Update! Why I've been absent.

New Year's Eve brought my husband and me some wonderful news. Just 2 weeks pregnant at that time! :) Low and behold, 3 weeks later, morning, noon and night sickness kicked in. Suffice it to say, nothing sounded good and I lost all delight and interest in concocting new recipes or eating, to say the least.  My interest in food is slowly returning but it may be some time before I get back into the swing of things. My due date is just 5 weeks away and from what I hear, babies take up all your time. I hope to get to some posts here and there until that time but I know exhaustion is finally setting in for this last little stretch. Be patient with me! I will return. Meanwhile, don't forget to enjoy all the other recipes posted on the main page or under "Recipes and Yummies!"                                            Photo Credit: www.NeilKronberg.com

Simple Tomato Sauce

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a foil lined cookie sheet, place tomatoes in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and add whatever seasonings you like. I used fresh thyme, rosemary and some dried oregano because that is what I had on hand! :) Roast for 10-14 minutes or until nice and wrinkly looking.

Place tomatoes and all those seasoning bits into a blender. Process until smooth. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.

Let cool for 15 or so minutes and then place in a mason jar. Use within a few days.

NOTE: If you like a thicker sauce, try one of the following.

• Water and cornstarch, equal parts - little bits at at time.


• Melted butter mixed with flour - called a Roux. Must cook an additional 30 minutes with this addition. May change taste of sauce.


• Heavy cream


• Italian cheese to thickness and taste preference.

Raisin Nut Granola

 

2 cups old fashioned oats
1/8 cup flaxseeds
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 - 3/4 cups almonds, chopped
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt
3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp coconut oil
3/4 tsp vanilla

Serves 4-6

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Stir dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.

In a Pyrex measuring glass melt down 1/8 cup or 2 tbsp coconut oil(a little more if adding extra nuts). Add 3 tbps honey and 3/4 tsp vanilla
and mix well.

Pour half of the coconut mixture over oat mixture and stir with silicon spatula. Pour remaining coconut oil mixture in and stir until well coated.

Line a large baking tray with parchment paper. Spread mixture out evenly. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden. Cool and enjoy!

P.S. Mix it up with other dried fruit, like blueberries or cranberries or even walnuts.

Butternut Squash Soup & Blue Cheese, Top Sirloin, Blueberry Balsamic Salad

Fall is my FAVORITE!! Yay! So glad it is here. :) In celebration I made this yummilicious Butternut Squash soup a couple weeks ago.  I threw in one chopped white onion, a few chopped carrots, a chopped celery stick or two and sauteed for a couple minutes in a little olive oil. I then added in 1 peeled and cubed butternut squash and 2 peeled and cubed sweet potatoes. Sauteed for 5 minutes and then added (3) 14.5 oz. cans of chicken stock. Boiled till soft, about 15 minutes. Popped it into the blender until nice and smooth, poured back into the pan on the stove and added 3/4 cup Fage plain unsweetened Greek yogurt, 1.5 to 2 tsp(s) cumin, 1/2 tsp paprika, 3/4 tsp salt and pepper, 1/2 tsp.  nutmeg and stirred until incorporated.

For this salad, I grabbed some Artisan salad mix and top sirloin from Costco. Yay Costco! With olive oil in a pan on low to medium heat, I slow cooked each piece of top sirloin that I previously marinated in salt, pepper and garlic powder. I let rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Meanwhile, I crumbled up some blue cheese and broke some walnut halves up over the salad mix. Topped with the slice sirloin and some blueberry balsamic dressing.

This was so easy peasy and super delish.

Be healthy, be happy!

Here is a pic of the dogger and me out in the woods. We love hiking around and being in nature. To me that is one of the best ways to be fit & healthy! Do something you love and do it often. You don't have to look like a gym rat or a movie star to be fit or to look good. Beauty is, after-all, in the eye of the beholder. Considering that, there is no way to keep up with that ever changing eye or with airbrushed standards. Accept yourself, do things you love and enjoy, create balance and moderation in all things, be healthy, be happy. To some of you I may look "fit" in this photo and to some I may look "too heavy". My body fat % could be lower and so could the number on the scale. When I sit, I have rolls. I have medical & physical limitations to work around. They trip me up at times on my fitness journey.  My weight fluctuates in part for that reason. Nerve inflammation and impingement aside, I am healthy overall and that folks is the most important to me.  I am happy.

Turkey Stuffed Peppers

I wish I could eat these everyday! Supper easy to make and tastes delicious. Low carb, low fat. Good source of protein and fiber. It's pretty much a win-win for dinner.

I had some brown rice already cooked up from a previous batch cooking day. I love taking what is on hand already and making something great with it. Never let anything go to waste!  I used about 1.5 cups brown rice, 1/2 white onion, 6-8 mushrooms, 2-3 cloves garlic, 1 large tomato, 1.5 lbs ground turkey, fresh thyme and oregano (about 1 tbsp each), 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tsp pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and about 3 colorful bell peppers.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Brown your turkey in a large skillet. Meanwhile, chop up your onion, garlic , mushroom and tomato and oregano. Once the turkey is half way cooked throw in the garlic and onion, cook for 3 minutes. Then add all the seasonings, chopped tomato and mushrooms and continue until fully cooked.

Cut the tops out of the bell pepper, slice in half, lengthwise and gut. Spoon in the meat mixture, press down, spoon some more! Top with a slice of cheddar cheese and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

"Whatever You've Got" Egg Bake!

Sometimes, I get tired of waking up and making a healthy well balanced breakfast every morning. Yeah, it doesn't seem like that big of a deal, but sometimes not having to think about it at all sounds really good. So, I had this thought:  "Why not make an egg bake?!"  With left-over home-made rosemary-garlic focaccia bread to use up, I couldn't see a more a perfect way.  Not only will I not have to think about what to make for breakfast for my husband and myself for a few days, but it also ensures that we don't cop out and eat something that (a) we regret; or (b) didn't really give us the proper fuel and nutrition to take on the day.

 

Ingredient list: Whatever you have on hand! This is my favorite type of cooking which was taught to me by my lovely mother who, in my estimation, champions all in this free-style, use what's lying around type of culinary arts.  :)  With that said, throw open your cupboards and refrigerator and get creative! You'll be surprised at how "out of the ordinary-type ingredients" can make a dish!

 This is what I had on hand. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Slice up whatever you've got.

Spray your pan with olive oil, throw your veggies in & season with whatever you like. Bake for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together your eggs.

Pull your veggies out and pour in your whisked eggs.

Here I threw my left-over focaccia bread on top. Yum! Pop back in the oven for 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, slice and serve! This lasted my husband and me 3 days.  So easy, stores well and tastes great!