What's for dinner??

Everyone enjoying the first crazy days of Back To School!? I sure am.  It's hilarious how all change, small and large, seems to strike fear in my heart.  I always dread back to school because it's change.  My husband goes back to his (nearly 60-80hr/week) regular school hours. And this year my big girl is going to 1st grade. This is upsetting on so many levels.  I calculated that during the week she now spends about 35 hrs at school and only about 24 hrs with me!! What?! I better make those 24 hrs awesome! That's why I have now made a ban on TV during the week for her. She is not a fan of this new rule.  She has already asked me 3x in the last 3 hrs if she can watch TV. Nope. Tough love.  But even though these changes get me all stressed out, I already realize by day 2 that I love it. I love the order and organization and scheduled life of fall.  It's crazy but it's fun too, I guess it's Crazy Fun! So I thought I would bring you a few crazy fun recipes that we have had....

Chipotle Salmon with Avocado Cream and Cilantro Lime Quinoa

(whew that is a delicious mouthful!)

Take your salmon (or any other meat if fish isn't your thing!) and season the fillet with:
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp cumin

For chipotle marinade:3 cloves garlic

3/4 cup chopped onion

6 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chilies with some of the adobo sauce

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup lime juice

4 teaspoons ground cumin

3 tablespoons paprika

1 tablespoon salt (optional)

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

hot sauce to taste (optional)

2 cups Worcestershire sauce

Place garlic, onion, chipotle peppers, and vinegar into a blender. Puree until smooth, then add water, lime juice, cumin, paprika, salt, black pepper, and hot sauce. Blend until incorporated, then add Worcestershire until mixed.

 

Baste salmon with marinade while grilling OR....

(as we went to grill our salmon we discovered our grill is broken :'( So we poured marinade over it and broiled it, only took like 8 min!)

 

Avocado Cream Sauce

Mix 1 ripe avocado with 1/4 cup fat free sour cream, dash of Mrs Dash's Fiesta Lime and dash of cumin and garlic salt

Serve over top of salmon.  The marinade is a little spicy so the creaminess of the avocado sauce cools it off. We gave the girls the part of the salmon that didn't have as much of the marinade on it so it wasn't as spicy.  They gobbled it up, they love salmon and call it "pink meat".

 

 

For the Quinoa:

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup quinoa

Juice and zest of two limes

Dash of salt and pepper, and garlic salt

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

 

Add the chicken stock and quinoa to a medium sauce pan. Bring to a simmer over medium/low heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for ten to fifteen minutes with the lid on, until all the stock has been absorbed. Add the warm quinoa to a large bowl. Toss in the lime zest, lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper, and chopped cilantro. Mix to combine. Serve with salmon.

 

 

This was a crowd pleaser. As you can see cheesy broccoli also made an appearance!

 

Next up, garden's bounty in moments!

 

Tomato Basil Ravioli

 

 

1 (20-oz.) package refrigerated four-cheese ravioli

1 (16-oz.) jar sun-dried tomato Alfredo sauce

2 tablespoons white wine

2 medium-size fresh tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Garnish: fresh basil strips

 

Prepare pasta according to package directions -

I went with two different types, beef/sausage to appease my extremely Non-Vegetarian husband and wild mushroom because I adore mushrooms with my whole heart and my kids won't eat them if they see them so I think it is evil genius to hide them inside their favorite thing...pasta! (sinister laugh and a twist of my imaginary mustache)

Meanwhile, pour Alfredo sauce into a medium saucepan.

 

 

 Pour wine into sauce jar; cover tightly, and shake well. Stir wine mixture into saucepan.

 

 

The only wines I have ever liked are Riesling and Cherry Wine, I found Cherry Riesling from Traverse City Michigan...sold. You may or may not need to drink a glass while cooking depending on the amount of whining and fighting and bugging you your small people are engaging in...I may or may not have...

 

Go out to your garden and bring in these...

(if you don't have any, come to my house, I have plenty...)

 

Chop them up and throw them in.

 

Stir in chopped tomatoes and 1/2 cup chopped basil, and cook over medium-low heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Toss with pasta, and top evenly with 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Garnish, if desired with basil leaves.

Once again end product...

 

A little fancier than spaghetti which I am not totally a fan of, creamy which helps my kids because they aren't huge fans of tomatoes.  Really yummy.  Really Easy. And really fast. Like 10 min.  Probably not really healthy.  But hey I let Jillian Michaels kick my butt already twice this week and our lunches have been unbelievably healthy so I am not too worried about it right now. 

Hope everyone else's routines are in full swing.  The next two weeks sort of ramp up with school starting this week and extra-curricular activities beginning next week.  I am working on becoming disciplined. Bed early so I can get up early to exercise. This is torture for me.  Dying to self means saying goodbye to the unhealthy night owl lifestyle of up till 2-3 am.  Can't live that way any longer.   I guess I am finally growing up.  Now I must go pack tomorrows lunches. My husband just said he isn't going to do school work tonight and would I like to watch more Downton Abbey with him? What!? Would I!? I may have to take his temperature. Love that he is willing to watch silly shows like that because he wants to spend time with me. What a good guy! Night everyone....