Steak Sheet Pan Dinner!

Hey!

So, on this whole being faithful in taking care of my family, I wanted to share a recipe that turned out really well! It is a one pan..well, sheet dish that everyone (who enjoys veggies) really loved.

Backstory:

I'm trying to get better at meal planning and homemaking, so I looked up some recipes and came across this idea on pinterest! My mother's husband, Bill, gave us some amazing venison steaks so I used those in this recipe. And I am always up for an easy, quick, simple way to feed my family!

So here's the scoop: I marinated the steaks for about 20 minutes, to help hide some of the gamey taste venison has, in a mixture of worchestershire sauce and peppercorns. While that marinated I quartered some potatoes and boiled them for a little bit, just so they wouldn't be raw when I put them with the rest of the food. (P.s thank you Dad for the pairing knife and cutting board! They were so needed!)

While those boiled and with the meat still marinating, I poured out a bag of frozen green beans and carrots (simple and easy remember! Frozen or not, they are veggies!) and I popped some butter onto the frozen veggies so when they started cooking they would be infused with the butter.

So, on a baking sheet with my silicon mat, I placed the frozen veggies with butter, my boiled quartered potatoes, and now, onto the meat. I first pulled it out and sliced it into 1 inch thick slices and layer those next to the potatoes on the baking pan. I put my oven to low broil and put the rack as high as I could.

While it was preheating, I seasoned the food with garlic salt, onion powder, rosemary, thyme, cilantro, salt, and pepper to taste.

When it was heated, I put the whole sheet pan into the oven and let it cool for about 20 minutes. I honestly don't remember how long it was total because I was eyeing the meat and took it out when it was cooked all the way through. If you can see the photos then you can see my amazing little helper haha she loved handing me the seasonings and sneaking some frozen veggies when I wasn't watching hahah!

This turned out really well for us! Let me know what you think!

Xoxo,
Samantha

OATMEAL MONSTERS...and a possible hallowed out leg?

Ok, so funny story, I started making a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, and Lily decided she wanted to have some. So like the awesome (read: weak willed) parent I am, I made her a bowl. An adult portion size bowl. And..she ate the whole thing.

Then some toast.

Then she finished my oatmeal because heaven knows I have the stomach size of an infant anymore thanks to this little man I'm growing. But back to the point, She ate all of that and still wanted more!

How in the world?! And that wasn't the last time either. She now wants oatmeal every morning, but won't just stop at one bowl. I'm beginning to think that she has a hallow leg or something...I don't know, maybe the stomach of a man? Haha, my hubs loves that she eats so much! He's always amazed when we have dinner and she will just sit there and eat right along side of him.

I'm always amazed that she hasn't become a chunk yet haha. She is still long and skinny! Here's some proof! ;)


Anyway, I just thought that I'd see if this is happening to the rest of the world? Because if she keeps this up we may be eaten out of house and home haha!

But for reals, how am I supposed to feed her and a baby boy?? What if he has the same appetite??...I may need to invest in the oatmeal companies because I'm pretty sure that I'm keeping them in business lol!

On a side note, I'm trying to teach Lily how to eat with silverware. It's a slow and messy process though. Any tips from you seasoned Momma's out there?

Xoxo,

Samantha

ONE DISH Southwestern Casserole!!!

Hey!

Now I haven't really posted anything like this before... I don't think lol. But this casserole was a HIT with my little family with everyone enjoying it, so I figured I would share it and whatnot. I even have pictures!! 

So I was looking for recipes to try out as my very first casserole, and found this one on pinterest from this blog here, and I was so intrigued because my Hubs is on the road delivering and needs more than just sandwiches to keep up his strength in those biceps haha.. Anyway, a one dish meal sounded AMAZING and so I gave it a shot! 

I will be including pictures with instructions. Just to make you hungry......jk....but really...

First, you need 1 (15oz) can of black beans, corn (frozen or canned), 1 (16oz) jar of salsa, I used mild, and 1 cup of uncooked rice, I used whole grain, and some chicken.

The recipe that I got this from used a few other ingredients, but being all frugal and whatnot (read: didn't want to buy it all) I just used the main necessities. 

Then you put it together like this!!! I tried to get all fancy shmancy with the picture.

Anyway, the recipe calls for about 1 cup of corn, but my family REALLY loves corn so I just added a bunch... 

So you put in the corn, beans, uncooked rice, and salsa. 

Add seasonings if so desired. I added some spices the first time around and used diced tomatoes instead of salsa. It turned out fine, but I've been making this casserole with just salsa and no seasonings recently and it's been great so, personally I really only add some pepper now because I feel that the salsa adds a lot and there is so much sodium in the canned goods already, but it's totally up to you. 

If you wanted to know, I used cajun spice, salt, pepper, and parsley for seasoning the first time around.

OH! don't forget to mix in the chicken. You can put in whole breasts and push them into the casserole or I used canned chicken. I just mixed it in with everything else. 

Bake at 375 degrees for an hour, then take out and check the rice.. or if you're like me, top with cheese, forget the rice, and bake for another 10 minutes. =]

Then Voila!!! Your one dish meal is all ready to be eaten!!! Lily enjoyed this a lot and we just topped it off with some more cheese and taco sauce haha because we are serious about our toppings.

AND TADA!!! Here is the finished product, cheese and all.. SOOO. GOOOD....So I hope y'all enjoy this as much as I did and remember that you can catch the original recipe from this awesome blog. 

Ok!

Well from my kitchen to yours.

Xoxo,

Samantha

My Paleo Lifestyle Change

So I've been trying to think of a way to start this post without making it seem like I'm joining a fad.

Because I promise I haven't.

What I did do though, was take the advice of my lovely sister-in-law and I know I won't turn back.

So let me start at the beginning. I have always felt bloated and more often than not headaches, fatigue, and low energy accompany it. I never caught on though, that this is not how it's supposed to be. The rest of the world does not always feel like this.

This was news to me!

So shortly after my sister-in-law and her fiancé Pete started a paleo 30 day challenge, she gave me some advice. She said that for her, being paleo has made her feel so much better than she ever has and even though the 30 day challenge was almost up, she and her almost hubs will continue to do paleo anyway. This is where she told me that I should give it a try.

How could I say no? After just finding out that the rest of the world doesn't feel bloated all the time??

So I jumped in head first. I went and bought a bunch of veggies and a bit of fruit. Luckily I didn't need to buy very much meat at all because we have been blessed by some family friends in Pa who hunt.

Anyway, I learned from Jenna and from my awesome Mother-in-law how to cook up some veggies and away I went. I overhauled my entire diet that day. Here's what my typical day of meals looks like:

What I Eat:

Breakfast: 2 eggs with some sort of pan fried veggie and a strawberry or two

Lunch: Some sort of meat (usually chicken) with a good portion of asparagus or zucchini (or both) and another strawberry or two.

Dinner: Usually this is a heavy meal because Matthew works really, really hard during the day so I try to make something that is filling for him to replenish all the calories and carbs his body needs. So lately it's been a slow cooked rack of barbecue ribs with a batch of pan fried asparagus and zucchini or sweet potato and a salad on the side.

Anyway, I have been eating this way for two weeks today, and I can honestly say that I have never felt better in my life and I'm not exaggerating. I honestly believe that I may have some sort of intolerance to grain or gluten maybe? Because a week into this new lifestyle, I ran out of chicken and made a sandwich for lunch. I'm talking, turkey with tomato, spinach, cheese, olive oil Mayo and on my favorite Aldi's 12 Grain bread.

SOOOOO GOOOOOD!!!!!

Anyway, I got sick. Boo!! I was bloated, got a nasty headache, and I felt like the 2:30 slump was All. Day. Long.

So needless to say, I am staying away from grains for a while and sticking with this paleo lifestyle. I did manage to lose at least 7 pounds in 10 days.

Did I forget to mention that? Yeah. 7 pounds, 10 days. I have stayed at the same weight since I delivered our beautiful baby girl last June. My body stays within a two pound radius and hasn't moved out of that for nearly a year. It didn't matter what I did, I wouldn't budge. Nursing didn't take the weight off magically like everyone said that it would.

But changing my diet? I knew that eating right was important, but really? I feel better than I ever have and I manage to lose weight?!?! I am beyond excited!!!

(On a side note, Matt and I got a new mattress today!! Woot Woot!! Our other one had a serious defect  so pardon the random mattress in the back of the picture, but see Lily?!?! She totally photobombed me in this picture hahaha but she's so adorable that I don't mind........And back to your regularly scheduled program.....)




But can I be honest for a bit?

Confessional Time... I'm not a strict paleo person.

I believe that you take it in stride, learn the ropes, and find your own shade of Paleo eating.

Because honestly, what works for me might not work for you! I love fruit, so I tend to have a bit more fruit than they recommend, and I still use condiments. I drink almond milk, and sometimes I put hershey's syrup in there when I am craving chocolate milk. Not often, but it happens.

Some people are cool trying to replicate grains by using almond flour and whatnot. I don't see the need...for me, this is a lifestyle change and I don't need any more tempting morsels floating in my kitchen than there already are.

So before y'all get on me about trying out the latest fad or just hoppin on the bandwagon, or someone throttles me because I'm not strict.

I think that everyone needs to find what works for their body, and for me.. this is it.

Xoxo,

Samantha