SPICY THAI NOODLES

For most of my life, I was never a super adventurous eater. If a meal had meat and pasta or potatoes I was good to go. Fruit wasn't so much my thing, but I loved broccoli. Shrimp freaked me out, and I didn't like most seafood other than salmon. Thai, sushi, and Indian were definitely off the table.

However, in the past 3-4 years I'm glad to say I have expanded my taste buds soooo much more. The past week I was strangely craving Thai, which pretty much never happens, so I made these spicy thai noodles I found on Pinterest. It was so easy and tasted just like something I would get from a thai restaurant. 

Spicy Thai Noodles 

recipe from Domestic Superhero

1 pound linguine

2 tbsp olive oil, divided

2 large eggs, beaten

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 zucchini, cut in half vertically, then sliced in half circles

8 ounces mushroom, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp brown sugar

1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp Sriracha hot sauce

2 inches fresh ginger, grated

1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped

green onions, chopped

Boil water and add linguine, cooking according to package directions. Drain and set aside. In a medium bowl combine brown sugar, soy sauce, sriracha, and ginger; whisk well to combine; set aside.

In a large skillet, add 1 tbsp olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add beaten eggs and red pepper flakes and stir to scramble the eggs. Once cooked, set aside with pasta. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil over medium heat. Add zucchini, mushrooms, and garlic. Saute over medium high heat for 5-6 minutes or until veggies are cooked through.

Turn heat down to low, add pasta and eggs back to pot, then pour the sauce mixture over the top. Using a wooden spoon, stir well to coat pasta and vegetables with sauce. Remove from heat, add green onions and cilantro; stir to combine.

SRIRACHA LIME CHICKEN CHOPPED SALAD

Oh my goodness y'all, I just love the feeling of spring and summer. The days are longer, the nights are warmer, and doesn't the food taste so much better? I find myself eating so many more fresh vegetables and lighter meals in these warmer months, and this salad is a great example. I saw a version of it on my friend Whitney's blog and knew I had to make a variation for myself. The original recipe called for grilled pineapple, but I don't have a grill and don't like pineapple so I removed that. Still, so, so yummy... This will definitely be a repeat in the coming months!

SRIRACHA LIME CHICKEN CHOPPED SALAD 

1 lb chicken tenders (or chicken breast if preferred)

1 avocado

1 red onion

Cherry tomatoes 

Choice of lettuce (I picked arugula)

1 lime

3 tbsp sriracha

LIME VINAGRETTE

1/3 cup light olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 limes, juiced
2 tsp raw honey
Dash sea salt

Marinate chicken in sriracha and lime juice and add salt and pepper to taste. Cook chicken at 350 for 20 minutes. Dice avocado, cut tomatoes, and finely chop red onion. Add over bed of lettuce and add chicken. Toss with lime vinagrette and enjoy!

RED QUINOA + VEGGIE BOWL

In the new year, I'm trying to eat healthier lunches. Lunch is not exactly my favorite meal unless I can go home and make a panini quickly. Otherwise, cold subs and salads just typically don't do the trick for me and I'm eating leftovers from dinner the night before. My friend gave me a suggestion though, and it was so delicious I feel like I need to share it with you all! This red quinoa + veggie bowl left me feeling full and satisfied (difficult) and gave me enough energy to make it through the day. 

Red Quinoa + Veggie Bowl

1 bag Frozen Simple Truth Red Quinoa and Brown Rice

1 Red Pepper

1 Yellow Squash

1 Zucchini

Feta Cheese

1 Tbsp Balsamic dressing of your choice

Sautee the vegetables (you can change out, these were just my choices!) in a pan with 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook quinoa and rice according to package instructions. Mix veggies and rice in bowl together, top with feta and dressing. 

So simple, but so good! Do you have any go to lunch recipes? I'm completely up for new ideas!

HAM & RED PEPPER PASTA

I've got another recipe for you all this weekend, and guys, it's SO GOOD. This pasta has been a staple in my life for a long time. I grew up eating it - picking out the red peppers, of course - and it's still one of my favorite go-to's because it's so delicious and so easy to whip up. The recipe may look like it requires a lot of ingredients and work, but really it doesn't. Most things are low cost, or you already have it in your pantry. Plus, it makes amazing leftovers (I was eating it for every meal days later). The perfect weeknight meal, if you ask me. Even my picky boyfriend loves it, if that tells you anything about the magic of this pasta!

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Ham & Red Pepper Pasta

3 tbsp butter

1/4 c olive oil

1 red pepper, diced

1 package Hormel diced ham

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 tbsp basil leaves 

4 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon oregano

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1 c hot water

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 pound spaghetti

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil. Stir in pepper, ham, and onions, and sautee until pepper and onion is tender. Add basil, parsley, garlic, and oregano. Cook for several minutes.

Heat water up to boiling in the microwave, and immediately add bouillon cubes and lemon juice after removing water from microwave. Stir to dissolve the cubes. Add to the ham and vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer and thicken. 

Cook pasta. When the sauce has simmered and thickened enough, pour over pasta and toss in a serving bowl. Serve immediately. 

*please note that note all ingredients are key. Sometimes I don't have lemon juice or parsley on hand and it turns out just as delicious. 

LOVE TO COOK

Something you all may not know about me is that I really, really enjoy cooking. I think much of it comes from my mom and watching and help her cook dinner for our family every night. Now, I am by no means an expert chef and if you looked at my pinterest board, you might be concerned that I only eat pasta (a lot of mac and cheese), mexican, and chicken.... which wouldn't be far from the truth. But I'm getting to a point where I can just whip something together without a recipe and it turns out completely delicious. Like this pasta I made the other night - so simple and SO good. I was inspired by one of my favorite dishes at Biaggi's, an Italian restaurant at home. Biaggi's recipe uses chicken and red pepper, but I forgot about the red pepper and ham seemed easier than cooking chicken. I highly suggest this for a weeknight meal - it's so easy to make for one and is really good for leftovers!

Alfredo Pasta with Bacon, Ham, and Peas (super fancy name, I know)
1 box your choice of noodles, I decided on shells
1 can Clasico Alfredo sauce
1 thick slice of ham from the deli
2 slices of turkey bacon
1 package of frozen peas, I like the individual Steamers bags.

Cook noodles - don't need to use the whole box, just a cup or so depending on your choice for leftovers. While noodles cook, dice the ham and cut the bacon into little pieces and saute with butter in a pan (Probably cook for about 5ish minutes). Cook peas according to directions. Drain noodles, add ham, bacon, and peas and top with alfredo sauce! Voila!

Enjoy!