Feel Good Food

Morning friends!! Today I wanted to post and share my amazing new cookbook I just got.. It's Giada de Laurentiis' and its soooo much more then recipes. She wanted to write a book that wasn't only good food for you, but also lifestyle guidelines. It talks about how this is NOT a diet book, but helping you look at yourself and think the best possible things. 

I have also discovered.... SPINACH!!! Its inexpensive, soooo good for you and can be used so many different ways. I found a GREAT smoothie recipe in her book and here it is!! Enjoy..

Strawberry and Spinach Smoothie with Yogurt

1 1/2 cups ice

1/2 cup water (adjust for consistency)

1/4 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt

1 medium apple

8 medium strawberries (I didn't have any, so I used raspberries. You can use whatever berry you want)

1/2 medium ripe banana

1 packed cup baby spinach leaves

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve!

Let me know what you think.. Enjoy!

Steak Dinner

Good morning everyone! How was your night? Anything good for dinner? I had a great dinner.. Keep reading for all the juicy details!

My honey barbecued the steaks. His had garlic powder and WAY too much pepper(but SOMEONE didn't want to listen to his wife), and he seasoned mine in a yummy Cajun seasoning. Then I made mashed potatoes from Betty Crocker:

8-10 Red potatoes

1/2 cup milk

1/4 tbs butter

Salt

Pepper

Boil potatoes for 20-30 minutes until potatoes pierce easily with fork. Mix potatoes till no lumps remain and gradually add milk. When smooth, add butter, salt and pepper. Enjoy!!

Then for the bread, I sliced up some french bread and put a little drizzle of EVOO on it and took some garlic in a jar and spread that on the bread. Then grilled on stove top until golden brown. YUMM!!

I hope you have as much fun cooking as I do, and let me know if you try out this meal.. Have a great day!

Kelsey's Apple Turnovers

Good morning!! I decided on a whim yesterday that I wanted to make apple turnovers. I pulled a recipe from All Recipes and left out an ingredient and now they are mine! Muahahahahaha!! Here is the recipe.. Enjoy!

Kelsey's Apple Turnovers

2 tablespoons lemon juice

4 cups of water

4 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon water

1 (17.25 ounce) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed

***

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1. Combine the lemon juice and 4 cups of water in a large bowl. Place the sliced apples in the water to keep them from browning.

2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Drain the water from apples(you might want to dry them on a paper towel or the sauce will be really soupy) and place them into the hot skillet. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes. Add brown sugar and cinnamon and cook, stirring for 2 more minutes. Stir together the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water. Pour into the skillet , and mix well. Cook for another minute, or until sauce thickens. Remove from heat to cool slightly. 

3. Preheat oven to 400*

4. Unfold puff pastry sheets, and repair any holes by pressing them back together. Trim each sheet into a square and then cut those squares into fourths. Spoon apples into the center of each smaller square, and fold over corner into a triangle shape. I pressed the sides together with a fork to make a pretty pattern. Place triangles onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, leaving an inch in between each one.

5. Bake for 23-25 minutes in the oven, until turnovers are nice and golden brown. Don't worry if the edges are black, it's probably just the filling that spilled out. Cool completely before glazing.

6. To make the glaze, mix together the powdered sugar and milk. I added a little extra milk because it was a little thick. Drizzle over cooled turnovers and enjoy!

I hope you have a great time making these and post your pictures when you are done!!! 

New Year, New Mama!

Hello Mommy Farley followers!! Its been way too long since I posted something, so I thought I would come back with a bang! I, like everyone, have made a few resolutions this year and I am going to keep them this time. Why is it different this time? Because I have a beautiful baby girl to think about. I don't want to be skinny or a model. That's just not who I am or what I'm meant to be. I just want to be a healthy mom for my baby and for my family. I want to be able to keep up with her and feel good about my self too.

My resolution is simple. "To be a healthier version of myself and to take care of my family". On January 1, I started the Special K Challenge. It said that you are guaranteed to lose 6 pounds in 2 weeks. I was not doing it to lose the weight, I was doing it to cleanse all the bad foods out of my body that I had been eating. And in 1 week, I lost those 6 pounds and felt amazing. I started drinking more water and just being aware of what is going in my body. Now, if I see a French fry and I want one, heck yes!! I will eat those fries. But I'm not going to eat it 5 times a day, everyday. Its all about balance. If you keep yourself from eating what you enjoy, then your body will react in a bad way. Another good thing is to swap. Swap out 2% milk for skim or get a salad instead of fries. I was using honey in my coffee instead of sugar. Just trying to balance my life is really putting everything in perspective.

Something else I am really focusing on, is making our house, into our 'home'. I am in love with Better Homes and Gardens and Everyday with Rachael Ray. I have recently found out that I want to go to Culinary School one day, so I'm enjoying being 'Susie Homemaker'. I am excited to show you all how I am making a better life style for me and for my family. I hope you all are going to stick around for my posts. So excited for what's to come.