Off to Florida for the Dirty South Regionals

The Hanlin clan is heading off to Florida tonight for the Dirty South Regionals. Packed in our cooler is breakfast hash for tomorrow morning and a garlic pulled roast with lettuce cups for lunch. I gotta make sure Rory eats right! :)

I'm super nervous for him and am so glad we've got friends coming to help keep me calm... oh and to cheer Rory on as well!

Have a happy Memorial Day everyone!

Getting creative with leftovers

My last post I mentioned I made ham and turned the leftovers into some tasty jambalaya. Leftovers don't have to be just microwaved and eaten. Be creative! I usually make so much food that there are plenty of leftovers to feed Rory the next day. I made a lot of almond chicken the other day, forgetting that Rory was heading out to the field for some training for the next week. All those leftovers reminded me of two things... 1. Too many leftovers can get boring really fast and 2. Rory eats a lot of food! The point is that leftovers can be fun. Here are some ideas for using leftovers in some very tasty ways...

1. Almond chicken- Heat, dice and toss with zucchini noodles and marinara sauce or pesto.

2. Ham- jambalaya :)

3. Salmon- try it scrambled with eggs, spinach and a little cream cheese for breakfast. Mmmmm...

4. Roast- make a 'sandwich' with romaine lettuce cups, mustard and some fixins (tomatoes, avacado, pickles... whatever floats your boat).

5. Steak (although seriously, who has leftover steak???)- dice and simmer in salsa for a few minutes and then make a tasty taco salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, olives, peppers. Top with cheese or sour cream if that's you thing.

Jambalaya

I made ham the other day (aka 'hamb'... sorry inside joke with unit) and we had quite a bit leftover. All day I thought about what I wanted to do with the leftovers for dinner and it dawned on me to make a jambalaya. Rory loved it and said "the key to a successful jambalaya operation is using excellent sausage." That's a direct quote, I kid you not. We certainly enjoyed it and if I were to change one thing, I would add some shrimp, which I just didn't have on hand.


1 1/2 chicken breasts, frozen 1 1/2 precooked italian sausage links, sliced
8 oz ham, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tsp minced garlic
1/3 c diced onion
1/2 cup diced peppers, combo of red and yellow
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (I LOVE Annie's Organic)
1-2 tsp Tabasco sauce (or more... or less... depending on how hot you want it)
1-2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1-2 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 c water


1. Dice chicken breasts while still frozen. This is so much easier than trying to do it when the chicken is thawed. Set aside.
2. In a large pan heat 2 tbsp oil over medium heat. Saute onions and peppers.
3. Add chicken to the pan and continue to cook until almost cooked through.
4. Add ham and sausage. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
5. Add can of tomatoes (do not drain), water, vinegar, worcestershire, tobasco and seasonings.
6. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
7. Serve over faux (fake) rice*.




*Faux rice is made by placing cauliflower florets in a food processor or blender and processing until you have a course texture. I blend a few large florets at a time by using the pulse mode. In a skillet cook cauliflower with a few tbsp oil in small batches over medium-high heat. It should get slightly brown but maintain its texture. Mushy cauliflower is not the goal.

Agave... Good or Bad???

I've been thinking about this topic for awhile and have been meaning to address it in my blog. I use agave nectar because I get a lot of inspiration from Elana's Pantry. Now, I do think some of her recipes are too sweet for my taste and will often cut the agave nectar in her recipes to half or so. That works well for me. Do I eat it every day? No. Do I need dessert from time to time. Absolutely.

Elana addresses this very issue just the other day. Click here to read her take on the controversy. I tend to agree with her. Yes, sugar is bad for you. I understand that. But at the same time, life is meant to be enjoyed and if that means I'm going to have some strawberry muffins or some brownies on occasion, then so be it.

There, now I've said my piece.

Fruit Salad with Toasted Coconut Dressing

I generally consider myself a morning person, and its a good thing, now that my daughter likes to get up at 6:30. We enjoy our mornings together... lots of playtime and mommy-time! Right now she is crawling all over the kitchen making the most adorable noises.

Anyways, on to the recipe. Here's another super easy one.

Fruit (I like using 1/2 of a melon, a few cups of strawberries, a handful of blueberries, and some mango)

The cream from 1 can of coconut milk

3-4 tbsp toasted, shredded coconut

Toss all together and viola... awesome fruit salad!