Hot Italian Sausage & Veggie Pasta

I always crave pasta, it is definitely my biggest downfall, so with this Challenge, it has been especially difficult. I found this pasta at Traders and it only has brown rice, quinoa flour and water in it! I of course had to try it out. It is delicious. It is very similar to brown rice pasta if you are familiar with that. The recipe I cam up with was super easy and we both loved it!

1 package of Hot Italian Sausage

1 container of diced pancetta

1 yellow pepper

1 can of artichoke hearts in water

large container of cherry tomatoes

2 cups fresh basil, chopped

1 package of brown rice & quinoa pasta

salt and pepper

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons dried minced onions

Directions:

• Chop up veggies so they are all about the same size, and cut tomatoes in half.
• In a large pan, brown the sausage, when it is done, add the pancetta. You could drain the grease if you wanted, but the pasta needs some sort of sauce, so I just left it. It really wan't that much anyways. 
• Boil and cook pasta according to instructions, then drain (do not rinse)
• Then add all veggies and basil to the sausage, add seasonings and let cook about 5 minutes. 
• Add pasta to the sausage and veggies and stir it up!
• Serve it up with some basil over the top. 

Green Olive Sole

We wanted fish for dinner, and I had some Dover Sole in the fridge. I got home, stared in the fridge for about 5 minutes trying to figure out how I was going to make the fish (since typically I really rely on butter for fish like this) and came up with this. Seriously amazing! Stephen LOVED it and we both wish we had more.

2 sole fillets (or other white fish)

1 cup green olives, sliced

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1/4 cup olive juice

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper

garlic powder

Directions:

• In a large pan, put olive oil and saute onions until they are tender and start to become translucent. 
• Add olives, parsley, olive juice, and pepper (don't add salt yet). 
• Season the sole on both sides with salt and pepper and garlic powder. Go VERY light on the salt, the olives and juice add a lot of salt to this dish so you don't want to over do it. 
• Add the fish right on top of the onion and olive mix and let cook about 4 minutes, then flip the fish and let cook through. The fish cooks very fast and you don't want to over do it. 
• Serve the fish up over some quinoa cooked in vegetable or chicken stock! I also garnished with some parsley and served up some sauteed kale on the side. Delicious!!!

Creamy Sirloin Steak

So this recipe came about because I was craving some biscuits and gravy for dinner. This recipe is no where close, obviously, but it did satisfy my craving! The sauce is nice and rich and so delicious. The best part about the gravy was that not only was it excellent on the meat, it was so good served over top the sweet potato mash I made! I usually get pictures of the final product, however as delicious as this meal was, it was extremely unappetizing in pictures :)

3 large portabello mushrooms, sliced 

2-3 thin sliced sirloin steaks

1/2 tablespoon olive oil (or bacon fat)

1/2 cup light coconut milk

1 cup chicken stock

1 tablespoon dried minced onions

2 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon arrowroot powder (a substitute for cornstarch)

2 tablespoons water

salt and pepper

1 large sweet potato

1 tablespoon agave

Directions: 

• Salt and pepper sirloin steaks.
• In a large pan, brown the sirloin steaks lightly. You don't want to cook them all the way through because they will be finished off in the gravy. 
• Remove the steaks from the pan and add 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil (Or in my case, I keep bacon grease in a container in my fridge.. duh who wouldn't? Add 1/2 tablespoon of that in here- trust me!)
• Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Then cook about 2 minutes and add garlic. 
• Then add coconut milk, chicken stock, and minced onions. Stir and let cook for 2-3 minutes. 
• Whisk the arrowroot and water together to make a slurry, add to the gravy and stir, it will start to thicken in 3-5 minutes. Once it is thickened slightly, add the sirloin meat in and let simmer for about 10 minutes. 
• While you are cooking the gravy, get your sweet potato in some water to boil. Once it is done, drain and mash with 1 tablespoon agave. 
• Serve the sweet potato on the bottom and the sirloin steaks right over the top. 
• DELICIOUS!

Pork Tenderloin Stir Fry

I was in the meat section of Traders last week, looking for some inspiration. I am embarrassed to even say it, not sure if it was the shape of the tenderloin or what, but it grabbed my eye and I decided it was the piece of meat for me :)  This is what I came up with! I made this last week - a little late on the post, but better late than never on this one!

1 pork tenderloin, cut into medium sized cubes

2 cups carrots

2 cups snow peas

1/2 cup broccoli
1/2 cup green beans

Sauce:

1/4 cup gluten free soy sauce

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons coconut flour (to thicken sauce)

1 tablespoon coconut sugar
1 tablespoon of fresh ginger, minced**
4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon sesame seeds
juice of one lime

salt and pepper

Directions: 

• Cut up the tenderloin into either medium size cubes or thinner sliced rounds. If you want to cut thinner, and you have time, placing the pork loin in the freezer for 20-30 minutes really helps make that process 100 times easier.
• Season the pork with salt and pepper.
• In a pan with 1 tablespoon oil, saute the meat until it is mostly opaque and browned. Remove from the pan and drain. 
• In the same pan, add the veggies and cook about 5 minutes. I prefer my veggies to be very crisp still when I eat them- leave those nutrients where they belong!
• Then mix up your sauce and add to the pan, then add back in your meat right away and cook about 5-10 minutes until the sauce has thickened. 
• Serve up alone or over some quinoa or brown rice!

** Another tip with ginger. I always keep mine in the freezer. When I go to grate it, it goes SUPER fast and is way easier!

Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps

Stephen and I made these this weekend, they were delicious and savory. We didn't even miss the mayo and bread that typically comes with a tuna sandwich. This is a perfect lunch or a quick and simple dinner if you are in a rush!

2 cans of tuna in water, drained

1 cup carrots, chopped

1/4 cup sugar snap peas, chopped

1/4 cup cabbage, chopped

4 celery stalks, chopped

1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard (make sure no sugar)

2 tablespoons dijon mustard (no sugar)

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish

1 tablespoon chopped capers

Romaine lettuce spears- or you can use butter lettuce

Directions: 

• Chop all your ingredients (Stephen did a pretty awesome job chopping, don't you think?!)
• Mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. Taste and add extra mustard if you would like it a tad creamier. Also add salt and pepper to taste. 
• Fill your lettuce spears with the mix (Stephen had also spread a little hummus on the bottom and put some avocado on top, was pretty amazing!)

Paleo Bacon, Pancetta & Chicken Alfredo

Got this recipe from PaleOMG and OMG it is amazing. Seriously what I have been craving! Definitely a super easy must try. I made several modifications from the original, and I think it was pretty dang good, really I might even make this over normal alfredo from now on. One modification that I LOVED was my addition of Jalapeno Bacon!! We will see how it is for leftovers the next day! I made a BUNCH so I could have leftovers, plenty for dinner, and take a friend some for lunch too :)

2 spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed

1 larger acorn squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed

6 chicken thighs (or 3 chicken breasts)

6 slices of Jalapeno bacon, diced
1 small package of diced pancetta
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

2 cans light coconut milk
3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon oregano

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

salt and pepper
olive oil

Directions:

• Preheat your 450 degrees.
• Cut spaghetti squash & acorn squash in half and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and excess threads. 
• Place all squash open side down on a baking sheet (use aluminum foil or parchment paper for easy clean up) and cook for 20-25 minutes. 
• Just place chicken on a foil or parchment paper lined baking sheet, sprinkle some olive oil over the chicken (or other kind of fat), salt and pepper it and add some garlic powder. Cook about 15 minutes in the 450 degree oven, turning 1/2 way through. . 
• Once your squash is done cooking, pull it out of the oven, dethread the spaghetti squash into a large bowl with a fork. 
• Now throw your diced bacon and pancetta into a skillet and cook until done. Use a slotted spoon to pull out your cooked bacon, but leave behind the grease (remove some if it happens to be a lot.
• Take your acorn squash and hollow it out. Just use the insides and dump them into your warm skillet filled with bacon grease. Then add your coconut milk. You may need to add a little bit more coconut milk depending on how runny you like your sauce. Mix thoroughly with a ladle to break up the squash a bit.
• Add seasonings to the mix and salt and pepper as needed. Mix thoroughly and cook on low for about 5 minutes to simmer.
• Now dice up your cooked chicken and add the chicken and bacon back into the pan. 
• Pour sauce over spaghetti squash serve up!
• Next time I make this I will add some mushrooms too!

Closing One Door in Search of Another!

Well the time has come... we are selling our first home!! As exciting as it is, I will admit it is a little scary and sad. I love our home, it was our first home we bought together and is filled with so many amazing memories of our 2nd through 5th year of marriage. Our first kitchen remodel and several DIY projects, our favorite Christmas trees and putting lights up and decorating our very own home. As much as I love our home though, it is definitely the time to move forward, and we are ready for our next step home - this one was the perfect starting point.

2013 was an incredible year. Stephen got his first teaching position, we opened our gym with some pretty fantastic people, and Stephen and I got on the right track to being healthy (and we each lost about 30 pounds)!  I am so excited to see what the next chapter brings. 2014 is sure to be a great year! Send some prayers our way!

I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Phillipians 4:13

Koligian Wedding

A couple days late with this post, but had to get it in. Over the weekend we had the most amazing time at Patrick and Kelly Koligian's wedding in Fresno. It is always so nice to see all our friends that we rarely get to spend time with, like Mike & Kristyn Porter and Patrick & Kelly. Beautiful wedding full of new experiences - such as an Armenian Orthodox ceremony and some pretty awesome Armenian dancing! I love weddings!!

The guys got to ride in style in this limo to the ceremony!

Pork Chops & Pear Quinoa Salad

This is a great weeknight meal - speedy & good! I made a lot of extra so we could have lunch the next day too (and we ended up with a little left for the next night)

1 1/2 cups quinoa

3 green onions

4 cups chicken stock (make sure no sugar added)

1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup spinach roughly chopped
1 cup kale roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped almonds

3 pears, cut up into small pieces
1/2 cup kale salad mix**

Dressing:
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup oil (whatever you prefer, I used coconut)

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons fresh ginger
salt and pepper

Directions: 

• Cook quinoa according to directions (I use the chicken stock instead of water to give it a lot more flavor). 
• Chop up onion, parsley, spinach and kale and put in a bowl. 
• Chop almonds, and in a dry pan, saute them for about 5 minutes. You will smell them when they are ready, you just want to get some heat on them to bring out their great flavor. Once they are done. Roughly chop them. 
• Mix all the ingredients of the dressing together
• Let the quinoa cool a big and then add the quinoa to the salad mix, then add cut up pear and dressing mix. 
• Serve up next to some amazing sauteed pork chops seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder!

** The kale salad mix is optional. It was a bagged kale mix that had Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and a couple different kale types!

Crock Pot Thai Chicken

I had been wanting Thai food, but wanted to make sure there wasn't a ton of sugars and other stuff I couldn't eat in it. So I came up with this recipe! Best thing about this recipe is that I pretty much always have all the ingredients on hand, just had to run to the store for some limes and fresh ginger!

Small jar salsa

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 cup light coconut milk

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon garlic chili paste (no sugar added)
2 teaspoons salt

3 chicken breasts 

chopped peanuts, green onion and cilantro as garnish

Red pepper cut very thin
bean sprouts

Brown rice or quinoa

Directions: 

• Mix all of the ingredients (minus the last 5) together in a bowl. 
• Put the chicken in the crock pot and cover with the sauce.
• Cook on low for 8 hours. 
• When it is done and you are about to eat, mix in the thinly cut red pepper and the bean sprouts. You want the pepper to be very fresh. You can also add other veggies at this point too if you want!
• Make some brown rice or quinoa to serve it over. 
• Garnish with chopped peanuts, green onion and cilantro. 
• Salt a little more if you need it. I also served it with more garlic chili sauce. 

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

These were Stephen's idea last night, and they were bomb! We literally could have eaten wayyy more! I will definitely be making these again soon, especially since they are the easiest thing ever. We served them up with a roasted chicken and sauteed kale and broccoli!

2 sweet potatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons oregano

1 1/2 tablespoons dried minced onions

salt and pepper

1 teaspoon natures seasoning

Directions: 

• Cut the sweet potatoes into rounds and 1/2 rounds and lay out on a baking sheet.
• Drizzle with olive oil and all seasonings and mix up so that they are all coated.
• Roast in a 450 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes until they are tender in the middle and crispy around the outside!

Paleo-ish Challenge!

At our gym, we are doing a food challenge for the month of January- into Feb. It is called the Dinosaur and Neanderthal Food Challenge!! As part of this challenge, we are tasked to eat a paleo-ish diet. The "ish" I refer to is that we can add beans, brown rice, quinoa and some protein powder before/after workouts. There are some other flexibility but Ill keep it short and simple. You get 1 point for working out, 1 point for getting 6-8 hrs of sleep, 1 point for drinking your body weight divided by 2 - ounces of water per day and 1 point for not eating 2 hours before you sleep. You lose points by eating most grains, alcohol, dairy and sugar!

For our first night of the challenge, I made a yummy garlic roast and Stephen made some mixed veggies. Delicious! Maybe this won't be as hard as we thought?

Balsamic Brussels & Beets

This is my favorite way to eat beets and Brussels. A coworker made this for a party several years ago, and I have loved it ever since! This dish is packed with flavor, so I typically pair it with a protein that is a little more mellow. Tonight I made Italian Panko breaded chicken strips!

2 cups Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

1 bunch of golden beets

1/2 cup roughly chopped almonds

1 cup beet leaves

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon coconut sugar or brown sugar (optional but amazing)

3 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions: 

• Prepare the Brussels sprouts and peel and chop beets into quarters
• Chop beet leaves
• In a large pan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil (or coconut oil) and saute Brussels and beets for about 5 minutes. Then add garlic, beet leaves, balsamic, seasonings and brown sugar. 
• Cook about 10 minutes until the veggies have softened and slightly browned. Add almonds and cook another 3-5 minutes.  I like my veggies to still have some firmness to them, but you can cook them to whatever you like!
• Enjoy!

For the chicken, all I did was get chicken tenders and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Dredge in flour, then an egg/milk mix, then the Italian Panko. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes, then turn over and cook another 10 minutes! Done!