Dutch oven beef stew

small or medium size Dutch oven:
1 box of Jiffy cornbread mix
1/2 lb of sirloin (finely sliced)
4 garlic cloves, chopped
3 potatoes (large ones) or 5 smaller ones (diced)
3 carrots, 3 stalks of celery (cut like matchsticks)
1 medium onion (diced)
2 cayenne peppers (seeded) minced
In a regular pan brown the sirloin, with your onion, and cayenne pepper. Throw your meat and onion in your dutch oven with your chopped veggies. Add salt, pepper, & Mrs. Dash. Cook up 3 cups of brown gravy and add to your dutch oven. Cover and put in the oven at 325 degrees for 40 minutes. At the last fifteen minutes mix your cornbread in a separate dish and turn the oven up to what the box says for cornbread leave the dutch oven in there. This is my husband's favorite meal especially on a cold day!

Dijon Garlic Chicken

Marinade for the chicken:

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup soy sauce

1 oz. of lemon juice

1 1/2 Tbsp dijon mustard

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp garlic powder (or about 4 garlic cloves chopped)

Whisk everything together really good and pour over 3-4 chicken breasts.

Refrigerate 4 hours for a good flavor!

Cook in an oven at 350 degrees for 30mins put down aluminum foil first then put chicken on top for less clean up. Or you can use a george forman grill/normal grill I've tried all 3 ways and they all work good.

Make a side salad and a vegetable and your good to go for dinner!

Baked Potato Soup

This is a little long about 1 hour total for everything to finish:

4 strips of bacon OR breakfast sausage ½ lb

6 scallions chopped (set aside the white part)

4 cloves of garlic minced

1 Tbsp of flour

8 chicken bullion cubes and 8 cups of water + 1 can of chicken stock (about 10 cups of liquid total)

5 potato's red skins diced leave the skin on. (or use 2-3 russet's)

about...... 1 cup of potato flakes or more if you want it a little thicker

1/2 cup of half and half

salt and pepper, Tabasco sauce couple shakes, and shredded cheese.

Heat a large soup pot (medium heat) cook bacon until crispy, remove bacon leaving the grease. Add scallion whites & garlic cook for 2 mins, add flour and coat. Pour in stock, whisking to help prevent lumps.

Add cubed potato's simmer for 30-40 mins. Throw in potato flakes (just to make it a little thick add more if need be), half and half, bacon, green scallion pieces and tabasco last, then serve. Serve in bowls then add cheese as a garnish.

What I'm doing to stay fit!

Last week I finally rejoined the gym I was going to a couple months ago. It really helps when you have someone to go with! I'm officially going 5 days a week with my neighbor in the early morning (either 7:30 or 8:00am) we're both doing about 40 minutes total. We do 20 minutes of cardio (treadmill or elliptical or bike) afterwards we stretch. Then do four different machines, we're working day 1 arms , day 2 stomach, day 3 legs... you get the idea.
Anyways it's nice and I'm glad I started going again!

Garlic-Lemon Chicken Skewers

Servings 4 Adults:
12 skewers (wood soak these in water for 1 hour before using)
1 lb of chicken or 3 large chicken breasts (cubed)
1 white onion, 1/2 of a red onion
1 red pepper, 1 green pepper
1 carton of mushrooms if you want (I just didn't have any)
Marinade:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup lime juice
4 cloves of garlic (smashed and diced up) *when you smash them you get more flavor*
Large handful of parsley *If you don't grow this I recommend highly that you do!* much cheaper =D
salt/pepper and Mrs. Dash
Whisk all the marinade together and pour over chicken and veggie's in a zip lock bag, refrigerate 1 hour.
Cooking on the grill: Put down tin foil over the grill grate. (prevents burning)
Place skewers on medium heat on your tin foil and cook 15 minutes. Flip over skewers and cook another 5 minutes. Make sure you cover your grill while this is cooking.
Takes a while to put all the veggies/chicken on skewers (1/2 hour) but it's well worth it!

Inside out chicken pot-pie

1 can of cooked chicken
1 chopped white onion
2 stalks of celery
2 carrots chopped
1 bag of frozen peas (about 2 cups)
4 Tbsp of stick butter (unsalted)
1/3 cup of flour
1 and 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 and 1/2 cups milk
1 can of small (or large) biscuits
1/2 tsp of sage or 6 whole sage leaves (just take out after done cooking)
salt/pepper and Mrs. Dash
*Melt butter in large frying pan (with high sides) add onions, celery sautee (7-8 mins on medium) Add flour to this and stir until the flour browns 2 minutes. Slowly add chicken stock (whisk this constantly) until it thickens up then slowly add the milk keep whisking! Add everything else and cook for 6 minutes.
Turn on your oven to biscuit directions.
Then get a glass pan (with high sides) that works in the oven add everything from your frying pan into the glass pan and put your biscuits on top. Put in the oven for biscuit directions and (usually 400 degrees for 15 mins) enjoy!

Healthy Lunch

Just wanted to let you see what I've been eating for my lunches lately.
Hummus, 1 slice of swiss cheese, 8 slices of green pepper and a good sized piece of smoked salmon! Very delicious and good food! I also eat hummus with carrots, crackers, grapes, and a slice of lunch-meat.

Chicken fried rice

This is for 2 adult servings with a good amount of leftovers:
1 1/2 cups of white rice (I use a rice cooker) to 2 cups of water. Start this first.
2 chicken breasts
3 eggs
1 bag of frozen peas
6-8 green scallions
4 cloves of garlic
I use a cast iron Wok, any pan with high sides will work:
Dice up your chicken and cook in 2 Tbsp of veggie oil (or peanut oil). Cook on high till no longer pink, move your chicken to the sides of the pan and add your eggs in the middle (I beat them in the pan) while this is cooking on medium heat, add about 1/4 cup of soy sauce, salt, pepper, and red pepper. I smash my garlic then dice it up and throw it in the pan. When the eggs look done add your peas and cook about 5 minutes. Lastly add your green scallions and add your cooked rice to the pan, turn off the heat and stir really well to coat everything. Add more soy sauce as you see fit, and enjoy!

Pasta with Garlic

This is a recipe from my mother-in-law who is from Sicily~ one of my favorites!
This is for two people if your having 4 people just double the recipe.
I use 1lb of pasta
1 whole head of garlic chopped
2 Tbsp of stick butter
extra virgin olive oil
big handful of fresh or frozen parsley (chopped)
I use about a 5 inch frying pan and cover the bottom of the pan with extra virgin olive oil simmer between low & medium heat, put in your garlic cook (maybe 1 or 2 mins max) DO NOT LET IT BROWN the taste will turn bitter. Add your stick butter then add 3 laddle's of water from the pasta to the sauce mix.
Let it simmer on low for a few mins salt and pepper pretty heavily.
Lastly add your parsley and turn off the stove.
I always keep Parmesan cheese stored in the freezer (I buy mine from Gordon Foods) 5 lbs it's one of the better cheese's. And that's it enjoy ^_^

Fajita's with sirloin

Sirloin thinly sliced (I use about a large handful)
( Marinate sirloin in:  1Tbsp of lemon juice
1 Tbsp of lime juice
About 6 drops of Tabasco sauce
3-4 garlic cloves chopped up finely
salt and pepper. Let this sit in the fridge for about 2-3 hours before cooking.)

1 green pepper sliced 1/4 in. thick
1/2 white onion sliced same thickness. 4-5 flour tortilla's
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Ortega taco sauce or whatever you like and sour cream.

 *Cook the meat on high heat about 4 minutes add a dash of taco seasoning/Mrs. Dash/whatever you got for seasonings and keep stirring. Add your green pepper and onion, cook until the onions are translucent.*

Put your tortilla's in the microwave to warm them up, then add your meat/veggies then add your cheese, sour cream, and sauce and enjoy!
Pretty quick and simple!

Summer tomato salad

3 or 4 Roma tomato's cut up
about 1 inch thick of mozzarella cheese cut up
handful of fresh basil leaves chopped up
*spicing it up a bit put in 2 cloves of garlic diced up*
good coating of salt & pepper
lastly add your extra virgin olive oil 1 Tbsp
red wine vinegar about 2 Tbsp
I don't ever measure it out, just keep tasting it till you like it!
After I finish the salad I soak up the juice's with a piece of yummy bread!
Hope you love this as much as I do~

Hoisin Sauce stir-fry

We have some sort of stir-fry about once a week the recipe is: (Servings 2 people with leftovers)
1 1/2 cups of rice
I used sirloin sliced up (very thin) get wok hot then add 2 Tbsp of veggie oil or peanut oil and fry meat.
Add veggies: 3 carrots, 1 green pepper, 3 celery stalks all cut up like matchsticks coat with soy sauce, pepper (lots) you can add 1 or 2 red chilies if you like ( I do sometimes) Also add any spices you think would go good. Cook just about 3-4 mins.
Add 4 garlic cloves diced, at the end with your 6 green onions chopped finely at white part, then chop 1 inch long at dark green part only cook about 1 min.
Stir in your hoisin sauce (2 Tbsp) 
Then Enjoy!