this 26.2 mile run. The energy was amazing. The weather was to be 70 degrees which equals perfection. The course was so beautiful. We got to mile 4 and were surprised that we had gone that far. It was just too perfect. The race turned out to be the craziest experience. Running through injuries (knees and hips), charlie horses, collapsing (with 3 miles to go), etc. But in the end we made it. We crossed the finished line.

The night before we had dinner at Laura's house to carb up before the big race. Spaghetti, bread sticks, and salad. It was all so delicious. I wanted to post the spaghetti sauce that I used. This is the BEST spaghetti recipe ever. My mom found it from a Better Homes and Gardens magazine after she was married in 1974. It has been a favorite ever since. She adds new things to it every time. If there is something you think will make this recipe better add it. That is one of the fun things about cooking, you can make it the way you like it.

Momma Miller spaghetti sauce - The BEST!!

Serves 4

1 lb Ground beef, Turkey, Byson or Italian sausage (cook meat before adding to sauce)

1/2 Clove of garlic crushed

1 T Dried parsley

1/2 t. Salt

1/2 t. Dried Oregano

1/4 t Dried basil

1/2 t Sugar

Small can tomato paste

15 ounce can tomato sauce (with green pepper, onion, tomatoes bits in it)

Mushrooms (optional)

Let sauce come to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes.

For my bread sticks I used my one and only bread recipe. When the dough was ready I pulled off little sections and rolled them out (brought back memories of making snakes out of play dough in grade school) and twisted two of them together. The bread sticks were fun and oh so yummy.