Category Archives: Recipes

I LOVE to cook. Aside from crafting I find cooking to be one of the most therapeutic things and I look forward to having my glass (or bottle, pre-breast feeding days lol jk) of wine at the end of the day while I cook with my hubby and we discuss our day. Although I enjoy a good dinner out as much as the next gal, we have found it best to limit our dining out and focus more on eating healthy, home cooked meals in order to remain within our budget and most of all to spend more time together as a family. Here I will share some of my original recipes as well as my trials of other recipes as I cook my way through my “Food!” Pinterest board lol. I’ll also share my weekly meal plans (and when I get a bit more blog-saavy, my shopping lists too), in case anybody wants some easy ideas for some good tried and true weeknight meals, and so I can have an easy reference of my own for future meals :)

Kitty’s Mediterranean Turkey Burgers with Lemon Dill Sauce

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turkeybur7

As I’ve mentioned before, I LOVE Mediterranean food. A few weeks ago while J was out of town, one of my favorite NC gals Kitty, was nice enough to come over and make dinner with me :). We both love to cook and blog, so I suggested we make something that we would be able to blog about later and she came up with the idea for Mediterranean turkey burgers which was perfect since it was beautiful out that day! I’m not usually a fan of turkey burgers but these came out AMAZING and I was so grateful to Kitty for introducing me to this recipe. Needless to say I was super excited to whip these up again, so last night when I was thinking about what to grill for dinner (it was going to be the only nice weather day on our long weekend, blah!), Kitty’s turkey burgers immediately came to mind! Not only are these burgers healthy but they are SUPER delicious and pack tons of flavor. Credit for this recipe of course goes to Kitty (hence the name of the recipe, lol), so be sure to follow her blog, Kitty’s Corner, she has lots of great recipe ideas and her blog is as awesome as she is! 🙂

KITTY’S MEDITERRANEAN TURKEY BURGERS

Ingredients

*this recipe makes 6 burgers, feel free to double or triple for more!

  • 1 lb. lean ground turkey
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 of a red onion, diced
  • 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 cup chick peas (about 3/4 of a can)
  • 1/2 cup corn (about 1/2 can)
  • 3 oz. crumbled feta cheese
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. salt

Directions

  1. Heat grill or grill pan.
  2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix by hand to incorporate all ingredients.                                                                                     turkeybur1turkeybur2
  3. Form your burgers. This recipe makes 6 standard size burgers but could also make 12 slider sized burgers or 4 extra large burgers.turkeybur3
  4. Brush both sides of your burgers with olive oil and place on grill.                                                                                                                                turkeybur4
  5. Grill to required temp for poultry, mine took about 8 mins per side.

    I feel like I'm really getting a hang of this grilling thannggg, check out those sweet grill marks lol

    I feel like I’m really getting a hang of this grilling thannggg, check out those sweet grill marks lol

  6. Enjoy! I served mine up on a whole wheat bun with spinach, tomatoes and lemon dill sauce (recipe below). These are also a great low-carb lunch sans bun!turkeybur6

 

LEMON DILL SAUCE

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup non-fat plain greek yogurt
  • 2 tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
  • 1 tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Directions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a small dish and mix to combine.
  2. Refrigerate for 10-15 mins before serving to allow flavors to develop.
  3. Enjoy! This sauce is great with an Greek inspired dish as it is a quick alternative to tzatziki sauce!

 

 

Baked Coconut Shrimp with Sweet and Spicy Orange Dipping Sauce

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shrimp7

So yesterday was an early day for my hubby, yay! While I was super bummed because we were supposed to go to DC for the Easter holiday and ended up having to cancel at the last minute because of J’s stupid job (sorry, ungrateful brat moment lol), I was still excited to have a nice long weekend with my two favorite guys 🙂 I was also excited to try out a new recipe that was a bit more involved, which can be a little hard during the week because my sous chef (Baby P, lol) can get a little bit fussy come 5 o’clock, haha. Since J isn’t a fan of seafood but does like shrimp, I try to work it in where I can, especially because I always have frozen shrimp on hand so I can easily add a shrimp dish to the weekly menu. After passing the frozen food section and seeing coconut shrimp (at like 8g of fat per shrimp, no thank you lol), I made a mental note to troll the internet for baked shrimp recipes when I got home. I ended up adapting a recipe for the shrimp from one that I found on Pinterest and creating my own recipe for the dipping sauce. This one was SUCH a winner! My hubby LOVED them, as did I and we can’t wait to make them again!

BAKED COCONUT SHRIMP (Recipe Adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything)

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. frozen shrimp, tail on (feel free to use fresh, but I always have frozen on hand)
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1-2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
  • 4 Tbsp. cornstarch

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  2. Place your frozen shrimp in a bowl of cold water with a bit of salt to thaw, it should only take a few minutes.            shrimp2
  3. If you purchased shell on shrimp, remove the shells leaving the tail in tact. *Note: go for the uncleaned shrimp to save some coin, they’re cheaper and don’t take long to clean at all!
  4. In a small bowl, whip egg whites using an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
  5. Place the cornstarch and coconut in separate bowls.                                                                                                   shrimp4
  6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Next take each of your shrimp, dip them in the cornstarch, then the egg whites and coconut and place on baking sheet.

    shrimp5

    sorry this isn’t the prettiest, I was too lazy to look for the bigger baking sheet 😛

  7. Bake for about 20 mins, turning half-way through the cooking time to brown on both sides. Depending on the size of your shrimp the cooking time may vary, if using medium shrimp time may be closer to 16 minutes.
  8. Serve with Sweet and Spicy Orange Dipping Sauce (recipe below) and enjoy!!! 🙂                                                                        shrimp6

 

SWEET AND SPICY ORANGE DIPPING SAUCE

Ingredients                                                                                                                                                                      shrimp1

  • 1/2 cup orange marmalade
  • 3 Tbsp. stone ground mustard
  • 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 2 Tbsp. water

Directions

  1. Place all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a simmer, allow to simmer for 2 minutes.
  2. Remove from heat and allow to cool before serving.
  3. That’s it!!! Enjoy 🙂                                                                                                                                                                                                  shrimp3

 

 

Cheap ‘n’ Skinny “Porcupine” Meatballs

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meaball

So amidst the last few days worth of sunny weather and super warm temps, we got a stormy crap day with a high of only 60-something (gasp! lol). Since I’d been wanting to try out my new meatball recipe I figured this was a good opportunity since it might be one of the last cooler days which are perfect for a good ‘ol spaghetti and meatball dinner. I came up with this recipe when I was thinking about how I could get rid of the rest of the brown rice I was going to have left over from a meal I had made earlier in the week. I figured that they would make a good substitute for the bread or breadcrumbs I usually use in my meatball recipe. All excited about having thought of the first ever meat and rice meatball, I hopped on the internet and found out, it already exists in the form of a “porcupine” which is apparently some sort of retro recipe staple which utilizes rice, meat and V8 or something like that. Regardless of my lack of originality I figured I would simply adapt my recipe for regular Italian meatballs to include brown rice and at the same time lighten them up into my own healthy little porcupine :).

CHEAP ‘N’ SKINNY PORCUPINE MEATBALLS

TIPS

  • Use ground turkey and add an 8 oz. box of frozen spinach, thawed.
  • Feel free to cut the recipe in half for 10-12 meatballs or double/triple if you would like to freeze them and reheat them with sauce in the crockpot! This is an excellent money saver since you can usually purchase a family size pack of ground beef at a discount.
  • 93% lean can be a little dry, so if you’d like a traditional meatball use a meat with higher fat content 🙂

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 lbs. 93% lean ground beef (feel free to use a combination of 80/20 and 93/7 if you like a more traditional meatball, turkey would also be great)
  • 1 cup cooked brown rice
  • 1 small onion, grated
  • 1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 2 tsp. dried basil
  • 1/4 tsp. each, salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS

  1. Make sure you have a squishy baby sous chef on hand, this is optional but how cute is baby P?! 🙂                                            meatball
  2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  3. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix by hand to combine.                                                                                                      meatball1meatball2
  4. Form 15-24 balls (depending on how large you’d like them) and arrange on a baking sheet or dish (I line mine with foil for easy clean up).meatball3
  5. Bake for about 30 mins or until browned on the top.                                                                                                                                      meatball4
  6. Serve up with your favorite sauce and enjoy! I served mine with whole wheat spaghetti and homemade tomato sauce, but since they have rice as a filler they would also be great as a meal without pasta but I love to pile on the carbs 🙂

meatball5

Grilled Steak Sandwich with Brie, Arugula, Pears & Sweet Onion Jam

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steaksa

So even though I had a jolly ‘ol time hanging by myself, catching up on Grey’s and eating mushroom-inspired dinners while my hubby was in NY this week, I kind of missed the guy! I decided to make him one of our old favorites upon his return, which requires a little more prep and ingredients but is SUPER delicious and always worth the extra effort. We are big red meat eaters but don’t necessarily like the cost of a good cut of beef. Back when I was gainfully employed I usually would have made this sandwich with left over beef tenderloin, but in the interest of making it budget friendly I decided to substitute skirt steak which is awesome on the grill and still super tasty. The use of Brie speaks for itself, as I could eat an entire wheel lol but feel free to use a more generic cheese to cut costs. Here’s my recipes for both the sandwich and the sweet onion jam (which is great for other uses as well!). 

Steak Sandwiches 

*this makes 2 large sandwiches, you can easily adjust the recipe for more :).

Ingredients:

  • 1-1.5 lb. Skirt Steak
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt
  • 4 Slices Bread (I used Sourdough, but whatever you prefer will work fine)
  • 5 oz. Brie, sliced
  • 1 pear, halved and thinly sliced
  • Arugula
  • 2 Tbsp. Onion Jam (See Recipe Below)

Directions:

1. Start by heating your grill or grill pan. Pour a liberal amount of olive oil over the steak and sprinkle with about 1/2 tsp salt.steak

2. Place steak on grill and cook to desired temp. I prefer mine medium, which was about 5-8 mins per side.                                                                                                                  steak1steak3

3. While steak is grilling slice your cheese, pears and bread (I heated my bread for a bit on the grill when the steak was cooking on it’s second side, but this is not necessary).

briepea

4. When steak is done allow it to rest for 5-10 mins before slicing thinly against the grain, this is important with skirt steak, if you slice with the grain it will be very hard to chew. I generally cut my piece in half, then slice each half individually (see picture).

sliceste

5. Now you are ready to assemble your sandwiches. First, spread each piece of bread with about 1 tbsp. of the onion jam, then layer steak, brie, pears and finally, arugula.

onbrea

6. Place sandwiches back on the grill and allow to cook for about 2 mins on each side, just enough for the outside to crisp and cheese to melt. If you prefer to heat them in oven or in a pan this is fine too. These would also be amazing paninis if you have have a panini press

.smagril

7. Slice your sandwiches in half and enjoy! 🙂

 

Sweet Onion Jam

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium yellow onion, very thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1 tbsp canola or vegetable oil

Directions:

  1. Start by heating canola oil in pan. Once oil is hot, add onions and cook on medium heat until onions start to release some of their liquid, about 5-10 mins.onjamonjam2
  2. Add the vinegar and honey and cook until liquid begins to thicken, then reduce heat to low and allow to cook until a thick jam forms, about 10-15 mins.onjam3
  3. Allow to cool before serving.

 

Grilled Portabella Sandwich

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gpsan

So my dear ‘ol hubs is in NYC for a conference for a few days, leaving me and master P to rot here in Jacksonville lol kidding. Anyway, I always joke that when he is out of town I save so much money because I could literally eat one thing the entire time and be fine with it (usually it’s some kind of pasta dish that I love but he wouldn’t consider a “meal” .. like what? it’s carbs therefore it’s all you need lol). I used this opportunity to make something using one of my most loved (but one of my hubby’s most hated) ingredients – mushrooms! While my hubby and I agree on pretty much everything, mushrooms are not one of those things, but I guess if that is the only point of contention in a relationship, you’re doing okay! lol. Since I had along day (poor little P had to get his shots) and didn’t want to spend a ton of time preparing a meal for myself, I decided to recreate a sandwich from the Brickhouse Brewery back on LI. A little background info about this sandwich, it basically sustained myself and bff Tiffany during the summer of 2010 when our diets consisted of more alcohol than food haha. While I would be lying if I were to say I remember with absolute certainty what was on it besides portabella mushrooms and mozzarella (since it was usually preceded and followed by many Jack & Diets lol) I do know that there are a lot of fun memories surrounding this sandwich lol. From what I can recall it was super delicious and me and T would always split it, I miss her (and that summer) so much and wish I had her here tonight to split this one with me and sing “You Can Call me Al” 🙂

The recipe is super simple but who wants difficulty when cooking for one? 🙂

 

GRILLED PORTABELLA SANDWICH

*Serving size is 1 sandwich, you can easily make as many as needed 🙂

 

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 portabella cap
  • olive oil
  • balsamic glaze
  • salt & pepper
  • roasted red peppers (jarred or homemade)
  • fresh mozzarella, sliced
  • 1 Kaiser roll

 

DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat outdoor grill or indoor grill pan. Clean mushroom and remove stem.
  2. Brush mushroom with olive oil on both sides and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  3. Place mushroom bottom side down on grill, wait about 5-8 mins and flip.

  4. mush

    Ignore how filthy my grill is, it’ s just starting to see some action with all of this nice weather we’ve been having. Cleaning it will be tomorrow’s naptime project!

  5. Once mushroom has been grilling top side down for about 5 mins layer your sliced cheese on top and place your bun on warming area of grill to toast it. Allow cheese to melt.mush2
  6. Once cheese has melted assemble your sandwich by placing the portabella and cheese on the bun, followed by the roasted red peppers and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Enjoy!

mush3 mush4

*Feel free to use a more budget friendly cheese or add extra grilled veggies! There are endless options with this delicious sammie 🙂

 

Quick Greek Marinade

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SimplySchulze

I love Mediterranean food, Greek food in particular. Just about every other week I grill up some chicken breasts to use on salads or to throw together a quick lunch for J or myself. This is a quick Greek style marinade I came up with that can be used on just about any protein and uses ingredients that are generally always in the house, it’s nothing fancy, but that’s what I love about it!

*Money/Time Saving Tip: Combine meat and marinade ahead of time and freeze, when you are ready to grill simply refrigerator-thaw the night before! I like to do this when I find a family pack of chicken on sale.

Ingredients 

  • 1 lb. chicken (or other protein)
  • 1/4 olive oil
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (or 2 cloves fresh garlic, in the interest of it being  a “quick” marinade I usually opt for the powder)
  • 1/4 tsp. black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. salt

 

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl or freezer bag

2. add chicken or other protein and refrigerate 30 minutes or up to overnight (for fish or shrimp marinate only 30 mins).

3. When protein is finished marinating I throw it on the grill and voila, done! I usually cut up my favorite veggies and make a quick Greek salad, yum! This recipe is delicious and is FAST so it keeps my squishy baby happy, we even had time for him to take a selfie! 🙂

Squishy Baby P says hi!!!