Macaroni Vegetable Soup

As the winter enters our lives, I typically go into soup mode. I love my soups and a variety of them, nothing goes better on a cold winter day then a hearty soup to warm you up. Growing up my family always made sure to have a pot of soup on the stove during this time of year, I would normally go with a big bowl of soup and that would be my meal throughout the day but for others you may want to try a small soup and a sandwich.

Vegetables are a part of any soup and you can add as many as you like but to get the soup to be more hearty you have to add a pasta to the mix, macaroni goes well with this dish but you can use small tube pasta or bow tie pasta in place of the macaroni for those that may not like it. A broth is always part of any soup and my choice of broth here was chicken but vegetable can go just as good.

Inspired by Family

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Macaroni Vegetable Soup Recipe

Servings: 6  Prep Time: 10 minutes  Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

Quinoa Thai Tuna

I can't say enough about how I enjoy trying new foods especially when the food is a healthy choice like Quinoa, now quinoa is a grain like crop which is closely related to spinach, this would explain it's high protein and best of all it lacks gluten. The quinoa seeds are generally cooked like rice and it has been labeled by some as a super food not only high in protein but also fiber, magnesium, iron and calcium.

I looked around to find some foods that I would enjoy with the quinoa and with my taste leaning towards fish, tuna seemed like the best choice after some research but not just any kind of tuna, canned tuna with spicy thai chili flavouring. The quinoa will stick to the tuna and some fruit and vegetables added will give you an added boost of flavour and have your taste buds quite content.

Inspired by Cloverleaf Recipes 

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Quinoa Thai Tuna Recipe

Servings: 2  Prep Time: 5 minutes  Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

Steam to Skillet Vegetables

I like to keep experimenting with a healthy side, growing up I didn't enjoy my vegetables as much as I should have or do now, besides carrots, onions, lettuce and cucumbers. Those where as far as my vegetables got at a young age. I slowly started to incorporate vegetables more and more as my teen years progressed and my young adult years. The health benefits of vegetables are great and none are better the broccoli.

This green plant is high in Vitamin C and dietary fiber, it is rich in lutein and is great for the human immune response system which boosts DNA repair. What you need to remember is that broccoli is best steamed or stir fried, boiling broccoli will reduce all the health benefits you would get from this great vegetable. I like to add a variety of vegetables to go along with broccoli, carrots are normally my companion choice but you can add any vegetable that you enjoy.

Inspired by Family

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Steam to Skillet Vegetables Recipe

Servings: 2  Prep Time: 2 minutes  Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

Spicy Homemade Fries

The classic side of fries, something we all grew up enjoying whether we added them with our wings or burgers or just had them on their own and made them a sort of meal to enjoy to ourselves. The only thing I would change from then and now is to avoid the deep frying, as you get older, you start looking at certain things to avoid but baking the fries, keeps a classic favourite on the menu.

Creating your own homemade fries is one of the easier meals you can make, you can add any spice that you enjoy to the fries and just have to make sure you cook the potato to a proper temperature. I enjoy adding some spice to just about anything and that doesn't change with my fries. This classic is made to taste and makes ketchup an unneeded necessity with this dish but for those that love to dip their fries in ketchup, dip away.

Inspired by Family

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Spicy Homemade Fries

Servings:  4  Prep Time:  10 minutes  Cook Time:  25 minutes

Ingredients

Mushrooms Sauteed with Garlic

I always try to find a healthy side to go with my entrees. Vegetables are always a great choice as a side for just about anything, whether your eating fish, meat or chicken. The best things about vegetables is that you can heat up the majority of them and with the right mix and blend of ingredients turn them it a wonderful side.
I have to admit I enjoy just about any vegetable and growing up my family always made sure to have a garden growing in the summer months. As I got older I decided to get a little space for myself in the garden and try growing some vegetables.

I planted sweet and hot peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes to name a few and every year would experiment with a vegetable that I hadn't tried before, one of the best experiments involved corn until the neighbourhood racoons though it was time to snack on them and that was the end of that. The one vegetable though that just never seemed to grow right where mushrooms but I'm always glad that the local grocer has a bunch of them to choose from. So after quite a few experiments in the kitchen, I feel that I have found the right tasting side of mushrooms for any plate. These mushrooms will have your company asking for seconds.

Inspired by Family

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Mushrooms Sauteed with Garlic

Servings : 4  Prep Time: 10 minutes  Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

Yummy Homemade Meatballs

There are times I like to walk into the kitchen with an idea and that was exactly the case that happened when I decided to try making homemade meatballs. We all need some inspiration and watching television helps, a simple plate of spaghetti and meatballs got me thinking, that I wanted to try making some homemade meatballs. I know that to make meatballs an egg and some bread crumbs are needed but I though why not add some of my favourite spices to the mix.

The mind started working overtime and I do my best to stay away from deep frying anything, so baking the meatballs was the only way I was going to go with this, you can add any spices you enjoy, it's your meatball make it the way you like. The keys to remember is the size that you want your meatballs to be and ground beef isn't the only option, for some you can always use ground turkey, chicken or lamb. Enjoy the meatballs on their own or add some veggies or pasta to go with them.

Inspired by Food Network

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Yummy Homemade Meatball Recipe

Servings: 4  Prep Time: 15 minutes  Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

Fusilli Turkey Skillet Meal

Growing up in a busy household my mom would do her best to make sure their was a meal ready for dinner so we could all sit down and eat during the weekdays together, when there wasn't much time to stir up a meal mom would make something quick to feed the hungry household and at the same time make sure that it was filling and flavourful, this meal goes somewhat along the lines that I learned growing up.

The skillet meal is something we can all make when we are pressed for time and you can make it with either ground turkey or ground beef, ground anything you like really. The meal is done and ready to eat in about 20 minutes time, the key here is to have a skillet large enough to fit the pasta and ground turkey at the same time. A large skillet or wok would work best for you. Don't worry if you don't have fusilli on hand, penne can work just as well. I also looked for a version that was low in calories but offered the same great taste.

Inspired by 400 Calorie Fix

Fusilli Turkey Skillet Recipe

Servings: 6  Prep Time: 5 minutes  Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients 

Spicy Kidney Bean Stew with Sausage

Growing up in a Western European family, there where always a few dishes that I loved when my family made it. The spicy kidney bean stew with sausage was right up there. I really enjoyed the richness of the beans, the sauce that I would use bread for dipping and the smoked sausage with its spicy flavour really gave it that final kick. This was one meal that I would not hesitate asking for seconds and at times thirds.

The dish takes just over 30 minutes to make and is a warm meal on a cold night but this doesn't mean you can't enjoy it when its hot outside. The choice of kidney beans is important, make sure you choose a brand name for a few cents more it will keep the beans from going mushy. The choice of sausage is up to you, you can go with a mild smoked sausage if your not a fan of spice. I personally enjoy the hot version of smoked sausage. You can pick up the sausage at your local butcher shop.

Inspired by Family

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Servings: 6  Prep Time: 10 minutes  Cook Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

Garlic Baked Basa Fish

The Basa Fish as it is known in North America is a type of catfish that is native to Asia, the white fish is a fresh water fish and can be bought at relatively cheap price due to them being a very fast growing fish. The Basa Fish is becoming a very popular in North America not only for it's low price but the fact it is a very tasty fish. The fish is high in protein and low in fat and contains the good fat that we all need in Omega 3.

This recipe takes less then 30 minutes to bake and is great for a week night meal, if you make a few servings then you can take it to work for lunch the next day or have it again for dinner the following night. Baking fish is one of the healthier ways you can make fish and more importantly your home wont have any odor as you would get from frying the fish. Add your favourite side to go along with the Basa, whether that be rice, pasta or vegetables.

Inspired by Kara's Favourite Recipes

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Garlic Baked Basa Fish Recipe

Servings: 2  Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes 

Ingredients