Frozen Yogurt Fruit Pops

Hi there!

This recipe is all over the web. Bu,t I thought I would add it to my page, just because it is fun and a yummy treat, that is good for you!
This is a great one if you have kids who are having a fussy day about having breakfast. You can actually give them one & be looked at like the greatest parent on the planet. I mean who gives there kids frozen treats for breakfast.~ Little do they know they are eating a nutritious food to get them out the door. Also, great for those at home not feeling so well, will soothe that sore throat & with probiotics they will help assist with any prescribed antibiotics that are also doing away with all that good gut bacteria.

 I have mixed 3 cups of plain probiotic yogurt, with 2 cups of mixed berries in blender & 1 tbsp of organic honey.
On the bottom of a popsicle tray, I have put 2 tablespoons of lemon probiotic yogurt in each holder and topped with fruit blend. Insert holders and freeze.
This amount made one tray, plus 2 single serving containers.

Baby It's Cold Outside~ Make me a Roast Chicken!

 Mother nature has been playing tricks on us, glorious sunshine, giving us the impression of warmth. The reality, we  have been waking to -28.... -45 with the wind chill. A hot cup of coffee and starting a fire are the only things getting me out of bed.
 Days like this make my family crave a chicken or turkey dinner. Low and behold there was a whole chicken in the freezer just waiting.

Tonights dinner:
 Roast chicken with garlic mashed potatoes, salad, peas &corn and of course, gravy!
Defrost your chicken the day before, in cold water, changing water frequently until thawed. Then put in refrigerator and  until ready to prepare the next day.

The chicken I have prepared was quite small, 2.47 kg / or  5 and 1/2 pounds, so it fit perfectly into my cast iron  dutch oven pot.
Oven preheated to 350'.
 Add 1/2 cup of water, or chicken broth to pot.
*Make sure you remove the neck and pkg of organs inside the cavity of the chicken
Season bird with your favorite spices, I use red pepper and garlic shake, black pepper and a sliced whole onion inside the cavity.
Place bird in pot, cover with lid and let cook for 3 hours~ no peeking!
Cooking in a cast iron pot will result in a completely browned delicious chicken, with lots of drippings for gravy.

Remove bird, place on platter. Scrape bottom of pot to get all the flavor into the drippings. If necessary  add  chicken or vegetable broth to drippings in pot to make desired amount of gravy.~ Alternatively, if you are making mashed potatoes or steamed vegetables, you can use that water  to increase broth for gravy.
Heat broth to boiling, slowly add sifted flour, stirring constantly until desired thickness is reached. Remove from heat. Slice bird, serve with your favorite vegetables, or sides!

* Remember,  save the bones. Great for homemade soup tomorrow night, or put in a freezer bag and freeze for another cold days dinner!

Sweet Chili Thai & Pineapple Shrimp

 This one is as delicious as it sounds!

Ready? Here we go! 

* I have estimated some of these measures as we like our food really spicy and I added substantially more cayenne and black pepper.

3 cups of whole grain brown rice~ prepared as directed on pkg.
1 tbsp each: extra virgin olive oil & butter
325 g. frozen cooked, de-veined shrimp
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2  each, medium sized red & yellow pepper sliced
2 tsp each ground black pepper and cayenne pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 Medium whole pineapple cut into bite size pieces
1/ 4 cup sweet red chili Thai sauce

Thaw shrimp in a bowl of cold water, rinsing periodically.

In large pan, saute butter e.v.o.o,  garlic, peppers, spices, lemon juice and pineapple on medium  heat, stirring often. Juice from pineapple will start to thicken, about 8-10 minutes.

Drain shrimp and pat dry.

Add shrimp to pan and cook just until heated through.

Add Thai Chili Sauce, stir well until mixture heated.

Serve on Rice

Enjoy! 

Pork Tenderloin & Broccoli in Spicy Cheddar Garlic Cream Sauce

Hello there! 

Here is one of those meals created by the seat of my pants. There are nights when my hubby comes home and asks,"whats for dinner"? Most nights I have not come up with a name for my latest concoction, so it is merely a list of ingredients and yes, eyebrows are occasionally raised. 

Here is what was in last nights yummy creation: 

2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp of butter

Pork tenderloin

1 medium onion

3 cloves of garlic

1 tsp of chipotle spice

1/4 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

3 cups of chopped broccoli

1/2 cup of half and half cream

1/2 cup vegetable organic vegetable broth

1 cup shredded medium cheddar cheese, + extra to put on top of serving.

1 package of whole grain spiral pasta~ prepared according to pkg. 

Slice tenderloin into bite size pieces

Brown meat, chopped garlic cloves and onion in  olive oil.

Add remaining spices & broth, simmer for about 5 minutes

Add broccoli and cream, simmer covered until broccoli is bright green. 

Add cheddar cheese stirring well. If sauce is not desired thickness, add small amount of sifted flour stirring continuously until sauce is creamy, allow to simmer another 5 minutes. 

Serve on pasta with addtional grated medium cheddar cheese.

Enjoy!

Lazy Cabbage Rolls

Hello! I am reaching into my heritage here,. Being Polish/Ukrainian, there are certain foods 

you grow up with, eating and loving, for the rest of your life. One of them being cabbage rolls.  

They are a comfort food staple and my family loves them. 

Here is a little bit of a cheat, so that you can enjoy that flavor any time. 

Here we go! You will need:

1 bag of  coleslaw~ this is most economical and the work is already done for you! 

2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil.

6 lean turkey sausages, or a pkg of ground turkey, chicken or beef~ your preference.

black pepper

red pepper and garlic shake

1 medium onion chopped

3 cloves of garlic chopped

1 large can crushed tomatoes

3 cups of cooked rice

Saute onions & garlic in olive oil.

Squeeze turkey out of sausage skins~ I found these sausages on sale~ you could just use ground turkey, chicken, or beef.

Add spices to taste

Cook until meat is completely browned

Add bag of coleslaw and stir well.

Add tomatoes, simmer for 20 minutes covered, to allow cabbage to cook through. 

Add  cooked rice, allow to simmer for 5 more minutes, or until mixture is completely heated through.

Serve

Enjoy! 

Black Bean, Beef & Sweet Potato Stew

Seriously, this one, no leftovers. Not a drop in the pot!

My own recipe.  

 

Here we go! 

 You will need: 

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

.58 kg pkg of lean stewing beef, sliced into bite size pieces

1/4 cup flour

1 can~ rinsed black beans

2 cups of sliced mushrooms

3 medium carrots sliced

1 medium onion diced

1 medium sweet potato, peeled & cut into bite size pieces

1 tbsp roasted garlic and red pepper spice

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

900 ml container of beef broth

* small amount of sifted flour for thickening if required

Put  beef, flour and  dry spices in a ziploc bag and shake until meat is completely coated.

                                     *  I cut the beef much smaller than shown.

In cast pot, on  medium heat~ brown contents of bag with chopped onions and garlic cloves in olive oil. Make sure to get all of the scrapings off of the bottom of the pot as it browns. 

Once meat is browned add black beans. Heat beans thoroughly.  

  Add sliced carrots, mushrooms & sweet potato.  Top  with beef broth. 

Cook on medium /low heat for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. Stew will become a rich dark consistency. 

If  you find it is not thick enough, 10-15 minutes before serving,  turn heat up and allow to just come to a boil. Sift in a small amount of flour, until desired consistency, whisking continuously to prevent any lumps. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for another 15 minutes. 

                                                                     

 Serve &  Enjoy!

Beer Battered Sole with Sweet Potato Fries and Broccoli Slaw

First, I know frying food is really a no no, but once in a while you just crave that flavor. Tonight was time to spoil my family with a fish fry, beer battered, fish fry.

A little heads up, this one is messy, you are going to get gooey and there is no way around it, so enjoy it.

Here we go!
You will need 10 sole fish fillets.
3 cups of sifted flour
1 beer
1 tbsp of roasted garlic and red pepper
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp la grille spicy shake
1 cup vegetable oil

Tartar sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 tbsps pickle relish and 1/4 tsp cayenne~ mix well and chill until ready to serve

Combine beer and 1 cup of sifted flour, mix till smooth

Pat dry fillets before dipping them in beer and flour mixture

In another pan, combine remaining 2 cups of sifted  flour and spices

Dip fillets in beer mixture, then dredge through flour and spice mixture

This is where is gets messy. I found using a fork instead of my fingers made for easier handling. 

Pour vegetable oil in cast iron pan, heat oil until small bubbles appear.

Place fish in pan and cook until coating is brown and fillets are flaky, a metal spatula works best for flipping.

Served with baked sweet potato fries and broccoli slaw.

 Enjoy!

Spicy Sweet Barbeque Pork Loin with Peppers

Once again I am sharing my own leftovers recipe!

We had grilled, boneless pork loin chops a couple of days ago and tonight I am going to create a whole new taste with them.

Here we go!
4 grilled boneless pork loin chops
1 large onion
3 medium sized red and orange peppers
2 medium rainbow carrots
2 cloves of garlic
2 tbsps brown sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp chipotle spice

1/2 tsp cumin
1 tbsp of butter

Slice pork, onions and peppers into thin strips.
Add 1 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive oil and butter to pan on  medium heat.
Add onions, peppers, garlic, carrots, brown sugar, cayenne, chipotle spice & cumin, cook until caramelized.

Add sliced pork.

In a bowl combine:
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup your favorite chicken and rib bbq sauce

Pour on top of meat and vegetables, allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Serve on your favorite whole grain brown rice.

Enjoy! 

 

Lemon Valentine Cupcakes

Wishing you a Happy Valentines day! 

Fastest Breakfast Ever!

Hello! This is one of my most favorite breakfasts ever!
I am sure many of you have heard of refrigerator oatmeal. I found this recipe some time ago, googled it and found many, many recipes. But, for those of you who have never heard of , or tried it, I thought I would share my combination for this fantastic,  healthy start to your day. By the way, this is great for teenagers who seem to never have " time" to eat. Also, great  to take to work if you are an early starter, like my hubby. His day starts at 6:30 am & his first coffee break is at 8:30 am.

Here we Go!

Preserve jars work best as you can " shake" the ingredients after you layer them and they are the perfect breakfast portion. 

~You can use whatever kind of oatmeal you like, as long as they are not " quick oats'. You want the whole grain.  I use Sally's Plain Grain Organic Cereal  multi-grain with flax. 

~Yogurt, whatever kind you love. I have seen many recipes that suggest Greek yogurt. I prefer one with fruit & no artificial sweeteners of any kind. *Pro-biotic will offer you more health  benefits. 

~ Almond, Soy, or Coconut milk. 

~ Fill jar 1/4 with cereal

~ Add almond milk, to fill half way 

~ Fill remainder of jar with yogurt

* if you want to add fresh, or frozen fruit, add less yogurt 

Shake jar well, until everything is combined.

Refrigerate overnight.

Enjoy!

* This is a great breakfast for hot summer months!