freezer meal: baked ziti

one of the pieces of advice i followed when nearing the end of my pregnancy was to stock up on freezer meals, and i'm so glad i did! in hindsight, i wish i would've done even more. thankfully we have a wonderful group of friends and family who brought us food in the 2 weeks after ellie was born, but eventually the food stops coming and you have to figure out how to feed yourself again. :) freezer meals to the rescue!

this was one of our favorites and can actually make 3 pan instead of just 2 like the recipe calls for, it's so easily customizable with whatever vegetables or meats you want. this is the base recipe that you can add to.

[modified recipe courtesy of sixsistersstuff.com]

• 1 pound whole wheat ziti (or any short pasta)
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 pound ground beef, turkey, or chicken
• 2 jars spaghetti sauce
• 8 slices provolone cheese
• 1.5 cups lite sour cream or greek yogurt
• 6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

1. cook pasta according to package directions.

2. in a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef and drain. add spaghetti sauce and simmer 15 minutes.

3. spray 8x8" pans with cooking spray, and layer ingredients as follows: 1/4 of the pasta, 1/4 of the sauce, 4 slices of provolone, 1/2 of the sour cream, 1/4 of the pasta, 1/4 of the mozzarella, and 1/4 of the sauce. top with remaining mozzarella (and parmesan, if you want!)

4. either bake immediately at 350 for 30 minutes, or cover and freeze. when you're ready to eat the frozen meal, let it thaw in the fridge for 24-36 hours before baking at 350 for 30 minutes.

love this site for freezer meals! 

enjoy!!

"lightened up" loaded potato soup

happy new year!!

while i'm not a huge fan of january or february and the cold that they bring, i am a huge fan of simple soup recipes. there is no better time of year than now to make big batches of soup!

soup can really be at either end of the health spectrum. there are broth-based, veggie-filled, good-for-you varieties, and there are some that are loaded with cream and calories. this recipe from southern living (my favorite magazine) is a great compromise for when you want one of those hearty, creamy soups without the caloric load.

you will need:

• 4 red potatoes
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 1/4 cups low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
• 3 tbsp flour
• 2 cups milk (recipe called for 1% but i used skim with no problem!)
• 1/4 cup lite sour cream (can also replace with greek yogurt)
• salt & pepper
• bacon and cheese for topping, if desired

1. pierce potatoes with a fork, and microwave on high for 13 minutes. let cool.

2. saute onion in oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. add broth. combine flour and 1/2 cup milk and add to the pan. then add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of milk. 

3. bring to a boil, stirring often. boil for 1 minute. 

4. remove from heat and stir in sour cream, salt and pepper.

5. discard potato skins and coarsely mash into the soup. top with cheese and bacon.

this recipe makes 4 servings, and each only has 325 calories-not bad for a loaded potato soup!

here's how mine turned out...so good with a grilled cheese sandwich!

enjoy!

sooo we're having a baby next month...

i can't believe september is here! i've been saying for awhile how crazy it will be when we can say "we're having a baby next month" and now we can. mind blown.

i've been a terrible, irregular blogger lately because there is literally nothing for me to blog about other than baby stuff. even i get bored of talking about baby stuff all the time, so i assume everyone else does too. i've spared you for a few weeks, so here's what's going on with ellie baby!

we got SO much done this weekend and are ready for her to show up whenever she decides! i've had 2 showers in the past couple of weeks and got so much awesome stuff, including some very useful and much appreciated gift cards. we put those to use this weekend by hitting up babies r us one last time, getting some major deals at target.com, and, most importantly, exchanging some things at belk to then buy ellie's halloween costume. she's going to be a goldfish. :)

in other news, i reached major beach ball status this week. here's the proof:

isn't that shirt the most perfect beach ball shirt ever? i figured i should wear it on labor day weekend since it's really not so apropos from here on out. although, considering we're still having 95 degree days, i guess i can wear whatever the heck i want!

overall, i'm still feeling really good, trying to eat well, and exercising 4-5 days a week. hoping i can keep that up for a few more weeks! i am definitely more uncomfortable than i've been...well, ever... but it's motivating to be in the home stretch! it's pretty difficult to get comfortable when i'm sitting on the couch watching tv or wearing anything other than yoga pants, but working out and stretching is still helping so much!

i think i'm craving things more now than i have for the past several months combined. i could drink sweet tea and eat crushed ice all day long every day, but my new rule is to limit the drive-thru teas to a once-a-week treat only. we'll see how that goes... i've also been eating oreos with michael, which i just don't ever normally do. i think i want the oreos so badly because we always have them with a big glass of cold milk, which i've been drinking like a champ. maybe dairy is just where it's at for me these days, because ice cream is also a constant craving!

in the "normal" food department, we've really just been rotating lots of our favorite recipes lately to keep things simple. michael is busy with school, i'm busy with work, and we're both busy with the dogs, the house, the yard, and the baby preparations, so nothing shockingly new has made its way into the dinner rotation recently. i am trying to make one freezer meal each week to stock our freezer with food for when ellie is here and neither one of us feels like cooking. i've got 2 in the bank so far: black bean taco soup and chicken parmesan meatloaf. check those sites out if you want to try freezer meals-they've got some great recipes!

don't expect much more out of me in the next month or 2, as i'm expecting things to stay about the same around the segura household. we're not traveling any more and we're trying to enjoy the last of our time as a family of 4, so there won't be much news to tell! of course we will let the world know when miss ellie arrives, and if i happen to come across any ground-breaking recipes or online shopping deals in the meantime i'll share the goods. :)

weekend/cinnamon roll pancakes

hey everyone!

we had such a great weekend and are still recovering from all of the excitement.

my best friend courtney and her husband harris (and their furbaby lucy) came to visit us for the weekend, and saturday we had our first baby shower! my wonderful friend kat hosted it at our house, and we invited all of our friends. it was the first baby shower for a lot of the guys there, which was fun to watch. we played games, ate a lot, and i had the best time opening ellie's gifts! we got some amazing things that were so fun to put away in the nursery. 

another big event happened this weekend-we discovered the goodness of cinnamon roll pancakes. i ate cinnamon rolls for breakfast pretty much every other day for much of my 2nd trimester, and i think i could still eat them daily if i let myself. i eventually realized the fat and sugar were not the greatest way to start my day, but i LOVE the taste of cinnamon rolls. i've always been a fan, but it's definitely intensified during pregnancy.

anyway, courtney is also pregnant (12 weeks-yay!), and has been a fan of sweet food so far, so i figured a sweet breakfast saturday morning would be a winner for both of us. i pinned a cinnamon roll pancakes recipe on pinterest awhile back and gave it a try.

y'all. it is ridiculously good.

you make a regular pancake batter, swirl in a cinnamon filling, and top it with a cream cheese glaze. the brown sugar in the filling gets all caramelized and crunchy when you cook it, and it is just to die for.

i obviously was not concerned with taking pictures during this process, so here's one from the original recipe source (life-in-the-lofthouse.com):

here's what you need:

• make it easy on yourself and use your favorite store-bought pancake mix. if you have to, or really prefer it, you can make them from scratch using whatever plain pancake recipe you can find. it really cut down on time to make these with my go-to krusteaz honey wheat mix!
• cinnamon filling:
• 1/2 cup butter, melted (treat yourself and use real butter....it's worth it)
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• cream cheese glaze (aka heaven on earth):
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 oz cream cheese
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

here's what you do:

1. prepare the cinnamon filling first. (generally i don't follow every recipe direction like this, but i'm glad i did in this case. the filling really does need time to "set"). mix butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon and scoop the filling into a small ziplock bag. set aside.

2. prepare pancake batter: if you're me, you add water and mix. if you want to be complicated, go right on ahead :)

3. prepare cream cheese glaze: heat butter and cream cheese in a microwave-safe bowl until melted. whisk together until smooth, then whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla. set aside.

4. heat griddle over medium heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray. scoop pancake batter onto griddle as usual. snip a small corner of your baggie full of cinnamon goodness, and swirl it over the top of the pancake. flip over when ready, and cook until done.

5. spoon warmed cream cheese glaze on top of each pancake when serving.

if you like sweet breakfasts at all, please make these. they won't disappoint! enjoy!

my favorite veggie side

main dishes get most of the recipe love on this blog, but there's one really simple side that we eat a lot, and we both really love: baked zucchini with mozzarella.

i think i originally got this idea from pinterest/another blog awhile back, but the recipe is from memory at this point!

you will need:

• zucchini (duh)...decide how much you want based on the size of the zucchini in your store and how many people are eating. usually i just get one for each of us.
• seasoning salt (we usually use lawry's or garlic salt. you could also just mix plain table salt with any seasoning you like!)
• shredded mozzarella

1. preheat your oven to 350.

2. wash and slice zucchini into rings, about 1/2" wide.

3. line a baking sheet with tin foil, and place the zucchini slices on it in a single layer.

4. sprinkle each zucchini with seasoning salt. 

5. bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes.

6. remove from the oven and sprinkle mozzarella on each zucchini. put back in the oven and bake until cheese is melted (about 5 more minutes). 

this recipe is simple, fast, and pretty healthy, so it makes its way into our rotation often. 

hope you enjoy!

salsa chicken tacos & mexican corn

we had such a great dinner a few days ago that was so easy i just had to share!

[actually michael cooked this whole dinner himself, but he vouched for how easy it was! i figure the meal planner/recipe finder can still take some credit, right??]

crockpot salsa chicken (original recipe from recipe-diaries.com)

3 frozen chicken breasts

1 16-oz jar salsa

1 package taco seasoning

1. dump everything in the crockpot and cook on low for 5-6 hours.

2. shred.

3. (yep, that's it!)

we then took the shredded chicken and put it in hard taco shells with some cheese and jalapenos to make some pretty awesome tacos!

picture courtesy of recipe-diaries.com

mexican corn (original recipe from iwashyoudry.com)

3 ears of corn, shucked and cleaned

1/2 tbsp. mayonnaise

1 tbsp. sour cream (we used greek yogurt instead)

1/4 cup shredded parmesan

1/2 tsp. chili powder

salt & pepper

1. heat grill over medium heat and spray rack with non-stick cooking spray.

2. grill corn, turning frequently, until slightly browned and heated through (roughly 10 minutes).

3. meanwhile, combine mayo and sour cream/greek yogurt in a small bowl.

4. in a separate bowl, combine chili powder, salt and pepper.

5. slather hot grilled corn with mayo mixture, then sprinkle on the chili powder mix. coat in parmesan cheese.

[you can top with cilantro if you like, but we're not huge fans!]

picture courtesy of iwashyoudry.com

enjoy!!

crockpot chicken & stuffing

happy the-week-is-halfway-over wednesday! as soon as summer rolls around and i know it's warm and sunny outside, my work week countdown goes into serious mode.

today i'm sharing a not-so-summery meal, but it's SO good. i mean, i could probably eat an entire crockpot full of it.

crockpot meals don't scream "summer", but they're really convenient all year round. they don't make your house hotter like an oven tends to do sometimes, and i enjoy the smell of food cooking all day regardless of the time of year. this meal in particular is especially fall-ish due to the stuffing, but i personally think stuffing is under-used and should be eaten way more often than just at thanksgiving!

as usual, i found this recipe on pinterest. it's originally from i save a 2 z. 

crockpot chicken & stuffing

• 4 chicken breasts (recipe calls for defrosted but you can really use frozen chicken too. we did, and we just accounted for the water that would come from the frozen chicken when the recipe calls for extra water in step 6)
• 2 small cans cream of chicken soup (lite if you can find it!)
• 2 boxes of stuffing mix
• 1 cup sour cream (again, lite if possible)
• 1 small package frozen green beans

1. spray your crockpot with cooking spray.

2. put chicken breasts in the bottom of the crockpot.

3. pour the dry stuffing mix over the chicken.

4. in a separate bowl, mix together the soup and sour cream. put this mixture over the dry stuffing.

5. add the frozen green beans as the last layer. (my smart hubby, who is the one who actually made this meal, waited until everything was about halfway cooked to add the green beans. that way they didn't get soggy.)

6. add about 1 cup of water to the top of the mixture. (this is where we accounted for a little extra water that might come from our frozen chicken. we only added about 3/4 cup)

7. cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7-8 hours.

here's a picture of the finished product courtesy of i save a 2 z:

this meal smells amazing, tastes even better, is super easy, and is pretty cost-conscious. win-win-win-win.

enjoy!

churro cheesecake

dessert recipe time!

i made this churro cheesecake for a segura family get together this past weekend, and i liked it! the original recipe came from the recipe critic, and based on her pictures vs. mine, i think mine came out a little differently.

the main difference i think is how the crescent rolls baked. in her pictures, the bread layers look thin and fairly crispy, like a crust, while mine baked up really fluffy and more cake-like. i'm sure either way is good, but i think next time i will use less crescent rolls, or maybe just one layer instead of two.

anywho, the cheesecake filling is to die for, and i love cinnamon, so this is right up my alley!

you will need:

• 2 cans crescent dinner rolls
• 2 8-oz packages of cream cheese, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon

1. preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. using a stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese, vanilla, egg, and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. 

2. mix together the rest of the sugar (1/2 cup) and cinnamon. spray the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly on the bottom.

3. on a piece of parchment paper, roll out your crescent roll dough into a big square and press the seams together. (i used a floured rolling pin to make this a little smoother)

4. place the dough in the bottom of the baking dish on top of the cinnamon sugar and spread the cheesecake filling evenly on top of the dough.

5. unroll the other can of dough and place on top of the cheesecake.

6. sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/4 cup of cinnamon sugar.

6. bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

enjoy!

roasted veggie penne

hello everyone!

i hope you're all having a great week so far. i'm so thankful this is a short week due to good friday, and i'm pretending today is really wednesday.

everything is going well in our world...winding down this semester of school for michael (less than a month to go!), getting ready for our upcoming vacation, and of course still being very excited about baby. she/he is the size of a peach this week, and i actually have a fairly noticeable and permanent bump. fun week!

we made today's recipe several weeks ago, when it was still too cold to be spring and i was wishing for anything that made it feel like summer. this is a pasta dish, but it's loaded with veggies and isn't heavy at all. perfect for these warmer days! (even though this week is a bit of a bump in the road...come back 80s!)

[original recipe found here]

you will need:

• 2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2" pieces
• 2 medium bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1/2" pieces
• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 1 red onion, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 12 oz whole-grain penne pasta
• 1 can (15 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan (or pecorino) cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, torn (or a few teaspoons dried basil)
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1. heat large pot of salted water to boiling to prepare for pasta. preheat oven to 450.

2. in a large bowl, combine zucchini, peppers, broccoli, onion, garlic, and olive oil. divide between 2 baking sheets (i lined mine with foil for easy clean-up). sprinkle with salt and roast 15-20 minutes, stirring once. veggies should be browned and tender after roasting.

3. while veggies cook, add penne to boiling water and cook according to the package directions. reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water. drain pasta and return to pot.

4. to pasta, add tomatoes, cheese, basil, crushed red pepper, roasted veggies, and salt. stir to combine, adding pasta water if needed. cook on medium heat for 2 minutes before serving.

the final product. can you tell how cold i was??

enjoy!

cream cheese pancakes

i think we (michael and i) can officially call ourselves pancake fanatics. we used to have pancakes pretty much every saturday and sunday morning, unless we went out to brunch, and i love finding new ways to make them different. now that i've been having some weird food cravings/aversions, we haven't had pancakes as much, but since i'm officially at the end of my first trimester, i'm happy to work them back into my diet!

awhile back, i tried the quinoa pancakes recipe you can find here. i also like to mix in bananas, chocolate chips, cinnamon, etc. to make the usual pancakes a little more special.

about a month or so ago, i tried something very different: cream cheese pancakes. (original recipe here)

there are 4 very simple ingredients to make 8 pancakes:

-4 oz cream cheese

-4 eggs

-2 packets splenda (or sweetener of your choice)

-1 tsp cinnamon

put all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. let the batter sit for a few minutes until the bubbles settle down, then fry on a griddle as usual.

not surprisingly for me, i took a "before" shot and was so excited to eat that i didn't take an "after". to be fair, i started the batter and michael cooked the pancakes while i was upstairs scrambling to get ready for church. sooo i missed a few photo ops. :)

anyway, here's what they look like, courtesy of ibreatheimhungry.com:

next time you're in the mood for a different kind of pancake, give these a try! so easy and fast (and gluten and carb free, might i add)!

leftover ricotta version 2-ricotta pancakes

part 2 of my leftover ricotta saga....

after the kale dip was made, i still had about 3/4 cup ricotta cheese to deal with. we love our pancakes around the segura household, so making a pancake batter for the next day's breakfast was a perfect solution!

this recipe is based on martha stewart's lemon-poppy seed ricotta pancakes, but i modified it in several ways to fit the ingredients i had on hand.

these pancakes are so light and fluffy, thanks to the egg whites, and just sweet enough without being overpowering. so so good and unusual!

here's what you need:

-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
-1/2 tsp baking powder
-1 1/2 tbsp sugar
-pinch of salt
-1 cup ricotta cheese (i only had 3/4 cup, so i added a little plain greek yogurt to make up the difference)
-3 large eggs, yolks and whites separated
-3/4 cup milk (i used almond milk)

[the original recipe calls for lemon zest and poppy seeds, which i'm sure would be fabulous in these pancakes, but i didn't have either on hand at the time]

1. in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder.

2. in a large bowl, mix ricotta, milk, egg yolks, and vanilla.

3. add the dry mixture to the cheese mixture and mix until just combined.

4. beat egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff. gently fold egg whites into batter. [we put the batter in the fridge, covered, overnight at this step. turned out fine!]

5. cook and enjoy!

leftover ricotta version 1-kale dip

after making the spinach and artichoke stuffed shells that were such a hit, i had well over half of a container of ricotta cheese left in the fridge.

i don't know about y'all, but i am awful about buying one ingredient for a particular dish, then letting it expire before i use the rest. i have guilt issues about throwing away all that food!

i was bound and determined to use the rest of that ricotta, so i went on the search for something new and different to try.

the first recipe i found is courtesy of fitsugar.com. it's a kale dip that i made as an appetizer to one of our weeknight dinners, and it is so good! i didn't have any chips on hand, but i did have whole wheat tortillas, which i cut into wedges and baked with some salt until crispy.

here's what you need:

-1 bunch of green kale, leaves sliced, stems/ribs discarded

-half of an onion, sliced

-4 cloves garlic

-1/4 cup water

-3/4 cup low-fat ricotta cheese

-1 1/2 tbsp parmesan cheese

-juice of 1 lemon

-salt 

-red pepper flakes

1. put kale, water, onion slices, and garlic in a large pot. begin cooking over medium heat. my pot was a little dry, so i added about another 1/4 cup water to get the greens moving around.

2. in a food processor, add ricotta, parmesan, lemon juice, salt, and red pepper flakes. i added roughly 1 teaspoon of the red pepper flakes, and i honestly didn't taste them that much in the dip. i might add a little more next time.

3. you may wonder if your greens pot will ever cook, but it will! mine looked like this after about 6 minutes of stirring and cooking. once the onions and kale are tender, remove the pot from the burner and let it cool for about 5 minutes.

4. add the kale mixture to the food processor and blend until combined. the dip is pretty chunky (great word, huh?) so it doesn't take much. you can add a little more water here if you need it.

5. serve with chips and enjoy!

spinach, artichoke and feta stuffed shells

i found today's inspiration recipe over at tracey's culinary adventures. the fact that she compared the taste to spinach and artichoke dip caught my eye. my husband could eat gallons of the stuff, so i figured he would like this version.

this meal is very hearty and creamy, but since you have full control of the ingredients you use, you can make it fairly light. it's also a great vegetarian meal for those of you who like to include veggie-based meals in your diet.

here's what you need:

-1 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese

-1 cup crumbled feta cheese

-1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

-1/4 tsp black pepper

-1 can or frozen package of artichoke hearts, chopped (and thawed, if frozen)

-1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry

-1 clove of garlic, minced

-20 jumbo shells

-about 15 oz tomato sauce (i used a canned version for this recipe, but you could also use the homemade tomato sauce from this blog post from december)

step 1: spread half of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish. preheat oven to 375.

step 2: begin cooking shells according to package directions. once done, drain and let cool.

step 3: prepare filling. mix spinach, artichokes, feta cheese, ricotta cheese, pepper, garlic, and half of the mozzarella cheese in a medium bowl.

step 4: fill cooked, cooled shells with spinach mixture and place in the prepared 13x9 dish.

step 5: sprinkle the remaining mozzarella over the shells.

step 6: bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes. 

step 7: eat all except 5 of the shells, then remember to take a picture of the final product. :)

as expected, michael is in love with this recipe. i really liked it too, and it's nice to take a break from the usual chicken, ground turkey, ground beef recipes. it will definitely be in rotation in the future!

new favorite smoothie

happy monday everyone!

i hope you all had a great weekend. ours was full of fun and friends as usual...how lucky we are!

i've talked about my love for both smoothies and peanut butter before, and i'm still somewhat of a smoothie fanatic. these days, though, i either make a green smoothie with fruit, yogurt, and spinach/kale, or something with almond butter.

i typically buy the mara natha no-stir crunchy almond butter. i always try to have some in my fridge for smoothies and banana sandwiches:

this morning for breakfast i had this concoction, which is one of my recent favorites:

• 2 spoonfuls of almond butter
• about 1/3 cup non-fat plain greek yogurt 
• 1 banana
• about a teaspoon of honey
• almond milk

while i shared a homemade almond milk recipe last week, this smoothie was made with store-bought almond breeze (unsweetened). :)

blend until smooth and enjoy! i made this one early this morning and will drink it for lunch, so i didn't add ice since it'll just be sitting in the fridge for a few hours. if i were to make it and drink it shortly after, i would take out some of the almond milk and replace it with ice. icy smoothies are hands-down the best.

this smoothie packs a ton of flavor and protein...can't beat that!

homemade almond milk

cow's milk alternatives are pretty popular these days for several reasons. almond or soy milk contain no dairy, which is great for people with allergies or lactose intolerance. alternative plant-based milks typically have lower saturated fat and cholesterol, as well as higher fiber levels.

on the other hand, milk from cows is higher in calcium and vitamin d.

i think all types of milk are great for you in some capacity or another, assuming you choose the lower-fat versions. i've been using skim milk in my kitchen for years, but recently michael and i decided to try to make soy and/or almond milk more permanent staples in our kitchen.

i came across a recipe for diy almond milk on pinterest and decided to give it a try. it was really easy and turned out really well! if you prefer to make your own products, or if you're at all sensitive to any of the thickeners used in commercial almond milk, this recipe is perfect for you. it's also great for people on a paleo diet, since most of the added ingredients you see in grocery store almond milk are definitely not paleo friendly.

it only takes about 5 minutes to make, and uses only 2 ingredients: almonds and water.

start with 1 cup of raw almonds and 3 cups of water

put both in a blender and blend on high for about 3 minutes

line a medium-sized bowl with a clean dish towel

pour mixture on top of towel and let it drain through.
you'll be left with almond "pulp" on top

pulp + milk

pour into a jar and refrigerate!
this will keep for several days in the fridge.

the milk will separate a little, but it's fine if you just shake it before you use it. i used mine up in 2 days by using it in my coffee, drinking it as-is, and making an almond milk/almond butter/banana smoothie for breakfast.

this milk is a little thinner that what you would buy from the store, simply due to the lack of any added thickeners, but the taste is really good! you can also add any kind of sweetener you want to if the raw almond taste is too much for you.

all you paleo people - give this a try for sure!

mexican chicken & veggie casserole

i've had this recipe in my cookbook for quite awhile, and i'm not sure where it came from. regardless, it's a really simple, healthy casserole that could quickly become a go-to dinner meal.

you'll need:

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 cups chopped or sliced zucchini (i thinly slice mine, but either will work)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
• 1 can ranch-style beans
• 1 1-oz package taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup light sour cream (i subbed in non-fat greek yogurt since i don't love sour cream)
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 8-oz package low-fat cream cheese
• 12 5" corn tortillas
• 3 chicken breasts (the original recipe did not include chicken, and this is a great vegetarian meal if you'd like it to be. we added chicken this time though!)

1. preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9x9" baking dish with cooking spray.

2. heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. add zucchini and onion and cook for 8-10 minutes.

3. add corn, black beans, ranch-style beans, tomatoes, and taco seasoning. stir and turn heat to low.

4. in the meantime, if you prefer to add chicken, cook it any way you like. i used my grill pan, but you could bake it or cook it in a saute pan. once the chicken is done, slice it into bite-sized pieces.

5. in a small bowl, combine 1 cup of cheddar, cream cheese, and sour cream/greek yogurt. mix until blended.

6. layer 4 tortillas on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. top tortillas with 1/2 of the zucchini mix, then top evenly with 1/2 of the cheese mixture. you can add the chicken to the zucchini mix or just place separately on top of the cheese layer.

7. place 4 tortillas on top of the cheese layer, then top with remaining zucchini mixture. add the rest of the cheese mixture on top, then cover the casserole with 4 more tortillas. sprinkle with remaining 1 cup of cheese and bake for 30 minutes.

i forgot to take a picture before we dug in! this is
after we each had a serving so excuse the rough appearance :)
it's way prettier when it's fresh out of the oven!

enjoy!

must try recipe: quinoa pancakes

do yall ever have one ingredient in your pantry that just sits around...you look at it for weeks...you always consider using it...and it still sits there?

that ingredient for me was a little bag of quinoa:

i bought it forever ago, and while i've used quinoa before, i kept this around for awhile just thinking of something different to do with it.

thanks to pinterest, i found what i was looking for: this recipe from the patrician palette. patricia made quinoa pancakes with blueberry maple syrup. since we had a couple of lazy mornings this past weekend, i knew this would be perfect to try.

[side note: for anyone who's scared of quinoa, don't be! it's a grain-like product that's high in protein and gluten-free. it makes a great side instead of rice, pasta, etc. it's really easy to make and will take on any flavor you add to it.]

here's what you need:

pancakes:
-2 eggs
-2 1/2 cups buttermilk (see substitution below)
-4 tbsp shortening (see substitution below)
-2 1/2 cups flour
-2 tsp sugar
-2 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp salt
-1 cup cooked quinoa

syrup:
-maple syrup
-6 oz fruit (recipe called for fresh blueberries, but i used frozen strawberries, thawed)

substitutions:

-i didn't have any buttermilk on hand, so i subbed in skim milk + lemon juice. for each cup of milk, you need 1 tbsp lemon juice (vinegar works too!). mix and let stand for 10 minutes before using.

-i prefer not to use shortening, so i used 4 tbsp vegetable oil instead.

directions:

1. beat eggs well. add remaining ingredients and mix until blended.

2. pour onto a hot, lightly oiled griddle. cook until golden brown on each side.

3. add syrup and fruit to a small saucepan. heat on low until syrup is warm.

4. pour syrup over pancakes. i served these with bacon, because really...what is better than bacon and syrup? yum.

i highly, highly recommend making this recipe. it's so filling, and the pancakes are a really unique texture thanks to the addition of quinoa.

enjoy!

no-bake peanut butter cups

we thankfully had a long weekend due to president's day so not only did we get to play in the snow; i also had plenty of time for a new baking project!

here's a little proof of the snow. we never get this much real snow without all of the ice and freezing rain that usually comes with it around here.

snow day!

 yesterday i made a pinterest recipe that i've been wanting to try for awhile: no bake peanut butter cups! they turned out really well and were super easy to make.

crunchy no-bake peanut butter cups:
[recipe makes 24 cups]

3/4 cup butter
2 1/4 cup peanut butter
2 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup sugar
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup milk
sea salt

step 1: line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. [i would recommend using a mini muffin pan unless you like really rich desserts. i used a regular muffin tin and, while i love chocolate and peanut butter, it was a pretty big serving!

step 2: my grocery store didn't have graham cracker crumbs, so i bought regular graham crackers and crushed them until fine in my food processor.

bottom layer ingredients

step 3: melt butter and peanut butter together for about 45 seconds in the microwave. stir until smooth.

step 4: add graham cracker crumbs and sugar and mix until combined.

step 5: distribute mixture evenly among muffin cups. put in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to allow bottom layer to set.

step 6: combine chocolate and milk and heat in 25 second intervals until chocolate is melted. stir until smooth.

step 7: distribute chocolate evenly among the muffin cups, pouring over each peanut butter layer.

step 8: sprinkle with sea salt and put back in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

before fridge

final product!