"What's that smell?" That’s often a phrase that I hear at work. Now when you’re around kids all day and you hear it, that could often mean one of two things... But in this case we were in the teacher’s lounge, so usually the smells are safe. 🤣 In this case the person was talking about my Roasted Salsa Verde Soup that I was eating for lunch (pictured above. Since it's one of my favorites, I made it for my photo shoot back in the summer). In this case the person was talking about my Roasted Salsa Verde Soup that I was eating for lunch. Then my coworker followed up with a “OMG, that smells SO good!” So I decided to bring her some for lunch the next day. Then she proceeded to tell me how good it was. Words she used were fresh and filling. My coworkers make the perfect taste testers! Anyway, I realized that I should probably not be stingy and share with everybody, so here’s a link to a video I did making the soup along with the recipe, so you can eat good too. And no it's not a bunch of steps. And yes you can make it into a freezer meal. (I show you how in the video.) And yes, healthy and tasty at the same time (so you can save those calories for sweet potato pie instead). If that's not enough of a reason to check it out, here's a few more. Here’s a few more reasons why you should check it out:
Stay warm out there y’all! 🥘Salsa Verde Soup Recipe
••••••••••••••••• Directions: 1. (Optional) Using a gas stove, place the Poblano pepper on top of the aisle on LOW heat. Watch it closely, and turn as necessary. The skin will blacken. Rotate until all sides are a little charred . Let cool. OR Spread oil on skin of peppers and in oven on 425 degrees for 30-45 mintues. Add to a ziplock bag for 5 minutes and peel. 2. Combine chicken, broth, beans, seasonings, salsa, bell peppers, onions, and garlic in slow cooker. Gently peel the charred skin off the poblano pepper, chop, and add to pot. Leave the seeds in for an extra kick. 3. Use a crockpot or instant pot to slow cook on LOW for 3.5- 4 hours (depending upon your appliance.) 4. Add cilantro and shred the chicken during the last 30 minutes. 5. Enjoy with avocado, more cilantro, tortilla chips. Like crunchy bell peppers and onions? Add them in the last 30 minutes instead of the beginning.
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Hopefully you had a restful Labor Day, and you’re ready for the mini week ahead. Oh so maybe you’re not ready? Don’t worry, the Food Fam has you covered with a quick & delicious recipe for lunch that you’ll have to stop yourself from eating again for dinner because it’s just that good. Don’t take my word for it. Bernadette from the group made it and ended up eating it for lunch and dinner …because it’s just delicious. By checking out the recipe inside our community here. Click here to jump in. Why not get encouragement to actually make those recipes you see in those videos instead of just liking and sharing them? I mean, you're already on Facebook anyway...Join the Food Fam today. Already a member, but missed the action? Be sure to turn on your notifications for the group so you don’t miss a thing. And check out the link above to see what’s poppin. The best part is the ladies in the group have already tried out for you. That means you’re getting:
Cuz that’s how we do it in the Food Fam! Plus: I share how to prep this ahead of time without having things get soggy. (A soggy salad is the absolute worst, but who has time to pack a salad every day?) Check out the recipe & our tips here so you can be great without spending all day in the kitchen.
Office potlucks are the never-ending classic that make for a great way to test out recipes on a large group of people. In my case, my office is a school which means there's always something to celebrate.
I needed something quick and tasty and this proved to be a great option after a few changes from the original. First, the recipe suggested to let the mixture soak for an hour or overnight in the fridge, but since that it was already 9pm, that was not going to happen. I let it soak for about 15 minutes and everything was good to go. Second, I added cinnamon to give it a bit of a change in flavor. (And cuz I love cinnamon. Almost as much as peanut butter.) If you want it to be even more like french toast, add vanilla extract as well (see below). Third, since I made this the night before, I made sure to not cook it all the way so I could reheat it the next night (directions below). And....they loved it! (See the empty dish.) They also mentioned that the cinnamon gave it a nice twist which I was glad to hear. Often cinnamon is added to sweeter dishes and with sugar. (Ex. Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cinnabon, etc.). But, when it's by itself, it doesn't really have to be sweet, though in this case, it goes well with the eggs, waffles, and maple syrup. I'm sure you have a bazillion recipes saved on your boards just waiting to be eaten. They're calling your name. Try some of them out at your next office party/potluck! Ingredients 1 box frozen homestyle waffles 1 package of breakfast sausage (maple preferred, but I used mild) 8 large eggs 1-2 cups mild cheddar cheese (make it as cheesy as you like) 1 ¼ cup milk ⅓ c maple syrup 1 ½ tsp cinnamon 1 dash of salt and pepper each 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Tips:
Tomorrow, Sunday, January 28th at 8 pm, we’ll have Shonte Press from Press On Enterprise Shonte for a Facebook Live: “From Daniel Fast to Everyday: How to Eat Healthy All Year Long”. Many of us just finished the Daniel Fast or made a resolution to eat healthier in 2018. But what are you really gonna do to make sure this happen??
Join us tomorrow to ask all your questions about:
This is only available to the members of The Daniel Fast Food and Faith Challenge, so be sure to join the group so you can check it out. Press is a Certified Nutrition and Wellness Consultant and the CEO of Press on Enterprise. Prep Time 15 min Cook Time 10 min Total Time 25 min Ingredients 2 pita, or naan breads 1 cup marinara sauce, or vegan pesto 2 Roma tomatoes, diced 1/3 cup kalamata olives 1 handful spinach 1/4 cup sundries tomatoes, sliced 1/4 cup feta cheese 4 ounces shredded mozzarella, (regular or vegan) 1/2 red onion, sliced 1/4 cup artichoke, sliced 1 teaspoon Oregano 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 1 teaspoon basil 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon garlic powder Directions
Hey, Everybody! I'm doing a little midday well, maybe not midday coz it's 3 o’clock but doing a live video and I'm making some pizza, so I thought I would just test out my new tripod that I have so if you see one of the legs in the video that's what's going on but right now I'm having what my mom likes to call a late lunch because I've been working all day and haven't had a stop- haven't had a chance to stop and make something. So, I'm gonna be making some pizza!
And wait a little bit more for a couple of people to get on and I'll start chopping the vegetables as well. Oh, wait. So..., got some tomatoes and onions. I try to use things that I already have on hand which I always have tomatoes and onions. I always have olives, banana, peppers always a good one to have as well for salads and pizzas and just a pan down a little bit what I'm using.. Ooops! well just adjust this, okay! So, what I'm using is some Stonefire Naan Bread or Naan and it's actually an Indian bread but you can find it at Kroger or most of the major stores it's not the healthiest however you can always substitute for cauliflower crust or whole wheat crust things like that but I'm using what I have on hand. So what I did is just took it out of the package to store it in a freezer and just sprinkle a little water on top and then what I'm going to do next is add my sauces so I'm just using regular tomato sauce with a mix of pesto so this is one of my favorite pestos that I like to use, Classic. You can make your own pesto but like I said just doing this very quickly, don't have a lot of time. I sprinkle some. I'm gonna do a mix of tomato sauce and pesto and if you can hear some ticking in the background that is from my toaster oven. I love making pizza in the toaster oven it's very quick, very easy. If you have kids, it's a great way to get them kind of excited about what they're about to eat because they can kind of see as it's going along and it doesn't take a long time to prepare so I'm doing a mix of pasta sauce and pesto and then I'm just gonna add my ingredients on top. So like, I said, I always have tomatoes on hand. And, then banana peppers, another one of my favorites. They are great for salads, pizza.... Pretty much talks about sandwiches as well those are a good option and the pizza I'm making now doesn't have a name but it is gonna be kind of Greek inspired and it's pretty easy to whip up however, you can always use whatever you have on hand. Whatever ingredients, bell peppers are great I happen to don't have any right now. If, you have spinach that's a good option as well pretty much any fruits or vegetables you have will make a good pizza and some of well I've been doing some research I'm finding that a lot of parents have issues with getting their kids to eat eat fruits and vegetables or not fruits I'm sorry getting their kids to eat vegetables and so this is a great way because at the end you're probably gonna smother it with cheese and they might not easily, able to see it. So next we do some olives and these are kalamata olives you can use any kind of olives that you have but for mine I'm doing kind of a Greek-inspired pizza. And on the bottom, if you're just joined us I have pesto and then just, Pasta Sauce. I think I might want to add some more sauce. So another good addition is garlic I like to use garlic that's already chopped up because it saves time and energy just sprinkle it and yeah got some onions and I love for an onion we have a slightly different taste than yellow onions but you can always use either gonna add some artichokes which I love and these add a slightly different flavor which is nice and just crumble and these I believe are actually soaked in olive oil, so they're marinated very nice and the last step which I forgot is the cheese so I'm gonna go get that real quick one moment. So, I was gonna use it but I just open the container and it's spilled in my fridge so I'm gonna stick with it and if you are vegan or vegetarian there's lots of cheese options that are out there or if you're lactose intolerant and cheese is not your friend. There is vegan cheese or feta cheese lots of options nowadays. And, I'm not a huge cheese person so I'm not gonna cover this entirely but if you are of course you want to cover it so that you can really see the ingredients. So normally if I'd be doing a good pizza I would put a little photo on it but for now apparently that was not in the cards for me so what I'm gonna do is pop this in the toaster oven for about five to ten minutes I'll kind of watch it into other cheese melts and kind of check the crust so hopefully this has been helpful to you maybe you'll be inspired to make your own pizza. See you guys, later! Why You May Need A Little Meal Prep In Your Life
But hold up... What is meal prep? The process of creating multiple meals to eat for the week or to freeze and enjoy at a later time. This may include cooking meals or simply completing all of the food preparation ahead of time (chopping, seasoning, etc.) to make it easier to enjoy later. Let’s Dive In Y’all Save Time and Energy (Read: Be A Lazy Yet Efficient Cook) Let’s be honest, cooking can be a draining chore. It’s one that we all love the outcome of, but don’t always enjoy the process. According to a 2014 USDA study, women spent an average of 51 minutes a day on meal prep (Hamrick & McClelland, 2016)*. That’s almost ten hours a week if you add grocery shopping. Add that up, and that’s 40 hours a month! Honestly, who has time for this??? Family, spouses, (or side hustles) should take up our free time, not grocery shopping and cooking. Effective meal prep can reduce your time in the kitchen by up to 50%. That’s at least 3 to 5 hours a week or 12 to 20 hours a month. That’s enough time to binge watch a few seasons of your favorite Netflix show, catch up on sleep, or spend some time with the ones you love. Take back your time folks! Know What In The World You’re Eating Though I love a night of fine dining, I eat knowing good and well that I am throwing caution to the wind in terms of calories and having any clue as to what food additives I’m consuming. Now I know that that sounds super dramatic, but it’s true since many restaurants don’t release their full ingredients list. Many fast food establishments, and even full service restaurants, use countless chemicals and preservatives in our food. Additionally, food allergies are a common problem for many. Alleviate the concerns of cross contamination and unknown food additives by preparing your own meals in the comfort of your home. Since eliminating all eating out isn’t an option for most (I mean, I just love waffle fries you know?) prepping a few meals helps. Meal prep can work to eliminate the amount of preservatives and unknown chemicals that you are consuming. Be As “Healthyish” As You Want To Be The great thing about meal prepping is that there are no rules about what you prep! Though meal prepping is frequently used by those who count calories or macros, it also provides the freedom for those who just want to eat just a little healthier by decreasing our intake of processed and fried foods. Often meal prepping is touted for those who are only focused on achieving fitness gains or those who are following a strict diet. Meal planning works wonders for those folks, but let me inform you that meal prep is for everyone. You get the freedom to decide how much salt, added sugar, or other ingredients go into your food. You have the flexibility to choose and reach whatever dietary goals you desire.Want to go vegan? Go for it! Have food allergies? Eliminate those allergens in your food. Focusing on protein? Beef (or Plant) it Up! Whatever your preferences are, gain the control over what you are or aren’t eating. Like Captain Planet used to say, “The Power is Yours”. Save That Moola How much do you generally spend on a night out for dinner for a party of 2? It could be upwards of $50-$70 if you add in drinks, appetizers, and dessert. Depending upon your city and the type of restaurant, this figure could even double. Next, consider how much you spend at the grocery store for a week’s worth of groceries. Now, imagine decreasing that amount by $20, $30 or even $50 through effective use of meal prep. Remember, “you're able to substitute a far less expensive homemade meal for a much more expensive meal from a restaurant or even for a prepackaged meal you bought at the store” (Hamm, 2016). “In the United States, an estimated 31 percent of the food available for consumption at the retail and consumer levels went uneaten” according to the USDA Economic Research Service (Buzby & Aulakh, 2014). We have all been guilty of throwing away expired or unwanted food at some point in our lives. Effective meal prep can decrease food waste tremendously. Since you are planning your meals around your schedule, you’ll be better able to determine how much food is needed for you and your family. As well, you’ll be able to use common ingredients for recipes which helps to ensure that less ingredients are lost in the back of your fridge or pantry. However, one thing to remember is: you have to actually eat the prepared meals in order for this to hold true. When time is invested in creating and cooking meals, you’re more likely to want to enjoy them later on. Stop throwing away money and start meal prepping today! This blog post also appears on OrgANNicWellness.com. |
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AuthorAs a self taught culinary creator, Chef Ashley decided to take her love of food to the masses by launching her brand that focuses on ways to be "healthyish", simplifying meal time, and dispelling the rumor that delicious food has to have tons of salt and fat. She believes that meal prep isn't just for the super health conscious and that it can help us all to take back the hours stolen by our kitchens. She began her meal prep journey as a way to save time and energy, but ended up finding a calling. |