Fresh Peach Salsa

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2014-08-27 15.48.28

Peaches are in season and I’m fortunate to have an orchard a mile down the street from my house. A few days ago I picked up a big bag of donut peach “seconds” for a great price. I’m free to get creative trying to use up the peaches before they go bad so I’ve begun my peach craze!

I love salsa, ok, I love dip, any kind of dip and salsa qualifies in my book! I had garden fresh tomatoes, cilantro and onions so I set off to work.

For the Peach Salsa you’ll need

Peaches – I didn’t count but probably used about 10 donut peaches – they’re small

Tomatoes – same deal – try about 5 large tomatoes

1/2 sweet onion – I used Vidalia, chopped

a handful of cilantro, chopped

1/2 – 1 lime or good quality lime juice

1 Tbls. apple cider vinegar (ACV)

Salt to taste

Dice tomatoes small, dice peaches small, toss all ingredients together, cover and refrigerate to let flavors blend.

Use as you would any salsa.

I scooped a few spoonfuls onto foil and roasted it on the grill to serve over steak tips and it was delicious – it would be great over grilled chicken too!

I have never canned before, but I think I will give it a try with peach salsa this year; I’ll let you know how it goes!

Roasted Peach Salsa over Steak Tips

Roasted Peach Salsa over Steak Tips

 

Sometimes it’s about the food…

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2014-08-19 18.43.24Many people I talk to want to know how to make a fast meal that is healthy, many of those people don’t like to cook; that is the reason I share many of my meals here.

I recently made a meal that while it doesn’t look healthy,  it is. My son was over for dinner and although it is August, the air was cool, nice actually so I didn’t mind using the oven. I made sausage & peppers with tomatoes, onions and mushrooms. The sausage might not sound healthy but they were organic chicken sausage with Italian spices, a pretty good choice for a comforting meal.

Here’s the recipe:

Baked Italian Sausage & Peppers (the amounts can vary depending on how many people you’re serving)

4-12 links Italian chicken sausage cut in half on bias

2-4 bell peppers, red and green

1 large onion – 1/4″ slices length-wise

1-2 cups mushrooms, sliced

1-5 cloves garlic, sliced or chopped

8 tomatoes cut up into large chunks or 28-oz. can whole, peeled roma tomatoes cut up

1/2-1 cup wine

Herbs such as basil, oregano, rosemary, mint, sage, thyme, chili pepper flakes…etc.

Combine all ingredients in a large baking dish or pan with high edges. Bake at 325° for 1 1/2-2 hours. Serve over or alongside brown rice, quinoa, small pasta or as is with a crusty bread and a leafy green salad and other fresh vegetables.

 

 

 

 

Want it Fast? Stir fry is quick, oh so simple and healthy!

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Stir frying is probably something you don’t think about or do often unless you grew up on it and it became a comfort food for you. When we think of comfort foods I’m not sure a lot of people think of stir-fry as one, but when you make it and enjoy the taste and textures, you’ll probably agree that it can be a comfort food.

I make stir fry more often in the colder months but last night I made some for dinner and realized that spring, summer and fall is the ultimate time for stir-fry due to the huge variety of fresh, local, in-season vegetables. In fact, your stir-frys will change with the seasons and that keeps it interesting while still keeping meal-time simple.

Last night’s stir fry included squash and kale from my garden, snap peas from the local farm stand, sweet Vidalia onions, mushrooms, organic chicken breast Julienned while partially frozen, toasted sesame oil, grapeseed oil, and low-sodium soy sauce with a small dash of red pepper flakes.

While I chopped veggies and cooked the chicken I simmered brown rice to serve the stir-fry over; you can use rice, quinoa, millet, farro or any other whole grain.

Cooking isn’t difficult if you just keep the ingredients simple and in season and if you keep your mind open. I hadn’t made stir-fry in quite some time until last night, I decided to make it a few times a week and each meal will be different because each time I make it I will use whatever vegetables tickle my taste buds for the day.

I use a wok and I love my wok made by Le Crueset but don’t sweat it, use a large frying pan if you don’t have a wok.

Crispy, crunchy, fresh & satisfying!

A Bust for Us – Chain Restaurants

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Dale and I went out to eat last night. We typically choose locally owned establishments and if they are chains, they are only chains to the area with up to 5 locations tops.
Last night we had a few errands to run and decided on the 99 Restaurant because it was close to where we were and we were hungry. Big mistake or lesson learned.
I ordered what I thought would be healthy, bruschetta chicken topped with tomatoes and asparagus…a whole 3 of them! Dale ordered chicken parmesan.
I bit into the chicken expecting well, chicken. The texture was sponge-y and watery and tasteless. I took another bite and had to investigate since the second bite was like the first. As I cut into a third piece and examined it closely, I saw layers as you would see in plywood. The chicken had perfect criss-cross grill-marks and looked like a boneless chicken breast – for the most part but ugh! it was processed, tasteless and kind of gross. Dale isn’t real particular but upon eating his meal he was not impressed either and boy were we thirsty.
On our drive home, he was driving so I decided to look up the fat, sodium etc contents of our meals on my smart phone. My thought to be healthy meal boasted 1770 mg. of sodium and 950 and Dale’s chicken parmesan meal had 6320 mg. of sodium and 2130 calories! Yikes! I almost got the chicken parmesan, glad I didn’t but we are both so sorry that we went to a chain restaurant and vowed to not do it again if we can help it.

This weekend we will consciously eating and detoxing that junk out of our systems!
We both should have gotten a salad, better yet, should have stuck with our local gems or homemade.

Homemade Mayonnaise

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Mayo ingredientsI was clean out of mayo and wanted to use some for a fun summer meal that typically includes mayonnaise. Instead of running to the market for one small item that potentially has sugar or worse, high fructose corn syrup(!!) in the mix I decided to make my own. I based my recipe on a video that happened to pop up in my email earlier in the day; instead of logging back in and searching for the video I made my mayo by memory and it came out pretty great for the first try.

I used the ingredients listed in the video but amounts except for the 2 egg yolks were just estimated; I used too much mustard so I added 2 more egg yolks and roughly another cup of oil ending up with a double batch which is a perfect 12 ounces.

Here’s what you need:

  • 2 egg yolks , a teaspoon or less of Dijon mustard (next time I will try my spice shelf dry mustard instead)
  • dash of salt – I used pink Himalayan salt
  • 1 cup of a mild tasting light oil, I used grape seed, you can use a light olive oil, sunflower seed oil or any light nut oil for variety
  • if you use dry mustard instead of prepared you will want to add a teaspoon or so of apple cider vinegar
  • A handheld mini-blender or a small handheld type mixer (you probably can use your stand mixer too, I will try that next time and check in if no one else does

Put the yolks, salt and mustard in a 2 cup measure and begin beating, slowly drizzle the oil in beating until it mixes well and thickens, you’ll know when to stop due to consistency.

Put into a jar or container with a tight-fitting lid and store in refrigerator.

Tip: I cooked up the 4 egg whites and added them to my 2 dogs dinners for added protein. You can refrigerate them and make an egg white omelet the following day or for dinner.

Mayo finished

 

 

My Mindset Leads Me

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I like to think I’m a glass half-full kind of girl but sometimes when I tap deep into my thoughts, I realize my glass might be half-full but my hope is half-empty.

There are times when every one of us feels a sense of lost hope or better yet defeat despite our best efforts. Those times come when change is right around the corner; all the timing is exactly right. Change always happens whether we like it or not and whether we want it or not. Expecting change when you repeat the same things the same way day-in and day-out will only lead to disappointment and frustration eventually leading to lost hope and self-defeat. Expecting that change will happen eventually, accepting it and learning to go with the flow will bring you to being a more positive and hopeful person. While you go with the flow take time to tap deep inside your subconscious to find your authentic self. You can do this easily through daily meditation; all it takes is 5-20 minutes of quiet consciousness a day.

If you are stuck and don’t know the path to a more positive living and being, go inside, hear what your ‘essential self’ is telling you, write it down if it helps. Make a list of all the things your ‘essential self’ wants and decide how to get it. [essential self reacts from the gut feelings, the social self reacts to what society expects].

Your mindset can lead you to your deepest desires, goals and achievements or it can lead you to disappointment and defeat. Your mindset can lead you to the open door or the closed-door; you decide which you would prefer to get through then turn your mindset to your chosen path.

Whether you can or can’t it’s up to you. Whether you will or won’t it’s up to you.

Second Day Chicken – 1 chicken, 3 meals, great deal!

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Cilantro-Lime Chicken

Cilantro-Lime Chicken

Last night I posted about how to easily let a chicken roast in the crock pot while you are away at work or just busy at home doing things other than worrying about cooking dinner. Today, I’ll share a few ideas on how to use the leftover chicken for equally delicious meals.My first recipe is something anyone can do and has done, Chicken Salad. If course it’s easy to chop up chicken and throw some mayonnaise in it and call it chicken salad, but I’ll share my favorite preparation of it; if you’re allergic to nuts or opposed to some of the ingredients leave them out and/or substitute them with something you do like.

Chicken Salad ~ Dawn’s Cape Cod Style

2 cups chicken shredded with a fork

1/8 – 1/4 of a small onion, diced

small handful dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

small handful walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped

1 stalk celery, diced

dash salt and ground black pepper

1 teaspoon lemon juice-or juice of half a lemon

1-3 tablespoons mayonnaise or if you prefer not to use mayo. you can mix plain Greek yogurt with 1/4 to 1/2 an avocado until creamy, it will make your chicken salad greenish but that’s fine, it will be delicious.

Gently mix all ingredients together until well blended. Serve immediately or cover and chill overnight so flavors meld.

This would be great to mix the night you roast the chicken once it’s cooled. Before you sit to eat, take 2 cups of it out of the heat and set it aside – it will be cooled by the time you finish your dinner and are ready to clean up the kitchen – which by the way is a breeze because dinner was so simple!

Serve the chicken salad atop a salad, in a sandwich or Pita pocket. This will make enough for several sandwiches/meals.

A dinner idea for the rest of the leftover chicken is a simple chicken and fresh vegetable soup using a good quality pre-made organic chicken broth and your choice of in-season vegetables cut up and simmered till tender and warmed or if the weather is too hot for soup make Cilantro-Lime Chicken with a side salad and fresh veggies and/or steamed red potatoes or brown rice. Veggies and chicken alone is truly all you need for a healthy, filling dinner.

Cilantro-Lime Chicken – cooling and simple for a warm summer evening

Use the remaining chicken from roasting night, tear it into big chunks

Sprinkle well with salt & freshly ground black pepper

1 large handful cilantro chopped – I was short on cilantro in my garden so I added fresh dill and parsley with the cialntro I had

juice of 2 limes or 2-3 Tablespoons lime juice

1/4 cup olive oil

Mix all ingredients together and gently toss, set aside while you prepare the vegetables and/or salad.

Serve on plate alongside your salad and veggies of choice.

Don’t get stuck, get creative!

Chicken Salad - Dawn's Cape Cod style

Chicken Salad – Dawn’s Cape Cod style

Chicken Salad w/Avocado-Yogurt Dressing

Chicken Salad w/Avocado-Yogurt Dressing

Fast, Cheap and Easy! (and healthy)

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Who doesn’t like fast, cheap and easy especially when it’s healthy?

I get many requests and confessions from people about not wanting to spend a lot of time cooking, not wanting to eat processed box food and fast food take-out meals. Are you one of them? I have many tips up my sleeve and I plan to share them with you often.

For the Crockpot lovers out there here’s a fast, cheap and easy dinner with plenty to feed a larger family or for more than one meal. I respect that everyone is busy and wants to get the rules and not the fluff so here goes; there are no rules! :)

Crockpot Roasted Chicken

1 whole chicken, one chicken cut up, or chicken breast, boneless chicken pieces – whichever you prefer

favorite herb/spice mixture – I used poultry seasoning with a low salt content

I also used 1/2 cup white wine you can use your favorite beer too or just water

Put the chicken in the pot, pour wine or beer over the top, sprinkle generously with your choice seasoning. Turn crockpot to low if cooking for 8+ hours or high for 4-5 hours.

Sides: I used leftover quinoa-wild rice mixture from the night before, I didn’t heat it, I just added olive oil, a little salt & pepper and chopped tomatoes from my garden. I also sautéed yellow summer squash and cut up string beans from the garden. You can make a salad, simmer up some quinoa in just 15 minutes; while it’s cooking you can set the table or slow down, breathe deeply and slowly to unwind and de-stress a little bit after your busy day.

The chicken will fall of the bones so carving isn’t even necessary – just be sure to pick the bones out ;)

After you eat, work for 10 minutes to de-bone all the chicken and put it into the refrigerator for another meal. Set a little aside for lunch the next day alongside some leftover salad and quinoa. Healthy dinner, healthy lunch, happy you!

Crockpot chicken 8-5-14

Are You Missing Out on Your Life?

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Are you a people pleaser? Do you try your hardest to do for others only to feel that you’re never good enough? Are you waiting for the people who you try so hard to please to change and accept you as you are and set you free from their mental grip? Does the thought of self-care make you feel selfish and uncomfortable? If you answered yes to any of these questions you could be missing out on your own life and life is too short and too precious to put on hold.

If you continue to desperately try to earn their approval while the very act eats away at your core, you’ll learn maybe too late that you’ve wasted a portion of your life that you can never reclaim. Trying to please others is fine if you are doing it as a nice gesture and the recipient isn’t expecting it. Trying to please those who expect it isn’t healthy for you because you will learn as time goes by that if you accomplish to please someone, it will be short-lived leaving you back at the beginning trying to please them again; ultimately trying to make them happy. The long and short of it, we cannot make anyone happy, their happiness is up to them and our happiness is up to us; our happiness should never ride on the coattails of other’s happiness.

Finally letting go and allowing yourself to live your life as others you’ve been trying so hard to please have allowed themselves to live theirs isn’t an easy thing to do. You will go through several emotions including feelings of selfishness, maybe even worthlessness, that it’s not okay, fear, sadness, anger, frustration, loneliness, and a number of other unexpected feelings but that is part of the healing process and hopefully they will soon be followed by peacefulness, calm, joy and fulfillment.

Decide that your life is worth living now not later and that you deserve to live life just as these people who you work so hard to please do. There are no guarantees that we will have later just as there are no guarantees that we can make anyone happy. Make small changes and do it at your own comfortable pace. Acknowledge your feelings and face them. Use a support system, a friend, a group, a relative, a spouse; get support from someone who sees you as you are and can be. Accept that you are not perfect because nobody is perfect and that is exactly as it should be. Expect from yourself what you expect for yourself when you try to please others.

Just because you choose to live your life instead of putting it on hold doesn’t make you a bad person, selfish or careless. While it’s extremely difficult to let go of what others might think of you it’s something you must do in order to survive in a healthy state of being. It’s time to let go of your dependency of making others happy and just be. Imagine living your life on your terms just as others around you do – what a level of peace that brings!

Live ~ Love ~ Laugh ~ Be

Cook Once, Eat Twice (or four times w/a breakfast and lunch)!

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2014-07-23 18.18.26Let me help you break the habit of ordering take-out or frozen dinners when you’re too tired to cook.

Last night I roasted a pork tenderloin with savory and bold spices. Alongside it I baked sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli. The sweet potatoes were large!

I put enough food on my plate for my dinner and my other half did the same which left us with half a tenderloin, some broccoli and half of my sweet potato. We were pleasantly filled to the brim! The night before I had made a side-dish of couscous with our grilled chicken breast and had plenty left over from that too.

Breakfast this morning consisted of 2 scrambled eggs, half of my sweet potato and about a cup of broccoli tossed together which kept me full far into the day. I made a simple turkey breast roll up with lots of arugula for lunch.

Today the weather was pretty hot and pretty humid; the kind of weather that makes you not want to cook and not very hungry – enter leftovers.

For a cooling and quick dinner tonight I made a garden salad with romaine, my own tomatoes, sundried tomatoes and almond slivers with an olive oil and pomegranate dressing, a couscous salad with tomatoes, sliced raw string beans from the garden, black beans, corn, scallions, parsley and the leftover couscous; then I sliced the cold pork tenderloin thinly and dinner was done! This all took no more than 15 minutes to pull together and it was deliciously filling and healthy.

Leftovers make great breakfasts, lunches and dinners. When you cook, make extra with another meal in mind. It’s fine if you don’t know what you will do with it immediately; when the time comes to use it inspiration will strike.

Get creative and have fun with food! Bon Appetite!