Chocolate Protein Smoothie without Protein Powder

I don't really like protein powder and I don't like fake sugar, so I never have either on hand and most protein smoothie recipes call for them. This good for you, filling recipe doesn't use either! Give it a try. It's like drinking a candy bar!

Ingredients:
2 cups coconut or almond milk
1/2 - 1 cup of ice
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 Tbsp nut butter
1 Tb honey
1/2 Tbsp chia seeds
1/2 Tbsp flax seeds
1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:
Add all ingredients to blender and select Smoothie option.

Instant Pot Quinoa

INGREDIENTS

• 1  cup quinoa, rinsed 
• 1/2 Tbsp oil or butter 
• a little chopped onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 can chicken broth 
• Spray cooking oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Spray instant pot with cooking spray oil. 

2. Press sauté on instant pot and add oil. 

3. When hot, add onion and sauté for 3 min. 

4. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.

5. Add quinoa and brown for about 2 minutes. 

4. Press cancel on instant pot and add broth. 

5. Secure lid and make sure it’s set to sealing.

6. Select Manual for 1 minute. 

7. When timer rings, let the quinoa sit for 10 minutes and then quick release. 

The Best Canning Salsa

We have tried different salsas over the years.  Most were too sweet, or too vinegary, or too mild.
This recipe is one of a few different ones from the US Department of Agricutlure's Complete Book On Canning. It's a winner in our book!  The sweetness only depends on how sweet your tomatoes are, and the spiciness totally depends on how mature the jalapenos are.  If they are pretty spicy then you will end up with about a medium to medium hot salsa.

Ingredients:
10 cups peeled, chopped tomatoes
6 cups chopped chili/mild peppers*
4 cups chopped onions
1 cup vinegar
3 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Directions:
Combine ingredients in a large saucepan. Heat to a boil and simmer 10 minutes. Ladle hot into pint jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Adjust lids and process in a boiling water canner: 15 minutes at 0-1,000 feet altitude, 20 minutes at 1,001-6,000 feet; 25 minutes above 6,000 feet.

* We used 3 1/2 cups jalapenos and 2 1/2 cups bell peppers. You can remove the seeds from the peppers to make it milder.

More info...
We like our salsa thick, so we boil it until we're happy with the consistency, which is a lot longer than 10 minutes.  Our last batch took almost 2 hours! Just remember to stir often it or it will scald.

Also, don’t change the ratio of vegetables to acid and tomatoes. You can only change the amount of salt, pepper or switch the vinegar to bottled lemon juice. I wouldn’t recommend changing the vinegar to lemon in this salsa though.

Spinach N Strawberries Salad

I found this recipe on Pinterest. It was pretty basic, but I had never made it before. And holy cow. It's a winner! Love the flavor combination here.
(It called for sliced red onions too, but I left them out since I don't care for raw onions.  Also, I added chicken nugget pieces to make it into a meal)
Also, sorry this isn't the prettiest picture. Halfway through eating the salad I decided it was blog-worthy and took a picture, hence it's all disheveled. 

Ingredients:
-Baby spinach
-Feta cheese
-Strawberries sliced
-Pecan pieces (the recipe calls for candied pecans, I just used regular pecans)
-Berry Vinaigrette Dressing

Directions:
1. It's a salad.  You just throw it all together and then devour. 

And here is the amazingly delicious strawberry vinaigrette dressing recipe, slightly modified to my liking: (the original recipe called for raspberries and poppy seeds, both of which I would love to use but didn't have on hand)

Ingredients

• 1/8 cup onion
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar (I used plain ol' white vinegar)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 strawberries
• 1 squirt of mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1-1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds 

Directions:
1. Place onion in food processor and pulse til finely chopped.
2. Add vinegar, sugar, berries, mustard, and salt.  Pulse til combined and smooth.
3. While processor is running, drizzle in the oils and the poppy seeds.
4. Enjoy!

http://www.theyummylife.com/blog/2011/07/211/Spinach+Strawberry+Salad+with+Candied+Pecans%2C+Feta%2C+%26+Raspberry+Poppyseed+Dressing

Toasted Artichoke Sandwiches

Mmm. I only made one substitution. Do your best to get all the specific ingredients it calls for because this was super yummy.

Ingredients

• 1 can (14 ounces) water-packed artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and chopped
• 1 large jarred roasted red pepper, julienned
• 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
• 8 slices Italian bread (1/2 inch thick)
• 8 spinach leaves
• 1/4 cup butter, softened

Directions

• In a large skillet, saute the onion in oil until tender; add artichokes and peppers and cook until soft and hot. Stir in cheese. Remove from the heat.
• In a food processor, combine mayonnaise and tomatoes; cover and process until finely chopped.
• Spread four bread slices with half of the mayonnaise mixture; layer with a spinach leaf, artichoke mixture and remaining spinach. Spread remaining bread with mayonnaise mixture; place on top. Butter outsides of sandwiches.
• On a griddle, toast sandwiches for 2-3 minutes on each side or until bread is lightly browned. Yield: 4 servings.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Toasted-Artichoke-Sandwiches

Minestrone Soup

This is so delicious. I use this recipe whenever I have a yearning for some hot minestrone soup! It takes some time to prepare all the veggies, but I used frozen chopped onion/celery to make it a bit quicker.
Ingredients:
1 14-1/2-ounce can chicken broth
1 14-1/2-ounce can tomatoes, cut up
1 cup choopped onion (1 large)
1 cup shreddd cabbage
3/4 cup tomato juice
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1-1/4 cups water
1 15-ounce can white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 of a 9-ounce package frozen italian green beans
2 ounces spaghetti or linguine, broken (about 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons finely shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. In a pot mix broth, undrained tomatoes, onion, cabbage, tomato juice, carrot, celery, basil, garlic powder, and water.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer covered for 20 minutes.
3. Add kidney beans, zucchini, green beans, and spaghetti.
4. Return to boiling, reduce heat.
5. Cover; simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until noodles are tender.
6. Serve topped with paremesan cheese.

from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook

Grilled Veggie Tostadas

This is a little late, since most of the veggies have now frozen out in the garden! I took the pic a while ago when we made these, but then the internet was down. Anyway, I thought these were super delicious! Ingredients:

12 small tortillas (corn or flour)
Refried beans
Cheese (we used cheddar, salsa fresca would be awesome though)
Grilled Veggies (Peppers, Squashes, Tomatoes, Corn)
Salsa

Directions:

1. We made our own refried black beans that turned out really great. Use 2 cans of black beans. Add them to a little hot vegetable oil and fry them up on medium high. Add salt, garlic, pepper, onion powder, and gently mash until you get the desired consistency.

2. To grill veggies: Peel veggies. Slice veggies diagnoally, about 1/4 inch thick. Brush with olive oil, salt and pepper, and then grill. Either on BBQ or we did it on a broiler pan in the oven on a low broil. Cook until tender.

3. Warm up tortillas in a small frying pan.

4. When warm, layer on top of tortilla beans, veggies, cheese, salsa.

5. Enjoy!

Roasted Green Beans

Such a great way to bring out the sweetness in fresh picked beans. Mmmm.
Ingredients

• 2 lbs green beans
• 1-2 tablespoon olive oil (or just enough to lightly coat beans)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste, may substitute with Mrs. Dash if desired)
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper (or to taste, omit if using Mrs. Dash)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Wash, dry well, and trim green beans.
3. Put green beans on a jelly roll pan.
4. Drizzle with olive oil.
5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste
6. Use your hands to be sure all the beans are evenly coated and spread them out into 1 layer.
7. Roast for 20-25 minutes, turning after 15 minutes, until beans are fairly brown in spots and somewhat shriveled.
8. Serve hot or at room temperature.

http://www.recipezaar.com/Roasted-Green-Beans-133821

Pizza Dough

I got this recipe from Brent's mom. I tweaked it just a little and have noted down some helpful hints I have learned after making it so many times. I LOVE this recipe. We made it into calzones last night:
Ingredients:

1 cup warm water
1 tbsp yeast
3 cups flour
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup softened butter

Directions for Dough:
1. Mix yeast and water very well. Let mixture sit while mixing the other ingredients.
2. Mix all dry ingredients in large bowl.
3. Add softened butter and mix well with fork.
4. Add water/yeast. Mix with fork and then knead with hands, adding water or flour to get desired consistency. Should be very soft and slightly sticky.
5. Transfer to greased bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in bulk.
6. Punch down and let rise again.

Directions for Pizza:
1. Preheat oven with pizza stone inside to 450.
2. Divide dough into two equal parts.
3. Roll dough out to size of pizza stone.
4. Cook for 5 minutes only. Check for bubbles, and poke them with sharp knife if you see one.
5. Remove dough, add toppings, and bake another 10 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.
6. Repeat with remaining dough.

Directions for Calzones:
1. Preheat oven to 450 with pizza stone inside.
2. Prepare desired meat ingredients. (We used sauteed 1 onion, 1 bell pepper, 3/4 pound sausage, 1/4 pound ham, and 1 chopped tomato. Add black pepper and 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning to meat.)
3. Add 1 1/4 cups mozzarela cheese and 1/2 cup marinara sauce to meat mixture.
4. Divide dough into 5 equal parts. Roll out to into 8 inch circles. Make sure there is plenty of flour underneath the dough after it has been rolled or it will stick to the counter when you try to move it to the stone later.
5. Place 1/5 of meat mixture on each dough circle, only on one side. Fold dough over filling. Wet the edges of the dough with finger and water. Use fork to press edges together to seal.
6. Cut 3 slits in top of each calzone. Place on pizza stone and cook 2 or 3 at a time for 13-15 minutes.
7. Serve with marinara sauce.

Can also use this recipe for scones, navajo tacos, or pretzels if you take out garlic, italian seasoning and 1/2 the salt. Yummy!!!!

Baked Potato Bar

This is pretty basic, but if you're like me, you often forget about this option. Lucy, who isn't really a potato lover, ate a whole potato for dinner! My hint: salt and pepper the potato before you put the toppings on. The potato needs it, not the bacon. Here are some of the options that you can put on the baked potato:
What we used:
-chopped green onions
-crumbled bacon (not bacon bits, do the real thing)
-shredded cheddar cheese
-chopped tomatoes
-Ranch dressing

Other options:
-sour cream
-sauteed yellow onions
-sauteed garlic mushrooms
-cooked broccoli
-cheese sauce
-chopped ham
-canned chili

Black Bean Soup

This is really really good, even though it doesn't look all that appetizing in this picture I took. That's because I added corn to my soup, which changed the color of it. You can also add corn if you want, the flavor matched well. (However, add the corn after it's blended, just stir it in. I think that would be better.) I also over-chopped my carrots, and it still turned out delicious. I served it with corn bread muffins and salad.
Give it a try! Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon(s) olive oil
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 2 clove(s) garlic, finely chopped
• 1 large (10- to 12-ounce) onion, chopped
• 1 medium (4- to 6-ounce) red pepper, chopped (I used canned)
  
• 2 teaspoon(s) ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) crushed red pepper
• Salt
• 2 cup(s) water
• 2 can(s) (15- to 19-ounce) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can(s) (14 to 14.5-ounce) reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup(s) fresh cilantro leaves, chopped, plus sprigs for garnish
• 1 tablespoon(s) fresh lime juice

---

Directions

1. In 6-quart saucepot, heat oil on medium until hot. Add carrots, garlic, onion, and pepper; cook 12 to 15 minutes or until vegetables are lightly browned and tender, stirring occasionally. Add cumin, crushed red pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook 1 minute.
2. Stir in water, beans, and broth; heat to boiling on medium-high. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes to blend flavors.
3. Ladle 3 cups soup into blender; cover, with center part of cover removed to allow steam to escape, and blend until pureed. Stir puree into soup in saucepot; heat through on medium. Stir in cilantro and lime juice, and garnish with cilantro sprigs to serve. Makes about 6 1/2 cups.

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipefinder/black-bean-soup-recipe

The lazy version of Mexican Sopes

This is basically a tostada, I think. Our Mexican friends had us over for lunch a few weeks ago and served us Sopes (so-pays). They are so delicious, and easy. I had a hard time finding the right corn flour to use, so we made our own version of the dish on Cinco de Mayo using store bought corn tortillas. It was the lazy version, as Brent called it. If you want to make the real version, do it. I'll put the link at the bottom of the blog for the real version. They were a little bit better with the thick chewy tortillas. Otherwise follow the recipe below
Ingredients:
1 package small corn tortillas
1 can black or pinto beans
1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1/4 pound Queso fresco, grated (very important cheese. Buy it at Mexican markets)
Lettuce, chopped
Your favorite salsa
1 Avocado, diced

Directions.
1. Mash the beans and oil together in a sauce pan with a potato masher. Heat over medium low heat.
2. Warm tortillas in large skillet over medium heat.
3. Spread refried beans over tortillas and top with remaining ingredients.
4. Can add chorizo and chopped baked potato for more variety.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/saras-secrets/sopes-recipe/index.html