Ingredients

I thought I should clarify some things about my recipes and what I eat in general.

I try to cook with healthier ingredients.

For example:
I do not cook with ground beef, I use ground turkey instead. It is a little more expensive but a lot better for you. The bests news is Joey likes it too! That being said I should also mention I buy turkey bacon, turkey dogs, turkey sausage, and turkey ham. You need to be careful because turkey still has all the sodium nitrates in it like beef. So just pay attention to what you are buying!

I do not use white flour unless I am giving away what I am making. All other times I use white whole wheat flour or just regular wheat flour. I also but whole wheat pastas and bread. When I eat sandwiches I use Ezekiel bread which is a sprouted grain bread and low on the glycemic index.

I also only try to use regular sugar if I am giving away the food. All other times I use organic sugar or Xylitol, a natural sweetener. The only problems I have found is if you need the sugar to dissolve, don't use the organic kind, because it isn't as fine. So in kool-aid would not be a good idea. And if I use Xylitol, I normally use half that and half regular sugar. Same goes for brown sugar, I use half brown and half Coconut Palm Sugar. It is about the same consistency, just a little lighter.

Salt is another thing. I use Himalayan Sea Salt as opposed to regular salt. This sea salt has very good health benefits like lowering blood pressure. I do not even have regular salt in my apartment, this stuff is just good and good for you.

With all of these substitutes just use your best judgement, because they can alter the tastes or consistencies of what you are making.

I know there are a lot more things you can do to make foods healthy, like with substituting different things for oil and butter, but for now I am content with all I do to try and make foods healthier.

I do buy low fat items like salad dressings, sour cream, and cream cheese. And of course if I drink milk it is skim. I stay away from any drinks high in sugar especially soda, juices that aren't 100% juice, and sport drinks. If I want something sweet to drink I will drink a vitamin water zero because it is sweetened with natural sweetener.

On the chance we actually go to a bar or something I will order a vodka water with lime because I feel it is the healthiest way to go and doesn't taste bad either. If I am buying something to drink when Joey drinks beer it is the Lite Mike's Hard Lemonade because it claims to be naturally sweetened I know it only has 100 calories as opposed to 270 in a regular one.

I think I have gone through everything I can. Oh yeah, I also eat a lot of fruits and veggies, it is just not always evident in my cooking because it is typically just steamed broccoli or roasted cauliflower.


That's just a little insight into what I eat. I hope it helps some of you!

Shrimp Pasta with Broccoli

Joey's parents went to a shrimp harvesting festival and came back with a 1lb of shrimp for all the kids. Joey gave me his to cook up and I decided to do something easy but tasty with it.

Shrimp Pasta

• 1 lb Shrimp, detailed and devined
• Thin whole wheat spaghetti, cooked
• 2 T. Olive oil
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 T. Lemon juice
• Tony Chachere's
• Lemon pepper
• Olive oil
• Parmesan cheese

Cook the shrimp with the olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice till pink. Make sure to not let the garlic burn. Add to the cooked pasta and season with more olive oil, lemon pepper, Tony's, and parmesan cheese.

Broccoli

• 2 heads of broccoli
• 2 T. Water
• Lemon juice

Steam broccoli with 2 T water in a pot over medium heat till tender. Drain remaining water and sprinkle with lemon juice.

Chicken with Potatoes and Onions

My mom stocked me up on farmers market produce because I don't have time to go in Springfield. She got the potatoes, onions, and garlic from the farmers market in Ferguson, MO.

What you need:

• 1lb Chicken tenderloin (or chicken of your choice)
• Little potatoes (if you can't find small baking potatoes, you can use red potatoes. I would say 4 per person)
• 1 Yellow onion
• 3 Cloves minced garlic

For the seasoning:

• Chardonnay
• Lemon juice
• Oregano
• Rosemary
• Lemon pepper

Bake in the oven at 425 for 45-60 minutes.

Mediterranean Pasta

Here is a little recipe I made up myself.

What you need:

• 3 cups Whole wheat penne pasta
• 1lb Cooked chicken (I cut up chicken tenderloin and cooked with chardonnay, lemon juice, garlic, and lemon pepper)
• 1 Yellow onion
• 1 Red pepper
• 1 Container of feta cheese
• Lemon juice, olive oil, and lemon pepper to taste.

Mix all together and voila, a tasty dinner!

*i adapted this recipe from a couscous recipe, but Joey doesn't like couscous :(  That recipe calls for cucumbers and lime juice instead of lemon.

Asian Inspired Flank Steaks with Fried Rice and Parmesan Roasted Green Beans

I clearly decided to just go ahead and repost everything. I hope you all enjoy!

I made this meal for Joey's birthday, that was in June. It was the first Pinterest meal I had ever made and it turned out quite nicely I thought.

*With the fried rice I also added a Tablespoon of minced ginger.

**For the green beans I used Tony Chachere's cajun seasoning instead of salt and pepper, it is my go to when salt is needed.

***Another time I made the green beans I used Feta cheese instead of parmesan, it tasted even better!


http://savorysweetlife.com/2011/04/the-pioneer-womans-black-heels-to-tractor-wheels-and-asian-inspired-flat-iron-steak-recipe/

http://life-as-a-lofthouse.blogspot.com/2010/09/baked-sweet-and-sour-chicken-with-fried.html

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/11/roasted-parmesan-green-beans.html