• Food

    Loaded Roasted Cauliflower Bowl

    I just love potatoes!  Fried, mashed, baked, cubed, you name it…I’ll eat it.  BUT…potatoes are full of carbs.  While they are healthier carbs than that of white bread or a Snickers bar; they are still loaded with carbs.  Thus, potatoes must be eaten in moderation.  That’s where cauliflower comes in.  I’ve riced it, I’ve roasted it, I’ve steamed it, I’ve mashed it…there isn’t much I haven’t done with cauliflower in recipes.  This recipe though, I have to say was WAY better with the roasted cauliflower than with potatoes.  My mouth was so happy with these flavors that I was rather sad when the bowl was empty.  If you’d like to…

  • Food

    Mango Pineapple Salsa Fresco

    Mr. Man would do just about anything for fresh pineapple.  If I have a fresh pineapple and need it for a recipe, I have to chop it up and prepare it before he knows what I’ve done.  Otherwise, it disappears faster than a fart in a fan factory.  So when I decided to refine my pineapple mango salsa recipe, I had to do it while he was at work.  Don’t worry, I shared the end results with him…and he loved it.  I loved it…no, cooking, a lot of chopping.  AND…it’s heart healthy, dairy-free, gluten-free, paleo, whole 30, vegetarian…you name it…well except keto.  This recipe is definitely now in our regular…

  • Food

    Oven-Baked Zucchini Chips

    Zucchini is a vegetable that I wish I loved.  Mushy zucchini makes my skin crawl.  Well…this super easy recipe not only checked all of the boxes for my taste buds, but it was also a huge hit with the boys.  I have made these in the oven and in an air fryer.  Both turned out equally yummy.  Yellow squash and summer squash also work great in this recipe as well.  Do you have any recipes with zucchini that I should try? Oven-Baked Zucchini Chips ingredients: 1 zucchini, can also use yellow squash 2 eggs 1/2 cup heavy cream 2 cups gluten-free Panko breadcrumbs 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese 1/4 tsp salt 1/2…

  • Food

    Roasted Heirloom Tomato and Garlic Marinara

    I found gorgeous baby heirloom cherry tomatoes at my local Costco last week and just had to snag them.  I have to say I am not a tomato lover…I seriously desire to like raw tomatoes, I will eat them on a salad, but overall I avoid them like the plague.  I think my dislike stems from when my parents would stew and can tomatoes almost every year as I was growing up and that smell…that smell rivals baby poo.  It…well it scarred me for life.  BUT I love to figure out how to add them to recipes and spice them up so they don’t dredge up memories that I probably…

  • Food

    Chicken Fried Quinoa

    I’ve been wanting to incorporate quinoa into my diet, but I was afraid because the last time I tried to make something with it the taste was awful.  I even soaked the quinoa before I cooked it and it still tasted like bug spray.  That was several years ago, and now there are a lot more options when it comes to quinoa.  Quite a few of them don’t require presoaking before cooking which is a huge win for me.  Tonight I decided to do chicken fried rice, but with quinoa instead, and guess what…it was SO SO yummy.  I will say, although I love me some cauliflower rice, I think I…

  • Uncategorized

    Health Fads

    I began struggling with my weight in my early 20s.  I gained 50 or so pounds within a year.  I hadn’t made any major lifestyle changes, but the weight was not going anywhere.  Then my menstrual cycle stopped, so I sought medical help.  I received the diagnosis of PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome).  PCOS is a disorder that attacks the ovaries.  The pancreas works in overdrive producing too much insulin which then, in turn, creates little cysts on the ovaries that look like a strand of pearls have been wrapped around them.  This causes the ovaries to behave abnormally and don’t always ovulate on a regular basis.  While PCOS can be…

  • Food

    Air Fried Cauliflower Bites

    I bought Mr. Man an air frier for Father’s Day, it arrived midweek last week and we’ve already used it 5 times.  A majority of the time we make sweet potato fries, because…well…sweet potato fries!  Need I say more?  The other night I decided to use up the last of the cauliflower florets that I had left over from making cauliflower rice earlier in the week.  And now air fried cauliflower bites are in our normal rotation. We invested in the air frier because the dietitian suggested that it would be a good cooking substitute for dad now that he needs to be on a heart-healthy diet.  With the air frier,…

  • Food

    Heart Healthy Fried Cauliflower Rice

    My family has made a very conscious decision to begin a more heart-healthy lifestyle.  Mr. Man and the 4 amigos as well as my parents, siblings and their families; we’ve all decided it is time to make a permanent change together.  As I have been researching heart-healthy foods and recipes, I’ve noticed it isn’t as hard as I assumed it would be.  The recommendations from the American Heart Association as well as the CDC and Mayo Clinic all suggest low sodium, low-fat diet with complex carbs and plenty of fruits and vegetables.  For an individual who has hypertension, high cholesterol, and/or heart disease (especially if they’ve had a cardiac event) the…

  • Food

    Meal Planning Monday

    Mac’n’cheese is a favorite for most people; definitely a favorite of my boys.  Except they are super picky about the flavors, they usually prefer the fake Kraft mac’n’cheese with the powder.  I have tried and failed to create a made from scratch mac’n’cheese that the amigos are willing to eat…until tonight.  This instapot broccoli mac’n’cheese recipe totally hit the spot for all of them, even with the broccoli.  AND…the best part is it was completely cooked in my instapot all at once, including steaming the broccoli. Instapot Broccoli Mac’n’Cheese 1-16oz box of small pasta (elbow, shell, bowtie…your choice) 3Tbsp butter 4 1/2 cups water 1/3 cup dehydrated onion 1lb fresh…

  • Food

    Meal Planning Monday

    When I meal plan each week, I like to have some quick dinner options, especially for days full of chaos and activities.  A few family favorites are cheese tortellini with marinara sauce and Teriyaki Pineapple Chicken Meatballs that are found at Costco.  Both are no-thinking foods that I don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen for. Another thing I love to do is roast veggies for a side dish.  Roasted carrots are the ultimate favorite, but roasted asparagus comes in a close second.  When you roast vegetables in only some olive oil it brings out their natural flavors.  So when carrots are roasted, they get super sweet and when asparagus…