Mexican Food = The Spice of Life

We love Mexican food...which was brought to my attention once by my before mentioned friend, Stacy, when after several weeks of partaking in weekly leftovers with me, she exclaimed...you guys sure eat a lot of Mexican food don't you ? Well, I guess we do. Tonight's dish dates back to my high school years and actually comes from a Home Economics class I took. It's simple, quick, and tasty...and yes, it happens to be Mexican ! The original recipe calls for adding corn into the casserole, but for some reason, this combination freaks my family out so I just serve it on the side. Don't ask..... Also, I'm going to share something I tried this weekend which, you guessed it, has a Mexican flair. It's originally supposed to be used as a wrap filling, but I loved it so much, I decided it would make a great salad topper, which is what we used it for tonight.

Mexican Casserole (aka smashed tacos as we like to describe it to our son)

1 lb ground beef
1/2 pkg taco seasoning
1/2 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup salsa
shredded cheese
a few tortilla chips, crunched up

Cover bottom of glass pie pan with crushed tortilla chips (you can use as many as you like, since we're trying to be "good" I use a lot less these days). Set aside and brown meat, drain fat, and add taco seasoning then soup and salsa and simmer for a couple of minutes until well combined. Carefully spoon this mixture on top of your chips then top with shredded cheese. Pop into an oven at 425 degrees and heat until cheese is melted...5 minutes.
(I should mention that this could easily be doubled and made into a 13 x 9 casserole if you're feeding more hungry mouths)


Easy Southwestern Veggie Wraps

2 large tomatoes chopped
1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 cup frozen corn (thawed)
1 cup cooked brown rice (cooled)
1 jalapeno pepper seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
2 TB lime juice
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingrediants. In a small bowl combine the sour cream, cilantro, lime juice, and spices. Gently stir into veggie mixture and serve on a romaine lettuce leaf wrapped up, or whole wheat tortilla, or as we discovered, just on top of chopped lettuce.

Let Them Eat Cake !

Okay so as you'll see in the picture, my family is getting desperate, and have resorted to filling up the entire message board usually reserved for grocery reminders with one special request...."CHOCOLATE" ! So today I thought I'd share a couple of really good sweet treats. The first recipe is for 3 2 1 cake which makes a pretty yummy single serving microwave cake. I attemped to take a picture, but my kiddos had eaten half of it before I could grab the camera ! It's best eaten warm out of the microwave and topped with a little something...we drizzled just a little bit of caramel sauce on ours last night. I also tried a pineapple variation and for that, I crushed up some pineapple chunks I had on hand and sprinkled a little brown sugar which ended up resembling a pineapple upside down cake ! YUM I have to say thank you to my mom who passed this little gem onto me. We will be trying all sorts of flavors in the future.

The second recipe is for Cappuccino Chocolate Pudding and OH MY GRAVY is it good ! Of course my family does not like coffee so darn the luck, this treat will be all mine....waaahaaahaaa (insert evil laugh here).


3 2 1 Cake
1 box angel food cake mix
1 box cake mix (any flavor you like)
Mix together and keep in an airtight bag

Mix 3 TB cake mix with 2 TB water and microwave for 1 minute. It's really that simple !


Cappuccino Chocolate Pudding

4 tsp instant coffee granules
1 TB boiling water
1 1/2 cup cold low fat milk
1 pkg sugar free instant chocolate pudding mix
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup reduced fat whipped topping

Dissolve coffee in boiling water; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the milk, pudding mix, and cinnamon. Beat on low speed for two minutes. Let stand for two minutes or until set. Stir in coffee. Fold in whipped topping. Refrigerate and serve !

No Fishing !

Sorry folks, there will be no recipe shared tonight. What we have here is a classic "tail" of dinner gone wrong. I am not a picky eater PERIOD . However, I have never met a fish I wanted to eat, and that belief has been tried, tested, and confirmed once again tonight. Tilapia, the "non-fishy" fish is a myth....a MYTH I tell you ! Do not pass go, Do not collect $200. Now, for all of you aquatic eaters out there, in my defense,even my finicky fish lovin family didn't like this baked version and were quick to inform me that they only wanted fried catfish or cod from now on....well, since we are trying to go the healthy route, I feel like I'm "off the hook"....Pun INtended !

Happy Chinese New Year !

Today is actually New Year's Day in China and I am very fortunate to have a niece who God blessed our family with 13+ years ago who is originally from China. My sister and brother in law often invite us all over to celebrate this Asian tradition and I wanted to share some pictures on my blog. We celebrated over the weekend with a traditionally decorated atmosphere that my sister created while her husband, mother in law, and guest, Angie Lim, cooked delicious Asian cuisine, albeit "Okie style". We were so excited to have Angie Lim, an ORU student from Singapore, with us for the evening and it was so interesting to learn more about this holiday and its traditions. She informed us that fortune cookies were an American invention and she was rather excited to partake in her very FIRST fortune cookie after our meal. All in all it was a very festive and fun evening and I'm happy to share some memorable pictures with you. As you'll see in one picture, even my son got into the action by using chopsticks...okay so he didn't use them in the traditional sense, but hey, chicken on a stick is always a big hit in his book !

A Favorite Meal from the Grill

The Perry's like to grill in all seasons. Today we grilled one of my absolute favorites, Tropical Chicken Kabobs. This is a 4 Perry approved dinner, although I probably don't have to tell you that I'm the only one who actually eats the grilled peppers and onions. Everything else gets their approval. I serve this with brown rice that I cook in chicken stock with a little bit of finely shredded onion. You could change up the kabobs however you like. I usually do peppers, onions, pineapple, and Ekridge Smoked Sausage links. The marinade for the chicken is what makes this dish so delicious. I hope you'll try it !

TROPICAL CHICKEN KABOBS
3/4 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
2 TB sugar
1 TB soy sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp lemon pepper seasoning

Combine all together and marinate chicken for at least 2 hours. Can separate some of the marinade and also marinate veggies and sausage for kabobs. Sprinkle all with lemon pepper when grilling.

Stacy Spills the Beans

Welcome to the first addition of Stacy Spills the Beans, a portion of my blog where I defer to my friend Stacy to act as a swing vote. In regards to our meal last night, salsa swiss steak with baked zucchini chips, Stacy gives this a thumbs up ! I plan on using her a LOT MORE in the future, and she's trying to act all humble and wants you the reader to know that not everyone has the same taste and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Ya, whatever Stacy....You agree with me, that's all that matters !

Salsa Swiss Steak and Baked Zucchini Chips

Tonight I tried a new slow cooker recipe and I'm afraid the reviews are not raving. I've decided to go ahead and post it, however, I am in search of a swing vote to finalize the decision on whether this is a pass or fail plate. As luck would have it, I'm having a weekly lunch date with my friend Stacy tomorrow who comes by each week after she and her son go to a Bible study. We have lunch, our boys play, and we catch up. Hope she doesn't mind me volunteering her taste buds ! So I will keep you posted. As a side note I absolutely love the zucchini chips. Tonight I varied the recipe by adding taco seasoning to the coating mixture to accompany the flavor of the salsa steak. Again, this dish got mixed reviews with one Perry still at the table trying to coax it down. My 4 year old however liked it and said "I like the crummy ones", which of course earned him laughs from the Perry pair who weren't in agreement with the zucchini side option.

SLOW COOKER SALSA SWISS STEAK

2 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 lbs boneless beef tip round steak
salt and pepper
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup thick and chunky salsa

Heat oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper. Cook steak in skillet 4-6 minutes per side until lightly browned turning once. Transfer to slow cooker and mix together soup and salsa and pour on top. Cook on low for 4-5 hours until fork tender.

BAKED ZUCCHINI CHIPS

2 med or 1 large zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs or Panko bread crumbs and add seasonings to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 Tb grated Parmesan cheese
2 egg whites

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. In small bowl combine the dry ingrediants and dip zucchini in egg white and then coating mixture. Place on a greased sheet pan and spray zucchini with cooking spray.
Bake for 5 minutes, turn over, spray other side with cooking spray, and bake for another 5-10 minutes until brown and crispy.

God is Good

If God is good, then what about his creation, which would include his food right ? Well... that has been a major goal in my thought process during this journey, to eat and enjoy more of HIS food. A major part of that includes fruit. I have been on diets that limit or exclude fruits for a time and don't get me wrong, the diet method works ! But for me at this time in my life, fruit is one of the sweetest things (pun INtended) that gets me through my detox from junk food. I can now enjoy fruit instead of cookies or ice cream after dinner or in the middle of the day when my brain "thinks" (again pun INtended) I need chocolate. So today, God's day, I'm sharing my go to fruit salad. I absolutely adore it and if we're keeping score, which I have so far in every other recipe,...3 out of 4 Perry's agree with me.

"Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him." Psalm 34:8

Fruit Salad
Chop:
Strawberries
Grapes
Apple
Stir in:
a couple of heaping spoonfuls low fat vanilla yogurt
Mix together and keep in fridge. Can also top with pecans or walnuts for crunch, and obviously the fruit choice could be altered in any way that you like best. I'm telling you, I am learning more and more that simple is often best !

Who wants pizza ??

Okay so this recipe got mixed reviews but all in all I think it was great. They make FANTASTIC leftovers though and I think taste even better that way. It's almost like a....dare I say the M word..."meatloaf" type consistency...(yup you guessed it my family hates meatloaf). But you can basically top these with any sort of pizza toppings you like. Hubby requested I mix in some sausage with his hamburger patty next time, so other than that slight alteration, I will be making these again very soon ! It's a great option when you're craving pizza but want to stay away from the dough as well as save some dough....ha ha Oh I crack myself up....moving right along....

With this yummy dish, I served spicy oven baked sweet potatoes....which again, got mixed reviews because my family insists sweet potatoes are gross. I however beg to differ and really think this recipe dressed them up nicely. I even mixed in a few regular potatoes to try and decrease the amount of complaints....it was worth a shot, and I will keep persevering with my plight to popularize this delicious and healthy vegetable.

Presto Pizza Patties

2 egg whites

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

a couple of dashes of onion powder

a couple of dashes of garlic salt

1 lb ground beef

Pizza sauce

Pizza toppings of choice

Mozz cheese

In a large bowl, combine the egg whites, bread crumbs, seasonings, 1/3 cup pizza sauce. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well and form into 6 patties.

In a large non-stick skillet, cook patties over medium heat on each side for 4-5 minutes or until juices run clear.

Transfer patties to a baking dish and top with desired toppings and mozz cheese. Spoon a little more pizza sauce in between each patty and drizzle on top. Bake or broil in over until toppings are heated through and cheese is melted.

Chili Spiced Sweet Potato Wedges

Cut 3 peeled sweet potatoes into 8 wedges. Toss with 2 TB olive oil, 1 TB sugar, and 1 tsp chili powder. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees 20-25 or until tender turning once.

BD/AD

This next recipe turned out delicious, however I thought it appropriate to share the before dinner (BD) and after dinner (AD) conversations that ensued:

(please note, no names were used in the making of this blog entry to ensure anonymity)

BD: "What's for dinner?" "Ewwwww gross !" "What the heck is that?!"

AD: "That was good mom." "How many toot beans are in there?" "It's really good with the cheese on top." "Is there just one toot bean in mine?" "Just eat it, look, it's really good." "Are you SURE there's only one toot bean in mine?"

And there you have it.....I count success by cleaned plates and 4 out of 4 Perry's did just that. I served this to the hub and kiddos as taco filling while I enjoyed a DELICIOUS and healthful taco salad with all the fixins. (My particular fave is to slice up some fresh avocado, sprinkle with a little lemon juice and garlic salt.)


Crockpot Pork Burrito Bowls

2 lbs boneless pork shoulder roast
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 envelope taco seasoning (I like Taco Bell brand)
1 can diced green chilies undrained

If roast comes with netting or ties, remove first and then place roast in crock pot. Sprinkle taco seasoning all over roast. Pour beans around the roast and pour the green chilies on top of beans. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 45 minutes before serving, remove roast and shred. Put back in crockpot and mix with beans. Can be served over rice, as a taco or burrito filling, nacho topping, or taco salad topping.

Breakfast Bites

Who doesn't love a great muffin, right? But what if you're trying to go easy on the carbs and sugar? Ummm, bran muffin anyone? How about this, I found an egg muffin recipe that 2 out of 4 Perry's agree was a great new breakfast option. It's full of protein and with flavor options as wide open as your imagination. I halved this recipe because we are such dainty eaters....ummm okay, so we only HAD 6 eggs in the fridge. Also, my version is the bare bones, no extra spice or veggie fare, but I suspect this would be delicious with all sorts of veggies thrown in....I'm envisioning spinach, mushrooms, garlic, green and red peppers....YUM! Oh wait, this blog is for PICKY EATERS...what was I thinking? Anyway you make them, it's a great option for eating on the run. Enjoy !

Scrambled Egg Muffins

1/4 lb pork sausage
1/4 lb bacon
12 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheese

I cooked the meat the night before so in the morning, all I had to do was beat the eggs and then add all together. Spoon by 1/3 cupfuls into WELL GREASED muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

To Blog or Not to Blog...

So, I love to cook....and you know what they say, "Never trust a skinny chef"....well I guess you could say food and I have become fast friends over the years. I don't usually make New Year's Resolutions, however this year my family and I have decided to try and eat more well balanced, healthy meals, which is all well and good...if your family will actually EAT them ! So begins my journey of scouring cookbooks, recipe websites, and tried and true meal ideas with a bit of tweaking to pass the Perry family's persnickety palate. I won't blog every day, but will basically try to chronicle the recipes that make the cut.

The inspiration for this blog actually came from my children, who never cease to provide me with entertaining comments and reactions to my various attempts at making dinner "fun" with phrases like, "but it's nature's candy kids, just try it!"

Our first official healthful meal of 2012 consisted of chicken breast, steamed fresh green beans, and quinoa (which by the way is more fun to say than eat...pronounced 'keen-wa', but I digress)...Before we started eating, my daughter was saying the blessing and proceeded to ask God to "PLEASE don't let mom starve us, amen," followed by my son with a hearty, "we should have eaten dinner at Granny's house."

I know what some of you may be thinking, "picky eaters are made, they aren't born that way, blah blah blah". Let's just agree to disagree here okay? I won't judge you, you won't judge me, and we'll all hold hands, break some bread, and TRY not to argue about the merit of margarine versus real butter. Okay ? Okay ! Here goes nothing....Picky Eaters Unite and Stay Tuned....