Philly Cheesesteak Goodness

I love everything about this recipe. Why is this philly cheeseteak recipe different than others? There is this sauce...a garlic aioli sauce...that is just pure heaven and pulls this entire sandwich together. The best part, other than it tasting fantastic, is that it is another incredibly easy and quick dish. I don't know about your house but once 4 PM hits my house becomes...well not so fun. The kids have had it for the day at that point so the fighting and whining is at an all time high and my nerves are fried. So when I can quickly chop up a few ingredients, throw them in the pan and have it done in under 30 minutes, it saves my sanity a little. I usually have to deconstruct this for my kids because they aren't sandwich fans but it's still always a win.

Grilled Pork Chops

As summer is drawing to a close I thought I would share my new favorite pork chop recipe. Summer food to me means grilled meat, fresh salads, veggies, and of course watermelon. This pork chop recipe is fantastic. Pretty much anything grilled is fantastic but the spice mixture on these chops is bomb (or bomb to the wigwam as my husband would say it). As soon as you get these babies on the grill the air is filled with the most amazing smell, I literally had to stop myself from smelling the marinade bag (kinda weird, don't judge). I like this recipe because it has a good balance of flavors from sweet to spicy.
*When I make it I don't add quite as much of the chili powder (I only do 1 tsp.) because my kids don't like spicy food. This still gives it a tiny bit of heat, but not to much for kids.

Chicken Avocado Ranch Burritos

I love easy meals. I love even better when those easy meals are semi-nutritious as well. This meal comes together in 15 minutes or less which makes it perfect for a busy weeknight. My whole family gobbles these babies up easily which is always a plus because whining at the table is a nerve killer at my house. The thing I love about this recipe is it takes basic California burrito flavors, combines them, and leaves room for you to be able to add your own flare as well.
Don't like avocado, leave it out. Want to add some rice, do it. Wanna change the dressing flavor, go right ahead. This particular ingredient list is just how I like to eat it.

Gnocchi

Gnocchi brings back some good memories for me. About 8 years ago my sister and I decided to have a girls weekend in Las Vegas. It was one of the most memorable weekends of my life. We spent our time being silly and eating the best food ever. For one brunch we stopped at this little Italian restaurant by our hotel where my sister decided to order gnocchi because she had always wanted to try it. It was literally one of the best things I have ever eaten. Ever since then I became obsessed with ordering gnocchi every place I could and never could find anything that tasted quite as good as that. This is when I turned to trying to find a good recipe to use at home. I used to use the boxed kind that you find next to the pasta in the grocery store. It's alright in a pinch but I highly recommend taking the extra time to make it from scratch. It really isn't that hard, just a little time consuming, but I promise it's worth it.

Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice

You guys!! Cauliflower rice is so stinking easy I may just switch over to this instead of making real rice. This came together so quick and tasted so good. If you are looking for an alternative to rice this is it. It's weird how different you can make cauliflower taste. I have made it mashed before and it seriously tasted just like mashed potatoes. Same goes for this recipe. It tasted just as good to me as real cilantro lime rice. I paired this with some Crockpot Black Beans and Cilantro Lime Chicken.

Cilantro Lime Chicken with Guac

One thing that I have learned while doing the Anti-Inflammatory diet is that chicken becomes your new best friend and your worst enemy.
What's for dinner? Chicken. What did you eat for lunch? Chicken. What are you making for breakfast? Probably chicken.  But I am actually okay with it because chicken is so versatile. My favorite recipes are always going to involve some form of Mexican flare to them. There is just something about adding cilantro and avocado to a recipe that makes my taste buds jump with joy.
This recipe is fantastic. Letting the chicken marinade in all the yummy goodness and topping it with this awesome guacamole really make me happy. I paired mine up with some black beans and cilantro and lime cauliflower rice (recipes to follow).

Garlic Baked Salmon

This past year I decided to buy 20 pounds of Alaskan Salmon from Zaycon foods. First off, it's amazing. Second, since I bought so much salmon and wanted to eat it almost every week I have had to find some new ways of cooking it.
This ladies and gents has become my new favorite way to cook it. It's fast, simple, full of flavor, AND there's hardly any cleanup because you cook it in foil.
If any of you know my 5 year old, you know she doesn't eat anything. Like....ANYTHING. But she loves this recipe and always has a large helping of this salmon. I call that a win.