Healthy Make Over: Salmon Patties

Growing up, my mom had always made these delicious salmon patties. They were dipped in flour and deep fried in Vegetable Oil. They are INCREDIBLE. This past week I was curious on what to make with the extra Salmon I had on hand. Last week I made some yummy Coconut Crusted Salmon and had 4 pieces of Salmon left in the big bag of Salmon I got a really good deal on at the store. I’ve never been a fan of just plain Salmon or slightly marinated Salmon, I grew up eating it deep fried. When I came across the coconut recipe I figured I should give it try, and the big bag of it was cheaper than buying 2, 2 packs. But anyways, I had extra Salmon and you should really compare prices on all the different Salmon options you have at your store if you are a big Salmon lover.

My husband brought up the idea of Salmon patties. I was like, “YES!” I love Salmon Patties. But we have been eating our “dinner for lunches” on the healthier side. I like it that way. Not for dieting purposes, for health purposes. So I began to ponder if there was a healthier way to make them. Needless to say, after 1.5 hours in the kitchen experimenting, I had some delicious Salmon patties ready to dig into that came with no guilt. So I am excited to share the recipe with you. It is super easy to cook and you probably already have most of the ingredients on hand.

Ingredients 

• 4 fresh Salmon Filets (skinless)
• 1 cup of Bread Crumbs (any kind, I used Traditional)
• 2 teaspoons of Dijion Mustard
• 2 Teaspoons of Soy Sauce
• 1 Teaspoon of Sriracha (our your favorite hot sauce)
• 1/4 Cup of Diced Onions
• 2 Tablespoons of Fresh Parsley (chopped)
• 3 Eggs
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1.5 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Whip it up

1. In a Blender or Food Processor, Chop together your Salmon, Eggs, and Parsley until the Salmon and Parsley is minced and the eggs are fully beaten. (You can beat eggs separate and Chop up the Salmon and Parsley by hand if you wish.)
2. Mix the Salmon and Egg Mixture along with a nice pinch of Salt and Pepper, The Onions, The Soy Sauce, The Dijon Mustard, The Sriracha, and the Bread Crumbs together in a large bowl.
3. Heat oil in pan on Medium High Heat. While it is heating up, pat out your Salmon mixture into patties.
4. Once Oil is heated, cook the patties on each side for 4-5 minutes or until Golden Brown.
5. EAT! 🙂

Serve with whatever your favorite veggies are. I served mine with Steamed Broccoli and Sauteed Mushrooms and Green Beans. It was delicious!

Have any questions or comments? What is your favorite way to eat Salmon. Comment below!

Easy Smothered Fried Porkchops

Happy New Year! I hope all of you had an amazing Holiday season. Over the Holiday Season, my husband was home for two whole weeks. He works second shift so to have all of that time with him was amazing and much needed. Over the long awaited break, I made some pretty yummy foods. probably the favorite dish I made was Smothered Fried Pork Chops. It is a super simple recipe with minimal work and minimal ingredients. Despite the minimal, it is packed full of delicious flavor that will leave you going back for seconds. It is certainly a comfort food. I adapted the recipe from my dad’s recipe. He has the same exact recipe except instead of Pork Chops he used Venison. It has always been a favorite meal of mine so when I didn’t have any Venison on hand, I got creative. Prepare to have your meal rotation changed forever, because once you try this, you won’t be able to make it just once!

What you need:

• 1 Can of Cream of Mushroom
• Half a can of Milk for Soup (whatever your favorite milk is)
• 4-6 Porkchops
• 1 Cup of Flour
• 1/2 cup of Milk for Dipping
• 1/2 Tablespoon of Salt
• 1/2 Tablespoon of Pepper
• Vegetable Oil (or Canola)

Now..for the simple prep!

1. Heat your oil up in a skillet on medium high heat (use enough oil to cover half way up your pork chop, about an inch).
2. While your oil is heating up, mix up your salt,pepper, and flour in a shallow bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, pour your 1/2 cup of milk.
4. Dip your Pork Chops in your milk being sure to shake the excess off and then into the flour mixture, making sure the entire Chop is fully coated.
5. Once Oil is heated, fry your Pork Chops and then set them aside on a paper towel lined plate.
6. In a separate pan, bring your half can of Milk and can of Cream of Mushroom Soup to a boil.
7. Once it is boiling, turn down heat to low and let simmer for 5 minutes.
8. Add in Pork Chops into soup mixture and coat both sides.

They are now ready to serve. SEE HOW EASY?! And it is AMAZING. Serve with some mashed potato and rolls and then wah lah, you have the perfect meal! My husband devoured it.

Let me know how your family enjoys this easy recipe. I love hearing feedback from you.

Slow Cooker Meal: Cherry Chai Chicken

Since my husband has started working 2nd Shift, quick meals have become something I have learned to embrace. We now make dinner for lunch so my husband can enjoy a nice home cooked meal everyday. They cut down on prep time and cooking time and gives me more time to hang out with my handsome hubby before he leaves me for the day. Since I love to cook, I wasn’t up for just eating frozen food everyday that we heat up (nothing wrong with it, it just takes away a piece of my passion). I quickly learned that Slow Cookers are where it’s at. You prep it all the night before and when you wake up, it’s all ready to dig into. I rarely cooked in my slow cooker before, so I grabbed an old cook book (Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade: slow cooker recipes) my mom bought me years ago that was centered around slow cooker meals. The Cherry Chai Chicken really stood out to me because I love fruit infused meats and I absolutely LOVE Chai Tea lattes. Since I am about saving money at the grocery store, and knew I wanted to buy some Chai Tea to make some lattes now that fall has arrived, the recipe seemed even better. So I quicky wrote it down on my meal list. I ended up tweaking the recipe some to make it cost effective, to alter it to my family’s liking, and to fit my 10 quart slow cooker vs a 5 quart one that the original recipe called for, I will note any changes.

What you need: 

3 Chicken Breasts (the original recipe called for thighs, I prefer boneless, skinless chicken breasts)

Salt and Pepper

1 cup of Frozen Pitted Cherries (most bags are around 2-3 cups, so think smoothies for leftovers!)

Half an Onion Sliced (or diced up, my husband likes to pick out his onions so slices make it easier for us)

3 Chai Spice Tea Bags (original recipe called for 2)

1 cup of Cherry Preserves (original recipe calls for 1/2 cup)

2.5 cups of 100% Real grape Juice (the original recipe called for 1/2 any port wine for a 5 quart slow cooker)

1/2 cup of water (the original recipe did not use any water)

Let’s get cooking:

1. Sprinkle some Salt and Pepper onto your Chicken Breasts and then broil on the lower rack for about 6 minutes. This allows the skin to get a nice firm outer layer. 
2. Layer your Onion Slices, Your Cherries, and your tea bags at the bottom of your slow cooker.
3. Pop your chicken on top of your layers 
4. Mix up your juice, your preserves, and water then pour it all over the chicken.
5. Cover and cook on Low for 4-6 hours.
6. Take your chicken out and sit it aside (covering it up with some foil ensures it will stay warm)
7. Remove your tea bags (Tip: Press them with a spoon to get a little more of the absorbed flavor back into the dish)
8. Put your juice mixture into a pan and bring it to a boil. Cook until it gets to a thickness you like and pour it on top of your chicken.

and that’s it! I served it with some easy flavored rice which paired well with it but the original recipes suggests serving it over some noodles (worth a try!) The chicken was packed full of flavor and will not disappoint, I promise!

If you tried out the original recipe, let me know how it turns out!

Do you guys use your slow cooker meals often or is it a rare occasion in your house?

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3 easy meals, 2 Delicious Dinners, at the price of 1.

Yes. It’s true. You can make delicious meals at an affordable price. The average meal cooked at home will average around $15-$20 a meal and they barely stretch far enough to feed your entire family for dinner.

Over the years of cooking homemade meals I learned very early on that food has gotten super expensive, especially healthy food. The average person will spend $200 at the grocery store weekly, or $600-$800 monthly. No wonder people are flocking to Ramen Noodles and Pizza Rolls. It’s cheap and goes a long way. In turn, our health is suffering and as of now, 1 in every 3 Americans are obese. Some may wonder why, but most of us already know. Healthy Food is simply too expensive and many of us can’t afford to expand our grocery budget even further.

Me and Mr.B have really gotten the urge to eat healthier, but our food budget is already more than we are comfortable with, which is something many wives can relate to. I wasn’t going to just give up and run back to my unhealthy foods, instead I got creative and came up with two healthy meals, that were cost effective, and went a long way.

A big tip in purchasing healthy foods without breaking the bank is to buy items that you can use more than once. Which is what my two meals are really focused on. Not only are they healthy but I fed my family 3 meals, between 2 dinners, at the cost of 1.

Just because you cut costs, doesn’t mean you cut quality either. My family gobbled these meals up, and were left wanting even more. So let’s take a look at the shopping list:

• 1 Beef of Roast 
• 1 large bag of Baby Carrots
• 1 Small Can of Beef Broth
• 1 5lb bag of Potatoes (you’re favorite will work just fine)
• 1 48oz Can of Tomato Juice
• 1 bag of Frozen Green Beans
• 1 Bag of Frozen Corn
• Basil Leaves or Basil the Spice Isle

*I shopped at Kroger, your local grocery store may vary in slightly prices.

So on to Meal #1: Roast

The first meal I made was a classic pot roast full of flavor. It’s amazingly easy to make (can we say slow cooker?!) and it’s DELICIOUS. It is sure to specially please the meat and potato lover (like my hubby). Go ahead and slice up about 5-6 potatoes.

So first thing’s first: Empty your can of Beef Broth into the bottom of your slow cooker, like so…

Next drop your Roast into the broth and cover with salt and pepper to taste (I also added in some seasoned salt I had in the pantry, but this is optional.)

then add a layer of potatoes right on top and cover with some salt (regular or seasoned)

and then do the same with your carrots

Keep Layering Potatoes and Carrots until you run out (use your whole bag of carrots).

After the layering is done, fill your pot up with water until everything is nice and covered.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours (cooking times may vary with each slow cooker.)

All that’s left is to enjoy 🙂

That’s it for the first meal! It took hardly any prep time and it filled our bellies up, all while getting our veggie servings.

Pour your roast into an air tight bowl for safe keeping in the fridge over night for meal #2.

Meal #2: Veggie Soup!

Meal #2 also requires very minimal work and this one cooks in a lot less time.

What you will want to do first is drain the water from the roast and get it ready for this yummy Veggie Soup!

As you are letting it drain, let your tomato juice and about 5 tablespoons of basil (or 3 leaves) come to a simmer on medium high heat.

Once it reaches a simmer, add in your green beans and corn (thawed).

While it’s simmering, cut up your meat and veggies from the roast into bite sized pieces. Then throw them into the soup along with some salt and pepper for taste.

Allow it to simmer for at least 30 minutes, then scoop out a giant bowl full to cool a few minutes before serving.

This soup lasted for dinner AND for lunch the next day for my family. It is delicious and loaded with veggies. It is pleasing in all aspects and I see myself making it again in the near future, especially as fall weather approaches!

And there we have it. 3 meals, 2 dinners, all for the cost of 1. These recipes show that you can create delicious dinners without breaking the bank. It’s always a win when you can please your family and please your budget.

Share these recipes along with others who would enjoy this. I know so many people that struggle to create healthy meals for their family at an affordable cost. These recipes allow you to do both and keep your tummy happy.

I please to do more budget friendly healthy meals so make sure to subscribe to The Wife’s Life and spread the word about this sight to others. We are all in this together!

Easy to do Beef Stew

I’m a little too anxious for Fall to get here. The background on my phone is a bunch of orange and red leaves, I’m dying to get to Starbucks to get the early released Pumpkin Spice latte, and I’ve been dreaming about the fall weather. Today I even ditched my cute pink and white purse for my Deep Brown Michael Kors Purse, which is fall appropriate and I’ve already been painting my nails darker colors and my Pinterest is covered in fall decore ideas (I have a board dedicated just to Fall). Basically, I am DYING for fall to get here. It is certainly my favorite time of year and I am constantly in a good mood when the crisp Fall air arrives. So Beef Stew sounded like the perfect thing to make for dinner. It screams fall. So off to the kitchen I went. Once I posted the photograph below to my Facebook of my scrumptious dinner, the comments flooded in, some asking for the recipe, some telling me just how yummy it looks. So sharing of the recipe was in immediate order. 

It does taste as good as it looks. What I love besides the incredible taste (my mom told me today it was better than her beef stew!) is how quick the prep time is. I spend so much time in the kitchen since I love cooking so much, but some days I feel like I’m missing out on family time. So slow cooker recipes are great to have on hand for those days where you just feel like relaxing and you have SO much leftover you can eat on it for two days, so for the busy wife, this is a wonderful go to recipe. 

The ingredient’s are common and you probably have most of it in your pantry already. 

Ingredients: 

• Stewing Beef (1.5-2 pounds). You can find it at any grocery store all cut up and ready to go for you.
• A bag of Frozen Peas
• 1/2 of a large onion
• 2 celery ribs
• 3 cups of baby carrots 
• 3 cups of Beef Broth
• 1/2 cup of All Purpose Flour
• 1 tablespoon of Vegetable Oil
• 28oz of tomato juice 
• 10 large potatoes 
• 1.5 teaspoons of Italian seasoning (you can buy this in your spice isle in a shaker or a packet)
• 3 Bay Leaves (I found it in the Mexican Food Isle at Kroger, your grocery store may have it with the vegetables or spice isle)
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of pepper

 

1. Pour your tomato juice into the bottom of your slow cooker.
2. Cut your Potatoes into 4 pieces, slice your carrots and celery, and cut your onions into large pieces. Put all of it into your crock pot and cover the veggies with the Italian seasoning and the salt and pepper.
3. Coat your pan with oil and brown your stewing beef until it is almost done, with a slotted spoon scoop the beef into your pot.
4. Pour 2.5 Cups of the Beef Broth over your veggies and beef and give everything a good stir.
5. Place the Bay Leaves on top of your stew being sure you can pull them out when the stew is done.
6. Cover and Cook on low for 7-8 hours (cooking times may vary with each and every pot).
7. About 30 minutes before your stew is done remove the Bay leaves and stir in your peas.
8. Whisk your flour and 1/2 cup of beef broth together to make a paste in a separate bowl. Then stir it into the stew and let it cook the remaining 30 minutes.

Now you have a delicious stew that will please your entire family. I served it with some Jiffy Corn Muffins to top it off! 

Be sure and subscribe to The Wife’s Life so you can keep up with other amazing recipes like this. You don’t want to miss out.

Happy Eating 🙂

 

Easy Peasy Cheesy Loaded Potato Soup

Yes, easy peasy. So easy I could sit down and watch the finale of Season 1 of the Next Great Baker on Netflix while cooking it. So this recipe is great for those nights you don’t want to spend an hour in the kitchen making dinner.

And it’s sooooooooo good! Seriously, our bowls are spotless when we finish eating it.

Me and my husband usually aren’t crazy about soups for dinner. A lot of them leave you hungry within an hour, that’s why many of them are served before a meal or on the side at restaurants. Not this one though. No, not this one. This one is so filling it takes you back to Thanksgiving when you stuffed your stomach full of many different types of food. Except this is done in less than 30 minutes- no slaving over the stove! and it’s all in one pan, so you aren’t cleaning up for hours, and chances are you already have most of this stuff in your kitchen right now.

So here’s what you need:

• 4 cups of Diced Potatoes (it equaled to be 4 medium russet potatoes for me)
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped onion
• 2 1/3 cups of water
• Salt
• Pepper
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 2 cups of milk
• A few hand fulls of shredded cheddar cheese
• A small bag of real bacon bits
• Parsley (it doesn’t have to be fresh parsley, you can use it out of a spice jar, I did)

and here’s how you make it:

1. Take your butter and get it nice and melted in a non-stick skillet. 
2. Add your onions to the butter once your butter is nice and melted, then saute it until the onions are nice and brown. At this point your kitchen should start to smell pretty darn good.
3. Next add your potatoes, your water, and about 8 dashes of salt and 8 dashes of pepper. You can adjust it to your liking, I know my mother would probably load it down with salt.
4. Bring that to a nice boil, then lower it down to a medium setting and let it simmer until all the water is almost gone and the potatoes are nice and tender. Tip: stir as little as possible to keep the potatoes from mushing up on you when they start to get tender.
5. When the potatoes are nice and done, add in your milk, the bacon bits (if you really love bacon, you can add even more), and about 4-6 tablespoons of Parsley. Stir it up (carefully) then bring it to a boil.
6. Once it’s came to a boil, remove it from heat, let it set about 5 minutes, and then begin to serve. Take a hand full of Shredded Cheddar Cheese and pile it on top of your soup for that final touch that really pulls the soup together.Now all you have to do is enjoy your heaven in a bowl 🙂 

We ate it with crackers but it would pair nicely with bread or just simply by itself.

I can promise you, this is one dish you won’t be making just once. It’s perfect for a cozy winter afternoon but honestly, I know you’ll be making it even in the summer time. It’s THAT good.

3 ingredient Polish Sausage and Potato One Skillet Dinner.

As my first blog post over at The Wife’s Life, I wanted to feature a recipe. Cooking is truly my passion and has been my entire life, not just after being married. I remember being 10 and creating some concoctions (like toast with jelly cut up into cute rectangles served up on a pretty plate, drizzled with chocolate) because my heart was set on being a chef when I grew up. My food wasn’t bad then but I can certainly say it’s actually much better now that I have many more years of cooking under my belt. 

One thing that has changed since my childhood cooking ventures is that a picky eater has entered my life aka my husband. He has a very distinct pallet and can pick up on every little flavor and there are a few things he swears off from ever even trying in his life, like mayonnaise. I know. I gasped too when I found this out. But his distinct pallet and picky eating ways have opened me up to new cooking challenges that have certainly made me grow. I know I can count on him to give me honest opinions on my cooking, that way, if something needs improved, I know to go back and try again until it’s perfected. As a wife, I know the great feeling of your husband telling you just how delicious dinner was, and the delight that comes when he asks you to please make it for him again. So husband approved dinners is something I plan on writing about often. As well as other recipes that you and/or your husband may love, that my husband may not (like spinach dip, yeah, he refuses to try it, mayonnaise). 

On to the recipe. This one is something my husband really loves. Him and his whole family are all big meat and potato eaters. This dinner is perfectly themed around the meat and potato lover. He requested I make it this week, so I thought, why not make this my first blog post while I’m at it. This recipe is SUPER easy and will please even the pickiest eater. The ingredient list is tiny, the items are inexpensive, and everyone’s bellies will be full.

So here’s what you need:

• Polish Sausage (either in smaller links or one long link)
• 4 large Russet Potatoes (or whatever your favorite potato may be)
• 1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
• 6 tablespoons of Vegetable Oil
• Water
• Salt
• I used some of Lowry’s Seasoned Salt, but it is totally optional.

Your first step will be to peel and slice all of your potatoes into round slices. Rinse them off and place them in a big bowl of ice cold water and then put the bowl in the fridge for an hour. This allows the starch to be pulled away from the potatoes. The starch can make frying potatoes a nightmare. It can cause your outside to cook way quicker than your inside, and no one likes burnt potatoes. So soak those potatoes guys. After the hour, just rinse them off and pat them dry.

See the icky starch leftover?

 

Now heat up about 6 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a skillet on medium high heat until it barely starts to bubble. While waiting for the oil to heat up, slice your polish sausage into half inch round pieces and sprinkle with salt and pepper or Lowry’s seasoned salt.

 

When the oil is ready, turn it down to medium heat and add in your sausage. Cook until it’s a browned.

Remove the sausage from the skillet with a slotted spoon (so the oil can drain back into the pan) and sit it off to the side. Now, add your potatoes and sprinkle with a tablespoon of garlic powder (or more for a higher garlic kick) and fry them until they are a golden brown. When the potatoes are done, place your sausage back into the skillet and stir until it’s all mixed together. Sprinkle on top with salt, and then BAM, you are done. See?! How easy! and SO yummy. 

May I add that is serves amazingly with Mac and Cheese?! but it also stands amazingly alone. 

 

This is certainly a household favorite. Who doesn’t love a little meat and potatoes? 

 

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