Shepard's Pie

So...I suck! I know this! I am sorry, I really am. 

     I started this little blog as a way to get recipes out there for people who tell me that I encourage them to eat healthier. For a few years people told me "Sumer you need to make a blog with all your recipes so I can eat like you!" So, here's my blog. My sad little blog with only a handful of recipes. Pathetic!

     I just realized it's been over a year since I've even logged on to this little blog of mine. What's wrong with me?! Over a year?! I'm busy with the kids, I tell myself. I'm busy with church and work and it takes so long to cook and take pictures as I go and then upload them and sit and write everything out and I've got to take time for myself, and on and on the excuses go. Sigh.

     Well, enough of my pity party for one over here. Let's start off a new season, fall, (my absolute FAVORITE season EVER!!!) with something I like to call tasty Tuesdays. Let's make it easy peasey this week, ok? Oh, and just a reminder I don't really measure and this is one of those recipes that you don't really have to anyway. Easy peasey, remember?

Ingredients:
Potatoes- I prefer gold
Milk or Cream- I prefer cream, but that's just me
Butter
Veggies- I used a combo- zucchini, onions, celery, carrots, garlic, bell peppers and some organic frozen mixed veggies
Seasoning to taste- I used sage, thyme, garlic salt and pepper (the girls said "I love this! It tastes like thanksgiving
Olive oil- to saute veggies with

Directions:
Wash and peel your potatoes. Boil them until they are tender when your touch them with a fork. Drain and return to pot. Add milk and butter and mash until desired consistency. I use our hand held mixer and blend until they are super creamy and fluffy. Add salt and pepper to taste. I also like to add a few cloves of garlic to our mashed potatoes. 

 

 

Now, while your potatoes are cooking hopefully you prepped your veggies. Put a little oil in the bottom of your pan and saute your veggies, adding the garlic towards the end so it doesn't burn. Don't over cook the veggies!!! Remember they are still gonna go into the oven. Once they're just turning tender, place them in your casserole dish.

 

***You can add gravy to the veggies, or cook them in gravy, but my girls don't like it so we leave it plain.

Top these lovely veggies with your beautiful mashed potatoes and bake at 350 until the tops of the potatoes are golden brown.

Hubby isn't a huge fan of mashed potatoes so I put cheese on top just for him!

I usually make a gravy and just add it to my plate. I'll have to find my recipe and post it up. But for today here ya go. A super easy, kid friendly, feel good fall recipe. Enjoy!

 



Vegan, gluten free omelet

    I normally eat eggs for breakfast. Pretty much every day my breakfast has dairy; milk in my cereal, yogurt in my smoothie, cheese in my omelet...sometimes all of the above! But right now I'm avoiding dairy, gluten, sugar and soy. 
    Yesterday I had a smoothie with brown rice in it for breakfast, not my favorite. The flavor was fine, it still tasted like a smoothie. The girls hated it. Bella said "I don't want to have to chew my smoothie mom!" She was right. You have to chew it. No thanks!
    What I wanted was eggs. An omelet to be exact. So I started looking online for vegan gluten free recipes. I found this page and the pictures looked yummy. The recipe was actually over on this page though, scroll down to number 5.
     So what did I have for breakfast this morning? My very first vegan omelet. Here's what I did...

Ingredients:
veggies- I used broccoli, zucchini, red bell pepper, and cilantro
olive oil
3/4 cup chick pea flour
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. yellow curry powder
1/4 tsp. all-purpose seasoning salt
2/3cup almond milk
Jane's Krazy mixed up salt
pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Drizzle a bit of olive oil in your pan  and sauté the veggies so they soften slightly, but you don't want them completely soggy. While that is going on a low heat, in a mixing bowl add the chick pea flour, spices, and garlic.Then stir in the milk to make a batter. When veggies are done, take them out and set them aside. Pour in the batter, tilting the pan to let it spread around. Cook like you would a regular omelet.
 

The chick pea flour. All I did was put dry chick peas (garbanzo beans) in my blendtec, and voila...flour!

The batter. It was pretty lumpy so I used my stick blender. Next time I might just mix it my blendtec.

I poured the batter in the pan and then seasoned with salt and pepper.

Flip it over.

Remember those sautéed veggies?

Add them to your pan now and top with cilantro...or not if you don't like it.

Fold it over. You do have to wait longer to do this than you would with eggs.

Get in my belly!!!

I ended up taking off the top piece, and eating it like this. the other half is in the fridge for tomorrow.

 

 

    Now this does not taste like eggs, but...BUT it is yummy and a half! Feeling a bit hopeful now that I know there's something that's vegan, gluten free, sugar free and soy free that I can enjoy in the morning!!!!

I LOVE the $0.99 Store!!!!

    I love feeding my family healthy food. That can be super expensive sometimes. My kids are turning into teenagers and they are CONSTANTLY hungry! Especially now that they're home all day on summer break. I'm trying to teach them there is most definitely a difference between boredom and hunger, but I think most of what I say goes in one ear and out the other these days.
    Anyway I try to just make sure that what we have in the house is healthy that way they're not just filling up on junk all day. Like two weeks ago I bought 12 boxes of Cascadian farm organic granola bars. Why? Because they were at the $0.99 store. They're like $4 a box at Sprout's!!! My kids know they're only allowed to have one a day, they're good about that, so don't worry that that's all they'll be eating for a while.
    A week before that, I bought six bags of organic whole wheat flour from the $0.99 store. Again, "why?" you ask. Again, because they're like $5 at Sprout's!!!

    My most recent trip to the $0.99 store was fabulous!!! ...

4 quarts of heavy whipping cream, 2- 6 packs of Tropicana orange juice to go, a gallon of minute maid orange juice, 8 packages of dan-o-nino yogurts, 3 half gallon cartons of Silk coconut milk, 2 half gallon cartons of Horizon organic chocolate milk, and 4 half gallon cartons of Horizon milk!!!!!

 

    Total $24!!! The Horizon half gallon milk cartons were on sale at Sprout's this week for $3.49. I would've spent $20 just on the milk at Sprout's. While not everything I bought is organic, it is all stuff I would've bought anyway. I just prefer to get it for $0.99!!! Who wouldn't?

    I 've learned that first thing Saturday morning is a great time to go too! That's when they bring out new stuff to stock. But you've got to get there early, because there's a crowd, like buzzards, pulling stuff off the carts, so a lot of things never even make it to the refrigerator before they run out! You may say you don't feel like dealing with that, but honestly it's not horrible, crazy like people get at Christmas time. Everyone is pretty darn polite and the guy that does the stocking is a sweet heart.

    So, yeah...I like the $0.99 store, I like my thrift store, I like saving money!!!



Roasted tomatillo and tomato salsa recipe

    I'm white...on the outside. My heart, soul and taste buds are definitely Mexican though! We eat Mexican food, at minimum, 4 days a week, no joke. I use to make 3 cups of dried beans on Sunday to last us through the week, but that just wasn't cutting it. Last week I made 5 cups and I'm quite sure the only reason that lasted all week was because we ate a few nights. In fact, I've got a pot beans going right now.
   I love salsa, but it's gotta be fresh! Jarred salsa is soggy, sad looking, tasteless and just yucky! Salsa fresca is super easy and fast to make, especially if you just throw everything in your blender. But what I really love is the smoky taste of roasted chilies mmm! The key to roasting the chilies is to remember low and slow. Take your time. Enjoy the smell as it tickles the back of your throat and fills your house. Don't be surprised if your neighbors ask what your cooking, though, as the aroma spills out of your windows and dances on the breeze, teasing the outsiders, reminding them that they're not eating what you're making. Hahaha! Well maybe I'm over exaggerating now... just a bit.

Ingredients:
tomatillos (outer husk removed)
tomatoes
jalapeño peppers
poblano pepper (I de-seed mine first, but it's probably not necessary)
onion
garlic
cilantro
lime juice
salt
oregano
cumin (optional)

Directions:
Roast the tomatillos, tomatoes, jalapeños, poblano pepper, onion, and garlic. When the poblano pepper is done, you need to let it steam in a plastic bag, and then peel the "skin" off. Let these items cool enough that you can handle them with out burning yourself, then just chop it all up, and mix it all together. And there you have it.

 

Just started roasting.

It's way easier to chop the onions first.

(I didn't get a pic of everything roasting, sorry)

The poblano pepper is done and placed in a plastic bag to steam, I usually add just a bit of water to the bag also. I did throw the jalapeños in there too, but didn't peel them, just let them cool.

Peeling off the "skin", very important, do NOT skip this step!!!

Everything's cooled enough to start chopping. See how soggy the tomatoes and tomatillos are? That's how they're supposed to be.

Hey, look! Salsa!



    What I love about salsa is there really is no wrong way to make it. Just play around with it until you get the flavor that makes your tongue do the happy dance. I never ever EVER measure when I make salsa. When I think it's done I grab a chip and taste it. Adjust where I feel it needs it, be it more lime or salt or whatever, then grab another chip and taste it again. Then when I think I'm really done, I have hubby taste it. When he likes it I know it's done!

Easy homemade dill pickles

    My girls and I loooooove dill pickles, but...but...we're very picky. Our favorites are the New York Deli style pickles that we can only get at Costco. It's no big deal, it's a huge jar and only costs like $5, the problem is they don't always have them. Our second and ONLY other choice are the claussen brand pickles.
    I've been wanting to start canning and pickling things for a while, but again, well, I'm a huge procrastinator- truth be told. But when I saw these lovely little pickling cucumbers at my local $0.99 store I was like "Heck, the heck yeah!!!!".
   So I bought 2 bags, that sadly got shoved to the back of my fridge and ended up being thrown away <- see procrastination. It was so stupid too, because I had bought a set of mason jars at *gasp* Wal-Mart (I'll explain my disgust for this company later, or perhaps not at all. If you don't have anything nice to say...right?) Anyway, this lovely little set of jars came with a pickle seasoning packet all I had to do was cut up the cucumbers and boil some water. How lazy am I? don't ask!
   Well,last week I was at the $0.99 store and again they had my little pickling cucumbers. This time I only bought 1 bag, you know? Just in case.
   
Ingredients:
pickling cucumbers
seasoning packet
water
5% acidity vinegar
mason jars and lids

Directions:
Cut 1/4 inch from each end of the cucumbers, and then cut them into spears. We also decided to cut some into chips for when we have hamburgers and sandwiches. Boil the contents of packet, water and vinegar. Place cucumbers into jars. Fill jars with hot liquid. I let my pickles chill on the counter top for a few hours then refrigerated. The chip style pickles were ready the next day. We didn't try the spears for a few days.

Getting everything ready.

The brine.

Just finished!

The seasoning packet that came with my jars.

I forgot to get a picture of them after they were ready to eat, Ill have to do that!



    They were sooooooo good. The girls and I have each eaten a few here and there, but really just kind of tasting them. Yesterday, we had friends over and we made sandwiches for lunch and finished an entire jar!!!! Big thumbs up all the way around. Next time I will make them completely from scratch. It's good to know I can just make my own pickles now.
*There were directions on the packet for how to prepare the pickles if you wanted to enjoy them within a few days and also if you wanted to can them and store for later. We obviously opted for the quick method ;)

Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette Recipe

    Yes, I know it 's been waaaaaaaaaaay toooooooooooooo looooooooooooooong since I've posted anything. I'm sorry :(  Ready for my list of excuses? 1- I got a job, yay!!! 2- Because of said job, I've been super lazy and we've been eating out way too much, boo 3- It takes longer to blog than I originally thought, so when I get the urge, I'm like "ugh! Not enough time, I'll do it later" 4- I could keep going but I think you guys get the point, right?
    So, now let's talk food! I stinking love Chipotle! Its one of my go to spots. For under $8 I get a fresh, yummy, vegetarian salad. Yes!I know I could make a salad at home for cheaper, but sometimes, especially with the kids out on summer vacation, I just need to grab something quick before I head into work. Now, "what makes their salad so yummy?" you ask. Great question! It's the salad dressing. The stuff is so good I'm quite sure I could drink it!!!! The stuff is AMAZING!
   So, like 2 weeks ago I tried looking up a recipe for their dressing online. I found this recipe. By now, I think you're all aware of the fact that I'm horrible at measuring and I never follow recipes exactly. The first time I made it I was in a super hurry and just threw all of the ingredients into my blendtec and it's was good and a half. the second time I made I followed the recipe measurements and you know what? It's was so stinking oily :(  that's all you could taste. It upset my tummy almost immediately and neither hubby nor I finished our salads.
    As we were putting our leftovers away, I fixed the salad dressing and have been enjoying since. I even took in a huge salad with all the fixings and my salad dressing to work to bless my coworkers with lunch and it was a big success. The ladies have already declared that I shall be the one who'll be cooking for us at our next conference!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup honey
1TBSP adobo seasoning (more or less to taste)
1TBSP oregano
1/2 olive oil

Directions:
I threw everything in my blendtec and pressed the salad dressing button.

 

Everything in the blender.

 

After it's been blended (it will separate again after it sits a bit).

 

 

On my salad!

 

 

    See? Easy peasy!  Now, for the salad it's: lettuce, cabbage, grilled onions and red and green bell peppers, corn salsa (I'll get a recipe for this up soon), a roasted tomato and tomatillo salsa (I'll get a recipe for this up soon too), rice and beans (at the restaurant I get brown rice and black beans, but here I had my Mexican rice and homemade refried beans- I'll post up my recipe for this as well), guacamole, shredded cheese and this superb salad dressing.

So...what are you waiting for? You know you wanna go cook now ;) You're welcome! Enjoy!!!

 

 



How I love the thrift store, let me count the ways!

   Hello friends!!!! It has been entirely too long, so sorry. February is a very busy month in this hippie household. Not only did we have a bunch of birthdays, but the kiddos were off for an entire week, my youngest daughter, Bella, was sick, the girls and lil'Hugo all started ball, and hubby's been working 6 days a week!!!! Whew! The month just flew by!
   But I'm back now with a piece that I've been excited to share with you  for an entire month. Today it's all about the thrift store! Here, in Poway, we have an awesome Salvation Army. I have picked up some really nice things for dirt cheap. In January we stopped in and got Lillianna a brand new pair of banana republic jeans, that fit her perfectly, for $4! That day we also found her a cute little top, a sweater and a pair of shoes, a complete outfit for $18.
   My kids love shopping at the thrift store too! Well, the girls do anyway. We never really find boys clothes, but they get other things, like books~which they allow the kids to get 2 free~ hats, shoes, backpacks, and other stuff like that. I'm glad that my kids see the value in buying things that aren't necessarily "new". I really want them to learn how to spend money wisely.
   The prices are pretty low to begin with, but then, oh yeah, they have sale days! My kids get all excited when they see the "50% or 75% off" sign hanging in the window. You'd think it was Christmas! It's really the cutest thing ever. How many kids, especially kids in junior high that WANT to get their clothes from a thrift store? Not many.
   Anyway, The twin's birthday was on the first of February. All the bills had been paid, and we were pretty low on funds, but I still wanted to get them a little something. So, I picked them up from school early, took them to in-n-out for lunch and then we headed over to the thrift store. Just our luck it was 50% off Friday :)
   Lillianna found 2 very cute dresses, a romper and a skirt. Adrien got a hat that holds two drinks, one on each side with straws in it. Bella got a new dress, a pair of shoes and a pair of shorts. I grabbed a lunch box for lil'Hugo. And I got myself 2 skirts, 4 dresses, and 3 pairs of shoes. Our grand total? $50! That's what I'm talking about right there!!!
   Not only do we get a better value, but it's a form of recycling. I feel like I'm getting more for my money, while helping to reduce waste. I'm not buying into the whole bigger, better, more more more mind set that I feel society says is the way it should be. It makes my wallet and my heart happy :)

   People always compliment me on how cute I look, or how nicely dressed my kids are. I looooooove the look on their face when I tell them we got it at the thrift store. Pure satisfaction!

 

That's me, in the middle, in a dress I got at the thrift store for $3

Liked this one so much I got it in black and red. It's from The Limited, cost me $4 each. An the shoes were $2.50

This is my youngest daughter, Bella, second day of school in her $3 thrift store outfit~$1 for the shirt, $2 for the shorts.

Another $2 pair of shorts

Adrien's soda drink hat

Hugo's $3 lunch box

One of my new $2 skirts

$2 dress, it's big, but I'm gonna fix that ;)

Bella's $2 dress and $2.50 shoes

Lilly's sweater that she bought with her own money

 

   These are just a few pics that I had on hand of some of the things we've picked up at our local thrift store. I encourage you to stop by your local thrift store and check it out, you never know...your next favorite outfit could be waiting for you!