Doin' Some Cookin'... Collard Green Wraps

For the past year and a half I have been following a Whole30 lifestyle 90% of the time. One thing I do not miss is bread for sandwiches. Maybe because I always used whole wheat bread and never thought my sandwich got an flavor benefit from the bread. With Whole30 I have replaced bread with vegetables.

The other day I used a red bell pepper cut in half and filled it with more veggies and turkey to pack as a "sandwich" for lunch. Romaine lettuce leaves make the perfect vessel for tuna salad. Portobello mushrooms a bun for burgers. Oh, the possibilities.

New to me was using collard greens as a tortilla replacement. I was pleasantly surprised with how easy the leaves were to prep and how you can blanch a batch ahead of time to store for the work week for lunches.

Get yours daily greens by making these Collard Green Wraps. Completely customizable to fill the leaves with whatever your heart desires. Handheld low carb nutrient packed meal for the win!

Unrelated side note... I cannot believe the school year is two weeks away for my Little Man and that I will have a 4th grader. I'm going to miss the laid back summer schedule and not ready for what feel like rushed mornings and nights filled with homework and little quality time.

However, I do have one more meal idea when packing his lunches now.

Collard Green Wraps

Adapted From: Wake The Wolves

Makes 4 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 4 large collard greens, blanched in simmering water for 10 seconds
• shredded red and green cabbage, to taste
• shredded carrots, to taste
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 2 cooked chicken breasts, sliced 

And Action:

Lay one leaf on a plate and layer with the cabbage, carrots, avocado, and chicken making sure not to overfill the leaf. Roll up the leaf like you would a burrito. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Pan Seared Lamb Chops with Garlic

Sunday night I was doing my weekly meal prep and I reach into the freezer pulling out lamb chops. At the time it sounded fussy for a weeknight meal, however, after a long shift at work and a quick cooking method these lamb chops are anything but fussy.

This was my first time cooking them at home and I have to say, I impressed myself and may have been turned on to a new red meat.

The lamb chops are marinated in a garlic olive oil blend and then pan seared for a couple minutes on each side before a quick bake in the oven. Serve it with a side of mashed cauliflower, green beans and if you aren't on some restricted eating plan (*cough, Whole30, *cough), a bottle, err, glass of Merlot or Pinot Noir and you have a restaurant quality meal for a fraction of the price and on the table in under 15 minutes.

I guess it was the price point at restaurants that had me thinking lamb chops were a fussy meat.

These lamb chops were so tender and juicy they will have you picking them up with your hands and gnawing on the bone to get every bit of meat possible.

I'll be glad the next time I score a deal on some lamb chops to make this one again.

Pan Seared Lamb Chops with Garlic

Adapted From: Primal Palate

Makes 4 Lamb Chops

Stars of the Show:

• 4 lamb shoulder chops
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• dried thyme, salt and pepper, to taste

And Action:

Marinate the lamb chops in 1 tbsp olive oil, vinegar, garlic, and spices for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. 

Sear the chops for 2 minutes on each side. 

Bake for 2 minutes, remove from the oven and serve. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Southwestern Superfood Salad

I'm back on my Whole30 kick and have a pretty sweet reward in mind for completion. Day one of Whole30 was a much needed body reset because I woke up bloated from a day of poor eating yesterday.

This salad is packed with peaches and avocado on a bed of arugula with a zesty smoked almond cilantro pesto dressing. This is a flavor kick in the mouth. If I wasn't on Whole30 I would have added grilled corn, quinoa, and black beans. I forgot to add my grape tomatoes too. An afterthought was that if I wasn't also trying to keep this meatless a citrus grilled chicken breast would have been a nice addition as well.

The pesto recipe is going to be saved for the next seafood night.

The salad is light and refreshing and provides the perfect fuel for a good workout. Today I focused on working out triceps, shoulders, and hips. It's been over a month and a half since I've been able to workout due to bronchitis and strep at the same time. Definitely fatigued my muscles and it felt so good to earn that afternoon nap.

Now that I'm back in the fitness game I need to find a sturdy one piece swimsuit for the gym (in a smaller size than my suit from last summer, yay!!) so I can get in that lap pool.

Make this meatless salad for a meal that will come together in less than 20 minutes.

Southwestern Superfood Salad

Adapted From: Camille Styles

Makes 1 Serving

Stars of the Show for the Salad:

• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 cups arugula
• 1 peach, sliced
• 1/2 avocado, cubed
• 1/4 cup smoked almonds

Stars of the Show for the Pesto:

• 1 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/4 cup smoked almonds
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 avocado
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• pinch of red chili flakes
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

And Action:

 

Add all ingredients for the pesto in a blender and pulse until smooth.

In a large bowl, combine the salad ingredients. Toss with the desired amount of pesto. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Mac and Cheese with Sneaky Sweet Potato

Little Man loves mac and cheese... well... let me be clear, he loves Kraft Mac and Cheese. He is brand loyal and turns his nose up to anything else.

I can't tell you how many times we've tried mac and cheeses on kid's menus and he'll end up eating the side dish he chose instead or how many homemade versions I have tried. The kid dislikes them all.

One work night recently I decided to swing into the grocery store on the way home and decided to try another mac and cheese attempt. I came across a recipe that included sweet potato in the cheese sauce. I used to be against sneaking veggies into meals but now I'm all for it to ensure Little Man is eating a well balanced diet.

Dinner that night was the Mac and Cheese with Sneaky Sweet Potato, honey mustard glazed ham, and French style green beans.

You can definitely tell this isn't traditional mac and cheese and it's a lighter cheese sauce with a brighter orange hue that just tastes healthier.

No surprise here. Little Man did not enjoy this at all. He even claimed that on this particular night he didn't like the green beans either. Sigh.

The hunt continues but for now I'm okay with losing the mac and cheese battle and letting Kraft hold the title because deep down I love it too.

Mac and Cheese with Sneaky Sweet Potato

Adapted From: Thriving Home

Makes 8-10 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 1 lb elbow macaroni, cooked al dente and tossed with olive oil reserving pasta water, amount  noted below- I used quinoa macaroni. Tastes like whole wheat pasta without the grainy texture. 
• 1 sweet potato, microwaved or baked until soft
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 3/4 cup reserved pasta water
• 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 4 cups grated colby-jack cheese
• 3/4 cup whole wheat panko breadcrumbs
• 2 tsp olive oil
• dried parsley

And Action:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray. 

In a food processor add the sweet potato, milk, pasta water, yogurt, salt, and pepper and blend until smooth. 

Pour the mixture in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Whisk often to prevent the milk from burning. Turn the heat to low and slowly whisk in the cheese a little at a time. Whisk until smooth. 

Add the cooked macaroni to the saucepan and stir to combine with the cheese sauce. Transfer the macaroni to the baking dish. 

Combine the breadcrumbs, olive oil, and desired amount of parsley in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni covering the dish. 

Bake for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Freezer Meal: 

Follow steps as noted above but do not bake the macaroni. Tightly wrap the baking dish making sure it's freezer safe. When ready to eat, thaw in the fridge overnight. Baked as directed. Enjoy!

Livin' It Up... Little Man's 9th Birthday

My Little Man is 9 years old. Wow. 9 years old!!

The time is flying by and now we're on the downhill for getting him off to college. What a sad realization.

This year he decided he wanted a Pokemon themed birthday party and wanted to keep it simple with a pizza party and a sleepover. The party ended up being so low-key and he required nothing more than cake and his friends. The rest was just icing on the cake.

This was the first year the house did not get decorated and no custom cake was purchased. I keep learning year after year just how low maintenance my son really is. He is happy with whatever you do for him. He doesn't ask for much and he really means he only wants what he asks for. I've done the whole extras before and he kinda shrugs it off. Even if I think a gift I am picking out for him will be the "woah factor" it never is.

One of his best buddies is super high maintenance and requested we change the menu from a pizza party to a cookout with burgers and hot dogs. Little Man is such a gracious host that he let me know ahead of time about wanting to change the menu because of his friend. As long as the birthday boy wanted it I didn't mind. But really though, this friend of his is a pain in the ass and completely drained me. Little Man had also originally requested an "All Sports" themed birthday but changed his mind because he said this kid doesn't like sports or being outside. Ugh!! He is a "birthday invite" only kind of a kid. I did my best to smile and tolerate him. Why is it these kind of kids are always the last ones to get picked up?!! I mean I get it, I would want a break too. Haha!! On a side note, I realize how terrible this is to admit.

Even though burgers and hot dogs were made I still make a Pokeball pizza since I had been craving pepperoni pizza all week and it was delicious.

(All he wanted this year was a new bike and baseball cards, he got them!!!)

After dinner we pulled out the chocolate ice cream cake Little Man requested, he opened gifts, and then set up the backyard for a water balloon fight before the boys came into the house for the night to watch movies and play games.

(Didn't see it coming to him. Haha!!)

(The smile makes it all worth it.)

(I love love love his grassy feet!!)

They had Field Day earlier and were completely worn out by 11:30pm and crashed hard.

When they woke up the next morning around 7am the birthday boy requested donuts and chocolate milk.

The sleepover wrapped up at 10am and I crashed the rest of the day after Little Man was picked up by his dad for the weekend.

I'm all for hosting these kind of low-key parties that are stress free and make my son incredibly happy. I'll put up with an annoying kid any day for him. Haha!

(Birthday twins, Little Man and Ms. Alyssa... she is a sweetheart!!)

I also appreciate the special gestures from my bosses who left him an envelope with cash and his after school care teacher who shares a birthday with him surprising him with a gift bag filled with toys and a grocery bag filled with candy. She also picked him up a badge that said birthday boy and pinned a dollar bill to him.

I'm so incredibly blessed to be his mom!! Happy 9th Birthday Little Man!! Love you so much!!!