Herb Couscous

Simple couscous recipe:

Ingredients:

*1 cup plain couscous
*1 Tbsp olive oil
*1 small shallot, minced
*1 cup and 2 Tbsp chicken stock
*1 teas fresh thyme, chopped
*1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

1.  Heat olive oil over med-high heat, add shallots and saute 1 minute

2.  Add couscous and cook 1 minute, add chicken stock, bring to a boil, cover and remove from heat.

3.  Fluff cooked couscous with fork and add fresh chopped herbs.

ENJOY!!

Mom's Sloppy Joes

Yea, didn't have a chance to get a picture of it before the family devoured it!  It really was good!!

This recipe is from my Mom.  I can remember such fond memories eating these as a child and never have I looked for a different recipe for sloppy joes.  They are easy and delicious!

Ingredients:

*1lb ground beef
*1/2 cup chopped onion
*1/4 cup chopped green pepper
*1/4 cup chopped celery
*1/4 cup ketchup
*1 cup tomato sauce
*1 teas worcheshire sauce
*1 teas salt
*1 tbsp sugar

Directions:

1.  Brown ground beef.

2.  Mix all other ingredients with beef and simmer 30 mins - 1 hour.

Week 1: Eating Organic

Week 1 is finished with my recent diet change to organic and all-natural.  I'm happy to report I have lost a total of 4lbs!  I have still not drank a diet coke or any type of soda and feel so proud of myself.  I have noticed that I am not near snacking as much on the organic diet.  Maybe it's all the natural fiber and protein in the foods?  Not sure, but I'm really pleased with the energy I have gained and my skin looks great from all the water I'm drinking!

I'm excited to see the weightloss I have on week 2 and I must say that I absolutely LOVE shopping at Whole Foods Market.  Everything is so fresh, clean and just picture perfect!

Weekly Menu Plan

1.   Chicken with Sage Butter Sauce
      Brown Rice
      Veggie

2.   Filet Mignon
      Chive Mashed Potatoes                                      DESSERT:  APPLE CRISP
      Veggie

3.   Sloppy Joes
      Herb Couscous
      Veggie

4.   Flank Steak with Bleu Cheese Butter
      Roasted Red Potatoes with lemon & parmesean
      Veggie

5.   Chicken and Bacon Mac & Cheese
      Salad

6.   Mexican Lasagna
      Spanish Rice
      Veggie

7.   Chicken Patties
      Onion Rings
      Veggie

Going Organic

A few years back Jey and I switched everything we ate to all organic from watching an episode of Oprah who's special guest was Dr. Oz.  It worked out good for awhile until we moved to Gainesville and ended up being an hour away from Whole Foods Market.  Slowly, more and more things were becoming unavailable in the traditional grocery stores near us and we got sucked back in to all the processed, heavily pesticided and treated fruits, vegetables and meats. 

Jey has been on my back since we've lived here in Gainesville (3 years) that I just needed to take a day and go drive up to Whole Foods Market to do my grocery shopping.  Sounds so simple to him because I'm doing it trucking 1 hour along two screaming mimi's in the car and cart.  Ok, so back to my reasoning here.  I was talking to my sister-in-law the other day and we were talking about different diets, etc and somehow eating all organic came up, and got me thinking of really all the horrible additives, chemicals, processed foods and pesticides I'm feeding my family every day.  There are even things in your toothpaste that are being researched by the FDA right now that says a particular chemical is possibly linked to humans getting cancer!! 

So on that thought, I am driving my happy butt on up to Duluth to Whole Foods and doing my grocery shopping each week!  Yes, a long hour drive to and from..but to eat healthier and safer I'm all for it!  Oh, btw...I'm an avid Diet Coke drinker..and I have cold turkey stopped!!  Whooo hoooo!  I haven't had a diet coke in 3 weeks now!

Baked Salmon

Here is a straightforward way to prepare delicious salmon!  Basil, garlic, lemon juice and parsley provide a mild seasoning that perfectly enhances the distinctive flavor of the irresistable fish.

INGREDIENTS:

*2 cloves garlic, minced
*2 Tbsp light olive oil & 1 Tbsp melted butter
*3/4 teas dried basil
*1/2 teas salt
*1 dash of dill weed
*3 Tbsp lemon juice
*1 teas dried parsley
*2 (6oz) salmon fillets

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium glass bowl, prepare marinade by mixing garlic, light olive oil, basil salt, lemon juice and parsley.  Place salmon in a medium glass baking dish, and cover with the marinade.  Marinate in the refridgerator about 1 hour, turning occassionally.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

3. Place fillets in aluminum foil, cover with  marinade, and seal.  Place sealed salmon in the glass dish, and bake 35-45 minutes, until easily flaked with a fork.

Weekly Menu

I'm a little behind on posting my weekly menu but here it goes!

Thursday- Bourbon-Glazed Salmon
                Baked Potatoes
                Sauteed Garlic and olive oil green beans

Friday- Out to dinner with friends

Saturday- Shrimp Scampi
                Whole Wheat Linguinne

Sunday- 3 Bean Turkey Chili
             Hawaiian Bread

Monday- Hotdogs
               Broccoli
               Mac N Cheese

Tuesday- Longhorne (THANKS STEPH & MIKE!)

Wednesday- Parmesean Crusted Chicken Tenders
                   Oven Fries
                    Green Beans

Coupon Cleanout!

I have to admit that the holidays have not been good to my wallet.  The week of Thanksgiving was the last time that I purchased a Sunday paper for the coupons!  Yes, it's true!!  I generally buy 4 papers at a time and stock up on all the coupons so I never have to pay full price for anything when I go grocery shopping. 

As part of my New Years Resolution, I decided I was going to get myself back on track with my couponing.  So....today I officially cleaned out my Coupon Clutch.  It was a daunting task and I'm so glad it's finished!  If you are not sure exactly what a Coupon Clutch is, I took some pictures just to show you how wonderful and easy this is to use while saving you a ton of money:

I LOVE THIS THING!!

This is what it looks like closed...just like a purse.  There are lots of different fabrics to choose from.

Inside cover--I use these pockets for coupons I will use for the current shopping trip and coupons that will expire within the month.

The coupons are organized into baseball card plastic sheets, then organized further with dividers for different categories. (Dairy, Frozen, Cereal, etc.)

Baseball card organizer sheet



Such a beautiful thing...a nice and organized Coupon Clutch



The Coupon Clutch closed easily with strips of heavy duty velcro.  Just pull the velcro sides down and it's open!

And this is my adorable dog, Preston.  Had to put this cute picture up! :)

Shrimp Scampi

Less than 30 minutes and dinner is on the table!

Shrimp Scampi

*8 oz. uncooked fettuccine
*2 Tbsp margarine or butter
*1 Tbsp olive or vegetable oil
*4 garlic cloves, minced
*1 lb. shelled deveined uncooked medium shrimp
*1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
*2 teas grated lemon peel
*1/4 teas salt
*1/4 teas pepper
*1/3 cup dry white wine or chicken broth

1.  Cook fettuccine to desired doneness as directed on package.  Drain, cover to keep warm.

2.  Meanwhile, melt margarine with oil in medium skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic, cook and stir 1 minute.  Add shrimp, cook and stir 1 minute.

3.  Add all remaining ingredients; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until shrimp turn pink.  Serve shrimp mixture over fettuccine.

Strawberry Shortcake

I had bought some strawberries from the store this week and wanted to make a Strawberry Shortcake.  This recipe is from Pillsbury Complete Cookbook, and it's very good not to mention super simple!

Strawberry Shortcake

SHORTCAKE
*2 cups all-purpose flour (I used Whole Wheat Flour)
*1/2 cup sugar
*3 teas baking powder
*1/2 teas salt
*1/2 cup margarine or buter
*3/4 cup milk
*2 eggs, slightly beaten

FRUIT
*2 pints (4 cups) fresh strawberries, sliced
*1/2 cup sugar

TOPPING
*1 cup whipping cream
*2 Tbsp powdered surgar
*1/2 teas vanilla

1.  Heat oven to 375.  Grease and flour 8 or 9 inch round cake pan.  In large bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder adn salt, mix well.  With pastry blender or fork, cuti n margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add milk and eggs, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.  Spoon into greased and floured pan.

2.  Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes.

3.  Meanwhile, in medium bowl, combine strawberries and 1/2 cup sugar; mix well.  Refridgerate 30 minutes or until serving time.

4.  Just before serving, in small bowl, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form.  Add powdered sugar adn vanilla; beat until stiff peaks form.

5.  Invert shortcake onto serving platter.  If desired, split shortcake into 2 layers.  Serve shortcake topped with strawberries and whipped cream.  Store in refridgerator.