Taco Scramble

Sunday morning, we were craving Taco Scramble, so I got up and whipped us up some. I have not gotten this recipe from a website, so I just alter and adjust it as I go. It's super easy and filling, so feel free to serve it alone, but my husband wanted toast and grits, so I served it with that. 

Ingredients:

1 pound of sausage, ( You can use whatever kind you like.)

four eggs

1/2 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese

four green onions chopped 

1/2 white onion chopped

sour cream

salsa ( if needed )

tomatoes ( if needed )

1 pack of taco seasoning 

Directions:

1. I usually brown the meat with the chopped white onion and taco seasoning until the meat is completely cooked. The taco seasoning is the key in this meal. It makes it taste like a taco, so make sure you have this. 

2. After I have drained the meat, I whisk the eggs and pour them in a pan. I add the meat mixture and cheese. I cook and scramble until completely done. 

3. After I have scrambled the mixture really good, I add the mixture to each plate and top with : green onions, salsa, sour cream, a little more cheese, and a few diced tomatoes. 

4. Serve and enjoy! 

Note: You can alter this meal so much. We didn't have any tomatoes or salsa for ours, so I left it out, but you can add spinach or any other meats or veggies you want. We love tacos, so I love having a breakfast food that tastes like a taco! You can probably even turn this meal into a casserole! :)

It's super easy and I'm sure your family will love it like mine! 

One Pot Chicken and Rice

I made One Pot Chicken and Rice the other night. It was a huge hit for my husband AND for me because it's one dirty pot to clean up! There is nothing better when you're cooking, and you only have one pot to wash. I don't know about you, but that is my kind of cooking. ha! The only difference to our meal was we don't care for celery, so I didn't add it. It does take about an hour to cook, but it's simple because you can let it simmer while you doing laundry, working on your children's homework, etc. My husband had three helpings!!! Make it... It will not disappoint.

Sausage and White Bean Soup

My friend, Natalie, over at Designer Bags and Dirty Diapers, shows up at our home quite often. And I don't mean SHE shows up, but her recipes do! She has the best recipes to follow and I love how easy and healthy most of them are! She blogged about this soup awhile back, and I've been dying to try it since! I had to adjust it a bit because I didn't have a box of shell pasta, but I just used whole grain penne instead and it turned out just fine! Head over to her blog to check out the recipe! It makes a lot, so be ready for leftovers or freeze it like I did!

Thanksgiving Menu

I love Thanksgiving time. It's so much fun getting with your family and enjoying a wonderful meal. My brother is a fireman, so he will be working Thanksgiving day, so we are having our Thanksgiving feast a day early. I'm excited to help with all of the cooking because my husband and I won't be home for Christmas this year. I want to help as much as I can because I know it's going to be a lot of work at Christmas without my set of hands. I absolutely love to cook, so I'm excited to help! I usually make the usual Thanksgiving recipes, but I wanted to change it up a bit this time.  For appetizer, I am making a jalapeno and bacon cheese ball. We love cheese trays in my family, so I think this will be a hit.  We loooove green bean casserole, so I am keeping that on the menu, but just changing it up a little. Instead of using the usual "cream of mushroom," I'm going to use a recipe called, "Grandma's Green Bean Casserole." It looked a lot more divine and homemade than just throwing a can of mushrooms and green beans in a dish. Next, I decided to make a seven layer salad instead of just a regular tossed salad. I got the idea from my friend, Heather, over at her blog. I found an awesome recipe off Pinterest, so I can't wait to try it out! I'm also going to incorporate a new mashed potatoes with gouda and bacon crumbles this Thanksgiving. We usually just have regular mashed potatoes or potato casserole, but I'm going to "amp" them up a little. I adore gouda, so what could possibly be better than mashed potatoes, gouda cheese, and bacon? Absolutely nothing...For dessert, I am making a pumpkin bundt cake with a caramel icing. I cannnnnnot wait. I think I adore the fall time because I get to have pumpkin in everything! I don't know what it is about bundt cakes, but I love them. I don't know if it's because they are so simple to prepare, slicing is easy, or that they hold their moisture, but I love to make them. I hope my family will adore this recipe. I've used it for a friend before, so I'm excited to get my bundt pan out and make it again. My dad is smoking a turkey and I'm sure we'll have other sides from different family members. It's going to be a great Thanksgiving meal and I cannnnnot wait. Good thing I am running a 4 miler that morning, so I won't feel bad about gorging in all the scrumptious food.

1. Grandma's Green Bean Casserole

Recipe

2. Seven Layer Salad

Recipe

3. Mashed Potatoes with Gouda and Bacon Crumbles

Recipe 

4. Pumpkin Biscoff Bundt Cake

Recipe

5. Appetizer: Bacon Jalapeno Cheese ball

Recipe

What all are you guys making for your Thanksgiving meal?

Mama's Vegetable Soup

My Mom's vegetable soup is delicious. She made it this past weekend, but it still wasn't enough. I wanted to make a batch of my own, so that's exactly what I did on Monday night. I had her email me her recipe and went right along with it! I didn't have everything that she used, so I had to monitor and adjust a bit, but both versions were delicious! My husband raved and raved about it and even took a huge container for lunch the next day. If you want an easy, healthy, and a happy husband, I suggest this soup recipe! Note: This recipe calls for a lot of canned items, so make sure you rinse and drain your canned vegetables before eating.

Soup Ingredients and Directions :

3 pounds meat browned with onion and spices

1 large can tomato sauce; add some water

2 cans rotel

1 large can diced tomatoes

3 cans sliced potatoes

2 bags of frozen vegetables

You may need to add more water, but not too much

1 can of black eyed peas

1 bag of frozen lima beans 

Cook all together and season more if needed. 

Enjoy! 

Weekly Recipes

Here are this week's recipes! Enjoy!

Lunch Recipe:

Chickpea Burgers

If you have never had Morning Stars Chickpea burgers, you should try them out! They are perfect if you don't have a lot of time for lunch, but want to still eat healthy. I brought along a little plain greek yogurt and some salsa and just topped them with both! I also would have added avocado, but I'm out, so didn't get a chance to put that on there. :( 

Monday Night:

Steamed Cabbage with Bacon

This a staple in our home. I have blogged about this on the blog before. I can't rave about it enough. It's super healthy, filling, and easy to make! You must try it out! 

Tuesday Night:

Pork Chops with Dijon Herb Sauce 

I made Skinny Taste's Pork chops with Dijon herb on Tuesday night. I have made her pork chops with the mushroom sauce before and they were amazing. Sam and I really liked these! They had a ton of flavor and were not time consuming at all. If you are looking for a healthy pork chop recipe, I highly suggest this one!
I just paired them with a side of frozen peas and half of a sweet potato with a dollop of plain greek yogurt.

Weekly Dinners

Here are our weekly meals from the week! Hope you enjoy! :)

Go To Breakfast EVERY MORNING:

A lot of you asked me to share what I eat for breakfast. Because

I work full time, it is nothing exciting or elaborate, but I love it.

Eggs and an avocado are my favorite things in the world. 

Monday Night:

Tacos with Black Beans

I got home late Monday night, so I whipped up some tacos.

I had some tortillas to use up, so I used those. I also cook with

ground venison a lot because it is leaner and healthier than 

beef. I also substitute Greek yogurt for sour cream. I threw in

some black beans with re fried beans and they were pretty good.

Top the tacos with part skim cheese and lettuce and you

have a quick, easy meal! It's not the HEALTHIEST, but much

lighter and healthier than tacos at a Mexican restaurant, etc. 

Remember: EVERYTHING IN MODERATION. 

Tuesday: 
Not Yet Summer Greek Pasta Salad 
with Cured Roast Beef sandwiches

This was amazing. I picked up some orzo pasta from the store the
 other day. I started searching for a recipe to make and
came across this one. It is amazing! I added in a can of crab meat
 because Sam always wants meat with our dinner,
so that really is the only thing I changed!
I also made some roast beef sandwiches to go with it!
If you have never tried the 35 calorie sugar free wheat bread,
you really should! It doesn't taste bad at all and much
healthier for you!


Wednesday:
Spinach & Roasted Tomato Frittata 

I love making these. I change up the recipe every
now and then, so we don't get burned out. They are
so healthy, too! I can mix everything up in a bowl,
throw it in a baking dish, and let it bake while I'm
doing other things around the house. I added in
 some ground turkey sausage to the recipe, so
that's the only thing I did different! :)

Weekly Dinners

I am going to start sharing my weekly meals with you in one post, so I don't overload you with recipes! ha! Enjoy!

Monday Night:

Spaghetti

I used deer meat because it is more lean. I also used whole wheat, gluten free noodles. I cook the meat with different seasonings and then drain it real good. After meat is cooked, I mix it with my tomato sauce recipe. For my sauce, I use four cans of tomato sauce, 1 can of tomato paste, 1/2 cup of red wine, oregano, Italian seasoning, basil, salt, pepper, and garlic. At the end, I add a pinch of sugar to the sauce. Serve over noodles and top with a little grated Parmesan cheese. 

Tuesday Night:

Asian Glazed Drumsticks 

I made Skinny Taste's Asian Glazed Drumsticks for dinner on Tuesday night. They turned out great! I also just steamed a bag of frozen broccoli. It was super yummy, healthy, and easy! 

Wednesday Night:

Red Snapper 

I seasoned the fish with a little spray butter, Mrs. Dash' seasoning, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and onion salt. I baked it for 20 minutes on 350 degrees. It came out great! I then served a bag of steamed green beans, and made up some brown rice and poured a little low sodium soy sauce in to spruce it up some! Very easy meal and super,super healthy! 

Thursday Night:

Pizza Delivery

I had friends over to watch Scandal Thursday night, so we kept it simple! :) 

Last Week Dinners

Last Monday night I was TOO tired to cook dinner. We often make a cheese plate on the nights I don't feel like cooking. If you're a cheese lover like me, you only buy the best. I know it's an expensive habit, but I refuse to settle for cheap cheese. I tell Sam all the time, " I will run for cheese and wine for the rest of my life."

Boar's Head is our favorite. Sam prefers yellow cheeses and I like the white stuff.

Awesome cheese plate includs: Carr water crackers,

 purple grapes, prosciutto, salami, fontina cheese, colby jack 

cheese, gruyere cheese, pited stuffed red peppers with 

feta cheese, and I made a spicy mustard sauce in the middle. 

Tuesday night, I made a simple and easy meal. I baked 

the pork chops with just seasoning and then used 

instant brown gravy and added some water to

make "healthy smothered pork chops."

Then cooked some Uncle Ben's rice and

frozen peas and carrots. It was yummy!

Whole meal was 400 calories! 

Last Wednesday night, I made a quick,healthy Mexican dinner.

I had some whole wheat tortillas to use up, so I baked them

and turned them in to tostadas! I topped them with a little

ground turkey, chopped tomatoes, part skim cheese,

greek yogurt instead of sour cream, and black beans.

I then served them with a small side taco salad on the side!

It was yummy! 

Korean Beef Bowls

I made Natalie, from Designer Bags and Dirty Diapers, Korean Beef Bowls last night! They were delicious and super healthy! You definitely need to add this recipe to your week night meal list! :)

Recipes Galore & an Outfit

I have been cooking up a storm lately. Two recipes I wanted to share with you are: Maple Glazed salmon with portobello mushroom caps, and Parmesan chicken burgers with a side salad. Both were delicious meals and super healthy! 

I broiled the salmon. I seasoned it with the seasonings

we like and then added a little spray butter and soy sauce.

I turned my broiler to 400 degrees and let cook for 20 minutes.

After it was almost finished, I added a little maple honey glaze

and stuck it back in to caramelize and get a little crispy. 

It was DELICIOUS and full of flavor! 

The mushrooms caps were not my recipe.. I just picked

up these yummy things at Miss Cordelia's. :)

Here is the recipe for the chicken burgers... They were delicious! 

Add a little side salad or sweet potato fries and you have

 yourself a quick, easy, and healthy meal! 

I leave you with an outfit of the day post. Yes, my legs are white.

I'm getting a spray tan this weekend, people. :)

I bought this skirt several weeks ago at Gap Outlet and I love it! So comfy! 

Cabbage Recipe

Cabbage is a staple in our home. We eat it often. I had two shredded bags of cabbage I needed to use up before they went bad. I am often making cabbage and kielbasa, but wanted to change it up a bit. It really is the easiest recipe ever and I promise you...your husbands will love it! First, put a a little olive oil in the bottom of a pan before throwing the two bags of cabbage in. You can season the cabbage however you like, but I threw in: garlic, onion salt, pepper, and a little paprika. After you season it and mix it up real good, grab whatever kind of bacon of your choice and cut it up into 2 inch long pieces. Don't put a lot of salt on the cabbage because the bacon will make it salty enough. ( I used six pieces, it was pllllllenty.) Once you have the cabbage and bacon in the pot, slice a red onion into long pieces and throw in there. After the cabbage, bacon, and onion have all been mixed well, turn the heat up to high and sauteed for about 10 minutes. After everything starts to soften, turn it down to low and pour 1/4 cup of water.... It will give it enough just to steam and keep from sticking to the bottom... Let it simmer on low for 30 minutes or so.... 

It is a wonderful, easy, healthy meal for your family! You can a have approximately 3 cups for 368 calories! 

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

I used Designer Bags and Dirty Diapers' recipe last night! She has cooked in our home TWO nights in a row, ha! I made her Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs and they were to dieeeee for. Super healthy and filling! I highly suggest you check these bad boys out.

Kale salad with Cayenne Pepper dressing

If you don't follow Designer Bags and Dirty Diapers, I HIGHLY suggest doing so! She is an awesome mom with two kids. She blogs about fashion, their life, and her awesome recipes! This is one of her salad recipes I have been dying to try. It definitely did not disappoint! Check it out!! 

Fish Tacos with Spicy Slaw Recipe

I made fish tacos with a spicy slaw last night! It turned out pretty good! I found the recipe off Pinterest and it didn't disappoint! 

 Fish Taco and Spicy Slaw Recipe

Fish Taco Bowls

Tuesday night, I made Fish Taco bowls. I am on a gluten free, diary free diet for two weeks. I wanted to stick to strictly meat and veggies for a couple of weeks to see how my body handles it. Although this recipe calls for rice, Sam had rice and I just left the rice out of mine! They turned out great!! Here's the recipe: 

Fish Bowl Recipe

I have been making black bean burgers for lunch and just topping them with a little salsa and avocado!  So,so good!!! 

Tuesday was NATIONAL WINE DAY! Of course, it's National Wine Day for me everyday. ;) 

Sam calls my pours, "Brittney pours." :)

Chopped Mexican Salad

I made a chopped Mexican salad last night. I am exhausted on most Monday nights, so I like to keep dinner simple. I usually have eaten bad all weekend, so I like to keep things healthy to get back on track, ha! Here is how it turned out:

It was so, so good! It tasted so healthy and Sam ate two bowls AND finished mine! He loved it! The entire salad was 380 calories! I used a lot of canned vegetables because I am getting low on groceries, so if you use canned stuff, just make sure you wash it out real good! I also dump whatever I'm using into a colander and run water through! It gets rid of all that sodium, ha! ( This recipe will feed two to three people. ) 

You will need: 

1 bag of shredded lettuce or any lettuce of your choice

1 can of Rotel with green chilies

1 can of low sodium black beans

4 green onions diced

1 can of sweet corn

1/4 cup of shredded cheese of your choice

1 avocado sliced and shared 

small bag of crushed corn chips are optional 

Directions:

1. I drain all the canned veggies real good before putting them in salad.

2. Put the lettuce in bowl first and then add the canned veggies.  Make sure you mix it all together really well. The Rotel adds a nice flavor to the salad, so you won't need any dressing! :)

3. Top it with crushed chips if you want, avocado, and cheese!

I told you it was easy!!! Enjoy!!! 

We deserve a Valentine dinner re-do...

You're probably thinking, what?" We celebrated Valentine's dinner on Wednesday night, so we wouldn't have to fight the crowds on Friday. We usually always celebrate before or after. We talked about where to go and contemplated going to one of our favorite places, but decided to try something new! We are constantly saying that we always eat at the same places and need to branch out more.... So, I got on River Oaks and made reservations! We got there at 6:30 p.m. and had the hostess escort us to our table... It was in another room off the main dining room that was gloomy and had no heat. Keep in mind, it has been in the 20's in Memphis this week... I simply ignored it and thought hopefully the food would make up for it. As soon as I sat down, the table started wobbling and the floor underneath me was sticky. Gross! The waitress walks up and says, "May I help you?" Um....... Welllll.... Considering I came here to eat, yes you can help me! Did you ever think that maybe I would like to see the wine list? Menu? I mean, REALLY?!!!?! The lady had no class about her whatsoever. I think she would have fallen over and died if she had to smile... No, I'm serious... She looked miserable. Anyway, she brings us our drinks and we both order a salad to start with. Sam orders the goat cheese salad and I order the "Not So Classic Caesar salad." They did get one part right through the whole night.... It definitely was not so classic! It was HORRIBLE! I might have gotten a 1/2 teaspoon of dressing.... Mayyyyyyyybe a 1/2 teaspoon, but that's pushing it. It was supposed to have shrimp on it, and they gave me a big ole' whopping 1 shrimp on the plate. The flavor was non-existent and Sam's salad.....HA! It was a joke! They used some lettuce, slapped a sorry of an excuse fried goat cheese piece on top, and called that joker a salad!! Salt and pepper were our friends at this dinner table.. Anyway, you're probably thinking, " The entrees will make up for the bad experience so far.. They just havvvvve to!" We were thinking the exact same thing, but I think the entrees were quite possibly the worst meals we have ever had eating out... My brother made a joke that  we should have gone to Jack Pirtles, and I'm starting to think he was right... Sam ordered the pork tenderloin and I had the salmon... Oh! And did you know that they served both entrees in a bowl?? You should have been there trying to watch us cut our dinner.. It was quite comical spinning the bowl around, so we could cut it. Sam's tenderloin was dry and was floating in un-cooked carrots and zucchini, but they didn't leave off the cheese! There was enough melted cheese on top to sink a ship... Besides that, I'm not a food connoisseur or anything, but who pairs melted cheese with pork tenderloin??? My salmon was over cooked, the cauliflower risotto had enough cheese as well, and the asparagus looked like it came out of a can....... I'm fighting mad by this point... We ask for the check and the waitress never asks, " Can I get you anything else? How was dinner? How are the entrees? Thank you for coming!..." She flat out says NOTHING!!!! We pay the bill and start making our way to the door... No one looks up and thanks us for coming or ANYTHING!!! I'm dead ass serious... Sam and I just look at each other and laugh! So we decided that we were going to have a RE-DO dinner this coming Saturday night at one of our favorite places! No longer trying something new! ha! If you live in the Memphis area, PLEASE never eat at River Oaks. It's awful, the service is non-existent, and the environment is poor.


Lets move on to something on a happier note! I did like my outfit I wore to dinner! :) ha!

New J.Crew pink Blythe blouse

Rachel Roy black mini skirt

Frye El Dorado black boots

Hue tights

Michael Kors watch

J.Crew gold necklace

David Yurman bangles 

And an even HAPPIER NOTE...I'm happy to report that I can finally wear this dress again. It only took over a year to get back into it... That is all! ha!!!

Have a great weekend, friends!!! 

Thursday Ramblings..

Tuesday night, we had a great arm/leg workout at the gym. I was quite sore Wednesday morning. Anyway, I got home and had some smoked turkey sausage that I needed to use up, so I made my mother's famous CABBAGE AND SAUSAGE! I know it looks disgusting, but I promise you that it won't disappoint. It's super easy to make, requires very few dishes, and is healthy! You can't beat that. Here is the recipe:

Cabbage and Sausage Recipe:

1 head of cabbage or you can use the shredded coleslaw/cabbage bags. 

1 package of turkey sausage link or regular sausage if you prefer

salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, season salt

1 1/2 cup of water

Directions:

1. Place the cabbage in the bottom of a big pot with the water

and seasonings. The cabbage will wilt a lot, so make sure if you

are using a head of cabbage that you don't cut it too small.

2. I prefer to saute my sausage in a skillet and then place

in the pot with the cabbage, but my mom doesn't saute hers

and it tastes just fine, too!

3. Bring it all to a boil for about 25 minutes. You want 

to make sure the cabbage has softened. 

4. Enjoy!

I am telling you... It's so comical because it is so easy! Thanks mom for another great meal! :)

We are HUGE Netflix watchers. We just finished The Following, Orange is the New Black, and Lost. We are excited about starting House of Cards Season 2!!! If you haven't checked these shows out, I highly suggest them. We haven't watched Dexter or Breaking Bad, but we have added them to our list because everyone says they are so good? :)

I am so excited!! My Cellucor Cake Batter protein mix arrived!

I had been using chocolate flavor this summer, but ran out

and never bought anymore. I can tell that I haven't taken it

in several months! Sam made a big purchase on

www.bodybuilding.com so threw this in for me! Thanks, honey!

I can't wait to try it. I will let you know how I like it! :)

Eggplant and Butternut Squash Recipe

I apologize that all of my blog posts this week have been on food. My life has been boring, I haven't been buying any clothes, and it has been way too cold to do anything. I promise that will change next week! I'm back in the gym and going to feel like myself again! I have HATED not being able to do anything...I had a gripe session with Sam this morning.. I told him, " I hate myself right now... I look white, ugly, and fat... I don't like the way I look in the mirror." He just sighs because he's used to it and said, " You'll feel better next week when you're back on schedule..." Is it not amazing how exercise makes us feel good about ourselves? I also have not been sleeping good... When I work out, I sleep like a champ!!!! Tuesday is coming.....I just keep telling myself it's coming!!! Anyway, because of the lack of exercise, I have been trying to watch everything I put in my mouth more close. I made up this recipe last night, so feel free to tweak it how you want it. We like sweet/spicy around here, so that's what I was going for. This recipe is also really good for you gluten girls ( minus the bread crumbs, ) paleo dieters, and vegan eaters ( minus the cheese. )

Eggplant & Butternut Squash Casserole 

You will need:

1 eggplant

1 butternut squash

1 cup of mozzarella cheese

1 cup of parmesan cheese

1 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons of basil

2 teaspoons of oregano

2 teaspoons of onion powder

2 tablespoons of olive oil

 1/2 cup of Panko crumbs

a jar of spaghetti or marinara sauce 

1. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. While it is warming up, dice the butternut squash and eggplant into small cubes. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non stick spray. Place the diced veggies on the baking sheet and pour some olive oil and whatever seasoning on the veggies. Roast for 15 minutes and make sure to turn the vegetables once. 

2. While the vegetables are cooking, grab a big bowl and mix your spaghetti sauce, oregano, basil, cayenne pepper, 1 cup of Parmesan and bread crumbs. ( You can also add any other seasonings of your choice. We like spice, so I added cayenne pepper, but you totally don't have to add cayenne pepper to this recipe. )

3. Once the vegetables have finished cooking, pour the vegetables in the big bowl of sauce and make sure everything is mixed together well. 

4. Turn your oven down to 425 degrees. Grab a casserole dish and pour the vegetable mixture in. Top with the 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and bake for 15 minutes until warm. 

5. Let sit for 10 minutes and enjoy! :)

1 serving: 210 calories, 6 grams of fat, 26 grams of carbs! :) 

I had some leftover spaghetti, so I just served it with a little side of that.