A favorite summer salad

Avocado & Strawberry Salad

2-3 cups favorite greens (I used half spinach, half romain)

10 strawberries sliced

1 avocado sliced

1/2 cup nuts (I used cashews, but I'm sure would be great with pecans, almonds, walnuts, etc)

DRESSING!!!

2 Tbsp. olive oil

4 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp cider vinegar

1 tsp lemon juice

Taco Salad

The classic, right? Usually done with meat. Works just as well with out.

Tonight everyone ate it and liked it. Tonight I made it like this:

1. Seeded and chopped two tomatoes. Finely diced 1/4 red onion. About 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro. One can of black beans. Half a can of sweet corn. Juice of one lemon. One green bell pepper diced. One Tablespoon Taco seasoning. Mixed it all together in a bowl.

2.  Filled a cookie sheet with corn tortilla chips, sprinkled with cheese and broiled just till cheese was melted.

3. Placed green salad mix, ranch, and sour cream on the table.

The I let everyone stack and eat it how they like. Everyone pretty much ate it all. Dekker had his salad with ranch separate from his "nachos" and picked out the tomatoes. I was okay with that.

Renewed effort

Recently we watched the documentary "Forks Over Knives". It helped to reinforce a lot of what I believe regarding food and diet. Since then I've been making a greater effort to get myself and my family back on track. Mon-Thur we eat vegetarian (some seafood allowed) and try to cut out or back on refined sugars as much as possible. The weekends are much more of a "free choice". After an initial post-partum weight loss I was a bit frustrated to be "stuck" at a certain spot on the scale. However, these last two weeks, with my greater efforts (for me the greatest change was cutting out sugars) I've finally started to come down again! Jake said to me the other day that he's also lost a few pounds this last week, and recognized that it was due to us making more of an effort to our eating goals. Just goes to show that it really can make a difference!

Pinterest

If you're interested in the recipe's I post here- you may want to start following my recipe boards on Pinterest. I have two. One is "recipes to try" and the other is "tried and liked recipes". Now- I will warn you- there are all kinds of appetizing recipes that get passed around on Pinterest, and so I've pinned a lot that are weekend and indulgent recipes- but there are also some great healthy ones. Every time I make a recipe and move it to the "tried and liked recipes" board I try to add a comment about how well liked it was and if I made any adjustments.

A few of my latest favorites?

Quinoa Black Bean Fajitas (Jake said he likes them even better than the vegetarian enchiladas I make)

Southwest slaw (for fish tacos)

Fruit salsa

and tonight I made the Rumbi Rice Bowls- substituting more veggies (cauliflower and cabbage) for the chicken. I LOVE the "rumbi rice" part of this recipe. Everyone liked them!

Southwestern Egg Rolls

I've been MIA on this blog since Titus was born. My diet hasn't followed our usual program too closely either. Lately we've been eating meals that other people have provided and when I cook, convenience and ease has now moved up on my priority list. I'ms still trying to do the best I can Mon through Thursday though. Tonight we had Southwestern Egg Rolls. I kinda just throw these together- but here's a basic recipe to share:

1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of corn, drained
1-2 cups shredded cheese
1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to release most juices
3 green onions, diced
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
a little chopped cilantro
garlic salt
maybe some diced tomatoes or peppers if I have them
Either wonton wrappers or tortillas for rolling*

preheat oven to 425*
Mix all but the last together in a bowl.
Spoon into wrappers or tortillas and roll. Place on a baking sheet and spray with baking spray. Slide in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until desired crispiness.

*I prefer the tortillas because they crisp up better. If I didn't hate to fry, maybe I'd opt for the wrappers, but they get a little chewy when baked instead.

Then I make a dipping sauce which usually includes:

1 avocado
plain greek yogurt
lime juice juice
green onion
cilantro
s&p to taste
cumin

Whip together in a mini chopper- and serve

Tilapia Parmesan

Taken directly from Favorite Recipes The Costco Way

This was perhaps the best Tilapia I've ever had!

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 Tbsp mayonnaise (I only used 2)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp ground black pepper (I used 1/4)
1/8 tsp onion powder (I used 1/4)
2 pounds tilapia fillets

1. Preheat the oven broiler. grease a broiling pan or line with aluminum foil.
2. In a small bowl, mix together Parmesan, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.
3. Arrange tilapia fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2-3 minutes. Flip fillets oever and broil for a couple more minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and spread parmesan mixture over the fillets. Broil 2-3 more minutes, or until the topping is browned and the fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to overcook.

Jake and I both LOVED this. Kids liked it too!

Some nights at the dinner table go better than others...

Last night was a bad night at the dinner table. Dekker (my 5 year old) is my pickiest eater. Lately it's gotten really bad. For a while I thought it was a contro thing (and maybe it is), so I would just ask that he try a bite of whatever I ate, and then he could have a PB&Honey instead. But then the other two would want to do the same. So then he had to wait till we were done eating- but I still found the other two eating less at dinner and requesting a PB sandwich and I felt my efforts to make a real meal unimportant. Lately I've decided he's not going to starve himself, so he can eat what I make, or not eat at all.

Last night I made wild rice, a mushroom sauce, roasted broccoli, and applesauce. While I was making dinner Dekker kept saying how good it smelled, but when it was on his plate in front of him he refused to eat it. He took one bite of rice (no sauce) and one bite of broccoli so he could have a helping of applesauce and then after much whining and complaining, chose to go to his room for the night instead. Am I a bad mom?

Tonight was a better night. Tonight I made pan-fried tilapia, Rhodes Rolls with a rub of garlic butter and herbs, and roasted brussel sprouts. Dekker came to the table with a smile and said he'd try a bit of everything. He gobbled his fish and roll, and tasted the brussel sprouts! Josh had two rolls, an adult size serving of fish and tried his brussel sprouts. Naomi had a little fish, two rolls, and also tasted the brussel sprouts. Jake, who "doesn't much care for brussel sprouts" loved them, ate seconds, and said they were the best he ever had. I actually like roasted brussel sprouts, and so also enjoyed them along with the fish and rolls. Serving bowls were empty. I was so happy I pulled out a new recipe I'd found for single serving cakes in mugs (cooked in the microwave) and we all made our own little desserts later!

Monday night was kid-friendly and successful as well. Jake was the last to catch our weekend stomach bug, and so didn't have an appetite. I kept it simple and made tuna melts, mac and cheese, sliced oranges, and peas. I served it all in their little lunch plates Nana gave them for Christmas with each thing in its own little pocket, and they all were good eaters.

You win some, you lose some. But I've learned that making the effort to sit down as a family, and trying to make good choices about what we eat eventually pays off. Josh has become a pretty good eater, and is generally very grateful for the meals I prepare. Jake NEVER complains, usually enjoys, and ALWAYS thanks me for my efforts. And so we keep plugging along.