Taco night is everyone’s favorite night. Every once in a while I change it up and do something a little different. I like these because we are trying our best (as adults) to be low carb. Eliminating the tortillas is one tiny step towards being a little healthier. Or at least feeling a little less bloated.

The other hot tip for a dinner like this is to make two of the flank steaks. Steak number 2 doesn’t get sliced right away. Wrap it in foil then pop it in the fridge. TOMORROW night you can have a steak salad that takes a few minutes to make - or my steak sandwiches (link here) so you can take them to the baseball game, volleyball game, or whatever other sports your kids are dragging you to.

Fajita Lettuce Cups

1 pound flank steak

1 large onion, sliced (about 1 ½ cups)

1 large red bell pepper, sliced

1 large green bell pepper, sliced

4 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped

½ cup chili powder

¼ cup cumin

1 teaspoon red chili flakes

1 teaspoon oregano

1 head butter lettuce

8 oz queso fresco

1 avocado

1 bunch cilantro

1 lime, cut into wedges

salsa

salt and pepper

olive oil

STEP 1

Preheat broiler to 500 degrees. 

In a small bowl combine 2 cloves garlic, ¼ cup chili powder, 2 tablespoons cumin, red chili flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper with two tablespoons olive oil.  Rub both sides of the steak place on a broiler pan or on a cooling rack set inside of a rimmed cookie sheet. 

STEP 2

Pop the steak in the oven and watch it carefully.  Cook 5 minutes on one side then flip it over.  Cook an additional 5-8 minutes depending on how thick your steak is.  Cook until internal temperature reads 135 degrees on a meat thermometer.  Cover with foil and let rest.

STEP 3

In a large skillet heat two tablespoons olive oil and add remaining chili powder, cumin, garlic and oregano.  When the pan is sizzling hot, add bell pepper and onion and cook quickly turning the entire time to coat with spices.  After about five minutes – or until the pepper and onions are soft - remove from heat. 

STEP 4

Slice steak and serve with butter lettuce cups, queso fresco, avocado, cilantro, lime wedges and salsa or hot sauce.

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Who doesn’t love a churro!?! We’ve made them before but they’re messy and greasy. So I stick to cookies. And churro cookies seemed like the perfect way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo!

So you’re going to say - aren’t these just a snickerdoodle? Well, kind of. But also these are crispier on the outside and smooshy on the inside which makes them an amped up version of a snickerdoodle - which in my opinion makes them a Churro Cookie! Also, isn’t a fun name 90% of making something fun?

Churro Cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

2 tablespoons milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and 1 cup sugar until smooth. Add egg and vanilla and whip on high until light and fluffy.

STEP 2

Combine together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cream of tartar and add it to the butter mixture. Beat until mostly incorporated. It will be a dry mixture.

STEP 3

Slowly add the milk to the mixture and incorporate until the batter becomes smooth and blends together. If it still seems dry, add another teaspoon of milk.

STEP 4

Scoop batter into balls and roll through the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Bake 10-12 minutes until brown on the edges. Let cool slightly before moving the cookies to a cooling rack.

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I don’t eat eggs. I have an intolerance to them which gives me migraines. Most of the time, it’s totally fine and I don’t even miss them. But then brunch happens. Brunch is one of the best meals of the whole week and here I am stuck without 90% of the menu. So I’ve been coming up with a few brunch ideas that are not egg based and are still decadent and delicious. This tart hits all of those - it’s buttery and delicious. I cannot get enough of it. I actually had to stop myself from eating half of this the first time I made it.

I made it for our family with Earth Wise buttery sticks (not real butter - also, not sponsored) because my husband is dairy free. It totally did the job. You could use a combination of olive oil and butter if you want to cut out some of the fat. I prefer to just eat a smaller slice rather than change ingredients.

Buttery Potato Tart

makes one 12” tart

3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, thinly sliced

1 onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup butter

2 cloves garlic, grated or diced

1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

pinch of salt

pepper

STEP 1

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Very thinly slice the potatoes and the onion. Set them aside.

STEP 2

Melt the butter in a sauce pan and stir in garlic, anchovy paste and mustard.

STEP 3

When butter is melted, line the bottom of a cast iron skillet with parchment paper. Begin layering potatoes and onions - add a few tablespoons of the butter mixture between each layer of potatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste. When you’re done, pour any remaining butter over the top.

STEP 4

Pop the pan into the oven. After 20 minutes, press down on the potatoes to seal it together. Pop back in to cook for another 20 minutes.

STEP 5

After 40 total minutes, remove the pan from the oven and place something heavy on top of the potatoes. I like to fit a cake pan on the top and then weigh down with something heavy. Let cool with the heavy thing on top for 10 minutes. Then invert onto a cutting board or serving plate.

Also! You can easily substitute Earth Balance instead of butter in this recipe if you are going dairy free or dairy light!

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Why is it that spring feels like salads? I know at my house it’s because we ate so much meat and hearty soups over the last few months that we start to crave fresh and bright salads. Also, we’re in the thick of baseball season and these salads can be made ahead of time and packed to the field or kept in the fridge until after the game. There’s always a game.

Here’s what I’m making this week.

This Marrakech inspired tossed salad is topped with fried cheese and filled with quinoa. It’s both healthy and delicious. Also, it keeps well until the tomatoes get to smushy.

I make this Soba Noodle Salad all spring and into the summer. It’s my favorite thing to pack up for baseball, swimming, and every other late night or traveling dinner.

Is anything better than a Chop Chop Salad?? Packed with asparagus, spring potatoes, and fresh veggies, it’s the perfect spring time version of the best salad ever.

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Every year for my kids birthdays I make a coffee cake. A few years ago I started making a smaller and smaller cakes because my kids eat one slice and then they are done. Then I moved on to muffin sized coffee cakes and suddenly we can eat the entire batch!

These are perfect for a brunch, a weekday breakfast, or just for a snack. They cook super fast too - so you can whip them up anytime! I promise once you bite into these, you will never stop making these muffins. They are epic.

Coffee Cake Muffins

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

2/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (or sour cream)

topping

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners or spray with non-stick spray.

In a small bowl (or measuring glass) whip together the oil, egg, milk and vanilla.

STEP 2

In a large bowl combine together the flour, sugar, and baking powder. Pour in half of the milk mixture and stir to combine. Then add the yogurt and blend together. Pour the last of the milk mixture and stir until combined. Don’t over stir. The mixture will be lumpy, it’s fine.

STEP 3

In a food processor or a bowl, mix together the topping ingredients until it’s sandy. I just use a fork or my fingers.

STEP 4

Fill muffin tins about 1/2 way and top each one with the topping mixture. Bake 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool a few minutes before serving.

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Need a brunch cocktail?

Dutch Baby or German Pancake is my families favorite breakfast. The kids love that it puffs up and love it more that it’s a decadent breakfast you can smother with syrup and whipped cream. For St Patrick’s Day I thought it would be fun to add a little green to the party - in the form of spinach instead of food coloring. If any breakfast is inherently not healthy, it’s a Dutch Baby - so why not add a little redeeming value?

When this comes out of the oven, you can smell the spinach. But I promise once you bite into it, you don’t taste the spinach which means your kids won’t reject it based on flavor!

Luck of the Irish Dutch Baby

3 eggs

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup melted butter

1 cup spinach

1 teaspoon vanilla

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and pop the pan into the oven. I recommend a 12” skillet.

STEP 2

In a blender, whip the eggs then add milk. Blend until frothy.

STEP 3

Add flour, 1/4 cup at a time, and blend until just incorporated. Add the spinach and vanilla and whip until frothy.

STEP 4

Pop the butter into the hot pan. Close the oven and let it melt. When it’s melted, pour in the batter. Bake 20 minutes until edges are browned and puffed up

Serve with whipped cream, syrup, fruit, Nutella, anything else you like!

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This time of year we are ridiculously busy. Between baseball games, tournaments, practices, robotics, scouting, and just trying to survive - dinner starts to take a back seat. I start relying on sheet pan dinners more and more and this one is a great spring time option. We don’t eat a lot of dairy at our house so I often use vegan pesto instead of traditional pesto and let the kids add their own parmesan cheese. I also HIGHLY suggest picking up the pesto at Costco. It’s not expensive and it tastes great - especially if you are baking it anyway.

Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken

serves 4

2 lb chicken breast, cut into strips

1 bunch asparagus, chopped

2 medium zucchini, chopped

2 cups cherry tomatoes

1 onion, sliced

½ cup pesto

¼ cup fresh basil

½ cup grated parmesan

salt and pepper

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 450.

 Toss asparagus and zucchini with half of the pesto. 

STEP 2

Place chicken breasts on a sheet pan and pour pesto vegetables around them. 

STEP 3

Sprinkle the top of the vegetables with onion and tomatoes.

STEP 4

Spread the top of each chicken breast with the remaining pesto.

STEP 5

Sprinkle half of the parmesan over the top of everything and pop into the oven for 15-20 minutes until thermometer reads 160 degrees.  Serve with extra cheese.

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This goes perfectly with…

A lemon infused vodka soda that you are going to LOVE! Click here for the recipe.

When I was a kid we ate Saturday Night Special on the regular. I’m 90% sure it was a “clean out the fridge” dinner - but we all loved it. Some nights there were weird things included like black olives but most of the time it was ground beef, veggies and noodles all in one pot.

I dressed this one up with kale and Banza noodles. We are generally a low carb family - it’s impossible to be totally low carb with teenagers but we do our best. Banza noodles are a game changer. They have more protein, more fiber and less carbs than traditional wheat pasta because they are made with chick peas.

This makes for a comforting dinner that also is healthy! And - best part yet - it’s done in about 30 minutes and it’s a complete dinner. You’ll love it, your kids will love it. Let me know what you think!!

Saturday Night Special

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 shallot, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 lbs ground pork

2 large carrots, chopped

1- 28oz can of diced tomatoes

1 bunch kale, stems stripped and chopped

1 tablespoon concentrated chicken bouillon

2 tablespoons tomato paste

8oz Banza shells

2 teaspoons dried basil

2 teaspoons dried oregano

salt & pepper

parmesan cheese for serving

STEP 1

In a large dutch oven, brown the shallot and garlic in olive oil. Add pork and brown - seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.

STEP 2

Pour in diced tomatoes then fill the tomato can with water and pour that in the pot. Add carrots, kale, noodles, tomato paste, bouillon, basil and oregano. Stir until everything is incorporated.

STEP 3

Pop the lid on the pan and let cook. Stir every few minutes to make sure nothing is sticking. If the pan seems a little dry, add a cup of water. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

STEP 4

When noodles are fully cooked, scoop into a shallow bowl and serve with parmesan cheese on top.

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I have been super interested in the Banza noodles - they are made with chickpeas instead of regular flour - which means they are packed with protein, fiber and have less carbs. There are definitely a few applications where these noodles aren’t exactly like their wheat filled counterparts, but when they are cooked in the sauce, they are perfect!

This soup is one of those dinners that I make when I have no idea what I’m doing for dinner. I almost always have carrots, celery and onion in the house. This goes even faster if you use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and shred it. I’ve gone that route before too as well and it’s just as delicious. And it cuts out about 10 minutes - which when you’re talking about 30 minutes total - that’s quite a bit of time.

Serve it with a big green salad, bread if you have teenagers, and enjoy!

One Pot Chicken Soup with Banza

serves 4

3 carrots, chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

1 onion, chopped

4 cups chicken stock

1 bouillon cube

1/2 lb chicken breast, sliced

1 - 8oz box Banza cavatappi noodles

2 cups water

salt & pepper to taste

STEP 1

In a large stock pot, cook down carrots, celery and onion until soft. Season with salt and pepper.

STEP 2

Pour in chicken stock and stir in the bouillon cube (or equivalent - I like the paste version). Bring to a boil.

STEP 3

Add the chicken and cook until done. Then add noodles + 2 cups water. Bring to a boil and cook until the noodles are done. Season with salt & pepper.

Serve hot with a big salad.

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When I was a little girl, my aunt made a minestrone soup for every big family event.  It was her thing.  And it was so good.  As I got older, I realized that most of the soup was cans of things; cans of beans, cans of tomatoes, cans of vegetables etc. and I don't love cans of things.  There is no way to avoid a few of the cans but I can add more vegetables - like real ones - and bulk up the health factor.  

This time of year I'm in the mood to eat healthier but I feel like the weather is constantly challenging me.  When it is cold and grey and rainy in Seattle, all I want is a giant bowl of something hot and creamy that comes with a side of bread.  That's not the best way to make my body feel healthier - and let's be honest, my spring Palm Springs trip is coming up fast and my winter body is not exactly a bikini body.  A soup that's filled with vegetables gets me over that craving and feeling better about myself.  Only four months to Palm Springs!

This makes a boat load of soup.  It's a recipe I wrote for four people and it's what I make for 4-6, but realistically, you've got lunch for days.  And it's easily frozen.  

WINTER MINESTRONE SOUP

Serves 4

STEP 1

In a large stock pot, cook onion, parsnips, carrots, 2 cloves garlic until onions are is soft.

STEP 2

Add tomatoes & beans & spices.  Stir to incorporate

STEP 3

Pour in stock and bring to a boil.

STEP 4

Add noodles, kale and cabbage and cook until noodles are done.  Season with salt and pepper. Serve with parmesan cheese on top.

1 onion

2 parsnips

3 carrots

2 cloves garlic

2 cups kale, chopped

2 cups cabbage, chopped

1 15oz-can kidney beans

1 15oz-can garbanzo beans

1 28oz-can diced tomatoes

6 cups vegetable stock

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp dried basil

2 cups noodles

salt and pepper

½ cup parmesan cheese

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