Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 35-40 minutes

Total time: 45-50 minutes

Serves up to 6

Ingredients:

• 6 tbsp butter, divided
• 2 chicken breast, (about 1 ½ lbs) fat removed and cut into cubes
• 8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• 4 cups (32 oz) chicken broth
• 2 cup whole milk
• 8 oz dried pasta noodles (fettuccine, linguine, or spaghetti)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Handful of fresh baby spinach
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
• Parsley, optional for garnish

Directions:

1. In a large Dutch oven, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium high heat. Add the chicken and mushrooms, season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder cooking for 5-8 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.  Once cooked, remove the chicken and mushrooms.
2. To the Dutch oven add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and flour, whisking to make a blonde roux for about 2 minutes.
3. Next add, the broth and milk and continue whisking until the sauce comes to a boil and starts to thicken. Once the sauce begins to thicken, turn the heat down to low and add the chicken, mushroom and pasta to the sauce and give it a stir. You want to make sure that the noodles begin to soften and you can push them into the pot.
4. Cover the Dutch oven and cook for 20-25 minute until the pasta is al dente, but during this time frame you want to stir the pot several times to prevent the noodles from sticking together and to the bottom of the pot. Once the noodles are cooked to perfection, add the spinach, turn off the heat and adjust your seasoning accordingly if needed.
5. Serve in a shallow bowl or plate and garnish with Parmesan cheese and parsley.

Try this yummy shrimp fried rice in a pineapple bowl! This goes perfectly with my blood orange chicken recipe.

PREP TIME 5 mins

COOK TIME 10-15 mins

TOTAL TIME Up to 20 mins

SERVES 4-6

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of cold cooked rice (I love Jasmine Rice)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed or finely diced
• 3 tsp butter  (divided)
• ½ lb cooked (not precooked from the bag or seafood section but freshly cooked with some salt) shrimp, peeled/deveined/diced
• salt to taste
• 4 oz of frozen peas and diced carrots
• 1 cup of fresh pineapple, diced into 1/2 ” pieces
• 2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce/tamari/or coconut aminos
• 2 tbsp green onions, thinly sliced (optional for garnish)

Instructions

In a large skillet or wok over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon of butter to skillet and add eggs to melted butter. Scramble the eggs and remove to the side, then add in the garlic and toss for 1 minute being careful not to burn or brown. To the skillet add the remaining butters and allow to melt in skillet. Next add in the shrimp and rice, breaking up the rice if needed and give all ingredients a good toss. Season the rice with salt and add in the vegetables, cooking for 3-5 minutes.

Add in the soy sauce, tossing to coat, cook for another 3 minutes and turn off the heat. Add in your fresh pineapples and toss; taste and adjust seasoning. Serve in reserved pineapple bowl if cooking my baked blood orange ginger chicken or with your favorite dish. Garnish with green onions and serve immediately.

PREP TIME 20 mins

COOK TIME 20-25 mins

TOTAL TIME 40-45 mins

SERVES 4-6

It’s always fun to switch it up for summer time! Why not eat some delicious orange chicken out of a pineapple bowl? Try my pineapple shrimp fried rice recipe to go with it!

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe pineapple; cut lengthwise with stem attached, cored and pineapple flesh removed leaving a ½ inch around the outside) Don’t discard the pineapple flesh as you can use some of this for my pineapple shrimp fried rice, smoothies, and or as a snack
• 2.20 pounds chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons water
• Nonstick cooking spray (I always use coconut)
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3 tablespoons arrowroot or cornstarch
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp black coarse pepper
• 1 ½ tsp seas salt
• 1 green onion, sliced at a diagonal for garnish, optional

Sauce Ingredients:

• 6 oz pineapple juice
• 1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons blood orange preserves (try with apricot, pineapple or orange marmalade)
• ¼  cup low sodium soy sauce/tamari/coconut aminos
• ½  cup brown sugar
• 1 heaping tsp of garlic paste
• 1 heaping tsp of ginger paste
• 1-2 tsp Sriracha
• 2 teaspoons arrowroot or cornstarch

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking oil.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs and water and set aside.
4. Using a large freezer bag or bowl, combine the flour, arrowroot, garlic powder, paprika, ginger, onion, black pepper and 1 ½ teaspoons of salt.
5. Take the chicken pieces and place in the egg wash, but try to allow as much excess to drip off as you want to try to keep the flour mixture as dry as possible for even coating. The place the chicken pieces into the flour mixture and give the bag a shake or if using a bowl toss to coat evenly. Next, shake off the excess flour and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat steps until all chicken pieces are coated and placed on the baking sheet.
6. Once all chicken pieces are laid down, spray all pieces with coconut oil or cooking spray of choice. Cook the chicken for 15 minutes to 20; flipping over at the halfway mark; if needed lightly spray the pieces again. Then for the crispy chicken pieces that we love, heat your oven to broil and cook for another 5 minutes or so until golden brown and crispy, be careful at this point as you do not want to burn your chicken.
7. In a medium saucepan on medium-high heat, add all of the ingredients for the sauce whisking until combined and allow to come to a gentle bowl for 3-5 minutes. Taste and adjust accordingly, especially if you want more heat add more Sriracha. Once the sauce is to your liking turn off the heat. In a large bowl add the chicken pieces and pour half of the sauce on the chicken, giving it a good toss. If you desire add more sauce. Place the chicken in the prepared pineapple bowl and garnish with green onions.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15-20 minutes (depending on thickness of filet)

Total Time: up to 25 minutes

Serves: 5+

If you haven’t tried grilling salmon on a cedar plank, you must! It’s the perfect hint of smokey flavor, perfect for summer time!

Ingredients:

• 2lb-3lb boneless, with or without skin on no longer than 15 inches
• 1 tbsp evoo
• 2 tbsp of dry rub (see my BBQ dry rub, your meats won’t disown you)
• 1 lemon; sliced into 6 pieces
• 3 tbsp of butter
• Prepared cedar plank that has been soaked if using a large salmon filet (soak two for at least an hour or two)

Instructions:

Prepare grill for indirect cooking.

If using skinned on salmon, rub the flesh side down with EVOO if not using skinned rub both sides of the filet with EVOO. Sprinkle the filet with the dry rub on the flesh side and place on prepared plank (s). Place 6 slices of lemon underneath the salmon or on top if you prefer and place 3 pats of butter down the middle of the filet. Gently transfer the cedar plank salmon to the grill, cover and grill until the internal temperature reaches 135 degrees or for 20-35 minutes depending on thickness. The planks will cause your grill to smoke, which is normal, but what you don’t want is fire flare-ups if this occurs spritz with a little water. Allow the filets to rest on the plank for 5 minutes before serving.

If you’re like me and looking to cut some carbs you must try these taco stuffed peppers! They still have the bit of crunch to make them seem like a real taco 🙂

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Ground beef
• Can of black beans
• 1 packet of taco seasoning
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 4 Green bell peppers
• Toppings (shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, lettuce, etc.)
• TBSP olive oil

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Cut your bell peppers in half and scoop out the insides/seeds. Rub olive oil on the bottoms of the bell peppers and put lay them on a baking sheet.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes. (If you want softer peppers, add a few TBSP of water to the baking sheet)
• While that is baking, brown ground beef with the onions. Drain grease and add in the taco seasoning with the suggested amount of water.
• Let simmer until it is thicker. Add in the can of black beans and a cup of salsa. Mix.
• Fill each pepper to the brim and top with shredded cheese.
• Bake for an additional 10 minutes until it is melted and bubbly.
• Top it with sour cream, lettuce, salsa, etc! Enjoy….carb free!

This one pan lemon salmon and asparagus recipe has been put on our weekly rotation! I can’t even tell you how good this is…my husband even raved for half the night about it. You get perfectly cooked salmon with some crunchy asparagus. Just add a potato or rice and you have a whole meal. Note that you can bake as many salmon fillets as you want on the pan but the measurements will need to be adjusted (we just made 2 for ourselves)

Ingredients:

• 2-4 bunches of asparagus spears
• 1 Lemon
• 2-4 Salmon Fillets
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1/2 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
• 2 Tablespoons Olive oil
• 1/2 Tablespoon Dried Parsley (or fresh)

Directions:

1. Lay out a sheet of aluminum foil on a cookie sheet. Spread the asparagus spears out as well as the salmon fillets.
2. Lightly pour olive oil over the asparagus and fish. Toss and make sure both sides are covered.
3. Preheat your oven broiler to high heat.
4. Rub the salmon with parsley, garlic, and top with lemon slices.
5. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over both items then squeeze half a lemon on top.
6. Broil for 8-13 minutes (depending on the thickness of your salmon)
7. Enjoy!!

Here’s an easy, hearty, one-pot meal to make for the family! It is creamy and delicious to make for dinner or lunch time!

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 5-6 servings

Ingredients:

• 5 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder
• 3 ½ cups macaroni
• 1 ½ cups chicken broth
• 3 cups whole milk + a little more (if its not creamy enough)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (+ ½ cup for garnish)
• 4-6 oz of American cheese

Instructions:

1. In a large pot, cook bacon over medium-high heat until crisp, stirring. Remove from the pot and drain on paper towel to soak up excess grease.
2. To the same pot add the beef, season with salt, garlic powder and onion powder; cooking over medium high heat until browned. Drain any excess liquid and place back in the pot.
3. To the pot add the macaroni, broth, milk, salt and pepper; allow to cook on medium-low heat covered and stirring often until pasta is tender and almost all of the liquid is absorbed. If need be add additional milk as this will help your dish stay nice and creamy. To the pot stir in the cheddar and American cheese until creamy.
4. Serve in a bowl garnish with additional cheese and previously cooked bacon.

 

There’s nothing better than dumping meat in a crockpot and having a meal ready to go hours later! This is a great recipe if you like pulled pork!

Prep time:  5 mins

Cook time:  6-8 hours

Total time:  6-8 hours + 5 minutes

Serves: 8+

Ingredients:

• 5-7 lbs pork butt with bone
• ¼ cup of my BBQ dry rub (see recipe)
• BBQ Sauce of your choice (but try my bourbon BBQ sauce it’ll knock your socks off).

Instructions:

1. Rub the dry rub all over the pork butt; place the onions on the bottom of your slow cooker and add the pork butt on top.
2. Cover with the top and cook on high heat for 6 hours and 8 hours for low heat (perfect for when your heading off to work in the morning).
3. When the meat has separated from the bone; tender and succulent its ready. Shred that baby up using two forks and toss with your favorite sauce but try mine; you won’t be disappointed and enjoy between two buns and some slaw.

This is one of my most popular dinners! Get the recipe HERE.