Quick & Easy Homemade Low Carb Chicken Nuggets

My family loves a good chicken nugget.  They happen to be one of the 7 things my picky 5 year old will actually eat, so I'm always looking for easy, quick, and healthy alternatives.  I've tried all kinds of low carb options such as almond flour and making my own breadcrumbs from low carb bread.  We stumbled across Porq Italian Herb Panko Crumbs at the store by accident and were intrigued.  Despite their name, they are not breadcrumbs at all - they're made from pork rinds!  We liked the fact that they have zero carbs per serving and are low in calories.  I was, however, hesitant that that they would have that weird pork rind aftertaste.  Even so, we decided to give them a try, and we are glad we did.  They have that lovely crispy panko consistency and great flavor.  You'd never know they were made with pork rinds.  Our chicken nuggets turned out delicious!  This is now my favorite way to make them.  Score!  These can be cooked in the air fryer if you'd prefer to use less oil.  375 degrees for about 10-12 minutes, turning once halfway through.

Baked Cheesy Pesto Chicken

In a few days, I'm going to hit the halfway point of my pregnancy, and I have been having some serious cravings!  Mostly good things like apples and grapes... some not-so-good things like chocolate milkshakes and fries.  Another weakness of mine recently has been pesto.  I could seriously slather that stuff on anything!  I decided to make a baked pesto chicken for dinner tonight and add some cheese and tomato freshly picked from my garden.  Oh, my goodness, was this fantastic!  If you're a pesto lover, this is a must make!  

Easy Homemade Ramen

Well, it's official:  After a lot of prayer, we've decided to start homeschooling my little sous chef starting the next school year!  I'm both excited and nervous for this new adventure we're about to embark upon.  Seventh grade is no joke, and I've been spending countless hours researching curriculum, obsessing over state laws, etc.  One of my plans is to get her cooking more with me in the kitchen during the week, and hopefully I'll be able to incorporate more of her into my blog posts!  As anyone else, I know we'll have good days and bad days, and I am preparing myself for the laughter, tears, victory, and frustration.  Bring it!  

Now on to the recipe.  I had some leftover pulled pork that I had to use up for dinner this weekend, and I decided to use it in Ramen.  This homemade version is so easy and much healthier than the stuff we used to live off of in college!  The broth is so flavorful and delicious, and I know you'll  love the addition of the soft-boiled egg.  

Spicy Honey-Glazed Salmon... and a New Member of the Family!

I'm a little late.  Tomorrow is March, and I'm just now sharing my first post of the New Year.  While 2015 was very eventful for us, 2016 seems to be giving it a run for its money.  I was laid off from my job of nearly ten years, which was sad in itself and wasn't the best timing in the world considering we had just bought our new house.  Thankfully, I was blessed to be able to quickly find a new job that I love, and I'm still able to work out of my home!  We also just recently decided to adopt a puppy.  "Duggy" is a Jack Chi (Jack Russell Terrier/Chihuahua mix).  He's happy, full of energy, and extremely smart.  We've had him for one month, and he can already sit, stay, fetch, bang-bang (play dead), and shake!  Potty training is another story, however.  Serves us right for getting a puppy in mid-winter!

Our Favorite Skillet Beef and Broccoli

Looking for a go-to, restaurant-quality, never-ordering-take-out-again beef and broccoli recipe?  This is it!  No wok required.  It's seriously delicious, super easy to make, ready in under 30 minutes (including marinating time!), and much healthier than take-out. 

Choosing the beef:  Flat iron steak may be more expensive, but is the best choice for this dish because it's more tender.  Skirt (or flank) steak works well, too, but it won't be quite as tender.  Whichever beef you choose, know that they are best when thinly sliced against the grain and cooked quickly to medium-rare.  Cooking beyond medium will cause the steak to be tough.  

Note:  Because my family prefers their broccoli soft, I blanch it ahead of time (while the steak is marinating).

Shrimp, Snow Peas & Mushrooms over Jasmine Rice

It's been two months already since we've moved into our new home.  Because of the timing of our settlement date, I got a little bit of a late start with my new garden.  I'm just now beginning to harvest zucchini, cucumber, tomatoes, green beans, etc.  Better late than never!  I had the exciting discovery of black cherry trees and a Chester Thornless Black Raspberry bush in my backyard last month.  The black cherries are done for the year, but I'm still getting a ton of blackberries.  Maybe jams and jellies will be on the menu soon!  I also have an overabundance of snow peas. While my little sous chef and I have generally been enjoying them raw, I decided to use them in dinner last night.  I don't know why we don't eat snow peas more often.  They're one of my favorite veggies!  My husband and daughter raved over this dish.  It's so full of flavor.  

On a different note, we got the new Samsung Galaxy S6 Active a few weeks ago.  I love so many things about it, but my favorite thing is the camera -- it takes amazing photos!  For the very first time, I decided to use a phone camera for blogging.  Not bad, right?! 

Skillet Balsamic Chicken & Rotini

Happy Friday!  Here is another quick and easy weeknight meal to add to your rotation.  It's a skillet version of my Crock Pot Balsamic Chicken over Pasta.  There is a lovely hint of sweet and tangy flavor, but it's not overpowering.  I served this with some freshly steamed broccoli.

Busy Weeknight Shrimp & Rice Noodle Stir Fry with Peas

Wednesdays have turned out to be quite the busy day for us this year.  Once school lets out for the day, it's Girls on the Run until 5:00 followed by a mad rush to finish homework.  We then prepare & eat dinner all before dance practice from 6:30 to 8:00.  This is one of my favorite meals for busy week nights.  While soaking the noodles in hot water, the rest of the ingredients are prepped and then sauteed in a skillet.  It's fast and easy, and it tastes delicious!

Note:  I always keep a 2 lb. bag of frozen raw easy peel shrimp in my freezer.  To quickly thaw the shrimp out, place however much shrimp your recipe calls for in a Ziplock bag.  Submerge the shrimp in a large pot of warm water for about 20 minutes, depending on the size of your shrimp.  

Pan-Fried Cod with Farro Salad in Champagne Vinaigrette

My husband and I celebrated 11 years of marriage this past Valentine's Day!  We look forward to a romantic getaway every year, but once the celebrating is over, we come to the grim realization that we have to endure the long, bitter winter that just seems to go on and on... and on and on... like a bad run-on sentence.  You know it's brutal out when the school districts are closed because of the low temperatures.  The frigid weather sends me into complete hibernation mode, and all I want to do is bundle up all day with a hot cup of tea.  I'm happy to report that I've already gained my usual 5-pound winter weight, and I justify it by telling myself that the only practical thing to do is embrace the extra layer of insulation.  It takes everything in me to muster up motivation for exercise this time of year.  My daydreams have ever increasingly consisted of playing tennis under the hot son, or running on the trail next to my little sous chef.  

Speaking of running, I enrolled my daughter in Girls on the Run!  It's a program that "inspires girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running."  Once it's completed, she and I will run our first 5K together!  More about that another time.

Because my exercise routine is rather unstable this time of year, eating healthy is a must.  Once a week, I incorporate fish into our meal rotation, and I'm always looking for different ways to present it to my family.  I've been experimenting with farro recently, and I decided to pair the two for dinner.  Farro is a wonderfully chewy and hearty grain that has a delicious nutty flavor.  It holds up well in soups and stews, and is a great substitute for pasta.  Farro is high in fiber, a rich source of vitamins B and E, and can stimulate your immune system and lower cholesterol.

This farro salad is dressed in a delicious champagne vinaigrette and seasoned with thyme, parsley, and rosemary.  A touch of freshly squeezed orange juice is added to brighten up the flavor.  Fresh tomato and artichoke are tossed in along with some minced onion for a little crunch factor.  This is a delicious salad that's hearty, healthy, and full of flavor.  It can can be enjoyed warm or cold.  I can't wait to use farro in my Tuscan Soup next time!    

Vegetarian Cauliflower Fried "Rice"

We're expected to get about a foot of snow between today and tomorrow!  Since my little sous chef and I were snowed in today and I was able to finish work early, I decided to venture into the kitchen and try something different.  I've been noticing cauliflower being used in place of rice in recipes, and I've wanted to try it for myself for quite some time now.  Today was the day.  I was definitely skeptical at first, but now that I've tried it, I'm a believer.  When seasoned properly, you really can't taste a difference between the two!  This is a delicious, healthy, and satisfying version of fried "rice" that's both low in calories and low in carbs.  It can also be made in under 30 minutes!  

Beef Stroganoff

I don't know about you, but the sad realization that Christmas is over coupled with the fact that there are still a few more work days before the New Year has me feeling a little blue.  After a long day, we deserve to kick off our shoes and dig in to a comforting, hearty dish of goodness.  This beef stroganoff should do the trick!  The tender and juicy steak drowning in a delicious creamy sauce will send you into euphoria!  What's even better is that it can be made in 30 minutes!   

Trottole with Seafood & Smoked Gouda Alfredo

I lied.  In my previous post, I promised to start sharing recipes weekly, but it's been exactly two weeks since I've posted anything.  I had a good reason to lie, though.  We ended our summer with a much-needed beach vacation.  It was a magical time.  Yes, I'm happy to be back home and sleep in my own bed again, but I sure would love to go back for some more of that fresh seafood!  

While visions of sea scallops danced in my head, I splurged a little at the grocery store without a second thought.  I gently cooked shrimp, crab, and scallops in a simmering smoked Gouda Alfredo sauce.  I then poured that delectable, creamy mixture of goodness over cooked organic trottole.  It was so rich and creamy, it had to be a sin!  I served it with steamed broccoli and Tums.  Everything in moderation!  

Chipotle Quinoa & Summer Harvest Salad with Smoked Gouda

I can never relate to the parent that says they're happy to shove their kids back on the school bus and get them out of their hair when school starts back up.  For me, it's a sad time.  Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited that my little sous chef is getting bigger and starting 4th grade, but I really do enjoy those precious moments of summer break with her each day!  If you haven't noticed, I've haven't posted a new recipe for nearly a month.  This is mainly because the last month of summer is always a super busy time for us.  Now that school has started and our schedules have become a lot more structured, I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things and start posting on a weekly basis again.

One of the things that has really kept us busy over the last month is processing harvested vegetables from the garden.  I had some green pepper, tomato, and corn that I needed to use up from all that harvesting, so I decided to make this warm, spicy quinoa salad with freshly harvested garden vegetables, topped with smoked gouda.  It's delicious, guilt-free and packed with flavor!  

Quick Shrimp & Vegetable Stir Fry with Jasmine Rice

I am obsessed with my griddle.  It was a gift from my lovely mother last Christmas, and I honestly don't know how I survived without it before!  This past spring and summer, I have literally cooked 90% of my meals on it.  I especially enjoy making stir fry on the griddle because there is much more cooking surface to work with.  In this stir fry, I used freshly picked organic zucchini from the garden, and all of the other ingredients used were organic, with the exception of the Jasmine rice.  I still have some left in my pantry from before we started switching to organic ingredients.  

This happens to be week 4 of switching to organic ingredients.  I've also made the switch to organic shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, soap, etc., but I'll spare you the details since this is a food blog and all.  I'll admit, there have been times here and there that I've cheated for the sake of convenience.  I can't always drive 20 minutes to Wegmans when I run out of bread and my daughter wants a sandwich stat.  I guess that will all come with better planning on my part.  It has definitely been a fun learning experience.  We also still have more items in our fridge and pantry that we have to use up before we switch those over to organics, but I'm excited to see our progress thus far.  

Pan-seared Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa

Mahi Mahi is one of my favorite fish to eat.  It's a hearty, yet delicate, mild-flavored fish with a slight sweetness to it.  In this recipe, I pan-seared it in a little butter and garlic, and then topped it with a fresh and crunchy homemade mango salsa.  Light, healthy, bursting with flavor, and ready in 20 minutes - yet another perfect summer dish!  

Skinny Skillet with Turkey Sausage, Summer Vegetables & Gemelli

This savory summer skillet is satisfying, skinny and speedy.  Try saying that 5 times fast!  Turkey sausage is sauteed with fresh summer vegetables and then tossed with a little red wine, fat free milk, Parmesan, and gemelli pasta.  It's a delicious meal that is low in calories, low in fat, and ready in under 30 minutes.  That's pretty perfect for summer!

So, I've been holding fast to cooking with only organic ingredients.  I've also been trying to stick with non-GMO whenever possible.  Thankfully, we have stores like Whole Foods, Landis, and Target nearby that have a great variety of organic ingredients to choose from.  Trader Joe's is next on our list to try, so I'll keep you posted.  It has definitely been a fun and rewarding process.  As if food wasn't already always in the forefront of my mind, it has made me even more conscious about the ingredients that I'm using and the decisions that I'm making.  Yes, I've spent a little extra in grocery money, but I've actually seen some savings in it!  Instead of planning just my meals for the week, I'm also thinking about my husband's lunches.  So, instead of packing my husband the usual two days or so out of the week, I've been packing his lunch 100% of the time.  Ordering out for lunch can be so expensive!  Another savings that I can already see is with not wasting food.  Yes, we would try our hardest to not waste anything, but sometimes we'd find something way in the back of the fridge that would go unnoticed.  If I'm spending the extra cash on organic ingredients, I'll be darned if one crumb of our food goes to waste!

Fun Whole Foods Finds:  The mild turkey sausage used in this recipe is made fresh at Whole Foods.  It's $6.99/lb., but I only use 1/2 pound (two links) of it at a time, so it ended up costing $3.99 for this meal.  It has lovely hints of anise and fennel, and, even though it's labeled "mild", it has a little spicy kick to it that we just love.

Bruschetta Chicken

Tomatoes are in season!  There's nothing quite as delicious as a ripe, freshly picked tomato, and I had some lovely organic ones that I wanted to use with dinner.  I decided to make one of my family's favorite meals, bruschetta chicken.  The chicken is incredibly juicy, and the bruschetta topping is light and delicious - a fresh taste of summer!  It's made on the stove top, so you don't have to heat up the oven, and ready in under 30 minutes.  It's the perfect summer meal! 

We've been trying to use organic foods whenever possible. I've used organic ingredients many times in my cooking, but this is one of the first meals that I've made using nothing but organic ingredients.  Switching to cooking with only organic ingredients isn't as easy as I thought it would be.  You have to remember everything right down to the cooking oil that you use.  While I was prepping my ingredients, I realized that I had forgotten to purchase bread crumbs.  Thankfully, I had a loaf of organic, 100% whole wheat bread, so I decided make the bread crumbs myself.  They turned out fantastic!   

Note about homemade bread crumbs:  You can store the bread crumbs at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.  You can also freeze the bread crumbs.  To freeze, do not bake them first.  Simply place them in an airtight container and freeze.  When you are ready to use them, allow them to thaw, and then bake them.  

Rotelli with Chicken & Asparagus in Tomato Cream Sauce

Busy day?  Mine certainly has been!  We all need at least a few go-to recipes in our repertoire that are quick and easy but satisfying and delicious at the same time.  This is one of those meals.  Here's to a delicious meal at the end of a crazy day that can be ready in under 30 minutes!  

Chicken Scallopini with Saffron Cream Sauce

Saffron and pine nuts.  Two ingredients that I love but really have a hard time bringing myself to purchase without feeling guilty because of the sheer cost.  Oh, but there's nothing quite as delicious as a fresh batch of basil pesto with pine nuts slathered on a crispy cracker.  Try to imagine my joy and surprise as I unwrapped a pretty little bottle of saffron from my stocking last Christmas.  I sure landed myself a thoughtful husband!  

I decided to use some of my lovely saffron in a cream sauce and serve it over chicken and pasta.  The chicken is so tender and juicy.  Pour that dreamy, delicious saffron cream sauce on top and it's just over-the-top Ahh-mazing!  It's so easy, and it's perfect for a weeknight meal.  I also poured some of that velvety sauce over pasta and served it with steamed broccoli.  This is definitely one of my favorites!

Roasted Broccoli & Rosemary Tart with Smoked Gouda

Well, we've made it through the first full week of March without any snow.  Hallelujah!  With Spring being less than 2 weeks away, Daylight Savings being this weekend (don't forget!), and today being Friday, I'm feeling very positive.  I can't wait to see fresh, green grass in my yard, as opposed to the feet of ice that's currently smothering it.  Come on, Spring!  

For lunch today, I made this tasty tart.  Fresh rosemary, smoked Gouda, and roasted broccoli on buttery, flaky puff pastry - that makes for a fan-flipping-tastic Friday!  It's seriously delicious and also perfect for those observing lent.  Happy Friday!