Archives for category: dinner

Arugula Balsamic Tomato Pizza

April 16, 2015 //
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Last night was build your own pizza and grill it night. We use Flatouts for our crusts because they are thin and small enough for a little personal pizza. We love doing this because everyone gets to eat exactly what they want. I am not one to eat heavy pizza very often. So, I especially love this because I can keep my toppings fresh and my cheese to a minimum.

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Arugula Balsamic Tomato Pizza

  • 1 Flatout pizza crust
  • Olive oil for brushing
  • 1 vine ripe tomato
  • 5 small balls fresh mozzarella, cut in half
  • 1 Tbsp Fig Balsamic Vinegar (or any balsamic vinegar of your liking)
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • Handful of baby arugula, chopped

Follow the instructions on your flatout pizza crust. I grilled the crust, plain, for 1 minute. Seriously, 1 minute. Then I added my toppings. I brushed with olive oil. Laid the sliced tomatoes on the crust. Added the 10 halves of mozzarella. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the whole pizza. I placed mine on a baking pan because my grill gets very hot very fast. This keeps the crust from getting too burnt. While allowing the cheese to melt. The vinegar seems to soak through a touch, so watch the pizza and every few seconds use a spatula to lift under the crust.

Once the cheese is a bit melted and the tomatoes have softened (3-4 minutes) remove from grill and add the arugula. Drizzle the lemon juice over the whole thing. Enjoy!

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Categories dinner

Grilled Steak with Greek Peppers

April 1, 2015 //
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The weather has been beautiful the past two days. Yesterday was nice enough to enjoy using my grill. I was inspired to make this dish by finding these very pretty purple peppers at Whole Foods the other day. I love incorporating color into my meals. It even helps get the little ones excited about veggies. These were too pretty to pass up!

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Grilled Steak with Greek Peppers

For the meat:

  • 2 steaks. I used filet
  • 1/2 lemon juiced
  • touch of olive oil
  • sea salt, to taste
  • fresh black pepper, to taste

I trimmed the meat and sliced it lengthwise so the pieces were thinner and grilled quicker. I mixed the lemon juice and olive oil in one small bowl. The sea salt and pepper in another. I brushed each side of the meat with the lemon juice/olive oil. Then rubbed the sea salt/pepper into the meat.

I grilled on low until the steaks were about medium well. Slice up the steaks, set aside.

For the Peppers

  • 2 small purple bell peppers
  • 1 small red bell pepper
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 Tbsp of my Greek Seasoning 
  • 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 lemon juiced
  • Several handfuls of spinach/arugula mix. You could also just use spinach. I just had this leafy green mix
  • Fresh chopped Italian parsley, to taste.
  • Feta, to taste
  • Whole wheat Pitas

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the minced garlic. Heat for a minute. Add the sliced peppers, Greek seasoning, vinegar, and lemon juice. Cook until peppers are tender. Add the spinach/arugula and the sliced up steak. Allow leafy greens to wilt. Add parsley, mix well. Serve on warm whole wheat pita bread. Top with a little feta.

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Categories dinner, Recipes

Fig Balsamic Walnut Chicken

March 30, 2015 //
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On Saturday I came across a new balsamic vinegar. I was so excited. It is a fig balsamic vinegar. I have recently fallen in love with figs. Although my mom informs me I loved them as a child. So let’s just say I have recently rediscovered my love of figs. Since I am always looking for new and fun ways to prepare my meals, this was a great find.

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They have other oil and vinegar products as well. I grabbed a few. I am sure they will be making their way into my upcoming posts. This one though is mighty tasty. It even smells heavenly. I hope you enjoy this chicken dish as much as I did!

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Fig Balsamic Walnut Chicken

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into pieces
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp finely diced shallot
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 2 Tbsp Fig Balsamic Vinegar 
  • 2 tsp fresh chopped thyme
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 small lemon, juiced
  • 2 vine ripe tomatoes, diced
  • several handfuls arugula, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • Parmesan cheese. For topping. (optional)

Heat the shallot in the olive oil until it is fragrant and softened. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add chicken, stir well. Add the fig balsamic vinegar, fresh thyme, lemon juice, and sea salt. Stir chicken well. Allow chicken to cook for another few minutes. Until you can no longer see any pink. Add the tomatoes. Continue to cook until chicken is entirely cooked through and tomatoes have softened. Add the walnuts, and stir well again. Combining everything. Cook for another minute or two. Then turn off heat, add arugula, mix, and allowed arugula to wilt slightly. Serve and sprinkle with a small amount of parmesan cheese, if desired.

I served it with potato bites. I made my Lemony Potato Bites but I added 2 tsps of dried Herbes de Provence. Just to switch it up a little.

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Categories Chicken, dinner, Recipes

Roasted Eggplant, Zucchini, and Red Bell Pepper with Lemon Balsamic Sauce

March 27, 2015 //
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Veggies veggies veggies. Vegetables are where it’s at for me. Not a day goes by where I don’t consume them. This recipe is one I adapted last second from another tried and true recipe of mine. I actually haven’t posted that one yet. I have shared it with other people personally. It is one of my meals that my mom is nuts over. Last night this twist turned out just as yummy. It was different, but delicious. It is always great to have more veggieful recipes in your arsenal.

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Roasted Eggplant, Zucchini, and Red Pepper with a Lemon Balsamic Sauce

  • 1/2 medium eggplant, diced
  • 2 small zucchini, diced
  • 1 large red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • Pasta of choice for serving

Preheat oven to 425. Start water for pasta of choice. Combine all veggie ingredients into a large bowl. Mix well to combine and cover all pieces with olive oil. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet, pour veggies on. Bake for 20-25 minutes. This will vary on the size of your diced pieces. Make sure they are tender and some have started to brown.

While veggies are roasting you can get pasta started.

Remove and scoop back into bowl, cover with foil and set aside.

Meanwhile for the dressing….

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large lemon, zested and juiced
  • 1 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
  • 12 twists fresh black pepper
  • several handfuls of spinach
  • fresh chopped chives, to taste
  • fresh chopped basil, to taste
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • Feta

Heat the garlic and olive oil. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add lemon juice, zest, balsamic vinegar, fresh pepper, and spinach. Cook until spinach is wilted. Meanwhile, add the chives, basil, and pine nuts to the bowl of veggies you have set aside. Mix well. Once spinach is wilted, pour the sauce over the roasted veggies and mix well to combine. Scoop over cooked whole wheat pasta of your choice. Top with a dash of feta.

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Categories dinner, Reicpes

Middle Eastern Spices

March 24, 2015 //
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I really love making my own seasoning mixes. I always know what is in them. I can control the sodium levels. There are no preservatives. They are super easy to make. They are usually beautiful as well. This is no exception!

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Middle Eastern Spices 

  • 2 tsp Smoked Sweet Paprika
  • 2 tsp ground Cumin
  • 1 tsp fresh black pepper
  • 1 tsp ground Coriander
  • 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/4 Ground Cloves
  • 1/4 tsp Turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp Cardamom

Combine all in a container of some sort and shake very well to combine. Store in air tight container and use as needed.

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Categories dinner, Recipes

Red Meat Sauce

March 21, 2015 //
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Last night I wanted something simple and fast to whip up. We decided to go swimming around 5pm, which is often dinnertime in our home. We had a blast. I eventually had to get out of the pool because the baby was not napping and the monitor was going nuts. Jackson and Jason stayed swimming. I had Alex, who wanted to play and be by me in general. I kind of wanted to play too! Which I did. So simple it was. My meat sauce is the easiest!

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Red Meat Sauce for Pasta or Zoodles

  • 1lb white meat ground turkey
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, pressed
  • 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp Italian Seasoning. I use this
  • Several handfuls of spinach, chopped
  • 1 Jar all natural pasta sauce. I use Mario Batali Tomato Basil Check out the ingredients. No junk is added. No added sugars. All natural ingredients. There are even carrots in it! So it is my go to pasta sauce.
  • Cooked pasta of your choice or zoodles. The boys had pasta I had zoodles.

Prepare a pot with boiling water for your pasta. Once boiling add your noodles and cook until al dente.

Heat garlic and olive oil in a large pan. Add the turkey. Begin to brown. Add the vinegar and Italian seasoning. Mix well. Continue to brown. Once all pieces look like they have begun to cook, add the spinach and again mix well. Let spinach wilt a bit. Add sauce and bring to a simmer. Let sauce continue to simmer until your pasta is done.

Meanwhile if you are opting for zoodles, take 2 zucchinis (more if you are feeding more than one person with them) and spiralize them with your spiralizer. 5 minutes before you’re ready to serve the meal, sauté the zucchini in a drizzle of olive oil until the zoodles are tender.

Serve sauce over your noodle of choice!

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Categories dinner, Recipes

Rosemary Chicken with Arugula and Zucchini

March 20, 2015 //
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There are times where I just get a craving for rosemary. There is something about the scent and flavor of rosemary that I just have to have sometimes. This week was one of those times. If you are looking for a meal that is very light and fresh tasting this is it.

If I could eat rice every single day I would. Well, actually I kind of do, for lunch. But if I could eat it for dinner every day as well I would. I think my boys would most likely get a little sick of it. I had a craving for brown rice as well. This meal came out of those two wants.

Jackson loved this meal. He mentioned several times that it was a good dinner.

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Rosemary Chicken with Arugula and Zucchini

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cup up into pieces
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed/minced
  • 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp fresh finely chopped rosemary
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • Fresh black pepper to taste (I added about 11 twists)
  • 1 large zucchini, zoodled I use this
  • Several handfuls of arugula, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • Brown rice, cooked (optional)

In a large pan add the olive oil and garlic. Begin to cook garlic for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add the chicken. Coat well with olive oil and garlic. Add the white wine vinegar, rosemary, sea salt, and pepper. Cook chicken through. Once chicken is cooked add the zoodles and lemon juice. Continue to cook for several more minutes until zoodles are tender. When zoodles are done add the arugula. Mix well. Turn off the heat and just let the remaining heat wilt the arugula.

Serve over prepared brown rice.

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Categories Chicken, dinner, Reicpes