Siena's Creation

Since Siena was a small sprout, she would cook with me in the kitchen. She has never lost the love to cook with me! However now she makes up her own dishes and has to chop her own things and just recently wants to use the stove..YIKES! So tonight Troy helped her cook up this AWESOME stir fry from the the veggies and sauces in the fridge. She picked out everything. Troy was cute and put daps of a few sauces on a plate for her to taste, then she chose which ones to use. The great part about this post is I get to share two recipes. Siena used some of a salad I made on Tuesday in her dish, so here is my quick salad recipe and then Siena's creation which her and Troy named. Luke refrained from tasting because he avoids things that are green!!!


Cabbage Salad
Sometimes I like to use shredded cabbage instead of lettuce for the crunch factor! TJ's has a package of shredded cabbage in the fridge section.

1 packages TJ's shredded cabbage
1 red bell pepper slice thin
1 large hand full of shredded carrots (also found in the fridge section)
6-7 raw broccoli trees (as Luke calls them)

Place all ingredients in a large bowl. Toss well.

I keep it undressed so I can eat it all week. I use 1 TBS of dressing per serving and toss in a separate bowl. I love to use TJ's Cilantro Salad dressing or their Green Goddess dressing with this salad.

Serves 4-6



Hot and Spicy Vegtable Medley - Contributed by Siena and Troy Hayes
This recipe is for 1 serving, so increase to eat more:)

1 handful of Cabbage Salad (see above)
1 zucchini cubed up
2 tsp Olive oil
2 tsp Sriracha
1 TBS TJ's Teriyaki Sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a small sauce pan on medium high heat. Add olive oil to cover pan. Add cabbage salad, zucchini, salt and pepper. Toss in pan for 3-4 minutes. Add Sriracha and teriyaki and mix to coat veggies. Heat for an additional minute. Take of heat and serve.

This was so good. We loved it. I'm going to make it again with shrimp. It is spicy, so Siena ended up drinking water then milk then eating crackers, anything to cool off her mouth.

It was a fun night in the kitchen:)

Quick School Lunch TJ's Style

This is a quick, easy, healthy lunch I made Siena the other day.

Turkey & Red Pepper Roll

1 TJ's organic whole wheat tortilla
1 TBS TJ's organic whipped cream cheese
5 slices of a red pepper
1 oz sliced Turkey

Spread the cream cheese on the tortilla. Place turkey on top of the cream cheese and the peppers on top of the turkey. Roll it up tight from bottom to top. Slice in half. I put 1/2 of roll in her lunch and the other 1/2 in the fridge for an after school snack.

Additional Lunch items shown:

1 cubed up pineapple spear (these are in the fridge section at TJs)
1/2 cup of TJ's white cheddar corn puffs
1 package of TJ's apple raspberry flakes
1 Kidz Clifbar for morning snack

This is my go to easy pasta recipe that is every changing. Every week when I shop at Trader Joe's I get the staples that I need to make most our meals. Toward the end of the week, when I only have a few things left here and there, I like to see what I can toss together for a pasta to avoid wasting anything. So depending on what I have left is why this recipe is never the same. Here is what I made tonight with the goal of using up some veggies I had left in the fridge. The flavor of the mushrooms are wonderful and I was able to use my basil that is growing like crazy on my patio. I also had plenty left over, so put some of the sauce in the freezer and packed up a bowl full to share with my parents along with a bag full of fresh basil. I felt great serving this to my family knowing there were tons of veggies in the sauce, most of them they couldn't see:)

Waste Not Pasta Dish
Serves 4-6

1 package of Trader Joe's Organic Brown Rice Pasta
2 TBS Olive Oil
1 onion, dice
12 mini heirloom tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 package of pre-cooked Trader Joe's Sweet Italian Sausage, cut in cubes
1 can (14oz) of Trader Joe's Tuscano Mariana Sauce
1 zucchini, shredded with a cheese grader
1 cup slice porcine mushrooms
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp Italian seasoning
7 leaves of fresh basil, chopped


Fill a large pot full of water and cover, place on high heat to boil
While water is heating, dice onion, tomatoes and heat a large pan on medium/high heat. Coat your pan with olive oil and toss in onions and tomatoes. Sprinkle with 1 tsp each of salt and pepper. Give a quick stir and allow the onions and tomatoes to continue to cook while you dice up sausage. Add in sausage and stir in with tomatoes and onions. Allow this mixture to cook for 5-7 minutes bringing your heat up slightly to get brown bits to form on the bottom of the pan.

While this mixture browns, add salt to your pot of boiling water and pour in the bag of pasta. Stir with a spoon and let cook. Open your can of marinara sauce and slice your mushrooms. Pour in marinara and stir, scrapping the bottom of pan. Add the rest of the salt and pepper and add in Italian seasoning. Stir well and let simmer for 2-3 minutes. Stir your pasta.

Shred the zucchini into sauce and add the mushrooms. Mix in well and let sauce simmer for 5 more minutes. While sauce simmers, check your pasta, drain and rinse if done. Chop up basil.

If you are feeding 6 people, toss pasta in the pan with your sauce. Serve on plates or in bowls, sprinkle with cheese and basil.

If you are feeding only 4 people, place pasta on plates or in bowls and top with sauce, cheese and basil.