Chicken & Vegetable Curry Soup

Mr.Hooah & I, we like to read. I read more than him, however, if a book intrigues us, we buy it. Sometimes we read them half way through then lose interest or we just don't get around to reading them at all & they sit around our house collecting dust as decoration! I think we have a problem because we have A LOT of books that are 'decorations'... compulsive book buyer disease, maybe? Haha. Any who, sometime last year, we went into Dollar Tree & we passed the little book section they have towards the back & a book caught my eye. Now don't criticize me because I don't have any kiddos but the recipes/tips in the book is why I got it: The Mommy Diet, by Alison Sweeney, host of The Biggest Loser. I thought, hey, it's only $1! (besides that, it had a $24 price sticker on it, so I consider that a deal lol) Oh & not to mention, I love Alison! I cook with a couple of recipes out of this book & the Vegetable Curry Soup is one of them! TWEAKED BY ME THOUGH, OF COURSE! I add in chicken & instead of pintos I opted to use chick peas because they're full of protein & I hate pintos... Most curry's are full of not so good for you ingredients & some are super heavy & fattening, but this is a colorful, flavorful, lean, clean, yummy light soup that is filling & super good for you! 
Now how can you feel bad about that?! 

What You'll Need:

1-2 TBSP EVOO

1 1/2 c. chopped red onion (about 2 medium)

1 large red(or green) pepper, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

3-4 stalks celery, chopped

1 TBSP minced garlic

1 TBSP curry powder

1(14oz.) can diced tomatoes--I use Hunts fireroasted garlic

2 Bay leaves 

1 box chicken stock

2 cans chicken, drained-- I give mine a rough chop 

1 can chick peas, drained

1/4 c. creamy or crunchy peanut butter--I use almond butter

1 bunch cilantro-- I just tear off the top & roughly chop

1(6oz.) bag baby spinach, roughly chopped

1/2 tsp. salt

Dash or two of black pepper

• Heat EVOO in saucepan (less mess is my motto, so I just use a pot to do this in so I won't have other dishes to clean lol) over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, carrot, & celery; saute until veggies are soft/onions are translucent.
• Add the garlic & curry; saute until fragrant, about 1minute (do not burn garlic). Add the tomatoes & bay leaves, cook uncovered until the tomatoes slightly reduce, about 3 mins or so.
• Add chicken & the stock, bring to a boil. Reduce heat & simmer for about 8-10minutes. Add chick peas & peanut butter, stir to combine. Add cilantro & spinach, cook until thoroughly heated & spinach wilts, about 2minutes. Season with salt & pepper. 

TIP: I will say that it isn't a very "soupy" soup, you can add more chicken stock if you like...We usually have a good bit of this leftover & after it sits, the liquid absorbs so I usually just add in more chicken stock & reheat.

Easy Sesame Salmon

I tried a recipe tonight & I knew I had to share it after one bite! Mr.Hooah & I like trying new foods, however, he is SUCH a Picky-Pete! When something is put before him (i.e. brussel sprouts), he acts like a kid & whines until I threaten "No dessert if you don't clean your plate" Joking Joking LOL. But on the other hand I am not as bold as he when it comes to going outside the lines of your basic meats... Mr.Hooah likes loves eel sushi, cow tongue tacos, swordfish & lamb. All I can think of when he gets lamb at our local Mongolian Grill, is a little white lamb "BAAAAAAAAAAAA'ing" its sweet little face off LOL! So ummm, no sirreeeee, NOT FOR ME! Needless to say, our fridge is always packed full of chicken, turkey burger, & steaks... we don't really do fish often & if we do, it's talapia, but I tried this salmon recipe a friend recommended & it was so delicious. I liked salmon before but THIS salmon, I LOVE!!! I cannot tell you all how much I love love loooooove asian food! (I'm not just stereotyping myself ither lol) The honey tones down the heat from the sriracha & the salmon was so moist & cooked perfectly in the 10 minutes it took to cook. I mean, 10 minutes, how stinkin easy is that?! This is definitely a winner for Mr.Hooah & I! We are going to make sure we add this to the next meal plan for sure! Hope you guys enjoy it too! (:

Easy Sesame Salmon 

1 TBSP Sriracha

1/2 c. soy sauce

1 TBSP honey

2 TBSP sesame oil

Salmon Steaks

Toasted sesame seeds

• Mix together all ingredients except the salmon and sesame seeds. 
• Marinate the salmon in the sriracha mixture for 3 or more hours in the fridge. 
• Pat salmon dry with paper towels. 
• Put toasted sesame seeds on a plate & press one side of the salmon into the sesame seeds.
• Bake on a foil lined baking sheet, sesame side up, at 425' for 10 minutes.

My Unhealthy Lemon Obsession

It seems like lately I have been unusually crafty. Time to do it is stretched tho because I run a small side business specializing in custom tutu's, bows, ACU keyfobs, embroidered beach towels, & custom embroidery for all the little cutie cakes out there (boutique type items but at a fraction of the boutique price!) The house stuff is coming along, we have finally gotten settled in!  I was looking online a few months ago & I ran across the cutest lemon wreath (I became obsessed with it lol), it was on sale for way cheaper than originally priced but still I looked around hobbylobby & other craft stores for about a week & picked up stuff to make one myself because I couldn't see myself paying even the sale price of $39+shipping for it, but every time it came down to getting fake lemons, NONE of what I found looked the least bit realistic so I would put everything back...so then, yes, I broke down & added that cute lil lemony wreath to my shopping cart & upon checkout, the total came to a whopping $79! PUMP THE STINKIN BRAKES YO! Those people have bumped their noggins, HARD! I went BACK to hobbylobby (I'm pretty sure the workers there know me by name lol) & I got a wreath & some floral that happened to be on sale & then went to DollarTree where I remembered they sometimes sold fake fruit & then badda-bing-badda-boom, my lemon wreath was born! I was also searching around for cute italian/french signs to make for my kitchen & BAM! I found an Italian lemon sign & knew instantly I just HAD to make it to go above the garage entry door to pair with my wreath in the kitchen! So here is where my inspiration for the 'lemon sign' came from, & now here is mine! Mr.Hooah stayed up with me because he had to break down a pallet, I finished around 5am so we call the lemons I painted, "The 5am Lemons" haha.

Herbs de Provence

2013 was a pretty great year, packed full of blessings for Mr. Hooah & I! But out with the old & in with the new, right?! I decided that I needed to keep up with my blog more & it definitely needed a face-lift so here we are! I changed things around a smidge & gave her a new look. Boy, did she need it! Now onto the point of this post...I don't know if I've ever told any of you how much I LOVE Herbs de Provence, so incase I didn't & just so you'll know now, I LOOOOVE it! I, like most NYR's (New Years Resolution, but in this case 'NYResolutioners'!!), I am trying to "health" up our life.. I already try to make everything I cook healthier & I swapped out ground beef for turkey burger & brown rice for quinoa (it is FULL of protein & healthier for you) a long time ago.. I just really want to start incorporating more fresh fruits, veggies, & etc. I have an amazing recipe for my favorite: Roasted Veggie Quinoa (The post for this coming soon!) that I found on Pinterest, along with a recipe for Herbs de Provence which I tweaked.. I guess it's the Italian-bone in me but I just love the herby-ness of this.. The oregano, basil, & oh man, the fennel! Smells so yummy when your mixing it all together! You can find this in stores but it is usually a little more pricey than I like to pay so I'm definitely down to make my own because most of these spices are ones that I have on hand already. I always say: A penny saved..... Then hear: "is a penny of mine that I never get to see because you spend all my money woman!" <--what Mr.Hooah always tells me if he hears me quote that! Haha! 

Herbs De Provence 

2 TBSP dried savory (if I do not have this, I just use a good dash of sage)

2 TBSP dried rosemary 

2 TBSP dried thyme

2 TBSP dried oregano

2 TBSP dried basil

(The basil & oregano, if I don't have single spices for that I just throw in italian seasoning, same thing!)

2 TBSP marjoram 

2 TBSP dried fennel seed 

2 TBSP parsley

Mix all spices together & store in an airtight container! 

Simple as that! 

 

(I save all my crystal light containers, just in case, & they come in handy like so...)

Happy New Year guys! I know, I know, I have been MIA..we have been all over, trying to finish up our house, Mr. Hooah being on leave & trying to shove two holidays into one with the family & all the hustle & bustle that comes along with the holiday rush, it has just been such a busy time. But, I have made it my NYR to try to be better at blogging & keeping things moving along, so I'm looking into making some changes here & bringing some freshness here too! I haven't forgotten about you guys, I still swing by & read all my favorite blogs & I hope you guys haven't forgotten about me & still check in here from time to time! XO.