Back in Orange ;)

Hello dearies!  So happy to be back after my life break :)  The kids are almost out for the summer, which means a renewed interest in new recipes.  Especially because I am going to be teaching them how to cook and bake as part of our summer fun!  Ideally, they will each hone some skills and be able to use them together to make Hubby and I a meal once a week :)

This week we tried out a new Paleo smoothie recipe that was perfect for a spring, after school snack.  Anything with coconut milk is delicious, but this was amazing!  I doubled the recipe, used frozen bananas instead of ice and added some honey.  Easy peasy!

Try it frozen as a popsicle!  http://www.forageddish.com/blog/2015/3/26/paleo-carrot-cake-coconut-smoothie

Home Dining with a Flair!

A few weeks back, we decided to start using up the things we had in our deep freeze.  One of those items was a precooked brisket.  Nothing wrong with brisket, in fact, midwestern brisket is one of my favorite things to eat!  But.... we generally only serve it one of two ways - with BBQ or without BBQ. 

Boooriiiiing.

I was pondering it while weeding our garden.  I realized our lettuce had sprouted tiny little leaves and got my inspiration - brisket with baslamic vinegar on a bed of microgreens.  (Microgreens are so in right now ;)  It looked so pretty and put together for once, I just had to take a picture.  Just because you may have leftovers doesn't mean they can't be magnificent! ;)

Paleo at Your Local Walmart

Think you can't shop Paleo at your local stores?  Think again :) 

 

 

This brilliant post has tons of great ideas on how to go paleo, without spending an arm and a leg at a fancy natural store.  Also, with summer starting up, so are farmer's markets!  Support local farmers AND healthy eating! :)

Homemade Strawberry Toaster Tarts

I am always looking for healthier, on-the-go, quick and easy breakfasts for the kids in the morning.  Cereal causes them to linger at the table and they literally forget they even eat it, demanding breakfast within the hour.  Pop-tarts are unfortunately one of the things we have fallen back on in the past.  So when I found a recipe for homemade toaster tarts with make-yourself stawberry filling, I couldn't wait to try it!

Following the recipe carefully, the kids and I waited anxiously to see how they turned out.  I didn't even get the chance to put a glaze and sprinkles on before we were digging in, but they didn't even need it they were so good!  However, they didn't make it to my regular menu because for all my work, it only made 6 pastries - one for each of us at normal size.  (I suppose you could halve them and get double, which may make it worth it if you have fewer than 4 kids eating them :)  Nevertheless, they are a wonderful treat anytime and a great way to use this summer staple!

Herbed Pasta Salad

After enduring one of the last days of school before summer and working hard in the garden, our family needed a quick and light dinner to match the sunny skies and high temps.  This new favorite herbed pasta salad was just the ticket!

It is from doTERRA's Essential Oil blog, so of course it includes their essential oil in the dressing :)  (Do NOT consume any other brand's basil essential oil - only doTERRA is pure enough to take internally!)  Regardless, I didn't have doTERRA's basil essential oil yet, so I instead used a zesty Italian dressing instead of making theirs.

It was the perfect meal, coming together in less than 30 mins and being filling without heaviness.  There was even enough left over for another dinner :)  With the exception of child #3 disliking the peppers and onions, and child #4 refusing to eat the tomatoes, the family gave it their thumbs up!  Hubby even complimented me several times through the meal and didn't end up making himself "second dinner" later in the evening.  I think I just found my new go-to summer meal! :)

Maple Glazed Ham Steaks

I refuse to put a picture up of this recipe.  None of the crappy home-made picts on the site do it justice.

These maple glazed ham steaks are like an Easter celebration in your mouth.  Weird, but true. 

Hubby doesn't like ham to the point of actually refusing to eat if all we have is ham lunch meat for our sammies.  The only exception is a true-blue-once-a-year honey baked ham with dijon mustard and other spices from my Grandpa's recipe.  So when I told him what I was making for dinner, he was pretty hesitant.  After reluctantly agreeing to one serving of the glazed ham, he tried a bite and immediately requested 2 more helpings!  The kids feasted like kings and I spent the evening feeling like a conquering hero.  Take THAT Monday night! ;)

Crack Broccoli

This is the recipe that started it all.  It is how I derived my theory that every veggie can be exciting and delicious if you find the right way to make it :) 

Growing up, we only had broccoli one way - steamed and if you were lucky covered in velveta cheese.  For years I thought I hated broccoli... until I tried it raw dipped in ranch. 

My family likes raw broccoli ok, but THIS, they love!!! After trying crack broccoli, I am not allowed to serve it any other way!  It is literally the first thing eaten off their plate and leave them asking for more, even after seconds :)  It is also the MOST requested recipe from me.  It goes with most everything and is super fast to make.  It is simple enough a kid can even make it with some supervision for the oven.  The only way to blow this recipe is not making enough! ;)  Try it tonight!