Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos

The other night we made a big batch of Black beans in the crock pot so I decided to make these Sweet Potato and Black Bean tacos. 
Pretty simple easy recipe but here it is anyway if you are curious. Henry and I loved these. Logan and Kami didn't not like them, and the babies ate quesadillas. 

To make Peel 1 or 2 sweet potatoes and dice into bite size pieces. Sprinkle with a little salt and olive oil. Cook in the oven @400 until they are tender. (25 minutes for me) When they are cooked add the juice from 1/2 lime and 1/2 tsp of cumin. 

Assemble tacos with sweet potato, black beans, avocado/guacamole, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, salsa. Etc. 

Sweet Potato:
1 Large Sweet Potato
Salt & Pepper to Taste
1/2 Tsp. Cumin
A Pinch of Cayenne
1/2 Lime, Juiced

Grilled Greek Chicken and Corn Salad

I don't want to let go of summer. So here's a great summer dish I cooked up this week.

Ingredients
2 boneless chicken breasts
2 zucchini halved
2 cups of Grape tomatoes sliced in half
3-4 ears of corn
1 cup fresh mozzarella

Marinade
1/3 cup Olive Oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons Greek seasoning
zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
salt/ pepper

Wisk together marinade. Place veggies in a 9x13 pan and chicken in another. Salt and pepper the chicken. Pour marinade over chicken and vegetables. place in fridge for 3 hours or overnight,
Grill chicken, zucchini and corn. Chop up and add to tomatoes and mozzarella.
I used frozen corn because i forgot the corn. I think this is an easy idea you can chain up with different seasonings adding red pepper etc to make it more bold flavors. My older two kids liked this and ate it. It was a no go for the two little "babies" 

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

My go to "Chicken Noodle Soup" 

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
1 pound of Chicken ( I usually just use leftovers I have on hand)
3 cloves garlic
1 onion diced 
1/3 cup diced celery 
3 carrots diced
1/2 teaspoon thyme 
5 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves 
3/4 cup uncooked pasta
1 sprig of rosemary 
Juice of 1 Lemon
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Start by cooking your chicken if you aren't using leftovers. Then in the same pot add Olive Oil and Onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook until tender. Stir in thyme until fragrant. 
Wisk in chicken stock, bay leaves and 1 cup of water. Bring to boil then stir in orzo, rosemary, and chicken. reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender. Stir in lemon juice and parsley. 
I like my soup pretty lemony but my kids don't prefer the extra lemon. (kids- eye roll) 

Eat up! 

Balsamic Marinade

Balsamic Steak Marinade 
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons brown sugar 
1 garlic clove minced
1 tablespoon Rosemary (optional) 

Combine marinade and add to zip loc bag with steak. Marinade for at least 30 minutes at room temperature. Then grill it. 
We love this simple marinade, if we ever have leftovers I use it to top my salads at lunch. 

Lemon Basil Steak Marinade

This one is another simple steak marinade we love:
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 lemon juice
1/4 Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons dried basil
1 1/2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon pepper

Pop this in a zip loc with some steak and let it chill for 30 minutes or more. Then grill to desired doneness.

Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa

We eat Salmon in this house and love it! Here is a new way I mixed it up last week: 

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• Salmon Rub  
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp ancho chili powder
• 1 tsp black pepper

Let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. I put my salmon into a little foil tray that I could cook the Salmon in on the grill. Cook it on grill until you think/ know it's cooked. 

Top with Avocado, I just made a little mash Avocado, lime juice and a little onions chopped up. I am sure you could add a little cilantro and the world would still go on. 

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M&M Pudding Cookies

These are a new favorite with my kids, they seems to be foolproof and I never have a batch not be super amazing! 

M&M Pudding Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
3 tablespoons instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1 1/4 cup mini M&M’s

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Add flour, pudding mix, baking soda and salt. Stir well until combined. Add chocolate chip and M&M’s. 

Scoop out cookies. Bake 10-12 minutes until cooked through. Let cool on cookie sheet for about 10 minutes.

Makes about 24 cookies