My latest food obsession, Yum Yum sauce

It is not unusual for me to get on these crazy food kicks where I find something I like and end up eating it like it's going to no longer be available. My husband would love to tell those stories! My recent foodie find is Yum Yum sauce. I have had it several times at my favorite Asian eatery and I can't get enough of it. I found it in Kroger by accident the other day and although it was a bit pricey ($4.29) I just had to have it. It came in regular and spicy. I wanted spicy, but figured I would see if the rest of the family would like it too.

You can put it on all kinds of food--- steak, chicken, seafood, veggies, salads and pretty much anything you like. I tried some out in a wrap today and it was pure perfection!

For those of you wondering what it tastes like, it is almost like a kicked up mayo with a saucy, dressingy type of consistency and a tangy sweet taste. I will be getting the spicy next time. Even the husband called me up from work and told me that the Yum Yum sauce "set off" his wrap I sent him for lunch.

Have you tried Yum Yum sauce before?

Easy mid-week meal | Sausage Gumbo Recipe

As a busy mom, I do what I can to take the occasional shortcut at mealtime to help give myself a break. I cook dinner 5-6 times a week and sometimes I want to go with something quick. One of my go-to meals is a simple Sausage Gumbo. I have made traditional gumbo before and it took 2 hours! With this recipe, you don't need a lot of ingredients and the entire meal takes under 30 minutes to cook from start to finish.

All you need is:
1 package sausage of your choice
1& 1/2 cans of stewed tomatoes
1/2 bag of frozen sweet corn
1 bag of frozen cut okra
1/2 bag of frozen onion and pepper blend or you can use fresh if you want (frozen cuts out chopping time)
Ketchup
Sugar (optional)
Sriracha (optional)
Dried seasonings of your choice. I use my usual ones.
Rice of your choice (I use Jasmine)

I start off by putting my rice on to cook. Usually by the time it is done, the rest of the meal will be close to being finished. Next, I slice the sausage in circles and toss them in a heated pan with just a touch of oil. Brown the sausage to your liking and add in stewed tomatoes, okra, corn, onion and pepper mix and about 1/4 cup of ketchup. I add some dried seasonings at this point but avoid too much salt. I add a pinch or two of sugar and a few squirts of sriracha to balance it out. Now add some water. The amount will depend on how soupy you want your sauce. Usually around 3/4 cup works. Now you just simmer on medium heat until the okra gets tender. Taste for any additional seasonings and you are done! You can even add shrimp or chicken if you want to.

I like to bake some corn muffins sometimes and eat the gumbo as a soup without the rice. It's light yet filling and the family loves it.

The newest additions that make me love homemakin' even more

Last week, I witnessed something horrific that I hope I never have to go through again. I watched the top heating element in my oven burn and spark from one end to the other. I was devastated. I use my oven almost daily... sometimes even up to 3 times a day. What was I going to do? I have nagged expressed to my husband over the last 3-4 years how much I would love to upgrade my range and have a convection oven. We made plans to do this next year but I had to do something soon. I searched online and looked at dozen of ranges from different stores. I already knew that the option of convection would more than likely not be in my price range. I was so surprised when I found one that was affordable . I went with a Frigidaire Speed-Bake range from Lowe's. I would have loved the smooth top but since I cook in cast iron pots and pans a few times a week, I knew it wouldn't be a good choice. I had to stick with the old school electric coils. I am SO happy with my purchase and since Sunday, I have baked different things a total of 8 times. Hey, I need to get my practice with the convection feature!

I am loving the gorgeous color I have been getting on my sweet baked goods and the less baking time as well. I just roasted a whole chicken today and it was perfectly brown and crust on the outside and moist and juicy on the inside.

Another item I got this week is the Silpain baking mat. I reviewed the Silpat late last year and was excited to see what the Silpain was like. Silpain is different from Silpat because the surface is like a fine mesh that is made specifically for baking doughs and breads. 

I made my Cheese Spinach & Artichoke Crescents on the Silpain and I could see the difference with how nice and crusty the crescents came out.

Of course, there was no sticking so I was very pleased with the results. I am already making a long list of things I want to bake in the very near future. I better make sure to incorporate some low-fat and healthy items with the desserts and pastry ideas I have in my head :)

I just had to share my newest kitchen toys. If you own a convection oven and have any tips you can share, I would greatly appreciate it!

Eating Light Magazine | Recipes with 400 calories or less!

Kick start your New Year’s resolution to shed those unwanted pounds with help from your favorite magazines!  Good Housekeeping, Redbook, Country Living and Woman’s Day bring you Eating Light, the latest Hearst Special. Eating Light provides a 13-week quick and easy eating plan sure to eliminate all of your diet stresses and guide you on your journey to better health. Each week of the plan features six 400 calorie or less dinner recipes, slim-friendly restaurant suggestions (because a girl’s gotta eat out sometimes) and various ideas for the best breakfasts, lunches and snacks to satisfy your appetite. What’s inside?

*Comfort food recipes with a healthy twist—including pizza, chicken pot pie and chicken fingers!
*Guilt-free “sweet treats” that will make your taste buds pop
*Cheat sheet for restaurant dining without losing control
*Quick tips and guidelines to answer your dieting FAQ’s

Eating Light is available for $9.99 and can be purchased at your local supermarket, newsstand or bookstore. A digital edition is also available at Zinio.com or Nook.bn.com.

I have picked out a few recipes that I will be making soon and I will be sure to post about them. I was so impressed with the variety and love how many vegetarian recipes are in there. This will come in handy for making meals that will please my entire family and helping my husband shed some weight at the same time.

For even more photos and inspiration, check out their Facebook  and Pinterest page.

I received a review copy of the magazine. All opinions expressed are my own.

Sriracha | A must-have in my kitchen

I have talked about my must-have staples in my spice cabinet before, but I left out something very important... sriracha. Sriracha is a sweet, tangy paste made with sun-ripened chili peppers, garlic, vinegar, sugar and salt. I love it SO much. I use it on and in just about everything savory. There is something so perfect about the balance of heat, garlic and chili that makes it irresistible. I think from getting more "mature", I can't seem to handle very spicy, hot condiments like I used to.

It's amazing how a few squirts of sriracha can transform a dish. My husband isn't quite sold and still prefers the traditional West Indian pepper sauce. I need to find sriracha in mini-bottles so I can stash one in my purse! I am serious :-)

Are you a sriracha fan?

Easy Shrimp & Grits {Recipe}

I made this yummy shrimp and grits dish for dinner last night and it was so good, I thought I would share my recipe. It was very easy and doesn't require a lot of ingredients or time. This was my first time cooking this particular dish and I honestly didn't know what to put in it. We were in Whole Foods (my new favorite store) and picked up a 2-pound bag of peeled and deveined Key West shrimp. I came up with the rest of the ingredients off the top of my head.

What you need:
1-2 pounds of peeled, deveined shrimp rinsed and dried (I used 2 lbs)
1 lemon (I used organic Meyer)
Your favorite dried seasonings (you can see my usual ones here)
Sriracha hot sauce (optional but recommended)
3-4 tbsp pure butter
1 small chopped onion
couple cloves finely minced garlic
fresh, chopped Italian parsley
chopped roma tomatoes
Your favorite brand of grits cooked the way you like it.

What you do:
I like to get my grits started first since they take longer to cook than the shrimp. I cook mine for a minimum of 20 minutes and add some sea salt and a couple tablespoons of pure butter.

Next step is to season your shrimp with what you like. Avoid salt because some seasonings have enough salt in them already.

Heat a large skillet on high heat and add 2 tbsp of your butter. Add your chopped onion and saute for a couple minutes. Now add your shrimp and garlic and cook them for a few minutes. Squeeze in a little sriracha to taste and some lemon juice. Now add the rest of your butter (this helps make a sauce). Last, toss in your Italian parsley and chopped roma tomatoes. Take your shrimp off the stove so your tomatoes don't cook. Serve your shrimp over the grits and enjoy!

This meal took me about 25 minutes to make and my family LOVED it. It cost us about $20 for our family of 5. Not bad considering what a restaurant would charge for this! I think next time I will add some fancy cheese to the grits and maybe even some fresh chopped chives or scallions at the end of cooking.

Let me know if you try this recipe!

PERDUE® OVEN READY Chicken Review #gotitfree

I have been cooking since I was at least 12. With so many years of practice under my belt, I have tried many techniques for cooking particular foods and once I find what works, I stick with it. I make a fabulous toasted chicken that comes out perfect every time. When I got the offer to try out the PERDUE® OVEN READY Chicken I was curious. The things that drew me in to want to try it was that it was from a well-known brand and their chickens are raised cage-free, without any hormones or steroids. I am very particular about what chicken I feed my family.

As a BzzAgent, I received a coupon to try out any variety of the Perdue Oven Ready products for free. I went with the whole seasoned roaster since I am not a big chicken breast fan. It was $10.99 and I thought it was a bit expensive. When I picked up the bag I realized that it was very heavy. I opened the outer packaging and inside was a heavy plastic cooking bag that contained the fully seasoned chicken inside. You have no idea how scared I was. I am not used to every using preseasoned chicken (or anything food for that matter) and the fact that it was packed in a bag that was made for cooking meant  that I couldn't sneak my own touches inside. All I had to do was cut a once inch slit over the breast area and put it in my preheated oven for the recommended cooking time. 

The roasted chicken aroma was nice but how was it going to taste? I pulled my chicken out of the oven and cut open the bag. Inside was a gorgeously browned bird full of natural juices. I reserved the drippings to make homemade gravy to go with my side dishes as well as on top of the chicken in the event it was dry. To my surprise and delight, the chicken was super moist and tasty. There was enough seasoning and quite honestly, it tasted like how I would season a whole chicken.

As always, the true test is to see what my family thinks. My husband commented several times and said, "now, that's some good chicken!" He said it tasted like I seasoned it my way and it was extra moist. He even got excited over the thought of the leftover breast sliced up for sandwiches. Usually whenever I cook a whole chicken, we end up wasting it and throwing that last of it away. Not this time!

My overall opinion of this product is that I am very impressed and happy with it. Although it is a lot more than I would pay for a whole chicken, it is worth it. I had to think about when you buy a whole bird, you have to trim it up, remove the giblets, wash it, dry it, season it and quite frankly handle the actual chicken. With Perdue Oven Ready Chicken, you don't have to go through all of that. It's as easy as 1. open 2. cook 3. serve! I think it is a perfect choice for when you are expecting house guests and it's even good enough for your holiday dinner! PERDUE® OVEN READY products are available in-- Whole Seasoned Roasters, Whole Seasoned Roaster Bone-In Breasts and Boneless Chicken Roasts. They retail for about $10.99-$11.99.

You can connect with Perdue on Facebook and Twitter for tips and product updates.

Have you tried the new Cool Whip Frosting yet? #coolwhip

Did you know that Cool Whip now makes frosting? I was thrilled when I first heard about it on the Facebook page and couldn't wait to try it! Lucky for me, my friends from Kraft Foods sent some in all three flavors-- Chocolate, Vanilla and Cream Cheese.

So far, we have tried the cream cheese variety on triple chocolate cupcakes, with sprinkles. We all loved it! It had a nice cream cheese flavor and had that amazing "whipped" texture you can only get from Cool Whip. 

Next up, vanilla on red velvet cupcakes. I know you are thinking, "why didn't you use the cream cheese on the red velvet and the vanilla on the chocolate?" Eh, I figured why not! We all preferred the vanilla flavor over the cream cheese and have yet to try the chocolate. I anticipate that will be very soon since there are two teenage girls that reside in our home bugging me half to death requesting we try it asap!

I am thinking about making a white cake with the chocolate variety and possibly a carrot cake for the cream cheese flavor. If you love Cool Whip, you will really love the new frosting! It is so easy to use and it is delicious!

Have you tried the new Cool Whip Frosting yet?

Can you make a full meal in just 20 minutes? YES, you can!

Do you ever feel like you want to give your family a good home-cooked meal but time is not your friend? Although I cook at least 6 times a week, there are days I am scrambling around trying to figure out what I can cook in a short amount of time. I then remember my go-to, quick fix meal... stewed salmon, green beans and rice. In the time it takes your rice to cook you can have the entire meal cooked and ready to serve.

All you need to make this meal is a can of salmon, a can of stewed tomatoes (or you can use fresh), some sliced onion, garlic and herbs of your choice, a few squeezes of fresh lemon or lime juice, frozen or fresh green beans and any rice you like. All I do is put my rice on to cook first. I then slice up my onion, garlic and herbs and throw them in my pan with a little bit of oil. I then put my can of tomatoes in and a few squeezes of ketchup, lemon juice and some dry seasonings.  While that is cooking a bit, I put my green beans on. In goes my salmon into the tomatoes and I simmer it for a bit and add extra seasonings if needed. By the time the timer for the rice goes off, the entire meal is done. This meal costs me about $8 and my family loves it.

Do you have a favorite go-to meal that is quick and easy?

Make this Thanksgiving Mishap-free with Walmart {$50 GC Giveaway}

**CLOSED**

The winner is Thomas Murphy! Congratulations and thanks to everyone for entering and sharing your Thanksgiving tips! 

Now that we have the month of October behind us, we can now look forward to Thanksgiving. It is my favorite holiday and I almost always host a big dinner for family and friends. Along with the excitement of family time and good food, we sometimes run into mishaps here and there. It seems like no matter how much you plan, make lists or think you have it all together, something goes wrong! I decided to share some of my personal tips to help make your Thanksgiving a bit more Mishap-free.

• Plan ahead! Make a detailed list of your menu in advance so you can have a thorough grocery list made. This way, you can start shopping over the course of a few weeks and stock up on non-perishable items. 
• Don't be a hero. We all want to make the best meals made from scratch but sometimes shortcuts are your best friend! Pick up some cake mix and make it your own. Make your icing from scratch and use a piping bag to make it pretty. Semi-homemade is not bad! 
• Make sure to pick up some seasonal candles and room fragrance sprays. It makes the atmosphere more festive and relaxed.
• Practice a new dish or dessert a few weeks ahead in a smaller amount to see if you like it. I have made things before that failed miserably and there was no do-over.
• Every year I have cooked all my side dishes the day before and packed them up in the refrigerator for the next day. This makes the day of Thanksgiving so much more relaxed and all I have to do is roast my turkey and put my pies in the oven. 
• I love serving dinner on China plates but I have learned that you can buy "fancy" paper plates and disposable utensils and cups that you don't have to wash afterwards! Also be sure to have enough plastic storage bags and aluminum foil for leftovers. 
• Keep wine on hand! I don't think I have to explain that one!

Thanksgiving is all about time with the ones you love and should not be stressful.You can find some great tips and advice at the Thanksgiving Mishaps website to help get you through the holiday. Check out this video from Chef Richard:

 

I am so pleased that Walmart is providing a $50 gift card for one very lucky Momfiles reader to win. With Walmart's low prices and big selection, you can get a whole lot! Enter below...
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end on November 18, 2012. One winner will be chosen at random and will be contacted via email. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Be sure to follow giveaway rules in Rafflecopter. Good luck!

Walmart provided me with a gift card and the giveaway, but the thoughts and tips shared in this post are my own.

My favorite turkey recipe EVER

I wanted to share the recipe for the turkey I cooked last Thanksgiving that was the best we have ever had. I was a bit scared since I am big on a lot of seasoning but I guarantee there was plenty of flavor and the first time ever that we did not throw anything away! I think the beer might of had something to do with it ;) *This is the photo I posted last year.


BEER AND ROSEMARY ROASTED TURKEY

Prep Time: 25 minutes Start to Finish: 4 Hours Makes 12-14 Servings

Ingredients:
• 1 whole turkey (12 to 14 lb), thawed if frozen
• ¼ cup butter or margarine, melted
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 can or bottle (12 oz) dark beer (I recommend Guiness or AmberBock)
• ½ cup cold water
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour

1. Move oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove and discard neck and giblets from turkey. Rinse turkey inside and out with cold water; pat dry with paper towels. Fasten neck skin to back of turkey with skewer. Fold wings across back of turkey so tips are touching. In shallow roasting pan, place turkey, breast side up.
2. In medium microwaveable bowl, stir together butter, mustard, rosemary, salt, pepper, and beer. Microwave uncovered on High 1 to 1½ minutes, stirring after 30 seconds, until well mixed. Brush about 1/3 of mixture evenly over surface of turkey. Fasten drumsticks together with cotton string. Insert ovenproof meat thermometer so tip is in thickest part of inside thigh and does not touch bone.
3. Roast uncovered 2½ to 3 hours, brushing with addition beer mixture and pan juices every 30 minutes. Turkey is done when thermometer reads 165 degrees and drumsticks move easily when lifted or twisted. If necessary, cover turkey breast with heavy-duty foil during last 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours of baking to prevent excess browning.
4. Let turkey stand 15 to 20 minutes for easier carving. Remove skewers before slicing.
5. Meanwhile, measure drippings and enough water to make 2 cups. In 2-quart saucepan, heat drippings to boiling. In small cup, stir together cold water and flour until smooth. Stir flour mixture into boiling drippings. Continue stirring 2 to 3 minutes longer or until gravy is thickened and bubbly. You can add your favorite seasonings to taste.

Get Simply-fied with Simply Potatoes | Review & Giveaway

**Closed** Winner is karenmed409

I can't believe it is already November and the holiday season is just about knocking at our door! One thing that goes for most of us is that we become time crunched. I do my best to make sure my family has everything they need and that includes cooking up fresh, yummy meals. 

One of my favorite staples during the holiday season is the Simply Potatoes line of products. We are big potato lovers in our house and you can't beat having them already peeled, chopped or shredded! I do a few breakfast/brunch gatherings each year and I love the easy, no fuss preparation of Simply Potatoes Shredded Hash Browns. 

It is so easy to cook. All you do is heat up your pan, add a little oil and cook according to the simple package directions. I love to add a little bit of Cajun seasoning and cracked black pepper to give it a little kick. The neat thing is that you can add anything you like to make it your own.

We are big on having breakfast for dinner and Simply Potatoes hash browns is the best part! I have cooked up 2 bags at one time on my big cast iron griddle and it really makes it crispy and brown. There are so many varieties of Simply Potatoes items to choose from. Besides the line of cut and shredded potatoes there are also mashed potatoes, Steamables and side dishes. These are truly a great convenience since you can use them in recipes or prepare them straight out the package.

One lucky Momfiles reader will win a coupon good for one FREE Simply Potatoes product. Enter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end on November 9, 2012. One winner will be chosen at random and will be contacted via email. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!

I received FREE product coupons to facilitate my review. All thoughts/opinions are always my own.

See how Green Giant Seasoned Steamers can perk up your meals (Review & Giveaway)

Green Giant has come out with a new line of vegetables that is a delicious and easy option for your family meals. Introducing, Green Giant Seasoned Steamers. Available in six different varieties, Green Giant Seasoned Steamers are one of the first sauce-free seasoned vegetables to bring unique chef-inspired seasonings and premium cut vegetable blends to your dining room table. 

These tasty Seasoned Steamers are bound to spice up any meal with six varieties including: Mediterranean Blend, Tuscan Seasoned Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts with Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper, Honey Roasted Sweet Corn, Honey Dijon Carrots and Backyard Grilled Potatoes.

My family tried out the Tuscan Seasoned Broccoli as a side dish and were quite impressed with the great flavor. I am the type of cook that regardless of if something is pre-seasoned, I still have to jazz it up. Not this time. The broccoli was perfectly seasoned. The bonus is the cooking part. All you do is pop the bag in the microwave and you're done! It's a great time saver. Click here for a money saving coupon for $1 off on a future purchase. 

How would you like to try out the new Green Giant Seasoned Steamers for yourself? One lucky Momfiles reader will win a prize pack including: (1) VIP coupon for one free package of Green Giant Seasoned Steamers™, (1) Apron, (1) Green Giant Serving Spoon and  (1) Mixing Bowl. Enter below: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end on October 29, 2012. One winner will be chosen at random and will be contacted via email. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!

Disclosure: The coupons, information, and gift packs have been provided by Green Giant® through MyBlogSpark.

Perfect Roasted Potatoes

I discovered these wonderful potatoes that Publix carries called Potato Inspirations. I decided to try them out since they were on sale. They came in a few different varieties, but I decided to go with the Honey Gold. They are smaller than a golf balls. I remembered a recipe I saw Michael Symon make and thought I would try to replicate it. The only difference is he fried his potatoes in bacon fat instead of baking them. Yeah, I didn't have a half gallon of bacon fat laying around so I had to improvise!

Ingredients:
1 bag of Honey Gold Potato Inspiration potatoes or 2 pounds of very small potatoes of your choice.
a few tablespoons of olive oil
dry seasonings of your choice. I used sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, garlic powder, dried parsley, Cajun seasoning and Badia Complete Seasoning which are my staples.

All you do is rinse and boil your potatoes (whole) in salted water until they are starting to get soft, but not cooked all the way, about 9-13 minutes. Drain potatoes and smash each one with just a little bit with the bottom of a cup or small plate. Toss smashed potatoes in olive oil and dry seasoning and roast in a 425 degree preheated oven for about 25 minutes. They come out slightly crisp on the outside and super buttery and creamy on the inside. I baked mine on the Silpat mat so they did not stick or brown unevenly.

What a wonderful side dish this is! I am going to try it next time using two different types of potatoes. I might make them for Thanksgiving too. They are so easy and delicious!

This was NOT a sponsored post :)

Silpat made my homemaker and baking dreams come true! {Review & Giveaway}

**Contest Closed** 

Winner is Sammi~ Congratulations!

For many years, I have watched the Food Network and Cooking Channels and have drooled over admired the professional chefs cooking gadgets. One particular item that always stuck out was the Silpat baking mat. When I got the offer to review one in my little old kitchen, I excitedly jumped at the chance! I really can't explain how giddy I got when I saw this little beauty for the first time.

I immediately started brainstorming ideas and recipes that I could make with my new Silpat Half size mat. After reading up and watching a video about Silpat, I was intrigued by so many things. Silpat is truly non-stick and never requires greasing. You get even baking every time and no burnt cookies on the bottom! You can use it up to 450 degrees baking temperature and it can be used up to 3000 times! That's good news for me since I bake all the time. I am amazed at all you can bake on a Silpat mat! 

I decided to bake up something savory; Cheesy Spinach & Artichoke Crescents. I took one of my favorite dip recipes and paired it with crescent roll dough. I really wanted to see how well the crescent roll dough would do since I find that they always stick to the pan and also either over-brown or brown unevenly. I just had to find out what would happen! 

For my filling I used a half pack of cream cheese, 1/2 pack of frozen spinach (thawed and water squeezed out), 1/2 of a small jar of marinated artichokes finely chopped, 1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and a dash or two of red pepper flakes. You could double this recipe if you are making it with two cans of crescent roll dough (I only used one). I just spooned about a tablespoon of the cheese mixture on the crescent roll dough triangles and spread it out a bit. I rolled them up, placed them on my Silpat baking mat and brushed them with a little egg wash. I baked them at 375 for 16 minutes and this is what they turned out like. I have to mention that I normally NEVER bake anything at the temperature a recipe calls for. I always go 10 degrees under. This is the first time in forever I actually went according to the package baking instructions. 

Now here was where the true test came in. Is it possible for a crescent roll to come off of the baking surface without sticking? Not only did it come off easily, I was able to shift the pan and all of them slid to one end! I was able to pluck each one off with my fingers. No spatula needed! 

The bottoms were perfectly and evenly brown. Even the one or two splashes of egg wash came off perfectly. There was nothing stuck to the Silpat and all it took was a rinse to clean it. 

The Silpat baking mat has exceeded my expectations and have made my homemaker and baking dreams come true! I can't wait to bake all kinds of pastries, cookies and even roasted veggies and fish on it! I anticipate it will become my most used kitchen gadget of all time. Be sure to check out Silpat on the web, Facebook,  Twitter and Pinterest. I think this is a great gift to give for a  housewarming, Christmas, birthday, wedding or any occasion for that matter! 

How would you like to experience this amazing item for yourself? One very lucky Momfiles reader will win their very own Half Size Silpat Baking Mat! Enter below: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end on October 15, 2012. One winner will be chosen at random and will be contacted via email. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!

I received a free product sample for review purposes. All opinions are completely my own, as always.

The latest from my kitchen

Lately I have been battling the dinner cooking blues. As usual, I feel like I have run out of ideas. I have been following a couple bloggers that have been meal-planning in advance and I decided to give it a try. For me, I can only do one week at a time (maybe even 4 days). I am a 2-3 times a week grocery shopper because I like everything to be as fresh as possible. I won't say that I have been overly successful in the meal-planning department. I feel like I can't stay on track because my taste or mood might change according to my schedule. One great thing is I have been cooking a lot of meatless meals. I am a HUGE veggie lover. I don't think there are too many vegetables I don't love.  In recent weeks I decided to cook meals without meat and without alerting the family ahead of time. To my surprise they all (even the hubby) love NOT eating any meat. Whaaaattt???!!!! We have all decided that we will have 3-4 meatless meals each week. Today I threw together a fabulous veggie stir-fry served with Jasmine rice and kimchi.

It was so delicious and even the kids agreed that adding any meat, chicken or even shellfish would have spoiled it. I love Asian cuisine so I am really happy that the family loved it as much as they did. 

Last weekend I made a Caribbean style fish dish (Escovitch) that got rave reviews from the family. This dish starts off with seasoned and fried fish that is then topped with a vinegar and citrus based sauce that also contains onions, fresh tomatoes, scallions and hot pepper. This dish can be served with boiled plantains & cassava or just plain rice or grits. 

I am just so happy that my family is all on board with having more meatless meals. I think it will make menu planning a little bit easier and maybe I will actually stick to it! 

What are your favorite meatless meals? Do you meal plan?