Dinner time; Family time

One of the things that always happened at my house when I was growing up is that we always sat down at the dinner table and ate together in the evenings. So many stories were shared and memories created at that table. I fully understand the importance of this event in our very busy lives. While Wes often works late, we still sit down as a family and eat dinner at the table most nights. Harper and I do it even when he isn't there.

This week if you find there is time for everyone to sit down together and eat at the table, try one of these family approved dinner recipes!



Pork Carnitas


Ingredients:

• 3 lbs of Pork Loin
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 cup of water

To make the rub combine:

• 2 tbsp of chili powder
• 2 tsp of cumin
• 1 tsp of ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp oregano

Directions:

Mix all spices together except the bay leaf in a bowl.
Rub down the entire pork loin with the spices and place in your slow cooker.
Add the bay leaf and water and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Keep an eye on the pork just to make sure the water doesn't absorb and it dries out.  If you have to add more liquid please do.
Your pork should pull apart easily so you can shred it.

Once you it is able to be shredded take it from the crock pot, shred and then place back into the crock pot.  Stir the meat to coat with the juices.

You can fill a red container with this for the 21 day fix!

For the Carnitas you will need:

• Corn Tortillas
• Black or Pinto Beans in a can
• Romain Lettuce
• Diced Tomatoes
• Diced Avocado
• Shredded cheddar cheese

Cilantro Lime Topping (Do not omit this, it is what makes the whole thing just amazing)

• Greek yogurt
• 1/4 Cup Fresh Lime Juice
• 1/4 Cup Fresh Cilantro Chopped
• 1 lime cut into wedges for garnish

Combine these ingredients in a bowl for the dressing and set aside.

Add the drained beans with 1/2 of a cup of water to a pot on the stove over medium heat. Cook until heated through.  Gently mash with a fork until they reach your desired consistency.

Lightly spray your corn tortillas with cooking spray and place on a foil lined baking sheet.
Crisp in the oven on 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes until desired crispiness.

Next step is to assemble the goods!

So take your corn tortilla and add your fixings to make yourself a pretty sweet Carnita. 
Add a dollup of the dressing on top and enjoy!

Measure out a red, a yellow, a green and a blue for this recipe!
Your beans and tortilla are your yellow.
Your cheese is your blue
Tomatoes and lettuce are your green
Pork is your red.

Meatloaf Mexi-Muffins

 2 lb. lean ground beef

2 eggs

2 tbsp. chili powder

4 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. smoked paprika

Pink Himalayan salt, as desired

1/2 cup organic or fresh salsa

1/2 cup (two blue containers) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

And, 1-1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (for Meatloaf Mexi-Muffin topping)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix all ingredients -- EXCEPT for the 1-1/2 cups cheese -- well by hand.

  

Spray muffin pan with coconut oil ) cooking spray.  Divide meatloaf mixture into 8 portions (I used my red container to do this), shape into balls, and plop into your prepared muffin pan. 

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.  Remove from oven, and top evenly with the remaining shredded cheese.  Bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. 

Serve with your choice of reduced-fat sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt), and fresh avocado.

Shrimp Noodle Bowl

Total Time: 25 min. (plus 30 minutes marinating time)
Prep Time: 20 min.
Cooking Time: 5 min.
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
20 raw medium shrimp, cleaned and deveined, tail on (about 6 oz.)
10 tsp. low-sodium fish sauce (like nuoc cham)
Finely ground black pepper
½ tsp. ground turmeric
8 oz. dry rice noodles (or vermicelli pasta)
Boiling water, divided use
1 cup bean sprouts
1 medium cucumber, cut into matchstick-sized pieces
1 medium carrot, cut into matchstick-sized pieces
4 lettuce leaves, chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro leaves
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint leaves
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh Thai basil (or basil) leaves
2 Tbsp. honey
3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
¼ cup chopped raw peanuts

Preparation:
1. Combine shrimp, pepper, and turmeric in a small bowl; cover. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Cook rice noodles in water according to package directions. Drain; set aside.
3. Preheat grill or broiler on high.
4. Grill or broil shrimp for 3 to 5 minutes, or until shrimp is opaque and firm.
5. Evenly divide rice noodles between four serving bowls.
6. Top evenly with bean sprouts, cucumber, carrot, lettuce, cilantro, mint, and basil. Set aside.
7. To make broth, combine ¾ cup hot water, ¼ cup fish sauce, honey, and lime juice; mix well.
8. Top each bowl evenly with broth and sprinkle with peanuts; serve immediately.

1 green 2.5 yellow 1/2 red 1/2 blue

Until next time..

XOXOXOXOXO

Clean Eating

You have probably heard of clean eating but might be wondering what exactly those two words mean or how to go about cleaning up your pantry and frig. Eating clean is about focusing more on the nutritious foods that come from the earth and less on the not so nutritious. This means embracing foods like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, plus healthy proteins and fats. You don't have to count calories or give up entire food groups. You simply cut back on unrefined grains, added sugars, salt, and unhealthy fats. You fill your shopping cart with more foods from the outer isles of the grocery store than the inner isles.

I know what you saying, "that is great and all, but how do I do it?"

When you make your shopping list each week, select one or two items to switch with clean items. For example, if you need bread this week, make it a point to find "clean" bread (100% whole grain, no added sugar and identifiable ingredients such as whole wheat flour, salt and yeast). If you ran out of white rice, pick up a package of brown rice this week. It doesn’t have to be difficult to make the transition to clean foods—nor does it have to happen 100% overnight!  With this slow and steady approach, you don’t have to spend hours at the store reading labels either. Start small: You are also more likely to stick with it if you don’t shock yourself with a sudden change. (SparkPeople, Clean Eating 101)

So now that you have your refrigerator stocked, what are you going to eat? This used to happen to me all the time. I would go shopping and buy all of this food, but then go and grab something to eat at McDonalds. The most important thing you can do is create a meal plan BEFORE you go shopping. 

And then enjoy delicious foods like these that are clean and easy to make! 

Now you are thinking WONDERFUL, but how can I afford all of this? If you think about, you spend more money dining out than you do shopping and eating at home. Last week, Wes, Harper, and I ate out 2 times. The total was $110.00 for 2..TWO meals. Sunday we spent $112.00 at the grocery store for 6 meals a day for three people for 6 days. In my opinion, we can't afford not to eat like this. Here are some tips from sparkpeople.com (Clean Eating 101) to help keep your budget in check. 

• Look for in-store coupons. Coupons and sales flyers for your grocery store are more likely to highlight discounts on real food (like fruits, vegetables and unprocessed meats) rather than the coupons provided by food manufacturers, which only discount processed foods.

• Shop in bulk. Bulk items are often far more affordable than the packaged varieties. If your store offers bulk food bins, you also have the option to buy as little or as much as you want at a given time.

• Stock up on sales. When your store does have a sale on clean food staples such as meats or frozen vegetables, take advantage of that by stocking your freezer. It will save you money in the long run.

• Manage your food well. This is a big one. We throw away a ton of food in this country every day and it contributes to our food bills in a big way. Freeze cooked foods you know you won’t get to right away and don’t cook so much that you can’t eat it before it goes bad.

• Buy whole chickens. These go on sale regularly. Be sure you use the entire bird by making broth for soups with the portions you don't eat (bones, necks, backs, etc.). You can always freeze it if you can’t use it right away. Try these suggestions to get the most for your money out of a whole chicken.

Remember these simple rules and you will win at clean eating!

Until next time..

XOXOXOXO

Zuppa Toscana Morehead Style*

Zuppa Toscana Morehead Style

2 Turkey sausage link styles
8 slices Turkey bacon
1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
2 tbls olive oil
4 medium potatoes, cut into cubes
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
4 cups of water
1 bunch of kale, removed from stems and torn into pieces
1 cup of heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste

In a dutch oven, place potatoes, garlic, and onions. Cover with water. Let boil until potatoes are tender but not falling apart. While boiling, saute sausage and jalapeno pepper slices in 1 tbls of olive oil until brown. Move to a bowl. In same skillet, fry bacon until crisp in 1 tbls of olive oil. Crumble bacon into pieces. Add sausage, peppers, and bacon to dutch oven. Let simmer 10 minutes. Add cream and kale, heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Enjoy!

Until next time...

XOXOXOX

Not ya mama's collard greens

One thing I forgot to mention in yesterday's post was that we also received collard greens from CSA. I don't like collard greens and neither does Wes, but we couldn't let good food go to waste. After reading several recipes, I put this together.

1 tbls olive oil
5-6 pieces turkey bacon
1/2 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1lb collard greens
1 can chicken broth
2 tbls honey
1tbls red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in skillet. Fry bacon in oil. Remove bacon from skillet and break into pieces. Add bacon and onion to skillet. Cook until onions are clear, about 5 mins. Add garlic, cook until fragrant. Add greens. Fry until they start to wilt. Add chicken broth, honey, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Turn heat to low, cover, and cook until tender and dark green about 30 minutes.
*Thanks to Allrecipes for the ideas.
Serve with roast and potatoes.

Until next time....


XOXOXOXOXO

CSA?

Thanks to Jenny at Southern Savers, I learned about a program called CSA (community supported agriculture).  

CSA supports local farmers by allowing customers (ME!) to purchase a share of their farm and in return they deliver fresh fruits and vegetables from their gardens. The agreements and prices vary by farm. I was so ecstatic to learn that there was a farm participating in CSA near me. They deliver to Ocean Spring on Wednesday.

With the money and stockpile that we saved couponing, Wes and I were able to use part of our grocery budget this month to buy into a farm for 8 weeks. The deliveries started, today!! We received about 8lbs of cabbage, kale, broccoli, and onions. You just get whatever is ready in the garden each week.

I am so excited about this because 1: we don't have grow every vegetable in our own garden so we can keep it small, and 2: it is going to force us to be creative, try new things, and eat healthier.

Each week, I know I will be trying out new recipes. I think it will be a good idea to place those here for whomever would like to try them and to keep a record of what we liked and didn't like.

Tonight's recipe....

The sausage and cabbage skillet.

1pound Kielbasa sausage
2Tbls butter
1/2 onion
1/2 head cabbage
1 can tomato sauce
1 Tbls sugar
1 tsp paprika
4 potatoes cubed
salt and pepper to taste

Brown sausage in butter in a large skillet or dutch oven. Remove sausage from pan. Saute cabbage and onion in same skillet until onions are tender. Stir together tomato sauce, sugar, and paprika. Pour over cabbage and onion. Stir and simmer 5 minutes. Add potatoes, increase to medium heat. Return sausage to pan and add salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are tender.Serve with bread.

*Compliments of Taste of Home 2006 cookbook. 

Until next time...

XOXOXOXO