4th of July Italian Pasta Salad {Side Dishes}

July 3, 2012 by

When we celebrate the 4th of July we do it with the 3 F’s:

Food, Family, and Fireworks!

And the food part is usually left up to me. Burgers are the main go to but the side dishes are the ones we try to change up and make better each year.

This year I’ll be bringing some delicious pasta salad that includes a few of my favorite flavors: pepperonis and mozzarella!

Not only is this dish easy to make, you can prepare everything the night before and let it sit in the fridge to marinate and just grab it right before you leave for the party.

And while it doesn’t have any blue in the mix, the red and white is covered! Paired with a juicy burger and delicious green salad and you have the perfect July 4th celebratory meal.

Italian Pasta Salad
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Chicken with Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Sauce {Dinner Recipe}

June 26, 2012 by
Chicken with Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Sauce

When I can prepare a meal that is both delicious and quick to make then not only have I found a winner but I’ve found a winner that deserves a spot on our monthly line up!

This dish not only creates an all in one meal (where each component is layered together… grains, veggies, meat, etc) it’s a meal that you can drink wine while cooking. And any meal that includes wine both before and during dinner is a good one.

If you enjoy goat cheese you can totally sub it for the cream cheese we used. We just don’t like it in our home.

Inspiration: Annie’s Eats

Chicken with Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Sauce
  • 2 chicken breasts, pounded thin & cut in half
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoon sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (and drained, if packed in oil)
  • 4 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • noodles


Boil some water and add pasta.

Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat skillet over medium-high heat and add oil. When oil is hot, add chicken breasts. Cook through, about 6-8 minutes per side, depending on the thickness. Set aside and keep warm.

Add frozen peas to pasta for last 1-2 minutes of cooking.

In the same skillet the chicken was browned in, add the wine. Cook over medium-high heat until reduced by half, being sure to scrape up the browned bits from the chicken. Add the chicken broth and reduce that by about half too. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and heat through.

Remove skillet from heat and stir in the cream cheese. Drain the pasta and peas. Put a piece of chicken breast over pasta and peas and top with sauce. Enjoy!

Serves 4

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Kitchen Sink Egg Cups {Breakfast Recipe}

June 8, 2012 by
Kitchen Sink Egg Cups

One of my favorite meals of the day is breakfast. The versatility of it, the flavors, the mimosas you can pair with it… So I love making breakfast foods. There’s one breakfast recipe that I make that EVERYONE asks for once they’ve tried it. And it’s a recipe I never make exactly the same each time. Don’t you love those types?

These egg cups are easy, portable, and re-heatable. You can switch out the meat, veggies and cheese for any other kind and they’ll taste equally as good. I love to add chicken sausage to give it a little kick every once in a while.

If you have a brunch to attend or a playdate to go to, bring these! They’re sure to be a hit. I know they’re a hit at my playgroup. And I have to thank my friend Rachel for introducing me to them.

Kitchen Sink Egg Cups

  • 4 pieces bacon, crumbled
  • 8 eggs, beaten
  • 1 (16 ounce) container fat free cottage cheese
  • 1 cup low fat cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cups swiss chard, washed and cut into small pieces
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain and set aside to cool. Crumble or cut up into smaller pieces.
Add onions into pan and sautee. When almost done add swiss chard and cook until wilted. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, cottage cheese, cheese, veggies and cooled meat. Cover and refrigerate overnight (or use right away).

The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove cheese mixture from refrigerator; stir in flour, butter, baking powder and salt. Spoon batter into 24 lightly greased muffin cups.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until cups are slightly golden on top.

Filed Under: Breakfast, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

Coconut Oatmeal with Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil {Breakfast Recipe}

May 23, 2012 by

We’re always trying to find great alternatives to classic favorites in this home. Since my daughter consistantly eats oatmeal for us for breakfast we wanted to continue our luck with the one meal we know she’ll finish. So when I received my Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil I knew exactly what I’d to do try it out… put it in our oatmeal!

When I was done making the first batch of coconut oatmeal I went into the fridge to grab the kids some milk for their sippy cups. I looked over and saw an open package of mini chocolate chips from my husbands latest baking adventure so I grabbed the bag and sprinkled a few chocolate chips over the top of each bowl for an added treat. OMG! This oatmeal tasted exactly like my favorite chocolate chip oatmeal cookie. Delicious!

I cannot wait to start using Tropical Traditions coconut oil in other recipes. Added benefit? We can use it as cloth diaper friendly diaper cream too! Who knew? Plus there are so many other ways to use this stuff. Go here to find more!

Coconut Oatmeal
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon Tropical Traditions coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips (optional)

Pour milk into a small saucepan and heat on medium.

Stir in coconut oil and coconut flakes. Stir until oil is completely melted. Add in oats. Sprinkle on cinnamon and continue to stir. Cook for 3-5 minutes.

Pour into a bowl and sprinkle with chocolate chips for an added bit of sweetness!

Serves 2 (or 1 adult, 2 kids)

Do you use coconut oil? I’d love to hear how! 

Disclaimer: I received a 32oz jar of Tropical Traditions coconut oil for review purposes only. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

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Sausage & Kale Soup

May 12, 2012 by
Sausage and Kale Soup

In an effort to go green and become a bit more eco-friendly we’ve started an organic garden at home. We’ve also been very diligent about choosing a new and unique veggie to take home from the farmer’s market in an effort to teach our kids about eating healthy. One of the vegetables we picked up this week was kale. I’ve heard amazing things about it’s super green, vitamin rich goodness but honestly have never cooked with it before.

So I attempted to make kale chips as a healthy alternative to potato chips for my family. I had heard rave reviews from a few of my friends and just had to try them. What a mistake that was! Burnt to a crisp or so bitter I couldn’t swallow. I threw out the whole batch and was dreading watching the other bunch of kale we had picked.

Until I remembered a friend mentioning using kale in her soups. And then I thought of the sausage and potato soup they serve at the Olive Garden. The light in my head went on and I knew what dinner was going to be! Not only did I get some veggies into our meal, the kids enjoyed it! This soup is simple, easy, and comes together quick. The perfect way to relax in the cool, crisp spring air after enjoying the farmer’s market.

Sausage & Kale Soup

  • 2 sausage links
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 4 carrots, coined
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 can navy beans, rinsed
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 2 cups water
  • 4 cups of kale, stems removed, torn into small pieces
  • salt & pepper to taste

Saute the sausage in a large pot or dutch oven. Once slightly browned, remove from pan and set aside.

Add olive oil to the pan. Once heated, add onions and carrots to the pot and saute until translucent and tender. Sprinkle flour over the veggies and saute for a minute longer.

Pour chicken stock and water into the pot and add sausage back in. Add the beans and let simmer for 20 minutes, or until all of the flavors are incorporated. Add kale and season with salt and pepper to taste and cook for another 5 minutes.

Serve with some fresh-baked bread or your favorite salad for a wonderful and tasty meal in under 30 minutes.

Filed Under: Dinner, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Soups & Salads, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

Citrus Beef with Broccoli {Dinner Recipe}

May 10, 2012 by

My husband’s known to pick up random cuts of beef from the store because he sees them in the clearance bin. He’s great at spotting the great deals as soon as we walk into the store and sometimes I have to get a bit creative when it comes to cooking up what he brings home. Especially when it’s something that is going to expire tomorrow.

So when he grabbed some chuck steak the other night at Target I decided to get creative with what I made out of it and combined two of my favorite asian flavors, orange chicken and beef with broccoli. I mixed the citrus glaze of the orange chicken with beef and broccoli and was pleasantly surprised with the results.

If you want more of an orange flavor, use orange marmalade in place of the lemon curd. I had lemon curd in the cupboard for some reason so I just used that. I didn’t use a lot so it wasn’t overly sweet in the dish.

 
Citrus Beef with Broccoli

  • 2 cups brown rice
  • 1 1/4 pounds beef chuck steak
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup lemon curd (or orange marmalade)
  • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon peeled and chopped ginger
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup freshly squeezed  orange juice
  • 1 head broccoli, cut into florets, stems sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
Cook the brown rice according to package directions.

 Thinly slice the chuck steak, about 1/4-inch thick, across the grain. Cut the slices into 3-inch long strips.

Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Toss the beef in the cornstarch and shake off excess. Fry the beef in 2 batches in the hot oil, turning once, until crispy and golden, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside on paper towel lined plate. Carefully drain the oil from the wok or skillet.

In a medium bowl add the lemon curd, garlic, vinegar, ginger, soy sauce and orange juice and whisk until well combined. Add to the wok, over high heat, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the broccoli. Cook the broccoli until slightly tender and the sauce is thick, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the beef, then transfer to a serving platter.

Serve immediately with the rice.

Serves 4

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Italian Sausages and Rice {Dinner Recipe}

May 1, 2012 by

Italian Sausages & Rice

Last weekend we hit Costco for our weekly run. We go at least once a week to pick up the staples; milk, eggs, meat, veggies, fruit, juice, and snacks for the kids and my husband. But we also like to peruse their samples of the day in case anything catches our eye.

There has been many an item I’ve sampled at Costco and than later have become hooked to the product. First time I tried Fage? I was given a sample of a whole yogurt cup! I never looked back at the other greek yogurt brands I used to love.

Well that day we were able to sample two awesome products. The Spaghetti Factory Italian sausage and Seeds of Change Quinoa and Rice blend. These two were no where near each other when we sampled them but as soon as I tasted both I knew they belonged together.

Pair that with the fact that I am buried over my head with fresh swiss chard in the garden and you have this delicious dish. Seriously… one of the best dishes I’ve made in a long time. You definitely don’t have to use the exact brands I used but if you don’t have access to the Seeds of Change rice I recommend adding a clove of garlic in with the mix. You can never go wrong with garlic!

Italian Sausages and Rice - a great weeknight dinner

Italian Sausages & Rice

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add italian sausage and sear on all sides.

While sausage is searing, cook rice in microwave (you can also use 2 cups of leftover rice). Set sausage aside to rest and add onion and carrots to the pan. Cook for 3 minutes.

Cut sausages diagonally and add back to the pan to cook fully. Add swiss chard and chicken broth. Cover and cook for another 3 minutes. Add rice to the vegetables and cook another minute or two until everything is incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with a great glass of red wine and enjoy! (try not to finish the bottle or else you might start blogging about feelings you never thought you’d share publicly)

Serves 4 | 10 WW+ Points

Do you have any favorite go-to items from Costco?

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Peanut Butter Oatmeal {Breakfast Recipe}

April 26, 2012 by

As I mentioned yesterday, my daughter now has to take an iron supplement. We’ve had great luck over the first few days with making her smoothies when it was time to take her supplement but now she’s no longer interested.

So this morning I thought I’d put a spin on her favorite breakfast meal. I added her two favorite foods, peanut butter and oatmeal, and threw in a banana to find that this finger-licking good meal would be completely devoured before my eyes!

The results were exactly what this mama wanted.

The first time since we started her iron supplements and she actually finished a whole dose! In the form of peanut butter oatmeal, of course.

And an even better bonus is the fact that one serving is only 4 points. Paired with a banana this makes a delicious breakfast for my kids and me. And it’s a bit faster to whip up than my baked peanut butter and banana oatmeal squares.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Breakfast

Peanut Butter Oatmeal 

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1 tablespoon peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • banana to top, optional

Add all ingredients to a small saucepan. Cook on medium low heat stirring frequently. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until oatmeal is creamy and all ingredients are incorporated.

Spoon into a few bowls and enjoy this delicious breakfast!

Serves 2 | 4 WW+ Points

First my daughter tried eating her oatmeal with a spoon.
When that didn’t get it to her mouth fast enough she went with her hands and got much more!
The oatmeal was so good she licked each finger clean after finishing her bowl! Now that’s a success.
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Baked Eggplant Parmesan {Dinner Recipe}

April 20, 2012 by
Eggplant Parmesan

I’m always looking for a great meatless meal. Lately I’ve been turning to one of my favorite blogs, Ezra Pound Cake, for meatless inspiration. I just recently decided to try her baked eggplant parmesan but knew I wouldn’t need as much so I tweaked the recipe a bit to meet our needs. And boy was I happy I made this! The dish was delicious, healthy, and the kids loved it!

If you’re looking for a great Sunday evening dish or even something to prep and freeze for meals later on in the week or month then I highly recommend trying this dish out. It sure beats the Trader Joe’s dish I’ve been buying (and you all know how much I love Trader Joe’s)! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Dinner, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , ,

Apple Carrot Walnut Muffins {Breakfast Recipe}

April 11, 2012 by

These Apple Carrot Walnut Muffins are the perfect quick and easy breakfast recipe to let the kids help make!

Apple Carrot Walnut Muffins

I hosted a playgroup playdate at my house yesterday morning and didn’t really have much planned in the form of snacks. I had the usual toddler fair of goldfish, snap pea crisps, and pretzels but nothing of substance for the mamas. So I asked Ethan what he wanted. And like your typical kid, he asked for cupcakes. So I made the next best thing.

I grabbed one of my recipe books and started flipping. And fell upon a recipe that I had all of the ingredients for (sans a few substitutions). And the results were pretty darn yummy. I’ll definitely be making these muffins for future get-togethers.

Apple Carrot Walnut Muffins 2

Apple Carrot Walnut Muffins

12 servings | 3 WW+ Points*

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon table salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup greek fat-free yogurt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 small apple (, shredded)
  • 1/2 cup shredded carrots
  • 1/2 cup pecans (, chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a muffin tin or prep with cupcake liners.
  2. In a large bowl whisk flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt together until well mixed. In a separate large bowl whisk the egg. Add yogurt, vanilla, and butter. Stir until combined.
  3. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated together. Do not over mix. Batter will be thick and dough-like. Fold in apples, carrots, and nuts.
  4. Use an ice cream scoop or spoon to fill muffin tins 2/3rds of the way full. Mix 1 tablespoon sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Top each muffin with sugar blend. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

*by omitting the nuts you can reduce this recipe to 2 WW+ points each

What is your all time favorite muffin flavor? 

Love this recipe? Check out these great ones too! 

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