Coconut Chia Seed Pudding

I've been trying to include more healthy foods in my diet, especially since our son started eating all of the same foods as us. Chia seeds are a good for you seed you can add to smoothies or drinks. They swell when they get wet which is what makes them so filling. They have a ton of fiber and have omega-3 fatty acids, protein and magnesium.

This pudding is made from coconut milk and chia seeds. That's it! Here are the ingredients and how I made it.

1/3 cup chia seeds
2 cups coconut milk

toppings: blueberries, strawberries, almonds or cashews, shredded coconut, honey or agave

Mix chia seeds and coconut milk together. Let it sit in the fridge for an hour to thicken and chill. Serve and top with whatever fruit and nuts you want!

I've also seen a chocolate version that looks yummy. Maybe made with chocolate almond milk? I love this healthy and fun dessert!

Easy Taco Salad

Every week I ask my husband what he wants for dinner, and every week he says "taco salad". It's kind of become a joke because I feel like it's such a random thing to crave all the time. I don't make it every week, but I try to fit it in as much as my taste allows. It's a super easy and fast dinner, and it's completely customizable which is good for us because we like a lot of different toppings!

Here's some things you need for 2 servings:
1 head Romaine, chopped small (or any leafy green. Spinach works too)
1/2 pound of Ground beef, cooked and drained (we eat everything cool on the salad, not hot)
1/2 can each Kidney and pinto beans, drained and rinsed (I freeze what we don't use for the next time)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Handful of crunched up tortilla chips on top
We top our salads with either a dollop of sour cream or homemade ranch dressing
I've also added olives, chopped tomatoes or salsa, cilantro, limes, diced onion or green onion and avocado!

The meat and beans are hidden underneath!

We pile everything up in a big bowl and top each salad with our favorite things. It's a fun dinner especially for guests, I think, because you get to pick and choose your toppings. Hope you enjoy!

Pot Roast- In the Crock Pot!

I think one of everyone's favorite Sunday meals is the trusty pot roast and vegetables. It was a common smell on Sunday afternoons when we got home from church. My favorite part was always the yummy, tender veggies. I think I thought it was a difficult dish to make, when really it takes less than ten minutes to get it all in the pot and cooking! I heart crock pot meals. I especially love buying a bigger piece of meat on sale for a meal like this and then I use the leftovers for one or more meal remixes. I turned this leftover meat into yummy fried shredded beef tacos.

Here's what you need:
Serves at least 4 people (just two of us ate this and I had a ton of leftovers)
3-4 pound chuck roast (depending on the size of your crock pot)
3 non baking potatoes (I really prefer the creaminess of yukon gold)
Half a red onion
1 cup baby carrots
Big handful of green beans, stems cut off
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon season salt
All I did was put the roast on the bottom of the pot, put the season salt on it, then threw in the veggies, potatoes and onion cut into big chunks and everything else thrown in on top. Then I covered them in the seasonings and salt and pepper. You can add other seasonings if there's a flavor you prefer- These are just the seasonings we like here. I put the top on, put it on high for four hours (or you can do low for six or more hours). When we ate, the meat was SO tender, the veggies were perfect and not overdone or soggy. I took some of the juice at the bottom of the crock pot, ladled it into a pot on the stove and simmered it on low to reduce it a bit for a quick pan gravy. Make sure to taste it for seasonings because I added a little more salt. Serve the meat with the veggies and top it off with a little of the gravy. It's an all in one meal pretty much. All it needs is a little bread on the side. I think this dinner is fancy enough for Sunday dinner but simple enough for a weeknight meal, like we had it last week. Yum!

Twice Baked Potatoes

These really take me back to my childhood. Sunday dinner in our house was special and usually involved barbecued chicken or steak, salad, my mom's homemade bread and a potato side. I liked sides even more than the main dish most of the time, especially when I saw her scooping out the middle of potatoes in preparation for twice baking them!

Twice baked potatoes are super easy to make and they taste amazing.
Here's what you need (makes 6 halves):

3 large russet potatoes, scrubbed clean
1 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons butter
2 green onions, chopped
2 cups cheddar, shredded
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Bake your potatoes in a 350 degree oven for an hour and a half, or until tender. Cut each potato in half and carefully scrape the potato insides into a large bowl. Take care not to scrape too much out because you want it to keep its shape. Add the rest of the ingredients into your bowl (I save a little cheese to top them with) an mix well, breaking up any potato chunks.

Now fill each potato with the filling and place it on a baking sheet. Top with more cheese if you want, or just more green onions. Bake the potatoes at 350 for about 15 more minutes or until the cheese on top is melty and filling is heated thru. These go well with grilled meat, pulled pork sandwiches or as a leftover lunch the next day. :)

Rice Pudding

If you like creamy vanilla desserts, then this is one for you! It's very easy to make and always a crowd pleaser. Plus, I love using up my leftover cooked rice from dinner.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cooked white rice
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups milk
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup raisins (I leave them out sometimes)
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash of cinnamon + nutmeg


Directions:  In a saucepan, combine the rice and 1 1/2 cups of the milk. Bring to a simmer stirring quite often. Let it boil while stirring for about 5 minutes, or until the milk thickens up a little. Now combine the other 1/2 cup of milk in a bowl with an egg and beat it up. Slowly pour the egg/milk mixture into the saucepan while stirring the rice constantly. Keep simmering slowly, and add the salt, raisins, vanilla. Cook until it's your desired consistency (for me it's about 2 more minutes). Then serve it hot with your spices on top, or let it cool a bit (we like it warm) or stick it in the fridge and have it cold. It's good any way you have it! And leave out the raisins if you're not a fan. David is not a dessert guy, but he will gobble up two servings of rice pudding any day!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I hereby declare that this is the easiest meal EVER.  This is serious. I said EVER.  For one, you probably already have everything on hand.  And the original directions for the recipe pretty much consisted of "open up cans, dump everything in, heat through".  If that doesn't sound easy, well then I don't really know what to do for you.

I originally got this recipe from my Aunt Jenny.  I made a few adjustments to make it a little more hearty, but still - easy peasey.  Since the weather is rather dreary outside today, I thought it was the perfect day to share it.  It tastes similar to a taco soup, but with chicken and my addition - rice.  I used to defrost the chicken, cut it up, maybe even BBQ it. Then I eliminated the BBQ step and would throw the defrosted chicken chunks into the soup to cook. Last night? I just pulled a chicken breast out of my freezer and threw it in. When it was thawed enough, I just pulled it out of the soup, shredded it and threw it back into the pot.  I also used to add in rice I had previously cooked, but then I just started throwing in raw rice and adding extra water.  Give it a try tonight! You know you don't know what to make and going to the store doesn't sound fun!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 can diced tomatoes
1 14.5  oz can green chili enchilada sauce
1 14.5 oz chicken broth
1 can black or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn (or about 1.5 cups frozen or fresh corn)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 chicken breast (thawed, frozen, cooked, whatever)
1 envelope taco seasoning
2/3 c. white rice (optional)
1-2 cups water

 Combine all ingredients in a medium stockpot. Bring to a simmer.  If you use raw chicken or rice, simmer until cooked through (about 25 minutes). Add water as needed when the rice starts to soak up the juices. Stir consistently - especially the bottom of the pot as all of the heavy ingredients fall there.  Serve with sour cream, guacamole or avocado (my favorite), cheese, and tortilla chips

Chocolate Pudding Pie

This pie is sooo yummy and easy. You could make the chocolate pudding from scratch, but the day I wanted it, the weather was too hot to stand over the stove and stir pudding. You HAVE to make the whipped cream on your own- nothing beats fresh whipped cream.

 Ingredients:

12 oreos

Half a stick of butter, melted

Chocolate pudding mix

Whole milk

Whipping Cream

Sugar, about a teaspoon

Vanilla (optional)

Pulse the oreos in the food processor until they are crumbs, then pulse in melted butter. You want the crumbs to stick together when you pinch them between your fingers. Press the buttery crumbs into a pie plate. Make the pudding according to instructions, then pour it into the pie crust. Chill the pie until the pudding is set. Before you serve it, dump a small container of whipping cream into your kitchen aid or a bowl and use a hand blender, put it on high, add in a teaspoon of sugar. You can add a teaspoon of vanilla if you want, but it's good either way. This pie tastes way too good for how easy it is to make!

Easy Ranch Chicken Pillows

We pretty much love anything wrapped up in a crescent roll and baked. Who doesn't?! Well the other night I was thinking about what to make and this popped into my head. It is a combination of a couple recipes. I cooked an extra breast at the beginning of the week and put it in the fridge. When it came time to make this it took like 15 mins in total to prepare. Simple. 

If this is for a family you'll want to double the recipe, this feeds me & my husband.

Ranch Chicken Pillows

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast cooked & shredded (I bbq'd mine)

1/3 cup cream cheese, softened (1/3 less fat tastes great in this)

1/3 cup cream o ckn (or more depending on how saucy you want it)

2 t. Ranch Seasoning (ranch dressing mix)

1 pkg. crescent rolls (the ones with 8 in them)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine cream cheese, cream o ckn & ranch seasoning in a bowl. Add pepper to taste or more ranch seasoning. Add chicken and mix well.

Open crescent rolls, spread them all out on a cookie sheet. It should be one large rectangle. Take 2 crescents and press the centers together making 4 small rectangles in total (make sense?).

Add a spoonful of ckn mixture in the middle of each rectangle, fold sides over and seal edges.

Bake for 13-15 mins, checking often after 13 mins. You want them to be golden brown, like a normal crescent roll.

Serve with a side of veggies and enjoy!

Sorry no pictures again...my point & shoot got wet last weekend :(

Pero + Milk

My newest favorite drink doesn't have a real name. I've called it cold Pero, milky Pero, iced Pero... Whatever you want to call it, it is delicious! I don't drink coffee but I've tasted it before, and I never really liked it.  My SIL used to drink it and introduced me to her alternative now that she doesn't drink it anymore.

Pero is a 'coffee substitute' that is most commonly made hot. It's instant powder that just has to be added to a liquid. I love that it's made out of chicory, rye and other natural things- but none of them have to do with actual coffee.

source

The other day I was at my SIL's house and she made me this drink. I fell in love! Perfect for a hot day. Also, a good alternative to chocolate milk.

Here's how I make it:

Fill a tall glass with cold milk. Add 1 or 2 teaspoons of Pero and mix. Add 1 teaspoon of brown sugar and mix. Top off with some ice. Enjoy!

Kristine's Menu July 24-30

I have another lofty goal this week to cook EVERY meal at home. I had the same goal last week, but only ended up cooking 5 out of the 7 nights because of unexpected plans and my craving for a JCW hamburger :)  Here's my menu for the week!


Sunday: Country Chicken Picatta {recipe coming this week}.  Mashed potatoes. Asparagus. Salad.

Monday: Tin foil dinners {hamburger, onions, carrots and potatoes wrapped in foil and baked}

Tuesday: Pesto pizza. Salad.

Wednesday: Ranch chicken {chicken dredged in ranch dressing mix and bread crumbs and baked}. Mashed potatoes. Salad. Broccoli.

Thursday: Egg Breakfast Sandwiches. Fruit.

Friday: Fried Chicken Sliders. Salad. Natalie's onion rings.  Sooooo excited to try these!

Saturday: Pork chops. Salad. Fresh fruit.


Have you jumped on the plan your menu bandwagon yet? What's on your menu this week?  I love looking at other menus to get inspiration for next week and to get out of the rut of cooking the same thing over and over and over again! Share your menus in the comments!

BBQ Onion Rings

I've never made onion rings before but I've always liked them. I never order them but I'd eat them if someone made them for me... Well now I think I'm going to be eating a lot of them. I found a recipe for BBQ onion rings here the other day and showed them to my cousin Blake. He's in love with onion rings. He made us make them that night. He couldn't wait. They were AMAZING.

I took the general idea of the recipe and made it a little simpler. I even put some of the rings on my pulled pork sandwich. YUM.
We also didn't dip them in anything- they were good by themselves. Here's what you need, and what i did:

Serves 4 as a side dish.

1 BIG yellow onion
Buttermilk
BBQ sauce
Hot sauce (optional)
Flour
Salt + Pepper
Vegetable oil for frying

Cut the onion into thick rings. I like mine a little thinner so I did probably 1/4 inch slices. It's really up to you and how thick of an onion ring you like. Separate all the rings in a bowl. Add 1/4 of bbq sauce and a few dashes of hot sauce on top of the rings and oll them around in it. Cover the onion rings with the buttermilk. The longer you let them set the better they get. Mine sat for only about 15 minutes because we were starving, but up to an hour would be good.



Heat your oil in a pan (I like to use a deep pot so there's less splattering all over my counter) and meanwhile, start dipping your buttermilk covered rings into the flour (season the flour with a little salt and pepper). Shake off the excess flour and fry a few at a time.


Don't crowd the pot too much, otherwise they won't cook well. I cooked mine on medium heat and they took a minute on each side. They should be golden brown when you take them out. Here they are again!

Wraps!

Hey all, Kari here. Natalie invited me to start sharing some recipes here on her blog. And well, I'm honored because if you've ever eaten at Natalie's casa, you know she's a super amazing in the kitchen and will tackle just about anything and come out with shining colors.

So for my first post on here I thought I'd share a recipe that is a staple in our humble abode, I kinda developed this when Robert and I were just dating (and I'd impress him with my culinary skills trying to get a ring on my finger). It was inspired by the Sicilian pizza he loves to get from CPK. If you've never gotten it...go.now.

In our house we just call them wraps, or deliciousness wrapped in a tortilla, if you will.

This recipe serves 2

Ingredients:
- 2 Tortillas (right now we are flat-out addicted to these tortillas from Costco)

- Grated/Shredded Cheese of your choice (we love sharp cheddar)

- Lettuce (Romaine, Green Leaf is what I'd recommend)

- Caesar dressing (I prefer the creamy fatty stuff)

- 1/3 8 oz. package of Pepperoni

- 4-6 Ham, Turkey or Chicken thin cut slices (like lunch meat size)

- Any veggies you'd like to add to give it some extra nutrients I've been known to add: Hothouse Cucumbers, Tomatoes, grated carrots, scallions, corn, peas, cabbage and jicama.

Start cooking your tortillas, that is if you bought the doughy ones, on a griddle.

Shred lettuce and toss with Caesar dressing in a bowl, include any additional veggies you'd like, set aside.

Meanwhile, slice pepperoni and meat slices into thin short strips, toss these strips into a small frying pan on medium heat. Saute slices in their natural juices, or you can add Pam to the pan for extra protection, until Pepperoni is almost crisp and the meat slices turn a nice golden version of their original selves.

Once your tortillas are cooked turn on your oven broiler to high. Place tortillas on a baking sheet and sprinkle with grated/shredded cheese of your choice. Place the tortillas in the broiler for 1-2 minutes just until cheese is melted.

Top cheesey tortillas with tossed lettuce mixture and top that with your sauteed pepperoni and meat slices.

Here's the final product (excuse the cruddy photos, I am not blessed with Natalie's photog skills)

It's quick, it's delicious and it's one of my husband's favorites. Not to mention a great way to get veggies in him...yes, I married a 5 year old when it comes to veggies. Love you Roberto!

Toasted Ravioli

I was craving pasta last night and found some frozen ravioli from Costco in my freezer. (the chicken, mozzarella, rosemary flavor). I was going to boil them and serve them with marinara when I remembered a little dish I made more than 3 years ago inspired by this Rachael Ray recipe. This is what I did last night, though, since I was in a rush and only had a few ingredients:

Box of frozen ravioli
Store bought breadcrumbs
1 egg
olive oil
jarred marinara sauce

Boil water
Put in ravioli (I cooked what I had, but it was probably about 15 pieces)
Heat olive oil in a different skillet(enough to cover bottom of pan)
Put a cup of store bought bread crumbs in a bowl
Break an egg into another bowl and beat it with a fork
Once ravioli floats and looks puffy, take them out to drain on a plate
Let the ravioli cool a little
Shake off excess water from a ravioli, dip it in the egg and dip it in the crumbs
Put the breaded ravioli into the oil
Cook on each side at like medium heat for 2-3 minutes
I like them really brown so I left them in a little longer
Heat jarred marinara sauce in a bowl in the microwave (i put a paper towel on the top of the bowl to prevent a sauce explosion from getting everywhere)

Serve with the sauce and dip with your hands. It's a nice little change from normal pasta, and it took...MAYBE 15 minutes. Don't worry, I served it with a salad so it wasn't completely unhealthy!

Crock Pot Chicken

Ok. This is seriously one of the easiest dishes I've ever made, especially when you taste how good it is! I'm writing it from memory, but I found it in a family cookbook. I will say that it's far from healthy. But sometimes you need something quick and easy and delicious. Serve a big salad next to it to make yourself feel better about the butter! :)

Here's what you need:

1 brick cream cheese
1 stick butter
1 ranch packet
1 can cream of chicken soup (you could use cream of anything probably)
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
3-4 chicken breasts

Let the butter and cream cheese come to room temperature, then mix everything together (I mix it all in the crock pot, then add in the chicken on top.) Cook for about 4 hours and serve over cooked rice. It's so good!

Teriyaki Pineapple Chicken Burgers

Something about a big piece of pineapple on top of a hamburger just sounds so refreshing- After a recent trip to the Trolley, one of my favorite little places to eat in Utah, I decided to recreate it on my own.

What you need:

Grill a chicken breast that's been marinated in teriyaki
Pineapple slices (I used canned rings because the fresh ones didn't look good)
lettuce
some kind of roll or hoagie

I sliced the chicken breast (after letting it rest, of course) and loaded it on a warmed roll with the pineapple slice and lettuce. It was so juicy + refreshing. It's the perfect meal for the warmer weather.

Bacon Basil Chicken

This meal is one of the first meals I made after getting married. It was inspired by David's LOVE of bacon. It's so easy and really really good. I'm always looking for ways to spruce up chicken, because it is my favorite meat!

Ingredients:

3-4 pieces of bacon, cooked
a handful of fresh basil
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt + pepper
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts


Cook the bacon and let it drain and cool. In a blender or food processor combine the bacon (break it up a bit), basil leaves, a few tablespoons of olive oil and a teeny bit of salt and pepper. Blend until everything is about the same size, maybe 45 seconds. You don't want the mixture to be mushy or soggy looking, just broken up into small pieces. Set aside.

Take the chicken and slice a hole in the center. Don't cut all the way through the chicken. Put as much of the bacon basil mixture as you can into the hole. You don't want it coming out, just nice and full. Put the chicken breasts on a cookie sheet or in a baking dish thats been greased. Rub a little olive oil and salt and pepper on top. Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes. If you have a meat thermometer, you want the internal temperature to be at 165 in the fattest part of each breast. Don't let it go above 165 because it will continue cooking a tiny bit after you take it out of the oven. Once it's done, take it out and cover them breasts with foil- then let them sit for about 10-15 minutes. This will ensure juicy chicken! I would serve it with broccoli and mashed potatoes. It's a nice flavor change from normal chicken! Plus if you slice it on an angle, the green peeking through the slices of chicken looks really pretty and almost fancy.

Puffy German Pancakes

This is a recipe I grew up with. It's one of the easiest breakfasts! The best part is that you blend everything and just dump it in a pan, so there's no hassle of flipping individual pancakes. You just bake, cut and serve.

Preheat oven to 400
Put 2 tablespoons of butter in a 9 x 13 baking pan and put it in the oven

In a blender put:
4 eggs
2/3 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt (i use kosher)
2/3 cup milk
Blend and pour over the melted butter in the 9 x 13

Bake at 400 for 10 minutes
Then turn down the oven to 350 and bake for about 15 more minutes. Check it periodically. You want the sides to be puffy and the center to be firm. That's how you'll know it's done.

Chicken and Pasta in Cream Sauce

From Hot off the garlic press

This is Kristine's sister's blog, and she posts really yummy stuff on there. I tried this pasta recipe last summer, and the first time I made it I fell in love. It is one of my favorite meals now and it takes MINUTES. The first week I tried it, I made it 4 times. The recipe calls for basil and parmesan, and I didn't add either of those things...I just do the cream, salt, pepper, garlic, chicken, bowties and broccoli.

It would also be delicious with spinach added into the sauce at the end, or even asparagus and chopped tomatoes. You can't go wrong with heavy cream :) The best part is that the chicken and broccoli and pasta all cook in the same pot, so you don't need 10 different pans to make dinner with. TRY IT. It's the best! Here's the link: Pasta

Yes, we eat a lot of pasta at my house!

english muffin pizzas

like i said before, we have pizza usually once a week. i try to mix it up between pepperoni, pesto or asian. when we're really busy or i do not feel like waiting for my breadmaker to mix up some dough, we make pizzas on english muffins or bagels. you can add whatever toppings you like and even us whole wheat bagels or english muffins as the base. they are so good! and i can imagine kids liking the individual portions and even helping assemble the toppings.

english muffins or bagels
pizza sauce (i like the jarred kind)
mozzarella cheese
pepperoni
i also like to add pineapple to mine
a sprinkle of salt and pepper, or garlic salt

i toast the base before putting the toppings on, to ensure that it is crispy and not soggy. bake at 400 until the cheese is bubbly and the bottom seems crisp. keep an eye on them, they're done fast. never gets old :)