Baked Perch

I've never, ever had perch that was not fried.... until tonight. Sprayed with olive oil, seasoned with Jane's Mixed Up Salt , baked at 350 for 20 min. and served with tartar sauce! Perfect... much healthier and delicious!!!!

Checking out an iPhone app to blog post

I'm supposed to be able to post pictures and videos so I'm going to test both!
This is a wallpaper pic that I found for my phone but will never be able to use because I would just want to eat ALL day long! That would be bad!

This is a video I just looked up but haven't watched yet. I have an enormous basil plant that is ready to be pruned for the second time and I was going to freeze it into icecube trays. This video should be a good tutorial! Frozen basil is good for 24 months! I'm pretty dam excited about that!

My New Favorite Snack

Low fat cottage cheese, garden fresh tomatoes, chives, S & P!   Yum!!!!

Two Week Break

Finally done with my art class!!  I have two weeks off before my 2 year business course starts! In the next 2 weeks I will get more done around my house then I have ever done before, I will go to the gym everyday, I will cook good healthy meals AND I WILL READ THIS BOOK!  It will probably take me two weeks to read it because I am such a slow reader but it will get read.  Those are my two week goals!  Totally attainable!!!  

Homegrown Dried Basil

Clip off the leaves and stems leaving some to grow for the next harvest!

Rinse and lay out to dry without overlapping the leaves!

Cover and let dry out over night!

Trim off all of the stems and spread in one layer.
Pre-heat oven to 150 degrees, turn it off and put the cookie in the oven.
A couple times a day turn the oven on to 150, let pre-heat and then turn it off.

Once completely dried, store in a air tight container.

Enjoy!!!!

Chicken Caccaitori (well....kinda!)

Easiest Dinner EVER!

Crock Pot

3 Split Chicken Breasts - skin removed

1 Jar of your favorite marinara sauce

Cook in crock pot all day!

Remove and shred chicken, boil noodles, top with chicken and sauce!

(I also used some fresh basil and parmesan cheese)

Next time I will add fresh mushrooms and peppers!

Perfect, healthy, quick, delicious dinner!!! 

Ponzu marinated Pork Chops with Pepper Stir Fry and Sweet Chili Rice Noodles

I was craving some Asian food today so the pork chops I had out to defrost were thrown into the Asian mix.  My favorite part of this meal is the pepper stir fry.  I could have just had that for dinner and been completely satisfied.  The noodles and pork were just the side dishes for the peppery goodness.

::Pepper Stir Fry::

1 Orange Pepper

1 Green Pepper

1 Onion

2 Cloves Garlic

1 Tsp. Crushed Red Pepper Flake

Slice all and saute together in a little bit of olive oil and sesame oil just until the peppers are tender but still have a bite.  Season in the pan with Agave Syrup and Soy Sauce to taste.  DElicious!!!!

::Ponzu marinated Pork Chops::

4 Boneless Center Cut Pork Chops

1 C Ponzu Sauce

Marinate in refrigerator for at least a couple hours and grill!

::Sweet Chili Rice Noodles::

Rice Noodles cooked per instruction on the package, rinse and return to pan.  Add in Sweet Chili Sauce and Soy Sauce to taste. 

Garnish with some chopped scallions and you have your self an Asian meal that will satisfy!!!  Well, it did me at least!!!  I hope you enjoy!!! 

Chicken Soft Taco Meat

No pictures for this.  I wasn't real sure how it would turn out but was pleasantly surprised. 

::How to make it::

1 Dark Beer
2 C Water
2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 Onion
2 Cloves Garlic minced
Olive oil

Boil in a pan for about 15-20 minutes until almost cooked all of the way through.  Remove from liquid, slice thin, discard liquid. 

Add to pan a little bit of olive oil, onion and garlic.  Saute for a couple minutes and add the chicken back in.  Saute until shredded. 

Season with Goya, Cumin, Pepper, Chili Powder and Garlic Powder to taste. 

Serve on tortillas with all of your favorite toppings. 

Spices!

Matt hooked me up!  A years supply of my favorite Miracle Blend and all sorts of new peppers!

I'm officially in spice heaven!!! :)

Meat-N-Taters

I haven't cooked in a decent meal in about 2 weeks.  Although I'm completely exhausted from 10 days of vacation, today I needed to cook. I decided on Prime Rib Steaks w/ horseradish butter & pan fried onions and potatoes & spring peas!  It really satisfied the need for a home cooked, halfway healthy meal. And I'm going to cook tomorrow too......I love food!  

...and life goes on!!!

After a very stressful, worrisome, nothing can go right for me day, I decided I needed to get outside.  My Uncle Billy had been in town the last couple weeks helping get my Grandpa get back on his feet.  He called me the other day and said that there was a plant left at the house that was one of my Grandma's that needed some TLC.  I'm pretty sure it's called a "mother in laws tongue" (the tall ones in the picture).  It needed split, replanted and loved on like my Grandma used to do.  So that is exactly what Bailey and I did!  While we were at it we replanted a couple jade plants that are from Matt's Grandma B's house that we got years and years ago and also some little spider plants that I started off of my sister in law.

I think it's pretty cool to be able to have living plants in the house and know that at one point our loving Grandmothers started them and we are keeping them alive and enjoying them still. 

Probably a little sappy.....but makes my heart feel good, none the less!

Thai Pork Tenderloin and Sweet Basil Soba Noodles

::Marinate, Grill, Slice and Serve::

Marinade

1/2 C Soy Sauce

1/2 C Thai Chili Sauce

Sweet Basil Soba Noodles

Cook noodles per instructions

In a saucepan combine:

1/4 C Thai Chili Sauce

1/4 C Water

3 T Soy Sauce

2 Green Onions sliced

Simmer until sauce is mostly absorbed

Add in 1/4 C fresh chopped basil

Mix and let wilt

Serve with sliced, grilled pork tenderloin!!!

These things are good!

Microwave 45 seconds • Toaster for 2 minutes • Bread • Honey Mustard • Cheese

Good stuff!!!

Grilled Fish-N-Chips

Meal #1 of the healthy menu - Grilled Red Snapper and Redskin grill chips along with an extra large loaded salad.....Perfect!!!!

Fresh snapper sprayed with olive oil and seasoned with Jane's Krazy Mixed Up Salt  grilled on a piece of foil till flaky!

Redskin Potatoes slice long ways about 1/4 inch thick, sprayed with olive oil and seasoned with Jane's Mixed Up Salt and grilled till brown. 

Low fat, low cal, quick and easy!  My kinda meal!!! 

How my garden grows......

I had very big plans for a garden this summer. 

This is the extent of my garden! :(

Two tomato plants in pots and one basil plant in a planter....

It's pretty sad but on the positive side of things.....at least I will have some home grown tomatoes! 

My fave!!!! 

Fresh Marinara Pasta



Quick, Easy, Healthy, Delicious Lunch

1. 2 Fresh, Ripe, Red Tomatoes diced
2. Handful of Fresh Basil
3. Saute w/ little bit of garlic powder, onion powder, S & P, and dash of sugar if needed!
4. Serve over you favorite pasta!
5. Top with more fresh Basil and shredded Parmesan cheese
6. Enjoy!!!!! 

Honey BBQ Chicken Tortilla Pizza

• Grilled Chicken Breast w/ Honey BBQ
• Sauteed Onions
• Shredded Cheese
• Steamed Corn Tortillas
• Green Onions

Layer, stack, bake to melt the cheese and serve with a creamy horseradish sauce!! 

Frozen pistachios = Delish!

Freeze them - Try it - You'll like it

What will they think of next?

While late night snacking AGAIN I read the box. I'm totally going to plant a piece of card board tomorrow. I like dill!!!

How I spend every spare minute I have...

::Text book :: Laptop :: Ice Tea::

What have I got myself into?!?!?