Info Diet Plan

  Hello! How has summer been treating you so far? Weve been laying kind of low, with weekend trips scattered here and there, but mostly were just enjoying being at home.  While I type, the big kids are watching an "Americas Got Talent" marathon from the DVR and the baby (now eighteen months! eeps!) is cooking Lincoln Log soup in the play kitchen. and the heater is running. because its 66 degrees in the house and drizzling outside and I AM A GREAT BIG HUGE HONKING WUSS. I promise Ill turn it off by 10am. I think. maybe. I get emails about slow cooking during the summer time, and my answer is that yes, I do use my slowcooker(s) year round. It helps that it is F R E E Z I N G today, but even on hot days I prefer to use the crockpot than heat up the kitchen by using the stove or oven. I like that fish steams so nicely in foil packets without a fishy smell, and Im getting pretty good at making lettuce wraps.  This is a great summer time recipe---- the turkey is seasoned with s...

So many good flavors in this Thai-Inspired Ground Turkey Stir-Fry with Basil and Peppers. I've mentioned how I'm working to embrace ground turkey, after years of thinking it was rather bland in the flavor department.  And lately I'm really loving it, especially when it's in a highly-seasoned recipe like this Thai-Inspired Ground Turkey Stir-Fry with Basil and Peppers .   In this dish the oil is seasoned with onion onion and garlic, and then the cooked turkey is flavored with a stir-fry sauce that has fresh-frozen lime juice, Red Boat Fish Sauce, Sriracha Sauce, Tamari Gluten Free Soy Sauce, and just a touch of Agave Nectar.  With the addition of red bell this recipe has the sour-sweet-spicy-salty-bitter flavor notes that make Thai cooking so distinctive.   If you're new to stir-frying, you might want to read the basic rules for stir-frying that I learned many years ago when I studied Chinese cooking.  Once you've mastered those basic techniques, you can make an ...

My healthier versions of some Irish-American favorites to celebrate St. Patrick's Day! (Updated March 2014 with more options and better photos.)  Even if you don't have even the tiniest bit of Irish blood, you're still probably aware that next week is St. Patrick's Day.  I don't remember my mom ever cooking special food for this day, and since I've been a food blogger I've learned that many foods Americans cook for this holiday are not really Irish at all.  I am a little bit Irish, but even so I'm not claiming that my favorites in this post are authentic Irish recipes.  Still they're a fun way to celebrate the day, and most of these are lightened up a bit from the Irish-Americans foods that are often eaten on this day.  Enjoy! Click to continue reading

African-Inspired Vegetarian Crockpot Soup with Peanut Butter, Chiles, Brown Rice, and Lentils would be delicious for Meatless Monday. In Utah the spring weather can change in a minute, and I always like to have soup in the freezer for those days when the weather suddenly gets cold.  Before I moved I made this soup with Jake to re-shoot the photos and I had several containers in my freezer on moving day.  Sadly, that soup (and a whole cooler full of food) was ruined in one of those moving tragedies where something gets put in the wrong spot and isn't discovered for days.  On Saturday I had a few friends over for dinner, so I made more of this tasty soup, and now I'm happy to  have some in my freezer again! Click to continue reading