No More Recipe Ruts - new ideas to try!

Stephanie here with another recipe rut update. I've been doing a pretty good job at trying new recipes - especially during crazy work weeks when my husband and I have both been traveling. I have been picking and choosing from my crazy long list of new recipes I want to try and have 2 new recipes to share!

Weight Watchers Parmesan Chicken Cutlets

Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa
D loves broccoli... me notsomuchatall. But I know broccoli is super good for you, so I had to give it a go. When he suggested this recipe I got super anxious because the smell/taste/texture of broccoli makes my stomach churn. So it is forever D's goal to get me to eat more broccoli. We found this cheesy broccoli quinoa recipe on one of our fav recipe websites Closet Cooking.

I am very happy to announce that I LOVED THIS RECIPE! I ate broccoli and lived to tell the tale! So stoked I can add this recipe to my favs and add broccoli back to my diet. We have already made it twice - it's not time consuming at all. The first time we made it on it's own and it wasn't enough of a meal. The second time we added chicken and it was a perfect meal. I really recommend trying this one out for a quick and easy dinner!


Weight Watchers Parmesan Chicken Cutlets
I love Italian food, so when I found this recipe I couldn't wait to try out this lower fat / not totally cheesy version of chicken parm! You can find the recipe here on food.com - it is super quick and easy to make.

Chicken baked and ready to go!

My finished product :)

I also made a side of gluten free pasta with tomato basil sauce to go with it. It was a good pairing, but next time I may try a homemade sauce to give this meal an extra kick.

Have you tried any of these new recipes? What is your fav way to try new recipes - do you add your own flair and spices or follow the recipe to the T? Share your fav recipe links on our S & Tea Facebook page!

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Grocery List for Smoothies

Hey there, SH checking in with my smoothie grocery list. I didn't find a lot of smoothie recipes that I wanted to make to the T. So I used the recipes that I found most intriguing and took ingredients from all of those.

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Basic Stock Up > Flax Seed and Cinnamon are super good for you, so I'm going to add them to every smoothie I make
Peanut Butter
Raw Cacoa Powder
Flax Seed or Flax Oil
Cinnamon
Liquid Basics: Soy Milk, Almond Milk, Coconut Water, Orange Juice

Recipes > I used these recipes are inspiration starters for my own smoothie recipes
http://offbeatandinspired.com/2012/09/29/healthy-cocoa-banana-almond-smoothie/
http://www.allparenting.com/my-table/articles/946149/5-fabulous-kid-friendly-smoothie-recipes
http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-superpower-morning-smoothie-recipes-from-the-kitchn-183353
http://www.heatherchristo.com/cooks/2013/02/13/berrylicious-rainbow-smoothie/

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Fruits > Trying out my favs first
Bananas
Strawberries
Blueberries

I will let you know my favorite smoothie mixes I come up with! Have you tried making your own smoothie recipes? Do you add in usuals like flax or cinnamon? What is your favorite liquid base  for smoothies? I'm going to try to keep mine dairy free with soy/almond milks and coconut water and OJ. Any tips for creating my own smoothie recipe?

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Baked Falafel & Tahini Sauce

Lacey, here!

I've been meaning, for years, to try homemade Falafel. And tonight was the night.

Falafel

Ingredients:

1 can garbanzo beans (rinsed & drained)

1 Tbsp EV Olive Oil

1 1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon dill weed

1 small onion, quartered

1/3 cup parsley leaves

3 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon baking powder (optional, but it makes them fluffy)

dash of salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place all items in food processor. Process for 10 seconds.

Scrape down the sides and then pulse about 10 times, or until it's the consistency you'd like. Some like little chunks, some like it smoother.

Form your batter into ping-pong sized balls. Press down a bit if you want patties.

Bake for 20 minutes, flip, bake another 20 minutes. Ta-da! (I know these are traditionally fried, but we don't need that!! Bake at a high temperature for a crispy outside!)

Tahini Sauce

Ingredients:
1/4 cup Tahini
2 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp coconut water (or regular water)
1 small tomato, diced
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
1 small dill pickle, diced
3 garlic cloves, diced and then mashed into a paste
Dash of paprika

 Diretions:
Place tahini in bowl. Add in lemon juice and stir with fork until blended into paste.

Slowly add in coconut water. Stir, stir, stir.
Add in remaining ingredients.

The finished product. I'm quite proud of it! The falafel was a great consistency. I'd love to try out some other sauces in the future! Maybe some peanut butter based sauce. Mmmm.

The final meal included spaghetti squash with a Thai seasoned carrot/onion/tomato topping.

I hope this encourages you to try out new meals that may seem intimidating. I really regret not making Falafel sooner!!

An Inappropriate Amount of New Recipes to Try

Hey friends, SH here. As I mentioned, I was stuck in a recipe rut. So I have been and will be posting all the new recipes I am trying every week and giving my reviews of them. Except that I went overboard this week (thanks, Pinterest) and found like 30 new recipes I am dying to try. Obvi these will take me weeks to go through, so I can't help but overshare right now.

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These are links to the top recipes I can't wait to try:

http://www.stacymakescents.com/fix-and-forget-friday-crock-pot-chicken-fajitas

http://www.twirlblog.com/2010/12/potato-goodness.html

http://www.food.com/recipe/easy-garlic-chicken-5478

http://www.food.com/recipe/cheesy-chicken-bacon-tater-tot-crock-pot-bake-403520

http://www.food.com/recipe/weight-watchers-parmesan-chicken-cutlets-185342

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/06/crash-hot-potatoes/

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/baked_parmesan_tomatoes.html

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/ginger_meatloaf.html

http://diaryofarecipeaddict.blogspot.com/2011/07/sweet-spicy-bacon-chicken.html

http://www.snackpicks.com/en_US/recipes/details/macaroni-and-cheese-with-veggie-bacon-recipe.html

http://diaryofarecipeaddict.blogspot.com/2012/03/copycat-macaroni-grills-penne-rustica.html

http://skinnytaste.ziplist.com/recipes/318299-Spaghetti_with_Sauteed_Chicken_and_Grape_Tomatoes

http://www.budgetsavvydiva.com/2012/02/crock-pot-potatoes/

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/3251876576/super-easy-tandoori-chicken

http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/Recipes/Recipe/Cheesy-Potato-Frittata.aspx

http://www.cookincanuck.com/2013/01/baked-turkey-quinoa-zucchini-meatballs-recipe-in-lettuce-wraps/

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/01/lunch-box-tomato-chickpea-soup-swiss-chard-recipe.html

http://whatsgabycooking.com/nacho-loaded-potato-skins/

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*Maybe if you cook healthy all week, you can try my Mardi Gras tie dye cupcakes to celebrate :)

OK, so now that I did all the recipe research for you - which ones will you try?! Not all are gluten free or dairy free, but you can adjust each one to your own liking. Does it terrify you to try new recipes? Or do you look forward to it all day? Have you ever worked hard on a meal that just ended up sucking? Where do you do your recipe research? Pinterest addict like me? What are your favorite places to read food reviews and check out new things to try?

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Honey Glazed String Beans & Radish Quinoa

New and interesting dishes have been my goal for the last few nights. Fed up with the same 7 or 8 recipes I make every week, it's been my goal to try new textures and flavors.  After buying our bulk 25 pound box of quinoa, we've been less hesitant to cook with it. While it's one of our favorite staples in the house, buying a small box from the grocery store was costing us around $5+ at two a week so we limited our intake to save some money.  Now, we're free to cook with it as much as we please.

This was a "thrown-together" recipe out of necessity to get rid of some string beans in the fridge and use up a few of the radishes I picked out of the garden this morning. Surprisingly, cooked radishes are a pleasant change from the raw radishes we eat in our salads daily.

Onto the meal:

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa + 2 cups water (cook per box directions)

1 teaspoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 large radishes (6 or 7 small), sliced & quartered

1/2 small onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

Bunch of stringbeans

2 teaspoons honey (or to taste)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

2 teaspoons dried parsley

1 teaspoon thyme

2 T crushed walnuts

1/4 cup halved cherry tomatoes

Directions:

1. Cook your quinoa according to package directions. (Usually 2 parts water, 1 part quinoa. Bring to boil, then reduced to low-medium heat for about 20 minutes.)

2. In pan, add EVOO and allow to heat up. Add your radish, onion, and garlic. Allow to cook on medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, stir every minute.

3. Add stringbeans, cover, turn to low-medium heat and allow to cook for 5-7 minutes. Stir halfway through.

4. Add honey and lemon, and allow to cook for about a minute. Toss in thyme and walnuts. Cover and cook 2 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

5. Toss in walnut and cherry tomatoes.

6. Serve string bean/radish mixture on top of quinoa on a plate. Enjoy!

 

The honey and lemon in this dish add a wonderfully sweet and fresh flavor to what could have been a fairly heavy dish with all this quinoa.  Hopefully this encourages you to explore some diverse and interesting ingredients to change up the taste of some of your dishes!

-Lacey

Photo Blog: Meals & Snacks This Week

Here's a simple post on some of the meals & snacks I've been eating this week:

String Beans and Tomatoes

 Poor Man's Shrimp (cauliflower/old bay/cocktail sauce)

 Big salad with veggies & Italian roasted garbanzo beans & corn on the cob:

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

This is an old photo since I forgot to take one Monday night!

 Fresh Pineapple

 Cherries (which Rita always begs for)

 Almonds, my favorite snack

 Gala apple and all natural peanut butter (my go-to breakfast!)

I hope this gives you some ideas for snacks & meals! I think this will turn into a weekly post, just showing you what I've been eating since so many people ask "What do you eat other than salad?" Also, keep an eye out as I may have a surprise for you involving a trip next week. YIKES! Hopefully it works out!

-Lacey