Tag Archives: recipes

Parmesan Shrimp and Quinoa

19 Thursday Jul 2012

Posted by in Food & Recipes

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

Parmesan Shrimp and Quinoa
Sweet chubby cherubs! This is a magical dinner…magically simple, quick and easy! And tasty 🙂
The shrimp recipe has been modified from the one on McCormick’s website.
You’ll need: 1lb jumbo shrimp, cherry tomatoes, EVOO, parsley flakes, Riesling, grated Parmesan cheese, McCormick’s Tuscan seasoning and Near East quinoa
Prep time + cook time: 20 minutes
~ Start the quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) first because it takes 15-20 minutes to cook {the shrimp takes 5.} Follow the instructions on the package.
~ After the quinoa has cooked {it will need to sit for 5-8 minutes} heat a large skillet and gingerly coat with EVOO.
~ Once the skillet is hot, put your shrimp and cherry tomatoes on to cook. You’ll want to cook until the shrimpies turn pink.
~ Add:
2 tablespoons Riesling
1 tablespoon McCormick’s Tuscan seasoning
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes
~ Stir the ingredients until the shrimpies are fully coated.
Plate, serve and hang onto your socks!

Why quinoa you ask?
Read about how amazing it is for you here 🙂

Tasty Tacos

12 Thursday Jul 2012

Posted by in Food & Recipes

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

Tasty Tacos
Why bring home quickie tacos when you can make your own?! This meal qualifies under the “eat clean” food plan, is quick and tasty. PLUS you might even have left overs for lunch the next day 😉
You’ll need: around a pound of ground beef, 6″ soft tortillas, taco seasoning, Del Monte no salt added corn, La Preferida refried black beans, La Preferida Spanish rice, salsa, your own taco toppings
Prep time + cook time: 20ish minutes
~ Brown the ground beef in a skillet. {It is helpful if the meat is already defrosted.}
~ Put the water on to boil for the rice.
~ Once the ground beef is completely cooked, add the taco seasoning and follow the directions on the packet. Around this time the water should boil for the rice; add the rice to the water and follow the directions on the box.
~ While the rice and meat and cooking, warm up the refried beans and the corn.
~ When the meat is done cooking, immediately remove from heat so it doesn’t burn.
~ Once the rice is done, add a little salsa for an extra kick. I also add freshly chopped onion, grape tomatoes…whatever I’m in the mood for. It’s the fresh additives that make it feel less like a boxed rice and more like a masterpiece!
To Plate: I hold the tortilla in one hand and spoon 1-2 big spoonfuls of meat into the center. I then cover with cheese, onions, salsa…refried beans if I’m feeling funky. Fold the bottom of the tortilla up, then fold the sides in. It looks more like a burrito than anything, but this is a helpful way for small hands to have tacos in their tummies instead of on the floor. Add a spoonful of rice, corn and beans {covered with a little cheese} and you’ve got a winner! This dinner is SOOOO much better for you than drive-thru tacos, less expensive AAAAAND tastier.

Quickie Shrimp and Rotini

10 Tuesday Jul 2012

Posted by in Food & Recipes

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

Quickie Shrimp and Rotini
You’ll need: rotini, shrimp, V8, cherry tomatoes, FRESH GARLIC, pasta sauce and shredded cheese
Prep time: 5ish minutes; total cook time 20ish minutes
~ Put water in a large pot; bring it to a boil.
~ Once the water comes to a rolling boil, add the rotini. Set your timer for 10 minutes.
~ While the rotini is cooking, coat the bottom of a sauté pan with V8.* Add garlic, cherry tomatoes and Italian herbs. Slowly heat {do NOT boil or you’ll burn the garlic.}
~ While the sauté pan is slowly heating, I strongly suggest removing the tails from the shrimp. It’s much easier to do BEFORE they get hot. If you’re cooking for small people who need help with their food…trust me…you’ll want to take the tails off before you burn your fingers!**
~ With 5 minutes left on the pasta timer, add the shrimp to the V8 and garlic mix.
To plate: I put a spoonful of pasta sauce on top of the rotini. Add another spoonful of the shrimp and sauce mix. Sprinkle Italian cheese on top. Voila! 😉
Add a lovely salad for a nice side and some color.

*OMG…V8 is kitchen wonder juice! It’s seriously the best cooking/baking juice ever invented. I use it all the time! It’s kinda my secret kitchen ingredient 😉 It’s packed with all kinds of vegetable juices {I think we can agree that we all need more vegetables} and it does an excellent job of keeping meats moist while they cook. It also adds the ~zing~ of tomato which, personally, I love.


**If you love shrimp as much as I do, you HAAATE having to leave that last little succulent morsel in the tail. GET IN MA FACE, little shrimpie! Here is the trick you’ve been looking for. Once the shrimp is thawed, all you have to do is pinch and pull. Hold the body of the shrimp, pinch down on the part of the tail that covers that last little piece of shrimp meat and pull. So easy! If I’m using shrimp in a recipe where it will be hot, I take the tails off before I cook them. If you don’t, you’re going to burn your fingers :/

Speaking of shrimpies! Something fun while dinner is cooking itself!
Sweedish Chef makes Shrimpies

Shrimp Spaghetti with Garlic and Lemon

26 Tuesday Jun 2012

Posted by in Food & Recipes

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

Shrimp Spaghetti with Garlic and Lemon
You’ll need: shrimp, a lemon, EVOO, basil, oregano, thyme, grape tomatoes, garlic, spaghetti and Parmesan cheese
Total cook/prep time: 30 minutes
~ Put a pot of water on to boil {for the spaghetti.}
~ In a large skillet, liberally coated with EVOO, saute minced garlic, lemon zest, basil, oregano, thyme and grape tomatoes.
~ Once the pasta water has come to a boil, add the spaghetti to the water and the shrimp to the saute pan.
~ Saute the shrimp for 2-3 minutes on each side until tender; cook the spaghetti for 8-10 minutes until al dente.
~ Plate the spaghetti; top with the shrimp mixture and garnish with the Parmesan cheese.
Voila! You’re awesome 😉


Smooth and Fantastical Mashed Potatoes

20 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by in Food & Recipes

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

Smooth and Fantastical Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Fancy Moses! These babies are restaurant quality and SO EASY TO MAKE you’ll never go back to instant potatoes. Ever.
You’ll need: potatoes {russet, yukon, red skinned…whatever you feel like and/or have on hand,} green onions, garlic, dill, butter, milk, salt and a good mixer
TOTAL PREP+COOK TIME: 40 minutes
~ Wash your potatoes and put them in a pot of water; bring to a boil. Once boiling, continue to cook in the boiling water for 30 minutes. Drain.
~ Put cooked potatoes into mixing bowl and slice into pieces.
~ Thinly chop the green onions, garlic, dill and add to the potatoes.
~ Start up the mixer and slowly add a slice or two of butter, a splash of milk and a dash of salt. Pretty much, you want to add the milk until you get a nice consistency and the butter and salt to taste. Once you have a nice consistency, VOILA, you’re done!
A friend told me several years ago that she made her mashed potatoes in her KitchenAid stand mixer. What?! This was a ground-breaking idea to me. I’d grown up watching my mom boil her potatoes, peel them, and then hand-mash them. It took forEVER and they were usually lumpy. Sorry, mom 😦 Not only does putting the potatoes into the mixer save time, it gives you a nice, smooth consistency every time. If you’re trying to eat clean like I am, this is a much more desirable {and tasty} option than using potatoes from a box. Actually…I’ve got boxed potatoes in my cupboard that are about a year old. I don’t think I’ll be needing them 😉

Strawberries & Cream

19 Tuesday Jun 2012

Posted by in Food & Recipes

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

Light, Tasty Strawberries & Cream
It’s summer! What better way to end your dinner than some fresh strawberries over spongy cake cups with a little cream on top?
I totally cheated. To make the above tasty deliciousness, you’ll need:
fresh strawberries, Cool-Whip and spongy cake cups {these were non-special Meijer brand.}
~ Plate the cake cup.
~ Wash strawberries; cut off stem, then quarter and arrange in the cup, points facing out. If the strawberries are small, cut a second strawberry in half and put in the center of the opened strawberry pieces.
~ Add a dollup of cream!
The strawberries are sweet enough, there is no sugar needed! It’s lighter than an ice cream but just as cool and satisfying after a summer dinner.

Savory Salmon

14 Thursday Jun 2012

Posted by in Food & Recipes

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

Savory Salmon
{This is not my recipe…it’s a great find from Pinterest!}
You’ll need: salmon, a lemon, butter, black pepper, tin foil
Prep time: 3ish minutes
~ Cut your lemon into medium-sized wedges and place in the middle of the tin foil square.
~ Center the salmon over the lemon wedges.
~ Lay thin strips of butter on the salmon; lightly sprinkle with black pepper.
~ Tightly wrap the salmon in the tin foil. Note: do not double-wrap the salmon – it will take longer to cook.
~ Bake for 30min at 300
Super moist, super tasty…you can’t go wrong with this!
*Note: in the future I’m going to try EVOO instead of the butter…

Balsamic Chicken

14 Thursday Jun 2012

Posted by in Food & Recipes

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

Balsamic Chicken*
You’ll need: chicken cutlets, feta cheese, black pepper, FRESH GARLIC, black olives, green olives, EVOO, and Bolthouse Farm’s EVOO Balsamic vinaigrette dressing
Prep time: 5ish minutes
~ Lightly coat the bottom of your baking dish with EVOO.
~ Lay your chicken cutlets out in the dish so that they are close but not touching.
~ Liberally coat the chicken with the vinaigrette dressing.
~ Lightly sprinkle the chicken with the pepper, garlic, and olives.
~ Bake for 30min at 350
To plate: I put a spoonful of veggie rice on the plate with the chicken in the center of the rice, sprinkled with feta on top.
Note: pears are a great taste match with the balsamic chicken.
*FEAR NOT – this is a kid-approved recipe! All three of my children  cleaned their plates before I had a chance to even put the food on my own plate! It was also suggested that we eat this every night for dinner for the rest of the week…

Stuffed Chicken

14 Thursday Jun 2012

Posted by in Food & Recipes

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

Stuffed Chicken
You’ll need: chicken breasts, mozzarella cheese, Italian herbs, FRESH GARLIC, chunky tomato sauce, V8, and a pasta of your choice
Prep time: 5ish minutes
~ Coat the bottom of your baking dish with V8.
~ Take your thawed chicken and make a horizontal cut down the length of the meat. You’re making a pocket for the stuffing. Personally, I cut the breasts into servings BEFORE I make the pockets so that each person has their own stuffed chicken breast. It also makes the presentation look nicer.
~ Once your pockets are cut, fold the flap open and lay down a layer of mozzarella cheese. After the cheese, sprinkle your Italian herbs and your garlic. Close the flap.
~ Lightly cover the top of the chicken breasts with the chunky sauce. Drizzle the sauce with more mozzarella cheese, Italian herbs, and garlic.
~ Bake for 30min at 350
After the chicken has gone into the oven, put the water on to boil for the pasta. If you do this, your pasta noodles will be ready at the same time your chicken is done.
To plate: I put a little bit of pasta on the plate, covered lightly with spaghetti sauce, followed by the chicken on top. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.
To get our veggie in, I serve a salad with this dish.