Roasted Zucchini mini "Pizzas" (What I ate Aug 28, 2016)

I know this idea is all over pinterest and the internets. . . I just thought I'd take some pics and offer my own recommendation.

It's a super easy recipe/concept.
Although you may find variations and tips all over for how to do it, I basically sliced up a zucchini, arranged the slices on a baking sheet, basted them with a little olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper and then roasted them at 40 degrees F for about 10 minutes.

Then pulled them out and added some shredded cheddar and sliced grape tomatoes (which by the way were amazing! My friend gave them to me fresh from her garden!) with some more salt and pepper. . . .

Then popped them back into the oven until the cheese was sufficiently melted.

It was a delicious, comforting meal for me. Though honestly, nothing like pizza.
they didn't hold together once I started cutting into them, as the olive oil made the cheese were slip off; but the fact that they didn't look as pretty was really not a concern for me, because I was hungry and they were tasty. :}

Update: October 13, 2016

I made these again today, and used a little less oil. I also cooked them a bit longer and let the cheese get a bit crispy, and I added italian seasoning on top of the tomatoes before I put them back into the oven. All these changes made it even tastier than last time!
Thanks for reading and let me know if you try it!
~Julie :}

*Julie Surprise is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

Super Easy High Protein Snack!

We sometimes shop at NPS for groceries and though they often are not known for healthy meats in their frozen section, we were fortunate enough to find these thin cuts of beef by Simple Truth that had no weird additives that I can't eat. (I.E. MSG, Gluten, Sugar Etc.) They were about $0.50 each or something, so we bought a bunch of them and I depended on them as my source of meat for a couple of weeks. They are as thin as lunch meat though, so finding ways to eat them took a little extra thought since sandwiches are not really an option. (If you wanted gluten free meat, why would you want it in a sandwich anyway? I mean, I guess you could use gluten free bread, but I'm personally not a fan. Hmm, maybe that's why these ended up at NPS.)

Anyway, so most of the time I'd warm these cuts up on the griddle, season them according to my mood and tear them up to eat over a salad. However, on this particular day, I think I was out of salad greens, or maybe just feeling lazy; (Possibly both). So I warmed them up as usual, (though I think I just stuck to some simple salt and pepper this time,) and then topped them with some goat cheese and green onion spears. I thought they were pretty tasty, and were a great easy high protein snack so I thought it might be worth a share.

Hopefully it will at least inspire someone to the possibilities that come with a no bread diet. You wouldn't have to warm them up, I just prefered that method since they still had a little blood on them. I prefer my meat a tad more well done.

Hope this helps someone out somewhere, and if you try it, I'd love to hear what you thought!

Have a fabulous day!

~Julie :}

Breadless Butter Snacks Part 2

Here is another great way I've found to get more butter in my diet without involving bread or grains.

Some of you might remember my old nostalgic snack from childhood; basically a banana based "ants on the log". Well, it occurred to me about a year ago that I could try eating a banana with regular butter instead of peanut butter . . . I'm not entirely sure how it all came into my head, but I'm thinking it has something to do with banana cream pie, and also, coconut cream pie.  Back when I used to eat regular pies, like at Thanksgiving, those two flavors were my absolute faves. Especially the coconut cream one. So one day I decided to try putting (non-sweetened) coconut on a buttered banana.

It was so tasty! Quite a different experience from the peanut butter banana, but really good . . . possibly better!

I do still like the peanut butter version, but most of the time I will choose a coconut banana over the former recipe because it really does remind me of coconut cream pie! I usually like to sprinkle just a touch of sea salt on top to enhance the coconut flavor and also because the banana is already so sweet and the butter so mild, it's nice to add a bit of contrast.

 My husband and kids all approve of this snack too, so if you miss coconut cream pie (or banana cream); or if you are just looking for a new way to add some more butter to your diet, I would highly recommend this snack!

Totally delicious! Light, sweet, and creamy and with nothing but benefits!

I recently also bought some clean toasted coconut flakes from Thrive Market and the lightly toasted flavor really added to the experience!

For more great butter snacks check out my other post here.

Strawberry Season Snack! (Plus, PB'n'J . . . Salad!)

I love strawberry season!  There is no fruit that makes me quite so happy as a fresh springtime strawberry! This fruit is so versatile in recipes as well as fantastic all on it's own!

We were able to get 2 lbs of fresh strawberries over the weekend from Costco and I am greatly enjoying them!

My absolute favorite way to enjoy strawberries is to stuff them/make them into little 'sammies.'
We like to use softened cream cheese sweetened with a little local raw honey. Sooooo, good!

These snacks feel like an luxurious indulgence, yet they are so healthful and easy that there's really no reason why they couldn't become a regular thing! At least during strawberry season.

Another way that I enjoyed them this past weekend was on a salad. Now I have been eating strawberry spinach salad for over a decade, but this time I decided to try a little experiment based on my Peanut Butter and Honey Salad.

Since I had strawberries available, I figured it was about time I tried out my favorite sweet salad with a strawberry "jam" twist! I didn't actually make jam though . . . All I did was crush some of the berries in a bowl with my potato masher and stirred in a bit of honey (which proved to be unnecessary because the berries were already plenty sweet.) and then I drizzled this raw strawberry goodness over my salad along with my usual peanut butter dressing and some sliced strawberries.
It was lovely!

 If you love strawberries as much as I do, and/or if you miss having a good ol' PB'n'J sandwich because you cannot digest bread anymore; I recommend you try this salad! It's superbly refreshing!

Julie Surprise: Golden Pumpkin Soup

Here is a recipe I invented tonight.  It's similar to one I invented a couple of years ago but since I couldn't find that recipe I had to come up with a new one.

Golden Pumpkin Soup

Main Ingredients
3 small yellow squash, chopped
1 half green bell pepper, chopped
1 half onion, chopped
1 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree
1/4 cup Real Parmesan Cheese, shredded
Approximately 4 ounces of Medium Cheddar Cheese, shredded
About a tablespoon of Honey

Seasoning Ideas 
Sea Salt
Black Pepper

(season to taste, sorry, I didn't measure, I like to just add dashes of things but I tried to put them in order of what I used more of first)

Curry Powder and/or
Cumin
Cinnamon
Turmeric
Garam Masala
Powdered Mustard
Dried celery leaves, crushed
Cayenne pepper

Optional Garnishes
Sour Cream
Sliced Apples

Directions

1.  Put the chopped squash, onions and green pepper into a pot of water enough to cover them well and set it
      to boil.
2.  Once it's boiling lower the heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes.
3.  Once soft mostly drain veggies and run through a food processor or blender until smooth, return to pot.
4.  Add pumpkin puree to veggie puree and stir over medium to low heat until smooth-ish.
5. Season according to preference then add cheeses one at a time stirring in between to help melt the cheese.
6.  Add the honey last, stir and then serve in bowls with a generous dollop of sour cream and use fresh apple slices for dipping if you wish.

Note:  I have to give my Lily the credit for the apple idea.  She was the one who asked if we could slice up apples to dip in her soup.  It was pure inspiration!
                                                                                                 

Easy Under Cabinet & Hanging Kitchen Storage! (No Drilling Required!)

In the past year or so I've been on a quest to improve and simplify life.
One of the steps I took was to eliminate duplicate items from my kitchen. Things like multiples of the same sized pots and pans, dishes I never used, extra ladles, etc . . . One thing I got rid of was two extra sets of measuring cups. When I got married I received four sets. One basic white set, one rubber handled black set, one nice stainless steel set. (Which I actually re-gifted. Before using them of course.)  and a lovely red set.  When paring down I decided to keep the red ones because my kitchen theme is red and citrus fruits.

When I moved here for years ago I was pleased to find the kitchen was all white with some black trim. Which works well with my brightly colored fruit themed dishes and towels, but since I haven't had a chance to paint in there, it really does seem a bit starved for color.

Of course, there really isn't a lot of wall in my kitchen to paint. One whole wall (and some of each adjoining wall) is covered in a back splash of white tiles.

For years I've searched to try and find cute fruit themed wall stickers to dress the tiles up a bit and add some more color, but to no avail. The only ones I can find are not to my taste, being either too detailed, too dumbed down, and/or too dully colored.  I'm kind of going for modern-Asian-graphic or something.
(Hee hee, I just did a search and found these. They are almost what I want. Maybe I'll get them. I actually haven't looked for a while until now. :}  )

Ooo, just a random tangent! I just recently (after getting paid to do a Coat of Arms for someone,) found and bought these sweet things with my 'pin' money!

Aren't they adorable?

Anyway, enough blah-blah . . .

My point is, I had been wishing there was a way to hang pots, utensils, or really anything under my cupboards in order to better utilize the space.  I had been looking at under-cupboard racks but I was feeling a bit leery of drilling holes into my cupboards.

While looking I did find these two cute items at Smiths Marketplace.

I think this suction-cup basket was $5 and the over drawer towel rack was $7 or something.

I like being able to clear a bit of space near my sink by putting the hand soap and dish sponge up on the wall. I'll also position my soap dish underneath the basket to catch any drips from the sponge.  It works great, even with the dish soap perched in it.

Still, I hadn't found a way to really utilize any of the space under my cabinets.   Finally it came to me!
I realized, while it wouldn't be enough for pans, I could hang my red measuring cups under my cupboards using a small tension rod. No drilling required!  This not only frees up a bit more room in my kitchen drawers, and makes the cups very easy to use and put away, but also adds a nice splash of color. Yay!

All we had to do was measure the area where the rod would go, buy a thin tension rod to fit and some S hooks. My hubby was a darling and pinched one side of each hook together so that once on the rod they wouldn't easily fall off.

Granted, the hooks would be much prettier if they were the fancy black hooks of a prefabricated kitchen rack, but considering the ease and function of this solution I'm not about to complain!

Hopefully this will inspire you to think outside the box for your own storage/decor solutions!

Meatless Monday Menu Ideas

A few weeks ago I signed a pledge to go meatless on Mondays.  The idea is that if everyone just went one day without meat, it will be better for the environment, better for our health and make our food budget go a little further.

I was a bit nervous about what the hubby would say, but he has been very sweet and supportive, though I'm sure he was a bit skeptical that we would actually feel full at first.

I think it's been three weeks now, so three Meatless Mondays later I'm thinking maybe I should share what I've done to help others get some ideas.

If any of you here have any ideas for meatless meals please comment or e-mail me. I'll probably be updating this every few weeks or so when I come up with new meals.


For this first one I had a few things I wanted to use before they got too old, but at first it seemed like they would all need some kind of meat to accompany them and make them into a real meal, then it occurred to me that many sides, side by side can make a meal.
Think deli or salad bar.

Meal Idea 1.  Cream of Mushroom soup (just from a can but dolled up with some fresh onions, celery and other seasonings.)  A green salad (Lettuce, tomatoes) and a side of sweet potato fries.

For the fries I just wash my potatoes  and poke them with a fork and then wrap them in plastic wrap or a damp paper towel and then microwave them for about 3-4 minutes each. Then I remove them and carefully unwrap them on the cutting board, slice them up to desired size and saute them in some olive oil (or whatever oil you prefer) over medium high heat until just crispy and golden.  Then I drain on a paper towel and lightly salt them. So yummy! (I crush regular table salt with a mortar and pestle to help the salt stay better, you could also do this with sea salt.  Steak seasoning is a great way to flavor regular potato fries.)


Meal Idea 2.  Veggie Soup (Canned, dolled up once again) and Cucumber Sandwiches.

Okay, so if you make cucumber sandwiches the way I do, they aren't dairy free, which I guess is sort of part of the pledge . . .
(And yet, eggs aren't? o.O)
I figure maybe I'll cut back on cheese more over time, but sometimes I feel like even with awesome veggies and legumes, one just needs a little cheese now and then.  Baby steps and all.

Here's my recipe for cucumber sandwich spread:

2 Tablespoons Sour Cream
3 Tablespoons Mayo or Miracle Whip
4 ounce of softened cream cheese
1/2 package of dry ranch or Italian dressing mix.

Blend all ingredients until smooth (or good enough for your tastes.  Sometimes the cream cheese is still a bit lumpy, but that doesn't really bother me.)

This is even better after it's been in the fridge over night.

Spread on bread and top with sliced cucumbers.  I find chunkier slices (about 1/8") to be yummier, the cool crispness is a nice contrast to the savory spread.  You can of course slice them really thin if you wish. The spread is quite flavorful so I find I don't need to slather it on. So for me, thin on the spread, thick on the cucumbers, but of course it is all a matter of taste.  Enjoy!


This last one was actually the first meal I did for Meatless Monday. I figured, if eggs are okay than breakfast for dinner was an easy solution.

Meal Idea 3. Omelets and hash browns.

This one also included a bit of cheese, I confess.  We did our omelets with tomatoes, green peppers, onions and some shredded cheese. We also made our own hash browns from fresh potatoes, which honestly, we'd never done before. They turned out a bit sticky, but they were good. I do however, recommend looking up a recipe. (Unlike me.) :}


Meal Idea 4.  Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers
(Shared by my sweet Sister-In-Law Megan)

We really enjoyed this recipe! Even my little girls at it up! Really tasty and also fun to look at and eat. Thanks Megan!


Another Recipe I've found and enjoy is from a Rachel Ray Magazine that came in the mail.  I was able to find it online luckily so I can share it with you all . . . It's called Chickpeas and Spinach, and is an Indian recipe.

The only really unusual ingredient is Garam Masala, which is a spice mix kind of like curry except this one is more sweet smelling as opposed to savory, (you know like nutmeg or cinnamon sort of.)  I found it at Smiths Marketplace in the aisle where they have all the spices and dry goods in bulk. It was kind of expensive, like $18 a lbs or something, but of course, I didn't buy a whole pound.

I should note that while I did go out and buy the garam masala that I've never made it with the ground coriander, but have just substituted cumin instead.  You could also probably use curry instead of garam masala and it would still be really good, though it would taste entirely different. :} 

My friend Lorri Love shared this recipe with me, and since I love sweet potatoes and black beans there was no way I wasn't going to love this!  

It's truly delicious, though if you aren't a huge fan of cumin, you might want to go light on that ingredient for the dressing, or substitute something else.
Anyway, it's from Better Homes and Gardens and is called Vegetable Bowls with Yogurt-Lime Dressing. 


So there are a few more delicious meatless meals!  


Happy eating!


~Julie :}

Julie Surprise: Chicken Pumpkin Curry

When I had limited ingredients in my house recently, I was looking through the pantry and saw a big can of pumpkin that I had purchased in bulk back in November, but I'd only ended up using one or two of the cans and still had two left. I thought to myself, "There's got to be a way I can use this for something other than treats." Then it occurred to me that people often make pumpkin squash soup and similar things. So I started looking up recipes and stumbled across one for a pumpkin curry soup. Some of the people who commented mentioned that they'd added chicken to it which that got me thinking . . . Chicken curry is already good, and pumpkin curry soup sounds good. Who's to say that I couldn't combine all three things and just make a chicken pumpkin curry to serve over rice? So combining the soup recipe with my favorite chicken curry recipe, here is what I came up with.

Julie Surprise: Chicken Pumpkin Curry

Ingredients:
About half a 19 ounce can of pumpkin*
1 large boneless skinless chicken breast
3 tablespoons coconut oil*
1 small onion,* chopped (I actually used dried minced* 'cause that's what I had.)
2-3 cloves garlic*, minced (or a tablespoon of garlic powder.*)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon,* or to taste.
1 teaspoon paprika*
1 bay leaf*
1/2 teaspoon ginger*
1 teaspoon coconut sugar (or other sweetener of choice)
2 cups chicken stock*
3 tablespoons curry powder*
A splash of lemon juice (if desired)
1 cup plain Greek yogurt*
3/4 cup coconut milk* (opt)
1/4 cup shredded coconut* (opt)
Salt* and pepper* to taste

Cook and shred chicken in a skillet; when cooked through, or nearly cooked, add onion and garlic with the coconut oil, saute until the onion is translucent. Add the remaining ingredients to the chicken. Stir and heat until combined and warmed through. Serve over rice or quinoa.
This three year old approves!

She filled her tummy till it was full! Check out this curry filled cutie!

*Julie Surprise is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com