what i'm loving wednesday

Paleo Kitchen Sync's recipe for Whole 30 friendly Bang Bang Shrimp. 

OMG yum. Although I bought fresh shrimp and had to peel and devein them... I don't know if I'll ever get the smell out of my nose. And the sauce that you put on them?!? I've been using it as salad dressing. So good. 

Carnival squash that I found at the farmers market. So pretty!

this multi-surface cleaner from the honest company. (although don't get it from amazon, holy crap i just saw the price! i got mine on sale last week at target!). this is my first honest company purchase and i LOVE it. powerful mist spray, great smell, and cleans well. i keep cleaning all the counters and tables because i love it so! (i'm not OCD at all...lol)

can't.stop.watching. we started a netflix binge (well, as much of a netflix binge that two new parents with full time jobs can manage) and it is soooo good!

so what are you loving right now??

he and she eat clean's arugula chicken burgers

one of my goals for this week is to find and try some new recipes to work in the mix. we are in a big time food  rut. which leads to eating out every night, which leads to empty pockets in jeans that are way too tight.

i found the site he and she eat clean via pinterest (of course, where else does one find a recipe nowadays?). they have a lot of great looking ideas but the first one to jump out at me was their arugula chicken burgers (the link will actually take you to tosca reno's website where they shared the recipe).

these were super easy to make and SO DELICIOUS! they are filling, flavorful, and a perfect pairing with some roasted sweet potato cubes which we are loving right now too.

lots of fresh ingredients! chop everything up, add to a bowl, and add your ground chicken. 

 i pan fried them with this new coconut oil that i got from swanson health products [for more on them, see below].* it worked pretty much the same as evoo and i couldn't taste any difference in the two. i'm trying to use coconut oil more after reading whole30 and this worked perfectly!

doesn't that look good? it made four patties so we each had one for dinner then warmed up another one for lunch the next day. we put them on ezekiel english muffins the first night, then the second day i went without a bun.

let me know if you all try them!

*swanson health products has a HUGE selection of vitamins, supplements, organic foods, natural bath/beauty products, eco-friendly cleaners, etc.

• they are family owned since 1969
• guaranteed low prices (crazy low prices!)
• i can personally attest to their WONDERFUL customer service and FAST shipping

i was allowed to choose this product from swanson and it was provided to me free of charge in exchange for my honest review of the product. as always, all opinions are my own and i was not required to give a positive review. 

Vegetable Meatloaf with Balsamic Glaze

Brad and I found this recipe in Food Network Magazine. Well, he mostly found it, I would have skipped over it. That's my problem with finding recipes and cooking... I'm plain. I like plain stuff. I would have skipped this because of the balsamic glaze. But anyways, Brad saw it, said we should try it, and now it's one of our favorite things to eat. My mom and dad were here this weekend and they requested it (really it's that good!). So I thought I'd share with you guys.

Preheat the oven to 425. Finely dice 1 small zuchinni, 1 yellow bell pepper and 1 red bell pepper. Make a paste with 5 cloves of garlic mixed with a little salt (I use sea salt since it's more coarse). Add the veggies and paste to about 2 tbsp of EVOO in a skilled on high heat. Saute the veggies until they're almost soft (about 5 minutes). You can season them with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Isn't it pretty? I feel like a real cook when I make this! While the veggies are cooking, chop up some fresh parsley (about 1/4 cup) and fresh thyme (1 tablespoon). Side note:  We rarely use the thyme. We have to go to Earth Fare to get it and you use so little. In a separate bowl mix the herbs with an egg and whisk.

After the veggies are cooked, remove them from heat so they can cool.

Next the recipe calls for 1.5 lbs turkey meat. We've learned to use 2 full pounds (because the store has it pre-packaged in lbs and we like left overs). Add the turkey, 1/2 cup shredded parmesan or romano cheese, 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and 1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs, it's with the stuffing). Mix all of this in a bowl with the cooled veggies.

You're probably gonna need to use your hands. After it's well mixed I separate it into two loaf pans that have been sprayed with Pam. Forgetting to add the Pam can be bad. Trust me.

Next you mix 1/4 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes together in a bowl and paint it over the top. I don't use it all and save the rest for sauce. Then put in the oven to cook for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes.

 When you're finished it'll look like this:

It takes a little time to prepare, but trust me it's worth it!! I also may or may not have set my oven on fire when my inlaws were here and I made this. Not embarrasing at all.

Taco Roll

Whoa things are getting a little crazy around here... I'm sharing a recipe! Please do not get used to this, seeing as how I only cook like 5 things and B-rad is the gourmet cook of the house. I'm more of a sous chef really... For example it's going to take me 30 minutes to type up this post when it should only take 10, because Bobby Flay the hubs keeps asking me to do stuff for him. Doesn't he know I'm doing way more important stuff!?

Anyways, this is my momma's recipe that is amazing and it's my go-to meal. I hope you like it!

You'll need:
2 lbs turkey
2 packets taco seasoning
1 can diced tomatoes with onion and green pepper
1 can Rotel
1 jar taco sauce
2 cup bag shredded mexican cheese
8-10 burrito shells

1. Preheat your oven to 300.
2. Brown & drain 2 lbs ground turkey (you can use beef, but I'm not digging cow meat right now).
3. After you drain the meat, put it back in the pot and add 2 packets of taco seasoning (I prefer Old El Paso) and 1 small can of petite diced tomatoes with green pepper and onion. ---This is the lazy way. My mom chops up real onion and green pepper and adds to the meat as she's browning it. Sorry mom.
4. Mix that up really good, it should look something like this:
5. This will be the filling for the burrito shells. Get a 9x13 pan and spray it with Pam. Fill the burrito shells with the meat mix, roll them up, and use them to line the bottom of the pan.
6. Next, mix up 1 can of taco sauce (again I prefer Old El Paso) and 1 can Rotel.
7. You'll use this mixture to cover the burritos. Don't drown them, just cover (you won't use all the mixture).
8. And you know what comes next, smother in cheese.
9. Bake for 40 minutes.
10. Enjoy every last bite! Serve with ranch dressing or sour cream (not in this house!).

It's hard cooking for one or two people, but this is great because it really is just as good when heated up as leftovers.

I hope you like it as much as I do. And major props to my momma who made this up one day and it's one of our favoroite meals! She's pretty much amazing.

And just in case you were wondering, B-rad only needed me 4 times during this post :)