recipes
kelley's asian tuna salad
craving sushi on a diet, i decided to make a healthy version of it, of course without rice and all its carbs.
ingredients: ~ spinach (baby spinach or romaine) ~ 1 can of dolphin safe light tuna or white tuna ~ 365 brand soy ginger sauce (organic) ~ 1 avocado ~ ground ginger (optional, to taste) directions: grab a big bowl. throw in a generous handful of spinach or romaine. chop up half of a ripe avocado into small bite size pieces and set aside. on a plate, mix tuna, avocado, soy ginger sauce and ground ginger (if desired). place tuna mix on top of salad. enjoy! |
kelley's healthy buffalo wing chicken salad
i came up with this one on a fluke. its easy, quick and tasty.
ingredients: ~ spinach (baby spinach, romaine, or kale) ~ 1 to 1 1/2 chicken breast (depending on the size, fully cooked) ~ 1 packet mccormick buffalo wing seasoning mix or frank's buffalo or hot buffalo sauce ~ 2 tablespoons sour cream (do not use fat free please, use light or full fat) ~ 1 avocado directions: grab a big bowl. throw in a generous handful of spinach, romaine, or kale. chop up half of a ripe avocado into small bite size pieces and set aside. chop up chicken and throw into salad. sprinkle a generous amount of the seasoning mix over salad (i just think it mixes better in the end) and/or some frank's sauce. add sour cream to salad and mix well. throw in avocado and mix gently. enjoy! |
kelley's famous pasta sauce
i know, with a name like kelley, you wouldn't think i make a great pasta sauce. my mother who is full blooded italian thinks this sauce rivals her fathers and surpasses her own!
ingredients: ~ 1 red onion (small or medium, depending on how much you like onion) ~ 1 to 2 tablespoons minced garlic ~ 3-7 bay leaves ~ 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper ~ 1 teaspoon black pepper ~ 1/2 to 1 teaspoon basil ~ 1 teaspoon oregano ~ 1/2 to 1 1/2 cup olive oil ~ 3 28 ounce cans crushed tomatoes (any brand) instructions: grab a big pot. place on stove under a very low flame. pour olive oil, cut up onion, and minced garlic in and watch closely. you want to warm up the oil sauté the onion and garlic a bit, stir. after about 5-10 minutes (when the onion is a bit browned and softened up), throw in the bay leaves and stir. after about 1-2 minutes, you will want to throw in the 3 cans of tomatoes and stir (the way I make this sauce, i don't require water or tomato paste). at this point, add the red pepper, black pepper, basil, and oregano. bring to a soft boil (making sure you don't burn the bottom!). once at a boil, you want to lower the heat to the lowest setting possible. you can taste the sauce to see if you like the ratio of spices and oil. add more of anything to your tasting. simmer for at least 1 hour. serving suggestions: any pasta will do. i prefer shredded mozzarella, shredded parmesan, or fresh grated pecorino romano. you can even add fresh baby spinach (which will wilt from the heat of the pasta and sauce) for an extra veggie serving). |
kelley's favorite summer salad
a great, easy, and filling salad with a lot of flavors!
ingredients: ~ spinach (baby spinach, romaine, or kale) ~ 1 to 1 1/2 chicken breast (depending on the size, fully cooked) ~ tomatoes on the vine (or cherry tomatoes) ~ 1 avocado ~ shredded carrots ~ olives instructions: grab a big bowl. throw in a generous handful of spinach, romaine, or kale. throw in chopped chicken breast, tomatoes, olives, and carrots. mix together. chop up half of a ripe avocado into small bite size pieces and place in salad. add your favorite dressing (if desired) and enjoy! serving suggestions: i personally prefer light ranch (any brand you prefer), maple grove farms of vermont asiago & garlic dressing, or if you're really watching your calories, skinny girl poppyseed dressing. |
kelley's favorite ranch dip
an extremely simple and quick dip to make!
ingredients: ~ 16 ounce container of sour cream (do not use fat free please, use light or full fat) ~ 1 packet hidden valley ranch salad dressing & seasoning mix instructions: empty sour cream into a bowl. empty ranch mix into bowl and mix until smooth. serving suggestions: i love this mix with pretzels, fresh raw broccoli, and carrot sticks. |
kelley's moscato spritzer
this is a light drink great for anytime. chilled, it is a great summer cocktail.
ingredients: ~ moscato sangria (i prefer carlo rossi) ~ lemon lime, cherry, or plain seltzer ~ desired fruit for garnish (if desired) instructions: if you're premixing a batch, grab a pitcher. fill pitcher half way to three quarters full (depending on how strong you want your drinks), just eye ball it. fill the rest with your choice of seltzer. chill in fridge for at least an hour. you can add ice, but I feel it just waters it down. if you're in a hurry, stick the wine bottle in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. |
tater tot casserole (kelley's version)
despite their family dynamic and recent issues, the duggar clan came up with a great recipe! I must admit, it looks questionable if you haven't tried it, but once you do, you will be addicted! for my version, I tweaked it so that its vegetarian (not vegan) and its just as yummy, if not more so!
ingredients: ~ 32 ounce bag of frozen tater tots (any brand) ~ 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup (if you want it extra creamy, if not, one can, any brand) ~ 1 can of evaporated milk (any brand) ~ 1 small red onion (if you like onion) ~ black pepper (to taste) directions: preheat oven to 350 degrees. dice half the onion and set aside (you can use the whole onion if you want). combine cans of soup, 1/2 can of evaporated milk (at first to see how liquid the mixture is) add more, you want the mixture to be pourable. once mixture is the way you like it, add diced onion and black pepper (if desired). mix with hand mixer (its just easier this way) or hand whisk. empty container of tots into a casserole dish right out of the freezer. dump soup mixture over tots so that it covers tots evenly. place in oven for at least 30-45 minutes (I usually keep it in for 40-60 minutes), checking every 10 minutes. take out when desired outcome is reached (I like it the way it comes out in the picture). enjoy! serving suggestions: i like to pile this casserole onto a big pile of raw baby spinach. the heat from the casserole will wilt the spinach nicely. i love a little black pepper and salt on top. |
onion dip
an extremely simple recipe that my mother and I have been making for over 30 years. super simple!
ingredients: ~ 16 ounce container of sour cream (do not use fat free please, use light or full fat) ~ box of dry onion soup mix (they usually come 2 packets to a box, any brand) directions: empty container of sour cream into a small bowl. empty at least 1 packet of soup mix into bowl (if you like it extra salty and oniony, add a little more of another packet, but start with 1 at first to taste) and mix together. set in fridge for at least 20 minutes. serving suggestions: if you're having chips with this, i suggest utz brand ruffle chips. |
kelley's healthy power salad
if you need a mega healthy yet tasty salad after the dip and casserole then look no further. I saw one my ex bosses put chunks of avocado in her salad in place of dressing, and its so good!
ingredients: ~ spinach (baby spinach, romaine, or kale) ~ fresh broccoli ~ tomatoes on the vine (or cherry tomatoes) ~ avocado ~ red onion (if you like it) directions: grab a big bowl. throw in a generous handful of spinach, romaine, or kale. throw in chopped broccoli, tomatoes, and red onion. mix together. chop up half of a ripe avocado into small bite size pieces and place in salad. add your favorite dressing (if desired) and enjoy! serving suggestions: i personally prefer light ranch (any brand you prefer), maple grove farms of vermont asiago & garlic dressing, or if you're really watching your calories, skinny girl poppyseed dressing. |