The tomatoes are out and you are probably wondering what to do with them.  It is from a previous blog post here in 2011. I also updated it to fit our new recipe cards!  Enjoy!

 You can view the original post here with the recipe information.  OR click on the recipe card for a FREE print!

I wanted to post something {simple}, but delicious!  Snap peas are in season, and look amazing and make the perfect ingredient for summer stirfry! After making, sprinkle some sesame seeds on there and voila!!  YUM!  If you love the recipe as much as I do, don't forget to pin it!

I had a couple of wonderful grandmas.  One could cook pretty good southern food, the other was an amazing Polish cook who baked like a mad woman.  Both loved the kitchen and had crazy talents in that area.  I was blessed to at least be in their presence while they cooked, but even more blessed when they wrote their recipes down.  I'm sure it was difficult for them to do because they knew everything by heart!  It was awesome!  Do you have any wonderful "Grandma Recipes" to share?

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!  Of course you know they are the healthier type of southern recipes and within Glycemic Impact eating.

1.  Sausage and Peppers



2.  This is a slight variation to my Grandmothers meatballs - but it is because I like lower fat meats.  We used bison instead of the ground chunk.  Love this recipe!  So easy and everyone loves it.

Fresh green beans are the absolute best!  They are green, they are fresh...am I stating the obvious?  They are just delicious.  As I was sitting, snapping my green beans for the week, I thought "there are so many different ways to prepare green beans!"  I take mine, snap them, and then freeze them for later.  But, here are some ways that I use green beans when the "later" approaches.  I'm linking to some great recipes that I have tried.  I hope you enjoy them too!  If you have some ways you have used green beans, please share them with me!  I would love to try yorus too!

1.  Baked Green Beans (On bar pan, drizzle olive oil and parm cheese and sea salt).
2.  Toasted Almond Green Bean Salad!  Seriously its yummy and easy!  Low GI too...for those of you that know I am a firm believer in low GI foods.
3.  Honey Balsamic Green Beans.  A healthy and not fried recipe from Paula Dean.  But, just a slight twist on normal green beans, which I like.  Makes a great side!
4.  Crispy Sesame Green Bean Fries...you will die...they are so delicious!  I do cheat a little on the homemade bread crumbs...because less face it, there is just not enough time in the day, but she also provides a gluten free version.  But these are totally low GI as well and make a great snack for even your youngest lovely. (You'll love her blog too! )
5.  Green Bean and Artichoke Casserole - I think this makes a fantastic side dish with some chicken.  Just another unique way to prepare your green beans.

About every 6 months I do what I call a detox week.  It is a period of time between 4 - 7 days where I eat nothing but vegetables and a few servings of fruit.  Please do not try this if you have medical issues, or are pregnant or nursing.  Also, if you are unsure of your health it is best to speak with a doctor first.  But, for me it is great.  Vegetables are a great source of dietary fiber and it allows my body to "recover" a bit from all the comfort food eating I tend to do some of during the holidays.  So January is a good place to start for me, as well as right before summer starts or when the kids get out of school.  If you are the type of person that does not like veggies (I once was that person), there is a great detox kit I can recommend here.  It has all the vital essentials for doing a proper detox that is not a fruit and veggie detox.  I prefer the fruit and veggie detox, I get better results, and it literally puts my body in a great place.  The first 2 - 3 days I feel a little tired, mostly from caffeine withdrawl, but after that I am good.  I NEVER go hungry because you can eat whenever you want all day if you need to, it just needs to be veggies.  ;)

I have several good detox meals click here to view 1 of my menus, and I definitely plan the week for meals.  My kids eat the veggies as sides, so it is easy to fit into our daily routine.  You can check out my Pinterest for some good and yummy detox ideas.  It doesn't get boring.  Or at least I try my best for it not to be.

Tonight, for example was a spin off of Eggplant parmesan.  I added minimal cheese, with spaghetti sauce over top of the eggplant with fresh green beans that I cut and baked with a small hint of olive oil (so they wouldn't dry out) and sea salt.  I made a snack throughout the day of some deliciously baked butternut squash cubes!  I didn't go hungry!

How do you recover from a crazy season of eating?

Everyone LOVES beef stew!  So, I am going to share a simple family recipe with you for beef stew.  You may have one as well!  Would love to hear it and try it!  This is one, naturally, the kids can help you with, and its healthy, so you can't go wrong. 

You can do this in a crockpot OR...I prefer a stone egg. 

Preset your oven to about 250 and plan to make this for dinner so that you can begin around lunch time it needs to cook for at least 3hrs - preferred is 4 depending on your oven! 

Now for the ingredients:

• 1-2lbs of stew beef from the butcher - of course your local grocery store may have good beef, but I like it nice and tender, so fresh is better!
• pack of baby carrots
• Fresh green beans (however you will need to string them if you get fresh) or 1 can of french style green beans
• 1 can of cream of mushroom soup
• 1 packet of onion soup mix
• 1 cup water
• 7-10 baby red potatoes (amount depends on size)

In order for the kids to help, make sure you precut your potatoes, predrain your can of green beans, and prepare your gravy (mix 1 can cream of mushroom soup, with water and onion soup mix in a mixing bowl with a spout).  I cut my potatoes with a crinkle cutter from pampered chef...super great and cut them into fours makes for easy eating later.

You put the meat in first in your crockpot or slow cooking egg, and then have your little one add the rest!  Top with the gravy! 

Cover, and let cook for 3-4hrs!  Serve immediately after taking out and YUMMY!

This post is dedicated to a friend of mine who is an excellent gardner and excellent cook.  She made this for me when I came over to visit her daughter, and it bursted with yummy fresh flavor!  I recently tried the recipe for myself with some fresh veggies and herbs from my own garden, and I am thrilled to be sharing it with you!  It is a great summer/fall dish, rich with flavor and color!  And...as always under 30 minutes from start to the table. 

I like to make this recipe for myself and then make another to share with a neighbor or friend.  Mostly because it is so easy to make 2!

Groceries:

4 -6 Large Tomatoes (fresh from the garden or organic give better flavor)
2 pkg. of Italian 6 blend cheese (Sargento is good)
4 long stalks of basil leaves from the garden. 
Your Choice:  Orzo Pasta, White Rice, or Whole Grain Rice

You are going to layer these like you would a lasanga.  Start with the tomatos and layer a 9x13 pan with cut tomatoes.  Then layer with basil leaves (take off the stalk), then layer with cheese.  Repeat.  Bake in oven on 350 until cheese is slighly brown (approx. 15-20min.).  Try not to bake too much or you will stew your tomatoes. 

While the pie is in the oven, cook your pasta or rice.  On a plate, place your pasta or rice, take your pie out of the oven and serve your pie over your pasta or rice!  That is it! 

Thanks Leta for the yummy recipe!  Glad I can share!

Ahhh...the southerner in me is coming out!  It's summer!  Get prepared for a great series I am going to do over the next couple of weeks on how you can use those YUMMY tomatoes that are about to POP out of your garden! 

However, today since our tomatoes are still green, I am going to feature a delicious banana pudding that I got from my grandma, however I am going to change up one thing and that is the pudding type.

So grab 2 packages of pudding.  This time I used Jello Banana Cream Mix vs. my usual vanilla.  Either is fine.

Mix one box first. 

Add to a bowl.  I like to use a clear bowl because I love to see the layers of yellow and white and it makes for a good presentation.  It's the Paula Dean in me!  ;)