Summer Salads

It's finally gotten hot here! We kept having a lot of rain and still chilly weather!! All a sudden it warmed and I mean warmed up to 95 degrees!! Good New England from freezing to supper hot! I'm not complaining one bit though. I love warm weather and I love the heat and sunshine!! Perfect time to cook on the grill and make cold salads!!

Ok first salad is my Favorite!! This one is for my BFF's 3 year olds birthday party tomorrow!! I have 2 salads that everyone requests I make for parties and this is one of them!! It's also I one of those salads that you can just add what you have in the house as long as you have some Kale!!

KALE SALAD
I'm sorry that most all and I mean all my recipes lack measurements, I like to just eye ball things!!

What you'll need
Kale - one single bunch that comes at the store will do. Rip into small pieces
1 small onion
1 container of cherry tomatoes
1 big cucumber diced
1 can of chick peas
1 can of black olives
About 2 to 2 1/2 cups of apple cider vinegar mixed with a handful of sugar! Mix well before putting into salad
A couple tbsp of lemon juice or slice up one lemon and add in and just take out before you serve I love it like that
About 1/4 cup of olive oil
Mix everything together and let sit over night!!
Also taste great with fresh green beans!!


Next salad
POTATO SALAD with GREEN BEANS
3lbs potatoes diced and boiled
1 small onion
Handful of fresh Cilantro
Handful of fresh dill
About 2 cups vinegar
About 1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
Garlic powder to taste
Shake of paprika
Canned green beans

Mixed everything together!! Let refrigerate for at least a few hours!!!

Cucumber Salad
This I came up with today and it was super yummy!! Also would taste good in a wrap!!
1 large cucumber diced small
1 red pepper diced
1/2 can of chick peas
1/2 can of black olives cut up
1/2 onion chopped
Handful of cilantro chopped
Adobo seasoning to taste or salt and pepper
About 1/4 cup of lemon juice maybe a pick more
About 1/4 cup olive oil or less
toss and refrigerate for a couple hours!!

Hope you enjoy some summer salad ideas!! I had some with a veggie burger for dinner!!

Oh and I found out today I got the job at the cafe at the high school! I was just a sub but now I'm gonna be a real lunch lady! Yeah I'm so excited !!!
Have a Fabulous weekend!! I have more food to share!! Also I think I'm gonna star sharing other things like the kiddies and stuff!!!

Homemade Pizza with Kale & Sausages

I make homemade pizza all the time!! It's so easy and fun!! I make on the weekend and most of the time use our leftovers from the week, if there's any?!

It's a fun dinner to make with this kids cause they love adding the toppings!!

So here's the dough recipe I use! I've tried many different ones and this is my favorite!

4 Cups of flour
1& 1/2 cups warm water
1/4 tsp of salt
1 envelope of yeast
2 pinches of sugar
Add flour and salt to mixer and stir. Make a well in the middle. Pour in water add the yeast and sugar. Let sit for 15 minutes to active the yeast. Then put the mixer on with the dough hook. Blend till it starts forming a ball around the cook. Take out of bowl and add a little olive oil to the bowl and I like to smear it all over bowl with my fingers. Ball up the dough and add it to bowl! Let rise for about and hour or so. It will rise really big poke it with your finger to deflate it. Kneed it on the table a little then add back to bowl for about 1/2 hour to hour. Then it's ready!!

Put a little olive oil on cookie sheet and roll out dough, you'll have to use your hands to help too!!

This recipe will make a thick crust for a regular size round cookie sheet or a regular to thin crust for a big rectangular cookie sheet!!
Add your sauce, cheese and toppings!! Yum :)
Enjoy!!
Xoxo LisaMarie
E

Hubby Lunches

Hello Welcome back to my Food blog!!
Today I got to work at the kids school again!! I love seeing them and all their friends!! Everyone always says hi and gets all excited when they see me!!!
My son is taking the CMT's this month. The crazy thing is he likes it!! Haha when I was younger I hated any kind of tests!!

So I wanted to share some of Hubby's lunches I made him. I like to make a few days at a time sometimes even the whole week depending on what I'm making him!! I made some egg salad sandwiches for a couple days!! One I put on ciabatta bras and the other on this really yummy whole grain bread!!! Over the weekend I made him chicken salad sandwiches so the leftover I put in a salad for him!!

I mainly pack him cold lunches because its easier but somedays he'll get leftovers from the dinner before! Like on Sunday I made homemade sauce and meatballs!!

I eat some type of salad everyday for lunch!! Unless I'm really cold and want something nice and warm, salad it is!! I just love salad so much :)

What do you pack for lunches??

Rustic Pasta

I love making this pasta!! I sometimes make it different than other times! Just depends on what's in the house!!

I sadly didn't write down exact measurements but I think it's ok!! It's just one of those dishes you kinda through together and it tastes amazing!!!

What you'll need
Olive oil
Pasta I used penne
2 - 3 carrots
Cauliflower I used about a 1/4 of a head or more
Spinach I used about a half of a container I'd say about 3 cups
Spaghetti sauce I used about a 1/2 of a jar
3 garlic cloves

Start by putting a little oil in pan just enough to cook up your cauliflower and carrots!! I cut the cauliflower small and used my potato peeler to peel wide pieces of the carrots. Cook till almost tender add garlic and if you want some salt and pepper and parsley or Italian seasoning! Cook for a minute then add sauce and about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of olive oil!! I love doing this it makes it less tomato sauces but yummy!
Cook pasta! Add to veggies and sauce.
Now add in spinach and stir in let cook for a couple minutes! Spinach cooks super fast!

That's it ready to serve!!!!

I love this its yummy and feeling and you won't miss out on not having meat.

Hope you guys like it!

Also instead of olive oil butter tastes good too but the olive oil is much better for you.

Today I got to work at my kids school it was so nice. I've been working at the middle school for the past few months.
I kinda forgot how it was to work with the little ones. The middle school kids are louder but they are so much more dependent.
Right now I'm just a sub but hopefully ill find a full position for next year. I like subbing for now.
Have a great day!!
Lisa

Pasta with Pesto and Zucchini

Hey guys Welcome!!

I love Pesto sauce and during the summer we cook a lot with zucchini cause I grow it in my garden! I of coarse had to go get done at the store cause its so cold and snowy here!! Sad face for real!! I want summer back!!!

Anyways this is one of my favorite dishes to Su around with. You can add chopped cashews or red pepper flakes or chert tomatoes! Whatever you have in the house!! This is what I did though!

Box of pasta
Small jar of pesto sauce
1 green zucchini
A couple baby carrots sliced thin, I feel like a should have used a few more
A few TBSP of Parmesan cheese
Pepper to taste
2 garlic gloves
1 TBSP of butter and olive oil

Cook pasta. Cook zucchini and carrots in a pan with some olive oil add pepper and garlic. Once cooked add in pesto sauce. Add cooked pasta a 1 TBSP of butter and Parmesan cheese and. Cook a minute or so till nice and hot. Then ready to serve!! Super easy and Super tasty :)

Health Food Store Goodies

I have a really nice health food store by me! Most things are pretty pricey and its a small store but I find all I need there. Though I don't shop there every week it's still one of my favorite stores to buy food. Because I rarely eat meat and I'm sensitive to eggs like to buy Vegan products.
I have a cold and been working a lot lately so I needed some premise easy lunches and something organic and healthy to get me feeling better!!!

The Vegetarian Chicken Salad is great to put on a wrap or sandwich or even to top a quick salad with! It's made with Tofu and vegan mayo! Has parsley, celery and other spices!! Great sub for a tuna salad.

The Mexican Bean Salad is so yummy to make a taco salad with!! Top it on a salad with some vegan shredded cheese!

Sesame Noodles!! A yummy quick lunch to eat and it's big it lasts me a few days!!
I love to eat it cold.

Quinoa Salad is a great lunch to or just to have on the side with dinner!! Who doesn't love some Quinoa!! I also bought some Quinoa to have in the house to cook.

Every time I go there I get a single packet of Almond Butter or sometimes Cashew Butter! Tastes great on an English muffin for breakfast!

For a snack I bought some all natural fruit strips!! They are so good if you have a sweet tooth!! Also some granola to snack on or maybe put in yogurt!!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week!!!

Stuffed Pepper

I haven't had stuffed peppers in so long! I was craving something with sauce but didn't want any pasta so yum I made them!!

Stuffed Peppers are one of those meals that seem kinda hard but it's do easy to make and always comes out so great!!

What you'll need
I used 5 green peppers
1 pound of ground turkey, I also like to use Boca meat a lot
1 jar of sauce
1 package of brown rice
3 cloves of garlic
1 onion
Italian Seasoning
Italian style shredded cheese
Salt & Pepper
A few sprinkles of Parmesan Cheese
Brown up meat and add in chopped onion and garlic! Add seasonings & parm cheese! Cook till down. Cook rice to directions & them mix that into your meat! Add a your sauce but leave some out to coat the bottom of baking pan and some to top off peppers.

Cut tips off of Peppers and take out the insides of them. Put the meat mixture in and top with sauce. I didn't sprinkle the cheese on till the last 10 minutes. They cooked at 350 F for about 1 hour, it depends on how soft you like your peppers to be! I like mine soft.

I served it with Naan bread! It's like a flat bread with garlic. I put a few TBSP of Pesto sauce on it and topped it the with the shredded cheese. Bake it for about 10 to 15 minutes till crispy. It's so good!! During the summer this bread is amazing on the grill! You can add sautéed zucchini or whatever you like!!

Thanks so much for checking out my blog!! Have a wonderful day!!!
LisaMarie