This is one of our favorites for a fast and easy dinner. The trick is with this to find how your family likes it best. Here is how I make it.

Saute:
1 onion
5Tbs. (ish) minced garlic (I use pre minced garlic- but you can substitute powder to taste- but add after tomatoes)
one green pepper
1lb of ground beef (I use extra lean)
This is a good place to add extra veggies and grains also. I generally add chopped zucchini and quinoa.

When veggies are cooked through and beef is browned add:
2-3 cans of tomatoes
1 can kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can of corn
taco seasoning to taste
simmer until it’s cooked through

Serve over lettuce and chips and top with sour cream, cheese, guacamole and olives. I like to add ketchup to mine- which my husband finds disgusting, my kids like it with ranch, which I can’t stomach. I like to make mine with lettuce on the bottom and then crush just a few chips on top for crunch without adding too many calories.

Also when I make this I make a huge batch and then freeze it for a quick dinner in a week or two.

This is a recipe that I’ve been using since I was about 9. We learned how to make Hawaiian Haystacks at a church activity and used this sauce. I also use it to top sweet and sour meatballs.

Sweet and Sour sauce:
mix:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp ginger (I usually add more of each ginger and garlic though)
2 Tbls. cornstarch
then add:
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (white works though)
1/3 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup water (you can add more water and less juice or more juice less water to adjust sweetness)
2 tsp soy sauce

microwave for 4-5 minutes until thickened

This quick and easy dinner is a family favorite. My kids love it because they can choose what to put on theirs- I love it because it’s fast and everyone likes it (and ends up eating more veggies then they realize).

The important thing here is options. You don’t HAVE to have all of these ingredients- and when you put them on the table it’s best to let people build their own.

Base:
Rice (I prefer brown- but white works well)
‘crunchy noodles’ (chow mein noodles)

Create your haystack with any/all of the following:
cheese
pineapple
ham
cut up chicken
polish keilbsa
celery
tomatoes
peppers (I like red ones on mine)
olives
green onions
coconut
almonds

Top with Sweet and Sour sauce

This is a great recipe for a hot summer night and you can mix and match ingredients to your families tastes. This was a hit with the whole family tonight.

Ingredients:
1 Pkg. Angel Hair Pasta
1 bottle of Zesty Italian dressing (Kraft)
meat cut into bite sized pieces (we did grilled chicken pre cooked and thawed from costco, and pepperoni)
veggies (green/red peppers, tomatoes, olives, zucchini, summer squash)
cheese if you want (we did cheddar, asiago and fresh parm tonight)

Toss all together with dressing (not the whole bottle- just enough to moisten) and serve cold.

I attended a cooking class this week that’s got me all fired up about eating healthy. I think on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being only eating McDonald’s to 10 being only eating food that we grow organically in the season that it’s grown we probably rate a 6 on the ‘healthy’ scale. My kids eat fairly well and I cook (generally mostly from scratch) often. We usually have a selection of veggies and fruits with meals and my kids eat them. I sneak veggies into the main dish as well.

This class I attended was fabulous. The presenters discussed ways to lessen the meat that you serve your family and adequately replace the proteins with whole grains- in ways other then in bread! They discussed grains I’d never heard of, and some I had but didn’t know the health benefits of. I paid a visit to the health food store and $50 later am ready to start some experimenting.

I’ve struggled with a variety of physical ailments, auto immune diseases that seem to come and go without explanation (diseases that shouldn’t go once they’re diagnosed). My 5 (almost 6) year-old struggles with chronic constipation. If nothing else I’m hoping a diet higher in whole grains (besides wheat) will help her bowels function properly.

I have a tendency to go through phases, to get all excited and fired up- but this is EASY. That’s the key. You cook your regular recipes and WoW it in order to up the fiber and the vitamins and minerals and your family won’t even know! Wherever you’re at you just do a little better.

I’m going to start by discussing some grains that I’m experimenting with- and sharing recipes- the old way and what I’ve done to Wow it. I’m excited. Hold on tight!