It was in the fridge, so...

Chicken, shrimp, Mexican squash, onions, carrots, celery, garlic...
Hmmmm....what to do, what to do. How 'bout a stir-fry? Works for me!!

Here is how I get things going. I marinate or season the meats first. Cut up all my veggies...

I sauteed the veggies first - in some olive oil.

Then I added something small that has big flavor...can you see it? Sesame seeds! I also added a little bit of sesame oil for taste and soy sauce. Then I put my veggies to the side...

Now it's time to cook the chicken. Make sure it's cooked all the way through, but not over-cooked. The house is really smelling great! Add to the veggies and toss.

This shrimp happened to be cooked already, but I still cooked it up in a little butter (for flavor)... I kept the shrimp separate because one of my awesome kiddos has a slight shell fish allergy.

Here's the final product. SO good. I would have taken off the tails if I thought about it sooner, but it wasn't too much of a hassle. I also wish I had some mushrooms in there... but anyhow. It was awesome. Everybody from the 3 year old to the 14 year old loved it.

I had some cauliflower too that I thought I was going to use, but needed a little more inspiration. My kids love it mashed like potatoes and of course we've steamed it - but what else? Any ideas that YOU have tried? Post in the comments or message me! Thanks!!

Chuletas en Salsa Verde or Pork Chops in Tomatillo Sauce

I love CHILE VERDE!!! I have had the privilege of enjoying some great salsa verde (green salsa) in my time. Living in the Los Angeles/Southern California area AND attending a Spanish Church for so many years has allowed me lots of exposure to some great chile verde! =)
As you know, I love to cook, but did not want to even attempt this for some reason. Why mess with perfection? haha
But alas, I had some fresh tomatillo, cilantro, jalapeños... I had some pork cutlets and wanted to do something different than I usually do. So...it was fate. My first time making chile verde was BEAUTIFUL!! Here we go!
Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh tomatillos (husked and washed)...I guess you can use canned, but I've never used it.
1 jalapeño (remove seeds)
1 bunch cilantro (chopped roughly)
1 medium onion (sliced thin)
1 Tbs. crushed fresh garlic (about 2 large cloves)
1 cup chicken stock (if you don't make your own, you can get some good stuff at Trader Joe's)
Salt
Directions:
Husk and wash the tomatillos. Cut them into quarters.
Wash and slice your jalapeño. Remove seeds unless you want it to be extra spicy.
Put in a small pot and cover with water. Add salt (maybe a teaspoon or two)
Boil until soft. Drain water.
Pour in a blender. Add cilantro, onion, garlic, and chicken stock.
Blend and then pour back into pot. Simmer until it changes from bright green to dark green.
And it's done! You can now use it for chip dip, enchiladas, add to any kind of meat you like... it's just so yummmmmm. =)

Boil process...

These are the pork cutlets that I seasoned and cooked until very tender...

The blender...

Add cooked sauce to your meat. Cover and let simmer for another 15 minutes or so. I just waited until my pork was very tender. I served it over some shredded chicken breast for my youngest child. We had some chicken leftover and I thought he'd prefer that over the pork.

This sauce was not hot at all in my opinion. It was just spicy enough. You could add another pepper or add a different kind like serrano or whatever you like best.

When I served it on the plates, I broke the meat up into little chunks so that the sauce would cover it even more.
This is usually served with rice, but to keep it low carb or paleo, you'll want to serve it over some steamed veggies or something. I loved the steamed cauliflower shredded up to appear "rice like".

Enjoy!!

Move Over Zucchini Boats...It's the Tomato Boat...

Isn't this a beautiful picture?? My cousin, Sherri, sent me this recipe and I can't wait to try it. I just wanted to go ahead and post this in case some of you were looking for something new to try this weekend. You know that pictures are sure to follow... =)
I believe that a strict Paleo diet would skip the dairy items...however, I will not be skipping them! =)
Stuffed Tomatoes
Ingredients
•8 firm ripe tomatoes
•6 slices bacon
•1/2 cup chopped onion
•1 pound fresh spinach, stems snipped
•1 cup sour cream
•1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
•salt to taste
•1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
Directions
This recipe's Ingredients were scaled to yield a new amount. The directions below still refer to the original recipe yield of 4 servings.
1.Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish.
2.Cut tops from tomatoes; remove seeds and membranes. Place tomato shells upside down on paper towels to drain until filling.
3.Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate, reserve drippings. Crumble bacon and set aside. Return 2 tablespoons of drippings to skillet.
4.Cook onion in the bacon drippings until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in spinach; cook and stir until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream, reserved crumbled bacon, and hot pepper sauce.
5.Sprinkle tomato shells with salt; fill evenly with bacon and spinach mixture. Place tomatoes in prepared baking dish.
6.Bake in preheated oven until hot, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove, and top evenly with the shredded cheese. Return to the oven; bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

Oh, man. Let's give it up for bacon!!

Before I get into the recipe or pictures, can I just say that for the last 2 weeks or so, I've stuck with the work outs AND I have been eating as PRIMAL as I know how and I got on the scale to find that I've lost 10 pounds. Yup! Couldn't believe it. I have been reading a lot about the Paleo and Primal way of eating and I realised that it really is the healthiest and best choice for me. I am still new to it and learning every day, but the things that I have cut out of my diet entirely are grains of any kind, processed foods, sugar, and any legume. I have been enjoying dairy in moderation. Usually it is in the form of cheese and of course butter!

I feel stronger and feel a little bit of room in my clothes, but we'll see. I know that at first, the pounds may come off quickly and then taper off. That's okay. I want it to be realistic and lasting.

So, here we go...this is what I made for my family of 6 hearty eaters plus 1 happy visitor.

I made Seasoned Shrimp wrapped in Bacon and Stuffed Zucchini Boats. There are various recipes on line for the zucchini, but I changed mine up a bit to my taste and of course did not include bread crumbs like most of the recipes called for.

Shrimp wrapped with bacon....

1 lb. fresh, cleaned raw shrimp (large to jumbo work best)

1 package of uncured bacon (Trader Joe's or Whole Foods have good options)

Seasonings: salt, pepper, garlic, Mrs. Dash...really it's whatever you like best! This is what I had on hand. =)

1.) In a bowl, mix your shrimp and seasonings (I left tails on, by the way).

2.) Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes to let the seasonings marinade the shrimp.

3.) Cut your bacon in half and then again lengthwise.

4.) Take your shrimp and wrap each one with a piece of bacon. Just spiral it around the shrimp.

5.) Grill on skillet until bacon is cooked on each side. The shrimp will be a bright pink and no longer gray in color.

6.) Enjoy!

Zucchini Boats

4 zucchini squash (approx. 7 inches long)

1 lb. ground meat of your choice (turkey, beef, pork...)

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 tsp of italian seasoning mix (of course you can use fresh or dried mix of oregano/basil)

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce ( I used a spicey brand called El Pato)

1/2 cup Pepper Jack cheese

Salt to taste (I didn't really add any)

1.) Cut squash in half lengthwise.

2.) Scoop out the middle. You can use a melon baller or small spoon to do this.

3.) Brown meat, onion and garlic in a frying pan until fully cooked.

4.) Drain and add your seasonings and Worcestershire sauce. Make sure you get it evenly blended.

5. ) Fill up boats with meat mixture and arrange in glass baking dish.

6.) Cover evenly with tomato sauce and top with cheese.

7.) Bake at 325 degrees for 50 minutes. You can even take it out 5 minutes early, top it with a little more cheese and then pop it under the boiler for about 2 minutes to get a nice brown crisp to the cheese. =) Yum.

If I get an Italiany craving, I am going to make it again. Well, to be honest, I am going to make it again after I buy more zucchini at the Farmers' Market. =) I may add diced mushrooms to the meat mixture. The kids loved it. Hubby loved it...even Kristian, our impromptu visitor, loved it!

It started with some asparagus...

I have been cooking lots of fresh vegetables this summer. One of our favorites is the asparagus that I pick up at Costco. I usually steam them or grill them... Anyway, I decided to try wrapping them in bacon tonight - just to give it a twist. I know that it's a common option, but I've never personally done this at home.

I first drizzled EVOO on the asparagus and then added Mrs. Dash and fresh ground pepper. Then I put about 4 in a bunch and wrapped it with one raw strip of bacon.

Make sure your pan or griddle is hot before you place the bundle on the pan. This will help them to crisp up faster and they won't really stick. Cook over medium heat.

The time it takes for the bacon to cook should be just about the amount needed to make sure the asparagus are just right.

I also seasoned some zucchini that I got at the Farmers' Market with the same things as the asparagus. My hubby put these on the grill and they were PERFECT. Could have put them on a little longer or on a hotter grill if we wanted the grill marks, but meh. Who cares, right?

We served it with some great pork loin steaks that I got at Costco as well. A side of fresh avacado and I was one happy camper.

I love that I take more time to think about my food when I'm eating right. I'm still learning about Paleo eating, but so far - I love it and my family has no complaints either.

My version of the CPK Lettuce Wraps...

So, as some of you know...I've been trying to lose some weight, get in shape, get healthy...you get the idea. Well, I've never been able to go to Weight Watchers or anything like that where you learn to count calories, points...whatever.
The only thing I understand is low-carb. Now before any of you start screaming...don't worry. I am not stuffing my gob with high fat meats and cheese and Diet Coke.
I occasionally eat salad, too. LOL Just kidding.
Anyway, here is a meal that I came up with that reminds me of the lettuce wraps at California Pizza Kitchen. Have you ever tried those?? Yum!
So, here's what I did to throw this together.
4 - Boneless skinless chicken breast
1 - Handful of shredded carrots
2 - Small cans of water chestnuts (chopped)
1 - Chopped Red bell pepper (mostly because I had it and for color)
1 - Tablespoon of fresh, minced garlic
2 - Tablespoons toasted sesame seed
3 - Heads of endive (red or yellow...I used both)
Sesame Seed Oil
Light Sodium Soy Sauce
Rice wine vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Okay, so I just eye-balled all of this and made it up as I went, but you'll figure it out.
Cut up the chicken breast into thin strips.
Add minced garlic - keep it moving...you don't want to burn garlic. Yuck!
Sautee in olive oil
Add carrots. Cook until slightly tender.
Remove and when cool enough - chop into very small pieces (I used the Pampered Chef chopper)
Return it to the pan and add bell pepper and water chestnuts.
Continue to sautee. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice vinegar to taste.
Turn off heat, cover and let sit for about 5 minutes.
Add toasted sesame seeds as a garnish.
Serve in a bowl with separated endive leaves (or you could use the small leaves of a romaine lettuce)
Enjoy!
Even my kids loved this!!

Oh, brother it's the Jonas Brothers...again. =]

I am wondering how many moms of "tween" girls had to endure Camp Rock tonight? *phew* It is 10 p.m. and I am still standing. LOL Anyway, it wasn't too bad. My oldest had a friend come over for the show. First it was a swim in the pool and then out for the count down. They kept shouting out things like "One hour and twelve minutes until Camp Rock!...one hour and eleven minutes until Camp Rock..." You get the idea. Oy!

I wanted to be a good sport about it. I decided that we would have chili cheese dogs and s'mores. Taryn decided that she'd like to make brownies and since we were about to do ourselves in with sugar, I decided to also make these (clicky) from the Pioneer Woman Cooks. They were a hit. I am not a big fan of peanut butter, but these ROCKED. *chuckle*

Seriously, we had a great time. I sat back and must admit that I enjoyed watching my girls and their reaction to the show. Screams, tons of 'awwwwws', more screams and giggles. It was a good night. It is now about 10:15 p.m. and they decided they were going back into the pool. Yeah. I love summer nights like this. Oh, and here are a few pictures I thought you'd like.

This week's blog challenge: RECIPE!
We all dig out special recipes during the holidays - some that we ONLY use at holiday time. Why do we make those dishes every year? Where did the recipe originate? Does someone request it? Would it just NOT be the holidays without it? What memories of this recipe do you have from your childhood?
Then there are the stock recipes that we ALWAYS keep ingredients on hand for. What's one of yours? What's your family's favorite dish? What do you ALWAYS make when you have company for dinner? Are you known for a certain recipe that people always request?
Challenge issued by Stacy Kocur
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There are definitely some foods that I miss and request from my mom - holiday or not. She lives in Washington state and I really miss her cooking! My mom is Korean and is one of the best cooks I know. One of the main things I ask for is her eggrolls. I even scrapped a page about it. I will have to scan a picture and add it later. Anyway, there's just something special about her seasoning and how she's not chincy with the meat when she makes an eggroll. I mean hello - if I wanted a bland eggroll that's practically vegetarian, I'd go to the Food Court right? My mom's eggrolls are like no other. She is practically famous for them. When she does come to visit she usually makes extra and then we freeze them. Not as good as hot out of the pan, but good!
My family has several favorites, but when it comes to requests during birthdays and such it's always my Chicken Taquitos. Again, the key is to not be chincy with the meet. I have several friends that request this for crops or potlucks and I even made about 250 one time for a girl's graduation. I asked if I could do anything to help with the party and that was her request!
Since we are big foodys in this house, there is so much more I should be mentioning, but I am going to stop because I am already craving these foods now!