Shrimp Primavera

This is one of those gotta-use-up-ingredients meals, in that you could customize it to whatever you have on hand.

1 spaghetti squash, baked and spaghetti-ized.
1 onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, cut into matchstick pieces
1 lb asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces (I had frozen asparagus that had to be used, so I defrosted it first)
1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp ( again, I had frozen that I ran under water for a few minutes)
S&P
garlic and onion powders
hot pepper flakes
a couple of leaves of fresh basil, chopped

Seed and shred cooked squash and set aside.  Saute onion, bell pepper, asparagus and shrimp in olive oil.  Season with S&P, garlic and onion powders and hot pepper flakes to your liking.  Add squash and basil and toss to coat.

Fajita Burgers with Chili Cumin Fries

This was really good!  I served the burgers topped with guacamole over the fajita vegetables, with a side of "fries".

Burgers:
1 lb ground beef (preferably natural and organic)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder

Mix all ingredients gently and form into 4 patties, making a "dent" in the middle (keeps them from shrinking up).  Grill on a preheated grill (about 350-400 degrees) for about 4 minutes per side (just let them cook--don't squeeze 'em!). Let rest for about 5 minutes.

Fajita Veggies:
1 portobello mushroom, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced
olive oil
S&P
garlic and onion powders
juice of 1/2 lime

Saute veggies in olive oil over medium heat and season with S&P, garlic and onion powders and the lime juice.  Cook until tender but not mushy.

Guacamole:
1 ripe avocado, roughly mashed
juice of 1/2 lime
S&P
onion powder to taste
chopped cilantro or red onion if you have it on hand (I didn't)

Mix together.

Cumin Chili Fries:
2 large sweet potatoes, cut into "sticks"
olive oil
S&P
Cumin powder (about 1/2 to 1 tsp)
Chili powder (about 1/2 to 1 tsp)

Toss ingredients in large bowl and place on a cookie sheet in a single layer.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.  Toss and bake for another 15 minutes for a total of about 30 minutes or until done to your liking.

Salmon and Broccoli Slaw Salad

I had some leftover roasted salmon from dinner last night and wanted a change from my usual leafy salad.

1 TBS olive oil
1 TBS lime juice
1 TBS apple cider vinegar
S&P to taste
2 cups broccoli slaw
roasted salmon, hot or cold, depending on when you cook it up (to roast, place in shallow pan, season with lemon juice and salt and pepper and roast at 350 for 30 minutes)
1/2 avocado, diced

Whisk olive oil, lime juice, vinegar and salt and pepper in a bowl.  Add slaw and mix well.  Top with salmon and avocado.  Serves 1 main dish or 2 side dishes.

I would imagine that this would be really good with leftover shredded chicken as well.

Basil Chicken Saute

The kids wanted spaghetti and meatballs and I had a spaghetti squash on hand, so I said sure (they had traditional marinara and meatballs).

1TBS olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic cloved, minced
1 lb ground chicken
S&P to taste
1 TBS tomato paste
2 TBS chopped basil
1 cup sliced mushrooms

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until tender.  Add chicken and cook through.  Season with S&P and add tomato paste and chopped basil.  Stir well.  Add mushrooms and cook until tender.  I served it over spaghetti squash.

So uninspired these days...

Well, while I haven't been eating lots of crap lately, I've definitely been a little loose in terms of what I have been putting into my body.  One of my issues is that I'm currently just cooking for myself and my girls (hubby is out of town), so I haven't had as much of a desire to cook a real meal that the girls will just turn their noses up at.  Most of the time I end up making a really simple protein (baked chicken, fish, shrimp) and veggies for myself and give the girls the same protein along with a kid friendly veggie (although these days, not many are in my house--grrr!) and a grain or pasta of some sort.  Sorry I haven't had many recipes to share.  This is an example of what I've been eating a lot of--while delicious, not exactly awe-inspiring.

Big Ass Salad

What's in the Fridge One Dish Chicken

Last night I couldn't decide what to make with the chicken breasts that I had bought.  I had a bunch of veggies, but wasn't in the mood for a stir-fry (and I knew my kids wouldn't eat that anyway), so this is what we had.  You could do this with a variety of vegetables and seasonings...whatever's in your fridge!

3 or 4 chicken breasts, cut into 1-2 inch chunks
2 handfuls baby carrots
1 bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 onion, cut into 1 inch chunks
2 zucchinis, cut into 1 inch chunks
olive oil
S&P
garlic and onion powders

Preheat oven to 350 and toss all ingredients into a large roasting pan.  Toss to coat.  Roast for 15 minutes, stir and roast for 15 min more.  Take pan out and carefully pour out juices.  Turn up the oven to 400 and roast for 5-10 minutes more, so that it gets more "roasty".