Fresh Mozzarella, Heirloom Tomato, and Basil Pizza

{recipe via}

Ingredients

• 12 ounces refrigerated fresh pizza dough
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves 
• 6 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 
• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced 
• 2 (6-ounce) heirloom tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation

Hands On: 22 Minutes 
Total: 55 Minutes 

1. 1. Place a pizza stone or heavy baking sheet in oven. Preheat oven to 500° (keep pizza stone or baking sheet in oven as it preheats).
2. 2. Let dough stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
3. 3. Place basil, garlic, and 2 tablespoons oil in a mini food processor; pulse 3 times to form a paste. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil; pulse until smooth.
4. 4. Roll dough into a 14-inch circle on a floured surface; pierce entire surface liberally with a fork. Carefully remove pizza stone from oven. Arrange dough on pizza stone. Spread about 2 1/2 tablespoons basil mixture over dough. Top evenly with cheese, tomatoes, and pepper. Bake at 500° for 12 minutes or until crust is browned and crisp. Top with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons basil mixture; sprinkle evenly with salt. Cut into 12 slices.

Honey-Lime Chicken Kebabs with Mango Slices

{recipe via}

Ingredients

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes 
• 2 teaspoons grated lime rind 
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 sliced peeled mangoes 
• Chili powder (optional)

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat broiler to high.
2. 2. Combine first 5 ingredients; toss to coat. Thread chicken onto 8 (6-inch) skewers. Place kebabs on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 4 minutes on each side or until done.
3. 3. Combine juice and honey in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Arrange kebabs and mango slices on a platter; drizzle with honey mixture, and sprinkle with chili powder, if desired.

Pork Chops With Apples and Garlic Smashed Potatoes

I'm not a huge pork chop fan, but oh my this was good!!

{recipe via}

Ingredients

• 1 pound small fingerling potatoes

• 2 cloves garlic

• Kosher salt

• 4 1/2-inch-thick boneless pork loin chops (5 ounces each)

• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage

• Freshly ground pepper

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 large red onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges

• 2 Granny Smith apples, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

• 3/4 cup apple cider

• 1/4 cup buttermilk

Directions

Put the potatoes and garlic in a saucepan, cover with cold water and season with salt. Cover and bring to a boil, then uncover and continue cooking until tender, about 15 minutes. Cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, rub both sides of the pork chops with the sage, and salt and pepper to taste. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat, then add 1 teaspoon olive oil and sear the chops until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to a plate. Wipe out the skillet and add the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil. Add the onion and apples and cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the cider.

Return the chops to the skillet. Cover and cook, turning once, until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the potatoes, reserving 1/4 cup liquid. Return the potatoes to the pan; add the buttermilk and mash, adding cooking liquid as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the pork chops, onion and apples. Drizzle with the pan juices.

Spicy mango chicken stuffed sweet potatoes

This is another recipe I got from @busygirlseatclean. Follow them on Instagram!

•2 chicken breast
•1 mango
•1 red bell pepper
•1/8 cup sliced pepperoncinis
•2 sweet potatoes

• Bake sweet potatoes at 350 for 45 minutes. More or less, depending on their size.
• Season chicken with Mrs. Dash chipotle and bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until done. (I didn't have the Mrs. Dash seasoning so I looked up the ingredients and used what spices I did have that are in the chipotle mix. I mixed them all together in a bowl with some lemon juice, then rubbed it on the chicken)
• Dice mango and bell pepper
• Sautée mango, bell pepper and pepperoncinis for 5-8 minutes
• Dice chicken and add to pepper/mango mix
• Slice sweet potato down the middle and stuff with chicken/pepper/mango mixture!

Artichoke and spinach stuffed tilapia

I've been trying to find "cleaner" things to help me get rid of the rest of this baby weight. The first 20 pounds just melted off, but that was it. I just stopped loosing. It has motivated me to try to eat a little healthier and hit the gym too! Time to get it shape! Anyway, this was really good and easy! I got the recipe idea from @busygirlseatclean on Instagram, but changed it up to this.

•4 tilapia loins
•1 cup spinach, chopped
•3 artichoke hearts, chopped (just as much as you want)
•1 tsp minced garlic
•2 wedges of laughing cow Swiss cheese
•Handful of shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend, any cheese would work)
•Italian seasoning
•Garlic powder
•1/4 cup panko bread crumbs + more to sprinkle on top

•Preheat oven to 400•
•Slice fish length wise to make a sort of pocket.
•Mix all the other ingredients together and stuff inside the fish.
•Place on a cookie sheet lined with foil, and sprayed with Pam.
•Coat the outside of the fish with more bread crumbs, then drizzle with olive oil.
•Bake for 25 minutes.

Sticky Mango Chicken Skewers with Black Bean and Pineapple Brown Rice

We had this last night, and I about made myself sick because I ate so much! SO yummy.

Original recipe found here

Ingredients:
For the Sticky Mango marinade:
1 very ripe mango, peeled and cut from the pit
1/2 jalapeno (seeds removed)
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons vinegar
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast, sliced very thin

For the Pineapple Brown Rice:
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 can black beans, drained
1/2 fresh pineapple, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced (I left this out)
1/3 cup scallions, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Directions:
In a blender, combine all ingredients until smooth. Spread over the thinly sliced chicken, then cover the chicken and refrigerate for 1-8 hours. When ready to cook, thread the chicken onto skewers, then grill or bake in an oven preheated to 500 degrees for 18-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve over pineapple rice.

For the Pineapple Brown Rice:
Stir the rice, black beans, pineapple, and red bell pepper together in a large skillet. Heat over medium heat until hot. Remove and stir in scallions and garlic salt. Serve with Sticky Mango skewers. 

*The recipe says sticky, but our chicken was not sticky. Maybe because we cooked ours on the grill. Still super yummy, but if you're expecting sticky, maybe try cooking it in the oven.

Pepperoni-Mozzarella Calzone

Okay, this was REALLY yummy. I could eat it again tonight.

Original recipe can be found here

Ingredients
2 large eggs
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (I just used dried, and about half that much)
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 pound shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
1 13.8-ounce tube refrigerated pizza dough
1/4 pound deli-sliced salami, cut into thin strips (I used pepperoni and bacon, crumbled)
1 1/2 cups giardiniera (pickled mixed vegetables), drained (left these out)
1/4 pound sliced provolone cheese
Directions
Place a baking sheet upside down in the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Beat the eggs, parsley and lemon zest in a small bowl. Pour half of the egg mixture into a medium bowl and stir in the mozzarella. Reserve the remaining egg mixture for brushing on the crust.

Turn another baking sheet upside down; line with parchment paper and brush with olive oil. Unroll the dough on the parchment paper and pat into a 9-by-12-inch rectangle. Spread the mozzarella mixture over one half of the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the edge. Top with the salami, followed by the pickled vegetables and provolone. Fold the other half of the dough over to cover the filling. Crimp and roll the edges to seal, then pierce the top of the dough in a few places with a knife.

Slide the calzone with the parchment paper onto the hot baking sheet; bake 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining egg mixture, then continue to bake until the crust is golden, 5 to 10 more minutes. Let rest 5 minutes, then cut into wedges.

We dipped ours in marinara sauce, and it was super yummy!

Chicken Salad Sandwhiches

This one isn't really new to us, but I don't think I have made it since we've been married. This recipe calls for greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise, but it was too yogurt-y for me. To make it a little more familiar I added about a tablespoon of mayo and it did the trick.

Original recipe found here

Ingredients:

• 1 pound chicken breast (chopped, diced, or shredded)

• 1/2 cup diced red onion (I used a few scallions instead)

• 1/2 cup diced apple

• 2/3 cup grapes, halved

• 1/3 cup NatureBox Dried Cranberries or Zingy Currants (left these out)

• 1/4 cup sliced almonds (left these out)

• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (+ about a tbsp of mayonnaise)

• 1-1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• Kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• Ciabatta bread, toasted, for serving (We used croissants, way better!)

Directions:1. In a large bowl, combine chicken, red onion, apple, grapes, dried cranberries or currants, sliced almonds, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and pepper, to taste. Serve sandwiches on ciabatta bread with chicken salad mixture.

fish tacos with chipotle cream

I've been trying out some new recipes lately, and I've been so lucky! the past 4 nights I've made something new to us, and they have all turned out great, are super easy, and don't make the house too hot (it's already been in the 90's here, so cooking can be miserable in a hot kitchen!)! I'll start with these fish tacos.

The original recipe can be found here on Food Networks website

Fish:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 pound white flaky fish fillet, like tilapia or halibut

Chipotle cream:

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt (I used greek yogurt)

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 teaspoons chipotle pepper, in adobo sauce

8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

1 1/2 cups shredded green cabbage or lettuce

1/2 cup corn kernels (thawed if frozen)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Lime wedges

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lime juice, salt and pepper. Pour over the fish fillets and let marinate for 20 minutes. Put the yogurt into a strainer lined with apaper towel and place over a bowl to drain and thicken for 20 minutes.

Remove the fish from the marinade and grill on a preheated grill or nonstick grill pan over a medium-high heat until cooked thorough, about 3 minutes per side. Set the fish aside on a plate for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl combine the thickened yogurt, mayonnaise, and chipotle pepper.

Heat the tortillas on the grill or grill pan for 30 seconds on each side.

Flake the fish with a fork. Top each tortilla with 1 tablespoon of the chipotle cream. Top with fish, cabbage, corn and cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

Sesame Noodles with Peanut Sauce

I found this recipe here, but I made a few changes. We had it for dinner, and cold for lunch. Millie even loved it!

Sesame Noodles with Peanut Sauce

*Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
2 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon hot chili sauce (sriracha sauce)
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
Hot water
2 chicken breasts
1 tablespoon salt
12 ounces dried whole wheat spaghetti noodles (any kind really, I used thin spaghetti noodles)
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
4 scallions (green onions), sliced thin on diagonal
1 medium carrot, grated
In blender or food processor, peanut butter, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, hot sauce, and sugar until smooth, about 30 seconds. With machine running, add hot water 1 tablespoon (for a total of about 5 tablespoons, give or take) at time until sauce has consistency of heavy cream, slightly thickened but purable. Set blender jar or workbowl aside.

DIRECTIONS:

Bring 6 quarts water to boil in stockpot over high heat. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to 6 inches from broiler element; heat broiler. Spray broiler pan or rimmed baking sheet lined with foil with cooking spray; place chicken breasts on top and broil chicken until lightly browned, 4 to 8 minutes. Using tongs, flip chicken over and continue to broil until thickest part is no longer pink when cut into and registers about 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and let rest 5 minutes. Using 2 forks, shred chicken into bite-size pieces and set aside. Add salt and noodles to boiling water; boil noodles until tender, about 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain then toss noodles with sesame oil until evenly coated. Add shredded chicken, scallions, carrot, and sauce; toss to combine. Divide among individual bowls and serve immediately.

*the original recipe called for sesame seeds, but I couldn't find any, so I left them out. I didn't think the dish was missing anything, but it might add something extra if you want to use them!

Spicy Whiskey BBQ Sliders

I have made these a couple times now and I am already craving them. I made them the first time for my hubby, his dad and brother and they were a HUGE hit. They pretty much licked the pan clean. They have an awesome taste and for a "man" meal my mother in law and I really enjoyed them too.

I took this directly from the Pioneer Womens website, and you should really go take a look because she has really great pictures. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/12/spicy-whiskey-bbq-sliders/

Spicy Whiskey BBQ Sliders:

IngredientsPreparation Instructions

• 2 pounds Ground Meat (beef, Bison, Turkey)
• Salt And Pepper
• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 whole Large Onion, Diced
• 1/2 cup Whiskey
• 1 cup Barbecue Sauce
• 1/4 cup Jarred Jalapeno Slices (more To Taste)
• 12 whole Slider Buns Or Dinner Rolls, Split

Form the meat into 12 (or so) miniature patties and salt and pepper them on both sides. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook the patties until just about done in the middle, approximately 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the patties from the skillet and set aside. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of grease, then return the skillet to the stove.

Throw the diced onions in the skillet and stir to cook, about 3 minutes. Pour in whiskey (be careful if you're cooking over an open flame; turn it off momentarily to be extra careful) and stir. Allow the whiskey to reduce by half, about 2 to 3 minutes, then stir in jalapenos and the barbecue sauce.

Reduce the heat to low and place the patties in the barbecue sauce, turning to coat. Allow the patties to simmer in the sauce until everything's hot and bubbly.

Place the patties on individual buns and be sure to spoon extra sauce (with the jalapenos!) over the top of each one before topping with the other half of the bun.

** Ok and it does say spicy, but for my kids I just took the jalapenos off and it was just fine for them. Plus the whiskey made them sleep like champs that night. hahaha just kiddin

Twice Baked Potatoes

Twice Baked Potatoes

I don’t make up a lot of my own recipes, but this is one I have modified enough I think I can call it my own. These are SO freakin good, and super easy. We eat them as the main part of the meal, but you can make them smaller and have them as a side dish instead.

Ingredients:

-          1 pkg cream cheese (I use fat free)

-          1 cup sour cream (also fat free)

-          Approx. 2 tablespoons milk

-          ½ cup butter

-          1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

-          salt

-          Pepper

-          Seasoning salt

-          Garlic salt

-          ½ cup cheese – you can use cheddar, I prefer the a mixed kind, like cheddar and jack

-          6 big russet potatoes

-          ½ cups chopped up yellow onions (very small)

-          A bunch of green onions chopped up (the green part only)

-          Cooked bacon crumbled up (this time I didn’t have any so I didn’t use it)

1. First poke a couple holes in the potatoes and bake unwrapped in the oven at 350 for about an hour or until soft. When they are done let cool for about 15 minutes, then cut in half.

2.  Scoop out the middle of the potatoes. My favorite trick is to not scoop it really close to the skin. Leave a little bit of the potato in the skin, and it will make it so the skin doesn’t fall apart and stays stiff.

3. Mix together with a mixer until smooth: scooped out potatoes, cream cheese, sour cream, milk, butter, cheddar cheese, yellow onions. Salt, pepper and season salt and garlic salt to taste. I do about a teaspoon of each, maybe a little more.

4. Put the potato mixture in the potato skins. Sprinkle with cheese, green onions and bacon.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and hot all the way through.

turkey lasagna

Tonight I was really craving lasagna, but I wanted something healthy. So I found this recipe for a lighter take on lasagna. It is different than what I was expecting, but still very yummy. It isn't as saucy and gooey as a typical lasagna, but it is also a little healthier than a typical lasagna. Serve it with some french bread and a salad, yummy!

Turkey Lasagna 

(serves 8)

(slightly adapted from HERE)

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground turkey breast
• Cooking spray
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 (26-ounce) bottle fat-free Italian pasta sauce (my joke of a grocery store didn't have ANY fat-free. oh well)
• 3 cups (12 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
• 2 cups 1% low-fat cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 9 uncooked lasagna noodles

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Cook the turkey in a large saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Add water and pasta sauce; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Combine 2 cups mozzarella, cottage cheese, and next 3 ingredients (cottage cheese through pepper) in a bowl.
• Spread 1 cup turkey mixture in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Arrange 3 noodles over turkey mixture; top with 1 1/2 cups turkey mixture. Spread half of cheese mixture over turkey mixture. Repeat layers, ending with the remaining turkey mixture.
• Cover and bake at 350° for 1 hour. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Let lasagna stand 10 minutes before serving.

coconut crusted chicken tenders

I found this recipe on pinterest a couple weeks ago and I have made it twice since! It is so yummy and so easy!!

recipe and photo {via}

Coconut Crusted Chicken Tenders
(serves 4)

• 1 lb chicken tenderloins or chicken breasts, sliced into long, 1″ thick strips
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 3/4 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons canola oil

Preheat oven to 400°F. Create an assembly line for easy coating of each tenderloin: Place all chicken strips on one plate. Next to that, place flour in a wide, shallow bowl. Lightly whisk eggs in another wide, shallow bowl. Combine panko, coconut, salt, and pepper in a fourth and final wide, shallow bowl. Now, take one chicken strip and toss it in the flour, shaking off the excess. Then, dredge the floured strip in the egg bath. Next, gently toss the chicken strip in the panko/coconut mixture, pressing to coat on each side. Place the coated strip on a plate or cookie sheet until you have finished coating all of the chicken.

Next, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat on your stove top. Add one tablespoon oil, swirling to coat. Add half of the chicken strips in a single layer, leaving space between each one. Cook for about 3 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Remove the chicken to a foil lined baking sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray. Add the remaining one tablespoon oil to the pan and then the second half of the chicken strips and cook for 3 minutes per side. Remove that second batch and place on the baking sheet. Set it in the oven for 10 minutes, so that the chicken tenders can cook through.

I made some honey mustard to dip them in, and it was perfect! For the honey mustard just mix equal parts mustard and mayo or miracle whip and however much honey you want, depending on how sweet you want it.

Enjoy!

Teriyaki Stir Fry

I am so sad I didn't take a picture of this dinner. It was so pretty!

It was really easy and SO yum. Probably one of my favorite dinners lately, and I didn't even use a recipe!

My inspiration was these pineapple teriyaki meatballs we got at costco a few weeks ago. The first package we ate with umm nothing because I was lazy and all I had to do was pop them in the oven for a few minutes. But last night I decided they would be good with veggies. So here is the stir fry "recipe" I used. 

1 Japanese eggplant (the long skinny kind)

1 medium carrot

1 small-medium head of broccoli

1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms

1/4 purple onion

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

teriyaki sauce

cooked rice

Chop up all your veggies into bite size pieces. Heat some oil in a large skillet then add the onions. After the onions have started to cook, add veggies in order of cooking time, you don't want anything over done! Once the vegetable are pretty much done, add however much teriyaki sauce you prefer. Stir around and make sure it coats all the veggies. 

Thats it! Super easy and way better than dumping the frozen ones in a pan (which is what I usually do). Serve the vegetables over rice! I cooked up some of the yummy costco meatballs and put them on top of everything. It was really really good. 

You can add whatever meat or other vegetables you are feelin!

 

Salsa Chicken

This little meal was going around pinterest like crazy so I tried it tonight. I paired it with rice and it may be my new favorite meal. SOOO easy, and so yummy!!HERE is where I got the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup (I used the cream of chicken)
1 cup salsa
1 package taco seasoning
1 cup sour cream
cilantro, for serving (optional)
I also added black beans
Directions:

Put chicken, soup, and salsa in slow cooker. Sprinkle taco seasoning over everything. Cook on low for 6 hours. If shredding the chicken, pull the breasts out and shred; return back to slow cooker. Stir in sour cream and heat just until everything is combined.

Source: Fake Ginger

orange chicken and fried rice

Last night I made this super easy orange chicken. Super easy like all you do is dump it out of the bag, bake it, then pour the sauce over it. haha It is from Costco, and it's pretty good! I did have to actually make the rice though... here is the recipe:

3 cups cooked rice, cooled (I used white, but brown would be healthier!)
2 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup frozen veggies, thawed (whatever you have, I used a mix of peas, carrots, corn and edamame)
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons water

-Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in large skillet, then scramble the eggs, until just done. Don't over-cook.

-Add the veggies, rice and remaining oil and cook for about 5 minutes. (Don't worry if it get dry and crispy, thats good!)

-Mix the soy sauce and water together in a small bowl and pour over the rice.

-Cook, stirring occasionally until the moisture is absorbed. (about 5 more minutes)

-Season with salt and pepper to taste!

You can really add whatever you want to this, leftover chicken or beef, onions, whatever you feel like!

Steak+Pineapple+Mushroom Kabobs

Okay, I have to start off with saying that I never really LOVE what I make for dinner. I am just more of a dessert kind of girl. BUT tonight we made some kabobs on the grill and oh my gosh they were so good. I made them a month or so and they were delicious then, but this time they were even better!

Here's how I put them together.

(a few hours in advance) start the STEAK marinade:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon mustard
1 teaspoon barbeque sauce
garlic powder or garlic salt (if you use the salt, don't use too much. the soy sauce is plenty salty!)
pepper

whisk all the ingredients together. Cut up your steak into the size you prefer for the kabobs and put it all in a zip lock bag. Put that in the fridge until you are ready to assemble (I let them marinade for about 2.5 hours).

While your husband get the grill ready, cut up PINEAPPLE and MUSHROOMS. You can leave the mushrooms whole if you like, mine were just really big. I like to melt butter and coat the mushrooms in the melted butter, salt and pepper.

Load up your kabobs!
steak+pineapple+mushroom+steak+pineapple+mushroom+steak+pineapple+mushroom

Throw them on the grill... they don't take very long.

The combination of the marinade and the pineapple tenderize the meat and make it so juicy and so delicious.

PLEASE try this. I'm begging you.

Cheesy Potato Soup

1/2 c. carrots, chopped

1/4 c. onion, chopped

1/2 c. celery. chopped (I left this out)

3 c. potatoes, diced

1 t. parsley

1 c. water

1/2 t. salt

1/8 t. pepper

1 chicken bouillon cube (I left this out too)

2 T. flour

1-1/2 c. milk

1/2 lb. processed cheese(I used mild cheddar, and grated it)

Combine first 9 ingredients and simmer until vegetables are done. Blend together flour and milk in a separate bowl. Add to the vegetables, stirring constantly, until soup thickens. When soup is thickened, add processed cheese. Stir until all is melted.

*Okay this turned out SO so good, and SUPER easy! I can't wait for lunch time so I can eat the leftovers :)

oh and sorry no picture... I was too hungry.

Eggplant Chicken ??

So I kind of made this up, and Ive made it a couple times and revised it each time, but this time it was by far my favorite. First of all, I didn't like eggplant of mushrooms before this. Something about this is so good. Even Brandon liked it, and I was shocked. It is even better the second day too. All the juices like get better or something.

- 1 eggplant
- Portabella  mushrooms (i used just one the grilling ones that are huge)
- 1 green pepper
- 1 red pepper
- 1 purple onion
- garlic clove
- 1 can diced tomatoes (I used the Italian style ones)
- fresh Parmesan cheese
- olive oil
- chicken breast
- 1 tsp curry (you don't have to, it was just sitting there and so I put it in and it was good)
- bread crumbs (I have done it with and without.....it is more dinnery with the bread crumbs, but keeps better for the next days lunch without them. They get a little soggy.)
- 2 egg whites

Cut up the eggplant into big bite size pieces. (I peel it too) dip it in the stirred egg whites then in the bread crumbs. Cook them on a frying pan in like a 1/3 cup olive oil until brown.

Cut up all the other veggies in big bite size pieces. Saute in olive oil and garlic, also salt/pepper.

For the chicken you can cook it however you like and cut it up, but the kind from Costco already cooked in the little packages all cut up was really good in it.

Mix it all together and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or so.

Even Levi loves this. The other way to do it is just cut it up and mix it all together with olive oil and bake it for like 45-1 hr. I didn't use bread crumbs when I did it that way.