YUMMMMMMM...Sometimes you just want dessert

Introducing a new obsession. Chia pudding. I kept hearing about chia pudding and chia seeds but I had never tried them. Partly because, honestly, I had NO idea where to find them. But this past Saturday I was in the grocery store buying toothpaste and there, in the toothpaste aisle, was a random bag of chia seeds! (sad thing about that is that I STILL have no idea where they should be in the store...) So I bought it. Then I came home and looked up how to make pudding. I read a lot of recipes and kind of came up with my own. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. Really, I'm swooning. It was SO easy and totally hit the sweet spot.

2 Tbsp Chia seeds
1 banana
dash of vanilla
1/4 cup almond milk

Blend it all up in your food processor, or blender, or immersion blender. Let it sit in the fridge a little while to firm up a bit. Enjoy! Really, how much easier can you get?

I'm looking forward to trying some other recipes and even making some chia pudding for breakfast....soon :)

Baked Salmon with poached eggs and hollandaise

That title up there? It's misleading. My hollandaise didn't turn out and the poached eggs were kind of sad. BUT the Salmon was delicious. I might give the hollandaise and eggs another try in the future but I might not. I've never been a huge fan of them anyway but was hoping to just try and see if I like it homemade. Oh well.

Baked Salmon
skinless (or you can skin it) salmon filet
S&P
1 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat your oven to 350. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper both sides of the salmon and place it skinned side down in the skillet. Cook about 4 minutes. Flip it over and cook an additional couple of minutes. This is just to sear the outside. Transfer the salmon to a baking dish and cook in the over about 15 minutes, or until the salmon has the white "curd" protein on the sides and it flakes with a fork.


I served this over a bed or mixed greens and arugula. The hollandaise was decent...just really runny....so I ended up topping this with homemade chipotle ranch. Perfect!

Italian Frittata

I used to love quiche. Like love it. Even as a kid I would ask for quiche. Weird, right? But I avoid grains as much as possible due to a pretty bad gluten intolerance so that eliminates crust (which really really makes me sad because I have an unhealthy obsession with PIE) and no crust means no quiche. Enter: frittata.

People ask me what a frittata is. Basically it is a crustless, cheeseless quiche. Super easy and very versatile.

This is my Italian frittata. My *favorite* dinner recipe. Well, I eat it for breakfast or lunch too....so I guess you could say it's just my favorite frittata recipe.

Remember, I cook for a lot of people. If you're only cooking for one or two, or even 4 you could halve this and be good.

Italian Frittata
1 lb italian sausage (watch your ingredients if you're doing Whole30. A lot of them have added sugars. If needed, just buy 1 lbs of ground pork and add in 1 - 2 Tbsp of Italian Seasoning)
1/2 large red pepper, diced
1/2 large green pepper, diced
1/2 large onion, diced
14 eggs, beaten
2 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a large oven safe skillet over meduim-high heat (if it has a rubber handle be sure to wrap it in foil!). Once oil is heated, add in all your veggies. Cook until onions are translucent and peppers are fork tender. Remove veggies from the pan. Brown the sausage until no pink remains. Return the veggies to the skillet. Add the eggs. Shake the pan a little so the eggs go all through to the bottom. Cook on the stovetop until the eggs start to firm up around the edges. Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook for 15 - 17 minutes.

Transfer the frittata to a plate as soon as you take it out of the oven.   Serve warm, or let it cool. These are good no matter the temperature.

*This time I added in some chopped arugula because I had it on hand and it sounded good. It really added to the flavor!

Fear vs Faith

Ever heard that phrase before, or seen a similar picture made? Me too. I hear it all. the. time. And you know what sucks? Recently I've come to the realization that my fear is 100% bigger than my faith. And it sucks. Fear of what? Fear of failure. At everything. Because I truly feel that I pretty much suck at everything I try to do.

Mother? Ha! I am literally probably the worst mother I know, or that you know either. I yell. I struggle. Sometimes I want to run away and not come back. And sometimes I have this voice that says "why did you even want kids?" I suck. The kids know I suck. And I'm pretty sure most of the people who interact with us know I suck.

Business? Um. Ya. I have opened and failed at 3 businesses over the past 10 years. I'm working on #4 right now and it's not looking so good. Because I am terrified. Scared of hearing the "no," looking at all my inventory and thinking "I'll never be able to sell all that. What have I done?" It's not that I don't love the business. I do. I LOVE it. I want everybody to love it. But what if they don't? I can't seem to get past that to the "But what if they DO!?" thought that all the successful people have.

Exercise. Eating right. I try. And I think I do pretty well. But then I look in the mirror and all I see are flaws. I see the love handles. I see the saddlebags. I see my crappy scores on every single workout. I see my times and pace decreasing. And I'm afraid that no matter how hard I work I will always see the fat girl.

Friends. I feel like I have none. Because, honestly, who would want to be friends with me. I am negative. I am unkind. I am afraid of everything. And I can't seem to break out of this stupid funk which I have been stuck in for a very long time.

So there you have it. My fear is WAY bigger than my faith that this will all get better. So what now?

It's kinda nice that nobody even reads this blog. I can be honest and not worry about what you'll think. But maybe it's time to stop worrying about what people think anyway.

I have to get through this. Somehow. But how do you get through fear when you're afraid that no matter what you do it won't work anyway?

Seriously I am living the definition of stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Menu plans

The past few weeks have been super busy at my house. I briefly thought that Summer might be less hectic but then I remembered we have seven kids and I started laughing hysterically. So Busy.

My menus have kinda morphed into multiple week affair with a lot of leftovers and quickly prepared meals to eat on the run. I've stayed Whole30 and Paleo but it's not easy.

Here are my plans for this week. Hopefully it happens. My three older girls are gone this week so we're a little less drive-the-car-around busy so we'll see.

Monday - Italian fritttata with tomatoes (I laugh as I write this because, well, yesterday was Monday and this already didn't happen)
Tuesday - Salmon benedict with salad
Wednesday - grilled cheese and tomato soup for the kids, leftovers for me
Thursday - Chicken and apple hash
Friday - Bacon wrapped chipotle meatloaf with roasted veggies
Saturday - date night
Sunday - Braised brisket with mashed potatoes

Coconut Curry chicken with grilled veggies and pineapple

This coconut curry sauce was so good. SO GOOD! One of my daughter's thought it was a smoothie when I had it out on the counter, and I probably could have sucked it down with a straw. Mmmmmmm

I found the recipe in the Whole30 cookbook. Honestly, if you don't have it yet. Get it. And follow @whole30recipes on Instagram too. SO MANY IDEAS! Whole30 and Paleo eating does not have to be boring or bland.






THE SAUCE.  And, seriously I think that is what I will call it. THE SAUCE. Even while I was eating it I was trying to figure out what I can use it on tomorrow. I think a sausage and spinach fritatta needs this as a topping, at breakfast.

3 TBSP cooking fat (I used coconut oil, just to keep with the coconut theme)
1/2 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBSP curry powder
1 Cup canned crushed tomatoes
1/2 Cup coconut cream (this is seriously EASY. Stick a can of full fat coconut milk in the fridge for a couple of hours. Open the can and scoop out the white stuff on top - that's the cream!)
S&P to taste

Heat up the oil, cook the onions until translucent. Add in the garlic and quickly cook - be sure not to burn the garlic. Stir in the curry powder. Once it's all incorporated, add the crushed tomatoes. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes until thickened.

Take it off the heat and use either a food processor or an immersion blender in a tall cup to blend it all up. After it's blended, stir in the coconut cream, salt & pepper.

Now it's ready to serve! I put some into a small bowl and brushed it on both sides of the chicken before grilling. I think it added a nice touch :)


We had this with grilled peppers, onions, and pineapple. If you have never grilled pineapple, you're missing out. Do it. Now. I'll wait. One of  THE BEST side dishes. I love it.

Baked Salmon with asparagus

This was a super easy, really delicious meal that left my kids asking for more. WOO HOO!!!

You will need:
One skinless salmon filet per person (if you can only find skin on, that's fine. Just remove the skin before you cook it)
6- 8 asparagus spears per person, woody ends cut off
2 lemon slices per person
fresh chopped rosemary, thyme, and parsley
salt and pepper
olive oil
minced garlic
one sheet of foil, about 14 inches long per person

place asparagus spears on foil. S&P the salmon and put on top of the asparagus. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic and fresh herbs. Put two lemon slices on top and wrap it up in the foil.

Cook at 400 F for about 25 - 30 minutes!

Easy peasy, and not a lot of clean up.

We ate this with a side salad topped with homemade ranch. So good; I made one extra and I'm excited to eat it for lunch tomorrow!

Pizza Spaghetti Pie

This picture does not do this dinner justice. So so so good. Two thumbs WAY up from the entire family, including the 4 year old AND 13 year old (that's huge around here).

I found this recipe on PaleOMG. If you're interested in Paleo cooking, check it out. Now. I have liked everything I have tried from her website. I like to cook but coming up with recipes isn't my thing. It's hers. In a big way.

So here's the link to the recipe. I can't make it better! Pizza Spaghetti Pie

We served it with side salad. Super easy.

Lettuce cup tacos with guacamole

This is a go-to recipe at our house so I'm sure I've posted a variation of this already, but it's worth posting (and eating) again. I love this meal. Fast, easy, healthy. Can't beat that. I use homemade taco seasoning which makes it even easier and healthier.

Making this yesterday was a bit of an adventure though. I usually mix up a big batch of the taco seasoning and keep it in the pantry but I was out so I made some more. I mixed it all up (about 2 cups worth) and left it on the counter while I started to brown the beef. Next thing I know I hear a thud and SCREAMING. I turn around and my 16 month old (whom I thought was watching TV with her older sisters) was covered in taco seasoning. It was in her eyes, in her mouth, all over her hair and face. Chili powder, cayenne powder, oregano...you know, all that stuff that burns! I turned off the heat on the stove, yelled for my 13 year old to help me, and raced baby to the bath. We got her all cleaned up but poor thing was all blotchy. Thankfully this morning she was OK. Two lessons learned here: Make sure to put the bowl farther from the edge, and my baby grew in the last couple of weeks.

So because of all that this meat was a tad more bland than I usually like it since most of the seasoning was down the drain or in the trash but it was still a great meal!

Taco Seasoning
4 T chili powder
2 T cumin
2 T paprika
2 T dried oregano
1 T onion powder
1 T garlic powder
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

I will usually quadruple this and keep it in a big airtight container in the pantry to use as needed.
When you're cooking tacos with it, use 3 Tbsp of the mix and 1/2 C of cold water per pound of meat.

I've posted my guacamole before. Search for it :) It's definitely worth making. I thought I hated guacamole until I tried this recipe.

Pavlova

I love to cook, including treats. I don't always eat them but I still love to make them. I've joked before that maybe I should sell them but then I wonder if I would still love baking as much if I wasn't doing it for the joy.

Pavlova. YUM! This was only my second time making one of these and I know I still have a lot to learn when it comes to making the meringue, but the kids and hubby say it still tastes amazing so I guess I can deal with the cracks and a bit of crumbling. I'll figure it out eventually.

This is basically sugar plus sugar, plus cream, and a little bit of fruit. 100% absolutely NOT Whole30 or Paleo. But it is delicious. I did not have any this time since I'm doing a Whole30 but the kids and hubby loved it.

I got a recipe for a basic pavlova from Pinterest (see, told you I'm good at finding recipes to follow!). I found it on the Brown Eyed Baker. I have loved everything I have tried from that site; just FYI. And here is the link to the recipe. Go. Now. Make this tonight. Your tastebuds and your family will thank you. Your waistline might not, but treats are treats. And (most of the time) everything in moderation is OK :)

Pavlova (copied over from Brown Eyed Baker)

Ingredients:

6 egg whites, at room temperature
1½ cups granulated sugar
Pinch of cream of tartar
1¼ cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fresh fruit

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw a 9-inch circle in the middle. Spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Add the granulated sugar and beat for 10 minutes, or until the sugar has dissolved. Add the cream of tartar and beat for one additional minute. Spoon the mixture onto the circle, and use a spatula to shape the egg white mixture into a circle with decorative sides, if desired.
3. Bake for 1 hour, or until firm to the touch. Turn off the oven and prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon. Allow the pavolva to cool completely in the oven.
4. When ready to serve, beat the heavy cream on medium-high speed. When the cream gets foamy, add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Continue to beat until soft peaks form.
5. Transfer the pavlova to a serving plate. Top with the whipped cream and fresh fruit.

St Louis ribs with homemade BBQ sauce

I snagged the recipe for the BBQ sauce from the Whole30 cookbook. Seriously, if you don't have one yet, GET IT! I love coming up with ideas but this book takes it to a new level :)

I bought a rack of St Louis ribs on sale last week and knew I wanted to grill them. When I found the sauce recipe it was a match made in heaven.

I did a dry rub on the ribs with garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt, and black pepper. If you've never done a dry rub, it's pretty easy. Just mix up your spiced together then rub it all over the meat. See. Easy. I let mine sit in the rub (in the fridge) for about 4 hours or longer before I cook it.

I like to do my ribs in the oven first and then finish on the grill. So set the oven to 300, place your ribs in a large roasting pan with about a cup of liquid and cover with foil then cook for 1 hour. Take them out and finish them off on a grill over Medium-high heat. About 6 minutes on each side. Just watch it. I left mine yesterday to finish the watermelon and the grill caught fire so the ribs were super charred on the outside. Still *delicious* but not really pretty.

As soon as they are done, baste them generously with the sauce. Use whatever sauce you want. If you're doing a Whole30, use the cookbook! So so good, and has a kick which the hubs loved!

The potato wedges could not be easier. Seriously. Preheat the oven to 400. Cut up about one baking potato per person. Cut them as thin as you like; I usually do them into 8 wedges. Throw it all into a bowl with about 1/3 cup Olive Oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder then mix it all up really well. Place them on baking sheets in a single layer and pop them into the oven. Mine are usually done the way we like them after about 45 minutes. If you want them softer take them out earlier.

If you try this, let me know!

Weekly Menus!

I almost forgot to pop in here and post my weekly menus :) It's a busy busy week around here but I am determined to still cook my family healthy meals! Yesterday we didn't eat until almost 7pm though (which is super late for us) so hopefully I can get my act together and manage my time better so we can eat at a normal time the rest of the week.

Monday: St. Louis ribs with homemade tangy BBQ sauce, potato wedges, and watermelon

Tuesday: Tacos in lettuce cups, with guacamole and pico

Wednesday: Grilled coconut curry chicken with grilled peppers, onions, and pineapple

Thursday: Thai chicken stuffed sweet potatoes

Friday: The hubs and I are taking a daughter out on a birthday date so I'm making pesto chicken salad for the rest of the kids.

Saturday: Spaghetti squash "pie"


Sunday: Baked salmon and asparagus

Hope you enjoy trying these meals!

So this week's meals got moved around a bit due to schedules. No biggy :) 

grilled steak salad with cilantro-lime dressing

Today was a crazy day. I felt like I barely had time to breathe, let alone plan any meals. Breakfast was easy; I love eggs so almost every day I do over medium eggs with spinach and Aidell's chicken-apple sausage. Lunch was leftovers I pulled out of the fridge. But then suddenly it was dinner time and I had kids under my feet whining about being hungry. And I was a little hangry myself. But I had forgotten to marinate the steak for dinner. Oops. So I grabbed the meat and left it out to hit room temp while the grill heated up. I put S&P on both sides of the London Broil then threw it on the grill. 8 minutes each side and it was perfection. I like mine medium to medium-well. While it was cooking I sliced up a couple of avocados and tossed some mixed greens.

For the dressing I knew I wanted something more than oil and vinegar for this so I grabbed the last of my homemade mayo (super easy. Let me know if you want the recipe!) and mixed it with the zest and juice of one lime, a handful of minced cilantro, and a little minced garlic. Just stirred it all up and was good to go! It was a little thick so it would probably have been even better with a little almond milk mixed it to thin it out.

Yummy dinner and ready in about 25 minutes. Gotta love that!

Creamy Chicken and Tomato Soup

To make this easy. This whole recipe came from River North Paleo Girl.

Go make it. 

We have two daughters with birthdays in June. The first was today! My little June 1st baby turned 6. I think I am a bit in denial about that. Finished Kindergarten last Friday and turned 6 today. Noooooooo.... Stop growing up so fast. She is #5 of 7 and I know how fast it all goes. I am enjoying her NOW but when I think too far into the future I get a little melancholy and panicky.

Anyway. On our kids' birthdays we let them choose their meals for the day. She chose Oreo pancakes for breakfast. I wanted one sooooo badly. But since I am determined on this Whole30 I didn't cave. but seriously y'all, Oreos are my kryptonite. It was really hard to stay strong on that one. Then for lunch she wanted pizza and for dinner she really wanted tomato soup and quiche. Yes, weird combo, but she's 6 so whatever. I made a bacon and cheddar quiche which the kids love and then this soup. I only ate the soup and it was fantastic.

Birthday girls LOVES tomato soup. Like a fat kid loves cake (I know, I know, that is so not PC....but it still makes me laugh). I like it but it never really fills me up and satisfies my appetite. Plus I'm not entirely sure if the cans of tomato soup are Whole30 compliant. So I hunted for a good homemade recipe and found this on Pinterest. It was good! I loved the chicken in it and adding the coconut milk gave it a creamy texture that you can usually only get with milk + canned soup.

Hope you love it as much as birthday girl did :)