Everyday Eats & Special Treats
Everyday Eats & Special Treats
Browsing Recipe Category
Today’s forecast: cloudy with a chance of turkey spinach and feta meatballs! Use these meatballs any way you like: over your favorite pasta / noodle, over grilled zucchini or eggplant, in a sandwich, or with your favorite sauce. My favorite sauce to use is with a diablo marinara sauce (recipe coming soon) over some delicious …
Looking for a no lettuce salad to beat the heat? This one is easy-caprese! I mean seriously, any time you can have cheese for 1/3 of your meal and call it a SALAD? Sign me up. This caprese salad has fresh mozzarella, juicy tomatoes, sweet basil, and a drizzle of good olive oil and balsamic …
Another easy weeknight meal idea coming at cha… grilled barbecue chicken topped with a spicy mango citrus avocado salsa. This is a recipe inspired by Wellness with Courtnie: iIt’s a perfect mix of tangy, sweet, spicy, and savory. Serve with rice or over a bed of fresh lettuce to make a yummy salad. It’s a …
When you want abs, but you NEED tacos, enter the low carb taco solution! Swapping a tortilla for a lettuce wrap is a quick and easy way to feed your craving when you want to try and stay on your health goals. Still just as delicious (well, it gets pretty dang close), but it won’t …
When you’re in a hurry… how about curry? Ok, excuse my lame pun. In all seriousness this is one of my favorite easy meals to make during the week. Its fast and flavorful, and all done in one pot in under 30 minutes. If the idea of dinner on the table in under 30 minutes …
I’m going to admit something, and I hope you won’t think less of me. Up until about a year ago, I had never had stuffed peppers. That’s right, I went 23 years of my life without knowing how amazing these are for delicious weeknight dinners. You can stuff a pepper with almost anything, but my …
Turn up the heat with Shrimp Fra Diavolo! Aka, shrimp and linguini in a spicy marinara sauce. The marinara sauce is a little spicy thanks to red pepper flakes, but still filled with great herb-y notes that you’d find in traditional marinara. It sounds fancy but it’s a surprisingly easy dish to make, and so …
Fresh pesto and mozzarella balls… need i say more? Ok, how about seasoned chicken and roasted vegetables with whole wheat pasta. Do I have your attention now? I hope so! This pasta salad is equal parts healthy and delicious. It’s around 450 calories a serving, meaning you really can have your cake pasta and eat it …
Another quick, easy, and HEALTHY dinner coming at cha. Taco salad is super yummy and quick to make for busy nights. Also, if you make tacos pretty frequently (read: me) this is a versatile recipe that you can use basically whatever you need to get rid of in your fridge / pantry. Tonight I used …
The ultimate meat lover’s lasagna! Made with sweet Italian sausage, ground beef, herby marinara sauce, fresh mozzarella and ricotta. Yes there is a LOT of cheese in this recipe, but you know what, that’s what makes it so delicious. Also, I recently discovered the magic of no-boil noodles. I always saw them at the store …
Both healthy and delicious, loaded sweet potatoes are sure to please everyone at your table. I was inspired by one of my favorite lunch places in Fresno, Farm Fresh Bowls. They do an awesome sweet potato bowl that’s one of my favorite go to lunches. One of the best things about this recipe is how …
Risotto: creamy, cheesy, and carb-0-licious. How can you possibly say no? Also, surprisingly easy to make. I’ll show you how to make risotto in less than 30 minutes and you can have a gourmet meal on your table sooner than the Italian place across the street can deliver. Serve it as a main dish, or …
This is hands down one of my most famous, top requested recipes. This is the first meal I made for my boyfriend Zach and he claims it’s one of the reasons he knew he wanted to spend his life with me. It’s magic Alfredo people! This recipe is creamy and oh so cheesy. Make it …
What makes this burger a Cali burger? Well, it’s made out of turkey instead of beef for starters. Also, there’s avocado on it too. So yeah dude, it’s a Cali burger. The turkey is extra juicy and tender, with a gooey blanket of pepper jack cheese. If you want to go extra California style and …
Steak fajitas. Need I say more? Ok, I’ll say a few more words. Fajitas are a staple weekday dinner in our house. Ready in under 30 minutes with minimal dishes and clean up afterwards. When it’s a busy night, I use a pre-seasoned carne asada from the grocery store. Trader Joe’s has a great one …
Juicy chicken, bell peppers and onions in a spicy tomato sauce topped with goat cheese and fresh basil. Serve with rice or pasta to make it extra-filling, or eat on it’s own for a low carb option that tastes like a treat! For my friends who don’t love the spice, omit the red pepper flakes …
The first time my mom made me shrimp and grits, I honestly had no idea what it even was. Yes, growing up in California isn’t all it’s cracked up to be sometimes. But oh my goodness. I can still remember that first bite and floating to heaven! The savory grits are creamy, and topped with …
Simple doesn’t have to mean boring or plain. This midnight pasta is only 5 ingredients, and takes around 10 minutes to make, but it is so delicious. My mom introduced me to this recipe; apparently a lot of chefs make this when they get home from the restaurant late at night and need to whip …
Cheesy, delicious enchiladas. I could eat these for breakfast, lunch, dinner, midnight snack, second breakfast, elevensies, you name it. The queso fresco adds a creamy touch, and any excuse to add another kind of cheese seems like a good idea to me.
I’ve been eating a lot of really delicious things lately, but I felt like it was time to get back on track to having at least one healthy dinner this week. This salad is unique and it doesn’t feel like I’m eating a boring Caesar salad. Serve it as a side, or add your favorite protein to …
I absolutely love my local farmer’s market. Yes, I know, it’s basic but you know what I’m not ashamed! Living in California’s central valley, I’m so lucky that I have access to such amazing fresh produce. There’s something so fun to me about wandering and letting the food speak to you. “What am I having …
Parmesan and lemon make for a delicious and tangy combo on these chicken cutlets! Serve with your favorite veggie (my favorites are asparagus, broccoli, or cauliflower with this recipe). If you’re keto, swap the flour for more parmesan! Or hey just add more parmesan if you’re like me and always want the most cheese.
I’ve been trying to get back on the healthy meal game but it’s also still way too hot to turn on my oven (thanks, Fresno in August). This is a quick and easy salad that will leave you full and happy (as happy as a salad can make anyone… I mean it’s not a cookie …
Work has been really crazy lately, and it’s making me feel extra drained when I get home. Add the 105 degree heat to my already dwindled energy (I will complain about Fresno Summers until the day I die) and it’s really hard for me to muster up the energy to cook. For days like this …
A light and fresh salad for hot days! The watermelon gives this salad some sweetness and the feta balances it out wonderfully with a sharp bite. Eat it as a side dish, or pair it with balsamic marinated chicken for a meal.
Homemade bolognese sauce is seriously oh-so good and worth the wait. The flavors in this sauce are deep and complex, and will take your favorite pasta to the next level. For some reason whenever a pasta sauce calls for wine or alcohol, I’ve always skipped it for whatever reason (I don’t have a bottle that …
This recipe has only 5 ingredients for 1 delicious dinner! All done on one sheet pan, the teriyaki sauce goes so well with the sweet and filling sweet potatoes and zucchini. Minimal ingredients and minimal clean up make for maximum delicious.
For the first time, I decided to take on Julia Child’s classic Boeuf Bourguignon recipe. I started making this recipe tonight full of hope; browning the beef, prepping the veggies, and as soon as I was ready to put it in the oven … it refused to turn on. I felt like I was having …
After a holiday season full of indulging, it’s hard to get back on track when all I’m craving are cookies, holiday feasts, and junk food galore. Here’s a soup that’s comforting, warm, and surprisingly thick and smooth (title of my next R&B album?). It’s packed with butternut squash, lentils, and kale which in my opinion …
I was feeling a little adventurous after a long creative block. I hardly ever do lamb chops and forgot how much I enjoy them! If you’re not fond of lamb, this glaze / dipping sauce is AMAZING and would pair well with chicken thighs, pork chops, or even tofu. It’s savory, spicy, slightly sweet and …
Here’s my latest result in my adventures of trying out ingredients I’ve never used before. Harissa is a Tunisian (located in the northwest region of Africa) hot chili pepper paste, but it’s got a deeper flavor than your regular chili paste. It’s got earthy notes from the spice blend and roasted red pepper flavor, with …
Let’s all take a moment to thank Gigi Hadid for inventing pasta! Ok I’m obviously kidding, but she did share her recipe a while back for a vodka pasta sauce that casually went viral. With everyone under the sun taking a stab at the recipe, I wanted to share my version with you all. Honestly, …
Well, it’s that annual time of year where it’s generally unacceptable to be so excited about fall / Halloween, yet here I am longing for pumpkins, chilly afternoons, sweet potatoes, and all things cozy. This harvest bowl is a super healthy way to partake in a little fall nostalgia no matter the time of year.
This Greek inspired salad is a little different than your traditional Greek salad, but just as delicious (maybe even more so?). A greek yogurt lemon tahini dressing is the star of this salad, making it creamy, bright, and tangy. Paired with lemon grilled chicken breast, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and feta cheese to make for a …
Another pasta recipe? Groundbreaking. But seriously, this is my favorite way to make pesto pasta. It’s creamy, spicy, bright, and suuuper easy. Add this to your weeknight pasta recipe rotation! This pasta is pretty filling on its own, but you can add some lemon herb chicken or salmon to make it a bigger meal, or …
Basically a version of bacon, onion, and cheese pasta that feels fancy but is still super easy to whip together! Leeks are mild onion varieties, almost like something in between a green onion, a yellow onion, and a shallot. Pancetta is kind of like an Italian bacon, but I really like it because I buy …
Meat eaters and plant based friends unite! This lentil bolognese is hearty, layered with flavor, and an easy one pot meal. Serve it with your favorite pasta. To make this recipe vegan – omit the parmesan for your favorite plant based cheese or nutritional yeast.
Gochujang is a spicy paste that’s a staple in Korean cooking. It’s a savory, slightly sweet, spicy fermented condiment. You can pick it up at your local Asian grocery store, in the Asian food section of your grocery store, or Trader Joe’s seasonally carries it. Today I’m using it to make a sticky sauce for …
I’m calling this pasta dish the drunken pumpkin! Spicy sausage stuffed pasta shells covered in a pumpkin vodka sauce. It is spicy, cheesy, subtle pumpkin goodness. Even better, this dish is easy to prep ahead of time and then pop in the oven to broil once you’re ready to eat it.
Another savory pumpkin dish comin atchu! This pumpkin risotto is topped with crispy pancetta and savory sage brown butter mushrooms. Can it get more fall than that?
The perfect fall side dish! Spicy roasted pumpkin topped with feta, pumpkin seeds, and a hot honey drizzle. If you’re not a pumpkin fan, you can also swap out the pumpkin for butternut squash or sweet potatoes. This goes perfect in a fall salad too- toss it with more fall veggies and roast chicken to …
