Baked Salmon

Tear off large squares of tin foil.  Spray with oil.  Place sliced lemons on foil and lay salmon on top.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place a tablespoon or so of butter on top.  Wrap up tightly and bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until salmon is done.  Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash Supreme

1 large spaghetti squash (3-4 lb)
3 TB butter
1 TB brown sugar
4 slices bacon, cooked and diced
Salt & Pepper

Cut squash in half, lengthwise.  Microwave each half seperately for 10-12 minutes or until squash is easily pierced with a fork.  Scoop out squash into a large bowl.  Add butter, bacon, brown sugar and s&p. 

YUM!

Lentil Tacos

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon canola oil

1 cup dried lentils, rinsed

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2-1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup salsa

12 taco shells

1-1/2 cups shredded lettuce

1 cup chopped fresh tomato

1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

6 tablespoons fat-free sour cream

Directions

• In a large nonstick skillet, saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the lentils, chili powder, cumin and oregano; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
• Uncover; cook for 6-8 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Mash lentils slightly. Stir in salsa.
• Spoon about 1/4 cup lentil mixture into each taco shell. Top with lettuce, tomato, cheese and sour cream. Yield: 6 servings.

Homemade Refried Beans

1 tsp olive oil

2 tbsp sweet yellow onion, diced finely

1/4 jalapeno, diced finely (I left this out)

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 cans of pinto beans

Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste,

Pinch of dried cumin

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add the diced onion and jalapeno. Sauté until tender and golden, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir constantly for 60 seconds. Add one can of beans with liquid and mash with a potato masher or fork until thoroughly mushed. Drain the second can of beans and add to the mushed beans. Mix and mush to your desired consistency. Add salt, pepper and cumin.  Cook on low for 5 minutes. Serve topped with cheese. Enjoy.

Curry

1 TBS red curry paste
13.5 oz can of coconut milk
1 chicken breast
1 1/2 TBS fish sauce
2 TBS sugar
one can bamboo shoots
1/4 red pepper
1/4 green pepper
1/4 small onion
1/2 cup pineapple chunks

In a bowl, whisk together curry paste and coconut milk. Transfer to pan or wok and mix in chicken, fish sauce, sugar and bamboo shoots. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

Mix the red bell pepper, green pepper and onion into the sauce pan or wok. Continue cooking for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in pineapple, serve over cooked rice.

***
My friend, Ashley, made this for me one night, and I could NOT get enough of it.  I made it myself tonight, and it turned out perfectly!  This is SO YUMMY!!!!!  You could definitely leave out the chicken and add other veggies.  You can find canned bamboo shoots in the Asian aisle, they are tasty!

Amaranth Hot Cereal

This recipe makes 2 servings.

The evening before, soak 1/2 cup amaranth in a bowl of water.

In the morning, rinse the amaranth well in a fine-mesh strainer with cool water.  Transfer to a small saucepan and add 1 cup of water and a small pinch of salt.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.  Stir and serve!

I like this best with a splash of milk, a sliced banana and some frozen berries.  YUM!

Note:  Cooked amaranth DOES have a slight crunch to it...it does not mean the grain isn't cooked.

Amaranth is high in protein and contains large amounts of dietary fiber, iron, and calcium as well as other vitamins and minerals.

Amaranth, available at Amazon.com.

Amaranth also has naturally high amounts of lysine, methionine and cysteine combined with a balance of amino acids. These grains are round and tiny, smaller than mustard seeds. gold in color with flecks of black. It has a crunchy texture and is very chewy.

Ideas for using Chia seeds

Wondering how to use chia seeds? Chia seeds are very easy to incorporate into your diet. Below is a list of ways I have used them in my recipes. I would love to hear of your unique ways of using chia seeds.
1. Mix 1 dessertspoon of chia seeds with a quarter cup of water to make an egg substitute for baking cakes and cookies.
2. Add chia seeds to apple juice to make “sago”.
3. Grind seeds and add to hot milk to make a “porridge”
4. Mix seeds through yogurt.
5. Add seeds to soup to thicken.
6. Grind seeds and mix with flour, milk and eggs to make pancakes.
7. Add seeds to salad dressings.
8. Eat Chia seeds whole and raw as a snack.
9. Add whole seeds to diluted fruit juice to make Chia Fresca.
10. Make Chia Pudding by adding whole seeds to milk, nut milk or soy milk.
11. Blend chia seeds into smoothies.
12. Make a “lassie” by blending chia seeds, yogurt and fruit juice.
13. Add chia seeds to beaten eggs, soak for 10 minutes and make an omelette.
14. Mix with worcestershire or bbq sauce and brush over barbequed meats.
15. Add ground chia seeds to flour when making bread.
16. Make chia pan bread by combining chia seeds, eggs, milk, flour and baking powder. Cook in a heavy based pan with a lid on.
17. Add whole chia seeds to a cake batter to make a heavy poppy seed like cake.
18. Add seeds to stews to thicken.
19. Throw some seeds into a stir fry.
20. Make a thin batter of ground chia seeds and milk and cook in a slow oven to make crackers.
21. Sprinkle seeds over a salad.
22. Pureed fruit, chia seeds and a little fruit juice is a good topping for ice cream.
23. Stir whole seeds through cooked lentils.
24. Soak seeds in beaten eggs and use this mix to make a frittata.
25. Cook brown rice in vegetable stock and stir chia seeds through when rice is cooked.
26. Top a cheesecake with chia seeds soaked in fruit juice to make a gel toppingl.
27. Add whole or ground seeds to cookie mixes.
28. Mix ground seeds with ground beef to make meatballs.
29. Cook brown rice in apple juice, add grated apple and stir whole chia seeds through the mixture for a tasty dessert.
30. Toasted ground chia seeds mixed with honey and cinnamon makes a wonderful base for cheesecake.
31. Add whole seeds to granola.
32. Mix white chia seeds that have been soaked in milk through mashed potatoes.
33. Sprout the seeds and use in salads.
34. Mix ground seeds with butter or peanut butter for a nutritious spread.
35. Cinnamon, ground chia and butter is great on hot scones.
36. Add a desert spoon of black seeds to a green jelly mix for “frogs egg jelly”.
37. Spread a mixture of honey, cinnamon, dried fruit and ground chia on to filo or puff pastry sheets, roll up and cook in a hot oven.
38. Mix the seeds, whole or ground through Nutella.
39. Add ground seeds soaked in an egg to bind a hamburger mix.
40. Soak chia seeds in milk and mix through hot oatmeal.

Slow Cooker Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches

1 1/2 lbs beef round steak

1 green pepper, sliced thin

1 medium onion, sliced thin

1 (14 oz) can beef broth

1 envelope Italian dressing mix

1 large loaf French bread, siced into sandwich lengths (or 4-6 hoagie buns)

Provolone cheese slices

Cut steak into strips (or buy steak already cut for stir-frying).  Grease a slow-cooker and place meat inside.  Place pepper, onion, broth and dressing mix on top.  Cook on low for 8 hours. 

Place provolone on top of hoagie buns.  Broil until melted.  Top with meat and enjoy!

YUM!  These were amaaaaazing. 

Recipe from sixsistersstuff.com

Porcupine Meatballs

• 1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2-8 ounce cans tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1. In a bowl combine rice, water, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and ground beef.
2. Shape into 1-1/2-in. balls. In a large skillet, brown meatballs and drain off any fat. (If you use really lean beef than you may need to add some oil to the pan.)
3. Combine tomato sauce, water, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce and pour over meatballs. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour or until meatballs are done.

***
YUM!  These were awesome.

Lentil Soup with Greens

Olive Oil
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 cloved garlic, minced
1 1/4 cup brown lentils, rinsed
6 cups vegetable stock
4-5 leaves of chard and/or kale, rinsed and sliced thinly
Salt and Pepper

Combine oil in a saucepan with carrots, celery, onion and garlic.  Cover and cook for 6-7 minutes.  Place veggies into crockpot.  Add lentils and stock.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Just before serving, steam greens and add to soup.  Add salt and pepper as needed.

***
Delicious and so healthy!  My kids ate it up, even my 8-month old!