Mmm Mmm Monday: Soups and Such.

This weekend was kind of a downer.
I wasn't feeling great towards the end of the week and just could barely keep my eyes open. I kept drinking coffee and popping B12 vitamins like skittles, TRYING to get some energy. But, nothing was working. Finally I progressed to getting achy and feeling terrible; by Friday afternoon Aaron practically forced me out the door into the doctor's office where I found out I had a few "issues." Primarily Strep Throat ... Which I've never had before and for some reason thought I was immune. I also was blessed with a teensy bit of bronchitis, a sinus infection and and the beginnings of an ear infection. No wonder I felt awful!
I pretty much laid in bed for the next 36 hours waiting on my meds to kick in. This pic kinda sums up my weekend attitude:

 During that exciting time I sampled the best of what Wal-Mart had to offer from the soup aisle ... It was less than stellar. There was a ray of sunshine when my friend Emily brought a cup of soup from a local bistro.... I'm still not sure what kind of soup it was, but it was fab. Thanks Em!

Anyway, by Sunday I still wasn't feeling 100%, but I was definitely ready to step it up a notch in the dining department.
I spent a great deal of Saturday dreaming up what kind of soup I really wanted ... I have lots of faves when it comes to soup, you know.
Did I want ole' trusty: Paula Deen's "The Lady's Chicken Noodle Soup" that is hands down the best evah ... Especially when coupled with some of my mamas cheddar jalapeño cornbread muffins ... Maybe more of the Pioneer Woman's Beef Stew, or my latest Pinterest obsession Smoky Corn Chowder with Shrimp?
No, I think I wanted something a little big smoother, a little easier to throw together, and something just perfect for a sore throat ... The Pioneer Woman's Sherried Tomato Soup sounded like just what the doctor ordered. I think it was one of the first recipes I ever made of hers and I've been hooked ever since.
The great thing about this soup is I tend to usually have almost everything on hand.

Here's what you need:

6 Tablespoons Melted Butter
1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
1 bottle (46 Oz.) Tomato Juice
2 cans (14 Oz. Cans) Diced Tomatoes
1 Tablespoon (up To 3 Tablespoons) Chicken Base
3 Tablespoons (up To 6 Tablespoons) Sugar
1 pinch Salt
Black Pepper To Taste
1 cup Cooking Sherry
1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream
Chopped Fresh Parsley
Chopped Fresh Basil

And it's super easy to make ...

Here's what you do:
Sauté diced onions in butter until translucent. Then add canned tomatoes, tomato juice, chicken base, sugar, pinch of salt, black pepper and stir. Bring to a near boil, then turn off heat. Add in sherry and cream and stir. Add in parsley and basil to taste.

I mean, it doesn't get any easier than this! And it is so yummy! The sherry and the herbs give it the yummiest flavor! It also helps if you have lots of cute helpers for stirring.

Here's the problem with soups, though: They're not very man-pleasin'! Even some of my heartiest stews just don't really excite my manly man. So, I made him a little sumpin' special, one of his very favorite sandwiches: Bacon, Avocado, Tomato, and Egg. Mmm Mmm (Okay, okay it's one of my faves too).

Here's what you need:

2 pieces of thickly sliced bread (I prefer sourdough on this sandwich)
Bacon (1/2 pound will usually suffice for 3 sandwiches)
Mayonnaise
Avocado (thinly sliced)
Tomato (thinly sliced)
Egg (one per sandwich)

And here's what you do:

Fry up your bacon and let drain on a paper towel.

I mean, that's a beautiful sight.

Then lather (yes, lather) your bread with mayonnaise (NOT Miracle Whip! Bleck!).

Let it toast for 6-7 minutes at around 350 degrees in the oven. When your bread is almost done, fry up an egg where the yolk is still soft.

Then just pile everything on your toasted bread ... Avocado slices, tomato, bacon, and finally the hot, fried egg. This is meant to be eaten immediately!

It's pretty darn good ... Like, really good.

And then Aaron's perfectly happy with soup for dinner, great compromise. We've got this marriage thing all figured out ... Kinda. ;)


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Mmm Mmm Monday ... Let's Do Brunch

One of my very favorite things about our NYC trip was leisurely coffee dates with my mom and sisters every morning.



I'm not really a big breakfast person, I typically just drink coffee, and occasionally I'll have a bagel. But, most of the time I don't mess with it, I'm just not really hungry first thing in the morning. Nevertheless, I do loveee brunchy foods and pin different breakfast yumminess on Pinterest all the time.
I decided to try out a couple this weekend on the fam.
First up was the Pioneer Woman's Baked French Toast (Did your mouth squirt just reading that? Mine did.).
The last day we were in NYC we ate at a New York hot spot, Junior's Cheesecake, that had the yummiest French toast! I rarely make it because it's such a mess, but it is one of my absolute faves. This baked kind was PERFECT and I'm sure it will become a holiday tradition since you can get it all ready the night before and then pop it in the oven the next morning! Love.
This recipe was easy, but a teensy bit time consuming ... But, I promise it's worth the effort. Just cut up a loaf of sourdough bread and arrange evenly in a greased 9x13 Pyrex dish.
Then put together a mixture of 8 whole eggs, 2 cups of whole milk, half a cup of heavy cream, half a cup of sugar and half a cup of brown sugar and two tablespoons of pure vanilla extract and pour over the bread cubes evenly. Then you can pop it in the fridge overnight.



For the topping combine half a cup of flour, half a cup of brown sugar, a tsp of cinnamon, a quarter tsp of salt, and a dash of grated nutmeg. You can just mix this with a fork or whisk or whatever tickles your pickle.
Next, cube up a stick of cold butter. By the time I get done cutting it in little cubes its getting kinda soft so I pop them in the freezer for a few minutes. Then I pulled them out and put the topping and the butter in a food processor to blend into a "pebbly consistency." If you have a pastry cutter that would probably work much better, but I didn't, so the food processor worked fine.








After you get it all combined then dump it in a ziploc and put the mix in the fridge.
The next morning you can crumble the topping over the bread mix and then bake at 350 for 45 minutes. It is a DELICIOUS treat!
Next up I whipped up some yummy Cream Cheese Sausage balls. These were easier than I expected, I'll probably start making these more often. You need 1 lb breakfast sausage, (uncooked), 8 oz softened cream cheese, 1 1/4 cups Bisquick
and 4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded.
Mix all ingredients until well combined (The recipe recommended using your KitchenAid mixer with the dough hook attachment). Roll into 1-inch balls. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until brown at 400.




I tried to use my oven for both dishes and just bake the sausage balls at the lower temp for longer ... This worker okayyy. But the bottoms were burnt, so I wouldn't recommend this. Here is what they should look like.




Mine looked similar ... Lets just leave it at that.
To go with the not-so-healthy French Toast and Sausage Balls, I made a fruit salad that I've done a couple times now that was suggested by one of my friends, Mandy. It's a Honey Lime Fruit Salad and it's just delish.




I forgot to pick up a couple kiwis which not only looks pretty in the dish, but adds a different flavor, too. So I won't skip it again.
It's so simple to make and adds a teensy bit of "good for you" to the table.
Here's what you need:
1 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks, drained well
1 can mandarin oranges, drained well
2-3 ripe kiwi, peeled and sliced into thick half moons
1 cup green grapes, halved
1 cup strawberries, quartered
Zest from one lime, about 1 tbs
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon poppy seeds (optional)
Here's what you do:
Combine the fruit in a medium-large serving bowl. Add the lime zest and poppy seeds, if using, and gently toss. Drizzle the honey over the fruit and again, gently mix until the fruit is evenly coated with the honey. Serve. Enjoy. Tell your friends.




I may have to start making a big spread every weekend; it seriously made the whole morning lovely and my house smelled divine.
Hope y'all have a Mmm Mmm good Monday!
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Mmm Mmm Monday

We've spent the last week outside indulging in a much welcomed cool front. We've had nights with lows in the 40s, 50s and 60s. Pinch me.
After Aaron had practically trimmed every tree and lone weed from the backyard we had accumulated quite the brush pile ... Which only meant one thing: a bonfire. We've spent the last several days huddled around the smoky flames where we can almost pretend we're back on Boone Rd. We do love a bonfire.
Spending the time outside I thought I'd try a fun grilled pizza recipe I found on Pinterest.
My friend Lisa is always making yummy Pioneer Woman pizzas and she says her crust is oh-so-easy ... I pulled out one of her cookbooks and started to get lightheaded reading about rising yeast and paddle attachments on stand mixers. Not my forte.
So, I cheated. I called our divine Italian Meat Market, Sopranos, that has the yummiest pizza in town and asked if I could come get some pizza dough. People, it was the best $2.50 I've ever spent.
I recommend that route- however, PW makes a great crust, so I can attest to that deliciousness if you want to try that.
Otherwise, here's what you'll need:
Pizza Dough/Crust
Pesto (fresh or prepared)
3-4 finely sliced Roma tomatoes
7-8 oz sliced Cremini mushrooms
Worchestire or Sherry
Garlic salt
2-3 tbl butter
Goat Cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Kosher Salt to taste

And here's how it went down:

After picking up I came home to spread a generous amount of a jarred pesto I picked up at Sopranos (I had planned on making my own, but since I was there and it was sitting there calling out to me, I grabbed it.)
After the pesto, I layered on some very thinly sliced tomatoes (my grocery store was out of Roma, so I just got the "tomatoes on the vine" which worked fine, but I think Roma would be better), I crumbled an herbed goat cheese, and then some sautéed cremini mushrooms (to sauté I usually just melt some butter in a skillet, add in some Worchestire and garlic salt and cook until they reach their state of deliciousness. However I was out of Worchestire, a travesty, so I used some Sherry instead ... That worked just fine). I topped with a teensy shower of grated Parmesan, because I'm of the belief system you can never have enough cheese.
I baked that in a 475 degree oven for about 11 minutes. It was perfection.






Seriously. Yum to the O.
And meatless! Holla! Aaron was so proud.

Earlier in the day I'd made my Aunt Tamra's famous salsa and it was a great appetizer. It makes a ton, so take some to friend.
Here's what you need:
10-12 roma tomatoes
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch green onions
1 lg can green chilis, chopped
1 can black olives
5 -6 cloves garlic
2-3 fresh jalapenoes
juice of 1 lime
salt & pepper to taste
4 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Give the individual produce a rough chop and then throw in cuisinart to do the rest of the work. Then add spices. I sometimes add cayenne pepper for additional heat, but I held off since I knew the kids would be eating it and it gets hotter over night.

I didn't do a dessert because we were roasting s'mores ... One of my favorite treats.





















Hope you have a Mmm Mmm Good week. ;)

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Mmm Mmm Monday

Without a doubt, my staple food these days is quinoa. I make it at least 3 times a week. I love that you can add different flavor combinations to it and make it a whole different dish ... It's such a great side. Oddly enough, I had never made it until I moved to Pennsylvania. I was constantly seeing recipes, reading my friends blogs or texts about loving it, but never made it myself. Also never actually hearing it pronounced. So when I walked into our grocery one day combing the aisles for it, finally asking the manager if they had it and found her looking at me very strangely. I kept asking though, "Do y'all have any of that "qui-noh-aah?" in my thick Arkansas accent. The sweet manager looked at my with her head cocked to the side, I'm sure trying not to laugh and said, "Do you men "keen-wha?" Oops.
So, note to self ... Quinoa is pronounced "Keen-wha." Got it.

Most of my quinoa recipes have been inspired from my friend the quinoa pro, Mandy. She always comes up with yummy flavor combinations that never disappoint.
This is my very fav:
Quinoa with Bell Pepper, Avocado, Tomato, and Feta
I toast the quinoa a little bit before I cook it. Just drizzle a little EVOO in your pan and stir it over medium heat for a few minutes. Mandy's best tip has been cooking the quinoa in chicken broth instead of water, MUCH more flavorful. Follow your package directions, but it's much like cooking rice- bring to a boil, then cover and let simmer for about 15-20 minutes. All the broth will be absorbed and you can add in your fav ingredients. For this recipe just add in what the name suggests: a diced bell pepper, a ripe tomato, an avocado and some feta cheese. I add a splash of lime juice and a little cilantro if I have it. It's great!
I didn't have a pic, so I borrowed one of Pinterest ... Forgive me.



This week I tried out a super yummy baked garlicky shrimp recipe. I have a major love affair with Panko bread crumbs, I prefer to crunch my calories.

This recipe was dee-licious.

Here's what you need.
1 lb. raw shrimp, deveined and peeled (I used the extra-large)
4 cloves minced garlic
2 Tbsp. white wine
salt and pepper
Half a stick of melted butter
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 Tbsp. fresh Italian-leaf parsley, chopped
And the juice of half a lemon.

And here's how you do it.

Preheat oven to 425.

In a bowl, combine the shrimp, garlic, and white wine. Stir to combine, then pour into a baking dish. Spread out evenly, and then season with salt and pepper.

In another bowl, use a fork to mix melted butter, Panko, and parsley until well combined. With your fingers, sprinkle the mixture evenly in the baking dish over the shrimp.

Transfer dish to oven and bake until the shrimp are pink and opaque, about 15-18 minutes.
Easy Peasy.




My last bit of yumminess was a spinach salad ... Have I mentioned how much I love spinach? Me and Popeye were practically separated at birth. Except that I don't think I would like canned spinach.
Anyway, if you're looking for a new yummy salad- look no further.
Spinach Salad with Maple Vinaigrette.
Start with a bag of baby spinach
Add in a carton of mushrooms (I sauté these in butter, Worchestire sauce, and garlic salt until desired doneness. I have to try to not eat them all out of the skillet.)
Toss in half of a sliced red onion, 1/2 a cup of Gorgonzola chese and 2 hard boiled eggs, chopped.
I think what made this was the sweet maple syrup vinaigrette.
I think the top chefs would tell you to emulsify all this is a food processor or something, but I just put all the ingredients in a mason jar and shake, shake, shake. I just eye-balled this- but I'll give estimates:
I used about four tablespoons of
Extra VirginOlive Oil, a tablespoon and a
half of real maple syrup, a two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, half a teaspoon of Dijon mustard and a little salt.
Now shake all your frustrations out. :)
Drizzle on your salad and toss well.
Yum to the O.

Enjoy!!

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Mmm Mmm Monday (... Err Tuesday)

Oops! Yesterday I got sidetracked and didn't get to post any yumminess, but I'm posting some today. You're welcome.
I had planned on making this last night, so I went to the store to get all to fixin's. But, while I was in the checkout line, I received a text from Aaron saying we were going to play golf with some of our friends, the Wanck's, so I didn't get to do my original meal plan. Enter frozen pizza at 8:15. Enter "ticked off mama" ... A lot of my happiness resides in a big yummy dinner, NOT frozen pizza. Clearly, I have issues. At least they're cute.



Moving on. Yesterday I had my coffee outside as usual and was loving that there was almost a chill in the northeastern air ... 68 degrees! Perfect excuse for soup and salad. Since I didn't get to do it last night and AB is working from home today I figured lunch would be the perfect opportunity to make it!
My first dish was this delightful Smoky Corn Chowder with Shrimp I keep seeing pinned and re-pinned on Pinterest. I honestly don't think I've ever had chowder, much less made it, but the ingredients sounded delish and I had lots of fresh Farmers Market corn to use.
The recipe is adapted from Real Simple magazine.

Ingredients:

* 2 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
* 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 Tbs. smoked paprika
* 1 pinch crushed red pepper
* 3 ears fresh corn, kernels removed
* 2 cups chicken stock
* 1/2 cup half and half (or cream)
* coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
* basil slivers for garnish (optional)

This just served 2, so I doubled it.

Heat a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy. Remove bacon from the pan and set aside on a paper towel to drain. Drain all but 1Tbs. bacon fat, if you have that much in the pot.

Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the shrimp to the pot and sear on one side for 2 minutes. Flip and sear 30 more seconds. Remove shrimp from pot and set aside (At this point your kitchen should smell heavenly)

If you need to add a little oil (or bacon fat) to the pot, do so. Add the onions to the pot and sauté 5 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, crushed red pepper and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté another minute.

Add the fresh corn to the pot and toss to combine. Sauté another minute or two, careful not to burn it.

Add the stock and half & half to the pot. Stir to combine. Keep on a low simmer for 15 minutes. Taste it. Need a little salt and pepper? Add a pinch or two.

If you have an immersion blender, place it in the pot and pulse it a few times until about half of the soup becomes creamy, still leaving whole kernels as well. If you don’t have an immersion blender, ladle about a cup and a half of the soup into a blender and pulse until creamy. Pour back into the pot and stir to combine.



This soup was SO delicious! I will definitely be making it again. Served up with some Rosemary Focaccia it was quite the delicacy.
Later this afternoon I'll be making one of my all-time fav salads, another Pinterest find of course: Autumn Chopped Salad.

Ingredients
*6 to 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
*2 medium pears, chopped
*1 cup dried cranberries (There is a Craisin Salad Topper that has dried cranberries and candied pecans)
*1 cup chopped pecans
*8 slices thick-cut bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
*4 to 6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
*Poppy seed Salad Dressing
*Balsamic Vinaigrette
*Grilled Chicken (optional)

Instructions
*On a large platter, combine the lettuce, pears, cranberries, pecans, bacon and feta cheese. Drizzle generously with poppy seed dressing, followed by some of the balsamic vinaigrette. (I would estimate that I used about a cup of dressing: 70 percent poppy seed dressing and 30 percent balsamic vinaigrette). I've also topped this with grilled chicken for the perfect lunch.
I've made this a bunch and every time people just rave on it. Since, I'm not making it until this afternoon I'm borrowing a pic from www.expressoandcream.com to show the final product.



Yum.

Lastly, I'm posting something sweet. I would be embarrassed to call this a "recipe" because it's just compiling your favorite sweet treats in nacho form, but my kids (ahem, and myself) totally loved this. They're called
Apple Nachos.
We used:

*3 of your favorite apples (we love the Honeycrisp apples).
1 tsp lemon juice
3 tbsp cream peanut butter
1/4 cup sliced almonds (I love them toasted)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (again, toasted)
1/4 cup flaked unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup white chocolate chips

First we sliced up the apples finely and tossed around in the lemon juice to prevent the yucky but practically inevitable browning.
Then melt the peanut butter until it's runny enough to drizzle over the apples. Then I let the kiddos pile on their favorites: unsweetened coconut, almonds and walnuts, the Chocolate chips and some more peanut butter. We started eating them before all the toppings were finished. Add in the fact that the kids were the head chefs and it wasn't very pretty, but here is a pic from www.manifestvegan.com so you can get the idea:




Yum. Yum. Yum.
It's all pretty Mmm Mmm Good!!!!

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Mmm Mmm Monday

I'm getting better about this whole healthy eating thing already, but I'm bound and determined to not lose some of our favorite flavors. We're really doing more plant-based, whole foods, which actually means no meat. Sounds so crazy. But, it's been easier than expected. We will definitely cheat here and there ... But for our day to day life, we're eating much less animal protein.
Since I'm doing so many veggies, I almost have to wait until I get in the grocery to decide what I'm going to make depending on what veggies are looking and smelling the best ... Which is not how I usually roll. The old-Rebekah tends to plan out a menu for at least a week, sometimes two. Anyway, today after going into the grocery store the tomatoes were practically calling out to me; they smelled like they had just been plucked out of the garden this morning. So I stocked up and rolled through my Pinterest files to a tomato-happy dish. Ding, ding, ding: found just what I was looking for: Creamy Avocado Pasta. This pasta includes one of my fav flavor combinations: avocado and tomato. Plus, one of my all time loves, pine nuts. It was entirely easy to put together, but still totally scrumptious. I wasn't here for the actual eating of the dinner, but Aaron said they all ate it up!












I wasn't here to see it all plated, but even warmed up for leftovers it was
Especially with one of my new favorite beverages: Sooo yummy!!



PASTA INGREDIENTS
10 - 12 small Campari tomatoes, quartered (My tomatoes were the on-the-vine variety and that worked great, too!)
3 - 4 tbsp olive oil
4 servings of fettuccine noodles
2 ripe avocados, seed and skin removed
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup pine nuts (toasted makes them SO much better!)
grated fresh Parmesan cheese
salt and cracked black pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 300 ºF.
2. Wash and quarter the tomatoes. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with 1 - 2 tbsp olive oil, just enough to make the tomatoes glisten. Bake for 1 hour in the oven.
3. Ten minutes before tomatoes are finished, fill a large pot with water and a sprinkle of salt. Bring to a rapid boil. Add the dry fettuccine to the water and cook until al dente.
4. While the pasta is boiling, add 2 tbsp olive oil, avocado, garlic, salt and lemon juice to a food processor. Pulse until the ingredients are smooth and creamy.
5. Strain the pasta, and combine with the sauce in a large bowl, until all the pasta has been covered.
6. Add the roasted tomatoes, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and pine nuts. Add some salt and black pepper to taste.
This was a big hit! It was super creamy, deliciously flavorful, and just the right amount. However I'm sure some grilled chicken or shrimp on the top would have been divine.
I still had a bunch of tomatoes left, so I served the pasta with one of my fam's favorite salads: Summer Tomatoes and Boursin. Slice up fresh tomatoes, crumble Boursin cheese over the top, some sliced scallions and then drizzle Newman's olive oil and vinegar dressing (or your fav vinaigrette) over the top. I can't get enough of it, I would eat it several times a week. Not to mention it's so pretty!
I had some whole wheat rolls that I threw on the table too ... Because I'm a bread-a-holic.
I actually made a dessert today too ... And it was a good one. I love carrot cake. Loooooove it. I found this recipe on Cooking Light and tweaked it just a bit to make it into some yummy cupcakes.
Ingredients:
Cake:
10.1 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 cups)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups grated carrot
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
Cooking spray
Frosting:
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 ounce fromage blanc
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. To prepare cake, weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ground cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add 2 cups grated carrot, tossing to combine.
3. Place granulated sugar, brown sugar, and 6 tablespoons butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Spread batter into a 13 x 9-inch metal baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 28 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake completely on a wire rack.
4. To prepare frosting, place softened cream cheese and next 4 ingredients (through 1/8 teaspoon salt) in a medium bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at medium speed until combined (don't overbeat). Spread frosting evenly over top of cake. Sprinkle evenly with toasted pecans. I chose to do cupcakes, and I baked them around 24 minutes. Yummy!















Thankful for lots of helpers! :)
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Mmm Mmm Monday

While we were in Arkansas Aaron was up here watching wayyyyy too many Netflix documentaries on nutrition: Food Inc, Forks Over Knives, Food Matters ... and probably a dozen more. He was super serious about us changing up our diets and all but becoming like that girl on Notting Hill who thought any vegetables plucked from the earth had been murdered ... I'm not kidding. The man loves a cause.
After a couple "debates," we met in the middle and walked into Wegmans ready to get our healthy on. As I'm getting in the hang of our new lifestyle of mainly plant-based, whole food menu I'm planning to chart our discoveries (Or our more likely would be our failures and quick return to Paula Deen and The Pioneer Woman). But HOPEFULLY it will be a mix of the two: making healthy food yummy!

I love cooking. I'm one of those people that plans out a weekly menu and usually at least half of those are Pinterest finds that I've never made before. My kids are used to my culinary adventures and will eat most anything, bless their sweet hearts. However, even I was shocked when they gobbled up Aaron's southwestern salmon he cooked last night. Maybe this will be easier than I thought!
I'm not really sure what this will look like weekly at this point, but on Mondays I'll try to post at least one recipe ... In a perfect world that will be healthy family faves, but probably a couple slip-ups as well ... Like today. Clearly, I'm off to a good start.

Tonight's Menu is pretty easy- one of the great things about healthy food is that it's usually easy to make since it seems you're not coating the food in lots of unhealthy stuff.

First up: Baked Tilapia.
This recipe is so easy, so yummy, and only takes a few minutes to pull together.
I'm pretty sure if you've ever made tilapia (or most other white fish) then you've probably made the same thing ... But I'll share my fav way, just in case.
All you need is:
4 Tilapia Fillets
2 tbs butter
1 tbs of minced garlic
A pinch of dill
A dash of salt and pepper
A dash of paprika
Juice of half a lemon

To prepare:
Preheat oven to 350.
Over low heat melt your butter and then add in the rest of your ingredients (except the tilapia).
Once it begins to simmer you can pour a bit of the sauce in the bottom of a shallow baking pan. Then place the fillets in the pan as well and pour the rest of the sauce over the fish. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. It will be done when it flakes easily with a fork.
Easy Peasy!

Next on the list: Kale Salad
Kale is all over the documentaries we've watched as a super-food. So I see it being a main staple to our diets. The vitamins and minerals packed inside are unbelievable.
This is such an easy way to fix it without losing any of the goodness it's known for.

All you need is:
Kale: rinsed and chopped
1 large Avocado: mashed
Juice of half a lemon
Dash of kosher salt

To prepare:
Just mix together the avocado and lemon juice and then toss it with the kale. Throw in a dash of salt and serve. It really is super yummy!

Okay, so last on my list is one of the yummiest things I've made in a while... Definitely not part of the healthy eating plan ... But it does have bananas. Sooo ... Yeah, there's that. I saw this on Pinterest yesterday and couldn't get it out of my head until I eventually ran to Wal-Mart to get the fixins.

Last but not least: Chocolate Chip Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

To make the layered cake you have to double this recipe, which is what I did. The recipe that follows is just one 8 inch round cake ... But next time I'm doing it in cupcake form ... You'll see why.

Here's what you need:
For the cake-
1 yellow cake mix
3/4 c water
1/3 c oil
3 eggs
1 c mashed bananas
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 c of mini chocolate chips

For the frosting-
1 c butter, softened
1/2 c peanut butter
4 tbsp water
3 tbsp of honey
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
4 c of powdered sugar

To prepare:
For the cake-
Add in the cake mix, baking soda, cinnamon, eggs,water and oil and beat on low for one minute. Increase mixer speed and beat for two more minutes. Stir in the chocolate chips and bananas by hand.
Grease and flour an 8 in cake pan and fill with batter. Bake at 350 for about 38 minutes. Cool in the pan for ten minutes before letting cool on a wire rack. Frost.

For the frosting-
Cream butter and peanut butter. Add in 2 tbsp water, salt, vanilla and cream again. Slowly add in the sugar. After all the sugar is added, add in another 1-2tbsp water.
Beat in the honey until creamy.

Enjoy!

When I first saw the picture of this cake I could not get over how pretty it was ...



She said she used to be pro cake decorator. Look at the basket weave technique. Mmm hmm. Here's how mine turned out:



It reminds me of one of my favorite Pinterest pins ever:



It was still one of the tastiest cakes ever!!!

Happy Monday!

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