Had a long work day and just don't want to spend the time to create a masterpiece in the kitchen tonight? I feel ya... This is one of my favorite easy and healthy dishes. Fresh wild shrimp with some healthy alternative, quinoa pasta. Sprinkled in is some garlic and some crushed red pepper flakes. Warm olive oil ties this baby together. And don't forget to save the spinach for right before serving to keep it bright and crisp! Top it off with fresh parmesan cheese and you have a soul warming meal that only took you 30 minutes max from start to finish. 

There's nothing better on a crisp fall day than football on the telly and wings/beer in your tummy. The slow cooker really got my favorite hot sauce into the meat and made my little wingies so tender and juicy! I also have a little trick to get them perfectly crisp on the outside too! 

This is your day... You have a hubby/wife, you have kids, you have pets, you have some extra weight you need to lose. Finding time for the gym or over analyzing healthy food is a luxury to you. No time, no patience! Well I have the perfect solution! Meal prepping or making a big batch of something to divide up for the week is easy, its a good way to stay healthy, and this recipe here of fajita chicken is deeeeeelicious! If you want, make a HUGE batch for the whole family, serve it to the kids with tortillas for a fun dinner and with some jasmine rice for yourself for a healthier alternative. 

One of the most simple marinades you will ever make.... and SO packed with flavor and gorgeous too! If it has fresh herbs and fresh garlic, I'm always in :)

Nothing like some Asian takeout on a rainy afternoon... this is my version of a noodle bowl, with some of my favorite things. Thin sirloin, crispy veggies, noodles and a sauce to die for! So easy to make too, don't waste your money on takeout when you can make a huge batch of this at home and then have it as leftovers as the flavors only get better overnight! 

This is a super easy, 5 ingredient recipe that will have you never wanting to buy honey mustard in a bottle at the store again! Put them on kabob sticks for a more fun eating experience, great for kids! Obsessed with this sauce.... mmmm :) 

Packing, moving, weddings, graduations.... phew its been a busy month so far! But in the midst of all the chaos I found the time to make this super simple, healthy delicious dinner. So much saucy goodness smothers a pan grilled chicken. Packed with Greek flavors, this one is a MUST for dinner tonight! 

Over the weekend we had a road trip gone bad... major FAIL! Find out all about that and the amazing food I got to eat at one of the nations most famous food spots. Its important to always see the positive in a negative situation, so that's what this beautiful recipe is all about :) 

I am just embracing spring with open arms here! With my AC broken all weekend I decided to make a light fish en papillote AKA fish in parchment paper. This is a simple little pouch that holds all the steamy flavorful goodness locked in on whatever fish you desire most. Light, healthy and packed with the flavors of spring and summer. Pair this with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc and you're in business! 

Don't be intimidated! All you need is mashed potatoes, an egg and some flour! ...and then whatever sauce you wanna make :) I give you step by step with picture instructions on how to make the gnocchi and this awesome skinnified carbonara sauce too! 

St. Patrick's Day is over :( but this is a delicious family meal that can be made any day! 

So I wanted to get a little deep and talk about some stuff  that goes on with me, Tiny Taster, Annia, and what has helped me oh so much! My mind is like a web browser with 500 open tabs. I over think everything... and maybe thats why I love cooking, when I make one thing, I like to think of the millions of different ways I want to add or modify the recipe to be better or simply different. Well thats how I think about life on a daily basis. I think about the past and how I could've done things differently, the million different ways... I think about the future and I worry that one choice can take me on the completely wrong path. And on a daily basis I wonder if I'll get things done in time, I worry about money, and that the dog needs to go to the vet, and when I need to get the oil changed and that I forgot eggs at the grocery store, trivial things, things we all worry about, but its just constant in my head, its very loud at times. It has been a long & exhausting journey with this mind of mine. But just being able to tell you these things, to tell myself these things, is the biggest step forward I have ever taken....

I read this article once about well balanced meals, when I say well balanced I mean including different flavors, textures, temperatures, smells, etc. Apparently different types of flavors stimulate different appetite sensors in the brain. Some of these flavors can include, sweet, savory, spicy, sour etc. I believe that when all of our sensors are stimulated in one meal then we feel satisfied and do not overeat. For example, if we are having dinner and add a  sweet element to it, we will refrain from reaching for dessert post meal. Except that doesn't apply to me because I ALWAYS want dessert...I don't care if my entree was a dessert. I still want dessert to my dessert. But anyways thats just my two sense. I think a lot. Overthinker here! I have never been to culinary school either, (even though its a dream of mine), but I do believe they teach you that kinda stuff in classes. Bringing all sorts of different elements to the dish is what makes it artistic.

So I just found out I am going to Miami on a mini vacay for Winter Music Conference. FINALLY! I have been absolutely ecstatic about it, I need a break from the routine of real life. However, I have one month... one month until tropical weather, one month until pool and beach time, one month until.... dunh dunh dunh.... bathing suits. Commence panic mode. I am not one to do the crash diets, I think I would rather jump off a cliff and land in cacti. At one point I tried the meal prepping cool thing to do and by the third day of chicken, broccoli and brown rice, I fell into a grumpy depression. I would scream and curse at cars on the highway for merely existing and not many people would come near me by my resting bitch face... which I have on the regular anyways, but this time was pretty bad. I'm sure people thought I was about to eat their face off while ripping off my clothes hulk style at any second.... 

The weekend was a rainy dreary one... and this made me soooooo lazy. All I wanted to do was watch movies or read my books. I am in the second book of the Divergent series, Insurgent and I LOVE it! If you liked the Hunger Games trilogy you'll love this one! So since I felt so lazy, I wanted to make a delicious dinner that night with the smallest effort. Immediately I thought "slow cooker!". I ran over to the grocery store and picked up this beautiful non hormone, non antibiotic, vegetarian fed whole chicken. Perfect! Such an easy way to make a tender, tasty, juicy bird!