Some cooking ideas!

1: Chicken tenders cut into smaller pieces, Celery, Two cups water, one bullion paste serving, and some spicy Mrs. Dash seasoning. Serving size amt of whole wheat toast.

2: Chicken tenders cut into long skinny pieces, Serving size of whole wheat crushed toast with lots of seasonings, raw chicken with breading. Cook at 350 degrees. Make sure the chicken is on a rack, so it doesn’t need any greasing or is cooking in fat. Yellow Squash sliced with Mrs. Dash, salt and a little water. You can choose to cook in micro or stove top, but I love stove top.

3. Onion cut into small pieces (how you like them), seasonings of choice. I really like Cayenne pepper, seasoned pepper, and the table blend of Mrs. Dash. Cook this until just before the onion becomes transparent. Add diced apples and small pieces of chicken… It is best that the chicken is pre seasoned and when you put it into the pan, make sure it’s getting seared right on the pan. If you have it on a med-high setting, it should brown nicely, but will not have a problem sticking without oil. Make sure the chicken is browned on all sides and since the pieces are so small it will be done in just about 2 min! This is my most favorite of all times! Sounds crazy with the apples, but hmmm so good!

4. A bed of spinach, boiled chicken and then a mix of (paprika, cayenne, mustard power, garlic powder, and onion powder) seasonings together. Sprinkle the chicken on both sides so it has some extra flavor. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and add diced tomatoes, Dressing: lemon juice, cilantro, salt and pepper. So good and I always think it’s better than a restaurants!
There are just a few ideas that I have come up with!

Couscous with Tomatoes, Basil, Scallions: Caring for those who care for your kids.

Couscous with Tomatoes, Basil, Scallions: Caring for those who care for your kids.

For CY, my favorite elementary school teacher and all the teachers out there who do it for our children. Thank you.

It's been busy at our house as Daughter #1 has started kindergarten. She has been at school since she was 20 months old so the adjustment of sending her to school wasn't difficult, but as the school year started, I wanted to be more involved at her school. I know, as a former high school teacher, that without strong parent involvement, public education has the high likelihood of failing the next generation of children. The reasons why are numerous and many and not the purpose of this post, but I will make my plea that if you can, you should definitely get involved in your child's school, however small the effort.

I've been in Daughter's kindergarten class once a week helping out since her school started back in July. (She attends a year round school.) The kindergarten day is short, but the things that Daughter's teacher deals with blow my mind. 22 kids in the classroom, all at different levels of achievement, different backgrounds, different cultures and native languages. In addition, there are numerous assessments, tests, and evaluations that need to be completed for every single child in the class. Even after only 1.5 hours of volunteering in the classroom, I'm pretty spent mentally and need a break. Daughter's teacher continues on for another couple of ours before her day is over.

I've always liked to cook and bake things for Daughters' teachers and this year is no exception. Something nice to eat at the end of the teaching day is an gift with an intangible value. It shows love, appreciation and the acknowledgment of your child's teacher's efforts on behalf of your son and daughter. I've baked for Daughter's teacher on quite a few occasions but today I wanted to bring her LUNCH, so I quickly made this couscous salad to bring to her. I topped the one I gave to the teacher with feta, so as to make it more substantial, but this is really excellent without the feta as a side to any grilled or simple protein as the balsamic adds a special flavor. It is simple, comes together very easily but is a wonderful way to show your child's teacher that you care and you want to thank him or her.

Here are a few more ideas of great and easy lunches to bring to the teachers:

Orzo Salad with Tomato, Feta, and Green Onions
Tri Colore Orzo
Curried Chicken Salad (in a sandwich or presented with some crackers)

Couscous with Tomatoes, Basil, and Scallions
Serves 4-6

2 cups boiling water
2 cups dry couscous (I use whole wheat couscous)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half (depending on the size)
1 cup chopped scallions
1/2 cup basil, chiffonade

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil

In a large bowl, pour in dry couscous, salt and olive oil. Carefully measure out two cups of boiling water and pour over couscous. Give a quick stir and find a lid to fully cover the bowl. Let sit and steam for 7 minutes.

Meanwhile chop scallions, basil and tomatoes and set aside. Whisk together balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Take off the lid of the couscous, and using a fork, fluff up the couscous. Add tomatoes, scallions and basil and drizzle balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing. Toss well.

Serve as a side to protein, or to make it a more substantial meal on it's own, top with feta cheese.

Printable recipe

A bowl of something delicious - who wouldn't want that!

Salsa roja (roasted red salsa)

I eat a lot of salsa. A LOT. I am rather notorious for this, in fact. My friend’s boyfriend once innocently asked if I had anything he could snack on — maybe some chips and salsa? My friend nearly fell on the floor laughing at the thought of me not having chips and salsa in the house. There is no risk of that. Ever.
So when my awesome world-traveling chef cousin came to town for a few days, she offered to teach me how to make roasted red salsa and tamales (more on that later). Can you imagine how much I hesitated? Not. At. All.
And people, this salsa. PEOPLE. With a lifetime of tasting, sampling, and gorging research on salsa, I have never in my life had salsa this good.
Note that this makes a lot — a big mixing bowl full. I’m too embarrassed to tell you how quickly it went here. Without further ado, I give you: The Best Salsa Ever:

• 16 full size tomatoes, or nearly a produce bag full of roma tomatoes (we used roma)
• 2-3 yellow onions
• 20-25 Serrano peppers (remove caps) Note: this many peppers makes it hot. Feel free to reduce # of peppers, or scrape the seeds out of them
• 8-10 cloves of garlic
• 1-2 Tbsp salt
• 1-2 bunches cilantro

1. Halve the tomatoes and onions and lay cut-side up on a cookie sheet along with the peppers and garlic
2. Roast at 375 till the onions look nice and translucent (see bottom left of the next picture), tomatoes look soft, and peppers are getting a nice char on them

3. Let it all cool a bit, then run through the food processor with salt and cilantro (we had to do this in two batches)
4. Stir it all together and eat with abandon. Trust me.

chile and lime veggie bowls

chile and lime veggie bowls

These are so so good!

We've had them a few times since I first found the recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens Magazine.

Chile and Lime Veggie Bowls

adapted from BHG

1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. fresh oregano, snipped, or 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
1 tsp. olive oil
2 medium sweet potatos, peeled and cut in 1-inch cubes
1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1 cup shelled edamame
1 medium avocado, halved, seeded, peeled, and chopped
large cabbage leaves
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
lime wedges (optional)

directions
1. Make Dressing; set aside (if you can make this the day before....DO!! It has so much more flavor!)

Yogurt-Lime Dressing

In small bowl combine 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt, 2 TBS lime juice, 1 TBS soy sauce, 1 TBS chili powder, and 1 clove minced garlic, 2 TBS chopped cilantro, 1TBS chopped chives. Whisk in 1/4 cup olive oil until well combined.

2. In small bowl stir together soy sauce, lime juice, chili powder, oregano, and olive oil; add diced sweet potatoes and toss to coat. Roast at 425° for 30-40 minutes until done.

3. Divide potatoes, beans, tomatoes, edamame, and avocado among cabbage leaves. Sprinkle with green onions.

Drizzle veggies with dressing, and enjoy!

(we found it easiest to fold them up and eat them like tacos:)

Avacado Salad

• 2-3 mashed avocados
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in halves
• onion to taste
• 1 clove grated garlic
• 1/4 lemon or lime juice
• 1-2 stalks celery

Eat this on either

• 1-2 slices toasted whole grain bread
• several whole romaine leaves as a roll-up

Top 10 Foods That Will Give You Great Skin

Aside from giving you a lot of benefits health wise, consuming these food items will help your skin remain luminous, elastic, smooth to the feel and healthy.
Take a look at the top 10 foods that will give you great skin:

1. Avocados

This rich tropical fruit is filled with vitamins C and E which works well towards fighting the effects of skin aging.

Although it is considered to be high in fat content, the type of fat that avocados have is monounsaturated.
This means that the fruit is also loaded with Omega-3 fatty acids that help improve the quality of your skin.

2. Berries

Blueberries, blackcurrants, raspberries, cranberries and strawberries are all beneficial for your skin.It is even better if you can consume the exotic Acai berries which come from the Amazonian forests in Brazil.

Acai berries have the most potent antioxidant content among any other fruits in the world, which is the reason why it is called a ‘superfood‘.
When you load up on foods which are rich in antioxidants, the effect on your body is that free radicals will be neutralized.
These free radicals are the culprit behind premature skin aging and cell damage.In addition, berries are a great source of vitamins C and E, Riboflavin and fibers.
More importantly, these tiny fruits have a natural ingredient which helps the body manufacture collagen – which makes the skin supple and smooth. Not bad for really small fruits, right?

3. Dark Chocolate

 

Surprisingly enough, the oh-so-sinful dark chocolates do have a high antioxidant content which helps improve the flow of blood to the skin.
It also gets rid of the rough feel to your skin while at the same time protecting it from sun damage.

4. Green Tea

If there’s one food item in our list which is also considered as the ultimate health drink, it is none other than green tea. This beverage is considered to be healthier than water and when it comes to the health of your skin, it is the one to beat.

Did you know that green tea is even used as a natural remedy for acne? Green tea is also a potent antioxidant. When you drink green tea regularly, you will get the daily dose of vitamins C, D and K that the body needs.
As you can see, there are numerous benefits that you will get to enjoy by drinking green tea while also improving the quality of your skin – so ditch the caffeine and substitute it with a cup or two of green tea now.

5. Mackerel, Salmon, Sardines & Fresh Tuna

You may notice how all of these fish variants are on the oily side.

Don’t think that just because they’re oily, it already means that they will not contribute to the health of your skin at all.
These types of fish actually contain the healthy and essential fatty acids in the form of Omega-3 oils.
What it does for the health of your skin is to decrease the chances of your skin clogging up while at the same time improving its elasticity. All in all, aside from the benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids to your health, it also generally improves the quality of your skin – making it suppler and younger-looking.

6. Oysters

 

Although they are popular as aphrodisiacs, oysters actually are an excellent source of zinc.
What this does for your skin is to help renew and revitalize it, while assisting with the production of collagen at the same time.

7. Pomegranate Fruits & Pomegranate Juice

 

Just like Acai berries, pomegranate is also considered to be a super food because of its high antioxidant content.
Whether it’s the pure juice form or the fruit itself that you will eat, you will get to enjoy a unique benefit to your skin – which is to prevent the appearance of varicose veins.
This is due to the fact that pomegranate contains Anthocyanins which help strengthen the walls of the tiny blood vessels which in turn supply the skin with the nutrients that it needs.

8. Spinach

 

Popeye’s power veggie is something which you should also be eating a lot of.
Spinach is rich in alpha-lipoic acid and lutein – these two compounds work great against skin aging and also have anti-inflammatory benefits.

9. Tomatoes

 

Plump, red and juicy tomatoes are a great source of lycopene.
This does not just work well as an antioxidant to benefit your skin, but lycopene helps prevent the occurrence of certain cancers as well.

10. Walnuts

 

Just like fish oils, walnuts are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids.
The result when you feed your skin with this is that you will have smoother skin, and your body will be more able to battle inflammatory diseases.
Fill your grocery cart with these items the next time that you go shopping and watch nature work wonders on your skin!

A bit of Salsa in the morning!

Well I'll tell you one thing... even though I stayed up till 2 AM packing to move, which made me ridiculously tired today. I accidentally slept in too late today and got off to a really late start. One great thing though! I found some great salsa that my dad made! He is a pro at salsa making and it's my favorite food ever! Chips and Salsa makes summer!

The most important thing about this blog that I want to convey is what different foods do to our body. I want to realize what foods make my day better or those ones that bring on the 2 PM plea for an afternoon nap. Even though I'm exhausted and want to go right to bed when I get home, I am quite alert and feel really good!

It's a great blend of Onions, Avocados, tomatos, salt, pepper and the best of all ingredients!!! Cilantro! It's light, strong in flavor, and since the avocados are a lot of protein I still feel full and it's been a couple hours.