Tag Archives: dinner

Turkey Spinach Zucchini Casserole

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This is similar to the South of the Boarder Turkey Loaf. Stuffed with veggies, this is a “one dish meal” and great for large groups! Anders (who just turned ONE!) has been eating so much, I can barely keep up with lunches and dinners for him (oh and not to mention the rest of us). Starting to realize why my Grandma was an expert at making casseroles.. she had a big family to cook for! 🙂

Blog turkeycasserole2

Blog turkeycasserole1

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs ground turkey
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 zucchinis, finely sliced (use the slicer blade on your food processor)
  • 1 cup frozen chopped spinach (you can use fresh, but keep in mind that frozen spinach is denser)
  • 1 carrot, shredded (grater blade on your food processor)
  • Cheese, grated (Mexican blend works well) (omit for dairy free and paleo)
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

  • Combine all ingredients (except cheese) and mix well
  • Fill large 9×13 greased casserole dish
  • Top with cheese
  • Bake at 350* for 1 hr or until center is hot and bubbling and cheese is melted and golden brown

Super Mom Tip: This casserole freezes well! Freeze in serving size portions for reheating when there’s no time to make dinner. 🙂

 

dit-elle-Esther

Grilled Chicken, Sweet Pototato, and Onion with Basil Guacamole // Paleo // Whole30

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Here’s another super simple healthy Paleo and Whole30 recipe for you.  I don’t know why, but I always feel so bada$$ when I grill on my own!  Am I the only female that feels that way?  Sounds totally sexist, but usually it’s such a nice excuse not to cook break to have the Huz do the grilling.  It’s so easy, less dishes to cook, and I swear everything tastes better off the grill… This dinner was no exception!Blog BBQ Paleo Whole30 Chicken Sweet Potato Grilled Onion with Basil Guacamole-1Ingredients (Would serve 4)

For the Guacamole

  • 10 grape tomatoes (cut in half)
  • 1 large avocados
  • 1 inch cut of red onion
  • Salt and pepper to to taste
  • 5 Fresh Basil Leaves // Honestly, I didn’t have any cilantro, so I used basil (I had it) and LOVE the change of flavor from the usual guacamole!
  • Sea salt and Pepper to taste

Pulse all this in a Cuisinart or blender until chunky.

For the BBQ

  • 1 large sweet onion
  • 4 chicken breasts
  • 2 Sweet Potatoes cut in half
  • Olive Oil
  • Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Dried Rosemary

Directions

  • Light your grill to medium heat
  • Cut the sweet potato in half and pierce with a fork, lightly coat with Olive Oil, S&P, and dried rosemary.
  • Once preheated, Place Sweet Potatoes on the grill first, because they take longer to cook.  Make sure they cook for 15 minutes before you add other items to grill.  I placed them directly on the grill-no tinfoil.
  • Lightly coat chicken in olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, and rosemary.  Set aside.
  • Peel and cut the onion into 4ths (about 3/4″ slices), then lightly coat with olive oil, S&P, and rosemary
  • Once sweet potato has cooked for 15, add chicken and onion.  Cook both of those for 8-10 on each side (depending on size of the chicken)
  • Layer sweet potato, guacamole, chicken, a little more quacamole, with onion on the side.

ENJOY!

dit-elle-Lauren

Chicken, Avocado, Egg Salad in a Bell Pepper Cup // Paleo // Whole30

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I’ve been totally inspired by some Paleo and Whole30 recipes on Instagram (mostly @jennaskitchen and @the_clean_wife).  Doing Whole30 would not be an option with our teenage boys (I tried cooking separate meals before, but let’s be honest, ONE meal feels like too much work sometimes!)  I am all about making healthy meals that taste good though!!  The boys and Huz were all gone the other night, so it was just me and Maya.  She eats just about anything, so I figured it would be the perfect time to try something I’d been thinking of making.  Basically a mix of a few things I’ve seen around, plus what I had in our fridge already 🙂

It was DELICIOUS!  So light, yet filling, and unbelievably healthy!Blog Chicken Avocado Egg Salad In Bell Pepper Cup Paleo Whole30-1Ingredients (Would serve 4)

  • 10 grape tomatoes (cut in half)
  • 5 eggs (soft boiled)
  • 1 and a half large avocados
  • 1.5-2 cups shredded chicken breast (one or two large bone in breast depending on size)  I like to BBQ bone in chicken breasts and make extra just to have on hand for a follow up meal like this!  Super easy.  I usually just dust with olive oil and a tiny bit of sea salt and pepper.  Can even just throw it on the BBG plain though, since you peel the skin off!
  • 1/2 and inch slice red onion diced
  • Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 4 Bell Peppers (I like the orange and yellow ones :))

Directions

You can do almost all of it in the Cuisinart.  One dish-easy clean up-WIN!!Blog Chicken Avocado Egg Salad In Bell Pepper Cup Paleo Whole30-2

  • Boil water and cook eggs for 7 minutes.  Take off burner and add cold water and ice until they are cool.  Very important to have them fully cool, in order to peel properly.  Set aside while you make everything else.
  • Toss onions and tomatoes into a Cuisinart (or blender if you don’t have a Cuisinart)  Pulse a few times until chopped.
  • Add in Avocado (salt and pepper to taste.  I barely used any)
  • Add in chicken, and eggs
  • Pulse a few more times just to mix.
  • Slice the top off the peppers, deseed, and fill with mixture
  • Pick it up, get MESSY, and ENJOY! 🙂
  • Blog Chicken Avocado Egg Salad In Bell Pepper Cup Paleo Whole30-3Since it was just me and Maya for dinner, we had plenty left over.  So, we took some over to my parents 🙂Blog Maya 136 weeks Green Osh Kosh-3

dit-elle-Lauren

Strawberry, Spinach and Goat Cheese Salad

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Celebrate the longer evenings and sunnier days with a hint of summer kind of dinner – spinach salad with strawberries, warm chicken and goat cheese! 🙂

Blog chickenstrawberryspinachsalad

Ingredients

  • Large bunch of spinach (~5 cups, washed & dried)
  • 1 1/2 cups strawberries, sliced
  • 3 oz goat cheese
  • 1-2 cups cooked and shredded or diced chicken (GREAT use of a leftover roast chicken)
  • Dress with vinegar & olive oil, poppy seeds, salt & pepper
  • Slivered almonds (optional)

Directions

  • Toss the spinach and strawberries with the dressing
  • Lightly mix in goat cheese and almonds and chicken
  • Serve immediately – excellent with cold or still warm chicken!

dit-elle-Esther

Cream of Artichoke Soup

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Artichoke soup – yum! Full of veggies, delicate herbs, and rich with a splash of cream. This would be a great paleo soup if you substitute coconut milk for the dairy. 🙂

Blog artichokebisque

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 1 cup diced celery
  • 1 cup diced carrots
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence (found it at PCC in bulk – it’s basically a blend of savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme oregano and sometimes lavender)
  • 1 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or less to adjust the heat)
  • Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
  • 3 (14-ounce) cans artichoke hearts, drained
  • 2 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
  • 2 cups 2% milk
  • 1/2 cup cream
  • 1 bay leaf

Directions

  • Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.
  • Cook onions, celery, carrots, garlic, thyme, Herbes de Provence, celery seed, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper until soft, 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Add artichoke hearts, vegetable stock, milk, cream and bay leaf.
  • Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
  • Remove bay leaf and carefully blend soup with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender or food processor. Adjust seasoning and serve.

Thanks PCC!

dit-elle-Esther

Quick Quiche

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Make this basic quiche and get creative with the filling! You can do it with a premade crust or simply crust-less!

blog quiche2 blog quiche1

Ingredients

  • 3 eggs
  • 1 c. milk
  • ground pepper
  • Optional: 1 frozen pie shell (there are good gluten free options out there!)

Filling (Mix & match from the following options – my favorite combos include: just spinach & cheese! Or artichoke, spinach, ham, sundried tomatoes and goat cheese! 🙂

  • Spinach
  • Artichoke
  • Broccoli
  • Onion
  • Mushrooms
  • Ham (Canadian bacon), bacon, smoked salmon
  • Cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan, goat)

Assembly

  • Put the desired filling ingredients in your pie shell or directly in a greased pie pan (I use a 9″ deep dish round pan)
  • Put milk & eggs in a blender and mix it up, then pour over filling
  • Sprinkle with cheese

Bake @ 350 for 45 minutes or until knife inserted in middle shows firm (non-runny) center

dit-elle-Esther

 

Ruby Root Slaw

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Raw carrots and beets are grated and tossed in an olive oil & vinegar dressing. A crispy delicate salad, delicious and full of freshness! 🙂

Blog beetsalad

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • salt/pepper to taste
  • 3 red beets, peeled and grated (use the grater setting on your food processor!)
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and grated
  • 1 apple, peeled and grated
  • 1/4 c toasted chopped walnuts (optional)
  • 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Directions

  • In large bowl, whisk oil, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper.
  • Toss the dressing with beets, carrots, and apple.
  • Refrigerate for an hour or more to let flavors meld.
  • Fold in walnuts and parsley before serving

dit-elle-Esther

Marionberry Baked Salmon with Truffle Cheese Garlic Bread and Raspberry Almond Salad

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Blog Marionberry Salmon Truffle Cheese Bread Raspberry Almond Salad-1So, I talked about the Valentine’s misshap in yesterday’s DIY post.  What I forgot to mentions was that the Huz was out of town until about 7, so we were stranded.  Not a big deal as we didn’t have plans and it was POURING, but I wasn’t able to go to the store and buy the fixings for the romantic dinner I had planned.  However, if there is one thing I’m good at (a super power if you will) it’s raiding the fridge/cupboards and pulling a meal out of my a$$ 🙂

Ingredients

Salmon

    • 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
    • 1 Tablespoon Jam (I used Marionberry)
    • Salt and Pepper
    • 3-4 salmon filets
  • Truffle Cheese Garlic Bread (are you kidding me?  It’s HEAVENLY and relatively healthy because you don’t have to use very much cheese to get a flavor mouthful!)Blog Marionberry Salmon Truffle Cheese Bread Raspberry Almond Salad-3
    • 1 teaspoon of butter
    • 1/2 teaspoon of crushed garlic
    • Loaf of bread
    • Cheese with Truffle (It’s spendy, but a little goes a LONG way!!)  We got this at Metropolitan Market)Blog Marionberry Salmon Truffle Cheese Bread Raspberry Almond Salad-2Salad
  • Lettuce greens
  • Raspberries
  • Almonds
  • Raspberry Walnut Vinagrette (I could have made my own dressing using olive oil, the same jam in the salmon marinade, diced up almonds, and some salt and pepper, but I was too tired :))

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 450
  • Line a baking pan with tin foil (makes the clean up SO easy!) and lay salmon skin side down.
  • Mix the jam and olive oil.  Spread over salmon and then salt and pepper
  • Bake for 12-14 minutes (depends on the size of your filets)
  • While they are baking mix butter and garlic in a ramican, put in microwave for 5 seconds and stir.  Spread lightly over bread that has been cut in half.
  • Grate a little bit of the cheese (I did maybe a Tablespoon on each side).  It has a really strong flavor, so not much is needed!  Let it sit while you make the salad.
  • Dump salad greens, raspberries, and diced almonds in a bowl and drizzle with dressing (phew that was hard ;))
  • Take the salmon out, turn the oven off, and put the bread in there for about a minute.
  • ENJOY!
dit-elle-Lauren

Chicken Chilaquiles

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This is a wonderful and easy dinner to prepare! Not paleo, but gluten free and so yummy!

Blog chickenchilaques

Ingredients

  • 2 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onions
  • 1/2 – 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers (divided)
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • salt/pepper to taste
  • 12 (6″) corn tortillas
  • Cooking spray
  • Sour cream for garnish

Tomatillo Sauce

  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 (11oz) can tomatillos, drained
  • 1 (4.5oz) can chopped green chiles, drained (come in mild or hot varieties)

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 375*
  • Combine chicken, green onions, half of the Monterey Jack cheese, Parmesan, chili powder, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and toss well to combine
  • Place milk, cilantro, tomatillos, chiles in a food processor and blend until smooth
  • Spray 11×7 or larger baking dish with cooking spray and pour 1/3 cup of the tomatillo sauce in bottom
  • Arrange layers of tortillas and chicken mixture ending with a tortilla layer and pouring the rest of the sauce over
  • Top with cheese
  • Bake at 375* for 20 minutes or until bubbly and golden
  • Serve with sour cream and chopped fresh cilantro

dit-elle-Esther

Baked Salmon

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Blog Baked Salmon with Salad-1I don’t know why I used to be scared to cook fish.  I guess it was the fear of the unknown.  Ok, and kind of the smell haha 🙂

Living in the NW, we are SO lucky to have access to amazing fresh fish, so I decided to get over my fear.  What I found out?  It’s EASY!

Honestly, I change up the marinade depending on what’s in my fridge, but usually I do something sweet + something salty + a little kick.  It’s Here’s what I did this last time…

Ingredients

    • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
    • 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
    • 1 tablespoons real maple syrup
    • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (I cheat and use this)
    • 2 Tablespoons chopped chives (happened to have some left over from a previous dinner 🙂
    • A little sea salt and Pepper
    • 3-4 salmon filets

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 450
  • Line a baking pan with tin foil (makes the clean up SO easy!) and lay salmon skin side down.
  • Mix all the ingredients in bowl and pour over the salmon
  • Bake for 12-14 minutes (depends on the size of your filets)
  • Serve with a side salad and some crusty bread (<–not paleo), and you’re done!

In case you were wondering if it’s child friendly, Maya CHOWED this down.Blog Baked Salmon with Salad-2dit-elle-Lauren