~ The Crystal Dish ~

My poor baby boy was sick so I wanted to make him a yummy dinner. I remember my mom making us soup and grilled cheese for my sister and I when we were sick. We would all pick our soup we wanted from the pantry cabinet and she would make it for us. I was a strange one and always wanted cream of mushroom soup. To this day I still sometimes get a craving for cream of mushroom... Odd I know. This was actually the first time I had made potato soup but it came out AMAZING!!!!! Ingredients: 1 yellow onion, chopped 2 large carrots, chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 6 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed 4 slices bacon 8 cups chicken broth 1 cup cream 2 tbsp flour 1/4 cup milk 1/2 tsp Tony Chachere’s seasoning 1-2 tsp salt pinch of black pepper pinch of white pepper shredded cheese for serving {we like habanero cheese!} sliced green onions for serving Directions: Fry the bacon until crisp in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Remove and place on paper towels to drain. Pour out the grease, reserving about ...

I wasn't 100% satisfied with my last batch so I tried these again.... Ingredients: 1 cup oat, almond, or whole-wheat flour (I used 1 cup brown rice flour) 1 cup unsweetened almond milk 2 egg whites 2 scoops vanilla or chocolate protein powder (I used Herbalife French Vanilla) ½ cup unsweetened applesauce or incorporate any combination of almond butter or coconut oil that will still add up to ½ cup total (I used 1/2 cup homemade sugar free applesauce) ½ cup organic canned pumpkin Pinch of salt 1 tsp baking powder Cinnamon and other pumpkin pie (I used cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and pumpkin pie spice) 2 Tbsp sweetener, such as Stevia, honey or agave nectar (I used agave)   Instructions : Pre-heat the oven by setting it to 350 degrees F Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl Spray cooking spray on the muffin pan – try using coconut oil cooking spray Fill the each muffin space ¾ of the way full Place the pan in the oven and wait 20 minutes, checking on them periodically **Try topping off ...

I know there are some of you who may get discouraged by "healthy eating," or some purchase items from the store because it says "only x amount of calories." You really need to look at those labels. How much sodium and sugar are in those items you are buying. Trust me, I use to just grab items off the shelf that claimed to be "healthy," and in actuality, they were really bad items to purchase. That's why we all live and learn.  I've since then learned and been taught the "healthy" way to eat. Don't get me wrong, there are some days I have a cheat meal, but it's not an everyday thing. If you do a cheat meal all the time, you'll fall back into the same patterns and will continue to cheat yourself of eating healthy. Don't let cheat meals cheat you out of becoming healthy.  Also, rule of thumb, never call it a diet, you're more likely to fail. You're changing your eating habits with making healthy eating choices and ha...

It's been so cold here in Sacramento lately, so I wanted to cook some cold weather food.  Since were eating healthy, here's a healthier version of chili and it simmers all day in the crockpot to infuse all those yummy flavors together. This chili recipe is a little spicy, but it's spicy in a good way. It's an amazing spice that kind of creeps up on you after you've had a couple bites.   Jack told me this was my best chili. Ingredients: 1 lb. ground turkey 1 cup onion, diced 1 orange bell pepper, diced 1 yellow bell pepper, diced 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced 4 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 cup fresh parsley minced 3 large tomatoes, diced 1 28oz can diced tomatoes with chilies 2 chipotle peppers, minced 2 tbs. siracha 1 (12oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed 1 (12oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed 1 (12oz) can chili beans, drained and rinsed 3 tbs chili powder 1 tbs cumin Salt and pepper to taste (I omit salt cause I'm trying to stay away from sodium) Instru...

This was the first year I actually made this dish on my own. I remember my mom making this for our family growing up and it was actually one of my favorites. For Thanksgiving this year, Jacks grandma had made a special request for this cake since it is her favorite, so I jumped to the opportunity to make this one. It came out just like my moms when I was growing up. Not only was this cake delicious, it was one of the easiest cakes to make!   Ingredients: For the Topping: 5 tbs. butter, melted 3/4 cup brown sugar 7-8 slices canned pineapple, syrup reserved Maraschino cherries, for garnish For the cake: 10  tablespoons butter 1 1/2  cups granulated sugar 2  large eggs 2  cups all-purpose flour 3  teaspoons baking powder 1  teaspoon salt 1/2  cup buttermilk 1/4  cup syrup from the pineapple can 1  teaspoon vanilla extract   Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the but...

Sweet Kale how I love thee, let me count the ways....   Well once again it's Sunday in this household and since we've been eating healthier, I wanted to make some football food, but a healthier option. Jack of course wanted his buffalo wings, but I bake those, so they're not too bad. I have those perfected thanks to my dad. My dad is the Buffalo Wing master. They're perfectly crisp and the meat just falls off. He cooks them in the oven too!   For myself I wanted something a little different. Typically I would've used ground chicken for this recipe, however the store I went to was all out of their ground chicken, but they had ground turkey so I decided to get turkey.   These little patties came out amazing. I made fairly good sized patties because it was just for Jack, the kids and me. I even calculated out the calories. I made 16 patties and each patty came out to 93 calories. Not too bad! Not to mention you're getting your protein, carbs and vegg...

With the holidays, I feel like I haven't had a free moment. Thanksgiving has just passed and we ate pretty good for the most part. Since Jack and I have been eating healthy and exercising, we don't give into those cravings nearly as often as we use to.  The lovely Michelle from my SacTown FitClub Family was so nice for sharing this recipe. I put my own twist on the dish for my Meal Prep Monday. I now have lunch for the kids and I for the next week.  This meal is so amazing! Just because you eat healthy, doesn't mean it has to taste healthy. If seasoned right, your healthy meal can taste just as good as those bad meals, but without all those bad fats, sodium and sugars. Well, this healthy meal is amazing, and what can I say about kale.... Oh how I love thee. Kale is amazing because of these reasons: Oh, it tastes great too!!! You can cook it, bake it to make chips, or use for salad. It's such a versatile veggie you can eat in so many different ways! I  try and use kale a...

This morning I had the pleasure of having news reporter, Melissa Cabral with Good Day Sacramento come to my home and do a live news feed making Thanksgiving Casserole. I of course did a really bad version and a healthier version. Thanksgiving doesn't have to be a meal you eat only once a year. You can have Thanksgiving year round, but without having to eat all the calories you intake on Thanksgiving. With a simple modification, you can eat a healthier thanksgiving meal year round and even on thanksgiving if you choose to do so. For those of you who missed the show, here are the clips:   Good DayPart 1 Good Day Part 2 Thanksgiving casserole: healthier 1 cooked turkey breast, sliced 1 zucchini, sliced 1 yellow squash, sliced 1 yellow onion, minced 5 celery stalks, minced 2 tbs coconut oil 1 tbs fresh thyme, minced 2 tbs fresh parsley, minced 2 cups low sodium chicken broth 4 cups cubed stale wheat or gluten free bread Salt and Pepper t...

When I was pregnant with Brooklyn, I craved Mexican food my entire pregnancy.  I experimented with a ton of recipes and if we'd go out to eat, I wanted Mexican food. Needless to say, Brooklyn loves Mexican food.  I've done more carnitas recipe than I can even remember. The only thing I usually change is the spiciness depending on who is eating over for dinner. The kids surprisingly like a little spice in their food.  Ingredients: For the rub: 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp sea salt 1 tsp ground pepper 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp garlic powder For the Crock Pot: 3lb pork shoulder 1 sweet onion sliced in thin strips 1 small can of mild green chiles 1 jalapeño diced (remove seeds if you don't want it spicy) 2 tomatoes diced 1 cup chicken stock 2 bay leaf A few shakes of sea salt and ground pepper Directions: Mix your rub together and rub onto all sides of the pork shoulder. If possible, refrigerate the roast with the rub overnight. If this i...

    I'm always trying to find new ways to eat chicken. Since we have been doing a lot of paleo dishes, I decided to try this one and it was amazing.   This recipe was very simple and easy to make, so it made preparing dinner very easy with my two little rugrats running around.   Nothing like an easy and quick meal to cook for the family. Jack and kids both loved it. My little garbage disposal, Brooklyn ate 1/4 chicken breast and picky Nicholas ate 1/4 chicken breast with ketchup of course. It's so hard for me to get him to eat meat. If he has ketchup though, he'll eat just about anything from chicken to fish.  This dinner was amazing last night for dinner and taste just as good today when I ate it for lunch.   Ingredients: 4 chicken breasts 3/4 pound ground pork 5 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 cup chopped parsley 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon celery salt 1/2 teaspoon allspice 1 package of bacon Instructions: Preheat o...