30 Minute Marinade...

Duh! I can't believe I haven't posted this simple, last minute, save-your-tail-in-a-pinch MARINADE! It's perfect for the dinner you forgot to plan or the company who said that they were coming for dinner and they are on their way- right now! Super easy with minimal on-hand ingredients!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 TBSP fresh ginger or use ginger from a jar

1 clove garlic

1 TBSP lemon juice

Directions:

Put your chicken, fish, or beef in a large ziplock bag, mix your ingredients in a bowl and pour into the bag. Refrigerate (or leave on counter if the temperature is cool enough in the room) for about 30 minutes. (I turn my bag over half way through the 30 minutes). Then BBQ your meat and enjoy!

* These measurements are for about 1.5 - 2 pounds of meat. If you use more meat, double the recipe!

FRESH GINGER TIP!!!! You really can taste the difference between fresh ginger and ginger in a jar- so here's a great tip to making your fresh ginger last for a long time! Buy a piece of ginger in the produce section (looks like a root or piece of tree branch!) and peel it with a carrot peeler. Then put it in a freezer baggie, throw it in the freezer until you come across a recipe, bust it out and use a fine grater on the frozen ginger and Wha-LA! You won't be disappointed!

Stuffed Bellpeppers

Ingredients:

1 package ground turkey

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

1 can diced tomatoes

1/3 cup brown rice

1/3 cup water or chicken broth

4 bell peppers (green work well for this recipe)

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp dried basil

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Brown your onions and garlic in a little bit of oil. Add your turkey and brown that. Next add your tomatoes, water/broth, and brown rice and spices, cover and let simmer until the rice is cooked. Next wash your bell peppers, cut off the tops and scoop out insides and seeds and stuff with meat & rice filling. Bake them for about 25-3o minutes in a pyrex dish (peppers should be "standing up" in the dish). You can top with white cheese if desired in the last few minutes of baking.

Meal Plan July 26th- Aug.1

Here's this weeks meal plan, I know we eat a lot of chicken, I am going to work on eating less meat and trying to incorporate more beans & lentils (good for you, good for the pocket book!) so have patience with me until then. I also have a husband who eats a TON and we both eat left overs for lunch the next day, so this is literally my shopping list, no other lunch foods are added (if you were thinking "that's a lot of food for one week!"). I am also going to try to work on lowering my grocery purchases and saving some money in the food budget (by incorporating less expensive, but still nutritious recipes- a lot of them are stew & soups- so we might need to wait until it cools down! So look for that this fall!) If you want, you can split 1 package of chicken breasts between the baked chicken and the lime tacos and add a can of black beans to the lime tacos to "beef" it up!

Meal Plan

Sunday- BBQ Chicken Legs, BBQ Squash, Cucumber Salad

Monday- Lime Chicken Soft Tacos & Watermelon Wedges (I am going to try this in the crock pot, I will let you know how it goes!)

Tuesday- Spaghetti and Artichokes

Wednesday- Stuffed Bell Peppers and Green Salad

Thursday- Baked Chicken Breasts, Sweet Potato Fries, Corn on the Cob, Watermelon

Friday- left overs

Saturday- out

Shopping List

1-2 packages chicken legs

2 packages chicken

2 lb. ground turkey

brown rice noodles

brown rice

2 cans diced tomatoes

tomato sauce

Parmesan

oregano

parsley* (to sprinkle in spaghetti)

squash

cucumber

red onion

yellow onion

4 green bell peppers

2 tomatoes

sweet potatoes

tortillas

limes

jack cheese

cilantro

lettuce

sour cream*

guacamole *

green onions *

black beans * (for lime tacos, instead of so much chicken!)

corn on the cob

artichokes

watermelon (or whatever fresh fruit is in your house)

s & p

red wine (for spaghetti)

Worcester's Sauce

garlic powder

red wine vinegar

balsamic vinegar

sugar

garlic

olive oil

* items are optional

Supplements...

I haven't posted in a few days due to a spontaneous trip to the coast, but here's something I have thought about sharing for quite some time- a post on supplements. My family has always been into learning about nutrition as a way of taking care of your body with a proactive stance, and this so far has been my favorite thing I've tried. 

I know many people have heard of "probiotics" and that term is sometimes linked to yogurt thanks to the media- but really, it simply means "pro" (good) and "biotic" (bacteria) meaning the "good bacteria" that is found in your gut. We all have good and bad bacteria in our guts, some of our ratios are better than others, of course we would all strive to have more good and less bad in order to maintain great health.  So a probiotic adds that good bacteria back to your good to help keep those ratios in good order. So, if you take a well formulated probiotic, you will see a lot of change in your overall health, it will promote better digestive functions (i.e. regularity and softness, if you will) as well as a lower incident of being sick, . A healthier gut leads to a healthier body because many illnesses and diseases start in the gut. It is especially important to add that good bacteria back to your gut after taking an antibiotic, because that antibiotic will kill the good and the bad bacteria in your gut- leaving you susceptible to secondary infections, like a yeast infection (that's why they are so common after you've been on antibiotics). These are also so good for your little ones, my daughter has been taking a probiotic from the get go- try one on your kids for better overall health and digestive regularity!

I think it's also really important to choose wisely the products that you take, you can't assume that all vitamins - or probiotics- will have the same quality, thus distributing the same resuts. So, after much research and comparison, I have chosen to go with Dr. Fuhrman's vitamins and supplements. I have seen and felt the differences! (* This is MY opinion, it's not the only one out there, and I am not even claiming it's the best, but it has been the most helpful to my family and I and my main desire with this post is to get you thinking and headed on a path that will help direct you if you need it. Dr, Fuhrman is not sponsoring me or paying me- nor does he know I exist!) 

Here are the items I order from him, they are pretty "middle of the road" as far as pricing goes. They are supreme quality and when I do purchase them, I order in bulk to receive free shipping. If you have questions, please feel free to email me or leave a comment! These are the things I take along with their benefits:

Probiotic:

• Preventing and ameliorating allergic reaction such as atopic dermatitis and eczema.
• Reducing respiratory infection and ear infections, especially in children.
• Animal studies show a reduction in colon tumor and polyps.
• Improving digestive function and bowel symptoms for those with indigestion, reflux and irritable bowel syndrome.
• Strengthen the mucosal barrier of the bowel and improve immune function.
• These strains have demonstrated documented improvement in Crohn's and ulcerative colitis as documented in medical studies

Multi-Vitamin

Great for all ages

Safe for pregnant and nursing women

Gentle on the digestive tract

Non-stimulating

Complements a healthy diet

100% vegan

Premium quality ingredients

Chelated minerals for maximum absorption

Void of potentially harmful and toxic ingredients

Children's Multi-Vitamin

• Premium children’s vitamin–mineral supplement.
• More than 30 fruit & vegetable concentrates.
• NO artificial sweeteners or preservatives.
• Free of allergens (no wheat, dairy, gluten, or soy).
• Improved great berry taste.
• Fun for kids to eat.
• No isolated vitamin A or beta carotene.

Osteo-Sun

• Essential for bone growth and maintenance of bone density
• Increases calcium absorption to maximize bone health
• Promotes strong bones, hair, and nails
• Formulated to reduce the risk of, and for the treatment of, osteoporosis
• Vital for maintaining a healthy immune system, regulating cell growth, & preventing cancer

DHA:

• Especially Important for nursing and pregnant women
• Improves your child’s intelligence
• Aids depression and Attention Deficit Disorder
• Improves memory
• Important for brain and eye development
• Promotes smoother skin; prevents wrinkles
• Helps prevent heart disease and arthritis
• Lowers risk of Alzheimer’s and senior dementia
• Lowers “bad” cholesterol

HOLY GUACAMOLE!

Here we go, good ol' classic guacamole... I make this all the time whether it's for an appetizer, to munch on, to go on burgers, burritos, or sandwiches, or whatever else you can think of! It's an easy and tasty spread for all to enjoy! I like to keep it simple with ingredients you are likely to have around at any time, double it up for large groups because it goes fast!

Ingredients:

4 avocados

1 fresh lemon (approximately 1 TBSP)

1/2 tomato, diced

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder or 1 fresh clove, minced

3/4 tsp salt

Directions:

Peel and pit your ripe avocados (save one pit), put the avocadoes in a glass mixing bowl and mash them up with a fork, potato masher, or pastry masher (like the one in the picture). Add your lemon juice and seasonings and mix thoroughly with a fork or spatula. Add your tomato chunks and gently mix those in. Put one of the pits back in the dish to help if from turning brown so quickly. Cover and chill until serving or eat right away! (Don't make this dish too far in advanced because it will brown with time and heat).

*Always taste before serving and add a little of this, and a little of that to your likings!

Garden Pasta Salad with Chicken

Here is a dense and hardy pasta salad that's great as a meal in itself!

Ingredients:

1 lb pasta ( I use the rainbow colored pasta from TJ's, cork screw would work well too)

2  large chicken breasts, browned (or 3 small)

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 med. cucumber, chopped

1 cup shredded carrots

3 stalks celery, chopped *

1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped

2 roma tomatoes, chopped *

1/4 cup basil, finely chopped

1 cup parmesan cheese

* is for optional items, depending on your taste buds and what's left in your fridge!

Dressing:

4 TBSP balsamic vinegar

2 TBSP olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp sugar

1/8 tsp garlic powder or 1 fresh clove, minced

1/8 tsp pepper

*** Note, I use this dressing on green salads all the time, so when I make this for the pasta salad, I double the dressing recipe and keep it on hand if the pasta salad needs more (especially the next day because it tends to dry out as the pasta absorbs it) or I if not, I have it on hand for a green salad whenever I need it!

Directions:

Simple. Cook your pasta per bags directions. Cook and chop your chicken (or use left over chicken), chop all your veggies, combine in a big bowl. Refrigerate (if you want to serve cold) and add the dressing and parmesan cheese at the last minute. Toss and enjoy!

* In the picture, I double the entire recipe (2 lbs pasta) and I used one bag of wheat cork screw pasta and one bag of colorful vegetable pasta from Trader Joe's.

Meal Plan July 19th- 25th

Here's another Meal Plan for July 19th - 25th

Sunday: Taco Salad

Monday: left overs with Taco Meat (you choose your families favorite Tacos, Burritos, or Enchiladas)

Tuesday: Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi, Snappin' Snap Peas, Brown Rice

Wednesday: Garden Pasta Salad with Chicken

Thursday: Onion Chicken in Balsamic Sauce over Pasta & Green Salad, 

Friday: left overs

Saturday: dinner out!

To make your dinners easier this week, you can double your taco meet on Sunday so that you have some for Sunday nights meal as well as Monday nights. You can also cook enough pasta on Wednesday night to have some for your Thursday night as well! If you want left overs for lunch or the weekend, double the Garden Pasta Salad recipe and it will last you a while! 

Shopping List

• Romaine
• Black Beans
• Kidney Beans
• 2 lbs. ground turkey or beef
• Cheddar Cheese, shredded
• handful of tortilla chips (optional for Taco Salad)
• tomatoes, I like roma (for taco salad & pasta salad)
• avocado
• 3 bell peppers (for taco salad, green salad, & pasta salad)
• balsamic vinegar
• olive oil
• s & p
• garlic powder
• mahi mahi steaks
• honey 
• soy sauce
• ginger (in a jar or fresh)
• 3 clove garlic
• brown rice
• snap peas
• lemon
• mint (left over from last week??)
• 2 red onions
• chicken breast (for 2 dishes, Balsamic Chicken & Pasta Salad)
• sun dried tomatoes (in a jar in oil)
• chicken broth
• 2 bags pasta (cork screw or bow-tie)
• can of olives (sliced or halved)
• celery or cucumber (depending on your taste buds preference)
• shredded carrots (left over from last week?)
• parmesan cheese (shredded)
• basil (optional)

You can use your left over veggies from the week (from taco salad & the pasta salad) to make your "green salad" on Thursday! Also, don't forget to include any other ingredients you might need for Tuesday's meal- tortillas or enchilad sauce????? for "your choice" left over taco meat night!