Loaded baked cauliflower bowl

Are you a sucker for a warm oozy cheesy loaded baked potato? I AM! However, I always end up feeling so heavy and yucky afterwards. I have found some recipes for whole head cauliflower bakes and always thought, "oh that looks great! no prepping or cutting of cauliflower needed!" So the other day as a side dish to my beloved dutch oven chuck roast, I made my rendition of a whole head cauliflower bake. 

I started by removing the leaves and any excess stem from the cauliflower head. I put some water and salt in a large pot and brought it to a rolling boil. I tossed the cauliflower head in and cooked it for about 8-10 min (it was a really large head). I pulled it when it was easily punctured with a fork, but not falling apart. I carefully drained it, and put it on a lined cookie sheet and patted it dry. Take care not to burn your hands while drying (not speaking from experience or anything...). I mixed 1 cup of mayo with 3/4 cup shredded parm cheese and slopped that mixture on top of the head of cauliflower and spread it around once it was dry. I decided to top that with some shredded sharp cheddar cheese as well. I baked this for about 25 min at 375 degrees. The mayo and cheese melt into the cauliflower and make it lovely and ooey gooey. I was able to use a serving spoon to "scoop" away servings to plate with dinner and then did the same when putting the leftovers away. 

Fast forward to lunch yesterday. I felt like I had zero time after getting home from picking up Amelia from school and had to log on to work. I settled on leftovers, but really didn't want leftover roast. I decided to grab a bowl, fill it with my cauliflower bake and top it with more cheddar cheese, bacon that I whipped up in my toaster oven on the convection setting, and chopped up green onions. and TADA! I had myself an amazing loaded baked cauliflower bowl and man oh man, it was delish. 

And here is some cutie photo spam, because even on the hardest, most exhausting days, these kiddos melt my heart. 

You Had Me At Taco

 We are big taco lovers here in the H House. Also a huge plus, Cooper loves tacos too. A year or so back, I started looking into carnita recipes, and took the dive. To my success, everyone loved it (WAWHOO). This meal has become a staple in our house. Juicy, tender and charred up pork shoulder combined with a Mexican style charcuterie board, I mean how can you say no? I have paired this dish with either warmed up corn tortillas, flour tortillas and even our low-carb wheat tortillas on nights that we aren't wanting to feel so guilty. 

For the pork rub I use salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, chili powder, garlic powder and some oregano. I lather that baby up really well and toss it in my warmed up roasting pan (no rack). I sear all sides of the roast, adding about 2 tbsp of EVOO once the pork is in. While the pork is roasting, I start warming about 48oz of water and throw 3 beef bouillon cubes in to make a beef broth. I slice 3 jalapeno peppers, 1 yellow onion and about 4 cloves of garlic as well. Once I am on my last side to sear of the pork, I throw the onions, garlic and peppers onto the side of the pan and toss them in the seasoned up oil and juices that are coming from the pork. I let those sautee for a bit and soften up. Meanwhile, I am juicing 1 lime and tossing it in with the onion mixture as well. Once the veggies have softened, I scootch them over, lay the pork down with the fat pad side down and pour the beef broth in. I mix the onion mixture around in the broth and baste the pork a few times. Cover that baby up with some tin foil and throw it in the oven, set to 350 degrees. I baste the pork once maybe every 1.5 hours. My pork cooks for around 6 hours in the oven. You know its ready when you can very easily pull a chunk off with a fork and it is tender. Around the 6 hour mark, I pull the pork from the oven and put it on a big serving dish with higher edges because the juice tends to leak. The sign of a perfectly cooked pork shoulder is when you can pull the bone right out from the pork and it comes out clean. It seriously is so satisfying. I shred the pork up, and put it on a lined cookie sheet. (keep in mind, typically there is so much meat that it will not all fit on one tray, so I fully line a sheet and save the rest for later.) I then ladle some of the yummy juices from the roasting pan on top of the shredded pork and put it under the broiler. You want to keep it in long enough to toast up the tips of the pork, but do not burn it. 

Once you have achieved your desired toastyness, remove the baking tray and put the meat in a serving bowl, get your toppings ready to go and chow down! For toppings in our house we enjoy: chihuahua cheese, lettuce, diced onions, salsa, guacamole, enchilada sauce (I know these aren't enchiladas but it really is so good). 

Keto Candied Pecans

I love fall best of all for many reasons, one being that you can get candied nuts at so many seasonal activities/shops. However, these are typically made with white sugar and brown sugar which make them very high in calories and carbs. I have therefore come up with a low-carb version that I make at home using a combination of Swerve sweetener and Truvia and Swerve brown sugar. 

To start, I generally use a 16 oz bag of raw pecan halves but this can be done with almond, walnuts, cashes etc. For this amount of nuts, I use one egg white and about 1 tbsp of vanilla extract, mixed together. For the dry ingredients I combine the Swerve granulated sugar, Swerve Brown Sugar and Truvia along with some cinnamon (to taste). You want about 1 cup of mixture at the end.. so I generally use 1/2 cup Swerve granulated, 1/4 sup Swerve Brown Sugar and 1/4 cup Truvia (I find that Truvia is typically more coarse and lends to a more "candied" texture of the nuts).

Thoroughly coat the nuts in the egg white/vanilla mixture and then start pouring the sugar mixture over the nuts in sections, making sure to toss the nuts in between each dose of sugar. You want the nuts to be completely covered, and to be able to see granules on the nuts. Place them in a single layer on a sprayed, parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and put them in. 

THIS STEP IS CRUCIAL: YOU MUST STIR THE NUTS EVERY 15 MINUTES TO PREVENT BURNING!! (I will oftentimes pull up on the corners of the parchment paper and toss them around that way). 

These will cook for 1 hr to 1 hr 15 min. They are done once they have colored up a bit, and the sugar looks to be beginning to "candy". 

I like to pull the parchment paper from the cookie sheet onto a cooling rack in true ninja mode fashion, making sure I do not drop any precious pecans. These should be set aside to cool and harden up. Store in a cookie tin, or other sealed dish. These do not last long in our house and are my go-to holiday party contribution. 

Breaded Pork Tenderloin & Bacon Brussels

 We love a good pork tenderloin in the H house. I typically brine my tenderloin for 5-6 hours in a water, salt and seasoning mix. I generally will use paprika, chili powder, salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder and oregano. I put the mixture into a galloon ziplock bag and place the meat in there with it and let it sit. The always leaves us with juicy, tender meat. 

For this dinner I combined some panko breadcrumbs and Italian bread crumbs together. I melted 2 tabs of butter in a pan and tossed the bread crumb mixture in. I cooked it enough to toast, but not burn, the crumbs. I removed the pork from the brine and allowed the access liquid to drip back off into the bag. After spreading the breadcrumbs out on a serving dish, I rolled the pork into the bread crumbs, applying some pressure and coating the pork evenly. The pork was then placed on a lined cookie sheet with a rack on top. These cooked in the oven for 375 for 1 hr, checking the temperature towards the end. We like our pork a bit more on the rare side so I make sure it's around 145 degrees. Let that baby rest for 10-15 min and she's ready to go.

As a side dish for this dinner I made bacon Brussels. I had already prepped my Brussels on grocery day, halving them and putting them in my storage container. I chopped up 1/2 lb of bacon and fried it in a pan. The next step really depends on how much of a time crunch I'm in.. for example, today I was in a rush to get the veggies done so I used a separate pan to sautee the Brussels (toss the Brussels in with a little bit of avacado or EVOO and sautee until they have a nice toasted edge). However, if I have a bit of time to kill I will just wait until the bacon is done, remove it from the pan and cook the Brussels in the leftover bacon grease. Either way, once the Brussels are soft, I throw in about 1/2-1 cup of heavy whipping cream (really depends on how many Brussels I have going), and let them simmer for a few min. Once the cream is starting to thicken, I add a handful of parm cheese and add the bacon as well as a tab or two of butter. Let this all cook down for about 8-10 min and it should be a thick, creamy consistency. We top this with some more shredded parm once it is plated. 

Goblins, Ghouls and Grouchy Little Gremlins

Happy Halloween, Friends! 

Coop has been asking to be Captain America for some time now, so when Target had their Halloween costumes 40% off back in August or September (can't remember).. I totally took advantage. I couldn't decide what I wanted Amelia to be, so I bought 3 (whoops). We got Ariel, Jasmine and fluffy unicorn-llama costumes. (Stay tuned for the costume debacle that ensued later). 

Halloween seemed to creep up on us this year. We had a swap show for Reef Design in the middle of the month, had a crazy few weeks of what seemed like constant rain, and school and sports in full swing. We are annual pumpkin patch goers, and this year we sadly did not make it to one. Cooper had brought it up Saturday evening that we did not carve pumpkins this year, so I said that we could go get one in the morning. After tutoring, we went to a pumpkin patch that was on the way home. We bypassed the corn maze and other activities and went straight to the patch and picked out some lovely pumpkins. Tip: they have CRAZY sales on Halloween, haha. We got 4 carving pumpkins for $20 and then an additional 2 mini pumpkins and 1 "golden ticket" pumpkin that Cooper found (which really was a cool color). Grand total: $25. I'll take it. I don't think we've ever gotten a single pumpkin for $25.. let alone 7 pumpkins for $25. I'll take the W on that procrastination outcome. We also scored some apple cider donuts, which Amelia polished off 2 of in the car on the way home, a funnel cake, a caramel latte and a "hot latte" for Coop (hot cocoa with whipped cream). 

We came home, realized the kids trick or treat buckets had been chewed up by the mouse that got in our garage 2 years ago and we did not replace them last year due to not trick or treating with Covid, and headed back out to the store to get new ones. Dollar store was a bust, so we went to Jewel in hopes that they had something. Also, almost a bust, except for the $10, terrible quality bag from the "Claire's" stand. Ugh, whatever. Note to self: order new buckets from Amazon now and store away until next year. 

CUE THE MELTDOWN: Amelia REFUSED to wear either Princess costume, despite wanting to wear them any other day of the week that she laid eyes on them. Legit, complete 3 year old meltdown. So, once we calmed down a bit, we decided that maybe the unicorn-llama costume would be OK. Whew. 

The kids loved trick or treating around the neighborhood. Amelia had an absolute blast. This is really the first year that she understands what is going on and really practiced her "thank yous". 

Candy in tow, we headed to Adam's parent's house for dinner, more treats and pumpkin carving/decorating. We all had a great time, kids had too much candy, and were all very much ready for bed by the time we got home. 

So here is to the Mamas and Daddies that do it all to make their kids holidays a day to remember. Whether you have every detail planned out months ahead or are heading to the pumpkin patch on Halloween Day, you're a rockstar. 

Meatloaf & Mash

The cold weather continues.. and so does our soul warming food. Cue, meatloaf and mashed cauliflower with a side of roasted asparagus. Since switching to a low-carb diet last year, we have become big supporters of mashed cauliflower in our house. 

Ever since our car accident I have been using grocery delivery for our weekly groceries. I wasn't able to drive for 12+ weeks due to the c-collar and subsequent PT, and being driven to the grocery store did not seem at all appeasing. Then, Covid blessed us with its presence, and I just continued on with the program. We use Meijer delivery, which utilizes Shipt shoppers. They. Are. AMAZING. They text you while they're walking through the store doing your order and let you know if the store is out of anything, send you pictures of substitutes and are just literally the best. 

Anyways, I digress. Given that I do not do the actual shopping, I make it a point to do my produce and fruit prepping either the day I get my groceries or the next day (my payment for not walking the aisles myself lol). I use these storage bins for my refrigerator and they are great. They stack well and fit nicely on my fridge shelves. My one complaint is that they do not fit nicely inside of one another, so when they are not being used, they do take up a bit of space in my storage container cabinet. 

Having my cauliflower pre-cut into florets and in my storage containers makes dinner time much easier, as I can just get a tall rimmed pan filled with water, sprinkle in some salt and dump the contents of the container in and get the party rolling. I cook the cauliflower until it is easily smashed with a fork (but not mushy).. typically about 45 min. 

While the cauliflower is cooking, I prep the meatloaf. For this I use a combo of 1 lb 80/20 and 1 lb 90/10 ground sirloin, a 1/2 cup of Italian bread crumbs, 2 eggs, 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream, 1/2 yellow onion that has been chopped and sauteed until clear and salt and pepper, parsley, garlic and oregano measured with your heart. Gone are the days of meatloaf tins! We are on to bigger and better things! Place your loaf on a baking sheet lined with tin foil sprayed with cooking spray. This not only makes clean up a breeze but also allows the drippings of the meat to drain out and leaves you with a not so soggy, crispy edge loaf! I baked this baby at 350 degrees for about 1 hour 15 min (internal temp of 160 degrees). I took it out and drained the excess grease and goup from the tray.  

I made the sauce with a cup of no sugar added ketchup, 2 tbsp of Swerve brown sugar, and a dash of Siracha for a little kick. Toss it back in the oven for about 5 min to warm up the sauce then turn the broiler on for a few to toast the top. ALWAYS allow your loaf to rest for a few minutes after removing from heat. This allows all of the yummy juices to redistribute. 

You can also start working on the asparagus about half-way through the loaf timer. I also have these prepped in a container, so I just toss them on a lined baking sheet, coat with EVOO, salt, pepper and garlic powder and toss those bad boys in the oven for about 30 min as well. Once the cauliflower is at the desired softness, carefully drain the water. I use my KitchenAid to blend the cauliflower, add about 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream, salt, pepper and a handful of parm cheese. Blend until combined and cheese is melted. Put into an oven-safe dish and top with more parm cheese. Throw it in the oven with the meatloaf for about 25 min (leave it in the oven when the broiler is on to crisp up the cheese on top).  

I had excess sauce, so I just put this in a dish and served with dinner as extra dipping sauce. This low carb option is not your Mama's meatloaf & mash, but I'm sure she will approve!  

Soup season is here

 It is officially soup season here in the Midwest! Colder weather means I get to "acceptably" wear my sweaters and leggings & my all the warm comfy foods like soups, chili's and roasts. Don't get me wrong, grilling season is my jam as well.. but, there is something special about the aromatics that flow through the house when using the dutch oven to slow simmer a nice soup (pardon my drool). This evening I made a cream of chicken and gnocchi soup. This was my first time making it. I used the recipe from The Recipe Critic  as a starting point for my soup. While the recipe calls for a pre-cooked chicken, I chose to bake my own chicken breast in my Toshiba Toaster Oven, on 350 for 45 min, flipping half way through. I let it cool down a bit, then shredded it I chopped up the onions, spinach, garlic, celery and fresh thyme. Side note: I really need to order a food processor.. I spend SO much time chopping in this kitchen, it's nuts. The kitchen is legit the only place that I do not regularly use my all time motto "work smarter, not harder" & this needs to change. 

       

It's midterm week for this life-long student.. so I try to utilize any downtime to multitask and get some homework done. Therefore, I utilized simmering time as homework time. With coffee in hand, of course.  All in all.. I would give this a 7/10. I used less then the called-for amount of celery and shredded carrots because we are not huge fans in our house, and still I felt like there was too many. I also feel like the celery and carrots could've been cooked down a lot more if added in the beginning when cooking the onions and garlic, this would've left them a loft softer and less in-your-face. 

With the holidays just around the corner, school and sports in full swing, business adventures and much more, we are bound to be quite busy around here and I cannot wait to share all of our recipes, decor, crafts and activities with you all! 

Trunk or Treat

 Cooper's school hosted their annual Trunk or Treat fundraiser and as a new family to the school and parish, I offered myself to serve as co-chair on the TorT committee. I feel like it is crucial to build bonds with the families that your child goes to school with. He goes to a pretty small Catholic school, so I love the family atmosphere that we get. I had a great time working with my fellow chair members and working with the community to get donations for raffle baskets and sponsorships. It was a nice change of pace from the normal day-to-day grind. As sponsors of the event, Reef Design decorated a trunk as well! Of course, it was under the sea themed. Cooper had an absolute blast running around with his school friends, while Amelia played with the treasure in the chest and then hung out with Grandma and Papa in their truck when it got too cold. Thankfully we were able to get through the majority of the event before the rain started. All-in-all, it was an excellent turn our for the school and a great first volunteering experience for this mama! Until next year, Trunk or Treat. 

Our trunk consisted of a lot of inflatables from Amazon (found here). I cut the pool noodle in a spiral with either 2 or 3 sections, creating the illusion of coral. I cut and rolled up the poly mesh ribbon and fastened it with a mini rubber band. 

Once the sun started to go down, things got real when we turned out the blue lights for effect! These wireless spotlights are AMAZING. They have white, red, green and blue colored lights, with 3 different brightness settings. They are battery operated and come with a remote! I totally see us using these lights for various holiday decor throughout the year.  

Life lately...

Holy moly, it has been quite some time since I wrote on here. Want the Cliff Notes on what’s been happening around the Holmstrom Household the past 6 years? Well.. here it goes. 

We bought a house! 

We got married! 

I graduated nursing school (wawhooo) 

Started working in the Emergency Room 

We had our baby girl, Amelia Reese 

We opened a business, Reef Design, where my husband can finally put his fish enthusiast hobby to good work! (@reefdesignsales ) 

We were in a horrible car accident that left us laid up for a bit, but by the grace of God we all made it out alive 

Then Covid hit.. and left us remote learning and me working from home after not being able to return to the ED due to injuries from the accident 

Last year we took the time to heal, physically and mentally. We devoted ourselves to growing our business and I started pursuing my dream to become a nurse practitioner and thereby started graduate school. Quarantine life led us to embracing diet changes and embracing a low-carb lifestyle. I have gained so much knowledge of how to substitute carb-loaded ingredients for healthier options (I mean, did you know that you can make bread primarily just from cheese? Well. yes, you can.). We completed a handful of home improvement projects that have been on the back burner and I am loving them. Although, we still have quite a few to go. I have learned that crafting with (two) kids requires me to let go of my inner perfectionist and embrace the creativity that these little minds have to give this world. 

This year, we are living in the world of two school-bound children! Cooper started a new school and is back to in-person learning and is LOVING it although we are struggling with some set-backs from remote learning. Amelia started 3-year-old preschool. She is in speech therapy, which is a whole new ball game for us, as we did not have to deal with anything of this nature with Coop. She has made leaps and bounds since starting therapy with a private therapist and has now transitioned to school speech therapy. We are still amazed at how fast they grow and learn new things and have faith that both kids are going to thrive being in the school environment this year. Cooper started playing organized sports this summer, joining basketball and baseball and Amelia began gymnastics and will soon be starting ballet! It makes my heart so happy watching these kiddos explore their interests (even if it requires some serious calendar scheduling)

Working from home has been such a blessing but has had its challenges for sure. Working from home with two bonkers kids during Covid really tested my sanity, no lie. Time management, self-discipline and a lot of "suck it up buttercup" moments have been key to keeping myself on track with work, school and home life. However, I somedays I feel like these walls are caving in around me. AJ works long hours at the business, leaving me with little adult interaction and often lost in my own thoughts. By the time he comes home I am running at about 5% battery life and have little left to give, despite wanting nothing more than to do all the fun things. Perhaps getting back into writing and sharing my life, recipes, crafts, activities with the kids, family fun and more will give me an outlet to connect more with the outside world, haha.  

So my friends, here we go again!