CLEAN eating: Tilapia Fish Tacos

Sean and I have started CLEAN EATING.  It’s not a fad. Not a diet.  It’s basically just eating clean!  No pre packaged anything.  Cooking it all!

We started Sunday after our trip to costco and getting only whole foods.

Last night I made an amazing CLEAN fish taco recipe!

We used cumin powder, chili powder as a rub on tilapia & then cooked it in a frying pan with light EVO.

Next I shredded a fresh cucumber, carrots & cut up cabbage.

When the fish was cooked, Sean took it and tore it up a bit so it was “bite size”

We made a sauce out of plain greek yogurt, chili powder, cumin powder and a little garlic powder & lime juice- all to taste.  [Sorry, no measurements]

Sean ate his in a tortilla and I ate mine ala salad style!

We did black beans on the side with a little feta.

DELICIOUS!

My taste buds were going crazy & it was all CLEAN food.  Nothing from a box and nothing fattening.

& better yet it was EASY!

🙂 Happy Tuesday! 

REVAMPED stuffed shells recipe

I revamped this Stuffed Shells Recipe

& when I went back to read it over the only real things I changed about it were the following:

• I used bigger broccoli’s and their stems and didn’t cut them so “finely”.  This added a slight crunch to the mixture and it was good!
• I used more spinach!
• I added a red pepper chicken sausage [I cooked 4 of them first and then cut them up to add to the ricotta mixture]
• I added more salt and pepper
• I added a PINCH of garlic
• I used low fat ricotta instead of the fatty stuff
• I did NOT use parmesean cheese- instead I used about 1/4 of shredded mozzarella cheese.
• I put less cheese [this time I used mozzarella again] sprinkled on top of the red sauce which was on top of the stuffed shells]

These were the changes I made to the original recipe.  I also put the red sauce down on the bottom of the pan before I stuffed the shells and set the shells in the pan- this helped the shells to sit and not roll over onto one another.

Sean loved these so much more than the last ones & so did I!

Delish and to me it is healthier because of the amount of veggies we used and the cutting out of the excess cheese and using a different kind of ricotta.

Enjoy-

Love,

Mrs. Loftus

new meal with an oldie but goodie recipe!

Monday night I was so tired-[& let’s face it today as well!] I just can’t seem to sleep :< nor do I have any energy! & let’s face it- if I don’t have energy  I just can’t get myself to the gym even though I know that might give me a little boost- still how can I go when my eyelids are slowly closing every few minutes?!

Anyways! with all that being said, anything that I can cook for dinner that makes life easier, well I’ll take it!

I had this enchilada mix I had made a few months ago in the freezer, so I took it out Sunday, let it thaw & Monday I used it in a whole different way-

I pre-heated in the oven to 370′ & cooked/re-heated the enchilada mix.  I then cooked some brown rice & in another pan I sauteed some asparagus. 

When the enchilada mix was heated and hot, I placed it over the cooked brown rice & BAM! New creation!!

The brown rice was an awesome and different substitute!! [instead of wrapping the enchilada mix in tortillas, and frankly it as healthier- at least to me!]

This was a delicious meal and I plan to use my leftovers like this again! 

GO ME! 😉

Love,

Mrs. Loftus

Bacon Artichoke Chicken

Last night I decided to whip up something random, healthy & different from what we normally eat.  I saw a recipe on pinterest that interested me and I changed it up so that it would have more vegetables and be something closer to our liking.

Ingredients: [this served 2 people]

• 2 chicken breasts
• small jar of artichoke hearts
• 4 pieces of bacon
• 5 roma tomatoes
• 5 large white mushrooms 
• 3 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons flour
• salt
• pepper
• mozzarella cheese
• favorite noodles
• basil

First, cut up roma tomatoes, mushrooms and mix in a bowl with the artichoke hearts- [drain those before you mix them in.] Slice three cloves of garlic, add in.  Then add in the olive oil and flour.  Mix everything together.  Add a generous amount of pepper and small amount of salt.  Mix some more. Let sit.

While all of this is going on- cook bacon.  Once the bacon is finished- let sit for a couple minutes and then cut up and add to your veggie mixture.

Spread the mixture on the bottom of your pan, place the chicken on top and then spread the remaining mixture on top of the chicken.  

Cook at 350 for 35 minutes.  [check chicken as it is baking]

While the chicken is cooking- prep your favorite pasta- start cooking it when there is about 15 minutes left on the chicken.  Pull dish out of oven and put mozzarella on top bake at 420 until cheese is golden brown.  

Pull dish out of the oven and put some small pieces of basil over the top.  Drain your pasta, and place on plate- I sprayed  some olive oil over the pasta- place the chicken and veggies over the pasta and ta-da! 

Delicious, healthy dinner!  The bacon added a nice crunch to the caramelized veggies. 

The things I would change for next time would use fresh artichoke hearts- because the marinated ones added quite the kick.  I’d also use more tomatoes.

Sean loved this dish and said it was one of the best!

Hope you enjoy it!

Love, 

Mrs. Loftus 

Saucy Mushroom Chicken over Rice Pasta

I’m back! It’s been a stressful time for me at work, and so blogging about my cooking adventures has taken a back seat, but I’m back!

Tonight I made this Saucy Mushroom Chicken deal in the crock-pot. {I named it myself}  I had to season to taste, so that is going to be up to each individual cook 🙂 But here it is:

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts-[ diced/cubed how ever you like.]
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• one packet of Italian Seasonings
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup
• 1 8oz package of reduced fat cream cheese
• diced green onions [scallions]
• 7 large white mushrooms cut up
• salt
• pepper
• italian seasonings [on your seasoning isle]

Step ONE: First dice/cube chicken up and throw into the crock pot, along with butter and Italian Seasoning packet.  Let cook on low for 3-5 hours [stir it every once in awhile and make sure it’s cooking- depending on your crock pot cook time may vary.  It took my crock pot about 3.5 hours to cook but total cook time was about 5 hours after everything.]

Step TWO: Once chicken is cooked – [I cut cubes smaller in the crock pot once they were cooked]  I added the 1 can of cream of chicken soup and cream cheese.  Stir.  Then add in the mushrooms and green onions.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  I added in the extra Italian Seasonings from the little jar to my liking, so that is entirely up to your taste buds 😉

I cooked up some rice pasta [favorite is from Trader Joe’s] to throw under the chicken mixture.  Alternate options might be brown rice or quinoa.

For greens I decided on: fresh green beans that I steamed and seasoned with pepper and salt.  I also cut up and baked sweet potatoes and seasoned them with ground cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon. I baked the sweet potatoes at 340 for about an hour- watching them, lowering and raising the temperature….hmmm,   timing is something I’m working on- I like to try and have everything ready when Mr. Loftus walks through the door 🙂  This is hit or miss depending on the meal.

I’d say it was a fun creation and full of flavor.  I thought it was also perfect for this stormy/rainy weather we are having!  It helped that my husband and I really enjoyed it, and I hope you do too!

Love,

Mrs. Loftus

Chicken Enchiladas Kj style!

You can say my Aunt May is my inspiration for this recipe, I LOVE my Aunt May’s Chicken Enchiladas!  While she was here for my wedding she made a couple batches and boy were they delicious! 

I have been working on my own recipe for them and spicing them up a bit…. [per preference] and this is what I came up with; Although this is NOT my Aunt May’s recipe, I think it is similar, and I changed some things 🙂 So now I guess it is my own recipe!

[this recipe makes plenty, enough for about 8 enchiladas and some filling left to freeze for a random dinner night, which is exactly what I did!]

My twist on the recipe is cream of chicken soup instead of mushroom, ground red chile peppers and the chili powder- this spiced it up just enough for us and we loved it!

• 3 chicken breasts, thawed
• 2 cans of cream of chicken soup
• small container of sour cream [like the smallest you can buy!]
• 2 cans of diced green chilies
• random amount of ground red chile peppers
• dash or two of chili powder
• salt
• pepper
• cheese [Colby or Cheddar] however much you prefer.
• big tortillas [burrito size]

Cook the chicken breasts in a skillet and then cut into tiny pieces, or shred.  Which ever you prefer!

Next, in a large mixing bowl, mix all of the other ingredients except the tortillas 🙂

Once the chicken is cooked, add it in to the other ingredients that you just mixed together and stir.  Then add in some cheese [however much you prefer]

Warm the tortillas one by one, in the microwave for 10-12 seconds, take out and fill with two and a half big scoops of mixture.

Fold in tortilla like a buritto, place in a baking pan.  After the baking pan is filled- sprinkle cheese on top.

Bake in the oven at about 365 for 25-30 minutes and they should be good to go!!

These are delicious and have just enough kick to them!  Hope you enjoy my family recipe that I’ve revamped a little! Love ya Aunt May!!

Love,

Mrs. Loftus

Stuffed Shells

Last night I decided to try something new- stuffed shells.  The recipe is from a co-worker and was pretty easy.

You will need:

• big stuffed shells
• spinach
• 15oz ricotta 
• 1/2 cup Parmesan
• finley cut spinach
• finley cut broccoli
• salt
• pepper
• mozzarella
• red sauce of your liking

First cook the pasta shells.  Once they are fully cooked, drain and run cool water over them.  Then set aside.

Mix together ricotta, Parmesan, spinach & broccoli- stuff into the shells one by one- I used a small spoon which helped make it easier because the shells roll up and you have to hold them open and stuff at the same time. 

Next spread the red sauce on the bottom of a baking pan, place stuffed shells on top and then put the rest of the red sauce on on top of the shells and some mozzarella.  

Bake in the oven at 400′ for 15-20 minutes- I then broiled them for a minute to get the golden cheese look.

We made Trader Joe’s meat balls & broccoli as our sides.

The past was good, slightly bland- so I plan to spice it up a bit the next time I make it- perhaps some garlic or onion for flavor!

Happy Friday!!

Love,

Mrs. Loftus

Salsa Chicken

This is a very easy recipe that I created in college.  It is practically all I would cook.

• Thawed out chicken breasts [use per person in the family, or 1 per adult and 1 per 2 kids]
• salsa- I use picante when I’m in a rush- fresh is always yummy too!
• any kind of cheese in the refrigerator

I start by poking fork holes throughout the chicken on each side- I even cut a few slits in it- this is so that the salsa soaks into the chicken for flavor.  I pour in salsa underneath and on top of the chicken.  I let it marinate in the refrigeration for about an hour.

I set the oven  at 365 to start.   & when it is read to go, I put the chicken in for 20 minutes.

I check it at 20 minutes and then add about 20 more minutes on.

When the total of 40 minutes is up, I add whatever cheese I have in the fridge on top- a cheddar or mozzarella works best.  I let this melt & then pull the chicken from the oven once the cheese is all melted.

While I’m waiting for the chicken to cook, I mix up a Zatarans Red Beans & Rice [I know, cheating BUT it was Monday & I’m so tired from the kitten being up all night! :)] & I also prepare a simple salad; spinach, tomatoes & zucchini.

Once the chicken has sat for about 5 minutes to set, I serve it up. [I quite possibly used a little too much cheese this time, but that’s ok :)]

It’s a quick meal & quite delicious if I do say so myself!

Happy Tuesday!!

Love,

Mrs. Loftus

Spicy Chicken dip

This dip is amazing, my friend Corianne has been making it for awhile & she happily gave me the recipe.  This recipe is originally from another friend’s mom! [Thanks to Ashley’s Harpel’s mom, Mama Nevares!]

This dip is perfect for a Fall afternoon and even better when hosting some friends for Football Sunday!

First, you boil chicken breasts…neither Sean or I have ever boiled a chicken breast and so we thought this was interesting…

We seasoned the thawed chicken and boiled it with half an onion.  It was definitely a different process but the chicken tasted fine! [I”m weird about cooking chicken, it just can’t have that weird chicken smell or I can’t eat it!]

Once the chicken was fully cooked, we took it out and shredded it very finely.

We pulled out our crock pot and mixed in the following ingredients:

• 1 bottle of buttermilk ranch
• half a bottle of Frank’s Hot Sauce [the original not the BBQ chicken one]

[[ We also didn’t add the entire bottle because I’m not a HUGE spicy food fan, so we wanted to add as we went, if desired.  You can always add more but ya can’t take it out! That is our motto :)]]

• 1 8oz package of lowfat cream cheese
• sharp cheddar cheese [[and we added medium cheddar cheese too]]
• chopped/diced celery

We added this all together and the chicken as well and heated until super warm and melted.  We served it with sliced baguette bread & these veggies; celery sticks, peppers, zucchini & carrots.  I even had a side of ranch dip just in case it was too hot for some.

It was delicious and easy to make.  Although not the healthiest of snacks it hit the spot and it was just the right amount of spice for our liking.  I’d probably use regular ranch [not a fan of light ranch flavor] & low-fat cheese next time to see if I could make it healthier.

Perfect Football appetizer that we will be having again soon!!

Happy first day of October.

Love,

Mrs. Loftus

1 month of marriage anniversary dinner :)

I’m finally able to take a moment and post about the delicious dinner I made on Tuesday.  Tuesday marked our one month of marriage- wow, time sure does fly by- and it’s been nothing but wonderful!!

I decided to try cooking in the crock pot [my first time!].

My good friend Corianne, [she’s an amazing writer and fabulous recipe finder, she’s also prego with her first little one! Check her out here——> Band Of Burtons ] suggested I try this mac & cheese recipe she had recently made and as we both have an affinity for cheese, she knew I wouldn’t resist this recipe!

You can find the original recipe here at this blog::: Crock Pot Mac & Cheese 

Corianne suggested that I add some cayenne pepper, extra salt & Parmesan cheese.  I did just that [I also added a bit more cheese, because let’s face it- I.LOVE.CHEESE!]

This dish cooked on low in about 2.5 hours- I mixed it as I went.  It was a very delicious first crock pot recipe!

For the main course I decided to revamp my Dijon Chicken recipe which can be found here:: Dijon Chicken

The things that I changed were: I added mozzarella to the top and sliced almonds.  These little changes added so much to the chicken.  The almond crunch was a nice change to the breaded I usually put on and  next time I’d probably keep the Parmesan rather than use mozzarella.

I also put together cheese croissants and a veggie salad- peppers, tomatoes, almonds, spinach and lettuce.

All in all the dinner was perfect-o! Everything turned out delicious and everything was a hit.  It’s been an amazing month of marriage and I’m so blessed with so many wonderful people and opportunities in my life!

Have a fabulous Thursday!

Love,

Mrs. Loftus