Healthy Chow Mein

This has been one of my all time favorite dishes to make at home! Who knew it was going to be so darn easy, and even yummier than any fancy shmancy overpriced restaurant. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!


Healthy Homemade Chow Mein


1 Package Soba Noodles
1 Large Onion (sliced)
1 Red Pepper (cut in to strips)
1 Green Bell Pepper (cut in to strips)
1 crown of broccoli (cut into large chunks)
1 Bunch Green Onions ( chopped in large chunks)
1 whole head of napa cabbage (chopped)
3-5 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 Bunch Chopped Cilantro
3 Grated Garlic Cloves

Optional added ingredients: pineapple, bean sprouts, carrots, shrimp, chicken, beef, pork.

Garnish with sesame seeds, peanuts, and saratcha (hot sauce)

Directions:
-Cook the soba noodles as the package instructs, put in to a bowl and mix with peanut oil or veggie oil.

-Grab your wok and add about 2 tbsp of peanut oil or veggie oil. Make sure it gets super hot almost smoking (the oil)

-Stir fry all of the veggies separately, as soon as one veggie type is done put it in a large bowl.

-As soon as you are done with all the veggies/proteins/fruits add the noddles to the wok with 1 tbsp peanut oil.

-Add in the soy sauce, the sesame oil, as well as the garlic to the pan and mix really really well.

-Once the noddles are nicely heated through add in all the veggies and other stuff once everything is heated through serve up with some yummy garnishes.

Enjoy!

Healthy Honey Walnut Shrimp

Alright so I told you about our little problem of lacking any good Chinese food around our area, and so this brings us to my next dish....that's right honey walnut shrimp. This one was a bit hard to really change just because the original is so calorie dense, don't get me wrong I was all over pinterest a couple of weeks back pining and drooling over all the wonderful recipes but mike and I really wanted something a bit lighter. So without further a due......

Healthy Honey Walnut Shrimp


Serves 4-6



For the candied walnuts:

1 cup Water
1 cup Sugar
1 cup walnuts

Bring the water to a boil in a small pot.
Add the sugar, and let it boil until the water looks a little bit golden around 6 minutes or so.
Next add in the walnuts, and let them boil for about 4-6 minutes.
Drain all the excess sugar water and lay the walnuts on waxed paper in a single layer to dry quicker.

For the shrimp:

2 Pounds of Shrimp (deveined and shelled) also if frozen defrosted
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350.
Oil a cookie sheet.
In a bowl combine shrimp, and season with salt and pepper.
Mix well.
In a single layer lay out the shrimp and bake for about 10-15 min, or when opaque in color. (cooked through)


For the sauce:

1 Tbsp Mayo
2 Tbsp Sweetened condensed milk
3 Tbsp Honey
2 Tbsp Lemon juice

Mix in a small bowl.
Drizzle over the shrimp.


Directions to combine:

Once the shrimp are done baking plate up and drizzle with the sauce, and garnish with the candied walnuts.
Enjoy!

Rice or chow mien or just some simple roasted veggies go great with this recipe! Remember to have fun, and to enjoy cooking!

Homemade Wonton Soup

So the hubs and I have been trying different Chinese restaurants here is sac, and let me tell you how disappointed we are in the selection! I finally said forget this I'm making it myself, so we went down the list of favorite Chinese dishes we enjoy and agreed that Wonton Soup should start this journey! :) SO here it is ....

Ingredients:
1 Package Wonton Wrappers
8 cups Chicken Stock
2 tsp Sesame Oil
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Bunch Bok Choy
2 Stalks Green Onions, thinly sliced
Sea salt to taste
Pepper

Filling:
8 oz. Ground Chicken/Pork
6 oz. Peeled Shrimp, finely chopped
1 tsp Minced Ginger (fresh)
1 Tbsp AP Flour
1 tsp Sesame Oil
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1/4 tsp Pepper
3/4 tsp Sea Salt



Instructions:


-Combine the wonton filling ingredients and mix well.
-Place about 1-1 1/2 tsp of filling in the center of the wrapper.Seal the edges of the wrapper with water and wrap the wonton. (like a big ravioli)
-Blanch the veggies in a saucepan with boiling water and 1/2 tsp of salt. Cook for about a minute, drain and set aside.
-Bring a saucepan of water to a boil with a few drizzles of cooking oil. Cook the wontons for about four minutes. Remove the wontons with a slotted spoon and divide the portions into each bowl.
-Bring the chicken stock to a boil. Add the sesame oil, soy sauce, and sea salt to taste.
-Ladle the chicken stock into the bowls of wontons. Top with veggies, chopped scallions, some pepper, and sirracha (hot sauce).

Enjoy

Perfect way to resume blogging......

It has really been a long while since last time I updated this thing. Well hopefully this will get more frequent.... The writing that is! ;)
here is one of my recipes that I have developed for my new healthy lifestyle.




Mixed Berry Oatmeal Muffins

Makes 12 Muffins

1 1/2 cups Old Fashion Oats
1 cup mashed bananas (2-3 super super ripe bananas)
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/6 cup dried cranberries (or any other dried fruit)
2 cups frozen berries
A pinch of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350
Mash the super ripe bananas in a large bowl
Add the applesauce, cranberries, and the cinnamon
At the last minute add the frozen berries to the mix
Line the muffin pan and lightly spray with Pam
Fill the muffins all the way up (they do NOT rise)
Bake for 35 minutes
Put on a cooling rack as soon as they come out of the oven
Enjoy

*** they keep well in a airtight container in the fridge unto 5 days

I hope you guys love these as much as we do!
BTW these are only 100 calories each
So double enjoy!

homemade BUTTER!

Alright this is one of those posts were I was sitting there with the hubs and a brilliant idea comes to mind...butter...homemade.. What can get any better than homemade butter? Its the most simplest of recipes but oh sooo good.



All that you will need is a glass mason jar(or any jar with a lid)
- 2/3-1 cup of heavy whipping cream
- dash of salt

This is quite simple, you pour the cream into the jar close the lid and shake for about 15-20 min.

Then drain the watery buttermilk

Grab a piece of plastic wrap.
Wrap it up tightly....
AND
There you go!
It will stay good up to 2 weeks in the fridge!
ENJOY!

----BUT WAIT----YOU SAY ITS TO HARD TO MAKE THAT WAY????----
We;; here is the easy version
same recipe as above but now pour it into a food processor or mixer, or heck a blender

mix mix mix blend blend blend

AND WALLA an amazing hunk of butter :)))

Pasta Salad???

aright lets get this going... that is before my Christmas baking list grows...lol So last night I was supposed to go shopping yet the weather outside kept saying "no, you need to stay inside and NOT worry about going grocery shopping tonight, just make something extremely fast and snuggle up in a blanket with the hubbs". Of course Mike LOVED the idea, and so PASTA SALAD was born!!!! Lol not really, but yes that is what we had. I know a lot of people either LOVE pasta salad, or really HATE it. We are a family of "Lovers" ;) so naturally we enjoy it! So yet again going through the fridge praying, and hoping that maybe in the depth of this huge monster called the fridge lays some resemblance of veggies, and sandwich meat. YES!!!! We have a winner!!!! I found more food than I actually thought we had! So I got to really, really clean out the fridge. Where now I have room for hundreds of fresh, yummy fruits and veggies. Don’t you just love when what happens?, and so the journey of the Pasta Salad had begun...

Recipe:
-1lb tri-Spiral pasta (we prefer to get the all organic, no bleached flour kind, but honestly you can use whichever one you have on hand)
-1-2lb any lunch meat (sliced in to little strips)
-2 broccoli crowns (separated in to small bite size pieces)
-1 bell pepper(sliced in to little strips)
-1 can of olives (sliced)
-5-7 ounces Parmesan cheese(or as much as you really want :))
-1/2 bag baby carrots (shredded)
-2/3 bottle of Italian Salad Dressing

Directions:
1.Cook the pasta as instructed by the bag
2.Rinse the pasta so it quickly cools, strain
3.Mix everything in a large bowl
4.You could eat it right away, or make it ahead for a party, picnic, work, school. It travels very well :)
5. ENJOY!!!!

Pizza? But pizza takes too long to make from scratch...

Okay.. so yesterday Mike and I got home from work and we were ready for some real quick yummy PIZZA!!!! But as much as fresh, homemade pizza is, I realistically just didn’t have the patients and time to do so. So the next best thing came to mind.. PIZZA BAGELS!!!! what is that you say?? PIZZA BAGELS!!! They are super quick, healthy, cheap and most of all delish!!!!!

So what you will need is:
-12 Bagels (I usually use 100% whole wheat, but any savory ones will work that you have around your house)
-1 12 oz. jar of pizza sauce (if I have homemade I use that, but if not any good marinara sauce works)
-1-2lbs of mozzarella cheese (shredded)
-1-2 lb of turkey pepperoni (or what ever kind you like best)
-1/2 yellow onion (sliced)
-1 whole bell pepper (sliced)
-1/2 can of sliced olives

Directions:

1.Preheat the oven to 300 degrees
2.Take out the bagels out, slice them in half, and line a large cookie sheet with them (cut side up)
3.Take the pizza sauce and spread about 1-2 tbsp on each half
4.Next you will need to take the cheese and sprinkle some on each half
5.Arrange the pepperoni on each bagel half so that it doesn’t slide off
6.Arrange the rest of the ingredients all over the bagel half’s
7.Put the cookie sheet in to the oven and let them bake for 10-18 min (if you want to freeze some for later wrap them individually and freeze, they will keep in the freezer for 6 months)
8.Pull the tray out and enjoy

P.S. you could also microwave them
And toaster oven them

Here is a pic of the ones I made last night.. we made the Pepperoni Pizza bagels

This New Adventure....

Alrighty.... so i have finally set this blog up.. i still have a couple things to perfect... but for now... this is going to be as good as its going to get. :)

So last night i was wondering what to make for lunch for the next day.. and since we just got home after a exhuasting day, and there wasnt anything in the fridge that looked appetizing i decided.. or better yet the fridge decided that what i could make is chilli suprise... the suprise part was for Mike my dear ol husband that doesnt like veggies as much as meat.. so it was the perfect oppurtunity to
a.) clean out the fridge of all veggies, salsa, beans, and meat
and b.) Hide as many veggies as possible in the chilli without Mike realizing it... hehehehe
So all these thing made thier way to my crockpot alin with some homemade tomato sauce,turned on low over night and Suprise!!! Lunch is ready for us in the morning..

So the Recipe for this Chilli "Suprise"

-1-2 lbs of chicken and beef chuck (you could use raw or already cooked whatever you have on hand)
-1 and a half large onion (chopped)
-3 grated carrots or about 1/3 of a bag of mini carrots (grated)
-2 mushrooms (sliced)
-1/4 of a head of broccali (chopped)
-1 lb (16 oz.) of dry beans
-3 cloves of garlic (minced)
-1/2 a cup of dry brown rice
-3 Cups tomato sauce
-1 can tomato paste
-3 Cups hot water
-2 tbsp chilli powder
-Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
1.Toss everything in to the crock pot (the veggies on the bottom)
2.Turn on low for 6-7 hours
3.Top with sour cream.

Enjoy with some french bread!


Here is the chilli