Baked Red Snapper

yes to this.

I was talking with a girlfriend today about how much we really LOVE a Friday. Technically we do not drive to a 9-5 job ( because ours is 24-7 :)) but there is just something magical about a Friday.. its the end of the week..all your people are home together.. it’s just nice. So cheers to Friday!!!

Anyways about tonights dinner...

I have been seriously craving fish like every week! There is just something about summer and the water and fresh fish just SPEAKS to me so I have been salivating over fresh white fish every week except my grocery store charges 25 dollars a LB for it.

 so um NO.

We went to our beach house this past weekend and I was so enthusiastic over catching some fresh fish for my infamous tacos!! 

Didn’t happen. 

So today when I was making my weekly grocery trip I saw that my fish monger had freshly stocked his fish counter with a TON of fresh fish and shrimp. The Red Snapper was 10$ a LB!!!!!

My eyes were wide with excitement!!! So I quickly ordered up two larger than life filets and practically skipped my way home.

Then I came up with this fabulous dinner:)

It went something like this:

Shopping List:

2 Large filets of white fish ( Halibut or Red Snapper work best)

1 bunch of fresh parsley( chopped fine)

1 clove of garlic pressed or minced fine

Juice of one Lemon

Creole Seasoning

Pink Salt

Black Pepper

Freshly Grated Parm

Plain Breadcrumbs

4 Tablespoons of butter - I used 6 whoops :)

Procedure:

Preheat Oven to 400 Degrees

salt and pepper your fish to taste

Lay your fresh fish in a baking dish that has been sprayed with Pam

mix 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs with 1/2 cup fresh grated parm.

over medium high heat melt your butter with your pressed garlic and stir aromatics.

Add in your fresh parsley, Creole seasoning, juice of a lemon, and stir until fragrant and parsley is wilted. 

Pour herb butter mixture over the fish.

Finally top the fish with the breadcrumb and parmesan mixture and bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until fish flakes.

This dinner is out of this world Amazing!!!!

** We served alongside roasted broccoli but Asparagus or an heirloom tomato salad would be perfect!

Low Carb Parmesean Chicken Casserole

Happy Wednesday!!!!

Last night I had my mom over for a little girls night.. and since she is currently following a no carb diet I wanted to make something that would correspond with her eating habits but to also have a dish that was full of flavor!!

I found the base of this dish on Pinterest ( go figure :)) and then tweaked it to make it my own. I currently have an obsession with zoodles,cauliflower rice and spaghetti squash. They are so versatile and make for great bases to any type of dish. For example I made fajita taco bowls the other night and instead of using rice.. I used the cauliflower rice!! It was so healthy and honestly I could not tell a difference. A vegetable noodle is an easy fix to get your carb cravings in and that is exactly what I used as the base of this casserole. 

Shopping List:

Fresh Parsley

Fresh Basil

1 clove garlic minced

Fresh buffalo Mozzarella Cheese

Parmesean Reggiano Cheese ( shredded)

1 Jar of organic Marinara

1 yellow onion

3 cups COOKED chopped chicken breasts

4 chopped zuchinni and yellow squash

Procedure:

( have chicken cooked beforehand and chopped into large chunks)

Preheat your oven to 350

Saute’ 1/2 large yellow onion with 1 minced clove of garlic in some EVOO over Med/High heat and once cooked set aside.

Next-To a casserole dish or cast iron skillet, layer the bottom with your chopped zucchini and squash: add a little EVOO to the top. On top of that, add your freshly cooked onion and garlic, then add your cooked chicken ( layering like a lasagna) then pour your marinara sauce over everything. Finally add chunks of your buffalo mozzarella, pinches of Parm, and the chopped fresh herbs. Cook for 25-30 minutes until cheese is nice and bubbly. 

Zucchinni Meatballs for Baby

So today’s post is all about MEATBALLS :) 

I love a good meatball.. they are so versatile and you can just about throw anything in there to make them tasty!!!! You can intermix the meats: Ground Beef, Chicken, Turkey AND the veggies: Think Zuchinni, Squash, Carrots, Onion, Spinach, Bell Pepper..The list goes on. I also love meatballs because they freeze well and whether you are meal prepping for a new baby or for a friend who is going to have a baby, or even just trying to meal prep in advance so that you are not totally overloaded..these are a great staple!!!! 

For these specific meatballs I chose the following

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb grass fed organic beef ( could use turkey or chicken as well)

1 cup bread crumbs

1 large egg

1 zucchinni shredded

1/2 yellow onion chopped and diced

s&p to taste

Procedure:

Throw your shredded zucchini and chopped onion in a medium high skillet with a dash of EVOO. Cook until soft. 

Meanwhile in a bowl add your beef, breadcrumbs, spices, and one egg and mix well. Once the veggies are soft add them to the meat mixture and mix with your hands until everything is combined. 

Next,  make medium sized balls ( think golf ball) and place on a non stick baking sheet or cast iron skillet. Bake for 60 minutes in a 350 degree oven. 

** For toddlers offer a “ dip” sometimes the fact that they get to dip these meatballs in ketchup makes eating all the more exciting. 

** freezes well**

Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken for Baby

Happy Thursday!!!!! 

We have had a slow easy week and are getting ready for our first family trip to the beach!!!! 

In preparation I have been making a few large meals this week that are freezer friendly so that when I come back I don’t have to worry about what to make the baby!!! This is one of our favorite meals that freezes EASILY!

Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken

Shopping List:

2 boneless skinless organic chicken breasts

Tessemae’s All Natural BBQ sauce

2 cups of chunked fresh pineapple

1/2 yellow onion

S&P ( optional)

Sweet potato and or cooked brown rice

** TESSEMAE’S BBQ SAUCE is an all natural BBQ sauce it has NO sugar so it is a healthy option for baby. It is sold at all the major grocery stores.

Method:

Place your chicken in the crockpot and pour BBQ sauce over them, add the chopped onion,  pineapple, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper ( if you wish) then close the lid and let cook on slow for 6-8 hours. Shred with a fork when finished cooking.

The flavor from the caramelized onions and natural sugars from the pineapple spill out over the chicken making it a super flavorful dish!!!!!

While your chicken is cooking, you can either bake a sweet potato and/or cook some brown rice and serve this over one of the two!!!

We loved both! Whole grain brown rice was great over this!

Sweet Potato Cauliflower Mash

Sweet Potato Cauliflower Mash

Sweet potatoes were one of the very first foods I introduced to Jax. He was a BIG fan...since he loves them so much I usually try to incorporate ( AKA SNEAK) other veggies in with them so that he will just gobble them right up! A lot of times when I do a combo meal I will add some protein like chicken or turkey to a veggie to disguise it and it seems to work really well:) 

I love that you can make cauliflower the consistency of potato so these two really mix well together!!!

Shopping List:

1 head of cauliflower cut into florets

2 sweet potatoes peeled and chunked

Procedure:

Steam ( or BOIL) both sets of veggies until soft and tender

add about 2 tablespoons of butter, a little S&P and blend in the baby bullet 

If you baby likes cheese or you have introduced dairy go ahead and add some organic skim mozzarella cheese

ENJOY! :)

Jax’s Favorite Applesauce

Every Baby loves applesauce..and whether it is store bought or made from scratch it will for sure make your little baby smile! I also love to freeze my applesauce in ice cube trays to make for a fun teething snack! 

Here is our recipe 

Jax’s Applesauce

2 Gala Apples ** Yellow bakes well too if you want to try another kind**

1 freshly squeezed lemon

a pinch of lemon zest

1/4 cup water

cinnamon

Procedure

Peel your apples and chunk them into small chunks

place them in a baking safe dish 

pour the water and lemon juice over the apples 

toss with cinnamon and the lemon zest

coat well

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes

let them cool for 15 minutes or until cool enough to handle and blend them in either a food processor or baby bullet.

freeze them for fun applesauce bites or save and serve cold!!!

ENJOY!