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What do you eat?

January 13, 2012 by JOYfilledWELLNESS Filed Under: Clean Eating, Dinner, Lunch 5 Comments

It’s a question that I get a lot when others find out about my family’s lifestyle change.  Here are a few pics of some of our latest dishes.  They’re tasty, easy meals—nothing fancy.
baked apple pork chopbaked apple pork chops
rose made this dish on her dinner night.  we loved it!  savory and sweet.
sweet potato soup
i love soups during all times of the year.  they’re perfect for meatless fridays.  this is so yummy that papi, my 4 year old, eats it hot or cold.
egg salad
here’s another friday meal, egg salad wraps.  sometimes we use cucumbers to dip in the egg salad.
tri-tip dinner
simple and cheap  dinner that we usually have once a week.  we generally make enough for left overs, lunch or snack.  here we served it up with baked sweet potato and a simple salad with home made dressing.  (this was the kid’s plate.  dad and I serve ourselves more meat and greens.)
oriental chicken salad
I used to make this salad with packaged seasoning and crunchy noodles.  this version is a healthier option.  we enjoy this for lunch, dinner, or snack.  the kids miss the crunchy noodles but are happy to have the crunch of the slivered almonds.
taco night
taco night doesn’t look the same these days and we’re loving it. seasoned ground beef with diced peppers and avocado, served up with organic salsa.  i prefer the lettuce shell but rose likes to turn it into taco salad.
pulled pork
dad needed a dish to take to a work party.  i wanted to be sure that he had a hearty option.  rose and i prepared this dish for dad in the mid-afternoon.  we slow cooked it in our wanna-be dutch oven.  it was ready six hours later, just in time for dad’s shift.
it was a hit and has become one of dad’s favorite.  papi ate the leftovers for lunch the next day.  it’s a bit spicy for me.
(next time i’ll remember to take an after picture.)

***
i’ve marked these meals in my new recipe book on pinterest and i’m sharing this post at the following parties.
pinning it down
pinterest to real life
***

***update***
here are the links to the recipes that i used or that inspired my dishes.
Apple Pork Chops
Sweet Potato Soup
Tacos
Spicy Shredded Pork (sans Dr. Pepper)
Deviled Eggs/Egg Salad
(I’ll post my dressing for the Oriental Salad when I take measurements, the next time I make it.)

Shepard’s Pie

December 13, 2011 by JOYfilledWELLNESS Filed Under: Beef, Dinner, Recipes 1 Comment

It could have gone bad.  Dad was gone all day with Rose and Baby G kept me busy.  We spent the day celebrating Our Lady of Guadalupe.  The girls had another ice indoor-soccer game. 

ice soccer day 2

I’ve been here before, it was once a typical pizza night.  I prayed for the graces to fight the urge to order a take-n-bake pizza.  I decided just to make some ground beef.  I figured I’d be inspired once I started to cook.  Sure enough, I planned on making lettuce roll tacos.  I checked the fridge and saw the potato soup (made with coconut milk and carrots) that I had made on Friday.  (It was a splurge for us.  In hindsight, I should have made sweet potato soup—next time.)  The potato soup lead me to recall the Shepard’s Pie recipe that I found here.  I modified the recipe and put together the dish before dad got home and we dashed out the door for soccer.

shepard's pie v2

I popped the already assembled dish into the oven when we returned home.  Everyone showered and got into warm jammies while dinner baked.  It was perfect timing.  So long pizza night!

The dish was a warm and soothing meal on such a cold night.  Everyone enjoyed it.  Papi had seconds. 

shepard's pie

Here is the original recipe from Wellness Mama with my alterations.

 

Ingredients for Healthy Shepard/Cottage Pie:
  • 2 (or more) pounds of ground beef, turkey or other meat
  • 2-3 heads of cauliflower or 3-4 bags of frozen cauliflower 3 cups of left over soup
  • 1 bag of frozen mixed veggies (no corn! It’s not a veggie!) – 3 cups of Kirkland Normady Style Veggie Blend
  • 1-2 onions I was  too lazy to add the onions.
  • 1 egg
  • Seasonings to taste (I used natural beef bouillon, basil, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano and a little cayenne) garlic and all the spices that I could reach
  • 3-4 Tablespoons of butter
  • 4 ounces of cream cheese (optional) 2 ounces to thicken up the left over soup
  • Cheese to top (optional)
How to Make Healthy Shepard/Cottage Pie:
  1. Brown meat in large skillet and season to taste when cooked. Set aside.
  2. Saute diced onion in skillet until somewhat soft. Set aside with meat.
  3. Pour mixed veggies in the skillet to heat on low heat and in the meantime…
  4. In large pot, boil several cups of water. Add cauliflower, cover, and cook until soft enough to mash.
  5. Remove the pot from the heat, pour off the water, and add butter and cream cheese to the pot.
  6. Add spices and mash. (I use a hand blender to make it really smooth)
  7. Mixed veggies should be cooked by now.
  8. Mix the meat, onions mixed veggies, raw egg and any additional seasonings and put in bottom of 9×13 baking dish.
  9. Spread mashed cauliflower soup mixture over it until smooth.
  10. Bake at 350 for approximately 30 minutes.
  11. Add cheese and bake 5 additional minutes (optional).
  12. Serve warm (ore reheat later)

Healthy Options for Thanksgiving

November 25, 2011 by JOYfilledWELLNESS Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes, Sides, Thanksgiving Day Leave a Comment

We celebrated Thanksgiving at my sis’s house.  She is very supportive of our new lifestyle change and was very diligent to be certain that we would have options come dinner time.  We brought some of our own dishes to help us with our choices.

~~~

Garlic and Herb Mashed Cauliflower

Garlic and Herb Mashed Cauliflower collage

This was a delicious dish once we got the cauliflower to the right consistency.  Rose ended up using the hand-held emulsion blender.  We never missed the mashed potatoes.

Slightly Sweet Cranberry Sauce

Slightly Sweet Cranberry Sauce collage

Dad can’t go without homemade cranberry sauce.  This definitely topped his traditional recipe that was loaded with sugar.  Those who like cranberry sauce, loved this recipe.  I could have used some honey for more sweetness but overall, I enjoyed it.

Garlic Roasted Sweet Potatoes

JOY

This was my favorite side.  It was good hot or cold.  This would be a great snack to have handy in the fridge.

Stuffed Mushrooms

stuffed mushrooms

This is a family favorite and it was one of our splurges.  Maybe, one day, I’ll be able to find a suitable substitute.  I did eliminate the Worchester Sauce.

Grain Free Carrot Cake

Grain Free Carrot Cake collage

Yummmmmmmmmmmmm!!!  I’m sure there was a time when I would gawk at the idea of a healthy dessert option, this dessert did away with all my past hang-ups.  We have been eating it non-stop since Thanksgiving Day.  Dragonfly has even led the troops in eating it for breakfast.

Papa’s Turkey

papa's turkey

This was the star of the show.

Our New Italian Dish

November 17, 2011 by JOYfilledWELLNESS Filed Under: Beef, Dinner, Recipes Leave a Comment

O.k., so this dish isn’t really an Italian dish but it is the closest we’ll come to a pasta dish these days. 

It reminded me of a veggie lasagna.  Dad had to acquire a taste for it since I overcooked the zucchini and they were a bit mushy.  My four year old son and six year old daughter, loved it.  In fact, she is still talking about it. (Two of my girls were out the evening we had this dish.)

The meat sauce was divine.

~~~

 

Paleo Spaghetti

JOYJtomatoes in the pot for sauceorganic zucchinizucchini spaghettiSpaghetti Meat Sauce

paleo spaghetti

Salisbury Steak and Mashed Sweet Potatoes

September 20, 2011 by JOYfilledWELLNESS Filed Under: Beef, Dinner Leave a Comment

 

Everyday Paleo Salisbury Steak

salisbury steakpapo eating steak

It’s kid approved!

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Hi! I'm Lena, mama of JOYfilledfamily.
We are a traditional Catholic family striving to live for Jesus Christ in everything we do. We pray to completely surrender our will to His and to become His servants. Our mission of this blog is to share our JOY.

This blog serves as a journal of us making good memories, living the liturgical year, and our spiritual journey.

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