Mama's Favorite

We all have our favorite dishes that our momma cooked. I remember whenever momma picked us up from school and we got home, we would always go to the stove to see what she was cooking for supper. Sometimes, she would say we're having Christina's favorite tonight and it would be this dish-

 

Beef and Lima Bean Stew

I know, what child loves lima beans? Me?

 

So to start, I sauteed onion, carrots and bellpeppers in olive oil.

 

Then I sliced up a flank steak I had in the freezer. You would preferrably use lean stew meat but flank steak is what I had in the freezer and needed to use. Remember the best advice...use what you got!

Season with salt, garlic powder, lemon pepper, red pepper, oregano and basil.

Stir and make sure the meat has browned all the way through.

Then I added some yellow and red cherry tomatoes (optional, I had them and they needed to be used)

Let those cook and smash with the back of the cooking spoon.

Then I added the jar of this jar of tomatoes.

Season again.

Let the sauce cook for a while on medium heat and let the sauce come together, about 30 mins.

Then add lima beans. (If you use dry beans, you will need to soak them over night in baking soda and water)

I used 3/4 of this back of frozen lima beans.

 

Then let that cook for a good hour.

Taste and reseason if you need.

Then add fresh oregano and basil if you have it.

Serve over rice.

 

My girls love this just like I do. Jerry is a fan too!



FANtastic Feature Friday

FANtastic Feature Friday

Do you know someone that has so much talent that you are just in awe???

Well, I am in awe of my friend and fellow sorority sister who is the most AMAZING artist and she is our FEATURE FRIDAY!

That is why it is FANtastic Feature Friday b/c I'm a big FAN of hers!

I am totally obsessed with her art and just her pure talent!

If you have not seen her art, you need too...go HERE

If money were no object I would be buying lots of her pieces....so far we have 2 mini's in the girls room, but look forward to adding to our collection as we can!

Not only is she an amazing artist but she's also the mommy to a precious baby girl and she is going to share one of Heidi's favorite things!

The Moremans!

What an awesome Mommy and me picture by another talented sorority sister, Katie Jeter!

This is their favorite smoothie recipe!

Our smoothie:
Cup of ice
6 big strawberries
Half cup blueberries
Banana
1 cup Greek yogurt- I alternate Fage 0% plain and Chiobani nf vanilla
1 big heaping handful of baby spinach
1/2-1 cup of orange juice depending on how thick and sweet you like it
If the berries are not very naturally sweet you can add a tsp of honey
Sometimes I also throw in blackberries, pineapple, peaches, raspberries- pretty much whatever yummy fruit I have in the house.
Heidi loooooves her smoothies. She sits and whines while I make them for them to be ready. It typically makes a full sippy cup for her and a glass for me. I feel better knowing that if she drinks her smoothie she at least got her day started with some fruits and veggies. As the farmers markets start opening I'm going to try and hide more veggies in the smoothie!

Thank you Jennifer and Heidi and how cute is your lil play blender/smoothie making set!

We need one of those!

I think smoothies is one of the best ways to get healthy vitamins and nutrients in our kids and they LOVE them! We make smoothies alot but I had never put spinach in ours. Well now I do and the girls LOVE them! YAY! Jacquelyn in fact loves them because they made the smoothie "purple"

I also add actual vitamins that I want to give to the girls for the day to their smoothies - an easy way to make sure they get them! 

Jacquelyn gave it the thumbs up!

Perfect Rainy Day Food- Beef and Vegetable Soup

Well today was so gloomy and the forecast for the next two days is rain and for me that is having a big pot of something cooking on the stove, staying in our pjs, not putting makeup on and just having a fun play day with the girls and not being on a schedule or trying to hustle and bustle around town. Growing up, my mom would call it "rainy day schedule". Sometimes, she would even let us skip school to have a rainy day schedule and after I graduated from college and was in the "working world" she would convince me to call in and have a "rainy day" with her. Again, my mom always made little things FUN things! I know I brag on her ALOT but being that mother's day is Sunday, I think I'm entitled to brag on her a little bit! But, let's be honest...I'll probably keep on bragging...

I'm just so Thankful that I had the best role model!

 

A lot of those rainy days we were all in the kitchen. We always loved being in the kitchen all together, cooking and laughing. DAD reaped the benefits!

We never wanted to go to the grocery store bc that would require getting dressed, violation to rule #1 of rainy day schedule!

So we had to cook with whatever we had and that is a great lesson to learn- to make something with what you've got!

So today, that landed us a big ol' pot of beef and vegetable soup

 

Beef and Vegetable Soup

Start by browning your meat, I had some stew meat in the fridge. I dumped that in the pot with a little olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper and browned the meat. Once browned, I added 1 Can of Tomato Paste, then 1 can of water.

Then add whatever tomato product you have or want to use. You can use pureed tomatoes, sauce, canned tomatoes, whatever you have.. even V8 juice...

Today I used a box of pomi tomatoes. Then I also added 1 box of vegetable broth

And added lots of water, until the pot was this full-

In hindsight, I put a lil too much water, and my pot was overflowing....

I was in a rush and wasn't thinking....

Then bring it to a steady boil and start adding your vegetables

You can really put whatever vegetables you want...can't go wrong. Use what you have!

I think no matter what you put you should always put onion, celery, garlic and carrots. I also put fresh tomatoes, bellpepper, corn, zucchini, potatoes and peas!

Then you just got to season it A LOT!!!!

Salt, red pepper, garlic powder, oregano and basil. I MEAN you have to season it and reseason it a lot. there is a lot of liquid!

I also put fresh oregano and fresh basil (I really think that makes a big difference too)

Then you just got to let it cook for a long time....just let it boil and cook for a good 2 hrs. The longer the better...

Stir occasionaly, make sure the bottom doesn't stick.

Taste occasionally...see if you need to reseason

*remember its boiling hot and to let it cool b/c I sure did burn my tongue good today*

Enjoy! Hearty meal!

 

Be sure to stay tuned tomorrow for our 2nd Feature Friday!!!!

Family Favorite-Basil Chicken

This is a VERY easy and VERY fast healthy supper idea. It was one of those recipes I can of just made up one day and actually came out good and has become a regular in our household. It's fast, easy and healthy and EVERYBODY loves it!

 

It tastes like thai style basil chicken, so that is what I call it.

 

BASIL CHICKEN

First I slice some chicken breasts, put a little bit of olive oil in the pot on medium heat and start cooking the chicken.

 Then I add lemon juice (3 times around the pot), soy sauce (twice around the pot) and Bragg's liquid amino acids (3 times around the pot). ***I am really sorry, I do not cook by measuring...so I thought I would conciously try and count how much I put in by pouring around the pot, maybe you can gauge how much to put that way??****  For me though, the best way to cook is not be measuring bc its a lot faster and easier not too, if you cook regularly you will see you really dont need to measure! You will get used to how much of things you need to use!

If you haven't used this, it is FANTASTIC and a healthy soy sauce alternative. Although I think it tastse different that soy sauce, so I use both but def more of the Bragg's. It adds another flavor to the dish.

Then season with salt, garlic powder, lemon pepper, red pepper and basil.

Stir it up and cover it and let the chicken cook.

Keep it covered so all the liquid doesn't cook out.

Then after the chicken is cooked, probably about 15 mins, I add chopped onions and green beans

(bellpeppers and broccoli go good in it too)

Reason-add little bit more bragg's and seasonings since you are adding the vegetables, stir it up and cover and let it cook the vegetables.

Then it is pretty much done depending on how much  you want to cook your vegetables. If you want the green beans crunchy then it will only need another 10-15 mins. Right now I cook down my green beans a little bit more than I would prefer just so that they are tender where I can cut them and the girls can eat them.

Then at the very end, add fresh basil. Honestly, the fresh basil at the end MAKES it!

For the girls, I serve over rice and for Jerry and I we just eat the chicken and green beans with a side salad.

If you were to add hot peppers like a siracha pepper it would def taste even more like thai style basil chicken. I haven't tried it just because it would be too hot for the girls. My girls LOVE their spice but I think that would be too much for them!

If you didn't know, Now you Do!

 

Fat Free Cool Whip + Choc PB2
These two things combined make the BEST, most SATISFYING low cal, almost guilt free dessert!

2 tbs of both-about 120 cal and sooooo good!
Seriously, life changing!
You'll thank me later!
I can eat clean all day knowing I can have this at the end of the day! I might have an obsession!

Salad Dressing

So if you don't know me and my family, one thing I think everybody will tell you is that they love our salads! We are known to have a salad with EVERY meal and sometimes it IS the meal!
When Jerry and I first started dating in college, one night he told me that he would take care of dinner-for me not to worry about it,study and he would bring dinner over.  Of course, I was thinking he would pick up something from a Restaurant...well....was I in for a suprise and he got a quick lesson as to what was "dinner" approved in my little world...lol! (KEEP in mind that I was only 19 and a sophmore in college and still lived in a very naive, somewhat innocent bubble of a world)
He brought over BAGGED salad...and a BOTTLED dressing....umm what was that? (I know many people use them and they're some good ones, so dont take this offensively) but I had NEVER had bottled dressing in my life and just thought they were gross and didn't really think people actually used them. ALONG with the BAGGED SALAD (gross, is that salad even washed, and does it even count as lettuce if its practically white/see through...not even green?) he brought over a Stouffer's Frozen Swedsih Meatballs microwavable meal (gag reflux)...ummm I HAD only had a frozen microwavable meal once in my life (my sisters and I begged my mom to let us try one when we were little bc all our friends got to have them and they looked so good while we had to eat all her homeade food, needless to say 2 bites in and we said, you're right mom this is gross and never had one again!)
So HE proceeds to microwave this stuff/food and plate it for me...
Trying not to be too rude bc we did just start dating and I did REALLy like him....I told him as politely as I could that I was not going to eat that but thanks. So he ATE both of them, which thoroughly grossed me out and then he went and got me a sandwich from Food for Thought (love that place!)
Jerry learned very quickly that I had FOOD standards and my family took our food seriously but he thanks his lucky stars everday because he says I have introduced him to so much good food that he would have missed out on....
SO back to our salads....
Really, I could give you LOTS of different salad recipes..there is endless possibilities but what makes our salads so good is the way we season or dress our salads and really its quite simple.
It is as basic as olive oil, lemon juice and then you can add different vinegars or mustards to change the flavor. I suggest just trying different combinations and see what you like.
I also put a spoonful of greek yogurt if I want to make it creamy.
Avocado also makes it creamy too!
I used to love nuts in my salads but since Jacq has a nut allergy, we are a nut free house.
We had leftover chicken fajitta meat from our cinco de mayo party sunday so tonight we made this big salad for dinner-

This was romaine lettuce, sweet onion, orange bellpepper, heirloom tomatoes (they are insanely good right now), fresh basil (still haven't killed my plant yet!), chicken fajita meat, avocado and manchego cheese.

I seasoned it with Tony's, olive oil, and the juice of one fresh lemon.

No vinegar tonight, I wanted it to be just light and fresh!

 

Advocare 24 day challenge

Jerry and I are thinking about doing the Advocare 24 day challenge.
Anybody wanna do it with us? Thinking about ordering products by the end of this week and starting the challenge May 20 or if any of you want to do it with us, we can pick a start date that works for us all! The more the merrier!
Here is some info on it:
http://www.advocare.com/24DayChallenge/default.aspx

Let me know if you are interested!!!