I’m always trying to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into my diet, and lately I’ve been trying to cut down on the wheat and carbs a bit, so I’ve been trying to come up with some low carb recipes. For lunch yesterday I decided to saute some leftover grilled chicken, sliced mushrooms, and carrots with a handful of almonds thrown in for a little crunch. I also had a couple bites of steak left, so I added that to the mix. Usually I would have this over rice, but I decided I’d try something a little different and serve it over a bed of fresh spinach leaves. It turned out delicious, so I thought I’d share this quick lunch idea with you today. Saute’dChicken Mushrooms and Almonds Over Spinach Leaves Ingredients: 2... [Read more]

My dad gave me a big bag of apples from his orchard the last time I was over there, so I’ve had plenty of apple dishes going on the last week or so. Today I wanted to make a fall fruit salad, so I combined apples, grapes, walnuts and yogurt. It turned out yummy so I thought I’d share the recipe here. You could probably add a little cinnamon for a little extra spice, but it’s good without. Fall Fruit Salad 4 medium apples(peeled, cored, and chopped) 1 cup grapes (cut in half) 1/3 cup chopped walnut pieces 1 cup vanilla yogurt Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and fold them together. The walnuts add a nice crunch, but you could also add a little granola right before you served it for a little extra crunch (or substitute... [Read more]

The other day I picked up a couple pie pumpkins from a farmer down the road, and a larger pumpkin for my son to paint. Today I finally got around to cooking the pumpkins. You can cook pumpkins several ways, but my favorite way is to bake them. I usually use the smaller pie pumpkins because they  have a better consistency and flavor than larger pumpkins do. I cut the pumpkins in half, and scraped out all the seeds and the pulp. An ice cream scoop, or a large spoon work great for scooping out the pumpkin guts. Don’t throw out the seeds, save them and you can have roasted pumpkin seeds, or try this recipe for roasted garlic pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin seeds are loaded with vitamins, and healthy fats. Once you have all the stringy middle out... [Read more]

I’m a big crab cakes fan, and I make them on a regular basis at home. I don’t really have a recipe, and I probably make them a little different every time I make them. I might just have to give this recipe a try the next time. Crab cakes may seem out of the question when you’re watching the family food budget, but canned crab is a fraction of the cost of fresh, equally nutritious, and ready-to-use without worrying about the need to clean the crab of shell. When I’m using it for crab cakes, I usually don’t notice the difference between can and fresh crab. In this classic recipe, a can of creamed corn (adds a little sweetness and moisture) is added to the cakes, a dash of hot pepper sauce for a little extra kick, and... [Read more]

There’s a new website for Food Network Fans, called I Love Food Network (of course!). The new fan website features all of your favorite Food Network stars. Foodies can get the latest news on their favorite Food Network programs, star happenings, and news on the latest food trends. I browsed around a while to see what fans were saying. Chopped is one of my favorite new Food Network shows, and one fan suggested they have a judges Chopped, where the judges have to face off. I’m sure it won’t happen, but it sounds like fun to me. They should get to experience everything from the other side. It’s only fair don’t you think? Maybe past Chop Champions can be the judges. Hmmm. I could probably get lost there for a while... [Read more]