A Few Recipes To Make Your Tummy and Family Happy.

Well I thought I was starting this year off to a great Bang then of course, I get sick!! I have gone a long time without getting sick. I come into contact with a lot of really sick patients with all kinds of nasty germs so I guess it was something that was going to come my way eventually.  Well I have been in bed for 3 days now just trying to get better. I decided to take on a new series that I didn't watch while on the air, Greys Anatomy. I figured, hey I work in a hospital, maybe I can learn a thing or two from the show. Season 1 seems like a bore but I hear it gets better so I will still keep going with it. There is only so much TV I can take so I figured, hey why not write a blog entry, so here I am!

With the new year I know many of you out there have been trying to eat better, or cook more healthier meal choices at home. We have been cooking lots of great meals here in this household and wanted to share them with you. I apologize but I didn't really snap many pictures from what I made but I will still share the recipe and any tips I have on each dish.  Click on the picture to take you directly to the recipe.

First on the list, this is one of my go to meals. I make this quite a bit and its a hit at the house. It usually makes enough for us to eat for dinner, plus a lunch for the next day. You can never go wrong with soup, I don't care if its hot or cold outside, I absolutely love soup and Chicken Tortilla Soup is one of my absolute faves. 

*Some tips with this soup, this recipe makes a lot, I actually cut it in half and it still makes about 4-5 portions. 

* This recipe gives you a recipe in it to make crispy tortilla strips,( Steps 5 and 6)  I never make them, I just top with regular tortilla chips, but you are more then welcome to try making them.

* The fiancé loves dishes with heat, I don't really like spicy, but I do add half of a fresh jalapeño to this and its enough spice. I just chop it up real well and add it in at the same time I am adding the corn tortilla strips to be sautéed. 

* I use about 2 big chicken breast for this recipe. I boil them in water until fully cooked, then set aside until cooled and then tear the chicken with my hands and a fork, I then usually season with McCormicks salt-free SouthWest seasoning.

* I top my soup with jalapeño jack shredded cheese, cilantro, more fresh lime juice, sliced avocado, and tortilla chips. We even topped with a dollop of sour cream before and it was yummy.

* Very quick and easy recipe and so so so so GOOD!

Fish Tacos are another favorite of ours. This is such a quick and easy meal that you can make in no time at all. Make sure to make the sauce, its absolutely amazing!

* I use tilapia filets, since I have those readily available in my freezer at all times, but you could use and choice of fish you like. 

* The sauce is very good. It calls for plain yogurt which I didn't have at the time, so I used light sour cream which tasted just as well. 

* There is a recipe for pico de gallo on there, I  have never made it because I don't like it, so I can't comment on it. But if you like it, try it out. 

* I actually didn't even sear in the pan like the directions said to do, I use a little bit of olive oil on each piece of fish then coat the fish in the rub and place each piece in aluminum foil and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 12-15 minutes.

* I like to use corn tortillas or at HEB they make a corn and flour mix tortilla thats really great. 

* Toppings for these tacos that I love to use is the Avocado Cream Sauce, fresh cilantro, fresh lime juice, avocado slices, queso fresco, and a slaw mix that usually has cabbage, carrots and broccoli to give the taco a crunch (You can find all kinds of great slaw mixes usually in the bagged salad section)

* Great side dishes that I have made with this include roasted corn, cilantro lime rice, spanish rice, black beans.

This is one of the best salads I have ever had, SouthWest Chicken Salad, all the ingredients are great but what makes this even better is the dressing used for this, Its amazing. 

 

 * I use the McCormicks salt free SouthWest seasoning for the chicken. 

* Recipe calls for corn on the cob then cutting it off, I don't have time for that so I just use frozen corn from the bag then that way I Know exactly how much I want to use. 

* Here is the link to make the dressing. 

* I didn't have champagne vinegar on hand but I have red wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar, I have used both and both have tasted fine. 

* The chipotles in the adobo sauce can be very spicy. I sometimes only use 2 because I don't like things to be overly spicy.

 This next meal, Jalapeño Popper Turkey Chili is great on its own, but we love to take a twist on Frito Pie and make it with this chili! Talk about good! The fiancé even made it for his fire station and he said all the guys were pretty pleased with it. Trust me it will leave your belly feeling full and happy. 

 * Not many tips for this, its pretty easy!

* I do this just like a fruit pie, fritos in a bowl, top with this chili then cheese on top! YUMMY!!!

This is a dish that I have never personally made but my fiancé has made quite a few times. Its actually one of my favorite things he makes and I request it frequently. Baked Almond Flour Chicken Tenders with Avocado- Cilantro Dipping sauce. Like the other recipes, this sauce too is amazing and definitely goes very well with the chicken. 

* I don't normally make this but I know the fiancé doesn't make it exactly like the recipe says. This is a paleo recipe and he doesn't make it completely paleo.

* Recipe calls for homemade sriracha, umm we just use the stuff thats in the bottle, much easier and convenient. 

* We don't always have coconut flour, so we just end up using Almond Flour and regular flour.

* We learned that the parchment paper is essential to keep the tenders from sticking as bad. 

* Don't forget to flip the tenders half way through the baking time, helps to make it crispy all the way around.

* Like I said make sure to make the sauce, its super yummy.

* We usually have mashed potatoes with this and some sort of vegetable as sides. 

Everything is better if its in Taco form right??  We seem to always have tortillas laying around from some recipe we make so I made these Chili Lime Shrimp Tacos the other day. Not only were they good but fast and easy like so many of the other meals I like to make. 

* Not many variations with this recipe. I don't make the slaw mix though, I usually buy my own slaw mix like I mentioned before in the fish taco recipe. I like the slaw crunch mix that has cabbage, carrots and broccoli. 

* You can use any kind of salsa or sauce for this, even try some of the above sauces from other recipes, bet that would be very yummy! 

* I paired these tacos with wild rice and roasted corn for sides.

To go with these dishes here are a few sides that we also make. I love Roasted Corn. Its so simple and easy. I tend to buy bags of frozen corn and have in the freezer always ready to go. Here is a quick simple recipe. Remember you can add any spices you or other ingredients to make it more to your liking. 

* Recipe calls for vegetable oil. I hardly ever use vegetable oil in cooking so I either use Olive oil or Coconut Oil.

* I like to add queso fresco at the end to kind of give it that street corn feel. 

I love cauliflower. Raw or cooked. When I ran across this recipe I knew I had to make it. I have only made it once but let me tell you, its very tasty and I definately will be making it again. Maple Sriracha Roasted Cauliflower is packed full of flavor and its also very good for you.

* Super easy not much else to really say!

And now for a great dessert, Healthy Banana Cookies, only 3-5 ingredients , mix , bake and thats it. These are a big hit at our house and they are healthy too so you can't go wrong. 

Ingredients: -2 Large Old Bananas

                       - 1 Cup of Quick Oats

                       - Whatever you want to add, I usually add chocolate            

chips, coconut and nuts.

Just mash the bananas and mix the oats and other ingredients to it. 

Place small dollops on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes and thats it. 

Hope you enjoy a few of the recipes that make our tummies happy at our household. Cant wait to share more great ideas with you soon. 

2016 off to a Bang!

Well guys, I said that my goal of 2016 would be to stay on top of this blog, but I have seemed to have a slow start to the year. As always its been super busy in our household. We seem to always have something going on if not spending time with family and friends to traveling to the many house projects we always seem to have. I actually start a new job here in the next few weeks so I definitely wanted to try to get in as many blog posts before then since my schedule will be a little hectic the next few months. Well like I said, I start a new job here soon and I couldn't be more excited, 2016 seems to already be starting off with a bang, I mean it has a lot of catching up to do if it wants to compete with 2015. I am always stoked to further my career and learn more new and exciting things. The great thing about healthcare is you can have two jobs so I am excited to stay part time where I am at now and continue with such an awesome hospital. Other info to catch up on about me includes that our house is coming along. We are scratching off things daily on our House Projects and the decorating is coming along nicely. I plan to have one of the next blogs to be a look into our house projects and decorating because I can't wait to share it with everyone.

Well by now everyone should know that I will be getting married to one amazing man. My free time seems to consist of looking at pinterest and random websites for wedding ideas. I knew it would be a lot but GEEZ, wedding planning is no joke! Destination Wedding anyone???  The fiancé and I have a love for the Hill Country. We seem to head out that way just about anytime we have some free time off and want a little vacation. The area is so pretty and we knew right away that this would be the area for our wedding. A few weeks ago the fiancé had a conference in San Marcos so after the conference we stayed an extra 2 days to relax and take the chance to look at some wedding venues in the Wimberely area. I plan on sharing all the venues we have looked at once we have set a date and chosen the perfect spot so I can share pros and cons to each venue. We still have a few more places to look at but we should be deciding on a place real soon.

So like I said, the fiancé and I stayed a few extra days to just relax and take time to tour some awesome venues. I can't say enough just how much I love this man. He always knows the way to my heart and he knows how much I love Gruene, TX. Its one of our favorite spots to be, but even better is staying in Gruene. We have stayed at pretty much every B&B in the area, and this time he booked a new one we haven't tried before, Gruene Mansion Inn, talk about a gorgeous place. Our room was right on the river with a cute porch for us to sit on and just relax. The room was right up my alley, rustic in every way, shape and form. We have been talking about starting a yearly summer river trip with our friends and family so this definitely will be a place we keep in mind. And of course whats a trip to Gruene without shopping and Gristmill.

Happy New Year! Christmas, Family, Fun and Engagement!

Happy New Year Everyone!!!! 

Well we have made it, it is now the year 2016, where did 2015 go?? Not sure if others feel the same as I do but I was kinda sad to see 2015 go. 2015 was a good year to me, but I am also very excited to see what 2016 has in store. 2015 brought me lots of new and exciting adventures. First off, I finally accomplished a goal I had been working on since 2012 of going back to school and finishing with a new degree. Not only did I finish but I like to think I finished well. Lets face it, school the first time around was nothing exciting. I mean I was young and didn't care as much about going to class let alone studying. Yes I did graduate, with a Bachelors Degree, but  I will admit I barely got by. So going back to school for another degree was not just hard, especially since it had been years since I had been in school,  but I also had a lot to prove to myself. I didn't just want to go back and learn a new skill, I wanted to master that skill the best I could. I put all I had into school. I studied every single day for hours, no joke. So you guessed it, my social life was pretty nonexistent at times but  I wouldn't change a thing. I want people to know, you are never too old to go back to school. Never too old to start a new career. Never too old to chase your dreams and prove to yourself that you have what it takes to make those dreams happen. With graduating from school it brought me another great accomplishment of 2015, a new career and job. I am very blessed to have such a rewarding career. I work now as Respiratory Therapist, working with neonates to adults, from critical situations to not so critical. I am very lucky to work in a great hospital system that lets me get to know my patients, I get to spend time with them, talk to them, even pray with them. Everyday is a new task, new people, new situations, and yes more stress but I love what I do and at the end of the day even if I go home tired as a dog I like to think that I made someone feel special that day from the care that I gave them. With graduating and getting a new job though I had to leave old things behind. I truly miss my classmates that I got to know over 2 years, the ones I spent more time with than my own family. I also miss my old job and the people that were like another family to me.  Who knew accomplishing goals, even though rewarding, could also be so hard to move on. 2015 brought me other accomplishments of buying a home, traveling, great health, and new friendships.  Last but certainly not least, I ended 2015 with getting engaged to a man that I knew from Day 1 was the one I was meant to spend the rest of my life with. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful person by my side and can't wait to call myself his wife and grow old and wrinkly with him.

Well from my last post I blogged about my Christmas decorations and how I was getting in the spirit of the holidays and planning activities to celebrate the season. I absolutely love Christmas lights so most of my holiday activities will include them in some way! I had the opportunity to go to  Santa's Wonderland in College Station with my family a few years ago and knew it was a place I wanted to visit again. I had to beg the fiancé ( Can you believe it, I have a fiancé  I just love saying that!! ) to go with me, I don't think he was as thrilled as myself at first but I think at the end of the night he enjoyed himself just as much as I did. The place truly can put the worst humbug into the Christmas spirit. You get to take a nice little hayride through all the lights they have set up, and they do an awesome job on their light displays! And if you want something more romantic you can take a carriage ride through the lights! Other than lights they have so many other activities, shopping, food, bonfires with s'mores, holiday movies to watch, and all kinds of other activities for the kiddos. They also have a winery for the ones without the kiddos! I snagged up a few Christmas presents and even got a few ornaments for our tree! I was very happy with our outting out there because it was actually a cold night, and since we didn't get too many of those during the holidays it actually made the experience feel more like a Winter Wonderland! Just typing these things makes my heart melt, because I am so sad that Christmas is over and already counting down the days until next Christmas. 

Christmas time is the perfect time to bake! I had baked cookies for us at the house but wanted something nice to share for the ones that fiancé and I work with. I spent an entire morning one day baking cookies and fudge. I didn't realize just how much of a task it was before taking it on, my kitchen became overloaded with cookies!! I baked enough cookies and fudge for 4 fire stations and for all the people working that night on my shift. I may not be baking for awhile after all that! I loaded all the goodies into tins that I got from Hobby Lobby and sent them on their way with each one of us to take to work. I am so mad at myself for not getting a photo of the tins and how I decorated them, they turned out so well but I was so exhausted that I plain and simply forgot, Bummer!

On a side note I also like the drinks that come with Christmas. I went on a rant in my last blog about gingerbread but there are many other holiday drinks out there too and Egg Nog and Cider are great drinks to have alone or spiked. Last year before Christmas we took a road trip to visit my sister in East Tennessee. Everyone knows that Moonshine is made up there in the Smoky Mountains. We went to a few places to try some out and even came home with some too. Two we really liked came from Sugarlands Distilling Company. We got the Appalachian Apple Pie and the Southern Sweet Tea. Talk about yummy!!! We still had some Apple Pie left over so I was trying to find something to do with it!  Mixing this with Warm Apple Cider is absolutely amazing!! Now I know its apple flavored but I added it to Egg Nog as well and it definitely did not disappoint. I tasted no apple. It just tasted good. 

On Christmas Eve I was truly blessed just to have the holiday off from work. I got to spend the evening with my fiancé and my parents. We were able to go to dinner and open presents with my Mom and Dad. After the parents left though, it was time to throw on the Christmas Jammies and go drive around and look at Christmas lights then come back home for some Christmas movie watching. I usually always go through the Green Tee neighborhood in Pearland to see the lights. So many houses do such a great job that it usually never disappoints, I am always impressed, even if I have seen the same houses and lights a 100 times, I still get just as excited! It's such an awesome feeling to be snuggled up in the truck with your pjs on listening to Christmas music and seeing the joy on the fiancé's  face as he drives around loving all the lights too, well maybe he doesn't get as excited as I do, but I like to think he does. The things he does for me, what a guy! Now as far as Christmas Movies go, I don't know what everyone else likes to watch for Christmas but my favorite movies usually include: National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, Home Alone 1 and 2, and 4 Christmases. I make sure to watch every single one of those at some point in the month of December. The fiancé absolutely loves A Christmas Story so I get drugged into watching it too.

Since this year was our first year in the new house together, I really wanted to try to start some sort of traditions that were true to our household, hence all the activities we were up to. I was excited to get up Christmas morning, like I said I was truly happy just to wake up and know that I get to spend the holiday with family, friends and loved ones and not have to go to work. Zach and I woke up early that morning, I could tell he was a little different but I didnt think much of it, he asked if I was ready to open up gifts and of course I was ready, I mean who doesn't like gifts?? I thought I was truly blessed with all the gifts he gave me, but out of nowhere he pulls out this bag after all the gifts were open, and lets me know that what is inside this bag is a gift that truly means a lot to him. I was nervous, and excited all at once. Once I looked inside the bag and saw the box my heart hit the floor. Tears started in my eyes, I had never been so nervous to open something my entire life. Once I opened that little box and saw the ring, the ring that the man I will spend the rest of my life with picked out for me, the tears flowed more down my face. I couldn't of been more excited, happy and truly amazed by this wonderful man. He got down on one knee said some of the sweetest most meaningful words I have ever heard and proposed to me. Yes he was nervous, I was nervous too. And without a doubt in my mind, I said Yes!! So thats why today I get to throw the word fiance around and I truly love doing so! I finally understand what most of you already out there have experienced. Its truly an amazing feeling to know you will have someone to go hand in hand in this world with, to experience all life has to offer together and make memories that will always stay so dear to your heart.

After that wonderful morning I couldn't wait to celebrate with all our family. It was so nice because we were able to spend Christmas with both our families. Everyone was just as excited as we were and I am excited for the family that I will officially join and the opportunity to watch the already family I have grow! Christmas 2016 was  such a special day and special moment that will stay in my heart forever. 

Christmas night we had some close friends over for holiday drinks and games. What better way to end such a special day with Cranium, Dominoes and Beer! 

Since I was talking a little bit about Moonshine earlier I  wanted to share a place that the fiancé and I tried the day after Christmas. A little place called Moonshiners in Downtown Houston. They offer a few moonshine cocktails along with wine, Houston Craft Beers, and great food! Such a nice place and not to mention the drinks were really great! I had the Strawberry Moon, Ole' Smokey Strawberry Lightnin' infused Moonshine, cream of Coconut, Demarara syrup, mint leaves and fresh lime. I am not ashamed to admit that I had two of these things because they were so good! The fiancé had The Porch Sipper, American Born Sweet Tea infused Moonshine, with fresh blackberries, lemon juice and Demarara syrup. I tried his too and it was yummy! This is a really great place to try and we keep talking about going back soon.

Well 2015, you were good to me, I truly thank God for such an amazing year and I pray that he continues to bless me throughout 2016! One goal I have for sure is to keep up with this blog, so look for new and exciting entries to come your way and again thank you for following me and learning a little bit of what makes me love this crazy thing called life!