Cucumber and Carrots Thai Noodle Salad

I made this salad and it was so good that I put it away towards the back of the fridge, so I wouldn't have to share it. (yes, I'm that kind of person)

Well a few hours later, Joseph shows up with a bowl of it, crunching and Mmm mmmm ing along, Wow! this is really really good, he says to me. 

I Know! That's why I hid in in the fridge.

Yes, I spiralized the veggies and honestly, It was a lot of work. they were really fun to eat, but you don't have to do things that way for this salad to be incredible. 

If you are looking for long "noodles", you can just make ribbon / strips with your vegetable peeler. Or go ahead and chop them up. 

While the noodles were super fun to eat, it did make it hard to eat the beans and peppers because veggie noodles and chickpeas are hard to get on the same fork - I didn't even attempt chopsticks. 

You add the marinate to the onions, beans and peppers first because the vinegar and lemon juice acid will essentially "cook" your onions making them sweet and mild. Don't let that extra step in the recipe scare you away or feel like it is a lot of work. 

This is a great fun salad - it's a real show-stopped with the spiralized veggies, but you do not have to make it that way if you don't have the tools or skills. I'm going to make it again and I'm pretty sure I am going to be doing ribbons. They seem like a good compromise to me. 

Rosemary Olive Quick Bread

This is a fantastic bread with so much flavor and hearty goodness. I used a 10-grain whole grain flour, but you can use any whole grain flour that you choose. Quick breads are a fantastic way to introduce whole grains to your family because they are by nature a heartier bread than a yeast bread.

I love the taste of salty olives and so this bread is a favorite of mine. And while rosemary isn't typically an herb that I love the taste of, it was a perfect compliment to the olives.  

You can use quick breads for snacks or breakfast, I won't lie, this would make some Amazing avocado toast. Or you can use it to compliment both a simple dinner or a fancy one.  

Pesto Pasta Salad

I love pasta salad. They are so quick to make and you can add whatever veggies and other yummy things like beans or chicken or tuna you have on hand.  You can customize a recipe by adding what veggies you like or have on hand. Here I added cucumbers to the recipe. 

Be sure when you are shopping to look for the artichoke hearts that are in a can - they are not packed in oil like the ones in the jar. 

Chicken Pot Pie Noodles - One Pot Recipe

This is my family's new favorite recipe. I was very hesitant to make it, because I am nervous about everything being in one pot.  It seems risky to me. 

But I used my biggest dutch oven, so I had plenty of pot space, I would recommend that you use a big pot, so you have lots of space for all your veggies and noodles to not get too crowded. 

If you really miss the pot pie crust, go ahead and top the finish dish with some bread crumbs or some crushed crackers.  If you really wanted to go all out - you could bake a prepared pie crust and crumble that on top. 

I am sure this would taste amazing with mushrooms added, as well as broccoli or spinach. 

You could even add some peppers and a little bit of cumin. 

Healthy Clam Chowder

In my mind creamy Clam Chowder has also seemed to be one of the most indulgent soups you can eat. I imagined it to be full of heavy fats and sodium and that making a good for you version was basically going to amount to flavorless seafood in a bowl of skim milk. I couldn't have been more wrong. 

This soup is creamy while still being really good for you. I added extra potatoes, carrots and celery to bump up the amount of veggies in it and cut down on the bacon to just a sprinkle. (it really doesn't need it)

Our local seafood counter didn't have fresh clams, so we used the canned ones and it wasn't a problem at all. It did take a while at the grocery store to find the clam juice since I was sure it was buy the tuna fish and canned seafood and the store clerk was sure it was on the juice aisle. (NOT on the juice aisle people!)  Be sure that you read the label for sodium, you don't need it for taste or flavor and lots of brands add a ton to theirs. We had no trouble finding one that didn't have any sodium added. 

Spicy Pineapple Chicken Tacos with Pomegranate Pineapple Salsa

These sound like they are fancy beyond belief, but the truth is, they are just some chicken tossed into a pot with some spices and a can of pineapple.  Your taste buds and eyes are going to be completely fooled by how easy these are because they are beautiful and taste so so amazing!

The spiciness of the different chilies in the recipe and the sweetness of the pineapple compliment each other perfectly for that sweet and spicy combination that I love so much. 

You can make them in the Instant Pot or in the slow cooker, so the recipe is super simple to prepare either way. You could even substitute a pork roast for the chicken breasts if that is what you have. 

There just really isn't a wrong way to make a taco, there just isn't. 

Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Perhaps someday I will stop being surprised when making things at home makes them 1000 times more delicious.   Maybe not, I don't know. 

In my life before Food $ense, I bought everything pre-made. *And then I usually hated it. The white sauce in this frozen pasta dinner was too bland, this meal had too many soggy frozen red peppers, this one was made from just gross chicken parts and not meat - I am guessing you know the drill. 

But once I was brave enough to start cooking for myself and my family and experimenting with things that I knew we liked - I loved the things I was making. Because I was making things I knew we loved. We might eat tacos too many times a week or in too many different ways for another family, but for us, we just can't get enough. 

That's the great beauty of cooking for yourself and your family. You get things exactly how you like them. Exactly! And who doesn't love that.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad

I love food. I mean, I really love it. And I just love it when a recipe turns out to taste even more amazing than I had hoped. 

I know I'm a little crazy for the roasted sweet potatoes lately, but they are so delicious and easy and good for you - That's all three, baby! 

Basically this is just a bowl full of super foods, really nothing this good for you should taste so amazing... Or Should IT?  That's everything we are trying to learn and change about our thinking, isn't it? 

That good for us food is less than pleasurable and "bad" food is where all the yumminess is at.  

Visit Food Sense - attend some classes if you can and learn about how delicious (and easy) healthy choices can be.