Food
Living the Green Life includes <a href="https://blog.xbydesign.biz/eat-well-live-well/">eating healthy food</a> that tastes great too. If you can't grow it yourself, then pick it yourself, cook it yourself, & enjoy it. Grab a <a href="https://blog.xbydesign.biz/vegetarian-lentil-sliders-burgers/">recipe </a>or 2 for food I eat & feed my family, share some of your own, or just chat about what works & what doesn't when you're trying to eat healthy tasty food.
Chicken & Kale Stuffed Manicotti
I love anything stuffed or rolled. So when DH said he wanted chicken for dinner I couldn’t bring myself to make plain old chicken. Instead I used it to make an easy weeknight stuffed manicotti… with a twist! Usually manicotti is stuffed with Italian cheeses & herbs – ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, etc. I do love the traditional stuffed manicotti but I don’t always have the ingredients on hand. And who has the time or energy to go buy them when the meal is totally unplanned. (I’m definitely not a meal planner.) Easy Weeknight Stuffed Manicotti (With a Twist) Ingredients: **Note: most my measurements are not measurements at all. The {amount…
The Best Way To Cook Salmon
My family & I love salmon. Baked salmon, sautéed salmon, grilled salmon, salmon patties/cakes/croquettes (or whatever you wanna call them), smoked salmon, salmon poke, ceviche, & of course sushi. We love it all. But in my opinion, the best way to cook salmon is hands down to baste it with butter and/or oil while cooking in a hot skillet. Wonder if there’s a name for that… other than basting. The Best Way To Cook Salmon There’s no special recipe or science to it – well I’m sure there’s a science to it – and the only “rule” is to cook the salmon (or any fish) skin side down Ingredients Salmon…
Mediterranean Chicken “Stoup”
Hi foodie friends! Hopefully 2019 is still going strong for you! I rung in the new year in fine fashion, not too crazy, not boring – just perfect. Until last week. Last week I felt a little tingling in my throat that turned into a full on cold. I really didn’t want to take OTC meds, but ended up supplementing my constant cups of tea (with honey & lemon) with some anyway. In the process, I knew I needed some chicken soup. I don’t know about you, but I get tired of the same old chicken noodle or chicken & rice or chicken & veggie soup. Even if it is…
Quick & Easy Weeknight Gumbo
Quick, easy, & weeknight are NOT words associated with making a gumbo. But yes, you read that title right and yes it is true that you can make a quick & easy gumbo anytime you want. The trick is in the prep work & the technique. First a disclaimer or 2… quick & easy are relative. So… By quick I mean much faster than it would take to make my normal gumbo recipe. 30 minutes or so (45 if you use brown rice) By easy I mean as easy as it can get with still having to make your own roux. Normally it takes me hours to make gumbo because…
Cooking with Kids: Semi-Homemade Corn Dogs
Hey y’all!! It’s officially summer! And that means more time with the kiddos, more bored kiddos, and more HUNGRY kiddos! This summer I told my youngest (age 8) that, among other things, he was going to learn to cook. Every kid needs to learn to be self sufficient, even in the kitchen. And what says summer more than corn dogs?! Watermelon maybe, but there’s nothing to do there but keep it simple & cut it up (kids love watermelon wedges with juice running down their arms)! But this is not about watermelon. By request from insta-friend & fellow blogger Kenyatta over at My Design Rules, we are making semi-homemade corn dogs with the kids! How…
1 Skillet Chicken & Orzo
I like the challenge of making delicious & easy weeknight meals using as few ingredients as possible, preferably 5 or less not including the basics (like salt, pepper, turmeric, onions & garlic – I put that ish in everything!). This is one of my family’s favorites & can be made in so many variations – AND cleanup is easy! It’s 1 skillet Chicken & Orzo. Try this simple recipe with your family with a veg or 2 on the side. Ingredients: 1/2 small onion, thinly sliced 1 garlic clove, sliced or chopped 4-6 chicken thighs 1 cup of orzo 2 ½ cups of water salt & pepper to taste The…
Greek Style Bean Soup
Every week we try to have at least 1 veggie only meal. Not just a bunch of vegetables on a plate – that’s just boring & maybe even lazy (unless of course it’s a side dish for Friday night wings). We want fun (kids like fun food), delicious & (hopefully) easy food. But it can be hard coming up with different dishes every week. Honestly, most of the time I don’t; we find some things that we really love (usually something stuffed) & eat them over & over until we get tired of it. Then I try to come up with something new. One thing that’s pretty easy is soup. …
Why Turmeric & Liquid Amino Acids Are My 2 New Kitchen Favorites
I have been a naturalista for something like 26 years. In the beginning I tried so many products, some worked, some not. Only when I kinda became a “purist” (maybe) did I find out that some of the best things I cook with are also the best for my body & hair. No surprise there. Most recently – like within the last 6 months or so – I have found 2 new “naturalista” best friends in my kitchen cabinets… Turmeric & Liquid Amino Acids. Why Turmeric & Liquid Amino Acids Are My 2 New Kitchen Favorites Turmeric kinda came easy. I love food. And I love curry. So I keep…
Vegetarian Eggplant Casserole
After the holidays we needed to press the reset button. We ate like crazy in the Green house so…. Time to cleanse & I’ve got the perfect recipe to kick things off… Vegetarian Eggplant Casserole Eggplant Casserole Ingredients Ingredients: 1 large eggplant or 2 medium Olive oil 1 yellow onion, diced 1 bell pepper, diced ½ hot pepper (jalapeño or serrano, optional) 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 ½ cups cheese (I split mine with ½ cheddar & ½ mozzarella) 2 large eggs, beaten 1T butter, melted salt & pepper to taste {a glass of wine to sip on while you cook} The Process: Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 2…
Gluten Free Vegan Lo Mein
Not that we are either gluten free OR Vegan in the Green House. Yes we eat pretty well, but we are definitely not that good. Sometimes we just need to press reset on our diets/eating habits & this gluten free vegan lo mein is a perfectly tasty way to do it! I just love spaghetti squash (chameleon that it is) & vegetables in general, as long as they are NOT sweet. That is the only way that I am picky – if you can call it that. No sweet vegetables please. Thank you. Anyway, I didn’t know if I should call this lo mein or chow mein because… Lo mein…
