Food, Glorious Food

I have never cooked as much as I have the last 2 weeks being snowed in. I have been in the kitchen constantly. Honestly I have been running the dishwasher twice a day. It's insane. And we have had kids in and out for 2 weeks, which I love, but the second I pull out a pan of brownies from the oven they disappear. So, I thought I would share some of what I have been cooking. If you want any of my recipes, just let me know.

My favorite meal was the chicken spaghetti. Yes, I know, Pioneer Woman has a recipe for this. But, I gotta tell you. My recipe beats hers hands down anytime. I will warn you that you can feed a small army with this recipe. It just so happened I had 8 kids at my house that day so it worked great. If not, you could always freeze half and pull it out later.

One night we had a shoulder roast, cooked in the crockpot on low all day with frozen green beans and baby carrots. I also made the new potatoes with olive oil and Lipton Onion Soup Mix. Those are a favorite of my kids.

Ok, if my personal trainer is reading this post she should stop now.

Seriously. It's not going to get better.

A favorite at my house is pork butt. Yes, disgusting name, but oh so juicy and yummy. My sister-in-law gave me a great recipe for a rub to put on it. I usually smoke this, but recently started cooking in the crockpot. Fabulous! Just don't forget the crockpot liners! I serve this with another recipe from Amy, corn casserole. This is different than anything you have probably had. It's made with Mahatma Saffron Rice. Oh how my kids beg for this!

We also had some of the old standby favorites: taco soup, chicken nacho cheese soup, spaghetti and meat sauce. And, last night we went out with a bang. I baked a turkey. Just like Thanksgiving.

I'm done! Put a fork in me. We are eating leftovers the next couple of days cuz this Mama needs a break...and some healthier recipes!

Clean Eating Shrimp Linguine

Tonight I made my own recipe. I rarely do this, and I must say, it was fun! Here's what I used:

1 14 ounce package of whole grain linguine noodles- cooked al dente

Saute 1/2 white onion and 1 clove garlic over medium heat. Add cooked shrimp (I used the Walmart brand of shrimp cocktail that is already cooked. Cut the tail off and cut the shrimp in half.), 2 cans of whole tomatoes, 1 can of black olives, and some fresh basil. Cook over medium heat until warm.

Toss with pasta and then top with crumbled feta cheese.

It was delicious! My kids had thirds!!!

P.S. If anyone talks to my hubby tell him to buy me a fancy camera and I'll keep cooking like this!

My Quest for the Perfect Protein Bar

I'm trying to "eat clean". If you have no idea what this is, just simply google it or grab the book. I go in phases doing this, and it seems sooner or later processed food gets the better of me. But, right now I am in an eat clean phase. I'm trying to eat natural, pure foods in an unprocessed state...lots of whole grains, beans, seeds, etc. Anyway, protein bars are something I really like to eat. They are an easy, on the go snack loaded with protein (essential for fueling muscle). BUT, they can be expensive. Sometimes as much as $4.00 a bar. And, some "protein bars" still have bad things in them like sugar or preservatives. So, I have been on the hunt for a good recipe.

I found a recipe on the web a few weeks ago. Ick would be an understatement. I have been avoiding making the protein bars in the Eat Clean Diet Cookbook because there are a zillion ingredients. It just looked tiring. However, my friend Sheri told me she has made them and they are delicious. In fact, she sticks some in the freezer to keep herself from snacking too much.

So, I gave it a try. Although there were tons of ingredients, it really wasn't hard. Here is the finished product. It made 24 bars. I froze half of them. They look so yummy. Don't they look like brownies? I haven't officially had one yet (I've licked the bowl) and I think Sheri is right!!!

And while those were baking, I whipped up these eat clean enchiladas. Don't you wish you were coming to my house for dinner tonight???