De-Constructed Chili Salad

I am trying so hard to eat more healthy. I know that eating a ton of salads is key. I thought of turning many of my favorite dishes into salads. The first of my attempts is chili. Even though chili isn't all that fatting or high in carbs it's just not the same without the condiments. Like sour cream, cheese and let's not forget the chips! I decided to take apart my chili and turn it into a salad. I knew that the dressing would be key. In an effort to stay away from added fat I thought of using a vinaigrette. But it had to be the perfect vinaigrette. I had one in mind and researched it on the internet and voila, I found it. If any of you have ever eaten at Chiptole's(there's one in Sandy) it has an amazing vinaigrette for their salad. I just had to make it. It's simple, and delicious and it was the star of my salad. I could drizzle that dressing over anything! Burritos, tacos, salad, you name it it'll make anything better!

Here's the Salad:

All the fixins!



Protien of Choice:
Ground Turkey. So much better for you!!



The Fresh Ingredients:
Cilantro, radishes, green onion and avacado





The raw veggies I chose to use
Bell pepper, onion, corn.
No black beans are not a veggie, but an important part to chili non the less.





The veggies after being sauted.






The Viniagrette Recipe:

Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette Recipe


1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup honey
2 t Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
1 1/4 t ground chipotle powder
1 t lime juice
3/4 t black pepper
3/4 t salt
1/2 t paprika
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t onion powder
1/4 t dried oregano
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Combine all ingredients, except oil in blender and blend on low speed
for ten seconds.

2. SLOWLY drizzle olive oil into blender on low speed.

3. Chill for at least an hour.

Yield: 1.5 Cups

I chose to use red and green leaf lettuce. I just dumped, stired and shoveled !!! It was seriously AMAZING!!

A MUST try!!

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

I came up with this recipe this last week when I signed up to take dinner to a family in the ward. It is a knock out too. My kids loved it, I loved it. I only hope the family I made it for loved it too. We normally don't eat leftovers, but Beckham managed to finish them all off. Yup, they were that good!!

3 chicken breast cut into 1 inch cubes
2 ears of corn, with the corn cut off the cob
1 onion diced small
1 package cream cheese, cubed and at room temp.
1 can diced green chilies
1 tsp salt
1tsp pepper
4tsps chili powder
10 flour tortillas
1 can green chili enchilada sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat
2. add 1 tablespoon oil
3. In batches, add the chicken and cook until brown at edges
(you will need to add more oil for each batch)
4. Remove all chicken from skillet and set aside
5. Add onions and saute for about 3-4 minutes, just until they become soft
6. Add the fresh corn and saute for another 3-4 minutes
7. Sprinkle onions and corn with salt, pepper and chili powder
8. Add chicken back to pan
9. Add cream cheese and can of chilies, stir until cream cheese has complete melted and everything is combined
10. Grease a 9x13 baking dish
11. to each flour tortilla add about 2 big scoops of the chicken mixture, roll and place in dish
12. Cover all rolled tortillas with green enchilada sauce, top with 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
13.Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden!

This really is an excellent dish!

Spinach and Black Bean Enchiladas

This recipe came out of necessity. I'm trying to use what I have and make it taste good. I looked online at a few recipes and came up with this one. In my bountiful basket booty there was a bundle of spinach. It wasn't looking too hot and I knew I needed to use it up quickly. In addition to that I bought several packages of baby spinach on sale at Reams. I love love love mexican food and thought it a good idea to mask the flavor of spinach in some saucy goodness. Well, it worked. And it worked beautifully. As we were going to bed last night Brent told me, "Those enchiladas were really good." They must have been for him to tell me as we were going to bed.

3lbs spinach sauted and chopped
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1 can red mild enchilada sauce
1 onion diced
2 cloves garlic finely minced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons canola or olive oil
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 cup stock(any kind you have; chicken, veggie I used beef cause it's what I had)
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
12-15 corn tortillas cut into 1 inch squares

1. Heat butter and oil in a large pan, add onions and garlic. Saute until softened
2. Add spices and cook for 3-4 minutes to toast
3. sprinkle onions with flour and saute for another 3-4 minutes to cook off flour taste
4. Add stock and stir until thickened
5. Once thickened add chopped spinach and black beans
6. In a medium bowl place diced tortillas and enchilada sauce, mix well
7. In a well greased 9x13 baking dish dump half the tortillas and spread evenly along bottom
8. Dump the entire Spinach mixture and then sprinkle with 1 cup cheese
9. Spread remaining tortillas on top of spinach mixture and sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese
10. Bake in a 350 oven for 30-45 minutes until top is golden brown!

Due to time restraints I didn't roll each tortilla. You could for a prettier presentation. But me being the busy mother of 6 children love the casserole approach. All my kids ate it except for Beckham and Grace. They just ate the tortillas.

I will be making this dish again. Hannah requested that I keep this one.

The Perfect Boiled Egg

1. Place eggs in one layer in desire pan.
2. Cover the eggs with cold water until the water just covers them.
3. Place eggs on stove and turn to high
4. Bring water and eggs to a boil.
5. Cover the eggs and WITHOUT removing the pot, turn off your burner
6. Set timer for 15 minutes
7. Remove from heat, drain the eggs and run them under cold water.
8. I place them on a towl to continue to dry and cool.


This is a NO FAIL way to get that perfect boiled egg to dye just in time for Easter!!

How to get rid of a whole head of Cauliflower!! And make it taste good too!!

This evening I made a delicious Pasta sauce made out of a whole head of cauliflower and it was truly delicious!! And yes, it is simple to make. I accompanied the past with a salad made with a poppy seed vinaigrette. It's the good old stand by that every one has. This time to my salad I added strawberries, orange segments, pecans and bacon!! It was super good. I didn't want to let the juice from the oranges go to waste so I added it to the vinaigrette. Yummy!!

The cauliflower pasta sauce was also a winner with the kids. I had no complaints. That's always a plus plus plus. Healthy, delicious and kid friendly!!

Here's the recipe. I got it from Rachel Ray.

Try it and let me know what you think!!

Making a Recipe your own: Morning Muffins

While cleaning the other day I noticed a recipe on the back of my flour bag. It was for muffins. Every Saturday since January I make muffins for a quick breakfast on Sunday morning. It works great for my family. I've been experimenting with a lot of recipes. This recipe sounded particularly good. When I went to go and make them I realized I didn't have all the ingredients. So I substituted a few things and they turned out GREAT!!! This just goes to show that you can still make a recipe without all the ingredients and it instantly becomes your own.

Original List of Ingredients// My substitutes:

2 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil // 1 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda // 1 tsp baking soda + 1 tsp baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup shredded and peeled apple // 2 over ripe bananas
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup raisins // omitted
3/4 cup sliced almonds// omitted and added zest of 1 orange!


Hello!!! These turned out fabulously delicious.

1. In a mixer beat butter, add brown sugar and banana and beat till mixed well
2. Add vanilla, carrots, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, zest and coconut. Beat till combined.
3. Add flour, mix till just combined. Finish mixing with a spatula.
4. Bake in a 350 oven for 20 minutes.

So good, So good!!

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

I had another request today to put this on my blog. So here it is. It makes 5-6 loaves. Your suppose to use a Bosch but you don't have to.

Pre-heat oven to 170

1. Place 9 cups of whole wheat flour, 3 tablespoons of yeast and 3/4 cup wheat gluten in the Bosch. Mix for 1 minute to combine.

2. Add 6 cups Hot water and mix for another minute. Cover and let dough sit for 10 minutes or until it rises to near the top.

3. Add: 1/2 cup Olive Oil, 1 cup Honey, 3 tablespoons dough Enhancer, 2 tablespoons salt.

4. Turn on mixer and add 3-6 more cups of flour until the dough pulls away from the sides and is not super sticky. I usually add only 3 more cups of flour. I've found that the bread turns out much better if the dough is a little more sticky.

5. Turn out onto oiled countertop. Yes, I said oiled. Much less mess. Knead a few times. I like to score my dough to make 6 loaves. Take each section and knead into a tight ball and add to a well greased loaf pan.

6. I place 3 loaf pans on a rack set on the lowest level in the oven, and then 3 more on a rack placed in the middle. Let the bread rise and cook in 170 oven for 25 minutes.

7. Without touching the pans increase temperature to 325. Cook for 15 minutes.

8. Switch loaves from bottom to top and vice-versa and cook for another 10 minutes.

9. And voila, you have 6 loaves of bread and it took you less then 2 hours.

If you have any questions, just ask.

Hope you enjoy it, my family loves it!! It makes the best peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!!

What to do with that Jicama!

As I was thinking about what to make with my jicama, the idea of a fruit coleslaw popped into that nogin of mine. I really liked how it turned out. My kids didn't like addition of the craisans or pecans. But I thought they were lovely additions.

Jicama Fruit Coleslaw

1/2 Jicama, peeled and julienned(cut into small french fry sticks)
1 apple peeled and julienned
1 pear peeled and julienned
1/4 cup craisans
1/4 cup pecans
1 small container of low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 tablespoon honey
zest of 1/2 orange
juice of half orange

1. Toss the fruit together in a medium bowl.
2. In a small bowl mix together the yogurt through orange juice
3. Toss the yogurt mixture into the fruit.
4. Add the craisans and pecans just before serving.

This is delicious and a great way to use that jicama!!!

Birthday Pavlova

This is what stiff peaks look like!
Pretty cool!!

The whipped eggwhites spread out on my pan.
It's really easy!

After baking in the oven.
You must cool the pavlova in the oven like the recipe says.
Or else you'll end up with huge cracks!!

The end result!
Beautiful and Delicious!

For my Birthday I wanted to do something that was light and somewhat healthy. I'm trying so hard to reach my weight loss goal that I wouldn't even let my birthday get in the way of my success. I decided to go with Pavlova. It's basically a huge mirange. Instead of using heavy whipping cream I used light coolwhip and kicked it up a few notched by adding orange zest!! Yum!! In addition to the strawberries there is a layer of toasted coconut underneath. I love coconut and had to treat myself to it. I got the recipe from Food Network.

White Bean Chicken Chili

The chicken and beans

The other ingredient.

The veggies diced up.

What it looks like half way through cooking.

The finished product!!

I pre-cooked my white beans and chicken together in the crock-pot the day before. I took 2 cups of white beans placed them in a medium saucepan, covered them with about 2 inches of water, brought them to a boil and let them cook for about 1 hour. That jump starts the beans if you forget to soak them overnight like I do all the time. After the pre-cook I placed the beans in the crock-pot and then my chicken breast on top. To that I added one onion quartered, salt and pepper. I cooked them for about 6 hours on high. After letting them cool a bit I placed the whole crock-pot in the the fridge.

My family gobbled this chili up. It was so good. Along with the chili I served grilled pieces of artisan bread, and an orange/pear salad.

White Bean Chicken Chili

1 Red Bell Pepper finally diced
1 onion finally diced
1 aneheim chili finally diced
1 jalapeno pepper finally diced
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
2 cups water
4 cups white beans
4 chicken breast

1. In a large dutch oven saute all the veggies until just tender.

2. Add the seasons and cook with veggies a few minutes to toast and enhance their flavor

3. Add the beans and chicken

4.Add the water. If you did cook your chicken and beans in the crockpot just use the juices from that.

5. Let simmer about 30 minutes to combine all flavors.

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and some sour cream and enjoy!!! It's so GoOoOod!!!

Lasgana Stuffed Bell Peppers

All the ingredients

Pre-mix

After being mixed


Cutting the tips of the bell pepper

Scooping out the seeds and veins

Stuffed and ready to bake

The end result.
I have to say the toasted cheese is my favorite part.

The last few weeks I've joined a food co-op. It's been GREAT!!! I get so many fresh fruits and veggies. Last week we received a boat load of small red bell peppers. I decided to stuff them with lasagna filling. In an effort to introduce more veggies into my children's diet I made them all eat these. For the most part they were received with good marks. Beckham ate ALL of his. I asked him if he liked it. His response," it was gross but I still ate it all." It couldn't have been that disgusting for him to eat it all.

Lasagna filling

2 cups cottage cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp granulated garlic(or garlic powder)

1.Mix all ingredients until well combined. You can you use this filling for lasagna or manicotti too.
2. Cut the very tips off of the red bell pepper. Scoop out the seeds and veins.
3. Fill each pepper to the top. Sprinkle with more mozzarella cheese
4. Bake in a 350 oven for 45 - 60 minutes.

Healthy Bite: Homemade Cheese and Macaroni

My Healthy version of Homemade Cheese and Mac.

The brand of veggie "bouillon"
It's excellent

Every Saturday I gather my family together at 4pm to do cleaning for Sunday prep. While the kids are doing their various chores I fix dinner. Homemade cheese and macaroni is quickly becoming our traditional Saturday dinner. In an attempt to make our diet more healthy I've been figuring tricks to make certain recipes more figure friendly. For this recipe instead of using a whole 1/2 cup of butter I use 1/4 cup of butter and a 1/4 cup of olive oil. Instead of using all milk I substitute 1/2 with veggie stock. I wasn't quite sure what my family was going to react to the new recipe. I didn't tell them what I did differently and just served it as is. You can definitely taste the veggie stock, but adds a lot of flavor. To my relief it was a huge hit!! I will be making this way from now on. Only on special occasions will I do the full fat version. Plus I spread the sauce over two pounds of pasta instead of one which reduces the amount of calories as well.

Special Cheese Sauce

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup flour
1 cup veggie stock
1 cup 1% Milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp powdered mustard
1/4 tsp paprika

1. Melt butter and olive oil in a sauce pan
2. Add flour and cook for about 3 minutes to cook off flour taste
3. Add veggie stock and milk all at once and whisk till thickened. This can take up to 8 minutes. You might also find that you need to add more milk. You don't want it super thick.
4. Remove from heat and add the cheese.
5. After the cheese has melted add the spices. Pour over pasta

This sauce is also good over broccoli or cauliflower.

PIZZA BUNS

Top your pizza how you like.
Here I omitted the sauce, added cheese pepperoni and olive.
Roll up just like you would cinnamon rolls.

Cut the roll with a serrated knife about an inch thick.
Place each roll on well greased cookie sheet.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.
Enjoy with pizza sauce. My family loves ranch dressing.

Every single Friday I make pizza for my family. Sometimes we watch movies, and sometimes we don't. Now that the kids are getting older they like to have lateovers with their friends. Without fail, I will make pizza. My family doesn't like to think outside of the box when it comes to their beloved pizza. They like pepperoni and cheese and sometimes olives. Me, I like to mix it up a lot and end up eating my "gourmet" pizza by myself. Although Jaren loves to try my new creations most of the time. My sister suggested I make these pizza scrolls. I re-named them Pizza Buns due to the fact that they look so much like cinnamon rolls, or sticky buns.

I know, a lot of you would like my pizza dough recipe so here it is. You have to realize that I NEVER measure this recipe out. It's in my head. I learned it from my Mother who went on her mission to Italy. It took me several years to perfect it and it turns out every single time. You just need to make sure that your yeast and flour are fresh.

1. 2 cups medium hot water. It can't be too hot or you'll kill the yeast. Warm enough to where you can still hold your finger under the faucet. To that add 2 Tablespoons active dry yeast and 2 tablespoons sugar. Give it a couple turns with a spoon and let the yeast work it's magic. It should begin to grow and bubble up.

2. Meanwhile; In a large bowl dump 3 cups flour. You can do all white flour or you can do half wheat. Add 2-3 tsp salt. Mix together with a fork to make sure the salt is well incorporated with the flour.

3. Dump all at once the yeast into the flour. Here's where you go by texture and feel of the dough. Mix the yeast into the flour with a large spoon. If it seems dry, add a little more warm water. If it seem too wet add a little bit more flour. Dump out onto a well floured surface and knead till it's well combined and smooth. You might have to keep adding flour as you go until the dough no longer stick to your hands.

4. You can let the dough rise till it's doubled in size or you can proceed to make your pizza. Either way it works well.