Category: Uncategorized

Cheesy Spam Quesadillas

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Tonight was going to be red-meat night. We were originally going to cook up some steaks. But then my daughter Kayla said she wanted to make quesadillas instead. And me being super tired because it’s the first week of school, I said yes please! Kayla is a salty-pork-eaten girl! She loves salami, bacon, SPAM…you get the picture! She asked “Mom, can I put Spam on my quesadilla?” I told her “TRY IT!” And so she did! And now I’m sure she is going to make these as often as I let her. It’s not the healthiest of meals, but it take few ingredients, it cooks up quick, and we all loved them!

 -Tammy & Kayla

Health tips: kid-friendly, cheat meal

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Rachael Ray’s Greek Farro Bowls

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As usual, I was watching  the Rachael Ray show and she made the most delicious Mediterranean dish-Farro Bowls!  Farro is an “ancient grain” that kind of reminds me of barley. It’s mild in flavor and has a nice bite/chew to it. Farro is a healthy carbohydrate source for people-even if you have kidney disease or diabetes. I buy my farro at Trader Joes. If you love the flavors of Mediterranean dishes, you’ll love this! It has kalamata olives, feta cheese, tomatoes, lemon, and garlic just to name a few! Thank you Rachael Ray for this super fabulous dish!

 -Tammy

Health tips: kidney friendly, diabetes friendly

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Chicken Cordon Bleu Burger

Mel and Tammy1 Comment

I was watching  the Rachael Ray show the other day. Every month she creates a “Burger of the Month” recipe for her magazine. Rachael asked a friend of hers what her favorite meal was growing up. Her friend told her that she liked when her mom made pepper steak. So Rachael created a pepper steak burger. You can check out that recipe here. But this made me think; what was one of my favorites growing up? I loved when my mom made chicken Cordon Bleu in the slow cooker. And so, the inspiration was created!  Thank you mom for your delicious take on Chicken Cordon Bleu! And I’ve turned it into a burger! I even give you a choice of two different condiments to add: a creamy, garlicky mustard sauce, or a creamy honey mustard (inspired by Rachael Ray). Now everyone else can enjoy it too!

 -Tammy

Health tips: kidney friendly, diabetes friendly*, kid-friendly

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Blueberry Breakfast Smoothie & Banana Peanut Butter Breakfast Smoothie

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A few weeks ago, Kayla came to me in the morning and asked if she can make a smoothie for breakfast. Of course! I told her she should come up with her own recipe and I’ll post it. So she did! Well, then her twin brother wanted to get in on the action…so he did! Here is Kayla’s peanut butter banana breakfast smoothie and my Aidon’s blueberry breakfast smoothie. Here’s to a healthy, kid-friendly breakfast! Enjoy!

 -Tammy, Aidon, and Kayla

Health tips:   kid-friendly, kidney friendly*

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BBQ Cauliflower Pizza

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A few years back, I tried making “cauliflower pizza” that ended up falling apart in my hands (but it was delicious). Recently, a friend of mine started making cauliflower pizza, so I wanted to give it another go. I’ve been researching different methods to try and come up with one that I think will work. Since it’s summer and we love to have BBQ pizza parties at our house, I decided to try it on the grill! And here it is! I am proud of this one; it’s cooked outside, it’s extremely satisfying, and suuuuuper yummy!  Enjoy!

 -Tammy

Health tips:   diabetes friendly, kid-friendly

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4th of July Appetizers

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The Fourth of July is coming up! A few weeks back, I had a BBQ for Memorial Day and made these two patriotic appetizers: 7-layer dip and a veggie tray. If you are having a BBQ or are invited to one, you may want to bring one or both of these snacks to celebrate our Independence Day! Cheers!

 -Tammy

Health tips:   kidney friendly*, diabetes friendly*, kid-friendly, cheat meal**

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Zucchini and Arugula Salad

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I belong to a private group on Facebook. The purpose of this group is to encourage each other and share ideas about living a healthy life style. We post and converse about many things, but my favorite thing is sharing ideas about food. One of my friends posted this original “Zucchini Carpaccio” recipe. It looked amazing; refreshing and simple with only 5 ingredients. I just happened to have all 5 ingredients on hand for lunch that day so I made it. I loved it so much, I made it for dinner that night and then for breakfast the next day! A big thank you to Gina Homolka from http://www.skinnytaste.com for this recipe. I hope you all can enjoy it too!  Cheers!

 -Tammy

Health tips:   kidney friendly, diabetes friendly, vegetarian

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Roasted Corn with Chipotle Mayo and Cotija

Mel and Tammy1 Comment

You HAVE to make this chipotle mayonnaise! It is good on so may things; use as a dip for chips, taquitos, fried calamari, on a burger, or this recipe-roasted corn!  I bet it’d be great in a sushi roll too! With the summer months coming up, this is a perfect side dish to consume at any BBQ! I’m making it again this weekend for Father’s Day! And you should too! Enjoy!

 -Tammy

Health tips:   kidney friendly*, diabetes friendly*

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Caprese Panini

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My hubby has the week off and we’re heading to the beach. I over pack food and drinks. But I’d rather have too much than not enough! My kiddos requested the good ‘ol peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but I wanted a different kind of sandwich to enjoy, so I’m making a panini-a caprese panini….tomato, mozzarella, and basil.  If you don’t feel like PB & J, then make this!  Enjoy!

 -Tammy

Health tips:   kid-friendly, vegetarian

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Fruit and Greek Yogurt Pops

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There are times when I just want something sweet for breakfast…or I want something sweet after dinner, but don’t want to feel guilty about eating something unhealthy like ice cream. And since it’s gettin’ hot out, I decided to make a sweet treat I don’t have to feel guilty about. Yes, popsicles! You can totally have pops for breakfast…or dessert! After all, it’s just basically yogurt and fruit. Enjoy!

 -Tammy

Health tips:   kid-friendly

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