buffalo chicken sliders

buffalo chicken sliders

4 servings | 
3 tbsps butter

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded

3/4 cup Frank's Red Hot sauce

1/2 tbsp onion powder

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup shredded cheese

1/4 cup ranch dressing

1tbsp dried parsley

8 hamburger buns

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Directions:

Melt butter in large skillet, add shredded chicken and stir to coat. 

Add buffalo sauce, and toss the chicken to coat again, add onion powder and salt and pepper to taste.

In a separate bowl, combine shredded cheese, ranch, and parsley.

egg roll in a bowl

egg roll in a bowl
6 servings | 
2 tbsps sesame oil
6 green onions, sliced, green and white parts divided
1/2 onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground pork
1 tsp fresh, grated ginger 
3 tbsps sriracha
16 oz bag of cole slaw mix
3 tbsps soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/4 tsp pepper
salt to taste
sesame seeds
1/4 cup mayonnaise

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Directions:
Heat sesame oil in large skillet to medium heat.
Add white parts of green onions, diced onion, & garlic. Saute, stirring frequently until onion is soft.
Add pork, ginger, and 1 tbsp of sriracha and cook until pork is browned, broken up, and cooked through.
Add coleslaw mix, soy sauce, vinegar, pepper and salt.
Cook until cabbage in tender.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix together the mayonnaise and sriracha, add a pinch of salt to taste.
Serve mixture in bowls, with garnish of sesame seeds, the green parts of the green onions, and sriracha mayo sauce. 

mushroom parmentier

mushroom parmentier
4 servings | 216 calories | 6g fat / 24g carbs / 22g protein
2 lbs mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tbsp butter butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 vegetable stock
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

cheese potato top (if not using left over potatoes
1/5 lbs red potatoes, cooked and mashed with skins
1/2 cup cream cheese
1 cup shredded cheese
Salt and pepper to taste


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Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
Heat the butter and 1 tbsp of the olive oil and saute the mushrooms until cooked. Remove from the pan.
Heat the other tbsp of olive olive and saute the onion until soft.
Add the garlic for 1 minute.
Deglaze with the wine and reduce to no more than a spoonful.
Add the stock, thyme and mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook until the stock has reduced by half.
Spoon the mixture into a casserole dish.
Mash the potatoes with the cream cheese until desired consistency (I like mine a little chunky). Season with salt and pepper.
Stir in the shredded cheese.
Distribute evenly over the mushroom mixture, and smooth with the back of the spoon.
Bake until bubbling hot and golden on top, about 15 minutes.


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spicy cheesy baked potatoes

spicy cheesy baked potatoes

6 servings | 216 calories | 6g fat / 24g carbs / 22g protein
3 lbs red potatoes, washed and diced with peel on
1 cup of sour cream or cream cheese or ranch
1 small sweet onion, diced
1.5 cups shredded cheese
2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp smoked paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

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Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Boil potatoes in large pot for 10 minutes.
Drain well.
Put potatoes back in pot, add the onion, sour cream/cream cheese/ranch, 1 cup of shredded cheese, cayenne, paprika, and salt and pepper.
Mix well together.
Place mixture in greased casserole dish, top with remainder of the shredded cheese.
Bake for 10 minutes, until cheese is golden and melted.

*this goes well with a good steak and some asparagus for dinner

bolognese sauce

bolognese pasta sauce
6 servings | 216 calories | 6g fat / 24g carbs / 22g protein
1 tbsp olive oil
1 sweet onion, rough chopped
1 large carrot, shredded
6 cloves garlic
1 lb lean ground beef
15 fl oz tomato sauce
16 oz sliced mushrooms
3 tbsps fresh thyme
28oz whole San Marzano tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste

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Directions:
Heat oil in large pot. 

Add chopped onion, stir until sweaty and translucent. 

Add shredded carrot, stir around until cooked. 

Add garlic, stir until fragrant. 

Add ground beef and stab/stir until completely broken up and browned. 

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, thyme, mushrooms and salt and pepper. 

Cook for 1 hour or more. 

Serve with whole wheat linguine, garnish with freshly shaved parmigiano reggiano. 

*I learned how to make this from my friend, Annaliese.

enchilada casserole

enchilada casserole
8 servings | 424 calories | 18g fat / 36g carbs / 30g protein
batch of enchilada sauce
16 small corn tortillas
1 rotisserie chicken
1 onion, chopped
8oz diced green chilis
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
8oz whole kernel corn
15oz whole black beans
2 cups shredded cheese (I mean.... tbh I probably use closer to 4 cups)

Optional to make it spicy -- 1 can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

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Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Remove and shred the meat from the rotisserie chicken (use the bones for soup another day!!!)
In a bowl mix the chicken, onion, chilis, peppers, corn, and beans
In a 9 x 13 inch pan, layer tortillas, filling, cheese and sauce. Repeat until out of filling (Mine is usually 3 layers)
The last layer should be tortillas, sauce, then cheese.
Bake for 20 min covered with aluminum foil
Uncover, bake for an additional 15 minutes until golden and bubbly

lactation cookies

lactation cookies 

36 cookies | 178 calories | 8g fat / 22g carbs / 5g protein

3 cups of rolled oats
1 cup oat flour
1 cup Quest all purpose unflavored protein powder
1.5 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of chocolate chips (half dark chocolate half semi-sweet, Ghirardelli brand IT MATTERS)
1 cup of butter softened (half unsalted and the other half salted)
2 eggs
4 tbsp of water
4 tbsp of brewers yeast
2 tbsp of flaxseed meal
1 tbsp of vanilla extract
1 tsp of salt
1.5 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 tsp of baking soda

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Directions:

Mix the flaxseed meal with water in a small bowl and let sit for 5 minutes.
Using a mixer, mix together the butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and eggs. Mix until well-blended.
Add in flaxseed and mix until well combined.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and brewer’s yeast. Mix well and add to butter mixture.
 Stir in oats and chocolate chunks. Mix until well combined.
Use a spoon to scoop out cookies and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 14-15 minutes or until slightly browned on the top.
Makes 2-3 dozen

mushroom spinach stroganoff // crockpot

Mushroom Spinach Stroganoff
6 servings 

1 tablespoon butter
10oz baby portobello mushrooms; quartered
12oz white mushrooms; quartered
1 medium onion; diced
2 cloves of garlic; minced
1/2 cup broth (vegetable, chicken or beef)
8oz sour cream (1 cup)
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1.5 teaspoons paprika
8oz cream cheese
2.5oz fresh baby spinach (about 4 cups)
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Serve with:
fresh tarragon
whole wheat egg noodles

Directions:
Combine all ingredients except spinach and cream cheese in a freezer bag, freeze.
In the morning, put in crockpot, cook on low for 7.5 hours.
Add cream cheese and spinach
Cook on “low” for 1/2 hour or until everything is heated through and spinach is wilted.

chicken curry // crockpot

Curry Chicken
6 servings
Ingredients2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
6oz can of tomato paste
13.5oz can of coconut milk
1 small onion, chopped (about one cup)
2 cups of frozen peas
14.5oz can of tomato sauce (about 1 3/4 cup)
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
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Serve with:
rice
fresh cilantro

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a freezer bag, freeze.
In the morning, put in crockpot, cook on low for 8 hours.
Serve with rice (or naan) and other garnishes.

stuffed peppers // crockpot

Stuffed Peppers for the crockpot
4 servings
Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1lb+ ground beef
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 garlic clove, minced
4 small bell peppers, tops cut off (or 2 large peppers, cut lengthwise) and cleaned
24oz jar of your favorite pasta sauce (reserve 2T)
1/2 cup water

Directions:
In large bowl, mix ground meat, onion, garlic, and 2 tablespoons of pasta sauce. 

Separate mixture into four equal parts and firmly stuff into peppers. 

Add remaining sauce to a quart-sized plastic freezer bag, seal, and place inside gallon-sized bag with stuffed peppers.
When ready to cook, thaw freezer bag. 

Place peppers in an olive-oil-coated slow cooker and top with sauce. 

Cook on “low” setting for 6-8 hours.

chelsea rice

I am calling this Chelsea Rice because this is my version of my sister-in-law Chelsea's version of Turkish Rice and I don't want to offend anyone who is actually Turkish.

Chelsea Rice
2 servings | 163 calories | 6g fat/23g carbs/3g protein
1 cup basmati rice (rinsed thoroughly)
1 tbsp butter
2 cups vegetable stock
1 tbsp lemon juice (or to taste)
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
In a saucepan or pot, heat butter over medium-high heat until bubbling.
Add rice and stir around until the majority of grains are toasted.
Add vegetable stock, bring to boil.
Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, let cook for ~15 minutes.
Remove from heat, add lemon juice and salt & pepper, let sit for an additional 5-10 minutes until fully cooked.

one pan lemony chicken and kale with potatoes

one pan lemony chicken and kale with potatoes
4 servings | 523 calories | 29g fat / 36g carbs / 36g protein
1 stick salted butter, cut into 1/2 tbsp squares
3-4 yukon gold potatoes (any other waxy potato will do), sliced
1 bunch organic kale, de-stemmed and chopped.
4 bone-in chicken thighs, with skin
2 lemons
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In an oven-proof pan, add sliced potatoes to the bottom of the pan.
Salt and pepper, place 5-6 square of butter evenly dispersed over the potato layer.
Add chopped kale, squeeze the juice from one lemon over kale, place slices of lemon over kale.
Rub salt and pepper into both sides of each chicken thigh.
Place chicken thighs skin side up over kale.
Place a square of butter on top of each chicken thigh, followed by another slice of lemon.
Put whole pan in the oven for 50 minutes.


*I learned how to make this from my friend, Annaliese.

chili verde con cerdo

Chili Verde Con Cerdo

2 tbsps olive oil
1 large sweet onion, cut into thick chunks
1 large carrot, shredded
3 lbs pork shoulder, cubed
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp cumin
½ tsp paprika
1 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tsp sea salt
2 lbs. tomatillos, husks removed, chopped
2 poblano or anaheim peppers, chopped
4 4 oz. cans of chopped green chiles


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garnishes:
lime wedges
avocado
tortillas

Directions:
In a gallon-size bag, add cubed pork, flour, and other spices. Shake thoroughly to coat the pork.
In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat.
Add onions, let them sweat, then add the shredded carrot.
Add pork and allow to brown.
Add peppers, tomatillos, and chiles, stir and set heat to low.
Cook for 30-40 minutes (or as long as you can stand it! It gets better with time), stirring occasionally.


Serve with lime wedges, fresh tortillas, and avocado.

chile colorado

Chile Colorado

2 lbs cubed flank steak
1 diced jalapeño pepper
1 diced serrano pepper
1 diced cubanelle pepper
1 cup diced white onion
2 tsps onion powder
2 tsps minced garlic

sauce:
3 cups organic low sodium vegetable broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup all purpose flour (or gluten-free flour)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
Salt/pepper


Directions:
In a small bowl, add flour and spices.
In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat.
When hot, carefully add tomato paste, flour, cumin, paprika, and chili powder.
Cook 1 minute, whisking continuously.
Add broth and whisk well. Increase heat and bring to a light boil.
Reduce to simmer and cook 8 minutes, whisking occasionally. Salt to taste.
Separately in a large pot, brown cubed steak in a pan with some olive oil.
Add diced peppers and onions until cooked through.
Add onion powder and minced garlic to the meat and peppers.
When fragrant, add sauce, cook 10 minutes on low.

Serve with fresh cooked tortillas, cilantro, & cheese.