Make a great salad…today!

I love salad! There is a gif circulating the internet right now of a woman that is grossed out by the salad she is eating. I was shocked by this and by how many people do not like salad. Salad needs a better reputation…it is a freedom meal! You can make a salad how ever you want. No matter your mood, you can create a salad to fit how you’re feeling.

Here are some tips to creating a delicious salad every time.

Dressing
Finding a good salad dressing, that you love, is key to a great salad.  I am super picky with dressings so I make my own. It is quick and yummy! I add a squirt of mustard, balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, parsley flakes, and a splash of water…shake it up and enjoy!

Base
Start with a good base! I buy a huge tub of the organic spring mix every week. To keep it fresh I put a paper towel on the bottom of the container and the top.

Cheese
Cheese is my favorite part of salad! I love either goat cheese or feta cheese in my salad! Make sure to have your favorite cheese on hand!

Color
The more colors you have in a salad, the more delicious and healthy it will be!! Try some diced red peppers and carrots! I shave my carrots with a peeler…I don’t like chunks of carrots in my salad.

Construction
The best tip I ever learned about making salads was to add lemon juice to the lettuce before anything else! So I mix my lettuce with a squirt of lemon juice and then I toss it with my dressing….after it is all tossed with dressing, then I add my veggies and cheese!!

Shaved carrots, red peppers, almonds, and goat cheese!

Avocado and goat cheese

Strawberries, chicken cutlets pieces, rice, and feta

Shaved carrots, red peppers, tomatoes, and goat cheese!

Easy Chicken Broccoli Pasta

I try and make one meal for everyone. It is hard enough to get dinner on the table…let alone separate meals for the kids. I have been trying to make a meal that everyone likes BUT that can be switched up!

Last night I made this quick, easy meal! The girls loved it, and then I added a few things to my husband’s and mine…it was a hit all around!

Ingredients:

• 2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• olive oil
• 2 cups of frozen broccoli
• 1/2 pound pasta (I used cut pasta)
• Fresh lemon, chopped tomatoes, and grated cheese (Use these as ad ons)

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to the directions on the box. Once finished cooking, drain and toss with olive oil and set aside.
2. Meanwhile saute onion in 2 table spoons of olive oil. Cook on medium heat for 2 – 3 minutes, add chopped garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add frozen broccoli and put the lid on. Cook for about 5 – 8 minutes (until broccoli is cooked)
3. I took my broccoli out and cut it into little pieces and then returned it to the pan.
4. Toss the pasta and the broccoli mixture
5. Sprinkle with grated cheese and enjoy!
6. For a more adult meal…once I served the girls, I made a bowl for my husband and myself. Then I took half of a lemon and squeezed the juice on both bowls. Once I finished, I tossed each bowl of pasta. I also cut up tomatoes and roasted them in the broiler (on high for about 8 – 10 mins). I added the tomatoes and some crushed red pepper to our bowls. It was so yummy! The lemon really added a good flavor!

I love this pasta! Spaghetti that is already cut up…thank you!

Get florets! Broccoli pieces have a lot of end pieces that are tough or little ones to chew!

This was the kid version of the pasta before I added to it for me and my husband

I added lemon, roasted tomatoes, and red pepper flakes to my husband’s and mine! YUMMY!!

Cauliflower and Pancetta Mac and Cheese (Recipe)

This was delicious! All of us enjoyed it! If you are looking for a quick easy meal, give this a try! Here is the Recipe. It is another Hello Fresh gem!!!

Want to get $40 off your first week? Use my code!

PGK2TY

Pan seared steak with roasted veggies and horseradish sauce

I got my Hello Fresh box last night and wanted to make one of the gluten free meals. My friend was coming over with her girls for a play date and she can’t have gluten. Even though I do not like steak, this was pretty good. Brett and my friend said it was really good! I liked the veggies the best! Who knew that roasted rosemary would taste so heavenly!

Chop up carrots and turnips like steak fries, toss with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Bake for 15 minutes on 350 degrees. So yummy!!!

The steak sauce was good too! Sour cream, white wine vinegar, and horseradish. Do it to taste!!

Pork chop in peppercorn shallot sauce…my mouth is still watering!

The other night we had some friends over and my husband paid me the nicest compliment. “She really is getting very good at making stuff (food)”. I love cooking…but working full time and having 3 little kids makes it hard to really think outside the box! Thank God for Hello Fresh! They have changed dinner time! We have liked every meal so far and I have been able to replicate a few of them successfully!

The other night we have this delicious meal! Pork chop (on the bone) with a peppercorn shallot sauce served with butter braised cabbage and crispy potatoes! My mouth is still watering!!!

I pan seared the pork and then finished it in the oven. The sauce was simple. Peppercorns (mashed up) with shallots, garlic, and tomato paste. Then add a little sour cream and remove from the heat. For the cabbage, simply put a tablespoon of butter in a sauce pan with some garlic. Once it is fragrant (about 1 min) add the cabbage and saute for a few minutes.

Have you tried Hello Fresh yet? Want to try it and get $40 off your first box? Use my code!

PGK2TY

Hello Fresh does it again!

This was delicious and easy too! Pan seared salmon with quinoa arugula salad with almonds and a side of snap peas. The quinoa salad was so easy and only had a few ingredients. I never know what to do with quinoa…I will definitely do this again! It was simply cooked quinoa, almonds, arugula, Dijon mustard, and a touch of olive oil. You can do all the ingredients to taste.

If you are interested in trying Hello Fresh…here is a code to receive $40 off your first box!

PGK2TY

4 Reasons I love Hello Fresh

It was a Monday. I came home from work to find this large box on my porch. My daughters gathered around as we opened it. One by one we pulled the neatly packaged white boxes out. My girls were super excited, and so was I…our first Hello Fresh had been delivered!

I had heard about the meal delivery programs and liked the idea but never bit the bullet and joined. But that all changed with Living Social was having a deal. $30 for 3 meals for 2 people. Shoot, that $10 a meal…$5 a person! I can handle that. So I figured we would give it a try.

Reason Number 1
The recipe cards are super easy to follow with picture directions. I am a visual learner. I know this from being a teacher…it’s a real thing. Some people learn by listening, some by doing, and some by seeing. I am the later, I need to see it in order to do it! I love having pictures with each step that show what it is supposed to look like. It makes multi tasking in the kitchen easier!

Reason Number 2
Everything is pre-measured and ready to go! I think this may be my favorite thing about it! I do not have to walk around a food store with 3 little kids trying to find some crazy spice or weird ingredient…it’s all right there, measured in a cute little container and ready to go!!!

Reason Number 3
The food is fresh…Hello Fresh is not just a clever name. Everything I have gotten from them has been on point with freshness…that is huge for me! And some of it has been GMO free and even organic. Another check in my book!!!

Reason Number 4
I get to be a chef. I was beaming the other night when talking to my husband about the pork and shrimp wanton soup I made. “I just like making good food…real food…different food.” I told him. I love to cook and am OBSESSED with cooking shows. Chopped is my favorite! I feel like a real chef preparing a fancy meal. When I am done, I always arrange it on the plates and take a picture…presentation is everything!!! It makes me feel awesome to produce a healthy and delicious meal.

Working full time and having 3 little kids to take care of doesn’t allow me to indulge in my passions as often as I would like. Hello Fresh has given me this opportunity…and I love it! If you are interested in trying it, use this code. You will get $40 off your first week!            PGK2TY

Chicken Taco Bake

We love tacos! When my husband and I first started dating we did Taco Tuesdays! We were always partial to the soft tacos until I came across this recipe. I have tweaked it a little from the original recipe. Feel free to add sauteed onions and peppers too! 

 

I make my own enchilada sauce and tomato sauce. I freeze my sauces in ice cube trays and store them (once frozen) in Tupperware in the freezer. If you don’t have homemade, feel free to use a can!

Ingredients: 2 lbs organic ground chicken 1 can organic black beans 4 oz tomato sauce 4 oz enchilada sauce 1 pkg reduced sodium taco seasoning 1 cup organic shredded cheddar cheese 18-20 hard taco shells Shredded lettuce, sour cream, salsa for serving

Brown the meat with the taco seasoning. (I use a cast iron frying pan.) Add the enchilada sauce, tomato sauce, and black beans. Spoon the mixture into hard taco shells. Place the filled taco shells in a 9×13 pan, standing up. Sprinkle cheese on top  of the tacos. Bake at 400 for 10 min. Serve with lettuce, sour cream, tomatoes…ENJOY!!

Summer Sausage Pasta

My food store was having a “Buy one get one Free” Johnsonville Sausage sale. I typically stay away from these types of meats because of the high sodium levels but I like Johnsonville regular sausage so I figured I would give it a try. I wanted to pair it with veggies and make it as healthy as possible. I also used Ronzoni’s Garden Delight pasta to add extra veggies!! The end result was a hit…both kids and husband approved! This recipe is quick, easy, and a complete meal! Feel free to sub veggies…I had yellow squash, onions, and peppers on hand so that’s what I went with. I bet mushrooms would be yummy in this too!

 

I make and freeze my own tomato sauce. I was able to use that for this recipe but if you don’t have time to do that, grab a jar of your favorite sauce! 

 

Prep Time: 10 mins                Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients: 1 Package Johnsonville Three Cheese Sausage 1 Large Red Pepper 3 Small Yellow Squash 1 Large Onion 2 Cloves Garlic (Chopped) Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2 T Parsley (Fresh of Dried)  2 Cups Tomato Sauce 1 Box Ronzoni Garden Delight Penne Pasta

Cook the pasta according to the box directions. While that is cooking, slice the sausage into pieces and saute. I cooked it in a cast iron pan but you can use a fry pan with a little bit of olive oil. (Note: the sausage is fully cooked but giving it a quick fry really helps make the outside crispy) 

 

Once the sausage is browned, take it out and put it on a plate with paper towel (I am not a fan of extra oil). In that same pan add a little bit of olive oil and saute the peppers and onions. Once they are almost cooked, add the garlic and yellow squash. Saute till the garlic and squash are soft. (I add a little bit of parsley and place a lid on with the heat off for a minute…I love the way it smells and tastes!)

 

Add the sauce and sausage to the mixture and heat. Add the heated Sauce mixture to the drained pasta and serve!

Cavatelli and Broccoli with Sausage

This is a family favorite in our house! Cooking the sausage does take an hour. So you have a few options…make it without sausage, prepare the sausage the night before, or prepare the entire meal simultaneously. Do what works best for your family. I have done all three! 

 

This meal is so yummy, your family will think you ordered take out! The recipe below is for a family of 4 with leftovers.

Prep Time: 10 min         Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients: Extra virgin olive oil 3 cloves of garlic minced 2 T fresh parsley (dried is fine too) 1 16oz package of sausage (I use sweet Italian) 1 package of cavatelli 2 1/2 cups broccoli (Cooked) Grated cheese

Directions:

Cut the sausage links in half and place them in a casserole dish. Sprinkle a little bit of olive oil and Italian Seasoning on top. Mix together until all the links are covered. Spread the links out in the dish. Cover and cook on 350 for about an hour. We like ours a little crispy so after an hour I might throw them back in for another 20 mins or until they are cooked the way we like. Make sure to cut the links to check if they are fully cooked! 

 

While the sausage is cooking, prepare the Cavatelli according to the package directions. We like ours on the softer side so I often cook them longer then the bag says. Once they are cooked, drain the cavatelli and sprinkle with olive oil to prevent sticking. 

 

While the cavatelli is cooking saute the garlic in olive oil. Once the garlic is almost finished (it will be a light brown color) add the parsley, saute for a minute, then add the broccoli. Place a cover on this if possible and let cook together for a for minutes. Stir frequently. Turn heat off and let sit until sausage is finished. 

 

Once everything is finished, add it all together! Cut the sausage into desired sizes.  I usually will cut 1 half link into 4 slices. Sprinkle with grated cheese….serve with a salad and enjoy!

(note: you might have to add more olive oil if it is on the dry side)