Baked Fish in foil packets

When it comes to seafood I rarely discriminate. I love it!

 I've been craving baked fish, something pretty... Individual foil packets were the way to go. I'm all about eating with my eyes, I'm such a freak. Anyways, the simplicity of this recipe & variations can make this a staple in your book of recipes. Use any veggies and/or herbs of your choice, & wrap in foil. Impress your honey with this eye pleaser.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb chunky tilapia filets

 (or halibut, bass, cod, flounder, mahi mahi etc.)

3 garlic cloves

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

(Veggies I choose)

Red bell pepper, jalapeño, onion, asparagus (thinly sliced) 

Marinate your fish if time allows, place in a large ziplock, add crushed garlic, and 1Tb oil. 

 

Chop veggies for later use. 

 



Pre-heat oven at 400. Cut large pieces of foil, add a piece of fish, season with salt & pepper,

 

add some veggies,

 

finish with a slice or two of lemon, 1 piece of butter

 

& wrap tightly.

 

Place packets on a baking sheet & in the oven they go! Bake for 20-25 minutes.

 

 25 minutes was perfect!

Opening up the packets of fish smelled heavenly!

 

I probably made more food than our stomachs can handle, but everything was delicious!

My sides included black beans, barley, & Roasted Broccoli.

 The kids fish packets didn't included veggies, so these sides were perfect for them. 

 

XOXO, Enjoy!!!

Ree's, Quick Italian Salad

 

Who loves Olive Garden salad?? Or any fab Italian salad for that matter? ME! ME!

This recipe was adapted from Ree Drummond also known as Pioneer Woman, she's amazing!

Click the link to view her recipe: Ree's Italian Salad

I made this salad for a family BBQ and it was a total hit! I'm sharing it because some of you may not be familiar with Pioneer Woman & if you are yay!! You'll love this side.

 

I followed the dressing recipe to a T! It's so yummy, why mess it up!

Dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup grated Parmesan (pre-grated in a pack from the store)

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon vinegar

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 clove garlic, pressed

Juice of 1 lemon

 

In a blender add the olive oil, mayonnaise, Parmesan, parsley, sugar, vinegar, black pepper, salt, red pepper flakes, garlic and lemon juice and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

 

You can also use a good store bought Italian dressing,

but if you have these ingredients on hand, try it!

 

For the salad I used the following, 

2  romaine hearts (chopped)

1/2 head iceberg lettuce (chopped)

6 whole pepperoncini

1/2 cup whole black olives (sliced in half)

1/2 cup whole red cherry tomatoes

1/2 small red onion (sliced into thin cirlces)

1/3 cup grated Parmesan or more

 

Wash your veggies and dry. In a large bowl add the lettuce combination and mix together, top with the remaining veggies, I assembled them on top neatly. Looks pretty! 



 

I set the dressing in a bowl near by, as well as extra parmesan cheese.

 

Enjoy!!



Spicy Tequila Fajitas

Here's my special kicked up take on fajitas... more habanero please!

2lb Flap meat (Carne Ranchera)

1 Red bell pepper

1 Green bell pepper (sliced)

1 small onion (sliced)

1 tomato (sliced)

(2 habanero peppers (thinly sliced)

1-2 shots Tequila

Pinch of Cumin

Salt & pepper to taste

Slice all veggies & set aside. Pre heat a large skillet. 

Season meat with salt, pepper & cumin. Sear on both sides until brown (about 2-3 mins per side).

Take meat out, allow to rest on your cutting board for about 10mins. Then cut into strips.

 Throw veggies in and sauté for about 4 mins until slightly tender. Take veggies out onto a plate, throw sliced meat back into the skillet, make a hole in the center of the pan & pour in the

  Tequila shots.. Yay PARTY!! 

Mix meat into the tequila & cook for 1 min, pour veggies back in & incorporate all together. 

Turn heat off!!

Serve!!!

 It's spicy & has a kick... I love taking chances with food, I hope you enjoy this dish as well!

Enjoy!!!

Roasted Broccoli

 

Roasted broccoli takes on a whole new flavor, it's really yummy

and easy especially if you're already using the oven. 

Cut large broccoli florets, wash and dry! Don't skimp on the drying stage, it will pay off.

 

 Preheat oven at 400.

 

 

Place broccoli florets in a baking dish, season with salt & pepper.

 (I snuck in small chunks of butter, 1Tb cut).. don't tell my husband.

 

Bake for 15-20 mins & done!!

 

 

Enjoy!!

Organic Salad Mix topped with Spicy Salmon

This is my favorite go to salad, super flavorful & filling.

 

Ingredients:

1 Salmon steak per person

1/2 to 1 cup cooked Quinoa

1/2 onion (sliced)

2 Jalapenos (sliced)

Salad mix

1 Lemon

Salt & Pepper

 

Let's get started, cook about 1/2 (2 servings) to 1 cup (4 serving) of quinoa. Meanwhile season the individual portioned salmon steaks with salt & pepper, set aside. Slice 1/2 onion, 2 Jalapenos & in a medium sauté pan heat up a Tb of olive oil & cook for 4-5 minutes. Move onion and chilies to the outer edges of the pan, place salmon seasoned side down to brown. Remember to only flip once, cook about 5-6 minutes per side (or until desired readiness). Turn heat off. Now to assemble your salad... I used a combination of organic kale, spinach & Swiss chard salad mix, lay a bed of this on your plate, spoon on a good portion of quinoa (1/2 cup cooked) & top with a portion of salmon & the onion pepper mix. The dressing for this salad is very complicated.... Lemon wedges! Enjoy!  

 

 

Mini flat bread Pizzas

Here's another great lunch idea for kids!! 

Ingredients:

Thin (whole wheat) Sandwich rounds

Pepperonis

Pizza sauce or (canned tomato sauce)

Mozzarella cheese (shredded)

Parmesan

Dried oregano 

Preheat your convention oven to 400

Break open a sandwich round & use one half per pizza. Spread on some pizza sauce, cheese, pepperoni's, oregano & Parmesan & bake until crispy. My girls devoured these! I'm not gonna lie, I only planned on having 2 pizzas ( 50 calories per half bread slice + toppings calories). But I may or may not have had more than 2. Anyhow, be creative with your toppings, I added onion, bell pepper & jalapeños to my pizzas!! Yumm! Can't wait to make this again!

Enjoy!!!

My take on: Easy "Fried" Brown Rice

Take Out anyone?!?

Fried rice, yum. Like always I'm trying to improvise techniques and come up
 with easy takes on my favorite (take-out or fast food meals).

RECIPE:
1 Chicken Breast filets
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup frozen peas and carrot mix
1/2 diced red bell pepper
1/4 onion chopped
2-3 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp Stir-fry sauce (your choice)
2 eggs *optional

Let's get started with this healthier not so fried "fried brown rice".
Split each chicken breast into 2, season both sides with salt and pepper.
Sear each side fore about 5 minutes until golden. Take out and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
 Then cube the breast and set aside.
 

Cook brown rice accordingly and set aside.

 

Meanwhile dice the onion and bell peppers. In a large skillet, heat up some oil, add onion and
cook until translucent. Add red bell pepper, cooking about 2 minutes and finally add the
 peas and carrots mix. Cover and steam for about 3 mins. When rice is ready add to the
veggies mix, followed by the diced chicken, lastly add some low sodium soy sauce and mixing to combine. At this point you can crack 2 beaten eggs and stir into the rice. That's pretty much it!
 Congrats you've just made easy brown "fried" rice.

 

Enjoy!! xoxo

 

My favorite Smootie

 

Here's my go-to smoothie when I haven't eaten or don't feel like cooking.

The ratios are 1 cup green veggies (kale or spinach), 1 cup frozen fruit (your choice)

Liquids: 1/2 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup water (add more if needed)

Grains: 1 Tb Chia seeds, 1 Tb flax seed, 2 Tb Raw Oatmeal or 6-8 raw almonds

Blend until smooth!!

 

A little insight:

I hope to continue this lifestyle forever, especially for my kids & the example I'm setting. 

My workouts are constantly
changing because I learn something new everyday. Baby steps will one day make
 a huge difference, so far these changes are definitely working for me. Let me clarify that I still
enjoy all the foods I love, except of course not everyday. However, if I'm
 having a heavier dinner, I'll maybe skip the weights and do extra cardio. Balance is key.

 

My weekly workout looks something like this:

Monday: 40 mins Legs & butt / 25mins Cardio

Tuesday: Arms, Boxing & Cardio (1hr total)

Wednesday: Pure cardio (treadmill, elliptical, jump rope or a variation of all 3) 45mins

Thursday: Repeat monday

Friday: Repeat tuesday

Saturday or Sunday: Cardio

I totally fell off schedule during the holidays and I'm slowing picking it back up :)
Shit happens, but don't give up!!

 

Valentine's Weekend Dinner

I'm a sucker for all things cute and romantic... well someone in this household needs to be!

Last year I created a romantic heart inspired menu. I began with my favorite kabobs. Shrimp!! I really have a deep affection for these things, I"ll eat shrimp all day/ everyday, don't judge me.

  I love things simple sometimes....

 

Shrimp Skewers:

 

1 lb medium deveined shrimp

1 small green, red, yellow bell peppers

1 small red onion

about 10 button mushrooms

1 lemon

1 garlic clove (minced)

wooden skewers

 

Begin by soaking the wooden skewers for 30 mins. Meanwhile marinate the shrimp in a ziplock bag by adding minced garlic, the juice of half a lemon, some olive oil (2 Tb), and salt/pepper. Pop these in the refrigerator to marinate. Cut your veggies into nice squares. After half an hour, you can begin to assemble these yummy skewers. The next step is a personal preference, you can either use an indoor grill or outdoor. Pretty much grill until the shrimp are pink & the veggies have some chard on them.

 

The second item to this romantic dinner is "Heart-Shaped" Steak Empanadas.. I'm providing the link to this amazing recipe below. Use a heart cookie cutter for the masa. Enjoy & have fun.. the first 5 hearts weren't perfect, but you'll get there I promise.

 

Empanada Recipe!

 

Happy Valentine's Day ... Weekend!! 

 



 

 

Roasted chicken & Potatoes (1 pot meal)

Seriously who doesn't enjoy a oven roasted meal? Not even a question right!

This might be one of my easiest ways to roasted chicken.

 

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (cut into pieces)

3 red potatoes (quartered)

3 gold potatoes (quartered)

1 large zucchini (cut into large chunks)

1 red onion (big chunks)

1 garlic minced

1 lemon (quartered)

Mixed herbs: Thyme, Parsley & Marjoram

Salt and Pepper (1Tbsp)

Pre heat oven at 375.

Wash your whole chicken, cut into pieces (breast, legs, thighs etc) or purchase a pre-cut chicken.

I began by throwing all the ingredients into a baking dish, seasoned with salt, pepper, fresh herbs of my choice, a quartered lemon, and some olive oil. Cover all ingredients & roast for 45 mins.

 Lastly uncover & brown the chicken pieces for another 15 minutes. Timing might vary depending on your oven.

 Serve yourself some wine or whatever you prefer and relax! Yum!

 

Enjoy!! xoxo

 



Cauliflower Ceviche

First time I tried this was at my cousins party couple years ago, boy was I hooked. Totally thought it was the real deal. Who knew cauliflower was so versatile, especially nowadays people keep reinventing fresh new ways of using this mighty veggie. If you've never tired fish ceviche, you may never want to after this. OK I lied, I love fish ceviche.. but this is definitely up there!!

 By the way my daughters loooove this. It's full of lemony goodness, what's not to love. 

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower 

1 large tomato (diced)

1/4 onion (diced)

1 minced garlic clove

1/2 bunch cilantro (chopped)

Juice of 2 limes

Salt & peeper to taste

Let's get started by boiling water in a large pot, meanwhile cut the florets off the cauliflower, & wash. Planch for 5-6 mins and shock in icy water to stop the cooking process.

Chop the remaining veggies...

After cauliflower is cool, chopped into tiny pieces, the smaller the better.

Combine all ingredients in a large pretty bowl, add lime juice and season accordingly..

Mix to combine.

 

Lastly cover with plastic wrap & allow the flavors to distribute throughout for about 30-1hr.

The longer the better.

 

Finally serve.... (optional: add diced avocado on top)

Enjoy!!! xoxo

Turkey and Quinoa Meatballs

 

Ingredients:

1 lb Ground turkey

1 cup cooked Quinoa

1 Celery stem (diced)

 Some chopped onion

2 garlic cloves (minced)

1 large egg

1 Tbsp of flour

1 Tbsp Italian seasoning

Preheat oven at 375.

In a small skillet add a bit of olive oil and heat up. Add garlic, stir for 15 seconds, literally! Add onions & celery and cook until onion is translucent (season with some salt & pepper). Take this mixture out into a bowl and allow to cool.

Next in a large bowl, add ground turkey, cooked quinoa (cook 1/2 cup accordingly and cool), 1 egg, 1 tbsp. of flour, 1 tbsp Italian seasoning and lastly the cooled onion mixture.

Now for the fun part, with the most useful tools in the kitchen aka your hands, incorporate all ingredients together.

 



 

Once meat mixture is ready, grab a large ice cream scoop or use your hands once again to form uniform balls. Place one ball into a greased (sprayed with pam) cupcake pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until slightly golden on top. For the kids I used a dash of ketchup on top of each ball. Gave it more of a meatloaf flavor which my girls enjoyed.

 



This recipe makes about 11-12 balls or mini loafs.

 

Enjoy!!! xoxo

 



Cold Orzo Salad

This quick pasta is a great side or delicious on it's own!

1 box cooked orzo (cooled)

Couple bunched of raw kale (chopped)

1 large tomato (seeded & chopped)

3 Persian cucumbers (chopped)

1/4 red onion (finely chopped)

Red Wine Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Pinch of oregano 

Salt & pepper to taste 

Mix veggies with the orzo & slowly incorporate Vinaigrette. Mix & taste, adjust seasonings if needed. Sprinkle feta cheese crumbs on top, add more to your liking. 

Refrigerate for about 20 mins, allowing flavors to incorporate. 

Enjoy!

Simple Spaghetti & Meatballs

Ingredients:

(For the meatballs)

1 1/2 lean ground beef

1 egg

1/2 shredded small zucchini 

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Some bread crumbs

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1Tb salt & freshly ground pepper 

Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, with a small ice cream scoop

form the balls. Heat up a large skillet, add olive oil, brown the meatballs

 in two batches. Take out meatballs onto a plate lined with a paper towel

 to drain excess oil.

Sauce:

Favorite store bought marinara

1 garlic clove

1/4 diced red onion

1 bay leaf

Some dried oregano 

You will then add the diced onion & garlic to the skillet you cooked your

meatballs. Sauté for 3-4 mins, add marinara sauce, bay leaf, oregano &

simmer for 10mins. Add meatballs into the sauce & simmer another 10mins.

1 1lb spaghetti to pasta

Meanwhile cook the pasta accordingly. To serve place pasta on a plate & spoon

 over generous amounts of sauce & meatballs. Finish with Parmesan cheese &

 possibly some fresh basil. Enjoy!!

Fiesta lettuce cups

 

Ingredients:

1 iceburg lettuce 

1lb ground beef

2-3 tb of Homemade taco seasoning

1 tomato (chopped)

3 green onions (chopped)

1/2 shredded cheddar cheese

I've said it many times but here it goes again, I always crave Taco Bell (no I don't always give into my cravings). Instead I look for ways of using the same flavors in healthier alternatives. This journey begins with my simple refried beans, which aren't really "fried". I cook the beans, mash with a bit of grape seed oil, some sautéed green onions & season towards the end if necessary. I then brown a pound of ground beef, add my homemade seasonings (which you can find the recipe on my blog). Simmer for 5 minutes & all done. For the toppings I chop tomato, green onions, shredded cheese & possibly some jalapenos if you like the heat. Lastly, wash some iceberg lettuce, tear into palm size pieces and begin by laying mashed beans, ground beef & the toppings of your choice.
Enjoy!! Oh, don't forget the salsa!!

Baby Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

Organic Baby Spinach

Chopped red onion

Halved Cherry tomatoes

Garbanzo beans

Crumbled Feta cheese

Optional Sides: 

Whole wheat pasta

Hard boiled Eggs

Use Dressing of your choice! Enjoy!

Salad Bar Friday

This is by far my daughters favorite dinner!! Weird right!! But they love salads & serving themselves! This post is pretty self explanatory, I wanted to share my take on an "At home salad bar". Hope this inspires you to recreate your own version, Enjoy!!!