The Tasty Kitchen: Flavor Bombs

What I call flavor bombs are a great way to add flavor to your dishes. This is also a great way to add some healthy fats like butter, olive oil, avocado oil, etc. These can be stored in the freezer and used as needed.

There are a few different types of flavor bombs.

1. Herb butters

Mix herbs (fresh and dried) with softened butter. Wrap in cling wrap in a log and set in fridge to harden. Once hardened, slice into 1 tbsp sized slices and individually wrap in cling wrap and store in ziploc labeled in freezer. You can add to top of fish, steaks, veggies, etc as needed.

2. Herbed oils

Add fresh herbs to a food processor with oil and pulse until chopped and combined. Add to an ice cube tray and freeze. Once frozen, remove from ice tray and place in labeled ziploc bag. Add to dishes as needed like soups, skillet meals, or to rice. I use this method a lot for cilantro and basil. Toss them in with you Tex-Mex or pasta dishes. 

3. Juices

Juice your lemons, limes, or oranges and add to an ice cube tray and freeze. Once frozen, remove from the tray and place in a labeled ziploc bag. Use as needed. You can add to soups, skillets, fish, thaw and use in marinades or dressings. 

These are great ways to add a little something extra to your meals to really amp up the flavor. This is also a great way to store ingredients before they go bad. 

The Healthy Kitchen: Preparing for a New Nutrition Plan

When preparing to eat better, I find that there are some things that need to be done first. Preparation is a great key to success when starting a new plan. 

1. Clean out pantry

Take stock of items in your pantry that are not good for your new nutrition plan. I use 2 categories: get rid of completely or hide for occasional use down the road. For me, I got rid of items I had not used or didn't like or had sugar in it. I kept some items like grains to be used occasionally. I also keep some regular pantry items for when cooking for others. 

2. Organize pantry

The pantry cleanout will probably make a lot of extra space so a reorganization of the pantry is good. For me, I have quite a bit of empty space to be filled up when I go to the store or to be decided later what to do with. 

3. Make a grocery list 

Before going to the store, make sure you make a list of all the healthy food you want to get. I also make a list of all the foods I can eat regularly that I can work off. I use the notes on my phone for these lists and paper. 

Being successful is not just about determination but also preparation. I'm a big fan of out of sight out of mind. If you aren't ready to completely get rid of an item hide it in a cabinet you don't use often. 

This is also a great time to pay it forward. Donate unopened items to a food pantry and share opened items with friends or family. That way you are not just throwing away food. Don't forget to check your spices. If you are cutting out sugar a lot of spice blends have hidden sugars. Also, check your expiration dates.

The Family Kitchen: Mom's Pumpkin Muffins

 I have been thinking about mom lately and wanted to make a sweet treat. I found this recipe of Mom's. It's Libby's Pumpkin Muffins recipe but I have made some changes to make it more diabetic friendly. It is not as sweet and a bit more dense but still good. I prefer using just cinnamon, but I was out, so I used pumpkin pie spice, and it was not too overwhelming. I added in some pecans and sugar free caramel to the muffins and topped a few with dark chocolate chips. 

The ingredients:

3 C whole wheat flour

1 TBSP + 2tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

2 tsp baking soda

1.5 tsp salt

1.5 C sugar or sugar alternative (I used splenda)

1 15oz can pumpkin puree

4 eggs

1/2 C oil

1/2 C of water or orange juice (I used water)

optional: pecans, chocolate chips, caramel, raisins, dried cranberries, etc. 

In my recipe I added a bit of sugar free caramel and pecans chopped. I added some dark chocolate chips to a few of them. 

The recipe:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl (flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon/ pumpkin pie spice).

In stand mixer add wet ingredients and sugar (pumpkin, sugar, eggs, water, and oil) and mix until just combined. 

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined. 

If adding caramel add at this step. 

Grease muffin pan. 

Add batter to muffin pan filling cups 3/4 full. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. 

Allow to cool for 5 minutes then remove from muffin tin to finish cooling. 

Note: if using the whole wheat flour these will be denser. These are not super sweet. If you like a sweeter muffin the original recipe calls for 3 C of sugar. 

See below the original recipe written in mom's handwriting. I love that I have these reminders of her. I wish I had a whole bunch more to discover. I have added some adjustments I made or notes myself on here. 

The Italian Kitchen: Spinach Artichoke Chicken Orzo

 I have never really had artichokes much except in spinach artichoke dip and wanted to try cooking with them because they are really healthy. I found this recipe from Half Baked Harvest and thought it sounded good.  This recipe is also a great way to get some dark leafy greens into your meals. I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. Not sure why but I was. 

The ingredients:

1 lb chicken (I used rotisserie chicken)

2 TBSP EVOO

4 tsp Italian Seasoning (I used Rivera seasoning from Burlap and Barrel)

crushed red pepper

salt and black pepper

1 shallot chopped

2 cloves of garlic chopped

2 TBSP salted butter

1 C dry orzo

1 TBSP thyme

1.5 C water

1 C milk or heavy cream

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 jar marinated artichokes quartered

2 C baby spinach

3/4 C grated parmesan

2 tsp lemon zest

fresh basil

The recipe:

Combine the chicken, EVOO, and 2 tsp Italian seasoning in a large skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook on medium-high heat for 5 minutes until chicken is fully cooked. 

Add the shallots, garlic, and butter. Mix in the orzo, thyme, and 2 tsp of Italian seasoning. Cook until slightly golden, approx. 2 minutes. 

Add 1.5 C water and bring to boil and cook for 5 minutes. then add milk/cream and Dijon. 

Stir in the spinach, artichokes, parmesan, and lemon zest. 

Cook another 8 minutes until the spinach is wilted and the orzo is al dente. 

Serve topped with lots of basil and parmesan. 

Notes: I forgot to get parmesan at the store, so I used Gruyere cheese. I used rotisserie chicken, so I really only had to heat it up in the 1st step. I used toasted onion powder instead of the shallots and garlic powder instead of the garlic cloves. I used frozen spinach instead of fresh. 

Note: EVOO is extra virgin olive oil.

The Breakfast Kitchen: Bacon, Broccoli, Onion, Sweet Pepper, and Gruyere Casserole

 I'm on my journey of trying to incorporate new healthy ingredients into my recipes. Today I added chopped broccoli to my casserole. I will say it is good but not my favorite if I am being honest. I used Herbes de Provence for my spice, and I may have liked it better with just the rosemary.  It turned out well and I can feel good about eating it. 

The ingredients:

Crumbled bacon

1 C chopped broccoli

1 C chopped onion

sliced sweet mini peppers

4 oz Gruyere shredded

12 eggs

1/2 C milk

2 tsp baking powder

garlic powder

smoked paprika

salt and pepper 

Herbes de Provence

The recipe:

Grease a baking dish. 

Layer in the broccoli, onion, and sweet pepper slices. 

Bake in the over at 350 for 10-30 minutes to soften. 

In a bowl, combine the eggs, milk, baking powder, and spices (excl the Herbes de Provence) and blend until combined or whisk. 

Add the shredded cheese and the Herbes de Provence and stir to incorporate. 

Pour the egg mixture in the baking dish and spread out the cheese to cover evenly. 

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30-40 minutes. 

Note: I used frozen diced onion and frozen chopped broccoli, and the peppers had been sliced ahead and frozen. 

The Soup Kitchen: Tuscan Sausage Orzo Soup

 I have been wondering about cooking with orzo and finally found a whole wheat orzo so decided to try a couple recipes. The first being this Tuscan soup. This soup has veggies, sausage, kale (leafy greens) and the orzo. It is very good. 

The ingredients:

2 TBSP olive oil

1/2 lb. Italian sausage cooked and drained

1/2 C diced shallots

3 cloves garlic

2 stalks celery chopped

1 C whole wheat orzo pasta

6 C chicken broth

30 oz diced tomatoes

1 TBSP dried Italian seasoning

1 TBSP dried oregano

1/2 tsp ground fennel

1 tsp salt

black pepper to taste 

1 parmesan rind

1 bunch kale leaves (can use frozen chopped kale)

Note: I did not have Italian seasoning or fennel so substituted with Tutto Porchetta which has fennel in it. 

The recipe:

In a skillet brown the sausage in olive oil with the shallot, (can use onion if not shallot).

Once browned add to a slow cooker. 

To the slow cooker add the rest of the ingredients, except the kale. 

Cook on Hi for 3 hours or Low for 6-8. 

Add kale the last 30 min to an hour. 

Notes: you can add white beans or switch the kale out for spinach. 

The Breakfast Kitchen: Tex-Mex Breakfast Casserole

 I love breakfast casseroles I make them all the time for breakfasts. They are generally low carb and high protein. This one turned out especially well. For this I paired it with some tortilla chips and guacamole for a kind of breakfast casserole nachos. This would be great with just the guacamole even. 

The ingredients:

1 lb. sausage cooked and drained

sliced shallot

1 C crumbled bacon

sliced sweet mini peppers

sliced jalapeno peppers

1 can Rotel

black lime

crushed red pepper

12 eggs

dash of milk

1TBSP black lime

1 TBSP smoked paprika

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

1 TBSP baking powder

4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

The recipe:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Cook sausage and shallot in skillet. Drain and place in greased casserole dish. 

Add bacon, peppers, and Rotel to skillet cook until cooked through adding some black lime and crushed red pepper. 

Top the sausage with the bacon and veggie mixture spreading out to make sure evenly covered. 

Scramble eggs with milk, black lime, paprika, salt, pepper, and baking powder. (The baking powder keeps your eggs from falling when cooling). 

Shred cheddar cheese and add to the scrambled eggs. Pour over the casserole mixture.  Spread cheese out evenly. 

Bake for 30-40 minutes until eggs are set then serve.

Garnish with cilantro, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, tortillas, or tortilla chips. 

For my dinner, I placed a pieced cut up on the plate with some tortilla chips and topped with guacamole. I then added some silk chili on top. 

You can make this healthier by using turkey bacon and sausage and omitting the tortilla chips. 

This can easily be made meatless by switching the meats out for black beans.