Keto Teriyaki Beef

I’m in the final 30 day push to the end of my HealthyWage weight loss challenge through work and have made a commitment to my team and myself so I decided to tighten up my diet even more by focusing on protein and veggies at every meal. I need to make sure that I can step on the scale fully clothed and for my weight to register as the loss needed. I normally weigh myself naked so that shaves off an extra pound. Haha!

This Teriyaki Beef recipe is super easy to make, reheats really well, and makes for a budget friendly meal.

Keto Teriyaki Beef

Makes 4 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 4 tbsp coconut aminos
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
• 1 bunch fresh spinach
• 1 lb sirloin steak, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• sea salt and pepper, to taste

And Action:

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil.

Add the spinach and stir occasionally until wilted. Set aside.

Add sesame oil to pan. Saute onions and garlic over medium heat until cooked through and tender. Set aside.

Add beef to pan and season with salt, pepper, and ginger. Cook until the meat is cooked through. Add the spinach and onions back to the skillet.

Combine the coconut aminos, fish sauce, and 1/2 the sesame seeds and add to the beef and veggies. Toss to combine. Enjoy!

Pan Seared Scallops with Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce

These Pan Seared Scallops are tossed with a Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce and tossed with spaghetti noodles for a quick and easy meal.

Pan Seared Scallops with Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce

Makes 4 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 1 lb dry scallops
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp butter, divided
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 lemon, juiced
• dried parsley, to taste
• 3/4 lb spaghetti noodles, cooked according to package instructions

And Action:

Pat the scallops dry thoroughly with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until sizzling. Add the scallops in a single layer. You may need to do this in batches to not overcrowd the pan.

Lower the heat to medium and without moving the scallops. Allow the scallops to brown lightly. This should take about 2-3 minutes. Flip the scallops and brown lightly on the other side, about 2 minutes or until cooked through. Remove scallops from the skillet and transfer them to a plate. Keep them warm.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the same pan. Add the garlic and cook for a minute making sure the garlic doesn’t get brown.

Add the wine with a wooden spoon scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the wine mixture has reduced by half about 2-3 minutes.

Stir in the remaining butter and lemon juice and turn the heat to low.

Return the scallops to the pan and add the cooked spaghetti noodles and warm for about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the parsley and season to taste. Enjoy!

Creamy Garlic Scallop Spaghetti with Bacon and Sundried Tomato

There is nothing better than a meal that feels fancy but requires very little prep work and time in the kitchen. This is a candlelit worthy dinner that will be on the table in under 30 minutes. This Creamy Garlic Scallop Spaghetti with Bacon and Sundried Tomato screams date night but if you are like me, it’ll scream, quick and easy dinner for a busy single working mom with two hungry kids.

Creamy Garlic Scallop Spaghetti with Bacon and Sundried Tomato Paste

Makes 4 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 3/4 lb spaghetti noodles, cooked according to package directions
• 4 slices bacon, crisped and chopped
• 1 lb scallops, patted dry
• sea salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 tube of sundried tomato paste

And Action:

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Season the scallops with salt and pepper and pan sear them in olive oil for 1½ to 2 minutes per side and set aside.

Add another tbsp of olive oil if needed and add the garlic, cook for 1 minute to slightly soften the garlic.

Add the white wine and simmer quickly for a few minutes until the liquid has reduced by about half. Add the cream and simmer for an additional 2 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper if needed, then add the bacon, sundried tomato paste and the scallops to the sauce. Simmer for 1-2 minutes to warm the scallops through before adding the cooked pasta.

Toss together the pasta and sauce very well before serving. Enjoy!

Spicy Deer Sausage, Lentil, Potato and Kale Soup

It looks like we are in the final stretch of our cold weather here in Houston so I’m trying to make as many soups as possible before I switch to salad season. Haha!

This Spicy Deer Sausage, Lentil, Potato and Kale Soup has a slight kick from the jalapeno that is in the deer sausage and sure to help warm your belly on a cold winter day. It is hearty from the lentils and potatoes with a broth that is light and full of white wine. How can you go wrong?!

Spicy Deer Sausage, Lentil, Potato and Kale Soup

Makes 6 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 jalapeno cheddar deer sausages, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• sea salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 cups white wine
• 3 red potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 bunch of kale, stems removed and leaves torn into bite size pieces
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 1/2 cups cooked lentils

And Action:

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add olive oil and sausage, cook until the fat begins to render and sausage starts to brown, about 3 minutes. Once a decent amount of fat has pooled at the bottom of the pot, add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onions begin to brown slightly. Add garlic, salt and pepper. Let cook for 1 minute.

Add the white wine and deglaze the pan. Let reduce by half. Add the potatoes and kale, cooking until the potatoes are slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and lentils and bring to a simmer. Cook at a medium simmer for about 40 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Season the finished soup with salt and pepper, to taste. Enjoy!

Beef Bourguignon (Beef Burgundy)

Sick days as a child were spent laid up in bed watching PBS all day long. While cartoons were preferred to watch, I also enjoyed the cooking shows. I remember Julia Child’s show and as an adult I got excited when the movie Julie & Julia was released because it was a movie about cooking and blogging. One of the recipes Julie made in the movie was, Boeuf Bourguignon. I distinctly remember this recipe because of the name sounding so unfamiliar and for the generous glugs of wine being poured into the pot. The finished product looked divine.

We had a winter storm hit Houston that knocked out power for 3 days. The lose of power had the house at freezing temperatures. It was quite the struggle keeping the kids warm. You would have thought entertaining a pre-teen and toddler without electronics would have been the hard part, however, my kids are so easily amused with my attention and each other… copious amounts of board games helped pass the time.

We were in the middle of a dice throw during Yahtzee when the power was restored one night. Without hesitation we jumped up and raced to get our phones on the chargers and I headed into the kitchen. We were now experiencing rolling blackouts and figured we might have a chance at enjoying power for a couple of hours before losing it again.

I raced into the kitchen to pull out the Ziploc of beef and veggies that I had marinating in red wine and put the Dutch oven on the stove. I was able to successfully simmer the stew for those couple of hours before we lost power again that evening. We felt so blessed to be sitting on the floor in the master bedroom with a hot bowl of soup for dinner and it felt special because it was a candlelit dinner.

The Beef Bourguignon has this incredibly velvety rich broth and tender chunks of beef and veggies that just melt in your mouth. Our bellies were warmed and hunger satisfied through the night. This is a beef stew that we will have time and time again and let me tell you! The wine in this is a total game changer. Wow!

Next time I will use regular bacon (turkey bacon was what I had on hand) and I’ll double or triple the amount of veggies. This was the first time all of us enjoyed cooked carrots. Considering how well the carrots turned out I think I would give the mushrooms a try as well.

Beef Bourguignon

Makes 5 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 1 1/2 lb chuck beef, cut into bite size pieces
• baby carrots, as many as you would like
• 1 white onion, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• dried thyme, to taste
• 750ml of red wine
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 8 slices turkey bacon
• 3 tbsp butter
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 6 tbsp flour
• 3 cups low sodium beef broth
• sea salt, to taste
• dried parsley, to taste

And Action:

Marinate the beef, carrots, and onions in a large Ziploc with the bay leaf, thyme, and wine. Leave the Ziploc in the fridge overnight for 12 hours but no more than 24 hours. Strain the liquid into a bowl making sure to reserve. Separate the beef, carrots and onion.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Pour the wine into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once boiling reduce to a simmer and skim off any impurities that rise to the surface. The sauce will reduce by half. Set aside.

Line a tray with paper towels, spread the beef out and then pat dry with paper towels.

Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add 1/3 of the beef and brown all over. Remove into a bowl and then repeat with the remaining beef adding more oil as needed.

Add bacon and cook until golden. Add to bowl with beef.

Add a bit of oil if needed, then add the onions until they are browned. Add to the beef bowl.

Add butter into the Dutch oven. Once it is melted, add the carrots and cook for 4 minutes until they are browned. Add garlic and cook for a further 1 minute.

Add the tomato and cook for 2 minutes.

Sprinkle the flour and cook for 2 minutes.

While stirring, slowly pour in beef stock while working to dissolve the flour. Then add the wine.

Add beef, bacon, thyme, bay leaf, 1/4 tsp salt and pepper into the pot, then stir well.

Cover the Dutch oven and transfer to the oven for 2 1/2 hours. Enjoy!