Sub in a Tub & Life Lately

 

Hello Friends! 

Happy sunny Thursday to you. 💛

I thought I'd share a little bit of life here lately with Annie's bf Kristopher visiting. They are so adorable and having such a great time together. And it's so fun for me because they actually like hanging out with this old lady. So we have been playing games, visiting, taking Ruby for walks etc - while poor Matthew is a hard working Hubby. 

But we have fun in the evenings too.... playing games, watching old home movies, and having fun dinners. Last night we grilled burgers up and we taught Kris how to play cribbage. :) We're planning to take to them to the lake for a visit at some point, get in some mini golf, a fire out on the deck and anything else that sounds fun! 

Today the kiddos went to a theme park for the day a few hours drive away. So I'm planning to get out and get more flowers planted. Yay!

Also - this adorable doe and her baby came to visit right outside our bedroom window one morning. Nice way to wake up and start the day. 

I mean c'mon - could they be any cuter? 💗

Speaking of cute:

And then I thought I'd share this really yummy lunch I made the other day. It was a recipe I saw on social media and it was SOOO yummy. Some call it "sub in a tub". Others call it a grinder salad. The deal with it is you throw it all in some kind of container and there are no real rules or measurements - it's all to your taste and preference. 

For mine I used spinach as a base but I think romaine would be even yummier. I then added some mini peppers, red onion, cucumber, cheese, thin salami, turkey pepperoni and cut it all up small. But you could use any combo of meats, cheese and veggies you like. I think next time I'll do turkey and salami and provolone cheese with lots of veggies. 😋

I put it in a glass tupperware dish I had. I drizzled some olive oil over it (maybe a Tbsp) and some red wine vinegar (maybe a few tsp's). I think it all depends on how big your salad is. Then I did a little spoonful of avocado mayo on top (not quite a tbsp). Sprinkled on some salt & pepper, a bunch of dried orgenao & a little garlic powder. I put the lid on a shook it up really well. It coated everything perfectly and I just took off the lid and dug in. It tasted so much like eating a good sub - but no bread or carbs that way. I can see Matt & I eating these for a light supper too. Really easy and tasty. 

Enjoy! xoxo

Greek Chicken and Salad

Hey Peeps!

How is your Thursday going so far? ☀️

Are you celebrating Memorial weekend coming up? Any other plans?

Here's what's been going on around here. It has been COLD for days. Like 30's and 40's with rain and wind needing the heat on cold. Yesterday me and my girls (Annie & Ruby) braved the cold and bundled up in layers...yes layers! And went out for a 2 mile walk to get some exercise. I'm loving having my girl home and getting lots of extra time with her. I also had an hour long phone conversation with Aaron yesterday (we call each other regularly). So my Momma heart has been very full. 💗

Thankfully, it looks like the weather should improve today...may even hit 60* Yay! And this holiday weekend looks decent too. I'm going to be doing some baking in advance of it and I'm looking forward to family time, games, fun, grilling, and other good things. :)  

Brrrr - cold walk!! 

But today I wanted to share this wonderful Greek marinated grilled chicken and salad we had the other day. I had looked at a few different recipes and then kind of experimented and this is what I came up with. We both loved it and will definitely do it again! I took shortcuts with things I had on hand and it made it even that much easier to prepare.

I used a lot of good Greek/Mediterranean flavors for the marinade, which included lemon zest, juice, garlic (cloves and powder), & oregano (dried and fresh)

I put those flavors - as well as olive oil and dill into greek yogurt as the base of the marinade. I kept about 1/4 of it out for basting later. And I put the rest in a plastic bag and added the chicken breasts to it. I let them sit and marinade for about 4 hours.

I used a dill pickle salad kit I had on hand as the base (I figured the dill would go with the flavors) and I added some chopped cucumber & red onion too. I would have added tomato but I didn't have any. I then took the protein ranch dip we had, that Matt makes from blended cottage cheese, and thinned it with some milk and I added fresh dill, garlic powder, and finely chopped cucumber to it to make it taste a lot like tzatziki sauce/dressing.

Matt then grilled up the chicken breasts - using the leftover marinade that was set aside to baste them with at the end. We then served up the chicken breasts with the salad and tossed it all together on our plates. It was SO flavorful and summery and light and delicious. I will work to remember the amounts and write out the recipe below as well as how you could make a tzatziki dressing even if you don't have protein ranch on hand like we did. 

 

FOR THE MARINADE:

1/3 c. plain greek yogurt

1/4 c. olive oil

1 lemon

4 cloves garlic, minced (plus powder if you want more garlic taste)

2 TBSP dried oregano (I did a little less and added some of my fresh oregano chopped fine)

several sprigs fresh dill chopped (or use dried if needed - about a tbsp or so)

salt & pepper to taste

In a bowl mix the greek yogurt with the olive oil. Zest the lemon into the bowl and then squeeze in the juice of 1/2 to a whole lemon depending on how lemony you want it. Add the garlic, oregano, dill & seasoning. Keep some of the marinade aside in a little container in the fridge and put the rest of it in a ziplock bag. Add the chicken and seal and use your hands to coat the chicken. Place in fridge for 3-4 hours. 

When done take them out of the marinade and grill until internal temp is 165* and then let rest a few minutes. Serve with the greek salad.

FOR THE SALAD:

Use any green salad base you like - best with romaine. Add veggies of choice but to have that greek flavor definitely add some chopped red onion, chopped cucumber and chopped tomato. You could also throw in some kalamata olives (but I don't care for them). 

FOR THE DRESSING:

make tzatziki sauce by using 1 cup greek yogurt and adding 1/2 a finely chopped english cucumber, 1 minced garlic clove, the zest of a lemon and 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp fresh dill & some salt & pepper. To make it more like a dressing add a splash of milk until you get the dressing consistency you'd like. 

I didn't add lemon because I was using our protein ranch which is cottage cheese based...but I would add it if I was doing greek yogurt. 

Spring Veggie Soup with Homemade Turkey (or chicken) Meatballs

 

Hi Friends! 

Happy Thursday to you. It's a chilly foggy one here in the northwoods. And looks like rain may be on the way later. So it's the perfect day to think and talk about soup! Lol 

Are you like me, and even in the summer if it's a chilly or rainy day - you still crave cozy? Like baking something or making soup. Well then this soup is for you! I made this just a few weeks ago and it was so good and will definitely be on the menu throughout the year. It was pretty easy and so very tasty. It's a recipe I found at the site Epicurious and you can get to it if you click here.

It's called Spring minestrone soup on their site. And they made theirs with chicken meatballs. I only found ground turkey at that particular time at the grocery store - so that's what I used. Still turned out great! They're so tasty because you add garlic & chives and parm to the meatballs. 

Their recipe also called for making the meatballs and browning them in a skillet on the stove. I took a different route and made the meatballs as directed, but used my little cookie making scooper and and scooped the balls onto a cookie sheet and baked them at 400* for 15-20 mins to brown them. You will later throw them in the soup to finish cooking all the way through. 

The recipe calls for cooking up some leeks and garlic. Then adding in chicken broth and carrots and ditalini pasta. I used ring pasta as I didn't have ditalini (I think any small pasta is great). Then cook until things get tender - add in your browned meatballs and cook some more. Then wilt in some spinach and cook a bit longer. 

When it's ready dish up the soup and top with some fresh basil and some parmesan cheese.

Here's the recipe if you want to give it try:

6 ounces ground chicken (about 3/4 cup)

1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs

6 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan, divided, plus more for garnish

4 garlic cloves, 2 minced, 2 thinly sliced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1 large egg, whisked to blend

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 leek, white and pale-green parts only, sliced into 1/4" rounds

5 cups low-salt chicken broth

3/4 cup ditalini or other small pasta

1 cup 1/2" rounds peeled carrots

1 cup (packed) baby spinach

Chopped fresh basil

1. Step 1

   Mix chicken, breadcrumbs, 3 tablespoons Parmesan, 2 minced garlic cloves, chives, egg, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Form into 1/2"-diameter meatballs (makes about 28).

   Step 2

   Heat oil in a small pot over medium heat. Cook meatballs until golden all over, about 3 minutes (they will finish cooking in soup). Transfer to a plate; set aside.

   Step 3

   Add leek to pot and cook, stirring often, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add 2 thinly sliced garlic cloves; cook for 1 minute. Add broth and 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Stir in pasta and carrots; simmer until pasta is almost al dente, about 8 minutes. Add meatballs; simmer until pasta is al dente, carrots are tender, and meatballs are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add spinach and remaining 3 tablespoons Parmesan; stir until spinach is wilted and Parmesan is melted. Season with salt and pepper.

   Step 4

   Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with chopped basil and Parmesan.

This soup was amazing, comforting, and so flavorful. Yet it's healthy and easy to prepare. Another winner in our book! 

Enjoy 😋

xoxo

Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs, Mexican Corn Salad & Easy Roasted Veggie Hashbrown Hack

 

Hello Friends! 

Happy Friday Eve to you. 

The weekend is almost here - woo hoo! Do you have any plans? We're going to be spending some time with family and going to a fun show. I'm sure I'll have more details to share on Monday. 😉

The other night we had a delicious BBQ meal that reminded me of the flavors of summer a bit and I thought I'd share it and the recipes for each dish. 

Let's start with the main event - the ribs. I have been making my ribs this way for years. I usually prefer country style bone-in pork ribs, but any kind are fine for this. I know that a common way to make ribs is to do a dry rub, roast in the oven low and slow, and then do the BBQ sauce at the end. I think that way is so yummy too! 

But I sort of do the opposite...here's how I often do mine:

I brown the ribs in a little olive oil and butter and season with salt and pepper. Then put them in the greased slow cooker with a little beef broth in the bottom. I then cook up some onion in the "fond" (the browned bits left from the meat) with a little more olive oil if needed. I then take a little beef broth to deglaze the pan. I often make the broth from this better than bouillon jar that stays in the fridge a long time. It's useful in lots of recipes but so easy to make a quick broth instead of opening up a big container you won't use. You just add some boiling water to a spoonful of the bouillon mix, dissolve & stir. 

I let the onions cook & deglaze a few minutes until there isn't much liquid and the onions are filled with flavor and I've been able to get up all the browned bits from the pan. 

I then put the onions on top of the ribs and pour a little bbq sauce on top (we used sugar-free). I let it cook on low all day and they usually get really tender after 7-8 hours. Like fall apart tender and you can pull the bones right out. I place the ribs on a platter and brush on more warmed bbq sauce and dig in! 

 However if you wanted the sauce more of a sticky glaze you could always pull out the ribs after maybe 6 hours and put them on a tray, brush on more sauce and finish in the oven. 

Now for this amazing Mexican corn salad...oh my word, so flavorful!! Have you had Mexican corn? Matt and I fell in love with it a few years ago and often make our summer corn on the cob that way. Where we brush some mayo on fresh hot sweet corn on the cob and sprinkle on some cotija cheese (think like Mexican powdered parm), and a sprinkle of tajin (the chili lime flavoring we LOVE). It was a big thing a few years ago. Well I found this recipe from an influencer I follow on social media called Catben (short for Catherine Benson) and it's so easy because you can use canned corn and it's so good! 

Basically fry up some drained canned corn in a skillet with a little butter. Season it up a bit and get it good and toasty or even a little charred. Then put it in a bowl and stir in some mayo (we do lite or use avocado mayo), cotija cheese, tajin, paprika, and any other seasonings you want. Then add fresh cilantro. I made it just like her recipe only I didn't add any cayenne pepper. Matt practically ate this whole bowl. Lol If you can't find cotija cheese powdered kind of parm cheese works just as well. 

And finally this kind of healthier hasbrown hack. I saw a recipe like this a long time ago and I'm not sure where. But I just remember they took some frozen hashbrowns and mixed it with bagged broccoli slaw and some other finally chopped veggies and roasted it in a sheetpan. I thought what a great way to still get the hasbrown vibe (so good with bbq ribs) but add lots more nutrients and fiber and less calories. 

So here's what I did:

I took about 1/2 cup of frozen shredded hasbrowns (could do even more for bigger sheet pan) and defrosted it a bit in the microwave - to break up clumps. I then put them on a sheet pan that had been brushed with a little olive oil. I added 1/2 a bag of broccoli slaw, as well as about 1/4 cup of finely chopped cauliflower (as I needed to get rid of it). I drizzled olive oil over it all and seasoned it with laurey's seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and salt&pepper. I tossed it a bit and then put it in a 400* oven and roasted it until everything was getting nice and crispy (about 25-30 mins) I think I even broiled it a little the last minute or so to get more crispy. This was also so flavorful and really tasted and gave the texture of eating hasbrowns. You could put ketchup or sour cream or whatever you like on potatoes on top of this when it's time to eat. I think Matt put some sriracha mayo on his. They were awesome and you could literally add whatever finally chopped/shredded veggies you needed to use up. The thing is adding the hashbrowns in to get that flavor and texture. You could do more of the hasbrown and a little less of the veggies if you wanted even more potato taste. 

This meal was such a hit with Matt and we both loved it. I hope one or all of these recipes might work for you. We keep trying to find ways to make and eat our meals a bit more healthy. Matt has now hit 20 lbs down! I haven't weighed myself lately - working on things more before I step on scale again next. 

It continues to be such a fun journey together, but we don't want to sacrifice eating the things we like or crave. 😋

Blessings & enjoy!

xoxo

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad and a Spring Berry Pie

 

Yay for Spring finally showing her lovely sunshiny face around here!! Yesterday it was in the 60's with glorious sunshine and it felt amazing. We're starting to get more mild days in the forecast...and the grass is even starting to get green. It sure makes my soul happy ☀️

We even cleaned out the grill and got it fired up last night. It felt like a summertime meal. 💚 I had thawed some brats in the freezer that we had gotten at our local meat market. We grilled them up and then sticking to our lower carb plan - we ate them without buns and I didn't even miss it! I only had a 1/2 a brat because I wanted more of the pasta salad. Lol We still put ketchup, mustard and raw onion on our brats though, of course.

😉😋

 I had made up a quick pasta salad with what was on hand to use up some of our veggies. I'll share that recipe below as it turned out really yummy! And to top off our BBQ meal we had watermelon too. We love eating watermelon with tajin seasoning (have you ever tried it that way?). Makes it taste even sweeter. Add a glass of iced tea and it was a meal that truly hit the spot! 

Now on to that yummy salad:

CHICKEN CAESAR VEGGIE PASTA SALAD

I didn't have a set recipe for this - I just made it with things I had on hand and based it on many kinds of pasta salads I've made in the past. So feel free to add what works for you as far as ingredients. But I'll try to share exactly what, and how much, I used. 

I started by boiling 1/2 a box of protein pasta and rinsed it in cold water when it was done and set aside. 

I prepped my veggies:

- cleaned and cut up a stalk of romaine lettuce

-peeled and cut up 2 carrots

-cut up one celery stalk

-cut up some mini peppers

I put all of that in a large bowl and tossed it together. I had some precooked & seasoned chicken skewers from Costco and I took the meat off the skewers and cut them up and put in the bowl too. The pasta was nice and dry by then and I added it in the bowl too. Then I took this low calorie caeser dressing and poured 1/4 to a 1/2 of the bottle over the salad and mixed until it was all coated. I sprinkled on some salt, pepper, dried garlic powder  and oregano over all, along with about 1/4 c. of shredded parmesan cheese. I tossed it all together and put in the fridge to chill until dinner. It was a very flavorful yummy chicken caesar salad with bonus veggies and protein. 

SPRING BERRY PIE

I also wanted to share this recipe for a no-bake pie that I had made at Easter. I have made it before, but wasn't sure if I had shared it here? I like to make this one as it's lower sugar and I make it gluten-free (my brother needs to eat gf and is diabetic). I found it at the website tasty.co 

I will share the full recipe below (it includes the graham cracker crust). But I don't make the crust myself. I buy a gluten-free one in that section of my grocery store. That way my brother can eat the pie too (plus it's a time saver!) You make a cream cheese filling sweetened with natural maple syrup and chill it in the pie crust. Then top with fresh fruit. And you make a sort of fruit jam on the stove and put that over the pie and chill until ready to serve. It's always really tasty and pretty easy overall - and a little healthier. The recipe is listed below. 

Have a blessed weekend ahead! 

xoxo