Aarti's Fish Tacos

I just had to share this with the world. I had these tonight, and oh my stars they are so good! There is so much going on with each mouthful that even if you're not a fish lover, you'll be converted for life once you bite into these wonderful, flavorful, lick your fingers fresh tasting tacos. Printable recipe HERE.

 

Favorite Baked Ham with Pineapple Glaze

Both my Father and Father-in-Law are ham nuts. They went really crazy over my ham and glaze. I'm always getting requests for the recipe, so I might as well share it here.  It is so simple, inexpensive and sure to please.

1/2 smoked ham
1 medium can crushed pineapple juice (with juice)
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. cloves, powdered form
2 Tbsp. corn starch
1/2 cup brown sugar

Pre-heat over to 350 degrees. Slice any remaining skin off the ham and cut criss-cross lines on the top. Place it in a roasting pan and put in oven; bake for 1-1/2 hours. Add remain contents in a sauce pan and heat on stove, stirring constantly until glaze it thick. Spread glaze evenly over ham, back for another 30 minutes.

The Best Carmel Popcorn

Today was a rainy day, so it made sense to make something new.  I made this carmel popcorn from "A Reforming Mom's" blog, and man was it good stuff. It is good enough to give out as gifts for neighbors or co-op teachers.

First Make Popcorn:

Here is what you'll need:

1 large pot
1/3 cup of oil
almost 1 cup of popcorn kernels

Over medium heat, place the oil and 4 or 5 kernels into the pot. Keep it covered and watch it. When the kernels start popping, remove the pot from the heat. Pour the rest of the popcorn into the pot and set a timer for 45 seconds. This allows the kernels to be brought up to the heat of the oil and makes for more even cooking.

Place the pot back on the heat, gently moving the pot around on the burner. When the kernels begin popping, slightly crack the lid, so the steam can escape. Otherwise, you will end up with soggy popcorn.

At this point, I pour the popcorn into a large bowl....being sure to get rid of the few kernels that never popped. We don't want broken teeth, do we?

When it has been about 10-15 seconds in between popping, remove from heat.

At this point, you can add butter and salt.....but if you want to hit a home run, then you'll make up a batch of caramel!

Here is what you'll need to make the caramel:

2 sticks of butter (not margarine)
2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda

In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Once that is melted, add the brown sugar and corn syrup....mixing constantly. When bubbles start to appear, stop mixing and set the time for 5 minutes. Keep an eye on the pan, but do not mix at all!

When the 5 minutes are up, remove from heat and add the vanilla and baking soda and mix thoroughly. The caramel will expand and turn lighter in color.

Once it's mixed, pour onto the popcorn and mix. Be sure not to touch it, since it is still very hot!

Set the oven temp to 250 degrees. Place the coated popcorn onto a large cookie sheet. Be sure that you place them on a wire rack that is not too close to the burners.

This is going to bake for an hour. You are going to mix it up every 15 minutes....so set your timer!

When your hour is up, remove it from the oven, and carefully spoon into a large bowl. As it cools, you'll want to take a spoon and break it up a bit. Once it's cool, bag it up or just eat it straight from the bowl!

After making it for your family.....your kids will thank you....and you will never go back to store bought caramel corn ever!!

The Yummie and Super Healthy Green Smoothie

At church there is the woman who (I think) is a little older than me and she is in amazing shape. She is a fitness instructor who has devoted herself to a healthy lifestyle for herself and her family.

I've been struggling with my weight and with weight loss for about 7 years to the point that I want to change doctors. If I hear him scold me for being overweight one more time, I'm going to scream.

I finally had to be real, I'm a glutton. Not in the obvious way, but in the lonely and secret times. I'm trying to fill a void that only God can fill. I was catching myself more going for the carbs when I was stressed or depressed; like some drug to calm me. Physiologically it works, but only for a short time. It never fills the emptiness that enslaves, leaves me ashamed and feeling hopeless.

For the last few years I've been asking for God's help. I'm so tired of Weight Watchers, Atkins, etc. which I've done a number of times. I've had a measure of success, but I would end up gaining the weight back and then some over a period of time. I also believe it has messed up my metabolism from my constant yo-yo dieting.

Just a side note,  I found through research that diets may work for a time, but if you're not getting at least your Basal Metabolic Rate BMR  (Minimal amount of calories to keep your organs functioning normally aka. the amount doctors calculate if you were in a coma), you can trigger a starvation response and ultimately starve weight loss.

Anyways, back to the cute skinny lady I go to church with; she told me about the green smoothie. She encouraged me just to start with that and my cravings will decrease and my energy will increase.

The next Monday, I went to the market, and bought all the stuff and started my morning smoothie routine. I was surprised how good they were. You don't taste the greens because they are masked by the fruit. However, one of biggest personality flaws is I never finish what I start, so my smoothie swaging mornings faded. When I grew tired of blending, cutting, buying all the stuff, I slowly gave up.

A few months later, I did some research on the internet on diets. It seems the fad is raw food and...blending green smoothies! There was a 21 day green smoothie challenge, and I read and watched some of the video blogs of personal testimonies of the abundant amount of energy these people had.

At that point, I was in bed for 6 weeks prior recovering from pneumonia, so I had to do something to regain my strength. I decided I was going to give these green smoothies another try, and I was going to do it for at least 21 days.

The results were amazing! I feel so good and I'm addicted to them now. I've been doing my morning "cocktails" for more than three months. There was a day or two when I couldn't get to the store and buy my fix. Honestly, I did not notice a surge of energy when I started the challenge, because it happened gradually. However, when I miss a day of drinking my "Shrek Drink" (As my kids call it), I notice a huge difference in my lack of stamina.

In the fall, I planted a winter garden of spinach, chard, collards, beets, and lettuce. Now I no longer have an excuse for not drinking smoothies every day. Not to mention, I'm getting fresh raw organic leafy veggies straight out of my backyard which is even more nutritious.

I now exercise daily, because my energy is elevated due to my nutrition increase. There are no gimmicks, no fad diets, just pure nutrition and all of my daily fruit and vegetable requirements in one glass at only about 180 calories!

We're in the Christmas season, and there is cream cheese frosting in the refrigerator right now as I type, which was a big temptation for me. In the past, I would sneak a spoonful of it until the entire tub was gone. I wouldn't admit that before, because I would be so disgusted with myself. Who does that? Yuck!!

Now I have no desire to get in to that nasty stuff, because my sweet cravings have pretty much disappeared. Don't get me wrong, I still eat sweets, but my intake is more controlled. This will be the first Christmas of frosted cookies in 2 years now that I've conquered frosting phobia.

I'm determined next year to be my year of weight loss. I've already lost a few pounds just drinking smoothies every day. I'm ready to take my diet and exercise to another level. I haven't been dieting and I've only been exercising by walking with my friend for a year about 4 times a week.

I'm going to work harder at eating better and increasing my exercise to 6 days a week. I went out to run the other day, and I thought I was going to die of a heart attack and my legs felt like they were going to explode. I'm not going to let that stop me. I'm going to be a runner this year. It's always been my dream and only I, with God's, help can make it happen.

Well, it's out there. If you are stumbling on this blog, maybe you can join me. We can keep each other accountable! I believe the reason diets are unsuccessful for the most part is we are not fueling our bodies with enough nutrition to maintain energy and kill cravings. Just by drinking these fresh tasting smoothes, I believe I'm well on the way.

The Basic Green Smoothie

3-4 handfuls of leafy greens
1 banana
1-2 cups of frozen or fresh fruit of your choice
water enough to blend

I add the greens first with a little bit of water to make it smooth, then I add the rest of the ingredients with all the water. Enjoy.

Here is more information and inspiration on the Green Smoothie! Also, she uses a high powered blender, so if you only have a cheap Walmart version like I do, it will do.



Note: You can calculate your BMR  and use the Harris Benedict Formula:

To determine your total daily calorie needs to maintain your current weight, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor.. Once you figure this formula, subract calorie intake by diet and/or exercise,  but never go below your BMR.

1. If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : BMR x 1.2

2. If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : BMR x 1.375

3. If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : BMR x 1.55

4. If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : BMR x 1.725

5. If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : BMR x 1.9

Spicy Chicken and Tortilla Soup

Oh my goodness is this a good one! I've also stolen many ideas for this recipe and combined it with a spicy, flavorful and satisfying bowl of tasty happiness. I used the tomatoes straight out of the garden and pureed it for a smooth broth. You're gong to love this.

1 whole chicken
4 green onions uncut
1 handful of fresh parsley uncut
5 whole garlic cloves
2 celery stalks
2 whole carrots
5 whole tomatoes
1/4 onion
1 7oz. can of  Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
1 small bag of frozen corn
20.5 oz. can of black beans
2 teaspoons of cumin
4-6 chicken bouillon cubes
10 oz. can of tomato paste
1 cup of rice (optional)

Fixings: Tortilla chips, jack cheese cut into chunks, chopped cilantro, and lime wedges.

Clean chicken and put in a pot of water with green onions, parsley, garlic, carrots and bring to a boil. Cover pot letting out some steam and simmer for at least an hour. Keep an eye on the water level. Remove chicken and vegetables.

After an hour with the pot still simmering, drop in tomatoes for about 15-20 seconds and remove with slotted spoon into cold water to cool. The skin and the hull of the tomatoes should come off easily. Drop the skinned and hulled tomatoes in a blender with the whole can of the Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (I like it very spicy, so if you want to turn it down, use less peppers) the vegetables (garlic cloves, carrots, celery, etc. from the simmer) and the 1/4 onion and blend until smooth. Pour the blend into the simmering stock.

Stir in the corn, beans, cumin, bouillon cubes to taste, and tomato paste. Strip the meat off of the simmered chicken and add it to the soup. Add rice if you like. Simmer for about another 20 minutes.

Serve in bowls and top it off with crushed tortilla chips, avocado, cilantro and a squeeze of a lime wedge. I also love to top my tortilla soup with cubed jack cheese rather than shred it, so it will goo out on my spoon. Enjoy!

Perfected Tuna Casserole

I'm looking forward to autumn, and since we're on the subject of comfort food, why not add another traditional favorite. I took a little bit of my mom's, my past roommate’s, and my sister's recipes that I've stolen over a 20 year period, and developed the perfect tuna casserole. The gooey melted chucks of Swiss cheese is a twist that I couldn't believe I was missing for so long. I don't put crushed potato chips on mine, but go for it if that's your fancy.

1 (12 ounce) package egg noodles
1 cup cubed Swiss cheese
1 cup of shredded Swiss cheese
 1 cup frozen green peas
2 (6 ounce) cans tuna, drained
1 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon of celery salt

Preparation Instructions


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Bring a large pot of  salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions until al dente; drain.

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix noodles,  1 cup cubed Swiss cheese, peas, tuna, soup, mayonnaise, and celery salt. Transfer to a 9x13 inch baking dish, and top with remaining 1 cup of shredded Swiss cheese.

Cover and bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven and remove cover for 10 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.

Spagetti Chicken - From the Pioneer Woman

I want to share some tried and true recipes that my family loves. With three growing boys (one being a teenager), my food bill is growing to max capacity. Not only will these recipes be delicious, but easy on the wallet.

This is the only casserole all my boys (including my husband) gobble up. The seasoning salt, and just a touch of cayenne pepper gives this dish the right amount of kick and flavor. It is my family's creamy cheesy comfort food of choice. I omit the pimentos, and sometimes I'll do shortcuts with a readymade rotisserie chicken I get at the store with canned broth. I often double up and freeze for those days I don't have time to cook. This is perfect for potlucks, or sending to a friend in need.

■2 cups Cooked Chicken
■3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces
■2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup
■2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
■1/4 cup Finely Diced Green Pepper
■1/4 cup Finely Diced Onion
■1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained
■2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot
■1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
■1/8 teaspoon (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
■Salt And Pepper, to taste
■1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation Instructions


Boil 1 whole chicken or cut up fryer for one hour and pick out the meat to make two cups. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, (Don't forget to save 2 cups of broth) combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

Posted by Ree on September 5 2009

For more detailed instructions, go to the Pioneer Woman link. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/chicken_spaghet/