Protein Pudding

 This is a great way to get in a bunch of protein with very little effort. I really enjoy it and I guess it's kind of like a pudding. Got this recipe from a lady I follow on instagram; Makingprettyspaces (Jen)

1 cup fat free greek yoghurt (Costco) over 18g protein

1 scoop protein powder (I have the chocolate Ascent brant from Costco right now) 25g protein

1 TBSP peanut butter, almond butter or PB powder 4g protein

1 TBSP almond flour 2-3g protein

Mix together in container, refrigerate or freeze for about 10 minutes and enjoy. You can top with chocolate chips or banana slices or whatever sounds good. 

I stored it in the fridge and you can also eat it as soon as you mix it. 

Thai Green Curry Soup

 We had something like this at a Thai place in October and we loved it. I was craving it and recreated the flavors and created a super yummy soup. 

1 onion diced

2-3 chicken breasts diced or thinly sliced and dusted with a shake of baking soda

1 whole sweet potato (medium), scrubbed and skin left on. Cut off ends and dice

1 small butternut squash peeled and diced

1-2 peppers (can do half red and half green) diced but bigger pieces

1 end of broccoli sliced and quartered can use florets but I liked the ends 

handful sliced mushrooms (I would do more)

1-2 inch piece ginger peeled and microplaned

about 1 TBSP minced garlic

splash of soy sauce

4-6 cups chicken broth

chicken boullion

salt/ pepper

1/3 small jar of Thai Green Curry Paste (so about 2-3 TBSP)

Keffir lime leaves (lots)

1/2 bag of vermicelli noodles

1 can coconut milk

chopped cilantro, green onions and sliced limes for serving

Prep veggies and chicken separately. Cook chicken in a pot until starting to cook, add onion, garlic, lime leaves and ginger and cook until fragrant. Add veggies and cook on medium high for a few minutes. Add seasonings and broth including the curry paste and soy sauce. Bring to a boil and test for taste. Add salt, pepper and bouillon as needed. Boil until veggies are fork tender. Turn off heat, add vermicelli noodles and can of coconut milk. Serve with toppings 

Tortilla Soup

 There are a million versions of this. Even though there are a lot of components it comes together pretty fast. I combined GrowingupSarita's and AbbyThome's recipes from instagram. I can adjust to whatever I'm using that day. This time I just happened to be making bone broth on the stove so I used that. 

Basic gist of the recipe:

Chicken Broth (4-6 cups or so)

Shredded chicken (about 2 cups)

1 large can fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 large can diced green chilies (mild or to preference)

3 stalks celery (can do more) rough chopped

1 large onion, quartered

3-5 carrots, rough chopped

tomato boullion

ground cumin

garlic salt

onion powder

sprinkle of dried oregano

can of beans or instant pot mayacobas

Mexican rice or just made white rice with tomato boullion

Toppings:

shredded cabbage

cilantro chopped

lime wedges

avocado slices

tortilla chips or strips 

salsa verde

Directions:

Basically you need to make a broth, you can start with two bone in chicken breasts but I just used shredded rotisserie chicken and was making bone broth on the stove. I added the chopped onions, carrots and celery. I put the tomatoes and green chilies in the blender and added the carrots, onions, celery and blended it with a couple big ladles of broth. In a different pot I dumped the blender mixture and added chicken broth until it was the soup consistency I wanted with room to add rice and beans. I added a couple teaspoons of tomato bouillon, at least a 1tsp or so of cumin and probably 1/2-1tsp of garlic salt and onion powder. Season the broth to taste and bring to a low boil. Once you're happy with the broth put in the shredded chicken. We serve the beans and rice on the side and top it with all the toppings. 

Growing up Sarita makes this by dry roasting her tomatoes, jalapeños and onions and blending those. 

Can also flavor with taco seasoning if you feel like it. 

Crab Boil

 https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/seafood-boil-recipe/

This is something we’ve done quite a few times now and it is super fun to pour it all out and eat a ton of it. Family style. I will say the potatoes are best just roasted on the side. They get mushy. 

Basically you need:

A bunch of crab, cleaned and processed

Corn on the cob shucked and brown in half or thirds

Onions 

Garlic

Fresh parsley 

Shrimp

Clams

Mussels 

Andouille sausage

A TON of crab boil seasoning

Fresh lemons and herbs 

Easy Chow Mein

 A recipe my family actually always loves. 

https://laurenslatest.com/15-minute-chow-mein-noodles/#recipe

• ▢ 4 packages ramen noodles* or yakisoba noodles
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1/2 small onion diced
• ▢ 10 oz shredded cabbage
• ▢ salt & pepper to taste
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger or grate in a little fresh ginger
• ▢ 2 teaspoons sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• ▢ 1/4 cup soy sauce
• ▢ 2 teaspoons sesame oil

• Cook ramen noodles in boiling water until chewy and *just* cooked. Drain and set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté onion, cabbage, salt, pepper, ginger together until tender. 
• Toss together with cooked noodles, sugar, garlic, soy sauce, and sesame oil until heated through.
• Serve hot.

Feel Good Zucchini Muffins

I found these from Aliferromscratch on insta. They were super moist and yummy. I just need to soak my dates next time since they’re a little dry. 

 https://pinchofyum.com/feel-good-zucchini-muffins?fbclid=PAAaafncmMnvD--IaRgK2Rll7sFd72BVyXLIU1xDp4HjHyDi4g_1UBbw6lxPo_aem_AeBP1K5W6BAuKc6L0aYqEefuC0YcHrcCbWj7eitTAIn3eU8vCtcOYEAIfJl3BeeFsZk%23tasty-recipes-54783-jump-target#tasty-recipes-54783-jump-target

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 8 medjool dates, pitted (about 3/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup real maple syrup
• 1–2 zucchini, grated (about 2 cups total)
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch of sea salt and/or cinnamon(optional)
• chocolate chips (optional, for topping)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients in a blender until a chunky batter comes together.
3. Pour batter into a greased or lined muffin tin. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the tops gently spring back when you press into them.
4. Sprinkle warm muffins with sea salt if you’re into that kinda thing. Serve warm or cold ALL DAY LONG. 

Pecan Praline Zucchini Bread

 This is a new recipe my mom found and it is a HIT! I will say I do use the regular recipe our family uses for zucchini bread because this recipe is a little too oily. I will say too this makes a TON of topping and pre-read the recipe because you layer the topping in the first half of batter. Other is you have enough topping for another batch. 

Bread

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 ¼ cups granulated white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups grated fresh zucchini wet - do not dry it out first

Pecan Praline Topping

• 1 ½ cups of chopped pecan pieces measure pecans before chopping
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup butter melted

INSTRUCTIONS

Step One

• Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Next, coat two loaf pans (I used 4 ½“ x 8 ½“ pans) really well with the cooking spray of your choice.

Step Two

• In a large bowl, beat oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla until well combined.
• Next, in a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until everything is well combined.
• Now, gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and mix until well combined. (The batter will be thick.)
• Next, add the shredded zucchini to the batter and mix again until everything is completely mixed together.

  Step Three

  • In a separate, medium-sized bowl, mix together the pecans, brown sugar, flour, and butter until well combined and a “crumble” forms.

  Step Four

  • First, fill half of each loaf pan with batter and top each pan with ½ cup of the Pecan Praline Topping.
  • Next, divide the remaining batter between the two pans and divide the remaining praline mixture over the tops of each loaf.
  • Bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until a cake tester or knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
  • Allow the bread to cool completely on a wire rack prior to serving.