Gingered Summer Squash, Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup {Vegan}

We are experiencing a nasty weather change here in the Salt Lake Valley, and it is really, really making me feel like I want to wrap up in a blanket with some hot herbal tea and just escape into a fabulous novel. Part of that plan definitely includes eating some soup. This soup may seem like more of a fall soup, but it's really well-suited for any season. It is savory and light, with just the right hint of spice and flavoring to make it interesting, but not unpalatable for more skeptical eaters. I whipped this up while my hubby was having movie night with his Dad and sipped spoonfuls slowly as I watched reruns of The Big Bang Theory. It was the perfect ending to a nice day.

This root-vegetable and squash based soup comes together quickly, is made with simple, fresh ingredients, and is packed with nutrition. It feels indulgent because it is so creamy, but it's one of the most nutritious and guilt-free soups I have ever made. It's also vegan friendly. Fresh summer squash combines with carrot and sweet potato, is complemented by celery and onion, and is flavored with ample amounts of fresh ginger, smoky cumin and sweet agave nectar. The creamy consistency comes from using coconut milk and yes, silken tofu.

My thoughts on soy products have evolved over time. During my brief foray into vegetarian eating as a teenager (abandoned when I couldn't live without bacon), I tried a whole mess of meat-substitute products. These products are highly refined, packed with sodium and preservatives, and are honestly junk food as to the same degree that a Twinkie is junk food. With breast cancer running in my family, and the many studies that link soy to breast cancer, I have a special interest in the potential benefits and detriments of soy products. I think Dr. Oz said it best last year on one of his programs, "If it comes from a plant, eat it. If it's made in a plant, don't eat it." A wise man indeed. Studies on soy need to be replicated over the next few decades, but it is obvious that Eastern cultures that utilize whole soy in their diets, such as Tempeh, Miso, Edamame and unrefined Tofu have been doing something right for thousands of years. Small amounts of unrefined soy can be beneficial to your health and have no causal link to cancer, and in fact, may prevent cancer and other diseases. So I say, okay to soy, in small amounts, where it fits in my diet. Try to buy soy as naturally and organically as you can, as many of the large agricultural production companies (Monsanto, for example) spray crazy things on the soybeans (a side of Roundup, anyone?). The super-refined products (some of the milks, soy burgers, dogs and the like) are not your friend. Not one bit. So stick organic and unrefined, and you may look as awesome as any of the beautiful 105-year-old Japanese women that eat soy. Hey, I can dream, can't I? Pretty sure those women could kick my trash any day.

Cilantro Cheddar Burgers with Blackened Corn and Tomato Salsa

Almost two years ago, my best friend in the entire universe/my soul-mate in a Meredith Grey and Christina Yang kind of way, met a handsome man hailing from Mexico City. A year later, they were married and off to wedded bliss. Over the course of their courtship and marriage, I have been the beneficiary of many a delicious Mexican themed meal, including the Blackened Corn Salsa in this recipe. It's something she found on Epicurious and then worked into a number of different meals. Well, the other day I was hankering for a juicy burger and thought, "hmmm....a burger with Blackened Corn Salsa? I think, YES!" So I altered things a little bit to fit available ingredients and crafted this delicious little number. And thus, the Cilantro Cheddar Burger with Blackened Corn and Tomato Salsa was born. A light should be descending from heaven at this moment. This is a killer meal. It's real, whole food, with lots of flavor and room for personal taste.

In a culture obsessed with fad diets, health shortcuts, and a fundamental misunderstanding of what it means to eat well, many people dismiss burgers as junk food. Yes, a burger from a fast-food joint or, in all honesty, a majority of restaurants are not good for you. They are made with low-grade meat (or the dreaded "pink slime"), full of fat, drowned in calorie and preservative-laden sauces, and usually three times the size of a standard serving. These burgers are not the same as burgers you will see on my blog, or pretty much any burger you can make at home. Using high-quality beef (or even ground turkey or chicken), keeping the toppings fresh and healthy, using a whole-wheat bun (high-fructose corn syrup free, of course) and limiting any sauces or spreads can leave you with an amazing burger. You won't even miss the taste of whatever junk you are getting at the Golden Arches, or the 2500 calorie burger from Ruby Tuesday. Trust me. A burger can be a great option at home, and it can be healthy! My final word-anyone who tells you that a frozen, preservative-packed microwave "diet meal" is healthier than a lean, homemade burger is severely misinformed. Whole food eating is always superior, and when prepared by you at home, is much more healthy. Get ready to eat some delicious burgers!

Luscious Lemon Bars

So I am blogging this while eating handfuls of chocolate chips. Sad, but true. I have this super healthy week of whole-food eating planned, including an amazing Vegan Summer Squash, Sweet Potato, Carrot and Ginger Soup tonight, and I cannot stop craving chocolate and sugary stuff. Sheesh, hormones, what is your problem today? I think this sugar craving began earlier this week when I was trying to figure out how to use up my gorgeous lemons from my Bountiful Basket this week...and then, inspiration and a whole lot of excitement hit me. LEMON BARS.

Hold on to your hats, kids. These lemon bars are delectable and the perfect balance of sweet and tart. You will never need another lemon bar recipe. Full disclosure: I adore lemon desserts. Lemon bars, lemon tarts, lemon meringue pie, lemon ricotta cookies, lemon-flavored sugar cookies. There is no end to my love for lemon. My wedding cake (yeah, I was that crazy girl who made her own wedding cake. Thank heavens I had a dear friend to take over decorating it for me so I didn't have a meltdown the day before my wedding) was a lemon pound cake with an amazing lemon curd filling. Suffice it to say, I have made a few lemon bar recipes before, but never really committed to one. I continued playing the field, and then discovered my Prince Charming with this beautiful concoction. Full disclosure, part two-my lemon bars are a modification of Deb's over at Smitten Kitchen, and hers is a modification of a recipe from Ina Garten, of Barefoot Contessa fame. These are easy to make, a snap to cut and dust with powdered sugar, and sure to make everyone you share them with smile from ear to ear.

"Skinny" Chicken Francese with Summer Squash and Zucchini

So for two weeks in a row, I have received some massive, fragrant, delicious lemons in my Bountiful Basket. I have been using them in all sorts of yummy dishes this week, but was at a bit of a loss as to how I wanted to incorporate the lemons into a main dish. Then, like a piece of blessed inspiration, I remembered how much I adore Chicken Francese. The real stuff is breaded in white flour and pan-fried in a lot of oil and drenched in a buttery-lemony-white-winey sauce. It's so danged good, but so danged bad for you.

So I set out to make a lighter, less offensive version for more frequent consumption, because I honestly eat the straight-up version of Chicken Francese like, once every two years. The skinnyfied recipe uses a small amount of flour cut with Panko, adhered with egg whites instead of the full egg, a smidge of extra-virgin olive oil, a modest amount of butter, no white wine, and fat-free chicken broth. It's paired with whole-wheat pasta, and topped with some fresh veggies. So the sin level is decidedly lower, and you can feel good about eating this baby for dinner like, once a month. Heck yeah. That's how we roll in my house. 

Browned Butter Brussels Sprouts

I am a complete devotee of my weekly produce basket. Bountiful Baskets is an amazing, affordable co-op program that makes it possible to get oodles of fresh, nutritious produce for as low as $16.50/week for a conventional produce purchase (which would easily run $45-60 in the store. Check the site to see if the program is available in your area). We haul in a treasure trove of fruits and veggies every Saturday morning, and I seriously spend all week looking forward to what I joyfully refer to as "basket day." One of the interesting side-effects of lots of fresh produce is the need to make something each day, at every meal, that involves fresh fruits and veggies. Sometimes, it's as simple as making a side salad with dinner and eating some fruit throughout the day as a snack. Other days, it is more challenging.

For two weeks in a row, I have gotten a honkin' bag of brussels sprouts. I have never really liked them before, but I have now been fortunate enough to make two recipes that have changed my opinion of these cute little cabbages. The other week, I made some amazing Balsamic Braised Brussels Sprouts with Maple Bacon (seriously, these are to die for), and last night, I made these delish Browned Butter Brussels. These hearty veggies are brushed with butter, roasted, and then tossed with an ample amount of browned butter (have you had browned butter? It is beyond compare. Nutty, toasty, complex. Oh heck. I am going weak in the knees just thinking about it). They are quick and easy to prepare, and will convert even the pickiest of eaters.

Quinoa, Lentil, Squash and Tomato Stuffed Peppers

There are some foods that should be your best friend. Quinoa is my best friend, for sure. We're super tight. We chill at least once a week. My other best friends are a little less healthy...cream cheese, well, any cheese to be exact, chocolate, bread...yeah. So I decided to make a new friend on the playground a few months ago. Her name is Lentil. Confession-I knew Lentil well during my childhood. My mom cooked with lentils all the time, especially a really yummy lentil soup that I have yet to make on my own. Lentils are packed with nutrients and a great, inexpensive addition to your cooking arsenal. I made a great one-pot meal with chicken and lentils a few months ago, and I was inspired to attempt something different today. So I am teaming up Quinoa and Lentil and we're going to have a grand old time.

The product of this blessed union of amazing food are these Quinoa, Lentil, Squash and Tomato Stuffed Peppers. This healthy, whole-foods, natural meal is a winner in terms of nutrition and taste. It is also vegetarian (it could easily be vegan if you omit the cheese) and super simple in terms of preparation. The lentil and quinoa mixture also contains some fresh zucchini and summer squash and chopped tomato, all encased in green bell pepper and topped with crunchy Panko and fresh mozzarella. I would prefer to make these with red bell peppers, but I had green on hand, so that's what we are using today!

These are delicious, extremely healthy and packed with fiber, protein and vitamins and minerals. Hubby ate his with great gusto and remarked about how good they were! We ate ours by just cutting them in half and enjoying the crunchy pepper shell and deliciously seasoned filling. We paired ours with fresh fruit and enjoyed an awesome, easy to prepare meal. Try these out. You might be surprised how much you like them. And your body will thank you so much for not stuffing it with Velveeta cheese instead ;) They are also really budget-friendly and a great way to create a meal that doesn't depend on meat.

Perfect Cinnamon Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

We have been overcast and rainy for a few days out here in good old Utah, and when it gets cloudy, all I want to do is bake. So today I baked, and I hope you will make these cookies the next time you are hankering for a treat. They are so delicious. Rich, textured oatmeal, a perfect balance of cinnamon and brown sugar, indulgent buttery flavor, and a sweet shot of chocolate in each bite. Perfection.

I first made these cookies about 10 years ago when I was in high school, and made them regularly for a long time. They were my "go-to" cookie recipe when I needed a large batch for my students. Then, in the midst of trying a million new recipes, I forgot about them. I haven't made these in at least four years. Last week I had to whip up some treats for kids at my church, and the memory of these fragrant cookies popped into my head. I made them immediately. They were every bit as good as I remembered.

Sigh. Again, these are not healthy, but in sticking with my "homemade is better" philosophy, they are for sure better than anything you can buy at the store. Simple ingredients of butter, flour, sugars, vanilla, cinnamon, chocolate and oatmeal are so much better than high-fructose corn syrup and Red Dye No. 5. Just make them and share them with a lot of people and you'll be fine.

All Natural Shampoo and Detangling Rinse-The Best Your Hair Has Ever Felt!

I'll be the first to admit-I am not your typical "earthy crunchy" person. I am motivated to do things first by my budget and wallet, and then I usually realize that the change I have made is just better for me and my husband, and the world in general. What I really love about making these switches to homemade and natural products is that I am saving money and being more healthy, and those choices also have positive impacts in other areas. I'll never drive a Prius. I'll never live on a farm and raise all of my own organic food. But I can make easy, everyday choices in my little home that reduce my spending and my impact, and that is a good thing.

Today's post is on Natural Shampoo. I have seen a whole mess of posts and ideas online (mainly via Pinterest) about going "poo free." I'm sorry, but I can't just do the baking soda in my hair thing. I am a person that has been socialized to the point that the idea of not using something that lathers just kills me. Unfortunately, the stuff that makes shampoo lather, Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate, is some nasty stuff. Shampoo, like commercial body wash and soap, are detergents. They strip your body of essential oils and moisture. The chemicals contained in them are not nice things. Basically it boils down to this for me-the FDA has tested many of these chemicals and deemed them safe in limited quantities. Large exposures in lab animals have yielded cancers and other bad things. I don't know about you, but I think that a lifetime of using chemicals directly on your skin is probably not a limited exposure. And what about babies and children? Yikes! Shampoos and conditioners are also blasted expensive! So personally, I decided to make a switch, and to try the natural route, but a route that felt more like traditional shampoo and not baking soda.

I have tried a million shampoos. I have very thick, curly hair that can be dry, but can also become greasy easily. I also heat-style it a lot. That does a number on my hair! I no longer color my hair, which helps with it's overall health, but the heat styling takes a toll. My hair is also very long right now. When it is straight, it reaches my waist in back. I have also had major issues with dry scalp over the past few years. The only shampoo I have ever used that treated my scalp well was Pureology, but at $26-$45 a bottle, I could never afford it! So I need a shampoo that  is inexpensive, will moisturize, balance oils, and maintain a nice, neutral PH for my scalp. I have tried two different recipes, and this is my favorite! It lathers beautifully, makes my hair very soft, and can be made for just cents on the dollar.

Rustic Spinach and Marinara Lasagna

Before you read this, I want you to know that I believe this is the best dish I have ever made. Like, this lasagna knocked it out of the park and I want to eat the entire pan of lasagna but can't because the fire department would have to cut out a wall of my house and remove me with a crane. This dish is worth every second that it takes to make. I am holding myself back from eating a second piece right now. Oh my heck. It was a lasagna-gasm. Yeah, yeah. I know it's inappropriate. But it's the only way I can do this seductive dinner justice. It is a combination of a few of my favorite family recipes. The flavors are simple and classic, well-balanced and without excess. That is Italian cooking at its finest. It is not about gobs of cheese. It is not about buckets of sauce. Simple balance and classic flavors. This lasagna boasts all of these qualities.

The reason for the creation and consumption of this dish is that there is this other person that lives inside of me. On the outside, I am your typical 28-year-old. I am happily married, pining for a baby, obsessed with my outward appearance, constantly cursing my ever-widening hips. On the inside, there is this tiny but fiesty Italian "cuoca" (cook) that understands that inheriting her grandmother's ancestral thighs doesn't mean she is socially unacceptable and will never be a model, but rather that she is destined to stomp grapes in the Sicilian countryside, and traverse the hills of Tuscany searching for perfect balls of mozzarella. Today, La Cuoca decided to take over and stuff Utah-living Lauren away for a while. And thus, dinner happened. Don't be scared by the fact that I whipped up and rolled my lasagna noodles, or that my sauce slow-simmered for two hours. You can make this too, using as many shortcuts or long-cuts (yes, that's a word), as you choose. And either way,  La Cuoca will be proud of you, and will invite you to stomp some grapes with her and Lucille Ball and all of the other fabulous, fuller-figured ladies throughout history.

In all seriousness, one of the reasons that I love cooking so much is that it makes me feel connected to my ancestors. I know my great-grandmother, Lucia grew up in the hills of Pietraperzia, Sicily, cooking, barefooted and dusted in semolina flour, as did her mother, Calogera, and so many before them. When I am making food, I feel tied to them in a way I cannot describe in words. It is a spiritual thing. And that is beautiful, and is no respecter of calories. And I am sitting here thinking about these amazing women in my family history and their rich culture and heritage, and I feel their influence with me. And that is why I cook.

And now, we best get to discussing the method before La Cuoca devours this delicious lasagna all by herself.

Homemade {Powdered} Laundry Detergent

Since September, I have been kicking chemicals out of our life here in the casa de Voorhees. It has been an adventure, and a heck of a lot of fun, and surprisingly, not very much work! And it has cost very little, which is what really matters to me in the long run. Oh, and no more migraines, far fewer pesky skin irritations...

Last month, I had a bit of a nightmare scenario on my hands. The dreaded skin itching began again. I have had several go-rounds with this unpleasant skin irritation since I was about 20. The first one happened at Disney World after being in a whole bunch of pools and water parks. The second came after going in a hot tub. The others all came after...well...who knows what? I would say about once a year, I have this really itchy, bumpy irritation that takes about a month to clear up, and it can be completely hellacious to deal with. I have determined that at least one of the factors that can set this off are harsh skin irritants, such as cleaning products and most definitely, heavily scented laundry detergent/softeners/dryer sheets. Since we have been using homemade, unscented detergent for 6 months without any issues, I had to really rack my brain for the source of the latest outbreak. Then, I discovered the evil of all earthly evils, stuck up on the inside of my dryer. A Bounce Dryer Bar. While my sweet husband was trying to rid us of static, I was left feeling like a giant ball of itchy frustration. After a few weeks and treatments with a white vinegar dilution, I am doing a lot better. But I am more determined than ever to keep laundry associated chemicals far, far away from my skin. Ugh.

Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad with Apples and Thyme

I am in love with salads. Of all kinds. Not just your veggie salads, but pasta salad and egg salad and oh yes, chicken salad. I am NOT in love with mayonnaise. I can do the olive oil mayonnaise, and don't mind that in small amounts, but give me tangy Greek yogurt over mayonnaise any day! I am as in love with Greek yogurt as I am with the multitude of salads I just described. I converted to Greek yogurt about three years ago. While it is amazing on its own, I love to use it in recipes as a substitute for mayo, sour cream, butter, etc. It really is so versatile.

It is a lot more expensive than other yogurt. But the stuff in Yoplait and Dannon and your local grocery store chain brand is usually packed with High Fructose Corn Syrup and is basically junk food in a package designed to make you think you are eating healthy. The high protein level and thick consistency of Greek yogurt really allow it to be eaten in a variety of ways. Give it a shot in a smoothie, or with fresh fruit and a drizzle of Agave nectar. Substitute it for one of those high-fat and calorie laden ingredients in a salad. You might be surprised how much you like it. Greek yogurt is bomb. 'Nuff said.

I was craving this chicken salad I made last summer all last week, and didn't get to make it. I went for it today, and paired it with these super yummy Quinoa Stuffed Italian Zucchini Boats. Fabulous. Next time you need a quick, uber-healthy meal, make these two recipes. Even my super-picky, mayonnaise, sour cream, cream cheese and yogurt-hating husband liked this! So if I can win him over, you won't have any issues!

Quinoa Stuffed Italian Zucchini Boats

The past four days of my life have been crayyyyyzaaaayyyyy. Yes. I must use that specific amount of hyperbole. We had a cute four-year-old niece sleep over, a filthy dog that rolled in all sorts of outdoor nastiness, a fun dinner party with friends, and family dinner and all sorts of little in-between things that came up. Most inconvenient of all was the terrible weather that rendered it impossible to take decent pictures inside, and the loss of water in our house on Saturday morning. Suffice it to say that I did not document any of my cooking exploits Friday-Sunday. I will put those recipes up in the near future when I take another swing at them.

Today, though, I am making a yummy, simple supper-these quick and easy Quinoa Stuffed Italian Zucchini Boats, and a post to come in the near future, a fast and good for your belly and your soul summery Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad with Apples on Whole Wheat. Look for that one soon!

We got a ton of pretty little Italian squashes in our Bountiful Basket produce haul this week. I had to come up with a few dishes that used them this week, and this is the first. I have never really cared for zucchini unless it was baked and covered in cheese, marinated and grilled, or grated up into bread or heavenly Chocolate Zucchini Cake. These little boats are a great new addition to my limited list of methods of zucchini consumption. They are roasted to bring out their natural flavor, stuffed with deliciously seasoned quinoa and baked to meld all of the flavors together. You will love these. I think kids will enjoy them a lot, and they are really, really easy to whip up. If you have 10 minutes of prep time, you can make these babies and then you can eat them and feel satisfied that you made an amazing, whole-food meal that is nutritious and absolutely mouth-watering. This could easily be made vegan if you omit the cheese.

Coconut Quinoa Burgers With Grilled Pineapple

Tonight's dinner was pulled off the bench early. I needed a meal to pinch hit for me, and I needed it fast. We were supposed to eat this on Friday, and then I realized my four-year-old niece is spending the night on Friday. She loves fruit and veggies, but I didn't think it would be wise to try to con a munchkin into eating Coconut Quinoa Burgers. Not if I want to remain on her good side, anyway. My husband, on the other hand, can be persuaded into eating all sorts of things with a little wink and a smile. I also discovered I needed more time than anticipated for a few baking projects for the girls at my church tonight, and then a storm rolled through and killed the natural light in my kitchen, just as I was starting dinner. So what you have here are the pictures taken with furious and frantic speed as I threw this meal together. Excuse the less-than-lackluster photography today. Eh. Epic fails are part of daily life. Eat some chocolate and move on.

On a high note, these meatless burgers had me over the moon. I scarfed mine in less than 5 minutes, and hubby enjoyed his a lot too. They were a perfect weeknight meal. Even if you are a meat-eating family, I think you can easily tempt your children with promises of sweet, grilled pineapple. I definitely took this recipe from Brooke at Cheeky Kitchen, who posted a completely veganized/plantie version of this a few weeks ago. I am not a vegan. Oh lawdy, do I love bacon way too much to ever even consider it. Bacon is meat candy. Swoon. Despite my love of saturated fat laden pork products, I am happy to make a lot of my meals meatless and plant-based for a variety of reasons. They are cheaper. They are healthier. They help me to use my weekly bounty of produce from my local food co-op, and they encourage me to experiment and try new things. Let's be honest. If I had a choice, the rest of my life would probably be spent consuming bread and cheese. I could literally live in the cheese case at Whole Foods and be happy forever. Drat. I am experiencing some major A.D.D. today. On to the recipe.

These babies are delicious. They are healthy. They have fabulous flavor and texture. They whip up fast. They make you want to dance and sing and puddle-jump outside of your house in a warm spring rain. Healthy quinoa is mixed with fiber-packed chickpeas and sweet, decadent coconut milk, spices, and panko bread crumbs, and pan-fried in olive oil and coconut oil before being put to bed on some fresh lettuce, ornamented with grilled pineapple, dressed up in a little mayonnaise spread and enveloped in hearty whole wheat. Who doesn't want to eat something described like that? So I took Brooke's vegan meal and turned it into a vegetarian meal that fit what I had available in the house. Hers was flavored with curry, I opted for cumin. I hate curry. Hate it. I lived in a house in college, and some of the people in the house cooked with curry every day. For every meal. Our house smelled like curry all the time. All of my clothes smelled like it. I just can't do curry anymore. So after a few adjustments here and there, and we ate a meal fit for a sometimes health-conscious and amazingly lucky king. Make this. Now. You will love it.

Balsamic Braised Brussels Sprouts with Maple Bacon

Can I be honest? I have always detested Brussels Sprouts. I mean, I HATE them. I have memories of eating bitter cabbage-y nastiness as a child. And my most powerful memory involves my younger brother feeding some to our dog and a horrific bout of dog gas that followed. Oh the horror. So I needed a recipe that changed my perspective on Brussels, especially because I received two pounds of them in my produce basket on Saturday. I scurried to the fabulous Smitten Kitchen website and relied on Deb's expertise for this recipe. I made a few adjustments, but definitely want to credit her with the awesomeness that ensued. I now love Brussels sprouts, as long as they are coated in caramelized Balsamic Vinegar and braised in beautiful butter and bacon. Yeah, these are not so good for you. But oh heck, they are a foodgasm, through and through. Strong flavors, bold textures, and out-of-this world taste. Get ready to have your socks knocked off.

Balsamic Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

Last night was a punchy night. You know when you just feel all weird and twisty inside and out, and the only thing that makes it better is watching mindless television and eating a really delicious dinner? The dinner definitely helped. So did snuggling with my husband and watching The Voice and rejoicing over the fact that I could see ZERO cleavage on the talented but sometimes scarily dressed Ms. Christina Aguilera. Seriously girl. I could focus on your gorgeous eyes and wise counsel and not your cleavage for once. It was a refreshing change.

We savored two very savory dishes last night while we were spending some quality couch time together. The first was this amazing Balsamic Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad. The second were these amazing Balsamic Braised Brussels Sprouts with Maple Bacon. Both were to die for. The salad is a snap to throw together. The Brussels are a little more work, but well worth it. More on the Brussels in their own post.

Let's focus on the salad. A bed of crisp romaine (spinach would work beautifully here too), topped with a succulent, juicy sliced chicken breast that has been marinated and grilled in sweet and acidic Balsamic Vinegar, sprinkled with salty Kalamata Olives and hearty bits of Sun-Dried Tomato. Top that with some creamy, garlic-y homemade Caesar Dressing and freshly grated Parmesan, and you have died and gone to heaven. This is a lighter take on a Caesar Salad, and is made from whole, fresh ingredients. Nothing better than that. It's also a quick dinner. If you marinate the chicken early, you can have this baby on the table in under 20 minutes. Heck yeah and fo' shizzle and all that jazz. This recipe is designed to serve four and can easily be increased to serve more.

Sliders, Two Ways: Cheddar Adobo Bacon and Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto with Parmesan and Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges

Today was gorgeous. The sun was warm, the flowers were in bloom, and we took the puppy on a nice walk before dinner. Then, we came home and stuffed our faces with this delicious meal. I am not that much of a red-meat girl. I have a new-found appreciation for short ribs and a well-cooked steak, but I mostly stick to poultry, pork and the occasional fish dish. My husband adores burgers. We don't eat out often, but when we do, it is usually a trip to Five Guys. So I throw him a bone every so often and whip up some burgers at home. Tonight, I was totally on board with these sliders, and I think they have several awesome characteristics. They are fast and easy to make. They are made from healthy, whole foods. They are small, so you don't feel like you ate half of a cow. Because they are small, you can eat a few different kinds of burgers and experience an awesome variety of flavors. If you have kids that are small eaters, these would be a great option for them. They also make a killer appetizer if you had company. These came out great, and I will definitely be making them again. Hubby liked the Cheddar Adobo Bacon best, and I was more a fan of the Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto and Parmesan. We ate them with some oven-baked Spicy Sweet Potato wedges and licked our fingers and plates clean. Well, we licked our fingers. The dog licked the plates! Sweet Potato, by the way, is packed with vitamins, and is such an easy and healthy substitute for your usual french fries.

The recipe does have a few prep steps, but you could totally do them earlier in the day and then just slap these on the grill and have dinner on the table in less than 15 minutes. That's my kind of weeknight meal! I spent a lot of Easter weekend baking (Homemade Oreo Cookies, Carrot Cake, Eclair Pie), and I was sick of kitchen work, so this was  a welcome change. I did make some homemade slider buns today, and while I liked the flavor and texture, they need some tweaking before I share that recipe. You can use some store-bought buns, but I would recommend buying some high-quality artisan buns or a nice whole-wheat bun. The super-enriched, white bun stuff that you grew up with is not the type of thing you want to eat if you are committed to whole food eating, and they honestly taste terrible. It's also worth it to use the highest quality ground beef you can (alternately, turkey or chicken would be tasty too!). We used a nice Angus that I got on sale and froze last month, and it was perfect, flavorful and tender. Skip the generic ground beef. With the enlightenment of the masses on the "pink slime" that makes up a ton of mass-marketed beef, it's worth it to go with a higher-quality chuck or Angus, or to buy grass-fed organic or regular ground beef from a store that does not sell the pink slime. Shudder.

Meal Planning 101-A Week of Whole-Food Recipes

Life gets crazy. Heck, I am a stay-at home wife right now (no kids, just a golden retriever), and I feel like my life gets crazy. We all have things that get in the way of eating well and being frugal. I know how tempting it is to just pick up a pizza, or to go out to eat. We still do that occasionally. It's okay, for us, once in a while, but we can't do that often because of our budget. I do know that while I was single, I blew a large portion of my money every month on eating out. Cooking at home is one of the easiest ways to save money, trim a budget, encourage family togetherness and conversation, and to make sure you know exactly what you are eating. Restaurant portions are massive-way more than we need to eat. They are loaded with fats and oils, and you really never know what is going into your food. I don't like that to happen to me very often. So I have made it my mission to cook at home. You can see my earlier post on budgeting and eating well on a budget here. Today, I want to focus on meal-planning.

I don't do this perfectly all the time. But most of the time, I choose a day of the week (usually a Saturday, but because of being sick this week and Easter this weekend, I am doing it today) and plan our meals out. I am not a super-stickler. Sometimes I change the order of meals around, and sometimes I pitch an idea the day of and end up eating pizza. It happens. When I do take the time to plan meals, make a grocery list, match up any possible coupons I might have, and set a budget, I am able to eat healthier, be less stressed, and enjoy the fact that I am not scrambling to figure out what to make for dinner every night.

Fresh Egg Pasta with Tomato, Basil and Garlic Sauce-Fresh Pasta Tutorial Included

Don't you just want to dive into that?

I think I have marinara sauce in my veins. There are few things in this world that can make me as weak in the knees as the combination of tomato, garlic, basil and a delicious Italian cheese. I grew up in New England, raised on the cooking and baking of some very skilled Italian aunts and a mother who makes a killer sauce and meatballs. My dear Italian Nona, bless her heart, seems to have passed all of the cooking genes down a few generations and failed to keep any for herself. I'm grateful for this marinara flowing through my veins and for the torrid love affair I have had for the past few years with learning the basics of Italian cooking.

I haven't been to Italy (keep in mind that my dream vacation is eating my way through Europe with my best friend), but I think culinary curing in the Boston/New York/New Jersey area is the second best thing. I have dreams of  melt-in-your-mouth fresh zeppole, made in front of you at the local Catholic Italian Church feast. I fantasize about perfectly pounded and fried chicken parmigiana, or pizza with a crust so thin that you can cook it in five minutes flat. Someday, I will go to my ancestral homeland and come back 30 pounds heavier, stuffed with mozzarella and polenta and San Marzano tomatoes and fresh pasta. For now, I will be as authentic as I can in my little kitchen in the Salt Lake Valley.

My mother is an angel, and for my birthday last month, sent me a hand-crank pasta machine, complete with a beautiful Cook's Illustrated pasta cookbook and ravioli mold. Aren't they beautiful? I love my husband, but if this pasta machine asked me to run away with it and live on a white, sandy beach, I might consider it.

Garlic Parmigiana Butter Breadsticks

I love bread. I don't care who knows. There are few things I love more than warm, soft bread. Bread is sexy. Bread is delicious. The ancient Egyptians used the same word for bread as they used for life-"aish." Yeah, I get that. Dang, those Egyptians were smart. You never know when a career as a history teacher will have some practical application! Normally, I am a whole-grain bread girl. I love the nutty complexities of whole wheat, barley, spelt, rye. But every so often, you just want a tender, white bread. Not Wonder Bread, but homemade, tender, melt-in-your-mouth, make your husband hug you from behind while you are kneading, kind of bread. So today, to go with my Fire Roasted Tomato Kale and Spicy Italian Sausage soup, I made these beautiful, seductive Garlic Parmigiana Butter Breadsticks. I adapted this recipe from Brooke over at Cheeky Kitchen. You can check out her original post, but I have my tweaks incorporated in this post.

This is NOT a healthy post. Turn around if you are looking for one. But I do encourage you to adopt the following philosophy-if you are going to eat something like this, make it yourself. You will know exactly what you are eating, and you won't be consuming nasty preservatives (I have always wondered how something as simple as bread ends up with 15 ingredients in it on the packaging!). Ok, 'nuff said. I love these breadsticks.

Fire Roasted Tomato Kale Soup with Italian Sausage

Sometimes the only cure for a nasty cold is a warm bowl of soup. I love me some good chicken noodle, but the lack of grocery shopping this week (yet another side effect of this blasted cold) resulted in a new soup creation based on available ingredients. It only took a half hour, and is it stinkin' delicious. I want to make 10 pots of this deliciousness and run down the streets of our neighborhood singing and dishing out hot bowls of this soup, like I am in a Disney movie. Okay, that's just the cold medicine talking. But make this soup and you will see what I am talking about. It is heaven. In your mouth. Throw in a soft, buttery breadstick, and you will swear you have died and gone to the great beyond. Just a heads up-the breadsticks are a shameless indulgence. White flour and butter. But man, are they delicious. Just enjoy it and have a better day tomorrow.

A quick note-this soup is packed with kale. I don't know if you like kale, or have ever even tried it, but kale is a superfood. It is loaded with essential nutrients, and it is delicious. I am a New England girl at heart, and we ate kale all the time, especially in savory soups on cold winter days, steam rising out of the bowl as our breath fogged up cold windowpanes. It was very Robert Frost and Norman Rockwell. So trust me, and use the kale.

Ok...here we go. I don't have as many pictures for this post as I usually do. A lot of my ingredients were pre-prepped and in the freezer. But the result will still taste good-I promise!

All-Natural DIY Body Wash

My living room is a disaster today-I am talking mountains of down comforter, mounds of tissue, and a nest of pillows. I have been attacked by a combination of cold/allergies/oh-so-fun time of the month issues, and I am down for the count. I did want to put a post up today though, to make up for my lack of posting, and to make myself feel like something more than a runny, sneezy, sweatpant-clad slob. I even showered for the occasion. And on that note, my post today is on homemade, DIY, natural body wash.

We have all seen the commercials...an unrealistically fit and attractive woman with perfectly shaved and glowing skin lathers up in the shower with mountains of foam and cleanses her unusually already clean skin. Who the heck actually looks like that when they shower? I shower when I have peeled myself out of bed or off the couch, and it is generally not an attractive state. But ladies, I have a secret one-up on the commercial girl. And you can too. If you make your own body wash. I am not advocating throwing out whatever you have on hand now. I used up what I had left, and then made my own about two months ago, and I have been loving it. I have about half a bottle of some Softsoap body wash in my shower, which I will use for comparison in this post.