trying to eat well....still

Golden Mushroom Pork Chops

Brown Pork Chops in small amount of olive oil. Remove chops and saute a handful of sliced mushrooms in the same pan.

Deglaze the pan with a little water and then replace the chops into pan.

Top with healthy request Golden Mushroom soup and sprinkle with a little onion soup mix.

Cover and cook over medium heat until completely cooked, about 40 minutes depending on the thickness of the pork chops.

Serve over brown rice, or yokeless egg noodles.

**I just found the yoke-less egg noodles and they were so yummy with the pork chops! Enjoy!

This recipe is from my Grandma. So yummy!

Portobello "Burgers"

Portobello Mushroom Caps, marinated in fat free italian dressing

Grill on BBQ

build burgers however you like, lettuce, tomato, low fat cheese, etc...

Put on Whole Wheat hamburger bun.

** Oh my word, SO yummy!! SO SO SO yummy!! Serve with the following...

Sweet Potato Steak Fries

2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into steak fry sized pieces

1 1/2 Tbls. freshly minced garlic

2 tsp. extra virgin Olive Oil

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450*

In large bowl toss the sweet potates with the garlic, olive oil, and salt. Arrange in single layer, not touching, on a large non-stick baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes, Turn fries and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.

(or until tender)

** ridiculously good!

Yum...

FiSh TaCos

8 taco-sized (5 1/2") White Corn Tortillas

1 lb. Alaskan Pollack (I used tilapia)

2 Tbls Salt-Free Mexican Seasoning, such as Mrs. Dash southwest.

(I actually used a spicy rub that Scott makes)

Salt to taste

Olive Oil Spray

2 Cups, slightly drained Coleslaw with Orange Cilantro vinaigrette (I'll post that at bottom)

1/2 Cup fresh pico de gallo or fresh salsa

Season fish evenly with seasoning and salt.

Place a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, lightly mist with the olive oil spray. Cook fish in single layers in skillet. Turning occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily in center and is lightly browned.

Remove fish, place tortilla in skillet to warm and crisp a little. Build tacos with fish, and orange cole slaw & salsa.

** I got this recipe from the Biggest Loser family cookbook. I changed a few things to suit us & it was insanely tasty! The book said to just warm the tortillas under a damp paper towel in the microwave, but they were so much better warmed in the skillet. It also said to use the salt-free mexican seasoning, we used our own spicy concoction. And, I had tilapia in the freezer so I used that instead of Monk Fish. You'd never even think that it was "good for you" food.

Coleslaw with Orange Vinaigrette

1/4 Cup fat-free plain yogurt

1/4 Cup light mayo

1/4 Cup 100% orange juice

3 Tbls. white vinegar

1 1/2 tsp. honey

7 Cups Green Cabbage, shredded

1 Cup Carrots, shredded

1/2 Cup Red Onion, slivered

1/3 Cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

In large resealable plastic container, whisk together the yogurt, mayo, juice, vinegar, and honey. Add cabbage, carrots, onion, and cilantro and stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate.

**I actually just bought a package of coleslaw and added the dressing. SO yummy! Use to top on Fish Tacos! Enjoy!

According to the cookbook, the Tacos with the orange coleslaw only have 281 calories per serving. (which is actually 2 tacos) Fabulous, we loved it. My kids weren't so excited about them. We actually told them that is was chicken, the younger three ate them no problem only Savannah was picky and knew it wasn't chicken. Why they won't eat it when they know it's fish is beyond me, stinkin' kids.

Enjoy your healthy Taco Night!

New Favorite: Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies!

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

2 teaspoons coarse salt

1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature (REAL BUTTER, UNSALTED!)

1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips

8 ounces semisweet chocolate chopped

2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, using electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium high until fluffy, 6 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low and beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Mix in flour mixture just until incorporated; fold in chocolate chips and chunks.

Using a 1/4 cup ice-cream scoop or large spoon, drop dough onto parchment lined cookie sheet. You should have 24. (unless husband and kids are home!) Refrigerate 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Arrange 6 unbaked cookies 3 inches apart on two cookie sheets. Bake until edges are light golden brown, 17 to 18 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Cool on wire rack.

I always double this recipe! I throw the butter and sugars in my bosch to mix with the wire whips then when I add the flour mixture, I switch to the cookie paddles. I fill cookie sheets with the dough and wrap tightly with foil. The dough keeps great in the fridge for a week and longer in the freezer. Once chilled I just put them in a ziploc bag and transfer to freezer. Usually they don't make it to the freezer! Within a week I always have someone/someplace to take cookies. I love having them available at a moments notice.

These cookies taste like they are from a bakery to me! Let me know if you agree!

OuR cHrIsTmAs CaRaMeLs!

1 cup butter (no subs!)

2 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat butter on low.

Add everything except the vanilla, cook and stir over medium-high heat to boiling.

Carefully clip on candy thermometer, make sure it's not touching the bottom of the pan.

Cook and stir until thermometer hits firm-ball stage (248 degrees...about 15-20 minutes.)

Remove from heat and add vanilla.

Poor into prebuttered pan...you can line w/ foil.

When cooled cut and wrap.

***This year I found cellophane square wrappers at Orson Gygi! So worth it! But, normally

I have always wrapped them in wax paper.

***Here's the trick! The biggest thing is to calibrate your candy thermometer. To do this you boil your therm. in water for a few minutes. If the therm registers above or below 212 degrees you add or subtract the same difference in degrees from the recipe temperature. For example my therm. registered @ 200 D. So I subtracted 12 degrees from the caramel recipe and brought the temp to 236 degrees instead of 248. This makes the difference between soft and chewy caramels and hard as rock, chip your teeth caramels!

Baked Potato Soup

4 large baked potatoes

2/3 cup butter

2/3 cup flour

6 cups milk, whole or 2% (I actually use 1% and it's fine.)

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

4 green onions

12 slices bacon, fried and crumbled

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup sour cream (8 0z.)

Cut potatoes in half. Scoop out pulp and put into small bowl.

Melt butter in large pot. Add flour. Gradually stir in milk. Continue to stir until smooth, thickened and bubbly.

Stir in potato pulp, salt, pepper, and three-quarters of the onions, bacon, and cheese. Cook until heated. Stir in sour cream.

Can transfer to slow cooker and set on Low. When serving top w/ remaining bacon, onions and cheese.

Yummy...I don't make it too often because it's a little artery-clogging! So good served in bread bowls because it is such a thick soup. Sometimes I just put all of the onions, bacon and cheese in the soup and we don't bother w/ the toppings.

GrEaT gReAt GrAnDmAs BISCUITS

Biscuits Supreme

2 Cups Flour

1/2 tsp. Salt

4 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Cream of Tartar

2 tsp. Sugar

1/2 Cup Shortening

2/3 Cup Milk

Preheat oven to 450.

Sift dry ingredients and cut in shortening. Add milk all at once stir with fork ~ then knead swiftly but gently a few moments on a floured board.

Roll and cut.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly golden.

**I got this recipe from my fabulous Grandma Reid. I received a HUGE mound of her recipes to type up for a recipe book in her honor. This recipe like many other stood out to me because of the condition of it. It was well used and well loved, and scrolled in the top right corner it said Grandma Dastrup. It was from my Grandmas Grandma. I thought that was pretty amazing. It just so happens I tried it out last night for Biscuits and Gravy dinner. It was a hit. I have a bit to learn about being careful with biscuit dough so it will in fact pop up like it should. But after the first batch of it tasting good, but not looking very pretty I wised up and got better. I got all domestic and crap and made biscuits my great great Grandma might just have been proud of!

Cecilys Shrimp & Pasta

2 Tbls Balsamic Vinegarette

1 lb. Lg. Shrimp, uncooked

4 oz. Fettuccini, uncooked

1 Tomato, chopped

4 oz. Cream Cheese

2 Tbls. Fresh Basil, chopped

1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese

Pour dressing over shrimp and set aside to marinate for 20 minutes. Meanwhile heat large skillet on med. heat, add shrimp to mixture.

Cook 3 min. or until pink.

Remove from skillet w/ slotted spoon. Cover to keep warm.

Add tomatoes, cream cheese and 1 Tbls. basil to same skillet.

Cook and stir for 3 min. or until well blended.

Add shrimp; cook until heated thru, stirring occasionally.

Add sauce to pasta, sprinkle with parmesan.

**I can promise you this is a great recipe! SO yummy!! Nice and fresh tasting too, perfect for those ripe tomatoes out of your garden!!