No-Carb Breakfast Lasagna

This has become a staple in my house - Mike eats it just about every week. It's incredibly easy, and can be made in a large pan (like a lasagna) or in small batches (individual or mini lasagnas!). Like many of the recipes I use, it's very versatile, but the recipe I show here is pretty basic - Mike doesn't like veggies much, so this is a typical "man" meal for him - meat, cheese and eggs!

Mike's also not a huge fan of cream cheese (as in, he won't eat it unless it's in a cheesecake or something sweet, and even then, only in small doses). He was leery of trying this because the pancakes have cream cheese in them...but I'm glad (and so he is he!) that he gave it a try. The cream cheese gives the pancakes the necessary texture, but you really can't taste it at all.

I found this recipe on ibreatheimhungry.com (by the way, I highly recommend this site if you are eating low-carb; she's got some great recipes and they're very easy to follow!). I adapted the recipe very slightly, and have also listed some ideas at the bottom for how to "gussy up" this recipe. Enjoy!

For Cream Cheese Pancakes (these will serve as your lasagna "noodles"):
8 eggs
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
garlic salt/pepper (to taste)

For filling layer:
8 eggs
1/2 package reduced-fat pork sausage
8 slices low-fat american cheese (or any kind of cheese you like)


1. First, make your pancakes by mixing all pancake ingredients in a blender until smooth and lumps are gone (should be pretty runny, thinner than pancake batter).
2. Heat non-stick skillet over medium heat and once water sizzles on the top, pour a small amount of batter onto skillet.
3. Allow small bubbles to form on the top (about 2 minutes), then gently flip and cook until browned on the bottom (an addition 2 minutes).
4. Once all pancakes are cooked, move to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
5. Crumble sausage in same pan and cook until browned and no longer pink in the middle.
6. In a separate bowl, mix eggs until scrambled, then pour into pan with sausage and cook until eggs are no longer runny.
7. To assemble, place pancakes in the bottom of a greased 9x13 casserole dish, or place one in the bottom of eight travel containers (I use Glad or Ziploc reusable bowls).
8. Spoon sausage/egg mixture over bottom pancake layer, then place one slice of cheese over the top.
9. Place another pancake over the top of the cheese and cover with foil (or close lid on reusable container) to allow the cheese to melt completely.

NOTES:
-- You can make the pancakes in any number of shapes, but I found it works best when you are making a 9x13 to make long oval shapes (picture a rounded lasagna noodle). When making individual servings (which I usually do for my husband to take to work) I find it works best to make several mini rounded pancakes (like a small pancake!).
-- You can add in salsa  or sour cream when making the filling mixture for some extra flavors and creaminess.
-- You can add in any number of veggies that your household likes - bell pepper, onions, mushrooms, olives, broccoli...the sky is the limit!
-- You can use any kind of cheese you like, but to keep this on the healthy side, opt for low-fat cheese (would be great with pepper-jack, gouda, cheddar, anything!). I usually use american or cheddar in the middle, then sprinkle some cheddar on top too!

Fiesta Salad!!!

Tonight's dinner was Fiesta Salad - one of our favorites. It's SUPER easy, completely versatile, and everyone likes it (well, except for Zoe, who decided to choose tonight's dinner as her stage for a knock-down drag-out fit. Poor girl went to bed right after not eating her dinner...).

I will be upfront about the picture on this one - not a great photo. First, I'm not a photographer by trade...second, I'm not a food styler by trade (is that what they're even called??). What I do consider myself an "expert" in, however, is the ability to make sure my family doesn't starve! ;-)

So, look past the picture and just imagine the recipe - it really is fantastic! And you can whip it up in about 10 minutes (not kidding!!). It's quite inexpensive, and goes a long way - especially if you add in some/any of the suggestions listed below the picture.


So like I said, this is such an easy and versatile recipe, we make it often. Here's the recipe, with some suggestions below. Hope you enjoy! If you try it out, be sure to leave me a comment and let me know!

FIESTA SALAD (this recipe feeds my family of five with no leftovers, so if you're cooking for more, or have some big eaters, you might want to make more!)

1 bag fritos (you will have leftovers)
1 cup uncooked rice (we use brown)
1 cup water (for rice)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. ground beef
salt/pepper
1 can black beans
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Bring water to a boil in a small pot on stove; add rice. Reduce heat to low (I actually just turn mine off) and cover; simmer for about 10 minutes.
2. While rice is simmering, pour black beans into another small pot and turn heat to medium-low; stir occasionally until heated through.
3. Spray non-stick skillet with cooking spray (or add a little olive oil) and turn heat to medium; add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Add ground beef and cook (crumbling while you cook) until no longer pink.
5. Assemble salad - layer in any order you like - I prepare in this order: fritos, rice, beef, beans, cheddar cheese.

Suggestions (to make this recipe yummier and/or healthier):
- use ground turkey, or a combo of beef/turkey
- add veggies like bell peppers and onions
- add cilantro
- add taco seasoning to beef while cooking
- serve over a bed of lettuce instead of, or in addition to, the fritos
- remove meat altogether for a vegetarian version!
- remove rice/fritos for a carb-free version!

Shredded Chicken with Spicy Peanut Sauce

I do a lot of cooking in our house over the weekend for the week, which makes it NICE to come home and not have to do much of anything to get dinner on the table.

Today was not one of those days - the plan was Shredded Chicken with Spicy Peanut Sauce, but I did not get it made ahead of time.

I was THIIIIIIIS close to grabbing a pizza or something easy on the way home, but I knew I'd feel better about dinner if I cooked it, since that's what I'd planned.

I was reminded tonight about how incredibly easy and versatile this dish is. From start to finish, it took almost 30 minutes - not bad!

This recipe could easily be modified or tweaked for dietary restrictions or preferences, and I LOVE that everything doesn't have to be precise when it comes to measurements. In fact, I didn't measure anything in the recipe tonight - I just eyeballed it...if something is a little off, you can just add a splash of this or that until it's just right. It can also be quite healthy, if you use healthier versions of some of the ingredients.

Shredded Chicken with Spicy Peanut Sauce

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2-3 cloves fresh minced garlic
1/4 tsp. fresh minced ginger (I often leave this out, but will add it if I have it)
pinch of red pepper flakes (you can omit this for kids or if you don't like spicy)
1/3 cup (or large spoonful!) of reduced fat or natural peanut butter
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp. white vinegar
Optional: handful of cilantro
1 cup sugar snap peas (I usually use frozen; you could also use onions, bell peppers, etc.)

1. Heat non-stick skillet over medium heat; sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper; saute until the middle is no longer pink.
2. While chicken is cooking, heat vegetable oil in a small saucepan over medium heat.
3. Add garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes and stir until heated through and fragrant (be careful not to burn!).
4. Add peanut butter and soy sauce; stir until peanut butter is melted and mix well to combine.
5. Add vinegar and cilantro and incorporate into sauce.
6. Transfer sauce to a blender and blend at a low speed until all ingredients are combined.
7. Return sauce to pan and turn heat to low.
8. Add in peas (and/or other vegetables) and let simmer for about 5 minutes.
9. While sauce is simmering, transfer chicken to a cutting board and shred with two forks, or use my favorite method and throw them into your Kitchen Aid and use the paddle attachment to do the shredding for you!
10. Place chicken in a large bowl and add sauce; mix well to combine.
11. Serve with rice, quinoa, over a bed of greens, or in large lettuce leaves as wraps.

Tips:

* I keep fresh ginger in my freezer, and just cut a couple of small pieces when I make this - since you put it into a blender later, it doesn't matter that the ginger is not minced!

* This recipe freezes well, and makes a great lunch - it's even better leftover!

Slow-Cooked Carnitas and Cilantro-Black Bean Puree

I came across this recipe from Our Life in Food not too long ago (great blog, by the way, I spent much of that evening perusing all their recipes and fun posts...pinned a ton of ideas to try!). These carnitas look amazing - heck, everything on the site looks amazing! I swear I could smell them just from looking at the pictures and reading the recipe!

So I set out to try these with a few variations to the original recipe. They turned out SO good. It was hard to let them go without disturbing them, but apparently I made up for all the nibbles I would have taken along the way by having a TON at dinner (and a couple of meals throughout the rest of the week). I paired the carnitas with a cilantro-black bean puree (recipe of my own!) and it was a great side dish that complemented the meat very nicely.

What I also loved about this meal was that it is SO easy to make - it is definitely a go to in my book from now on! And you don't have to have anything out of the ordinary to make it!

So, here is the recipe for both the carnitas and the black bean puree. Enjoy!

Slow-Cooked Carnitas
1 1/2 lbs. pork shoulder, cut into cubes
1/2 cup chicken broth
fresh garlic (I used the garlic from Mike's game day snack #1) - I didn't mince or chop the cloves; I figured I would just remove them later, but they cooked completely down and I couldn't even find them!
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

1. Spray a large pot with non-stick spray, or pour a little olive oil in and mix around to cover the bottom of the pot. Add in pork shoulder and then top with all remaining ingredients (no need to stir!).
2. Add enough water to almost cover the meat; turn on high until boiling.
3. Once boiling, reduce to medium-low and cover; let it go for TWO hours and don't take off the lid (it's a hard two hours, but if you're like me, you've got plenty to do to keep yourself busy!).
4. After two hours, pop off the lid and stir it all around (it should begin to break apart at this point pretty easily).
5. Increase your heat to medium and allow the meat to cook for about another hour (your goal is to create some of that browned crispy yumminess on the meat AND the bottom of the pan, but you don't want to burn anything!). Stir occasionally. If needed, add some additional chicken broth or water during this process (I added a little chicken broth every time the liquid on the bottom started to dry out too much).
6. Tun off the heat and use two forks (or just one spatula like I did since it was so tender!) to break up the meat into bit size pieces/shreds.


Cilantro-Black Bean Puree
1 can fat-free refried beans
1 can black beans
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (or fresh minced garlic)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
salt/pepper to taste

1. Add refried beans to a medium size pot and a little water; simmer over low heat.
2. Drain and rinse black beans; add to refried beans and mix well.
3. Add in remaining ingredients (save a pinch of the chopped cilantro, or have some more available nearby!) and stir to combine; allow mixture to simmer for 6-7 minutes.
4. Transfer mixture from stove to a blender and pulse several times until desired consistency is reached.
5. Transfer beans back to stove and allow to simmer for 2-3 more minutes.
6. Top with reserved cilantro and enjoy!

Game Day Snack #2 - Pan Seared Scallops & Caprese Salad

This past weekend, my husband was still in the induction phase of the South Beach diet, so I had to modify what I had originally chosen for his game day snack.

I found a recipe for pan-seared scallops with a butter sauce at userealbutter.com*, and made a pretty side caprese salad.

*you know any site called "use real butter" has GOT to be good...

These scallops were SO good! I purchased 4 large dry scallops (dry??? read the original post to learn what I did about dry scallops!) and had the rest of what I needed at home.

Since my husband had diet restrictions, white wine was not an option for the sauce, though I really wanted to try it (and will, next time).

When I got ready to make these on Sunday, I realized I don't own a regular skillet. How is that even possible?  I have 5, 926 non-stick skillets, and too many pots and pans in general, but not one plain ol' skillet. So...I decided to use a POT. Thought, it should work ok...so I happily started bustling around my kitchen, pulled out my pot, turned on the heat and got things started.

Then I realized I had heated up (very high heat, mind you) and oiled a NON-STICK pot. Sheesh. I could have used a non-stick pan after all!

Anyway, I decided to keep going. It took 10 minutes max to make these little treats, and they turned out fabulously! Husband gobbled them up in no time!

The caprese salad was a nice fresh bonus on the side - that couldn't have been easier either! I pulled this entire meal together in about 15 minutes.

Here's how they looked - you should give these recipes a try! If you, do let me know how they turn out!

Pan-Seared Scallops with Butter Sauce
4 large dry scallops
sea salt (just a pinch)
black pepper (just a pinch)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup liquid (white wine, chicken or veggie broth - I used chicken broth)
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1. Pour olive oil into pan (or pot!) and crank up the heat (pretty high, but not all the way up).
2. Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel and sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides.
3. Place scallops carefully in pan and let it do its own thing for 2-3 minutes (I let mine go a little longer because I wanted a tiny bit of crunch on the outside).
4. Gently turn scallops over in the pan and let it go for another 1-2 minutes.
5. Remove scallops from pan and place on a plate.
6. Add butter to pan and stir to melt. (let the butter/oil go for a minute if you want the sauce to be nice and browned).
7. Slowly add liquid and use a whisk to scrape up the bits from the bottom of the pan.
8. Let sauce simmer for a few minutes (it'll thicken just a bit).
9. Pour sauce over the top of the scallops and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley. Enjoy!


Caprese Salad
1/4 cup cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup yellow tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh mozzarella mini balls (you could use any fresh mozzarella you want; you just need to be able to make it roughly the same size as the tomatoes when you chop it)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
2-3 fresh basil leaves
kosher salt/black pepper

1. Chop tomatoes in half (or quartered if you want smaller bites)
2. Chop mini mozzarella balls in half (or quartered if you want smaller bites)
3. Place tomatoes in a bowl (large enough to gently stir in a minute)
4. Drizzle olive oil and vinegar over the top of the tomatoes and mozzarella.
5. Stack basil leaves on top of each other and then roll into a small circular shape; chop into small pieces (this makes pretty strips for your salad; you could chop in any shape you like) and sprinkle over salad.
6. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the top. Enjoy!

Game Day Snack #1 - Antipasto Platter!

I am not a football fan. At all. Not even a little bit. BUT, my husband is a HUGE fan. So, one of the things I take pleasure in doing for him that allows me to share in something he loves, even if I don't love it too, is "game day snacks". For each game, he gets a special snack (or meal, depending on what time the game is). We've been married for over 9 years now, so I have a decent idea of what he likes, doesn't like, and really enjoy trying out new recipes for him - we are not an extravagant foodie family (who could be with a ladybug that won't eat much?!) so I get to take some liberties with these snacks and try out things that I wouldn't normally try out on a house where there are more children than adults. It also accomplishes two other things in my family:

1. It teaches Josh what kind of wife to look for - I want him to have a wife that will do these kinds of things for him. And not only do them, but enjoy doing them.

2. It teaches my girls what kind of wife to be. I want them to see me planning Mike's snacks, making them, giving them to him, having fun all along the way. I want them to delight in their husband, and in doing little things for him, like I do for their dad. 

In my head, I'm a WONDERFUL planner. On paper, not so much. This year, I decided to get really ahead of the game - I found the Dallas Cowboys (yup!) schedule online, put it into an excel spreadsheet, and picked something for every single game of the season based on what time the game is. 

We're only one game in so far, but I'm having fun already. I did get a wrinkle thrown into my very carefully thought out plan though and this one is not that exciting on the "adventurous cooking" scale  (ok, if I'm being honest, it doesn't even qualify because I didn't actually cook) - Mike decided to start the South Beach diet recently, which includes a 2-week induction phase at the beginning. For those of you that may not know, induction phase of South Beach = no carbs. So, I had to change up the plans, but still managed to throw together a great snack for him, and he was happy (and full). 

The very first game days snack of 2012 was... an Antipasto Platter!

These are so easy, and so fun - no cooking required, which was good because A) I had already planned something else and needed an alternative quickly; and B) I could cut it up and get it ready and then take the kids to bible study (so that it would be waiting for him when he got home later that night). 

I went to my local grocery store and headed to the deli - picked out the cheese and meat, then headed to the olive bar and picked a few that I knew he'd like. Then, I just put each selection into a small container, cut up the cheese/chorizo and voila! 

As it turned out, even a garlic freak like my husband couldn't each much straight garlic, so as an added bonus, I threw that into a tupperware and added it to another recipe that I'll be sharing soon.

Bon Apetit!