Basil Chicken

So this is probably one of my girls favorite dishes. When they ask for chicken and green beans...this is what they are asking for!

It's super fast and easy too!

I slice up 4 chicken breasts and place in a pot with a little olive oil, juice of 1/2 Lemon and braggs amino acids. Season with salt, garlic powder, lemon pepper and red pepper. Stir and cover and let chicken cook all the way through. 

 

While your chicken cooks, get your vegetables ready.

Chop, onion, bellpepper, wash green beans and fresh basil.

 

 

Once your chicken is cooked all the way through, add all your veggies and basil and add some of my fav coconut teriyaki sauce.  Stir it up. Cover and cook on medium low and just let the vegetables cook down a bit. 

 

 

That's it! Super fast, super easy and one of my girls favorites!

I serve it over rice for the girls and Jerry and it's fulfilling enough with all the veggies to eat low carb like I do and skip the rice!

 

Honey Pork Tenderloin

Well it was the most beautiful 70 and sunny day here in Houston- welcome Fall!!!!

Fall was def an inspiration for tonight's meal!

Honey Pork Tenderloin

Washed and placed my pork tenderloin in baking dish.

Seasoned with salt, garlic powder, dried mustard, red pepper and cracked pepper. 

Worsteshire, pick a pepper, Dijon mustard and honey.

 

To give you an idea of how much of everything I put on....I don't ever measure....that takes too long! 

Rub it all together!

 

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for an hour. I like my pork cooked well done. Al the extra juices will make for a good sauce!

Tonight I made a parsnip and sweet potatoe purée to go with the pork. 

I peeled and cut up one bag of parsnips and 4 sweet potatoes, placed in a pot and boiled until they were soft. 

 

Then I used a masher and smashed the vegetables. 

 

Then I added to big spoons of ghee, 1/4 can of coconut milk, salt and cracked pepper...stirred it up. 

 

Not the best picture...but it's a yummy and healthy alternative to mashed potatoes. 

I simply sautéed some onions and a red bellpepper in ghee to finish out the meal. 

 

Tasted like Fall! 

 

Teriyaki Salmon

So after cleaning his plate tonight, my husband said this was one of the best things I made lately!

The best part it only took 20 mins to make!

Teriyaki Salmon

Simply seasoned with salt and pepper

Lemon juice (juice of an orange would be even better) braggs aminos, coconut teriyaki and little drizzle of honey. 

Baked at 350 for about 20 mins.

 

For the side I wanted to try and recreate my favorite veggies at a local Vietnamese rest we eat.

Stir fried green onions, chopped garlic and sugar snap peas in olive oil, lemon juice and the coconut terriyaki sauce at the end. Seasoned with salt, lemon pepper and red pepper. 

 

For the girls and Jerry I warmed up leftover rice from last night and served on top. 

Husband's dish

 

My girls 

 

I wasn't sure if they would like the snap peas so I gave them some leftover green beans that needed to be eaten but they Loved the snap peas! And crazy enough my kids call salmon "nemo" (bc it's orange I guess???) and they love it!

My dish

 

Fast, healthy and yummy!

Turkey Tacos

Turkey taco night that will provide leftovers for lunches all week!

Turkey taco meat

I start by browning my taco meat in a little bit of olive oil. I did 2 lbs of turkey meat, 1lb of 93%lean and 1 lb of 99%lean.

  Break it up and stir and let it brown.

Then I chopped onion, bellpeppers and tomatoes. I find ground turkey very dry and bland so I add the vegetables and specifically the tomatoes to add juiciness and flavor to it. 

Then I season it with salt, garlic powder, red pepper, Lemon pepper, and paprika. 

 

Stir it all up, mixed up well. Cover and let it cook down for a good 30 mins.

 

Tonight I cooked up a pot of black beans and rice. With the leftovers I will make, rice, turkey and black bean bowls for the girls lunches. 

 

Black beans were simple, sautéed onion and bellpepper in a little olive oil, added 2 cans of black beans, season with salt, red pepper and cinnamon. Cook for 45 mins on med low.

For the girls they each had a turkey taco, rice and beans, side of avocado and cucumbers.

 

For the husband, a loaded taco salad

 

Rice, lettuce, beans, taco meat, cheese, avocado and onions.

For me, I'm trying to eat a bit lighter so mine was simple with lettuce, turkey meat, cheese, avocado and onion

 

Prepare for a Healthy Week

The easiest way to have a smooth week cooking for your family is preparation. 

First step is planning your meals. It's more cost effective and less wasteful if you plan out your meals for the week. I usually plan 4 meals, leave a night to "clean out the fridge" and flexibility of you decide to eat out. My biggest pet peeve is wasting good groceries!

 

After my menu for the week is set, I write my grocery list. I take stock of what I have, clean out my fridge of anything that is old or expired, wipe it clean bc I'm anal. 

Then I grocery shop, bring home and organize my fridge for the week. Since I'm anal, I love organizing and that includes my fridge. This is how I lay out my fridge and what works for me. 

I like the storage bins.

Top left bin I have all my raw meat. If I am going to cook it within 3 days it's in this bin otherwise, I freeze it. 

Top right I have containers with some leftovers.

Second shelf of left I have some small items, eggs, some snack items- fancy pickles, humus. 

Second shelf right- bin with certain vegetables I've bought specific for the recipes I'm cooking. 

Bottom left- protein shakes I drink regularly, some fresh herbs and fruit I wash and cut and have ready to go. 

Bottom right- one last bin of some jarred pickles, roasted peppers, etc.

Left drawer- staple vegetables I always have on hand carrots, bellpeppers, avocados

Rift drawer- greens, salad makings

Drawer is all my deli items. Organized in bins as well. 

 

 If you plan and have ready to eat healthy food available, you will be more likely to eat healthy! I like to buy a store prepared baked turkey breast, debone it, cut it up and have it ready to eat. I also use it sometimes instead of deli meat for the girls lunches. 

 

 

I also like to go ahead, wash and cut up any fruit that I can 

 

Some items I keep out in my kitchen

 

Just my way of being organized and prepared.

That way when I go to cook, everything is ready to go, fast and easy!

 

After school treat

Love baking something for my girls right before they come home from school, but I don't always want it to be cookies....

My mom is the best at making up yummy and heathy muffins/various fruit breads. Today I made one that she inspired me to make.

I blended 1 1/2c of old fashion gluten free oats, 2 very ripe bananas, 1 green apple, 2 eggs, 1/2 oil, splash of milk, big dash of cinnamon, two squeezes of honey and two squeezes of maple syrup. Blended it up in my Ninja, poured in a baking dish and topped with some dark choc chips.

 

Baked at 350 for 30 minds until it was golden brown and firm. 

 

 

Yummy! Husband loves it too! 

Lebanese Chicken

Another easy, make ahead, stick in the oven forget about it supper....until it starts making your house smelling so yummy!

 

My mom makes this with chicken thighs and drumsticks, I do bone and skin on breasts and thighs.

I rinse them and put in a baking dish

Cut up and add the following vegetables 

Onion

Garlic

Bellpeppers

Carrots

Tomatoes

Fresh parsley

 

Season with salt, garlic powder, lemon pepper, red pepper, basil and cinnamon. Drizzle olive oil, worsteshire and squeeze juice of 1 1/2 lemon. 

Toss it all together

 

Cover and bake at 350 for 2 hrs. 

Uncover for last 15 mins, baste top of chicken and let it brown.

Serve over Syrian rice

 

Or if you are low carb like me, skip the rice

 

Burnt Roast

If you make one recipe of mine, I would make this. If you ask my kids what's their favorite meal, it is roast, rice and gravy. It was one of my favorites growing up and pretty much a Crawford classic. 

Start by rinsing the roast and putting it in a baking dish. I like grass fed beef, rump roast or top of the round. My mom always taught me to pick one with a nice big hump.

 

Then I stuff the roast with garlic cloves. 

Take a pairing knife, make a hole, stuff it with the garlic clove. 

 

Then I chop onions and carrots and add them around the roast. 

 

You can also add chopped potatoes if you would like too.

After you have all your vegetables all around, it's time to season it all. 

I season the vegetables and the roast with worsteshire, kitchen bouquet, salt, garlic powder, lemon pepper and red peppers. Rub it all in. 

Then you want to add some water, about halfway up your vegetables. This will create the natural gravy. 

 

(Making the videos on Instagram, I always forget to take pics!)

Bake at 350 for 3 hrs!

Roast will have a burnt look on the top! That's when you know it's done! When you slice it, it should fall apart. Slice roast over rice, top with the vegetables and gravy! 

 

Yum! 

This is also easy to eat low carb

 

Just no rice....

I will say most of the time, I don't miss rice all that much....but this is the one meal that I do miss it!!

Herb lemon crabfingers

Easiest, yummiest appetizer 

When I see crabfingers at the grocery store, I can't pass them up!

They are the easiest thing to make

In a sautee pan, melt a spoonful of ghee, juice of 1 1/2 lemons. 

Rinse your crab fingers then add to your pan.

 

Season with salt, lemon pepper, garlic powder and red pepper. Let them cook on medium for about 15 mins and too with fresh basil. 

 

Yum yum!!!

Enjoy!

Greek Pitas

This is a fun family supper. I like making an assembly line and letting everyone make their own-kids love that!

For the chicken-

I marinate it in

 Greek plan yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, basil, salt, lemon pepper and red pepper.

 

Ready for the grill.

While its grilling, I make tzatziki sauce

 

 Similar ingredients- Greek plain yogurt, cucumber, red onion, lemon juice, garlic, basil and mint. Chop your ingredients very small and season with a little Tony's. 

Once your chicken is grilled, tzatziki sauce made, line everything up in an assembly line.

I like having a vegetable plate 

 

Grilled Pitas 

 

Slice up the chicken 

 

Build your pita

 

Yum yum!!!

And super easy to eat low carb

Lettuce wrap style

 

The tzatziki sauce really makes this- super garlicky with the chicken....yum yum! If you like garlic!!!